Chapter 35

The party huddled around each other in the center of the room as they tried to stay as far away from the slowly approaching walls as possible. Cecil looked about, not understanding any of it, but catching on enough to stay with the group. Lucy and Lenore shared a greater feeling of dread to their situation than the others. Shaw looked about frantically, searching for a way out. Wendigo growled and pounded on the floor, which did not give way at all.

Jim couldn't believe it. 'We came all this way,' he thought. 'I found her. We're all here, together, in one place. Everything I sacrificed, everything I am, is about to become their weapon. I'm going to die in here.

'Is this really how it all ends? This is it? Huddled here, cowering, awaiting the inevitable? This can't be happening. I refuse to accept this.

'I lost my health, my freedom, my tongue... I gave up everything I am to be here, now. I can't give up. I have to do something. I have to THINK!'

Jim looked over at the girls. 'No good. They're paralyzed. Terrified. They could bend this rock and save us all. They could at least try. Why won't they try?

'They've given up. They're too afraid. I have to wake them up. I have to take action. I have to get them to do something. But what? How? What can I do?'

In that moment, Jim had an idea; a stupid idea. But sometimes, even in times of extreme danger, a stupid idea can change the course of events. Jim charged the wall.

"Jim! NO!" Lucy yelled.

He pulled the closest thing to a weapon he had, the mirror shard, unwrapped it, and stabbed it into the wall.

Go hit the ground with a crunching sound. He looked up at the balcony Evelyn threw him from to meet her gaze. His eyes widened, then he rolled out of the way to avoid the fatal strike Evelyn attempted to deliver by leaping down upon him. It took him longer than he'd care to admit to rise to his feet.

"Give in, dear husband. What do you honestly have to live for?"

Go refused to give Evelyn the benefit of a conversation. The time for words had passed. She had successfully driven him away from the crystal that controlled the whole station and spent more time toying with him than earnestly seeking his demise. But this cat had had enough of toying with her mouse. The vicious playfulness had vanished, replaced by a relentless need to obliterate.

Go was trapped. All his strength was devoted to preventing Evelyn from attacking him with the walls around him, and his willpower was wearing thin. He had struck fatal blows against parts of Evelyn's anatomy that no-longer remained. He couldn't wrap his brain around what she had become.

"Playtime's over." Her voice was sullen and remorseless. She shifted her entire right arm into a mighty scythe and held it high above Go's head.

He closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, when she unexpectedly screamed out in pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching her abdomen tightly.

The entire room shook the moment the mirror shard touched the wall. The walls stopped moving, and everyone inside, Jim included, took a moment to realize what happened. Without reservation, Jim raised the shard again and struck at the wall.

"NOOO!" Evelyn cried, writhing in agony. Go marveled as he witnessed true anguish and fear in Evelyn's cries. He did not know what force had suddenly saved him from certain death, but discovering it would have to wait.

Evelyn seemed to know what the problem was, and used all of her focus to form a massive tunnel through the bowels of the fortress directly towards the room Jim and the others were in.

"You have the shard!" She screeched and dived in after them.

Originally posted on 7/6/13 at empowernetwork (dit) com/leewhittaker/?p=150

For a sneak peak at the next chapter, go to empowernetwork (dit) com/leewhittaker/?p=151