Hey guys! I was VERY torn while writing this chapter this week but I think I'm finally sticking with this. You know you're in too deep when you write for hours and then go back and delete half of what you've written to rewrite it a different way...Let me know what you think about what I've got though! Thanks! :)

As Melanie rushed out of the room, the wall of psychokinetic energy melted away like mist. Egon stared at the spot curiously for a moment and then looked up as Winston and Peter ran to back him up in front of the containment unit. Death seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, casting a burning glare at each of the four Ghostbusters. When his eyes landed on Ray at the bottom of the stairs, he let out an inhuman growl and dove toward him.

"Look out, Ray!" Egon called as he fired after the demon. Death was blown away by the force of his proton stream. Ray ducked out of the way as a light fixture from the ceiling fell to the ground. Death was up again, but unmoving, clearly at war with himself.

"Charge 'em up!" Peter said as Death swung his red eyed gaze at the three Ghostbusters in front of the containment unit. But Death had lost interest in the unit…for the moment. Melanie's outburst of supernatural power had tempted him once again. Ray dove to the ground out of the way as Death flew up the stairs after the girl.

Peter, Winston and Egon all inwardly sighed in relief.

"Well. At least now we know what makes him tick." Winston said.

"How'd she do that?!" Peter exclaimed, looking at the spot where the wall had disappeared. Ray and Egon both flashed him a knowing glance.

"No time to think about that, let's go!" Egon was the first to rush up the stairs after Melanie and the demon she was running from.

None of the Ghostbusters noticed as the lever on the door to the containment unit slowly started to twitch downward.

"Melanie?!" Egon called as he reached the ground floor. Ecto-1 still lay blocking the staircase, its front bumper and hood smashed into the wall. Scanning the first floor of the firehouse, he still saw no signs of Death or Melanie. He heard a door slam up above him and knew that she was somehow working her way up to the rooftop despite her injuries.

"Spengler! Where'd she go?" Ray said breathlessly as he reached the top of the stairs. Egon was already climbing over Ecto-1's hood for the second time that night.

"We're going to the roof!" Egon called over his shoulder as he leapt down on the other side of the car and started to rush up the stairs.

As the four Ghostbusters scrambled up the stairs to the ruined lab/rec room, Peter and Winston both paused to take in the damage. Apparently in their haste to grab a proton pack, they had overlooked the mess before. Egon trudged through the wreckage towards the emergency rooftop exit.

"Okay, we'll grab a couple of traps and maybe one of the slime blowers. Maybe we'll have better luck with that." Peter said slowly as he scanned the room for any sign of the said objects.

Ray shook his head dejectedly and moved to pick up the last proton pack on the ground. Winston helped him lift the heavy pack onto his back and Ray hastily fastened the waist strap.

"Any idea where that slime blower is, Ray?" Peter asked again. Ray glanced around halfheartedly but Egon was the one to answer.

"It's gone, Venkman. Everything's gone." He said as he pulled open the door and stepped up to the roof.

"Well…at the least we've still got the packs…" Winston said, trying to stay on the bright side. Ray scoffed.

"Yeah. We'd already be blown sky high if they had been destroyed with the rest of our equipment." Ray moved to follow Egon, when suddenly the building started to shake and rumble as thunder erupted from above. Egon whirled around and looked back at the doorway that led to the stairs. A green glow was emanating from the lower level of the firehouse.

"He pulled the lever!" Egon shouted. He moved to rush back downstairs but Ray stopped him and shoved him back towards the rooftop exit.

"Spengler, go! We'll handle this!" Ray yelled over the crashing sounds of the thunder and the eruption of the containment unit.

Egon hesitated and watched as Winston and Peter both ran down the stairs firing their proton streams at the ghosts trying to escape the firehouse. Ray flashed him a reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes, as he turned and ran down after the other two Ghostbusters. Egon stumbled back, feeling the building's weight shift below him and shoved himself out onto the rooftop.

He shielded his face as he was blinded by a bright flash of blue. When the light receded, he spotted Melanie and realized that the light was coming from her as she was attempting to block Death's far stronger energy blasts. Her dull blue energy fields wavered under the dark demon's burning red force.

Death was slowly bearing down on her and when her knees collapsed to the rooftop, a crash of thunder sounded around them. She winced but threw her hands up, releasing another flash of blue light that only pushed Death away a few feet. She managed to clumsily climb to her feet and took a shaky step towards him, floating an inch off of the ground so she wouldn't put too much weight on her injured leg.

Rain pelted down on Melanie, her brown hair stuck to her pale face and the dress she wore clung to her thin form. She held her left arm close to herself, and Egon could see painful tears running down her face along with the rain. She didn't seem to notice his presence on the rooftop yet.

"Melanie, duck!" He shouted as Death leapt towards her. She quickly fell to her knees, crying out. Egon fired his particle thrower and the force of it blew Death across the rooftop to the edge of the building. Death raised his hands to send a burst of energy at the man, but Melanie threw her own blue blast towards him, causing him to disappear over the side of the firehouse. Egon holstered the weapon and ran to Melanie as she picked herself back up.

Suddenly the thunder grew louder and Melanie looked up in awe as hundreds of lights rose up around them.

"E-Egon? Are you seeing this?" She breathed. She gazed around and could make out vague shapes and forms among the multiple colored lights. Egon was studying the arm she had clutched to her side as he looked around wearily.

"Yes. The containment unit was shut off…again." He mumbled. Lighting lit up the sky and was quickly followed by another rumble of thunder that shook the building.

"Again?" Melanie asked, still looking around in wonder. Egon nodded.

"After the first incident, I was able to rewire a few things so it won't blow up the whole building like it did last time. But it sure feels like it's close to doing just that." He said as the building gave a groan beneath them. Melanie was unaffected by the movement, as she floated just barely above the ground.

"How did you get them back last time?" She asked as she held her uninjured arm up towards the sky. The rain still fell around them, but she didn't seem to notice. A bright purple ghost flew towards Melanie and gently waved its hand over hers. She smiled wearily as it flew away at the sight of Egon reaching for his particle thrower.

"It took some effort." He said. He gently reached out and took her left wrist which had turned purple from where Death had twisted it. She pulled away from Egon as he moved to examine her shoulder.

"They seem…peaceful…" Melanie said as more ghosts started to swarm up towards the rooftop. Egon warily took a step back as Melanie was cast in the glow of a pair of green ghosts that surrounded her. She smiled as she looked at the smaller of the two. It was then that Egon realized that these two ghosts were the mother and daughter they had seen earlier in the evening. He relaxed a little.

Melanie whipped her head around as a high pitched screech echoed through the loud pelting rain and thunder. A huge clawed black hand grasped the edge of the rooftop and Death was there hoisting himself over the side of the building and onto the roof. He had given up his human façade and now stood before them as a creature of nothing but shadows. His red eyes stood out, and when he bared his teeth, they were filed into sharp brilliantly white fangs.

Melanie's smile faded and then all of the ghosts surrounding her changed. What had once been a multitude of different green, purple, pink, and orange lights, now instantly faded into red. The ghosts that had been docile, peaceful creatures only seconds before were suddenly murderous and they all flew behind Death who stood, grinning down at Melanie and her Ghostbuster.

"Do I even need to say, 'I told you so'?" Death's voice rumbled as the thunder picked back up. Melanie swung herself in front of Egon, attempting to put up her blue wall of protective energy between them and the army of ghosts in front of them.

Death gestured towards her and two ghosts flew at her and grabbed her arms. She cried out as they seemed to burn her skin through the soaking wet black sleeves of her dress. The blue energy surrounding her blinked and smoldered as the ghosts overwhelmed her. She lost her foothold on the air and her feet met the rooftop ground. She gasped in pain as she was forced to put weight on her right leg. Egon fired at the ghosts holding her and they shrieked at him, releasing Melanie and fleeing back towards Death.

Egon switched his neutrino wand to full stream and sent a blast straight at the shadow man in front of him. The ghosts behind Death swarmed in front of him, taking the full force of the blast. Another crash of thunder caused even more dread to fall over Egon. He looked down at Melanie as she studied her arms, trying to form another of her energy barriers. The sleeves of her dress were burned and tattered, showing off her bruised and singed shoulders. She glanced up at Egon worriedly.

"I…I know what to do…" She said as he helped her to her feet.

She was on the ground, her feet in a puddle of rainwater, leaning on his shoulder for support. She slowly pulled herself away from him and was instantly surrounded by the red ghosts. They pulled at her hair and limbs, but she forced herself closer into the swarm of ghosts. Death glared at her as she advanced, and when her hands started to glow weakly blue, he sent a force towards her that knocked her across the rooftop. She rolled for several feet and then threw her hand out to catch herself as she tumbled too near the edge.

Egon fired another proton stream at Death which gripped him around the forearm. Death struggled to shake the stream free but Egon forced his particle thrower to the limits and hung on.

"Stop! Get off of me!" Melanie screamed. Egon glanced over to where she stood fending off a dozen clawing and screeching ghosts. Her hands were still glowing with a weak blue light but each time she made contact against one of the hostile ghosts, her glowing pulsed brighter.

Just then the door to the rooftop burst open and the other three Ghostbusters emerged.

"Egon, we were too late…it's too late to just shut it back on, we'll have to…" Ray stopped as he saw the crowd of ghosts in front of him. Peter and Winston both forced him out of the way as they erupted onto the rooftop, quickly taking assessments of the situation.

"Well. We've gotta get started somewhere." Peter said as he turned and took a whole swarm of red ghosts for his own. Winston rushed over to help him when even more ghosts appeared from the streets below.

"Ray! I could use your help over here, please!" Egon called. Ray nodded and started his way towards where Egon stood holding Death by the arm. As he stepped away from the exit, an ambush of red ghosts charged at him, having been lying in wait over the door.

"You're…gonna have to give me a minute!" Ray called as he attempted to shake the ghosts off.

Death took Egon's distracted moment to his advantage. He swung his arm towards Egon, breaking the stream and shoving him to the ground. Thunder loomed over him and he tried to gain his senses quickly before the next attack.

"I told you to leave him alone!" Melanie screamed. Egon saw her stumble past him at a running pace. She raised her hands and sent a striking pulse of energy towards the surprised Death. When she got even closer for another swipe, he grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Since you chose to break our deal, I can do whatever I wish!" He said, his rumbling voice eerily calm. She gripped his shadowy arm with her other hand which radiated with her blue energy. Death growled in pain and shoved her aside. She scrambled to her feet, throwing another weak blow of energy at him but Death was furious now. He moved quickly towards her and she scrambled to back away at the same time.

Egon leapt to his feet, firing his proton stream after Death. It seemed to have almost no effect until Ray came to his aid and helped him to wrangle one of Death's arms. The demon stumbled backward and tried to yank himself free. Both Egon and Ray planted their feet firmly on the ground to hold him.

"Hey, you got him! Hang on, we'll be there in a second!" Peter yelled from across the rooftop. The ghosts they were fighting realized what was happening and seemed to strengthen their attacks on the two Ghostbusters. They all seemed to be scrambling to reach Egon and Ray but Peter and Winston were quick to stop them.

"I'm gonna try and move to wrangle his other arm! You got this one?" Ray called as Death let out another inhuman roar. Egon fidgeted with the neutrino wand in his grasp and then nodded.

"I believe so…" He replied. Ray quickly flicked his proton stream off and swung his thrower towards Death's other flailing arm. Melanie stood in front of Death, helping Egon hold his other arm in place with her blinking blue energy.

Ray fired on Death's arm but before his stream could lock in on its target, Death yanked his free arm away and threw a pulse of dark energy towards Melanie.

Melanie cried out as she was thrown back several feet towards the edge of the building. She stumbled for balance, eyes wide.

"Melanie!" Egon shouted. He switched off his proton stream and ran to her, knowing he was leaving himself vulnerable to whatever Death had to throw at him.

"Egon, what are you doing?!" Ray called, overwhelmed as Death was freed. Death turned on him and Ray was silenced as he tried to defend himself against the angry demon.

"Hang on!" Egon rushed to Melanie's side, and grabbed her wrist before she could fall. She scrambled for balance as one foot dangled off the side of the roof.

"E-Egon!" Her eyes were wide with panic as she slipped on the wet roof. Rain still soaked them both and the crashing thunder from above threatened even worse was to come.

"I've got you, Melanie." Egon said as he got a more stable grip on her. She looked up at him, her eyes glazed with pain and terror.

"Egon…whatever happens…I promise…I'll try to find my way back to you."

She was looking over his shoulder as Death threw Ray aside and flew towards them, radiating with his building anger. She sent out one last strong blue pulse of energy against Egon's chest, throwing him back across the roof towards Ray. Death's blow hit her head-on and she lost her footing on the edge of the roof and went over the side of the Ghostbusters' firehouse.

Egon landed on the ground roughly and he quickly rolled over, dazed from the collision. Ray ran to help him up.

"What-" Egon shook his head to clear the blurriness that had washed over him. He wiped the rain out of his glasses and looked back to where Melanie had been.

She was gone.

Death whirled around, a triumphant smile on his face. Egon was silent for a moment as his chest was overtaken by an icy hollowness. He was suddenly reminded of his nightmare.

"Would you die for me, Egon?"

He was brought back to his senses as thunder echoed above him. He stood up slowly and drew his particle thrower.

"Yes."

Egon whirled on Death, firing another full powered proton stream at him. Death growled in laughter as the ghosts quickly came to take the hit for him. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder echoed his amusement. Egon could tell that his pack was dangerously close to overheating but he pressed on, throwing the ghosts out of the path as he moved closer towards Death.

"Spengler! You're not thinking rationally!" Ray called out as he ran closer to help him. Egon ignored him and continued to blast the ghosts out of the way.

"Egon, hang on! We're coming!" Winston shouted.

"Hey pal, wait up!" Peter said. Three other proton streams joined Egon's as the Ghostbusters shoved their way towards the giant shadow-enshrouded Death.

The ghosts suddenly swarmed into the air like birds, throwing the four men to the ground with the whirlwind of force they created. The ghosts all flew over the edge of the building and out of sight. Death grabbed Egon by the collar.

"You play the hero well…but if given the chance, are you sure you could really sacrifice yourself like you think you would?" He growled.

Egon still held his particle thrower loosely in his right hand and he fired blindly at Death. The blast struck the demon in the chest and he disappeared in a flash of swirling shadows. Egon fell to the ground, coughing.

"Hey, leave some fighting room for us!" Winston said, offering him a hand. Egon waved him away and struggled back to his feet on his own.

"Spengler, your pack is overheating. You've got to let it cool down, you can't keep going like this!" Ray pleaded, attempting to take Egon's pack off.

Egon shrugged him off and walked towards where Melanie had fallen, his heart heavy in his chest. He stepped towards the edge, feeling his throat grow tight as he looked down at the street below.

Death suddenly appeared in front of him, once more using his human form. His well-kept hair flowed messily in the wind, yet the rain didn't touch him. He studied Egon with amusement, knowing that the man was close to his breaking point.

"Bring her back." Egon said, staring the demon down.

"She's finished her business here, now she's where she belongs." Death said, his voice causing another low rumble of thunder.

"And where is that?" Egon called over the wind. Death's smile widened, showing his perfect sharp teeth.

"On the other side with all of the other weak, pathetic spirits who tried to fight me." Death growled. Egon drew his particle thrower in anger.

"She wasn't weak! You yourself were so captivated by her power you didn't know what to do!" Egon said. Death's eyes flashed in irritation.

"No different than you then, it sounds like." Death said his eyes glowing hungrily. Egon's heart fell. He felt his eyes sting with the threat of tears as he ran at the demon in front of him.

"Egon, don't-" Ray's voice was drowned out by a louder crash of thunder.

Egon's feet left the concrete of the building's rooftop as he leapt towards Death's triumphant face. Egon fired his particle thrower and watched in dismay as Death disappeared in a flash of lightning. The loudest crack of thunder Egon had ever heard rang out from the cloudy sky above as he realized what was happening.

He was falling.