Heart thumping, blood pumping. Running like never before. Muscles energized
by the Strength of the Others.
Pacey and Jen were trying to put some distance between themselves and Andie. It was still early in the morning, and there was no-one else on the streets.
Suddenly Jen skidded to a halt next to a white Lexus with tinted windows. She whistled, and Pacey looked round, then she stabbed her hand through the driver's window with a crash.
"Why run when you can drive?" she asked absently.
"Cool," said Pacey. "Hey, what about the alarm, shouldn't it have, like, gone off?"
"I screwed the electrics."
"We can do that?"
"Sure, we can do almost anything."
Jen thumbed open the lock and hopped in. She swept glass off the seat and got in, onto the luxury leather chair. Pacey dashed over to the passenger side, he concentrated, and the lock popped up without him having to actually rip the door off.
When they were both in, Jen closed her eyes and the engine came to life, it revved loudly. At the same time, a pair of mirrorshades appeared on her nose.
"Let's roll," she said.
Pacey belted up, just in case, and then Jen stamped her foot down on the accelerator and the Lexus sped off. "Wheeeeeeeee!"
"Where are we headed?" Pacey asked.
"We know-"
"Jack," interupted Jen. "He can help us, I'm sure of it."
Pacey was concerned, he had the Other's Strength for a while longer than Jen, yet she was displaying more control and power than him. He turned inwards.
"Guys, is Jen stronger than me?"
"Yes, Pacey," replied a voice.
"Why?"
"Our Strength is not just ours, it taps directly into your psyche, you are a factor as well."
"You mean Jen has a stronger psyche?"
"Yes, Pacey."
"Gotta say, I'm not feeling so good about that."
"It is not our fault. We love you both, you give us sensations, in return we give you our Strength. That is all we can do."
Jack was back at the McPhee household. Jen was hoping that the Void-bitch hadn't killed him. The Other's couldn't confirm at this range.
She turned a corner going at high speed, the car went off the side of the road, mud churned up before she regained control and rammed down the accelerator again.
"Hi, guys," came a familiar voice from the Others place.
It was Dawson, but Pacey had definitely killed him and destroyed his body. He was stunned, almost paralyzed by this revalation. Jen must've been as well, because she seemed to loose control, and the car went onto the side and struck a tree dead-on.
Pacey was snapped forward, but the seatbelt held. He felt the tight pain where the belt had dug into his body, and he willed it away.
His mouth was filling with blood, something inside was damaged. He glanced across to the drivers seat with blurred vision. It was empty. Then, in an instant, the airbag exploded out, far too late. Pacey hadn't heard it, in fact, he couldn't hear anything.
"WHAT'S WRONG?" he panically asked the Others.
"You are hurt, the accident-"
"I can't hear!"
"Please, we can help you repair yourself."
"Then do it."
Sure enough, it only took half a minute to have his hearing returned. By that time he had undone his belt, got out, and staggered to the front of the car. It was a total write-off. Jen had ploughed it headlong into a thick tree, which appeared undamaged. The front had crumpled to half it's size, and spread around the side of the tree. He steadined himself on the oak.
"Pacey," said Dawson. "I forgive you for killing me."
Pacey clawed at his face. "Get out of my HEAD!"
****
Jen had been thrown through the windscreen, she travelled an impressive fifteen feet before hitting the ground, and she hit hard. However, because it was mud, it didn't offer much friction, and she continued for another twenty feet, cutting into a patch of long, wet grass.
Honestly, she'd felt better. She could sense thin slivers of glass in her face, lots of them. She tried to get up, but her legs had been badly mangled on the dashboard.
Her breathing was shallow, and wheezy. She poked around with her tongue to find several teeth missing, and several broken in her mouth.
Her arms moved slowly, circling around her body until she found a centre of gravity that worked. Her muscles twitched, barely worked, but she managed to press herself up. She looked back down at the grass with her one good eye, there was a large patch of red.
She spluttered, blood, as well as saliva and bits of shattered tooth spewed forth. Then her arms gave out, and she landed back on the ground, the moisture sinking through her thin t-shirt. Her vision went black, and she remained still.
***
"You're dead!" exclaimed Pacey, his hands still clutched at his head.
"Yeah, I know," replied Dawson.
"So you can't be talking to me."
"Very logical, how unlike you. Look, I don't know how it worked, but I'm with the Others in the back of your mind."
"We saved him, Pacey," interjected the Others.
"I'm among them, I can feel them slipping through my mind. I've only got your senses to view the world through. I can't feel anything beyond . . . anything!"
Pacey fell to his knees. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry, I . . ." He began to sob.
"The Others explained it to me. When I died, it was like, nothing - but then I felt them come for me, carry me with them. It took me all this time to just gel my thoughts together. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, Pacey, I need another body."
"But, if you're with the Others, they can't just grab bodies, you need-"
"No, it's not the same. I can, they told me how. I can use my Strength, the Strength I have now that I'm with them, the Strength of the Demon you brought back."
"You know about that?"
"Yes, I know. I can help save Andie, I just need a body, any body. Don't you see, this is hell, and you put me here. Get me out, Pacey."
"Of course, Dawson." Pacey got to his feet and wiped away his tears with a hankerchief he brought into being. "Hey, where's Jen?"
He found her broken body, right where the Others said she would be. She was unconcious, bleeding, parts of her were twisted around at inhuman angles.
"Heal her!" demaned Pacey.
"It will take much time, Pacey. Please, carry her away, the Demon approaches."
As Pacey scooped her up, he could see her through his new senses. She was baseline, her heart barely keeping rythym, her respiration so low as to barely register. It had taken all of her Strength to simply remain alive. Even though death was no longer the end. Pacey tried to help, but his ability to heal others were limited.
New strength emerged in his muscles, he began to trot along a small path through the forest. Mud splashed up his clothing, as well as blood seeping from Jen's silent body.
Pacey and Jen were trying to put some distance between themselves and Andie. It was still early in the morning, and there was no-one else on the streets.
Suddenly Jen skidded to a halt next to a white Lexus with tinted windows. She whistled, and Pacey looked round, then she stabbed her hand through the driver's window with a crash.
"Why run when you can drive?" she asked absently.
"Cool," said Pacey. "Hey, what about the alarm, shouldn't it have, like, gone off?"
"I screwed the electrics."
"We can do that?"
"Sure, we can do almost anything."
Jen thumbed open the lock and hopped in. She swept glass off the seat and got in, onto the luxury leather chair. Pacey dashed over to the passenger side, he concentrated, and the lock popped up without him having to actually rip the door off.
When they were both in, Jen closed her eyes and the engine came to life, it revved loudly. At the same time, a pair of mirrorshades appeared on her nose.
"Let's roll," she said.
Pacey belted up, just in case, and then Jen stamped her foot down on the accelerator and the Lexus sped off. "Wheeeeeeeee!"
"Where are we headed?" Pacey asked.
"We know-"
"Jack," interupted Jen. "He can help us, I'm sure of it."
Pacey was concerned, he had the Other's Strength for a while longer than Jen, yet she was displaying more control and power than him. He turned inwards.
"Guys, is Jen stronger than me?"
"Yes, Pacey," replied a voice.
"Why?"
"Our Strength is not just ours, it taps directly into your psyche, you are a factor as well."
"You mean Jen has a stronger psyche?"
"Yes, Pacey."
"Gotta say, I'm not feeling so good about that."
"It is not our fault. We love you both, you give us sensations, in return we give you our Strength. That is all we can do."
Jack was back at the McPhee household. Jen was hoping that the Void-bitch hadn't killed him. The Other's couldn't confirm at this range.
She turned a corner going at high speed, the car went off the side of the road, mud churned up before she regained control and rammed down the accelerator again.
"Hi, guys," came a familiar voice from the Others place.
It was Dawson, but Pacey had definitely killed him and destroyed his body. He was stunned, almost paralyzed by this revalation. Jen must've been as well, because she seemed to loose control, and the car went onto the side and struck a tree dead-on.
Pacey was snapped forward, but the seatbelt held. He felt the tight pain where the belt had dug into his body, and he willed it away.
His mouth was filling with blood, something inside was damaged. He glanced across to the drivers seat with blurred vision. It was empty. Then, in an instant, the airbag exploded out, far too late. Pacey hadn't heard it, in fact, he couldn't hear anything.
"WHAT'S WRONG?" he panically asked the Others.
"You are hurt, the accident-"
"I can't hear!"
"Please, we can help you repair yourself."
"Then do it."
Sure enough, it only took half a minute to have his hearing returned. By that time he had undone his belt, got out, and staggered to the front of the car. It was a total write-off. Jen had ploughed it headlong into a thick tree, which appeared undamaged. The front had crumpled to half it's size, and spread around the side of the tree. He steadined himself on the oak.
"Pacey," said Dawson. "I forgive you for killing me."
Pacey clawed at his face. "Get out of my HEAD!"
****
Jen had been thrown through the windscreen, she travelled an impressive fifteen feet before hitting the ground, and she hit hard. However, because it was mud, it didn't offer much friction, and she continued for another twenty feet, cutting into a patch of long, wet grass.
Honestly, she'd felt better. She could sense thin slivers of glass in her face, lots of them. She tried to get up, but her legs had been badly mangled on the dashboard.
Her breathing was shallow, and wheezy. She poked around with her tongue to find several teeth missing, and several broken in her mouth.
Her arms moved slowly, circling around her body until she found a centre of gravity that worked. Her muscles twitched, barely worked, but she managed to press herself up. She looked back down at the grass with her one good eye, there was a large patch of red.
She spluttered, blood, as well as saliva and bits of shattered tooth spewed forth. Then her arms gave out, and she landed back on the ground, the moisture sinking through her thin t-shirt. Her vision went black, and she remained still.
***
"You're dead!" exclaimed Pacey, his hands still clutched at his head.
"Yeah, I know," replied Dawson.
"So you can't be talking to me."
"Very logical, how unlike you. Look, I don't know how it worked, but I'm with the Others in the back of your mind."
"We saved him, Pacey," interjected the Others.
"I'm among them, I can feel them slipping through my mind. I've only got your senses to view the world through. I can't feel anything beyond . . . anything!"
Pacey fell to his knees. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry, I . . ." He began to sob.
"The Others explained it to me. When I died, it was like, nothing - but then I felt them come for me, carry me with them. It took me all this time to just gel my thoughts together. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, Pacey, I need another body."
"But, if you're with the Others, they can't just grab bodies, you need-"
"No, it's not the same. I can, they told me how. I can use my Strength, the Strength I have now that I'm with them, the Strength of the Demon you brought back."
"You know about that?"
"Yes, I know. I can help save Andie, I just need a body, any body. Don't you see, this is hell, and you put me here. Get me out, Pacey."
"Of course, Dawson." Pacey got to his feet and wiped away his tears with a hankerchief he brought into being. "Hey, where's Jen?"
He found her broken body, right where the Others said she would be. She was unconcious, bleeding, parts of her were twisted around at inhuman angles.
"Heal her!" demaned Pacey.
"It will take much time, Pacey. Please, carry her away, the Demon approaches."
As Pacey scooped her up, he could see her through his new senses. She was baseline, her heart barely keeping rythym, her respiration so low as to barely register. It had taken all of her Strength to simply remain alive. Even though death was no longer the end. Pacey tried to help, but his ability to heal others were limited.
New strength emerged in his muscles, he began to trot along a small path through the forest. Mud splashed up his clothing, as well as blood seeping from Jen's silent body.