The darkness. It's enough to eat at any man. He grits his teeth against the strange sensation, feeling it creep along his skin. Leaving him nauseous and shaky. Struggling to sit up, he finds that his body isn't under his own control any longer. Something lifts his head, then his arms. His midsection follows shortly afterwards and he struggles to say something, order the others to run, do something. But again, no control over anything. He can't even warn Gabumon, who seems as unaware of the others.

He's back on his feet before Gabumon notices but it's too late- he has Zack by the throat, lifting him up and cutting off his breathing, eyes flashing as he stares at Dolph and Dean, the two men turning to gape at him. "What are you doing?!" Dolph demands, approaching, but Alberto starts to tighten his grip on Zack's throat, his best friend's face already a worrisome shade of purple so Dolph stops short.

"Let him go," Dean says grimly, staring Alberto down despite it not seeming to bother the other man in the slightest. "Now."

"That's not how this is going to go," Alberto says, his accent smothered by a strange tone of voice that sends shivers down the humans before him, Zack cringing and closing his eyes as Alberto's hands trail higher, tilting his head back in a very painful way. Dolph's teeth gnash together as he realizes that Alberto's fingers are digging into the small scar on Zack's arm where he'd had a procedure the year prior to heal a torn rotator cuff.

"No, it's not," Alicia's voice says, cool, calm, void of everything that made the diva her. It's clearly not her, it's clearly not Palmon as they join the group, Dolph glaring at her as she sidles up to Alberto and laughs softly. "You boys are going to play nicely while we wait for the others, now aren't you?"

"Why do you... why do you want them?" Zack struggles out through an inch of oxygen that he's able to get into his system...before Alicia's gaze flickers to Alberto and he tightens his grip on Zack, his face turning blue under the possessed man's fingers.

"No! Kid!" Dolph yells out, desperate to step forward, to do something... but unable to risk more harm coming to Zack. Zack's green eyes lock on him for a moment before he goes limp, his face falling forward so that Dolph can't tell if he's still breathing. "Please..." he whispers. "PLEASE!"

Alicia and Alberto's chilling laughs echo through the darkness, underlined by the crashing of waves in the distance.