Note: Warning. Implications of serious abuse in this chapter.

….

It's not possible for me to catch a moving van before she gets to the cave, Arthur reasoned with himself, though his legs kept pumping. There's no plan, there's no shared information, we're not even a team right now. Shiker's going to get everything he wants and kill off everyone he doesn't need anymore. Still he kept running. Vivi, you screwed up big this time.

He counted road stripes as he passed to keep his mind off the fact that he was running toward certain death. It didn't matter. There had to be something he could do, even if he couldn't think of it right now. It would come to him when he needed it, right?

He slammed into a solid black wall, rebounding off and onto his back, groaning at the impact. Lewis' back towered over him, flickering in and out of sight, the edges of his form crawling with flamelets. He hovered in place, his back firmly to Arthur, staring down the road after the van's rapidly fading backlights.

Oh gods, Vivi hurt him… He wouldn't!

Arthur lunged forward, grabbing Lewis' sleeve with both hands. The words were lodged in his throat, and Lewis jerked his arm to shake Arthur off. He had to get it out! He shut his eyes, bracing for the worst as he shoved his defense out all smashed together. "Shedoesn'tknowyou!"

I tell Harvey he has been a good boy. Lewis is very weak now. Harvey knows I do to the broken ones, yes? I tell Harvey that Lewis just needs a little extra push. Remember the room he cleaned up last month? Remember Suzy, and what it took to break her. I know Harvey watched through a knothole. Sneaky little spy, but it will help. Now he has a few ideas, and there's plenty of tools in that room too.

"Arthur."

Break Lewis, I say. Break him until he doesn't know who he is anymore. Only then will Harvey be freed.

"What did you just say?"

The night is full of Lewis' screams and sobs. I watch from the rafters, unseen as I wish to be. I watch as Harvey hardens Lewis to unbreaking, and in so breaks himself. By dawn, Lewis knows exactly who he is, and Harvey will never know again. Harvey is ready to be harvested.

"Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. Come to me, puppet."

Arthur's head cracked hard to the right. He blinked, tasting copper. The side of his face felt like someone had run an iron over it or used one to smack him silly. Ah, and Lewis was glaring down at him.

Arthur rotated his jaw. At least it wasn't broken. All things considered, a left hook from Lewis wasn't a terrible price to pay for snapping out of-he doubled over, convulsing with dry heaves.

A massive hand gripped his jaw, searing his face with bursts of flash-fire heat as Lewis flickered in and out of solid state. "You said his name again just now. Vivi told me about your little visions. What did you see?"

Arthur couldn't focus. His stomach clawed at his throat over the things he'd seen. As if Lewis getting drowned, burned, and beaten wasn't bad enough, this… and at the hands of a friend...

"Don't make that face." Lewis' voice crackled like a bad speaker. "I don't want your pity. I survived. I didn't lose to the Shiker. I didn't need that traitor to get free, and I don't need you! What did you see?"

Arthur stared up at the raging skull, too lost to even sign. What am I supposed to say? I'm sorry you were put through a gamut of things no child should have to think about, much less live through? I'm sorry the only other kid who seemed trustworthy there hurt you? I'm sorry, I get why 'the Shiker made me do it' doesn't hold up in your mind?

Slowly, Arthur lifted his hands. I'm sorry the Shiker got to him before I did.

Lewis shoved him backwards, wiping his hands on the suit. "Yeah. Sure you are. That's why you're running straight for the compound with my anchor."

Vivi. Arthur leaped to his feet, wobbling as his vision spun, his hands moving at the speed of his thoughts.Vivi Lewis Vivi didn't mean she's driving to we have to stop we can't just let her and Kay-

Lewis swatted Arthur's hands out of the way. "I can't save Vivi. Do you understand, Arthur? You're right. She doesn't know me. She won't listen to me, especially if she's swung, and there's all the signs she's in shock and in a swing. And she's obviously done listening to you if you're here on the road." He paused, eyes widening. "With. My. Anchor. You…"

Arthur nodded.

Lewis straightened his shoulders. "It doesn't matter. Neither of us can stop them, especially if Vivi talks Kay into joining her, which she's probably already done. And this?" He looked down at his hands, fading in and out of sight. "She did serious damage to my anchor. I'd expect no less. There's nothing we can do."

Arthur ground his teeth. So that's it. You're just giving up?

"What exactly do you want from me?" Lewis growled. "To waltz into hell after the woman who doesn't remember or care, and the sister who went behind my back? Oh, let's not forget, all this with the best friend who pushed me to my death."

Staring hard at him, Arthur signed, You're really going to let Vivi walk into that? Let her be a victim to this thing?

Lewis' skull swiveled slowly back in the direction of the now van-less road. Crickets sang up and down the stretch of asphalt, filing the silence with an eerie symphony. "Do you understand what you're asking me?" Arthur was no longer sure the crackling in his voice was just damage to the anchor. "Where we're going back, and what's going to happen to me there?"

Shutting his eyes for a minute, Arthur allowed the situation to sink in. Facing the Shiker had no successful outcome that he could see. Lewis would be drained to a shell of himself, and Arthur… gods knew what the Shiker would do to him. On the other hand, running would strand Kay and Vivi, who would die or live out a fate worse than death. Mystery's soul would be harvested and corrupted, used in some curse or another down the line. The Shiker would catch up to Lewis eventually, tying off that loose end. Aji and Dulcie would fall victim to their curses, leaving Arthur dead and the Peppers effectively childless.

He snapped again for Lewis' attention. Yeah. I know. But if I have to die, I'm going to give my bullheaded friend and girlfriend their best shot at escape. Maybe we can even get Mystery an opening. Come on, Lew. For Vivi. And Kay, he thought, but kept that bit to himself. He stuck his hand out, hoping Lewis wouldn't rip it off.

Lewis stared down at the hand, his hair pulling back into a solid, glowing mass. Lifting his face, he walked past Arthur, bumping him hard enough to send him sprawling again.

Arthur grunted in frustration. Fine. He didn't need Lewis. He'd go by himself if he had to.

"Get in."

Blinking, Arthur lifted his head to see a now-familiar mansion sagging across the road, the front door hanging open.

"You won't get there in time. Get inside." Lewis mounted the steps, his shoulders sagging as he muttered, "Into the jaws of the hellhound we go."

….

"Vivi, this has gone beyond anger! You need to pull over now! We can't just rush in without a plan."

Red tinged the edge of Vivi's vision as her foot lay like lead on the pedal. Mystery was a coward, pure and simple. He didn't care about Chloe, he only cared about saving himself. That was perfectly clear. "If you're not with me, get out of the van."

"I mean it, Vivi! Pull over or turn around! This is your last warning!"

"Or what?" Vivi snapped. "You'll transform in the van? Rip my arm off? Don't get in my way, Mystery."

Mystery grabbed her arm, and Vivi swerved hard. "Get your hands off me! Get out of my van, you backflipping soda puddle!"

"I can't let you go any further!" Mystery clung to her seat, feet scrabbling for a foothold to brace against.

"Ungh! Who's driving?" Vivi could just see Kay rearing her head over the back headrest, clutching it for dear life. "Vivi? Where's Arthur? What's going on?"

"Kay!" Vivi shouted. "I need your help! How big a swing do you want to take at that demon? The one that killed Lewis?" She jerked the wheel in the other direction, the van squealing in protest. Mystery slammed against the back driver-side door, grunting. "Everything started falling apart after that, didn't it? Everything!"

"What… Vivi, where's Arthur?" Kay pleaded, trying to hold on.

"Vivi, stop!" Mystery growled, turning his head. "Kay, she doesn't know what she's saying. The Shiker is too strong for you!"

"The two of us can take him, Kay! Get up! Mystery's going to stop me, I need you to hold him!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Kay, if you give a half-hammed bandersnatch about Arthur, I need you to pin Mystery down! We're going to stop the Shiker from ever hurting him again!"

Behind her, Mystery growled, "Cayenne, you don't understand! Let go, I don't want to hurt you!" Something large rolled, hitting the opposite door with a solid thunk.

"Vivi," Kay wheezed, "Hurry."

Slamming on the brakes, Vivi threw the van into park and twisted around. Kay had Mystery in a headlock, but he was crushing her against the passenger door. Unbuckling, Vivi crawled into the back, planting her hands on Mystery's chest. "Dormiam gratum mortuis."

Immediately, Mystery's eyelids drooped, and Kay rolled around to ease the pressure, still keeping her grip.

"Vivi, don't," Mystery mumbled, grabbing her wrists. "You don't know…"

"I do know. I'm going to destroy the root of all my problems and save Chloe." She straightened. "Somnum altum et sine somniis."

Mystery's eyes shut, and his hands fell of Vivi's wrists. Kay released him, pulling herself out from behind him. "What did you do?"

"Sleeping spell." Vivi slid the side door open and dragged Mystery out. "Was going to use it on myself if I started having problems with insomnia again."

"Again?" Kay asked. "Are you… have you not been taking…"

"No, I haven't been taking my meds." Vivi huffed, laying Mystery far enough from the edge of the road that he wouldn't get hit. "Yeah, that comes with consequences. No, I don't care right now. Y'know what I do care about right now?"

"Finding Chloe," Kay murmured. "You made that very clear."

"Well, are you with me?" Vivi demanded, hopping back into the van. " 'Cause if you're not, you can stay and keep an eye on Mystery. Arthur's just down the road, hunting for some rusty old locket. He'll catch up, but I'm going. I'm done waiting."

Kay glanced back down the road for a moment, before sliding the side door shut. "I'm coming. For Lewis. For Arthur."

"That's the spirit." Vivi climbed back into the front seat, and Kay took the passenger seat. "Buckle up, we're almost there."

…...

Note: Thanks to admin of the Rise and Fall of Nickelodian facebook page for brainstorming help.