Note: Due to the nature of this chapter, the rating for this story has been changed to M. The following chapter contains possible triggers involving a brief graphic murder scene, enclosed spaces, emotional abuse, physical violence, and asphyxiation. Reader discretion is advised.
Her sister could not be dead. She simply couldn't.
Abbie played this over and over in her head as she slipped past Crane and took the keys to her car, or at least what she assumed was hers. She ran out the door and climbed into the unfamiliar vehicle, Crane shouting after her. Ignoring him, she hastily backed out of the driveway. Her heart clenched when she caught a glimpse of a child's seat and a forgotten kid's book in the backseat. It unnerved her to no end but she didn't have time to dwell on the fact that there was a baby girl inside that house that shared her DNA. Abbie needed to find Jenny.
She drove as fast as she could until she pulled up to the trees where her sister's trailer normally hid and scrambled out of the car. The clearing was thirty yards away. She needed proof, to see it with her own eyes.
The trees whipped past her as she sprinted through the dense forest until she reached the edge of the clearing. Her eyes scanned the empty field. Nothing. Her lungs burned as she gasped for air and held back her sobs, her chest heaving from the effort.
No truck. No trailer. No Jenny.
How could this have happened? Jenny was fine. She'd drained the power of the Eye into the shard. It worked. She couldn't have failed her again.
Abbie widened her tear-filled eyes and covered her mouth in shock as she slowly approached the spot where the trailer had stood. The grass gave no signs of having been disturbed, as if her sister's home had never existed. Her body trembled as she fell to her knees. This could not be happening. She was supposed to protect her, look after her. She had promised. Doubling over, she ran her hands through her hair before clenching fistfuls of it. She'd failed. Jenny was gone. Her body jolted with sobs as the hot tears flowed.
She wasn't sure how long she stayed rocking in pain before the realization hit her. She knew exactly where she ended up. There could only be one place where this would happen, a place where her sister was dead and she was alive.
Abbie was in hell.
"You got that right, kid."
She whipped around to see her former partner standing behind her. She roughly wiped at her eyes and sniffled back the flow of tears. It was Corbin.
He was dressed in his sheriff's uniform – exactly the way she liked to remember him – smiling and no signs of the brutally violent death he had suffered. She hiccupped back a sob. The corners of his kind blue eyes crinkled. Soft wafts of his familiar aftershave and a faint hint of apple pie reached her nostrils.
Her heart ached. God, how she missed him. Her wet eyelashes stuck to her cheeks as she blinked rapidly, taking in his presence. He looked so alive, so real. Yet, as much as she wanted to believe it, it wasn't him. It couldn't be him. Her beloved mentor was dead but he couldn't have possibly ended up here. This imposter was just like the one in purgatory. This wasn't her Corbin.
She shook her head in denial and crawled back, away from him. "Stay away," she warned him.
"Kiddo…," he said, slowly stepping toward her.
She lurched backwards refusing to let whatever creature this was to touch her. "Stop! Don't get any closer!" she spat out.
He paused and tilted his head in curiosity. He smiled warmly, "It's me."
She held up her finger and slowly stood up from her crouch, breathing hard through her nose. "No. Corbin is dead," she said firmly.
"Abbie..."
She closed her eyes and held back a whimper. His voice, the way he said her name, his mere presence was getting to her. She'd forgotten how much she desperately missed him. Her broken heart tempted her to believe him. No, she decided resolutely. She had to fight past it and hold her ground. Opening her eyes, she glared at him. He looked at her patiently.
"This is not the first time they've used him against me," she growled out, snapping out of her initial sorrow. This was how she almost got trapped last time. She couldn't allow herself to be so easily manipulated again. Straightening her back, she wiped at her face, paying no mind to her smudged makeup.
"You're not August Corbin, you demonic bastard."
Suddenly, the warm smile disappeared from his crinkly face. A sinister grin replaced it. He tilted his head down for a moment before looking up at her maliciously. Its eyes glowed a fiery crimson.
"You always were sharp," it sneered.
A chill crawled up her spine. Everything froze around her. The breeze blowing through the grass stopped. The warmth from the sun ceased. The background noises of birds and insects were brought to a halt as if they'd been playing on a recorded track. All she could hear was the sound of her shallow breaths and the faint beating of her panicked heart. Abbie looked around her startled, a sense of terror settling in her stomach. None of this was real. She hadn't traveled in time, she'd ended up here – wherever, the hell 'here' was.
The demon closed its eyes and leaned its head back as if in pleasure. "Mmm, that heartbeat. I haven't heard the sweet sounds of life in a looong time," it cooed in a disturbingly distorted version of her mentor's voice.
Clearly, it enjoyed seeing her squirm. She swallowed thickly. Abbie had enough understanding of showdowns to know when she was in over her head. Whatever this was, it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Something inside her confirmed that there was no way she could think, fight, or talk her way out of this. There was no escape. The fear building inside her was nearly paralyzing. All she could do was brace herself for whatever came next.
"Good," it reassured as it slowly approached her, "Good, Witness. Come to terms with your true purpose."
She tried to tell it where it could shove its opinion but all that came out when she opened her mouth were gurgled gasps. Widening her eyes, she gawked at him as she struggled to make an intelligible sound.
"Oh no-no. Don't force it. I turned it off, for now. Bantering with the devil is so clichéd," it said, gazing down at her intently.
Lucifer. This couldn't be…could it? She guardedly studied him. No, this couldn't possibly be Satan, the one she grew up reading about, the one responsible for all the evil in the world, the one she was supposed to help defeat. This was just demons, evil forces, screwing with her again. There was no reason for her to be meeting the devil face-to-face.
It raised his eyebrow challengingly. "You came knocking at my door, sweetheart. I didn't request the pleasure of your company, you bestowed it upon me," it reminded her, smirking and tilting his head.
Her lips parted in realization as her body started trembling – he had mind reading abilities. None of the evil creatures they'd crossed had that ability. They'd been single minded, inane, dangerous yet beatable. Whatever this was, it was of a different caliber. Abbie backed down. She was shrewd and cunning, a formidable foe when it was needed. Right now was not one of those moments. She took a step back.
He smiled. "Good to know there is still fear in you, Witness. I was beginning to worry."
Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him. If it wasn't going to allow her to talk, then she would use her thoughts to tell him where to go.
He chuckled. "Oh, you can't send me anywhere I haven't already been."
She swallowed back the insults she wanted to scream out. Fine, she'd keep it simple. He didn't want her talk, so be it. It didn't mean she wouldn't ask questions. Where am I, she inquired silently.
He smirked teasingly, aware of her attempt to play along. "Oh, I think you already know the answer to that one, honey," he taunted, employing the name Corbin used to call her.
She glowered. It wasn't necessary to keep up the act but clearly he was drawing pleasure from provoking her. She summoned as much strength as she could to remain impassive. She couldn't let him figure out how terrified she actually felt. She cleared her mind before asking, Why?
"Why, indeed, Witness?" he pondered aloud, smiling twistedly.
Abbie furrowed her brow. He was baiting her. She expected a long, villainous speech but was taken aback when it started throwing out questions instead.
"Why would you give your life to save that ungrateful brat of a sister or that conceited prick of a partner that derailed your entire life? After everything you gave to them and they just let you die. You tried to keep them out of trouble. You sacrificed everything. Your dreams, your career, the best years of your life. You looked out for them and they couldn't even return the favor. They couldn't care less about you," he said lamentingly.
Her face fell. He was getting personal. She clenched her jaw. She couldn't let him get to her. Shut up, she warned silently.
He grimaced in feigned concern. "Oh, please don't tell me you thought they actually cared about you? You poor, delusional girl. Have you actually forgotten? Or don't you remember those stings of rejection, the loneliness they made you feel?"
Images of Jenny lashing out at her for not being on her side, for forsaking her when she needed her the most flashed before her. Shame filled her heart. Memories of Crane taking Katrina's side, rejecting her at the cabin, and abandoning her without a word pervaded her mind. Feelings of being second best, never good enough, overcame her. She shook her head snapping her out of wallowing in a moment self-pity. She winced, willing herself to clear her buzzing mind.
"Do you really think Jenny truly forgave you for your cowardice? That Crane wouldn't chose Katrina over you in a heartbeat?"
Biting her bottom lip, she looked down in frustration. She knew he was riling her up. She understood he was simply manipulating her, and yet, a dull pain bloomed in her chest. Self-doubt was a dangerous weakness. She hated that even she was susceptible to it. She glared up at him as he continued spitting his venom.
"And those parents of yours," he looked at her in insincere indignation, "Your mother's suffocating crazy and your father's incessant drinking. All those years, Abbie. Don't you remember those epic yelling matches that would scare you out of your bed? That terrible screaming and slamming? You were just a child. Having to protect Jenny, pretending that a dollhouse could save you? It wasn't fair. No child should have to go through what you had to. And then for him to just leave, abandon you when you needed him the most. He was the reason you had to grow up so fast."
Her chest heaved rapidly. Those memories. She'd thought she had moved past those traumatizing memories and yet the pain in her heart reminded her that they were still as fresh as the day they happened. Lowering her gaze, she clenched her fists and kept her head down, trying her best to maintain her composure.
He shook his head pityingly. "Why didn't they do anything to overcome their struggles?" he questioned. He gazed up at her knowingly. "You know the answer to that one, don't you, Abbie? You know the truth. You know it was because you just weren't worth it. In fact, if we recall correctly, the terrible fate of your family was really all your fault. If you had been a good girl and made them happy, things would have turned out different. You could have kept them together if you'd just tried a little harder."
Hearing the words aloud were more excruciating than just thinking them. Her resolve was slowly breaking down.
He continued twisting the proverbial knife. "Then again, you cursed them the day you were born. If you weren't a Witness, your family would have survived. They would have been okay, alive even, if you never existed."
Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. Her chin trembled. Everything she had shoved down, avoided confronting, it was all coming out into the open. The pain of old wounds being ripped open filled her senses. She couldn't escape it.
He smirked. "Oh, and Corbin. Sweet August Corbin. This face that still haunts your dreams. The king of all liars. The father you never had. He held back so much from you, didn't he? Guess he didn't love you as much as you did him. But isn't that just the story of your life? You know as well as I do, he truly wasn't destined to die at the hands of the horseman. That was your fault. You could have protected him but you didn't. You weren't fast enough, good enough. You were never good enough."
He knew. All of her insecurities, he knew every single one of them by heart.
"Of course, I do, Grace Abigail Mills. You always were one of my favorites. The torture you put yourself through is…quite delicious."
Abbie looked up at him, trembling in anger. She managed to hold back the tears. Her anger outweighed her self-doubts. He had violated her most intimate thoughts. He thought he could break her by throwing her secrets in her face. She would not stand for it. Raising her chin defiantly, she threw a barrage of questions at him. Why the façade? Why bring me into your world this way? Why Crane? Why the child? Why my sister?
He blinked knowingly. "It's your ultimate vulnerability, Abbie: the future. It's inescapable, unpredictable. Regardless of what fate has in store for you, the future is always up in the air. And that's what scares you the most. Not having control over your own future. Love, family, and death are always rolling around in your head. You're constantly sacrificing one to avoid another. You refuse to risk anything out of fear. A very sensible fear, to be honest. And what better way to welcome you to my kingdom than with what you fear the most; happiness. Well done on destroying that one, by the way. Took all of five seconds. Quite a record," he said in impressed amusement.
She narrowed her eyes. Her insecurities were his entertainment. He enjoyed it. This sick, twisted, evil thing fed off of her pain. It was then that she made a decision. She was going to kill him or die trying.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be upset. You have yet to experience the classics. Besides, it's over, for now. No more husband. No more child. I've had them both gutted and quartered. See, look," he said waving his arm before she could realize what was happening.
Suddenly, a grisly sight appeared before her. She was in her bedroom, or a strange version of it, blood splattered across the walls and bed, mangled body parts were strewn on the floor, and the lifeless eyes of Crane and their child looked up at her. She gasped in horror as she took in the gruesome scene before her. She stumbled back in shock banging against something solid behind her.
She turned to the door that should have been there only to find a solid wall. She banged against it with her fists, yelling in terrified frustration. She looked around her room in terror. No windows. No doors. Only walls. She turned back to face the wall. The smell of iron filled her nostrils as she frantically searched for a way out. She distraughtly slid along the edges of the room, refusing to look behind her, blood from the sopping carpet staining her boots. She banged on the all the walls from top to bottom until she'd made a full turn around the room. There was no escape.
She tiredly continued pounding and crying out for what felt like hours until her fists were bloody and her throat was raw. She whimpered and fell to her knees hard, squeezing her eyes shut but it was too late. The bloody image of her slaughtered family had permanently seared itself into her memory. Crane, her child, cold and lifeless. It was a page straight out of her worst nightmares.
She shook her head in denial. No, she determinedly thought. She couldn't let it get to her. She needed to stay strong. It isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real, she repeated wordlessly in an anxious attempt to soothe herself.
Suddenly, the smell of iron disappeared. The walls she sensed around her vanished. Gagging back an overwhelming need to vomit, she cautiously opened her eyes.
She wasn't back in the clearing. All the evidence of the devastating scene she'd just experienced vanished, even the blood that was smeared on her clothes and shoes was gone. The pain in her throat and fists were there but only existing as a dull throb, a reminder of her previous torture. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Looking around her familiar surroundings, she realized she was in the tunnels beneath Sleepy Hollow.
Carefully standing, she warily peered down the four paths around her. Everything was silent. No drips of leaking water. No scurries of the typical hordes of rats and spiders. Not one an echo of life. She gazed at the walls for any recognizable markings. Nothing. She knew she was standing at some sort of intersection, yet everything was completely different.
"Abbie…," a sinister voice whispered, echoing throughout the tunnels.
She whipped around in alarm. Empty. She was alone. Lowering her body in a defensive hunch and backing herself against a wall, she paused, bracing herself for whatever evil she was going to encounter next. After a few minutes of absolute stillness, she decided to move and began walking down one of the tunnels cautiously. A few moments of creeping forward passed until she found her bearings. She furrowed her brow as she continued walking. No signs of anything out of the ordinary besides the unfamiliarity of tunnels and the whisper she thought she heard. Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe she had somehow escaped. A flicker of hope grew in her chest. She could be back in her world for all she knew.
The flames from the torches lit along the tunnel walls softly illuminated the path in front of her. She licked her dry lips as she followed the maze of tunnels hoping to come across something familiar. After what seemed like hours, the hope she felt was quickly replaced with panic. Nothing was recognizable. These weren't the tunnels she knew.
"Abbie…," the voice repeated as if it were right behind her.
This time she felt a cold chill on the back of her neck. She froze. Her heart beat uncontrollably as she began to quaver. Holding back a whimper, she slowly turned her head to look behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, a pair of menacing red eyes glowed at the end of the tunnel behind her, its figure shrouded in darkness.
"Run," it breathed harshly.
Pure fear immediately filled her senses as she ran, following a labyrinth of passageways to escape whatever it was that she felt was chasing after her. Terrifying growls and shrieks resonated throughout the tunnels. She sobbed in fright as she continued sprinting away from chilling sounds only to come upon other unearthly noises. She ran past it covering her ears, only to have the sounds get louder. She uncovered her ears and winced through the noises as she dashed past them. There was no explanation as to why she was fleeing, all she knew was that stopping wasn't an option, as if it were a gut feeling pushing her to continue.
It went on for hours. Then, without warning, the dull light that had illuminated the tunnels dimmed to pitch black as the sounds faded away. Slowing to a walk, she shakily felt her way along the walls of the tunnel. Her ears pinged as they adjusted to the silence. She shuddered trying to take in loud, shallow gasps of air. Her legs felt wobbly yet she couldn't bring herself to rest.
Fear overwhelmed her like never before. She'd never felt so frightened, so hopeless, so alone in her entire life. Nobody was there to protect her, to have her back. And there was nothing she could do to protect herself or find motivation to fight through another round of this unbearable agony. Hell was slowly starting to push past her expectations of how thoroughly evil and torturous it truly was, even the stories of sulfur and brimstone hadn't come close to its actual description. Where was God? The angels? The divine force that had put her in this position in the first place? Why didn't anyone come rescue her? Why was she left completely alone to face this torment?
"Tired, Witness?" a voice hissed in front of her.
Abbie stiffened. Halting to a stop, she shakily breathed. Swallowing back a cry, she tried out her voice.
"Wh-wh-what do you want from me?" she pleaded hoarsely.
The distorted voice snickered. "Wh-wh-what are you willing to give me?" it mocked her.
"Please…just please…," she managed to choke out, as she closed her eyes tightly, burning tears escaping the corner of her eyes.
"Oh, don't tell me you're tired. We've only gone a few hours. We still have lots of playtime left," it taunted, it's rotten breath blowing in her face.
Her legs gave out beneath her. She landed on her hands and knees. She hung her head in defeat. "Stop…please no more…," she whispered ashamedly, yet yearning for a glimmer of mercy, an end to the torment.
"Do you not realize what I'm doing for you, Abigail?" it asked adamantly. Abbie was too tired to argue. She just wanted it to be over. The voice persisted. "I'm restoring the balance. You are a Witness. Not a soldier, not a destroyer. Your role is to be an insignificant bystander. You've become arrogant, brash in your actions, and I am simply reawakening your fear. Putting you in your rightful place. "
She whimpered. All coherent thoughts disappearing.
It bent over her and whispered in her ear, puffs of rank breath caressing her cheek, "You think you can defeat me, Witness? You can't beat me. You will never escape me."
Abbie felt cold fingers wrap themselves around her throat. She choked back sobs as it slowly lifted her up from the ground until her toes skimmed the ground. Grabbing hold of the arm holding her up, she kicked violently, thrashing her body. If she was going to die, she wouldn't die without a fight. She landed a few good kicks until the pain of her burning throat and lungs were too much to handle. Just as she was about to pass out, she was thrown to the ground. Violent sobs racked her body as she lay on the floor, coughing in deep breaths.
After finding her breath, she felt a presence loom over her, staring at her. Blinking blearily, she looked up. A pair of red eyes regarded her. Closing her eyes, she limply turned her cheek. She was done. She couldn't go any further. This was how she was going to die. In hell, alone, tortured.
"No. Not yet. We've only just begun," it hissed in her ear.
Unexpectedly, she felt a hand around her ankle. It tugged harshly, dragging her in the direction she had just fled. Dread filled her insides but she was too weak to fight. She stayed still as her back scraped against the rocky ground.
It pulled her along the tunnel, humming. As she came in and out of consciousness, the song became clear. It sang in an unsettling soft voice, "Big wheel keep on turnin', proud Mary keep on burnin', rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river…"
Abbie closed her eyes. Crane. Jenny. Home. It was all gone. Fear was her sole companion now. Consciousness eluded her as she welcomed the shroud of oblivion.
*pokes head out of the hole I've been hiding* Sooo, that happened. Apologies for taking so long. Job and family obligations, you know how it goes. Along with the fact that I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times, I wasn't sure which version I wanted to release. I really hope I haven't scared away readers but I understand if this wasn't everybody's cup of tea. We'll just say the hiatus is getting to me. Plus, I kind of miss the scary thrill part from the first season. I may have overcompensated. :P
Anyway, the next chapter will be more angsty, a bit cathartic, and far less disturbing. Promise. And don't worry, Abbie will survive. Things will work out, you have my word. :)
As always, thank you for keeping me going with this story and feel free to write a review. I'd LOVE to hear from you!
Your fairly messed up writer,
semul