Crane entered the cave where he first awoke in this century. He quietly stepped past the ground from which he arose, feeling along the wall for some sort of passage deeper into the cavern. He had shut off his flashlight. It was pitch black and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. The element of surprise was his most powerful weapon. More accurately, it was his only weapon.
As his fingers moved along the damp walls, he began to wonder if he had made a mistake. What if he had told Julie to leave in haste and this was not where Katrina was taken? He could hear no sounds, see no light. Then the wall began to curve. A pathway. He felt his way down the tunnel, realizing he had no choice but to use the flashlight. He tucked it inside his shirt to muffle the light a bit, hoping it would be less conspicuous, yet give him enough light so he could see his way. He followed the passage until it diverged in two directions. He paused, assessing each corridor, looking for clues as to which way Katrina may have been taken. He noticed the path to the right had some spider webs strung across it while the left side was clear. That answers that. He began to walk to the left, then his flashlight went out. Dammit. Batteries? None. Dammit. He stood there thinking in the darkness. Quiet, Crane. Listen. Can you hear anything? All he could hear was an occasional drip of water and skittering of a rat or mouse. He had no choice but to keep moving forward. Then, he saw what looked like a candle flame about twenty feet away from him. He squinted and could make out a figure cloaked in a light color hooded robe holding the candle.
"This way," a male voice whispered. Crane took a few steps towards the figure and it began to move. "Follow me," it said. Crane really had no other choice right now. He followed the figure deeper into the tunnel.
"Who are you?" Crane called out quietly.
"A friend." The figure answered.
After a few minutes, the figure came to a stop in front of a large iron door. Crane walked up behind. The hooded stranger was about the same height as Ichabod, but with a broader build. Without turning to face Ichabod, the figure said, "This is as far as I can take you, Mr. Crane. Be careful."
"How do you..." Crane started to ask, but the figure was gone. There he stood alone again surrounded by darkness. He put his hand on the lever and pushed, opening the heavy door.
The first thing he saw was light. A single, small lantern hung in the corner where Ichabod stood. He looked around. There was something black in a heap on the floor in the middle of the room. Katrina? He ran over and knelt down. It wasn't Katrina. It was Katrina's dress. Oh dear God, Ichabod became nauseated at the thoughts that were now running through his head as he clutched his wife's gown in his clenched fists.
He heard a scraping noise coming from the dark side of the large room. He stood up, grabbed the lantern from its hook on the wall, and began to walk slowly toward the noise. The lantern's light showed a large table and Crane saw his beloved wife shackled to it by her hands and feet, wearing what basically looked like a dress made from a burlap sack. Her eyes were blindfolded. Her hair was cut, or more accurately chopped, very short. She seemed to be in and out of consciousness as she flinched about on the slab of wood. As he stepped closer to her, he whispered her name. She flinched again, the metal chains that held her shackles scraping on the wooden table. He stepped closer still and began to touch his hand to hers.
Katrina flailed about, trying to pull away. "No!" she screamed. "Please leave me alone!"
"Katrina, it's me."
It took her a moment to comprehend what he had said. "No! You can't...Ichabod?"
"Yes, my love," he said as he removed her blindfold.
"Oh, Ichabod! You're really here?"
"Yes, now we must move quickly and get out of here." Ichabod looked around for something he could use to free the restraints. He picked up a small nail he found on the ground and began to pick at the lock of the cuff holding Katrina's right hand.
"We must hurry! He cannot exist in daylight so he must return here before sunrise. ...How did you unlock that shackle so quickly?"
"One of the many useful tricks Miss Mills has taught me during my time here. For example, whilst I cannot drive a car, I now possess the ability to 'hot wire' one."
"I do not understand what you're saying to me, Ichabod."
"It's not important, my darling," he said as he continued unlocking the remaining cuffs. "Come." He helped her down from the table. "Can you stand?"
"I think so..." Katrina responded weakly. "The shackles were somehow preventing me from using my powers though I can feel them slowly returning now that I am free."
Ichabod asked a question to which he dreaded the answer. "Did he...hurt you?"
"No, not really." She motioned over to a chair that sat next to her crumpled dress. There was a note on it.
The note read, "You do not deserve the beauty which you have been given. I shall destroy it."
"He brought me here and made me change my dress and cut off my own hair. I fought him at first but I hadn't completely recovered from being unconscious..."
"It's alright, my darling."
"Then he blindfolded and shackled me here and left."
"Oh, thank God," Ichabod said. "I mean thank God that nothing else..."
Katrina touched his face. "I knew what you meant, my love."
Ichabod grabbed the lantern and they began to scurry down the tunnel towards the exit. This seems too easy, Ichabod thought as they found themselves approaching the cave's exit. He helped Katrina out first and then climbed out onto the ground. He found himself and Katrina face-to-face with their son.
"Well, I hadn't expected a family reunion so soon," Jeremy said. As he raised his hand, Ichabod and Katrina began to lift off the ground. Then suddenly Jeremy fell to the ground, as did his parents as his evil grip on them loosened.
Ichabod looked up. He saw Jeremy begin to stand up. Then the figure he had seen in the cave came rushing across the grass and attacked Jeremy. They fought, using a combination of fists and magic. Suddenly, Ichabod saw Katrina leap up and run toward them.
"Stay away from my son!" she screamed as she threw herself into the middle of the melee. Ichabod stood, but he knew it would do no good to follow his wife into the middle of their evil battle.
"You heard my mommy. Leave me alone," Jeremy said sardonically as he grabbed Katrina around her waist, using her as a shield from his opponent. "Do you think you can win this fight? This war? You are useless! You are all useless!" he bellowed as he flung Katrina high in the air like a rag doll. She landed hard against the rocks near the stream. Ichabod ran to her. She was unconscious and her head was bleeding pretty badly. He was pretty sure her left arm was broken.
"No...Katrina..." He took her pulse. He could feel it, but it was faint. He was too busy cradling his beloved to pay any attention to the ongoing supernatural brawl nearby. After some time has passed, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the cloaked figure standing next to him.
"We need to get out of here. The sun's already started to rise," the 'friend' explained.
"Where?" Crane was trying not to sound as completely lost and confused as he actually was.
"You need to drive the car." the figure dropped Abbie's keys into Crane's hand.
"How did you get...I can't operate a..."
"You have an eidetic memory. You can operate a vehicle."
Ichabod was becoming angry. "Who are you? How do you have Abbie's keys? How do you know these things? Where are we taking Katrina?"
"I told you, I am a friend. I got the keys from him." He gestured over to a seemingly unconscious Jeremy, who apparently took Abbie's car to get here.
As the sun began to shine just a bit of light, Crane could see the outline of the man's face and a glint of green eyes. He seemed familiar to Crane but he didn't know for sure. He hadn't gotten a very good look.
"We need to get Katrina back to the door to Purgatory. I don't think she has much time left and we need her conscious in order to get Abbie back to you."
"You don't think she has much time left? What are you saying?"
"Mr. Crane, you and Abbie have your mission. Katrina has hers, too. It is, it has always been, to sacrifice herself for the Witnesses."
"No!" Ichabod held Katrina to his chest.
"Come on."
Crane carried Katrina to the car and placed her gently across the back seat. He asked his 'friend', "Can you drive?"
"Not since I died. Sorry."
Ichabod rolled his eyes and gets in the driver's seat. "So, you're dead, yet you are here with me. What are you, exactly?"
"A force for good."
"What, like an angel or something?"
"Not quite, but it's probably the closest thing to what I am that you would understand."
Of course the figure was correct, Crane had been in a car and watched people drive enough times that it came fairly easily to him. They went back to the spot where Katrina first entered into this era. Ichabod lifted her gently out of the car and laid her down on the ground. The figure knelt down beside them. He held Katrina's hands.
"Wake up, Katrina. It's time."
She slowly awakened. "Time? So soon?" She looked at Ichabod. "I am sorry my love that I did not tell you. If you had known it was my destiny to give my life for you, you never would have allowed it."
"You're right." Ichabod whispered, tears in his eyes. He held her head in his hand as he lightly stroked her face with his thumb.
The figure interjected, "Katrina, we must go now while you can still take her place."
She sat up and put her hands in his. She turned to Ichabod. "When I leave this time I will not return to you, my love. I know there will be another to hold your heart someday. Be happy. Love and be loved, Ichabod. Please, promise me."
He nodded, tears streaming down his face. She leaned her forehead to his. "I love you." they both said at the same time. She kissed his cheek.
Katrina and their hooded friend began the chant to open the door to Purgatory. He helped her stand and Ichabod watched his wife walk away from him for the last time. Then he waited. He stood there and waited for what felt like forever. He noticed though, that the door between worlds had remained open. Finally, movement. The hooded man came walking toward Crane, holding an unconscious Abbie in his arms. He stepped through and the door closed.
"She's badly hurt. You need to get her to a hospital right away." the figure said to Crane, as he handed Abbie over to him and turned away.
"Wait!" Crane stopped him. "You still haven't told me who you are, or how you know all of this."
The man pulled his hood back just a bit, revealing black hair and a better look at his green eyes. "Julie asked for help from above. I never could say no to those big brown eyes."
"...Eddie?"
"It's kind of part of my job now, keeping an eye on this war. I'm not supposed to interfere, generally, but I had to do something this time. Now you need to get her help."
Crane wanted to say something to him, but he didn't know what. He turned to go to the car.
"Crane?"
He stopped and turned toward Eddie.
"I'm sorry about Katrina."
Crane nodded.
"You're a good man, Crane. I'm glad Julie has you and Frank looking out for her."
Crane nodded again.
Eddie gave a small, kind smile and vanished.