A/N: And here's the second part of the Evil Dead Rise adaptation! There will be a few moments where we'll get back to characters like Strange, America, and even Peter, so have fun!
Spider-Man followed Gwen and the blue clad figure, landing on an elevator pad that raised them up into what could only be described as a futuristic city. There were buildings that literally towered over the tallest skyscrapers in New York, a massive train that traveled straight up, and hovercars that flew all around them. Even stranger was that the city appeared upside down… or they were.
"Whoa… where are we?" Peter asked.
"Welcome to Nueva York." the blue man announced, as a door opened up behind them. "The year is 2099."
"Sorry, I don't think I ever got your name." Peter blurted out. The man turned around, his mask dissolving, revealing a middle aged man with brown hair.
"My name is Miguel O'Hara. I'm Spider-Man in this universe."
The trio stepped through the doorway, and Peter was assaulted by the sight of dozens- hundreds, really- of people in Spider-Man themed suits all around them. Hanging from the ceiling. Walking around. Talking to each other.
"Whoa…"
"Welcome to the Spider-Society." Gwen announced, as they walked towards a building at the end.
"Hey, Peter!"
Peter looked up, seeing one of the Spider-Man's swing towards them, landing in front of Miguel, and take his mask off.
"Peter-2?"
"Good to see you again." Peter-2 smiled. "Miguel, I got your message."
"Message?" Peter-1 asked, looking around. "I thought you just called me."
"No, I called all three of you." Miguel said, holding up his arm. It was at that moment that Peter-1 realized he was wearing some kind of high tech watch. Gwen and Peter-2 had them too.
Miguel tapped a button, and a hologram appeared, showing Peter-3 being suspended in midair, red energy around him, his limbs being pulled apart. All around the room were people Peter-1 recognized. Venom. Doctor Strange. America Chavez. The Punisher. A few people he didn't know. And on the other side of the room…
"Wanda?" Peter-1 asked in shock.
"Tell Gwen I'll always love her…"
Peter-3's limbs were suddenly violently ripped off, splattering blood everywhere. Gwen looked away, while Peter-2 widened his eyes in horror.
"Is this… is this real?" Peter-1 asked.
"Unfortunately." Miguel said solemnly. "He was a good Spider-Man… and an amazing Peter Parker."
"How did you get this video?" Peter-2 inquired.
"The X-Men of Earth-120703 sent me this footage from their Danger Room." the Spider-Man from 2099 revealed. "Charles Xavier and Eddie Brock recognized that Peter contacted me before his death, and they explained everything."
"Hang on, I know Wanda." Peter-1 started to say. "She wouldn't do this!"
"We all saw the footage, Peter." Gwen said bitterly, tightening her fist.
"Maybe not… but that wasn't completely her." Miguel murmured. "The woman there, she is the Scarlet Witch, right?"
"Well, yeah…"
"Her master is the demon Chthon." O'Hara explained. "He is the one who killed Peter, and he's the one who had been chasing the Punisher and Doctor Strange from universe to universe… all to get that girl America Chavez."
"And… you want me to stop him?" Peter-1 asked.
"Not just you." Miguel told him. "I'm sending the other Peter and Gwen with you. Make no mistake, I wouldn't have chosen you after that mess you made with Doctor Strange last year. But Gwen told me you proved yourself after helping stop that octopus monster Chthon sent to your Earth just yesterday."
Peter-1 looked over to Gwen, who simply nodded.
"Take this." O'Hara told him, giving Spider-Man a spare watch. "The three of you, go back to his universe. Find the Scarlet Witch, and apprehend her."
"You got it." Peter-2 opened up a portal, fiddling with the buttons. "Come on Pete."
Peter-2 and Peter-1 quickly jumped in, leaving Gwen and Miguel. Before Spider-Girl could join them, Miguel grabbed her arm.
"Wait… I know what Chthon took from you." O'Hara told her. "If you don't see any other way… you have full authority to kill Wanda Maximoff."
Gwen slowly nodded, before putting her mask on, and jumped through the portal, leaving the Spider-Society.
Back in the living room, Kassie sat with Bridgit, who had put a wet cloth over the cut on her face.
"Does… does it hurt?"
Bridgit's back arched, as she suddenly stood up. She didn't even bother looking at her little sister.
"I'm okay." the older girl told Kassie, and she knew she was lying. Not like she could argue though, as Bridgit was already walking towards the kitchen. And even if she wanted to follow after her, Kass was being distracted by a faint musical humming…
Humming?
"Gold-haired girls, with curling dresses… Hushabye baby, babe, not mine…"
Kassie turned her head to the door, hearing soft singing coming from apartment's exit, making her get up and inch towards the door. That voice… it almost sounded like her mother's… was she back?
"And mothers who nurse, with sad caresses… Hushabye baby, babe, not mine…"
The little girl walked over to the entrance, climbed up onto the dresser and looked through the peephole, seeing the thing that looked like her mother sitting cross legged on the floor, her back turned.
"There you are!" Ellie suddenly exclaimed, standing up and turning around. Kassie gasped, seeing her mother walk towards the door, looking into the peephole.
"Hey, sweetie pie." Ellie smiled stepping forward with a limp.
"Mom." Kassie gulped. "What's wrong with you?"
"Oh, I was just feeling sad, about me and your dad." Ellie murmured. "But he's here now. He came home to see us! We're getting back together sweetie!"
The woman looked off to her right, blowing a kiss at someone Kassie couldn't see.
"We love each other. And we love you, Kassie, so very, very much. But we need you to open the door, okay, honey? Could you do that? Can you open up, so we can be a big happy family again?"
Kassie looked over at the deadbolt, swallowing hard.
"You don't look so good, Mom."
Ellie frowned sadly, flicking her eyes down.
"Oh… it's nothing that a big ole' hug and kiss from you won't fix." she smiled. "Open up now. Like a good little girl."
Kassie looked back towards the lock, reaching her hand out.
"That's it." the mother told her. "Come on now, you can do it, Kassie."
The girl placed her hand over the lock, fingers wrapping around the contraption.
"Do it for mom and dad." Ellie grinned.
Kassie began sweating, gripping the lock. She wanted to open it… she wanted to…
She suddenly remembered what Mister Frank had told Beth.
Whatever you do, don't let her back in. She's not your sister anymore, alright?
He seemed to know what this thing was that took mom, and if he told Auntie Beth that wasn't her anymore…
Kassie felt a tear roll down her cheek, as she let go of the lock.
"C'mon, Kassie, what're you waiting for?" Ellie called out from the other side of the door.
"You're not her." Kassie murmured. "You're not Mom."
There was a silence throughout the room, until the thing that used to be Ellie began bashing her head against the door.
"LET ME IN YOU LITTLE SHIT! LET ME THE FUCK IN!"
The sheer noise and yelling caused Kassie to scream in fright, making her stumble backwards and fall off the dresser and painfully land on the floor, making her cry in pain. At the same moment, Frank, Danny, and Beth entered the room, with the boy quickly comforting the child.
"Open this door like you open your legs, you fucking groupie slut!"
That sent Beth over the edge, as she started kicking at the door.
"I am not some groupie, you psycho bitch-"
"Beth, enough!" Castle shouted, pulling the young woman away.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Kassie cowered, putting her hands over her ears.
"What happened?" Castle asked, checking the door to see it was still locked.
"I… I thought it was her." Kassie wept, while Danny hugged her. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… but I didn't let her in."
Frank inspected the peephole, seeing that Ellie had stopped bashing the door, and was now looking at him intently.
"You think you can save them Castle?" the demon smiled wide. "Do you think you will succeed after failing to save your own wife and kids?"
Frank roared in anger, beginning to punch the door, much to the demon's joy. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder, when he looked over to see Beth glancing at him in worry, despite being in the same position moments ago.
"Hey. You're scaring her."
Frank looked behind him, seeing Kassie still crying. He flexed his fingers, sighing, and backed away from the door.
"Sorry." he murmured, approaching the girl.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Kassie mumbled, until Frank reached out, squeezing her shoulder.
"Hey… you did good." he told her. "You didn't let it get to you. You did good kid."
Kassie slowly stopped crying, while looking at Castle and Beth.
"Are we going to die?"
"No." Frank shook his head, kneeling down to be at the child's eye level. "No, I will not let that happen."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Frank nodded. Kassie let out a mirthful smile, as he stood up.
"Beth."
The black haired woman was unresponsive, looking straight at the door.
"Beth!" Frank said a little louder. "We gotta get them out of here."
Bixler timidly nodded, looking down at the kids.
"Go to your rooms. It's not safe here."
Danny reluctantly agreed, as he led Kassie into her and Bridgit's bedroom, Frank following close behind.
"Get the other one. Bridgit." Frank told Beth. "We gotta get all of them safe, alright?"
"Right." Beth nodded. Frank turned back to the other two children, as they reached the bedroom. In an instant, Danny sat down on the bed, burying his face in his hands just like earlier. Seeing this, Kassie went to her corner and picked up her makeshift staff with the baby's head, sitting down next to her brother.
"It's okay, Danny. Staffanie will protect us, right?"
Despite everything, Frank let out a small smile. If anything, at least the girl hasn't lost her spirit.
When she finally felt themselves stop falling through portals, America opened her eyes, finding that she and Strange were in… where were they?
Chavez blinked, looking from side to side, only to find herself in some dark abyss. If she squinted hard enough, she could see triangle shaped glass reflecting back at her, forming a sphere around them both.
"America…"
The girl looked over at Stephen, and she gasped. Instead of the friendly face she's become attached to, the sorcerer's mouth was twisted into a nightmarish grin, as his eyes, almost popping out of his decaying skin, glowed orange.
"S-Strange? Are you okay?"
"Doctor Strange can't come to the phone right now…" the deadite cackled, roughly pushing Chavez to the ground. America scrambled back, as the creature impersonating her friend advanced, and she pulled out the pistol Frank gave her.
"Stephen, please." she begged. "Don't make me do this!"
Strange simply grinned, as he suddenly created a mystical whip that wrapped around her arm and twisted, sending the gun flying out of her hand
"Did you think you could stand a chance against us?" the sorcerer roared with laughter. "I will feast upon your little soul! My only regret is that your best friend Frank can't watch-"
Two tentacles suddenly burst out of the darkness, wrapping around Strange's arms and pulling him backwards. At the same time, the magical whip relinquished its hold over America, and she quickly got up, ran over and picked up her pistol. Just as she aimed it at the darkness, a familiar voice echoed.
"Don't worry, I mean you no harm."
Chavez raised an eyebrow, seeing a shadow shrink down, as it came into the light.
"Strange?"
The two tentacles holding the deadite slowly morphed into arms, and a new variant of Doctor Strange revealed himself, having a slightly longer goatee, with a black tunic and dark purple cloak. The possessed Strange growled in anger, but the sorcerer flicked his wrist, and he was completely immobilized.
"It's America Chavez, isn't it?"
"How… how do you know me?" America asked, still holding onto her gun.
"My dreams." the other Strange shrugged, as he focused on the possessed variant. Forming his hand into a claw, he phased his limb into Doctor Strange's chest, making the deadite howl in pain.
"Stop!" Chavez shouted. "You'll kill him!"
"Relax, I'm just pulling the evil spirit out of him completely."
This… darker version of Strange pulled his arm out, holding onto a transparent image of the possessed sorcerer. In an instant, Stephen fell into unconsciousness, but his skin was already returning to its natural complexion.
"Curse you, Strange Supreme!" the demon spat. "You can't defeat all of us!"
"I'm not trying to." Strange Supreme casually tossed the deadite spirit into the air, before holding out his hand. A brilliant blast of mystical energy erupted from his fingers, obliterating the phantom on the spot.
The variant sighed, wiping his hands of imaginary grime, and turned back towards his doppelganger in the red cloak, as well as America.
"So… Strange Supreme?" the girl asked coyly.
"That is what some people have nicknamed me." the sorcerer grumbled. "I believe we have much to discuss."
After leaving her sister in the living room, Bridgit had gone straight to the kitchen to grab the first aid kit, pausing to look at the wound she sustained. It now looked like a gaping hole, and… black?
Bridgit… Bridgit…
The girl lifted a finger to touch the mark, but before she could even graze her cheek, black lines spiderwebbed out from the cut, faster than naturally possible. At the same time, and inky fluid began to leak from Bridgit's nose, while she also felt her throat become clogged. Bridgit felt herself choking, coughing, as she opened the cabinets, pulling out a large glass and filling it with water. The young woman gulped down the contents, spitting out black slime into the sink, as well as… a massive clump of bugs?
Bridgit's eyes widened in horror, seeing the bugs crawl over each other, as the voice in her head got louder.
Bridgit… you're mine.
A few minutes later, Beth came into the dark kitchen, finding her second niece hunched over on top of the counter, her head twisted in a bizarre angle towards the ceiling.
"Bridgit?" Beth whispered. "What are you looking at hun?"
The girl didn't answer, as her head twisted back down- the bones in her neck popping- to hunch down in front of the rest of her body, and Beth could hear the crunch of glass. The only problem was… Bridgit wasn't standing on any.
Oh god… if that was what she thought…
Beth's foot accidentally kicked a pan on the ground, causing her heart to skip a beat. Bridgit finally leered over her shoulder, and Beth audibly gasped. The girl was barely recognizable, having dark black lines all across her face, her eyes burning a molten orange, and her mouth… her mouth dribbled blood. Blood that matched the broken glass in her hand.
"I gotta kill the creepy crawlies I got inside my tummy." the now possessed Bridgit said almost innocently. The demon child closed her eyes and gulped, demonstrating the eaten glass poking through the skin of her neck as it traveled down her throat. Beth could even hear the glass crackle.
"I don't like having things inside my tummy." the creature chuckled, revealing bloodstained teeth. "Do you, Aunty Beth?"
A chill went up Beth's spine, and she took a step back. Did Bridgit- this thing- know?
Before she could ask, the monster that looked like her niece took another bite of the glass, then proceeded to spit the shards in Beth's face. The aunt tried to back up, but she slipped on the pan she accidentally kicked before, and fell to the ground. Bridgit smiled, crawling down from the counter and towards her aunt, like a spider, as Beth desperately kicked her in the face. The creature fell backward into the oven, but quickly came towards her again. Beth turned around, smacking the first thing she saw towards her possessed niece- a cheese grater.
Unfortunately, Bridgit caught the projectile, and as Beth tried to crawl away, the demon slammed the grater down on her leg, digging into the flesh and pulling back. The aunt screamed from the pain, feeling bits of her leg being torn off, until she felt the grater very painfully get pulled off. Before Bridgit could use the weapon again, Beth grabbed another kitchen instrument- this time a spatula- and swung with all her might, slapping her demonic niece in the face.
Bridgit slowly smiled, eventually laughing a cacophony of screeches.
"What did you think that would do?"
The possessed girl turned to look back at her aunt, just as Frank rounded the corner, staring at Bridgit in mortification.
"Shit…"
The girl suddenly leapt up at Frank, grabbing a knife from the counter and stabbing into his shoulder, penetrating his trench coat and clothes, just barely being able to pierce his skin. Castle groaned, slamming the deadite into the walls, before falling to the ground, grabbing the hilt of the blade.
"Aunt Beth?"
Everyone looked up, seeing Danny had followed Frank out, but was now at a loss for words when he saw his sister.
"Kid, run!" Frank yelled.
Bridgit grinned and began to lunge at Dan, ignoring Frank and Beth on the floor, as the brother bolted back into his sisters' bedroom, his only thought was to protect Kassie.
Outside the apartment, the deadite possessing Ellie began to screech and cheer, sensing the chaos that was happening inside.
Danny ran into Kassie's room and pressed his back against the door, startling his younger sister.
"Danny, what's wrong-" Kassie was about to ask, but was cut off.
"Get back Kassie-"
The door was suddenly thrown open, and Bridgit stepped inside, pushing Danny against a wall.
"Found you, Dan!" Bridgit said playfully, wrapping her hands around his throat and squeezing.
Kassie gasped loudly, seeing her sister- or a monster that looked like her sister- attack her brother, as she gripped Staffanie tightly. The demon seemed to hear the noise, as she looked at the younger sister, throwing Danny to the floor.
"Aw, little Kassie." Bridgit mocked. "Is Staffanie going to protect you?"
The deadite ran full speed toward Kassie, and she closed her eyes, raising the wooden stake…
The next thing she felt was something warm and sticky splatter on her face. Kassie slowly opened her eyes, seeing the pointed end of Staffanie had gone straight through Bridgit's mouth and out the back of her head. In fact, it looked like half of the wooden pole had gone right through.
At that moment, Danny heard footsteps, causing him to look in the doorway, seeing that Beth and Frank had caught up to them. If he looked at them for a moment, he would have realized that his aunt's arm was slung over Castle's, and she had hopped on one leg, while he held onto a bloody knife.
"Kassie." Beth murmured, seeing her youngest niece holding Staffanie- who was halfway buried into Bridgit's head. That same head that was now trying to move, but couldn't.
As Frank began to step towards the girls, Bridgit suddenly grabbed the pointed stick, very slowly pulling it out of her head. The entire time, Kassie held onto her end, paralyzed with fear, until the entire weapon was taken out. Bridgit turned to look at the adults, taking a step…
And collapsed to the floor, bleeding profusely from the mouth. Beth stared at the body in horror, expecting it to move, but luckily, it… didn't.
"Come on." Frank murmured, leading Beth to the corner, where Kassie was. "Hey, Kassie."
The little girl still stared at her dead sister, she probably didn't even hear him.
"Kass." the Punisher said a little bit louder. Still no response.
"Kassie." Beth tried, finally getting the girl to look up at them. "Sweetie, could you… could you please put down Staffanie?"
Kassie looked at them in confusion, though periodically flitted her eyes down to her weapon.
"It's okay Kassie. It's over." Frank said gently.
"Please." Beth whispered, holding out her hand. "Give us Staffanie."
That seemed to finally do the trick, as Kassie slowly placed the stake into her aunt's palm, but still had that petrified look in her eyes.
"Okay." Frank mumbled, as Beth put her free arm around her still living niece.
"Let's get you two cleaned up."
"So this place is your universe?" America asked, looking around at the glass like sphere. "And you said that you destroyed it?"
"Yes." Strange Supreme nodded, looking solemnly at the ground. "I… I wanted to be with Christine… my Christine. And my universe paid the price."
"What happened?"
The variant looked up, tears pricking his eyes.
"She died in a car crash… because of me." he explained. "My master, the Ancient One, she explained it was an absolute point, but I didn't listen. I brought her back to life, and in doing so, I shattered my world. This…"
He gestured around them, to the empty void.
"Is all that's left."
"I'm sorry." America murmured, looking around. "Why don't you just leave?"
"Why should I?" Strange Supreme retorted. "Staying here, in the universe I destroyed… that's my punishment. Besides."
The variant pulled out a crystalized orb, showcasing two armored individuals fighting, with five gems in the middle.
"Are those…"
"Infinity Stones." Strange nodded. "In some backwater universe, the AI Ultron won, destroying Earth. When Thanos came, Ultron killed him too, then took the remaining stones. It was that moment that he realized there was an entire multiverse to take over, causing a team of heroes, including myself, to stop him. I was able to trap him in this pocket dimension, and it is my duty to watch over it, to ensure they never get out."
"How noble." Stephen drawled, regaining consciousness. "I appreciate that you were able to… exorcize the deadite out of me, but I believe our friends need us."
"I agree." Strange Supreme rotating his hands, and a portal that glowed gold materialized. "This will take you back to the universe you were just in. Be wary though, time works differently in the multiverse. You could end up back days after you left, or mere minutes."
"Thank you." America nodded, as she and Stephen turned towards the portal.
"Stephen, wait."
Doctor Strange looked over his shoulder, seeing Strange Supreme clear his throat.
"I know you long for Christine. So did I." the sorcerer in the purple cloak sighed. "But it is not meant to be. There is no universe where we are together."
Stephen felt a pain in his gut, processing his words. He couldn't believe that. He couldn't believe that there wasn't anywhere where he and Christine had a happy ending.
Eventually, Stephen looked up, his face marred with determination.
"There's a first time for everything."
Not allowing Strange Supreme to reply, he and America jumped through the portal, living the sorcerer alone in his collapsed universe.
"Heed my warning, variant of mine." Strange Supreme muttered. "If you continue down that path, it will only lead to loss…"
After some coaxing, Frank and Beth were able to carry Kassie back into the living room and sit her on the couch, where her aunt began to wipe the blood off her face. Meanwhile, Frank opened the first aid kit and cleaned the wound on Beth's leg as best he could, before wrapping it with gauze.
"Hey." Beth murmured, tilting Kassie's face towards her. "You're okay. That's what matters right now."
"Is this a nightmare?" the girl asked.
"Yeah." Beth numbly nodded. "Just like a nightmare, Kass."
Kassie felt tears shimmer in her eyes, and she gulped.
"Is what happened to Mom and Bridgit going to happen to us?"
"No."
The girls looked at Frank, seeing him finish patch up Beth's leg.
"No, we won't let that happen."
"We promise." Beth added, trying to ease her worry by smiling. Kassie still shook with fear, looking between the two.
"You'd both be good parents someday, Auntie Beth."
"Oh yeah?" Beth raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Kassie shuddered. "You know how to lie to kids."
Beth felt a knot tighten in her stomach, as she processed what her niece said. And she wasn't the only one.
The girls heard a dull thud, and they looked down, seeing Frank had dropped the gauze, which was now rolling under the couch.
"I know you're scared kid, but you gotta be strong. It's the only way you'll survive this, alright?" the Punisher mumbled.
Beth's eyes trailed back to Castle, seeing he was looking down at the ground, blinking periodically. Was… was he crying? From what Kassie said?
Bixler's eyes dilated, as she remembered Frank telling her he was married and had kids. If that was the case… where were they now?
Beth's stomach tightened even more, as a dreadful thought crossed her mind.
"Hey Kass, could you help out Danny?"
Picking up on the cue, Kassie stood up from the couch and made her way back towards her room, pausing to look at a small patch of blood on the rug.
Odd. Wasn't that where Strange's hand was? Where did it go?
Kassie's mouth went dry from the implication, and she quickly ran back to her room, while Beth placed a hand on Frank's shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
Frank swallowed the bile from his throat, forgetting to answer.
"You didn't get your shoulder patched up, right?"
Frank glanced up, his eyes told her everything.
"Come on, let me check it."
Beth gently grabbed the arm of his trench coat and pulled it down, seeing the mark Bridgit's knife made.
"It's just a graze." Frank muttered.
"It's still bleeding." Beth insisted, as she grabbed a small bottle of antiseptic and gauze. After pouring the fluid onto the material, she dabbed at the cut, making Castle wince, while he reached for the kit and took out a needle and thread.
"What Kassie said… she didn't mean it."
"Yeah." Frank mumbled, as she finished cleaning the wound, then proceeded to take the needle from him. Beth exhaled, remembering what Ellie had said through the door. About how she taunted Frank about failing to save his family.
"What… what happened to your kids?"
Frank looked at Bixler, feeling bile rise in his mouth.
"They're gone." he whispered, licking his lip. "My wife and I… we, uh, took them to the park the day after I came home. Kids were playing on the painted ponies, Maria and I were eating some shitty food on the grass."
Beth let out a soft laugh, as Frank continued.
"Before I realized what was happening, bullets were tearing through everyone. I didn't know until years later, but it was my brothers who did it. The men I fought side by side with…"
Castle sighed, looking down. While he was telling her aunt the story, Kassie had stayed in the hallway, close to her bedroom door. Hearing him say that, about what happened to his family… it made her feel ill. Even more so than she already was.
"Last time I held my baby girl, her face was ripped apart, I couldn't even recognize her. It was like that for my wife and boy, too."
Frank stopped talking, making Beth think there was more to the story. But before she could ask again, he looked back up. Having the feeling they were finishing up, Kassie turned and quietly reentered her room, slowly shutting the door.
"I won't let what happened to my family happen to yours. You gotta trust me on that."
Beth smiled and nodded, just as she finished sewing up his wound.
"We should go check on them." Bixler murmured, as Frank pulled his trench coat back on.
"Yeah."
Frank and Beth stepped into the girls' room, seeing Danny and Kassie had completely tied duct tape and a sheet around Bridgit's body, like a crude mummy.
"I thought we should do it. Just in case." Dan murmured, as Beth cleared her throat.
"I want to listen to that vinyl."
Danny looked up in shock, staring at his aunt.
"It's too dangerous. Those words are what did that to Mom-"
"Well maybe there's some words that can undo all this." Beth said hopefully.
"We don't have power to run a turntable."
Beth snorted, still staring at Bridgit's body.
"I can fix that."
Minutes later, Beth was back in Danny's room, working on a makeshift battery to power the vinyl player, while Frank stayed outside with Kassie.
"I started listening to the first recording, and the priest said the words on the second." Dan explained, handing Beth the vinyls.
"Then I'll start from the other end." Bixler murmured, handing Danny a knife. "Just in case."
Danny took the blade, gripping it until his knuckles turned white, but left his room, leaving Beth to shut the doors. He looked behind him, seeing Kassie sitting on the couch, Frank standing in front of her.
"Is Bridgit going to come back like Mom?" the little girl asked.
"I…" Danny's mouth opened in stunned silence. "... I don't know, Kass."
Seeing her brother shaking, Kassie got up and took his hand, just as they began to hear noises outside.
"What the hell?" Frank asked, looking up at the ceiling. The closer the noises got, the tighter Danny gripped his knife, despite hearing a faint meowing of a cat.
"Mr. Fonda's kitty likes to hide up there sometimes." Kassie mumbled.
"I don't think it's a cat." Danny told her, as the noises veered towards his bedroom.
"Shit." Frank muttered, quickly walking over to the the double doors. Just as he was about to turn the handle, he heard Kassie speak.
"Frank, be careful."
Castle looked over his shoulder, maybe to reassure her, but instead his heart stopped. Because right behind both children was a floating bed sheet, the area surrounding a head covered in blood.
Bridgit.
"Kids- DOWN!" Frank yelled. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to get off a shot, as Danny had turned around to see what was happening, seeing the ghastly figure flying towards him. He only had enough time to push Kassie to the floor and grabbed his undead sister, driving a knife through where the heart should have been, while his younger sibling whimpered on the floor.
"Kass, hide!" Dan yelled, just as Bridget grabbed Danny and flew them both towards the kitchen. At the same time, Frank felt something grip his ankle, and he looked down, seeing a decaying hand- Doctor Strange's hand, latched on, just as it pulled with impossible strength, tripping Castle and sending him to the floor.
In the kitchen, the deadite Bridgit slowly pulled the knife out of her torso and stabbed it into her brother's chest, then proceeded to vomit blood onto him.
"Told you to put the book back Danny!" Bridgit cackled, pulling off the sheet to reveal her bloody, grinning face. Dan began to see spots, as his hand searched for something, anything, that could help him-
His hand wrapped around a can of cooking spray, and as he pressed down on the nozzle, it roared to life, having been placed next to the stove that was still burning. With his new makeshift flamethrower, Danny moved his arm closer to Bridgit, instantly lighting her on fire. The demon screeched and writhed, dancing in the flames, before the body crumpled to the floor, a burned husk.
Kassie, who was now hiding under the couch, gasped loudly at the sight, causing the hand to crawl past Frank and rush towards her now, but Frank pulled out his ka-bar and stabbed the disembodied limb. The hand let out a screech- something that shouldn't be remotely possible, as Castle ripped the knife out of the ground, only to then stomp the hand into gory mush.
While Beth was listening to the priest's record, she looked up from the vinyl turntable, seeing Ellie's reflection in the glass, and she quickly pulled off the headphones, backing into a corner. Instead of attacking her, the deadite simply placed her nail on the record, and opened her mouth.
"This horror will not stop, until innocence is destroyed."
Outside of the bedroom, Danny, Kassie, and Frank all heard the vinyl being played, albeit quieter than if they were inside.
"Until evil… by thy name!"
Frank looked back at the doors, realizing something must have gone very wrong for them to hear the record. And then, it hit him:
The noises from the ceiling must have been Ellie.
Castle bolted towards the double doors, throwing them open just in time to see Beth being flung back towards him. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, but they both fell back all the same, with Frank landing hard against the couch's coffee table. Simultaneously, Danny tried to rejoin them, but collapsed due to the knife in his chest.
"No." Beth cried out, quickly scrambling to her nephew.
"Danny…" Kassie whimpered, making him lull his head in her direction.
"Kass… I'm sorry…"
Danny's body stilled, as Kassie wept. Beth would have cried with her, if Ellie didn't just grab her by the back of the head and slam her to the ground.
"Hey, wait, wait!" Frank yelled, but the deadite backhanded him across the floor.
"I will swallow your soul!" the monster grinned, licking her lips, pinning Beth to the floor. The demon's smile widened, when she suddenly stopped, sniffing… something?
Bixler's eyes widened, as her "sister's" head trailed down to her stomach, sniffing her womb. She could actually hear her child's heartbeat now.
"Two souls?" the deadite smirked in confirmation.
Under the couch, Kassie's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
"Please… please don't…" Beth begged, as Ellie looked past her, seeing Frank feebly reach for them. He wouldn't make it in time.
"Ellie waits in Hell for you and your bastard unborn baby." the deadite said smugly, as her nails began to pierce Beth's flesh.
"No… no…" Beth pleaded, as the deadite grinned sadistically. As her possessed mother dug into her aunt's belly, she looked frantically along the floor under the couch, spying a pair of scissors next to her hand. The same pair of scissors she used earlier tonight to create Staffanie.
"AUNTIE BETH!"
The girl pushed the tool across the floorboards, watching Beth grab the scissors, and after flicking them open, thrust her arm up, jamming one of the blades into Ellie's nose. The deadite immediately let go of her, slumping to the side, and Beth got up, breathing heavily. By that time, Frank had gotten back on his feet as well, aiming his shotgun right at the body.
"Kassie." Beth murmured, quickly grabbing the girl and rushing into the hall, towards the door. "Are you hurt?"
The youngest child vehemently shook her head, while looking down at Beth's scarred stomach.
"Are you going to be a mom?"
Beth could hear her heartbeat pounding, as she looked her niece in the eyes. No use lying, after what that monster just said.
"Yes." she confessed, while her brow furrowed. "And I'm getting us out of here."
Kassie looked at her aunt, seeing her face held a promise. No lies.
"How?"
Beth opened her mouth to speak, but Frank spoke first.
"One of your neighbors mentioned a part of the building that was condemned." he suggested, having backed up towards the girls. "He thought it could be a way out."
Beth slowly nodded, accepting the solution, before standing up and opening the door to the outer hall.
"Kassie, whatever you do… don't look back." Beth told her niece, before they trio made their way down the hall. The minute Frank looked out into the darkened tunnel, he smelled the stench of death, accompanied by the sights of the neighbors torn apart.
One boy had a lump in his throat, while another younger than him had his arms ripped off. A young man had his eye gouged and throat torn, and an older man was completely bisected.
"Kass, close your eyes." Castle told the girl, as Bixler pressed her close. The girls ran ahead, Frank looking behind them, as they made it to the fire escape exit next to the elevator. Beth picked up a discarded hammer on the floor- conveniently waiting there- and began hammering away at the fire escape's lock, even resorting to kicking at it in desperation.
"Beth, get back." Frank ordered, preparing to kick down the door with his boot. Bixler stepped away, looking down at Mister Fonda's body and seeing a double barrelled shotgun laying on the floor. Instinctively, she went to grab the barrel, just as she heard a shrill scream.
"Bethy BOOOO!"
Beth glanced up, seeing Ellie was flying down the hallway towards them, and she frantically loaded a shell into the shotgun, snapping the barrel shut. Just as the deadite was mere feet away, Bixler stood up and squeezed the trigger, hitting the monster in the leg and sending her tumbling to the floor.
As the demon struggled to stand, Beth crouched down, picking up the other shells, while Kassie stared at the thing that was supposed to be her mother.
"Kassie…" the creature pleaded. "She's trying to take your mommy away from you."
The girl clenched her fists, looking back up at Frank and remembering what he said.
"I know you're not my mom anymore."
Ellie silently shook her head, turning towards Beth.
"Don't take me from them, Beth." she begged. "You have no idea what it's like to bring a child into this world!"
Beth's anger flared, and she raised the shotgun to point at the deadite's head. As the monster raised a hand to shield herself, Beth felt something grab her leg and pull her to the side, forcing her to jerk the shotgun and blast Ellie's arm off.
"Oi!"
Beth looked down in alarm, seeing Mister Fonda's face growling up at her with yellow eyes.
"That's my gun, you thieving cunt!"
Bixler ripped her leg out of the old man's grasp, seeing red, and began to bash Fonda's brains in with the butt of the gun, splattering blood everywhere.
"Aunty Beth!"
Frank followed Kassie's gaze, seeing two figures exit the apartment.
"Aunty Beth!"
"Beth!"
Beth finally stopped beating the old deadite, looking up to see the forms of Bridgit and Danny- now possessed as well- fall to their knees on seeing their mother, crying in sadness. Beth and Kassie felt chills go up their spines, as the longer the demonic children cried, the more it sounded like… laughing?
"Everyone here dies by dawn, Beth."
"Shit…" Frank mumbled, as all the corpses in the hallway began to stir, repeating the phrase, while Ellie cackled.
"Dead by dawn. Dead by dawn! DEAD BY DAWN!"
"Elevator." Beth announced, grabbing Kassie and going back to the end of the hall.
"Wait!" Frank said, grabbing her arm. "That's how your sister got possessed!"
Beth paused, contemplating what he said, but looked back at the bodies, seeing all of them- including Mister Fonda, begin to stand or crawl.
"It might be the fastest way to get out of here." she told him, shaking his grasp, and continued running. Castle ground his teeth, but nevertheless followed after her.
Once the three of them entered the metal box, Beth quickly hit the door close button, while Frank pulled out his ka-bar and began to cut away the loose cords hanging down. If they were going to be trapped in there, he at least wasn't going to make it easier for the evil to kill them like it did to Ellie.
"DEAD BY DAWN! DEAD BY DAWN! DEAD BY DAWN!"
Kassie began covering her ears in an attempt to not hear the horrible chant, when she looked down at the elevator doors, seeing keys- her mom's keys- hanging out. That's why they wouldn't close.
The girl crouched low, grabbing the keys, and once the door closed, she handed them to Beth, who began pressing the garage button on the elevator panel. She suddenly stopped, as the button suddenly turned from their usual white to a dark red, followed by blood beginning to leak.
"Oh god…"
That blood began to leak everywhere, in every crack of the elevator, forcing Beth and Kassie to stay close. Meanwhile, Frank heard a cackling outside, and he looked out the doors' windows, seeing the corpses pressed themselves against the elevator.
"No way out! No way out! No way out!"
The cackling wasn't from them though, and Frank looked past them, towards Ellie and the kids. When he did, his blood ran cold.
It appeared Danny and Bridget were digging their arms into their mother's belly, as their flesh melted together. With a horrifying realization at what was happening, Frank backed up, as the monstrosity leapt up to the hallway's ceiling, ripping off a vent and climbing through.
"NO WAY OUT! NO WAY OUT! NO WAY OUT!"
"Aunty Beth!" Kassie cried out, holding onto Bixler, who tried to push open the elevator hatch. Just as her hand got close enough, the panel opened up on its own, and five arms burst out, spiderwebbing towards them.
"Get back!" Frank yelled, pushing the two girls towards a corner. The Punisher took out his ka-bar, beginning to stab at the monster's appendages, while Beth looked over at the panel, seeing an engraving about the maximum weight limit. They all suddenly heard the elevator creak and groan, and realizing what was going to happen, Beth held Kassie close, before the elevator was completely filled with blood, blocking their vision.
The next few moments… Frank wasn't sure he could completely describe it. They all heard a snapping noise, followed by what felt like the elevator cab falling, all the wal to garage level. When that happened, the doors opened up automatically, and a torrent of blood gushed out, carrying himself, Beth, and Kassie with them.
Frank and Beth were the first ones to regain consciousness, both retching and spitting out blood.
"You good?" Castle asked Bixler, seeing her nod.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"Yeah. But…"
Frank looked over to a third body, one that was laying face down.
"Kass." Beth's eyes widened, as they both crawled over and turned the girl around, wiping blood off her and shaking her awake. Eventually, Kassie's eyes fluttered open, and she stared at them both.
"Are we dead?"
Beth fought the urge to laugh, or even smile, and instead shook her head.
"Come on." Frank told them. "That thing is still coming."
Beth looked back to the now ruined elevator, hearing the faint laughter of the deadites, and nodded in agreement.
The three of them raced through the lobby and into the garage, Beth pausing only to activate the panic button to locate their car, and- thankfully- saw it was the closest vehicle.
"That one!" Kassie called out, as she and her aunt ran to the car. The girl only stopped when she turned around, seeing Frank was just standing there.
"Go." he told them calmly. "I'll hold it off."
"Frank, don't." Beth told him. "That thing will kill you."
"I gotta wait here for Chavez and Strange to get back." Castle reasoned. "You take Kassie and leave. Never look back."
Kassie's eyes widened, and she stepped forward.
"Frank, please." Hack begged. "Please come with us."
Castle sighed, kneeling down to be at the girl's eye level.
"You're a brave kid, Kass. One of the bravest I know." he told her. "But you and your aunt gotta get out of here. You gotta be there for her. For her kid, alright?"
Kassie sniffed, but solemnly nodded.
"Okay." Frank looked up at Beth, silently telling her the same thing. "Okay. Now go."
The girls reluctantly got in the car and drove towards the parking gate, eventually turning it on. Frank sighed, stood up and turned around…
Just in time to be knocked on his ass by the… thing that was chasing him. Now that he got a full view in the lit garage, he could see just what the hell Ellie had become.
Danny's and Bridget's heads were melded right next to Ellie's, as were their arms and legs, creating a grotesque abomination that crawled like some type of monstrous arachnid. The creature howled with laughter, grabbing Frank by his legs and swung him across the garage, his back slamming into a nearby car and shattering glass.
"Oh, how sweet!" Ellie's head said mockingly. "The big bad Punisher playing hero!"
Castle wiped blood from his mouth, as he slowly stood up and pulled out his ka-bar, balling his fists.
"Come on."
The amalgamated creature screeched, charging towards Frank, who tried to sidestep and stab Danny's head. He partially succeeded, as the blade sunk into its right eye, but the abomination used one of its many hands to grab Frank by his legs and pull him to the ground.
Beth and Kassie had driven the car right to the get, when they heard the commotion, seeing Frank pinned to the ground. The two girls looked at each other, seemingly knowing what the other was going to say, as Bixler put the car in reverse.
"You think your toys can harm us?" Ellie chuckled, as another hand pulled the ka-bar out and stabbed Castle in the shoulder- the exact same place he was stabbed in earlier tonight. "You think they can harm our father?"
Frank's eyebrows raised, realizing what the deadite meant.
"You can't stop us! We'll kill every last one of you-"
Both Frank and Ellie heard the revving of an engine, and the monster turned its heads to the side, just in time to see a car bash into her and send her flying away.
"Goddammit." Frank groaned, as the doors opened, and Beth stood over him. "I told you to get out of here."
"We couldn't just leave you here." Beth replied, reaching down and helping him up. "Come on, your friends will find us-"
Both adults were suddenly grabbed and thrown to the ground, with Frank looking up to see the young man with the one eye standing over him.
"Beth… get Kassie…"
Unfortunately, when he looked over at Bixler, he saw that the old man with his lower body missing was crawling on top of her, wrapping his hands around her throat.
"Don't worry about Kassie!" the deadite choking Frank laughed.
"We'll take good care of her!" the monstrous demon cackled from Ellie's head, as the beast reoriented itself to crawl backwards and rush towards the car, ripping the doors off its hinges. Kassie screamed, as the abomination grabbed her legs and pulled her out, crawling towards a truck at the back to the garage labeled "Fonda's Tree Surgery" with the image of a chainsaw.
"AUNTY BETH! FRANK!"
"Kid!" Castle shouted, headbutting the deadite holding onto him. He painfully yanked the ka-bar out of his shoulder, throwing it at the old corpse's mashed head, before stumbling over and kicking the body off Beth.
"Go!" Frank told Bixler, helping her up and pushing her towards the truck. "I'll hold these assholes off!"
Beth ran back to the car, pulling out the shotgun, and bolted towards the truck, while Frank bent down and ripped the knife from the old man's skull, before stomping his brains into mush. He turned around, just in time to see the little boy without arms run and jump up, kicking him in the face, as he stabbed his legs.
"You can't beat us, Frank!" the boy's older brother eerily sang, taking a moment to throw up an eyeball. "We will tear your soul out, and feast on your remains!"
Inside the truck, the deadite monstrosity pinned Kassie against the back wall, as the remaining hand grabbed a chainsaw laying on its side.
"All I want, is your little head, baby girl." Ellie grinned, as Danny's arms started the chainsaw, preparing to make the cut. Kassie breathed rapidly, shutting her eyes for what was her certain end, when a deafening shotgun blast rang out, causing the demonic creature to stop.
Kassie's eyes opened, as the monster turned around, seeing Beth standing on top of the woodchipper attached to the truck, the shotgun raised.
"Come get some, bitch."
With the creature distracted, Kassie rolled out of the truck, crawling underneath, as Ellie threw the chainsaw at Beth. Seeing the deadly projectile, Bixler slipped on the woodchipper, falling onto the ground and firing her last shell, as the gun clattered a few feet away. The deadite crawled after her, reaching the top of the chipper, and growled at Beth. Kassie watched the terrible scene unfold, getting out from under the truck and ran towards a column, as the monster grabbed ahold of her aunt's legs.
The three headed creature pulled Beth towards the wood chipper, pausing only to turn the terrible machine on. Kassie felt her heart race, hiding behind a pillar, as the chipper whirred to life, and her aunt had no way to defend herself. But Frank could get to her in time… right?
She looked across the parking lot, seeing Frank trying to run over to the wood chipper, but everytime, he was attacked by one of the… "deadites", as he called them. She recognized the four… three now, that followed them to the basement. They were her mom's neighbors on the same floor. And what remained of them were ganging up on Frank.
What could she do, what could she do-
Kassie heard Frank roar in anger, trying to push past the neighbors to help Beth, but one of the deadites- the one that looked like one of Bridgit's boyfriends- held him back, making him continue their brawl. Just as he punched the ghoul in the face, the two of them locked eyes, and Kassie was reminded of what he said to her earlier.
I know you're scared kid, but you gotta be strong. It's the only way you'll survive this, alright?
The moment faded as quickly as it came, and Frank was back to fighting the things that were once her mom's friends. She looked back at the woodchipper, seeing the monster that took her family pulling Auntie Beth ever closer to the chipper, and she knew what she had to do.
Kassie ran full speed towards the wood chipper, wrapping her hand around the lever she saw the monster use just moments ago, and pulled it in the other direction. Her tiny muscles ached, and the lever wouldn't budge, but goddamn it, she had to try. The girl pulled and pulled, using all her strength, until she finally felt the piece of metal begin to budge. With a cry of determination, she pulled even harder, and the lever finally flew in her direction, shutting off the machine. Just in time too, as the grinder stopped just as it touched the bottom of Beth's boots, causing her to kick away from the deadite's grasp. With the grinder no longer on, the creature roared in anger, beginning to climb down onto the ground, while Beth crawled to the chainsaw and grabbed hold of it, standing up on shaking legs.
At the same time, Frank growled in anger, stabbed his thumb through the eye socket of the body of the young man, before slamming his head into the ground, then proceeded to grab the armless boy and pin him to the ground, stomping on his kneecaps and snapping the legs. The deadite that coughed up the eye screeched in rage, but Castle grabbed its throat and slammed it into the Hack's car, opening and shutting the driver's door on its neck until it was decapitated.
Back at the woodchipper, Beth held the chainsaw defensively in front of her, as the deadite abomination crawled to the edge of the woodchipper, directly covering the grinder's teeth. The aunt looked to the side, seeing Kassie still held onto the lever. Waiting for her.
With a short nod, Beth turned back toward the thing that was supposed to be her family, revving her chainsaw.
"TURN IT ON, KASS!"
Kassie obliged, turning the lever back, but immediately sank to her knees and covered her ears, beginning to cry when she realized she was helping kill her mother and siblings. A piece of them, at least. Beth on the other hand ran forward and jammed her chainsaw into the center of the monster, where its heart should be, and the creature screamed, being forced backwards into the chipper itself. Beth didn't stop pushing forward, until the creature's feet got caught in the grinder, shredding its flesh, and blood began to spray out of the exhaust, coating the nearby cars in crimson. In that time, Frank had made his way over to the chipper, and seeing Kassie was crying next to the lever, he crouched down, placing an arm over her in comfort. When she realized he was there, the girl began to quickly wipe her tears with her bloody hands, refusing to look at him.
Beth took a step back, heaving, as she watched the monster get ground up bit by bit, taking Danny and Bridget's heads to be shredded, until the remains of Ellie was left to grasp the edge of the machine.
"Please… help me, Bethy Boo." the thing begged, using her vessel's voice to twist the knife one last time.
Bixler bared her teeth, as she raised the chainsaw.
"Only my sister gets to call me that."
With a yell of primal rage, Beth slammed the chainsaw blade into Ellie's head, as the grinder pulled more of the deadite's body into its maw, shredding the back and remaining arm, leaving only a head when she pulled out. Beth dropped the chainsaw, the tool finally expending its gas, and glared at the head, who blinked innocently, looking up at her.
"You know, you really do look like Mom…" the disembodied head of Ellie taunted.
"And you're going to fail miserably just like her, you filthy fucking groupie cunt-"
Beth yelled one final time, kicking the head back into the chipper and destroying the monster for good. She breathed heavily for a few moments, before remembering that Kassie was sitting next to the machine, and slowly made her way over, beginning to push the lever back to stop it.
"Here. Let me."
Beth looked down, seeing Frank had his arm around Kassie, but still stood up, reached out and grabbed the lever, pulling it to shut the wood chipper off. Beth smiled in thanks, but looked over at Kass, who was trying not to cry.
"Hey." Castle murmured. "It's okay."
"But… but you said…" Kassie sniffed. "You said I had to be strong."
"Yeah. Yeah, I did say that." Frank murmured, keeping his arm around her. "But it's okay. It's gone. You can let it out."
Kassie shivered, allowing the tears to finally fall, while Frank reached for his belt and pulled out his bloody ka-bar.
"Here. You should have this."
Beth frowned, seeing Castle hand the girl the knife.
"Wh… why?" Kassie asked.
"You'll need something better than a broken stick." he told her. "With this, you can slide it in, rip into the parts that make someone dead. There's no luck in that, Kass."
Kassie smiled, taking the knife by the hilt, and eyed her reflection in the black blade, marred by the crimson blood.
"You'll need to protect yourself… and your aunt. And your cousin." Frank added, looking at Beth knowingly. "Are you ready for that? You ready to protect her, like how she protected you?"
Kassie smiled, nodding her head.
"Yes."
The girl finally looked up at Beth, and realizing how close they both were to death, lunged forward and wrapped her aunt in a hug, careful to point the blade out of the way. Beth shook all over, but stared at Frank in gratitude.
"Thank you Frank. Thank you."
Frank looked down, staring at his hands. A part of him felt he could have done more. Maybe if he, Strange, and even America pushed harder, that damned book would have been put back, or not even taken at all.
Just like with Wanda and the Darkhold. One more thing to add to his conscience.
"Frank."
Castle looked up, seeing Beth and Kassie staring at him.
"It wasn't your fault." Bixler told him. "You couldn't have known any of this would happen."
Frank let out a deep exhale, slowly standing up.
"Maybe."
Beth seemed to accept that response, as she and Kassie turned back towards the parking gate.
"We need to get out of here." she mumbled, shuffling towards the iron bars.
"Hey, wait." Frank called back, picking up the chainsaw and giving it back to Beth. "Here. I've seen firsthand these things don't go down easy."
Beth tiredly nodded, as the three turned to leave, when a golden portal appeared in front of them.
"Another one of your friends?" Beth asked. Frank frowned, putting himself in front of her and Kassie.
"It better be…"
He didn't have to wait long, as two figures stepped out, and upon recognizing them immediately, Castle sighed in relief.
"America!" Kassie grinned in excitement, despite their earlier predicament.
"Strange. I'm guessing you got better, right?" Frank nodded at the returning Doctor Strange and America, who eyed them all in stunned silence. After a few moments, Stephen cleared his throat.
"What happened?" the sorcerer asked, seeing the survivors covered in blood.
"Where are Danny and Bridgit?" America added, seeing only Kassie with Frank and Beth.
The silence, as people say, spoke volumes.
"Oh god." Chavez gasped, covering her mouth.
"Strange…"
Everyone looked back towards the cars, seeing the demonic corpses begin to rise up. Inwardly, Frank cursed, realizing he should've destroyed the bodies completely.
"Doctor Strange…" the deadites chanted, trying desperately to stand up. Even the one without a head began to flail around.
"Strange, the chipper." Castle muttered.
"Right."
Stephen rotated his arm, creating portals under each deadite, with the other end sending the bodies into the wood chipper, while he used magic to telekinetically turn the lever back on. In an instant, a steady stream of blood shot out of the exhaust, as the remaining corpses were ground up, destroying any trace of the evil.
"How's your hand?" Frank asked, looking for a bite mark, but was surprised to find none.
"Never better." Stephen said briskly. "We met another of my variants that nursed me back to health."
"I'm assuming he created that portal that sent you here?"
"Exactly." Strange nodded. "Speaking of, it's time we left this universe."
"Wait!" Beth exclaimed, keeping Kassie close. "Can we… can we go with you?"
America opened her mouth in surprise, but Beth continued.
"Please. We have nowhere else to go now." Bixler explained. "The rest of our family is gone now. We have no one left."
America turned to look at Strange, almost pleadingly, who sighed.
"Alright. But we can't go straight back to Kamar Taj."
"What about New York?" America asked. "We can find a place for them to stay, then we can go back and help Wong."
"That'll do." Strange agreed. "I trust you have enough control over your powers?"
"I should." America shrugged, holding out her hand. Seconds later, a star shaped portal shot out from her palm, revealing a silhouetted skyline of New York.
"You ready?" Frank asked Beth and Kassie. Both of them nodded, as Castle turned back.
"Right. Let's get home."
The group all jumped through the portal, which closed up. Unbeknownst to them, a low, demonic growling could be heard from the wood chipper…
Earth-1
Peter-1, Peter-2, and Spider-Gwen exited the hexagonal portal, finding themselves back on the same roof as before. Even more interesting was the fact that Amy was still there.
"Pete, you're back!" Bendix smiled, seeing the other spider people. "And so are your friends…"
"We need to find Wanda Maximoff." Ghost Spider declared. "That monster we all fought the other day? That was her doing."
"Wanda? But why?" Amy asked.
"She's been possessed by a demon named Chthon." Peter-2 added. "She's been chasing your Frank Castle and Doctor Strange across universes now, all to get to America Chavez."
Bendix face paled, as she stepped back.
"Her kids."
"What?" Peter-1 took a step back.
"Her sons. She wants to see them again." Amy elaborated. "And if America can open portals to the multiverse like she said…"
"Then she can find a universe where her kids exist." Peter-2 realized.
"Yeah." Amy nodded, looking out at the New York skyline, as she pulled out a phone. "I think I know a few people who can find her."
Deep in her mind, the Scarlet Witch paced around in the vast nothingness, until Chthon appeared from the darkness.
You're having… doubts. The demon rumbled.
"I can't do this anymore." Wanda shook her head. "We- you- let Ellie die."
Sacrifices must be made, child. Chthon chuckled. Do you still wish to see your sons?
"Yes, but not like this!" Wanda shouted. "If this is what it takes… to see Tommy and Billy… then it's not worth it."
Maximoff shuddered, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.
"Frank warned me about this. About you." Wanda whispered. "He told me I'd sell my soul, and he was right. I won't do it."
Yes you will. Chthon growled, as darkness enveloped Wanda, her eyes turning black. You will continue to serve me, child. You will fetch America Chavez for me. Because if you do not, I will kill everyone you hold dear.
Wanda gasped, as she was covered in darkness, until her eyes returned to normal.
Now… what will you do?
Maximoff stared blankly ahead, blinking once.
"I will find America." she said, almost mechanically. "It's the only way I can see Tommy and Billy again."
Chthon chuckled, as red chaos magic materialized, taking the form of several spheres that represented different universes.
Good…
A/N: Remember when I said I was taking liberties with Beth and Kassie? That'll come into play towards the end of this fic. Also, the end result was relatively the same as the movie, mostly because I wanted Frank to realize that unfortunately, fate can't be changed sometimes, which goes hand in hand to what Strange Supreme told America and Stephen about his universe's Christine.
What If Season 2 isn't canon to this story by the way. I hate that they just made Supreme Strange into a villain who clearly didn't learn from his mistakes back in Season 1. And the fact that Captain Carter can somehow stand toe to toe with him, despite being a human that can wield all of the Infinity Stones, even though Star Lord nearly died from just the Power Stone, and Hulk almost passed out from making the Snap. Fuck that.
Next chapter will get back on track with the original Multiverse Of Madness story, so get ready for the Illuminati. There are still a few twists though, since Beth and Kassie are joining them, and there will be a few more characters that the heroes encounter.
See you guys soon!