Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 5: The Asylum

The sound of gunfire, fighting, and shouting echoing in the distance down the asylum halls. Pam, Addy, and Sally stood in the padded cell waiting and plotting their next move. Their resources and supplies were limited at best. Addy still had the small scalpels Pam had swiped from the nurse, but beyond that they were defenseless. They had their wits and skills, but that was all they had. Pam was still fighting through the cocktail of drugs muting her powers, and Sally looked as though she’d been up for days. There were more of those mutilated things roaming the halls, the dolls as Addy had called them, and there was no telling what else was lurking in the darkness.

Something had exploded not far from their shared cell, but none of them had moved to see what had caused it. They needed to fight smart if they were going to make it out alive. There was also the matter of saving Jason and Kait. “What’s the plan, Pammy?” Sally asked, looking around the room, her eyes locking on the door.

“She doesn’t have one,” Addy scoffed, crossing her arms, “Her plan is to stay awake and stay out of the way.”

“Say what?” Sally asked, giving Addy a confused look.

“She’s being curt and rude,” Pam frowned.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Addy huffed.

“I didn’t say that, did I?” Pam countered with an irritated scowl, “I said that you’re being curt, bordering on asinine. Let’s clarify, shall we? My powers are being dulled by a mixture of whatever medicine they’re using to sedate patients. I feel as though I’m underwater struggling to get air. It’s taking everything I have to stay focused and upright. Any attempts to cast spells leave me feeling wobbly, to put it mildly.”

“Fuck,” Sally sighed, running a pudgy hand through her hair, “Great, at least we can all be together again before that fuckwit doctor sicks her toys and monsters on us.”

“It isn’t entirely hopeless, Sally,” Pam shook her head, “One, I still have a handful of tricks up my sleeve. Two, my mind is still as sharp as ever. You two are capable of holding your own, or at least you were at one time. Surely you can manage to stave off a few guards until we can reunite with the rest of the group.”

“With what; my good looks?” Sally scoffed and frowned, “I ain’t been able to do much since we got plucked, Pammy. I got no guns, no weapons, and I’m running on absolute fumes here. You might have the tactics, but that don’t mean shit if we can’t execute.”

“Which is why I need you to listen to me and stay sharp,” Pam sighed, “We have one shot at this, but if you’d rather stay here and wait for the inevitable, then be my guest.”

“You got some never, girly,” Sally huffed, “You disappear on us for the better part of a year after we get sacked and snatched by the new world order, and then you show up and start barking orders. Honestly, I don’t know whether to hit you or respect you.”

“We weren’t gone by choice, Sally,” Pam said, gritting her teeth and pushing herself into a standing position, “We were sent to different worlds, and we had to fight to get back to our universe. Once we managed to break through back to our world, we immediately started to build a place and a means to fight back. We, Beth included, have been fighting to get everybody back so we can storm the gates of the Ivory Tower that the Brunswick sisters call home.”

Sally’s hardened and grumpy features softened at the mention of her niece’s name. “Beth’s alive?” she asked, “I thought…”

“She’s in the hospital too,” Pam assured her, “I used the last of my power to send her back to the entrance before we were overwhelmed in hopes that she could reconvene with Jake and Rebecca.”

“The fucking witch?!” Sally exclaimed, “Wait a sec, IJake was fucking chow for that zombie freak back at the start of this shit show. Now you’re telling me that he and fucking Goth are back.”

“It’s a long story,” Pam shook her head, “One that we don’t have time for right now. All you need to know is that they’re both back and they are with us. Now, the sooner you can pull your head out of your ass and stop glaring at me, the sooner we can work on getting us all back together.”

Sally narrowed her eyes at Pam. She was reminded of Beth from Pam’s tone and the way she said the last part. Another volley of bullets rang out alongside a smaller explosion from down the hall. “Tch, this is touching, but I’d rather not die in a cell with you two,” Addy rolled her eyes, “Whatever is out there is getting closer by the minute. Let’s hear that tenacious and tactical mind of yours, Pam.”

Pam ignored Addy’s short tone. She could sense the nervousness and fear hiding behind her irritation and agitation. The disrespect wasn’t something she would typically tolerate, but the circumstances were far from normal. They could address things further once they made it out. Assuming, of course, that they would be able to make it out. “Stow the shit, kid,” Sally shook her head, “I get it, alright? We’re both pissed, but we’re all on the same side here.”

Addy snarled for a second before sighing, “Fine,let’s get this going before we get cornered.”

“Very good,” Pam shrugged, “Addy, you’re going to take point. Sally, I want you following close behind. Addy will use her agility and senses to take out whatever we encounter first. If we’re lucky, it will be some of the security. However, I doubt our luck is going to hold up for that. So, with that in mind, Sally will handle any of them that manage to get past Addy.”

“And what about you?” Addy asked, “Are you just going to provide morale support for us?”

“You are determined to push the limits of my patience, aren’t you?” Pam frowned, “My plan, little girl, is to hang back and stay out of the way. Considering the nature of the forces we’ve been dealing with, I plan to let Rage loose to fight alongside you.”

“What’s that now?” Sally asked.

Pam didn’t respond at first. She held her hand up and let a trail of crimson smoke start to radiate and roll down her arm. Pam let her head fall back against the padded wall as a portion of herself free. Her knees started to shake once again, but she willed herself to stay standing. She wouldn’t let herself be overcome while the others prepared to fight. Rage took shape and formed a shadowy silhouette in the room. She rolled her shoulders and neck as she finished appearing.

“What the actual fuck is that?” Sally asked, holding her hands up and shaking her head before either could respond, “You know what? Don’t answer that; I don’t even want to know. All I need to know is that it’s on our side.”

“She is,” Pam said, “Are you two ready?”

Addy and Sally nodded and approached the door. Sally reached out to throw the door open, and Addy quickly stepped out into the hallway. Both Rage and Sally were following close behind her. Pam inched her way closer to the doorway, but she made sure to hide behind the frame. She cast her senses out in hopes of using her empathy to detect something living, something human. The empathic wave returned to her with nothing to show from it at first. At first, Pam thought that there was nothing, but then a sense of panic and frustration hit her. She frowned as she honed in on the feelings that were coming down the hall.

“Head down that way,” Rage pointed at the opposite way Addy and Pam had come, “Lead the way, girl.”

A series of clumsy and heavy footfalls could be heard plodding down the hall. Addy scowled and tightened her grip on the twin scalpels in her hand. They were dolls, that much she was sure of. She spotted two of them making their way down the hallway. The smell of smoke and fire was in the air. Somebody was already fighting here, and she hoped that it was some of their allies. Although, she’d settle for having some of the nurses, orderlies, or security fighting against the freaks and dolls at this point. 

“Contact,” Addy nodded at the dolls in their stained gowns, “Watch my six, Sal.”

Addy bent down at the waist as she charged towards the pair of dolls that were making their way towards them. Addy jumped as she got close and turned in midair with her foot extended. The top of her foot slammed into the bandaged face of the first doll and sent it stumbling back a few feet. She quickly spun around with her hand stretched out with the blade of the scalpel aimed at the other doll’s throat. The edge of the knife slit its throat before it could react. Its body fell into a crumpled heap, but its death caused the other one to attack in a furious assault. 

Addy leaned back and took a step back on her heels as the first doll swung its hand in a downward arc. Its chest seemed heavy as it lumbered in an attack, but it threw its weight forward in a strange, low, sweeping attack. Addy reflexively stepped over sweep and spun around with a ferocious roundhouse kick. Again, the doll was knocked back, but it started to crawl back to its feet and advance. She readied herself for another defensive wave, but the attack was halted by a sudden set of fiery chains rising up and wrapping around the doll. It was held down and it struggled to fight through its prison.

“Sally, do you mind?” Addy asked, stepping over and around the suspended doll.

“Call it a mercy,” Sally shrugged, following behind Addy and stomping on the bandaged head of the doll to crush its skull.

“We’ve got more coming,” Addy said, pointing at the end of the hall, “Murray’s probably sending these things out to keep us from her office, or to round us up.”

“Probably buying time for her right hand and that titanic freak in a leather coat,” Sally pointed out.

Addy shrugged indifferently. It didn't matter what Murray was planning. The three of them had to keep pressing forward. The sounds of fighting were growing louder as they made their way down the hall. They were heading into the fire, but there was no other way. Truthfully, Addy wouldn't have had it any other way. It was how she'd been trained, how she'd become the person she was.

They rounded the corner and spotted a group of dolls heading down the hall. They were making their way towards commotion and conflict down the hall. They still couldn’t see who was at the opposite end, but there were at least five more dolls that they could see. Addy narrowed her eyes and picked up her pace in hopes of catching at least one of them by surprise. She tucked her body low and in as she got close and slashed the back of one of their knees. The blade cut deep into a tendon and caused the doll to fall to one knee. These things might not have felt pain, but their bodies still obeyed the laws of physiology.

It was unnerving how little sound they made when they were attacked. At most, these things made a muted sound, but it was as though they shared a mind. Two of them turned to see what was happening, but the other two kept moving towards the commotion. Addy didn’t stop running as she turned to the side and directed her focus at the doll on the right. It leaned back and out of the way of a horizontal slice directed at its throat. It lunged forward and swung its arms in a wild, downward trajectory with its fingers outstretched like claws. Addy was able to step back and avoid a couple of violent swipes.

As Addy stepped back to avoid the doll in front of her, the one behind her reached out and grabbed hold of her shoulders. The cold, clammy hands of the doll dug into her shoulders and started to pull her back. Before it could get a firm grip and drag her to the ground, it was suddenly pulled away by a pair of fiery chains with hooks that dug into its upper back. The chains snapped taunt and pulled the doll off of Addy and into Sally’s grasp. The heavyset woman snatched the doll by the throat, threw it against the opposing wall, and drove her elbow into its face to stop it for good. She might have lost a lot of weight, but she was still naturally bigger than most.

Addy saw the face shattering blow out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her focus on the one in front of her. The doll stumbled forward with two heavy footfalls before it broke into a shocking sprint. It leapt into the air with its knee aimed at Addy’s face. The height it managed to get was surprising, but Addy was ready for it. She took another step back and jabbed with the scalpel in her right hand aimed at its temple. The edge of the blade sunk into the wrapped skull and caused the body of the doll to go limp. She ripped the scalpel from its temple and let its body fall to the ground.

She had to force herself to stop and wait. Her fury and outrage were fueling her more than usual, but she wasn’t fighting solely for herself. She stopped and looked back at Sally who was walking at an almost leisurely pace. Close behind her was the red clone of Pam, but that wasn’t who Addy was looking for. Bringing up the rear and hugging the wall to keep herself upright was Pam. She was clearly struggling against the cocktail of meds pumping through her system ,but to her credit, she hadn’t given up yet. She was moving slowly, but she was trying to keep up with the rest of them. Their eyes locked for a second and Pam waved forward to signal Addy to keep going.

“How close are we to Murray’s office?” Pam asked, her voice echoing in the back of their minds.

“Fucking hell that is weird,” Sally shuddered.

“She’s got an office above the operating theater,” Addy answered, ignoring Sally’s comment, “There’s a set of double doors midway down the hallway on the right up here. The doors are likely locked, but then again she might be expecting us, counting on us even.”

“We blow the damn doors open if we have to!” Rage exclaimed, “Quit lagging behind, Pam, let’s get this show on the road!”

Gunshots rang out again as they got closer to the edge of the hallway. Whatever was happening was nearing its climax. Addy coiled her fingers tighter around the small knives and wished that she had something larger and more formidable. What she wouldn’t have given to have her sword back. She steadied her nerves as she rounded the corner and prepared for whatever was waiting for them. Her brisk pace came to a halt as she finally rounded the corner and she saw the battle scene unfolding before her.

The hallway was long and wide. Unlike so much of the hospital halls, there wasn’t a lot of clutter from equipment lying around, blocking the doors to the cells. The theater doors were located in the middle of the hall, but they were blocked by over a dozen dolls that were crowded around them. Several of the nearby cells and observation room doors were open and had multiple patients running around. There were bodies of dead and discarded dolls on the ground, but what truly gave Addy pause were the three familiar faces at the epicenter of the mob.

There in the center of the crowd, standing amidst several dead or unconscious dolls, were their friends: Jake and Beth. Addy faltered for the briefest second as she watched Beth fire two shots from one of her pistols at a doll that got too close for comfort. Jake Blackridge, the deceased Raven, stood at Beth’s back with a staff out and knocked one of the dolls away with a powerful side strike. What truly struck Addy was the seven foot familiar figure that she’d served before being taken by Kaitlyn: Goth, the Goddess herself. Her long black hair flared behind her as she grabbed one of the dolls by the face and crushed its skull. Despite the brutality, Addy could tell that there was something different about her former Goddess.

“Beth?” Sally whispered behind her.

She hadn’t meant to be heard, but Addy’s senses were in an almost constant heightened state. It was hard for her to believe it too, but she knew that Sally had all but given up hope. Pam’s surprise appearance should have been enough to confirm that they were alive, but they’d been through so much over the course of the last year that they had to see it to believe it. It wasn’t often that Addy was left awestruck, but she was stunned as she watched the trio continue to fight off the mob covering their surroundings. 

In her moment of stunned silence, Addy failed to notice one of the dolls getting stalking towards her. She felt another of those cold, clammy hands wrap around her wrist and start to pull her towards the ground. Her head snapped to attention and she narrowed her eyes at the disfigured freak as it tried to surprise her. She pulled her hand back, but in the process of breaking their grip, dropped one of her scalpels. She managed to break free, but she stumbled backwards, suddenly off balance and struggling to stay on her feet.

“Head out of your ass, girl!” Sally barked, stepping forward to knock the doll away with a thunderous punch to its face, “Ain’t you supposed to be some sort of trained assassin?”

Addy rolled her eyes as she recovered from the surprise. Part of her wanted to snap at Sally, but she knew that actions spoke louder than words. The doll that had grabbed her had been knocked back, but it was already recovering. She ran forward and jumped at the doll with her legs spread wide. She wrapped her calves around its neck and threw her weight back and flung the doll backwards into the mob. Her hand was outstretched and she managed to catch herself before she fell onto her back. The doll wouldn’t die from her attack, but she’d managed to knock it and a handful of the others off their feet to disrupt the horde.

Pam rounded the corner just as Addy launched the doll into the crowd. She was feeling winded and her limbs felt heavy. She swore that if she made it out of this that she wouldn’t take so much as a motrin again. This feeling was unbearable, and she hated being in such a vulnerable state. Rage was formidable, but she wasn’t a fan of relying on one of her alters. She sighed in a frustrated fashion and let her shoulder rest against the wall. The feelings that she’d been sensing were overwhelming now. A familiar smugness, a sense of unease, and a mask of frustration and fury that she knew all too well. She smiled for the first time since they’d arrived as her suspicions were confirmed. Jake, Beth, and Rebecca stood at the opposite end of the hallway fighting back a countless mob of dolls.

While the three women had been struggling to make their way through the hospital halls, Jake and the others had been dealing with the fallout from their explosive entrance. Rebecca’s actions had drawn the attention of the upper floor’s residents as well as their ire. Dozens of freakish, bandaged people in dirty hospital gowns had been chasing after them. Their plan to conserve energy and resources had gone out the window after the fourth wave of these freaky things. They’d been blindly fighting their way through the halls in hopes of finding their friends and the mad doctor.

Things had gone as swimmingly as they could until a few moments ago. Between the three of them, they had managed to stave off several waves from their unknown assailants. They’d thought that they were making progress, possibly even getting the upper hand against the mad doctor. However, whatever progress they thought they’d made had been another cruel lie. They saw a set of large double doors with a bright red line painted over them and two viewing windows on each. The rooms on the opposite end were open and there were more of those things that funneled out into a dreadful ambush. 

From the moment they’d rounded the corner and laid eyes on the doors, those things had started piling out. There was no way that any of them could have counted the number that seemed to spawn from the rooms. There had to have been at least a dozen crammed into one room. It was almost tragic to think about, but these things moved in a way that was similar to the undead and infected from Courtney. However, these things were considerably more human in appearance and the way they carried themselves. They’d been mangled beyond belief, but they couldn’t dwell on whatever inhumane tragedies had been committed against them.

The three of them stood back to back and tried to keep the ones from behind and the ones advancing from overtaking them. Beth had started with her knives in hopes of saving ammunition, but she’d drawn one pistol to use alongside one of her knives. Jake had started with his batons, but he’d quickly connected the two in an attempt to keep the patients at a distance. Rebecca was conserving her power given the stifling, suppressing field in the hospital halls. She still had her familiars fighting beside her, but she was relying solely on minor shapeshifting abilities; shifting her arm into a clawed wolf hand when she swiped and snatched for example.

None of them noticed the group that had appeared at the opposite end of the hall at first. There was almost a sea of bodies that caused the others to blend in. However, Beth saw a group of them topple out of nowhere. It was strange considering the way many of them managed to move. Sometimes they were clunky or less than graceful, but they were surprisingly agile and aggressive. To watch them suddenly fall to the ground in a messy heap. She frowned and focused on the end of the hall. What she wouldn’t have given to have access to her heads-up-display again.

“Hey, we’ve got more company,” she said, nodding at a small group and an almost fiery light, “Hold up, is that…”

“Yeah, I think we noticed the onslaught,” Jake grumbled, blocking one of the dolls as it latched onto his staff, “Get off!”

Jake pulled his staff back and spun around into a roundhouse kick that sent the doll to the ground as his heel connected with its skull. He ducked low and swung his staff in a low sweep, spinning around once again, and bringing it up in an uppercutting arc. He spun the staff around and brought it behind his back as he watched for the next one to get too close for comfort. Rebecca was at his back as he tried to keep his wits about him.

“Not these things, dumbass,” Beth snapped, kicking the knee out from one of the dolls and driving her knife into its throat as it fell, “I think that’s Pam and…who is that?”

“Hmm?” Rebecca hummed, glancing back to where Beth was looking, “Unbelievable, Elizabeth is right. Raven, dear, push forward before we get overrun. If we can reconvene, then perhaps we can use our numbers to our advantage.”

“Copy that,” Jake nodded, swinging his staff around and turning on his heel to fight towards their friends.

“For once, we agree,” Beth mumbled, firing two more shots at a couple of the dolls that were trying to climb over one another, “Do you have a way to clear a path, Becks?”

“Stop calling me stupid names like that,” Rebecca narrowed her eyes in irritation.

“Quit calling me Elizabeth,” Beth countered, slashing at another one of the dolls as it got close.

“Can you two please, please knock it the fuck off until we get out of this?!” Jake snapped, exasperated from the constant bickering, “Either clear a path or fight!”

Rebecca bit her tongue at Jake’s disrespectful tone and reminded herself that they were all under stress. The duress from their current situation had them all on edge, and she knew that her and Beth’s bickering already worked his nerves on a good day. She nodded and extended her hand, “Elizabeth, fall back!”

Beth grit her teeth at Rebecca's orders but did as she was told. She sidestepped behind Rebecca and watched her back as she sent her winged familiar surging forward again. Its wings expanded and caught fire once again as it let out a guttural growl. It shot down the hall like a bullet out of one of Beth’s guns and burned through the bulk of the forces. Over half of their forces had been decimated and leveled in an instant, but Rebecca’s arm fell limp as her head started to pound. The effects of the dampeners were heavily toxic by comparison to what she was used to, but at least she’d managed to make room for the others.

“Fucking hell!” Sally shouted, grabbing Addy’s shoulders and throwing the girl to the ground.

A massive, purple, flaming bird surged down the hall before exploding in a sea of flickering embers. It was gone as it got close to them, but it was enough to scare her into dropping low. She looked up in time to see over half of the numbers of Murray’s demented dolls had been cut down. Addy shrugged her off and quickly got to her feet. “Come on,” she said as she got to her feet, “We can’t waste this chance while we’ve got an opening!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sally muttered, pushing herself to her feet, “Sue me for wanting to make sure we didn’t get burned by that thing. Hey, hold up a sec.”

Sally spotted a broken gurney nearby that had been overturned either by one of the dolls or Rebecca’s flaming, feathered, familiar. Whatever had happened, it didn’t necessarily matter. All that mattered was that she could make use of the broken equipment. Sally put her foot down on the base upside down gurney and pulled against the frame. She managed to break off a piece of the steel and tossed it to Addy. The young girl caught it with ease and gave it a few practice swings. She did it again for herself and prepared to fight their way down the hall. She would have preferred a gun, but she could make due with a club in a jam.

“You’re welcome,” Sally smirked, looking back at Pam, “Hold your ground, I’m gonna grab Pammy. We’re too damn close to leave anyone behind.”

“Roger that,” Addy nodded, twirling the bar as two dolls closer.

Sally hurried back to Pam. Rage had been dispelled by whatever spell the former Goddess had used. With the crimson clone gone, Pam seemed to be having an easier time balancing and standing, but she was still clearly fighting through the drugs. She stopped in front of her and turned around. Sally knelt on one knee and nodded, “Come on, girlie, hop on.”

“I’m fine,” Pam tried to argue.

“Take that pride and shove it, Pammy,” Sally sighed, “We ain’t got time for this kind of bullshit. Your girlfriend, my niece, is at the other end of the hall. Murray and her pets are behind that fucking door along with the rest of our friends. We’ve come too fucking far to stop here. Now, shut the fuck up and climb aboard.”

“Tch, fine,” Pam snarled, hating having to rely on somebody else again.

Pam closed her eyes and let herself step forward. She wrapped around Sally’s neck and leaned against her. To her surprise, the woman lifted her with ease and carried her piggy-back style. It might not have been quite as bad if she could have used her powers, but she had no choice other than to rely on Sally for the time being. She reminded herself that it was just a way to get back to the woman she loved. She tightened her grip around Sally’s neck as much as she could without choking her so she could move freely.

Addy had stood her ground to wait for Sally to catch up. The number of dolls had diminished from Rebecca’s attack, but there were still plenty up and moving around. The broken bar that Sally had given her was roughly three feet long, maybe a little over, and it gave her far more reach to deal with the dolls. She brandished the bar like it was one of her old practice swords as one of the dolls got close. Sally and Pam were getting close, so Addy sidestepped around the nearest doll and swung the railing aimed at its calves. She swept its legs out, spun the pole around in her hand, and plunged the edge into the chest of the doll before ripping it out.

Sally and Pam had caught up to her as Addy rose up and started making her way down the hall. They watched as Jake and Beth also pressed forward with their weapons drawn and fighting back the remaining dolls. Beth’s pistol rang out and dropped another handful of them. Meanwhile, Jake stepped forward as she lowered and holstered her pistol. He spun his staff in a fast, powerful arc that he alternated from left to right. The makeshift staff bashed the heads of several of the dolls and knocked them to the ground. The ones that he missed, Beth finished with her knives with precise and fast stabs aimed at their chests, heads, or hearts.

Sally’s movements were far more limited with Pam on her back, but she was still able to fend off and keep the dolls at bay. Addy remained close to help fend off the abominations that were getting close. She and Sally worked through the small crowd in tandem. They worked their frustrations and pain from the last year out with every vicious and brutal swing against the mangled bodies of the dolls. Sally’s swings were far more wild than Addy’s, but the strength from her swings knocked every one she hit to the ground. With every one that fell, Addy would finish them with either a powerful stomp or a quick downward jab from her makeshift weapon.

The last of the dolls fell to the ground as the trio met their counterparts at the large double doors leading to the operating room theater. A silence descended over the hall for a brief second as they came to a stop at the doors. “Pam, Sal!” Beth exclaimed, breaking the silence as she holstered her pistol and ran to her aunt and girlfriend, “Oh my God, I have missed you both so much!”

Sally was in the process of letting Pam down from her back when she was hit by Beth’s sudden hug. She couldn’t remember the last time Beth had hugged her. It must have been when she was still a little girl before her sister had passed. She paused and put a hand around her to hug her back loosely. “It’s good to see you too, kiddo,” Sally chuckled, patting her niece on the back, “I wish the circumstances were better, but I’m glad you’re alright. Your girlfriend is alright, but she's having a hard time holding her liquor.”

“Piss off,” Pam grumbled, placing a hand on Sally’s shoulder to steady herself, “It’s not my fault that I got drugged.”

“You were drugged?” Jake asked, walking over to check on his friends, “When did that happen? Addy, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but I’ll be better once we get out of this hell hole,” Addy crossed her arms, “I’ll settle for driving a blade into that bitch of a doctor’s heart, though.”

“It’s been a rough year,” Sally explained, “Of course you all haven’t had it easy based on what little Pammy’s told us.”

“Yeah, that’s all well and good, but we need to get through those doors,” Addy sighed, pointing at the doors, “The longer we stand around, the more likely we are to get stuck dealing with Murray’s monsters. Pam got dosed by one of the nurses before she broke out and found her way to my cell. She’ll be fine, but she’s basically trash in a fight right now.”

“As charming and honest as I remember,” Rebecca smirked, stepping forward, “It is good to see you again, Adelaide. I am quite curious to hear what you have been doing since you left my care.”

“Yeah and I’m curious to hear how you’re back from the dead, but one thing at a time,” Addy countered, “How about we break down the doors here and put this nightmare to an end?”

“There’s no need to use such force,” the calm, condescending voice of Anna Murray came over the intercom, “I must say, you all have surpassed my expectations and hopes. This is quite the fun little game we’ve been playing, but I think it’s almost time for us to bring it to a close. However, my sweet assistant and masterpiece want to have a word and some fun. Please, come in so we can begin the final leg of this little game. Come, come, it’s rude to keep your host waiting, everybody.”

The light above the door flashed green and unlocked. The six of them exchanged looks of concern and skepticism before nodding at one another. Beth reached into her waistband and pulled one of the pistols she’d grabbed from the security guards and tossed it to Sally. She handed Addy one of her larger knives and took a deep breath. They were about to cross the threshold into the final stage of this seemingly never-ending nightmare. One way or another, they were going to bring this night to a close in only a matter of moments.