Elizabeth IV

Andrew reads Sara’s text and instantly knows she's in trouble. There’s no reason why she should be in that house even if it is to pick up Grace. He wonders if he should call the cops just to be safe.

“What’s wrong?” Jerrica asks him. Andrew shows her the text. “If you’re worried, let’s go.”

“I’m going alone,” Andrew replies. Maybe it’s nothing, but he can’t help but worry.

“No. We’re a team. We do things together,” Jerrica is adamant. She knows Andrew can handle himself but she’s done letting him be alone.

Andrew just looks at her and gives in. Jerrica is his partner in crime. He can depend on her for anything, he understands this now. Still, that looming sense of dread only grows larger as the drive to the abandoned house draws to its end. The headlights spot Cody’s car and he decides that it’s better to park a couple of meters behind him. “Jer-bear, call the cops.” He says as soon as he gets another text message from Sara. Andrew reads it again and knows it’s Lyle on the other side.

Jerrica complies and pulls out her phone. Before she types, she asks, “What’s going on?”

“I think Lyle’s here.” Jerrica doesn’t say anything and lets the police know what might be going on. Andrew gets out of the car, “Let’s go.” He spots the house, has its lights on and a figure walking across one of the windows. Andrew stops and thinks. Not only are Sara and Grace here, but Cody too. If they’re all inside, they’re either being held captive or already dead. But Andrew knows Lyle; he wouldn’t kill anyone just yet. Lyle only kills for a reason or a goal.

Andrew always knew that Lyle was going to come back to Darkwood, he just didn’t know when. Three years ago, Andrew took his time to get to New York because he had a favor to fulfill. The chains that held him captive were broken in return. To think he had to finish the work that Chris started. Andrew used that opportunity to search for Lyle, but he never did find him. Andrew always knew that Lyle would try to fulfill his so-called ‘destiny’.

“Jerrica, go around the back. There’s a sliding door that leads to the kitchen,” He gives her the knife he carries. “I’ll draw him out. Stay safe.”

Jerrica observes the knife then nods. “You too,” and the two split off.

Andrew reaches the driveway and tilts his head. “Lyle, come out you cunt!”

Lyle pops his body out of the front door with his gun aimed at Andrew. “You should have played this smarter, Andrew! Oh? You didn’t even bring a weapon? Are you stupid?!”

“Not stupid, mate! I don’t know what you’re doing here. I don’t know why you have everyone in there but this is between you and me, no?”

“Nah, It’s you, Chris and Cody. After I’m done here, Chris is next.”

“Just stop this shit, yeah?! Nobody has to die!”

Meanwhile, Jerrica slides the door open as silently as she can. She crouches down and sneaks her way into the living room. There, she sees exactly what Andrew feared. Sara and Grace are the first to notice her. Grace is at first ecstatic that she might be saved then she realizes how much of a sticky situation everyone is. Sara closes her eyes and waits for the next play. Jerrica puts her index finger over her knife as she starts to cut the rope off Sara’s bondage.

Andrew stands fearless. He refuses to die here. Andrew stares at the man who haunts him. Lyle is much bigger than before. There’s much more muscle definition and he stands as if he’s untouchable. Andrew knows that he would lose hand to hand.“Just leave it now, yeah? Cops are called, you lost mate.”

Lyle just laughs. “You begging for your life?”

Andrew shakes his head. “If I die today, that’s fine by me. To be honest, it’s been long overdue,” He refuses to die here. Before he met Jerrica sure, he would be fine with it, but not anymore.

Lyle shrugs, “Could’ve been friends Andrew, but you proved backstabber just like that bitch Marina.”

Andrew laughs, “She hated you.”

Jerrica manages to untie Sara. The two help out Freyja and Cody. She’s racing against the clock. There’s only a matter of time before Lyle notices. Cody hurries over to Emily and sets her free. Grace is last.

Emily looks down at her hands and then at Cody while he unties her. She’s calmer than she thought she would be. She should've listened and stayed in the car. But that’s too late now. She’s done being afraid, tonight she fights.

Grace starts to cry again and tries to hold down the noise. She’s grateful the rain is overpowering everything. Her entire world is falling apart. She had so much trust in the man named Felix and all he wanted to do is kill her friends, and for what? She doesn’t know what he means by her rebirth. She just wants the day to be over.

Sara looks back at Lyle. This is it. Either death catches up to her tonight or she confronts the only demon she never dealt with. She looks over at Freyja who’s trembling with fear. Sara has to live for her. She looks over at Cody and feels the murderous intent in his eyes.

He can confront Lyle right now. He can tackle him and get the advantage but that isn’t the smart move. Cody has to make sure the girls are safe first. All together they try to sneak into the kitchen to escape out the backyard.

Lyle thinks about what tonight was supposed to go down. He was supposed to break Grace down to the point where she had nothing else to live. Everyone must die tonight for it’s the vision Marina showed him all those years ago. No, he’s doubting himself. Everything can still happen, it’s just going to be a bit harder than he thinks. Grace will be his by the end of the night. He senses the movements going on behind him.

“I gotta admit, Andrew,” Lyle scoffs, “I didn’t expect this move.” Lyle pulls out the second gun and points it inside, but everyone is already in the kitchen. Lyle looks back, realizes this, and shoots the gun aimed at Andrew.

It misses but Andrew already knows what Lyle is going to do next. He bolts towards him but Lyle has already made his sprint around the house to the backyard. Lyle catches the group off guard and aims Cody’s gun at them, stopping them in their tracks. He points the other at Andrew who just now catches up to him.

Checkmate.

“You lose,” Lyle smirks.

This is where Chris finds them. This is where that vision of the future he saw happens. Chris emerges from the forest and walks towards them. He will stop this from happening, he has too. Destiny can change, I proved that. I was never supposed to die. Because of what I did, this is happening.

“You’re delusional, Lyle,” Chris walks into the scene and it grabs everyone’s attention.

“I knew you’d come,” Lyle smirks.

“You’re not doing shit, tonight.”

The maniac who had control over me just laughs. He looks at the group he’s holding hostage. They’re all terrified except for Cody who just wants to charge in. He’s just waiting for the right moment. “I’m in control, what are you going to do?”

“I’ll tell you where Marina is.”

“Where is she?!” Lyle almost snaps.

“Chris, no!” Andrew yells.

Lyle looks back to Andrew and Cody sees his chance to charge in. He sprints in and disarms the gun pointed at him before Lyle can react. Andrew sees this and starts to move in but Lyle manages to grab Cody’s arm and twist it hard enough to have him locked. Lyle points the gun to Cody’s head before anyone can move far. Sara and Emily almost get away before they’re stunned at Lyle’s threat. “No one moves! Fuck, why is this so difficult!”

“Just let us go!” Grace screams. Her spirit is shattered. She can’t even think anymore.

“Grace! Is it ever right to escape the bonds and chains of that who holds you captive? It’s only when you control those chains is when you are the free one. People like to live knowing they have the choice to choose. In reality, everything they have ever been, done, and will do has been predetermined by forces beyond comprehension. These are the chains that bind all of us to the illusion of being free.”

Grace hears his words and wonders if it’s true. Was this whole thing unavoidable? Cody looks at Emily and assures her that it's going to be alright. Andrew scoffs and only cares about getting everyone here to be safe. The plan failed, but it’s not too late. Emily is afraid but she’s ready to fight for her life. She doesn’t believe a word Lyle says. Sara looks at her lover who somehow didn’t get as far as her. Jerrica looks back at Andrew, the two have an understanding of the situation they’re in. Oddly, she isn’t worried.

Chris looks at Lyle and understands where he is coming from. After all, This is how Chris viewed his life. It was all just an illusion of wee will. But that shadow of a shadow is now broken. Chris snickers.

“Chris, did Marina ever show you?” Lyle asks.

“Of course. It’s why you’re wrong.”

Andrew scoffs, “I know all about it too, mate. She told me you’ll be back. You really are a sucker for her bullshit. Mate, just because she’s a bit of a freak doesn’t mean she’s divine.”

“What? How do you know?”

No one knows what they’re talking about. Neither do I.

“You were hunting her down, no? I spent three months helping her hide from you. She showed me. That’s why I know you're whole destiny shit you always talk is bullshit.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Cody finally asks for everyone. He feels the cold barrel dig deeper into his temple and closes his eyes.

“She has a superpower, I guess,” Andrew chuckles. “A third eye. She can see things into the future, supposedly.”

“Where! Is! She!?”

Chris knows what happens next. He doesn’t tell him and it forces Lyle to shoot Sara in the head. Cody is going to freak and try to escape but only gets shot twice in the chest. Lyle shoots randomly, hitting Emily in the stomach and Freyja right between the eyes. Grace’s mind breaks and she disappears into the night. Jerrica, Andrew, and Chris charge at Lyle. Jerrica would reach him first and manage to knock away his gun but loses her knife in the process. Lyle steals it and swings it at her, then at Chris slitting his throat. Andrew tries to fight him but just like last time, he is easily overpowered and is put on his knees. This is what’s supposed to happen.

It doesn’t.

“She’s living peacefully in Nova Scotia. She goes by Kristy Cotton now,” Chris answers. This isn’t enough to change the course of time. “She’s been free from your chains, leave her alone.”

“Perfect! Let’s begin. Watch closely, Grace.”

Cody's eyes widen as he feels the pressure of this temple loosens a bit. It’s time. Grace looks down on the ground where Lyle had dropped one of his guns. She’s in reach to grab it but isn’t sure if it’s worth it.

“Cody!” Emily screams.

Cody takes a deep breath. It doesn’t matter if he dies here, he knows Andrew can use this moment to win. Cody rocks his head back to hit Lyle’s head at risk of his life ending at that very moment. It rocks him letting Cody free his arm and push Lyle away. Cody steps forward and grabs Lyle’s wrist and twists it away making him drop the gun.

“Everyone run, now!” Andrew orders everyone.

Sara grabs Freyja’s arm and the two escape the backyard into their car. Grace panics and stumbles down to the floor right in front of the free gun. Everything starts to make sense for her. She grabs it and doesn’t think. She just sprints towards the forest. Emily stays and watches Cody kick the gun away from Lyle as Andrew punches him in the face.

“What are you doing?! Leave!” Jerrica yells at her.

“No! I’m not afraid.”

Chris watches and starts to walk forward so everyone can overpower Lyle. Everything changed. He was wrong, the entity was wrong. Marina was wrong. He figures out that there are no chains holding everything back. It’s all chaos.

Lyle elbows Cody and breaks free from his grasp. He front kicks Andrew away and Chris tries to tackle him to the ground but Lyle just moves out of the way. Jerrica get’s her knife ready and steps forward. Emily doesn’t know how to fight. She doesn’t know how to help but she’ll try either way. Lyle grabs onto Cody's shoulders and knees him in the stomach and pushes him into Chris. He blocks Andrew’s punch to the face and counts with his own. He punches him in the stomach then again in the face. Jerrica has had enough and steps in as Lyle front kicks Andrew away again. She manages to stab the knife into his arm, Lyle screams but ignores the pain and backhands her causing her to fall. As he pulls the knife out of his arm, Emily runs in and punches him in the fast as hard as she can. It hurts her substantially more than him. Lyle swings the knife at Emily but Cody catches his arm from behind. He kicks the back of Lyle’s knee causing him to kneel and Cody wraps his arms around his neck into a rear neck choke.

Andrew and Chris recover and both of them take a second to see what’s going on. Andrew sees his fiance on the floor struggling to get up and gets pissed. Cody tightens his grip the moment Lyle starts to laugh. “What’s so funny? You lost, bitch,” Andrew smirks.

“Not yet,” Lyle struggles to say.

“Why did you do this?!” Jerrica groans as she gets up. She can taste a bit of iron in her mouth.

“Ack-You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

Lyle chuckles as Cody loosens his grip a bit to speak. “My entire business relies on breaking the wills of others and making them my slaves. Half my crew was arrested three years ago, I’m just rebuilding. Grace was just one of the girls I’ve been converting.”

“You’re sick.”

Emily takes a step back. She realizes that this is what he was doing to me all along. Lyle saw that opportunity to break me when I saw someone die in front of me. He used that so I could kill someone.

“You’re all just children. In order to be the one in control, you must take without asking. Isn’t in our nature to have self-preservation? To survive you must bring others down.”

“Shut up!” Andrew yells.

“What did you want with Marina anyways?” Chris speaks. “Even if she can see in the future, we just proved we’re not bound by the fates.”

Lyle laughs again, “You don’t think outside the box. Knowing what the future holds isn’t what she does. She was born a freak, and derelict just because she could see God. Marina saw the hands of fate but she was just too stupid to see what we could accomplish together. If I only had Winter, I could see God too.”

Emily shakes her head. “I see now that this town isn’t haunted!”

“Oh?”

“Mom always talked about how this used to be such a nice town to live in. Then out of nowhere, it got corrupted by drugs and the sorrow it brings. It became a plague, and you’re the source!”

Lyle just smirks.

“Cody, keep him down. The cops should be here in a few,” Andrew tells him. “You’re a real delusion case,” Andrew scoffs. “You’re over.”

“And what would happen if I told them that you used to be under me? That you killed some addict for me? You didn’t think this through.”

Emily and Cody are both shocked but barely believe him. Andrew looks at his fiance and she nods once at him, assuring him it’s okay. Andrew shakes his head. “Nah, I accept whatever happens. Unlike you, I have real friends and family who will be with me in the hard.”

“It’s a shame nobody can help you here,”

“Huh?” Andrew takes a step back.

Lyle jumps to sling his legs forwards and uses that momentum to make Cody crunch to the ground. Lyle uses this to move sidewards and grab his arm and twist it to break free. Andrew doesn’t hesitate to run into Lyle and knee him in the face. Lyle stumbles but gets back up. He grabs Cody’s arm and takes the knife for his own. Chris tries to help his friend out but ends up with his arm getting slashed.

“Motherfucker!” Andrew yells as he hits Lyle right then left. Lyle blocks his next two punches and counters with slashing Andrew’s forearm. Cody gets back up and joins the fight. He waits for Lyle to attack him only to dodge out of the blade’s way. Cody grabs Lyle’s wrists, twists it, and knocks the knife away. Lyle then headbutts Cody, rocking him and leaving himself a bit dazed. Jerrica jumps on top of his back and bites his neck.

“You bitch!” Lyle screams in pain then jumps to fall on his back and lands on top of her. Lyle rolls over and quickly gets back up just to kick her in the stomach. Emily runs to the knife only for Lyle to spot her, forcing Emily to throw it at him as soon as she grabs it. It slashes his face but Lyle doesn’t let it phase him. He lands a hard right hook to her temple and knocks her out. “Nice try.”

Chris tackles him to the ground and lands a couple of hits before Lyle can push him off and roll off to safety. He gets up and immediately blocks Andrew’s punches and counters with his own. He boxes Andrew off until Andrew loses his guard and is knocked down by an uppercut to his jaw. Lyle turns and overhead kicks Chris in the head, knocking him out too. Cody readies himself up to for this next round.

“Still got some fight in you, huh?” Lyle snorts.

“You’re not winning.”

“Five against one and four are already down. What are you going to do?”

Cody waits for Lyle to move and controls his breathing for the right moment