Chapter 66

"Heather? Heather!"

Heather's eyes flew open, and she jerked in her seat. Distant lights streamed by in the darkness before her confused eyes. Her disorientation eased when she realized she was looking out the window of Debby's van.

"Everything all right?" Debby called out.

"Well, are you?" Melinda demanded.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Heather. "I just ... wait, how long was I out?"

"About a minute or two," Jason said. "I thought you had fallen asleep."

Heather rubbed her eyes. "I had another vision."

"Now what?" Melinda said.

"It's the same one where Victor takes the Book to the Darkness. It's getting more clear now. I can see that no one else is with him. No one's fighting him for the Book."

"So it is the Book that's fighting him," said Jason.

"And you're probably right about it being scared. I would, too."

"Ya see anything else?" Ned asked.

"Something odd was happening," said Heather. "It was like the Book was burning up."

"It's probably similar to how it gave me the power to attack Victor in the hall at school," Jason said. "It was sacrificing part of itself to fight him."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Ned said. "It's burnin' itself up? Is there gonna be anything left fer Victor ta give ta the Darkness?"

"I didn't see that far ahead," Heather said.

Ned rubbed his chin. "Huh."

"I know that look," Cassie said. "What are you thinking about now?"

"Not sure. Wish we could see a bit more."

"This is the best I've got so far," Heather said. "It might get more clear as we get closer to the time."

"I was jus' thinkin': if the Book is gonna jus' go mess itself up, mebbe there won't be much fer the Darkness ta get. Mebbe we can jus' give him the damn Book for all the good its gonna do 'im."

"I really wouldn't do that," Debby said.

"I'm jus' tryin' ta make sure we fight the right battle, ya know?"

Debby let out a slow, controlled sigh. "Yes, Ned, I know," she said in a much cooler voice.

"I think I have to agree with Debby," said Jason. "We can't just hand it to him. Even if you're right, I imagine the Book will try to give me some power to fight against Victor and burn up more of itself."

"So then the million-dollar question is, does Heather's vision prove yer theory 'bout Victor sacrificin' the Book ta give the raw energy ta the Darkness?" Ned asked.

"It's starting to sound like that's the case, but we can't tell yet how much would be left. We won't take any chances for now. We stick with the original plan and keep the Book from him."

"Jason, should I contact Gina now?" Cassie asked.

Jason heard the nervous quaver in her voice, and saw fear shimmering in her eyes. A silence fell over the others in the van, as if in acknowledgement of Cassie's great burden.

"You have to tell me when it's the right time," Cassie said. "Once I'm in her head, you won't be able to contact me except for what I can sense over the link."

"Cassie," Melinda said in a small voice. "What happens if you can't do it? I mean, if Victor keeps Gina?"

Cassie let out a tremulous sigh. Ned grasped her hand and squeezed it. She nodded to him in response to the concern in his face. "He can take Gina completely only by destroying New Gina. If that happens, I don't know what will become of me if I'm still in Gina's head." She looked at Ned. Her voice caught when she spoke again. "I-I'll try to get out in time."

"Aw, stop with all the doom and gloom, willya?" Richie drawled. "Fucking depressing being around you guys. You--" He felt a tug at his shirt and turned his head. "Huh? What?"

"Like, I can get rid of their pouty-faces, Master!" Terri bubbled.

"I told you already, you don't get a fuck until you help us."

"Aww." Terri squeezed her legs together. "But my cunnie is, like, all wet again! All these--" The van lurched as a tire ran over a pothole. "--b-bumps in the road ... uhnng..."

"I really wish you hadn't done that to her, Richie," Debby said.

"Master, can I masta ... muster ... mas ... umm, play with myself?" Terri gave him a doe-eyed look, folding her lower lip. "Pwease? Pwetty pwease?"

Melinda stuck her finger in her mouth and made gagging noises. Ned covered his mouth and coughed.

"I'd rather she didn't do that here," Debby said before she could stop herself.

"Richie, can't you tone down her libido a bit?" Jason asked.

Richie rolled his eyes. "Aw, for fuck's sake. How about if she just did it quietly? You can do it quietly, right?" Richie asked Terri.

Terri's head bobbled. "Yeppers! I won't make, like, even a little peep!"

Debby sighed. "All right, go ahead."

"Yay! ... Ooo, I was supposed to be quiet. Sowwy." She thrust her hand under her panties and sighed in breathy pleasure as wet noises rose from between her legs.

"Debby, how far are we from the old church?" Cassie asked, trying to ignore Terri.

"Not more than ten minutes."

Cassie turned to Jason. "How soon should I try to break Gina away from Victor? Do I need to give the rest of you time to ... um..."

She trailed off. She had no idea what they would do other than just walk inside. It was not like they could sneak up on Victor.

"Mebbe you'd sense if the rest of us are mentally dukin' it out with Victor," Ned said. "I mean, that would be a helluva lot of power goin' 'cross the link, right?"

"That's a good point," Jason said. "Hitting him from two directions at once might throw him off-balance. All right, Cassie, we'll do it that way."

"What if Ned is wrong and I don't sense anything?" Cassie asked. "Or I get cut off from it somehow?"

"Then just use your judgment," Jason said. "Concentrate on getting Gina free."

Cassie nodded and gazed at Ned. He squeezed her hand and smiled. Her eyes misted, and she had to blink a few times to see him clearly. All her previous anger towards him seemed petty now. If Victor won, and she did get trapped in Gina's head, she might never get out. Or he might enslave her as he would Gina.

Cassie stared at Ned and understood that this might be the last time she saw him when she still had her own mind and will. Cassie pulled his hand and drew him into a quick embrace, as much as they could do with their seat-belts on. It was enough. Cassie nestled her chin against his shoulder and whispered into his ear with soft urgency, "I love you, Ned."

When Cassie tried to pull back from the embrace, Ned's arms remained locked around her. She felt a strange jittering sensation and realized it was Ned trembling. He tried to speak, but he could muster no better than a soft croak. Cassie was sure she had heard the word "love."

She embraced him again and managed to hold back a sob, though her eyes were still liquid when she pulled back. A slow smile broke wide across Ned's face.

"Go kick Victor's ass out of Gina's head, babe," he said.

Cassie smiled and nodded once. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes.

Gina stepped away from the car, her heels crunching against the gravel. She peered into the darkness, seeing only the vague outline of the mesa under the clear, moonless sky. A cold breeze blew around her, but did nothing to quench the heat growing in her pussy.

She heard two car doors close behind her, the last one dousing the light from inside the car and allowing the darkness to enshroud her. A few seconds later, a beam of light blazed on her left. Victor came alongside her and hooked his free arm into hers, his other hand holding a flashlight. "Brad, get on the other side," Victor said. "Gina, stay close to us. The path is uneven and you may fall in those heels."

"Yes, Master," Gina whispered, as if afraid to shatter the silence. Her heart throbbed in her ears and thumped in her chest. Her excitement was so high she had to tune out her senses, letting her body revel in the sexual heat that would soon be her new life. A slow, ragged sigh passed from her as they guided her down an overgrown, narrow dirt road.

"Your journey is nearly complete, Gina," Victor said. "Very soon, you'll have no more worries about who or what you are."

Gina shivered. Her arms tightened around those of the men, as if drawing warmth and comfort from them. She gazed ahead, her eyes straining to penetrate the darkness and see what awaited her, but even with Victor's flashlight, she could not see very far.

Her footsteps faltered. "Careful, Gina, there are some dead branches across the road," said Victor.

"Yes, Master," Gina replied, but there had been nothing underfoot. Her legs trembled each time her foot came down on the hard, frozen ground. The pounding of her heart became more pronounced, and she wondered why.

Other strange thoughts skittered in the dark recesses of her mind. Fleeting and unimportant, but persistent. She stumbled again when Victor raised his light and revealed a broken, rotted wooden door atop cracked and crumbling concrete steps. Victor lifted his arm to raise Gina's feet above whatever had fouled them. Again, nothing had been there.

At the foot of the steps, Victor stopped and turned to face Gina, shining the light at his face. He smiled, eerie shadows stretched across his cheeks and forehead. "Stay focused, Gina. That's very important. No more doubts from this point on."

"Yes, Master, I understand," said Gina. "I'm ready."

Brad's gaze shifted between them, eyes blinking slowly as if in a daze. His brow furrowed, as if he had trouble hearing and had to concentrate to understand what was being said.

Victor climbed the steps and took the light with him. There was a creak, and weathered wood scraped stone. He swung the light towards Gina and Brad. "Follow me closely, we're almost there."

Brad nodded and took Gina's arm again, helping her past the pitted steps. Inside, they walked down the center aisle between silent and empty rows of broken pews or shattered moorings where they once stood. At the other end, the altar had toppled over, and its marble top lay in three ragged chunks.

Brad's steps became hesitant, and Victor drew further away. He forced himself and Gina to catch up when he was left too much in the dark for his comfort. He wanted to see those pews, as if needing to convince himself that they remained empty.

His growing doubts finally crystallized as speech. "Victor, are you sure this is okay?"

Victor turned around from the first step up to the dais surrounding the shattered altar. "Why did you ask that, Brad?"

Brad hesitated. "Um, I'm not sure. I guess ... well, this is legal, right? I don't want to get in trouble with the cops, you know?"

"Brad, you've trusted Gina to this point, haven't you?"

"Huh? Oh, well, yeah, of course! I mean, why wouldn't I?"

"She's never steered you wrong, has she?"

"Not at all. Man, she's been the best thing that's happened to me for awhile."

"Exactly. And this is just part of that. It all makes sense."

Brad nodded. "Yeah, I guess it does. Heh, maybe it's just the old church that spooked me, being Halloween and all."

"Perfectly understandable." Victor bent down and reached behind the fallen altar. Another creak, and welcome light rose from the floor through the trap door that Victor had opened. "Now, come along."

Brad smiled and stepped forward with Gina.

Cassie stood, transfixed and horrified, as she stared at the open door to Stephanie's psyche.

The bars of the cage were gone, swallowed up by the nothingness. The door itself framed little more than inky black, uniform and lifeless. When she stepped towards it, she sensed the emptiness like a malevolent force seeking to erase whatever it touched. Despite her anxiety, she knew she was safe; the affliction of one person's mind could not sweep into the Dreamverse.

Cassie reached out her hand and attempted to project energy through the door. She felt nothing, the feeble blue glow about her fingers flickering out like a snuffed candle flame. No one was there to receive it. Cassie shook her head, her eyes shimmering. Stephanie could not have perished; Cassie was sure she would have sensed it.

She crossed to the door to Gina's mind. She gushed with relief as soon as she was across the threshold. "Oh, thank goodness, Stephanie, you're safe!"

Stephanie approached, a wan smile on her lips. "For now, anyway," Stephanie said.

"I s-saw the door."

"Is it worse now?"

"The cage is gone. I don't think I could get it back no matter how much energy I send into it. I-I don't think you could go back without..." She trailed off and glanced back at the door to the Dreamverse. "Wait, you walked in here yourself?"

New Gina stepped forward. "She's been here for some time, Cassie."

"What will happen when Lydia--?"

"I don't know," Stephanie said. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're here, and we can start the battle against Victor's avatar."

"Avatar?"

"It's the best word I can think of. Sort of like a piece of his will that he leaves behind in people he controls. Remember when you first found me in my cage, and the figure that kept chasing you out?"

"Yes, I remember," Cassie said in a quavering voice. She turned to Gina. "It was here, too, wasn't it? It was the thing that you kept running from when I first contacted you."

"Yes," Gina said in a small voice. "And those guards I heard whenever I went out there must be part of him as well. But how do we fight them? What do we do?"

Cassie understood now how Jason once felt; everyone was looking to her for answers that she did not have. "At the moment, we have to wait. My friends are going to attack Victor in the real world at the same time to force him to split his attention."

"How much longer?" Stephanie asked.

The urgent tone in Stephanie's voice tugged at Cassie's heart. Cassie was sure she would break down in hysterics if Stephanie suddenly vanished before her eyes. "Not long. They're almost there by now."

"Almost there? Where are they going?" Stephanie's eyes widened. "Cassie, please, don't tell me they're going to the abandoned church!"

Cassie swallowed. "That's where Victor is, we have to--"

"He'll have his whole cult with him! No one can stand up against that!"

"We have to try!" Cassie cried. "And we have one of his own on our side. Someone with his power that we can channel our energy into. Please, you have to trust us."

Stephanie wiped her eyes. "I don't have much choice, do I? I've really done everything I can."

"Stephanie, you did the best you could," Gina said.

Cassie looked around. "Is this room different from when I last saw it?"

"Um, I think I'm influencing it somehow," Stephanie said. "Maybe I really shouldn't be here. I should just take my chances back--"

Gina snatched her arm. "No! Don't go! Please, I need you."

"Why?" Stephanie demanded. "I didn't help you before. I told you everything you wanted to hear about me and it probably doesn't mean anything. It's still not Gina's life. She still has nothing to anchor herself to."

"I just don't want to see you hurt any more than you have been," Gina said in a small voice.

That did it. Stephanie lost what little control she had over her emotions and burst into tears. Gina drew her into a tight embrace.

Cassie sobbed once and wiped her eyes as she looked towards the door that led into Gina's mind. She finally accepted what she had not wanted to believe: there was no going back if she failed. She had no choice but to succeed.

Gina stepped into the chamber, heels clicking against stone. The walls glowed crimson from the light of flickering candles set in recessed niches about the circular walls. The air itself seemed to pulse scarlet with tendrils of incense smoke, the spicy scent tickling her nostrils and inflaming her senses. Her skin prickled at the slightest touch of the cool, subterranean air. Even the watchful gaze of the robed cultists standing around the edge of the chamber had weight, touching her like light fingers sliding across her skin until she shivered with desire.

As Victor had instructed her, she stepped into the center of the chamber, where the incense was strongest. She stood alone, her breath steady and deep. Her clothing became too confining, as if it had begun to constrict around her body.

The cultists finally stepped forward as one, converging on her in eerie silence. Her breathing became ragged, her confinement intolerable. She felt like she was suffocating.

Hands began to strip her clothes from her body. Gina moaned as their fingers traced lines of pleasure over her sensitized skin, spreading outward over her body until every touch was like a gentle stroke against her sex. She tilted her head back and uttered a husky sigh as the pressure against her body eased.

She soon stood naked, her body still resonating with their erotic touch, her pussy straining for relief as moisture trickled down the inside of her thigh. She could not bear the thought of clothing touching her body ever again.

She was suddenly very pleased. She had taken another step. She no longer needed the help of such mundane things as clothing to exhibit her sexuality.

Their touch returned. Hands roamed and explored her body, a dozen or more upon her at once. She squirmed as fingers probed her cunt, and hands pressed into her backside to coax them inward. She stood impaled upon three fingers, gyrating her hips as other fingers swirled about her nipples.

A soft voice drifted through her haze of desire. "The Glorious One has allowed her some relief."

Gina moaned as her pussy started to throb. Her hips slid further forward, the fingers sinking into her slick tunnel. Her climax continued, slow and soft, easing some of the need and keeping her in a haze of pleasure.

"The Glorious One says to keep her like this for another five minutes, then bring her to the ceremony."

"This early? It is not even close to midnight!" said another.

"We do not question the Glorious One's wishes. We only obey. Bring her when the time is up."

The fingers were withdrawn, replaced by a wet, skilled tongue, eliciting a breathy moan as her slow climax began anew.

Victor was still adjusting his robes when he entered the small anteroom across the hall from the preparation chamber. Brad lay stretched out across a bench, unmoving, his eyes closed. Kelly stood over him. She turned and bowed to Victor as he stepped inside.

"Well?" Victor said in a curt voice.

"He will sleep, Glorious One," said Kelly. "He will awaken only when I wish it, and he will believe that he just had a night of fantastic sex with Gina. He will know nothing of us."

"Very good. Keep him asleep until I give you the word."

"Of course, Glorious One. What of the others that are about to arrive?"

"They are to be let inside."

Kelly remained silent, her eyes uncertain.

"Is there a problem?"

Kelly bowed again. "Your command will be carried out, O Glorious One, though I must mention that the more they see of us, the more difficult it will be to wipe their memories."

"There will be no need for that," said Victor. "For they will not be leaving. They have disobeyed me, and they have blasphemed our most sacred tenets. For this, they forfeit their will."

"They are to become our slaves?" Kelly asked, muted surprise in her voice. "All of them?"

"Yes. That should not be a problem for us."

"Indeed, it will not, Glorious One. It is simply, well, unusual to take so many at once, even for our personal use."

Victor smiled. "Consider it a reward to my followers for remaining so loyal to me."

Kelly smiled. "Thank you, Glorious One, you are most kind and generous."

Victor left her and strode down the hallway into the main aisle of the underground church. Several cultists rushed about near the altar. He swept his gaze around him; it appeared that this was all that remained of the preparations. Now he had time to deal with one last loose end.