Lila Spencer  - Deadlier Premonitions




CHAPTER ONE

Jennifer Fowler awoke in a fit of fury from another restless sleep. It had
been the fourth one in the past two weeks, and they were getting worse each
time. She was bathed in her own sweat and sat up in her twin bed at the
Montgomery Institute for the Criminally Insane, where she had spent the past
seven months since she was found guilty of murdering Casey Arnold, and the
attempted murder of Lila Spencer.

It had also been four months since that vile Ben Russell had vanished from her
consciousness. It was very sudden, one day she woke up and could no longer
feel his wretched presence within her, which she had been able to do that
after he fully took over her mind last October ... when she almost killed
Lila, and her friends.

Henry Sherman, the psychic that diagnosed her when she was first incarcerated,
had been able to over time, get her sense of self back, but could not break
the impenetrable hold Russell still had on her, but at least Jennifer was back
to herself before that October night.

Even though she was thankful to be finally rid of him, it didn't matter as far
as the justice system was concerned for in their eyes; Jennifer operated on
her own recognizance, and was therefore solely responsible for those charges
laid out against her.

Her lawyer was able to get her an insanity plea, thus sparing a possibly
lengthy prison sentence, even though she was still a minor. The judge ruled
for it as it was determined that Jennifer had no prior history of violence,
and her odd attachment to Ben Russell was described by one psychiatrist as a
sort of post-traumatic behavior after being nearly killed by him.

Of course, none of those doctors, lawyers, and even judges, could even begin
to comprehend what actually happened to her, for psychic phenomena""although
used by law enforcements numerous times before""has no real place in a court
of law as they deal only with hard facts. And so it was that Jennifer was
confined to this hospital for the next ten years of her life for a crime she
never really committed.

Jennifer took her sentencing rather well under the circumstances, but it was
very hard on her mother, who still believed adamantly in her innocence. Even
her friends had finally understood what really happened and felt very bad for
her as well.

With Russell now gone, Jennifer had found some solace, believing that judgment
was placed on his demonic soul in the afterworld, but these past couple of
weeks of restless sleep told her a much different story ...

A disturbing one that led her to conclude that he was indeed still roaming
this earth, and fully free to do whatever his sick mind pleases ...

CHAPTER TWO

Lila Spencer sat a bit on edge in the day room at the hospital Jennifer was
staying as she still suffered from her phobia of them, but this place was
different for it housed mentally insane people. And as for her friend that was
also a resident here, it took Lila a bit of time to get over the fact that
Jennifer did try to kill her""the sleepless nights that occurred had
diminished slowly as time went on. Even though she had assurance from Mr.
Sherman that Jennifer was back to her true normal self, it still didn't change
the fact of what happened.

Ashley Emerson, of all people, was the one who finally helped Lila deal with
this issue for she had forgiven Jennifer of assaulting her in order to trap
Lila. It was after that, that Lila realized Jennifer deserved a second chance.

This was actually her first trip to here since Jennifer was admitted right
after News Year's, and being here was a big step for her to try and reconcile
things between them. Her sister, Julie""who had just graduated from
college""had offered her a ride to make this visit. In fact, Julie was
presently interning at the hospital as part of her fledging career in the
mental health field.

A door opened, and Lila looked over there seeing Jennifer being escorted
inside by one of the numerous orderlies. She could tell by looking at her that
Jennifer seemed well enough, but it was her internal self that still had her a
bit concerned.

Jennifer smiled at seeing Lila sitting there, and sat down in a seat directly
in front of her. "I'm so glad you came," she said sincerely.

"Me too ... " Lila answered in a warm tone for she meant that. "So, how're you
doing?"

"As well as can be ... " Jennifer replied sheepishly. "The food here is
actually really good, and the staff is so friendly and helpful ... It's almost
like one of the county club places you here about."

Lila smiled as she was glad to hear that. However, she did notice just a hint
of apprehension in her face, and that started to concern her. "Jennifer ... is
there something troubling you?"

"Wow ... and I thought I was the psychic one," she said amazed. "Ashley was
right, you are pretty sharp." She then paused for a moment before speaking
again. "You heard about what happened to me regarding ... Ben Russell."
Jennifer instantly noticed Lila's blue eyes widen in alarm at the mention of
his name. "I'm sorry that I had upset you ... I shouldn't have mentioned him
like that."

"No ... it's okay, really ... " Lila said, and reached over to grasp her hand,
which she could tell was shaking.

Holding the hand firmly, Jennifer continued to speak, "I know you heard from
Mr. Sherman that 'he' was out of me and had crossed over to where all other
departed spirits go ... But he didn't ... he's still here, I can feel it!"
Tears began welling up in her dark green eyes as she looked positively scared.

"Is he ... still after me?" Lila asked as she too got frightened all of a
sudden.

"No, I don't believe so ... I can sense his presence, but I know that he's not
anywhere around here. He feels distant ... that's the best way I can explain
it." Jennifer noticed Lila's blank look. "I'm sorry again for telling you all
this ... I know it must be hard to get over what I did."

"You didn't do anything, I know that now ... that monster did," Lila spoke
with vigor in her voice that it felt really good to finally say that. "And if
you believe that he's still out there, then I believe it also."

"Thanks, that really means a lot to me ... " Jennifer smiled back, wiping her
eyes dry. "I wish I knew where he was ... he could be anywhere."

Lila just sat there with a disturbed look on her freckled face, wondering
forebodingly if he would return ...

CHAPTER THREE

"So, I heard that you went to visit Jennifer at the hospital today ... " Tina
Palermo spoke up, lying on the carpeted floor in Lila's half-lamplit
half-moonlit bedroom, as she and Ashley Emerson were there for a little
sleepover.

"You didn't tell me that! ... " Ashley said emphatically to her snooping
friend.

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it ... " Lila said calmly, trying to
defuse the conversation at hand. "I hadn't seen her since the trial, and I
just wanted to see how she was doing."

"Were you okay seeing her ... you know, after what she almost did? ... "
Ashley spoke hesitantly, not wanting to dredge up anymore nightmarish feelings
again, for they all had managed to put those aside in the months since.

"Well, after Mr. Sherman insisted that Jennifer was truly back to her old self
and free of that Babydoll Killer, I thought I might as well give her the
benefit of the doubt."

"See, I told you she was okay now!" Ashley said robustly, coming to Jennifer's
aid, for she was the only that still believed in her, even when she was still
possessed by the maniac.

"Anyway ... we were talking and she told me that she believes Ben Russell is
still here, somewhere ... " Lila said quietly to Ashley in a corner of the
room, away from Tina, who was back to watching her show on the television.
Ashley had a panicked look on her cute face, wondering if he was after them
again.

"Don't worry ... " Lila eased her anxieties, " ... Jennifer assured me that
he's nowhere around here, but insists that he is somewhere."

"You guys, take a look at this! ... " Tina spoke up suddenly, gaining the
attention of her two friends, who then joined Tina to see what the fuss was
all about.

On the TV, there was a news announcement regarding a freakish suicide""that
was caught on someone's camera phone""right in front of teen movie star, Judah
Rose. And then what followed right after had caused the three dudettes to
crouch in fear ... A report claiming that a young woman was found murdered,
and a baby doll mask was left at the scene. Both stories were centered on the
upcoming film shoot from the New York Times Bestseller thriller, Little Girls
Lost.

"It's got to be a copycat killer ... " Tina said in a hushed tone as she tried
to calm her tense nerves, but still ...

Lila found the news story particularly disturbing for the author of that book
was Abby Giles, based on the harrowing real life events of her encounter with
notorious serial killer, John Michael Walton""the same maniac that slaughtered
young Abbie Burnette's (now Dwight) family, and left her for dead. Lila's mind
then drifted back to last October when the Babydoll Killer was after her, and
she did some research about Ben Russell, and how he was associated with Walton
in the abduction of a young Abby Dwight.

Then her blue eyes lit up in alarm as she recalled Abbie telling her recently
on MysteryChicks that she was going to be involved with the behind-the-scenes
of the film shoot when the crew goes to Charleston, West Virginia""where those
horrifying events actually took place all those years ago ...

Scrambling up to her feet, Lila headed right for her computer desk. "What're
you doing?" Tina asked in confusion to her friend's sudden erratic behavior.

Lila ignored her as she punched in a number on her cordless phone. After
hearing three rings, a meek-sounding voice suddenly spoke up, "Hello? ... "

"Abbie, is that you?" Lila asked quietly, "It's me, Lila. Lila Spencer."

"I was just going to call you!" Abbie chirped to her MysteryChicks friend,
pleased to hear from Katie Spencer's sleuthing cousin. "We had something
happen up here in Snowden, and ... "

"I know," Lila replied, her usually-bright voice subdued, even somber. "I was
watching the news ... well, Tina insisted on watching E! News""she's sort of
sleeping over, and ... "

"And you heard about that girl that got killed up here," Abbie interjected.

"Well yeah, that and the suicide too," Lila affirmed, and placed call on the
speaker as Tina and Ashley wanted to listen in on the conversation. "Abbie,
they were saying that there was a baby doll left at the murder scene ... Is
that true?"

"Well, yeah," Abbie affirmed, "like that serial killer you guys told me had
been down there, the one that was in Abby's book, Ben Russell. Detective
Klasko and Agent Bentley think it's a copycat." Which prodded a nervous sigh
from not only Lila, but Ashley and even Tina. "See, I told you ... " Tina
whispered stubbornly, which Lila quickly shushed her.

"Abbie," Lila replied, doing her best to keep her voice steady, "I ... we ...
well, we think there's more to it than that." She and her dudettes shared
another tight glance. "You remember that it was Jennifer Fowler who attacked
us?"

"Well yeah, you told me all about it!" Abbie said. "How she was affected by
what Ben Russell did to her and ... "

"Abbie, there's more to it," Lila sighed. "See, I never told you exactly how
it was with Jennifer. I didn't think you'd believe me ... heck, I hardly
believed it myself, but ... "

"But what?" Abbie demanded.

"But Jennifer was Ben Russell!" Tina interjected urgently into the
conversation, overruling Lila's hesitancy. "Somehow Ben Russell got into
Jennifer's head, and that's why she went after us!"

"That's what we were told," Lila interjected, casting a scolding glare at
Tina. "See, remember I told you that Jennifer's psychic?"

"Well, yeah," Abbie replied cautiously. "We had a little girl like that at
Camp Evergreen this year, little Natalie Logan. She kept having these dreams,
and ... "

"Listen to me, Abbie!" Lila interrupted tightly, trying to keep
everyone""especially Abbie Dwight""on point. "We figured out that when she
tried to fight him off while he was down here, somehow he got into her mind,
sort of like a second personality, you know? So that when Jennifer kidnapped
Ashley and took her to Tower Farm, it wasn't her, it was Ben! I mean, it was
Jennifer's body, but it was Ben Russell inside her all that time!"

"Are you serious?" Abbie gasped on the other end of the line in utter
surprise.

"Look, Abbie," Lila retorted darkly, "I'm sorry I told you different, but like
I said, we hardly believed it ourselves! Then we heard what happened up there,
and we thought maybe it was a copycat just like they told you, but ... "

"I went to see Jennifer in the hospital before and she told me that she's been
normal for months now," Ashley interrupted Lila. "She hardly even remembered
what she did when Ben was inside her mind! She just woke up one day and was
all right!"

"So then you think," Abbie murmured in a shocked-quiet voice, "that ... that
Ben Russell was in Jennifer Fowler's head, and then ... he just left her head
and got into somebody else's head? And that whoever it was is up here in
Snowden now being the Babydoll Killer again?"

Lila winced at the shocked, anger-tinged skepticism in Abbie's voice. Her
cousin, Katie, had regaled Lila with stories about Abbie's big sister Tricia's
sleuthing exploits, but Lila knew from just these few moments of talk that
Abbie was as formidable an amateur detective as Tricia was ... "I ... I know
it sounds crazy, Abbie, and I'm so sorry for not telling you everything, but
... yes, I think that's exactly what's happening now. I think the Babydoll
Killer's up there now."

Abbie, sensing plenty of true remorse in Lila's voice, let her indiscretion
go. But still could hardly imagine ... "But why?" Abbie asked, nonplused at
being unable to fathom what Lila was suggesting. "Why here? Why now?"

"I don't know," Ashley interjected, "but maybe ... I read your sister's book,
about how Ben Russell helped out that other guy, that John Walton, how he met
them in that motel room and ... "

"Totally sick," Tina grimaced aside, to impatient glares from Lila and Ashley.

"And," Lila interrupted, glad to be in charge of the conversation again, "that
somehow he got ... I don't know, you might call it fixated on your sister
Abby, and when he heard about the movie, he ... "

"Yeah," Abbie whispered. "That was what we were telling Alex this morning,
about what Ben told Abby that night. And ... oh my God, if it's really Ben
Russell ... "

"That's why we called, Abbie!" Lila affirmed urgently. "If it's not a
copycat""if it's really Ben Russell up there""then your sister's in danger,
real danger! If he's fixated on her like that, he might ... " Not even Tina
could finish that horrifying thought for Lila ...

"And ... if you're right about him being in somebody else's body ... My God,
we wouldn't even know who it is!" she cried out. "It could be anybody! I ...
we wouldn't know ... "

"You're right, Abbie," Lila replied soberly. "You wouldn't know until ...
listen, please be careful, okay?" Lila urged. "Keep an eye on Abby. I hope
it's just some crazy copycat, but if it really is Ben Russell ... " she gasped
as someone knocked on her closed door. "Look, we have to go," she whispered to
Abbie. "Just please, please be careful! If it's him, he's so dangerous!"

CHAPTER FOUR

It was a week later, and Lila was now staying over at Ashley's house for
another sleepover. Tina was also there as she was busy showing off her latest
outfits she received from her modeling agency.

" ... and this last one got everyone applauding when I showed it on," Tina
spoke from just outside of Ashley's room, and then stepped inside ...

Sitting on the carpeted floor, Lila and Ashley both looked stunned at seeing
their friend all dolled up in a glamorous purple satin evening gown, complete
with long silver gloves and matching sandals. "What do you think?" she asked
with poise, raising her glove-clad arms high up over her head in a sexy pose.

"Wow ... " was all Ashley could say, as her green eyes didn't even blink from
staring at her in awe.

"Tina, you look like a million bucks," Lila said enthralled. "I take it back
what I said about you not able to make it with your modeling career ... you
definitely have what it takes to succeed."

"Thanks ... " she smiled sweetly to her support group, then walked over to
Ashley's double-sized bed and sat at the foot of it.

"I wish I could model like that sometimes ... " Ashley spoke up softly to the
surprise of her two more outgoing friends.

"Ash, you're really pretty, and the agency is always on the lookout for cute
blondes as they're really popular," Tina offered kindly.

"I think it would be cool, too ... " Lila readily agreed, wanting to see their
shy friend break out of her cocoon.

"Well ... I am a bit particular on what to wear. I mean, I hope they don't
want me to try on something like that," she gestured to Tina's alluring gown,
which hugged the curves of her youthful body.

"Girl, you don't have the attitude to pull this off," Tina said jokingly, but
with a hint of truth to it, for Ashley was more demure in nature, but there
were plenty of ensembles that would go great for her character.

"So, have you heard back from Abbie since last week?" Ashley asked Lila,
switching gears to another topic.

"No, I haven't ... " Lila replied dolefully, which not knowing what was
happening up there was getting her really worried. "I mean, I know that she
can take care of herself, very well in fact ... except that when you don't
even know who your opponent is, that can be all it takes to ... " Lila didn't
even finish her statement as she looked visibly upset now.

Ashley went over to her, placing an arm over her shoulders for comfort. Tina
still sat on the bed, not wanting to wrinkle her fancy dress, so she gave her
support in the form of a warm smile.

"Didn't you say that Jennifer could sense Russell's presence when you saw her
at the hospital?" Ashley asked, stirring confusion to both Lila and Tina.

"Yes ... why do you ask?" Lila replied, wanting to what her brainy friend was
alluding to.

"You said to Abbie yourself ... she wouldn't even know who Ben Russell really
is until it was too late."

"So, Einstein ... what does this have to do with Jennifer? ... " Tina asked
with growing impatience.

"It seems to me that we already have our bloodhound""if you will""in tracking
down where he is precisely," Ashley stated confidently.

Just then, Lila's blue eyes widen as she came to the realization of Ashley's
point. "You want to have Jennifer escape from the hospital ... " she spoke in
a whispered tone.

"Whoa! ... " Tina exclaimed, rising up to her high-heeled feet. "And I thought
I was the impulsive one. Have you completely lost your mind, Ash!"

"No, I'm dead serious ... " Ashley responded back evenly to her fiery friend.
"Think about it ... say Abbie is able to somehow stop him, or the police do.
If he can move from one body to another, like he has already, who's to say
that he can't do it again, and again ... "

"He would be unstoppable ... " Lila said, again, in a hushed tone,
understanding the gravity of the situation now.

"Exactly ... " Ashley agreed. "We owe it to society to stop this maniac before
he kills hundreds, even thousands of women for he is in essence ... immortal."

Tina let out a small laugh to humor herself, but it came out feeble as she too
felt uncomfortable now. "But that place has to be fortified ... you know,
locked security doors, video cameras, and probably vicious guard dogs," which
she flinched in fear at that chilling thought.

"I didn't say that this would be easy, but it needs to be done ... " Ashley
answered back smartly.

"Guys, listen up ... there's one important thing we're missing in all this,"
Lila then said, taking the lead now.

"Jennifer ... " Ashley replied.

"Right ... This is her life we're talking about here, and it should be her
decision if we're to go through with this first."

"I'll talk to her ... " Ashley offered, with a firm look on her cute face.

CHAPTER FIVE

"You have another visitor today, Jennifer ... " Shannon Becker, one of the
nurses employed at the hospital said to her. "You must be a pretty popular
girl," she added, "I think it's good to have friends for support."

Jennifer smiled kindly back at Shannon for she became rather attached to the
attractive thirty-six-year-old woman ever since she was first committed there.
Shannon, in turn, never treated the quiet teenager any differently, despite
what she heard that Jennifer had done last Fall for she was a firm believer in
giving everyone a second chance. And besides, these past seven months she had
gotten to know her, Shannon found it very hard to believe that this sweet
person was actually capable of doing the heinous things she was accused of.

Entering the day room, Jennifer smiled yet again at seeing Ashley present.
Shannon quietly left the two friends alone while she attended to her other
duties.

The two girls hugged each other warmly as it was obvious they shared a special
bond. After their embrace, Jennifer instantly felt something wrong with
Ashley. "There's something you want to tell me about Russell, isn't it?" she
asked.

"Yes ... " Ashley replied solemnly, wishing her visit was on a more pleasant
note. "Is there someplace we can talk in private?"

"Not without someone overhearing it," Jennifer responded quietly, eyeing the
orderlies present, plus the video cameras overhead. Even though she had
described this place as a country club of sorts, it was still essentially a
prison when it came it right down to it, so there was no true privacy.

Ashley ... can you hear me? ... Jennifer's voice suddenly spoke in her mind,
and the blonde girl's green eyes went wide in astonishment at her being able
to do that. Ashley slowly nodded yes.

Good ... this was something that Mr. Sherman taught me while helping to break
Russell's hold on me. Pretty cool, huh? ...

"I'll say ... " Ashley responded back quietly. "If I send thoughts to you, can
you hear them also?"

Yes ... my mind is linked to yours, but I can only keep it going for just a
few minutes ... I still need more practice at it.

The two teen girls then sat next to each other on the small sofa, acting like
they were just enjoying some quiet time together.

We know where Russell is ... he's in West Virginia now stalking some woman
named Abby Giles.

Abby ... I've heard Russell mention that name in my dreams when he was still
in me. Referred to her as 'the one that got away' ... whatever that means.

We all want to know if you wish to come with us to try and stop him, since
you're the only one that really can.

Jennifer looked at her friend a bit surprised, but subtle enough not attract
too much attention. That's extremely risking ... this place is very well
secured""they even have big guard dogs.

Yeah, Tina was worried about that as well ... Ashley grinned back. Jennifer,
you know as well as we do that Russell can keep on killing forever if he wants
to.

Jennifer looked resigned at hearing that, knowing it was true. But, you all
could get in serious trouble if you don't succeed. I'm in enough trouble
already ... I don't want to jeopardize dragging you all with me.

We understand the risks involved, but this is bigger than all of us ... Will
you help us?

Jennifer looked lost in thought for a few moments, and then stared back at her
friend. Of course you have my support. I want this psycho stopped once and for
all ...

Ashley faced her friend and gave her another warm hug.

Incidentally, how do you plan on breaking me out? ...

Ashley paused for a moment while still hugging her. If I know Lila ... she has
a foolproof plan already in the works ... She then displayed a look of
bewilderment on her face, wondering how exactly they were going to pull that
off.

CHAPTER SIX

With Jennifer's acceptance to the breakout, Lila had just one last crucial
detail to her plan""her sister, Julie. With Julie working at the hospital, she
was the ideal choice to assist them, but convincing her was another matter
entirely, and one that Lila was prepared for.

After dinner was over, Julie retreated to the downstairs family room for some
quiet time while she read diligently over the numerous manuals the hospital
had loaned as part of her internship""she was a dedicated person, committed to
succeeding in her chosen career.

Walking softly downstairs, Lila gingerly knocked on the open door. "Julie ...
can I speak with you, please?"

"Sure ... I could use a break now," she replied with some fatigue from her
intense reading. "What's up?"

Lila closed the door behind her and approached her older sister, taking a seat
next to her on the expansive corner sofa. "It's about Jennifer Fowler ... "
she then said.

Julie's eyes lit up slightly at the mention of that name, remembering what she
heard had happened that last October""almost losing her baby sister. "What
about her?" she asked attentively.

"Now, before you go all spastic on me ... just hear me out first, okay?" Julie
nodded back, and Lila continued, "What you heard about Jennifer being
psychotic is completely false as she was in fact possessed by another spirit."

Julie had read about Jennifer's condition since she started working there, and
was finding Lila's claim to be a little too weird, even for her.

"I know what you're thinking ... do I have any proof to back this up," Lila
said, choosing her words carefully. "The answer is, no ... I don't. When
Jennifer tried to kill me, I thought she was crazy too, but in the recent
months, I've come to understand better what really happened to her, and she is
innocent."

"Okay, say I do believe what you're telling me ... " Julie spoke up, trying to
better understand the situation. "Is this 'person' that's invaded her still
present?"

"No, it was removed a couple of months ago."

"So, what does this have to do with me?" Julie asked, wanting to know what her
sister was getting at.

"I need to have Jennifer leave the hospital, and the only way that's going to
happen is for her to escape," Lila replied nervously, waiting for Julie's
expected reaction.

"And you want me to help with that," Julie stated rather calmly, much to
Lila's surprise.

"Yes ... " Lila answered back plainly.

"You do realize that if I'm caught doing that I could get my internship
revoked, and have charges brought up that could get me some jail time, which I
could then essentially kiss my career goodbye."

"I did think about that, of course ... except I have a plan that would remove
any suspicions from you to the police."

"Oh, do tell ... master planner," Julie remarked, this time with sarcasm as
Lila got the impression that she wasn't taking this seriously anymore.

"Look ... if you're not interested in helping, then I shouldn't even waste my
breath. I'll just have to do it myself."

Julie thought that Lila was having another one of her fits, but when she saw
the look in her eyes, she knew that her little sister wasn't joking at all
about this. "You're really serious about breaking her out, aren't you?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you ... we need to stop him!" she said all
riled up now.

"Stop who ... the person inside Jennifer?"

"Was inside her ... " Lila corrected her. "He's out there now, after a friend
of mine and her older sister. Kind of like us." Lila tried to use empathy on
her big sister now.

"But what proof do I have that Jennifer is completely sane?" Julie challenged
her.

"Remember that incident with old man Wilkins, and how I suspected of him
taking that little girl from the playground, and no one believed me?"

Julie nodded yes slowly, recalling herself that event from eight years ago.
Lila had such an overactive imagination, even at the tender age of seven. The
police found no evidence of any foul play and figured that she either made the
whole thing up or saw no wrongdoing being committed.

"But you were the only who believed me, and with that we were able to prove
what he did, and saved that poor girl's life," Lila added.

"Yes, but Lila ... that was different," Julie said, trying to sound rational.
"What you're talking about now is something that can't be proven, it's almost
like having ... "

" ... faith," Lila spoke, finishing what she was going to say. "Yes, it is
faith ... Just like in God. You can't actually see him or hear him, but he's
there all the time helping us when we need him." Lila's family comes from a
strong religious background, of which some members had strayed off after from
being away from home.

Julie exhaled, knowing that Lila made a good point on both counts. "You may
not be very book smart, but you sure are clever, little sister," she then said
wryly with a smirk on her tanned face.

"Does this mean you'll help?" Lila asked hopefully without getting too
excited.

"I guess so ... but only if you guarantee me that I won't be implicated in
this, and that goes the same for you also."

"Believe me, I thought of that as well ... the idea of going to juvenile
detention doesn't appeal to me one bit. And never mind what Mom and Dad would
do if they found out," Lila replied happily now.

"Okay, so what's your plan? ... " Julie asked as she was very curious how her
seventeen-year-old sister was going to manage a breakout from a well-secured
facility.

CHAPTER SEVEN

It had been another week later after getting Julie on board, that the great
breakout was finally all set for a go tonight.

Before embarking in this very delicate and risky mission, Lila wanted to
unwind first and spend some quality time with her boyfriend, Chris Marlin. The
two had taken an early matinee show at the cineplex, and then headed to the
Olympia Diner for some of their famous stuffed cheeseburgers with all the
fixings.

All through their date, Chris had been detecting an uneasiness in his
girlfriend, subtle as it was, but nonetheless there. "You want to tell me
what's bothering you?" he asked her in his soothing voice.

"Nothing ... " Lila answered simply, but Chris didn't look all that
convinced""during the past seven months they've been dating, he has gotten a
pretty good grasp at Lila's mood swings. Seeing his skeptical""but
concerned""look, Lila continued, "It's just that I'm going to be away for a
couple of weeks at the most, and I didn't want to trouble you about it."

"That's okay ... " he responded genially, " ... where will you be going?"

"Over to Lake Winder for the annual summer camp there with Tina and Ashley,"
Lila lied, not wanting to reveal her true destination out of security
concerns. It's not that she doesn't trust Chris, but should the police suspect
her, she didn't want him involved, thinking that he may have played a part in
Jennifer's disappearance.

"So, when do you plan on leaving then?" he asked again.

"Tomorrow morning ... "

Chris' normally relaxed face changed to that of complete surprise and
annoyance upon hearing her reply. "Tomorrow? ... couldn't you have at least
given me a little more advance?" he said while trying to keep his tone down.

"I'm sorry ... travel arrangements were made in haste," Lila said. "I wasn't
sure if I was going to be able to go."

Chris softened up his demeanor, which made Lila pleased. "I'm sorry ... it's
just that I got two tickets to see Alisa in concert this weekend, you know,
after she canceled it last year."

Lila was both thrilled and disappointed at the same time to hear that Chris
already made plans, and now she was going to have to skip out so suddenly. She
smiled at him sweetly as she understood that it was just a minor sacrifice in
the larger scheme of things that he was totally unaware of.

* * *

Later on, after Lila returned home, she received a message from Julie saying
that she was running a little late in picking her up for tonight's big event.
Lila used the extra time to review what she intends to bring and to go over
the plan again to herself. She had done her best at trying to calm her rising
nerves as the day slowly progressed into evening.

Ashley was able to relay to Jennifer about their plan via Jennifer's
telepathic communication, which still amazed Lila of what their psychic friend
was capable of doing. She double-checked her backpack to make sure she had the
four train tickets to Charleston. Thinking about Abbie for a moment, Lila
hoped that everything was still alright on her end as she hadn't heard from
the nineteen-year-old karate expert since warning her about Russell's likely
presence. Planning a daring jailbreak doesn't happen overnight as Lila was
well aware that time was of the essence if they stood any chance of stopping
Russell before he would finish off his intended prey.

Of course, keeping all of this from her parents was just about as hard as
breaking Jennifer out. She really felt guilty with all this lying she was
doing, but knew that it was necessary as her actions at stopping a psychotic
killer justified any minor wrongdoing she committed. But should her plan fail,
and they get caught as a result, lying would be the least offense she'll have
to worry about ...

CHAPTER EIGHT

The ride up to the hospital was a quiet one for everyone inside the car as it
drove up the darkened narrow road. Julie had volunteered to work the third
shift, which started at 11pm. To explain how the three dudettes were able to
ride with Julie at this late hour, they each told their parents that they were
staying over the other's house before embarking on their "trip" to camp""a
feasible plan, as long as their parents didn't chat with each other tonight.

Julie was especially tense for she had the most daunting task of assisting
Jennifer out of her locked room ... without being discovered! Spotting the
hospital up ahead, she slowly stopped the car. "I still can't believe I'm
doing this ... " Julie said, her nervousness seeping through.

"You're doing the right thing ... " Lila reminded her, trying to dissuade her
from changing her mind.

"Yeah, but it's my baby sister that's going to be caught in the crossfire!"
Julie turned to face them with tears running down her cheeks.

"I""I mean we""don't like this anymore than you do ... but it's something that
needs to get done, for all our sakes," Lila spoke all choked up too. Ever
since she heard that Russell was still around, there was that unsettling
feeling that someday he may pay a visit down here and do some killing, namely
her and everyone she loves. For if Abby was the one that 'got away' ... then
Lila would qualify for that as well, and Ben has all the time in the world to
finish her off without any warning.

"You just be careful, all of you ... you hear me?" Julie said as she regained
some of her composure.

"We will," Ashley spoke up with conviction in her voice that it made Julie
feel somewhat better ... just somewhat.

Lila reached over and gave her big sister a warm hug. "I love you ... " she
whispered tenderly in her ear.

The three teen girls dressed in all black attire quickly exited the vehicle.
Julie then continued on driving for the staff parking lot located at the far
end of the massive building. Even though the hospital was considered a
"maximum" secured facility, no one had ever attempted an escape before, so
Lila's plan just might work.

Julie swiped her key card through the sensor at the rear door and a buzzing
sound was heard, indicating that the door was now unlocked. She opened it, and
proceeded inside ...

The hospital was deathly quiet for there was not a sound anywhere, even the
soft soles of her white shoes made hardly any noise as Julie walked briskly
along the smooth tiled floors of the dimly-lit hallways. She was to report to
the acting nurse on duty and get her assigned work schedule. From what she
told Lila, there were two guards on duty, one manning the station with video
camera monitors, and the other seated at the main entrance. And then there
were the orderlies""three of them that roamed the halls for they offered
assistance to the patients, and acted as additional security. There was one
orderly in particular that really liked Julie ever since she started working
there, and that was the "key" to getting Jennifer out, Lila decided.

For her part, Jennifer had mentioned to Ashley in their conversation that she
could disable the video cameras using her growing mental abilities. During her
stay at the hospital, Jennifer had discovered by accident that she can
manipulate energy, such as dimming a light bulb at will. She had practiced at
it in the weeks since and felt confident enough that she could render the
cameras inoperative.

* * *

Lila, Tina, and Ashley had all stopped near the back end of the hospital,
staying low near a small embankment. They were stay put until Jennifer
appeared at the back door, and then retrieve her. For their getaway, Lila had
already planted four bicycles, concealed in the forested area close by, which
will take them all to the train station in the nearby town of Silver Springs
to catch their early morning train.

Each of the girls was a bundle of nerves, hoping that their plan would execute
without any mishaps. Lila intends to reward Julie for her part when this is
all finally over. Perhaps a trip to Disneyworld, using the small fortune of
babysitting money she had accumulated ...

* * *

Julie exited the nurses' station and proceeded to the filing room to help
organize all of the old files for conversion into the computer system that was
being installed later in the year. Doing menial tasks such as filing old
paperwork was not what Julie had in mind when she graduated college, with
honors, no less. This must be what they meant by paying your dues ...

Walking by the employee lounge, a young man suddenly exited the lighted room
and approached Julie""it was Peter Compton, the orderly that has a crush on
her. He typically worked the night shift for he had a day job at a local
computer store as a technician on the side.

"Hey, Julie ... " he said as he caught up with her, " ... I heard you're
working the night shift again," he sounded pleased, which sort of annoyed the
former beauty queen. Peter was nice and all, but he can be a little irritating
the way he comes onto women. Julie has had her share with odd guys that wanted
to go out with her, but she liked a man who was confident with himself, and
not so wrapped up with emotional insecurities. She had brushed off his
advances politely, but Peter was the type that didn't quite take the hint. Of
course, tonight was going to be different as Julie was planning on giving
Peter what he wanted""she just hoped that it won't be something that she'll
regret ...

* * *

Jennifer lied very still on her bed with the blanket off of her. She could
sense everyone around her and knew exactly where they were. She picked up on
Julie's rising anxiety over the love struck man that swooned over her, which
made her giggled softly. She also found her friends hiding just outside, and
could tell they were nervous as much as she was. All she had to do was just
wait until Julie unlocked her door, then she would handle the rest.

All the while, she kept thinking about Ben Russell, and wondered exactly how
she would be able to stop him. Sure, she could get a fix on him in whatever
body he chose to hide in, but that does not automatically translate into
stopping him. Hopefully, Lila would have something in mind ... she always
seemed to have the answers.

Whatever does happen in the end, Jennifer had the strangest feeling that she
wasn't going back to this hospital, and that sort of troubled her more than
tracking down a serial killer ...

* * *

"So ... did you get that laptop you were telling me about last week?" Peter
asked as Julie was opening a door with a key she held.

She then looked at him with a glint in her green eyes. "Peter ... how would
you like to check out my hard drive?"

He looked dumbstruck at what she said, and then his hazel eyes grew wide with
shock at the meaning behind it. "You don't mean ... " he said all flustered as
he began to sweat on his brow.

"That's exactly what I mean," Julie said sharply, and grabbed the lanky man by
his white shirt, pulling him in along with herself into the room, and then
shutting the door behind them.

* * *

The door to the filing room soon opened, and Julie stepped out, finishing with
the last button on her white dress. Looking back inside, she saw Peter
completely passed out on the floor. She felt relieved that she didn't have to
do anything immoral. All it took was to flash her bare chest in front of him,
and that was it. She knew instantly by his stunned reaction that he never saw
a girl like that before in person.

Julie didn't waste anytime as she needed to get to Jennifer's room and then
back before Peter would wake up. Holding his large set of keys in her hand,
Julie looked through them and spotted a prominent one that said "patient
rooms."

* * *

Jennifer sensed that Julie was on the move, which meant it was time for her to
act. Reaching out with her mind, she concentrated on the video camera outside
in the hallway and worked on disabling it ...

* * *

Julie finally reached the patient wing and was relieved she didn't run into
anyone on the way""she was still a bundle of nerves inside, and didn't want to
try and explain where she was going. She stopped at the corner to the wing as
she was told by Lila to wait for a signal before proceeding any further. The
idea that her baby sister could orchestrate such a daring plan still baffled
her""she was certainly becoming more like Katie.

Julie looked worryingly at the small camera at the other end of the hall,
moving back and forth with its watchful eye, when all of a sudden, the light
on top of it turned off and it stopped moving. How on earth did Lila managed
to accomplish that? ... Julie thought disbelievingly, thinking that it was her
doing.

Realizing that must be the signal, Julie sprinted for Jennifer's door, not
knowing how long that camera would remain turned off, or when security would
show up to investigate it. She reached the door, but then hesitated for a
moment. "Lila ... I really hope you know what you're doing," she said very
softly to herself, and then unlocked the door followed by two quick knocks.

With her task in this now done, Julie headed back to the filing room.

* * *

Jennifer heard the soft knocks, knowing that the door was now unlocked.
Scrambling out of bed, she quickly placed her white sneakers on her bare feet.
She presently wore her soft pink nightgown for she had no other clothes
available to change into at the moment as it was laundry day today.

Opening the door ever so slowly, Jennifer peered down the deserted hallway.
She smiled happily at the inoperative camera, pleased that she was able to do
that successfully. Suddenly, a crackling sound was heard as smoke began to
emit from the small device, and then the lights went dark as it now appeared
that all of the power was shut off.

Jennifer had an ominous look on her face, wondering how much psychic influence
she really did possess ...

CHAPTER NINE

The dudettes looked on in complete surprise as all the lights suddenly went
dark at the hospital. "I thought Jennifer said she was going to knock out the
cameras, not the entire building," was Tina's response to the unexpected
blackout at hand.

"Maybe she caused some kind of power surge as a result," Lila replied, trying
to come up with the best answer she could think of. If Jennifer did cause the
blackout, she was definitely improving her paranormal skills. "Come on ... "
she then said, and stood up from their hiding position.

"But we're supposed to wait for Jennifer to appear," Ashley countered.

"Plan has changed ... the exterior lights are out, which gives us suitable
cover to move in closer," Lila answered, figuring that the power won't be
coming back on anytime soon, if at all. And with the power off, the hospital
might go into lockdown, which could prevent Jennifer from escaping.

* * *

Jennifer didn't waste anytime as she was already racing down the hall towards
the rear exit. She stopped suddenly when she heard another set of footsteps
fastly approaching. Looking around for a place to hide, she spotted the
nurse's station, which looked empty at the moment, and quickly ducked in
there. The other two orderlies then appeared only seconds later, racing away.

Jennifer knew that the hospital most likely would be locked down until the
power was restored, which meant that she had only minutes, if that, to get
away. Rising up from her hiding spot behind the main desk, she gasped at
seeing Nurse Shannon Becker standing at the open doorway, looking at her.

"Jennifer ... how did you get out of your room?" she asked both with concern
and fear, for Jennifer was, after all, a murderer in the eyes of the law.

Not wanting to hang around and chat, Jennifer looked at her friend with a
sorrowful look in her eyes. "I'm very sorry ... " she said to her softly, and
then rushed at her!

* * *

Arriving at the outer perimeter was a tall steel fence surrounding the
hospital. Lila pulled out a pair of industrial pliers from her backpack that
she borrowed from her father's work station in the basement of their house,
and began cutting through the chain linked fence. The process was slow as Lila
tried to work quickly. Suddenly, in the distance were the ominous sounds of
dogs barking. Tina looked especially fearful after hearing that.

"Maybe we could just wait for Jennifer here ... " she said fretfully.

"Don't worry about those pooches ... I came prepared," was Lila's response as
she continued on with her cutting.

* * *

"Hhhhhhhmmmmmmm!!" Shannon wailed through the thick strip of cloth wedged
tightly in her mouth as Jennifer finished tying another torn strip of white
cloth binding her bent legs to her bound wrists, effectively hogtying the kind
nurse. She had a look of absolute fear towards the teen girl, wondering how
she was going to kill her.

After she was suitably trussed up, Jennifer slid her bound captive underneath
the desk to keep her hidden from the outside hallways. "You don't have to
worry about a thing ... " Jennifer said to her with a reassuring tone, " ...
somebody will find you soon enough." She then placed her hand gently on
Shannon's head. "Goodbye, Shannon ... " and with that, the psychic girl stood
up and took off. Shannon laid there, baffled as to why she was still alive,
but thankful nonetheless.

* * *

With the coast seemingly clear now, Jennifer bolted again for the exit door.
After a couple of twists and turns in the darkened hospital, she came upon it.
Since the doors were only locked from the outside, getting out was simply just
walking through. However, with the power on, the alarm would sound off the
moment she opened the door, but as it turned out, that was no longer a
problem.

Jennifer rushed outside into the muggy August night air""it was just as dark
as it was back inside for the moon wasn't out due to overcast skies. Once she
was far enough away, Jennifer stopped for a moment to concentrate on where her
friends were. Her dark green eyes suddenly looked frightful as Jennifer picked
up something else on her psychic radar ... three dogs, closing in on her fast!

* * *

Lila finally finished cutting an opening just large enough for them to slip
through. After she and Tina slid through the fence, Ashley stopped for a
moment before following them. "Jennifer is in trouble ... " she said
worryingly.

* * *

Running as fast as she possibly could, Jennifer could sense the three
Rottweilers closing in on her. Those dogs were trained to attack, and with no
one around to stop them, they could easily tear her apart within minutes. She
tried desperately to communicate with Ashley, for she had already established
a mental link with her during their numerous conversations over the past
couple of weeks.

Her chest began to ache from the intense physical exertion she was subjecting
to her youthful body. She knew it was now just a matter of time now before
they would reach her.

"Hey, dogs!" a voice yelled out suddenly, and the three fearsome canines
stopped momentarily at that. Jennifer, too, stopped as she caught her breath.
Looking in the darkness, she could just make out three figures standing no
more than fifty feet away.

The dogs immediately started for the trio, leaving Jennifer alone. Tina
cowered behind Lila as she looked positively terrified of the advancing dogs.

Lila stood her ground firmly, waiting for something ... Suddenly, she pulled
her hand out of her bag, and threw a dark can-like object at the attack dogs.
A plume of smoke started emitting from the small object, and the dogs began to
whine uncontrollably as they were being consumed by the gaseous cloud
expanding all around them.

"Where did you get tear gas?" Tina asked incredulously at her ever-resourceful
friend.

"David had it stashed in his not-so secret hiding spot. So, I thought it might
come in handy."

The two of them quickly rushed over to Jennifer, who was already with Ashley
at the moment. "Come on, before they get wise on us!" Lila yelled to their
fugitive friend, and the foursome raced off back to the fence.

Upon reaching it, Lila couldn't find the opening she fashioned for it was so
dark to see properly, and she didn't want to risk using her flashlight for
fear that the guards would see that from inside. "I wished David also had a
pair of night-vision goggles in his private stash," she muttered irately to
herself, trying to feel her way along the fence for the breach.

One of the dogs managed to walk out of the gas, still dazed from its agonizing
effects. Looking towards the fence, his canine senses smelled the four
intruders and began heading for them, but slowly at first.

Jennifer also sensed the advancing dog, and fear gripped her again. "One of
the dogs is coming over here!"

Survival instinct took over Tina, and she began scaling the tall fence in a
desperate attempt to escape from that vicious animal. The three others did the
same, but their efforts became ultimately futile as a thick band of barbed
wire was attached along the top portion of the steel fence. Lila would be able
to cut through that with her pliers since they were all high enough from that
dog. But with their constant barking, it was only matter of time before the
guards inside would rush over to investigate, and then that would be it for
their attempted breakout.

"Aaaaahhh!" Jennifer cried out as she was being jerked off the fence by that
Rottweiler, who managed to grab onto her nightgown with his powerful jaws.
Ashley was right next to her, and reached out with her one of her arms to hold
her steady, but needed to be careful not to fall down with her. Tina attempted
to do the same, but the Cuban girl was still petrified. The sounds of fabric
tearing were then heard as the gown began to give way from the extreme
pressure it was being subjected to, but the dog do not yield his grip, and
pulled the terrified psychic down even more.

And if things couldn't get any worse, the other two dogs began approaching
them as well. The fear of getting caught trying to break Jennifer out didn't
seem like a bad idea right about now for those dogs weren't interested in
taking them into custody.

With nothing to lose now, the four of them began screaming out from the top of
their lungs, hoping that someone from the hospital comes to their aid.

CHAPTER TEN

Jennifer lost her footing and was being steadily dragged down to those
ferocious canines below. Tina suddenly found the courage to help, and offered
her psychic friend another helping hand, as both she and Ashley tried to keep
her from falling to what would surely be her death.

Lila continued to cry out for help when she suddenly heard a sound nearby.
Straining to hear it over the barking noise, she could tell that it was a
person calling out. "We're here!" she yelled out as hope rose within her. She
just prayed they would hold on a little bit longer ...

Through the darkness of the countryside on the opposite side of the fence,
Lila could make out two individuals, and as they approached even closer, her
blue eyes lit up in complete astonishment as she recognized one of them ...
Chris!

"Chris ... you have to help us, quickly!" she yelled in horror and relief at
seeing him. The other person who was with him Lila identified as Chris' older
brother, Zach.

Zach turned on his large flood lamp he carried with him to its highest
setting, and shined the intense light right into the three dogs' faces. The
sudden blindness from the bright light caused the canines to cry out in
discomfort and quickly ran off.

"There's an opening I had cut into the fence nearby ... Could you see if you
can find it before those dogs come back?" Lila said to her boyfriend, and
Chris immediately went about searching for it. Several tense seconds later, he
called out, "I found it."

The four girls climbed down right away and bolted to where Chris was standing.
One by one, they crawled through the makeshift opening to safety. Lila hugged
Chris fiercely for comfort after being scared to death by those dogs.

"How did you know where we would be?" she asked astounded by his presence
there.

"Lila, I think I know you well enough when you're trying to hide something
from me ... you're not the only resourceful one," he replied knowingly to her.
"And besides, there is no summer camp at Lake Winder in August, I checked. You
should do your homework more thoroughly if you're trying to dupe someone."

Lila smiled, a little embarrassed by that small oversight""she wondered
briefly if any of their parents knew about the bogus camp as well.

"Just what're you girls doing traipsing around in the middle of night out here
in the first place?" Zach asked more concerned than angry. He was nineteen,
and as the only adult, he stepped up as the authority figure. Looking at the
four girls, he zeroed in on the one dressed out of place as he put two-and-two
together.

"You're escaping from that mental hospital, aren't you?" he asked Jennifer,
who bowed her head in regret towards him.

"Zach, it's not like what you're seeing ... okay, maybe it is ... but we're
here to help our friend who has been wrongly imprisoned," Lila reasoned with
him for she knew Zach well enough since she started dating his younger
brother.

He looked confused as what to do next, and turned to Chris for support.
Sensing his brother's uncertainty, Chris spoke out, "Zach ... I believe her.
Lila may try and trick people, but she does it only to help others," he then
looked at her with a slight glare in his eye of being fooled by her as well.

Zach looked carefully at Lila for he liked her, and wanted to believe what
Chris said. After a few anxious seconds, Zach exhaled in resignation.
"Alright, I trust you on this because you're a good kid, and you make my
little brother happy ... not to mention Mom thinks the world of you as well."
Lila smiled happily at his support.

Just then, there were lights flashing in the distance near the hospital as it
appeared that the security guards were now outside. "We better go now,
otherwise you'll be implicated with the rest of us," Lila stated, and the six
of them all made a hasty retreat into the dark forest.

Zach and Chris escorted the four girls to their pick-up truck located on a
dirt road at the other edge of the thick forest. "So, just where do you girls
intend to go?" Zach asked, but Lila was already on her cell phone as she was
making a call.

After several rings, Lila was getting nervous. Just then, the line clicked
open. "Abbie! ... " she blurted out in excitement.

"No, this is her friend, Cora ... " the voice of another girl answered, which
caught Lila off guard for a moment. She recalled hearing that name as one of
Abbie's friends.

"Hi Cora, I'm Lila Spencer ... I'm a friend of Abbie's as well. Is she there?"
she asked carefully, wondering why this girl was answering Abbie's phone and
not her.

"No, she's ... " her voice sounded strained, like she was going to cry.

"Cora ... is Abbie alright?" Lila asked, wanting to get to the bottom of what
was going on.

"Abbie's in the hospital right now ... she's been hurt really bad, but I was
told that she's going to make it."

Lila silently thanked God for that. She knew what put her in the hospital, so
she didn't bother asking Cora, for the poor girl clearly sounded distraught.

"Her sister, Abby, said that we were all going back to Snowden tomorrow. She
should be well enough to talk in a couple of days, I imagine. Abbie's not the
type to stay down for too long," Cora said with a bit a humor on that last
sentence to calm her own anxiety she was dealing with.

Lila was pleased to hear that Abby was also alright. It looked like Ben didn't
get his prey just yet, so there was still some time ...

"I'll give her the message that you called," Cora offered kindly.

"No, that's okay ... she really needs her rest right now. I'll just talk to
her later," Lila responded genially, and then hung up. She had a disturbed
look on her freckled face as Tina and Ashley could see even in the dark.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked anxiously.

"It seems that our travel plans has just been tossed out the window," Lila
responded upset, even though she was thankful that everyone seemed to be okay
up north. "I was just told that everyone will heading back to Snowden
tomorrow, the same time our train ride is to Charleston."

"Couldn't we just get another train to wherever Snowden is?" Tina asked, not
seeing the complexity of the situation.

"There's no time ... we need to leave by sunrise. The longer we stay here, the
extreme likelihood we're all gonna get caught soon. There's got to be another
way ... " Lila then took notice of Zach's truck, and an idea presented itself
to her.

Zach saw the look in her eye and put his hands up. "Whoa, hold on here ... "
he said defensively. "You want me to drive you four somewhere after I helped
you all escape?"

"Zach ... I wouldn't ask you if this wasn't very important," Lila pleaded,
"but this really is a matter of life or death. A friend of mine is in a
hospital room after confronting an extremely dangerous person. Our friend here
... " she gestured to Jennifer, " ... is the only one that can stop him. All
I'm asking for is just a ride ... please ... "

Zach thought long and hard again, then he saw Chris standing next to Lila,
looking at him as well. "You guys are going to end up putting me in jail, you
know that?"

Lila felt relieved to hear his support again on this. "Thank you ... "

"Hey, don't thank me just yet ... we're still not out of the woods," he said,
and realized his poor choice of words as they were, in fact, actually out of
the woods. "First, I'll drop Chris off at home, and then you tell me where you
girls need to go. I'm going to pretend that your parents know what you're
doing."

Everyone then assembled into the large vehicle""Ashley, Jennifer, and Tina in
the backseat, and Lila sandwiched in between Zach and Chris in the front seat.

Chris stared at Lila with a serious look on his face as the truck started
moving. "I know you did what you had to do ... but please, don't ever lie to
me again. I'm always on your side, and if you can't trust me, then I don't
think we can be together."

"You're right ... I'm truly sorry for deceiving you like that, really I am."

He smirked in response, letting her know that there weren't anymore hard
feelings. "Just please promise me one thing ... " Lila nodded to him in
response. "Come back to me unharmed ... "

Lila squeezed his hand tightly and tears welled up in her blue eyes for she
wished exactly the same thing ...

* * *

Zach was really taken aback when he had heard just exactly where his
passengers needed to go. He seriously considered calling off the whole ride
favor. Crossing multiple state lines with four girls who are all minors""and
one of them a wanted fugitive now""didn't seem like the kind of circumstances
he wanted to get mixed up in ... the kind that could land him in prison for
10-20 years.

Fortunately, Zach was the type of person that kept his word, and since he was
committed to drive over 1500 miles, he needed some rest first.

Since the girls couldn't return back home, and couldn't stay over at the
Marlin residence, they were all confined to the enclosed rear section of
Zach's truck, which doubled as makeshift sleeping quarters. The foursome all
huddled closely next to each other, enjoying each other's company again after
many months.

" ... and so when Nurse Becker tried to stop me from leaving, I had no choice
but to tie her up to keep her quiet," Jennifer said, recalling her thrilling
experience at the hospital.

"Get out! ... " Tina exclaimed in surprise at Jennifer's bold act. "If I
didn't know any better, I'd say that you inherited some of Russell's traits,"
she then said in a more humorous tone, but it was sobering reminder of what
Jennifer put her friends through that one late October night.

"Tina didn't mean that exactly ... " Lila spoke up apologetically. "She just
rambles on without thinking."

"That's okay ... " Jennifer replied genially for she didn't take any offense
to it. "I guess having that monster of a person in me for almost a year would
have an affect on some subliminal level ... But I can assure all of you that I
would never hurt anyone."

"We know ... " Lila said, even though a tiny part of her was still a bit wary.

"Say we do manage to stop Ben Russell somehow ... " Ashley said, bringing the
lighthearted mood back to reality, " ... what happens to Jennifer then? ... I
don't want you back in that hospital ... " she directed her attention over to
her friend, " ... I want things back the way they were before, except without
the whole serial killer possession," she began to sob, and Jennifer wrapped
her arms around her, comforting her grief-stricken friend.

Lila and Tina both began to get emotional as well, wondering if this was going
to be last time they would all be together like this.

Well, whatever the future may hold, nothing will keep their friendship apart
... nothing.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was just over twenty-four hours later, and the traveling group was all
seated in a booth at the Cook Pot Restaurant in Snowden. Zach had practically
driven the whole trip straight through""his longest excursion to date""and was
famished by the time they arrived into town. He told his mother that he had
several errands to take care of, and wouldn't be back for a few days.

The girls were all changed into some casual summer outfits, including
Jennifer, who also sported a long blonde wig as a way to disguise her while
she was on the lam.

A young waitress approached them with a friendly smile on her round face.
"Good morning ... " she said cheerfully, " ... my name is Trish, and I will be
your server. Can I get anyone something to drink?"

"Coffee ... black," Zach said weary.

"Orange juice ... " Ashley said pleasantly.

"Grapefruit juice," Tina spoke up.

"I'd like hot tea with lemon, please ... " Jennifer replied politely.

"And you? ... " Trish asked as she noticed the last one seated didn't answer
back.

After looking at the menu, Lila stared at the name tag the waitress wore in
her soft pink uniform. "Would you by any chance be Tricia Dwight?"

"Why, yes I am?" she answered a bit puzzled by that question for she didn't
recognize the teen girl. "Do I know you?"

"As a matter a fact, you do ... I'm Lila Spencer."

"Lila ... " Trish let the name drift off her tongue, then her dark brown eyes
lit up. "Katie's cousin!?" Lila responded back with a friendly nod. "Well,
it's nice to finally meet you."

Zach grumbled softly as he was in no mood for girl talk to occur while he was
caffeine-deficient. "I'm sorry ... " Lila blurted, " ... I'll have an Orange
juice too."

Trish gave Lila a quick smile and hurried off with their beverage order.

* * *

After the hearty breakfast was over, Trish sat at the booth while Zach was
busy in the restroom. "So, what're doing all the way up here?" she asked,
knowing that Lila was from Florida.

"Well, I was going to visit Katie ... but I just learned that she's interning
at the FBI Academy for the rest of the month."

"Yeah ... she left just last week along with Alyson Carson," Trish added.

Tina suddenly made a noise like she was clearing her throat, and stared at
Lila. "I'm sorry ... " Lila then said. "This is Ashley, and her cousin ...
Rachel." The alias Jennifer was going by was another attempt at hiding her
true identity. "And the cute one sitting next to me is Tina."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all ... " Trish said graciously. "So, where're
you all staying?"

"We haven't figured that part out yet ... " Lila said reluctantly. "I had
planned on for Katie to help us out with that."

"Tell you what ... " Trish spoke up, " ... I have place being renovated in
time for the new school year, and it's empty at the moment, so you're all
welcome to stay there if you wish."

"Thanks a lot, Trish ... we really appreciate it," Lila replied happily for
her coming to their aid.

Just then, two uniformed police officers entered the quaint establishment and
took seats at a nearby booth. All four girls lowered their heads down at the
same time, trying to avoid any eye contact without looking suspicious.
However, they certainly caught Trish's attention, and the elder snoop was very
curious as to the real reason why Lila Spencer just happened to be in Snowden
...

* * *

"This place is perfect!" Lila exclaimed as her high-pitched voice echoed off
the bare walls of the large-sized wooden house.

"My stepfather, Dave, owns it as a rental place," Trish said as she was
excited about moving in here with her friends. Zach hung around town until
Trish was done with her morning shift, and then dropped off the girls at the
renovated place. Before heading back home, he felt hesitant about leaving them
in a far off strange place, but Lila insisted that they were in the company of
friends, and that they were going to all right""even Trish echoed her
sentiments.

"Won't your stepfather be bothered by the fact that four high school-aged
girls will be staying here ... unsupervised?" Ashley asked, much to the
displeasure of Tina for she was always the goody-two-shoes of the group.

"I had already thought of that ... " Trish answered her concern, " ... and
you'll be happy to know that my big sister, Abby, lives right next door, so
she and Aaron could keep a watchful eye on you."

"Abbie's right next door!? ... " Lila exclaimed in both shock and relief.
"That's who we came to see!"

"About that ... " Trish then said, approaching Katie's younger cousin with a
look of interest on her cute face, " ... I noticed how you all behaved at the
Cook Pot when those cops arrived." All four of them looked nervous at her as
they didn't even bother trying to hide their anxiety. "Is there something you
should tell me before I get myself involved with the police ... again?"

"We came up here to speak with Abbie about what happened at Charleston," Lila
said openly for she was tired of keeping secrets from everyone now.

"Is this about the Babydoll Killer?" Trish asked warily, remembering what
happened when someone impersonating him struck here last month, brutally
killing two young women, and one of them was to have been her older sister,
Megan.

"Yes, it is ... " Ashley spoke up, " ... and this is not my cousin," she
referred to Jennifer standing next to her.

Trish gazed at the shy-looking girl""Rachel, was it?""as she saw her pulling
off her long blonde hair, revealing dark brown tresses underneath! "Hello, I'm
Jennifer Fowler ... it's very kind of you helping us."

Realizing what was now happening, Trish looked shocked at each of the dudettes
for what they did ...

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lila was able to get Trish to not tell anyone about Jennifer, and why they
were here in Snowden, for the less people that knew about it ... the better.
Trish did, however, want to know any developments of what was happening should
Lila's plan to stop the Babydoll Killer get out of control and then the whole
town was in imminent danger, which wouldn't be good for anyone.

And so it was that Abby Giles, and her husband, Aaron, welcomed the four young
visitors from the Sunshine State, as young Abbie could use some cheering up
after what she went through. The young karate student was resting quietly in
her room""her right arm all bandaged up and placed in a sling.

Hearing a soft knock on her door, Abbie replied sheepishly, "Yeah? ... "

The door then opened a bit and Abby stuck her head through. "You have some
visitors that want to see you," she said amiably.

"I'm really not in the mood to see anyone ... " Abbie replied dolefully,
trying to get more comfortable on her plush twin bed. The agonizing thought at
the recent loss of her dear old friend, Shawna Morelli, and the maiming of her
other friend, Molly Ayres, at the hands of that brutal monster was too much
for the junior snoop to bear that she just wanted to retreat from everyone, at
least for the time being.

"Oh, I think you'll see them for they came a really long way to see you ... "
Abby said cryptically, which began to peak the junior snoop's interest.

The door opened fully, and Abbie's blue eyes widen in complete surprise as she
recognized the auburn-haired girl standing in front of her. "Lila ... " she
said as she sat up, " ... what are you doing here?" Her depressed state took a
back seat for the moment at the surprise meeting taking place.

"To come see you ... " the fellow junior snoop replied happily, seeing her
friend looking better than she imagined. The two had exchanged photos of each
other online previously to get a face with a name.

Three other girls appeared behind Lila, and judging by the looks of them, she
guessed that the cute blonde was Ashley, based on Lila's perfect description
of her, and the Hispanic brunette was obviously Tina, but the other
sandy-blonde girl present, Abbie didn't have a clue.

"I'll leave you girls alone ... " Abby said graciously and quietly closed the
door behind her.

"Cora mentioned that you tried to call me ... I never figured that you would
actually come up all this way just to see how I was doing," Abbie said, still
surprised to finally meet her fellow MysteryChicks counterpart in the flesh.

"Well ... there's more to it than that," Lila replied carefully, "but we're
all very relieved to see that you're recovery well, considering ... " The
thought of that horrifying incident when Abbie was face-to-face with that
monster still gave her an involuntary shiver or two. "Abby told us about what
happened to your two friends from Charleston, and we're all very sorry for
your loss."

"Thank you ... " Abbie said softly, happy to still have friends that cared,
which helped a little in her trying to move on. "So, why are you all here, for
real?" she got right to the point, knowing full well that this wasn't just
some social visit.

"We came here to tell you that Ben Russell is still out there ... " Ashley
spoke up flat out.

Abbie did another double-take, except this time it was with alarm. "But ... I
killed him ... I saw him die ... " she said a little shaky in her voice.

"You saw the body he inhabit die, but his spirit still exists," Lila added,
trying to be easy on the startled snoop.

"But you didn't tell me that when we last spoke about him," Abbie said with
anger in her voice now.

"I know, we're sorry ... " Lila replied with deep sympathy, " ... we really
didn't figure that part out until later on, I'm afraid."

"And just how do you know that he's still around?" Abbie challenged her fellow
snoop friend, hoping that she was somehow mistaken, for she had to be ...

Jennifer then stepped forward, removing the wig again from the top of her
head. "Because I can sense him ... " she answered plainly. "I can't exactly
pinpoint where he is right now, as he is still bodiless from your encounter
with him," she added.

Abbie now had her third shock in a matter of minutes as she instantly realized
who that fourth person was. "Jennifer Fowler ... But you're supposed to be ...
" She then gave Lila yet another incredulous look as all this excitement was
getting to be too much for her now. "You broke her out of that psycho
hospital!?"

"Keep your voice down ... " Lila quickly said, hoping that Abby wasn't close
enough outside to hear that.

"The hell I will! ... " Abbie continued all flustered. "Have you gone
completely nuts?"

"Thank you ... that's what I've been trying to tell her," Tina chimed in,
happy to hear another voice of reason.

"Listen to me, okay ... We came here to help, for Jennifer is the only one
that can detect where and who he is," Lila said now forcefully back in her
defense.

Abbie softened up a little as she held her injured arm for she seemed to be in
some discomfort. "I'm sorry that we upset you, really ... " Lila said, now
calmer herself, " ... but the hard reality is that he's still out there, and
he will be tracking you and Abby down again, and he won't stop until you are
both dead."

The words sunk in Abbie's mind like a five-ton anchor crashing down to the
bottom of a murky sea. A tear formed in her eye and it fell down her cheek. "I
don't know what else to do ... I tried my best to stop him from killing
Shawna, I really did ... "

Lila approached Abbie, sitting next to her on the bed""she placed her hand on
Abbie's good hand and grasped it warmly. "Let us help you ... " she said
softly, easing Abbie's rising fear. "Together, we can find a way to finally
stop him once and for all."

"But how, if he can move from person to person without dying?" Abbie asked the
million dollar question, which had everyone in the room stumped at finding a
reasonable answer ...

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Up to this point, Lila was able to successfully keep as few people in the know
as possible of her daring plan, but Abbie insisted on enlisting some help on
the Snowden end, if her snoop friend's audacious plan had even a chance of
succeeding ... and that was still a big 'if.'

A secret meeting was then held at the renovated house that evening as a group
of teenage girls discussed how to stop a dangerous serial killer ...

"So, you're telling me that this guy can move his spirit from person to
person? ... " Leslie Morgan said as she still couldn't quite grasp of how that
could be possible.

"I know it sounds crazy ... " Lila replied, standing in the center of a
semi-circle of seated girls.

"Crazy isn't the word ... " Serenity Mabrey spoke up, " ... it sounds like
something right out of those cheesy horror movies where the killer is this
unstoppable maniac."

Lila exhaled quietly to herself in frustration, and gave Abbie a slight glare
as her "contribution" to the plan wasn't helping much.

Sensing Lila's irritation, Abbie stood up alongside of her. "I asked you guys
here for help on this," she addressed her friends seated. "Cora is the only
one of you who knows how serious this really is ... " she acknowledged her
friend present with a thoughtful nod as Cora Peabody readily accepted Abbie's
assistance despite what she went through the past couple of weeks.

"But Abbie ... " Leslie chimed in, " ... you're asking us to accept this
totally on faith."

"That's correct ... " Ashley suddenly spoke up, diverting everyone's attention
on her now. "It is faith based, and I believe Jennifer when she says that he's
still out there, because I believe in her," she smiled warmly at her friend
(now wigless) sitting right next to her. "Accepting that it's just plain crazy
talk doesn't make it automatically so ... There are strange things in this
world that we don't fully understand, but that doesn't make them any less real
whether you choose to believe them or not."

"She's good ... " Serenity leaned over to Tina in a whispered tone.

"She wasn't always like this ... " Tina responded quietly back, " ... Jennifer
has really been a big influence on her. It's almost like they're twin sisters
now."

"Now, we know this a big thing for you to accept, and should any of you wish
to go, that's alright by us ... I just ask you to please not tell anyone about
it," Lila then said to Serenity and Leslie. The two girls remained in their
seats as they had no intention on leaving.

"Okay ... " Abbie said happily now that she got her own support committed, "
... the first thing we need to do is ... "

"Excuse me ... " Lila cut in, " ... but I'm the one calling the shots here. I
came to you, remember?"

"Yes, I know that, but this is my turf, and I think I know the best way to go
about this ... " Abbie replied a bit heatedly as her strength was beginning to
come back now.

"Abbie, like you said to me before, you did your best at trying to stop him,
so let us handle this ... " Lila said without getting angry, even though it
was trying to come out.

"If I didn't have my good arm injured, I would show you how I would handle the
situation!" Abbie now challenged her snoop friend directly as both girls
stared at each other eye-to-eye.

"Shouldn't we try and break this up before they end up hurting each other? ...
" Serenity said to Tina again with a worrisome look in her eye.

"No ... " Tina said offhandedly, leaning back in her folding chair, " ... it's
about time Lila got her butt kicked. I'm almost sorry there's no popcorn."

As the verbal confrontation between the two junior snoops began to escalate,
Jennifer suddenly had a shocked look on her pale face and suddenly stood up.

"Lila! ... Abbie! ... " she shouted, which was rare for her, and both
hot-tempered girls paused for a moment from their "discussion" and looked at
the psychic girl with a blank look.

"He's taken on a form now ... " Jennifer then said ominously, which got
everyone's complete attention, even the doubting ones ...

* * *

The feeling of being inside a warm body again felt really good after having to
wander aimlessly like an object drifting through outer space. And the searing
pain he felt when he was extracted out of that young man ... it was something
he didn't expect, and something he hoped would never experience again for it
was unbearable to endure""like having your skin ripped off little by little.

After gathering himself from a few days of discombobulation, Ben searched for
a suitable replacement, one that would be very effective to finish off that
little bitch for good. The new host was young, a bit older than his previous
one, but physically stronger, for that's what he needed after that little girl
bested him in the most unexpected way. He had underestimated her once before
... he will not do that again.

Once all settled in, Ben learned quickly that she and the others were now
gone, and deduced that they returned home ... where it all started.

And that was where it was going to end ...

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

With the startling news that Ben Russell was returning back to Snowden via
Jennifer's premonition, meant that the snoops didn't have much time before he
would cause more mayhem and murder. Abbie knew that he would be seeking her
out initially, and that the first place he'd check would be her own home""Ben
was obviously aware of Abbie's injuries from their last encounter and figured
she'd be home resting.

Having a secure location like Abbie's house was to their advantage in stopping
him, Lila reasoned, but there was one tiny obstacle to address ... Abby and
the family.

Abbie had made the decision not to inform her older sister that Ben was back
for she knew that her more logical sibling would not believe such a ridiculous
claim that the Babydoll Killer was, in fact, an immortal being""even the
junior snoop was having a hard time herself grappling with that concept.

To take them out of potential harm's way, Abbie had arranged through her
mother, Nancy, to host an impromptu dinner at her house and inviting the Giles
family over, and the reason for them to go was that Abbie wished to have some
private time with her four out-of-state visitors, which seemed harmless enough
on the surface.

Abby reluctantly agreed, but wasn't too comfortable on leaving her younger
sister alone with her injuries as they were, but Abbie, as headstrong as she
always was, alleviated her concerns that she will be alright for a short
period of time.

Giving her older sister her assurance that everything will be alright, Abbie
and her friends saw them off cheerfully. However, on the inside, each girl was
extremely nervous of what was likely going to occur shortly for Jennifer can
sense Ben's dark presence growing closer and closer as each minute passed.

Once the coast was clear, Abbie called Serenity to bring the others in putting
their plan into motion ...

* * *

It was nearly two hours since Abby left, and Abbie was getting restless for if
something was going to happen, she wanted it to occur before they would get
home, otherwise what was the point is sending them out. Jennifer insisted that
he was very close now.

"You're like an early warning system ... " Cora joked to the young psychic
humorously in an attempt to try and calm her nervousness rising inside of her.
The eight girls were all assembled in the basement to keep out of sight from
the outside as they all anxiously waited for their "guest" to arrive.

"Is it true that you were locked up in a mental hospital?" Serenity asked
carefully to Jennifer, a bit fascinated at seeing someone who was actually in
one of those places.

"Institution ... " Jennifer corrected politely, feeling glad for the first
time in almost a year that she had her freedom ... but for how long?

"What was it like having that maniac inside of you?" Abbie asked hesitantly,
wanting to know ever since the foursome arrived yesterday.

"It was surreal ... " Jennifer began to explain, and all ears were on her now,
for even her friends never quite heard her experience with Russell. "He was
like a shadow over my soul, almost a sour sense, like meat rotting or
something ... " Leslie made a cringing face of disgust at that nasty imagery.

"After I was committed, I began to feel his thoughts as I was now aware of
presence inside of me, and they were dark and twisted. He has so much pain
inside of him I guess stemmed from his childhood, and that pain had morphed
itself into blind rage and hatred towards females primarily."

"Wow ... I read some books about serial killers, and some of the psychological
trauma they often go through in their early years ... " Serenity spoke quietly
as she was deeply awestruck. "How did you manage to cope with that?" she then
asked this time.

"It wasn't easy ... It was like a battle of wits to see which one had the
stronger personality," Jennifer continued, "but I managed to keep myself
together after I knew how to hold him at bay. He can only successfully take
somebody over if they're not strong-minded and aware of his presence. I think
that's why he eventually left me, to find someone else to take over."

"And that someone was poor Sara Andrews, and then Judah Rose ... " Abbie
lamented as they were nothing more than innocent victims of Ben's perverse
game of murder. The thought of using someone who was not really in control of
themselves had made her sick to her stomach, and Ben was probably the most
cruelest killer of all time""forcing other people to carry out his demented
designs and then disposing of them when they were no longer of use.

"Abbie ... you mentioned before when we talked on the phone about another
psychic girl?" Ashley then spoke up, feeding her curiosity ever since that
conversation. That question aroused Jennifer's curiosity as well, as she was
now all ears.

"Natalie Logan ... " Abbie replied. "She's nine years old, and can apparently
see things before they happen ... kind of like you," she referred to Jennifer.
"Anyway, she helped saved young Susie Ross' life just a couple of months ago
over at Camp Evergreen." The very mention of that place brought back some
painful memories to the denizens of Snowden, as the dudettes got the sense of
that, and didn't bother to follow up for some things were better left alone.

"I wonder if she's aware of Ben lurking about?" Lila asked in reference to
Natalie, for she didn't want to unwittingly draw out the young girl during
their own pursuit of stopping Russell.

"Guys ... he's coming now," Jennifer suddenly said as her natural warning
system alerted the others.

* * *

Abbie was somebody who always liked to remain in control ever since she lost
her own family, and almost lost her own life ... the first time. Taking
martial arts was something that helped her to overcome that and gain the
confidence she needed in order to move on with her life. It came very useful
when she encountered Ben and stopped him. Now, with her good arm incapacitated
in a sling, Abbie was now handicapped, and her would-be-killer was right
outside the house now.

It was already dark outside, as she figured that he would wait until then to
strike ... typical of most stalkers. And it was very quiet inside as she held
her breath to a minimum to hear any kind of sounds close by that would alert
her of his presence. A person of his considerable skill in killing so many
victims, breaking into a house was something he was obviously good at.

It was the faintest of sounds, but Abbie instinctively knew that he was now
inside. She walked carefully around the modest-sized house as she tried to
calm her racing heartbeat. One of the window drapes in the living room began
to sway ever so slightly as she felt a faint draft, and that told Abbie how he
gained access.

Looking around fearfully now, she moved over into the dining room, and that
was when she saw him ...

Abbie gasped audibly at the alarming sight of a tall person wearing that eerie
babydoll mask over his face. Images of her last encounter with that maniac
flooded her mind as panic began to engulf the young teen snoop. Whatever
lingering doubts she had about Jennifer's claim that Russell still existed was
squashed that very instant as the intruder standing before her now was
positive proof that this killer was still at large, and still after her.

A part of her wanted to ram her wakizashi right through his black heart after
what he did to poor Molly and Shawna, but she knew the actual person standing
before her was another unwilling innocent host, and she also knew killing him
wouldn't be any different than what happened to Judah. Abbie wished that she
could face the real Ben Russell and show him just how tough he really was.

She quickly took notice at the knife he grasped in his meaty hand. Backing out
of the room, the Babydoll Killer began to follow her. His strides were not
that of someone who was impatiently trying to get her, but were slow with
intent, for he was in no rush to finish her off ... this time.

Abbie headed towards the kitchen, glancing back to see "Russell" approach ever
so closer ...

Once she was fully inside the darkened kitchen, she backed herself up against
the tall white refrigerator, looking dreadfully at the relentless figure
advancing on her.

One more step ... then she yelled, "Now!"

Without warning, a large net suddenly dropped down from the ceiling,
enveloping him fully!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Never in all the years that Ben Russell had been stalking and killing young
females had he'd been caught so off guard than at this very moment""it was
beyond embarrassing for his ego. The large netting covering him was heavy, so
getting off of him had proven to be difficult. Almost right away after being
caught, the light turned on, and a screaming group of teenage girls swarmed
the place right for him.

"Be careful ... he has a knife!" Abbie yelled out, warning her friends as they
surrounded their prisoner.

Ben couldn't slip his large hand through the openings of the net to strike at
his captors with the knife, so he began cutting through it instead.

Serenity saw that and sprang into action by grabbing a broom in a corner. She
grasped it tightly with both hands and swung it low to the floor like a golf
club, connecting it hard with Ben's lower legs, thus toppling the serial
killer flat on his back.

The others saw what Serenity had done, and also grabbed whatever they could
find in the kitchen to use as a weapon against the fearsome intruder. Abbie
actually stood back on the sidelines, tending her injured arm for she would
love to get a few good chops at him. Perhaps when he's properly subdued,
before the police arrive ...

Ben tried his best to fend off the frenzied onslaught being administered on
him. He was completely baffled as to how they knew he would be there for he
had the element of surprise firmly in his corner. And then the answer to that
puzzling question became suddenly clear to him ...

Looking up at his young attackers, he caught a glimpse of one of them standing
in the background, and his eyes went wide with complete shock as he saw who it
was ... No, it couldn't be ... Jennifer Fowler!

He realized in an instant that it was she that was able to "track" him with
her strange psychic powers, but how did she get out of the hospital that she
was locked up?

The answer to his second question came in the form of one of his assailants,
as he recognized as the girl he tried to kill down in Florida ... Lila
Spencer.

All of a sudden, the rules of this game had changed, and it was time for him
to retreat and re-strategize ...

* * *

Jennifer narrowed her dark green eyes at the man lying on floor being
pummeled, and then quickly rushed over to her friends. "Guys ... stop!" she
screamed out loud, trying to take the mop that Tina was using to pound the
trespasser. "He's gone ... he left his body."

"What ... are you sure?" Cora asked as she ceased striking with a rolling pin.

Jennifer began removing the net from the confused-looking man after he removed
the mask from his face. "H-how did I get here?" he asked shakily, fearful of
being beaten again.

"Great, now what do we do?" Tina asked in frustration as she then dropped the
mop on the linoleum floor.

Lila and Ashley approached Jennifer, who clearly had a terrified look on her
face, and that didn't make them feel much better. "What's wrong?" Ashley
asked, grasping her arm gently.

"I didn't realize that he could transfer in and out so quickly, so
effortlessly ... " the psychic spoke softly. "There's absolutely no way that
he could be stopped ... "

Ashley held her friend tightly, while Lila looked at Abbie with an anguished
look, feeling like she failed her.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Abby couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the flashing lights of a police
car right in front of her house as their car approached it. She immediately
ran out as soon as Aaron parked it""he still remained inside with the two
kids. Her panicked mind was racing after everything they just went through in
Charleston, and now this ...

She caught sight of Lt. Dennis Klasko coming out through the open front door.
"Detective ... " she said all out of breath, " ... what happened ... is Abbie
alright!?" the fear in Abby's brown eyes bordered on hysteria.

"Everything is okay ... " Klasko informed her in a reassuring tone, " ... we
just had a little disturbance. A neighbor heard screams coming from inside and
called the police. I was in the area, so I decided to check it out myself,
what with it being Abbie and all."

Abby dashed inside, searching frantically for her little sister, and then saw
her seated on the sofa with her friends. She bent down in front of Abbie and
hugged her tightly, thankful that she was indeed all right. "What happened?"
she then asked, this time in a more controlled voice.

"I'm sorry ... " Abbie dithered quietly, " ... we thought that we could handle
this ourselves."

"Handle what? ... " Abby pressured her.

"The Babydoll Killer ... " Lila spoke up softly, " ... he's back here in
Snowden." It was agreed by all of them to alert the community that he was out
there, for no one was now safe from his murderous spree.

Abby looked as though she was going to pass out from all of this anguish
coming at her at once, so she took a seat next to Abbie, after Serenity moved
aside.

"You girls didn't tell me that?" Klasko said irately upon hearing that as he
walked back inside along with Aaron and the kids, who were both fast asleep in
his arms.

"We weren't entirely sure at first ... " Ashley said meekly at the annoyed
detective. The snoops had let that person who Ben possessed go free before the
police arrived, making him promise not to tell anyone what happened, which he
wasn't sure what he could tell anyway that made sense, plus they also disposed
of that hideous mask. Cora made the observation that in letting him go, Ben
could turn right around and "inhabit" him all over again. Lila, however,
didn't seem to think so as Ben could just easily choose another person to try
and surprise them again.

Klasko then rounded up the other girls back outside for some questioning
(Jennifer had her wig back on), to give Abby and Abbie some quiet time alone,
while Aaron went upstairs to put the children to bed.

The two sisters remained on the sofa, holding each other tenderly. "First this
maniac running around loose, and then what happened with Judah ... when will
it ever end?" Abby said sorrowfully as she sniffed back tears, recalling the
horror of almost losing her two precious babies at the hands of that maniac.

Abbie, too, held onto her sister tightly as she recalled what she heard
Jennifer say after Ben 'escaped' that he can't be stopped. She savored this
quiet moment together, wondering if it was to be their last ...

* * *

Jennifer stood outside at the sidelines while Klasko was busy getting the
other's statements of what really happened. She looked out into the darkness
around her, still sensing his chilling presence out there.

With this latest development about Ben's ability to move himself in and out of
people, Jennifer wondered worriedly how he could be stopped. An idea did
present itself to her, but it was something that she hoped she wouldn't have
to do ...

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ever since Ben Russell discovered the secret to immortality, he played it to
its most joyous fulfillment""for a demented serial killer anyway. Moving from
body to body with no way of really getting caught, it was like having your
cake with ice cream and eating it for eternity essentially. He tried that out
when he inhabited that teen movie star, Judah Rose, who was to play the part
of a young John Michael Walton in that movie. It was fun filling in the shoes
of his former mentor for a while. Being so close to his prey and them not even
suspecting a thing, it was like his dream come true. He could have his
choosing of any woman he wanted without the drawback of getting stopped, that
is, until that psychic girl suddenly showed up ...

Ben had never known to be frightened since his troubled childhood, and given
that after becoming an adult, he made every effort to always be in charge, to
put fear into his victims as they pleaded to him for their lives. But when he
was trapped in that netting and saw his former host standing before him, he
felt afraid again in a very long time ... a time that was marked by constant
pain and turmoil.

Jennifer being there in that house was no mere coincidence ... she had known
that he would coming back after Abbie, and those girls were ready for him. And
that other girl from Florida, Lila ... she had to be the one responsible for
bringing Jennifer here from that hospital she was locked up in. And now with
that psychic girl on the loose, she could show up again without so much as a
warning. That made him feel a bit vulnerable, and he didn't like it.

All the while he was drifting around after his close call earlier, he happened
upon a small convenience store and a car pulling up next to it. Departing the
modest-sized sedan on the passenger side was this gorgeous teenage girl blonde
girl, dressed ever so sexy in a denim miniskirt and high-heeled sandals on her
feet. She went inside the store rather quickly.

Coming closer to the waiting car, he could see another teen girl, a cute
brunette, in the backseat. Sitting in the driver's seat was a teenage
boy""most likely the blonde's boyfriend. A devilish thought then came over the
serial killer's twisted mind, for he intended to have some fun tonight, and he
still can. Just like with the others, he eased himself slowly into the mind of
that unsuspecting boy ...

* * *

"Bobby ... you okay?" Jayne Parkinson said with concern after seeing him
twitching for a moment.

"Yeah ... that was weird. It just suddenly happened for no reason," he replied
a bit shakily from that.

Several seconds later, Melissa Capehart returned with a small plastic bag in
her hands. Bobby Hampton looked over at his attractive girlfriend now seated
next to him, like he was seeing her for the very first time.

"Hello, Bobby ... " Melissa said with some sarcasm in her high-pitched voice
to her spaced-out boyfriend. "Are we going to meet up with Jim and the others
at the party, or are you just going to continue leering at me," she then said
smartly at him. Melissa loved the attention that he always gave her,
particularly when she was dressed to the nines like tonight, but sometimes his
juvenile behavior can get a bit annoying.

"Huh? ... Sorry ... " he finally said. "Did I tell you that you look smokin'."

"For like the tenth time so far," the teen beauty replied wryly. "We're
already late as it is ... can we get moving already?" she then said
impatiently.

Bobby grunted softly to himself, then put the car into gear, and drove off
away from the store.

* * *

After driving for a few miles, Bobby suddenly stopped the car in front of a
sign that read, "Zed's Mountain," which was pointing to the right at the
intersection. He began to turn in that direction when his girlfriend suddenly
shouted, "That's the wrong way!"

He suddenly stopped the car right in the middle of the narrow road. "You have
been acting really weird ever since stopping at the store," Melissa stated
emphatically at her boyfriend. "Now turn this car back on the main road so we
... " Melissa's sentence wasn't even finished as Bobby suddenly grabbed the
back of her head and rammed her face really hard into the glove compartment in
front of her""the blow was strong enough to render the girl unconscious.

In the backseat, Jayne began screaming by the sudden brutal attack she
witnessed, and Bobby quickly turned to face her, slamming his fist right
across her jaw. The brunette fell onto the seat, also out cold.

Bobby then smiled wickedly as he began driving again up towards the mountain
...

* * *

It was fortunate for Ben that the trunk had a tool box, and inside was a roll
of the ever dependable duct tape. After stopping at nice quiet spot off the
road, Ben wasted no time in binding the girls with the tape before they woke
up. The scene before him was very reminiscent of those two friends from Abbie
he abducted and brutally terrorized, it was the kind of déjà -vu he enjoyed.

Both girls were hogtied securely, and gagged with three strips over their loud
mouths. The cute brunette was placed inside the still open trunk on her
stomach, while the stunning blonde laid out on the soft grass near the car.
The moon was almost full tonight and thus provided adequate light for everyone
to see.

It wasn't long after tying them up that the girls finally did wake, and what
they discovered frightened them beyond belief. Melissa felt throbbing pain on
her nose and forehead, which added to the already discomfort of being hogtied.
She tried screaming through the tape sealing her lips, but no loud noises
escaped. She frantically turned her head, and saw the back of the car nearby,
and inside she could just make out Jayne peering her head out also with tape
covering her mouth.

Then she saw Bobby standing before her. Her blue eyes were wide with shock at
the absolutely bizarre scenario she was in""it was like he was another person
now, not the sweet boy she knew from Darius Allen High School. Bobby bent down
to one knee, grabbing the long tresses of his terrified girlfriend. He noticed
the confused look on her bloodied face, and he reveled in that.

Since Ben could not locate a knife among the contents of the car, he found
that a tire iron would do just fine. Melissa looked in utter panic when she
saw him beginning to raise the lethal bent metal rod. And in one quick motion,
he plunged it down into her skull with a sickening crack.

Jayne winced in horror at hearing that, knowing that her best friend was most
likely dead now. She looked up in her tear-streaked brown eyes at Bobby as he
now stood up, moving slowly towards her.

"Mmmmmmmmm!! ... " she wailed out to him while shaking her head in a frantic
attempt at sparing her life, but the teenage boy she knew since junior high
just looked at her with a blank stare on his smooth face.

He stopped right in front of her, the bloodied tire iron still in his hand.
Looking at her shapely bound form writhing in the confined space of the car
trunk, he reached down and caressed her bare thigh""blood smears stained her
smooth skin where he touched.

Raising the tire iron at her, he stopped suddenly as he caught something in
the corner of his eye. Turning at it, he saw a figure standing at the edge of
the small clearing where he parked, and a closer look revealed it to be
Jennifer Fowler!

Ben reacted in surprise with a twinge of fear at seeing his nemesis there ...
again. His first reaction was to run off, wondering if she brought the police
with her this time, but no one else showed up. She just stood there
motionless, not even saying a thing. It was then that Ben realized that she
wasn't really there, but only in his mind as he then could feel her presence
reaching out to him. The figure standing was nothing more than a manifestation
created by him.

He smiled at the quiet figure, knowing that there wasn't anything she could do
to stop him from carrying out his wicked deed. "Even though you can know where
I'll be, you can't stop me ... " he taunted Jennifer, still looking at her
visage, but communicating with her nonetheless.

Jayne reacted to Ben's one-way conversation, thinking that someone was
actually there. She wailed once more in urgency, hoping to alert them that she
was in dire peril in need of rescuing.

"And you can't save this pathetic girl from my wrath, either ... " he
continued to tease Jennifer maliciously. And with that, he rammed the bloodied
rod right down at Jayne's head, silencing her muffled screams with another
nauseating crack.

* * *

The sound of a young girl crying was abruptly heard in the stillness of the
night. Natalie Logan wept openly from a horrible nightmare she just
experienced, but deep down in her soul, she knew that it wasn't just a bad
dream. She tried settling back into her plush bed since no one came in to
check on her""her cries were probably not loud enough to be heard. Natalie
instinctively knew bad things were taking place for evil has returned to
Snowden, and she wondered fearfully under the covers if there was anything
that could be done to stop it ...

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Waking up from her vision with Russell, Jennifer wasted no time in informing
her new friends of what happened, but she knew that it was too late for those
two unfortunate girls. After their bludgeoned bodies were discovered, the
police""headed by Klasko""had placed a mandatory curfew on all youths until
further notice. The person who was with those two girls at the time of the
crime, Bobby Hampton, was still missing and considered the lead suspect in the
brutal deaths of Melissa Capehart and Jayne Parkinson.

Jennifer also informed her friends that Ben had taken over young Bobby, but
was not sure if he was still using him. The psychic felt especially guilty for
not stopping him as she saw it happen, but was powerless to prevent it. Even
though she can pick up his 'scent', trying to actually stop him proved harder
than she first thought as last night proved that, and that made her decision
on what to do next all the more easier to accept now.

Abbie wanted to tell Klasko that Bobby was not really responsible for what
happened, but she knew that the whole story of bodily possession by a dead
serial killer was too ridiculous for anyone to swallow, just as Jennifer
herself faced that when she was tried and convicted. Abbie knew that they were
still essentially on their own in trying to stop Ben Russell, and that task
seemed impossible now.

* * *

The snoops were all gathered at the Cook Pot for they felt that being in
public places was the safest route to go, at least during the daytime. They
sat a large booth at the far corner in order to ensure their conversation was
kept private.

"You know, you look like a lot like Hannah Montana with that wig on," Leslie
observed to Jennifer, who was still maintaining her disguise to the outside
world.

"Thanks ... I think," she replied indifferently, not taking Leslie's comment
as insulting.

"Since the police know that the Babydoll Killer is back, won't the authorities
searching for Jennifer come here now? You know, since they think she was him?"
Serenity asked carefully, feeling a little guilty having to associate that
maniac with Jennifer again.

"I don't think so ... " Lila replied, " ... those two murders happened last
month while Jennifer was still in the hospital, and since there has been no
direct evidence to the police to suggest that it is the Babydoll Killer
striking now, I think she's still safe from being apprehended."

"What's to stop him from calling, say the FBI, and telling them that Jennifer
is here in Snowden?" Cora added. "Babydoll Killer or not, she's still a wanted
fugitive after what you guys did."

"You want to say that a little louder ... I don't think the cook in the
kitchen heard you," Tina hissed angrily to Cora, who then looked back at the
fiery Cuban with a look of regret at speaking a little too openly in public.

"He won't ... " Jennifer spoke up in response. "As long as I'm alive, I'm a
danger to him, and he knows that now."

"So, you're as much of a target to him now as Abbie is," Serenity said,
realizing what was going on now, which made Ashley feel a little uncomfortable
that Jennifer has now become Ben's prime objective.

Jennifer then got up from her seat. "I need to use the restroom," she said
politely, and Lila, who sat next to her, moved out of the way to allow
Jennifer to exit the booth.

"I'll go with you ... " Ashley offered as she also stood up.

"I think I can handle going to the restroom by myself," Jennifer replied
assuredly. "Besides, I have the radar on him, so he can't sneak up on me."
Ashley quietly sat down, knowing that she was correct.

Just as Jennifer was making her way towards the front of the diner where the
restrooms were situated, a waitress arrived at the booth with a tray full of
tall beverages.

After everyone got their drinks and the waitress left, Abbie spoke up, "If he
can get away that easily as he did last night, he could just simply do it
again. I know that Jennifer can alert us when he's near, which still gives us
an advantage, but we can't keep that up for too long, and I'm sure he knows
that and is willing to wait it out."

The hard reality of what Abbie just said really sunk into the minds of
everyone seated as all they were doing was just delaying the inevitable, and
meanwhile, Ben was having fun killing off the local female residents""it was
the epitome of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

After some time had passed and their lunch arrived, Ashley looked back at
where Jennifer had walked off to with a worried look on her cute face. Lila
sensed that too and stood up. "I'll just see what's taking her so long," and
began to head over where Jennifer went. "I'm coming with you," Ashley said
adamantly, and followed her friend, while the others watched them off a bit
tensely.

* * *

Entering the small room, Lila and Ashley knew instantly that Jennifer was not
inside for the stall door was left open. Ashley had a look of panic, thinking
that Ben had somehow abducted her right under their noses. "I knew that I
should've gone with her," she said heatedly, slamming her fist on the tiled
wall. "Oowww ... " she then said softly, holding her injured hand carefully.

Lila spotted a neatly folded piece of paper sticking right up in the
wastebasket and picked it up. Unfolding it, she noticed that it was a note,
and her blue eyes grew wide with shock as she read it to herself.

* * *

The rest of the snoops grew even more restless when they saw Lila and Ashley
return without Jennifer. "What happened?" Abbie asked really nervously,
fearing the worst.

"It's Jennifer ... she's gone!" Ashley cried out in tears now. Both girls
remained standing next to the booth as all eyes were riveted to them. Lila
continued holding the piece of paper and began reading softly it to the
others.

"I'm very sorry I have to do this, but I seem to have no choice available in
stopping Ben Russell than to run away in the attempt of drawing him away from
all of you. It's me he really wants now, and since I'm also a fugitive, it's
better that I take care of this myself. I'm sorry if I scared you all when I
didn't come back, but I knew that you wouldn't let me go if I told you. Please
try to understand this for I'm doing it for you and everyone else here. This
is my battle with him, and this is the only way I can think of to stop him.
Please don't try and find me. I love you all and wish each of you a long and
happy life. Your friend, Jennifer."

There was a momentary silence as everyone began to feel upset of what just
happened. "She couldn't have gotten very far," Serenity suddenly said,
breaking the somberness of the mood around.

"Right ... " Lila also said, her mind back to the mission at hand. "We need to
organize a search party fast."

"We're on it," Abbie spoke as she, along with the others, got up from their
seats. "We'll call everyone we know."

The cadre of snoops was quickly making their way out of the establishment with
cell phones in their hands, in a frantic attempt at finding their missing
friend ...

* * *

Jennifer, with her wig now off, was already a good mile away from the
restaurant by the time she figured that her friends would find the note she
left behind. It pained so much her to do this, but the situation left her with
no choice. During her trek, she communicated to Ben with her mind, telling him
that she was leaving town and taunting him to follow her for he would then
have no way of finding her now that she left her group of friends.

She received no direct response from him, but knew that the serial killer got
the message""she just hoped that he would take the bait.

Getting off the main road, Jennifer stopped for a moment to get her bearings
on where she needed to go to get out of town quickly. There was a playground
close by with young children playing carefree, and she noticed one of them
approaching her, a cute brown-haired girl.

Jennifer got no sensation that Ben was residing in her""that would be really
sick even for him if he did invade her. No, Jennifer sensed something else
from this young girl, something familiar ...

"Excuse me ... but are you Jennifer Fowler?" the little girl asked graciously
as she stopped right in front of her.

"Yes ... I am," she answered back in confusion as to who she was, and what she
wanted.

"I'm Natalie Logan, and I've been asked to bring you to someone ... "

Jennifer instantly recalled that she was the young psychic girl that Abbie
spoke about last night. "Who wants to see me?" she asked carefully, wary if
this was some elaborate trap Ben was conjuring up. But something inside of her
told her that it wasn't, and that she could trust this little girl.

"Somebody who can help ... " was all that Natalie said, and offered her hand
up to Jennifer. She slowly took it, letting the young girl lead her into a new
direction ...

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Natalie led Jennifer well beyond the borders of town, and into the expansive
forest that surrounded it in the valley. There was still ample amount of
sunlight as it was only in the early afternoon, but Jennifer wondered warily
if they would reach their intended destination before it would get dark.

Her guide seemed to know where she was going, and that amazed her that someone
so young could be this independent""she really was an extraordinary girl.

"Aren't your parents going to get worried that you're not at the playground
anymore?" Jennifer asked, showing concern for her well-being.

"They don't know I was at the playground, because I'm staying with my
grandmother, and she knows where I am," Natalie replied frankly, still looking
straight ahead.

"Your grandmother lets you go off into the woods all alone?" Jennifer asked
again with some surprise at how careless her charge seemed to be, letting a
young child wander around with sexual predators lurking about""not to mention
a notorious serial killer on the loose.

"It's okay, she knows that he won't let anyone hurt me," Natalie replied with
such confidence in her high-pitched voice.

"When you say 'he', you mean who we're going to see?" Jennifer said not so
much as a direct question, but something that she sensed from the child, as if
this person was her guardian angel.

"You mentioned that he could help, does he know how to stop Ben Russell?"
Jennifer asked as she was wondering who this person could be""another psychic
like Henry Sherman, or maybe some wise Indian Shaman who knows things about
the black arts or something.

It wasn't too long for Jennifer to try and figure it out, when Natalie
suddenly stopped and pointed straight ahead at a cottage-like structure on top
of a small hill in a clearing. "He's in there ... " she said.

The front door of the creepy-looking abode opened, and a tall wizened man with
straying salt-and-pepper hair appeared from inside, staring at both girls.
Jennifer swallowed every so softly in trepidation as she allowed Natalie to
finish her trek to what she hoped would be an answer on how to put an end to
the Babydoll Killer once and for all ...

* * *

The two young psychics were sitting on wooden chairs inside a sparsely
furnished room. This modest-sized cabin was actually a secondary dwelling for
its occupants, apart from their large Mansion above Sunny Hill, in an effort
to keep a closer watch on both Natalie and Abbie. A woman came to them and
offered each of them a tall glass of water. After the long walk to get here,
they were certainly thirsty and readily accepted the beverage. "Thank you,
Sarah ... " Natalie said kindly, taking a sip of the refreshing liquid into
her parched mouth. Jennifer nodded back appreciatively to the kind woman.
Sarah smiled back at the both of them and quietly left the room.

"That's his wife ... " Natalie whispered to Jennifer.

Suddenly, that man who met them when they entered this place had walked in. He
took a seat directly opposite of the girls. "Hello again, my dear Miss
Natalie," he smiled with the quaint courtesy which always seemed to mark his
speech. "Mrs. Pickman and I are always thrilled to see you, and I am very
gratified to see you smiling," he said happily to her, whose return smile
brightened at Mr. Pickman's compliment. He then narrowed his wizened blue eyes
directly at Jennifer, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable as she got the
sense that he was studying her in some way.

"I-I was told that you could help me ... " Jennifer suddenly spoke nervously
at their strange host.

Cornelius Pickman nodded slowly at her inquiry, indicating that he could. "You
have come a long way to seek me," he then said, a soothing tone to his soft,
naturally grave voice.

"Yes ... from Florida. My friends and I ... "

"You created this aberration of nature," he interrupted her, a soft yet
unmistakable hint of accusation coloring his quiet voice.

Jennifer quietly bent her head in regret as she comprehended what he meant,
even though it was done without her conscious doing. "Yes ... I took his
soul," she confessed openly.

"Which has since wreaked catastrophe upon other victims, and other innocent
hosts," Cornelius added, not cruelly, but with quiet sternness even as he
sensed Jennifer's deep remorse. He then cast a gentle, mercifully relenting
smile upon the guilt-ridden girl, showing her the compassion he sensed was her
due for her unwitting fault. "But what was done can be undone," he said
cryptically.

"How? ... " Jennifer asked eagerly, almost standing up.

"The answer you seek, dear Miss Jennifer, lies within yourself," he responded
with somber compassion in his voice.

"I don't understand ... " she said as she was even more confused by what he
meant.

"You and your adversary""your creation, unwittingly as you've created him""are
entwined. Your fate and his are as one, and both of you must share it."

Jennifer continued looking at him for several seconds as his words sunk in ...

* * *

Natalie waved goodbye to Sarah as they started walking out into the forest,
back the way they came. She noticed the serious look on Jennifer's face as she
caught up to her. "What's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Looking down at her, Jennifer changed her somber expression with a grin to her
young companion. "It's nothing ... just had a thought of what I need to do
now."

"I want to help," Natalie said directly.

"No ... " Jennifer replied adamantly, stopping in front of her. She crouched
down to her level and looked her straight in the eye. "It's much too dangerous
where I'm going." Natalie went to rebut, but Jennifer continued talking. "You
have already helped tremendously, Natalie."

The young girl looked as though she was going to cry as she got the sense of
what was going to happen. She immediately wrapped her small arms around
Jennifer and hugged her firmly.

Closing her eyes, Jennifer hugged her back just as tightly, and with her mind,
she connected with Natalie's as she soothed the young girl's anxiety with her
warming presence. Releasing her hold, Jennifer looked teary-eyed at Natalie as
she was clearly sobbing now. She wiped the tears from her rosy cheeks, and
smiled back tenderly. "Come on, let's get you back to your grandmother."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Abbie had kept her promise and put the word out to every person she knew, and
even some she didn't, as a massive search party was already underway to find
Jennifer and fast. Lila paired up with Ashley, and Cora teamed up with
Serenity. Abbie, along with Leslie and Tina, remained at the renovated house,
which acted as home base for the search. Since she was still injured, Abbie
thought it was best she stayed put, keeping in constant contact with the
various teams out there. Leslie handled the progress of the search with a
large map of Snowden and the surrounding area, tacked on a wall""several red
checks were already marked on it, indicating that that area was already
searched. And Tina was present as additional security for there was strength
in numbers.

No one was home at the time next door at the Giles place, as Aaron was out
working, and Abby was with the kids at her mother's house doing some joint
baby caring""that left the threesome all alone. However, a secret knock was
devised to know who would be outside, and Tina acted as a lookout should any
suspicious persons be nosing around. The girls felt confident that Ben
wouldn't show himself in the daytime hours, but at the same time they didn't
leave anything to chance.

"We just finished checking out the train station, and no one seemed to
remember seeing her," Allie Lamm said on the phone that Abbie held with her
good arm to her ear. She sighed in exasperation as they hit yet another dead
end. "Thanks for the update, Allie ... " she said dejectedly to her friend and
hung up the phone.

"Well, she was a no-show at the train station," she announced to Leslie, who
then checked off that spot on the map.

"You know, she could've just walked out of town, figuring that we would
investigate all other ways to leave more quickly," Tina spoke as she sat near
the large window overlooking the street outside.

"That's why I have a couple of people looking around in Sunny Hill," Abbie
said to her, already one step ahead.

"It's too bad Jaden isn't here to help," Leslie said to Abbie, which made her
feel even more upset for this was the worst time her boyfriend was to be away
at a family vacation in Virginia. She could really use his support on this.

"Has Lila called yet?" Tina asked, wondering how her friends were doing since
they were the only outsiders of the group assembled.

"Not since two hours ago when they called in at the University," Abbie
replied. The younger Spencer had talked with Dr. McNeil, who was there at the
school prepping for the upcoming Fall semester, and mentioned that she was
Katie's cousin. "Calico"""as those that know her by that nickname, had agreed
to help with the search using her resources at her disposal. With that kind of
support now, it was hopeful that Jennifer would be found soon.

"What if we can't find her? ... " Leslie then said worriedly, which was on the
minds of Abbie and Tina. "Do you think that Ben Russell will go off looking
for her?"

"I don't know how to answer that," Abbie said wearily. "In one way, it would
be a huge relief to everyone here if he did skip town, but at the same time
... "

" ... Jennifer would be all alone facing him," Tina finished for her with a
sullen look on her face as well. "I guess I'll do another sweep around," she
then said and stood up, leaving the two others to their duties.

Tina Palermo was never one to admit that she was afraid of what was happening
around as she always liked to keep up a tough front""a trait she inherited
from her mother, and Rachel. But the truth was that she was really scared,
first agreeing to Lila's""and Ashley's""insane plan to break Jennifer out of
that mental institution, and now being stalked by a demented serial killer
that literally hides in other people's bodies. She wished that she was back
home, enjoying these last days of summer vacation before starting her second
year in high school, and not playing detective in what she considered to be a
futile effort. If Jennifer was not found, then she was going to leave the
first chance she got, with or without her friends. It's not that she wasn't
loyal to Lila and Ashley, but staying here without Jennifer's assistance was
just plain suicide for all of them.

Reaching the small kitchen at the other of the end of the house, Tina was
satisfied that no one was around from what she could see outside through the
windows, and the rear door. Heading back to where the others were, she was
suddenly grabbed from behind as a hand was clamped over her mouth. Her brown
eyes grew wide in shock as she was quickly dragged back into the kitchen!

* * *

Abbie turned in the direction where Tina went off to as she thought she heard
a noise. "Tina ... is everything alright?" she called out. There was no answer
coming back, and that immediately startled the two snoops. "We got to get out
of here," she said quietly with rising panic as she stood on her feet.

"What about Tina?" Leslie wondered fearfully for their friend.

Abbie thought a moment of what Leslie said, and she was right, they needed to
help Tina. She grabbed her quarter-staff that she uses for exercises in her
martial arts training, holding it firmly with her good hand. "Take my phone
and call the police."

Leslie nodded, and went over to Abbie to retrieve the cell phone that was held
in her injured hand, when she suddenly shrieked at seeing a young-looking man
standing right that entranceway to the room.

"Run! ... Get out of here!" Abbie yelled at Leslie without taking her eyes off
Ben, for she knew it was him and not the teenage boy standing before her. With
his rather lanky frame, Abbie thought this was going to be rather easy taking
him down despite her handicap. The intruder then pulled out a dagger from
behind his back and raised it up at her.

Abbie could see no sign of any blood on it, which made her believe that Tina
was still alive ... at least she hoped.

"After I finish with you ... I'm going to gut your sister like a fish," he
said menacingly at the startled teen, and that was all Abbie could take as she
screamed and rushed at him with the staff pointed forward.

In a panic, Leslie did what Abbie told her and ran. With Ben blocking the way
to the front door, Leslie ran to the other end of the house to see if there
was another way out. All she found was two empty bedrooms. Thinking quickly,
she headed for one of the windows. Trying to get it open, she quickly realized
that it was locked. In her jittery state, Leslie fumbled with the latch trying
to unhook it, when she heard a terrible scream coming from Abbie.

Scared beyond belief now, Leslie managed to unlatch the window, but before she
could pull it open, she caught sight of Ben rushing towards her, and let out a
piercing scream!

* * *

Lila had gotten extremely worried when Abbie didn't answer her phone, or Tina
for that matter. With evening coming in just over an hour, Lila called
Serenity and told her that something was wrong back at the renovated house.

In a matter of fifteen minutes, the four girls arrived back at the house.
Opening the front door ever so carefully after no one answered it, Lila stuck
her head inside and took a look around. "Tina? ... Abbie? ... Leslie? ... "
she called out anxiously. A faint sound was then heard coming from inside.
Guessing that someone might be hurt, Lila ran inside with no concern for her
own safety and followed the source of that sound. Ashley, Serenity, and Cora
followed her after a moment's hesitation.

Lila was led to one of the bedrooms, and the noise came from inside the
closet, which was closed shut. Opening the door carefully, her mouth dropped
open in complete shock as Leslie was stuffed inside, bound and gagged!

"I found Leslie!" she yelled out, and the others soon appeared. Cora reached
over to her friend, and pulled the rag out of her mouth. All of them cringed
in dread as they saw the nasty cuts and bruises all over Leslie's cute face.

"Oh my God ... " Cora said softly in deep despair at seeing Leslie brutalized
like that.

Serenity suddenly returned as she went to search the house. "There's no one
else here," she said frantically, and then gasped at seeing Leslie all trussed
up and beaten.

"Leslie ... " Lila said, bending down to face her. "Do you know where Abbie
and Tina are?"

She tried to open her eyes, but the harsh bruises around them kept them mostly
closed. "Lady Grace ... " she whispered softly.

"Lady Grace? ... " Lila repeated, looking at Serenity and Cora in confusion,
hoping that they might know.

"I think she's referring to an old rundown church outside of town. I
remembered hearing about it from Terri Martin," Serenity answered.

"That's got to be where he's taken them," Ashley concluded, due to the
remoteness of the location.

"Serenity, do you know how to get there?" Lila asked quickly.

"I think so ... it's somewhere near Stone Creek," she answered, realizing what
Lila was getting at. "But if he's there with them, we should call Detective
Klasko to check it out." As much as Serenity has gotten a kick out of solving
mysteries and other criminal cases, this one has got her spooked, and wasn't
afraid to admit it.

"If we send the police, he'll kill Abbie and Tina right away," Lila reasoned.

"But what assurances do we get if we go instead?" Cora asked, knowing that Ben
gave Leslie his destination on purpose in an effort to force them to him.

"We don't ... " Lila said bitterly as she didn't like this as much as
everyone. "But we need to do this."

The three nodded solemnly, knowing that she was correct for they had no choice
in the matter. "I'm going to stay with Leslie until the paramedics come," Cora
offered, not wanting to leave her alone like this.

Lila nodded as she understood, for she would do the same thing if it was
Ashley, or Tina ... "We better get going then if we're to make it before
dark," she then said, standing back up. Ashley and Serenity looked at each
other nervously, realizing that they may not be coming back from this.

"We should get some things first if we're to have a fighting chance," Serenity
then said, showing her full support.

Ashley looked frightened still, wishing that Jennifer was here. However, the
thought of losing Tina was unbearable for her to accept. "I'm in too ... " she
said steadfastly, realizing that this was now do or die ...

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The Lady of Our Grace church was one of the first churches built when the town
of Snowden was first founded. It was destroyed in a fire caused by a lightning
strike over fifty years ago. The damage was too extensive to rebuild it, so
the parish moved over to nearby Wiltontown to relocate. The jutted structure
still remained as a sort of monument to the community's heritage.

The setting sun gave the former house of worship a very eerie silhouette as
the trio of girls descended upon it, but what made it even creepier what was
waiting for them inside.

Lila thought what was the best way to approach this ... all together at once
in a frontal assault, or coming from different flanks to try and surround him.
Of course, with no way of telling what was going on inside, either plan was a
risk.

What Lila found disheartening was the fact that Ben Russell apparently didn't
take Jennifer's bait of leaving town and following after, she guessed that he
didn't find her too much of a threat ... and now they were left to fend for
themselves against this unstoppable menace.

The girls brought some useful items that they could carry easily for the trip,
which included Abbie's staff, her wakizashi, and the rolling pin from Abby's
place. It wasn't much, but it was the best they could come up with the really
short amount of time they had to prepare.

"If we're going to go, then it's now before it gets really dark," Serenity
mused, not wanting lose having the advantage of daylight to attempt a
successful assault on the run downed structure.

Lila still looked hesitant on what to do as she tried to calm her own fears on
what could very well likely be a one-way trip with no coming back""Ashley
shared her feelings as she placed a reassuring arm around her friend's
shoulder.

Just then, a noise was heard close by, and the three girls turned to it
instantly, wondering edgily if Ben was trying to sneak up on them as this
place was remote enough for someone to just be walking around. Each of them
held onto their weapon of choice""Lila with the staff, Ashley with the rolling
pin, and Serenity holding the wakizashi lethally forward.

In the limited light available outside, a figure emerged from the trees
nearby, and it was revealed to be Jennifer approaching them!

Ashley and Serenity looked overjoyed at seeing their companion returning,
however, Lila looked furious. Dropping the staff, she rushed over to her
friend, and instead of embracing her, the junior snoop tackled her to the
ground.

"How could you leave us like that!" she yelled out in anger, her fists
punching at Jennifer mercilessly.

Ashley and Serenity grabbed Lila off of the startled girl, who didn't even try
to fight back. Serenity then took hold of Lila until she calmed down, while
Ashley helped Jennifer to her feet and hugged her tightly. "Lila's right ...
how could you leave us all alone with him?" Ashley asked with a more soother
tone, but upset nonetheless.

Jennifer had a look of extreme guilt on her pale face, not blaming them one
bit for their behavior. "I'm sorry ... " she finally said as a start. "I
really thought that he would follow me ... I guess I was wrong."

"You got that right you were wrong!" Lila continued to holler, "While you were
off running away, Ben struck at us instead, and took Tina and Abbie."

"I know ... " she replied knowingly, " ... and I truly feel awful for my bad
decision. I wouldn't blame all of you for not forgiving me."

Lila began to appear more in control now, and Serenity finally released her.
Even though she knew that Jennifer was not really responsible for what
happened back that night at the Tower Farm, a part of her never really got
over that, and confronting her just now was what she needed to finally put
those feelings aside. She then stepped forward to the psychic, who cringed at
possibly getting walloped again, and gave her a warm hug instead. Jennifer was
taken aback by this unexpected gesture for Lila never once showed any feelings
towards her in the physical sense, and she hugged her back just as tightly.

Ashley teared up a little at seeing her two friends finally reconcile with
each other. "I don't mean to break up this heartfelt moment, but we do have a
rescue to perform still," Serenity spoke without any sarcasm, but with a firm
tone.

Releasing her, Lila looked at Jennifer also with a sense of surprise at seeing
her there. "Why did you come back?" she asked.

"I had ... a change of heart," she replied simply, not wanting to divulge what
she learned from her visit with Mr. Pickman.

"That's good enough for me," Serenity said, showing her appreciation that
their comrade had returned for the advantage was now back in their corner.

"Jennifer ... see if you can find out what's going on inside that building,"
Ashley suggested to her.

Jennifer stared straight at the dilapidated building, her eyes narrowed as she
was beginning to sense what was going on inside. Serenity looked amazed at
Jennifer's strange abilities, wondering what it would be like to have that
kind of power and how she would use it. Her two sisters, Felicity and Charity,
would bear the brunt of all kinds of mysterious occurrences, which no doubt
would freak them out""a little sibling payback. And her boyfriend, Joey
Housely, would be keeping his act together if he knew that she could pry into
whatever he was thinking. Of course, with that kind of power comes great
responsibility with it, and she wasn't quite so sure she would want that kind
of burden, especially at such a young age like Jennifer.

"I can sense Tina and Abbie alive," Jennifer said slowly, which elicited cries
of joy from the others. "And, of course, he's in there with them ... " she
then said darkly.

"Could you communicate with one of them to get an inside perspective of the
layout?" Lila then asked, wanting to use Jennifer unique gifts to their full
advantage.

"She could do that?" Serenity asked in surprise. She then reconsidered wanting
to have her powers now after learning that neat little trick.

"Yes ... she did it to me at the hospital, and it was really freaky talking to
someone without moving your mouth," Ashley said to her, recalling their little
telepathic chats.

Reaching out with her mind further, Jennifer wondered fearfully if Ben would
pick up any of her "signals" and putting them at even more risk, but since he
wasn't psychic to begin with, the chances of that happening here was nil.
However, now being a spiritual being, who knows what abilities he may have.
Still, the risk was worth it if they were to save Abbie and Tina from him.

"I can sense Tina's mind, but she's in a sort of semi-consciousness," Jennifer
continued, this time causing sounds of distress, particularly Lila and Ashley,
for that didn't sound good for their friend at all.

"Abbie is fully conscious, and trying to keep her fear at a minimum."

Serenity grinned upon hearing that, for Abbie always tried to be strong, even
in the most harrowing of situations.

Jennifer then went to work at connecting with Abbie's mind ...

* * *

Abbie sat on the ground inside the old church as uncomfortable as can be. She
was tied up with rope""hands behind the back and ankles together. She was
gagged being brought here from the house, but Ben had removed it now,
realizing that no one was going to hear her futile screams. Her injured arm
from their last encounter was aching in searing pain as he removed the sling
it was resting in, and was now stretched over to her other hand. But her
discomfort paled in comparison to what poor Tina was enduring.

The cute brunette was tied hand and foot to makeshift rack made from large
pieces of wood and fastened together with the same rope. But what made Tina's
situation even graver was the fact that she was suspended upright and
upside-down. Ben was brutally torturing the teen girl by pressing the heated
tips of his dagger against her soft skin""he made a small fire pit in the
center of the great room they were in. And like Leslie, Tina was also beaten
to the point where she now was in a daze.

Abbie cringed every time she heard Tina's painful screams for help as her gag
was off as well. Injured or not, if she wasn't tied up, Abbie would gladly ram
that dagger right through his black heart, even though she knows that the boy
he inhabited was completely innocent of all this, just like poor Judah was ...

Surprisingly, Ben had not really touched her during her captivity, aside from
the slaps she received when she tried to fight him off during the car ride she
and Tina endured while crammed together inside the backseat floor area. He
obviously was waiting to generate panic in her on how he would exactly kill
her, and as time progressed, it was starting to work as witnessing Tina's
predicament was just a fraction of what he most likely was going to do to her.

With no rescue in sight, Abbie resigned to the fact that she was going to die
here in this former place of worship, and then he was going to systematically
hunt down the rest of her family""it was that disturbing thought that made her
even more depressed.

It was during this time of anguish that Abbie thought she heard a voice. It
was faint at first, but it became clearer, and she realized that it was
Jennifer's! The junior snoop looked around subtly, not wanting to arouse the
suspicions of her captor, who was currently sitting in front of the fire pit,
dangling his dagger over the crackling flames.

Being in the open, Abbie couldn't understand how she can hear her and he
can't. It was then that she discovered that the voice was coming from inside
her.

"Abbie ... please don't speak out," Jennifer instructed, "just use your
thoughts to talk with me."

"Is it really you? ... How are you able to do this?" Abbie thought back
incredulously as this experience seemed so surreal.

"I'm right outside along with Lila, Ashley, and Serenity," she answered,
staying to the matter at hand. "Abbie, are you and Tina alright?"

Looking at her injured friend hanging like a piece of meat, Abbie replied
somberly. "I'm okay, except a little tied up, but not Tina ... she's hurt very
badly and needs medical attention right away."

"Listen, I need for you to do something ... could you have Ben occupied for a
couple of minutes to keep him off guard?" Jennifer asked carefully.

"I'll do my best ... " Abbie replied warily, as the thought of striking up a
conversation with that monster was torture in itself. Abbie then got the sense
that Jennifer was no longer present in her mind, which meant that it was time
to initiate her little diversion ...

"Hey ... " she called out to him, which caused a cursory glance towards her.
"Jennifer was right about you," she started to say, hoping that the mentioning
of her name would incite a discussion long enough for her friends to come.

"About what?" he relaxed his posture as he leaned back away from the fire.

"That you are nothing more than a coward," she then said, wondering what kind
of response she'll receive.

"That bitch doesn't really know anything about me!" he bellowed angrily,
pointing the blackened dagger straight at her.

Abbie knew that she hit a nerve, for he was afraid of her, but would not admit
it. "On the contrary, she's told us all sorts of things about your dismal
childhood and how feared your grandmother ... " she taunted him gladly now.
Abbie knew she really struck something sensitive to him as he stood up and
approached her threateningly with the dagger. "What're you going to do ...
kill me ... torture me? ... " she said in defiance to him, for she no longer
had any fear from him now, and it infuriated him as that was what he craved
the most.

Standing right next to her, he kicked at her hard in the gut to try and quell
his anxiety. Coughing hard from the harsh blow, Abbie looked up at him in
total contempt. "You've lost now ... you may be able to kill me, and everyone
I love, but in the end, you are the one who is pathetic ... a sorry excuse for
a man."

Ben roared out in rage, and went to kick at her again, when he suddenly
stopped. "Ben ... I'm coming to get you ... " a voice was heard from within
him, and he knew who that was.

His eyes went wide with fright, and he twirled around, trying to see if anyone
was around. Abbie looked a bit confused at his sudden erratic behavior, but
ascertained that it must be Jennifer talking to him with her mind. She smirked
happily at seeing him being scared for a change, for it showed how vulnerable
he really was. "What's the matter ... something got you spooked for a change?"

"You shut up!" he yelled at her in aggravation, then without any warning, a
long rod came hurling over to him, whacking him square in the chest, and
sending him plummeting to the ground on his back. An instant later, Abbie felt
arms wrapped around her stomach and was being pulled away. She turned her head
and saw that it was Serenity coming to her aid.

Ben didn't have much time to recover from the unexpected blow as he felt
another strike, this time to his groin. He howled in absolute pain as Ashley
stood right over him, holding the rolling pin firmly. She then cringed in
horror at seeing Tina in the distance. "Oh, no ... Tina!" Running over to help
her, she felt her foot being seized and turned to see Ben grabbing her ankle.
He reached out his other hand around the ground, searching for the dagger that
he dropped when he landed after his first hit, but he couldn't find it.

Ashley raised the rolling pin to strike him, when that rod came down again,
this time on his back. Lila appeared holding it with look of fury in her blue
eyes. "You stay down there like the animal you are!" The latest blow was
enough for Ashley to wrest his grip from her, and she rushed over to where
Tina was.

Still in some pain, Ben looked up to see Lila over him and he smirked at her.
"Is that the best you got, little girl?" She went to strike at him again, but
Ben was ready this time as he grabbed the staff, and shoved it forward,
sending the girl off balance. That was all he needed to get back on his feet.

Meanwhile, Serenity had just finished untying Abbie, and helped her friend up.
"Do you need your sling back?" she asked, noticing how carefully Abbie was
cradling her injured arm. "There's no time for that!" Abbie cried out, seeing
Lila struggling with Ben all by herself. Even though she doesn't have the full
use of her arms, her legs were still strong and healthy, and that what she
used to attack him.

Still a bit weakened by Ashley's groin assault, Ben started going after Lila,
who no longer had the staff with her. In the corner of his eye, Ben saw shadow
move passed him. He turned to it and was instantly met by a sneaker as Abbie
made a flying kick and rammed her foot right across his face. In an instant
later, Abbie swung her body around, delivering an equally impressive kick,
this time to his midsection. Ben was almost knocked down by that latest blow,
but he managed to keep his balance.

Lila was amazed at Abbie's skill in fighting. She knows full well about her
prowess in the martial arts, but to actually see it in action was completely
different. Lila knew that Ben would end up escaping again like he did at
Abby's house, but the goal here was to make him do that by incapacitating him
as much as possible before he would have a chance to inflict his own form of
damage upon them, namely a knife to the gut or throat. This latest body was in
was not much older than her, and his size was definitely on the skinnier side,
so besting him so far wasn't that difficult.

But as they got their licks on him, it was now his turn as Ben retrieved the
staff lying on the ground, quickly he used it to trip Abbie to the floor
before she had time to hit him again, in a fluid motion he spun the staff and
whacked Lila across the face and knocked her down. Taking advantage of the
upper hand now, Ben went to strike at Abbie for he knew that she was the most
dangerous adversary here, but suddenly, he stopped for a moment and noticed
that there were more girls present. Serenity helped Abbie get to her feet
again, while Lila crawled away and got back on her feet as well. And then
behind him, Jennifer stood there in front of where Tina was suspended, who now
was cut down as Ashley tended to her wounded friend.

"You can't get away this time ... " Jennifer said deliberately to him.

Ben scoffed at her petty intimidation on him, for that was nothing but a lame
attempt at scaring him, and she knew it. Of course, he could just leave, but
so far this has been interesting. He got them where he wanted, including
getting Jennifer as a bonus now. "You just couldn't leave, could you?" he said
to her, facing her now""the flickering lights from the fire casted an eerie
glow over him.

"It ends here and now ... " was all that she said, as even her friends were
confused by what she meant.

Ben smirked back at her. "Just try it ... " he challenged. He tossed the staff
aside, and then rushed at her.

Caught off guard, the other girls froze in a momentary pause by Ben's sudden
move, but then reacted quickly as they started to advance towards him.
Jennifer, too, was taken aback by his unexpected move, and stepped back a
little. With his arms, stretched out, Ben grabbed Jennifer by her throat,
squeezing tightly. He wanted to choke the life out of her right then and
there, but her friends were almost upon him.

In one quick move, he twirled himself""with Jennifer still in his grasp""and
using the inertia he generated, released her, and flung her right into the
others, knocking them over like a bowling ball.

The nimble Abbie had managed to dodge his move and rushed towards him. Abbie
send a kick to his head but this time he was ready.

Grabbing her leg he then send a vicious uppercut to her crotch. Abbie screamed
in pain and Ben used the moment to throw her hard to the floor.

With a mean smirk he stomped down hard on her injured arm, making the teen
howl in pain.

Satisfied with stopping Abbie, he picked up the staff again, and this time
rushed over to Serenity who raised the wazikashi as she seemed ready for him.
Ben spun the staff and with a mighty swing he shattered the wazikashi, the
strike swung through and hit Serenity in the shoulder. Ben twirled the staff
and with a second blow to her head he knocked Serenity out cold, making her
slump to the floor. Whirling the staff he then charged at Ashley, who was
still tending to Tina. She held onto her dazed friend tightly in fear as she
braced for the attack coming, when all of a sudden, a strange noise was heard
from above.

Ben stopped as he heard it too. Something from above began to plummet right
over him. Finally seeing it, he moved to get out if its way, but the object
slammed on his left leg, shattering it. "Yoooooowwww!" he screamed in
agonizing pain from the impact. The mysterious object was revealed to be a
large statue of an angel, and it looked directly at Ben as if passing some
form of judgment. With his leg wedged tightly under the heavy block of marble,
he was trapped with no way of getting out.

It was like moths to the light, as Lila, Abbie, and Serenity quickly
surrounded him, making sure that he didn't try and get away. Jennifer remained
lying on the ground, still coughing from her choking assault, as she witnessed
what had happened. The unexpected presence of the statue had her completely
baffled, almost like some sort of divine intervention had taken place. As
expected though, she sensed that Ben was preparing to ditch his latest host,
but this time she was ready for him.

Sitting up, she narrowed her dark green eyes on him, and then closed them as
she spread her arms out wide. As the spirit of Ben Russell was vacating the
injured body of Bobby Hampton, he suddenly felt being pulled to another
direction than from where he intended to go. Jennifer acted as like a
spiritual vacuum, sucking the essence of Ben towards her. He tried with every
ounce of his will to stop her from pulling him, but the young girl was just
too strong for him. It was just like that scene when he first died and was
forced into her body, and now it was happening all over again.

Jennifer suddenly opened her eyes as she felt him inside her again like a
caged animal wanting to get out. Nearby over at the fire pit, she saw his
dagger on the ground, and reached over to grab it. Pointing the thin blade
towards her, Jennifer tried to ram it into her chest, but couldn't as Ben
fought desperately with her for control as he knew what she was trying to do.

Ashley saw that and ran over to her, confused by what was going on. She knelt
down in front of Jennifer, shocked at seeing her apparently trying to kill
herself. Jennifer looked upon at Ashley with pleading eyes. "Ashley, please
help me ... I can't do this on my own ... he's too strong," she whispered at
her.

Ashley immediately realized what had just happened. "He's inside you ... " she
said with even more shock.

Jennifer nodded back. "You have to kill me ... it's the only way to stop him."

Ashley looked at her friend with such distress that she began to cry. "No ...
there has to be another way ... you can't die ... you can't," her words
started to mumble a bit as she was getting all choked up.

Struggling with him as much as she could, Jennifer looked longfully at Ashley
with tears running down her cheeks. "I love you ... " she said tenderly, and
then suddenly, her amiable dark green eyes changed to that of hatred as the
spirit of Ben Russell had now taken over her.

Ashley reacted instinctively in fear and plunged the dagger deep into
Jennifer's chest!

Jennifer's eyes went wide in shock as her mouth opened fully, but a
high-pitched screeching sound came out instead, which caused Ashley to cover
her ears from the deafening noise being uttered. Jennifer fell on her back and
began trembling all over as the screeching continued. A howling wind from out
of nowhere began to accompany with what was happening to her. Everyone inside
tried to protect their faces as small bits of debris began flying everywhere.
Lila ran over to the still limp Tina, trying to shield her from the onslaught.

After about a minute of that, the wind suddenly died down, and the screeching
noise had ended. All was now quiet and dark""the howling wind blew out the
fire. The only sound now heard was that of Ashley sobbing as she cradled the
lifeless body of Jennifer Fowler in her arms.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was the next day after what happened at the old church, and Jennifer's body
was quietly laid to rest near Mr. Pickman's cottage in the forest per his
request. All the girls involved were present there, even Tina and Leslie, who
still wore the fresh scars from yesterday wouldn't miss this solemn event.
Pickman had assured them that Ben Russell was finally stopped and was no
longer in this world""his reign of terror was over.

"She saved us ... and not just us in particular, but all women everywhere,"
Lila said, still gazing at the small wooden cross at Jennifer's grave after
the private ceremony had concluded.

"It's too bad that no one will ever know what really happened," Abbie added
somberly.

"Yeah ... but we know, and we'll all keep it within us, for we'll never forget
the brave sacrifice she did," Lila stated as another tear ran down her face.

"I guess you guys will be leaving soon," Abbie said on a resigned note,
wanting to enjoy her Florida friend's company now that the horror was over.

"Yeah ... Zach said he'll be here tomorrow morning to take us back home," Lila
replied, wishing that she could stay a little bit longer also.

"Well, we at least have the night to look forward to. My mother is planning a
special dinner for you all, just so you know," Abbie spoke happily, then went
to hug her. "Thanks again for coming to my aid," she said sincerely.

"You would've done the same like you told me when Russell was after me in
Florida," Lila smiled back warmly at her Snowden friend.

"How's Ashley doing still?" Abbie then asked, concerned for their fellow snoop
as she's been withdrawn from everyone after Jennifer died.

"The physical scars that Ben inflicted on us will heal in time, but the
emotional ones are much deeper," Lila said as she looked where Ashley sat all
alone on a large rock""the result of Ben Russell's final victim. "I only hope
that she'll come out of it soon ... "

* * *

Ashley sat motionless while staring aimlessly at the ground. She hadn't
uttered a word since last night as she was still in state of extreme shock
from the tragic loss of one of her dearest friends.

Natalie Logan was also present there, as she asked Mr. Pickman to come for she
missed Jennifer in the brief time that she knew her. You didn't need to be a
psychic to tell that Ashley was deeply depressed, but Natalie's unique insight
told her that she was completely lost in her own mind, and wouldn't come out.

The young girl approached the sullen teenager carefully with a sorrow look on
her own face. "I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry for your loss." Ashley
still looked down as she didn't even acknowledge her. Moving a little closer
to her now, Natalie continued to speak. "I met her too, you know ... and I
have something that she would want you to have." This time, Ashley raised her
head up and finally looked at the little girl standing right in front of her.
In a careful gesture, Natalie wrapped her small arms around Ashley's slender
body, and closed her eyes.

Ashley's green eyes suddenly opened wide, and she began to hug Natalie back as
she felt Jennifer's comforting presence emanating from the child. As if a wall
had been torn down in her mind, Ashley suddenly started to cry""the first
stimuli she had shown since last night. Natalie continued to hold her as she
too started to weep openly.

The others heard the emotional scene that was taking place, and they all
converged to the hugging duo with tears in their eyes. Ashley then let go of
Natalie and smiled happily at her. "Thank you ... " she whispered softly to
her.

Everyone then approached Ashley, and extended hugs to her as the healing
process for all of them started to begin.