In the Grips of Fear, Beware - Part 4

By Nikki_Lynn

     Wayne's eyes flew open, sitting up in bed, shaking, breathing in shaky gasps.
     "Wayne! Are you alright?" asked Mel, "Wayne?!"
     "I... I'm fine," he managed, "Wax got Holly... I couldn't... I didn't... see what happened to her."
     He paused, "I screwed up! If I had just stayed where I was, I would have seen what happened to her! Dammit!"
     "Take it easy, Wayne," said Mel, "We'll find another way... I know we will..."

* * * * *
     'It's like watching a war movie,' Ryan thought. He stood in the middle of the battle field, unaffected by the bullets that passed through his body. Reaching out a hand, he tried to pick up one of the spent shells that lay on the ground, only to have his fingertips pass right through it. Soldiers ran by without seeing him... One even ran *through* him.
     'Correction,' he thought, 'It's like being in the movie Ghost.'
     Ryan suddenly shuddered. A chill ran down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end... the feeling that he was being watched... more intensly than he had ever experience the sensation before. Ryan spun around, looking behind him, but saw no one, aside from the oblivious troops.
     "Ryan..." The voice was quiet... so quiet that Ryan thought he had imagined it, as he turned in the direction the voice had emmanated from and looked for the source.
     "Ryan... This way..." It was louder this time, and Ryan recognized it. "Nikki_Lynn?!" he called, "Where are you?"
     He began to walk towards her voice, as she continued to call to him... stopping suddenly, shocked by what he saw... Wax... holding a gun to Holly's head. Ryan reached out, frantically trying to take the gun, only to have his hand pass straight through. Then he realized that Wax was looking at something in the distance, and following the madman's gaze, he saw Wayne making his way toward them... and then watched as his friend's figure was obscured by the sudden explosion of a land mine. Almost simultaneously, Ryan heard the gunshot, looking back at Holly just in time to see her slump to the groun and go limp. Then, Nikki_Lynn's voice again, "Watch..."
     Wax pulled a small, but ornate jar from behind his back. It was red, ceramic, with two gold snakes intertwined along its sides, curving their way up to the top to hold down the lid. Wax carefully opened the jar, and a flood of pale blue light lit his face. He held the jar out in front of him, and from Holly's body rose a sphere of light, the same color as that from the jar. Ryan's eyes widened as the light fromt the jar turned green and began to take the shape of a translucent hand, snatching the blue orb away from Holly's body, and pulling it into the jar. Wax laughed as he replaced the lid and put the jar away, the smoking gun still in his hand as helooked down at Holly, then raising the gun. Ryan looked in the direction the gun was pointed.
     "Tell Wayne!" Nikki_Lynn's voice cried. This time, Ryan easily found the source... the jar... Listening, he could hear the cries of the other Brady Bunchers as well. A gunshot rang out, and Ryan shut his eye, knowing whom the bullet was meant for, not wanting to watch. Then he felt himself falling, out of control, backwards... opening his eyes, seeing only shadowed images, until he hit a barrierm the impact taking his breath away...
* * * * *
     Ryan sat up, feeling as though he had been suddenly and brutally thrust up against a wall. Looking around, finding himself back in the hotel room, remembering everything.
     "Tell Wayne..." Nikki_Lynn's voice echoed in his memory, and he sprang from the bed, hurrying to the door, and nearly tripping over Brad, asleep on the floor, in the process. The commotion woke the others, who stared at Ryan as he yanked open the door and ran out into the hall. Recovering from their unexpected wake-up call, the others quickly followed.
* * * * *
     Mel and Wayne looked up in utter astonishment as Ryan burst into the room.
     "I know where they are!" he cried.
     "What?! Who?! Ryan, what are you talking about?" Mel asked.
     "I know what Wax has done with the rest of the Brady Bunch! I was in you dream, too, Wayne!"
     "Oh no," Wayne groaned, as Greg, Brad, and Colin came into the room, "Them Wax is after you, too."
     "What's going on?" Colin asked, still half asleep. Ryan ignored him for the moment.
     "No, I don't think so," he said, "I was standing right next to him, and it was like I was invisible, or something."
     Ryan quickly explained what he had seen.
     "Nikki_Lynn?" asked Mel, "You're sure it was her voice that called to you?"
     "Positive," said Ryan, "I could hear the others, too, but Nikki_Lynn was the only one who was speaking directly to me."
     "But how could you have been pulled into *my* dream?" asked Wayne, still skeptical.
     "And how come none of us were there?" Brad chimed in.
     "Ya know," said Mel, looking at Ryan, "It's possible that the other Brady Bunchers have figured out how Wax was getting into our dreams and somehow used that knowledge to get into yours."
     "No," said Greg, "I think you have it backwards. I don't think Wax is getting into *your* dreams at all. I think he's somehow pulling you into *his*."
     "That would make sense," said Colin, "I mean, wouldn't that pretty much give Wax complete control over what happens in the dream?"
     "Then that means the others may have found a way to tap into whatever power Wax is using, and then used it to bring Ryan in as well," said Mel, "But in such a way that Wax was totally unaware of it."
     "That's all well and good," said Wayne, "but what I'm more interested in is this jar Wax has..."
     "Right," siad Mel, "The jar. We've gotta get our hands on it somehow..."
     "Another trip into Wax's little fantasy world?" suggested Greg, "To get the jar?"
     "But what do we do once we get it?" asked Mel. She looked at Ryan again, "You said something about a hand coming out and grabbing Holly's soul?"
     "Yeah," said Ryan, "It was creepy... Like something out of a bad horror movie."
     "Then there's something in the jar besides just the Brady Bunch," Mel continued, "And we have no idea what."
     "Well," said Brad, reaching into the paper sack that Holly had brought back with her from their earlier trip, "We can't just sit here and do nothing. Eventually, we're going to have to go up against Wax... Hey! Egg salad!"
     "How can you eat at a time like this?" asked Colin.
     "Easy," said Brad, taking a bite of the sandwich, "I'm starving."
     "Brad's rihgt, though," said Greg, "We *are* going to have to face Wax... or more accuratly, you two are going to have to face him."
     "Maybe the others can bring you guys in, too," said Mel.
     "I don't know," replied Ryan, "I don't think it was very easy for them... Nikki_Lynn didn't even really talk to me... just one or two word sentances... like it was a major effort on her part..."
* * * * *
     Linz felt as though her mind, her self-identity, her personallity, all that made her who she was, had been broken into a thousand pieces and scattered over an inconcievably vast plain of existance. This strange state of being created for her a sense of hyper-awareness. She didn't see or hear or feel or smell or taste... Everything around her was beyond sense. Rather, she knew, on a purely intelectual level, everything there was to know about her surrounding. The slivers of her soul spread out, everywhere and nowhere. This place was unlike anything she had ever imagined... a void... a great nothingness, and yet at the same time, she was fully contained within it. There was nothing of the physical world here. Even her body was gone. She was pure conciousness with no physical form... scattered conciousness that seeped into every corner of this place. She wasn't alone... she knew that... The others floated all around her, in the same state, but they were silent, as was she. If conciousness can exist without the physical world, then it must be a form of energy... And they had used *so* much energy to call for Ryan. They remained silent, even to each other now, lest they disturb their guardian... a guardian who had been not at all pleased by their short contact with the physical world...
* * * * *
     Brad reached back into the paper sack, checking to see if he had missed anything. Finally, his fingers touched plastic, closing around its cool surface and lifting it out... a small bottle of pills...
     "Hey guys? Check this out," said Brad. Mel took the bottle.
     "Sleeping pills," she stated, "I was wondering how Holly managed to fall asleep after all that coffee."
     "Well, it was nice of her to leave us some," said Ryan, "We can get into Wax's little dreamland that much faster now."
     The remainder of the group worked out a plan. Wayne and Mel would attack Wax directly. Ryan ad Greg would both be asleep as well, in case the imprisoned Brady Bunch *could* manage to bring them in to help. Brad and Colin, meanwhile would keep a close eye on everyone. Ryan described the jar in detail for Wayne and Mel so there would be no question as to what they were going after, and finally, Mel opened the bottle of sleeping pills, handing them out to those who were venturing into Wax's dreams.
* * * * *
     Mel opened her eyes, suddenly becoming accutely aware of the pain in her arms. She raised her head and discovered that she was bound by her wrists to two wooden pole, her feet dangling a foot off the ground.
     "Oh great. *This* is promising..." she muttered, trying to ignore the strain her own weight put on her arms, the ropes that held her, cutting into her skin. She quickly took stock of her situation. The terrain was rocky, sparse vegetation growing in random nooks and crannies along the wall of the cliff on which she was bound. Almost directly in front of her, a bridge made of old ropes and rotting planks spanned a huge chasm, the cliff on the opposite side rising up to meet the horizon. She couldn't see over the edge, but something about the area told her the chasm was deep... very deep. The sun was setting, the horizon glowing a breath-taking orange, a late afternoon breeze whistling along the cliff-face. Mel felt her flesh crawl as she suddenly realized she wasn't alone...
* * * * *
     Wayne skittered over loose rocks as he edged his way along the narrow outcrop on the side of the cliff. He sighed with relief as his path began to widen, and he no longer was forced to cling to the cliff wall. Mel was nowhere in sight... Neither were Greg or Ryan. Still, Wayne felt somehow drawn in one direction... Moving along the cliff, carefully watching his step, he dared to look down into the gorge on his right. A river snaked its way along the bottom of the chasm, from where Wayne stood, no more than a trickle. The height was dizzying, and Wayne's breath caught in his throat, mesmerized by fear and awe, only tearing his gaze away when her heard the scream...
* * * * *
     "WAYNE!" Mel screamed again, hoping he was somewhere nearby. A familiar voice laughed from behind her.
     "Don't worry, my dear," Wax chuckled, "He'll be here soon enough... You needn't waste that lovely voice of yours. There will be *plenty* of time for that delightful screaming later..."
     He walked around her so that they were face to face, and cupped Mel's chin in his hand.
     "Oh yes," he said, gleefully, "Plenty of time... It's going to be so much fun tormenting you all... And think... Every night when Wayne goes to sleep, he can watch it all..."
     He smiled ruthlessly, still tenderly holding her by the chin. Mel glared at him, then suddenly twisted her head away from his hand, and then forward, catching him off guard, sinking her teeth into his hand between his thumb and index finger. Wax howled with pain, but Mel didn't let go until she had drwn blood. Wax drew his hand back, seething over the pain, and looking down as the cresent of teethmarks that adorned both the palm and the back of his hand.
     "You little bitch," he hissed, "You'll pay for that!"
     Then, with his uninjured hand, he delivered a stinging blow across her face. Mel didn't flinch. Anger flared in her eyes as Wax regained his composure.
     "Well," he said, looking out across the gorge, "Who do we have here?"
     Mell, too, looked across, seeing Wayne as he made his way to the bridge...
* * * * *
     Wayne watched as Wax slapped Mel, felt the fury rising inside of him, and hurried to the bridge. As he took a step onto it, the old wooden planks creaked beneath his foot. Wayne took a deep breath and put his entire weight onto the bridge... It held. He slowly made his way across, holding onto the roped on either side for support, careful to maintain his balance. The bridge shook and creaked and swayed with each step. It seemed like hours before he reached the middle of the bridge...
* * * * *
     Wax stood, arms folded across his chest, watching with glee as his brother slowly, ever so slowly, crossed the ancient-looking bridge. Without even bothering to turn to her, he spoke to Mel.
     "My dear, what do you say we give my brother just a bit more excitement?"
     Mel didn't know what Wax had in mind, but she was sure it wasn't good.
     "Wayne! Be careful!" she screamed. Wax laughed...
* * * * *
     Wayne was startled by Mel's sudden warning. 'He must be up to something,' he thought. He was halfway across... It wouldn't be long before he reached the other side. He looked up at Wax, who smiled at him and waved. Suddenly, the bridge lurched. Wayne looked down at the ropes that held the planks together... heard the unmistakable sound of ropes breaking, and then the entire brisge twisted, turning sideways. Wayne made a desparte grab for the rope, just barely catching it as he fell. He pulled himself up so that he could wrap his arms and legs around the rope, gasping as he looked down into the chasm he had nearly fallen into. He stayed there, motionless for fear he might lose his grip, then steadied himself and began moving hand over hand towards Wax and Mel, the rope grating against his skin as he slid along it...
* * * * *
     "My, my, he is persistant, isn't he?" Wax sighed, "What do you think, my dear? Should I allow him to make it all the way over here? Or should I just snap that rope in two and let him fall?"
     Mel gasped, horrified by the thought that Wax both willing and able to do something like that.
     "Oh, not to worry, my sweet," Wax crooned, patting her cheek, "I wouldn't kill him... Where's the fun in that? No, no, no... When he falls, he'll simply wake up. What better torture that to let him get so close and then rip it all away from him?"
     Mel shuddered at the icy coldness in his voice... And then watched as Wax turned back to the bridge...
* * * * *
     Wayne froze as he felt the rope suddenly shake. He looked back and saw the rope beginning to fray... It wouldn't hold for long. He increased his pace, moving along the line as fast as he could, but it was not fast enough. Wayne was still a good twenty feet from the end of the bridge when the rope went slack and he started falling...

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