******Back from Commercial Break******

Inside the pitch black hallway, the group stood frozen, unable to move as Jason and Chloe's flashlights, barely illuminated Alastor's figure in the distance. Standing behind the FreakyLinks team, was Amy, Nathan, and the security guard. Amy kept a vigilant eye on the EMF meter, watching out for increases in electro magnetic energy. The security guard, seeing Alastor, leaned in close to Nathan, whispering.

"Please tell me you've experienced this before ".

Nathan swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry" Nathan whispered back, "we've never encountered anything like this".

"What?" snapped Chloe, turning around.

"We've never encountered this in a full body transformation…only in black mass or mist forms".

Jason glared at Nathan, as Lan hugged Derek, who continued staring at Alastor, afraid to look away.

"Man, I thought you said you've dealt with this thing" hissed Jason.

"I have!" Nathan hissed back, "but I did so, with the help of our psychic / medium - who ISN'T here by the way!"

"Guys.." interrupted Amy, "the EMF level's rising…this thing's charging up for an attack."

Jason looked back at Alastor, and then at Nathan. He and Chloe leaned in close.

"These items" spoke Jason, holding out the holy water and silver pendants, "will they be enough to stop him?"

"Those items? They will hurt him" answered Nathan, " but those will only ward him off temporarily… My plan was, If we can continuously bombard him with these holy items, we should be able to keep him away long enough for us to get out of the building."

Jason and Chloe exchanged looks.

"Sounds like a plan" spoke Chloe, but before she could continue, a smooth masculine voice called out from the hallway.

"Mr. Adler…"

The entire group focused their attention on the lone figure standing in the distance.

"Mr. Adler" spoke Alastor, "You know what I am capable of, do you not?"

Nathan swallowed hard.

"Yes" Nathan replied, in a raised voice, "I've seen what you can do". Alastor nodded.

"I can destroy you and your friends, with just a simple waive of my hand…But I am prepared to spare your lives…in exchange for Derek Barnes…."

The group was speechless.

"Give me Derek Barnes, and I will allow the rest of you to leave this place, unharmed. Refuse me, and you will all share his fate. Be advised and hand him over! His wretched life, is not worth throwing yours away…"

Lan gasped squeezing Derek's waist, as the group stared at him. He was shivering slightly, and he lowered his head, terrified. Derek knew his friends. He knew they would never give him up. But what if there was no other way? The amulet was gone. He no longer had the power to send evil spirits back to hell. And what's more, this was all his fault.

Derek looked at Lan, and she looked at him; both exchanged sad, frightened expressions. She was so beautiful. In this moment, Derek felt he loved her. He looked at Chloe and Jason, who stared back at him with similar expressions. He loved them as well. Without his friends, Derek was nothing. He had nothing. Sighing, Derek realized what he needed to do. He touched Lan's face, caressing her, and Chloe and Jason (jaws dropped), watched in shock as Derek leaned in and kissed Lan, passionately. The kiss lasted for a few seconds, and then he gently pulled away. Lan looked at Derek with an expression of both love and worry. He gazed into her eyes, forcing himself to smile. So beautiful…

I love you, Lan, Derek thought to himself.

And with those thoughts, Derek pulled himself out of Lan's grasp, turned, and attempted to walk towards Lan cried out and latched on to Derek's waist. Derek tried pulling himself free, but Jason and Chloe, each grabbed one of his arms, pulling him back towards the group. Derek struggled.

"Let me go!" Derek protested angrily, "didn't you hear him? He's gonna kill us all!"

"Damn it Derek, NO!" hissed Chloe, "killing yourself is NOT an option! We can still get out of this!"

Derek shook his head, as Chloe's flashlight, illuminated his face. His complexion was deathly pale, except for the cut still bleeding from his right cheek. His misty, baby blue eyes were large, frightened, and angry at the same time. He was still shaking.

"There's no other way" Derek spoke, in a sharp tone, "I lost Adam's amulet in the tunnel. It's my fault we're in this mess…I need to make this right…now let me go!"

Derek tries to move forward, but Chloe, Lan, and Jason hold on to him, tightly. Jason squeezes his arm, shaking him.

"Man, I don't think so!" spoke Jason, squeezing his arm. " 'D', snap out of it!" he ordered, "we're not beaten yet!" Derek looks at Jason, unconvinced, but Jason persists.

"Come on man, can't you see we got your back? All of us, together. We can beat this thing!….Come on Derek, What do you say?"

Derek and Jason exchange looks, and then he looks to Chloe, Lan, and Nathan. Everyone in the group nods, reassuringly. Derek's lips tighten.

"Alright…let's do it" said Derek, as he and Jason bumped fists.

"Yea" smiled Jason, now that's what I'm talking about".

"Mr. Adler…! My patience grows thin!… Have you made your Decision?"

Jason's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward, causing Derek to panic.

"Jason what the hell are you doing?" asked Derek, but Jason took a few more steps.

He then stopped, as he concealed the silver medal and the open holy water bottle at his side.

"Hey Dark man! Yea, you…!" shouted Jason. " I got a little proposition for you!"

Alastor narrowed his eyes, focusing on Jason.

"Jason, what the hell…! Are you nuts? " pleaded Derek.

"Relax 'D', I know what I'm doing" whispered Jason. He then returned his attention to Alastor.

"Hey Dark man!…I believe I speak for everyone here, when I say: Kiss - My - Aa-"

Before Jason could finish his sentence, he was struck down by a piece of hospital equipment that flew at him out of the darkness with blinding speed. Derek's eyes widened in horror, seeing his buddy fall to the ground, clutching his forehead. Derek, Lan, and Chloe dropped to the floor, huddling around Jason, as Amy and Nathan stood, frozen in panic. The guard, however, appeared rather calm, as he slowly and quietly unsnapped his gun holster. He was preparing to draw his weapon…

Chloe held the flashlight over Jason, now bleeding profusely from his forehead. Lan, reached underneath her sweater and ripped off a section of her already torn tank top, and used it to staunch the blood. Derek glared, hatefully at Alsator, who was now smiling.

"ALASTOR" screamed Derek standing back up, "YOU SON OF A BITCH I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!"

But Alastor raised his hand, causing Derek to double over in pain. All of a sudden, Derek began to gasp and choke, as if he were being strangled by an invisible hand. Chloe looked up and screamed. Alastor laughed as Derek fell to the ground, gasping and choking. Lan quickly turned to Nathan, who was still frozen, paralyzed by fear.

"Nathan help us!" cried Lan. Amy grabbed Nathan's arm shaking him, roughly.

"Baby" cried Amy, "for God's sakes we've got to help them! What should we do?"

But before Nathan could respond, the security guard stepped forward with his weapon drawn, and fired three rounds at Alastor, hitting him twice. Alastor suddenly stopped laughing, and slowly looked down at his stomach and right shoulder. Smoke and strange translucent liquid (resembling teal-colored anti-freeze) began oozing from Alastor's bullet wounds. Instantly, he was gripped by agonizing pain, and he unleashed an ear-splitting, animal-like shriek. The guard quickly fired three more rounds, hitting Alastor in his right arm, and in his left leg, just above the knee.

The guard looked at Amy and Nathan.

"Well what the hell are you two standing there for" he shouted, "grab them and get the hell out of here…!"

Nathan and Amy snapped into action and they pulled Derek up off the ground, slinging his arms over their shoulders. Chloe and Lan did the same with Jason.

"COME ON MOVE!" ordered the guard, as he stood training his weapon and flashlight on Alastor.

The guard listened as the group threw open the fire exit door and began scrambling down the stairs. He then spun around and quickly followed them. The group maneuvered their way down the stairs quickly and carefully, until they reached the first floor. Their freedom was nearly at hand…but to everyone's horror, they found the first door blocked off by an immoveable pile of gurneys, filing cabinets, and various hospital junk.

"Oh are you freakin KIDDING ME ?" shouted Nathan, when seeing their escape route blocked off. He kicked one of the gurneys angrily, as the guard ejected his clip.

"Alright, we'll have to double back on the second floor" spoke Nathan, trying to composed himself.

"I only got three more rounds left" spoke the guard, loading the clip back into his gun. "I'll need to make the last shots count."

Nathan checked Derek out, who was still trying to catch his breath.

"Think you'll be okay to walk, Derek" asked Nathan. Derek nodded "Yes".

Nathan removed Derek's arm from around his shoulder, then carefully cut through the small crowd, leading them back to the second floor landing. As Nathan removed the hospital map from his back pocket, Chloe looked at Jason, seeing if he was okay on his feet. After murmuring inaudibly to him, Jason nodded and Chloe let him go in Lan's arms. The group cautiously made their way back up the stairs.

"That was pretty impressive back there" Chloe said to the guard. "I can't believe that actually worked".

"Yea me neither" answered the guard. "When the little girl outside, told me to take out my bullets and bless them…I almost didn't listen to her…. But Thank God I did…"

The group reached the landing, and watched with bated breath, as Nathan cautiously opened the door marked: 2F. Everyone felt relieved, when the door opened, and that nobody appeared on the other side. The group quickly entered the floor and paused for a moment as Nathan opened up the map, holding the flashlight over it.

"Okay" spoke Nathan, in an elevated whisper, "we need to quickly run to the opposite side of the hallway, make a left to the other flight of stairs, and try to access the lobby that way."

"Yea and what if that doesn't work" groaned Jason, bitterly.

Nathan looked at Jason. "Well if it doesn't work, there's only one other option: the Death Tunnel…"

Derek's eyes widened in horror and he hyperventilated as Lan's expression became equally panicked.

"Oh no!" spoke Lan, "no way in Hell.. We are NOT going back down there!"

Suddenly there was a noise in the pitch black hallway, causing everyone to look up. Amy tucked switched on her thermal imaging camera and videotaped the hallway. There were no apparent heat signatures or any other forms of abnormality.

"I'm not picking up anything on the thermal" said Amy.

"What about the EMF" asked Nathan.

Amy checked the meter and shook her head. "Nope, nothing. So far so good."

"Alright then, let's move" spoke Nathan, walking forward.

Nathan led the way, followed by Amy, Lan and Jason, and then Chloe and Derek. As they paced carefully and quickly past the closed rooms, Chloe looked at Derek, walking next to her.

"Hey. How are you holding up Derek?" Chloe asked in a whisper. Derek looked at her.

"Not bad. A little better" he replied, forcing a smile.

They continued their trek down the long dark hallway when all of a sudden a wooden door swung open, scaring the daylights out of everyone in the group. The guard drew his gun, prepared to fire. But nothing emerged from behind the door. Everyone remained frozen, waiting for something to happen, until Nathan straightened out the map to check what room it was. As he looked through the diagram, Amy rechecked the EMF meter.

"It's okay guys, I'm not picking anything up". This caused a collective sigh in the group, and they all gathered their bearings. Chloe, Derek, Lan, and Jason, moved towards the door.

"What is it, an office" asked Lan, flashing her light into the room.

She and the others were taken back when the light appeared to reveal nothing . Not a ceiling or a floor,; just a wide open space. To Derek, it reminded him of that one amusement park ride, 'The Devil's Pit' where you enter the big circular room, and the room moves so fast, that one literally, looks as though they were defying gravity… Suddenly, without warning, the EMF meter went berserk.

Looking up, Amy screamed when seeing Alastor materialize out of thin air, in the middle of the group. Although he appeared badly hurt, Alastor waived his uninjured arm, forcing everyone in the group (except for Derek and Chloe), down on the ground with incredible force. Chloe and Derek exchanged panicked looks, but before they could react, they felt themselves being knocked off their feet, flying backwards into the mystery room. For a brief moment, Derek and Chloe felt as though they really were flying…but the laws of gravity soon caught up with them, and they both screamed when feeling themselves falling down in what, to them, felt like a bottomless pit…

Alastor stared after them and laughed cruelly, while clutching his injured arm and stomach. Jason lifted his head and observed the wooden door slam shut, and Alastor disappear into thin air… Despite the painful feeling of numbness throughout his body, Jason forced himself up off the ground running towards the wooden door. Discovering it locked, Jason rattled the knob, pulling and pounding on it as the others slowly got up off the ground.

"DEREK, CHLOE!" cried Jason, as he continued pounding on the door, wishing he had an 'Axe'.

Lan joined him, in pounding on the door, calling out their names, as Amy, the guard and Nathan got their bearings. Jason gave the door one last frustrated blow, before turning to Nathan. At this point, Jason was nearly out of patience.

"Well Nate, let's have it! Where are they? What's behind that door?"

Nathan checked the diagram, and slowly looked up, making eye contact with Jason.

"According to the map, they're in the operating theater…"

Jason stopped, and exchanged looks with Lan, the guard and Amy.

"Is there another way we can get in…?"

Inside the operating theater…

Derek and Chloe lay sprawled on the dirty, smelly, floor; decorated in small black and white ceramic tiles. Both were dazed and in pain. But despite the pain, Derek forced himself to stir. Looking around, he observed that he and Chloe were surrounded by darkness, except for the tiny beam of light, emanating from the opposite side of the room. At first he tried to stand up, but he cried out, feeling agonizing pain shoot through his left leg. He fell back down to the ground, not sure if his leg was broken or just sprained. But he quickly dragged himself towards the flashlight, crying out as he cut the palms of his hands on slivers of broken glass.

Grabbing the flashlight, he moved the light about the room, trying to make out their surroundings. Had it not been for the single operating table, a few overturned instrument tables, and shattered glass cabinets, Derek would have swore that he and Chloe had fallen into a coliseum. All that was missing, was the lion. Instead, further inspection revealed that he and Chloe were inside a large operating theater. Chloe groaned weakly, struggling to move, as Derek crawled back to her. She continued to groan as Derek placed his hand on her forehead, shining the flashlight to see if she was hurt. She opened her eyes…

"Derek…" Chloe mumbled, "what happened, where are we?"

Derek bit his lip.

"We're in an operating theater" he answered, "though if you ask me, it looks more like a roman coliseum".

Suddenly, Derek regretted those words, although he wasn't sure why.

"Are you okay Chloe?"

She looked up at Derek, forcing a smile. "I'm still in one piece" she said. Then Chloe winced, after feeling her whole body ache. "Please, help me up" .

Derek gently helped Chloe into a sitting position, and he tried to steady her, seeing that she was still slightly disoriented.

"What about you, Derek? Are you okay" asked Chloe.

"Yea I'm okay" Derek answered, "but I think my leg's hurt".

Chloe slipped her hand in her pocket, seeing if she had any headache / muscle ache pills on her, but instead she pulled out the small card of Saint Michael, the Arch angel. Chloe had almost forgotten about it.

"Oh my God…" muttered Chloe.

"What, what is it?" asked Derek, observing the card.

"It's some kind of prayer card. I found it in my car, when Vince approached me…"

"Vince…?" interrupted Derek, angrily. "You talked to Vince…?" Chloe fell silent. "Boy I wish I could find him right now. I got a few choice words for him…!"

"Oh really…" interrupted a smooth, masculine voice, "so do I…"

Without warning, an obsidian clawed hand grabs Derek by the throat , lifting him up off the ground. Chloe screamed, grabbing the fallen flashlight, and watched as Alastor proceeded to choke the life out of Derek. Tucking the card back into her pocket, Chloe reached into her other pocket and pulled out two circular holy medals, made from solid silver. She struggled to get up, and attempted to position herself behind Alastor, undetected. Derek continued to gasp and choke, trying to kick Alastor with his good leg, but it was no use.

Just as it seemed hopeless, Alastor suddenly released Derek, screaming in pain. Derek fell to the ground and Chloe quickly ran over to him, pulling him by his collar, as he gasped for air. With holy water in one hand, and flashlight in the other, Chloe wrapped her arms around Derek protectively, while shining the light on Alastor. Derek soon discovered why Alastor was in pain: Chloe had somehow managed to sneak up from behind and touch each of Alastor's eyes with the medals. The result: the holy medals stuck to both of his eyes, burning them, and Alastor was clawing at his face, trying to remove them.

As Alastor struggled to remove the medals from his eyes, an object fell from the ceiling, hitting Derek on the head, slipping inside his shirt. Derek sat up, breaking away from Chloe, desperately trying to remove whatever it was that fell inside his shirt. But to his surprise and elation Derek discovered his missing amulet. He and Chloe exchanged looks of confusion, when suddenly two doors burst open. One from above, and one near the operating table. At first, it was difficult for Chloe and Derek to discern what was happening , but they soon realized that Jason and Nathan had come to their rescue.

They watched as the two men threw holy water on the screaming entity, all the while, Nathan was reciting the Lord's prayer. In the upper part of the theater, Amy, Lan, and the security guard, rushed to the very edge of the balcony. The guard drew out his weapon, trying to get a clear shot of Alastor, but the darkness, and Alastor's moving around, made it too difficult. The guard could not risk hitting Jason or Nathan. Suddenly, Alastor managed to rip the medals from his eyes. He stared at both Jason and Nathan with black eyes, oozing with dark-colored liquid…

Seeing this caused Derek to clutch the amulet in his hand, and he was about to use it when suddenly, something dawned on him.

"Chloe!" Derek whispered, "Give me that card you were showing me earlier".

Chloe hands Derek the prayer card, and he studies both sides of it, when Jason and Nathan cry out. Derek looks up, in time to see both Jason and Nathan go flying through the air; both of them crash through the dilapidated cabinets. Then Alastor raises his good arm, knocking the gun out of the guard's hands… and pulling Lan off of the balcony. Lan screams, as she falls to the ground, but Alastor catches her. Derek screams out protests as he sees Alastor holding Lan in his arms, and pressing one of his sharp claws into her jugular vein. Lan screamed.

"DEREK" growled Alastor, "SURRENDER YOURSELF NOW, OR I'LL CUT HER THROAT…!"

Silence fell over the room, except for Lan, whimpering. Derek's eyes were wide with fear, realizing that he was in danger of losing the woman he loved.

God help me if this doesn't work…

"Chloe help me up" spoke Derek, and Chloe obliged him.

She watched, as Derek slowly made his way towards Alastor, limping. But then Derek stopped, when he was only four feet away from Alastor, he held out the amulet for Alastor to see. Alastor scowled at him, tightening his grip on Lan, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Silly little maggot…" spoke Alastor with a sneer, "you think you can stop me with that…?" His mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "Say goodbye to your lady love…"

Derek clutched the Amulet and held it out in front of him, shouting:

"SAINT MICHAEL, THE ARCH ANGEL…!"

The cruel, triumphant smile vanished from Alastor's face and was replaced by an expression of anger and dread, as Derek continued…

"BY THE POWER OF GOD…CAST IN TO HELL, ALASTOR…AND ALL EVIL SOULS WHO WONDER THROUGH THIS HOSPITAL FOR THE RUIN OF SOULS…"

Hearing these words caused Alastor to scream, enraged. He threw Lan to the ground, and charged Derek, slamming him hard against the wall. Derek hit the wall with such force, the ceramic tile cracked. Derek could feel two of his ribs breaking, the taste of blood in his mouth…and then…the room was suddenly filled with blinding white light. The last thing he was aware of, was the sound of Alastor, screaming in agony, as the blinding white light suddenly enfolded Derek, lulling him to sleep…