A thick fog surrounded Jessica’s heart and mind. Part of this shroud of obscurity was due to the sleeping pills she had been given by the nursing staff to help her rest. A far larger source, particularly the patch of uncertainty surrounding her emotions, was due to the emptiness she now felt. A large hole had been carved out of Jessica’s heart and she didn’t know how much longer she could pretend to be in one piece.

I was so sure I would still love him. Jessica thought numbly.

Her mind floated aimlessly in the colorless void. Instinctively, Jessica pulled her legs up to her chest and tried to hold herself together as best she could.

“Ugh. Guys are so much easier to navigate.” A strange female voice pierced through the nothingness around Jessica.

Jessica’s mental eyes snapped open, alarmed to see a figure swimming towards her through the void.

“W-what…” Her confusion doubled when she recognized the red skin and horns. “You’re that girl! The one who saved me in the mansion!”

“Oh good.” The girl stopped a few feet away from Jessica and wiped her forehead. “That’s going to save me some time explaining.”

The stranger cast her black and red eyes around the void and shook her head.

“A bit dramatic don’t you think?” She lifted a dark eyebrow at Jessica. “I get that you’re feeling lost and confused right now, but can’t you cry it out in a place with a little more color in it?”

“I don’t…” Jessica glanced around. “I don’t even know where we are.”

“Well duh.” The other girl rolled her eyes. “But this is your dream. I guess your brain is too busy sifting through your emotions to come up with anything more appealing.”

“I’m dreaming?” Jessica touched her hands to her face.

She could feel the contact of her skin, but now that she was paying attention it definitely felt a bit off. Jessica turned to the demon girl floating next to her.

“Then how are you here? Am I just imagining you?”

“Uh… well no…” The horned girl looked away with guilt in her eyes. “I’m not allowed to come to the mortal world anymore so I maybe sort of snuck into the succubus dream department.”

She grimaced. “I really hope I’m not found out, but it was the only way I could interact with you all.”

What surprised Jessica the most wasn’t what the demon girl said, rather Jessica was shocked to find that she believed the girl’s words completely. After everything that had happened with Jason, Jessica was ready to believe in the paranormal.

“You… know Jason, right?” Jessica ventured. “You two are friends or something?”

The guilt and grimace disappeared from the girl’s face and was replaced with rosy cheeks and a small smile.

“Yeah. I think we were.”

The joy remained on her features for a lengthy moment before the demon girl grew serious once more.

“That’s why I’m here. Jason may have lifted his curse, but there is still one player left in the game. Let’s go.” The girl began to swim back the way she had come.

Jessica remained in place. “Why?’

The girl paused and glanced back. “Because the dumb idiot is probably going to need your help. I don’t know if you’ve looked around Jason lately, but he doesn’t have a lot of people left to turn to. Kylee is gone, Kirsten is locked up, Courtney is under arrest, Hayden has become a puppet, and I’m trapped in the underworld.”

Jessica’s hands grasped the front of her hospital gown fiercely. “I-I don’t know…”

“Don’t know what?” The girl huffed angrily. “Come on. We’re wasting time.”

“I don’t know how I feel.” Jessica covered her face with her hands.

Tears began to fall between her fingers.

“I’m so empty inside. Like years of my life turned out to be a lie. I was so sure… so sure of my feelings for him that I don’t know what to do now that they’re gone.”

Jessica shook from the flooding uncertainty.

“Why did you like him?” The demon girl asked calmly.

“What?” Jessica lifted her tear stricken face and asked blankly.

“Jason.” She tilted her head. “Why did you like him?”

Jessica thought back to her memories of Jason. Dark images, like phantoms in smoke, swirled in the void around them. Shadow-like as they were, none of the dark shapes and figures around them scared Jessica. They represented some of her favorite moments from her past.

“He was always kind.” Jessica sniffed. “Maybe not a knight in shining armor, but he always put my needs and feelings first ahead of his own. He made me feel special. He made me feel heard.”

The demon girl nodded slowly.

“Has any of that changed?” She asked simply.

Jessica paused before she answered. “No…”

The demon girl smiled. “Try as he might, my boss can’t fabricate feelings outright. Everything you felt, everything you’ve done, for better or worse, was inside of you already. Maybe some of those feelings or desires were larger than others, but none of it was fake.”

“Take it from me.” The rosy glow returned to the demon girl’s red cheeks. “I forcibly removed everything I felt towards that boy and what did he do? Went and argued on my behalf to my boss. My feelings might have been gone, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t remember what he had said to me. Nor what he did for me.”

She cleared her throat and tried to mask her embarrassment.

“Anyway. I’m not saying you have to force yourself if you're still confused, but don’t think for a minute that your feelings don’t have real roots in your heart.” The girl gestured at the shadowy memories that still swirled around them. “Besides, I’m not asking you to go pick him up for a date or something. He’s in danger.”

Jessica looked down at herself. There was so much happening inside her mind and heart that it filled her with uncertainty. She wanted to believe this demon girl’s words about what she felt for Jason, but she would need time to come to terms with everything first. That meant Jason needed to be around long enough for Jessica to sort out her feelings.

“Okay.” She nodded, feeling far more confident in herself now. “How can I help?”

The demon girl smiled and rolled her eyes. “Took you long enough. You need to wake up and head for Ashlyn Connel’s house. I’ve got her address from invading her bodyguard, butler, or whoever’s dream earlier.”

“Wait.” Jessica waved for the girl to pause for a moment. “What is your name?”

The demon girl opened her mouth reflexively, but stopped herself. That same happy smile she had whenever she talked about Jason reappeared and she finally answered.

“You can call me Remi.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Connel family home wasn’t much larger than Jason’s own. The main difference between the two story houses was the large yard and perimeter fence. No lights could be seen behind any of the curtained windows. The outside was too clean, too perfect, for real people to live there. Under different circumstances Jason would have assumed it was either for sale or a show house for buyers to tour through. If Marcus didn't approach the front door with such confidence Jason would have been positive they were at the wrong house. Jason pulled at the undersized shirt and pants. He was grateful that Marcus had something other than the hospital gown to wear, but the borrowed clothes didn’t fit comfortably.

“I know Mr. Connel is deceased, but what about her mother?” Jason asked as the pair stepped up the dark steps.

“After her husband died, Annabelle turned to alcohol.” Marcus’ shoulders sagged slightly. “Not a year after Jackson passed away Annabelle was involved in a drunk driving accident. She fought hard for a few days, but I guess the other side needed her more than her daughter did.”

Jason noted the bitter tone that had crept into Marcus’ voice and decided not to ask further. Marcus paused with his left hand on the door handle. His brown eyes found Jason in the darkness and tightened.

“This… is going to be hard to see.” He warned. “I need you to stay focused. We’re here to talk Ashlyn down. Now that you know, she’ll be forced to give up this insanity. Okay?”

Jason nodded. He was scared, but it felt good knowing he wasn’t alone in this endeavor. The smell hit Jason the moment Marcus opened the front door. 

Death. Decay. Blood.

The foul mixture threatened to keep Jason out of the house for good. Jason sucked in a deep breath to steady himself before deciding to hold his nostrils closed. Marcus took the lead and the pair stepped into the dark and ominous house.

“She’ll be in there.” Marcus pointed towards a door halfway down the main hallway.

The hallway consisted of things that Jason expected to see in a regular home. Pictures of Ashlyn growing up, a trophy case on the right hand wall decorated with an impressive number of mathematical, musical, and scientific achievements, and a few decorative plants to give the hallway some character. The normality around them and the stench that permeated the air were polar opposite feelings. It was wrong on too many levels for Jason’s head to process. 

Marcus stepped carefully forward. Jason noted that the man’s right hand drifted up towards the holster in his coat. Jason hoped they wouldn’t need it. The light blue door that Marcus pointed out was now directly in front of them. Marcus shared a brief look with Jason. He nodded wordlessly before flinging the door open. Jason gaged immediately. Marcus’ warnings couldn’t prepare him for what the dining hall contained.

Blood. Way too much of it, coated much of the flooring. Human hair and pictures of Jason’s face filled every space inch of the walls around them. Shining through the bloodstained wooden floorboards was a line of familiar yet alien circles. Each deeply red circle was surrounded and woven through demonic lettering and religious symbols. The electric lights were off overhead, but half a dozen candles dimly illuminated the dark interior. Marcus reached over and flipped the closest light switch but nothing happened. Jason stepped forward and immediately stopped when his shoes made contact with a soft object on the ground. He glanced down and immediately wished he hadn’t.

“No…” Jason nearly fell back through the doorway.

Marcus caught his arm and kept him standing. Hayden’s lifeless face gazed blankly at the ceiling above them.

“Don’t look at him.” Marcus instructed. “I know. Believe me, I know. Just stay focused.”

Jason forced his eyes up from Hayden’s corpse. That’s when he finally noticed the other bodies in the back of the room. His horror only grew when one of the bodies stood up.

“Why?”

A hauntingly shattered voice called over to Marcus.

“Why would you do this?” Ashlyn stepped closer to a candle and her twitching face came into view.

Ashlyn was wearing her school uniform but the prized student Jason once knew was gone. Her once white shirt was a sickening red and untucked from her gray knee length skirt.  Her golden blonde hair was tied back into a messy ponytail. Fresh tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

“Why Marcus?” Her panicked voice reached new volumes as she shrilly demanded answers. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Stop.” Marcus stepped forward firmly. “Ashlyn. Stop.”

“I was so close!” Ashlyn gripped her head and screamed. “Out of all the possible outcomes, we reached one of the best endings. Your conscious wasn’t supposed to catch up until tomorrow at the earliest! You just had to bring me one more!”

Marcus hesitated. “Tomorrow?”

“You were cracking Marcus.” Ashlyn laughed. “But I was positive I could keep you in line for at least one more day. What changed?”

“I guess you could say I had a revealing dream.” Marcus shook his head. “It made me realize how much was wrong with what you were doing.”

“How annoying.” Ashlyn’s face fell darkly.

Her hand reached back and pulled something from her waistband. A gun. Kylee’s gun.

“Ashlyn!” He called out reflexively.

Her hand stopped at her side. Ashlyn shuddered and her light blue eyes looked at Jason for the first time.

“So long.” A single tear ran along her cheek. “I’ve waited to hear that for so long.”

A bright smile spread across her face.

“I love you Jason.” Ashlyn gasped and clutched her chest. “Oh.”

A new shudder ran the length of her body. Ashlyn laughed maniacally.

“Oh this was well worth the wait.” Ashlyn sighed. “Now I can finally be my true self near you.”

She reached her free hand up to her eyes and plucked out a colored lense.

“There’s really only one change to a subject’s physical appearance. Oddly it doesn’t seem to be based on time. There’s some other factor that I haven’t quite worked out yet.” Ashlyn discarded the colored contact lenses and lifted her blood red eyes back to Jason. “I think you have already started working out the subtle change to eye color.”

Jason swallowed hard. Her eyes looked so much like Adaline’s had.

“Drop the gun Ashlyn.” Marcus ordered.

Sometime during Ashlyn removing her contacts, Marcus had drawn his own gun and had it trained on Ashlyn. Her red eyes flicked over to him, annoyed.

“Could you really do it?” Ashlyn asked, her own gun still pointed down at her side. “Shoot the person you consider to be your own daughter?”

“I can if you make me.” Marcus’s hand tightened on his weapon.

Ashlyn smiled and nodded. “I thought as much. While I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, I’m glad I prepared a backup plan.”

“What are you-”

Marcus’ words cut off mid sentence. The world began to slow down as Jason turned his eyes towards the dark figure that had crept up behind Marcus unnoticed. Jason’s eyes took in a lot of things at once. The figure’s blue hair, the bloodied hunter’s clothing, even her overly large knife planted firmly in Marcus’ back. Jason saw it all, but his brain didn’t process a single thing.

She shouldn’t be here. She couldn’t be here. Ran through Jason’s mind over and over again.

Jason’s curse had been lifted. Which meant that Adaline should have been freed from the unending need to hunt him down.

So why? Jason pleaded to the void. Why is she looking at me with such hatred?