"GAHH!" The chains slowly tore Sullivan's limbs. From below him, Mike continued to yell, his voice a muffled mess.

Randall watched from the shadows.

And as Mary had done earlier, Sullivan fought against the chains, keeping his body as tight as physically possible, refusing to give in to the stretch's power.

Can't... Hold on... Much... Longer.

There was no point. There was no point.

He roared.

Boo was gone.

He had failed her once again.

Hold on... Hold on... His grip was slipping. I can't...

Sullivan roared again.

But then he stopped his cry abruptly, still curled up tightly like a coiled snake. He listened above the cranking of the machine and Mike's muffled cries from inside the crate.

A faint and distant screaming hummed in the air.

It stopped.

Sullivan held his breath, letting his guard down the chains finally took hold of him. His limbs slammed against the wall. He roared.

The evil serpent grinned like a Cheshire cat.

But then the faint voice cried again, now with even more volume and less distance, seeming to coming from his right.

As Sullivan roared, he shot his head to the right at the door station.

The light on the metallic door flickered, until it no longer glared a steady pulse, but stammered with life.

Boo tumbled through the door.

"WHAT?!" Randall stood still, shocked. "HOW, HOW—"

Sullivan gasped. "Boo!"

She fell flat on her stomach, a gust of wind slamming the door closed behind her. A thin layer of snow clung to her pajamas. Her face and feet were as red as apples.

Suddenly Sullivan was flooded with rage—and a fierce protectiveness beyond anything he had felt in more than a decade. Not even the chains could stand against the newly found power inside of this terrible monster.

Like a hulk, he clenched his fists, and popped his cuffs off. The chains on his legs popped open, and he fell to the floor.

Before Randall could react, Sullivan snatched Mike's crate in his claws and tore the latch off. He flipped the crate lid open and reaching inside, grabbing Mikey by the head.

He ran to the door station and scooped the shivering and stunned teenager in his free arm.

Sullivan shot to the door, seconds from reaching the exit.

Thunk.

The clang of the dropped scream canister hitting the ground brought Sullivan back to reality enough to realize that Randal was gone.

And so was Boo.

* * *

As my state of shock began to wear off, a haziness clouded my mind, and judgement.

Unfortunately my ability to not sense pain was beginning to wear off as well.

The first thing I noticed was the burning.

The throbbing fire that had been ignited in the tender meat of my tomato toes and the soles of my feet.

I groaned, as feeling returned to my feverish, frozen, and dripping body.

I shivered.

Suddenly I missed the frost bite.

Once again my body was engulfed in the flame of fever.

I winced at a jab in my spine.

Another horn popped out on my ankle.

The second thing I noticed was that Sullivan was no longer carrying me.

I had been thrown over the shoulder of a purple reptile.

I squinted at the back of his head.

I think I know this guy... Right?

Right right... Randall. Not good...

You know guys I think he's a bad guy.

My dimly lit mind began to wander.

I had no idea I was so easy to carry. Like really, am I that light? You know my doctor says I'm underweight for my height.

I snorted as I giggled, drunk on snow.

Has this become a regular thing for me? To be picked up like a doll by random people? Because I know a couple of juniors that I certainly wouldn't mind—

"Hey, bub," I spoke up, bouncing up and down against Randall's back as he ran. "Where are you taking me?"

"Shut up!"

I snarled, rolling my eyes back. "Rude."

* * *

Mike and Sullivan raced to catch up to Randall, twisting and turning through the endless corridor maze of the Executive Wing.

When they finally came into sight, Sullivan called out to the dangling girl. "Boo!"

"Eyyy." She lazily gave him a thumbs up. "It's Mary, Hairy. Mary Berry. When Hairy met—"

"Fight him!" Sullivan yelled.

"Eh?"

"Hit him!"

"Ohhh, ok. Yeah chief, that sounds good right about now." She lifted both of her shaking fists, and slammed down—

Her swing fell into negative space, missing Randall's back entirely.

Mike face palmed as he ran. "She's looney."

"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Boo asked.

Before Mike and Sullivan could respond, Randall took a sharp turn to the right, darting down a hall to a set of double doors.

"No, it's probably just me. I am pretty stunning," Boo called out.

Randall was taking her to the simulator room.

* * *

Randall scuttled through two red doors, and carried me into a red room.

I did not like that room.

My reptilian captor (that was a set of words I never thought I would have to put together) hurtled through the room to another door hooked up to a station.

He latched onto the door and pressed one of the buttons on the panel with a flick of his blue tail.

Suddenly the door lifted up, carrying Randall and myself up into the air.

The door latched onto a metal line below the ceiling, and zoomed us into a dark corridor and out of the room.

As we raced into the darkness and its uncertainty, I watched as Mike and Sullivan broke through the doors like a whirlwind, their faces horror stricken as they watched me disappear with a creature that wished me dead.

* * *

After Boo disappeared on the door track, Sullivan turned and kicked the double doors, fuming.

"I can't believe it! She's gone!"

"Where is he taking her?" Mike asked, staring into the abyss.

"I don't know..." Sullivan stopped.

"What? What is it?!"

Sullivan swerved his head back at his companion, his face pale as plaster. "The door vault."