The butterfly effect. It's said that even the smallest event can have dire consequences as it ripples forward through time. A butterfly flaps its wings and weeks later on the other side of the world that simple event results in a tornado killing thousands. If such an insignificant event can have such dire consequences, what destruction could be caused by our choices of greater importance?

A choice that could have dire consequences was now Dantes' to make. Save the innocent, rescue his friend, or close the portal to stop the doppelgänger and whatever else might escape from realities unknown. His choice in this moment could potentially unleash a great evil upon the world.

Dantes' mind raced trying to figure out the best course of action where it seemed like no matter what he decided the result would be a loss. His fingers ached as they began to slip from the cracked floorboards. What to do, what to do...The question kept repeating in his head.

Then it hit him. Whatever was occurring had to be because of Alicia. She was the key, the catalyst that had caused the portal to open. There was no other explanation. How she did it, or more specifically how the shadow used her as a conduit, he had no clue. But it all had to begin with her.

If he could stop whatever it was that the creature in her was doing then it should in theory disrupt whatever magic was opening the portal. So the question was what was the creature doing through Alicia to create the opening? He chanced a glance over his shoulder, using it as an opportunity to try to adjust his grip at the same time.

If he let go, the pull from the portal looked like it might get him close enough that he could grab ahold of Alicia but there was nothing to grab onto before they both would be sucked into the portal. If grabbing her didn't break whatever opened it though, they could both be lost forever.

The way the shadow was detaching from Alicia also gave him pause. It wasn't engulfing her, and instead seemed to be reaching out to swallow up the wounded girl it had trapped on the ceiling. Maybe that was the answer to how the portal was opened. It was using the girl as a sacrifice, along with Alicia's magic, in some twisted fashion. That was the connection he had to break.

He hoped that that would solve his problem. His fingers continued to ache from holding on so tight. He didn't have much time left to make a decision before he'd lose his grip for good, or the rotted, wooden plank he was grasping at broke away.

"Come and play..."

Dantes heard his doppelgänger calling out to him. He rolled over as much as he dared to take a look back at the portal. He could see his double trying to pull himself through, licking his lips against his teeth at the thought of being free.

A flash of light caught Dantes' eye as it moved across his face. He cocked his gaze to see that the flashlight that he had dropped was stuck on an upended plank that was barely hanging on from being sucked into the portal.

He had to act, and he had to do it now before his doppelgänger got loose. He debated trying to grab Alicia, or trying to insert himself in front of her and the shadow rushing off of her and towards the girl.

The second choice might be risky. He didn't know how the shadows would react to him, particularly since he wasn't human. It could disrupt their flow, but he also ran the risk of the shadows possessing him. There was no telling what damage they could do. What destruction might be caused if they allowed the demon side of him to be set free?

He looked to the girl on the ceiling. There was no way he could get up to her and drag her away to break the connection. That was assuming yanking her away from the shadows was even possible. Something told him that that didn't seem likely.

From what he could gather his only chance was to focus on Alicia and the shadows swarming away from her and hope that that would be enough to close the portal. He looked over at Alicia and readied his body to make its move. He'd have to push off with all his strength to reach her before the portal could suck him in.

It was in that moment that the flashlight was jostled against the plank, its beam of light swooping across the room and cutting through the path of the shadow engulfing the girl. A loud screech ripped through the air. It was a cross between a high-pitched squeal and the sound of nails grinding against a chalkboard. The shadow itself split, pulling back and away from the light as if in pain.

For a split second the pull from the portal let up and the portal itself began to slowly close. The flashlight again flickered and then started to die. As it did, the shadows whipped around and resumed their engulfing of the girl and fueling the portal to reverse course.

Dantes now knew that his best chance to close the portal was the flashlight, which was lingering dangerously close to the portal. If he went for it he'd have nothing to grab onto other than the plank it was caught on, a plank that was dangerously close to being knocked loose and sucked in itself.

The doppelgänger noticed Dantes' realization. It had now become a race for Dantes to reach the flashlight before his double could escape from between worlds. Even if Dantes won the race, he realized there was a good chance he'd end up being sucked into the portal.

Dantes also knew he didn't have time to worry about that. Without another thought he let his fingers slip from his already loosening grip in the cracks of the floorboards and pushed himself towards the flashlight, letting the pull of the portal do the rest.

It was even stronger than he had realized, almost lifting him off the ground as he careened towards the mirror. This miscalculation of the powerful pull of the portal didn't help and he quickly found that he had been yanked slightly off course, almost causing him to miss grabbing ahold of the floorboard. It cracked against the force of his weight as he grappled for it.

The flashlight jostled loose from its perch, slipping and sliding along the boards edge before being pulled around and sucked towards the portal. Dantes, in a desperate attempt to grab it before it could be sucked in, released a hand from the plank. The left side of his body whipped back from the portal's pull as his hand lunged for the flashlight. The tips of his fingers just barely caught the very end of it as it flipped through the air.

Looking down his arm he realized just how close he was to the portal. His feet dangled at what couldn't be more than three to four feet away from it. His doppelgänger noticed this too and realized how close he was to grabbing Dantes and pulling him into the same prison he'd been trapped in. This only pushed him harder to attempt his escape, his hands reaching out and wrapping around the frame of the mirror in opposition to the pull of the portal.

Dantes realized the need to act quickly. The only thing stopping the flashlight from being sucked away was the fragile grip from the very tips of his fingers. He didn't dare try to maneuver it up his fingers to his palm for a better grasp without the fear of it slipping from his grip completely.

Suddenly the board he was holding cracked almost jostling him loose and causing his hold to slip. Without thinking, he did the only thing he could. He swung his arm that was holding the flashlight in an arc over his head before releasing the flashlight into the air. It barely moved an inch from his hand as he released it before being slung back at him like a yo-yo. It was just enough to get a better grasp upon it as it was pulled back towards him.

With his other hand he desperately flailed to get a better hold of the board but slipped as he was yanked away from it. He clawed for something, anything to grab onto along the floorboards but there was nothing left. He twisted as he was wrenched through the air in a futile attempt to stop himself from being sucked away.

In a last-ditch effort to save himself from being lost between worlds he spread his legs, his feet catching the edges of the mirror's frame which also began to crack. He didn't know what would happen if the frame broke. It could unleash the portal and engulf everything, or it could very well destroy the portal and close it for good. The risk of the first though was too great.

He looked briefly at the flashlight in his hand. The light had once again gone out. Before he could knock it against his palm to try to get it back on he felt a hand wrap around his ankle. He knew without a glance that it was his doppelgänger. His body jerked towards the portal as his double yanked on his leg.

It was almost as if the next few moments happened in slow motion. He felt his foot slip from the frame of the mirror as his other leg fell through the portal. He twisted and could see the rotting wooden planks as they moved past his face while he flailed through the air hopelessly trying to get free.

His hand reflexively swung out, knocking the butt of the flashlight against the planks and throwing splinters into the air. Suddenly, and to his surprise, the flashlight once again burst to life.

Time seemed to speed back up as he fell further into the portal. He grabbed at the frame of the mirror with his free hand while struggling to kick his doppelgänger away from him. He could see Alicia on the other side of the mirror's frame, but something was different. Everything was wobbly and unclear. It was like he was looking through a mist in a desert heat, and the force of the energy being pulled into the portal stung at his eyes.

Even the beam of the flashlight seemed to twist and turn at weird angles within the portal as if it was being passed through an oddly shaped prism and then reformed as it escaped. Dantes floundered, lifting his arm against the force of the portal and aiming the light towards the shadowy monstrosity that was leaping from Alicia and towards the victim glued to the ceiling.

For a moment it seemed to have no effect and then suddenly that same ear wrenching sound he heard earlier ripped through the air. He could see the shadow pulling back from its victim, and as it did the strength of the portal weakened also. The opening, the connection between worlds, started to close.

Now he just needed to get to the other side before it closed completely. He looked back at his doppelgänger who was still holding tightly onto his ankle and trying to pull him deeper into the abyss. No matter what, he knew he couldn't let his double escape with him.

He struggled and kicked at his captor, trying to get free. He could feel the frame of the mirror began to crack even more under his grip.

"Afraid of joining me for an eternity, Dantes?" his doppelgänger taunted.

Dantes growled in response as his foot met his double's face to no effect. He began to wonder if maybe his doppelgänger was on to something and maybe the best he could hope for was for both of them to be trapped together.

"Let go..." Before he could finish the frame of the mirror finally broke apart and he felt himself falling into the abyss between worlds along with his double. The portal itself started to rapidly expand pulling him further and faster away from the entrance.

In the rush, he felt his leg being released but also lost sight of his doppelgänger as they tumbled away from the entrance. All Dantes could think of was that maybe this was for the best.

Immediately and without warning the falling stopped, snapping his body violently as if he had hit a brick wall. If he had been human he most certainly would have died. The fact that he wasn't saved his life.

Almost instantaneously a surge of pressure shot through the portal in the opposite direction throwing Dantes back towards the portals entrance. He felt as if he was being pulled apart as his body rapidly approached the opening and then was thrown through it. He, and the others that had been in the room, were thrown against the wall with such force that the rickety house began wobbling around them.

Dantes hit the ground and rolled up against the wall hard. He shook his head trying to regain his senses and then glanced back towards where the mirror with its gateway had been. The portal was rapidly closing and oddly, the mirror itself seemed to be repairing itself, including the glass that was now reforming over it. The connection he had broken between Alicia and the the girl appeared to have worked. At least for now.

As he endeavored to come to his senses he heard what sounded like Alicia groaning not far from his side. He looked over to see her not more than several feet away. The loud creaking of the roof above caught his attention next. It swayed dangerously from the impact of them being thrown into it.

From how violently it was rocking it was obvious that at any second it would come crashing down. Without thinking Dantes threw himself atop Alicia just as the final supporting beam of the house gave out, shielding her from the decaying and rotted wood that came tumbling down atop of them.

Dust and debris filled the room, rushing into Dantes' lungs and burning his eyes. He coughed, struggling to take in a breath of fresh air as he rubbed at his face. His eyes watered and for a moment he was blinded. Across the room he could hear the glass shattering as the mirror was crushed under the roof.

The debris laying on top of them was surprisingly heavy for as worn and rotted as it was, and it took a good bit of his strength to hold himself up above Alicia and stop the planks from crushing them both. It was even more difficult to free them from the mountain of debris but with a heave of his back he was able to fling the debris off of them before collapsing to his side.

It had been a long night and it still wasn't close to being over. He hoped Annette and Elyssa were having better luck back at the house. He looked over at Alicia and wondered what the likelihood of her staying unconscious for the journey home would be. He didn't look forward to the possibility of her waking midway there and having to deal with the shadow possessing her.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He quickly sat up, suddenly alert to any danger. It didn't appear that anything had made it through the mirror but he couldn't be sure with everything that had been happening. He didn't even know what had happened to his doppelgänger. He hadn't noticed anything else being thrown from the portal with him so he could only assume that he had been the only one to make it out.

Across the room he could see pieces of the shattered mirror laying amid the debris. It looked normal, at least from a distance. He struggled to his feet, his body feeling every ache and pain imaginable.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered under his breath as he glanced back down at Alicia and then scanned the rest of the area. He could have sworn that he saw something move a few moments ago but he now wondered if it had been imagination or some dust in the air. Everything was quiet and peaceful, or at least as peaceful as it could be.

Again a slight movement in the debris caught his attention. He was sure of it this time. A muffled scraping sound followed. He clumsily made his way towards the noise, attempting to not trip over the various planks of rotted wood scattered and piled around him. As he got closer the sound became more intermittent with longer periods of silence and a more hushed tone as if it was fading.

This made it hard for Dantes to tell exactly where it was originating from but he knew he had to be close. He held his breath for several seconds, listening intently to the sounds in the air. He could hear the slight wind as it whistled through the remains of the house. Far off in the distance, the sound of insects humming in the dark caught his attention. The scraping sound though wasn't to be heard.

He waited a few more minutes, roughly a bit longer than the silences had been lasting. Still nothing. He again let his eyes scour his surroundings while taking a few more steps forward. His foot kicked something that didn't quite feel like the rotted wood he had been moving out of the way. It felt...slightly squishy.

His gaze moved down to the floor where he noticed part of a hand and a few fingers hanging out from under a large pile of junk. One of the fingers twitched faintly and a low groan, barely audible, could be heard from beneath the debris. It had to be the woman that was bleeding from the ceiling. She was the only one unaccounted for.

He began hastily grabbing at the pieces of rotted wood and rubble and tossing them from her near motionless body. As he got closer, the rubble became wet and slippery to hold. He looked at his hands and realized they were covered in blood as was the remaining rubbish laying atop her.

He hurried his pace, knowing that at the rate she was bleeding she wouldn't last much longer if he couldn't stop it. When he finally threw the last plank from atop her he saw the extent of her wounds. Her midsection had several deep cuts, almost as if it had been tore open by a wild animal. It was covered in dirt and grime, and the blood had already started to dry up. It was bad, even worse than he imagined it'd be when she was hanging from the ceiling engulfed by the shadow creature.

Her eyes fluttered slightly and her finger twitched as she tried to lift her arm. Dantes quickly removed his shirt and pressed it down against her abdomen in hopes to slowing the flow of blood.

She coughed slightly from the pressure, spitting up blood in the process.

"I'm going to get you help. Just hold on," he pleaded with her as she stared up at him. His voice revealed a hint of panic, the same that could be seen in her eyes, and he pulled her closer to comfort her. Her body against his already felt ice cold.

"Dantes, is she okay?"

He didn't think anything of the question, reaching up to her neck and checking for a pulse. After several moments in agonizing silence his head and shoulders slumped in defeat.

"...I'm so sorry," he murmured, his voice low and with deep sorrow. Looking at her still body reminded him of Dewdrop's death and how he had failed her too. Softly he slid his fingers down her face, closing her eyes, and then laying her gently upon the ground with her arms crossed over her chest.

"She's gone," Dantes replied to the question before his body stiffened in surprise. He had been so caught up in the wounded girl that he forgot there should be no one around to even ask a question.

He looked over his shoulder to verify that what he was hearing was real.

"...Alicia?"

His mouth dropped in bewilderment as Alicia steadily made her way to her feet.

"What? You look like you've seen a ghost," she responded as if she hadn't been possessed and trying to kill him not more than a short time ago.

Dantes didn't know what to think. Could she really be okay, or was she still under the control of the shadow creature? If she was okay, the question was how? Off in the distance, hidden among the trees, another set of eyes watched intently and plotted their next move.