Hey guys! This is an alternate ending for AS THEY RISE that I wrote to help celebrate the new Fox TV series THE EXORCIST. Fox commissioned me to write this, and as a huge horror fan I had to say yes!

I'm so excited to share it with you and I hope you enjoy it! And remember to to get all my updates!

Love, Jen (jenmariewilde on snapchat & twitter)

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My hands trembled as I pulled the cabin door of the RV open. "Get in!" I said to Jo, who jumped inside. I followed behind her while Ben and Wyatt climbed into their seats, with Ben at the wheel.

I heard the click of the keys turning in the engine, but nothing happened.

"Shit!" Ben sputtered, and once again I heard the click of the keys. Nothing. "No, no, no. Come on!"

Wyatt stared at Ben with wide eyes. "Don't tell me ..."

Ben shook his head, turning the key once more. "It won't start."

I watched through the window as the horde closed in on us.

The youngest and fastest of the infected had the lead of the pack. A teenage girl with curly blonde hair and freckles had sped up ahead of the others. Her eyes had glazed over but her skin hadn't started to decay yet, so I knew she must have been one of the newest to turn.

They were getting too close. Even if the RV suddenly came to life, they would overwhelm us.

Ben turned to look at each of us. A slow smile spread across his face. Then, without warning, he opened the door and jumped out of the RV.

"Ben!" Wyatt called. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. He just walked straight toward the horde, with an air of calmness that I'd never seen in him before.

"What do we do?" Jo asked, clutching my arm. "He's going to get himself killed!"

"We gotta stop him," I said. We climbed out of the RV and raced after him, with Dixon alongside us.

"Ben!" I screamed. "Stop!"

I reached him first and took hold of his arm. But when he turned around, what I saw made me let go of him and step back.

His eyes were blood red. I stared into them, feeling like I was looking into a bottomless pit. I didn't know how, but Ben was gone.

I turned around and stopped Wyatt and Jo from getting too close to him. "His eyes," I said, unable to say any more.

Jo covered her mouth with her hands while Wyatt just stared at Ben in shock. Dixon stood in between us and Ben, barking ferociously-just like he barks at zombies.

Ben smiled at us, then turned back to face the horde. He lifted a hand up, and suddenly the zombies stopped in their tracks, like they'd hit an invisible wall. Screeches and wails filled the air as they rose off the road as if by magic. Jo, Wyatt and I huddled together in terror as we watched hundreds of zombies hover off the ground like they were hanging from puppet strings. Slowly, quietly, we backtracked toward the RV, pulling Dixon with us.

Ben took a step closer to the horde, reached up to the teenage girl zombie and began peeling the skin off of her face like he was unwrapping a chocolate bar. My stomach lurched as the layer of skin hung off her chin, her eyes staring hungrily at Ben.

Wyatt opened the door to the RV, but just before we stepped inside, Ben called out to us.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. But it wasn't Ben's voice. It was deeper, more like a growl or a lion's roar. It sent terrified chills down my spine.

We froze, glancing between Ben and the door, not knowing what to do.

Ben looked at us over his shoulder, and then his head kept turning until it was facing us at a 180 degree angle. Jo and I screamed at the sight of his backwards head, and I couldn't hold my fear in anymore. I fell to my knees and threw up next to the RV.

When I looked up again, Ben was laughing. Then his mouth opened wider and wider until his jaw hung lower than his shoulders. An ear-piercing buzz rang out, and a black cloud emerged from his mouth.

"What the hell is that?" Wyatt gasped.

The cloud grew bigger and bigger, until it was close enough for us to see what it was; thousands and thousands of wasps. And they were headed straight for us.

"Quick!" I said, holding the RV door open. But before we could get inside, the door tore from my hand and slammed shut. Wyatt, Jo and I pulled on the handle with all our strength, but it was stuck.

The swarm of wasps flew around us in circles, buzzing at our ears. I felt a sharp sting on the back of my neck and swatted at it, then dropped to the ground.

"Under the RV!" I shouted as another wasp stung me. I rolled under the car, sliding on my stomach to make room for Wyatt and Jo. Dixon crawled in after us, whimpering as the wasps zipped around the RV.

"I got stung," I said, touching the back of my neck and wincing.

"Me too," said Jo.

Suddenly, the buzzing stopped. Silence fell over us. We exchanged worried glances, wondering what Ben would do to us next.

A gust of wind washed over us, blowing my hair into my face. I brushed it out of my eyes and looked up to see the RV shooting up into the sky. We all screamed and jumped to our feet, fleeing away from Ben as fast as we could.

I glanced over my shoulder as I ran, seeing Ben staring after us. I looked up again just as the RV plummeted towards us.

"Stop!" I cried, and we all skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding the RV as it crashed to the ground in front of us. In the blink of an eye, Ben appeared, standing on top of the RV.

We turned back around and ran in the opposite direction, heading into the town and the floating horde. The zombies groaned and snapped their greedy jaws open and shut as we weaved through the crowd, ducking from their grip.

But there were too many, and one of them took me by the hair. I reached my hands up to try to untangle myself from its rotting fingers, but as I do another zombie clutched onto my shoulder. I screamed as its fingers dug into my skin. Wyatt and Jo heard my panic and hurried to my rescue, but Ben blocked their path by moving the zombies in front of them with the wave of his hand.

I struggled against the zombies clawing at my head and shoulders, my heart racing and my screams growing more fearful by the second.

Suddenly, Ben appeared, standing just inches from me. His red eyes watched me, and then he snapped his fingers. The hundreds of zombies around me crumbled, falling to the road in piles of dust and bone.

"Ben?" I whispered. "What happened to you?"

He clutched his head and screamed. When he looked at me again, his eyes weren't red anymore.

"Eva," he said. "Help."

He fell to the ground in front of me, his whole body shaking. Wyatt and Jo ran to my side, and we helped Ben back to his feet. But when his eyes opened, they were back to red.

"You can't help him," he said, his voice dark and deep again. He held his arms out wide. "He's gone. I'm Lucifer. Welcome to phase two of the Apocalypse. First, the dead rose. And now, we're taking over the living."

"No!" I screamed, punching him in the face. I could tell by the loud cracking sound that I broke his nose. Blood poured down his chin, and he wiped it with his finger, then licked it.

"You can hurt me all you want," he said. "I don't feel it. But Ben does. In fact, you've just given me an idea."

He lifted a hand up and started bending his fingers back until the bones snapped.

Horrified, we ran away as fast as we could and took shelter in a nearby hardware store.

"What the hell is going on?" Wyatt asked as we hid behind the counter.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," I said. "But I think he's possessed."

Jo sighed. "He said the zombies were just phase one of the Apocalypse. So possession is phase two. And he's got Ben."

Wyatt wiped his hands over his face. "So what are we supposed to do? Perform a friggin exorcism?"

Jo and I glanced at each other, and I shrugged.

"I don't think we have a choice," I said. "We can't just let that demon hijack our friend."

Wyatt searched the shelves for chains and rope while I peered out the window, spotting a church down the block. When we were ready, we made a run for it, heading straight to Ben as he strutted down the street, turning zombies to dust. Wyatt threw the chain around Ben, holding him still while Jo and I tried to talk to him.

"Ben," I said, looking into his red eyes. "If you're in there, come out. We can help you, but first we need you to help us."

Jo nodded. "You can do it, Ben. Be strong. You can beat him."

Ben started to shake violently, his head moving so fast it became a blur. And then the redness in his eyes disappeared.

"Help me," he said.

We helped him run down the block and into the church. After we burst through the double doors, we passed the statues of Jesus and Mary, their eyes dripping with blood.

"Just a little longer," Wyatt urged as we lifted Ben onto the marble altar. He groaned as we chained him down.

"I can't hold him off," Ben said. "Hurry. I've seen what they want to do. They want to possess everyone who's still alive. They want to set the world on fire."

I searched for bibles and holy water while Jo found a crucifix. I ran back to the altar just as Ben began to shake again.

"He's coming back!" he cried, and then his eyes were red once more.

He let out an almighty roar, so powerful that the walls around us trembled.

"You will burn!" he growled. "You'll all burn! There's nothing you can do."

I held a bottle of holy water over his face. "Yes, there is." I poured it over him, his skin sizzling and steaming. He struggled against the chains, so I dripped some water over them, making them impervious to his strength.

Wyatt, Jo and I started reciting a prayer from the bible, repeating it over and over again. Wyatt kept holding him down while Jo held the crucifix over his head.

The ground began to shake. The stained glass windows shattered around us. Statues, candles and chairs rose into the air. But we didn't stop. We had to save Ben. We couldn't let evil win.

Ben roared louder, and suddenly we were lifting off the ground too, like someone had switched off the gravity in the church.

"Keep going!" I cried.

Ben began to convulse and spasm on the altar, the chains rattling from the force of his movements. Chaos surrounded us, pieces of the ceiling collapsed, narrowly missing us as it crashed to the floor.

Then, a white light burst from Ben's mouth. Another stream erupted from his chest, eyes and hands. I dropped the bible, shielding my eyes from the almost painful brightness. I heard a piercing screech, and then everything stopped. Gravity returned, pulling me to the floor with a thud.

I stared up at the holes in the roof, sunshine streaming in like rays from Heaven.

"Everyone okay?" Jo asked. I climbed to my feet, nodding.

Wyatt, Jo and I gathered around the altar.

"Ben?" Wyatt whispered, leaning over him.

Ben moaned, opening his eyes.

"Your eyes," I said. "They're not red anymore. You're back!"

He nodded. "I'm back."

We quickly untied him, letting the chains slide to the floor. Ben sat up, rubbing his head and taking in deep breaths.

"Thank you," he said. "You saved me."

Wyatt slapped his back playfully. "That's what we're here for, mate."

"Yeah," Jo added, giving Ben a hug.

I joined the hug too, and then pulled Wyatt in to do the same. Dixon sat at our feet, tail wagging. The sun shone down on us, and I felt in awe of how strong we were when we worked together. A newfound hope rose inside me. I knew that if we stuck together, we could beat anything. Nothing could take us down.