Before Zoey had a chance to respond, Penny just hopped off the fucking Zoey-mobile!

Penny was definitely intent on killing this thing, far more than Zoey was. However... Zoey knows, from a certain friend of hers, that Apparitions never truly die. They need to be sealed or something - unfortunately that certain friend isn't here to use that sealing nonsense of hers. Zoey was about to hop off but saw that Penny was drawing a sigil in the snow... and Zoey knew better than to fuck with that. Penny had a plan and Zoey knew better than to get in the way. Instead, she went over to Odessa who looked like she was about dead.

"You good?" Zoey asked as she slid up to Odessa and offered a hand, one that Odessa took and Zoey didn't quite realize how cold her hands were. Mainly because her own hands were just as cold, but she helped Odessa to her feet.

"Yes," Odessa said... but Zoey looked down and didn't see a mark on her. Okay there was no way that was possible, but Odessa obviously had a power of some sort. What kind was the question? Still, Zoey whipped around towards the Apparition which was still standing there. Er, floating. Zoey didn't want to interfere with Penny's plan but she conjured another snowstorm to buy Penny some time... her stamina was pretty much gone and she was more or less freezing from all of this. The snowstorm wasn't as strong as before and was only able to delay it for a few moments.

Which hopefully was enough as Zoey quickly fell off her snow mound.

The second the Apparition could, the thing launched itself again at Stacey. Unaware of the plan that Penny was springing.

Snow wasn’t the best of mediums for Penny to use. The loose powder could easily slide in on itself or be shifted by one strong wind that’d dampen the potency of the glyph, but then again she didn’t really have any options. Zoey was kind enough to give her the space she needed to work. She finished the circle that would serve as the edge of the glyph which acted as a sort of sealant to prevent the spell from leaking out. No circle done by hand was ever perfect, at least not by her hand, but they were practiced, indistinguishable from perfection by the naked eye, and, most importantly, good enough to keep the glyph active. How long had that taken? A second perhaps.

Penny moved on to the body of the glyph, glancing up just to see if the Apparition was winding up for another charge. No movement yet, aside from its constant up and down bobbing. She made two waves with her hand. Not as precise as she’d like it, but it’d have to do given her limited time window. She heard feet padding through snow behind her. Hopefully Stacey was smart enough to stay in that straight line. She looked back up at the Apparition. The smoke appeared as if it was coiling up for another charge. Shit. She still needed one more wave.

A light wind kicked up and Penny sharply drew in her breath as she watched the snow at the border of her glyph shift, but it did not move. However, the Apparition was trapped behind another snow storm thanks to Zoey. Penny finished the last wave, drew a single straight line that was slanted ever so slightly next to the trio, and began to slide back as she saw the snowstorm dissipate. Shit. She hadn’t planned on standing down the barrel of the gun once her glyph was done but there was no time to move. Penny’s eyes widened as the Apparition charged straight towards her with its sights set on Stacey. She didn’t even have a second as her entire vision swelled with the smoky form of the rushing Apparition as it closed the gap between them with uncanny speed.

Fortunately, she didn’t need a second. Penny threw her arms up and fell back on her rear as her glyph activated and glowed a brilliant blue light. At the same time, a massive, man-sized stalagmite of ice jutted up from the ground and skewered the Apparition deadcenter. A nightmarish scream of white noise echoed throughout the city as the Apparition cracked apart and shattered along with the giant spike of ice. All that remained was a cloud of black smoke that rose and dissipated until it was lost against the night sky. They were safe for the time being.

“Fuck!” The word came out with the breath Penny hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She let herself drop back on the snow and laughed. Her head was pounding like she had woken up with a hangover. She let her head roll to the side. The cold felt nice on her temples. She hadn’t strained herself like that in quite some time. She breathed heavily as she stared over at Zoey and said, “See? Told you I got it. Good assist though."

"As for the rest of you? Eh...” she lifted a hand off of her chest and wobbled it in the universal sign of so-so before letting it drop with another sharp exhale. Penny tasted copper but forced herself to sit up right. Her vision swam as she rubbed her face and reminded herself that this would only last for a few minutes. Hopefully. She asked the group, “We’re all good, right? No broken bones, no dropped jaws? Is Stacey still running?” Penny grimaced. She’d have to reevaluate her limits. She muttered, “Could someone get Stacey to stop fucking running and give him a hug for me? The plan worked." She threw a half-assed fist in the air. "Go team.”

Stacey froze when he heard the petrified scream. A chilling shiver zipped down his spine, he stopped breathing, afraid to turn around. The scream didn't sound human that's for sure. It was the thing that wouldn't leave him alone. He took a step, about to run again when Elron called out that it was clear. He turned around, curls bounced around his forehead when he looked back at the group. The thing was gone, there was a giant shard of ice sticking out of the ground, and Penny was on the ground. He hoped she wasn't hurt. He didn't dally around, since he was the furthest from everyone, an easy target for more things that go bump in the dark. He jogged, until he caught up with Elron, out of breath but relieved he didn't have to run for his life anymore.

They joined everyone else, but Stacey had his eyes on Penny. She made him anxious at first, but she went to bat for him and risked her life to save his. No one's ever done that before. There were times when he wasn't sure he deserved to live, but a stranger saw his life as more valuable than he ever has. He dropped his knees next to her, face red not only from the cold, but from his tears.

"Thank you." He cried out and covered his face with his hands, he didn't want anyone to see his face. It's bad enough he's so overwhelmed he's between a meltdown and happy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He hiccups between his words, repeating himself over and over again. He composed himself enough to wipe his nose and looked up at Zoey. "Thank you." He said, shakily.

And just like that, the Apparition was defeated.

Penny finished the thing off just like Zoey knew she would. The second that she heard the thing come to a screeching end, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She was down to five cigarettes... in this carton. Zoey always kept at least three packs on her at all times. All because she didn't want to ever be without a cigarette on hand. Though she would have to restock reeeeeeeeeal soon. There had to be a place in this shithole... which was empty. There was a trail of smoke as Zoey walked over to the group with Odessa in tow.

“See? I told you I got it. Good assist though. As for the rest of you? Eh...”

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you."

"Ain't doubt you for a second, Penny," Zoey said as she took a puff out of her cigarette and held it in between her fingertips. And Stacey was just as enthused about not dying - it was almost like he doubted them for a second. Hell, Zoey should have taken Kimberly up on her offer to be a ghost hunter. "Aw shucks, you're welcome!" Zoey said, cracking a genuine smile.

However, they didn't realize that the environment had changed. Or was it this way all along? Suddenly they were in a forest with the city right behind them. In front of them was a pond... one that Zoey immediately recognized. She raised an eyebrow as she opened her mouth as if she was going to say something before changing her mind. Something else came to mind.

"I'd recognize this place from anywhere..." Zoey said to herself, "This is Wild Creek from Farmer Hill... but why is it here?" She muttered.

And Odessa stood at the edge of the shore with her hands together. Staring off into it, completely quiet. Zoey raised an eyebrow at the girl... there was no way in hell that this weirdo knew this place. Before Odessa turned around towards the group and covered her bottle-cap nips with her arm. She walked up as she said,

"... Why are you celebrating?" Odessa asked, "It's an Apparition... long as something is keeping it alive it'll come back. And keep coming for you. You can kill it a thousand times, but whatever is keeping it from moving on will only grow... stronger." Odessa told Stacey.

"Alright, stop the spooky crap, Odessa," Zoey said, narrowing her eyes. "It's starting to piss me off..."

"I'm just stating facts, Ms. Gray," Odessa said and a certain detail went over Zoey's head as she retaliated.

The sigil of snow glowed on her hand as she balled it into a fist, "I don't give a shit; I'll freeze you dead, Dessa." Zoey said as she rubbed her hands together and huffed the cigarette. Dramatically letting out the smoke as she didn't break eye contact for a second.

"Mark my fucking words."

A genuine look of surprise crossed Penny’s face followed by a sheepish smile as Stacey dropped down next to her and lavished her with gratitude. “Don’t mention it,” she said quietly as she patted him on the shoulder between hiccups. She always considered herself more of a confronter than a comforter, but when some poor guy straight-up ugly cried in front of her it was hard not to reach out reflexively. Penny pulled back as Zoey approached and whatever words she had for the girl dropped out of her mouth as she noticed that the streets had changed. Gone were the buildings and the trash cans, instead replaced with trees and a quaint little pond.

“What?” Penny said flatly. She knew this place before Zoey even said the name. She had a decent number of memories associated with Wild Creek, none of which were really decent. As Penny stood she caught sight of Odessa staring out over the water and froze. Something triggered inside of her, and Penny was transported back to the same pond. The light had shifted; the leaves were a different color. Standing in Odessa’s spot was a tall, better dressed girl holding her arms in the exact same way. Behind her was a blonde in sunglasses and a faux leather jacket—God she had tried so hard back then—screaming and gesticulating wildly. The words were garbled, unrecognizable, except for the line ‘I wish you were dead’ from the blonde before the vision faded from her view as Odessa turned to the group.

Penny unfroze. Had that been a Recollection, or just a hazy memory? Penny glanced around. Nobody else had seemed to notice it. Zoey and Odessa were at odds with one another while Elron was trying to defuse the situation. He brought up an interesting point about the cold not affecting Odessa. What was even stranger than that was how she didn’t seem to be hurt at all from that bump she had taken, while both Penny and Zoey looked absolutely ragged and they had been the ones doing the hitting.

“Wild Creek’s just a shithole pond where assholes would take you to get you drunk on wine coolers and try to reach second base,” said Penny, answering for Zoey. She stepped in front of the girl and pushed down her fist. “And Zoey, supercop is right. Cool it.” She gave Zoey a knowing wink. “We’re all friends here.”

Penny turned sharply on her heel so that she was standing by Zoey’s side as she confronted Odessa.“So, friendo, you seem to have done your fair share of research when it comes to spooky shit. Any guess as to why our old town’s makeout point has suddenly forced itself upon us?”

"Hey! Zoey, now's not the time for this. Besides, she's immune to the cold anyway. Let's just drop this and move for now."

“And Zoey, supercop is right. Cool it. We’re all friends here.”

With a sigh, Zoey simply took a step back and put her hands into her pockets as her sigil turned off. She shook her head as she gave Odessa a narrow-eyed look. She knew what was a lost cause and... she knew when to back down. That knowing look went over her head but she still didn't trust Odessa. Not one bit. And she knew this wasn't over, this chick was going to cross the line. "... She's not Elsa," Zoey muttered to Elron.

Zoey shivered as her teeth were chattering. She rubbed her hands together before realizing it was freezing. The snow was falling at a rapid rate and Zoey, unfortunately, had nothing to do with it. She just wished that she could, at the very least, cut off the snow. It was starting to pile on her genuine leather jacket (because only scrubs wear faux-leather) and Zoey's snowflake began to glow as she launched it off of herself. Just to get some semblance of warmth.

Because hey,

Anything's better than nothing.

Zoey was jealous of Odessa who was just... tanking the cold like it was nothing. Whenever the snow hit her, it just melted. What the fuck? Okay, she was extra-normal or something. Because nobody just stands out here in the fucking cold wearing nothing but a tank top and booty shorts.

“So, friendo, you seem to have done your fair share of research when it comes to spooky shit. Any guess as to why our old town’s makeout point has suddenly forced itself upon us?”

Before Odessa even acknowledged Penny, she went over to Zoey and got uncomfortably close. Zoey put her hands up as she took steps back because she didn't like where this was going. However, Odessa's body heat went up like she was a radiator, and Zoey couldn't help but get closer. It was the only heat she was going to get - because at this rate she was probably going to die or something.

"You looked cold," Odessa said with a smile. "Your welcome."

"T-thank you?" Zoey said, "I thought you were going to make this real awkward."

Odessa turned to Penny and stood there silent for a few seconds as she tried to come up with the best way to phrase her theory. "I honestly can't tell you for sure, at least not until we probe a bit more." Odessa said, "However, I have a few theories... this place could be a dreamscape of some sort and it manifests places important to the people inside of it. Which could mean we're all dreaming."

"... Which is why it looked like you were going to kiss me there?" Zoey chimed in and only elicited an eye-roll. "Its a dream, so why give a fuck?"

"Keep tempting me and maybe I will," Odessa said with a smile before she continued. "The other possibility is that we're in a... Fluid alternate dimension. I'm not sure how acquainted you all are, but there are dozens of worlds out there and each of them... stranger than the last. Some universes constantly shift and build itself around the people in it. Which would explain the... Apparition. Is this place important to you by chance?"

"Well..." Zoey trailed off as she rubbed her hands together. "... I'll give you two guesses - but either we're dreamin' or trapped in a hellish alternate world," Zoey said with a roll of her eyes.

"Geeeeeeee, that's great. Any idea on how we can get the fuck out of here? I've had enough spooky shit to last a lifetime."

"I'm sure you did," Odessa said, "But, I'm going with the theory of us being stuck in an alternate world... any of you by chance have an abstraction capable of dimensional travel?"

"I know a gal," Zoey rubbed her hands together, "Unfortunately, she ain't here and I doubt we can call her."

"Do you want to clue us in? What's your deal Odessa, you're constantly emitting heat consistent with that of a space heater and you're immune to the cold.

There was a brief moment of silence as Odessa looked off to the side. She turned around as she finally hung her hands low and put them together. Her modesty was preserved as she was facing away from the group almost as if she was in a moment of deep thought. Odessa let out a sigh as she turned around and finally just told him.

"... Not quite immune," Odessa said as she raised her hand up and as a display of her abstraction, the skin around her arm retracted revealing bone (which oddly looked like wood). And quickly afterward came a mass of blooming flowers. Different flowers from roses, tulips, orchids covered her arm. She avoided eye contact with another sigh, "To put it simply; I lost my humanity ages ago. Now... I'm just a plant. A living, breathing, plant... it has its perks because, as you've noticed, the cold doesn't bother me, I can heal, and do all sorts of amazing things."

With another defeated sigh the flowers retracted back into her body and the exposed bones were covered with her skin. Odessa was quick to add on, "But, one cannot shed their humanity without a price..." She sighed.

"So, um," Zoey asked with a raised eyebrow. "What the fuck are you?"

"Adjoined," Odessa said.

"... And what's that? Sorry, I'm used to ghosts, magicians, and orange balls of death, but that's not in my area of expertise."

"It's when you fuse with an Apparition," Odessa said, "Some people when they Adjoin can change forms, but in my case, the two of us are the same... I don't even know where my memories begin and hers end."

"And how did this happen?"

"Long story, another time, Zoey..." Odessa trailed off.

"No clue what you're talkin' about, I'm unafflicted. I didn't know there were other worlds?"

"Countless ones," Odessa said with a knowing grin on her face. "It's possible that we're all from completely different universes from each other." She gave Elron a wink.

"Gee," Zoey said with a roll of her eyes and a puff of her cigarette holding it in between two fingers.

"It's also possible that we may never find our home universes," Odessa just had to add on, "And we're gone for good."

Stacey wiped his tears, his eyes were red and a little puffy, and the rest of his face slowly went back to it's tawny color. The hand Penny placed on his shoulder was comforting. He felt he could trust her and Zoey, because he knows that it's rare to find people that would stick their neck out for you, much less save your life. He knows he wouldn't have done the same, but he wants to save them someday. If they stick around here any longer he might end up having the chance. When he looked up again they weren't in the city. Instead, they were in the middle of a forest at a pond. At least they were out of the city. Maybe they'll have the chance to breathe for a day, two days, a week, the rest of the time they're here. He hopes.

"It's an Apparition... long as something is keeping it alive it'll come back. And keep coming for you. You can kill it a thousand times, but whatever is keeping it from moving on will only grow... stronger."

And of course Odessa has to crush his hopes and dreams. So they're not safe. But more specifically he's not safe. His chest contracted, his felt his heart beat against his chest, he couldn't breathe. No. No. No. NO! They won! He was safe and now there's a chance for that thing to come for him again. His tears came back and he couldn't stop shaking. He wanted to go home or away from here. Anything else had to be better than this. The conversation around him muffled out, but he could tell there was conflict and a fight almost broke out. He curled up, drew his knees into his chest, and bared his face in them. Inhale: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Hold: 1, 2, 3, 4. Exhale: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. He did this for several minutes, but he didn't feel any better nor like he was going to come out of his panic attack anytime soon. He probably didn't have thirty minutes to sort himself out. If that thing was going to come back for him they needed to run, didn't they? Or would it matter? It magically found them at the bar, didn't it? Maybe there was no way to outrun this thing. Stacey looked at the lake. He considered drowning himself once during a storm, but Sandy stopped him for her sake. Penny and Zoey saved his neck, so they'd stop him from nosediving into it. No, stop it. Don't think about that. The breathing technique he might not have time for, so he tuned into the conversation. He can multitask.

Apparently, the conflict is over and Odessa theorizes that they're in the an dreamworld or alternate universe. They were sent here by something and they needed dimensional powers to get out of here. He's sure he doesn't have that. He's not sure what he has. Stacey hadn't noticed, until Elron mentioned she was warm in the freezing cold. He and Zoey stood next to her, the snow melting around them. She quiet for a moment, before she shows her arm and the skin pulls back, revealing a wooden bone, and flowers bloom out of it. She's a plant, she says. A. Plant. That's the creepiest thing he's ever seen and it makes him queasy looking at it. He turns his head away and looks into the darkness between the trees, instead. But the dark made his anxiety worse; when you look into darkness, it looks back at you. He's seen all the darkness inside himself already. He'd be surprised if there's more he hasn't learned yet. He glances back to Odessa. She put her flowers back where they came from. Good.

"It's possible that we're all from completely different universes from each other."

He has his doubts that The Killers exist in whatever world Elron from, so they have to be from the same place. He just never realized that a lot of weird shit went on in his world, until he spelled (maybe) his ex. He's not sure.

"It's also possible that we may never find our home universes. And we're gone for good."

Gone for good? Like Dorothy and Toto permanently stuck in Oz? Or Alive never leaving Wonderland? He stood up then and got closer to the group, not so much he was close to Odessa, but he felt a little of her heat and he made sure Elron stood between. He'll freeze to death before he gets in reaching distance of her.

"I don't know anything about Extra-normal humans, but if we have powers can one of us get dimensional travel so we can get out of here?" He doesn't say he'll sooner careen off a cliff or drown in a pond if he has to be here forever running from Apparitions.