Chapter 34 "Crossing The Threshold"
ADRIAN
They gathered in the basement at 7 PM Kelly, Maya, Adrian, and Father David.
Ember was still in her containment room, still chained, still fighting the possession that was consuming her.
"We need to prepare her," Father David said. "Bring her out here. Get her into position."
Kelly and Maya went to get her while Adrian stood beside his ice bath, his whole body shaking. Whether from fear or from the lingering effects of his head injury, he wasn't sure.
Dr. Whitmore approached him, medical bag in hand. "I need to check your vitals. Make sure you're stable enough for this."
She took his blood pressure, checked his heart rate, shined a light in his eyes. Her expression grew more concerned with each test.
"You're not stable," she said finally. "Your blood pressure is elevated. Your pupils are slightly uneven, which suggests continued brain swelling. You shouldn't be doing this."
"I don't have a choice."
"There's always a choice. And yours should be staying alive."
"If Ember dies because I wasn't there to help change the past, then being alive doesn't matter anyway."
Dr. Whitmore studied his face for a long moment. "You love her."
It wasn't a question, but Adrian answered anyway. "Yes."
"Even though she's possessed? Even though she might not survive this?"
"Especially because of that. Because it's my fault she's like this. I have to fix it."
Dr. Whitmore sighed. "Men and their guilt complexes. Fine. But I'm monitoring you extra carefully. Any sign of distress, and I'm pulling you out first."
The door opened. Kelly and Maya appeared, supporting Ember between them.
She looked worse than Adrian remembered. Thinner. Paler. The black veins were more prominent now, spreading across her skin like cracks in porcelain. And those eyes solid black, without any trace of the warm brown he remembered.
They guided her to one of the ice baths. Ember moved mechanically, like a puppet, letting them position her without resistance.
"Ember?" Adrian tried, taking a step toward her.
Those black eyes fixed on him. "She's not here right now. But she remembers you, traitor. She remembers what you did."
Adrian's chest tightened. "I know. I'm so sorry. I'm going to fix this. I promise."
Rosanna laughed that horrible, layered sound. "You can't fix this. But it will be amusing to watch you try."
"Everyone in position," Father David called out.
Adrian, Kelly, and Maya moved to their respective ice baths. They were dressed in thin cotton clothes that would allow maximum heat transfer. The water was already iced, steam rising from the surface despite the cold.
"This is how it works," Dr. Whitmore explained, moving between them. "You'll get into the water. Your body temperature will drop rapidly. You'll start shivering that's normal. Then the shivering will stop as your body shuts down non-essential functions. You'll feel sleepy. Confused. That's when the separation should occur."
"Should?" Maya asked.
"This is unprecedented medical territory. I can't guarantee anything."
"Comforting," Kelly muttered.
"Once you're under, I'll monitor your vitals continuously," Dr. Whitmore continued. "Heart rate, breathing, temperature. You have one hour. At the fifty-five minute mark, I start warming you back up regardless of where you are in the process. Understood?"
Everyone nodded.
"Ember goes in first," Father David said. "Then the rest of you. Kelly and Maya, you'll hold Ember's hands. That creates the anchor. Adrian, you'll be physically separate but spiritually connected through your link to her."
"How do we know it'll work?" Maya asked.
"We don't. But the texts suggest that deep emotional connections create spiritual bridges. Love, loyalty, friendship these things transcend time and space. We're counting on that."
Father David began chanting in Latin, moving around the room, blessing each ice bath. The temperature seemed to drop even further, and Adrian's breath misted in the air.
"Ember first," Father David repeated.
Kelly and Maya helped Ember into her ice bath. She didn't react to the cold didn't gasp or flinch. Just sank into the water like it was warm bathwater, those black eyes staring at nothing.
Then Adrian. The cold hit him like a physical blow. His breath left his lungs in a rush. His skin screamed in protest. Every nerve in his body demanded he get out, get warm, get away from this terrible cold.
"Stay in," Dr. Whitmore said, her hand on his shoulder. "Your body will adjust."
Kelly and Maya got into their baths on either side of Ember. Both of them gasped at the cold, their faces going pale almost instantly.
"Join hands," Father David instructed. "Kelly, take Ember's left hand. Maya, her right. Maintain physical contact."
They reached across the gap between the baths, their hands finding Ember's. The moment they connected, something changed. The air in the room grew heavy, charged, like before a thunderstorm.
Father David continued his chanting, louder now. The candles flickered despite no breeze. The symbols he'd drawn on the floor began to glow with a faint, eerie light.
Adrian's body was shaking violently now, his teeth chattering so hard he thought they might crack. But he couldn't stop watching Ember watching her face, her black eyes, hoping for some sign that she was still in there.
"It's working," Dr. Whitmore said, checking monitors. "Core temperatures dropping. Heart rates slowing."
The shaking stopped.
Adrian felt warm suddenly. Sleepy. Like he could just close his eyes and drift away.
No, he thought. Stay awake. You need to stay awake to
But he couldn't remember what he needed to stay awake for. Couldn't remember where he was or why or
Adrian's eyes closed.
And the world fell away.
FATHER DAVID
Father David watched as all four of them slipped into unconsciousness within seconds of each other.
Their vitals dropped on the monitors heart rates slowing to barely thirty beats per minute, breathing shallow and slow, body temperatures plummeting toward dangerous levels.
"Are they" he started.
"They're alive," Dr. Whitmore said, her eyes fixed on the screens. "Barely. But alive."
The room felt different now. Emptier. Like something essential had been removed.
Because it had. Four souls had left their bodies behind, traveling to a time before any of them were born.
Father David checked his watch. 7:23 PM.
They had until 8:23 PM.
One hour to change the past.
One hour to save Ember Winters.
One hour before they all died trying.
Father David knelt on the cold stone floor and began to pray.