What Lies Beneath

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Bittersweet Sorrows Part Three

Joe watched Sophie's spirits crumble right before his eyes. She was the hero. As much as he wished the responsibility rested on his shoulders, he was never meant to bear the burden. He wasn't the one meant to save the day and make sure that everyone got out all right. Sophie was. He was meant to witness this moment. It was clear to him now. All his investigating that started with a simple taxi fare was meant to lead him to this place at this specific time.

Sophie needed people to build her up, to give her the strength that she needed to finish this fight. It was her weight to bear, but that didn't mean that others couldn't help her carry it all the way to the end.

 Sophie sat frozen watching her friends battle the beast. There was nothing she could do. She'd lost all hope of victory. It didn't matter how many times Karen slammed her fists into his face or body, there was no point. Until the house was defeated, they may as well lay down and accept the fact that the battle was over before it even started.

Her friends were relying on her to swoop in and save the day, but how could she when they weren't even fighting the true enemy. Not to mention, how was she supposed to fight a house. One that was alive and thwarted them at every turn. No, she was done. There was no victory, no happy ending at the end of this chapter, not unless she could come up with a way to get rid of this house without hurting those trapped within its walls. She was supposed to be their guardian, their protector, the one who was chosen to rise up and save the day. There wasn't anything she could do, not anymore.

Darkness threatened to consume her as thoughts of despair raged within her own mind. There was no hope, nothing to hold onto anymore. Sophie plunged into a deep depression with each passing second. Time didn't matter as there was nothing left to fight for.

 Karen narrowly missed a swing from Jason's fist as she slammed hers into his gut causing him to burst into a coughing fit as he tried to regain the air he'd lost. This battle was far from over. There was so much she had to fight for. Each punch was her way of fighting against the universe. She was destined to come to this house. To perish at its hands, but she wasn't about to go quietly into the night. Karen would be damned if she let herself roll over and give up so easily.

It would be so simple to give in and let her friend take the brunt of the battle, to fight for them while they made excuses from the sidelines, but she was never one to back down. This house had put them all through the ringer from the very moment they stepped through its threshold and she didn't plan on letting it make her forget who she was.

Everyday spent in the hell was another trial she had survived. Meeting these people and becoming friends, facing unknown and unseen forces, even killing Paul. All of that had led her to this moment. A moment where she'd made a choice to stop taking it. It was time to force the universe to recognize who she was and what she had to offer. It didn't matter what this house or the universe threw at her, she would step up to the challenge and beat it back until she breathed her last breath.

Jason took a wild swing with his elbow, but once again missed as Karen thrust the palm of her hand up into his nose. Through her hand, she could feel the bone in Jason's nose snap under the force. Jason howled in pain as his hands rushed to protect his now broken nose as blood gushed out into the world.

Anger sparked in Jason's eyes, reignited by his new hatred for the girl who stood in front of him, chest heaving as it sucked in air.

"Take it." The words rushed by Sophie's ear carried by wind and fog. Sophie searched for the source, but there was none to be found. The words were spoken by a being who existed outside the room and the battle. They were strong and determined, much like she was only minutes ago.