Beth sprints towards the nearby car, expertly navigating through the cover of undergrowth. Urgency fuels her movements as she swiftly locates a set of tools under the vehicle, seizing a pipe and a length of rubber tubing, scrap from the wreckage.

Racing towards her struggling Guardians, Beth's mind and hands work quickly. Working swiftly and with precision, she attaches the rubber tube to the pipe, fashioning a makeshift rocket-like contraption. Making use of the materials at hand, she coats several rocks with sticky pine sap, turning them into makeshift projectiles.

Positioning herself strategically, Beth loads one of the sap-covered rocks into the makeshift launcher. With a steady hand, she aims the pipe upwards with one hand, the other hand strikes some flint on fire and launches the rock flaming through the air.

Its landing creates a cacophony of sound and a cloud of smoke, missing her target but still creating a minor distraction. "Over here you morons! I have a lot more where that came from!" Beth calls as she launches another flaming rock into the air. The group of Devil's Own split up, some running for Beth and the last three turning towards the girls, who are now pulling out their swords and ready for a fight.

Beth throws the launcher at the closest one. He grunts, falling flat into the snow. She turns and runs. Her footfalls are swift but cautious, avoiding hidden roots and icy patches as she navigates through the labyrinth of trees. Her breath quickens, creating a visible fog as she pushes herself to maintain pace.

Devil's Own are hot on her heels, she can hear them calling to each other, barking orders. But all she can do is run, out of weapons and out of ideas, so she presses herself harder. A group of Devil's Own step out in front of her, forcing her to slide to a halt. Her heart pounds in her chest. Beth is surrounded. Still, she grits her teeth and draws her sword. She waits. Examines each one, trying to figure out who to target, she only gets one chance. 

They share looks and nudges that make Beth's hair stand on end. A beast of a man steps towards her. Her eyes lock onto the massive sledgehammer he drags against the snow. Her arm shoots out, cutting his throat. He falls back, cussing and coughing as two more jump at her.

Their arms reach out to grab. She twists. Her sword dances. Within seconds they're diced to ribbons.

One after another appears from the trees, shadows resurfacing as quickly as they're cut down. Bodies pile up one after another until exhaustion begins to settle in. The remaining Devil's Own surround her, watching her with weary eyes. She heaves and gasps, but holds her blade with renewed strength. Valery needs her, exhaustion will not hold her back. A crunch behind her makes her eyes widen. With a sickening crack, her world blackens.

When her eyes open, she finds herself face down in the snow. A boot is lodged against her neck and her body is numb. A prick in the arm. Her whole body races with heat, and then turns solid. Unmoving. Her muscles seem to liquefy. Having lost all inability to move, she can't object as she is picked up and hauled inside.

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Val stares at the light, its angles steadily changing as it moves across the floor. It brings no sense of heat, no sense of joy. Memories and thoughts swirl in the background of her mind, but she remains detached from them. Time loses its grip on her, and she enters a state of timelessness, where past, present, and future blend into a seamless flow.

What are they doing without me? Without a healer? Trent. Matt. Angela. I'm sorry I let all of you down. I'm sorry. I miss you all. I hope you are safe, don't come after me. They are ready and waiting for you. Don't be stupid. You always tell me not to be. Their faces are a blur to her drugged mind, unable to clearly form in her memories. A single tear falls from her eye. Angels, please let them be ok, please look over them. Show them the wisdom behind letting me go.

A plate of food sits beside her, along with a cup of water. The plate contains a scoop of mashed potatoes, a piece of staling bread, and a few sprinkles of fatty pieces of chicken. Food to try to keep her strength up as she transitions. Food that she pays no attention to, the idea of eating rolling her stomach.

What can I do? Die here? It's the only way to prevent my family from having to face me. They wouldn't lift a sword to me. But. What if they do rescue me like Olivia thinks they will? Trent would be devastated if he found out I didn't make it. Which would be worse? What's the chance of them being successful with another rescue? What if everyone dies, weakening their forces, and then have to face me?

Valery stares at the window, high above her head. What can I do? What's the best choice here?

Valery lifts her head as her cell door creaks open.

"I have something for you." Olivia greets as she walks into Valery's cell. Olivia motions to the wall across from Valery where a bear of a man dumps a large bundle to the ground. It hits the ground with a thump, he grunts and walks off. Olivia holds a lantern up high, letting Valery inspect the delivery. Its flickering glow casts an eerie shadows across the cell. Valery's heart races with a mix of fear and anticipation as she struggles to comprehend what lies before her. There, sprawled on the cold stone floor, lay the bound figure of her mother, inert and helpless, her eyes drilling into Valery and full of fear.

"We gave her a paralytic. She can see and hear everything, but can't move."

Olivia smiles wickedly as Valery wails."This isn't right!" She strains against her bonds.

"My dear, it isn't about what's right, it's about who wins. Now, I'm going to let this sit here as you contemplate your next move. Is she going to be the last to fall because of you? Or the first?" She turns to walk away from Valery, leaving her sobbing. "Decisions, decisions." She mutters, her voice fading into the distance.

"Time for another dose." The Devil's Own greet. As the cell door creaks open once more, Valery's world blurs into a haze of shadows and distant echoes. Valery doesn't fight back as the sharp prick pierces her skin. How many doses have they administered now? Five? Seven? The numbers dissolve into a fog of confusion, lost in the labyrinth of her delirium. The lines between reality and illusion blur, leaving her tethered to a fractured sense of time.

Time warps and bends, a cruel dance of uncertainty. A member of the Devil's Own steps through, a faceless figure in the dim light, their presence a foreboding specter. Her consciousness ebbs and flows, a fragmented tapestry of moments and dreams.

Olivia's voice slices through the fog, pulling Valery back to a semblance of awareness. "Are you ready for the torture to end?" She struggles to focus, to grasp the weight of Olivia's chilling question. Blinking away the daze, Valery's gaze fixates on the menacing figure before her.

"I won't let you use me against my people." Valery croaks, in her mind she sees a mighty kick, but in reality is just a baby tap against the plate in front of her.

A sharp, sickening sound pierces the air. Valery's eyes widen in disbelief as a cry tears through her throat. In a chilling display of ruthless cruelty, Olivia's hand plunges a blade into the defenseless figure of Valery's mother.

Her mother's pained gasp fills the chamber, an unbearable symphony of anguish and despair. Valery's vision blurs, tears mingling with the shock and agony that rip through her soul. The world around her fractures, the cell walls fading into a blurry backdrop as grief and rage consume her. She welcomes it.

The night air is cool against Valery's skin as she walks hand in hand with someone dear. She can't tell who. The moon hangs low in the sky, casting long, silvery shadows. Words exchanged in soft whispers, the world feels still and full of promise, a stolen moment of time.

Her mother's body, once distant, now seems to hover before her, a specter from across the cell. Valery's gaze fixes on the haunting vision, her eyes wide and uncomprehending. Mom. Why is Mom here? Her voice rises, and a guttural cry of resistance and hatred, echoes off the unforgiving stone walls. A tender, melodic voice sings a familiar lullaby, soothing and warm. Valery is cradled in loving arms, surrounded by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. The gentle sway of the rocking chair lulls her into a sense of safety and comfort, a memory wrapped in a cocoon of maternal love.

Exhaustion pulls at Valery, tugging her deeper into the abyss of slumber. Her mind, fractured and fragile, clings to fragments of her past, threading together a tapestry of half-forgotten faces and fleeting moments.

A sun-dappled orchard stretches out before her, the scent of ripe fruit mingling with the warm breeze. Laughter and the distant hum of bees fill the air. Valery reaches out, fingers grazing the rough... something. Yelling wakes her up. Yelling. Something is wrong. Something.... Her mind is nothing but a thick fog, her body feels like a piece of dead wood. Solid, unmoving. She hangs from the wall by her wrists, her legs unwilling to hold her.

Voices. They sound familiar. Valery fights her head to clear as she lifts her head to look around. Trent. Matt. No. I shouldn't be hearing them. They aren't here. They can't be. Just another trick of the mind. A hope trying to shine through.

She closes her eyes, praying the voices out of existence. They hurt too much to hear. 

It won't be too much longer.

As the needle pierces her skin once again, a fleeting image shimmers through the fog of Valery's fractured consciousness. In the soft glow of a bedside lamp, her mother's face appears, a gentle smile playing on her lips. Her eyes are pools of warmth and comfort, cradling Valery in an embrace of unconditional love. There's a tenderness in the way her fingers brush back a strand of Valery's hair. "Mom." Valery croaks, her voice rough and throat scratchy. In that fleeting moment, her mother's presence offers solace, a whispered promise that she is not alone. As the drug takes hold, pulling Valery deeper into the chasm of sedation, the image wavers like a candle's flame in a gentle breeze.

"It's time." Olivia decides with a superior smirk as she looks over Valery's slumped body.