Chapter XXXIX

THE NEXT DAY CAME quickly. Joey was half amazed at how sound asleep she stayed the entire night, but really after everything her body went through, she wasn't surprised at how peacefully she slept. Glancing around, she saw the weary faces of the others, but still they pressed on in their search for the second Dome. She lowered her head staring at her boots as she trudged along. Truth be told, she didn't care about finding the exit anymore. Not since she discovered the truth about her dad.

Shifting her eyes upward, she watched as Mr. Magnus shot her an occasion glance. Before she had drifted off last night, Thomas had explained all that happened. Jenny and Heather returning, the Pikulo, Chase's death, the door they thought would maybe lead to their escape, and Mr. Magnus the assassin, and Lucinda's escape. So much had happened while she was trapped in the dream state.

Peering at the back of her friends heads, she gulped as her heart beat quickened. The thought of losing them never left her mind, and the fact that Lucinda was now roaming around out there freely brought back the dream, vision, future, whatever it was that Lucinda seared into her brain. Even though she wasn't close to Chase, she had started to consider him a friend ... and she wasn't planning on losing anymore.

Her legs grew weak as they tired and from the lack of lifting them high enough off the ground, the tip of her boot rammed against a stone in the earth and she collapsed to her knees, her palms smacking the dirt. Drawing everyone's attention, she blushed and panted from her racing pulse. "I'm alright," she assured. She felt Thomas's familiar grip around her shoulders as he helped her to her feet. Gazing into his gentle eyes, she grinned and gave him a slight nod.

"We'll rest for a few minutes," Michelle declared, her voice strangely tender. "We're getting close to the edge of the Dome anyway."

"The edge?" Joey asked, whirling her head towards Michelle as her brow pulled together. "But we haven't found the doorway to the next Dome."

"Not in this direction," Michelle responded mildly, "but there's three other directions to try." She glanced around at the others tired faces. "We'll find it!" She said a little louder. "We will."

Feeling defeated, Joey plopped down on a fallen log and rested her hands on her head. This journey to find the second Dome felt like it would never come to an end. She desperately wanted to get out of here, as she was sure most, if not all, of the others felt the same way.

"Michelle's right," she heard Thomas's sentimental voice in her ear. "It has to be here."

At first, she didn't reply, but her frustration kept her from being silent. She flung her hands to the side as she mockingly quoted, "Then where is this exit that's supposed to 'lie beneath our feet?' Huh?" She crossed her arms and looked away. "I thought surely we would've found something to suggest it's whereabouts by now."

Thomas placed a hand on her knee. "You're being too hard on yourself. Just a day ago you were laying on the ground dying." Her shoulders sagged. "And to be fair, the Dome is brutal! It feels like every five seconds we're trying to save someone, or ourselves, from dying. That doesn't give us much chance to keep searching for the doorway."

Joey sighed as she looked down. "At this pace, it'll take us years and half the people here to find the exit."

"Joey, I think—"

"Shh!" She quickly cut him off as she sat up straight. Her ears perked as she listened intently to the sounds around her. A few spurts sounded, kind of reminding her of the sound of popcorn, but eventually it grew louder into a crackle. "Do you hear that?"

After a second, Thomas replied, "Hear what?"

Her gaze shifted up towards Michelle who returned the worried glance. Clearly, the fearless leader was hearing the same thing she was. Her heart leapt when Michelle perked up and raced into the forest disappearing out of sight.

"Oh, come on! Really, Pyro?" She head swung to the right to find David snap at Alex with his arms crossed. "Do you think the rest of us wants to smell something burning every time we stop for a break?" It was at the mention of his words when Joey drew in a large whiff and smelt the roasting of fire.

Alex cocked his head and raised a brow, clearly offended at the accusations. "Excuse me? So, every time you smell smoke you're going to blame me? Do I blame you every time it snows, Popsicle?" He raised his pointer finger. "I haven't as much as lit a finger in the past several hours."

"Uh, guys." Joey turned her attention towards Ella who was gazing in her direction, but her chin was lifted as she peered over the treetops.

Joey popped up off the log and twirled around as she followed Ella's gaze up. Her eyes widened and her heart sped up as smoke rose into the atmosphere. Soon, and very soon, the surrounding trees would go up in flames. Squinting in the distance, she froze as she discovered a line of fire quickly spreading in a horizontal line and it flickered their way lighting everything in its path on fire.

"Nathan!"

Joey swung on the balls of her feet to find Michelle limping towards them from the tree line struggling to keep an unconscious Brianna alongside her. Many of the others raced her way to assist her, but not Joey. She was completely frozen, paralyzed by fear.

"What happened?" she heard Nathan as he helped lower Brianna to the ground.

Michelle cried out as she collapsed to the ground, a large gash in her leg. "It's Lucinda," she said, her voice boiling with anger. Wincing, she gripped her flesh directly above the gash. "She's going to try to kill us. We have to move!"

"Look out!" Kathleen shouted, pushing both David and Alex out of the way. Alex rolled into a somersault landing on his stomach, and David slid on his side on the ground. Where the two boys had once stood, a massive branch, bursting to life with fire, had fallen in their place with Kathleen standing directly behind it.

Feeling the heat on her skin, Joey turned around to face the consuming fire and she stepped backwards, frantically glancing around as the smoke seeped into her lungs and she felt its burn.

Michelle cried out as she forced herself to stand. "If we stay here any longer we'll be barbecued."

Thomas gripped Joey's arm trying to urge her along. "Joey, let's go!"

Joey shook as she addressed Thomas, finding that she hadn't realized how heavily she was breathing. "You said it wouldn't happen. You said ..." She paused to catch her breath. "You said we'd stop her." Blinking, she forced away the tears and yanked her arm away. "I'm not going to let her take us out like this." Balling her hands, she summoned her daggers and they glowed a right orange amidst the embers. Shoving Thomas aside, she took off into the forest avoiding the embers and following debrie. "Joey!"

With her daggers close, she squinted through the fires as she desperately tried to locate the witch. A limb broke off the tree beside her and she raised her hand to shield her face from ash. It was then, not far off, that she found the witches red hair shinning in the blaze. She was aimed towards the others, only from her distance, they wouldn't have been able to see her.

"Joey!" She heard Thomas's voice, but knew he hadn't followed her as his voice dimmed.

Maneuvering her head to see through the smoke, Joey gasped as Lucinda withdrew a dagger that had been stashed behind her back, resting between her skin and waistline, and held it down at her side. "No!" She dashed towards Lucinda, dancing around the flames that licked at her clothes. Lunging forward, Joey collided with Lucinda rolling into a tumbled as the two rapidly descended down a long hill.

Her back smacked the hard ground, and she grimaced looking up to find Lucinda towering over her; the dagger still in her hand that Joey had prayed she had dropped.

"I warned you what would happen!" her Scottish tone made her sound all the more menacing as she practically spat in Joey's face. "Claire will pay, they'll all pay for what they did to me." She paused and growled. "And I'll start by taking the lives of those who are the key."

Joey balled her hands into fists, conjuring the daggers she had lost, and tried to free herself from Lucinda's grasp that held her bound against the ground. She could tell by the pained look on the witch's face that the tumble had hurt her shoulder wound.

"I don't know what Claire did to you, but I won't let you hurt my friends." She drew up her knee to her chest and with a forceful shove Lucinda flew backwards. Joey sprang to her feet intending to end the threat to their lives, but before she could, the witch raised a fist. All of a sudden, Joey couldn't move. Like all the blood in her body had frozen solid.

"I told you ... what would happen ... if you followed Thomas." Lucinda smiled wickedly and let out a rough sigh, the puff of hair moving some of the red locks over her face to the side. "I have lived in the Dome for years, mastering my ability of enchantments." She smirked. "I'm surprised at you really. I wouldn't have taken you to have been that gullible a fool. After all this time, Agcorp doesn't lift a finger to do anything other then drop a package off about once a year, but suddenly they tap into David's brain?"

Joey stared at Lucinda with confusion but couldn't make the expression with her face.

Lucinda took a step forward. "I used to have visions of your arrival in the Dome. The girl destined to save the world!" She laughed mockingly. "I used to think of you as some kind of hero, our ... savior." She spat. "If only I knew what you really were all those years ago." She chuckled and dropped her hands to the side. "But I guess that's what got me thrown in here in the first place." She squeezed her hand tighter, and Joey suddenly couldn't breath. "I remembered my visions clearly, and I knew my chance to get revenge on Claire was nigh. All it took was a simple spell in David's head, a curse on the compass, and voila!" Her expression hardened. "But I never expected someone with an ability like Bellamy to show up."

Her fist shook as her anger grew, and Joey grimaced, the pain overpowering the effect Lucinda's ability had on her. Stalking closer, Lucinda whispered in her ear, "You will know pain as I have, Joey Richards ... And you will suffer."

Lucinda thrust her fist forward, her fingers prying open, and Joey flew backwards into the hill. Her skull crashed against a rock on the hill and everything went black.

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"HAVE YOU SEEN JOEY?"

Alex, who was doing everything he could to keep the fire under control, twisted his head as Thomas ran towards him. "No," he replied strained through gritted teeth. "Why?"

Thomas released an exasperated sigh. "She took off trying to find Lucinda. She thinks she's the cause of this." A burst of embers exploded into the air from close by, and Thomas ducked covering his head for protection, but Alex exerted a hand in that direction keeping the sparks at bay. He grunted as the flames around them were too powerful for him to contain. "Look out!"

Throwing his head up, Alex watched as a branch snapped free from above. With his hands basically tied trying to keep the others safe, he didn't have the reaction time he needed, but he felt a pair of strong hands on his chest as he was shoved backwards. As his hands lowered, the fire instantly consumed the remaining green grass with Alex no longer protecting it. From the push, he collided with someone behind him and he lost his footing. Suddenly, he found himself rolling down hill, crashing into several bodies, before coming to an abrupt stop.

Alex winced as he collected himself, pulling his arms and legs free that were intertwined with other limbs. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he scanned the other bodied to find he had created a domino effect. Now, he and the others lay sprawled out in a heap at the bottom of a lush hill that thankfully hadn't caught fire. He took a deep breath finding the thick aroma of smoke had vanished.

Thomas's face suddenly flashed through his mind and he quickly scurried to his feet. "Thomas!" He scanned the many faces that struggled on the ground before swinging his head back up towards the top of the hill. Thomas hadn't fallen with them. Gripping the grass in his hand, he began to climb.

"Alex, what are you doing?" he heard his little sisters voice and felt her petite hand on his bicep.

"Thomas is still up there," he replied, trying to break free of her strong grip.

"No, Alex!" she argued. "It isn't a good idea."

"You have nothing to worry about. The fire doesn't effect me."

"Alex, please!"

"He saved me, Jenny!" Alex shot back, flinging his head around to face her. "If you expect me to let him die then I have become no better then the people who put us in here."

"But I saw you," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "You couldn't put it out. You couldn't do anything about the fire."

( Shame filled his cheeks listening to his sisters hurtful comment. Softly, he said, "No ... I couldn't stop them. But I can resist them. Jenny, he'll die if I don't get up there and save him." Slowly, she released his hand.

"Joey?" He twisted his head to the left to find David taking off from the crowd. Peering into the distance, Alex discovered another body lying in the leaves. He watched as some of the others followed him and identified the body as, indeed, Joey.

"What happened?" Ella asked. "She didn't come down with the rest of us." Alex ignored her question and blocked out the others as he made his climb back up the steep hill. Thomas's life depended on how quickly Alex could get to him.

When he reached the top, smoke filled the air making it hard to see. He had never been so thankful for his ability then right now as he breathed freely amongst the fog. "Thomas!" Even if Thomas had called out in reply, Alex couldn't hear anything over the roar of fire. Raising his hands, the backsides touching, he swept them in an outward motion and the smoke around him cleared. Again, he called, "Thomas!" Frantically glancing around, he located the spot where the branch had fallen, and there, underneath the ash covered log, he found legs.

Alex quickly reached him, and stretched out his hands towards the decaying log. He straddled Thomas's legs and let out a quick puff of air before placing his hands under the branch. His heart fluttered for a brief moment as the remaining sparks of fire on the log didn't part away from his skin like he had thought, but rather engulfed them traveling up his arms to his elbows. He released a quick sigh of relief when the flames didn't burn his skin. Lifting the branch, he was surprised when it crumbled in his hand, but not enough to free the trapped young man underneath.

He grunted as he hoisted what was left of the limb. "Come on, Thomas!" He maneuvered his arm under the branch to hold it in one hand, and knelt on the ground using his free hand to pull Thomas's body free. Once Thomas was cleared, Alex dropped the branch and it cracked and folded in. Taking a quick glance around, the fire had spread rapidly and destroyed everything rather rapidly. His eyes narrowed at he studied the flames and could almost feel that something was off. He may not have had his ability for long, but he knew enough by his powers to know that this was no natural fire.

Allowing himself a quick pant, he stared down at Thomas with a grimace as the young mans skin became visible. The flesh on the his arms had blistered, but he was intrigued to find that Thomas didn't look as bad as he had thought. "Let's get you out of here," Alex said reaching down. He grabbed one of Thomas's arms and legs and draped him over his shoulders.

He took one step before a shadowed figure blocked his path, hidden behind the blanket of smoke. "What are you doing?" Alex questioned, wondering who would have been stupid enough to follow him. "It isn't safe! Go back! I got him."

Unexpectedly, the figure shouted and leaped at Alex, crashing into his chest knocking him from his feet. He dropped Thomas from his back and he landed in the sooted grass on his side. He coughed a puff of ash, and not a second later, someone hopped on top of him pinning him to the ground. He gritted his teeth as he pushed against the rough hands that held him, and looked up discovering Lucinda's sinister grin staring down at him. She raised a dagger in the air above her head in a downward plunge.

He had to think fast but his racing heart and the present danger made him unable to think clearly. Pulling himself out of his daze, he sucked in a deep breath as the dagger gleamed in the embers as it began its descend. His body ignited in his own flames, and Lucinda immediately shouted as she sprang off him gripping at her burning skin.

Alex quickly regained his feet and watched in fear as Lucinda howled from the pain but never released her dagger. She glared at him and shouted as she swung the dagger towards his face, but he swiftly stepped back, ducking under her swing. At the same time as his duck, fire left his fingertips in her direction, but he missed. Blocking another blow, Alex reared back his elbow and jabbed it into Lucinda's wounded shoulder. She staggered back screaming and clenching her arm, but was too fast. As he swung around to face her, her dagger came into contact with his bicep creating a large gash. He cried out as Lucinda kicked him in the back of the knee sending him to the ground on his knees.

Lucinda's laugh was so loud he almost felt that it echo inside his brain. "Nothing can save you or Thomas now." She raised her hand holding it out like she was holding an invisible cup.

Alex suddenly found that it was impossible to breathe, and the feeling felt all too familiar. He felt an invisible hand around his throat and it squeezed tighter by the second cutting off his airway. He grabbed at his throat trying to find what pressed against his airway, but he only clawed at his own skin. As the seconds passed, his vision darken and he collapsed to his side.

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DAVID DIPPED INTO A crouch, his back against the ashy bark, as Alex dropped to the burnt ground. His heart pounded and he panted from the sudden rush of adrenaline. His mind raced with the thoughts of Alex being dead, that Lucinda had become the cold blooded killer Michelle had tried to warn them about.

His heart lurched and he sprang to his feet, staying behind one of the only free trees that was no longer on fire. He watched closely as Lucinda whirled around at the call of her name. She lowered her hand and stood tall with her chin raised. David's eyes shifted left as Mr. Magnus stalked towards her through the smoke, his hand up to shield his face. "Walter?" Lucinda called.

"Lucinda, what are you doing?" the assassin asked. He took slow and cautious steps towards her, and she gritted her teeth.

"You know what she's done, yet you protect her. Why?"

"Because she's just a child!" he responded loudly to be heard over the fires. "You used to be a sweet and compassionate woman who had a love for children. Now you've resulted into murdering them? This isn't you! This is—"

"You're wrong, Walter!" she screamed, her fists clenched, and David ducked as the fires ramped up. "Your wife died along with the only child she ever loved years ago." Nothing was said for several minutes. "You know that's why I went to Claire?" Her voice lowered and cracked, and the fires strangely died away enough to where David could now hear the conversation clearly. "I offered up myself for her cure so she'd save our boy, but when my blood wasn't the key she turned me away for her!" The flames jumped and David lunged back to avoid a sprout from the bark. "She refused to save him, and we lost him!" A mixture of rage and sorrow filled her tone, and even from his distance, David could still see the tears glistening in her eyes. "That girl cost me everything!"

Mr. Magnus took another small step. "You can't blame Joey," he said tenderly. "She was only an infant. She had no say over what Claire did to her."

Lucinda suddenly broke down and shook as tears cascaded down her cheeks. "So was my little boy." Through gritted teeth, she gripped the dagger in her hand tightly and aimed it at Mr. Magnus. "Now, Claire will know my pain."

"I can't let you do that," he said softly and his shoulders slumped. "Oh, how I wish I could've saved you."

Lucinda hesitate at his words, and her hand with the dagger inched lower. "I don't need saving, Walter. What I want is for you to join me, and wipe Claire off the board for destroying our family. Be the assassin they turned you into!"

For a brief moment, Mr. Magnus looked to the ground as if to be contemplating what she was saying, but with a shake of his head he returned his gaze. "I can't do that. That's not ..." He paused. "That's not me. My life was the one I spent with you. The memories of how and when we met, our first kiss ... when you said yes. The life we built to survive Ignisa, the day we found out we were going to be parents, seeing Oliver's face ... even if it was just for a short time. Those are my memories. And those memories make me who I am. Not the false ones given to me by Agcorp."

Fresh tears poured down Lucinda's face and the raging fires were quickly doused leaving only the burnt wood, scorched grass, and hazy cloud of smoke. David took this moment to maneuver amongst the shadows to a better position.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sullenly as he took yet another small step. "I wasn't there for you when Oliver died. I tried hiding my pain with work, picked up extra shifts, just so I ... so I didn't have to stay home staring at that empty crib."

"No," Lucinda said, pain and heartbreak thickened her accent. "Instead, I was the one staring at the empty crib and the life that had been snatched from me."

Leisurely, Mr. Magnus made his way to her side and stood directly in front of her. Gently reaching for her hands, he grasped them and sighed heavily as he placed his forehead on her. "I pushed you away without even realizing you were hurting in silence."

He tenderly wrapped her up in his arms and squeezed her tight. That was when Lucinda's dagger dropped to their feet, and she finally hugged him back. From David's point of view, now squatting behind a tree not far from Lucinda's back, he could tell that their love was real. Even if Lucinda had lost sight of that along the way, Mr. Magnus loved his wife so deeply despite what she was capable of.

Keeping his chin on her shoulder, Mr. Magnus lifted his eyes towards the trees at David and gave a subtle nod. David instantly knew what the nod meant, and as much as he had argued with his teacher, he knew it had to be done. With someone like Lucinda in the world, their world would never truly be safe.

Slowly standing upright, he made a fist with his right hand and a sword made from ice formed, drips of water cascading down the blade. He cautious made his way through burnt grass, trying to avoid the loud crunches under his boot as he approached Lucinda. His throat tightened and a knot fashioned as he raised his sword, the tip inches from Lucinda's back. He felt tears prick his eyes but he held them back. His teachers soft words fluttered through David's ears as he addressed his wife. "I love you."

Gripping the handle of his sword tight, afraid he would back out last minute, David clenched his eyes shut and plunged his blade through Lucinda's back using as much force as he could muster. He listened as she gasped and instantly collapsed. Opening his eyes, he watched Mr. Magnus caught her in his strong arms before lowering her to the ground on her knees; her arms draped to the side, but her head remained resting on his shoulder.

David removed his hand from the hilt and the sword melted away. Once the blade had been removed, Lucinda's limp body fell to the side in Mr. Magnus's arms. He felt his eyes redden as he continued to hold back his tears, but instantaneously they began to fall when Mr. Magnus looked up at him and grinned, giving him a soft, "Thank you," with his weak and strained voice. The older man then fell to the ground beside his wife silent.

David, through his teary vision, stared at Mr. and Mrs. Magnus's bodies as blood pooled onto the ground from a large wound in their chests. Choking back tears, he flung his body around before losing his composer. He squished the bottom of his palm against his eyelids as he wept, but a voice startled him and he quickly whipped away his tears.

"David?" He looked down and found Alex on his knees rubbing his throat. His voice came out raspy as he asked, "What did you do?"

Clearing his throat, David respond, "What needed to be done."

"You needed to kill Mr. Magnus?" Alex asked with disbelief as he stood. "Why? He was of no threat to us."

"Not as long as he could determine reality from Agcorp's brainwashing," David replied blankly. Pushing aside Alex's words, he made his way to Thomas. "Come on. He needs help." He grabbed Thomas's right arm while Alex grabbed his left and together the two carried him back down the hill to the others. They laid Thomas down on the ground leaning him up against the hill; coughing still swam around the crowd from the burning in everyone's lungs.

"Thomas!" Joey quickly shifted to her knees, tossing a bloodied cloth to the side, and crawled his way.

Alex elbowed David roughly. "Ice," he demanded.

David shot him a puzzled glance. "Ice?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "He's been burnt."

David pointed at himself angrily. "Do I look like a refrigerator? He has ice too. He should be thanking his body for doing its job or those burns would be a lot worse."

"But he doesn't have your healing gel!" Alex shouted, shooting him an aggressive glare.

Biting his tongue, David cupped his hands and a large ball of ice formed in his palm coated in a slick blue that sparkled. He threw it on the ground and it instantly shattered. Storming away, he yelled, "There's your ice!"

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ELLA HURRIEDLY PICKED UP the shattered pieces before they could melt as Kathleen's arm tightened into its point and she used the point to shred cloth from a jacket into pieces. Ella placed pieces of the healing gel onto Thomas's arms, and he grimaced. Jenny grabbed the ribbons of cloth and tied them around his arms to keep the gel from sliding as the ice melted. "You think this is going to work on burns?" Jenny asked.

When no one answered, Joey shrugged and sniffed. "I don't know, but I do know the power of the gel." She twisted her head to eye Jenny. "It's at least worth a shot."

Ella patted Joey's shoulder. "I'm going to find David." She turned around and took off in a sprint, dashing out of view.

From the corner of her eye, Joey could tell by Alex's grim expression that he had something on his mind. "Is everything okay?"

Alex's eyes slithered her way and he offered a grin. "Everything's fine. Now that Lucinda's dead, I don't have to worry about her hurting Jenny."

"Lucinda's dead?" she almost shouted, jerking upright straightening her back. She stared into his blue eyes quizzically, almost trying to read his thoughts. "What happened?" she continued when Alex didn't. He averted his gaze, clearly distraught by the idea of sharing. She wanted to pry further, but any attempt to retrieve information was cut off when Thomas suddenly cringed.

Her eyes drew downward as his eyes fluttered open. Grimacing, he let out a gasp before lifting his head, his eyes darting towards his arms.

Placing a gentle hand on his chest, she stopped him from sitting up any further and pushed him back down. "You're one lucky guy," she joked. "If Alex and David hadn't gone back for you, you'd be a goner."

Clenching his eyes shut and let his head fall to the leafy ground, and through gritted teeth, he cried, "It hurts."

Joey choked back a sob. "I know. We're trying to help you."

"David gave you some of his healing gel," Kathleen spoke up, placing a compassionate hand on his ankle. "It should help ease the burns."

Chuckling, Thomas swiveled his head until he found Alex. "Remind me never to save your bacon again." Alex, along with a few of the others, snickered.

After a few moments of silence, Brianna spoke up loud enough for all to hear. "Where's the assassin? Nathan you were supposed to be watching him!"

"Hey, I didn't see him when someone pushed us down the hill!" Nathan fired back. "I figured he either got away or fried to a crisp."

Anger and sorrow painted Alex's features as he finally turned and spat, "He's no longer our problem." That was all he said, and from the look on his face, no one pressed him further because they could all tell what he meant. Joey lowered her head and her hair to fall over her face.

"Alex, you're bleeding!" Jenny exclaimed.

Joey looked up as he glanced down at his bicep where blood oozed from under his sleeve. "Oh, yeah." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot about it in all the chaos. I don't really feel it at the moment."

Kathleen pulled his sleeve up and winced. "You should go get cleaned up."

Unexpectedly, Michelle plopped down beside Joey. "We'll rest here for a while. Wait for the smoke to clear." Oddly, she smiled. "We'll start our search again in the morning."

Joey nodded and sighed loudly in relief as Michelle stood up and limped away. A strange calming filled her heart knowing that Lucinda could no longer hurt anyone. Finally, the nightmare was over.