Lost Souls

Author: darkaccalia520

Fandom: seaQuest

Claim: Kristin Westphalen

"Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true. The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon which one we elect to follow."-Ed Warren

Kristin cringed inwardly as she walked into the ward room, seeing it decorated for Halloween with skeletons, fake cobwebs, giant spiders, pumpkins, and the like. She'd nearly forgotten what time of year it was, and though she'd never had a problem with the festivities in the past, after last year's fiasco on the George, she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it now.

The captain was already seated at the head of the table. She gave him a cordial nod and took her seat when she happened to notice him staring at her worriedly. "Something wrong?"

"I was wondering the same thing," he told her. "You look like you've lost your best friend. Aren't you feeling well?"

"Oh..." She offered him a weak smile, motioning to the skeleton in the corner. "I see someone's been awfully busy already this morning. I didn't expect to see decorations up so soon, that's all."

"That's Ben and Lucas' doing," he said. "Halloween's only four days away, so I figured I'd let them have a little fun. You know morale always picks up around a holiday, even Halloween. Everyone's excited."

"Not everyone," she muttered.

A brow rose. "I thought you always liked Halloween."

"I don't mind it, but after last year..." She let out a sigh. "I'm sure you can understand why I'm not exactly jumping for joy."

He nodded. "I guess spirit possession-"

"Nitrogen narcosis," she corrected.

"Or nitrogen narcosis would prevent you from doing that." He reached over to pat her hand. "But that was last year, and this year, we're staying put. We're on patrol at the moment, so I promise fresh oxygen to the brain at all times and no ghost ships."

"Much as I'd like to hold you to that promise, you know as well as I that can change in a moment," she replied.

He sighed. "Fine, you win. Tell you what. If a mission comes up and there's anything questionable about it, you'll be free to stay here. If a doctor is necessary, Levin can go in your place."

"I appreciate that, thank you."

"You're welcome. But for now, can you try to enjoy it? Let loose and have fun. Nothing's going to happen."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I know, I'm being a bit silly, aren't I?"

"Not exactly; you have every right to be a bit cautious, but you know what they say. You fall off a horse, you have to get back on it."

"If I'm thrown off a horse, I will gladly get back on. But I will never, ever step foot on another supposedly haunted ship again."

He laughed softly. "Fair enough. So...does this mean you'll at least be attending the crew party?"

"I'm not sure," she replied with a shrug. "Why? Are you asking me to go with you?"

"I was hoping you would. Besides, you'll need someone to help you ward off evil spirits, won't you?"

"When you put it that way, how can I refuse?" she said, giving his arm a playful push.

"I'm glad to hear it." He motioned towards the doorway as the rest of the senior staff began to file in. "Seeing as we need to get down to business, we'll discuss the details later."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"...as long as there's nothing else?" Nathan looked around the room as the others shook their heads. "Then meeting adjourned. Have a good day, people."

"That was short and sweet," Kristin said as she got up and pushed her chair in. "I'll see you at lunch perhaps." She turned to leave when Nathan placed a halting hand on her arm.

"I have a little time before I need to be on the bridge; do you mind if I accompany you to the lab? I thought we could discuss costume ideas on the way."

She nodded, and the two walked into the corridor, seeing white sheets strewn about the walls to resemble ghosts. "The boys certainly worked hard on this," she said, pointing towards the wall.

"If only we could get them to work this hard on other things," he replied with a smile, ushering her into the mag-lev.

"As you said it boosts morale, and surprisingly, Ben's kept himself in check lately."

"True; I wonder if we should be prepared for a setback."

She laughed. "I certainly hope not. So...about costumes?"

"Yes, about that...do you have any ideas?"

She thought for a moment. "Nothing concrete. I just know I don't want to do anything too complicated. I think we can come up with costumes with things we have lying around."

"I was hoping you'd say that," he replied. "I have the perfect idea then; we can go as a Victorian couple."

"A Victorian couple?" She shook her head. "I don't exactly have anything Victorian lying around."

"Sure you do. Lillian's dress, remember?"

Her jaw dropped open slightly. "Oh..."

"You still have it, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but... I'm not so sure it's a good idea."

"Why not?" he pressed.

She sighed, unsure of how to answer. She didn't really have a very good explanation, other than the fact she felt uneasy about it.

He put an arm around her shoulders. "Kristin, it's just a dress. It can't harm you. Even if Lillian did exist, she's where she should be now. She doesn't mean you any harm."

"I know." She thought for a brief second and sighed. "All right, I'll wear it this one time for you...but you'd better make it worth my while."

"I promise," he replied, holding up his hand as they stepped out of the mag-lev and onto C-deck near the moon pool, which had also been given the Halloween touch. "They certainly went all out, didn't they?"

She nodded, noticing a rather intriguing painting placed on the wall right across from the moon pool. "Though this isn't something you'd find in a box of Halloween decorations, is it?"

From the looks of it, the painting seemed to be rather old, the colors of the paint faded. What looked to be a once-vibrant night sky now appeared as a dull blue. In the painting, however, were six figures. Five people were lying down in a circle, and it seemed as though their throats had been slashed. The way the bodies laid, though, the blood all converged into one pool in the center of the circle.

The sixth figure was very much alive, standing in the center of the circle of bodies. She couldn't tell if the person was intended to be wearing a mask or if he just happened to have the head of a black cat with horns on its head, but he also had large black wings that seemed to be that of a crow. His hands, however, were indeed human, and he sat in the middle of the puddle of blood, smearing it on his naked body. In the corner of the painting was a strange-looking symbol of a horned creature with pointed ears inside a circle painted in blood-red paint.

She felt a shiver crawl down her spine, instantly making her feel ill. "Why in the world would they ever want to put such a ghastly thing up?"

"I'm not sure," Nathan replied, "but I'm hoping it's just that they didn't quite understand what it was. I'm not sure I even know." He took the painting off the wall and put it under his arm. "Don't want people having nightmares over this thing. I'll lock it away in my quarters, and when I see Ben, I'll be giving him a stern lecture."

"Thank you," she replied with a nod. "Well, I suppose I ought to get some work done. See you at lunch?"

"Of course; I'll see you then."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

As lunchtime rolled around, Kristin made her way to the mess hall. As she glanced towards the wall across from the moon pool, however, she frowned. The odd-looking painting was back in its place again. "Strange," she muttered to herself. "I was sure Nathan had taken that thing and locked it away." She shook her head and continued on her way. Maybe he'd already spoken to Ben and deemed it safe after all? She'd have to find out.

She entered the mess hall, seeing Nathan already seated, and waved. She picked out a sandwich and side salad and sat down. "How was your morning?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation light before asking about the painting.

"Uneventful," he replied. "Yours?"

"The same, mostly, but I-"

Nathan placed a hand on hers. "Hold that thought, please." He pointed towards the door, showing her that Ben and Lucas had just walked in. "Mr. Krieg," Nathan called, motioning Ben over to their table.

Ben obediently approached the table. "Have you gotten a chance to see what we've done to the boat, sir?"

"Indeed, I have...well, most of it anyway."

"Do you like it?" Lucas asked with his tray in hand, taking a seat next to the doctor. He nodded his head towards a group of skeletons and cobwebs in the corner. "I think those are my favorite."

"Yes, they're just bone-chilling," Nathan quipped before turning back to Ben. "I was particularly curious about that painting near the moon pool, however."

"That's pretty creepy, isn't it? I found it online and thought it would be perfect," he said with a grin.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't think it was a little inappropriate?"

"Inappropriate?" He shook his head. "It's just a little Halloween party painting, isn't it?"

Kristin nearly choked on her sandwich. "Is that what you thought it was?"

"Just how well did you look at that painting before hanging it?" Nathan asked.

Ben shrugged. "Pretty well. At least, I thought I did. It's just a guy in some sort of weird costume."

"Smearing himself in blood," Kristin choked out.

Lucas held up his hands. "Don't look at me. Ben did the moon pool area all by himself."

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus, kid," Ben muttered.

"Anytime," Lucas replied, flashing him a grin.

"Look, Cap, I...I'm sorry. I guess I didn't pay too much attention to it after all," Ben finally admitted. "Like I said, I found it online. It was packed with a whole bunch of other Halloween stuff inside a chest, and I just hung it up. I didn't know it was some guy smearing himself with blood. I'll go take it down right now."

"There's no need; I've already taken care of that," Nathan told him. "Given the bizarre nature of it, I took it down and put it away in my quarters. Thankfully, besides the doctor and myself, I don't think anyone else saw it."

"Wait...did you say you took it down?" Kristin asked.

"Yes. You were with me when I did."

She nodded. "Only when I passed by the moon pool on my way here, I saw that you hadn't."

"What?"

"It was still hanging up," she said quietly, suddenly noticing that all eyes in the room were focused on them.

"Okay, people, nothing to see here," Nathan told them before coming to Kristin's side. "Are you feeling all right?" he whispered.

"If you're asking if I imagined it, I certainly did not," she replied, being sure to match his tone so the entire mess didn't overhear.

"Kristin, I put that painting in my desk drawer and locked it myself," he said gently.

She frowned. "If you don't believe me, then I'll show you. Come on."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Not only had Nathan followed her, but so did Ben and Lucas, along with Katie, Tim, Jonathan, and Miguel, who'd been at the adjacent table. Kristin didn't mind; it was a small boat, and she knew word about this would spread like wildfire eventually. Plus, she knew she was right. Well, rather, she hoped she was. She'd never had a problem with imagining things before, and she didn't want to start now. But upon nearing the moon pool, relief washed over her when she saw it hanging there, plain as day. At least she knew she wasn't crazy.

"I don't believe it," Nathan muttered, shaking his head. He turned to Ben. "You didn't have two of those things, did you?"

"No, I swear it."

Then Nathan started laughing.

Kristin's brow furrowed. "Did I miss something?"

"Very funny," he told her. "You went into my room and got it out as a prank, right?"

"No, I'd never go into your room without your permission. Besides, didn't you say you'd put it in a locked drawer?" She shook her head. "I don't have a key, and I'd never use that wretched thing in a prank."

"Maybe that's what the ad meant," Ben commented. "The listing said it was haunted."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Did...did you say haunted?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, the AuctionNex ad claimed it to be haunted, but I had assumed it was a bunch of bunk," Ben explained. "I'd figured they had just said it to make a sale. I got the whole thing for five bucks."

"Whole thing?" Miguel said. "You mean you got other weird paintings like this?"

"No, not paintings. But this was inside a chest with some old candles, incense...things like that. We actually didn't use any of the other items," he replied.

"Wait, did you say AuctionNex?" Lucas chimed in. "There wasn't some old book that seemed be covered in human skin, was there?"

"Very funny."

"No, I'm serious," Lucas replied. "You've seen Evil Dead, haven't you?"

"That was just a movie," Tim replied. "Things like that don't happen in real life. At least not very often. I don't think Ben unknowingly discovered an ancient Book of the Dead." His brow furrowed in question. "Did you?"

Ben shook his head. "Of course not. I was just trying to be a frugal shopper and get enough decorations for the boat for a good price. Besides, it's not like it's really haunted. I'm sure it was just a fluke, just as I'm sure there's a logical explanation as to why it showed up out here again." He patted Nathan's shoulder. "You sure you haven't been working too hard, Cap? Maybe you just forgot you-"

"I did not forget," Nathan replied. "I am positive I put it away."

"Getting back to this haunted thing," Lucas continued, "it might not be so far-fetched."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of famous item claiming to be haunted turned out to actually be...and they were sold right over the Internex on AuctionNex or similar sites. Maybe the cap and the doc aren't crazy. Maybe something put it back on the wall."

"What...what sort of something?" Tim asked nervously.

"Well, a ghost," Lucas said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But don't worry; I'm sure it's not dangerous. It wouldn't be the first time we've dealt with ghosts, right? And look how well that turned out."

"Not ghosts; nitrogen narcosis," Kristin reminded him, though she felt a chill run through her bones.

"Whatever you say," Lucas replied. "The fact of the matter is that this painting is haunted. That's what I think anyway."

"But, Lucas, I-"

"Why don't you show us the original posting, Mr. Krieg? Perhaps we can get some answers that way, hm?" Kristin suggested. "Speculating won't get us anywhere."

"That seems like the best thing," Nathan agreed, taking the painting off the wall. "And this time, I won't be leaving this thing out of my sight."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Ben brought everyone to his quarters and immediately brought up the web page for all to see on his laptop.

Nathan stood over his shoulder and read the post out loud. "A chest full of accursed items: I acquired this chest at an estate sale, but since I've had it in my home, weird occurrences have been happening. I've stored it in the shed for the time being, but I'm not a fan of spirits and want it gone." He turned to Ben. "And that little story wasn't a tip-off for you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because no one ever lies over the Internex, right?" He clicked around the site a bit. "See this one? A Coke can that holds the soul of this guy's dead cat for a hundred bucks. Or this..." He clicked a different link. "A stuffed penguin that's supposed to be inhabited by the soul of this woman's deceased daughter, yet she's selling it for twenty dollars?" He gave a shake of his head. "No way are all these items really haunted. People will do anything to make a quick buck."

"And you would know," Katie said with a smirk.

"At least I can spot them from a mile away. I don't get had that way."

"Ben has a point, though," Kristin said. "Some of these stories do seem rather fabricated."

Nathan nodded. "Right, it doesn't mean this chest is haunted. Where is it, by the way?"

Ben walked towards his bunk and pulled out a worn wooden chest with something carved into the lid.

"What's written on there?" Lucas asked.

Ben shrugged. "Something in Spanish, I think."

"Latin, actually," Tim corrected. "Libera nos a malo. Deliver us from evil."

Katie shook her head. "That's not ominous at all."

Ben held up his hands. "It still doesn't mean it's haunted."

"What else is inside?" Nathan asked, moving to stand next to him.

Ben lifted the lid and took out the items one by one to show the others. "Some old candles, a bit of incense, and a piece of chalk. The rest all seems rather harmless to me."

"Or it could be for some weird spell of some sort," Lucas pointed out. "You could have very well unleashed hell just by opening that chest."

"Calm down, everyone," Nathan said. "Look, Ben's absolutely right."

Jonathan's brow rose. "He is?"

The captain nodded. "Surely, you don't believe in this stuff being haunted, Commander?"

"Of course not," he replied with a smile. "It's just that I never thought I'd hear anyone say Ben was right about anything."

"Haha, very funny," Ben said.

"All joking aside," Nathan continued, "the truth is, I might have forgotten to lock that painting up. I remember taking it off the wall and putting it under my arm, but then I had to get to the bridge. I honestly don't remember putting in my room. Maybe I just hung it back up and thought I'd take care of it later."

"You're sure?" Kristin said with a shake of her head. "That doesn't sound like something you'd do."

He shrugged. "Well, do you really think some sort of invisible force put it back? I thought you didn't believe in spirits?"

"I don't." She glanced around at the skeptical faces in the room. "But it does seem to be the most logical explanation. We really have no other proof at the moment."

"Doesn't mean we can't find proof," Lucas piped up. "I could put my computer skills to work." He gave Nathan a hopeful look.

"How very kind of you to offer to push your regular duties aside, Mr. Wolenczak," Nathan replied, "but I think we all just need to forget about this chest. I'd also like you all to kindly forget about the supposed legend associated with it. We don't need to create any hysteria, and I don't need my crew worrying over nothing. Therefore, everyone will keep what they know...or think they know...about this confidential, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," they all replied in unison.

Nathan then placed the painting back in the chest. I will keep this in my quarters from now on." He glanced to the doctor. "You can be my witness that this time, I am putting it away. As for the rest of you, finish up your lunch hour and get back to work. There's nothing to worry about."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"You don't mind being my witness, do you?" Nathan asked as the others obeyed the orders he'd given.

"Not at all," she replied. "But if you don't mind me asking..." She lowered her voice. "Did you really forget to put that painting away like you thought?"

He shrugged. "I must have. Besides, isn't it easier to believe that rather than some unseen spirit moving it back. What would the purpose of that be anyway? Just to play a prank on us...or Darwin?" He laughed. "Can you imagine a ghost that only haunts dolphins? Surely, you have to admit how silly that sounds."

"Certainly," she replied with a smile. "I'm just not sure why you'd have put it back on the wall."

"I can't give you an answer on that, but if we keep trying to over-analyze it, we're only going to scare ourselves. It's just a painting along with a few other items. They're just things, and they can't harm us."

"You're absolutely right. I guess with my apprehension about the upcoming day, I let my imagine run away with me...and so did everyone else."

"It's understandable," he replied, picking up the chest. "That's exactly why I'm locking it away. Out of sight, out of mind, right?"

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

After seeing that Nathan did indeed lock the chest away, Kristin returned to the lab, and the rest of the afternoon was completely normal. In fact, she was able to put the memory of that horrific painting behind her and pushed it of her mind. She'd become so engrossed in an experiment she'd been working on about the effects of carbon dioxide acidification on sea urchins that she'd barely noticed how late it had gotten. She nearly jumped out of her chair when Lucas touched her shoulder.

"Sorry, Doc," he told her. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to let you know I finished typing up those files for you. Is there anything else you wanted me to do?"

She gave him a smile. "No thank you, dear. Go and have a good evening."

"You're not going to dinner?"

"I'll probably grab a snack from the galley a bit later; I'd like to work on this a little longer. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing, Doc. Goodnight."

She watched as Lucas left followed by the other science personnel working that day until she was alone. Seeing as there was no one else in the lab, she decided to put on a bit of soft music while she worked and then turned back to the tank she had set up with the sea urchins. She continued with her observations when she thought she heard approaching footsteps.

"Did you forget something?" she asked, not bothering to look up to see who it was. However, she didn't receive an immediate answer, so she finally turned around to find no one there. "Hello?" she called.

After a minute or so, she's assumed she hadn't heard footsteps after all and shook her head. "Get a grip on yourself, Kristin. You're hearing things." Giving a shrug, she turned back to her sea urchins.

Thirty minutes passed when she thought she heard footsteps yet again. She glanced to the door, thinking perhaps the sounds she'd been hearing were coming from the corridor, but that, too, was empty. She listened a little longer, but all was quiet, save for the music. Letting out a sigh, she once again determined she must have imagined it and decided she ought to pack up for the night. "Just after I finish this section of notes," she said with a nod, turning up the music a touch to prevent her mind from creating any more fictional noises.

She hurried to finish writing the effects of urchin number three when the music suddenly stopped. She froze, realizing she couldn't have imagined the click of the radio being shut off. She was too afraid to turn around. "Is...is someone there?" she choked out, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

Though she didn't receive an answer, she heard the footsteps come just a bit closer and warm breath on the back of her neck. Shutting her eyes tightly, she swallowed hard before turning to look. Upon seeing no one there, she'd had enough. Urchin three would just have to wait; she quickly ran out the doorway, not even bothering to clean up her work space.

As soon as she entered the corridor, she collided with something and let out a cry, stumbling backwards and falling flat on her bottom. Stunned, she didn't immediately realize what she'd hit until she felt hands on her shoulders. She instantly remembered what she'd been running from and was sure whatever it was had caught her. "No!" she screamed, struggling with all her might.

"Kris?" a familiar voice said to her. "It's me. Easy, easy. It's me."

She instantly stopped struggling, her mouth falling open in confusion upon seeing Nathan's face creased in worry.

He put his arm around her shoulders. "I wasn't trying to scare you. Are you all right?"

She nodded, still in shock.

"Why don't we get up off the floor?" he suggested, holding out his hand to her.

Feeling her cheeks go warm, she accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She then brushed herself off. "I...I'm fine," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to bump into you. I was just..."

"Running?" he offered.

"Y-yes, but..." She didn't know what else to say, unsure if what she'd just experienced was real or imagined, but her scientific side was winning the battle and telling her she was just tired. That was the logical explanation, wasn't it? "I'm sorry," she recovered lamely.

"No harm done. I was just coming by to see if you'd needed help. Lucas said you were working late." He paused and eyed her carefully. "You sure you're all right?"

She nodded. "I decided to call it a night and see what I can rustle up to eat in the galley."

"And you were so hungry that you decided to run?"

She shook her head. "N-no. Y-yes. I mean..." She sighed. "I...I might have been hearing things, and I got a little scared."

"Hearing things?"

She nodded. "It sounded like there was someone else in the lab with me, but every time I checked, there was no one. I thought I'd forgotten all about that painting, but I think my subconscious hasn't. My mind was playing tricks on me, I'm sure."

"Sounds that way. Well, I'm glad to know you're not really in any danger. And since you're not working any more tonight, there's no reason I need to bother you. I'll leave you to relax. Have a good night."

She watched as he started to walk away when she realized she still felt rather uneasy. "Wait, please."

He obediently stopped and turned back to her.

"If you don't mind, maybe you could sit with me? I'm still a little shaken, even if I imagined it all."

He smiled. "Of course I can do that. I didn't have any plans anyway. The cook put the leftovers from dinner in the galley refrigerator, so I'm sure we can find you something."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

One hour later, Kristin had eaten, and she and Nathan were both in the galley talking quietly over tea.

"Do you feel a bit better now?" he asked.

She gave him a smile. "Yes, thank you. I appreciate you sitting with me. You've certainly helped." She stifled a yawn. "Oh, excuse me. I think the tea is making me sleepy."

"Well, it's been a long day," he told her. "Do you think you're going to be able to sleep without worrying about the bogeyman?"

She laughed. "Yes, of course. I told you my mind was playing tricks on me."

"I'm just glad I was able to put it at ease. Hopefully, tomorrow, we can go back to a normal and boring day."

"I don't think I've ever wanted a boring day more," she said with a nod.

After taking care of their dirty dishes, Nathan turned to her. "Well, are you ready to turn in?"

She yawned again. "More than ready; I may fall asleep right here."

"We can't have that." He hooked his arm through hers and led her to the crew quarters. "Tomorrow will be much better," he assured her. "Sleep well, Doctor."

"You, too, Captain. Goodnight."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Though she had no trouble falling asleep, staying asleep was quite a different matter when Kristin awoke in the middle of the night to strange scraping sounds. She sat straight up in bed and peered into the darkness, trying to determine where the noises were coming from. She listened intently for several moments when she realized she didn't hear anything anymore. Giving a shake of her head, she decided she must have been dreaming.

She pushed herself out of bed, deciding that as long as she was up, she ought to use the bathroom. After doing so, she snuggled back under the covers, intending to go back to sleep when she heard more scraping noises. Ugh, she thought. Don't tell me it's the lab situation all over again. Not only that, she couldn't decide if she was imagining it again or if it was really happening.

She sat up and listened quietly. It sounded like fingernails. Or claws, perhaps? Her heart sank at that thought, but she quickly pushed it out of her mind when she heard knocking as well. Scratch, knock, scratch. Scratch, knock, scratch.

Though it was normal to hear strange sounds on a submarine, she'd never heard anything quite like that. Occasionally, one could hear a metallic clunking in the air shafts or the creaking of turning gears from the engine room. Scratch, knock, scratch. It sounded as though it was getting louder.

"H-hello?" she called. "Is...is someone there?"

As she expected, however, she didn't receive an answer. "Naturally." She swallowed hard, knowing she was going to have to go see who -or what- was making the noise or she'd never get back to sleep. She shut her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and turned on the bedside lamp.

After looking around the room, she decided it all looked normal and completely harmless. For a brief second, she felt better until she heard the disturbing sounds again. Scratch. Scratch. Knock. Scratch.

She then had a very different thought. What if someone needed medical attention? Perhaps he or she had fallen and had broken a limb right near her door. She felt a pang of guilt as she quickly got out of bed and threw open her door. She found no one there, however.

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She was sure she heard noises this time; she couldn't have imagined it all again...could she? Determined to prove she to herself she wasn't going mad, she stepped into the corridor to look around. She looked to the right and found it empty; to the left, she saw one of the security personnel members, Ensign Kevin Ward.

He waved at her, giving her a smile. "Everything all right, ma'am?"

"Yes, mostly." She walked towards him. "You didn't see anyone outside my door a moment ago, did you? Someone knocking?"

"No, ma'am, I haven't seen anyone, and I've been on watch a few hours now. You said you heard knocking?"

"I...I thought I did..." She ran a hand through her disheveled hair. "But maybe I just imagined it?"

"You might not have. You know sometimes, the boat makes odd noises. Might've been something from the engine room or from the boiler system."

"Maybe, though I'd never heard those sort of noises before."

He shrugged. "Could mean a pipe seal is going out." He took his PAL unit off his belt. "I'll talk to the team and have them double check things, just in case. But there's really nothing to worry about."

She nodded. "You're absolutely right. I just had to be sure."

"That's understandable, but don't worry. Nothing will happen on my watch." He gave her a smile.

"Thank you. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." He gave her a nod before talking into his PAL.

She sighed and walked back to her quarters. Perhaps he was right; maybe there was some slight malfunction in the engine or with the boiler system. She shut the door and lay back in bed, trying to get back to sleep.

A few minutes later, however, she heard the scratching noises again. She groaned to herself and covered her head with the comforter. "It's just the boat," she told herself. "Ignore it and go to sleep."

Surprisingly, her head listened and she finally started to feel drowsy again. She was nearly asleep when she felt a tug on her comforter, throwing it to the floor.

Immediately sitting up, she looked at the foot of her bed to see it empty. She then noticed an awful stench, like rotten eggs. She covered her nose with her hand to block out the smell. Whatever was wrong with the boat, she hoped they fixed it soon.

Deciding the comforter had just gotten hooked on the edge of the bunk, she picked it up off the floor and arranged it over her again before lying back down.

Not long after, though, she felt a tug on it again, and she nearly tumbled to the floor with it. As she stared into the darkness, she was sure she saw a shadow scurrying away. Her brow furrowed as she shook her head. There was nothing in there to cause shadows on the wall.

As she was trying to decide if her eyes were just playing tricks on her, she heard a growl from the corner of the room. Her eyes darted in that direction, but she couldn't see anything. Instead, she backed away towards the head of her bed and switched on her lamp.

She frantically looked around the room but didn't see anything. There was no one in the room at all, apparently. Had she really just imagined all that?

She couldn't be sure, but one thing she did notice is that the strange noises had stopped. She heard blissful silence. Had the problem finally been fixed? She couldn't be sure, but this time, she decided to leave the light on, just in case.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

The beeping of the alarm came all too soon, though she'd managed to sleep through the rest of the night without incident. That still didn't account for the hour or two she'd lost. She had half a mind to hit the snooze button when she heard familiar voices outside her door.

"There was something in my room last night." That was Katie.

"I heard something too. There were some weird scratching sounds." That was Jonathan.

"So did I," she heard someone else say.

Curious, she threw on her robe and walked out the door to see a large group of crew members huddled around Nathan.

"People, you need to calm down," he told them. "I've just been informed by Chief Crocker that the odd noises were due to a problem with the boiler system. It's been fixed now, so there's nothing to worry about."

"That doesn't explain the fact that there was something in my room," Katie said again.

"And there was a really bad smell," Lucas added. "Did anyone else notice it?"

A chorus of yeses followed.

"Maybe it was a dream?" Nathan offered.

"At the same time?" Tim asked.

"You know as well as I that this wouldn't be the first collective dream we've had."

"We?" Kristin pushed her way to the front of the group. "You mean you had it too?"

He nodded. "But that doesn't-"

"I know you said we shouldn't worry about that chest, Cap, but maybe we should?" Lucas suggested. "That wasn't exactly the most pleasant dream."

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "All right. Staff meeting in fifteen minutes. The rest of you, get to work, and try to forget about all this for now." He turned to Kristin. "And seeing as Dr. Levin is the only member of your staff who's studied paranormal experiences, be sure he attends the meeting as well."

"Done," she said with a nod.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"I do wish you'd have shown this to me right away," Joshua Levin said upon seeing the painting once the meeting had started. "You think this is the reason we all had that bizarre dream?"

Nathan shrugged. "You know this isn't the first time that's happened, though this is the first time it's been...disturbing. I also don't have an answer, but it's at least has caused a bit of an uproar among the senior staff."

"And the junior staff as well, though I didn't think any of them saw the painting," Kristin added.

"They didn't," Nathan replied. "And I did give strict orders that it be kept confidential."

"I didn't say anything," Ben said, holding up his hands. "I'm innocent, I swear."

"And no one was accusing you, Mr. Krieg. That doesn't mean that some of them didn't see it after the little mix-up."

"Mix-up?" Joshua asked.

"Yes. You see, I had intended to take it down and put it away, but I got sidetracked and forgot. It was left on the wall longer than intended," the captain explained.

"And the listing did say it was haunted," Lucas reminded him. "Which by the way, I did do some searching on the Internex last night. I...I know you told me not to, but I didn't find much of anything, expect the symbol." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket that had an image printed on it. "Apparently, it's the crest of a demon known as Mazzaroth."

"Mazzaroth?" Tim repeated. "I don't recall learning about that demon in parochial school."

"Apparently, it's a rather obscure deity that dates back to the early days of Christianity. Worshiped by Pagans, the Christian Church wanted to abolish such deities, so they turned it into a demon. All I could find is that he's supposed to command five legions of demons and that he's got the head of a cat and the wings of a crow. Anyone who conjures him is said to receive great power and untold wealth but at a cost." He looked around at the others. "I couldn't find much else, but I'm guessing that this..." He pointed towards the painting. "...is supposed to be a ritual of some sort."

A hush fell over the room as everyone pondered this until Joshua spoke again. "I agree that Lucas might be right. This isn't the first piece of artwork depicting religious ceremonies or rituals. I have a friend at Cologne who deals with ancient occultic demonology and practices. If we could adjourn for a short time, I can see if he will agree to speak with us."

"That would be greatly appreciated, thank you," Nathan told him.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

An hour later, everyone gathered in the ward room once again, this time to see an unfamiliar face of a rotund, grey-haired man wearing wire-rimmed glasses with a pleasant smile on the vid-screen.

Once everyone was seated, he said, "Hello, everyone. I am Professor Augustus Hasenfus." Although it was clear he had a German accent, he spoke English very well.

"I appreciate you meeting with us on such short notice, Professor Hasenfus," Nathan said.

The professor waved a hand. "Oh, it was no trouble at all, and please, we needn't be so formal. I've known Joshua since he was my student, so you may call me Augustus, Captain Bridger."

"Then please call me Nathan," he replied.

The professor gave a nod. "So I understand that you've acquired a painting of some sort depicting the demon god, Mazzaroth?"

"Yes, my supply officer found it on the Internex," Nathan replied.

The professor laughed softly. "AuctionNex?"

Ben sat forward in his chair. "How did you know?"

"This isn't my first rodeo," he replied. "That is what you say in America, isn't it?"

"We were under the impression that most of the supposedly haunted items on the Internex were hoaxes," Nathan explained.

"Most are, but I consider the Internex to be a bit of a Pandora's box. Don't open it unless you're prepared for what you might find. Sometimes, horrific things are uncovered."

Kristin bit her lip. "So you think the painting really is haunted?"

"Well, we'll get to that. First, let me explain a bit about Mazzaroth. There is very little written on him because the early Christians were extremely frightened of him. He's known as a soul eater."

"A...a soul eater?" Katie stammered.

The professor nodded. "Though he would occasionally target individuals, his favorite tended to be families. It's written that he needed blood sacrifices to appease him. This tended to be the slaughter of a cow or goat. The Christian Church, however, worked to abolish such practices, deeming them barbaric. Anyone participating in such rituals was put to death." He leafed through a few papers on the desk in front of him. "Obviously, Mazzaroth didn't like being neglected. Therefore, he supposedly would possess a member of a family. That particular person would then kill the rest of their kin, leaving Mazzaroth to take those souls to his realm of Hell and consume them as he saw fit. There aren't a lot of accounts written down about this, mostly because the early Christians were afraid, not only of Mazzaroth, but also of having the Church catch them with any depictions of Mazzaroth or the stories about him."

He then showed them a few other drawings and paintings he'd found, all of them looking similar to the painting they'd found. "Most of these drawings were destroyed because people also worried that Mazzaroth lived in them. They all bear the crest of Mazzaroth, usually in the corner." He pointed them out in each drawing

"Is...is there any truth to this? Did anyone really become possessed by this demon through one of these drawings?" Nathan asked.

"I have found an account or two written down, but as you might imagine, it can't really be verified as fact. I suppose it's more on whether you choose to believe it or not. Do I believe it?" He shrugged. "In my line of work, I definitely can't discount it."

Tim brought his fingers to his chin. "So does Mazzaroth live in our painting?"

"I can't really answer that," he replied. "But I wouldn't rule it out either. This wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with a haunted item from the Internex. I recently helped a family being plagued by a possessed doll."

"A doll?" Jonathan scoffed. "What harm could a doll do?"

"It's no joke," Augustus said. "And while you're absolutely correct that a doll seems rather harmless, it was the demon inside of it that was a problem. It should also be explained that demons don't really possess things."

"So our painting isn't haunted?" Kristin asked.

The professor shook his head. "Not in the actual sense. If this painting is causing some paranormal occurrences, however, it's most likely a conduit."

Tim's brow rose. "A what?"

"A conduit," Augustus said again. "A temporary holding place for the spirit or demon inhabiting it. When demons enter our world, they only want one thing. They don't possess things; they possess people. If there's one attached to the painting, it's looking for a human host."

Jaws dropped open and worried glances were exchanged.

Nathan asked, "So we're likely in danger?"

"Again, I can't say," Augustus replied. "But my suggestion is to get rid of it immediately, just in case. Put it in a deep hole and bury it, preventing anyone from finding it again."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is there another option for the time being? Being underwater, it's not exactly feasible to bury it at the moment."

"I understand, Captain. Well, is there a place on your submarine that you could isolate it? Lock it away where none of you go?"

"We could lock it in the brig?" Katie suggested.

"That's a good idea, Commander," Nathan replied before turning back to the screen. "But what if we destroyed it? Wouldn't that do the same thing?"

The professor shook his head. "I wouldn't suggest it. It might have the opposite effect and cause even more problems. Lock it away and as soon as you can, get rid of it."

Nathan nodded. "We could put it on a launch, though."

Augustus shook his head. "While I assume a launch can be put on autopilot, it's too risky a move. And I wouldn't trust it alone with anyone, just in case."

"So locking it away will solve all our problems?" Ben asked.

"Hopefully," Augustus replied.

Kristin's brow furrowed in worry. "And if it doesn't?"

"Then you'll need to take more drastic action, but let's just hope we don't need to worry about that." He paused. "Are any of you blood related, though?"

Nathan shook his head. "That would certainly help our case, wouldn't it?"

"Possibly, though Mazzaroth isn't always so discriminating. Considering you work so closely together, you're a family of sorts."

"Wonderful," Kristin said dryly. "Are there any other ways to prevent this thing from tormenting us?"

He thought for a moment. "Anyone who hasn't been baptized is the most susceptible to the demon. As a precaution, Nathan, I'd suggest moving anyone not baptized off the boat. As for the rest of you, pray. Any form of prayer is the best way to ward off evil. I am sorry I can't be of more help, though."

Nathan shook his head. "No, Professor, you've been more than helpful, thank you."

"I do wish you all the best of luck. As I said, do let me know if you need anything else. Joshua has my number."

"Thank you, again," Nathan said before cutting the link. "Well, that was very enlightening," he said to the group.

"And worrying," Kristin added. "I think I speak for everyone else when I say I can't wait until that thing is off the seaQuest."

"Soon," Nathan told her. "And while I know what the professor said was disconcerting, we're going to do exactly as he said and lock this thing up along with the chest it came in. As for the rest of you, please don't say anything to the rest of the crew, though I am going to need some help in finding out who's been baptized and who hasn't."

"Why don't we make a boat-wide announcement over the intercom?" Ben said.

"Not a bad idea, Mr. Krieg, but what do we tell them?"

"That it's some odd UEO experiment?" he replied with a shrug.

Nathan laughed. "That might be the best excuse we have, but first, let me try to think of a way to explain this to the brass."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

A rather routine day quickly turned hectic as approximately half the crew, both military and science personnel, were loaded onto launches and sent up-world while Nathan and the security crew focused on locking the brig and completely sealing off the lower level to ensure the rest of the crew's safety.

There was an upside to having to compensate for the missing personnel, Kristin decided. Having to work a bit harder meant she didn't have time to worry, and from what it seemed, keeping the chest contained had actually seemed to solve their problems. At least she hadn't noticed anything odd nor did she hear about anyone else having issues.

It wasn't until nineteen hundred hours that she had a moment to relax. Joshua told her he'd handle the night shift and that she should go get some rest, but just as she was leaving med bay, she happened to meet Nathan on sea deck.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," he commented.

She noticed he looked as tired as she felt, though. "Rough day?"

"You can say that again. I was just coming by to see how you were doing over here."

"We're okay," she assured him. "Joshua's holding down the fort. I was just about to see if I can find something to eat and turn in. I wasn't able to get away for lunch."

"Me either. Commander Hitchcock is at the bridge now; she gave me strict orders that I need to relax."

She laughed softly. "That sounds like her." She then realized what he'd said, however. "Commander Hitchcock? You mean we lost Commander Ford?"

He nodded. "He's Jewish. They don't have baptism by definition, though they do have some sort of purification ritual, as I understand it. Still, I felt it best that he should go."

"I'm sure that went over well."

"You know him as well as I do; he wasn't pleased, but when I assured him that thing would be off the boat by the weekend, he agreed," Nathan explained, leaning against the moon pool.

Kristin followed suit. "Though it's been rather busy, things do seem calmer, don't they?"

"Indeed," he replied. "It seems that we may have the situation contained after all."

"Thank goodness." Her brow furrowed in question. "Did you tell the UEO the truth about all this?"

"Are you mad?" He shook his head. "Since they know nothing about what happened on the George, I didn't want to have to go through the long explanation. I just told them we had a chickenpox outbreak."

She laughed. "Nathan, no one gets chickenpox anymore; there's been a vaccine available for years."

"We know that, but the brass doesn't. Remember that underwater colony we visited last month? I told them there was an outbreak there. You know as well as I that not all colonies get proper medical care."

She nodded. "Well, as long as they don't question it, I assume it's our little secret. And as you said, it won't be a worry in a few days. I was wondering about this prayer business, though?"

"I know, and while I still don't want the whole crew knowing about the sudden change in routine, I'm not sure how to handle that. I suppose I could just tell them it's UEO orders; do you think anyone would question it?"

"Mindless military drones thinking for themselves? Never!"

"I'm serious, Kris. I don't want to take any chances with this thing, and I'm sure you don't either," he said with a sigh.

She placed a hand on his arm. "I know; I'm sorry." She thought for a moment. "Well...why not just tell them it's something we're trying something new for just this week, and it's something to help boost morale? It could be a few moments of silence for loved ones we've lost, and then we could say The Lord's Prayer? I think that's universal, hm?"

"That's a brilliant idea," he said, giving her a smile. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "Don't mention it. Have you eaten?"

He shook his head. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat, deal with this prayer business, and get some sleep?"

"That sounds heavenly," she said with a nod.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

After eating and handling the prayer, Kristin retired to her quarters, but she wanted a real shower with water, not the ions. "Just a quick one," she said with a nod. Though they were supposed to treat water as a precious luxury, she decided she earned her right to splurge a bit.

She walked into her bathroom and turned on the tap, placing her hand in the heavy stream and feeling the temperature. It was pleasantly warm. She undressed, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. She shut her eyes and allowed the water to soothe her tired muscles for a few moments when she thought she heard her PAL unit beeping.

"Oh, bloody hell," she muttered, letting out a sigh. She moved to turn the tap off, stepped outside, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked into the other room to find her PAL. "Westphalen," she answered. This better be good, she thought, trying to stop herself from wishing bodily harm on whomever was on the other end of the line.

However, she was met with complete silence. She made sure all buttons were turned on as they ought to be and spoke again. "Hello?"

She tapped on it and spoke yet again, this time hitting the 'contact all' button. "Hello, this is Dr. Westphalen. Was someone trying to contact me just a moment ago?"

"Kristin?"

It was Nathan. "Yes, were you trying to call me?"

"No, I don't think so. I was just lying in bed reading. Your PAL went off?"

"I thought it did. I was in the shower when I swore I heard it beeping, but...I must have been mistaken. Sorry to have bothered you."

"You didn't. No worries, but as far as I know, no one was trying to get a hold of you. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"I'll try; you, too," she told him before cutting the link. She shook her head as she set her PAL back on the bedside table where she kept it. "I was sure I'd heard it, but I guess not."

She walked back to the bathroom, determined to finish her shower in peace. She turned the water back on and stepped inside, this time being sure to wash right away. As she was rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, however, the water shut off.

She swore under her breath and checked the timer. She still had eight minutes left, so that wasn't the problem. "I can't believe this is happening. Someone just doesn't want me to have a shower." Though she didn't think it was going to work, she decided to try to turn the faucet. It easily turned back on.

"What in the world?" She sighed, deciding that it must have been some sort of malfunction. She'd be sure to mention it to maintenance as soon as she was finished, and she intended not to dally about. As she was washing up, though, she heard knocking.

"Really? I'm not allowed to have just a few minutes of peace?" She shook her head. "Just a minute!" she called. "I'll be right there."

The knocking became even louder, however. In fact, it was more like banging, and it felt as though it was shaking the entire room. She quickly finished rinsing and got out of the shower as she was hit with that rotten egg smell again.

She dried off as fast as she could, threw on her robe and hurried to the door, but when she opened it, she found no one there.

She ran a hand through her hair. "Not again," she whispered, looking down both directions of the hall to see if anyone might be nearby. There was no one, however.

She bit her lip, trying to decide what to do next, and while her head told her to get out of the room now, she felt she was a bit under-dressed. She shut the door and made a bee-line to her dresser to change. The stench appeared to be getting stronger, and the banging continued.

She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and was in the middle of grabbing a t-shirt when she heard a blood-curdling scream. She threw her shirt over her head and bolted towards the door to open it.

She found Katie standing there, white as a sheet and pointing towards something in the distance. Ben had gotten there before she had, and Miguel, Tim, and Nathan had also rushed out of their rooms as well.

Ben pulled his distraught ex-wife into his arms while Nathan looked to the others. "Anyone know what happened?"

Katie gently pushed Ben away and wiped a few tears from her eyes. "There...there was someone in my room." Her eyebrows knitted together. "Or something?" She shook her head. "Whatever it was, I...I'd wanted to get away, so I...I ran into the hall, but it...it followed me." She lowered her voice. "And it spoke to me."

Kristin put a comforting hand on her arm. "Spoke to you?"

The younger woman nodded as tears welled up in her eyes once again. "It...it said it wanted my family dead." She then motioned to the end of the corridor. "And whatever it was did that."

Everyone turned to look in the direction she was pointing. Whatever it was had brought the chest back; it sat seemingly harmless at the end of the corridor.

Nathan shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"They're here!" Ben said with a light laugh as everyone turned to glare at him. "What, you all can't take a joke?"

"It's obviously the wrong time for that," Miguel replied, giving him a gentle push. "Have a little class."

"Hey, I have class, and I think it's-"

"Boys, please," Kristin chided gently. "This isn't the time for arguing either." She turned to Nathan. "I'll have Joshua contact the professor right away."

He nodded and turned to Tim. "Send out an announcement. I want everyone together. Gather them on the on sea deck; that's the best place large enough to hold everyone. Have them bring sleeping bags, pillows, blankets... Tell them it's a precautionary measure. And no one goes off alone, understood?"

"Aye, sir."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Less than an hour later, Nathan and Kristin, along with Joshua, were in the midst of yet another conversation with Professor Hasenfus.

"According to my Lieutenant Commander, that thing spoke to her," Nathan told him. "It just seems to be toying with us."

"I'm sure it is, Captain," the professor replied, giving a shake of his head. "Obviously, isolation didn't work."

"It worked for a little while," Kristin explained. "But it tends to wait until nighttime to wreak havoc."

"They do tend to favor the darkness," he admitted with a sigh. "Well, obviously, it's time for drastic measures. Where exactly are you at the moment?"

"In the middle of the Pacific Ocean," Nathan replied. About four hundred miles off the eastern coast of New Zealand."

Augustus typed a few things into a laptop on his desk. "You are in luck."

The three exchanged confused glances. "Why is that?" Nathan asked.

"I have a friend, a Father Stephen Palmer; he's an Episcopal priest who lives in New Zealand and specializes in such cases."

"Cases?" Joshua said. "You mean the paranormal?"

"Not exactly. I mean demon possession. With the use of a launch, he could be on your boat within the next few hours."

"That's grand," Nathan replied. "And he'll get this thing to stop?"

The professor nodded. "He knows what he's doing. You're in good hands."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Two hours later, Nathan, Kristin, and Joshua met Father Palmer in launch bay. Though she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, Kristin had thought he'd be older. He was rather young, somewhere in his mid-forties, she guessed, with a head full of thick, dark hair and kind, blue eyes.

"Father Palmer," Nathan greeted, shaking his hand. "We kindly thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Oh, it was no trouble. This...this is what I do. I help cast out the evil, but please, we needn't be so formal. Call me Father Steve."

"Very well," Nathan replied, motioning to Kristin and Joshua. "This is Dr. Kristin Westphalen and Dr. Joshua Levin."

He nodded his greeting to each of them. "And where are the others?"

"Currently gathered on sea deck. Apparently, it's stopped its antics for the time being, and we thought that everyone would be safer in numbers."

"That's smart thinking, but may we go there? Though Augustus has explained some things to me, I'd like to find out a bit more before begin."

Nathan hesitated. "We actually haven't told the entire crew what's been going on. We didn't want to scare them."

"I can't say I don't understand your reasoning, but they need to know now. It's the only way to protect them."

"Follow me," Nathan told him.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Though the crew had obediently brought pillows, blankets, and the like, no one actually slept. They sat on the floor, huddled together in some sort of quiet meditation. It took Kristin several moments before she realized Tim had been leading them all in a prayer.

As they all said, "Amen," Nathan walked to the front of the room. "I hate to interrupt, but I'd like to explain a few things. First, we have a bit of a situation here."

Tim stood and approached his side. "I've actually taken care of that. After Katie's little incident...there were just too many questions."

"Very well," Nathan replied, giving him a nod. "Thank you, Mr. O'Neill."

Tim gave him a smile before returning to his seat.

"I do apologize for not being forthcoming from the very beginning, but we didn't realize it was going to be such a problem right away. However, we have someone here who'll help us. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to to introduce Father Stephen Palmer."

Father Steve waved and moved to stand next to Nathan. "Please, call me Father Steve." He paused for a moment. "I promise I will do everything in my power to rid you of this thing. Please know that I've worked in a number of cases involving demon and spirit possession."

"You're going to do an exorcism?" someone asked.

He smiled softly, giving a shake of his head. "Exorcisms need approval from the Vatican, and it's a rather arduous process. Though I have participated in a few exorcisms, this won't be one. This will be a blessing, however. And while I've never dealt with Mazzaroth directly, I know a thing or two about the demon world. Number one, they are always looking for innocent human souls. Number two, whatever this thing is, it has never walked the earth in human form, no matter what it says. And number three, any form of prayer or religious symbol..." He pulled out a crucifix from his pocket. "...will anger it."

The light above him immediately flickered and broke, causing a few people to cry out.

He put the crucifix away for the time being. "I am sorry if I've frightened you, but I've brought a container full of them. I'm going to ask that they be placed everywhere, every room on this boat." He paused. "Has the creature revealed itself to anyone?"

Katie slowly raised her hand. "It spoke to me."

"And what did it say?"

"That it wanted my family dead," she said quietly, her voice trembling.

"So it's taken a particular interest in you?"

Her brow furrowed in question. "What?"

"Usually, the demon will take a certain interest in particular people. It will isolate and abuse one particular person from a group in hopes of possession." He looked around the room. "Has anyone felt tormented more than anyone else? Have you noticed voices telling you to do things you wouldn't normally do? Whispering? Are you seeing things? Have you noticed any strange markings or injuries on your body? Things like that?"

"We keep smelling rotten meat or eggs," someone else commented.

He nodded. "That's common in cases like this, but I wouldn't say that's singling anyone out. I assume you've all smelled this?"

Everyone nodded quietly.

For several moments, the room was silent until Kristin took a step forward. "I...I've seen shadows."

"Shadows?"

She nodded. "And I felt... It felt like something was breathing on the back of my neck. I...I haven't noticed any injuries, I don't think, but... Do you think it's targeting me?" She felt her bones ice over at the thought.

"Anything is possible, but if no one else experienced such things, then it might be. There's always one, and there must be something about you that makes you more appealing than anyone else."

"The doc was possessed last year," Lucas chimed in.

Kristin shot him a glare as Father said, "Oh?"

She shook her head. "It...it wasn't like that exactly. You see..."

"We stumbled upon a shipwreck," Nathan for her, "of a boat that was over a hundred years old. We decided to investigate and whether we'd experienced nitrogen narcosis or an actual ghost, we can't be sure. But if the latter is indeed the case, a spirit of a woman named Lillian used Kristin's body for a short while. She...she wasn't malicious or anything, though."

"I see," Father Steve replied, looking back towards Kristin. "Don't worry; we won't let it get inside of you. Though you've mistakenly been thrown into the war against evil, we won't let it win."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

The blessing was a rather long process. It involved going into every room on the boat, dousing the area with holy water, hanging a crucifix above the door, and saying several prayers. Indeed, this angered the demon; they heard strange growls, anguished, disembodied screams, and caused lights to flicker. Each time Father Steve would cry, "Mazzaroth, in the name of God, I condemn you back to Hell!", crucifixes would fly across the room. At one point, it seemed as though blood was dripping out of the walls as well. This lasted through the rest of the night and into the morning

Sometime around 0900 hours, however, everything seemed to quiet all at once.

"What does that mean?" Nathan asked.

"I do believe that means it's over," Father Steve replied. "Though they don't go down without a fight, they cease all activity once they've been banished back to where they belong."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Although she'd initially been wary of it all, unsure if they were now demon-free, by evening, Kristin believed it. The chest had been locked back in the brig until they could bury it properly, and Father Stephen went back home. Though it had been ordered that everyone take it easy, she'd actually went back to her urchin experiment, with Lucas helping her.

She was humming softly when she thought she heard footsteps. She glanced up to see Nathan standing in the doorway. "How are things?" he asked.

"Quiet and danger-free, it seems." She nodded her head towards Lucas. "We've just been doing some last minute things for this experiment. I need to have it finished by next week for funding purposes." She paused. "Please tell me things are all right everywhere else."

He smiled. "Everything's fine. There's nothing to worry about anymore."

"Thank goodness!"

"No kidding," Lucas said. "This is beginning to become a habit. Is it a law that we have to find ghosts every Halloween?"

"Not ghosts," she corrected.

Lucas patted her shoulder. "Whatever you say, Doc."

"Don't worry; next year, I'm making sure we all have shore leave. Leave the ghost hunting to someone else," Nathan replied.

"That sounds wonderful."

Just then, Nathan's PAL unit beeped. "Bridger."

"Captain," Lieutenant O'Neill's voice said. "Lawrence Wolenczak on the line for Lucas."

"He can take it in my office," Kristin said.

Kristin nodded. "Thank you, Mr. O'Neill. Send it to Dr. Westphalen's office."

"Aye, sir."

Lucas grinned as he walked towards Kristin's office. "Are you sure this isn't Christmas?"

"Maybe it is," Nathan said. "Enjoy it."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Lucas shut the office door behind him and hit the view button.

"Hello, Lucas," Lawrence greeted him.

"Dad! Why are you calling so soon? We just spoke two weeks ago." His brow creased in worry. "Is everything okay?"

Lawrence held up his hands. "Everything's fine," he assured him. "I just decided I had a bit of time and thought what better way than to spend it with you. I am allowed to do that, aren't I?"

"Of course. I mean, I'm glad you called. You know I always like it when we talk."

Kill, kill, kill.

"What?" Lucas asked. "What did you say, Dad?"

"I didn't say anything. Don't tell me you're already having nightmares about tomorrow. I thought you grew out of that."

Lucas felt his cheeks go warm. "I did a long time ago. Sorry, I guess I was just hearing things." He glanced towards the corner of the room and thought he saw a dark shadow. He shut his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, it had disappeared.

"So what are the plans for tomorrow? Is there a party?"

Lucas turned his attention back to the screen. "Yep, we're going to party like it's 1999. Or 2019," he said with a grin. "I've got an awesome costume. I couldn't decide between Michael Meyers or Jason Voorhees, but I chose Jason. What do you think?"

"Very spooky," his father replied. "And at least you'll be having more fun than I get to have. I'll be in boring meetings all day."

"Lucky you," Lucas commented when he heard strange whispering again. He shook his head, trying to ignore it. "Uh, Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything. Something wrong?"

"No, I was just wondering...was I ever baptized?"

Lawrence's mouth fell open slightly. "You know your mother and I weren't particularly religious. We wanted you to be able to make your own decisions about your faith when you were ready. Why are you asking?"

He watched as the dark shadow came closer to him. "It's just that Tim...you know he's a really devout Catholic...had asked. I told him I thought I was, but I wanted to check."

"I see. Well, if you'd like to take that step, you're certainly old enough now."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know, but...I think I like it better this way. It's perfect the way it is."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"How is everything?" Nathan asked as he walked out of the office.

"Perfect," Lucas replied. "Dad...he just wanted to say hi. Said he wants to make more of a point to do that."

"That's wonderful, Lucas; I'm so happy for you," Kristin said.

He nodded. "Thanks." After a long pause, he said, "Doc, is it all right if I turn in for the night? I...I want to make sure I have everything ready for tomorrow."

She smiled. "Of course, dear. I wasn't going to work much longer myself. See you at the party."

"Sure thing; it'll be to die for."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"I must say, you do look smashing in your suit and top hat," Kristin said to Nathan when he came to her door to accompany her to sea deck.

"Thank you, but it cannot compare to your beauty, my dear." He made a dramatic bow and kissed her white-gloved hand.

She laughed softly. "You certainly do know how to charm a girl."

"I do try." He held out his arm. "And shall we go see the rest of witches and ghouls in Halloween fun?"

She accepted his arm. "We shall."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Sea deck had been transformed. On top of the other decorations that Ben and Lucas already put up, they'd added even more to make it look like a haunted house with fake headstones, some dry ice, and some spooky music for effect.

"Velcome to my castle," Ben said in an exaggerated Transylvanian accent, dressed as Dracula.

Kristin laughed. "Wonderful costume, Mr. Krieg."

"The name is Drac-u-la," he corrected. "And this is my lovely bride." He held out his arm and Katie appeared in a black dress with painted teeth marks on her throat.

"You guys look great," she told them.

"Thank you; so do you," Kristin replied. She glanced around the room, which was filled with most of the crew. "Where's Lucas?"

Katie pointed to the table in the back of the room. "Handling the refreshments. You have to see his costume. It looks fabulous."

Nathan took her hand and led her in that direction, where they saw Lucas dressed as Jason.

"That is a very realistic looking costume, Lucas," Kristin told him.

Lucas only nodded, since Jason never spoke, and handed each of them a cup of red liquid.

"Punch? Did you make it yourself?"

Again, he nodded and moved to arrange a tray of cookies.

"I have to say, it looks a little funny to see Jason Voorhees arranging baked goods," Nathan muttered, causing Kristin to laugh.

"Indeed," she agreed.

Nathan held up his glass. "Cheers."

She tapped her glass against his and took a sip. "Mmm." She looked over her shoulder to Lucas. "This is quite good."

Lucas gave her the thumbs-up and went back to his baked goods.

Nathan and Kristin finished their punch and moved to the dance floor.

While they were dancing, however, Kristin couldn't help but feel the room was spinning...more than it should spinning around the dance floor...and her stomach felt uneasy. She finally leaned towards Nathan. "I...I think I need a break. I'm not feeling very well."

"Neither am I, admittedly." He placed a hand on her shoulder and led her back to the refreshment table. "Maybe some more punch would help?"

"Maybe," she replied, but as she was ladling some into a new glass, she noticed something strange. The light showed a green hue on the punch's surface. She shook her head, thinking she was just imagining things when Nathan fell to the floor. She turned to help him when she noticed people all around the room doing the same thing. She struggled to keep her eyes opened when all went dark.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

When Kristin awoke, it took her a moment to register where she was. She was still lying on the sea deck floor, but the entire room had been cleared out, it seemed. The decorations still hung, but the music had stopped. She tried to push herself up when she realized she couldn't. She looked down and realized her arms and legs were tied to someone else; a few others actually. She noticed Katie and Tim lie directly across from her, still unconscious. "What...what's going on?" unsure of who she was asking.

"Kristin?" Nathan said. Lying at her feet, he glanced up towards her.

"What...what's going on? Who did this? Why are we tied up?"

"I don't know; I only woke up a few minutes ago myself."

"Where's everyone else?" Ben's voice came directly from above Kristin.

"I don't know," Nathan replied. "We don't-"

Katie came to and instantly panicked. "I...I can't move," she cried. "Why can't I move?"

"Shh," Tim told them. "I think we should try to keep calm."

"Keep calm?" Katie said. "We've been knocked unconscious and woke up tied to one another, and we should keep calm?"

At that moment, they heard approaching footfalls. Kristin looked up to see a nude man wearing a cat mask with black wings attached to it. He was holding a large, sharp knife in his hand.

Katie started crying softly. "No, please, don't do this."

"L-Lucas?" Nathan said. "You did this?"

He shook his head. "The name is Mazzaroth," he replied, his voice low and gravelly. "And you are my family."

"Lucas, you don't want to do this," Ben told him.

He pointed the knife towards him. "You'll be my first." He moved to the center of the circle and began chanting in a language none of them recognized.

"Nathan?" Kristin said weakly, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm here, Kris. I just...I don't know what to do."

"We should pray," Tim told them. "Come on; pray with me. Our Father..."

"Who art in Heaven," they said in unison. "Hallowed by thy name."

Kristin shuddered slightly when she heard Ben gurgling, no longer praying. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done."

Next, Katie stopped praying. Kristin shut her eyes tightly, feeling tears roll down her cheeks. "On Earth as it is in Heaven."

Then it was Tim's turn. She heard him choking on his own blood, but did her best to keep praying. "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

"Lucas, no!" she heard Nathan cry before his words were cut off by what she could only assume as the knife blade. She was too frightened to look.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." At that moment, she opened her eyes, and saw the knife just centimeters away from her neck. "Lucas, you don't have to do this. You...you can fight this."

"Lucas is already gone," he replied in that dark voice. "But don't worry; you'll see him very soon."

"Amen..." she said softly...just before the knife cut into her throat.