Hmm… evidently that last chapter was pretty bad judging by the number of reviews. To make matters worse, I am behind on almost all of my work. Near dead inspiration does that. Especially with the season over, I need to just get this story done so it is no longer hanging over my head.

Enjoy.

Time was a funny thing to an immortal like Jenkins. Hours, days, even years, meant next to nothing. There would always be more. Patience was no longer a virtue, merely a fact of life.

Being immortal did not make one immune to emotions though. Such as the spike of fear that tore through Jenkins when the phone call with Colonel Baird cut out. Never before in all his many centuries, did Jenkins sprint out of the Library so fast.

If he could arrive in time, there was a minuscule chance Jenkins could save at least one of them. Chances were they were all already dead, but the elder knight forced himself to remain optimistic. He could save at least one, this was what Jenkins' mind latched onto, but only if he was quick enough.

Thank all the stars above he'd been able to convince Baird it was best to wait for morning. Today's job was the simplest ever, retrieving an old artifact from a temple in South America. No deranged natives guarding it, no racing against the clock, just a simple walk in and grab it.

At least, that was how it was supposed to go.

The Librarians and their guardian had a half an hour head start. That was how long it took them to reach the temple. Cassandra had vividly described it, and shown Jenkins her map, when they returned the previous evening. If they had not followed Jenkins suggestion to wait for the evening, then he would have never known where to find them.

It took the Librarians thirty minutes to hike to the temple, Jenkins accomplished it in a ten-minute sprint.

Fortunately, it was a simple building. Two rooms at the top of a steep flight of stairs built into the cliff side. Jenkins wouldn't have had the time to search an entire complex.

Storming into the ritual chamber, Jenkins found his quarry.

The entire room was covered in a luminescent pink smoke, multiple tendrils seemed to writhe and twist about like a snake. An inaudible whispering voice echoed off the surrounding stones giving an otherworldly aura.

To Jenkins extreme shock, not one, not two, but all four of his coworkers were still among the living.

Cassandra sat in a nearby corner, sobbing uncontrollably while clutching her knees to her chest. She was saying something, but her cries were making it impossible to understand clearly.

"It's going to be fine." Stone was kneeling on the far wall, whatever or whoever he was talking to invisible to everyone save him. Stone's back was to Jenkins, but it seemed he was trying to tend to injuries on a person who wasn't there.

Jones was doing something with his hands, either picking a lock or hacking a computer, but he was doing it to dead air. The youngest Librarian said nothing, but Jenkins could see the panic and terror on his face.

"This isn't real, they're not gone…" Baird whimpered from nearby. The guardian clutched her head in her hands as she repeated the words again and again. Each one sounding more broken than the last.

There, in the center of the chamber, stood the accursed idol. It was a small thing, barely five inches tall and made of a dark wood. Its entire surface covered in carved images of screaming faces. The smoke in the air appeared to be emanating from the foul thing.

Jenkins was about to make a move for the altar when the whispering grew in intensity. He had just enough time to blink, before a tendril of smoke slammed straight into his stomach. It was like the blow of a hammer to Jenkins, knocking the breath from his lungs, even shoving him back several feet.

But that was all it did. Whatever the effect was supposed to be, it didn't work. The whispering was still unclear, but the tone indicated disbelief.

Jenkins recovered quickly, then made a frantic dash for the altar. Another column of smoke tried to sweep at him, but he ducked beneath it. Just as Jenkins reached the altar, the smoke solidified around his ankles and hurled him across the room.

The retaliation came too late, Jenkins had already snatched the idol. The whispering voice erupted into full blown screaming as the smoke all poured toward Jenkins before he could even rise from the floor.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jenkins smashed the wooden object beneath his elbow.

If the yelling was loud before, it was deafening now. The entire temple shook with the sheer volume. Undeterred, Jenkins slammed his elbow into the idol again, and again. Ignoring the pain from hitting the stone beneath it, Jenkins struck until there was nothing left but dust and splinters.

Slowly, the voice died off, the fog dissipating.

Even without the magical mist affecting them, the librarians didn't come to instantly. Jenkins needed to get them out of here. He started with Baird, if anyone could help him get the others together, it would be her. He just had to hope she could regain her wits fast enough.

"J… Jenkins?" Baird choked out, sucking in heavy breaths.

"It's alright." Jenkins put a reassuring hand on the woman's back. "Everything is going to be alright, but we need to get you and the others out of here. The sooner the better."

"Others?" Baird's face lit up with alarm. "Ezekiel! Cassandra!"

The aforementioned librarians didn't seem able to hear her, but were slowly coming to. As if waking up from a deep sleep.

"They're fine." Jenkins used his most calming voice as he directed Baird's gaze to her charges. "But we need to get everyone back home."

Seeing that everyone was still breathing seemed enough for Baird. If the guardian could focus on that, she would deal with her own pain later. Such was her way.

Ezekiel had been the easiest to rouse. All Baird had to do was put a hand on him and call his name. The thief all but launched himself at Baird to wrap his arms around the guardian. Jenkins did not miss just how tightly Baird returned the embrace.

Stone took a little more effort. Calling his name didn't seem to work at first, until Jenkins started saying he needed Stone's help with Cassandra. That certainly got his attention, allowing the librarian to take in his surroundings.

Cassandra was a near lost cause. She was still breathing, but was almost completely catatonic. Everyone tried talking to her, calling her name, even gently shaking her. None of it worked, they couldn't even get her to look up, let alone stand.

Cassandra would have to be carried. There was no other way of getting the redhead to move. Jenkins had been about to do it himself, until he noticed just how quick Stone had been to volunteer. Jenkins had more than a few theories about what they had all experienced. It was possible tending to Cassandra might aid in Stone's own recovery. If so, he would never dare refuse Stone this.

It was slow moving back to the door. Jenkins led the group along, but their movements were sluggish and uncoordinated. Baird and Ezekiel clung to each other like their lives depended on it, while Stone carried the petite Cassandra piggyback. Judging from the looks on Baird's face every few moments toward the pair, if Cassandra was walking, the guardian would be keeping her just as close as Ezekiel.

The whole way back, Jenkins couldn't believe his good fortune. He rushed to their rescue expecting to find at best only a single survivor. But all four made it, every single one had the willpower to fight off the nightmares. It actually made Jenkins ashamed for not having more faith in them, he'd woefully underestimated the four.

Upon their return to the Library, Jenkins was relived to find four cots set up in the annex. Once again, the Library was looking out for its protectors. After helping the four to sit, Jenkins went to fetch his tea tray and a few ingredients. They were going to need it.

By the time he got back, Cassandra was at least sitting up on her own. Her eyes still had a far-off look to them, but progress was progress. Baird had released Jones and was sitting on her own cot facing the other three, never letting them out of her sight. Stone was doing the exact same on the opposite side, leaving Cassandra and Jones between the two.

It was a testament to how disturbed they all were that none questioned the drink Jenkins gave them, nor said a thing about the cots the library put up for them.

"Thanks, Jenkins." Baird took a large gulp of the mixture.

"It was no problem, colonel. You're all lucky." Jenkins smiled sadly.

"Not… the word I'd use." Ezekiel shivered.

"No, you're lucky." Jenkins turned serious. "You're not the first to encounter a nightmare trap. Nasty piece of work, the last one didn't end as well as this."

Jenkins knew the moment he said the words he may have made a mistake. Everyone was looking at him for an explanation he didn't really want to give. But it was too late now, the cat was out of the proverbial bag.

"The last recorded encounter with a nightmare trap was about a hundred and fifty years ago." Jenkins began. "I don't know how, but the librarian was able to escape on his own. His guardian was not so fortunate, he… gave in." Jenkins didn't have to spell it out for the others to understand what that meant. "The librarian, Edwin, lasted a week, before he killed himself."

Baird and Stone's eyes instantly shot toward the unresponsive Cassandra. She had drank from the teacup Jenkins had given her, but made no other action. Even Jenkins had to admit he was disturbed by the redhead's lack of her usual cheer and liveliness. Not a single word had passed her lips since she left earlier that day.

"What exactly is the trap supposed to do?" Stone asked, but his eyes didn't leave his female coworker.

"The name is fairly self-explanatory." Jenkins answered. "It takes your worst fears and makes you relive them, again and again. If you make it though, it refreshes the scenario. Scrambling your mind just enough you can't remember what you're facing isn't real. The memories are muddled between nightmares, but not the feelings. Each new one adds on to the pile made by the previous one, the longer you're trapped, the worst it gets."

"It's designed to break you." Stone supplied.

"In the worst ways possible." Jenkins agreed with a solemn nod.

"How long were we gone, Jenkins?" Baird rubbed her temples.

"About forty minutes." Jenkins knew it was a lot longer than that to them. "But to you, it could have easily been months, maybe more."

"Certainly felt like it." Ezekiel contributed as he flopped himself back on the cot.

"You should all get some rest, it's the best thing for you right now. That drink I gave you will make sure you have a dreamless and peaceful sleep." Jenkins moved over to Cassandra and put a hand on her shoulder. The woman was not tense, but limp. How she was even sitting up, Jenkins did not know. At least when Jenkins gently guided her to lay down, she didn't resist. The best he could do for the redhead was to drape the blanket over her petite form.

Baird, ever watchful as ever, refused to even lay down until the other three had done so. Even if she did, Jenkins doubted she would allow herself a moment of sleep. None of them would probably get any actual rest, but Jenkins knew there was no other cure for what they went through other than time.

Sleep was going to come for the four, whether they liked it nor not. Drugging the mixture with a sleeping potion may have been invasive, but it was necessary.

Let their bodies heal on their own, their minds were going to be the real issue.

This was originally going to be longer, but I wanted to let everyone know that no this story was not abandoned. Thankfully, this proved to be long enough to stand alone.

Leave a review and let me know what you all think.