Cycles [A Charlie & Elizabeth AU]

Chapter 13- I'm Still Me

  Blinking slowly, Charlie watched with blurred vision as another figure came up to the suit and unlocked the face plates. Her mind, dizzy, exhausted, and nauseous, couldn't keep up with what was happening and she slumped forward, only to be caught in the figure's arms.

"Lizz..." Charlie recognized.

"It's okay. I've got you." Lizzie comforted. "Now you've gotta cooperate with me a bit here, Charlie,"

She felt herself getting pulled forward, and held no resistance to getting hastily taken out of the room. Then Lizzie pulled her into what looked like a broom closet and they both sat on the floor, after Lizzie locked the door.

"Lizzie. I can't do this anymore. I don't know what to do." Was all that could be said with a terrifying sobriety of the situation. "I'm giving up."

I'm sorry.

Lizzie's eyebrows creased but her eyes held a small sympathy Charlie hadn't seen her express before. Lizzie took her hands in her own.

"That's... that's alright. I don't know what to do either. But we're going to get through this. And then we'll get out of here."

Charlie nodded, but was still unsure.

"If you wanna leave, we can't stop you." A familiar, snarky voice said, and a small black haired ghost girl came into view. She was definitely more see-through than the last time Charlie had seen her.

"Cassidy, you..."

"We shouldn't have dropped such a burden on you. We're sorry." Another voice said, Gabriel this time.

Charlie snapped her head around. The whole ghost gang was here, sitting around her with kind eyes.

"But I..."

"If we can't get ourselves out of this nightmare, then at least let us get you out of this nightmare." Said Susie, twiddling her thumbs.

"We never should have involved you in this." Jeremy deadpanned, and Fritz nodded.

"If you want to get out of here and leave right now, I'll take you. But I thought we should just convene here for now." Lizzie explained.

"The ghosts— you can see them?"

Lizzie nodded. "They helped me arrive here, actually... I'll explain later."

"I drove us here!" Exclaimed Susie.

"And... where even are we?" Charlie tried to sort out her thoughts.

"An underground bunker of sorts beneath an abandoned shopping mall. No, I don't know how Vanessa found it."

Charlie wanted to press on, but didn't. They had gone through all this work... to save her? No. She had to do something. Even if she was afraid out of her mind, probably suffering a concussion, and nauseous. The ghosts, though unusual, had oddly become a sort of anchor she could rely on, a fixed part of her life. Lizzie, her best friend from long ago, was here right in front of her, and they were rebuilding their friendship little by little. She couldn't possibly throw that all away now. She had to do something.

"No. I'm going to end this. Once and for all." She looked up at all the ghosts and Lizzie, who smiled, skeptical yet glints of hope shimmered in their eyes.

Charlie stood up, surveying the shelves on the walls full of miscellaneous items, her eyes landing on a jerry can and a box of matches.

"I think... I have just the idea. But I'm going to need your help, Lizzie."