The van sped down the road, the tires humming on the asphalt, but inside, the atmosphere was thick with unease. Everyone was on edge. Sam had been quieter than usual, his usual calm, confident demeanor replaced by something... *off*. Colby couldn't shake the feeling that something had attached itself to Sam, something darker, something that hadn't left the mansion.
Colby sat in the back seat, his gaze flicking nervously between Sam and Josh. Sam hadn't said much since they left the mansion, and Colby could tell that Josh was trying to keep things together, but there was a tension in the air that Colby couldn't ignore.
"Hey, man, you good?" Colby asked softly, his voice laced with concern as he turned to Sam, who was sitting next to him in the back seat.
Sam barely looked at him, his eyes locked on the road, but Colby could see the way his hands gripped the seat, his knuckles turning white. His breath came in shallow, uneven bursts. Colby's stomach twisted with worry. Sam was *never* like this, even after the most intense investigations.
"I'm fine, Colby," Sam murmured, his voice quieter than usual. "Just... tired. You know how it is."
But Colby wasn't convinced. He reached out, placing a hand gently on Sam's arm. "You sure? You look pale, man. Like you're not even here."
Sam tensed under his touch, a flicker of unease crossing his face. He gave Colby a strained smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm just shaken up by everything. But I'll be fine."
Colby nodded but couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong. He'd never seen Sam so withdrawn. It wasn't like him. The usually playful, easygoing Sam was now acting distant, lost in his thoughts, as if something was *pulling* at him-something Colby couldn't see or understand.
---
As they continued down the road, Colby's worry grew, especially when Sam's body suddenly jerked forward, a sharp gasp escaping from his lips. Colby's heart skipped a beat as he grabbed Sam's shoulder, his voice rising in alarm. "Sam? What's going on?"
Sam's head snapped back violently, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, leaving only the whites of his eyes visible. His mouth opened, but no sound came out at first-just a haunting, unnatural silence. The whole van went still.
"Sam!" Josh shouted from the front seat, his voice cracking with panic. "Snap out of it, dude!"
Colby's grip tightened on Sam's arm, but Sam didn't respond. His body became unnaturally still, almost lifeless, as if something had overtaken him. And then, without warning, Sam's head snapped forward again, his mouth opening into a wide, twisted grin. But it wasn't Sam's grin-it was something darker, colder.
"You shouldn't have come back," Sam's voice rasped. It wasn't his voice-it was deeper, distorted, filled with venom. The words sent a chill down Colby's spine.
"Sam, please," Colby whispered, shaking him, but Sam's body remained rigid, his eyes wide open but empty-black as coal.
"Colby," Josh said, his voice trembling as he looked back at them. "Something's wrong. He's... he's not himself."
Colby felt a knot twist in his stomach, a feeling of dread creeping up his spine. He couldn't lose Sam. Not like this.
"Sam, talk to me, man," Colby said desperately, his voice breaking. "Come back. Please."
Sam's body spasmed, his fists clenching in front of him, and then, without warning, his body went completely still again. His breathing was ragged, labored, as if he were fighting something deep inside.
But Colby knew. He *knew* what was happening. Sam wasn't just frightened. He wasn't just shaken up. The darkness they'd faced in the mansion-the spirits, the forces-they hadn't just followed them home. They'd *taken* Sam.
Colby felt his pulse race. "No, no, no. Sam... *Sam!*"
It wasn't just fear now-it was panic. Sam was slipping away, and Colby didn't know how to stop it. He didn't know what to do. He could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on him, as if the walls of the van were closing in around them. He grabbed Sam's shoulder, shaking him again. "Sam! Listen to me. Fight it!"
But it was no use. Sam's eyes snapped open again, but they weren't the eyes Colby knew. They were empty, dark, completely void of any humanity.
Then came the voice again-the voice that was not Sam's.
"You think you can fight me?" The words slithered from Sam's mouth, like a hiss from the deepest part of hell. "You're too late. He's mine."
Colby's heart dropped into his stomach. He could feel it-feel the coldness radiating off Sam's body. Something *else* was inside of him, controlling him, warping him into someone-or *something*-else.
"Sam, please," Colby begged, his voice desperate. He grabbed Sam's face, forcing Sam to look at him, his heart shattering at the hollow emptiness in Sam's gaze. "Please, come back to me."
For a moment, there was a flicker-a brief, fleeting moment where Sam's eyes softened, where Colby swore he saw *his* Sam looking back at him, pleading for help. But then, it was gone. The darkness returned, and Sam's mouth twisted into a grin that made Colby's blood run cold.
"It's too late," the voice hissed, deep and malevolent. "He's mine now."
Colby's pulse pounded in his ears as panic gripped him. Sam-*his Sam*-was gone. And the entity that had taken over was stronger than he could have ever imagined. The weight of the situation was sinking in. He *couldn't* lose Sam like this. Not after everything they had been through together.
"Get him out of here," Juicy cried from the front seat, his voice sharp with terror. "We need to get him to a place where we can *help* him."
But Sam's grip on Colby's wrist tightened, his fingers digging into Colby's skin with unnatural strength. The coldness radiating from Sam was almost unbearable, and Colby fought to pull his hand free.
"No... we can't let him go back," Colby said, his voice shaking. His breath caught in his throat. "He's not just possessed-he's being *taken* by something worse."
Sam's body jerked violently again, and then, with terrifying speed, he lunged forward, his hand closing around Colby's throat. The force behind it was inhuman, and Colby gasped for air, struggling to break free.
"Sam!" Colby managed to choke out, his vision starting to blur. "*Please,* fight it!"
For a moment, Sam's grip loosened just enough for Colby to gasp in air, his eyes flicking between Sam and the darkness that clouded his gaze.
But the darkness-*the entity*-was too powerful.
"We're all *going* to die," it snarled through Sam's mouth, its voice filled with malice and hunger. "You've already sealed your fate."
Colby's hands trembled as he reached for Sam, trying to break the hold, but the strength was too much. He could feel the spirit's power growing stronger with every passing second. He didn't know how much longer he could keep Sam-or himself-alive.
And in that moment, Colby realized the terrifying truth: the only way they were going to save Sam was to face the very evil that had claimed him. But could they do it before Sam was lost forever?
