Colby’s heart pounded as he struggled against Sam’s grip, the coldness in Sam’s hands radiating like ice, making it hard to breathe. Sam’s eyes, once warm and loving, were now nothing but black voids, filled with the presence of something far darker. The entity that had overtaken him seemed to have all but swallowed the Sam Colby knew, and it was terrifying.
Josh and Juicy had scrambled out of the front seats, panic written on both their faces. Josh was the first to move, rushing to Colby’s side, while Juicy hesitated, frozen in place at the sight of Sam’s twisted form.
“Sam, man, *please*,” Josh cried, his voice cracking with desperation as he tried to help pull Sam away from Colby. But Sam's grip on Colby’s neck was unyielding, and every time Josh tried to intervene, Sam just shoved him aside with terrifying strength. It wasn’t Sam anymore—it was the entity.
Juicy’s face was pale, his hands trembling as he stood back, unsure what to do. “What the hell is going on? Sam’s… not himself. We have to get him back, Josh! We can’t just let him—” Juicy’s voice faltered, his eyes wide with fear.
Colby’s breath came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring as he fought to get free. “He’s *in there*, Juicy,” he managed to choke out. “I know he is. He has to be!”
But Juicy looked as lost as Colby felt. “What if… what if we can’t get him back?” Juicy whispered, his voice breaking. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Colby shook his head frantically, refusing to even entertain the idea. “We can’t think like that. *Sam* is in there. He’s still *fighting*. We have to help him.”
Just as Colby spoke, Sam’s body suddenly convulsed violently again, his head jerking back unnaturally. A loud, bone-chilling scream tore from Sam’s mouth—a sound that wasn’t human, but guttural and deep. It echoed in the van, making Josh and Juicy flinch back.
“I can’t hold on much longer, man!” Josh shouted, trying once more to get Sam to release his grip on Colby. He pulled at Sam’s arm, but it felt like trying to move a statue. The strength in Sam was inhuman, dark.
“We need to get him to a safe place!” Juicy urged, panic rising in his voice. He was already fumbling with his phone, trying to call for help, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn’t dial properly.
Sam’s laugh—an eerie, mocking sound—came from his throat, but it wasn’t Sam at all. It was the entity, feeding on their fear. “You’re wasting your time,” it sneered, its voice dripping with malice. “He belongs to me now. There’s no escaping.”
“No!” Colby shouted, his voice breaking as he stared at Sam. “You can’t have him!”
Josh rushed forward, pushing Colby out of the way in an attempt to subdue Sam, but Sam’s head snapped back around, his black eyes locking onto Josh with a sinister gleam.
“You shouldn’t have come back,” the entity said through Sam, its voice a low growl. “You all will suffer for defying me.”
Colby, still struggling to breathe, looked to Josh and Juicy, panic rising. “We have to do something, *now*.”
“Okay, okay—think!” Josh yelled, shaking his head as if trying to snap out of his own fear. “What did we do last time? Anything that could help break the possession?”
Colby racked his brain, but nothing came to him. They hadn’t been prepared for something like this. Sam had always been the calm one, the rational one—the one who made them feel safe. And now? Now Sam was a vessel for something terrifying. Something they didn’t know how to fight.
“We could try a cleansing,” Juicy suggested hesitantly, looking around for any possible way to act. “I don’t know, I’ve seen stuff online where people use salt or holy water or—”
“That’s just in movies, Juicy!” Josh snapped, looking frustrated. “We don’t have time for this!”
Colby felt a flicker of guilt. They were running out of options. He couldn’t lose Sam. Not like this.
“I won’t leave him,” Colby said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. “I don’t care what it takes. I’ll get him back.”
Before anyone could respond, Sam’s body jerked forward again, the grip on Colby’s neck tightening as the entity roared in anger. “You will all be mine,” it hissed. “The pain you caused me will last forever.”
Suddenly, Colby had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was all they had left.
“Wait—*Sam* has a connection to this place. The mansion,” Colby said, almost to himself, as the realization hit him. “What if we can break the hold by confronting whatever it is that’s controlling him? What if it’s tied to the mansion—whatever darkness we disturbed?”
Josh blinked, looking between Colby and Sam’s twisted form. “Are you serious?” he asked, his voice incredulous.
“We can’t just leave him here,” Colby insisted. “If we don’t go back to the mansion, the spirit will just keep following him. We have to face it. *Together*.”
Juicy’s eyes widened in horror. “You want us to go *back* there?”
“It’s the only way,” Colby said firmly, even though fear gnawed at his own insides. “We have to take Sam back to the source. It’s the only way to end this. We can’t run from it.”
The three of them stood frozen for a moment, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. Sam’s body shook, a low, menacing laugh escaping his mouth as the entity taunted them. Colby could see the fear in Josh and Juicy’s eyes, the uncertainty—but they knew what needed to be done.
“We go together,” Josh said, his voice steadying, a new determination in his eyes. “We don’t leave anyone behind.”
Colby nodded. His heart ached for Sam, but there was no other choice. They had to go back.
With one final look at Sam, Colby whispered, “Hold on, Sam. We’re coming for you. We’re going to fight this.”
