Outsiders

Chapter 17

Ali's POV

Day before

The guys, Elisabeth, and the sinister figure had disappeared. I suddenly realized we were outside the hospital, the cold night air hitting my face. "Guys?!" I yelled, my voice echoing in the eerie silence.

"Um, what happened?" Asha asked, her voice laced with confusion. My head was throbbing, and I felt disoriented, like I had been spinning in circles.

"It had to be Jason. I don't think Ali or I would have done something like this," Anita said, her tone firm but anxious. I nodded in agreement; leaving our group behind was unthinkable to me.

"We should head back to Josh's house and wait for them there," Skylar suggested, her voice filled with determination. We began to make our way back, but before we could get far, belts suddenly constricted around our waists, sending electric shocks through our bodies. The sudden jolt of pain caused us to collapse on the ground, writhing in agony.

"That would be a good idea if we hadn't just found you girls," a voice sneered. I looked up to see Elliot and Reid standing over us, their expressions cold and menacing. "You're coming with us," Reid commanded.

I attempted to rise but felt my strength drain away. My vision blurred, and I slowly closed my eyes, the world fading to darkness.

**Elisabeth's POV**

I felt like I was being dragged across a rough surface, the ground scraping against my skin. My senses were overwhelmed by darkness and the faint, distant sound of footsteps. Suddenly, I was thrown into a hard surface, pain radiating through my body as I hit the ground. When my vision cleared, everything was still blurry and distorted. I felt utterly helpless, my strength sapped.

"Have fun, prisoners," a voice taunted.

I recognized the voice—it was Elliot's. I heard his footsteps fading away, growing fainter as he left. "Elisabeth... Help... us," a weak, desperate voice reached me.

The pain intensified, and everything went black once more.

"SKYLAR!" I screamed, jolting awake. The room was suffused with a bone-chilling ice, the frost covering every surface. My breath came in ragged gasps, and Skylar's distorted image lingered in my mind like a haunting vision. A loud crash at the door, like someone had rammed into it, jolted me from my thoughts.

"Elisabeth?!" a concerned voice called out. I struggled to focus on the source of the voice through my disoriented state. Skylar's witch powers had allowed her to send me a vision, but it was weak and fragmented. Elliot must have captured the girls. "Elisabeth, are you alright?" the voice came again, filled with worry.

The ice around the door began to melt, and with a loud shatter, it burst open. Nash and Alex burst into the room, their faces etched with concern. Nash rushed to me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Thank God you're alright!" he said, relief evident in his voice.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, his eyes wide with concern as he noticed the stress etched on my face and the tears streaming down.

"The girls—they're in trouble! Elliot has them!" I said, my voice trembling and breath coming in short gasps. Both Alex and Nash looked stunned.

"What?!" they shouted in unison.

"Skylar sent me a vision through her witchy eyes. She was thrown into a cell, and Elliot was there. She said, 'Save us, Elisabeth,'" I explained, my voice breaking as I struggled to control my panicked breathing. My mind was racing with worry for my friends, who felt like family to me.

"Then we need to save them!" Alex said, his voice resolute. He clenched his fist, determination burning in his eyes.

"We need a solid plan if we're going to rescue them. Otherwise, they'll capture us too," Nash said. As the boys discussed strategies, I threw off the blankets and attempted to get out of bed, but my legs buckled, and I fell forward. Nash caught me before I hit the floor.

"Elisabeth!" he exclaimed, shock evident in his voice. He helped me back to my feet. I grabbed my head, feeling the full extent of my exhaustion.

"What's wrong with her?" Alex asked, his voice filled with concern. Nash explained that when Skylar used her powers to share her vision with us, it was as if we were experiencing her pain too. If Skylar's powers were weak or she was injured, we felt it afterwards. "So this has happened before?" Alex asked.

"Yes, it has happened to everyone here. It's likely worse for Elisabeth right now because she's already weakened from yesterday. We all are," Nash explained, wincing as he held his side. He helped me back to the bed and placed me down gently. I noticed the wolf bites and scratches covering his body, including a large bite mark on his arm. The sight terrified me.

"D-did I d-do that to you?" I stuttered, my voice quivering. Nash looked puzzled until he saw where I was pointing.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I know the bite on my arm is from that Alpha ghost wolf, but that's the last one I remember. I also have a concussion from Josh hitting me with a rusty metal pole. That was his way of breaking the control," he said. Tears streamed down my face as I thought about how I must have lost control and hurt others.

"Elisabeth, it wasn't your fault if you did. You were under Jason's control. There was nothing you could do," Alex said, trying to comfort me. I glanced at him quickly, wondering if I had hurt him too.

"What injuries do you have?" I asked, crying. Alex glanced at me, then looked away, rubbing his elbow.

"Just some scratches..." he said. I could tell he was lying. He had this look that always told me when he wasn't being honest.

"Show me," I demanded, my voice firm.

"Elisabeth..." he began, but I interrupted him.

"SHOW ME!" I shouted. Alex sighed and pulled up his shirt, revealing a large cut on his chest and claw marks on both shoulders. "Alex..." I cried, my heart aching at the sight.

"These injuries are from Jason, and the claw marks are from Nash. He was one tough opponent," Alex said, lowering his shirt, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"To be honest, we're only slightly hurt compared to Michael," Nash said. Slightly hurt? What did he mean? Was Michael dead?

"What happened to Michael?" I asked, my voice rising with panic.

"Jason stabbed him in the side," Alex said quietly. Tears poured down my face again as the worst possible thought struck me.

"He's alive! That's all that matters right now," Nash said, trying to comfort me as he rubbed my legs. He then explained Josh and Brandon's injuries and how all our powers were nearly drained. Alex had used the last of his energy on the door, demonstrating a feeble flame that extinguished almost immediately.

I got up and walked into the living room, where Brandon lay passed out on the couch, looking ghostly pale. Nash and Alex looked just as drained. Anger surged through me. My sister and father had forced half of my team into the hands of the CIA and left the rest severely injured, while I was helplessly watching. I walked to the closet, pulled out a black cloak and scarf, wrapped the scarf around my mouth, and pulled the hood of the cloak over my head. I approached the window and transformed into my ghost form. Just as I was about to leap out, Alex's voice rang out.

"Elisabeth, what are you doing?" he called from the hallway entrance, his voice filled with desperation.

"I'm going after Elliot. Alone. You guys are in no condition to fight. I have to do this alone. I'll save the girls and send them home," I said firmly.

"What about you? You're in no condition either. You'll be killed!" Alex pleaded, trying to dissuade me. But my mind was already made up.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take to save my team. I'll be back, I promise," I said. I hesitated, knowing there was always a chance I might not return. "But if I don't make it back alive, I want Nash or you to take charge of the Outsiders. That's my final wish if I don't make it out alive," I explained, my voice steady despite my fear.

I jumped out the window, not giving him a chance to respond. "Elisabeth!" Alex yelled as I soared into the night.

I wouldn't let my teammates suffer any longer. This was my last chance to stop Elliot, and I wouldn't stop until every last powerful person in that prison was saved.