I MUST CONFESS I STILL BELIEVE!!!

WHEN I'M NOT WITH YOU I LOSE MY MIND.

GIVE ME A SIGNNNNNNN

HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME

Let's appreciate Britney Spears for making that song.

Plus, it's motivating me to write.

So thanks Britney Spears, for hitting me one more time.

Idk where that came from.

+WARNING: WHILE EDITING this chapter, I realized a part was similar to The Proposal and that was just a coincidence so I tried my best to change it. But to be honest, I just love the song xD Instant #nostalgia So don't tell me 'It's just like the Proposal' It's my childhood.+

My rib cage was crunching under cold hands and I laid there, jerking in shock. The veins were pumping up Isaac's arm and he spat a demon screech. Suddenly he angled his shoulder back and propelled me with such an alienated force. He sling shot me forward and I was blown away, body crashing through building after building, cement wall after cement wall, flying through. Enveloped in this frozen feeling of numbness.

I blew through Hell's gate and crash landed onto the gravel, rolling across the sharp lumps in the dark. One footstep after another landed a short distance away and I laid there, hardly holding on.

The same cold hands picked me up again and I was hanging upside down by my captured feet. Isacc's eyes swirled in anger and he chucked me again. I skid across the gravel, a wall of it shooting upwards until I plummeted deep into the sewage. Sinking lower under the water, a light exploded and I was spinning, dividing into millions of pieces and then connecting back together.

Finally, my eyes closed.

...

A gust of air shot into my mouth and I sprung up. Spread across packing snow, a blond haired man was chaining a difficult prisoner up against a post. Snow flittered down onto my clothes, the red gore smeared across my sending my heart throbbing. Hearing my breath, the man turned, and a zap of panic hitched his brows. He hurried over, trudging through the thick white sea. "Alice. Don't move."

"Grim?" I tried saying but nothing came out. He put his finger on my lip.

"Don't talk. You're fucking dying, asshole."

I watched his skin close around the cuts, healing itself as his natural perfect skin returned. He gradually rolled up my sleeve, revealing smudges of blood and scrapes across my dirt covered skin. Seeing him warm his hands in preparation, I realized what he was about to do and rapidly shook my head, giving him a weak push.

I croaked, "Stop, you can't-"

"Alice, would you just let me."

"No." I brought my hand over his, unable to feel him under my fingertips. "There's no way I can let you do this. You can't give up your life just to save me."

He was silent. Then he burst into laughter. "Sacrifice? Honey, I would never give my life for you. What do you think this is-a movie? Your human mind has been playing tricks on you." My eyes widened, taken aback by his confession. He shrugged and said, "Nah, I'm just gonna take some of the souls I consumed and regenerate them into your body." He pressed his fingers into my arm and I winced. "It might hurt a little, but this'll work."

I sensed his fingers root into my skin like suction cups, and saw his chest rumble in a deep chuckle. "LOL. You thought I was gonna sacrifice myself."

"Well..."

Laughing still, he murmured foreign words under his mirth and pressed weird formations into my skin. Swallowing the pain, warmth rushed from the pressure and through my blood. Gushes of air were drawn into me, voices racing through my head. I clutched the snow surrounding me and snapped my neck back, the force of spirits regenerating my soul.

It burned for a second longer before a wave of exhaustion swept over and I blacked out.

...

Wide awake and drained, Isaac was wrestling in the chains, ogling me. Sadly, the Grim-made fire pit between us wasn't assuring enough and I scooted back, not fond of this close distance. "Here." Grim handed me a steaming mug. Standing, he squeezed the heavy quilt draped over my shoulders and asked, "Do you remember anything?"

Shivering, I nibbled on the inside of my cheek and pressed the hot mug to my chest. "Where did you get all this?"

Grim directed a thumb over to Isaac. "When Hulk was smashing the hell out of you, I managed to ransack Lord Death's nursing room which was luckily a few rooms down from where we were. I quickly consumed the emergency human souls he had so I could use them to bring you back to life. Obviously I caught up to you guys, back onto the mainland before the others could see." He averted his eyes to the black sky. "I saw Lord Death and the Cold Bloods interacting. My brain is still trying to grasp this secret alliance..." Shaking his head, he returned his attention to me. "Enough about my story. Do you remember what happened to you?"

The memories were slowly processing through my mind, the pieces aligning. Stuffing my fingers under my bent legs, I was still trying to get used to the human body. How instead of feeling the sounds miles away or the movements surrounding you, you could only feel what you touched and the effects of the wind beating at your back. Unable to ignore the pain and to only tolerate it. It was disgusting.

"It's returning," I said, rocking back and forth. "I-I-I remember finding you. I thought you were dead and Isaac-" I stared at the monster who wanted me dead, seeing his jaw tighten, hands desiring to wring around my neck-"Isaac was the Purge, and he couldn't control the demons. He was fresh, overwhelmed by the power and had the mindset to destruct humans. Me." I scooped up a stick and started prodding the fire. "He pushed your scythe into my stomach. You were fighting him at one point. The pain was...I cannot describe it. How much you can feel...how much red there was. Isaac never stopped. He kept tossing me and I was flying through Hell, tumbling out of the city by his strong throw, and fell into the water. But the feelings...how he punched me through buildings, the gateway, into the sewer, to the window of Hell..."

"To the window..." Grim hummed.

"It was very painful," I continued.

"To the wall..."

I glimpsed up. "What did you just say?"

"To the sweat drip down my balls," he spoke louder. I stopped poking the fire. "To all these bitches crawl." He bobbed his head. "To the window...to the window..." He waved his arms. "To the wall...to the wall..." He dropped his stick and shouted, "TO THE SWEAT DRIP DOWN MY BALLS. TO ALL THESE BITCHES CRAWL."

"Grim!" I poked the burning stick to his butt and he yelped, hobbling around the campfire in circles.

"Yeowch!"

"I'm talking about my near-death moment and you sing about the sweat dripping down your balls?!"

"You were getting too serious! And I can't stand hearing about the pain." He waved those words off, and brought up, "But Isaac followed you. Good plan, would've never thought of it myself."

Always changing the subject when talking about personal emotions. What a surprise. Wrapping my conscious around what he just mentioned, I questionably asked, "Plan?

Grim poured himself his own mug of cocoa, and sat pretzel style beside me. "How you knew even though you and Isaac switched roles, the connection was still there. Like how when you were the Purge and you felt connected to Isaac, but he didn't feel it back. I guess Isaac was feeling a connection and even though he wanted to destroy you, he kept following wherever he threw you." He lightly smacked my cheek in congratulations. "Having him punch you into another universe-genius!"

"What?"

"I don't think Lord Death and the Cold Bloods wanted Isaac to leave Hell, so you luring him onto the mainland was a great plan."

"Plan?" I cleared my throat and a half-smile formed on my face. "Oh yeah, definitely. It was a plan...my plan...the whole time."

"Right." He climbed to his feet and ruffled my hair. "Good talk, Alice. How about we rest?"

I sipped at the chocolate, a streak of warmth oozing down my parched throat. "Shouldn't we be moving? The demons are after Isaac and once they realize I'm alive, a hunt will begin."

He flicked my nose and moved in time before I could slap him. "While you were pulling a Sleeping Beauty, I dragged your fat ass across the mountains where we can't be found. Plus, I had the Hulk on a leash and may I remind you, he wanted to eat me. I did not go through all this trouble to take you both into a dangerous place. Obviously I picked a safe spot to rest."

"Sorry," I grumbled and he just stood there, waiting. I rolled my eyes and plastered a wide, sweet smile. "And thank you for saving our lives."

"You're welcome," he chirped and rummaged through the huge leather knapsack. Tossing me another knitted quilt, he plunked himself on the bare snow and used the bag as a pillow. "We have a long way to go tomorrow. Get a good sleep."

+++

"This place should help Isaac if we're going to try and get his conscious back." Picnic tables with etched in writings and chipped corners left me spinning in memories, it all rushing back. "You and Isaac used to hang here right?" I nodded in silence, brushing my hand over an 'I and J' tree carving. "Good. We need him to connect to his human side much as possible in order to reach the guy."

He made his way around the back and opened the trunk, Isaac's sushi wrapped body falling on the ground. Taking off the sack over his head, Grim pulled the hissing Purge towards me, and tied his leash to the tree.

I leaned on a bench, flashing back to when Isaac and I shared our first ice cream in kindergarten. Because we lived so close to the park, we both grew up on these grounds.

"You ready?" I turned and fixed my eyes on Grim who was leaning casually on the jeep. Wearing his Gucci sunglasses he earlier stole from a business man, he lowered them on his nose and said, "You have to teach Isaac how to control his powers."

I arched a surprising brow. "Me? But I have no powers."

He pushed his shades back up and flapped the Dorito bag. "Yeah, you do. Your dad was a Cold Blood and you inherited the demon drug from him. There's indescribable power running through your blood. You're like a walking nuke. Just blow up!"

"That's not something you should say in the middle of an industrial city full of innocent civilians."

"We're in Central Park at three in the morning!" he exclaimed. "The only thing you can kill is a pigeon."

Seeming unconvinced, he was shouting, "Even if there were ten thousand police sirens going off, a mutated turtle outbreak and Gozilla having sex against the Empire State Building-New Yorkers would still think that'd be normal!" Sticking my tongue out, I started shaking my legs and arms, hopping on the spot. The crinkling of the chip bag stopped and Grim gawked at me. "What are you doing?"

"Warming up," I huffed, throwing some fake punches.

"It looks like you're dancing. Throw in a fist pump why don't you?" Dropping my arms, I narrowed a sharp glare in his direction and he spoke, "What? This isn't a UFC fight, good lord. You already know how to fight. Just awaken that side of the brain."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how!"

"You'll learn," Grim said and motioned me to Isaac. "Now untie him."

A horrified expression hit me. "Won't he run away?"

"More like tackle you," Grim said. "He's connected to you remember? He won't leave."

I took a step and hesitated, a nudge of uneasiness rocking my stomach. "Wait, why are you doing this? Why are you helping Isaac? I thought you hated him."

Grim gave a little shrug and kicked a rock. "Because he's our only shot to preventing the demons from coming onto the mainland. If we can turn their weapon into our own, we could win. I might not have a heart but I have a fucking brain."

Convinced enough, I carefully approached Isaac who seemed calm now. His breathes were slow, a deadly glare targeted at my eyes. He didn't look anywhere else. "He looks like he's gonna eat me," I bluntly stated.

"He will if you don't teach him how to control himself," Grim said.

Giving a fake laugh, I flipped the middle finger and looked back to Isaac. His hot breath puffed in my face and I swore, he had grown an extra two feet. He was so much bigger and more...bad.

"He's not Harry Styles. You can stop drooling now," Grim hollered with a mouthful of chips. Digging up a final glare, I reached for the lock but was interrupted. "Here. You'll need this."

I glanced over and on instinct caught the two guns thrown at me. I hitched them on my belt, the pistol and shotgun, and stared back at Isaac. I pressed my small hands on his chest. He flinched. "Where are you?" I asked, searching his eyes. Dragging my hand along his shoulders, he flinched again and I clutched the lock under my fingers. Taking the key out, I slipped it in and turned. I held my breath. The chains fell.

I brought my hand up and softly spoke, "Isaac, before you tear me to shreds-"

With speed I couldn't even explain, he stole my rifle and shot me in the chest, sending me into the fountain. Grim shrieked in laughter and clapped his hands. "Your communication skills are excellent!"

I spat out a mouthful of water and winced, grazing my fingers over the bulletproof vest underneath. "Grim, I swear to God..."

"Teach him how to control it!" he cut in, and popped a Dorito in his mouth.

Rage blew up my face and I rose, stomping out of the fountain. "You're so...ugh!" Isaac was making his way over, loading the gun with a stern look of determination. He looked like a robot, movements soldier like. I aimed the gun and shouted, "Isaac, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Either you stop this-"

He shot me again and I blasted past the fountain, into an opened port-a-potty. Rattled up, I laid there across the toilet wondering where the ceiling was at. "Shitting shits..."

"This isn't time to pull puns!" I could hear Grim crunching on his fucking Doritos.

Trudging out the port-a-potty, I slammed the door shut behind me and shoved the magazine into the gun, brought the top back and fired. The bullet shot Isaac in the chest, having him stumble. "You like that?!" I shouted and pulled the trigger. He was sent backwards, astonished by the sudden comeback and the force of the bullet.

Wet hair heavy and sticking to my cheeks, I shot him the third time. "Suck my god damn bullet. Because of you, I'm a fucking human with hormones bigger than Jupiter!" I fired. "I have the strength of a noodle! A noodle!" I was walking faster towards Isaac, shooting again. "Because of you, I'm a normal teenager!"

"Because of you, I'm like this!" Isaac roared. He slapped the bullet away and hissed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I sweetly cooed and sent a bullet at his forehead. He dodged, it skimming his cheek and he hooked his thumb on the trigger. I bobbed to the right and swung my leg around, knocking the gun out of his hands.

He drove his fist forward and I put my gun up, colliding his knuckles into the metal. He swept his hand under and yanked at my gun, tossing it on the gravel sidewalk. I dipped below and swept my foot across, taking him out by the feet. His head smacked on the ground and before I threw a punch, he hooked his legs around my knees and brought me down.

"This is all your fault!" Isaac yelled and straddled on top of me. He landed a punch to my face before I prepped my shielding arms up. He kept pounding, until I wrestled my legs around his waist and flipped him over. I thrust my fist at him, his arms stronger and able to block.

"Just take the god damn punch!" I shouted and sunk my knuckles into his Adam's apple. He gagged and managed to shove me off, rolling me on the grass.

He scrambled up and kicked me in the stomach, curling me in a womb position. "This is all your fault!" Isaac grunted through his kicks.

The wind knocked out, I dug through my system for that emergency jumpstart. I summoned the rusty demons, hot and cold chemicals intertwining in my DNA and I felt my heart thumping faster than I could register. My eyes popped, blackness swirling in them. I let out a screech and caught his leg, slamming him to the ground. I was breathing heavy, knuckles clenching, nails digging into my own skin to draw blood.

I leaped onto the picnic table and plunged my fist into his nose, the bridge cracking with a snap. His head jerked and as I approached, he flounced back, his nose reattaching itself. "Aw, did that hurt, honey?"

Isaac flashed a cocky grin, face transforming into a flawless God. "Not a scratch."

He ripped the duck-crossing sign and whacked me in the head, stunning my brain and I waddled backwards, bumping into the jeep.

"Hey, hey!" Grim exclaimed, crazily shoving his hands up. "Watch the Doritos!" I smudged my hand across my mouth, spreading the blood down my knuckles and grabbed onto the jeep. "Woah! Woah! What are you-" I lifted the vehicle above my head, sending Grim tripping on the curb. "Not the car! Don't hurt the car!" I let out a grunt and threw it at Isaac, knocking him into the dirt. "Seriously?! You hit him with a jeep?! You couldn't have took the old lady's minivan?! It was right beside the jeep! RIGHT BESIDE!"

The jeep rumbled and Isaac popped the door off, climbing out. He drew a soft, genuine voice. "Honey, you're tempting me to hit you with a tree."

My finger pretended to draw a tear. "Too bad your aiming sucks."

Isaac lifted a challenging brow and made a move for the closest tree until Grim shouted, "No way. No way. Trees are off limits. Nuh, uh. Nope. We are not tree killers!"

"Just human killers, right?" I sarcastically chirped.

"Killing a human and killing a tree are two different things!"

Isaac huffed an irritated sigh and jumped high, landing in the fountain and sending a wave splashing the birds. He yanked out the naked lady statue and threw it, knocking my body flat. I groaned, my face mushed like a pancake. "You little truckfucker!" I shouted, cheeks squished. Ready to toss the statue, my hands scratched at the grass, feeling a metal near my forefinger. Itching for it, I grasped onto the pistol and heaved off the stupid naked lady, limping to the fountain in willpower.

The fountain had its own patio, and I realized this was where we first hanged. He thumped his boot on the tiles, grinning like he caught me.

I quickened my pace and Isaac must've found the shotgun because he lifted it proudly, loaded and fired up. All in one cue, I majestically dove on my bottom, he swiftly pulled the trigger, I glided across the tiled floor, his bullets trailed hot on my tail, and I skid between his legs, snatched his gun, and shot his balls.

Grim winced and clutched his own balls and Isaac howled as I halted a foot away, laying with both guns in my hand. Grim pounded his fist against the picnic table. "SO LUCKY your balls have healing powers! SO LUCKY!"

Isaac on his knees, heading resting on the ground, I started firing like a maniac, smoke building a wall around the crouched boy. The guns heating in my hands, I stood up and when close enough, dove for safety behind a tree and stopped shooting. A long silence followed.

"Honey!" My voiced echoed around the park. I peeked around the tree, scoping for signs of movement. "Still alive?"

A thumb stuck out from the smoke. "I'm doing just fine!" Coughing went off and he stood up. "My dick's just a little crooked, but other than that I feel pretty great!"

I hid behind the tree again, finding a smile sneak onto my lips. I touched my mouth and stared down, my lips curling even more.

"Hiding behind a tree?" he called out. I could hear him smiling through his voice. "I could kill you right now!"

"Sure you could!"

"Dicksucker!" he yelled with a hint of a smile.

"Vaginaeater!" I shouted back. His smile fell.

I grinned and you could hear the two guns loading under my hands as I whipped them forward and fired. The impact of two bullets threw Isaac back, slamming into a tree before sliding down the trunk, slumped on the grass. Smoke drizzling out the muzzle, I hooked them on my belt and trudged over. Isaac was blinking back, squinting through the morning sunlight that leaked past the trees. I bent down and lightly slapped his cheek. "You there?"

"Jessie?" His natural green eyes were mixed within the black.

I smirked. "Welcome back, baby."

In daze, he simply stared at me and I found myself unable to detach from his gaze. Suddenly Isaac grabbed my neck, pulled my face to his and kissed me. His lips were surprisingly soft, locked onto mine with intimate rush and sexual frustration. Shock must've rushed through him too because he quickly retracted, pinkness colouring his ears.

Grim ran over, screaming, "Hold up, bitches. First you slap him, then you hit him with my car, then you shoot his fucking balls, then you try to kill him again and then you kiss him!? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

I grinned and slung my arm around his neck, forcing him to sit beside us. "Well, I know I'm not the Purge, or a normal teenage girl because I don't think any of them can do what I just did. So I guess that leaves me to be..."

"Alice," Isaac said. Blush crept up his ears for the second time.

"No fucking kidding," Grim snorted. "She's as mad as a hatter."

The sun crawled past the trees, warming the sky with rays of gold and red. I leaned my head on Isaac's chest, naturally webbing fingers with Grim. That moment in time was beautiful. It was comforting, it was silent, it was peaceful.

Isaac then spoke, "We still have an undefeatable army of hungry mutant demons to fight, don't we?"

+++

Vote if you liked this chapter as much as I did <3 This has been my favourite chapter to write so far! GAGH! Love it to bits! *Fangirling*

Note: Just watched the Super Bowl. Katy Perry was pretty sick :)

What's your favourite part of the chapter?

Who is your favourite character?

Song at the side put me in the mood if you know what I mean.

And by 'you know what I mean' I actually have no idea what I meant. But it's a Mad as a Hatter song, definitely. What do you think should be in the Mad as a Hatter playlist?

GIF of ISAAC AND ALICE KISSING!!

Just a reminder that Isaac is STILL the Purge, and Alice/Jessie is still half human. They used their connection between each other to learn how to summon and shut down their powers.

And Grim still has his Doritos.

Who doesn't like frigg'in Doritos?