Not Alone

Enid wasn't sure what to expect when she opened the door to the crypt, but being faced with the sight of her best friend lying on the ground with a knife in her stomach was not it. Her heart dropped as she hurried to Wednesday's side, calling out her name.

As she knelt beside her, she hesitated, not knowing what to do. Thing grabbed Wednesday's hand, and her fingers twitched in response but her dark eyes rested on Enid. "What are you doing here?"

She seemed genuinely surprised to see them, almost wary. But considering everything that had happened that led to her current condition, it was understandable that she may be a little more guarded than usual. She relaxed when their eyes met, but she appeared confused by their presence and seemed like she was putting way too much effort into looking like she wasn't in pain.

For a moment, Enid was speechless, taking in the sight of her gravely injured friend. There was so much blood coating the side of her face from a wound on her head, and the knife in her stomach had cut in deep, right to the hilt. She felt her eyes water and tried to keep from panicking, but her heart was racing and her breath was caught in her throat, "Thing said that you were taken by Ms. Thornhill. And that she killed Principal Weems and that Tyler was the monster…" She knelt beside her, not sure what to do. She reached out for her, her hand hovering over the hilt of the knife. "Oh Wednesday, this looks bad!"

"It's just a flesh wound," Wednesday replied, her voice slightly strained but surprisingly strong, considering.

"No way, this is bad!" she exclaimed, noticing a pool of blood forming underneath her.

"I didn't say it wasn't fatal…"

Enid shook her head, choking out a small sob, "No, you—you're going to be fine." She reached into her pocket with trembling hands and pulled out her phone. "I'm going to get help, OK? Just hang on." She held up the phone to dial 9-1-1 but there was no signal. "Crap. OK, maybe there will be service outside, just hold on Wednesday, please!"

"Enid, wait…"

Ignoring her, she dashed out the door and held up her phone until she got a signal. She dialled and when the dispatcher answered she blurted, "Help! My friend was stabbed, it's really bad. Please!"

The dispatcher barely got a single word in when the call dropped.

"No, no, no…" Enid cried, dialling again but it dropped again. This part of the woods was always bad for cell phone service, shaky at best. She turned to take in her surroundings. Maybe she could go find help. She dismissed the idea. There wasn't time and everyone else was busy evacuating the school. It was only her and Thing.

She rushed back into the crypt, "No service, but it's OK, I…I got you." She knelt down beside Wednesday and slid a hand behind her back before Wednesday could protest. "Come on, we're going to get you to a hospital…"

Wednesday let out a pained moan from the sudden movement, "I can't…"

"It's OK, I can carry you. It'll be OK. I'm stronger than I look, remember? You're going to be fine," Enid's voice cracked on the last word.

"No!"

"Wednesday, please! Let me help!"

"There's no time…"

"Don't say that," Enid said, ignoring her as she reached her other hand under Wednesday's knees and tried to gently lift her from the ground, "we just gotta…"

"No—ow," Wednesday let out a cry, "Enid, stop!"

Realizing that Enid was hurting her by trying to lift her, she gently let her go and leaned back on her heels. Blinking back tears, Enid shook her head, "But, you need help."

"Listen, it's too late for me," Wednesday said breathlessly. Enid let out a whimper and Wednesday shot her a look, "Listen to me Enid. It's OK. We all die sooner or later but right now I need you to be strong. This is important, everyone is in danger and there's no point and no time to waste on me. Thornhill used me to resurrect Joseph Crackstone, he's powerful and he's going to kill everyone. He needs to be stopped."

Though the strain in her voice betrayed her weakening condition, Wednesday's tone was matter-of-fact and calm. Wednesday seemed so resigned and accepting of her fate and Enid hated it.

"I know, Thing told us what she had planned, remember? We're already on it. The Nightshades are working to evacuate everyone from the school as we speak. It's under control, OK?"

Wednesday seemed genuinely surprised and impressed. "Good."

"So, let's focus on getting you help," Enid insisted, her eyes full of tears, "shall we?"

"There's no point," Wednesday said with an uncomfortable grimace, "it's too late. Even if it wasn't, by the time you got me to a hospital it will be. I lost too much blood, I'm bleeding internally, there's a lot of damage inside and I'm losing the feeling in my legs… It's over."

"Don't say that!" Enid cried, exasperated. She was making it sound like she was mildly inconvenienced instead of dying, and Enid was not going to accept that. She turned to Thing who was still holding her hand, clearly distraught and then back at Wednesday's bloody and stoic face. Why did Wednesday have to be so…Wednesday, even while dying? Was she trying to be strong for their sake? Or did she really not care? Sure, she seemed to really be into morbid things like death, but this was different! Why couldn't she just let Enid help her?

"Why?" Wednesday challenged, and her voice faltered slightly, a hint of vulnerability seeping in as her dark eyes betrayed her pain, "It's the truth." She let out a quiet sigh, her eyes sliding closed, "I can feel myself fading. Shock's setting in…" as she spoke her voice got a little quieter. "There's danger, you need to go."

Enid frowned and grabbed her hand, "No, I'm not leaving you!" Thing tapped on Wednesday's other hand, indicating that he wasn't going anywhere either.

Wednesday glanced at her with an incredulous stare, like she was confused, like it was somehow such a ridiculous and foreign concept that Enid wouldn't leave her. Is that what Wednesday thought of her? That she would be the type to abandon her friend while she was dying?

Briefly, Enid wondered, if the roles were reversed, would Wednesday stay with her or leave? Enid didn't know, but she liked to believe Wednesday would've stayed. Besides, according to Thing, the reason Wednesday got captured in the first place was because she let her guard down, staying close to comfort Principal Weems as she died. Wednesday might try to appear like someone who didn't care, but Enid knew that Wednesday cared, she just struggled to show it and when she did, she showed it in her own peculiar way.

Maybe Wednesday wanted to spare her the pain of watching her die. Was that it?

Enid gently squeezed her hand, and though it was weak, she felt Wednesday's ice-cold fingers squeeze back. Wednesday's eyes slid closed and she leaned her head back, whatever reserve strength she had left was quickly draining. "I need you to do me a favour."

"What's that?" Enid asked, leaning in close.

"Avenge me," Wednesday said, her voice soft and quiet, "Ms Thornhill, Tyler and Joseph Crackstone need to go down. And…" she took a laboured breath, wincing from a wave of pain, "t-tell my family this is what they get for sending me here…and... that I regret what happened. I wish things turned out differently."

"I'm not going to let you die," Enid frowned, knowing how ridiculous she sounded. There had to be something she could do to help save her, but what? She never felt so utterly helpless.

Wednesday blinked at her, rolling her eyes, "How? You're a werewolf, not a healer." Even though her voice was weak, the sarcasm came through loud and clear.

Enid sniffed, "I don't know…I just…"

"Crackstone needs to be stopped," Wednesday murmured, "I thought it was supposed to be me, but…you need to stop him for me."

"I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can," Wednesday insisted, slightly stronger this time, "if anyone can avenge me, you can. You said it yourself, you've got claws and you're not afraid to use them."

Enid couldn't help but let out a small, sad laugh.

"And Tyler…" Wednesday frowned, "make him suffer for me, will you? I trusted him."

"He's not going to get away with what he did," Enid promised.

"So, go. Now. There's no time to lose."

"No, I told you, I'm not leaving you." Enid gave Wednesday's hand a comforting squeeze, "OK?"

"You have to."

"I'm not letting you…" Enid bit her lip and choked out a sob, "I'm not letting you die alone."

"Enid, it's OK. We all die al—"

"No! No, you don't get to say that. You think you're meant to be alone, but you're not. I'm here, and I'm not leaving you. Neither is Thing."

"You're wasting…time," Wednesday weakly mumbled in protest. "You need to go…"

"No. Don't make me leave you. I'm not going. Not yet. If it has to be like this…" she choked out a sob. "Me and Thing are going to stay here with you until the end whether you like it or not."

Wednesday's intense eyes bore into her, sparkling with unshed tears. Underneath her stoic expression, she looked so tired, lost and uncertain. She opened her mouth to speak but instead her face contorted into a grimace as she quietly rode out another wave of pain. Enid squeezed her hand and she gently rubbed her shoulder until it passed, unsure of what else to do to comfort her.

"I'm not leaving you," Enid said again.

Wednesday nodded, "OK." She closed her eyes and released a deep, shuddering breath, no longer fighting to appear strong. Her head dropped forward. Enid cupped her hand to her cheek –her skin was clammy and ice cold. She was fading fast.

Enid shifted her position so she was sitting next to Wednesday and slid her arm behind her back and drew her close, taking her hand. Wednesday might have resisted the comfort, but she wasn't putting up a fight either and now she seemed to finally accept it. To her surprise, Wednesday actually leaned into her and rested her head on Enid's shoulder, though it could've been because she was too weak to do much else.

"Just so you know… when this is over, I'm going to haunt you for this," Wednesday whispered, her voice so quiet it was barely audible. Enid blinked back tears as she tilted her head to rest against the top of Wednesday's.

"Fair enough," Enid choked out.

Wednesday's body was trembling, probably from pain and shock, and Enid could hear her quietly struggle to keep breathing. She glanced at Thing who tapped on Wednesday's cheek to get her attention and then scurried into her line of sight, signing frantically. "Don't get…so emotional Thing…I expect that sort of thing…from Enid…but it's not a good look for you," Wednesday said softly, leaning heavily against Enid, drifting out of consciousness.

Enid squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears fall freely down her face. She was second-guessing her decision to stay. She should've gone to get help, tried harder to find phone service, or carried Wednesday to where she could get help, even if it hurt her. Maybe if she acted sooner Wednesday could've been saved. Maybe there was still time… She let go of her friend's cold, limp hand and pressed her fingers against her neck, struggling to find a pulse. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, she would think that it was over and Wednesday was gone.

Enid closed her eyes listening to her ragged breaths, taking her hand again while Thing held both their hands. They sat there like that for several moments until Wednesday let out a groan and stirred.

"Wednesday?"

Wednesday ignored her, she seemed to be looking at something that Enid could not see. "Are you here to take me to the other side?" Though her voice was faint, Wednesday sounded bitter.

"Who are you talking to?" Enid asked with worry. Was the blood loss making her hallucinate? Or was a reaper actually there, coming to take her friend away?

"Goody," Wednesday mumbled, shushing her. "She says… that Crackstone… needs to be stabbed in the heart." There was a pause, "What do you mean 'it has to be me?'" Wednesday asked the empty air incredulously, "Because… I'm an Addams?" Another pause, then, in a weak but biting tone she said, "Is your spectral vision impaired? I'm dying."

Another pause. "My mother said it was for conjuring visions." Pause. Then, with newfound strength, Wednesday shakily reached for her necklace under her shirt.

"What's going on?" Enid asked. Wednesday ignored her, her dark eyes focused on the empty space above her and then to her horror, an invisible force seemed to yank the knife from Wednesday's stomach and she hissed softly from the pain. But just as the blood started pouring out of her wound, it stopped. Enid could swear she saw a faint glow until suddenly Wednesday gasped, jackknifing into a sitting position.

"Wednesday?"

She struggled to catch her breath, though she was noticeably stronger than she had been moments before. She held up her hand, there was a deep gash in the palm that Enid had failed to notice because there was so much blood already. They both watched as it closed up like it wasn't even there. Wednesday reached to inspect the injury on her head and then glanced at Enid and Thing, she seemed just as surprised as Enid was.

"Are you OK?" Enid asked.

Wednesday nodded, "Goody…she healed me." She sounded as shocked as Enid felt.

"How?"

Wednesday swallowed hard, she seemed to be processing what had happened and then shook her head, "Doesn't matter, I need to go stop Crackstone."

They both climbed to their feet. Wednesday started for the door and then faltered, stumbling dizzily as though she was about to collapse. She may have been somehow miraculously healed, but she had still lost a lot of blood. Enid grabbed her arm, catching her and held her steady as Wednesday leaned heavily against her for a moment while she got her balance. Finally, Wednesday took a deep breath and then made eye contact with her, quietly indicating that she was OK.

"I have to go," she said and dashed out the door.

Enid watched her leave, dumbfounded. If she wasn't so relieved to see Wednesday not only somehow still alive, but healthy again, she would've been annoyed that she ran off without really saying anything. They had a moment. She almost died in Enid's arms not even a minute ago! But what was there to say? Crackstone needed to be dealt with. And maybe Wednesday did have to be the one to stop him, but Enid wasn't going to let her face him alone.

With resolve, Enid picked up Thing and they followed her.

She was a few paces behind when she saw Wednesday run into Tyler and stopped in her tracks as the two spoke in hushed tones. For a moment, Enid was frozen in place, wary. But then she watched in horror as Wednesday stumbled backwards to the ground as he turned into the Hyde. He grabbed Wednesday by the throat, carrying her like she weighed nothing and slammed her against a tree.  He had her pinned, clutching her by the throat as she weakly grabbed at him, trying to get him to let go of her.  Teeth bared, claws out threatening to strike, but he hesitated, slamming her into the tree a second time, a vicious predator taunting his prey.

"No!" Enid cried, filled with a deep rage she never felt before. She literally just almost lost her best friend once already, she wasn't going to lose her again not even minutes later. She took a step forward but collapsed to the ground as her body seemed to respond to that rage. Her muscles cramped and she felt something shift within her. It took a moment, but once she realized what was happening she cried out in panic. She was wolfing out. She wasn't ready…it was the worst time for it…

But as her body contorted and shifted she felt strong. Stronger and more powerful than she ever did before. She howled at the moon, and once the transformation was complete, she realized she didn't need to be ready. It was all pure instinct. Her best friend was in mortal danger, again, and this time she wasn't completely helpless. This time she could do something about it.

This time she could save her.

Now on all fours, she charged at Tyler in his Hyde form and swiped her claws at him and tackled him to the side.  Wednesday dropped to the ground with a thud, gasping for air. Enid fought with a ferociousness that she didn't know she was capable of, determined to protect Wednesday and avenge her near-death and broken heart. She violently knocked Tyler into a tree and heard Wednesday's shocked voice.

"Enid?"

Enid was relieved to see her standing there, safe, alive and while a little unsteady, she appeared relatively unharmed, especially considering the condition she had been in just minutes ago - Enid still couldn't believe it.

Wednesday's eyes widened as Tyler recovered from her initial attack and she yelled, "Enid!"

Tyler knocked her aside and Enid rolled with the blow and took another swipe at him with her claws. "I've got this! The school needs you, now go!" she exclaimed, as she kicked him away, but it came out as a fierce growl.

Wednesday seemed to understand and she nodded, "I need to get back to the school!" she exclaimed as she ran into the dark woods to stop the newly resurrected Crackstone.