As Donna was about to snap back at Jade, a shout cut through the tense air—
"Jim!"
Everyone turned. A group was rushing down the path from the Colony House — the Matthews family, with Kristi right beside them.
Tabitha and Kristi were helping Julie, who still limped a little, while Ethan trailed close behind, his face pale and scared. They all looked exhausted, but the second they saw the grave, that exhaustion vanished — replaced by raw fear.
The crowd stepped aside instinctively, making space for them. The low static hum around the coffin grew louder, almost alive, like the air itself was holding its breath.
"Boyd!" Tabitha shouted, eyes darting between the grave and the flickering outline of her husband. "What the hell is going on?!"
Boyd turned toward her, voice calm but sharp. "We found him — or… something like that," he said grimly. "He's trapped. The box he's in — it's made from the same wood as the trees in the forest. He keeps appearing and disappearing. We don't know where he's being pulled."
Tabitha's voice cracked as she looked from Boyd to Jim — who looked pale and terrifiedeach time he teleportedeach time he teleported"Ho-how can we stop this?"
Jade took a breath and stepped closer to the grave. "I've got an idea," he said quickly, glancing between them all and then explained her how he could save Jim.
Tabitha frowned. "Could?"
Jade hesitated. "Yeah, could. Best-case scenario — he pops back into one piece. Worst case…" He paused, gesturing helplessly at the coffin. "Well… it won't be pretty."
Julie's breath hitched. "You can't just guess!"
Jade exhaled. "That's the best I can do kid....unless someone's hiding a tree-exorcism-for-dummies book, this is all we've got."
Boyd's voice was steady, though everyone could hear the weight in it. "We don't have time to debate. Every time he reappears, he looks weaker. We decide now."
Tabitha stared at the grave, her face drawn tight. Every flicker — every brief glimpse of Jim's terrified eyes — twisted her heart. "We're not leaving him like this," she said finally, her tone fierce. "Do it."
Ethan shook her head, voice trembling. "Mom, what if something bad happens to Dad?"
Tabitha's voice was quiet but certain. "Don't worry sweetie, nothing like that will happen to him." Although she tried to comfort her kid, her trembling voice was enough for everyone to notice that she herself needed some sort of assurance.
Ethan, standing beside her, whispered after thinking for a moment "Yeah. Dad's strong. He'll come back."
The words hung in the air — small but powerful.
Boyd gave a sharp nod. "Alright. Jade — set it up."
Jade ran a hand through his hair, muttering, "Yeah, okay. I'll need a truck battery, jumper cables, and a radio speaker. I can rig a low-frequency pulse through the current."
Kenny blinked. "Wait, you're gonna MacGyver a sound machine with a car battery?"
Jade gave him a deadpan look. "You got a better plan, Einstein? No? Then shut up and grab the cables."
Donna groaned. "If this thing blows up, I'm blaming you."
"Yeah, yeah," Jade muttered, already kneeling beside the coffin. "You'll have to get in line."
Sara stepped closer, voice shaky but firm. "I can help. When he's near, I can feel it — like something pulling at me. If it starts working, I'll know."
Jade looked up at her, nodding once. "Good. That might give me a timing cue."
Kristi crossed her arms, uneasy. "This better not make things worse."
Boyd crouched near the coffin, jaw tight. "No one touches it till Jade says. We can't risk another screw-up."
Dean and Kenny sprinted to the truck, dragging the battery over. Jade got to work — twisting wires, clamping leads, muttering half the time to himself. Tobey helped too. The sharp smell of metal and dirt mixed with the thick tension in the air.
Sara stood by the grave's edge, one hand pressed to her chest. The pressure she'd felt before was back — sharper now, pulsing faster. It matched Jim's flickers perfectly.
"Almost there…" Jade said, connecting the final wire. "Okay, everyone back the hell up. No idea what's gonna happen when I flip this."
Boyd motioned everyone back, though Tabhita stayed a bit closer.
Jade took a deep breath — and flipped the switch.
A deep, vibrating hum rolled out of the speaker — low and powerful, like thunder buried underground. The sound rippled through the air, shaking the ground. Dust lifted off the coffin as the static around it surged.
Jim appeared again — this time clearer. His body convulsed, his hand reaching out, his face twisted in agony. He remained in the coffin this time and didn't teleport again.
Julie gasped, tears streaking down her face. "He's here! It's working!"
"Hold it steady!" Boyd shouted over the noise.
The hum grew louder, the entire ground quivering beneath them. The air vibrated — a deafening, electric roar filling their ears.
Then — with a flash of white light — Jim's body solidified. His chest heaved. He was there. Real. Alive.
Tabitha dropped to her knees, reaching for him. "Jim!"
But just as her fingers were about to brush his arm — snap!
The air cracked like lightning. Jim's form twisted violently, glitching like a broken hologram. His scream ripped through the graveyard — distorted, echoing, wrong.
And then — silence.
The coffin was empty again.
Sara staggered back, her lips trembling. "No…" she whispered. "No, he was right there…"
Jade exhaled shakily, staring at the still-humming speaker. "It didn't fail," he muttered. "Something pulled him back again."
Victor who was as silent as a rock finally spoke, "Whatever this place is doing…" he said quietly, "it's not done with him yet."
No one spoke. The static had faded, but the faint smell of pine and scorched wood lingered in the air — sharp, unmistakable.
But this time, Jim didn't come back.
Seconds dragged by — slow, heavy, endless. The only sound was the faint buzz from the speaker still humming beside the coffin. Everyone stared into the grave, waiting for a flicker, a sound, anything.
Nothing.
The coffin just sat there. Empty.
Sara's breath caught in her throat. "Where is he?" she whispered. She stepped closer, eyes locked on the dirt like she could will him back. "Why isn't he—why isn't he coming back?"
"Wait," Boyd said, holding up a hand, voice tight. "Just… give it a second."
They waited.
Five seconds. Ten. The silence stretched out like forever. Even the wind stopped moving — like the whole forest was listening.
Still nothing.
No flicker. No hum. No sign of Jim.
Tabitha's lips parted, her voice breaking. "He's… he's not coming back."
Jade frowned, scanning the wires, the battery, the speaker — checking everything again like maybe he'd missed something. The static was gone. The feedback stopped.
But so was Jim.
"Oh, fuck," Jade muttered, almost to himself, but everyone heard it.