Live-in Skin

Dave was aware of Chris screaming, "No! Don't do it! Leave him alone, please, God, please!" and Nicky saying that he didn't want to do this, but he had to, but Dave couldn't see any of it, because his eyes were squeezed shut as he braced for the pain of his throat being cut.

In his head, he chanted, Please Taylor, wake up, Taylor, wake up, please...

Nicky began to screech, his teeth gritted, as if he was putting a great deal of effort into something. Needing to know what was happening, Dave dared to open his eyes. Nicky was frozen, arms shaking but unmoving as he struggled to make the motion that would slash Dave's throat. The knife hovered an inch from his skin. "I, I can't move!" he cried, not understanding why. Then the realization came into his eyes, and he snarled angrily, obviously stunned by what was happening. "You woke him up!" Nicky yelled. He kept trying to cut Dave's throat, but his hands wouldn't make the motions. Nicky threw his head back and screamed in frustration. "GODDAMN YOU, TAYLOR'S AWAAAAAAKE!"

"What?!" Chris began to yell encouragement to Taylor. "Fight him, Taylor! Take your body back! Don't let him kill us! You can do it!"

Dave looked down at the knife and cringed away, inwardly cheering Taylor on. Tee... am I getting you back?

Rubbing his eyes, Taylor sat up. He looked around the grandmother's room in bewilderment. When he saw Kurt, he was especially confused. "Hey... you're - "

"Yeah, I'm Kurt Cobain. There isn't much time to explain. You know about Nicky Kelly?"

"Yeah."

"You need to take your body back from him before he kills everybody."

Taylor gasped. "Dave and Chris... he's got a knife."

Kurt nodded. "Exactly."

"How do I do this?"

Hopping off the bed, Kurt pointed to Nicky's grandmother. "I have a plan to distract Nicky so you have a better chance of beating him in this fight. But there's some things you gotta know first."

"What?"

"Nicky's been lying to Dave to get him to do what he says. He never would have killed you until now. He couldn't have. If Nicky shoots you, he goes right back to the statue and gets trapped again. If your body is physically hurt in any way that endangers your life, Nicky will be expelled from it. He's ready to do it now because he thinks he'll be able to kill Dave and Chris and then you, and then lay in wait inside the statue for the next person to try to communicate with him so he can have another chance at life," Kurt explained.

"That could be one of Dave's kids," Taylor said, alarmed.

"Yeah, or someone else, if the statue is sold off. Nicky's goal is to live again. But if you're alive and you expel Nicky from your body, he'll be trapped in the statue again, and we can send him back to Hell before he has the chance to hurt or possess anyone else." Kurt indicated the grandmother. "What I'm about to do will be an illusion, but Nicky won't know that. I can't really take his grandmother out of a memory. So the window of time you'll have to take your body back will be short."

Taylor nodded his understanding. "You said if my body is physically threatened, Nicky will be expelled from it?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll provide a great distraction." Clapping him on the shoulder, Kurt said, "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Nodding to Boddah, Kurt commanded, "Then open the door."

Nicky was still trying to gain back control of Taylor's body when a voice seemed to come from the mirror in the corner. "Nicky!" It sounded like Taylor's voice.

Everyone turned to look at the mirror. They could see a transparent vision of Taylor wrapped in a bedsheet and standing in front of a blue door. The door ajar, it burned with the word GRANDMA.

Nicky gaped in horror. "DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!" he shrieked.

Taylor opened the door anyway. Out came Kurt, pushing Nicky's grandmother in her wheelchair, a vindictive, mischievous grin on his face. She looked around as if she was seeing into the art room of Dave's house. "Nicky! What's going on here? Why are these men chained up?" Grandma covered her mouth in shock. "My God, what are you doing?!"

Shaking his head, Nicky tried to hide the knife behind his back. He was too focused on his grandmother to notice that this physical motion, he was able to do - it was just the movements that threatened the lives of Taylor's loved ones that he was unable to complete. "Nothing, Grandma. This is just... um..." His mouth opened and closed several times as he struggled for the right words.

Kurt's eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of revenge. "I see more doors that belong to you, Nicky. They're labeled 'Evan' and 'Bruce' and... so many names. Should I take Grandma beyond those doors to see what memories are saved there?"

"What did you do to them, Nicky?" Taylor added.

Grandma asked, "What are they talking about?"

Furious, Nicky screamed, "Put her back in her room!" Then he began to cry again. "Grandma, please, don't look!" He covered his head with his arms. "Don't see what I did. Don't look! ...Never stop loving me..."

Len seemed to come from out of nowhere. Tackling Kurt, he yelled, "Cobain!" and then they could be heard struggling and wrestling on the floor.

"Kurt!" Dave cried.

Grandma screamed in fear.

Taylor started to go to help Kurt, but Kurt said, "No, Taylor, go! Take your body back! Quick!"

The transparent vision of Taylor's soul ran toward the edge of the mirror.

Still crying and hiding from the world, Nicky didn't see him coming. He was blown back as if someone had shoved him backward off the chaise lounge. For the next minute, Taylor and Nicky did a dance around the room like Taylor's body was being shoved, punched, and thrown about by an invisible assailant. He slammed against the wall beside the staircase.

Dave and Chris yelled their encouragement to Taylor. "You can do it, Taylor! Kick his ass to the curb!"

When Nicky looked at him, blue eyes burning with fury, Dave was convinced he was about to die. "YOU BASTARD!" Nicky snarled. He raised the knife above his head and ran at Dave, screaming, ready to kill.

Dave called, "Tee!"

A foot from the chaise, Taylor's body stopped as if he'd reached the end of a tether. He jerked back, arms falling to his side, and again flew back into the wall.

Brown eyes. "Dave, I'm gonna do this. I - "

He stumbled back into the stairwell. Blue eyes. "How dare you involve my grandmother! I'll kill you all, you - "

Against the opposite wall of the staircase. Brown eyes. " - know what I have to do. Don't - "

Blue. " - fucking pieces of shit! I'll spread your body parts all over - "

Brown. " - worry about me. I know what I'm do - "

Blue. " - this house!"

Brown. " - ing."

Dave's head swam with what he was seeing. "Taylor, you can beat him!" he said in anguish. "I believe in you!"

To his horror, the knife was raised and aimed inward toward Taylor's midsection, on the left side. He held the knife with both hands. Taylor and Nicky fought each other for control; his arms and hands shook with effort.

"No! Don't hurt Taylor!" Dave begged.

It surprised Dave to see the eyes were blue when he said, "No, damnit! I won't let you do it! I won't go back!"

His eyes turned brown, and a new look of determination came over Taylor's face. "This is my body, motherfucker," he rasped. "Get the fuck out."

With that, he stabbed himself in the gut.

"Taylor!" Dave and Chris both cried.

The knife sunk in halfway, ripping through his T-shirt. Taylor grunted, his eyes squeezing shut on the pain. The room filled with a sucking-growling sound. A transparent white cloud lifted from Taylor's body; it looked a great deal like the thing Dave had seen invade Taylor the night he was possessed. The ghost then zipped across the room and slammed into the statue hard enough to rock it on its stand.

Blue seeped into the statue's eyes. Nicky was again its prisoner.

His eyes rolling up in his head, Taylor groaned and fell to the floor.