ERICSON, NORTH DAKOTA
MONDAY, 6:23 PM

Mike looked at the clock on the wall. They would have to hurry to make the movie. He stood up and walked into the dining room. Lisa had a nice house, a lot nicer than his. He walked to the bottom of the stairs.

"Come on, Lisa! We're gonna be late!" he shouted. He moved back into the living room and sat on the couch, pushing back the strands of hair that had fallen over his face. He had wanted tonight to be perfect, but it was off to a bad start. His relationship with Lisa wasn't working, but he had promised to see this movie with her.

The door opened and in walked Lisa's brother Brian. He was back home for spring break, he attended college in Fargo. He walked past Michael and went into the kitchen. Michael had hoped that Brian would stay gone all night. The two guys had a very open resentment toward each other.

"I'm ready!" Lisa exclaimed as she bounded down the stairs. "What do you think?" she asked, twirling and posing. She was wearing a white haltertop that was practically transparent with a leather miniskirt that left little to the imagination. Michael was silent for a moment.

"You look like a slut," Michael said finally. "I can't believe you would do something like this to me! Get back upstairs and put on some decent clothes. What do you want people to think, that I'm your pimp?"

"Last time I checked, it was a free country," Lisa snapped. "Besides, Mike, you should be used to seeing clothes like these. Your sister wears ensembles like this regularly."

Without thinking, Michael slapped Lisa, sending her screaming to the floor.

"Don't EVER talk about my sister like that!" Mike yelled. Brian ran out of the kitchen and pushed Michael back.

"Get the hell out of here!" Brian exclaimed, shoving Michael out the door. "If I ever see you near Lisa again, you'll wish you'd never been born."

Michael stood in the yard. "You're all a bunch of psychos! Freaks!" Michael screamed. He then turned around and went to his car.

11:55 pm

Mike staggered down the street. The bartender had taken his keys away, again, and because he blew all his money a the bar he couldn't afford a taxi. "Oh well," he thought, "the house isn't that far away." He just wanted to get home and go to sleep.

Michael continued down the street, until something caught his eye. it was like a fog, but in the shape of a person. Had Michael not been drunk, he surely would have run, but in his intoxicated state his fear was replaced with curiosity. The apparition floated toward him and stopped inches away. Mike studied the phantom, almost hypnotised by it's glowing eyes. Without thinking, Michael stuck his hand into the mist. A jolt of electricity flowed into him, sending him a full ten feet back. As Michael Cays laid on his back dying, his last vision was of his phantom attacker fading away.

ERICSON, ND
TUESDAY, 11:49 AM

It was unusually cooler that morning. Police shuffled around the crime scene; taking pictures and collecting evidence. Among the police, FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder studied the scene. He and his partner, Agent Dana Scully, had flown in early that morning. The unexplained aspects of the boy's death had marked the case as an X-File, which was the division the two agents had been assigned to.

Scully stood a few feet from the victim's chalk outline, studying the case file.

"The victim's name was Michael Henry Cays," she stated while walking toward Mulder. "He was walking home from The Rumors Tavern. Apparently, he was unable to drive, his car is still parked at the bar."

"Looks like he'd have been safer driving," Mulder said, studying a section of the road that had been burned and scorched. "What do you make of this, Scully?"

"Mulder, I think it's pretty obvious what killed him." Scully said, being ever the skeptic. "All the evidence I've seen would point to lightning. A strike would account for both the burns on the ground and the distance between said burns and the body."

"Good theory, Scully. If it wasn't for the fact that the skies were perfectly clear last night, I'd probably be agreeing with you." Mulder stated. He had never been skeptical of anything, whereas it seemed as if Scully was skeptical of everything. Her scientific view was the perfect compliment for Mulder's ability to be completely open-minded.

"Okay Mulder, what do you think killed this kid?" Scully asked, closing the file.

"I don't know," Mulder said, turning in direction of the bar, "Cays was walking away from the bar on that sidewalk, but his body was found in the middle of the road. What did he see that made him move into the street?"

"Mulder, he was drunk," Sculy said with impatience in her voice, "He could have been chasing a pink elephant down the street. For all we know, the burns could be completely unrelated. In all probability, Cays was hit by a car."

"Something tells me it's a lot more than that," Mulder said. He smiled at Scully, "Come on, let's stick around for at least a day; talk to the kid's friends and family." The two walked back toward their rental car.

"Okay, Mulder, who are we visiting first?" Scully asked as she sat in the passenger seat.

"Not "we" Scully. I'm dropping you off at the morgue to do an autopsy on Michael Cays, while I go talk to his parents." Mulder said while starting the car.

"Gee, thanks," Scully stated sarcastically, "my favorite part of the job."

ERICSON, ND
CAYS RESIDENCE
12:30 PM

"What kind of person was Michael?" Mulder asked, sitting in the Cays living room. Michael's parents, Sam and Vicki, sat across from him.

"He was such a gentle boy," Mrs. Cays responded. "Of course, he wasn't perfect, but we proud to call him our son." She was fighting back tears.

"Agent Mulder, what exactly is the point of this visit?" Mr. Cays said with an agitated voice, "The police already questioned us, and I don't think my wife can handle another interrogation."

"I'm sorry," Mulder said slowly, "but there are certain aspects of your son's death that are unclear."

"What do you mean? What aspects? We were told that Michael was killed by lightning." Samuel Cays voice raised a little. Mulder could tell that the husband's frustration was building.

"That has yet to be proven, sir," Mulder said cautiously, "Questions still remain. Such as: how could lightning strike on a cloudless night, or how could a lightning bolt char blacktop but leave Michael's body scarless."

"I can't believe we're listening to this!" Mr. Cays announced, standing up. "I think it's time for you to leave Agent Mulder."

"Thank you for your time," Mulder said as he walked to the door. He stepped outside and proceeded toward his car. He hadn't been suprised at the Cay's reaction, just a little disappointed.

"Are you from the police?" an unknown voice asked. Mulder turned to find a young girl standing at the corner of the house. She looked about seventeen years old. Her hair was as jet black as her leather outfit, and she has her eyebrow pierced. Mulder walked toward her.

"My name's Mulder. I'm with the FBI. You are...?" Mulder asked.

"My name's Erica," the girl replied.

"You're Michael's sister, right?" Mulder asked.

"The police told us that Mike was hit by lightning," Erica said quietly, "but that's not true is it? Mike was killed by something else."

"What makes you say that?" Mulder asked, his interest piqued.

"I had a dream last night," Erica said, "In it, Mike was fighting with someone. It was someone close to him, I'm sure of it."

"How are you sure?" Mulder asked.

"Because I'm psychic," Erica said smiling. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a charm. "I made this last night, after the dream. It's a charm to protect against evil thoughts. i was going to give it to Mike, but now I want you to have it. You're going to need it."

She handed the bracelet to Mulder and walked into the back yard. Mulder got back into his car and studied the charm. Oh yeah, Scully would get a kick out of this.

ERICSON, ND
COUNTY MORGUE
TUESDAY, 12:26 PM

Michael Cays body laid on the examination table. Scully walked to the untensil tray and picked up a tape recorder. She pushed the record button and spoke.

"Subject is one Michael Cays. The cause of death is unknown, but suspected to be lightning." She then began to open the chest cavity. The ribcage was pulled back, and she was astonished to find steam escaping from the boy's body. She cleared the smoke from the cavity and discovered that all of the internal organs had been burned to a cinder.

"Lightning," she muttered to herself, "he was struck by lightning." She smiled with a feeling of vindication, and returned to the autopsy.

About an hour later, Mulder entered the morgue on his way back from the Cay's residence. "What did you find in the autopsy?" he asked intently.

"Lightning," Scully responded.

"What?"

"Mulder, the boy's insides were charbroiled. Steam rose from his chest cavity," She said with a little bit of an "I told you so" attitude. "It was lighting."

"So you're saying that lightning turned Michael Cays insides into a baked potato?" Mulder said sarcastically, "Why were there no surface wounds?"

"That," Scully responded hesitantly, "I'm having a little more trouble explaining."

As they spoke, Mulder's phone began to ring. He answered it, said yes a few times, and hung up. "Well, Scully, it seems that the police have found the last people to see Cays alive last night."

ERICSON, ND
FRILEY RESIDENCE
2:22 PM

"I can't believe he's really gone," Lisa Friley said on the verge of tears, "he was my ex-boyfriend, but we were going to give it another shot."

"What time last night was Michael here?" Mulder asked.

"About 6:30," Lisa's brother Brian chimed in.

"The neighbors reported some kind of argument here last night about that time," Scully said, "Do you know anything about that?"

"Would you two like anything to drink?" Lisa asked the agents. Scully agreed, and then turned to Brian for an answer to her question.

"Unfortunately, yes I do," he said with pride in his voice, "Michael Cays hit my sister, and I kicked his ass out of the house." Scully and Mulder looked at each other. "That doesn't mean that I killed him, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, Mr. Friley," Scully said before Mulder could speak, "the official report of a lightning strike still stands." Lisa returned to the room and handed Scully a glass of tea. "Where are your parents?"

"They're out of town on business," Brian responded. The agents noticed that Lisa was no longer speaking, but were not suprised. She had just found out about Michael's death, after all.

Scully sipped at her drink, wetting her parched throat. She put the glass down from her mouth, but let it remain in her hand. She didn't notice it at first, but the glass had started to vibrate. "So, Brian, what kind of relationship did you have with Cays?" Suddenly, she noticed that the glass was vibrating uncontrolablly. The glass then exploded in her hand, throwing shards of glass to all parts of the room. Lisa jumped up and ran to the kitchen for first aid, but Brian just stared at the agents.

"Here you go," Lisa said to her as she handed her a bandage, "what happened?"

Scully looked up at Mulder. "I think we're done with the questioning for now," Mulder replied.

The agents left the Fridley house, and the two got into the car.

"Scully, is your hand okay?"

"Yeah, it's just cut up a little," she responded, "What do you think caused that?"

"I don't know," her partner said, "but I do know that Brian Friley was acting pretty damn suspicous. I think that he may have had something to do with Cays' death."

Scully shot him a weird look, "Mulder, this boy is not Darin Oswald. I don't think he can throw lightning bolts."

Mulder started the car, and proceeded to drive away, "Maybe it wasn't lightning after all?" Scully looked back at the Friley house, and noticed Brian standing in the window.

ERICSON COMMUNITY CEMETARY
FUNERAL FOR MICHAEL CAYS
WEDNESDAY, 11:15 AM

The rain poured down on the mourners, soaking them to the bone. They had predicted a sunny morning, but that was soon proven to be anything but accurate. The rain had been coming down since about eight in the morning, and showed no signs of stopping. Mulder stood amongst the crowd, surveying his surroundings. All of Cays' family had arrived for the funeral, including his sister. He and Erica occasionally shot glances toward each other, acknowledging each other's presence. Her parents, however, were more than agitated at the agent's attendence.

Mulder turned around, and noticed someone coming over the hill. He watched them approach, and realized that it was Lisa Friley, with Brian close behind. Erica noticed the agent turning, and turned herself. She shot off as soon as she saw Lisa, interrupting the ceremony.

"Get out of here!" Erica shouted at the older girl.

"You have got a lot of nerve, you little bitch," Lisa replied, "I am attending my boyfriend's funeral. I don't see how that is against the law," she said as Mulder approached.

Erica rushed toward her, and started clawing at Lisa's face with her nails. Mulder ran up and pulled the younger girl off, while Brian attempted to hold Lisa. Thunder filled the air, and lighting began to strike the cemetary in different places. Suddenly, a lightning bolt descended from the clouds, striking Michael Cay's coffin and reducing it to a burnt shell. Everyone stood, shell shocked. Mulder loosened his grip on Erica, and she ran off crying. Lisa was almost smiling at the girl's misfortune. Mulder ran his hand through his wet hair and sighed. Scully. Why does he always see these things when she's not here?

At that moment, Lisa began to cry as well. "I can't believe he's really gone," she kept sobbing over and over. Despite himself, Mulder kept having flashbacks to a soap opera actress who had memorized her lines a little TOO well. Brian just watched the confusion, giggling to himself.

"Let's go, Lisa," Brian said clutching onto his sister's arm. "I think you've done enough damage here."

Mulder turned away from the scene and followed the path Erica had taken out of the cemetary. He found her sitting in her parents car, wiping the tears from her eyes. He knocked on the window and opened the car door.

"Mind if I have a seat?" he asked.

"Knock yourself out," she replied. "That bitch is what got Michael killed."

"How do you know this?" Mulder asked intently.

"Because I saw it in my head," she yelled impatiently, "last night."

"Erica," Mulder said very seriously, "can Lisa conduct lightning? Is that how she killed Michael?"

"What?" she stated confused, "where the hell did you get that theory? Michael was killed by something, Mr. Mulder, not a someone. Lisa was simply... involved."

Mulder sat in the car, his foot planted firmly in his mouth. "Oh," he finally said, "thanks for completely shooting down my theory. My partner would be proud of you." She smiled at him, her eyes finally free of tears.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Samuel Cays walked around to the front door of the Friley residence. His wife had begged him not to come here, not to start something that didn't need to be, but he saw it the way it was. These people were animals, only on this planet to torment him and his own. Now, he was going to do something about it.

He cocked his pistol, and shot at the lock on the front door, blowing it into pieces. He kicked open the door and faced a screaming Lisa Friley and a frantic Brian Friley.

"Okay," he said with the pistol pointed at the siblings, "I want to know EXACTLY what the hell is going on! I want to know why my daughter is freaking out and screaming to the FBI that you two were involved in my son's death! What have you done to my family!?" he screamed, obviously about to lose control.

"Mr. Cays," Brian stuttered, "I honestly don't know what to tell you."

"You're a liar, boy," Samuel replied, his finger tightening on the trigger. His finger pulled back, and he fully expected Brian Friley to fall at his feet. That, however, was not the case. The gun had failed to fire. Brian stood, confused at why he was still alive. Suddenly, Samuel Cays sanity snapped back into place. He dropped the gun and walked out the front door without a glance back.

He continued to walk into the street, when a pair of headlights hit him. Then, another pair hit him, followed by another. They were surrounding him, sitting in the neighbor's driveways. The three cars sped out of the driveways into the street toward Cays. They smashed together, with Samuel in the middle.

Brian, Lisa, and the neighbors ran outside to view the accident. The cars were totally demolished, and Samuel Cays was loged between them, obviously dead. Brian looked at the cars, and noticed something odd. The cars had no drivers.

ERICSON, ND
THURSDAY, 12:34 AM
FRILEY RESIDENCE

"Okay, Scully," Mulder said to his partner, "try and chalk this up to coincidence."

Scully looked at Mulder with an annoyed glare. They walked around the wreckage from the Cays death, which had occurred a while earlier. "Mulder, what do you want me to say?" she asked.

"Well," he stated with a smile, "it certainly wasn't lightning, was it?" He crouched down, looking underneath the cars, "I guess this debunks both our theories. But, take a look at this," he said while motioning toward the ground below the wreck.

"What is it?" his partner asked while crouching down. The ground was covered in the same burn patterns as Michael Cays "lightning strike". "Burn marks?"

"This is connected, Scully," Mulder said as he stood up. "I mean, father and son killed mysteriously within days of each other. That's hardly a coincidence, especially since both deaths involved the Friley siblings."

"You still suspect Brian?"

"You don't?" he asked almost in shock.

"Mulder," she said with the dry tone that often permeated her voice, "why? Why would Brian Friley kill the Cays family off one by one? Granted, Samuel Cays came with the intent to kill him, but HOW could Brian have done it? I don't believe that Brian had anything to do with the man's death."

"Scully, please tell me your theory on Samuel's death, I'm dying to her your 'plausible explaination' for it."

Scully hesitated for a moment, "Okay, I don't have one. "

The agents walked away from the wreckage and into the Friley house. Brian and Lisa were sitting on the couch, along with Lisa's friend Rachel, who had come to comfort her.

Scully was approached by one of the officers, who told her that the Friley's parents were unable to be contacted. Scully walked into the living room, and stood in front of the teens. Rachel got up and walked out, leaving the Frileys alone with the agents.

"What happened here last night?"

Brian was the first to speak up, "He came in here with a gun, threatining to shoot both of us. He pointed the gun at me, and pulled the trigger. But, the gun didn't fire. He dropped it after that and walked outside. I checked on Lisa, and heard the crash outside. When we got to the road, he was dead."

"Pretty convienient, huh?" Mulder said to the young man.

"Yeah," Brian responded, "it was."

Mulder glanced at the door, and saw Erica Cays standing outside. He left Scully to continue questioning the Frileys and walked toward the girl. He reached her, and noticed that she had her eyes closed.

"Erica?"

"Agent Mulder? I'm glad you're here. I'm having a vision!"

"You're what?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm...having...a vision," she strained out before collapsing onto the ground. Police officers began to run forward, but Mulder waved them away.

"Erica," he said as he knelt over her, "what do you see?"

"The killer," she said as she shuddered on the ground, "the killer is here,"

"Who is it, Erica? Can you see who it is?"

"No," she said as her seizure suddenly stopped, "I've lost the signal," Mulder helped the girl up, asking more questions as he assisted.

"How did you get this gift?"

"I don't know," she replied, "I obsessed over the subject, until I was able to do it. It shows that you really can do whatever you put your mind to."

"How did you know that the killer was here?"

"Because the presence was too strong to ignore. I felt it at the funeral, too." Mulder nodded, feeling as if Brian's guilt had just been confirmed. He looked back at the Friley house, only to find Lisa's friend Rachel standing in the door watching them. Rachel turned back into the house, and Scully walked out. Mulder introduced Erica to his partner, but Scully just kind of brushed her aside. She was obviously pissed off.

"What happened in there?" Mulder asked.

"People like that just royally piss me off, Mulder," She turned away from the house, and walked toward the rental car.

"Don't mind her," he told Erica, "do you want a ride?" Erica smiled and nodded her head.

Scully sat down in the passenger side of the car, waiting for Mulder. 'God, Brian Friley is one smug asshole,' she thought to herself. He evaded each of her questions, but still gave enough of a hard time for him to be considered a suspect. She was just beginning to calm down, when she heard the back door open. She was unsure why this young girl was getting in the car, but before she could ask Mulder got in the driver's side.

"Erica's coming with us," he told her matter-of-factly. She shot Mulder a look that would have killed him if he wasn't in such a good mood. "Let's go get something to eat."

ERICSON, ND
WAFFLE HOUSE
1:35 AM

Scully looked at the young girl sitting across the booth from her. "Erica, pardon my asking, but you don't really seem to be that upset that your father died several hours ago."

"Oh, I'm not," she replied while sipping on her orange juice, "I hated my father. He loved Michael, but I was nothing but a disappointment to him. He told me to my face that if he could make the choice, I would have died instead of Michael. So, I'm not really losing sleep over him not being around any more. Mom's taking it hard, though."

"So," Mulder butted in, in an attempt to change the subject, "What made you so fascinated in psychic phenomena?"

"You want the truth?" she asked, "Do you remember the television show 'The Magician'?"

Mulder's eyes lit up. "The Magician" was his favorite television show as a child, until the night his sister Samantha was abducted. Right before she was taken, the two had argued over watching it. He hadn't been able to watch the show since.

"Yeah, I love that show," Erica continued, "Bill Bixby is God. The Hulk was the bomb, too. Anyways, I was fascinated at the things Bixby could do on that show. I obsessed on it, and spent all my free time studying it. Then, I started having the visions, almost as if it was a reward for all my hard work."

Suddenly, Scully's cell phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and turned it on. "Scully," she listened intently for a moment and then said, "Okay, thanks. We'll be right there."

"Who was that?" Mulder asked as she stood up.

"We need to leave right now," Erica said with a look of horror on her face, "Mom just died."

Scully stood in shock, her mouth dropped open. "Mulder," she said hesitantly, "she's right."

Mulder drove in silence. He and his partner had dropped off Erica at the police station and were heading toward the Cays' house, where Victoria Cays had died.

"Scully," Mulder asked, breaking the silence, "What exactly do YOU think is going on?"

Scully adjusted herself in her seat. "Mulder, this case is beginning to defy any explanation." She noticed Mulder's eyebrows perk up, and she quickly began to explain herself, "I mean, I'm not sure that these events are related at all. I'm not even sure why we're still here to tell the truth."

"I've just got this feeling, Scully," Mulder replied, "I think that there is something here that we're missing. Something is killing this family off one by one."

"Mulder," Scully said quietly, "I just had a disturbing thought. What makes you so sure that this something isn't our friend Erica?" Mulder shot her a look of disbelief, and almost shock. "I mean, she CLAIMS to have mental abilities, but what if the way she knows so much comes instead from being the actual perpetrator? She did say that she hated her dad, after all."

"I have thought of that, that she could be using a form of mental telekinesis to kill her family off. And the Frileys' would be a good scape goat, I saw how Erica and Lisa reacted toward each other at the funeral. But I still have trouble believing that this girl could be capable of murder."

"Mulder, you just contradicted yourself,"

"No, what I mean is: what if she can't control her abilities? It could be some kind of unconscious yearning to be free from her family that is manifested in violent unexplained events."

"The violent part is definately right. Victoria Cays bled to death after having several butcher knives perforate her body."

"But what if it's not Erica, Scully? That would mean that she would be the next target."

The conversation was broken by a cellular phone ringing, which Scully answered promptly.

"Scully. What? Okay, we'll be right there."

Mulder looked at his partner, confused, "What was that all about?"

"Turn the car around, Mulder," she said, "someone has just confessed to killing the Cays family."

Mulder sat quietly in the interrogation room. Agent Scully was more than capable of grilling a suspect without his intervention, and he enjoyed watching her in action. Mulder believed that this time, however, they were interrogating the wrong suspect. When his partner had told him that someone had confessed, he expected Brian Friley to be awaiting them in custody. He honestly had never suspected Rachel Washington, Lisa's friend, to be the killer.

Agent Scully stood in front of the young girl, staring with cold eyes. "Why did you do it, Rachel? Why kill Michael Cays?"

Rachel was playing the innocent young girl routine well, which was odd since she had confessed to all three deaths. "Because I loved him," she said softly, "I loved him and he didn't love me back. He loved Lisa, and it broke my heart. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. Seeing them together killed me, so I decided to kill him back."

"Why Michael and not Lisa?" Scully asked.

"Becuase Lisa's my best friend, and it wasn't her fault that Michael loved her."

Mulder sat up, deciding to finally intervene, "Rachel, how did you do it? How were you able to kill two people who died of a lightning strike and an automobile accident?"

Rachel smiled a bit and responded, "I can do things, I can make things move without even lifting my fingers."

"Prove it," Scully said sternly.

Rachel looked over at the female agent with a cold stare, "I believe I already have."

Scully and Mulder looked at each other, both realizing that this simple statement determined if the girl was a killer. The coldness in her voice pointed toward a definate "yes". The two agents stood up and walked out of the room. Outside was Erica, who was pacing frantically in the hallway.

"Well, did she do it?" Erica asked impatiently.

"It certainly seems that way," Scully responded, not forgetting her and Mulder's conversation in the car about Erica.

"Something just doesn't add up, Scully," Mulder whispered to his partner, "We need to talk in private."

Taking the hint, Erica walked away and sat down in a chair at the end of the hall. Mulder took Scully's arm and led her into an empty section of the jail.

"I don't think she did it, Scully," Mulder stated.

"Mulder? She just confessed, what more do you want?"

"Something's missing. I still think that the Friley's are the people we should be interrogating, not this confused girl."

"Mulder, I think you have read way too much into this case. The girl confessed, and even though the "how" part is still a mystery, this case is as good as solved. Let it go."

"I can't Scully," Mulder said. He then turned and walked down the hallway.

He approached Erica, who was nearly asleep in the chair, and tapped her on the shoulder. "I need your help."

ERICSON, ND
FRILEY RESIDENCE
5:15 AM

Brian sat in the dark, not knowing what to believe. They had recieved the phone call about Rachel's confession about an hour ago, and he still had trouble accepting it. He knew that the FBI agents had suspected him, and that this was finally a piece of evidence that would get them off his ass, but he couldn't understand why Rachel would kill three people.

"Deep in thought?"

Brian nearly jumped out of his seat. He turned to see his sister standing behind him. He thought she had gone to bed.

"You could say that," Brian responded. "What do you think of all this?"

"I'm honestly not suprised. Rachel was always a little backstabber," Lisa stated.

"I don't think she did it," Brian said quietly.

"What?!?" Lisa yelled, almost in shock. "She confessed. You know that they thought we did it. Now we can get back to normal."

"Normal?" Brian asked while standing up, "Lisa, people are dying around us left and right! How could Rachel kill Mr. Cays when she was at home asleep? She didn't come over here until YOU called her."

Lisa narrowed her eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?

"Nothing, I'm just tired that's all,"

Lisa turned and walked out the door, into the building thunderstorm outside. Brian waited a moment before deciding to go after and apologize.

Brian ran outside, but Lisa was nowhere to be found. He felt the wind picking up, blowing trees around him. He yelled Lisa's name, hoping she would hear him. He looked up at the sky, and saw the rain begin to come down, mixed with a touch of lightning. Suddenly, he heard the front door to his house slam shut behind him.

"Lisa?!" he yelled. She was probably just getting him back for the remark he made. Great, locked out of the house during a rain storm. He turned and looked back at the street. He walked out into his yard and stood, letting the rain cool him off. Then, he saw a bright flash of light above him. Lightning had struck the telephone pole connected to his house. He decided to walk to the next house and use the phone to call the police so they would know that they hadn't skipped town or anything like that.

He walked underneath the sparking telephone pole, being careful to stay away from the downed power lines. Suddenly, one of the dangling lines lifted into the air and began to dance. Brian was in shock, unable to believe what he saw. Then, the wire hovered for a moment, and shot toward him with blinding speed. It wrapped around his neck, and injected millions of volts of electricity into his body. After a few moments, Brian's limp body hung in the air, held up by the live wire. The wire then snapped and tossed Brian's body into the street.

ERICSON POLICE STATION
5:34 AM

"Ooopsy," Rachel said with a smile, "I've gone and done it again,"

"Done what?" Mulder asked her. They were back in the interrogation room, but Scully had been replaced by another. Erica had taken her place at Mulder's side.

"Let's just say that Brian Friley isn't feeling very well right now," she said with a giggle.

"Rachel," Mulder continued, "this is Erica. She wants to talk with you for a moment, is that okay?"

"Fine, fine,"

Mulder stood back and let Erica work. He had asked her for help in determining Rachel's guilt, and they decided that hypnosis would work well. He was glad that Scully had decided not to come though, because he wasn't sure how well this would work.

Erica didn't say a word. She simply leaned forward and took hold of Rachel's hands. Suddenly, Rachel jumped back with her eyes wide open. She appeared to have become a completely different person.

"Where am I? Who are you? What's going on??" she asked quickly.

Mulder stepped back to the table, "Rachel, you just confessed to three, possibly four, murders. You're sitting in the police station right now."

Rachel's eyes had a look of disbelief, "What? I don't understand!" She was beginning to get very upset.

"Rachel, what is the last thing you remember?" Mulder asked.

"The last thing I remember," she said with a stutter, "was taking to Lisa. She said I had to do a favor for her. After that, I don't remember anything else," Rachel then began to cry.

Mulder turned to Erica, "I don't know what you did, but I think that we've finally found our suspect. I'm going to find Agent Scully, and I want you to stay here and help Rachel cope with this."

Mulder walked out of the room and saw Scully standing at the sherrif's desk. He walked over to her and took her by the arm, leading her toward the door.

"Mulder, where are we going?"

"Rachel didn't do it, Scully," he responded while opening the door, "It was Lisa Friley, she somehow forced her will over Rachel's, making her confess. And according to Rachel, Brian Friley is dead as well."

Scully didn't say a word, and the two got in their car and headed toward the Friley residence.

ERICSON, ND
FRILEY RESIDENCE
6:00 AM

Mulder pulled the car slowly down the street. The power lines sparked in the night sky, and the thunderstorm raged down. Then, the agents noticed Brian's body lying in street, still smoldering from electrical burns.

They stopped the car and approached the Friley house, guns drawn. Scully had called the police in for back up, but the storm had the force spread thin. The agents were on their own for at least a little while.

Mulder kicked open the door, and the two entered the dark house. They sweeped and cleared the downstairs, until they reached the kitchen. There, they saw Lisa standing in the room, seemingly waiting for them.

"Freeze, Lisa!" Mulder shouted, with both his and Scully's guns pointed at the young girl. Suddenly, extention cords shot forward, wrapping around the agents' legs, bringing them to the ground. Scully attempted to fire, but found that her trigger was stuck. Mulder then discovered that his gun was frozen in the same way. The cords continued to wrap around the agents, completly subdueing them.

"Lisa," Mulder shouted, "stop this, it doesn't have to end like this!"

"Yes, it does," a voice said behind the agents. It was Erica, who had apparently followed them to the house.

"Hello, bitch," Lisa said to the other girl.

"How, Lisa? How?" Erica asked.

"Let's just say that blood is thicker than water, dear," Lisa responded.

Mulder could feel the air around him being charged with electricity. At that moment, kitchen appliances started to come alive, waging a battle between the two girls. The blender was fighting the toaster, and the silverware drawer had sprung open. A butcher knife sprung from the drawer and soared toward Erica, but stopped mid-air. Another knife came from the drawer, and stopped mid-air in front of Lisa. It was a stand off, and who ever broke first would die.

The two girls strained, and the knives wavered in the air. Then, Mulder noticed his gun floating into the air. He yelled Erica's name, but it was too late. The gun fired, sending a bullet into Erica's chest. She fell to the ground, along with the two knives. Lisa stood with a smile on her face.

"I've always hated you the most," Lisa told the other girl.

Scully could tell that Erica was dying, the wound was too severe. She struggled to a sitting position, and closed her eyes. The walls began to shake, and cracks ran down them. Suddenly, dozens of electrical wires broke through the walls and engulfed Lisa, frying her to a crisp. Mulder, after watching this scene in silence, reallized that the wires wrapped around him had become lax. He and Scully untangled themselves and walked over to Erica, who was obviously dead. They looked out the window, and saw the police lights coming down the street.

End Notes by Agent Fox Mulder
Case Number X938203748