No...power

A large "WHOOM" sound interrupted Lucy's countdown. The lights went down around the resort as the ski lift came to a grinding halt.

"Uh-oh," Kyle muttered. "Was that a blackout?"

Lucy shook her head and pointed up at the sky. A light blue dome seemed to appear over the resort, barely blending in with the daytime sky. "Not this again."

"Not what again?" Kyle asked. "What's going on?"

Lucy unclipped herself from her snowboard and ran towards the side of the ski lift. A portion of the blue dome flickered in front of her. She stuck out her hand and felt it stop at the ethereal barrier, turning the space in front of her blue.

"Just as I thought," Lucy whispered. "A spirit barrier."

Kyle finally managed to get out of his skis and join her. "A spirit barrier? What the hell even is that?"

"It's a capture system that we've been setting up all week," Elise explained. "Shuts down all traffic from going in and out. No ghosts, demons, false gods...not even the Devil herself can get through this."

Grant raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Pretty impressive."

"You sound surprised," Ben said smugly.

Roxie slapped the side of her phone. "It cut off all the Wi-Fi and signal in this place too. I can't get any messages to base."

"It also cuts off power and communications for humans too," Elise explained. "It's an insurance policy in case any cops or monster-lovers show up."

"So, wait, doesn't that mean we're trapped in here with her?" Grant asked.

"Relax," Ben said. "Any non-human entities have their powers sapped by the barrier. It'll be an even fight."

Roxie glanced up at the resort staff and watched them head towards the elevators. "Okay, this isn't going to make anyone freeze to ****, right? There're a few humans here that can be saved."

"There's the hope," Ben said with a shrug. "But, between you and me? The Devil going down in exchange for a few rich assholes' getting shrinkage and cold coffee? Seems like a fair trade."

"Hear hear," Elise agreed, chugging her coffee while it was warm.

Grant shared a conflicted look with Roxie. They both had more reason to hate the Devil and her boyfriend than anyone, but they never liked putting other humans at risk. There was something so dishonorable and counter-productive about it.

Elise finished her coffee and grabbed her room key. "Okay, they should be stuck coming down the mountain either on the ski route or the walking path. Let's grab our gear and split up. I'm with Ben, of course."

She briskly walked away with Ben in tow towards the lodges. Roxie pocketed her phone and grudgingly followed with Grant.

"Wait, what do you mean 'cut off?'" Kyle asked.

Lucy let out an irritated sigh. "It means I can't contact anyone in hell, on Earth, or anywhere else beyond this dome. We're on our own in here."

"Great, that's just great!" Kyle snapped. "I thought those pricks would leave us alone after last time!"

"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "They've been chasing me since they left the caves all those years ago. I should've expected them to come after us."

Kyle rubbed his face in annoyance. "So...is this anything like last time? Did you lose your powers again?"

Lucy made a small smirk. "Not completely. I got a few minor ones, but this dome is draining a lot of energy."

"So, you can't, like, teleport us out of here or back to the lodges?" Kyle asked.

Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before giving up. "I don't think so. Even if I could, it would take a lot of power."

Kyle suddenly shivered, feeling the cold begin to bite at him. "Well, we can't just stay here! They'll be coming after us, and all the heat is down around the resort!"

"Oh, that I can fix!" Lucy said. "I can use my powers to keep us both warm!"

"Great! Please do it!"

Taking hold of his hands, Lucy concentrated for a moment before a welcoming heat washed over Kyle's body. He couldn't help but smile at the feeling. "Wow. Thanks. That feels really good."

Before Lucy could respond, Kyle saw her jacket sink into her shoulders before falling into the snow, seemingly having burned right off her. His followed the jacket to the ground, where he could see his own clothes begin to burn off. His jacket, shirt, pants, hat, and underwear lay in a pile of singed clothing around him as his boots and socks turned to ash. They were soon joined by Lucy's burning clothing, covered by the remains of her blouse, pants, bra, panties, boots, and socks. The snow around their feet melted slightly, leaving foot-shaped prints in the snow.

Kyle looked up at Lucy slowly in disbelief at the fact that her powers had left them both naked. In public. Again.

Lucy slowly met his eyes and gave a sheepish embarrassed smile. "Um...oops?"