Entry 80: Panic sets in -Ben-

I couldn't have killed her. First of all, she was alive. Secondly, I would have remembered something like that. No, those points weren't valid. Crystal came back after she'd died and I was very young. There's a chance I blocked it out. Maybe I'm just denying the truth. I'm a murderer.

I pulled myself from my bed and rushed to the bookcase where I kept Wilson's book. I had to find something to prove I didn't do it. Something solid. I had to. I slowly felt the panic settle in as I flicked through the pages.

The only thing I found was this page that mentioned a protégé doing something horrible, but it doesn't say what or who. I shut the book and sat on my bed looking at the wall. All this time I had thought that I wasn't dark on the inside. That I wasn't tainted by the actions of my family. It seems during this entire time the voice had been right. I was evil. A child-killer to my core.

The softness of the bed muffled my punch of frustration. Was it just this one that I'd killed, or was there more? Had my Father stopped me before I had gone too far? Why was I still alive?

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts, "Come in." I fought to regain composure as the opening door revealed Crystal. Her troubled look increased my motivation to put my problems aside, "What's wrong?"

Crystal looked very concerned, something was really bothering her, "I'm afraid that John is going to do something rash."

Dream Entry 79: A new dream, A new worry -Ben-

I'm standing at the top of those God damned stairs again and looking down at the body at the bottom. My body; his body. I feel his murderous urges within me as I walk down the stairs.

"This is who you are. You know it, I know it. You just don't remember."

The voices again. I shook my head to get rid of them and when I opened my eyes, I was in a large yard with a massive fountain in the middle. I'd been here before. I was far away from my home. There were people standing in a circle a distance away.

"Who did it?", one of them whispered to another.

"It was the boy that man brought here."

"Oh my God!"

I pushed through the crowd till I found myself staring at someone I had forgotten, until just now. I realized how I knew Saba, but this brought up more questions than answers. How could I know Saba if she's dead?

"I told you." The voice couldn't mask its glee.

Entry 78: Caged -Saba-

All I want to do is get out of this cage and cut them all into small strips of steaming flesh. The tall one ignored my offers which pissed me off. Who wouldn't want this?

Alex was on most of their minds. Some kind of savior who gave his life to let them all live. The only people who didn't think about him was Ben and the stupid skinny girl.

I shivered as I thought about the girl. Something about her; she was more dangerous to me than anyone here. She gives off this signature of magic so strong that I can feel it all the way down here in the basement. It was sapping me of my strength constantly, making me lose control. Funny thing about her is that she's not thinking about me, almost as if she doesn't think of me as a danger. I don't know if that should make me more scared. It didn't matter. If I escape, I'll tear her head off while she sleeps.

Shaking the cage did nothing except put it on its side. I couldn't reach any kind of implement to help me escape, and the bars on this dog cage were unusually strong. The more I fought, the more enraged I'd get.

Ben. I felt my body calm down. No. No! I'm in control. Ben. Ben will help me. He will save me. I can't lose the body now, not while that girl is close. I just had to be patient and wait in this cage till they knew what to do. They probably were bars that protected me from the monsters. Ben was so thoughtful.

I smiled and buttoned my top as I whistled a tune. I was getting hungry, but I'm sure they would bring me some food soon. I did take a five hour long flight to get here after all. When I had last seen Wilson Ashford I was small enough to sit on his shoulders. He was so fun and full of smiles. Not like William Ashford. He was creepy and my Daddy never allowed him in the house.

Just before Wilson left the last time, he told me that if I ever needed help, that I was to go look for his son Ben. So when I found out I was being hunted, that's what I did.

My stomach growled and I frowned. I don't like being hungry.

Entrry 77: Hunted -Nick-

The children in front of me giggle wildly as I flip the stick, causing it to change colors. I've been doing this same routine every Thursday for the past twenty years. The nurse brings me out of my room and the children gather round, and I show them small magic tricks.

If these youngsters knew what I was capable of; I could give these kids such nightmares. Luckily, I like them. They've kept me sane for a long time.

"Now for my best act!", I give them a wide, toothless smile, "I will make myself disappear!"

I was tired. I got tired easily lately. Especially since I've been doing a lot of real spells lately. I felt my chair spin around as the nurse rolled me back to my room. I shivered as cool air hit me from an open window. With an unnoticeable flick of my wrist the window was closed.

Something was in the air. Something bad. Something big. While my human senses had dulled over the years, my sixth sense had only gotten stronger. That's how I knew about Crystal and the others. Maybe I'd done too much. Maybe I'd gotten myself noticed and dragged in to another cataclysm.

Just like the one that had taken my legs.

I had to get out of this place. People were going to get hurt. Badly hurt. In my mind’s eye, I watched all these innocent people be consumed as they searched for me. James and that girl, Saba. They'd both be coming for me soon. One for help and the other for murder. I'd be ready. I'd be gone.

I just need to get out of this damn old persons home. If only I wasn't 79.

Entry 76: Awakening -Jay-

"James Banks. History expert and firearms specialist. I think it's about time to wake up."

My eyes opened to the harsh hospital lights. Sitting up only resulted in pain.

"It's going to hurt but you can do it."

I successfully tried again, and found that at the end of the bed sat a man. Everything about him was intimidating. From his brown dress shoes to his five o-clock shadow, wearing a clean and pressed suit; he looked to be a man of wealth and importance.

"Who are you?"

"You tried too hard and ended up failing. Now your friends want nothing to do with you. They don't even come to visit while you are injured. You're lucky I showed up with just the right antidote." The man smiled.

"You came here to tell me how much of a failure I am?"

"Actually, I'm here to hire you. I need someone with your skills and I pay well."

This guy was right, very right. At the same time, something about him told me he was dangerous. Maybe it was his smile that said only what he wanted.

"Why me?"

"You know your friends the best. They may not know you, but I bet that over the years you've learned their quirks. The things I need done are things I don't want to be interrupted. You will need to keep your friends at bay."

"I won't hurt them."

"You need not worry, you won't be doing any of that, at least not to them. I do need you to go after someone though, and you may have to hurt them." He laughed a fake practiced laugh.

"Who?"

"He is a fly. A warlock by the name of Nick Brown. He holds knowledge of powerful magic. I need that knowledge."

"What do I call you?"

"Patrick Bernauw. Now get dressed, you have a big day ahead of you."

Entry 75: Uninhibited -Carl-

Unexpected? Yes. Allowed? No. I can deal with her calling me a butler. I don't even care about that, but attacking my brother; that isn't allowed.

"YOU WILL NOT TALK TO ME LIKE THAT YOU USELESS PIECE OF FLESH!" If Saba had been foaming at the mouth, it would have looked more normal.

My tea glass hit her head faster than I could think. Everyone visibly relaxed as she hit the floor.

"She is one CRAZY . . . "

"She just needs help.", Ben interrupted.

"Guys, before she wakes up and begins her rampage again, we need to find a place for her." I lifted her up over my shoulders.

"The basement has an old dog cage in it. You can put her in there until we can find a more comfortable place for her."

The basement light didn't do much to the darkness of the basement, but I found the cage pretty easy.

"Mmmmmm, so strong. You work out.", her hands found my bicep and she pushed her chest into my back, "We could . . . have some fun maybe, sometime. I know this neat little trick with a razor and a whip that will drive you wild."

Damn it. "Not interested.", I tossed her in the cage and slammed the door shut, pulling the padlock closed.

As I turned she was opening her top, "You don't want this? Come on! Let me out, we'll have fun."

I shut the light off and closed the door.

Entry 74: Personality Issues -John-

From the moment I saw her, this girl got under my skin. She didn't seem like a bad person, but something about her was off. She was hanging all over Ben like an extra shirt. That wasn't it though. Something else was bothering me.

"What do you mean you can't help me?" Saba had the whole sadness act down to an art. It even made me feel bad. This was going to be difficult.

Ben shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you did come here at four in the morning. How ever, that isn't why we're saying no."

Saba began to cry, "It's because I offended your cook, isn't it?"

Yes.

"No, no it's not.", Ben was trying to calm her down.

"Then why?" Miraculously, her crying stopped and she looked at Ben with wide and curious eyes. I was slowly tiring of this act.

"Recently a friend of ours was admitted to the hospital.", Ben said.

After he tried to kill us.

"So we'd like to make sure he gets better before we do any more cases."

I just want him to wake up so I can knock him out again for being a moron. What he did was unacceptable. If he wanted to bring Alex back, he should have at least pulled me and Carl in to the fold. I would have gladly sacrificed my life so that he could be brought back.

The noise of glasses clinking together told me that Crystal was coming with tea. She was nice enough, but it is a little weird that just a few days ago she was a seven year old zombie that was out for our heads. She seemed nice enough regardless; one of the guys. She fits the group like a glove.

It was my turn, "Besides, what's after you sounds completely ridiculous. How could you be hunted by yourself?"

She cuddled against Ben again, "It's me but not. She's different, mean, and has almost no inhibitions. Totally not royalty, like me. I've got a lot of money AND more polite cooks."

Does she not realize that we're not the servants? Really?

"So how much are you paying us?"

"I'm not paying the cook. I'm paying Ben. I'd be willing to pay almost any amount as long as he helps me."

I had had enough. It was time to stake my ground, "Okay, you listen here. I am not the cook and he is not my master, so quit calling me that. Here we work together, so get used to it."

Her demeanor changed almost instantly. I could do nothing as she broke her glass of tea and put one hand on my chest. She lifted herself up and rested her weight on my torso, keeping me from moving. Her eyes were no longer cute or scared, they were dark and hateful. In a matter of seconds, she had a piece of glass to my throat; and I was seconds from needing new pants.

Entry 73: Saba Zahid -Ben-

My doorbell rang at four in the morning. After the events of the past three days, I enjoyed my sleep and having it interrupted put me in a grumpy mood. The darkness in the hallway caused my foot to catch itself on the rug and for me to yell out in pain.

The person outside switched from the doorbell to pounding on the door. The sound riveted through my skull like a jackhammer. I heard the others waking up as I opened the door.

No sooner had I opened it, when a young, dark haired woman came rushing in. Her olive colored skin and dark eyes gave away her Arabic ancestry. Her movements showed hints of royalty while containing a kind of forced cuteness. She pushed the door shut with her back and then leaped into my arms.

"Finally!", she pushed herself closer against me; successfully making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Um-", I tried to push her back with my palms, "mind telling me who you are?"

John, Carl, and Crystal’s gasped as they conveniently entered the room at that moment.

"Good for you Ben!", Carl said, looking the young female up and down.

"No, no . . . this isn't . . . " Worst. Night. Ever.

"He needs a woman's touch.", John smiled as he noticed Crystal's scowl, "What? You're one of the guys. We can barely call you a woman."

To my relief, the young lady stepped back and looked at the group of people standing there. "That must be your maid?", she pointed to Crystal, "And your cook and . . . one of the ugliest butlers I have ever seen." She pointed at John and Carl successively.

Crystal got an offensive look, and both John and Carl stepped forward menacingly; ready to disprove her words. To avoid any kind of problems I had to interrupt fast, "So what are you here for?"

She turned to me and got a wide eyed look, "My name is Saba Zahid and I need your help, Benjamin Ashford. I'm being hunted by a terrible beast."

Entry 72: Who? -Crystal-

Only a few weeks ago, I was here at this schoolyard. This new me was taking some time to get used to, along with the new knowledge and intelligence. My thoughts seemed more clear, but there was so much to sift through. I was still grateful though. Nick had given me another chance at life; a new beginning.

The others were completely surprised that I had returned. More surprised by the age I returned as. It took a while to explain to them who I was and how I came back, but I left Nick out of it. Unexplained rebirth was my excuse.

Nick had disappeared soon after I had started administering first aid to the person who I now know is Jay. The others realized Jay was alive and quickly assisted me to help him. They didn't even ask who I was until we had made sure that Jay would be all right. We had to bring him to the hospital, and that is where he has been for the past two days.

The zombie children had turned into dust and winds during the night had swept the remains away, leaving only our blood splatters and Vincent.

As I walked toward the bushes, I reached into my pocket and squeezed my still favorite bear.

"So, it's over here somewhere?", John jogged ahead a little bit.

"Yeah, somewhere in the bushes." My words faded off as I fell deep into thought.

How would I explain this to my Daddy? What would I say?

"Hey, Daddy."

"Oh, I've aged a bit since you last saw me."

"You wouldn't believe what I've been through."

What would he say? He'd be unbelieving. I'm having trouble believing it myself.

John emerged from the bushes, his hat on his head. We began walking back out of the schoolyard in silence. It seemed as though John wanted to ask me something.

"What is it?"

John looked at the moon, "So, your dad . . . "

"I'm not sure. I've been given this life and now I don't know what to do with it. I have no direction. I have no family. I'm unable to understand my purpose, because I didn't have one before." One of the things I enjoy about having this extra knowledge is the ability to express my thoughts easier.

John was silent for almost five minutes. It was late, but he didn't want to wait to get his hat. I didn't mind. Since I had been aged, I've found that I enjoy the cool night air.

I love my new hair. It's so long and blond, just like I've always wanted. My whole body was pretty much just the way I would have wanted it. I guess that's all my soul’s doing. I'm beginning to like my soul.

"If you stay with us, I can't promise you'll be safe. I will say that you'll have a place, and in time, I'm sure you'll figure out what to do."

"Thanks.", I guess that would do for now.

A limo drove up and stopped, its passenger side window in front of John. The window rolled down a bit and a hand reached out, holding a slip of paper. John took it and the car drove away.

"What does it say?", I hadn't lost my curiosity.

John looked at where the card had gone, "It says, Jay can't do it but you can. Find, Nicholas Brown. Signed, P.B."

I kept my mouth shut.

Entry 71: Return -Crystal-

The world blurred in to focus and I fell to the cold stone floor. The cave was lit up by the orb behind me and this scene formed before me.

Crazy Hat Guy was swinging an axe at the Goddess. The other guy was blocking the only exit. I glanced over to my left and saw another person laying still on the floor.

"That person needs help, Crystal."

I glanced to my right and saw that Nick was standing next to the glowing orb.

"This isn't another one of your suicide missions, is it?" I was surprised at my own voice. It came out more mature and it sounded good. I looked down at my self and saw that I was much taller. I had grown older.

"What?" This was unexpected.

"The human spirit is ageless. I could not return your body, so I asked your soul what it would prefer. It chose this. Now help him."

My body was skinny and my hair very long. I ran over to the person and ripped at his shirt.

He reached up to me, "Help . . . please . . . "

"You aren't dieing yet, sir. I'm gonna help you." I had to hurry. His blood was running out fast and I had to stop the bleeding. How did I know that?

Entry 70: Anger to 3rd power -John-

Jay fell on top of me, his body limp and unmoving. His eyes were glazed over and the wound was bleeding profusely. My mind went blank and the world pulled away. Pain in the depth of my chest exploded, flowing over my entire body, leaving it numb.

Jay was gone. The sound of his blood hitting the floor was the only sound I heard. I laid Jay on to the ground and stood, gripping my axe tighter, the wood biting into my hand. Sadness mixed with anger, forming hate. The deepest hate I'd felt since Alex died. This was the second friend I'd lost because of these damn creatures. They had both tried to save me. They had both succeeded but the price was too high. My mind had broken. There was nothing left but the anger. The furious hate that seethed from every inch of my being.

The world came rushing back as I slammed my axe into the belly of the very confused snake. It cried out in pain and slithered backwards. It wasn't moving fast enough. My axe found flesh again and another cry was made. It was headed for the entrance, but Carl was too fast for it. He slid in the way and landed a spin kick in its face.

I leaped, raising the axe above my head and brought it down with such righteous anger, that the Snake Goddess was no longer a Snake Goddess. She was a corpse.

Entry 69: Redemption -Jay-

I was free. Now I could just slink out of here while they're in the heat of battle. I was just turning when I saw John run forward. The snake’s speed was incredible as it whipped around, ready to protect itself. The fangs extended but John didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

Time seemed to slow as I ran over the choices in my head. This was my fault. They wouldn't be in this situation if I hadn't have stolen the herbs. Alex died to protect them and I insulted that sacrifice for my own gain. Now, one of my closest friends was going to take the fall. I was selfish; too selfish. So blinded by my own problems, that I didn't see exactly what Alex was doing when he died. This was wrong. All wrong.

All wrong.

Everything was wrong. It was all my fault.

Before I knew it I had covered the distance between me, John, and the snake. I threw my body between them, knocking John back. I felt the fangs sink into my flesh, and I felt the burning venom flowing into my body. The world became blurred and color lost its meaning. Was I upset? No. I felt relieved. I felt peace.

Entry 68: Last minute -John-

I didn't know how deep we were, but that yell had come from nearby. Darkness was all around us and with out a flashlight we couldn't see much. I stepped through an arch of rock and felt the walls move out from us. We were in a cavern now. I could hear Jay's breathing as well as the Snake Goddess’ hiss.

I ran toward the sound and pulled back my fist. Snake Goddess or not, I'm the only one that can hurt my friend.

At that moment, the cavern erupted in light. From three feet above the ground an orb of light shone, its bright light splashing over the room. Jay was underneath the body of the Snake Goddess, who was moving toward the wall because of the sudden light. The Snake Goddess was almost completely snake, besides the arms just below her head. On each finger rested a gold ring and around her neck a long beaded necklace. Jay was all ready working to get free using the distraction.

I was not going to let this moment pass either. I ran toward the Snake Goddess and lifted my axe. I was too late, the Snake Goddess regained its composure and whipped its tail in to my side, sending me sprawled on the ground.

The orb of light began to pulsate and slowly change shape. The light played over everything, releasing periodic flashes.

Carl ran toward the Snake Goddess and side stepped the first tail swipe, only to be hit by the Snake's fist. Carl fell back, dropping his knife. The snake took this time to knock Carl's legs out from underneath him. By this time I was on my feet again, and so was Jay.

I ran toward the beast, the axe raised above my head. Swiftly the snake spun and opened her great jaws. My own momentum was carrying me toward it. There was no way to dodge out of the way. The foot long fangs were going to go in me, and what ever venom this creature had was going to end me.

Entry 67: Zombified -Jay-

This is just great. My day can't get any worse. First, I realize that my actions had been a mistake. Now, I'm struggling to get out of the grip of a powerful Snake Goddess. Why doesn't fate just let my friends show up suddenly and make it a complete failure? That would be when I heard my name yelled. It was John.

They knew. They knew. They knew. They were going to kill me. Wait, why were they here? The snake squeezed a bit which brought my mind to more urgent matters. We had entered its lair and I could smell dead flesh everywhere. It kind of reminded me of a warm meat locker. The Goddess lifted me above her head and tossed me to the ground. I slid a bit and then stood. I couldn't see anything. I swung wildly but only hit air. The Goddess was moving; I could hear it. I was hit from behind and fell on my face.

This was bad. The snake could see while I could not. I was alone, fighting an old Goddess with my bare hands, and had backup that probably wanted me dead. I tried to set my thoughts on survival; fight the snake, it's all you can do. Fight the snake, John is going to be pissed. I decided that was good enough and I kicked out toward the sound.

I must have done something right, because I connected hard with the Goddess and heard a surprised hiss. I moved closer and got another hit with my fist on rock. Pain coursed up my arms and I yelled out. To my dismay, Carl returned my yell. They were getting closer. I had to hurry.

The Goddess took advantage of my distraction to push me to the floor and press her weight on me. I was going to die. I could feel her head getting closer and smell her awful breath. Damn it, Alex. I couldn't get you back and I neglected your friends lives. Please don't hurt me?

Entry 66: Jay -John-

Our feet pounded the ground as we ran toward the sound. We jumped through bushes and the branches cut my face, but I didn't notice. My mind was trapped in memories.

I had broken my leg in an accident. Jay was the first one there and the last one to leave.

Someone twice my size was picking on Jay. I couldn't allow that. The guy never did it again.

It was late and I couldn't sleep because I had things on my mind. Jay was sleeping when I called. We walked for hours talking about the latest video game we'd played.

The whole group walking together, Jay making wild assumptions that was ceremoniously shot down by everyone.

So he'd planned all this and almost got us killed. I could understand why he would; Alex was one of the closest friends we'd had. I would have done almost anything to get him back. He messed up. We'd definitely give him Hell for that . . . after we saved his ass.

He was still screaming when we got to the railroad tunnel. We didn't even hesitate. This snake was not going to hurt one of our friends, no matter how much of an evil jerk he is sometimes.

Entry 65: Friendship -John-

When I saw her fall I got really mad. She had fought against her own kind just to save my life. I don't know why she'd done it, but this was not how she was supposed to go. My anger exploded in the form of an axe in to a zombie’s head. We were losing but we were taking as many of them down as we could. Carl was to my left, cutting anything that wasn't me and moved.

I knew she was going to die all ready, but any death would have been better than the one she'd had. I would fight until my last breath and I'd take as many of these little creeps as I could. If I survived, I'd find that snake. The zombies were slowing down, weary of being batted back with the blade of an axe. I watched her pull those creatures off me. I saw the recognition in her face. I saw the steely bravery in her eyes as she turned to protect me. I saw the axe rip through her like butter.

"HARRRAAAUUUGH!", I yelled at the zombie I had just cut in half; and I'm not meaning horizontally. Carl was fighting the zombie with equal fervor, but we both knew we were losing. Our last stand. At least Jay and Ben would survive.

"HEY!", Ben yelled out the window, "Jay has the herbs and is escaping! The herbs will stop all this! He planned this whole thing to resurrect Alex!"

Stupid Jay. Stupid zombies. Stupid snake. I fought off more zombies with my axe to release all of my pent up aggression. It was at that moment when we all heard the scream, and at that moment everything froze. Jay.

Carl stopped. I stopped. Surprisingly, the zombies stopped. Carl and I looked at each other, "Jay."

We ran toward the sound.

Entry 64: What I'd do. -Jay-

I was filled with confusion. I knew I was doing the right thing, but what Ben was saying made a little sense. Having lost the verbal argument I went in for the physical. So there Ben was, on the floor in front of me, completely unconscious. The zombie children had left. I opened the door and walked into the bedroom. Nothing I could say would make me right; I'd just leave. I'd find some place that would accept me for what I can do.

I grabbed my bag and the little of my clothes I had, put them in a bag, and continued downstairs. Ben was right. I couldn't sacrifice my friends to bring Alex back. I'll find someone else to sacrifice. Someone who deserves it. I made my way downstairs and stopped to look at the living room, and remembered some of the surprisingly good times I had had there, even if my skills were ignored.

I didn't belong here anymore. Ben would tell the others and I'd be finished. They'd hate me forever. I guess I'm going to have to find another place for me. I shut the back door behind me and slipped into the bushes behind the house. I had only made it a few yards when a loud hissing to my left caused me to stop. Shit.

I'm betting my scream could be heard by anyone nearby.

Special Entry 63: Nick -Crystal-

"I'm sorry."

I was floating in blackness, completely alone.

"Really. But it had to be this way."

Well, maybe not completely alone. Nick was floating nearby, apologizing.

"I'm dead?"

"I'm sorry."

I felt the tears come. Could the dead cry? I knew this would happen eventually, but I'm not ready. I'm only seven. I haven't done things that I've always wanted. Stupid disease, stupid zombie with an axe; stupid Nick.

"It's your fault! All your fault!", I swung at him with my foot, but it swiped straight through him. I was bawling now. I wasn't ready. I wanted to make a splash. I wanted to grow up.

"You can not rest yet, Crystal.", Nick looked incredibly sad, "Your life is going to be very difficult from here on. How ever, you must remember some things. Remember your youth, remember your innocence and please, don't think I wanted things this way."

I was now very, very confused, "What? What are you talking about?"

Nick smiled, "You're going back. They need you down there now and they need your humanity later. You will keep them straight when they would go astray."

"Who are you? Are you dead?"

Nick laughed and smiled, "You will meet me again soon. No, I'm not dead."

"And neither-", The blackness slowly faded away, "are you."

Entry 62: One down, No more to go -Carl-

I was busy with several of my own zombies when I saw her fall. Her head was completely lobbed off her neck. A zombie caught me by surprise and pushed me to the ground. I hadn't known her long but she was a brave little tyke. I won't deny sadness when I saw her die.

John to my left was completely distracted by it. He stood for several seconds and then ran at the zombie who had found an axe somewhere. The zombie was taken down in one hit and as John stood holding the axe, I could see sadness and anger in his eyes.

I pulled myself to my feet, throwing off preschoolers. I picked up a stray knife and looked at the hundreds of zombies as they flowed in to us.

Special Entry 61: It all goes dark -Crystal-

Months had passed since I realized that I was dying. I'm here only because of the Goddess. Another being to give me something because I didn't have much time. I flipped a zombie on its back to allow the tall guy to stomp on its face. Watching him, I was beginning to get the hang of this fighting thing. I'm still not good at it though.

Crazy Hat Guy was badly injured, so he couldn't do much to help, but he was on his feet and swinging. So many children attacking us, and some of them had even found the kitchen and were using utensils as weapons. My thoughts returned to my Daddy as I pushed Soup head to the ground.

His smile. I worked so hard for that in the last couple of weeks. Every time I saw a smile it was followed with tears and sadness. How I wanted him to smile. My Mommy used to smile a lot and her smile made my Daddy smile. After she went to sleep, Daddy rarely smiled unless he was with me.

Smiles tell a lot about someone’s thoughts, I think. Smiles of love between my Mommy and Daddy. Smiles of happiness because I was still with him. Smiles of protection when you want to keep someone from knowing something horrible; and smiles of sadness when something you can't stop is going to come to pass, and you know it. Smiles of deception when you want someone to do something for you. I smiled when my Daddy told me I couldn't bring Vincent to school with me. I had smiled to hide my disappointment.

My mind went back to the fray as I felt a sharp pain in my head, and everything went dark.

Entry 60: Flaws in human thought -Ben-

John had pulled himself to his feet and Carl had gotten over to them. All three of them were barely holding back the horde of zombies as they piled forward. I glanced away from the window and at Jay who hadn't spoken.

"Jay, our friends are not going to make it unless you help me."

"Do you know Alex?"

What a weird question. "I've heard some about him. He's your friend who died."

Jay pushed himself up, "He's my friend who died to save a whole town of people. He's the only person to treat me like a person. He didn't like me, but he never got needlessly anger or completely ignored me."

Jay stood and walked over to the window and pointed outside, "Them, they completely act as though I don't contribute anything. I try so hard to get them to, but it works almost never. When Alex died it only got worse. They threw themselves into their work. Used my skills and then completely ignored me over and over. Whenever something bad happens, I'm the one they choose to blame."

"What does this have to do with the situation?"

"Alex needs to come back. If Alex came back then maybe everything would be okay. I wouldn't be ignored. I took the herbs because I can use them to get Alex back. I'm still going to. Nothing would change my mind."

I'd had enough. I was beginning to understand why everyone got mad at Jay. He was so thick headed, "You stupid-little-whiny-baby." I walked over to him and put my face close to his, "Right now, Carl and John are out there fighting for us! They are working as hard as they can to end this all, and you are up here with the key to end this all, whining about how they ignore you, and don't care about what you contribute!"

Jay was silent, but I wasn't done. "Alex gave his life to save everyone who he cared about, including you and the others. How can you insult his sacrifice by not helping them survive? If I were Alex and I came back at the cost of the people I had tried to save, I would kill you! Look. Look outside!"

I grabbed Jay and pulled him to the window to look outside. "There you go. The people Alex saved. In such trouble that it's unsure whether they'll make it!"

Jay pulled from my grasp and pushed me back. The wall stopped my fall. "What else am I supposed to do?! How can I continue if I'm ignored?", he points to his bloody nose, "This was given to me for barely any reason! What am I supposed to do?"

Sometimes violence does solve things. So I swung, and missed. Jay deftly slipped under my swing and caught me under the jaw. The world spun as I began to drop.

"You want to help them? You'll have to take the herbs from me." Great. I had spoken a good game, but fighting wasn't my forte. I slowly pulled myself to my feet.

Special Entry 59: Ripples -Crystal-

They had tried to keep it from me, but I knew. When he looked at me I could see the sadness, and first I couldn't understand it but eventually I realized. I was sick inside and I wasn't getting better. As I ran toward the Crazy Hat Guy, these are the thoughts that ran through my head. Everyone had done things for me, because I wasn't going to last; because I was sick and my Daddy knew.

Nick was mean. The tears that streaked down my face soaked into my pink shirt. How could he threaten Vincent? I had done nothing to him. I had done nothing to anyone. I had tried to keep it that way; no reason to cause a splash if there was going to be no ripples. Now Nick is forcing me to jump into the water. I didn't like him.

They were dragging Hat Guy away, which I couldn't allow; lest Vincent take the retribution. The Goddess had given me strength, I'd better use it. I gripped the first boy by the collar and tossed him off. I smiled inwardly as I watch Soup head fly over my shoulder. Crazy Hat Guy was struggling to get them off, but I all ready knew he wouldn't succeed with out my help. They were too strong and there were too many.

No one knew that I knew. Everyone had given me everything they could, except for Nick.

Entry 58: Illusions -Ben-

Turning to Carl, I pretended to look at my book as though deeply engrossed in to what it had to say. For dramatic effect, I stopped and stared for a few moments at the words on the page.

"I know what we need to do.", I tried to sound sincere.

Carl was instantly interested. He stood and walked over to read the page over my shoulder.

Now all I had to do was sell my lie. "These herbs it refers to, I think- I think I may have picked them off the cave floor. If we could get these and return them-"

"Tell me you have them on you, Ben." Carl sounded desperate.

"They're in my bag downstairs in the living room." Before I had finished, Carl had started out the window. "Save your brother first. That little girl is going to need help."

Carl nodded as he disappeared out of sight. I turned to Jay and frowned, "So where are the herbs, really?"

Jay face took on an angry look but he remained silent.

Special Entry 57: Crazy Hat Guy -Crystal-

(The events in this post happened before Crystal was kidnapped by the Snake Goddess and were discovered after the relatively successful escape plan hatched by Ben. Ben was the person who decided to place it here.)

"Before we found out about her sickness we were working on building her skills so she could be successful when she grows up." My Daddy was talking to a guy with a really crazy hat.

"And now that she won't live for more than a few more months, you want to give her a life that she will enjoy . . . so you're trying to buy my hat, why?" Crazy Hat Guy seemed very hesitant to sell his hat. I kind of liked him. He was nice and you should have seen his hair! (He-he.)

I was peeking around the corner of the doorway, watching my Daddy as he spoke. I love my Daddy, he always wants to give me the best of everything. About four weeks ago I had seen that guy in the newspaper and knew instantly that I wanted his hat. I think I got my Daddy mad at me with how many times I asked him. He always said no. He said that it wasn't a "productive" buy. I don't even know what productive means. I guess my pestering finally got through because he's rushing to buy it now.

"I was not born rich. I was born poor and had to work for my money. The best and most memorable moments of my life was when I was poor. Before she . . . I just want her to have a taste of what living truly is. I want her to have friends and build connections with things around her. I can't do that if I have enough money to just buy another one for her."

"I know what you mean. So you're giving me 3 million dollars so that you can give your daughter a real life, and you chose me because this hat caught her eye? Sounds- like you have the money to choose another option." I smiled at the Crazy Hat Guy. He smiled back.

"What I do with my money is my business, I want to buy your hat to give her a more amazing life; at least what's left of it. After she passes, I'll give you back the hat if you'd like and you can keep the 3 million, but please; let me give her something before I lose her forever."

The Crazy Hat Guy was silent for what seemed like forever, and then he stood up and walked over to me. He knelt down and looked me in the eye. As he watched me look at him, his face changed from hesitation to sadness, and then he lift the hat off of his head and placed it on mine. I almost squealed with happiness! I had the hat! So happy!

"I want it back after she's . . . I just want it back, all right? If I don't get it back, then I'm keeping the money until I do." He was looking at me but talking to my Daddy.

I gripped the hat on my head as he smiled. "And you. You take care of that hat for me. It means a lot to me. So promise me to take care of it, and it's yours."

"I will protect it with my life."

Entry 56: Taking charge -Ben-

Being stuck in the bathroom with Jay and Carl is not my idea of fun. Being stuck in the bathroom with them ready to tear out each others throats is horrible. Being stuck in a bathroom with Jay and Carl while hundreds of zombie children try to get in to wreck some grade school vengeance on us just makes me angry.

"Just a little research and we would have known that there would be hundreds upon hundreds of little zombie kiddies that would try to kill us if we went into their lair." Carl just wouldn't let it die. Even under these circumstances he was letting his anger control him.

"The research didn't say any thing about this. I had no idea." Jay was sputtering to defend himself.

Was I the only one worried about the tykes right outside the door? I pulled my book out from behind me and began flipping through the pages. Maybe within the book there was some kind of information that would help.

What Luck?! It appears Wilson delved into supernatural creatures as well. I ignored the words scribbled on the sides and quickly read the page.

That's when it hit me: The thing that Jay had put in his pocket. It had to be the herbs. He must have picked them up as he was trying to escape. I was almost about to mention it when I saw Carl. If I were to mention this now, Carl will kill him. I had to get Carl out of here.

I stood and began pacing; my mind racing. There had to be a way, but right now the only way out was a window that opened to the front of the house, and being two stories up . . . it was going to be difficult getting down. Damn it! How would I get Carl out of here?

"Carl?"

"Yeah?"

"Your brother is out there somewhere and is definitely in need of some help. If you could climb out this window you could get to him."

"Yeah, no."

"But it's your brother!"

"Haven't you seen any Zombie movies? They've probably turned him all ready."

"Did they try to bite you?"

"No. Okay, so he might still be alive, but after I get out there to help him, what do I do? I mean, there's hundreds of preschool ghouls out there."

He was right. There was no way that I could persuade him to go out there with out a way of getting rid of these children. I stared out the window deep in thought, and that's when I saw the most unusual sight.

One of the zombie children was fighting off the other children zombies. The small girl was defending John and doing a rather good job. Then it clicked. I knew how to get Carl out of here so I could talk to Jay and it all rested with the book in my hands.

Special Entry 55: Wicked thoughts -Crystal-

Hunting. I could smell the smoke from his cigarette from a hundred feet away.

It was an assault. The Goddess says that they stole something of ours. Something we had to get back or we would never be healed. They were tough, but the Goddess had filled us with what we needed.

First, stop him from alerting the others. Throat.

Then, cripple him. Hair.

Finally, drag him away for safekeeping till we have what we came for. Legs; maybe a blunt object.

More than just me. All of us were there.

We failed and I ended up on the ground, unable to stand up. I tried but I couldn't, and that's when I saw him.

"Hello, my name is Nicholas Brown. Most call me Nick. The more brave call me Nick Brown. How are you Crystal?"

Everything left. Every wicked thought and every evil intention. My mind was returned again and all I wanted was my Vincent. The man pulled from behind him my brown teddy wearing a black jacket and I grabbed it, holding it to my chest.

"I thought you'd want that and you can have it, but I need you to do something."

All around us hundreds of the unusual children were trying to break down the door. Where I was, I felt completely safe and protected from everything. "What do you want?"

He seemed nice enough and he did give me my Vincent. The least I could do was help him out.

"In a few minutes, those children will break down that door, and a few minutes later they will drag out a young man. Crystal, you must save him. He must not be harmed. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"Good. Also, if he does happen to be harmed and you don't save him- " Mr. Nick turned and began to walk away, "I'll give you back to that Snake Goddess, and you will never see Vincent again."

After a few more steps, Nick vanished as though he was never there. I felt the wicked thoughts bubble up, but I forced them down and as my eyes filled with tears I turned to do what I was told.

Special Entry 54: Crying for Vincent -Crystal-

I was so scared in that cave. In the dark, with that snake and those weird children. It made me think of my favorite Teddy.

I named him Vincent when I first got him and I never went anywhere without him. Well, until that first day of school. I had him in my bag to bring with me but my Mother saw it and told me to go put it away. I didn't want to! So I tried again, only this time Daddy told me that I was being a bad girl!

I'm never a bad girl! I just wanted to bring Vincent with me! I needed something to make me feel safe. Daddy saw how scared I was and gave me his hat for a day. That helped and I did put Vincent back in my room, but I was still scared. I was so scared.

I wonder if this all happened because Vincent wasn't with me. He always protects me and keeps the monsters away, but he wasn't there and I was scared. I cried so much. Vincent was always so strong and tough. He always knew right where the monsters hid and exactly how to get rid of them. I wish I was that brave.

There was a hissing sound and I could hear Peter nearby crying in the darkness. I knew the snake-thing was going after him, but I couldn't move. I was so scared. I listened to the noise he made. At least until he fell silent.

Special Entry 53: My First Day -Crystal-

(Though this was posted after the Zombie children attack, it was decided that it be moved here.)

Today is a big day. It's my first day; my first day in a new school. After my Father spent all our money buying an amazing hat, we had to move. So I said "Bye, Bye" to all of my friends and went off to my new school.

I didn't have any fun. There was this big bully named Peter Campbell who I call Soup head. (He-he.) He was mean to all the kids and kept pulling my hair. I didn't like him one bit!

The teacher was very nice. After we ate lunch, he let us go outside and play all by ourselves! He said something about a monitor being outside but I didn't see any. I ran over to play jump rope with the other girls but was stopped by Soup head. He told me to give him my new hat that my Daddy gave me, and when I didn't he started pushing me and pulling at the hat. I responded by kicking him in the shin.

I started to run toward the school, but Peter was just too fast and he got in front of me. Another kick and I spun around to make another escape. I could hear Peter behind me as I jumped into the bushes at the edge of the playground. I was so scared that I couldn't see where I was going.

I tripped over something and fell into a dark, red puddle. I had found the Monitor. That's when I heard a scream from behind me, and when I turned around I saw the biggest snake EVER! I turned to run but I didn't get far before everything went black.

Entry 52: Dealing with the lost -Carl-

Did I ever tell you how stupid Jay is?

If I haven't . . . I will now. Jay is stupid. He may have the ability to find a person’s history, but when it comes to coherent thought . . . he's just not able. He's the reason we went to that snake pit, and he's the reason that we are now locked in Ben's bathroom, with no idea what happened to John. I am so tempted to just throw him outside to those lifeless kids.

It all started the night after we got back from the Minoan Snake Goddess’ lair. We all were completely exhausted, and all I wanted to do was sit down outside and smoke. I usually do that to calm down and relax. How ever, tonight was less relax and more run.

So I was sitting, looking out into the night, when I heard a rustling in the bushes to my right. It startled me a bit but it was probably a stray cat. I had no sooner looked away, and out of the bushes leaped what seemed to be a small child. Not to tarnish my image but that kid looked freaky.

It was a blonde haired girl not older than 7. Her hair was in knots. Her face, arms, and legs were covered with so much dirt that I couldn't tell what color her skin was. She wore coveralls and a pink T-shirt. Stuck to her shirt was a ripped sticker that read, "Hi, My name is: Crystal Ferguson." She was making an odd, raspy, growling sound as she stumbled toward me.

"Are you all right?" Of course she wasn't all right, but now what?

"Do you want to come inside? Maybe we can call your mother?" It was then when I noticed some more growling to my left. Another child. This time a young boy was ambling over toward me. This boy had serious injuries; half of his head was caved in by what looked to be a boot. These weren't children, they were zombies; and judging by the new kids name tag . . . his name was Peter Campbell.

In a rush I turned and attempted to reach the door, but Crystal leaped and grabbed the back of my hair. (Sometimes long hair ISN'T cool.) She grabbed at my neck with her fingers, her unusual strength stopping me from screaming out. I felt small hands grab my legs as Peter yanked me to the ground. The night exploded with noise as children appeared from all directions.

I grabbed Crystal’s hands and yanked them off of my neck. Peter began pulling me off the porch as the other children traveled closer. I threw Crystal off, kicked Peter away and ran for the door. I slammed the door behind me and as Ben, Jay, and John came from their respective areas of the house, I began blocking off the front door with any kind of furniture there was.

"What is going on?" Ben was the first to ask, but my attention immediately went to Jay.

"Do you remember those children that almost whooped our asses back at the cavern? Well, they've come back for revenge. I wonder why we didn't-", I emphasized my next point with my fist, "kill them when we had the chance."

Jay was completely shocked. He clutched his bloody nose with one hand and swung a weak fist, which I slid away from easily. "Maybe if we had-", my knee to his gut brought him to his knees, "done a little research."

That's when all Hell broke loose. Turns out I didn't put enough furniture in front of the door, because the children burst on through, stampeding in to all of us. I pummeled in to Jay, carrying him clear up the stairs with Ben and John soon behind. I had just opened the bathroom door when I heard a yell and turned to watch John pulled into the horde of zombie kids, and it doesn't take extensive knowledge of zombie movies to know what happened to him. Ben shut the door behind him and we put the cabinet in the way. I glanced at Jay with a scowl and we all slumped onto the floor. Stupid Jay.

Entry 51: The herbs are mine -Jay-

They didn't even see me snatch them because of the dark. The plan worked so smoothly that I got out with out a scratch. Now, I have the herbs, the very thing that's going to get me Alex back. The herbs of life.

Truth is, the Minoan snake is relatively harmless now. It only brings dead things back to life to work as guards to the herbs. You know how effective they are when there is three other people fighting them. They're not. So all I did was sneak into the Goddess’ lair and snatch the herbs.

There's only a few more ingredients, but that will have to wait for a while. Carl is planning to go back into the snake’s lair tomorrow.

I've got to begin to make a choice. One of those three will have to give the most for Alex to come back.

Entry 50: A disaster -Ben-

Today was not a very good day. We barely got out of there alive and it's all Jay's fault. If only he'd told us of its abilities and done some research; maybe we'd have been prepared.

Getting to the Snake Goddess lair was easy. It was an abandoned railroad tunnel a few miles from my home. It must run all the way underneath my town, because the dark was suffocating and there was no light in the distance. Luckily we all had flashlights, but even with flashlights, we still had trouble making our way to where we needed to be. A hole in the side of the tunnel, big enough for a minivan, lead into a series of caverns.

Jay became instantly nervous as we continued to climb through the caverns. Carl got in a fight with John, and all because John wasn't letting him be the head of the group. If only we had been quieter. At that moment our flashlights went out and noises started filling the area.

I heard Carl shout for all of us to get out and I was all too eager to oblige. I heard John's objection get cut off and a loud thump. Jay was nowhere to be heard. I assumed that he had gotten out all ready; stupid coward. Small hands grabbed my legs and yanked me down to the dirt. I fought against them and found my foot connecting with a soft resistance. I heard bones snap and felt a cool fluid spill over my leg. More hands grabbed me, some of them slightly warm, but most stone cold. Their grip was extremely strong and restricting.

Some distance away I heard Carl yell and a reply from John.

They were getting farther away.

I panicked and tried to fight my way out, but the arms were too strong. A loud hissing noise filled my ears as I realized that they weren't leaving me behind. I was being dragged away. I could have sworn I heard footsteps to my right, and I thought I saw the light from a cigarette lighter but I'm unsure. Just then, the arms were yanked off me and I heard yells in the dark as I was flung over a shoulder.

My savior had been John. He had been slightly overwhelmed but had escaped. Realizing that Carl was too busy and that I was being taken, he ran over to help. John and I broke in to the sunlight outside of the tunnel and collapsed on the ground. Carl appeared after; soon followed by Jay.

"Children. Those were freakin' children." Carl was out of breath.

I looked down at my leg and saw that it was covered with reddish brown fluid that had specks of pink through-out it. I lost my lunch all over the ground.

Carl turned on Jay, who was patting his pocket with a small smile on his face; screaming about not doing enough research and how we barely got out of there alive. Oddly enough this didn't effect Jay much. He just frowned and apologized. There wasn't much more speaking as we continued home.