188: Underestimated Race -Ben-

The museum had changed since I'd fallen asleep. The lobby where I stood was filled with people lying on the ground unconscious, and surrounding them were large, hulking beasts. A bloody pile of headless people sat in the corner and gave off a horrid scent.

Every thing froze when I stood up. The creatures looked at me with confusion, as if they'd never seen that happen before. For several minutes they stared at me and as they did I began to fill with an unexplainable fear.

"Why don't I hear the sound of smashin-", a naked, young, redhead boy stepped around one of the beasts, "What?! How did this happen?"

"Maybe Patrick knew more than you did." A voice next to me spoke in a soft tone that I recognized. Looking over I could see the translucent form of the girl I had killed.

The young boy sneered, "Are you saying you did this? No human has ever escaped that prison."

"I'm a little confused . . . who are you?" The boy looked at me as I spoke.

"He's the God of Fear. He was released from the door, I think. He's looking for something and started killing everyone." The girl then whispered, "His name is Bob."

"Please explain to me how exactly you are standing in front of me." Bob looked furious.

"You're the cause of all this.", my voice came out barely a whisper, "You killed all these people. You forced me to kill an innocent. You put everyone I care about at risk."

"Oh please, it's not like any of you matter. You're just humans. You're a stupid, barbaric race that has no defining features at all. What does it matter if a few of you die?", Bob laughed.

"You're sick.", Alice spoke with conviction.

"I'm sick? No, young one. I'm powerful. Look around you; at your friends. Humans aren't powerful enough to save themselves. They're weak in every way, and with out someone to protect them they are easily picked off! You think you matter? You don't! Insignificant and meager, that's what you humans are. I've crushed thousands of you in my time so you don't have the right to think low of me!"

I felt my anger raise. This guy had hurt so many people, all to prove his strength.

"Awww. Is the human getting upset?", Bob laughed at me, "The truth hurts. I'm the most powerful person here and I can crush all of you in a moment. There's nothing any of you can do about it. Yes, you escaped, but you're alone. Your only ally is the ghost at your side, and she can't do anything to help any of you. Your friends are at my feet, and as long as they stay there, nothing you say can make me think otherwise. Humans are weak, uncoordinated, barbaric, unintelligent and unimportant." Bob emphasized each of his words with a stomp.

On the last stomp, the room erupted with noise as everyone in the room woke up all at once.

Bob's face was priceless.

187: Fear Of Ham -Christina-

"Well, I did not expect you to drop in."

"Bob?"

My dragon and I had crashed through several walls, and now stood in a large room with a pool of red liquid in the middle. The dragon had not survived the crash, but I got through with only a few bruises. Standing in the middle of the pool was Bob, waist deep in the fluid.

"Bob, what are you doing here?" I staggered to my feet, feeling exhaustion take hold.

"Did everyone seriously think that the Abhorians could unite together and start a war? They're barbarians; they don't have the intelligence to do anything like that."

I fell to my knees. The crash had hurt me more than I'd realized, "We have to get out of here, Bob. I need medical attention."

"No, that wouldn't be possible."

"What? I could die, Bob. Please, help me get out of here."

"The answer is no. Just die so I don't have to deal with your whining." Bob cupped his hands in the fluid and poured it over his head.

"Why? Why won't you help me? We're allies."

"Allies?", Bob scoffed, "You must have hit harder than it looked. I'm not your ally, I'm your enemy."

"That's impossible! Why?" I tried to stand again, only to fail.

"At the academy, I was weak. No one feared me, so my power never left the confines of my mind and when it did, the opponent always got the upper hand somehow. I tried everything and failed. I was given the lowest scores and put into the lower tier because I never showed my true potential."

"You left because you were weak?" I finally was able to get to my feet, but had to lean against the wall.

"I left because it wasn't fair. I pleaded with the teachers to give me a chance to use my powers to the fullest, but they never gave in. They told me that if my power did not activate than the fault was mine. I did not accept that, and I vowed to take my revenge."

"You're a filthy traitor, and a weakling." I was breathing heavily but slowly the pain in my head began to subside.

Bob laughed, "The system is flawed. The people with out abilities are executed when they reach nineteen, and the weakest of us are sent to the mines. There is no equality in the system, it's the strong survive and the weak are forgotten. I would gladly become a traitor to that."

"So, why the villages? Why the human settlements?" I had to keep him distracted till my head was clear enough for me to find a way out, or I was recovered enough to kill the bastard.

"I don't discriminate. Instead of allowing only the strong to survive, I'm just going to kill everything. First the Gods, then the human settlements, and finally the Sprites; none of them will survive."

"You're sick." My knees buckled and I almost fell to the floor again, "How are you controlling the Abhorians?"

"I'm the God of Fear, Christina. When I'm in the presence of these Abhorians, things change. My ability becomes supercharged. These creatures allow me to do things I'd never thought possible. I can show you, tell me . . . what do you fear most?"

Immediately, Mardockt surfaced in my thoughts. I felt goosebumps on my arms just thinking about what he'd become. Just Mardockt's eyes after the resurrection filled me with a dread I'd never knew could exist.

"That's very unusual. Why would you fear him? Why Mardockt? Isn't he dead?" His eyes widened, "Mardockt isn't dead, is he? Something else happened that forced him to be exiled. I wonder if he left for the same reason I did?"

"Bob, don't." My voice had no strength.

"Well, no matter, I'll take care of that later. Right now, I'm going to help you with your fear. Once I do that then maybe I can convince you to join me. With your strength, maybe I wouldn't have to worry about losing this war."

"I'll never join you, Bob. I'd sooner kill myself than become a murderer."

"You're already becoming a murderer! Once you earn some say on council matters, then you'll do the same things they do. They train us for this our entire lives, Christina. They make us in to them and then we make the next generation in to us." Bob's face had gone red with anger.

"This isn't the right way, Bob. This is wrong, can't you feel that?" My headache was nearly gone but my knees still shook beneath my weight.

Bob waved his hand toward me, "Maybe you'll think differently when you're not controlled by your fear."

A new headache erupted and I fell to the ground. The stone against my cheek only served to make the headache worse.

"The pain won't last long, Christina. You'll be better than fine. You'll be powerful, unstoppable. Nothing will - Oof!"

I looked through my pain-filled eyes to see Patrick standing where Bob had been. Bob was pulling himself to his feet and sneering at Patrick, "You shouldn't interrupt while I'm inside your friend's head, anything could go wrong if I make a mistake. You wouldn't want her to be a vegetable, would you?"

The pain in my head grew to a new intensity, and I could swear my head was splitting open. I opened my mouth to breathe but only screams escaped.

"All this time you've wanted to fight me Bob, and now that you have the chance you're hiding behind a hostage." Patrick tried to remain calm. If he didn't than he would use too much force. Patrick's power was related to his emotions, though I wasn't sure exactly how. If he got too angry this would get very messy and he'd have to explain to the council why he didn't bring the target back alive.

Bob took the bait and ran toward Patrick. He didn't release his hold, and I could feel him shifting things around in my head. The increasing pain of the headache made sweat drip from my forehead to the floor. It paralyzed me completely while I watched.

It was over in seconds, as I knew it would be. The pain subsided quickly as Bob fell to the ground unconscious. For some reason I already knew what had happened; Bob never finished removing my fear and because of this, I would never see ham the same way again.

Exhaustion, pain, and trauma from the ordeal took its toll and I fell to sleep.

I woke up back in the museum looking into the eyes of an Abhorian as he raised his fist to smash my face in.

186: Message Through Time -Will-

A few hours after I had been holding my wife I was standing in the hallway again. It was just like my dream, but it felt unreal. It felt like I'd done it before.

I knew that as I walked down the hallway, the smell of blood would suffocate my senses. I knew that the smell would twist in my thoughts as I worked to come to an explanation for the smell and the marks of red that streaked down the hallway. I knew that those streaks would incite visions of my wife running from an unknown assailant, bleeding because of the stab wound that I knew I would find. As I passed the children's room I would note their small feet sticking out from under the bed; surrounded by a puddle of their blood. I knew that I would leap to the conclusion that it wasn't theirs. That some how they'd fought off the attacker and even though I knew it wasn't true, I would push that deep inside to get myself to make it to our bedroom.

I knew the blood on the doorknob would make it hard to open. I didn't need to turn when I heard noises behind me to know what it was. I did anyway, to watch several police officers heading toward me in a run. I didn't hear their shouts, but I knew they didn't want me to open the door. It was all ready too late, the door gave to my weight and I was in the room.

My wife's blood puddled in the corner around her lifeless body. As I went to run to her, I noticed the words on the wall. "It's not a dream."

When I saw that on the wall before, I'd thought it was Patrick mocking me. When I learned that it was written by her, I thought it was a final attempt to comfort me; to keep me sane. Now as I read those words on the wall, I found a different meaning.

I stood there staring at the words as the police moved around me to my wife. If the nightmare I'd had wasn't a dream, then what was this? Why did I have these memories and how is it that these words have a completely different meaning?

She wasn't comforting me. She was saving me in this moment, releasing me from whatever prison I was stuck in right now. Tears ran down my cheeks as I swore to myself that I would find a way to get rid of Patrick. It was his fault that I lived this moment twice. His fault that I learned the true meaning behind the message on the wall.

But how had she known?

The world around me faded away, replaced by reality; replaced by the museum and the creatures inside.

I could still feel the tears.

And the hate.

185: Trapped Inside Himself -Andrew-

"You were destroyed. How are you here? Patrick got rid of you." I stepped back to find myself against the wall.

"You cannot destroy us, Daddy. Why would you want to? How could you?"

"You made me weak!", I felt the panic rise as my heart stepped toward me again, "I had to remove you to survive!"

I felt his hands grasp my collar and lift me into the air. For a frail and starving person, he displayed an unusual amount of strength. His grip tightened as he looked at me.

"You . . . you tried to remove your own daughter!" He spun and tossed me into a wall. Pain coursed through my body as I pulled myself to my feet.

"You have no idea what kind of pain I was in! You weren't there! You'd left me to fight it on my own!"

Till that day I'd never realized just how painful my fist could feel, "I was always there! Protecting the parts of you that were most important."

"You're a liar!" I swung my fist, but it never connected. It fell to my side; I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to. This was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to face this part of me ever again. It was supposed to be dead.

"You were there for years and you didn't break. What do you think caused that? Every time the whip hit your skin, your daughter was there holding your hand! Every time they taunted you to break, I sat at your ear whispering the truths you needed to know. I was telling you to stay strong! Every time you screamed, Stephanie wiped away the tears and kissed you till you calmed." His foot smashed into my stomach. I fell to my knees.

"Why did I break then? Why did it work?!"

"It worked because Patrick muffled us. He destroyed everything that is good by stopping us from keeping you strong."

"Why would he do that? What is the point?"

My heart knelt down and put its hand on my shoulder, "I don't know, but we can find out. Accept us back. Let us out. Free us, Andrew."

Patrick had betrayed me. He'd been in control of my answer before I even made it. I was being manipulated, and had done unspeakable acts because of his influence. I'd killed people. I felt the anger boil as I remembered all the horrible deeds I'd committed in his name.

"Okay. Let's figure it out together, and then . . . we kill Patrick."

I woke up screaming for Patrick's blood.

181: Wake Up -Alice-

The world around me came into focus and I found myself staring off the edge of a massive cliff. An old man lay dead to my right, a look of complete agony permanently planted on his face. The sound of begging behind me made me turn to see Ben fighting against invisible bonds as he attempted to reach the three people locked in battle nearby.

Three children just a bit younger than me fought; a blonde, what looked to be a younger Patrick, and a black-haired one with an uncanny resemblance to Ben. It was Patrick and the blonde versus the one with black hair, but even at two against one the black haired boy didn't look like he was losing.


I glanced at Ben and I could see the suffering in his eyes as he fought to get to them. I didn't care about his suffering, I just wanted to know where I was and how I got here. Things were happening too fast and it was overwhelming me.

"You'll be okay, Alice." A kind-looking middle aged man walked over to me from the left near Ben. I hadn't noticed him before, but the amount of new people I'd met in the last hour was getting ridiculous.

"Who are you?", I spoke as though his arrival was nothing new. It might have been rude but being thrown all over the place was getting tiresome.


"Gilfred Odephius Doorstop." He smiled and slowly I began to feel a bit better, "You can think of me as . . . a needed push, or a hint."


"I don't need a push. I need a time machine." I turned to look at Ben again, but this time his face of suffering actually hit home and I felt tears in my eyes, "Where are we?"

"We're in Ben's worst memory. A time when he was imprisoned and unable to help the people he cared about most."


"Why are we here?"


"Because the ignorant retard that put everyone into their worst feared memory didn't realize what he was doing." He turned to me and smiled, "Lucky for us, huh?"


"What am I supposed to do here?"


"There's nothing you can do. Your part comes later, after this is done. Now you should watch and remember this time always.", he walked over to the black haired boy that was dominating the battle so far. "Alice, I have to go. I can't be in two places at the same time."

With that he pulled a spear from behind him and stabbed it through black-hair's chest. The world twisted and spun as both me and Ben were yanked into the sky. The clouds surrounded us making it impossible to see each other.


"Ben?!"

I felt my feet touch ground and I found myself standing at the top of a staircase. Ben was no where to be seen. The smell that came from the bottom of the stairs made my skin crawl. My skin? I looked down at myself to find that I'd aged quite a bit. I looked to be eighteen, but that wasn't the most disturbing thing.

I was alive.

180: Meeting Bob -Alice-

I had heard enough ghost stories to know that I didn't have to open the door, so getting out of the room was simple. Going through the door felt like I was going through a layer of water except I could breathe. I felt my hair stand on end when I reached the other side, because of a small static reaction between me and the door.

The silence was the first thing I noticed as I entered the large lobby of the museum. The only sounds were that of the large, shambling creatures moving toward a door on the opposite end of the lobby from the entrance. On the floor a few feet away lay the guy who killed me and the lady that was with him, their eyes closed.

What was going on here? What were those things? I should have been terrified, but already being dead meant that there wasn't much to be afraid of. Their long, spindly fingers moved rhythmically as they stepped around the bodies of the presumably sleeping people. The doors of the room they were heading into had been ripped off its hinges and inside I saw a massive archway of stone. Inside the archway an eerie, white glow shined brightly, and each one of the massive creatures knelt in front of it and bowed what could only be assumed as their heads.

I glanced back at Ben. I didn't care about the creatures, I only cared about making Ben pay for killing me. I reached out to touch his face, but as a ghost my attempt failed. How would I go about exacting my revenge if I'm not able to touch him? I glanced at the creatures again and back at Ben.

"What am I supposed to do!?", I swung my hand to slap him but it was a failure, "Why?! You could have let me live! You had a choice!"

The light from the door faded and inside the archway stood a very young boy. His hair a pale red and his body nude, he strode toward the creatures and laughed.

"Good. Now, we must find it. The anomaly is in the area so we're going to go through and kill every person here before we go any further with our plans. I want to see this place full of ghosts, just like that one.", he pointed at me.

Before I had thought that being dead meant there wasn't anything to fear, but something about the way he looked at me made me uncomfortable. I could feel the fear in me rising.

"You." He was still looking at me, "Come here."

I didn't move. I kept staring at him.

"I said-", his voice had an unreal calm, "come here."

Just earlier today I had been a normal teenager and now I was dead, looking at a young child who could command creatures of the like I'd never seen. I was so scared that I found my self wishing that people were trying to throw gum in my hair on the bus ride back to school. I took a shaky step forward.

"Do speed up." He glanced at a small faerie-like creature lying on the floor near his foot, "I don't have all day."

He lifted his foot and smashed it on the small being with such force that I could hear the floor beneath it crack. He swiveled his foot as though he were squashing a bug, and as I approached I saw pieces of wing and flesh smear along the ground.

"All of you!", he glanced at the room full of unimaginable beasts. "Kill everything. I want a room full of ghosts and one of them must be of the anomalies."

All around me the monsters slowly stood as they made their way out of the room, two of them dragging the bodies of a blonde girl and a tough looking guy. I could see them breathing, so they weren't dead yet.

"They're not sleeping." I turned to look at the boy as he spoke, "You could even say they aren't here. I've transported them to the time or place they feared most or will soon fear. See, I don't like to kill something that knows they're dying. Just doesn't sit right with me."

"Who are you, and what's going on?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Bob, and I presume you were planted here by Patrick, yes? Of course, you had to be, he is what he is after all."

"I'm Alice, and I don't work for anyone." I tried to sound tough, but all my legs wanted to do was run, and fast. In the other room I could hear sounds similar to that of a watermelon being smashed and even though I tried not to think about it, I could picture what was going on in the other room.

Bob lifted his foot and picked the rest of the creature he'd killed off his foot, "Everyone works for Patrick. What does he think a ghost can do? No matter. We've won and the only thing he could do to stop us is come here himself."

"He was here." I saw Bob stop and I felt my fear subside when I saw it form on his face, "He left."

The fear on his face turned to anger, "He thinks he's so mighty! I'M THE GOD OF FEAR! HE'S A JANITOR! How can he just toss me aside and pretend that I'm NOTHING?! He left a ghost to stop me!", he leaned toward me and his face got even more angry, "HE LEFT A NEW GHOST TO STOP ME!"

He grabbed a teddy bear off the floor and tore it in half, "WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?! AFTER WE'RE DONE HERE, WE'LL KILL HIM! And you . . . ", he tossed the pieces of the bear aside and looked at me, "There is only one way to get rid of you." He snapped his fingers.

The world around me disappeared.

176: Abhorian War -Christina-

Ahead I watched a lone human trying to fight against a beast that was once known to level cities in a single night. The Abhorians had been known for their swift and unrelenting attacks on human settlements in the Other Lands.

If you had told me that in a few thousand years, that I'd be seeing a human dodge an Abhorian's attacks, I'd have thought you were mad. Humans had changed since I'd slept. They'd grown stronger and gained more fighting prowess in such a short time. The rest of my kind was dead, but I wasn't sure that humans needed our protection anymore.

I shook my head. No, I was wrong. Humans would always need my kind. Carl was fighting well, but losing fast. I'd severed the hold Melissa had on him and it wasn't helping. I grabbed my weapon off the floor and ran forward.

The world exploded. Intense white light flowed from the door stopping everyone in their tracks, except the Abhorian whose arm caught Carl in the side. Carl was lifted from the ground and the force of the hit sent him flying in to the wall. He wouldn't be getting up from that, not with out a miracle.

I turned to protect Carl from the Abhorian, but the world faded as the Abhorian shambled toward his limp body. The bright white faded to blackness, and then the world around me came in to focus.

I was standing atop the scaly back of a jet black dragon flying high above the battle happening below. Below me, my people were storming the last standing Abhorian stronghold, but had been ambushed from behind by some Elite Abhorian Vanguards. I swooped down, raining fire on their back lines and picking off a few heads if I was close enough.

By the looks of it the Abhorians were going to win this battle, several of our own elite had fallen under the ever growing fear our enemies caused in living beings. I knelt down on my trusted dragon's back as we flew low over the battlefield, dodging attacks and knocking the legs out from under the taller Abhorians, so they could easily be killed by our ground troops.

The tallest Abhorian I've ever seen was the size of a small mountain, and the smallest the size of a young child. Abhorian elites stood at about two times the size of a normal human and could move faster than most signed Gods, so when one jumped on to the back of my dragon I didn't hesitate. A step back and a simple flip over my shoulder gave my dragon a mid-battle snack. I urged my steed in to the skies again to survey the battle. That was when I saw them, a new type of Abhorian.

They could fly, and very fast. They were on me in minutes and I spun in an attempt to shake them off but they held tight. I swung a foot out and made one lose their grip by inserting my foot in to their gut. I heard the dragon scream as we lost control, plummeting to the tall Abhorian building.

To my surprise the Abhorians held on and flapped to force us to fall at a faster speed. I saw the building getting closer and shut my eyes as the Abhorians finally let us go. My dragon and I smashed in to that wall and darkness surrounded me again.

166: Other Land Survivor -Christina-

I shook my head as a voice from my past faded into nothing. The world was so different now, something new; where humans could stand against Gods in one on one battle and survive.

The door had spit out another creature from the Other Lands, but I was surprised when I found it to be a human male. Since when did humans gain control of the outer realms? The guy I was fighting before moved to attack this man from the door, who easily side kicked the attacker to the side.

"Pathetic. I've seen rodents make better attacks." He laughed.

My mind raced, remembering what me and Patrick had been looking for before he locked me away. I remember what we'd found out.

"Christina! We have to find these anomalies, one of them could be his!" Patrick's voice echoed through my mind.

Soon that voice was replaced with horror and disgust as we found out the truth, "Oh God Christina . . . we have to stop him. We have to find the anomaly before he does, everything depends on us."

This person in front of me now had come from the Other Lands, just like the anomaly would have. He's fearless, just like what is predicted from the anomaly, but something was off. There was no good coming from him. What had happened while I was sleeping?

As he stepped away from the door I realized that I was in a room full of anomalies: A fairy that survived the great war, a walking toy, a man with enough strength to stand against a God, and me, a God with the ability to see things others could not. What had Patrick done while I was sleeping?

The man turned toward me, "You. Are you planning on attacking me too? A wee little girl like you should just stay back and watch me work."

Ah, rage. It washes away thought and rationality and replaces it with raw power, the kind of power I now used to bash this man's disrespectful mouth in.

My fist collided with his face and I felt bones break. His face resembled a crushed grape as he fell, and I closed my eyes so I didn't see blood. A sudden pain in my side opened my eyes, revealing a light from behind me slowly fading away and the man's body disintegrating. Looking down I saw a sword sticking out of my chest.

"So, you've got moves," somehow the man was back from the dead again, "but you can still die. Now just lie still like a good dog while you bleed out."

I grunted as I pulled away, yanking the sword from my body. Breathing heavy I spun around to deliver a kick to his stomach. He stepped back to avoid it.

"Surprised I'm alive? As long as this door exists, I'll just keep coming back. Do you know why?" He sneered.

"Why?" I was bleeding out, this wasn't good.

"Someone up here fears me." He attacked.

The world sure has changed.

162: Instant Inverse -Crystal-

Even though it was still the middle of the day, the skies above the museum were so overcast that the street below was covered in dark. As the cab approached I could see the clouds flowing outward from the sky above the ancient building.

The short female driver turned and looked at us as she pulled up, "Are you sure you want to stop here?"

"This is the place, Kelly. Thanks."

"I've heard some weird stuff over the waves, Will.", Kelly motioned toward the radio, "Don't get over your head."

"Already am." We all slid out of the cab.

"Well, I'll be out here as long I can. I owe you for that thing." Kelly smiled a cute smile and then pulled her head back inside.

Nick walked up to the doors and gave them a yank, with out any success, "Something is very wrong here . . . I can feel it in the air."

"Of course you would." I muttered, hoping Will wouldn't hear.

Nick turned toward me in anger, "Is it that hard for you to see that I'm only trying to help?!?"

"You are a sneaky, deceitful bastard! How am I supposed to know that you didn't cause all this?!? You just appear out of no where and expect us all to welcome you in, but I know what you did!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Will shake his head as he went off to look for another way in.

"You think it's easy?!? I can't remember who I was before only a week ago! I don't know what I did, who I hurt, or sins I committed! Living with out really knowing who you are is something you'll never understand!"

I felt the rage build up and I swung my hand out; connecting with his cheek, "My life was completely stolen from me! Every single thing I've known is gone and the only thing I have now are my friends!", I walked up to the door and slammed my fist against it, "You were the cause of everything, my life ripped away in an instant just so you could show off your power!"

Nick was speechless.

"Every time you speak. Every time you look at me. Every time I see you.", I emphasized my sentences with a pound on the door, "I know that deep inside you're full of lies and darkness; I know that one day you'll turn on us and tear us all to shre-"

At that moment the door behind me shattered. I was thrown violently forward, only to feel something catch me at my midriff and yank me backward. I flew back in to the darkness, the only visible thing being the rectangle of light with Nick’s silhouette. I couldn't see his face but I knew it was one of triumph. The pest was gone, nothing stood in the way of his plans.

A light flared behind me revealing anger on Nick’s face as he jumped in after me. Anger surprised me, I had just humiliated him and he was coming in after me. I watched as fireballs flew from his hands, landing far behind me.

Was I wrong? Was my distrust unfounded? I smelled the hot stink of rotten meat grow as I got closer to what ever it was that held me captive. The further I got, the more determined Nick looked, and the more ashamed I felt for making him out to be a monster. I watched myself fly past the teeth inside the gaping maw of the beast and as they closed all I could think was . . .

I'm sorry.

Entry 153: Torture -Ben-

The world came into view and the pain in my head made everything slightly blurry. Across from me was another person, unmoving and dark.

"So you've woke up."

"Where am I?"

"Ben, you are in a special place I've designed just for you."

The lights came on and as my vision cleared I saw the person in front of me was a young child. She was tied so tight that she couldn't move, and aimed at her head was a very large shotgun. Her cries were muffled by a sock, but you could tell by her eyes that she was terrified.

"Andrew?"

"So he told you didn't he? Well, he'll soon shut his yap."

"What do you want?"

"How does that movie go? Oh yes! Ben, ask me again."

"Just tell me what you want!"

I heard a light laughter from behind me, "Want to play a game?"

Flashback Entry 149: Awakened -Christina-

My blade cut through his neck cleanly. Its magical red, hot blade searing the cut closed to keep it from bleeding. I hate blood. Five more warriors leaped at me, but they were too slow and my blade made each of them legless eunuchs before they knew I'd moved. I glanced back at the door and then at the crowd of warriors flowing in to the room.

The amount of people didn't scare me, I'd faced many more in other raids. People had always attempted to get to the door, and just because this time it was Egyptians didn't mean I couldn't take every man in that room with my eyes closed.

So I closed them and jumped. I could smell the steel as a blade nearly took off my nose, and decided that it'd gotten too close.

The wielder never swung again.

I felt their confidence turn to fear as one after another fell with out screaming out. I heard the young ones run when they realized that fighting like a beast while blind wasn't something they could deal with. I didn't follow, my job isn't to kill; it's to protect.

"It's just a girl. Stab her all rea-" Don't scream next to a blind warrior.

When they stopped fighting I stood and sheathed my sword. The room's feeling had changed from a group of desperate men, to something that I had never felt before. Someone new was here.

"Christina." I knew who that was.

"Patrick." Now my confidence wavered. I had to fight to keep my face from showing the growing uneasiness.

"So, you were set as the guardian of the door? The warrior who fights better with her eyes closed?", I heard him laugh. He'd gotten closer with out me realizing it.

"It's much more noble than what you're in charge of. Waste duty, is it?", I felt his annoyance and smiled.

My blade was out to deflect his fist in seconds. I heard the men at the sides gasp as though I'd done something unheard of. Patrick's next attack came from below and connected cleanly with my ribs. I was lifted off the floor and felt the wind as he spun to put a leg in to my side. I flew toward the wall and at the last second was able to right myself by dragging my blade along the ground.

"I need the door Christina. Just stop fighting."

"You stopped your job and now look where you are. You'll have to kill me before I stop." I stood up and picked up my weapon. Patrick attacked again but I was ready. I knocked his fist away with my blade and laughed I heard him cry out as it cut in to his flesh. He was too powerful to lose a limb, but it stalled him enough.

I leaped into the air and introduced his face to my foot. He grunted as he was knocked back on the defensive. I swung at him knowing they'd be blocked by his wrists, but I wanted him to stay on the defensive. When his concentration was only on my blade, I swung my foot forward and connected where no man wants to be hit.

A collective gasp from the male warriors nearly made me laugh, but I kept it in as I looked down at him. I couldn't see him. I was mainly doing it for effect. Nothing more belittling than being looked down upon for real.

"Christina, I urge you to stop. I don't want to kill you. I'm not a bad guy."

"If you are trying to put this door in human hands . . . then you are a bad guy, and I have to stop you."

His feet swung up and I dodged backwards. I felt the blade enter me from behind. A lone soldier had gotten up the nerve to step forward and was in the right place at the right time. The wound was nothing, but it made me too weak to stop Patrick from round-housing me in the face.

"Bring it in! Bring in the urn!" I heard the dragging of stone against stone and opened my eyes to see Patrick kneel next to me.

"I'm not going to kill you Christina, but I need your help. He's coming back and we have to stop him. All the others don't believe it, which is why I'm stuck doing the job I'm doing. I'm going to keep you in that urn until you're needed, and then you will be released. I'm sorry, but it has to be done this way."

I saw the urgency in his face, "Are you sure he's coming back? I can't feel anything at all."

My strength was getting lower as I lost blood, so I didn't bother fighting back as he lifted me up and slipped me in to the jar.

"I'm sure, Christina. If you can't feel him when you come out then you can kill me."

"I look forward to it." My vision faded.

The darkness of the urn and the screams of people outside startled me as I woke up, but what startled me more was the feeling I got.

He was coming, and very soon.

Entry 146: Andrew -Vincent-

"Soon."

No one else heard the voice as we traveled through out the museum toward The Door Of The Dead. I would have stopped walking if I was walking. Being in such a public place meant that I had to play dead for a while. Lucky for me, Ben had opted to hold me over Carl.

"When I come back, I'm going to go and find every one of your friends."

Andrew.

"I'm surprised to find you walking around Vincent. I thought you were dead."

I thought he was dead too. I had made sure he wouldn't move again after he made me watch what he did.

"I'll find them, Vincent. I'll make you alone again."

Could a Teddy Bear feel fear? If I'd had a face that could show emotion, it'd be easier to find out. I had to find him. I had to find him fast. How could he talk to me and me alone?

"Watch as I rip their wiggly spines through their chests."

That's when Ben turned the corner and we were all in awe at the size of the massive door. The door was surrounded by police and scientists as they studied the remains of that poor security guard that had been killed there.

"Oh, you must be Ben."

No.

"My name is Fredrick."

The fact that I was turned so that I couldn't see who was talking didn't hide their identity from me.

"As you can see, the police are still investigating, so you'll have to wait until they’re done before you can go take a look."

It was just impossible.

"Meanwhile, I'd like you to head that way. I'll show you where you can put your things until they're done."

Ben turned and began to walk where directed. As we shuffled in to the room I caught a glimpse of the speaker and watched as he looked directly at me.

He smiled.

Andrew.

Entry 144: Merlin's Power -Nick-

"How could you have someone check my background?!" Yeah, I guess I was yelling, but I felt betrayed.

"I don't trust you!", Crystal stood up and pointed to the door.

"Everything that's happened since I was a zombie has somehow had something to do with you. You threatened me, brought me back to life, and killed a man in cold blood. You don't explain to us why. You just do!"

Will raised his hand in the air, "Okay, maybe it's because I'm new to this; but in the realm of sanity it's impossible to bring someone back from the dead, and it's often well accepted that being a zombie is permanent."

"This is of no concern to y-", I felt something hit my chest and I was lifted off my feet. The world around me grew dark and a very old man was standing there looking down at me. Pulling myself to my feet I looked around for Crystal and Will, only to find no one except me and this old man.

"It's been quite a long time, and you haven't aged a bit my friend." The old man bowed his head.

"Who are you? What did you do to the people I was with?", I pulled myself to my feet.

The old man looked confused for a moment and then smiled wildly, "You unbelievable child! You did it. You really did it!"

He walked over to me and began squinting at me and tilting his head to angles that would normally be impossible.

"Did what? What are you going on about?", I stepped away from him.

"Right, you wouldn't know. Maybe I can explain it to you, because it's rather simple. See, I am a very old man and I am also a powerful wizard much like yourself."

"I wouldn't say powerful."

He rapped me on the head with more force than would be expected from someone so frail. "Don't put your magic down, not many people can battle me and survive. Now, while I am very powerful, my magic has been slowly degrading over time. I used to be able to change the Earth’s rotation around the sun, and now all I can do is rotate the Earth on its own axis."

It slowly dawned on me that I was on a completely different level of power than this old man; moving planets through space was something I hadn't even conceived yet. "That's not what I would call losing power."

The old man smiled, "You used to think so. You promised me that one day, you'd find a way to live long with out losing power and you've done it. You've found a way to bring yourself back to when you were at your peak."

"I am not following you."

"I don't have anymore time to explain except to say that you are one of the most unique wizards I'd ever met, so I have decided to give you a gift. I am going to transfer my magical energy to you. Maybe you can find a better use for it."

"Why would you do that?"

"A young girl has murdered me, though I admit she was very bad at it. Anyway, it gave me an excuse to go and do some exploring in other realms. While I'm gone, I need someone to hold on to my abilities and you are as good a candidate as any."

"Umm . . . if she murdered yo-", I was shut up by another smack across the head.

"You know as well as I do that death can be a difficult achievement even for a wizard with very little knowledge. I need you to listen, I don't have much more time. My magic is going to conflict with yours, so you may find yourself having memories that were supposed to be erased."

The space around me began to brighten.

"Wait, who are you?"

"Merlin, of course. Kids these days!" He raised his hands above his head and I was laying on the floor, looking at the faces of Will and Crystal.

Bits and pieces of long forgotten memory came flying back at me, but only one small part stood out from among the rest.

I sat straight up, "We have to go help Ben!"

Flashback Entry 141: News Worthy -Crystal-

"I'm supposed to believe these far fetched stories? Do you know what happened to me the last time I went on a wild goose chase after something this bizarre?"

My mind was still reeling after Nick showed up at the door. Something about Nick made me uneasy, which led to this phone call.

"I know. I read all about it. You tried to take on OCS industries over that mass murder that happened a few years back. You claimed to the world you had the evidence to expose them, and then when the day came you backed down, saying it was a lie. Before the incident you were famous for your exuberant attitude; your unafraid, and unrelenting search for the next big thing. From what I read you always had a joke to say, but afterward . . . afterward you pulled back, got quiet and kept your head down."

The silence on the other end of the phone lasted for a while.

"I lost everything because of that. My job, my family, all of my friends; all gone because I didn't know when to back down."

This wasn't why I'd called. The only reason I cared about his past was because I knew it could get him to do what I needed. I don't usually do things that are so underhanded, but my friends were at stake. Nick Brown was dangerous.

"What if I could get you proof of something bigger than that story? If I could give you a story like no one has ever seen, would you do some digging on someone?"

"I'm not a reporter anymore. Call the tabloids."

"My friends could be in danger. I need someone who would actually be able to help."

"I'm sorry."

I had only one more option. "Fine, we're going to be in your area tomorrow. If you want, you can tag along on the case we're working on. Once you see the things we get tangled in, then you might change your mind."

"If this is a wild goose chase then I'm going to charge you for my time. What's that guy’s name that you want me to check out?"

"Nick Brown."

117: A Connection -Vincent-

I had my head inside Carl’s boxers, and the smell was tremendous. Why did I have to be put inside the suitcase? Crystal could have carried me, I would have been good. Maybe Carl was punishing me for the crap I pulled on the way to rescue Crystal. After all, me being here was his idea.

All I had to do was find a way to get him back.

Foraging through his things I came across a bag of pens, a knife, some zip-lock bags, a lighter, and some heavy duty rubber bands. Looking at the pens, I smiled at the words, "Permanent Ink."

Now I had an idea. I grabbed the knife the best I could and slowly cut the pens, emptying the ink into the zip-lock bags.

So he thinks since I’m small and fuzzy that I can't do anything? I can't wait to see his face after this. I took the lighter and sealed the bags shut. I had three bags in all, each filled to the brim with permanent ink. I grabbed the rubber bands and tied each end to the locking mechanisms on either side of the suitcase, making a make-shift slingshot. I tied the third rubber band to the middle of the first and pulled it back, wedging it between the lips of the suitcase in such a way that when its opened, it would release what ever the slingshot was holding at Carl. I put one ink packet in the slingshot and the other two I stuffed in his shoes.

I sat down in a corner and leaned back. I was thinking of trying to sleep, but lately the dreams kept getting worse. I was always tied and Andrew always had the machete. If there was a God, he had a sick sense of humor by bringing me back.

This Door of Death had me spooked. Something about it stirred a memory, and not a good one. Something I couldn't quite place but it made the dreams so much worse. Now I was seeing Crystal having her head smashed in.

What was it that I remembered?

----------------------------------------------------------------

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113: Door of the Dead -Ben-

So many things had happened during the past few weeks. I found out I was adopted, I got a team of people working with me, and I was attacked by zombie children under the control of an evil Snake Goddess. It only got worse when I realized that almost everything had been orchestrated by some unknown thing. Something that had my mother's spirit so scared that she did its bidding to keep me safe.

Alex Kayser was a name that kept popping up lately. John, Carl, Jay, and even my Mother’s spirit has heard of him. Now I'm expected to find him. Oh, and he's also dead.

"Crystal?"

Crystal looked up from her spot on my bed and smiled, "Yes?"

I had been up all night for the past two days looking for a job, and Crystal had stayed up with me to keep me company. She's friendly like that.

"Would you mind letting the others know to meet me in the living room? I think I have our next job."

She hopped off the bed and walked out, calling for the others while she walked. Crystal had this distinctly child-like quality to her, probably because just a few weeks ago she was one. Nick, our resident Warlock in training, had brought her back to life as her soul would have liked; an 18 year-old girl.

The Door of the Dead: an old Egyptian decoration said to allow people to converse with the dead, has earned its first casualty. A security guard had been found disemboweled near the exhibit at the museum. This normally would be scratched off as another homicide, except that his blood was all over the door. Some of his entrails were found fused to the front of the decoration. I mean, it was no longer flesh, it was flesh-rock.

It was enough to get my curiosity, and so we were headed to the Museum of Natural History to check this out; if I could get the other guys to go.

Crystal came running back in and winked, "They're all waiting, boss!"

Maybe it was the things that happened in the last few weeks. Maybe I have a sixth sense for these things. What ever the reason, something told me this wouldn't be easy.