Flashback 222: Death -Alex-

"John, just shut up and listen!" I glanced behind me at the open pit in the middle of the warehouse.

Deep inside that pit lay a massive creature looking to destroy everything I'd ever cared about. We'd gotten ourselves in over our heads but at the moment we were the only people who could do anything about it. John, Carl, and I were the only ones that knew; the only ones that would believe it. Moloch, the sun god wanted to destroy the city so that he could rise in power again.

"It's too crazy. Let's back out and come back with a plan." Carl spoke against it but he was holding John back; stopping him from stopping me.

I shook my head, "This IS the plan. He needs unwilling sacrifices or the spell will backfire. He needs people who don't want to die. This is the only way."

"Let me!" John struggled against his brothers hold, "Let me go in your place!"

The ground beneath us began to shake, pieces of wall bending and contorting as the weight of the roof combined with the growing heat wore down at it's strength. I stepped aside as a massive steel pole fell where I had been standing.

"You can't. It has to be me. These things are terrible, and must be fought. You and your brother are the only people that can do it." I turned toward the pit.

"That's a bullshit excuse! Why do you have such a death wish?! I thought you were smarter than that!"

I didn't tell him about the doctors visit. Maybe Carl would later on. I was dying anyway, I had maybe a month left. It was like I'd been conditioned for this role; created by god to serve specific purpose. My wife was a horrible mess over it. My daughter tried her best to stay strong, Emma was like that. A fighter and crazy smart, two things I couldn't have expected.

"See you guys later."

"Let me go, Carl!" I could hear him fighting behind me as I approached the pit, "Alex! I'll make sure of it! I swear on my life that we'll see each other again. I'll do whatever it takes!"

"I'll see you then." If John said he was going to bring me back then I wasn't sure if there was anything that could stop him. He'd break vows he made and beliefs he held without blinking to get what he wanted. It was almost scary, because there wasn't often a time when he didn't deliver.

But this was the real world, and it was cruel.

I dropped into the pit. As I felt my flesh burn away, I knew that I was screaming for help but it was involuntary. In my mind I knew that I had to do this. To save everyone I had to sacrifice myself. The pain was unbelievable and lasted for what seemed like ages.

And then . . . silence, painlessness, weightlessness, loneliness.

"Alex Kayser." A voice, followed by a person. A tall man wearing an expensive suit with eyes that seemed ageless.

I couldn't respond. I had no voice.

"Don't worry I know what you'd ask. I am Patrick Bernauw, better known as death to humans."

What could I do but listen?

"I have the important task of putting people where they belong. I do this sort of thing for everyone but most don't get a choice. You do."

A choice. To make. A choice, to make without a mind.

"You can either be dead and enter the nothingness. You'll no longer have anything; you'll cease to exist.  Or you could be changed into a Walking Soul and then you can help me save the entire world. Of course the only stipulation is that you cannot return to your realm. You'd be stuck within the Other Lands until I called you."

I'd already made my choice.

"The Other Lands run on a different time frame than normal reality, so if one of your friends does try to bring you back to life than four years to them could turn into thousands for you. You wouldn't age, but it is a really long time. Trust me. So be sure."

I was sure.

"Good choice. Be prepared."

The world flew into focus and I found myself high above the ground falling rapidly. Down below a huge battle was raging and I was headed right for the middle. I hit the ground so hard that it shook, but was unhurt. Probably because of Patrick, or rather Death. In front of me stood a man. He had dark hair and a scar that ran from his neck, through his left eye, and cut into his ear.

"Who the hell are you?!?"

"I'm Alex." I stood, my head spinning, "Where am I?"

"In the wrong place," He leaped around me and gunned down a creature that had a black bag over his head, "My name is Jason and you need to run or pick up a weapon."

I looked toward where he was shooting and my breath caught; Thousands of those black bagged creatures were flowing over the landscape toward us. I felt my panic rise and I turned to run.

What the hell was going on?

210: The Church of Guilt -Andrew-

The inside of the church was elegantly furnished. The windows had curtains of black and red striped velvet, and the carpet was a deep shade of purple.

"Please, if you don't mind taking off your shoes before you walk in." Sister Victoria turned and looked at me, "God doesn't like her floors getting dirty."

I knelt down and slipped off my shoes, "So you think God is a she?" I was trying to make small talk. Something about this place didn't feel right, it felt . . . familiar.

"I know she is. Right now she's out, but soon she'll be back." Sister Victoria motioned for me to follow, "Please come and sit with the other Sisters."

The hallway opened up into a massive room with a high ceiling, too high for it to be the same building I'd seen outside. I was right, something was off about this place. It was bigger on the inside.

"I'm sorry, I just realized that there's something I need to do." I turned to leave, but was stopped when I saw who was standing in the hallway. I couldn't move my feet. My palms grew sweaty and I began to shake uncontrollably. She walked over to me and ruffled my hair, her hand warm and comforting. Her touch made me feel the happiest I had been in a long time, but when she stopped I couldn't stay standing because of the power of the returning emotions.

She knelt down to look at my face, our noses almost touching, "Aw, you remember me. That's sweet."

She patted my head as she stood up. My vomit from the assaulting emotions would stain her rug. I felt a warmth flow from down my thigh and wasn't sure what it was until I realized that I'd wet myself.

"Victoria? Please, stand him up." Her voice wasn't as sweet as it had been. It was all business and anger.

I felt Sister Victoria's hands lift me to my feet, "Yes, ma'am."

Through blurry eyes I watched her turn and wait until I was standing on my own. I reached up and wiped my eyes.

"Indigo." I growled.

She smiled cutely, "Oh wow, you even remember my name! This is getting better and better."

"How could I forget? You trapped away the parts of me I cared for the most. All because Patrick told you to."

"Patrick never made me do anything. He is searching for something and I am doing my best to help him find it. That's what you do for people you love." She grinned, "What am I saying? You wouldn't understand, you sacrificed your wife and child's memories just to feel better."

I was quiet because she was right. I had done that, it was all my fault because I was weak.

"Please, don't be angry at me. We had some good times, I thought we were friends." She pouted, "Oh well, I didn't bring you here to chat. This is business. I need you to do something for me."

"Why would I do anything for you?"

She motioned to the sisters who were standing in a circle around me, "For one, you won't make it out of here alive. My sisters are incredibly obedient, all they need is the word. Also, if you happen to get out anyway, then rest assured that what you've gotten back will be gone in seconds. You'll go back to the family slaughtering fiend you once were."

She walked over to me and frowned, "So here's what you're going to do, you know those people you just met? The ones who were with your dear, departed friend Vincent? There were two brothers, a tall one and a not so tall one. A long time ago, we met and they had the most delicious guilt, but they were after my head. I had them right where I needed them to be. They're pain was exquisite . . . but then the small one did something unexpected. His will was . . . like something I'd never felt from a human before. He broke free and stole something of mine, rendering him and any of his direct blood relations unaffected by my charms." She stomped her foot, "That stupid, little, rotten . . . he is why I'm even here, I have much more important things to do. I saw his brother on the television and the small one isn't ever far behind."

"So you want me to steal it?" I frowned, "You do know that they HUNT your kind? They've killed a God right in front of my eyes. I hear that just the small one alone stood against 20 or so zombies and survived. Also, judging from the news, I think Patrick poked one of their buttons too much. Going against their band of misfits is not just stupid, it's retarded."

"I don't want you to steal it back. I don't care about it anymore. I want you to kill the brothers and, while it's touching that you're worried about me, I won't be the one doing it. You will, and you know all about them."

"No. I won't do as you ask. They have an incredible warlock, and even a clairvoyant. Do it yourself and see for yourself. I go in there looking to kill some of their crew and I'll be wiped out. They already hate me."

She touched my chin, making my knees crumple when she removed her fingers, "Oh Andrew, did you think I was asking? No, no . . . I didn't even say please."

"Please, you're killing me."

"I'm commanding you, kill the brothers and if you feel like being on my good side, then you'll bring back what they stole. If you can't . . . "

She smiled a devilish smile, "Then I'll ask the other you instead."

192: My Power, My Downfall -Bob-

I lifted the girl up by her neck. I'd never seen a more powerful Warlock. Her power was nearly undetectable and very lethal. In fact, it wasn't even the type of power I thought that I'd find. As a human she was quite the specimen. I squeezed her neck, watching her eyes widen as she struggled for breath.

"What is wrong with you humans? Here I am squeezing the life out of you and I sense no fear. I'm going to kill you, and you look at me as though I'm pathetic and not worth your time." I glanced back at the other two as they pulled themselves to their feet.

"Is there something wrong with you people? Do you lack the capacity to fear or something?", I tightened my grip, "No matter how hard I squeeze she still doesn't want to be afraid. Learn your place humans."

The unusually strong human laughed, "You really think you've got us by holding her hostage? Do you know what she's done to us? She nearly killed some of our closest friends, and she's just as twisted as you. Go ahead, crush her throat."

I could tell he was bluffing, at least partially. So why say it? He was gaining nothing, except time. Time for her to run out of breath. Time for her to wish it would end. The thought came to me at the last second and I had no time to get out of the way as the pillar flew at me. Time to get her attack prepared.

The impact caused my grip to release and threw me across the room. I felt ribs break as I smashed into the wall. She had used her abilities to lift a pillar and wield it as a weapon, and I'd never seen that before. What were these people?

"That's it. Enough games! Time to di-" The strong one's fist hit me in the face before I could finish. A knee to my chest did more than just confirm the broken ribs, it fractured them. I felt his fingers in my hair as he taught me how his knee felt on my face. I tasted the blood on my lips. Me. I was bleeding, by a mere human, which is something I would never had expected. Then again, nothing has happened as expected. All I had to do was kill the anomaly and instead I meet an entire army of them. I could feel his fists hitting me but I was lost in thought.

Humans are not capable of this kind of power. We ruled over them for thousands of years with out a single incident. Had they been building this power over that entire time? All three of these filthy humans demonstrated abilities beyond that of the norm. There was no way I could allow this to continue.

His next fist never connected; intercepted by my hand and followed by a swift series of jabs to his chest. I watched his stamina fall as I turned his chest and stomach into a bruised mess. He went limp shortly, still conscious but unable to move. I lifted him up so that we were face to face.

"See what you get?", I spat my blood in his face, "All it took was a few hits and now you can be put aside for later."

I should have seen it. These humans were smart. Their fighting prowess was like a seasoned warrior. They'd seen battle before and definitely fought things above their ability to defeat. I should have known that they'd work together to make this difficult, but I never expected them to work so well.

"So, who next?" I tossed him aside and looked up to see the Warlock releasing a fireball lined with razor sharp blades that had been collected by the girl. I felt my skin burn as it collided with me. I was helplessly thrown back into the wall. The pain was excruciating, flowing through my entire body. I could hear my screams as though they were from a distance.

This was too much. These people were relentless, they'd never stop. I'd made a mistake. I was going to die, right here, right now, to the hands of humans; the people I'd hunted for sport. These three had taken every hit, and retaliated like demons. There was no way I could win. Too much, just too much.

Then I felt it. Fear, so much fear. I felt my confidence return as the fear grew. I had been wrong, I would win. The humans revealed their fear too early, so early. I reached out with my power and grasped on to that fear.

It was the sweetest kind, a surprising fear. Something unexpected but so strong and so deep, like a nightmare come true. I had to incapacitate one of these foolish humans in order to have a chance. I called upon everything I had and forced them into their horror, where they'd live until I killed them. I felt them give in to my power and then everything faded away.

I found myself standing in a room.

"What? What's going on?"

"You are completely foolish. You've made a horrible mistake." That was Mardockt's voice. I felt a deep dread as he stepped out of the shadows.

"I was winning! I was going to win!"

"NO! You FOOL! You never had a chance! Do you know why you're here? I didn't bring you here, YOU DID!" He was angry, and that made me more scared than I'd ever been. The things he could do to me . . . the thing he would do to me.

"How did I do that? I have no access to this place."

"You think you're really with me?", he laughed, "No. All of this is in your mind, and I must say . . . I'm very flattered."

What he was saying finally hit me. I had made a mistake.

"Oh you see it now, I can see the fear in your face. Yes, Bob. You wasted all your energy putting yourself into your own deepest, darkest fear."

"Eventually I'll get my strength back!", I was all ready shivering as he walked over to me, "I'll escape once I'm in control again."

"Bob.", he knelt and looked me straight in the face with a smile that was full of some much pleasure, "You're going to use up all your strength surviving me."

"No.", I felt the tears come, "NO! I'M SORRY! NO! LET ME OUT! HELP! HELP!"

He stood and pulled a pair of razor-sharp tongs out of his pocket, "Bob?"

My voice was a whisper, the fear was so strong and just getting stronger with time. I kept imagining what Mardockt would do to me with out being able to stop thinking it, "Please. Please don't. I don't want this, I never wanted this. You need to stop. Why would you do this to me? Please. No no no no no no no no."

"BOB!"

"What?", I was whimpering uncontrollably as I tried to think of a way out, but all I could think about is how many ways he could make me scream.

He smiled a smile so evil that it brought me to screams before he even touched me.

"This is going to be fun." And he began.

167: CRUNCH -Christina-

I swiftly jumped out of the way to avoid his attack. His blade smashed into the floor where I'd been standing. I recognized the workmanship of the blade as something from the Other Lands. That's why it'd cut so deep.

I felt blood trickle down my chin as I tried to remember my training from so long ago.

"Never defend with defense.", the words of my instructor came to me easier than I'd imagined, "The worst thing you could do if injured is act like it."

I approached him from the side, the pain in my chest making it difficult to breathe. I swung my fist only to find it easily deflected. He retaliated by a side swing with the blade that, if I hadn't ducked, would have cleanly taken my head off.

I grabbed his sword arm and my knee found his groin with sickeningly sweet crunch, causing an soundless scream of pain to escape his lips. He fell to the ground and I snatched up his weapon. I raised it above my head to deal the final blow closing my eyes to avoid the sight of blood.

What I saw stopped me cold. Something I hadn't seen in years was wriggling around his body like vines on stone. Mardockt's tendrils.

"What are you doing?! Just swing down and end it!" It was that annoying bear.

I tossed the sword to the side and knelt to take a closer look. I wasn't mistaken, these were Mardockt's.

"Are you insane?! He's going to kill us all because of your stupid mercy!"

"I have no mercy." I glanced at the bear, "If I kill him he'll just come back. We need to tie him up. Do you have rope?"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE ROPE YOU CRAZY-"

"Shut up and find her rope you stupid bear." The man who had defended me earlier was awake. He stood and walked over to me, "My name's Carl, that retard is Vincent. I get the feeling we aren't enemies, so I want you to tell me what's going on."

"FINE! I'll just go find rope then!", the bear wandered off.

I stood and looked at Carl, and the door, and finally the fairy, "How are you alive? I thought we'd killed you all."

She stuck her tongue at me and turned away.

"My name's Christina. Why is the door in close proximity of humans?"

Carl opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the bear known as Vincent rushing into the room, carrying a bundle of rope over his shoulder.

"Guys? We have a problem. Something seriously weird is going on. There are all sorts of nastiness in this place."

"We'll take care of them in a second." Carl waved his hand.

"No, I mean, one of the bigger ones followed me."

And that's when the door behind him exploded.

138: I Return -Saba- (written by Crystal Ferguson)

(I liked Crystal's last post so much that I had her write another. AND here it is!)

Taking a quick glance, I realized we were in Merlin’s shop. It was far better than being stuck in that Soulscape. I sat up and looked up at Merlin.

Politely I feigned a smile, “Well, it’s good to see I have made it back, yes?”

The look on his face told me otherwise. In fact, he looked more angry than relieved to see me. What did I do wrong?

“What made you think you were even capable of going there to begin with young lady?!”, he pointed at me, “I thought I had made it very clear that you were not to go alone!”

I stood up, annoyed with him. “What’s your point?”

“Your ignorance is most surprising, Saba. Do you not realize the danger you even placed yourself in?! Most people who cross over to the Soulscape don’t stand a chance of coming back when they release their ties from this world. You were downright foolish to do it on your own.”

He held a stern look to his face to let me know he meant every word. With a small huff, he turned to a shelf; a shaky hand reaching for it, his other gently scratching at the wrinkled skin of his face. A sense of rage filled me.

A small glass object flew up, hitting Merlin in the back of the head. His hand grabbed at the unexpected pain as he caught his footing. He turned to face me, a look of pure shock now on his aged face. “What do you think you’re-” Another similar piece soared toward him, this time hitting him in the face. He made a cry of pain as the shards pierced his flesh. He closed his eyes, his hand now covering his freshly made wounds.

I stepped toward him, the air about me filling with pens, paperclips and other small items. “YOU THINK YOU HAD THE RIGHT TO GIVE UP ON ME? HA! I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND!”

I was going to make sure he paid for leaving me in that void; for giving up on me.

A smile crept across my features as I let the objects attack him with no mercy. Pointed objects flew at him like bullets, glass exploded against his ancient body; blunt objects hit him with a mighty force. He made cries of pain and heightened anxiety, blood flowing out from each new wound formed.

He collapsed to the floor, arms up in a defensive position. “Stop at once!”

I laughed at the old man, throwing my head back. I knelt down, now face-to-face with him. For a moment, I let the flying of objects cease. “Why don’t you fight back, old man?”

Despite how beat up he was, he looked me straight in the eye. A serious look took over his features.

“I…I have no power. I had given that up to one who is far more worthy. I have been powerless for ages now.”

A small chuckle escaped my lips, “Pathetic; truly pathetic.”

I got back on my feet, “That makes for a bit less fun. Guess I’ll have to draw it out even longer.”

“You‘ll regret this, Saba Zahid!”, he pointed an ancient finger at me, “I promise you young lady, that you’ll regret this; for fate will make sure of it.”

I ignored him, the objects lifting in to the air for another round. They relentlessly attacked him, landing near vital organs as they pierced his body. He backed up toward the shelves. I watched on, satisfied with my work so far. Just as I was just really getting started, the distraught Merlin backed in to his shelves. There was a loud thudding noise as the shelves slowly began to descend down upon him. He screamed while his eyes widened as the shelves buried him alive. Muffled weeping sounds met my ears as it all settled.

I walked over, stepping on to the shelves. I peered downward, catching a glimpse of his worn out face. With a sigh, I jumped up and stomped as I landed. A moan was heard, along with the cracking of bones. His breathing was now raspy. I stomped down again.

“Still breathing? How annoying.”

One more for good measure; with more force behind it.

SNAP!

This time the obnoxious sound had come to a halt. A small gust of wind and a flash of light passed by; a window breaking nearby. I shrugged it off. Perhaps it was his soul running away.

I successfully ended him. Made him pay the best way I knew how, but rage still lingered in me; the need to kill remained.

I hopped off from his new grave, walking out of the shop and on to the sidewalk. The rage washed away with the smell of the outside world. I blinked, glancing back and forth; sighing. I felt lost and confused. If anything, I wished Ben was here with me.

I then looked down at my clothes. Blood spatters made a design across my shirt. A hand to my cheek told me blood even painted my face.

I began to panic, looking back to the shop to see the shelves down and no old man.

There was no ignoring it. I had killed Merlin.

137: Heroes and Villians And Those Inbetween -Saba-

"A long time ago you told me that sometimes I can't choose. You said that I might find myself on the wrong side for the right reasons! Is this what you meant?! The only way to save so many people is by doing this?! You're insane!", my teenage voice sounded distressed and angry.

"Right now it's out there Saba, building power to overthrow the balance that has been forever. We need to have the strength to face the mistakes of our parents, and if that means that we need to do things unmentionable; then we do it. We do it for people who won't have a chance. We do it for people who haven't lived their lives. We make this thing fear for its life and then we kill it with out mercy." Patrick almost sounded like he cared for people.

"I can't! I just can't. I see them looking up to me with their pleas, those scared eyes and I can't. My hands start shaking and the air grows cold. I know it's out there, but my hands won't listen to me. I know it's the right thi-"

"No!" Patrick’s voice became louder as everything around me came in to focus.

Patrick stood in front of my teenage self holding her shoulders. They stand in front of those double doors again, a knife laying on the floor at their feet.

"It's never the right thing. What we're doing is horrible, but we do it because it's the only way. The last resort."

"I CAN'T!"

A silence fell over the hallway and as he stared into the younger-me's face, I swore his face blinked away again, revealing the horribly twisted visage beneath.

"I can help you kill our parents." Patrick spoke calmly and silent. A tear rolled down his cheek and splashed on the floor. "If you want to do the right thing, I can help you."

"Please help me."

I felt a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach as the scene in front of me faded away, leaving me and my younger self looking at each other.

"You came. I knew you'd come." Younger me smiled.

“Yes, it's good to see you again." A voice behind me spoke.

The child version of myself, the one that had brutally murdered my parents stood behind me. Her clothing drenched in blood.

"Patrick knew I couldn't do it, so he brought out the side of me that could. I went to sleep . . . "

". . . while I did the dirty deeds." Darker-me continued.

"But why? How?" I cried.

"We aren't sure. The door remains locked and hidden in your Soulscape. It's something horribly bad. Something involving Ben, John, Crystal, and all of the others. They can survive, but they need you."

"But I've just met them and you're saying that we're all connected. How does that make sense?"

“We're not saying it.", the evil me smiled and stepped up to the nicer me. She reached out and grasped her hand, "You are."

I felt my body get torn apart as everything went dark.

"Wake up, you fool girl! Wake up!"

It was Merlin. I was back. I wish Ben was here.

136: 'Birth' -Saba-

The world swirled away as flashes of past and present flooded together, becoming an amalgam of indecipherable images. Covering my eyes, I turned away from the lights and colorful flashes.

When I opened my eyes I was standing on a beach.

"Did he ask you out yet?" Another recognizable voice that I couldn't seem to place.

I turned to see a young red-head sitting next to a teenage me.

"No, he's not the guy I want anyway." Teen me tossed a rock out in the sea.

"What? Are you crazy? He's popular, gorgeous and has money falling out of his pockets.", the red-head gushed as she spoke, "Also, I happen to know that he has a crazy crush on you."

Teen-Saba looked at the sky, "I had a dream of a guy. He seemed important and was really cute. I'm going to go out and find him one day."

"You mean that Ben guy you keep going on about? Girl, he's a dream. He isn't real."

"You're a dream."

"You aren't real."

The voices started to come from everywhere, flooding my ears with a drone of constant words. The red-head pulled a knife from behind her and swung it around, stabbing it in to teenage me's belly. That younger version just smiled as the blood spread from the wound, turning her blouse a dark red.

"You are just wasted parts, things that need to be discarded. Unfit to live and made to die. Your own body wants you gone. Everything you are will be lost forever when they reassert their authority."

"SHUT UP!" Everything disappeared as I yelled.

I found myself standing on a dark street. Ahead of me, the street ran zigzagged as far as I could see. Houses lined the streets but the numbers were replaced by words. 'First grade', 'Middle school', 'First Kiss'; they went on and on. A sign in front of me had the words, 'This way to The Void' and had a smiley face drawn on it with purple crayon.

I began my journey down the road, glancing at the windows of the houses, catching glimpses of my pasts. Child me here, teenage me there; almost all happy.

I stopped when I came to a black house labeled 'Birth'. I wanted to know more about myself, and the darkness that I would be allowing back in. Now was not the time for that though. I had something to do that was more important. I couldn't just stop and look at parts of my past.

So I opened the door and stepped through.

134: Sweet Love -Saba-

I felt my back hit the ground as the darkness faded away around me; replaced by warm sunlight. Images of what I'd just seen seemed frozen in place just behind my eyes, but a good shake of my head caused them to fade as well.

"Brother?", it was younger me again.

"Yes, Saba?" Panic filled my chest as I heard Patrick's voice.

I turned around to see them, despite my mind screaming at me to curl up and pretend they weren't there. The smaller me sat on the ground in front of Patrick looking curiously at the dirt. Patrick looked much younger and wore a small baseball cap.

"We all become dirt eventually."

I watched with a stunned look as Patrick's face became sad, "Yes, you do."

"I don't like that. One day, I'm going to stop that. I don't want all my friends to die. I don't want Mommy and Daddy to die."

I watched as Patrick's face fill with even more sorrow. I could have sworn I saw his eyes water up as he crouched down to look at my younger self.

"Saba, you can't always get what you want. Sometimes the things you want most are taken away from you. Sometimes you're meant for something completely different from what you want, and you find yourself on the wrong side for the right reasons."

I got the feeling that he wasn't talking about the younger me. He seemed to be talking about himself.

"I don't care. You can't tell me what to do. Mommy can't tell me what to do and neither can Daddy. No one is my master and if I want to fight on the right side, then I will."

A happy smile came to his face as he shook his head, "Saba, how is it that you came to be my sister?"

"Your only sister.", little me corrected

"My favorite sister."

This time, there was no evil laughter.

133: Concrete Horror -Saba-

I was floating in the dark, listening to the continuously grating sound of that horrible laughter. Any attempts to move proved ineffective and only made it harder to do so.

"Where are you going?" My blood ran cold as I recognized the voice, though I couldn't put a face to it.

Slowly my surroundings flooded in to focus. An elegant hall of hardwood lined with many paintings and photos. A smaller me stood a few feet away from a much taller man. The laughter faded away.

"Saba, where are you going?"

The smaller me started to cry, "I can't do it."

I watched as the man knelt down and looked in to my face, a look of caring in his eyes, "Life is never going to be easy, Saba. It's going to be hard, and sometimes the only thing you can do to get by is try as hard as you can to do what you need to do."

My fear subsided as little me ran to the taller man and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Just as I thought that this scene wasn't so scary, I heard that low laughter again and the fear returned.

"Thanks, Patrick."

The man stood and reached his hand out to little me, "Anything for my little sister."

A smile found my face for a few moments before the laughter came again. The smaller me took his hand as we walked toward large, oaken doors.

The man put his hand on the door, "Now Saba, you go in there and make sure they're all dead."

He pushed the door open and screams flooded out. Screams of help and horror that filled my ears and saturated my mind with a deepening horror. The scene that seemed so pleasant before changed shape, instantly becoming something of a deeper evil. My breath caught in my chest, I tried to close my eyes and forget I was there. It was like a tootsie pop with a razor in the middle; sweet on the outside, but it just hides the horror beneath.

"Can we have ice cream after?", the smaller me smiled up to Patrick.

"Sure."

Through the door I could see deep red splatters on the floor and hear the clinking of chains.

The littler me stepped through and turned toward where the sounds were coming from.

"Saba! Please, God no!" They were begging for their life. Begging me to let them go, "Saba, your brother is crazy. Please honey, just let us go! You can't do this to us."

As Patrick slowly closed the door I watched as my smaller counterpart smiled sweetly, with all the caring of a child and said, "Daddy, life is never going to be easy . . ."

Her voice was cut off as the door shut completely. The laughter returned and this time I welcomed it, something known in a world of concrete horror. The laughter grew in intensity as I hung there in darkness, watching Patrick looking away from me at the closed door.

"That's not me."

"Yes, it is you." The laughter had spoken.

"No, I wouldn't do something like that." I was lying. I knew I was lying, I just didn't want it to be the truth.

"Not only did you kill your family, but you did more than that.", the laughter came again, "You killed a person every day for two years after."

In my head, I saw flashes of blood soaked bodies and glinting knives. In my head I heard their screams for help and mercy. The more I watched, the more I felt the innocence I'd witnessed before slowly fade away. I desperately clung to any piece of that innocence that I could.

"All for power."

I knew what he was meaning. I felt it in my bones now, maybe I'd always knew that my hands were unclean. A person isn't born a spirit persuader, they're grown. So many lives had been ended by me, so many people never got to live their lives because of my blade. All in the pursuit of power over spirits.

"It's too late for you.", Patrick had turned and was staring directly at me, "There's no way to clean your hands. You are a monster, and you'll always be a monster."

Every time he said monster I saw something odd flash beneath the illusion I knew to be his face. A darker and more evil face, something not human and older than the world. Patrick started walking closer and the scene behind him faded away.

"You killed so many.", Patrick's face blinked away for an instant and the horror of the face beneath made me catch my breath, "You are more of a monster than I am."

His face was inches from mine and he smiled, his mouth full of sharp pointy teeth with a smile that was all too wide. "Not only did you kill them . . ."

As I felt myself yanked backwards into the darkness, I knew what he was going to say; not only did I kill them . . .

But I loved it.

132: Pleasantly Abstract -Saba- (Written by Crystal Ferguson)

(I promised you people a guest writer and here she is. This post was written by a good friend, Crystal Ferguson. Enjoy and be sure to comment so that she knows how well it is. I personally liked it a lot.)

The Soulscape proved to be beyond weird. My eyes gazed upon numerous things surrounding me. For some reason the images appearing seemed familiar. It must deal with one of my souls, but which one?

Sounds of joyful laughter filled my ears as images of a child-sized version of me ran by. A little boy followed after her, as well as some other unrecognizable children. Remnants of toys were scattered about my feet as the children ran by. The sun that shone above beamed down, the heat becoming intense. A playground was the background of the entire scene, along with homes along the road. As this went on, confusion filled my mind; as well as a sense of sorrow. Such a world of happiness never existed in my mind- especially not like this.

I stood watching for a minute or so then took a few steps forward. A look of discontent was marked on my face. How were they all so cheerful? Why didn't I remember this? It seemed entirely unfair. I huffed out a sigh, practically envying the smaller me.

More images began to form and danced out their re-enactments of childhood days. They played games, some looking to involve puzzles even. This whole world itself was puzzling enough. Sadness seeped its way into my brain even more so. I crossed my arms and held myself, closing my eyes in the process. The next thing I knew, my body was spinning. I kept my eyes shut out of fear and uncertainty.

Coming to a stop I cautiously opened my eyes. Strings of color swirled about me, the child like laughter filling the air. The scene from before had morphed in to an abstract painting. A feeling of panic swelled up inside me, causing me to shake my head a bit.

"What's going on? This doesn't even make sense!"

Perhaps it was a mistake to make an outburst. A low chuckle replaced the child like laughter. It began to rise, a full maniacal laughter taking over. With a pounding heart and a swimming head, I looked around in hopes of finding a way to escape what ever it was that mocked me. Of course it wasn't that simple.

The rainbow colored strings began to twist and hiss, the strings blackening as they drew in closer. A scream managed to escape my lungs as the hissing threads wrapped about my body. Grunting and struggling, the abstract world now oozed with pure darkness.

The tingling and sinking feeling from my bottom half told me I was being sucked down. I should have just kept my thoughts to myself. The thought of darkness engulfing me was very unpleasant.

This trip to find my souls was proving to not only be weird, but down right disturbing as well. Before the darkness completely engulfed me I managed to let out one last scream of panic.

Realizing that no one was coming to my rescue, the truth sunk in. The remainder of my body slipped into the oozing blackness and the laughter made my ears ring.

I was on my own.

Entry 126: The Soulscape -Saba-

I didn't need him. I could do it myself. Just one last try and that's it.

I sat down in front of the brick wall that was once Merlin's store and closed my eyes. I relaxed my entire body and pushed the world out of my mind. Slowly, I felt the pain build up and in my mind I could see the ties of this world and of the Soulscape; both trying to pull me into their world. What I had to do now was slowly release myself from my worldly bonds and allow myself to be pulled in to the Soulscape.

The more ties I undid the more the pain increased, until I could barely think to release the other ones. I couldn't do it. It was too much. The pain of losing this world filled my mind, screaming warnings and telling me to go back. I had slowly began to give up when the image of Crystal filled my mind. There I was being beaten, laying on the ground not wanting to get up, too scared to move. Crystal was tougher though. Crystal didn't give up. She pulled herself to her feet and ran at the danger; she even made her point known with the palm of her hand. Even Jay, the fallen one, had not given up and when a close friend was going to die, he did the extraordinary and risked his life to save him. Everyone that I'd come across since as far back as I could remember had forced themselves past their capacity, and in to greatness. They not only took the risks needed, but they never fell back and never gave in.

I wanted to be with them, to be like them. I would be like them. I could barely move to untie the rest but it was time for me to make a sacrifice. Time for me to enter in to greatness just as all of them had. With a sweep of my hand I cut all the connections to the world at once. Cut; not untied.

Pain flooded my mind as I was yanked into the Soulscape and thrown like a rag doll in a hurricane. I swore I felt actual physical pain but it was muted, because I no longer had a connection to the world. Finally the movement stopped and I felt solid ground under me. I pushed myself to my feet and looked around.

I had entered the Soulscape.