205: Hartman Tribe -Alice-

I stood there frozen in place as I heard movement all around me getting closer. The Black Baggers were hunting me and I didn't know what direction they were coming from.

I was still in the garden, but my back was against a stone wall with pathways leading to my left and right. On the other side of the plants in front of me, I could hear the Bagger that I had escaped from trying to pull at the plants. For the moment they were holding, but I couldn't be too sure how long they'd stay that way.

From both directions I could hear movement now. I was trapped with out any way to defend myself.

Why had I agreed to this? Had Ben known it would be dangerous? If so, he didn't say anything. I shook my head. No. Ben wouldn't have done that, he wouldn't have put me in danger intentionally unless he had no choice.

The screaming started up again as they got closer. Any second now they'd be visible in the pathway, and soon after they'd get to me. I sat staring to the right, waiting for them to appear.

"Hey!", I felt something hit the top of my head, it was a rope made of sheets. Glancing up I saw a guy's head looking out a window.

"Are you going to stay down there and let them get you, or climb up?" There was sarcasm in his voice, but I ignored it as I grabbed the sheet-rope.

Just as they started pulling me up The Black Baggers appeared in my pathway racing toward me.

"Pull faster!"

"We're pulling as fast as we can!"

I swung my foot out and caught a Bagger in the face as it got close. It fell back, causing the ones behind it to trip into a mess of black bags, arms and legs. When the next group of Baggers got to me, I was too high for them to reach. I grabbed the windowsill and pulled myself inside.

Inside the room stood the guy that helped me and four people. There was a young woman with a young child, a tall, fat guy who was lying on the bed looking at the ceiling, and another tall guy that wasn't as fat as the last, but had some weight on him.

The one who helped pointed to the young woman and child, "This is Stephanie Berthiaume and her daughter, Emily.", he gestured to the one that was lying down, "That's Alex Kayser, and finally this is Vincent Smith. He joined us just right before you did." He held out his hand.

"And I'm Jason Hartman."

194: Two Dollars -Crystal-

Three days had passed since the museum incident and we had barely spoken to one another. We were still at the Hotel. We ran into each other often, but silence was the common language.

Vincent's death had hit everyone harder than you'd have thought. We didn't even say his name anymore, and even if we did I don't think I could say it with out breaking down. I had only lived a short time and all ready I had to deal with the death of a close friend.

It was times like these that I wished I had my Father to run to.

We didn't know whether or not to bury Vincent. Instead, we burned what was left of the bear; a warrior's funeral. It wasn't fair. It could have happened to anyone, and it had to be him.

Vincent had saved my life more times than I could remember. When I was younger, before he came to life, he scared away the darkness just by being there. Then he fought for everyone I cared about till his death. Now he's gone and it should have been someone else. Someone who deserved it; maybe me.

Carl says that he died a death worthy of someone great, but the truth is that he was killed while completely unconscious. He was killed in his sleep, which normally would have been peaceful, but this sleep was anything but. Vincent died terrified, fighting and alone.

I stared in to the toy shop at the arrangements of bears in the window, hoping that one of them would get up and start talking. I had been staring for 5 hours now. I had watched as the lights in the shop dimmed and the owner locked the doors. All I had was this hope, and if I looked away then I would be admitting that he's gone.

I shouldn't be this attached because most of the time I knew him he was an inanimate toy, but he came to life. He was a person that I'd come to know. He was a person that I'd come to trust.

"Crystal," Nick's hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, "everyone is wondering where you are."

"My Dad bought him for me.", I wiped the wet from my cheek, "He took me to a small toy store not far from where I lived. The store was super expensive, but my dad wanted me to choose whatever I wanted. I was looking at the dollhouses and fake carriages when I saw him. He was jammed between the biggest dollhouse and the wall, and he looked so uncomfortable, so unhappy."

Nick was silent, and I didn't blame him. Vincent was my bear, he'd been with me most of my life.

"I passed over him. I had my eye on another doll that could learn its name, one that would have put my Dad back $600 while the bear only cost $2. I kept thinking about that bear stuck, looking unhappy. I couldn't get him out of my head. I felt so bad leaving him there while all the other dolls would be sold. I didn't want him to not have a home. I got so confused at what I should do. I wanted the doll, but the bear would suffer and never be found."

I knew I was crying but I didn't care. This museum incident had taken its toll on everyone somehow. After the first night in the hotel, Carl vanished and Ben kept himself locked in his room. Andrew had been shunned immediately and violently, almost made me feel sorry for him until we learned what he'd done to Ben. Will spent the last two days trying to convince Kelly that all this stuff was real, and despite what she had seen it still took a lot of convincing. Nick and I were awkward together at best, and at worst we were at each other's throats.

"I chose Vincent because I didn't want him to be alone and scared, but it didn't matter. He still ended up that way and there's nothing I could have done. What was the point of bringing him to life if he was just going to be killed?"

"He was here for you, Crystal.", Nick tried to comfort me, "He always fought to protect you."

"I spent two dollars killing a good friend, Nick. If I'd chosen that first doll, then he'd never been put in this situation. I should have forgotten about the bear, then maybe he would have found someone normal. Maybe he would have protected someone whose biggest problem was children at a schoolyard. No, life had to be cruel. His life wasn't worth the money I spent. It was worth so much more."

"You're still alive, Crystal," Nick put his hand on my shoulder, "and I bet he would have considered that a bargain."

I heard Nick walk toward the hotel.

I stared at the window for another two hours.

Flashback Entry 184: Always Second Place -Bob-

My face hit the dirt so hard I was seeing stars. I rolled to my feet and caught the foot heading for my face. The pain stung my hands as I brought my foot up to connect with her chest. She stepped back and brushed herself off, her eyes finding me again. Well, that's not exactly true, she couldn't see me with her eyes closed but it sure felt like she could.

This was completely embarrassing. I had come here to finally prove that I'm worth Patrick's time only to get stuck fighting one of his lackeys; the weakest lackey no less. It was infuriating, to be completely outmatched by the weakest link when all I'd wanted to do was put Patrick in his place.

I sidestepped her swing only to have her elbow play patty-cake with my face. A pain in my gut was the only evidence that her knee had been there for a half-second. I jumped back to avoid a kick that would have turned my arm into jello. She was unrelenting with her assault, seeing my movements before I made them and acting with out sight.

I glanced to the sidelines to our teachers, whom were watching with interest. They wanted to see which one came out on top so they could give top tier to the ones that deserved it. The students around them, including Patrick, also watched but they saw more than the teachers. The teachers were looking simply for the potential. All they wanted to do was find the best and promote them; increase their strength and reach in the Other Lands.

The Students were like vultures. I was the underdog, who had no hope against Patrick, but they watched because if I succeeded, then the rumors of Patrick's invulnerability would be destroyed. If I failed, I would be the laughing stock of the entire class for years to come.

So if I'm beaten by his weakest of friends than that just makes it worse. I didn't want it to be worse. I wouldn't be able to stand the horror of all those people laughing at me. I turned back to Christina's fist as she took advantage of my distraction. An attempted duck had her knee teaching my chin a physics lesson, and my sight blurring over as I tasted blood on my lips.

Was this how it was supposed to be? Was I always supposed to take second place? Would I ever get to fight Patrick? I wouldn't let that happen. My hand slipped into the waistband of my pants, pulling out the small knife I'd stored there. I saw a brow on Patrick's face raise as he noticed what I held. The teachers wouldn't stop the fight until a clear winner was shown, so anything was allowed and Patrick could do nothing.

I knew that she hadn't had her knife training yet, so she was at a disadvantage. I saw her leg swing up and brought out my blade to intercept. I heard her cry out as it cut her deeply. This time she fell back to get away from my blade flitting back and forth, inches from her face. I could see desperation in her face, along with a twinge of something else; something I had craved from the beginning.

Fear.

Fear was my ability. Manipulation, manifestation, and projection of fear as long as it was present. Until now she had been fearless, but my knife had taught her humility and forced her to fear me. I felt drunk with power as I soaked in her fear. I felt the laughter bubble up and opened my mouth to reveal it to the world.

The sound that came out was a scream of pain. My groin felt like it had exploded into flames and Christina stood up, her boot smacking my weapon away. A loud, "Ooohh!", could be heard all around me; everyone watching shared my pain as I fell to my knees. I felt my chin bone turn to mush when the tip of her other boot slammed into it with a force I'd yet to ever feel. I sat there as the world slowed down, watching her spin slowly to use other body parts to teach me more about pain.

The laughter would start soon. I was beaten, completely destroyed by someone who had been considered weak. Even after I had my power backing me up, she still thought her way through the battle enough to redefine pain.

Why? Patrick was always a step ahead, always above the rest and making even the teachers worry. Staying with a tight group of friends who were considered the elite, and never wanting anyone else to sit on his throne of conceit.

I woke up a few hours later on a bed in the infirmary. Patrick was sitting on a chair watching me.

"Oh, good. You're okay." He smiled that high and mighty smile, "I was worried that you wouldn't wake up."

"Came here to gloat? I lost, you don't have to rub it in."

"No. I actually came here to warn you, because I used to think that you were the type to always play fair." Patrick leaned in close, his face angry, "The next time you bring a knife into a fair fight, I'm going to give her one too. Understand? You think that she was dangerous with just her hands and feet? Wait until she introduces your insides to the floor."

There was no fear in him. None. He wasn't lying, and there was no ego on his face. The silence lasted for minutes as he stared at me.

"I didn't go there to fight her." My voice was barely audible and the pain in my chin was slowly becoming more evident, as if reminding me of the lesson I'd learned, "I went to fight you."

He stood and walked to the door, "If you can't beat her, than you won't last three minutes with me." With that, he left.

Three weeks later, he was removed from the academy and sentenced to janitor duty.

171: KEEEYAH!! -Christina-

She was fast. Melissa's movement didn't even register until the bolt of sprite magic smashed into my bleeding chest. New pain surged down my arm as the cackling of magic signified her next attack was on its way. I rolled to the side trying to ignore the growing pain as her magic made my wound feel worse than ever.

"What the fuck?!", Carl yelled as the bolt of energy knocked his blade from his hand. It clattered across the floor to the other side of his huge opponent. The Abhorian laughed.

This was bad. Carl would soon fall to the Abhorian without any help and I was stuck dodging this picky flea's bites. Another bolt slammed into the floor next to me.

"Pay attention to me, not that stupid human. This is between you and me, the last of our kinds!" Melissa's magic flowed around her at an increasing rate as she powered the next attack, "Kill me angel!", she released the magic in my direction.

"My pleasure!" I spun my blade around above my head and slammed it on the approaching energy, causing it to split and fly in two different directions; one just barely missing Carl and the other harmlessly hitting the wall.

"Could you maybe not try to kill me?" Carl gasped as he dodged the Abhorian.

Ignoring his cries, I closed the distance between me and Melissa. I brought my blade around only to have it shocked from my hand by a light blast of magic. Melissa spun and swung her foot forward, catching me under my chin with a concentrated magic force.

I fell back and my vision blurred slightly. The pain from the stab and the sprite magic were making things more difficult than they all ready were. Melissa became a flurry of energy as she connected with seven more heavy hits to my face. The combination of pain and her magic made it difficult to move.

"You see, angel? We were supposed to survive. You would have all fallen to us because you're weak. A worthless creation with no redeeming features." She emphasized her point with more fairy magic, "You just sit there while I slap your life away. Like a good dog."

"KEEEYAH!!" The bear known as Vincent came out of nowhere, tackling Melissa to the floor. Melissa shot blast after blast of sprite magic, but without any life the bear was unaffected. The bear grabbed her face and rammed his knee into her stomach. I could see pain in Melissa's face though I knew the bear to be very soft. I stood to give him support but he turned and growled.

"While you were over here having a squabble with this Barbie, Carl has been fighting for his life! He may be a pain in the ass but if he dies, I'll kill you. Go help him!"

It'd never occurred to me that something so small could be so scary.

Entry 161: Voices Of The Dead Revived -Carl-

"You're a worthless son. Come over here so I can kick your genes straight!"

My Father’s voice caught me by surprise. I faltered with my attack and was knocked to the ground by a lucky piece of ham. I rolled away from an attack and glanced around quickly. He wasn't here.

"Sometimes, you just make me want to kill myself rather than deal with the shame of having you as a son."

I shook my head. Why was I remembering this now? It sounded like he was in the room, his voice even echoed off the walls. Melissa's ear moved slightly and she glanced around.

"Qaliphus? Qaliphus, I didn't mean it!", she flitted around the room, a look of confusion on her face, "I wouldn't have ever found someone else! You are my only true partner forever!"

Even the hams had stopped fighting. They stepped back, eventually fading in to the darkness again. My body was exhausted from fighting the constant onslaught of those unusual creatures. Melissa's wails for forgiveness flooded the room as she cried out for a person only she could hear. Light flooded the room as the symbols along the door lit up one by one.

"You think you're tough? If you were tough then you'd know where your brother was. If you were strong you wouldn't be tired from fighting. Worthless. Shit on the bottom of my shoe. I should have punched your Mom while you were growing inside!"

My Father’s words hit me like a punch, pulling what little energy I had left away from me. I fell to my knee as the door glowed brighter.

"Qaliphus . . . you are wrong. The parents; those horrible, horrible parents!", Melissa flew straight in to a wall in her dismay.

Christina pulled her self to her feet and by the look in her eyes I could tell she was trying to ignore a voice. The influence of that voice made it difficult for her to stand. She leaned against one of the exhibits, her breath heavy and her eyes brimming with tears.

"Can't protect anyone! Even your brother left!"

“Qaliphus . . . no . . . ", Melissa cried weakly, "I didn't tell them. It wasn't me. I'm yours for always."

The only person not affected was Vincent. He was dropped by the ham as they left and now was watching us as we reacted to something he could neither hear or see.

"I'm sorry!!!!", Christina yelled at the top of her lungs and then fell to the ground in a heap of tears, "I couldn't stop it! I tried. I didn't climb fast enough!"

"Vincent, your friends . . . they seem to be in pain. Could something be bothering them?"

The light from the door faded and standing only a few feet away was Andrew.

Entry 154: Save The Girl Who Was Trying To Kill You Earlier -Carl-

I watched her fall to her knees and cover her face. She was shaking like a leaf.

"Would you mind being a pal and concentrating on me for a moment?!", Vincent yelled at me.

"Who said I was your pal?"

"Just get me out of here!"

The hams stood almost as tall as me and had no eyes nor mouth. Their arms were thin and black like they were drawn with a crayon. Every last one held a blade of similar size as the girl who was cowering at my feet. The tallest one held out Vincent and pointed to the girl.

"You want a trade?"

"He agrees! Take the girl and let me go. We won't bother you again!" Vincent was wiggling and yelling.

Another gesture was made and I glanced at the girl, then the door. Something was very wrong here. Ham doesn't just start walking. There was something we weren't catching and maybe the girl knows.

I stepped in front of the girl, "Over my dead body."

"Are you INSANE?! She tried to kill us!"

I ignored the bear and got ready to fight. I figured this was gonna be easy. They were ham, after all.

The first came from the left. Its blade swung down to me, but I slipped backwards and the back of my fist collided with where I figured its face would be. It fell with a squeal and after several attempts to stand again, it disappeared. They came at me three at a time, their blades a deadly wall to be avoided before my kicks and punches found them.

Melissa had flown up to a statue and was enjoying the show with a smile.

It wasn't long before I realized that their numbers weren't lessening. Every time I killed one, another stepped from the shadows.

And I was getting tired.

Entry 152: Scared Of Armed Ham? -Carl-

I opened my eyes to see a small, familiar being holding the blade from cutting me in two.

"Only I can kill him, you ugly meanie.", Melissa squeaked.

"A pixie?", the over-powered warrior looked very confused, "Didn't they all die? Move away little thing. I am busy."

Melissa kicked the blade to the side and turned to wink at me. Then she flew up close to the blond and poked her in the nose.

"I won't let you touch him. He's mine to kill. Mine alone. What's your name?"

An exasperated look came over the blonde’s face, "What is with you humans? I have never seen a group of humans so difficult to deal with. Not even the Spartans were such a bothe-"

She was cut off from a loud crack as Melissa smacked her across the face. "I asked you a question."

A small welt appeared on the now angry warrior’s face, "Christina."

"Would you all stop fighting?!", Vincent’s voice came from closer to the door, "We have more important things to deal with! Ben is gone!"

Everyone turned to look at where Ben had been standing. A small puddle of blood was all that could be seen.

"Also, I don't know if any of you noticed, but we're completely surrounded by very armed and very angry pieces of ham."

I glanced around the room to find that Vincent was right. In fact, he was being held at sword point. I looked at Melissa and the blond warrior and could have sworn I saw the color drain from the warrior that had been so fearless before.

Was she scared?

Entry 150: I Fight Like A Girl? -Carl-

The door flew open after a single kick. It didn't take much of Vincent’s explanation to get us working to get out of the room. We all stepped out to an unusual sight.

All the Policemen and scientists were in pieces on the floor. Not bloody pieces, but cleanly cut and burned pieces.

"What is going on?", Ben walked toward the door.

"I have no clue. It seems we've walked in to another problem." I knelt down to look at the stump of a dismembered arm. It was a sword, a really hot sword.

"Guys, I think we have a problem.", I said as I stood up, "We should probably do what we need to do and then leave."

"You will not touch the door, or use the door in any manner. You will leave now." A dirty blond woman stepped out from behind the door as Ben approached. She stood slightly taller than Ben and was covered in leather armor from the chest down. In her hand she held a sword that seemed much too large for her to wield.

I cracked my knuckles as I headed over to her, "Ben, keep working. I'll take care of her."

"Got it." Ben started to move toward the door but was stopped by the swing of her blade.

"I don't want to hurt you. Please, back away." She looked in Ben's eyes with out a smile.

"I can't."

I swung at her, but only hit air as she leaped over my head. I dived to the left as her sword smashed down where I had been standing. Before I could get my bearings again, my chest exploded with pain as the hilt of her sword made my ribs feel like butter. Her strength was something beyond even the Gods I had faced could muster.

"What the Hell are you?!", I exclaimed as I rolled to avoid her blade.

I had been pushed in to a corner and watched as she lifted her blade above her head. It was over for me if this hit. She swung her arm down and I winced, until I realized I hadn't felt anything. Her weapon was gone and from the look on her face, she was as surprised as I was. I wasn't going to wait to figure out what happened.

My foot caught her in the stomach with a follow up to her face. She was knocked back enough for me to see Vincent dragging her weapon to the other side of the room. I jumped to my feet and swung at her face again, only to have it caught and deflected. That's when I noticed her eyes were closed.

Four hits to the chest and six kicks in the face was all it took to realize I wasn't anywhere near good enough to survive this battle, if she ever got her weapon back. My body felt like a punching bag as she grabbed my arm and tossed me in to a wall as if I weighed nothing.

"You are surprisingly resistant. Who did you train under? Aries?", she walked over toward me, her eyes still closed, "You also don't seem to fear me yet. Have humans really become so bold?"

"Why are you guarding the doorway so much? Is speaking to the dead that powerful?"

"Speaking to the dead?" She seemed genuinely confused.

I pulled myself to my feet and steadied myself, "Isn't that what it does?", I avoided an attack and missed with one of my own. This was not going well.

"HAH!" She rolled to the left as her own weapon narrowly missed cutting her in half. Vincent had somehow gotten the strength to wield the massive sword. It was a very clumsy attempt, so I reached down to take it from him but he pulled it away.

"No. I found it, so it's mine. Go find your own magic sword." He glared at me.

"You can't be serious! She's going to kill us with the way you swing that thing!"

"Are you saying I can't fight?!"

"Yeah, you fight like a girl!"

"A girl! I fight like a girl?!?! Would you like me to show you how I fight?!" Vincent puffed his chest out the best he could.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the look of confusion and annoyance growing in her face.

"Are you threatening me?!"

"Take a swing and see!"

"Fine!"

We both attacked her at the same time.

Entry 147: Darkened Skies, Opened Hearts -Saba-

The clouds came quickly and bloated out the sun with a supernatural speed as the taxi stopped in front of the museum. Ben was in there. I had to see Ben, but the feelings I was getting from this building made me hesitate.

"Oh just suck it up. You're stalling progress, you baby."

I realized it was my own voice as my feet began walking of their own accord toward the large doors. With a swift tug, I found the door choosing not listen to my commands.

"Nothing in this universe can stop me from going where I want. Get out of my way, door." I swung my hand, the door unlocked itself and swung open.

As I stepped in to the building the world got darker behind me and the door closed tightly. I probably wouldn't be able to open it again; not that I wanted to. The building was lit only by its own light. The sunlight was completely blocked by the clouds outside.

People had collected in to the large entrance and were muttering between themselves, while the security guards attempted to contact the outside world on their cell phones. They could help me.

I grasped one by their neck and lifted him above my head, "Ben. Now."

I laughed as the other guards attempted to stop my attack. I dispatched them quickly with their own weapons. They weren't dead but when they woke up, they probably wouldn't ever walk again. I squeezed the man’s neck tighter.

"I don't know where he is.", the guard spoke between coughs.

"Door Of The Dead?" He was getting on my nerves.

The commotion had caught the attention of the crowd, and they had started screaming and backing away. Most of them were small children so I paid them no heed as the guard pointed toward my goal.

"You won't be missed.", I said right before I snapped his neck. Simple security guard who will make no impact on this world; worthless really.

"Well said." I spun to see a man leaning against one of the columns that bordered the large entrance hall. He smiled as he walked up to me. It was a smile that was laced with instability and darkness. It was a smile I'd seen when I looked in the mirror.

"You should get with the others before you get in my way."

"If you're looking for Ben, then I'm all ready in your way. See, I have plans for him and his friends; plans that don't involve you interfering." His confidence was a pressure on my own. He was ruining my cool with words.

"You must not know who I am. Move." I grasped his arm and swung it to throw him behind me.

With surprising speed, he grabbed my arm and used the momentum to pull my arm behind me. A loud popping sound reached me as my arm came out of its socket. Pain flooded up my arm as he pushed me forward against the wall.

"You see, I know exactly who you are, what you are, and all your weaknesses. I used my time in the Other lands wisely. I studied up on all those around Vincent and trained for this moment. There isn't a thing you can do to me that I won't expect." With the word "expect", he smashed my face in to the stone wall.

I fell to the floor and as the world went black, I felt him grab my leg and begin to drag me toward the Door Of The Dead.

"Ben, help.", he mocked.

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.

Flashback Entry 140: Truth -Will-

"I could get in trouble for letting you in here, so don't do anything stupid." Paying the cop off didn't exactly get what I'd wanted. I wanted to be in here alone.

"I wouldn't worry, I'm just here to look. It's not everyday that twenty people are murdered by one man. What's his name?", I ducked under the police tape and stepped in to the room.

"Smith. It was horrible, not only did he kill his family, but he fed his friend with their remains."

"Tasty." We traveled down the blood spattered halls slowly. I wanted to take in everything. Beneath our feet glass crunched in a rhythm. I found myself concentrating on it to forget the smell that assaulted us.

"That's not just it. While his friend was chewing, this Smith guy skewered him. It was some of the most gruesome things I'd ever seen. Here's his room, the family killer."

I turned to a small bedroom, and the first thing I noticed was how clean it was. No blood. A single bed with a small nightstand sat in the corner, on top of which sat a bible. The room was almost completely bare, besides a small picture sitting on the bed.

"I don't think he did it."

"What killed these people? He was found with the murder weapon. He wrote a confession."

"He could have killed his family and friend, but I'm positive that he didn't kill the rest of the twenty people. First, the bed is semi-made; like someone had been sleeping but quickly got up. Also, there are no slippers or shoes."

"So?"

"Do you walk around late at night with shoes on? I certainly don't. He must have woken up and felt the need to wear his shoes."

I walked over the to the door and looked at the outside and then the inside. "There is blood all over the outside of this door, but only one on the inside. On top of that, the spatter was made when it was open, because it stretches across the door and on the ceiling."

"Meaning that something was going on when this door was opened.", the cop seemed genuinely surprised, "I was the first cop on the scene, that door was open when I got here."

"Do you see a broken window? Or other glass objects?" I knelt down and carefully lift a piece of glass with a small yellow sticker.

"Let me see.", he took the piece from me and stared at the sticker, "I know where this is from. I seen it- OW!" He dropped the glass and stuck his finger in his mouth, "Damn it."

I stared at him for a few moments, and when he didn't finish I turned back to the floor. "Something went on here and I don't think the police have all the facts."

I heard a very distinct clicking and turned to see the cop aiming his gun at me and smiling.

"Hey, whoa! Let's not get carried away."

"The sticker came from a company not far from here. OCS Industries, I think it's called."

"In what way does that make it reasonable for you to point your gun at me?"

"Guns don't kill people. People kill people."

"Shit!" I dived in to the bedroom as he fired. I slammed the door shut behind me and glanced around the room, looking for some kind of weapon.

What had I gotten myself into?

139: Punchline -Nick-

Okay, so maybe Carl doesn't die. You have to admit, I had you totally fooled. The rest of the trip was pretty dull and mundane. Crystal got us all on the ground safely, and immediately the plane was swarmed with emergency vehicles, S.W.A.T., and news vans.

We had a difficult time explaining where the terrorist was, but somehow Ben got it across to them. We tried to deny our involvement but since many people on the plane knew what we did, it was difficult to keep a lid on it.

We were interviewed hundreds of times and met with city officials who commended us on our bravery. We were hailed as heroes, though I didn't feel much like one. I had taken that man’s life with out working a way to remove the malevolent presence. What I did was right, I know that. He would have kept fighting until one of us died, and we didn't have the supplies needed to be any help to him.

We'd just gotten back to our rooms that had been completely paid for by the city and Ben immediately began to rip in to me.

"What the hell was that?!", Ben sounded angry. Carl and Crystal ducked away to another room to open their bags.

"What do you mean what the hell was that?" Somehow I knew what he was talking about, maybe the decision weighed down on my conciseness.

"You killed someone up there, and your lucky I didn't just have you turned in."

"What was I supposed to do? He was going to kill one of us; all of us. You wanted me to just sit there and let him do that? It was us or him." I stared him in the eyes and honestly, Carl and Crystal avoid my gaze, but Ben has always looked fearlessly straight in to it. It was kind of frightening, and while I didn't understand the reaction of the others, I had expected the same from Ben.

"You don't have the right to deci-"

That's when several things happened at once. A loud crashing sound was heard coming from Carl's room. The closet door swung open spilling out a young man, and a small bear burst in the bedroom door, running as fast as he could.

"You rotten little bear! I'm gonna kill you!", Carl's voice could be heard through the walls. In moments he ran in to the room his entire upper torso soaked with black ink.

The man on the floor stood up fast and held out his hand toward Ben, eyeing the animated bear as it dodged Carl's attempts at capture.

"Hello, my name is William Melahn. I'm a reporter from IWTG News." He looked at Ben's confused face with a look of mischief.

"You were in my closet." Ben didn't shake his hand.

"When you got off that plane claiming to have dispatched the terrorist, I was skeptical. Just the fact that there was no body made me wonder what your real motive was. So I hid in your closet, waiting for any kind of information."

"And?"

"And I think that the News tomorrow is going to be very interesting."

There was a smile on Will's face as though he'd just won a game.

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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Flashback Entry 114: Oldest, Youngest -Vincent-

"We can't tell which of them is infected, Vincent! We can't wait for one of them to just get behind us and stab us in the back! No, I say we kill them now, before they wake up." Andrew was right, but I just couldn't. It was my family.

At the time I couldn't tell that he was infected. If only I had.

"No.", I emphasized my point with a glare, "We do it the usual way. We wait to see if they try anything."

Andrew looked upset but put the cleaver on the butcher table, "Fine, but don't come crying to me if this all turns out bad."

It took me 3 hours to fall asleep. I don't know how long I was like that.

"Wake up."

I heard crying and when I opened my eyes I saw Andrew’s grinning face.

"Nice of you to join us, silly. I was beginning to think we'd have to start with out your sorry mug." Andrew's own special brand of slang, a mixture of old and new; laced with hidden meaning.

A glance at myself revealed that I was tied down. A glance around the room revealed that everyone was awake and tied down, except for Andrew.

"Andrew, what are you doing?"

He had the cleaver in his hand.

"I'm doing what you couldn't. I'm ridding us of the trash in order to survive."

"Andrew, they're awake. They are infected."

"Vincent, Vincent. How do we know? They are sitting there crying and afraid, but how do we really know?"

Andrew's eyes had a tint of gold; he was infected. He was free to do what ever he wanted, which probably consisted of killing my family and then me. I fought against my captor; innocent looking duct tape was the only thing that kept me from helping my family.

"Who should go first? Oldest . . . or youngest?"

"Oldest!", my Mother yelled out looking at my dad.

"Youngest!", my Dad yelled out looking at my sister.

"Andrew, we can work this out. We'll test them."

"Too late for that. I'm already curious."

"Andrew, please."

"You didn't ask me why I was curious. That's no fun at all.", his voice was seething with barely controlled lust as he looked at my Mother.

"STOP! ANDREW, PLEASE DON'T!"

"I wonder what their blood looks like."

He raised the cleaver above his head.

108: All Night -Saba-

I woke up to a heavy weight on my stomach. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw the black haired head of Carl sleeping on my stomach.

"He's been there since the surgery."

Looking to my left I saw Crystal sitting in a chair nearby. There were bruises all up and down her arms and across her face, but she otherwise looked fine. When she moved, the pain was very evident in her face. "Which one are you?"

I felt different. I wasn't having the dark thoughts I used to, but I wasn't all flowers and posies either. I was confused about myself, about everything. The last thing I remembered was both parts of me wanting to save Crystal, and then failing. Everything after was a blur of pain.

"I . . . I'm not sure.", I knew there was fear in my voice. I took a deep breath to calm down and felt pain surge through me. Looking down, it was then that I noticed the bandages over my chest, "I'm alive?"

Crystal didn't answer, instead she winced as she waved toward Carl, "I've only known them for a short time but I've never seen him act like he did after the surgery."

"He was here all night?", I watched as Crystal nodded.

"Yeah, the little cry baby couldn't get himself to move away from you."

I look to my right to see a medium sized teddy looking at me. It scratched its head, "Hi, I'm Vincent the bear."

I wasn't surprised. Nothing had been normal about me, and since being with these people the whole world seemed crazy, "Figures."

I turned to Crystal and frowned, "You look fine. I figured you would be in a bed like me."

Crystal frowned and seemed close to tears, "Well, all I had was a few bones pulled from their sockets. I was resting all night and seem fine now. It hurt though, she was moving my bones in and out of their sockets and pinching nerves."

I saw her shudder and then fall silent.

"So how long till I can get out of here?"

Vincent made no noise and Crystal looked out the window.

"Seriously, someone tell me." Deep inside I knew what they were going to say, but I had to hear it. I couldn't believe it until they said it to me.

"They tried to save you, but . . . "

"Oh suck it up and just tell her! She deserves to know.", Vincent yelled at Crystal.

I looked at Vincent, "What's going on?", my eyes were filling with tears. Something only the happy one would do, but I was so mad. It was unfair.

"Saba, you're dieing."