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?

Flashback 206: Humanitarian -Kelly-

"You are hereby banished from these lands for the crime of loving a human. You are to never return and your powers will be stripped away from you until I judge you worthy."

I stared at my brother's angry face and saw no change, "But . . . I'm your kin. You can't do this to me!"

"In addition, for the murder of the high priest and priestess, from this moment on no living being will be able to return you any affections. Until your punishment is complete you will spend your days alone."

Pain tore through my body as my powers were ripped away. It was like five thousand needles were inserted in to my body and then shot with massive amounts of electricity. I fell to my knees gasping for air. I grasped at air with my hands toward where my brother stood, "It was an accident. I had no idea. Please, don't."

"Kelly," His voice was cold and heartless, "it was our parents; you killed our parents. So let me tell you this plainly. I don't care if your punishment ends. If I ever see you again, then I'll kill you dead. You will NEVER have your powers back."

He stood and motioned to his guards who grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me to the portal's opening. Jason was the high priest now, having taken the spot upon the death of our Father. His wife would be the priest and I would be discarded and forgotten, a painful memory that he would force in to hiding until it became relevant. That was the way of the Succubi and Incubi. The way of my people.

They tossed me through the portal as if I were a child.

I felt the car smash in to my side and the air whooshing past as I flew in to a ditch at the side of the road. I felt the pain and knew I was injured, but being inhuman granted me a certain amount of endurance that was much higher than that of normal mortals. I would live, if I didn't move.

"Oh my . . . call 9-1-1! I hit someone!" The voice was male.

"Will . . . is she going to be okay?" Female. Probably a mate.

"Not if you don't make that call." I heard scuffles as the male made his way down the slope to me.

"It's going to be alright." He breathed, "We're getting help."

Humans were so different from my people. My people have stayed the same for thousands of years, unchanging in their habits, abilities and beliefs, but humans are constantly changing. Long ago they were too weak to battle against us, so all the prominent families had their own human settlements to feed from when needed, but now humans had grown stronger and broken away from our control. My people are heartless and cold toward a person of another species while humans had the ability to escape the confines of their raising, and show affection for someone or something different than them.

The cold of the night air was replaced by the warmth of the ambulance and then the cool of the hospital A/C. The sensations were too much and the pain was making my vision blurry, so I closed my eyes and slept.

When I awoke I was looking up at the face of the man that saved me. Beside him stood a young woman and a small child, both of them looking very concerned. The child had tears in her eyes but started smiling once I started moving.

"You shouldn't move much. The doctors say that even though you were very lucky, you shouldn't move much. You did quite a bit of damage to yourself."

"Where am I?", I glanced at the window but it was closed and the blinds drawn.

"You're at the hospital. You ran in front of my car. I thought that I'd killed you."

"What's your name?"

"Will. William Melahn."

"William." My love's name had been William as well. I expected worse to have become of him, seeing as he's the one that dealt the killing blow to both of my parents. "You saved my life. I think I owe you."

"I was the one that hit you with my car. I'd call us even."

I sat there powerless and injured, staring at the face of a man who had the name of my parents' murderer. Yet for some reason I felt calm, peaceful and safe. I felt . . . human.

I never expected to have anything to do with the Other Lands again.

200: Fatal Shadow -Unknown-

It took me three hours and twelve people to find the exact location of Patrick, and I won't lie; some of those people would have trouble walking for a while. I wasn't cutting corners. I wasn't taking chances. I knew better. You make a mistake or take a shortcut and you're dead. The only thing you can do is be one step ahead of the rest. You have to know the enemy so well that even their preference of cereal isn't a mystery to you.

I'd left them standing there staring after me. I didn't even hang up the phone. It was as though the sound of the death unlocked parts of me I'd never knew existed. An entire lifetime of espionage, and assassination flooded my mind. I knew the points on someone's body that would knock them out, cripple them, or worse. I could get to those spots before they could blink and disappear just as fast. Nothing was untouchable and as soon as I put my sights on a target, nothing could sway my gaze.

I wasn't a meek girl anymore.
I was the seven year old bringer of death.
I was a fatal shadow.
I was the eyes you always feel on you.
I was what made you hesitant to go into a dark room unarmed.
I was Crystal, and I was very, very mad.

Guards were nothing; just targets. They didn't last long enough to be surprised. There were three at the front doors. I always used the front door, because I wanted to spit in the face of my target's security. I wanted them to know when I arrived so that I could easily earn the quivering fear that I deserved to be shown. I left the gun where they laid and instead grabbed a single grenade as insurance. It's not that I didn't know how to use a gun. I could disassemble them in seconds and put them together just as fast. I had a killer's aim, but that was no surprise. I didn't pick them up because I wouldn't need them.

They wouldn't see me.

A group of seven heavily armed men flooded down the hall where I had been just earlier. They knelt to check the status of the door guards. Alive. I needed them to remember me. I needed them to fear me. I needed everyone in this place to know they weren't safe if they crossed me.

I came down like a spider from my hiding spot in a small nook on the ceiling. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. A single touch and every last one of them would be in a coma for a week. I left the pile of bodies near the door as I made my way deeper into the interior of the building.

I slipped into a room as I heard a voice coming closer. John. My friend working for the wrong side, so he wouldn't get special treatment. Open the door to the face, and a single jab to one of those special places I knew of. He fell like a brick. Not coma, but he'd be out long enough for me to complete what I'd come here to do. I disarmed him just in case. During the time I'd known him he'd done some very surprising things, and there was NO way I was going to underestimate him. Jay and Tim were all that was left to make a move, and the only person that had seen me was Tim. He probably saw my entrance in the video feeds.

After taking John down I turned to the nearest camera and waved.

Jay would be in the library, and Tim in the control room. Simple.

Jay's face felt the heel of my foot before the world went dark. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. I left the library and made my way to the showers; Patrick would be there unaware of my coming.

The doors to the bathroom were closed and locked, but a hairpin and thirty seconds later that obstacle was gone.

Patrick wasn't human, that much I was aware of. I wouldn't be able to rely on the normal means to do him in. He was also very experienced, and had probably had many assassins try to take him out. He would be ready for me and that wasn't something I could stop. We were in his territory, so I was all ready at a disadvantage. I had to switch it around. I had to change the field of battle so that it fell in my favor, or at least evened the odds.

I closed my eyes and counted to forty, all the while I could hear the shower running around the corner. I could hear his whistling as though he had no remorse or guilt about what he'd done. It drove me mad. I hit forty, turned off the lights, and opened my eyes.

I had already adjusted to the dark so getting to Patrick in his surprised state was simple. My fist said hello to his nose with a crack loud enough to cause my ears to ring. I jumped back as he swung blindly in the dark.

"Who are you?! Where are you!?", he yelled angrily as he tried to hit me.

I silently moved behind him, ignoring the heat of the shower water as my knee crashed into the small of his back.

Patrick went down to one knee faster than I'd expected. I figured that he'd be some kind of monster like the ones we'd faced before. I didn't even fathom that he could possibly be simply human.

"Attacking someone in the dark is pathetic! Attack me to my face you pathetic fool!" His face was fuming, as angry as I could get it.

"You didn't attack me to my face. You went after my Father. You are the coward!"

Even in the dark I could see the blood drain from his face. He hadn't even thought that I would be capable of coming after him. He didn't even think I had it in me to make a one man assault on his badly guarded fortress. It was breathtaking to watch his anger swiftly change to a worried uncertainty. I watched his mind put the pieces together by reading the small changes on his face. A small look of guilt slid over his face and then vanished into anger again.

"You." He stood to his feet, and as I watched him he seemed to gain more confidence, "You killed the only human in this horrible world that I actually cared about. You took Saba away from me, so I went straight after the only people that I could to make you feel my pain. Do you? Do you feel the horrific feeling of loss like I do? After my employee finished his work, I called him and do you know what he told me?"

I could feel my anger growing as he started to explain his actions, as though he was justified in killing such a kind and innocent person.

"He told me that he missed." I felt my heart skip a beat, "He said that he had to sit there and watch your father choke on his own blood for half an hour before death."

My anger erupted with a ferocity I had never felt before. My foot was on his chin, followed by the heavy thumps of my fists bruising his chest, knocking him out of the showers and closer to the door. He tried to retaliate, but the lack of sight made his swings ineffectual and pointless. He leaped through the door, crushing it to the ground. He was moving toward the light so he'd have a better advantage, but I was right behind him.

Before he even got back to his feet I was there, leveraging his weight to catapult him back into the showers where he collided into the wall with a crunch of linoleum. I pulled out the grenade as I moved to the door. My finger yanked the pin as I smiled at his very surprised face.

"WAIT!" Patrick's voice made me hesitate, "Wait. If you let me live, than I can help you."

"Now who's pathetic? Can't you just at least die as something other than a cockroach? Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this.", I prepared to toss it.

"No. I can tell you how to bring Vincent back."

Patrick had earned some more time.

197: Completion -Sara-

Incomplete. I was incomplete. I must become whole again, but to do that I'd need to find all the pieces. I could see them all around me everyday as I moved through this place. I was in pieces and slowly I would collect myself to become one again.

"Mister?" She was small, but she had a piece, "Are you okay? You look sick. I think you're bleeding."

She was right, I was bleeding. These vessels weren't strong enough to contain me and would eventually explode. Even after I leave them, the strain is too much and it usually kills them. Such fragile beings. If I could find a stronger vessel than this it would be much easier, less murderous. I didn't want to have to kill these creatures, but I was incomplete. I needed to be whole again.

Adding a new piece calmed me for a time, until I felt the gnawing urge for completion again. I felt it now as I looked at the young child in front of me. Why was she alone? Where was her guardian? Those questions quickly became irrelevant as the need overcame me. I began to detach myself from this vessel, allowing small amounts of their free will come back as I reached out to the little girl.

First I released the pain, so I didn't feel as the vessel's chest slowly split open. I watched the girl's eyes go wide as the blood spilled onto the ground. She turned to run but I was too fast. My arm whipped out, clipping her on the side of the head and she crumpled to the ground. I turned to the alley wall and coated my hand with blood.

After I retrieved the next piece, I couldn't be sure what I would remember. I had to leave myself a message, telling me what to do next. Direction was what I would need if I was to survive. I couldn't allow myself to be caught, but what should I do next?

I searched the vessel's mind for the part I needed, and began melding it to me. I had to get this piece before I leave. It would be many, many months before I found this specific piece again. As I finished, I learned where I needed to go next.

Soon my defense mechanism would kick in, and I would not remember anything for a long time. I had to give myself direction. My hand slid along the wall as I wrote the words and immediately after finishing, I released myself completely and flowed into the girl. The old vessel was too far gone to scream and as my memory faded, I watched his body explode.

My eyes roamed over the words as I began to lose consciousness.

"Find Crystal Ferguson."

I could taste the next piece already.

163: Emotional Instability -Crystal-

The creature's tongue slowly pushed me down, deeper in to the darkness as my lungs screamed for air. The muscled throat kept me from struggling as my body methodically slid down its gullet.

I was a horrible person for treating Nick like that, and now all he would know was how much I'd hated him. No chance to apologize; no chance to be friends.

Maybe I deserved this. I was supposed to be dead so many times but I kept being brought back, but for what? I was worthless and powerless. I led with my emotions and what I thought was right, with out ever caring about the people I might be hurting in my pursuit of justice.

First it was Peter, destroyed by my inability to just let him have what he wanted. He was one of the many zombie children that had fallen to my hand. Then, Saba had been dragged in to my madness and we'd both nearly been killed. It didn't end there though; because of my stupid actions, everyone was stuck inside this building where they could be captured, injured, or worse.

Perhaps, this was all I was here for. Only here to make everyone else around me fall apart. My own Dad. I'd never reunited with my Dad. I felt the tears come and I opened my mouth to scream, only to be soundless because of the lack of air. This whole time I'd kept away and tried to go on, scared of being shunned. I'd never thought about how my Father could be taking the loss of both his wife and his daughter.

"You bastard!" Nick's voice was so close that it took me by surprise.

Just give up Nick. Just leave me here to rot away. Go help the others.

"Give," I felt the creature shake, "her," another shake and an intense heat, "BACK!!"

Heat, like nothing I'd ever felt before surrounded me, and I could feel air rush past me as the beast screamed in pain.

Why? Why keep fighting for me? I'm not worth all this. Everyone else is more important. Why would you want a monster like me?

"Crystal!" I felt a hand grasp my ankle and my body slide backwards back toward its mouth, "Don't you die! We aren't done arguing yet!"

The world exploded in to light as I was met by a surreal vision. Nick had one foot between the teeth of the creatures bottom jaw and his hand pushing the mouth open. Behind him I could see several people looking on in surprise, including Will.

Nick smiled at me as he lifted me out of the mouth and pulled me close, "Crystal, are you okay?"

Wiping tears and saliva away from my eyes, I turned to look at the creature that had grabbed me. Lying on the floor was a massive beast resembling a cross between a lamp shade and a T-rex. Its skin was sizzling and burned so bad that it hung in places.

I turned to Nick, "I'm sorry."

I felt his arms wrap around me and I started to cry.

111: Things Calm Down -Ben-

It's been three days since Saba came back from the hospital. The doctors told her she only has a couple more weeks left to live. Two days since John called to tell us that he wasn't coming back. That didn't go over well with Carl; he keeps yelling about betrayal and brotherly trust. It's been ten minutes since Crystal screamed when she opened the front door. Life just never gets boring around here.

"So, you're a warlock?"

"In training, yes.", the infamous Nick Brown sat in front of me smiling.

"And you want to work for me?"

Nick was too distracted because Crystal had just walked in with his fifth cup of coffee. I'm not kidding; four cups in less than ten minutes. I was shocked he wasn't bouncing off the walls, but I figured he probably needs the energy to control his magic.

After he downed the fifth cup he began to speak, "See, normally I'd go find someone more magically inclined; no offense, but when I was instructed to come here- I don't know how I got to this time, and seeing as Warlocks can not time travel-"

Crystal sat down, "Why not?"

"Oh, well, as far as I understand, a warlock gives off a specific signature; almost like a fingerprint. The only difference is that this "fingerprint" is a way to keep our magic from getting out of hand. If two warlocks appeared having the same fingerprint, then the oldest one wouldn't survive."

"So you can't go back in time because there would be another you? What about going forward?"

"The fingerprint is transferred to another person with the capabilities to be a warlock when you die, so no future travel either."

Crystal nodded, "Those are stupid rules."

"I didn't make them and apparently neither did nature. An old and very powerful warlock made the fingerprints long ago to stop two exceptional warlocks from messing with the time line. Again, I really don't know all the details; just enough to keep me from trying."

"You were saying?", this guy is the all powerful warlock that Crystal told me about? I glanced over at Crystal while I waited for him to respond. Did she hit her head?

"Oh, right. So I found a letter addressed to me and written by me, with instruction to come and find you. I don't remember writing it, but I wouldn't have written it with out a reason."

"How long have you been training? What do you know?"

"Well, I know some weak offensive things and a few healing spells."

Nick pointed to a scrape on Crystal’s knee, probably from the crazy events of a few days ago. Within seconds the scrape was gone.

"All right. Well, we don't have a room for you, but you can sleep in the living room for now. When I need you, I'll call for you."

"Just as long as this place doesn't have cockroaches."

110: Intuitive Ways -Nick-

I couldn't kill Jay. I mean, I could; but I didn't want to. So I went easy on him and when I saw him slip around the desk, I was completely surprised. I closed my eyes and relaxed as the cool metal touched my skull and soon everything went black.

It's not cheating if it's planned before-hand, right? I mean, living to see another day was important. So important in fact, that I had to lose everything I'd learned. Everything that I'd worked on would be gone in this instant.

I thought back to just before I had confronted Jay. I had written instructions on a paper and stuffed it in my pocket. I am a complete genius. Swung in like an angry goblin but I'd been prepared.

I woke up in a puddle of my own blood surrounded by people. The sun shone through the windows and Jay was nowhere in sight. Jay-who? The last of my memories slipped away as I stood.

"Are you okay, boy?"

"I think so.", I touched my throbbing head. Feeling no cuts, I breathed a sigh of relief, "Where am I?"

My name is Nicholas Brown and I am a warlock in training.

104: Sexual Tension and Family Values -Crystal-

"Now back to you." There had been no stop in the pain as Saba made the failed attempt at saving me. I still float there above the ground, screaming in agony as my bones did things they weren't supposed to. My clothes were drenched with sweat, vomit, and other bodily fluids better left not said because of my body’s attempt to stop the pain. I wasn't sure how I was awake.

"See, that is your fate. Nothing you do can stop the next few moments and even if you could, I'd just hunt you down.", evil clone Saba spread her hand out in front of her, looking at her fingernails, "I'd kill you, but I think it'd be more fun to let you squirm. I know that killing you wouldn't be fun, but playing with you first . . . Mmmm."

The unseen force pulled me close. Saba reached over and gently caressed my neck. She leaned her mouth near my ear and giggled, "I want your blood all over m- "

My body hit the ground hard, but the pain was nothing like what I had just endured. I felt my body being lifted by strong arms and when I looked, I saw Carl moments before my vision gave out.

That's when I finally learned my place.

Flashback Entry 87: Against My MO -Vincent-

The straps tightened around my arms, legs, and head. I couldn't move from my seat and even if I did, there were two heavily armed guards just waiting for a reason to take me down. I wouldn't though. I deserved this.

I couldn't hear exactly what the priest was saying, but that's probably because the warden paid him to mumble. The warden knows how religious I am. Maybe I shouldn't have let my fist rid him of his front teeth on my first day here.

Finally I heard the words, "Vincent Smith, I hereby sentence you to death for mass murder of Lily Smith, Denise Smith, George Smith, and Andrew Berthiaume."

The name filled my body with pain at the memory. It wasn't as painful as the thousands of volts of electricity that went scorching through me next. As my brain melted, everything went black. I felt as though I was floating in space.

It was a surprise; I was expecting the flames of Hell.

"Vincent Smith. You were wrong." Oh, how I hate voices from nowhere. Luckily the voice was matched to a young man floating nearby. He was wearing a suit and smiling. I instantly hated him.

"I was wrong?"

"You spent your entire life believing that there is a God when there isn't. I hate to be the one to tell you."

"Then who are you?"

"I am a morality agent. My name is Nick Brown."

"What's a morality agent?"

"I'm the person who decides whether you deserve a second chance. You, are lucky enough to have earned it."

"I've earned nothing. Do you know what I did? I killed my family and a friend. I killed them with my bare hands. I killed them INTENTIONALLY. I watched them take their last breaths. Even if God isn't real, I'm sure who ever runs this place thinks that I deserve to burn for all eternity."

"That is why you'll have to earn back your life."

"How do I do that?"

"You'll be sent back in a temporary vessel to protect someone. When you've done enough, I'll return you to your former body."

"Do I have a choice?" I didn't want redemption. I didn't deserve to be saved. It was my fault that I was even here.

"If you choose not to do this, I will send you back to when you did that awful deed, and make you watch it over and over again. I'm not going to ask twice."

"FINE! But this is completely against my MO.", I was furious. This little jerk had spit my beliefs at me and is keeping me from my punishment. I don't deserve a second chance.

"Good."

My body began to move rapidly toward a bright light. In the middle of which sat a young child. I felt my body merge with hers and the pain was unbearable.

To my left I heard that annoying voice again, "Great Father Salarcthus, capture this soul within the ritualistic vessel!"

I saw the girl disappear and a teddy bear take her place, "AWW FU-!"

Entry 80: Panic sets in -Ben-

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

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

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

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

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

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

Entry 76: Awakening -Jay-

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

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

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

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

"Who are you?"

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

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

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

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

"Why me?"

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

"I won't hurt them."

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

"Who?"

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

"What do I call you?"

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

Entry 75: Uninhibited -Carl-

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

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

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

"She is one CRAZY . . . "

"She just needs help.", Ben interrupted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I shut the light off and closed the door.

Entry 69: Redemption -Jay-

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

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

All wrong.

Everything was wrong. It was all my fault.

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

Special Entry 63: Nick -Crystal-

"I'm sorry."

I was floating in blackness, completely alone.

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

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

"I'm dead?"

"I'm sorry."

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

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

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

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

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

"Who are you? Are you dead?"

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

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

Special Entry 61: It all goes dark -Crystal-

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

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

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

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

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

Entry 60: Flaws in human thought -Ben-

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

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

"Do you know Alex?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Entry 48: Finally -Ben-

After a long wait, we finally have a new case. Earlier today, Jay ran in the house yelling that he'd found us a new case. Apparently there is a Minoan Snake Goddess living in a nearby railroad tunnel that has been feasting on missing children. Now, my first reaction when hearing we'd be taking on a snake goddess, was one of surprise.

Carl was the one to meet my protests, explaining that most beings once thought of as Gods and Goddesses have since lost much of their power due to the lack of sacrifice. Some times one will try to get some sacrifices, but most have fallen into the groove of the new sacrifice-less era. They are no stronger than most demons . . . with out the sacrifices. With the sacrifices they are something different all together. Carl got silent and John busied himself with some papers.

Jay just got more excited and began to throw down papers and news reports; many of which you will see in a post soon to come. He started blabbering about how this creature was dangerous and needed to be put down. Something about legions of the undead rising and sacrifices. My interest wavered. Something about Jay just made his words seem so unimportant.

Maybe it was Minoan Snake Goddess.

Entry 45: Not strong enough -Carl-

Luck. That's the only thing that got me out of that room. My brute strength was nothing compared to that spirit. It threw me around like a rag doll and then beat me into submission. I was not strong enough, but I'm working on that. I've been training non-stop and, while it is making me a little testy, I will have the strength to protect them next time.

I think it's time that I told you what happened to Alex.

It was our first case, not that we knew it at the time. Our friend Alex was having dreams about something called Moloch. Eventually we found out that it was a beast once worshipped as a sun God. With a little research and some asking around, we found that Moloch was going to sacrifice the entire town to get his strength back. While I was trying to get people out of the town, John and Alex were planning something completely different; an assault. They were set on stopping this creature from taking so many lives. I tried to talk them out of it, but in the end I went so that I could possibly get one of them out alive. It was down to the wire and everything looked grim. Then Alex realized the secret to destroying the beast and gave his life to do so. John tried to help him. I knew the score though; if he'd helped Alex, everything would be lost. I held him back. I endured his screams and punches while Alex burned away in to nothing. God, I can still remember the screams. Alex cried for help, and I held John back.

Since then a gap has opened between my brother and I, because of what I did. I think John understands why I did it but it still hurts. We decided to go out looking for things like Moloch and destroy every last one of them because of Alex. We'll make them all cinders so that no one else will ever have to go through what we went through.

Being with out a case gives me time to train. I've spent most of my time outside.

Entry 43: Sweeping up the cookie crumbs -Ben, Carl, John-

 --------------------------------------------Ben---------------------------------
"I know how to stop all this."

They turned to me in surprise. I guess none of them realized I was up.

"Dude, calm down." Carl's voice was rife with caution.

"Let's sit down and talk about it." John was inching toward the nearest thing that could be used as a weapon.

"What's wrong with you guys? You're acting like I'm gonna attack you. I know for a while my delirium made me think of you guys as enemies, but I really feel fine now."

They visually became less tense. Carl kept his eyes on me though. Jay walked over to me with a pile of papers. He was tall and his hair looked like it was covered in grease to keep it straight.

"I was doing some delving and I've found some adoption papers. I guess the rumors were wrong, they didn't have a daughter; they had a son."

I was understanding him and I think my face showed it because he continued, "The son survived and was adopted . . . "

"So he's alive today?"

"Ben, he was adopted by the Wiltshire family. Your family."

My legs gave out and I found myself in a chair that had been dragged over by Carl. This whole time I'd thought that my parents were my real family when they hadn't. I knew I was an only child, so it had to be me. My real name was Benjamin Ashford.

"Oh my God. I never knew. That's why I have the book, that's why this all is happening to me."

"We'd figured out as much. We haven't gone to take care of the problem, because you were possessed. I'm guessing you're not now?", Carl was very straight with me.

"No, I don't think so. I did how ever get to speak to our infamous Mr. Giggles. All that's happened is because he needed to complete some unfinished business."

I relayed what happened in my dream to them and was greeted with loud sounds of sudden understanding.

"That explains a lot." Carl seemed very happy that all the events were coming together.

"So let me get this straight," John piped up from nearby, "Oliver is one of the children that Mr. Giggles, aka. William Schermerhorn, had tried to kill?"

"Yes."

"And he was trying to reach a certain number of children bones in the well? How ever, Oliver killed him just before dieing himself, which put a damper on his plans."

"Exactly, so he possessed Wilson Ashford. How ever, before he could get complete control, Wilson was captured in a room; the room with all those symbols. Which, I think, trapped the spirit in there as well; at least until the symbols slowly faded. Then the spirit was released, so he attempted to get someone to move the bones to end his torment and let him pass."

"Which is you." I'd almost forgot Jay was there.

"Apparently."

"Then let's go." Carl was all ready headed out the door. I grabbed my coat and followed the rest of them out. We all piled into my car and headed to the Ashford house.

When we arrived, dark clouds had covered the sky, making the house look foreboding. We could all feel the danger, but we had no idea why. I was the only person who knew where the bones were. I was the first to the bathroom, but there was something all ready there. A man I didn't recognize stood in the way.

"You mustn't go any further. You need to stop helping him." The man began to fade.

"Who are you?"

"You know me as Wilson. Your father."

I pushed aside my curiosity and began to kick at the wall. By the time the others had arrived, the apparition was gone and a door was revealed. That's when the building began to shake.

A voice filling every area of the house and our minds made us all freeze as the house shook, "Leave now! You don't belong here. You are all evil beings."

We all heard Carl yell as he is thrown backwards into a room. The door slammed as John ran over to help him. No matter how much John screamed and pounded on the door, it never budged.

I ignored the commotion and pulled open the door. The smell that sprang out to me made me sick instantly. I was lucky I was in the bathroom or I would have made a mess on the floor.

--------------------------------Carl---------------------------------------

Since we all experienced what went on in the house, Ben wants us all to write. Most of what happened to me while I was in that room, so I'm going to focus on that.

After the door shut, the room went very dark and silent. I knew John was pounding on the door but it was far off, like miles away. I stood and took my usual stance, prepared to fight any thing that came at me, but I wasn't at all expecting what they showed me.

It was Alex. He came out of the shadows toward me.

"You."

"Alex? What, what are you doing here?" My strength had been sucked away by the sight of him.

"You could have saved me, but you didn't. You could have stopped me, stopped your brother but you were weak, pathetic, . . . human."

"I tried but neither of you would listen. I tried." I'm a tough guy. I won't hesitate to admit that there may have been tears, but I don't remember very well.

"You tried? You gave in at the mention of people dieing. You could have let them die to save me, aren't your friends worth that much? I didn't have to die, you caused it all. It's your fault, all your fault."

He kicked me in my ribs and I took the hit; I couldn't look at him. He was right. I didn't stop them. I had let him die.

---------------------------------Ben--------------------------------------

I grabbed the bones and ran past John and Jay, who stood looking at each other outside. There were words being thrown back and forth but I ignored them.

----------------------------------John--------------------------------------

My pounding was getting me nowhere. I had to try something else so I turned to Jay.

"Jay, help me. We need to get him out."

"He can handle himself. Not like you, you are always in his shadow. You will never amount to him."

Maybe this house had me wired but I just couldn't take that. So I swung, hitting Jay squarely in the jaw. He didn't flinch and my punches aren't weak. Something was going on, and it was affecting us all. This confused me. If the spirit wanted us to help him, why was he trying to stop us? It didn't make any sense.

"Your violence proves my words. You are never going to amount to him; ever. Even Alex saw that you were weak. That's why he gave his life to save you. He knew your weakness and didn't hate you for itm and what did you give him? Death. He died for you. You will never amount to your brother and will always be in Alex's debt."

Possessed or not, he was NOT going to talk about me and Alex like that! When I swung this time . . . he went down.

--------------------------------Ben-------------------------------------

I ran outside the house and made my way to the well and tossed the bones over the side. The man appeared again.

"You fool. Now William will be unleashed. My brother will be alive again."

"Your what?"

"My brother was an evil man. He kidnapped children and kept them in this very house till they were filled with despair, and then he butchered them. He died and haunted me, eventually possessing me. He made me kill my child. Eventually my wife and I got wind of his plans and I was locked up in a room to contain him. My wife watched over me while taking care of our newborn, but she was stricken with an illness and by a streak of luck the baby was found. That's you, Ben."

The ground started to crack around me, which is when I realized I had been duped.

------------------------------------------------Carl----------------------------------

He just kept hitting me and I did nothing to stop him. I could have stopped him from jumping into the pit but I didn't. Instead, I held John back to allow Alex to jump. I allowed that to happen.

"I have waited for years to exact my revenge on you. I regret saving you."

"Please, just forgive me. Please!" Every thing was doused in darkness besides me and him. He hit me again and I could taste the blood on my tongue.

------------------------------------------------John---------------------------------

"He's in there laughing at you. He can see how much trouble you’re having and wants you to die because of your weakness."

I know that Jay can be cruel sometimes, but never like this. Sadly, there was no denying that I was on the ground and he wasn't. I pushed myself to my feet, trying to get a bearing on him, but my vision suddenly blurred.

"Jay, I'm warning you. You'd stop if you knew what was good for you."

The fist came out of nowhere and I was thrown into the wall.

"Alex hates that he died for you. He hates you."

I clenched my fist and swung.

--------------------------------------Carl---------------------------------

"HAAARRRRRAAAAAHHHH!", I screamed as I leapt toward Alex. I wasn't going to die here whether he was right or not.

"Now you mock me by fighting." Alex slapped me aside easily.

"I will not let your sacrifice be in vain, so I will fight even you to make sure I live." I hit the ground and rolled into the door.

"Life is that important? You'd be willing to deny your dead friend’s last request just to stay alive?" The image of Alex slowly changed to that of a young woman.

I stood on shaking legs, "He died to make sure we would live. The only way to repay that is to keep my brother and I alive for as long as I can. His name is something you should be careful to mock."

"You are exactly the type of people I want my son to be associated with. I will leave you now, and I hope you find peace."

I turned and smashed through the door. My brother needed my help.

-----------------------------------------John-------------------------------

The door next to us burst open and Carl smashed into Jay with such power, that he was taken through the wall next to us.

"Carl, I think Jay's Possessed! Don't hurt him too much." I tried to get him to hear but my voice barely rose above the wailing that had started.

I could hear the wet smacks as Carl swung fist after fist into Jays face. The only thing that made him stop was Jay crying out as he was released from the possession.

--------------------------------------Ben------------------------------------

"You mean to tell me that this whole time you've been trying to keep him from succeeding?"

"Why do you think so many ended up dead? We couldn't let him possess them so we had to either kill them or scare them away. I used my knife and my wife contracted her fatal disease. We couldn't kill you though, so instead I gave you my book and hoped that you'd figure it out before this. I was wrong."

"What's going to happen then?" The symbol of Ghat appeared around the well and then disintegrated right before my eyes. My Father’s image was blasted away. I turned to face the well just in time to see a charred hand grasp the edge.

"Thank you, my good Ben, for helping me achieve greatness." There stood William Schermerhorn, my recently revealed uncle; his body charred and cracked but very much moving.

"You tricked me!"

"I was hoping for immortality, but since I was dead, I guess I'll have to settle for alive." He stepped down from the well and made his way toward me, "Now we can go across the country collecting children for your immortality. Wouldn't you like that Ben?"

"You're sick and I'm nothing like you."

"Nothing like me? I killed children, your father killed them and you will too. It's only a matter of time. So let’s cut the chase and just start now. I have this whole new life ahead of me to teach you my ways."

I reached down and grabbed a rather large stick that had fallen from a nearby tree in all the craziness, "I will never take a life."

"You want to kill me right no-" His sentence was cut off in the middle as his head was cut clean off with an axe.

"Maybe he does," Carl laughed, "But I will actually do it." Nearby stood John, who was holding up a very beaten Jay.

The winds died down and we all turned toward the road.

"So that's it?"

"I think so. William is hopefully rotting in Hell and the other ghosts don't have any reason to kill again. So I think it's over."

"Dude," John motioned for my attention. As I leaned in he looked me straight in the eye and said, "your parents suck."

Entry 41: Page 15 -Carl-

You've got to commend Jay's ability to find things people have covered up. His search has found an old police record and a copy of the adoption papers. Turns out that Ben's last name isn't Wiltshire. It's Ashford. Can you guess the surprise we had when we found that Ben is related to Wilson? The police record tells of an infant found in a crib next to a dead Dorothy Ashford. The child was put in to an adoption agency that burned down soon after Ben was adopted.

Ben is still sleeping. This possession is taking every thing out of him. Still, while he's sleeping, we had another good look at the next page of the book. I'm beginning to suspect that maybe Wilson has possessed Ben. We won't know till he wakes up.