204: Her Scent -Sara-

"Nick, did you see her face? I've never seen her like that." The shorter one pulled himself from the floor.

"What do you expect? That bastard Patrick killed her father. When I get my hands on him . . . " The tall one was already standing. I could feel energy flowing off him, massive amounts not normal for a human.

"We can't worry about that right now. We have to find Crystal before she does something that will get her killed. We don't know how long we've been out, so she could be any-", he stopped talking as he stared at the television behind the counter.

"We interrupt our scheduled programming for an important announcement," The television blared, "Millionaire Patrick Bernauw was killed about an hour ago in a horrible terrorist attack that left 2 guards injured and 7 in a coma. A small explosive was detonated in the bathroom while Patrick was showering, and as of right now the police have no leads."

"Ben, why do I get the feeling this has something to do with Crystal?" The tall one was very pale.

"Shit. We have to get to her now." Ben thought for a second and then pointed up, "You go get Will and Kelly. We'll need the Taxi. I'm going to keep watching to see if they turn up anything. Once you get back down, we'll find her."

The tall one ran for the stairs and I stepped forward. The closer I got to these people, the stronger her scent. It was the smell of completion and I wanted it more than anything. I stepped up to the short one called Ben.

"Uh, Sir?" I tugged at his shirt, "Sir, do you know a Crystal Ferguson?"

He looked down at me surprised, "Yes, have you seen her?"

I smiled my sweetest smile, "No sir, but I want to really bad. I miss her so much."

He watched me cautiously. What had this person been through that made it difficult for him to trust a child? It didn't matter. If he got in the way then he'd die like the others.

"How do you know her?"

I grasped the corners of my dress and curtsied, "I'm her sister. Nice to meet you." I had said it just as several people, including the tall one, came down the stairs. All of the people around wore shocked faces as I looked into Ben's face.

"She . . . uhm . . . " Ben glanced at the tall one as if asking for help, "She never told us about you. She's . . . not here right now, but we're going to get her. Would you mind waiting for us in our hotel room? Where're your parents?"

"My parents went to get me lunch. They told me to find her room and wait there."

Ben turned toward one of the other people; the one with the beard, "Will, take her up to the room. We'll be waiting for you in the car."

"Ben her story doesn't add u-"

"Leave her with Saba to keep an eye on her. We don't have a lot of time." I couldn't help but notice the way he emphasized Saba. I hadn't fooled them, but I would see Crystal eventually and if this Saba person was any trouble, then I'd have no trouble killing her.

"Hey, there. My name is Will, please come with me." I took his hand and we headed up the stairs together. I could tell he was tense. He didn't trust me at all. In fact, by the way he kept glancing at me, I could tell he was trying to figure out what was going on.

We passed a soda machine as we traveled down the hallway and he looked at me, "Would you like a drink?"

"No thank you, mister. I just want to be complete again."

175: Flashback; New Found Purpose -Melissa- (by Crystal Ferguson)

My sweet, sweet Qaliphus was now dead, and all because he felt the need to save this child. A child who had no business being outside. A child who knew better than to be in the road. A child who should have been in the house, under the supervision of his parents--

The parents.

If they were more attentive, their child would not be dead. More importantly, if not for their neglect, Qaliphus would still be alive. My dream would have become a blossoming reality instead of this shattered mess before me.

I clenched my fists in anger, tears streaming down my cheeks. Filthy humans. Weren't the adults suppose to be more responsible than this? What was the point of them existing if they did not protect their younglings?

All I knew in that instant is that they should pay for their ignorance; they didn't deserve to live.

I turned my back to the freshly deceased and zipped my way up and in to the home. The parents were laughing as the remaining two children played mind-numbing video games. How infuriating.

While they distracted themselves with mindless laughter, I took the liberty of pulling out skewers from a nearby open drawer. They were a tad heavy for my size, but I managed to carry them over to the table, letting them drop with a clatter. The couple looked but quickly shrugged it off, and continued with their conversation.

I picked one skewer up and with all my might, I thrust the sharpened end in and through the adult male’s neck. The female screamed in horror as her husband collapsed, gasping for air. She bent over him, her face stricken in panic. I swooped up the second skewer and shoved it downward, repeating the process for the adult female. She too fell over, noises of helplessness gushing out from her lungs. Both husband and wife flailed from the sudden impacts. After a few minutes passed, both became silent and unmoving.

Feeling justified in my act, I immediately left the bodies behind. As I flew away from the house, I heard the cries of their children as they found the dead parents. Some day they would thank me for freeing them from such negligence. They deserved better parents than that.

As I dashed through the outside world, a boy caught my attention. I came to a stop and hid behind a nearby leaf. An adult male was yelling at him, beating him down with his own fists.

“You worthless sack of shit!“, another fist hit the child, “When in the Hell are you going to man up, boy?! Huh, Carl?!”

The man shoved him, spitting at the ground afterward. He grunted and turned to leave him there. The boy just sat there, his head hanging low.

Such treatment sickened me. Were all adults truly this evil? What in the name of all that is human did children do to deserve such consequence? To my knowledge, children were far more innocent and harmless than that of the adults. They needed someone to protect them; not hurt them.

It was then that I vowed to stop this madness at all costs.

174: Flashback; Shattered Dreams -Melissa- (by Crystal Ferguson)

On this particular day, the children were minding themselves in the living room while the parents conversed in the kitchen. Qaliphus and I were outside the home, sitting on the freshly cut lawn. The sun was high in the sky and the small breeze here and there was uplifting. Traffic was rather light, aside from the occasional, obnoxiously loud vehicle racing by on the road. It seemed as if nothing could go wrong; all was well in the world.

I still remember when he turned to me with a smile and the utter most confidence in his eyes. He knew what he wanted to say, and knew if he looked long enough before speaking a word, that I would tense up. His lips curved more when my body responded in such a way, a nervous giggle escaping my lips.

“Melissa?”, he innocently questioned. Qaliphus knew all too well how to strike my cords with ease.

I jumped a bit, “Yes?”

“I have noticed the amount of affection you hold for me.”

The tingling feelings inside of me rose, making me feel nauseous. I gulped and kept my focus on him,

“Have you now?”

He nodded, his hands gently taking mine. I felt a burning sensation in my cheeks as he and I stared in to each other’s eyes.

His face came in closer to mine, our noses just barely touching. “I must confess that I, too, hold much affection for you.”

Within that moment I felt the greatest amount of happiness. My hands squeezed at his as a true smile broadened across my features. At the time, the youngest had made his way to outside the home. It didn't seem all too important that he was outside; I was too busy soaking in Qaliphus’ words.

“Oh, Qaliphus…”, I leaned in closer, lips practically connecting, “I've waited for so long.”

Our lips made contact, my eyes closing and my wings fluttering from the new, delighting experience. Warmth embraced my very being. Pulling back; out of the corner of my eye I saw the youngest had made his way to the road, swinging a stick side to side. Why in the world was he playing there, and with a stick no less?

What happened next seemed all too surreal.

A flash of red came rushing toward the child. With out skipping a beat, Qaliphus flew to the tiny one’s side. A child’s scream curdled. Tires screeched. And then, a thud. The child laid lifeless on the road, red liquid oozing from his skull. Qaliphus was too late. The person in the red vehicle climbed out, saw what they had hit, and in a panic climbed back in and drove off; the boy’s body being left behind like a wild animal.

I flew over with haste, gasping at the true mess it made. The worst part wasn't the boy’s death. Laying next to him, with his blood spilled beneath, was Qaliphus; unmoving and limp.

It took the longest time for my dream of having him love me back to come true.

It only took seconds for that dream to shatter.

Entry 160: Ben Snaps, Blood Follows -Saba-

The sound of the shotgun pulled me from that small part in my mind that I'd receded to while the knife did its work. I looked up to see blood and brain matter splattered across the tall marble columns. The left half of Ben's body was red with the young girl’s essence. Andrew looked surprised as well, he'd stopped cutting and stood there staring at the reflection of Ben in the column I was tied to.

I could see Ben's mind crack through his eyes as they went from distressed to shocked. We all froze there for a few seconds, the only sound being the pieces of skull dropping on the floor as the blood ran down the walls. I knew what Ben was thinking, I'd felt the same when I'd made my first kill.

I watched as the horror faded, replaced by sadness. I saw him mourn for the child trying to find a way to rid himself of the sickness that had invaded him. I knew the next step, the part where he accepts who he is and realizes that his destiny had been this all along. The part where he joins Andrew in the killing. The part where he kills me.

What I saw was something different. I watched as his face went from sadness to rage. I saw the righteous anger surge through him as he realized the lack of control he'd had for the outcome. Through his eyes, like a movie, I watched him blame the person who caused the death of that young girl. Seconds had passed, but something had changed in Ben.

Glancing up at Andrew, I knew that he saw it too. Where his face had been one of ecstasy, it was now very serious. His hand gripped the knife tighter as he turned around just a little to late. The chair caught him in the chest, slamming his back in to me. Pain shot up my body and I cried out.

"How could you . . . ", Ben resolutely stepped up to where Andrew lay coughing as he tried to draw in air, "You filthy, ugly little cockroach."

Andrew grabbed for the knife he'd dropped, but Ben's foot knocked it away and then proceeded to teach Andrew’s face how to bleed with a swift kick to the bridge of the nose. Andrew slipped on the unfortunate child's blood as he tried to pull himself to his feet.

Ben grabbed the chair again and smashed it on Andrew’s back, "She was so young. She hadn't lived."

I wasn't sure what scared me more, the look in Ben's eyes or the fact that he wasn't yelling. His voice was calm as though talking to a child. There was pain and anger behind it, but it was masked with an emotionlessness that made his words sink deep in to my soul as he spoke.

Groans of pain escaped from Andrew as he tried to recover from Ben's retaliation. Ben grasped Andrew's neck and dragged him over to the motionless body of the girl and pointed to where her head had been.

"You like your work? Did you enjoy taking her life away? Did it make you feel better?"

Andrew finally spoke, "I feel no joy in her being dead. The thrill comes from the killing, but you should know that now. You are what your uncle claimed you would become. A monster, just like him, just like me, just like your frie-"

His voice was cut off as Ben shoved Andrew’s face in to the girl's stump of a neck. He pushed him against her neck until it looked like he had been engulfed. There was no way Andrew could breathe. I struggled at my captors. Ben was going to kill him.

Flashes of my past came to me, the anger I'd felt. The killing anger that engulfed me and made me what I am. The loneliness and pain that followed soon after, feelings that could only disappear with another kill. The constant need to rid myself of those feelings. It was a horrible life, and I couldn't sit here and watch as another person traveled down that dark path. I spread out my abilities and lifted the knife from the puddle of blood.

Ben's eyes were lifeless and cold as Andrew's fighting slowed down. The lack of oxygen would cause him to lose consciousness soon. I felt the ropes fall away and for once both sides of me wanted the same thing.

"Ben, stop!" I pushed Ben aside causing him to lose grip on Andrew. Andrew fell to the ground gasping for air. Ben sat on the floor unmoving, only his breath told me that he was alive.

"Thank you.", Andrew’s voice pulled my darkness out and hid my goodness away as I turned to him, "You saved me."

"You're a fool.", I snarled at him grasping the sides of his head, "I saved Ben."

Then I snapped Andrew's neck.

136: 'Birth' -Saba-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You're a dream."

"You aren't real."

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

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

"SHUT UP!" Everything disappeared as I yelled.

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

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

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

So I opened the door and stepped through.

Flashback 127: Stone Cold Dead -Carl-

"Push harder, boy! I didn't raise a weakling!"

I was a ten year old trying to carry a fridge up the stairs; two flights of stairs. John was off hiding somewhere like he always did; trying to keep himself away from our Father’s wrath. John knew that if I let the refrigerator fall down the stairs that Dad wouldn't check for broken bones. He'd just start beating on me until he got scared of killing me.

He was like that, a rough man with too much anger to hold in. So when things didn't go right, or he had a bad day, or the rain got too loud for him to tolerate; he'd turn to John and I as an outlet. I got the most of it mainly because I talked back and got in his face. Anything to keep him from beating on John.

Mom never tried to stop him, because she was busy watching soaps on the television and complaining about how many bills needed to be paid. She used to be beautiful but since we could understand what she was saying, all we heard was how if she hadn't had us then she'd be thin and beautiful. Bitch.

Bitch: I'd just learned that word the other day at school. Overheard Joshua Washington say that about one of the teachers and thought that it suited my Mother well.

As the fridge slid over the last step, I fell to the floor exhausted. I could barely feel my arms and what I did feel didn't feel good.

"Why are you laying down on the job? That's gotta go in the kitchen, you lazy brat! Where's that brother of yours? We could just let him do it. How old is he? Six? Seven?"

My brother was four and certainly couldn't handle a fridge like this.

"No, that's all right. I've got it."

I got to my feet and began pushing the large refrigerator toward the kitchen. As my Father walked away, I spotted John looking around the corner of our bedroom door.

Three weeks later, our Father was dead. The fridge fell on him, crushing his throat. The police said that it was misaligned and off balance. They said that he must have laid there unable to breathe for his last moments. That was my first run-in with death and taught me exactly what it was. I would never see my Father again.

I didn't know if I cared.

106: My Past -Ben-

The darkness of the house was pierced by my flashlight as I made my way to the basement. A blast of cold air hit me as I opened the trapdoor, making me hesitate before entering.

"Mom? Dad?", those words were unusual for me. I didn't know that I was adopted till recently. Saying those words to someone else felt different and odd, "I need to know something about my past. Something only you people would know."

Silence told me that either I wasn't heard, or that the spirits of my parents didn't care. I wasn't willing to take that for an answer so I stepped deeper into the basement.

"A while back a young girl was killed, a Saba Zahid. I know you can help me understand what happened . . . I need your help please."

"You mean Amala Zahid."

"Amala?" I turned to the form of my Mother standing to my left. She was leaning against the wall with her back, her long braid falling over her shoulder.

"Your Dad went on a trip once with you. Brought you to India to meet with a friend of the family there and take care of their problem. While there, you got into some trouble with their daughter."

"I killed her.", I felt a heavy weight on my chest and my breathing became difficult.

My Mother looked at me and smiled, "You did."

Entry 100: Make Your Place. -Saba-

Crystal's victory was short lived. Her smack only pulled an uncontrollable anger from deep within the other-me. The look of surprise was replaced with deep and seething hatred. Crystal's body was lifted in to the air by an unseen force and I could hear the sound of her bones popping out of place over her screams. Part of me was excited by the sound but some deeper, more hidden me, was in agony.

My head roared with pain as the world slowly lost its color. I hadn't eaten much but that didn't stop my stomach contents from finding their way on to the ground in front of me. The pain was excruciating, almost as though my body and mind was being torn apart from the inside out.

"You impossible wretch!", other-me’s fury could be felt in her voice. "You think you can hurt me?! You think you're better than me?! Who do you think you are?! LEARN YOUR PLACE BEFORE YOU DIE!"

Crystal's screams got louder.

"Do you like the feeling of your bones being yanked from their sockets?! Does it feel good to you??!! Young lady, you chose the wrong fight to stay for! MUAHAAHAHAHA! Did you feel that?! That was your collar bone! I wonder what will come next?! Maybe a rib!"

I hate them both. I hate them completely, although Crystal's growing on me like a wart. Ben doesn't hate her. Ben cares about all of his friends, including this girl. If she died Ben would be sad. I won't let Ben be sad. NO! The pain in my head subsided as I pulled myself to my feet.

I ran toward the meanie-me, determined to save Crystal from her inevitable fate. I had no weapons. I had no fighting experience. I was still doing it. The invisible force hit me like a train. The world spun as I was thrown back through the air. My dazed body only briefly felt the branch smash through my chest as I was pinned to a tree before blacking out.

I'd finally learned my place.

Entry 98: Two Worlds, One Pain -Crystal-

As my body hit the ground, I felt sorry I had decided to come looking for Nick. Did I really need to find him? I didn't seem to have any other issues except the unusual intelligence that I've gained. I could have just stayed with the guys and been happy. I was happy there.

I couldn't stop myself from rolling in the wall surrounding the grounds. I looked over to Saba as she brought herself in to close quarters with the other Saba. The Saba I'd come here with was no better at fighting than I was, so when she was pushed back I wasn't surprised. Saba slammed in to the wall next to me and I could hear her groan as she slumped to the ground.

She and I came from two different worlds. I had been raised by my Father to be a good girl, she just wanted everything to die. Yet, here we are, both on the ground feeling as though we'd just been hit by a truck. Funny how it didn't matter what worlds we'd come from; the pain was the same.

"Do you both give up? Seems you both can't back up your words. Oh well, you'll be dead in a few minutes.", new Saba points at old Saba, "You for existing.", she points to me, "And you for helping a failure like her."

Why did that make me mad? Had me and the Saba I knew come to understand each other better? What ever the reason, I couldn't let her do that. I hated confrontation, but how could I stand by and let her insult Saba like that? Using the wall as a brace, I pulled myself to my feet.

"What? You're angry? You actually care for that waste of space?" The more she talked, the madder I got.

"JUST SHUT UP!"

Something in me had snapped and silence filled the yard.

Entry 95: A Common Goal -Vincent-

This guy was so easy. The whole walk I had people looking at him like he was stupid. He was stupid, but I had people THINKING he was crazy. And his face? Priceless.

I knew he was tiring of my antics. I was pretty sure that you couldn't kill a teddy bear though, so I didn't care. Besides, my life was destroyed all ready. I didn't care if I could be killed. All I cared about at the moment was somehow earning back my place in Heaven; if it actually existed.

We had been walking for a while before we decided to find some car and "borrow" it. We were getting close, but it would have taken hours before we got to Crystal. The car would speed things up a bit.

It did ruin my fun though. I was stuck sitting in the passenger seat looking at the glove compartment. Carl couldn’t hide his laughter, nor did he try.

I had just lifted my head to make a degrading remark toward Carl's driving skills when I felt this static in Crystal's connection to me. Kind of like a fuzzy feeling, and yes; I do see the irony of that.

"We need to hurry. I don't care how bad your driving skills are, just get us there. Something’s going on."

I felt the car speed up as his foot hit the floor. We were going fast. It would still be ten minutes before we got there. It wasn't quick enough. We'd never get there in time.

There was no longer any static between our connection. Our connection was completely gone.

Flashback Entry 92: Saba Bernauw -Nick-

My introduction in to magic started when I was 17. I had gotten bored with all the mundane sleight of hand tricks, so I decided to look for the real thing. I wanted to make rabbits really pop out of my hat.

My search kept bringing up the same name. Bernauw. The name could be found with a toe in any kind of magic happenings. I knew then that if I was to learn of magic, I'd have to find them. So I searched.

The more I searched, the more I learned about the magic world. By the time I was standing in front of their sweeping mansion, I all ready had some impressive spells under my belt. I had planned to impress them with my skills and then have them teach me more.

I could feel the magic flow off of the house, and it didn't surprise me when the door opened of its own accord as I approached. What's more, I could barely feel the magic that caused it.

I barely stepped three feet into the door when I was met by a young woman. She was about 25 and had an Arabic look to her. Dark, black hair, olive colored skin, and she held herself with a look of royalty.

"You must be Nick Brown. I admit I have followed your search for quite some time. You are an impressive person." She seemed excited to have me in her house. It was quite a surprise.

"I am. And you are?"

"Oh, forgive me! Sometimes I just lose track of my manners. My name is Saba Bernauw. I am a spirit Persuader; class 12."

"Spirit Persuader? Class 12? I'm sorry, I've never come across those terms before."

"I should say not, I am one of a kind. I can speak directly to spirits and control ones of a lower class. It's a very limited type of magic, though it does not give off much in the way of a magical signature."

"And Class 12?"

"It means that I've honed my craft to the highest I can."

"Ah." She had led me into a large chamber where a young man sat writing on a tablet. She motioned to a chair and then left the room quickly. I realized almost immediately that this man was her husband. I swiftly sat and remained quiet.

"So, you are Nick? You look quite scrawny and give off the aura of an old woman." The man talked while he wrote.

"I'm so-"

"How ever, you have done some amazing spells for someone of your . . . age and intelligence. Therefore, I've decided to hire you. You will assist my wife on her outings and be paid accordingly. I will teach you what I know after you've proven you're worthy. That is all."

"Her outings?"

The man sighed, "Yes, outings. She loves ancient relics and some of them are fairly dangerous. Normally she could do this stuff on her own but since she became pregnant, I have decided that she needs some help. Now, no more questions; it's time for you to go."

So now I had the job I would learn to hate, just as I would learn to hate their son.

Entry 86: Disguise -Nick-

I couldn't see any other way out of this. Everything must go. I chuckled a bit as I tossed the dust into the semi-circle of runes and symbols.

I would miss the children, but that wouldn't last long. The spell would soon wipe even that memory clean. I would have to learn everything again; start from scratch. I smiled to myself as I remembered back when I had been nineteen. I enjoyed those times. It'd be good to live them again. This time I could do some good; make some different decisions.

Nineteen. I had just started learning real magic. Not the normal parlor tricks, but real supernatural magic. It'd be hard but I could help them still. Maybe avert the coming crisis. I couldn't do that if I was dead, and I had all ready prepared a protector for Crystal by botching up that resurrection spell. That was an intuitive way to use failure.

Using spells in unusual but effective ways was what I was known for. Something I'd been proud of all my life. My name instilled fear in to peoples hearts, but not for long. Soon I'd be ordinary Nicholas Brown.

I placed my hand into the dust and felt the magic flow in to me. This would keep my memories alive long enough for me to escape with my life. After that, I'd be gone.

Entry 83: Gone -Carl-

6:00 A.M. The time I was woken up by the noise of Ben and John arguing. I didn't bother yelling at them, because I knew that I would be pulled into the yelling and it'd put me in a bad mood.

On my way to the kitchen I noticed that the basement door was wide open. I guessed Crystal was bringing food to our new guest, until I noticed the lack of breakfast smell. For the few days she's been here, Crystal had been making us breakfast, lunch and dinner. How did a seven year old learn to cook so well I'll never guess, but I was always looking forward to breakfast.

Something was going on. Something that Ben and John failed to notice in they're marital bickering. I had descended half way down the stairs when I saw the open cage. Panic filled my mind. Saba has escaped, and Crystal is nowhere to be found. Shit.

A thump on my back made me go sprawling down the stairs. My head hit the floor and my vision blurred. When I turned to see who had pushed me, I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"Vincent?“, Crystal's teddy stood at the top of the stairs, its eyes filled with a milky blue light. I glanced around for a person.

There was none.

Vincent smiled, "Crystal; where is she?"

Entry 82: Alliance Forged -Saba-

Why hasn't Ben come to see me? I've been down here for hours and this cage is getting cramped. What if there are spiders? The darkness of the basement was absolute.

Slowly, a feeling of dread filled my heart. What if they forgot about me down here? I'd be stuck to live the rest of my days inside this cage. Alone and forgotten.

Just as I was thinking about how I would survive, I heard the door open and light filled the room. Even before my eyes had adjusted I knew who was standing in the doorway. The feeling of power was overwhelming, it made me want to kill it. I hated that power; that stink.

"I need answers. You and I both are flawed, and I know the only person who could help us."

"You'd better get to the point before I get tired of your babbling, or Ben's gonna have a mess to clean up down here."

"Nicholas Brown. I need you to help me find him."

"Then let me out."

Crystal opened the cage slowly, "Maybe when we find him he can help us."

I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse as I got out, "Ah, that's better."

This girl had another thing coming. This Nick guy has something to do with me losing control. He can fix it and that means goodbye me. She was going for help, but I was going for blood. After she wore out her usefulness, I would wear her skin.

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 69: Redemption -Jay-

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

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

All wrong.

Everything was wrong. It was all my fault.

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

Entry 65: Friendship -John-

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

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

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

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

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

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

We ran toward the sound.

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.