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?

186: Message Through Time -Will-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But how had she known?

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

I could still feel the tears.

And the hate.

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.

173: Flashback; The Sweet Escape -Melissa- (by Crystal Ferguson)

We had to leave our home land behind, the Other Lands, in order to ensure our survival. Many of the Gods longed to end our existence. We were the last of our kind. Staying there would only bring inevitable death.


Qaliphus and I decided to settle in to this world; the world of humans. Here, we would be able to hide from the Gods. Here, we could bloom a whole new life together. Knowing this filled me with tingling feelings.


To share a life with Qaliphus that did not dwell around constant fighting was a pleasant thought for me.


He had great skill behind him, but he also possessed a softer side; one that didn't show too often. He was a warrior first and a friend second. We had mutual respect for one another’s power; though the feelings I had for him were overwhelming. Sadly, his feelings were not the same when it came to me. Oddly enough, I was okay with this. After all, I still had the pleasure of keeping him by my side. As long as he was there, I was perfectly content. Oh, Qaliphus…


Upon our arrival to the human world, he and I came across a seemingly loving family. There were two adults and three children. The oldest of the children was ten, the middle child to be six, and the youngest was four. All young enough to be able to see us. Of course, the parents were unable to see us. They never had contact with our world to have such privileged sight. At least they didn't question their children; the parents just thought it was their children’s imagination at work when the topic of Fay were brought up. Either way, we settled in rather smoothly with the humans.


The children took to us quickly, filled with much awe that creatures such as Qaliphus and I existed. Every now and again I would simply observe as he played with the three boys. He played hide and seek or tag, told stories of great triumph, and would some times pull a prank or two on them. They would laugh in delight from his shenanigans. It warmed my tiny body and brought a smile to my face to see such interaction. This was the side of Qaliphus that I adored the most. He might have had the will to kill in an instant, but his will to bring happiness was far more astonishing to me.


As the weeks passed, my love for Qaliphus began to grow all the more. I had never felt more happy in my entire life. Qaliphus and I were closer than ever before, or at least that’s how it felt to me.


I longed to be able to forever keep him by my side; to love him unconditionally.




Fate decided otherwise.

Flashback Entry 164: Things Before -Andrew-

The whip tore into the skin of my back as the hooded man laughed at my silent screams. When I finally got my voice back I tugged at the binds and yelled at him.

"Please! Just let me go! I didn't mean it. It wasn't my fault! Oh God, I'm so sorry Vincent. So sorry."

The hooded man knelt down in front of me and I could tell he was sneering at me as he spoke, "He can't hear you. No one can. You're stuck with me for eternity, and no amount of screams is going to change that. It's not like he cares about you anyway, you're a monster. A blackened pit of sick that deserved what you got."

My head fell and I felt tears flow down my face. The soothing wet was soon replaced by searing pain as they rolled over the hundreds of cuts and bruises all over my face, "Please."

The snap of the whip reminded me of what my words meant. Nothing. As the torture continued, I fell back into that part of my mind that keeps me safe. The part of what things were before.

My thoughts faded to a darkened bedroom. I was watching her sleeping peacefully, happy that my life had gotten this far. Everything had fallen into place, and I'd just gotten a great job working with a good friend. I leaned down to brush a lock of hair from her forehead, and laid a kiss on her beautiful, pale skin. She was going on 7 and was the most important thing in my life since her mother died.

I walked to the door and took one last look before closing the door. I made my way into the living room where Vincent sat ready to kick my ass in Soul Calibur.

"She's sleeping?" He handed me the controller.

"Yeah, she took it hard when her mother died, but I think she's finally moving forward. Stephanie would have been proud."

Vincent smiled a sad smile and nodded toward the video game screen.

"Wake up, you stupid piece of worthless air!" Hooded man's voice came flooding through my thoughts, tearing me away from a time when I was completely happy. I looked up at him feeling the rage in me grow.

"You need to stay awake while we tear off your skin."

I knew I belonged here. My sins had been too great.

Hell hath fury.

Flashback Entry 157: Janitors -Christina-

"You'd be surprised at how frail you actually are. Your kind sits above everything, looking down at all the humans below as if you're better."

Mardockt knelt and grabbed some grass. He twirled it in his fingers and its green turned to brown as the plant died instantly.

"You aren't though. You can die just like any other mortal, it just takes a little more force. You call yourselves Gods! You cannot even FATHOM what a God really is!"

Patrick stood up, "Christina, you tell me what you see. I'll be the sword and you be the mind."

We'd done this before in the past to fend off wild animals. This wasn't the same. This was us fighting for our lives against something we didn't understand. Maybe the adults felt it. Maybe they were headed here to help us right now. The Highest Tier would know what to do.

"Christina! Concentrate!", Patrick ran forward.

Mardockt stood and continued walking as Patrick closed in. The dark tentacle flew from Mardockt again.

"Left!"

Patrick veered left, straight in to Mardockt's waiting arm. Patrick's feet left the ground and he flipped in the air behind Mardockt. I could hear the pain as Patrick pulled himself to his feet again.

"This is fun. I haven't done this in years! A few thousand years of imprisonment makes this more enjoyable than it normally would be. Come on, don't give up. I want this to last!", Mardockt's eyes had a lust that made me shiver.

At my cues Patrick dived left and right to avoid the tendrils of death as they swung out to do their horrible job. Mardockt didn't move, nor did he stop staring at me. Even though his eyes watched me, it was all I could do to keep Patrick from being hit.

"You're interesting. You can see things you shouldn't. Skills like that are reserved for certain humans, not your kind."

Mardockt smiled evilly and then a tendril shot out toward me. I rolled to the side to avoid it but it kept coming. I jumped to my feet and ran.

"Christina! Where are they?!?!", Patrick was still, looking left and right as though he'd be able to see what I could.

"Left!" I jumped to the side to avoid the tendril that was after me.

I heard a thump and Patrick’s groan of pain. Glancing back I saw Mardockt standing over him staring at his face. The tendrils had faded to nothing.

"See, you were doing so well and just one mistake is the end. I'd tell you to learn from your mistakes, but I have the feeling that you don't have time. You should have left your young friend up here and ran."

"You talk too much." Patrick glared at Mardockt with a resolve I hadn't seen in a long time. He swung his feet up, spinning his body to get momentum. A loud crack was heard as Patrick's foot made Mardockt's neck collapse.

Mardockt stepped back, his neck inflating as a laugh escaped, "Such disrespect. I'll show yo-"

A spear suddenly appeared through Mardockt's chest. A light emanated from it, surrounding him. From his feet the sacred Circle of Ghat formed. Patrick jumped back away from the circle. Hundreds of smaller circles burned in to Mardockt's skin, causing him to scream with pain.

A massive white tentacle erupted from the clouds above and stabbed in to Mardockt. Judging by Patrick's reactions, he couldn't see it like I could. He couldn't see the radiating white aura that stretched across the sky.

"AGAIN?!? You think I can be contained the same way twice?!? I'll be back, sooner this time and when I am, I'll wipe your miserable race off the Earth. Arrrgh! No matter how long you live, no matter how much you forget, I will always be in the back of your heads; and when all the Highest Tier have died I will come back. Who will stop me then?!?"

With those last words Mardockt vanished. As the skies cleared several adults floated to the ground. I recognized half of them as people on the Highest Tier.

"We can not kill the children, but they must learn a lesson. They must stay away from areas that are restricted."

"We didn-" Patrick pleaded.

"Shush child!"

Patrick fell silent.

"You will forevermore be unsigned. Never will you have a chance to sit with the Highest Tier, and all your jobs shall be janitorial."

All of my goals dissolved in front of me as my future was stripped away.

Entry 144: Merlin's Power -Nick-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I wouldn't say powerful."

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

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

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

"I am not following you."

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

"Why would you do that?"

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

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

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

The space around me began to brighten.

"Wait, who are you?"

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

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

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

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 99: Learn Your Place -Crystal-

I started toward her in a run. The Saba-clone smiled and waved her hand toward me. I felt a force slam in to my shoulder but kept going. Pain coursed through me as I cut the distance between me and her degrading mouth.

It was almost like I knew what to do. I had gotten close enough but I didn't stop, not until she let loose another volley of what ever it was she was hurling at me. I fell back to the ground and slid.

"Just stay down. You're boring me. Only a few hits and it's over for you. Just lay back and let the darkness come." She was getting closer.

"I can't stand people like you. Goody-goodies who think it's the right thing to protect people you care about. Filling yourself with false thoughts of grandeur so that you can get the courage to stand against unimaginable odds."

I pulled myself to my hands and knees as she knelt in front of me.

"It's okay to realize you don't stand a chance. Just let the anger go and follow your fate. Don't be like that waste of space ove-"

A loud clap filled the area as my hand connected with her cheek.

Entry 88: Everything Happens . . . -Carl-

"So, let me get this straight.", I said, ignoring the stares of people passing in the street, "This guy Nick brought you back to protect Crystal, so that you could be redeemed for your sins?"

"That's what I said. I don't understand it myself."

Vincent was resting on my shoulder watching the people we passed give me strange looks, because I was talking to a Teddy Bear. It also didn't help that when ever one of them looked, he pretended to be a normal bear.

"Would you mind stopping that?"

"I think it's fun. Those people think you're crazy."

I gritted my teeth and continued in silence. We just had to find Crystal.

"How do you know where she is anyway?", I was careful to say this when we were on an empty street.

"I'm not sure. I guess that Nick guy gave me this ability. I just know where she is and where she's heading."

"From what you told me, that doesn't seem like Nick’s style. It has to be something else."

As I finished this, I realized the bear was pretending to be normal again, and glancing around I noticed a mother nearby. She was pulling at her child and whispering warnings about not getting to close to the "crazy man."

I hate this bear.

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 85: New Digs -Jay-

"Here is where we keep the darker magic.", Patrick smiled as he emphasized darker.

The room looked like a mix between a Library and a pawn shop. Tall bookcases lined the walls and tables of ingredients stood in the center of the massive room.

"So is that all? Is the tour done?"

Patrick turned, "That's about it."

"Will I have access to this room when ever I please?"

"That depends. If you do your job well, then yes."

Finally we were getting to the good part, "So what's my job?"

"First thing I want you to do is go here.", He tosses me a slip of paper, "I want you to find a man named Nick Brown."

"What do I do when I find him?"

"Kill him."

As I headed back to my room I thought of my friends. They probably didn't even realize I was missing yet. Didn't matter. I had a job to do and I'd do it to get some answers. If Pat wanted this Nick guy dead then he'd die; warlock or not. At least my friends wouldn't get hurt this time.

Entrry 77: Hunted -Nick-

The children in front of me giggle wildly as I flip the stick, causing it to change colors. I've been doing this same routine every Thursday for the past twenty years. The nurse brings me out of my room and the children gather round, and I show them small magic tricks.

If these youngsters knew what I was capable of; I could give these kids such nightmares. Luckily, I like them. They've kept me sane for a long time.

"Now for my best act!", I give them a wide, toothless smile, "I will make myself disappear!"

I was tired. I got tired easily lately. Especially since I've been doing a lot of real spells lately. I felt my chair spin around as the nurse rolled me back to my room. I shivered as cool air hit me from an open window. With an unnoticeable flick of my wrist the window was closed.

Something was in the air. Something bad. Something big. While my human senses had dulled over the years, my sixth sense had only gotten stronger. That's how I knew about Crystal and the others. Maybe I'd done too much. Maybe I'd gotten myself noticed and dragged in to another cataclysm.

Just like the one that had taken my legs.

I had to get out of this place. People were going to get hurt. Badly hurt. In my mind’s eye, I watched all these innocent people be consumed as they searched for me. James and that girl, Saba. They'd both be coming for me soon. One for help and the other for murder. I'd be ready. I'd be gone.

I just need to get out of this damn old persons home. If only I wasn't 79.

Entry 71: Return -Crystal-

The world blurred in to focus and I fell to the cold stone floor. The cave was lit up by the orb behind me and this scene formed before me.

Crazy Hat Guy was swinging an axe at the Goddess. The other guy was blocking the only exit. I glanced over to my left and saw another person laying still on the floor.

"That person needs help, Crystal."

I glanced to my right and saw that Nick was standing next to the glowing orb.

"This isn't another one of your suicide missions, is it?" I was surprised at my own voice. It came out more mature and it sounded good. I looked down at my self and saw that I was much taller. I had grown older.

"What?" This was unexpected.

"The human spirit is ageless. I could not return your body, so I asked your soul what it would prefer. It chose this. Now help him."

My body was skinny and my hair very long. I ran over to the person and ripped at his shirt.

He reached up to me, "Help . . . please . . . "

"You aren't dieing yet, sir. I'm gonna help you." I had to hurry. His blood was running out fast and I had to stop the bleeding. How did I know that?

Entry 66: Jay -John-

Our feet pounded the ground as we ran toward the sound. We jumped through bushes and the branches cut my face, but I didn't notice. My mind was trapped in memories.

I had broken my leg in an accident. Jay was the first one there and the last one to leave.

Someone twice my size was picking on Jay. I couldn't allow that. The guy never did it again.

It was late and I couldn't sleep because I had things on my mind. Jay was sleeping when I called. We walked for hours talking about the latest video game we'd played.

The whole group walking together, Jay making wild assumptions that was ceremoniously shot down by everyone.

So he'd planned all this and almost got us killed. I could understand why he would; Alex was one of the closest friends we'd had. I would have done almost anything to get him back. He messed up. We'd definitely give him Hell for that . . . after we saved his ass.

He was still screaming when we got to the railroad tunnel. We didn't even hesitate. This snake was not going to hurt one of our friends, no matter how much of an evil jerk he is sometimes.

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 49: Chaos -Carl-

The thought of facing off against another God makes me sick. Alex, my brother, and I had way too much to handle with Moloch. Yet here I am, planning to take down another one. At least this time none of us are going to end up dead. Still, something is fishy about this whole thing.

First of all, I've never heard of this thing being here till now. I've also never heard of these children that are supposedly going missing, I mean, I don't doubt Jay’s ability; but something isn't right here. We're going to make our move on the nest tomorrow . . . then we'll see if that filthy Minoan beast is actually what Jay heard it was.

I've been training more since I heard of the Goddess; nearly non-stop. I'm exhausted but I'm sure I'll be able to keep everyone safe. It's late and I'm headed to sleep now. Tomorrow is a big day.

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 42: To rest -Ben-

I woke up in the dark knowing exactly what I needed to do. It came to me while I slept; in the dreams. The dream showed me how to end this horrible torment.

It started with me at the bottom of some stairs with a massive headache. Standing, I realize that unlike my other dreams, I can control my actions in this one. Reaching up, I rub my forehead in an effort to get rid of the pain, only to find a surgical knife deeply embedded into my skull. When my fingers brush it I'm hit with a shock of pain that only serves to increase my pain.

A voice next to me tells me to go up the stairs and when I look I see myself standing nearby.

"Who are you?", I have to ask though I know the answer.

"I am you and you are me." At this point I begin to hate cryptic spirits.

"I can see that. How do I become me again?"

"You are you as you've always been, and you are also me as you've always been."

"What are you called?"

"I go by many names, William S., Mr. Giggles, William A., and now Ben."

"You killed all these kids? You're sick."

"You killed them. I killed them. We killed them. You'll kill more as you live. You're just like me and you always will be, unless . . . you go up there."

I decide that I don't want to be a raving psychotic, so I begin to climb the stairs. The thing that looks like me follows me as I climb. I feel sickened by the thought that I could be like this thing.

"The only way for me to leave you is through him. You must put him in his rightful space." My copy’s monotone voice does nothing to calm me down.

Upon reaching the top I see the bones of a young child curled in the corner. I know it's Oliver’s bones. I can feel that they are.

"Why is he here?", my confusion very evident.

"He never got out and was never found. Neither was I. How ever you can find him, you can put him where he belongs."

"How do I find him?"

"You can open the door. Find him and bring him to the well. Then there will be 100 children in that well, my goal; my salvation. The only way for me to go."

When I open the door I find myself in my bathroom, staring in to my mirror. My reflection is cracked down the middle; one half being me and the other being William. I attempt to clean off the window but the image doesn't fade.

"No. No! I won't be you. I'm nothing like you."

"Our blood is the same, as is our lust. We crave the smell of a recent kill and search for that perfect hunt. You can not understand until you've tasted the fear. When you do, the part of you that's me will ignite, and you'll be unstoppable. There's no avoiding it . . . unless . . . he needs to go to the well, now." The half of me spoke with my voice; I could feel my lips moving.

Now I'm awake and I know where Oliver is, and how to end this all. I must get to the bones and put them in the well. The torment will end when I do . . . the horror will cease.