Date: 2012-01-18 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Horror; Fantasy; Paranormal
Description: Newly revised in April of 2013. A serial killer is loose in Misty Hollows, Ohio and Katie Johnson is sure that her friend Julie has been abducted by this madman. As she searches for her friend, Katie finds an unexpected ally in the ghost of one of the killers victims and soon finds herself transported to a completely foreign time and place. She only hopes that she can find Julie before it's too late. Please note that this book contains adult material that may not be suitable for younger readers.

Desolace

Omnibus Edition

Books 1-7

By

Lucian Barnes

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012-2016 by Lucian Barnes

Edited by Melissa Ringsted

Kindle Edition

Cover artwork copyright © 2016 by Mostcool Media, Inc.

Kindle Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Also by Lucian Barnes

Novels

Destined for Darkness

EL-204

Wasteland

Desolace Series

Desolace

Haven : Desolace II

Outpost 13 : Desolace III

City of the Dead : Desolace IV

Cemetery Hill : Desolace V

The Tree of Life : Desolace VI

Throne of the Gods : Desolace VII

This book is dedicated to my readers, who brave the horrific tales that I weave with open arms, hearts, and imaginations! You are the best fans an author could hope for, and I thank you all for taking this journey with me.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Desolace

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Haven

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Outpost 13

Part One

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Part Two

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Part Three

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

City of the Dead

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Cemetery Hill

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

The Tree of Life

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Throne of the Gods

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Author's Note

Afterword

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

Most novel writers likely aspire to create at least one epic story in their career. When the original ideas began to form within my mind for the concept of the Desolace series, I felt it could be such a tale. It was certainly complex enough to warrant the possibility. Although, when I started to write the first book, I don't think I truly realized the years of work the series would drain from my soul, or the countless hours of having characters screaming in my head for attention.

On an average day, I welcomed these intrusions into my thoughts. It meant that my characters had something to say, oftentimes a persistent barrage of instructions for me on where they felt the story should go. George Mancini was the worst of the lot. He would nag me night and day until I finally relented to his wishes. His desire was focused, and his determination to bend me to his will was almost like being held for ransom. Damn your preconceived ideas and your outline! You will do as I say, or else!

I won't lie. These outbursts from characters would frequently result in my getting headaches so bad they bordered on migraines. However, I learned to take the good with the bad, suffering through the sensation of having a jack-hammer pounding at the wall of my skull. Instead of attempting to force the story where I had originally intended it to go, I allowed the characters to influence the direction of the tale.

George often took advantage of this, using the opportunities which presented themselves to him like a schoolyard bully. What did I expect? After all, in creating his character I was trying to make the ultimate villain, someone readers could band together and unanimously hate. I discovered after writing two or three novels in the series, however, that my plan had backfired. Instead of being repulsed by George, some readers wrote to me and said he was their favorite character. I'm still scratching my head over that. In part, I suppose the unexpected admiration could be blamed on America's fascination with serial killers. Whatever the underlying reason, if a reader enjoys a character enough to continue reading about them, who am I to judge?

For those who are unaware, the original inspiration for the Desolace series came to me after I had read Stephen King's Dark Tower books. The idea of creating a collection of novels of a similar magnitude was enticing to say the least, but in the earliest stages of the Desolace saga I oftentimes felt like I had bit off more than I could chew. For quite some time, I wondered if the world of Desolace was too immense of an undertaking, or if I would ever complete the tale in this lifetime.

Obviously, I have persisted through every conceivable obstacle and finished the series. The evidence is right in your hands. It may have taken years to write, but it was extremely satisfying to finally type "The End". I am proud to have endured the trials of writing such an epic volume. I don't make any guarantees to whether or not you, the reader, will love the story. In fact, it is entirely possible that you could hate it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I consider myself blessed that you took the time to pick up my work and give it a chance. If you enjoy this book, please tell your friends and co-workers about it and contemplate leaving a review.

I thank you for your kind indulgence and look forward to speaking to you again after the final act. Until then, turn the lights on to keep the shadows at bay and read on!

Lucian

May 19, 2016

Desolace

Chapter 1

George Mancini sat down in his recliner with the morning newspaper. The headline seemed to jump off the front page at him. Toledo Woman Abducted From Park. A smile crept onto his face as he read. When he was finished, he re-folded the paper and set it aside. From the curled paper, the face of a beautiful red-haired, green-eyed, woman in her mid-twenties named Amber Richards gazed vacantly at the ceiling. George rose and went over to the bookshelf across the room.

Reaching up, he tilted back a book on the shelf titled 'It'. The bookshelf immediately slid to the right. Stepping through the opening, he flipped a switch on the inside of the wall, sending the panel back to its original position.

George stood still for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting inside. He descended down a set of stairs, which curved at the bottom and terminated at a steel door. Pulling a key out of his pants pocket, he unlocked the dead bolt and once inside, he paused to latch it again. Crossing the room, he approached another heavy steel panel installed to act as a sound buffer and unlocked that as well. Stepping inside, he pulled the door closed.

He gazed across the chamber at the slumped figure of a girl, nude and chained, held in place like a marionette. Her flaming red hair, knotted and tangled, hid her face.

He walked across the room and reached out to gently stroke her hair. She recoiled at his touch, trying to withdraw, but was held fast by the chains. She attempted to scream for help, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from doing so.

Grasping her hair, he viciously yanked her head back. “What do you think you’re doing? Do you think you can get away from me? Or maybe you think someone will hear you and come to your rescue?”

Looking into his eyes, hysterical fear making hers seem larger, the woman shook her head, indicating that she had no such delusions.

“You will do whatever I want you to ... when I want you to do it!”

She nodded her head in understanding.

“Playtime is about to begin,” he sneered.

She winced slightly at the malicious intent in his voice, afraid he was about to strike her. Instead, he stepped behind her. A scraping sound, like something being dragged across the concrete floor, echoed throughout the room. A few seconds passed before the noise stopped and he entered her line of sight again, striding toward the door on the other side of the room. After pausing to unlock it, he went through. The distinct sound of the bolt sliding back into place bounced off the cinder block walls.

Once she was reasonably sure he wasn’t coming back right away, she looked around the room, hoping to find a way of freeing herself. Her wrists and ankles were held firmly with leather bands, secured in place with tiny padlocks. There were metal rings on each of these, through which a sturdy looking chain passed, leading to somewhere behind her. By the feel of it, she assumed there was something similar around her throat. The steel links originating from her neck, she saw, led to a large metal ring set in the concrete floor. The chain going through this ring looped back toward itself and had a padlock on it to prevent it from slipping out of place. As she continued to take in the horror of her surroundings, she saw a drainage grate embedded in the stained cement almost directly beneath her.

Suddenly, she heard the dead bolt retracting. The man entered the room again, locking the door behind him. An enormous Rottweiler, with a head the size of a basketball, stood beside him. A leather collar adorned with giant metal spikes circled its neck. Amber was terrified of large dogs, but thankfully this one was on a sturdy looking leash. The man held the strap taut with one hand. In the other he gripped a brown paper sack. The expression on his face sent a shiver down her spine.

Placing the tote on the floor near his feet, he secured the dog to a ring that was attached to the wall. He returned to the grocery bag and rummaged through its contents. Pulling a package of raw hamburger and a Budweiser from it, he sat down on the floor near the bound woman. Ripping open the package, he grabbed a sizable clump of meat and stuffed it into his mouth. As the Rottweiler began to whimper, he dipped his hand back into the container and tossed a large wad of beef in the animal's direction.

The girl felt saliva building up in her mouth. Her stomach rumbled, drawing his attention to her.

“You getting hungry, Amber?”

Her head snapped up. How does he know my name? As her panic began to build, she reached the conclusion that he likely had her driver’s license in his possession. Realizing that she had not answered his question yet, Amber quickly nodded her head.

“If I take the gag out of your mouth, will you scream?”

She shook her head emphatically.

“Are you telling me the truth?”

Fearing what he would do if she didn't comply, she nodded in agreement.

“I suppose it won’t hurt. Even if you were to scream, no one would hear you anyway.”

Relief showed in her eyes as he stood up. She felt his hands working on the back of her neck. Within moments, she began to feel the gag loosening ... and as quickly as it had begun to release its grip on her mouth, it fell with a wet slap to the floor. A feeling of gratitude swept over her.

“Thank y—” she began to say, only to be silenced by a large clump of meat he had roughly crammed into her mouth, thus silencing her once again. Amber winced and gagged, finding the texture of the raw hamburger repulsive. As she tried to work some of the meat into her throat using her tongue, she caused herself to wretch a little. Even though it made her gag, Amber managed to get enough of it down that she could move her jaws a tiny bit.

Sitting down in front of her, George narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her features as she struggled to swallow the meat he had given her. Opening his beer, he took a long drink from the bottle before setting it back down on the floor. Rising to his feet, he fished his fingers into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. Thumbing through them until he found the one he was looking for, George reached over and unlocked the padlock that held her neck chain to the ring in the floor. As she watched him do this, the meat that was still in her mouth fell to the floor, her jaw dropping open in disbelief. With the downward pressure on her neck gone, she began to entertain thoughts of possible release. He picked up the bottle of beer again, tipped it back, and drained the remaining liquid down his throat. Replacing the empty container on the concrete, he moved behind her. She heard the jangle of keys, followed by the sound of a padlock popping open. Chains began to clink and rattle, and in seconds the pressure had quickly built up on her arms and wrists. When the pain started to subside, Amber realized that she was actually standing upright. Then she heard the click of the lock snapping shut again.

"Thank you," she murmured gratefully, shocked by his sudden burst of kindness.

“I figured you might be thirsty and you couldn’t have gotten much down your throat from the position you were in.” Though his tone was kind, not even a trace of emotion showed on his face.

Amber watched as he sauntered casually toward the wall on her right. For the first time, she noticed a reel of garden hose mounted on the wall with a spigot protruding from the cinder blocks beside it. Turning the water on, he grabbed the sprayer attached to the end of the hose, unwinding it as he walked toward her. Placing the nozzle to her mouth, he squeezed the trigger gently. A trickle of water moistened her lips and slid down her throat. After allowing her to drink in this manner for a couple of minutes, George released his grip on the handle and backed away from her. Without warning he suddenly raised the nozzle again and depressed the trigger fully. A cold, hard, stream of water pounded into her face, painfully stinging her eyes and temporarily blinding her. Instinctively, Amber tried to back away and was stopped in her tracks by an excruciating pain in her back. It felt as if a thousand needles had just pierced her flesh. She moved forward again, trying to distance herself from the pain, fighting against the constant stream of liquid pelting her in the face—only to be reined in by the chains. The Rottweiler began to bark excitedly, pulling against its own restraint.

Why is he doing this to me? What does he want? Delirious with terror, Amber couldn't imagine things getting any worse. As if her thoughts had been an unwritten invitation, something cold brushed against her inner thigh and rudely penetrated her. Twisting her body, she tried to forcibly expel the icicle-like object from her vagina, temporarily forgetting about the pain in her back ... only to be reminded once again.

Suddenly the water stopped beating against her face. She shook her head in an attempt to clear the droplets of liquid from her eyes, and tried to move forward to ease the pain in her back. As she did, Amber felt one of his hands grab her right breast. She recoiled from his touch ... only to feel the needle-like pain jabbing at the tender flesh of her posterior once more. Screaming in terror, Amber lunged forward against her bindings. His grip on her tightened, and she felt the object between her legs begin to savagely slide in and out of her. She was overwhelmed with horror and shame, feeling degraded by the violation of her womanhood.

George watched her body language as he continued his assault. Is it my imagination? Is she getting aroused? Was that a moan of pleasure? A vein started to pop out on his forehead. Eyebrows furrowed, his face grew red. Hatred gleamed in his eyes.

The assault of her body suddenly stopped. Anger was etched across his face as he removed the object from her aching and sore vagina. Her stomach lurched when she got a brief glimpse of the beer bottle he held beneath his nose, inhaling deeply through his nostrils.

“Whore!” he screamed. Bringing the bottle up, he viciously smashed it on the side of her head. As his swing followed through, the jagged edges of the broken glass raked across her face. “I’ve wasted enough time with you,” he growled, dropping the remaining shard from his hand. Slowly, he approached the frenzied dog. Patting him on the head affectionately, George released the animal from his leash, but kept a firm hold on the Rottweiler's collar while forcing the giant dog to look at the girl. Before releasing his grip, George pointed and whispered into the animal’s ear, “King—food.” King lunged toward the girl with open jaws, clamping down on a section of her right calf and whipping his head violently from side to side as if she were a chew toy. George turned and left the room as Amber screamed for mercy.

Chapter 2

The bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. The students began to exit Misty Hollows High School, heading toward their busses. Katie Johnson, a tall, well-proportioned, farm girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes, was talking with one of her friends, Julie Evans, as they walked.

“Do you think your parents would mind if I came over today and spent the night?” Julie asked.

“As long as I get my chores done and my homework finished, I don’t think they’ll care.”

“I could always help with your homework, ya know.”

“True. I’ll ask ‘em when I get home and call you.”

“Okay. Talk to ya later then.”

“Bye.”

Turning in opposite directions, they separated and went to their busses. Finding a seat to herself, Katie passed the time with her history book open on her lap. Before she knew it, she was home.

Strolling into the house, she was immediately hit with the smell of pot roast. “Hi, Mom. I’m home,” she yelled toward the kitchen.

“Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good day at school?”

“Yeah. Pretty good,” she replied, setting her books down on the desk in her bedroom. Leaving her room, she stepped into the kitchen, throwing an arm around her mom in a brief hug. “I’m gonna go start my chores, Mom. If you need me for anything, just holler.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

***

Close to an hour had gone by when Katie returned to the kitchen. “I’m done with my chores now, Mom. Can Julie come over and spend the night?”

“What about your homework?”

“Julie was gonna help me with it,” Katie answered.

“I suppose so," her mom remarked after considering the idea for a minute. "Just try not to stay up all night. I know how you girls get when you’re together.”

“Okay. Thanks!”

Unable to restrain her grin, remembering how things were when she was that age, Mrs. Johnson watched her daughter practically run from the room to call her friend.

Katie snatched up the phone from the end table next to the couch. In her elation, she managed to misdial Julie’s phone number a few times before actually getting it right. She couldn't help being excited. Until now, her mom had only allowed Katie's friends over during the day. This was the first time she had permitted a friend to spend the night.

Julie answered on the first ring, almost as if she had been lurking by the phone. “Hello?”

Hardly able to contain her emotion, Katie responded excitedly, “Hey. My mom said it was okay for you to come over and spend the night,” she blurted.

“Cool! I have a surprise I was gonna bring with me.”

“What kind of surprise?” Katie wheedled.

“You’ll just have to wait ‘til I get there to find out, won’t ya?” Julie teased.

“Oh, come on! Give me a hint. Pleeease?”

“All right, all right," Julie conceded. "It’s something I found in an abandoned house near here when I went into it on a dare.”

Katie considered the possibilities for a few moments.

The silence of the phone line was maddening. “Are you still there?” Julie inquired, wondering if the connection had been lost. Phone service wasn't exactly the best out in the country.

“Yeah," Katie replied absently. "I was trying to figure out what it could be, but I'm drawing a blank.”

“Guess yer just gonna have to wait and see then.”

“I guess so," Katie sighed. "How long before you can come over?”

“I can head over now, if that’s okay.”

“It should be all right.”

“See ya in a bit then,” Julie stated cheerfully.

“Okay. Bye.”

Katie hung up the phone and went back to the kitchen to see if her mom needed any help with dinner. When she entered the room, Katie saw her sitting at the table, looking at the newspaper. Mrs. Johnson glanced up as her daughter approached.

“Need any help, Mom?”

“No, but I want to talk to you about something,” she replied, patting the chair beside her.

Sitting down, Katie looked tentatively at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting to hear some sort of speech about rules regarding Julie’s stay. Instead, she watched the expression on her mom’s face change from light-hearted to concerned.

“Do you girls go to the parks at all?” she asked.

“Occasionally," Katie answered, caught off guard by the question. "Why? What’s up, Mom?”

“Do you remember me telling you about a girl that disappeared from one of the parks in Toledo a couple of weeks ago?”

“Kind of," Katie replied, suddenly growing nervous.

“Well, it happened again.” Mrs. Johnson pushed the newspaper across the table, making sure the headline was staring her daughter in the face. “I want you girls to be extra careful, all right? I don’t want to be reading about you in the paper like this.” She stabbed the article with her index finger repeatedly to get her point across.

“We will, I promise.” Katie looked down at the newspaper. A picture of a young, blonde-haired woman stared at her from the front page. The little hairs on the back of Katie's neck stood up and goose bumps consumed the flesh on her arms. The woman in the photograph seemed pretty young, maybe twenty years old at the most. Drawn to the story in front of her, even though the picture gave her the creeps, she began to read the article.

Local woman reported missing

Nineteen year old Tina Blackwell was reported missing late last night. Her husband called the police after finding a note she left, stating that she had gone to the park to go jogging. According to the lead investigator in this case, Tina disappeared from the same park that Amber Richards had two weeks prior. The police speculate that the two abductions are somehow linked. Drag marks, found on the gravel jogging path, are the only lead at this time. The police ask that if you have any information concerning Tina's whereabouts, please call the Crime Stoppers hotline.

Mrs. Johnson tapped the newspaper again to get Katie's attention. “I need you to put that up for now and get the table set for dinner.”

“Okay,” Katie responded, as if her mind were a million miles away. Slowly rising from her chair, she moved the newspaper to the counter.

“Are you all right, sweetie?” A pained look creased her face as Mrs. Johnson's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“I guess so,” Katie mumbled in a daze. Opening the silverware drawer, she began setting the table. Before she returned to the cupboard to get plates, the doorbell rang. Snapping out of the walking coma that she seemed to be in, Katie rushed to the front door.

“Hey, Julie. I didn’t hear you pull into the driveway.” Smiling, she stepped aside so her friend could come in.

“My dad let me borrow his car since he doesn’t have to work tomorrow. That thing is really quiet.” Julie smirked, crossing the threshold.

“I guess so. Well, I was just getting the table ready for dinner. Let me ask my mom if it’s all right for you to join us. Silly me, I forgot to earlier.” Katie blushed.

“Okay.”

Walking to the kitchen with Julie close behind, Katie noticed that her mom had finished setting the table while she was answering the door.

“Mom? Is it all right if Julie joins us for dinner?”

“Sure, sweetie. Can you get an extra place setting out for her?”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Johnson,” Julie added, smiling.

“When you’re done, yell out the back door to your dad and brother. Let them know that dinner’s ready,” she instructed.

After setting a place for Julie, Katie went to the back door and yelled, “Dad … Matt, dinner!”

A couple of minutes later, the men came inside and washed their hands.

“Dinner smells really good, Mom,” Matt commented as he sat down.

While they ate, everyone talked about the interesting events of the day, though in the country there wasn't normally much to speak of. Not that conversation was a priority when a good roast was on the table. Once they had finished eating, the girls helped Mrs. Johnson clear the table and wash the dishes.

Now that dinner's aftermath had been taken care of, Katie turned to leave the kitchen. “I’m gonna help Julie bring her stuff in from the car and get started on homework, Mom,” she commented over her shoulder.

“All right, sweetie. You girls try not to stay up too late, though,” Mrs. Johnson chided with a knowing grin.

“We won’t,” they replied in unison, causing them to burst out in laughter. They didn’t manage to get their mirth under control until the two of them had all of Julie’s things inside and the bedroom door was shut. Sitting down on the bed beside each other, Katie began to bounce excitedly, nearly knocking Julie to the floor in the process.

“So, what’s this big surprise you’ve been keeping from me?” Katie inquired.

A sly grin creased Julie’s features. Crossing the room to where her stuff lay in a pile on the floor, she began to rummage through her things as if she didn't truly know where the object was that she was looking for. After a dramatic pause, Julie pulled a thin, rectangular wooden box from the heap and brought it back to the bed.

“I’ve never actually used it before, but I think it will be easy enough to figure out. After all, these things are utilized in the movies,” Julie commented as she sat down on the mattress, holding the unopened box on her lap.

Katie began bouncing on the bed again, hardly able to contain her curiosity. “Come on! Quit teasing! What is it?”

Slowly opening the box, she caught a glimpse of Katie peeking over her shoulder. Inside the tattered carton lay a Ouija board, its message indicator resting on top of it.

“Cooool!” Katie gasped in mock awe. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Is it a game? How do you play it?”

Offering a brief explanation of what the Ouija was and what it was supposed to do, Julie paused, carefully searching her memory to make sure she wasn't leaving anything out.

“Let me get this straight," Katie interrupted. "You can actually talk to dead people with that thing?”

“Supposedly.” Julie shrugged.

“Creepy! Can we get it out and try it?” Katie requested.

“I don’t see why not, but we should probably wait until later.”

“Why?” Katie's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“So we can get our homework done first, silly!”

“I thought I was supposed to be the sensible one,” Katie commented sarcastically, raising a comically high eyebrow.

With a grin, Julie closed the box, stood up, and crossed the room, setting the Ouija on Katie’s desk. Removing her history book, a pen, and her homework folder from her backpack, she returned to the bed and sat down while Katie retrieved her own schoolwork.

Distractedly, they began working on their history paper together. Neither of them spoke much while they exchanged notes, but Julie kept catching Katie glancing toward the Ouija on her desk. Julie did her best to keep a straight face, despite the chuckle that was forming in her throat.

A grueling hour later, they finally finished their homework and quickly put their things away. Walking over to the desk, Julie grabbed the box and returned to the bed. Katie stared with apprehensive wonder, almost like she expected something to suddenly jump out at her when Julie pulled the Ouija out of its container and placed it on the bed. As Julie sat the message indicator gently on to the center of the board, Katie cringed as if she had expected something to happen right away. Simultaneously, it seemed like every hair on her body suddenly stiffened, causing a nervous chuckle to bubble up from her throat.

“What’s wrong?” Julie asked.

“I feel like a porcupine,” Katie admitted, pointing at the hair on her arms.

With a casual smirk, Julie instructed Katie to sit facing her on the bed in such a way that the Ouija could be placed between them, resting on their knees.

“Any questions before we start?” Julie implored.

“Umm ... Can we contact anyone we want?”

“Sort of. We can try to contact someone specific, but it doesn’t always work that way. At least, not from what I’ve seen and heard.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, even when you want to talk to someone in particular, it's entirely possible that a stronger entity will emerge, pushing other ghosts out of the way so it can talk instead. Other times, a specific spirit attaches itself to a Ouija and refuses to let any others be contacted through the board,” Julie explained.

“Sounds kinda spooky if ya ask me,” Katie remarked nervously.

“Oh, one more thing. Spirits like to lie. They don’t all do it, but if we happen to get a mischievous one that wants to pretend it’s someone it’s not, at least you're prepared.”

“So, now what are we supposed to do?” Katie inquired.

“Put your fingers lightly on the message indicator. Like this,” Julie instructed when she saw the confusion on Katie's face. “Now we need to figure out who we want to try contacting and push everything else from our minds.”

“Like a relative or something?”

“It can be anyone, not just a relative, as long as the person is dead.”

Katie sighed. “Umm ... I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head.”

“I had a cousin that died in a car accident. We could try contacting him,” Julie offered after a moment of thought.

“What’s his name?”

“Keith Underhill.”

“Okay.” Katie cleared her mind of everything except his name. It was all she could focus on since she had never met Julie's cousin and had no idea what he looked like.

“We wish to contact the spirit of Keith Underhill,” Julie intoned softly. “Are you here, Keith?”

They stared at the message indicator intently, waiting to see if anything would happen. When nothing did, Julie repeated her question. Holding their breath in silence, the indicator remained unmoving. Julie opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door, causing both girls to jump. The Ouija flew off their knees and landed upside down on the bed.

“Katie?”

The girls quickly scrambled to get the Ouija and its box out of view, sliding it under the bed. “Yeah,” Katie answered.

The door opened and her brother stepped inside. “Mom wanted to know if the two of you needed anything before she went to bed,” Matt relayed.

“Nah." Katie gestured as if dismissing a butler. "We were just talking and will probably be going to sleep soon anyway, but thanks.”

“Okay. I’ll let her know.” Turning away, Matt closed the door gently behind him.

“Whew! That was close,” Katie sighed nervously.

“Did you wanna try again?” Julie asked with an impish grin.

“Maybe some other time. It didn’t seem to be working anyway.”

“True,” Julie conceded.

Silently, under the bed, the message indicator slowly moved across the board until it hovered over the word no.

Chapter 3

George turned off the engine of his van and stepped out into the warm, late spring sun. Casually walking over to a park bench with a newspaper tucked under his arm, he sat down. As he leaned back to get comfortable, a cool breeze swept up the nearby jogging path. The wind almost seemed to beckon the newspaper, which was now in his hand, to open. Hearing the distant crunch of feet on the gravel, he glanced down the trail and noticed two dark-haired females approaching. One was wearing dark blue sweatpants and a similar sweatshirt that had some sort of logo on it he couldn’t make out. The other was wearing black shorts and a maroon T-shirt.

This had always been his favorite park. No matter what time of year he came here, there always seemed to be something to catch his interest. Turning his attention back to the newspaper, he unfolded it and gazed at the front page. The articles about him seemed to be getting longer, even though they always appeared to have the same drab story. The only noticeable difference between this column and those of the past were the pictures and the addition of a new name. The story before him had photographs of both missing women, side by side, along with a generic picture of the park entrance.

Looking up from the newspaper, George smiled as the two women jogged by. The one wearing sweats smiled back as she went by, but the lady in shorts beside her didn’t seem to notice him at all. As they passed, George noticed the logo on the sweatshirt of the friendlier girl, which proclaimed that she was a Toledo police detective. The realization forced his lips into a grin. It seems the stakes have been raised! Shifting the paper to cover the growing bulge in his pants, he turned his attention back to the headline.

His smile grew wider as he read, knowing that the police were no closer to solving the disappearances of the two women. They didn’t have any new leads. Hell, from what he read, they weren’t even completely sure that the two abductions were linked. Everything appeared to be no more than a hunch, or speculation, with absolutely nothing to back it up.

Although he was tempted to snatch another woman from under the noses of the police, George knew he had unfinished business to attend to, waiting for him at home. Standing up, he tucked the newspaper underneath his arm and briefly scanned the area around the bench, making sure he had left no evidence of his presence. Satisfied after his cursory examination, he strolled back to his van and left the park.

Chapter 4

Misty Hollows was a small, rural town. In some people's eyes it was considered a suburb of Toledo, even though it was close to a half-hour drive away. Being as small as it was, however, Misty Hollows didn’t really have much to offer bored teenagers. It had a converted mobile home that the residents called the post office, Misty Hollows High School, a small bar named Lucky’s—which doubled as a bowling alley and only had four lanes—a corner store on the edge of town called Hollow’s End, and a little mom and pop restaurant named the Tabletop Diner. If you were looking for something to do in Misty Hollows, chances were pretty good that you would make the thirty-minute drive to Toledo.

Needless to say, when Katie and Julie woke up the next morning they quickly became bored. After Katie’s mom made them eggs and bacon for breakfast, they tried to find something interesting to watch on the television, but didn’t have any luck. The usual run of Saturday morning cartoons was the only thing on.

Julie turned to Katie as she clicked off the television. “I am sooo bored.”

“What do you wanna do?” Katie asked, shifting her position on the couch and tucking a leg beneath her.

“Well, the only idea I have at the moment is going to the drive-in, but we can’t do that ‘til later.”

“Hmm.” Katie frowned, deep in thought. “What about going to the mall and hanging out for a while, or  going to the park?”

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” Julie laughed. “Both of those ideas sound better than this.” Pointing toward the blank television screen, she sighed.

Katie blushed. “We can always do both. Maybe it will kill enough time that we can head to the drive-in afterwards.”

“Good point. Though, if we’re gonna go to the mall I should probably go home first so I can get some money. First National Bank of Dad,” Julie smirked.

“Oh my God! That is too funny!” Katie nearly fell off the couch laughing.

“I’ll go grab my keys from your room.” Julie smiled, standing up and stretching her legs before disappearing into the hallway.

“And I’ll let my mom know we are gonna be leaving.”

“I'll meet you outside by the car,” Julie called back from the hall.

As Julie vanished from sight, Katie wandered into the kitchen where her mom was cleaning up after breakfast.

“What are you two up to this morning?” Patting her hands dry on a dishtowel, she turned to face her daughter.

“We were gonna stop by Julie’s house for a little bit then go shopping at the mall. We may go to the park for a while after that.”

“If you decide to go to the park, stick together. Be careful, and whatever you do, don’t talk to strangers,” Mrs. Johnson warned.

“We’ll be careful. Oh, and we were thinking about going to the drive-in later, too. I'll call if we decide to do that, though, so you aren't waiting up all night and worrying.”

“Just in case, make sure you have your key. I’m sure I'll be in bed by then.” She smiled. “Have a good time.”

"Thanks, Mom." After giving her mother a quick hug, Katie dashed to her room to fetch the house key from her desk, and headed outside to where Julie was already waiting with the car running.

Chapter 5

A hollow metallic click bounced through the barren, dimly lit room as the lock retracted in the door across from her. The woman's eyes snapped open, but there was something covering them, preventing her from seeing what was happening. As George entered, closing and locking the steel panel behind him, he flicked a switch on the wall, instantly illuminating the blonde prisoner from above.

She heard someone crossing the room and whimpered through the rag stuffed in her mouth. With her eyes covered by a semi-porous material, she could only see well enough to know that a light had been turned on. A shadow passed before her and she heard someone breathing nearby. George stood still for a moment, letting his eyes wander over her body and imagining what it looked like under her jogging clothes. She squirmed in her bonds, but the restraints only allowed her a couple of inches of movement in any direction. Her entire body ached and her throat felt like it was dry enough to catch on fire.

The near silence was broken when she heard something click. The noise seemed to come from behind her and it was closely followed by something, or someone, touching her back. Attempting to lunge forward, she screamed as loudly as she could. The chains that held her rattled slightly, but didn’t give way. Although whatever was touching her seemed soft and almost gentle, like the hands of a lover, the sensation it provoked as it moved slowly down her spine sent a chill through her body. As the caress-like touch reached her lower back, the feeling changed. The sound of ripping fabric startled her, and she attempted to thrust herself forward again to escape her unseen tormentor.

To her horror, time seemed to be running at a near stand-still, like a slow motion scene in an action movie. Again she heard the ripping of fabric, but this time she felt it quickly travel up her back. As the cool air of the chamber hit her bare flesh, she realized that her shirt had just been torn from her body, and the fear of rape, or worse, overwhelmed her. A warm stream of liquid ran down her legs as her bladder released. The stench of urine permeated the room, causing her to gag.

Feeling the waistband of her sweatpants being pulled backwards, she knew it wouldn't be long before they were also torn from her body. Struggling frantically against her bonds, she heard the urine soaked cloth hit the floor with a wet slap.

Scared out of her mind, she heard footsteps crossing the room. Her only hope was that her attacker had finally gotten bored and decided to leave. Again she felt the sensation of time slowing to a crawl as she waited, for what seemed like hours, to hear the sound of the lock. Instead, she heard a screeching noise that reminded her of fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard. Goosebumps erupted on her flesh.

Pointing the nozzle of the hose at the woman, George squeezed the trigger firmly and completely. His captive recoiled instantly from the blast of cold water, the sudden jerking motion causing a snap in her left arm. The excruciating pain forced a scream from the woman, which—even through the gag in her mouth—was deafening. The ensuing queasiness made it apparent to her that her arm was broken, but seconds later it no longer mattered as much. The bliss of darkness engulfed her as she passed out. Undeterred, George finished hosing off her limp body. By the time he was done, her flesh had reddened from the constant high pressure of the hose and temperature of the water. Satisfied because the stench of piss was gone, George turned off the hose and hung it in its place on the far wall then left the room. He would wait for his new plaything to wake up again before he toyed with her any further. In the meantime, he would go upstairs and rest his eyes for a bit.

Chapter 6

The girls wandered through nearly every shop in the mall. They had stopped in Spencer's to browse the latest novelty items because some of the merchandise was outlandish and almost always made them laugh. A couple of curious boys had been following them for the better portion of the last hour, in part, because Julie was a phenomenal flirt. Most times, she could bat her eyelashes at a boy and get him to do anything for her. On other occasions she would act like she was bisexual, playfully flirting with Katie just to see what kind of reaction she could provoke. More often than not, Katie played along, laughing when their audience's faces would get red.

The boys finally stopped following them when they went into Barnes and Noble, as if they were suddenly intimidated by finding out that the girls could read. Katie and Julie both really enjoyed reading Stephen King books, and they were hoping to find the parts of the Dark Tower series that they hadn’t read yet. After searching unsuccessfully for half an hour, they finally decided to ask the man behind the counter.

"Those books are very hard to keep in stock," the clerk told them. "I can reserve copies for you when the next order comes in."

After whispering back and forth for a couple of minutes, Julie opted to order the fifth book and Katie the sixth, both having read the first four installments of the series already. They decided to wait on getting the seventh and final book.

As fun as it had been teasing the boys that followed them around for most of their time at the mall, there was no sign of them when they left the bookstore. Though Julie seemed on the edge of boredom, Katie convinced her to make one final stop before leaving and heading to the park. National Record Mart was her destination; it was the only music store in the area that carried a large selection of music they both liked. Katie’s interests were slightly more mainstream than Julie’s and would get occasional airplay on the radio, but the bands that Julie liked was another matter as they were rarely played. While Katie’s favorite band was Metallica, Julie preferred the darker metal bands like Cannibal Corpse and Mercyful Fate.

After an exhaustive search that yielded nothing worthwhile, the girls left the mall, deciding to stop somewhere for lunch on their way to the park.

Chapter 7

The sun had almost set when George awoke from his nap, having slept much longer than he had intended. Walking into the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He sauntered into the living room and slid the bookshelf to one side by tilting a book, revealing his secret passage.

Tina had regained consciousness a couple of hours ago, though the pain emanating from her broken arm threatened to make her pass out again. The silence of the room was deafening at times, but she was thankful for the reprieve. Things could be much worse.

Unlocking the outer door at the base of the stairs, George stepped into the small room. Similar in function to the airlock on a spaceship, the tiny area served as a sound buffer to his chamber of horrors, as well as a place to store his gruesome trophies. After securing the aperture, he turned his attention to the shelf on his left, lit by a bare bulb swinging haphazardly in the slight breeze caused by closing the panel behind him. Atop a pile of bones sat the head of Amber Richards. Grinning maliciously, he picked it up by a tuft of red hair. Carrying his trophy like a barbarian, he strolled to the inner hatch and twisted the dead bolt, opening the door and stepping inside.

The echoing resonance of the lock clanking across the room startled Tina. Recoiling from the sound, she nearly blacked out, once again wrenching her arm in its restraints. Scuffling footsteps approached, the sound of them stopping somewhere close by.

Gently placing Amber’s head on the floor near the wall, George arranged her hair in such a manner that he could clearly see her face. The flesh was beginning to sag slightly as it entered the first stages of decomposition. Satisfied with his display, he crossed the room to Tina's bound body and moved behind her. Running his fingers lightly through her hair and slowly down her back, he smirked with pleasure as he felt her body tremble. His hand paused on the clasp of her strapless bra and he pinched the ends together with expert precision, instantly causing the garment to fall to the floor.

Startled by the suddenness of her breasts being exposed, Tina futilely attempted to cover herself. George's lips upturned in a demented grin as he relished the pain he had just caused to her arm. Continuing his torment, he ran his fingers down her back as she squirmed and screamed. Stopping with his hand resting lightly on her ass, he cocked his head slightly and observed her reaction. She's learning. This time she did not try to pull away, and only a slight whimper escaped from her.

Squatting, he continued to run his hand slowly down her body. Mesmerized by the beauty of her thighs, he encircled her leg with both hands, the flesh beneath his palms as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom. Goosebumps arose on every inch of her skin and her whimpering began to sound panicky.

Just when Tina thought she could take no more, his hands left her body and she heard him crossing the room. An almost audible sigh of relief escaped her lips. For a few seconds, she entertained the thought that he would go away for a while. If only a wish like that would come true. A clunking noise, like something heavy pounding on metal, brought her back to reality. The sound was closely followed by a quick scratch and pop, and as she caught the faint scent of sulfur in her nostrils, she realized a match had been struck. What the hell is he doing? Is he going to burn me now?

Watching the fire as it started to take hold of the dry wood in the fireplace, George sat down beside it and waited for the heat to intensify. Using a cast-iron poker, he began picking up Tina's clothes. Piece by piece, he placed them in the fire. When the last of her garments was introduced to the roaring flames, he left the poker resting against a log to sear any remaining fabric from its tip.

At first, Tina had been frightened and unsure of his motives for lighting a fire, but as her skin started to grow warm, she began to feel hope. Is it possible that he has a heart? Even though she knew herself to be naked and bound, she couldn't help but think that her captor was showing a little sympathy. Maybe this ordeal is almost over. She hadn’t heard the person leave, but yet there had been no more touching, or anything else for that matter. Whatever the twisted reason was for her being here, she was starting to think the individual had changed his mind and decided not to continue any further.

After watching the naked blonde woman for a few minutes and getting the impression that she was starting to relax, George turned his attention back to the fire. The flames should have seared any remnants of fabric from the poker by now. Pulling the iron rod out to check, he saw that his assumption was correct. The tip of the instrument glowed bright orange, showing no trace of anything other than ash on it. Smiling, he stood up and crossed the room with the poker hanging from his right hand.

Stopping in front of her, he listened to her breath quicken as she felt his presence. Reaching up with his left hand, he firmly grasped one of her breasts. A gasp of air hissed through her gag as his hand clamped on to her, causing Tina to nearly inhale the rag into her throat. Frightened again, she tried to pull away from his hand. She cried out as she wrenched her broken arm, but fought through the pain and continued trying to keep her distance. Too late, she realized his touch was merely a distraction. An intense heat blossomed between her legs, and before she had time to react, the hot poker slammed into the flesh of her inner thigh. The pain was too great to bear and darkness claimed her once more.

The smell of cooked flesh hung thick in the air. Pulling the poker away from her skin, George returned the tip of the iron to its former resting place, propped against the log in the fireplace. Satisfied that she would be unconscious for a while, he removed her blindfold and loosened the gag, allowing it to fall to the concrete floor with a wet slap. As he left the room, George paused for a minute in the pantry-like chamber between the inner and outer doors, retrieving a duffel bag from the small closet. Placing Amber’s remaining bones inside, he tied the sack shut and headed upstairs with it.

Chapter 8

For the last few hours, Katie and Julie had been skimming the surface of the pond at the park in separate paddleboats, circling the waters like a pair of hungry sharks. They were having a friendly little competition amongst themselves, seeing which of them could get the most phone numbers. There were tons of people floating on the pond today in their individual watercrafts, so there were plenty of single men to approach. So far, Julie was winning handily. Being a much bigger flirt than Katie, Julie found it was easy to get the guys worked up.

“How many numbers have you gotten so far?” Julie inquired, steering her paddleboat close to Katie.

“Three.”

“Wow. Really?”

“Yeah. Dare I ask how many you have?” Katie asked.

“Umm ... Are you sure you wanna know?” Julie grinned.

She laughed. “I’m positive that you have more than me, it's just a matter of how many more.”

“Well, umm ...”

“Come on," Katie coaxed, "spit it out.”

“Ten.”

“Holy crap! Have there been that many guys out here?” Katie's jaw dropped open in awe.

“Of course there has.” Julie snorted. “I even got the number of a guy that had a kid in the boat with him. I think he was married.”

“Oh my God! I’ll never win this game.” After a dramatic pause, they both began laughing hysterically. Taking a deep breath, Katie continued, “Let’s go do something else. Walk the jogging path, or something.”

“Giving up so soon?” Julie smirked.

“I concede to your superior flirting skills,” she replied with a nod and a look of defeat. When Katie noticed the gaze of concern on her friend's face, she couldn't maintain the look of seriousness and allowed a goofy smile to break through the facade. Doubling over in laughter, temporarily fooled by her friend, Julie nearly fell out of her boat.

“Stop, Katie. I can’t breathe,” she wheezed, her cheeks a bright crimson color.

Shooting Julie one last silly grin, Katie suggested that they turn in their boats and walk the park's trails for a while. At a leisurely pace, they took a relaxing stroll around the four-mile jogging path, which nearly consumed the next two hours. The sun was inching closer to the horizon by the time they returned to the parking area. Climbing into Julie's car, they decided to head for the drive-in, knowing that if they arrived early they wouldn't be stuck in a long line.

Chapter 9

Courtesy of the moonless night, the ultimate concealment was provided for George as he pulled his van into the short, gravel driveway of the park's lodge. A thick chain hung across the entrance where the jogging trail bisected its path. Putting the vehicle in park, he shut off the engine. Before getting out, he absently wondered what name the press would pin on him for what he was about to do. I hope it isn’t something lame.

Opening his door, he exited into the night, reaching back inside of the van and hoisting the duffel bag from between the seats. Carefully, he stepped over the chain that blocked the driveway and walked the short distance to the front of the lodge. Setting the sack on the small concrete slab that marked the building's entrance, he closed his eyelids to envision what he had come to do.

When George opened his eyes they had adjusted to the darkness well enough to see what he was doing. Removing the bones from the bag, he placed them on the cement. Carefully, he arranged them until the display looked the way he intended, and stepped back to check his work.

Cocking his head to the left, then to the right, he studied the arrangement. It appeared like someone was sitting in front of the door, knees partially drawn toward the chest, legs splayed open to reveal the pelvis and torso. He wasn’t entirely happy with the way the arms looked, though. The display needed a little more showmanship in his opinion. After a brief search of his van, George returned to his project with a roll of duct tape. Lifting the appendages one by one, he affixed the wrists to the door horizontally, spread widely apart as if imitating crucifixion. When he was finished, he stepped back a few paces to admire his handiwork. This time he was satisfied with the way everything looked.

Collecting his things, George paused for a few seconds to gaze upon his creation before he left, and grinned. Tossing his supplies between the seats, he hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Without turning on the headlights, he quickly checked in both directions for traffic before putting the van in reverse and backing on to the road. After there was a quarter of a mile between himself and the lodge, he turned the headlamps on and headed for home.

Chapter 10

The end credits of the last movie began to run and the lot full of cars started to line up like a funeral procession as they prepared to leave. The drive-in was packed tonight, likely because it was the first showing of the season, and it took quite some time for the parking area to empty out. Instead of fighting the bumper to bumper clog of traffic, many people chose to make one final trip to the concession stand.

After forty-five minutes the lot had mostly emptied out. One lone car remained, sitting silently in the back near the second screen. Two security guards approached the vehicle on opposite sides, searchlights scanning the area as they moved toward it. Flashing their lights through the windows of the vehicle as they approached, they saw two girls asleep inside. One of the guards tapped lightly on the driver’s side window to get their attention.

In the passenger seat, Katie jumped. Her eyelids popped open, instantly awake, and she screamed when she saw the lights shining in. The shrieks caused Julie to stir, stretching and rubbing her eyes as if she had just awoken from a nap in her own bed.

Finally getting her eyes to focus, she noticed the look of terror on her friend's face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Trembling, Katie pointed a finger toward Julie. “There’s someone out there.”

As Julie turned to look, a light shined in her face like she had just been pulled over at a sobriety checkpoint.

“The movies have been over for about an hour. You need to go home,” a stern male voice stated before Julie got the window more than halfway open.

“All right. I guess we were more tired than we thought and fell asleep." She yawned. "I’m sorry.”

Starting the engine, Julie turned on the air conditioning, hoping the cool air would wake her up faster and keep her alert for the drive home. The security guards backed up a few feet and waited, making certain the car left the lot before turning their attention away.

The drive to Katie’s house was a quiet one, except for the radio. It was only a thirty minute drive, but both girls were having trouble keeping their eyes open, so Katie put in a Metallica CD to break the silence. As "Master of Puppets" began to blare from the speakers, Katie strummed her air guitar and Julie attempted her best James Hetfield impression, though the radio was so loud it drowned out her voice.

Once they were out of the city, it was almost like driving through a void. Most of the trip consisted of narrow back roads, which were barely two lanes wide. Streetlights didn’t exist this far out of town and the only illumination came from the occasional farmhouse or barn. Starting to get a headache, Julie turned the radio off and soon was fighting to keep herself awake again.

Making matters worse, a light fog had developed. It hung over the road like a smothering blanket, forcing Julie to adjust her speed to compensate. She slapped her cheek, as if it would keep her awake for the last couple of miles to Katie's house, but relished the thought of going back to sleep when she got there.

“Look out!” Katie suddenly screamed.

Julie swerved across the road and nearly lost control of the car, the wheels briefly kicking up the gravel on the shoulder. “Oh my God! You scared the crap out of me!” Turning toward Katie, she frowned. “What was that all about?”

“I thought I saw someone standing in the road.”

“I don’t see anything,” Julie remarked sarcastically, glancing into the rearview mirror.

Turning around in her seat, Katie looked out the back window. “Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I thought the person was trying to get us to stop.”

“It was probably some kind of illusion caused by the fog, or a hallucination brought on by your weary mind.”

“You're probably right. Sorry for scaring you,” Katie apologized.

“At least I didn’t wreck my dad’s car. He’d have killed me.”

The half hour drive seemed like it had taken hours when they finally pulled into the driveway. Shuffling to the front of the house, Katie fumbled for her key and unlocked the door. After stumbling through the darkness to her bedroom, they both fell onto the bed in exhaustion.

Chapter 11

As George descended the hidden staircase inside of the wall and opened the outer door to his sanctuary, the screams of his blonde plaything could be heard through the thick inner door. Closing and locking the outer aperture, he placed the empty duffel bag into the closet.

The woman's terrified shrieks were deafening as he opened the inner door and stepped into the room. Quickly, he strode across the concrete floor, striking her face viciously and causing her head to snap to one side from the force of the blow. Her screams died quickly, becoming stifled sobs.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Tina sniffled, getting her first good look at the monster who was holding her captive.

His eyes appeared blank for a few seconds as George recalled a memory from his youth. When the vision faded, he returned his attention to the naked woman in front of him. Running his eyes over her as if he were appraising a slave, he casually moved behind her.

“I didn’t do anything to you. Please ... Just let me go,” she pleaded.

Without warning, George pressed hard on her upper back between the shoulder blades with one hand, forcing her forward and down as far as the chains would allow. Agony shot through her arm, the pain so intense that Tina vomited. Although she was light-headed, she could sense his closeness. As his jeans brushed against her bare skin, she temporarily forgot about the severed head she had seen across the room. It seemed inevitable that at any moment he was going to rape her. With tears cascading down her cheeks, Tina tried to put herself into a numb place and hoped he would at least be quick about it.

The downward pressure on her back suddenly eased, but she still felt his hand on her flesh. She considered pleading with him again, but after his last violent outburst she thought better of it. The touch of his hand became gentle again, slowly moving across her skin like a lover's caress. It's almost like he has a multiple personality disorder. One minute he seems like he's going to beat me to death, the next it's almost as if he's worshipping me.

Hearing the creak of his joints as if he had crouched down, Tina felt his hands move down to her ass and slowly inch down her leg. Tina grimaced in pain as his hand brushed against the tender spot he had burned earlier. Thankfully, he didn’t linger long. When he reached her ankle, he removed his hand for a second before moving to her other leg and ascending with the same delicate precision.

Even though she was still terrified, Tina could tell that her muscles were beginning to relax. It didn't seem likely, but if he did have a personality disorder she might be able to twist things around to her advantage. There appeared to be two distinct sides to his nature, like a sort of good twin, bad twin type of thing. If that was the case, it was the good one she was dealing with right now and there was a remote chance she might be able to reason with him in this state.

When his hand reached her inner thigh, she was distracted from her thoughts. He wasn't moving any further up her body, but instead had begun massaging her labia. Despite her best efforts to tune out the sensation, he had caught her off guard and she found it extremely difficult to return her focus to the numb place she had been before. Her body was beginning to betray her, the sensation of arousal making Tina feel ashamed.

Closing her eyes she tried to fight off the feeling, but as she tried to force herself to go numb again a soft moan escaped her lips. First one, then two of his fingers gently penetrated her and slowly slid in and out of her vagina. Her pleasure mounted too quickly for her to focus on anything else, and soon she found herself writhing in ecstasy. Tina's hips moved in cadence with his fingers, and before she could attempt to regain control a shudder of pleasure coursed through her. She attempted to clamp her legs together as she exploded in orgasm, the force of it expelling his fingers.

Blood pounding in her head, Tina tried to catch her breath. As her thoughts slowly became her own again, she was startled to find him standing in front of her. A mask of calm serenity adorned his features when he slowly raised two moist fingers under his nose. She could see her cum, dripping down them as he inhaled the scent deeply. Unexpectedly, he moved his hand close to her face as if he wanted her to smell his digits. Finding the thought of it repulsive, Tina turned her head to the side and vomited a stream of bile onto the concrete. She expected her reaction to bring out his violent side again, but instead he gently caressed her face, smearing some of the hot, stickiness from his fingers onto her cheek. Feeling her gorge rising again, she gagged. Before Tina could close her mouth, he crammed his fingers inside. The sweet yet salty taste of her orgasm only intensified her urge to wretch.

Tina closed her eyes in hopes the sensation would pass more quickly. When she reopened them, she noticed the narrow-eyed look of hatred was back on his face. Before she had time to think her way out of the situation, George struck her cheek with a savage backhanded blow. "Whore!" Tina's head swam with stars as he screamed at her, but everything went black after that.

When her body went limp in the restraints, George turned and left the room. Returning upstairs, he collapsed into his recliner and closed his eyes. He rubbed his temples and tried to relax, but was suddenly overcome with a flashback of his past. Though he was drunk and stoned for the majority of his high school years, he envisioned himself walking the hallways between classes, telling jokes to his classmates and flirting with the pretty girls, trying his best to impress them with his intelligence.

His uncanny ability to get others to laugh gave him the image of being a class clown, and virtually everyone in the school knew him because of this reputation. The teachers loved him as well, but mostly because they thought he studied a lot. Little did they know that George came by his intelligence naturally, oftentimes learning things just by hearing about them, like he learned by osmosis or something. There were some, though—mostly jock types—that seemed to take great offense to a stoner being smarter and more popular than they were.

The biggest problem for George was getting the girls to pay attention to him. No matter how witty or helpful he was, the pretty ones would sucker him into helping them with homework and other times act like he didn't exist. They were always too good for him when it came to dating, flaunting their beauty when they wanted something and rejecting him as boyfriend material when he attempted to form a relationship with them. More often than not, this sent George into fits of depression, but sometimes it would infuriate him beyond belief.

When he was angry he would try to justify it by telling himself that the problem wasn’t the fault of the pretty girl, but rather the jock asshole who had stolen her away from him. When George was depressed he would turn his rage inward, convincing his mind that somehow he had done something to sabotage his efforts, or perhaps he was unattractive.

The only girls that would go out with him were either stoners or considered skanks. All things considered, most of those girls were not very pretty and would screw anyone that paid attention to them. This usually ended up being stoners like George. People who were too wasted to notice how ugly they really were, or too high to care.

Getting laid wasn’t the problem. Finding something more than a quick fuck, like an actual relationship, was what seemed impossible for George. Was there something wrong with him? Why was he always rejected and cast aside by those he wanted the most?

The flashback shifted gears, jumping a few years ahead. He was in the army. At a party thrown by a friend, he met a pretty girl named Kelly. Sadly, his experience with her was no different than his days in high school. The woman flirted with him all evening, but later that night he saw her leave the party with another man. Extremely depressed after yet another girl had abandoned him, he found comfort in the arms of a different woman. After a night of binge drinking and drugs, he woke the next morning in bed with her.

A month later, they were married. By this time the sex had gotten so frequent that it wasn’t uncommon for them to have it several times during the course of a day. No place was taboo for them either, no matter how public.

However, it was her sexual appetite that became the downfall of their relationship. When George would leave town for a couple of weeks on a military exercise, he would often come home to an empty bank account, and a wife that wasn’t in the mood for sex. Little did he know that while he was away playing soldier, his wife was home, but often not alone.

It wasn’t until what would have been their one-year anniversary that George found out. He came home from base one afternoon for lunch to find his wife in bed with another man. Soon after that they were divorced, and George found himself being booted out of the army because his emotions were unstable. He spent a lot of time in what seemed like a bottomless depression, and at other times his rage was on the edge of control.

Before he left the state to return home to Ohio, his wife became his first victim. Her remains were buried in a shallow grave in the woods, behind the Satanic Church he had found one day while drunkenly exploring the area behind the community college.

His eyes smoldered with hatred as the vision faded and reality took hold of him again. At that moment, the intense anger he was feeling coursing through him was overwhelming. His head felt like it was about to explode and his vision became blurry, darkening rapidly like a thundercloud. In a matter of seconds, he lost consciousness.

Chapter 12

When the girls awoke the next day it was nearly noon. Stumbling out of Katie’s room toward the kitchen to get something to eat, they passed Mr. Johnson, who was sitting on the couch in the living room. He adjusted the newspaper he was reading as they passed by. “Good morning, girls.”

“Morning, Dad.”

“Good morning, Mr. Johnson.”

Smiling, he returned his attention to the newspaper. When they entered the kitchen, the smell of spaghetti flooded their nostrils. Stomachs growling in unison, the girls burst into laughter.

"Good morning. What’s so funny?” Mrs. Johnson asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Morning, Mom,” Katie replied, attempting to stifle her laughs with a hand over her mouth.

“Good morning, Mrs. Johnson. Our stomachs growled at the same time,” Julie managed.

Going to the cupboard, Katie got a couple of bowls out then went to the pantry and grabbed a box of corn flakes. Bringing her bounty back to the kitchen table, she set them down. Mrs. Johnson met them with spoons and a carton of milk. “Will you be staying for dinner tonight, Julie?”

“I don’t think so. I should probably get going after I eat,” she remarked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“You are welcome to stay if you change your mind.”

“Thank you.” Julie smiled through a mouthful of corn flakes.

After finishing her cereal, Julie rose and pushed in her chair. Tapping Katie on the shoulder, she stated, “I’m going to go get my things together.”

“Okay. I’ll gather our dishes and clean this stuff up. I'll be right behind ya.”

“Did the two of you have fun yesterday?” Mrs. Johnson asked, turning to face her daughter as she stirred the spaghetti sauce on the stove.

Placing the breakfast bowls in the sink, Katie returned to the table to put away the milk and cereal. “We had lots of fun,” she replied, glancing over her shoulder. She attempted a smile, but it quickly faded as she recalled their trip home last night.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“Our ride back from the drive-in last night was a little more eventful than I would have liked.”

“Why? What happened?” Mrs. Johnson asked, her features contorted in concern.

“We almost got into an accident just down the road. It was a foggy, and Julie thought she saw someone standing in the road, so she swerved a little to avoid hitting the person," Katie lied, not wanting her mom to know it was her who had nearly caused the accident. "I think it was just the way the fog was drifting across the road, because I turned to look behind us and didn’t see anyone."

Mrs. Johnson let out a shaky breath through her pursed lips. “At least both of you are okay.”

With her backpack in one hand and her overnight bag in the other, Julie strolled into the room. “What’s wrong?” One eyebrow rose nervously as she saw the look on their faces.

“Nothing," Katie replied. "I was just telling my mom about what happened last night on the way back from the drive-in.”

“That was a little freaky wasn’t it?”

Brushing off the question as if she hadn't heard it, Katie glanced at her mom. “I’m gonna walk Julie out to her car. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

In silence, the girls went outside to the car. Julie got in, tossed her bags on the backseat, and started the engine. Rolling down the window, she waved as she shifted the vehicle into reverse. “See ya tomorrow at school.”

As Julie backed onto the road and started to pull away, Katie smiled and waved. Once the car was out of sight, she turned and went back into the house. Poking her head into the kitchen, she saw her dad conversing quietly with her mom. The newspaper he had been reading earlier was now lying on the kitchen table, folded neatly.

Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, Katie sat down on the couch in the living room and grabbed the remote, flipping on the television. The noon news was just coming on, and she decided to wait until after the weather report to change the channel.

“A gruesome display was found in a park this morning. Lisa Myers is on the scene with the report.”

The image on the television transitioned to a live camera shot. Crime scene tape circled the area around a building in the background. Immediately, Katie realized what park they were broadcasting from ... the very one that she and Julie had visited yesterday.

“The skeletal remains of a female were found this morning by a jogger passing by the building behind me. According to police, the bones were displayed in a gruesome manner near the entrance. They are unsure at this time if the grisly display is related to the recent string of abductions from the area. The only thing they are telling us right now is that the corpse appears to have been picked clean by an animal, making it more difficult to establish a positive identification.”

“Thank you, Lisa.” The image returned to the news studio. No longer interested in the weather, Katie turned the television off and tossed the remote aside, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

Chapter 13

When George became conscious of his surroundings again, he found himself sitting in a pool of blood on the concrete floor in front of Tina, her severed head resting in his lap, her glazed eyes staring up at him in horror. The remainder of her body was still bound in the dangling chains before him. In some places, large chunks of flesh were missing. It wasn't until he observed the bite marks ravaging her skin that George noticed the coppery taste in his mouth.

Rising to his feet, he crossed the room to where Amber’s head was displayed on the concrete floor and placed Tina’s next to it. He paused to arrange her hair as it had been while she was alive, then picked up the hose and turned it on, stretching it out to reach the other side of the chamber.

Meticulously, he sprayed down the headless corpse, rinsing the coagulated blood into the drain embedded in the concrete. Apparently, he had blacked out longer than he realized. Some of the blood had soaked into the cement, creating a reddish-brown stain. Briefly, he considered trying to scrub the stains out, but decided there was no point to the endeavor. The only way anyone else would see the soaked-in blood would be if he were ever caught. It didn’t matter if his victims saw.

Satisfied that his mess was cleaned up sufficiently, he put the hose away and headed for the exit. As the door swung open he paused, realization stopping him in his tracks. The door hadn't been locked; anger had obviously fueled his work, and he knew he couldn't afford to make too many slipups. The last thing he needed was a careless mistake, allowing a prisoner to escape, or someone accidentally stumbling into his lair.

Stepping into the storage room between the sound buffering doors, he grabbed a large roll of contractor’s plastic. Returning to the torture chamber, he rolled out an eight-foot section of it and cut across the plastic using the utility knife he had in his pocket.

Methodically, he walked from chain to chain, unlocking the padlocks from each. The body began to slump grotesquely as the limbs were released from their bindings, giving the contorted corpse the appearance of a demented marionette. When the final restraint was disengaged, the headless body fell to the floor with a dull, wet thud. After rolling the carcass onto the awaiting plastic, George wrapped it tightly, as if it were some kind of sick Christmas present.

Once he finished, he stripped off his clothes, bent down to grab his keys from his pants pocket, and kicked the pile of soiled garments next to the fireplace. I'll take care of them later. Right now, I need a shower. This time, he made certain that both doors were locked behind him before heading upstairs to clean up.

Chapter 14

Katie absently picked at her food. Normally, she would be wolfing it down so fast that her parents would tell her to slow down and taste it. She loved spaghetti, but after seeing the report on the noon news her stomach had been doing flip-flops all day. Her mom was the first to notice her apparent lack of appetite.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? You’ve barely touched your spaghetti.”

“My stomach’s upset, and I’m not really hungry,” Katie replied, twirling her fork distractedly in the noodles.

“You aren't coming down with the flu or something, are you?”

“No ... I've been really queasy since I watched the news earlier,” Katie confessed.

“Did they show something gross?” Matt inquired with a grin, picking on her even though he knew she wasn't squeamish. Most girls were, but not his sister.

Mrs. Johnson's brows furrowed in disapproval. “Why do you always have to pick on your sister like that?”

“Sorry, Mom,” he apologized, suddenly feeling like a kid. Though he didn't enjoy being scolded, Matt knew better than to disrespect his elders.

Ignoring her brother's comment, Katie rose from her chair. “I think I’m gonna lay down for a while.”

“I hope you feel better. I’ll save a plate for you ... in case you get hungry later.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Quietly pushing her chair back in, she headed toward her bedroom. Without even turning on her light or changing, Katie collapsed onto her bed. Staring vacantly at the ceiling, she tried to clear her mind. Even though the news hadn’t actually shown the body, her imagination was running wild and creating the scene for her.

An hour later, Mrs. Johnson knocked lightly on Katie's door to check on her, but she had already drifted into an uneasy slumber. Even in her sleep her imagination was in overdrive. It was more than an hour later before the sandman dragged her deep enough to allow her mind to finally go blank.

Chapter 15

When she sat up in her bed, awakened by a screeching sound, Katie felt like she was dreaming. Unnerved by the disconnected feeling, she stood up in the darkness, a slim beam of moonlight coming in through the window. Turning to look at her bed, almost expecting to see her body lying on the mattress, she was disappointed to see only her crumpled bed sheets.

Carefully crossing her room, she went to the window and looked out into the barely lit darkness. The fog was thick tonight and she couldn’t see a thing. Unaware that she was even doing it, she opened the window and climbed out into the cool, late spring air. The noise pierced the fog in front of her, causing goose bumps to rise on her arms.

In spite of her uneasiness, she slowly walked through the fog toward the sound, her bare feet moving steadily forward through the dew-laden grass as if they had minds of their own. With each step she took, her surroundings grew brighter. A small building began to take shape in the mist. Glancing upward, she realized that the light source had not been the moon as she had thought at first, but a floodlight on the shed she was approaching. The screeching noise repeated, this time sounding incredibly close. Preparing to run back to the house, her eyes flitted nervously from one object to the next. Just as she was about to turn around, Katie caught movement from the corner of her eye. "Shit! I'm freaking out over tree branches scraping against the shed," she mumbled aloud, laughing softly and trying to shake her jumpiness. A gentle breeze moved the limbs against the metal exterior of the building again, emitting a softer squeak as the wood rubbed on it.

It was obvious to her now. The wind must have been blowing harder when she first heard the sound, but as she turned to go back to the house Katie couldn’t help feeling like someone was watching her. Against her better judgment, she glanced over her shoulder toward the shed and froze in terror. The glowing silhouette of a woman was standing in the mist, beckoning her to approach. Although she didn't feel her feet moving, Katie noticed she was slowly getting closer to the figure. Confused and terrified, she glanced down and saw that her feet were indeed moving. It felt as if she were floating through the air—with no control over her body—drawn toward the ghostly presence like a mosquito to a bug zapper.

As Katie drew closer to the figure, it turned and moved further into the woods behind the shed, as if it were leading her somewhere. No matter what Katie did, she remained the same distance from the glowing form as they wove between the trees. Soon, she realized that she had no idea where she was. Why didn't I just stay in bed instead of traipsing around in the dark with who knows what? Even though Katie didn't understand why she was doing what she was, she couldn't shake the feeling that the ghostly figure was familiar in some way.

A dim light began to appear ahead of them, and after continuing on for a few minutes the glowing entity suddenly stopped. Turning toward Katie, it raised a finger to its ghostly lips, instructing her to be quiet. Moments later, the silence was broken by what sounded like a car door closing. Unexpectedly, the distant light disappeared. Simultaneously, the ghostly shape in front of Katie vanished, leaving her in complete darkness.

Chapter 16

Carrying the plastic wrapped body on his shoulder, George climbed the hidden staircase. He stopped to slide the bookcase out of his way, entered the main part of the house, and finally continued to the back door. Stepping outside, he placed the decapitated corpse into his van, checking to ensure that he had all of his supplies ready before heading back indoors.

Returning to his sanctuary, he checked the fire he had started earlier. Satisfied that it was sufficiently hot enough, he began placing the clothes that were piled next to it into the flames, watching intently as each piece burned. Once the last bloody garment was in the fireplace, he picked up the poker and stirred the embers, watching the last thread of cloth become a puff of smoke. Setting the iron implement down and closing the hearth doors, George went back upstairs to get his keys. He grinned wickedly as he thought about the little surprise he was going to leave for the police.

Chapter 17

Slowing his van slightly, George approached the lodge’s driveway. As he drew closer, he noticed the silhouette of a car sitting back a bit from the main road partially hidden. Angry, he sped past the entrance. It seemed the police were secretly staking out that spot to see if he would come back. Almost as quickly as it had come, his anger faded and he began to smile again. The park was a big place. They can’t watch the whole thing at once.

Traveling a quarter of a mile further down the road, he turned on to the street that bordered the eastern edge of the park. On one side of the pavement there were houses, and on the other the dark serenity of the woods. From his numerous visits in the past, he knew the jogging path was not far from where the tree line met the road.

Reducing his speed, George carefully selected a driveway to pull into. Cars were parked in the one he chose, but the house was dark so he assumed the occupants had gone to bed. As he pulled in behind a pickup truck and shut off his engine, George stepped out of his van and closed the door softly. When he saw there was no oncoming traffic in either direction, he crossed the pavement to scout out an appropriate place for his new display. It took roughly ten minutes for him to find a suitable spot that was fairly close to the lodge; a medium-sized tree he could put his arms around.

Before returning to his vehicle to retrieve the body, he crept silently toward the lodge to check on the car in its driveway. As he inched closer, George slipped into the underbrush to get a better look. The car was dark, but he could see the silhouettes of two people inside, illuminated by the cigarette that one of them was smoking. Satisfied that the pair of officers were not out patrolling the area, he carefully retraced his steps up the jogging path.

Returning to his van, he opened the side door as noiselessly as he could, gathering the plastic encased body and hefting it over his shoulder. Quickly, he strode across the street, carrying the body down the path to the tree he'd found. After dumping the corpse beside the trail, he headed back for his supplies.

When he returned a few minutes later, George dropped his bag beside the corpse and bent down to grab a pair of latex gloves and some duct tape from it. As quietly as he could manage, he partially unwrapped the top portion of the body as well as exposing her feet and ankles. Allowing the arms to hang limply over his back, he hoisted the woman on to his shoulder. Forcing her buttocks against the bark, George held her legs tightly against the tree with one hand and encircled both limbs with tape, lashing them to the trunk. Loosely holding the woman's torso, he removed the remaining plastic. After hefting the corpse upward to stretch it out as tightly as possible, he hooked her broken arm around the foliage to keep the body from slipping, quickly grabbing her other arm as he stepped to the back side of tree.

Awkwardly, he held both of her hands in one of his as he tried to wield the tape with his other. After binding her wrists together, George raised her arms as high as he could reach. Releasing his grip, he allowed the weight of the body to sag slightly outward, holding the corpse in place. He bent down and cut the tape around her legs so he could reposition them. Quickly grabbing her ankles to prevent the body from falling, he pulled them behind the tree and lashed them together in the same manner he had used to secure her hands.

After wadding the plastic and stuffing it into his bag, he spent a few moments canvassing the surrounding area thoroughly, making sure he wasn't leaving behind any trace evidence. Satisfied, George stepped onto the path and turned to gaze upon the finished product. Everything looked perfect; a smile creased his features as he snatched up his bag and headed back to his van.

Chapter 18

Mrs. Johnson knocked on Katie’s bedroom door. It was almost time for the bus to pick her up for school and she hadn’t come out of her room yet. After waiting a moment and getting no response, she knocked again, this time eliciting a groggy reply. Opening the door so she could hear what her daughter was saying, her jaw came unhinged at the sight before her.

“Oh my God! What happened in here?” Mrs. Johnson gasped in shock.

Blinking her eyes and trying to get them to focus, Katie noticed the look on her mom’s face. “Nothing, Mom," she mumbled. "Why? What’s wrong?”

Mrs. Johnson opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. The only thing she could manage to do was to point in Katie’s direction.

Not exactly sure what her mom was pointing at, Katie began to look around. At first, she only saw the state of disarray that her bed was in. The sheets were lumped in a pile at the foot of her bed and her pillow was hanging half off the edge ... then she noticed that absolutely everything was covered in what appeared to be dried mud.

“How did my stuff get …” Katie's voice trailed off as she caught a glimpse of her the clothes, which were ripped in several places. Underneath the torn sections of her clothing, she saw a multitude of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. None of her injuries were bleeding anymore, but dried blood stained her skin.

Finally finding her voice, Mrs. Johnson frantically questioned her daughter, “Who did this to you? Was someone in here last night?”

“I ... I honestly don’t remember. The last thing I recall is going to bed because I didn't feeling good. I think I passed out pretty much immediately.”

“Then, how do you explain this?”

“I can’t.” Out of nowhere, Katie’s dream suddenly surfaced in her mind. A look of concentration crossed her features as she attempted to recall the details.

“What's wrong? Do you remember something?” Mrs. Johnson considered sitting down next to her daughter, but stopped beside her instead and placed a hand on Katie's shoulder.

For a few seconds, Katie looked like a fish out of water. Her lips moved, but she was having difficulty making her mouth work. “It was really bizarre,” she replied in a cracked voice. “I thought I was dreaming. I had no idea that what was happening was actually real.”

Mrs. Johnson waited nervously for her daughter to continue, not entirely sure she wanted to hear what Katie was about to say.

Seeing the worried frown on her mother's face, she continued, “It was strange. I remember having goose bumps because I'd heard a noise outside, but when I looked out the window I could only see fog. I know it was pretty stupid, but I crawled outside through it so I wouldn’t wake anyone.” After a slight pause, Katie began again, “I remember crossing the yard to the shed and finding out the noise was being caused by tree branches that were scraping against it in the wind. I was getting ready to come back inside when I got the feeling that I was being watched. When I turned to check, I saw someone standing about twenty feet away.”

By this time, the look of distress was more than evident on her mom’s face. Gathering her courage, Katie added, “It was a woman, I think.”

“You think?”

“Well ... It’s hard to explain. The figure looked like a woman, but oddly enough I thought I could see through her, as if she were a ghost or something. I got the impression that she wanted me to follow her. Though I don’t remember actually moving my feet, I seemed to glide through the air behind her as if I were on some sort of leash. I'm not sure how long I followed her through the woods, but I do recall hearing a noise like a car door closing before everything went dark. The next thing I remember, I was waking up to you knocking on my door.”

“That’s quite a story,” Mrs. Johnson confessed. “I probably wouldn't believe a word of it were it not for the state I found you in when I opened your door. Although, I have trouble believing that there was a ghost involved.”

“I don’t know if it was a ghost or not, Mom. That’s just the best way I could describe it.”              Interrupting their conversation, a loud horn suddenly blared outside, making both of them jump. A few seconds passed before it sounded again and Katie realized what it was. “Oh crap! It’s the school bus. I’m gonna be late!”

“I’ll take you to school later, sweetie. I think I should probably take you to the emergency room so we can get those cuts checked out first,” Mrs. Johnson insisted.

“I feel fine, Mom,” Katie argued. “This is my last week of school before graduation. I don’t want to miss my exams.”

“I won’t take no for an answer," she stated in a stern voice. "I can always call the school to let them know I have to take you to the doctor. That way, if you do miss anything, they should let you make it up.”

"Okay, okay. You win, Mom," Katie conceded, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

“Gather up the clothes you want to wear for school. That way you can change after the doctor sees you.”

“Why can’t I change now?” Katie complained, her frustration mounting.

“Because ... the doctors will need to see you just as you are. I understand you not wanting to go out in public dressed that way, but it will probably get you seen quicker.”

“Okay, fine. I see your point, Mom." She sighed. "You win again. Can we get this over with, please?”

Chapter 19

Katie returned to school later that day, just before her lunch period was scheduled to begin. Before sitting down to eat, she visited the teachers from the classes she had missed, showing them her note from the emergency room and rescheduling her exams in those classes.

After arranging the new times and dates with her teachers, Katie headed to the cafeteria. Immediately upon entering the lunchroom, she saw Julie at a table on her right, frantically waving her over. As Katie approached, she noticed the distraught look on her friend's face.

"Where the hell have you been all morning, Katie? I've been freaking out, thinking you got kidnapped or something!"

"Calm down, Julie! I'm here now, and I assure you I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You're as white as a sheet, almost like you've seen a ghost." Julie paused for a moment, pointing toward Katie's arms. "And what's up with all the scratch marks?"

"It's a long story ..." As Katie related her tale, she was surprised by the amount of restraint Julie was showing. Normally, she would have interrupted nearly every sentence, but this time Katie managed to get through the entire account.

The lunch bell rang and they rose from their seats. As they gathered their things, Julie finally spoke up. "Wow! No wonder you look the way you do. It sounds like you might really have seen a ghost."

"It sure seemed that way," Katie remarked.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Julie grinned, her growing excitement obvious.

"I'm almost afraid to ask." Katie raised an eyebrow, expecting something outrageous to come out of her friend's mouth.

"Is my Ouija board still at your house?"

Katie frowned in concentration, trying to recall if she had seen it. "If it is, more than likely it's under my bed. I could have sworn you took it home with you, though."

"Maybe I forgot it in my dad's car because I haven't seen it since I got back from spending the night with you," Julie confessed. "I'll check when he gets home from work later."

"And I'll check under my bed when I get home from school. Are you thinking what I think you are?"

"Probably," Julie laughed. "I was thinking that maybe we could try to contact your ghostly guide."

Suddenly, the next bell rang. "Oh crap!" they said in unison, bursting out in laughter for a moment then running in opposite directions down the hallway to get to their next class.

Chapter 20

Across town, Mrs. Johnson was turning on the television to watch her afternoon soap operas. Within minutes of sitting down on the couch, her show was interrupted by a special news bulletin. Frustrated by the interruption of her program, which on Mondays was always a continuation of the previous Friday's climax, she considered getting off the couch and finding something to do until her show came back on. The first sentence out of the reporter's mouth quickly changed her mind.

"The gruesome remains of another young woman were found in a local park about an hour ago. By the way they were displayed, it would suggest they were discarded by the same person who previously left a human skeleton in this very same park. The local authorities have not yet confirmed this speculation, and so far have not identified either of the victims. Conformation that these two victims are related to the recent abductions in the area has not been established at this time. If we obtain any new information, we will interrupt programming to pass it along. This is Lisa Myers reporting."

Mrs. Johnson fainted.

Chapter 21

George slept soundly through the news bulletin, but not dreamlessly. In his subconscious, everything around him seemed somehow familiar and yet alien to him at the same time. Although he didn't see a single, living creature nearby, he got the distinct impression that he was being watched.

Sitting with his back against an enormous tree that was perhaps twenty feet in diameter, he gazed across the tall grass of the plains before him. From his place at the edge of a forest, the open field seemed to stretch to the limits of his vision. Above, wispy clouds rolled from right to left. Something about them didn't feel right either. For one thing, they appeared to hang too low in the sky, like fog. Mesmerized, he watched the sun poke out from behind the clouds, noticing something off about it as well. "It looks bigger than it should," George mumbled to himself, cocking his head slightly and raising a questioning eyebrow.

Standing up to stretch, he brushed off his pants. Noticing that the material didn't feel right under his palm, he glanced down. His jaw unhinged in disbelief as his eyes relayed what they saw to his brain. Instead of the blue jeans his mind insisted that he was wearing, he appeared to have on some sort of light leather pants, which were held up by a belt made of rope. A large knife was tucked inside a scabbard that hung from his waist. Dumbfounded, he removed the blade from its sheath to inspect it and saw that it was more like a short sword than a knife. After turning it this way and that in his hand, George replaced it in the scabbard. As he did, he noted that his T-shirt had also undergone a transformation. In its place, an open-throated leather vest hung from his shoulders. Contemplating his current appearance, he surmised that his dream was placing him into some sort of screwed up movie scenario; one which contained an odd mixture of the old west and the Knights of the Round Table. At any moment, George expected King Arthur to come riding across the field on a buffalo wearing full armor, except donning a cowboy hat upon his head where a medieval metal helm should be resting.

Laughing out loud at the absurdity of this vision, he heard the echoes of his mirth reverberating from the trees. The noise carried back to his ears, sounding alien and somehow corrupt, sweeter than he knew his own voice to be. His senses reeled. George felt like he could see for miles, like he could hear a cricket chirp from a great distance away, like he could smell a sweetness in the air that had never been there before. Why can't the real world be like this? Even if it were, he was sure that the people in this place would treat him the same as the ones in the real world did.

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed in his head, startling George from his thoughts. "I've been watching you. I admire your work and want you to be my right hand man. Together we can unmake the world and recreate it in my image."

"Who are you?" George shouted into the still air, looking around in confusion.

"I have many names, but in this world I am known as the Black Knight, or the Lord of Darkness," the voice replied.

"The lord of a dream world? What is the point in that?"

"I assure you, George, you are not dreaming. This place does exist. It is a world that runs parallel to the one you consider real, and physical travel between the two is possible."

Maybe I need to lay off the alcohol. I feel like I'm talking to myself. Shrugging his shoulders, George indulged the self-proclaimed lord. "How?"

"There are many portals between the two worlds. All one needs to know is where to find them, and to walk through." As if to attest to this fact, George heard a groaning, cracking noise coming from the woods behind him. As he whipped his head around, he saw the bark literally peeling back from the tree he was leaning against, creating a door-sized hole. "Walk through and see what I mean, George," the Black Knight encouraged.

Taking a hesitant step toward the opening, George contemplated what would happen to him if he went inside as instructed. Would he suddenly wake up in his recliner at home? Gathering his courage, he decided to find out. After all, he was only dreaming, right? What's the worst thing that could happen?

Upon entering, the darkness enveloped him and he suddenly felt weightless. He could feel his legs moving forward, but there were no sensations coming from his feet that he could associate with walking on solid ground. After what seemed like only seconds had passed, George stepped out into bright, shaded sunlight. A grove of trees surrounded him, much like the ones from the dream world, only these were significantly smaller. Expecting to see the strange gateway tree behind him, he turned around and saw a small cave in the hillside, the entrance of which seemed to waver like a mirage.

The voice in his head was gone. As George studied his surroundings, he realized he had no idea where he was, but it was definitely somewhere on Earth; the smell in the air told him that much.

Chapter 22

George instantly jerked awake, and in the process nearly fell out of his recliner. It took him a few minutes of checking his surroundings to realize he was in his house and no longer dreaming. "Wow! That was one hell of a dream," he muttered to the empty room. At the same time, he found himself wishing that the alternate reality hadn't been a product of his subconscious. At least in the other world he had felt like he could do anything, almost as if he were a god there. Here, it seemed he was only worthless old George that nobody gave a rat's ass about, feeling that he needed to kill in this world to be noticed at all. In the dream world, killing seemed like it would be more enjoyable, not driven by need.

The voice of his new friend intruded on his thoughts, booming within his skull, "When you are ready, I will show you how to get back to my domain." Startled, George glanced around the empty room, searching for the owner of the voice and wondering if he was truly awake. Maybe a walk in the woods will clear my head, he thought, knowing that his most recent display should keep the police occupied for a while. He could afford a little down time to enjoy himself. After all, there was nothing more satisfying than watching the public squirm.

Chapter 23

When the telephone began to ring, it brought Mrs. Johnson back into the land of consciousness. As she attempted to focus her blurry vision on the clock hanging on the wall above the television, she noticed two hours had passed. Vaguely, she recalled the shock of the news update earlier and assumed that her mind had shut down her body as a coping mechanism. Groggily, she picked up the handset and answered the phone. Julie was on the other end of the line, inquiring about Katie. "She isn't home yet, but she should be here in the next ten or fifteen minutes. I'll let her know that you called."

Returning the phone to its cradle, she blankly stared at the television. At least it's just a soap, and not another one of those grim news reports. As if the mere thought had somehow summoned it, the program was interrupted by another bulletin.

"We reported to you earlier on the finding of the remains of a young woman in a local park, and now we have acquired further information. Police have positively identified these remains as belonging to Tina Blackwell, and confirmed the possible link between the recent abductions with these brutal murders. The bones of the previous victim have not yet been identified, but due to the manner in which both of the corpses were displayed, the police feel confident that the same individual was responsible for both crimes. The only additional information police officials are releasing right now is that both victims were discovered without their heads, indicating the perpetrator may be a serial killer. No further information is available at this time. We will keep you up to date on any new developments as we receive them. This is Lisa Myers reporting."

Bracing herself, Mrs. Johnson felt the room begin to spin. Wanting to relieve her nausea, she glanced down the hall toward the bathroom, but remained seated on the couch because she didn't think she would make it more than a few feet without fainting.

The front door swung open and Katie called out, "Mom! I'm home!" The house seemed oddly silent. "Mom?" She listened for a reply, but the only thing she heard was the sound of voices on the television, coming from the living room. Maybe she fell asleep watching one of her shows. As Katie entered the room, she saw her mom sitting on the couch, looking as pale as death itself. It was almost as if she had just come from the set of some zombie horror flick like Night of the Living Dead. Rushing across the room to where her mom was sitting, staring blankly at the television screen, Katie shook her gently, trying to snap her out of the daze she was in. "What's wrong, Mom? Mom? Mom?"

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Mrs. Johnson replied weakly. "Can you help me get to the bathroom? I'm really dizzy."

"Sure." Bending down, Katie put a shoulder underneath her mother's armpit. Standing slowly, she tried not to overbalance her in the process. It took most of Katie's strength to keep her mom upright and moving in the right direction, almost like attempting to balance a cube of Jell-O on a toothpick. After delivering her to the bathroom, she eased her mom to the floor beside the toilet. "I'm going to be right outside if you need anything, okay?"

Mrs. Johnson managed to look up at her daughter. Smiling weakly, her voice just above a whisper, she croaked, "Thank you."

Katie closed the door softly and returned to the living room to grab her school books. Carrying them into the hallway, she sat on the floor outside of the bathroom door. Might as well get some studying done while I wait, she thought, opening her math textbook. The way her mom looked it could be a while before she would need her for anything.

Before she knew it, nearly an hour had passed. Glancing up from her math book, Katie realized that she hadn't heard a sound from the bathroom for quite a while, and she found herself hoping her mom had not passed out. As she considered knocking to check on her, the door swung open and Mrs. Johnson shuffled into the hallway.

"Are you okay, Mom?"

"I wouldn't say that, but I am feeling better than I was," she answered with a half-smile that resembled a grimace of pain.

Actually, she looked better than she had earlier. Some of the color had returned to her face, and she no longer resembled an escapee from a zombie movie. Instead, she seemed like someone who hadn't slept in about a week. "Are you coming down with the flu?"

"I wish it was something so mundane. Come out to the living room and sit with me for a bit. I need to talk to you," Mrs. Johnson urged.

Katie followed her mother down the short hallway leading to the next room, keeping a hand on her back to steady her.

As Mrs. Johnson eased herself down to the couch cushion, she recalled her earlier phone conversation. "I can't remember if I told you already, but Julie called for you right before you got home from school. You should probably call her back before I talk to you."

Placing her books on the end table, Katie picked up the phone and dialed Julie's number, her fingers moving so quickly they were a blur. The phone hadn't even rung on the other end when Julie answered.

It was almost as if the two of them had some sort of psychic connection. Katie hadn't uttered a word, but somehow Julie knew it was her on the other end of the line. The thought of caller ID surfaced in her mind as a possible explanation, but she quickly dismissed the notion. Julie would be far too impatient to bother checking it, even if her phone had the feature. "I didn't find the Ouija in the car, so it must be at your house. Can I come over? We could always study for exams first, then once it's dark we could get it out."

"Hang on a sec." Covering the mouthpiece with her palm, she glanced at her mom with pleading eyes. "Can Julie come over so we can study for exams?"

"Sure, sweetie." Mrs. Johnson smiled weakly.

Removing her hand from the phone, Katie happily blurted, "She said okay."

"Yay! I'll be over in a bit."

Before Katie could reply, the line returned to a dial tone. Hanging the phone in its cradle, she turned her attention toward her mom. The room was eerily quiet now. Apparently, while Katie was on the phone her mom had turned off the television. Raising an expectant eyebrow, she tapped her fingers impatiently on the arm of the couch, waiting for her mom to say something.

After a couple of minutes, Mrs. Johnson sighed. "I don't know where to start, or how to tell you this," she remarked, her tone laced with dismay.

"Mom ... you're kind of freaking me out here. Tell me what?" Katie asked nervously.

Silently, Mrs. Johnson searched for the best way to begin. "Well, I suppose blunt and to the point will have to suffice, since I can't think of any other way to go about this." After a short pause she continued, "Right before you got home, one of those special bulletins came on the television. It seems the police have identified one of the two victims from the park, a woman they suspect was abducted recently. They think the other body they found was the other lady who was reported missing, but they haven't confirmed it yet. From what I heard on the news, the evidence points to them being kidnapped and killed by the same person. The police haven't said it, but the reporter seems to think there is a serial killer on the loose in the area."

Katie's complexion grew pale, and her mouth hung open in shock.

"I'd feel a whole lot better if you promised me that you would never go anywhere alone. At least, until the police catch this monster."

Picking her chin up off her chest, Katie nodded and replied, "I promise."

Mrs. Johnson smiled. "Thank you, sweetie. That was all I wanted to talk to you about, so if you want to go study for a bit before dinner, go ahead."

Katie rose and gathered her things from the end table before shuffling down the hall to her room. Plopping onto her mattress, she pulled a book into her lap. Before she managed to open it, there was a knock at the front door. Julie was probably so excited about the Ouija board stuff that she sped all the way here, Katie thought with a grin as she went to answer the door.

Chapter 24

Opening his eyes, George saw the sun dipping below the horizon. On his walk through the woods behind his house he had found a large, odd-looking tree. When he had sat down and propped his back against it, he had drifted to sleep. In the depths of his subconscious, he had believed that by doing so he might wake up in the other world he had dreamt about earlier. No such luck it seemed. Same shitty day. Same shitty world. He had hoped that by wandering through the woods for a couple of hours he would find the cave from which he had previously reentered his world. However, the only thing he had found was the tree he now leaned against, which vaguely reminded him of the one he had walked into on the other world. The biggest difference, though, was the fact that this one wasn't as large, and it was by far uglier.

Apparently his friend with the booming voice didn't think he was ready to cross over for real yet, or maybe the alternate world really was nothing more than a dream; the temptation of a place he would never see while he was awake. Frustrated, he stood up and brushed the dirt and grass from his jeans, heading in the direction he thought his house to be. Although he hadn't been home long, he was quickly growing bored. His thoughts drifted. If I don't hear from the Black Knight by tomorrow, it will be time for another recon mission. I need a new toy to play with.

Chapter 25

After dinner, Katie and Julie helped Mrs. Johnson clean up. Heading outside, Matt and Mr. Johnson decided to get a little more work done in the one acre garden beside the house. Soon it would be too dark to see what they were doing.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm wiped out," Mrs. Johnson proclaimed with her hands on her hips, looking completely exhausted. "Can you girls finish up here for me?"

"Sure," they answered in unison.

"Thank you." Mrs. Johnson smiled wearily.

Once she had left the room, the girls went into a whirlwind frenzy of splashing water and flying soap bubbles. Within minutes, they had all of the plates, glasses, and utensils cleaned and stacked in the dish drainer. As they left the kitchen, Julie snapped Katie on the behind with a wet towel, causing her to emit a startled yelp. Tossing the dish rag on to the counter, Julie darted past her friend and headed for Katie's bedroom, laughing as she jogged down the hallway.

It wasn't completely dark outside yet, but Julie was so excited that she couldn't wait any longer. Pulling the curtains closed to shut out the last remaining light of the day, she dove onto the floor and looked under the bed. While Katie laughed hysterically at her acrobatic-like display, Julie poked her head up from beneath the bed frame and set the Ouija on the mattress. Turning toward her desk, Katie piled their school books on its surface and opened a drawer, pulling out a candle. Grabbing the slender white tapered wax from Katie, she lit the wick.

"Come on! Shut the light off already!" Julie urged excitedly.

With a barely restrained laugh, Katie flicked the switch. Sitting down on the bed, she pulled the Ouija into her lap and waited for Julie to position herself properly, so they could rest the board on their knees between them. "I hope it works this time."

"Me, too." Julie grinned.

"Hey ... I have an idea. Why don't we try contacting one of those missing women?"

"As far as I know, only one of them is actually dead, but if you want, we could try that one. Do you remember what her name was?"

"I'm pretty sure it was Tina something. Do you want me to find a paper and look real quick?" Katie asked, trying to recall where she had last seen the paper. Julie had just begun to nod when Katie's face lit up excitedly. "Oh, wait. I think I remember. It was Blackwell. Tina Blackwell."

"That sounds right," Julie admitted.

Simultaneously, they took a deep breath, attempting to calm their nerves so the Ouija wasn't dancing around on their knees. When the board stopped shaking, they placed their fingertips on the message indicator.

"We are trying to contact the spirit of Tina Blackwell," Julie announced. "Are you here, Tina?" Almost instantly, the message indicator began to move, stopping with the word no in the clear plastic viewer.

"Did you do that?" Katie implored, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"No way! That was the real deal."

Hesitantly, Katie glanced back at the Ouija. "If you aren't Tina, then who are you?"

Again, the indicator started to move. While they watched in silent awe, it glided effortlessly from one letter to another, spelling out A-M-B-E-R.

"Who is Amber?" Julie asked, raising a confused eyebrow in Katie's direction.

"I'm not sure, but the name sounds familiar."

As Julie rolled the name around in her head, an idea struck her. "Maybe it's the other missing woman ... the one we weren't sure about being dead." The indicator quickly slid to reveal the word yes in its window.

"Holy shit," Katie mumbled aloud.

"What?" Julie gazed nervously at her friend.

Lost in thought for a moment, Katie didn't hear Julie's question. Inquiring in a voice just above a whisper, she glanced at the Ouija. "Can you make yourself visible to us?"

Suddenly, the flame on the candle shot up nearly a foot for a second or two. Just as quickly, it extinguished, leaving the girls in total darkness and causing them to jump, slapping hands over their mouths to stifle their screams. Before their eyes had time to adjust to the pitch black room, a glowing form began to materialize by the window. Katie gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing was real.

Tapping Katie on the shoulder, Julie whispered, "Do you think we can talk to her without the board?"

The apparition seemed to be nodding its head in answer to Julie's inquiry. Seeing her ghostly glow jarred something in Katie's mind. "Oh my God! Are you the woman I followed when I thought I was dreaming?" The spirit clearly confirmed her question.

"Holy fucking shit!" Julie gasped, recalling her friend's story.

The glowing form raised an arm, beckoning the girls to follow. The curtains flew open and the window slid soundlessly up. With making any obvious movements, the apparition was suddenly outside of the house, looking in at them. Unsure of why she trusted the entity so perfectly, Katie rose from the bed and walked to the window. After her previous encounter, she felt like she knew the dead woman. Hesitantly, Julie joined her friend by the open aperture. Unlike Katie, she had no idea what to expect.

The ghostly figure retreated a few feet while the girls crawled out of the window. Just like in her first experience, the glowing form soundlessly turned around and drifted toward the woods, glancing back to make certain Katie was following. Without a word, the girls trudged through the darkness using the spirit's shimmering essence as their guide. After a few minutes, Julie was growing nervous. "Do you know where she is leading us?"

"Not really. I got the impression the last time I followed her that she was trying to show me something, but I'm not sure what she wanted me to see," Katie confessed.

After what seemed like an hour, they emerged from the forest. Amber stopped at the edge of the pavement before crossing the road. Raising a ghostly arm, she pointed to the other side. As both girls glanced in the direction of her luminescent finger, the only thing either of them could discern was what appeared to be lights coming through the windows of a farmhouse.

"Are you pointing at the house over there?" Katie inquired.

Nodding her head, Amber nervously edged backward, attempting to retreat.

"Is that your house?" Julie asked.

In response, Amber raised both of her hands toward her face fearfully, and quickly floated into the nearby tree line. The glow of her form wavered just inside the edge of the forest, seeming to grow significantly dimmer.

"Apparently not," Katie remarked. "She acts like she's terrified of the place. Maybe it's where she was killed."

"If that's the case, it would mean there is a killer living close to you. I get the feeling that we're still pretty close to your house."

"I don't even want to think about that, Julie." Katie shivered.

"Should we sneak over and peek through a window to see who lives there?"

"Have you lost your mind? If there's a killer in there, I don't want to be anywhere near that house!"

"Just think, Katie. If we do go over and have a look and actually see someone, we will know what the killer looks like. We can go to the police and describe the person," Julie pleaded.

"Fine," Katie relented, "but I'll be across the road and in the woods before you can say my name if something unexpected happens."

Reaching out, Julie grabbed Katie's hand and lightly pulled her along as they crept across the pavement. A couple of minutes later they stood in the grass at the edge of a massive porch, gazing through the lighted window. An antique floor lamp was nearby, illuminating a large bookcase on the opposite wall, but they couldn't see anything else without actually mounting the front steps. Julie tugged lightly on Katie's hand, coaxing her to follow her onto the porch for a closer look.

"No way am I getting any closer to that place," Katie whispered harshly, attempting to pull her hand free from Julie's grip. "If you want a better look that's up to you, but I'm staying here."

Sneaking up the steps, Julie crossed the porch to the window. Slowly raising her head, she peeked through, first from the lower right side of the glass, then from the opposite side. While on the left side of the aperture, she spotted a man sitting in a recliner, reading a newspaper. She was unable to get a good look at his face; the only feature she could make out was his long brown hair. For a few more minutes, she remained vigilant, hoping to get a glimpse of his face.

As the man turned the page, he shifted the paper, allowing Julie to see his features clearly for a moment. Shocked recognition spread across her face. Momentarily losing her balance, she bumped the window shutter with her shoulder. Whipping his head toward the sound, the man squinted through the darkened pane. Quickly, Julie ducked her head down out of sight and scrambled toward the grass where Katie was waiting.

Flying down the stairs like the devil himself was chasing her, Julie grabbed Katie's hand as she reached the bottom. "We have to go! Now!" Sprinting toward safety, she practically dragged Katie out of her shoes. Barely maintaining her balance, the girls ran like stampeding cattle to the other side of the road.

Amber's glowing form was still cowering behind a tree when they crashed into the forest. Stopping briefly to catch their breath, they glanced back across the road. A shadowy figure stood in the open doorway of the house.

"Oh my God! That was way too close!" Julie gasped. "I hope he didn't see me."

"Did you get a good look at him? Enough to describe him to the police?" Katie wheezed, still trying to catch her breath.

"I would say so. We actually know the guy."

"Really? Who was it?"

"It was Mr. M," Julie stated. "Our bus driver from last year."

"No way!"

"Believe me, I wasn't ready for that surprise either," Julie remarked.

"Can we please go back to my house now?" Katie pleaded, approaching the ghostly silhouette. With a nod, Amber wasted no time retreating deeper into the woods.

The return trip to the house seemed to go by in a matter of minutes. As soon as the shed in the backyard became visible, both girls made a mad dash for the safety of the house. Climbing back in, they collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathing heavily. After closing the window and curtains, the girls sat still for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. The only light in the room came from the glowing form of Amber, who had followed them inside.

After she finally caught her breath, Katie got up to turn on the lights. As soon as she flicked the switch the glowing spirit vanished. Uneasy because she could no longer see Amber, she turned the light back off and sighed. Seeing that the ghost was no longer in the room, Katie flipped the light on again.

"Ya know ... doing that is making it really hard to see anything." Julie blinked rapidly, a note of irritation in her voice, trying to get her eyes to focus.

"Sorry, it freaked me out when I turned the light on and Amber vanished. I had to turn it back off to see if she was still here. When I saw that she wasn't, I didn't see a point in sitting around in the dark."

"I'm sorry, too, Katie. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Guess I'm still kind of in shock from a ghost leading us to Mr. M's house. Do you really think he's the killer?"

"I'm not sure what to believe," Katie confessed. "He always seemed so nice when he was driving the bus last year, but on the other hand, why would Amber lead us to his house if he wasn't?"

"What should we do?" Julie asked.

"I don't know. It's not like we can just stroll into the police station and tell them a ghost showed us who the killer is."

"True ... They would probably try to lock us up in the loony bin if we told them that." Julie sighed.

"Maybe once we get a good night's sleep the answer will come to one of us," Katie suggested.

"You're probably right. We're too pumped full of adrenaline right now to think clearly. I should be getting back home soon, so my dad isn't freaking out about his car being gone." Rising from the floor, Julie gathered her books. "I think I'll just leave the Ouija here with you for now, if that's all right. It'll keep me from forgetting it the next time I come over."

"That's fine with me." Katie picked up the Ouija from her mattress and slid it back underneath her bed. After helping Julie get her things together, she walked her to the front door. "Be careful on your way home."

"I will," Julie smiled halfheartedly, pausing to exchange a brief hug. "See you tomorrow at school."

Katie waited in the doorway until Julie started the car, throwing her a quick wave as backed out of the driveway. Once the car was out of sight, she closed the door. As she reentered her room, Katie kicked off her shoes, turned off the light, and plopped onto the bed. Exhausted, she fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

Chapter 26

Sitting in his recliner reading the newspaper, George heard a noise behind him, coming from outside of the window. Flicking the paper aside in annoyance, he turned his head to look and saw the vague shape of a female face peering back at him. It disappeared a moment later, followed by the sound of footsteps running on the porch. Setting the newspaper aside, he hurried to the front door and flung it open. Standing in the open doorway, he strained his eyes in search of movement, noticing a faint glow in the darkness that was coming from the other side of the street. Curious, he sat down on the porch to let his eyes adjust, but after a few minutes he was forced to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him.

Suddenly, the Black Knight's voice boomed in his head, "They know."

They know? Who are they? And what could anyone possibly know? I'm positive that I've never left any evidence behind which could implicate any wrong doing on my part.

"They had help from the other side," the Black Knight growled loudly, making the teeth rattle in George's head.

What does he mean by the 'other side'? From the dream world?

Before George could finish his thought, the entity hissed in his skull, "From a restless soul, one who is not bound by the laws of flesh."

Impossible! A ghost is at the root of my problems? Surely, the cops wouldn't believe something so far fetched, would they?

"No more displays of your prowess in your world. It is getting far too dangerous. Bring your next victim here," the Black Knight instructed. "After you obtain your next victim, I will guide you back to my realm."

As he contemplated where to pull his next victim from, the image of a face—framed in light colored hair and peering through the window at him—fluttered in his mind. For reasons unknown, the face seemed familiar to him. Unable to ascertain where he might have seen it before, his brows furrowed in concentration. The headlights of a car traveled up the road, and as it passed his driveway George was suddenly certain its driver was the one he wanted to abduct next. He was sure of it.

As he watched the vehicle's taillights disappear into the distance, the gears in his mind churned. Recognition spread across his face. The face in the window ... It was one of the brats who rode my bus last year ... The little slut that hung out with the Johnson girl up the street. Methodically, George searched his memory, going over every detail of his bus route from last year in his mind. As he pieced together the puzzle, he was almost positive that he knew where the girl lived.

Rising from the porch, George went into the house and grabbed his van keys from the hook on the wall just inside of the front door. The snooping brat's house should only be a couple of miles away. If I hurry, I can find out for sure if she's the one I'm looking for.

A few minutes later, George turned off his headlights and pulled the van to the side of the road, leaving the motor running. When he exited the vehicle, his excitement began to build. If he believed in luck he would be crossing his fingers right now, but he didn't. What he did believe in was careful planning. So called "bad luck" was merely a missed step in the master plan, and entirely avoidable if he paid attention to the details.

As he approached the car in the driveway, George noticed that the taillights were similar to those he saw a short time ago, driving past his house. Inching his way to the front of the car, he lightly placed the back of his hand against the hood. The engine was still warm.

Satisfied that he had tracked down the correct vehicle, he quietly crept to the rear of the house. The front of the home was dark, but as George rounded the corner into the backyard he saw light shining out from two of the windows. Approaching the first one cautiously, he noticed the pane was partially open and a box fan sat on the sill, blocking his view. Despite this, he saw enough to determine that the room belonged to a teenage girl. Continuing to the next lighted aperture, he crouched beside it. Hearing the sound of running water, he peeked over the ledge and saw the silhouette of a female through the frosted glass of the shower door. I should have at least ten minutes. He ducked down, finishing his search of the perimeter.

After circling the house and finding no indication of anyone else being awake, George returned to the bathroom window and listened. The shower was still running.

Returning to the bedroom window, he grabbed a hold of the box fan and removed it from the sill, letting it slip through his hands until it reached the floor. Slowly pushing the sash upward, he crawled through the opening then turned to replace the fan on the sill. Scanning the room for a place to hide, he spotted a louvered door. It was just barely visible, hidden behind the bedroom door, which he would have to close slightly to get into the closet. Hopefully she wouldn't notice.

After a few minutes, the light filtering through the louvers became brighter as she entered the room and closed the door leading to the hall. Through the slats, it was hard for him to make out more than a darkened shape passing by. When she crossed to the other side of the room, George cracked the panel open so he could see her more clearly. She stood in her bathrobe in front of her dresser, and he assumed she was rummaging for something to wear to bed. While she was facing away, he silently left his hiding place and crept up behind her. As she pulled something out of the drawer, he quickly slipped his right arm around her throat, locking it into place with his left arm and covering her mouth with his hand. Using a sleeper hold, he dragged her away from the dresser to the middle of the room where she couldn't thrash into anything. Struggling violently while she could, she reached over her shoulder and tried clawing her attacker with her fingernails.

When she stopped fighting him, George lowered her limp body to the carpet. Preparing his escape, he went to the window and removed the fan again, opening the sash fully. Returning to his unconscious victim, he scooped her up in his arms and slowly slid her out of the window, feet first. It was an awkward task, but he finally managed to get her outside, pushing the dead weight of her body at the last moment so that it didn't slump back into the house and thud against the siding. As she lay in a crumpled heap on the ground, he slipped out of the window. Once outside, he picked her up from the grass and hefted her over his shoulder, carrying her to his waiting van.

With his victim safely secured in the back of the vehicle, George slid behind the wheel, intending to return home, but suddenly felt as if someone was watching him. Carefully, he checked all of his mirrors and windows, but saw no reason for alarm. The feeling faded after a moment, but was replaced by a strange sensation in his head, as if someone was in there, picking his brain. Without warning, the familiar voice of the Black Knight boomed inside his skull, demanding, "Go to the lodge!"

Disoriented momentarily, George was unsure where the entity wanted him to go. "Near your special place ... Where you display your playthings." The proverbial light came on in his head, but if the Black Knight wanted him to go to the park things could get tricky. George was positive that the police were watching the area pretty intently now, patrolling the paths and outbuildings heavily after discovering two bodies there. Surely, they couldn't cover the entire park. There had to be a way in, but it would take some serious scouting to find it.

Chapter 27

On the side of the park opposite from where the lodge was located, George found a driveway leading to the ranger's office. Pulling to the side of the road, he parked on the gravel shoulder. Leaving the engine idling and turning the headlights off, he got out of the van and crossed the road. Once on the other side of the pavement, he walked up the short, tree-lined driveway until it opened onto a small parking area where the ranger's office sat. No cars in the lot. No lights on in the office. That's a good sign. Spotting an electric golf cart parked next to the tiny building was even better. He jogged back to his van, feeling like everything was going his way.

As he pulled into the lot and parked his vehicle, he opened the driver's door to get out and heard his captive mumbling incoherently. Wasting no time, he strolled to the rear doors and propped them open. He noticed that the girl was starting to regain consciousness, so George lifted her not entirely limp body into a sitting position and reapplied a sleeper hold on her. When her head lolled to the side, he released his grip and eased her body back to the floor.

Now that he was sure he had a little time, George grabbed a flashlight and strolled across the lot toward the golf cart, knowing he would probably have to hot wire the thing to get it running. He couldn't help but laugh as the beam of light danced off of the keys, dangling from the ignition. Hopping into the seat, he drove the cart toward the back of his van, grateful for the whisper-quiet engine; the only sound coming from the crunch of gravel under its tires.

Through the opened rear doors of the van, he grabbed the girl by her ankles and pulled her out far enough that he could get his arms underneath her. Within seconds, he transferred her limp body into the bin on the back of the cart.

Navigating the vehicle through the park with no lights was proving to be a difficult task, though, he didn't dare turn them on. That would have been like lighting a neon sign and telling the police, "Here I am!" The best he could hope for was to get where he needed to go ... before the girl started to wake up again. Thankfully, there were a lot of open areas in the park. During this time of year, the grass fields hosted their share of softball games, playing children, family barbecues, and the occasional volleyball game or two. Don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but I believe there is a horse stable somewhere around here ... and if I'm right, the horses should use a separate path than the jogging trails I normally use. Correcting his course, he headed in the direction of the stable, or so he hoped.

After a few minutes, the building loomed before him. He hopped off the cart and briefly inspected the horse trail. Just as he suspected; no gravel to get stuck in the horses' hooves, the path was dirt. With the exception of possible bumps in the trail, it should be as quiet to travel on as going across the grass. Climbing back into his seat, he looked over his shoulder to make sure the girl was still sleeping before heading down the path.

After traveling for about ten minutes, George saw intermittent flashes of light through the trees off to his right. The kind created by flashlights. Bringing the cart to a stop, he sat and watched the beams sweep back and forth. Figuring he must be close to the lodge, the trick now was going to be getting past the police and inside of the building. From what he could tell, there were four officers patrolling the area, split into pairs.

Timing would be essential. As he studied their movements, he noticed that they repeated the exact same pattern every time they made a sweep. Both pairs walked toward each other until their lights nearly met, then turned and retraced their steps. Analyzing their pattern, and the synchronicity of their turns, George assumed they were counting their paces.

Getting out of the cart, George went to the bin at the rear of the vehicle where the girl still slept and scooped her into his arms, hefting her limp body onto his shoulder. Standing at the edge of the path, he watched and waited for his opportunity. As the flashlights came together the pairs turned, giving him about a minute to slip through their perimeter. George moved as quickly and quietly as he could, and prayed there wouldn't be any dead twigs in his path. The snap of dry wood would give him away immediately.

Ahead, he saw a slight break in the foliage that was likely caused by the jogging path. He was almost home free. Slipping through the shadows, he caught sight of the flashlights sweeping back in his direction from the corner of his eye. Shit! They're coming back! I need to hurry! Fifty feet ahead, George spotted a large tree trunk that he could hide behind and quickly made his way toward it.

A couple of minutes passed before George heard their voices as the patrols met. The officers paused their routine, conversing long enough to make George wonder if he had inadvertently left an indication that he had crossed the path. A footprint? A scuff mark in the gravel path? The moment stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Without warning, they swept the area around him with their flashlights. The beating of his heart pounded in his ears and he nearly panicked and bolted. Their beams of light continued to fan the area, giving him a brief glimpse of the lodge, which was still close to two hundred feet away. After waiting a minute longer, George saw the lights retreat to the path. Holding his breath and hoping for the best, he quickly scurried through the trees toward his destination.

Tucking himself into a shadow on one side of the lodge, he peeked around the corner. From what he could tell, the patrol hadn't turned back toward him yet. A quick scan of the building revealed a service entrance on the back wall of the structure. He moved silently to the door and tried the knob. Locked! Damn it!

Leaning against the door with the shoulder not bearing the girl, he steadily exerted more and more pressure. The solid panel moved slightly, but didn't open. George sighed softly. This is going to make a little noise, but hopefully not enough to draw attention. Taking a step back, he used his shoulder like a battering ram. The door splintered and buckled inward from the force of the blow, but as he should have been sprawling on the floor he felt an odd sensation pass through his body. Before he could figure out what caused it, the girl had rolled across the floorboards and stopped a few feet away.

As he turned his head toward the doorway to determine if the cops were preparing to arrest him, his jaw dropped open in disbelief. Where the fuck is the door? Blinking his eyes as if the sight before him were nothing more than a hallucination, George didn't see the expected chairs and tables of the lodge's dining hall, but instead was greeted by a much different sight. Small, metal desks lined one wall, which appeared to stretch for about fifty feet. Each of them had a large computer monitor resting on their surfaces, an interfacing keyboard plugged into the base of every console. The screens didn't look like anything he had ever seen before. They were shiny and metallic, as if they were made of chrome. Looking closer, George noticed that each monitor was displaying a different image, similar to security footage.

Unsteadily rising to his feet, he walked past the line of desks. Each screen was engraved with a number, the first bearing the number one on it and the last etched with the number thirteen upon its shiny surface. Glancing from one monitor to the next, each image George looked at appeared increasingly alien.

On one of the screens, the view swept back and forth over a large room in which people were chained to wooden crucifixes. Upon each of their heads was some sort of strange metallic device, which appeared to be an instrument of torture.

On yet another, George saw a large underground river. Perhaps it was the lighting, but the liquid seemed to glow. Resting on the water's surface was an odd, futuristic-looking ship, which looked like a cross between a pontoon boat, a freighter, and an alien spacecraft. The deck was lined with cages that nearly spanned the entire length of the craft, encased by what appeared to be a transparent bubble of some sort. The front of the vessel had perhaps a dozen or more seats, almost as if it were the first class section of an aircraft.

Incoherent mumbling temporarily diverted his attention from the monitors. Turning his gaze from the alien footage, he noticed his captive was beginning to regain consciousness. As he quickly scanned the rest of the room in search of a means to secure his prisoner, George spotted a doorway leading to another room off to one side. After taking a moment to investigate the chamber, he surmised that it was a bunkhouse. Several beds lined the interior. Spotting a closed door in the back corner of the room, he opened it to reveal a supply closet. A quick search of the cramped space produced a small coil of coated electrical wire, something he could use to bind the girl before she fully woke up.

When he reentered the main room, George saw the girl looking around in shocked disbelief at her surroundings. Before she realized what was happening, he quickly crossed the room and knocked her face first to the floor. As her head struck the floorboards, George straddled her body and sat on her back, pinning her down. Grabbing her arms, he pulled them tightly behind her and lashed them together with the wire he had found. He rose from the floor and dragged her most of the way to her feet, keeping her off balance, and pulled her into the bunkhouse. Near one of the beds, George swept her legs from under her, causing her to land on her butt so hard that he heard her teeth click together. Using the remaining wire dangling from her bound arms, he lashed her tightly to the bed post. By this time, the girl's screams were so loud that George could barely hear himself think. Once he was satisfied that she was secure, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Entering the main chamber of the building, he was pleasantly surprised by how muffled the girl's screams were. Still, he would have to improvise if he wanted to get any sleep, but for now it was bearable.

With his prisoner secured, George felt confident that he could investigate his new surroundings at his leisure. Returning his attention to the row of monitors,  most containing fairly sterile images, he saw that many displayed views of buildings that were completely devoid of any signs of life. Others showed more of a security type of footage, the images panning back and forth across the landscape outside. Most of the latter were difficult to make out any details because the darkness of night had apparently fallen over this world.

One screen grabbed his attention more than the others because it displayed a bustle of activity. From what George could tell, the image panned over a factory of some sort. A hundred or more people shuffled back and forth, assembling what appeared to be robots; most of these had humanoid qualities, but some looked more animal in nature.

Turning his attention from the monitors, George studied the room in further detail and spotted two potential exits from the chamber he sat in. One of these he was certain he came through when he first entered this world, while the other looked out of place in a room that otherwise seemed to have a rustic, log cabin feel to it. Made of solid metal, it had a wheel in the center of it, which reminded George of the entrance to a bank vault, or an air lock door on a spaceship or submarine.

Crossing the room, he grabbed the wheel. The only direction he could move it was counter-clockwise, but even that was difficult. It screeched loudly from apparent disuse as it slowly turned. After struggling with the mechanism for nearly a minute, George heard a loud click. As the door slid open, it revealed a stone staircase leading down. At fifty foot intervals, he saw strange, glowing circles embedded in the ceiling that gave off an incredible amount of light; enough to force even the tiniest of shadows into retreat. Though the walkway was lit, he could not see the bottom of the stairs.

Tentatively, George traversed the steps for a short distance, hoping to see where they led, but after a couple of minutes there was no end in sight. Deciding to fully explore the staircase later, he ascended to the room filled with computers. With no quick resolution to what lay at the bottom of the stairs, his curiosity turned to the doorway he had entered that transported him to this world. Would walking through it from this side put him back on Earth, or would it simply lead to the outside of the building?

After emerging at the top of the stairs, George swung the heavy door shut. The wheel spun rapidly in a clockwise motion by itself, jerking to a stop as its locking mechanism clicked into place. Turning his attention to the door he suspected would lead him home, he approached it cautiously. Half expecting to tumble back into his own world when he stepped through, George reached for the handle. His hand froze in midair when he saw there was no knob to turn, but instead there was a strange metallic circle embedded in the door with a grooved hand print molded into its surface. Cautiously, he placed his hand in the hollowed impression. The tingling sensation of electricity surprised him, but felt somewhat like sticking your tongue to the terminals of a nine volt battery. The mild shock had startled him briefly, but not enough to make him withdraw his hand from the groove. Keeping his palm flat, he turned the mechanism as if it were a normal doorknob. The door clicked softly as it unlocked, immediately sliding into the wall on his left.

George gaped for a moment, shocked by the sight before him. In the sky, he saw two moons. One hanging just above the horizon, giving it a slightly crescent shape, while the other was significantly higher and looked to be nearly full.

When the confusion passed, he stepped through the doorway on to the sandy ground outside, wondering what else this new world might have in store for him. Instantly, the panel behind him slid closed. A bank of floodlights clicked on above him, illuminating a large area around the building. Stepping away from the structure, he heard a noise that he couldn't identify. It seemed to be coming from the roof. Shielding his eyes and squinting, George could make out several small shapes on the shingles, spinning in slow circles, which resembled tiny radar dishes.

A sudden whirring sound caused George to spin around, and what he saw made him take a few steps back. Before him were about a dozen slinking, shiny, rat-like creatures, each approximately the size of a house cat. Something was moving near their bellies, but with such great speed he couldn't distinguish what the objects were. Their glowing red eyes watched him intently as their thick tails switched back and forth.

The stare down continued for a few moments before the metallic creatures scattered in several different directions. The whirring sound intensified as they disappeared into the tall grass roughly fifty feet from the building. Shortly after they vanished from sight, George realized he could see their shiny bodies scurrying around again, even though they hadn't gotten any closer to the building. Is it my imagination, or did the grass somehow get shorter? When the realization struck him, he laughed out loud. The creatures were like tiny lawnmowers. Feeling the potential threat to his well-being no longer existed, he turned from the scene and opened the door.

As soon as he stepped through the doorway it closed and locked behind him automatically. The day's events were a lot for him to take in all at once, and suddenly he felt very tired. Opening the door to the bunkhouse he cringed, expecting to have his ears assaulted by the screaming girl, but was instead greeted with silence. Quickly checking to make sure his prisoner hadn't escaped, he found her asleep on the floorboards. Taking a cue from his captive, he quietly sat on a bed nearby and laid down. Within moments, he was fast asleep.

Chapter 28

What Katie saw before her eyes was surreal; a large room with stone walls and an opening to her right that reminded her of a window in a castle. I must be dreaming. Looking through the aperture, she saw a large medieval town sprawled out beneath her. Horse drawn carts traveled along the cobblestone streets, and the people dodging out of their way were nothing more than dots on the landscape from her vantage point.

Turning her attention back to the elaborate chamber she stood in, Katie saw two armor-clad figures flanking a large wooden door across from her. Richly colored tapestries hung on the walls, as well as several evenly spaced fixtures, each holding three lit candles. She wasn't positive, but thought they were called candelabras. Dominating the center of the room was a large, twenty foot long wooden table, which was surrounded by well-appointed high-back chairs that looked more like thrones than something a normal, everyday person would sit upon.

A door suddenly creaked open and a robed figure entered the room, crossing the enormous chamber until it stood before her. "M' lady," a male voice from within the shadows of the hood greeted her, bowing deeply. As he straightened, the man swept the cowl from his head, revealing a gentle face rimmed with long black hair. His piercing gray eyes glowed warmly in the candlelight.

"Hello," Katie stuttered, unsure of how to properly address the man. He responded to her greeting with a warm smile. "Am I dreaming?"

"In a way, you are," he admitted softly. "Though, it is more like traveling in spirit, outside of your body."

To Katie, it sounded like he was talking about astral projection. Until now, she had never considered such a thing to be possible. "Why am I here?"

"Ah ... skipping formalities and getting straight to the point." He grinned. "I am assuming that the Gods have sent you to aid me."

"Aid you? Why would I do that?"

"A darkness has befallen our land as of late. Foul creatures attack us from the shadows, even in the city. The town elders have charged me with a mission. I am to travel to the Throne of the Gods and seek their aid in ridding the land of this evil."

"I'm not sure that I follow. What does any of that have to do with me?" Katie raised an eyebrow questioningly, growing impatient and nervous.

Rubbing his chin in contemplation, he considered how much to tell her. "A messenger pigeon arrived at the chamber of elders this morning, bearing a piece of parchment in its talons, indicating something disturbing. The message stated that someone from a place known as 'Earth' has entered our lands, and at this precise moment is aiding the dark forces which threaten to spread throughout this world."

"Whoa! Wait just a minute! Are you telling me that this isn't Earth?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying. This world is known as Desolace. The elders believe that Earth is a world which is parallel to our own, and that you can travel between the two by means of magic," he informed her.

"Parallel worlds? Magic? I suppose the next thing you'll tell me is that your name is Merlin or something, right?"

"I know not this Merlin you speak of," he confessed, cocking an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Where I come from, he's a wizard. One that most people believe only exists in fairy tales."

"I am indeed a sorcerer, if that is what you mean, but my name is not Merlin. It is Edward the White."

"Okay ... well, I suppose my next question for you would be, why me? I'm sure there are many other people on Earth who would be much better qualified to help you. Like a priest ... or a shrink," Katie remarked in a sarcastic tone.

"Perhaps." He sighed. "But I get the feeling that you are connected in some way I don't understand yet, making your involvement pivotal to the mission's success. It's just a hunch, but maybe you know things about the evil person who entered our land from your world which could prove vital. In any case, you are merely the first of what I believe will be many adventurers who will be needed to complete this quest."

"I don't get it." Katie frowned in confusion. "How am I supposed to help you if I'm not really here?"

"When the time is right, I will open a portal to your world, allowing you to pass through to Desolace physically."

From what seemed like miles away, Katie heard another voice calling to her. Edward seemed to shimmer before her like a mirage. Closing her eyes briefly to battle her sudden bout of vertigo, she waited a moment before opening them. The light from her nightstand was so bright that she squinted her eyes most of the way shut, trying to get them to focus. Through the slits of her eyelids, the hazed and watery form of her mother appeared. I'm back in my bedroom.

"Katie, wake up," Mrs. Johnson said, shaking her daughter gently.

Raising her hands, Katie screwed her fists in her eyes and sat up groggily. When her eyes began to focus, she saw the look of concern on her mom's face. "What's wrong, Mom?"

"Did Julie go straight home when she left? Her dad called a few minutes ago, asking because she wasn't home yet."

Glancing at her alarm clock, Katie wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. The LED numbers told her it was three in the morning. "As far as I know, she went straight home. She should have been there hours ago!" Suddenly wide awake and on the verge of panic, Katie frantically looked around for her clothes.

"Then I should probably call her dad back to let him know." Mrs. Johnson sighed, turning to leave.

Bouncing up from her bed, Katie rifled through her dresser, grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "It would probably be quicker if we just went over there, Mom. Can you take me there?" Katie pleaded, dressing herself as she walked.

Quickly falling behind, Mrs. Johnson grabbed the car keys as she chased after Katie. By the time she got in the car, her daughter was already sitting in the passenger seat, rocking nervously. As they pulled out of the driveway and headed toward Julie's house, they passed the home of Katie's old bus driver. Unable to resist the temptation, Katie stole a glance toward it and saw that none of the lights were on. Trying not to think the worst, she feverishly hoped that Mr. M. was inside sleeping and not out doing unspeakable things to Julie.

Although it felt like an eternity, the ride to Julie's house took all of ten minutes. Pulling in the driveway, the first thing Katie noticed was the car ahead of them. It was the same vehicle her friend had been driving earlier.

"Um ... Mom? That's the car Julie was driving when she came over," Katie explained. "She should be here."

Continuing toward the front door, Mrs. Johnson looked over her shoulder. "I wonder if her dad knows that it's out here."

Barely hearing a word of what her mother said, Katie darted past her in a blur. As she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open, throwing her off balance and nearly hitting Mr. Evans' head with her own as she fell forward. Narrowly escaping a vicious headbutt, she ended up planting her elbow firmly into his chest instead. Barely managing to retain his balance, he wrapped his arms around her. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Is she here now? I saw the car in the driveway," Katie blurted, attempting to break the embrace.

"What? The car is here?" Mr. Evans gasped in disbelief, absently pushing Katie away and staggering outside to see for himself.

On wobbly legs, Katie turned away from the distraught man and made her way through the house to Julie's bedroom. When she first entered the room she didn't notice anything out of place, but as she continued looking around she realized the carpet was damp, like Julie had taken a shower and walked back in without drying off.

She was here, Katie thought frantically. But if the car is still in the driveway, it would imply that if Julie left the house, she had done so on foot. Trying desperately to think, Katie left the bedroom, feeling the carpet with her bare feet. Instead of getting a clearer picture of where Julie had gone, she became even more confused. The rug outside of the room was only damp between the bedroom and the bathroom. When Katie stepped out of the direct path between the two rooms, the carpet was completely dry. In her mind, that left two options. Either Julie snuck out of her bedroom window after showering, or someone abducted her and carried her through the house and out the front door.

Returning to Julie's room, Katie crossed to the window and inspected the box fan. It hummed lazily on the sill as if mocking her. Because there was little room for Julie to have gotten past the fan, she concluded that her friend had been carried out. While Katie was trying to piece things together, her mom and Mr. Evans walked in to the room. Quickly, Katie relayed her theories to them.

"There is no way she could have been carried through the house and out one of the doors," Mr. Evans retorted as calmly as he could manage. "Every door has a deadbolt. I checked each one when I noticed Julie wasn't here, and they were all locked."

Katie frowned. "Then I guess she must have gone out of the window, but I'm not sure how. The fan on the sill blocks the opening almost entirely." The gears in her mind worked furiously to figure out how it might have been possible. As she pictured Mr. M in her mind, it dawned on her that he was close to a half foot taller than Julie. Was it possible that he somehow shifted the fan enough to get Julie out, jumped down, and reached up to put the fan back in place? Adjusting its position slightly, Katie glanced at the ground below the window and noticed a large section of grass seemed flatter than the rest of the surrounding greenery. Large, foot-shaped indentations in the lawn led away from the house in both directions. Pulling her head back inside, she broke the news to Mr. Evans.

Fresh tears began to pour from his bloodshot eyes as he let out a mournful wail. Crossing the room, Katie hugged him tightly. Behind them, Mrs. Johnson held up a finger to her daughter, indicating that she would be back in a minute.

Mrs. Johnson's low voice could be heard for a few moments, sounding like it was coming from the hallway. "I've called the police," she stated, rejoining them in Julie's bedroom.

The noise coming from Mr. Evans' lips was watery, and vaguely sounded like he was trying to say thank you. Sobbing loudly, he clutched Katie to his chest as if she were his daughter.

Within five minutes, a police car pulled into the driveway and one of the four police officers currently employed by the town of Misty Hollows stepped out. Entering the dwelling through the already open front door, he spoke to Mr. Evans briefly then excused himself so he could look around the house. After finishing his cursory examination, he returned to the living room and asked to use the phone.

The Misty Hollows Chief of Police arrived ten minutes later and consulted with the officer, making sure he was up to speed on the current situation. Soon after the chief arrived, a squadron of vehicles pulled up in front of the house and parked in a manner which blocked off the street. The emblems on the cars of the new arrivals were difficult to see with so many flashing lights, but appeared to be from nearby Toledo. Having never seen so many cops outside of a television program, Mr. Evans began pacing the room nervously. With the multitude of people milling in and around his house, it almost felt like a three ring circus had come to town and set up in his front yard. In his mind, he could hear the voices of the tent masters, calling to the unseen crowd, "Step right up! In this tent, we have the amazing three-headed chicken!" In a way, the voices didn't seem all that crazy. After all, he was pacing like a caged animal, as if he was frantically searching for a way out of the coop before it burned down around him.

Time seemed to stand still. By all accounts, the sun should have been coming up by now, but as Katie checked the clock on the living room wall she saw that it had only been an hour since her mom woke her up. One of the crime scene officers approached, informing Katie and Mrs. Johnson that were free to return home; he would call them if he thought of any more questions. Although she was grateful that she was being allowed to leave, she hesitated. Somehow, it didn't feel right to leave Mr. Evans alone to deal with his grief. The police presence would be of little comfort to him, looking like a flock of circling vultures that had found a fresh corpse to pluck at.

Pausing to hug Mr. Evans on their way out the door, Katie and Mrs. Johnson went outside and prepared to return home. The police moved their blockade as Mrs. Johnson backed out of the driveway, allowing her to squeeze the vehicle through the barricade, then closed the gap behind them as they drove off.

When they pulled into the driveway, they noticed that every light in the house was on. Walking in the front door, they were assaulted by a barrage of questions from both Matt and Mr. Johnson. Gently reminding her parents that today was the last day of school, Katie excused herself from the room, knowing she had to at least try to get a little more sleep if she had any hope of passing her final exams.

Upon entering her bedroom, Katie closed the door gently. She collapsed on to her mattress and reached over to turn the light off. Closing her eyes, she listened to the muffled voices of her parents and her brother coming from the other room. Their voices tapered off after a while. Even though the house was now silent, sleep continued to elude Katie. She tossed and turned in her bed, trying desperately to clear her mind.

After what felt like at least an hour, Katie sat up and glanced at her alarm clock. Four thirty-six. Staring at the numbers in disbelief, she suddenly felt like someone was watching her, causing the baby fine hairs on the back of her neck to rise. Spinning her head around toward the window, she almost expected to see Mr. M. sneaking into her room to kidnap her. Instead, she saw a familiar visitor.

"Oh. It's just you," Katie gasped, placing a hand to her chest as if it could keep her heart from leaping out.

The ghostly figure beckoned her toward the window, as if she had more to show her, though Katie wasn't sure she wanted to see whatever it might be. As she approached the window, Amber slipped outside. Noticing that something seemed different, Katie hesitated. Gazing through the aperture, it looked as if Amber was standing on a road in the dead of summer, the heat baking the distant pavement with a heat so intense that it caused everything before her eyes to shimmer like a mirage. There was another aspect that didn't settle quite right in her mind, too. It seemed much darker where Amber stood than it should have, as if she were standing in a void.

With great reluctance, Katie started to climb out of window. A strange, tingling feeling crept up her leg, like the phantom sensation an amputee might experience after losing a limb. On the edge of panic, Katie glanced down to see that her appendage had a shimmering quality to it, as if it weren't truly there. Startled, she attempted to bring her leg back inside, but in her haste managed to lose her balance and tumble through the open pane. At least, her mind insisted that she had fallen, but miraculously she found herself to be standing in front of Amber, whose form no longer wavered like a mirage.

"Your new friend contacted me and asked for my help. He informed me that he was going to open a portal for you, and asked that I guide you through when the rift appeared."

Katie fell to the ground in shock, startled. "You ... you can talk?"

"On this side of the portal I can. It's like I'm more substantial in this world, almost alive," Amber confessed.

Briefly, Katie's mouth hung open, unable to speak. "Are you implying that we're in the place I dreamt about? What did that man call it? Desolace?"

Nodding in affirmation, Amber continued. "He also said to tell you that he would meet with you after dawn, and that you should stay put until he comes."

Katie sighed with frustration, lay back in the grass, and gazed up into the unfamiliar sky. What choice do I have? I was tricked into coming here, and have no idea how to get back home.

For no reason she could immediately explain, Katie felt her body beginning to relax. Taking a deep breath of the clean, crisp, night air, she stared at the strange constellations dotting the sky above her. Minutes later, she was fast asleep.

Chapter 29

Awakened by a scream, George sat up quickly, his head swimming dizzily. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he gazed around the room in an attempt to gain his bearings and realized he was not in the throes of some crazy dream. It was all real. As he touched the blanket for conformation, the harsh texture reminded him of something the Army would have issued.

The girl's screams grew in pitch and intensity when she realized her captor was awake, causing him to wince painfully. Rising from the bed, he stomped across the room and struck her face with a vicious backhand to shut her up. Continuing to wail at an ear piercing volume, he raised his hand to deliver another blow. The threat of being struck again caused her to close her mouth, realizing that her wails were only making her captor more aggressive. Sobbing as quietly as she could, Julie saw him lower his hand.

Rubbing his temples, George walked into the next room and inspected the bank of monitors. Everything appeared to be the same as the last time he had checked them, except for the one engraved with the number thirteen. On its screen he saw a robotic creature, which looked vaguely similar to a horse, although this mechanical oddity looked longer. This was probably due to the beast, if one can consider a machine such, having six legs. However, that was not the only strange thing about the metallic creature. It also had not one, but two necks, each with its own head. The 'animal' seemed to be standing outside of a building that looked remarkably similar to the cabin he was in.

Startling George, a familiar voice spoke, coming from the direction of the monitor. "Your primary task awaits you, but first you must take your captive to the Factory."

"Huh? What task? And where is this factory that I am supposed to take the girl to?" George inquired.

"Your primary objective is to obtain humans to work in my factory. Once captured, they are to be transported to my facilities so they may be put to work building my army. Floating on the river below the outpost is the quickest way to transfer your prisoners to my factory. Simply secure your captives in the onboard cages, and when you are ready to make your delivery, go to the main cabin and interact with the computer. Everything is completely automated."

"Where, might I ask, am I to obtain more prisoners for this factory of yours?"

"I have provided you with the means to get around in this world. Have you not been outside of the outpost?"

"Outpost?" George asked, confused.

"The building you are standing in is Outpost 13," the Black Knight stated patiently. "The creature outside will be your transportation. I believe you would refer to it as a horse. As for obtaining more workers, there are many small towns nearby, in almost every direction. I say almost, because there is nothing to the north of where you are. Outpost 13 is located near the northern edge of this world. In all likelihood, if you attempt to travel north, the only thing you would find is the great sea at the edge of the world."

George sighed. "Okay ... one more question. Is there any way to contact you once I leave this building, in case I run into trouble and need help?"

"If I am not otherwise occupied, I can hear your thoughts and can project my voice into your mind to check on you from time to time. Once you get started, however, I don't really believe it will be necessary. Other than that, the only means of contact would be face to face, or by interacting with the terminals in one of the thirteen outposts spread throughout this world."

Crossing the chamber to the vault-like door that opened onto the descending staircase, a nervous thought entered his mind. Did the Black Knight install some sort of computer chip in my brain while I was sleeping to spy on me? Turning the creaky wheel, George heard the lock retract. After pulling the door open, he went to the bunkhouse and untied the bonds that secured the girl to the bed. Roughly pulling her to her feet, he threw her over his shoulder. For a few seconds, she struggled.

"There's no sense fighting me. If I have to, I will knock you out," he sneered. A smug grin creased his lips as she quickly stopped squirming. That did the trick.

Like a sack of potatoes, he carried through the doorway and started his descent down the long stone stairway. The steps seemed to stretch on forever. After traveling for what felt like half a mile, George still did not see the river, only an infinite procession of stone. Removing Julie from his shoulder, he set her down on the steps and sat down beside her to catch his breath. I really hope I don't have to carry every prisoner I acquire down these stairs.

When his breathing evened out, he stood and instructed Julie to walk in front of him, though he wished he would have thought of this sooner. Gathering the unused portion of wire that he had bound her wrists with, George used it as a tether to keep her from attempting escape. Not that she really had anywhere to go. Thankfully, the faint sound of rushing water reached his ears after a few minutes. By the time they reached the end of the staircase, it felt like he had walked for over a mile.

A strange boat bobbed dreamily in the swift current before him. Herding the girl toward the ship, they crossed a short ramp to get onboard. He grabbed her arm and steered her to the left, toward the empty holding cages. Dangling from the ceiling of each cell was a pair of leather shackles that hung approximately four feet apart. Similar devices were chained, side by side, to the floor of each cage.

Leading her into one of the metal cubes, he secured her feet and wrists in the shackles. When he was finished, George regarded his prize, chuckling softly when he realized the woman appeared to be crucified. With a grin, he spun around and headed for the front of the boat.

As he walked up the corridor, George noticed that even though the ship had seemed transparent when viewed from the outside, the hallway he traversed was opaque and bore those strange circles of light which also lit the stairs leading down from the outpost. After a short walk, he arrived in the front cabin of the craft. The backs of several reclining chairs faced him, bolted into the floor in two rows that faced a large console. As he approached, a mechanical voice greeted him. "Are you ready to depart?" the voice inquired. Two buttons began to glow beneath the monitor before him, one labeled with the word yes, and the other no. George pushed the one marked yes. The mechanical voice returned, "Please select your destination." This time, a multitude of buttons lit up. He studied them for a moment, trying to find the right one. There was a button glowing for each of the outposts, except the one he was currently at, of course, one labeled Cemetery Hill, and another The Factory.

Depressing the button for The Factory, a soft hum filled the air and the monitor suddenly came to life. Two red dots appeared on the screen with a blue line running between them. The line curved back and forth across the display, as if showing a map of a country road winding through the mountains. The dot closest to the top of the monitor began to blink rhythmically. "Please have a seat. You will arrive at your destination in six hours, forty-three minutes, and ten seconds," the mechanical voice informed him. Turning away from the screen, he crossed the cabin to one of the plush recliners and sat down. For a while, he watched the blinking red dot out of boredom. After a few minutes, he began to feel sleepy. The tiny red light followed the course of the blue line at a snail-like pace, much like observing the growth of grass. Closing his eyes, his mind wandered to his caged plaything, knowing his involvement with her would soon be over.

Chapter 30

As the first rays of daylight filtered through her eyelids, Katie slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The initial blurring made it difficult to focus, but as she blinked her eyes her surroundings became clearer. The grass around her was very tall, coming up to her shoulders as she sat on the ground, and was swaying softly in the cool morning breeze. A quarter of a mile to her right, a small grove of strange looking trees reached toward the sky. She couldn't be sure at this distance, but Katie thought she could see a horse standing near the edge of the cluster of trees. Apart from this, she appeared to be engulfed by a seemingly endless field of grass.

Standing up, she started to dust herself off and stopped abruptly. Hesitantly gazing down, she saw unfamiliar clothing on her body. Instead of her normal blue jeans, leather pants encased her legs, and somehow a similar, open-throated vest had replaced her T-shirt. Though she didn't understand the transformation, apparently she had left home without shoes. Either that, or there was no equivalent on this world for them because her feet were bare.

When the shock of her wardrobe alteration began to pass, she started walking toward the copse of trees. As she drew closer, Katie determined that her eyes had not been playing tricks on her. There was definitely a horse standing near the edge of the tree line. The animal caught sight of her a couple of minutes later and whinnied softly. A cloaked figure came into view from behind the horse, raising a hand in greeting. When she got close enough that he could talk to her without shouting, he called out to her, "You never did tell me your name, m' lady." He grinned.

"Katie Johnson." She blushed; in this light, he appeared to be a bit older than she had originally thought. Forty-something, maybe, but still kind of attractive. As she got within ten feet of him, she surmised that he was taller than she remembered as well. From the looks of it, probably a full six inches taller than her. Stopping a few feet from where he stood, she patted his horse gently. "And your name was Edward, right?"

"Your memory serves you well, m' lady."

Holding up one hand, Katie shook her head. "You're going to have to quit calling me that if we are going to spend any significant time together. It makes me feel old."

He laughed heartily. "It will take some getting used to, but I will try."

"I suppose that's all I can ask," she smirked. "So, now that you've brought me here, what's the plan?"

"Well ... I suppose the first order of business should be to locate others like yourself."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"From what the town elders told me, I have to use people from your world if my mission is to succeed. They said if I were to use folks who live on this world that I would inevitably fail, causing darkness to consume our land." Edward paused briefly, studying the expression on her face. "Just so you know, the people we try to recruit don't have to be exactly like you. In fact, it would be better if we had a little diversity in our group."

"In your opinion, what would be an ideal group?" Katie inquired.

Pausing for a minute, Edward pondered her question. "What kind of skills do you possess?"

"Me? I'm just a simple farm girl. The only thing I've really done in my life is gather food from the fields."

"Have you never hunted wild animals?"

"My dad took me hunting a couple of times last year, but I have never actually shot at, or killed, anything. The only thing I've ever aimed a weapon at were targets mounted on bales of hay. I was pretty good at hitting those," Katie confessed.

"It's settled then. Even with your limited experience, I am designating you to be the hunter of the group."

"But I don't have a hunting weapon," she pointed out, a hint of unworthiness in her voice.

Holding up a finger, Edward walked to the other side of his steed and rifled through the belongings he had strapped to the saddle, removing a long bow and returning to where Katie stood. "Will this suffice? If so, it is yours. I can use it fairly well, but I'm sure that your skills surpass my own."

Hesitantly reaching out, she took it from his hands and placed the bottom tip of the bow on the ground. It seemed a bit excessive and unwieldy to her. From tip to tip, the weapon spanned about four feet. "I don't suppose you have anything smaller?" Absently, Katie plucked at the drawstring.

"It is the best I can offer at this time, but perhaps we can find a smaller one along our journey." After a brief pause to judge her reaction, Edward continued, "Well, hunting is covered, and if encounter a situation where magic is required, I can take care of that aspect." With Katie's curious eyebrow creeping up her forehead, he expected an interruption. When none was forthcoming, Edward began again. "I suppose we should probably be on the lookout for at least three more people. It would be good to have someone who can fight, with or without weapons. Someone with healing skills would be another good choice, just in case one of us gets injured. And lastly, someone with a religious background could prove to be very useful if we happen to encounter demons."

"Demons?" Katie's mind swirled in horror. Ghosts are freaky enough! What the hell am I getting myself into? "I've always thought they were inventions of priests, created to scare people into going to church."

"I assure you, they are quite real," Edward confirmed in a grave tone. "Maybe on your world they are fake, but that is not the case on this world."

Though Katie was frightened by the prospect of encountering real demons, Edward's comment jarred a memory. "I just thought of something. I'm not sure if it really happened or not, but I remember you telling me about someone crossing from my world to yours. Someone who is helping the dark side." As lame as it sounded, she found herself softly chuckling at the unintentional Star Wars reference. While Edward listened intently, Katie relayed her tale of the serial killer from her world, and how the ghost of one of his victims had led her through the portal into this world. She added in the fact that she felt that this killer had abducted her best friend, Julie, and could be doing unspeakable things to her at this very moment.

When she was finished telling her story, Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, if I understand correctly, you think this killer and the individual I've been warned about are one and the same?"

"I believe so ... I guess what I wanted to know was if we could also look for my friend while we are trying to locate the people to form this group of yours?"

"Well, if we happen to cross paths with this killer and your friend is with him, I most certainly would not leave her in his custody," Edward stated bluntly.

Katie sighed. "That wasn't exactly the answer I was hoping for, but I suppose it will have to do." She paused, her mind spinning furiously. "Wait! Maybe the ghost I told you about could help us find her! She seems to be very in-tune with the killer, and might be able to track him."

Frowning in concentration, he considered her proposition. "Is your spirit friend here in this world, or did it return to your own after leading you through the portal?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I can only see her at night."

"Then, my suggestion would be to travel for a few hours to look for others. We could stop somewhere along the way to rest until it becomes dark. Once we determine whether or not your spirit friend is with us, we can alter our plans accordingly. Does that sound logical?"

"Very much so! Thank you!" Katie flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Then, let us be off." He smiled down at her.

Bending slightly, Edward hoisted Katie on to the horse's back, instructing her to sit behind the saddle. After passing the bow up to her, he placed his left foot in the stirrup and tried not to knock her off as he mounted. Gathering the reins from his steed's neck, Edward clucked softly to the animal. When it began to move, he steered toward the rising sun.

The next few hours felt like an eternity, traveling across the seemingly endless fields of grass. On occasion they encountered copses of trees, quite similar to the one where they had met this morning. When the sun was nearly at its peak, they started to notice changes in the terrain ahead, the soft shapes of hills growing steadily closer. A mile or so in the distance, a larger grove of trees provided a welcomed sight from the otherwise sterile landscape. If I have to watch this waving grass much longer, it's going to hypnotize me and put me to sleep.

"We should probably head for that grove of trees up ahead," Edward remarked, as if somehow reading her thoughts. "Since our shadows have disappeared, it is getting too difficult to tell if we are still heading east."

"Sounds good to me," Katie said, shifting her position. "My butt is getting sore. Probably because it's been a while since the last time I rode a horse."

Continuing on in silence, Edward tugged lightly on the reins when they reached the edge of the grove, stopping beneath the shade of an enormous oak. After carefully dismounting, he reached up to help Katie to the ground.

"I'm going to gather some wood for a fire. Would you mind taking the bow and seeing if you can find something scurrying about in the woods? My stomach is rumbling, and I'm sure yours is by now as well." With a raised eyebrow, Edward glanced at her hopefully.

She sighed. "I can try, but don't expect much."

"That is all I can ask."

As he started to clear a spot for the fire, Katie disappeared into the trees with the bow.

Chapter 31

Opening his eyes, George was unsure how much time had passed. After rubbing the sleep from them, he rose from his chair and crossed the room. He stood in front of the monitor and gazed at the display. Between the red dots, the blue line had grown considerably shorter. Almost there. His thoughts turned to the girl in the cage and his lips parted in a wicked smile. Turning away from the screen, he stepped into the corridor that led to the rear of the ship.

Entering the holding area, he walked to the cage where his prisoner was held and found her asleep, despite being shackled in an upright position. Anxious to play with his prey before he was forced to hand her over at the Factory, George stepped inside her cell. Loosening the cloth knot around her waist—holding together what was once a plush pink bathrobe, but was now a simple white cloth robe—the garment fell open, revealing the naked form beneath. He appraised her, and thought she was nearly perfect. If he could change one thing it would be her breasts. They were far too small for his liking, barely enough to fill out a training bra in his opinion. A far cry from the big-breasted women he enjoyed looking at.

Even so, she was pretty, and the rest of her body was flawless. Exactly the type of girl that he remembered toying with him when he was younger. Quivering with anticipation, he raised a hand and touched her bare flesh. Slowly running his hand down her side, starting from just below one of her outstretched arms, she quickly awoke. Within seconds she was screaming at the top of her lungs, desperately trying to recoil from his touch. Secured as she was, Julie couldn't manage more than an inch or two of movement, nowhere near enough to keep his hands off of her.

With a malicious grin, he removed his hand from her flesh and raised it in warning, as if preparing to strike her. She recalled the last time he had struck her, and her eyes widened in terror. Quickly, her mouth snapped shut. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her screams becoming whimpers. After a few seconds, she saw him begin to relax. Instead of moving away he moved closer, resting his hands lightly on her hips. His face drew nearer, to the point that she could feel his hot breath on her skin.

His hands crept slowly down her body, lightly caressing her buttocks, causing her to shiver. Crouching down, his fingertips traced the curve of her thighs. Wanting desperately to cry out, Julie watched his face draw closer, his breath now pulsing through her pubic hairs. "You may look innocent," his sneering voice drifted up to her, "but you still smell like a whore." Suddenly, Julie was sure that at any moment he would stand up and beat her to a bloody pulp. Instead, she felt his tongue pressing softly against her skin near her belly button, slowly working its way upward. When he reached what little cleavage she had, he finally pulled his tongue away from her body. By then, however, her fear had caused her bladder to let go. A stream of urine was traveling quickly down her legs, creating a puddle on the floor. "And you taste like one, too," he commented, his voice thick with menace.

"You will arrive at your destination in five minutes," the mechanical voice of the ship announced.

"It seems that play time is over," George confided to his prisoner with a sigh.

Tears of joy welled up in her eyes. For the briefest instant, Julie thought her torture was over. Then she saw him draw a blade from his belt that she hadn't noticed him carrying, bringing her fear back like a tidal wave. No more playing around, she thought hysterically. He is going to carve me up like a Thanksgiving turkey. As he raised the blade before Julie's eyes, her body collapsed from sensory overload and passed out. While she hung limply in her bonds, George methodically cut through the garment she was wearing until it fell from her body completely, landing in the pool of piss on the floor. Sheathing his sword, he exited the cage and headed for the front compartment.

Standing before the monitor, George saw that the blue line had completely disappeared. Only one red dot blinked in a steady rhythm on the screen.

"You have reached your destination. Please enjoy your stay," the mechanical voice stated in a tone that sounded oddly like a robotic cruise ship director.

The sound of a metal door being slammed open resounded from the hallway. As George turned to head toward the noise, he heard heavy footfalls approaching.

A stout, older looking man who was a couple of inches shorter than George entered the hall. The man's skin was extremely pale, as if it had never seen sunlight, and his short, gray streaked black hair only added to the effect. Stopping in front of him, he locked his hazy blue eyes on George. "How many do you have for me?"

"How many what?" George frowned.

"Workers, slaves, humans ... whatever you wish to call them."

Feeling like an idiot, it occurred to him that this man was likely the factory foreman, or whatever title they used here for someone who was in charge. "I only have one for you this time," George stated.

Nodding his acknowledgement, he turned and started toward the holding cells. Following the brisk pace the man set, they reached the cage where the unconscious woman was held. The foreman studied the naked girl curiously for a moment, then reached out and pinched one of her nipples. When he got no reaction, he turned to George. "Looks like I will have to carry this one. Will you release her hands for me?" Bending down, the man put his shoulder against Julie's mid-section.

After removing the shackles from both of her wrists, her upper body slumped forward. Once the foreman was situated properly, he instructed George to release her ankles. Crouching down, he complied. When Julie was free of her bindings the man stood up, carrying her like a sack of potatoes on his broad shoulder. After thanking George, he swiftly departed the holding area.

Upon reaching the exit, he turned to regard George. "How long until you return with more?"

"I'm not sure. Obviously I am new at this, so I can't really provide an accurate timetable for my return. Once I make another trip or two, I should have a better idea of how long it takes."

"No big deal. It's just nice to have a little more than a few hours to prepare for new arrivals."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Yes," the foreman grinned, "Morgana always informs us."

"Who is Morgana?"

"She is the spirit of the vessel you arrived in. Whenever she is activated, she transmits a signal to the location which was chosen as a destination. In every location that the boat provides service to, there is a monitor that will display a countdown to her arrival."

Machines have spirits? I wonder if it can also think for itself. "I see," George remarked. "In the future, I will do my best to provide you with a timetable for my arrival."

"Thank you." The foreman nodded, then turned toward a large door set into the stone wall of the tunnel about a hundred feet from where the ship was docked.

Stepping back inside, George pulled the hatch closed and returned to the passenger compartment. Pushing buttons in response to the barrage of questions, he let Morgana know where he wished to go next. Depressing the button marked Outpost 13 as his destination, he felt the ship hum to life beneath his feet. As before, the mechanical voice informed him of the length of his trip, asking him to be seated as the map display lit up once more.

Chapter 32

Returning from her hunt, Katie approached the campfire that Edward had constructed while she was searching the area for game. A small rabbit dangled from her right hand. Absently whittling a piece of wood, Edward glanced up and favored her with a beaming smile. "I'm guessing that you had no trouble with hitting a moving target."

"Actually, I did. A little anyway. I would have brought back two of the little buggers, but I missed the second one and it ducked into a hole in the ground. I waited for a while to see if it would come back out, but it didn't."

"Still, one is a whole lot better than none."

"Very true." She grinned sheepishly.

"I constructed a makeshift spit while you were gone, just in case your hunt was successful."

Sitting down beside him, Katie admired his handiwork. "You're pretty good at that," she remarked.

"Now, it's your turn." Despite her puzzled look, Edward handed the knife to her. It took a minute for Katie to comprehend why he had given the blade to her, needing the not so subtle hint of his gaze upon her kill. Ten minutes later, the rabbit skinned and gutted, she held out both hands to him, the knife in one hand and the rabbit carcass in the other. While Edward skewered the rabbit on to the spit, Katie gathered up the innards, along with the other inedible parts, and placed them inside the outer rim of the fire to dispose of them.

Once the rabbit was perched above the fire, Edward removed a scrap of cloth from the pouch that was tied to his waist. After quickly cleaning the knife, he passed the cloth to Katie so she could wipe the blood from her hands. "You did really good. If I didn't know better I would think you've been doing that all your life."

"Actually, I've watched my dad and brother do that more times than I could count, but it was a first for me." Katie blushed, flattered by the compliment.

"Then, you have a truly amazing memory," he stated with pride.

As the rabbit cooked they sat in silence, watching the juices drip onto the fire. Plucking a piece of grass, Katie leaned back against a tree and popped it into her mouth like a toothpick. To pass the time, Edward picked up a stick from the pile he had gathered for the fire and began to whittle again.

When the scent of the cooking rabbit became too much to bear, Edward removed the skewered animal from the fire, placing it between a couple of fallen branches to keep it propped up off the ground to allow it to cool. Once he determined that it could be touched without burning his hand, they took turns carving chunks of meat from the carcass with Edward's knife. Unaware that she was making a scene, Katie wolfed down the bits of meat like a ravenous hyena, allowing the juices to spill down her chin like tiny streams. When the animal was nothing more than a skeleton, she burped loudly, blushing as she did.

"Sorry ... I didn't realize I was so hungry until I started eating," Katie admitted.

Edward laughed, easing her embarrassment. Removing a clean scrap of cloth from his pouch, he offered it to her so she could wipe off her chin.

"Thank you."

Watching as she cleaned her face, Edward waited patiently for her to return the cloth so he could do the same. After replacing the rag in his pouch, he began to scoop handfuls of dirt onto the dying fire. When there were only a few puffs of smoke rising from the dirt, he stood up and tamped the ground lightly with his boot.

"Are you ready to continue on?" Edward inquired, once he was certain the embers were out. The sun had shifted in the sky and their shadows had reemerged. Not a lot, but enough for them to discern what direction they were headed in.

"Sure," Katie replied, standing to dust herself off.

They walked over to where Edward's horse patiently waited for them, and he boosted her up to the animal's hindquarters to take her seat behind the saddle. Once he had joined her on his steed, Edward urged it forward, reining the horse toward the hills in the distance. It wasn't long before Katie's satisfied stomach began to make her drowsy. Leaning forward, she gently pressed against him, resting her head on his back and draping her arms loosely around his torso.

When she awoke, Katie saw that their shadows had grown long. How long was I asleep? As she sat up straight and adjusted her position, she noticed a small wet patch on the back of Edward's robe where her head had rested moments ago. The spot of drool confirmed she had been sleeping for quite some time. Wiping the excess slobber from her lips, she started to hear the sound of softly running water.

Sensing the shift in her posture, Edward turned his head so he could see Katie from the corner of his eye. "There is a stream just ahead. We should consider stopping there for a while. It's almost dark anyway."

"Sounds good," Katie slurred, her words distorted by a yawn.

Gently pulling the reins a few minutes later, Edward brought the animal to a stop at the edge of the water. He carefully dismounted and helped Katie down, allowing the horse the freedom to graze. Kneeling at the edge of the stream, she splashed a couple of handfuls of the cool liquid on her face, then cupped her palms together to dip in the water for a drink. Absently, she began to wonder if Amber was still in this world. She hoped so. Darkness was descending rapidly, so they would find out soon enough.

Standing silently by the horse and looking down at Katie, he couldn't imagine the strength of character it took to be abruptly jerked away from everything she knew and thrust into an unknown time and place unexpectedly. In his eyes, Edward thought her courage was admirable. Granted, there were at least some things that were not different for her, but there was still much Katie hadn't been exposed to. Only time would tell if she could maintain her current level of resolve.

Now that her thirst was quenched, Katie patted her hands on her pants to dry them. Glancing toward Edward, she caught him smiling at her. From the corner of her left eye, she saw a blurry bright glow. Turning her head as if she expected to see Amber, Katie was greeted with the unfamiliar sight of two moons floating in the sky; one was just above the horizon, the other slightly above it. In shock, she sat down and gaped upward in amazement. If she had trouble believing that she was no longer on Earth prior to this moment, the sight before her shattered any remaining disbelief.

At first, Edward was unsure what had provoked her reaction, but following her gaze he couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Katie asked in a serious tone when she heard his soft laughter.

"I apologize," he humbly stated. "I saw the look on your face and found myself laughing before I could stop. By your expression, I am assuming there are not two moons on Earth?"

"An astute observation," she smirked. "When I first saw the glow, I thought I was seeing my ghost friend that I told you about. The sight of two moons kind of caught me by surprise."

Judging by the expression on his face, for a second Katie thought he was mocking her. It almost seemed as if he were mimicking the look he saw on her face just moments before. Mildly agitated, she approached him. As she drew closer, Katie realized he wasn't even paying attention to her. She turned to see what had captured his interest, and saw Amber floating above the stream as if she were walking on water.

"Amber! I'm glad you're still here," Katie exclaimed happily as the ghostly figure drifted toward her.

"Hello," Amber replied. After nearly losing her balance, Katie remembered that the ghost could actually speak to her in this world. "I have never been far from you since you came here, and rest assured, I won't leave your side as long as the monster that did this to me is still alive and roaming free."

"Is there any way you can help us find my friend, Julie?" Katie asked after regaining her wits.

"If she is with the man who killed me, I could."

"Even if she isn't with him, I suppose we could obtain her whereabouts from him. I'm not exactly opposed to torturing the information out of him," Katie confessed, thinking it would be a good way to pay the monster back for all of the people he had abducted and killed.

Shaking off his initial shock, Edward silently approached the pair and stood next to Katie. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Startled by his sudden appearance beside her, Katie stammered, "Uh ... I'm sorry. Edward the White, this is Amber ... Crap! I can't remember your last name."

"Richards," the ghostly figure intoned.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," Edward stated, bowing deeply.

"If you wish to find your friend," Amber began, turning toward Katie, "I suggest we get going. I believe the bastard is a few days north of here, but I get the feeling that he won't be there for long."

Edward made a clucking noise in the direction of his horse; it stopped grazing and slowly sauntered over. After helping Katie to its back, he climbed into the saddle and gathered the reins, making a sweeping gesture with one hand toward Amber. "If you would be so kind, could you lead the way please?"

Turning with a fluid grace that no human could possibly achieve, Amber floated northward. After following the stream for a few minutes, she spun her head to make sure she was not going too fast for the horse to keep up. Satisfied, she began using the steady clop of hooves as a reference point to ensure that she maintained an appropriate distance.

After traveling for an hour, small trees began to dot the landscape beside the stream. The farther north they went, the thicker the foliage became. Forced to navigate around the obstructions, their progress slowed as the clumps of vegetation grew steadily larger.

They dodged their way through the increasingly dense forest until the highest of the two moons above them was almost directly overhead. Without warning, Amber stopped beside a larger cluster of trees.

Poking her head over Edward's shoulder, Katie glanced nervously at the ghostly figure. "Why are we stopping? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm getting an odd sensation from a building nearby," Amber replied. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that you should check it out. Ignoring the building could present problems later on."

After dismounting, Edward and Katie quietly walked toward Amber. Once they were nearly upon her, she turned and floated deeper into the woods. A small structure emerged from the shadows a few moments later, partly illuminated by moonlight. A faint metallic scent hung in the air around the building, and an even stronger stench of decay. After leading them to the side of the shack facing the stream, Amber hesitated near the front door.

When her ghostly friend had not gone inside, Katie grew more nervous. Gently, she pushed Edward toward the entrance. He cautiously turned the knob and nudged the door inward. Stepping through the archway, he was suddenly immersed in total darkness. From just outside, Katie heard him mumbling something. Moments afterward, a light shone from the aperture. Peering inside, she saw a tiny flame dancing in the palm of Edward's hand. As Katie stepped into the building, she spun around to locate Amber, noticing that she was keeping her distance from the structure as if she were nervous.

Even with the door standing open, the cloying smell of decay was overpowering. Fighting the urge to puke, Katie moved closer to Edward, whispering, "Do you see anything?"

"So far, I don't. The place seems abandoned." Moving the dancing flame in his palm in a slow circle, he squinted into the shadows. Spooked by the creepy atmosphere, Katie stifled a scream when she saw a small animal scurry across the floorboards.

"There seems to be a small room over there," he pointed, "perhaps it is a privy, or closet of some sort." Squinting her eyes, she was just barely able to pick out the shape of a door. Slowly moving closer, Katie following inches behind, Edward cautiously turned the knob and pulled the door open. Hands immediately flew over their mouths as they desperately tried to keep their last meal from coming up. The stench in the first room had been pretty bad, but this area of the building was far worse.

Holding their breath, they hazarded a look inside the room. Katie tried, unsuccessfully, to keep from screaming. Edward turned his head and vomited. On the floor before them was a human corpse, decayed to the point that it was nearly skeletal. Small, ragged bits of flesh clung to the bones, as if wild animals had been feasting upon the poor soul. Beneath the remains, a dark stain saturated the floorboards. It definitely appeared to be blood, dry for the most part, although a few small spots still glistened with moisture.

Suddenly, from somewhere outside of the building, they heard a shrill scream. Katie instantly recognized the sound as one belonging to a frightened horse. As she spun to bolt for the door her feet got tangled, sending her sprawling to the floor. After cracking her skull on the boards, waves of dizziness washed over her. Edward bent down, grabbed her arm, and helped her up. Disoriented, Katie emitted a tiny squeak of a scream, which quickly quieted when she realized it wasn't the ghastly corpse, back from the dead, that had latched onto her.

Stumbling outside, the first thing they noticed was Amber's disappearance. Before either one of them could consider where the ghost had gone, they heard yet another of those awful, wailing, animal screams. Nearly yanking his arm from its socket, Katie tugged Edward toward the sound. Approaching the place where they had left the horse, they spotted Amber's shimmering form nearby. Several sparks of light were flying around the horse, as if the animal was surrounded by giant fireflies. When Edward and Katie got within twenty feet of the horse, the lights abruptly stopped moving. Several pairs of malevolently glowing red eyes glared at them from sleek metal bodies that resembled rats.

As if the creatures determined by looking at them that the humans posed no threat, they returned to their business in a frenzy of motion, emitting a series of high-pitched mechanical noises. Standing frozen in place, Edward and Katie watched the blur of activity in horror. A small chunk of flying horse flesh hit Edward in the face with a sickening splat, forcing him to recall the shredded remains inside of the hut. Forcing the repulsiveness from his mind, he focused himself on what must be done.

Anger coursed through his veins like he had never felt before. An expression of lethal concentration spread across his face. Conjuring a spell, he yelled, "Nar!" In a matter of seconds, the once small, dancing flame in the palm of his hand grew, becoming a huge globe of fire that was a foot in circumference, illuminating the entire area in a blaze of light. Somehow sensing that the balance of power had shifted, the mechanical creatures stopped their dissection of the horse and focused their beady eyes on Edward. As one, they leapt toward him. A fraction of a second before the creatures were upon him, Edward turned his palms outward. The enormous ball of flame sped toward them, slamming into their metallic bodies in mid-air. The ensuing explosion of light, like a miniature nuclear warhead detonating, lit everything within a five foot radius on fire and sent the creatures flying through the air like shrapnel.

Edward studied the area for signs of movement, making absolutely sure the rat-like creatures were either dead or gone. Once he was relatively certain, he stepped forward and moved his hand back and forth above the inferno. Awestruck, Katie watched the once roaring fire turn into a thin pillar flame, flowing into his fingertips. After a few moments it became nothing more than a dancing flare in his open palm. Closing his hand around the tiny flame, it extinguished completely.

As he approached his horse, Katie followed closely on his heels. The animal lay on the ground in tatters. In several places, bare bone was visible. Its innards were sprawled across the ground, shining wetly in the moonlight. The shredded animal hitched in one last ragged, gasping breath before going still. Bending down, Edward stroked its head affectionately, tears springing to his eyes. "I'm sorry, my friend," he whispered softly to his ravaged comrade.

Chapter 33

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, George glanced up at the route map on the monitor. A single, steadily blinking red light was all he could see. "Am I at the outpost already?" He mumbled the question aloud, hoping for an answer from Morgana. When no response seemed forthcoming, he rose from the chair and stretched.

After a quick stroll down the hallway, he opened the hatch. "I guess so," he said to himself, seeing the familiar stone stairway across from him. Stepping out of the vessel, George walked over to the staircase and began the long ascent to the outpost.

When he reached the top, he pushed the heavy door closed. Instantly, the wheel on its surface began to spin. Once the locking mechanism clicked into place, he took a few minutes to check the monitors along the wall. There were no changes in the scenery they displayed, so it seemed that all was in order.

Turning his attention to the door with the strange, hand-shaped locking device, George placed his palm in the recess. Rotating his hand in the socket as if he were using a doorknob, the panel slid noiselessly to the left.

When he stepped outside into the dying light of day, the panel whooshed shut behind him. Gazing to his right, George spotted the mechanical monstrosity that was intended to be his transportation. As if it were alive, the metallic steed that resembled a horse turned one of its heads to regard him. Cautiously, he walked over to where it stood. As he climbed onto its back he looked around, tilting his head this way and that, trying to figure out how to control the creature. In his previous experience, he had learned how to ride a normal horse, but he couldn't help wondering how he was supposed to steer something with two heads. There were no reins resting on its neck, and when he tried to kick it softly into motion, George got no response. Frustrated, he consigned himself to the fact that he would probably have to contact the Black Knight to obtain operating instructions. Grasping the pommel of the saddle, he prepared to dismount. The knob moved in his hand, startling him, and the horse simultaneously sidestepped in the same direction. The sudden movement caused him to overbalance and fall to the ground.

Picking himself up, George brushed the dust off of his clothes. Is it my imagination, or did that pommel just move like a video game joystick? Glancing curiously at the saddle, he saw nothing amiss. Approaching the horse again, he mounted more carefully this time. Once he was seated atop the beast comfortably, he grasped the pommel and lightly pushed it forward. The machine instantly responded by moving ahead. Releasing his grip, the bulbous knob sprung back to an upright position and the mechanical creature immediately came to a stop. Testing the controls further, he pushed the pommel lightly to the left and the beast responded by sidestepping in that direction. The simplicity of the controls and his inability to grasp them at first made him laugh. Taking a deep breath he grasped the knob, urging his steed to the south.

After traveling for an hour through what he had thought to be an endless grassy plain, George came upon a wooded area that stretched to the east and west as far as he could see. Daylight had almost completely faded as the last vestiges of the sun sank below the horizon. Riding into the woods a short ways, it quickly became too dark to see where he was going, so he allowed the pommel to snap upright and dismounted. As he stood next to the strange beast he felt on odd sense of déjà vu. Why does this place seem so familiar? Shaking his head to clear the feeling, his eyebrow crept up his forehead. Is it possible? Could this be the same spot I entered this world from when I thought it was just a dream? Unable to shun the idea, he tried to focus his mind on an alternate explanation for the sensation of familiarity. If this is that place, finding the tree that opens upon Earth could be a blessing. I could capture women from there, much easier than I could here because the landscape is familiar, and no one would be the wiser.

Even though he preferred the idea of going home to hunt, George was pretty sure that the Black Knight would not approve. Their previous discussions had given him the indication that the entity deemed it to be too dangerous for him to return to Earth, that he should focus on accomplishing his task upon this world only. Regrettably, he decided that the Black Knight was probably right, but if the situation forced his hand he would return to his home as a last resort. After settling his inner debate, George wandered to the edge of the woods. Plopping down in the tall grass, he leaned back and watched the thin, wispy clouds roll past above him, temporarily blotting out the stars overhead.

Wondering how long it was until moonrise, he laid down and listened to the soft whisper of grass, the blades brushing against each other in the slight breeze. George hoped it wouldn't be long. In order for him to ensure he stayed on course, he needed the light to see where he was going ... not to mention, it would also greatly improve his sense of direction.

The scent of smoke reached his nostrils as the wind changed course. Sitting up in the darkness, George turned to face the breeze head on. When he determined the wind was sifting through the trees, he surmised that the odor was coming from within the woods themselves, or from somewhere beyond their dark borders. After a few seconds, the breeze died down. The scent still lingered in his nostrils as he plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth. Laying back down, he laced his fingers behind his head and chewed thoughtfully.

Chapter 34

After saying good-bye to his horse, they had continued to follow Amber on foot, but now the first hint of dawn was creeping into the sky and making it increasingly difficult. Bit by bit, her ghostly form was fading into transparency. Soon, they would lose sight of her completely. For most of the night the bank of the stream had been thickly populated with trees, but they had begun to thin over the last hour and were providing less cover from the rising sun. Following Amber had become nearly impossible. Even when they squinted, they could only make out a mirage-like shimmer ahead of them.

Resigning themselves to continue on without Amber, Edward stopped and pointed. "It looks like there might be a building ahead."

Glancing at him nervously, Katie recalled the memory of the last structure they encountered, the images of which were all too fresh in her mind. "I know we should probably check it out, but I'm scared out of my mind just thinking about what we'll find if we do."

"It's in our path, and I would rather not pass it by and have something unexpected happen later on," Edward retorted.

"True," Katie admitted with a sigh.

Moving closer, they determined the structure looked more like a shack than the last building they had encountered. It appeared to be too small to be an actual dwelling, though, despite that fact it seemed to be haphazardly maintained. The garden growing behind the cabin contradicted their belief of the structure being empty.

When they were fifty feet from the dwelling they paused. "Hello?" Edward called out. "Is anyone there?" Waiting a few tense moments for a response, they got none. Cautiously continuing their approach, they found a door on the stream side of the building. It was flanked by some curiously odd purple flowers that Katie could not identify. Hesitantly, Edward knocked softly on the door. When no reply was forthcoming, he reached for the doorknob.

The door creaked open as he pushed it inward, and light spilled into the dim interior of the shack. Katie waited anxiously behind Edward, watching as he poked his head. To their right, a wooden rocking chair sat by a fireplace. A large fur, perhaps from a bear, rested on the floor in front of it. In one corner of the room sat a small table, a chair tucked neatly underneath it on one side. Along the back wall on the opposite end of the room was what looked like a wood burning stove.

Pulling his head back outside, he glanced at Katie. "It's obvious to me that someone lives here, but no one is home at the moment."

Katie exhaled sharply. "So, there aren't any of those weird critters inside?"

"As far as I can tell, no," he replied with smile, pulling the door shut. "I suppose we could rest out here for a bit until the owner comes back."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm exhausted." With a half-hearted laugh, Katie puffed out her cheeks and let out a slow breath.

Walking to the side of the house, they sat down next to each other in the shade and leaned against the outer wall. "This spot should do for a while, at least until the sun reaches its highest point," Edward stated with satisfaction. It only took a matter of minutes for their exhausted bodies to drift off to sleep.

A few hours passed before Katie's eyes flew open, suddenly wide awake. The shadow thrown by the house had grown shorter, but that wasn't what jolted her from sleep. A soft, clopping noise was coming from somewhere on the other side of the house. As she glanced in Edward's direction the sound disappeared. Reaching over, Katie shook his shoulder gently. Just as his eyes began to flutter open, something creaked. "I think someone is coming," she whispered.

Cocking his head slightly, his brows furrowed in concentration, he listened. "I think you're right." Quietly rising to her feet, Katie peered around the corner of the house as she waited for Edward to shake the cobwebs of sleep loose. From the opposite side of the building, a wobbly wooden cart approached, being drawn by what looked like a strange crossbreed of a Shetland pony and an ox. It was stout like the latter, sporting two horns protruding from its head, but otherwise seemed to have the shorter stature of a pony as the rest of its features were more horse-like. A bald, brawny-looking man with a long gray beard ambled beside the beast, leading it with a length of rope. Pausing next to the house, he fed the tether through a metal ring that was embedded in the other wall and knotted it securely. Disappearing from sight, Katie strained to hear.  A few seconds passed when she heard a creak, followed moments later by the soft clunk of a door closing.

As Katie pulled her head back to inform Edward about what she had seen, he startled her. Standing inches from her, he almost expected Katie to hit him for surprising her. Grinning, he whispered softly, "Shall we go around and meet the owner of this fabulous dwelling?"

Catching her off guard with his silly question, Katie's frown turned into a smile and she nearly burst out laughing. Before it could escape, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and waited for the urge to fade. Wiping tears from her cheeks, she whispered, "I think I'm ready now."

With Katie following close behind, Edward headed toward the front of the shack. Stepping up to the door flanked with the strange purple flowers, he knocked softly. The stout wooden portal swung open, and the bald gentleman gazed upon his visitors with a kindly smile. "Can I help you folks?"

"I hope so, kind sir. We are traveling to the north and wondered if there is a town nearby. We are hoping to acquire supplies for our journey," Edward replied, returning the gentleman's smile.

"There is indeed," the man admitted. "The city of Haven is about a days walk from here. I just came back from there actually. That is where I go to sell my crops and purchase things that I can't grow." He paused briefly, then began again. "I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten my manners. Please, come inside." Stepping aside, he gestured for them to enter. "It's so rare for me to have visitors these days. In fact, I believe it has been nearly a year since anyone has dropped by."

Thanking him for his hospitality, they stepped into the dimly lit room. Even though Edward had checked for anything out of the ordinary when he poked his head inside earlier, Katie cautiously scrutinized the room. "You don't have any problems with rats, do you?"

Her question seemed to amuse him slightly because he chuckled for a moment. "I do get one or two from time to time," he confessed, "but I would hardly consider them a problem, young lady. I guess it's the farmer's curse to have the occasional critter stop by for a nibble from my garden."

"Oh, I'm not talking about normal rats, sir. The ones I'm referring to are kind of shiny, like they're made of metal. We encountered some several hours ago at an abandoned building in the woods," Katie stated, hiking a thumb in the direction she thought the hut was in. "They killed our horse."

The man looked at them with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry for your loss. It's rare in these parts to have such a magnificent beast." After pausing to allow a moment for their grief, he faced Katie. "To answer your question, young lady, I do see the type of critter you speak of from time to time. They don't bother me, so I leave them alone, but I can tell you that they are indeed made of metal. I've seen other such creatures as well. You must be from a distant land if you've never encountered them."

"You could say that ... Where I come from, those things don't exist," Katie remarked.

He motioned for Edward and Katie to take a seat on the fur in front of the fireplace before he sat down in the aging chair beside it. Taking a deep breath, like he was about to tell a story, he pulled out a pipe and began to fill it with something he kept in his pocket. "I believe that for every living, breathing animal in the world, there is a mechanical one that looks almost identical." Pausing, he replaced the pouch in his pocket and withdrew a slim, silver object that looked Katie like some sort of futuristic lighter. As he rotated the object in his hand until it was vertical, the bottom tip began to glow a fierce shade of red. Touching it to the tobacco-like stuff he had packed in his pipe, a puff of smoke immediately rose in the air. Curiously tilting her head, Katie watched as he turned the object so that it was horizontal and the glowing tip went dark. That is so cool! Absently, he reached over and tapped the strange lighter on the edge of the fireplace to knock off the charred bits of tobacco before replacing it in his pocket.

Taking a long drag from his pipe, he exhaled a plume of the sweet smelling smoke. With a thin smile on his face, he picked up his story where he had left off. "For every type of living animal I have seen in my years, I have also seen at least one that looked like the same critter, only in mechanical form. Most of them seem pretty much harmless, but there are some I wouldn't dare get close to. For whatever reason, the mechanized versions always seem to be significantly larger than the flesh bearing ones." Leaning forward, his voice a conspiratorial whisper, he stated, "I've heard rumors, too. Somewhere deep underground, there is a place where people are enslaved and forced to build these creatures. Or, so I have heard."

"Why in the world would anyone want to create such things?" Katie frowned.

"Young lady ... I couldn't begin to tell you that. The only thing I know for certain is that these mechanical creatures seem to be much more intelligent than their flesh and blood counterparts. I dare say, I get the impression that they are designed with evil intentions. I've never seen more than one of them at a time, but the ones I have come across seem to stare at you, as if somewhere inside its head it is calculating if you are a threat to it or not. Let me just say this. Seeing one of those things by itself would cause me to hesitate until it went on its way, but if there were more than one ... I think I would be afraid of my life coming to a screeching halt. Especially after hearing your tale of the rats you've encountered."

"I'm surprised that I've never heard a story like this before," Edward admitted. "I have lived my entire life in the city of Elysia, and it wasn't until just recently that the first of these foul creatures was spotted there."

"I apologize if I have frightened you folks with my tale, but it seemed necessary to tell after hearing what you've been through," the man said remorsefully.

"Think nothing of it, my good man. It is far better to be informed of potential hazards, than to blindly blunder into a situation like we did just hours ago," Edward confessed.

"True," he admitted. "Perhaps we could change the subject now? Would you fine folks honor my home and stay for a meal before you move on?"

"That is a generous offer, my friend. I would not dare to even think of dishonoring such a gracious gesture," Edward stated.

"It's not much, but there are some furs in the corner over there. You could spread them out and get some rest while I prepare the meal," he said, smiling and pointing to the jumbled heap of furs.

"That sounds like a splendid idea. Thank you, sir." Nodding in appreciation, Edward rose from his seat by the fireplace and crossed the room. A few minutes later, he had turned the stack of furs into the tidy-looking semblance of a bed. Both he and Katie reclined on their backs. Though their minds were still reeling from the old man's story, they quickly dozed off.

Before she knew it, the aroma permeating the small dwelling caused her stomach to rumble. Katie swiftly ascended to consciousness and her belly protested loudly, as if she hadn't eaten in a week. "That smells really good!" Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up.

Hearing her voice, Edward sat up with a startled, groggy expression on his face and glanced her way. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, silly." She laughed. "I just woke up positively ravenous from the smell of the food cooking."

"Oh, okay. I must have been dreaming. I could have sworn I heard you calling for help."

"Nope ... that part was definitely a dream."

"Ah, you folks are awake," the old man remarked, hearing their voices and glancing over his shoulder at them. "I hope you are hungry." Smiling, he turned his attention back to the pot on the stove.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a—" Katie stopped herself from finishing. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she realized that she had been about to say 'horse'.

"Eat a what? Hey, what's with the water works?" Edward reached over and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"Never mind. I need to find a new expression," she replied sadly.

Standing by the stove, the old man dipped his ladle into the pot and started to fill three, good-sized wooden bowls. Placing each on the nearby table, he turned to them and smiled. "Come and get it while it's still hot."

Rising to his feet, Edward helped Katie up from the floor and they crossed the room, where each of them grabbed a bowl from the table. The old man took his and sat down in his rocker, while Katie and Edward took their food back to where they sat earlier by the fireplace. The aroma from the rising steam in their bowls smelled so good, they didn't bother with testing the taste to see if they would like it. Shoveling a large spoonful into her mouth, Katie's cheeks puffed out like a squirrel with a prized nut. Seeing this, Edward nearly spit the food in his mouth all over her as he suppressed a laugh.

Quickly, he swallowed the remaining food in his mouth before it ended up in Katie's lap, absently wiping  his chin on his sleeve. "This is rather tasty! What is it?"

"A little of this and a little of that." The old man chuckled. "Mostly stuff from my garden, but I added some venison to it that I brought back from Haven."

Still chewing an enormous mouthful of food, Katie gave him the thumbs up of approval.

"I'm glad you folks like it. I also prepared a small gift for your travels."

"You didn't need to do that," Edward protested.

"Nonsense! It was the least I could do to thank you for the pleasant company. It's only a small sack of vegetables from my garden, but I thought it would help. Food is pretty scarce between here and Haven."

Emptying their bowls, Katie and Edward rose and headed toward the front door, intending to rinse them in the nearby stream.

"Where are you folks going with those?"

"I was going to clean them before we head out," Edward replied.

"It's a nice gesture and all, but I'll take care of them in a bit. Just set them on the table, please."

"It is the least we can do to show how much we appreciate your hospitality," Edward insisted.

Giving up, the old man waved them off. After rinsing their bowls they returned to the house, meeting the man at the door. "Safe journey to you both," he stated solemnly, exchanging his sack of goods for the bowls in their hands.

"May you live long and harvest endless bounties." Edward bowed respectfully before turning to the north, deciding they would follow the wheel ruts of the old man's cart for the time being.

Chapter 35

Now that the moons of Desolace were near their peak in the sky, George found his travel through the woods much easier. By no means was the forest dense, which allowed sufficient light to filter through the foliage for him to confidently navigate his steed. The earlier breeze was almost nonexistent now, feeling more like sporadic puffs of breath. The scent of smoke still lingered in the air, the odor becoming stronger with each step of his mechanical companion.

Breaking through the edge of the forest an hour later, he saw a small town nestled in the valley, slightly downhill from his position. A mountain range loomed in the background, dominating the horizon from one side to the other. In the town below, twinkles of light shined from some of the houses. Judging by the size and inconsistent flicker of their luminescence, George guessed that they were likely lanterns or candles set close to the windows. As late as it was, he thought most of the town's residents would be fast asleep.

Calculating the distance from where he sat to the slumbering city below, he figured it would take him a half an hour to get there on foot. It should give me plenty of time to use the cover of darkness and do what I need to. As George dismounted the horse he gave it a quick pat on the neck, forgetting for a moment that the beast was a machine. In the near silence of the night, a sudden whirring noise erupted behind him. At first he had dismissed the sound, thinking it was more of the lawnmower-like creatures he had seen earlier, but as the commotion abruptly ended he turned his attention from the town. Taking a step backward in shock, George saw that the chest of his steed had opened, revealing a hollow cavity almost big enough to crawl into. After waiting for a few tense seconds, as if something would spring from the hole, he hesitantly stuck his hand inside the opening.

As he felt around, George began to pull different objects from within the cavity. Inspecting the items in the moonlight, he saw that there was a long coil of rope, which appeared to be fifty to one hundred feet long, some thick pieces of cloth, several pairs of leather cuffs, and a generous supply of what could only be described as leather dog collars. Spreading the bounty on the ground before him, he smiled. Everything I need to drag a small harem around behind me. The Black Knight sure knows how to make a guy happy.

Better supplied than he could have hoped for, George picked up a piece of cloth and a pair of the cuffs. Strolling down the hill to see what the town had to offer, he surveyed his surroundings. When he reached the bottom of the slope the tall grass began to taper off, becoming a mixture of soft dirt and clumps of weedy vegetation. Small herds of animals milled around aimlessly. To his right there were two distinct groups: one of pigs, and the other sheep. To his left, a large herd of cows appeared to be sleeping. For a few brief moments, George considered tipping one over, but dismissed the idea. No sense in taking a chance of alerting anyone to my presence for something so immature.

Walking amongst the dwellings of the town's inhabitants, he heard the sound of a door creaking open. Stopping in his tracks, George knelt down near the back of a house to make himself less visible. After a couple of seconds, he saw someone strolling from the rear of their home toward a secondary structure resembling an outhouse. From his current distance he couldn't tell if the person was male or female. What he saw of the individual's clothing didn't help, either. It looked to be a gown or a robe they were wearing, the light color of which made it glaringly white in the moonlight.

Once the figure disappeared inside the structure, George moved quietly toward it. Crouching down beside the outhouse, he listened for any indication that the person inside may have heard him. He didn't have to wait for very long for the individual to come out. The door swung open after a minute and a dark-haired woman stepped out, casually returning to her house. Springing from the shadows, George locked his right arm around her throat, clamping his left hand over her mouth simultaneously. Depleted of oxygen, the woman was quickly rendered unconscious.

Securing her hands behind her back with the cuffs he had tucked into his belt, he wrapped the scrap of cloth firmly around her head and made sure it was well seated in her mouth. Bending down, he hefted her limp body onto his shoulder and headed back to where his horse stood waiting. It was hard to believe he had been this lucky. After all, he had only come down to scout out the town and instead was blessed with his first capture in this world.

Cresting the top of the incline, he lay the woman on the ground behind the horse and surveyed his remaining supplies. Picking up one of the collars, he tucked it into his belt and grabbed the long coil of rope. As he walked over to his steed, George spotted a large metal ring in its mechanical hide that he could feed one end of the rope into. After passing one end through the ring and tying it off with a slip knot, he placed the remainder of the coil on the ground next to the unconscious woman. Pulling the collar from his belt, he knelt down beside her and gently lifted her head off the grass, slipping the band of leather around her throat. Once it was securely fastened, he began the tedious process of feeding the rest of the rope through the ring on her collar, knotting it off with a tight square knot.

Glancing at the remaining length of rope lying on the ground, George surmised that he could probably lead close to a dozen people before he ran out of room. Providing, of course, the town below him could withstand such a dramatic loss of population before realizing something strange was going on. In order to pull it off, George figured he had two days at the most. Guards and patrols would be inevitable before long. Turning his gaze toward the sky, he noticed that one of the moons had disappeared behind the mountains and the other was just starting to touch them. It would be too risky to push my luck by going for another capture tonight. I'll wait until the sun is up and pretend I'm just a traveler looking for supplies. That way, I can properly scout the town while everyone is awake and see if there's anything to warrant further interest here.

Chapter 36

Once the sun went down, Amber reappeared and began to lead Edward and Katie away from the faint wheel ruts they had been following. If Edward's sense of direction was right, she was steering them toward the stream they had encountered near the shack earlier.

"I think we should keep heading toward Haven," Edward suggested, realizing they were no longer on the path. Without even a hint of hesitation, Amber continued to lead them further from the trail.

"Maybe she senses some sort of trouble ahead and is trying to keep us out of danger. I doubt she would lead us astray without a good reason," Katie stated.

"You're probably right." Edward sighed. "I just had my hopes up for getting to town soon. So many things have gone wrong on our trip and we can't rely on this sack of vegetables to get by. We need supplies. Losing my horse was bad enough, but I noticed we no longer have the bow I gave you, either. You must have set it down somewhere and forgotten to pick it back up. I can't fault you for that, though, because you weren't exactly used to carrying it around with you. I thought that when we reached Haven, we would have an opportunity to get another bow, and possibly a new horse. It would certainly make traveling easier."

"How the hell are we going to get another horse? It's not like either of us has any money to buy one, and I hardly think we could barter off vegetables for one."

"There is always a way," he replied confidently. "Most small towns have birds that are trained to carry messages. We could send word to the elders of Elysia, asking them to send a rider to Haven to pay whatever fee was necessary for the items we need."

Smacking herself in the forehead as if she were an idiot, Katie laughed. "Why didn't I think of that? Even though I agree with your reasoning for going to Haven, I think that following Amber is the more prudent choice right now. She's never steered me wrong as long as I've known her."

Sighing in frustration because he was somehow sure of Katie's reasoning, Edward continued walking in silence. After a short time, they emerged from the trees at the edge of the stream. Off in the distance, a mournful howl pierced the quiet of the night. It seemed to emanate from somewhere behind them, perhaps near Haven itself. Within moments, the single, lonely howl was answered by a chorus of others. Katie glanced nervously at Edward. The cacophony told her that there was likely a large pack of wolves on their trail, signaling one another to coordinate an attack.

Sensing danger, Amber began moving again. Skirting the stream, she led them further north to divert their course around the wolves. As Katie glanced across the moving waters on their trek she noticed that the once sloping hills on the other side were growing in size, evolving into the craggy start of a mountain range. The landscape was changing over there, too, becoming more strewn with jagged boulders. Nervously, she gazed into the shadows on the opposite bank of the stream, half expecting some hidden beast to come rushing toward them.

A thin patch of clouds floated across the sky, temporarily blotting out the moonlight. In the distance, the wolves began their chorus again. This time, it seemed more like it was coming from their left, as if the pack were attempting to flank them. Maybe we'll be lucky and get around them unnoticed, Katie thought hopefully.

Carefully following Amber's glow through the darkness, the light of which provided barely enough illumination to keep them from tripping over ground debris, Edward and Katie stopped abruptly. With a spectral hand, Amber pointed at something on the opposite shore. Standing beside the ghost, they squinted to see what had caught her attention. As they were about to shrug their shoulders in frustration, the cloud cover shifted, allowing the unobscured moonlight to shine down on them. It took nearly a full minute for them to realize what Amber was pointing at. On the other side of the stream—twenty or thirty feet above them—was a large, dark shape, which appeared to be a cave. If indeed it was, Katie imagined that based on the size of the opening it would likely be the den of an enormous bear.

Floating across the stream, Amber waited on the opposite shore for them to make their way over. Hoping the water wasn't too deep, Edward glanced at Katie, raising his hands slightly and shrugging his shoulders, as if to say 'you only live once'. He loosened the cloth belt that held his robe closed and removed the garment. Standing in front of Katie, naked except for his boots, he watched her shield her eyes from his pasty white skin.

"I'm blind!" Striking a dramatic pose, Katie struggled to contain her laugher. "I see why your name is Edward the White!"

"Ha, ha, ha," he remarked sarcastically. "That is not the reason at all!"

Edward sat down so he didn't feel quite so exposed, and removed his boots. Placing them inside of his robe, along with the sack of vegetables, he rose from the ground and held the bundle above his head to keep it out of the water. Approaching the stream, he tested the temperature of the slow moving current with his foot. Goosebumps sprouted from his flesh immediately. Even though the waters felt almost frigid on his skin, Edward knew it would be far colder in a few months. Being mindful of his footing, he slowly made his way across the gently moving stream. At its deepest point, the icy liquid rose to just below the light patch of black hair on his chest. When he stepped onto the opposite bank, he laid the bundle on the ground and pulled the sack from within, setting it aside. Reaching for his robe, he wrapped it around his body and sat down to put on his boots, slipping them on as he glanced across the stream to check Katie's progress.

When he saw her standing on the opposite bank with her clothes off and held above her head in a pose similar to the one he had just used, Edward thought he had never seen a woman so beautiful. Her dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, gently caressing the sides of her ample breasts. Feeling a surge of heat growing in his groin, he forced himself to divert his gaze. After hearing Katie enter the stream, he waited a minute for her to get into the deeper water near the center before looking up again. When he did, he almost started to panic. Realizing that she was at least a few inches shorter than himself, he watched her anxiously as she began to cross the deepest part of the stream. The water was nearly up to her chin, so he hoped it didn't get any deeper. Otherwise, she might have trouble keeping her head above its surface. Edward's lust temporarily departed while he breathlessly waited for her to make it into shallows, his body feeling like a coiled spring as tiny beads of sweat formed on his brow.

It seemed like forever to him, as if Katie were moving in slow motion, until the water finally began to recede. Before he could look away, her breasts emerged from the stream. Enthralled by the tiny droplets of water falling from her erect nipples, the heat in his groin returned and his manhood started to swell beneath his robe. With great effort he turned his attention back to his boots, waiting patiently for her to step out of the stream.

Hearing her bundled clothes hit the ground a few feet from him, he watched out of the corner of his eye as she sat down. Shivering, she pulled her pants back on. Thankfully, at this angle, her hair was blocking his view of her breasts. She slipped into her vest, flipped her hair onto her back, and quickly fastened the wooden toggles up the front of the garment. Standing to hike her pants up the rest of the way, he caught a glimpse of her firm buttocks before they disappeared under the leather.

Looking over her shoulder at Edward, knowing he had been checking her out, she innocently asked, "Are we ready to continue?" Simultaneously, she was flattered that a relative stranger had found her attractive and creeped out. In a way, Edward was probably old enough to be her father.

"I believe so," he replied, gathering the sack of vegetables and his belt from the ground beside him and rising to his feet. Briefly, he considered putting his belt back on, but was leery of doing so because it would likely make his swollen member stand out like a sore thumb.

Nodding, Katie turned and looked for Amber. Initially, she couldn't find her, but then she recalled the cave. Looking up, she spotted her shimmering form standing in its entrance. "Well ... I guess we need to climb up there," she said, pointing toward Amber. Not waiting for a response from Edward, she started to climb up the steep incline that was littered with tangles of thin vines and jagged, moss-covered rocks. Patiently, Katie made sure she had firm handholds and footholds before each step, hoping to ensure that she didn't tumble back down and get hurt, or knock Edward from his place below her.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the rim of the cave. Amber waited for them to catch their breath before leading them inside. After a couple of minutes in the cavern, they saw a faint glow that was coming from somewhere other than Amber, who had rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Trying to keep up with the ghost, Katie and Edward hurried around the bend, simultaneously catching a view of their transparent friend and a swirling red portal just beyond her.

Facing Katie, Amber pointed at the shimmering crimson void. "This will lead you back to our world. I don't know where it will come out exactly, but I get the sense that someone you need to see is on the other side."

Cautiously approaching the writhing red mist, Katie paused. Hesitantly, she extended her right hand to touch it and watched in fascinated horror as it disappeared before her eyes. Attempting to tap her unseen fingers together, she felt nothing. She quickly withdrew her hand from the portal to assure herself that it was still firmly attached to her arm. Sighing with relief, she saw that it was and rubbed her fingertips together lightly, smiling when her brain immediately received the impulses from their nerve endings. Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, she glanced nervously at Amber. "I don't know if I can do this. The whole idea of traveling between worlds like this freaks me out."

"You'll be fine," Amber insisted. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"I'm still scared to death!"

"Just think of it this way. If you don't go through the portal and find the person you need, your chances of finding and helping your friend will be slim to none," Amber said, trying to encourage her.

A grim expression of resolve appeared on Katie's face. Bolstered with new-found courage, she stepped into the portal. Edward watched her disappear into the mist with Amber following right behind.

Chapter 37

At the first light of dawn, George stood beside a tree at the top of the incline overlooking the town below. The last three days had been pretty good, phenomenal actually, but gazing at the bustle of activity in the valley told him they would soon send out hunting parties to find the missing people. Even so, he was impressed with his accomplishments, managing to capture five female prisoners before the patrols had increased, and another five males after guards were posted. Initially, he had hoped to thin the number of sentries enough to continue, but things hadn't quite worked out as he planned. Not only had the number of patrols increased, but the amount of individuals in each group did as well. Now it was too dangerous to risk further raids on the city. Maybe I can deliver this group of prisoners to the Factory and come back. By that time, things might be calm enough to try again.

Hearing movement nearby, he turned his attention from the town. On the ground behind his horse, a few of his prisoners were beginning to wake up. Casually gathering the remaining supplies scattered by his feet, he placed them back inside the compartment in the chest of his horse and closed it. Noticing that more and more of his prisoners were shifting to a sitting position, he walked back to check on them. Most were looking around in a daze, as if they had just emerged from a dream they were trying to recall. Noticing that a couple of his captives were still sleeping, George prodded them roughly with the toe of his boot. "We'll be moving out shortly. I suggest you be on your feet and ready to go ... Unless you enjoy being dragged," he informed them with a malicious grin.

At the end of the line, one of the males suddenly sprang to his feet, attempting to catch his captor off guard. As he stormed toward George, the man succeeded in tumbling a couple of his companions face first onto the ground, and when he reached the end of the rope his legs were jerked from under him as his upper body came to an abrupt halt. Watching the man sail through the air and land on his butt, George laughed. With an amused grin, he inquired, "Anyone else?" The women had tears in their eyes and wouldn't look at him, and most of the men gazed upon him with indifference. The lone renegade who had charged him a moment ago was the only one that seemed like he might try to cause trouble. A glare of absolute hatred shone in his eyes.

Grinning with satisfaction, George turned from the prisoners and mounted his steed. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that everyone was on their feet now. Rotating his head to the front, he nudged the pommel in the direction that would lead him back to the outpost.

Chapter 38

Stepping through the portal, Katie immediately felt herself falling. Before she could brace herself, she hit the gravel littered ground with a thud. Gingerly, she sat up and held her left arm, inspecting the damage. Illuminated by the light of a nearby street lamp, she saw several scrape marks on her forearm with pieces of gravel embedded in them. Most of her wounds were superficial abrasions, but in a couple of places blood trickled down her flesh.

Resting her battered appendage gently on her leg, she began picking the tiny stones out of her arm. Grimacing in pain, Katie pressed down hard on her wound in an attempt to stop the flow of blood. In an effort to distract herself, she gazed to the right at her surroundings to get a sense of where she was. Sitting in what appeared to be an alley between two small brick buildings, she spotted Amber nearby. Out of the corner of her eye, Katie saw the swirling mist of a portal a few feet above her ghostly friend, looking as if the magical gateway was somehow embedded in the frame of a window. Thinking back to the void in her bedroom that she had entered to get to Desolace, Katie couldn't help but wonder why the portal placement was so screwed up. It was like some cruel and twisted joke to have the entrances and exits at different heights in each world, making it impossible to walk straight through from one side to the other without incident. Frustrated with whoever created the portals, she tore her eyes away and inspected the building on the opposite side of the alley. Seeing boards nailed over the windows, she assumed it to be abandoned.

Having not seen Amber move since she landed in the gravel, Katie looked up and swore she saw a tear rolling down her transparent cheek. The anguished expression on her ghostly face almost suggested that she could feel Katie's pain. As she lifted her wounded arm to see if the blood had stopped flowing yet, Katie heard the sounds of people fighting from somewhere nearby. Using her uninjured appendage, she boosted herself to her feet. After quickly dusting her clothes off, she noticed that Amber had begun drifting toward the commotion. Katie followed her to the edge of the alley and stopped to get her bearings. The last thing she needed was to lose track of where the portal was, so she studied the front side of the buildings around her. A faded white sign hung slightly askew from the abandoned building, dominated by large red letters proclaiming that it had once been the Erie Market. On the opposite side of the alley, she saw a familiar blue mailbox standing on the sidewalk in front of the other building. In the darkened window, the white lettering said, U.S. Post Office. In a slightly smaller size beneath it was written, Erie, Pennsylvania 16511.

At least now Katie knew where she was. Turning her attention back toward the sounds of fighting, which seemed to be coming from across the street, she saw two floodlights illuminating a large wooden sign bearing the words 'Franklin Park' in bold block letters. As Katie jogged toward the wooded area on the other side of the pavement, Amber glided ahead of her and zigzagged through the foliage. A light drizzle began as Katie struggled to keep pace with the ghost. The sounds of the scuffle seemed very close and she feared they would accidentally stumble into the middle of it. Suddenly, Amber stopped and pointed, slightly to her right. Stepping beside her, Katie followed her spectral finger.

In the clearing ahead, picnic tables were scattered randomly across the open, grassy area. Charcoal grills dotted the landscape, seemingly sprouting from the ground between them. A small structure, which appeared to be an outhouse, stood like a silent sentinel twenty feet behind the tables, a lone floodlight mounted to its exterior illuminating the area. Squinting toward the cone of light, Katie saw a flurry of activity. It looked to her as if several black men were attacking a single white man. Even though the odds were clearly stacked against him, Katie watched in awe as the man fended off his attackers. Out of the blue, Edward's words from the first time they had met rolled through her mind. I wonder if this guy is the fighter Edward mentioned. The ease in which he is holding his assailants at bay would certainly make a strong case for it.

As the scuffle continued before her eyes, it became increasingly apparent that the attackers were starting to get the upper hand. There were just too many of them. Inching closer to the fight, Katie pondered how to convince the gentleman to come through the portal with her. Actions spoke louder than words, she supposed. When she had closed the distance between herself and the writhing mass of bodies to around one hundred feet, Katie tripped over something in the grass. Cursing her clumsiness, she turned to see the faint glimmer of an aluminum baseball bat lying almost completely hidden in the turf. After bending down to pick it up, she returned her attention to the fight.

So far, no one had noticed her approach. With a confidence she didn't know she had in her, Katie snuck up behind the closest person and clouted him in the head as hard as she could. The bat vibrated in her hand from the force of her blow, resonating with a hollow metallic sound. Instantly, the man she struck with it slumped to the ground. Startled by the noise, the remaining black men spun around. Frozen in time for a few seconds, the white man stared at her with his jaw hanging open in surprise. Then, realizing he now had the advantage with the focus of his attackers drawn away from him, he jumped into action. From behind one of his assailants, he latched onto the man's head with a firm hand on either side. Savagely, he twisted it much farther than it was ever intended to turn. With a loud crack, the man fell to the grass.

Backpedaling and swinging the bat wildly, Katie tried to keep the remaining men from getting close to her. The cracking sound of the impact, along with flying blood and teeth, suggested that she had broken her attacker's jaw. As he dropped one knee, stunned by the blow, the few remaining men hesitated for a second and started to form a circle around her. Using Katie as a distraction, the white man crept behind one and swept the legs from under him, knocking him to the ground. Following this move with a brutal open-palmed strike to his face, he sent shards of bone into his brain. Leaping behind the next man, he encircled his throat with his right arm and dragged him away from the fight. Desperately gasping for air, the black man tried to beat him with his fists in a futile attempt to break out of the choke hold. Within moments, the black man was unconscious. The two remaining attackers that were still standing, and the one kneeling on the ground with a broken jaw, suddenly realized the tables had turned against them. Quickly yanking the stunned man to his feet, they fled off into the night.

Lowering the bat, Katie jogged toward the man she had helped. "I think you can let him go now," Katie wheezed, bending to put her hands on her knees and catch her breath.

Wordlessly, he released the coiled stranglehold of his arm around his attacker's neck, allowing the dark-skinned man to slump to the ground, his oxygen deprived brain no longer telling him that his lungs needed air. Raising his head to meet Katie's eyes, he nodded. "Thank you," he gasped, his short blond hair glistening with sweat.

"I'm just glad that I was able to help. My name is Katie," she said, offering her hand in greeting and helping him to his feet.

"Mine is Mike," he replied softly, shaking her hand. "I'm glad you came along when you did. I'd been fighting with them for about fifteen minutes when you jumped in. I wasn't sure it was ever going to end."

Starting to feel a bit soggy, the prior drizzle having turned to a light rain, Katie glanced around to find Amber. Relieved, she saw her ghostly shape in the tree line, mostly hidden by the foliage. "Is there anywhere nearby that we can go to talk? Preferably someplace drier."

"There's an abandoned building across the street and I think the roof is still intact. Will that work?"

"The Erie Market?" she inquired.

"You know the place?"

"When I first heard the fighting, I was in the alley beside it. If the roof isn't too leaky, it should work fine as a temporary shelter from the weather."

As they started walking toward the trees, Katie noticed that Amber was working her way around them in such a way as to remain out of sight. Grateful for the spirit's tact, she began working out how to approach Mike with her story. Seeing Amber at this point would probably just complicate matters, though breaching the subject of his coming with her to Desolace would likely make him think she had a few screws loose upstairs. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but even the nice ones reacted badly sometimes.

Stepping from the woods to the sidewalk, the rain picked up significantly. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. "If I remember correctly, there is a delivery entrance in back of the building. We should be able to get in that way," Mike shouted, raising his voice to be heard over the steady downpour.

"Looks like we'll have to make a run for it."

Mike nodded. "Are you ready?"

"Yep." Katie squatted down slightly, looking as if she were preparing to run a fifty yard dash.

Holding up his right hand, Mike poked up one finger from his fist, then two, then three. As soon as the third finger rose, he darted across the street with Katie on his heels. Feeling as if someone had dumped a bucket of icy water on their heads, they flew down the alley and rounded the back corner of the abandoned building. Quickly locating the door, Mike tried the knob. "It's locked. Back up for a second." Taking a few steps back, he lowered his shoulder and rushed at the door. Suppressing her laughter, Katie imagined him hitting the door, bouncing off and landing hard on his butt. When his shoulder struck, however, the rusted hinges gave way easily and the door fell inward, slamming to the floor and raising a cloud of dust.

Hurrying inside, Katie found Mike sprawled on the floor, laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?"

Tears rolling down his face and his cheeks reddened with laughter, he managed to answer, "I expected the door to swing open on its hinges, not cave in the way it did."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Katie frowned, studying his face.

"I don't think so," he replied after giving himself a cursory examination.

Offering a hand to him, Katie helped him to his feet. As they began to inspect the dimly lit room, dawn's first light seeped through the roiling clouds outside. It wasn't much, but it made their investigation a little easier. To one side of the nonexistent door, once used to bring deliveries inside, a dolly was lying on its side on the floor. One of its ancient, hard rubber wheels was missing, and the other was loaded with cobwebs, barely attached to the rusted frame. Scattered throughout the room, several crushed cardboard boxes with faded lettering on them littered the concrete floor. In one corner of the room, just barely visible, was a stack of old wooden milk crates. Strolling into the shadows, Katie grabbed a couple for them to sit on. As she picked them up, two large rats scurried out, one of which scampered across her foot and caused her to drop the crates with a scream. The rodents quickly disappeared out the door and into the rain.

Bending down, Katie plucked the crates from the floor and carried them closer to the light filtering through the back entrance. She offered one to Mike, who placed it beneath himself and sat down. After a moment of thought, he held up a finger and rose. Walking to the darkened corner she had gotten the crates from, he grabbed a few more. Returning to where Katie stood, he began to break them apart.

"Okay, I'm game. Why are you doing that?"

"You'll see," he replied, grinning as he watched her eyebrows climb her forehead in confusion. Once Mike was satisfied that the crates were sufficiently demolished, he snatched up a cardboard box and cleared a space on the concrete with the sweep of a foot. As he started to arrange the scraps of wood in a pile, Katie understood what he meant to do. After constructing a small teepee out of the busted pieces, he shredded pieces of cardboard and tucked them neatly between the slivers of wood. Removing a disposable lighter from his pocket, he crossed his fingers. The first flick of its wheel yielded no results, not even a spark. Suddenly, Katie wished Edward was here. He'd have that fire roaring in no time.

Grimly, Mike persistently tried to get the lighter to work. After flicking the wheel for nearly five minutes to no avail, he was about to give up. Without any warning whatsoever, a spark jumped to life. As Katie cheered, he carefully shielded the flame from the wind coming through the doorway and began lighting the pieces of cardboard. Flames swallowed the corrugated paper rapidly, forcing Mike to shred more boxes to keep the diminishing campfire going until the wood caught. A couple of minutes later, the scraps were burning well enough that he wasn't worried about them sputtering out. It wasn't until he was able to add more wood to it that he finally began to relax. Sitting down next to Katie, he sighed softly. For the next few minutes, they held their hands out to the flames, taking in its warmth in silence.

Glancing toward her, Mike smiled contentedly. "So ... what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Umm, I'm not sure how to start." Her voice cracked nervously.

Reaching over, he took her hand in his and offered a reassuring smile. "There's no need to be nervous. I don't bite, honest."

Katie's jitters eased slightly. "You'll probably think I'm crazy."

"Well, of course you are. No sane person would jump into a fight where they were totally outnumbered to help a complete stranger."

"There is that," she admitted, blushing. "But, seriously."

"Just spit it out. I promise I won't haul you off to the loony bin, no matter what you say."

"Okay, here goes nothing ... I need your help." Raising an eyebrow, Mike looked at her questioningly and motioned for her to continue. "I'm originally from Misty Hollows, Ohio. Recently, there was a serial killer in our area."

"Was this person the one the media was calling the Headhunter?"

"Possibly. When I left Ohio he hadn't been named yet, but that sounds like something people would call him," Katie admitted.

"He left his victims grotesquely displayed without their heads, right?"

"That certainly sounds like him. Anyway ... my friend Julie and I had been screwing around with an Ouija board and managed to contact one his victims.

"I played with one of those once," Mike confessed. "It was a few years back, but it seemed like more of a party gag than anything else."

"There was definitely real contact when we used it. Julie could vouch for it if she were here. Unfortunately, she is the reason that I need your help. The ghost we contacted showed us where her killer lived. When Julie peeked through his window, he saw her looking in and abducted her later that night."

Mike frowned, one brow raised in disbelief. "A ghost showed you?"

"Honest." Katie held up her fingers like a Girl Scout swearing an oath. "Promise you won't freak out on me?"

"I can't guarantee anything, but I'll try."

Katie glanced around as if she were looking for something. "Amber? Are you here?" For a heartbeat, there was no response, but then a shimmering, nearly transparent form floated through the open doorway and Mike's jaw seemed to unhinge. "I bet you believe me now," Katie said triumphantly.

Seconds ticked by while Mike tried to find the ability to speak. "I—I believe you," he stammered.

"Shit! I need to speed this up," Katie stated, realizing how quickly that daylight was approaching. "If the storm clouds break up, or it gets any lighter in here, I won't be able to see Amber." Katie could tell the weather was letting up and she was running out of time. The previous deluge of rain had slowed to a drizzle, almost as if someone had turned off a giant faucet. "If the idea of a ghost showing us where the killer lived sounded unbelievable to you until now, then what I am about to say will sound even more absurd."

"At this point, I think all bets are off on what I'll believe and disbelieve," he remarked with a nervous half-laugh, still staring at the ghostly form.

Sighing heavily, Katie smiled awkwardly. "What I am about to tell you started with a dream. In this vision, I was on a strange world, one that wasn't Earth. I met a man who called himself Edward the White. To make a long story short, he wanted my help. He told me that there was a way he could bring me to his world physically, with the aid of magic. When I woke up, I found out that Julie had gone missing. Immediately, I dreaded the worst. While I contemplated what I could do to help find her, Amber showed up and led me through a portal. When she insisted that Edward had opened it for me, I didn't believe it at first. I quickly changed my tune when I stepped through and ended up standing on another world."

"Once I was through the portal," she continued, "I met back up with Edward, for real this time. He told me of how his town elders had charged him with a quest to rid his world of a growing darkness. He also informed me that someone else from Earth had appeared on his world, supposedly to aid these dark forces. I immediately thought of the killer, and how he had most likely brought Julie with him. Edward talked with me at great length about what we needed to do, and people he felt we would need to help us accomplish these goals. When he spoke of others that would need to join his quest, he mentioned a healer, a priest, and someone who could fight. I suppose you might call the latter a warrior."

Pausing to meet his eyes, Katie tried to figure out if her story was registering in his brain. Suddenly his eyes seemed to shine, as if a giant light bulb had just been turned on in his head. "I suppose you are telling me all of this because you think I am the warrior he referred to?"

"In a nutshell, yes. I believe it is why Amber led me to you."

As he put the pieces together, Katie could almost see the gears in his mind turning furiously. "After hearing your story, am I correct in assuming that we need to find one of your portals to get back to this other world you mentioned?"

"Hopefully, the portal I came through to get here is still open. I must admit, though, I am still very new at all this," Katie confided.

"So, where exactly is this gateway to the other world?"

"Actually, it's not far from here. It's in the alley outside of this building," she said with a grin. "I should probably warn you, though ... When we go through the portal your clothes will change."

"I'm not sure that I follow your meaning."

"They will alter in appearance to become their equivalent in that world. As an example, on Earth I am wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Once I step through to the other side, they will become leather pants and a vest. I imagine your clothing will undergo a similar transformation."

"So, by the sound of it, this is a medieval world?"

"Kind of ... In most respects I would agree, but I have seen things that seem futuristic as well," Katie confessed. "It will be easier to understand when you see what I'm talking about first hand."

"Well then, I guess there's no time like the present," Mike stated, rising from his crate.

Smiling as she stood up, Katie was thankful that he didn't seem to think she was a full blown lunatic. Turning toward the door she stopped for a moment, realizing that time had passed more quickly than she had thought. Amber's hazy form had vanished from sight. The rain had stopped, and the storm clouds had broken apart. The first rays of morning light shimmered on the fine mist that hung a few feet above the ground.

Tapping the toe of his boot on the embers of the dying fire until all that remained were a few errant wisps of smoke, Mike made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Lead the way."

Happy that things were going as well as they were, Katie grinned and moved toward the open doorway. Stepping outside, the cool, damp ground reminded her that she was still barefoot.

Unable to figure out what had brought the goofy smirk to her face, he glanced at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Finding something amusing?"

Shaking her head, Katie laughed. "When I realized that I was still barefoot, a silly thought popped in my head ... Why couldn't the portal have brought me to a shoe store?"

"You're right. That is silly."

Rounding the corner and entering the alley, Katie led him to the spot she had come through the portal. It was just barely visible in the window, but it was still there. "Shit," she grumbled, realizing how difficult it would be to go through the gateway without some sort of assistance.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot that we wouldn't be able to just walk through," she griped, pointing up at the window.

"I can give you a boost," Mike offered.

"And how would you get through then?"

"Hmmm. Obviously, I didn't think that far ahead," he confessed. Gazing around, he tried to find something they could stand on. The banged up dumpster on the opposite side of the alley was one option, but since it wasn't on wheels there was no way to move it to where they needed it. As he attempted to come up with an alternative, an idea came to him. "Hang on a sec, I'll be right back." Katie watched him run to the rear of the abandoned building. A couple of minutes later, he strolled around the corner carrying a tall pyramid of crates in his arms. The crazily leaning stack was at least three feet taller than he was, and seemed as if it might crash down on his head at any given moment.

Quickly running over to meet him, she yelled, "Stop!" The crates tottered wildly as he complied. Before his burden could tumble to the ground, Katie reached up and took the top half of the pile from him. "How the heck did you make it out the door like that?"

"I stacked them on the ground outside before I picked them up," he stated with a smirk.

Making their way back to the window, they set down their load and arranged them into a semblance of stairs. As she stepped back a few feet to admire Mike's ingenuity, he dramatically gestured with one hand. "Ladies first."

Carefully mounting the crates, Katie disappeared through the portal. Not knowing what to expect, Mike hesitantly made his way up the makeshift stairway. Steeling himself against whatever waited for him on the other side, he stepped through the shimmering window.

Chapter 39

Once Katie had disappeared through the portal with Amber the lighting in the cave all but vanished. The swirling gateway had become almost invisible. With no idea how long they would be gone, Edward opened his palm and summoned a small flame. In the light it provided, he checked his surroundings for anything of use. The only item he saw nearby was the sack of vegetables they had acquired earlier, lying on the ground near his feet. Exhaling sharply in frustration, Edward supposed he would have to find his way back through the maze of tunnels to get outside so he could gather some wood for a fire. This far back in the cave, the air had a chilly dampness to it that was sure to settle into his bones. As much as he wanted to remain close to the portal to make sure it stayed open until Katie came back, he knew it could be hours, or days, until he saw her again. He had to be prepared for the long haul, just in case.

Slowly making his way through the winding tunnels toward the cave's entrance, he tried to make a mental note of each twist and turn. As he shuffled forward, the sounds his boots created upon the floor caused him to shiver. The soft scraping noise echoed through the cave and reflected back to his ears, sounding like a corpse trying to claw its way out of a coffin.

Edward sighed with relief when he finally emerged from the cave and the echoes receded. The moons above him shone brightly, comforting him with their familiarity. No longer needing the dancing, magical flame in his palm to see, he closed his hand to extinguish it. Recalling the rocky climb he and Katie had endured to get to the cave, he had forgotten about the ledge he now stood on, which overlooked the stream below. To the left and right of the outcropping, Edward saw that the ground was more level than he would have thought. It was still rocky, but nothing like his climb to the cave had been. Here and there he saw small, dead-looking trees, which had apparently withered and died when their roots couldn't penetrate deep enough to find the water they needed to continue growing. Edward couldn't help but wonder how they had begun growing in the first place.

It doesn't matter how they came to be, only that they are here and appear to be useable. For the next hour, Edward made several careful trips between the withered foliage and the cave. It took longer than he would have liked, but carrying smaller armloads was a much better alternative than falling down the hill and breaking his bones because he couldn't see where he was stepping. The fact that no one was around to help him if he got injured served to strengthen his conviction. Setting his current armload near the mouth of the cave, Edward realized that his pile of branches had grown to considerable size.

Satisfied that he had stockpiled wood, he opened his palm and produced a flame. Picking up a branch from the pile, he held his hand beneath it until it caught on fire then set it upright against the cave wall. For the next fifteen minutes, Edward traversed back and forth to repeat the process, each time traveling further into the cave, until he had created a path of torches that would allow him to safely negotiate the tunnels with larger handfuls of brush.

After carrying the last armload of branches into the chamber near the portal, he retrieved the closest torch, setting it against the wall well away from his woodpile. The last thing he needed now was to have the whole heap go up in flames at once. Flame-broiled Edward was not something he wished to put on the menu of any critters that may be in the area.

Slowly holding one branch at a time over his torch, he created a small campfire on the floor. Soon, the light from the roaring flames danced on the walls. Strange, writhing shadows fluttered about the chamber as the heat of the campfire dissolved the dampness from the air and warmed him. Lying on the floor at a comfortable distance from the flames, he began to relax. Though his muscles ached from gathering wood, the growing heat was making him sleepy. Knowing he needed to recharge, he supposed a little nap wouldn't hurt. If the fire died down and the air became cooler it would wake him before it actually went out. Closing his eyes, Edward entered the bliss of sleep almost immediately.

When he awoke a short time later the fire was still flickering, but was mostly a small pile of embers. With the intention of adding more wood to the dying fire, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. A clicking sound echoed through the chamber at that moment, causing him to jump. Blinking his eyes into focus, he looked wildly around for the source of the commotion, knowing how tricky echoes could be. For all he knew, whatever had made the noise could be right next to him. When he couldn't determine the cause, Edward shot to his feet and grabbed a good-sized handful of wood, quickly dropping it onto the embers. In seconds, the campfire flared back to life, illuminating the chamber brightly.

Squinting against the brightness until his eyes began to adjust, Edward saw that the entire passageway leading from the chamber was lit in a shiny glare. Studying his surroundings curiously, he couldn't figure out why the dull stone walls were suddenly flecked with a reflective quality it hadn't had before. Surely it couldn't be the shadows of dancing flames that were causing the anomaly. After all, it hadn't been like that when he first lit the fire.

Sitting down again, Edward continued to watch the shining passageway, waiting in silence to see if the clicking sound would recur. As the warmth of the fire began to spread and his eyelids started to get heavy, he heard the noise again. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of movement coming from the tunnel, almost as if the passageway itself was moving. Fascinated by the liveliness, his intrigue turned to horror as the shining mass drew closer and he was able to pick out distinct shapes. Before him, a multitude of giant mechanical spiders had apparently been drawn out of hiding by the heat of his campfire.

His mind reeled as he attempted to process what he was seeing, but Edward knew he had to act quickly. Will a blast of cold from a spell drive them away? He sighed in frustration, realizing the magic would likely do what he needed it to, but would probably douse his campfire and plunge him into darkness in the process. As his internal debate raged on, a new sound distracted him.

Katie's happy voice erupted in the near silence. "Edward! Look what I—" Turning toward her, he put a finger before his lips to quiet her and used his other hand to point toward the surging metallic mass.

With his attention returned to the encroaching threat and cold pretty much ruled out as an option for defense, there was only one solution he could think of; to disperse them in the same manner he had used with the mechanical rats. However, he wasn't entirely sure it would work this time because these creatures seemed to be attracted by fire. Nevertheless, Edward heaved his palms forward in the direction of the skittering metallic mass. As the machines steadily stalked toward them, his voice bellowed through the near silence, uttering the word Katie associated with fire. Immediately, a flaming sphere bolted from his outstretched palms, hurtling across the chamber and slamming into the spiders in an explosion of blinding light. Mechanical bodies flew through the air, making high-pitched screaming noises. Edward could only hope that the cacophony was a prelude to their deaths as the metallic creatures slammed into the walls of the cave.

As the initial blast of light diminished, they saw a great number of the mechanical spiders lying about on the chamber floor in various states of disarray. Many lay motionless in smoldering tangles of twisted metal, while others were frozen in disjointed poses, their legs twitching and curls of smoke rising from their charred bodies. Somehow, even after the explosive fireball had done its duty, Edward and Katie could still hear clicking. The rapidity and intensity of the metallic resonance echoed crazily in the chamber. Holding their collective breath, they waited anxiously, hoping it was the sound of whatever remaining spiders there were, scrambling for safety.

Minutes seemed like hours. After what felt like an eternity, the maddening echoes of spider-legs tapping against the stone was entirely gone. Cautiously, Edward approached the passageway and poked his head around the corner. When he saw that the tunnel was empty and nothing was reflecting back at him, he exhaled sharply.

"I believe they are gone now," Edward stated as he turned toward them, for the first time noticing that Katie wasn't alone.

Katie laughed awkwardly. "You had to go and stir up trouble while I was gone, didn't you?"

Edward forced a grim smile in return; for the time being he ignored her attempt at humor. "I don't think it would be wise to stay here any longer than necessary. We should make our way to the cave entrance. That way, we will have escape options if those things come back." Rummaging through his stockpile of firewood, Edward grabbed three good-sized pieces and returned to the campfire to make torches out of them, passing one to Mike and one to Katie after they were lit.

Slowly, they negotiated their way through the tunnels in single file, with just enough space between them that they weren't tripping over each other. Edward was in front, Katie in the middle, and Mike brought up the rear.

Still trying to come to grips with the fact that he'd just walked into another world, every few steps Mike  nervously shifted his torch and turned his head to look over his shoulder. Rounding a corner in the passage, he was greeted by a welcomed sight. Daylight poured into the mouth of the cave, illuminating the final fifty feet to reach open air.

After passing through the entrance, each of them cast their torches to the sandy ground at the mouth of the cave. Walking out to the ledge overlooking the stream, Edward gazed down at the water below and noticed something they had missed when he originally crossed it with Katie. A short distance from their crossing point, he saw a downed tree that would afford them a drier way to get to the other side. Immediately, Edward started to descend the rocky hillside, giving Mike very little time to take in the new scenery.

"You go next," Katie urged, motioning to Mike. "It'll take me longer to negotiate the rocks since I'm barefoot," she explained.

As he prepared to climb down, he noticed the change in wardrobe that Katie had told him about before he had entered the portal. In his opinion, she looked exactly as he had pictured her when she had told him of the differences. Glancing at his own attire, he saw that he was dressed in a similar fashion, with only two notable differences. Unlike Katie's bare feet, he wore heavy, moccasin-like boots on his own. Tucked neatly into the corded belt around his waist was a blade that looked eerily similar to the sword used in the Conan movies, only shorter. Though the leather ensemble definitely exuded the image of a warrior in his mind, he felt that a suit of gleaming chainmail would have looked more formidable. Glancing up at Katie, Mike saw the look of impatience on her face and turned his attention to the descent of the rock-littered incline.

Waiting a minute to give him a head start, Katie began to make her way down. Even with her bare feet she was making pretty good time, finding it much easier for her to find good places to step now that it was daylight. Within ten minutes, all three of them were standing in a group by the stream as they paused for a quick break.

"Since we have a minute, I suppose I should introduce you to each other," Katie announced. "Mike ... this is Edward the White."

Nodding his head in greeting, Edward smiled. "I would assume by the looks of your attire that you are the warrior we were searching for."

"And, if I may hazard a guess, I would have to say that you must be some sort of wizard, judging by the fiery sphere you shot from your hands a short while ago," Mike remarked with a polite chuckle.

Watching the back and forth banter of the men as if she were trying to follow a tennis match, Katie laughed. After the exchange of pleasantries, Edward suggested they cross the stream and find the path that led toward the town of Haven. Without waiting for a reply, he made his way to the downed tree that he had seen from the outcrop of rock at the cave's entrance. When they reached it, they began to cross one by one, so as not to put too much weight on the trunk at once. There was no way to tell how long the tree had been in such a position, or how sturdy it would be. By Edward's reckoning, there was no need to risk the chance of it breaking under the strain of their weight and thereby spilling them all into the water below.

After crossing the stream without incident, the three of them headed for the path that Katie and Edward had been following, before Amber had diverted them toward the cave.

Chapter 40

Releasing his grip on the pommel, George allowed it to pop back into its upright position, halting his mount in front of the outpost. During most of his return trip, he had contemplated what to do when he got here. Now, he must make a decision. Hopping down from the saddle, he gazed over his string of captives and slowly walked the line to assess the females that made up the front portion of the string. The males were of absolutely no interest to him. As he studied their attributes, he found his attention was held by the woman at the head of the line, more so than the others.

Thinking about what he really wanted to do, as opposed to the Black Knight's instructions, George wondered how upset the entity would be if he had a little fun with his captives. The more he thought about it, the less it seemed to matter to him. Feeding his inner demon took precedence. To hell with whatever consequences may arise from his choice.

Finished with his inspection, he ordered the line of prisoners to their knees. Most of them obeyed his command quickly, with the exception of the male that had previously given him trouble. Sinking to his knees slowly, he glared at George with hatred burning fiercely in his eyes. Loosening the knot that attached the rope to his steed, George slid it through the metal ring and walked to the head of the line. Hovering over the woman in the front, he untied the knot around the ring in her collar. Freed from the others, George forced her to the ground face first. Keeping a watchful eye on her in case she tried to escape, he returned to his horse and secured the tether to the ring.

During this time, the woman made no move to flee for her freedom. As she lay on the ground trembling in terror, George grabbed a hold of her by one arm, which was bound behind her back, and jerked the woman roughly to her feet. Dragging her to the outpost, he placed his hand into the fancy locking mechanism and turned it. When the door slid open, he pulled her inside and led her to the sleeping area. After securing her to a bed frame, he swept her legs from under her with his foot, causing the woman to land on the floor with a heavy thud. Bending down, he unbuckled one of her cuffs and looped it around the bedpost, reattaching it before she could gather her wits.

With the woman secured, George strolled back to the main room and took a cursory glance at the monitors on his way past them. Once he made sure that the strange boat was right where he left it, he turned the wheel on the heavy metal door and swung it open.

Exiting the building to gather his prisoners, he immediately noticed something conspicuous. The two males near the end of the string were huddled close together and back to back. The one that George identified as his troublemaker was facing away from him and hadn't realized his captor was approaching. The other had looked up immediately when he heard the door open, and when he saw George he quickly tried to scoot away from the other man, hoping his tormentor wouldn't have noticed what he was doing. It took every bit of restraint that George could muster not to go over to the troublemaker and beat the living daylights out of him. Having no intention of carrying the man down the long flight of stairs leading to the boat, he swallowed back his anger. Closing the distance between himself and his captives, he jerked the troublemaker's wrists upward to check his cuffs. One was partially unbuckled, so George quickly remedied the situation and hauled the man rudely to his feet, belting him in the mouth viciously with his fist. Blood sprayed from his face and a couple of his teeth flew from his mouth. The man howled in agony, knowing that his jawbone had broken. The murderous look on the troublesome man's face was temporarily replaced by a grimace of pain.

Turning away, George stormed over to remove the rope from the ring on his horse, ordering everyone to their feet as he passed. Before untying the knot, he stopped at each prisoner to check their bonds. Satisfied that no one else had been dumb enough to attempt escape, he gathered the end of the rope and led his captives into the outpost. As the outer door slid closed, George began the long journey down the staircase with the string of prisoners in tow.

Chapter 41

Though the sun was hanging low in the sky when they finally entered Haven, the town was still a bustle of activity. Even so, something seemed off. Stopping suddenly in her tracks, Katie mumbled, "Strange." Mike and Edward turned and looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to clarify the statement. "As many people as I can see wandering the streets, it's odd that I haven't seen a single child," she stated thoughtfully.

"That is kind of weird," Mike added, glancing around and noticing the same thing.

"Actually, it is not all that uncommon in smaller towns like this. If this were a large city like Elysia, it would be strange indeed," Edward remarked.

Mulling over his comment, Katie conceded. "While you may be right, I still have the sense that there is something odd about this town. If it isn't the lack of children, though, I don't know what else it could be."

"I feel the same way," Mike piped in.

Edward casually dismissed their concerns, as if this sort of thing was commonplace. As they continued up the dusty street, a huge grin spread across his face.

"What is that look for?" Katie asked.

"If I am not mistaken, that appears to be a tailor's shop." Edward pointed to a building just ahead. "Perhaps we can find something to cover your bare feet with."

With a confused frown, Katie inquired, "Umm ... Do we suddenly have something to purchase said footwear with?"

"We have this," Edward replied, raising the sack of vegetables.

"Seriously?" Katie raised a questioning eyebrow, wondering if he'd gone mad.

"It won't hurt to try."

As they began walking again she shook her head, doubting that anyone would accept vegetables as payment. A minute later, they stood in front of the structure, which was more like an open air shed with only three walls and a roof. A tall, kindly-looking middle-aged man with short, sandy hair milled about inside, adjusting the wares that hung from the walls. As they entered, the gentleman turned and greeted them, immediately noticing Katie's bare feet.

"May I interest you in something, young lady?" With a sweeping gesture, he indicated a row of sandals and moccasins laid out on the floor near one wall.

Her cheeks blossomed to a deep crimson, embarrassed. I can't believe I'm going to say this. "Are you willing to barter?" she asked politely.

"Depends on what you have to offer," he replied with a friendly smile.

Untying the sack, Edward opened it so the shopkeeper could look inside. Peering into the bag, his brow furrowed as he appeared to study the contents. After a few seconds, he removed two strange objects. Both of which, at first glance, appeared to be a cross between a tomato and a melon. "I haven't seen one of these in a long time," he said, trying to keep a greedy smile from showing. "They are a rare treat."

"Will those suffice as payment?" Edward peered into the sack, which was still close to three quarters full.

The shopkeeper agreed that it was, and stepped aside. "For one pair, at least."

Wandering over to the row of moccasins, Katie methodically placed a foot next to each pair until she found one that seemed close to her size. Sitting down, she pulled them on. They were slightly loose on her feet, but she was sure if they got wet a time or two they would likely fit perfectly. With a huge, happy grin, she rose and thanked the vendor.

With their first dilemma solved, the three of them stepped out of the shop. "What's next on the agenda?" Katie asked.

Glancing toward the setting sun, Edward frowned in thought. "In my opinion, since it is nearly dark, I suggest that we find a place to spend the night. Investigating the town further can wait until morning. Hopefully, we will be able to acquire more items we need before we continue on."

"That sounds like as good a plan as any," Mike stated wearily. "I haven't walked this much in a long time, and it would be nice to put my feet up for a while."

"Better get used to it. I'm sure there's a whole lot of shoe leather express ahead of us," she snickered.

Walking away from the tailor's shop, the mingled sounds of loud voices and raucous laughter drifted down the dusty street to their ears. Gazing in the direction the noise seemed to be coming from, Edward saw what he thought to be a tavern. Upon further scrutiny, he was encouraged by the fact that the building was taller than all of the structures around it. "That place looks like it may serve our needs," he stated, pointing toward the building and hoping it was an inn as well as a tavern.

Trundling toward the structure in agreement, they pushed through the batwing doors after a short walk. Once inside, Mike and Katie were reminded of an old west saloon; every table was surrounded by patrons, and each customer appeared to have a large wooden tankard sitting directly in front of them. The place was packed.

Squeezing his way between the tables, Edward jostled his way to the bar with Mike and Katie following close behind. As he approached, a pretty, middle-aged woman with long brown hair began to make her way toward him.

Sizing up her new customers with her piercing blue eyes, the barmaid asked, "May I help ya?"

Edward smiled politely. "I hope so. We are looking for a room. Do you have anything available?"

"Aye. I most certainly do," she replied, smiling pleasantly.

Edward fidgeted for a moment, suddenly nervous about what sort of response his next question would generate. "We don't have any coin at the moment. Would you be willing to barter?"

A scowl creased her features, but disappeared seconds later, as if it were never there. "I suppose if ya agree to clean this place up for me in the mornin' that I could call it even."

Glancing toward his companions for confirmation, Edward was thankful to see that they were agreeable with the terms. "You have yourself a deal, m' lady."

"This way please," she instructed, traversing the length of the bar until she reached the back of the room. Opening a door, she led them up a dimly lit staircase, which was illuminated at the top by a single lantern. When everyone stepped on to the second floor landing, she gestured down the hallway. "There are four rooms up here, and they're all available. You can take your pick, but I ask that you leave the doors to the other rooms open. That way I'll know which one you're in."

"Thank you for your kindness." Edward bowed deeply before her, causing the barmaid to blush before vanishing down the stairs.

"Do you have a preference as to which room we should stay in?" Katie asked, looking at Edward.

"Only that it be one of the two rooms on the end, away from the stairs," he replied after considering the question briefly. With Mike and Katie in agreement, they walked to the end of the hall and inspected the rooms. Both were identically furnished, containing two small beds and a large cushioned chair with a footstool, the latter sitting by the room's only window, which overlooked the street below. Choosing the room on the right, they filed inside behind Edward and closed the door. A single lantern hung on the wall just inside of the entry, basking the room in a soft glow of light. "You two can have the beds," Edward stated.

Katie and Mike needed no further encouragement, plopping onto the beds and falling asleep within minutes. Meanwhile, Edward sat in the chair and gazed out the window thoughtfully. As he waited for moonrise, he contemplated what they would need to accomplish before leaving town, and soon dozed off himself.

At some point later that night Edward sat bolt upright in the chair, unsure what had awoken him. Catching movement from the corner of his eye, he turned his head and saw Amber flitting about the room nervously. As he was about to ask her what was bothering her, a long howl sounded in the distance. Almost immediately it was answered by another that was much closer ...

Haven

Chapter 1

Edward awoke with a start and sat bolt upright in the chair. At first he couldn't figure out what had awakened him. Then, out of the corner of one eye, he saw Amber nervously flitting about the room. He was about to ask her what was bothering her when a long howl sounded in the distance. Moments later, it was answered by another, which was much closer.

As he considered whether he should wake the others or let them sleep, he hears the muffled flurry of movement coming from just outside. Cautiously, he rose from the chair and went to the window, standing off to one side a bit to peer down at the street below. What he saw down there was unnerving ... to say the least.

Thundering down the street was the largest pack of wolves he had ever seen in his life. These didn't appear to be normal wolves either. Even from his vantage point, he could tell that these wolves were much larger than average. The pack seemed to be growing in size; others were joining from around nearly every building on the street. To Edward, it looked as if there were close to a hundred of them down there. They were all rushing down the street heading toward the edge of town.

Edward was unsure if they were running away from something, or heading into a scuffle with some unseen foe. He maintained his position by the window for a few more minutes until he saw, what he felt to be, the last stragglers lope off into the distance at the back of the pack. Now that they seemed to be gone he began to relax and noticed how eerily quiet the town had become. He imagined that if he were to drop a blade of grass at this very moment he would hear it hit the floor.

He turned his attention from the window and looked over at Amber. She didn't seem to be any calmer. If anything, she looked more nervous now than she had when the pack was running through the street below.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash that sounded as if it had come from downstairs. The impact of it caused the floor to tremble beneath Edward's feet. At the sound, Mike jumped up out of bed so quickly that he nearly fell to the floor.

"What the hell was that?" Mike asked, looking wildly around the room and trying to shake the fuzziness of sleep to gain his bearings. It took a minute for him to realize where he was and that he wasn't dreaming. Another loud crash from below shook the room, followed shortly by a heavy object falling to the floor.

"What's going on?" Katie mumbled as she sat up groggily and tried to focus her eyes. Suddenly, a long, strange sounding howl emitted from somewhere below them in the tavern. The sound made Katie shiver. The light grew strange in the room. As Katie tried to gather her wits, she looked around the room and saw Amber  cowering in a corner as far from the door as she could get. Instead of the normal glow that usually emanated from her ghostly form at night, she seemed to be pulsating. Bright one second, significantly dimmer the next, as if she were trying to disappear.

Mike stood and retrieved his sword from the floor next to his bed. Edward opened the palm of his hand and produced a small flame to give the room more light. It hovered steadily just above his palm as he walked to  Mike's position near the door. As Edward approached, Mike opened the door slightly, cautiously peering out into the hallway. When he saw that it was empty, he motioned with his head to Edward and both stepped out of the room.

Katie stayed inside and crossed to where Amber cowered, still pulsating in the corner. She hoped that her presence would comfort Amber, at least enough to make her stop flickering in and out. Katie's courage seemed to be bolstered by Amber's presence, so she hoped the same would be true for her.

In the hallway, the two men moved slowly toward the staircase at the far end. About halfway along they began to hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. They stopped in their tracks and anxiously waited for whatever was coming.

Moments later, an enormous, wolf-shaped metal head appeared at the top of the stairs. It stopped when it saw them and regarded them with its baleful, glowing, green eyes as if it were assessing their potential threat.

"What the hell is that?" Mike whispered nervously to Edward.

"I don't know and I'm not sure I want to find out either. I hope it doesn't come after us, because somehow I think it would take more than the two of us to keep that thing at bay," Edward replied.

As if it could sense their fear, the beast turned and entered the hallway. As it did, Mike and Edward backed up a few steps. The monstrous creature had three heads,  two that they had been unable to see when it was still in the stairway, and it was much larger than either of them had thought. It was easily five feet tall, and broad enough at the shoulders that it made them wonder how it had fit up the stairway in the first place. It must have taken up the entire width when it was coming up. It began to crouch slightly, while it stood eyeing them malevolently. The two outer heads lowered and growled menacingly. The middle head rose toward the ceiling and uttered the most horrible sounding howl either of them had ever heard. Its deafening pitch echoed wildly off the walls.

In his fear, Edward lost his concentration. The flame hovering just above his hand sputtered for a moment and then went out. The hallway was plunged into darkness. The only things visible in that moment were the six glowing green orbs that were the beast's eyes.

In the room, despite any courage they had mustered from their closeness, Katie and Amber were  visibly trembling. The tremendously loud howl that erupted moments before sounded as if it were just outside the room. It made Katie more terrified than she had ever been in her life. Something that could make a sound like that was surely going to kill them all. With every nerve on edge, she waited to hear the inevitable scream that would soon come from the hallway just before her friends were killed. The sound she heard next was anything but what she expected to hear.

In the darkness of the hallway Mike gathered himself, knowing his next move might be his last. He raised his sword into striking position and let loose a battle cry that he never thought he was capable of managing until now. He rushed blindly toward the only point of focus he had; the glowing green orbs that he knew were the creature's eyes. When he thought he was close enough to strike, he swung the sword as hard as he could in a downward motion that he hoped would damage the monster enough to get it to back off.

His swing had yet to gain any momentum when it encountered resistance. The blow glanced off of one of the heads, causing a brief spark of light. Not used to wielding a sword, Mike was unable to stop the blade's momentum, its entirety now embedded in the wooden floor of the hallway. He struggled for a moment to free the blade, and seconds later found himself lying on his back on the floor. The creature had hit him with one of its enormous paws, but to Mike it felt more like he had been hit by a car. He laid there in an agony, stunned by the blow, and wondered if he had managed to acquire some broken bones.

Just when he began to think it was the most pain he had ever endured in his life, the beast bit into his left leg with such force that he was sure part of his leg was no longer attached to his body. Just then, a bright slice of blue light passed over his head. As it went by, he felt a temporary chill and wondered briefly if he was dying.

The bolt of blue light struck the mechanical monster with a blinding flash. As the beast roared in rage, Edward quickly came forward to grab Mike under the arms, dragging him out of the immediate vicinity of the beast's massive jaws. Then, Edward stood up and turned his palms to the sky. Sparks began to dance from one hand to the other as he gathered his concentration. Moments later they began to crackle. Edward turned his hands so that his palms were facing the beast. Two streaks of lightning instantly sped toward the creature. As they struck, the outer heads of the beast sagged lifelessly, tiny flames appearing on them. The remaining head roared at him in fury.

Suddenly, the beast charged toward Edward. With nowhere to go, and barely any time to react, he quickly jumped to one side. He pressed himself as flat as he could against the wall, hoping that it would miss him. Luck was with him as the beast thundered past and crashed through the wall at the end of the hallway.

Dim light filtered through the gaping hole. Edward moved toward the opening and looked outside. Other than a dissipating cloud of dust, there was nothing moving in the street below. When he turned from the hole to check on Mike, he saw that Katie and Amber had now joined them. Katie was bent over Mike and appeared to be tending to his wounds the best she could. Amber didn't seem to be scared anymore, as the glow of her form was steady once again.

Mike groaned in agony as Katie checked his leg. It was definitely broken in at least one place. A piece of bone was protruding through his pants and his leg was slick with blood.

"Can you see if you can find something to splint his leg with?" she asked Edward. He nodded and headed toward the stairs, sure he would find something in the wreckage caused by the creature ramming its way inside. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw broken tables and chairs were strewn about everywhere, as if there had been a really big fight before everyone had gone home. He sifted through the debris and found a couple  wooden chair legs that he felt would do the job, and then went behind the bar and found some towels. He grabbed a few of them and headed back upstairs.

Katie heard him coming and called out, "Did you find anything useful down there?"

"Yes," he said, as he reached the top of the stairs. He held the items out to her. "Will these do?"

"I think so. I'm going to need your help when I do this."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Hold him down, please. This is really going to hurt and I need to keep him as still as possible."

Edward knelt down beside him, rolled up the end of one of the towels, and put it in his mouth. "Bite down on this as hard as you can." Mike nodded his head to let him know he understood and then Edward leaned forward, putting his hands on Mike's chest. "Go ahead," he instructed Katie.

She felt around as delicately as possible, trying to locate each end of the broken bone. She had done this for animals on the farm where she grew up, but never a human. Once she determined the correct angle, she pushed down on the bone that was protruding from his leg. His scream, muffled by the towel, was so brief that she thought he must have passed out. With the bone now back inside of his leg, she quickly squeezed her hands around the break on both sides and aligned the bones the best she could. While she did this Mike didn't even flinch, which confirmed to her that he was unconscious. When she was satisfied that the bone was properly set, she began using the materials Edward had brought her. First placing the wooden chair legs on either side of his leg to keep it straight, and then tying the towels tightly around it to keep everything in place as firmly as possible. When she was finished she looked to Edward and asked, "Is there anything you can do to stop the bleeding? I can't put a tourniquet on him for fear of interfering with the splint."

"I think so," he replied, moving from his position  at Mike's head down to where Katie sat. He knelt down next to her and began to rub his hands together. Within moments they started to glow a fiery red and Katie could feel the heat pouring from him in waves. Edward then placed his hands gently over the wound. Even though he was still unconscious, Mike groaned in pain. In a matter of seconds the scent of seared flesh filled the air around them. Just before the blood on his pants could dry completely, Edward removed his hands. "That should stop the bleeding and possibly even have fused the bone back together."

Katie smiled. "For now, let's get him back into the room and in bed. We'll see how he feels when he wakes up."

Together they gently lifted Mike and carried him into the room, laying him on the bed. With that done, Katie went back into the hallway and found his sword. She worked it back and forth until it loosened enough that she could pull it free. Returning to the room, she put the blade on the floor next to Mike.

"It would probably be safer if one of us stayed awake to make sure that thing doesn't come back," Edward suggested.

"How long do you figure we have until morning?" she asked.

He went to the window and looked out at the sky. "Judging from the positions of the moons, I would say we probably still have a few hours until daylight begins to push the darkness away."

"Then maybe we should split the time somehow so that both of us can get some rest."

"That sounds like a good idea. Go ahead and lay down for a bit. I'll go first," he told her.

"Okay." She briefly smiled at him before going to the other bed to lie down. With all that had just happened, she was exhausted. Within moments, she was snoring lightly.

Chapter 2

When the sun peeked over the horizon, Katie began to wake the others. The night had passed uneventfully, with no sign of the creature that had attacked Mike, and none of the wolves from the massive pack had returned.

Edward sat up, swung his legs out of the bed, and began to rub the sleep from his eyes. On the other side of the room, Mike sat up in his bed with a grimace and saw the splint on his leg. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"I could only find one break, but you may have some fractures. I set the bone the best I could and Edward did something to stop the bleeding that may help the bone mend quicker, too," Katie told him.

"Honestly, it feels like I've been burned really badly more than anything. If I have broken bones then I don't think I am feeling the pain of them. Do you think I will be able to walk on it?"

"I'm not even sure if it would hold your weight if you tried to stand on it ... let alone walk on it," Katie said. "As a matter of fact, I would feel a whole lot better if you didn't even try standing by yourself until you've tried it with help."

"Indeed. You are lucky to still be alive, my friend. If I hadn't been able to distract that beast from you, I'm sure it would have ripped you to pieces," Edward told him.

"In that case, can the two of you please help me stand up so I can see how it feels?" Edward and Katie moved over to where he sat on the bed, one on either side, and each grabbed an arm to help him up. As he stood, Mike hopped on his good leg for a moment to gain his balance and then gingerly put his splinted leg down to test it. He slowly shifted his weight to the bad leg and grimaced in pain as he did.

"I think I can put my weight on it, but not for very long," Mike told them as he quickly shifted his weight back to his good leg. "I could probably walk for a short distance if I had to, but I would prefer to let it heal some more."

"We're going to need to find some horses if we intend to keep traveling." Katie crossed the room and looked out the window.

"That might be difficult to do in our current situation," Edward said. "We don't have money and have very little to barter with. Surely not enough to acquire horses."

"Judging by what I can see right now, that might not be a problem," Katie said, pointing out the window at the town below.

Mike and Edward made their way over to the window and looked out. Nothing was moving out there aside from the occasional dust devil that would pop up in the street. "Where is everyone?" Edward mused to himself out loud. "There should be people down there going about their morning routines by now. I hope that gigantic pack of wolves didn't attack the townsfolk before they ran out of town. The last thing I want to see when we get outside is a bunch of mutilated corpses."

"For that matter, the creature that attacked us in the hallway last night could also be the reason this place looks like a ghost town," Mike chimed in.

"We should probably get down there and check things out," Katie said. "There's no sense standing around up here speculating when we could be down there helping anyone we find."

"Good point! Let's go see if we can find anyone that needs our help," Mike said.

Edward and Katie positioned themselves on either side of him, allowing him to get an arm around each of them to steady himself. Slowly they made their way to the doorway of the room. It was tricky to get Mike through it, but they managed by shuffling sideways for a couple of feet. Once the doorway was behind them, they made their way to the staircase. Sunlight filtered through the gaping hole in the outer wall of the building at the end of the hallway where the mechanical creature had crashed through. It created a very strange looking shadow that stretched out in front of them, looking like an upright version of the nightmarish creature they had dealt with in the night.

They all breathed a little easier as the staircase got closer, causing their shadows to climb the far wall. It looked more normal when cast there. As they reached the top of the stairs, they turned to begin their descent. "It looks like it's going to be a tight squeeze getting you down there, Mike," Edward said. The daunting task of getting Mike down the stairs without incident caused Katie to smile, stifling a giggle as images of a large tumble rolled through her mind.

When they actually began to go down the stairs, it looked very similar to Katie's vision. She momentarily lost her balance when she began to laugh and Mike listed to one side nearly falling on top of her. With great effort, Katie managed to get her laughing fit under control. She steadied Mike and they began making their way downstairs again.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, both Katie and Mike were taken aback by the devastation they saw. Edward, who had already been down here to get the  things to patch up Mike's wounds, was not surprised by the scene.

They made their way slowly through the clutter of broken chairs and tables, towards the front door of the tavern. When they finally reached it, Edward pushed open the door and guided everyone into the bright morning sunshine. Other than a dust devil, which was weaving its way lazily down the street, there was no movement out here. At this time of day there should have been a bustle of activity in the streets, but instead they were greeted by an ominous silence. As they looked down the street, Edward noticed a building at the edge of town. "That looks like it could be a stable. We should go check it out."

Mike and Katie agreed and they began to make their way slowly down the street. Mike wore a grimace of pain as they went, using Katie and Edward as support, but for the most part trying to walk on his own. When they got to the edge of town they paused in front of the building.

"I'll wait out here," Mike stated, pointing to a chair located flush with the building, shaded by an overhang. "I need to rest for a few minutes anyway. I hope you find something useful in there because I think it will be slow going if you don't." He tried to smile, but couldn't pull it off.

"Okay. Just sit tight then and holler if you see anything," Katie told him, with a small, comforting squeeze of his shoulder.

Mike hobbled his way over to the chair and sat down with a grunt. He looked back, saw the look of concern on their faces, and gave them a thumbs up to let them know he was okay.

Katie and Edward turned and went into the stable. As soon as they were inside they were overwhelmed by the buzzing noise created by a multitude of flies, which hovered in the air like storm clouds. It smelled strongly of manure in here. That wasn't out of the ordinary, although it did smell bad enough that Katie thought it had probably been about a week since the stalls were cleaned. They began to move deeper into the stable, checking the stalls. Even though they appeared empty at first glance, there could be a horse laying down in one of them.

As they peeked inside the first stall, Katie had to quickly turn away. She threw up violently onto the dust-covered floor. Edward's stomach lurched uneasily. On the floor of the stall was what appeared to be a man. The body had been ripped to shreds by something. Blood was splattered across the inner wall of the stall near the body and there were chunks of bloody flesh littering the floor amongst the piles of dung. Edward turned his head from this grisly sight and noticed how pale Katie was.

"You should go outside and keep Mike company for a little bit. You look like you could really use some fresh air," he told her. "I'll finish looking around and be out in a few minutes."

"Okay," she managed, as she stifled a gag. Katie turned and quickly headed back out into the open air. Edward watched her go and then turned his attention toward the next stall. When he looked inside he was thankful to not find another mutilated corpse within it. Only the normal droppings from the horse that had at one time occupied the stall remained. Things were beginning to look bleak as he moved across the stable to check the stalls on the opposite side. When he got there he saw that both stalls on that side were also empty. His heart began to sink as he realized that they were going to have to walk a while longer and it would be slow going with Mike's injury. They would have to find another town and hope for better luck there.

Just then, Edward heard a commotion from outside. Moments later Katie burst through the door of the stable. "Edward! Come quick!" she said excitedly. He hurried after Katie as she darted back outside. When he stepped through the door he shielded his eyes from the bright morning sun as he waited for his eyes to adjust. Katie's color had returned and her face was flush with excitement as she pointed out of town. As his eyes began to adjust he saw what appeared to be a lone white horse, shrouded in a cloud of dust, galloping toward them. For a moment he thought the early morning light was playing tricks on his mind and creating a mirage of sorts, but soon the dust cloud drew nearer and he could see the horse clearly within it. There was a saddle on its back, but no rider to accompany it. Perhaps the rider had fallen off or been attacked. Either way, it looked as if the horse had been trained to return to the stable if it lost its rider.

Several minutes later, the horse thundered to a halt next to the stable and snorted loudly. Edward approached slowly, trying not to spook it. The horse turned its head and regarded him with casual interest. Moments later, Edward was standing next to the horse and patting it gently on the neck. Mike and Katie regarded the scene with slack-jawed amazement, as if Edward had just performed some sort of miracle. Katie helped Mike out of his chair and they slowly made their way over to where Edward stood.

The horse paid no attention to them as they approached. It was as if it were completely enthralled with Edward, like a spell had been cast over it. Katie gazed at the horse with a child-like wonder as she stood there. She wanted to reach out and touch it to verify that it was real, but was afraid that if she did it would suddenly vanish into thin air.

As if Mike could sense her hesitation somehow, he brushed past Katie and patted the horse gently. The horse turned its head and regarded him snorting softly. Noticing the calm look in the animal's eyes, Mike turned to Katie. "Can you help me into the saddle?"

"Sure." Katie tried to figure out the best way to help him reach the saddle with his injured leg. Her mind worked furiously for a minute before coming up with a solution. Katie positioned herself under his left arm to support him. "Let's go around to the other side. It'll be easier to get you up from there."

"Okay," he groaned as he began to hobble to the opposite side of the horse using Katie as a crutch. Katie stood as tall as she could manage to take as much pressure off of his injured left leg, as Mike got a grip on the saddle and attempted to get his right foot into the stirrup. Almost instantly he began to lose his balance. Katie jockeyed herself quickly to prevent him from falling to the ground. Once he was steady, Mike tried again. This time he successfully got his foot inside the stirrup. It was very awkward and painful, but with an added boost from Katie he was now standing in the stirrup. Carefully, he swung his bad left leg over and sat down in the saddle gingerly. The horse whickered softly, but gave no indication that it was upset with having the extra burden upon its back. It almost seemed to be pleased to have a rider perched in the saddle.

Katie looked up at Mike. "You okay?" she asked. Mike looked down at her, trying to hide the grimace of pain that his leg was causing, and gave her a thumbs up gesture. Katie walked around the horse to where Edward stood. "So what do you think we should do now?" she asked Edward.

"We should definitely be getting away from this town," he answered. "I don't want to be here if that metallic beast comes back for a repeat performance. I'm just not sure which way to go. I know heading east into the mountains isn't really an option, and I don't believe there is any point in going south since we came from that direction in the first place. That leaves either north or west. What do you think?" he asked.

She mulled it over in her mind for a few minutes, looking in both directions several times in the process. "I wish we could see Amber right now," she replied at last. "It would make this decision a whole lot easier."

Katie turned her gaze back to the north again briefly. Just beyond the edge of town a dense forest began very near the eastern mountains from what she could tell. The immense line of trees stretched out to the west as far as she could see. She could see the sprawling line of trees take a turn to the south, what seemed like a few miles from town. As she looked to the west, following this line, she could not see the end. It was as if beyond the town of Haven the wilderness of this world hungrily waited to swallow up anyone that dared to venture in range of its grasp.

The only sliver of hope that Katie could see was the narrow dirt road that led away from town in an unsteady line heading west. She turned her attention back to Edward who was still looking to Katie for her thoughts. "Even though Amber seems to have been leading us pretty much to the north," she said at last, "I think following this road to the west might be our safest option for the time being."

As if he were reading her mind, or perhaps the nervousness in her voice, Edward suggested, "If it will make you feel better, we can always travel just far enough from town to feel safe for the time being. Perhaps we can set up a small camp just off the road, near the trees, and rest there until it gets dark enough to see Amber again."

"That would make me feel a whole lot better," Katie declared. "I really don't want to get any further off track than necessary. We need to find Julie before that psychopath that brought her here does something unspeakable to her."

"I'm not trying to upset you Katie," Edward began, "but as long as it has been, I fear that if the killer from your world intended to kill your friend, then it's very likely that she's already dead."

Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. "I know. I guess that I want to believe that since the killer brought her here, instead of continuing his killing spree in my world, that he took her for some other purpose," Katie said, choking back her tears and trying to stay strong. "I'm trying really hard not to think about what he could possibly be doing to her right now." As desperate as Katie was to stay strong, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Silently, tears began to streak down her face.

Edward wrapped his arms around Katie and hugged her softly for a moment, trying his best to comfort her. "We should probably get going," he whispered.

She looked up at him through the blur of her tears. "Okay," she said weakly. Edward wordlessly raised his hand toward her face and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of a finger. Katie stepped away from him as she began to compose herself, and looked over at Mike, who was sitting on the horse and looking off into the distance. "You ready to get moving?" she asked him.

"Sure. I was just waiting on you two to decide where we were going." He smiled.

"Then let's get moving," Edward said to them. "I will be more than glad to put this town behind us."

They started down the road heading west out of Haven. Edward and Katie walked in front, down the narrow dusty road, with Mike following close behind on the horse.

Chapter 3

The narrow dirt road began to weave into the forest before them. A short distance ahead, there seemed to be an abandoned campsite off to the right of the road. From where they were, Edward could make out the blackened area on the ground that had once been a campfire.

They stopped beside the area. It had obviously been quite some time since this spot had been used. The ground was charred where there had once been a fire, but any remnants of ash had long since been carried off by the wind.

Mike looked down at them from his place in the saddle. "Could one of you give me a hand getting down please?"

Edward glanced at Katie for a moment. "I will take care of this," he said. "Why don't you see if you can find some wood to make a fire? I know it isn't exactly cold but it would help to take the chill out of the air."

"Okay," Katie replied as she quickly scampered off into the woods nearby.

As Edward watched her go he suddenly realized that they had left behind what little food they had and they didn't have any tools to hunt with. Somewhere back in Haven lay the sack that the farmer had given to them. He supposed at the very least he should go back and get that. With any luck at all, the town would still be deserted and he could get it and look for anything else that might be useful to them. He turned his attention back to Mike, who was standing in the stirrup on the right side of the horse with his good leg while his injured one dangled uselessly in the air.

Mike began to crouch down the best he could until his body was low enough that Edward could help him down. Edward reached up and gripped him firmly around the waist. "Go ahead and let go," he told Mike. "I've got you." Mike released his grip on the saddle and leaned back slightly to pull his foot from the stirrup. Once his foot was clear, Edward gently lowered him the rest of the way to the ground.

"Thanks. You're a lot stronger than you look," Mike said with a grin. He hobbled his way over to the campsite and sat down on a sizeable log a few feet from the scorched ground where the fire had once been. Moments later, Katie returned with an armload of small dead branches and placed them on the ground near Mike.

She then picked up a few of the smaller branches and arranged them on the blackened ground. Once she was satisfied that the fire would get enough air flow to get it going, Katie held out another branch toward Edward. "Light me please," she giggled.

Edward grinned at her and held out one hand toward her. When he opened it, a small flame began to dance just above his palm. Katie held the branch in the flame until it began to catch fire. "Thanks," she said as she carefully shielded the flame so it wouldn't go out. Katie bent down to light the branches she had arranged on the ground. Within a couple of minutes, the small campfire was burning decently on its own. Katie went to the pile of branches that she had set down next to Mike and picked up a few more. She added them to the fire and then turned to look at Edward, who seemed distracted. "What's the matter?"

"I need to run back to Haven for a little bit. We forgot the sack of vegetables that the farmer gave us and we don't have any way of getting more food," he told her.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No. I would rather you stay here with Mike. In his condition, he is more likely to have difficulty defending himself if there's trouble than I would."

"Okay. But if you run into a problem in town, get out of there and come back here to get me."

"I will," Edward said, "as long as it isn't too dangerous to go back again."

Satisfied for the time being, Katie walked over and sat down on the log next to Mike. They watched as Edward mounted the horse. Moments later, horse and rider were headed back down the road toward Haven.

Chapter 4

Edward slowed the horse to a walk as he reentered Haven. As far as he could tell, the town was still empty. He rode up to the hitching rail in front of the tavern where they had spent last night, dismounted, and looped the reins over the rail, securing the horse.

He carefully poked his head inside the tavern to see if it was still indeed empty. So far so good. It still looked exactly as it had when they left earlier. He went inside and made his way through the debris of broken tables and chairs to the stairs. As he approached the top of the staircase, he craned his head cautiously around the corner. From what he could tell, it was just as empty as when they left. He made his way down the hallway, staying to one side to avoid the place where Mike had been injured. Most of the blood had either soaked into the wooden floor or dried, but it looked like there was a sizeable spot in the middle of the stain that was still considerably wet. He quickly entered the room they had previously occupied. Sitting in the corner of the room, by the window, was the farmer's sack of vegetables.

With the sack retrieved, Edward went back down the stairs and left the building. After he knotted the drawstring of the sack around the pommel of the horse's saddle, Edward walked to the middle of the street, looking from building to building, searching for one that looked like it might hold something useful inside. At first he saw nothing, so he began to walk cautiously down the street. Every sense was on high alert for potential danger.

A few minutes had gone by when he finally saw a building that he was sure was a blacksmith. Perhaps he could find something useful to hunt with in there. As he poked his head inside, the metallic smell of forged metal wafted to him. No one was inside the building, so Edward went inside and closed the door.

Once his eyes adjusted to the level of lighting in the building, he began to look around. He saw the forge off to one side of the room. Judging from the temperature in here, the fire that would normally be stoked to heat the metal the smith would work with, had gone out sometime in the night. Several horseshoes were scattered about on a nearby table with a large anvil anchored to it. Leaning against the wall behind the table were several spears. On yet another wall were swords of varying sizes, displayed for all to see. He turned his attention back to the spears and considered them for a moment. His eyes settled on one that was about four feet long and adorned with a shining metal tip. He picked it up and hefted it with one hand, checking the balance of the weapon. Satisfied with the craftsmanship of the spear, he began to make his way back to the door.

Out of the corner of his right eye, he caught a glimpse of a large chest in the corner near the door. Curious, he walked over to it and bent down to open it. Most of the things inside seemed to be junk, but off to one side sat a gleaming metal crossbow. A multitude of crossbow bolts lay against the inner wall of the chest near the crossbow. He plucked the crossbow from the chest and hung it on the spear to keep one hand free. He then scooped out as many of the bolts as he could hold in one hand.

Edward then went to the door and propped the spear against the wall long enough to get the door open. He squeezed his eyes almost shut as he walked back out into the bright sunlight. Once they began to adjust, he started back down the street toward the horse.

When he got back to the horse, Edward leaned the spear against the hitching rail, and proceeded to fumble the knot loose that held the farmer's sack to the pommel of the saddle with his free hand. Once the sack was free, he put the crossbow bolts inside with the remaining vegetables, making sure that their tips were facing away so they wouldn't damage the food. He knotted the sack back onto the pommel of the saddle. Then he pulled the reins from the rail and looped them over the horse's head, resting them on its neck. He hoisted the spear and positioned it carefully in front of the saddle. Once he was atop the horse again, he picked up the spear and rested it across his lap so that it was mostly pinned between his body and the saddle. Edward turned the horse's head toward the west and clucked softly to it to get it moving. Slowly they made their way out of town, heading back to Mike and Katie.

Chapter 5

Mike and Katie sat on the log, watching as Edward rode off back in the direction of Haven. Silently, they both hoped for his safe return, but still spent most of their time while Edward was away listening for sounds of distress. Every now and then they would hear a rustling sound coming from somewhere nearby in the woods. The noise sounded like it could be a large animal, but when they looked around there was nothing to be seen.

After about an hour they saw Edward riding up the road. The magnificent white beast plodded along, its steps stiff, no sense of enjoyment present in its slow movements. Katie got up from the log and rushed to meet him. As she got closer, she noticed that he had something on the horse that stuck out from either side, making it look like the horse had a giant arrow sticking through its head. That was absurd though; the horse wouldn't be walking if that were the case.

Edward saw her running toward him and pulled up on the reins, stopping the horse. He waved to Katie, letting her know that he saw her. Katie slowed to a walk as she got closer so she wouldn't spook the horse and waved back. "Did you find anything?" she asked.

Edward looped the reins around the pommel of the saddle and slid the crossbow off of the spear. He held both objects up in the air, one in each hand, to show her what he had found. She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Yay! I can hunt for us again!"

Edward laughed and held the spear out to her. "You can use this, too. Although, I will probably hold onto it while we travel and use it as a walking stick."

Katie collected the spear and crossbow from Edward with a big grin. He picked up the reins and got the horse moving again, heading back to the little camp they had made where Mike was waiting. Katie walked beside the horse, carrying her new toys with a huge smile on her face. "Did you run into any trouble while you were in town?" Mike asked, raising his voice so Edward could hear him.

"No. The town was just as deserted as it was when we left. Anything interesting happen out here while I was gone?"

"We heard some rustling in the woods a couple of times that sounded like it could be a large animal, but other than that it was very quiet."

"We might have to investigate that a little more after we get something in our bellies," Edward said with a laugh.

Edward pulled the horse to a stop in front of the camp. He swung himself down from the saddle and walked the horse over to a tree just off the road. The tree he found had low-hanging branches that he could tie the horse to. Once the horse was secured, Edward joined Mike and Katie by the fire, bringing the sack of vegetables with him. "How are you holding up?" he asked Mike.

"As long as I stay pretty much immobile, the leg pain is tolerable. Kind of like a dull throbbing pain," Mike answered.

"Have you tried moving around any more on it while I was gone?"

"No. I'm trying to rest it as much as possible so it will heal quicker."

"That's probably the best thing to do. Just try to do a little every now and then so it doesn't stiffen up too much," Edward suggested. He opened up the farmer's sack and peered inside. He pulled out the handful of crossbow bolts that he had carefully put on top of the vegetables and handed them to Katie. "I couldn't find anything to put them in, but I suppose you could use this sack once the remaining vegetables are gone."

"That's fine. I'll figure something out," she said happily. She then placed the crossbow on the ground and positioned her feet to hold it in place so she could test the pull of the drawstring. She used both hands and began to pull it back. There was significant resistance in the drawstring, but it wasn't more than she could handle ... just enough to work her muscles a little. She picked up one of the bolts and slid it into the guide, seating it firmly in place. She set the loaded crossbow to the side as she noticed Edward digging in the sack again.

He pulled out the one remaining vegetable that looked like a cross between a tomato and a melon of some sort. When he then looked into the sack again, to see what was left, the expression on his face began to sink; the other vegetables were beginning to show signs of rot.

"Damn it!" Edward said, turning the sack upside down, dumping its contents on the ground. He angrily poked at the half rotten vegetables with the toe of his boot.

"At least that one still looks good," Mike stated, pointing to the melon-like vegetable.

"True, but now we will have to rely mainly on hunting to provide us with food," Edward replied, a tone of exasperation in his voice. He began to rummage through his pack, looking for the knife he knew was in there, so that he could cut the melon-like vegetable. He pulled out a piece of cloth that he could later use to wipe the blade of the knife off with and set it aside, not noticing that it had a small piece of parchment snagged in its fibers. He found the knife a moment later and pulled it out. Using it to cut the vegetable into three roughly equal portions, he passed two to Mike and Katie. He picked up the scrap of cloth absently from beside him. As he raised the cloth to wipe off the knife, the piece of parchment that had been snagged in its fibers broke free.

Katie noticed as it fluttered to the ground, landing near her feet. She reached down to pick it up so she could give it back to Edward. The instant her fingers touched it, words suddenly appeared on the once blank page. As if that weren't enough to wrap her mind around, the parchment also seemed to feel like it had grown cooler than it had been when she picked it up from the ground. In her shock, Katie gasped and nearly dropped the parchment into the fire. Mike and Edward looked up at her from their food.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked her.

At first, not able to make sound come out of her mouth, Katie turned the parchment so that both men could see. Written upon its surface in large letters was:

Someone please help me.

The men exchanged confused looks. "Whom are we supposed to help?" Mike asked.

"The better question would be, where did that message come from?" Edward replied. "That looks like the blank piece of parchment that I have carried with me for a very long time. I use it occasionally when I need to send messages back home by using pigeons. I normally tear a piece off with the message I want to send. The parchment itself is magical and regenerates the torn piece back overnight when I store it in my bag. Every time I bring it out, it is like a brand new piece of parchment, with no evidence that it was ever torn."

"Can I see that?" Mike asked Katie, holding out his hand to her. Still dumbfounded and speechless, Katie handed the sheet of parchment to him. As soon as Mike touched it the words began to fade, and as Katie's fingers left the parchment, the message disappeared entirely. "What the hell?"

"What's the matter?" Katie asked, finally finding her voice. Mike turned the parchment so she could see that it was now blank. "Huh? Where'd the message go?"

"I don't know," Mike answered. "As soon as you let go of the paper the message vanished into thin air."

"That must mean that the message was intended for Katie," Edward said. "I have to admit, it was strange seeing something written on that page that wasn't written in my own hand. A message appearing out of nowhere like that has never happened before. Give it back to her so we can see if the message will reappear."

Mike handed the parchment back to Katie. Once he let go and it was fully in her possession again she looked down, expecting to see the message once again. Instead, she found herself staring at the same blank page, restored to its prior state. Confused, she looked to Edward for answers. "Why didn't the message come back?" she asked with a hint of irritation.

"I'm not sure," Edward stated. "I never knew that the parchment could receive messages like that."

Frustrated, Katie looked down again at the parchment in her hands; a message that was meant for her alone. Who could be trying to send her a message? Just as she was beginning to draw the conclusion that perhaps it was Amber doing some sort of weird ghost writing thing, something suddenly appeared on the parchment again.

Katie? Is that you?

She looked at the parchment in astonishment. If it were Amber, she wouldn't have asked that question. That only left one person she could think of; it had to be Julie. The previous message began to fade and was quickly replaced by another.

Oh my God! It is you! How in the world are you in my head like this?

"Holy crap!" Katie muttered to herself out loud.

"What?" Mike and Edward asked in unison.

"What's happening?" Edward asked, looking curiously at the expression on her face.

"I'm not sure, but it seems like it is my friend, Julie, who is sending the messages. It's very strange. It's like she can hear my thoughts and hers are appearing on the parchment." Katie returned her attention to the page in her hands and thought, I don't know how this is happening. I have a piece of paper in my hands that is magical. Somehow your thoughts are showing up as writing on it.

That doesn't surprise me. This place is very strange. I just want to get out of here and go home.

I've been trying to find you since I got here, Julie, Katie thought. I just don't know where to look. Amber has been trying to help, but I can only see her at night. Where are you?

I'm not sure. I think I am underground somewhere. I was taken down a river on a boat to the place that I am being held.

Underground? How did you get underground? And are you hurt?

Mr. M took me down a long staircase inside of a building. I'm not hurt, but the guards here keep us naked to hinder any attempts to escape.

How degrading. Wait a minute. You said us. Are you telling me that you aren't the only one being held there?

Yes. There are many of us here. We are forced to work for long periods of time with little rest. We don't dare protest though because we have been warned that if we do we will be sent to someplace the guards call Cemetery Hill.

What do they force you to do? And do you have any idea what they call the place where you are being held?

They call this place The Factory. There are crates that come in every now and then with various parts in them. Our job is to assemble the pieces according to the schematics we are given.

What are you being forced to put together?

Robots of different sorts. Most of them resemble animals or insects, but I have seen a few that looked human. When we have one of those to make we have to put them in a mold of some sort afterward. Then there is a fluid injected into the mold that looks like human flesh when it dries.

Why would anyone do such a thing?

I have no idea. Whatever these people are up to, it can't be good though.

Hang in there and be strong Julie. We are trying very hard to find you. It's just a matter of time.

Be careful, Katie. I don't know how many guards you will have to get through in order to find me.

We will, Julie. I will keep this piece of parchment handy and check it often in case you need to get a hold of me. We will be there as soon as we can.

Thank you so much for not giving up on finding ...

The message suddenly stopped.

Julie? Are you okay? Julie? Katie sighed heavily in exasperation.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked Katie as he watched her neatly fold the parchment and tuck it inside her vest. She shivered slightly as the parchment brushed against her breast.

"The message just suddenly stopped," she said with a worried look. "I hope Julie is okay."

"What all did she tell you?" Mike inquired. For what seemed like at least an hour Katie relayed everything she had found out from Julie, and then the three of them sat around the fire trying to figure out their next move.

Chapter 6

As the three of them sat around the campfire discussing options for helping Julie, Edward suddenly went silent and put a finger to his lips to quiet the others.

"What's wrong?" Katie said in a voice that was just barely a whisper. She had barely gotten her question out when a branch cracked nearby.

"It feels like we are being watched," Edward whispered back.

They all began to look around nervously, trying to find any sign that someone was lurking nearby. Just as they were about to go back to their conversation, two people emerged from the shadows of a tree near the road. Both of them looked like they had been through something terrible. Every patch of visible skin seemed to be caked with dirt and their clothes were in tatters that just barely covered their bodies.

The three of them remained seated by the fire watching the battered couple as they slowly approached them. Silently they wondered what hell these two had endured. Moments later, the newcomers stopped just outside the makeshift camp.

Edward was the first to stand. "May we assist you in some way?" he asked them politely.

"Can we share your fire, sir? It has been a difficult night for us and the warmth of your fire would be greatly appreciated," the haggard gentleman replied.

"By all means! Come! Sit!" Edward said with a sweeping gesture as if he were inviting a visiting nobleman to dine with him. The ragged looking couple shuffled forward into the makeshift camp and sat down on the ground between Edward and Katie.

"We thank you for your kindness," the man said, looking at Edward. Katie sat on the other side of the newcomers, studying them intently. Somewhere, underneath all that dirt, the man had black hair that came down just past his shoulders. She thought he might be a little older than Mike, perhaps in his mid-thirties, but all the filth he was covered in could be making him look older than he really was. Through his tattered clothes she could see that he was somewhat thin, but definitely in good shape. His muscles weren't huge by any stretch of the imagination, but they were very well defined. From what Katie remembered of him when he was still standing, she thought he was maybe six feet tall or so, and if memory served, he had blue eyes.

Turning her attention to the woman seated next to him, Katie saw that she also had black hair; but hers looked like it was streaked slightly with gray, giving her the appearance that she might be a little older than her companion. Katie remembered noticing the pale color of her eyes before she turned away to face Edward and thought that maybe they were gray. The woman was significantly shorter than the man, probably not much more than five feet tall, and was very petite.

Edward introduced everyone in their little group to the newcomers. When he was finished, the man introduced himself as Jack and the woman as his wife, Natasha.

"I hope this isn't too personal, but what happened to the two of you?" Katie asked.

Jack turned to her and explained, "We are from the town of Haven. Last night, there was a large beast that had skin made of metal that came into town. It was smashing things and attacking the townsfolk. Everyone that could flee ran from town. We got separated from the rest and were trying to determine if it was safe to go home."

Katie looked nervously toward Edward. Natasha noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong? Do you know something?"

Jack and Natasha turned toward Edward as he began to speak. "We left Haven this morning after we spent a very intense night in a room above the tavern. I believe the same beast that caused everyone to flee for safety attacked us. Fortunately, we were able to escape with our lives, but Mike was hurt pretty bad in the attack."

"You are either very brave or very foolish," Jack said.

"I am neither of those in my opinion," Edward said with a grin. "We didn't really have much choice in the matter. The beast was attacking us and at the same time was blocking any possible escape. We did manage to injure it though. Right after that it charged at me and missed. Its momentum carried it through the wall where it landed outside and disappeared into the night."

"Unbelievable!" Jack exclaimed. "How did you manage to injure a beast that looked to be indestructible?"

"With magic; conjured lightning to be more specific. Two of its three heads were hanging useless and smoldering when it charged at me."

Jack and Natasha both looked at Edward with a mixture of fear and awe on their faces. "I didn't know there was anyone left in the world that could wield such magic," Jack murmured. "No one other than the old gods, anyway. I always thought that the humans that once possessed that kind of power were dead and gone long ago."

"I know there are at least two left in the world, and I've heard rumors that others still exist," Edward said. "My father can use magic, too. He has been my teacher and mentor for as long as I can remember."

Jack tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn. “I hate to ask, but would it be okay with you folks if we laid down beside your fire for a while?”

“By all means,” Edward replied. “Perhaps we can rustle up something to eat while you do.” He smiled.

“You are very kind,” Natasha whispered, obviously exhausted. “We spent the majority of the night either running or hiding, and haven’t gotten any sleep, or had anything to eat, since we fled our home.”

Jack and Natasha curled up together on the ground next to the fire and were soon snoring lightly. Katie gathered up the crossbow from the ground by her feet, picked up a couple of extra bolts, and attached them to the underside of the crossbow in the clips that were built into it. She slowly stood up, stretched, and told the others that she was going to check the woods nearby for small game. Minutes later she disappeared from sight into the woods.

Chapter 7

George dozed off for a bit during the trip to the factory. He awoke suddenly, as the voice of Morgana came through the console, letting him know that in thirty minutes he would arrive at his destination. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up to stretch.

He made his way back into the holding area of the ship where all of his most recent captures were being held in their cages. Just outside of the holding area was the rope that he had used to lead his captives with. He had secured it to a large metal ring that was bolted into the wall. All of the empty collars were still attached at various intervals, waiting patiently to encircle the necks of the prisoners once more.

As he entered the holding area, George looked over his catch once again. When he had secured them inside their cages he had removed all of their clothing, and now he paced from cage to cage, inspecting each of his prisoners. He contemplated the order in which he would reattach them in the collars in order to get the desired effect when he presented them at factory. Briefly, he thought about putting the most attractive woman at the front of the line, but soon changed his mind on that. He suddenly had the urge to keep that one for himself. He missed doing what he had started on Earth and didn’t want to suppress the urges that made him the man he was. All work and no play made him more irritable than usual and it seemed like now would be a good time to break the cycle and return to his former glory.

By deciding to keep one of the women for himself, it left five men, and four other women, to deal with. As much as he would have preferred to have a beauty at the head of the line, he thought perhaps it would be best to put a man in front and alternate male and female down the line to make his presentation look better.

As he went from cage to cage making his inspections, George decided to put the most muscular man in the front of his line of captives. He would then go down the line alternating muscles and beauty until he reached the end of the line, with the least appealing of the lot.

George began to lead them one by one back to the line of collars and secure them in the order he had decided upon. He anticipated trouble with one or two of the males that had been more aggressive before he had brought them down to the boat, but none of them resisted at all.

He had no more than secured the last prisoner in the line when Morgana’s voice echoed down the hallway, “Arriving at your destination.” George quickly untied the rope from the ring on the wall and began to lead the prisoners to the door. Just as he got to the doorway that led from the boat, George could hear the ramp extending from the dock just outside. It bumped lightly against the side, the door opening roughly, banging against the outside of the boat.

The same older looking man with short black hair streaked with gray, that he had met the last time he was here, was standing just outside the open doorway. “How many this time?” he inquired.

“Five males and four females,” George stated.

The man began to grin. “That is a fine haul,” he said. “I’m sure it will please the taskmasters. They have had to send some of the workers up to Cemetery Hill since the last time you were here.”

“Cemetery Hill?” George asked.

“That’s where we send the workers when they are unruly and uncooperative,” the man explained.

“Well hopefully this will be a good batch of workers for you. A couple of the males were a bit troublesome when we were topside, but since then they have been very compliant,” George informed him as he passed the lead end of the rope to the man. George stood to the side of the door as the line of prisoners filed past him. “I may have to find a new location to pull people from, so I’m not sure how long it will be before I return again. The town I got these from was on high alert when I left.”

“Whatever you do, don’t get caught,” the man said. “We cannot afford to have our operation disrupted.” He turned and began to lead the line of captives toward the factory entrance. As the dock ramp began to retract from the boat, George pulled the door shut. Next he went to the front room of the boat where the route monitor was, found the button for Outpost 13, and pressed it. Immediately Morgana hummed back to life. Finally he went to a chair, sat down, and closed his eyes, knowing he had a long ride ahead of him.

Chapter 8

Katie had phenomenal success on her hunt. She brought back three very large rabbits, which were now being slowly turned above the fire. The juices from the cooking meat would occasionally drip into the fire, causing flames to shoot upward. The scent in the air was maddening to the three of them; they sat hypnotized with a bit of drool sneaking from the corners of their mouths. Apparently the scent had also drifted downward because Jack and Natasha were beginning to stir. Jack's stomach rumbled loudly as he sat up. “I don’t think I have ever smelled anything better!” Jack announced with a smile.

Katie poked at one of the rabbits with a sharpened stick. “They should be ready to eat in a few minutes,” she said.

“So what did the two of you do for a living in Haven?” Edward asked.

“We have a small farm on the north side of town where we raise animals. We have a small slaughterhouse on the land as well, which we use to supply the town butcher,” Jack replied.

“What did you do with your animals when you fled town? Release them?” Edward asked.

“No. We secured them in the barn the best we could, hoping to go back after it was safe again and go on with our lives,” Jack said. “I’m hoping that we didn’t lose any animals this time.”

“This time? You mean to tell me that this has happened before?” Edward inquired.

“Yes. The same beast normally comes once a year. Most of the time the townsfolk manage to get to safety before anyone gets hurt, but there have been a few casualties over the years.”

“Has anyone ever tried to stay and fight?” Edward asked.

“A long time ago, when the beast first started showing up, there were a few that tried. It didn’t take long for us to see how futile our attempts at ridding ourselves of the beast were. By the third or fourth year we had all decided that it was a better idea to flee and hide until the beast went away.”

“Did anyone ever injure the beast that you know of?”

“None have been able to do anything to damage it until you folks came around. The only thing any of us managed to do was make the beast mad. That is, if such a creature has any emotion at all,” Jack said. “I am hoping that since you folks managed to hurt the beast that it won’t return in the future.”

Katie began to remove the rabbits from the spit and placed them onto the log between her and Mike to cool a little. “I’m sorry for interrupting,” she said, “but I am curious about something.” Jack and Natasha turned their attention to her. “During the attack last night, I don’t remember seeing anyone fleeing town. The only thing I remember was a rather large pack of wolves running down the street outside.”

Jack and Natasha exchanged a nervous glance. “Can I tell you a secret?” Natasha asked.

“If you wish to tell us. I’m not trying to pry or ask you to tell us if you aren’t comfortable,” Katie said.

Natasha nodded and continued on. “I am not trying to scare you folks, but I feel you deserve to know the truth after all the kindness you have shown to us.” Natasha paused for a moment and looked at Jack for approval. With a grim look upon his face he nodded to her to go on. Katie looked up at Edward nervously for a brief moment before turning her attention back to Natasha. “It is better that I tell you this now than wait until it gets dark and you find out for yourselves.” Natasha paused again briefly. “We are werewolves.”

In spite of his pain, Mike was almost instantly on his feet and holding his sword in a defensive pose.

“Relax,” Jack said. “We mean you no harm.”

“And just what exactly do you think will happen to us when you change into a wolf?” Mike asked.

“Nothing will happen to you. Despite any myths you may have heard about our kind, we are extremely intelligent and retain all of our thoughts, memories, and emotions even as wolves. We are nearly always in full control of what we do,” Jack said trying to reassure Mike and the others.

“Nearly always? It sounds like there are times that you lose control and become the savage that I’ve always thought werewolves to be,” Mike said.

“The only time that we totally lose control is when we are angered.”

Mike slowly began to lower his sword. He set it against the log and sat down once more, never taking his eyes from Jack and Natasha. So much had happened to him lately that he wasn’t sure if he could trust them or not. As much as he enjoyed a good fight when he was back on Earth, he was still unsure of himself here. He was more used to reacting to situations with his martial arts training. Not that he didn’t occasionally use weapons when he trained, but the sword he now had at his disposal was more cumbersome than the lighter weapons that he was used to. Sometimes he found himself hoping that this was all a bad dream that he would soon wake from. He worried a lot about the faith that Edward and Katie had in his ability to protect them. At times he felt that either of them would be a better choice for protection. Edward, from everything he had seen, was very efficient at keeping them out of harm's way with his magic and Katie was really good with the crossbow. His leg being injured didn’t really help his confidence in his ability either.

“This may sound like an ignorant question,” Mike said, “but until now the only place I ever knew werewolves to exist was in the movies. Do you only change into wolves during a full moon?”

“I’m not sure what this movie thing is that you are referring to,” Jack replied, “but to answer your question—no. We can change into wolves no matter what phase the moon is in. The only limitations that we have are that we cannot change when the sun is in the sky and at least one of the moons has to be above the horizon.”

“Do you always change into a wolf at night or is it something that you can control?” Mike asked.

“For the most part we will always change at night,” Jack explained. “Although, when only one of the moons is visible in the sky, we can resist the change if it suits us.”

Mike looked up at the sky, noting the current position of the sun, which looked to be somewhere past midday. Edward passed his knife to Katie and she began to cut pieces of meat from the rabbits that had cooled enough to touch. She handed out equal portions to everyone until all the meat had been distributed amongst them. As they all began to eat, Katie tossed the stripped carcasses into the fire.

It seemed that Jack and Natasha had not eaten in quite some time because they gobbled down the meat very quickly. Jack burped loudly, and absently wiped the meat juice from his chin on his sleeve. “That was delicious,” Jack told Katie with a grin. “Thank you very much!”

“Yes. Thank you all for being so kind to us.” Natasha gave them a demure smile.

“You are both very welcome,” Katie said blushing slightly.

With their bellies satisfied, Jack and Natasha curled back up on the ground next to the fire. Soon the others finished their portions and found themselves getting sleepy as well, their stomachs no longer growling in protest. One by one they drifted off into much needed sleep.

Chapter 9

Mike awoke with a shiver. Apparently they had all fallen asleep after their meal. Now the sun was down and the fire had gone out. In the darkness he suddenly felt very alone. That soon changed when he began to see the familiar form of Amber gliding up the road toward them. Her glow lit the entire width of the road and soon that radiance illuminated the camp. “Shit!” Mike said as he saw that Jack and Natasha were no longer amongst them.

Edward shot up to a sitting position and immediately began to look around, trying to discern if there was trouble. Katie was a little slower waking up. She rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Despite the apparent alarm of Mike and Edward, Katie wore a huge smile on her face as she saw that Amber was with them once again. Mike was on his feet with his sword in hand looking around nervously.

Still unable to figure out what had Mike so wound up, Edward asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Jack and Natasha are gone,” he spat, pointing to the spot on the ground where they had been sleeping.

His words seemed to jar Katie from her little daze of happiness. Amber, who saw the look of unease on her face, asked Katie, “Who are Jack and Natasha?”

“They are a couple from Haven that we ran into earlier today,” Katie told her.

“And why would that cause the alarmed look that I see on all of your faces?”

“Because, after we met them, they told us that they were werewolves,” Katie explained.

“That’s impossible!” Amber said. “Werewolves don’t exist! They are just the product of someone’s imagination. They only live in scary stories.”

“That is what I have always thought, too,” Katie replied, “but they seemed like really nice people. I don’t know why they would make something like that up.”

“Perhaps now that we can see Amber again we should break camp and get moving anyway,” Edward suggested. “Maybe they left to find their friends from town.”

“True,” Mike said. He limped his way over to where the horse was tied up. “Can I get a little help please?”

Katie and Edward rushed over and boosted him up so that he could get his foot into the stirrup. As Mike swung himself the rest of the way into the saddle, the others went back to the camp and gathered their things from the ground, checking to make sure nothing was missing. Satisfied that all their belongings were where they should be, they looked to Amber. “Which way should we go now?” Katie asked her.

Without a word, Amber began to move down the road leading back to Haven. Katie had thought this would happen. That was why they had agreed to not wander too far from town.

As they reached the edge of the woods Amber veered northward off the road that led across the open area surrounding Haven. She followed the line of trees staying just outside of the forest's edge. When the tree line turned to the west, she turned with them, continuing to stay just outside the forest. By the time they reached the westernmost edge, both moons were high in the sky above them. The moonlight reflected off of the stream before them that separated the forest from the mountains beyond.

Once again, Amber began to head toward the north. The going was more treacherous on this side of Haven. The forest was much denser, making travel slow and tedious, especially for Mike. He felt like he was in a constant battle with low hanging tree branches. After getting his face scratched up several times, he tried to fold himself forward and put his head on the horse's neck. It wasn’t long until his leg began to scream in agony, forcing him to sit back up in the saddle. Almost immediately after returning to an upright position, a thick branch that he didn’t see in the darkness smacked into his forehead. He lost his balance and began to fall from the horse's back, in the direction of his bad leg. As he fell, his foot got tangled in the stirrup, wrenching him to a stop just before his head hit the ground. He screamed in pain as he felt the bones in his bad leg snap. Within a matter of seconds the pain became too much to bear and Mike fainted.

Edward and Katie whirled around at the sound of the scream and rushed over to see what was wrong. Edward opened his palm and produced a small ball of flame so they could see what had happened. Dangling before them was the limp form of Mike, swinging slightly from the stirrup his foot was caught in. The bone they had mended back in Haven, clearly broken again, was protruding through the bandages. Fresh blood was pouring from the reopened wound.

“I’ll lift him up enough to get some of his weight off of the leg that is caught,” Edward announced. “When I do, grab his foot and get it out of the stirrup.”

“Okay,” Katie said, moving into position and getting a hold of Mike’s foot.

Edward hunkered down and pressed his chest against Mike’s back. He wrapped his arms around him tightly and began to stand up. Moments later he heard Katie say that she had his foot loose and he gingerly lowered Mike to the ground. As they attempted to once again repair the break in his leg and stop his bleeding, Katie caught movement out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, she saw that Amber was looking nervous again. Her normally consistent glow was pulsating like it had back in their room in Haven. A few moments later, Katie noticed an underlying flurry of movement that seemed to be coming from all around them. Edward began to notice the sound, too; despite knowing that Mike needed attention, he stood up. In his nervousness the once small ball of flame that hovered above his hand had grown exponentially in size, lighting the surrounding area like a lighthouse beacon.

What seemed like hundreds of small creatures descended upon them from above. One of them got tangled in Katie’s hair and she began slapping wildly at it. Her hand batted against something warm and furry; it let out a screech as it flew away. The flapping of wings around them grew louder and several of the creatures, which they now saw were large bats, had begun landing on Mike’s unconscious body. Apparently his scream had stirred them and the scent of blood in the air had drawn them to him.

Seeing the creatures land on Mike, Edward knew that he could not risk turning the giant ball of flame above his hand toward the scavengers without turning Mike into a charred mess. He released his focus on the fireball and it extinguished immediately, plunging them temporarily into an unsteady darkness lit only by the flickering glow of Amber's form. Seconds later, a new light began to form between Edward’s hands; a cold, blue light that seemed to drop the temperature in the immediate vicinity by about twenty degrees. The bats that were still in the air around them flew higher into the trees to get away from the colder air. The ones that had landed on Mike didn’t seem to take notice. They kept right on tearing tiny holes in his flesh and eagerly lapping at the blood that continued to trickle out.

Hoping that his spell would not do any permanent damage to Mike, Edward turned his palms toward the feeding frenzy and forced out a short, cone-shaped blast of cold. As it struck the feeding bats, most of them fluttered off of Mike’s body and flapped their wings, frantically trying to get into the air and away from the cold. One lone bat, which was significantly larger than the others, remained on Mike’s leg—only stopping for a moment to glare malevolently at Edward before returning to feed.

Mike uttered a very weak moan from his semi-conscious state. His eyes began to cloud over and roll back into his head. From the shadows not far from them, Edward and Katie heard the growl of a much larger animal. The bat lifted its head again. Tiny droplets of blood fell from its mouth as it looked around, sensing a more urgent threat than the humans were currently presenting.

A very large wolf sauntered close enough for Edward to catch the shimmering reflection from its eyes. It stopped a few feet away and crouched like it was preparing to launch itself. The bat glared back and unfurled its wings to show an impressive three-foot wingspan. The wolf held its ground, baring its teeth and snarling.

Suddenly, a second wolf that was slightly smaller than the first sprang from the shadows on the opposite side, letting out a savage growl as it opened its jaws to grab the large bat. The bat flapped its giant wings once before the second wolf was able to clamp its teeth into it, narrowly escaping the closing jaws. The first wolf lunged into the air, trying to prevent the bat from escaping, but also missed its target. Sensing that feeding time was over, the bat spiraled up into the darkness of the treetops.

With the bat gone from sight, Edward and Katie nervously turned their attention to the pair of wolves that stood next to Mike’s unconscious body. The wolves made no move to attack them, but instead sat down on their haunches and seemed to grin. As Edward studied the wolves uneasily, he noticed what seemed like scraps of cloth and leather stuck in their fur. Recognition appeared on his face moments later. “Jack? Natasha?” he asked. In response the wolves bobbed their heads up and down.

Sensing that the immediate danger had passed, Amber moved closer to the group. Her glow had become steady once more. Being the first time Jack and Natasha had encountered Amber, they looked at her curiously with their heads cocked to the side.

For the first time since the chaos had begun, Katie turned her attention fully on the still body before her. “Mike?” she said with alarm as she noticed his chest was no longer rising and falling. “Mike?” she questioned again as panic began to set in. She leaned over his unmoving body and placed her ear in front of his mouth, trying to hear any sounds of respiration. She glanced over her shoulder at Edward with an agonized look, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Edward asked.

“He’s not breathing,” Katie replied, choking back a sob.

“Are you sure? He could be breathing so shallowly that we can’t see it.”

“I didn’t even hear so much as a wheeze when I put my ear to his mouth.” Katie's tears began to flow. Edward knelt down beside her, and pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly, trying to give her comfort. If he were truly dead they would have to find somewhere to bury his body. The densely wooded area they were in would not be suitable. There was no way they could dig deep enough to keep his body from the ravages of wild animals here. They would have to take his body with them until they came across a clearer area. “I wish we could have gotten to know him better,” Katie sobbed. “He was a good person and didn’t deserve to die like this.”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Edward murmured, as he leaned back out of the hug. “The very least we can do for him now is give him a decent burial.”

Katie looked around at the surrounding forest for a good place with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Where?” she asked.

“We will need to find a clearing in the woods, or wait until we leave the forest, I think,” Edward replied. “There are just too many trees here and I’m sure the ground is riddled with roots.” He stood up and held his hand out to Katie to help her to her feet. “We will have to lay him across the horse in order to take him with us. Get a hold of his feet and help me get him up there.”

Katie bent down and grabbed onto Mike’s feet while Edward hooked his arms underneath Mike’s armpits. Together they lifted him and slowly made their way over to the horse. It was a struggle, but a couple of minutes later Mike’s limp body was dangling across the horse’s rump.

The tears on Katie’s face had started to dry up, but now she found them returning as she bent over to pick up Mike's sword from the ground.

Chapter 10

Through the night, Jack and Natasha stayed alongside the others while they traveled. The group stayed within earshot of the babbling stream that separated the forest from the mountains as Amber led them northward. Just before the moons had disappeared from the sky entirely, the group had come across a suitable clearing in which to bury Mike. Katie looked around until she found what she felt to be the perfect spot, and then fell to her knees, clawing at the ground with her hands. Edward joined her moments later and began to help. It wasn't long before he stopped digging.

"I wish that I knew a spell that could help us with this," Edward said in disgust. "We could be here for days at this rate and my fingers are already starting to get sore."

Jack sauntered over to where the two of them were talking and sat down beside Edward. He rose up one of his front paws and lightly tapped Edward on the back to get his attention.

When Edward turned his head he was startled for a moment. He was not expecting to see a wolf that close, and for a second he nearly fled in fear. Jack looked at his expression with his head cocked to the left in curiosity. When Edward looked around, and noticed the smaller wolf sitting next to Mike's body, he began to calm down again. The realization had finally struck home that it was Jack sitting next to him. Just then, he stood up and moved between Edward and Katie, to the small hole they had dug, slowly stepping inside. He began to softly move one of his front paws in the packed earth so Edward and Katie would see what he was intending to do. The two of them backed away from the hole; neither of them had the desire to be pelted by flying dirt. As soon as they were both clear of it, Jack began using both of his front paws to dig. For the next fifteen minutes, he kept a furious pace going as the dirt continued to exit the hole in a steady stream.

As Jack began to disappear from sight, the digging seemed to stop, followed by Jack's emergence from the hole. He sat down at the edge of the hole with his tongue hanging from his mouth, panting lightly. Edward got to his feet, went to the hole, and looked inside. It definitely looked deep enough now. “Let’s get this over with,” he told Katie as he walked toward the spot where Mike lay.

Once Katie was beside the body, she leaned down to grab his feet, and Edward bent to hook his hands under Mike’s arms. Together they lifted and began shuffling their way over to the hole. When they got there, they set him gently back onto the ground and rolled his body into the hole. The crunch of bones breaking could be heard in the still night air as the body landed heavily at the bottom. Katie turned away for a moment as she struggled with her gag reflex, hoping that she would not be sick. A lone tear leaked from the corner of her right eye and blazed a path of clean skin down her dirty cheek.

Edward stood at the edge of the hole with his head bowed and a lump in his throat as he closed his eyes to silently pay respects to his fallen friend. Natasha joined Jack beside the open grave and sat down next to him. For a moment they hung their heads as if mimicking Edward. They then raised their heads toward the moonless night sky and let loose a mournful sounding chorus of howls. In a final display of respect, Katie retrieved the sword that Mike had carried with him during his time in Desolace and gently laid it into the grave beside him.

When everyone was through paying homage to their fallen comrade, they began to silently push dirt back into the grave. Eventually light began to creep into the sky as the morning sun started to reflect off of the distant clouds and Amber began to fade once more. The remainder of the group, exhausted from the night's work, began to arrange their belongings so they could get some much-needed rest. Too tired to gather materials and make a fire, they laid down in a neat little row; side by side so they could use the body heat from those next to them to stay warm. This time they chose to forego setting a watch. Within minutes of lying down, the sound of the babbling stream nearby had put all four of them to sleep.

Chapter 11

The sun had peaked in the sky when an unfamiliar voice awoke Edward. It had a strange, gurgling quality to it as if someone were talking with a mouthful of water. “Wake up! Wake up!” the voice said in a somewhat fearful tone.

Edward turned and scanned the area behind him. He could swear the voice came from near the stream that babbled a mere fifty feet from where they had been sleeping, but as he carefully moved his eyes over the area, he could not locate the owner of the voice. Just as he was beginning to think that his mind was playing tricks on him the voice broke the midday silence again. “Evil is coming! Leave now!” the voice insisted.

Edward reached over and began to shake Katie. “Wake up, Katie,” he whispered. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Edward leaning close to her with a blurry finger upraised in front of his lips indicating that she should be quiet.

“What’s going on?” she whispered to Edward, noticing the troubled look on his face.

“I heard voices coming from somewhere near the stream, but I don’t see anyone,” he replied in a low voice.

They sat in silence, focusing their attention in the direction of the stream. A couple of minutes went by without a sound other than the babble of the slowly flowing water. Just as they were about to give up the voice broke the silence again. “You must hurry! Hide!” the voice stated in an urgent tone.

Katie stood up with a determined look on her face. She was frustrated and wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. As she stood, Edward noticed for the first time that Jack and Natasha were no longer with them. It seemed that they had wandered off again. He sighed in aggravation. Katie glanced down to see what was wrong and Edward pointed to the spot on the other side of Katie where Jack and Natasha had been laying. The grass was still smashed flat to the earth in the shape of their bodies, so they couldn’t have left that long ago.

Katie shrugged her shoulders at him and then turned her attention back toward the stream. She slowly began walking toward it. Edward rose to his feet and followed close behind her, looking to either side for the source of the voice they had heard. When she got within a few feet of the stream, Katie suddenly stopped in her tracks. Edward bumped into her, not realizing that she had quit moving forward.

“Why did you stop?” he asked in a hushed tone.

Katie pointed to the stream. At first Edward saw nothing, but then the creature moved slightly and he stared at it in fascination. Before them was a strange-looking fish, which had two heads and was peering at them from just above the surface of the water. The heads shimmered slightly in the early morning light. One of the heads was distinctly darker than the other, but both were shades of green, which accounted for the difficulty seeing them. Katie and Edward moved toward the stream until they were standing on the rocky bank.

“Hurry!” the lighter head told them, followed immediately by the darker one saying, “You must hide! Now!”

“Who are you?” Katie asked, unable to believe she was talking to a fish ... and one with two heads, no less. “Why must we hide?”

“There is no time for explanations,” the darker head told her. “Danger is rapidly approaching!” the lighter one said urgently.

Edward looked around for a place they could hide. The only place he could see that seemed suitable was on the opposite side of the stream. “It looks as if the best place to hide would be behind that large rock over there,” he announced, as he pointed to the other side of the stream.

She glanced in the direction he was pointing briefly. “Won’t splashing through the water attract attention from whatever it is we are supposed to be hiding from?” Katie's eyes momentarily met his.

“There is a place over there,” he pointed at a spot roughly fifty feet downstream, “where the stream looks narrower and it appears there are stones we could step on to cross.”

“What are we waiting for then?” Katie asked with an anxious look. They quickly made their way downstream. When they got to the place they would cross, Edward noticed that the stones in the water looked to have been placed there by someone. The way the stones were arranged made him think that perhaps they were put there as a sort of dam to reroute the water of the stream.

While Edward had been lost in thought, trying to figure out the reason why the stones were placed as they were, Katie had quickly made her way to the other side and was looking at Edward impatiently. “Are you coming or what?” she snapped, drawing his attention back to what they needed to do. Moments later, he joined her on the opposite bank and they hurried to the large rock that he had pointed out. They had just gotten themselves out of sight when they began to hear a heavy object pounding on the ground. Katie’s imagination ran wild. To her it sounded like the footsteps of a giant, much like one from an old monster movie, where everything sounded exaggerated. That is, until she noticed the cadence of the steps.

Curiously, she peeked around the edge of the rock to get a better look. What she saw both excited and terrified her. The heavy stomping ceased. Katie couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing on the opposite side of the stream, near the clearing they had slept in the night before, was what appeared to be a large, metallic horse. This one had six legs, which made her think of some strange crossbreeding of a horse with an insect, and two heads. What terrified her more than anything was not the appearance of the strange mechanical creature, but the person sitting on the back of the horse. A person that was very familiar to her. There, on top of the horse-insect creature, was her old bus driver Mr. M, whom she had recently discovered was also a serial killer. Even dressed in the clothes of this world she had no trouble recognizing him. Katie wondered why he was here, not just in this world, but also why he had stopped in the clearing where they had slept last night.

Suddenly he turned and looked in her direction. She quickly ducked her head back behind the rock, hoping he hadn’t seen her. Anxiously she waited in silence beside Edward. The minutes felt like hours while they hid. She desperately hoped that Mr. M. wasn’t planning on making camp there. She was going to need to stretch her muscles soon, and with Edward being significantly taller than her, she imagined he would need to do the same. Her back was already beginning to cramp up and hurt from being scrunched low behind this rock. Neither one of them dared to move, as the smaller rocks beneath their feet might shift and draw attention to them.

After what seemed like hours, the heavy clomping footsteps resumed. Katie poked her head out just enough to see. Thankfully, the strange-looking horse and its murderous rider were leaving the clearing and continuing on toward the south. Edward and Katie waited behind the rock until the sound of the stomping metal hooves had faded into the distance. Even though they could no longer hear the steady clomp of its heavy feet, they still hesitated to move from their hiding place. Since the threat was no longer visible to them, they were comfortable enough in knowing if they were to move slightly that their movements would not be heard. Instead of crouching behind the rock, they shifted their positions and sat down; easing their cramped muscles.

About fifteen minutes had passed since the immediate danger had left the vicinity. Katie and Edward, much more relaxed, had nearly fallen asleep in the warm midday sun when suddenly the two-headed fish returned and began speaking to them again. “Whew,” the dark head said, breaking the silence. “That was close!” the lighter head piped in.

Katie peered around the rock into the water. The two heads stared back at her. Was she crazy or were they grinning at her? “How did you know that they were coming? I didn’t hear anything until they were very close,” Katie said.

“The gods have granted us special gifts,” the dark head replied. “We have the ability to see things that will happen in the near future,” the light head said. “And we can also speak in every language known to man, beast, or machine,” the dark head added.

“I suppose my next question would be, why did you warn us?” Katie asked.

“Because we are guardians of this world and are here to protect and preserve life,” the light head replied. “We could sense that you have similar ideals and goals,” the dark one added.

“I don’t know about all that,” Katie said. “I originally came here to find my friend. It wasn’t until after I got here that Edward told me he felt the gods had sent me here to help him.”

“You never did tell us who you are,” Edward said.

“My humblest apologies, friend. There was not time for that before,” the light head said. “My name is Kronos.”

“And my name is Kieron,” the darker one said.

“We are well met.” Edward gave a gracious bow. “I am Edward the White and this is my friend, Katie Johnson from Earth. We have two other traveling companions that seem to have run off, perhaps back to their hometown of Haven. They are werewolves but seem to be well-intentioned folk.”

“Earth?” Kieron inquired. “I’ve never heard of that town.”

“It is not a town of this world,” Edward explained, “but rather a completely separate world from our own.”

“You come here from beyond the clouds then?” Kronos asked Katie.

“Not exactly. I got here by stepping through some sort of portal,” she told them.

“Interesting!” Kieron exclaimed. “I had no idea that the gods had opened any such things,” Kronos added with a strange wrinkle in his face that looked somewhat like a frown.

“The gods are not totally responsible for the portals,” Edward explained. “Perhaps the ones that only appear in certain locations are their doing, but I know that some are only temporary and brought into substance by magical means. I should know. I opened the portal that Katie stepped into to get to our world.”

“Fascinating! You can wield magic?” Kieron asked. “I didn’t know there was anyone left, other than the gods, that could do such a thing.”

“My father was my teacher in the art,” Edward explained, “so he can obviously use magic as well. I’ve heard rumors that there are others scattered throughout the world that have the ability to use it as well, but until the day comes that I actually meet another, I will consider them to be only rumors.”

“Perhaps you could demonstrate your abilities and help us at the same time?” Kronos inquired.

“If I can do something to help you it would be my pleasure to do so,” Edward said.

“The rocks that you used to cross the stream are not naturally occurring. They were placed there by the forces that work against us, to prevent us from going any further south,” Kieron explained. “Could you remove them for us so that we are not hindered in our duties?” Kronos pleaded.

“I will certainly give it a try. I have never used my magic to move an object before, so it might take me a little bit to figure out how to do it.” Edward sat down on the bank and opened his seemingly bottomless pouch, rummaging through its contents until he found what he was looking for. He removed a small, thick book from the pouch and began to flip through it.

Chapter 12

Even though he was sure that someone had been near the clearing he had stopped at a short while ago, George had decided to continue on his way. He felt there was no threat to him from whatever, or whoever, had been there. George was more interested in the tracks that he found in the clearing that departed to the south. They were strange tracks he had never seen before, as they appeared to be both human and animal in origin.

He slowly navigated his way through the heavily wooded forest. Occasionally he had to stop for a moment when the trees became denser. He couldn’t understand how or why, but the tracks he was following would tend to jump over a few feet to the left or right in places like these. Sometimes it was extremely difficult to reacquire the trail. He did not give up though. His curiosity was piqued because he noticed that the longer he followed the tracks, the more human they seemed to become.

One thing continued to puzzle George though. How were the owners of these tracks staying far enough ahead of him that he could not spot them? Perhaps the tracks weren’t as fresh as he thought. The sun was beginning to get low enough in the sky that he knew he would have to stop soon. His best guess told him that he had about another hour before he would have to make camp. This frustrated him, and he began to second-guess himself. Maybe he should have stayed back near the clearing he found earlier and searched for those that he could sense were watching him.

As he considered the option of turning back, George began to notice the trees were becoming sparser and the tracks were getting easier to follow. He was able to increase his pace slightly, and before much more than a half hour had passed, he found himself at the edge of the forest. In front of him was an enormous field. Some of it consisted of tall grass, but there was also some that looked to be fields that farmers would use to grow crops. Beyond the field was a good-sized town.

Even though he could see no movement in town from where he sat on his horse at the edge of the forest, George thought it would be wise to make camp where he was. The town looked deserted from here, but there was no point in taking any unnecessary risks. He could sneak in after dark to investigate. George was relatively sure that the owners of the tracks he followed would be found hiding somewhere in the town.

He turned his horse around and headed a little further into the woods to make sure he would not be seen. After about a hundred feet he brought his metallic steed to a halt and dismounted. He sat down on the ground beside a large tree, laced his fingers together behind his head, leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. It would be dark soon, and after traveling all day, George felt he could use a short nap.

Chapter 13

A large, smooth stone hovered in the air dripping water back into the stream. Edward had found the spell he was looking for, and made quick work of removing the barricade. The last piece was floating in the air a few feet above the water. It slowly made its way to the bank where the rest of the stones were piled. Once it was in position near the rest of the debris he had removed, Edward released his focus from the stone, allowing it to fall to the ground amongst the others. The entire time he spent moving the rocks Kronos and Kieron had looked on in fascination, unable to believe what they were seeing.

“Marvelous display!” Kieron exclaimed with adoration.

“Thank you for your aid, young wizard,” Kronos said. “Now we can continue our journey to the south.”

“What lies there that you are so intent upon reaching?” Katie asked.

“Warmer waters and less danger,” Kronos replied. “We were afraid that we might have gotten trapped in the northern lands.”

“The waters to the north are getting rather bitter lately,” Kieron added, “and we could ill afford to be trapped in by the ice that has begun forming at night.”

“I have noticed the temperatures during the nighttime hours have gotten cooler recently,” Edward said, “but didn’t think it was cold enough for ice to form just yet.”

“I don’t think the coldness of the water to the north is due to the weather,” Kronos told him. “The ambient air temperature seems too warm to support it being a natural change of seasons.”

“Then what do you think is causing it?” Katie asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kieron replied. “There is something evil afoot, which appears to be trying to keep us from doing our duties.”

“And whatever this evil force is, the gods seem to be powerless to stop it,” Kronos sadly told them.

“Perhaps now that a wizard of your caliber is intent on traveling that way the evil will recede,” Kieron said hopefully.

Katie shook her head. “Somehow I don’t think it will be that easy.”

“I feel the same way,” Edward agreed with Katie. “Our path seems to be one of great adversity. If anything, I feel we will likely have a great battle on our hands at some point very soon.”

“We wish you the best of luck on your journey.” Kronos bowed his head respectfully to them. “If we can aid you in any way in the future we will try to do so.”

“We are very grateful for your help,” Edward replied with the same courteous bow of his head.

Kronos and Kieron turned away, submerging their heads beneath the surface of the water, and with a flip of their tail began to make their way downstream. Edward and Katie watched them go until they were out of sight.

Once they were alone again, Edward and Katie crossed the stream where the stones had once been. Even without the stones, it was still the shallowest and narrowest part of the stream that they could see. They splashed their way across the knee-deep water to the other side. The stream was much cooler than it had been the last time they crossed. Once they were standing on the opposite bank, the slight breeze caressed their wet clothes causing a chill to set in.

“I’m going to get some wood so we can make a small fire,” Edward stated.

“Are you sure that is wise?” Katie replied, her teeth chattering slightly.

Edward tried to reassure her. “I am sure we will be fine. If the man that came through here earlier had thought us to be a threat to him, I am sure he would have hunted for us.”

“Maybe he didn’t know we were around,” Katie said, trying to sound hopeful.

“That is unlikely. I am sure he didn’t think our horse,” Edward pointed to the magnificent white beast, “was just wandering through the woods on its own accord. Especially considering that it is saddled.”

“True, but that still doesn’t comfort me much. What is to say that building a fire won’t attract his attention and bring him back this way again?” Katie asked.

“I guess that is just a chance we will have to take,” he told her. “We won’t get very far if we make ourselves sick by traipsing around in wet clothes.”

“Point taken.” Katie gave an exasperated sigh and gazed up at the sky, noticing the position of the sinking sun. It was rapidly nearing the horizon.

Edward began to move a little further into the woods, collecting small, dead branches. He made sure he stayed close enough to the clearing that he could keep an eye on Katie. Edward hoped his words had soothed her, and that she hadn’t seen how nervous he was. While he gathered wood for their fire, Katie stood next to the horse patting it absently.

A tear formed at the corner of her left eye and leaked down her cheek as her gaze fell upon the disturbed earth about fifty feet away that marked the spot where they had buried Mike. Her mind began to whirl as she thought about all the things she had endured during her time in this world. For the most part, she had done well. She had remained strong in the face of adversity, even when things went from unusual to downright unbelievable. Now she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up the charade. Yes, she had always considered herself to be tougher than most girls, but there were times in this world that everything threatened to come crashing down on her. To expose her as the girl she truly was. High school was no more than a distant memory. Silently, Katie wondered how she had ever gotten herself into the mess that she was currently facing. It was like a nightmare she couldn’t seem to wake from.

Edward wandered back into the clearing with an armload of twigs and branches. As he set it on the ground, Katie began to come out of her fog of thought. With the wood now piled on the ground, Edward walked over to her and stopped, seeing the almost dried tears that were on her cheeks. “Are you all right?” he asked her softly, and brushed his fingers lightly over the tear tracks.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, trying to sound reassuring. “I just got caught up thinking about everything.” Katie gave him a weak smile.

Edward wasn’t the best at reading emotions, but even he could see the pain hidden deep within her eyes. “Come help me build the fire,” he said, hoping to distract her from her current train of thought and get her refocused on what had to be done.

Together they went over to the heap of wood and began to arrange the pieces to allow the fire to breathe once it was built. When they were satisfied with their construction, Edward produced a flame in the palm of his hand and lit one of the smaller branches. As soon as the flames took hold of the wood, he placed the stick into the neat stack of branches that would in moments be a small campfire.

As the fire began to catch and spread, Edward and Katie sat down. He held his hands out to the flames to warm them and Katie moved her hands briskly over her leather pants as steam began to rise from them.

Edward looked up at what remained of the sun; only half of it was visible on the horizon. It would be dark soon and he couldn’t help but wonder what the night would bring.

Chapter 14

George opened his eyes. It was completely dark out. The only illumination came from the faint twinkling of the stars overhead, as the moons of this world had not yet made their appearance in the sky. He got up and strode to the edge of the forest; before him lay a town shrouded in darkness. Something didn’t seem right. As he stood there squinting toward the town, he realized what was off about the place. A town of that size should be lit up enough that he could pick out the individual buildings. What lay before him was the exact opposite. Not even a single light was lit. Surely it wasn’t so late that the whole town would be sleeping? It was so quiet where he stood that if a mouse were to suddenly fart, the noise of it would be deafening.

He was beginning to think following the tracks that led this way from the clearing north of here had been a huge waste of time. Obviously he wasn’t going to be able to capture more workers for the factory from this ghost town. He should have stayed near the clearing. At least there he might have been able to acquire more people. He had the feeling that they would have been easy pickings for him too. Hiding like scared little rabbits as they had been, he was relatively sure that there couldn’t have been enough of them to overpower him.

Just as he was about to turn away, a shadowy movement flitted quickly by at the edge of his sight. It seemed rather large, and if he was not mistaken, it was traveling close to the ground. Something that moved so rapidly was surely not human, but he also knew that whatever he had just caught a glimpse of had likely made the tracks he had followed. He slowly scanned the area to the southeast, where he had seen the movement. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. If he had seen something moving in the darkness, it wasn’t there now. Or perhaps it had seen him and was lying motionless and observing him.

George continued searching for any signs of movement for a few minutes longer. Then, convinced that he had only seen a bit of shrubbery moving in the light wind of the night, he walked over to where his mechanical horse stood waiting for him. Just as he was about to mount up, a low, menacing growl sounded from somewhere very close. Instantly every nerve in his body was on high alert. He looked in the direction the sound had come from and saw nothing at first. As he continued looking, George fumbled with the strap that held his sword to his side. He was still trying to train his mind to grasp the fact that he was no longer in his own world, and his reactions in this one would have to adjust, taking into account what was available to him now.

The growl was growing in intensity and volume. He could just make out the stealthy footfalls of the animal steadily moving toward him, but still he saw nothing. Just as George managed to free his sword, he saw a pair of eyes glinting near the base of a tree roughly ten feet from where he stood. And luckily not a moment too soon, for seconds later the animal launched itself at him. George dropped to the ground and swung his sword wildly in the direction of his attacker. The animal crashed into the side of his mechanical horse and let out a yelp. He got to his knees and turned his body around to face the animal. As he did, George found himself nearly face to face with the beast. Its head was only about a foot away from his own and he could feel the animal's hot breath on his skin. Now he could see very clearly that what he was dealing with was a wolf. Seconds after he made this realization, the wolf snapped its massive jaws at his face.

In an upward stroke, George brought the sword up with savage force from its place at his side. As the wolf’s jaw snapped shut not more than an inch or two from his face, the animal's head departed from its body. It fell to the ground by his knees as George watched the rest of the body convulsing wildly. Blood sprayed out from the stump of the animal's neck; most of it soaked the ground around the twitching beast.  George could tell that at least once, maybe more times than that, the spraying blood had splashed onto him. Some of which now dripped from his face, making him look more like the murderer that he was. After a couple of minutes, the stumbling, headless animal fell to the ground in a heap and ceased to move.

As George saw it fall, he began to relax a little. He stuck the tip of his sword into the ground next to him and leaned on it, losing himself in thought. Why had the wolf attacked him? Had he somehow, unknowingly provoked the animal? As he contemplated these things, his attention was diverted when he started to hear leaves rustling nearby, like a small animal moving. He squinted his eyes and looked around in the dim light of the stars overhead. After a few minutes of fruitless searching for the source of the noise, he used the sword beside him to boost himself to his feet. He bent down to retrieve the head of the wolf he had just slain, intending to hang it from his saddle as a trophy. As he plucked it from the ground, he noticed there was something different about it. The shape of it didn’t feel right in his hands and there were places that should have been covered in fur that felt smooth.

George lifted the head up toward the sky, hoping the dim light from the stars would clear his confusion. What he saw nearly shocked him into dropping the head. There, before him, was a head that appeared to be a cross between a wolf and a human. That was impossible! What he was seeing belonged in the nightmares of children who had watched one too many horror movies. Werewolves didn’t really exist. Did they?

Apparently they did, because the head was continuing to change before his eyes. The longer he looked at it, the more human the features became. After a few more minutes, all traces of the wolf were gone, leaving him holding the severed head of a woman. Still he had trouble wrapping his mind around the obvious fact that werewolves did indeed exist. He glanced over toward where the rest of the wolf’s body should have been, and saw that it had changed as well. A naked, headless female body was lying on the ground where the wolf had once been.

Convinced that hiding out in the woods at the edge of this town wasn’t exactly his safest option, George decided it might be a better idea to go into the town and find a place that didn’t leave him so open to attack. He walked over to his horse, stepping over the headless body as he did, and used the hair on the woman’s head to lash it to his saddle. Once it was securely in place, he mounted the horse and turned it toward town.

The first of the two moons of this world began to poke above the horizon as he crossed the fields in between the forest and the town before him, providing George with slightly better visibility. As he slowly made his way toward town he remained on high alert, scanning the fields and buildings ahead for movement. Other than the tall grasses of the fields swaying gently in the night breeze, he saw no cause for alarm. It was as if the town was abandoned. How long it had stood empty he didn’t know, but at least it would provide him with shelter in case there were other werewolves in the area.

It was slow going, but about fifteen minutes later George maneuvered his horse between two buildings and emerged onto the dusty main street of the town. He looked down the barren length of road in both directions for a suitable place to wait out the night. To his right, the buildings seemed to be more business oriented types of structures. One of which looked to be a tavern with a hitching rail in front of it. Broken boards littered the street in front of this building, and upon further inspection, he also noted a large hole in the outer wall of the second floor of the building. He had no idea what could cause such damage, but was relatively certain that it was likely the reason the town was now abandoned.

George turned his head and looked down the street to his left. What he saw there were the type of buildings that would suggest individual dwellings. These looked more appealing to him; he was sure they would be more comfortable. It would also be a lot easier for him to secure a place like that, rather than one of the business buildings that had a lot of open areas in them.

With his mind made up, he turned the horse to his left and began making his way down the street. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. Tucked neatly between two of the more extravagant dwellings on his right was a small, well-kept cottage. It looked perfect. George steered the horse over to the building and stopped underneath the awning that stretched across the front of it. He dismounted the horse, walked over to the only window on the front of the home, and peered inside. There was no light coming from anywhere inside, so either its occupant was asleep or the house was empty.

He then went to the door and tried the latch; it was not locked and opened easily with a slight creak. He stepped into the gloomy interior of the cottage and closed the door. He stood still for a moment, giving his eyes a chance to adjust to the complete darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, he began to be able to see the shapes of nearby objects. The silhouette of a chair a few feet to his left with what looked to be a table next to it. To his right was an object that seemed to be floating in the air, likely a hanging plant of some sort judging from the size of it, even though he couldn’t make out the manner in which it was hung.

He shuffled his feet forward, keeping his hands out at arms length in front of him; moving them slowly back and forth, searching for obstacles in his path. He walked this way for a short distance and then encountered a wall. Keeping one hand on it, and the other in front of him, he followed the wall until it opened onto another room. Cautiously, he entered what he thought to be a bedroom. A sliver of moonlight was coming through a window in the room and he could just make out the shape of a chest of some sort lying on the floor. He took a couple of shuffling steps toward it and barked his shin on something. He cursed under his breath and then bent down to rub his leg. He then reached out to feel what he had run into. He moved his hand over it for a moment and then realized what was on the floor before him. A bed.

Then George stood, shuffled his way back to the entrance of the room, and began feeling about to see if he could find a door. He found one moments later and closed it. He then shuffled across the room to where the chest lay on the floor. He grasped the sides of it and tried to move it. The chest was very heavy, but he found he could move it. He slid the chest over to the door and lodged it firmly against it to make sure the room was secure. Satisfied, and slightly out of breath, George returned to the bed and carefully lowered himself onto it. He lay back on the mattress, which was more comfortable than he imagined it would be, and closed his eyes. Almost instantly sleep swept him away.

Chapter 15

Something wasn’t right. Natasha should have been back by now. She had sensed that their new friends might be in danger and had gone to check on them. Now, Jack was getting the feeling that maybe she had run into more than she could handle on her own, he cursed himself for letting her go to investigate alone. Still, something was confusing him. When Jack raised his snout to the soft night breeze he got back mixed signals about where his beloved Natasha was. He knew something was wrong though. The scent he picked up from the north, which was carried on the wind, was mingled with the scent of blood. There was also another scent of her that seemed to be much closer that had the same coppery smell to it, but the second one seemed fainter. It was like she was in two places at the same time and that just wasn’t possible.

The second scent was harder for him to track down because it appeared to be coming from someplace downwind. Worriedly, he stood up from the bed of straw where he had been resting. Cautiously, he stepped away from the barn that had once housed their livestock and now stood empty. All of their animals had fled from the homestead when the commotion in town had started that drove everyone from Haven.

As Jack moved away from the barn and got closer to the main street that ran through town, the once faint scent grew stronger. He rounded the corner of his house and stepped into the street. Both moons were now visible in the night sky, and the light they shed was very bright. He could see something glinting further up the street, but from this distance he couldn’t tell what it was. Whatever was down there, reflecting the moons’ light, was definitely something new. Nothing in this town would account for what he was seeing. He cautiously made his way to the opposite side of the street, watching the strange reflection.

Moving carefully from the shadows of one building to the next, Jack inched his way closer. When he got within a hundred feet he stopped. Before him was a strange looking horse, which had two heads and six legs. The entire creature that stood before him appeared to be made of metal. Who, in their right mind, would create such a monstrosity? And why?

The breeze shifted and blew from the direction of the strange beast he was pondering. The mingled scent of Natasha and blood was overwhelming. Feeling a sense of urgency stronger than any he had ever felt before, Jack sprang from the shadows and rushed headlong toward the smell. As he approached the strange horse it turned one of its heads to look at him. The malevolent red glow coming from the eyes of the beast brought Jack to a screeching halt that kicked up a cloud of dust. As the dust began to dissipate, he saw his worst fear realized. Dangling by the hair, which held it to the saddle of this strange creature, was the head of his beloved Natasha. For a moment, Jack stood frozen in place, staring at it in sadness. Tears streamed from his eyes, soaking the fur on his face. Then, he let loose a howl that was a mixture of sadness and rage before racing off to the north to find his new friends. As he did, Jack swore to himself that he would avenge her death somehow.

Chapter 16

Edward opened his eyes to find that both moons were now in the sky; their light filtered through the treetops that nearly covered the small clearing. Beside him, Katie was still asleep and snoring lightly. The fire they had built was almost completely out; only a few embers still crackled with life. As he looked around, Edward noticed Amber patiently waiting for them over near the horse. The glow that emanated from her form made the whiteness of the horse more pronounced, making it look almost spectral. Sitting up he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and as Edward looked down at Katie’s gently rising and falling chest, he wondered how long she could remain strong. He wasn’t even sure how she had managed it this long with so many strange, new things bombarding her brain. Edward knew that he would just have to have faith. The gods surely knew that she would be able to handle whatever came her way or they wouldn’t have brought her to him.

He leaned over Katie and gently shook her shoulder to wake her. She mumbled something that he couldn’t make out and then rolled toward him as she opened her eyes. “I guess nap time is over?” she asked groggily.

“Yes. We really should get moving since our guide is back.” He pointed toward where Amber stood.

Katie sat up and rubbed her face briskly. With the fire all but a memory, she was cold. At least, she thought, her clothes had dried out while she slept. Even though the leather of her pants was kind of stiff, it still beat the hell out of the soggy way it had felt when she had lain down. She brought her knees up to her chest and rubbed her leather pants to loosen their stiffness. She then stood up, raising her hands high above her head, and stretched her aching muscles. After doing so, Katie bent down and offered her hand to Edward, helping him to his feet.

Suddenly, a howl pierced the night air. Edward and Katie exchanged a nervous glance as the sound echoed through the trees. It seemed to have come from the direction of Haven, but the echo made it hard to be certain. “Maybe it was Jack or Natasha,” Katie whispered anxiously. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen either of them.”

“I hate to say this,” Edward replied, “but it could also be another of their kind. One that may not be so friendly.”

“You have a point,” she said. “It would be silly of me to assume they were the only ones of their kind in this world.”

“I don’t want to wait around here and find out. Do you?”

“Not on your life!” Katie rushed toward Edward.

He mounted the horse and reached out for her hand. “I think it would be better if we both rode,” he said. As she grasped his hand, there was a noise from nearby that she couldn’t identify. Edward heard it also, and quickly helped her onto the horse's back behind him. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to stick around and find out what made that noise.”

“Lead the way, Amber.” Katie wrapped her arms around Edward.

Amber didn’t seem to need any prodding to get underway. Something about the nearby noise had spooked her, too. She quickly began weaving her way through the trees to the north. Despite the feeling she had that the man whom had killed her was somewhere south of their current position, she had the feeling that they should continue north. Something of great importance lies in that direction, she thought. Whatever it is would surely be beneficial in bringing an end to the murdering heathen.

After setting a break-neck pace for about an hour Amber suddenly stopped. Edward nearly walked the horse right through her glowing form. “What’s wrong Amber?” Edward inquired.

Obviously something had her rattled. She was acting the same way she had back at the tavern in Haven. She seemed very nervous and the glow radiating from her was pulsating. During one of the brighter flashes, Katie noticed something shining about fifty feet ahead. It seemed to be large and near the base of a tree. She pointed to it, showing Edward where to look. Katie felt his body tense up as he saw what she was pointing at. “Wait here,” he instructed her as he shrugged out of her grip and began to dismount. Even though she wasn’t fond of staying put, she did as she was told.

Katie realized that she could still be helpful from where she sat atop the horse. Pulling out the crossbow, she laid one of the metal bolts in the guide, and pulled the drawstring back. With the weapon loaded, she trained it in the vicinity of the shiny object ahead.

Edward slowly walked toward the shining mass, using the inconsistent light of Amber’s glow as a guide. When he got within ten feet of the object, Edward suddenly stopped. The thing that lay on the ground before him was familiar; it was the mechanical creature that had attacked them back in Haven. He was unsure at the moment if the creature was still functional, but it was lying in a heap, which suggested that it wasn’t. He looked back nervously at Katie. It looked like she was aiming something in his direction. He hoped it was the crossbow.

He turned around again, refocusing his attention on the metallic creature. Cautiously, he moved a little closer ... still no movement. Then he realized how stupid he was being. He could easily cast a spell that would tell him if the creature was still operational. He lifted both of his palms toward the sky and began to concentrate. Sparks, tiny at first, began to sizzle just above his palms. He turned his hands toward the heap of metal before him, unleashing a small jolt of lightning. The creature before him did not stir in the slightest.

Feeling that the beast was no longer a threat, Edward began walking toward the heap of useless metal. He bent down to closely inspect the defunct creature. Small tendrils of smoke rose from the heads he had struck with lightning. Edward turned toward Katie and motioned for her to join him. Moments later she was standing beside him, her crossbow was trained on the smoking remains of the mechanical creature that had once caused them considerable anguish. Mike especially. Just the thought of her new friend no longer being amongst them brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Edward saw the grief on her face and stood up to hug her. He felt the hitch in her breathing and knew that she was crying, but didn’t understand why. “What’s wrong?” Edward asked as he tried to brush away her tears.

“Nothing. I just saw this creature and began thinking about Mike,” she said with a sniffle.

Now he understood. In the short time they had known Mike, he had become like family to them. He hugged her even tighter and waited for her breathing to become more even. Once her sobs began to recede, he let go of her and bent down again. Edward pointed to the chest of the beast. “What do you make of this?” he asked.

Katie bent down and looked at the area where he was pointing. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “It looks to be a model, or serial, number of some sort,” she told him.

He looked at her quizzically. “I’m not sure what that means.”

“Well. On Earth there are large manufacturers that use such things. Basically, they are used to keep track of inventories but are often used to identify objects. That way the correct repair parts can be found easier,” she explained, hoping she had made the process understandable to him.

Edward considered the information Katie had provided him, and his thoughts wandered back to the conversation she had with her friend when she was using the magic paper from his pouch. “You don’t think your friend had anything to do with making this thing do you?”

“The thought had never crossed my mind until now,” Katie said, “but now that you brought it up … I think what she is being forced to do in that awful place could be very similar. I do remember her mentioning something about putting together things like this, but a creature of this complexity would almost certainly have taken a long time to build. It is very unlikely she played any part in this particular beast’s construction.”

He thought about the points she made carefully. “Though I have no knowledge of such things, I would imagine you are right,” Edward conceded. They stared at the ruined hulk of metal. Not long ago, it had tried to rip them to pieces. “Perhaps we should be on our way,” Edward suggested. “This creature is obviously no longer a menace to us.”

“True,” Katie replied. “Although, I have an insane urge to smash this thing to bits and make sure that nobody gets the bright idea of trying to fix it.”

“I don’t think we need to worry about anyone doing that. It isn’t like it is in a location that has much chance of discovery. Besides, we should really keep moving. I don’t relish the thought of whatever we heard back in the clearing catching up to us.”

“Good point,” Katie said, rising to her feet. They both walked back to the horse in silence. As they did, Katie removed the bolt from the crossbow and released the tension on the drawstring. Edward mounted the horse and then reached down for Katie’s hand to help her up.

Once they were ready to set out again, Edward spoke softly to Amber. “If you would … please continue to lead us on our way.” Amber looked in the direction of the heap of metal nervously for a moment and then began to move northward again. Edward nudged the horse and they followed her.

Chapter 17

For the last hour or so, Amber had worked her way closer to the stream that separated the woods from the mountains to the east. As they continued to weave their way through the trees, a new sound emerged. It drowned out the gentle whisper of a breeze that rustled the leaves overhead ... it was the sound of rushing water. Fifteen minutes later Amber led them to the source. They stopped for a moment to take in the beauty of the sight before them. Water cascaded down from rocks high above their heads, creating a rather large waterfall. The moonlight shimmered off the rushing water giving it a surreal, almost magical, appearance. At the bottom of the waterfall was an enormous pool of water that fed the stream they had followed for most of their journey.

For some reason, the horse seemed nervous about approaching the rushing water. Perhaps it was the deafening roar of cascading water, but Edward found himself wondering if it wasn’t something else; something just ahead that they couldn’t see yet. He did notice that there seemed to be a strange glow emanating from behind the waterfall. Perhaps that was the reason the horse seemed to be spooked.

Now that the others had caught up to her, Amber turned and walked into the waterfall as if it had no more substance than a curtain. Edward turned his head and spoke loudly, hoping that Katie would be able to hear him. “Looks like we are getting wet again.”

“Okay!” she yelled and tightened her grip around him, hoping that the water wouldn’t hit her like a big fist and knock her from where she sat. Edward nudged the horse, but it wouldn’t budge. He pushed down on the horse’s neck and tried kicking a little harder. The horse refused to move.

He turned his head again and yelled to Katie. “I am going to get down and try to lead the horse through. Once I am down, I want you to move up into the saddle and hold on tight!”

Katie loosened her grip on him and yelled back. “Okay!”

Edward got down from the horse’s back and waited for Katie to get into the saddle. Next he flipped the reins over the horse’s head and looked up to see if she was ready. She nodded to him that she was, and he began trying to lead the horse through the water. At first, it was acting like a stubborn mule by planting its feet in its refusal to move forward. Then, as Edward persistently kept trying, the horse reared up. The reins started to slip through his hands, but he somehow managed to hold on. Thankfully, Katie was still in the saddle. Apparently growing up on a farm was showing its usefulness once again. She motioned to Edward to try again. This time, when he began to pull on the reins, Katie leaned forward and kicked the horse with all her might. Startled, the horse bolted forward into the waterfall, nearly trampling Edward in the process. Once they were through the water, the horse seemed to calm slightly, but was still acting a little nervous.

However, their attention was quickly diverted from the horse, as they found themselves in yet another cave. Albeit not a very deep one, with another swirling portal hovering just above the floor near the back wall. This portal was about the size of a door, but was oval in shape, like a large floor mirror that belonged in a fancy mansion. The swirling colors of the portal pulsed with every shade of blue ranging from the deepest blue of twilight, to the light blue of the sky on a cloudless day.

Strange noises emanated from it, which Edward could not place. They were just barely audible, as if the portal was whispering to him in a language he could not understand. He turned to Katie. “Can you make any sense out of the sounds coming from the portal?”

Before Katie had a chance to answer him, Amber spoke up. “That is the sound of traffic, mixed with an underlying music of some sort that I’ve never heard before.”

Edward nearly fell to the ground as he staggered backward. He had forgotten that Amber could speak here and wasn’t just a floating apparition. When she had answered his question it had caught him by surprise for a moment. Katie couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Edward pin-wheeling his arms, trying not to fall. She strolled across the cave, to where Edward teetered on the edge of balance, and put a hand on his back to steady him. As amusing as it was to watch him flail, she didn’t want him to fall and hurt himself.

He turned to Katie and thanked her with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“I’m sorry for laughing at you,” she said humbly.

Edward turned his attention back toward Amber and the swirling portal that she stood next to. He walked over to it and began listening again, then motioned for Katie to join him. As she joined Edward next to the portal, Katie immediately recognized the music. “Oh my god! I know that music!” Katie said excitedly. “That is one of Julie’s favorite bands, Mercyful Fate! I would recognize that singer’s voice anywhere! There must be a concert going on near where the portal leads.”

Edward looked distraught. Apparently, Katie was familiar with the sounds coming from the portal, but to him it just sounded like noise. “The place on the other side of this portal doesn’t sound like someplace we will find anything useful.” He paused for a moment, as if unsure of what to say next. “I don’t think you should even consider going through. It sounds dangerous,” he added, trying to sound convincing.

Behind him, Amber was shaking her head. “I am afraid that both of you will need to go through the portal this time,” she told them.

Katie looked at her nervously. “Are you sure? What if something happens on this side of the portal and it closes? We’ll never be able to get back!” When Katie spoke there was a hint of genuine terror in her voice.

“She’s right,” Edward said. “I have no idea if my magic will work on the other side of the portal. It would be safer for me to stay here.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t an option this time,” Amber told him. “Without your help, Katie will not be able to convince the person you both need to enter the portal and come back here.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asked.

“Don’t ask me how I know what I do,” Amber snapped in frustration. “I just know.”

Edward and Katie looked at each other helplessly, neither of them sure that this was the right thing to do. Then, the expression on Katie’s face changed, as if some internal light bulb had just come on in her head. “I think we should both go through like Amber said. She has never steered us wrong in the past. Why would she start now?”

Edward thought about it for a moment, knowing she was right, and then hung his head. “I know what you say is true, but I can’t help being petrified by the thought of leaving this world.”

“If I can do it, so can you,” Katie said, trying not to sound condescending. She reached out and grabbed a hold of his hand, looking him in the eye. At first, when she began to pull Edward toward the portal it was like déjà vu. It was like Edward trying to pull the horse through the waterfall all over again, but after a moment he relented and allowed Katie to lead him into the portal.

Chapter 18

Mike woke up in complete darkness, surrounded by the smell of earth. He tried to pull in a breath and found he could not. When he attempted to move he met similar results. It felt like he had been chained down in some kind of dank, earthy-smelling vacuum. Summoning up every ounce of strength that he could, Mike again tried to raise his arms. Slowly at first, he felt his hands pushing upward on what seemed like something cool and gritty. Moments later the feeling slipped away and was replaced by what felt like a warm breath.

He began to bring his hands back toward him until they encountered resistance and then tried to use all his strength to pull his body upward. Moments later, after tremendous effort, his head broke the surface. He pulled in a deep breath through his nose and exhaled rapidly from his mouth, expelling the remnants of earth that were lodged there. As he boosted himself up further, Mike realized where he was.

As he considered the ground surrounding him, which looked very much like a grave, his mind began to race with a flood of thoughts. I’m not dead! Why was I buried? Where is everyone? Why is the moonlight so fucking bright? He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light of the moon, squinting his eyes almost completely closed. He could not wrap his mind around how abnormally bright the moonlight was. If he could remember that far back, he imagined that it felt similar to the startling intensity of hospital lights at the time of his birth. As if his eyes had never been exposed to light before.

Mike searched his mind, looking for a memory that would explain his current predicament. Nearby he could hear the soft babble of a stream. He began to move toward it, if for no other reason than to clean himself. The journey toward the stream should have taken him at least a couple of minutes, by his reckoning, but in actuality it seemed like a matter of seconds and he was standing at the edge of the water. It was as if the stream had picked itself up and rushed over to greet him at the same time he had been moving toward it.

Without warning, a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind, a nightmarish vision of a multitude of flying creatures attacking him. The memory reminded him of an Alfred Hitchcock movie he had seen once, many years ago, called The Birds. Except his memory was insisting that what had descended on him were not birds. What they actually were he could not figure out. It was as if the memory was so traumatic that his mind was blocking parts of it out to spare him the pain.

He knelt down beside the stream and began to clean the dirt off of himself the best he could, splashing water onto his face to knock the loose dirt free. As he did, Mike became distracted by his reflection in the water. For whatever reason, it didn’t look right to him. It was like looking at an old, faded photograph of himself. He couldn’t explain why, or how, but the way he looked in the shimmering water was kind of creepy and unsettling.

Deciding that cleaning himself in this manner was taking too long, he stood up and walked into the stream. When he reached the middle it was only chest deep, so he dropped to his knees for a moment to submerge his entire body. While beneath the surface, he quickly brushed off his clothes, turning the surrounding water murky. A few moments later, he got to his feet again, walked to the shore, and got out of the water.

Mike looked down at his wet clothes and considered building a fire. At least, until he realized that he didn’t have a way to light it. Where had the others gone? Edward would sure be handy right about now. He could have a fire roaring in no time at all. As these thoughts flitted in and out of his mind another realization hit him. He was soaking wet. There was a light breeze blowing through the trees. With these two things combined he should have developed a wicked chill by now. Instead, the breeze that tickled the hairs on his arms felt warm. That just wasn’t natural. It was as if everything he was experiencing was exactly the opposite of what it should have been. Something wasn’t right, and he couldn’t seem to place what it was.

He came to the conclusion that the only way he was going to get any answers was if he found the others, so Mike set out to find them. He knew that for the most part they had been following this stream, so he figured that was the most likely place for him to begin his search.

As he began traveling to the north, beside the water, he started to feel queasy. Everything around him seemed out of place. The breeze felt like a strong, steady gust of wind while he was walking; the trees that lined the bank of the stream seemed to rush toward him; the nocturnal animals that were hidden amongst the trees seemed to whisper to him. It was as if one thing or another was constantly assaulting every one of his senses.

Then, a strange thought popped into his head. This might all be one big hallucination. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had anything to eat or drink. At the moment, there was nothing he could do about food, but the softly moving stream beside Mike beckoned to him to quench his thirst. He stopped for a moment and knelt down next to the water. Putting his hands together, he scooped up a handful, brought it to his lips, and drank.

His stomach immediately began to churn and his throat seemed to tighten. Moments later, Mike found himself spewing the water violently back up. For a moment, he felt a bit like Linda Blair in that movie. What was it called? The Exorcist.

What just happened? Had it been so long since his last drink that his body went into shock with the first gulp? It didn’t seem possible. He hadn’t tried to drink much more than a few sips. His body shouldn’t have reacted that violently. As he thought more about it, Mike realized when the water had begun sliding down his throat, it hadn’t felt the way it should have. It kind of had an increasingly warming effect that reminded him of drinking hard liquor. He was still incredibly thirsty, but didn’t dare try the water again. Maybe he had caught some kind of strange virus unique to this world. He had to find the others. Edward would surely know what to do.

Mike started to walk again, determined to follow the stream until he found the others. Once more, the dizzying feeling washed over him. Trees rushed toward him with blinding speed. This new distortion of reality he was experiencing was almost more than he could handle. When he looked at his feet he saw they were moving normally, even though it seemed that with each step he took he covered about fifty feet.

Perhaps fifteen minutes had passed when the stream ended in a large basin. Water rained down in torrents from someplace far above and splashed steadily into the pool. At least the noise of the waterfall was drowning out the whispers of the nocturnal animals. One less oddity for my confused mind to deal with. But there was a new sound that he was hearing now. Faint. It sounded like the nickering of a nervous horse. Was it coming from the other side of the waterfall?

Mike stepped into the rush of falling water, and moments later found himself inside a small cave that was hidden by the waterfall. A frightened white horse stood inside, looking at him and stomping one of its front legs. It looked like the horse Edward had been riding, but there was no sign of him or Katie. Mike began to look around the small cave. There was a strange glow coming from the back of it where he saw a large, swirling blue portal. Strange. If there was a portal then Edward should be here somewhere. Unless, for some reason, he had gone into it with Katie.

A strange sensation was vibrating through his body, pulling his attention away from the portal and back to the horse. He started to walk toward the animal in hopes of calming it down. As he got closer, the horse tried to shy away from him. Its eyes were like huge saucers and filled with fear. A few seconds later, he was standing next to the shaking beast. When he laid his hand upon it in an attempt to soothe it, Mike could feel its muscles trembling wildly.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had turned and sunk his teeth into the animal. The horse tossed its head wildly back and forth, trying to get Mike away from it. Not even deterred for a second, he continued to feed on the animal’s blood. A couple of minutes passed before the thirst was sated and he pulled his teeth from the horse. He staggered back a few feet, as awareness of what he had just done set in. The horse was not dead, but very weak from the loss of blood, and crumpled to the floor of the cave. A trickle of blood continued to run for a moment from the place Mike had bitten.

“What have you done?” Amber cried in a shrill voice that normally would have startled Mike. He did not answer, but instead sunk to his knees and began to weep.

Chapter 19

Jack slowed from a run to a walk as he entered the clearing where he had parted company with the others. They were no longer there, but judging from the not completely cool embers of the fire they had built, they couldn’t have left more than a few hours ago. He lifted his nose to the air, searching for their scent, hoping to find out which direction they had gone. He found it without too much trouble, but he was picking up something else as well. The faint odor of death; similar to rotting meat, but somehow different. As he tried to figure out the smell, Jack looked over the rest of the clearing and found something disturbing. The place where they had buried Mike looked as if it had been dug up.

He cautiously approached the ruptured earth and looked down ... Mike’s body was gone. The smell coming from the grave seemed the same as the one mingled with Edward and Katie’s scents. What Jack couldn’t figure out was why they would have dug Mike back up again. Something wasn’t adding up, and Jack was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. He lifted his nose to the air once more, to reacquire Edward and Katie’s scents, then began to make his way to the north where the scent trail seemed to lead. Thankfully, the odor of rotting meat was more faint the further from the stream he traveled.

After about an hour of slowly tracking Edward, with his nose carefully guiding him, the scent began to gain strength, allowing him to move more rapidly. To his dismay, the scent of death was becoming stronger as well. Before long, the scents were intertwined with each other as they had been back in the clearing. Jack could once again hear the rushing water of the stream, but as he continued on his way the sound began to change. The resonance of the water was starting to sound more like splashing than mere ripples of movement. With every step Jack took the sound grew in intensity and volume.

As he got closer to the noise, the stream became visible once again; only this time there was water pouring down the side of a mountain and falling into a pool at the place where the stream seemed to end. The scent of death was overpowering those of Edward and Katie. He half expected to find a corpse on the ground before him at any moment. Just then, he heard the sound of an unfamiliar female voice that sounded mortified. It was yelling, “What have you done?” The voice seemed to be coming from the direction of the waterfall, indicating that there was likely a hollowed out area behind it. Standing next to the cascading torrent of water, Jack crouched down,  tensed his muscles, and sprang into the air. The rushing water hit him in mid-air, smashing him to the floor of the cave on the other side. His head struck the cave floor with such force that he saw spots for a few seconds. Then he lost consciousness.

Chapter 20

As Edward and Katie exited the portal—for the first time it was one that Katie didn’t find herself falling out of—a gust of wind brought upon it the stench of garbage; more specifically, the smell of rotting vegetables. Both of their stomachs simultaneously lurched. As Katie looked around the dimly lit area, which boasted a single light bulb next to a door as the only source of illumination, she noticed that they seemed to be in a dead-end alley. The source of the stench appeared to be a dumpster, which was so full that one of the lids was partially open. A swarm of flies buzzed around it hungrily.

Having been his first time going through a portal, Edward bent over and threw up. “I feel like I’ve been swallowed by some enormous monster from a childhood nightmare and then spit back out,” Edward mumbled as he fought the urge to be sick again.

“Suck it up,” Katie teased with an impish grin. “You get used to that feeling after a while.”

“I don’t know how you do it.”

“It’s actually pretty easy for me,” she began more seriously, “because where I come from we have things like roller coasters and this thing called Tilt-A-Whirl. Most people like to refer to the latter as the Tilt-and-Hurl.”

Edward looked at her questioningly. “I’ve never heard of such things. What are they?”

“Amusement park rides,” she answered. “It’s probably a strange concept to one such as yourself, but there are people here that will pay money to feel like you do right now. And they have fun doing it.”

“People here have an odd sense of things that are fun,” Edward said. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the portal was still there, reassuring himself that he had a way out of this strange place. Sure enough, right there next to the dumpster, seemingly fused with the brick wall, was the swirling blue portal. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed out from somewhere nearby. Edward spun back toward Katie with blinding speed.

Before he could utter a single word, Katie answered the question that was forming on his lips. “That sounded like a gunshot!” She immediately grabbed his hand and dragged Edward into the main alley that ran between the brick buildings, heading in the direction the sound had come from. Ahead of them, cars slowly passed by on the street, unaware that anything had just happened.

Seeing cars for the first time was freaking Edward out. He struggled in her grasp, trying to free himself, but Katie had his hand clamped in her own so tightly that his efforts were in vain. Why did she insist on dragging him toward the quickly moving monsters that were going by? So far they hadn’t noticed them and Edward wanted to keep it that way.

Katie stopped at the edge of the street before them and turned around. “Come on! Someone could need our help!” she pleaded with Edward.

“But if we go any further the monsters will surely see us!” he exclaimed in terror.

“Monsters?” Katie asked with one eyebrow raised. Just then, another car drove by and Edward tried to shrink back into the shadows. She held on to his hand tightly. “Are those the monsters you are talking about?” Katie asked as she pointed at a pair of headlights that were coming up the street.

“Y-y-yes,” he stammered, still trying to pull out of her grip.

Katie suppressed a laugh, but couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from turning upward in a half-smile. “Those aren’t monsters,” she told him, “they are cars. They won’t hurt you unless you stand in front of one that is moving.”

“Are you sure?” He tentatively moved toward her.

“I’m positive. Now, come on!” She began to pull him across the street, through a break in the traffic. When they got to the opposite side of the street, and no ill had befallen them, Edward began to relax a little.

The muted sound of music was louder on this side of the street. It appeared to be coming from the large building to their right that had an enormous lighted sign jutting from it that read The Town Ballroom. The few people that had been milling around in front of the building moments ago were now moving quickly up the sidewalk in their direction. To their left was a smaller building with a lighted neon sign hanging in the window that simply read Liquor.

In front of them stretched another section of alley. As Katie began to pull Edward into the shadows, the others that had been in front of The Town Ballroom came around the corner and entered it as well. A couple of them were no longer walking; instead they were now jogging. The air stirred slightly as the couple, one man and one woman, passed them in the dimly lit alley.

Moments later the woman screamed. When Edward and Katie caught up to them, they looked to see what the fuss was about. Lying in an increasingly large pool of blood was a middle-aged man with short, dark hair wearing a business suit. A wet paper bag was near one of his outstretched hands, leaking something  onto the ground. The man, whom had rushed into the alley with the woman, was standing off to one side using his cell phone. He snapped the phone shut after talking to someone for a minute. Katie knelt down next to the bleeding man to see if she could help in any way. As she did, another woman approached and began to bark orders to those nearby, trying to clear the area around the man. Katie stood up and shuffled to the side to get out of her way, while Edward nervously scanned the area.

The slender, dark-haired woman leaned over the victim’s face to see if he was breathing. Moments later, she opened the front of his suit jacket, revealing a jagged hole in his shirt that blood was steadily pouring out of. To Katie, the blood looked like a fountain and she was sure if the bleeding weren’t stopped very soon that the man would bleed to death before her very eyes. Secretly she wished it were only herself and Edward here with the man. That way he could use his magic, like he had when Mike had gotten injured, and cauterized the wound with magical fire. Instead, they had to rely on the skills of the woman that knelt over him.

Sirens began to wail in the distance. The dark-haired woman looked up at the man with the cell phone. “Can I have your jacket please, sir?” He dug a ring of keys from one of the pockets and shirked out of his coat. He reached out to hand it to the woman. She snatched it greedily and immediately began to wind it into a tight ball. Once she was done, the woman pressed the wadded garment to the hole in the bleeding man’s chest. She rose up slightly and leaned further over his body to get the leverage she was looking for, and firmly applied pressure to his wound. The sound of sirens was very close, and within moments an ambulance hopped the curb. Its tires screeched as the vehicle ground to a stop on the gravel littered surface of the alley.

Two male paramedics quickly exited the ambulance. One went around to the back of it and pulled out a wheeled stretcher, which had a bag holding their equipment resting on top of it. The other rushed over to where the bleeding man was lying. “Please step aside, ma’am. We’ll take it from here,” he instructed, tapping the dark-haired woman on the shoulder. She turned and looked up at him and he immediately recognized her. “Oh. Sorry, Dr. Short,” he stammered. “What can I do to help?”

“Get some gauze and pack this man’s wound,” she told him condescendingly. “Then keep pressure on it until you get him back to the hospital.” The nerve of this guy, she thought. Was he a med school dropout or something? How did he ever get a job as an EMT if he couldn’t think on his feet?

Just then, the second paramedic arrived with the stretcher and the equipment bag. The paramedic on the ground beside the body quickly reached into the bag and rifled through its contents. He found the gauze he was looking for, and quickly began to pack the wound as Dr. Short removed the garment she had been staunching the blood flow with. While he was packing the gauze into the wound, the other paramedic began to check the man’s vital signs. “His pulse is weak and thready,” he announced, “and his blood pressure is dangerously low.”

Less than a minute had passed since the first EMT finished sealing the wound to the best of his ability. “Let’s get him on the stretcher,” he told the other paramedic. They worked swiftly to secure the man to the stretcher. After a brief, bumpy ride across the alley to where the ambulance was parked, they loaded the stretcher into it. One hopped in the back with the patient and pulled the doors closed, while the other ran around to the front and jumped behind the wheel. The sirens began to blare out once more as the ambulance kicked up gravel and sped off toward the hospital. The rush of air, created in the wake of the ambulance speeding away, kicked up a scrap of paper that floated lazily through the air and came to rest near Katie’s feet. She absently watched as it fluttered through the air. When the piece of paper landed, it brushed against her foot. Katie bent down curiously to see what was written upon it.

Katie no more than glanced at the piece of paper when she began to feel like the air had been sucked from her lungs. She sat down heavily on the grit-covered surface of the alley. Her mind reeled. What she was seeing on that scrap of paper was just not possible!

Standing nearby, Edward looked down at her with a sort of worried curiosity. “What’s wrong?”

Katie held up the scrap of paper so he could see it.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “What am I looking at?”

“The date,” she replied weakly. “Look at the date.”

Edward looked at the paper again in an attempt to figure out why Katie seemed so frazzled. The letters and numbers upon the paper were impossible for him to decipher. Apparently, on Earth, days and years were accounted for in a different fashion than they were on Desolace. In his world, they merely counted the days in a year. “I still don’t understand what seems to have you so upset."

“According to this,” she pointed emphatically at the date, “it is October 31 in the year 1999!”

“And that means what exactly?” he asked.

“It was the beginning of June, in the year 2010, when I stepped through the portal into your world for the first time!” she explained in an increasingly cracking tone. “If this is the actual date, and the scrap of paper looks fresh enough to support the theory, then that means we have somehow traveled backward in time! If this date is correct, I should only be seven years old right now!” Tears began to rapidly form at the corners of her eyes. She had been strong for so long and now the weight of all she had been through came crashing down on her.

Edward knelt down beside Katie and tried his best to comfort her. As she clung to him and wept on his shoulder, Edward noticed someone approaching them out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw the woman that had tended to the wounded man a short time ago.

“Excuse me. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Did I hear the young woman correctly? Did she say that she was from the year 2010?” The woman had begun politely, but finished with a hint of sarcastic disbelief.

Katie looked up at her and tried to blink away her tears. “Yes,” she replied weakly to the blurry form before her.

“If I sound rude or forward I apologize,” the woman said, “but how is that possible?”

“Give her a few minutes to get over the shock of the situation,” Edward told her, “and then we will show you how.”

“Fair enough.” The woman politely offered her hand to him. “My name is Melissa Short, and you are?”

“My name is Edward the White,” he answered politely, as he gently reached up and shook the hand she offered to him, “and this is Katie Johnson.”

“I’m pleased to meet you both. I apologize if I seemed a bit overbearing a while ago when I was tending to the wounded gentleman. Edward the White, huh? That’s a very interesting name. Does it stand for something?” she asked civilly.

“Indeed it does. Even though some like to joke about the white referring to the extreme lightness of my complexion, that is really not the case. Rather it refers to the type of magic that I use.”

“Magic?” she asked skeptically. “Do you mean like Houdini or David Copperfield?”

“I’m not sure what you are referring to,” he added with a look of confusion.

“They are men that perform rather grandiose parlor tricks if you ask me,” she said. “True magic does not exist.”

“On the contrary. It does. Soon enough you will see that I speak the truth.” Edward gave her a polite smile. “Might I inquire what it is that you do?”

“Definitely nothing as ostentatious as magic.” She smirked. “I am just a lowly emergency room doctor that practices medicine at Buffalo General.”

“Somehow I think you understate your abilities,” Edward stated matter-of-factly. “You seemed very skilled and knowledgeable when you were helping the wounded gentleman.”

“I agree,” Katie murmured, looking up at her with puffy eyes. The tears had finally dried up and her hitching breaths had leveled out, becoming more normal. Edward turned his head and regarded Katie. Her shock seemed to be subsiding and he gave her a look that asked if she was all right. Somehow, she knew what the look was asking and nodded her head to him, letting him know that she was okay now.

Edward stood up and helped Katie to her feet. He looked at Melissa thoughtfully. “I wonder what your reaction will be when you find out that everything we have told you is true,” Edward said to Melissa with a grin.

“Only one way to find out,” Melissa replied, still sounding a bit skeptical.

He bent down and whispered into Katie's ear, “Care to lead the way?”

She smiled up at him for a moment, and then began walking back toward the street. “Follow me please,” Katie instructed softly. The three of them walked casually out of the alley and stopped at the curb, waiting for traffic to pass by. When the path was clear, Katie led them across and into the darkened alley beside the building with a glowing red neon sign in its window that proclaimed it to be the Mid Town Deli. That would explain the stench she remembered coming from the dumpster near the portal. Probably rotting vegetables and meat.

As the three of them rounded the corner into the small, side-alley near the back door of the deli, the swirling blue portal came into view. Almost immediately, Melissa’s jaw came unhinged and dropped open in disbelief. She stood that way for several seconds, unable to speak. Her mind spun crazily, as if it were just as ineffective as her mouth. As improbable as it seemed, it appeared that the others had been telling her the truth. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was seeing, but it certainly appeared to be magic of some sort.

“What … is that?” Melissa finally managed to ask.

“It is the portal that we told you about a short while ago,” Edward stated. “In terms that you would be more likely to understand, it is the magical means by which we entered your world.”

“Forgive my ignorance. Am I correct in assuming that this portal thing is a magic doorway of some sort?” she asked.

“That is exactly its purpose,” Edward told her.

“Where does it lead?” Melissa asked, even though she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

“It leads back to my world. A place called Desolace,” Edward informed her.

Melissa began to nervously play with her hair. “I don’t know what to think,” she began. “I feel almost as if this is some strange dream that I can’t seem to wake from.”

“I assure you. You are awake,” Katie said. “I felt much as you do now the first time I saw one of these,” she added, trying to put Melissa at ease.

“Well. If I am awake, then perhaps I need to go home and get some sleep.” Melissa gave a nervous laugh, and began to turn around to do just that, when a hand descended onto her shoulder.

“Please. Wait,” Edward pleaded. “We could really use someone with your skills traveling with us.”

“Whoa. Hold on!” Melissa's nervousness turned to fear. “You want me to go with you to this other world? No way!” she nearly yelled. Melissa began to shuffle her feet backward. Suddenly, she didn’t trust either of them. She wanted to get away as fast as she could, but she also didn’t want to turn her back on them. With each passing moment, her feet backpedaled faster and faster.

Edward and Katie kept pace with her, continuing to plead their case. Melissa was now moving backward so rapidly that she was getting near the entrance to the alley. She made up her mind to turn and make a run for it. Perhaps she could dart across the street and lose them, hoping that traffic could help her. As she began to turn and carry out her plan, her feet got tangled up. Melissa fell so quickly that she didn’t have time to brace herself. With one arm pinned beneath her body, she hit the ground. Hard. Her head bounced off the gritty, unyielding surface of the alley, instantly rendering her unconscious.

Katie shook her head in dismay. “I don’t know why she seemed so scared,” she confided to Edward. “Maybe it’s just me, but the first time I came in contact with one of the portals I was more curious about it than scared.”

“Perhaps she doesn’t have the strength of character that you do.” Edward knelt down to check Melissa’s injuries.

“Is she all right?” Katie asked.

“She has a rather large bump on her head, but other than that she appears to be okay. She’s not bleeding or anything at least,” he answered.

Katie thought for a minute. “How angry do you think she would be if we just took her through the portal? I know we need her help, but it seems like we would draw too much attention to ourselves if we stuck around and waited for her to wake up on her own and convinced her to go through the portal willingly.”

“Likely, she will hate us for doing that against her will, but what other choice do we have?” Edward asked, more to himself than to Katie. “It will take some time, but I think she will forgive us. Eventually,” he said with a hopeful smile.

“So. How are we going to get her through the portal?”

“That part shouldn’t be too difficult. Prop her up,” he instructed Katie. “I’ll grab her hands and carry her.”

“Piggyback?” Katie asked.

Edward looked confused for a second, and then realized what she meant. “I’ve never heard it called that before. I, myself, have always called it horseyback,” he said with a grin.

As Edward bent down with his back facing Melissa, Katie grabbed her by the shoulders and propped her up into a sitting position. She raised each of Melissa’s arms up so he could grab a hold of each hand. He pulled them forward until her elbows draped over his shoulders, firmly hugged her hands to his chest, and slowly began to lift Melissa from the ground. He stood up, slightly hunched over to balance her weight on his back, making it easier to carry her. He turned toward Katie once Melissa was comfortably situated on his back. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Katie replied.

Edward turned back toward the portal, which swirled complacently about a hundred feet from where they stood. Stopping in front of it, he tentatively put one foot forward into the portal, even though he hated the way going into the portal made him feel. Nonetheless, he gathered his resolve and continued forward. Seconds later he disappeared from the alley and Katie stepped into the swirling blue gateway to follow him.

Chapter 21

A hum, barely audible over the crashing water of the falls at the entrance to the small cave, began within the portal. The colors shifted rapidly within it, making the portal appear to have life of its own, as if it were breathing. Days had gone by since Amber had watched Edward and Katie disappear into the portal. During that time, Amber had witnessed more strangeness than she had ever thought she would see in a lifetime. Not that she had a life, or knew how long her current state would last. Still. Seeing Mike, who she presumed was dead, enter the small cave and feed on the horse’s blood was something she could have done without. Then seeing a wolf come crashing through the waterfall into the cave and being knocked unconscious from the force of the water; only to find out that the wolf was actually Jack, the person that the others had referred to as a werewolf. An hour or so after he had come through the cascading water he had regained consciousness, but not before he had changed before her very eyes back to his human form.

For the first two days after Edward and Katie had gone through the portal, Amber had kept a nervous eye on Mike and Jack. Each day, about half an hour before sunrise, Mike would venture sullenly into the darkest section of the cave he could find, avoiding the light of day. It was obvious that Jack knew there was something not quite right about Mike, too. He didn’t leave the cave once he regained consciousness, and would often sit for hours watching Mike. The lack of trust rolled off of Jack in waves. Looking into his eyes, Amber could tell that the brief friendship between the two men was on very shaky ground. There still seemed to be a sort of mutual respect between them, although it was more like the kind of respect you would associate with predatory animals. A tenseness that said, “you stay out of my way, and I will stay out of yours”.

At least Amber didn’t have to witness any more of Mike’s feedings in the days that passed. When Mike wasn’t sleeping the day away in the darker section of the cave, he would sit near the horse with his head down and weep steadily through the night. Jack would watch over him with a curious mistrust. He didn’t understand why Mike was weeping. All of Jack’s instincts told him that Mike was a predator; and crying was not something you were accustomed to seeing a predator do.

At the end of the second day of Amber’s vigil, the horse had taken its final breath. This only added to the grief that Mike had been feeling. Sometimes he sobbed so loudly after the horse died that it could likely have been heard on the other side of the waterfall.

The portal was beginning to thrum like a tuning fork. The high-pitched hum coming from it apparently hurt Jack’s ears, because his hands were plastered over them and he wore a look of pain on his face. It looked as if something was being pounded into his skull. Moments later, Edward walked out of the swirling blue portal carrying a person on his back. At first, Amber thought that Katie had gotten hurt. Then, she noticed the woman on Edward’s back had shorter hair than Katie.

Edward noticed the high-pitched hum coming from behind him, and turned to see what it was. As he turned, Edward watched as Katie emerged from the portal. Once she was through, mercifully, the humming noise stopped. She saw Edward and immediately circled behind him. With Katie standing behind him, bracing the unconscious woman, Edward began to crouch down. Katie called out from behind him. “Okay. Let her go. I’ve got her from here.”

Edward released his grip on Melissa’s hands and watched as they slowly slid back over his shoulders. Once Melissa was resting comfortably on the floor, they began to notice the differences in their surroundings. Amber was cowering in one corner of the cave near the portal. Two men were seated near the cave entrance. One was Jack, but who was the other? He looked like … Mike? That was impossible. Mike was dead! His face was buried in his hands and it looked like he was crying. It took a couple of minutes for the shock to wear off enough that Edward began to hear the insectile buzzing of the flies swarming ... around what he had at first thought to be his sleeping horse. He began to realize that the horse wasn’t sleeping at all, it was dead.

Edward screamed in mourning disbelief. “No!” The sound startled Mike from his grieving, and he looked up at Edward. His eyes were still red and swollen. Tears streamed down his cheeks as Edward rushed toward where he sat beside the horse. “What happened?” Edward bellowed, with a mixture of grief and rage.

Mike looked up and saw the expression of pain on his face. “I ... I am truly sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he said dejectedly.

For a moment Edward had completely forgotten about Mike. Now, he had Edward’s undivided attention. “You did this?” Edward yelled furiously. His eyes blazed at Mike as if his look could burn a hole right into Mike’s brain.

“I did,” Mike said remorsefully. “I didn’t mean to do it. I blanked out. A couple of minutes later I returned to my senses with the taste of blood in my mouth. I noticed the bite mark on the horse and realized that it had been me who put the mark there.”

Edward stalked angrily toward him. His rage was burning so hot right now that the only thing he could think about was wrapping his hands around Mike’s throat and strangling the life from his body.

Jack had never been one to figure things out quickly, but now he understood. The confusing aroma of death that he had tracked from the clearing was Mike’s scent. Apparently, the bats that had attacked Mike in the clearing had sucked the natural life from his body and infected him somehow. Jack had never in his life come across an individual like the one before him. If he was right, and it seemed very likely that he was, the bite of the bat had infected Mike—much like the wolf that had bitten Jack years earlier, with the disease of immortality. Meaning that he was now a vampire.

Katie stood back near the portal, close to where Amber was cowering. She couldn’t understand why Amber seemed so frightened. It wasn’t like anyone or anything was going to hurt her; she was already dead. Her attention turned back to the unfolding drama between Edward and … Mike? She had trouble believing her eyes. That couldn’t really be Mike. He was dead and buried back in the clearing. Wasn’t he? Other than how pale the man seemed to be, he sure looked like Mike.

Edward was a mere step or two from Mike, and as Katie looked on in horror, she saw that Edward’s hands were beginning to glow like the embers in a very hot fire. She could feel his deadly intent pulsing off of him in waves. “Edward, no!” Katie screamed at him in dismay.

He stopped for a moment and turned toward her. His once, almost hypnotic, gray eyes had turned black. They burned with an intense hatred that scared the hell out of Katie. She had never seen him this way and hoped that she never would again. “He killed my horse,” he growled in a voice that no longer sounded like his own. “He must pay for what he has done!”

“Just look at his eyes, Edward!” Katie pleaded, trying to reason with him. “You can see how sorry he is for what he’s done. He is mourning the loss of the horse just as much as you are.”

For just a moment, Katie saw a flicker of gray return to Edward's eyes. As he turned away from her and looked back at Mike, Katie hoped that she had gotten through to him. Mike partially got up from his sitting position and faced Edward, kneeling down before him with his head bowed. “I humbly implore you to find it within yourself to forgive me for what I have done,” Mike said meekly. “It was not my intent to hurt the horse, and I have no intention of hurting any of you either.”

Edward regarded the man kneeling before him. He continued to struggle with his emotions, feeling both contempt and fury. Mike’s apology sounded sincere enough, but could he trust him to not repeat his actions? He truly didn’t think so, but the question remained. Could he give Mike the benefit of the doubt? With these questions swirling around in his mind, Edward began to lose the harsh edge of his anger. The longer he continued to think about what to do with Mike, the more other thoughts began to creep into his head. Such as, would there be some benefit to having a vampire among them? Was it likely to tip the scales in favor of their group in a fight? Or would Mike be more of a hindrance?

Edward pondered the implications of keeping Mike in their group, carefully weighing the pros and cons in his head. Katie saw Edward’s posture begin to relax a little. Amber, Jack, and Katie all continued to watch with bated breath, waiting to see how the apparent stalemate would play out.

As she looked on, Katie began to get a chill. Gooseflesh rose all over her body. Instead of going away after a few moments, the chill persisted. When it hadn’t gone away after a couple of minutes had passed, she began to realize where the chill was coming from ... the folded piece of magic paper that was tucked inside her vest! Katie felt a combination of panic and exhilaration sweep over her. She hoped that the paper turning cold signified that Julie was trying to contact her again. She had become worried when their last communication had ended so abruptly, but since then, Katie had pretty much forgotten about the magic paper that she had tucked into her top.

Excitedly, she reached into her vest to grab the paper. Once it was out, she quickly unfolded the paper. It definitely looked like Julie was trying to communicate with her again, but this time it looked as if the situation had become more dire. Scrawled across the paper was: Please hurry, Katie! I think I was drugged and taken to Cemetery Hill.

“Oh my god!” Katie gasped. Edward turned toward the sound of her voice. When he did, he saw the look of shocked dismay on her face and noticed that she was holding a piece of paper in her hands. Temporarily forgetting all about the situation with Mike, Edward rushed over to where Katie stood.

“What is it?” he asked nervously. Katie turned the paper so that he could see what was written upon it. A look of concern spread quickly onto his face. “Have you tried to contact her since you received the message?”

“Not yet. I wanted to show the message to you before I tried doing that,” Katie explained. She turned her attention away from Edward and began to concentrate on sending a message back to Julie. Are you okay? Please answer me if you can, Katie thought. She stared intently at the paper, hoping for a response. A couple of minutes went by. The message that she had shown to Edward was slowly beginning to fade and Katie was starting to lose faith. Did Julie receive her message? She said something about being drugged, so maybe she was no longer conscious. Katie frowned in frustration and began to fold the paper so she could tuck it back into her vest. Suddenly, before she completed the first fold, the paper began to grow cold once again. Katie quickly opened it back up so she could see it. The message looked broken and haphazard. Edward stood to the side and slightly behind Katie, and looked over her shoulder as he read the message.

Feel strange—Something— on my head—Draining—Others are here—Big room—Patrolling…

Katie desperately tried to make sense of what Julie was telling her. I don’t know what you are trying to tell me, Julie, she thought, concentrating as hard as she could. Once again, the minutes passed without the message changing. The letters were fading out again. The air was beginning to feel oppressively thick as they tensely waited for another message to appear. Several more minutes went by. The previous message was completely gone now. “Damn it!” Katie sulked, and with a tear forming in her eye she turned to Edward. “Could you make any sense of Julie’s last message?” she asked.

“No,” he answered forlornly. “The only thing I picked up from the message was a sense of urgency.”

“I got that, too,” Katie told him. “It feels like if we don’t find her soon, something very bad is going to happen to her. Worse than what she is dealing with right now.”

Overhearing the conversation between Edward and Katie, Mike spoke up in a hitching voice that was laced with sadness. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

Katie and Edward turned toward the sound of his voice. They had forgotten all about Mike, but now he had their attention again. The look of grim determination returned to Edward’s face and his skin suddenly began to grow hot.

Katie noticed the heat emanating from him, as if his skin were an oven set to broil. She turned toward Edward, cupped a hand over her mouth, and whispered something in his ear. He turned and regarded Katie briefly. Her words seemed to placate him for now, as she saw his eyes shifting to their normal coloring, and the heat rolling from his skin became less intense. Katie turned her attention back to the kneeling man, whose eyes were still brimming with tears. She felt sorry for him. He never asked for the events that led to what he had become, and Mike seemed to be trying very hard to hold onto what remained of his humanity. As Katie looked into his murky eyes, she could see that the words he had spoken were the truth. He really did want to help, but for whatever reason he didn’t think that he had anything to offer them in his current state. “Why do you feel that you can’t help us?” she asked.

Mike’s eyes flitted back and forth, nervously gathering the expressions on Edward and Katie’s faces for a few moments before answering. “I don’t want to risk hurting anyone,” Mike said as he lowered his head. “I don’t know if I can keep my urges under control.” Mike looked back up at her. A fresh trail of tears was blazing a path down his cheeks. He knew the look that Katie was giving him right now. It was a look that told him she was willing to take the risk. Before she could say anything to confirm his belief, he spoke up again. “And another thing,” he began. “Since you have been gone in the portal I have noticed that when the sun comes up I have issues. An irresistible urge comes over me to flee from the light. It overwhelms all thought, as if it were an instinctual thing for me to seek out darkness. Perhaps it’s fear that drives me away from the daylight. Whatever the case may be, I don’t think I can travel too far from this place, because when the sun comes up I wouldn’t have anywhere to hide.”

Katie considered his words carefully. There had to be a way that he could still travel with them. There just had to be! Her brow furrowed in concentration. If it weren’t for the intense look on her face, someone looking at her might have thought she was catatonic; she stood frozen in place, like a mannequin, and did not even blink.

Edward turned toward Katie to see her reaction to what Mike had said. Seeing the look of concentration on her face told him that she would not give up, not until she found a way for Mike to remain part of their group. Edward conceded to her will. No matter what he could say to counter anything she came up with, he would not be able to get Katie to change her mind. He would be fighting a losing battle if he tried. Giving in, instead of wasting time trying to persuade Katie to leave Mike behind, Edward turned his own thoughts inward. He searched his mind for ways that Mike could help. For several minutes he searched his memory for anything that could be deemed helpful. Edward was about to give up when a memory of his childhood suddenly sprang into focus in his head.

In this memory, his father had taken Edward on a trip into the wilderness outside of Elysia when Edward was in his early teens. His father had told him that he was taking him on the trip because Edward was too accustomed to life within the walls of the castle. “You need to learn how to do things for yourself, boy,” his father had told him sternly. “You will not always have servants to do everything for you. You must learn how to fend for yourself, as men do.” At first Edward did not understand how this trip was going to accomplish what his father had said, but as the days passed he began to see how different things were away from the castle.

His father had brought a bow with them to hunt for small game so they would have something to eat. During the weeklong excursion in the wilderness, his father taught him how to use the weapon. Still, sometimes Edward would cheat when his father wasn’t watching by using a spell he had read in one of his father’s books. He was far more accurate throwing a summoned bolt of ice from his hand than he was with the bow. His father either never noticed the deception, or he had just never confronted Edward about it.

One thing that seemed to frustrate Edward’s father more than anything during their time in the wilderness was Edward’s complaining at nighttime. Each night, when they lay under the stars with their blankets wrapped around them, Edward would whine and complain that the moons were too bright for him to get to sleep. His father put up with the complaints for three nights before giving in. On the fourth night he cast a spell over the area where Edward lay bundled in his blanket. An opaque bubble had appeared above Edward, which blocked everything outside from view, including the light of the stars and moons. His father told him that he would only do this for him once per night to help him get to sleep. That if the absence of things around him was too much for him to handle, he only had to touch the bubble to make it disappear.

Feeling as if he were caught in a dream, Edward began to hear a raised voice. At first he couldn’t place where he knew the voice. It was familiar to him somehow, but was definitely not one that he was expecting to hear. It was a female voice that could have been his mother. He tried to reach out and break the bubble that his memory had him encased in, but the vision of his teenage self did not move. Suddenly, there were hands on his shoulders that were shaking him. Hands that weren’t visible to him in the memory world. As the voice continued to shout his name and the hands persisted their shaking, Edward began to realize that what he was seeing was only a memory. Someone outside of his dream world was calling out to him. Slowly he began to come up from the daydream. His vision began to clear. Before him stood Katie, with a concerned look on her face.

“Edward!” Katie shouted again, as she looked into the glazed eyes of her friend. He looked to be slowly coming around. “Are you okay? You have been standing there for several minutes with your mouth hanging open. It kind of reminded me of a zombie.”

“Sorry. I was trying to think of a way he could help and got caught up in a memory of my childhood,” Edward explained. “What exactly is a zombie?”

“A zombie is basically a corpse that has been animated and usually has a voracious appetite for flesh. Sorry. I should really quit confusing you with terminology from my world,” Katie said sheepishly. “Did your childhood memory help you think of a way that Mike could help?”

“Actually, it might have,” Edward replied with a grin.

Katie’s face lit up like a child in a candy store. “Well. Come on!” she said excitedly. “Spill it!”

“I remembered my father casting a spell when I was on an excursion in the wilderness with him,” Edward began. “The spell was supposed to keep the light from the moon and stars from getting to me so that I could sleep. I used to have trouble sleeping when I was younger if there was any kind of light around me.”

“Did the spell work?” Katie asked hopefully.

“Yes it did. The spell blocked out everything. I couldn’t see anything outside of the bubble.”

“Bubble?” Katie repeated curiously.

“Looking in my vision, that’s the way I remembered it. I don’t know if it actually looks that way though. I do remember my father telling me that if I touched it, that the bubble would disappear.

“So if you can do this spell, Mike can continue to travel with us?” Katie asked with mounting hope.

“If I can find the spell in my book we can try it before we leave the cave, to make sure it works. The only thing is, if Mike touched the bubble at the wrong time it would disappear and leave him vulnerable to whatever light happened to be around at the time,” Edward said.

Mike had been kneeling on the cave floor, listening to their conversation, and was feeling the first spark of hope. “I generally don’t move at all when I sleep,” he told them, “and I could always ask one of you if it was safe to touch the bubble.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Katie said with a big smile. She knew that Edward wasn’t thrilled about keeping Mike with them, but Katie was very happy. She noticed that for the first time since she had come back through the portal Mike’s tears had dried up.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Edward remarked. “I don’t even know if that particular spell is in my book. Even if it is, I have never cast it before. I’m not even sure if I can perform it with any sort of proficiency.”

Katie walked over to where Mike knelt on the floor. She turned briefly toward Edward. “Then let’s stop talking about it and allow you some time to consult your book,” she said, trying to sound hopeful. Katie got down beside Mike and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. “Don’t worry. He will find it. I know he will,” she whispered in Mike’s ear, trying to keep his spirits up. He gave Katie a wan smile. Despite her best efforts, it still seemed Edward’s lack of conviction about his ability to locate the spell they needed was affecting Mike’s demeanor in a negative way. Katie turned to see what Edward was doing. While her back had been turned, Edward had gone across the cave to where Amber stood and sat down. Using the glow of her form for light, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out his spell book. He sat with a look of concentration on his face, idly flipping through the book in search of the proper spell. Katie silently prayed to any god that would listen that Edward would be successful in his search.

Chapter 22

George had been traveling for days on the shabby dirt road that started back in Haven and headed generally westward. He had awoken a few days ago in the abandoned home that he had found. His sleep had been troubled by what he thought were disturbing dreams; a normal person might have even considered them to be nightmares. In these dreams, the Black Knight, who admonished and berated him like an irate boss that was fed up with an insolent employee, confronted him. Being scolded in such a manner made George feel like he had when he’d been married a long time ago. His ex-wife had spoken to him this way before, making George feel like he couldn’t do anything right. During these times, George would often feel a mixture of depression and rage. Normally, rage was the emotion that ended up consuming him.

While the Black Knight haunted George’s dreams with his harsh words, another thing became apparent to him. The Black Knight did not appear to be human, as he had first thought. While the Black Knight was verbally ripping George a new asshole for not capturing the people that George had passed by, deeming them insignificant, he noticed a change in the man he thought to be his friend. Under the cowl of his robe his eyes glowed with intense ferocity. One moment they appeared to be a blazing yellow, as if a fire burned somewhere behind them, the next moment they shifted to a deep red, as if the blood flowing through them was trying to seep out. That wasn’t the only thing George noticed about his friend either. It could have been some kind of trick being played by the surrounding shadows, but George could have sworn that he had also seen the size of the man change. His appearance had gotten significantly larger. Perhaps it was just George’s imagination, but he could have sworn that the Black Knight’s hands had changed, too. Somehow growing longer, making his fingers look more like claws.

It was at this point that George had awoken in the abandoned house in Haven. Covered in sweat, he sat up in the bed and rubbed his face vigorously. The sun was beginning to come over the horizon as daylight trickled through the room's small window. The Black Knight’s final warning was still fresh in his mind. “You should get moving. Your enemies grow stronger as we speak. You should have killed them when you had the chance. Now you will have to spend time that could have been better spent trying to stay out of their reach.”

Deciding that he should heed the Black Knight’s warning, George had quickly gathered his wits and mounted his horse, intending to leave Haven and his dreams far behind. He needed time to think.

After traveling the dirt road out of Haven for days, a road that was not much more than a pair of wheel ruts created by the occasional wagon, his head had cleared considerably. Even though, at times, he felt like he was being watched, George had not seen a single person on his journey westward. He had an impulsive urge to seek out new scenery. Preferably an area slightly more populated than where he was now. He made up his mind to return to the outpost; there he could get on the strange boat that referred to itself as Morgana and plot a course for another outpost. He would be able to concentrate more fully on his task if he could just do what came natural to him. He was determined to shake this feeling he had right now; that of feeling like prey. George was used to being the one hunting others and this new feeling angered him beyond belief.

He brought the horse to a stop and glanced back over his shoulder. George knew that there were mountains a few days travel east of here, but the trees lining this godforsaken road were too tall for him to see their jutting peaks. He could backtrack for a while until they came into view and he got his bearings. Or, he could get off the road and try to use the position of the sun for a guide. He tossed the pros and cons of each decision around in his mind for a couple of minutes. In the end, George decided on using the sun for guidance. He could always use the mountains later when they came into view. With the decision made, George turned the horse off the road and into the woods heading to the northeast.

Chapter 23

An hour had gone by since Edward located the spell his father had used in his daydream. He successfully cast the spell over the area where Mike had been sitting. Edward was sitting on the cave floor, about ten feet from the opaque bubble, next to Katie. She had her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She had her fingers crossed and a huge, hopeful smile spread across her face.

As daylight began to shimmer through the now lightly falling water of the waterfall, a groan broke the near silence of the cave coming from behind Edward and Katie. They whipped their heads around to find the source of the sound. Using one hand to try and prop herself up, and the other to rub her head, was the woman that had introduced herself as Melissa Short. She appeared to be dazed and bewildered. Then she noticed Edward and Katie looking at her.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” she spat in hostility, not recognizing them at first because their clothing was different. Before Edward or Katie had a chance to answer her questions, Melissa caught sight of Amber out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly to look at Amber and screamed. She could see right through the woman! Melissa began to slowly scoot away from Amber, clearly frightened, but wanting to make sure she didn’t come any closer.

Katie got up and walked over to where Melissa was cringing. She was so close to the far wall of the cave that it looked as if she were trying to become part of it. Melissa didn’t even notice Katie coming toward her, so when Katie reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, Melissa nearly jumped out of her skin and screamed again. “It’s just me. Katie,” she said softly, hoping to soothe Melissa.

“Katie?” she asked in a shaky voice. Melissa glanced up at her face, trying to place the name. A few moments later, recognition began to show on her face. “You’re … that girl from the alley,” Melissa stammered in disbelief.

“Yes I am. I was beginning to think the knock on the head you took before we brought you here had affected your memory.” Katie smiled.

Melissa’s eyes nervously scanned the immediate area, trying to comprehend what had happened. “Where am I?” she asked nervously. “How did I get here? And why are you dressed like that?” Melissa added before Katie had a chance to answer.

“Well … um,” Katie began, “do you remember the portal in the alley?”

“I seem to recall seeing something similar to that,” she pointed at the portal near the back of the cave, “if that is what you are referring to.”

“That is exactly what I’m talking about,” Katie continued. “You fell down in the alley and knocked yourself unconscious. Rather than leave you lying on the ground in that state, we decided it would be best if we brought you through the portal with us.”

As Melissa looked into Katie’s eyes she got the feeling that she wasn’t being told the entire truth. “What gave you the right to drag me out of my world?” Melissa asked defiantly.

“We were just looking out for your well-being,” Katie said defensively. “Besides. We could really use your help. We wanted to ask you for it before we came through the portal, but we weren’t sure how long it would stay open. We couldn’t risk getting stranded on the other side. As for why I am dressed the way I am,” Katie continued, “it is just something that happens to everyone when they cross from one world to the other.”

Melissa diverted her attention from Katie’s face to inspect her own clothing. Her jaw dropped open in disbelief as she saw that Katie spoke the truth. For the first time, Melissa noticed that she was clothed in the same manner as Katie. She was getting ready to ask Katie about how and why this change of appearance had happened, but dismissed the question as irrelevant. She returned her gaze to Katie and asked another question that seemed more pertinent. “You said that you needed my help. Why me? What could I possibly do that would be helpful?”

“When I first met Edward,” Katie began to explain, “we talked in depth about the need to create a group of people with different skill sets in order to successfully complete our quest.”

“I’m not sure that I follow,” Melissa said with a confused look.

“From what we discussed,” Katie continued, “we would need a bare minimum of five people. Of those five, we needed to have one person that could use magic. That would be Edward.” Katie briefly nodded her head in his direction. “One person needed to have the ability to hunt and gather food for the group, which would be myself. One person would need to be skilled in fighting with the use of physical force, including the utilization of weapons.” Katie considered indicating the opaque bubble near Edward that Mike was likely sleeping beneath, and then thought better of it. It would only serve to complicate things more than they needed to be right now if she told her about Mike at the moment. “One person skilled in healing and binding wounds,” Katie gave a brief pause, “and I’m assuming that you would be able to fill that role,” she added hopefully as she pointed at Melissa. “And lastly, we would need one of our traveling partners to be a priest, in case we encountered anything supernatural.” Katie heaved a sigh.

“Whoa! Hold on just a minute!” Melissa exclaimed. Her cheeks began to flush as her anger quickly mounted. “You make it sound as if you would have brought me here against my will, even if I had been conscious! Because I was someone you needed! Couldn’t you have found someone from this world to suit your needs instead of dragging me here?” she asked furiously.

Katie quickly tried to think of a way to placate the increasingly irate woman. She slid a few feet to one side, so that she would be directly in front of Melissa, hoping to block her view of the portal in case she had thoughts of trying to go back to the other side. “I am truly sorry if we have upset you,” Katie said apologetically. “When Edward and I originally discussed where we would get the people that he felt we would need to be successful, he told me the only way we would succeed was if the group was comprised of people from Earth. So far, it has been my experience that each portal we have encountered has led us to an individual that would be helpful to us.”

“So that’s it then,” Melissa retorted angrily. “I have no say in this matter.”

“That’s not true! If you really don’t want to help us, we will let you go back; even though, to do so would mean we would still need to find another healer.”

“So if I say that I want to go back to Buffalo, you will let me?” Melissa asked hopefully, her anger subsiding.

“Yes,” Katie said sadly. “We would let you go, but I really hope that you decide to stay. We really, really need you!” Katie pleaded.

Melissa considered her options. Was getting back to her hectic, under appreciated life something she really wanted to do? Things might be confusing to her in this world, but what if Katie was right? For whatever reason, Melissa felt that if she were to stay in this world she would never feel taken for granted again.

Suddenly, the cave erupted with an ominous laughter that seemed to come from all directions at once. Melissa had made up her mind to stay and help the others, but the laughter bouncing off the walls of the cave frightened her worse than anything in her life ever had. She bolted past Katie and headed for the portal. As she ran, an intensely brilliant flash of light sprang up in front of her. Melissa quickly stopped and shielded her eyes. The blinding light only lasted for a moment, but even after it was gone it took everyone's eyes a couple of minutes to adjust. During that time, the maddening laughter continued to bounce around inside the cave, but the sound seemed to be gradually diminishing in volume.

As Melissa's vision cleared, she gasped ... the flash of light had dissipated. She sagged to her knees and started to weep hysterically. The portal was gone!

Chapter 24

After witnessing the strange disappearance of the portal, Edward and Katie spent a considerable amount of time trying to calm Melissa down. She was no longer hysterical, but still pretty distraught. The three of them now sat in the darkest corner of the cave, near the place that Amber stood, because if she strayed too far from this spot the others would no longer be able to see her. Jack did not join the rest of the group. Instead, he opted to stay close to the opaque bubble that Edward had created, as if he were standing guard over Mike. Edward wasn’t sure why Jack insisted on doing this. Perhaps, since both of them were supernatural creatures Jack felt a kinship with Mike the others couldn’t understand, or possibly, he didn't trust him. As Edward contemplated the reasons why Jack seemed to feel close to Mike, Melissa spoke up, bringing his attention back to their little gathering.

“Who is that?” Melissa asked, pointing toward Jack. “And why does he sit there staring at that strange bubble instead of joining us?”

“His name is Jack,” Edward told her. “After his town was attacked by an odd looking mechanical creature, he fled into the nearby woods. He found us the next day, camped beside the road, and has been traveling with us ever since.”

“That reminds me,” Katie said, turning her head toward Jack, “where is Natasha?”

At the mention of his wife’s name, Jack turned toward Katie. “A man that rode a strange looking mechanical beast killed her,” he stated, in a hitching voice. Tears streamed down his dirty face, leaving twisted trails of clean skin. “He beheaded her and tied her head to his saddle like a trophy,” Jack wailed.

“I’m so sorry, Jack,” Katie murmured sadly. “We had no idea.”

“I, too, grieve for your loss, Jack,” Edward said somberly. “I would completely understand if you decided to leave us to hunt this man down and avenge her death.”

“I have thought about doing that a lot,” Jack confided, “but the more I think about it, the more I feel it would be a bad idea for me to go after him alone. I will just bide my time and stay with you folks. I’m sure it won’t be the last time that we cross paths with him.” Jack hung his head once again, hiding his sorrow and rage from the others, indicating that he no longer wished to speak about the topic.

Deep in thought, Edward turned back toward the others. He was considering telling Melissa what Jack and Mike were, but wasn’t entirely sure that she would be able to handle the shock. While he continued to contemplate the impact it would have on Melissa’s already fragile mind, Katie made the decision for him.

“I know this may be hard for you to handle, but I feel you should know the truth now. I don’t want you to be angry later, if you found out on your own, because we didn’t tell you,” Katie calmly said to Melissa.

“I’m not sure I really want to know,” Melissa remarked hesitantly. “What truth?”

“When I first found out, I had trouble believing such things really existed, too,” Katie confided.

“Please, just spit it out!” Melissa told her.

“Um. How do I put this delicately?” Katie asked in a soft voice, more to herself than anyone else. She thought for a moment and saw no other option than just being blunt. “Jack is a werewolf and Mike is a vampire,” Katie blurted out.

Melissa’s jaw dropped open as if it had come unhinged. She began to back away from the group with a frightened look on her face. She then stood up and looked around wildly for a way to escape the cave. She continued to backpedal away from the others until her back bumped into the wall and she realized she couldn’t go any further. She saw no way to safely get past Jack. The front of the cave was too narrow for her to get past him. There was also only this one large chamber inside the cave. No tunnels or anything else led out of the room.

Edward gave Katie a quick look of frustration then began to stand up. He slowly walked across the cave toward Melissa, holding out his hands to her. “There is no reason to be afraid,” he said softly, trying his best to sound reassuring. “They are on our side. They will not hurt you.”

Melissa shook her head vehemently. Her brown eyes reminded Edward of a frightened rabbit, looking for an opportunity to bolt. “I’m having a nightmare,” Melissa tried to tell herself. “Such things don’t exist in the real world. I want to wake up!” A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and slowly ran down her cheek.

Edward was close enough to touch her now, and he reached out to grab her hand. He looked into her glassy brown eyes and closed his hand softly around one of hers. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “Everything will be all right.” Edward began to slowly back up toward where they had previously been seated, gently pulling Melissa with him. At first she resisted, but when she realized Edward was not going to give up, she relented and allowed herself to be led. He maintained eye contact with her all the way back to where Amber and Katie were. “Sit back down please,” Edward said softly. She hesitated for a moment and then sat down, feeling as if he had somehow hypnotized her. Once Melissa was seated again, Edward resumed his former place and sat down.

Katie smiled. She was happy to see that the calming affect Edward had on her wasn’t an exclusive thing. He just seemed to have a way about him that put people at ease, no matter how dire the situation. Unless, of course, it was Edward that was doing the panicking. “I guess we need to figure out what to do next,” Katie said, starting the conversation up again.

Chapter 25

During George’s travels, since leaving Haven, Natasha’s head had begun to decompose. The smell didn’t faze him, but he had to reposition the skull from its former place. The skin had begun to slough off. Gelatinous chunks of flesh would randomly fall onto the ground with a wet-sounding plop. The hair had begun to fall away as well. Instead of hanging from his saddle, the head, which was  not much more than a skull now, rested gruesomely over the pommel.

He had steadily been making his way through the forest, using the sun as a guide, to make sure he stayed on a northeasterly course. After three days of travel, George had begun to feel like he was being watched again. The feeling washed over him from all directions. He thought that perhaps it was time to make a course change. If his assumptions were correct, the outpost should be almost directly north of his current location.

Hoping to escape, from what felt like a multitude of eyes, he turned his horse about forty-five degrees to the left. Judging that he was now facing north, George pushed the head forward as far as the pommel would allow. The horse took off very swiftly. For a brief moment, he was confused because he had expected the horse to begin galloping. George had gotten so used to riding the strange mechanical beast that he had temporarily forgotten that it had six legs. Instead of the bouncing gait he had been expecting, the beast had begun to run like a spider scurrying from danger.

Even at the heightened speed, the horse was extremely agile, weaving in and out of the trees rushing toward them with tremendous dexterity. Many times, he had to duck his head to avoid a low-hanging branch that threatened to decapitate him if he didn’t move quickly enough. It didn’t take long for him to grow tired of trying to avoid the branches. Surely he had covered enough ground to leave the eyes he felt boring through him behind.

He pulled the head back a bit, sliding another chunk of rotting flesh off the skull. The horse slowed to a fast walk that looked like a predatory insect moving in for the kill. George relaxed a little when he realized that he could no longer feel those unseen eyes watching him.

About an hour passed when he began to notice the trees were thinning out. Just at the edge of his sight, George saw what appeared to be the edge of the forest. His best guess told him that he would likely reach that point in roughly fifteen minutes.

As he closed the distance, George contemplated his plan of moving to a different outpost. How was he going to get around? Were there horses waiting outside each outpost for him? George was pretty sure there was no way his current horse would fit through the doorway of the outpost he was using as a base of operations; and he was just as sure that even if he somehow managed to get the horse inside the outpost, there was no way it would be able to fit in, or negotiate, the stairway leading down to Morgana. Perhaps he should try to contact the Black Knight and find out for sure.

He broke through the outer edge of the woods and brought the horse to a stop. About five hundred feet from his position, he could see a building that was surely the outpost. Something was different about it though. There seemed to be a blackened path leading from it that he didn’t remember being there before. As George stared at the trail in confusion, he noticed the path seemed to be moving.

He cautiously approached the building, keeping a watchful eye on the moving black mass. As he got closer, George began to see what the path consisted of. He stood and watched as thousands of black bugs, which resembled beetles of some sort, trundled outward from the building, seemingly coming from under the door.

Where did these tiny creatures come from? And where were they headed? George stood watching the strange procession for nearly fifteen minutes before sighting what appeared to be the last of them. The entire mass moved as one, heading toward the direction he had just come from.

Diverting his attention back to the task at hand, he stepped toward the door, placed his hand into the strange locking mechanism, and turned it. The door silently slid open. As George walked inside, he heard something coming from the other room. With one hand, he loosened the strap holding his sword in place and reached across with the other to pull it from its sheath. He stepped into the doorway leading from the main room and relaxed. A twisted smile formed on his face.

There, before him on the floor, was the woman he had captured and decided to keep for himself. She was tied to one of the beds in the room and had a gag in her mouth to keep her from crying out for help.

He had completely forgotten about having this woman tied up here. He had been gone for close to a week and other, more pressing matters, had occupied his mind during his time away. The woman now looked absolutely dreadful; she could have been a poster child for an Ethiopian adoption program. She was so emaciated that her skin literally seemed to hang from her bones, and her hair looked stringy and wild. The stench of urine and feces rolled off of her like a tidal wave, and George had to plug his nose to get any closer to her. He had to do something; the stench of decomposing flesh had nothing on this. Actually, he rather enjoyed that smell, as twisted as that might sound.

Watching his step, lest he slip and fall in the excrement covering the floor, George approached the terrified woman. He bent down and freed the gag from her mouth.

She looked up at him with a hopeful glance. "Please, let me go," she pleaded. She turned her head for a moment and wretched, adding to the mess on the floor.

He reached behind the woman and untied the rope that had held her to the bed. Her hands were still lashed together behind her back, but at least she could move a little now. He laid the piece of rope onto the bed and firmly grasped her now bony upper arm. George hefted the woman to her feet.

Silently, he led the woman from the room. Good thing he had decided to move his base of operations to another outpost. There was no way he could tolerate the smell of piss and shit that permeated this place. Not for very long anyway. He opened the door and led the woman outside.

As the door slid quietly shut behind him, he took a deep breath of the fresh air. It helped a little bit, but he could still taste the foul air from inside in his mouth. Even though it was nothing she could have prevented, he was still furious with her.

For a brief moment, the woman had gotten a slight gleam in her eye. Perhaps she thought George had changed his mind and would now let her go. This delusion was shattered moments later when he rudely shoved her to her knees on the ground beside him. Before she could catch her balance and look up to plead with him once more, George raised his sword and brought it down swiftly. A small gasp escaped the woman's lips as her head fell away from her body.

Chapter 26

Night had begun to fall as the sun sank below the horizon. Edward, Katie, and Melissa had conversed for much of the day. Then they had napped for a little while in the late afternoon. Luckily, now Melissa seemed much more at ease; both with the people around her, and with her role in the grand scheme of things.

Edward looked over at the opaque bubble near the cave entrance. Jack still sat next to it, keeping his silent vigil. "Are you awake, Mike?" Edward called out.

A barely audible stirring came from the direction of the bubble. Shortly thereafter, a sleepy sounding mumble emitted from within. "Yeah, I'm up." Mike yawned.

"It should be safe for you to come out now," Edward told him.

"Okay, thanks." Moments later, the shroud of the bubble disappeared. Melissa looked on with curiosity. Supposedly this man was a vampire, but he didn't look like any she had ever seen in the movies. To her, Mike looked more like a zombie than anything else. Sure, his skin was that pasty white she associated with vampires, but his lips were more of a bluish color—like she would expect to see on a corpse. He looked like hell to her. Apparently, nobody had faxed him the memo: Vampires are supposed to be good-looking. At least, that's how all the movie vampires looked. Leave it to Hollywood to get it all wrong.

Mike looked over toward Edward and noticed Melissa for the first time. He tilted his head quizzically to the left as he looked at her, as if listening to something nobody else could hear. He then stood up and approached the rest of the group. Jack had seemed almost like he was in a trance before the bubble had gone away, but now that Mike had stood Jack followed suit. It was a strange sight. Almost as if Jack was a faithful dog following his master.

Mike stopped in front of the rest of the group. He looked down at Melissa, his head still cocked to one side. "I don't believe we have met. My name is Mike," he told her as he held out his hand in greeting.

Melissa looked up at him and hesitantly put her hand in his. She had to muster all of her self-control not to retract her hand immediately. Gripping his hand was like holding onto a block of ice. "Melissa," she said, trying her best to not sound completely repulsed.

His grip tightened on her hand for a moment as he pulled Melissa to her feet. Mike looked down at the others. "Are we just going to sit around all night?" he asked with a chuckle.

Edward flashed Mike a nervous smile. He was still very unsure about keeping Mike as part of the group. He only allowed it without making too much of a fuss because it made Katie happy. Edward boosted himself from the floor of the cave and then helped Katie to her feet. "I guess I was just dreading going through the waterfall again," Edward told Mike. "We finally got dry and I wasn't relishing the idea of traveling through the night with soaking wet clothes."

"True, but there's no time like the present. No matter what, when we leave we will get wet, so we may as well get it over with," Mike replied.

Edward conceded the point and looked toward Amber. "If you would be so kind to lead the way." He gave a grand, sweeping gesture of his hand.

Amber glided across the cave and disappeared through the waterfall. After that, the rest of them made their way through the falling water one by one. A few moments passed. Edward was the last one to go through and he paused for a brief time before entering the rushing water. He looked down with sadness at the corpse of yet another horse. Surely, his luck with them had to change. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

After grieving for a moment, Edward turned from the dead animal and dashed into the waterfall. As he approached the rest of the group, Amber turned away and began heading to the north.

The group followed Amber in silence for quite some time. None of them wanted to draw attention to themselves by shouting to be heard. After about an hour of walking, the sound of rushing water had become softer, more like the trickle of a stream.

As they continued their trek northward, Mike noticed the only part of the group that would walk beside him were Katie and Jack. Edward and Melissa hung about ten feet behind. Every once in a while when he looked back, Mike would see Melissa leaning close to Edward cupping her hand over his ear. Obviously, she was uncomfortable with Mike's presence. That much was clear when he had offered his hand to her back in the cave. He didn't understand it though. Sure, it must have been a shock to meet a vampire for the first time, but he had done nothing to her. She was judging him without knowing who he actually was. He could understand the mistrust from Edward. After all, he had killed the man's horse. Somehow, Mike had to figure out a way to make up for his misdeeds. It pained him to see his relationship with Edward so strained. He needed time alone to think.

Mike stopped for a moment and turned toward Edward. "I'm going to scout ahead," he informed Edward.

"For what?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow. His question never managed to reach Mike's ears though. After Mike had spoken he had turned and disappeared into the darkness. Edward looked at the remainder of the group with confusion written all over his face.

"What was that all about?" Melissa asked.

"I have no idea, but I don't trust the fact that we don't know where he is," Edward stated grimly.

"So. What do we do now?" Katie asked. "Do we wait for Mike to come back or do we keep moving?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure there is a correct response to your question."

Katie looked to everyone else, hoping to get some sort of answer from one of them. "I think we should keep going," Katie said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Then on we go." Edward walked up with Melissa to join the others. Just as they got to where Katie was standing, Edward stopped and pressed a finger to his lips to quiet them.

"What's wrong?" Katie whispered.

"Shhh. Listen," he whispered back.

They all listened intently, not sure what they were hearing. A soft, clicking sound was coming from somewhere ahead of them. The longer they stood still listening to the sound, the louder it was becoming.

"What the hell is that?" Melissa asked nervously.

"Not sure," Katie replied, "but it sounds a lot like beetles."

"If that noise is coming from beetles, then there must be a hell of a lot of them!" Melissa said.

The dim light of Amber's glow had begun to flicker again. Obviously, she was stressed out by the situation. She only seemed to do this when she felt that danger was nearby. Katie didn't understand why Amber was acting this way. They were just tiny, little bugs. What possible threat could Amber perceive them to be?

After fifteen minutes or so passed, the sound began to lessen in volume. They appeared to be heading south. Even though she had never heard of such a thing, Katie thought perhaps the weather had grown too cold for them to survive this far north. She had never heard of insects migrating before, especially beetles. Didn't they just burrow into the ground when it got too cold?

As the sound of the passing beetles faded into the distance, Amber's glow began to stabilize. With one last nervous, backward glance, Amber turned and started leading the group northward once more.

Chapter 27

They had traveled steadily northward for the past two days, during which time nothing out of the ordinary had presented itself. No more strange columns of insects. No more serial killers roaming about.

Even though Edward had misgivings about bringing Mike along, he seemed to be a little more at ease with the situation. They weren't exactly buddies, but at least the two would talk to each other now.

The first signs of the approaching dawn were beginning to show. The sky was slowly growing lighter, but the chill of the night still hung in the air. It was a good thing that the trees, keeping the wind to a minimum, sheltered them. Otherwise, it would likely feel kind of frosty. The air temperature seemed to have gone from a late summer feel to something more reminiscent of mid-fall or early winter.

The group huddled together in a tiny area, too small to be considered an actual clearing, and began to set up a makeshift camp. Mike, as usual, opted to sleep a short distance away from everyone else to keep anyone from accidentally touching his bubble.

Admittedly, Melissa had found the whole bubble thing fascinating at first. She had never seen actual magic performed before, only the illusions and parlor tricks of those on Earth that claimed to be magicians. The magic of Earth was nothing more than slight of hand and optical tricks though. Not true magic.

Mike found his spot of choice to spend the day and lay down on the leaf-littered ground. "I'm ready," he told Edward.

At first, Edward had been very nervous about casting this spell. After all, before a couple of days ago, he had never used the spell. As with all things, he became more proficient with each casting. Edward held his hands out at arm's length and quietly spoke the words to invoke the opaque shroud. At the last word, he began to slowly bring his hands together until they touched. "There you go, Mike. The spell is in place now," Edward said softly.

"Thank you," he replied.

Edward walked over to where the rest of the group was gathered. "Where is Jack?" Edward asked.

"He took off to the north again. Just like he's been doing for the last couple of mornings," Katie answered. "I think he's scouting ahead or something. Apparently he's never found anything interesting on his excursions, because he's never said anything to us when he comes back. I imagine he'll return before it gets dark again."

"I just find it odd," Edward quietly mentioned. "Before we left the cave he was never more than a few feet from Mike, and now all of the sudden he keeps taking off."

"Didn't he tell us that his wife had been murdered?" Melissa inquired.

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with him taking off like he's been doing," Edward said.

"Maybe there is more than one purpose to what he's doing. Perhaps he is trying to track down his wife's killer to exact his vengeance," Melissa replied thoughtfully.

"Good point. I hadn't even thought about it from that angle," Edward conceded.

Just then, an ear-splitting roar shattered the near silence. It echoed through the trees, coming from all around them. Amber was so terrified by the sound that she didn't even bother to pulse like she'd done in the past. She just winked out and disappeared entirely, leaving the remainder of the group in complete darkness.

"What the hell was that?" Melissa asked as she removed the hands she had temporarily clamped over her ears.

Edward produced a small flame in the palm of one hand in order to see the others. He saw Katie looking at him nervously.

"That sounded a lot like—" Katie began.

"—the creature from the tavern in Haven," Edward finished for her.

"Only," Katie began again, "it sounded bigger somehow, and really pissed off."

"I'm missing something here. What creature?" Melissa asked.

Edward gave her a puzzled look. How could she forget something like that? Then it dawned on him. Melissa hadn't been with them during the ordeal in Haven. "When we were spending the night in a town south of here," Edward began to explain, "a large, mechanical, wolf-like creature attacked us. We were fortunate to escape with our lives. I thought that I had killed the creature, but apparently I was mistaken."

"But," Katie interjected, "we saw it again after we left Haven. It was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal when we found it in the woods a few days ago."

"I know. I saw the same thing you did," Edward told Katie. Melissa's eyes darted nervously between the two, trying to comprehend what was going on. "Obviously, someone must have come along, found it, and proceeded to fix it somehow," Edward added grimly.

"How did you kill it before?" Melissa interrupted.

"If I remember correctly, I used a lightning spell," Edward replied. "Although, given what we just heard, I would have to say that all I did was temporarily disable it. We need to come up with a new plan."

"And fast," Katie added.

"What do you want me to do?" Melissa asked.

"If that creature shows up here, the best thing you can do is try to stay out of harm's way," Edward told her. "But, whatever you do, don't run away. The closer you are to myself and Katie, the more likely we will be able to protect you."

"Not to mention, we really can't afford to lose anyone," Katie added as an afterthought.

"Exactly!" Edward nodded in agreement. "We could ill afford to lose a healer."

"Or anyone else for that matter," Katie chimed in.

Another mechanical roar erupted. It was significantly louder than the last. The beast must be coming closer, Katie thought. As if to confirm her thoughts, they began to feel the ground trembling slightly beneath their feet.

"Hello! Can anyone hear me?" Mike asked from his place inside the magic bubble.

"We hear you," Edward called out as quietly as he could, hoping that Mike could hear him.

"What's going on out there? Do you need my help? Is it safe for me to come out?" Mike asked.

Edward stood frozen in place, unsure how to answer his questions. He nervously glanced toward the rapidly lightening sky. The sun would probably crest the horizon very shortly. If Mike were to leave the safety of the bubble now, he would surely die ... this time for good. There was no way, if they were focused on fighting the beast, that Edward could turn his attention away from the fight to get a new bubble up around Mike.

"I hate to say this," Edward began, "but you need to stay in that bubble. As much as we could use your help, you would very likely be killed if you came out. Not by the beast, but by the sun. It's going to come over the horizon in a few minutes," Edward warned him.

"Great!" Mike said sarcastically.

The ground was beginning to tremble more steadily now. The vibrations from the tremors were strong enough to tickle the bottoms of Katie's feet through her boots.

It was near enough to sunrise that the small flame within Edward's palm was pointless now. He closed his hand to extinguish it as he nervously scanned outside the perimeter of their camp. So far, he could not see the metallic monster he knew was closing in on them.

A couple of minutes later, the sun came over the horizon. The moment it did, Edward saw its light glint off the swiftly approaching adversary. He didn't know how the thing had managed to track them, but there it was. Like a nightmare that just refused to go away.

Edward took a quick look around to see where everyone was positioned. Mike was still inside of his bubble. Melissa was hiding behind the biggest tree she could find; only her head was poked out to see what was unfolding. Katie was standing about ten feet in front of Melissa, guarding her with the loaded crossbow in her hands. Edward decided to take up a position in between Katie and the bubble that housed Mike.

The wolf-like beast must have caught Edward's movement as it approached, for its gait had changed and was now running toward them with amazing speed.

Edward readied himself, holding out his hands and turning his palms toward the sky. Within seconds, tiny bolts of electricity began to dance upon his hands. He channeled as much energy as he could into the spell and within moments thicker bolts of lightning began jumping from one hand to the other.

The mechanical beast was rapidly closing the distance between them. One hundred feet. Fifty feet. Twenty-five. In a matter of seconds it would be at point blank range. Edward pulled his hands together and shot his palms out in unison. An enormous jolt of lightning burst forth from his hands. It hit the beast squarely in one of its massive heads, but instead of incapacitating it, as he had previously done, it seemed to absorb the energy of the blast.

The beast was gathering its hind legs beneath itself, preparing to launch its massive body at Edward. Ten feet from Edward, the creature sprang into the air. Edward dropped to the ground as fast as he could, narrowly averting the crushing blow. As it passed above him, Edward could see the electrical pulses seething over the outside of the beast's metal flesh. It was like the lightning was a part of its skin now.

With a thud that shook the ground beneath their feet, the beast landed about ten feet beyond Edward. It immediately spun around to face him again.

Katie wanted to fire a crossbow bolt at the creature, but couldn't figure out where to place the shot. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow, some way, something about it was different. The bolt of lightning that Edward had used against the beast this time slithered and crackled across its body. It was as if the lightning had never actually reached the creature's body and was kept at bay by some sort of invisible force field. Katie had the disheartening idea that it had not only been repaired, it had been upgraded, somehow making it indestructible. She needed more time to think and she was sure Edward needed some time to adjust his strategy as well.

Katie raised the crossbow and fired. The bolt sailed through the air and bounced off the massive chest of the beast. Sadly, Katie had only managed to get the attention of one of the three heads. The other two were still focused intently on Edward.

Suddenly, screams filled the air. Smoke began to emanate from somewhere on the other side of Edward. Moments later, the creature was turning another of its heads in the direction of the screams. Rushing toward the beast was a flame that looked to be eight feet tall. Both Edward and Katie turned their attention away from it for a moment, curious as to where the flame had come from. Melissa stood near the tree trying to comprehend everything that was happening. Her mouth hung open in shock. She couldn't believe this was happening. Melissa began to wonder if she had made the right choice by staying here. Perhaps she should have taken the opportunity to go back to Earth when the option had been available.

As the flames closed in on the mechanical menace, Katie had a disturbing thought cross her mind. Was it possible that the flames were moving toward the wolf-like creature? It couldn't be! She turned away from this sight for just a moment, desperately searching the area on the other side of Edward for the bubble that Mike should be sheltered beneath. It was no longer there! Why would Mike risk his life by coming out of it while the sun was out?

As Katie turned back toward the unfolding scene before her, the flames collided with the beast. The force of the collision launched the creature into the air, causing it to sail for close to twenty feet before crashing into a tree. As it struck, a loud cracking noise sounded and the tree began to buckle. Before it could recover from the blow, tree limbs began to crack loudly as it began to fall. Moments later, a metallic crunch echoed through the woods as the tree hit the ground, crushing the creature beneath its weight.

The beast snapped its massive jaws to no avail. The weight of the fallen tree was too much. It couldn't do more than waggle its legs fruitlessly in the air. It might not be dead, like they had all hoped it would be when the fight was over, but it wasn't going anywhere. It was pinned to the ground, looking much like the bug collection that Katie's brother, Matt, had kept when he was younger. The little bodies affixed to his corkboard by pins.

Katie was glad the fight was over and turned her attention away from the creature that was no longer a threat. It took her a moment, but she found Edward. He was standing in the area where the collision had occurred.

Edward removed his cloak and spread it on top of the flames, which extinguished immediately.

Katie ran toward Edward as Melissa remained cowering behind a tree. "Please tell me that isn't Mike!" she said as she saw the lump on the ground beneath Edward's cloak.

"I haven't had a chance to check yet, but I believe that it probably is," Edward replied sadly.

Tears began to well up in the corners of Katie's eyes as she waited for Edward to lift his cloak and confirm if the body beneath it was Mike or not. Edward looked back over Katie's shoulder, trying to locate Melissa. When he saw that she was still hiding behind a tree, he motioned for her to join them. "We may need your help, Melissa," Edward called out.

Nervously, Melissa stepped out from her hiding place. She saw the lump beneath Edward's cloak, but wasn't sure that she wanted to see what was lurking there.

As Melissa arrived and stood next to Katie, Edward pulled up one corner of the cloak to look under it. Smoke, and the stench of seared flesh, rose from beneath it. The flesh was charred very badly and in a lot of places that Edward could see, bones were visible through the blackened mess. He let the cloak fall back down to cover the body and looked up at Katie and Melissa, struggling to hold back tears of his own. "The body is burned beyond recognition, but I'm afraid that it is indeed Mike," Edward said in a cracking voice.

Katie immediately began to sob. The tears flowing in torrents down her face. She turned and stumbled away from the scene, her vision blurred by the tears.

"So, there's nothing I can do?" Melissa asked Edward.

"Not unless you can somehow bring the dead back to life," Edward croaked. He turned away from Melissa's gaze and tried to locate Katie through his own watering eyes. It was difficult to see, but he found her moments later. It looked like she was crouched down near the place where Mike's bubble had been. Edward got to his feet and went over to where she was knelt.

"It's all my fault," Katie cried, looking up at him as he approached.

"Don't say that. It's nobody's fault. Who's to say why he left the safety of his bubble?" Edward said softly, attempting to console her.

"But it is!" Katie insisted. She picked up something from the ground in front of her and held it up for Edward to see.

Edward looked confused. "What does that have to do with him leaving the bubble?" he asked Katie.

"Because it's my crossbow bolt! When I shot at the creature it ricocheted off! It must have pierced Mike's bubble when it landed!" Katie wailed.

Chapter 28

Darkness began to settle in around Edward, Katie, and Melissa. They remained in the vicinity of their most recent battle. Jack had still not returned from wherever he had run off to, presumably to scout the area to their immediate north.

Melissa kept herself busy by combing the area for fallen branches they could use to build a fire. She was still very nervous about their current situation; every noise made her nearly jump out of her skin, and there were many unusual sounds in the area this evening. The mechanical, wolf-like, creature continued to thrash about, attempting to free itself from beneath the tree. Unfortunately, no matter how far in the opposite direction she went in her search for firewood, Melissa could still hear the thing snapping its jaws. She really wished the others had chosen to move further away from the creature. Even though Melissa could understand why Edward and Katie wanted to stay close by, she constantly worried that it would somehow break free and come after them again. Mike was still lying on the ground, using Edward's cloak as his death shroud. They didn't want to leave him unburied and were biding their time, awaiting Jack's return so he could aid in digging the grave.

With an armload of sticks and branches, Melissa walked back to where Edward and Katie were seated. She placed them on the ground in a haphazard pile and looked at the two of them. Katie was still crying a little, but overall she appeared to be much calmer than she had been earlier. Edward seemed to have that effect on her.

Melissa sat down beside Katie and gave her a hug. Affection wasn't something that Melissa normally showed toward anyone, but she truly felt sorry for her. The poor girl insisted on blaming herself for Mike's death even though it wasn't her fault. His release from the protective bubble was purely accidental. No one could have predicted that Katie's shot would have ricocheted, let alone that it did and just happened to hit the bubble. Katie rested her head on Melissa's shoulder and continued to cry softly.

Edward began to distractedly arrange the wood Melissa had gathered so that he could create a fire. Even though his own tears had long since dried up, he still got a knot in his throat every time he glanced over and saw the tears on Katie's face. He felt so helpless! Sure, he was able to calm Katie down to the point where she wasn't hysterical anymore, but it still angered him that the fight had gone down the way it had. It was supposed to have been him that took down the mechanical monster, not Mike.

Was it selfish of him to feel this way? Or was it just wishful thinking? If he had dispatched the creature, like he should have, Mike would still be alive. At least, as alive as any undead creature could be.

When Edward lit the branches on fire with the small, magical flame in the palm of his hand, the creature stirred again. The giant jaws snapping in the night air echoed through the trees. He felt his anger rise. Edward wanted so badly to just stand up, walk over to where the beast was trapped, and put the monster out of business for good. He had no idea how to go about that though. The lightning spell had worked for him back in Haven, but out here in the wilderness when he had tried to use the same spell, it had been as effective as pissing up a rope. He hated feeling so inept.

Full darkness was upon them now. Neither of the moons had come above the horizon just yet. The only light came from the small campfire that Edward had just started. Even though it was dark, Amber was still nowhere to be seen. Just then, a howl pierced the surrounding silence. Edward looked toward the mechanical creature. The howl hadn't come from it. The one Edward had heard was more distant. He turned toward the sound and strained his eyes, trying to see into the darkness. He really hoped it was Jack.

Suddenly it grew very quiet, as if something had swooped down from the sky and sucked all sound from the world around them. The flames licking the wood of their campfire were silent. The wolf-like, mechanical beast was no longer snapping its jaws, as if it had given up any hope of escaping from beneath the tree. Or perhaps it was thinking, if such a creature was actually capable of thought, that someone would come along and free it.

Several minutes passed before any of them heard a sound. The soft rustling of leaves seemed to be coming from somewhere just north of their position. Edward turned and looked in that direction, squinting his eyes. After straining to see into the darkness for a minute or so, Edward caught a glimpse of two tiny globes that looked like eyes, catching the light of the fire within them. As they drew closer, the form they were attached to became visible. It was a wolf.

"Jack?" Edward called out hesitantly.

The animal continued to move closer, but didn't appear to be moving in a threatening manner. It came up next to Edward and lay down on the ground beside him.

Edward looked down into the wolf's eyes. "I don't know where you ran off to, but while you were gone the beast that attacked us in Haven returned." The wolf put its head down on Edward's lap and cocked its head slightly to one side, listening to Edward's voice.

"We really could have used your help in the fight," Edward continued. "We lost Mike in the battle. For good this time, I'm afraid," Edward said, as he indicated with a pointing finger the place that Mike's body laid.

Jack turned his head and looked in the direction Edward was pointing. As a wolf, his vision was much better than any human eyes would ever be in the dark. He easily picked out where Mike lay beneath Edward's cloak. He turned back to face Edward and tilted his head questioningly.

He wasn't sure if it was a trick caused by the firelight or not, but as Jack looked up at him, Edward swore that the wolf's eyes were watering ... as if, in his own way, Jack was crying. Seeing the wolf this way started to bring tears back to Edward's eyes. The lump in his throat made a return appearance as well.

"Could you help us bury Mike?" Edward asked in a hitching voice. "You can dig a hole much faster than any of us can."

As much as he hated the fact, Jack knew that Edward was right. He slowly lifted himself from the ground and sauntered over to where Mike's body lay. Jack dreaded having to do this again. Digging in the fields behind his home in Haven had been one thing; this was another matter entirely. Even though it was a necessity, Jack thoroughly despised digging graves.

Edward watched as Jack slowly made his way over to where Mike lay in his shroud. It was obvious in the way Jack carried himself—his slow gait, tail tucked between his hind legs, his head hung low—that he wanted no part of the task before him. None of them had foreseen the way events had unfolded though.

Jack stopped near the corpse and stared at the shroud in silence for a few moments, as if he were showing one last sign of respect before carrying out the inevitable. Slowly at first, Jack began to paw at the ground beside Mike. Then, his anger at himself for not being here when the others had needed his help took over. Leaves and dirt began to fly wildly through the air as he dug.

He pawed through the dirt so furiously that after approximately five minutes, Jack was no longer in sight. Dirt continued to fly from the hole at an alarming rate, and after a couple more minutes Jack reappeared. He sat down next to the grave, panting loudly, and gave a quick bark to get the group's attention.

Edward rose to his feet and offered his hands to Katie and Melissa to help them up. Once everyone was on their feet, they slowly made their way over to where Jack sat waiting.

Edward lifted his cloak from Mike's body and set it aside in a crumpled heap on the ground. Katie turned her head so she couldn't see Mike's charred corpse, the smell was bad enough. She didn't want to look at it, too. Seeing Katie's reaction once the body was uncovered, Melissa moved toward Mike's head and looked to Edward. "Wanna grab his legs?" she asked, looking at Edward.

With resignation, Edward took the place near Mike's feet. He glanced at Katie for a moment and silently wished that she didn't have to endure all that she had since coming to his world. She'd done pretty well so far, considering all the death and horrors she had been forced to face, but Edward was afraid that one day it would be too much to bear.

"I'm ready," Edward told Melissa.

Together they bent down to pick up the body. Getting a grip on it was a bit dicey. Grasping the charred flesh felt a little like trying to hold congealed gravy in your hand without allowing it to slip through your fingers.

With Mike's body trying to slip through their grasp, Edward and Melissa lowered it into the grave as gently as they could. Jack had dug the hole a little deeper than they expected, so instead of setting the corpse softly into the hole, they had to let go and allow the body to fall the last couple of feet to the bottom. It landed with a sickeningly wet, crunching sound that made them both glad they couldn't see inside the grave. Surely, by the sound of it, the skeleton had come apart when it hit the bottom.

Melissa and Edward stepped back from the grave and went to stand by Jack and Katie. They all bowed their heads and silently said their good-byes.

Chapter 29

After they paid their respects, they pitched in to shove loose dirt onto Mike's grave. With the hole filled in, the group now sat around the campfire contemplating their next move.

"Where the heck is Amber?" Edward asked aloud, more to himself than directed toward anyone in particular. Her continued absence was beginning to frustrate him. She was as much a part of their little group as anyone else, and they had all grown accustomed to her leading them in the right direction. Now, Edward didn't know which way to go, other than heading north since that was the direction Amber generally led them.

"No idea," Katie mumbled, not realizing that Edward was talking to himself.

Edward turned at the sound of Katie's voice. "Sorry. I guess I was thinking out loud. I didn't mean for anyone to hear that." He gave her a weak smile. "I'm just frustrated because I've grown used to her leading the way."

"I know it may not be the greatest substitute, but if you would like I will lead until she decides to reappear," Jack said from across the fire. He had changed back to human form a short while ago, much to the distress of Melissa. She was still having a hard time grasping the fact that supernatural creatures, like Jack, truly existed. Although, Melissa did seem slightly less agitated with Jack's presence now compared to when he was still a wolf.

"I can't guarantee I would be as effective, but while I was away I did come across another town," Jack added, trying to give the others a glimmer of hope.

"It would at least be somewhere to start," Katie acknowledged, looking at Edward for any sign that he agreed.

"Is it in the same general direction we've been traveling thus far?" Edward inquired.

"I believe so," Jack replied.

"About how far away is this town?" Edward asked.

"It is close enough that we should be able to get there sometime in the early morning hours, I would guess," Jack said.

"Then, I say we get going. Does anyone disagree?" Edward asked as he began to stand.

"Sounds like as good a plan as any," Katie stated.

"Any plan that will take us far away from the creature beneath that tree is a good sounding plan to me," Melissa said. "That noise it keeps making every now and then is very unnerving. I keep thinking it will somehow get loose and come after us again. I don't relish being a meal for that thing."

"Then we are agreed. Jack, if you would please?" Edward administered a gesture indicating Jack to take the lead.

Chapter 30

Travel was much slower with Jack attempting to lead the group through the darkness. Until now, they had taken for granted the pace they were able to maintain when Amber led them. With only the small, magical flame dancing above Edward's hand to light their way, progress had slowed to a crawl. Sure, it was easy enough for Edward, Katie, and Melissa to see each other by the light of the flame, but with Jack having to shift to his wolf form to take advantage of his keen sense of smell it was harder to keep track of him.

Sometimes, Jack would pick up a scent and begin moving a little faster and the group would lose sight of him. Each time this happened they would have to stop and regroup.

Thankfully, the sky was beginning to grow lighter with the first hints of the approaching dawn. Now they could see Jack without the aid of Edward's magical flame, so their pace began to quicken slightly.

Without warning, Jack suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong? Why are we stopping?" Melissa snapped in frustration at the delay.

"I'm not sure," Edward replied.

Katie kept silent and watched Jack intently, looking for any changes in his behavior. Jack's ears flicked up and down, rotating this way and that. He slowly turned back toward the rest of the group and tilted his head slightly for a moment. Before they could do or say anything, Jack suddenly rushed off toward the south. He disappeared into the trees before they had a chance to react.

"Great!" Melissa said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "What now?"

"Judging by the way he was acting just before he took off, I would have to say Jack must have heard something he perceived to be a threat," Katie said.

"I can't help but agree with Melissa this time." Edward frowned. "All of these delays are getting annoying."

"We are all frustrated, Edward," Katie said, "but there is nothing we can do about it." She wasn't happy about the situation any more than the others, but standing around bickering wasn't going to solve anything either. Katie sat down and watched Edward and Melissa pacing angrily about for a few moments wishing that they would calm down. Pacing as they were was not going to solve anything, nor bring Jack back any faster.

A couple of minutes passed before Edward and Melissa finally sat down near Katie. Both of them wore intense scowls upon their faces, but at least the ranting had stopped. As the silence settled among them, Katie began to hear a familiar sound. It was faint, barely more audible than a whisper. "Shit!" Katie exclaimed, startling the others.

"What?" Edward and Melissa replied in near unison.

"Do you hear that?" Katie asked.

"Hear what?" Melissa responded with a hint of hostility in her voice.

Edward sat forward slightly, straining to hear what Katie was asking about. Melissa was making too much noise for him to hear anything though, so Edward turned to her and placed a finger before his lips. Melissa quieted down, but sat sulking like a spoiled child. The look was very unbecoming for someone of her age.

He began to listen intently again, trying desperately to hear what Katie had heard. It took a few moments, but he was beginning to hear something. It sounded familiar somehow, but at the moment he couldn't place where he had heard the noise before. Then, recognition appeared on his face.

"Do you hear it now?" Katie asked again as she saw the change in Edward's features.

"Yes, but ... " Edward trailed off, still concentrating on the sound.

"It sounds like that huge column of beetles that we saw a while ago," Katie said. "I thought they were migrating to the south, but if that is indeed what I'm hearing, then I must have been wrong about that."

Edward nodded his agreement. A look of worried concentration appeared on his face. He feared that Katie's assumption was correct, but what did that mean? Was there a purpose to what the bugs were doing? If so, what could it be? And perhaps the most important question of all, what were they going to do about it?

Melissa noted the intense look on Edward's face. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.

With Katie and Melissa looking to him for answers, he began to share his concerns. They huddled together and talked quietly. Steadily, the clicking of the beetles began to grow louder and louder. Katie was having trouble focusing on what Edward was saying. She kept glancing over his shoulder waiting to see the enormous column of bugs marching up from the south.

As the sun began to show above the horizon, Katie saw the leading edge of the column approaching. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing toward the mass that looked like a giant, black snake slithering toward them. Then she saw Jack. It looked as if he were following the beetles, or maybe even herding them somehow. At some point, after he had run off, Jack had changed back to his human form.

Seeing that Jack had not abandoned them, Katie stood up excitedly and began waving at him. Edward rose to his feet and helped Melissa up, knowing that he had to make his mind up about what to do, and fast. The head of the massive column of beetles was now a mere fifty feet from where he stood.

Edward could only think of one thing to do. "Get out of the way!" he yelled out to Jack. He then lowered his head and began to concentrate. Within a matter of moments the air temperature around him dropped off rapidly.

Katie grabbed Melissa by the arm and dragged her out of the way. She then made frantic motions to Jack, yelling to him at the same time. "Jack! Get over here! Quick!"

Jack hesitated for just a moment, unsure why Katie seemed so panicked. He thought about what Edward had said as well, not sure what he was supposed to get out of the way of. Jack darted to one side in the direction of Katie. As he did, Edward lifted his head and thrust his palms out toward the column of bugs. A pale blue pillar erupted from Edward's hands, immediately dropping the ambient temperature in the area and creating frost upon the low-hanging branches of nearby trees. Within moments, the clicking of beetles ceased, as did their forward progress.

For the first time, Edward's spell seemed to go off without a hitch. Normally, some minor miscalculation hindered the effectiveness of his spells. Not this time though. A smile spread across his face as he looked upon the awed faces of his companions.

"That was awesome!" Katie cheered.

Melissa couldn't believe her eyes. She had always believed magic to be hocus-pocus bullshit, intended to fascinate the naive. She moved toward the frozen carpet of insects. She had to get a closer look to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

When Melissa got closer she noticed that the beetles were no longer black, but instead seemed translucent. She bent down to inspect them more closely and saw something very disturbing. "You might want to come look at this," she called to the others.

The celebration of their victory was cut short by Melissa's oddly trembling voice. They all turned toward Melissa, half expecting to see the ice melting away and the beetles moving around again. Seeing no reason for alarm, the others approached.

"What are we looking at?" Edward asked.

"All I see are a lot of frozen bugs," Katie said.

"Look closer," Melissa insisted.

Katie squatted down next to her. Almost immediately she noticed the difference. "Holy crap! They're made of metal, just like that three-headed thing that was attacking us!" Katie cried out in alarm.

Edward bent down and plucked one of the tiny beetles from the ground and studied it for a moment. Katie was right. It did look like it was made of metal. He dropped it back to the ground and brought the heel of his boot down on it. The satisfactory sound of a crunch came from beneath his foot. With a triumphant smile, Edward lifted his foot. The grin quickly faded. Apparently, the ice breaking away from the tiny body had made the crunching sound. The beetle was moving again, rubbing its tiny legs together. Moments later, it burrowed into the ground and disappeared.

"Let's not do that again!" Melissa said sarcastically.

"I agree," Katie said. "Let's just leave them where they are. Frozen solid."

"And hope they stay that way!" Jack added.

Chapter 31

Recent events had slowed the group's progress down severely. Even so, as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, the four of them were nearing the edge of the forest. Smoke could be seen rising in the distance, although from here it looked as if it were belching forth from the ground itself. They had to be getting close to the town Jack had found the night before.

A few minutes later they stepped out of the trees and found themselves standing on the top edge of a hill. Nestled in the valley below them was a small town, which looked eerily similar to Haven. It appeared to have one dusty road going down the center of it. Although, Edward thought, the town does seem a little bigger. The road seemed longer, and if Edward was not mistaken, there were more houses as well.

"What are we waiting for?" Melissa asked.

"I am just looking for a place that is likely an inn," Edward replied. "We need to rest. I am also hoping if we are in a more stable environment that Amber may rejoin us when it gets dark."

"And you will be able to tell that from this distance?" Melissa asked sarcastically.

Edward frowned at her. Couldn't the gods have chosen someone better to be their healer? Melissa can be really annoying at times, Edward thought. Sometimes even borderline rude.

`"She's got a point, Edward," Katie said. "We aren't getting anything accomplished by standing around looking."

He hated to admit it, but Katie was right. Perhaps he was hesitant because of the last experience he had. Haven turning out to be a town comprised of strictly werewolves had really caught Edward off guard. He found himself second-guessing his decision to stay there in the first place. Now, he had another town to consider. What if this town was like Haven? Did he really want to subject the rest of the group to another encounter like their last one?

"Edward? Say something! Please?" Katie added, disturbed by Edward's thoughtful silence.

"Sorry. You are probably right, Katie," Edward admitted. "I am just nervous about the possibility that my decision could put us into a similar position as we had to deal with back in Haven. I don't want us to have to endure another ordeal like that if I can avoid it."

"I never thought about it from that angle," Katie said, thoughtfully.

"Well, I can't really judge what to do based on what happened in that town," Melissa said. "I obviously wasn't there for that. However, I would like to know if we are staying put or moving on. Sorry. I am tired, grouchy, and would like nothing more than to lay down and sleep."

"Can we put the decision to a vote?" Katie asked. "That way you won't feel so much like it's all your fault if something goes wrong."

"Likely, I will feel that way no matter what," Edward confided, "but your idea is a sound one, Katie. All in favor of going into the town below?"

Edward watched as each of them raised their hands. Apparently, he was the only one that was hesitant about risking their lives. Edward hoped the fact that they all needed sleep wasn't effecting their judgement. "So be it," Edward said at last. "Let's get moving then."

As the group began descending the gentle slope of the hill toward the town below, Edward noted the state of Jack's clothing. It was filthy and torn in more places than he could count. It wasn't covering very much that was for sure. "Hold on a minute," Edward called out to the others. They were about twenty feet further down the hill than Edward was. The group turned around to see what had ruffled Edward's feathers this time.

"What now?" Melissa said impatiently, her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"Chill out, Melissa," Katie whispered harshly.

Edward caught up to the rest of the group. "I just happened to notice the state of Jack's wardrobe," he said, giving Melissa a condescending look. He shrugged out of his cloak and handed it to Jack. "It may not smell the best but at least you will look a little more presentable," Edward remarked with a weak smile.

Jack pulled the cloak tightly around his body. "Thank you," he said politely to Edward.

Feeling a bit like she'd been a royal bitch to Edward, Melissa turned and started heading down the hill again. She didn't know why she felt compelled to act that way toward Edward. Maybe, deep down inside, Melissa still resented being torn from her world the way she had been. Edward had offered her an out though. He had told her she could go back, but she had decided to stay. In effect, it was her fault and not Edward's. Although, Melissa had never in a million years expected things to be as they were now.

Edward saw Melissa begin to storm off out of the corner of his eye. He let her get a head start on the group, figuring she needed to cool her temper. As he got the remainder of the group moving again, Edward noticed with dismay that someone was coming toward them from the town below. Heading straight for Melissa.

He hurried the group, hoping to catch up to Melissa before the townsperson got to her. The man coming toward them switched his attention from Melissa when he saw that the others had begun rushing down the hill. "Halt!" he cried out, holding up one hand.

Melissa stopped and looked nervously at the newcomer, silently wishing she hadn't taken off the way she had. She could really use ...

Edward came to a stop beside Melissa. She turned her head and looked at him gratefully. "I'm sorry, Edward. I have been really nasty to you lately and it was totally uncalled for," Melissa humbly stated.

Before Edward could open his mouth to accept her apology, the newcomer stopped in front of them. "What is your purpose in our town?" the man asked menacingly.

Edward looked at the man and noted that one of his hands rested on the hilt of a sword, which was thankfully still in its sheath. "We are just looking for a place to rest for the night that isn't in the wilderness," Edward informed him with an awkward smile.

The man appeared to relax a little. "We have had a number of people turn up missing in the past couple of weeks, so the town is on high alert," he said. "If you truly have good intentions, as you say, and only wish to spend the night, I'm sure we can accommodate you."

"You have our gratitude," Edward said with a bow of his head.

"If you would just follow me please." The man turned back toward the town.

The group followed him in silence down the remainder of the hill. Edward looked at their surroundings as he walked. In some respects, this town was much like Haven. Farmland occupied the land behind the furthest buildings. Grassy fields and pastures dominated the area behind the buildings closest to him.

Edward did notice something strange though. He had originally seen the town as being tucked away in a valley, but as he strode down the hill it looked more to him like the town was inside an enormous earthen bowl. The land sloped up in every direction. The only break in this image was the dirt road that wove its way from the town haphazardly in a more or less southern direction. It didn't rise and go over the top of the hill; instead it seemed to go about halfway up the hill and then cut into it. From his vantage point, Edward was unsure if the road became a tunnel or if there was just a large gouge in the earth that left the road with dirt walls on either side.

The lay of the land seemed, in Edward's opinion, to be easy to defend against anyone with ill intentions. Surely, with only one road in and out of the town, the posting of guards should be able to keep unwanted individuals from entering. Obviously, anyone trying to enter the town by coming down from the surrounding hills would be seen almost immediately. The man that had met them halfway down the hillside seemed to prove this theory to be accurate. So how could people turn up missing from this town? Unless, of course, they were to leave of their own accord. Edward was sure, if that were the case, the guards would pay little attention to their departure.

As the group reached the bottom of the hill, another man came rushing out from town to meet them. "Is everything okay?" he asked the person leading them.

"Everything is fine," he answered. "I am just escorting these folks to the inn."

The second gentleman nodded to the first and then departed back in the direction he came from.

A couple of minutes later, the guard led them onto the dirt road running through the center of town. "Welcome to Loknar!" the man stated, spreading his arms before him. "That is the building you are looking for," he added, pointing toward a bi-level structure about one hundred feet up on the right.

The group began to move in the direction of the inn when the guard clamped a hand down on Edward's shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered in Edward's ear, "You seem to be the leader of this little group. Can I perhaps speak with you privately once all of you get settled?"

Edward nodded. "Sure. Give me a little bit and I'll come back out to speak with you."

"I'll wait for you over there," the man said, pointing out a bench flanked by rocking chairs that sat under the awning of the inn.

Edward nodded to him again and then rejoined his friends, whom by now were looking at him curiously.

"What was that all about?" Katie asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Edward told her. "He wants to talk to me privately after we get settled in."

"I'm not going to tell you not to do it," Katie frowned, "but it does seem a little strange that he singled you out. Why not talk to all of us?" Katie asked nervously.

"He sees me as the leader of our group," Edward explained. "I guess he figures—" he trailed off for a moment, "—I don't know what he figures."

"Where does he want to meet with you?" Jack asked.

"Right out here, on that bench," Edward replied, indicating the long wooden bench behind them.

"We should see if we can get a room that overlooks the street then," Katie said. "At least, that way we can look down here and see if anything goes wrong."

"This whole situation sounds a little hinky," Melissa added with a note of concern in her voice.

"Well, let's see about getting settled into a room before we start worrying about the man's intentions. I'm sure it's nothing. He's probably just as wary of us as we are of him," he said with a tight-lipped smile that was far from reassuring.

The four of them turned and walked through the batwing doors of the inn. The inside of the place looked eerily similar to the tavern they stayed at in Haven. Empty tables and chairs dotted the dimly lit area around the bar. A petite, red-haired woman with a freckled face was behind the counter diligently wiping down the surface of the bar. She looked up at them as they entered.

"You aren't from around here," she said stating the obvious. "What can I do for you folks?"

"We're wanting to get a room for the night, if you have any available," Edward told her.

"Just one room?" she inquired as she took in the fact that there were four of them.

"Yes, ma'am," Edward replied. "Preferably one that overlooks the road outside."

"I have one of those," she said, "but you may find it a wee cramped if all of you intend to stay in the same room."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Edward smiled.

"It'll be a silver piece for the room then," she told them.

Melissa, Katie, and Jack looked at Edward nervously, knowing they had no money to pay. Edward looked down at his feet for a moment, trying to hide the shameful blush that was blooming on his cheeks. He finally looked up at the young woman. "I'm sorry. We don't have any money at this time," Edward told her. "The only payment we can offer right now would be to help the town figure out where the people whom have gone missing have disappeared to. Or helping out with repairs if there are any that need to be done."

The barmaid looked at Edward skeptically. "Normally, I wouldn't even consider your proposal," she said as she shot Edward an intense glare, "but my best friend was one of the people you mentioned who went missing. I would give anything for the possibility of her safe return."

"If it is within our power to do so, we will find out what happened and bring your friend back then. You have my word," Edward replied.

"You have my deepest thanks," she said. "Let me show you to your room. Follow me, please."

The barmaid walked out from behind the bar and led them through a curtain in the back of the dimly lit room. As the curtain parted, a staircase was revealed. It was lit from a window near the top of the stairs and much brighter than the main room of the tavern.

The four weary travelers silently followed the woman up the stairs and down a long hallway until she stopped in front of a closed door. She opened the door and stepped to one side to allow the group to enter the room. "Will this do?" she asked politely.

Edward poked his head inside for a moment to inspect the room. It was laid out in an identical manner as the room in Haven had been. Two beds were pressed against the far wall of the room and a rocking chair sat opposite them on the outer wall next to the room's single window. Edward walked into the room and went to look at the view, which was just what he had asked for.

"This will be perfect," Edward said as he turned to meet the barmaid's questioning gaze.

"Very well then," she said. "I will let you folks get settled in. If you need anything, I will be downstairs in the tavern." With a brief nod she returned to the stairs and disappeared down them.

The four of them entered the room and Jack closed the door. "What do you want us to do while you talk to that man?" Melissa asked. For once, her question sounded sincere and not dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm not sure how you want to decide who does what," Edward began, "but two of you should lay down and try to get some sleep. Whomever decides they will keep a lookout should take up a position here by the window."

"I'll stay up and watch your back the best I can," Jack volunteered.

Katie and Melissa went over to the beds and sat down. "Not sure if I can sleep until we know what that man wants from you," Katie told Edward.

"I don't know about you, Katie, but I'm exhausted!" Melissa said through a yawn.

"I'll try not to be gone too long," Edward said comfortingly.

Melissa laid back and stretched out on the bed. Lacing her fingers behind her head, she closed her eyes. Before Edward could even turn and leave the room, Melissa was snoring softly.

Katie, on the other hand, was more nervous than tired. She fidgeted on the bed as if she were about to get up and start pacing the floor. "Please, be careful, Edward," she pleaded.

"Try not to worry too much, Katie," he said soothingly. "I will keep my eyes open for anything suspicious. Just relax and try to get a little sleep."

Katie allowed herself to lie back, but Edward could tell she was still tense. Her fingers were in constant motion, tapping nervously on her chest. She glanced at Edward and saw that he was still watching her. She gave him a weak smile and closed her eyes, pretending to try to sleep. When she didn't hear any movement right away, Katie cracked open an eyelid to peek. Edward was gone and Jack was closing the door once more.

As Jack went back toward the window, Katie sat up again. "Sorry. I had to act like I was going to try and get some sleep so Edward wouldn't get upset," she said sheepishly to Jack.

"No worries," he replied with a smile. "I kind of expected something like that since you two seem so close."

Katie got up from the bed and went to stand near Jack, who sat in the rocking chair to peer out the window. So far, he could see nothing. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

The two of them waited tensely while Melissa continued to snore lightly in the background.

Chapter 32

Edward stepped through the batwing doors into the bright midday sun. The same man that had escorted them into town was seated on the bench just outside the inn waiting for him. As Edward exited, he stood up and walked over. "Thank you for meeting with me," the man said, holding out his hand.

Edward gave his hand a brief shake. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Edward asked.

"I'm hoping you can help us locate our missing townsfolk," the man explained in a conspiratorial whisper. "You seem like a man of honor."

"That I am," Edward said. "How can I help?"

"Walk with me, please." The man stepped into the hard-packed dirt road. Edward stepped out from beneath the awning of the inn, joining him in the road. They began to slowly walk toward the western edge of town. As they approached the bend in the road that led uphill, cutting through the hillside, the man stepped off the road and began walking through the tall grass beside it.

"None of us can figure out why our people disappeared from town," he began. "None of the guards on duty at the time heard or saw anything suspicious. But after a few days, even a couple of the guards went missing."

Edward listened intently as the man continued to speak, nodding his head at various intervals to let the man know he followed what had been said thus far.

"A few of us scoured the area looking for clues. We eventually came across some footprints in the softer dirt of this area, which we found after seeing that some of the grass was trampled down."

"So, what you are saying is that you think these people were abducted from your town?" Edward inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly! There were several large, man-sized footprints in this area and they were flanked by what appeared to be drag marks. As if the townspeople had been unconscious and perhaps too heavy to carry. Dragged away like a hunter would do with an animal carcass!" The anger in the man's voice was quite apparent as he stated this.

"Perhaps, I should go back to the inn and get one of my friends to come help with the search. She has hunted animals more than I ever have and would be more likely to be able to track this abductor down," Edward said, trying desperately to calm the man.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression," he told Edward. "I just didn't want to meet with your whole group. It might have raised too many eyebrows and caused the townsfolk to think I may have been part of the plot that caused their friends to go missing."

"I see your point," Edward said. "A group of strangers, huddled around, talking to one of the town's own people might look bad for you. I'll try to be as discreet as possible when I talk to the others."

"I would very much appreciate that." The man smiled, finally seeming a bit more at ease.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, I would like to get some rest before investigating this matter more thoroughly," Edward told him. "Perhaps the rest of my group can join me out here sometime near dusk when there are fewer inquisitive eyes watching us.

"That would be a good idea," he agreed.

Edward took a quick look around to get his bearings so he could find this spot again later. Then he followed the man back into town, and they parted company near the inn.

Edward entered the inn and gave the barmaid a friendly wave as he headed to the staircase in the back. When he got upstairs and opened the door to their room Edward expected to see the two women sleeping, and possibly Jack nodded off in the rocking chair. Instead, Katie and Jack were standing just inside the room facing the door with expectant looks on their faces. Melissa was the only one that was in the same position as when he had left.

"Well? What did he want?" Katie asked before Edward had even closed the door. He quietly shut it before answering her.

"He asked for our help in investigating the disappearance of the people from town," Edward began. "He just didn't want to raise too many eyebrows by talking to all of us at once. He was afraid the rest of the townsfolk would think he was somehow involved in the disappearances if he were seen talking to a group of strangers."

"I hadn't thought about it from that angle," Katie admitted.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Edward asked in a scolding voice.

"I was too wound up," Katie replied. "Not to mention that I was worried! What would we have done if something had happened to you?"

Edward blushed. "Nothing happened, and Jack was watching me the entire time. Right Jack?" Edward asked, hoping to calm Katie down.

Jack nodded. "Yes. I had my eyes on you from the time you stepped out into the road, but so did Katie," Jack said, tipping a wink in Katie's direction. "She stood by me the entire time you were gone."

All Edward could do was shake his head. "Well, now we all need to get some sleep so we can be ready when it gets dark out."

"We can forego having someone standing watch," Jack began. "If, that is, you don't have a problem with me sleeping on the floor in front of the door."

"That doesn't sound very comfortable," Katie said.

"I've slept in worse places," Jack admitted. "At least nobody could enter the room without waking me first."

"Well, I suppose if that's what you wish to do so we can all sleep, then I won't stop you from doing so." Edward smiled.

Katie walked back to the bed and sat down. This time, when she leaned back to lay down, her eyes closed for real sleep. Edward strolled over to the rocking chair and sat down. He kicked his feet up onto the windowsill and laced his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes as well. Meanwhile, Jack curled up into a tight little ball on the floor with his back pressed firmly against the door. Soon, the snores of all resonated softly throughout the room.

Chapter 33

Edward awoke when one of his feet slipped from its place on the windowsill. The pain caused by his leg falling was intensified by the fact that it had fallen asleep. The prickling sensation felt like a thousand tiny needles being jammed into his flesh.

He groaned, rubbing his aching leg, as he looked out the window. He had intended to sleep for a short while and rouse everyone near dusk, but the view outside the window was completely dark. That was when he noticed the difference in the room. It was bright enough in here for there to have been an oil lamp burning, but the only one in the room that he remembered was hanging on the wall by the door. As far as he knew, no one had lit it before lying down.

He turned to see where the light was coming from and saw a welcomed sight. Amber was back! Edward tried to stand up to wake the others, to share the good news, only to find that his half awake leg wasn't ready for it. His leg folded uselessly beneath him as Edward crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.

The thump of his fall onto the wooden floor caused the others to stir. Jack and Melissa rubbed their eyes sleepily and yawned. Katie, on the other hand, was in mid-stretch when she noticed the familiar glow in the room. She jumped to her feet excitedly. "Yay! Amber is back!" Katie cheered, startling Jack and Melissa. Edward looked up at Katie with a grimace. "Can you help me up? And try to keep your voice down," he scolded.

"Sorry. I guess I got a little excited," she apologized as she held her hand out to Edward.

He used her hand to pull himself up and tottered for a moment. Edward leaned on her shoulder to brace himself until the feeling began to return to his leg.

"I didn't mean to sound so gruff," Edward whispered to Katie. "I just didn't want to draw any added attention to us."

Katie was so happy at the moment that she wanted to give Amber a hug, but knew that her arms would just pass through her ghostly form. "Where did you go?" Katie asked Amber in a hushed tone.

"I'm sorry, Katie," Amber said sadly. "I didn't mean to disappear on you. I think the situation back there just stressed me so badly that I panicked and made myself invisible. I never actually left."

"Then why didn't you become visible again once the fight was over?" Katie asked skeptically.

"I tried, but I think I used up too much of my energy making myself invisible. When I tried to switch back, it didn't work. I even tried to talk to you, to let you know that I was still there, but obviously that didn't work either."

"Either way, I am just happy to see you again!" Katie said with a big smile.

"Now that she is back, how do we get her past the barmaid downstairs?" Edward asked. "Do we wait until the tavern closes up for the night? Or can you make yourself invisible just long enough to get outside?"

"If I did turn myself invisible again, I don't know if I would have enough energy to turn back visible when you needed me to," Amber told him sadly.

"Good point," Edward conceded.

"Looks to me like we are hanging out here a while longer then," Melissa said. "If it's all the same to the rest of you, I'm going to lay back down and try to get a little more sleep." She sat down heavily on the bed and leaned back. Before anyone could protest, Melissa's eyes had already closed.

"What if Amber were to wait here until the tavern closed down and then met us outside after that?" Jack asked thoughtfully.

"That might actually work," Edward replied. He walked over by the room's only window. "We would likely be in that area," he told Amber, pointing in the direction he had investigated earlier with the town guard. Amber glided across the room to a vantage point that allowed her to see where Edward was pointing.

"I could meet you there."

"Well then. I guess that settles the problem," Jack said with in impish grin as he walked over to the bed that Melissa was on. He reached out and shook her leg gently. "Time to wake up, princess," he said jokingly.

"Princess?" Melissa asked groggily as she rubbed her eyes.

"You do kind of act like one sometimes," Jack laughed.

Melissa sat up and gave Jack a stern look. "I do not!" she protested.

Now everyone, except Melissa, was laughing softly. "Lighten up! I'm sure that Jack was only joking," Katie said to Melissa. Boy is she grumpy when she's not allowed to wake up on her own, Katie thought.

Melissa moved to the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh. "So, what are we doing?"

Edward sat down beside her on the bed for a moment, throwing an arm over her shoulder, hoping to calm Melissa down. He explained the plan to her as the others stood nearby waiting.

"Well? Are we just gonna stand around talking or are we gonna go do this?" Melissa asked, with what Katie thought was the enthusiasm of a cheerleader at a pep rally. Katie couldn't figure out if Melissa's questions were genuine or sarcastic. Either way, at least everyone was huddled near the door looking ready to go.

Chapter 34

The group made it outside without rousing too much suspicion. The barmaid had glanced casually in their direction as they passed through the tavern.

"Where are we going to meet up with Amber?" Melissa asked.

"Follow me and I'll show you," Edward replied. He began to lead them up the dirt road until he found the bend he remembered from earlier. "The place we're looking for isn't far now." Edward stepped from the road into the tall grass, and stopped a couple of minutes later in what he thought was the spot he had spoken to the guard in. "We may as well sit down and wait for Amber," Edward told them. "I know it wasn't really part of the plan, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite so dark out here. There's no way any of us will be able to see well enough to further investigate the tracks that the guard showed me earlier."

"Great! Just what I always wanted to do! Sit around in the dark on the damp ground!" Melissa grumbled. Apparently, her cheerful eagerness from a short while ago was an act.

"Geez! Will you just relax, Melissa?" Katie said angrily. "The world doesn't revolve around you ya know!"

Edward sighed heavily. Melissa's pettiness was really starting to grate on his nerves, as well as everyone else's. He wasn't sure how much more he could take before his patience ran out with Melissa's antics. "It shouldn't be too much longer before the tavern shuts down for the night," Edward snapped.

"If it's all the same to you, Edward, I am going to check the area to see if I can find anything," Jack said, hoping that Edward would be okay with what he wanted to do. In actuality, Jack was merely trying to avoid getting sucked into an argument. The temperament of the group had gone sour really fast.

"Can you actually see anything?" Edward asked him.

"At the moment, I can't," Jack admitted, "but if I change into a wolf again I might be able to."

"Well. If it might help to make everyone feel like they aren't sitting around here twiddling their thumbs, then I say it's worth a shot," Edward said.

Jack wandered a short distance from the group and began forcing himself to change into a wolf. Despite his best efforts to do this quietly, there was no way he could be sure that they didn't hear him. He got down on his hands and knees, and began to turn into a wolf. With as many times as Jack had done this, he had grown accustomed to the pain of transformation, so what would have been cries of pain merely escaped his lips as grunts.

His bones cracked loudly as they shifted from human to those of a wolf. Hair began to sprout from nearly every inch of his body. The last part of the transformation was the most painful for Jack. His facial structure began to elongate causing him to whimper slightly. Then, as his wolf teeth popped through the surface of his gums, he let loose a mournful sounding howl that echoed slightly off the surrounding hillsides. He turned to see the rest of the group, now standing and straining to see him in the dark. Jack sauntered over to the group and barked softly.

"Where is he?" Melissa asked. "I can't see a thing out here!"

"The bark sounded like it came from directly in front of us," Katie replied, as she began moving toward where she thought Jack would be. She crouched down slightly and swept her hands back and forth in front of her. Katie's hands only encountered the cold, dew-laden grass for the first minute or so of her search. Moments later, her hand found a patch of fur. "Is that you Jack?" she whispered. The response she got was a soft whimper and a warm, wet tongue licking her hand. "I found him," Katie called out softly to the others.

She could hear the rustle of movement as the others began moving toward her. Katie saw something else that drew her attention. There was a glow drifting toward her from the direction of town, which Katie hoped was Amber coming to join them. She crouched down next to Jack, waiting to see if her assumption was correct. Katie placed a hand on Jack's furry back, more to see if he was reacting in a way that would cause concern than anything.

It was obvious to Katie that the others hadn't noticed the glow as of yet. "Where the hell are you, Katie?" Melissa asked. "Make some noise or something! It's so dark out here that I can't see my hand in front of my face!" she complained.

"I think I see Amber coming this way," Katie said softly. The group must have heard her because they stopped moving at once, presumably turning to look back toward town.

By this time, the glow had grown significantly in size and become more humanly shaped. At one time, Melissa would have likely tried to flee in terror seeing such a thing, but now, she just sighed heavily. "About time!" Melissa grumbled.

Katie was growing very tired of Melissa's bitchiness and was fairly certain that Edward was getting fed up with her, too. I hope it's just her time of the month or something, Katie thought, because if she continues to act like this I'm going to come unglued! Edward remained silent, but Katie couldn't help to wonder if he was thinking something similar.

Despite Melissa's almost constant foul mood, Katie had to restrain herself from cheering as Amber floated across the tall grass to rejoin the group. As she continued to float toward Katie, passing the others, Katie began to notice the trampled grass around her that it had been too dark to see previously.

As Amber passed them, Edward and Melissa followed her glowing form until the whole group was standing together again. Edward was about to speak when a new sound broke the quiet of the night air ... the sound of heavy footfalls. They were rapidly approaching, from what sounded like the dirt road that led away from town.

Running, and nearly out of breath, a male voice rang out, "Stop right where you are!" Edward and Katie exchanged a nervous glance; Melissa shrank back and hid behind Edward. Moments later, the footfalls slowed and a man emerged from the darkness.

Edward breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little. It was the town guard he had spoken with earlier that day. "Oh. It's you," the guard said when he realized who they were. "Although, I don't recall meeting you before." He pointed in Amber's direction. Just then, a strange thing happened. As the guard pointed at Amber he began to realize he could see right through her, and there was, what looked to be, a wolf standing directly behind her. He could see the glow of its eyes. The guard backpedaled and tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground with a grunt.

"There is no reason to be frightened my good man," Edward told him as he extended his hand to help the guard to his feet.

"Is she ... a ghost?" the guard stammered.

"Yes," Edward replied. "She will not harm you. She is helping us."

The guard took Edward's hand and hoisted himself back to his feet, looking at Edward distrustfully. "How is a ghost supposed to be of any help?" he asked in a cracking voice, clearly ready to flee the area at a moment's notice.

"We use the glow of her form to illuminate our path and surroundings," Edward told the guard, stating what he felt to be obvious. "See!" Edward indicated the trampled grass that was now visible around them. "It looks as if your intruder came down this hill multiple times. Judging from some of the marks on the ground, it looks like this individual might have literally dragged some of your townsfolk away."

The guard was still acting a bit nervous, but he seemed to see Edward's point. "Will you be returning to town tonight to let me know what you find?" he asked.

"Probably not tonight," Edward told him. "We will have to see how far these tracks go before we make a decision on when we will return. I doubt this intruder is close by anymore. I promise you, that if we find anything we will return to inform you."

"I suppose that is all I can ask for," the guard said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Be safe on your journey."

"We will do our best." Edward smiled at the guard, who then nodded and strode back into the darkness.

Chapter 35

With the guard's departure, all eyes turned to Edward. "So now we just have to follow these tracks and see where they lead?" Katie asked.

"Now that Amber is here with us that task should be much easier." Edward smiled. "Hopefully, we can find some of the missing townsfolk as well," he added, trying to sound hopeful.

"Can you follow these tracks Amber?" Katie asked, pointing at the area of smashed down grass with drag marks beside it.

"Yes," Amber replied flatly. She turned a moment later and began slowly floating up the side of the hill. A couple of times she had to stop because the trail had disappeared. At those times, the group stood around and talked quietly amongst themselves while they waited for Amber to reacquire the tracks.

It was a tedious process that seemed to take hours, but as the group crested the top of the hill and entered another forest, Edward glanced at the sky. The position of the moon told him they had only been at this for roughly an hour.

"Take a look at this," Amber said, breaking the silence and pointing to a spot on the ground beside her. Amber's glow pulsed slightly for a moment.

Katie shivered as she looked down at the ground. It looked like hoof prints. No ordinary ones either. From the configuration she saw before her, it looked as if it were made by that strange, mechanical-looking beast that she had seen Mr. M. riding upon not so long ago.

Jack must have sensed the same thing. By the glow of Amber's form, Katie could see that his hackles were up and his teeth were bared. A low growl escaped his throat.

"What are we looking at?" Melissa asked in confusion.

Edward glanced at Katie. "Are you thinking what I am?"

"You bet your ass I am!" Katie said, trying to sound brave. In reality, she could feel her guts twisting into knots inside of her. Katie felt like a chicken. She knew that she had to face her fears if she ever wanted to find Julie, but being even this close to a killer scared her to death.

"The man with the strange horse that we saw back by Haven?" Edward asked.

"What man? What horse?" Melissa interrupted, feeling like she was being left in the dark.

"Yes, Edward," Katie said with a grimace. "You haven't seen him yet, Melissa," Katie told her. "We saw him before you came here. Pray that you never have to see him!"

"Why? What's his deal?" Melissa asked.

"He is a killer, that's why!" Katie nearly yelled in frustration. "If you look up the word evil in the encyclopedia it would likely have his picture beside it!"

"Geez! It was only a question. You don't need to get so bent out of shape!" Melissa retorted.

"You get what you give, Melissa," Katie said in a matter of fact tone. "You have been so moody lately that I almost feel like we are traveling with Linda Blair! I keep waiting to see split pea soup come flying from your mouth."

"Please. Let's not fight you two," Edward admonished. "We have more important things to focus on and don't need to have dissension growing in our group."

"But—" Katie started.

"No buts! I'm frustrated, too! We just have to keep our feelings in check and realize that there are more urgent matters to attend to," Edward said, trying to keep the peace.

"Fine!" Melissa huffed.

"I'll try," Katie told Edward.

"Good. Now that that's settled, perhaps we can get on with following these tracks. Maybe even save some lives in the process." Edward sounded hopeful.

Everyone took up their positions behind Amber as she began to lead them deeper into the forest. The group traveled in an awkward, uneasy silence as they wove their way through the trees for what seemed like several hours. Along the way, they made quite a few stops. Mainly, when Amber would lose the trail and have to reacquire the tracks from a short distance away. Occasionally, fallen leaves would cover the hoof prints and hide the trail from view.

After traveling for hours, the group was beginning to get tired, so the sky beginning to lighten was a welcomed sight. Sure, they would lose Amber's services for a while, but right now some shut-eye sounded more appealing.

Edward wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking, or if he was actually picking up the vibe of everyone's weariness. "I think we should consider stopping for a while," Edward said. "I'm sure by now everyone is likely tired and needing some sleep. Will you be able to find us easily if we continue on our way before it gets dark again, Amber?"

Her voice was disjointed and fading rapidly, but she did manage to tell him that she could. Amber disappeared from view moments later.

Edward looked around at everyone's faces, trying to determine how to set up a watch. They couldn't take any chances on being caught unaware. Especially since they were following the trail of a killer.

Both Katie and Melissa looked utterly exhausted. Jack, on the other hand, looked like he could keep going without a second thought. "Jack. Would you mind taking the first watch?"

He dipped his head in what looked to be a nod and barked softly.

"Thank you. Wake me in a couple of hours if you would and I'll take the next one," Edward told him. "Unless you start getting too tired to stay awake. In that case, wake me immediately."

Melissa sat down in a bed of leaves and shivered. "Any chance of building a fire?" she asked.

Edward smiled wearily. "Perhaps a small one to chase away the morning chill. Jack, would you mind trying to find some wood? I'll clear a spot for the fire so we don't catch the surrounding trees."

Jack dipped his head again and took off into the woods. When he was sure that he was a safe distance from the group, Jack began to change back to his human form. Once completed, Jack looked down at his nearly naked body and cursed himself for not trying to get Edward's cloak before he left. He spent the next fifteen minutes gathering dead, fallen branches from the forest floor, making sure that if he came across any of the tracks they were following that he didn't disturb them. It was second nature to do this as a wolf, but in human form he had to pay closer attention.

Nearly thirty minutes had passed when Jack came strolling back to where the others were seated, waiting for him to return. He carried the load of branches in a manner that he hoped would keep his private parts from being exposed. Not that there was a lot to see at the moment ... the chill of the morning air had taken care of much of the problem.

Jack turned his back to the women when he set his load down in the place Edward had cleared. Edward tried, but couldn't quite restrain a chuckle. "I'm sorry, my friend. If I had known you were going to change back to a human I would've given you my cloak before you left." Standing, he removed his cloak. Then he draped it over Jack's shoulders and stepped back, letting him adjust it to cover himself.

"Thank you. I hadn't thought about the cloak until after I changed," he said, blushing slightly.

Once the gathered wood was in place, Edward produced a magical flame and set the pile ablaze. The group gathered tightly around the fire for a few minutes, rubbing their hands together and taking in the warmth.

Melissa was the first to back away from the fire, but she stayed close enough to still feel its warmth as she curled into a ball on the ground nearby. A couple of minutes later Katie followed suit, and the two women were quickly asleep. Without his cloak, Edward was still cold, even sitting close to the fire. He knew that he needed to get a little rest though. The only way he felt he could sleep was if he were to lie next to one of the women and share their body heat. He thought about who he would lay next to for a moment and then decided on Katie. He hoped she wouldn't mind. Given the situation, he just didn't feel comfortable enough with Melissa, so he scooted close to Katie and put his back to hers. Now that he was warm, slumber took him quickly.

Chapter 36

Once everyone was nestled down and sleeping, Jack took the opportunity to shift back into wolf form to stay warm. He wandered a short distance away, making sure to keep them in his line of sight, so that he wouldn't wake the others with the sounds of his transformation. When he was done changing, he plucked Edward's cloak from the ground with his teeth and carried it back with him to the makeshift camp.

He looked from where Edward and Katie were cuddled together, to where Melissa lay curled into a ball and shivering, even in sleep. While Jack was gone, Edward had shifted in his sleep and was now facing Katie with his arm draped over her.

Jack padded over to Melissa. He didn't care much for the woman's recent display of attitude, but he knew that the group needed her. And she was more likely to be in a good mood when she woke up if she rested well. Gently, Jack dropped the cloak over the sleeping woman, then lightly grabbed hold of it with his teeth to spread it more evenly over her body. Finally, he sat a bit closer to the fire to warm up.

After a while, the chill seemed to evaporate from the morning air, even within the forest where the sun didn't penetrate the veil of leaves very well. Jack looked up, checking the position of the sun, and determined that he should probably wake Edward and get some rest himself. He sauntered over to where Edward lay cuddled with Katie. Sometime during his watch the two had shifted positions. Now they were facing the opposite direction and Katie had her arm around Edward.

Jack lowered his head and licked Edward's face to wake him. At first he got no reaction so Jack tried again, this time sticking his cold nose in Edward's ear. That seemed to do the trick.

Edward opened his eyes and looked up at Jack groggily for a moment. As his eyes began to focus, he sat up quickly, startled by the fact there was a wolf in front of him. It took a moment, but Edward soon realized that it wasn't just any wolf. It was Jack. "That time already?" Edward asked with a yawn.

Jack backed away slightly to give Edward room to rise and barked softly.

"All right. All right. I'm up," Edward said, stretching his arms above his head.

As Edward stood up, Jack walked over and lay down between Katie and Melissa. He wasn't quite close enough to touch either of them, but he had a feeling that they would sense his warmth and move toward him anyway. Even in their sleep.

Edward moved closer to the fire and sat down, rubbing his arms to get the blood flowing. The air still had a slight chill to it, but it wasn't nearly as cold as before. Absently, he stirred the embers of the campfire with his boot.

After a few minutes, Edward decided that it might be a good idea if he took a look at his spellbook. You never knew if something hidden within its pages would be useful at a future point in time.

He retrieved the book from his belongings and returned to his place by the fire. Oddly enough, even as a child, Edward had found the workings of different spells fascinating. He thumbed through the pages, finding solace in the words inscribed within by his father so long ago. Memories stirred in his mind as he leafed through the book. A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he recalled the events leading up to his mother's servant's death.

Edward closed his eyes and tried to shake the memory of his the woman who'd spent as much time taking care of him as the she did the needs of his mother, diving from the window of his mother's bed chamber. Her body splattered on the cobblestones below. The ghastly mixture of blood and innards that had sprayed in every conceivable direction as her body struck. The worst part of this memory was the fact that Edward had been walking home from the bakery that morning, a fresh loaf of bread tucked neatly into a basket. It was supposed to be for breakfast, but when the servant fell to her death before him the bread had become tainted with sprays of her blood. Since then, he'd never had the stomach to eat breakfast.

Edward opened his eyes and looked through the blur of tears toward the sky. He wiped at his face with the sleeve of his robe, unable to believe what he was seeing. When he looked up again, Edward realized that he must have been dwelling inside the memory longer than he had thought. According to the position of the sun, at least two hours had passed. He needed to get out of the funk his daydream had put him in and wake the others. They needed to get moving again. He glanced at his spellbook one last time before putting it away, with his father's words ringing in his ears. "It was all my fault! I was working on creating a new spell and something went terribly wrong. The next thing I knew, your mother cried out, as if in pain. By the time I got to the bed chamber it was too late."

Edward slipped the book into his pack and approached Katie. He reached down and gently shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Then she noticed the redness of his eyes. "What's wrong?" Katie asked as she sat up.

"Nothing," Edward lied.

Katie frowned. "I can tell something is wrong, don't lie to me," she said with concern.

"Just a bad memory from my childhood that resurfaced a little while ago," Edward admitted grudgingly. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry." Katie stood to give him a hug.

Jack and Melissa began to stir at the sound of their voices. Melissa sat up and rubbed her face vigorously. "Time to go?" she asked, looking at Edward.

"Yes. Can I have my cloak back now?" Edward asked her, breaking Katie's hug to reach a hand out for it.

Melissa looked down in confusion, noticing for the first time that she had his cloak. "How'd I get your cloak?" she asked herself out loud.

Edward ignored the question and walked back to the smoldering coals of the fire. He stomped down on the embers with his boot, grinding them into the ground to put them out. As a finishing touch, he kicked some loose dirt over the coals. Satisfied that the fire was out enough to not be a hazard, Edward turned to say something to Jack. He scratched his head in confusion for a moment. Jack was no longer there.

"What are you looking for?" Katie asked him.

"Did you see where Jack went?"

Katie smiled and covered her mouth, trying to suppress a giggle. She pointed toward Edward's feet.

He looked down and blushed with embarrassment. Jack was sitting next to his feet like a faithful old dog, waiting for his master's orders.

"Can you take over for Amber and help us follow the tracks?" Edward asked Jack.

Immediately, Jack lowered his head and began searching for a starting point. Once he found what he was looking for, Jack turned and barked at the rest of the group.

Katie smiled. "Apparently so."

The group began to follow Jack, sometimes moving slowly, and other times they found themselves running just to keep up. It seemed that Jack, in his wolf form, was more adept at following the trail than Amber had been. Even so, Amber had been more useful at night.

During one of the slower periods, when Jack had to stop and locate the trail, Melissa began to raise some questions that the group had not considered.

"Hey, Edward," Melissa called out.

"Yes?" he replied, turning to look at her and silently wondering if Melissa was going to start berating everyone again.

"I just had a thought. I don't know why I'm just now thinking about it, but here goes nothing," she said.

Edward waited patiently for Melissa to continue.

After a moment's consideration on how to approach the subject, Melissa began. "I know you told me a while back that I was an integral part of the group you were forming."

Edward nodded his head in agreement and motioned for her to go on.

"Wasn't Mike supposed to be someone vital to the group?" Melissa asked.

"Yes. He was supposed to be the warrior of the group," Edward admitted.

"So. Do we have to find another person to take his place? Or is Jack taking over his duties now?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, Melissa," Edward said. "I suppose if we find another portal that leads us to another individual like Mike, then we will have our answer. Until such time, though, we must trudge on as if Mike had already served his purpose within the group."

Melissa considered his words thoughtfully for a moment, but was cut short when Jack found the trail once again. All of the sudden, the group was once again jogging to keep up with his pace.

For the next hour or so, the group struggled to keep up with Jack, when out of the blue he stopped at the edge of the forest. An enormous clearing unfolded before them, filled with more knee-high grass.

"You are going to have to slow down quite a bit now, Jack," Edward gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Otherwise, we will lose sight of you in the grass."

Katie looked out across the seemingly, never-ending field with dwindling hope. It was going to take forever and a day to cross. During which time, she supposed, the citizens of Loknar would likely meet their end. Not to mention it would take them that much longer to find Julie. Suddenly, Katie remembered the folded piece of paper that was tucked inside of her vest. She reached in, pulled it out, unfolded it ... only to see that the page was still blank.

She concentrated hard on the parchment in her hand, willing Julie to say something, anything, to let Katie know that she was still alive. Several futile minutes passed and the page remained unchanged. Feeling a lump rise in her throat, she folded the paper back up and replaced it in her vest. A tear slipped down her cheek as she began to think the worst. She would never see Julie again.

Edward had been silently watching Katie from the corner of his eye and as he saw her put the paper back in her vest he moved toward her. He reached up and softly brushed the tear from Katie's cheek, and then bent down to whisper in her ear. "We'll find her." Edward tried to reassure Katie, and gave her a brief hug before turning back to the others. "All right, Jack. Let's get moving again," Edward said, already dreading the long trek across the field.

Jack got up and nosed his way into the tall grass. As requested, he tried to keep the pace more moderate. Every couple of minutes he would stop and turn his head to make sure the rest of the group was still following him.

The sun was beginning to sag low in the sky. From what Edward could tell, they had another hour, two at the most, of daylight. He lowered his gaze to the landscape before him, and saw with dismay that there still appeared to be no end to the field before them.

"What is that?" Melissa said, pointing into the distance, as they were just about to start moving again.

Edward squinted his eyes in the direction Melissa was pointing. At first he didn't see what she was pointing at, but after a few moments he thought he did. There was a dark spot on the horizon almost directly in front of them. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell what it was. "I only see a dark spot," Edward told her.

"Well, whatever it is, we seem to be heading straight for it," Melissa said.

As they continued on, the dark speck on the horizon began to grow, slowly becoming more visible. The closer they got, the more it began to look like a building. If it was, it was a funny place to put one; way out in the middle of nowhere with nothing around it for miles.

After traveling for another hour or so, there was no longer any doubt to what they were seeing. It was definitely a structure of some sort. They were close enough to it that they could see the place didn't look very well kept. Perhaps it was an abandoned farmhouse. Edward hated to think that someone might actually live in such a place. Another few minutes and they would find out for sure.

As they continued to get closer, Melissa suddenly stopped. "Um," she started. The others turned for a moment to see what the problem was. "Something isn't right."

"What's not right? The fact that there is a house out here, miles from civilization?" Edward asked sarcastically.

"No. I've never seen anything like this before," she said, ignoring the smart-ass question he had asked and pointing toward the roof of the building.

Edward followed her finger with his eyes, and his mouth suddenly clamped shut. There was indeed something strange on the roof. Tiny objects moving in slow circles, almost like miniature weather vanes. But there wasn't any wind to be moving them right now.

"Those look like tiny, oblong, satellite dishes," Katie said with a note of wonder in her voice. Then, a realization struck her. Technology like this was strange to see in a place like Desolace. It reminded her of the mechanical wolf that kept trying to kill them. Suddenly she was very nervous.

As the group rounded the side of the building, Jack growled viciously and took off running. Edward, Katie, and Melissa froze for a moment. A clanging sound rang out seconds later. They had been too absorbed by the strangeness of the house to notice anything else before now, but what they saw caused them to duck back around to the side of the building.

Jack was engaging the horse-looking creature they had seen back near Haven. That must mean the man Katie called Mr. M. was nearby as well. Edward motioned to Katie and Melissa to stay back, and then inched forward to peek around the corner. Jack was still attacking the metallic beast, but it didn't look like he was doing any harm to it. Thankfully, it wasn't fighting back. Edward held his breath, anticipating the killer to come bursting out the front door of the building. Surely all the commotion out here would get his attention. He waited for several tense minutes, but nothing happened. No one came out to see what was going on.

"Jack!" Edward yelled. Jack stopped for a moment and looked toward Edward as if saying, "What? I'm busy here!"

"Come back here, please," Edward called to him. Jack hesitated for a moment, giving the mechanical horse a distrustful look, and then came back to stand beside Edward.

Edward turned back to face Katie and Melissa. "I don't think the killer is here. His strange looking horse is, but I'm sure he would have showed himself by now if he was here too."

"Maybe he's keeping his prisoners inside. We should at least check that out," Katie said.

"True," Edward admitted. "All right. We are going to go around to the front of the building. Stay together!"

Everyone agreed with Edward. Carefully the group made their way to the front, making sure to stay a good distance away from the building in case someone came charging out of it. The group stopped when they came to within ten feet of the door. Katie turned her head and threw up.

There, on either side of the door, sat two rotting skulls. Small tufts of hair were still attached to the skulls, but most of the skin had turned to jelly and pooled onto the ground beneath them. The smell was atrocious! Katie didn't know how she hadn't smelled it from the other side of the house.

Melissa seemed distracted. Not by the rotting heads, since she was used to seeing things like that in the morgue back in Buffalo, but by the doorway itself. "I've never seen anything like that before," she stated in a curious tone.

"I thought you were a doctor," Katie said snidely as she wiped the vomit from her chin.

"Not the heads. The door! Look at the knob!" Melissa retorted.

Katie forced herself to turn and look at the door, making sure to keep her eyes above the decomposing skulls. Melissa was right. Katie had never seen anything quite like it either. The doorknob wasn't a knob at all. Where there should have been one, was instead a circular metal plate of some sort with the imprint of a hand within it.

"Are we just going to stand around and admire the craftsmanship or is someone going to try to open it?" Melissa asked, making it clear that she didn't want to volunteer for the task.

Edward looked at the strange hue that Katie's face had turned after getting sick. "I'll do it," he told them as he approached the door ...

Outpost 13

Part One

Chapter 1

Katie forced herself to turn and look at the door, making sure to keep her eyes above the decomposing skulls. Melissa was right. Katie had never seen anything quite like it either. The doorknob wasn't a knob at all. Where one should have been, there looked to be a circular metal plate of some sort with the imprint of a hand within it.

"Are we just going to stand around and admire the craftsmanship, or is someone going to try to open it?" Melissa asked, making it clear that she didn't want to volunteer for the task.

Edward looked at the strange hue that Katie's face had turned after getting sick. "I'll do it," he told them as he approached the door.

Melissa and Katie held their breath in anticipation; excited, and at the same time scared, of what might happen once the door was opened. Jack seemed preoccupied with something else. His gaze appeared to be fixed, not on Edward or the door, but rather on the rotting skulls on the ground.

Edward stood in front of the door, inspecting the strange mechanism that in theory would allow him entry if it were not locked. The indented handprint upon the door was either made for an abnormal hand or was crafted in such a way to allow the use of either hand. All of the finger grooves were of equal length, and the indentations for thumbs protruded off to both sides.

He made up his mind to try working the strange doorknob with his left hand. That way, if something unexpected were to happen, he wouldn't be compromising his dominant hand. Edward placed the palm of his left hand into the grooves and was immediately glad of his choice. The metal began to sear into his flesh. He fought the blinding pain, which was tempting him to pull his hand away, and turned the strange knob toward the middle of the door.

The door began to slide to the right. Edward quickly pulled his hand from it and stepped into the doorway, turning his body sideways to block the door should it try to close before everyone got inside.

Edward was about to start motioning the others to come inside when the stench in the building began to assault his senses. He choked and gagged, fighting the urge to get sick, as the overpowering aroma of piss and shit filled the air around him.

The scent had apparently rushed outside as well. Katie and Melissa were approaching with hands clamped over their mouths and fingers pinching their noses shut.

"Oh my God! That smells horrible, Edward!" Katie's muffled voice was barely audible behind her hand.

Melissa pushed past Katie and squeezed through the opening between Edward and the doorjamb. All she could think right now was that if there was a smell like that inside the building, someone might be in here who needed help.

As Edward continued to make sure the door wouldn't suddenly close on them, Melissa quickly glanced around the room. She saw the row of computer monitors lined up on the tables along the wall, but after a quick scan of their screens she dismissed them. Toward the back of the main room she saw a doorway and headed toward it.

Meanwhile, Katie entered the main room and stood just inside the doorway next to Edward. Both of them watched as Melissa entered the adjoining room, waiting anxiously to see what she would find.

As Melissa entered the back room, her hopes sank. It looked to be a large bedroom of sorts with many beds lining the walls, but there was nobody in here, living or dead. Excrement covered the floor near one of the beds. Attached to the frame of this bed was a frayed and bloody piece of rope that had obviously held someone captive at some point.

Edward and Katie watched as Melissa came back into the main room wearing a disappointed look on her face and shaking her head. Apparently, they were too late to save whoever had been in the other room.

As Melissa moved toward the bank of computer monitors to study them for clues, Jack finally snapped out of the fugue he was in.

He walked inside past Edward and Katie and sat down by her feet. Katie looked down at him sadly. She wondered what was going through Jack's mind right now. Was he sad? Maybe angry? She was pretty sure that one of the heads outside was that of his wife, Natasha. She had seen a few strands of hair still attached to one of the skulls, which looked a lot like Natasha's had.

Melissa made her way from monitor to monitor, and even though she saw some things that she'd never seen before, she didn't see any signs of human life. As she walked back over to join the others by the door, Jack suddenly began to act strangely aggressive.

He began to growl and bark as if he had caught the scent of danger in his nostrils. Jack stood up and stalked across the room to another strange door. It seemed to be a heavy metal door, perhaps one that led to a dungeon, which had a large metal wheel attached to it. Melissa and Katie had seen doors like this before, but only aboard large ships.

Katie walked over to the door. She was about to reach out for the wheel when Edward stopped her.

"Be careful, Katie," he warned her. "It could be like the door that I opened," he said with concern, holding up his burned left hand.

Katie hesitated for a moment, looking down again at Jack. Obviously something was on the other side, causing him to growl fiercely. The hairs on his back were standing straight up, from the base of his neck all the way down his tail. Deciding that they could be losing a chance to catch up to Mr. M. and get some justice, or revenge if you prefer, Katie reached out and touched the wheel with a tentative finger. When nothing happened, she grabbed the wheel firmly with both hands and tried to turn it. The wheel screeched loudly, but only moved a few inches.

"I need some help," Katie said, looking toward Edward. "I'm not strong enough to turn this thing by myself."

Edward relinquished his position by the door to help Katie. As he moved, the door he had been keeping open slid silently shut. The dimness of the room allowed Amber to become visible again as soon as the door closed completely. She was blinking like a strobe light almost immediately. Edward stood next to Katie and placed his hands on the wheel next to hers.

Katie looked over to see if he was ready. "One. Two. Three!" Katie called out. When she got to three, the two of them wrenched on the wheel. Almost as if there was no resistance in it at all, the wheel spun rapidly through their hands.

A heavy clunk resounded in the room as the wheel came to an abrupt stop. Katie grabbed a hold of the wheel once more and pulled. The thick, metal door creaked slowly open. Blinding light shone on them immediately. It took a minute for their eyes to adjust, but once it had, they noticed that Amber was not visible anymore. Before them lay a seeming endless staircase leading down. Suddenly, Katie felt as if she were about to descend into the very pits of Hell.

Chapter 2

When they reached the bottom of the long, stone staircase, they were awed by what they saw. It was an expansive chamber with walls constructed of huge stone blocks, which rose in a curving arc to the ceiling high above and down the other side. Through the middle of the chamber, running for as far as they could see in both directions, was an enormous underground river. A fifty foot wide stone walkway flanked the river on both sides. None of them could even begin to imagine how long it had taken to create such an elaborate tunnel around the river. Unless it was merely an illusion of some sort.

"So, what now?" Melissa asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"We follow the river," Edward said bluntly.

"Well, duh!" Melissa snapped sarcastically.

"Which way should we go?" Katie asked.

Edward studied the river for a moment, trying to make up his mind. If they followed the direction of the current they would head to the right, or what he believed to be south if he had his directions correct. Going against the current would lead them north.

They had been steadily making their way northward for most of their journey, so he assumed that they should keep doing so. Edward really wished that he could see Amber, she would know which way to go. However, since the tunnel was well lit by the same brightly glowing objects that were embedded in the walls throughout the long staircase they had just traversed, Amber wasn't visible right now. Edward had to make the decision based solely on what his gut told him.

He turned back toward the others. "My instincts are telling me that we should go that way," Edward said, pointing to what he thought was north. "It's the direction that Amber has been leading us for quite some time and I don't see any reason to change course now."

"I wish we could see her so we would know for sure," Katie replied dismally.

They began following the river to the north, leaving the staircase that led to the surface, and potential safety, behind. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they traveled. It was weird not being able to see the sky. They had no way of telling how long they had been walking or how far they had gone. Everything looked the same down here, and the steady drone of the river's rushing current didn't help matters much.

"I don't suppose we have anything to eat, do we?" Katie asked when her stomach began to rumble.

"No," Edward stated sadly.

"This is a bad idea! We should head back!" Melissa's tone indicated that she thought their excursion through the tunnel was madness.

Jack's bark echoed off the walls of the tunnel. At first, the rest of them had dismissed it as him simply agreeing with the opinions being voiced, but shortly after the echo faded into the distance, the three of them heard another sound. A rapid clicking noise that they soon realized was the clacking of Jack's nails upon the stone pathway. It sounded as if he were running. The group turned toward the noise and saw that Jack was a good distance up the tunnel. If they had waited much longer to check on him, Jack would've been nothing more than a speck.

Wondering what had gotten him so excited, Edward shrugged his shoulders at Katie and Melissa and took off running down the path after Jack. Both Katie and Melissa let out heavy sighs before following suit and running to catch up.

Edward ran for a while, and was considering slowing to a walk to catch his breath, when he noticed that he was actually gaining on him. Jack must have stopped. Maybe he found something, Edward thought hopefully.

He slowed to a jog and then to a walk. Stopping for a moment, he bent over and put his hands on his knees, panting heavily. Melissa and Katie caught up to him moments later. They spent the next couple of minutes catching their breath. Katie was in better shape than the rest of the group and after a minute or so she was making her way over to where Jack was. Then she noticed something just beyond where he was sitting that caused her jaw to drop open in disbelief.

Embedded in the wall about fifty feet from where Jack sat was something she had never thought she would see again. Katie rubbed her eyes because she thought she was hallucinating; a mirage caused by hunger perhaps. When she finished rubbing her eyes, Katie looked again. Sure enough! It was still there!

"Hey guys!" Katie called to the others. "You have got to see this!"

Edward and Melissa began to make their way over to Katie. When Melissa saw the object Katie was referring to, she took off running toward it. "Oh my God! I can't believe it!" Melissa yelled excitedly. "I never thought I would see one of these again! Please tell me I'm not dreaming and making this up!"

Edward continued walking toward the two women, not sure what all the fuss was about. He had never seen anything like the object the women were fawning over.

Melissa, in her excited state, went rushing past Katie. She stopped just short of touching the object. There, before her, was what appeared to be an old-fashioned telephone booth. It gleamed in the harsh lighting of the tunnel, giving off a golden glow. Melissa looked at it as if she were a pirate that had just found buried treasure, a glint of greed sparkling in her eyes.

"Don't touch it!" Edward warned.

Melissa waved him off as if he were being silly, not even bothering to look at him. Then, before Edward or Katie could stop her, she stepped inside the phone booth.

"No!" Edward and Katie screamed in unison as they watched in horror. Melissa had disappeared, as if her very essence had blinked out of existence.

Chapter 3

"It must be another portal of some kind," Edward said thoughtfully, still trying to cope with the shock of Melissa's disappearance and not allow worry to creep into his voice.

His words soothed Katie somewhat, even if she didn't entirely believe them. It didn't look like any of the portals they had experienced in the past. There was no swirl of color, as was the case with all of the previous portals. There was nothing to distinguish it as anything other than a phone booth.

The sound of barking in the distance broke Katie's train of thought. She turned in the direction that it seemed to be coming from and noticed that Jack was gone. She squinted down the tunnel, trying to locate him. He must be pretty far away, she thought. Katie couldn't even make out a speck upon the path that could be him.

"When did Jack leave?" Edward turned toward Katie, his brows drawn down in concern.

"I don't know. I wish he would quit doing that though! He seems to pick the worst times to disappear."

Edward and Katie forgot about the mysterious phone booth temporarily. They stared for a few tense minutes, watching for any sign of Jack. The barking had ceased a couple of minutes ago.

Katie began to see something coming toward them, but it didn't look like a wolf. It looked more like a human, though at this distance she couldn't be sure. Maybe Jack had turned back into his human form. She hoped that was the case anyway. She didn't want to find out that it was Mr. M. instead, lurking in the tunnel waiting for an opportunity to kill them.

As the figure got closer, Katie relaxed slightly. Whoever it was, and she was beginning to think that it was Jack, had no clothing on. Her first thought was that Jack had indeed changed back to his human form, but as the figure continued to approach, Katie realized something was different.

She could now make out a wolf following behind the human figure. If the person wasn't Jack, then who was it? From what Katie could see, the individual had light-colored hair, considerably longer than Jack's had been. As the person's features became more defined, Katie realized that it was a female.

Closer now, Katie's jaw dropped open in surprise and disbelief. Katie began to walk toward the woman and after a moment she knew it wasn't a hallucination. Katie began running toward the woman. "Julie? Is that really you?" she called out excitedly.

"Katie?" the woman responded, stopping for a moment. She watched as Katie rapidly closed the distance between them.

Katie came to a stop in front of the woman and threw her arms around her friend. "I can't believe that it's you!" she said, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Katie hugged her for several minutes before pulling back. She jumped, startled to see that Edward was now beside them. She hadn't heard him approach.

Edward removed his cloak and handed it to the naked woman. "Am I correct in assuming that this woman is the friend you have been looking for?" he asked Katie.

"Yes," Katie managed, looking at Edward through a blur of happy tears. She turned back toward Julie, wiping her eyes with a finger. She nearly burst out laughing as the thought of ruining her make-up crossed her mind. "How did you manage to get away?" Katie asked her.

"I snuck out when the guards fell asleep," she said.

"Is the place where you were held close by?" Edward interjected.

"No. I'm not sure how long ago I left that awful place, but it feels like it has been at least a few days," Julie replied. "I've been wandering through this tunnel, for what seems like an eternity, trying to find a way out."

Katie was so ecstatic to have her friend back that she threw her arms around Julie, hugging her tightly again. "We really need to catch up," Katie whispered happily in Julie's ear.

Edward tapped Katie on the shoulder. "I hate to break the two of you up, but what are we going to do about Melissa?"

Katie hesitated for a moment before turning to face Edward. When they had found Julie she had temporarily forgotten all about Melissa and the possible danger she could now be exposed to. Katie glanced nervously toward the mysterious phone booth.

"Who is Melissa?" Julie asked.

"A woman we have been traveling with," Edward explained. "She stepped into the object over there." Frowning, he pointed. "I believe Katie called it a phone booth, though I have no idea what that is. She disappeared as soon as she stepped inside of it."

Julie raised an eyebrow curiously. "What would a phone booth be doing in a place like this?" Julie asked as she began walking toward the object. "I haven't seen a single phone since I came to this place. Who could you possibly call?"

"You don't understand," Edward said, hurrying to catch up with her. "It seems to be a portal of some sort, though we have no idea where it leads."

Julie maintained her swift pace, and seemed to ignore Edward's comments. Within moments, she stood beside the golden glimmer of the phone booth. Before Edward and Katie could stop her, Julie's curiosity got the better of her.

"No!" Katie screamed, but it was too late. Julie had stepped inside just as Melissa had done. Now she was gone, too!

Edward stood staring at the booth in disbelief. Why was everyone so eager to step into it? He turned to look at Katie. A steady stream of tears cascaded down her cheeks. "We have to go after her!" Katie sobbed, trying to push Edward out of her way.

He was barely able to restrain her. "We don't know what lurks on the other side!" Edward pleaded. "This isn't a normal portal. It feels like a trap."

"I don't care!" Katie shouted at him, struggling to break his grip. "I just found her! I'm not about to let anything happen to her again if I can help it!"

As if to punctuate Katie's feelings, Jack stepped into the booth and vanished. Edward looked down into her pleading eyes and released his hold on Katie. "You have a point," he said, admitting defeat.

As soon as Katie felt Edward's grasp on her loosen, she darted into the booth. Moments later, standing in the tunnel alone, Edward followed suit.

Chapter 4

Darkness enveloped Melissa, and for just a moment she felt as if she had gone blind. As her eyes adjusted, she began to notice hulking shapes nearby. Melissa stepped from the phone booth, which was no longer the shiny, beckoning object it had been moments ago. Now it looked old and dirty, as if it hadn't been used in a very long time.

A bitterly cold breeze struck her as she exited the booth. She wrapped her arms around her mid-section, shivering as dead leaves swirled around her feet. She could just barely make out the fact that there was a paved road in front of her. Had she somehow found her way back to Earth?

She looked around for a moment, taking in her surroundings. From what she could tell, there were several cars lining the edges of the road. Buildings lurked in the shadows beyond them, none of which had lights on. They appeared to be abandoned.

Melissa turned her gaze to the sky. A smile creased her face as she looked upon the familiar sight of a single moon in the clear, night sky. "I made it home!" she mumbled to herself. On legs that seemed to be made of rubber, Melissa made her way up the street, looking for signs of life. Where was everyone? Judging from the position of the moon, it shouldn't be late enough that the entire town would be in bed for the night. Something didn't feel right.

She tried to squeeze between two cars as she crossed the street, banging her leg on the bumper of one. It fell to the ground, clattering on the pavement. She jumped back into the street, startled by the noise. Melissa expected the lights of nearby houses to suddenly flash on, their occupants perhaps thinking that someone was trying to break into their homes.

Nothing changed. The street remained shrouded in shadows. A tentative voice suddenly broke the silence. "Hello?" a female voice called out.

Melissa spun around and squinted into the darkness, trying to locate the owner of the voice. It almost sounded as if it had emanated from somewhere near the magical phone booth. Melissa couldn't see anyone yet, but she could hear someone shuffling through the leaves in the vicinity. She began to walk toward the sound, thankful to find another person.

A blonde-haired woman stepped from the shadows onto the dimly lit street. "Are you Melissa?" she asked.

Melissa stopped in the middle of the road in shock. How did this woman know her name? She didn't look familiar at all to her. "Who are you?" Melissa asked defensively.

Before Julie was able to respond, a flurry of activity behind her drew her attention away from Melissa.

Melissa saw what looked to be a wolf, or maybe a large dog, rushing toward them. "Jack?" she asked, hopefully.

The animal barked excitedly and darted past Julie, heading straight for Melissa. Jack stopped in front of her and sat down, happily wagging his tail. Melissa, temporarily forgetting that Jack was a werewolf, bent down and stroked his coarse fur.

A familiar voice rang out moments later. "Julie?" Katie called out as she stepped away from the phone booth. Katie hadn't gone more than a few steps when Edward appeared.

Julie moved toward the sound of Katie's voice.

Melissa stood in the middle of the street, watching as her friends emerged from the shadows. Her mood faltered slightly as she saw Edward stride past the others, heading straight for her.

"What were you thinking?" he growled.

"I don't know," Melissa stammered. "I just wanted to check out the phone booth. How was I to know that it was another portal? It didn't look like one," she managed, trying her best to plead her case.

Edward's stern look softened a little. "Still. You have to be more careful. What if the portal had closed behind you?" he asked, trying to maintain a stern voice. Instead, he only succeeded in sounding like a parent scolding a child.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Melissa said, hanging her head in shame.

"Why do the two of you look so sad?" Katie asked as she and Julie stopped beside Edward. "Everyone should be happy. We're all together again!"

"True," Edward admitted, forcing a smile.

"I'm glad that we are all together again, even though I still don't know who she is," Melissa said, pointing at Julie.

"That's the friend I've been trying to find on Desolace," Katie told her. "Her name is Julie. Remember the scary guy with the strange looking horse?"

"Yeah," Melissa replied.

"Well, he abducted Julie from Earth and took her to Desolace. She was being held in an underground factory, forced to help build mechanical animals and such," Katie explained.

"How do you know all this?" Melissa inquired.

"We've been communicating, telepathically I think, with the aid of this." Katie removed the piece of parchment tucked away in her shirt. As she pulled it out to show Melissa, the paper crumbled to dust and fell to the ground. "What the hell?" Katie nearly shouted.

A cold gust of wind blew down the street just then, sweeping the dusty fragments of paper off into the darkness. "Well, I hope you don't need that anymore," Melissa said, using a tone suggesting that she thought Katie was making up the whole story.

"This is a bad omen," Edward stated grimly. "I've had that piece of parchment since I was a very young. My father gave it to me as a present for my sixth birthday."

"Will he give you another one if we go back to your—" Katie began.

Edward was already shaking his head. "My father died a few years ago," Edward interrupted before Katie could finish her question. "It was the most horrific sight I've ever laid eyes on," he added, sadly.

"I'm sorry," Katie said. "I didn't mean to stir up bad memories."

"I think he was torn apart by a pack of wolves on one of our camping trips. He always put a protective bubble over me at night, the same kind that I used to help Mike." Tears began to well up in his eyes. The memory was so vivid that it seemed to be happening before his eyes. "When I woke the next morning and came out to join him by the fire, all I could find were his scattered, bloody limbs. They looked as if an animal had been chewing on them."

"You don't need to relive the experience, Edward," Katie said.

"It's okay. I think I need to get it off my chest so I can move on. This is the first time I've ever told anyone about this. Other than my mother, of course."

"I don't mean to be rude, but can we please find some shelter before you continue?" Melissa said through chattering teeth. "It's freezing out here!"

Although she hadn't noticed the chill in the air until Melissa brought it up, Katie nodded in agreement. "And maybe some food," she added, her stomach grumbling loudly. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a week!"

Edward surveyed the area for a moment. The only shelter he could see were the darkened hulks of what appeared to be houses. The owners of which were likely asleep as none of them had light coming from them. "Where would you suggest?" he asked Melissa.

"One of these houses would do, I suppose. They seem to be abandoned," Melissa replied.

"What makes you think they're abandoned?" Edward asked.

"Before all of you showed up, I was making all kinds of noise. Enough that it should have woken people up, caused a light to come on, or even had someone come out to see what all the racket was about, but no one did," Melissa explained.

"That doesn't sound like a sure thing. Maybe they are heavy sleepers," Edward suggested.

"All of them?" Melissa asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Why are we standing out here in the cold, bickering like children?" Katie asked. "Melissa has a point. We should at least try."

Melissa turned and walked toward the nearest house, but not before flashing Edward a smug look. She ascended the steps leading up to the porch of a small, two story home, and knocked lightly on the door. The others joined her on the porch. After knocking a second time and waiting for a response, Edward admitted that the house was likely abandoned as Melissa had originally insinuated.

"Check to see if the windows are locked," Katie suggested to the others.

"No need," Melissa said, turning the doorknob. She pushed the door inward and it creaked loudly, echoing through the house like something out of a horror movie. Melissa took a tentative step inside, the others piling up in the doorway behind her. "I can't see a thing!" she complained.

"It sure would be nice to have Amber's glow to light our way," Katie murmured. "I wonder where she is."

"I hope she made it through the portal," Edward said, trying to sound hopeful. "I can't imagine why she wouldn't show herself if she were here."

"Well. How about you take matters into your own hands, Mr. Wizard?" Melissa griped, frustrated that Edward hadn't thought about using his magic.

Edward looked down at the floor, embarrassed that he hadn't thought about using his magic to help. He began to concentrate on producing a flame and then turned his palms toward the sky. A small flame, like one from a candle, sputtered above each of his palms.

"What the hell? Can't you do any better than that?" Melissa complained.

Even in the feeble light Edward had produced, Melissa could see his eyebrows draw down in anger. "I'm doing the best I can!" Edward spat. "For whatever reason, my spell isn't working the way it should."

"Look around and see if you can find candles to light before Edward's magic fizzles out," Katie said.

Her words seemed to at least temporarily diffuse the situation and get everyone focused. Edward did his best to stay in the middle of the group and provide what little light he could as they searched the house.

Using the dim light Edward provided, they shuffled through the sparsely furnished room. A sagging, dusty couch sat a few feet from the wall. Next to it was a broken recliner, tipped onto its side, which Katie stepped over on her way to the far side of the room. Against the opposite wall she saw an entertainment center with a large, flat-screen television in the center of it. The screen of which was smashed, quite some time ago by the looks of it. Char marks rose up the wall behind the television as if it had caught fire. Thankfully, it didn't seem to have caught the rest of the house on fire.

"I think I found something! Come over this way, Edward!" Katie nearly shouted.

He turned and went toward her, plunging the area behind him into darkness. Melissa was about to open her mouth to complain when she caught a shadowy glimpse of what Katie had found. There, tucked into the corner of the room, was a fireplace. Odd place for one, she thought.

With Edward's tiny flames beside her, the lighting improved slightly. Katie picked up a smaller piece of wood from the bundle stacked neatly before her and held it out toward Edward. Smiling, she said, "Light me please." He shook his head, grinning as he placed his hands underneath the wood, the tiny flame in his palm licking the bark. After nearly ten minutes, the log began to smoke and a tiny ember began to form. Katie saw this and quickly pulled the log toward herself, blowing steadily on the ember. She did this for a couple of minutes, and didn't seem to be making any progress. Katie turned to throw the log down in disgust, but before it left her hands a small flame blossomed upon it.

"Oh my God! Nobody breathe!" Katie said nervously. She slowly moved toward the fireplace, log in one hand, guarding the tiny flame with her other. She placed it gently onto the grate in the fireplace, holding her breath and hoping the log would stay lit. A couple of tense moments passed as the flame sputtered. Finally, it began to catch and spread. Katie turned back toward the others and breathed a sigh of relief. The spreading flames were obviously a morale booster, since everyone was now smiling instead of bickering.

Edward closed his hands, dousing the magical flames, as the light from the fireplace grew brighter. The log was now burning well enough to add more wood. He bent down, plucking more pieces from the pile, and added them to the growing fire. A couple of minutes later, the room was basking with warmth and light.

Melissa pushed her way closer to the fire, bumping Katie and Edward in the process. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just freezing my ass off!" Melissa told them apologetically, holding her hands out to the warmth.

Katie's initial reaction to Melissa's shoving her way forward was quelled by her apology. She turned to face Edward. "Do you think we will need to set up a watch?"

He pondered the question for a moment. "I think we can forego that, for tonight at least. There hasn't been any indication of anything potentially hostile in the area. Besides, I'm sure we could all use some decent sleep."

Everyone nodded their weary agreement. As the warmth began to spread throughout the room, Katie moved deeper into the house. There was enough light now that she felt comfortable enough to look in other rooms for anything they could use. She passed through the living room into the kitchen. She looked at the cupboards for a moment, but decided she needed sleep more than food. Moving deeper into the house, Katie walked down the hall leading away from the kitchen, and found a large bedroom. A combination of dim light filtering in from the living room, and the moonlight coming through the room's single window, provided her with enough light to search the room.

When Katie came back to the living room, everyone was lying on the floor in a neat little row. She suppressed a giggle as an image came to mind of an open can of sardines.

Hearing her footsteps, Edward craned his head to see if she had found anything. He was rewarded with the sight of her carrying, what appeared to be, a couple of blankets and a few small pillows. She set the blankets aside for a moment and passed out the pillows. After that, she picked up a blanket from the pile and spread it over the top of half the group, then did the same for the other half with the second blanket. With everyone now reasonably content, snuggled together beneath the covers, she got down on the floor to lay next to Edward. He lifted the comforter, allowing her to slide underneath, and threw his arm lightly over her as she scooted close. They were soon fast asleep, the sound of the crackling fire acting like a lullaby.

Chapter 5

The next morning, the room was still vaguely warm. The fire had gone out, probably an hour or so ago, but the residual heat from it had not dissipated yet. Katie was the first to wake up. Her mouth opened wide in a cavernous yawn, causing her jaw to crack as she stretched and slid from beneath Edward's arm, tossing the blanket off of her. She stood up and looked around. Now that daylight was penetrating the dust-covered windows she could see her surroundings better.

She walked to the kitchen and began to rummage through the cabinets, hoping to find some food. The cupboards were covered in a thick coating of dust and cobwebs. How long has this place been empty? she wondered, absently brushing through the spider webs that seemed to hold the cabinet doors closed. Each door she opened met with the same result. All of them were completely barren, as if the owner of the house had packed everything up and left in a hurry.

A thump came from the other room, startling Katie. She poked her head out of the kitchen to investigate the sound and saw that Edward was awake. He looked up and noticed her peeking around the corner from the kitchen.

"How long have you been up?" he asked softly, trying his best to not wake the others.

"I don't know. Not long. I figured I would see if there was anything in the house to eat. My stomach is going crazy," she replied. As if to punctuate her statement, her stomach rumbled so loud that Edward heard it in the other room.

He laughed. "I'll come help you look."

Together, they finished going through the rest of the cupboards, only to find that their efforts were fruitless. "We're going to have to check around town," Katie grumbled. "I'm not in the mood to eat dust bunnies, and that's the only thing they have in plentiful supply in this house."

It took a moment for the confused look to disappear from Edward's face. It wasn't until he saw her gesturing toward a ball of dust in one of the cabinets that he realized what she was referring to. She had so many odd sayings. Sometimes it was hard to decipher what Katie was talking about. "Perhaps we should wake the others. Maybe we will be fortunate enough to find other people outside of this house that can help us," Edward stated. He had tried very hard to keep the doubt from his voice when he spoke, but from the expression now residing on Katie's face, he got the impression that he had miserably failed to do so.

With a disheartened look that told Edward she was only waking the others because he had asked, not because she actually wanted to, Katie went back to the living room to rouse the others.

Jack was already awake, and in human form again, but he wasn't paying any heed to Katie's movements. He was looking curiously at Julie. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but for some reason something didn't seem quite right about her.

Katie bent down to remove the blanket that was covering Melissa, Julie, and Jack. That got his attention! Almost immediately, Jack pulled the comforter out of her hand to keep himself covered. "Sorry, I'm kind of naked," he said, a sheepish grin on his face.

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. Katie wasn't sure whether to cover her eyes, or slap a hand over her mouth to keep herself from saying anything inappropriate. She decided on a combination, covering her mouth with one hand while she averted her eyes until Jack had covered himself sufficiently. "Okay, I'm decent," he said, laughing.

She turned back toward him and nearly burst into giggles. With the way the blanket was wrapped around him, Jack looked like he might be on his way to a toga party, or perhaps a monastery.

As Melissa and Julie began to open their eyes, awakened by the commotion, Edward walked over, meaning to hand Jack his cloak. Edward stopped in mid-stride, realizing that he no longer had it. He had forgotten about the change that clothing went through when they traveled from one world to the other, not to mention the fact that he'd given it to Julie back in the tunnel. Just then, another, more pressing issue occurred to him. "Damn it!"

Everyone turned their attention toward Edward, wondering why he was cursing. Katie was the first one to speak up. "What's wrong?"

"I just noticed that our weapons didn't make it through the portal with us," he replied in dismay.

Katie quickly surveyed the room and realized that he was right. She stomped her foot in aggravation. "Crap! You're right!" she pouted.

"That's just great!" Melissa grumbled.

"I'm sure we can find something to replace them," Julie said, trying to boost everyone's morale.

"She's right. We all need to calm down and take a deep breath," Jack calmly stated. "From what we saw last night, the town is probably empty. There should be something around that we can use."

"Perhaps you are right, Jack." Edward sighed heavily. "Although, I can't help but wonder why the town would be empty." He looked from face to face, hoping one of them would have a suggestion. Instead, his comments were greeted with anxious looks and closed lips. "Then I guess we should go out and see what we can find," he finally said, giving up and turning toward the door in frustration.

Chapter 6

When the group exited the house, they were immediately greeted by the chill of the morning air. The sight before them was overwhelming, and Katie uttered a gasp. What she now saw reminded her of a horror film that she couldn't place the name of. One of those zombie apocalypse movies was the first thing to come to mind. Fidgeting nervously, she moved closer to Edward.

Viewing the scene before them in broad daylight gave all of them the creeps. What they had seen last night by moonlight had given them no indication of the devastation they now witnessed. The single stretch of pavement they could see was lined with the burned-out, hulking shapes of cars. Many of the buildings along the street were in a similar state of disarray, a lot of them were nothing more than charred piles of stone and timber. The others looked like a giant had strolled through town and taken a bite out of them. Now that Katie thought about it, their group seemed to be very fortunate to have found a dwelling that was, for the most part, intact.

"Can we go back to Desolace now? I've got a really bad feeling about this place," Melissa whined.

Edward shielded his eyes from the morning sun and looked in the direction of where the phone booth stood. It was still there, but seemed to have lost its golden luster. Now it looked as old and unused as everything else in this place. "I don't think that will be an option," Edward told her.

She suddenly went running across the street toward the grimy-looking booth. A few moments passed before she reached it, and when she did, Melissa raised her hand to open the door. The instant she touched it, the booth seemed to disintegrate, falling to the ground and turning into a pile of ashes. Falling to the grass, Melissa began to sob hysterically.

The remainder of the group slowly made their way over to her. As they squeezed between the cars to cross the street, Katie froze. "What the hell?"

Temporarily turning their attention from Melissa, the group looked to Katie, wondering what had prompted her to say such a thing. "What's wrong?" Edward inquired.

"These cars, that's what," Katie answered. The others drew closer to her, trying to see the problem.

"I don't see what you're talking about," Julie remarked.

"There!" she exclaimed, pointing at the name of the car. "The emblem on the front grille of the car makes it a Chevy, and that's all well and good, but I've never heard of a model called a Phoenix before."

Since Jack had never seen a car before last night, he shrugged his shoulders at her, not knowing what to say. Edward had seen cars before, and remembered only that he thought they were a type of monster. He had no idea what the big fuss was about this one.

The one person that should have been just as shocked as Katie didn't react to the news at all. Julie merely stood there, looking on with disinterest.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," Edward said, using the tone of voice that he normally did when trying to calm Katie.

"The big deal? Only the fact that this car didn't exist where I came from!" Katie cried out in frustration. "Where the hell are we? Or maybe the better question would be, when are we?" Katie's eyes roamed from person to person, looking for answers.

Edward opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, then abruptly closed it again, knowing that nothing he could tell her would make Katie feel any better. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to Melissa. She was slumped over on the ground near the place where the portal once stood, sobbing quietly.

As he approached Melissa, she turned to face him. Tiny streaks of tears still flowed down her cheeks, some of which appeared to be forming icicles in the bitterly cold morning air. Edward bent down, brushed the ice from her cheek, and gently urged Melissa to her feet. As much as her constant complaining got on his nerves, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He wondered briefly if she would eventually develop the strength of character that Katie had. He hoped she would, but had his doubts.

Briskly, Edward rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms for a moment. "We need to find some warmer clothing," he said softly, leading her back toward the others.

As they crossed the street to rejoin the group, Melissa silently hoped the others would come forward to comfort her as Edward had done. No one made a move toward her though. I deserve this, she thought. I've done nothing but complain the whole time I've been with them. They probably hate me. She lowered her head so the others wouldn't see the tears that were beginning to form again.

"Can we please see if we can find some warmer clothes?" Katie pleaded.

Edward nodded his consent. "Some food would certainly help as well."

"It looks like there might be some shops up the street a little ways," Katie said, pointing.

Edward nodded again, then turned and began to lead the group up the street through the deserted town. After a few hundred feet, Edward began to admire Katie's keen eyesight. There were indeed some shops that could be useful.

"We should split up," Edward suggested.

"What if we run into trouble?" Melissa asked.

"I'm not saying that everyone should go their own way, just that maybe half of us should cover this side, and half cover the opposite side of the street. It would make our search quicker, I would think," Edward stated.

"How do you want to divide the group?" Katie asked.

Edward thought for a moment before answering. "Melissa and I will search the shops on the left, the rest of you can take the buildings on the right. That way, each group will have someone capable of defending the weaker people they are with."

Melissa frowned at Edward, realizing that he had just called her weak. She thought about opening her mouth to protest, but then realized that he was right. It hurt that he was so blunt about it, but what he said was the truth.

Even though it was obvious to all of them that these buildings were not dwellings, they could not tell what kind of wares might be waiting inside. None of the signs or window lettering were legible anymore. The storefronts were covered in so much dust and grime that they had to open each door to see what was inside.

After searching the right side of the street for nearly ten minutes, Katie came upon a store window that was broken, allowing her to see inside before she got to the door. "Oh my God! Food!" Katie's voice rose excitedly. She ran toward the door of the shop, not even considering possible danger. Her grumbling stomach had temporarily taken over her brain.

When she got to the doorway, Katie wedged her fingers between the sliding doors that would have opened automatically had there been electricity. She pried in futility with her fingertips, but they wouldn't budge. Crying out in frustration, she looked across the street, hoping Edward was in sight. When she saw that he was not, Katie slammed her fist against the glass.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I can't get the door open!" she snapped. "I guess the only way in is through the broken window over there."

"Before you go cutting yourself to ribbons, why don't you let me try to get it open?" Jack said, nudging her out of the way. Katie moved reluctantly to one side. Jack wedged his fingers between the two sliding panels and used his supernatural strength to pry them apart. "See if you can find something inside to keep these doors from closing," he instructed her. "I don't want to stand here holding them to make sure they stay open."

Katie and Julie ducked underneath his outstretched arms and went inside. A corral of shopping carts stood off to the left. Katie quickly grabbed one and pushed it to the doorway, nosing it halfway through. As soon as Jack released his grip on the doors they began to screech loudly, grating against the grime in their tracks as they tried to close. Just as Jack stepped inside, they suddenly swept closed, breaking free of the restraining grit and slamming into the cart, crushing it. Luckily, the cart wasn't totally destroyed. Its crumpled form still kept the doors from closing completely, leaving an opening that was about a foot wide.

Now that the entrance was wedged open, Katie turned her attention to the inside of the store. Just beyond the row of cash registers were several aisles. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she saw that there were still items on the shelves. She quickly made her way to the closest aisle, which happened to be the one containing breakfast foods. In her haste, she nearly fell to the floor, which was covered in cans and ripped open boxes.

At the first shelf she came to, she quickly snatched a box off, paying no attention to the label on it. She didn't care that it was a cereal that she had never heard of before. The only thing that mattered right now was getting something into her stomach.

As Jack and Julie rounded the corner of the aisle finally catching up to Katie, they saw a frightening look coming from her eyes. It was a wild, crazed look that they had never seen on her face before. Could someone actually go insane from hunger? Jack wondered.

A few moments later, Katie threw down the box and began spitting out what was still in her mouth. "Yuck! This shit tastes like fucking cardboard!" Before either of them had a chance to open their mouths, Katie had turned and continued down the aisle, searching for something to satisfy her hunger. When she got near the end of the aisle, Katie suddenly stopped and clamped her hand tightly over her mouth and nose.

"Holy crap! What is that stench?"

"Smells like rotten meat to me," Jack told her as he caught up to her again.

Suddenly, Katie turned her head and vomited violently, the stale cereal she had eaten moments before now splattered in a steaming mess on the grimy floor. She turned and ran back to the front of the store. At least it didn't smell so bad there.

With the sour taste of vomit in her mouth, Katie turned toward the right, hoping to find something to get the taste out of her mouth. She hoped that she was heading away from the refrigerated section of the store. Fortune smiled on her as she rounded the corner into another aisle. This one was loaded with junk food. The first thing to catch her eye was a box of Twinkies. Those things never go bad, do they? She grabbed a box from the shelf and ripped it open. Cardboard and cellophane fell to the floor at an alarming rate as she greedily stuffed her face with the spongy, cream-filled cakes.

Jack and Julie had followed her to this aisle, and now all they could do was watch Katie. They kept waiting for her to start spitting the food out again, saying that something was wrong with it, but after a few minutes the crazed look disappeared from Katie's eyes. She tried to smile, but only managed a grin because her mouth was so crammed with food that she looked like a chipmunk with a mouthful of nuts. As she continued to chew, she grabbed more of them from the shelves and threw them to Jack and Julie.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Katie walked over to where the cash registers stood like dust-covered sentinels. As she moved toward the end of the check-out line to grab some empty bags to load up with food, a headline from a newspaper next to the tabloids caught her eye.

Virus debilitates United States

Curious, Katie continued to read ...

The president issued a press release today, saying that a group of Russian terrorists have claimed responsibility for the recent biological attack on the United States.

This attack released an airborne virus, which may take several months to dissipate. Early reports give no indication regarding the capabilities of this virus, and at this time it is unknown how widespread the epidemic will be. According to the nation's defense advisor, the Russians claim to have targeted all major U.S. cities.

Everyone is being asked to stay inside until further notice. If you must leave your home, please take every precaution possible to prevent inhalation of the virus. The government will be making respirators available soon, and will issue them to those deemed most susceptible. Meanwhile, the government will be working night and day to obtain more information about this virus and how to effectively neutralize it.

Katie looked up from the paper as she heard Jack approaching. "This explains why there aren't any people here," she said, shaking the paper at him angrily.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

"Fucking Russians! They hit all the major cities in the United States with some kind of dirty bombs that released a virus into the air. By the look of things, it must have killed everyone!" Katie ranted, very near to tears.

Jack understood very little of what Katie was yelling about. The one thing he did understand, at least partially, was the virus. However, he had never heard of one that could wipe out every living thing it came in contact with. He looked at Julie and pleaded with his eyes, hoping she would do or say something to calm Katie down. She apparently didn't get the hint, as Julie continued to stand idly by.

Chapter 7

"Hello? Are you guys still in here?" a female voice called out from the doorway.

"We're over here," Jack yelled, waving his arms above his head as he saw Melissa's face poke through the narrow opening above the crushed grocery cart wedged between the glass doors.

Melissa pushed a large plastic bag through the opening and then scaled the remains of the cart, squeezing her body through sideways. Once she set foot on the floor, Edward pushed another bag into the store to her and then made his way inside.

He looked over to where the others were standing and a chill ran through him. Why wasn't Katie paying attention to him? Did I do something to make her mad? Edward asked himself. He took a tentative step toward her. "Katie?"

Finally, she seemed to come out of her daze. As she turned to face Edward, he saw the mixture of rage and sadness, written like some horrible story, in the depths of her brown eyes.

"What's wrong, Katie?"

"Only this!" she snapped, waving the newspaper at him.

Edward cautiously went to her and took the paper from her hands. He looked for whatever seemed to be troubling her, remembering not so long ago that the mere date had caused a pretty emotional response. He searched the front page, trying to recall where the date would be placed. It only took a moment to locate. There, beneath the large headline of Sault Ste Marie Evening News, was what he figured to be the date. "December 12, 2112?" he asked.

"No! The stuff about the virus!" she nearly screamed in frustration. Then, his words seemed to register. "Wait a minute. Did you just say 2112?"

"Yes I did," he told her, seeing the anger on her face turn into shock.

"That's like ... a hundred years from the time we met!"

"That's not possible!" Melissa blurted out from behind Edward. "We would all be pushing up daisies by now." She began figuring the math in her head. "If it's really 2112, I would be like 150 years old right now!"

"I really wish there were some sort of consistency to these portals," Katie mumbled under her breath. "Every time we go through one there's no telling where or when we will show up."

"Well, obviously none of us are aging as we travel through these portals, so can we please forget about the issue of time?" Edward stated in a raised voice.

Everyone suddenly went quiet and exchanged nervous glances, hanging their heads like scolded children. They remained silent, waiting for Edward to continue.

"You mentioned something about a virus?" he finally asked, looking at Katie.

She moved closer to him and pointed out the story she had just read. Edward quickly read through the article. "So, am I to assume that we should try to find some ... respirators?"

"We have no way of knowing how old this paper is, Edward. The virus could be gone by now," Melissa stated.

Katie thought about it for a moment. "She has a point, Edward, but I think we should at least find something to cover our faces with, just to be on the safe side. If the virus is still in the air, we might be able to keep from breathing it with something as simple as a piece of cloth over our mouths and noses."

"Perhaps now would be a good time to show everyone what Melissa and I found," Edward said with a sheepish grin.

Melissa went back to the doorway and retrieved the large bags they had brought with them. When she returned to the group, she picked them up one at a time and dumped the contents out on the sorting area at the end of the checkout conveyor.

"Holy crap! It looks like you two hit the jackpot!" Katie exclaimed happily. Piled high in the grocery sorting area were an assortment of heavy coats, sweatpants, gloves, scarves, flannel shirts, thermal socks and underwear, and a few pairs of insulated work boots.

"It was more of Melissa's doing than mine," Edward admitted. "I had no idea where to begin, but she seemed to know exactly what to look for."

"You did great, Melissa!" Katie said, briefly patting her on the back before turning her attention back to the pile.

Everyone surrounded the mound of plundered clothes and began to pick through it. Once they had found one of each item that would fit them, Katie looked at the remaining pile with a touch of confusion.

"Why are there still things sitting here unclaimed? Did everyone get what they needed?" Katie asked, glancing around at the rest of them.

"I tried to be as thorough as possible," Melissa stated. "I knew most of us would likely need only one set, but when I was grabbing things for Jack something dawned on me. When he changes into a wolf, most of the time from what I've seen, the transformation tends to destroy his clothing. That's why I decided it might be a good idea to get more than one set for him," she added, proud of herself.

Wow! She actually thought of someone other than herself, Katie thought. "Impressive! Good thinking!"

Melissa smiled, grateful to finally get credit for doing something positive. Maybe, just maybe, they are finally accepting me as a contributing member of the group, she thought. It's much better than being labeled as a whining, complaining, bitch.

After about ten minutes, everyone in the group had donned their new gear. Katie and Julie gathered up the empty bags the clothes had been in and retreated further into the store to fill them with food.

"So, what's next?" Melissa asked.

"My vote is to get out of this town and head south, hopefully to warmer weather. If I was in wolf form the cold wouldn't bother me so much, but without my fur this chilly weather is almost unbearable," Jack replied.

"At least we're in better shape to survive the elements now," Edward commented. "It might not be fur, but the added clothing should help tremendously."

Just then, Katie and Julie reappeared, each carrying a sack loaded down with the food they had scavenged. The others looked on with renewed hunger as Julie opened her bag so they could reach in. When Edward reached in and brought out a package labeled Sno Ball, he looked at it strangely before unwrapping it and taking a bite. It wasn't what he was expecting, but just getting food in his body after going without for so long felt satisfying. Once everyone had eaten their fill, Edward led the way back to the store entrance.

Jack moved to the front of the group. "Stand back a little," he told them as he placed a hand on each of the sliding doors. They complied, taking a step back as Jack began to push them open further. One by one, they squeezed past him through the enlarged opening. Once everyone was outside, Jack stepped through and released his grip on the doors. They slid shut much faster this time, smashing into the already damaged cart and nearly cutting it in half.

Edward looked nervously at Jack, who shrugged his shoulders and gave him a half smile.

"Which way?" Melissa asked, trying to ease the tension of the moment.

"I think I see a sign over there," Katie said, pointing to the east. "We should at least check it out. Maybe it will tell us where we are," she added, hopefully.

With Katie in the lead, the group made their way over to the sign. As they drew closer, she could make out the familiar red, white, and blue. Without warning, she ran toward it in her excitement. "Oh my God! We're near Interstate 75!"

The others caught up to her a moment later. "What, exactly, does that mean?" Edward asked her.

"It means that we might be close to the place I used to live! The sign says we're in Michigan. I used to live in Ohio, which is the next state to the south," Katie explained.

"I don't mean to burst your bubble, but we have no idea how far it is to Ohio. At least, not until we get on the highway and find a mile marker," Melissa remarked.

Realizing that she was right, Katie's shoulders slumped. She looked past the others, seeing what looked to be the Interstate. It appeared to be about half of a mile away.

"There is another sign just ahead. Maybe that will tell us where we are," Melissa said, trying her best to keep the mood light.

They began moving again, making their way to the next sign. When they reached it, Katie became more sullen. The sign read, 'You are now leaving Dafter, Michigan'. "Dafter? Where the hell is that? I've never heard of this town!" Katie began to cry. She wasn't sure why it seemed to be such a big deal. It wasn't like anyone would be waiting to greet her if she did make it back to where her house was supposed to be.

"I guess we will find out once we get to the highway and find a mile marker," Melissa replied, trying not to upset Katie any further, although she had a feeling that the group was quite a ways from the Ohio border. She briefly recalled the newspaper they had been looking at in the store, and if her memory served, the city that the paper was made in was on the Canadian border of Michigan, which would mean they were in the uppermost part of the state.

Chapter 8

Brian had been traveling for more days than he could remember, scouring the countryside for any sign of human life. Ever since the biological attack on the United States, which occurred a few months ago by his recollection, the only people he had encountered were already dead. Disturbingly, some of them didn't stay that way. For whatever reason, the virus had been lethal to almost everyone. Some, however, seemed to lapse into a coma that resembled death. What other explanation could there be? Outside of the improbable scenario that zombies actually existed in places other than movies.

He had seen more than his share of shredded carcasses, bodies savagely ripped apart, but seeing the dead hungrily shuffling through the streets was something he wasn't prepared for. It went against everything he was taught as he grew up, and also directly opposed his beliefs.

At one time, Brian had been a Catholic priest. Those days were long gone now. Many times, as he'd spoken to his congregation, Brian found his thoughts wandering, contemplating whether or not God truly existed. How could a benevolent and loving God allow the atrocities that happened on a daily basis in the world? Where was the divine retribution that should be keeping the evil of the world in check?

A few weeks ago, he had to defend himself against one of the walking corpses. Kill or be killed. The putrid being had come into his church as he was meditating. Had he been somewhere other than his office, he might not have survived. Thankfully, he was able to tip one of his bookshelves onto the vile creature as it reached for him. The heavy shelf had pinned it to the floor. It didn't stop there, though. The individual continued to claw and hiss at him, trying to pull its way from beneath the shelf.

He stopped thinking of it as a person, one that might have gone insane, when it raised its head to look at him. Its eyes were glazed and almost completely white, except for the tiny blood vessels that made the pupils nearly invisible. It opened its mouth, a thick mixture of blood and drool dangled from the corners and ran down its chin, hissing and snapping its jaws at him.

It was at that moment that he noticed the stench of decay on its breath. Brian knew he had to do something more, or this vile shell of a person would keep coming for him. He frantically looked around his office for something to use. After a moment, his eyes settled on the wooden crucifix mounted to the wall behind his desk. He quickly darted around to where it hung and snatched it from the hook that held it in place.

As he rounded the corner of his desk, the zombie lunged for him, wrapping one of its bony hands tightly around his ankle. It began to pull his leg toward its mouth with unnatural strength, snapping its jaws like a rabid animal. With only moments to spare, Brian swung the crucifix as if he were teeing off at the golf course. The short end of the cross connected moments later, perforating the side of the zombie's skull. Gore splattered outward from the wound, coating his hand with blood and brain matter. Immediately, the grip on his leg loosened and the zombie's head slumped to the floor, unmoving.

Brian shook his head to clear the awful memories. After that incident, his faith had been shaken to the core. He had gone to the local library in his hometown of Angola, Indiana, in hopes of finding something to strengthen his beliefs. Unfortunately, the library was small, its resources inadequate. That was when he decided to head east, hoping to find answers in a larger city. He hoped that a larger library, like the one he currently occupied in Toledo, would have a better selection of reference materials.

He had been camped out inside this building for about a week now, perusing every article and book he could get his hands on that dealt with faith and religion. Unfortunately, none of the material he found regarding his lifelong religion brought any clarity to how he felt. There were, however, some books about shamanism that aroused his curiosity.

Earlier in life, he had felt that such practices were nothing more than a glorified, more pure, version of voodoo or witchcraft. After reading books on the subject for the better part of two days, he was beginning to see the possible validity. He wondered if he would make a good shaman. Many of the principles seemed loosely like any other religion, minus the glaring, obvious difference. Shamans did not believe there to be only one God, but many.

Brian pushed his glasses up from the end of his nose as he pulled another stack of books toward him. He was determined to find out more, resolving to study the subject until there was nothing left to read on the topic. As long as he kept his ears tuned to his surroundings, he should have plenty of warning if trouble found his hiding place.

Chapter 9

His glasses pressed painfully against the bridge of his nose, waking Brian. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but fatigue had finally taken its toll and caused him to doze off. He raised his head from the book he had been reading, and apparently using as a pillow. A rather large spot of drool dampened the open page of the book, causing the words to blur together. He removed his glasses, set them aside, and rubbed his face vigorously.

How long had he been asleep? Had any of the "locals" wandered inside the library? He stood up and walked quietly to the balcony that overlooked the main floor. Scanning the area slowly, he listened carefully for any sound that would alert him to something he couldn't see.

After carefully observing the lower level for a couple of minutes and discovering nothing out of the ordinary, he turned away from the balcony and let out a sigh of relief. Returning to the table he had been using, he sat down.

How much longer would this place be a safe haven? In theory, he had nothing to defend himself with if the walking dead happened to come inside and find him. It wasn't like being back in his office at the church. There was no way he would be able to muster enough strength to topple the massive bookshelves here as he'd done in his office. More than likely, these shelves were bolted to the floor to prevent accidental tipping. There weren't any crucifixes on the walls here either. Most likely, the only lethal thing in this place was a ballpoint pen.

Then he realized something. He could possibly smash some of the wooden chairs, potentially yielding a few pieces of jagged, sharp wood that he could use if he got desperate. Even though it sounded like a feasible plan of defense, he had a strong sense that he should get on the road again. It was like a compulsion. Something inside telling him to go north.

At the same time, part of him felt that he should stay in Toledo. He could feel the evil growing, like an oppressive, invisible weight, threatening to consume everything in its path. Why did he feel that this evil was coming here? Was it supposed to be a test of his faith? If so, it wouldn't be much of a test. He lost what little he had of his faith back in Angola at the church.

Even so, Brian began to place all of the books he had found, and deemed to be worth further study, into his backpack with everything else he needed to survive. As an afterthought, he picked up the chair he'd been sitting in, raised it high above his head, and brought it down onto the table before him with every bit of force he could muster. With a resounding crash, the chair splintered into pieces. Only a couple of broken legs looked to be usable, and he picked them out of the debris. He crammed them into the outer pockets of the backpack to keep them as accessible as he could.

Brian grabbed his coat and gloves from the floor, putting them on before picking up his pack. With the added weight of the books, it now weighed about fifty pounds. He hoped it wouldn't feel so cumbersome once it was on his back. After hefting it into place and adjusting the straps, he reached back to make sure he could get to the broken chair legs if he needed to. It was difficult to do because his thick coat restricted his movement, but at least he could reach them.

He went downstairs to the main floor of the library and gazed toward the entrance. Through the glass doors he could see nothing except a few scraps of paper blowing by. Apparently the wind had picked up. He pulled the strings on his hood, drawing it closer to his face, and tied them beneath his chin.

Opening the door cautiously, he looked in both directions. The morning sun was blocked by the taller buildings, but reflected enough light from their windows that he could see the coast was clear.

Chapter 10

It was growing dark as the sun began to set. They had walked south on Interstate 75 all day with no breaks, seeing not even a single sign of life. To either side of the highway they could see houses and businesses cluttering the streets of St. Ignace, the city they had just entered a few minutes ago. Ahead loomed the Mackinac Bridge, which would lead them into the lower part of Michigan.

"Are we gonna keep going, or stop for the night?" Katie asked, breaking the silence.

"I vote for stopping," Melissa replied, thankful that Katie brought it up. She had thought about asking the same question, but didn't want the rest of the group to think she was whining again. In truth, her feet were killing her. She wasn't used to all this walking, and the work boots she was wearing didn't really fit properly.

Edward sighed. "We should probably stop. Especially since we don't have Amber around to light our way."

"I know what you mean. You never know just how much you miss someone until they aren't there anymore," Katie added, sadly.

Edward stopped near the edge of the highway for a moment, scanning for a suitable place to spend the night. From his vantage point, he could see that most of the houses were in similar condition to those in Dafter. There did seem to be one or two nearby that were mostly intact. "How about one of those?" he asked, pointing down the street that stretched away from the exit ramp for Graham Avenue.

"Looks perfectly acceptable to me," Melissa replied. "My feet are really sore. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if I found blisters all over them when I get these boots off."

Hearing Melissa's response, Katie gazed toward Julie. Her friend had been strangely silent almost the entire time since their reunion, which was not normal. She should have been a regular chatterbox after being reunited. At the very least, she should have been the first one to complain about her feet hurting as she was not used to all the walking that the rest of them endured on a daily basis. "What about you, Julie?" Katie asked, curiously.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I could go a while longer, but if you want to stop that's fine, too," she answered with a smile.

Katie's brows furrowed as she turned back to Edward. Something didn't seem right with Julie, but she couldn't place what the problem was. Edward seemed to notice the look on her face, but kept his mouth closed.

It seemed like everyone had agreed to stopping for the night, so Melissa began making her way down the exit ramp. Moments later, the rest of the group followed after her.

When she got to the end of the ramp, Melissa veered off to the right. As she continued down the sidewalk, she caught sight of a single level, ranch-style house that looked more intact than the others surrounding it. Only a small section in the back seemed to be missing. She left the sidewalk and made her way to the front of the house.

When she got to the door, Melissa put her ear to it. After listening for a minute and not hearing any movement from within, she turned to face the rest of the group. "I think it should be safe," she announced.

She stepped aside as Edward approached the doorway. Turning the knob slowly, he pushed gently inward on the door as the latch came free from the doorjamb. It creaked loudly, as if it hadn't been used in a very long time.

Stale, burnt-smelling air wafted out of the house. He took a cautious step inside. The front room was barren, completely devoid of furniture. There was a large hearth directly across from the door, and a hallway to his left that led deeper into the home. He motioned for the others to come inside.

Jack was the last to enter. He closed the door behind himself as the rest of the group gathered in the center of the room. Melissa sat down on the floor, took off her boots, and began to gently rub her feet as she inspected them for blisters. "If we're going to spend the night here, we should check the rest of the building for anything we can use," Jack suggested.

"As empty as this room is, I don't imagine we will find much," Edward said. "We should try to stay in groups like we did in the other town." He looked down at Melissa and realized that it would be better for her to stay off of her feet, hoping that they would feel better tomorrow. "Will someone stay here with Melissa while the rest of us search the house?"

"I will," Julie answered.

Katie looked at her in astonishment. What had happened to her back on Desolace when she was held captive? Julie hadn't been acting like her normal, bubbly self ever since they had found her. Before all the weirdness of portals and alternate dimensions had entered their lives, the two of them had been inseparable. What had she endured during their time apart that had changed her so much? Shouldn't the fact that she'd been reunited with her best friend bring out the Julie that she knew?

"You coming, Katie?" Jack asked.

She shook her head, trying to clear her worried thoughts, and looked up at him. "Yeah, sorry," she replied, giving him a weak smile.

Edward turned and led the way down the hall. It was considerably darker in the hallway than it was in the front room, so Edward produced a sputtering flame in the palm of his hand to give them a little more light.

There were two closed doors on the left side of the hallway; one was a few feet from them, and the other was near the end of the hall. On the right side there was only one door, about halfway up the hall.

Edward approached the first one on the left and reached for the knob. He looked back to see if Jack and Katie were ready. They nodded, indicating that they were. Edward turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly. Dim light filtered through the only window in the room, which was covered in soot and grime. Jack remained in the doorway, while Edward and Katie inspected the room.

A charred dresser, which looked like it would fall into a pile of ashes if they even breathed on it, stood against one wall. Against another wall was what looked to be the remains of a bed. Crumbles of burned wood lay scattered about on the floor, near what was likely at one time a box spring mattress. The metal was twisted awkwardly, as if someone had put it against the wall and tried to use it as a ladder to get to the window, which was high on the wall near the ceiling.

Crumpled in the corner between the dresser and the box spring was what appeared to be a comforter. Katie bent down and picked it up from the floor. As she unfolded it and held it up, Katie saw how useless it would be. The comforter had definitely seen better days. It was almost completely threadbare and had large holes in it, as if a rat had used it for a nest. She threw it back on the ground in disgust.

Edward found another closed door in the room and motioned for Katie to check it. Her first assumption was that it was a closet. She turned the knob and pulled the door open, hoping to find something more useful inside. Her shoulders sank. Nothing.

Jack stepped to the side, allowing the two of them to reenter the hall. As they did, Edward pointed toward the door on the opposite side. As they neared it, Edward looked back at them, confusion written all over his face.

"What?" Katie mouthed, raising her eyebrows.

Edward made a motion like he was turning a knob. Recognition registered on Katie's face and she had to stifle a laugh. She walked over to the door and pushed on it with one hand. It creaked slightly as it swung open. He gave her a look that said, "duh!" and mimicked smacking himself in the head.

Katie entered the room first, which was much better lit than the last room. She was greeted by dust covered countertops with gaping holes in them where the appliances must have at one time stood. Cabinets hung crookedly upon the walls above the counter. As she stepped further into the room and saw a broken table lying on its side, she surmised that the far corner had at one time been a dining room. The walls and roof around that section of the room were gone, almost as if a wrecking ball had hit the side of the house and swept it away. Edward followed Katie into the room, while Jack stood like a sentinel in the doorway again.

Edward and Katie began to search the cupboards. Much like the last house, their efforts met largely with disappointment. There was, however, a tiny glimmer of hope when Katie opened a sliding panel that led into a small pantry. There, sitting on the floor like a gift from the gods, was an unopened 24-pack of bottled water. Upon her discovery, Katie gasped in surprise. "Oh my God! Look, Edward!" she said excitedly, lifting it from the floor.

A huge smile played across his lips. "Finally! Something worthwhile."

Katie went to the door and handed the package to Jack. "Can you take that to the front room while we finish searching this one, please?"

"I sure will," he replied, immediately turning to take the water into the other room.

As the door swung shut, Edward and Katie finished going through the rest of the cupboards. "At least we found the water," Katie said, when they were done checking the remaining cabinets. She tried her best to sound hopeful, even though she was disappointed it was the only thing they'd found.

"True. One room to go," he said as they exited the kitchen into the hallway. Katie smiled as she heard a cheer erupt from the front of the house when Jack entered the room with the water.

"Should we wait for Jack to come back before we look in the last room?" Katie asked.

Edward smiled. "I think we can handle it without him."

"I'm sure you're right. Likely, it's just a bathroom anyway."

"Bathroom?"

Katie laughed. "Oh. I forgot. You probably don't have those where you come from. It's like an indoor outhouse."

"That doesn't seem very sanitary," he remarked.

"Probably not right now, but when there was still running water available it would have been much better than any outhouse," Katie said with a smirk.

Edward turned the knob and pushed the door open. Immediately, the foul scent of death and decay assaulted their nostrils. Katie clamped a hand over her nose and mouth as she turned her head and gagged. After regaining her composure, she stepped into the room, looking for the source of the stench. She half expected to see a dead animal floating in the toilet, but when she looked the only thing she saw was an empty porcelain bowl.

"Where is that smell coming from? Under the house?" Katie asked, her voice muffled by her hand. She had no more finished her question when she saw Edward approaching the shower curtain, which was drawn around the bathtub. Suddenly, several images of different horror movies ran through her mind. There was almost always a killer hiding behind the curtain. "Edward! No!" she yelled as he slowly drew the curtain back.

Lying in a pool of shallow water in the tub was the desiccated corpse of a woman. Why was she there? Seeing the body, Katie finally realized the awful impact of the virus she had read about in the newspaper back in the grocery store. Did this woman think she could wash the virus away? She had obviously been scrubbing herself when she died. A grimy washcloth was still clutched in her hand, bits of rotten flesh floating beside her in the water. Patches of skin were missing from her arms, legs, torso, and face, exposing the muscles underneath.

The two of them quickly turned to leave the room. Edward was entering the doorway, with Katie on his heels, when the sound of splashing water came from behind them. Katie turned back in alarm to see the corpse standing in the tub. Her scream was so loud that someone could likely have heard it a mile away.

Frozen in horror, Katie watched as the woman lifted a leg and stepped out of the tub. Her foot came down with a sickening, wet sound. Chunks of flesh fell from the woman's body to the tile floor. Her glazed eyes popped open in her skull as she reached out to grab Katie.

Edward silently prayed that his magic would work, but to no avail. The flame in his palm didn't grow in size, it remained the same. Panic began to set in as he saw the corpse reaching for Katie. He could hear footsteps quickly approaching from the hallway, but feared that whoever it was would be too late.

Katie's fear finally broke and she managed to dodge the woman's outstretched hands, for the moment anyway. She didn't know what to do. Edward was still blocking the doorway, so she couldn't run and she had nothing to defend herself. She fumbled for something to fight with, staying just out of the woman's reach.

Something moved slightly beneath her hand. She hurriedly looked to see what it was. The lid from the back of the toilet, covering the tank! Quickly, she snatched it up in both hands and brought it upward, connecting with a savage blow to the woman's head. Blood and flesh splattered against the wall and one of the woman's breasts fell off, hitting the floor with a wet slap. Shortly thereafter, the woman collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

The rest of the group appeared in the doorway moments later. "What's going on?" Melissa asked nervously. "We heard screaming."

Edward's ears were still ringing, so he could barely hear or understand what she had said, but he picked up just enough. He stepped into the hallway, allowing the others to see.

"What happened?" Melissa stammered, seeing the grotesque, twisted form lying on the floor.

Jack entered the room and pried the porcelain lid from Katie's grasp, setting it aside. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing, as if her brain had taken a vacation from the rest of her body. "I think she's in shock," he told the others. Gently, he latched onto her hand and led Katie from the room.

"We found what we thought to be a dead woman in the tub when we came in to search the room. Apparently she wasn't, because she stood up and tried to attack Katie," Edward began. "I tried to use magic against it, but as the case has been since our arrival in this world, the magic wouldn't come. At least, not the way it used to. Thankfully, Katie was able to thwart the attack with her quick thinking."

Melissa stepped forward to inspect the body more closely. "It looks like something out of a horror movie," she said with disgust, barely resisting the urge to vomit. "Is this what happens to people exposed to the virus we read about?"

Edward gently tugged Melissa's arm, bringing her back into the hallway. Now that everyone was out, he closed the door. He motioned for everyone to follow and headed back to the front of the house. "If that could happen once, it will likely occur again," he said as he walked down the hall. "We will need to be on our guard, which means sleeping in shifts from now on."

As they entered the front room, Edward turned to face them and saw by their expressions that they agreed with him.

"It could have been an isolated incident, but I would rather not take any chances," Edward told them.

"I can only imagine how much worse it will get. We're in no-man's land right now. What's it going to be like when we get close to a big city?" Melissa hesitantly asked. She didn't want to bring the spirit of the group down, but she had to be realistic. There was no point in giving everyone a false sense of security and then getting caught off guard.

"Melissa has a good point," Edward stated. "I think we need to consider finding weapons in the morning, before we set out again."

The group then began to hash out the sleeping arrangements and guard duties. Once it was agreed upon, those that were going to sleep huddled together as close as possible on the floor. There would be no fire tonight, as fortune hadn't seen fit to leave them with any firewood.

Chapter 11

As the first light of day began to filter through the windows, Julie started to wake the others. It took a few minutes for them to get their arms and legs untangled because of the way they had slept, bunched together like sardines in a can.

At least the night passed without incident, Melissa thought, sitting up and rubbing her feet. They felt much better this morning with no signs that blisters were starting to form.

It didn't take long for the group to get ready. Most had only taken their boots off to sleep, needing the rest of their newly acquired clothing to keep the night chill at bay.

"So, what's the plan?" Katie yawned.

"The first, and most important, thing will be to see if we can find some weapons. We still have plenty of food and water, so we could head out again after our weapon search," Edward replied.

Once everyone was reasonably awake and functional, Edward opened the front door and led them outside. When they got to the sidewalk, he paused. As he looked to the right, all he could see was more houses. He didn't relish the idea of searching each home for weapons, so he turned his attention toward the highway. He remembered seeing different types of structures on the other side of the highway, which might indicate potential shops. Surely, in such a remote location, there would be a shop that catered to hunters.

"So, which way?" Melissa asked, studying Edward's body language.

"I can't be sure, but it seems like our best chance for finding weapons lies on the other side of the highway," he answered.

With everyone in agreement, they made their way down the sidewalk toward the Interstate. They were all silently trudging along until they reached the overpass. Then, Katie's face lit up.

"Holy crap! Do you believe the dumb luck?" Katie asked, laughing as she pointed. Less than a block away, a dirty green and white sign hung askew from one of the buildings. In bold green letters were the words, Bill's Sporting Goods. Moments later, Katie took off in a sprint toward the building.

Edward chased after her, hoping that she wasn't running headlong into danger. Melissa and Jack continued walking, weighted down with the large plastic bags which held their supplies.

Katie skidded to a stop in front of the store. The glass door that served as the entrance was smashed. Only tiny fragments of glass still clung to the metal frame of the door. She stepped through the doorway just as Edward caught up, her boots crunching on the broken glass scattered on the floor just inside.

"Will you please wait?" Edward nearly yelled.

Katie stopped and turned toward him, giving him a pouting look that said she felt like a scolded child. She almost expected a slap on the hand, like her mother used to do when she caught her stealing candy in the checkout line.

"I'm sorry, Katie. I didn't mean for my words to sound so harsh," Edward apologized. "I was just afraid of another incident like yesterday."

He was right. What was she thinking? This isn't the world she remembered, realizing just how stupid her actions had been.

A couple of minutes passed before the others caught up. Melissa poked her head through the door. "Find anything?"

"We were waiting for you to get here before beginning our search," Edward replied, hoping that he hadn't made Katie feel worse.

They fanned out to search the store, but never strayed more than ten feet from the person next to them. "I can't believe how much stuff is still here!" Melissa said, excitedly holding up a backpack she'd found. "You would think this place would be nothing except a bunch of empty shelves after the virus hit."

She knelt down, grabbing enough backpacks for everyone to have one, then dumped out her plastic bag to transfer the supplies into them. She did her best to distribute things evenly so that no one person was left feeling like a pack mule. Jack noticed what she was doing and came over to help, dumping his bag onto the floor as well. By the time they were finished dividing up the supplies, the rest of the group was congregated around them.

Edward, Katie, and Julie displayed their finds to them. Among them were several hunting knives, baseball bats, a shotgun with a few boxes of shells, a crossbow with a quiver packed full of projectiles, and a small, three- person dome tent. These items were divided as equally as possible throughout the group. Melissa laid claim to the shotgun, Katie the crossbow, and Jack was saddled with the task of carrying the tent, which he secured to the top of his backpack.

Once all of the supplies and weapons had been distributed, each of them grabbed their respective packs and put them on.

"Everyone ready?" Edward inquired. They all nodded, indicating that they were. "Then, let's get going."

Chapter 12

Fifteen minutes later, they stopped again on the highway. Before them was a sign introducing them to the massive suspension bridge ahead. The sign read, Mackinac Bridge.

Katie looked on with apprehension. The entire span of the bridge was littered with stalled or broken down cars, some turned at odd angles nearly blocking the entire road, others dangling precariously over the side of the bridge. Clouds were beginning to roll in from the west, threatening to add bad weather to the mix.

Edward noticed Katie looking at the clouds overhead. "We need to get across the bridge as quickly as we can. The last thing we want is to be caught in a storm while we're on it." He turned back to the task at hand, leading them onto the bridge.

After a few hundred feet, the footing began to get a little dicey. The road was covered in black ice, and to make matters worse, the wind picked up in intensity the further out they got. Why does this bridge need to be so long? Edward asked himself in frustration, working his way through several vehicles that had apparently crashed into each other. He slipped and fell after bumping into one of them.

Katie nearly had her legs swept from beneath her as his legs splayed out. Bracing herself on a nearby car, she extended her hand to him, helping Edward back to his feet.

"Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Katie asked, looking him over for any obvious injuries.

"Other than a bruised ego, I think I'm fine." Embarrassed, he smiled.

Katie looked ahead. "At least it looks like we're about halfway across."

Edward sighed as they began moving again. The clouds had now skirted across the sun, causing it to feel even colder, and the wind continued to gain intensity. They made their way further across, battling to stay upright and maintain their footing in the stiff breeze.

They could now see the end of the bridge, which looked like it was completely blocked by another accident. Likely, they would have to climb over the wreck. At least it wasn't much further.

When they got within a hundred feet of the pileup, Edward suddenly stopped in his tracks and motioned for everyone else to do the same.

"What's wrong? Why are we stopping?" Melissa asked, eager to get off the bridge.

"I think I see people inside of those cars," Katie said, wondering why Edward wasn't moving to help them.

"I saw that, too. That's why I stopped. Remember the house? What if these people are like that too?" he asked, looking at her nervously.

"Look! I think some of them are still alive!" Melissa pointed, as one of the car doors began to swing open.

Edward didn't like this one bit. That accident didn't look like it had just happened. There was no way that anyone would have just sat there, waiting for someone to come along. Was there?

Now, other car doors were opening. People were stepping out and coming toward them. From this distance, Edward couldn't tell yet if these were normal people. "Are you okay?" he called out to them. With the wind howling in his ears, he couldn't hear a response. He continued to grow more nervous as they approached. Their shuffling gait could be because of injuries, but what were the chances that all of them would be injured in the same manner?

"Shit!" Katie yelled as the shambling people got within fifty feet and she was able to make out their features. Now she could clearly see that these people had faces that looked eerily similar to the woman from the tub. She raised her newly acquired crossbow and took aim at the nearest one—of what looked to be about a dozen— shuffling, mindless zombies.

The bolt leapt from the crossbow as she pulled the trigger, plunging into the forehead of a zombie. It staggered for a moment and then fell to the ground. By this time, everyone that didn't have a ranged weapon had a baseball bat in their hands, hoping the creatures didn't get close enough that they would be required to use them.

Stepping forward, Melissa stood next to Katie, raising the shotgun into the crook of her shoulder and taking aim. Hopefully, watching all of those zombie movies, back when her life was normal, would pay off. Every instinct told her if they loose their heads, it's game over.

She pulled the trigger as Katie struggled to reload the crossbow. Bullseye! Another zombie fell to the ground, no longer sporting its head after the shotgun blast disintegrated it into a flying mass of blood and brains. Melissa, having never shot a gun before, wasn't expecting the tremendous kick of the weapon. She was paying for that inexperience now, picking herself up from the ground.

As Katie fired a second time, dropping another zombie, Melissa regained her feet and chambered another shell. There still looked to be at least a half dozen more of them, and now they were only about thirty feet away.

Not wanting to risk being knocked on her ass again, Melissa held the shotgun in a manner that resembled her best 'Rambo' pose. She tilted the barrel upward, hoping for the best, and pulled the trigger. The blast was off target, but at least she hit something. A hole big enough to stick her head into appeared in the chest of her target. Its insides were blown out the back of the zombie, splattering the one behind it with gore. She scrambled to retrieve the shotgun, as the force of the blast had ripped it from her grip. It was lying on the ground about ten feet behind her.

"Let me give it a try," Jack told her as he plucked the shotgun from the ground and offered her his bat. "Take this." She gratefully accepted the change in roles. If she continued to wield the gun, Melissa would probably get them all killed.

Now there was no point in staying behind the people with ranged weapons. The zombies were closing in fast. Ten more feet and they would be upon the group. The zombie with the huge hole in its chest was leading the charge, arms outstretched. It hissed as it flailed at Katie, knocking the crossbow from her grasp. Out of the corner of her eye, Katie saw the crossbow skitter across the pavement and go over the side of the bridge. Edward swung his bat and caved in the skull of the zombie accosting Katie.

Immediately, another took its place. Trying to dodge the flurry of swinging bats, Jack chambered another shell into the shotgun and jammed the barrel against the temple of another zombie. As he squeezed the trigger, the zombie's head disappeared in a spray of brains, blood, and bone. The zombie directly behind it also took damage from the blast, losing half of its face. Both fell to the ground moments later, the second one oozing the remains of its brain onto the pavement.

Julie was on the other side, swinging her bat wildly when the zombie before her knocked it from her hands. She ducked under the flailing arms and hurried after the bat, hoping to catch it before it took a header over the side of the bridge. Luckily, the bat slid to a stop just before the edge. Julie bent down to retrieve it, and as she did she was struck from behind. The force of the blow knocked her over the side, but at the last moment she managed to grab hold of one of the suspension cables. She was dangling precariously by one hand over the icy waters when a hand grabbed onto her wrist.

She looked up and was grateful to see that it was Katie. She must have dispatched the zombie that knocked her over the edge, because she didn't look panicked in the least. Katie pulled Julie up with every ounce of strength she had, using her feet to brace herself on the cables to keep from going over the side. What the hell has she been eating? Katie wondered. I don't remember Julie being this heavy before. Moments later, Julie was back on the bridge and the two of them collapsed in a heap.

Another blast of the shotgun erupted behind them. As Katie and Julie turned in that direction, the last of the zombies fell to the pavement. Jack raised the gun above his head in triumph as the cheering began.

Chapter 13

A little over a day had passed since Brian left his safe haven in Toledo, and now he was approaching the city limits of Detroit. So far, the trip north had been uneventful, but he had a feeling things were about to get ugly. With bigger cities came the risk of more zombies, probably due to population and food supplies.

He was crouched down in some brush about fifty feet from the Interstate, but he could clearly see the sign that welcomed him to Detroit. The northbound side of the road seemed pretty clear. No movement, only a handful of cars on the road itself, or lying like the fossils of dinosaurs just off to the side. The southbound side was a different matter entirely. There he could see an abundance of the useless metal husks, likely remnants from when everyone fled the larger cities after the initial outbreak of the virus.

Brian broke cover and cautiously made his way toward the city. His senses were on high alert for even the tiniest noise. Sure, it would likely be a nerve wracking experience trying to get to the other side of the city alive, but he tried to comfort himself with the fact that with greater risk also came more places to conceal his presence. Traveling across the countryside had been peaceful so far, but at times he felt like a huge target.

Fifteen minutes later he left the highway, pulling his hood up over the shock of red hair that would surely make him more noticeable. He didn't stray far from the roadway, just enough to use the cover of the buildings and cars that lined the side streets nearby. The sun was sinking in the western sky and thick clouds, looking laden with snow, obscured it from view. By his calculations, he had a couple of hours of daylight—at most—left. He tried to recall the distance he would have to traverse before coming out on the other side of town. If memory served, he thought it was somewhere around twenty miles, maybe as many as thirty.

There was no way that he would make it to the other side in daylight. Hell, he'd be lucky to make it out before morning at the pace he would have to go to maximize his safety. That meant he should probably find a place before darkness fell to hide out until morning. It would be far too risky to travel at night, when zombies could be lurking in the shadows, unseen until it was too late.

He made up his mind to at least keep going for another hour or so, to give himself time to find a suitable hiding place. At the moment, the landscape was dotted with more houses than anything else, but from the looks of things the buildings grew into enormous skyscrapers in a few miles.

Just then, there was a clank from somewhere ahead. He ducked down behind a car sitting at the curb, trying to determine where the noise had come from. It echoed through the street, making the sound seem like it was coming from all around him. He studied the area quietly from behind the parked car. The noise did not repeat itself and he saw no movement ahead.

He rose from cover and began to make his way up the street. As he approached a break in the buildings, he heard another noise. It was a softer sound, much like something being dragged or scraped across the pavement.

Cautiously, he moved to the edge of the house nearest the alley and peered around the corner. Great! More zombies! He ducked back out of sight and considered his options. The alleyway was about fifteen to twenty feet wide. He could make it if he moved quickly, but only if the zombies weren't looking in his direction at the time of his attempt.

He peeked around the corner again. Of the handful of zombies he could see, most were milling idly around near a garbage can. One, however, had lost interest in what the others were doing and was shuffling his way up the alley toward Brian. He had run out of time to think of a solution to the dilemma, so he boldly dashed across the alley.

He made it most of the way to the cover of the house on the opposite side when the zombie noticed him. It hissed and picked up its pace at the sight of a fresh meal. The others, drawn by the commotion of the lone zombie, whipped their heads around to see what was happening. Moments later, they were in hot pursuit of the loner.

As soon as Brian heard the hiss, he knew he'd been spotted. He took off running down the sidewalk, hoping to get out of sight before the zombie exited the alley. He got to the corner of the next block and took a brief look back over his shoulder. So far, so good. He darted to his left and crossed the street. The houses on this block were only separated by about five feet.

Ahead, there was a home with a large bush in the front corner that nearly took up the space between one house and the next. He quickly made his way behind it, glancing back in the direction he'd just come from. So far, nothing. The only sound he could hear right now was the pounding of his pulse in his frozen ears. He kept his eyes glued to the corner, peering over the top of the bush, waiting to see the small herd of zombies as he fought to catch his breath.

Once the first one appeared, he held his breath. He hoped that it hadn't seen which way he had gone, and that he could hold his breath long enough that they wouldn't see the steam escaping his lips.

The zombie showed no indication that it had seen Brian as it continued across the street. Moments later, the rest of the small group followed.

He lowered himself behind the bush and let out the breath he'd been holding. As his breathing evened out, he could hear them again. From what he could tell, it sounded like the group had continued on their way up the street.

Turning his attention, he looked back at the space between the two houses. At the rear corner of one he could see a door. Thinking it to be his best option right now, he walked back to it in a half crouch. As he reached for the knob, he hoped it would be a safe place to hide for the night. Thankfully, the door wasn't locked and the knob turned easily. He quickly made his way inside and shut the door, turning the deadbolt.

Once the door was closed, Brian found himself in almost complete darkness. With the sun setting there was only a sliver of light coming through the windows of the house. Rather than risk injury stumbling through an unfamiliar home in the dark, Brian decided it would be best to just curl up near the door.

Part Two

Chapter 1

Ever since reaching Outpost 12, George had started reverting more and more to his former self. No longer did the Black Knight invade the majority of his waking thoughts, and with that came the freedom to more or less doing what he pleased. His trips to The Factory became less frequent, as more often than not he kept the prizes for himself.

He found it much simpler to stay in one area, and since he wasn't herding large groups of people from nearby towns he could operate for longer periods of time without raising alarm. Once every few days, George would venture out into one of the nearby towns, of which there were three within a half day's ride from the Outpost. He would pick up food, supplies, and one woman on each of his trips. Thankfully, as he had hoped, there was another of the strange mechanical horses waiting outside when he arrived at this Outpost.

He held each woman captive inside, much in the same manner he had done back on Earth. Although, he did have to improvise. The same materials were not readily available to him here, so his torture methods became more crude. He supposed that he could ask for such implements to be made for him at The Factory, but he didn't want to raise suspicion about his intentions for their use. Besides, since there wasn't anyone nearby enough to hear the screams of his victims, none of that other stuff was really necessary. Rope, a cutting implement, such as his sword, and a leather riding crop that he'd pilfered on one of his expeditions, was all he truly needed. A swift blow from the hilt of his sword to the back of his victim's head would be sufficient to keep them quiet.

Speaking of which, his latest treasure seemed to be waking up. He could hear soft groans coming from the room behind him, which was situated in the same exact place and was furnished in the same manner as Outpost 13. After the déjà vu had worn off, he had laughed as he entered this Outpost.

Everything, from the doors leading down to Morgana and to outside, the monitors along the wall, and the furnishings in the bunkhouse, were identical to the other Outpost. He had almost thought that he had fallen asleep on Morgana and forgotten to press the button to bring him here, thinking that he'd walked up all those stone stairs for nothing.

It wasn't until he realized that this Outpost was clean, with the exception of some dust and cobwebs, and didn't have the stench inside like the other one did. Then, and only then, did he realize it was a different building even though his eyes insisted that it wasn't.

His victim was definitely awake now. "Is anyone here?" her voice cracked.

George picked up the whip from beside the monitor and walked to the room. He stopped in the doorway and waited a moment for her to notice his presence.

Seeing a shadow move over the floor, she lifted her head. "Oh, thank ..." she began, then swallowed hard as she saw the silhouette of a large man standing in the doorway. Her mind reeled, trying desperately to figure out what was happening. Why is he just standing there? Her eyes frantically tried to focus, darting around nervously to see if there was something else nearby that he was looking at. It was at that moment that she realized her clothing had been removed.

The woman tried to cover herself, but realized she was bound. She struggled furiously against the ropes that held her in place, but each wrist was firmly encircled with rope and tied to the opposite corners of the bed frame behind her. She looked down and saw that her ankles were bound in the same fashion. Maybe she could sit on the bed to relieve some of the tension and perhaps get enough slack to free one of her hands. The silhouette in the doorway stood there, unmoving. As she attempted to sit down, the rope around her neck grew taut. Immediately, she stood up again. She hadn't felt the rope around her neck before.

Now, she began to panic. She heard heavy footsteps and saw that the man had started coming toward her, if indeed it was a man.

He laughed maniacally as he stopped before her. "I can smell the fear, dripping from your every pore," he taunted, sniffing at the air, inches from her neck.

She let loose a high-pitched, blood curdling scream, hoping that someone would hear her and come to her aid. The only thing her scream seemed to accomplish was making her captor mad.

The scream had hurt his ears, and in the aftermath of it George felt like he'd been temporarily deafened. The only thing he could hear was his own blood, pounding in his skull like a jackhammer. "You stupid bitch!" he growled, lashing out with the whip. The blow landed with such force that it peeled a strip of flesh from her side, near the bottom of her ribcage.

She screamed again. It didn't have the volume of the previous one and didn't last as long either, because the blow had taken her breath away.

George continued to flail the woman, each stroke taking a chunk of flesh with it. A minute or so later, the screaming stopped. The woman had passed out, whether from pain or blood loss George didn't know or care. Her body sagged limply forward, the neck restraint keeping her from falling to the floor. He stood there for a few minutes, waiting to see if she would regain consciousness before the rope around her neck strangled her.

Chapter 2

The Black Knight's anger began to boil over. Nothing seemed to be going right. First, that insignificant little worm of a human being, whom he'd thought would be easy to manipulate, was beginning to return to his old ways, ignoring his obligations. How am I supposed to accomplish what I set out to do if I can't trust my recruit to be loyal? He got up from his throne, backhanding the impish looking creature that stood before him, awaiting his command. He roared in frustration, causing all of his minions to cower in fear.

He stomped about in front of his throne, pacing back and forth as he thought about something even more pressing. He stopped for a moment, his claw-like toenails clicking impatiently on the concrete floor of his chamber. One of the Gods of this world had to be the one behind his recent failures, right? Surely this rag-tag group of adventurers weren't thwarting his plans all on their own.

Still, he couldn't figure out who had placed the strange looking portal down near the underground river that had allowed the group to escape. Not that he didn't have ways of getting to wherever they'd gone. It was merely a matter of his attention being torn in too many directions. The only thing that he felt was in his favor, was the fact that the portal had disappeared after they'd gone through. Hopefully, they wouldn't be able to get back to this world.

After much thought, the Black Knight strode into the antechamber off to the left of his throne room. The chamber was crowded with ghost-like figures, demons that had no definite shape and lacked a physical body to tie them to this world or any other. They could infest, or possess, anyone or any thing they desired, but lacked direction and focus. Thoughtfully, the Black Knight scratched his chin, and then issued his orders.

Chapter 3

George began untying the ropes from his recently deceased victim. "Stupid blonde," he muttered with contempt. Once the rope around her neck was loosened, he moved to untie her feet, then her hands. Once free of her bindings, he hefted her body onto his shoulder. He carried her outside and laid her body in the grass about fifty feet from the building. Not wasting any more time, he drew his sword and lopped off her head.

He grabbed a hold of her hair, and lifted up the head to face him. "Welcome to my newest collection," he said softly, kissing her cool lips. A wicked smile played across his face as he took the head back to the building, placing it on the ground beside the door.

He turned for a moment and regarded the rest of her body. He had a vision just then that inspired him. He would leave the body where it was for now, waiting for it to fully bleed out.

Placing his hand into the strange hand print that he knew to be the door handle, George turned it to the side and the door slid noiselessly open. He stepped inside and went to the rolling chair in front of the monitors. He really wanted to take a nap, but he would have to take care of business first.

As he sat down, George began to study the monitors. They were labeled in the same manner as were the ones in the previous Outpost. Everything looked identical to what he'd seen before, with the exception of the exterior view of the building he currently occupied. He liked the view outside this one considerably better. It brought a smile to his face, seeing his latest victim in the monitor like watching one of the horror films he used to love.

Lacing his fingers behind his head, he leaned back and closed his eyes. He watched the scene unfold in his mind like his own private movie, even though he already knew how this movie would end.

He must have drifted off, because a vision involving the Black Knight jolted him back to reality. In this dream, if that's what it was, the Black Knight had sent an army of mechanical creatures after him. Nothing George did would harm the robotic mass bent on destroying him. He tried to flee, but before long the army cornered him and began tearing the flesh from his bones.

George shivered as he recalled the vision. Was it supposed to be some kind of warning, sent telepathically to get him back in control? Perhaps it was a vision of what his fate would be if he continued to ignore the will of the Black Knight?

He shook his head to clear the image, thinking that he was letting his imagination get the better of him. What did he have to worry about? He hadn't seen, or heard from, the Black Knight for quite some time now, likely he had more important things to deal with. He gazed at the monitor before him and sighed. Usually when he claimed the life of a victim he would feel exhilarated. However, for some reason, today he just felt run down and weary. He wanted nothing more than to get this over with.

Pushing the chair back from the monitors, he stood up and went to the door leading down to the underground river. He turned the wheel set into it until the lock retracted. He pulled the door open, making sure it was opened wide enough for him to carry the body through, then went out the front door to retrieve the body.

The ground around the neck was saturated with blood, but as he inspected the wound he saw that the bleeding had stopped. Sure, there would likely still be more in the body since he hadn't hung it like cattle to drain, but it shouldn't be too bad.

Bending down, he hefted the body onto his shoulder. He held her legs tightly to his chest to prevent it from shifting too much, and went back inside. He looked at the stone stairway leading down to the river, dreading the back and forth, but also thankful that this stairway wasn't as long as the one that led from Outpost 13.

About ten minutes had passed when George reached the bottom. "You're fish food now, darling," he said wearily, as he tossed the body into the river a few feet behind the place where Morgana sat. He watched as the body sank, not realizing just how clear the water of the river was until that very moment. As the body came to rest near the bottom, he was amazed that he could still see it.

One day, someone is going to make a gruesome discovery down here, he chuckled to himself. As he turned and began his journey back to the Outpost, and his bed, George noticed the trail of blood droplets, leading the way like bread crumbs.

Chapter 4

After sending his ghostly minions off on their individual errands, the Black Knight returned to his throne. He pulled a lever beside it and the stone dais his chair rested upon began to turn counter-clockwise. It stopped after spinning one hundred and eighty degrees, bringing the Black Knight face to face with his own bank of monitors. Unlike the Outposts above, there were many more of them. All of which gave him access to virtually every corner of Desolace.

He reached out and touched the screen directly in front of him with a long, skeletal finger. The image zoomed in a little closer. On the screen, his one-time pet human was closing the inner door of the Outpost, the one leading to the underground river. The Black Knight widened the angle of the image as George started to move out of sight. He continued to watch as his delinquent minion went into the other room and laid down on one of the beds.

"Go to sleep now, my wayward friend. Soon, very soon, you will change your tune," the Black Knight cackled madly, rubbing his bony hands together in delight.

Turning his attention to the monitor beside it, he watched with growing amusement as a couple of his ghostly minions appeared on the screen, infiltrating The Factory and taking possession of some of the unfinished works on the tables.

The workers had gone to bed for the night, so there was no need to have the normal retinue of guards present. His minions had gotten in undetected. When the infested machinery was finally assembled, George would be in for a hell of a surprise. The Black Knight could not contain his elation, the glow of his yellow eyes reflecting back at him from the surface of the monitor. His long, pointed teeth were just barely visible in the reflection as he grinned.

He turned to the monitor on the opposite side of the one showing George, now sleeping soundly. The display showed an image of almost complete destruction and devastation. Large buildings, foreign to the world of Desolace, stood like dark sentinels in the background. He watched as more of his minions flitted in and out of view, wondering if the displayed image was showing him where the annoying group of adventurers had gone. He suspected that it was, although he couldn't see them making it out of the scenario before him, even without intervention from his minions.

He didn't know if they would find anything useful to inhabit, or if it would even be necessary, because there didn't seem to be anything his minions could possess in this charred version of reality.

Everything, it seemed, was going according to plan. His success seemed to be inevitable and rapidly approaching. Soon, the fruits of his labors would come to bear. His army would then crush the pathetic Gods of this world, and any other for that matter, and leave him as the supreme being that all would be forced to bow down to.

Chapter 5

George had been in a funk for the last couple of days, getting little to no sleep. He was very tired, and wished that these dreams would stop haunting him. He had foregone hunting for another victim, thinking his volatile demeanor would likely cause him to over think what he was doing, and thereby make a costly error that would get him captured. Or worse, hung.

He found himself wishing that he'd never agreed to the endeavor that the Black Knight had pretty much thrown into his lap. He longed for his home on Earth. There he could at least medicate himself when he had trouble sleeping, even though he couldn't remember having this sort of trouble back home.

It almost felt like his conscience was having a little war, prodding him from either shoulder like the cartoon versions of an angel and a devil. Only in the twisted version he saw now, he was perched on one shoulder, urging himself to kill again. On the other shoulder sat the Black Knight, promising a lifetime of misery and torment if George didn't follow his orders.

Maybe all I need is some fresh air, he thought. Maybe the Black Knight is using the land of dreams to persuade me back onto the path he had set for me. Maybe it is some sort of hypnotic effect, caused by something inside the Outpost. Something that the Black Knight is using to control me like a puppet.

The door whispered shut behind him as he walked outside. Just beyond the place where he'd beheaded his last victim was a small grove of trees. He went over to them and sat down, leaning his back against the thickest of the bunch. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he breathed deeply, closing his eyes and trying to relax. He could feel the late day sun, warming one side of his face.

George awoke some time later, how much time had passed he wasn't sure. The sun was down and there was a slight chill in the air. He rubbed his face briskly and stood up to stretch. For the first time in days, he had actually slept! Even if it had only been a few hours, he felt completely refreshed.

Suddenly, he began to hear a sound that he hadn't heard in quite some time. The bank of floodlights atop the Outpost flashed on, blinding him temporarily until his eyes began to adjust. Once they did, he found the source of the sound. Several of the rat-like mechanical creatures had apparently decided it was time to mow the grass.

Brushing off his initial insecurity about their intentions, after a brief recollection of his earlier dream of being attacked by the Black Knight's mechanical minions, he made his way toward the horse standing off to one side of the Outpost.

As he approached, the horse turned one of its heads to look at him. He stopped for a moment as his dream resurfaced again. He imagined the horse, eyeing him malevolently, with its glowing red eyes. Maybe it was the lighting, causing the horse's eyes to look that way. Or maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, causing him to think such things.

The horse turned its head away from him, apparently losing interest. George watched it carefully for a moment, studying it for any signs of ill intent. Satisfied that everything appeared to be normal, he strode toward it again, cursing his overactive imagination.

Swinging himself into the saddle, he gently nudged the pommel in the direction of the nearest town, which lay only a few hours to the south.

This was much better. The rhythmic plodding of the beast's heavy footfalls soothed him. He knew something else that would relax him, too. Killing again. His victims wouldn't agree, as oftentimes his outward display of anger toward them was all they could see.

They didn't see the stress melting away from him as he tortured them, or the inner joy that he felt when he saw the fear in their eyes, the trembling of their bodies. The power he held over his victims, until he severed their heads from their bodies, was euphoric. He could still feel this way, during the period of time between kills, simply by gazing at the heads he kept as trophies, reliving and relishing every moment.

But as the heads began to decompose, they started to lose their luster. Just as their features would begin to sag and fall away from their skulls, so too would his memory of the kill. That was when he knew it was time to find another.

The next couple of hours passed relatively fast, his daydreams providing a welcomed distraction. He piloted the horse to the edge of the woods. The town he sought lay a couple of hundred feet away. He could see several twinkles of light coming from many of the homes before him.

George dismounted, and keeping himself crouched low, crossed about half the distance between the woods and town. He then knelt down for a few minutes to search for roaming guards.

When he was satisfied that either there were no guards right now, or they were patrolling the other side of town, he rushed as quietly as possible to the first building he could get to.

Poking his head around the corner of the building, he looked for the nearest window with light coming from it. He spotted one, two houses away. Sticking to the shadows, he made his way over to it.

Once there, he peeked inside. No good. A man was visible, tucking his children into bed for the night. Even if there was a woman inside somewhere, it would be too risky to get her out without getting caught. He ducked his head back down and looked for another lighted window.

He spotted another house just on the other side of the dirt road running through town. He checked again to make sure there weren't any guards nearby before exposing himself by crossing the road. When he saw that the coast was still clear, he made his move.

Again, he poked his head up to look. Jackpot! In the window he saw a slim, red-haired woman in her night clothes, brushing her hair. He watched her for a minute, patiently waiting to see if there was a husband in the house somewhere that just hadn't come into the room yet.

The woman set the brush down on a small table beside her bed, then cupped a hand behind the candle that stood burning on the same table, and blew it out.

His heart pounding with anticipation, George ducked down and began sneaking around the house to find a way inside. As he rounded the corner, he nearly tripped over what looked to be a wooden sign. Unfortunately, he couldn't make out what was written upon it in the darkness.

Carefully, he stepped around the obstacle and continued on. A few feet later he came to a door. He moved his hand slowly in the darkness, searching for the handle. His hand bumped lightly into it a moment later, and he turned his hand to grip it. Slowly, he began to test the handle and smiled when it turned easily in his hand.

He pushed the door open, hoping the hinges were oiled well enough not to creak, and slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. A soft glow lit the room, coming from a fireplace on the far wall. The embers were dying out, but still provided enough light that he could make his way through the home without stumbling over what little furnishings there were.

After pausing for a moment to gain his bearings, George saw the most likely doorway that would lead to where the woman lay, hopefully sleeping now after a hard day of working in a field or some other exhausting task. He moved closer to the fireplace, warming himself briefly and allowing more chance for the woman to have dismissed any noise he might have made coming inside.

As he turned to crawl toward what he felt was her bedroom, George stopped dead in his tracks. The woman was standing in the doorway, leering down at him.

Chapter 6

"My Lord, I have news you might wish to hear," the man said.

The Black Knight turned his head to regard his minion, in the guise of a human male. Expectantly, he waited. "Well? Spill it!" he commanded, growing impatient with the delay.

The man approached one of the monitors, still not saying a word, and adjusted one of the dials below it. "There!" he exclaimed proudly with a sweeping gesture of his hand.

He turned his attention to the monitor, unsure what the supposed good news was. On the screen he could see the source of all his troubles as of late. The small group of individuals that George should have dispatched by now, walking through an apparent blizzard.

"I don't see anything good about this!" he growled, slamming his fist down on the arm of his throne.

"My Lord. You can now see them and track their movements," the man stammered, unsure of why the Black Knight was angry.

"Great! So now I can see them unraveling all that I've been trying to accomplish!" he roared in anger and frustration.

"Aren't you the least bit curious of how I was able to bring them up on your monitors?" the man asked, nervously.

"Whatever it is that you wish to say, spit it out now before I rip you to pieces!" he growled.

"We have a spy among them," the minion finally managed to say.

"A spy?"

"Yes, my Lord. One of the glorious creations that you commissioned for construction in the Factory," he said, slowly gaining his confidence back.

"That's not telling me much. Everything they build there is my design. Was it one of the insects? Did it latch on to their clothing? Is that how this spy managed to stay with them?"

"No, my Lord. It is something even more ingenious. Remember the girl that your mercenary brought from the other world?"

"Yes. What about her?" the Black Knight asked, growing curious.

"After the Factory supervisor sent her to Cemetery Hill, a duplicate was made of her," the man smiled.

"Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?" The Black Knight frowned. "And how did she get out of the Factory?"

"It was my doing. I used my human form to infiltrate the Factory. Posing as a worker, I programmed her. Then, after the guards sent everyone back to their cells for rest, I snuck back, turned her on, and let her out of the compound," the man said with satisfaction.

"Why would you do such a thing behind my back?" the Black Knight growled.

"I ... I was merely trying to do something to gain favor with you," he stammered. "I thought by doing this, that you might be inclined to make me your right hand man, so to speak." He was confused by the Black Knight's anger.

"Idiot! I could have had one of the others infest the machine first, so I could have control over it. What use is it to me if I can't do that? Sitting by and idly watching that group of mortals come between me and my goals is not something I care to do!" he snapped, smashing the minion with a monstrous backhand to the mid-section that sent him flying across the chamber.

He turned back to the monitor and adjusted the dial so that the image disappeared from view, then turned his attention to more pressing matters. The matter of his seemingly wayward mercenary.

His anger began to dissipate when he gazed back at the monitor he had been watching. A smile started to form on his face. A grin so wide that his hideously long and jagged teeth reflected back at him from the screen of the monitor. On the screen, his delinquent henchman had just been struck over the head and rendered unconscious by a beautiful, red-haired woman.

Chapter 7

When George regained consciousness, he was in a predicament he never thought he would find himself in ... that of the helpless victim. He tried to look around, but he was obviously tied to a tree. As he moved his head back and forth, the rough bark of the tree scraped against the back of it.

"Hello? Is someone out there?" he called out, trying his best to sound scared, even though he wasn't. He was just looking for the opportunity to free himself so he could make whoever had done this to him pay dearly.

He heard movement. It sounded as if it had come from behind him, but he wasn't sure. It was very dark out still, and the dim light filtering through the trees from the stars above did little to aid his vision.

A shadow flickered to his left. "Ah. You're awake now," a female voice said with a hint of amusement.

"What do you want from me?" George asked, trying to maintain a tone of nervousness.

"What do you think? I want to do the same thing to you that you intended to be my fate," she spat.

"You saw me from afar, found me attractive, and decided to whisk me away to marry me?" he asked sarcastically, trying to lower her defenses.

She moved in closer. So close, in fact, that he could feel her warm breath on his face. "Seriously?" she whispered.

"Yes. Of course!" he replied, hoping that she was buying his act.

She paused. For a moment, all he could hear was the gentle rush of air going in and out of her lungs. She raised one hand high above her head. It worked! She's going to set me free! he thought.

"Liar!" she screamed, bringing her hand down quickly.

However, it wasn't her hand that connected with George. The blow had been much sharper than that. Perhaps a tree branch. Perhaps ...

She continued to rain blows down upon George, making sure to cover his body in bruises, welts, and lacerations. Each successive blow landed in a different area of his body; first it was his arms, then his chest and abdomen, then his legs, and lastly upon his face.

He weathered her assault with the same stoic calm as he'd done when receiving beatings from his mother as a child. Not once did he cry out, even though his body was screaming in agony. Instead, like when he was younger, his anger continued to escalate. When the last blow had struck his face and she seemed to be done, he knew. It wasn't a stick that she'd been beating him with, it was his own whip! That insolent little bitch!

"Does that about sum up what you were going to do to me?" she sneered, her face just inches from his.

Despite the beating he had just taken, George didn't feel the slightest bit weakened. In fact, now that the beatings had stopped, he wasn't feeling much of anything. His body had gone numb, the only thing he could feel was his own quickly mounting rage, swelling up from within and consuming him.

His vision began to dim. Not from the beating or blood loss, but from his rage, which blotted everything out. Hatred boiled in his veins as the furor took over.

In the silence, the woman heard a snapping sound. It had come from somewhere nearby. Her first instinct was that she had been discovered, but moments later she realized what had caused the noise. By then it was too late.

George summoned up all of his hatred, the added adrenaline giving him supernatural strength. And with this strength he broke the ropes that bound him as if they were merely strings. Seconds later, he had his hands firmly around her throat, squeezing. The pressure was so great, that within a matter of seconds, her neck snapped.

George's vision began to clear about a half an hour later. The first hint of daylight was filtering through the trees. He was lying in the grass, the cool moisture of the dew stinging his wounds. He tried to prop himself up, but the agony he felt kept him in place.

He winced in pain as he raised one arm up to inspect it. His shirt was in tatters, and his arm wasn't in any better shape. He could see multiple cuts and bruises, traversing the entire length of his arm. He was sure, from the way he felt, that the rest of his body was in similar condition. What had happened? He searched his memory for even the vaguest clue.

The last thing he remembered was being inside the house where he'd seen the red-haired woman. Everything after that was a blank. How did I get outside? Or perhaps the better question would be, where am I?

He tried to turn his head to see if his horse was nearby, but the excruciating pain in his neck prevented him from doing so. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to shut out the pain. Then, he passed out.

Chapter 8

The image on the monitor was almost too dark to see. The Black Knight had watched as the woman bashed George on the top of his head, knocking him out. After that, she had picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him outside, out of the little town, and thrown his unconscious body onto the mechanical horse that George had used.

Had one of his ghostly minions infiltrated the village and possessed this woman, or was she merely lucky to have heard George sneaking into her house? How had she been so prepared for his arrival? If it was the doing of a minion, he should be able to send commands to her. Well, not exactly her, but to the demonic spirit inside of her body.

He focused his will, sending the telepathic command out, instructing the woman to kill George. Not before torturing him as George did with his own victims first, though.

With the command sent out, he turned his attention back to the monitor. His view angle was changing. The image on the screen must be coming from one of his robotic insects, taken along by his minion so he could see through its eyes. His view of George was obscured now. All he could see was an increasingly enlarged image of the woman's ear. A few moments later, the image went black.

The Black Knight whacked the monitor with the back of his bony hand, thinking something was wrong with it that maybe a little jarring would fix. Within moments, the image on the screen began to clear. It was still dark, but somehow his view seemed slightly better, as if what he were seeing was being projected back to him differently.

Had the bug, if that's what it was, somehow gotten inside the woman's head and found a way to tap into her optic nerve? It would explain the wider view that he seemed to have now.

He watched as the woman mounted the mechanical horse and rode off into the forest. After a few moments, he could no longer make out anything on the monitor. He could still hear the rhythmic pounding of the horse's hooves upon the ground, but that was all.

Dismissing that monitor for now, the Black Knight turned his attention back to the screen his minion had dialed in a short while ago.

Not a moment too soon, either. He tilted his head back and roared with laughter, the maddening sound of it causing every impish creature in the chamber to cringe. For them, hearing the insane delight echoing through the room was something they feared. It usually ended badly, with one or more of them being killed.

It was not easy to kill a demon, even lesser ones like the impish creatures in the Black Knight's throne room, but he made it look as simple as blinking an eye. They never knew if their demise would be quick and relatively painless, or some unspeakable torment that could last for days, even weeks. The entire group of them decided to stick together, huddling in a mass in the farthest corner of the room, doing their best to look busy.

His yellow eyes glowed with absolute glee as he watched a scene unfolding before him on the screen. A scene in which the troublesome group, led by the pain in the ass wizard, was under siege. Apparently, they had tried to take shelter in a building from the storm that seemed to be raging outside.

The thing that struck him as funny was the fact that they had walked into a nightmare. Several, maybe as many as two dozen, ghoulish creatures were attacking them. They looked human enough, but the Black Knight got the distinct impression that they were walking corpses. Dead humans, somehow animated, and by the looks of things, they were even more violent than the living. Maybe his minion had done a good thing by releasing the girl's clone to infiltrate the group. At the very least, it gave him something entertaining to watch.

He still had his doubts about whether or not the spy would be useful. It still bothered him somewhat that he couldn't issue commands to it. Surely if he could it would hasten their downfall. Hopefully, the ghostly demons he had sent to that world would get things under control. Even though it worried him slightly that they would let the freedom go to their heads, causing everything to unravel.

Suddenly, the Black Knight roared. One of the women on the screen had just gone down. He watched with an enormous grin that bared his long, sharp teeth. A mixture of blood and saliva glistened on them as he eagerly watched three of the walking corpses pounce on the fallen woman.

The pain in the ass wizard jumped into view, trying to help. Why isn't he using his magic? the Black Knight wondered, watching as the lanky man tried to pull one of the attackers off of the woman. If he isn't using it, then perhaps it doesn't work on that world. He smiled to himself. If that is the case, this should be quick!

Screams erupted from somewhere just off the screen. By the sounds of them, something similar was happening just out of view. It brought a smile to his face, thinking that he could be witnessing the end of the puny resistance that had been mounted against him. He just wished that he could see them all meet their ends.

A blur appeared on the right side of the screen, followed by an ear-splitting howl. The Black Knight frowned as he began to see body parts flying from one side of the screen to the other. What was going on? Why couldn't he see what was happening? Whatever it was, it seemed like the tide of the battle had changed somehow.

Moments later, a man-sized creature covered in fur leapt into view. It was shredding through the army of living dead as if it were a group of small children. Within a matter of minutes, the only things moving on the screen were that stubborn group of people the sorcerer had assembled. Well, plus the hairy beast that had just annihilated the army of corpses.

The Black Knight roared in anger, so loudly that everything around him seemed to vibrate. He stood up from his throne and slammed his bony fist into the monitor, sending a shower of broken glass and sparks out to the farthest corners of the chamber.

Chapter 9

When George awoke, the sun was beating down on his face from directly above him. He squinted his eyes and painfully turned his head to the right, trying to gain his bearings. About a hundred feet away, he could just make out the shape of his horse through the blur of his watering eyes.

He tried to sit up, ignoring the searing agony that seemed to cry out from every inch of his body. After a few moments, he managed to get to a sitting position. Stars danced in front of his eyes and his head spun, the kind of spinning that reminded him of being drunk and on the verge of passing out. He closed his eyes, waiting for the feeling to pass, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths.

As the dizziness began to fade, he opened his eyes once more. His vision, clearer now, took in his surroundings. Nothing, other than his horse, looked familiar. He searched his memory again, desperately trying to figure out where he was and how he'd gotten there.

The last thing he remembered was ... the woman from the cabin. He remembered her seeing him, sneaking away from the fireplace toward her bedroom, but everything after that was a blank. She must have hit him in the head with something, hard enough to knock him out. He'd never experienced memory loss from hitting his head before. If she had managed to knock him unconscious, where was she now?

As he prepared to make an attempt to stand, George noticed his clothes. They looked like they'd been fed into a lawnmower. Through the shredded leather he could see that his body was covered in cuts and bruises. No wonder it hurt so much to move, he thought.

Gathering up every ounce of resolve he could muster, George attempted to stand. The pain was immense. A wave of dizziness washed over him, causing him to fall back to the ground. Obviously, that isn't going to work, he thought, fighting to keep from losing consciousness.

He looked over to where the horse stood, silently regarding him. "Why couldn't it be a normal horse standing there, one that I could call over to me?" he grumbled to himself. Suddenly, a condescending voice in his head asked him, "Have you tried?"

The voice had a point. What could he lose by trying? "Come here," he coaxed. George's hopes went up when the horse turned to look at him after he spoke, though it made no move toward him.

Maybe a different approach will work, he thought. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Get over here and help me, you damn bucket of bolts!" George yelled. That seemed to get its attention. Now both heads were turned in his direction, and it took a tentative step toward him. Then another. "Hurry up!" he yelled again.

A couple of minutes later, the mechanical horse was standing next to George. He didn't know if he could get into the saddle, but he had to at least try. He extended his arms up and grabbed onto the stirrup. Just the pain of doing this threatened to keep George on the ground. He waited for the stars, and the wave of nausea, to pass.

When his head had cleared again, he began to pull himself up the strap leading from the stirrup to the saddle, hand over hand as if he were climbing a rope.

Once he finally managed to get himself upright, George clung to the saddle tightly with his hands. He feared, for a moment, that his legs would give out on him. They felt weak and rubbery, almost as if he'd been lying in a hospital for a long period of time and the muscles had atrophied with disuse.

He stood there wondering how he was going to get into the saddle, silently wishing the horse was shorter. He looked around, hoping to find something to step on to shorten the distance between his foot and the stirrup. As he did, George saw something that made him lose his focus. Lying on the ground about ten feet from him was the body of a woman.

"What happened here?" he mumbled aloud. Temporarily forgetting his current predicament, he reached down to his side, searching for his sword. The shock of realizing that his sword was missing caused his grip on the saddle to loosen, sending George tumbling back to the ground.

Pain immediately shut out all of his other thoughts, and blackness closed in on him from all sides, threatening to return him to the land of unconsciousness. "Fuck!" he cried out in pain, clapping his hands to either side of his head, trying to steady himself.

After a few moments, his head began to clear. He looked over at the unmoving body of the woman again. He noticed something he hadn't seen the last time he looked. Her head was missing! It took a couple of minutes, but he finally saw it, lying several feet from the rest of her, barely visible in the tall grass. Had he done that? If so, why couldn't he remember doing it?

With a determined look on his face, George began inching his way toward the body, crawling painfully on his hands and knees. It took him the better part of fifteen minutes to get there, having to stop every couple of feet so his head could clear again before moving on.

When he finally got to where the body lay, he found his sword. Apparently she had taken it from him at some point, probably using it on him. That would explain all of the cuts he was now sporting. He picked up the sword from the ground beside her and slid it back into his sheath. Dreading to go on, but insistent to claim his trophy, he began inching his way through the blood soaked grass to her head.

The closer he got to the head, the more his adrenaline kicked in, shutting out the pain until he could barely feel it at all. Grabbing it by the hair, George held the head up and spit into its face. "Worthless bitch! Teach you to fuck with me!" he snarled.

Feeling the surge of adrenaline coursing through his body again, he stood. Despite his numerous wounds, he had never felt more alive, or more like his old self. He walked back to his mechanical horse and quickly tied the woman's hair to the metal loop at the base of the saddle.

After that, he mounted the horse and surveyed his surroundings, trying to decide which way to go. After considering it for a few moments, George decided that it didn't really matter which way he went. He didn't know where he was, so there was no way for him to know in which direction the Outpost would be. He knew that he had traveled south, so the best decision he could think of at the moment was to head north.

Chapter 10

After his outburst, his chamber had cleared out very quickly. It was quiet in the room, now that all of the lesser demons, imps, and other minions had fled to escape his wrath. So quiet that the Black Knight could hear the hissing and crackling of the broken monitor. The sound only served to strengthen his anger. Reaching out, he ripped the monitor from the wall, severing its power connection, and threw it to the floor.

Now that the infernal crackling had stopped, he sat down in his throne again. Brooding, he tapped his skeletal fingers on the arm of the chair rapidly. He stared ahead with such venomous hate that his eyes no longer reflected back at him from any of the screens before him. It wasn't surprising though. When he was this angry, his eyes usually went as black as obsidian.

Why does nothing ever seem to go right? Why can't my minions do as they are told? Why, at every turn, do those around me feel the compulsive need to defy me? Each question that formed in his mind only served to fuel his ever increasing rage.

Hoping for any type of good news, like the ghostly minions he'd sent out to deal with George giving him a reason to smile again, the Black Knight turned toward the monitor that had been showing the woman beating George.

The screen was no longer black, but the image upon it was confusing. The image bobbed and turned randomly, sometimes showing nothing but trees and fields, other times the screen was a bright and shiny blur. The Black Knight's confusion temporarily diffused his temper as he tried to decipher what he was seeing. This couldn't be an image coming from the bug inside the woman's head, could it? The movements seemed too erratic and haphazard.

Suddenly, the angle shifted. Now, on the screen before him, was what appeared to be a hairy, severely lacerated, leg of a man. "George," the Black Knight growled. "That betraying little fuck! He must have somehow gotten free and killed the woman!"

He spun away from the screen and began to pace back and forth as his anger returned full force. So much for teaching George a lesson with torture. "He's going to beg for death when I get through with him!" the Black Knight roared furiously, storming from the room.

Chapter 11

It had been a few hours since George had started north. He sighed in frustration. Everything seemed to look the same out here to him. No sign of the Outpost yet, nor another town. He needed something to use as a landmark to get his bearings or else he could be wandering around aimlessly for days.

He looked to the sky, noting the position of the sun, and decided to head west for a while, hoping to find another town because there was surely nothing farther north. Sometimes he felt like cursing himself for not staying at Outpost 13. At least there was a mountain range near it that he could've used to reorient himself. Out here, there were nothing except trees, trees, and more trees. Sprinkle in a few open fields and there was no wonder he couldn't get his bearings.

Aside from these problems, he found himself facing one a little more urgent. Hunger. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had anything to eat, and it wasn't like you could hunt wild game with a sword.

Pushing the pommel forward, he urged his steed to greater speed. He would be running out of daylight in the next couple of hours or so. He hoped to find something before it got dark.

Looking like a giant spider hopped up on cocaine, the six-legged machine took off. With an agility that could never have been possible on Earth, the horse deftly maneuvered through the brush and trees before it, almost as if it wasn't even there.

After nearly an hour of traveling at this heightened speed, George saw something ahead that was encouraging. He pulled back on the pommel to slow the horse. Looking across the field before him, George could see smoke rising from behind the patch of trees in front of him.

He pushed the pommel forward a bit more, hoping to get across the open area without being seen, slowing down again once he reached the trees. Picking his way slowly through the grove, he found himself on the outskirts of another town a few minutes later. He brought the horse to a stop, studying the layout of the town.

If he wasn't mistaken, which was possible because many of the towns he'd encountered looked similar, this was a town he had scouted a while back. He hadn't actually taken anyone from this place before, but his gut told him that it was definitely the town that lay directly west of Outpost 12. If that were the case, then he had been closer than he thought to the Outpost before he had opted for turning west.

George decided that he would wait until it got dark, and then sneak into the town. This would only be a mission to acquire food, though. He was in no condition to try another abduction this soon after nearly losing his life, but he could rest a few days and come back to rectify that.

He moved the horse into the woods a bit further, finding a thick patch of new growth to hide it behind. Getting down was a major chore. Not only was he battling the stiffness of the long ride, but his injuries had only ached while riding. Now that he moved to get down, every wound felt like a dagger being stabbed into him. It took all his restraint to keep from crying out in pain.

Once he was on the ground, walking wasn't as painful. It was just those few moments that his skin had stretched as he dismounted that had been bad. Sure, his body was still very tender, but at least walking wasn't agonizing. He found another cluster of new growth that looked like a good hiding spot and tucked himself into it, being very careful not to scrape his wounds. There was just enough room for him to lay down if he curled up a little, so he positioned himself the best he could and closed his eyes for a short nap.

When George opened his eyes again, it was completely dark. He sat up for a moment and squinted into the darkness, trying to make sure when he exited from his hiding place that he didn't draw any attention to himself. He could just barely make out a few small branches in front of his face, so he raised his hands and carefully brushed them aside, giving him room to stand.

As he boosted himself from the ground, he felt a twig snap beneath his boot.

"What was that?" a male voice nearby asked.

"Probably an animal. You know how gutsy they get at night," another man replied, laughing at the other's jumpiness.

"You're probably right," the first man admitted, relaxing slightly.

"Sometimes I swear that you would be scared of your own shadow," the second man laughed again. "Let's keep moving."

George held his breath and didn't move a muscle for several minutes as he listened to the sound of their footfalls fading away. Once he was sure they were gone, he let out his breath and stood up, cracking another branch. When only silence greeted this, he stepped out from his hiding place.

He crept slowly toward the town, which wasn't but fifty feet or so from the trees. Then he moved as quietly as he could between the buildings, searching this time, not for a home, but rather a farmer's market.

Luck shined upon him, as he only had to look around for a few minutes before finding what he was looking for. Even better, it was an open air building with no door. He fought the urge to laugh. Trusting fools! It was nearly pitch black inside the building, so he had to be very careful not to knock something over.

He slowly made his way into the building, sweeping one hand slowly back and forth at head level, and the other doing the same between his waist and knees. Then he just followed his nose. Toward one side he could smell ripe fruits and vegetables, to the other side was a saltier smell, perhaps dried meat? There was also a softer, underlying scent of what could be bread.

Moving away from what he assumed were vegetables, George continued his methodical search. After a few moments, he felt something in front of him. Moving his hand over the coarse object, he tried to determine its size. It felt like it could be jerky of some sort. As he grasped a handful of it, his hand brushed against something softer and smoother lying next to it. As he checked it with his other hand, he was relatively sure that he'd also found bread. He couldn't believe his good fortune after all he'd been through.

He turned to make his way out of the building, and stopped in his tracks. Painfully, he ducked down as he heard voices approaching. George remained crouched down for a few minutes, even though his legs felt like they were on fire as the wounds on them stretched and threatened to open back up.

The same two male voices passed by slowly, talking about the next day's work and their wives, completely unaware of his presence. After what seemed like an eternity, their voices faded away. He began to stand up again, the searing pain in his legs nearly causing him to cry out.

As quickly as he could, George stuck to the shadows and headed for the edge of town. When he got to the last building before the woods, he had to stop for a moment. The guards were in between him and the safety of the trees. They were no longer making idle chit-chat about their daily routines. Instead, they seemed focused on the woods. Had they heard something again to arouse their suspicion? Had his horse moved, alerting them to a potential threat?

As he peeked around the corner of the building, George could only see that their backs were turned to him. One of them was pointing toward the edge of the woods. If he was very careful, George thought he could sneak across the open area and get into the trees without being seen.

The guards moved a few feet further from where George hid, walking softly in the direction the one had pointed. Suddenly, a large animal burst from the brush, a deer perhaps, startling them to the point that they ran into each other trying to get out of the animal's way, knocking each other down.

George used the distraction to his advantage, half-running, half-hobbling, scrambling for cover and hoping to get there unnoticed. He managed to get into the woods, just as the two guards were picking themselves up from the ground. They laughed nervously and brushed themselves off as they stood. Thankfully, neither of them had looked in his direction.

He stood in the shadow of a large tree and waited until they began to walk away again. A couple of minutes passed before they disappeared from sight. That was too close! He wiped at his sweaty forehead with the back of one arm.

In the darkness, he looked back again toward the small town to get his bearings and figure out which direction he would need to go to reunite with his horse. Once he figured out the likely course he would need to take, George turned around and crept through the trees. The guards should be near the other end of town by now unless they'd stopped again, so making noise wasn't a big issue.

After a couple of minutes, George saw the soft, red glow of the horse's eyes. Deciding that he would wait for the sun to come up, so it would be easier to find his way back to the Outpost, George sat down on the ground. He propped his back against one of the horse's legs and wolfed down some of the food he had pilfered.

Once his stomach stopped growling, he tucked the remaining food inside his vest and closed his eyes, hoping his exhaustion didn't cause him to snore and give away his location. In a matter of moments, he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 12

The Factory supervisor looked up nervously when he saw the Black Knight. His face grew pale as the tall, robed figure stormed into the room. He didn't remember doing anything that he shouldn't have. Nothing that would cause the Black Knight to be angry with him, anyway. Still, he found himself wanting to shrink back into a corner and become invisible. He'd never felt such a terrible, hate-filled vibe coming from him.

The Black Knight's feet didn't even seem to touch the ground as he swiftly closed the distance between himself and the supervisor. Within moments he stood before the man, the heat of his rage rolling off of him, causing the cowering man to sweat profusely.

All work had stopped when the Black Knight entered the Factory, many of them laying eyes on his terrible form for the first time. The supervisor's eyes darted back and forth between the workers and his boss. He wanted very badly to tell them to quit gawking and get back to work, but his fear kept his attention more focused on the robed figure.

The silence in the workroom temporarily drew the Black Knight's attention from the supervisor. He turned and looked toward the workers. "Get back to work, you worthless sacks of flesh!" he roared, the deafening thunder of his voice causing the whole room to shake. Quickly, the workers averted their eyes and got back to what they were doing.

He turned his attention back to the cowering supervisor, reaching out with his claw-like skeletal hand and lifting the man from the corner by his neck. Carrying him like that, the Black Knight left the room. Once the two of them were outside the Factory and standing near the underground river, the Black Knight set the man down. He kept his hand firmly on the supervisor's shoulder and collar bone, his bony thumb under the man's chin forced him to look up.

"We're working as fast as we can," the man stammered, thinking the Black Knight was upset about the amount of production. "I've had to send more workers than usual up to Cemetery Hill, so I've been a bit short handed lately," he continued, pleading his case. "Especially since your man, George I believe his name was, hasn't brought me any new workers lately."

The Black Knight leaned down, putting his face directly in front of the man's. For the first time, the man got a glimpse of his boss' hideous face. It was a writhing mass of decaying flesh, long, jagged teeth, and soulless black eyes. His breath was hot and reeked of death. "I need one of the robots that resembles a human female, along with all of the mechanical insects your workers have assembled, and I need them now," the Black Knight whispered hatefully.

"How would you like them programmed?" the foreman stammered, choking on the smell of the Black Knight's foul breath.

"I don't want them programmed at all," he replied. "I will take care of everything myself." He rose to his full height, and spread his cloaked arms wide. Instantly, the area filled with the ghostly forms of his minions.

Chapter 13

After finding his way back to Outpost 12 a few days ago, George spent the majority of that time trying to recover from his wounds. The first two days had been brutal. Not long after his arrival at the Outpost, he had come down with a high fever. At one point during those two days, he considered his own mortality. The fever raged to the point where he was too weak to even get out of bed. Thankfully, he'd been smart enough to keep a healthy supply of water skins in the Outpost. If it weren't for them, he would likely have died when the fever was at its worst, feeling as if his brain was boiling inside his head.

Once the fever finally broke, he had been able to begin eating again. Just a bite here and there at first, but as George began to regain his strength his appetite came back with a vengeance. So much so, that at his current rate of consumption he would likely have to make a major supply run in the next day or so. His worries of dying had vanished along with his fever. He was now beginning to feel like his old self again. Strong, confident, almost indestructible.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, gathering his things with thoughts of returning to the village a few hours west of the Outpost, when a light knock on the door broke the silence, startling him back to reality. What the hell? This can't be anything good, he thought, remembering the decomposing head sitting outside next to the door.

Trying not to alert anyone that he was inside, George crept quietly into the main room. He found the monitor that displayed the exterior of the Outpost and studied it anxiously. He couldn't make out any of the person's features at first, the only thing he could see was that the individual had very long, straight, dark brown hair.

Turn so that I can see you, he thought. George found himself hoping that it was a woman. It would save him the trouble of trying to single one out in the village. He could have her all wrapped up and waiting for his return while he went out for supplies.

As he considered his options, several disturbing thoughts popped into his head. The closest town is a few hours away. Could someone have followed me from the village west of here? Or was this person sent by the Black Knight to coerce him back into service? Maybe to torture me like the last woman I tried to capture.

All of these ideas seemed like they were viable. If it were someone from the last village he'd visited, there could be many more people out there than he could see, waiting for him to come out before they sprang their trap.

He studied the monitor more closely, looking for any sign that there were others lying in wait. He cursed the fact that the monitor only showed the area in front of the Outpost. There was no way for him to tell if others were hiding along the sides of the building, just out of sight.

The posture of the person outside shifted to one of frustration. For a brief moment the person looked to the left, bringing a face onto the screen. The face of a beautiful woman. She knocked on the door again.

Instantly, his mind screamed at him. It's a set-up! Get out of here while you still can! George resisted the urge to start pacing, looking nervously from the front door to the one leading down to the river.

Decisions, decisions. He had never considered himself to be a coward, but if he opted for taking the easy way out and heading for the river, did it make him one? Or did it make him a smart person, one that was in tune with the instinct to survive?

He weighed the pros and cons in his head for a moment. What am I? I'm a killer! There would be nothing except shame waiting for me if I walk down those stairs! I need to embrace who I am! Do what I must do!

With one final look at the monitor, his mind was set. He drew his sword and walked to the door. George paused for a moment, raising the sword in his right hand, intending to smash the hilt into her head as soon as the door opened. He placed his left hand into the handprint on the door and turned it.

As the door slid to the side, the woman rushed at him. Before he had time to react, she had slammed her head into his skull, dazing him. Holy shit! She has a hard head! he thought groggily. Then she repeated the procedure and everything went black.

When George regained consciousness some time later, he found himself in a familiar predicament. His head was pounding. It felt like he'd been hit over the head with a crowbar, several times in fact. His vision was blurred, but he couldn't see anyone around. He tried to move, but like the last time, he found himself strapped tightly to a tree.

"Hello? You better cut me loose!" he yelled furiously. He paused for a moment, waiting for a response. "I'm gonna gut you like a fucking pig!"

When the woman did not reappear, he began to struggle against his bonds. His anger had somehow broken him free the last time, so he was hoping for the same results now. This time, however, there was not even a fraction of slack in his bindings, nothing he could use for momentum or leverage.

"Fucking whore! Let me loose! Now!" he commanded.

Silence greeted this outburst. Nothing he could see, moved in the slightest, as if the world was idly standing by, watching. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath in anticipation. Moments became minutes, and minutes turned to hours.

At some point, even being uncomfortably fastened to a tree like a bug caught in a giant spider web, George had drifted into an uneasy slumber. In his haunted dreams, he found himself being subjected to the same types of torture that he had used on his victims. Every wound inflicted came at the hands of his countless victims, each one taking out their own brand of justice upon his flesh. As he screamed out in torment within his dream, he awoke.

The shadow formed by the tree he was secured to was growing long, indicating that the sun would soon be setting. He tried to swallow, but found he couldn't. His throat was as dry as an autumn leaf, blown across a dusty, open field.

He began to hear a noise, so faint that at first he thought it was his imagination running away with him. An auditory hallucination, brought on by his thirst. A few minutes later, George realized that it was not a misconception brought on by some form of delirium. It was very real.

A blackness appeared on the ground near the Outpost, which was a couple of hundred feet away, like the shadow of some large creature hovering overhead. He looked to the sky. There was no flying menace above him, not even a cloud in the sky to explain what he saw.

The shadow continued to move toward him, and for a split second he considered that he could still be dreaming this entire episode. The sounds he had heard a short while ago had become more distinct. The steady clicking and grinding of the mandibles of thousands of tiny bugs, brushing against each other in agitation.

As they approached, George remembered a time not so long ago that he had seen a similar congregation. Worker drones, sent out by the Black Knight himself perhaps, tasked with the mission of repairing one of the robots his slaves assembled in the Factory.

The column of insects was now only ten feet from him. So close that their chattering was drowning out all other sounds around him. He watched, waiting for the mass to swerve around the tree on their way to repair another damaged machine, but the column remained unchanged.

Moving with a single-minded purpose, the head of the mass reached the tree George was bound to. Instead of diverting around the tree, they began to climb it. Within a matter of moments, George was entirely engulfed in the mass of mechanical insects. At first, the only thing he felt was their tiny metal legs crawling over him, but moments later they began to nibble on his flesh.

At first it had only tickled slightly, but as the insectile mass settled in, the small pinches grew excruciating. George began to scream, whipping his head from side to side, trying to shake the tiny creatures from his face. He could now feel blood beginning to run down his body in little rivers, as the eager mass went into a frenzy. The pain was unbearable, but it was the massive blood loss that did him in. George passed out.

Fifteen minutes later, the enormous group of mechanical insects began to retreat, leaving a trail of tiny bloody footprints in their wake. George was no more; only a gruesome reminder to follow orders. His skeletal remains should serve that purpose well. In time, his entrails would turn to jelly and fall to the ground to decompose with the rest of the gore that had once been George Mancini.

Part Three

Chapter 1

Chris was no longer sure of anything. Ever since the virus had made its way to his doorstep—in his hometown of Collinsville, Alabama—everything had changed. Somehow, he had been immune. He'd had to endure more horror in these last few weeks than he ever would have imagined, even in his worst nightmares. His immunity didn't prevent him from having to deal with the loss of his entire family, or the rest of the town for that matter.

The whole town had succumbed to the virus. However, many of the dead didn't stay that way. It was like watching one of those zombie apocalypse movies that he used to enjoy, before it became real anyway. Thankfully, the whole town hadn't turned into zombies. If they had, he likely wouldn't have survived this long. He prided himself on the survival training that the Army so graciously provided him with while he was enlisted, but even that would've been no match for a town full of zombies.

He stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, running his fingers through his dark brown hair like a comb, and considered whether or not to shave off his beard. It had been unseasonably warm here lately, and the stench of rotting flesh hung in the air like fog. He had to soap up his beard several times a day just to get the smell out of it, which was more difficult to do than it sounds.

Two weeks ago, the power had gone out. A malfunction at the power plant he supposed, but with everyone dead there was no one left to fix the problem. That meant there was no electricity to run the water pumps that brought running water to his home. The only thing that hadn't gone haywire was his gas stove. The electronic ignition didn't work anymore, but he could still light it the old fashioned way, with a match.

He began to dress, in what had quickly become his normal attire; camo, camo, and more camo. His thoughts turned to what his next move would be. Perhaps a move to the north would be just what the doctor ordered. At least in a cooler climate he wouldn't have to suffer with the smell of rotting flesh as much. Or so he hoped. He was pretty sure that the Alabama heat was speeding up the decay, so maybe the zombies up north wouldn't smell quite so bad.

As he placed his camouflage ball cap on his head, Chris walked back to his bedroom to gather the rest of his things. Everything was laid out on his bed waiting for him. A large backpack loaded with supplies, his shotgun resting alongside several boxes of shells, and his 9mm handgun surrounded by every loaded clip he could get his hands on.

He grabbed everything from his bed and went outside to load his Jeep, making sure to grab an extension cord on the way out of the house. It wasn't likely that he would need it, or for that matter have a chance to use it, but it was better to be prepared. Once the Jeep was started, the engine's generator should keep it running pretty much indefinitely.

He went to the back and opened the hatch, throwing the extension cord and his backpack inside before slamming the hatch shut. He then climbed into the driver's seat, closed his door, and pressed the button on the dash to start the Jeep. The motor lurched once and caught. Chris waited a moment for the engine to level out, and then threw the Jeep into gear and headed for Interstate 59.

Chapter 2

For the last two days, Brian had been operating on little to no sleep, steadily working his way through Detroit. Most of that time he'd been able to avoid detection, but there had been more than a few situations to the contrary that he'd barely escaped with his life.

He had managed to leave the city behind without having an army of the dead following hot on his trail. Several miles north of Detroit he had spotted a lone farmhouse, sitting about a half mile from the highway. It was surrounded by snow covered fields, and looked to be a place he might get some rest in. The open fields around the house would allow him to see anyone approaching, long before they could ever get to him.

As he opened the door and shuffled inside, kicking the snow from his boots on the doorjamb, Brian began to methodically search the premises. The last thing he needed was a surprise attack because he'd been too lazy to look around before settling in.

He went from one room to the next, checking every nook and cranny. Once he was satisfied that the house was empty, he returned to what he felt was at one time the master bedroom. He sat down heavily onto the dusty bed, laid his gear on the floor next to the nightstand, and flopped back. The mattress was old, and had obviously seen better days, but despite the numerous springs poking him in the back through the fabric, he quickly succumbed to sleep.

When he awoke, the sun was only slightly higher in the sky. Its position suggested that he'd only slept for a couple of hours, but the stiffness in his body disputed that. It was more likely that in his exhausted state, he had fallen asleep for an entire day. He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, stretching his aching body.

Rubbing his face vigorously, he stood up. He went to the room's only window and looked out, shielding his eyes from the sun glaring off the snow. The only things that moved outside were a couple of swirls of snow, gently making their way across the field, driven by the light breeze outside. He cupped his hands in front of his mouth and blew on them to warm his fingers. Unfortunately it didn't help much; they were still numb. Even though it might attract unwanted attention, he had to find a way to get warm, even if it meant building a fire.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets in an attempt to regain feeling in his fingers, he left the room. He could have sworn that he remembered seeing a wood-burning stove in the kitchen. Perhaps there was a stockpile of wood and some matches nearby. He could only hope.

He shuffled into the tiny kitchen that also served as a dining room. The room was well lit, sunlight pouring in from the multitude of windows, even though many of them were covered in dust and cobwebs.

Brian considered the small table, flanked by two wooden chairs, sitting against the far wall in front of a bay window as a potential source of wood to burn in the cast iron stove, which sat in the corner not far from the table. There was a door leading outside a few feet from it that he would check first, though. He hoped, since this was a farmhouse, that there would be a woodpile nearby that he could gather wood from before resorting to busting up the furniture.

All of it would be a moot point, however, if he couldn't find something to light a fire with. Next to the door was what looked to be the most ancient refrigerator he had ever lain eyes upon. A long countertop extended away from it to the opposite corner of the room, a useless, metal sink sat in the middle of it, rust pitting the surface giving him the impression that it would fall through at the slightest touch.

He looked to the cupboards above the counter, hoping to find matches or anything else he could use in them. At least they didn't look like they were going to fall on him. If anything, the thick coating of spider webs would keep them in place. He swept the cobwebs from the cupboard door closest to the refrigerator and pulled it open.

As he opened it, the hinges creaked as if they hadn't been oiled within the last century. He couldn't believe his luck when he looked inside. Lying on its side on the bottom shelf was a foot-long tube with a clear plastic top. The heads of at least one hundred wooden matches were visible through the dirty plastic. He pulled the canister from the cabinet, reminded briefly of his childhood by the cut up pieces of a felt-like material shaped like ghosts, pumpkins, and witches that were glued to the cardboard cylinder.

He searched the remaining cupboards, but apparently his luck had run out. The only thing he could find in any of the others was a collection of filthy dishes and a few pots and pans. No pantry with a stash of canned goods, in fact, nothing edible at all seemed to be in the house. The owners must have taken it with them when they'd left.

Brian bounced the tube of matches in his hand for a moment, then set them down atop the stove. Now, to see about finding firewood. He opened the kitchen door and walked outside. It seemed as if the wind had picked up since he'd gotten out of bed, and the chill nipped at every bit of his exposed skin.

Rounding the corner of the house to head for the barn, he ran into a woodpile stacked against the side of the house. His luck seemed to be returning, even though he would have to dig through the pile to find usable wood. The top few layers were crusted with snow and ice.

It took him close to a half an hour to get far enough into the pile to find anything worthwhile. When he was satisfied that he had enough to get through the rest of today, Brian scooped up his makeshift stack of wood with both arms and went back into the house. He set the wood down in a pile far enough from the stove that an errant spark wouldn't ignite his stockpile. He placed two of the smaller pieces into the stove, and after using nearly half of the matches he'd found, he finally had a fire. He closed the door to the stove and went back to the bedroom to retrieve his backpack while he waited for the room to heat up.

When he returned to the kitchen, he set the pack on one of the chairs, opening the top and pulling several books out. Moving to the other chair, he set the stack on the table. He sat down and pulled the one on top of the pile toward him. He had a lot of studying to do if he ever hoped to grasp the concept of becoming a shaman.

Chapter 3

It had been a huge mistake to take shelter from the snowstorm in a house so close to a big town like Bay City, and it was only going to get worse as they continued south on Interstate 75. They still had to find a way through Saginaw, Flint, and Detroit. All of which would surely be overrun with zombies. Even the smaller towns, in the northern portion of Michigan, seemed to have more than their fair share of the vile creatures.

A few hours had passed since the group's latest near death experience. This time it had been Jack who saved their hides, becoming a wolf and shredding through the zombies like a hot knife through butter. Edward didn't know how things would have turned out if Jack hadn't pulled off a miracle. Surely, Melissa would have died if not for his intervention, but likely the rest of them would have shared her fate soon after.

The attack that had nearly killed Melissa, occurred in the middle of the night. After the battle was over, Edward had decided they should remain in the house until dawn, hoping it wasn't a mistake waiting for the storm to subside. With Katie's help, they carried Melissa to another room at the other end of the house. Jack had sworn to keep watch on the perimeter, patrolling the outside to keep any threats from entering.

Julie followed behind after gathering up everyone's gear, carrying it all to the front room. After laying Melissa down, Edward produced one of his feeble, magical flames in one hand and looked over her wounds. From what he could see, she had two nasty gashes on her right leg that looked pretty deep, and another on her right arm that looked just as bad. The rest of her wounds looked more superficial. "We need to get these wounds patched up somehow before she loses too much blood," Edward said, pointing to the ones he'd found.

"Can't you do that thing you did to Mike's leg back at the tavern in Haven to seal her wounds?" Katie asked.

"I would if I could. My magic is probably too weak to pull that off here, not to mention that I would have to dismiss the flame spell we're currently using for light to summon a different spell," he grimly stated.

"Crap! I hadn't thought of it like that. What are we going to do then?" Katie inquired.

"You're going to have to do it the old-fashioned way," Melissa whispered, barely coherent.

"Hand me her pack," Katie instructed Julie, holding out her hand.

Julie looked at the array of backpacks before her, trying to figure out which one to give to Katie. They all looked the same to her, so she picked one and passed it over.

"Thanks," she said absently, opening the top of the pack and rifling through the contents. She was grateful that they'd chosen to bring extra articles of clothing with them. She found a scarf in the pack that she thought might work and pulled it out. Grabbing the knife from the sheath on her belt, she quickly cut the scarf into usable strips. Katie took each one and wrapped it tightly around Melissa's wounds, tying them off in the front to create added pressure.

When she was finished, she sat back and sighed heavily. "I hope that will work," Katie said, looking at Melissa's closed eyes and wondering if she was sleeping or if she'd passed out from blood loss.

"I'll just be a minute," Edward said as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to check on Jack and make sure everything is okay."

Once he left the room, Katie fumbled around in the darkness for Melissa's backpack. After a few moments, her fingers grazed against the familiar canvas of the pack. She slid it across the floor toward her, found Melissa's head, and lifted it slightly to allow the pack to slide underneath like a pillow.

"You've been awful quiet lately, Julie. What's up with you?" Katie whispered.

"Nothing. Everything has just been such a shock to me since I found you," Julie murmured.

"I suppose," Katie said thoughtfully, "but it hasn't exactly been a picnic for me either. Everything I've gone through just trying to find you, it has been almost like walking through Hell itself. I guess I just thought you would be happier now that we're back together again."

"Sorry if I seem out of sorts to you. I've just had a lot on my mind," Julie apologized.

Katie turned her head and listened as she heard stomping coming from the other room. Her hand moved down to the hilt of her knife, waiting to hear the grunting and hissing of more zombies. She supposed that she'd be able to smell them coming, too; even with the background odor seeping in from the other side of the house. It wasn't strong enough to nauseate her, but enough that she couldn't rely on her sense of smell to alert her to danger before it was too late.

Moments later, she saw a feeble light approaching in the hallway and relaxed slightly in the knowledge that it was only Edward. He stepped into the room a few seconds later. "We still seem to be clear ... for now. When I tried to call Jack inside, he wouldn't come. He seems determined to continue his patrol," Edward stated softly.

Her hand slipping from the handle of her knife, Katie grabbed another of the backpacks to use as a pillow. Edward allowed the women to get comfortably lined up beside each other, then laid down next to Katie. A few moments later, exhaustion took its toll and they were all sleeping.

It seemed like only minutes had passed when Katie was awoken by a noise. She propped her head up with one hand, her elbow braced against the floor, and listened. It was so quiet now that it almost felt to her like she'd gone deaf. The wind was no longer howling outside and rattling the windowpanes. The barest hint of light was filtering through the window, telling her that she'd slept much longer than it felt like she had. It would be daylight soon.

Suddenly, she heard the sound again. The slow thud of footsteps. It could only be one of two things she could think of. Either Jack had come back inside and was carefully stepping through a dark room, or Jack was dead and zombies had made their way into the house.

She began to shake Edward's shoulder to wake him. Katie could just barely make out his face, but it looked like his eyes were open now. She put a finger in front of her lips, hoping he could see it, gesturing for him to be quiet.

The footfalls continued to get closer. Edward sat up and scooted a short distance from Katie, allowing her to do the same. Katie looked over her shoulder briefly and saw that Melissa and Julie looked to be asleep. She thought about turning to wake them as well, but didn't want to turn her back on whatever was coming and be unprepared. If it was zombies, it sounded as if it were only one, maybe two of them. Between herself and Edward they should be able to take care of it.

A shadow appeared in the doorway of the room and stopped. "Are you awake?" a tentative voice whispered.

Katie stood up and walked to the doorway. "You scared the shit out of us, Jack!" she said, punching him in the chest and knocking him back a little.

"Sorry," he replied. "I was trying not to wake anyone." He hugged Katie briefly before entering the room to kneel down next to Melissa. "Is she going to be okay?"

Katie walked over and stood beside Jack. "I think so, but only time will tell."

"If she can't walk on her own, it's really going to slow us down," Edward said, turning toward them.

"If I have to, I will carry her," Jack offered. "Lately, her attitude has improved dramatically and I've grown rather fond of her."

Katie thought briefly about his wife, Natasha, who had been brutally murdered and decapitated by her old school bus driver. I'm sure he doesn't really feel that way about her. He's probably just lonely with his wife being dead, Katie thought.

He reached over and gently jostled Melissa. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly up at him. She tried to move away from Julie so she could sit up, but grimaced in pain when she attempted to use her right arm to boost herself up. Her movements had apparently woken Julie, who began to sit up and look around.

"Is it that time?" she inquired.

"Almost. We were trying to figure out how well Melissa will be able to move around. By the looks of things, Jack will have to make good on his offer to carry her. She still seems pretty weak," Edward answered.

"I'll take on the extra burden of her pack then," Julie offered.

By now, the sun had come up over the horizon and the room was better lit. "Then I suppose we should start gathering things up and get moving," Edward suggested.

"Yeah. Before zombie central decides to wake up and come after its next meal," Katie said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Do zombies really sleep?" Julie asked.

Katie grinned. "No, silly. I was joking about that part."

Julie began to grab the gear she would be carrying. She strapped one pack onto her back, the other she positioned across her chest. "Could you help me get the straps tightened so these things don't move around while we're walking?" she asked, looking at Katie.

"Sure." Katie got up and went over to help her friend. Once they were as secure as Katie could make them, Julie twisted and bent, testing to see how well she could move. Satisfied, she scooped up her bat and Melissa's from the floor. Wielding one in each hand, Katie thought her friend looked like a total badass. She couldn't help but grin at the irony. Julie had always been the one that acted like she needed help with everything when they were growing up, and now she looked kind of like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider.

Jack put his pack on and handed the shotgun over to Edward, giving him a brief lesson on how to use it like Melissa had done for him. Once he was sure that Edward was comfortable with the weapon, he returned to Melissa. Bending down to scoop her into his arms, he then stood up as if he were holding nothing heavier than a small child.

Edward looked to make sure everyone was ready. "Okay. Let's go."

Chapter 4

Darkness was beginning to settle in on the farmhouse Brian had been staying in for the last day or so. Frustrated, he slammed the book he was studying shut. So far, Brian hadn't been able to get any of the spells from the books to work. Well, there was one that seemed to. A spell that brought him more in touch with an ability to sense evil. He could feel it all around him now, suffocating him as if someone had placed a pillow over his face.

He found himself looking out the windows every few minutes because of this new, heightened sense, feeling as if the zombies had found him. He kept expecting to look out and see hundreds—maybe even thousands—of them, shuffling their way across the field toward the house. So far he'd seen nothing.

If this was how his senses were when he couldn't even see anything nearby, what would it be like when there actually was? He already felt suffocated by the evil around him, when they actually got close enough to see would he even be able to breathe?

Picking up the pile of books from the table, he stuffed them back into his pack. Pulling the drawstrings tight and tying them off, he picked up the backpack and returned to the bedroom. Wearily, he sat down on the bed. I'm probably pushing my luck staying here for another night, but I need to lay down. Even if only for a couple of hours, he told himself.

Swinging his legs onto the bed, he laid back. He fluffed the pillow for a moment, sending up a small dust cloud, then laced his fingers together behind his head and closed his burning eyes.

A short while later, he woke with a gasp, feeling as if he were choking. He wasn't sure exactly how long he'd slept, all that was certain was he hadn't made it through the night. It was still dark outside. His mind whirled. The last thought he'd had before drifting off was imagining what his new sense would feel like if he got any closer to evil, specifically zombies.

Brian sat up quickly as the choking sensation tightened its grip on his throat. A fleeting thought entered his head, one that wondered if there was a way to dampen the effects of his newly acquired sense. Some way to get more control over it before he literally choked to death on the evil around him.

He stood and shuffled through the darkness, bumping his backpack with his foot. Moments later he was at the window, and knew he would have to get moving again. Now in fact. Across the frozen wasteland he could see many dark shapes, highlighted slightly by the starlight reflecting off the snow, moving toward the house. Somehow, the zombies had found his hiding place. Maybe the smoke from the wood burning stove, which was rising from the chimney, had alerted them to his presence. At this point it didn't matter anymore. He had to get out before escape became impossible!

He turned away from the window, quickly scuffing his feet across the floorboards in an attempt to find his pack. Moments later, his foot bumped into it. He reached down and snatched it from the floor, not even bothering to put it on his back, and hurried for the closest way out of the house.

As he stepped into the hallway and turned toward the front of the house, he realized the kitchen would be easier to reach. It would be better lit and have fewer obstacles to trip over, as opposed to the darkened living room that he would need to traverse to reach the front door.

It took about two minutes, but he managed to get to the kitchen. Just as he suspected, it was relatively easy to find the door. Within moments he was outside. He took a quick survey of the area around him, looking for the best option to escape.

The zombies seemed to be coming from the direction of the highway. As he quickly checked around the side of the house, Brian saw that he was right. The path looked clear as long as he moved further from the highway.

He started running toward the barn, thankful that the snow wasn't deep enough to slow him down. He was still gasping for breath, courtesy of his new ability, but as he continued to put distance between himself and the undead horde he found his breath a little easier to draw.

Rounding the corner of the barn, he tried to keep out of sight, now that the barn was blocking their view of him. Every few seconds he would look back over his shoulder, hoping to put enough of a gap between them that they wouldn't spot him as they came around the side of the barn.

He checked again and there they were. Hulking shadows, apparently still able to see him. Just then, he found himself wondering how much of their former intelligence they possessed. Could they possibly be smart enough to follow his footprints in the snow? He didn't think so, but he would have to get further from them before he tested the theory.

As he ran, Brian began to see a large, dark shape in front of him. As he got closer, the shape became more defined. Trees! Taking a quick look over his shoulder again, he saw that the zombies had become dark specks against the white backdrop of snow on the ground. He wasn't entirely sure they were even still following him.

A couple of minutes later, he slowed to a walk as he entered the tiny forest. Most of the trees were completely leafless, but there seemed to be a spattering of pine trees amongst them. Taking a moment to catch his breath, which was a lot easier now, he grabbed at low hanging branches in the barren trees, hoping to find a dry one to snap off and use.

After several tries, he found one. He snapped the limb from the tree and began to swish it back and forth over the snow to cover his footprints. He slowly backed his way further into the trees, continuing to fluff the snow that he'd just stepped from. When he was perhaps fifty feet into the woods, he threw the stick down.

If they were able to follow his tracks, his footprints would only lead the zombies to the edge of the woods. He began to move at an angle through the trees, trying to maintain the same distance from the forest's edge, hoping to flank the herd if they were still coming. He could move a couple hundred feet down from where he entered and then go back to the edge so he could see.

He kind of hoped they were still on his trail, at least to the edge of the grove. He hadn't considered it when he bolted from the farmhouse, but he had no idea which direction he'd been running in. Parallel to the highway? Away from it? The best way he could make sure to get back on track would be for the zombies to follow his tracks to the woods. Then, while they were trying to figure out where he went, he could take off running back toward the farmhouse, using his own footprints to guide him.

It sounded like an ingenious plan, but everything hinged on the zombies following his trail. If they didn't, they could have turned back and found someplace to lay in wait for him, setting their own trap.

Crouching down at the base of a tree, Brian waited to see if the zombies would, in fact, appear. Ten minutes passed, and he began to wonder if he was wasting his time as there was still no sign of them. If they gave up the chase and decided to hang back and wait for me to return, what am I going to do? He would give them a few more minutes before making a decision, one way or another.

Just as he was about to give up and make his way back to the farm, he began to see a gigantic dark spot, slowly moving toward the woods. They must have been moving slower than he had thought, but the good news was that they did seem to be able to track his footprints. At least, he hoped that's what they were following and not his scent.

He shifted his body behind the tree, leaving only his head visible as it poked around it to watch their approach. So far, so good. They seemed to be following his tracks in the snow. They were almost to the edge of the grove now. He waited a few tense moments longer, eager to see what they would do when the trail ended. As he watched, he saw the group stop. There seemed to be many more of them than he'd originally thought, maybe as many as a thousand or more.

Deciding that he wasn't going to get a better opportunity, Brian broke cover and took off running. It was difficult to catch his breath at first—his heightened sense of evil trying to strangle him—but as he got further away from them again, the sensation began to abate. He looked back over his shoulder, but couldn't tell whether or not they had seen him and resumed their chase. He supposed that it didn't matter. They were obviously too slow to keep up with him when he ran, and he had no intentions of slowing down to be their meal.

Chapter 5

Interstate 59 had been clear sailing for Chris, but when he reached Interstate 24 in Chattanooga, Tennessee things had changed. His original plan had been to take a jog to the northwest on 24 when he reached Chattanooga, and eventually find his way into one of the northwestern states like Montana.

He sat in the Jeep, idling in the middle of the highway, as he retrieved the road atlas from the glove compartment. There was a massive pileup, involving perhaps one hundred cars or more, blocking the entire width of the road. Some of those cars were flipped over on top of others, making the thought of using the winch on the front of his Jeep obsolete. Even if the wreck wasn't this bad, it would take him days to winch his way through the mess to get to the other side.

Looking down at the map, he traced his finger along an alternate route. One that involved taking I-75 north. He followed the road with his finger, still half considering finding a way to cut across so he could go to Montana, then discovered another possibility. He could take 75 all the way up into Canada. Surely Canada would be just as cold as Montana, maybe even more so. It sounded good anyway, but who was to say that he wouldn't run into this problem further up the road and have to alter his course again? He supposed it didn't matter too much, as long as he kept heading basically north, eventually he would find a place that didn't reek like rotting flesh.

Chapter 6

At some point, before they reached the outskirts of Saginaw, Katie happened to find a road map, sitting on the passenger seat of an empty car along the side of the highway. She'd snatched it up, convincing Edward that they could use it to find different ways to get around the larger cities. This way, they could avoid run-ins with bigger groups of zombies, as had been the case outside of Bay City.

Katie's knowledge had proved useful. The group had managed to get around Saginaw with only minor difficulties. They would still run across small, renegade bands of zombies, but normally they didn't have to fight off more than a couple at a time.

They had stopped for the night near the small town of Clio, which according to the sign on I-75 was about ten miles from the next big city they would have to negotiate their way around, Flint.

Even though Jack carried Melissa all day, he hadn't shown signs of slowing down. Most of the previous day, she'd either slept or been unconscious while being carried. When Jack had lain her down in the house they took shelter in last night, he looked worried. This morning he looked even more grim as the group got ready to pack up and leave.

Melissa's complexion had grown waxy and pale during the night. Jack and Edward looked on as Katie attended to her makeshift bandages, worried that her wounds were grave and that she may only have days, or even hours, left before she would yield to death. The wounds hadn't looked this bad initially, but the telltale signs of infection were growing worse.

Around the wounds, her skin had turned bright red. Dark, streaking lines spread outward from the gashes like spider-webs. The wound that worried everyone the most was the one on her right arm. The infection seemed to be spreading faster from this wound, the dark streaks seemingly heading straight for Melissa's heart.

Katie looked up at Edward as she tightened the last of the new bandages. "I really think we should find a pharmacy before we go much further," she told him, her brows drawn down with worry.

"Pharmacy? What is that?" he asked, hating the ignorance he was feeling.

"A place where medicines are stored and given to people who need them," Katie explained.

"Ah. I didn't know places like that existed. Back home, the healers are the only ones that have such things, and they normally carry their medicines with them."

"Maybe, instead of going out and around Flint, we should try staying closer to the city. Hopefully we can find a pharmacy there with something useful inside to fight off this infection," Katie suggested.

"We're wasting time sitting here talking about this. Can we please just get going?" Jack asked in frustration. Now that he'd grown fond of Melissa, he didn't relish the thought of her dying. He feared he would lose his mind if he had to cope with the death of another person he cared for. His headless wife still haunted his dreams, another death would be too much. A tear leaked from the corner of his eye as he bent down to pick Melissa up.

Edward saw that everyone was ready, so he led them outside. With all of their thoughts drifting toward Melissa's well-being, they didn't notice that their exit from the house had garnered unwanted attention.

By the time any of them realized what was happening, two zombies had gotten within ten feet of them. Edward struggled with the shoulder strap attached to the shotgun, trying to free it up for use. Katie had similar problems. She had reached for her crossbow before remembering that it had gone over the side of the Mackinac Bridge, then went for the bat on the outside of her pack. Somehow, it had gotten tangled in the strap that held it in place.

Carrying Melissa, there wasn't a whole lot Jack could do except try to get behind the others for protection. Thankfully, at least one of the group had their head in the right place. Julie leapt in front of everyone, a bat in each hand, and struck a defensive pose.

Her baseball bats swung rapidly before her, looking almost like propeller blades, criss-crossing each other. It made her look a little like she was some sort of ninja from one of the old martial arts movies. The ones where the voices never seemed to match the movements of the actor's lips.

The zombies didn't seem to regard her as a threat, they just kept coming. When they were only a couple of feet from Julie, she lashed out with lightning speed, both bats crashing into their targets simultaneously with such force that the fight was over before it even started. Both zombies slumped to the ground as their heads rolled unevenly down the street.

She twirled the bats like a gunslinger from the old west, stopping the spin just long enough to blow on them for effect. She smiled and turned back to the rest of the group as she slung them into place on either side of her backpack.

Despite her aggravation at her inability to get her bat loose in time to help, Katie laughed at Julie's display. "That was fuckin' bad ass! I didn't know you had that in ya," she teased, grinning.

"That helpless little country girl you used to know is dead now," Julie said.

Katie laughed. "Apparently so! Keep that up and we can save a lot of ammo."

"I don't mean to interrupt this little celebration, but can we find that pharmacy you said we should look for?" Jack urged.

Katie's shoulders sagged. How could she have been so thoughtless? "Sorry, Jack. The heat of battle ... I kinda lost focus there for a minute," she apologized.

Edward began to lead the way again with Katie beside him, Jack right behind them, and Julie bringing up the rear.

It wasn't long, maybe a couple of hours, before the grimy buildings of Flint loomed in front of them. Katie knew that it was likely the biggest city they'd tried to cross yet, and was a bit unsettled that they hadn't come across any more zombies. She only hoped that there wasn't an enormous group of them hiding just out of sight, waiting for their next meal to arrive.

Chapter 7

Things had been going almost perfectly for Chris so far. At least, since he'd gotten onto Interstate 75 it had. He'd been behind the wheel for more hours than he could count. There hadn't been any more accidents blocking his path, just the occasional stalled vehicle that he had to maneuver around. No zombies. No signs of possible survivors like himself. Just the open road before him, more or less.

His Jeep had been acting a little wonky for the last fifty miles or so, running kind of ragged. He feared the generator might be starting to go out on him. They were supposed to last for ten years or more, but he never seemed to have very good luck when it came to his vehicles. The Jeep was only five years old, but he often felt that the car manufacturers said things would last longer than they actually did. Anything for a buck.

He supposed that it would be better to be safe than sorry, and get off the highway to try and find another means of transportation. He wanted to make sure he could make it to Canada, and the way the Jeep was coughing and sputtering now, he knew he wouldn't make it. Maybe his luck would change and he would find something better, but he doubted it. That wasn't how his luck normally ran. Usually it went from bad to worse.

A blackened sign was coming up on his right. Through the grime he could see, L  in ton ... 5 m les. He pieced together what he thought to be the missing letters and came up with, Lexington ... 5 miles. If he'd been anywhere other than Kentucky he might've had more trouble figuring out the nearly indecipherable letters, but he had grown up around here. It wasn't until he'd gotten married that he had moved to Alabama because his wife wanted to stay closer to her sister. As uncommon as it was these days, she'd been diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis had been that she would die from it in no more than two years.

Luckily, that hadn't been the case. She'd outlived her doctor's expectations, long enough that when the virus struck that wiped out nearly everything, she'd turned into a zombie. Sadly, she was the first one Chris had ever come across, and also the first that he'd killed.

As the first exits for Lexington began to go by, he kept his eyes peeled, hoping to find a car dealer near one of the ramps. After a few miles, he spotted one that looked perfect. He swerved off the next ramp and backtracked to where he remembered seeing the dealership. A couple of minutes passed before he found it.

He pulled the Jeep onto the lot, which looked to be a gold mine to Chris. A few rows away, he spotted something he'd always dreamed of having. An entire row of them even! He parked his Jeep in front of the behemoth vehicle at the end of the row, grabbed his shotgun from the passenger seat, and got out to inspect it. With his luck, every one of them would be locked up tight and he wouldn't be able to get into them.

He walked to the driver's door of the vehicle, the swooping letters spelling out the word, Raptor, clearly visible on the front panel of the truck. In one hand Chris held the shotgun, his finger on the trigger, the barrel resting against his shoulder pointing toward the sky. He reached for the handle, not expecting the door to open, and pulled. Amazingly, the door opened right up.

He gazed in awe for a moment at the plush leather interior, then poked his head inside to make sure it was empty. It was the model with the extended cab that could supposedly seat eight people. Looking inside, he thought it was another dealer exaggeration. Six at the most, he thought. At least ... six people his size. As he turned around to go check the bed of the truck—since it had one of those fancy covers over it—he saw an unexpected, but welcomed, sight. The keys, dangling from the ignition. Unlike his Jeep, these babies still had the old fashioned starting system. They had all the other goodies that his Jeep had, like generators and winches, but there was also a lot of fancy stuff they didn't offer on cheap vehicles.

Things like shatterproof glass, tinted so dark that you couldn't see into it from outside. The inside was the same way, but if he remembered correctly, there was some kind of viewing gadget in there that allowed you to see everything. A full three hundred and sixty degree view!

He stepped away from the driver's door and went to the back of the massive truck. Turning the latch that held the bed cover in place, he lifted it high enough that he could determine if it was empty or not. It was. He let go of the latch and left the bed open for a moment, returning to the cab. He hopped into the driver's seat and turned the key, hoping his luck would continue.

The engine began to turn slowly, acting like there might not be enough juice left in the battery to get it started. After a moment, he turned the key off and got out again. He went back to the Jeep, opened the back hatch, and located his jumper cables. Popping the hoods of both vehicles, he attached the cables to both batteries. He got back inside the Jeep for a moment, revving the motor to send more juice to the Raptor.

After a couple of minutes he let the Jeep idle down and went over to check the truck again. He banged his fist on the ceiling, cheering as the Raptor roared to life when he turned the key.

Quickly, he jumped out of the truck and walked over to the Jeep to get his supplies from the back, and transferred them to the bed of the Raptor. He then went back to get his pistol and the map from the glove box. He tossed them onto the passenger seat of the truck along with his shotgun.

He returned to the Jeep just long enough to pull it out of the way so he could get the truck out, then killed the motor. Moments later he was back inside the Raptor with the door closed and locked. Chris surveyed the dash, taking a few moments to acquaint himself with all the gadgets, gauges, and controls.

One of the buttons had a dimmer-style switch. When he pushed it, the windshield lit up with a view of the scene behind the truck. Testing to see what it did, he turned the dial of the button. As he did, the scene on the windshield rotated before him. It made him queasy for a moment while the view spun around, making him feel like the room was spinning wildly after a night of heavy drinking.

When the view changed to what was in front of the truck, he stopped turning the dial. It was almost like tunnel vision now, so he checked the other buttons nearby to see if they would fine tune what he was seeing. Thankfully, he found one that widened the angle of his view, allowing him to see to the sides of the truck as well. That, at least, seemed a little better. He found yet another button, that when pressed lit up a small image on top of the current one, displaying what a normal rearview mirror would. It was disorienting at first, seeing the overlapping images on the windshield, but he hoped it would be something he could get used to. Everything else about the truck he absolutely loved!

Let's see how this baby drives, he thought, throwing the truck into gear. As soon as he did, he felt an odd sensation. Almost like a feeling of weightlessness. He could no longer feel the vibration of the engine, even though all the gauges before him assured him that it was still running. Slowly, he lifted his foot from the brake to allow the truck to idle forward. Grasping the steering wheel and watching the image on the windshield, Chris released his foot from the brake entirely.

Odd, he thought, noting that the view hadn't changed. Almost as if he were not moving. He decided to try pressing the accelerator to see what happen, thinking that perhaps he'd put the truck in neutral. As he touched the pedal, the windshield view lurched toward him. He took his foot off the pedal and the truck coasted to a stop. He looked at the door, trying to find a control to roll the window down. Not finding anything to do it, he decided to crack the door open. When he did, Chris nearly fell out of the seat. He shook his head, thinking that he was hallucinating. The truck was floating in the air! He remembered reading somewhere that something like this was being developed, but he didn't think they'd actually manufactured one for the public.

He closed the door again and sat staring at the windshield for a moment. He had a big, dumb grin on his face as he sat there dreaming about the possibilities of what he could accomplish now. If only he could find another person, who was actually alive, to share his happiness with.

Chapter 8

They had been very fortunate. Not long after entering the Flint city limits, Katie had found a pharmacy. She had managed to find a few bottles of different antibiotics within it, which she thought might be helpful.

Thankfully, Jack had been able to rouse Melissa long enough to get her to take a couple of pills. All they could do now was wait to see if they would reverse the infection. Likely, it would take several treatments before they would see any noticeable change for the better.

The group had left the city again, not wanting to press their luck with zombie encounters, and worked their way around to the south using the back roads. Once they were on the southern side of Flint, they found another place to lay low for the night near the town of Grand Blanc.

When they got up the next morning, Katie checked Melissa, as she'd been doing ever since the attack that had injured her. She still looked pale, but now her skin was tightening upon her frame, making her look like a starving, homeless person. When Katie changed her bandages again before they headed out for the day, she thought that perhaps the dark lines of infection weren't moving quite as quickly as before, maybe they had even stopped moving toward her heart. She could only hope and keep feeding the antibiotics to her every few hours.

As she cinched the last bandage in place, Katie couldn't help but wonder. Even with the antibiotics, the wounds still didn't seem to be healing. That worried her a lot! Maybe she hadn't given the drugs a chance to work into her system yet, or maybe she'd seen one too many horror movies when she was younger. Part of her mind insisted that Melissa would turn into a zombie, but the other, more rational, part of her mind told her she was being paranoid and foolish.

As had been the norm lately, when Katie was finished administering to Melissa, Jack bent down and picked her up in his arms and waited for Edward to lead them on.

They had no more reached the highway and started their way south, when Katie saw something in the road up ahead. She tugged on Edward's sleeve to stop him.

"What is it?" he asked, turning to face her.

"I saw something in the road up ahead. I think it was a person, but it could have been another zombie," she answered in a hushed voice.

"Where?" Edward asked, as Jack and Julie caught up, wondering why they were stopping in the middle of the road.

"Whatever, or whoever, it was moved off the road into the bushes over there," Katie said, pointing.

"I don't see anything," he said, squinting to see any movement. "Let's keep moving, but be careful and keep your eyes peeled."

Having no desire to have another zombie sneak up on them, Katie made sure that her bat was in her hand. She kept a tight grip on it, prepared to swing it at a moment's notice.

After a couple of minutes, the group was getting very close to the place that Katie had pointed out. Suddenly, a figure stood up from behind the bushes, holding his hands in the air in surrender. "Please. Don't shoot!" he called out.

Relieved that it was an actual living, breathing person, Katie replaced the bat in its place on the outside of her pack. As she did, the man began to move toward the group.

Even with the thick winter coat he was wearing, they could tell he was very thin; probably not even weighing a hundred and fifty pounds, soaking wet. He had a mop of shaggy red hair on his head, and a pair of wired-rim glasses perched on his nose. His pale blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight as he stepped onto the highway amongst the group.

"My name is Brian," he said, offering his hand to Edward. "I must say this is unexpected. I haven't seen a living soul for such a long time. I thought you guys were a roving pack of zombies at first." He laughed weakly.

"Likewise," Edward said, grasping his hand and giving it a brief shake. "We haven't seen anything aside from the walking dead until you showed up."

"What's up with her?" Brian asked, nodding his head in Melissa's direction.

"Injured in a recent attack," Edward replied.

"Hey. You aren't by chance a healer are you?" Katie inquired. "Melissa is one, but she's too weak to do anything to help herself."

"No, I'm not," he answered. "I used to be a Catholic priest. How bad is she?"

Katie grimaced. "Pretty bad. We found some medicine that we hope will help her recover, but so far it has only slowed the progression of her infection. What do you mean that you used to be a priest?"

"I kind of lost my faith," he admitted, hanging his head in shame. "How could God allow the world to become this way? If he truly exists, and loves people the way I've been taught my whole life, the catastrophe around us would never have occurred."

Edward looked confused. "Correct me if I am misunderstanding you. Are you saying that you believe there to be only one God?"

"I used to," Brian admitted, "but after the virus struck, I began to doubt his existence. I found myself wondering if perhaps earlier cultures, with their multiple Gods, had it right after all. I picked up some books from a library in Toledo on shamanism while I was there, hoping to shed some light on the matter."

"Where I come from, there are indeed multiple Gods," Edward told him, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "They make their presence well known and often create quite a mess of things. Especially when there is conflict among them, which is something that seems to be escalating lately."

"And, where exactly do you come from?" Brian asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Long story," Katie interrupted. "Perhaps a story for another day." She smiled.

"Mayhap one we can share with you when we find a place to settle in for the night," Edward began. "We should really focus on covering more ground."

"Where are you guys headed?" Brian asked. For some reason that he couldn't explain, Brian no longer had the urge to keep heading north. This group had been traveling south when he'd met them, and he assumed they would be continuing in that direction. Was his newly acquired sense somehow telling him that he should accompany them? Surely his new skill would be useful to them.

"Katie believes that if she returns to her home town, we will be able to find our way back," Edward replied, hoping that he wouldn't ask for further explanation right now.

"Can I tag along? Being in the company of others would be nice, even though you seem to be headed in the direction I just came from."

"I don't have a problem with that." Katie smiled, looking hopefully to Edward and silently praying that he felt the same. "We could use the extra help, that's for sure."

Edward nodded his agreement.

"Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, but where exactly are we headed?" Brian laughed awkwardly.

"Misty Hollows, Ohio," Katie replied with a grin.

"What part of Ohio is that in?"

"It's somewhat close to Toledo, so we should be able to get there in the next few days I would imagine," Katie informed him.

Great! Right back into zombie central, he thought, giving her a nervous smile. He wasn't relishing the thought of not being able to breathe. He had to find a way to get more control over his new ability so he didn't become a liability to them. He hoped that he could do a little more studying when they stopped for the night, but didn't think he would really have much opportunity to do so. Likely, they would be spending the night in, or close to, Detroit. As if that weren't going to be enough of a distraction from his studies, surely Edward would take the opportunity to divulge the story he was holding back.

Chapter 9

Once he got used to driving it, Chris absolutely loved the Raptor. The way it hovered over the road made it handle like a dream. Potholes in the road became irrelevant, as did the normal hazard of getting a flat tire. Who needs tires when you're floating through the air?

At first, the projected image on the windshield had been annoying and sometimes nauseating to watch. After a couple of hours driving the behemoth truck, he was more thankful than anything for the view it offered.

More often than not, with the widened view it gave him, he was able to avoid zombie incursions from getting too close to him. He only had to worry about them when he encountered road blockages, but even those weren't that big of a deal. The Raptor had more than enough torque to power its way through most of them. Also, the heavy brush guard in front of the truck was sturdy enough to ram against the stalled or wrecked cars without even scratching the paint.

It was great for obliterating zombies, as well; if they dared step in front of him. So far, he hadn't used the truck for that very much. Only when there'd been large groups of them, such as the ones he'd encountered on his way through Cincinnati and Dayton. Those had been some extremely large groups.

He worried a little when he'd come upon the first giant mass of them in Cincinnati. There must have been at least a thousand of them milling about in the road, why they were there in such numbers he didn't know. Perhaps they were feeding on people that had died, trapped in their cars after crashing in their haste to get out of town. Whatever the case had been, it didn't matter much now. They were nothing more than splattered gore and strewn body parts after the Raptor had plowed its way through them.

Things were calm now, but Chris was sure that he'd run into a similar situation when he reached Toledo. Detroit would likely be even worse, but after that he didn't expect too many more problems before reaching the Canadian border. As he pushed down on the accelerator a little harder, he contemplated the possibility that he was the only survivor of the virus. Surely there had to be more people like him out there somewhere, right? Otherwise his life seemed shallow and meaningless. He had to find someone else alive before he went mad.

Chapter 10

After a short debate, the group had decided that Detroit was too large to go around. It would have taken a day or two, maybe longer, to do it, and Brian had begun to feel a sense of urgency as they crossed into the city. He had an odd feeling that told him going out and around Detroit was a very bad idea, and he voiced this opinion to the rest of the group.

Katie finally agreed when she got out the road map, looked at the route they would have to take to avoid the more populated areas, and figured it to be at least an extra fifty miles, maybe more, if they were to detour around the city.

Since he'd met them, Brian had told the others about his new ability to sense when evil was close by. How it seemed that this skill had manifested itself after he'd begun to study the books on shamanism. He was finishing telling them about this new sense, and how it effected him, as they entered the city limits.

He wasn't sure if his new ability had stopped working because, so far, he wasn't having any trouble breathing. That seemed very strange to him, knowing that the city was virtually crawling with zombies, having been through here not so long ago.

They found a house to stay in for the night that seemed to be in a more upscale neighborhood, if there was such a thing anymore, just before dusk. For the first time in days, since they'd left Dafter in fact, they happened upon a house with a fireplace. Luckily, a tidy stack of wood sat beside it on the tiled floor that surrounded the hearth.

Splitting into two groups, they began their methodical search of the house—as had become their normal routine—searching for undesired occupants and for supplies. Jack laid Melissa down on the carpet in the front room, not far from the fireplace, and waited for the others to return. Since her injury, he had become very protective of her, attending to her every need, hoping that her failing health would soon get better.

He stroked her ruffled brown hair gently, trying to wake her. Melissa's eyes fluttered open to look at him and even in the dim light of the room, Jack was disturbed by what he saw. A multitude of tiny streaks of red, radiating out from her brown irises, literally blotting out most of the white's of her eyes. He didn't remember them looking like this before, even when the infection seemed to be at its worst.

He reached into his pack and pulled out the bottle of pills that Katie had found, opened it, and shook out a couple of them into his hand. With one arm, he tilted her head up and placed the pills to her lips, which had started to take on an unhealthy, darker shade than normal. The pills stuck to her lips, and being too weak, Jack had to force them the rest of the way into her mouth. He pushed his pack under her head to keep her head propped up, hoping she wouldn't choke on the pills, and pulled out a bottle of water. He placed the bottle to her lips and tilted it, the contents running down her face more than into her mouth, as she tried to work her throat to swallow. After a few moments, she managed to open her mouth wide enough for Jack to see that the pills were gone.

The others returned to the room with the items they'd found. It wasn't much, just comfort items like blankets and pillows. Like every other house they had stayed in, the kitchen was like a barren wasteland, offering nothing except dust and cobwebs. Edward noticed the look of concern on Jack's face. "Is everything okay?"

A lump formed in his throat, making his voice crack as he answered. "I'm not sure. Near her wounds, the infection seems to be slowing, maybe even reversing, but it looks like its popping up in other places now." He turned his head away as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Maybe if we can get her warmed up she will feel a little better," Edward suggested, walking to the fireplace to get a fire going.

"I hope so," Jack mumbled sadly.

Katie walked over and knelt beside Jack, wrapping an arm around him, hoping to comfort him. He turned to face her, giving her a weak smile. "She'll pull through," Katie whispered, hoping that she was telling him the truth.

"Can I get one of those?" Jack asked, seeing Brian standing a few feet away with blankets in his hands. He walked over and handed one to Jack. Julie was beside him a moment later, handing a pillow to him. "Thank you both," he said, managing a weak smile.

Quietly, Brian and Julie withdrew, setting the rest of their stash into a pile nearby that the others could grab from when they were ready. Brian went to the fireplace to join Edward. The fire had just begun to catch and he was bent over, blowing softly on the flames. Once the fire began to spread, Edward stood. Knowing what had to be done, he gathered everyone near the fireplace, with the exception of Jack and Melissa. He didn't think it wise to move her any more than necessary, and he was reasonably sure that Jack wouldn't leave her side.

Once everyone was gathered and seated comfortably, Edward began. "I told you before," he said, looking at Brian, "that our story was a long and complicated one. I will try to relay every aspect of this story as accurately as I can. There may even be bits and pieces of it that the others haven't heard yet either," he continued, glancing from face to face.

With all eyes on him now, save for Melissa and Jack, he sighed deeply before continuing. "Keep in mind, that time has grown strange for me. I'm not sure what is at the root of this feeling. The only thing I am sure of, is that since everything began, I have no idea how much actual time has passed."

Even though Brian thought the introduction to Edward's tale seemed confusing to say the least, he kept his mouth shut and waited for him to go on.

"Not so long ago, my mother requested my aid for a mission that she felt would be next to impossible to complete. The town elders of Elysia had asked for her help, but she was too ill to take on the mission herself." The firelight reflected from his eyes as he spoke, giving it the feeling of a ghost story being told around a campfire.

"My mother tasked me with putting together a group of adventurers, telling me that the group must be comprised of individuals not from our world. A world known as Desolace," he said, stopping for a moment to take a drink from his water bottle.

He cleared his throat and resumed. "There were to be individuals within this group that possessed certain abilities. A hunter, fighter, healer, holy man or woman, and a person capable of performing magic were to be the required personnel for successful completion of the mission."

Despite his best effort, Brian had to stop Edward there. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that one of you is some sort of wizard?" Brian asked, astonished.

"That would be me," Edward chuckled, opening his palm and producing a small flame to prove his point.

"Fascinating." Brian watched the tiny flame dancing in his hand for a moment. "I'm sorry for interrupting. Please, go on."

Edward closed his hand, extinguishing the flame. "I was instructed to create a portal, which would bring me a vital member of the group. That is where I found Katie."

"I was originally from here," she interrupted to explain. "I used to live in Ohio. It was the year 2010 when I stepped through the portal into Edward's world. Initially, I had thought I was dreaming. Boy, was I wrong!"

"When Katie came through the portal, she had an unexpected friend with her. A ghost. The ghost, I came to find out, was the victim of a killer on Earth. This killer had taken Katie's friend, Julie," he said, pointing to her, "and brought her to Desolace. Presumably, with the aid of one of the Gods."

"The ghost vowed to help us find Katie's friend, claiming to be linked to the killer upon her own death, which would allow her to locate him. This ghost also led us to other portals that I believe the Gods had placed in our path. One led us to a fighter named Mike, who is no longer with us."

Edward stopped again, taking another drink from his bottle, and wiping a tear from the corner of his eye brought on by the memory of his friend. "Another led us into the past, which is where we found Melissa," he started again. "The last portal we found, brought us here. Since you've told us that you were once a priest, I can only assume that the portal was intending to bring us to you," he stated, pointing at Brian.

"If your fighter friend is no longer with you, then who is Jack? I thought he would be the most likely fighter of the group you explained." Brian scratched his head in confusion.

"Jack is a friend we met along our journey," Edward explained. "There is something you should know about him as well, if you are to become part of the group. There would be no sense in keeping it from you."

Brian looked at Edward expectantly, waiting for him to reveal whatever secret he was hiding.

"Jack is a werewolf," Katie told him before Edward could say it.

Brian's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Okay. Now I've heard everything. I thought it was a lot to take in that zombies were real, but now this too? I thought werewolves were only legends, made up to scare people," he stammered.

"You have much to learn, and much to see. On Desolace, many of the things people on Earth consider myth are real," Edward informed him.

"Don't worry. He won't hurt you," Katie insisted. "Werewolves aren't like they're portrayed in movies. They are much more in control of the change, and are even rational as wolves."

Brian didn't know what to think. First, his belief in God had been cast into doubt, and now this?

"I know it's a lot to take in all at once," Katie said, seeing the look on his face, "but I assure you, every word of it is true. It took me quite some time before revelations like this stopped sending me into shock. Ask Edward. I was a basket case at first."

Reluctantly, Edward nodded his head in agreement. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he could see the difference in Katie's strength of character from when he first met her to now.

"It is a lot to take in," Brian admitted.

"Perhaps you will see things more clearly in the morning," Edward suggested. "I think we could all use a little rest."

For the first time since Edward had gathered everyone around him to tell his story, Jack spoke up. "Don't worry about setting a watch, Edward. I am going to stay up, taking care of Melissa."

"Are you sure?" Edward looked at Jack with concern. "You are also going to need rest, especially if you plan on continuing to carry her like you have been," he said, hoping that Jack would concede.

"If I may make a suggestion?" Brian interrupted. "I know this isn't something any of you are used to, but remember I have an ability, too. I think we should all be able to get rest. My heightened sense of evil should wake me before anything gets close enough to do any harm to us. I can wake everyone if my senses warn me of danger," Brian offered.

Edward remained silent for a moment, rubbing his chin as he considered Brian's offer. He wasn't sure about placing that much trust in a potential new member of the group, but he knew that sooner or later he would have to. "I suppose we could try that," he finally replied.

"Thank you for placing your trust in me. I know that couldn't have been easy for you. I'll do my best to not let you down," Brian stated.

A few minutes later, everyone in the group had gathered up blankets and pillows from the pile that Brian and Julie had placed on the floor earlier. Edward went to the fireplace and threw a couple more logs onto the fire. Then they began to lay down in the traditional manner, side by side, to share the added body heat, with the exception of Jack and Melissa. He sat, stroking her hair gently, the occasional tear leaking from the corner of his eye. His entire focus was on Melissa, so he didn't notice when the rest of the group drifted off.

Chapter 11

The night passed uneventfully. As Edward opened his eyes, he saw that Jack had fallen asleep at some point during the night, thankfully. He was lying with his head resting on Melissa's chest. Likely, her heartbeat had lulled him to sleep. Edward threw off his blanket and gently removed Katie's arm from his chest, hoping he wouldn't wake her.

When he sat up, the dim morning light allowed him to see that Brian was awake as well. Edward got up and went over to where he laid. "Are you sensing anything right now?" Edward whispered, kneeling down beside him.

Brian shook his head. "No. We're good at the moment," he whispered back.

Edward nodded and then got up again. He walked over to where Jack and Melissa were sleeping. Crouching down, he tried to ascertain her condition. The only part of her that was visible for him to inspect was her wounded right arm. He would have to wait until Katie woke to change her bandages before he could view the actual wound to see if it had closed up and started healing, but the trail of infection leading from the wound was still visible. He could be mistaken, but it didn't seem as bad to him. The once, bright red lines, were darker in appearance now, making him think the infection may be receding.

Feeling like he was being watched, Jack suddenly turned his head and saw Edward looking at Melissa's arm. Alarmed, he sat up quickly. "What are you doing?" he asked defensively. "Don't mess with her! I'll take care of her!" he snapped, his outburst waking the others.

"I was just curious to see if she was getting any better," Edward said, backing off a few feet in hopes of easing Jack's display of hostility.

Melissa opened her eyes to see Jack still hovering over her. She saw the angry look on his face and raised her left hand, weakly placing it on the side of his face. "What's wrong?" her voice crackled.

Feeling her hand on his face, he turned his attention back to her. His look softened when their eyes met. He studied her eyes for a moment before he spoke. Was he imagining things? Maybe it was the lighting, but he could swear that her eyes looked a little clearer. Was it a sign that the medicine was starting to do its job? "Feeling any better?"

"Maybe a little." She smiled weakly up at him.

Feeling hopeful, Jack dug into his pack, getting out the bottle of pills and some water. He shook a couple of them into his hand, placed them in her mouth, and put the water bottle to her lips. The water still wasn't going down her throat as well as he would like, but watching her throat work, it did seem as if she were improving.

Katie came over beside them a few moments later. Her eyes met Jack's briefly. She saw the hopeful look on his face as she started to unwind the old bandages. As she removed the one on Melissa's arm, Jack's shoulders slumped. The wound was still open.

"At least it isn't bleeding anymore," Katie said softly, hoping this information would lift his spirits a little. She got up for a moment and went to the backpack containing the rest of the clothing they'd brought, which she'd been using to this point to serve as dressings for Melissa's wounds.

There was only enough left of the scarf she'd been using to make a bandage for her arm. There was still a flannel shirt in the pack that she could use for the leg wounds, but it would only yield enough material to finish what she had to do. After this, they would have to find something else to use. Maybe it was time for another pharmacy raid, if they could find one that is. She silently cursed herself for not thinking about getting extra bandages when she had pilfered the antibiotics.

Once Katie finished changing Melissa's bandages, she decided to stuff one of the dirty blankets into her pack. She supposed that something was better than nothing at all, even though she swore to herself that she wouldn't use it unless it was the only option. She didn't want to make the infection worse.

Edward looked around the room. It seemed like everyone was ready, so he went to the front door. He waited for Jack to pick up Melissa before opening it and heading outside. Katie consulted the road map for a moment, then took the lead, determined to find a pharmacy before getting back on the highway.

After about a half an hour, her persistence paid off. Taking Julie with her, she went inside. The rest of the group waited anxiously outside on the sidewalk, hoping that Brian's ability would warn them of impending danger.

Katie returned ten minutes later with Julie right behind, her pack looking significantly fuller as she stepped outside. "I found some actual bandages," she announced happily. "I also happened to find some antibiotic cream that I can use the next time I change the bandages. I'm hoping it will speed up her recovery," she told Jack. For the first time since the attack, a genuine smile creased his face.

With the temporary crisis averted, Katie looked at her map to locate the closest ramp that would get them back on the highway. Even though there hadn't been any problems yet, she worried that they were taking a huge risk by staying off the highway. Surely there were more zombies in the buildings and on the side streets of the city than there were on the open road.

It was only a matter of minutes before they got back onto the highway and began to relax a little. However, that didn't last very long. Jack was the first to hear it. Coming from somewhere ahead was a noise that he'd never heard before. "Wait!" he yelled to get the others' attention as he stopped.

Edward spun around, startled by Jack's yelling, thinking that Brian's ability had failed and zombies had snuck up behind them. When he saw no immediate danger, he gave Jack a questioning look. "Is something wrong with Melissa?"

"No. Listen," he said, pausing to see if they could hear what he did. "Do you hear it?"

Edward strained to hear what Jack did, but heard nothing. "I don't hear anything," he told him, shrugging his shoulders.

The sound of metal crashing into metal suddenly reverberated in the distance. "I suppose you didn't hear that either?" Jack asked sarcastically as everyone in the group spun around toward the noise.

"What the hell?" Katie asked, seeing a shiny object barreling down the road toward them. Whatever it was, it was big! A minute later, the object became more defined. It looked like an enormous truck, not as big as a semi, but still pretty big. "Run for cover!" Katie screamed.

Everyone darted toward the side of the road, quickly turning to see where the truck was. Jack was still making his way to the side, moving as fast as he could without dropping Melissa in the process.

Moments later, the truck came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road, hovering above its surface for a few seconds before settling onto the ground. Katie could just make out the driver's side door opening. "Hello?" a male voice called out. "Are y'all all right?"

Edward looked nervously toward Brian, who was shaking his head to indicate that he didn't perceive a threat. "We are fine," Edward called back as he stood up.

Katie watched as a man with shaggy brown hair and an unkempt beard strode toward them. To her, he looked like a really muscular homeless man, dressed entirely in what looked vaguely like army fatigues.

"Yer a sight for sore eyes," the man proclaimed. "Y'all are the first people I've seen in ages. I was beginnin' ta think I was the only person left alive. Name's Chris." He smiled pleasantly, holding out his hand.

Edward hesitated for a moment and then accepted his hand. Katie had been awestruck by the truck that she'd seen, hovering in the air a few moments ago, and had scrambled up the embankment to get a closer look. It was yet another vehicle she wasn't familiar with, this one proclaiming itself to be a Raptor. They sure come up with some strange names for cars in the future, she thought. First, a Chevy Phoenix, now this? Casually, she walked to the front of the truck to see who made this model.

She wouldn't have been able to discern the manufacturer of the truck if she wanted to. The front of it was matted with blood, bits of flesh, and chunks of hair. A good portion of it looked dried and caked on, but in other places blood dripped from the brush guard, serving as a gruesome reminder that zombies weren't that far off. By the time she turned back toward Edward, the rest of the group had come up onto the pavement again.

"Y'all hop in. I'll kick the heater on so ya can warm up," he said, cheerfully.

Edward and Katie climbed into the front after she convinced him that the truck wasn't going to eat him. Brian and Julie slid into the back seat, which was a bench-style seat the same as the front. With Melissa still in his arms, Jack tried to step into the strange vehicle, but only because Edward had done so, meaning it must be safe.

He nearly lost his balance on his first attempt to get in. Chris put a hand on his back to steady him, earning him a stern look from Jack. "I can do it myself," he growled.

"Hey now! Don't be gettin' all upset! I was just tryin' ta help ya," Chris said, putting his hands up to show he didn't mean any harm.

Once everyone was tucked safely inside, Chris climbed into the driver's seat. "Where are y'all headed?" he asked, turning to face Edward. Katie didn't even hear the question. She was mesmerized by the technology, the windshield especially.

"Misty Hollows, Ohio," Edward replied.

"Well shit. I was headin' ta Canada myself," Chris said. "Don't s'pose I could convince ya to go north with me?"

Edward pretended to consider his offer, then shook his head. "We are trying to get Katie back home to check on her family," Edward lied, partially.

Hearing her name mentioned brought her out of the daze she'd been in. "Could you, maybe, take us to my house before heading to Canada?" Katie pleaded.

Chris frowned for a moment, contemplating her question. "I guess I could help ya out," he finally answered. "Just be warned. It's pretty ugly back yonder," he said, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder.

"Well, if you made it through once, you should be able to do it again." Katie smiled.

He turned and slammed the truck into gear. As it lifted back into the air, Katie became distracted by the feeling, which felt a little like a quick elevator ride to her. Remembering how he had felt the first time, he allowed her stomach to settle. When her color returned to normal, he jerked the steering wheel hard to the left and looked at her. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she said, wondering what she'd gotten herself and the others into by accepting a ride from an apparently crazy redneck.

"Here we go!" he cried out happily, pushing down on the gas pedal. Everyone in the truck—except for Chris and Melissa—suddenly clamped their hands over their mouths, trying desperately not to get sick as the truck, and the view on the windshield, rotated sharply one hundred and eighty degrees. Chris let go of the steering wheel and it snapped back to its original position.

"Here we go! Zombie masher engaged!" he hollered, grinning from ear to ear as he smashed his foot down on the accelerator.

Chapter 12

The south side of Detroit had been like driving straight into the bowels of Hell itself. There had been thousands of zombies, shuffling to the south like migrating birds, on and around the Interstate. At one point they were so thick that the truck almost didn't make it through. It had slowed to a near crawl before finally breaking free. Zombies had literally surrounded the truck, beating on it from every angle trying to get to the fresh meat inside.

With the constant pounding, Katie's stomach felt like it was doing barrel rolls in one of the old crop dusting planes. As they inched forward, she could hear the sounds of their bones breaking as the brush guard plowed through the throng. She could only imagine what the outside of the truck would look like when she finally stepped out of it, and she made a silent reminder to herself not to look when she got out. Assuming that they made it back to Misty Hollows and didn't become a zombie feast first.

The scene outside reminded her of a movie she'd once seen, and enjoyed watching, named Resident Evil. Now that she was in a similar situation, Katie hoped she would never see another horror movie again.

Thankfully, all of that was behind them now, though Katie expected more of the same when they went through Toledo to get to Misty Hollows. The sign ahead told them they were ten miles from the Ohio border, so she tried to brace herself for the next wave.

She looked into the back seat at Jack. "How's she doing?"

"I think she is slowly getting better. When she's had her eyes opened, they looked better than they did last night at least," he answered in a hopeful tone.

"I'm sure she will bounce back in no time." Katie smiled, then turned back to the front.

They had just entered Ohio moments ago and Katie was growing anxious. Brian was beginning to wheeze again, much like he'd done right before they'd come across the mass of zombies in Detroit. She hoped they would concentrate their numbers along I-75, knowing that they would be detouring from it soon.

"Get over to the left," Katie told Chris. "There should be a ramp coming up for I-280 and we need to take that exit."

"Okie doke," Chris said, complying with her instructions.

A couple of minutes passed before Katie saw the sign. It was hanging by one corner, moving slightly back and forth in the breeze, but she could still make out the familiar symbol. At least the road signs hadn't changed in the future like so many other things had, she thought.

"Is this the exit you were talkin' 'bout?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Yes."

He followed the ramp, which curled around beneath an overpass, and as he came out the other side, smashed into a small group of zombies that he hadn't seen until he was upon them. The force of the collision caused gore to splash onto the windshield. Chris turned on the wipers to clear it, but only managed to smear it around more. "Sorry. I didn't see 'em 'til it was too late to avoid 'em," he apologized.

Katie fought back the urge to vomit. Somehow, she had to keep an eye out so they wouldn't miss the exit she hoped still existed. Major roads and highways she could rely on, but the minor roads could have changed over the last hundred years. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm her churning stomach.

When she looked up, there was a sign beside the road welcoming them to Oregon, Ohio. Finally, they'd gotten through Toledo. In much better shape than she'd anticipated, too. "The exit we need to get off on shouldn't be more than a couple more miles ahead," she told Chris.

Keeping his attention focused on the road to avoid another unexpected zombie collision, he gave her a thumbs up. "Just try ta give me a little warning," he teased.

"I'll try my best," she said, fervently scanning the signs as they came up on them. "Shit! Take this one!" she yelled, making him jump.

He jerked the wheel to the right, shooting her a chastising look as they just barely managed to get onto the exit ramp. "Sorry," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe we should slow down. There are going to be a lot of turns involved to get where we need to go," she suggested.

He laughed. "Sure. Now ya tell me."

As they made their way toward Katie's childhood home, she saw that much of the landscape had stayed the same over the past one hundred years. Occasionally they would pass a road or two that she didn't remember, but many of the buildings looked the same. There were a few newer ones, and a few older ones that had been updated, but overall it wasn't enough of a change to confuse her.

They snaked through the tangle of streets, eventually coming to the road her house should be on. It had taken a half an hour to get here, but now that they were only a couple of minutes from it, Katie was nervously chewing on her fingernails.

"It should only be about another mile or so before we get there," she told Chris, spitting a piece of her nail onto the floorboard. "Keep it slow if you can. I don't want to miss it. Who knows if it still looks the same."

Chris eased his foot off the accelerator a little, bringing the truck down to twenty miles an hour. He didn't understand why she wanted to go this slow. There wasn't a lot to see out here, more open fields than there were houses, it shouldn't be that hard to find what she was looking for.

A chill ran up Katie's spine as she looked to her left. There stood her old bus driver's house, where her life had irrevocably changed forever after Amber had led her and Julie to it, showing them where her killer lived.

Edward felt her trembling next to him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Seeing my old bus driver's house brought back some horrible memories, that's all," she told him. Katie glanced into the back seat for a moment, checking on Julie's reaction. Disturbingly, she didn't seem to react at all. Katie's brow furrowed as she turned back around. What the hell is up with her? Was her time on Desolace so traumatic that she forgot everything? Maybe they did something to her. Something to erase her memory, Katie thought, trying to justify Julie's inaction.

A few moments later, the trees on the right opened up, affording her a view of what should have been her old house. Everything seemed like it should have been—the barn, the shed, even the old pasture fence was still there—but the house itself looked different. Apparently someone had added on to it since she'd left. Her house had been a one story, ranch style home, this one had two, maybe three stories, and no longer looked like a farmhouse. It looked more like one of those rambling Victorian houses that she'd seen in movies, normally in the northeast somewhere, like Massachusetts or Maine.

"Pull in over there," she told Chris, pointing to the overgrown driveway.

Without a word, he complied. He pulled up next to the house and put the truck in park, then shut off the engine. He got out and looked up at the sky. "Looks like ya still got a bit of daylight left." He smiled, watching the rest of them pile out of the Raptor.

As Brian got out of the truck, Katie noticed that he was wheezing a little. "You okay?" She walked over to him with concern. He was acting like he had right before the zombies had appeared in all of their previous encounters with them.

"I think so," he said in an unsteady voice. "The feeling is stronger now than it's been in the past, but I seem to be controlling it better. As strong as my sense is right now, I would normally be on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen."

"If your feeling is that strong, then perhaps Jack and Melissa should stay outside while we check the house," Edward suggested.

"No way! If there might be trouble, you are going to need my help. We can likely find someplace inside that I can set Melissa down and keep her protected," Jack protested.

"He has a point, Edward," Brian said. "It would be foolish to separate. That whole theory of strength in numbers. We surely don't want whatever may be in there to gain the upper hand."

"I guess you're right," Edward conceded. "At least stay in the back of the group until we get inside and find a safe place for you to put her down," he told Jack.

"I can live with that plan."

While they'd been figuring out what they were going to do, Chris had gone back to the truck unnoticed. As the group prepared to enter the house, they saw him running to catch up.

"Where'd you go?" Katie asked.

"I went back fer these." He grinned, lifting his shirt to reveal the pistol tucked into the front of his pants and raising his shotgun up from his side.

"Oh," Katie said with a sheepish smile.

"Are we ready?" Edward asked. Everyone nodded that they were, stern looks of concentration written on all of their faces as they readied their weapons. "After you, Katie. It is, after all, your house." Edward bowed slightly and swept his hand toward the door. Katie nearly lost her composure and started laughing when she watched the gesture.

Katie reached for the doorknob and turned it with a little effort. The rusted metal broke off in her hand and the door creaked open. The sound made her feel as if she were preparing to enter a haunted house. Not a real one of course, but one that you would pay to go into, having the crap scared out of you by the hired help.

The door had swung open no more than enough to allow them to enter when a groaning zombie began shuffling toward them. Katie froze in shock. What she was seeing seemed impossible. The visage of the putrid creature shambling toward her eerily resembled her mother! She shook her head, thinking that she was hallucinating. "Mom?"

At the sound of her voice, the zombie began moving more quickly toward her, holding out its decaying arms. One eye dangled and bounced upon its cheek, what was left of it anyway, swinging from the optic nerve. It opened its mouth, hissing at her as it reached out to grab her. Just as it latched onto Katie's shoulder, the barrel of a shotgun was thrust over her shoulder on the right, the end of it jamming into the nose of the zombie. A split second later the shotgun roared, kicking up and nearly hitting her in the side of her head, the proximity of the blast deafening her.

The face that had resembled her mother was now gone, splattered on the wall in front of Katie. Blood, brains, clumps of flesh, and bits of bone dripped down the wall. She turned her head and wretched, but thankfully it had been a while since her last meal. Nothing came up.

The blast had caused the zombie to stagger backward a few steps, but somehow after losing its head, it was still upright. Chris stepped past Katie and pushed it over with the barrel of the shotgun. It crumpled to the floor immediately. "One down." Chris grinned proudly. She briefly considered calling him an asshole, but realized it would be pointless. The vile creature, that had possibly once been her mother, would have killed her if he hadn't intervened.

Katie stepped aside to allow the remainder of the group to come inside. So far, there was no indication that there were more zombies in the house, but they were very crafty creatures, especially for being dead.

"Where is your bed chamber?" Edward inquired, touching Katie's back to get her attention.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?" Katie asked, her ears still ringing from the shotgun blast.

"Your bed chamber," he said again, gently. "Where is it?"

Everything sounded muffled to her, but she thought she understood what he'd said. "It used to be over there." She pointed down a narrow hallway leading from the room. "I'll show you." She started toward the hallway. When she didn't hear them following her, she turned to see why. As she stopped to look, Chris ran into her, obviously not expecting her to stop suddenly. He backed off a step and mouthed the words, I'm sorry. At least, she hoped he had mouthed them.

She turned again and made her way down the hallway, stopping in the open doorway of what had at one time been her room. Unlike many of the other houses they'd been in lately, there was still furniture in this one. The room before her had a bed and a dresser in it. They were filthy, but looked like they were still usable. She motioned for Jack to come forward. "This is probably going to be the safest room in the house. There is a bed here that you can lay Melissa on."

Jack followed her into the room, walked to the bed, and gently laid Melissa down on it as Katie checked the rest of the room to make sure there wasn't a zombie or two hiding out and waiting for them to drop their guard. When she was satisfied that the room was clear, she returned to the doorway. Jack folded the blanket over Melissa, placed a light kiss on her forehead, and then returned to where the rest of the group was gathered.

"We should probably split up," Edward suggested, "to search the rest of the house."

"Do what you want. I'm staying right here," Jack said defiantly, grabbing a bat from Julie's hands.

He'd expected as much from Jack. Over the last few days he had grown increasingly protective of Melissa. "What I meant was that we could split into two groups. One to search the remainder of the house, and one to stay here. I know you can handle yourself well, but it would be nice for you to have help if you need it," Edward said, trying to calm him down a little.

His posture seemed to relax slightly. "That sounds acceptable," Jack replied, attempting a smile.

"I hate to interrupt," Brian said, "but there is definitely something else here. Even after killing the zombie when we came in, I still feel like evil is closing in from all around us."

"All the more reason to get busy clearing the house," Edward stated. He quickly considered how to most effectively split up the group. "Chris and Julie, I would like you to stay here with Jack. I'll take Katie and Brian with me to check the rest of the house."

Immediately, Chris and Julie moved to either side of Jack, while the others moved next to Edward as if they were choosing sides for a sporting contest. "If we run into anything we can't handle, we will yell for you. One of you should do the same if something happens down here," Edward said as he turned away, leading Katie and Brian deeper into the house.

As Edward continued down the hallway, he could see a staircase ahead. There were two more doors, one on either side of the hallway, they would need to check before moving upstairs. One at a time they cleared these rooms, which were both sparsely furnished like the one Melissa was resting in.

After closing the doors, Edward led them to the stairs. As they began to climb the staircase, which was flanked by ornate wrought iron railings on either side that were coated with thick cobwebs and dust, Brian's wheezing suddenly became worse.

Halfway up the flight of stairs, he stopped. "Wait," he gasped. "I can't catch my breath."

A shaft of light, coming from a window above the landing a few steps up from them, allowed Katie and Edward to see the pale blue hue of Brian's face. "Edward! I think he's choking!" Katie yelled in panic.

Edward hurried down the few stairs between them. At the moment he reached Brian, laughter began to echo through the house, bouncing off the walls and making it sound like it was coming from all around them. Brian grabbed onto the railing to steady himself.

As he did, the wrought iron came to life, pulling the posts free from the stairs. The handrail began to float in mid-air somehow, bending by some means they couldn't see. It took on the form of a giant mouth, the iron spindles becoming jagged teeth.

Katie was backing away to the other side of the staircase, not believing her eyes. The railing on the opposite side of the stairs should have stopped her, but it was no longer there. She fell over the side, falling about six feet before crashing onto the floor. Above her was another gaping metal mouth like the one she'd been trying to get away from. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. Chris and Julie were running down the hallway toward them after hearing Katie yell, assuming it was the signal that they needed help.

The two giant mouths turned toward the bottom of the stairs as Chris and Julie exited the hallway. Chris ran to Katie, helped her to her feet, and shoved her into the hallway behind him. He immediately took aim at one of the snapping mouths with his shotgun and pulled the trigger. The bearings from within the shell proved to be useless, ricocheting of the metal, harmlessly imbedding themselves in the wall.

Julie had darted up the stairs, doing everything she could to get Edward and Brian to go back to the hallway. As they finally got moving, the giant mouth closest to her snapped its enormous metal teeth around her right arm, completely severing it from her body.

"No!" Katie screamed from the hallway, seeing her friend's arm fall over the side of the staircase in a shower of sparks, which at first she assumed were caused by the iron spindles clashing together. As Julie turned to get away, Katie saw that it wasn't the case. The sparks were coming from the stump of Julie's arm.

Julie was doing everything she could to get back to the hallway, but it was no use. With her back turned, she didn't see the giant jaws preparing to snap at her again. "Look out!" Katie yelled a moment too late. The mouth snapped shut, slicing through her neck. Julie's head bounced the rest of the way down the stairs, flinging sparks into the air.

Somehow, the rest of Julie's body was still on the stairs, flailing at the giant mouth with the baseball bat in the hand it had left. As if things weren't already bad enough, Katie began to hear a loud cracking noise. As she stood frozen in horror, she watched as the staircase itself began to break apart, taking on the shape of a hideous wooden face. In a matter of moments, arms began to develop. One splintered hand reached out and grabbed hold of Julie's legs, the other clamped around her midsection. In seconds she was ripped in half by this new creature, sending a cascade of sparks flying into the hallway as the wooden monster flung the pieces at Katie.

That was enough to break Katie from her horrified trance. She bolted down the hallway and ran headlong into Chris, who was helping Edward and Brian back toward the front of the house. "Move!" she screamed. "We have to get out of here! Now!"

She glanced quickly over her shoulder to see if the creatures were still following. The metal ones were apparently too big to fit into the hallway, they emitted a strange sounding scream, snapping their massive jaws in frustration. The wooden terror was still coming though. It scraped against the walls of the hallway as it continued chasing them.

Hearing the plaster being peeled from the walls, Chris turned to see what was causing the sound. Katie brushed past him, trying to latch onto his arm and drag him with her. He shrugged out of her grip. "Go!" he yelled, his voice barely audible over the scraping. "I'll take care of this!"

Katie turned back and ran to help Edward and Brian. As they approached her old room, she heard Chris' shotgun go off. She looked back, hoping that it had killed the wooden monstrosity. It hadn't. There was a gaping hole where its misshapen head had once been, but it was still coming, and it seemed to be forming a new head from the plaster and lath boards that it was scraping from the walls.

Chris dropped the shotgun onto the floor and pulled out his pistol. As he began to fire on the wooden creature, an anguished scream tore Katie's attention back to the others. Jack had disappeared into the bedroom and Katie could only think that something similar was happening in there.

She got to the doorway in time to see Jack on the floor, changing into a wolf. Melissa was no longer in the bed. Katie stepped into the room to help while Jack was changing and immediately stumbled back into the hallway. Melissa had become a zombie! She'd lost another friend, but she couldn't begin to imagine how Jack was dealing with this, knowing that he would have to kill the woman he'd been protecting for days.

The gunshots in the hallway suddenly seemed far away as Jack completed his change, howling in both mourning and rage as he made quick work of the woman that had once been very dear to him, shredding her to pieces with his claws.

"Come on! We have to go!" Katie yelled at Jack, who for the moment seemed caught up in his grief. The gunfire in the hallway had stopped, which was either a good sign or a very bad one. She poked her head into the hallway. Edward and Brian were gone, hopefully they'd made it outside. Chris was backpedaling down the hall, reloading his pistol. The splintery creature was still bearing down on him, so big now that it took up the entire hallway from floor to ceiling.

Katie yelled one last time for Jack, trying to get him moving, and then darted for the front door. When she got outside, she saw Edward standing near the truck. Brian was on his knees in the grass doing something, perhaps praying that God would listen to him, just this one time. She went to him and touched his shoulder. When he looked up at her, she nearly fell down in shock. His eyes looked like they were glazed over.

Her mind raced. Had Brian somehow been infected before they met him? Was he turning into a zombie like Melissa had? She shook her head in disbelief. No! It had to be something else! Something she didn't understand! She could hear him muttering something, but she couldn't make out what it was. It seemed to be another language.

A loud crash came from the house, and moments later, Jack bounded out the front door. Seconds later, Katie could see Chris, scrambling for the doorway. At the last moment, the doorway turned into a mouth, biting down as Chris attempted to leap from the house. Only half of him made it out.

His torso was shredded by the wood, just below his ribcage, exposing his innards. Even with half of his body missing, Chris tried to pull himself along with his hands. He collapsed a few moments later, a ten foot path of blood and entrails left in his wake.

Brian suddenly stood up, holding his arms out wide, lifting his head to the sky, uttering something unintelligible in a booming voice. Moments later, the entire house was engulfed in flames and Brian fell to the ground as if he'd just passed out. Katie and Edward jumped back, shocked by the sudden appearance of the fire. Fighting instinct, Jack leapt forward, sinking his teeth into Brian's coat and dragging him away from the burning house.

After the initial shock began to wear off, Katie noticed something peculiar. The blazing house didn't seem to be giving off any heat! A fire that size should have made the temperature within a few hundred feet almost unbearable! It vaguely reminded her of the Wrath of God type stuff she'd heard about when she was younger. Fire and brimstone, raining down to cleanse and purify the sinners of the world.

She tried to move forward, curious to see if there was any heat at all being produced by the raging fire, but Edward clamped a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from getting any closer.

As Jack neared the truck, Brian began to regain consciousness, struggling to get out of Jack's grip after he saw that a wolf had a hold of him. He flailed his arms, doing everything he could to break free. Finally, Jack let go and stood there panting and watching Brian. "Get away from me!" Brian yelled, fearing that he'd gotten out of the house only to be a wolf's lunch.

Edward took his hand from Katie's shoulder and walked over to Brian. "Take it easy, Brian. It's only Jack."

He looked up at Edward, his eyes crazed. "Are you out of your mind? That's not Jack! It's a wolf!" he protested loudly, still trying to back away.

Edward crouched down next to him. "Remember what I told you last night? That Jack is a werewolf?" He waited a moment for his words to register. "I know it must be a shock to see him this way for the first time, but I assure you, Jack is one of us, not a servant of evil. Use your ability if you think I am trying to deceive you."

Brian considered his words for a moment. It was true, his sense of evil had greatly diminished, feeling like the evil was still present, but farther away than where the wolf was standing. It went against everything he'd ever seen regarding them, but looking into the wolf's eyes, he could almost swear that he could see Jack in them. "Is that really you, Jack?"

The wolf barked once and walked over to him, sitting down beside him and licking his face. Brian managed to smile, slowly raising a hand to stroke his fur. "So, what now?" Brian asked, looking up at Edward.

He seemed to consider the question for a moment, thoughtfully rubbing his chin and taking a slow look around them. It was dark outside, the roaring fire had given off so much light that he hadn't noticed until now. He then turned his attention to the truck. It seemed to be the quickest way to get around, but with Chris dead he wasn't sure if anyone else could operate it. He knew he couldn't, and was sure Jack couldn't either. Perhaps Brian would know, or even Katie.

"Do you know how to work the truck?" he finally asked Brian.

"I never learned how to drive," he replied.

"I could take a crack at it," Katie offered.

"Well, since the immediate threat seems to have passed, I suggest we get into it and rest for a while. Maybe after a little sleep, Katie will be able to figure out how to make it work," Edward suggested.

"Sounds good. I'm exhausted," Brian said, offering a weak smile.

Edward bent down and offered his hand to Brian, helping him to his feet. Brian opened the back door, motioning for Jack to get in. Jack jumped in and Brian hopped into the seat beside him, closing the door. Katie and Edward got into the front, rummaged through the packs briefly, passing a dirty blanket back to Brian and keeping one for themselves. As difficult as the last couple of hours had been, exhaustion prevented them from thinking too much about what had happened. They were soon fast asleep.

Chapter 13

Katie was the first to wake up. It felt like she'd slept for hours, but it was still pitch black inside the truck. She fumbled for the door handle. After a few moments, she found it and pulled the lever, opening the door. Bright light streamed into the truck, waking the others. Moving her blanket aside, Katie stepped down from the truck to survey the wreckage of what had once been her home.

As she stared at the smoldering heap, a realization struck her. At one time, her bedroom window had served as a portal into the world of Desolace. If it had still existed yesterday, it was gone now. She cursed herself for not thinking of it when they'd first entered the house. How were they ever going to get back to Desolace? Remembering the events near the stairway yesterday, seeing what she thought had been her friend, viciously ripped to pieces, pieces that weren't human at all. Just another robot, or cyborg actually, made to look like her friend. Obviously, Julie was still somewhere upon Desolace.

Katie felt something touch her shoulder and she jumped, turning defensively. She relaxed when she saw that it was Edward. She hadn't heard him get out of the truck.

"What were you thinking about just then?" he inquired.

"I was remembering about the portal that used to be here. The one that I entered when I originally went to Desolace," she replied quietly. "It's obviously gone now and I'm kicking myself in the ass for not thinking of it when we first went in."

Edward remained quiet for a few moments, letting her rant. In that time an idea came to him. "Wait a minute," he said, interrupting her. "The man with the mechanical horse that took your friend came from here too, right?"

Suddenly, her face lit up. He was right! If I went through a portal to get there, he must have done the same thing! "You're a genius!" she said, planting a big kiss on his cheek. "Now all we have to do is figure out where the portal is that he used." Her mind reeled, trying to think of the most obvious place his portal would have been.

Where could it be? She searched her memories of that time as if she were looking for a needle in a haystack, which in a sense she was. One possibility was his house. That would be easy enough to check, it wasn't far from here. As she was about to say this to Edward, another thought occurred to her. What about the park in Oregon? Didn't he use the lodge over there to display one or more of his victims?

"I have two ideas regarding the possible location of his portal," she told Edward, excitedly. He looked at her with interest, waiting for her to continue. "His house would be the closest place we could check. If it's not there, then I think it may be in a park that's about twenty minutes from here. Assuming that we can get the truck working," she added with a grin, moving past him to the open driver's door.

Poking her head inside, she looked at all of the different switches, knobs, and buttons. The first thing she had to do was figure out how to start the damn thing. After that, she could fiddle with everything to see what did what. She looked near the steering column for the ignition, expecting there to be some sort of high-tech way of starting the truck. She tried to remember what Chris had done to turn the engine off when they'd gotten here. As she jostled the truck in her search, Brian sat up sleepily, rubbing his eyes and brushing fur from his lips. Apparently, he had been using Jack as a pillow. He shot him an apologetic look, though the wolf just stared impassively back at him.

Not expecting what she saw, Katie nearly dismissed it as a mirage. A set of keys was dangling from the ignition! She reached over and turned the key. The motor instantly jumped to life. "Woohoo!" she shouted, immediately hopping into the driver's seat. "Get back in here Edward." She smiled, seeing the grin on his face as he stood at her door. He hurried around to the other side of the truck and got in.

It only took Katie about ten minutes to figure out which buttons and switches were vital to the operation of the truck. A couple more minutes and she had the truck hovering in the air and slowly backing down the driveway. At first, every time she tried to turn the truck it resulted in a jerky movement that made the truck lurch to one side or the other, but by the time they actually reached her old bus driver's house she was starting to get the hang of it.

She pulled into what had once been his driveway, now completely overrun with grass and weeds. So much so that the driveway beneath was barely visible. She brought the truck to a stop alongside the house, but left the motor running in case they needed to get away quickly.

"Make a quick check of your gear before we go inside, please," Edward instructed.

They took a quick inventory of the remaining weapons they had available: a shotgun and a baseball bat. There were still two boxes of shells left for the gun. Edward glanced at the remaining members of the group to figure out the best way to distribute the limited supply of weapons.

Jack was still in wolf form, so he didn't require a weapon. Not that he would be able to use one. Besides, he was probably close to the best weapon they had just being a wolf. When Edward turned his gaze on Brian, he saw that he wasn't even looking at the weapons. He probably doesn't need one either, considering what he did back at Katie's old house.

Katie made the decision for him while he was figuring things out. She grabbed the bat, leaving the shotgun for him. Katie hopped down from the truck and waited for everyone to join her. As Brian stepped out, she paid close attention to his eyes, making sure that they weren't glazed over.

"I'm not sensing anything here," he told her, when he noticed her scrutiny.

Katie smiled. "Good. Then we shouldn't have any opposition when we search the place."

Once everyone was out of the truck and ready, Edward led the way to the front door. He glanced back to make sure everyone was with him, then turned the knob and pushed the door open. Thankfully, they weren't greeted by a surprise zombie attack as they entered.

There was a staircase on the right, the sight of which sent shivers down Katie's spine. Several rooms could be seen from the foyer in the downstairs section of the house, who knew how many were up on the second floor?

"I'll take Brian with me and check upstairs. You take Jack and search down here," Edward said. "We will meet up back here when we're done with the search. Keep your eyes and ears open. If you run into any trouble, you know what to do."

Katie eyed the stairs warily. "Be careful and watch out for hungry stairs," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Edward shook his head and laughed before turning toward the staircase. He glanced over at Brian as they made their way to the stairs. He appears fine. No sign of labored breathing. No sign of his eyes clouding over. We should be fine, he thought, convincing himself that there wasn't any danger present.

It didn't take long to go through the house, fifteen minutes at the most. Katie was standing by the front door, nervously tapping her foot while she waited for Edward to return, resisting the urge to go check on him.

Moments later, he came sauntering down the staircase. "Nothing," he said when he saw Jack and Katie waiting for them.

"Then I guess we're going to the park. I hope the portal is there, because if it's not I'm out of ideas." Katie sighed.

They went outside and piled back into the truck again. Once everyone was in, Katie backed the truck to the road and started driving toward the park.

Ten minutes passed when Edward began to notice a change in Brian's breathing. He looked into the back seat to see if he was okay.

"I can definitely feel something. The longer we're on the road, the stronger the feeling is getting," he told Edward.

"How much longer until we get there?" Edward asked, tapping Katie to get her attention.

She wasn't sure if she'd heard his question correctly, her hearing was still muddled after the shotgun going off next to her head. "About ten more minutes," she answered, hoping she'd guessed correctly about his question so she wouldn't look like a fool.

"It's not a choking feeling this time," Brian began when he noticed that Edward had turned his attention back to him. "It feels more like I have something heavy sitting on my chest."

"Not sure if that's better or worse," Edward said, his eyebrows drawn down in worry, wondering if Brian's feeling was being caused by a mass of zombies or because of the portal itself. After all ... if there was a portal there, it was likely created by the Black Knight.

A short while later, Katie announced that their destination was only a minute or two away. Edward wasn't paying any attention to her. He was focused on the changes that were manifesting in Brian.

His breathing had become very deep and slow, his eyes were starting to look cloudy, and when Edward tried speaking to him he didn't respond. Not even an acknowledging nod. Edward was growing very nervous, but was trying his hardest not to let it show. He had to project confidence, even if it felt like he had none.

Moments later, Katie pulled into a short, gravel driveway and brought the truck to a stop. "Holy fucking shit!" she nearly yelled, drawing Edward's attention back to the front.

In front of them was a wall of zombies. There had to be at least a couple of hundred of them, probably more. They stood in a giant circle, unmoving, radiating out perhaps twenty feet from the cabin at the center of the mass. It almost seemed like they were guarding the building. Does the Black Knight's influence reach into worlds other than my own? Edward wondered. It was the only explanation for what he was seeing. If the portal was inside the building, like he now suspected, how were they going to get through all of the zombies to get to it?

"How are we going to get to the building?" Edward asked, voicing his thoughts. "They're obviously trying to keep us from getting inside."

Katie considered his question, and after a few moments she knew. "Like this!" she yelled triumphantly, putting the truck back into gear and stomping on the accelerator.

The truck leapt toward the zombie herd surrounding the building. As the Raptor slammed into the leading edge of them, Katie spun the steering wheel, smashing them with the side of the truck. She kept the gas pedal pressed down firmly, attempting to do something she hadn't done in a really long time. A giant doughnut, like the one's she used to do in her dad's car sometimes when she went out with her friends, showing off.

It was a good plan ... in theory. She plowed through the zombie herd like a hot knife through butter. Until she got to the opposite side of the cabin. She hadn't seen it until it was too late. The truck smashed into a good sized tree, cracking it enough that it looked like it might tip over and fall on the truck. For a vehicle this big, the Raptor hadn't fared too well against the tree, the trunk of which had crumpled the hood to the point that it was almost in the cab of the truck.

"Grab your weapons and let's go!" she screamed. "Before the zombies regroup!"

They quickly piled out of the truck. Jack got in front of everyone, determined to sacrifice himself if need be. He growled and slashed at any zombie that got within reach of his powerful claws.

"Head for the door," Edward shouted above the noise. "We'll have a better chance of fighting them if we can get inside. Only one or two would be able to attack us at the same time if we force them to come through the doorway."

Brian was stumbling around as if he were blind. Katie grabbed his arm and headed for the door set into the back of the cabin. So far, Jack was keeping the zombies at bay, but he couldn't do it forever, not with that many of the hungry fiends closing in on him.

When she got to the door, Katie turned the knob and pushed. The door didn't budge. Edward joined Katie and Brian. Even with the three of them pushing against the door, it still wouldn't open.

"Jack! We need you! Smash this door down!" Katie screamed in panic.

Jack turned at the sound of her voice, hearing the urgent tone of hysteria laced into it. He saw them struggling to get inside the cabin and charged over to help. He hit the door with such force that it sent splinters of wood flying through the air like a thousand tiny daggers. Instead of landing inside, his body vanished...

City of the Dead

Chapter 1

Katie and Edward watched in astonishment as Jack disappeared after going through the doorway. Was it the portal they were searching for? Even if it wasn't, it was surely better than being lunch for the pack of hungry zombies, which were bearing down on them at this very moment, only a matter of twenty feet or so from them.

She looked at Edward and shrugged her shoulders. This felt a lot like when they'd followed Melissa through the underground portal. They could only hope for better results this time. Dragging Brian with her, Katie plunged through the doorway. Edward took one last look at the zombies, hoping he would never encounter such vile creatures again, and stepped into the opening after them.

The strange sensation he remembered having when stepping through the portal with Katie when he'd first met Melissa hummed through his body for a moment. Seconds later, when his eyes adjusted, he saw the glow of several monitors.

"Oh my God! What is that fucking stench?" he heard Katie shout. It took a minute, but he soon realized where he was. Right back where they'd started from! The Outpost they'd been in before they'd gone down the stairs to the underground river.

"Yes!" he yelled happily, knowing now that at least he was back in his own world. Suddenly he had the urge to run outside and kiss the ground. He went to the door and placed his hand in the familiar handprint that he knew would open it. Twisting his hand in the mechanism, he felt a slight tingle of electricity as the door began to slide to the left.

It was dark outside, but he didn't care. "Come on out here!" he shouted to the others. Moments later, they were all standing outside in the much better smelling air. The bank of floodlights atop the Outpost suddenly flashed on, temporarily blinding them.

Together, they moved far enough from the building that the lights turned off again. Edward fell to his knees and looked up at the familiar moons above him. Thankful to finally be back home, he began kissing the ground, causing Katie to burst out laughing.

"You're not glad to be back, are ya?" she teased.

"I can't imagine being any happier," he told her, spitting dirt and grass from his mouth and laughing as he spoke.

Katie grinned happily. "It'll be so nice to be able to sleep again, without having to worry about zombie attacks."

"Something isn't right," Brian announced. "I'm starting to get that feeling again." His breathing was becoming labored.

"Maybe you're picking up on that," Katie suggested, pointing to where the mechanical horse stood near the far corner of the building.

Edward looked worried. He knew the six-legged, two-headed monstrosity had been there the entire time since their return to Desolace. Why would it take Brian that long to pick up on it?

As if to confirm his fears, they began to hear banging coming from inside the Outpost. Maniacal laughter began to echo in the stillness of the night air. Moments later, they heard a whooshing sound. The floodlights above the building popped back on, bathing the area in bright light.

Squinting his eyes in hopes they would adjust to the brightness faster, Edward stood and moved a few steps closer to the building. Just as he suspected, the door was open! He could see intermittent sparks coming from inside. After a few seconds, the nightmare scenario from his recent past came to life.

Zombies began to stream through the open doorway! Obviously, the portal on Earth was still active. He tried to think quickly on how to handle the situation. If the portal were still open on the other side, what would prevent a non-stop flood of zombies from entering this world? How could he stop it from happening? Was there a way to destroy the portal?

Katie scrambled backwards when she realized what was happening. She had thought this nightmare was behind them, but apparently the zombies had followed them through the portal. She searched the nearby grass and an awful thought occurred to her. She had no weapons! Glancing briefly toward Brian, she saw that his light blue irises had disappeared, his eyes getting that glazed look to them again.

Jack stood next to Edward, growling in fury at the approaching zombies, coiling his back legs beneath him as if he were about to launch himself into battle, saliva dripping in a steady stream from the sides of his mouth.

An idea popped into Katie's head. It was a crazy one, but if it worked she could get everyone away from here. She darted out a hundred feet or so, running parallel to the building at first, then turned toward it. She was trying to get to the mechanical horse without drawing the attention of the zombies. If she could get to it and figure out how to make it move, she could then swoop in and pick up Edward and Brian, saving them from becoming zombie food. In theory at least.

Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw Katie running toward the horse. What the heck is she doing? A few of the zombies had spotted her and were now shuffling in her direction. He had to do something, fast! Hoping that his magic had returned upon his arrival on Desolace, he concentrated on summoning an ice spell; the same one he had used so long ago when they had encountered the massive column of bugs, hoping he could freeze them in place to give Katie a little extra time to do whatever it was she was attempting.

His hands grew so cold that he could barely feel them at all, telling him his magic had indeed returned. He thrust his palms forward, a cone of frost spewing out from them that worked perfectly. Within seconds the zombies, which had come shuffling out of the building, were frozen solid like grotesque statues.

Moments later, the Outpost burst into flames. For a few seconds, Edward was unsure what had happened to cause the fire, but then remembered about Brian's ability; the one he had used back at Katie's old house. He looked around and quickly located him. Just as he'd thought, Brian was acting the same way, his hands outstretched to the sky, his eyes glazed over, uttering something in a language he couldn't understand.

It became obvious that the fire engulfing the building was of the same type Brian had used at Katie's house. The flames that should have been baking everything within a couple of hundred feet were giving off no heat at all! The zombies outside the Outpost remained encased in ice.

With so much rage built up inside of him, Jack couldn't hold himself back any longer. He leapt forward, slashing his way through the zombie popsicles, shattering them with his powerful claws. The pieces of each zombie that he struck literally exploded on impact, littering the landscape with blood, guts, and body parts. His rampage only lasted for a few minutes, but when he returned to Edward's side there was nothing left standing.

Edward stood in awe, taking in the devastation which his small group had caused in such a short time. He hoped that the destruction of the Outpost would close the portal for good. He resolved to stay here until the building was nothing more than a pile of ash, just to be sure that the zombies would stay safely tucked away back on Earth.

"Hey, stranger. Feel like getting out of here and finding a nice inn somewhere?" Katie teased in a sultry voice.

Edward turned around at the sound of her voice. Apparently, while he was distracted by everything else, she had managed to figure out how to operate the mechanical horse. She smiled down at him from her place in the saddle.

He smiled. "In a little while, perhaps. First, I want to make sure this evil place is destroyed."

Brian and Jack joined them. Together they watched as the burning timbers of the Outpost began to break apart, hoping that the Black Knight was witness to their triumph.

Chapter 2

Jumping down from the mechanical horse, Katie was greeted by an expansive hug from Edward. She closed her eyes and relished the relaxing sound of his heartbeat as she rested her head on his chest.

Sighing deeply, he looked down upon her dark brown hair, shimmering in the glow of the fire from the burning outpost, knowing there was a tremendous age difference between them, but still having the urge to kiss the top of her head. The tender moment was broken as he caught movement from the corner of his eye and quickly gave Katie a light shove so he could prepare himself.

"What the hell?" she asked in confusion.

Edward didn't offer an explanation, but instead corralled her with one arm to a place behind him. A strange light was approaching their position very rapidly from the forest, and after all they had been through lately, he wasn't about to underestimate the potential danger. His hands grew ice cold as he began to concentrate on the most reliable defensive spell in his arsenal.

"I'm not a defenseless child you know," Katie complained, peeking around Edward to see what was happening. At first she was unsure of where to focus her attention, but judging from his reaction he was putting himself between her and whatever threat he perceived. By the time she realized what had startled him into his defensive posture the strange light had slowed its approach enough for her to see what it was.

"What are you doing, Katie? Have you gone mad?" The tone of Edward's voice was nearing panic as he helplessly watched her rush past him just out of his reach, speeding toward the light as fast as her feet would carry her.

Skidding to a stop before the familiar figure she tried to throw her arms around it, but they passed right through, making Katie look as if she were inside of an invisible straightjacket. "Amber! I thought I would never see you again," she exclaimed happily. "Why didn't you follow us through the portal down by the underground river?"

Smiling, she replied, "I missed you, too, Katie! The portal turned to dust as soon as you went inside. I feared I had lost you forever!"

"Come on," Katie motioned with her hand as she turned around. "I'm sure the guys will be thrilled to see you again!"

After a few tense moments Edward began to relax, allowing the brewing spell to dissipate. Watching as Katie turned and walked back toward him, with what he could only assume was Amber right behind her, his lips creased upward in a grin.

Startled slightly by the unexpected hand on his elbow, Edward turned his head to see Brian. "I've got a weird sensation coursing through me. It's not as if I feel the way I did when we were dealing with the zombie horde, but I'm not sure what's causing the hairs on my arms to bristle," Brian said in a confidential whisper.

"Relax, Brian." Edward grinned, patting the hand on his elbow reassuringly. "It's only Amber."

A confused look caused his brow to crinkle. "Who?"

"I'll introduce you when she gets here," he stated. Moments later, Katie stopped before them.

"What's with the silly grin? Do I have something on my face?" Katie brushed the back of her hand over her mouth, but the expression on Edward's face didn't change.

"No." He laughed. "I am just glad to see I was worrying for no reason. Welcome back! Amber, I would like you to meet our new friend, Brian."

"Thank you," she replied, her voice echoing with an eerie resonance. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Brian." Amber made a ghostly curtsy in his direction before turning back to the others. "I was afraid I had lost all of you when the portal disintegrated. It felt like you were gone for a very long time." Feeling like the apparition before him was not a threat Brian turned his attention back to the blazing inferno, and continued his vigilant watch to make sure no more surprises came through from his world.

Katie frowned. "We couldn't have been gone more than a week."

"That can't be right. I've watched the moons rise in the night sky at least a dozen times since I watched you disappear."

"Time must pass more swiftly on this world," Edward interjected thoughtfully, hoping Katie wouldn't have another of her meltdowns. He really didn't understand why time differences seemed to fluster her so much. After all, there was nothing any of them could do to change it, so why bother fretting over the small stuff?

Biting her tongue, Katie lapsed into a brooding silence. Seeing the look on Edward's face she could tell he was expecting another outburst from her, but she stubbornly refused to let it slip from her mouth.

When he realized she would remain silent this time, Edward turned back to Amber. "I'm not entirely sure who created the portal you watched us go through, but I can't help feeling like your killer purposely led us toward it hoping we would go through and get trapped on the other side. Speaking of which, have you seen him lurking around?"

"I haven't seen him, per se, but I have noticed a fluctuation in his energy signature," Amber replied.

"I'm not sure I follow your meaning," Edward stated with one eyebrow raised.

"Every person has their own unique life-force, which, if one is inclined and has the ability to do so, can be tracked. Up until a few days ago I could feel this energy in the same manner as I have since he killed me, but something changed. For a short period of time I couldn't feel his presence at all, almost as if he had gone through a portal or been wiped from existence." Amber paused for a moment before continuing, "Starting a few days ago I began to feel it again, but there seemed to be a distinct change in his energy. As I tried to trace his movements, I noticed he appeared to be moving about with inhuman quickness, like he had undergone a radical transformation to that of a vampire or perhaps even a spiritual entity."

"I don't even want to consider either of those possibilities." Katie shivered. "He was bad enough to deal with before, but if he's a supernatural being now I have no idea how we will ever put an end to his madness."

"But you can still track him, correct?" Edward asked.

"I can." Amber grimaced and continued, "The only problem I can foresee is the speed at which he moves now. Sure, I can keep up with him, but in order to do so I would require moving with the same rapidity, which would unfortunately leave all of you far behind."

"You can't just lead us around like you've done in the past?" Edward inquired.

"I could, but there would be no guarantees as to the accuracy of our course," she stated grimly. "For now, I probably could because he seems to be staying in a general area. I can't, however, say how long he will stay there. At times his movements almost seem erratic and indecisive, bordering on being random."

Edward turned his attention from her, momentarily glancing to his right at Brian and the burning outpost. The flames appeared to have grown smaller since their conversation had begun, and he could only hope before the night was over the structure would be reduced to ash. "I'd like to at least stay here until the fire goes out," he told Amber as he spun his head back around to meet her gaze. "Once I'm sure the fire won't spread and the threat of more evil pouring from the portal—which was inside the building—is gone, then we can go."

"I guess that means we're spending the night here then," Katie moaned her displeasure. Clearly, now that she had been reunited with Amber, she was eager to get moving. Katie was still unsure if her friend, Julie, was hidden in some remote location on this world and alive; her glee cut short on the other side of the portal when she had discovered the Julie she had been traveling with was an imposter, a machine covered in a flesh-like substance which merely resembled her lost friend.

"Other than taking turns watching to make sure nothing else comes crawling out of the building, we should be able to get some decent rest for once," Edward said, settling in and making himself comfortable.

"There is that, at least," Katie stated with a half smile.

Chapter 3

The brightness of the morning sun penetrated his closed eyelids and woke him. Stretching his arms above his head, Edward yawned and opened his eyes. Looking down he saw the top of Katie's head nestled on his lap; a tiny damp puddle of drool moistened his robe near her mouth. Trying not to wake her, he slipped a hand beneath her head and attempted to scoot to one side.

"Julie, no!" she screamed, immediately sitting up, her eyes still closed. The sudden loud noise startled Brian and Jack, who sat bolt upright at the sound from where they had been curled up and sleeping on the grass nearby.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Edward shook her gently. "Katie, wake up. You're dreaming," he said in a soothing voice.

Brian whipped his head around to locate the source of the scream and saw Edward trying to wake Katie.

Standing up, Jack walked over to where they were. "Is she all right?" he inquired, having reverted to his human form at some point during the night.

"I think so. She must have been having a bad dream," Edward replied softly.

"Can we please not talk about me like I'm not here?" Katie mumbled groggily, pushing herself to a sitting position, wiping the drool from the corners of her mouth and yawning.

Edward looked at her and smiled. "Was I correct in assuming you were dreaming?"

"Yeah. Apparently one of your Gods must have thought I hadn't been tortured enough by the things we endured on the other side of the portal. They had to make me relive watching the machine, which I'd thought was Julie, getting ripped to pieces back at my old house. However, in the dream it was the real person, not the replica."

Lines creased Edward's forehead as he considered what she had said. Could the Gods be behind her dreams? Maybe the stress of all she had been put through since coming to Desolace was beginning to wear her down, causing her perception of reality to snap and warp. He couldn't blame her if it was the latter, all he could do was comfort and protect her to the best of his ability.

Standing up and stretching, Katie surveyed their surroundings. The outpost was nothing more than a few tendrils of smoke lazily rising from the charred and ashy remains. Brian was sitting in the grass, vigorously rubbing his face in an attempt to wake himself, almost as if he thought he was dreaming. "Where are your glasses?" Katie inquired when she realized how bare Brian's face looked without them.

Glancing down, he began patting the grass nearby. "I ... I don't know. I seem to have lost them," he replied sadly, then came to the realization that he could see just fine without them. "It's strange. I feel like I can see as well as if they were on my face, maybe even better." He grinned, shrugging his shoulders as he walked over to join the rest of the group.

"It would appear that even though our clothing undergoes a transformation when traveling through portals, some objects are not translated into similar items as we pass through. Your glasses aren't the first casualty of dimensional travel, Brian. We used to have weapons before we entered the realm which we found you in."

Looking up, Katie could see the frustration written all over Edward's face. She didn't like the look one bit. It told her that he felt things were spiraling out of his control. "What about the town we stayed in a while back? You know, the one which had a bunch of people go missing?" Katie watched his expression for any signs that he was feeling hopeful.

"Loknar?"

"That sounds right." Katie smiled as she caught the hint of a twinkle in the depths of his gray eyes.

"Then what are we waiting for? I'm sure those folks are eager to hear from us," Jack chimed in, trying to keep the mood upbeat.

Glancing from face to face, Edward realized the expectant smiles staring back at him were anticipating his agreement. "What about Amber? Do you think we should wait until it's dark so we don't lose her again?"

"She should be fine, Edward," Katie replied. "I'm sure she will find us easily enough, considering there are no portals involved. Hell, she's probably listening to us right now. Just because we can't see her, doesn't mean she isn't here."

Her argument must have been convincing enough because Katie saw the lines of concern on his forehead begin to relax and melt away, making him look years younger than he had just moments ago. "Dibs," she yelled excitedly, running over to the mechanical horse and hopping into the saddle.

As Katie rejoined the group with her newly acquired mount, Jack looked up at her hesitantly. "Are you sure it's wise to bring that abomination along with us?"

"Relax, Jack." Edward chuckled, clapping him on the back. "We can leave it in the tree line outside of town. Maybe we can obtain saddlebags for it so we don't need to carry all of our belongings around."

"Good point," he sighed. "I guess my grievance was a selfish one."

Edward raised an eyebrow questioningly. "How so?"

"The most vivid memory I have of the beast was watching it stride through my home town with my wife's head suspended from the pommel, displayed like a trophy," he replied, a tear forming in the corner of his eye and trickling down his cheek.

Katie's heart sank as Jack spoke. How could she have forgotten about Natasha? "If anyone is being selfish it would be me, not you Jack," she mumbled sadly. "I got so caught up in the fact that I wouldn't have to walk everywhere, I completely forgot what you had gone through back in Haven."

"It's all right. Don't beat yourself up over it," he told her. "I suppose, if nothing else, it will keep her from fading over time from my heart. I had temporarily forgotten this when we were on the other side and I had begun to care for Melissa." He looked down at his feet as the tears began to flow. "The Gods must think I should be alone. Why else would every woman I've ever cared for be taken in such a cruel manner?"

Chapter 4

Confusion swirled through his consciousness. The last thing he remembered was being lashed to a tree as the main course for an army of bugs. Had they detoured around him and gone after an alternate food source? He didn't think so, but why else would he still be here?

Just thinking about it made him itch, like the massive column of insects were crawling over his skin at that very moment. Realizing he could move now, George reached with one hand for his other arm to dig his fingernails into his flesh and peel it from his bones if he had to in order to quell the maddening sensation.

"No!" he screamed into the still dusk air as he watched his fingertips pass right through his arm. "This can't be!" Spinning around, he came face to face with what was left of his body. Most of his flesh was gone, but there were still tiny fragments of tissue clinging to the skeletal frame which was bound tightly to the enormous oak. Tilting his head toward the sky, George bellowed out in rage, vowing to pay the Black Knight back for what he had done to him. It was now just a matter of how and when he would exact his revenge upon his former master.

Chapter 5

It was nearly dark when the group finally crested the hill overlooking the small town of Loknar. Dismounting the mechanical beast at the edge of the tree line, Katie joined the others as they trekked down the incline and prepared to be questioned by the roaming guards stationed near the outskirts of the city.

"Maybe tomorrow I can take a turn riding the metallic monstrosity?" Brian inquired, shuffling his feet through the tall grass, so tired he could hardly lift them from the ground. "At least until my body gets more used to the shoe leather express."

Katie tried real hard to suppress her laughter, but couldn't help herself. She hadn't heard anyone use that expression in a really long time. "By all means, Brian. I'd be happy to take turns with you." She laughed, nudging him playfully as they stepped onto the dirt road leading into Loknar.

"My feet would be forever grateful." He flashed her a quick, appreciative smile. "Hey, didn't you say there would be guards greeting us, Edward?"

Stopping briefly, he turned to face Brian. "There should have been. I hope nothing terrible happened to the town in our absence." Glancing back toward the sprawling village, he could see a few lights twinkling in some of the windows. If something had happened while we were gone the city would likely be dark, he thought, trying to convince himself that everything was fine.

Dust swirled lazily around their feet as they approached the first cluster of buildings on their right. "Halt!" a familiar voice commanded from the shadows as a figure they hadn't seen pushed himself up from the bench he had been sitting on and came toward them. "What business do you ..." His voice trailed off as he got close enough to recognize Edward's towering frame. "Hey! Good to see you again, my friend!" The guard extended his hand to Edward.

Grasping it firmly, he pulled the man against his body and patted him on the back as he briefly hugged him. "It's good to see you as well."

Stepping back slightly, the guard looked up at him. "What brings you back here? Do you have any news of our missing townsfolk?"

"Sadly, I have no news to share. We haven't encountered any of the people you described to us before we left here a while back." Edward's shoulders sagged a bit as he spoke, wishing he had better news for the man. "To answer your question of what brings us back to your humble town, it was the closest place we knew of where we could get a decent night's rest and pick up some supplies before we go on our way again."

The guard nodded. "Well, you know where the inn is. Come find me in the morning and I will make sure you get whatever supplies you need for your journey. Perhaps our townsfolk wandered in a different direction from the one you searched and you'll run across them elsewhere," he said, doing all he could to remain hopeful.

"We will certainly keep our eyes out for them." Edward smiled.

Shaking hands once more, the guard made his way back to the bench he had occupied before the group came strolling up the road. "Don't forget. Come find me in the morning," he said, raising his voice so they would hear him as they walked away.

Upon entering the inn they were greeted by the same petite, red-haired woman who had been working behind the counter on their last visit. Her eyes seemed to shimmer as she recognized them. "Hey, skinny!" She grinned at Edward. "Back again so soon?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, smiling at the nickname the woman had given him.

"Got any money this time or are ya freeloadin' again?"

His cheeks flushed bright crimson. "One of the guards will take care of the bill this time," he told her, hoping he wasn't lying. The guard's tone had implied he would help them, but he hadn't actually said he would pay for everything.

"Which guard told you this? Was it ol' Jasper?"

"I'm not sure. I don't recall ever getting the man's name."

"Just one room again like before?" She seemed to pause for a moment when she realized the group looked different than the last time she'd seen them. "Wait. Wasn't there another woman with you before? Skinny white girl with dark hair like yours," she said, pointing at Katie, "only shorter."

Stirring his emotions again as Melissa was mentioned, Jack sat down on a chair at the nearest table and put his head in his hands, trying to hide the tears already beginning to flow.

"She, um ..." Katie started.

"Died in battle," Edward finished, his own eyes growing moist. Melissa had been a pain in the butt most of the time she had traveled with them, but toward the end she was coming around and he'd begun to like her. It was unfortunate to have lost her to the ranks of the undead, as had been the case with Mike as well. With the loss of vital members of his group weighing heavily on his mind, he was forced to consider the possibility of his mission failing miserably.

"Sorry to hear about that," she said, her lips pressed tightly together in a half frown. "Follow me, please." She led them through the curtain near the end of the bar and up the stairs, stopping in front of a door at the far end of the hallway. "Same room as last time?"

"That will be fine, thank you." Edward smiled weakly as the woman spun on her heel and returned to her business downstairs.

Chapter 6

After a night of nearly no sleep, Edward shifted in the chair by the window because he heard movement behind him and saw that Katie was waking up.

Stretching her arms high above her head, she opened her mouth in a cavernous yawn. "Good morning," she muttered incoherently as she noticed Edward looking her way. "How long have you been up?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure that I really slept, though likely I drifted off for short periods."

"Maybe when we leave town later you can ride behind Brian," Katie suggested, clearly concerned.

Edward looked at her as if she had completely lost her mind. "On the back of that mechanical contraption? Not a chance!" he replied, shaking his head.

"What? Why not? You will be too exhausted to walk all night," she admonished, shocked by his vehement refusal.

"No good can come of it," he retorted. "That creature is the product of its evil master. Using it to carry our gear is one thing, but I will never climb on to that vile machine to ride it."

Jack and Brian began to stir, aroused from slumber by the disagreement. "What's all the fuss about?" Brian yawned, sitting up in the bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Just our fearless leader being his usual stubborn self," Katie replied in agitation, shooting a glance of disapproval at Edward.

Turning away from her glare, he looked out the window and noticed the town coming to life. I wish she could understand my viewpoint, he thought in frustration.

At the same time, Katie's eyes narrowed and burned into the back of his skull thinking, Why does he have to be so pig-headed? It's only a machine, not some diabolical creature bent on his destruction! They don't have minds of their own. Machines do what you tell them to, nothing more! "I'm going to go outside and get some air," she announced, standing up and storming out of the room as Jack scurried to get out of her path, slamming the door behind her.

Walking over to where he sat, Brian placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "What's got her so fired up this early?" he asked gently, hoping to get a calmer response.

"She's upset because I didn't sleep well and refused to ride behind you on that horse-like monstrosity when we leave. I just don't trust it. Have you seen the way its eyes glow? It reeks of the same evil that brought the foul thing into existence in the first place. I would take a broken down nag as my steed over it any day," he ranted.

"Hold on a second," Brian said. "Remember I can sense evil? Do you really think I would climb on to its back if I thought for a moment it might harm me? Or any of us for that matter?"

"Great! You're on her side, too!" Pushing himself up from the chair, Edward stalked angrily to the door and left in the same dramatic fashion Katie had just minutes ago.

Glancing at Brian as he scurried out of Edward's way, Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I hope whatever has gotten into them this morning isn't contagious," he stated warily, hoping Brian wouldn't fall prey to the gruff behavior of the others.

"Maybe we should go after them and make sure they don't stir up the rest of the town," Brian suggested.

"Good plan, but let's give them a few minutes to blow off steam first."

Katie turned her head as she heard the batwing doors fly open and watched Edward stomp by on the roughly hewn boards of the deck to the edge of the awning above, oblivious to the fact she was sitting on the bench a few feet from him. Shielding his eyes, he squinted down the street before locating Jasper and heading over to meet with him.

Instead of continuing their earlier argument, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. Why does he have to be so damn difficult? Katie's mind drifted back to when things had been simpler. What would her life have been like if she'd never come to Desolace? Boring most likely. The life of a farm girl was far from exciting by anyone's standards, but even so she still found herself missing her family at times. She would never admit that to Edward, though, because he might consider her weak minded and unsuitable for the daunting task before them. Suck it up and play nice! He'll come around and things will be back to normal in no time, she told herself.

The batwing doors creaked open slowly as Jack and Brian emerged cautiously, as if they were expecting to walk outside and witness a brawl. When they saw all was quiet, they stepped onto the deck more confidently. "Crap! You scared the bejesus out of me," Brian gasped, putting a hand to his chest as if he were trying to keep his heart from leaping out as he noticed Katie sitting on the bench nearby, staring at them.

His reaction to her presence lightened her mood slightly and she snickered softly. "If you're looking for our pain in the ass leader, he's over there." She pointed up the road with a grin.

"We just wanted to give you both a few minutes to sort out your differences before we came down. Is everything okay between you two now?" Jack asked.

"No idea, but I hope he'll be cooled down by the time he comes back over here. We haven't spoken yet."

"He didn't say anything to you when he came out?"

"No. He blew right past me when he came through the doors, oblivious to the fact I was sitting here, and then headed up the street to meet with the guard," she replied.

Brian and Jack walked over to where Katie was and sat down on the bench beside her. The three of them made idle chit-chat while waiting for Edward to return, which Katie was glad for. It helped to keep her mind from wandering. She was worried that their mission would end badly, but also wondered about her parents. How were they handling her sudden disappearance? Did they fear the worst? She was pretty sure they did. After all, Julie had disappeared shortly before Katie decided to follow Amber to Desolace. The Headhunter abducting their daughter was the only logical conclusion they could really draw.

Glancing up, she saw the two men walking together up the road toward the inn. "Great news," Edward announced as he stepped under the awning onto the deck. "Jasper here has generously offered to outfit us with new weapons and also agreed to loan us a horse!" He was grinning from ear to ear as he spoke, almost as if Edward had completely forgotten the earlier argument.

Jasper leaned toward Katie, his long, gray-streaked brown hair tickling her ear as he whispered to her, "Don't get too excited like your friend here. The weapons I can get for you aren't of the greatest quality and the horse ... it's a broken down ol' nag that may or may not last more than a month or two."

Looking into his friendly brown eyes Katie smiled. Jasper's eyes sparkled with a youth the man likely hadn't seen in many years. "I'm sure the weapons will serve their purpose and the horse will definitely put him in a better mood." She grinned, nodding her head in Edward's direction.

Straightening up, Jasper smoothed out his tunic. "If you would all kindly follow me, I will take you around town to get your supplies," he announced, coaxing them with a gesture.

***

After several hours of negotiations with different proprietors, Edward's small band of adventurers were finally ready to head out, each of them now proud owners of a weapon most suited to their talents. Katie was thrilled that she would be able to hunt again with the new bow she'd acquired. Edward seemed ecstatic about the gnarled oaken staff he now carried, though Katie wasn't sure what the big deal was. She'd never witnessed him using a weapon in battle, his magic pretty much made them obsolete. Jack had opted for a short sword, but didn't seem too excited about it. "At least we'll have something to chop wood with," he chuckled softly in Katie's ear, resting the blade on his shoulder like a lumberjack. Being the humble man he was, Brian decided on a six foot long spear, citing the fact it could double as a walking stick and a potential means of getting fish.

Among their other recently acquired supplies were two saddlebags—neatly packed with a variety of dried meats, bread, vegetables and fruits—resting behind the saddle of Edward's new steed. Well, new to him at least. Jasper hadn't been kidding about the beast being run down. The poor thing looked like it had more miles on it than a ten year old airplane.

Stopping at the edge of town, Edward dismounted so he could say his good-byes to Jasper, who had walked with them as they prepared to leave. "Thank you for all you've done for us," Edward said, extending his hand to the guard. "Your generosity will not be forgotten or taken lightly, my friend."

"It was my pleasure." He smiled, clasping Edward's hand firmly in his own. "Be safe on your journey and may the Gods favor you with good fortune. Farewell." Before allowing the group to leave, he shook hands with each of the men, gave Katie a brief hug, and wished them all the best of luck.

They watched Jasper for a brief moment as he headed back toward Loknar to resume his post. Glancing over his shoulder at the setting sun, Edward climbed back into the saddle. "Let's go to the edge of the forest and wait for dark," he softly urged the others once he was sure Jasper was out of earshot. "Hopefully we'll find Amber waiting for us."

Chapter 7

The group huddled in a small circle on the ground in the darkness, waiting to see if Amber would appear, softly conversing about where to go from here.

"I really feel we should go to Elysia," Edward stated, hoping the others would agree with his logic. "I need to talk to my mother and the city elders to inform them of what has transpired so far and get their advice. Maybe while we're there we can get horses for everyone as well."

"It would certainly make travel much faster," Brian agreed, absently rubbing his feet at the mere thought of all the walking he would be required to do otherwise. Although, he was thankful that Katie had offered to take turns with him upon the mechanical freak of nature, which resembled a horse.

"In what direction does the fabled city of Elysia ..." Jack's question was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Amber's glowing form.

"There's something all of you should see," she blurted out.

"Amber!" Katie smiled excitedly.

"What do we need—"

"No time to explain now. Saddle up and let's go! We don't have a moment to waste," Amber chided in an urgent tone.

Grumbling about the change to his plans, Edward sighed and stood up, preparing to argue his case with her.

"I'm sorry, but if we don't hurry we will miss our opportunity," Amber apologized, already beginning to move away from the group.

Hurriedly, Edward mounted his new steed and extended his hand to Katie. "I don't think she's going to wait for us to leisurely stroll after her."

As she climbed into position behind Edward, she glanced back to see Brian mounting the mechanical creature. Jack was nowhere in sight. "Where did Jack go?" Katie shouted in confusion to Brian.

"I don't know. He ran into the trees a minute ago," he replied, a sudden cracking sound from nearby causing him to jump. "What was that?"

Amber continued to drift further from the group as Katie put a hand on Edward's shoulder, urging him to wait. The snapping noise stopped almost as soon as it had begun and she began to think it had been a figment of her imagination, or maybe a deer bounding through the deadfall because something spooked it. A few tense seconds passed before Katie saw the shadow of what looked to be a wolf bounding past them in the direction Amber was heading. "He must have changed," Katie shouted, nearly deafening Edward. Turning their mounts, they swiftly followed after Jack and Amber.

Chapter 8

The dark haired woman bent over the table and stared intensely into the monitor before her. She saw the flitting image of a female apparition nervously circling the tree, the skeleton of the woman's victim still bound in place where she had left him as the Black Knight commanded. A smile creased her face as she reminisced about the spectacle of the bugs devouring the man's flesh while he screamed helplessly for mercy.

What does this specter want? The way she is acting I get the impression she knew the man in life, but if that were true wouldn't the woman be reacting differently? Either joyous or mournful would have been more likely emotions to witness. Instead, the ghostly woman appears to be frightened. "Don't worry, honey. That beast will never harm anyone again," she cooed menacingly to the screen.

Almost as soon as the ghostly figure had appeared it was gone. She could roughly imagine the apparition running off like a scared little girl, screaming in terror.

Breaking the near silence, the Black Knight's voice boomed through the monitor, rattling everything in the room as the sound bounced off the walls. "Bring me his bones," he commanded. "With them in my possession he won't be able to refuse my will any longer!" A demented howl of laughter echoed throughout the chamber for a moment before the shroud of silence fell over it once more.

The gears inside of her whined in protest as the dark haired woman spun around and retrieved a blanket from the bunkhouse to put the bones into. Her stomping footfalls as she headed outside to collect George's remains created tiny tremors as the floorboards creaked noisily, groaning under her weight.

In a matter of minutes, with the Black Knight's prize securely tucked inside the blanket, the woman was making her way down the long stairway leading to the underground river.

Chapter 9

Galloping through the night, trying to keep up with Amber, Edward's horse was beginning to show signs of fatigue. He tugged lightly on the reins to slow the animal down, much to Katie's dismay.

"Why are we slowing down? We're going to lose Amber!" Katie kicked at the horse's flanks, trying to counter what Edward was doing as the beast carrying Brian on its back went rushing past.

"What sense is there to keep up the breakneck pace Amber's traveling at? The horse is exhausted, Katie! If we keep pushing our luck it will collapse and we'll find ourselves walking again," he snapped.

Deciding it to be pointless to argue with him, Katie crossed her arms in front of her and frowned, sighing heavily. What the hell is his problem lately? Every time I try to make a suggestion he's right there with some snappy remark to counter it! What ever happened to working as a team?

Even though he couldn't see the look on her face in the darkness, Edward could feel Katie's eyes boring a hole in him. He knew he had upset her again because her hands slipped from his body. The silence in the air created so much tension it would likely smother a flame if he tried to produce one long enough to see her expression. "I'm sorry, Katie. I am not trying to start another argument," he apologized softly.

She sighed again, thinking maybe the problem was all in her imagination and that she was probably overreacting and being too hard on him. He did, after all, sound genuinely apologetic. "Me, too. I don't know why I've been so bitchy and on edge the last day or so. I should be happy that we escaped the nightmare on the other side of the portal," Katie confessed.

"You've been through a lot since we've met, Katie. Don't beat yourself up about it. Losing your friends and family has forced you to grow up more quickly, but I would be a fool to think you had a heart made of stone and that it wouldn't affect you."

Hopping down from the horse's back, she patted the flanks of the sweaty animal and looked up at Edward, illuminated by the sliver of moonlight managing to filter through the leaves overhead. "So, what do we do now? I'm sure Jack and Brian didn't notice that we stopped and they're likely still chasing after Amber."

"Well," he began, stepping down from the horse and joining Katie on the ground, "it's going to be a while before our ride is rested enough to continue. Perhaps they will reach the place Amber is leading them to and come back to look for us when they realize we aren't with them." He shrugged his shoulders, hoping it would be the case. "Considering we have no way to follow after them now, I don't really see any other option," he added.

"I could possibly track them if the mechanical horse stepped heavily enough to leave prints behind, but not until daylight," Katie told him, trying to keep the mood positive.

***

Something didn't sound right to Brian. As he tore through the forest on his metallic steed, trying desperately to keep up with Amber, he realized that he could no longer hear the hooves of Edward's horse pounding the earth nearby. It was next to impossible to tell if Jack was still running alongside him, but every now and then they would enter a clearing and the moonlight would temporarily reveal a dark shape keeping pace with him on his left, comforting him in the knowledge he wasn't alone.

Unlike most of the open areas he had encountered so far, this one seemed much more expansive. Brian could see another dark shape on the horizon slightly off to his right which at first he had dismissed as the start of another heavily wooded area. As the hulking shape drew closer, he realized it was a building.

Temporarily mesmerized by the fact there was a building so far from civilization, he didn't notice that Amber was slowing down and almost sped through her luminescent shape when she suddenly stopped near a tree. Her piercing wail of despair was what drew his attention back to her in time to bring the mechanical beast skidding to a halt before crashing into the enormous oak.

"We're too late," Amber moaned, her voice echoing eerily in the night air.

"Too late for what?" Brian asked, confused by the fact they had traveled at great speeds through the darkness, and for what? To see a tree? Was there supposed to be something special about this particular one?

"The body is gone!" she screamed, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Her glowing form flickered erratically from bright to nearly invisible.

"What body? Did someone die here?" Brian made a quick check of his senses, but nothing was triggering any alarm bells to go off inside of him. There was a vague impression of something evil, but it didn't seem close enough to be a viable threat to any of them.

"The man who killed me was at one time lashed to this tree and his life was taken from him," Amber snapped. "We needed to get here sooner!"

"If he was dead then what's the big rush?"

"I wanted you to bury his corpse and sanctify the grave with a blessing, but now it will be nearly impossible! Without a proper burial his malevolent spirit is free to roam."

Listening as Amber vented her frustrations, Brian tried to think of solutions which might appease her anger. Even if he reverted to his priestly ways and cast aside his new shamanistic abilities for a short time, exorcism didn't really sound all that plausible. Sure, he could perform one if need be, but it wouldn't destroy the spirit. It would only eject the entity from a person or place. Not exactly an ideal situation in his opinion. The evil would merely drift off to another convenient thing to inhabit and Brian didn't feel like chasing after the spirit for the rest of his natural life! He didn't even want to consider how difficult it would be to locate the remains of Amber's killer, adding the fact he would have to reunite the spirit with the bones in order to effectively rid the world of his vile presence.

"Maybe Edward will have a relevant idea, because I can't seem to come up with one to ease your pain," Brian told her. Unaware of exactly how much time had passed on their journey through the night, he turned his head in the direction they had come from and saw a faint light forming on the horizon, indicating that it would be daytime soon. "Once the sun comes up ..." he began to say, turning to face Amber again. Brian sighed in frustration when he saw that she was gone.

***

Early morning sun filtered through the trees, warming her face and waking Katie. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, she saw Edward stretched out on the grass beside her. She didn't remember falling to sleep. Reaching over, she shook him gently. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

Jumping at her touch, his eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, not realizing where he was at first. Hearing the sound of Katie's laughter, he turned toward her and visibly relaxed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," he told her with an awkward grin.

"You can't stay awake all the time," she chided. "Even the best of us need a little shuteye once in a while."

Edward chuckled. "That's one way of looking at it."

"I know you are barely coherent right now, but do you have any ideas on how we'll find the others or what our next course of action is?"

Rubbing his face for a moment, Edward gathered his thoughts before answering, "I know we need to go to Elysia so I can talk to my mother and the town elders, but I don't know how to find the others and we shouldn't head south without them. I would hate to leave here to look for them and end up traveling in the wrong direction."

"You have a point. I don't know about you, but I'm famished," she told him, changing the subject. "I'm going to go hunting and try out my new bow."

"Excellent idea!" Edward watched Katie retrieve the bow from their gear, shifting uncomfortably as she bent over to pull the weapon from one of the saddlebags. I've got to get my hormones under control! She's young enough to be my daughter, he berated himself as she straightened and walked off into the woods in search of game. Where is the cold water when you need it? He sighed deeply as Katie disappeared into the foliage.

Glancing to the east, Edward fervently hoped the others would backtrack to find them. He didn't relish the idea of leaving them behind on his journey home, but he also knew time was short. Edward had a really bad feeling in his gut, which tugged at his subconscious telling him something horrible would happen if he waited much longer.

***

After creeping through a thick stand of trees as quietly as she could for the last half an hour, Katie caught sight of a decent sized rabbit poking its head from the underbrush about twenty paces away. Carefully she raised her bow, notched an arrow into the guide and drew back on the string, correcting her aim to allow for the distance between herself and her prey. As she prepared to release the arrow, a sound coming from her right distracted her and caused the projectile to miss its mark.

Cursing the interruption beneath her breath, she scanned the area for the source. A few seconds went by before Katie saw what created the noise. A very large wolf was bounding through the brush, apparently intent on securing the same meal she was after. It snatched the rabbit in its massive jaws moments later and stopped in its tracks, turning its giant head to regard her.

"You can have that one," she murmured softly, lowering the bow to her side to show the animal she wasn't a threat. "Now, go away so I can find one of my own."

The wolf cocked its head at the sound of her voice and locked its menacing eyes on her. Instead of moving away from Katie, it began slowly stalking toward her, blood oozing from its jowls as it bared its fangs with the rabbit clenched tightly between them. Apparently the animal still perceived her as a threat. Great! I've drawn its attention to me! Smooth move, dumbass!

Slowly, Katie tried to back away, keeping her eyes locked on the wolf. She considered yelling for help, but decided against it because it would likely startle the animal and provoke it to attack. Plus, the chance of Edward hearing her and coming to her rescue in time were slim to none.

Snagging her foot in a fallen branch as she backpedaled, Katie fell to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. The wolf's eyes glittered like tiny flames as it moved rapidly toward her, dropping the dead rabbit in favor of the vulnerable feast lying in front of it.

Stopping a few feet from her, Katie could see the tension in the animal's hindquarters quivering with anticipation as it prepared to leap. A guttural scream for help ripped from her throat as she watched the wolf launch itself into the air. Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to brace herself for the inevitable impact, knowing the animal would likely rip her to shreds before she would have time to react.

Seconds ticked by like a movie playing in slow motion. Every sound assaulted her ears, reverberating as if she were underwater. Hearing a thud before the animal landed on her, which was followed by an angry yelp, she dared to crack open her eyes. Thinking that Edward had somehow managed to get there in time to save her, she turned her head.

It wasn't Edward who saved her; it was another wolf. As she watched, the two beasts began to pace in a circle, snapping and growling at each other as if they both wanted to lay claim to the prize of Katie's flesh.

Regaining her breath, and her wits, she began to crawl backwards in hopes of getting away unnoticed. She hadn't made it more than a few feet before she witnessed the new wolf, which had darker fur than the first, pouncing on the other and pinning it to the ground. In a matter of seconds, the one on top had ripped the throat out of the one beneath it, blood and bits of furry flesh flying through the air as the beast ravaged its prey.

After a few moments, the victor stopped tearing into the other, raised its head to the sky, and let out a long howl. The mournful sound echoed through the stagnant air of the forest for what seemed like much longer than natural. Katie froze in place, hoping the animal would forget about her. Waiting tensely for it to begin feasting on the dead wolf, she listened intently to the ambient sounds around her, hoping to hear Edward stomping through the underbrush at any second.

Instead, the dark-haired wolf turned its gaze upon her as if it had just recalled the juicy morsel it was fighting over. Sniffing the air, it began moving toward her. Are wolves like bears? If I play dead, will it ignore me and pass by? Katie's thoughts raced with panic, knowing if she were to try and make a run for it she would be no match for the speed of the wolf.

Deciding to take her chances, she closed her eyes and lay perfectly still, trying to hold her breath so the animal wouldn't see her chest rising and falling. Inwardly, Katie cringed as she heard the wolf padding closer and closer.

It must have stopped. The forest was completely quiet now, with not even a chirping bird to break the ominous silence. Her lungs were screaming for air and she would have to relent soon. Katie began to feel hot breath on her face and suddenly her panic consumed her. She could no longer hold her breath and she let it out as she gasped for air. For whatever reason, the wolf remained passive and did not attack. Daring to crack one eye open, she peeked to see what the animal was doing, and that's when she felt its warm tongue caress her face. "Jack?" she whispered, opening her eyes fully to see if the wolf responded. It licked her face again, which was answer enough for her.

Chapter 10

After Katie had disappeared into the woods, the warm morning sunshine lulled Edward and caused him to doze off again. Startled awake by a scream in the distance, he sat up quickly and tried to determine which direction it had come from. Looking around, he could see nothing moving other than the gently swaying leaves in the trees, stirred by an almost nonexistent wind. Panic began to set in as he desperately hoped she would cry out again. To his dismay, the plea for help was not repeated.

As Edward sat on the ground feeling helpless, he began to hear the sounds of fighting animals. Snarling, growling noises were coming from the forest, echoing strangely in the morning air like footfalls on the cobblestone roads of Elysia on a foggy day. The only thing he could tell with any measure of certainty was that the animals were somewhere to the south, possibly in the same general area of where Katie had gone hunting.

Making up his mind, he stood and grabbed his staff, which he had leaned against a nearby sapling, and strode cautiously toward the sounds of the fighting. A couple of minutes after he entered the forest, the noises stopped and so did he. Having nothing to guide him now, Edward resumed his prior course at a slower pace.

Even though his foray through the thick foliage had only lasted for fifteen minutes or less, it felt more like hours had slipped by. There were still no signs of Katie or the beasts he had heard before and he was considering turning back. She's probably already back by the horse and wondering where I've gone off to, he thought, softly sighing through his nostrils as he glanced back in the direction he'd just come from.

"Edward?"

Startled by the sound of her voice, he spun his head back around and saw Katie rushing toward him, a giant black wolf trotting by her side. "Katie! I thought I'd never find you! I heard yelling, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She laughed as she stopped a few feet from him and bent down, putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "Just a scrape or two." Katie smiled, standing up and twirling around slowly with her arms raised, allowing Edward to appraise the damage. "I found Jack," she told him as she stopped spinning to face him, "or rather, he found me."

"Where's Brian?" he asked, looking behind them to see if he was bringing up the rear.

"I haven't seen him," Katie confessed, "and I don't speak wolf, so I can't exactly ask Jack."

Edward couldn't help but laugh at her silly comment as he leaned down and spoke to Jack in a low, confidential tone as if sharing a secret with him. "Can you lead us to Brian?"

Bursting into laughter, Katie watched as Jack began frantically barking as if he were the family dog, trotting about twenty feet from them and turning to see if they were following.

Joining in on Katie's mirth, Edward turned to retrace his steps. "We need to go back for my horse first, Jack," he chuckled. "Then we can go find Brian."

Chapter 11

At first he was unsure and angry about his new state, but George adapted quickly. His initial reaction had been to vow revenge on the Black Knight for sending someone to kill him. The thought still dwelled in the deepest recesses of his mind, festering like an infected wound. What caused him to allow his hatred to reside in the background like an old, worn out shoe? The newly discovered freedom he now felt, that's what!

No longer having the constraints and limitations of a physical body, George realized he could move about effortlessly with no one to hinder him. The only drawback he could perceive right now was that the same thing allowing such freedom was also his Achilles heel. He could no longer interact with the world in the manner he was accustomed to.

There was a bright spot to his new dilemma, however. He had read about such things, what seemed like years ago, back on Earth. A soul with unfinished business refusing to cross over from the realm of the living into that of the dead. These beings were most often considered poltergeists, but on some occasions they were also thought to be demonic spirits. That was his way out! He could roam the countryside in search of a suitable body to inhabit and then slip inside to possess the individual and take control, bending the person to his will.

Feeling an odd sensation, which he'd never felt before, George turned to see a glowing figure traveling rapidly through the night headed directly for him. Not knowing if it would work or not, he concentrated as hard as he could to dim his own shimmering, hazy glow. Elated that it worked perfectly, he slipped behind another large oak a short distance from his corpse, hoping the figure wouldn't be able to see him now that he was virtually invisible.

When the form drew close, George felt there was something hauntingly familiar about the ghost. The spirit had distinctly feminine features and was flitting around the tree his corpse was lashed to very erratically, almost as if it feared him. Was it possible? Had one of his victims somehow tracked him down, trying to get revenge on him from beyond the grave? Before George had a chance to get a really good look at the spirit to see if his theory was correct, she sped away from the tree, back in the direction she'd initially come from.

Just as he was beginning to relax once more, the door of the outpost hissed open and the woman he remembered seeing before he died came strolling out with something in her hand. Hiding in the branches of his execution tree fifteen feet above the ground, George watched as the woman who had been the cause of his death gathered his bones from the base of the tree. Tossing them into a blanket she had brought with her, the woman disappeared back into the outpost a couple of minutes later.

Cursing himself for not thinking of taking control of her body while he had a chance, George floated down to the ground like a feather blown in a soft breeze. He considered waiting for her to come back outside, but somehow knew she wasn't going to.

As he mulled over his options, George soon felt an irresistible urge to head south. What made him feel this way he had no idea. Was the Black Knight somehow beckoning him from beyond the grave, or was it another force, greater than his former master, summoning him like a slave? Determined to find out the source, he allowed himself to drift, gliding swiftly through the air as if being drawn by a powerful magnet. As invincible as he felt right now, George would have given anything at that moment to feel the wind rushing through his hair.

Chapter 12

By midday Brian was starting to worry, having not seen Jack for several hours. Ever since uniting with the group back on Earth he had been happy, mostly due to the sense of being surrounded by family, even if they really weren't. He had barely managed to survive when he'd been alone before, and he was beginning to lapse back into the same lonesome depression. At least he didn't have to constantly watch his back or be on the alert for a surprise zombie attack, but at the moment it was the only thing going right for him.

While he waited in hopes of seeing the rest of the group again, Brian scouted the surrounding area, even attempting to gain entry to the small cabin nearby. Having no luck finding a way inside, he walked the perimeter of the building and discovered a mechanical beast on one side of the structure which looked identical to the one he had been riding. Climbing into its saddle, Brian tested the machine to make sure it worked, and once satisfied that it did, he moved it next to the other.

Sighing as he climbed down, he walked over to a nearby tree and sat down beside it, leaning back against its trunk and closing his eyes out of sheer boredom.

***

Following closely behind Jack for the last couple of hours, Edward shivered slightly as he had a case of déjà vu. In the distance before him, across the open field of grass, was an eerily familiar sight, which forced him to think of the group's recent adventures. He hoped it was a hallucination because it gave him the awful feeling they had traveled in circles all night and ended up right back where they'd started from. That couldn't be the case though, could it? He had watched the building, and the portal inside it, consumed by Brian's holy flames. Could the evil in this world resurrect a building? It sounded highly improbable.

As they drew closer, Jack stopped before them. Riding up beside him, Edward gazed down and noticed the muscles quivering beneath his fur. "What's wrong, Jack?" Turning his attention from the trembling wolf, Edward squinted his eyes and looked toward the structure. Shaking his head and thinking it to be a mirage of sorts, he rubbed his eyes and glanced up again. Sure enough, the sight before him didn't change a bit. There looked to be not one, but two of the mechanical beasts that he loathed standing side by side a short distance from the cabin. "Shit! That's just great," he muttered, feeling Katie suddenly shift behind him.

"What?" she nearly shouted, panicked by his use of language, having never heard him use such terminology before now. Waiting impatiently for his response, Katie leaned forward and tried to get a peek at his face. His jaw hung open in disbelief; clearly he was having trouble comprehending what he saw. Trying to track the path of his eyes, she looked forward and nearly fell from the horse's back herself. "There's more than one of those creepy looking things?"

"It would seem so," he finally managed, gathering his wits and nudging the horse to get it moving again. Hesitantly, Jack followed behind them.

When they pulled up next to the metallic beasts Katie hopped down excitedly, spotting Brian lounging against a nearby tree with his hands laced behind his head. "Yahoo!" she shouted with glee, causing the sleeping man to almost jump out of his skin. "I was beginning to wonder if we would ever find you." Katie ran over to him, helped him to his feet, and hugged him tightly.

"I could have said the same thing." He smiled sleepily through a stifled yawn. "Just when I got used to having people around me again, bam! It was horrible to feel so alone, especially in such an unfamiliar place."

"We will try to stick together from here on out," Edward reassured him. "So, what did we miss? What had Amber so fired up?"

As Brian related the story to them, Katie walked over and inspected the mechanical creatures to see if there were any differences between them, listening carefully to his tale as she circled the machines. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second," she said, stopping where she was as if the news was too surreal to believe. "First you tell us that the Headhunter is dead, then you say he's still out there?"

"Technically, both are true." He nodded, emphatically agreeing with her. "According to Amber, since we weren't able to recover his bones and give him a proper burial, his spirit is free to roam."

"That shouldn't be a big deal," she remarked, glancing toward Edward to see if he agreed. Seeing his eyebrows draw down and the crinkled lines on his forehead, Katie was stunned by his silence. "Right?" she inquired again, her tone pleading with him to agree.

"Yes and no," Edward sighed, frowning. "It's true, he no longer has a physical body to wreak havoc with," he continued after a short pause, "but I can't guarantee the situation will always remain that way. As a spirit he can inhabit another person, and if his presence is powerful enough, he could even take control of their body."

"That's just fucking great!" Katie slammed her fist into the mechanical monster before her in anger, then cringed and shook her hand with a grimace of pain, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Brian asked, running over to check her hand.

"I don't know. It hurts like hell!"

"Let me see." Taking her hand in his, Brian inspected her bloody knuckles. They had already begun to swell and bruise and as he lightly touched them to see if she'd broken anything, Katie winced and drew a sharp, hissing breath through her teeth. "I'm afraid you've managed to break your hand," he told her, delivering the bad news as gently as he could.

Edward looked on passively as she put her head on Brian's shoulder. "How are we going to eat now?" she sniffled. "If my hand is broken I won't be able to hunt."

"We will figure out other means," Brian stated softly in an attempt to console her.

"All the more reason to get moving," Edward announced. "I'm sure there will be towns along the ride to Elysia where we can restock our supplies. We still have the stuff Jasper gave us back in Loknar to get by on until then," he added, hoping to cheer Katie at least a little.

"You're right," she admitted, looking up at Edward with a half-hearted smile.

"Do you need me to help you into the saddle?" Brian inquired gently.

"I think I can manage," she told him, turning to offer a grateful smile. Reaching up with her good hand she grasped the saddle, slid her foot into the stirrup, and pulled herself up with only mild difficulty.

"At least your ride should be smoother and more comfortable having your own mount." Brian smiled up at her.

Even though she enjoyed riding behind Edward, Brian had a point. From her previous observations she had noted the gliding way the mechanical horses moved over the ground, swiftly but delicately, almost like a spider. "What about Amber?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Edward.

"I'm sure if she's around she will make herself known, even though it would be nice to know if she's listening to our conversations. If she's not nearby I'm sure it's not a big deal. She always seems to have a knack for finding us."

Chapter 13

Night was beginning to fall as Edward led the group to the southeast. They had passed Loknar about an hour ago, despite Katie's protests. Even though it would have been an opportunity to gather more supplies, and possibly something to bandage her broken hand with, he didn't want to overuse Jasper's generosity and wear out their welcome by taking more than they could offer in return.

Whining about Edward's idea of pushing on without Amber, Katie managed to convince him to stop for a short time near a small cluster of trees in the otherwise open, grassy plains they were currently crossing. Remembering a time not so long ago, she wondered what the big rush was for him to get home. Wasn't he the one who had wanted to stop and rest the horse yesterday so it wouldn't collapse before reaching Elysia?

In theory, the journey would take far less time if both Edward and Jack would suck up their misgivings about the robotic steeds. I was hesitant about them at first, too, considering at one time Julie's abductor had likely been riding at least one of the two we have acquired. Just thinking about the possibility gave Katie the chills. The early evening air cooling the metal skin of the creature she sat upon, adding to the effect.

"We will wait here until the moons begin to rise so we have something to guide us in the right direction," Edward announced softly.

"Unless Amber shows up before then," Katie added.

Dismounting his horse, Edward began to rummage through the saddlebags for food, passing out bits of dried meat, cheese, and bread to each of them. Jack sat on the ground by himself about fifty feet from the rest of the group, still leery of being too close to the machines.

Bringing a portion to Jack, Edward sat down beside him. "If it would make things easier for you, change out of your wolf's clothing and ride with me for a while," he said in a confidential whisper to the animal. "You have to be hot, running all day with that thick fur all over your body." Smiling, he held out a chunk of the dried meat, which Jack eagerly devoured.

The animal looked at Edward with greedy, glittering eyes, saliva beginning to drip from its jowls. With a grin and a soft chuckle, he laid the remaining meat on the ground between Jack's paws, patted him affectionately on the back, then stood up and returned to the others.

"Is he okay?" Brian asked around a mouthful of bread.

"I think so. He's just wary of these mechanical abominations, as am I," Edward replied. "Any sign of Amber yet?"

"No, I don't think it's quite dark enough to see her anyway. Even if she were here," Katie lied, knowing full well that it was, but trying to stall Edward into unwittingly waiting for her return. Where the hell is she?

***

Amber didn't like leaving the others in the manner that she did, but she had to find out what was causing the mixed signals she was getting, almost as if her killer had been torn in half and was somehow traveling in two directions at once.

Knowing what was most likely the cause of her problem, she had to make up her mind which trail to chase after. The only explanation she could figure out was that one of these signals was coming from her killer's remains and the other from the roaming spirit itself. Both were traveling in a southerly direction, but one of the two was moving more erratically.

Making the assumption that the latter was the actual spirit, she hastily trailed after it. Maybe she could figure out what he was up to, which was almost certainly something terrible. Men like him didn't change, even after death.

***

The moons of Desolace had risen over an hour ago and Edward was growing impatient. "I don't think Amber is going to show," he grumbled. "We should get moving. I can use the moons as a guide to make sure we stay on course."

"Without Amber all we can do is travel in a general direction. We're obviously not going to be able to see any landmarks in the dark, let alone where we are going," Katie argued. Hearing the change in his breathing, she could tell he was getting either frustrated or agitated.

"Why are you so adamant about not traveling without her?" Edward snapped.

"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted. "What's back home that is so urgent we have to travel night and day to get there? Weren't you the one who was worried about your horse yesterday, claiming we had to stop before the horse collapsed from exhaustion? What about the rest of us? Ever get the notion that we might be tired?"

Why are these two constantly at each other's throats? They've been like this almost ever since arriving in this world? In an attempt to see if there were other forces at work here, causing them to react in such a hostile manner, Brian tried to calm his thoughts and get in touch with his inner power to sense evil.

Nothing. Only the tiniest, vague tingle upon his senses was apparent and it seemed to be emanating from the creature beneath him, but the feeling was so insignificant it was obviously not a threat to any of them. If it were, he would be off its back faster than someone could shout his name!

Katie could hear the growl forming in Edward's throat as he wheeled around, refusing to answer her questions. "Jack! Let's go!" he barked, kicking the horse into motion. For a split second she considered letting him ride off without her, but Katie's gut told her she might never see him again if she did. Pushing the pommel forward, she chased after him with Brian bringing up the rear on his own metallic steed.

***

After riding for about half the night, Edward slowed his horse and brought it to a stop. The wind going through his long black hair had calmed him as he rode and he dreaded having to pause for a bit, but clouds had begun to build and were now skirting across the moons, making it impossible for him to maintain his course with any measure of accuracy.

"Is the horse tired?" Katie asked as she drew her steed up beside him.

Reaching down, Edward patted the thick lather of sweat on the horse's neck. "Yes," he admitted, "but that wasn't why I decided to stop." Poking a thumb at the sky, he answered, "Our guide has gone into hiding."

Glancing upward she saw his reasoning. "Well, I'm sure your horse will appreciate the rest," she said, doing her best to not sound spiteful or condescending. Katie was in no mood to resume their argument from earlier.

A cracking sound became audible over the horse's heavy breathing, seeming to come from somewhere close by. "What the hell is that noise?" Katie asked, alarmed by what sounded like branches snapping when someone stepped on them, even though they were in the middle of an open field with no trees nearby.

Not hearing what Katie referred to until moments before it stopped, Edward shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I just barely heard it before the noise stopped." A couple of tense minutes followed, everyone listening intently but hearing nothing, then something brushed against his leg causing Edward to jump. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Katie inquired.

"Something—" Before he could finish a voice floated up to him.

"Can you throw me some clothes from the saddlebag?" Jack whispered.

"Oh. It's you." Edward chuckled, his tense muscles relaxing.

"Huh?" Katie was confused. Had he lost his mind? Was he talking to himself now?

"It's just Jack," he said calmly. "The noise was apparently his bones snapping back into place. He's in human form again."

"What made you decide to change back?" Katie asked.

"I just needed to take a break from all this running," he wheezed, still catching his breath. "I thought maybe I could ride with Edward for a while."

"I'm sorry, my friend," he said, looking sadly down into Jack's upturned face. "I don't think riding with me is the best option. I already have issues with having to stop because the horse is tired and adding an extra rider on its back will only serve to magnify the problem," Edward explained politely. "Perhaps you could ride with Brian or Katie instead?"

Shoulders slumping, he glanced over at the mechanical beasts. A shiver ran up his spine as Jack envisioned Natasha's head dangling by its hair from the saddle of the closest one. How am I ever going to climb onto one of those abominations if they continue causing me to see visions of my dead wife? "I don't think I can," he replied, hanging his head sadly.

"They're really not that bad," Katie said softly in an encouraging tone.

Another voice invaded Jack's head, causing him to not hear a word Katie had said. Looking around nervously, he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.

Listen to her, my love. Think of these creatures, not as the harbingers of doom, but as a means to travel more swiftly to bring justice to those who brought about my demise.

Spinning around in a circle, Jack looked for the source of the soothing voice, which sounded eerily like that of his dead wife. Am I imagining this? He half expected to see Natasha as a glowing ghostly form resembling Amber, but instead was greeted by darkness. "Natasha?"

I am here, my dear husband, and will always be watching over you. Now go! Gather the courage I know beats in your heart and avenge me, my love. One day we will be together again, but for now you must do this so my soul may find peace.

Tears streamed down his face as her voice trailed off. Even though he couldn't see the others clearly because of the blur of his moistened eyes, one of the moons was beginning to peek out through the clouds. Jack could feel their stares burning into him. "No, I haven't lost my mind," he announced. "I've just been visited by my dead wife and given a huge shot of conviction." Strolling over to where Katie sat upon her metallic steed, he leapt up with amazing agility and landed behind the saddle she sat in. "If it's all the same to you, let's get going," he urged, his voice laced with a determination Katie hadn't heard in quite some time.

***

Cooperating for the remainder of the night, the moons of Desolace shined down upon them and lit the area well enough for them to make significant progress. By the time the first rays of sun began to breach the sky, announcing the start of a new day, they were ready to take a break anyway.

For one thing, Edward's horse was nearly to the point of exhaustion, but Brian had also urged them to stop when he had begun to get warning signs from his senses. They weren't the overwhelming, debilitating feelings he'd had back when they were dealing with the zombie hordes, but it was definitely a stronger sensation than that which the mechanical horses were causing. It was kind of like being tickled by an unseen hand, raising the hairs on his arms and giving him the chills.

As the group dismounted to get some much needed rest, the others began to notice something as well. "I don't know why, maybe everything is just blurring together these days, but I can't help feeling like this place is somehow familiar. Do you feel that way, too?" Katie asked in a hushed tone.

"It does, doesn't it." Edward frowned. Glancing up from the patch of ground he was clearing to make a fire, he suddenly realized exactly where they were and sat down hard on the grass.

"What's wrong?" Katie inquired after witnessing the slack-jawed expression on his face.

Instead of speaking, Edward merely pointed to a nearby fallen tree.

Following his finger, Katie glanced over her shoulder. "It's a tree, what's the big deal?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's not just any old tree, Katie. It's the one that crushed the three headed monstrosity from Haven. This is the place where we lost Mike," he told her sadly.

Looking again, she realized he could be right, but if this was indeed the place he suspected, then where was the mechanical wolf they had left pinned beneath the tree? Surely it didn't get up and walk away after they had left. "Are you sure?" Katie asked skeptically.

"Very much so," he replied, rising to his feet again and motioning for her to follow. "If I'm right, there should be some raised dirt not far from the fallen tree."

"You mean Mike's grave, don't you?" She hastened her pace to keep up with him as he quickly wove his way through the undergrowth. After chasing Edward for a couple of minutes, they came to a small clearing and saw that his assumption had been correct. Scrawny weeds were coming up all over it, but there, before them, was the unmistakable mound of Mike's grave.

Footfalls approached from behind them and they turned to see Jack entering the small clearing. "Is this the place you suspected?" he asked, stepping over to join them.

"Yes," Edward managed, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Then we must be close to Haven. Do you think we could stop by my homestead? There may still be some things lying around that we could use," Jack informed them.

"I think we could manage that. Right, Edward?"

"Sure," he replied absently. "Not before paying our respects to Mike though." Edward knelt down beside the grave and placed a gentle hand upon it, closing his eyes. Joining him, Jack and Katie crouched near the mound of dirt.

Katie tried to remember all the good times, though there weren't many, which they had shared while he was alive. She could still recall the day they had met on Earth and she had convinced him, with Amber's help, to come through the portal with her. At times Katie blamed herself for his death because she felt that if it weren't for her intervention, he never would have come to Desolace and would likely be living out a normal life on Earth. I wonder, can vampires become ghosts like Amber? She wished it could be that way, but somehow Katie didn't think the rules of the dead bent in that direction.

Meanwhile, Jack was reminiscing about his short time with Mike. Though they hadn't always seen eye to eye, he had felt a strange connection to the man. Perhaps this was due to them both being supernatural creatures, allowing an unspoken kinship of sorts to develop between them. He didn't feel as strongly about Mike's death as Edward and Katie, but was still saddened by the loss of a valuable ally.

Speaking softly, Edward stood, "Farewell my friend. I will not allow your death to be in vain. This is my solemn vow to you."

Chapter 14

Stomping through his chamber, the Black Knight lashed out, backhanding anyone who dared to cross his path, angered by the most recent news from one of his minions. Ever since the troublesome wizard and his friends had managed to escape the world he thought he had trapped them in, things seemed to be falling apart all around him.

The monitoring system he had in place was useless to him right now. Since their return to Desolace, the Black Knight had witnessed the destruction of the portal within Outpost 13 and somehow the group had managed to avoid places where he had his cameras tactfully hidden from view. He felt blind and helpless, which fueled his rage to new heights.

His once loyal servant, George, punished for his insubordination, was now dead. One of the Black Knight's minions was transporting his bones to him now, and he hoped to be able to control his wayward follower from the afterlife. If this plan didn't work out, he would have to find an alternate solution to his dilemma. The slaves he had installed on Cemetery Hill were beginning to grow too old to be of good use to him anymore. Their bodies, drained of their life force to power his army of cyborgs, were growing fragile and weak. Many of them had died recently because the stress on their internal organs had become too great.

Casting them aside like used up batteries, the Black Knight had them taken to an abandoned town near the base of the mountain. There, his minions dumped their corpses like bags of trash, littering the dusty streets with bodies, which were shriveled like dried prunes. At the rate things were progressing, he needed to do something quickly, before he ran out of his human power source. Without their minds to give life to his creations, they would become nothing more than useless scraps of metal.

Growling as he paced through his chamber, the Black Knight was tempted to consider outside help. Perhaps a trip to Earth was in store for him, to obtain another individual or two, similar to George. Although, not too similar. He had no desire to go through the aggravation George had caused him again.

First things first though. If he could use his servant's bones to his advantage there would be no need of making a trip to Earth.

Chapter 15

Rushing headlong to the south, George sped through the darkness unsure of where he was going or why. For quite some time now he'd had the feeling that someone or something was following him, but for now he didn't care. He was too intent on finding out what, or who, was behind the irresistible pull southward. Part of him hoped the Black Knight was behind it, but deep in his mind he wondered if he would be a match for his power. Most likely not.

Hulking shapes approached rapidly in the near blackness of the night. Slowing to see what they were, George realized a small town lay before him in silent darkness. His first impression was of people sleeping peacefully inside their homes, but as he slowly moved through the town and between the houses he made a gruesome discovery.

Tucked in the spaces that separated many of the buildings were corpses, mostly female and nude, some of which were stacked against the side of a dwelling like firewood. While George admired the crude display of bodies, reminding himself of a time not so long ago, he was forced to ask himself ... How did the bodies get here? What happened to them to make them look desiccated like mummies? How long have they been here? And who did this to them? Has the Black Knight found a replacement for me? George's mind swirled with unfocused questions.

As he rounded the corner of the dilapidated structure something caught his eye. Tiny sparks appeared to be dancing near one of the corpses. Upon closer inspection he noticed the body wasn't human at all, just dressed in a suit of flesh to look like one. Underneath the skin-like substance was a metal skeleton, reminding him of a movie he'd once seen called The Terminator.

Cocking his head curiously, George contemplated the possibilities. Knowing in his current state that he could possess a living being he had to wonder, could he inhabit inanimate objects as well? Maybe even bring the robotic shell before him to life once again? It would be the perfect vessel to exact his vengeance upon any who considered opposing him, especially since it was one of the few male corpses he'd found. There was only one way to find out.

Not sure how to go about attempting to inhabit the machine, George acted as if he were going to lie down on top of it and allowed himself to sink inside. Within moments he was consumed by darkness. After a few minutes he started to grow irritated when he couldn't figure out how to join his consciousness with that of the defunct machine. This was not even remotely similar to what he'd expected possessing a human body would be like. He almost felt as if he were lying inside a coffin.

Thinking he might have just trapped himself inside of the metal shell, George began to panic. He tried to force his spirit to sit up, but found himself still engulfed in total darkness. Beating his ghostly fists against the void before him like a child throwing a temper tantrum, something happened. He wasn't sure exactly what he'd done, but a loud whirring sound began filling the air, making him wish he had hands to clamp over his ears to muffle the deafening sound.

All around him tiny, intermittent lights began to flicker with new life, gears started to creak, grinding slowly into motion. Sighing with relief, George couldn't help but laugh about the panic he had been feeling. Adapting to life as a spirit definitely had its ups and downs, and now he was forced to consider how to control the machine since he had finally managed to breathe life into it. If it worked like the mechanical horse he used to ride, George was screwed.

Studying the flickering lights for a moment, he looked for a joystick-like apparatus and found nothing of the sort. How the hell do I control this thing? His mind worked furiously, attempting to figure it out, when he happened to glance down and notice that his ghostly legs were inside the limbs of the machine, but his arms were still pinned by his sides as if he were a vampire resting in his coffin. Could it be something so simple? Raising his arms George stretched them into the hollow appendages as if he were putting on a costume and moved his head forward so it was touching the faceplate of the machine, much like putting on a Halloween mask. The eyelids fluttered and opened, allowing him to see the outside world once again. Everything seemed to have a reddish hue to it now, as if he were viewing the world through a haze of blood. Perfect!

Wearing a crooked smile on his face, which would have looked even more ominous had he seen the way it looked on the synthetic outer flesh of the machine, George pushed his new body up with his hands to a sitting position and then stood. It teetered briefly as he tried to gain his bearings and balance, but within minutes George was stomping through the abandoned streets in his new toy, determined to test out its capabilities.

Chapter 16

After scouring the area around Mike's grave for the missing mechanical wolf, Edward led the group further south into the town of Haven at Jack's request.

The brief search of his former residence was not very fruitful. They had to hold their noses just to make it into the house without vomiting, the suffocating stench of the decomposing cattle scattered in the fields around the barn hanging in the still morning air like a shroud. Once inside, they found the interior of the dwelling wasn't much better, just different. The cloying smell of decaying vegetables overpowering the underlying musty scent that saturated every inch of the place.

"If you don't mind, I think we will wait out front for you," Edward gagged and wove his way through the debris on the floorboards. To him, the search of the premises seemed pointless. What belongings that remained in the home were scattered about as if someone had ransacked the place, probably searching for the same types of things Jack was determined to scavenge.

Opening the front door, all of them except Jack stumbled out into the morning sunlight. Gasping, Katie gulped in the much less pungent air after holding her breath for the better part of the last few minutes. Grabbing the back of Edward's cloak and startling him, she pawed at her tongue with it as if she could somehow scrape the foul taste from her mouth.

"Stay here for a minute." He laughed, pulling the cloak from Katie's grip. "Let me see if I can find something a bit more useful for you." Edward disappeared around the side of the house leaving her with a baffled look on her face.

"I hope he's going to conjure up some mouthwash," she coughed.

Brian laughed heartily. "Somehow I don't think it's his plan."

After a couple of minutes they heard the steady clop of hooves. Edward appeared again, walking in front of the animal, leading it by the reins. "Check the saddlebags," he told Katie as he stopped in front of her.

Wasting no time, she flipped one open and dug through its contents, pulling out a strip of dried meat. Quickly stuffing it into her mouth she began to suck on the salty stick of beef as if it were a lollipop. "Thank you." She grinned, her voice muffled.

Brian couldn't help but chuckle as he followed Edward's lead and went around back to retrieve the mechanical horses. When he returned with the first one he snorted at the sight of Katie, no longer sucking the salt from the meat but instead seemingly with the entire piece stuffed into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks like a squirrel with a prized nut.

The door to the house opened and Jack sauntered outside as if the smell hadn't affected him in the slightest, carrying an armload of clothing. "Do we have room in one of the saddlebags for these?" he asked, directing the question to Edward.

Glancing at the large bundle in Jack's hands, he shook his head. "I doubt it, but I believe Jasper gave us some twine." Turning away, he began digging through the opposite bag. The one Katie had searched only carried food, but the other had miscellaneous, smaller supply items. "Here it is," he stated, removing a spool of twine from the bag. "Hold your arms out and I'll wrap them together into a bundle. It may not fit into a saddlebag, but we can lash it in place behind the saddle with the twine once we're sure the bundle will hold together."

Holding out his arms like Edward instructed, Jack watched him grimace while he lashed the clothes together, presuming his facial expression was due to the musty odor wafting up from them.

"Are we ready to head out again?" Edward asked as he tossed the bundle onto the horse's back and secured it in place.

"The sooner, the better," Katie replied with a smirk.

"Maybe we can stop by the stream near the old man's hut south of here, take a quick dip in it to get the smell out of our clothes, and say hello," Edward smiled, trying to boost the morale of the group.

"That sounds enticing," Brian added after taking a quick whiff of his armpits, causing the rest of them to burst out in laughter.

"This may be an odd request, but do you think we could stop by the cave near there and see if the portal we brought Mike through is still active? Maybe I can go through if it's still there and bring someone back to replace him," Katie pleaded.

A sad frown creased Edward's pale face. "I don't think it would be worth the time or effort," he replied, his eyes growing moist at the mere thought of his fallen friend. "I believe the portal was intended to unite us with Mike and Mike only. Its purpose has already been served, so it's unlikely the portal is still there. Besides, I don't think there is a man or woman alive who could replace him anyway."

Even though she was angry that Edward didn't want to at least check on the possibility, Katie nodded and quietly mounted her metallic steed with tears forming in her eyes.

Chapter 17

Turning in his throne, the Black Knight rubbed his long, skeletal hands together in greedy anticipation as the dark haired woman entered his chamber. "It's about time!" Baring his long, sharp teeth he grinned wickedly, saliva dripping from their tips as if he were about to indulge in a great feast.

Moving demurely for a synthetic being, the woman crossed the room with her package and laid it at his feet. "The bones you requested, My Lord," she stated in a voice which was clearly not feminine, presumably that of the minion in control of her. She knelt at the base of his throne with her head bowed as the woman waited for the Black Knight to inspect her gift.

Bending forward, he picked up the blanket and placed it in his lap, then began unfolding the edges as if he were a child opening a present. His grin faltered slightly as he pulled back the first flap and saw the condition of the remains. Snapping his head up, he glared at the woman kneeling before him. "What have you done to these bones? Perhaps you think you can trick me by bringing me the skeleton of someone you dug up? Fool!"

Her head whipped viciously to the side as his bony hand connected with it in a tremendous, back-handed blow which would have sent a mortal flying across the chamber. "I did no such thing," she protested, turning her head back but not daring to meet his penetrating gaze. "I did exactly as you asked."

"These bones look too old and degraded to be the ones I commanded you to bring to me," he hissed.

"I removed them from the tree he was lashed to when he died. They couldn't possibly belong to anyone else," she argued.

The strumming of his fingers on the arm of his chair made a maddening, clicking sound, which reminded her of the army of beetles that had consumed the flesh from the man's body before she had so delicately wrapped them inside the blanket. It's impossible for the bones to belong to anyone else! The blanket never left my sight!

"Why do they look as if they're a hundred years old then?" A low growl formed in his throat as his rage quickly began to boil over.

"I don't know why they look like that, but I swear to you ... I followed your orders to the letter. Now you need to uphold your end of the bargain. I demand that you release me from your service!"

"You demand?" Quickly he rose to his feet, grasping the woman by the neck, tightening his bony fingers around her throat and lifting her from the ground. With her face inches from his own, the Black Knight's face twisted into a hideous snarl. "How dare you demand anything from me, you insolent worm," he snapped.

Dashing the woman to the ground, the Black Knight raised a leg and stomped his foot down on her head, twisting his claw-like toenails through her synthetic flesh. By the time he was finished, the being before him was nothing more than a mangled hunk of metal plates, exposed wires, and bloody tissue, looking much like something that had been placed in an enormous meat grinder.

Turning, the Black Knight swept the blanket and bones from his throne as if they were useless to him now and sat down heavily, spinning the ornate chair to face the monitors in hopes of finding something upon their screens to brighten his foul mood.

Chapter 18

Travel was slower than what he'd recently become accustomed to, but George was determined to test the capabilities of his new body. It had taken several days to reach the city of Elysia, throughout which time he knew he was being followed. For whatever reason, and he was about to find out, there was another spirit tracking his movements.

Standing in the shadows, created by the small grove of elms on the outskirts of town, he spun around to face the other spirit in hopes of catching it off guard.

Amber shrieked and quickly fled behind a tree when she saw the glowing red eyes turn her way.

"I know you're there," George tried to say, hoping to coax the ghost from her hiding place, but his voice sounded strange coming from the lips of the cyborg, containing a hollow resonance which was nothing like his true voice.

Could I be following the wrong creature? Did he trick me somehow to keep me off his trail? Amber peeked from behind the tree, wondering if she should question the machine. "I'm sorry, sir. I thought you were someone else," she stammered nervously.

"Who did you believe I was?" George asked, raising an eyebrow curiously and slowly moving toward Amber, hoping not to startle her.

"I ... I thought you were," she nearly whispered, her glowing form beginning to pulsate when she realized he was moving toward her. Unconsciously, Amber began to drift backwards, attempting to maintain a safe distance.

Studying her face as he closed in on her, George began to get the impression he knew this woman from somewhere, but where? It was only a few moments before the memory clicked into place within his mind. She does know me! I killed her back on Earth! The cyborg's mouth twisted into a grin.

Seeing a shift in the creature's demeanor, his eyes appearing to flash brightly for just a second, but long enough for Amber to come to the realization she had been right all along. It is him! Shit! Within an instant she turned and fled, gliding through the darkness as rapidly as spiritually possible. I have to find the others and warn them!

His howling laughter echoed madly through the trees as he watched the woman quickly vanish before his eyes. I doubt she'll be back, he thought, turning his attention back to the fabled city of Elysia, recalling how the Black Knight had once referred to it as the greatest city on Desolace. "Not for long," he whispered menacingly to the sleeping town. "Not for long." After all, they can't kill me. I'm already dead! Laughing maniacally, George headed for the closest building at the city's edge.

Standing before the door, he took a brief glance around and was encouraged by the fact he didn't see any guards. Rapping quickly as if he were a caller with some urgent business, George waited a few seconds before knocking again.

A light flickered in one of the windows, silhouetting a man's haggard face. The sound of the door being unlatched was followed by a soft creak as it was cracked open. "Yes? What is it?" the elderly man croaked.

"I just wanted to invite you to your funeral," George replied in a harsh whisper, pushing the door open so hard it slammed into the wall behind it.

"My what?" the man asked in alarm, his eyes opened so wide it made him appear bug-like.

Clamping a hand on either side of his skull, George pushed inward as if he were clapping. The man's head exploded from the pressure, splattering everything close by in bits of bloody tissue and bone. "Your funeral." He laughed, amused by the ease of the kill. Apparently I have super strength now. This is going to be fun!

Testing the theory, George balled his hand into a fist and punched the door. The impact didn't splinter it to pieces as he'd hoped for, but there was now a sizeable hole in the center of the thick, wooden panel.

Spinning around on his heel, he noticed the candle the old man had brought to the door lying on its side upon the floorboards, a tiny flame still sputtering from its wick. Plucking it from the ground, he carried it over to the closest window and set the curtains ablaze before tossing the candle aside and exiting the house.

Feeling invincible, he glanced up the cobblestone road, smiling as he considered the destruction he could cause before the town could even begin to mount a defense against him.

Chapter 19

By late afternoon they had found the old man's cabin, though when Edward knocked upon his door it appeared that the gentleman wasn't home. Looking confused, he turned to the others and shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe he's off peddling his crops somewhere," Katie suggested.

"I suppose it's possible," he admitted. "Though I don't know where he would do such a thing. Haven is abandoned and no longer an option for him, and I don't recall any other small towns being nearby."

"Well, his cart is missing so it seemed like the most logical explanation," she pointed out.

"The only town, besides Haven, that I know of which he could have been headed for is Elysia. Seems an awfully long way to go to sell vegetables, don't you think?"

Jack and Brian sat quietly, watching their exchange, heads turning from one to the other as if they were spectators at a tennis match. Neither one had the slightest clue who they were discussing and with the way both Edward and Katie's tempers had been lately they weren't about to ask.

"Either there's a town around here you don't know about or he's headed for Elysia."

"Well, we sure didn't pass any small towns before finding this hut the first time and we traveled for nearly a week on horseback to get here from the place we met, which was a few hours ride from the outskirts of Elysia." He sighed, hoping this wasn't the start of yet another argument.

She rubbed her forehead and eyes briefly, attempting to massage the first stirrings of a headache, likely brought on by her rising blood pressure. I don't know why he feels the need to contradict everything I say lately. "Whatever," she grumbled.

Sensing that she was biting her tongue, Edward turned to the others. "We are heading west from here, gentlemen. Let's get moving," he stated, purposely avoiding eye contact with Katie.

Spinning his horse around, he moved away from the shack at a casual pace, listening for the stomp of metal hooves. Katie watched Brian steer his beast to follow Edward and reluctantly fell in behind. Where the hell is Amber? I could really use someone to talk to. Preferably another female and not a bullheaded man like Edward.

When he heard the heavy steps of the mechanical horses begin to follow him, Edward slowly picked up the pace, hoping to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall.

They hadn't been underway for more than an hour before he brought his horse to a sudden stop just after entering a large clearing. It was difficult to tell from this distance, but to him there were only two explanations for what he was seeing. Either there were thunderheads building on the horizon to the west or it was smoke billowing up from a wildfire. The darkness hung in the sky like a giant, black blanket. From what he could tell it was drifting toward them, coming from the direction of Elysia. "That can't be good," he mumbled.

"Why are we ..." Katie began to ask before noticing the dark cloud in the distance. "Nevermind. Looks like we may need to find some shelter soon. Seems like that's a wicked storm headed our way."

"I can only hope those are rain clouds," Edward remarked. "I don't even want to think about the alternative."

What the hell is he mumbling about? What alternative? "Are we retreating to the forest or pushing on?" Katie asked, trying to keep the frustration from showing in her voice.

Taking a quick glance into the distance, he surmised they could make it across the open field in an hour or two, giving them plenty of time to reach the next stretch of woods before the storm began. If, indeed, those were rain clouds and not smoke. "I think we can make it across this open span and find cover in the next forest." He pointed with a thin smile spread across his face, almost as if he didn't really want to make the journey.

His horse was still breathing heavily when he nudged its flanks with his boots to get the animal moving again but even so it complied, bounding off to the west at a full gallop. Side by side, the two metallic steeds scrambled after Edward, their legs flailing the ground with amazing speed and agility. If it weren't for the wind rushing through her hair, and the rhythmic pounding of the hooves, Katie might have dreamt she was riding some sort of futuristic hovercraft, gliding effortlessly through the air. However, when she looked down, she was reminded of an enormous cartoon spider scrambling through its web to get to the bug on the other side, which oddly enough bore a large human face attached to its tiny, fly body. The idea was so absurd that Katie burst into laughter, earning her a befuddled look from Brian.

As they rapidly approached the next line of trees, the sun was beginning to drop below the horizon to usher in the night. Even though the dark cloud was no longer visible, Edward still seemed nervous, almost to the point of panic. Jumping down from the horse's back, he quickly secured the reins to a low hanging branch and approached the others. "Before you get down, please move those monstrosities next to each other," he instructed them. "As close as possible," he added.

"Why?" Brian looked at him questioningly with a raised brow.

"Personally, I think those beasts should be torn apart and used to create something less malevolent, but perhaps they can at least provide us with a little shelter from the weather if it is truly a storm headed our way," Edward replied.

"So, we are going to huddle up beneath them? That's your master plan for shelter?" Katie asked sarcastically, unable to keep her mouth shut.

"Do you have a better idea?" he spat as his nerves gave way to frustration and anger. Why does it always feel like she's trying to pick a fight with me?

"No," she sulked.

As Katie, Brian, and Jack dismounted and took their places beneath the mechanical horses, Edward considered the saddlebags draped over his horse's back for a moment. Deciding the thick leather of their outer flaps would keep most of the moisture from damaging the goods inside if it happened to rain, he turned and noticed the nervous glances passing between the other men.

Crouching down to take a position near Katie, he turned his head as Brian spoke. "You two aren't going to start arguing again, are you? It would be nice to get a little shut-eye and it will be impossible if you can't be civil to each other for a while." Glancing into Edward's eyes, he hoped he hadn't made the situation worse by bringing it up.

"I apologize for the way I've been acting lately. I don't know why I've been so agitated since we've returned," he whispered, hanging his head in shame.

"Me, too. Sorry guys," Katie added before turning to face Edward. "I've been kind of a bitch to you since we got back, but I never really thought about why I was acting like that. I guess part of me is upset about being dragged into this mess."

Nodding his head gravely, he looked at her through the blur of his moist eyes. "You were forced to grow up before you were ready, to take on responsibilities that nobody your age should be burdened with. I blame myself for all the pain you feel. Had I ignored what the elders told me to do and found my traveling companions here on Desolace, instead of gathering people from your world, you would never have had to face the things you have."

Scooting closer to him, she lifted his chin with her fingers, forcing him to look at her. "You may be right about growing up too fast, but I don't regret the time I've spent here, or with you," Katie said softly.

"Now kiss and make up," Brian joked, glad the two of them were burying the hatchet and not in each others' heads.

Laughing, Katie swatted at him. "Smart ass!" When she turned back to face Edward, she hesitated. Am I crazy? I could swear the look in his eyes is telling me he really does want to kiss me. "But I will give him a hug," she said, wrapping her arms around Edward. As she pressed tightly against him, Katie could feel his heart quicken. Though it was strange to her because of the age difference between them, she allowed the embrace to linger, partly because in that very moment she felt something she never had before ... love.

Closing her eyes to relish the moment, Brian startled her with a shout seconds later. "Holy crap!" Opening her eyes and turning her head to see what the fuss was about, Katie jumped when she saw Amber nervously pulsating nearby.

Happy to see her ghostly friend again, Katie got up so fast she hit her head on the underside of the metallic beast she'd been using for cover. Rubbing the top of her head, she approached the spirit who was obviously agitated. "What's wrong, Amber?"

"We were too late," she moaned.

"For?"

"His soul roams free because we couldn't obtain his bones for a proper burial, and now his corrupt spirit has infested the shell of another, bringing it back to life and using its body like an evil puppet master."

"Are you talking about Mr. M?" Katie's mouth hung open in shocked disbelief as Amber nodded.

"I couldn't do anything to stop him on my own. Only a priest can extract his essence from the body he now possesses and send it to Hell, where it belongs," Amber said, nervously glancing over her shoulder as if she expected George to be right behind her.

At the mention of a priest, Brian whipped his head around. "Are you talking about an exorcism?"

"Yes."

"I ... I've never performed one before, and I'm not sure I could even do it properly. I don't have the text with me, either," he confessed sadly.

"You must find a way. Unless I am mistaken, you are the only one who can take care of this. The only thing any of the others will be able to do is hold him down while you do your work," Amber insisted.

Brian sighed heavily. "Where is he now?" he asked, hoping the malevolent being wasn't nearby. He needed time to prepare ... to think.

"In a large city west of here." Amber pointed in the direction they had seen the ominous dark cloud earlier.

"That's Elysia!" Edward shouted in panic, jumping to his feet and narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the belly of the mechanical creature, running to his horse and untethering it from the tree. Hopping onto its back, he waved at the others impatiently. "Come on! We have to go!"

"I still think we should try to rest for a little bit," Katie pleaded, reluctantly climbing into the saddle of her metallic steed. "I'm sure we are all exhausted and could really use a little sleep. We'll be like the walking dead by the time we get there if we don't, and somehow that seems more dangerous."

"We have Amber with us again. We should take advantage of that fact," Edward retorted. "Besides, I'm sure we will have to stop again to rest my horse by the time daylight creeps back into the sky."

Pulsating like a strobe light in slow motion, Amber waited for the others to be ready. Once everyone was saddled up, she began gliding in the direction of Elysia. It took her a few minutes to match her speed to that of the horse Edward was riding, which refused to travel any faster than a slow canter even though he kept trying to prod it into a full gallop, and maintain a suitable distance in front of them.

Grumbling to herself as she chased after them, Katie was thankful for the smoother ride the mechanical beast offered. Although, she did wish there was a way to put the creature on auto-pilot so she could get some sleep.

Chapter 20

The citizens of Elysia scurried through the streets, fleeing to find any safe haven they could from the crazed man who seemed bent on destroying the city.

Carrying a busted plank in one hand like a torch, George stomped down the cobblestone road, overturning the carts of vendors and setting fire to everything in his path. Ahead loomed his biggest challenge thus far, a towering stone fortress looking like one of the enormous castles from a fairytale. He almost half expected Rapunzel to be leaning from one of the upper windows, her golden hair cascading down the walls, waiting for some idiot to use her locks as a rope to climb up and save her.

No such sight greeted him as George strode purposefully toward the enormous structure. Instead, armed guards began pouring out from the gaping archway at the bottom, locking their determined eyes on him and raising their swords.

Somehow he managed to keep their attacks at bay for a short time, swinging the burning plank like an ogre with a giant club. Bones crunched beneath the inhuman power of his blows, sending quite a few of the guards desperately trying to crawl away, leaving smears of blood to coat the cobblestones in their wake. Others were fleeing, their cloaks set ablaze, searching for a trough to douse the flames before the flesh on their bodies began to sizzle and pop like meat on a campfire.

Grinning, George paused for a moment and relished the sight of them fleeing like frightened sheep heading for the slaughterhouse. Within seconds he was caught off guard and his legs were swept from under him by one of the castle legions, causing George to land hard on his back. Since he was already dead and just inhabiting the body, he felt no pain. A twisted smile played across his face as he stared into the man's eyes.

Uttering a loud battle cry, the soldier brought his blade down in a frenzy of strikes. Every limb of the body George was inside of was severed, leaving him twitching on the ground like a turtle on its back.

Retreating deeper inside the machine, George pulled his head back from the faceplate and watched the flickering lights begin to fade once the power source of his energy had disengaged. Soon the only light he could see came from the openings of the severed appendages. Hoping that since the machine seemed beyond repair he would be able to break free, George tucked his ghostly form into a tight ball and concentrated on drifting toward one of the larger openings.

A thin mist seeped out of the stump of one leg as George floated up and away from the body. As he allowed his shape to re-form, he couldn't help but cackle with mad laughter as he gazed down at the guard, standing with one foot on the machine's chest with his sword thrust high into the air, crying out triumphantly in what he thought to be victory.

Fool! You can't kill someone who is already dead! Your moment of glory will be short-lived, I promise you. I only have to grab another body. Then I will come back. When I do, you will wish we had never crossed paths. You are nothing more than a tiny, pathetic ant, and I am the boot that will crush you from your puny existence!

The guard looked up nervously as he felt a cold presence brush past him. Quietly stepping down from his victory pose, he glanced at the corpse before him and raised an eyebrow. His jaw dropped open in disbelief when he noticed the tiny sparks and wisps of smoke dancing from the stumps of the man he had just killed. It wasn't the shock of seeing a machine that caused him to stagger back, he had seen plenty of them in his time of service, but never one which looked human. Before today they had all been insects and animals. "I have to warn the elder," he mumbled, spinning on his heel.

Far above the scene on the street, Jonas the Wise glanced from the window in his chamber, roused from his nap by the commotion outside. His gnarled, arthritic fingers stroked his long, gray beard worriedly when he saw what appeared to be dead soldiers lying in the blood soaked streets.

Where is Edward when I need him? Stepping away from the window he closed his eyes, raised his withered arms above his head, and began to softly chant. When the last word was spoken, a conjured hawk ruffled its wings from the sill.

Quickly, Jonas went to his desk and grabbed a piece of parchment, scribbling an urgent plea for Edward to return to Elysia. When he finished, Jonas rolled the paper into a tight coil and secured it with twine. Placing the message into the hawk's open beak, he whispered to the bird, "Go now. Find Edward and make sure he gets this message." The enormous hawk uttered a muffled cry of acknowledgement and sprung from the window, flying swiftly to the east.

Hearing the sound of rushing footsteps approaching in the hallway, Jonas turned toward the door to his chamber just as a sentry burst through into the room. "Sir, we have a big problem," the guard cried after a quick bow of his head to show respect to the elder.

Jonas sighed. "I know, my son. I've seen the blood in the streets below," he added gravely.

The guard looked nervously into the old man's pale blue eyes. "There was a small battle outside the walls of the castle a short time ago, but that isn't the biggest part of the problem."

Wearing a confused and haggard look upon his face, Jonas spun around and returned to the window, his waist length gray hair fluttering in the light breeze coming through it. "Then what is?" Looking down into the streets below, he could see the town returning to their business. Chaos averted for the time being, the citizens began picking up the mess, dousing flames where they could still keep them under control, and tending to the wounded.

"The trouble below was caused by a machine unlike any other we've encountered in the past. It wasn't one resembling an animal or insect ... it looked human."

The guard shrunk back in fear as Jonas whipped his head around to meet his gaze, making the elder look like a crazed hermit. "Human, you say?"

"Y-yes, sir," the guard stammered.

"Go swiftly, my boy! Fetch Victoria for me, and please ask her to hurry," Jonas commanded.

Bowing his head briefly, the man turned and rushed back into the hallway and disappeared.

Why aren't the Gods helping us? Has the darkness of our world somehow overthrown them? Questions fluttered about in Jonas' mind as he paced the cold, stone floor of his chamber, waiting for Edward's mother to arrive. Knowing she would likely be as clueless about how to deal with the situation as he was, it would still calm his frazzled nerves to hear her soothing voice.

Hearing the sound of hurried footfalls in the hallway, he walked toward the door. Victoria stepped into the room wearing a look on her face which reminded Jonas of a frightened rabbit. "I'll be right outside if you need me, sir," the guard stated, poking his head inside before pulling the sturdy wooden door closed.

"What's all this nonsense about machines that look like humans?" she inquired, crossing the chamber and sitting in the ornate chair by his desk.

It was obvious to him that the guard had interrupted her sleep. Her shoulder-length gray hair was sticking out in every direction, as if she'd had her head buried beneath her pillow, the black streaks in her hair looked like the snakes on a Medusa's head, and her normally soft brown eyes were puffy and red.

"I'm afraid it's true." He frowned. "One of the guards told me of the battle that he and others fought against the machine, which they'd thought was a man at first. I'm at a loss on what to do about the situation."

"What about the Gods? Won't they help?"

"They haven't spoken to me in quite some time. I despise saying such a thing out loud, but I fear the darkness which threatens us may have encroached upon them as well, perhaps even killed them," Jonas replied, walking back to the window and absently looking outside.

Gasping, Victoria put a hand over her mouth, shocked that he would say such a thing. "It can't be! Maybe they are too busy dealing with the problems arising from whatever evil force is causing these incursions, but they surely can't be dead! They are immortal after all."

"Has it always been so? How did they become immortal in the first place? What power exists in this world to make them so?" Jonas turned to regard his long time friend, hoping he hadn't upset her by questioning the Gods she revered.

"That's blasphemous!" She couldn't believe the words that were pouring from his mouth. Had the very forces they were battling against gotten to him and somehow corrupted his mind?

Jonas was silent, his eyes moistened with sadness as he glanced over at her, contemplating his words before speaking in such a manner and upsetting her again.

"Say something, please," Victoria begged.

Twirling his fingers in his beard he sighed heavily. "I sent out a hawk to deliver a message to your son, hoping he would make haste to return," he finally replied.

"Edward? How is he going to help if the Gods can't?"

"I'm not sure that he can, but at the very least we could send him to the Throne of the Gods. Perhaps he can find out why the Gods aren't answering our pleas for help," Jonas suggested.

"That's a very long journey for you to send him on. By the time he reaches it, everything we hold dear to our hearts could be in ruins," she argued.

"It's our only hope in my opinion, and a chance we will have to take."

Chapter 21

"What is this?" The Black Knight scowled at the monitor before him. At first he had nearly dismissed what he was seeing as one of his ghostly minions performing a security patrol in the town which had become his dumping ground. A city filled with the corpses of the worn out husks of the people he used to fuel his ever increasing army of cyborgs and some of the machines as well. After all, once his human subjects expired like dead batteries the device they were powering died as well. With the host life force gone, there was nothing to do except pile their useless shells up like firewood since each cyborg he created was attached to a specific person like a baby on an umbilical cord.

Soon after he began studying the monitor, however, the Black Knight came to the realization that what he saw before him was not one of his minions. "George," he growled menacingly, baring his jagged fangs. Now he understood why the bones his servant had brought to him were in the state that they were; his spirit was no longer attached to them.

Watching with hate filled eyes, rapidly shifting from their normal yellow glow to a depthless obsidian, he observed George doing what his minions did ... infiltrating the shell of one of his creations and taking control over it. Until now he had deemed the machines useless once their host expired on Cemetery Hill, but as he continued to look on, the Black Knight saw this wasn't entirely true.

Within moments of his disappearance into the defunct cyborg, George had somehow managed to awaken it and take control as if it were his own body. His movements appeared clumsy at first, but it was only a matter of minutes before George seemed to figure out how to make it move more naturally. The Black Knight looked on helplessly as the machine strode out of the graveyard town, his face twisting into a hideous sneer.

Rising from his throne, the Black Knight angrily paced back and forth in the chamber, contemplating what he could do about this new problem. Minions cowered in the corners doing everything they could to avoid their master's fury.

Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the room and turned his gaze upon the formless, ghostly demons packed tightly in one corner of the chamber, a flicker of yellow returning to his eyes. "Two can play this little game," he hissed under his breath.

Striding with purpose, he approached the formless ones. "I want each and every one of you to go to the dumping grounds and infest the corpses there. Our friend," he spat the word out venomously, "has shown me that the dead can still be useful."

Before the Black Knight could utter another word, the formless ones had departed to do his bidding, leaving nothing more than a cold draft of air in their wake.

Returning to his throne, he sat down in eager anticipation of what would unfold on the monitor before him next.

Chapter 22

As George approached the corpse-littered streets of the city, he sensed something wasn't right. The female ghost he had encountered outside of Elysia was no longer following him, but there was a surge of energy flowing from the dead town before him that he couldn't identify.

Cautiously he moved through the streets searching for the source, and as he traveled deeper into the city he began to notice something drastically wrong. Where are all the bodies? There were more here when I left than you could shake a stick at, but now there are none?

Continuing his search, he began to get the feeling he was being watched, which initially he dismissed. It's probably the Black Knight, he thought, almost tempted to give a sarcastic wave to his former master. Turning a corner, George finally found what he was looking for, but it was only a single corpse. Where are all the others?

Glancing around nervously, he began to think it was a trap of some sort. Wagging a finger in the air, hoping the Black Knight could see it, he shouted, "I'm not falling for it."

Suddenly, the sound of cracking and splintering wood came from all around him. Bursting through the doors and walls of nearby structures, an army of possessed cyborgs and reanimated corpses surrounded George. Thankful that his intuition had warned him of the potential danger he did the only thing he could ... he quickly levitated into the air high above them, knowing the Black Knight's servants would be unable to follow.

Considering what to do next, George looked down at the throng of outstretched arms and laughed. It only took a moment for him to figure out his next move, though he was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to latch onto another machine just yet. He would have to possess a mortal this time. Taking one last glance down, George waved good-bye to the Black Knight's minions and set off for Elysia.

Chapter 23

Though it was only midday, Edward and the others were huddled beneath the mechanical horses. After the sun had come up over the horizon, he had seen the dark cloud rapidly approaching them from the west. The same cloud he had originally thought to be smoke, rising from his hometown, had turned out to be a massive cluster of thunderheads.

They were traveling through a large, open expanse of grassy plains when Edward first saw the ominous clouds rolling toward them. Instead of stopping at daylight like he'd told the others he would do when Amber disappeared for the day, he urged them to greater speeds, hoping to get to the next patch of forest before the storm reached them.

As the angry, roiling clouds began to pass over them, the sky opened up. A torrential downpour rained down upon them, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead of them. That was when Edward decided enough is enough. They clustered the animals, live and mechanical alike, as closely together as they could and huddled beneath them. Shivering and cold, their teeth chattering uncontrollably, they waited for the storm to pass.

Hours drifted by endlessly as the drenched group continued to wait. The storm was showing no signs of letting up, and for as far as they could see there was a never-ending procession of black clouds. Suddenly a loud screech erupted above them, piercing through the deafening sound of falling rain. Before any of them could even begin to wonder what had made the awful noise, a giant hawk landed in front of them, standing about three feet tall. Ruffling its feathers to shed the rain from them, it stepped beneath the horses and stretched its beak toward Edward, emitting a deafening squawk as it did.

Clapping his hands over his ears a moment too late, Edward looked curiously at the giant bird. Something was clenched in its beak. Reaching up, he stroked the top of the hawk's head affectionately. "Do you have something for me?" The bird's eyes darted suspiciously at the others taking shelter from the rain, then turned to face Edward. Opening its beak, it dropped the rolled up parchment into his outstretched palm.

Quickly he unwrapped the twine securing it and unrolled the paper. It was soaked from its journey through the storm, the words scribbled onto the page blurred and nearly unreadable, but Edward was able to pick out bits and pieces here and there.

Leaning in, Katie shouted in his ear in an attempt to be heard over the steady drone of raindrops clanking off the metallic bodies of the machines above them. "What does it say?"

"I can't make it all out," he bellowed, turning to face her, "but it looks like one of the elders is summoning me back to Elysia. By the way the handwriting looks, and the fact a magical bird was used to bring the message to me, I would say it is an urgent summons."

"Magical b—" Katie turned back to the hawk, wondering what, other than its size, was magical about it, but it was gone.

"I hate to say it," he shouted, "but I think we need to go right away. We can't let this storm keep us mired in this spot, waiting for it to pass." Looking from face to face, Edward waited for a sign that everyone had heard and understood what he had said. The grim looks upon their faces told him they had, but they were obviously reluctant.

***

After slowly trudging through the pouring rain for several hours, the weary group finally reached the next patch of wooded area, but by the time they had it was growing dark. The lone bright spot was the fact they now had Amber to lead them once again. It was still raining heavily, but the canopy overhead provided them with enough shelter from the storm that it felt more like a light drizzle, which allowed them to pick up the pace a little.

Keeping one hand on the pommel of her saddle, Katie rubbed her eyes lightly with the back of her broken hand, wincing as the pain flared, and yawned. She wished Edward would at least consider stopping for an hour or two so she could get out of the saddle and take a nap, but somehow she knew he wouldn't go for the idea. Her joints had stiffened painfully from the long, damp ride and she could feel another streak of bitchiness creeping into her mind.

Without warning Edward pulled on his reins, bringing his horse to a stop. "Hold on, Amber," he called after her. She spun around with a curious look.

"Is something wrong?" she inquired, floating closer.

"No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to keep my eyes open any longer," he stated softly. A collective sigh of relief erupted behind him. "I'm sorry," he told them, turning in the saddle to face the group. "I feel as if I've been acting like a slave driver," he admitted.

Stepping down from her mechanical horse clumsily, her legs numb and apparently already sleeping, Katie collapsed onto the damp ground in exhaustion. "It's okay. We all know how worried you are that something bad will happen if we don't get to Elysia soon enough." She yawned.

"Just a couple of hours of sleep should be sufficient to recharge the old, gray Delco," Brian added, causing Katie to snort.

"I haven't heard that phrase in forever." She laughed sleepily.

"If you're going to break for rest, I will scout ahead," Amber stated. "I'll be back before you know it."

Since Katie had already fallen asleep, the rest of them decided it would be a good idea to crowd in around her on the wet forest floor for warmth. One by one they quickly succumbed to their exhaustion and light snores filled the air.

***

Trying her best to remain hidden, Amber slipped between the houses on the northern edge of Elysia. The town seemed quiet, even for this time of night, but so far she hadn't come across anything suspicious. Staying near the outskirts of the city she continued southward, looking for signs of her killer.

Halfway through the town she began to see the first hints of the devastation he'd wrought since the last time she'd seen him, much of which looked as if the citizens had made a noble effort to clean up and repair.

Suddenly her senses began to tingle, lightly at first but steadily intensifying. Amber tried and succeeded in dimming her glowing form to camouflage herself and braced for what was coming, which seemed to be rushing toward her. It wasn't easy to keep hidden in relative invisibility, even as a ghost Amber could feel the hairs on her neck and arms rising. Within seconds she knew why.

Swiftly gliding up the street was her worst nightmare. Apparently he had left for a while or the town would still be in chaos, but he was back now. What happened to the person he was controlling when I saw him earlier? Did he kill the man he was inside of after he'd served his purpose?

Stopping in the center of the street, he turned his gaze in her direction for a moment, almost as if he could feel Amber's stare. After the brief hesitation, George spun around and glanced at the castle, moving his eyes over the stone walls as if he were admiring the architecture.

Is this the place Edward calls home? Seems like I recall him saying something about his mother being inside of a castle. I wonder if she's inside. The more she watched George the more Amber got the feeling he was casing the place, looking for a way in. Before she could think about what to do next she saw him floating upward, toward the darkened windows high above the street. Wanting to follow but afraid of breaking cover and being discovered, Amber watched in agonizing silence as he disappeared from sight. Before she left to tell the others what she had seen, Amber waited for a few minutes, listening intently for any signs that his infiltration had alerted the occupants. The only sound she heard was the soft chirping of crickets nearby.

***

When Amber returned to where the others had stopped to rest and saw they were still sound asleep she knew something had to be done. "Wake up!" Her echoing voice shattered the silence, bouncing from tree to tree and magnifying the sound, resonating like a bullhorn used in the fog.

Nearly jumping from their skin, everyone in the group sat up simultaneously and looked around in confusion. "Oh, it's you." Katie breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted Amber. "You didn't have to scare the crap out of us, you know."

"I'm sorry," she responded. "I didn't know how else to wake you. There wasn't exactly time for pleasantries."

"What do you mean?" Katie raised an eyebrow in confusion, still a bit groggy.

"The spirit I've been warning you all about," Amber started, pausing to make sure she had their attention before going on, "is in the city west of here."

"Elysia?" Edward asked, spinning to face Amber.

"Is there an enormous castle there?"

"Yes," Edward replied nervously.

Amber grimaced. "Then it is definitely Elysia."

Standing up, Edward quickly helped the others to their feet. "Then we have no time to waste!" Jumping into the saddle, hoping the others were following suit, he shouted, "Lead the way, Amber! We will not rest again until we've reached Elysia and I've made certain that my mother is safe!"

Chapter 24

Pounding his fist on the arm of his chair, the Black Knight snarled in fury at the image upon the monitor before him. "Fools! How dare you let him escape! Your stupidity will not go unpunished!"

In perfect unison, the army of cyborgs and reanimated corpses turned at the sound of their master's voice. "My Lord," one of the cyborgs began, stepping to the front of the army, "how were we to know he would realize a trap had been laid?"

"You bumbling idiot! What did you expect? You morons infested every corpse in the town except one," he growled, his eyes quickly changing from yellow to black as his rage began to boil over.

"We had to leave one to tempt him with, My Lord," the minion stammered.

"You should have left more than one body. Wouldn't you be suspicious if a town you knew to be littered with corpses suddenly only had one?"

"We didn't think of it in those terms," the formless one replied, making it seem like the blame for the mistake should be put upon the others. "We will do better next time."

"You had better hope so. I will see to it that you writhe in torment for all time if you fail me again!" Disgusted with the incompetence of his minions, the Black Knight leaned forward to shut the monitor off. With a soft popping noise the screen went dark. Sitting back, he rubbed his temples with the tips of his bony fingers, trying to massage away the headache which was forming.

***

"So what's the plan now, oh fearless leader?" The minion who had taken charge when the Black Knight was tearing them a new one glanced over at the formless one inhabiting the decayed body of a human female.

"There's no need to be snide just because I was the only one with enough balls to stand up to him," the minion retorted. "Quit being an asshole and let me think."

The others gathered around him, awaiting his decision. Unlike the outspoken one reanimating a woman's body, the rest of them had respect for the eldest member of their little army. After all, it was rumored that he might even be as old as the Black Knight himself.

"I think I have an idea," he finally announced, raising a hand in the air to get their attention. "We will stay inside the bodies we now inhabit, but we will return to the places where we first entered them," he stated as the murmurs quieted. "There, we will lay in wait for George to come back."

"What if he doesn't return? How long do we have to play dead before we go after him?" the rotting woman asked sarcastically, placing both hands on her hips as if she were an impatient mother frustrated with her child.

The gesture looked rather comical to some, and they pressed their lips together tightly to restrain from laughter.

"Until I say otherwise," the leader snapped. "Now, get to your positions!"

The majority of the minions scattered as if they had been commanded by the Black Knight himself, but the reanimated woman glared at the leader for a moment before complying.

Chapter 25

Riding as swiftly as the horse would carry him, Edward sped through the darkness after Amber with the others close behind on the two mechanical horses. As daybreak began to approach, he noticed her glow was fading rapidly. Crashing out of the woods, she disappeared entirely as they entered another large open area, but the tallest towers of the castle he grew up in were now distinctly visible. A dark gray haze seemed to hang above the city, making it impossible to see any of the other buildings.

Smelling smoke in the air, which didn't have the same odor to it that firewood gives off, Edward urged his steed to go faster as he began to fear the worst. The animal tried to please its rider, but was so exhausted by now that its legs got tangled, sending both of them to the ground. Edward flew for twenty feet and landed awkwardly, flipping through the air a few times like a rag doll before finally skidding to a stop. The horse hadn't made the dramatic roll that Edward had, but when its front hooves had tangled it had come down hard upon its knees and rolled sideways as it fell. Now it was just lying in the grass, heaving and moaning.

Katie maneuvered her metallic steed over to where Edward lay crumpled on the ground, and Brian steered toward the fallen horse to check on it. Hopping down, she hurried over to him and quickly looked for obvious signs that something was broken before rolling him onto his back. Other than a few minor lacerations on his face and hands, and his skin being red from skidding across the prairie, he seemed to be all right. Thankfully he hadn't pulled that stunt back on Earth. The road rash would likely have peeled his face off.

His eyelids fluttered open and he moaned. "What happened?" he mumbled, seeing Katie's face highlighted by the steadily lightening sky and realizing he was on the ground.

"I think you were attempting to fly." She grinned. "Are you okay?"

Tenderly he placed his palms on the ground, wincing as he pushed himself to a sitting position. A wave of dizziness washed over him for a few seconds, during which time Katie stepped behind him to prevent Edward from falling backwards. When he stopped weaving around like a drunk, she went to where she could see his face and crouched down beside him. Raising a hand, he rubbed his scalp gingerly.

"How bad does your head hurt?" Katie ducked her head to one side slightly, trying to see his eyes. His pupils were dilated so much that the gray of his irises was almost entirely swallowed by them. "Hold still," she instructed him, covering his eyes with one hand for a few moments then pulling it away, checking to see if he had a concussion. His pupils didn't react normally, but they did at least get a little smaller when she removed her hand.

"It's thumping like someone hit me in the head with a club," he admitted.

"I think you have a mild concussion. You should be fine in a little while." She smiled reassuringly. Gently Katie began to check the rest of him, softly prodding and squeezing his limbs to make sure he hadn't fractured something in the fall.

"I have bad news," Brian announced, walking over and squatting in front of Edward. "Either your horse has managed to dislocate both of its front legs, or they are broken. There are no obvious bone protrusions so it's difficult to tell exactly, but it is as plain as the scrapes on your face that the animal is in agony."

Katie bowed her head at the news, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "What is it with you and horses? You should seriously consider a different means of travel," she scolded, angry tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

"I couldn't have prevented what happened to the others, but this one was all my fault," Edward admitted. "I pushed the animal beyond its limits." Turning his head, he glanced over at the beast, its breath coming in ragged gasps as it continued to moan in agony. "Help me up," he pleaded, looking at Brian and Katie.

Once he was on his feet, Edward stumbled toward the horse. Lifting its head the horse gazed at him with a look in its eyes that Edward couldn't read, but looked like a mixture of fear and pain, and emitted a noise sounding as if it were a cross between a groan and a scream. "Shhh," he spoke calmly to the animal, though he felt helpless. "Isn't there anything you can do?" Turning his head, Edward's piercing gray eyes pleaded with Brian.

"I read something in one of the books I used to have back on Earth about the healing powers of shamans, even studied a few of the chants, but I've never attempted to use any of the spells before." Brian frowned. "I would be afraid of trying to cast one and screwing it up, somehow making things worse than they already are. Especially because I would be trying to do it from memory since I no longer have the books."

"How much worse could you make the situation?" Edward argued. "Just try, please!"

Sighing, Brian sank to his knees and closed his eyes, searching his mind for the correct spell. He could hear the impatient whispers of the others as he pictured the pages of a book in his mind. After a couple of minutes, Brian thought he'd found the right one and raised his arms high above his head. Everyone went quiet as he began to chant the foreign words, hopefully the right ones.

The hush over the group was palpable, the only noises coming from the horse's labored breathing and Brian's chanting. Several tense moments passed before his words had any effect on the animal. As they closed their eyes and began to silently pray for a miraculous recovery, something started to hiss and pop, causing them to peek through their eyelids. Their hope was shattered instantly!

"Oh my God! Stop, Brian! For all that is good, please stop!" Katie screamed, turning her head to vomit, and Edward followed suit.

Unfazed by the sight before him—as a werewolf he was quite used to the carnage—Jack placed a hand on Brian's shoulder and gently shook him. Slowly, his arms came down as he gasped. "Lord Almighty, what have I done?" Lying before him was an enormous, twisted mass of flesh, steaming and flooding the air with a coppery smell. No longer contained, the animal's organs slipped from every cavity and flopped to the ground. His gorge quickly rose and he began to violently throw up. The horse's legs flailed weakly for a few moments then clomped to the ground.

Unable to stop the flow of bile spewing from his burning throat, Brian didn't hear Edward approaching. Suddenly his head was rocked to the side by a fist. "You were supposed to try healing it," he yelled.

"I ... I did try," Brian insisted, rubbing his jaw.

"Then why does it look like you managed to turn my horse inside out?"

"I told you, I've never attempted to use that spell before. You knew something could go wrong, but you were the one who insisted I try," Brian shouted back, his face flushed in anger brought on by Edward's accusation.

"Edward, calm down," Katie pleaded, wiping her chin as she came up behind him and grabbed his arm to pull him away from Brian. "It was an accident. There was no way to prevent—"

"Yes, there was," he interrupted, beginning to calm down. "I should have never asked him to," Edward added, hanging his head in sorrow as he realized the blame was all his for what had just occurred.

Katie wanted to comfort him, give him a hug to let him know they would get through this, but instead her mouth flapped open. "Maybe next time you will consider riding a mechanical one. You don't exactly have the best track record with horses."

Jack shook his head in disgust. Here we go again. While none of the others were watching, he stepped around the heap of steaming horse guts and retrieved the saddlebag from the ground. Placing it upon the back of the beast Katie had been riding he stood nearby, waiting for them to finish insulting one another. Trying to stay out of their way, Brian joined him. "Maybe I should just stick to being a priest," he mumbled sadly. "I don't seem to be cut out for this whole shaman bit."

"You do just fine with catching things on fire." Jack grinned, turning to face him. "Hell, maybe you can use that inside out trick against a powerful enemy."

"With my luck I will heal the enemy instead," Brian stated, shaking his head and grinning back.

***

It had taken a considerable amount of persuading, but when Edward finished sulking and grieving over the loss of yet another horse, Katie convinced him to ride atop one of the metallic beasts with her. Perhaps it was because of this recent event that he seemed to forget about the urgency of returning home. The mechanical creatures plodded forward as the spires of the castle slowly began to dominate their view, rising above the trees as if they were grasping at the clouds moving by overhead.

A well worn path snaked through the woods before them as they continued to approach the town. "How much farther do you think it is?" Katie inquired softly, hoping if she could get him to talk a little that it might make him feel better.

"It shouldn't be too much further," he sighed. Dropping silent once more, Katie waited a few minutes before trying again.

The forest was thinning slightly and she could see people milling around near the edge of town. A short distance ahead Katie saw the path changing from dirt to the cobblestones, which the city's roads were made of. Two men armed with pikes paced back and forth at the place where the street began, eyeing them suspiciously as they approached.

"Are we heading straight to the castle, Edward, or do we need to stop somewhere else first?"

"Straight to the ..."

"Halt! State your business," one of the guards barked, brandishing his pike at them menacingly. The second sentry said nothing, but mimicked the threatening gesture of the first with his weapon.

Raising his hands into the air to show he meant no harm to them, Edward spoke with a calm confidence he hadn't displayed for quite a while. "Lower your weapons, my friends," he instructed. "I am Edward the White, and I am here to speak with the elders."

Squinting, one of the guards lowered his weapon and studied what he could see of Edward's face, which was partially hidden behind Katie. "Is that really you? I thought you had been exiled or something," he gasped. "No one has seen or heard from you in ages!"

"I assure you, I am who I say. I've been on a mission to find the source of the darkness which has plagued the city for quite some time, and with any luck, to destroy it," Edward replied. "I am here now because elder Jonas has sent for me."

The sentry who originally called for them to stop began to relax at the mention of Jonas' name. Lowering his weapon, he approached the group. "I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you. I will personally escort you and your friends to the castle." He bowed. "I will send someone to take my position and help you," he told the other guard, spinning on his heel and motioning for Edward to follow.

***

At first glance Elysia seemed the same to Edward as the day he'd left, but as they slowly approached the center of the city where the castle stood things became increasingly more disastrous in appearance. Many of the structures were reduced to rubble and ashes, and those which weren't looked to be so badly damaged that they were on the verge of collapse. The dying embers of many homes were still smoldering enough that tiny wisps of smoke could be seen rising from the charred timbers.

Jack took in the devastation and wondered what could have caused such widespread damage while Brian gazed upon the wreckage as if he'd somehow been transported back to his own, zombie infested world. Tears rolled down Katie's cheeks, saddened by the destruction she saw and the charred faces of the people wandering the streets in an effort to clean up.

Shaking his head sadly, Edward knew he would need to find his resolve. Having been overly emotional lately it was absolutely essential that he become the strong, confident leader his group could depend upon. I only hope the elders can steer me back onto the path I should be on.

Stopping abruptly, the guard turned toward them. "Do you know where to find Jonas?"

"I believe so," Edward replied, somewhat confused by the question. "I would imagine he'd be in the council chambers."

"Then you aren't aware," the escort stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he prepared to deliver the news to Edward.

"Aware of what?"

"Jonas is the only elder still alive," he confessed sadly. "I don't think I've seen him come out of his chambers since the others passed on, other than to grab a few items from one of the vendors."

"How did the others die?" Edward gaped, his jaw hanging open in disbelief.

"Perhaps Jonas can fill you in on the details. I don't feel it to be my place to do so." After a slight pause he continued, "I can look after your ... strange-looking mounts while you are inside."

"I don't think they will wander off, but thank you." Sliding down from the back of the metallic steed, Edward walked to the entrance and waited for the others.

Once everyone had dismounted, Edward led the way through the arched stone hallways, trying to remember which floor of the castle Jonas' chamber was on. Their footsteps echoed through the damp, stagnant air, stirring the eight-legged inhabitants to life within their webs near the vaulted ceilings.

Traveling up several flights of stairs in silence, they finally exited into another long hallway. Near its end they came to a stout, wooden door with a lit torch ensconced on either side of it. Strange symbols were carved into the surface of the entrance, which Edward knocked lightly upon.

After a few moments, Edward raised his hand to knock again, but stopped short as the door cracked open. Barely visible through the opening were the pale blue eyes of the elder, his waist length gray hair, both on his head and his chin, swaying in a gentle breeze from inside. "Jonas?"

The old man's eyes narrowed briefly, as if age had clouded his memory and he didn't recognize his caller. He glanced nervously at the trio behind Edward and started to close the door.

Sticking his foot out to prevent it from shutting completely, Edward spoke softly, "Jonas, it's Edward. Don't you remember me?"

A glow flickered in his aging eyes for a split second, then his lips parted in a thin smile. "I was wondering if you would come," he replied in a cracking voice. "Come in," he invited, opening the door.

The four of them shuffled inside and gathered around Jonas. "Before you get to why you summoned me here," Edward began, "I would like to know what happened to the other elders."

Sighing heavily, Jonas gazed into Edward's piercing gray eyes. "Ulric passed away in his sleep," he started. "It would seem that old age finally caught up with him, but Cassius was an entirely different matter. I didn't see it with my own eyes, but rumor has it that he was mugged in the marketplace."

"Mugged?"

"Yes. You know, beaten over the head with something and stripped of his possessions?"

"Didn't anyone see the incident and try to stop it?" Though his brow was raised questioningly, Edward's mouth hung agape, appalled by the fact nobody had intervened on Cassius' behalf.

"I don't think anyone saw it happen. One of the sentries found him during a patrol, lying in an alleyway with blood pooled around him on the cobblestones. At first they had thought him to be merely unconscious, but they soon discovered he was dead," Jonas replied sadly.

"I see now why the guard I spoke to a short while ago informed me that you don't really leave the castle anymore," Edward stated grimly.

"Your mother and I are the only people still living inside the walls of the castle, and lately I worry about her state of mind," he confessed.

Confusion crossed his face at the mention of his mother. The tone of Jonas' voice suggested she might be suffering from some sort of dementia, but surely that couldn't be true. She wasn't nearly as old as the elders, though Edward couldn't recall her true age. He'd always thought her to be about twenty years older than him, which would only put her into the mid to upper sixties. A far cry younger than Jonas, who was the oldest, and now the only, elder who was surely pushing one hundred, maybe more.

"Why is that?" Edward inquired.

Jonas seemed thoughtful for a few seconds before responding, twining his crooked fingers in his beard nervously. "I'm not sure how to explain her recent actions, other than that her behavior has been strange the last day or two. She doesn't seem to be herself, if that makes any sense."

"Perhaps I should check in on her then." Turning away, Edward strode toward the door.

"Don't bother, Edward," Jonas spoke loudly, just as Edward was about to leave. "She left the castle yesterday and I haven't seen her return."

Glancing over his shoulder at the elder, he considered his words. "It won't take but a few minutes," Edward insisted, spinning on his heel and disappearing into the hallway.

"Willful ... just like his mother," Jonas muttered, sitting heavily into the chair at his desk and brushing a long strand of gray hair from his face. "I would offer you a place to sit, but I've never gotten around to acquiring more furniture. It seemed pointless to do so because I never have any visitors." Looking from face to face he offered them a thin smile.

"It's not a problem, really," Katie stated politely. "We've been riding for days, so standing for a while is a welcomed change."

***

Not bothering to knock, Edward barged into his mother's chamber and immediately stopped in shock. "Mother?" he called out in a loud voice laced with worry as he quickly surveyed the room, which looked as if it had been ransacked. Stepping cautiously over a chair tipped onto its side, he moved inside and shut the door behind him. "Are you in here?"

When no response was offered, Edward methodically inspected the chamber, bending down and sifting through the huge pile of clothing on the floor near her vanity. The drawers hung open with garments dangling from them as if the dresser had vomited her belongings all over the floor.

Checking the closet, under the bed, and behind the drapes softly billowing inward from the chamber's only window, he found no trace of her. Where are you, Mother? Did you leave of your own free will, or did someone come in here and abduct you? Determined to get to the bottom of this, he strode purposefully from the room.

***

"Ah, you're back," Jonas stated, glancing up and noting the distraught look on Edward's face as he reentered. "I tried to tell you."

"What the hell happened in there? It looked as if a cyclone had blown through her chamber," he blurted out angrily, almost as if accusing the elder of doing the deed himself.

"Calm down, Edward. As I said before, she left yesterday. I heard shouting coming from down the hall, but it was only her voice. Originally I had dismissed the occurrence as a nightmare she was having, but when I gazed out my window a short time later and saw her storming out onto the streets below, I began to think something else may have been at work."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Edward's look did not soften. Instead, his brows drew down and his eyes narrowed, blazing with emotion. "He's only trying to help, Edward," Katie whispered in his ear, softly touching his arm in an attempt to diffuse his anger.

"As I indicated in my letter to you, though I didn't dare give too much detail in case it were to fall into the wrong hands, Elysia has come under attack recently," Jonas continued. "Just the other day, there was an incident in the streets with a machine like no other we've seen before. It bore the resemblance of a human male, but we later discovered it to be a mechanical device disguised in synthetic, but very real looking, flesh."

After sparing Katie a brief glance, Edward turned his attention back to Jonas as he realized the attack the elder referred to was caused by a creature similar to what they had encountered in the zombie wasteland, posing itself as Katie's friend, Julie.

"The soldiers and castle guards were able to thwart the attack, but many innocent lives were lost that day. A great deal of the city is now smoldering in ruins in the aftermath," Jonas stated grimly.

"If the soldiers repelled the attack, then why the urgent message to bring me here?"

"True, we earned a small victory in that battle, but I fear it is only the beginning of something far worse. I've had visions." He paused briefly to collect his thoughts. "In them, I have seen a much larger force invading the city. Nothing we did had any effect. At the conclusion of my vision I saw the entirety of Elysia in ashes, the castle we are in now nothing more than dust, waiting to be blown to the far corners of the world."

"It was only a vision though, right?" Edward asked. "There is no solid evidence something of that magnitude will ever occur."

"Look out the window, Edward. Isn't that enough evidence? Time is precious. We shouldn't waste it by squabbling over the possibilities," Jonas argued, his cracked voice rising in anger with each word.

"What would you have us do?" Edward sighed, not bothering to gaze out to the street below, knowing the elder was right. "There are only four of us. What could we possibly do that would hold back an army of machines?"

Finally! It's about time he came to his senses! "You don't have to fight off the invasion yourselves," he chided. "What I want you to do is travel to the throne of the Gods, plead with them for aid to turn back this tide of evil."

"What if our request falls upon deaf ears and the Gods refuse to intervene on our behalf?"

"Then, my dear boy, the world as we know it will cease to exist. Let us hope they don't turn their backs on us in our time of need," Jonas replied grimly.

Chapter 26

Slipping through the window like a draft, George entered the darkened room. Scanning the chamber he discovered it only had one occupant, an older looking woman, snoring softly in her bed. Deciding he didn't really want to trap himself inside a female body, he left the room in search of a more suitable host.

Drifting down the hallway he noticed a pair of torches flanking a sturdy wooden door with strange symbols inscribed on it. He passed through the wood effortlessly and thought, I could really get used to this. Gazing around he saw this room only had one person inside as well, but the individual seemed to be an even less desirable one to possess than the last. This guy looks old enough to fart dust!

Knowing the castle's most prominent residents likely dwelled in the upper floor of the structure, he passed through the door into the hallway once more and considered delving deeper into the building, perhaps using one of the servants. After a couple of minutes, George dismissed the idea. I've been someone else's puppet before and have no desire, whatsoever, to willingly enter the body of one who's accustomed to playing that part.

Relatively sure he wouldn't find anyone useful to inhabit, George searched the remainder of the castle for the next hour anyway. When the last nook had been appraised, he found himself returning to the old woman's chamber. Slipping inside the room he glided over to the bed. Standing above her and looking down he felt disgusted, as if he were somehow degrading himself by even thinking about using her body as a tool. What the fuck am I doing? I kill people like this!

As he floated above her, arguing with himself, the woman's eyes suddenly popped open and she screamed. Flailing to get from beneath her blanket, George struggled to get inside and take control before she managed to alert the entire castle. How the hell am I supposed to get into her body if she doesn't hold still long enough for me to seep through her skin? Frantically he worked the options out in his mind, hoping to find an answer quickly.

Suddenly, an idea came to him. It didn't seem like the best way to go about it, considering he'd only seen it done in cheesy horror films, but what did he have to lose? Allowing his form to lose cohesion, George drifted toward her open mouth as she continued to scream.

Victoria's eyes bulged in terror and she began to choke, coughing repeatedly in an attempt to expel the spirit. She grasped at her throat as if she could claw through her flesh and rip the entity from her body. Within a few short moments her quick, panicked, hyperventilating breaths caused her to pass out.

***

Insistent pounding on the door and shouts coming from the other side brought Victoria back to consciousness. Her body suddenly sat straight up of its own accord and her mouth opened. "Just a minute. I'll be right there," came calmly from her vocal cords, though the words seemed to come involuntarily. Panic seized her mind as she recalled her ghostly visitor.

On wobbling, unsteady legs she stood, forced to watch in silence as her body betrayed her wishes and strode to the opposite side of her chamber. Cracking the door open she saw the haggard face of her friend, Jonas, his hair and beard making him look like a giant gray bush. In her mind she pleaded with him to help her, but again her voice uttered something completely different. "Why are you banging on my door at this late hour?" she snapped, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Victoria. I heard yelling and wanted to make sure you were all right." Something didn't feel right to him. Beyond the doorway he caught a glimpse of her bed linens, which looked carelessly tossed on the floor near her window. Glancing back to her face it seemed as if her eyes had a horrified expression in them, but yet her voice sounded more like he had awoken her from a peaceful dream, one that she was upset about having interrupted.

Looking into the old man's nervous blue eyes made George wonder if his new disguise was holding up. "Well, if you're done ogling my goodies I'm going back to bed," he responded, pushing the door closed. Once it was shut he walked over to her dresser and began tossing garments aside, searching for something to cover the old woman's wrinkled skin so he didn't have to be reminded of the body he possessed every time he glanced down. The state her attire was in at the moment made George feel like a cross-dresser, perhaps even a transvestite, and that simply would not do. It was bad enough that he had to be inside her body, but the last thing he wanted was a constant reminder.

Chapter 27

After dealing with the stupidity of the formless ones, the Black Knight had turned off the monitor in disgust. He had no more than sat down upon his throne when a blinking light from one of the other screens caught his attention. "What now?" he growled under his breath as he got up and walked over to the monitor relegated to the Factory.

As he stepped before the screen, the voice of the man in charge of his operations there came through the speakers. "My Lord, I have a dire request. I am nearly out of workers and need more if production is to continue."

Studying the man's face the Black Knight glanced at the workroom behind him. "Where are all your workers? I only see two of them," he hissed.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," the supervisor stammered. "They have been rebelling lately and I've had to send the majority of them to Cemetery Hill."

"Idiot! You need to keep better control over them," the Black Knight roared. "Do you think there is a tree which they grow on that I can just pluck them from any time you need more?"

"No, My Lord." The man paused briefly, his mind reeling. "Will you be able to send more?" he asked meekly, hoping the Black Knight wouldn't suddenly show up and rip him to pieces.

"It will take some time, use what you have until I come up with a solution."

"But," he began to protest, "with only two workers we won't be able to keep up with your demands."

"Then use the guards to help," the Black Knight snapped. "And if that isn't enough, then maybe you should join them!"

Switching off yet another monitor, the Black Knight returned to his throne and sat down heavily. Disgusted by recent events he was forced to consider an alternate method to carry out his will. Glancing over his shoulder, he considered the impish creatures cowering in the back corner of the chamber.

"You, there," he pointed a long, skeletal finger at the one he considered to be most reliable. "Come here."

Hesitantly, the creature resembling a gnome padded over to where the Black Knight sat. "Yes, My Lord?"

"I want you to lead the others," he began, indicating the huddled group, "over to the Factory. They are running low on workers and it will give all of you something useful to do until such time as I come up with a way to bring more humans into the place."

"Yes, My Lord," the creature replied, happily returning to his fellows to deliver the news. As the group exited the room, they whispered excitedly to one another, thankful to be out of immediate danger. The Black Knight watched them file into the tunnel beyond, hoping his idea would solve his current dilemma. For a while at least.

Chapter 28

Stepping from the shadows of the castle where he'd grown up into the midday sun should have cheered Edward, but it didn't. Seeing the smoldering remains of so many homes turned his stomach. After speaking briefly with the guard watching over the mechanical beasts they had rode into town, Edward strode to the north to acquire more foodstuffs to fill the depleted saddlebags. Katie, Jack, and Brian followed silently in his footsteps as if they were dogs on a leash.

None of them dared to say a word. The brooding look upon Edward's face reminded Katie of a massive storm cloud waiting to burst. Once the bags were refilled with meats, cheeses, and breads, he handed them to Jack before turning toward the northernmost corner of the castle where the stables were. Sighing, Katie and the others trailed behind. Why can't he just be content with riding the metallic beasts? Nevermind the fact I enjoy having his arms around me when he rides with me, or that he's less moody when we're close, she thought.

Knowing the others, especially Katie, were frustrated by his obsessive need for a flesh and blood mount of his own, Edward ignored the heavy sighs drifting up from behind him.

After a brief conversation with the stable master, he led a gorgeous, young chestnut stallion with a flowing black mane outside to where the others waited for him. Jack handed over the saddlebag to Edward, which he quickly secured in place behind his saddle.

"I hope you plan on being a little kinder to this one," Katie stated, finally finding the nerve to speak her mind.

A glare of annoyance flickered briefly in Edward's eyes, then disappeared as if it had never been there. "I don't think we will have to push ourselves so hard now that we have an idea of what we may be up against, so the horse should fare just fine," he replied, doing his best to keep the sarcasm from his tone.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean for my words to sound so ... condescending. I guess I just don't understand what you have against riding with me on one of the mechanical horses. They cover ground more rapidly and we don't have to be concerned about them getting tired."

"Though I've ridden with you on one for a short time, I still don't trust them. Besides, it is always nice to have an animal among us who can sense danger much easier than humans."

"Hello? Isn't that what I'm for?" Brian asked, looking offended and hurt by Edward's comment.

"Technically, you sense the presence of evil. As far as I know you don't have an early warning system for naturally occurring threats, like wild animals or other people whose intentions may be hostile," Katie answered, hoping to diffuse the situation before it started to get out of control.

"Well, crap! Now I feel like an idiot for opening my mouth." Brian hung his head in shame for a few seconds. "I apologize for being rude, Edward."

"It is better that we air any grievances we may have so we can move on as harmoniously as possible. We have no idea what we may be up against and we cannot afford to show our enemies a weakness they could exploit," Edward stated in a tone meant to rally everyone together. A quick survey of their faces told him that his message had been well received.

"Does this mean the petty bickering is going to finally stop?" Jack inquired, grinning.

"I think it means that no matter what we may feel on a personal level, we keep it to ourselves so our enemies can't divide us," Katie responded, looking to Edward for conformation.

"Exactly! If we stand united, nothing will prevent us from emerging victorious. Now, let's get everyone saddled up and headed out. If the Gods smile upon us our mission will surely succeed," Edward shouted, raising a fist into the air to emphasize his point.

Chapter 29

A clacking sound could clearly be heard in the silence, which permeated the dead town. The formless one who had assumed command of the others sat up and looked toward the rails leading up to the edge of the city. It was a noise the demon was familiar with, signifying a fresh delivery of corpses to the dumping ground.

Sensing the movement nearby, one of the infested cyborgs, leaning against the side of a dilapidated house, turned its head to regard the leader. "How long do we have to wait here for George to show his face? It sure doesn't seem like he's coming back," the cyborg complained.

The railcar screeched to a stop a short distance away. "What are you sniveling about?" the Black Knight roared.

Turning toward the sound of his voice, the minion quivered with fear as he realized his master was standing on the platform of the open railcar, which was piled high with fresh bodies. Scrambling to his knees, he quickly bowed to the Black Knight. "Humblest apologies, My Lord."

"Get off your knees you worthless piece of shit! Come unload these corpses ... and make sure you scatter them through town."

Quickly, the minion scampered to the rails, cowering as he approached, fearful his master was luring him within striking distance to kill him. When the blow didn't fall, he hefted a corpse onto each shoulder and began to distribute them throughout the alleyways in town.

"Which one of you dared to stand up to me when you failed your last mission?" the Black Knight demanded, searching the area with narrowed eyes and waiting to see if the same minion would step forward.

After a moment's hesitation, the leader cautiously raised his hand. "That would be me, My Lord."

The Black Knight stepped down from the platform and approached the formless one. "It's good to see you still have your balls." He grinned wickedly. "You will be in charge to lead my army north to Elysia. Destroy any who oppose you, including that worm, George, should you happen to cross his path. When you get to Elysia I want the city leveled! Understood?"

"Yes, My Lord." He bowed.

"Then gather the others and go. Now!" The Black Knight turned back to the railcar as the leader began to issue orders to the others. The platform was now empty and the whining minion was rushing to join the rest of the formless ones. "Where do you think you're going?" The Black Knight reached out and snagged the coward by the neck before he could get away.

"But ... but you said," he began, his voice not much more than a gurgle with his master's skeletal claw tightly gripped his throat.

"I know what I said," he hissed, his long, jagged teeth gnashing inches from the minion's face. "That mission was for the others. I have other things in mind for you," the Black Knight growled, throwing the coward to the ground and pinning him there with a clawed foot.

"What would you have me do, My Lord?" the formless one inquired in a raspy voice.

"You will stay here, play dead, and keep the corpses company," he spat. "If George returns, you will kill him!"

"What if—" the minion began to ask.

"If he comes back and you fail ... it will be you who dies!"

Chapter 30

The last two days had been hell for George. Several times he had found himself wishing he'd chosen another individual to possess. The body he now inhabited was a far cry from being completely unusable, but it grew tired too quickly, causing him to stop more frequently than he liked. However, there was at least one aspect of the possession he rather enjoyed: the woman seemed to be highly in tune with nature. Oftentimes when he stopped to rest, small woodland creatures would approach, even to the point of allowing her to pet them, which George used to his advantage.

If he had a caring soul, which obviously he didn't, he wouldn't use the woman in such a manner. It was really a shame George hadn't thought to bring one of her small handheld mirrors along for the journey. Forcing her to hold it up so she could watch herself, snapping the neck of a rabbit or squirrel then tearing her teeth into its flesh, the blood drizzling down her chin as she ate the raw meat as if she were eating corn on the cob, was truly a morbid delight.

It was nearly dark when George began to hear a familiar sound. Tossing the carcass of his dinner aside, he scrambled for the cover of a large willow a few feet away and ducked behind its enormous trunk. After peeking around the tree a couple of times, he saw what was making the noise.

Apparently the group of travelers he had seen when he'd been much further north, somewhere near Outpost 13 if his memory was correct, were following him. When George gazed upon their leader, riding in front of the others on a dark colored horse, a twinge of emotion revealed itself. Not from him, but the body he was inside of. "I get the impression you know this man," he muttered, forcing the words into the woman's mind and causing her entire body to break out in goose bumps, confirming his suspicion. "How do you know him?" Shaking her head violently, she did everything she could to suppress the thought so George wouldn't obtain the information he wanted.

Prying into her mind wasn't as difficult as he expected. Clamping a hand over her mouth in case she somehow managed to blurt out a warning, his words hissed venomously in her mind. "Ah, so he's your son. Well, let us follow them for a bit to see what they're up to, shall we?"

Silently he waited for the procession to go by, a pang of longing and regret washing over him as he watched not one, but two mechanical horses trailing behind the lead animal. Sons of bitches! One of those should be mine! His eyes narrowed in anger as he thought back to his former life and how easily he'd been duped. I will get my revenge, you can be sure of that!

Chapter 31

As dusk approached on their second full day away from Elysia, Brian pushed the pommel of his mount forward a bit more to speed it up enough to draw even with Edward.

"I'm feeling something," he whispered.

Edward held up a hand, indicating the group should stop. "What kind of something?" he inquired, turning to face Brian.

"The kind which hits when I'm in the presence of evil," he replied quietly, nervously glancing to his left.

"Is it coming from over there?" Edward pointed in the direction Brian was looking.

"I think so."

"I see nothing except trees," he stated doubtfully. "Are you sure you're not just imagining things? After all, trees can't be evil, can they?"

Sighing, he turned back to face Edward and gave him a raised eyebrow look that said, you can't be serious.

After squinting into the trees and still seeing nothing, he nudged the horse to get it moving again. A few moments passed before he reined the horse to a stop once more, not hearing the heavy footfalls of the mechanical beasts. "Are you guys coming?" he called over his shoulder.

"Why won't he listen to me?" Brian turned his head to face Katie who had pulled up beside him.

"About what?"

"I can feel something evil lurking in the woods nearby, stronger than a pack of zombies, but it seems to be a single entity," he replied in a conspiratorial whisper, nodding his head in the direction he perceived the threat to be emanating from. "He wouldn't take my warning seriously, instead he cracked a joke about evil trees."

"Not exactly what I call sticking together in the face of adversity," Katie stated glumly.

"What should we do?"

"For now I would say we indulge him. Later on, when something happens, you can tell him you told him so," she replied, offering a thin, but hardly consoling smile.

Chapter 32

Returning, not to his lair but to the Factory instead, the Black Knight was pleased to see that production of his army seemed to be back on schedule with the addition of his minions to the work force. From the corner of his eye he saw the supervisor quickly making his way over to where he stood.

"My Lord," the man said, bowing briefly. "Thank you for sending more workers to me. They are much more efficient than any of the humans I've watched over."

"Don't get too excited, little man." The Black Knight grinned. "I will be taking them back to my sanctuary as soon as I can find replacements for you."

"As you wish." The supervisor bowed again and started to move away.

"Wait!"

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Where are the humans who were here when I sent my minions to help out?"

"I've sent them on to Cemetery Hill, My Lord. They were extremely unproductive and rebellious after your helpers arrived, and refused to work alongside them. I couldn't have them disrupting production," the supervisor replied, hoping he'd made the right choice. Rubbing his throat he recalled the last time he had made the Black Knight angry and he wasn't aiming for a repeat performance.

A few tense moments passed while the supervisor waited for a response from the Black Knight. Without a word, his black cloak swirled as he turned his back on the man and glided with demonic swiftness up the tunnel toward Cemetery Hill.

***

Arriving a short time later, the Black Knight entered the expansive chamber. Row upon row of slaves, their feet chained to rings set in the floor, were stretched over the crude wooden crosses which dotted the landscape from one side of the room to the other. With all of the recent troubles, many of these lay barren, waiting silently with outstretched wooden arms for their next victim. Most, if not all, of the slaves still clinging to life here were likely captured at one time by the same man who plagued the Black Knight now.

Even from beyond his grave George continued to defy him at every turn. I need to regain the upper hand with that insolent bastard. But how? Tapping a skeletal finger against his chin thoughtfully, a new idea came to him. "Why didn't I think of this before?" he muttered wickedly to the unconscious forms in front of him.

Spreading his arms wide as if he were a priest delivering a benediction to conclude a church service, a large portal opened up before him like a black hole in outer space. Grinning, he stepped through to the other side, and floated into a heavily forested area on the outskirts of Misty Hollows, Ohio ... in 1988!

***

As the Black Knight entered a version of Earth's past, his army of cyborgs and reanimated corpses marched relentlessly toward Elysia. They were rapidly approaching George unknowingly, not that they cared. Their focus lay to the north and what remained of the greatest city upon Desolace.

The days and nights blurred together as their mission objective loomed just out of reach. Within the next two or three days they would be bringing Elysia to its knees, leaving nothing but a smoldering memory of what once was.

Chapter 33

Having just entered another large clearing as the sun departed from the sky, Edward decided to keep pushing forward despite the fact that Amber was absent. One of Desolace's two moons had already begun to rise in the east, giving them ample light to continue their journey.

Riding side by side near Katie, Brian voiced his doubts. "I don't like this," he whispered to her.

"Me, either," she agreed. "I wish he would stop for a while and wait for Amber. It almost seems like he's getting impatient and rushing things again."

"That isn't exactly what I meant," he confessed. "I'm getting mixed signals from my senses."

"What do you mean?"

"I am almost certain that what I felt a while back in the woods ... is still following us. Patiently biding its time and watching, but now I also feel a larger presence before us and it appears to be heading straight for our position."

"Can you tell what it is?" Katie asked nervously.

"No. I just know it's a much greater threat than whatever is stalking us from behind."

"We have to tell Edward," she insisted. "We can't let him blindly lead us right into whatever it is that you're sensing." Not waiting for Brian to agree or disagree, Katie pushed her pommel forward and quickly caught up to Edward, who turned his head toward her as she pulled up beside him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his face unreadable in the near darkness.

"Brian said he could feel something heading straight for us," she whispered urgently. "And he says the feeling he's getting from it is stronger than the one he had before when we were trying to avoid a massive horde of zombies!" That seemed to get his attention ... finally.

He pulled on the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. "I don't see anything nearby," he calmly stated, squinting into the darkness ahead.

Katie looked for anything to give validity to Brian's warning. Peering into the distance she could see a good sized area which seemed darker than everything else around it, but she couldn't tell what, if anything, it was. As Brian pulled up alongside them, Katie could just barely make out his eyes, which were beginning to cloud over and make him look like he was possessed. "Um ... Edward?" She reached over and tugged on his cloak, pointing toward Brian.

"Maybe there is something to his warning," Edward surmised, noting the change in his breathing and the overcast glaze of his eyes. Turning to look into the distance, he continued to see nothing unusual.

"Oh, shit! Here we go," Katie announced, seeing Brian casually dismount the mechanical horse and wander a short distance away, falling to his knees and acting much like he did back at her childhood home. "I think the proverbial shit is about to hit the fan!"

With Brian no longer atop the mechanical horse, Jack inched forward into the saddle, inadvertently bumping the pommel and causing the beast to lurch sideways. Losing his balance, he made a last ditch effort to cling to the saddle. Jack's clothing snagged on the pommel and jerked it to the side as he fell to the ground. The metallic creature skittered in that direction, stomping on one of Jack's legs as the cloth ripped free, leaving the monstrosity standing on top of him. "Help! Somebody get this thing off of me," he screamed in agonized helplessness.

Glancing quickly in that direction, Katie saw Brian raising his arms into the air, preparing himself for the ritual to come as if he hadn't heard Jack's plea. Hopping down from her mount, she rapidly ascended into the saddle of the beast crushing Jack with its considerable weight, thrusting the pommel to one side long enough to get the creature off him.

Jumping down again, she rushed over to help Jack. As she knelt down beside him, Katie caught movement from the corner of her eye and looked to see what it was. Was it her imagination, or was that dark blob closer than it was a minute ago? "Edward," she called out, nervously pointing toward the approaching mass.

Looking in the direction she indicated, Edward began to notice shapes emerging from the shadowy area. "It can't be! We closed the portal!" Fearing the zombies of future Earth had somehow found another way to his world, he quickly summoned his most reliable spell and thrust his palms forward. A blaze of bright blue light flashed outward in a tight cone, freezing everything it touched in place.

In almost the same instant, Brian finished his unintelligible chant, bathing the area in a shroud of brilliant yellow flames. Apparently Edward's spell had been slightly off target because Katie could see a sizeable number of shapes running away. At this distance they looked human, but it was impossible to tell for sure.

Glancing to her left, Katie saw Brian slump to the ground. She hadn't noticed anything near him, so she assumed he had merely collapsed from exhaustion. Turning her head to the right, she saw Edward sitting on his horse in dumbfounded silence. "Aren't you going to go after the stragglers?" she shouted, hoping to break his trance-like state.

His mind in a fog as he surveyed the state of his group, Edward didn't hear Katie yelling at him. He saw Brian, lying on the ground about a hundred feet away, and hoped he hadn't been injured. The brief battle had demanded his full concentration and he hadn't been able to keep track of everyone during the most intense part. Katie was huddled on the ground near Jack, who he knew was hurt but not the extent of his injuries. He could see her mouth moving but could not hear her words, almost as if he'd suddenly gone deaf. The glow of the fire allowed him to see the desperate look in her eyes. Slowly, Edward shook his head as if trying to clear a bad memory.

"Edward!" she screamed.

Snapping his head up, he locked eyes with her.

"They're getting away," she yelled again, pointing toward the fleeing attackers.

Turning his head he caught sight of them; a group of perhaps twenty people darting away from their frozen and flash fried friends. Firmly planting his boots in the horse's flanks, he yelled, "Yah!" The animal immediately complied, tearing across the open field at a full gallop.

As Edward veered around the magical flames Brian had created, he soon realized it was a lost cause. The fleeing attackers had taken cover in the forest nearby and disappeared from sight.

"Whoa," he urged the horse in a commanding voice, bringing the animal to a stop at the edge of the woods. Gently he pulled the reins to the left, turning the horse back toward his comrades, and made a clicking noise to get the horse to trot.

"They got away," Edward announced when he returned to where Katie was nursing Jack's wounds. "How bad is he?"

"I've managed to stop the bleeding," she told him, looking up with tears rolling down her cheeks, "but I'm afraid his leg is beyond repair. The horse broke Jack's leg when it stomped on it, severing it just above his knee. He'll never walk normally again," she cried.

Hopping down, Edward walked over to inspect the wound. He was hoping he could somehow magically reattach the limb so Jack could use it again, but saw that Katie was right. "I'm sorry, my friend," he said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and gazing into eyes he expected to be moist with tears. On the contrary, Jack's eyes glowed with a fury Edward had never seen, especially from someone as gentle as Jack had always been around them.

"You've done all you can for me," Jack groaned as he shifted his weight to one side to prop himself into a sitting position. "Go check on Brian."

"You're a lot tougher than I ever imagined." Edward grinned, patting him on the back and helping Katie to her feet.

As the two of them strode over to where Brian lay, crumpled in the tall grass, an audible cracking sound erupted in the silence behind them. Turning her head, Katie now understood why Jack had shooed them away. He was changing back into a wolf.

***

Once Brian regained consciousness, everyone who was able mounted their steeds. Slowly they plodded toward the fire burning in the center of the field with Jack hobbling along after them. No one mentioned anything about how it would impede their progress, their respect for the noble werewolf was too great. As long as Jack wished to remain by their sides they would welcome him.

"I still find this very odd," Katie murmured, dismounting a few feet from the blazing inferno.

"What do you think is so strange?" Edward hopped down from his horse, raising a brow curiously.

"The fact I can do this," she replied, holding out her hands to the flames as if to warm them, her fingertips inches away. "As big as this blaze is, I should have third degree burns from standing this close."

"Well, don't try doing that with a flame I've created," he smirked. "Fortunately, Brian here seems to be the master of the heat-less fire."

Before he could take credit for the compliment, a hissing noise captured their attention. As they turned toward the inferno it was followed by several rapid popping sounds. Some of the bodies encased in Edward's magical ice were beginning to spark and sizzle. The air around the group became acrid, filled with a scent only Katie and Brian recognized, the smell of burnt wiring.

"That must be what the elder was talking about," Katie remarked, pointing at one of the cyborgs as its skin began to slough off and fall to the ground revealing the robotic creature beneath.

Chapter 34

Not daring to risk exposure in the open field, George remained at the edge of the forest, silently watching as the small group of people approached the conflagration in the center. "Weren't there four of them a while ago?" he muttered softly to himself. When the inflection he heard was not his own, but the old woman's cracked and aged voice, George glanced around as if expecting to see another person nearby.

It took a few seconds for him to realize the decrepit sound had come from the vocal cords of the body he possessed, but as he scanned the surrounding shadows of the forest George couldn't help feeling like someone was watching him. Squinting into the darkness a few moments longer, he finally dismissed it as paranoia and turned his attention back to the open field.

Briefly he contemplated the possibility that the fourth member of the small group had died during the course of the fight, but then saw another darkened shape walking toward the enormous fire. It can't be, he thought, shaking his head as if he were seeing a mirage or hallucinating. The shape he saw was not human, but an animal of some sort. I don't remember them having ...

As George watched the beast hobble close enough to the flames to distinguish what it was, a light bulb flickered in his mind. The memory of killing a woman in the recent past. A woman who was not what she seemed. When he'd killed her he had originally thought her to be an animal, a wolf to be precise, but a short time after her death the fur had receded, leaving a human head dangling from his saddle. The memory faded from his mind as he watched the animal approach the three individuals beside the blaze as if it were the family dog.

***

Keeping herself as dim as she could, Amber hid behind a dense cluster of saplings, studying the old woman twenty feet from her. There was something off about the crone that she couldn't place and she was determined to find out what it was. Having not seen George in quite some time now, she was forced to wonder. Could he be hiding inside this woman like he'd done a short time ago with the man who turned out to be a machine? Were her senses muddled because he was inside of a live host or had he fled to somewhere she could not pick up on him? Since Amber didn't really have any other way to find out, she resolved to follow the woman until she could get answers.

***

Once the fleeing minions reached the relative safety and cover of the forest they began to regroup. "Just goes to show that having balls will only get you so far," one of them muttered, clearly depicting the formless one who had been their leader as an imbecile.

"How was he to know the puny group of mortals would be so powerful?" another asked, defending the decision of his superior.

"Perhaps you'd like to go back into the field and join the others, roasting like marshmallows," the disgruntled minion hissed.

"Will you two stop bickering? He led us into a fight we could not win, get over it! We need to pick someone else to be in charge and decide what we will do next," the reanimated corpse of a young, brunette woman stated bluntly, silencing most of the murmurs of dissent.

"Maybe we should have a contest," the first formless one muttered sarcastically, "and let the one with the most battle prowess take charge."

The brunette woman stomped over to the minion, smacking him in the forehead with the palm of her rotting hand, rocking his head backward. "Idiot! Fighting amongst ourselves will only draw the attention of the humans!"

"I say we let her lead the way," the minion who'd defended their former leader stated, pointing toward the woman who had been acting as a referee. Murmurs of agreement swept through the rest, except for the formless one who's suggestion it had been for them to fight it out. Waving his hand at them in disgust, he left without another word.

"Good riddance," she grumbled, turning her back on the troublemaker. Issuing orders to the remainder of them, she began leading them north, sticking to the trees and out of sight.

Chapter 35

It was well past first light before the four of them felt safe leaving the clearing. Much of the night had been spent stamping out small fires; not the magical kind which Brian had produced, but real ones created by the sparks coming from the machines Edward had encased in ice. Every now and then an errant spark would touch the tall grass surrounding the conflagration and ignite it. Once the magical flames began to dwindle as they consumed the evil held captive within them, the group began to contemplate heading into the nearby forest.

Brian and Katie rode the metallic steeds into the trees ahead of Edward, who was walking beside his horse and leading it by the reins so as not to leave Jack fighting to keep up.

Just inside the trees, Katie impatiently waited for Edward. She had an idea she wanted to run by him and was also thinking of taking a short break to hunt. Sure they had food stashed away in the saddlebags, but she was really craving something fresher.

When he finally stepped into the shade provided by the foliage overhead, Edward saw Katie anxiously looking at him. "I suppose you are wanting to rest?"

"No," she laughed nervously, knowing she probably deserved the sarcastic question after badgering him so much about traveling in such a hurried fashion. "I had an idea that I wanted to run past you."

Cocking an eyebrow curiously at her, he motioned for her to continue. "Go on." He twirled his hand again when she didn't immediately tell him.

"I know we have plenty of food in the saddlebags to keep us for a while, but I was wondering if you would object to my hunting for fresh meat?"

"Well, I did say that we were going to travel at a more casual pace, but something like that seems a frivolous waste of time, not to mention an impossible task in your condition." He frowned.

"You didn't let me finish." She sighed. "I thought that maybe while I was hunting, with either yours or Brian's help, I could look for something to help Jack."

"What do you hope to find while hunting that would help him?" he asked, looking as if he were already growing impatient with the conversation.

"Hell, I don't know," she snapped. "A branch or something to lash onto him, so he could use it as a leg and not have to hobble around everywhere."

Scratching his chin for a moment, he considered the idea. "That actually sounds like something worth taking the time and effort to do," he finally replied, offering her an apologetic smile.

Having already strapped Jack's sword around her waist, with her bow in one hand she walked over to where he stood and threw her free arm around him in a hug. "I'm glad you listened to the voice of reason," she whispered while inwardly she thought, I would have done it without your blessing.

Before Katie darted deeper into the woods with Brian, Edward turned to him. "What do your senses say? Are we safe for the time being?"

"We should be fine for a while." Brian smiled. "I still feel something, but it seems more distant and much less of a threat."

"That's a relief," Edward sighed, more worried about Katie's safety than the rest of theirs, even though she would have Brian with her. Edward had never seen him use a weapon in battle though, so he was unsure about his ability to keep her from harm. Sure, if something were to attack them while she was off hunting it would be more difficult to repel. Especially considering the fact that Jack was injured, making him less effective in battle.

Edward surveyed the sparsely wooded area for a suitable place to build the campfire, picking up small sticks along the way, but noticed he was too slow in the endeavor. Jack had already begun pawing at the ground awkwardly. Balancing himself on two legs, Edward was amazed that Jack didn't tip over from the force of his scratching. "Let me help you," he called to the wolf, quickly walking over, dropping the branches he had gathered, and bending down to scoop handfuls of damp, rotten leaves away from the spot Jack had begun to clear.

***

By the time Katie returned there was a small fire going. With a big, proud grin on her face, she held up two large rabbits in one hand. "Look what Brian helped me to get, you guys!"

"Is that all?" Edward joked.

"If you want, I will take them back and find a deer," she replied playfully, acting as if she were about to turn around, then grinning and walking over to where they sat. She tossed them onto the ground by Edward's feet then reached into the quiver of arrows on her back, drawing a thick, shortened branch from it that had a strange notch cut into.

Walking over to Edward's horse, Katie rummaged through the saddlebag on its back and pulled out the spool of twine. "I know this might seem weird and take some getting used to, Jack," she softly stated, kneeling down beside him. "Roll over on your side," she urged.

Edward shifted his position so he could more clearly see what she was doing, amazed by how deftly she worked. Within a couple of minutes Katie had placed the stump of Jack's leg into the notch she had carved out of the branch and, as Brian held the branch in place for her, secured the homemade crutch to his leg with the twine, wrapping it around his midsection to hold it more tightly in place.

When she was done Katie sat back. "Go ahead and give it a try," she coaxed. As he got to his feet Katie saw that she had misjudged the overall length of the branch. The repaired leg was an inch or two shorter than his real one, but despite that Jack seemed to move around much better. However, the sight of the slight hobble combined with the wooden leg reminded her of a pirate, tempting her to utter the word Arrrrr and give him an eye patch. In the end she kept those thoughts and actions to herself, not wanting to make light of Jack's condition.

"I never would have considered doing something like that," Edward remarked, beaming with pride about Katie's ingenuity as Jack sauntered over and licked her hand.

"You're welcome." She smiled, ruffling the fur on his head. "Are those rabbits cooked yet?" Turning to face Edward she gave him a playful smirk to let him know she was only joking around.

He grinned back. "Not yet, but I'll get right on it."

Chapter 36

Returning to the dumping ground two days after he'd departed the company of his peers, the formless one, who preferred to be addressed as Verin, shed the skin of the body he inhabited and left it crumpled on the ground behind one of the structures.

Free of the restrictive shell, Verin floated through the air toward the railroad tracks, which terminated abruptly behind what was at one time the inn. "What are you doing back here?" Turning his head toward the sound of the voice, he saw the cyborg—whom the Black Knight had ordered to stay behind—propped up and leaning against the outer wall of the inn.

"We ran into trouble before we reached Elysia. The idiot that our master left in charge got himself killed," Verin snapped.

"Are you the only one who survived?"

"No. The ones who did decided to elect a new leader, but I thought it would be better to inform our Lord of the events which significantly reduced our numbers. He's going to need a lot more than us to keep the intruders at bay; they are more powerful than our master knows," Verin replied.

"Are you going back to his chamber to tell him? Take me with you if you are," the minion pleaded.

"Yes, but I'm going alone. It would be best if you stay here as he commanded lest you have a desire to incur his wrath."

The formless one sighed deeply. "I suppose you're right. I'm just bored out of my mind sitting here waiting. I think if George was coming back he would have arrived by now."

Growing tired of the debate with the sniveling minion, Verin turned away and began following the tracks, which he knew would eventually lead back to Cemetery Hill.

***

When Verin reached the other end of the railway he glided into the expansive chamber, dimly lit with blood red lights overhead. Surveying the room he noticed the number of slaves had dwindled considerably since his last visit. There didn't look to be more than fifty individuals chained to the floor in all of the rows combined, a tiny fraction when you considered the massive chamber could hold close to a thousand.

As he prepared to return to the Black Knight's sanctuary he noticed a large black oval shape in the far corner. Walking over to investigate, he recognized the void as a portal. The only one capable of creating something like this within Cemetery Hill was his master, but Verin's curiosity got the better of him.

Not willing to go completely through the portal, he stuck his head into the blackness to see what was on the other side. All he could see was a forest, much like any other, though the trees somehow seemed smaller in stature. Before he pulled his head back Verin heard an odd honking sound, as if there were a mutated creature just out of sight with the voice of a duck, but the lungs of a dragon.

Unable to comprehend what he'd just seen and heard, Verin pulled his head back to his side of the portal. Though he didn't expect to find his master there, he floated back to the sanctuary. Upon his arrival he found the chamber completely deserted, even the impish minor demons were gone.

Gliding over to the Black Knight's bank of monitors he studied them one at a time, trying to figure out where everyone had disappeared to. After ten minutes of searching their screens, Verin finally located the impish creatures, busily working in the Factory.

Something had to be seriously wrong if the Black Knight had sent them there, but without guidance from his master Verin was at a loss about what to do. The tattered remnants of his master's army were no match for the intruders heading this way, not that they would be in the dumping ground to defend it should the small group of mortals find the city.

The only option he could think of was to gather the minions from the Factory and send them to the town, more as a means to slow the mortals down than anything because they were far less effective as soldiers than his formless companions. Inhibited by their small size, and the fact they could not possess other creatures, they would surely be a small hurdle for the humans to get past, but perhaps the inconvenience would hold them up long enough that the Black Knight could mount a more effective defense. If he returned in time to marshal his troops that is.

As Verin departed the chamber and headed toward the Factory he wondered how his formless body would be received by the human in charge of the facility. He was pretty sure the man had never seen his kind, but perhaps he would think of Verin as a ghost. Surely it would be a less frightening experience for him if that's how he perceived Verin, but then again, he was probably used to dealing with the Black Knight anyway.

***

It was a longer journey than he had anticipated, but an hour later Verin passed through the archway into the Factory. The impish creatures noticed him immediately, glancing up from their work and curiously wondering why he was there. The supervisor, however, didn't realize Verin was standing in the room until he noticed the sounds of work had diminished.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" the supervisor demanded, angry about the interruption and knowing the Black Knight would have his head if production faltered.

"I have come to collect your inhuman workers," Verin lied. "My master has something more important for them to do."

The man eyed him suspiciously. "Why does he send you instead of coming down here himself?" He was actually thankful to deal with someone far less terrifying than the Black Knight, but since he'd never dealt with anyone else the supervisor found it odd.

"Because he is away on a personal mission of his own," Verin snapped. "He left me in charge of his affairs while he is gone. You are wasting my time with all your pointless questions, mortal!"

"Very well, t-take th-them and g-go," he stammered, raising his arms in surrender and backing away slowly.

"Really? We get to leave? Ya-hoo!" the tiny, slobbering creature cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

***

If he'd thought the trip down to the Factory was long, the journey back was nearly insufferable. Verin felt as if he was traveling at a snail's pace in comparison because he constantly had to wait for the tiny creatures to catch up; their short legs, even when they were running, were an extremely slow method of propulsion.

Several hours after Verin had escorted the impish minions from the Factory they finally arrived at Cemetery Hill. Leading the large group through the chamber he opened the outer door, revealing the railcar that would transport the creatures to the dumping grounds.

"Get on," he instructed the tiny creatures, pointing to the platform on wheels as Verin stood next to the control panel which operated the car.

Hopping and dancing excitedly, they complied. Issuing last minute orders to the group, he waited until the last one boarded. Once they were ready, Verin hit the switch to send them down to the city below. The impish demons cackled and screamed in delight as the platform began to move, acting much like they were riding a huge wave on a surfboard as the railcar hurtled down the side of the mountain.

Chapter 37

After the delicious meal Katie and Brian had provided for them, the group continued their weary march to the south, unsure how far they would be required to travel to reach the throne of the Gods, or how many more dangers they would be forced to face along the way.

As daybreak approached on the following day, Edward pointed out the changing color of the leaves overhead. Having never been this far south of Elysia in his lifetime, he hadn't realized, until now, that the change of seasons would reach this far. The air was cool, but it didn't seem enough to cause trees to shed their leaves.

Not wanting to sound like she was complaining, Katie hadn't brought up the fact she could see many of the large trees in the distance looked to be almost completely devoid of foliage, making her think of her favorite holiday back home, Halloween. Instead, she rode in silence, occasionally glancing back to see how the leg she constructed for Jack was holding up.

The wind was starting to pick up, gusting through the forest from the north, bringing a biting chill with it as the light began to fade from the sky. Edward paused briefly to listen, hearing a rumble of thunder in the distance, and considered whether or not to stop and create a shelter.

"Do you think it's headed this way?" Katie asked, pulling her metallic steed alongside so Edward could hear her over the wind whipping through the trees.

"I can't see the clouds well enough to tell if it might be headed toward us or not," he shouted.

As if to answer her question, intermittent rain drops could now be heard hitting the sparse foliage overhead. "It could be nothing more than a drizzle," Brian remarked, joining them.

A bright flash lit the area as a streak of lightning came down close by, followed by an ear-shattering crack. In a matter of seconds, Katie and Brian were off their mounts and scrambling to get away from them before the storm decided to use their mounts as lightning rods. Looking around they saw Jack sitting nonchalantly next to a nearby tree, sheltering himself from the wind, which was steadily picking up in intensity, bending some of the smaller trees as it howled through the forest.

Cold, driving rain began to pour down, pelting their exposed flesh with enough force to raise tiny welts on their skin. Edward joined the trio moments later, standing close and opening his cloak to offer what protection from the elements that he could.

The storm raged on for nearly two hours before it began to ease up, but by then everyone was drenched. Edward's arms were exhausted from holding his heavy, damp cloak up to shield his friends from the weather. Letting his arms fall to his side, the only thing he had any energy left to do was chatter his teeth. With their clothes thoroughly soaked, everyone was freezing and even though the wind had died down, the light breeze filtering through the woods was enough to make them even colder.

Katie looked around dismally, knowing there would be no hope of finding any dry wood to build a fire. Seeing the expression of despair on her face, Edward shook his head sadly. "There is no way I could keep a magical flame burning long enough to catch anything on fire," he told her.

"We need to find some real shelter," she complained through chattering teeth. "A city like Loknar would be a welcomed sight right about now."

***

An hour after the rain had stopped they mounted their steeds, hoping that if they got moving again they would feel better. Jack seemed to be the only one of them who wasn't cold and miserable, but even that wasn't a sure bet. If he'd been in human form it would have been easier to tell; his fur covered face was impossible to read.

Though the wind had died almost completely there were still occasional rumbles of thunder overhead. As dark as it was now Edward had to ride with an upraised palm, carrying a small, magical flame within it like a torch to light their way; the dark clouds above hiding the moons and for yet another night, Amber was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell is she? Katie wondered. It would be so much easier to follow her, not to mention it would also be comforting to have her around.

Tink! Spinning her head toward the noise, Katie peered into the darkness. "Edward, stop! I think someone is out there," she stated in a harsh, uncertain whisper. The sound repeated itself moments later. "I think someone is throwing rocks at us."

Turning his horse around, he backtracked to where her beast stood, unmoving. Holding his hand higher he gazed into the nearby shadows, but saw nothing suspicious. "I don't see—" he started as he lowered his arm, catching a glimpse of the culprit as he witnessed a small, white object bounce from the mechanical horse.

Before Edward could open his mouth to warn the others, another pea-sized chunk of hail struck the metallic beast, then another. "Get off your horses, quickly, and take cover beneath them," he yelled, frantically climbing down from his own mount and flinging the reins over the head of the mechanical creature Katie was riding to make sure it didn't run off.

"Ouch!" she shouted, being pelted by the falling hail. Scrambling down from her mount as Edward instructed, she managed to get beneath the creature not a moment too soon. Within seconds the sky opened up, releasing a torrent of icy pellets upon them, the sound of them striking the mechanical beast above her resonating like machine gun fire.

Though the cloudburst was shorter lived than the downpour they had been caught in an hour or two ago, the hail quickly accumulated on the forest floor. By the time it was over, the surrounding area looked like a winter wonderland, the darkened ground now coated in a few inches of ice.

The four of them remained huddled beneath Katie's steed, well after the storm had abated. Even with the biting chill in the air and their damp clothing they were beginning to feel invigorated after discovering that even though they couldn't start a campfire, the magical glow in Edward's hand still produced enough heat to warm them if they crowded in close to him. Combined with the warmth of Jack's fur, it was comfortable enough for Katie to drift off as she leaned against Edward, his arms draped over her shoulders, attempting to keep the flame in his palm away from the wolf sitting between her legs. After all he had been through, the last thing Edward needed was to catch his friend's fur on fire.

Chapter 38

Time drifted by in agonizing slowness for the minion the Black Knight had left as a sentinel in the dumping grounds, making him wish that George would show his face so he would at least have something worthwhile to do.

The sound seemed far off at first, but was rapidly growing louder, a clacking noise which appeared to be coming from the rails. Quickly he stood up, anticipating the arrival of his master.

When the railcar came to a screeching halt at the termination of the tracks, however, the minion saw that it was not the Black Knight dropping by for a visit. Instead the platform was filled to the point of bursting with the impish creatures who normally cowered in the corner of his master's sanctuary. They were jumping and dancing with glee, laughing and carrying on like they had just finished riding a roller coaster at an amusement park.

"What are all of you doing here?" the minion inquired, approaching the railcar in confusion.

"Verin sent us. He said you were going to need help," a gnomish-looking creature replied, hopping down from the platform and waving his arm. Responding to the gesture, the others quickly joined him on the ground.

"I don't need any help," the minion scoffed.

"That's not what we were told. According to Verin there is a group of very powerful mortals heading this way. From what he told us, they dispatched most of the army Verin was in, almost as easily as batting an eye," the gnome retorted in a matter of fact tone.

"Mortals, huh?" The cyborg planted his hands on his hips, clearly not believing the story the little man was telling. "Sounds to me like that coward, Verin, has a vivid imagination. Mortals are no match for us. They run like screaming children at the mere sight of our kind."

"Hey, you may not think you need us, but when the shit starts hitting the fan I bet you come running to us for help," the gnome grinned maliciously.

Waving his hand in dismissal, the cyborg turned away from the tiny creatures and took up his spot among the dead, muttering profanities under his breath about how ignorant and gullible the impish demons were.

The enormous group of tiny creatures huddled as closely as they could around the gnome. Seeing as he was the most intelligent of them it was fitting that the little man took charge, but even so it took considerable time for him to issue orders to all of them as there were approximately two hundred tiny creatures babbling excitedly to each other.

After nearly an hour the leader had finally spoken to everyone and small groups of demons scattered themselves throughout the town to take up their appointed positions. "I would advise you to stay alert," the gnome told the cyborg as he prepared to find a good vantage point to command from when the battle began.

When the minion ignored him, the leader skittered down the alleyway between the buildings. "Don't say I didn't warn ya," he shouted over his shoulder.

***

Drenched and looking a bit like a drowned rat, George stood in the shadows of a large willow on the outskirts of the city he'd found the cyborg body he had previously used. Even though the body of the old woman he now possessed was decrepit and arthritic, he had arrived at the edge of town ahead of the small group he'd seen heading in this direction, one of who, if he wasn't mistaken, was the hag's son. This little factoid he had gleamed from the way her panicked mind had reacted when she had laid eyes on him.

There was still the matter of the troublesome ghost he had seen outside of Elysia, though. For whatever reason, he felt as if she were following him, watching and waiting. Even though he never saw her, George kept getting a prickling sensation as if someone were peering into his soul, raising the tiny hairs on the back of the old woman's neck.

He had no idea what the ghostly girl wanted from him, but since George had contemplated the notion that she was someone from his past, most likely a woman he had killed, the only motive he could think of was revenge. Somehow she was trying to get even with him for taking her life.

As he stood in the shadows hidden from view, George saw what he'd been eagerly anticipating. A chestnut horse bearing a cloaked rider, whom he was sure was the old woman's offspring, was sauntering wearily toward the city from the opposite end of town. Things will be coming to a head very soon. Grinning with delight, George rubbed his hands together as he began to plot the man's demise.

Chapter 39

Later that day, after waking from a short, well needed nap, Edward held up his hand and pulled his horse to a stop at the edge of the woods. Before him, not more than a ten minute ride from his position, lay a small town. As he waited for the others to pull up beside him, he scrutinized the layout of the city, which was much like every other small town he had come across in his travels. Even though it was still daytime there was none of the normal bustle of people, wandering the streets chatting with neighbors or visiting vendors. No guards patrolling. The city looked completely abandoned, dead, much like Haven had been after its residents had fled to get away from the three headed wolf-like monstrosity which had invaded their town.

As he pondered his silent surroundings, Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully, remembering with vivid clarity the ordeals he had suffered at the hands of the machines. Where do they come from? Are they somehow coming through a portal into this world from another? It was a depressing thought, but after watching zombies pour from the outpost upon their return to Desolace it was a dreadful possibility he had to consider.

"I've never seen a more welcomed sight." Katie sighed, pulling up beside Edward. "Finally, we'll be able to get a decent night's sleep and a good meal."

"I wouldn't get too excited. From what I can tell the town is deserted," he remarked.

"Okay, so scratch the part about the meal. I'm sure there are some nice, comfy beds in those buildings though." She smiled weakly, trying not to let Edward suck all the hope out of her.

"I would avoid that town like the plague if I were you," Brian wheezed, stopping on the other side of Edward and turning to face him. His eyes were already beginning to cloud over in the same manner they normally did when in the presence of evil.

"Are you sensing something?" Edward glanced over at Brian and saw the overcast look in his eyes, confirming there was validity to his warning.

"I'm sure the memory is still fresh in your mind of how dire the situation was when you found me. What I'm feeling now is considerably worse than dealing with a ravenous mass of flesh eating zombies. Magnify that situation ten or twenty times and you might be scratching the surface of what lay ahead," Brian replied, each word coming with excruciating slowness, his breathing so labored now that his words came out as gasps.

Edward glanced nervously at Katie. "What do you think? Should I check it out?"

"We've been able to handle everything that's been thrown at us so far," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Between yourself and Brian I'm sure you can handle anything that comes up." She tried to give him a reassuring smile but somehow it felt fake and forced, as if she didn't truly believe her own words.

Nudging the horse into motion, he called back, "Wait here, but keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Katie watched in agonized anticipation as the horse sauntered casually toward the city. Sitting on the ground beside her, Jack looked up at Katie and whimpered.

"Do you feel something, too?" Glancing down at the wolf she could almost see the worry in his eyes. "You do, don't ya?" Turning her attention back to Edward as he entered the town, she crossed her fingers for luck.

***

If there was indeed something lurking in the town, waiting patiently for its opportunity, he hadn't noticed anything unusual yet. Scanning the empty, rundown buildings that lined the street, his eyes nervously flitting from one window to the next, he began to think Brian's senses were off. Maybe the danger isn't in this abandoned town, but stalking us from behind. Edward began to consider turning back; his fear, that the others were about to be ambushed, palpable.

As he neared a huge well in the center of the city his fears were confirmed, but it wasn't the others who were in danger. Hearing the sound of breaking glass he spun his head around to witness an overwhelming number of tiny creatures pouring from the frames of every structure in the vicinity.

***

Hearing the crash of breaking glass, Katie's head snapped up. Squinting toward town she couldn't make out what had caused the noise, but she was sure it wasn't something Edward had done. He wasn't much more than a speck to her from this distance, though from what she could tell he was still on his horse, which looked to be standing in the middle of the street leading from one end of the city to the other.

"Do you think we should get closer so we can see what's going on?" she asked, turning toward Brian, but he had already begun to move his mount closer to the city. "I guess that means yes," she murmured, looking down at Jack's haunted eyes. "Let's go see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into."

Pushing her pommel forward, she followed after Brian. So as not to leave Jack to fend for himself she kept the mechanical horse's pace to a minimum, which caused her to fall well behind Brian after only a couple of minutes.

***

It wasn't long before the street was literally crawling with tiny, disgusting-looking creatures. If Edward dared to dismount his horse the tops of their heads would likely have not even reached his waist, but as he watched them closing in he couldn't even begin to imagine the size of the force arrayed before him. There seemed to be hundreds of the ugly things dancing maniacally in the street, closing in on him from all sides.

Panicked, Edward quickly glanced in the direction of where he'd departed company with his friends and saw one of the metallic horses rapidly approaching. He couldn't tell who the rider was from this distance, though he fervently hoped it was Brian. He was likely the best hope for getting him out of the jam he'd gotten himself into.

Feeling something tugging on his boot, Edward looked down. A twisted green face with long, pointed ears, laying flat against its skull like an angry dog, stared back at him. It grinned up at him, revealing a mouth filled with long, razor sharp teeth, gnashing them together hungrily as if Edward was the main course it desperately craved.

Thrusting his leg away from the horse he launched the creature through the air, its tiny, outstretched arms grasping in futility to hold onto Edward's booted foot. The impish creature struck the ground a short distance away, sending up a puff of dust. Before the small dust cloud settled he was struggling with several more of the pint-sized demons which had sprung into the air and latched on to Edward's clothing, saddle, and horse.

They quickly began clawing, scratching, and biting, tearing huge, gaping holes in his cloak in an effort to reach his flesh. Swinging his arm wildly, Edward managed to repel a few of the pesky creatures, but for every one he shooed away it seemed two or three more would take its place. If he didn't find a way to get a little breathing room, and fast, the hellish monsters would overrun him in a matter of minutes. There were so many of the tiny demons upon him now that it was impossible to concentrate long enough to use a spell.

***

Despite the fact the old woman was fighting for control over her body and trying to move forward to help her son, George forced her to stay in the shadows of the enormous tree. Inwardly he was almost dancing with glee as he watched the ravenous demons attacking the man on the horse, but the distraction had almost cost him control of the body he was in. Seeing the familiar sight of the mechanical horses entering the town to help gave George a pang of longing, wishing he could be reunited with his trusty steed. The only hope he had of that was if the tiny demons, some reminding him of the creatures in the movie Gremlins, were victorious. A victory which wasn't etched in stone just yet. He would have to wait for the battle to play out before he made a move.

***

The closer Brian got to the center of town where Edward was fighting a losing battle, the harder it became for him to breathe. His breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps and his eyes were utterly useless, completely clouded over, forcing him to use the inner beacon of his senses to guide him closer.

Within seconds he was near enough to the fight to hear the screeching voices of the creatures, some shouting in annoyance and others cackling with insane delight. Letting the pommel slap backward into an upright position his mount immediately stopped, the forward momentum almost sending Brian into flight. Somehow he managed to stay in the saddle.

His mind swirled as he tried to figure out the best course of action now that he'd inserted himself into the situation. Having never attempted using his holy fire in an area where he wasn't trying to obliterate everything inside, Brian hesitated, remembering how his last helpful spell had turned out.

Breathing as deeply as he could muster, Brian attempted to calm his thoughts in hopes of finding the answer to his dilemma. Do I risk killing Edward or do I use my gift to create a diversion? Instinct was telling him to go with the latter, not willing to entirely trust his magic after the incident with his attempt to heal the horse.

***

Katie's phenomenal vision allowed her to see the horde of tiny creatures swarming around Edward. Panicking as she watched the scene unfold before her, she glanced quickly down at Jack. "I'm sorry. If I don't get close enough to help Edward, and fast, he might get killed," she told the wolf, hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake and sacrificing the well-being of one friend for another.

Thrusting the pommel forward as far as it would go, the beast rapidly closed the distance between herself and the battle. Within seconds the metallic creature skittered past Brian, who seemed to be summoning one of his spells. When she was about halfway between Edward and Brian, Katie jerked back on the pommel, raising an enormous dust cloud as the machine backpedaled to comply, its legs flailing in the opposite direction like a car being suddenly thrown into reverse.

When her forward progress stopped she let go of the pommel and allowed it to snap straight upward. Quickly she snagged the bow from her back and, despite the pain in her broken hand, took aim. Loosing one arrow after the next, Katie rapidly went through her supply of projectiles, but not before she had landed a good number of head shots and dwindled the forces arrayed against them.

Knowing the fact that she could retrieve her arrows after the battle did nothing to calm her nerves, but since they were all used up for the time being Katie had to resort to other methods if she hoped to help any further. Quickly she ducked her head between the drawstring and the bow, swinging it around so it was on her back, and drew Jack's sword from her side with her good hand. Raising it high in the air in her fist, she screamed out a war cry and pushed through her pain to nudge the pommel forward with her broken hand, charging headlong into battle. As she did, Katie saw the thing she dreaded most happen before her eyes. Edward's horse collapsed beneath him, spilling him to the ground. Instantly, he was engulfed in the mass of impish creatures.

Arriving moments later, Katie swung the sword as low as she could reach but still hit nothing. Fucking things are too short! Allowing the pommel to snap into an upright position, she kicked her leg over the top of the machine and hopped to the ground.

***

Clutching the willow tightly, Victoria's fingers began to bleed as her nails dug into the bark. Her son had just disappeared from sight, the demonic creatures incapacitating his horse, which was probably being torn to shreds along with Edward at this very moment. She tried to move toward the fight, the maternal instinct within her wanting to make sure her son was all right, but the entity inside her was unflinching. As soon as he realized what she meant to do, George stopped her. A smile that was not her own spread over her face.

***

Suddenly the day exploded into newly found brilliance as the building behind Katie, which at one time housed a general store, erupted into flames. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder she saw Brian's arms falling to his sides, his torso slumping forward. Great! Why does he always blow his entire wad when he casts a spell? Hasn't he ever heard of moderation?

When Katie turned her attention back to the monsters before her she saw that Brian's distraction had worked on them as well. They had turned their heads as if they were a singular being toward the conflagration, a look of fear crossing their tiny faces for the first time.

Not all, but some, fled down the alleyways between other buildings, scampering to get out of harm's way. With most of them still entranced by the burning structure, Katie hacked her way through them with the sword, sending tiny limbs and grotesque looking heads in every direction. After a couple of minutes the trance was broken and the demons realized their numbers had been severely reduced by the crazed woman with the sword.

Scattering, they chased after the others who had already fled the battle allowing Katie to finally get a glimpse of Edward.

With every bit of energy he could muster, Edward propped himself up on one elbow and focused everything he had left in him, sending out a streak of lightning from his outstretched palm. Several, maybe as many as twenty-five, demons were scorched by the bolt of electricity before they could get to safety. The effect of his spell was different for some of the fleeing creatures. Some were turned into blackened husks, their corpses smoking as they collapsed to the ground. Others were set ablaze by the jolt of lightning which ricocheted between them, and still others exploded, sending tiny bits of gore in every direction.

Since the attack now seemed to be in full retreat, Katie turned her attention back to Edward who had fallen into the dirt, groaning in agony. His cloak was in tatters and blood flowed freely from several lacerations visible through his torn clothing. "Give me a sec, I'll be right back," she whispered frantically, hoping as she left his side that she could find something useful inside the saddlebags of the severely injured horse laying on its side nearby.

As she began searching the contents of each bag for anything which might be useable as a bandage Katie heard Edward's voice, but couldn't make out what he had said. Returning to his side a couple of minutes later with the only items she could find, a tunic and the twine, Katie knelt down beside Edward and began to patch up his wounds to the best of her ability.

"Stop," he moaned incoherently, the blood loss leaving him on the edge of consciousness. "You have to catch them before they get away." He raised his arm weakly and pointed toward the space between the buildings.

Turning her head to make a quick check of her surroundings, Katie saw Jack hobbling around the corner into an alley, trying to do his part since he'd been late getting to the scene of the battle. "Lay still," she softly scolded. "Jack is taking care of them, now let me tend your wounds."

"But, Jack can't ..." Katie sighed in frustration, knowing she had to hurry before Edward lost too much blood. At least he passed out so I don't have to listen to him complaining, she thought.

***

Jack hobbled up the dusty street as fast as he could on the makeshift appendage Katie had lashed to his body. It hindered him from moving as quickly as he would have liked, but it was still better than trying to get around on three legs. Everyone had done their part to thwart the attack of the demons, everyone except him, and now he was determined to pull his weight at any cost.

Shuffling around the burnt corpses of the tiny creatures and stepping through splattered gore, Jack made his way down the alley toward the rear of the building. There were a lot of panicked screams and high-pitched shouts still coming from somewhere just out of sight, but he fervently hoped he would be able to get his licks in before they got away.

Rounding the corner moments later, Jack found the source of the commotion. About a hundred feet from him there were a good number of the pint-sized demons scrambling to get aboard an odd looking platform with metal wheels. A man was standing nearby, helping the creatures that were too short to make it up by themselves.

Stalking toward the man, Jack growled, snapping his jaws viciously in hopes of getting him to back away. When the man turned to face him, Jack saw a flicker of red light coming from his eye sockets and realized he was up against something that wasn't mortal. He'd seen the same deadly glow come from the mechanical beasts that Katie and Brian rode, telling him it was a machine standing before him and not a human.

Once the last of the tiny demons were aboard the railcar, the cyborg turned back toward the building he had been hiding next to, disguised as one corpse among many, ignoring the threatening snarls and bared teeth of the wolf.

Realizing the stacks of bodies against the rear of the structure could be like the man he was eyeing, Jack was torn about what he should do. Go after the little ones, or after the cyborg? Deciding he could do more damage against a force, which was attempting to flee, Jack moved in on the platform.

Behind him a hollow, mechanical laugh drifted to his ears as the cyborg flipped a switch on the outer wall of the building. The railcar hummed to life and quickly shot down the tracks, leaving Jack wondering what had just happened.

***

As Katie continued to rip the tunic into useable strips to bandage Edward's multitude of injuries she heard a strange laugh resonate between the buildings, echoing and bouncing from the vacant structures, making it seem as if the sound were coming from every direction. Shortly thereafter she heard a thumping, metallic screech; a noise reminding her of the not so distant past, of home. If her ears weren't playing tricks on her she would swear the sound was made by a train, but she'd never seen anything of the sort during her time on Desolace.

Frantic barks began coming from the alleyway and moments later Jack came into view, hobbling toward her as fast as he could, almost as if death itself was on his tail. Glancing quickly up the street she noticed that Brian was regaining consciousness, slowly sitting up in his saddle and looking around as if he were in a daze.

As the clacking of the railcar faded into the distance Katie began to hear the sound of stomping footsteps, reminding her of the first time she'd lain eyes on one of the mechanical horses, near Haven when her bus driver had passed by them on his way south. It wasn't Brian's steed, which was standing completely motionless, or her own, that was only a few feet from her, unmoving. So what was causing the sound she heard?

In seconds Katie found out, and it was definitely not what she expected to see. Marching from the alley between the burning building and the dilapidated structure across from it was something which looked human at first glance, but as it drew near she could see small patches of skin missing from its face, revealing a surface beneath that was more reflective than bone. It was then, and only then, that Katie caught a glimpse of the fiery red orbs within its eye sockets, burning like they were concealing a bonfire behind them.

With Jack now beside her, Katie stood protectively in front of the mangled, unconscious form of Edward, and drew the sword on her hip, brandishing it as menacingly as she could manage. Inwardly she prayed to whomever would listen. I doubt I can do this on my own, so I'm pleading with whatever God is in charge of this world ... please help me! I'm a hunter, not a warrior. I need all the help I can get to protect the people I care about. The prayer fluttered through her mind like a soft autumn breeze; there one second, gone the next.

As the cyborg approached, Jack circled to one side in hopes of creating a distraction Katie could use to her advantage, but the machine didn't slow or even glance in his direction. Snarling like a rabid dog, he lunged forward. Clamping his teeth into the cyborg's soft, outer flesh, Jack whipped his head back and forth violently.

Firmly gripping the hilt Katie swung the sword, but it didn't have the effect she was hoping for. Instead of the blade biting into the flesh and severing the appendage it had struck, the metal reverberated, sending a tingling shock wave up her arm. As the cyborg reached out to grab her, Katie ducked its clutching fingertips.

Swiftly pulling back the sword, she dodged to the side leaving Edward temporarily exposed. Grimacing in agony, she grasped the hilt with both hands this time, swinging the blade like a baseball player attempting to crack in a home run. A shower of sparks cascaded into her face as half of an arm fell away from the cyborg's body and landed on the ground beside her, its fingers reflexively opening and closing as if it had a life of its own. The excruciating pain in her broken hand caused her to lose her grip on the sword, which landed directly behind her attacker. Tears sprung to her eyes as she tried to tune out the pain.

Forgetting about the helpless man on the ground before it, the cyborg turned toward Katie. As it spun in her direction, Jack was propelled through the air like a rag doll, landing awkwardly beside Edward and rolling through the dirt for a few feet. Tufts of synthetic flesh flew from his jowls as he shook his head to clear the fuzziness caused by his head hitting the ground.

As she scrambled through the dust, attempting to circle around the cyborg, Katie was distracted by the sound of more stomping feet. Great! Like dealing with one of these things isn't hard enough! Chancing a quick look toward the alley, a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw the source of the heavy footfalls was friendly.

Brian didn't feel entirely like himself as he hopped down from his steed to help Katie, but at this point he was sure she could use his assistance no matter what he had left to give. His eyes were still glazed over quite a bit, but since the departure of the lesser demons he had at least gained some of his eyesight back, along with his ability to breathe more freely. Thrusting his spear with as much force as he could muster, Brian connected with the cyborg's skull, causing sparks to shoot from the side of its head.

As the cyborg turned its head to face him, the sun sank below the horizon, leaving the glow from the flaming structure behind him as the major source of light. The fire danced in the machine's red eyes as it grinned maliciously at Brian. "So, you're the special one," it hissed in a hollow voice as if it could somehow see into Brian's soul. "Perhaps I should keep you around for the master to play with."

Master? What master? he thought, backing away a couple of paces nervously. Brian tried to summon another conflagration to consume the foul creature before him, but found he couldn't muster enough energy for the spell. The only thing he could do now was annoy the cyborg enough to distract it so Katie could incapacitate it. Before the machine could turn its focus back toward her he jabbed at it again with his spear.

Using the opportunity, which Brian had afforded her, Katie snatched the sword from the dirt, grimacing as she gripped the sword tightly in both hands and swung with all her strength. Unfortunately, the blade did not sever the leg she had struck like she hoped. Instead, it became firmly lodged in its metal skeleton. She tugged in futility to free the blade, but couldn't budge it.

The formless one inside the machine suddenly realized the man was just bait to keep his attention while the woman hacked away at him with her sword. "I'll get back to you in a minute," the cyborg told Brian, swinging around to face Katie.

The hollow, metallic laughter died in its throat as it spun toward her. The sword which had been stuck in the cyborg's leg clattered to the ground as the appendage buckled and snapped, the fracture caused by the blade spidering outward to crack the remaining metal. The cyborg tilted forward crazily as it lost its balance, giving Katie a matter of seconds to roll out of the way before it crashed to the ground.

Though the machine lay on its stomach in the dirt, it flopped around like a turtle turned upside down on its shell, flailing in a useless effort to flip itself over.

Picking up the sword, Brian motioned Katie out of his way as he strode over and placed a boot on the creature's back to hold it down. Mimicking what he had seen Katie do, he gripped the blade in both hands and swung with all the force his one hundred and forty pound frame could muster. In a shower of sparks, the cyborg's head left its body and rolled a few feet away, its glowing red eyes blinking in disbelief.

Pushing herself up from the street and dusting herself off, Katie cheered. Blushing, Brian stepped off the twitching machine and walked over to Katie, handing the sword back to her. "In the future, I would prefer to use something I wasn't afraid of cutting myself on." He grinned.

"Well, if it weren't for your quick thinking the day would have ended on a much sadder note," she sighed.

"You did most of the work." He laughed, waving a hand at her as if he had only played a minor role.

"Maybe so, but if it weren't for you and Jack I would probably be a flattened, bloody splat mark on the road with footprints all over me," she confessed, trying to keep a serious look on her face, but snorting when she thought of herself as the unfortunate Wiley Coyote being crushed under the giant boot intended for the Road Runner.

"What's so funny?" Brian looked at her in confusion. "Is there some kind of hidden humor in a life or death experience?"

"Nothing you would understand," she replied. "My words reminded me of a cartoon I used to watch as a kid, but it was way before your time so I doubt you would have ever seen it."

Standing between Katie and the building burning on the opposite side of the street, he put his hands on his hips comically. "Are you trying to say that I'm old?"

With his face shielded from the light of the fire Katie couldn't see the expression he was wearing, but what she did see caused her to step backward. "What the hell?"

"What now? Another joke?" Brian teased.

Shaking her head vehemently, Katie pointed toward the dismembered cyborg. Slipping out from the severed neck was a fog-like mist, which she had first thought to be steam or smoke from a burning circuit. The longer she watched, the more it seemed to take on a human shape, looking somewhat like the transparent way a ghost would appear.

"You may have won the fight, but the battle is far from over," the formless demon hissed. Before Brian could turn toward the sound of the voice, the minion slipped behind the buildings and disappeared from sight.

Chapter 40

Verin gazed into the Black Knight's monitor in disgust. The lesser demons he had pulled from the Factory and sent down the mountain aboard the railcar had failed their mission. As he watched the tiny creatures scrambling back onto the platform to scurry back to the safety and security of the Black Knight's hidden fortress like whimpering dogs with their tails tucked between their legs, he turned away from the screens and drifted back to Cemetery Hill to greet them.

As he glided effortlessly down the tunnel from his master's chamber, Verin considered what to do with the lesser demons upon their return. Should he admonish them and send the creatures back to finish the job or escort them back to the Factory where the Black Knight had deposited them before heading off to wherever he'd gone?

Entering the expansive room known as Cemetery Hill, Verin was immediately met by someone he hadn't expected to see. The formless one who had been left as a sentry to take care of George should he return was rushing toward him. "Verin, it's good to see you. Where is our master?"

Disgusted that the demon had addressed him as if they were friends, Verin snapped at him. "What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in the dumping ground waiting for George!"

"The humans destroyed the machine I was inside of, leaving me no choice but to—"

"Stop your whining!" Verin demanded.

"The master isn't here, is he? That explains why you think you're King Shit," the minion spat.

"No, he isn't here. I'm not sure what distant land he has traveled to, but it must be similar to this world. I poked my head through his portal," he confessed, pointing toward the giant black oval in the corner, "and heard a noise which sounded like a dragon."

"Well, I'm not going back to the dumping ground and there's nothing you can do to make me. The humans are too powerful. The master is going to need a much larger army if he intends to deal with them." The formless one slid by Verin without another word, not giving him a chance to protest, and disappeared into the tunnel.

It was only a matter of minutes before the railcar screeched to a halt outside and the room began to fill with the remainder of the lesser demons Verin had sent down to take care of the humans. Screaming and shouting curses at one another they approached him.

"Quit your infernal bickering!" Verin's voice boomed above them. The chamber immediately fell silent except for a few murmurs of dissention. "I hope you at least have some good news."

"I think we may have injured or killed one of the humans," one of the braver minions responded, stepping to the front of the group.

"Only one?" Verin raved, the mist of his form encircling the tiny creature like a choke collar. "You should have obliterated that puny group! The sheer numbers alone gave you a significant upper hand!"

"But ... there is one among them who could have snuffed us out like a candle," the demon stuttered in their defense.

"And because of this one mortal you all run away like cowards? You are demons, for fuck's sake! Act like it!" Verin growled.

"There is no way we could have won the fight," the impish creature retorted, growing angry at the accusation. "We would have all died had we stayed. In my opinion it was more intelligent to flee the battle and warn the master than to let them overrun us and ruin his plans."

Verin swirled around the tiny creatures angrily as he tried to figure out what to do. Drifting outside he gazed down the mountain at the town below, the conflagration clearly visible even from this height though he couldn't see anything moving down there. Scanning the area around him, he devised a last ditch plan to keep the mortals at bay should they decide to try climbing the mountain.

"You there," he pointed at the leader as he returned to the chamber, "bring the strongest half of your fellows outside, you may still be useful."

"What about the other half?"

"They can return to work in the Factory," Verin hissed.

Chapter 41

The light emanating from the burning structure had dwindled considerably by the time Edward regained consciousness. Opening his eyes he saw the others, their faces hovering over his own seemingly riddled with worry lines. "What ... what happened?" he inquired weakly, his voice cracking.

His body protested hotly when he attempted to sit up and Brian moved behind Edward to prop him up, offering his body as a leaning post. Katie passed a water skin to him, which he immediately put to his lips and drank deeply from, coughing and spitting the liquid that managed to rush down his windpipe instead of his throat.

"Apparently you thought you were Superman or something," Katie whispered, wiping the excess water from his chin with a strip of the torn tunic she had used to bandage him. "You tried to take on a small army of what I think were demons all by yourself. Needless to say, you weren't fairing very well. We heard the commotion and rushed in to help, but we couldn't get to you before they managed to incapacitate you."

"Well, you got here in time to save my life," Edward groaned, trying his best to smile but the lacerations on his face caused it to look more like a grimace. "Is everyone all right?"

"Other than a few scrapes and bruises, I think we came through the battle pretty well," she replied, hiding her swollen hand from view and looking up at Brian for confirmation. In the dimming light of the fire it was impossible for Katie to see his eyes, but she did see him nod his head in agreement. With Jack it was harder to distinguish if he had acquired any new injuries because of his thick fur, but she didn't remember seeing anything different about him when he had stormed out of the alley. No fur matted with blood, no obvious limp other than that caused by his shortened, makeshift leg, and no whimpering like he had any internal issues.

"What about my horse?" Edward asked, glancing over Katie's shoulder and seeing the two mechanical creatures the others had been riding, but no sign of his own mount.

"I'm afraid the animal faired far worse than you did," Katie answered with a sad shake of her head. "Whatever those tiny things were that attacked you, they went after your horse first. I guess it was their way of forcing you down to their level so they could get at you easier."

Putting his head into his hands, Edward began to cry. "I should have listened to you, Katie. My stubbornness has caused the death of every horse I've come in contact with since meeting you."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. Shit happens. Unfortunately, you just seem to have bad luck in that department," she stated softly, kneeling down in front of him and lightly wrapping her arms around him.

"As much as I despise doing it, I think I would be better off riding with you from here on out," he confessed, sniffling.

"The way I see it, you're in no condition to be riding anywhere, with me or otherwise," Katie gently scolded.

"But—" Edward started to protest, "if we don't get moving soon those creatures will get away."

"They're already gone," Katie confided. "They scattered when Brian torched the building behind me. I think they went up into the mountains."

"Then we have to go after them before they get too far," Edward insisted.

"The only place you're going right now, mister, is to that structure over there." She pointed. "You will be less than useless if you don't get some rest, or are you determined to share the fate of your horse?"

"Fine," he murmured, knowing his stubbornness would be the death of him if he didn't start developing a little flexibility instead of acting like a hard-nosed dictator that had to have everything his way. "Help me up, please."

Standing up, Katie offered her good hand to him while Brian boosted Edward from behind. Wobbling and unsteady, he braced himself against them as a wave of dizziness passed over him.

When the feeling was gone, Edward urged them on. "I'm fine now," he mumbled. Slowly they made their way over to the building, which as they got closer seemed to resemble an inn.

The door hinges creaked loudly as Katie pushed her way inside, batting her free hand at the multitude of cobwebs clinging to the frame which drifted in front of her face. The glow from the burning structure next door was minimal at best and they found themselves stumbling through almost total darkness, tripping over chairs and tables as they searched for somewhere to lay Edward down.

After crashing their way through the interior for several minutes, they finally gave up their search and set Edward down in a chair. "I know it's not the most comfortable thing in the world to do, but lay your head down on the table and get a little rest," Katie urged.

"What about the rest of you? Aren't you going to join me?" Edward sank into the wooden chair painfully, his muscles screaming in agony when they flexed.

"I was going to ask Brian to take a walk with me to make sure there are no more surprises lurking outside for us before joining you," she stated. "I don't imagine it will take more than ten or fifteen minutes to check things out. Jack can stay here and watch over you." Knowing she probably couldn't see where he was, Jack sauntered over and licked her hand then sat down beside Edward.

"Okay," he sighed, feeling the warm fur against his leg, "but be careful."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," she said, patting him lightly on the shoulder, one of the few places on his body which had escaped injury.

After watching Katie and Brian depart through the front door, he laid his head down on top of his arm on the table. Feeling Jack's hot breath against his leg, Edward reached down and affectionately stroked the top of his head. "I hope they don't run into any trouble out there," he murmured aloud, more to himself than Jack.

***

Feeling the lightheartedness of the body he possessed both upset and repulsed George. Having witnessed the battle, he was surprised that her son had not perished in combat with the demonic creatures. He had hoped they would have killed the man and reduced the power of the foursome dramatically, but since the old woman's son had survived he would have to find another way to dispatch them. Although, the injured man would be easy enough prey for him to finish off if George could somehow manage to get him alone for a few minutes.

Waiting for an opportunity to present itself he remained hidden in the shadows of the huge willow, watching the others help the injured man into a building. Contemplating whether or not to attempt sneaking up on them, George drummed the woman's arthritic fingers against the bark of the tree.

Within a few minutes his prayers were answered as he saw two darkened figures exiting the building, leaving the injured man and the lame wolf inside, beckoning George to action. As the two shapes disappeared around the corner of the building, he made his way from the shadows toward town.

***

The light from the burning building was rapidly diminishing, but for now at least it provided enough of a glow that they could see their surroundings. As Katie rounded the back corner of the inn she stopped in her tracks and gasped. "Oh my God!"

Turning the corner after her, Brian's mouth unhinged, gaping at the sight before them. Stacked haphazardly against the back wall of the inn were what appeared to be hundreds of corpses, piled like trash behind the structure.

"Who would do such a thing?" she asked, appalled and disgusted, attempting to hold her nose to prevent the stench from filling her nostrils but realizing the bodies had been there so long that they no longer gave off an odor.

"I would suspect those demonic creatures that attacked Edward had some sort of hand in this," Brian replied sadly.

Repulsed, Katie turned her back on the dead, hoping she wouldn't encounter more of the same if they continued searching the rest of town. As she spun around, Katie saw the firelight glinting off of something near the edge of the forest surrounding the city. "What the hell is that?" she pointed.

Walking over to the spot to investigate, Brian suddenly realized what lay before him had likely been the source of the sound he'd heard when the tiny creatures had fled the battle. "Railroad tracks," he shouted over his shoulder to Katie.

Joining him, she bent down and ran a hand over the surface of the nearest track. "It's not old and rusty like everything else seems to be in this town," she announced. "These have been used recently."

"Do you think it's how the demons escaped?" Brian asked, wondering if Katie had heard the same noise he had once the demons had fled the fight in the center of town.

Glancing down the length of rail before her, she couldn't tell where the tracks led. "It's possible," she replied. "We will have to check this out more thoroughly in daylight."

Standing back up, she turned to face Brian and saw movement. The flames consuming the building before her were small enough now that she could see over them to the opposite side. "Who the fuck is that?"

Brian turned his head to look but his view was temporarily blocked by Katie, rushing toward the other side of the burning structure. His eyesight was nothing compared to hers, but he could see someone walking up the street dressed in light colored clothing.

As he rushed to catch up to Katie his vision grew fuzzy and his breathing became more labored. "Katie, wait up!" he wheezed.

When she rounded the corner, Katie barely managed to stop before running into the old woman who was shuffling slowly up the street in a white nightgown with the aid of a gnarled branch she was using as a walking stick. She looked up at Katie as if she were shocked to see another human being.

"Excuse me, miss. Have you seen my son?" she croaked.

"Your son?"

"Yes. Tall man with long, dark hair who fancies himself a wizard." She grinned, revealing a mouthful of perfect teeth.

"Edward?"

"Oh, you've met him?"

"I can take you to him," Katie replied excitedly. "Hey Brian! You're never gonna guess who I found."

"Something ... not ... right," he wheezed, staggering out of the alley toward her. "Evil."

Peering into his cloudy eyes, Katie became hesitant. Nervously she glanced back at the old crone, but saw nothing to indicate malicious intent, just an old lady trying to find her son. Quickly she surveyed the surrounding area, hoping to find another possible source of what Brian was feeling. "There must be something else out there that I can't see," she told Brian, taking the old woman by the arm and guiding her toward the inn. If this doesn't cheer Edward up and make him feel better, nothing will.

***

Hearing the sound of footsteps on the wooden planks outside, Edward raised his head slightly and looked toward the door. His jaw dropped open in disbelief. It can't be! This has to be a hallucination, or a mirage of some sort! In the dim light of the doorway he could make out Katie and an older woman in what appeared to be a nightgown. "Mother?"

Cemetery Hill

Chapter 1

The blaring of an air horn as a semi blew past the driveway startled the Black Knight for a moment as he hid in the shadows of the forest near the road across the street from a rambling farmhouse. As he watched, a younger version of his once faithful servant, George, picked up a rolled paper from the grass.

The young man mounted the steps of his porch and walked through the front door, allowing the screen to slam shut behind him. I need to find a way to convince him to come back to Desolace with me, but I don't want to frighten him away with my appearance. I need a disguise. He grinned, thoughtfully scratching his chin.

As the Black Knight considered crossing the street to peer through a window to study the younger version of his wayward disciple, a small child burst through the front door, running into the yard. The screen swung open a few seconds later and an attractive, dark-haired woman stepped onto the porch. The child immediately dove into the tall grass as if playing hide-and-seek. "Cassie," the woman yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. When the child didn't come out of hiding, the woman put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill, ear-piercing whistle. "Come inside, Cassie. It's time for dinner!"

Reluctantly, the small girl stood up. "Do I gotta? I wanna play for a little bit," she whined.

"Well, if you want to go trick or treating when it gets dark you need to come inside and eat," her mother chided. As if she had uttered the magic words, Cassie skipped clumsily toward the house with a big grin on her face.

"I really get to go this year?" she asked excitedly.

Her mom laughed. "After dinner."

"Yay!" Cassie quickly disappeared back into the house.

"Make sure you wash your hands," the woman shouted after her.

Tearing through the hallway downstairs, Cassie nearly plowed George over as he carried a plate of burgers from the kitchen to the dining room. "Whoa! Slow down," he scolded, barely managing to keep the tray of food from spilling all over the floor.

***

Impatiently, the Black Knight waited at the edge of the forest across the street from the house, hoping with nightfall he would be able to get closer to the home without drawing attention to himself.

As the sun sank behind the trees, casting long shadows across the lawn in front of the house, he began to hear the voices of small children heading his way. Shrinking back into the woods, he peered around the trunk of a maple to see a group of approximately ten kids, all wearing masks and costumes of one sort or another, stop at the end of George's driveway with pillowcases clutched in their hands.

"That guy is creepy," one of the children dressed like a clown told the others. "I say we keep going."

"Brady's a chicken, Brady's a chicken," a little girl wearing a fairy costume teased.

"I wanna go up there and see if Cassie can come with us," another girl, painted up by her parents to look like a porcelain doll, pleaded.

All of them except for Brady agreed with her, responding to the plea with an emphatic, "Let's get some candyyyy!"

The girl in the fairy costume took one last look at Brady, who wasn't budging, and chased after her friends.

Kicking at the gravel alongside the road, he looked at the kids who always seemed to tease him about one thing or another and silently wished something would happen to them. It would serve them right if that guy chopped them into tiny pieces and ate them. They are all poopheads anyway!

"Brady," a voice whispered from somewhere nearby in the shadows.

"Who ... who's there?" Brady whimpered, looking nervously around him and suddenly wishing he'd stayed with the other children. With no streetlights in the area, the only light came from the porch where all the other kids were clustered awaiting their treats.

"Brady," the voice beckoned to him again, this time sounding closer.

"D-d-don't come any closer," he stammered as his bladder let go, releasing a warm flood of urine down his leg. "I'll scream."

"I don't think you'll have time for that," the Black Knight hissed, his hot, foul breath caressing the boy's face. He could hear the child's teeth chattering in fear as he reached out with one clawed hand, picking the boy up by his throat. Snapping his neck like it were nothing more than a twig, the Black Knight sunk his long teeth into Brady's throat as his head lolled to one side and drank his fill of the warm blood.

Taking the costume off of the boy's limp body, the Black Knight set it aside before heaving the tiny corpse into the woods where he'd been hiding. Shrinking himself down to a suitable size, he donned the costume and approached the house, pretending to be Brady. By the time he made it to the steps leading onto the porch the other children were walking away. Giggles and whispers passed among them. "Look! The little chicken decided to grow a pair after all."

Playing the part, the Black Knight watched the other children scamper off on their way to the next house, leaving who they thought to be Brady alone once again. Turning toward the screen door, he held out the pillowcase to the woman, seeing his target wandering down the hallway behind her.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" she inquired as politely as she could manage, wrinkling her nose at the smell of urine coming from the child.

"Yes, please," the Black Knight replied, mimicking Brady's voice.

Opening the door, the woman stepped aside. "It's right down the hall," she pointed. "George! Can you show this little boy where the bathroom is, please? I need to go upstairs and see if Cassie is ready."

George poked his head back into the hallway to see the boy dressed as a clown walking toward him as his wife, Jen, disappeared up the stairs. "Right here, little man." He grinned, opening the door for the youngster.

As the boy went inside, George waved a hand in front of his face then returned to the dining room to clear the dinner plates. Someone needs to give that kid a bath, he stinks! Bad!

Just as he finished cleaning up the dishes, George heard footsteps on the staircase. Peeking his head around the corner he saw Jen and Cassie entering the hallway coming toward him.

"Don't you look adorable?" He grinned, seeing his daughter in her princess costume carrying a small plastic pumpkin in one hand and a glittery wand in the other.

"Are you gonna come too, Daddy?" Cassie ran to him and hugged George tightly, her bright blue eyes looking up at his face and pleading with him.

"Sorry, honey. I have a lot of stuff to get done tonight," he apologized, giving her a fake, pouty face. He hated to make up excuses like that, but ever since he blew out his knee on a construction site his joints had given him grief every time the weather changed. Spring and fall always seemed to be the worst seasons for him.

It was amazing how quickly children forgot disappointment. Cassie pecked him on the cheek and ran back down the hall to her mom. "I'm ready," she announced excitedly. "Let's go, let's go!"

"We'll be back in a little bit," Jen hollered over her shoulder.

"Bring me back some candy," he shouted at their backs as they walked through the door.

Once they were gone, George looked curiously at the bathroom, wondering if the little boy was still in there. Walking over to the closed door, he knocked lightly. "Are you still in there, buddy?" Putting his ear to the wood, he couldn't hear any sound coming from the other side. Softly, he rapped again. "Are you okay? Do you need some help getting your costume back on?"

When only silence greeted his questions, George decided to open the door. Turning the knob, it creaked loudly. As the panel swung open it revealed an empty room. Poking his head inside to make sure the boy wasn't hiding, he clicked off the light. I don't remember seeing him come out, he thought, scratching his head.

Now that Jen and Cassie were gone, he wandered to the living room, which he considered to be his study, still pondering the disappearance of the young boy. Strolling over to the elaborate floor to ceiling bookshelf he had created during the summer before he met Jen, George reached for one of the books and tilted it backward. The panel slid to the side noiselessly, revealing a stone staircase he'd added during a flurry of home modifications intended to keep his dark side a secret from the outside world.

Stepping into the space behind the bookcase, he flicked a switch on the wall to turn on the lights and send the shelf back to its original position. Jen would freak the fuck out if she knew about this place, he thought, grinning as he made his way to the basement.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, he opened the heavy steel door in front of him, which he had installed to eliminate any sound from reaching other parts of the house. As he stepped onto the concrete floor of the secret chamber, he flipped the switch set into the wall, turning on a single, bare light bulb dangling from the ceiling.

Muffled cries escaped the nude woman, chained in place to a ring bolted into the floor, who resembled a girl that had rejected him in high school as dim light filtered through her blindfold. Walking closer, George appraised her body by running his rough hands over her naked flesh, causing her bladder to release as she trembled in fear.

"Don't worry, my dear," he whispered softly into her ear. "It will all be over soon."

"George," a voice hissed from behind him.

Startled, he spun around to locate the owner of the voice, angered that someone had dared violate his private place. "Who's there?" he shouted, not seeing anyone at first.

"I have a special job for you." Stepping partially out of the darkened corner was a tall, shadowy shape wearing a clown mask on its face. It kind of resembled the rubber thing he'd seen the boy wearing earlier, but was different somehow, more elongated, as if it were stretched over a larger face.

"That still doesn't tell me who you are!" he growled, his face growing hot as he quickly strode across the room as if he intended to kill the intruder for his trespass.

When George got to within a few feet of the Black Knight, the eyes within the mask began to emanate a fierce, yellow glow. The face of the clown stretched further, and long, jagged teeth became visible through the mouth hole of the mask, causing George to freeze in terror. "What the fuck are you, man?"

The Black Knight cackled with insane laughter. "If you decide to obey my will I could be your best friend," he cooed, "but if you defy me ... well, let's just say it wouldn't be a wise decision on your part."

"Obey your will? What do you want from me?"

"In time I will show you what your purpose will be, but for now you have to do something for me to show you will be loyal and do what I command." The Black Knight's eyes gleamed with new hope.

"And what might that be?" George inquired nervously.

"History has a way of repeating itself, does it not? You've done this before and for us to move forward you must do it again. Kill your family."

Chapter 2

Shaking his head as if he were trying to dispel an illusion, Edward glanced up at the female silhouette standing in the doorway. “Mother?” He couldn’t begin to comprehend why she would be here, provided it was truly her and not a hallucination of the most comforting image he could conjure up. The light of the dying fire outside gave off just enough light for him to see Katie’s shadowed figure standing next to the older woman.

“Edward? Is that really you?” Her voice crackled unsteadily as she spoke. George drifted just beneath the surface of Victoria’s consciousness, allowing the woman to come forward, knowing it would make the exchange of pleasantries more believable. He didn’t give up complete control, however, paranoid that she would warn Edward of his intrusion.

Sliding his chair backwards and attempting to stand, Edward wobbled like a drunk for a few seconds then crumpled to the floor in a heap before Katie could cross the room to help prevent his fall. His embarrassment was temporarily masked by the grimace of pain etched across his face as Edward looked up to see Katie rushing toward him.

“Something isn’t right,” Brian announced, suddenly appearing in the doorway behind Victoria as Katie helped Edward to regain his feet. It was difficult to tell if there was any reaction at all to his announcement, the darkened interior of the inn masking the features of everyone inside. “Even though the threat of the tiny, demonic creatures seems to have passed, I can still sense something evil lurking very nearby,” he began again when no one responded to his first proclamation.

Startled by the voice behind him, George turned Victoria’s head to regard Brian, trying to assess if the red-haired man was aware of his presence. Moving forward briefly to take control, unwilling to risk the old woman betraying him, George caused her body to tremble slightly to give the impression of fear when he locked eyes with the shaman. “What is wrong with your eyes, young man?” Waiting for Brian to respond, a shaky hand touched Victoria’s shoulder.

“Don’t be alarmed, Mother,” Edward whispered reassuringly. “Though it may seem unusual, maybe even terrifying, his eyes glazing over like that is the closest thing we have to an early warning system. More often than not, it serves to alert us of potential danger.”

Turning her head toward the sound of her son’s voice, she attempted a weak smile. Her quivering lips made it obvious that his words did nothing to soothe her fear. Seeing her son up close for the first time in a week didn’t help to quell her nervousness either. “You look like death,” she gasped.

After everything he had been through today, Edward was surprised he had managed to survive. “I’ve had better days.” He chuckled, bending down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “If it weren’t for the amazing friends I have surrounded myself with, I may have perished in battle.”

Following the brief conversation, her eyes flitting between Edward, his mother, and Brian, Katie began to get the vibe that something wasn’t as it should be. There appeared to be something just beyond her grasp going on, like an unformed word resting on the tip of her tongue. Suddenly, it came to her, like a blinking neon sign. “I hate to interrupt, but something is really bothering me and I need to ask.” Turning her penetrating gaze toward Victoria, Katie spoke her mind. “Why are you out here in no-man’s land instead of resting safely behind the castle walls of Elysia?”

The question shocked Edward. In his delirious state, he hadn’t even considered why his mother was here. Briefly, he recalled a conversation with Jonas regarding his mom. The elder had been concerned about her mental health, citing incidences which occurred recently where Victoria hadn’t seemed to be herself. When the initial confusion passed, he turned back to face the old woman. “She has a point, Mother. You should be tucked away in your bed in the safety of the castle, not wandering through the countryside unescorted. The world outside of Elysia is a very dangerous place, and not someplace you should be traveling by yourself,” Edward scolded vehemently.

“It’s safer outside the city,” Victoria retorted angrily. “After you left, legions of mechanical creatures assaulted Elysia. The town is nothing more than a gigantic pile of rubble now. Every person who called Elysia their home has fled to outlying areas.” Victoria paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before going on. “If I were to venture a guess, I would say at least half of them didn’t make it out of the city alive!”

Katie’s tenuous grip on Edward wasn’t enough to keep him upright after his mother’s words struck home. He sank to the floor as if he had been sucker punched in the gut, his mouth gaping open in disbelief. After leaving Elysia and encountering the large force of cyborgs, Edward thought they had thwarted the impending attack on his home town. However, if what his mother said was true, there must have been a contingent that flanked them in the darkness. He didn’t want to think his opponent had outwitted him, but her words were evidence that his supposed victory a few nights ago had likely been nothing more than a diversion. “I think I am going to be sick,” he mumbled sadly.

Gathering her resolve, Katie wiped the tears from her eyes and crouched down beside Edward. Throwing her arms around him in what she hoped would be a comforting hug, she whispered in his ear, “I’m sure that nothing I say at this point will help to ease your pain, but you had to know something like this could happen. Why else would Jonas have summoned you back to Elysia and sent you on this mission?”

Turning to face her, his own tears threatening to spill down his cheeks, he nodded. “You’re probably right. Jonas had a vision of the downfall of Elysia. I’m sure a combination of that vision, and the small incursion afterward, was what prompted him to summon me. I just don’t understand why he stayed behind if he knew it would mean his death.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons, Edward. He was probably just trying to keep you focused on the mission, likely he knew you would be worried and distracted if he told you everything he saw in his vision.”

Edward remained quiet for a moment, silently contemplating how much more he could endure. “I don’t think I should be the one to lead us anymore,” he blurted, his voice hitching with emotion.

After his declaration, the entire inn seemed to gasp. “Have you lost your mind? There is no one better suited to the task,” Katie murmured, her crouched legs buckling beneath the enormity of Edward’s confession and causing her to sink to the floor completely.

Turning Victoria’s head to the side, George grinned with delight. This is going to be like taking candy from a baby, he thought.

“In my opinion, any one of you would be a more appropriate leader. The only thing I seem to be proficient at is delivering us into the arms of the enemy,” Edward countered sadly. “If things keep going the way they have been, there won’t be any of us left by the time we reach the Throne of the Gods.”

“Well, that’s your opinion,” Katie protested. “I doubt there is a single person among us that feels the way you do.” In the dim light filtering through the doorway, she looked from face to face for confirmation. Each met her gaze with a nod of agreement. “See what I mean?” She took hold of Edward’s chin, which was hanging down and nearly touching his chest, and raised it so he could see the reaction of the others.

Edward let out a weary sigh. “At least all of you have faith in me. I just hope it’s not misplaced,” he mumbled, his voice laden with despair.

***

The conflagration outside of the inn burned itself out within an hour or two of the conclusion of their heated leadership debate. Amber had still not returned, leaving the group to wonder if she had abandoned them. The lone bright spot of the evening had been Victoria. Apparently she had visited this town in the past and was somewhat familiar with the layout of the inn. As such, she was able to guide each of them to rooms containing beds, even in total darkness.

As Katie lay on one of the straw mattresses, her fingers laced together behind her head, she stared toward the ceiling even though the room was pitch black. The earlier conversation with Edward was weighing heavily on her mind, and she couldn’t help the thoughts swirling through her head. In theory, Edward has rarely led us into danger. It was, more often than not, Amber who we were following. Edward might have been giving the commands, but Amber was the one guiding us.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she tried to keep her hopes alive, praying that when morning came Edward would be his old self. Even if it were a beaten and tattered version of the man she had come to respect, it would certainly be preferable to the broken man she had witnessed earlier. One who now seemed to doubt his every move and his worthiness to be their leader.

Chapter 3

The clouds of the previous day had vanished like a bad memory, allowing the morning sunlight to pierce the dust-covered windows of the inn. Feeling the warmth on his flesh, Edward rubbed his hands over his face. Cracking an eye open he sat up quickly, startled fully awake by the unfamiliar surroundings. Grimacing in pain, he pushed himself up from the bed and walked to the room’s only window. Brushing away the thick coating of grime on its surface, he peered outside. When he saw his horse, lying dead in the street below, the realization of where he was struck him like a club to the back of his head. Turning away, Edward strolled back to the straw mattress and sat down heavily, closing his eyes and taking a deep, calming breath.

Hearing a scraping noise, grinding softly like a wooden chair being lightly dragged across the planked floor, his head whipped around toward the sound. When he didn’t immediately locate the source, Edward leaned toward the foot of the bed, and sighed with relief. It was only Jack. He must have shifted the stump Katie lashed to his body. It made Edward smile, knowing that in his weakened condition his friend had stood guard to make sure nothing happened to him during the night.

The previous evening’s conversation wasn’t much more than a hazy blur in his mind, but he did recall bits and pieces of it. He remembered being depressed and feeling unworthy of the group’s devotion to him. Nonetheless, it was a new day now, and his tortured mind rested easier, knowing that no matter how he felt … the world around him had not come to an end while he slept. A thin smile crept across his face as he rose from the bed to check on the others.

Jack awoke immediately when he heard Edward’s booted feet shuffling toward the door. Stretching his limbs for a moment, he stood up and hobbled into the hallway after him.

The first couple of doors Edward came to were open, revealing nothing more than empty beds, dust, and more cobwebs than you could shake a stick at. Coming to the end of the hall, he stopped near the partially open threshold and knocked lightly. Hearing the mumbling of a female voice he pushed it open further, revealing Katie sitting cross-legged on the bed. “Good morning.” He smiled, but his grin evaporated when she looked him in the eyes. Noticing her haggard appearance, he had to ask, “Did you sleep at all?”

“I don’t think so, but I might have nodded off here and there,” she admitted with a thin smile that looked more like a grimace. “You seem to be in a better mood than last night.” Straightening her legs, Katie scooted to the edge of the bed and stood.

“The miracles of a good night’s slumber,” he remarked as she crossed the room and hugged him.

“I’m glad. I hated to see you so down on yourself.” She yawned. “I know your wounds need more time to heal properly, but it might be a good idea to get everyone together so we can figure out our next move.”

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, you are probably right about my needing to rest a while longer before attempting to tackle our mission fully. I agree that we need to work out what lies ahead for us, even if my remaining behind for a day or two is part of that equation,” he conceded.

“Well, as you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been up all night thinking. I have a few ideas to toss around.” Katie’s lips parted in a crooked, half-smile.

“Once we get everyone else together, I would be happy to hear them.” He winked.

***

Victoria had disappeared at some point during the night. Brian had informed them before they retired last night that he would stand guard, but while he was doing everything he could to keep his friends safe he must have nodded off for a short time. “I never saw, heard, or felt anything out of place after everyone went to bed last night.” He shrugged, actually feeling relieved that Edward’s mother had slipped past him during the night. Something wasn’t right about her, but nobody other than him seemed to notice the difference. Not that he knew her well enough to be able to distinguish normal behavior in her mannerisms. It was just a gut feeling. One which seemed in tune with his inner radar for evil. He glanced across the table at Edward, then Katie, to judge their reactions to his revelation.

Katie sat with a vacant look on her face as if it were a chalkboard that someone had erased, making Brian wonder if she was sleeping with her eyes open. Edward, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly distraught. The conflicting emotions flickering across his features appeared to drift between worry, confusion, and fear. Almost as if his mind was riddled with several different voices, arguing amongst each other like Edward had a split personality disorder. Brian snapped his fingers in front of the wizard’s face, as if attempting to wake his friend from a trance. Edward’s eyes slowly began to focus and show signs of alertness.

Turning his gaze toward the floor, Edward looked for any indication of a possible struggle. Seeing nothing to suggest that his mother had been abducted while they slept, he glanced back toward Brian. “From what I can tell, she must have left on her own accord,” he stated in disbelief. “Why would she do such a thing?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way ...” Brian started, his eyebrows knitted together in worry, fearing the reaction he was likely to provoke if he spoke his mind. “Maybe she wasn’t happy with the conversation last night and decided to return to Elysia so she wouldn’t be a burden on us.”

“That’s preposterous,” Edward roared. “Did you forget already? She told us that Elysia was destroyed.”

“Then, what would you suggest was her reason for leaving?” Brian leaned back in his chair, frustrated with the direction of the conversation.

“I don’t know,” Edward shouted, startling Katie back to reality. He closed his eyes in an attempt to get his swirling emotions back under some semblance of control. Endless seconds ticked by before his eyelids slowly reopened. “The one thing I do know is that this new development only serves to muddle our priorities and make my decision of what to do next that much more difficult. We don’t exactly have numbers on our side and we can’t really afford to split our group and start going in separate directions to compensate.”

“Just pick something, Edward,” Katie whispered softly, leaning her head wearily on his shoulder. “Like you said, we can only focus on one thing at a time. Whichever course of action you decide we should take, we will do everything in our power to get the task taken care of quickly so we can move on to the next objective.”

Brooding, Edward remained silent for a couple of minutes. With a heavy sigh, he finally responded, “After carefully weighing our options, it pains me to say that chasing down and eradicating the demons that attacked us yesterday should probably be our first order of business. With them out of the picture, returning to other tasks would be much safer.”

“If that’s the case, it should be myself and Katie who hunt them down,” Brian suggested. “Before you go getting all hot under the collar, I only say this because you need more time to heal. It would be pointless to have you along in your condition, and as for Jack … if we have to do any significant climbing it would severely limit our progress. No offense, my friend,” he remarked, glancing down at the wolf by Edward’s feet.

Knowing that Brian spoke the truth, Edward nodded his agreement to the terms. “I have a stipulation to add,” he replied, glancing up to meet the shaman’s gaze. “If you run into more trouble than the two of you can handle on your own, please disengage from the fight and come back here. If we have to wait until I’ve healed enough to make the journey with you, then so be it.”

“Fair enough,” Brian agreed, glancing toward Katie to see if she did as well. “Perhaps we can wait an hour or two before we leave, though.” He grinned, nodding his head in the direction of the disheveled brown hair adorning Edward’s shoulder as her light snores broke the silence.

***

It was a couple of hours before dawn when George’s persistence finally paid off. He had been biding his time, peering occasionally from the cracked open doorway, waiting impatiently for Brian to fall asleep. It almost seemed like he never would, but when his chin sunk to his chest after several long hours George didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity. Sneaking past the slumbering shaman was the easy part. Victoria’s body was light enough that he didn’t have to concern himself with causing a floorboard to creak as he crept by, but opening the door to the outside was another matter entirely. The rusted hinges groaned as he snuck out into the night and George whipped his head around to make sure he hadn’t alerted Brian. A momentary hitch in his light snores was the only reaction he gave to the sound.

Releasing his hold on the door, George allowed it to swing shut on its own, hoping the swift movement would lessen the amount of noise it would make as it closed. Swiftly, he darted around the side of the building where he stayed for a few moments, letting his breath out as noiselessly as he could. Once George was certain his exit from the inn had gone undetected, he slipped through the shadows to the next structure. As he walked along the front side of the dilapidated framework, searching for a way inside, he found a large, wooden panel, secured to a metal track about ten feet over his head. It reminded him of an old barn door. Gripping the edge he slid it aside, but only enough to squeeze through the opening.

The stable smelled of musty straw and decayed flesh, likely from prior rodent inhabitants which had starved to death when their food sources dried up. Though, there were still a number of corpses piled up behind the buildings so the stench might have just been seeping through the walls. With at least another hour or so before the first rays of sunshine would crest the horizon, George decided to look around. Keeping both hands ahead of him, sweeping back and forth through the darkness, he searched for anything that might be of use. After several minutes, and stumbling over a multitude of what were likely petrified horse turds, his eyes lit up. Underneath the palm of Victoria’s hand was what felt like a coiled section of rope. Perfect!

Wasting no time, he gathered it up and searched for one of the ends. Once he found it, George sat the old woman’s body against the wall of the stall and began to tightly bind Victoria’s legs together. Her lips were twisted into a malicious grin by the evil entity inside of her. Fear quickly escalated in her mind as she read the thoughts of the invading spirit. Victoria’s hands betrayed her will as they picked up the loose end of the rope, circling its coarse threads around her neck a few times before feeding it through a gap in the boards behind her. Pulling it tight, he knotted it around the bindings on her legs, crushing her windpipe and cutting off the air to her lungs as George leaned forward to secure the rope. He leaned back and forced a wicked smile to appear on her face when he finished. “You’ll be perfectly fine as long as you hold still and don’t try to escape,” George’s voice taunted within her mind.

Now that he no longer had to worry about losing his focus and accidentally allowing Victoria to come to the forefront, and very likely warning her son and his companions, he concentrated on exiting the fragile shell of the old woman. The added exertion he had caused her body by forcing it to move around beyond its normal limits, coupled with the emotional turmoil George had put her through, caused Victoria to pass out as he slipped from her body.

***

Cowering behind the willow tree at the edge of town, Amber watched things unfold, not daring to make her presence known until she knew for sure what was going on. She suspected that somehow the man who’d killed her, and seemed to be a ghost himself now, was inside of Edward’s mother and controlling her like a puppet. She didn’t have any proof of her suspicions to show her friends yet, but Amber was sure if she kept a close eye on things that the evidence would present itself soon.

Seemingly endless hours passed since she had seen everyone go inside of the inn, but just when she began to consider moving in for a closer look, Amber saw the old woman quietly sneak from the building and disappear inside the structure on the other side. After a short time she pondered moving in for a better view, her curiosity slowly beginning to overpower her fear. Before she could act on this impulse, however, Amber witnessed the one thing she dreaded most … the ghost of her killer, peering from the partially open door of the stable!

Chapter 4

Remaining hidden in the secret cellar of the farmhouse, the Black Knight sensed that his plans would soon be set in motion. If, that was, the younger version of George complied with his will. He was hopeful. The man did seem significantly easier to manipulate and control than his willful, older counterpart back on Desolace, but the jury was still out on whether this was going to be a waste of his time, or the most brilliant solution he had ever come up with.

"Will you shut up?" the Black Knight snapped at the screaming plaything George had left behind. Her nude body trembled in the chains which secured her to a sturdy ring in the concrete floor. The sound of his voice caused a stream of urine to gush down her leg, the warm liquid briefly pooling near her shackled feet before it trickled into the drain a foot or two in front of her. The shrill pitch of the woman’s screams, muffled though they were by the gag in her mouth, penetrated his head like an axe splitting firewood. He contemplated silencing her for good, but reconsidered. Maybe, once George has carried out his mission, I could have him drag her with us. No sense in destroying a perfectly acceptable subject that I can put to use when I get back to Cemetery Hill.

Slipping through the heavy, steel door separating the torture chamber from the remainder of the house, the Black Knight quietly ascended the stone staircase which terminated at the bookcase. Placing an ear to the back side of it, he listened for movement. The muffled sound of voices filtered through the wood. A wicked smile creased his face. Oh, he is good, the Black Knight thought. It is no wonder that he captures his victims so easily. The man has the silver tongue of a demon. Restraining a chuckle, he continued to eavesdrop until the voices receded.

Waiting a few moments longer to make sure he could pass to the opposite side of the shelf undetected, he slid the panel aside quietly and stepped through into the living room. Stealthily moving into the hallway, the Black Knight cocked his head slightly to one side. The whispered sounds of voices were just barely perceptible, but they seemed to indicate that the humans were preparing to turn in for the night.

His curiosity getting the better of him, he crept silently up the staircase. It wasn’t as if the Black Knight had never witnessed death, more mortals had suffered that fate by his own hands than he could even begin to count, but he wanted more than anything to see George in action. That was just how his brain was wired. He had a compulsive need to bask himself in the misery and death of others.

Several darkened doorways greeted him as he turned into the upper hallway at the top of the stairs. Moonlight filtered through a lone window at the opposite end of the corridor. Twisted shadows danced eerily on the walls, courtesy of the swaying branches of the large oak in the front yard. In this fractured light, the Black Knight could see that all but one of the doors lining the hallway were closed. One, at the very end of the hall, had a hint of luminescence shining beneath it. Another, from the room directly beside the first, was cracked open.

Ignoring the portals closest to him, the stained wood of their panels firmly shut with no sound or light emanating from them, the Black Knight glided down the hall like a child attempting to sneak up on Santa Claus in the middle of the night, hoping to catch the jolly fellow leaving presents under the Christmas tree. Hearing the whimpering, stifled cries of a child resonating in the darkened corridor, as if the tiny human had its face buried in a pillow, he stopped next to the partially opened door. Impatiently, he waited for the child to quiet down, hoping that when she did it would signal it was safe for him to pass by so he could listen in on George and his wife. More than anything, the Black Knight desired to hear what deceptive words young George would use to lull the woman into a false sense of security. He was also eager to watch the man fulfill his demand and prove his loyalty to him.

***

Upset because she had to go to bed without getting to pillage the king’s ransom of candy she had hauled in tonight, Cassie pulled her covers up to her chin. Grabbing the pillow from beneath her head, she buried her face in its feathery depths. She didn’t want her parents to hear her wailing sobs because they would likely think she was being a spoiled brat, which would only cause them to withhold her candy even longer. Well … that wasn’t the only reason she was crying. The creepy shadows in the hall outside of her room were scaring Cassie, too, even though her daddy had explained what caused them. Knowing they were the branches of the tree in the front yard did nothing to calm her fears when she could see the shadows scratching at the walls like the long, skeletal fingers of a hideous monster.

Fighting to choke back her sobs, Cassie sniffled and took a deep breath. Lifting the pillow off her blonde curls and pushing it toward the headboard of her bed, she listened to see if her parents had heard the commotion of her wails. Their voices hadn’t change, remaining soft enough as they penetrated the wall between the two rooms that Cassie couldn’t make out what they were saying. To her, it almost sounded the same as Charlie Brown’s teacher in the Peanuts cartoons.

Catching a flicker of movement in the hallway from the corner of her puffy, tear-reddened eyes, Cassie turned her head expecting to see her daddy. Instead, she was greeted by the glowing, elongated face of a clown. Closing her eyes in hopes that it was something her frightened imagination had conjured up, she counted to three in her head before opening them. The face was still staring into the room, its shimmering yellow eyes boring into her. Unable to look away from the horrible sight, Cassie screamed at the top of her lungs.

***

Talking softly as she lay beside George in their bed, Jen relayed the events of her trick-or-treat outing with Cassie. Listening to her tale with all the attentiveness of a good husband, he nodded and smiled in all the right places, even though his mind worked furiously as he contemplated the Black Knight’s demands. He had to be the perfect actor if he had any intention of carrying out the demon’s request without raising his wife’s suspicions. After relaying her story, she turned off the light on her nightstand then scooted in closer to snuggle with George. Draping her arm over him, she pulled her husband to her lips and kissed him goodnight.

Jen was on the verge of falling asleep a few minutes later when an ear shattering scream broke the silence, causing her to sit up in bed so quickly that you would have thought she had been jabbed with a cattle prod. First she spun her head toward the closed bedroom door, then whipped it back toward George to see if he was awake. A small amount of light filtered through the blinds drawn down over the window, but it was just enough for Jen to see her husband sitting up on the other side of the bed.

“I’ll go check on Cassie.” He sighed, feeling the urgent, panicked jostling of his wife. “She probably just had a nightmare,” he added, hoping to calm Jen. Rising from the mattress, George stumbled through the darkness to the door and felt around for the knob. Swinging it open fully so his wife could hear what was going on better, he stepped into the hall and turned toward his daughter’s room.

As he approached her door, George noticed something lying on the floor. Bending down to pick up the object, he suddenly became very angry. “Where are you, you bastard?” Squinting into the shadows, his eyes flicked from one area to the next, trying to find the entity which contacted him earlier and was likely nearby. The deformed clown mask he held in his hand was evidence that the demon hadn’t stayed put in the basement.

Turning toward his daughter’s bedroom after a fruitless visual search for the creature, he couldn’t help but wonder. Was the foul monster growing impatient because he hadn’t carried out his orders immediately? Was it taking matters into its own hands and killing his family while he slept, perhaps thinking he was a coward that wouldn’t do it? Whatever the reasoning was behind the mask’s appearance in the hallway, there was only one way to find out.

Reaching through the narrow opening that the cracked door provided, his fingers fumbled across the wall for the light switch. Flicking it up, the room was bathed in the pinkish illumination of the decorative cover of the light fixture on the ceiling. Before him, Cassie cowered against the headboard of her bed, her tiny face buried in the pillow she clutched to her chest, allowing only a fraction of her blonde curls to be seen.

Relaxing slightly when he saw his daughter alive, George sauntered over and sat down on the mattress beside her, placing a gentle hand on the back of her head. “Did you have a nightmare, honey?” Though his soft tone of voice would normally soothe her enough to warrant a hug, this time she didn’t even look up at him. Instead, she shook her head vehemently in the feathery depths of her pillow.

“There was a monster standing in the hall, looking at me, Daddy,” she cried. “I think it wanted to eat me.”

“Well, it’s not there anymore, honey. I must have scared it away when I came to check on you,” he whispered, dropping the mask on the bed beside him and pulling the pillow from Cassie’s grip so he could see her face. George pulled his daughter toward him and hugged her tightly to his chest.

She sniffled for a few moments before turning her head upward to look at him. “Can I sleep with you and Mommy tonight? I promise I’ll be good,” she pleaded.

“Of course, sweetheart,” he replied, playfully ruffling her hair. Cassie wrapped her arms and legs around him happily, a smile creasing her tear-stained face for the first time since George had sat down beside her. Pushing himself up from the mattress, his daughter clung to him like a leech. Temporarily forgetting about the clown mask, which still rested on Cassie’s bed, he turned the light off, exited the room, and walked back to his own bed chamber.

Jen met them in the doorway, the look of a terrified mother etched across her features. “Is she okay?” Before George could answer, she ran her hands lightly over her daughter as if she were searching for a mortal wound.

Reaching out, George put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “She’s fine, baby. She thought she saw a monster and asked if she could sleep with us tonight.”

A thin, tight-lipped smile appeared on Jen’s face and she sighed through her nose in relief. Her bright blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears of happiness. “Of course you can, angel,” she remarked, leaning forward and kissing the back of Cassie’s head.

***

The excitement of the night’s events had passed. Jen and Cassie were cuddled close to each other and sleeping soundly. Normally, Jen’s light snores would be like a lullaby to him, but it wasn’t the case tonight. His mind was restless and sleep eluded him as George lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling and contemplating what he should do the next time he crossed paths with the demon that demanded he kill his family.

Chapter 5

Katie stirred from her slumber as the first rays of dawn began to filter through the doorway of the inn. Wincing at the stiffness in her neck, she rubbed the tightened muscles absently. “What?” She glanced sternly into the grinning face of the red-haired shaman across the table from her.

“Nothing,” he laughed, spotting the small puddle of her drool on Edward’s shoulder.

“Once you are more fully awake, you and Brian should get going,” Edward remarked, turning his gaze to meet Katie’s sleep reddened and puffy brown eyes.

A cloud of confusion crossed her features temporarily, but it quickly cleared when her foggy memory began to recall their earlier conversation. Rubbing her hands briskly over her face and lightly slapping her cheeks to speed up the process of waking, Brian once again burst into a fit of laughter.

“What’s so freaking funny?” Katie glared at him, despising being the brunt of a joke.

Quickly he regained his composure, though it was hard to see because he hung his head. “I’m sorry, Katie,” he apologized. “Guess it’s just been a long night and things that I wouldn’t normally find amusing I am finding more hilarious than they probably are.”

She sat in silence for a couple of minutes before she realized that she was being a bitch again, likely snapping at him because she’d barely slept at all in the last day or so. Raising her head, she met Brian’s expectant blue eyes, the look in them telling her that he was waiting to see if she would accept his apology. “I’m sorry, too, Brian. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”

“No big deal.” He smiled weakly. “I should have known better than to pick on you right after you woke up. I probably would have been grumpy, too, if the shoe had been on the other foot.”

Attempting to return his smile to let him know there weren’t any hard feelings, Katie’s mouth opened in a cavernous yawn, interrupting the grin and twisting it into something that made her look deformed. Brian bit his cheek to suppress the urge to chuckle. “Perhaps we should gather our things and get going,” he suggested, trying his best to divert his attention in order to restrain another outburst.

Nodding in agreement, Katie turned to face Edward. “What about you? I’m still not entirely comfortable leaving you here alone, especially in your condition.”

“I won’t be alone,” he replied, grimacing as he reached down to stroke the fur of the wolf by his feet. “I have Jack to keep me company.” Still, even so, he longed to be able to make the journey with his friends and couldn’t help but worry about their safety. “Don’t forget to pack a saddlebag to take with you. There’s no telling how long it will be before you return,” he added.

“We’ll be fine,” Katie consoled, lightly patting Edward’s shoulder. “If we run into trouble, Brian can fast fry the opposition like we’re having our own private barbecue.”

“Either that, or I could turn the enemy inside out,” Brian joked, “but that’s only if Katie doesn’t kick the crap out of them first.”

“PMS is a bitch.” She laughed with a wink toward the red-haired shaman.

“Ha, ha,” Brian smirked as he pushed his chair out from the table and rose to his feet. “I’ll be outside if you need me for anything before we go,” he told Edward, “packing a bag and making sure we don’t forget anything.”

***

It wasn’t long before Brian and Katie poked their heads back through the front door of the inn to check on Edward one last time. His arms, tucked beneath his long, black hair, rested on the table before him. He raised his weary dome to focus his pale eyes on their shadowy figures.

“We’re preparing to leave now,” Brian announced. “Are you sure you don’t need anything before we go?”

Edward shook his head in response. “Getting some rest and allowing my wounds time to heal are my primary concerns. As long as you left at least some of the supplies behind for me, I should be fine until you both return.”

“We will try to make this journey as swift as we can, but since we have no idea what we may be up against, I can’t make any promises. For all I know, it could only take a day or less, but I’m not going to hold my breath or try to give you false hope.”

“With the way my luck has been running lately …” Edward trailed off, not wanting to voice his concerns of the possibility that he might never see them again.

Katie peered over Brian’s shoulder at their haggard leader, waiting for him to finish his sentence. When Edward remained silent, she understood the implications of why he hadn’t completed the thought. Her shoulders slumped as she sunk down and turned her head so the men wouldn’t see the well of tears threatening to leak from her eyes. When she had regained her composure, Katie tugged on Brian’s sleeve and motioned with her head that they should go. Before he could add to the sadness of the moment, the red-haired shaman offered a nod and a wave to Edward, then turned to follow Katie.

“Good luck, my friends,” Edward mumbled to their backs as they walked away. He only hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time he saw them.

***

The two of them shuffled around to the back side of the inn. Both were too choked up with the departure to speak, until they left the shelter of the buildings behind and approached the railroad tracks masked by the overgrowth of weeds at the edge of town. Bending down next to the rusted rails, Katie glanced to her left and saw that the tracks seemed to terminate about one hundred feet away. Turning her head in the opposite direction, she saw a bend in the rails, which appeared to head directly into the forest, and toward the mountainous hill beyond. “Looks like we’re going that way,” she told Brian, pointing to her right.

***

With the light of day upon him, George could no longer see the ghostly nuisance which seemed to follow his every move. For a brief moment, he was grateful for the reprieve, but at the same time disappointed when he concluded that he wouldn’t be able to torture the woman by making her watch what he did to people. A flicker of comprehension dawned on him, causing a twisted grin to cross his face when he realized that his form was similarly invisible. I could have some real fun with this! Even though I can no longer touch, and savor, my victims, being a ghost could prove to be just as amusing! Maybe even more so! His mind swirled with possibilities as he watched two of his adversaries exit the inn.

Allowing his transparent form to drift effortlessly, he followed in their wake to spy on them, wondering why they had left their injured friends behind in the inn. Seeing the girl bend down a short distance from the rear of the building, intently studying the railroad tracks, George began to think that his luck would continue. When he saw her point to the section of rails heading away from town and up the mountain, this feeling became an almost certainty. Even so, he patiently waited until he saw them start to follow the tracks, disappearing from sight in the dense underbrush beside the rails.

Rubbing his invisible hands together with maniacal glee, George floated toward the entrance of the inn. Time to turn up the heat and make things interesting! When he got to the front of the structure he became agitated. The door was shut! Frustrated with the delay of his playtime, he began searching for another way into the building. Slowly circling the inn, George drifted from one window to the next, each one yielding the same results. His anger was on the verge of boiling over when he spotted his salvation. High above him, a small, attic window was propped open with a stick, presumably to keep the uppermost floor of the structure from getting too warm. This time of year it should have been closed up tight like the rest of the windows, but apparently someone had neglected their duty. Perhaps the individual who should have taken care of this assignment was lying with the rest of the corpses piled against the rear of the building.

Quickly taking advantage of the open portal, George entered the attic. After a brief search, he located a stairway leading down to the lower levels. In his excitement, he zipped down the steps, only to come to another closed door blocking his path. At this point, George was grateful he was no longer alive. If he were, he would almost certainly have developed an instant migraine from the overwhelming rage he now felt. His anger was so strong that it was clouding his thoughts. Attempting to close his eyes so he could take a deep breath and relax only heightened his already volatile emotions, realizing that in his current state he could not close his eyelids to block everything from sight because they were transparent.

Returning to the attic, George flitted furiously from one end to the other, desperately trying to figure out how to get at the injured people somewhere below him. Pacing back and forth managed to dissipate his murderous rage, but only slightly. With his anger retarded a notch, the solution suddenly became clear. The old woman is the key! If I infest her crinkled shell again I will be able to interact with the physical world once more. It might actually be more satisfying to see the look in her son’s eyes when he believes his own flesh and blood is taking his life.

Drifting back outside through the propped open window, George sped toward the stable to retrieve the old woman’s body. As he rounded the corner of the building, a noise emanating from somewhere to his right drew his attention. Searching for the source of the sound, his eyes settled on the haggard-looking wizard, rifling through the contents of a saddlebag. George watched the man take something from the pack, shoving the item in his mouth before untying the straps which held the worn, burlap sack in place on the back of the mechanical horse.

Out of the corner of his eye, George caught a glimpse of the opportunity he’d been looking for. The front door of the inn was partially open! Wasting no time, he quickly floated inside. Immediately upon his entry, a snarling, three-legged wolf greeted him with bared fangs.

Chapter 6

Though the underbrush they traveled through was dense, the railroad tracks they were following blazed a trail through the tangled foliage quite effectively, allowing Katie and Brian to make good time thus far. After an hour, two at the most, they found themselves at the foot of a rickety bridge. Even though some of the boards which supported the tracks were decayed, some to the extent that they had fallen to the river rushing below it, there didn’t seem to be any damage to the rails themselves. Obviously, if the dilapidated bridge had been sturdy enough to withstand the weight of a rail-car, the two of them should have no trouble making the crossing without incident.

After a brief discussion, Brian and Katie decided to take a quick, five minute break. Even though the morning air was cool, and they were both in decent physical shape because of all the walking they did every day, Brian was on the verge of a full-blown sweat. Wiping the perspiration from her brow, Katie plopped down on the edge of the bridge, allowing her legs to dangle over the side. Peeling his sweat dampened tunic over his head, Brian sat down beside her, fanning his shirt out on the wood next to him in hopes the sun would dry it a bit.

“Oh my God, Brian! Put that thing back on! You could blind someone with that pasty whiteness,” Katie teased, dramatically shielding her eyes.

“Ha, ha,” he smirked. “I’ve never been a big fan of exposing my skin to the sun, but I think all redheads feel the same way.”

“I was only picking,” she explained with a grin. “Though I don’t share your condition, I’m well aware of the fact that people with red hair sunburn very easily. I was just trying to keep the mood light. The task before us will likely take that away from us soon enough. Might as well smile and be happy while we still can.”

Knowing she spoke the truth, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Glancing toward what lay ahead for them, Brian traced the path of the rails with his eyes. It was impossible to tell from where he sat, but if he wasn’t mistaken their journey would be more treacherous from here on out. The tangled brush swallowed the tracks shortly after emerging on the opposite side of the river, but he could see dots of shiny reflections at irregular intervals upon the fairly steep incline of the hill, which by his estimation would take them an hour or less to reach.

Brian’s silence was beginning to make Katie nervous. Is he angry with me for making fun of him? Or, does he know something that he’s not telling me? “Are you all right?”

“Sorry, I was lost in thought,” he replied, shaking his head as he turned to face her, noticing a hint of panic in her voice. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

She offered him a thin smile, believing he was hiding something from her. “Ready to get moving again?”

“I suppose we should. The sooner we get this business taken care of, the better.” He sighed, picking up his shirt and pulling it on.

Standing up, they gathered their things and began to cross the bridge. It was a more tedious journey than what they had endured to this point. Footing was perilous at best. The missing planks were easy enough to avoid, but the wood of some of the other boards was more rotten than they would have thought them to be. Especially considering that the rails showed no indication of flaws in the supporting structure. When they had managed to get within fifty feet of the end of the bridge, Brian began to relax slightly. Just as he did, a loud crack broke the silence. Spinning around toward the sound, he reacted just quick enough to keep Katie from plunging to the rushing water below by grabbing hold of her wrist as her leg plummeted through a rotten plank.

“Son of a bitch!” Katie grimaced in agony as the pressure of Brian’s grip caused a sudden flare of pain in her broken hand. Grasping his forearm with her good hand, she eased the tension on her screaming appendage just enough to keep from passing out as Brian hauled her up from the ragged hole. Once Katie was on solid ground again, she gingerly inspected her fractured extremity.

“I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. I didn’t have time to consider which of your hands was injured before I latched on,” he apologized, wincing as he watched her prod and massage the damaged appendage, checking to see if the incident had made matters worse.

“It’s okay. I prefer a healthy dose of pain as opposed to death,” she confessed.

“You’ve got a point,” he remarked with a half smile. Shifting his position so she could throw her good arm over his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Let’s get you off this bridge before something else happens.”

Using Brian as a crutch, she hobbled her way to dry land before easing herself to the ground. Katie tenderly checked her leg as he anxiously watched. The broken plank she had fallen through had ripped a foot-long gash in her leather pants. Widening the gap so she could inspect the flesh beneath, she saw an angry red stripe on her skin where the board had bit into her. The section of her leg that had come into contact with the jagged plank first, the area just above her kneecap, was the only part of the scrape which was bleeding. “Minor flesh wound,” she announced, meeting Brian’s worried gaze. “Can you grab me a strip of cloth from the pack?”

He quickly complied, rummaging in the pack and pulling out one of the few remnants of cloth inside which had made the journey from future Earth when they’d been fighting for their very lives against the hordes of undead. “Thanks.” She smiled, snatching the strip of cloth from his hand. Tucking it through the tear in her pants, she encircled the wound on her thigh just tight enough to put pressure on it to stanch the flow of blood, then pulled the ends out of the hole. Pinching the leather together, Katie wound the remaining material around the outside of her pants and knotted it firmly. Holding out her good hand, she gestured for Brian to help her up. Once she was on her feet again, she attempted to hide the grimace of pain as she shifted her weight to the injured leg.

“Should we go back to the inn, or do you think you can go on?”

Katie hesitated a moment before answering, subconsciously asking herself the same question. “I should be okay,” she finally said, unsure if her words were a lie to comfort him. The one thing she did know was that she didn’t want to return to the inn and tell Edward they had failed to reach their objective. “I’m sure that once we get moving again, it will start feeling better,” she added, seeing the skeptical look on his face.

“I hope you’re right,” he stated with a tight-lipped, half smile.

***

Thankfully, after the first half an hour of resuming their trek, Katie’s wounded leg was bothering her less and less. Her broken hand, however, was another matter entirely. Ever since Brian had grabbed her wrist to save her life, and put the pressure of her suspended body weight on it, the extremity had been throbbing like an infected tooth. It hadn’t been a huge issue, but that seemed about to change. Just ahead, the railroad tracks were beginning to wind steadily upward, which meant she would be required to do some climbing very soon. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a steep enough incline that she would need to worry. Especially when she considered that a rail-car had traveled these tracks without getting derailed, though, that said nothing of her needing to use the broken hand to maintain her balance. If push came to shove she would rather grasp something with it and endure the agony than tumble back down the hill, which could potentially be far more devastating to her wellbeing.

Brian stopped for a minute and glanced behind him. “Having second thoughts?”

“Just catching my breath,” she wheezed.

Nodding, he put his hands on his hips and turned away from her to study the tracks. Their path was slightly easier to see, now that they had emerged from the thickest of the foliage which had shrouded them from sight earlier. Craning his head upward, he still could not make out where they were going. For all he knew these rails could go on for miles, cresting the hill they were climbing and running down the other side like a medieval roller-coaster.

“Okay, I’m ready to go again,” Katie announced, startling Brian from his thoughts.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” He scrutinized her expression as he awaited her response.

“Nope, I’m good,” she replied, giving him a thumbs up.

With an almost imperceptible nod, he turned and resumed the long, uphill trudge.

Chapter 7

It was obvious upon his entering the inn that the wolf before him could at the very least sense his presence, possibly even see him. Forced into making a quick decision, George weighed his options while he still had time. He would be trapped if the wizard came back inside and shut the door. Attempting to infiltrate and possess the animal in front of him didn’t seem like a viable solution, though he couldn’t be absolutely sure. The logistics of trying such a thing seemed doomed to failure. The physics of transferring his ghostly essence into a creature which did not share the same physical attributes as humans was a conundrum George had never tested, making it impossible for him to know if it could be done. There was always the possibility that his arms could slide into the animal’s forelegs, but the more he thought about it, the less sure he was about the potential outcome.

Deciding to test a theory, he allowed himself to drift backwards and to the left, hoping to determine if the animal could indeed see him, or track his movements. Indicating that it could, the wolf rose from the floor, turning its head in his direction with its eyes focused intently on him.

Edward appeared in the doorway, poking his head inside. “What’s all the fuss about, Jack?” The wolf seemed to ignore his question, his gleaming eyes remaining locked on some unseen threat he perceived. As his mind furiously reeled with possibilities, an idea struck him. It could be a ghost, like Amber! We’ve only been able to see her when the sun was down, even though she’s told us before that she is usually nearby. Although, I seriously doubt Jack would act this way if it were indeed her. The gears in his head turned, rapidly searching for the answer which seemed just beyond his grasp. Suddenly it hit him. Even though he had never encountered a ghost other than Amber, it was entirely possible that an unfamiliar entity had found its way to them, perhaps brought here by Amber herself!

Testing his hypothesis, he took a step backward and swung the door shut. With the ambient light source cut off the interior of the inn grew dim, the grime-coated windows allowing only a hint of the morning sun to penetrate their panes. Edward closed his eyes for a moment, hoping it would force them to adjust to the dimness a few seconds faster. When he opened them, he squinted toward the area that Jack seemed to be focused upon. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? If not, there was a hazy, man-shaped mist hanging in the air before him, looking much like someone’s reflection in a dirty mirror.

The sound of the closing door startled George. Daring to take his eyes off of the wolf before him, he whipped his head toward the man. It took a few seconds for him to figure out why the wizard had done what he did, but as the man reopened his eyes and looked in his direction, squinting for a moment before a shocked look of recognition appeared on his pasty face, George suddenly knew the game was up. The wizard was staring directly at him!

On the verge of panic, seeing his plans swirling down the drain, he knew he had to make a decision … now! His first instinct was to flee and hide, giving him more time to come up with a concrete plan of action, but with the way the wolf was locked onto him now, it didn’t seem like a very good option. Chances are, that beast would be on my trail the whole time. As if to punctuate this point, Jack inched closer, baring his massive fangs and snarling viciously. George had nearly resigned himself to taking his chances and trying to hide when the solution to his dilemma smacked him like a tire iron to the skull.

Hoping to catch Edward off guard, George rushed toward him. Maybe it was the wizard’s weakened state, but whatever the reason, the penetration of his fleshy exterior went easier than he could have anticipated. Within moments, he had plunged into the man’s core, immediately stretching his form to match that of his host, like putting on a twisted Halloween skin-suit. He didn’t come forward and take control of the man’s body right away, but instead watched and waited, looking to see how the wolf would react.

In his injured state, Edward was unable to dodge the oncoming misty form of his adversary. He let out a shocked gasp as the ghost passed through his skin, expecting the sensation to be more painful than it actually was. Once the initial surprise wore off, he gazed around, disoriented and frightened, almost as if he was anticipating another of the Black Knight’s creepy minions to suddenly jump out of the shadows to attack him. When nothing of the sort happened, he turned back to regard Jack, who stared at him with the same look of bafflement he felt. “Where did it go, Jack?” Taking a tentative step toward the wolf, he crouched down and stroked his fur, attempting to calm the confused beast and himself at the same time.

The instant Edward laid a hand on him, Jack began to whimper and nervously shuffled back a few steps. “What’s wrong, Jack?” Unable to comprehend his friend’s reaction to his touch, he sat down on the dusty floor and patted the wooden planks beside him. The wolf did not approach him immediately, but instead cocked its head in nervous curiosity, as if it was having the same trouble grasping the concept of what had just transpired as Edward was. Then, before his very eyes, Jack’s demeanor seemed to change after raising his snout and taking a whiff of the stale air in the room.

“What is it, Jack?” Edward’s voice crackled with nervousness as the animal began stalking toward him as if it no longer recognized him. When the beast was within a couple of feet of him, its upper lip pulled upward, saliva dripping from its exposed fangs. Refusing to use his magic to restrain his friend, Edward continued talking in a soothing tone of voice. When Jack’s teeth gnashed together inches from his face as the wolf lunged forward, he knew that keeping his magic bottled up inside of him was no longer an option.

As he began to summon a spell to repel the crazed animal, Edward’s eyes lost their focus as George shoved his way forward to take control of his body. Maybe it was the difference which glinted in the steely, gray orbs in the eye sockets of Edward’s skull that tipped the wolf off to his presence, but it no longer mattered. With control over the wizard’s body, he wasn’t just an impotent and intangible being; he could now pull the man’s strings like an expert puppeteer.

Lowering his center of gravity, Jack prepared to attack, coiling his good leg beneath him like a serpent that was about to strike. Saliva dripped from his jowls as he opened his mouth wide and launched himself through the air at Edward.

A split second before the wolf’s jaws would have snapped shut on his face, Edward’s hands shot up from his sides and grasped the animal around the neck with a strength that was not his own. Squeezing with all of his might, George dug the wizard’s fingernails into Jack’s flesh, puncturing the wolf’s hide and causing blood to spurt from the wounds. Pushing his front paws against Edward’s chest, Jack struggled to break free of his grip. Choking, blood began to gurgle in his throat and his makeshift hindquarter scratched weakly at Edward’s clothing. After a few moments, his legs hung limply from his torso and his head lolled to one side at an unnatural angle.

***

Edward regained consciousness a short time later, feeling as if he were rising from the depths of a nightmare. His head throbbed with an ache unlike any he had ever dealt with before, but it wasn’t the only part of him that hurt. Pushing himself up from the floor, where he’d apparently collapsed, he grimaced in agony as his muscles protested. Managing to at least get to an upright, sitting position, he was greeted by the sight of carnage he wasn’t prepared to see. Body parts appeared to be flung carelessly in every direction, human body parts. A severed arm lying by his foot, a twisted rope of intestines a few inches from that, and a little further to his right was what looked to be a partial leg. Fearing the worst had happened, Edward raised his hands, intending to cup them around his mouth to yell for his friend, even though the evidence before him suggested that he’d been killed. As his hands passed in front of his face, he saw they were slick with sticky, half-dried blood. Just then, an awful realization struck him with explosive force. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Edward knew that his own hands had been Jack’s undoing. Turning his head away from the carnage, he vomited violently. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he saw the one thing he had hoped to never see … Jack’s decapitated head lying on the floor in the corner of the room, staring back at him accusingly. “Oh my God! What have I done?”

Chapter 8

Judging by the position of the fiery orb in the sky it was early afternoon. Their uphill progress, slow as it might have seemed, was relatively quick when they considered the angle of their ascent, which at times was borderline vertical. How the rail-car had traversed the length of the track, and made it to the bottom of the hill without flying off of the rails, was a topic that defied logic. Then there was the matter of its return trip, ignoring the laws of physics and gravity as the rail-car had made the seemingly impossible climb.

As if to punctuate just how arduous their journey had been to this point, Katie stopped to catch her breath, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her broken hand. Leaning forward to balance her center of gravity, she took a quick look over her shoulder to see how far they had come. The dizzying height caused her to gulp loudly. Though the foliage below her nearly obscured the abandoned town at the base of the hill, she could just barely make out the dilapidated buildings, looking like nothing more than mere specks from her vantage point. Quickly, she turned back to face the tracks before the woozy feeling weakened her knees and caused her to plummet to the bottom of the hill, knowing if she were to fall from this high up that there would be nothing more than bits and pieces of her body left.

Brian also paused his ascent when he realized he could no longer hear Katie’s labored breathing. Digging his fingers into the dirt above a railroad tie, he grasped the beam as tightly as he could manage, and tilted his head to the left to glance behind him. When he gazed down at Katie’s uplifted face, her tight-lipped expression and raised eyebrows put him on the edge of panic. “What’s wrong?” He tried to remain calm, but the nervousness in his voice betrayed him.

“I’m scared,” she admitted, “and I’m beginning to wonder if this is a good idea.”

“Why would you think that? Is your hand bothering you? Are you afraid of falling?” His questions flew with such rapidity that he didn’t even pause to take a breath between them.

“Well, I wasn’t really freaked out about falling until I looked down.” She laughed nervously. “As for my hand, I think I can block out the pain enough to continue on. What scares me more than anything, though, is the thought of leaving Edward behind in his condition. I’m worried about something happening down there and us being too far away to help.”

Having had the same exact thoughts before they had embarked on their uphill journey, Brian frowned. After a few moments of silence, the worry lines which creased his forehead gradually dissolved. “There’s no point in fretting about the things we can’t change.” He sighed. “For now, we need to concentrate on carrying out his wishes. The sooner we can get this dilemma taken care of, the sooner we can get back. Hopefully, by the time we return, Edward will be healed enough to resume traveling.”

“True,” Katie admitted, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “I only hope this doesn’t turn out to be a pointless errand. I mean, for all we know, those creatures could be long gone by now.”

Even though he had no desire to burst her bubble, his lips pressed together in a grim line. “I don’t think that’s an issue.” He frowned, earning himself a questioning look from her. Before she could open her mouth to ask what he meant, Brian continued. “I’ve been sensing something for the last ten minutes or so, but so far it hasn’t been strong enough to be considered an immediate threat.”

Katie gasped, her expression a mixture of confusion and unease. “Why didn’t you say something before now?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” he remarked, averting her demanding stare.

“How can you possibly think it’s not a big deal?”

“I’m sorry … I didn’t want to needlessly worry you. I swear I would’ve said something before now if the feeling had been stronger,” he apologized.

“Please, don’t keep me out of the loop. Getting caught off guard is something neither of us can afford to do,” Katie stated, her tone softening slightly.

Feeling chastised, he was about to tell her he wouldn’t hold anything back from her in the future when a noise from above them distracted him. Whipping his head around toward the sound, he saw a cascade of small, pebble-sized rocks coming right at them, bounding down the hill as if someone had lost their footing above them for a second. “Cover your eyes,” he yelled, raising a hand to shield his own from the falling debris.

As the tiny avalanche of stones bounced past them, the sound of cackling laughter erupted above them. Turning her face upward, Katie caught a brief glimpse of movement. “I think we’ve walked into a trap,” she declared, attempting to maintain her balance as she craned her neck, trying to get a better look. “I’m not positive, but I think the demons that attacked Edward are hiding behind that outcropping.” She pointed toward it, holding the pose just long enough for Brian to follow the angle of her finger.

Quickly glancing from left to right, looking for shelter from the rock-slide, he shouted back to Katie, “I think we need to take cover in the trees. Maybe we can work our way close enough for them to be in range of—”

“I don’t think that’s an option, Brian,” she interrupted, nervously casting a look to either side of the rails. “I’ll never make it without sliding to the bottom of the hill. Remember? I only have one good hand!”

I need an alternative … before those demons decide to throw something larger than a pebble down at us! He pounded the palm of one hand against his forehead as if it would somehow, miraculously forcibly eject a usable idea from his brain. Scrambling to come up with a plan that would work, he mentally flipped through every possible scenario he could think of. Suddenly, his eyes glimmered with hope. “Climb up to where I am. I have an idea.”

As Katie ventured upward in compliance, she saw Brian shifting away from the tracks toward a pine tree which poked out of the rocky ground a few feet from the rails. “What are you doing? I’ll never make it over there without slipping,” she grunted with effort as she climbed to where he’d been standing a moment ago.

“Just keep going,” he urged. “Trust me. I have a plan.”

Glancing uneasily toward him as she attained Brian’s prior position, she saw him extending his arm out to her, coaxing her to grab hold of his hand. She looked at the precarious slant of his body, one hand wrapped around the slender trunk of the tree in front of him, his booted feet braced on a large rock embedded in the earth. The sound of more debris falling from above prodded Katie into motion. Reaching out with her good hand, she fought the urge to close her eyes. Feeling his fingers lock tightly around her wrist, she held her breath as he tugged her toward him. Her feet flailed beneath her for a moment, making her look like she was running on an inclined treadmill, before sliding into his ankle and grinding to a halt.

“Son of a …” He winced at the sudden pressure on his joint, the pain forcing him to wonder if she had dislocated it.

“Don’t let go,” Katie pleaded, wrapping her arms around him so tightly that Brian felt like a large boa constrictor was attempting to squeeze the life from him.

“Grab on to the tree,” he wheezed, trying to pry her vise-like grip from his torso. “I can’t breathe.”

At first she didn’t hear what he had said, the utter panic of the situation clouding her mind. When she realized his words were not part of a vivid daydream, the fog began to dissipate and her clinging grip loosened enough for her to shift her position, allowing her to grasp the pine in the same manner as Brian had. “Sorry,” she whispered sheepishly.

***

Verin had turned his attention from the assemblage of impish demons, which were clustered together just outside the mountain entrance to Cemetery Hill, furious that they had failed to dispatch the mortals in the town below. As he stormed through the nearly empty chamber, intending to return to the Black Knight’s throne room to check and see if he could locate his master’s whereabouts by studying the monitors, the tiny creatures began to cackle with delight. Whipping his head around to investigate the commotion, Verin saw them gathering handfuls of small rocks and chucking them downhill from the precipice where the platform rail-car rested.

Spinning toward the ruckus, he marched outside to admonish them for their behavior. “Knock it off,” he scolded, his features twisting with rage. “You idiots are acting like children!”

The boldest of the lesser demons spun to face him. “In case you haven’t noticed, there are two of the humans from below attempting to scale the mountain,” he retorted angrily. “We are merely trying to keep them at bay, and with any luck cause them to fall. Why can’t we have a little fun while we’re doing our job?”

His forehead crinkled in thought as Verin slowly drifted to the edge of the outcropping and peered over the top of a sizable boulder at the terrain below. At first he didn’t see anything noteworthy, but as he made to turn away he caught a glimpse of red hair peeking out from behind a tree trunk at the limit of his vision. Growling at the temerity of the humans, he whipped his head around and glared at the bolder minion. “Whatever you do, make sure the mortals don’t reach Cemetery Hill,” Verin spat. “Stop pelting them with those pebbles! Make them think the threat has passed so they will begin climbing again, and once they get too close to dodge it, heave the boulder down upon them and pulverize their bones to dust!”

Chapter 9

Standing in the open doorway of the inn, having used Edward’s body to give himself a way out before relinquishing control of his fleshy shell, George watched the wizard draw the conclusion that he had killed his werewolf friend. The man’s thin frame heaved, tears of anguish streaming down his dirty, blood smeared cheeks as his chin sunk to his chest, blubbering like a child who had lost his favorite toy. It seemed as if it had been forever since George had reveled in the glee of torture. He savored the moment while he could, knowing full well that it wouldn’t last long. Once the wizard regained his composure, his mind would surely start working to solve the riddle of how the events of the day had led to the death of his friend.

Silently, George considered his next move. What would be more devastating ... reclaiming the body of Edward’s mother and using her frail body to extinguish her son’s life, or reentering the wizard and steering the man to murder the woman who’d given birth to him? Decisions, decisions. Finally making up his mind, George drifted toward the stable where he’d stored the old woman for safe keeping.

***

For the better part of the last hour, Edward had been overcome with grief. Though the debilitating sadness he felt was far from over, his tear ducts had dried up, refusing to allow even the smallest trickle of moisture to leave their confines. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled in an attempt to clear his mind. He was tempted to wipe the liquid sorrow from his dampened cheeks, but decided not to. Instead, he resolved to leave his tear stained face untouched. Sort of like wearing a badge of shame.

The hint of a warm breeze drifted through the open portal which led outside, turning cold for a second and causing a shiver to run up his spine as he turned his head toward the doorway. The feeling was so brief that it triggered a memory, one in which his mother was telling him a story when he was a child. Her words vaguely wafted through his mind. Something about a ghost walking over a grave. Shaking his head to clear the vision, Edward pushed himself up from the floor. Absently, he began pacing back and forth. Even once he realized what he was doing he didn’t stop; he understood that his body was subconsciously forcing him through the motions because, for whatever reason, it helped clear his mind so he could think.

When he could no longer take the sound of the thickening blood on the floor squishing under his worn boots, a sickening reminder of his dead friend, he stopped and regarded the scattered pieces of Jack. I should probably gather his remains and at least give him a decent burial, he thought. It would have been bad enough to see his furry body parts strewn recklessly around the room, but somehow it was worse seeing the severed appendages littered about in their human appearance. Silently, he cursed the fact that werewolves reverted from their wolf form upon death. The task ahead would have at least been slightly easier if Edward could have convinced himself that he was burying a wild animal instead of a friend, and ally. Gathering what few remnants of resolve he had left, Edward turned and strode to the door, determined to honor Jack.

As he walked outside, he was greeted by the warm, afternoon sun. Immediately upon his exit from the inn, a murder of crows took flight, leaving only a few of their fellows dotting the corpse of his horse. One of them glanced toward Edward, a malevolent gleam in its beady black eyes, as if it were daring him to approach. When the enormous bird saw that its warning was being heeded, it returned to greedily feasting upon the horse’s flesh, stretching a decayed piece of sinew from the animal’s hide with its blood splattered beak.

Knowing the task ahead of him would not be an easy one, he did his best to ignore the foul creatures defiling his once proud steed and scoured the town in search of ground which was soft enough that he could move it with his bare hands. After canvassing nearly every square inch of the abandoned village, and not finding a suitable area to bury Jack, he resigned himself to collecting rocks. He had seen this interment tactic used before when there were no digging implements available, the object of which was to encase the body in stone so that wild animals would be less likely to ravage the corpse of the deceased. As Edward began toting rocks to the location he’d chosen to enshrine Jack’s remains, a place between the inn and the structure beside it—which he had picked out because it received shade for the majority of the day—he heard a noise coming from within the building; the sound was reminiscent of a muffled voice. A female voice!

***

A gleeful madness twinkled in his eyes as George entered the stable. In the dimness of the interior, he floated toward his restrained victim. When his ghostly form drifted into the crone’s field of vision, she tilted her bloodshot eyes in his direction. Though her wrinkled face was a shade somewhere between red and purple, most likely caused by her struggles and the rope encircling her neck, she uttered a muffled scream; the gag George had made from a strip of her gown wound tightly around her head, cutting painfully into her cheeks, successfully muted her cries of terror.

Knowing his time was short, he inched closer to Victoria. As he was about to slip inside her body and take control, her wide-eyed look of panicked hope distracted him. Something, or someone, was on the other side of the wall! For a moment he had almost dismissed the noise, but the old woman’s reaction gave him reason to hurry.

Quickly, George slid into the fleshy disguise of Edward’s mother and took control. The woman choked and gasped as he forced her to lean forward so he could remove the bindings. Throwing the loosened ropes to the side, he stood up. Within seconds of doing so the stable door flew open, sending the shadows of the interior into hiding as bright sunlight penetrated the gloom.

“Mother?” Edward rushed toward her, casting confused glances to each corner of the giant room as he approached. Stopping in front of her, he put his hands firmly on her arms and bent his head down slightly to meet her eyes. “Are you all right? I thought I heard screaming.” Gently, he brushed her frazzled, gray hair from her features and searched her bloodshot, brown irises for an answer.

“I … I think so,” her cracked and aged voice finally responded, a bewildered expression etched on her face. She smoothed out her dirty and disheveled gown before meeting her son’s gaze again. Without realizing he was doing it, George contorted Victoria’s features into a frown. Edward’s piercing stare told George that he didn’t believe the words rolling off his mother’s tongue.

Raising one hand, Edward brushed his fingertips across her cheek. “If everything is fine, then what are these marks? And while I’m thinking about it, what were you doing in here? Everyone in the inn thought you slipped out during the night to return to Elysia.”

“I must have sleepwalked here because I have no memory of leaving the inn,” George lied, hoping the excuse would be believable. Especially considering the fact he had no idea if it was something the woman had ever done before. “As for the marks … they were probably caused by whatever I fell asleep on.” As George studied the wizard’s face he saw the worry lines begin to soften.

Not entirely satisfied with his mother’s response, but enough so to put off any reservations he had, Edward turned back toward the open stable door and put an arm around her shoulder. As he stepped forward to lead her outside, he realized that there was unfinished business awaiting him. Business that his mother should not be forced to witness.

“Why are you stopping?” George tilted her head upward to see if he had somehow managed to put together the pieces and sensed there was something amiss.

Edward hesitated before answering, then looked down into her uplifted face. “There’s something I must do,” he began sadly, a tear slipping from the corner of one eye. “However, after finding you again, I am trying to figure out how,” he continued. “I don’t want to leave you alone, but I also don’t want you to witness it.” Sighing heavily, he chanced a look into her eyes. She appeared to be deep in thought.

Shrugging her shoulders, Victoria sidestepped from beneath his arm and plopped down on a musty bale of straw near the open door. “I’ll just wait here for you. Is that a viable alternative?” Her lips pressed together in a tight-lipped smile and one eyebrow lifted questioningly.

As much as he hated to leave her somewhere that was not in his direct line of sight, Edward knew it was probably for the best. “I will try not to take too long.” For a moment he considered forcing a promise out of her that she would stay put, but changed his mind when he realized it would likely have an unwanted affect. It would probably do one of two things: either it would offend her, or it would raise her curiosity. Neither of which were options he wished to explore right now.

Grudgingly, Edward turned his back on his mother as he strode toward the inn to retrieve the pieces of his dear friend in order to honor him with a decent burial. Behind him, a wicked grin creased Victoria’s face.

Chapter 10

The raining debris from above them had stopped, and an eerie silence enveloped them for approximately an hour, maybe more. It was so quiet, in fact, that Katie felt it was like being a musician in a recording studio who was on a break in between tracks. She found herself wishing that a bird would squawk, a cricket would chirp ... something, anything to bring an end to the isolation she now felt, showing her they weren’t the only living creatures left in the world.

As if Brian had been reading her thoughts, he whispered softly in her ear, “What do you think? Is it safe to come out of hiding and resume our journey?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, turning her head to regard him. “We should probably at least test the waters to see. I sure don’t relish the thought of staying put until dark so we can sneak away in the shadows. My hand is already broken, I don’t want to add any other fractured bones to my list of injuries.”

Brian smirked as he attempted to restrain his laughter, exhaling a breathy snicker through his nose.

“I’m glad you find me so entertaining,” she commented sarcastically. Katie desperately wanted to throw a hand on her hip to emphasize her point, but knew that if she did she would probably lose her balance and fall to her death. Definitely not an option.

“Sorry. Your plan is as good as any, if you ask me,” he stated in a more serious tone. “Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll help you get back over to the rails.”

She hesitated for a moment as she considered their options. Why does he want me to go first? The thought had no more than entered her mind when the answer came to her and she felt like smacking herself in the head for being dimwitted. At first she had pondered the possibility that he was sacrificing the weakest link, presenting the vulture of opportunity with a tasty morsel … if said creature was still lurking about. Sure, it was a metaphor for Brian throwing her out first as bait, but it didn’t seem quite as offensive to think of it that way. After a moment of indecision, she realized the true reasoning behind his words. He feels safer about helping me to the tracks first than he does about him taking the lead and leaving me clinging to this tree trunk with a broken hand. “I’m ready, I guess,” she finally replied with a grim smile.

With an almost imperceptible nod, he slowly extended a leg toward the rails and scuffed his boot in the dirt to create a divot he could use to maintain his balance. Keeping one hand firmly wrapped around the trunk of the pine, he used his other to steady Katie. “Go ahead,” he urged. “Step away from the tree and use my foot to brace yourself. Think of it as a stepping stone.”

Following his instructions, she eased herself into position, allowing her body weight to shift backwards slightly. Once Katie felt secure enough to move, she stretched her leg toward the tracks. As she wedged her foot against Brian’s boot, she began to panic, feeling his foot skid a couple of inches in the loose dirt. Forcing herself to hurry, worried that he would lose his footing, she swung her weight rapidly from his steadying hand to his boot and jumped the final few feet to the rail. As she reached out for its gleaming, metal surface, Katie realized there was a problem. The hand which grasped at the track was her broken one! She didn’t hear Brian howl in agony as she pushed off from his extended leg; her own screams of pain drowned them out as she clutched desperately to the hot metal rail to keep herself from tumbling downhill. Tiny dots swirled before her eyes and her vision threatened to darken. Leaning forward, Katie dug her feet into the dirt just above one of the wooden support beams between the tracks, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

When she opened them, the world continued to swim for a few seconds, almost as if Katie had just returned home from a night on the town, on the precipice of being fall down drunk and hoping to find her bed before passing out. Once her vision became steadier, she glanced toward Brian and saw a grimace of concern on his face. “I’m all right,” she assured him. “Let me get myself braced, then I’ll help you cross over.”

Frowning, he wondered how she could possibly help him in her condition. The last thing he wanted to do was put more strain on her broken hand, knowing the added pressure would be, at the very least, excruciating. Possibly even enough so to break her grip, which would cause both of them to tumble to the bottom of the incline and likely kill them. His worries began to subside when he figured out her plan. There was a slight gap between the underside of the rail and the ground beneath it, which she managed to squeeze her arm through, using it like a hook to hold herself in place. With her right foot wedged on top of the support beam between the tracks, Katie extended her left leg toward him. Scuffing the ground with her toes, she created a rut for her foot to keep herself steady. Then she reached out, splaying her fingers and indicating she was ready. “Come on,” she urged.

Letting out the slow breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, Brian stretched out his arm. Katie immediately latched on to his hand with a grip that felt like a vise, which surprised him for a moment. He hadn’t expected her to be so capable; her slender frame obviously much stronger than it appeared. Feeling secure, he let go of the tree. Keeping his left foot in the groove he had made to support himself, he stepped toward her with his right, extending it outward and using hers as a stepping stone. Within moments he was safely across and clinging to her like a leech. Once he regained his balance, Brian moved to the right of Katie, occupying the other half of the support beam.

***

Watching expectantly from the shadows of a large boulder, Verin saw the duo come back into view as he gazed down the slope of hill bisected by the tracks. Damn! It would have made life so much simpler if they had fallen. I could have gone back to work without worrying about the interruption of intruders, but now I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. Letting his breath out in a hiss, he floated down from his observation point and gathered the minions close.

Even though he wasn’t their master, and they knew his orders did not hold any weight, the cluster of impish creatures turned their attention to Verin. Perhaps, if they followed his instructions, the Black Knight would show them favor in the future. Maybe even elevate their status among his legions.

Once Verin had their undivided attention, he took a quick peek over the boulder to check the intruders’ progress. They were approaching much faster than he had anticipated. Turning to face the mass of expectant minions, he let out a low growl as he spoke. “I need all of you to do what you can to knock the interlopers down the hill. Hiding in the shadows is no longer an option. I don’t care if you have to run down there and engage them, I want results this time!”

Though his form held no definitive shape, one thing became perfectly clear as the tiny creatures turned to do his bidding. The mist-like substance that made up his essence swirled into a twisted grin as Verin spun around, disappearing through the portal which led inside to Cemetery Hill.

***

After safely making it back to the railroad tracks, Brian and Katie resumed their climb. It wasn’t long, a half an hour perhaps, before she began to notice a change in his breathing as she followed close on his heels. Reaching upward, she tugged on the hem of his pants to get his attention. He stopped immediately and turned to regard her. I’m right! Seeing the overcast glaze of his eyes as he gazed down at her caused Katie to realize they were not alone. “How bad is it? Can you tell?”

“Not for sure,” he replied, shaking his head. “It feels sort of like the sense I was getting in the town below yesterday, right before we were attacked, but not nearly as strong.”

“Well, we did greatly diminish their numbers before they fled,” she reminded him.

“True.”

“Do you think it could be the leftovers from yesterday’s battle that you’re feeling now?”

“I would say it’s a distinct possibility,” he confirmed, barely getting the words from his lips before a deluge of small, falling rocks cascaded down upon them and Katie caught sight of something moving above them.

She had no more than lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the debris raining down on them when the day suddenly became brighter. Squinting, Katie chanced a look toward Brian and discovered the reason behind the new brilliance. There was an outcropping of rock above them, hardly discernible because the shaman had ushered forth another of his gigantic, holy fires.

The sound of unearthly screams erupted from above, and as Katie watched on in horror, several dancing flames separated themselves from the conflagration. She was tempted to cover her ears to shut out the high-pitched wails of the tiny demons, but then noticed a few of them hopping erratically downhill toward them. “Brian, watch out!” she yelled to no avail. The shaman seemed to either not hear her or was unable to move out of the way. Six tiny balls of fire skittered dangerously close, but just as they were about to collide with Brian they exploded, plastering his face and clothing with a flaming green goo. Quickly scrambling to his side, Katie furiously patted out the fires with her hand before they had a chance to consume his clothes and sear his flesh.

Chapter 11

After gathering the scattered remnants of Jack’s mutilated corpse, Edward turned and strode toward the door. Immediately, he was forced to stop in his tracks as his mother’s frail form stood in the opening, blocking his exit. “Mother? What are you doing in here? I thought I asked you to stay in the stable.” A scowl, partly out of frustration, but with a hint of anger, creased his weathered face. His penetrating glare did nothing to prompt an answer out of her. She continued to stand in his way, unmoving, as if she were rooted in place, offering him no explanation for her presence. Exhaling sharply, he stalked toward her. “I didn’t want you to see this,” he grumbled. “Will you please go back to the stable and stay there like I asked?”

Remaining fixed in place like a statue, a barely noticeable glow flickered in her soft, brown eyes giving them a goldish hue for a second or two. An imperceptible grin split her wrinkled cheeks as the scent of death, combined with the coppery smell of blood soaking into the floorboards, wafted into her nostrils. “I’m not going anywhere,” she replied flatly as Edward stopped in front of her.

He felt his cheeks flush with anger as her hot breath washed over his skin, and nearly turned to find an alternate exit from the inn, but suddenly something didn’t feel right to him. Thoughts swirled through his mind as Edward quickly tried to work out the problem. Then, it hit him. Her breath! It felt like a warm, summer breeze, but not in a good way. It carried the stench of death and decay in its wake, like wind blowing through a graveyard. An awful memory surfaced, one that he had hoped was behind him. A vision of the time he had spent on future Earth, fighting for survival in a world that was populated with flesh eating zombies. That’s what her breath smelled like! The stench of rotted flesh! Instinctively, bile rose in the back of his throat.

Seeing the pale, sickly pallor of Edward’s face caused a wicked grin to emerge on her countenance, making Victoria look like the scheming devil that was intertwined with her soul. Her eyes flashed brightly, emitting a demonic radiance that reflected off of her son’s pasty flesh. Stepping forward while Edward was confused and disoriented, George raised her arms. Her brittle, aged digits encircled her son’s throat and began to squeeze.

Caught by surprise, he dropped Jack’s remains to the floor and his piercing gray eyes bulged in shocked disbelief. He lifted his hands and grabbed her arms in an attempt to break her grip, which was considerably stronger than he would have ever expected. Especially from an old, arthritic woman! At first Edward’s attempts seemed futile; he could feel her fingernails biting into his flesh. Warm liquid trickled down his neck, which he somehow knew wasn’t the sweat of exertion, but blood. His vision began to fade in and out, much like it had when he was battling the horde of tiny demons yesterday, and he was on the verge of blacking out. Unable to break the vise-like hold his mother had on him, Edward realized he didn’t have much longer. Though, he did wonder why she was acting like this. “Why?” he wheezed, trying to catch a breath, his eyeballs beginning to bulge in their sockets.

The inflection that responded was not his mother’s. “Because you’re in my way,” a hollow male voice intoned, Victoria’s lips parting to reveal a malicious smile. “Well, that and I rather enjoy watching you suffer. Seeing your life vanish as if it were a wisp of smoke will be priceless.”

His struggles grew more intense when it occurred to him that his mother wasn’t in control of her body. That explains why her breath smelled so foul! There is an evil spirit inside of her, pulling her strings like a puppeteer! The stench of decay coming from her mouth should have been my first clue, he silently berated himself, wishing now that he hadn’t sent Brian and Katie away. The shaman could likely have expelled the malignant spirit. Redoubling his efforts, Edward lashed out and punched with every ounce of strength he could muster. When his fist collided with her wrinkled face he felt like crying. There was no time for that now, though. The force of the impact had accomplished its goal. Victoria released her grip on his throat, raising her hands to her face as she staggered backwards.

It only took George a moment to regroup, while Edward appeared to be appalled by his own actions. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, which was difficult to do in someone so old, he piloted her body toward him. Forgetting that there was a cluster of scattered limbs sprawled across the floorboards between them, she lost her balance and tumbled forward. As she landed with a sickening splat, Edward jumped backwards and slipped on the blood soaked boards beneath his feet. His arms pinwheeled for a split second, but this only caused him to overbalance and fall forward instead of crashing to the floor on his rear end. The sound of Victoria falling on top of Jack had made him sick to his stomach, but when his body landed on top of hers he heard the crunch of bone beneath him, which was far worse.

After a few failed attempts, his fingers slipping and sliding on the blood-slicked floor, Edward managed to skitter off of the heap. Sitting a couple of feet away and breathing in ragged gasps, he eyed the mound of flesh for movement. Victoria didn’t move right away, but before Edward could decide his next course of action she appeared to be coming out of her daze. Trying to boost herself to a sitting position, she pushed against the bloody floorboards with one withered hand. Her attempts were no more successful than Edward’s had been as her arm buckled and shot out from beneath her, causing her to tilt forward too fast and lose her precarious balance. The sound of her jaw smacking into the boards, her fragile jawbones breaking on impact, resonated from the walls of the empty inn. The echo of which made Edward cringe.

Tenderly rubbing her jaw, Victoria raised her head and locked her soft brown eyes on Edward in agonized disbelief. A bloodied strand of her gray hair swung before her like a frayed windshield wiper, leaving tiny crimson smears on her wrinkled cheeks. Inwardly though, George was grinning from ear to ear, knowing that it wouldn’t take much to push the wizard far enough to finish the job.

For the briefest of moments, Edward admired the resilience of his mother. This thought was pushed aside when reality grabbed hold of him again; Victoria reached out for him as if asking ‘Why did you do this to me?’ then slapped her hand in the growing puddle of blood between them, hooking her fingertips into the floorboards and clawing her way closer.

Scrambling for a viable solution to his dilemma, ideas swirled through Edward’s mind with the ferocity of a tornado. The mere contemplation of most of them turned his stomach. I can’t! She’s my mother! While outwardly these thoughts had merit, Edward knew Victoria was no longer in control of her own body. It’s that spirit … or demon inside of her that is making her act this way, he considered angrily, desperately wishing Brian was here to back him up. If I don’t figure something out, and quick, I won’t have to worry about doing the unthinkable to her. She will do it to me!

Another hand slapped the floor. A few more inches and she would be able to latch on to him. He scooted back a couple of feet to stay out of her reach, giving himself extra time to think. Then it hit him! Feeling like an idiot for not considering it sooner, he backed away even more and closed his eyes, concentrating. A bluish glow, faint at first but rapidly growing in intensity, enveloped his scarred hands.

Even from this distance, George felt the drop in ambient air temperature which had begun in synchronization with the blue light emanating from the wizard’s hands. This is it, he thought, preparing to depart the body of his host. He would have to time it perfectly in order to get to safety so he could have a front row seat to the slaughter.

Just as Edward was about to unleash his spell, a flicker of movement near the doorway distracted his attention. At first he had thought it was his imagination playing tricks on him—it had done that quite frequently in the last twenty four hours—but within seconds he knew it wasn’t a hallucination this time. The ghostly form of Amber materialized in the shadows to the left of the opening. Panic, or perhaps terror, permeated her features.

“Don’t do it, Edward! It’s a trick!” Amber’s horrified voice screeched and her transparent form began to pulsate rapidly.

“I have to,” he told her with a pained expression. “It will give Brian the time to return and take care of this matter properly.”

Victoria continued to claw her way across the slippery boards toward her son, her eyes flitting from her son to the intruder as if she were watching a tennis match. Just a couple more seconds. Edward was turning his attention back to her as she made one final, desperate lunge. Her bony fingers clamped on to the toe of his boot. Glancing up at the wizard in triumph, her eyes bulged in horror. The bluish light emanating from Edward’s hands seemed to crackle with energy and George knew in a matter of moments his opportunity to flee would be gone. Quickly, he forced his presence from her body, creating a gust of wind that Edward was unlikely to notice, probably thinking it was caused by his magic. He stood in the doorway for a minute as he looked back with pleasure. His ghostly form, unlike Amber’s, was masked from sight by the late day sunlight filtering through the opening. A wicked smile played across his lips as he glanced down at the old woman, who was now nothing more than a block of ice.

Chapter 12

The sunlight was rapidly fading from the day and the holy fire Brian had torched the demons with was nearly burned out. Amid the tortured screams of the creatures, the two of them had held their position, allowing the flames to do their work. If it had been up to Katie, however, they would have rushed toward the outcropping of rock above them as soon as the shaman’s eyes had cleared. It didn’t seem fair that Brian had shouldered the burden of eradicating the tiny demons. She wanted to have a hand in it as well, feeling it would have given her a sense of vengeance and retribution for what the creatures had done to Edward.

Once the two of them had deemed it safe, they began to climb again. It didn’t take nearly as long as either of them had thought to reach the ledge. They stood at the edge of the precipice for a few minutes to catch their breath, idly tamping out the lingering flames with their boots.

“Yuck!” Katie dry heaved as her foot squished down on a combination of melted flesh, bone, and sticky, green blood. She threw a hand up over her mouth. The stench of cooked flesh had been bad before, but after stepping in the aftermath of the massacre the odor was even more overpowering. Moving a few feet away, she scuffed the sole of her boot on the rocky ground to remove most of the goo and gore.

“Check it out,” Brian remarked, the comment distracting her from the wretched task of cleaning her boot.

With a grim expression, she turned to look. He was pointing at the railroad tracks they had been following until now. Katie studied them briefly, noticing the sharp curve of the rails as they crested the hill to where she stood, then followed their path for a short distance. When she saw the termination point a couple of hundred feet away, she gasped loudly. “Please, tell me I’m not seeing things,” she breathed excitedly. “Did we really find the end? Please tell me that dark spot over there is not a tunnel going through the mountain.”

“I don’t think it is. It looks more like a cave than anything,” Brian confided.

“I hope you’re right.” She smiled. Katie was so happy she felt like skipping toward it as if she were playing a game with Julie when they were much younger. The thought of her lost friend caused her to pause, her mood quickly shifting to sadness as she realized it had been too long since she had thought about Julie. How can I forget about her? Everything I’ve been doing since coming to this crazy world has been to find her!

“Why’d you stop?” Brian gazed at her in confusion, noticing the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, wiping away the liquid sadness with her fingertips and forcing a weak smile.

Closing the distance between them, Brian wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a brief hug. Gently lifting her chin, he looked into her puffy brown eyes. “Cheer up. With any luck this will all be over with soon and we can get back to town to check on Edward.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Brian realized that he might have been wrong about the reasons behind her mood.

“I want to say that it isn’t Edward I’m worried about ... that he’s a big boy and can take care of himself, but that would be a lie.” She paused for a second to collect her thoughts, then continued, “Sure, I’m worried about Edward, but it was my friend, Julie, that I was just thinking about.”

Brian seemed to consider this for a few moments, as if he didn’t know who she was talking about. “The girl that we were traveling with back on Earth? The one that turned out to be a machine?”

“Yes.”

Now he understood why she felt the way she did. Back when they were on Earth, Katie had thought she had been reunited with her friend, only to have the feeling swept from beneath her feet like a rug. He couldn’t begin to imagine the devastation she had felt when she found out the truth, or the underlying depression because the evil of this world had toyed with her emotions and led her astray. “Let’s go find out what’s in that cave,” he whispered, grasping her hand softly and urging her forward, trying his best to get her mind off the subject.

She shuffled her feet, unwillingly at first, in his wake as he led her toward the dark oval set in the side of the mountain. As they drew nearer she began to notice the cadence of Brian’s breathing changing slightly. “Is everything okay?” Katie tugged lightly on his hand to get his attention. When he turned to face her, she saw no difference in his bright blue eyes. They weren’t clouding over as they did when something really bad was about to happen.

“I … I think so,” he stammered, unsure of himself. “I can sort of feel something, but I can’t make out what it is.”

Just ahead, there was a platform rail-car occupying the tracks. It appeared to be sitting alone, like a silent sentinel, guarding the entrance of the cave. Keeping a wary eye on and around the platform, as if they expected some sort of ambush, they skirted around the car and approached the opening. Little did they know that the ease of their entry was facilitated by Verin, forgetting to close the chamber off from the outside world. If they had known, they might have even thanked him for his stupidity, though probably not until after they had killed him.

As the two of them stepped through the opening, a strange, red luminescence fell over their vision like a veil of blood. “What the …” Brian began. “Why couldn’t we see this weird light from outside the cave?”

“I have no idea,” Katie replied. It took a minute for their eyes to adjust. Even though there was light inside the cave, it was a much darker color than the lingering daylight outside. Katie inhaled sharply when her vision became accustomed to the difference. She looked around in shocked horror, suddenly realizing it was not a cave they were in, but a large chamber. Her chin dropped so far it nearly touched her chest. “Holy … fucking … shit!”

Greeting her in the dim redness was row after row of tall, wooden crosses, like an odd graveyard. Or perhaps, a crucifixion chamber. Shackles were dangling from either side of the crossbars and another set was attached near the base of each fixture. A strange, metal object, which looked like a remnant from an electric chair execution, rested against the frame just above the crosspiece. Every cross seemed to be similarly retrofitted. Though most of them lay idle and barren, there were some, randomly throughout the room, that had nude prisoners attached to them.

Katie’s eyes suddenly transformed, gleaming with excitement. “I wonder …” Her words broke off as she realized the possibility that this could be the place where Julie was being held captive. Quickly, she wove her way between the crosses, affording a brief glance toward each prisoner she encountered. Halfway across the expansive chamber, she stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh my God! Julie!” Tears, both of anguish and elation, streamed down her cheeks as if the dam which held them in place had been smashed to pieces. “Brian! Come quick!”

The shaman rushed to her side. He had already been moving toward her at a brisk pace after hearing Katie yell out her friend’s name, but hurried his stride further when he heard the urgency in her voice. Stopping next to her, he averted his eyes from the captive and kept them focused on Katie; his priestly vows from his days back on Earth making it extremely difficult to gaze on the girl’s nude body. The mere thought of it seemed like it would be a sin. Not to mention the age difference, which would make Brian feel like a pedophile.

Surveying the implements that held Julie in place, Katie’s eyes darted from one binding to the next. She stepped forward and bent down to study the shackles which held her friend’s ankles. How are we going to get these things off of her? We obviously don’t have a key to unlock these fucking cuffs! Katie let out a heavy sigh of despair when she saw the keyhole embedded in the metal, then stood back up and turned to Brian. “Can you boost me up, so I can see if there’s a way to remove that thing on her head?”

For a few seconds, he considered the best way to help Katie. Then Brian turned his back to the naked girl and cupped his hands in front of him, locking his fingers together as tightly as he could manage. He didn’t even get a chance to nod to her that he was ready. Before his head could move an inch, she had her left hand on his shoulder and one of her feet in the makeshift stirrup and was pulling herself up.

Once the contraption on Julie’s head was at eye level, Katie noticed a small bundle of wires were attached to the back side of the helmet. Following their path with a studious gaze, she saw the tiny strands disappear in the darkness above her, probably running along the ceiling to some unknown power source. Tilting her head slightly, she inspected the area where the cluster of wires joined the helm. Leaning forward to brace herself, Katie positioned the bundle against the wood of the upper section of the cross with her broken hand. Reaching down with the other, she loosened the short sword from the belt at her side and drew it. Being in her non-dominant hand, the blade felt unnatural in her grip, almost unwieldy. Raising it above her head, she prepared to strike. The hilt wobbled slightly as she swung, but her blow landed precisely where she had intended. A brief shower of sparks cascaded down as the connection was severed and the frayed copper brushed across the blade.

Almost immediately, as if someone had flicked on a light switch, Julie’s eyelids fluttered open. She quickly scrunched them closed. Even the dim lighting of the chamber hurt her eyes. Carefully, she opened them again, but only a slit. Once they began to adjust, Julie blinked them fully open. To her surprise, the first thing she saw was Katie’s smiling face. Julie tried to speak, but only a rush of air escaped her lips, almost as if her vocal cords had forgotten how they were supposed to work. Oh well, she thought. At least Katie found me.

Her eyes bulged in panic as she attempted to throw her arms around Katie and realized she couldn’t move. Putting a hand to Julie’s cheek, Katie caressed it gently. “Shhh. It’ll be okay. Brian and I will get you out of here,” she whispered reassuringly, hoping to calm her friend.

Once Julie stopped thrashing around in an attempt to free herself, Katie studied the bindings that held her friend’s arms outstretched. There was a very short section of chain attached to the cuff encircling Julie’s wrist, the opposite end of which was bolted in to the wooden crossbar. Upon further inspection of the individual links, Katie thought it might be possible to hack through them in the same manner she had used to sever the wires of the helmet. The biggest problem would be not whacking off her friend’s hand in the process. Knowing the likelihood was slim that she would be able to deliver a strike that would free Julie, and not disable her, Katie climbed down from her perch.

“Can you try to cut through her chains?” Katie’s eyes pleaded with Brian as she offered the sword to him.

With great hesitation, he took the blade from her. He closed his eyelids and inhaled deeply, wishing he could make the girl invisible, and exhaled loudly through his pursed lips as he reopened them. Turning toward the naked girl he bent down, deciding to attempt removing the least objectionable bindings first. Moving his head from one side to the other, Brian realized it was not going to be an easy task. The gap between her ankles was negligible, having only two links separating the cuffs. The back side of the metal bands would be slightly easier, but more work. Each of them were affixed to the base of the cross with their own chain, meaning there was twice the opportunity to screw up. Knowing what had to be done, Brian glanced up at Katie. “Grab onto her ankles and pull them away from the cross,” he instructed.

Kneeling down beside him, she clamped her hands around the cool metal and did as she was told. Once the chains were tight, he raised the sword. Taking a deep breath to steady his hands, he brought the blade down with careful swiftness. Sparks jumped as metal met metal, but the chain remained intact. With one hand, he extended his fingertips to see if his efforts had yielded any results at all. Pulling his arm back with a sharp inhalation of breath, he stuck his index finger in his mouth.

“Anything?” Katie inquired.

“I must have nicked it. There was a sharp barb on one of the links,” he admitted.

“That sounds hopeful.” She smiled. “Keep at it. I’ll do my best to make sure her legs don’t get in the way.”

With a nod, he brought the blade up to try again. After several attempts, he finally managed to hack through both of the chains. Readjusting his position, Brian took another deep breath, knowing the section between the girls ankles was going to be even more difficult to pull off without someone getting hurt.

Seeing the doubt in his eyes, Katie gently patted his back. “It’s all right, Brian. I have faith that your aim will be true,” she whispered, hoping to bolster his confidence.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’m afraid of missing my mark. Surely you don’t want me to lop her foot off.”

Seeing heavy beads of sweat on his brow, she encouraged him in the only way she could. “You have a much better chance of success than I do.” She held up her broken hand to punctuate her point. “I wouldn’t be able to wield the sword with enough strength to do the job, and I’m sure you would have a better chance of keeping the blade steady.”

Letting out the mother of all sighs, Brian closed his eyelids and tried to envision the blow in his mind. When he opened his eyes, the look in his piercing blue irises was focused. Determined not to let Katie down, he wiped the sweat from his forehead on his sleeve. Gripping the hilt tightly in both hands, he raised the sword and said a quick, silent prayer. Miraculously, when the blade came down the links between the cuffs broke free, separating as if he were Moses parting the Red Sea. His held breath rushed from his lungs in relief. “I did it!” He turned his grateful eyes on Katie, knowing he would have never had the courage to deliver the strike without her.

“I knew you could,” she smiled broadly. “Two to go, then we can get out of this wretched place.”

Feeling more confident now, Brian stood. As he glanced up toward Julie’s bound wrists, his smile faltered. The chains which held her arms in place were similar to those that had prohibited her from kicking her feet away from the cross. Even if he could manage a clear shot, the angle would be awkward and it would force him to take something off the blow. Otherwise, the risk of amputating her arm would be too great.

Noticing the nervous expression blooming on Brian’s face, she glanced upward and saw what he was worrying about. Katie quickly came up with a solution and dropped to all fours, keeping as much pressure off of her broken hand as she could. The look on the shaman’s face softened when he realized her intentions. “Are you sure? What about your …”

“Don’t worry about me,” she interrupted. “Climb up. I’ll keep as steady as I can.”

Placing a tentative foot on her back, he gradually increased the pressure as he shifted his weight onto her. Taking a quick peek down, he saw she hadn’t even flinched, which made him grateful that he was skinny. Refocusing his attention on the task before him, he noticed the angle of his strike would be considerably more favorable.

After several attempts to hack through the chains that held Julie in place upon the cross, first one arm, then the other, fell to her side as Brian freed her. The shackles around her ankles and wrists remained, but since they were no longer attached to the wooden cross her feet were firmly planted on the ground and she could move about normally. Hopping down from his perch, Brian bent and helped Katie to stand.

It took a few seconds for Julie’s freedom to register in her mind. Their brown eyes locked onto each other, partially in disbelief. Katie threw her arms around Julie, pulling her in to a tight embrace, tears gushing freely down her cheeks. “I can’t believe I finally found you,” Katie whispered in her ear, relieved that the ordeal was over. Ever since her departure from her home on Earth, Katie had felt as if a part of herself was missing, perhaps even dead.

Brian stood a short distance from them, his lips stretched into a broad grin. Helping the two girls to reunite made him feel better than he had in a long time. It was one thing to use his shamanic or priestly powers to aid his friends, but somehow the sight before him was more satisfying because he had brought them together the old-fashioned way. As he watched the two of them cling to each other, his brow furrowed in confusion. The look in the newly freed girl’s eyes was one of panic, or perhaps terror, as she rested her chin on Katie’s shoulder. She should be overcome with joy, not looking like she’s scared. “What’s wrong?” He took a step toward the girls, directing his question to Julie.

His inquiry startled Katie. She loosened her hold on Julie and turned her head to look at Brian. “What do you mean? Now that we are together again, nothing is wrong.”

Without speaking, Julie nervously turned her attention to the corner of the expansive chamber, pointing toward a large, black oval with a shaky finger.

Tearing his pale blue eyes away from Katie, he glanced in the direction the blonde girl pointed to. At first he only saw the blackened shape, which was slightly larger than a man, but as he continued to concentrate on the anomaly Brian began to hear an underlying hum of energy. There was something else, too. Faint sounds emanated from the blackness. Familiar things that reminded him of Earth, only they were muffled; almost as if he had cotton balls stuffed in his ears to block out the noise.

Noticing that Brian was no longer focused on her, Katie spun her head around to see what he was looking at. Seeing the oval void for the first time, a violent shiver crept up her spine. Even so, she started to move closer to inspect it. If her hunch was correct, it was a portal. The only question was … where did it lead?

“Don’t go near it!” Brian raised his voice when he saw Katie moving toward the strange blackness. “I’m sensing something bad.” He had no more than spoken his warning when the shape began to shift. Oddly enough, it reminded him of a giant vagina, preparing to expel a newborn child. “We have to get out of here! Now!”

Hearing his urgent tone, Katie whipped her head around in time to see Brian grab hold of Julie’s trembling hand and begin pulling her toward the exit. Rushing to catch up, her feet willed her away from the contorted portal despite her curiosity of what lay on the other side. “What’s the hurry?”

“I have a feeling that something is about to emerge from whatever that thing is. I don’t think it would be very wise to stick around and find out what that something is,” he replied, his voice laced with worry.

As they approached the opening they had entered through, Brian hesitated. In the dim illumination of the chamber he saw a small control panel mounted on the wall to his left, near the exit. Quickly inspecting the labels around the various buttons and switches, he realized their purpose.

“Take your friend outside and climb aboard the rail-car,” he instructed. “I think one of these buttons will power it up.”

Julie didn’t need any further encouragement. She stumbled toward the platform as fast as her unsteady legs would allow, but it was no easy task. Her limbs were still tingling as if they were asleep, which wasn’t surprising. Especially considering that it had been a long time since she’d used them. Katie scrambled after her, then quickly boosted Julie to the surface of the platform.

Nervously, Brian glanced from the rail-car to the pulsing void, hoping they would have time to make their escape before something emerged from the darkness. When he saw the girls climb aboard, he pushed a button on the console. Immediately, a new hum carried to his ears from outside. Hurrying, he ran toward the platform and vaulted himself onto the smooth, wooden surface. He was very surprised that he had managed this feat on the first try, considering he had never been the athletic type.

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. The rail-car vibrated softly beneath them, but so far it hadn’t moved an inch. Initially, Brian had felt the hum of electricity building in intensity, but after a few moments the sensation had leveled off. On the edge of panic, he cast a nervous glance back toward the portal. Nothing had come out … yet, but he was sure if they dallied much longer that it would no longer be the case. I’ve got to be missing something! Quickly, he surveyed the platform. Spotting a lever near the front of the car, he scurried toward it, feeling like an idiot for not looking for an on-board control sooner. Being completely unfamiliar with trains and how to operate them—heck, he had never even had a model train as a youngster—he prepared to yank the lever. “If you can find something to hold on to, I would do it now if I were you,” he yelled back to the girls.

Finding no handholds of any type, Katie scooted to the side of the platform and gripped the metal lip protruding from the outer edge. Instead of trying to do the same thing, Julie clung to her friend. With a nod of her head, Katie let Brian know they were as ready as they would ever be.

Closing his eyes, Brian let out a sharp breath then jerked the lever backward. The platform lurched forward like a roller coaster climbing its initial rise before dropping down the first incline. The only difference was the sickening crunch of bones beneath the large, metal wheels, and the disgusting squishes of the liquefied corpses of the tiny, demonic creatures littering their path.

After a few seconds, the rail-car nearly threw them from the platform as it rounded the first corner. The three of them took a collective breath of relief when they noticed they were all still aboard. Their temporary elation was interrupted moments later as the car tilted forward at a steep angle and they began to plummet down the hill.

Chapter 13

So far, there was no indication that the younger version of George would carry out his demands. The Black Knight had waited impatiently near the top of the stairs, masking himself in the shadows of the house’s upper floor. As the first hints of a new day began to lighten the window at the end of the hall, the demon growled his contempt. I’m beginning to think this may have been a fool’s errand, he thought, slowly drifting downstairs and contemplating an alternative solution. He stopped in the main hallway on the first floor, throwing a hesitant gaze between the front door and the bookcase that masked the stairway leading to George’s secret torture chamber, trying to make up his mind. Blowing out a long breath through his clenched teeth, the Black Knight decided he would give George one last chance. “You better not fail me this time,” he muttered as he slipped into the hidden passage. “If you do, it will be you who dies.”

***

The incessant bray of the alarm clock on the nightstand awoke George. Reaching over to silence it before the foul thing gave him a headache, he missed the button. Instead of turning the alarm off, he succeeded in knocking the clock to the floor, causing it to buzz erratically and sound like a malfunctioning robot. The temptation to sit up and crush it under his foot was almost overpowering, but he closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself before bending forward to pull the cord from the wall. The ensuing silence was bliss to his head. Normally he woke in the morning with a caffeine withdrawal headache, and today was no different. Usually he could turn off the alarm fast enough that it didn’t aggravate his throbbing brain, but not this time. The extended wailing of the alarm made his head hurt so much that he was nauseous.

Hopping up from the mattress and making a beeline to the bathroom, Jen noticed her husband sitting on the edge of the bed, pressing his fingers firmly against his closed eyes. “Are you all right?” Moving closer, she put a hand on his shoulder.

“Not really.” He grimaced, her voice sounding as if she were yelling at him, even though he knew she wasn’t. “Can you grab some aspirin for me on your way back from the bathroom?”

“Sure, baby. I’ll be right back.” Before leaving the room she bent down and kissed the top of his head lightly.

When her soft footsteps faded into the hallway, he opened his eyes a crack and swung his legs back onto the mattress. He almost kicked his sleeping daughter because he had forgotten she had spent the night in their bed. Leaning forward, he placed a hand on her side and gently shook her. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

With a yawn so wide it looked as if her jaws had unhinged like a snake devouring its prey, Cassie rubbed her eyes and attempted a smile. “Morning, Daddy,” she mumbled. Blinking her eyelids to help her focus, she glanced into her father’s pained face. Her happy expression evaporated when she realized she wasn’t in her own room. “Why am I in here?”

“You had a nightmare, sweetie. Don’t you remember?” Peering at her face, George could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to recall the memory.

Suddenly, her pale blue eyes seemed to bulge in their sockets, her eyebrows looked as if they were scaling her forehead to hide under her mop of blonde hair, and her bottom jaw fell open. “The scary clown,” she whispered in a frightened tone, as if she thought talking about it would somehow cause the monster to reappear.

“You want to know what I think?” Cassie nodded her head hesitantly. “I think it was that little boy who came in to use the bathroom last night. He was wearing a clown outfit. I think his name was Bradley, or something like that.”

Now she shook her head vigorously, her blonde locks flinging wildly. “It wasn’t Brady, Daddy. It was a monster!”

“Sweetie … monsters aren’t real,” he lied, wondering if the creature he spoke to last night was still hanging around. He hoped it had left, but he would have to check the house after Cassie went to school and Jen went to work.

As if the mere thought of his wife had summoned her, Jen held out her hand and dropped a couple of aspirin into his palm. Grabbing the partial bottle of Mountain Dew from his nightstand, George popped the pills in his mouth and washed them down, hoping the caffeine in the beverage would speed the effectiveness of the medicine. “Thanks, baby,” he smiled, wiping his chin with the back of his hand.

Reaching out, Jen grasped her daughter’s hand and pulled her toward the edge of the bed. “Let’s go, pumpkin. Time to get ready for school.” She hesitated in the doorway, turning to face George for a second. “I’ll start the coffee pot in a minute.”

“No rush. I don’t think I’m going to go to work today. I feel like crap.”

With a thin smile, Jen turned away and led Cassie to her room.

***

His wife and daughter had left the house a couple of hours ago and the infusion of coffee was beating his headache into submission. Feeling better and having the place to himself, he allowed his thoughts to wander. Perhaps he would finally be able to take care of the unfinished business in the basement. It wasn’t exactly his style to keep one of his victims hanging around for such a long period, but with all the free time he would have while his family was away, he would have ample opportunity to rectify the situation.

Draining the last of the coffee from his mug, he set the cup on the kitchen counter. Less than a minute later he was walking into the space behind the secret panel disguised as a bookshelf and descending the stone steps to his torture chamber.

Methodically, he opened and closed, first the outer door, then the inner panel. Both were constructed of thick steel with a core of styrofoam, designed to muffle the sounds from the secret room and keep them from reaching other areas of the house. As he stepped into the chamber, closing the door behind him, George sensed something was wrong. The single, bare light bulb in the room cast eerie shadows in every corner, but that wasn’t what bothered him. The bulb was only there to conveniently afford him a view of his victims, the fixture hanging from the ceiling directly above the place where his current prisoner was chained in place.

Tilting his head curiously, George realized something was different about the woman. He scanned her naked body in an attempt to determine what was not as it should be. His eyes roamed over her body, starting at her feet and drifting up her slender legs, noting that the shackles around her ankles were still firmly attached. As his gaze moved over her torso, his eyes settled on her bountiful bosom. He couldn’t help himself; he had a thing for big breasted women. Saliva rapidly began to form in his mouth at the thought of ravishing the woman before he killed her, but then his mouth suddenly became as dry as a desert. Her boobs should be heaving with each frightened breath she takes, but they’re just hanging there lifelessly! Quickly, his eyes darted upward and that’s when he noticed her gag and blindfold had been removed.

Suddenly unsure of himself, George took a hesitant step toward his prisoner. As he got closer, he knew it was not a trick. The sickly greenish-blue pallor of her flesh reminded him of the dead woman in the bathtub scene from The Shining. As absurd as the thought was, the expression on her face suggested that she had been scared to death. Anger began to boil underneath the surface of his mind, suddenly feeling as if he’d been robbed of the ultimate pleasure of ending the woman’s life.

A low growl formed in his throat as his rage continued to grow, but it was quickly silenced. The woman’s eyes suddenly sprang open. The whites of them were now cloudy and yellowed, as well as bloodshot, and her pupils seemed to have swallowed her irises, making her eyes look black. As George took a backward step, the woman’s mouth swung open. The foul stench of decay wafting from the orifice brushed against his cheek like a lover’s kiss.

“You have one last chance to do my bidding,” the corpse hissed, its swollen organ lolling from its mouth like an overstuffed sausage, split in the middle like a serpent’s tongue.

“W-w-what if I refuse?” George stammered, taking another step back.

The Black Knight forced the corpse’s cracked lips into a hideous grin. “Then you will share the fate of the pathetic creature before you.”

***

The demonic entity’s warning weighed heavily on his mind for the remainder of the day. A brooding silence surrounded George that neither Jen or Cassie could lift. After several failed attempts, his wife threw her hands in the air in exasperation and sighed. “Fine. Don’t tell me what’s bothering you, then!” Her frustrated tone was borderline hostile as she got up from the dinner table and stormed out of the room. Pouting, with tears forming in her eyes, Cassie quietly hopped down from her chair and slipped upstairs to her bedroom. The vacant expression on her father’s face gave her the impression that he was upset about something. She hoped whatever was causing his silence was not her fault.

An hour passed before George was finally able to shake off the daze. Rubbing his temples, he exhaled softly as he saw the half eaten plates of food. Taking a thoughtful bite of his own dinner, though he wasn’t really hungry, he spat it back onto his fork with a grimace. How long have I been sitting here? Normally he loved it when Jen cooked for him, but his dinner was now cold and tasted horrible.

Pushing his plate away in disgust, he turned his head toward the hallway and cocked it slightly. Straining to hear the voices of his family, the only sound he heard was that of the fall breeze outside, the winds causing the gutters to scrape and rattle against the side of the house. As George scooted his chair away from the table in preparation to check on Jen and Cassie, the Black Knight’s warning resounded in his skull with the echoing intensity of a church bell in the fog. “Kill them, or suffer my wrath,” the voice boomed, causing George to cringe.

As the words faded from his mind, he turned his red-rimmed eyes toward the kitchen window. The wind outside continued to pick up, blowing dead leaves and debris against the window panes. To George, the tiny scratching sounds were like fingernails on a chalkboard. Rising from his chair, he quickly exited the room and left the noise behind before it drove him mad.

His footsteps thumped heavily upon the carpeted stairs as he made his way to the second floor. As he attained the landing, he turned to climb the final few steps and saw Jen standing at the top with her hands on her hips. An angry fire seemed to light her normally soft, blue eyes. “Did you finally decide that you’re ready to talk?” Her harsh tone gave her words a venomous quality, as if she were a viper about to strike.

Glancing up to meet her gaze, George tried to look as innocent and passive as he could manage. “I’m sorry, baby. I had a lot on my mind. I didn’t mean to ignore you earlier,” he apologized, unsure if what he said had any real bearing on the current situation. Hell, for all I know, it could have been something else that set her off.

Her piercing glare softened, but only a fraction. She seemed to be contemplating his words, as if she were lightly swishing a fine wine in her mouth to savor every nuance of its flavor. It was nearly a minute later when Jen finally spoke again. There was still a tense edge to her words, but they were nothing compared to the hostility and sarcasm she first addressed him with. “I forgive you, but you really do need to tell me what’s bothering you.” She eyed his expression as he climbed the remaining steps, then took his hand in hers and led him toward their bedroom.

***

Restless and unable to sleep, George rolled his head toward his lightly snoring wife. Though his pillow partially blocked his view, a sliver of moonlight from the bedroom window illuminated the part of her face that wasn’t buried beneath her dark, wavy hair. She looked peaceful, which made what he knew he must do that much harder to fathom. He loved her dearly, or perhaps the idea of love was an endearing notion he could only hope to achieve in his lifetime, but had made up a story about what was bothering him to quell her anger. As repulsive as the thought was, deep down inside him George knew what he had to do. The Black Knight had forced his hand, putting him into survival mode. Kill, or be killed.

Turning his gaze toward the ceiling, he saw shadows dancing across its stark white surface; the moonlight filtering through the barren oak in the front yard causing them to appear as withered arms, flailing before his eyes as if they were reaching out for him. Closing his eyelids, George tried to block them out. Out of sight, out of mind. Trying to convince himself that this old mantra would work, he soon discovered otherwise. Even with his eyes shut tightly he could feel the shadows attempting to scratch their way into his mind.

Frustrated that he couldn’t block them out of his head, George opened his eyelids. The disfigured shapes, which had crept across the ceiling moments ago, were gone. For a few seconds he considered the idea that he might have dreamed they were there in the first place, but he didn’t honestly believe that.

The Black Knight’s seething voice suddenly hissed in his head. “It’s time.” George clapped his hands over his ears as if he could mute the sound, but was rewarded with the demon’s cackling laughter ricocheting through his mind. Emitting a soft sigh, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, knowing there was only one way to shut the foul creature up.

Quietly, he crossed the room to the partially open closet. Sweat began to dot his brow as he grasped the knob, hoping the door would not creak as he pulled it open. Noiselessly it swung wide, the ambient light in the room glinting off the object leaning against the back wall. Gathering his resolve, George reached for the cold steel of the Mossberg, pump action, 12 gauge shotgun. Soundlessly, he plucked the weapon from its resting place and cradled it in his arms like a newborn baby.

His bare feet whispered across the carpet as he quietly walked to the foot of the bed he shared with his wife. Closing his eyes, George took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After a few seconds, his eyelids fluttered open, his lips pressed together, and his brows drew down as he focused on what must be done. Sliding the stock back and forth, he chambered a shell, the sound shattering the silence and startling Jen awake.

For a brief moment, as her eyes shot open, she didn’t see her husband. When she finally did catch a glimpse of him, she thought she was in the throes of a nightmare. “This isn’t real,” she insisted, her whispered voice cracking. A second later, Jen realized that nothing could be further from the truth.

Like a scene straight out of the Amityville Horror, George squeezed the trigger. The shotgun blast was deafening in the enclosed space, making everything sound as if it were underwater, and the quick burst of fire that licked from the end of the barrel blinded him for a moment.

“Why?” Jen’s eyes pleaded with him as the life rushed out of her body and blood began to saturate the sheets and blankets.

Not deigning to dignify her dying question with an answer, George turned and walked out into the hallway. Focused on his next target, he didn’t notice the glowing, yellow eyes watching on from the darkened corner of the hall. As he chambered a second shell, Cassie stepped out of her room. “Daddy? Is that you?” Her voice trembled and she cried; it took every ounce of courage she had to not run back into her room and hide under her bed.

Before George could pull the trigger again, Cassie saw the yellow glow of the monster’s eyes behind her father. Her screams only lasted for a fraction of a second, though. The shotgun roared to life once more, sending chunks of bloody flesh and bone against the wall behind Cassie, leaving only a mangled flap of mutilated skin where her head and neck had once been. Her tiny body twitched for nearly half a minute, as if it didn’t realize the girl was dead, then fell to the floor.

“That was beautiful,” the Black Knight hissed with glee, clapping his bony hands together. “Now, it’s time to move on to bigger and better things.”

Chapter 14

As the platform neared the bottom of the hill, its three riders braced themselves for the sharp bend in the tracks ahead. Katie had a brief flash of a roller coaster she had ridden at Cedar Point ages ago. Once, when she had rode the Demon Drop with her friends, they had told her about a neat trick. “If you put a penny in the palm of your open hand as the ride plummets you to the bottom, the coin will float in the air.” The words of her friend forced her to recall the time she had attempted the very same trick. The one thing her friend didn’t warn her about, though, was that you needed to be careful at the end of the ride when the car quickly sloped from its vertical descent and rolled up the tracks horizontally as the brakes were applied. The result of the omission had given her a considerable welt on her forehead. When the momentum of the ride changed, the hovering coin had smacked her in the head right between the eyes.

Raising a hand to rub the spot above her brow where the penny had struck her years ago, she was nearly thrown from the rail-car as it careened around the sharp turn. It seemed like the mother of all miracles that none of them had been ejected from the platform as the braking system engaged. The metal wheels screeched their protest and sparks showered from the rails as the car slowly ground to a stop.

Breathing a sigh of relief that none of them had been injured over the course of their brief, downhill ride, Katie jumped off the platform and helped Brian and Julie to the ground. During their descent, the rush of adrenaline coursing through their bodies had caused them to temporarily forget about the chill of the night air around them, but now that the boost of endorphins was beginning to wear off they were quickly reminded of this fact. Shivering, goosebumps dotting the landscape of her bare flesh as if she had just entered puberty and was covered with acne, Julie wrapped her arms tightly around her midsection.

With the urgency of their rapid departure behind them, Brian finally had a moment to gather his thoughts. As he began to relax, Julie’s nakedness registered in his mind and he quickly averted his eyes. After a few seconds passed, the touch of a hand on his arm startled him. Hesitantly, he turned his head slightly. “Oh, it’s you.” His relieved breath rushed from his lungs when he saw Katie standing beside him.

“If it’s not too much to ask, can I borrow your shirt for a little while? At least until we can find appropriate clothing for Julie?”

“Of course. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” he replied, hastily shedding his top and handing it to Katie.

“Thanks!” She managed to suppress her laughter, but not her grin. Even in the moonlight, which filtered through the trees at the edge of the tracks, Katie could tell the man was blushing. She couldn’t help but think how uncommon such a chivalrous act was back on Earth. That wasn’t her experience since coming to Desolace, though. Here, that type of thing seemed almost commonplace.

With chattering teeth, Julie thanked Katie for the shirt and slipped it on. Since she was a few inches shorter than Brian, the top hung slightly lower on her body, but not low enough to cover the tufts of her pubic hair. “I don’t suppose you have anything to cover my bottom half, do you?” The pleading look in her eyes echoed the question louder than the soft rasp of her voice, which was barely audible and sounded as if she had been gargling gravel or smoking cigarettes for about seventy years.

“Let me check our supplies.” Dropping a hand to her side, Katie fumbled for the bag she had taken with her when she and Brian had left town this morning. Frantically, she patted her hand around her belt line, thinking the supplies had shifted on their journey. It was gone! “Shit! Hang on a sec, Julie,” she said, her raised voice startling Brian.

His feet shuffled across the loose dirt beside the tracks as he strode toward them. “What’s wrong?”

“I lost our bag of supplies,” Katie admitted glumly. “Help me look for it. Maybe it flew over the side of the platform when we rounded that last corner.” She tried to remain hopeful, but the more she thought about it the less likely it seemed they would find the object. I’m not even sure I had it with me when we fled the room where we found Julie.

After canvassing the area near the bend in the tracks for nearly half an hour, Brian raised both of his palms to the sky as he shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe it fell from the car as we were coming down the hill,” he suggested.

“I hope so, Brian. I would hate to think that I somehow managed to forget it at the top,” she stated, exhaling sharply in exasperation, silently cursing herself for not paying attention.

“What’s done is done. I think it’s time we go check on Edward.” His lips pursed together in a tight-lipped smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Who?” Julie glanced at her best friend nervously.

Gently, Katie grasped Julie’s hand and urged her forward. “He’s a great guy, who also happens to be a wizard.”

***

Agitated that Amber had thwarted his plans for the hapless sorcerer, George angrily stalked back and forth between two buildings on the outskirts of the abandoned town as he considered a way to coax the woman’s spirit away from the human she guarded. As he continued pacing, the steady clack … thump, clack … thump, of metal on metal broke through the veil of silence that had lain over the town like a shroud.

The first thought which came to him was that the demons were returning to finish what they’d started, riding the flatbed train car as if it were a giant surfboard. It would be less work for him if that were the case, but George also remembered the Black Knight’s sneaky plot to have the creatures get rid of him. Drifting to the back side of the structure beside him, the one which faced the mountain, he quickly floated toward the inn.

When he arrived a few moments later, George glanced around in search of a hiding place. Within seconds he found the perfect camouflage. A shaft of moonlight shimmered off of the pile of corpses stacked against the rear wall of the inn. The illumination would disguise the presence of his glowing form well enough to mask him from anyone who casually glanced in his direction. Quickly, he slipped behind the wall of dead bodies and defunct cyborgs, crouching low to remain unseen and still allow him to view the area surrounding the tracks.

Looking on with great anticipation, George caught a quick glimpse of the rail-car as it sped around the bend at the bottom of the hill. Immediately afterward, he heard a loud, screeching noise as someone applied the brakes. Tiny showers of sparks were visible through the foliage until the platform came to a stop. Tensely, he watched, waiting for the surge of demons to appear.

After what seemed like an eternity, his excitement grew. It wasn’t a horde of foul creatures that strode into view, but three humans. It was difficult to tell from this distance, but one of them looked very familiar. As he continued to study the small group, George realized why. Though the blonde woman appeared to be emaciated beyond what any normal human could survive, the sight of her jarred his memory. It’s that skinny blonde bitch that used to ride my bus! When I gave her to the supervisor at The Factory, I assumed I would never see her face again. Once George realized who she was, he turned his attention to the dark haired woman beside her. I know her, too! If he would have had hands to rub together, they would have been doing so now, vigorously. It felt almost as if the Black Knight had dropped the two girls in his lap as a gift. Playtime is coming soon, my dears. A wicked grin suffused his misty features as he contemplated the return to his former glory.

***

Before entering the inn to check on Edward, Katie veered over toward the mechanical horses. At first, Julie didn’t realize what the darkened shapes were that they approached, but as the moon above them crept from behind a cloud her eyes grew wide in panic, vaguely recalling a hazy memory of the metal creatures. She shook her head violently, digging her feet into the dusty ground as she attempted to backpedal and pull Katie away from the monstrosities.

Jerked off balance, Katie spun to face her and saw the sheer terror in her eyes. “Relax, Julie,” she whispered, briefly recalling the first time she had encountered the beasts and how it had made her feel. “They won’t harm you.” Again, Katie tugged gently on her friend’s hand, but even in her weakened condition Julie didn’t budge. Even though she wore nothing except the shirt from Brian’s back, Julie began to sweat.

How am I going to convince her that the horses aren’t a threat to her? She rolled the question around in her mind for a few seconds when suddenly the solution presented itself. Since Julie’s palms were slick with perspiration, Katie attempted to withdraw her hand. “Let go,” Katie scolded in a harsh whisper when she failed to slip her friend’s clammy grasp. Julie shook her head again in vehement refusal.

Well, plan A didn’t work. Now, I need to come up with a plan B. It was a good thing that she could normally think fast when situations like this arose. Glancing toward the inn, she saw the shirtless shaman waiting impatiently by the door. “Hey, Brian. I need a favor,” she called out softly, beckoning him toward her with her broken hand.

Walking over, he stopped beside Katie and bent an expectant ear to her lips. She whispered her plan to him as quietly as she could, hoping that Julie couldn’t hear what was being said. When Katie was finished, Brian nodded his head and straightened. With a quick glance toward the frightened woman, he spun on his heel and approached the nearest horse.

A cracked scream erupted from Julie’s throat and her eyes bulged from their sockets, her jaw dropping in disbelief. “What are you doing? Get away from it … please! Those things are evil!”

Within arms' reach of the creature, Brian stopped. Turning his head to face Julie, his lips turned upward in a smile as he extended his arm and placed a hand on the mechanical steed. When nothing happened, Julie’s expression changed; lines appeared on her forehead, her eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth hung open. She couldn’t explain why, but she had been sure the creature would attack. “See, there is nothing to fear,” Brian remarked, patting the metal horse to emphasize his point.

Gently, Katie tried again, lightly pulling her friend toward her. “It’s okay.” She smiled, continuing to coax Julie along.

Even after witnessing what Brian had done, Julie was not entirely convinced that the creature was safe to approach. She dragged her feet in the dirt to slow her progress, but continued moving forward. Maybe if I take my time it will reveal its true nature. Sweat seemed to gush from her pores as the distance between them grew shorter and shorter. Still, nothing happened to confirm her fears. Or, maybe by walking slowly I am keeping it from noticing my presence and getting spooked. It was a crazy thought, but suddenly she was determined to test her hypothesis. Without warning, Julie released Katie’s hand and darted, if that was what you called her accelerated, gimpy gate, toward the metallic creature.

“What the …” Katie gasped in shock as her friend rushed by.

The only reaction from the beast was the silent swivel of one head. A lone red glow regarded Julie with indifference. She tried to brace herself for impact, but her limbs weren’t working the way they should have. With her arms only halfway raised, she slammed into the side of the mechanical steed and her feet flew out from beneath her, causing a small dust cloud as she landed hard on her butt. The creature didn’t budge, and though she found it hard to believe, made no move to attack any of them.

“What was all that about?” Brian laughed, bending down to offer his hand to Julie. As Katie joined them, she let out a soft, exasperated sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

Once on her feet again, Julie brushed herself off and hung her head. She didn’t know why she felt ashamed, especially considering the horrors she had endured during her time on Desolace, but somehow she did. She should have believed Katie when she’d told her the machines were harmless.

When she didn’t reply, Brian put a finger under her chin and gently raised her head to face him. Streaks of tears blazed crooked paths down her dirty cheeks. Not sure what had prompted them, he did the only thing he could think of. “It’s okay. Everything will be all right,” he remarked in a soothing tone, wrapping his arms lightly around her in a comforting hug.

Behind them, Katie rummaged through the one remaining saddle bag after removing it from behind the saddle. Pulling the only useful item she could find from it, she approached Julie and tapped lightly on her shoulder. Her face was buried in Brian’s scrawny chest, but she turned her head toward Katie.

With a weak smile, Katie held up a ragged piece of cloth, which was a remnant of their time on future Earth. Separating herself from Brian’s embrace, she regarded Katie with a puzzled expression. “What’s that for?”

Though Julie’s voice was a barely audible croak, she understood perfectly. “I’ll show you.” She smiled. Bending down, Katie wrapped the strip of cloth around her friend’s waist and knotted the ends together on her hip. Standing up, she took a step back to admire her handiwork and grinned. “Voila! Now you have a skirt to match your fashionable top,” Katie announced dramatically. For the first time since their departure from Cemetery Hill, Julie’s face lit up with a smile.

“I don’t suppose there was another shirt in that bag, was there?” Brian raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“No such luck. Maybe we can find something to replace it after we rejoin Edward in the inn,” Katie suggested. “If not, perhaps Jack will loan you some of his fur.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” he commented sarcastically, shivering as the night breeze picked up slightly.

Turning her eyes on the darkened building, Katie wondered how Edward had fared in their absence. She had almost expected to see light coming from one or more of the windows, but there was none. Suddenly, it felt as if there was a rock sitting in her stomach, as if her guts were trying to tell her that there was something drastically wrong. Driven by her intuition, Katie launched into a sprint, dreading what she would find when she burst through the door.

Confused, Brian froze in place as he watched Katie dart toward the structure, wondering what had suddenly lit a fire in her. He cringed as she flung herself into the door, slamming it open with her body and nearly knocking it from its hinges. In a matter of seconds, screams pierced the night air.

***

Katie blasted through the doorway and her feet skidded out from beneath her on the slippery floor. As a result, she tumbled through the air for a moment, every limb flailing the air in search of something to break her fall. For a split second she caught a glimpse of something on the floorboards in front of her. Though its shape told her that it was human, the instant before she crashed on top of it Katie realized it wasn’t moving to get out of her way. With a bone crunching thud she landed on the object, which turned out to be a block of ice. Broken shards skittered across the floor in every direction as her weight pulverized the frozen form, reminding her of when Edward had turned the invading zombies pouring from Outpost 13 into blocks of ice. Blocks that Jack had immediately destroyed with his powerful claws. As she sat up and shook off the force of her fall, an agonized scream resounded from nearby.

“Nooooooo! Mother!” From the veil of the protective bubble he’d hidden inside of, Edward emerged.

Chapter 15

As he patiently waited for his opportunity, George watched the trio walk toward him then disappear around the side of the building. For a few seconds, he considered following them. Especially after discovering who the two girls were, the students from his bus that would have blown the whistle on his activities had he not taken matters into his own hands. The desire for revenge swirled like a storm cloud in his mind. The feeling was so overwhelming that it nearly blotted out all other thoughts, but deep inside he knew if he rushed blindly ahead to quench his fury, something terrible would happen. As difficult as it was, he had to restrain himself. There would be plenty of other chances to sate his vengeance. It was just a matter of time.

A scream from within the structure brought him out of the vortex of his thoughts. He wasn’t positive, but it had sounded like the wizard. There were a few possibilities that suggested themselves to George regarding Edward’s outburst, and each one brought a huge grin to his misty features.

Feeling it would be best to keep his distance from the small group—at least for a while, long enough for them to grow confident in his absence—George turned his attention toward the platform resting on the railroad tracks, wondering if there were more potential victims for him to toy with where the rail-car had come from.

***

Startled by the sudden scream, Katie scrambled backward, sending shards of the frozen woman skittering across the floorboards. As she attempted to flee the potential threat, Edward stepped from the darkness as if a magician had waved a wand and caused him to reappear. The look on his tormented face gave him the appearance of someone who had gone insane. Katie wasn’t entirely sure how to react, especially since it seemed like he was looking right through her instead of at her; almost as if his mind couldn’t comprehend that she was really in front of him, like she was an illusion or a hallucination. Behind her, the door flew open again.

“What’s going—” Brian’s question died in his throat. As moonlight framed his and Julie’s bodies in the open doorway, he gazed in horror at the carnage before him. A coppery scent hung in the air, reminding him of the stench he associated with slaughterhouses, causing his stomach to lurch. If he had been there moments before, when Katie had accidentally crushed the icy form of Edward’s mother, he would have likely been vomiting uncontrollably.

Falling to his knees, Edward scooped up one of the ice chunks, one that contained what remained of Victoria’s face, it’s features frozen in agonized terror. Ignoring the others, he stroked her rigid, icicle-like strands of hair. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he wailed with grief. “Why couldn’t you have stayed home in Elysia?”

As Edward continued to sob, Katie slowly crawled toward him. When she was beside him, she gently placed an arm on his shoulder. Feeling his body trembling beneath her touch as she hugged him, he still seemed to be unaware of her presence. Glancing toward Brian and Julie, she wondered if there was anything at all that would comfort Edward. Katie didn’t want to think about letting his grief run its course. It could be days, maybe even weeks, before that would happen and she knew they didn’t have time for it. A flash of the forgotten bag in Cemetery Hill floated through her mind, a grim reminder of just how little time they had. They needed to get their wits about them and get the hell out of this town before something came down the hill after them. It was at that moment when Katie realized something else was off.

“Where’s Jack,” she inquired softly, using the fingers of her broken hand to gently force Edward to look at her. She had thought that pulling his gaze from the fragment of Victoria’s shattered face would have lessened his grief and allowed him to regain his focus, but instead he appeared to sink into a deeper depression. The pained look on his face was almost too much to bear.

His breath hitched and tears cascaded from his cheeks like a waterfall. “Jack … is … dead,” he barely managed to choke out before his sobs took over again.

Katie and Brian both inhaled sharply at the same time, the revelation catching them completely off guard.

“Wh-what? H-how?” she stammered, her eyes growing moist, her breath seemingly stuck in her throat, as if she’d just been sucker punched.

“I … I don’t know.” Edward’s voice cracked as he hung his head. It shamed him that he had allowed a spirit to get the better of him, but he knew that the others deserved to hear the truth. Attempting to gather himself, he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and let out a hitching breath through his pursed lips. “I think the ghost that Amber tried to warn us about …” He paused, a grimace of pain crossing his features. “I think it got inside of me, took over my body somehow.”

Brian glanced around the room nervously, trying to sense if the evil spirit was still present, or possibly even residing inside of Edward and attempting to trick them. After a moment’s consideration, he dismissed the idea. If either of those thoughts were accurate, I would be having trouble breathing. Obviously, the spirit did what it came for and left. Though he didn’t find evidence of the spirit in the dim interior of the inn, Brian saw a pile of scattered limbs not far from where Edward was and couldn’t help but wonder if they were Jack’s remains.

Katie’s jaw dropped open, as if she was dumbfounded and unable to comprehend what Edward had told her. At the very least, she found it difficult to believe that someone with his powers could be susceptible to spiritual persuasion, let alone actually being possessed by one.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Edward knew she didn’t believe what he was telling her. Grudgingly, he set the shard of his mother’s countenance aside. Shrugging her arm from his shoulder, he scooted away from her slightly and pointed to the area a few feet behind where he’d been sitting.

Throwing a hand over her open mouth to stifle the shocked gasp bubbling up from her throat, Katie looked at the small pile of body parts in disbelief. She shut her eyes for a moment, desperately hoping what she’d seen was either a mirage or a dream. Tears began to leak from her tightly closed eyelids. Somehow, she knew the carnage would still be there when she opened them, so she turned her head away.

Though the grief of losing his mother and a good friend, in the same day, weighed heavily on his mind, Edward inched closer to Katie and did what he could to console her. As he did, Edward noticed that there was only one person standing in the open doorway. There had been two a minute ago, he could swear to it! He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, he pointed toward the vacated spot beside Brian.

Following the line of his finger, the shaman spun around, thinking Edward was trying to warn him of danger. At first he didn’t notice anything out of place, but as he turned back to face the wizard he caught a glimpse of Julie. Apparently the sight of the carnage inside had been too much for her fragile mind. She was curled up in a near fetal position with her back resting against the outer wall of the inn. “Perhaps you should come outside,” Brian suggested, turning back to face Edward.

With a questioning rise of one eyebrow, Edward rose to his feet with a little help from Katie. Carefully stepping around the scattered slivers of ice and sticky splotches of blood, he joined the shaman in the doorway with Katie following on his heels. “Are you sensing something? Has the spirit returned?” He met the gaze of Brian’s light blue eyes, which shimmered in the moonlight like silver coins.

“No. I think the sights and smells inside were too much for her,” he replied, nodding his head toward the woman, curled into a tight ball against the exterior wall of the inn.

“Who is she, and where did you find her?”

Poking her head past Edward, Katie glanced to see what they were discussing. “That’s my friend, Julie. Remember, she is the person you were going to help me find.”

At the mention of her name, Julie looked up. Immediately, Edward saw the similarities between the frail, anorexic woman before him and the machine which appeared to be her that they had traveled with in the past. Turning toward Katie, he bent down and whispered in her ear, “Are you positive that it’s her this time? Not another machine sent to trick us?”

“Absolutely,” she nodded, “we found her near the top of the hill, inside of some sort of torture chamber. It took a bit of effort, but we freed her and brought her with us.” Thoughts of the others, still held captive in the crucifix filled room, crossed her mind. She wished there was a way to free them all, but Katie knew it would be too time consuming. Who knew when something, or someone, would come through the darkened vortex that had been in the corner. For that matter, it could have already happened. “Shit!”

Edward had started to look back toward the emaciated girl, but Katie’s curse snapped his attention back to her. “What?”

She hesitated briefly, biting her lower lip, not wanting to admit her screw-up. “I accidentally left our supply bag up there.”

“That’s not a big deal. We can acquire more items along the way. Our journey is far from over,” Edward stated, managing a thin smile that he hoped would reassure her.

Instead of returning his smile, she hung her head. “It’s not the supplies that I’m worried about,” Katie mumbled. “There was a portal in the room, and we left in a hurry because we thought someone was getting ready to come through. If we were right, then I’m sure the bag will be discovered. They will almost certainly know that we were there, and that we took something from them.”

Sighing, Edward rubbed his face with a far off look in his eyes as he contemplated her revelation. As he was about to reply, Amber suddenly appeared around the corner of the building, interrupting his train of thought. She was pulsating in the same manner as was normally indicative of her being afraid.

“You have to get out of here while you can,” she warned. “The evil spirit which has been following you has left and gone up the hill.”

“And, this isn’t a good thing?” Edward looked more confused than ever. If the ghost is gone, it should give us a little time to regroup.

“Nothing he does is good. I’ve got a very bad feeling about this. For all I know, he could be going to get reinforcements,” Amber insisted, her glowing form blinking even more rapidly.

Great! If Amber is right, things could be going from bad to worse really fast! She hadn’t thought that her mistake would escalate their problems so quickly, but the one thing she did know was that she didn’t want to hang around to find out. Katie glanced from one face to the next, trying to ascertain if the others were feeling the same oppressive dread she felt, tightening like a noose around their necks. From what she could tell, everyone except Edward seemed unsettled by Amber’s theory. For whatever reason, the wizard looked more angry and determined. His pale, gray eyes gleamed with what appeared to be an unquenchable hatred, as if the mere thought of their situation had caused an irrevocable snap in his mind. Katie had never seen such a look in his eyes, and seeing it now scared the living shit out of her.

Gently, Brian tapped Katie on the shoulder. “I hate to admit it, but I think Amber is right,” he told her as she came out of the haze of her thoughts and turned to face him. He waited for a minute for her to respond, but when she didn’t, he motioned with his head for Katie to go into the inn with him. “Help me gather some blankets, and anything else you think we can use.”

When Brian mentioned going inside to replenish some of their supplies, Edward recalled with sorrow something which still required his attention before they departed. Stepping over to where Julie cowered against the building, he tilted her chin up. “Will you be all right out here by yourself for a minute or two?” Without a word, she nodded her head. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised, then turned and disappeared through the door.

Once he was gone, Julie caught movement in the corner of her eye and shifted her head to the left for a better view. Her jaw dropped to her chest as she saw the flickering ghost a few feet away. At first, she couldn’t control the terrified trembling of her body, but as she remained focused something jarred loose in Julie’s memory. Something familiar. She couldn’t place it yet, but there was … Holy crap! Was it possible? Could this be the wretched ghost from what seemed like a lifetime ago? The one that she and Katie had contacted on the Ouija board?

Struggling to her feet, Julie stumbled toward the apparition. As she got closer, the bright and dim pulses of Amber’s glow grew less frequent, almost as if the ghost was recalling the same distant memory.

“Do I know you? Something about you seems familiar to me,” Amber intoned.

Having never heard the spirit’s voice before, Julie's brow crinkled in confusion. Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, this was the almost certainly the same ghost who had led her and Katie to a house to show them the man who killed her. The psychopath that turned out to be their school bus driver, and the same man who had abducted Julie and brought her to this awful world. “How … how did you get here?” Even though her voice was raspy and cracked, Amber seemed to understand her perfectly.

“I came here with Katie,” she replied. “I was hoping she could help me find my killer and rid the world of his evil, but it seems he is just as vile in death. I’ve also been trying to help Katie find you. I’m glad at least one of us has gotten what we came here for,” Amber added, a slight note of sarcasm in her hollow voice.

Distracted by the sound of the door opening behind her, Julie turned and saw Edward exiting the inn with a large bundle in his arms. Silently, he slipped past the two of them and disappeared around the corner of the building. Before she could inquire about what he was doing, Brian and Katie emerged. Both of their arms were loaded with items they had pilfered from inside, the shaman now sporting a blanket knotted around his neck like a superhero’s cape, as they quietly made their way to the mechanical beasts waiting nearby to distribute their bounty on the backs of the creatures. When they finished, the two of them approached Amber and Julie.

“Has Edward come back out yet? We didn’t see him inside.”

Answering Katie’s question, Amber pointed toward the area between the structures.

“Can you check on him please, Brian?” Katie pleaded, feeling like Julie would be more comfortable if she stayed by her side.

With a nod, the shaman vanished into the darkness between the buildings. Less than a minute later he reappeared. “He’s laying Jack to rest and asked to be alone until he’s finished,” Brian told them in a hushed tone.

Chapter 16

When the screams broke out, sounding as if they came from within the inn, it took phenomenal restraint for him to stay where he was. George didn’t want to risk being seen because he was being impulsive. There would be plenty of other opportunities to witness the torment of the small group, which would be easier during daylight hours when his glowing form wasn’t visible. If he could manage to whittle their numbers down to one or two, masking his presence wouldn’t matter as much.

As he considered his next move, a roar unlike anything George had ever heard drowned out the agonized wails of the nearby humans. It seemed to emanate from the mountain before him, but it was impossible to tell for sure without investigating. The angry outburst carried the punch of an enormous pride of mountain lions, all roaring at the same moment, but as the intensity of the sound began to diminish, George got the impression that the noise was not made by animals. At least, not any he had ever seen up close.

After waiting for a couple of minutes to see if the sound would repeat itself, which it did not, his curiosity began to surface. Deciding that he needed a distraction to keep him busy until daylight, George drifted away from the building and floated uphill.

***

Dragging the younger version of George into the woods across the street from his home, the Black Knight pulled him through the black void of the portal. As the two of them stepped into Cemetery Hill, the vortex swirled for a second before collapsing in on itself.

The sensation of being ripped apart, and put back together again, reminded George of the pod-like mechanisms that ultimately created a being known as the Brundlefly in one of his favorite movies. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he tried to focus on the sight before him in the deep red gloom of the chamber he now stood in. As his vision adjusted to the dimness, the spectacle in front of him took his breath away. “What the …” Row upon row of tall, wooden crucifixes greeted his confused mind, the sight reminiscent of something straight out of a Dracula movie; a scene which depicted hundreds or thousands of people, skewered atop long, wooden spikes by Vlad the Impaler. Although, the smattering of people upon the crosses were not impaled by any means. Instead, they were held in place by chains and metal bands, which brought the memory of the torture chamber he had constructed in his own basement to the forefront of his mind.

Breaking George from his confused thoughts, the Black Knight suddenly let out an ear shattering roar. Clapping his hands over his ears in an attempt to muffle the sound, he squinted toward the entity who now stood beside an empty crucifix. When the deafening roar subsided, George cautiously approached the cloaked figure.

Carefully choosing his words, he addressed the demon in a tone he hoped would not antagonize him. “I must admit, this place was a lot to take in at first,” George remarked, trying to sound as casual as he could. “I hope you don’t think that I’m ignorant for asking, but I can’t help wondering what has angered you?”

Spinning around with inhuman speed, the Black Knight bent down slightly, his hideous face so close to George’s that he could see the saliva dripping from the demon’s fangs and taste the creature’s foul breath as it washed over him. “This is what bothers me,” the Black Knight hissed, dangling the strap of a bag from one, skeletal finger. “Someone has dared to enter my chamber and take something from me. When I find out who, I am going to string them up in here for the rest of their miserable, pathetic lives. There will be no end to the suffering I will unleash upon them,” he growled.

Raising his hands in a submissive gesture, George backed up and put a couple of paces between them. “Sorry I asked. Just remember, I’m on your side.”

“It better stay that way, too, George,” the Black Knight stated, his voice dripping with malice.

***

Unsure of what he would find, though he suspected it would be a large assemblage of the tiny, impish demons, George followed the railroad tracks. Thankful that he hadn’t been forced to climb the mountain as a human, he quickly ascended the hill. As he came to the final bend in the tracks, he saw a darkened shape, like the mouth of a cave, nearby.

Initially, when he floated through the opening, George was impressed with the setup of the expansive chamber that had been hidden from sight until he had entered. Mesmerized by the blood red illumination of the interior, he drew closer. Admiring the intricate layout—cross-like pillars spaced evenly throughout what he had originally thought to be a cave—of a torture chamber worthy of his wildest dreams, memories of his former life flashed through his mind. When he saw that many of these constructs were bearing nude, human bodies, he drifted carelessly about, inspecting the prisoners. He didn’t realize that he wasn’t alone until he heard a seething voice utter his name. Whipping around toward the sound, the first thing George saw was a tall, cloaked figure with its back turned. The voice should have been immediately familiar, especially considering how many times it had spoken directly to him in the past, but instead it only instilled a sense of déjà vu in his mind.

Suddenly, another face appeared. It had been hidden from view, until now, by the towering frame of the Black Knight, but as his shocked mind attempted to comprehend what he was seeing, his eyes insisted that he was gazing into a mirror. The man, partially shielded from view, was a spitting image of himself. Albeit, a younger version. George watched as the man caught a glimpse of his ghostly form, the younger version’s eyes widening in surprise.

The younger man rose a shaky finger and pointed in his direction. Barely managing to slip behind the upright of the nearest crucifix before the Black Knight turned his attention toward him, George waited for the inevitable. Even though nothing happened at first, he kept himself hidden.

“What?” the Black Knight growled impatiently as his glowing, yellow eyes followed the man’s unsteady finger. “Why are you shaking like a coward? I hope you aren’t going to be as useless as my last protégé. I have better things to do than be your fucking nursemaid.”

“There … I saw something over there,” he stated, his trembling legs already beginning to carry him toward the nearly transparent form he’d seen just moments before. Hesitantly, he stopped in front of the empty cross that he was certain a ghostly form was on the other side of. He could feel the penetrating leer of the Black Knight, searing through his flesh like a branding iron. After a few seconds, he assumed the cloaked figure had turned the burning embers of his eyes elsewhere because the sensation was suddenly gone. Gathering his resolve, he dared a peek behind the pillar. A shocked gasp escaped his lips as he felt something invade his body.

After surveying the rest of the large room and finding no other prisoners missing, the Black Knight turned his attention back to George. “I have to leave this place for a while so I can take care of some business. I need you to stand guard here until I return. Do you think you can handle that?”

Though the spirit had successfully invaded young George’s body, it receded from the man’s mind and faded into the background, fearing that if he remained in firm possession of the fleshy shell that the Black Knight would almost certainly sense it. “I … I think so,” he replied nervously.

“Good. Take up a position just outside. There should be plenty of places you can remain out of sight. If anyone dares to approach, kill them.” Not waiting to see if George would ask more questions, or complain about what was being asked of him, the Black Knight swiftly turned and exited the chamber.

Even with the departure of the cloaked figure, George only managed to relax slightly. The demon hadn’t stated it out loud, but he had heard the underlying malice in the Black Knight’s voice; the veiled threat of indescribable torture should he fail in his duties.

Before heading outside, he perused the chamber in search of a weapon he could use if a situation arose that required it, stopping for a few seconds here and there to appraise naked prisoners. The vast majority were repulsive to gaze upon. They might have been attractive to him at one point in their lives, but many of them looked extremely malnourished, emaciated to the degree that they reminded him of those fucked up commercials he used to see from time to time. The ones which displayed one skeletal Ethiopian child after another, trying to pull on the heartstrings of the viewer and get them to send a donation, claiming the small price would help feed the kid for a month. Somehow, George didn’t think any of that money ever made it across the world to where it was supposed to go, but disgustedly regarded the pleas as a scam intended to line the pockets of some shady businessman somewhere.

Glancing up at the scant form of what he thought was a woman—her skin clinging so tightly to her bones that her ribs and pelvis threatened to burst through the thin layer of her flesh—he couldn’t help but wonder how long she had been held captive, or how she was being kept alive. Forcing himself to study her body more closely, George discovered puncture marks in areas that still had a semblance of meat on the bones. They must be feeding her with an IV or something. Giving her just enough nourishment to sustain life. It would certainly explain the lack of excrement, which should have been stinking up the place to high heaven. Although George enjoyed torturing and killing people, this place sickened him. It would be the greatest mercy of all to give these poor souls the release of death.

Unable to look at the woman any longer, he dropped his eyes to the floor and shuffled away, heading toward the outside exit. As he walked, George felt a twinge within his body. At first he didn’t recognize it for what it truly was, dismissing it as one of the rare emotions that tried to bubble to the surface of his mind, but then the belief was shattered as he realized what was happening. A fleeting thought traveled through his brain; the temporarily forgotten memory of the ghost he had seen a short while ago. I’m being possessed! As if to confirm this, a familiar voice echoed in his head. “Hello, me … It’s me, again.”

Chapter 17

Although Katie and Brian had expressed their opinions to Edward regarding the urgency of their departure from the town nestled at the base of the mountain, nothing they said swayed him from his duties as a friend and as the leader of their small entourage. He insisted on honoring Jack with a proper burial, though the only way he could accomplish this task was to cover his friend’s mutilated appendages with rocks, as well as paying his respects. During this time, Edward lit a small campfire near the grave site, compelling them to reminisce and tell stories of their fondest memories of their fallen comrade. Many of these tales brought tears to Katie’s eyes, dredging up painful recollections of the other friend they had lost along the way, Mike.

Brian hadn’t known Jack as long as the others, and had never met Mike, but it didn’t slow the flow of liquid that trickled down his cheeks. Even Julie seemed sadder than expected. She didn’t know any of them, other than Katie, and even though she was wary of them, Julie felt like she could trust them. After all, they were Katie’s companions. If her best friend in the world could place her faith in these strangers, then shouldn’t she do the same? God, I hope I never have to do something like this for Katie, she thought. Or her for me.

By the time everyone had finished paying homage to Jack, the first light of dawn was beginning to creep onto the horizon. One by one they wiped the moisture from their eyes and stood, dreading the thought of leaving another companion behind. Each individual pulled their pilfered blanket tightly around their body to stave off the early morning chill in the air as they stepped away from the fire, looking as if they wore the shrouds of vagrants. They tried to keep their minds occupied with thoughts of things to come, instead of dwelling on their past mistakes and losses, carefully making certain that they had everything packed for the coming journey. Despite his best efforts, Edward looked wistfully toward the inn, wishing he could afford his mother a proper burial but knowing that collecting the frozen fragments of her body would be like finding needles in a haystack. It was almost certain he would never find them all, and burying part of her seemed like sacrilege, as if by doing so would somehow make her soul incomplete.

Taking a few minutes before leaving, Edward rifled through the remaining saddlebag and distributed some dried meat and fruit to everyone, citing the fact that the journey ahead would be a long one and they would need every ounce of energy the food could provide. It was something he deemed especially important for Julie, who appeared to be on the verge of skeletal from the abuse she had endured during her captivity.

Once they were satisfied that all was in order and they could get underway, another unforeseen problem reared its ugly head. Though Brian had shown Julie that the two mechanical horses were not a threat to her wellbeing, she shook her head and shied away when it was time to go and everyone was starting to mount up. Edward glanced at Katie from his position behind the shaman on one of the beasts. The pleading look in his gaze spoke to her without having to utter a single word. Please, do whatever you must to convince her. Time is short, and we have to get underway.

Julie was trembling when Katie stopped in front of her, putting a hand lightly on each shoulder and dropping her head slightly to meet her friend’s terrified eyes. “You know I would never ask you to do anything that would hurt you, right?”

“It’s not you that I worry about,” she replied, her voice still scratchy from disuse. “I know what these … things … are designed to do, and what they are capable of.”

“What do you mean?” Katie lifted one eyebrow in pained confusion.

“Do you remember a while back? When I told you I was being held in a place called the Factory?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“While I was there, before they sent me to the awful place you rescued me from, I was forced to build a couple of those things,” she croaked, pointing disgustedly at the mechanical beast.

“They’re only a means of transportation, right?” The puzzled look on Katie’s face caused deep, wrinkled lines to appear on her forehead.

“Yes, and no.” Julie shook her head sadly. “They are meant for much more than that. There is a hollow area in their chests, accessed by a locking plate, which has numerous implications. The area inside is large enough to hold probably two or three human beings, maybe four if they are packed in like sardines.”

“Hold that thought,” she told Julie, raising a finger and turning to face Edward. “Did you know those things have a hidden compartment?” The look of shock on his face told her everything she needed to know. He had no idea! Suddenly, a terrible thought came to her. What if the evil bastard, who forced Julie into servitude, is hiding something in the bellies of the very beasts we’re riding? If that’s the case, he could be sitting around just waiting for an opportunity to catch us off guard!

While Edward sat behind Brian, slack-jawed, as if he couldn’t begin to fathom her question, Katie strode to the beast she intended to ride. Squatting down, she searched every fold in the metal for a potential hinge that might tell her where the cavity in the horse’s chest was located. Finding a barely noticeable crease on the beast’s chest, she ran her fingers down its length, poking and prying the edge in an attempt to pull it open. When every effort was met with failure, she slammed her fist into the metal plate in frustration and began to turn away. As she did, the heavy steel panel almost knocked her off her feet as it noiselessly swung downward.

After escaping being struck by the chest piece by mere inches, Katie held her breath, almost as if she expected something to emerge from the cavity. When nothing happened, she took a tentative peek into the recess and saw that the hollowed out area inside the creature was exactly how Julie had described it. “I wish we would have known about this when we were shivering and freezing our asses off, trying to shelter ourselves from the unpredictable storms around here.” Glancing from one face to the next, she didn’t understand why nobody was checking the creature that Brian and Edward were on top of. Katie could understand Julie being apprehensive, but the others? Were they being lazy? Maybe they are too chicken shit, thinking there might be a surprise inside their steed, Katie surmised, taking the initiative and stalking to the front of the other machine.

Not wasting any time, Katie stood to one side to avoid being struck when the chest plate swung open. Striking the first beast had caused her good hand to throb, so instead of making it hurt more she bent down and sent a donkey kick at the machine’s chest. It worked perfectly, and was much less painful than using her fist. When she didn’t see anything pouring forth from the cavity, Katie peeked inside. It was an identically empty space to the one she revealed in her own horse.

Once she had found that both steeds were not carrying any threats to their wellbeing aboard, Katie lifted each panel and pushed them until she heard them latch securely. Trying to lighten the mood, Brian joked with Katie as she strode toward where Julie stood. “Are you done horsing around?”

Spinning to face the shaman, she saw the sheepish smirk on his face. “Ha, ha. You’re just a barrel of laughs, Brian,” she remarked with a half grin, waving a hand at him dismissively. A few seconds later, she was standing in front of Julie. Even after showing everyone in the group that there was nothing lurking inside the mechanical beasts, lying in wait to spring out and kill them, Julie still looked nervous and afraid. “I won’t let anything happen to you again. I promise that I won’t let you out of my sight. I will be with you every step of the way,” Katie whispered softly, confident that she could uphold her vow.

Her eyes growing moist, Julie nodded hesitantly after a minute of indecision. She knew in her heart that Katie would do everything in her power to protect her and keep her safe. All she could do was hope that Katie’s efforts would be enough. Past experience told her that the dangers of this world could easily turn the tide against them, though. “I will try my best to not freak out,” Julie croaked, letting her breath out slowly and trying to muster up enough courage to put a foot into the stirrup and mount the metallic beast.

Chapter 18

Sitting on a large rock, just outside the mountainside entrance to Cemetery Hill, George waited for the Black Knight to return. His duties as a sentry seemed like a waste of time to him. After all, who in their right mind would scale the treacherous incline? The demon obviously thought someone might try, considering one of his prisoners was missing, but George didn’t think it was very likely. Apparently, the previous intruders had already acquired what they came for, so why risk life and limb to climb up here again?

A sudden bout of nausea washed over him, the surrounding foliage wavered like a mirage, giving him the light-headed feeling of having a few too many drinks. After a few seconds the feeling subsided, but something in his gut told him that things had not returned to normal. The wooziness had passed, but his body still felt strange. As the reason for this feeling crept into his mind, kind of like an ‘ah ha’ moment, he lost control of his body. The entity, which claimed to be another version of himself, shoved its way forward and pushed his consciousness to the background. It felt a lot like being gagged and duct taped, held hostage in his own mind.

It felt phenomenal to be back in a body that he could call his own. For what seemed an eternity, he had dealt with being unable to touch, feel, taste, and smell the world around him, but those days were behind him now. Running his fingers lightly over the skin of his arms, George relished the sensation that had eluded him since his death. Twisting and bending, George tested the newly acquired suit of flesh and bone for limitations. When he discovered there were none—it was almost as if he had never died—his lips stretched in an evil grin. He couldn’t help but wonder if the fleshy disguise would be enough to fool his former master; maybe even get back into his good graces. Not that George truly cared whether the demon liked him or not, but if he could develop trust between himself and the Black Knight again, it would make revenge a much easier goal to accomplish. Especially, considering how casually George had been cast aside when he didn’t follow the entity’s orders to the letter. Being tricked into a situation that had brought about his demise wasn’t something George was prepared to let go of.

The demonic hiss of the Black Knight’s voice startled him from his thoughts. As George turned to face him, he wondered if he’d left himself vulnerable and inadvertently allowed the demon to read his mind. “Has anyone approached in my absence?”

Suddenly, his throat seemed clogged with mucus. “No,” he managed after clearing his windpipe.

“Goooood,” the Black Knight remarked, rubbing his skeletal hands together. “I have a little surprise for you.” Although the demon seemed in much better spirits than he was after finding someone had invaded his lair, the writhing mass of flesh beneath his black cowl made him look like a person that belonged locked away in a mental institution.

Not sure that he wanted to know what his surprise was, George raised an eyebrow. His eyeballs danced nervously in their sockets as he hesitantly glanced into the demon’s glowing yellow eyes, searching for any sign that the Black Knight knew he was inside the body before him. Unable to maintain eye contact with the entity, George dropped his head and looked at his feet for a few seconds. Knowing he couldn’t keep looking away from the demon without raising suspicion, George lifted his head and tried to sound casual. “What sort of surprise?”

At first, George thought when the Black Knight turned his head and peeked through the entrance of Cemetery Hill that he was making sure they were alone. “Come,” he hissed. As George was about to step into the blood red light of the interior, his foot stopped in mid-air. The stomping sound of heavy footfalls reverberated in the chamber. The ground shook as whatever the Black Knight had summoned steadily approached.

A rush of air burst from his lungs as the creature came in to view, and it took every ounce of courage to not flee in terror. The beast which rounded the corner and stopped beside the Black Knight was huge! Three pairs of malevolently glowing red eyes stared at George from three separate, massive, wolf-like heads. Though he tried his best to not show that he was afraid, his body betrayed him and began to tremble. The enormous creature reminded him of Cerberus, but in his wildest imaginings he had never expected the hell-hound to be so large. The beast’s heads were almost level with the Black Knight’s shoulders, which told George that the demon-dog was at least six feet tall … and that was when it was standing on all fours. If it were to rear up on its hind legs it would tower over him! The devilish creature took another stomping step forward, stalking through the entrance and into the fading moonlight outside. It was at that moment when George realized the creature before him was not a mere animal, but a machine. Light glinted off the beast’s metal exterior and nearly blinded him with its brilliance, almost as if someone had reflected a five hundred watt light bulb in a mirror he was gazing into.

Flashing a wicked grin that made the rows of his razor, sharp teeth shimmer in the moonlight, the Black Knight patted the machine affectionately. “I can sense your fear and apprehension, but there is no need for either.” Side by side, the demon and the mechanical monstrosity took a few steps away from the entrance to Cemetery Hill, allowing George to see the creature in its entirety. “In the days to come, this beast will be your companion. A means to an end that will help you to carry out your mission.”

His features relaxed slightly when George realized the Black Knight hadn’t brought the creature here to end his life for a second time, although his brows drew downward in confusion. “What … mission?” he questioned, clearing his throat once more.

“I am going to have you follow a group of people, but from a distance. I don’t want them to be aware that you are following them. You will travel under the cover of darkness at all times, resting during daylight hours and keeping yourself hidden.”

George opened his mouth, but abruptly shut it. Knowing the individuals the demon referred to, he had almost blown his cover. He had forgotten, for a brief moment that had nearly been his undoing, the younger version of himself would have had no knowledge of the people the Black Knight spoke of. “I have a few questions,” he managed after recollecting his thoughts.

“Ask away,” the Black Knight invited.

“First off, why am I following these people?”

“To gather information.” The demon grinned. “Your new friend here is equipped with surveillance cameras which will relay images back to me, letting me know what they are doing, where they are going … things of that nature. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes,” George nodded, “however, it raises another.” For the moment, the Black Knight seemed patient. The demon tilted his head curiously and motioned with a skeletal hand for him to continue. “If this mission requires stealth, then how am I supposed to stay hidden when this thing,” George dramatically hiked a thumb at the machine, “is stomping around and giving away our position?”

Throwing back his head, cackling laughter erupted from the Black Knight’s grinning mouth. The demon’s mirth stretched out for nearly a minute before he answered George, “If you stick to traveling at night like I’ve instructed, none will hear a sound,” the Black Knight chuckled, as if the mortal had told him the funniest joke he'd ever heard.

“I don’t see how. Someone would have to be deaf to not hear that thing, and it doesn’t take into account the way the ground shakes when it walks, either.”

“You worry too much, George.” The demon sighed, shaking his head.

“And another thing … how am I supposed to control it? Does it follow me around as if it’s my faithful dog? Or does it have a leash?”

The Black Knight howled with laughter again. “Come closer. I will show you how to operate your new steed.”

“Steed?” Now his curiosity was piqued. The mechanical creature before him didn’t even remotely resemble anything that could be ridden, at least, not comfortably. There was no saddle, which meant no stirrups. He scratched his head trying to figure out how he would mount and dismount such a beast.

As George stood beside the machine, the Black Knight grabbed his wrist with a bony hand. Pulling it toward the creature, the demon navigated George’s fingertips to the back side of one of the beast’s forelegs. His fingers brushed against a raised bump in the metal’s surface. When the Black Knight forced him to push against it as if the anomaly were a button of sorts, the multiple-jointed foreleg folded backwards, creating a series of steps.

Doing his best to not make it obvious that he had half a clue how to operate the mechanical creature, George made it appear that he was hesitant to climb on to the beast’s back. As he swung his leg over and sat down, he noticed the familiar, joystick-like control protruding from the area where the three necks joined with the massive shoulders of the machine, but he made no move to reach out for it. Instead, George waited for the Black Knight to instruct him on what to do next.

“Do you see the lever jutting up in front of you?”

“Yes,” he replied with a nod.

“It is a means to control your direction of travel. When you are on the ground, push or pull the lever in the direction you wish to go. When you are …”

“Whoa! Wait a second!” George interrupted. “Did you say, when I’m on the ground? Are you implying what I think you are?”

“Let me finish,” the Black Knight snapped. The frightened grimace blooming on George’s face told him he had the man’s undivided attention now. Satisfied, the demon continued its instruction, “As I was saying, when you are in the air, the controls will operate differently. Pushing forward will tell the creature to go down, pulling back will cause it to go higher, and pushing the control to one side or the other will tilt its wings in that direction, causing it to execute a turning maneuver. Be careful when you do this. The harder you push the lever to one side, the tighter the turn will be. If you turn too abruptly, you will likely fly from its back and plummet to your death.”

Waiting for a few seconds to make sure the Black Knight was done speaking, he nodded his understanding. “One last question, if I may?”

“What now?” Growling, his flaming yellow eyes bored into the mortal as his patience wore thin.

“You stated that the creature has wings, right? Where are they, and how do I activate them?” He tried his best to keep his voice submissive, not wishing to anger the Black Knight any further. At least, not until he had a solid plan for his revenge.

His foul breath hissed through his elongated fangs as he considered the questions, the glow of his eyes narrowing to slits as he thought. After a moment, the Black Knight realized he had not instructed George on this detail. “Look just beyond the lever. There is a rounded, black spot at the base of the center neck. Simply push it down to activate the wings, and depress it again to collapse them.” He thought about warning George to move his legs forward when he brought the wings out and put them away, but since he was still irritated with the mortal he decided not to, even though it was possible the man could lose part of his limbs if he wasn’t careful.

Chapter 19

Over the last couple of days, their progress had seemed exceedingly slow. In part, this was due to Julie. She was still terrified of the mechanical creatures they rode upon, but gradually her apprehension was beginning to melt away as a small semblance of her sanity started to return. Two major factors contributed to this slow change in her demeanor, the most obvious being her reunion with Katie. No matter what she felt about the others, or their current situation, Julie trusted her best friend implicitly. She knew that whatever happened, Katie would give her life to protect her. Getting real food in her belly helped her outlook as well. For too long, she had dealt with the jab of needles and being fed through tubes.

Though her stomach had difficulties with the various meats, cheeses, and breads at first, sometimes causing violent bouts of nausea, her body quickly adapted. By the second day, she was no longer getting sick when she ingested the food. Instead, she began to crave the sustenance with the enthusiasm of a pregnant woman. When the third day rolled around, her body started to acclimate. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, she was able to evacuate her bladder and bowels normally. Even though the food she took in was far from being seven course meals, more often than not it was just barely enough to stop the rumbling of her stomach, Julie was beginning to gain some of the weight she lost during her captivity. The lackluster, dullness of her grayish skin began to disappear, and the vibrant appearance of health started to blossom on her features.

When the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Edward tapped Brian on the shoulder, indicating for him to stop. “Let’s take a short break and get some food in our bellies,” he suggested.

Letting the pommel of the saddle go, it snapped upright, causing the machine to skid to a halt. “Sounds like a plan to me.” He grinned over his shoulder at Edward, his stomach rumbling its agreement.

Once all four of them had dismounted, Katie began rummaging through the saddle bag. Frowning as she retrieved the remaining food items inside, she passed small portions to everyone. “Well, we need to figure something out if we want to continue eating.” She sighed.

“What do you mean?” Brian asked in a muffled voice, around a mouthful of bread.

“We’ve exhausted our supply of food, that’s what I mean,” she replied sadly.

“Hmmm,” Brian remarked thoughtfully.

“I guess that means we will have to rely on your hunting skills, then,” Edward interjected with a grin.

Katie sighed in exasperation. “That’s a good plan, in theory, but I don’t have any more arrows. I used every one I had in the battle against those tiny demon things, and none of us thought to scour the town before we left to retrieve any of them that might have been left behind.”

“They probably wouldn’t have been usable anyway,” Brian stated. “They would have been tainted with their disgusting, demonic blood. I’m not sure about anyone else, but I wouldn’t want to risk that nasty stuff getting into the meat we stick in our mouths.”

“You have a point.” Edward grimaced, his stomach turning at the mere thought of putting something so vile inside of his body.

“Then, we’re screwed. I can’t hunt without arrows. Shooting imaginary projectiles from my crossbow isn’t going to kill anything,” she remarked sarcastically.

Edward tapped his chin thoughtfully with one finger. After a few seconds, he sauntered over to the saddle bag and reached inside. “It may not be the best solution in the world, but perhaps I can create some new arrows for you,” he told her, removing a knife from the bag.

***

After scavenging the surrounding forest for nearly two hours, Brian returned with a small bundle of branches he had hacked from nearby oaks and other hardwood trees with the sword that had once belonged to Jack. Setting the severed limbs at Edward’s feet, he joined the others around the small campfire while the wizard began the tedious task of stripping the bark from each stick and whittling them into shape.

Katie watched him intently as he worked, sincerely hoping that Edward could create usable projectiles for her crossbow. When he finished whittling the first arrow, he offered it to her in his outstretched hand. Plucking the bow from the ground beside her, she stood and walked over to collect the potential arrow. Taking it from him, she turned it this way and that, attempting to determine if it was straight enough to work. Satisfied that it was, she slid the shaft into the guide of her weapon. “Shit!”

“What’s wrong?” Edward frowned, glancing up at her with dismay.

“It’s too long,” she replied, turning the arrow backwards and fitting it into the weapon again. With her finger clamped to the shaft, she handed the projectile back to him as she knelt on the ground beside him. “Cut it here, if you can.” She scratched the wood with a fingernail to give him a reference point.

Taking it from her, Edward sighed and went back to work. After a couple of minutes, he handed the shortened projectile back to Katie. “Try it now.”

When her face lit up, Edward let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and smiled. With the biggest grin on her countenance that he had seen in quite some time, she passed the arrow back to him. “It seems perfect. Make another one exactly like this, then I’ll test one to see if it fires properly from the crossbow.”

***

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon as they gathered around the campfire, savoring the fresh rabbit meat with juices running down their chins. Katie’s initial test of her new arrows had gone much better than expected. The projectiles Edward had made couldn’t have flown with more accuracy if they had been created in a factory on Earth. There had been a couple that weren’t entirely straight, but even so, each had been fantastically more usable than Katie could have ever hoped for. She still couldn’t load the weapon by herself because of her broken hand, but at least she could now hunt again, making her feel tremendously more useful. Maybe she could teach Julie how to use the crossbow. It would certainly alleviate Katie’s shortcomings in battle, should the need arise.

“Holy crap! I feel like a stuffed, Thanksgiving turkey.” Julie sighed, patting her bulging tummy and smiling. The comment brought chuckles of laughter from everyone. “I never realized how good you were at hunting,” she remarked, glancing toward Katie.

“Yep, I’m a regular jack of all trades.” Katie laughed. “The only problem is, I’m not a master of any of them.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. I can say, without a doubt in my mind, that if it weren’t for you and your skill set, we would be starving right now. Possibly resorting to gnawing on tree bark.” The grin on Edward’s face literally beamed with pride and admiration.

“I’m sure you would have no trouble getting by without me.” Katie blushed. “You could always zap the little, woodland creatures with one of your spells. It would probably work just as well as what I do.”

“Absolutely! Heck, in Edward’s case, he could flash fry the little buggers and we could skip cooking them altogether.” Brian laughed heartily.

Edward shook his head, his cheeks growing red as he lowered his face to hide the smile spreading across it. Though he wasn’t normally one to take being made fun of well, he knew they were only trying to lighten the mood. Even when the humor was created at his expense, he couldn’t help but be happy. It had been quite some time since those around him had been so light-hearted, and he was thankful for the reprieve from bickering. They all deserved a moment or two of happiness, especially when he considered what might lay ahead. He’d already buried more of his friends and family than he had ever thought he would in this lifetime, and only the Gods knew how many more he would have to do the same for by the time his journey came to an end.

After Katie’s impromptu crossbow lesson for Julie’s benefit, the men and women split into separate groups. Each took a two hour shift, keeping the small campfire burning while the others slept. Although Edward had been skeptical about dividing the watches by gender, his paranoia of an attack during the women’s shift had been unwarranted, thankfully.

When Brian and Edward’s watch was over, and one of Desolace’s moons had risen, they quietly roused the sleeping women and prepared to head southward once more.

Chapter 20

After receiving the Black Knight’s instructions, a short sword, and a small sack of supplies, George watched the demon disappear into the blood red ambiance of Cemetery Hill and vanish from sight. Eager to test the capabilities of his new steed, he located the black button on the center neck of the machine and depressed it. Within a fraction of a second, two enormous metal wings burst forth from their inconspicuous places, which at first glance had looked like metallic fur on the creature’s sides, thrusting his legs forward as they extended fully. Silently, George cursed the Black Knight for not warning him of the sharpened appendages. Lifting his feet, he placed them on top of each wing to steady his balance, then bent to check his calves where the metal edges had struck. A trickle of blood flowed from the back of each leg, but it could have been much worse. Remembering something he’d heard at several times during his life, something about cold slowing the flow of blood from a wound, George pulled back on the lever in front of him. Lightly at first, but when it seemed his steed was sure to collide with tree tops in a matter of seconds, he exerted more backward pressure on the lever.

The creature complied, soaring higher and higher into the night sky. After a few minutes, he noticed how thin the air had become and he allowed the joystick-like control to snap back to its original, upright position, immediately leveling off his ascent. Though the altitude was enough to make catching his breath a difficult task, George couldn’t help feeling like some sort of medieval warrior upon a mythical beast, riding into battle. His long, brown locks whipped behind him as the wind rushed over his face, adding to the effect. Doubting that anyone on the ground could hear him, he threw back his head, howling like a werewolf at the moon, basking in his new-found freedom. First, the uncanny luck of being rejoined with a body he could call his own, then knowing he had fooled the Black Knight by hiding in the flesh of his younger self, and finally this magnificent prize the demon had bestowed upon him. What more could he ask for?

***

Returning to his throne room, the Black Knight’s rage boiled over when he saw Verin. “How dare you! I leave to take care of business, only to come back and find you sitting in my chair like you own the place,” he growled, his glowing yellow eyes suddenly turning to obsidian.

The formless demon spun around at the sound of his master’s voice, retreating from the throne until the bank of monitors prevented him from putting further distance between them. “I … I was just trying to make sure things ran smoothly until you returned, my Lord,” Verin stammered.

“Well, you failed miserably, you worm,” the Black Knight spat. “While I was away, and you were supposedly taking care of things, someone entered Cemetery Hill and stole something from me!”

“Wh—what? I—I didn’t see anything on the monitors,” he stuttered, trying to shrink away from his master as the demon stalked toward him.

“Then, where did this come from?” The Black Knight held the bag out before him with a long, bony finger. The silence was deafening as he searched Verin’s shapeless form, waiting for an answer that didn’t seem forthcoming. Frustrated with the lack of response from his minion, he expelled a long, hissing breath through his teeth.

Watching the golden shimmer as it started to return to his master’s eyes, Verin prayed it was a good sign. Knowing he’d let the Black Knight down in a big way, he hoped the demon would give him an opportunity to atone for his mistakes.

“I can smell your fear. Rightly so, I should rip your pathetic soul apart for your incompetence. However, you have shown in the past that you don’t hesitate to follow orders, and most of those times you performed your tasks perfectly.” As the Black Knight spoke, he could sense the minion’s terror beginning to evaporate and his confidence growing. “I’m not one to normally allow indiscretions, like the one you committed in my absence, to go unpunished, but time is of the essence so I will deal with that matter at a later juncture. In the meantime, I am going to offer you a chance to redeem yourself. If you should succeed in the mission I’m about to give you, your incompetence will be dismissed. But, if you fail … I don’t think I need to finish that sentence,” the Black Knight stated venomously.

“What would you have me do to prove myself to you, my Lord?” Verin inquired.

“Go to the Factory. The supervisor there will be expecting your arrival. Once you are there, assemble my army and go forth into the outside world to crush the mortals that dared to violate my domain. When you accomplish this task, return to my lair so we can prepare my assault on the Throne of the Gods.”

“As you wish, my Lord.” Verin bowed, wasting no time and drifting into the tunnels beyond his master’s lair.

***

The main entrance of the Factory was standing open upon his arrival a few hours later. Traversing the short hallway between the underground river and the workroom, Verin was greeted by a stout, older gentleman whose closely cropped black hair was streaked with gray. The formless demon knew from prior visits to the facility that the man before him was the one in charge of operations.

“I’ve been expecting you,” the man stated with a tight-lipped smile. “Your name is Verin, correct?”

“Yes,” he replied in a gruff voice, wanting to skip the pleasantries and get on with what he came here to do. “What do you have for me?”

“Follow me, please.” The supervisor turned and strode to the opposite side of the large work area, stopping before a massive, sliding door. Grasping the handle, he ushered the enormous panel from left to right until the entirety of it, except the metal ring he had hold of, disappeared inside the wall. Reaching inside, he flicked a switch. Instantly, the massive room was bathed in brilliant, white light. “Here is the first part of your new army,” he remarked, sweeping out a beefy hand in dramatic fashion. “I still have minor modifications to make to them, though, but it shouldn’t take long at all.”

“What sort of modifications? And what do you mean by ‘the first part’ of my army? There’s more?”

The girth of the gentleman’s belly shook as he laughed. “I’ve been instructed by your master to alter their programming, so they will accept verbal commands from you. As for what I meant, the machines you see before you are the most substantial part of the army, but I’ve also been commanded to release your friends from service so that they may travel with you,” the supervisor replied, nodding his head toward the impish creatures that Verin loathed.

Great! I’ve been saddled with a bunch of annoying cowards who will probably be more irritating than helpful! Shaking his head in disgust, Verin turned to regard the row upon row of machines that would soon be at his disposal. He was amazed by the multitude of dormant sentinels which covered every square inch of the floor before him; the mechanical minions ranging in size from the tiny, beetle-like creatures, to rats and bats, to large cats resembling mountain lions. Even larger still, were the giant, humanoid machines which resembled trolls. These later machines dwarfed anything Verin had encountered in the past, including the cyborgs in the abandoned city below the mountain and the mechanical horses that his adversaries rode. “How long do you expect the reprogramming to take?”

The supervisor scrunched his face in thought, looking over the array of machines before him. “I should be able to finish altering their programming within an hour or two,” he remarked after calculating the number of creatures in the room and guessing about how long it would take to make the necessary changes to each one. Removing an object from his pocket, the man held it out toward Verin. “One last thing. I need you to speak into this device in order to capture your voice so I can make the proper adjustments.”

Nodding, Verin complied with the supervisor’s request. “I’ll be right outside, near the river. When you finish, come get me.” Leaving the man to his work, he drifted through the exit and into the tunnel.

***

As Verin waited impatiently for the stocky human to complete the modifications to his new army, he paced back and forth down the corridor flanking the underground river. If the tiny, impish demons that comprised the Factory’s workforce had been less annoying, he might have stayed inside and conversed with them to pass the time. Thankfully, the supervisor’s estimate had been fairly accurate. The man was strolling through the doorway into the tunnel right now, hopefully to let him know the army was ready.

“Your legions await your commands,” he announced with a smile.

Chapter 21

Exhausted from traveling for days on very little rest, Edward decided enough was enough. With the abandoned town a safe distance behind them, and the fact they had encountered nothing more dangerous than the woodland animals they hunted for food, he halted their progress in a small clearing. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can barely keep my eyes open,” he announced, hopping down from the steed he shared with Brian.

“I thought you would never say that.” Katie smiled weakly, emitting a barely audible sigh. She could tell that most of Edward’s wounds had healed from the intense battle a few days ago, mainly by the way he carried himself, but also because she had noticed the difference in his energy and enthusiasm. If she didn’t know better, Katie would think he was almost as good as new. Even Julie was recovering from her captivity at an alarming rate. Other than her friend not being the chatterbox she once was, everything else about her seemed back to normal. Her pallor no longer appeared sickly, her voice wasn’t scratchy anymore, and with all the nourishment she had been taking in that she’d previously been deprived of, her sagging skin had filled out and erased the emaciated look she had when they found her.

No further encouragement was needed. Before any of them could say another word, everyone had dismounted. Brian had even gone so far as to wander off into the nearby forest to collect firewood. If it weren’t for the fact that she was so weary she could barely stand, Katie would likely have followed the shaman and done a little hunting.

Within a matter of fifteen minutes, Brian returned to the clearing with an armload of wood. Placing the branches and twigs on the ground, he deftly arranged a good portion of his haul and Edward did the honors of igniting the fire. Tired beyond imagining, they quickly wrapped themselves in the blankets they had acquired from the abandoned town and encircled the campfire, lying down in the partially green grass as the sun hung low in the sky and cast a red-orange hue over everything. There were a few mumblings about setting a watch, but Edward seemed content to rely on Brian’s heightened awareness of evil, figuring it would give them enough warning if danger should happen to stroll into their neck of the woods. Before drifting off to sleep, the last thing Katie heard was the soft, familiar sound of moving water.

***

Unsure of how long she had slept, Katie opened her eyes to almost total darkness. The campfire had almost completely gone out, leaving only traces of an orange glow emanating from its embers. Sitting up, she probed the immediate area with her fingers in search of the remaining pile of wood Brian had gathered. After a minute, she located the branches and grasped a few pieces to add to the fire before the chilly night air extinguished it completely. When the flames began to lick at the dried twigs and ignite, she stoked the fire, adding more and more wood until the spreading warmth caused her to back up a few feet.

The infusion of heat stirred the others to wakefulness. Rubbing his eyes, Edward sat up and glanced skyward. His brows crinkled into a frown when he didn’t see either of the moons in the veil of darkness above him. Did I sleep that long? It was strange for him to sleep through an entire cycle of the brilliant, white orbs rising and setting, but it seemed like he had done just that. It left him feeling disoriented.

“What’s wrong?” Katie asked, seeing the confused look on his face.

Shaking his head, he turned to meet her gaze. “Nothing, I guess,” he shrugged. “It just felt weird for a second, not seeing one or both of the moons overhead.”

“Maybe the first one hasn’t come up yet,” Katie surmised.

“Somehow, I doubt it. My body feels like I’ve slept far too long for that to be true.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but to me it almost seems like the sun should be out,” Brian interjected with a half-hearted laugh.

One eyebrow crept up Katie’s forehead as a barely audible sound distracted her from the conversation. “Shhh,” she whispered, putting her index finger to her lips. Cocking her head to one side, she strained to decipher the noise. “Does anyone else hear that?” Her eyes flitted from one face to another, looking for any indication that any of them heard what she did.

“I don’t hear anything,” Edward remarked.

“Nor do I,” Brian added. “But …”

“But, what?” Katie pried.

“I’m getting a faint sense of something,” he answered. “It seems to be coming from above us.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what I hear. It sounds like flapping wings, and large ones at that.” Katie looked up into the shroud of darkness that enveloped them. Worry lines creased her forehead and for a moment she almost expected something to swoop out of the night sky to attack them.

“I think I hear it, too,” Julie whispered.

Suddenly, the veil of night was lifted for a few seconds. “Holy … fucking … shit!” Whipping her head up to gaze upon the anomaly, Katie saw an enormous streak of fire shooting northward through the sky. “What the hell was that?”

The sound of beating wings grew louder for a moment, but quickly receded. As did the conflagration above them. “Whatever it was, I think it may have been an ally,” Brian stated softly. “The strange sense I was getting a short time ago is gone.”

“Do you think it was one of the Gods, intervening on our behalf?” Katie asked, tapping Edward on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Divine intervention? I don’t think so,” he replied, shaking his head. “I can’t be positive, though. All I can say is that I’ve never witnessed anything like that before.”

For the next hour, the four of them sat around the campfire and swapped theories on the night’s events. No further phenomenon occurred during their conversation, and Brian assured them that whatever had caused the sight they’d witnessed was long gone. Before any of them had realized just how much time they had spent discussing the possibilities, the first rays of morning light began to show on the horizon.

As the sky brightened, the topics of their conversations shifted toward the day ahead. “I’ve noticed that you’ve rebounded from your injuries quite well,” Katie addressed Edward in a light-hearted tone. “I think Julie is in much better shape now as well.”

“What are you getting at?” Curiously, Edward looked her way.

“While I know that you are likely feeling as if you could travel for another week on the amount of rest you got last night, I wanted to see if you would mind sticking around here for another day?”

“If you have a valid reason for staying here, I would certainly consider it before making the decision to leave.”

“Well … um … for the past few days, I’ve been considering teaching Julie how to use my crossbow.”

“Can’t that wait? You know better than anyone how urgent our mission is,” Edward retorted. “We have plenty of food at the moment, and someone can always help you load the bow if you need to hunt.”

“True,” Katie admitted, “but hunting isn’t the only reason I’m asking.” She paused for a second, allowing her words to sink in, and watched his eyebrow creep up into his hairline and disappear. “Until such time that my hand heals up enough to load the bow by myself, I think it would be beneficial to have another person in the group who can use it. Especially if the unexpected rears its ugly head out of nowhere. If I were forced to use the crossbow in battle, I would be as useless as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest.”

Although he was hesitant to concede that her observations were valid, he nodded his head in agreement. “Point taken. We will remain here for now, but only until sunrise tomorrow. It may not be enough time to show her every nuance, but it should be enough to make her competent with the weapon. I’m certainly not going to expect her to acquire your skill level in a day.”

Wearing an ear to ear grin, Katie crawled across the ground to where Edward sat and planted a big, wet kiss on his cheek. “Thank you!”

Chapter 22

Once the initial surge of excitement passed—after acquiring his new toy he had flown recklessly through the sky as if he were joyriding down the streets back home in a beefed-up muscle car—George steered his mount in increasingly larger circles, hoping to catch a glimpse of the group he was sent to find. When the sun began to rise on that first day, and his efforts had produced nothing, he guided the beast to the ground to take cover during the daylight hours as he’d been instructed. Not that he cared about following the Black Knight’s orders. It just made things easier for him, knowing he would have to catch the demon by surprise if he ever wanted to get his revenge.

Though the cooler air of the higher elevations had exhilarated and invigorated him, not to mention the frigid temperatures stopping the flow of blood from his leg wounds, he quickly became bored after hopping from his steed’s back. With nothing better to do for the time being, he sat down at the base of a barren maple tree, tucked his fingers together behind his head, leaned back against the trunk, and drifted off to sleep.

When George awoke later that afternoon, he stretched and stood, gazing toward the bright yellow orb in the sky. If he was correct, he assumed there was only an hour or two of daylight left. For the first time since his departure from the mountain, he felt and heard his stomach rumble. Shuffling through the dead leaves, he approached his metallic steed. Pushing the button behind the foreleg that the Black Knight had shown him, he ascended the steps and removed the pack of supplies from the lever. Hopping to the ground again, he opened the sack to see what sort of goodies the demon had seen fit to give him.

Digging through the bag, he pulled out a handful of what looked to be dried meat of some sort, though it was shriveled and white so he couldn’t be absolutely certain. Knotting the sack shut, he draped the drawstring over the control lever of his mount and sat down next to the tree he had been napping under.

Placing his stash in his lap, George picked up a strip of the strange looking meat and held it under his nose. Taking a tentative sniff, he noticed nothing unusual about the smell. In fact, it didn’t appear to have a scent at all! Cautiously, he ripped a small portion from the strip with his teeth, rolled the meat around in his mouth for a few seconds, then began chewing. As was the case when he had sniffed it moments ago, the flavor was nondescript. The first thing which came to mind was that it tasted like chicken, but wasn’t it usually what people thought when they tasted something so bland?

Even though the meat was nothing to write home about, he continued eating until his stomach ceased its rumblings. George let his thoughts wander as he ate, thinking about the coming night’s patrol and hoping for success. Closing his eyes, he daydreamed about what he would do if he actually found the small group tonight. A distant commotion, sounding as if it were getting steadily closer to his position, roused him from his thoughts. Tilting his head, he listened, carefully attempting to discern which direction the noise was coming from.

It was difficult to be absolutely sure, but the cacophony seemed to be approaching from the north. Which, if memory served was the direction of the abandoned town he’d seen at the base of the mountain; the same enormous hill where he had stood sentry outside of the blood red lighted cavern in which the Black Knight held his captives in blasphemous crucifixion.

As the sun began to duck under the horizon, leaving him less light to view the possible threat inching ever closer to him, he narrowed his eyes and squinted toward the sound. It was definitely drawing nearer, and he had increasingly more trouble deciphering what was approaching. The mixture of noises began to hurt his ears. There seemed to be an underlying clicking, the din of which was almost like listening to the clatter of silverware. Above that, a steadier, whirring fracas, much like a propeller of some sort, the resonance bearing a similarity to a small airplane preparing to take flight.

The bedlam drew closer still, and George began to see movement, barely perceptible, but unmistakably moving toward him. Through the haze of dust, which almost appeared like a giant cloud of fog, he could see enormous trees, tilting crazily and toppling to the earth. He started to notice the slight trembling of the ground beneath him, and he knew the steadily marching giants, with glints of the fading sunlight reflecting off them, were the cause of it. From this distance, he couldn’t tell just how big these creatures were, but if his eyes weren’t deceiving him, he thought they may be as large as twelve feet tall! Maybe it was a trick of the lighting, but it appeared that these huge beings were swatting trees out of their way as if they were a child’s set of Tinkertoys.

Panic began to set in to his mind. Did the Black Knight sense my deception outside of Cemetery Hill? Did he trick me into believing I had his trust, knowing full well that he intended to send his armies to destroy me? Casting a nervous glance toward his steed, he couldn’t help but wonder if he should flee before the encroaching army reached his position. Do I dare to stick around and find out? A resounding, No! echoed through his head.

Forgetting about the remnants of meat still sitting in his lap, George stood, the coarse white strips of jerky falling to the ground at his feet. He didn’t relish the idea of running away like a coward, but he knew the odds were heavily against him if he stood his ground. Quickly, he ascended to the back of his steed, remembering to move his legs before he depressed the black button to extend the creature’s wings. Within seconds, he was airborne.

As the three-headed, winged, demonic monstrosity rose above the treetops, George steered it in a slow circle to get a better look at the forces arrayed against him. When he saw just how massive the army truly was, he thanked his common sense for telling him to flee. He couldn’t tell for sure how big the assemblage was because the sun had dipped below the horizon, its light no longer reflecting from the metallic shells of the creatures below, but he was certain the force was enormous. Where the army was positioned there were no trees to obstruct his view, almost as if the machines were obliterating everything in their path.

Determined to get as far from the army below as he could, George turned his steed to the south. Fifteen minutes later, he swiveled his head and glanced behind him. When he noticed he could no longer see the army, or the trail of death they blazed as they marched forward, George sighed and started to relax. Spinning his face into the wind, he took several calming breaths as the cool air caressed his skin and blew his long, brown hair out straight behind him as if he had suddenly grown a tail on the back of his skull. At the moment, nothing mattered to him except putting as much distance between himself and the Black Knight’s army as he could. Finding the small group of people seemed irrelevant. The only thing George cared about right now was living to see another day.

Feeling the wind rush through his ears like a howling demon, George sped through the night sky without a care in the world. He didn’t concern himself with the Black Knight’s mission, not even bothering to look below him. If he had, George might have seen the flickering of a campfire. Instead, he allowed his head to tilt back so he could gaze upon the unfamiliar stars overhead, to take in the beauty of his freedom.

It was during this short span of time, while he felt the cool, night air melting his worries away, that he first heard the sound. Initially, he had scanned the area in front of him, thinking the noise may have been the rumblings of a thunder cloud, but as he peered into the darkness he doubted it was what he had heard. Only a multitude of twinkling stars dotted his vision. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight, let alone a thunderhead.

When he heard the noise again, a few seconds later, he realized that it wasn’t a storm approaching, but something else. If he wasn’t mistaken, the steady thrum of turbulence in the air reminded him of a bird flapping its wings. He scoffed at the notion. There is no way a bird could create a noise of that depth. It would have to be as big as a house. Before he could entirely dismiss the idea, George noticed a large section of the stars he’d been admiring a moment ago disappear before his eyes.

Keeping his focus on the darkened section of sky, he turned his steed to the left in a slow arc. Before he had time to think, the veil of night was broken by what appeared to be a giant fireball. It streaked through the darkness toward him, giving George only a second or two to react. Slapping the control lever hard to the left, his steed veered sharply in that direction. He felt his body slide, threatening to eject him from the creature’s back. Clamping his thighs together as tight as he could, George grasped at anything he could get his hands on to keep from falling to his death. His fingertips found purchase in a crease of metal in the beast’s shiny hide, allowing him a brief moment to steady his mount.

He could still hear his adversary’s enormous wings beating the air into submission behind him and to his right. Slowly, George moved the control lever of his steed until it was upright again. The normally cold, night air around him was anything but normal. Though the wind rushing into his face was cool, he could feel a hot breeze against his back. Knowing the flying giant was likely right behind him, he pushed his mount’s control lever forward. Gradually adding more pressure to the stick, the beast descended toward the ground. It was the only option George could think of right now. He only hoped that whatever was chasing him through the sky wouldn’t follow him to the ground.

***

The journey through the tunnels from the Factory, into Cemetery Hill, and finally to the outside world had been tedious at best, but after several trips upon the rail-car to the base of the mountain, Verin was at last able to assemble his new army into one, giant column for the march south. It had been early morning by the time the large formation was ready to get underway, but once they began moving, Verin was more than pleased with the rapidity of their progress. The machines devoured everything in their path. Buildings were reduced to rubble. The dying grasses were trampled to dust. Trees were toppled and pulverized, blazing a path of destruction as they steadily marched toward their objective.

One thing Verin had discovered in his short command over his mechanical counterparts was that communication with his troops was a two way street. He had only expected his new minions to obey his instructions. Little had he known that he would be able to decipher the clicks and clacks of their mechanized speech. It certainly aided his ability to guide them. It was an added bonus when he discovered that he could hold simple conversations with the machines, almost as if they were intelligent enough to think for themselves.

As the day wore on, he was increasingly thankful of his subordinates. One of the giant, troll-like sentinels had relayed information to him which apprised him of a potential threat ahead. If Verin understood the machine correctly, it was entirely possible that his army had discovered the group of mortals the Black Knight had sent them to destroy. It didn’t appear likely to him, though. The humans had a few days head start on them, and it didn’t seem probable that they would dally so close to the mountain.

Nonetheless, the giant machine had told him of a nearby mechanical signature. Possibly one of the two-headed, horse-like creatures that Verin knew was their only method of expedient travel. As the column marched inexorably forward, he thought he saw a glint of light reflecting from something ahead. Before they were able to get close enough to investigate the source, an interesting thing happened.

The shiny object rapidly rose into the sky, gleaming with the last, dying light of the sun’s rays and streaking away from the column of machines. Verin knew when he saw it that the creature he’d seen was not one of the horse-like beasts, but before he could consider its true identity and purpose, one of the giant trolls told him the mechanical signature had disappeared.

Letting out a harsh sigh of frustration because his prey had managed to elude him, Verin started the army forward once again. You can run, but you can’t hide. I will find you again if I have to travel to the edge of this forsaken world.

Chapter 23

Katie was excited. After Edward had agreed to give her the day to instruct Julie on how to use her crossbow, she had found her once dainty friend more than capable of wielding the weapon. Perhaps the most difficult task associated with the usage of the bow was getting the drawstring pulled back so it could be loaded. At first, Katie was unsure if Julie had the upper body strength, but was pleasantly surprised that she was able to accomplish it with fluid ease after the first couple of attempts.

Once Katie was certain her friend could load the crossbow with near combat quickness, she moved on to teaching her how to aim and fire the weapon. For the first couple of hours, Katie gave tips and pointers on how to improve her accuracy, picking out a stationary object for a target and having Julie take shots at it. When she was satisfied with Julie’s progress, she took her lessons one step further. Despite her friend’s protestations about shooting at living beings, Katie took her into the surrounding forest to hunt, hoping Julie would adapt to targeting an unpredictable, moving target as well as she had the stationary ones during practice. This was the closest thing she could offer her friend to simulate combat. It was just an added bonus if her lessons were successful and they returned to camp with an abundance of fresh meat. If nothing else, it would mean they could skip hunting for a while.

***

The two women returned to camp later that afternoon, laughing and carrying on as if they had never been apart. As they walked toward the fire, Katie lifted Julie’s arm high in the air, a string of trophy rabbits spinning in crazy circles from the twine wrapped around her fist.

“I think she’s got the hang of it,” Katie announced, a smile so wide crossing her features that her lips looked like they were trying to nibble on her ears.

“Holy cow!” Brian remarked in awe as he glanced toward them.

“Holy cow is right,” Edward agreed. “It’s going to take us all night to cook them.”

“Well, hop to it. Get it? Hop? Rabbit?” Katie laughed hysterically at the wry smile on Edward’s face as he shook his head.

“I thought you said he had a sense of humor?” Julie whispered, cupping her hand over Katie’s ear.

Never taking her eyes off Edward, she responded to her friend’s query. “Oh, he does. He just doesn’t like to show it all the time. He thinks that nobody will take him seriously if he’s always joking around. At least, that’s my opinion.”

***

As they sat around the evening fire, the last rabbit cooking over the flames and their bellies almost uncomfortably full, the pervading mood of the group was more jovial than Katie had seen in her entire time on Desolace. In the past hour she had heard more laughter and jokes than any time in recent memory, and it warmed her heart. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out all right. Though thoughts of their journey ahead weren’t far from their minds, for the time being at least, they had been able to focus on more mundane things and develop even stronger bonds with one another than any of them had considered possible.

When all the meat was cooked, and stored safely inside the hollowed chest of Brian’s steed to keep the enticing aroma from attracting predators from the forest, their conversations began to wane. From where Katie sat, it looked to her as if the telltale signs of fat puppy syndrome were putting a stranglehold on everyone. As she glanced from face to face in the diminishing firelight, she saw the heavy, drooping eyelids, and the seemingly vacant look in the eyes of each of her companions.

Absently, Edward grabbed a few larger branches and gently placed them in the fire. A brief shower of sparks fluttered toward the night sky as his mouth stretched open in a cavernous yawn. “I don’t know about all of you, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”

With the night winding down, Katie sighed and leaned back, spreading her blanket out and preparing to lay down. “Ditto.”

“No watch tonight?” Brian rubbed his eyelids and gazed toward Edward.

“No. I think we can rely on your senses. There hasn’t been anything since the fireball in the sky last night to indicate we could be in any danger. Besides, everyone needs to get as much rest as possible. We get back underway tomorrow.”

“You don’t need to tell us twice.” Katie grinned sleepily, tucking an arm under her head and closing her eyes. Feeling Julie’s arm drape over her midsection, she scooted backward a few inches, until she felt the warmth of her friend’s body pressing against her back, then let out a contented sigh.

***

When the women awoke the next morning to the sound of stomping feet, they sat up quickly, startled. They relaxed when they saw the source of the noise, Edward, tapping his boots on the dying embers of their campfire to make sure it was fully extinguished before they left. Brian was standing near the mechanical horses, apparently making sure that all of their supplies were loaded properly and secure.

“Well, well, well. Our resident sleepyheads are finally awake,” Brian joked when he saw Katie and Julie sitting up, still encased in their blankets as if they were butterflies preparing to emerge from their cocoons.

“Very funny, Carrot Top,” Katie remarked, waving a dismissive hand at the shaman as she stood.

“Who?” Edward frowned in confusion.

“Never mind, Edward. You wouldn’t understand. Carrot Top was a comedian where Julie and I are from.”

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to his task. One of these days I may actually understand more of her offhand references, but I doubt it will be any time soon. Hopefully, we live long enough for that day to come.

Katie escorted Julie to their steed and opened its chest to stash their blankets. Thankfully, she had grown more accustomed to the strange creatures, and although she still seemed hesitant around them, she no longer appeared to be fearful of them.

Once their bedding was stowed, Katie returned to where she’d slept last night and looked at the ground in confusion. “Has anyone seen the crossbow?”

“It’s behind the saddle of your mount,” Brian replied. “Sorry, I was just trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything.”

“Thanks! I was freaking out for a second there. Thought something had snuck up on us last night and dragged it off into the woods.”

***

Over the course of the next several hours, Brian maneuvered his metallic steed through the steadily thickening, leafless trees. Whether it was by fate or accident, they had, once again, found the river which ran north to south across the northernmost regions of Desolace. As they rode beside the gently moving waters, Edward informed them that the tributary followed the range of mountains to their east and would eventually dump into the ocean at the edge of the known world. He told the others that there were rumors of land masses beyond the sea, and if the legends he’d heard as a child were true, there was a ghostly ship which patrolled the waters. Whether the boat cruised the ocean in search of passengers to escort to the rumored southern lands, or if it were a sentinel positioned to keep men in the northern regions, he couldn’t say for certain. The only thing he could tell them was that they would find out for sure if they ever reached the shores of the ocean.

Glancing skyward, Edward was thankful that they had found the river again. Dark clouds scuttled across the heavens, obscuring the sun. He couldn’t help but wonder if the foreboding murk above them was an attempt, by the dark forces they fought against, to confuse their sense of direction and cause them to travel in impotent circles. If it was the case, it no longer mattered. The gentle current to their left would be their guide.

As the afternoon wore on, the gloom sank ever closer. The billowing bellies of the darkened clouds looking fatter by the minute, as if the threat of a torrential downpour was in the immediate future. Keeping a close eye on the weather, they picked their way through the tangles of underbrush that dotted the western bank of the river. After another hour of riding, it was getting obvious that they should consider stopping. Even though they couldn’t see the sun’s position, the growing darkness was indicating the fact that night time would soon swallow them up.

Finding a decent spot to set up camp, they dismounted and went about their preparations. There was an abundance of meat still stored in the cavernous chest of Brian’s steed, so Katie and Julie helped with the gathering of firewood. Edward cleared a place for their campfire while the others wandered into the nearby tree line, though they never left his sight. Apparently, fallen limbs were in abundant supply. In a matter of minutes, the three gatherers returned, each of them bearing a huge armload of timber. So much, in fact, that Edward surmised they could build a beacon of fire the Gods would notice.

Once the fire was started, Katie and Julie retrieved the blankets from their steed, and Brian rummaged through their food supplies. After the bedding and their evening meal was distributed, the four weary travelers made idle conversation as they ate.

Chewing the last morsel of cold, rabbit meat, Edward whipped his head around when he heard a disturbance behind him. Barely visible, the firelight reflected off several droplets of water, which rose from the river like rain trying to return home to the clouds overhead. At first he was unable to comprehend the phenomenon, but the cause soon revealed itself to him.

“Long time, no see,” a watery voice floated up from the river.

“Indeed, it is good to see that you still live,” another garbled voice commented.

“Is that who I think it is?” Katie tapped Edward on the shoulder to get his attention.

“It certainly sounds like it,” he replied without turning. “Kronos? Kieron? Is that you?” Rising to his feet, Edward strolled casually to the edge of the river with Katie on his heels. Julie glanced toward Brian with a confused look. In return, the shaman merely shrugged his shoulders and twirled his index finger around in circles beside his head.

Clapping a hand over her mouth, Julie snickered.

Scanning the river’s surface, Edward located his two-headed friend bobbing in the current a few feet from shore. “How are you, friend? What brings you to these parts? Still searching for warmer waters perhaps?”

“I am fine. Although less frigid temperatures would be nice, it is not my main concern right now,” Kronos replied.

“I’ve been searching for you. I have urgent news,” Kieron added.

Katie stifled a giggle as the thought of a fish-o-gram floated through her mind.

After throwing a quick frown in her direction, Edward returned his focus to the river. “What news do you bring? And, please don’t tell me that there’s an evil man riding a mechanical beast heading in our direction.”

“That would be a blessing, I’m afraid,” Kronos admitted, his head dipping toward the water.

“Indeed,” Kieron agreed. “My news is much worse than that.”

“Worse?” Worry lines creased Edward’s forehead and his eyebrows rose dramatically.

“Much worse,” Kieron sighed. “One man riding a machine is bad, but what comes for you now is far more lethal. There is an enormous army of metal creatures heading this way. They are scouring the area to find you, and with a force that large it can only spell one thing. Death.”

Chapter 24

Thankfully, whatever had tried to kill him a short time ago had not followed him to the ground, though, George could still hear the steady whoosh of the creature’s wings beating the air above him. Despite the fact that he felt like a coward for running away, he surmised it to be better to wait until daylight so he could see what he was up against. Attempting another confrontation in the dark would be suicide, although, once he discovered what sort of beast was after him, he may come to the same conclusion. The only thing he could do now was wait. Moving his steed toward a giant pine, he dismounted once he was certain the creature was sufficiently camouflaged.

Lying down on a bed of pine needles beneath the tree, he laced his fingers together behind his head. Though he thought sleep would elude him tonight, he let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and listened to the rhythmic beat of the monstrous wings. Within fifteen minutes, his heartbeat slowed and he was embraced by the bliss of slumber.

***

Initially, George had thought he was dreaming, but when the Black Knight’s seething voice broke the silence for a second time, he sat up quickly, as if someone had jolted him with an electric shock. Disoriented, he rubbed and blinked his eyes.

For the third time, the demon’s voice erupted from somewhere nearby, sounding even more agitated than his last inquiry. “Have you found them yet?”

“Not yet,” George responded, glancing nervously in every direction and expecting to see the cloaked figure burning a hole through him with its fierce, yellow eyes. When he couldn’t locate the demon, he stood and brushed the pine needles from his clothes. Walking across the uneven ground, George approached his mount to get something to eat.

“Well, get busy! If you don’t find them soon, there is a chance they could escape.”

The Black Knight’s voice was so loud it felt as if he were standing right next to him, shouting in George’s ear. For a moment, George thought that somehow the demon was inside his head, but he dismissed the idea when he considered the possibility of more than one spiritual force being inside the same fleshy cover. Then, where did the voice come from? Patiently, he considered his next words, hoping to keep up the illusion of being the younger version of himself. “How can they escape? Is there one of those portal thingies around, like the one you brought me through?”

“I don’t know how,” the Black Knight growled, drawing George’s attention to one of the three massive heads of his steed.

Is he speaking through the machine?

“And you need not concern yourself with those details. Find them! When you do, let me know so I can inform my army of their whereabouts.”

Hearing the Black Knight’s final instructions brought about a sudden shift in George’s demeanor, relaxing as he realized that what he had seen yesterday was not an ill-conceived attempt at deception, but rather the muscle to ensure the destruction of the humans he was looking for.

With his mind at ease about yesterday’s events, George questioned the demon about the nearly fatal incident of  the previous evening. “Do you have any idea what was chasing me through the sky last night?”

“Probably an illusion cast by the wizard. You must have been close to discovering their position.”

“Excuse me? I hardly believe it was a spell. I felt like I was being chased by a flamethrower with wings. It maintained pursuit far beyond my initial contact with it. If it were an illusion, as you suggest, it would have vanished into thin air when it reached a certain distance from the spell caster.” He hoped he was right. The only thing he based his comment on was the years he had spent playing Dungeons & Dragons as a kid.

The ensuing growl that emanated from one of the three heads of his steed warned George of the demon’s growing impatience. “Is this mythical beast still visible?”

“It was still circling overhead when I fell asleep last night, but it appears to be gone now.”

“Then, quit worrying about something that isn’t there! Grow some balls and do your damn job!”

“Fine,” George spat, suddenly wishing he could sever the mechanical head the demon was speaking through.

“Don’t get testy with me, boy! Remember your place! You are a fly upon this insignificant shit pile you call life, and I’m the flyswatter! Cross me and you will regret it for the rest of your miserable life!”

***

After refusing to dignify the Black Knight’s threats with a response, George had paced back and forth for the last two hours, wearing a trenched groove in the earth beneath the pine needles he had slept upon. Muttering to himself, his eyebrows furrowed so deeply they became one with each other, making him look like a Neanderthal. His eyes narrowed to slits, as he began plotting his vengeance against the demon who sought to control him. His thoughts were muddled at first, but as he stalked the area around his mount like a crazed bird on the track of a cuckoo clock, an idea began to form.

The Black Knight had mentioned an army sent to destroy the humans George was looking for. What if, after I find the group and relay the information back to him so he can notify his forces on where to concentrate their attack, he decides to turn his legions on me? And, what if I were to convince his own minions to retaliate against their master after dispatching the humans? Is it even possible to persuade them with their own freedom? To no longer have a master other than themselves?

Stopping beside his three headed mount, George patted the nearest neck with a wicked grin. There was only one way to find out. Since the Black Knight had not seen the thing which chased him through the sky last night, he was relatively sure there was no way he could see what he was about to do. Even though there still appeared to be a few hours of daylight left, George mounted his metallic steed and took to the air.

An hour later, his search yielded results. Far below him was the obvious swath of destruction caused by the Black Knight’s enormous army, looking like an elongated, filthy penis wearing a shiny, metal condom. Even from this height, George could tell the legion of machines likely numbered in the thousands. For that matter, there could be hundreds of thousands. The cloud of dust and debris rising from the marching column acted like a shroud of fog. George was fairly certain the haze below was no accident, but rather a means to mask the true size of the regiment.

Deciding to move in for a closer inspection before making actual contact, George pushed the control lever forward about halfway, sending his mount into a swooping dive. Once he was near enough to make out finer details on the large, troll-like machines bringing up the rear of the column, he allowed the lever to snap back into its original, upright position. Circling the large assemblage of machines like a hawk scouting its prey, he scanned the masses in search of a leader.

Having suspected for a short time that the Black Knight himself might be leading the army, George was pleasantly surprised to find his initial suspicions had been wrong. Instead of the cloaked demon at the head of the column, there was a wispy, nearly insubstantial, ghost-like form. When he’d lain eyes on it the first time, he had thought it to be a dusty mirage. Now that he was closer, he knew that it wasn’t the case. There’s something different about this ghost, though. When I’m outside of the confines of a body during the daylight hours, I’m invisible to the naked eye. This one is not. It almost looks like a human, shaped from the vapors of fog. Substantial enough that I can’t see through it, but constantly shifting its appearance as if it were no more real than a puff of smoke.

George continued to circle the massive force, careening through the air like a fighter pilot, skimming just above the treetops. After a few minutes, he realized the haze surrounding the machines was thinning. They stopped! If his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, the entire metallic army had raised their heads to the sky, looking at him. For a brief moment, he was worried. Thoughts of laser beams, bursting from their eye sockets and blasting toward him, weighed heavily on his mind. After a few tense seconds, nothing happened, and he scoffed at himself for being foolish. This ain’t a fucking Star Trek movie, dumb ass!

Testing a theory, he dipped his steed lower still, zipping over their heads at a height he assumed would be out of reach of the giant machines at the rear of the column. The massive creatures made no move to attack him, and none of the smaller mechanisms seemed to stir either. It was almost as if someone had flicked a switch and turned the entire field of metallic sentinels off. As George flew closer, tempting fate should he be wrong about the intentions of the machines or their leader, he was amazed by the overwhelming variety of creatures represented in the army. It was like getting a sneak peek into a futuristic zoo. As amusing as that might sound, though, he had no desire to attempt petting any of the formidable beasts. For that matter, even though the mass of metal below him looked docile right now, he wasn’t even entertaining thoughts of landing his steed. After all, it could be a trick; a way to lull him into their web of deceit. No, thank you. I’ll keep my happy ass up here in relative safety.

Spotting the hazy form of the apparent leader again, which was easier now that the dust cloud had settled, George maneuvered his three headed mount toward the head of the column. Hovering in the air a few feet above Verin, an echoing, hollow voice greeted him.

“You seem familiar,” the formless one intoned with a curious cock of his head. “Do I know you?”

“I’ve never met you before. My name is George.” At the mention of his name, the ghostly form below him seemed to shift its stance. If he wasn’t mistaken, the creature appeared agitated by his revelation. “And, who might you be?”

“I am Verin,” he spat in disgust. Isn’t this the same asshole that the Black Knight sent me to destroy? He’s supposed to be dead! “I am the Black Knight’s second in command, and the leader of his armies.” He studied George’s reaction to his announcement, wondering how the man’s corpse could be so lively.

Appearing to reflect on Verin’s words, George frowned and rubbed his chin. “I, too, am working for the same entity,” he admitted. “Perhaps we have the same goals and can help each other.”

“Me … help you?” Verin scoffed at the notion. “If you are truly one of my master’s disciples you can aid me, but I will not return the favor. Too many of the Black Knight’s supposed followers have their own hidden agendas and I will not tolerate being deceived.”

“Let me assure you, I have no such intentions,” George lied. “I believe we have been tasked with similar missions. Perhaps, if I can help you accomplish your goals, you can put a good word in for me with the Black Knight.”

Though he tried his best, Verin could not hide his amusement. “How do you propose to do that?” The formless demon laughed at the audacity of the mortal.

“Well, it seems to me that your army is restricted to the ground. I, however, am not.” He gestured to his mount. “I can serve as a scout and help you locate your objective.”

“What makes you think that we need your so-called help?”

“I’m not implying that you do, but I know it would speed up your search. If nothing else, my services would help keep you on track to your target instead of blindly blundering through the forest and hoping you find the nuisance you were tasked to destroy.” When the ghost-like form below him did not immediately reply, George knew he had finally struck a cord and shown his potential value to the army.

“Fine,” Verin sighed after a minute’s hesitation. “Don’t you dare cross me, though. I will turn this army on you in the blink of an eye if you give me a single reason to doubt your sincerity.”

Chapter 25

After receiving the disturbing news from Kronos and Kieron, Edward and Katie returned to the campfire to relay the information to their friends. At first, Brian and Julie had trouble digesting the disclosure. Especially when they considered the source the report had come from. A talking, two-headed fish? Julie remembered the fish stories her father used to tell her when she was young, but this seemed completely outrageous. Once the idea of a creature like that being real began to set in, her initial disbelief wavered. This isn’t Earth. I’ve seen some pretty strange things on this world, so who’s to say what is and is not possible here?

Nervously, the four of them discussed their options. Though the flames of the fire between them warmed their skin, none of them were immune to the shivers and goosebumps that erupted across their flesh. If what Edward told them was true, they had to do something to throw their enemies off their trail for a while. At the very least to buy time for an escape. Preferably someplace not on this crazy world, Julie thought.

Once the awful reality of what lay ahead of them began to sink in fully, grim expressions adorned their faces as the shadows created by the firelight danced over their features. Not one of them dared to speak their mind, fearing that if they voiced their thoughts it would be like setting out the welcome mat for their own demise. The silence of the night air around them grew, thickening like a suffocating blanket of dense fog.

Their thoughts were heavy with the sense of impending doom, and sleep did not come easily for any of them. Even so, they eventually succumbed to slumber’s embrace one by one because of their weariness, though it was far from restful. Nightmarish visions of being tortured and ripped apart by unseen tormentors plagued them, the disturbing images flickering across the insides of their eyelids like the previews of horror movies.

About an hour after drifting off, the resonance of a distant crash in the forest startled Katie awake. Disoriented, she sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of a hand, wincing when she realized she was doing so with her broken extremity. I really wish this damn thing would hurry up and heal. When the sound did not immediately repeat, she began to wonder if it had been part of her dream. A minute went by, then two. Just as she was about to dismiss the noise as part of a nightmare and lay down again, another thud erupted in the distance.

Panic surfaced in her mind as Kronos’ warning blotted out all other thoughts. Glancing nervously around the dying embers of the campfire, Katie looked to see if any of the others had heard what she had. Though their features were contorted by the nearly non-existent light, making it impossible to tell for certain if any of their eyes were open, she surmised that she was the only one awake. None of her companions so much as twitched.

As she was about to reach out and shake Edward’s blanket, she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Turning toward it, Katie almost cried out in relief. A ghostly form was rapidly approaching through the barren wasteland of hibernating trees, and somehow she knew it was Amber. It had been what seemed like forever since the last time Katie had seen her, and suddenly she felt like she’d never been happier to see someone in her life. Well, other than when she had found Julie, that is.

When the specter stopped before her, the ghostly form pulsated as Katie had witnessed many times in the past. Normally, Amber’s strobing effect was caused by fear. “You have to get out of here,” she warned. “There is a massive army of machines heading this way, and unbelievably enough … the bastard who killed me is leading the charge.”

Katie’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “I—I thought he was dead,” she stammered, the sound of alarm in her voice waking her sleeping friends.

“I thought so, too, but I know what I saw. I can’t explain it. I’ve seen his essence roaming around, as if he were in the same predicament I’m in, but …”

“But, what?” Katie inquired, more confused than ever.

“If he really is a spirit, he has learned how to possess the living. The thing that makes it even creepier is the body he now resides in. It looks just like his old body, but somehow it’s younger in appearance.”

“What is all the commotion about?” Edward sat up groggily, still swaddled in his blanket. When his eyes focused on Amber’s glowing form, he wasn’t sure whether to be happy or frightened. It seemed like every time he saw the ghostly woman that something really bad was looming on the horizon, usually involving a grievous injury or death.

“Amber came to warn us. She confirmed what Kronos and Kieron told us earlier, and after what I heard a few minutes ago I think we need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible,” Katie remarked, turning to face the sorcerer.

As quickly as Amber had shown up in their camp, it had taken Brian a few moments for his senses to alert him to her presence. When the sensation finally registered in his brain, he sat straight up as if he had been poked with a cattle prod. Though his shamanic ability was telling him there was no immediate threat to his wellbeing, or to his friends, he spun his head around toward the intruder. He relaxed slightly when he saw Amber’s familiar face. The same couldn’t be said for Julie, who fainted at the sight of their ghostly visitor, remembering all too well the trouble she had gotten herself into when she was back on Earth after being visited by the ghost.

The intense look upon Katie’s face quickly evaporated the haze of sleep from Edward’s brain. “So, if Kronos, Kieron, and Amber are correct about the danger we are in, we need to figure out a course of action. Something that will keep us safe, but at the same time give us a chance to rid the world of the pestilence that these machines carry with them,” he stated thoughtfully, glancing from face to face and hoping for someone to have an idea of some sort. “I’m open to suggestions,” he added when his comments were greeted with silence.

“I’ve got nothing,” admitted Brian. “I may be great at detecting the presence of evil, but the best I could do is advise you that going in a certain direction would be a bad idea.” He offered a tight-lipped smile to them that looked more like a grimace of pain.

“I wouldn’t call that nothing. Your counsel is always welcome and appreciated,” Edward remarked.

“I’m not sure why, but I’ve been feeling a pull of sorts since encountering the younger version of my tormentor,” Amber confided.

“Where is this pull telling you that you should go?” Katie questioned, her eyes returning to the ghost’s pulsating glow.

Hesitantly, Amber lifted a nearly transparent finger and pointed toward the southwest.

“Well, I can’t speak for everyone else, but if you’re leading us away from the army of machines heading this way, I say it’s as good a plan as any.” Katie smiled weakly. “So, when do we leave? First thing in the morning, or would we be putting ourselves in danger by waiting that long?”

“In my opinion, we should leave as soon as possible. Preferably, now,” Amber replied in a grave tone that said she would like nothing more than to distance herself from the menace with the haste of a fleeing rabbit.

Edward seemed lost in thought for a moment. As much as I despise rushing off into the darkness, especially toward places I’ve never been before, I doubt Amber would lead us astray. She never has in the past, and she’s given us no indication that she has been influenced by other forces. “Let’s gather our things and get moving, then.” Edward sighed, suppressing a yawn.

***

The first light of Dawn was creeping onto the horizon. Their progress over the last few hours had seemed slow, all things considered. Normally, when Amber led the way, they covered a lot of ground, but the thick foliage hampered their traveling speed to what almost felt like a crawl. Even so, they had put a comfortable amount of distance between themselves and the approaching army. The distant crashing noises were far less menacing now, the sounds carrying to their ears like a gentle rustling of leaves.

With a sigh of despair, Katie realized they wouldn’t have Amber’s guidance for much longer. When the sun rose a little higher she would vanish from sight.

“What’s wrong?” Edward halted the mount he and Brian shared and turned to regard Katie.

Instead of responding verbally, she pointed toward the rising sun and nodded her head toward Amber. It seemed to take a few seconds for her implication to register in the wizard’s weary mind, but she soon saw in his eyes that he understood. “What do you want to do after sunrise? The last thing I want to do is hang out here all day, waiting for Amber to reappear, and give those machines a chance to catch up to us,” Katie remarked.

While she was still visible, Amber lifted her arm and pointed. “Keep heading in that direction,” she told them. “Even though you won’t be able to see me, I promise to stay by your side until nightfall.”

Thankfully, Amber had spoken up when she did, because the rapidly approaching sunrise had reduced her glowing form to the point where she looked like a mirage. A minute later, she was gone entirely. Not even a shimmering trace of her remained visible.

“Well, I don’t think you will like my opinion very much,” Edward stated bluntly. “In my eyes, we should keep going until—”

“While I understand your reasoning for pushing everyone to their physical limits, I think it would be wise to at least stop from time to time,” Katie interrupted. “Even if it is only for a quick meal and a short nap.”

“She has a point, Edward. If we are tired and hungry we will be more likely to travel slower, not to mention the hallucinations that sleep deprivation would cause. It would be foolish to allow ourselves to get to that point, especially if the machines catch up to us and we are forced to engage them in battle,” Brian added.

“Okay, okay. No need to get all uptight.” Edward raised his hands in surrender. “I was merely sharing my thoughts on the matter. This isn’t an autocracy, and I am not so bullheaded that I won’t consider what everyone else thinks. Although most of you consider me to be your leader, I will not do so with an iron fist.”

Despite her weariness, Katie couldn’t help but laugh. “Since you put it that way, I vote to take our first break now.” She grinned.

***

By the time the sun began to hang low in the cloudy sky, Katie was thankful for the cat naps she had managed to take throughout the day. If Edward hadn’t agreed with her and forced them to soldier on, she would likely be an overly tired, mega-bitch right now. That was the last thing any of them wanted.

A fluffy, dark cloud scuttled across the deepening blue above them as evening rapidly approached, blotting out the fiery orb of the sun and allowing the hazy form of their ghostly friend to become slightly visible. Even though they could see Amber, she wasn’t completely substantial. The biggest drawback of this state of being was that they couldn’t hear her voice. She had to be fully transformed for her words to be audible. In this mirage-like form she could only communicate with gestures, making it similar to talking to a deaf person. Even so, Katie could tell that Amber was excited, or perhaps nervous, about something.

As she glanced around, trying to figure out what Amber was attempting to tell them, Katie realized for the first time just how creepy her surroundings looked. Though the forest around them was still dense with foliage, the wooden sentinels in the immediate area appeared different, somehow less lively. It made her think of a blighted graveyard, the landscape filled with things that were withered and dead. Her arms broke out in gooseflesh and a shiver crept up her spine, feeling like an icy finger was running along her backbone. Despite how much this section of forest was giving her the heebie-jeebies, her stomach rumbled loudly. “I don’t relish the thought of hanging out here for long, but can we stop for a little bit and get something to eat?”

Tapping Brian on the shoulder, Edward spun his head around to face her as the shaman brought their mount to a stop. “Certainly,” he smiled, “I’m feeling a bit famished myself.”

Needing no further invitation, the four of them quickly dismounted. Opening up the panel on the chest of Brian’s steed, Katie rummaged through their dwindling food supply. Julie and the two men huddled around her, holding out their hands like starving inmates who were standing in line at the prison kitchen. The metallic bands encircling Julie’s wrists only added to this illusion. They accepted the food Katie passed to them and wolfed it down greedily, not bothering with idle chit chat or sitting down.

By the time the impromptu meal was finished, the sun was sinking below the horizon. With their bellies satisfied for the moment, the group mounted their metallic transportation and turned their eyes toward their ghostly friend. Amber was swiftly becoming more substantial. Once the sun had set, she almost appeared solid. Her glowing form was the only real indication that she wasn’t.

“There is something nearby. I think it’s the source of what has been urging me to come this way,” Amber informed them, pulsating from bright to dim like a giant, beating heart.

Whether the shifting glow of Amber’s form was due to excitement or nervousness, Edward was unsure. “I believe we are ready to go, so if you would please?” Extending his hand, he gestured for the ghostly woman to lead the way.

***

After traveling for what seemed like half the night, the terrain began to slope gently downward. Amber’s pulsating glow started to become more erratic, though none of them had an inkling as to why. Over the course of the last hour, in the sparse light provided by Amber and the moons overhead, they had noticed a couple of minor changes in their surroundings. The normally thick copse of trees around them had begun to thin out slightly, more so, it seemed, the further they trudged forward. The night air, usually cool, felt almost stagnant and oppressive. Without a breeze to stir it, they could feel the humid moisture assaulting their lungs with each breath in the shifting climate. It almost felt like trying to breathe underwater, or perhaps the air of an underground tomb.

“We are getting very close,” Amber’s whispering voice echoed back to them. Her glowing form had begun to pulsate more rapidly, the way Katie associated with fear. Within moments, the terrain evened out and Amber stopped dead in her tracks.

Following suit, Brian and Katie brought their mechanical horses to a stop. There was a strange, new light emitting from somewhere just ahead. The four of them dismounted and cautiously moved forward. Inching ahead, Edward tapped Brian on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Are you sensing anything?”

“I’m getting mixed signals from whatever is in front of us. There is evil present, but not to the degree of anything I would deem as a threat, and my senses tell me there is also something to balance it,” he confessed quietly, his tone of voice almost conspiratorial.

Nodding his head, Edward continued forward, pushing low hanging branches from his line of vision. A couple of minutes later, he froze in his tracks. The sight before him was awe inspiring. The forest gave way to what appeared to be a giant meadow, the trees lining it in an enormous circle. What seemed like thousands of tiny blue orbs of light fluttered and swirled through the air about two hundred feet in front of him, some leaving blazing trails of brilliance in their wake. It felt like he was staring into the heavens at a constantly shifting constellation, with a multitude of microscopic comets zipping between the stars.

Slinking up behind Edward, Katie peeked around him at the swirling commotion of light. “Oh my God! It’s so beautiful,” she whispered in awe.

The Tree of Life

Chapter 1

Attempting to push past Edward, Katie sighed with frustration when he stuck out an arm to block her path. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get any closer. At least, not until daylight when we can see what we’re up against,” he whispered harshly.

“But—” Katie protested, her eyebrows furrowing and her cheeks puffing out angrily.

“Brian said there was something evil out there,” he reminded her, cutting Katie off before she could argue any further. “As much as you may hate me for it, I can’t allow you to go blindly rushing toward the lights, no matter how pretty you think they are.”

Spinning on her heel, Katie stormed away. Still unsure of what was happening, Julie chased after her.

“I hope her friend can talk some sense into her,” Edward commented as the shaman stepped beside him.

“What did you do to piss her off this time?”

“I told her no. Now she’s throwing a temper tantrum like a child because I wouldn’t allow her to get any closer to that,” Edward replied, hitching a thumb toward the swirls of blue light.

Brian nodded his head as Edward spoke, knowing the wizard had likely done the right thing, but wondering about the tactfulness of his wording.

Noting that Amber was no longer nearby, Edward glanced around to locate her. When he saw her floating beside Katie and Julie, he couldn’t help but hope the ghost was talking some sense into her.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were wanting to stay here until sunrise, right?” Brian inquired.

“Yes. I want to assess the situation in the light of day,” Edward confirmed.

“Can I make a suggestion?”

“By all means,” Edward replied, casting a questioning glance toward him.

“We probably still have another few hours of night left. I think it might help relieve a little stress if we start a small campfire and get some rest.”

His brows wrinkled in concentration as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After considering Brian’s proposal for a minute, he let out a soft sigh of resignation. “Perhaps you are right,” Edward admitted. “Maybe she is moody because she’s tired.” His lips stretched out in a thin smile, showing that he, too, was exhausted.

“I think it would be a good idea to get the ball rolling,” Brian stated, hearing the heated tone of Katie’s voice a short distance from them. With a grim expression, Edward nodded his agreement and they set about the task of gathering firewood. It was a relatively easy task considering that the surrounding trees were dead. They didn’t need to search for usable timber; all they had to do was start snapping the low hanging branches from the surrounding, lifeless woods. In no time at all, the two of them managed to gather enough to get them by until daylight.

The crack of breaking limbs distracted Katie from her conversation. Squinting into the near darkness, she realized what the men were doing and exhaled a soft breath of defeat. Since it was obvious that Edward and Brian were preparing to build a fire, she led Julie back to their horse and began removing blankets from its chest cavity. Katie was disappointed that they weren’t going to investigate the hazy, blue anomaly right now, but at the same time she was thankful for the opportunity to rest. Although, with all of the thoughts bouncing through her head at the moment, she doubted she would get much sleep.

“Are we setting a watch? Relying on my senses? What’s the plan?” Brian asked, directing his inquiry at Edward.

“Since Amber is here, I don’t think a watch is necessary,” he replied, casting a hopeful glance toward the ghostly woman.

Confusion momentarily crossed her features, but she soon felt like she understood the implication. “You want me to watch over everyone?”

“If you would, please. If anything approaches us while we sleep, yell, scream, wail … do whatever ghosts do to get our attention.” He smiled. “Oh, and if we aren’t awake when the sky begins to lighten, wake us before you fade.”

***

Despite her belief that slumber would elude her, the warmth of the fire had coaxed Katie into a deep sleep. Once she had entered the coma-like state, Katie was oblivious to the distant cracks and rattles coming from the nearby meadow. Although her companions didn’t sleep quite so heavily, their repose was not interrupted by these sounds either. During the night, the noises never grew louder than a faint clatter. Not once did anything approach the sleeping men and women, and not once did Amber attempt to wake them, though she did study the swirling blue dots curiously. She studied the lights so intently that the first rays of dawn rose on the horizon before she realized the sun was starting to rise. Her form had already begun to dissipate, and her vocal cords were useless now. She had no way of waking her friends.

When Katie finally stirred and began her ascension to consciousness, the first light of morning penetrating her closed eyelids, she raised a hand to block the sun’s rays. Yawning, she cracked open her eyes and squinted to focus them. The others were still unconscious. Propping herself up on one elbow, Katie turned her gaze toward the meadow and let out a soft gasp. She hadn’t known it was there last night, but in the same area she recalled seeing the blue lights there stood the largest tree she had ever seen. Its branches stretched toward the sky like hundreds of slender tentacles, grasping at the clouds overhead. The leaves adorning the limbs appeared huge, even from this distance. Something was hidden amongst the foliage as well, perhaps a fruit of some sort. It was almost what her mind envisioned the fabled tree that Adam and Eve ate from would have looked like. She almost expected a serpent to be writhing within the branches, waiting to tempt anyone who dared get close to the tree with the enormous, polished apple. Even so, she rose to her feet and quietly stepped out of the forest into the sea of withered grass, being careful not to make a sound.

Her boots whispered across the green-brown turf while she approached the massive, foreign-looking greenery. As she stepped closer and closer, Katie was awed by the size of the enormous trunk supporting the giant tree. By her best estimation, it had to be at least ten feet wide at its base.

Halfway across the meadow, she stopped abruptly. Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, she had seen something peeking at her from behind the mammoth trunk ... something red, and perhaps taller than human. Suddenly, Katie wasn’t sure getting closer was such a good idea. She nervously turned her head to gauge the distance she had come, and quickly calculated how long it would take her to reach the safety of the forest and her friends. Letting out a soft sigh through her nose, she slowly spun around to face the strange growth once more.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Katie decided that she had to get closer. As she closed the distance, she scanned the branches carefully. Even though the idea was ludicrous, she eyed the limbs with suspicion, as if expecting Adam and Eve’s devilish serpent to be staring back at her.

When she was within fifty feet of the massive trunk, Katie realized the tree was even larger than she had first thought. Already, she was standing under the canopy of its branches. Temporarily forgetting about the red shape she had seen moments ago, she swiveled her head to gaze overhead. Blinking her eyes as if she were hallucinating, Katie’s mouth gaped open when she realized what she saw was real. Hanging from the limbs were what appeared to be some sort of egg-shaped fruits. There was no uniformity to their size or color, and Katie could see one of the larger egg-fruits undulating.

Mesmerized by the strange, pulsing shapes overhead, Katie was unaware that she was still moving forward. It wasn’t until her toes bumped into an obstruction that she looked down, and the oddities above her were instantly wiped from her mind. Stretching from the tip of her boots to the trunk of the tree, scattered in a huge circle surrounding it like an obscene mulch, the ground was littered with bones. Human bones. A large, python-like snake slithered across them. Enormous spiders, looking as if they could be distant cousins of the tarantula, wove through the pile, spinning their webs and ducking in and out of the eyeholes of skulls. Katie froze in terror, desperate to get away, but momentarily too scared to move, knowing it would attract unwanted attention if she did.

Before she could decide what to do, the giant serpent turned its massive head toward her and slowly flicked its long, black tongue, tasting the air to see if the woman was suitable prey. When the reptile continued to slither closer, Katie knew she had to make up her mind quickly. She could only hope and pray that her legs would work when she needed them to. Letting out an uneven, frightened breath, she spun around quickly and darted toward the forest, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Chapter 2

The sound of Katie’s scream startled Edward and the others to immediate wakefulness. After determining what direction the high-pitched shriek was coming from, the three of them pushed through the underbrush and were nearly plowed over by the frightened woman.

“What’s wrong?” Edward’s brow crinkled with concern.

“I should have stayed put … like you told me to … but I couldn’t help myself. My curiosity got the better of me.” Her words came out in jagged bursts as Katie tried to catch her breath.

“What did you see?” Brian inquired, nervously glancing over her shoulder at the enormous wooden sentinel.

“At first, my attention was pulled in several directions at once,” Katie wheezed, “but when I saw a giant snake slithering toward me, I bolted. I wasn’t about to stick around and become a meal for it.”

Having seen her share of large serpents back on Earth, Julie couldn’t recall ever laying eyes on one that was gigantic enough to eat a human being. “How big was it?”

“Hell, I don’t know! It’s not like I stuck around to measure it.”

“Perhaps your fear is clouding your perception of the creature,” Edward stated calmly. “Once you catch your breath, we’ll head over there as a group and investigate.”

Julie stepped closer to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered in Katie’s ear. “I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t believe you. Forgive me if that’s how it sounded to you.”

Katie waited a moment before she responded, relishing the comforting embrace of her best friend. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that,” she confessed apologetically. “I was petrified, though I don’t know why. It’s not like I haven’t run into things that were far worse in my time on this world. I should be used to this shit by now.”

“I’m sure you were only caught off guard. It isn’t like you can constantly be prepared for anything that comes your way, and it would be unrealistic of you to expect that from yourself,” Julie stated in a soothing tone, hoping to keep Katie from further beating herself up about the situation.

“I suppose you’re right,” she admitted, her cheeks puffing out as she exhaled softly.

“Maybe next time you will heed my warnings,” Edward scolded her gently, a pained, almost parental look on his face.

“I’m sorry for letting you down,” Katie responded, feeling a bit like an admonished child.

At times like this, Edward wished he wasn’t the person everyone looked up to as a leader. He hated having to speak to the people who had come to be his closest friends in such a manner. The best he could hope for was that they wouldn’t take his words as an insult to their intelligence, but realize that he was merely trying to accomplish his role in the most respectful way he knew how.

An imperceptible sigh escaped his lips as Edward turned his attention toward the enormous tree in the center of the meadow. If Katie had truly witnessed the sizable reptile she claimed to have seen, it would be in everyone’s best interest to proceed with extreme caution. However, he hoped the creature was only a product of her fear addled imagination. “Is everyone ready to investigate the area surrounding this ancient tree?” He hiked his thumb in the direction of the colossal foliage as he turned back toward them. “It should be an intriguing study, for if I’m not mistaken, that is the fabled Tree of Life.”

While Brian and Julie gasped at Edward’s declaration, Katie kept her opinion to herself. If you ask me, it’s more like the Tree of Death. As they began walking across the clearing toward the wooden giant, some with more enthusiasm than others, Katie brought up the rear, clearly not ready to revisit the horrors that surrounded the mammoth trunk.

Halfway across the meadow, Edward slowed to a stop and waited for the others to gather around him. “Do you hear that?”

Brian frowned and tilted his head, trying to decipher what he was hearing.

“It sounds vaguely like a hum,” Julie replied, her eyebrows drawn down in concentration.

“To me, the noise reminds me of a swarm of flying insects,” Katie added after a hesitant pause.

Before Edward had the chance to agree with any of their observations, the sun was blotted out by thousands of tiny, winged creatures. There were so many of them that a section of the sky had turned black. The buzzing, dark cloud moved as if it had a single mind driving it, rapidly closing the distance and approaching the group. Edward’s first instinct was to conjure a spell to protect everyone, but he hesitated for a few seconds too long. One of the creatures had broken away from the blackened mass and was hovering in the air less than a foot from his face.

Edward blinked his eyelids rapidly, considering the tiny creature a hallucination brought on by stress. When the being did not disappear, he wasn’t sure what to think. Before his eyes, a naked, one-inch tall, blue-skinned woman floated. A blur of motion to either side of the minute body indicated that it was likely propelled by wings, which would explain the buzzing sound he'd heard.

“Leave our domain now, or suffer the wrath of my people,” the woman hissed in a less than welcoming tone.

“I’m sorry, your what?” Edward resisted laughing at the threat of harm coming from a being that was about as substantial as a horsefly, unable to take the menace seriously. It seemed preposterous, in his mind, for one such creature to leave the safety of its fellows to confront a potential adversary on its own. If Edward really wanted to, he could snuff the life from his winged foe in the blink of an eye, and easily handle the swarming cloud of its comrades before they even got close.

“Was I not speaking clearly? Turn around and go back to where you came from! This is our home, and we will not allow you to defile it,” she threatened, flying so close to his face that she was nearly touching Edward’s nose.

“I don’t understand where all of this hostility is coming from,” he remarked with an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. “For one, we were only passing through and were curious. My mother told me stories when I was younger about a giant tree that created every race of being in the world. Before now, I considered the tale to be something she had made up. That is, until we came across this meadow. Secondly, I cannot return to where I came from. Elysia was destroyed, leaving me much like an orphan with nowhere to call home.”

“If you’re expecting pity from us, you are not going to get it. I will say, however, that your mother’s story was not a fabrication. This tree has been around for millennia, but no matter how curious you are, getting any closer is forbidden. We are its guardians, nurturers, and ushers, escorting each new life to its proper environment.”

“How, might I ask, did your kind become burdened with such a monumental task?” Feeling as if the tension had eased a bit between them, Edward relaxed his stance to give the appearance of cooperation, hoping to avoid a major confrontation. He knew that one fight would be upon them soon, and he needed to make sure everyone in the group would be alive to help with the battle. Without the group’s combined abilities, Edward was certain they would be defeated, plunging the world of Desolace into chaos and darkness.

“The king of the gods created my kind specifically for this purpose. I suppose it was his way of ensuring balance in the world, suffusing it with equal amounts of good and evil. If this delicate symmetry did not exist, the entire planet would be consumed by its own short-sightedness. The noblest of creatures would fall victim if there weren’t evil beings to keep them busy. Without a righteous war to fight, even those with the best intentions would turn to darkness; their suppressed desires and greed would spill out, making them no better than the very beasts they’ve vanquished.”

Edward had never considered the fairy’s scenario, and it raised more questions than answered. “If such is the case, how are we to know when things have gone too far, that this balance you speak of has been tipped beyond its natural limits?”

“That is for the gods to decide,” the tiny blue woman replied. “If such a catastrophic thing were to occur, I doubt my people would be able to nurture sufficient life forms from the tree to counteract the effects. Only the gods themselves would have the power to put the world back in order.”

“Then I pray that my party’s mission doesn’t swing the balance too greatly,” Edward stated gravely. “I fear the worst, though. Who knows if our efforts will rid Desolace of more than its share of evil, but I can’t in good conscience stand idly by and allow the forces of darkness to devour our world.”

Chapter 3

“Can’t you get your army to move any faster?” While he hovered on the back of his three-headed steed near the front of the marching column of machines, which were being led by the formless demon the Black Knight had placed in charge, George's foul mood increased.

“What’s the rush? It’s only a matter of time before we catch up to the mortals,” Verin snapped.

“You think you’re gaining on them?” As furious as he was with the so-called leader’s ignorance, George laughed. “The last time I scouted the immediate vicinity, it seemed as if the group was putting more distance between us and themselves. To put it plainly, they’re leaving your army in the dust!”

“I highly doubt your information is accurate,” Verin retorted angrily. “After all, the mortals can’t cover ground day and night like we can. Machines don’t require rest, you incompetent fool, and neither do I!”

“I’m only relaying what I’ve seen with my own eyes,” George snarled. “I’m telling you, they are at least two, maybe three, days ahead of us. I am almost certain that we were closer to them when I first met up with you. Perhaps your bug-like machines are slowing the progress of the march.” Involuntarily, he shuddered, his words forcing him to recall the gruesomeness of his own death. Being strapped to a tree and having a legion of mechanical insects strip the flesh from your body was, in his opinion, worse than being buried alive. One day I will pay you back for what you did to me, you son of a bitch, he thought, the memory of the Black Knight’s betrayal making his blood boil.

Verin waved an insubstantial, shapeless hand at George in a dismissive gesture. “Nonsense!” He badly wanted to tell the human to get lost, that he didn’t want the mortal’s help, but didn’t desire to arouse his master’s anger by sending the man away. “Just do your fucking job,” Verin growled.

With a hateful glare, George jerked backward on the control in front of him, causing his mount to swiftly ascend above the canopy of the forest and disappear into the sky.

***

After the somewhat heated debate with the leader of the fairies, Edward corralled the rest of his group and retreated to the relative safety of the dead forest surrounding the meadow.

“So ... what? You’re going to take the word of a creature you’ve never met before? I don’t think that tiny blue woman was entirely honest with you.” Katie’s lips puffed into a pout. Clearly, she was unhappy about being steered away from the enormous tree, desperately wanting to get closer to it so that she could prove to Edward and the others what she had encountered while they were sleeping was real.

“We aren’t here to pick a fight with anyone,” he admonished. “Our enemy lies to the north, not here. We need to remember that and keep focused on things that matter. As much as we would all like to investigate the Tree of Life more closely, perhaps it’s an endeavor we can embark on at a later time. Maybe, if we win our own battle and save Desolace from being destroyed by the dark forces arrayed against us, the gods will be indebted to us enough to allow our curiosity to be sated. That is, provided we survive to see that day.”

“So we’re just going to be good little boys and girls and do what we’re told?”

“In this instance, yes,” Edward replied sternly.

Upset, Katie spun around and stomped off into the woods like a sullen child, eliciting a heavy sigh from the wizard. Julie disappeared moments later, chasing after her friend to calm her down.

“Do you think I did the right thing?” Edward glanced toward the remaining member of the group, hoping that the shaman would have some advice he could use.

“You only did what needed to be done. Katie will see that when she stops being angry.” Brian knew it wasn’t the answer the wizard was searching for, but it was all he could come up with. Seeing the distraught look in Edward’s pale gray eyes, he desperately hoped his words were not taken as an effort to put off a real answer. The last thing Brian wanted was to cast doubt into his leader’s mind, making his depressive feelings of inadequacy reappear. They needed Edward to be the pillar of strength he had been before things had spiraled out of his control.

For a fraction of a second, the sorcerer wore a vacant look upon his countenance, as if it took him a moment to digest Brian’s opinion. His cheeks ballooned out and he released a slow breath, turning his head to gaze across the meadow. Edward couldn’t help but wonder why Katie had been so insistent about getting closer to the tree, unless she felt they wouldn’t believe what she’d told them until they saw it with their own eyes. As he started to turn around to face the shaman again, Edward noted that the dark, buzzing cloud of fairies was no longer hanging in the sky like a cloud of impending doom. Apparently they were satisfied by his compliance, and had deemed it safe to return to the greenery they called home. “Perhaps, if we skirt the perimeter of the clearing we’ll be able to catch a glimpse of what Katie was trying to show us,” he suggested, hoping his idea would prove fruitful and be a satisfactory alternative for his upset comrade. The ups and downs in the moods between them had been at their worst in Loknar, the small village near Outpost 13, and Edward wanted to avoid a repeat of the tensions in that town if at all possible.

“That sounds like a more than reasonable solution,” Brian remarked. “Should I go find the women and tell them we’re preparing to leave?”

After a brief hesitation, Edward nodded. “Yes, please. While you do that, I’ll make certain our supplies are stored and ready for our departure.”

***

When Brian returned a short time later, the two women following closely behind, Katie seemed to be in much better spirits. Noting that the wizard had packed up camp in her absence, she strode toward him and cautiously wrapped her arms around his torso. “I’m sorry for being such a bitch and acting like a spoiled brat,” she whispered, making sure he was the only one who could hear her.

Edward tilted his head down, planting a light kiss on the top of her head. “I don’t know if Brian informed you or not, but I’ve decided that we will ride to the opposite side of the meadow and see what the view is like from over there. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to see what you wanted to show us when looking toward the tree from a different vantage point.”

“So, you’re not mad at me?”

He put a finger under her chin and gently lifted until he locked eyes with her. “I wouldn’t say that, but I may have had a moment or two where I was slightly upset. No need to worry, though. The feeling has passed.” Edward sighed softly, stepping out of her embrace. “We should get going.”

Flashing a quick smile, Katie turned away from the magician. “Time to go,” she said to Julie as she walked over to her mechanical steed and mounted. Once her friend was in position behind her, she spun her head around to check on the men. Seeing that they were also ready to depart, Katie nudged the control lever forward.

As the group slowly circled the outer perimeter of the meadow, Edward kept his eyes on the tree in the center while Brian steered the metallic horse toward its destination. So far, he had seen nothing that aroused his interest, but his eyesight was nowhere near what Katie’s was. Sometimes he thought she might be half human and half hawk. He wished he could see even remotely as well, partly because he knew that if he couldn’t see what she was trying to show him, Katie would likely become persistent about getting closer. Somehow, Edward knew it wasn’t an option he wished to explore. In all likelihood, it would anger the fairies. Possibly enough to provoke an attack, which he wanted to avoid at all costs. Their group had enough enemies just dealing with the Black Knight and his minions, adding more to that list would make their journey more like a suicide mission.

Brian’s voice floated softly over his shoulder, breaking Edward’s train of thought. “Do you think we’ve come halfway around the clearing yet?” He eased up slightly on the forward pressure he was exerting on the control lever, slowing the machine’s pace while he waited for an answer.

With his less than perfect eyesight, it was difficult for Edward to judge how far they’d come. “I have no idea,” he replied in frustration. “Everything looks the same to me.” He paused briefly, exhaling a soft breath. “Keep going a bit further. I have a bad feeling that if we stop now, and Katie realizes I can’t see what she wants me to, she’ll attempt to drag us all toward the tree again.”

“I could always steer us deeper into the forest and hope she follows,” Brian suggested. “I’m sure it would be better than picking a fight with the locals.”

The steady clomp of rapidly approaching hooves interrupted the conversation between the men, and Katie piloted her horse alongside them. “Look over there!” She pointed excitedly toward the massive tree. “It’s not what I was trying to show you earlier, but only because I was distracted by something else and totally forgot about it. Do you see it?”

Brian and Katie brought their mounts to a stop, allowing Edward time to squint into the distance. “What am I supposed to be focusing on?” He almost said more than he wanted to, but managed to keep his thoughts inside. He didn’t want Katie to realize that the only thing he could see was the enormous foliage in the center of the meadow.

“Look for something colorful and out of place at the base of the tree.”

Edward narrowed his eyes as he followed the aim of her finger. He wasn’t sure how he’d missed it, but he could distinctly see a reddish blob near the bottom of the trunk. “What the—”

“I’m not sure how I forgot about seeing that thing hiding behind the tree. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, but I must admit, I didn’t get a good look at it. I kind of got the impression that it was scared of me, trying to keep itself hidden while it watched to make sure I didn’t get too close to it. At first, I thought it was some sort of devil-like creature. What I could see peeking out from behind the tree was an elongated red face, and if I’m not mistaken it had horns protruding from its head. It also appeared to be the same height as the average human being, but I’m not positive about that, either. Its body was entirely hidden from view by the trunk of the tree.”

After listening to Katie’s description, Edward absently rubbed his chin as he considered the possibilities. “While I know you’re curious, and I’ll admit that I am too, I don’t think we should test the conviction of the fairies to defend what they call home by attempting to sneak closer.” He tried to keep his expression neutral, but could already feel his body preparing to cringe, fearing that another of Katie’s outbursts was about to erupt from her lips. Instead of provoking the reaction he expected, Edward noted a change in her posture; her shoulders slumped and she lowered her eyes to the ground, unable to meet the wizard’s gaze as if she were admitting defeat.

Katie let out a soft sigh, hating to concede the fact that Edward was probably right, even though she didn’t feel in the least bit intimidated by the tiny, flying creatures. She was more terrified of encountering the humongous serpent that had been slithering over the obscene mulch of human bones at the base of the tree, but she was currently in a better position to evade the creature than on her previous visit. Without lifting her head, Katie peered at Edward and hoped he couldn’t see her looking at him. From what she could tell, the sorcerer was turned away. It appeared that he was whispering something in Brian’s ear—his hand was held up in such a manner that it masked the movement of his lips—as if he was imparting a secret. Before Katie could make up her mind about what she was going to do, she saw the shaman shift his attention toward her. Shit! There goes my chance of making a mad dash for the center of the meadow before anyone realized what I was doing.

“Are you okay?” Brian inquired. As the red-haired man spoke, the wizard seated behind him reached out and placed a gentle hand on Katie’s shoulder. When she finally lifted her head, Edward could see the sadness in her eyes. He hated seeing her like this; the brown of her irises seemed as if they were melting, the unshed moisture causing them to shimmer like grime-encrusted diamonds. “We should resume our journey to the south. If what Kronos and Kieron told us is true, we need to stay ahead of the army that’s pursuing us.”

“What about Amber?” Katie asked, hoping to stall their departure long enough to find a chance to sneak away so she could investigate the strange, red creature.

“I’m sure she’s still with us as we speak. Just because we can’t see her at the moment doesn’t mean she isn’t close by.”

“Even so, I would feel a lot better if I knew for sure,” Katie argued.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t afford to sit around and wait for nightfall. For all we know, the mechanical army that Kronos and Kieron warned us about could be upon us by then,” Edward insisted, while Brian and Julie bounced their gaze between the bickering members of their group as if they were watching a ping-pong match. To emphasize his point, Edward tapped the shaman on the shoulder, then pointed in the direction of the dead forest. “We’ve wasted too much time already, let’s go.”

As the mechanical horse bearing the men veered toward the withered woods, Katie reluctantly urged her mount to follow.

Chapter 4

Refusing to heed the Black Knight’s warning to only travel at night, George flew high above the canopy. He only leveled off his ascent when the army of machines below had become minute reflections of sunlight. Even though it was easy to tell the location of the regiment, from this distance they appeared to be nothing more substantial than broken shards of glass littering the ground. As he circled the formation like a vulture waiting to swoop down on its prey, the stiff breeze ruffled his flowing, brown locks. Gradually his anger was wiped away—like an eraser on a schoolroom chalkboard—allowing him to relax.

He almost expected the voice of his demonic ‘master’ to be carried on the wind, which was rushing across his face and floating back from one of his mount's heads, to suddenly interrupt his serenity. When several minutes passed without incident, George left the army of machines behind as he steered his steed to the south, determined to find the group of mortals. Were the Black Knight’s minions closing the distance, or was the troublesome party getting even further ahead? In either case, they might be more difficult to spot during daylight hours, but even so, George was resolved to find them. It may be easier to spot a fire at night when they'd set up camp to rest, but searching for them during the day meant he would be able to see a potential adversary coming for him, like the creature that had chased him through the sky the other night. If it tried to attack him again in the light of day, at least he would know what he was up against.

***

After navigating through the increasingly dense forest—as they traveled further south, the trees were no longer withered and dead, but instead lively and growing greener by the minute—for several hours, the weary group stopped at Katie’s insistence. “I don’t know if it’s the steady stomp of horse hooves that is lulling me to sleep, or the lack of any other sound, but I’m getting really tired,” she complained.

Edward nodded. “Perhaps, if we take a break to eat, it will invigorate your body so you can continue a while longer.”

“Don’t count on it,” Katie grumbled. “My eyelids feel like they’ve been dipped in … hell, I can’t even think of what. I’m too tired to form coherent thought,” she lied, hoping Edward wouldn’t realize she was trying to deceive him. There was still enough daylight left, and if she could manage to sneak away, Katie would be able to backtrack to the Tree of Life by following the hoofprints like they were a trail of breadcrumbs. She only needed the opportunity. “Maybe, after we fill our bellies, we can get some rest as well?” She raised her eyebrows in a hopeful expression.

Frowning, Edward forcefully exhaled through his nostrils. “If we must,” he stated in exasperation. “I’m not exactly thrilled with the delay, though.”

“Try to think of it this way. If we rest now, it may be dark enough when we set out again that Amber can resume being our guide. In my opinion, it would be better than traveling in a set direction, which could ultimately lead us away from our intended destination.” A smug look appeared on her face. Katie was confident that her argument had a great deal of validity, so much so that Edward wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

“I understand your point, but it doesn’t make me any happier,” Edward griped, dismounting the mechanical beast. He quickly surveyed their surroundings, trying to locate a space open enough to build a small fire. “It looks as if we’ll be eating cold rabbit,” he announced. “The forest is too dense to safely utilize a campfire.”

“I have no problems with that,” Katie remarked nonchalantly, opening the chest cavity of her steed. With Julie’s help, she dispersed the bedding. Once the blankets were spread over the ground, Brian approached the women after removing a few portions of meat from the hollowed area of his horse and handed them their food. “Thanks, Brian.” Katie smiled weakly at the shaman, hoping Edward was watching the exchange and that her ruse of tiredness would fool him. When she noticed the wizard was standing on the opposite side of his mount, staring into the forest and missing her charade entirely, Katie sighed and took a bite of her food. It wasn’t until several minutes later that Edward joined the rest of them.

Brian picked up the remaining portion of meat and offered it to him, but the sorcerer waved it off. “No, thank you. I’m not really hungry right now.”

“Suit yourself.”

As Julie finished eating, she glanced up at Edward and asked, “Are we setting a watch?”

“Yes.” His response was gruff, as if he was annoyed by the interruption of his thoughts.

“I’ll take the first one,” Brian offered, rising from the bedding and collecting the scraps from the women to dispose of.

Katie sighed. She had intended to take the first watch so she could slip away and make use of the daylight hours to retrace their steps. However, she realized it might have seemed suspicious to Edward. Luckily, there had been a slight hesitation on her part because if she had spoken before Brian, it would likely have triggered another argument. “I’ll take the second,” she stated softly, yawning for effect. Julie offered to take the third watch, leaving Edward with the last one.

Once the guard shifts had been settled, Brian walked a short distance away from camp and tossed the remnants of their meal in the underbrush. When he returned the uneaten rabbit to the chest cavity of his steed, he noticed that the others were already snuggled inside of their bedding, so he sat down and tried to think of a way to occupy his time.

***

Several hours had passed since his departure from the Black Knight’s army, all of which had proven uneventful. George was almost certain that he should have encountered the group of travelers by now, but he hadn’t seen the sunlight glittering off of the mechanical creatures he knew they were riding. He was beginning to entertain the thought of turning back, though in no way was he eager to do so. Surely Verin would only insult him further when he found out that George had no new information, but really, what choice did he have? If his plan for revenge against the Black Knight were to have any chance at all to succeed, the ghostly entity would have to play a role.

A low growl escaped his throat as he continued his search of the increasingly thickening foliage below. It had been relatively easy to spot the humans yesterday when they were traveling through the forest of dead trees, but now it was nearly impossible. The withered woods had become more lively the further south he flew, almost to the point of looking like a tropical jungle. His view had altered over the last few hours from a seemingly winter atmosphere, to the colorful display of leaves reminiscent of fall, and finally to the greenery of late spring or summer. It gave George the impression that he had been in the air much longer than he actually had, as if he were stuck in place while the kaleidoscope of seasons spun around him.

Instead of succumbing to the instinct to turn around, George continued heading south. He knew there would be a confrontation between himself and Verin before long, and he wanted to make sure he obtained more ammunition to fuel the impending argument. This way he'd have the upper hand, and possibly even gain the trust of the Black Knight.

***

Brian had woken Katie for her guard shift a short while ago, and as she patiently waited for the shaman to fall asleep, she busied herself by cleaning and polishing her crossbow. When she was relatively sure that everyone was sleeping, she rose to her feet and stepped lightly around the camp to make certain that nobody was playing possum and pretending. Satisfied by their soft snores and closed eyelids, she snuck over to her mechanical steed and mounted. Using the tiniest bit of pressure, she nudged the control lever forward slightly. The machine complied with slow-motion movements, its heavy metal hooves whispering delicately across the terrain, and Katie waited until she felt like she was a safe distance from the camp before urging her horse to greater speeds.

As she retraced their route from the meadow where the Tree of Life stood like an enormous wooden guardian, she was gradually able to inch the control lever farther forward. The further north she traveled, the faster her steed carried her. The foliage thinned slowly at first, but after an hour or so she had the metallic beast running at full speed. Her eyes could just barely pick out the path she needed to travel before she was upon it, much like driving a car too fast at night.

When the gigantic tree began to come into view, Katie eased up on the pressure she was exerting on the control lever. Within fifteen minutes she'd reached the edge of the meadow and brought her metallic steed to a stop. She scanned the area around the base of the trunk and was rewarded by the sight of the reddish creature still lying where she had last seen it. There were only two reasons she could think of as to why the organism had not moved. The first of which, and the one she hoped was the case, was that the being had been asleep since her last encounter. The second option was less savory, and involved thoughts that the creature might be dead, perhaps killed by the massive serpent she had seen nearby when she had ventured closer on her first excursion toward the giant, wooden sentinel. Telling herself that there was only one way to be sure, Katie dismounted her mechanical horse and slowly began to tiptoe across the meadow.

Once she reached the halfway point, the reddish beast came into focus enough for Katie to realize what it was, although her mind insisted that the creature was an illusion. It had to be. Dragons were a thing of fairy tales and fantasy, not reality. She blinked her eyelids rapidly, as if by doing so it would somehow cause the anomaly to disappear. The small red dragon, which was obviously a baby, remained as it was.

As Katie began to consider where it had come from, and the possibility that it was birthed from one of the strange, egg-like fruits of the tree, her thoughts were interrupted by the incessant buzz of tiny wings. Before she had time to react, the blue-skinned fairy leader hovered in front of her face, an angry glint in her minute black eyes.

“You again? I warned you to stay away,” the fairy hissed.

“I only wanted to look. I promise that I won’t touch anything,” Katie pleaded.

“I’m not interested in the excuses you have for your return to our home. No matter how innocent your intentions may be, your trespass will not be forgiven this time. You should have heeded my warning.” The tiny blue woman waved her arms in the air, weaving them back and forth hypnotically, and she began to chant something in a language Katie had never heard before. Swirls of deep blue mist, intertwined with ribbons of black, formed like tendrils of smoke around the fairy leader.

Katie tried to turn and run, but found she couldn’t move, almost as if she were rooted in place. Her eyes widened in terror when the misty colors drifted toward her, like a blanket of evil fog, and twirled around her body as if the smoke-like ribbons were made of rope. The air around Katie felt thick, and she tried to draw a breath, but it entered her lungs with painful slowness, almost as if the oxygen was saturated with molasses. The helplessness of her situation spread through her brain like wildfire, causing her mind to spin out of control. I should have listened to Edward. I wouldn’t be in this mess if I hadn’t let my curiosity consume me. Is this what dying feels like? I would give anything to be back in camp with my friends. I can only hope that this is just a bad dream, and that I’ll wake up miles from this place.

The blue-skinned woman hovered inches from Katie’s face, her lips pressed together in a mirthless smile. “Perhaps, in the future, you will be more compliant and do as you’re told.”

For a few brief seconds, the tiny creature floated before Katie’s eyes, but darkness crept into her vision like the fade to black in an old movie. Within moments, she couldn’t see or hear anything, almost as if someone had placed her inside of a sensory deprivation tank.

***

When Katie finally regained consciousness, she opened her eyelids and saw both of Desolace’s moons hanging in the night sky. She pushed herself up into a sitting position in the grass, yet it still took a few minutes for her to get her bearings.

“Thank goodness you’re awake. For a while I was beginning to wonder if you were sleeping or dead,” Amber’s disembodied voice broke the silence, startling Katie.

After spinning her head around and catching sight of Amber, depression wormed its way into her mind when she realized the recent events were not a dream. Apparently, her journey to the Tree of Life had been real, but was the same to be said about her encounter with the fairy woman as well, or was it all a fabrication of her overactive imagination?

Katie rose to her feet—her joints creaking, popping, and protesting their use as if she were an eighty-year-old woman—and Amber suddenly drifted backward, her glowing form beginning to pulsate. “What’s wrong, Amber?” Katie’s brows furrowed, wondering why her ghostly friend was acting like she was terrified of her. Instead of speaking, the specter pointed. At first, Katie thought the spirit was signifying that she was scared of her, but realized it wasn’t the case when a new voice intruded. The sound was deep and guttural, like a man from a foreign country who spoke another language ... one that was filled with nonsense syllables, making the words impossible for Katie to decipher.

Spinning her head toward the individual attempting to communicate with her, she stumbled backward in almost the same manner that Amber had moments before. She hadn’t expected to be face to face with a dragon when she turned around, even though it didn’t seem hostile in the least. If Katie wasn’t mistaken, it was the same creature she had seen earlier, resting near the base of the tree. It took a minute for her to articulate a coherent sentence, primarily because she was stuttering like a frightened child. “Are you trying to talk to me?”

The dragon uttered a few more unintelligible words, bowing its head slowly, almost like it was attempting to nod.

Unsure of whether or not it was a wise decision on her part, Katie quickly turned toward Amber. “Can you find Edward and the others, and bring them back here?” As if in answer to her question, the ghost became a blur of light, speeding off into the surrounding forest.

Chapter 5

Light was slowly draining out of the day when George prepared to turn his flying steed northward once more. So far, his search for the Black Knight’s adversaries had been a fruitless endeavor. Feeling like he had flown to the edge of the known world—the setting sun was now a half circle on the horizon, casting a reddish-orange glow over the water below him and making it look like a sea of tainted blood—he guided his mount in a gentle, leftward arc. As he looped through the sky, George spotted the reflection of a large ship. It was difficult to tell from this distance, but the vessel didn’t appear to be moving. Instead, it seemed to be bobbing in the waves like a buoy, indicating that it was either anchored in place, or possibly unmanned and floating adrift.

Stopping his forward progress, George hovered the three-headed machine in the air and mentally calculated the possibility of the small group of humans making it this far already. Logistically, it didn’t seem possible, but if his nighttime search yielded no evidence of their whereabouts as he headed northward again, then the only plausible place they could be was on the ship. Although he had no reservations about dive-bombing the aquatic vessel to eliminate his prey, George preferred to find them on land. Granted, he was only supposed to be scouting their position and reporting back to the Black Knight, or in this case Verin, but snuffing the life from a person with his bare hands had always brought him great enjoyment. It seemed like it had been an eternity since he’d been able to indulge himself in something so pleasurable. Surely, the demonic entity wouldn’t begrudge him the joy of taking a single life, would he?

***

When Edward cracked his eyelids open and realized that darkness had fallen while he slept, he nearly jumped to his feet. Who was supposed to be on guard duty? Had they drifted to sleep during their shift? Almost without thinking, his left palm turned skyward and flames began to dance above it, casting shadowy, flickering light over the slumbering members of the group. There are only two people here! Who is missing?

As he pulled back the bedding with his right hand and awoke his snoozing friends, Edward restrained a cry of frustration when he realized that it was Katie who was gone. Damn her and her curiosity! I would be willing to bet she has attempted to return to the Tree of Life. “Wake up, we need to get moving,” Edward stated in an urgent tone, his trembling voice on the verge of panic while he shook his snoring friends.

Semi-conscious and dazed, Brian and Julie sat up, rubbing at their eyelids. Neither of them had noticed anything amiss so far. Realizing that it was nearly dark in camp, the shaman glanced up at Edward. “Did you fall asleep on your shift?”

“No one ever woke me up,” the wizard snapped, “and Katie is gone!”

Immediately, the partially awake man and woman rose to their feet, scanning the surrounding shadows as if their missing friend would suddenly walk out of the forest. “Maybe she just went hunting,” Julie suggested, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

“If that’s the case, she may have gotten lost in the dark,” Brian interjected. “Unless Amber is with her.”

Edward hoped that one of them was right, though his mind insisted it was improbable. If the ghost was illuminating a path for Katie, she would have been back by now. When it dawned on him that it was unlikely the ‘gone hunting’ scenario was even remotely possible, especially when considering Katie’s broken hand, he shook his head sadly. “I wish I could believe that her disappearance is something so easily explained, but I don’t. It might only be my mind overthinking the situation, but I feel certain that she tried to return to the Tree of Life. Remember how persistent she was about getting closer to it?”

Simultaneously, Brian and Julie’s slack-jawed expressions indicated they hadn’t considered the possibility. However, now that the can of worms was open, they couldn’t see how they hadn’t thought of it. Every word that Edward spoke rung undeniably true.

Tears threatened to spill from Julie’s eyes. “How are we going to find—”

Her inquiry was suddenly interrupted by a disembodied wail, echoing through the forest like a tortured scream. The three of them instantly whipped their heads around toward the sound. In seconds, the rapidly pulsating form of their ghostly friend floated through the woods and stopped before them. “You have to come with me, quick! Katie’s in trouble and needs your help!”

***

Since his initial encounter with the flying, flame-spewing creature, George had become more cautious when soaring through the night sky. No longer did he zip through the darkness with reckless abandon, traveling so fast that the wind would howl in his ears as he flew. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but instead a survival instinct ... one which told him to slow down to increase the odds that he would hear a potential enemy coming before it got close enough to do any real damage, and as an added bonus would allow him to more thoroughly scan the ground below for his prey.

Far from being the most expedient method of getting from one place to another, he found himself flying in a pattern of overlapping circles about one hundred feet above the treetops, almost as if he and his mount were one; a gigantic buzzard that spiraled through the night in search of carrion to feed upon.

Already the great sea was a few hours to his south, but even at the slower pace he now traveled, George felt he would be hovering above the Black Knight’s army before the first light of dawn. Lost in his thoughts, he nearly missed spotting an anomaly in the forest below. It could have been moonlight reflecting off of something metallic that caused the brief glow he caught from the corner of his eye, but there was only one way to be sure.

***

After watching Amber disappear into the forest, Katie turned her attention back to the baby dragon. Even though she still had her doubts about whether or not the beast was real, until Edward and the others arrived, she had nothing better to do with her time than attempt to better understand the creature. After all, it seemed as if the dragon had been trying to communicate with her. Perhaps, in some strange way, it would be similar to figuring out the needs and wants of an infant. A baby couldn’t speak, but obviously its parents could tell what their child required. Maybe if she paid attention to the creature’s subtle movements, she might be able to make a small measure of sense from the unintelligible vocabulary that the beast was using. It would be nice to actually comprehend the meaning of its words, but unless Edward had a spell in his repertoire that would allow such a thing, she would have to make do with pretending to act like the dragon’s parent.

Oddly enough, the dragon seemed to have gotten over its fear of human contact, this fact evidenced by its close proximity to Katie and that it no longer hid behind the trunk of the tree, spying on her from afar. As strange as it might seem, the beast now acted as if Katie were its best friend in the world, allowing her to touch its smooth scales and rubbing against her like an affectionate kitten. Even so, she avoided making prolonged physical contact with the creature, fearing there would be some sort of reprisal for doing such a thing.

As if awaking from a bout of severe amnesia, Katie suddenly remembered the suffocating feeling she’d had right before Amber found her. She turned her head and cast a nervous glance toward the Tree of Life, wondering what had become of the menacing blue creatures that had confronted her upon her return to the meadow. Strangely, it seemed as if the entire fairy population had fled its home. There was not even a single flicker of light coming from the foliage of the monstrous tree. Hopefully, they'd found someone else to pick on.

***

The frantic pace at which they sped through the forest made it apparent that Amber was frightened about Katie’s safety. Several times, Edward had to call out to her because she was weaving through the thick tangle of trees faster than Brian could maneuver his mechanical mount. It wasn’t until the foliage became less dense that he was able to hasten the horse-like machine to greater speeds.

Following Amber’s lead, the same distance that had taken them nearly eight hours to traverse on their southward journey took considerably less time. Even so, it felt like an eternity to Julie. The spirit’s revelation about Katie being in trouble had caused a pit of worry to tie her insides into a giant knot. Part of her mind insisted that her friend could more than take care of herself if she had to, but the other part reminded Julie that even the mightiest warrior could be blindsided and overwhelmed in battle. It seemed like only yesterday that the two of them had been reunited, even though it had truly been more like a week, and there was no way in hell she was going to allow anything to take Katie away from her.

Lost in her panicked swirl of thoughts, she nearly slid from her tenuous seat behind Edward. Since Katie had taken one of the mechanical beasts, the three of them were forced to ride the remaining one. Thankfully, the metallic creature was longer than a flesh and blood horse. Otherwise Julie would have had no other option than to tuck herself in the hollow cavity of the creature’s chest, which was not something she wished to consider.

Sensing the shift of the woman behind him and fearing that she might have fallen asleep, Edward held an arm back to brace Julie and keep her from slipping off the speeding machine. “Are you awake back there?” He turned his head slightly as he spoke, hoping to better hear any response she might give.

“I’m sorry,” she replied. “For a second there I was lost in thought and must have forgotten to hold on.”

“Well, you scared the crap out of me,” Edward admitted.

Before Julie had the chance to apologize again, she realized they were slowing down. “We’re here,” Brian announced, the Tree of Life looming in front of them like a massive black cloud; the moonlight shining down on the leaves gave no indication of their actual, lively green coloration. Were it not for Amber leading the way, Katie would have been next to impossible to discern in the glowing ambiance of the twin moons. Steering his steed across the clearing, Brian brought the mechanical beast to a stop less than a foot from Katie. After nearly running over her, he quickly jumped down and rushed to her side. “Are you okay? I didn’t hit you, did I?”

“I’m fine, Brian.”

So far, none of her friends had noticed the dragon, but it had hidden behind Katie’s metallic steed when it heard the new arrivals approaching. “Amber said you were in trouble,” Edward stated as he, Brian, and Julie formed a tight, protective circle around Katie. In the ghost’s spectral glow, he saw a look of confusion bloom upon her face.

“Trouble? Not hardly.” She paused for a few seconds in an attempt to figure out why Amber might have indicated that there was a problem. Suddenly, it dawned on her that maybe her ghostly friend had witnessed the argument between herself and the tiny blue woman. “Well, there was a brief exchange between myself and the fairy leader, but she and her entourage appear to be gone now,” Katie confessed.

“I didn’t know about that,” Amber’s disembodied voice intoned. “What concerned me was the red creature that was approaching you from behind. Did you scare it away after I left?”

Katie couldn’t help but laugh. “Why would I do that? It seems friendly. I must admit, however, I couldn’t understand a thing it was trying to say.”

“This beast was talking to you?” A look of disbelief crossed Edward’s features. Clearly, he thought the fairies had done something to Katie’s mind, somehow warping its perception of reality.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Katie sighed in frustration, turning her head to see if the dragon was still nearby. At first she couldn’t locate the creature, and for a brief instant she considered calling out to it—as if it were a puppy—especially since she had no idea what the beast’s name was. If it even had one. Katie was on the verge of giving up, thinking that her friends may have scared it off, when she spotted the dragon on the other side of her metallic steed. “There you are,” she announced with a tone of smug satisfaction, breaking through the protective barrier of her friends with a gentle shove and walking toward her horse.

“What are you—” Quickly following after Katie, Edward’s inquiry froze in his throat when he caught sight of the dragon. He wasn’t sure whether to be frightened or amazed. Ever since he was a child, his parents had told him stories of creatures similar to this, but like most fanciful tales, he thought they were mythical beasts conjured by their imaginations. Never for an instant did he think there was any truth to the fables. Edward stopped in his tracks when the baby dragon turned to regard him, tilting its head slightly as if the sight of him had raised the creature’s curiosity.

The dragon opened its maw almost imperceptibly and a deep, reverberating, growl-like sound bubbled up from its throat. “Can it be?”

Edward stumbled backward, barely managing to maintain his balance. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it definitely caught him by surprise when he realized he understood the words rolling off of the beast’s tongue. How was it that he could comprehend what the dragon said, while the others in his party seemed oblivious? Casting a nervous glance toward his comrades, Edward returned his attention to the dragon. “Are you talking to me? Can what be?”

The corners of the creature’s mouth twitched backward toward its jowls in an expression which faintly resembled a grin. “Yes, I am indeed speaking to you. The fact that you can understand my words tells me that you are a magical being, for surely you are not my kin. You are far too thin to be such.” A gust of hot wind blew from its mouth as the dragon attempted to express its mirth, a deep rumble creeping up from its throat.

Confused by only hearing one side of the strange conversation, Edward’s friends flicked their gazes between their leader and the dragon as if they were watching a heated tennis match. “What’s it saying?”

Keeping his focus on the beast before him, Edward ignored Katie’s question. “I—I’m not entirely sure how to respond,” he admitted. “I’ve never encountered your kind before, believing that dragons were creatures of myth and legend, so forgive me if my tongue seems tied. As for your assumption that I’m a magical being, you are partly correct. I am a wizard, or sorcerer if you prefer.”

The dragon dipped its head slowly, in a nod-like movement. “If it eases your mind, young conjurer, you are the first of your kind that I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with.”

“Me, young?” Edward laughed heartily. “I would hardly consider myself such.”

“I’m not sure how your kind ages, but I’m relatively certain you haven’t seen as many years as I,” the dragon retorted with a rumbling chuckle. “Myself, I have witnessed the rise and fall of a new day countless times. By my reckoning, I am nearly one hundred years old.”

“Seriously? That is more than twice my age,” Edward admitted. “I would have imagined you were a fraction of that. It seems as if you would be younger. Judging by your size, I would think you weren’t much more than a toddler of your kind.”

“Basically, I am,” the creature confessed. “All things considered, I have a significantly longer life span than most living things. Don’t ask me how I know this. Perhaps it is an instinctual, possibly hereditary, knowledge I was born with. My kind can live for a thousand years or more.” The dragon’s proclamation drew an astonished gasp from Edward.

“That’s remarkable!” Briefly unable to grasp the possibility of a flesh and blood creature living for what seemed like an eternity, Edward's jaw hung open in awe. For the next minute or so, an awkward silence fell over the group like a shroud, until he finally found his voice again. “It seems strange to ask at this point, but what should I call you? I must assume you wouldn’t be too fond of being summoned by the use of something like, hey, dragon.”

A laugh rumbled from the creature’s cavernous maw as the beast tilted its head skyward like a wolf howling at the moon. “The guardians of the tree gave me the name of Sygax when I emerged from my egg,” the dragon replied after his amusement had died down.

With a slight bow, Edward then began to introduce his traveling companions, pointing to each as he spoke their names. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. These are my friends, Katie, Brian, and Julie.” He hesitated for a moment, considering whether or not to include Amber in his introductions, then decided against it. There was no way to tell if the dragon could see her or not, and he didn’t want to come across as crazy. “My name is Edward the White,” he finally finished.

Chapter 6

His curiosity getting the better of him, George put off his return to the Black Knight’s steadily marching regiment of machines in favor of investigating the glowing anomaly below. As quietly as he could manage, he maneuvered his three-headed mount toward the ground and landed at the edge of a large clearing, steering the machine into the cover of the surrounding forest. Once he was certain that no unwanted attention had been drawn his way, he dismounted the monstrosity and crept closer to the glow a few hundred feet away from his position.

After closing half of the distance, he stopped and squatted down in hopes of avoiding detection. He could see the source of the strange glow more clearly now, which was caused by the troublesome apparition he had encountered in the abandoned town below Cemetery Hill. The ghost seemed to be standing in one place, not displaying nervousness of any sort that would be associated with her realization of his presence, and conversing with the small group of mortals the Black Knight was searching for.

George considered an attempt to sneak closer, desperately wishing that he could hear what they were saying. The information would surely be vital to Verin and his master, but it would also give him insight into their plans. It would be helpful to know ahead of time what they were up to and where they were headed, even if he kept the knowledge to himself as a contingency plan. If nothing else, it would certainly make the group of mortals easier to track.

Before he had a chance to decide one way or the other, he noticed the small clique had begun moving toward the perimeter of the meadow. Only two of them had mounted their mechanical steeds, the others walking beside the machines. Something didn’t seem right to George as he watched them slowly move away from him. There was a large, darkened shape that he hadn’t seen until now, keeping pace with the humans. From this distance, it was impossible to ascertain what was causing the hulking shadow.

Figuring the best way to find out what was traveling amongst the small group would be to investigate from a closer locale, he quickly scurried back to his steed. George had only made half of the return journey when he stopped in his tracks, his head whipping around to see what was causing the commotion behind him. The night air was filled with a deafening buzz, as if a swarm of angry locusts had suddenly taken flight. What seemed like millions of tiny, blue shooting stars darted from a large tree at the center of the clearing, which George hadn’t noticed until now, zipping through the darkness and leaving trails of eerie light in their wake.

***

After convincing Sygax to travel with them, mainly due to Katie’s insistence that it would be helpful to have another ally, Edward instructed Brian and Julie to mount the mechanical horses. They hesitated briefly before getting underway, but only long enough for Katie to show her friend how to operate the machine. Once Julie had mastered the basics, the group began moving toward the forest.

In all honesty, though he refused to voice his opinion out loud, Edward was mildly annoyed that their traveling speed would now be burdened by the much slower dragon, and thusly make it easier for the army of machines on their trail to catch up to them. If the creature were older and able to fly, possibly even bear one of them as a rider upon its back, it wouldn’t have concerned him as much.

When the group reached the edge of the woods, Edward contemplated whether or not to take the path they had already used twice. In one respect, it would make the journey quicker, which was the one thing that seemed to fret in his mind the most. On the other hand, blazing the trail a third time would only make it easier for the enemy to follow them. “I believe—” Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening cacophony assaulted his eardrums. Spinning his head around toward the sound, he instantly spotted the source. “This can’t be good!”

Katie and the others turned to see why their leader seemed shaken, and discovered that the swarm of bluish lights quickly approached. Sensing the vibe of hostility in the air, Sygax whipped around and stood next to Edward like a guard dog. He wasn’t exactly sure why the guardians of the tree seemed to be in a rage, but he was determined to thwart any violent outbursts between the tiny blue creatures and his new traveling companions.

The fairy leader screeched to a halt in mid-air a few feet from the wizard, her flying army hovering like a thunderhead behind her. “I’ve warned you about keeping your distance from our home,” she hissed. “Your insistence on trespassing on our lands, as well as your thievery, show that you have no respect for us.”

“Thievery?” One of Edward’s eyebrows rose in a confused expression. “We took nothing from you.” He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the others in his party, hoping if he was misinformed that one of them would come forward to apologize. When nobody moved an inch, he returned his attention to the aerial threat.

“Do you not consider removing Sygax from his home theft?”

“I did no such thing! The dragon came of his own free will,” Edward countered.

“What he speaks is true,” Sygax added.

The tiny blue woman flew closer, floating in the air mere inches from the dragon’s nostrils. “You would willingly leave the boundaries of our protection? Do not think, even for a moment, that these mortal creatures can keep you safe,” she scoffed.

“What makes you think I require someone to watch over me? I’m not a helpless baby anymore,” Sygax seethed, his anger beginning to rise. “I can take care of myself!”

“Really? Who will feed you? Surely you don’t think that these humans will provide you with their own kind to chew on.”

Rage burned in the dragon’s eyes. “Is that what you’ve been feeding to me since I was born?”

Even though Katie could only understand one side of the heated debate, the fairy’s last comment brought the memory of her first encounter near the Tree of Life back to the surface; the enormous, slithering serpent, as well as the spiders and other bugs, which moved with silent menace over the human-looking bones that seemed to serve as an obscene mulch around the base of the trunk. Hesitantly, she crept up behind Edward. Tapping him on the shoulder, Katie whispered in his ear, “I can’t understand the dragon’s responses to the inquiries the fairy is making. Do you think it’s possible that he really eats humans?”

“It would seem so, but from what I gather there was trickery involved,” he replied in a hushed tone, turning his head slightly and cupping a hand over his mouth.

Her stomach churned and bile rose in her throat; Katie bent over, placing her hands on her knees, and dry heaved. The mere thought of the seemingly friendly dragon picking bits of human flesh from between its teeth with a razor-sharp claw made her shudder.

“It wasn’t obvious?” The tiny blue woman placed her hands on her hips, wearing a smug look of victory on her face.

“How was I supposed to know? Until recently, I have never even seen a human, or so I thought,” Sygax growled, his rumbling voice threatening to escalate to a roar.

“Did you not put two and two together when you finally saw your first one? Even though we only fed humans to you in pieces, could you not recognize the similarities between the limbs we gave you to eat and the pathetic sacks of flesh you now stand beside?” An amused grin adorned the tiny woman’s features and she snickered with triumphant glee, but only for a brief moment. Her mirth was cut short by the bellowing roar of the dragon, creating a hot gust of wind that blew her backward several feet. “Why you ungrateful little wyrm,” she shouted angrily. For a few seconds, the fairy leader turned her back on the intruders, during which time she rallied her army, whipping them into a frenzy. By the time she turned back to face her enemies, the buzzing cloud of fairies behind her had become a maelstrom of swirling light.

“This is going to get ugly fast,” Sygax murmured aloud, a haze of blue tendrils beginning to stretch from the swarm toward them. The hissing intake of his breath was the only warning that Edward and the others received before fire belched from the dragon’s mouth like a flamethrower, flash frying everything in its path to a crispy black.

“Holy shit!” was the only thing Katie could manage to say as she quickly latched her grip on Edward’s shoulder and dragged him backward, narrowly avoiding being singed by the immense heat radiating from the dragon’s maw.

***

Fascinated by the strange light show, George paused before departing to see what would transpire. The tense vibe that hung in the air told him something spectacular was about to happen. While he watched, the eerie glow approached the edge of the forest and stopped, hovering in the night sky like a UFO. He considered leaving the area when nothing had moved for nearly five minutes, but his attention was rapidly refocused on the blue lights as they began to swirl in the air like a phosphorescent tornado.

An evil grin crept across his face. Whatever that is, I hope it causes the group of humans immense pain and suffering. “I would wish death upon you, but I'd rather see the light go out of your eyes by my hand,” he whispered aloud, relishing the venomous quality of his words as they touched his ears.

A pillar of flame suddenly burst out of the tree-line, illuminating the darkness like a nuclear explosion, causing him to have a startled twitch which nearly induced a fall from his mount. The massive spray of fire reminded him of the other night, when he had fled through the night to dodge some unknown, unseen terror that seemed bent on cooking him alive. Although every instinct told him to flee, he fearfully remained where he was in hopes the creature would leave the area without noticing his presence.

Chapter 7

It was nearly midday when George finally spotted the Black Knight’s column of machines marching inexorably southward. The delay had been frustrating, to say the least, but necessary. He hadn’t been able to safely leave the area where he'd witnessed the fireball until shortly after dawn, when he could see that the threat of detection was no longer a concern. He probably could have left sooner, but it was better to be absolutely certain that his enemies had vacated the area before exposing himself in the sky like a shiny target.

Spotting Verin at the head of the formation, he pushed the control lever forward. The metallic beast complied, swiftly descending until it landed with a thud in front of the formless demon. “Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to grace me with his presence,” Verin spat. “With as long as you’ve been gone, you better have something useful to tell me.”

It took George a phenomenal amount of restraint not to laugh contemptuously in his face. No matter how he thought of the wispy creature before him, he couldn’t even muster a tiny bit of respect for the foul being the Black Knight had chosen to lead his army. “I found them,” George bluntly announced, keeping his tone neutral to mask his annoyance.

“And?” Verin rolled a partially formed hand in the air, urging more information from the human he despised.

“I would venture to guess that you are actually gaining ground.”

“Really? How far away are they?” With his insubstantial, smoke-like appearance it was hard to see, but Verin was rubbing his hands together greedily, like a mad scientist who had just designed a new potion.

“A day, maybe a day and an half. They were still moving south from what I could tell, and had just left a clearing that had a giant tree in the center of it. Are you familiar with that area?”

“Ah, yes. That sounds like the Tree of Life.” Turning toward the army, Verin issued new orders to the machines, adjusting their course slightly to put them on a direct path to their objective.

***

After the surprising developments from the brief battle with the now nonexistent guardians of the Tree of Life—mainly the discovery that their new friend breathed fire—Edward led his comrades away from the charred remains of the fairies, leaving their ashes to drift aimlessly in the light breeze.

Katie, staggered by the weight of finding out the fairies had been feeding human body parts to Sygax for his entire life, refused to walk beside the creature with Edward. Instead, she rode atop a mechanical horse with Julie. She might get over the irrational fear of being devoured by the dragon with time, but for now she was having trouble trusting the beast, even though Sygax had appeared to be just as appalled as she was that he had been eating human flesh.

With the first rays of morning light penetrating the canopy overhead, Amber became invisible once more, leaving the group with nothing more to follow than the slightly worn trail that was created by their previous travels. Although the filtered sunshine dimly illuminated their surroundings, it was enough for Edward to realize there was something not quite right with Katie. He couldn’t put his finger on what seemed out of place, but there was a difference.

As they continued to plod along the path, Edward noted Katie’s apparent mistrust of Sygax. Every now and then she would turn her head, as if she were attempting to regard the dragon without drawing attention to herself. It was during one of these furtive glances that Edward figured out what was different about his companion. The change was a subtle one, but he swore she looked a little older. The flesh on her cheeks and beneath her chin didn’t appear to bear the same, youthful tightness as it had before. Instead, her skin seemed to sag slightly, and the lustrous glow that had once been there was gone, giving Katie a haggard appearance.

Edward couldn’t help but wonder if her condition had been declining slowly and he was just now noticing. I know our journey has been hard on everyone in the group, but I find it difficult to swallow that I could have been blind to the decline of anyone’s appearance. Frown lines formed on his forehead as his eyebrows furrowed, quickly glancing from one person to the next to see if they displayed similar traits.

Julie was the most difficult for him to discern. After all, he hadn’t known her for very long, but if anything she seemed to have improved dramatically since her rescue from Cemetery Hill. She was no longer the gaunt, emaciated shell of a human being that she had been the first time he'd laid eyes on her. It was the only thing Edward could compare her appearance to. He had no idea what she'd looked like prior to her captivity.

As he switched his studious gaze to the shaman, he saw none of the adverse signs he'd witnessed on Katie’s face. Brian seemed exactly the same as the day Edward met him.

Having nothing reflective enough to study his own features in, it would be impossible to tell if he was suffering the same calamity as Katie seemed to be. Edward knew, however, that everything he’d been through recently would likely cause his appearance to be far worse. Even though his wounds had healed, the fight with the demonic creatures in the abandoned town had taken a massive toll on his body. He moved around just fine now, but underneath it all, Edward felt like an arthritic, old man.

Although Katie seemed to be the only one in the group who appeared to be suffering ill effects from their journey, Edward resolved to keep his comments to himself. He knew that she was prone to—almost violent—mood swings, but the last thing he wanted to do was to provoke an outburst by commenting on her looks. That would be like standing under a waterfall and expecting to not get wet. The only thing Edward could do was monitor her condition more closely. If it became necessary to open his mouth, he would, but not unless he saw no other option.

Edward conversed with Sygax on and off as they followed the worn trail southward, hoping to distract himself from his worries about Katie and at the same time learn more about their new traveling companion. He attempted to keep the conversation casual, trying to develop a level of trust with the creature. At the same time, he counted on the idle chit-chat putting Katie’s mind at ease. Perhaps it would calm her nerves and get her over the fears she seemed to have developed after leaving the vicinity of the Tree of Life. After all, she had initially found the beast, and had been far less wary of it upon first meeting it. It wasn’t until she had learned of what the dragon had been eating that she’d decided to shun it like a crazy relative.

***

Around midday, Edward halted the group’s progress in the same spot where they had set up camp yesterday. Positive that Katie would not be making another attempt to return to the Tree of Life, he figured it would be a good opportunity for everyone to get some much needed rest. When deciding how to divide up guard shifts, he settled on using pairs instead of single sentries. This decision was solely based on the fact he was certain that Katie would be unwilling to be alone with Sygax. Edward thought it would be better if she stood watch with him. That way, he could serve as a translator for her, which he hoped would help break the wall of fear that her mind had seemingly erected. In theory, it was the best plan he could come up with. He knew neither Brian nor Julie would be able to understand the dragon should it deign to speak to them, but Edward surmised that at the very least the shaman should have the ability to foresee any ill intentions by the beast. The one thing that concerned him the most, however, was whether or not Katie would sleep at all with Sygax nearby.

“Brian, Julie, go ahead and get some rest. Katie and I will take the first watch. I’ll wake you both in a few hours,” Edward stated, his face an emotionless mask of his all business approach to their duties.

Katie let out a soft sigh of relief when she realized she wouldn’t be forced to spend alone time with the dragon. She was nowhere near ready for that, and she wasn’t sure she ever would be.

Katie watched her best friend and the red-haired shaman spread out their bedding before sitting down beside Edward. Leaning toward him, she whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry for keeping my distance, but ever since I found out that the dragon has been feeding on human flesh its entire life ..." she briefly paused and took a deep breath, "I’ve been afraid that it will turn on us and decide we look like a good snack.”

After his random chats with the beast while they were traveling, Edward had to suppress the urge to laugh. “Let me assure you, Katie, Sygax does not intend to satisfy his hunger by eating any of us. Although, I’ve been thinking really hard over the last few hours. He has never had to fend for himself in his life, and considering the fact that the fairies were providing meals for him, it might be wise to teach Sygax to hunt for his own food. What do you think?”

A look of astonishment bloomed on her face, and her jaw hung open in disbelief, as if Edward had just requested her to do something unspeakable. It took a couple of minutes for the shock to wear off enough for her to answer his question. “You aren’t asking what I think you are, are you?”

“You’re the hunter of the group,” he replied in a soft tone. “It would be the most appropriate course of action.”

“I—I don’t know if I c-can do th-that,” she stammered, her lower lip quivering slightly and her hands starting to tremble.

“I’m not asking you to wander off into the forest alone with him. I’ll go with you, too, if you decide to do this. As you know, I can understand his speech, so it would be beneficial to have me along for communication purposes.”

For a few minutes, Katie hung her head and stared at the ground, allowing Edward’s pleas to fully sink in. During this time, the camp was shrouded in silence ... so much so that she took a quick, stealthy peek around without raising her head to make sure she hadn’t been abandoned. When she saw that everyone was right where they had been moments before, she met Edward’s expectant gaze. “I’m not sure exactly how I’m supposed to teach a dragon to hunt, but if you’re willing to stay by my side and protect me in the event that things go terribly wrong, I’ll try to be helpful.”

Chapter 8

The daunting task of teaching Sygax to hunt was more difficult than Edward had even imagined. After a few hours of attempted instruction, Katie threw her hands in the air in exasperation. It was blatantly obvious that rabbits were too small to be considered prey items for the dragon, but they were the only game she had seen in days. Before now, it hadn’t been a major issue, but with the mythical beast’s appetite it would be as useful as expecting a single peanut to satisfy her hunger.

“I can’t do this,” she snapped, turning to face the wizard who was standing a few paces from her.

His lips pressed together in a thin line, the corners of his mouth sagging downward into a frown. He exhaled softly through his nostrils in frustration as he approached Katie. Hoping to ease her tension, Edward enveloped her in his arms and hugged her firmly to his chest. For a few seconds, she tried to struggle out of his embrace, wanting nothing more than to run off into the woods to be by herself for a little while. When he refused to relinquish his hold on her, however, she sighed heavily and stopped resisting.

“I know you tried your best,” he cooed softly in her ear. “Perhaps in the future you will have more success, but for now, time is short. We dare not dally too long in this place, lest the army that’s chasing us should catch up. Suffice to say, it would probably be more prudent to hunt for him than to teach Sygax how to fend for himself.”

At first, Katie was happy to leave the role of teacher behind. Then the weight of Edward’s words sunk in. “I don’t want to sound like I’m nitpicking, but I hardly think that after eating humans he will be satisfied with consuming a paltry rabbit or two.”

Edward lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. “Couldn’t you hunt for something larger, a deer perhaps?”

She sighed heavily. “I hate to answer your question with another, but when was the last time you saw such a creature? Myself, I’ve only seen a few in my entire time on Desolace.”

“Just because you haven’t seen them, it doesn’t mean they aren’t out there,” Edward countered.

“Hey, you were the one who brought up the matter of time constraints. If you really want me to waste hours searching for prey that may or may not be in the area, I will,” Katie chided.

For a few seconds, he remained silent. A brooding look of concentration creased his features as he considered her argument, which he hated to admit, had significant merit. After pondering the alternatives, he met her defiant gaze. “I don’t see any other options,” he confessed. “If we don’t find something suitable to feed to him, Sygax could possibly begin to look at us like we’re his next meal. I think it goes without saying, we don’t want him to resort to that.”

“Duh,” Katie snapped sarcastically.

***

Even though he was an extremely intelligent creature, Sygax found Katie’s teachings to be useless. It was apparent that she was trying to be helpful, but unless he were able to handle a bow, which would be an impossible task to manipulate the device with his claws, it seemed like he would be going hungry for a while longer. For a brief moment, he felt sympathy for Katie. She had been his first human contact—as a whole person, and not disassembled for his eating pleasure—and even though she appeared to be wary of him now, he couldn’t help but feel a certain level of admiration for her. After all, she had at least tried to instruct him on the finer points of hunting.

As Sygax listened in on the debate Katie and Edward were having in regards to his feeding and care, his opinion of the female hunter faltered. She seemed to have developed a measure of hostility toward him, which was confusing to him because she had been so nice when he initially encountered her. Was it possible that the guardians of the tree had somehow affected this change in her perception? He had witnessed the spell that the fairies had cast upon her, but until now hadn’t considered the effect it would have on Katie. It had to be a dark form of magic to change a person so dramatically, didn’t it?

Wishing there was something he could do to reverse the spell, Sygax tried very hard to block out the harsh words being spoken nearby. The humans might not realize it, but dragons had feelings, too. As Katie and Edward continued their quarrel, acting as if he was not nearby and perfectly able to understand everything they said, Sygax slowly crept deeper into the forest, unsure of how he felt, but knowing in his heart that it was best to keep his distance until the emotional turmoil had run its course.

***

Although he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, Brian stayed awake while Edward and Katie were away from camp. He had considered waking Julie a couple of times during the passing hours, but ended up allowing her to sleep, sure that she wasn’t quite ready to handle a shift of guard duty on her own just yet.

When he heard a rustling nearby, coming from the forest, all of his senses went into overdrive. The fact that the sun was only a few hours from setting made him nervous. Surely, the hunting party would require rest before the group moved on, but if Edward and Katie remained away from camp much longer there wouldn’t be time for more than a meager nap. It wasn’t until he saw his friends beginning to emerge from the woods that he began to relax again. “I was beginning to wonder if you two got lost or something,” Brian stated, the nervous laugh of sleep deprivation bubbling from his throat and making it sound like the quiet cackling of a madman. When neither of them made an immediate reply, he noticed the grim-faced expressions they both wore. “Is something wrong?”

After a brief pause, Katie sighed. “We got into a somewhat heated debate about the dragon’s training. While we weren’t paying attention, Sygax wandered off.”

“I’m hoping he’ll come back,” Edward added. “I can only assume that he overheard our conversation and his feelings were hurt.” A scowl flickered across his features as he glanced toward Katie, giving Brian the impression that their leader blamed the young woman for the creature’s disappearance. For a moment, the shaman was silent, the underlying hostility between his friends warning him to watch what he said. It shouldn’t have surprised him that the emotional turmoil was escalating again. Lately, it appeared to be a more frequent occurrence. One of these days I’m going to wake up and find them trying to strangle each other. I really wish they would sort out their differences and rally behind one another. Their almost constant bickering is going to tear this group apart if they don’t start showing a little self-control.

“How do you want to deal with the remaining watches?” Brian asked, changing the subject in an attempt to distract them from their moodiness. “I’m pretty sure that once the sun sets and Amber returns, you’re going to want to get moving again.”

“True,” Edward admitted, turning his attention to the red-haired man and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Have you been standing guard the entire time we were gone?”

Brian nodded. “I didn’t feel that Julie was prepared to pull a shift by herself just yet, so I let her sleep.”

“Get some rest, my friend. I’ll have Katie wake her and take the next watch. I think it would be good for them to spend some alone time together.” Though it was obvious that Katie was still upset, she nodded her head in agreement. “I’ll take the last guard shift. Make sure you don’t let me sleep more than a couple of hours,” he instructed, turning to face the dark-haired woman.

***

Sygax opened his eyes and yawned. The sun had sunk considerably closer to the horizon since he'd retreated into the woods, finding a well camouflaged place in the underbrush to lay while he'd sorted his thoughts ... and apparently dozed off. His plan seemed to work perfectly. Even though the harsh words of the humans were etched in his memory, the short nap had eased the hurtfulness of them. The more pressing concern at the moment was his hunger, which the rumbling of his belly reminded him of. Perhaps if he returned to the company of humans, he could apologize for his disappearance and for being a burden to them. It might not be much, but maybe they would welcome him back and give him something to eat, no matter how small or meager the meal may be. Anything in his gut was better than starving, which Sygax dreaded the very thought of, knowing the madness of hunger could prompt him to feed on the one thing he swore after leaving the Tree of Life that he would never indulge in again … human flesh.

Determined to reunite with his new friends—although he was unsure just how receptive they would be—and make amends for his abrupt disappearance, Sygax rose to his feet and left the cover of his hiding place. Almost immediately, he spotted a large, four-legged, furry creature gazing in his direction from a short distance away. For whatever reason, the beast did not seem in the least bit afraid. If anything could describe its actions, it would be curiosity. The animal stretched its body upward, balancing on its hind legs, and sniffed the air. Though this gesture seemed to make the creature appear more human, Sygax wasn’t sure of the intended message the beast was trying to convey. One thing he did know, however, was his nose and stomach were telling him that the enormous ball of fur was a potential source of food.

Cautiously, Sygax stalked closer, keeping a wary eye on the animal for any changes in its behavior. Its stance remained one of curiosity until the dragon got within ten feet of it, then the creature’s posture began to display a more aggressive nature. The enormous bear opened its jaws, the flesh of its lips quivering as the animal bared its teeth and emitted a roar of warning. Its front paws swatted at the air between itself and the perceived threat, making the animal look like a boxer throwing practice punches. The whole act amused Sygax. It was impossible for him to take the bear’s menacing gestures seriously. Especially when it seemed likely that he could fit nearly half of the animal’s body comfortably in his mouth.

Being new to hunting, he tried to recall Katie’s attempted instruction. Even though Sygax had a considerable size advantage over the bear, he knew that his inexperience would give the animal a chance to escape and fight back. He inched forward, moving with as much stealth as he could muster and trying to maintain eye contact with the beast as he slowly closed the distance between them. From what Sygax could tell, the creature was unaware that the dragon was almost within striking range. The bear seemed too focused on attempting to scare the mythical beast to realize its own doom was seconds away. By the time the animal realized its efforts were being disregarded and its life was in jeopardy, the danger was too close. In an attempt to disengage, it lowered its body to the ground and prepared to retreat, but it was already too late.

Striking out, Sygax clamped his powerful jaws around the torso of the bear. The crack of its spine resounded in the forest for a split second when the dragon closed its mouth and its teeth penetrated the thick hide of the animal. The bear emitted one final grunted attempt to roar, then succumbed to the oblivion of death, the torn flesh of the beast’s belly allowing its innards to spill through the dragon’s teeth.

Chapter 9

An hour into his guard shift, Edward absently whittled his way through the small pile of sticks he’d gathered. It had taken nearly half that time for Katie to finally doze off. He wasn’t sure why she had been moodier since leaving the Tree of Life for the second time. Her distrust of the dragon seemed to be the biggest part of the problem, but he was almost positive that there was a secondary, underlying issue she was refusing to tell him about. In an attempt to appease her, and hopefully put Katie in a better mood, he had decided to carve out some new arrows for her bow. Using one of the projectiles he’d already made for her as a guideline, he had managed to create a half dozen more in the last hour.

His thoughts were broken off by the echoing roar of a creature in the nearby woods. Turning his head, he squinted into the dense foliage. The noise hadn’t sounded very dragon-like, but whatever had made it seemed pretty large, the depth of the menacing vocalization was indicative of something big.

For the most part, Edward kept his eyes glued to the surrounding forest. His eyesight wasn’t as good as Katie’s, yet he was relatively certain that he would spot a potential threat to their safety before it got too close to their camp. It wasn’t completely dark, but the gathering shadows made him nervous. What if he was wrong, believing he could see something coming toward them before it was too late, and his inaction put his friends in mortal danger? As he considered waking the others, a second, strangled roar broke the near silence. Before Edward could glance down to see if his companions had heard the sound, Katie popped up from her blanket like a Jack-in-the-box. If he didn’t know better, he would surmise that she was fully awake and alert, and had possibly been feigning sleep the entire time he was on watch.

Her attention focused, she studied the shadows of the forest for a moment before turning to meet Edward’s gaze. “What was that?” It was an honest question. To this point in her life, she had never heard anything quite like the sound that woke her. Not knowing what had made the noise only served to make her more anxious.

“I’m not sure,” Edward admitted, turning his eyes back to the forest. In his peripheral vision, he saw Katie rise to her feet and take a few stealthy steps into the surrounding foliage. “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” Edward whispered in a harsh, scolding tone. “Get back here!”

Ignoring Edward, she continued to scrutinize the shadows between the trees, which seemed to shift and grow at an alarming rate as the sun began to dip below the horizon, ushering in nightfall. Before long, the only light would be provided by Amber, and possibly the dual moons of Desolace if the canopy above would allow their luminescence to reach the ground.

Fear consumed his every thought, yet Edward reluctantly tore his gaze away from the willful woman and the surrounding forest. Being the leader of their small group, he had to focus on the well-being of everyone in his party, not just Katie. He was afraid of taking his eyes from her, thinking that the moment he did would be the brief slice of time she would decide to do something stupid or careless, but he had to make certain Brian and Julie were awake and able to aid them if their current situation demanded it. As quickly as he could manage, Edward roused them from their slumber.

Once he was sure they were awake, he placed a finger before his lips and urged them to silence. When he turned his attention back to where Katie had been moments ago, Edward panicked. Where the heck did she go? In a frenzy of worry, he scanned the area around her last known location, trying to look everywhere at once. He blew out a relieved breath when he finally spotted her; his fear that she had wandered deeper into the woods abated. Instead of throwing caution to the wind and slinking further from camp, he realized that she had actually backed up and was closer to the rest of the group. He wasn’t sure why she seemed to be retreating, but Edward got the impression that she was frightened. Whispering urgently, Edward tried to get her attention. “Katie, what’s wrong?”

“Something is coming,” she replied in a low tone. “Whatever it is, it’s big.”

Despite the bad feeling he had in his gut, Edward clung to the hope that their lives were not in danger. He had to. Otherwise, he would have to admit being a failure as a leader. “Can you see it yet? It’s entirely possible that it is Sygax.” He meant the words spilling from his lips to be encouraging, to put Katie’s mind more at ease, but he noticed they were having the opposite effect.

As she heard Edward speak, Katie turned away from the approaching footfalls and tried to run in the opposite direction. It was blind luck that the wizard managed to get a grip on her arm when she attempted to flee. “Let … me … go!” she demanded, trying to break free of his grasp. “If it is the dragon, it’s probably coming back to eat us.”

Katie felt an ominous silence drop over her like a death shroud as the reverberating footsteps suddenly stopped. Sensing the lack of reaction from Edward, she tilted her head upward to meet his eyes. Fear caused her nerves to tingle throughout her body. Even if she wanted to, Katie could not bring herself to check and see if there was something behind her. At least, not until she saw the smile creeping into his features.

“I don’t think it will be a problem,” he remarked, lifting his hands to her cheeks and gently forcing Katie to look toward her rear. She resisted at first, but finally gave in when she realized that Edward would persist until she turned her head. A sharp intake of breath hissed through her teeth as she saw the dragon standing at the edge of camp. Her initial reaction was to grab her bow and flee, but instead she stood frozen in place. “I believe Sygax has learned something from your instruction,” Edward added, his hand on Katie’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe the trembling woman. He wasn’t sure if what the dragon held in its jaws was a peace offering, or a meal, but the limp, furry creature hanging from both sides of the beast’s mouth didn’t appear to be something found. Rather, it looked like it had been freshly killed.

***

As nightfall crept into the sky, George sat up and yawned. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around and realized that he was alone; the Black Knight’s army was long gone, leaving only a path of devastation in its wake to give an indication of where it was headed. His stomach rumbled, forcing him to realize it had been nearly a day since he had eaten anything. Foregoing the night’s patrol, for a few minutes anyway, he rose to his feet and retrieved a few pieces of dried meat from the sack he’d knotted around his steed’s control lever. Instead of returning to the place where he had spent the afternoon sleeping—it wasn’t as if he had a bedroll, or anything else that needed to be packed up before he took to the skies—he perched atop his mount and ate.

Half asleep, George chewed the virtually tasteless mystery meat. His mind wandered as he slowly quieted his noisy belly, unsure why the Black Knight had not been in contact with him lately. The last time he could recall conversing with the entity was after his life-threatening aerial encounter. The silence disturbed him. George remembered a comment the demon had made about his steed, which supposedly had surveillance cameras installed in it. Was it possible that the Black Knight had lied about his ability to see George’s surroundings through the metallic monstrosity? It was obvious that the demonic entity could hear things, but he hadn’t yet spoken up about anything that would give George the impression it was prompted by visual stimulus.

With the shroud of night fully engulfing the world in darkness, his hunger sated for the time being, George pressed the button on his mount’s neck to extend its wings, and pulled back on the control lever to urge the metallic creature to flight. He flew low to the ground for a while, traveling in the deforested wake of the Black Knight’s army. It wasn’t until he caught a glimpse of moonlight reflecting from their shiny bodies that he steered his steed higher. For the next few—seemingly endless—hours, George buzzed over the treetops. He figured it would be safe, at least until he reached the Tree of Life. The small band of miscreants should be far enough from the clearing for him to surmise that his presence in the sky would go unnoticed. Also, he didn’t want to risk being spotted by the flying fireball any more than he had to.

Chapter 10

Sygax dropped the dead bear from his jaws and began to converse with Edward, relaying the reasons for his disappearance. When the brief exchange concluded, the dragon turned his attention back to his meal.

“What was he saying?” Katie inquired, keeping a wary eye on the mythical beast.

“Apparently, Sygax overheard our heated debate after you thought you had failed to teach him how to hunt. His feelings were hurt a bit, but once he had time alone to consider everything, he set out to prove that he was a worthy pupil,” Edward replied honestly.

“Are you implying that the dragon actually learned something from me?”

“No, I’m stating it as a fact. The proof is right before your eyes.”

As much as it pained Katie to think that she had been wrong about the dragon, it seemed obvious she had misjudged Sygax’s intentions. With a reluctant, heavy sigh, she turned her head toward the beast. When Katie opened her mouth to apologize, she quickly snapped it shut again as her stomach lurched and bile rose in her throat. The dragon had begun to eat, and having never seen Sygax doing such made the sight more shocking. The act was far more violent than she'd expected. It wouldn’t have been so bad to merely hear the creature chewing its meal, but with the setting sun, Amber had materialized and her incandescent glow provided enough light for Katie to witness every gory detail.

The dragon held the dead animal between the claws of its front legs, the scaled digits gripping the bear’s torso as if it were a furry burrito. Although the first bite was gruesome, which left Sygax’s meal headless, the second made Katie want to vomit. When the dragon lifted its food, its powerful jaws snapped shut around the limp creature’s mid-section, causing the animal’s innards to flop onto its thick, furry hide in a blood-slicked, spaghetti-like mess.

Katie tore her eyes from the scene and dry heaved. “Please, tell me when he’s done eating,” she pleaded to Edward while she continued to gag.

“I would have thought that something like this shouldn’t have bothered you,” he remarked.

“Why would you think that? It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen!”

“You grew up on a farm, did you not?”

“Yeah,” Katie admitted. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Growing up like that, I figured you had witnessed the slaughter of livestock. Did your family not butcher their animals?”

“They did, but it didn’t seem quite so gruesome. It was more of a detached process, similar to carving a pumpkin. But this,” Katie pointed toward Sygax without turning her head, “this is way more violent. There are no precise cuts involved, only the sickening tear of flesh and splashing of blood. I think I’ve seen movies about cannibals that weren’t this gory.”

Even after her explanation, Edward couldn’t see any real difference between the acts. In his opinion, being brought up the way she was should have made her numb to the sight. After all, whether the result was achieved by precision cuts or teeth, disemboweling an animal always made a mess. No matter how you looked at it, entrails were entrails. His thoughts swirled in his mind, but he quickly came to the decision that it would be better for everyone if he did something to put her at ease. “Amber, could you come over here please?” He waved her closer, hoping that with her nearer proximity it would put Sygax in the shadows, and this way Katie couldn’t see him eating.

When she drifted toward Edward, the feasting dragon was shrouded in darkness. Katie breathed a bit easier, finding the chewing sounds much more tolerable than witnessing Sygax devouring the bear. “Thank you,” she whispered, smiling weakly as she met the wizard’s steel gray eyes.

Returning the gesture, Edward couldn’t help but think, I bet she won’t be so eager to indulge her curiosity next time. If she hadn’t snuck off to go back to the Tree of Life, she wouldn’t be dealing with her current predicament.

***

After flying past the clearing with the enormous tree in its center, George kept close to the treetops until he felt he was risking discovery. An hour or so after putting the Tree of Life behind him, he urged his steed higher into the night sky and began maneuvering the three-headed metallic creature in the looping circles of a search pattern.

By the time he saw the familiar faint glow through the canopy, which indicated the position of his adversaries, he realized that the small group was making much better progress than he’d expected. In the distance, George could see moonlight shimmering off of the vast sea to the south. As he circled his mount through the sky like a giant vulture in an attempt to ascertain how the party was moving, George calculated their trajectory and surmised that they were heading almost directly toward the ship which bobbed in the ocean.

With a deep scowl creasing his features, he shook his head in disbelief. To him, it seemed impossible that the humans below could be aware of the ship’s existence. Yet, their direction of travel seemed to indicate that they knew of its presence. Does one of them have an ability similar to what the Black Knight uses, or some sort of ESP? It didn’t seem likely. The demonic entity was almost like a god. The pathetic group below was comprised of mere mortals. It was inconceivable that a human could possess such power, let alone wield it with any efficiency, and he wasn’t sold on the clairvoyant aspect either.

Perhaps it would behoove him to make sure. In theory, it should only take a couple of hours to fly to the ship. Being over the open waters would leave him vulnerable and exposed, but he had to get close enough to the boat to investigate, and potentially disrupt, the plans of the crew. If he were to guess, George thought he might have enough time to scout out the vessel before sunrise. He just needed to make sure he was finished by then so that he could return to the cover of the forest when daylight crept over the horizon. Content that his enemies were unaware of his presence, he piloted his steed toward the sea.

After an hour, the Black Knight’s ominous voice cut through the darkened skies and startled George from his thoughts. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be reporting your findings to my army, not taking my gift to you on a joyride,” the demonic entity hissed, his agitation obvious.

His mind swirled, searching for a quick answer that would placate the foul creature. “I’m looking for the best point to launch an ambush,” George replied, trying to sound casual. It was only partly a lie, but one that he hoped the Black Knight wouldn’t be able to see through. Technically, he was trying to find such a place, but he omitted the fact that it wasn’t the army led by Verin who would be springing the trap. George wanted that honor for himself.

As the three-headed metallic monster left the cover of land behind, the Black Knight’s voice growled in the wind once more, “How do you propose that they will lay an ambush for my enemies upon the open water? Have I wasted my time putting faith in you? Surely, you can’t be that stupid!”

“I spotted a ship in the sea on an earlier patrol,” George retorted in a tone suggesting annoyance. “It is my belief that your adversaries may be attempting to rendezvous with the vessel.”

“Fool! That boat, along with the scourge who pilot and man it, belong to me! The crew is under orders from me,” the Black Knight snapped.

The demon’s declaration caught George off guard, and he berated himself for not considering that possibility. Muttering curses under his breath, he contemplated his response. It was apparent that the demon could either see where he was, or the mechanical mount was outfitted with some sort of GPS device, so George shifted the control lever to alter his course and return to land. “I was not aware of that,” he finally admitted apologetically, though beneath the mask of his tone George seethed with renewed anger.

“Well, now you are,” the Black Knight spat, unable to hide his irritation. Inwardly, he blamed himself. I should never have placed my trust in a mortal. Experience should have made it blatantly clear that the only one I can trust to do something right is myself. Never send someone to do your dirty work because it won’t be done properly unless you tend to matters yourself. The thoughts had no more than crossed his mind when he was forced to consider whether or not the same held true of his army. How likely was it that Verin would similarly screw something up? Severing communications with George, he cursed aloud, his voice reverberating off the walls of his empty throne room. “You better pray that you don’t fuck up, Verin. I’ve got a special place reserved just for you if you fail me.” Blood coursed through his veins like boiling water as he rose from his throne and approached the monitor that displayed the formation led by the formless demon.

Chapter 11

After making steady progress through the night, which was growing more difficult due to the increasing density of the surrounding forest and the dragon’s inability to navigate through it, Amber began to fade again as daylight started to filter through the thick canopy of leaves overhead. When a refracted beam of sunlight penetrated the gloom, Julie gasped. From her position behind the saddle that Katie sat upon, she was startled when a sliver of sun illuminated her friend’s normally dark brown hair as if someone had directed a spotlight on to her. Intertwined with Katie’s normal color were strands of a lighter shade. It was entirely possible that they were blonde streaks, but Julie was almost certain they were gray. Was the difference in coloration some sort of optical illusion caused by the lighting? If she had witnessed the change closer to the time she was rescued from Cemetery Hill, Julie might have considered the sight to be a hallucination. However, too much time had passed since then, so she didn’t give that option more than a passing thought. There had to be a more logical explanation, but being under too much stress didn’t seem right either. If that were the case, Katie would have shown signs of premature aging long before now. Something else had to be causing the sudden change.

Julie attempted to be quiet about the differences she saw, and tried not to draw undue attention to herself, but it was too late. The subtle sound of her gasp had reached the mechanical beast in front of them. Edward was piloting the machine and apparently hadn’t heard anything, but Brian had whipped his head around immediately. Since she'd shown no sign of interest, it was obvious Katie had mistaken the noise for something other than what it was.

Staring toward the riders on the metallic creature behind him, the shaman opened his mouth to make an inquiry, but immediately closed it. Before he could form the question, his pale blue eyes locked on to Katie’s features, and right away he knew something was terribly wrong. Without removing his gaze from the young woman, he tapped Edward on the shoulder.

The wizard allowed his mount’s control lever to snap into an upright position, halting their progress. Turning his head to the side, he could only see the back of Brian’s head in his peripheral vision. “What is it? Are you sensing something?”

Katie brought her steed to a stop a few feet behind the lead horse. “What are you staring at, Brian? Do I have bed-head or something? You’re looking at me like I’m some sort of hideous freak of nature.”

At the sound of her voice, Edward twisted in the saddle to fully see what was going on. When his steel gray eyes locked on to what he imagined Brian was trying to draw his attention to, his mouth fell open in an expression of slack-jawed surprise. The ramifications of the sight before him caused his mind to churn, but after a few seconds he managed to disclose his concern. “Do you feel all right?”

“I feel fine,” Katie replied, one eyebrow rising curiously. “Why?”

“You look as if you’ve aged twenty, maybe even thirty, years overnight,” Edward stated after weighing the options of how to respond, not wanting to provoke a hostile reaction from her. Especially in light of her recent moodiness.

From beside the wizard’s steed, Sygax interjected in a tone that suggested he was merely relaying a known fact. “The former guardians who raised me placed a curse upon her. Their magic is causing her to age, and if I’m not mistaken, the only beings other than the fairies who can halt or reverse the spell are the gods.”

While the other members of the party waited with baited breath for the wizard to translate what Sygax had told him, Edward allowed the dragon's explanation to sink in. His brows furrowed with concern, he turned to regard the scaled beast. “Why would the fairies do such a thing? If they were that upset with her, why not just kill her outright?”

“Since they were tasked with overseeing the Tree of Life, and nurturing the viability of each new creature that formed within its branches, the gods did not gift them with death magic. Although they were not capable of directly taking a life, forcing a creature to age more rapidly was something of a gray area in the eyes of the gods. I believe the spell was actually meant to force the Tree’s creations to grow quickly, making them more self-sufficient and thus allowing the guardians to focus their efforts on new arrivals. The down side to this magic is, if the fairies deemed it necessary, they could age a being to speed up its death. I would imagine that the gods allowed this form of intervention in the event of a creature being born with deformities that made its existence torture.”

Edward relayed the new information that Sygax had provided him with, and tears began to stream down Katie’s cheeks. Suddenly, she was thankful that she didn’t have to look upon her reflection in a mirror. Just hearing the words tumble from Edward’s lips made her feel like an old hag. She hung her head in shame as the implications of her predicament swirled through her mind. If my curiosity hadn’t driven me to go back to the Tree of Life, none of this would be happening. Several minutes of complete silence passed before she could raise her head to meet the expectant gaze of her comrades. “Is there a cure for my condition, or should I be resigning myself to being fifty years old?” Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke, terrified of the response she would get.

It was apparent that her question had saddened Sygax. His massive, red head drooped as if he were ashamed, almost like he blamed himself for what the young woman was going through. When he raised it once more, he saw that everyone was nervously awaiting his answer. “As I mentioned before, I believe the gods are the only ones who can remove the curse.” Sygax paused for a moment, considering whether or not to divulge the rest of his knowledge pertaining to the current dilemma. With a deep, rumbling sigh, he continued. “I wouldn’t get too used to your current age,” he stated, no longer looking at Edward, but locking eyes with Katie as he spoke. “I’m afraid your condition is graver than you realize. You have not simply aged twenty or thirty years, but are likely going to continue growing older as time progresses. I’m not sure about the lifespan of humans, but I don’t imagine that this is good news.”

When Edward didn’t immediately translate for the rest of the group, the concerned expression on his face put Katie in a state of near panic. She bit her lower lip nervously, waiting to hear the wizard’s rendition of the dragon’s words. After a minute, she could no longer restrain herself. “So, what’s the verdict?”

“The prognosis isn’t very good,” he finally admitted with a heavy sigh. His lips, which were pressed together tightly, formed a thin line that turned downward at the edges. “If Sygax is correct, the aging process isn’t over.” He paused for a few seconds to let the information sink in, then delivered the worst part of the news. “According to Sygax, he believes you will continue to age rapidly. This is probably the last thing you want to hear, but it sounds like you will likely die of old age within the next few days if we don’t reach the Throne of the Gods in time to reverse the spell.”

***

Although George was far from afraid of the dark entity who commanded him, he wasn’t stupid either. For the time being, he would allow the Black Knight to believe that he was following orders. At least, until he found the appropriate opportunity to sever his service to the demon. The timing had to be absolutely perfect if he was going to catch the Black Knight by surprise, but George was certain that as the situation escalated over the next few days, the occasion would present itself to him. In the meantime, he had to maintain the image of being the demon’s lapdog, and not do anything hasty that would arouse suspicion. As much as he loathed pretending to be obedient, and abhorred dealing with Verin, George knew he must if he were to keep up his ruse.

Technically, now that the sun had crested the horizon, he should be staying hidden on the ground in order to keep a low profile. The Black Knight’s plot of a surprise attack on his enemies depended greatly on the intelligence he provided to the army led by Verin, though George found the idea ludicrous. How the hell is a column of machines, stomping their way through the forest and obliterating everything in their path, supposed to sneak up on anything? The amount of noise generated by the army would easily be heard from miles away.

Having made the decision to relay the approximate position of the Black Knight’s enemies to Verin, George urged his three-headed mount to the sky. He scanned the forest canopy below, trying to remember the last place he’d seen the group. As he flew over the treetops, flying as close to them as he dared, he found that his gaze couldn’t penetrate the dense foliage. The humans would have been easier to spot at night, presumably guided by the glow of the ghostly nuisance that seemed to plague him, but waiting for nightfall was a luxury he didn’t have right now. The best he could hope for was that the small group would have the same problem, being unable to spot him through the blanket of leaves over their heads.

***

Standing in front of the monitor, which showed a view provided by the surveillance equipment that was integrated into the mount George rode, the Black Knight’s anger abated slightly. His disciple had followed orders, this much he saw in the lens of the camera as the three-headed machine veered away from the sea and back toward land, but he couldn’t help feeling as if something wasn’t right. Sure, George had pushed his luck on occasion by being willful. Was it a premonition of things to come? Or was he merely paranoid that the younger version of his prior servant would be just as treacherous as the older one had been?

For the time being, it seemed as if young George would bend to his will, but there was only one way to be absolutely certain that everything went according to plan: he would have to see to matters himself. As he watched the treetops whiz by on the monitor, the Black Knight turned away from the screen. He desperately wanted to physically assault or torture one of his minions, but since they were all marching with his army right now, his chamber was eerily silent.

The hiss of his breath, squeezing through his clenched, elongated teeth, along with the click of his clawed feet on the concrete floor, echoed throughout the chamber when the Black Knight left the throne room. As he walked through the doorway into the tunnel beyond, he punched a command into the console near the archway that would summon Morgana to Cemetery Hill. Once aboard the transport, he would set a course for the open sea to rendezvous with the ship George had inquired about.

Chapter 12

Katie’s deteriorating condition worried Edward more than he would admit out loud. Travel to the south had already been slow going prior to the discovery of her rapid aging, but progress was hindered even more by the fact that he couldn’t stop peeking over his shoulder at her. Every time he did, Edward expected to see her dilemma growing more dire. The almost constant checking on her had slowed their pace to a near crawl. If he didn’t get his emotions and fears under control soon, the army of machines would catch up to the group. That would be a disaster in the making.

It was already quite obvious that the Black Knight’s army was closing the distance. It had seemed like days since the last time he’d heard the rumble of their movements, felt the ground trembling beneath them, but it was no longer the case. As if to heighten his terror and confirm his suspicions, these weren’t the only signs that indicated how much the group needed to pick up their pace. Over the course of the last hour or so, seemingly every creature that inhabited the forest had been fleeing past them in a procession of frightened fur. The overabundance of game would have made him salivate at another time—pretty much anyone could hunt for food in these conditions, because you could just point and shoot and you would be virtually guaranteed to hit something—but now, it only served to remind him of how urgent their plight was. The crashing sounds resonating through the forest made it difficult to tell how close the army was getting, but if he had to guess, Edward surmised the machines to be a few hours behind them at the most.

Casting a sideways glance toward the dragon, Edward was surprised that Sygax had not bounded off through the trees. He could probably charge toward the fleeing animals with his mouth open, snap his massive jaws shut, and come away with enough food to fill his ever-growing belly. Instead, the mythical creature seemed distracted. His snout was raised, like he had discovered a much more interesting scent. Obviously, the dragon wasn’t concerned in the least about his stomach.

“Sygax?”

For a few seconds, the creature ignored the sound of Edward’s voice, but then turned his head and locked eyes with the wizard, cocking his scaly head curiously. “Yes?” The slits of his serpent-like pupils narrowed into a nearly imperceptible black line.

Returning the dragon’s scrutinizing gaze, Edward asked, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Ever since my birth, I’ve considered the fairies to be my only true family. After all, they raised me from a hatchling, and cared for me until the day you found me.” Sygax paused for a moment before continuing. “It makes the scent in the air all the more confusing to me. If I’m not mistaken, there is another of my kind somewhere close by.”

“Another dragon?” The tone of disbelief was evident in Edward’s inquiry. “I never imagined I would ever encounter one creature from your race in my lifetime, let alone two in a matter of days.”

“Unless there are other creatures on this world which smell the same as I do, there is definitely another of my kind nearby.”

Edward weighed the possibility in his mind. If there was another dragon in the vicinity, what were the chances that it would be as friendly as Sygax? Their situation was bad enough now, but could be far worse if the beast was hostile. Then again, if it were similar in temperament to Sygax, finding the creature could be a blessing in disguise. Especially if the beast was larger than their traveling companion, which was entirely possible if it had been on its own and fending for itself for a considerable length of time.

“Do not fear,” Sygax remarked, as if he read Edward’s mind and saw the surfacing fears. “If I am correct, I will speak to the dragon on your behalf, in order to quell its suspicions of your intentions and motives.”

Pulling her mechanical horse alongside Edward’s, it was apparent that Katie was frustrated by the delay. As much as she tried to keep the bitchiness out of her voice, it poured from her lips like molten lava. “Why are we stopping? I thought we were in a hurry.”

Hesitantly, Edward turned to face Katie. It was obvious that she hadn’t heard the conversation he’d been having with Sygax. Otherwise, she would likely be throwing a hysterical fit right about now. He briefly mulled over his reply, unsure of how much to tell her, then he sighed heavily. “Sygax believes that there may be another dragon nearby,” he finally responded with a slight grimace, settling on telling the truth. He could tell by the contorted look on her face that he was going to regret being completely honest.

“Are you serious?” Katie saw the almost imperceptible nod as Edward opened his mouth to answer her question, but she interrupted him before he could speak. “So, what’s the plan? Are we stopping to figure out an alternate course to avoid a run-in with it?”

Edward’s lips pressed together tightly, forming a thin line as he shook his head. “I know you aren’t going to like my answer, but—”

A mixture of terror and rage bloomed on her face. “You have got to be fucking kidding me! You know how hard it is for me to deal with him,” Katie shouted, pointing toward their young traveling companion, “and you are thinking about adding another dragon to our group? Maybe you have lost your mind!”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I think that you’re the one who’s losing it,” Brian interjected, placing a hand on Edward’s shoulder to maintain his balance as he twisted his body enough to face Katie. “I realize that I can only hear half of the conversation, but everything I’ve heard gives me no indication of it being a bad idea to seek this creature out. If anything, we can use all of the help we can get. Have you so quickly forgotten about the army that’s tracking us down? Do you really think we stand a chance against it?”

Like a fish out of water, her mouth opened and closed as if she were gasping for breath. Katie had expected an argument from Edward, but was caught off guard when she was put in her place by the normally quiet and reserved shaman. Although Julie wanted to speak up to defend her best friend, she remained silent. Tensions were already high, so she contented herself by leaning closer to Katie and pressing her body against her friend’s back, hoping that the contact would soothe her. She desperately wanted to whisper calmly in Katie’s ear, but was afraid of making the situation even more volatile. Thankfully, Edward responded to Katie’s outburst with a level head and a neutral tone of voice.

“I know how crazy it must seem to you, but Brian has a point. Without help, the four of us don’t really stand much of a chance for survival against an army.”

Tears of anger and futility streamed down her cheeks. Katie knew that Edward was right; having two dragons as allies would be far more helpful than just one. She wasn’t sure why the idea made her so anxious. After all, Sygax wouldn’t be with them if she hadn’t returned to the Tree of Life against Edward’s wishes. She only had herself to blame for the way things had transpired. Her breath hitched slightly when she exhaled, and she hung her head shamefully. “You’re right, as usual,” Katie whispered, keeping her eyes averted.

Moving his steed alongside Katie’s, Edward reached out and gently tilted her chin upward with a finger. “I assure you, if there was a better option, we would look into it.” He spoke softly, using the same tone that he’d successfully used to calm her in the past. “Whatever happens, I promise I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and the others safe.”

Unsure of why Katie didn’t trust him—after all, it was her who had sought him out—Sygax sidled closer to her. “As will I.”

Startled by the dragon’s rumbling voice, she spun toward the sound with a shocked expression and nearly slid from the saddle. Katie scrutinized the creature’s stance and locked eyes with him, searching for any sign of hostile intentions and finding none. Finally tearing her gaze away from the beast, she glanced toward Edward. “I hate that I can’t understand him. What did he say?”

“He has vowed to keep us from harm, if it’s within his power to do so,” Edward replied, the corners of his mouth turning upward in a faint smile.

“That’s pretty brave talk for one who only recently learned how to hunt,” Katie remarked, the half smirk on her face telling Edward she was attempting a good-natured joke.

Seeing the transition of her mood, and her slightly more relaxed posture, he grinned. Edward was thankful that the hostility had abated. Since their differences seemed to have been set aside, maybe now they could get down to business. Making a sweeping gesture with his hand, Edward inquired, “Sygax … would you be so kind as to lead the way?”

Chapter 13

By late afternoon, Edward realized that the nearly steady stream of fleeing forest animals was no longer rushing past them. Instead of heading south, as they had been, they seemed to be veering eastward. Do they know something I don’t? The question resonated in his mind for a few seconds. He knew the creatures relied on their instincts, and were not altering their course based on a conscious decision, but even so their actions made him nervous. Should we be following their example? Edward contemplated bringing the matter to the attention of their dragon guide, but before he could open his mouth to ask, Sygax abruptly stopped and pushed the underbrush in front of him aside, spreading the foliage with his front claws in a swimming motion.

The panoramic view was breathtaking. Edward and Katie inched their mounts as close as they dared before dismounting. Brian and Julie followed suit, crowding around the young dragon to get a peek at what lay ahead. It was a good thing they’d stopped when they did. A few paces further and they might have tumbled to their deaths from the edge of the cliff they now found themselves standing on. A vast body of water stretched from one horizon to the other for as far as any of them could see. The slowly setting sun cast a brilliant, reddish-orange hue on the sea, which was so bright that it forced those who gazed upon it to shade their eyes.

Katie was almost certain that some, or all, of the others were considering the same questions which flickered through her mind. Even so, she was compelled to ask them anyway. “Is this the edge of the world? Did we stumble past the Throne of the Gods without knowing it?” She realized that her tone of voice sounded panicky, so she cleared her throat and tried to put on a look of casual interest, as if her inquiry held no more significance than an observation about the weather.

“From what I recall of conversations I'd overheard as a boy, the elders of Elysia made reference to it being located beyond the great sea. It would seem to indicate that there is another land mass to the south. One which can’t be seen by the naked eye from where we are,” Edward replied thoughtfully.

“Well, that’s just fucking great! Are we supposed to swim?” Katie’s question sounded more sarcastic than angry, but it was clear that it wouldn’t take much to put her in total bitch mode again.

It was apparent that Edward was growing numb to Katie’s increasing hostility. Her tone didn’t even faze him anymore, though the same couldn’t be said for Brian and Julie. Even her best friend took a step backward in an attempt to avoid Katie’s wrath, like she was desperately seeking shelter from a tornado. Edward ignored the tirade and squinted into the distance. For a second or two, he was almost certain that he’d seen something.

As shadows began to creep through the forest and the refracted sunlight upon the ocean became less intense to gaze upon, he caught the hint of a reflection of an object floating offshore. “Can you make out what that is?” He pointed toward the anomaly, turning to regard Katie with a raised eyebrow.

The change in her expression was slight, but she turned her eyes toward the sea, following the line of his finger. It appeared to be a tiny ship from this distance, though she was sure it was much bigger than it seemed. “The boat?”

“Is that what it is?” He wasn’t sure what he expected Katie to tell him, but the new information registered in his mind as hope. Maybe crossing the vast ocean would be easier. If, that is, they could navigate their way down to the shore and get the captain of the vessel’s attention. Immediately, Edward began scanning the nearly vertical surface of the cliff, looking for the safest route to the beach below. Climbing down the first few hundred feet seems like a treacherous task, but as long as we’re careful we should make it that far. There’s a ledge down there where we can regroup and catch our breath, though I have no idea how we’ll get the rest of the way down. From here, it looks like a sheer drop-off beyond that point. Pursing his lips in a contorted frown, he exhaled loudly through his nose.

Feeling as if there was a glimmer of hope, Katie relaxed slightly and watched the ever-shifting expressions flicker over Edward’s face while he worked things out in his head. She saw him peer over the side of the cliff, presumably looking for a trail that led down to the beach. When she peeked below, the prospect of the hazardous journey hit her like a sucker punch to the gut.

***

After disseminating the information to Verin regarding the approximate position of the Black Knight’s adversaries, George abruptly excused himself and returned to the sky. As much as he despised dealing with the formless demon, he knew it had to be done if he were to keep up his ruse. Thankfully, Verin seemed to hold a similar opinion of George. It made their exchanges brief and businesslike, which suited him just fine. He didn’t think he could handle the situation so well if it involved friendly interactions. The mere thought of such a thing was repulsive.

As he flew south toward the last known location of the ragtag group he was tasked to keep an eye on, he spotted a column of fleeing wildlife through the thickening canopy below. If the sun weren’t still blazing in the sky like the watchful eye of a god, he might never have seen the steady stream of animals pouring through the forest. It was obvious that the wave of flesh and fur was desperately trying to get out of the path of the Black Knight’s army. Yet, what was strange, was that these creatures were fleeing as if they had a single mind and purpose. Never mind the fact that many of them often hunted their terrified comrades to fill their bellies. None of that mattered now. Finding safety and surviving to see another day were the only things on their minds.

Realizing that exposing his presence in the sky during daylight hours was risky, and seeing the perfect opportunity to camouflage himself from his enemies, George nudged the control lever forward and descended to the ground. After retracting his mount’s wings, he urged the mechanical beast toward the frightened stream of animals. His initial thought had been to infiltrate the column to its center. There, he could use their furry bodies to mask the light that reflected from his metallic steed while the sun remained an issue. It was a great idea, in theory, but as he attempted to penetrate to the middle of the herd, he found the creatures unwilling to allow him the niche to hide in. Instead, they ran faster, leaving George trailing in their wake as if he were a rancher who was herding them. It was far from ideal, but he remained optimistic that the thundering of the earth-shaking stampede would be enough to warn anyone ahead of them to get out of the way. Hopefully, it would create enough distance between himself and those he sought. At the very least, it could push them out of visual range.

***

An hour after inserting himself within their midst, George noticed that the portion of the column of frenzied wildlife ahead of him was making a sudden turn toward the east. It seemed to indicate a potential threat loomed close by. Since he hadn’t been able to infiltrate the center of the herd, he was able to decide for himself whether or not to continue following the animals instead of being swept along with the fleeing creatures. Having this freedom, he chose to slow his rate of travel. Part of him was curious about what had caused the column’s sudden direction change, while another part considered a return to the sky. It was difficult to tell just how much daylight was left through the dense canopy of leaves overhead, but the quality of the light that filtered through the leaves told him the sun had not yet set.

Once he made up his mind to stay on the ground, George continued heading south at a more cautious and subdued pace. He was thankful for the decision to travel slower when, after a few minutes had passed, he found himself staring out over the open sea from the dizzying heights of a jagged, rocky cliff. Now the herd’s sudden detour made sense. The alternative, which had run through his mind briefly, had seemed ludicrous: the idea that the animals feared the small group of men and women, even if one of them was a wizard.

As he gazed out over the vast body of water, George had trouble focusing his attention. This was not due to the sunlight shimmering on the water’s surface, making it difficult to see, but rather because there was more than one thing that caught his eye. The first of which was the vessel he had seen on his prior trip, bobbing on the gently rolling waves like a buoy. This time, however, it wasn’t the only thing he saw in the water. If his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, George could swear that there was another ship navigating the currents, heading south as if to meet up with the stationary vessel, And, if he wasn’t mistaken, the new boat bore a striking resemblance to Morgana. It didn’t seem likely, mainly because Morgana reminded him more of a subway train—with the integrated computer route maps that displayed on a monitor in the main cabin—than anything else. However, after everything he’d witnessed in his time on Desolace, he had to consider the possibility that he might have missed a detail during his prior trips aboard the strange ship. Either that or there were hidden controls on the vessel, ones that he would never have found unless someone with greater knowledge of Morgana’s inner workings had told him about. If such were the case, who was piloting the vessel?

As if that were not enough to think about, George saw movement to his right. It was just at the limit of his vision, so he couldn’t make out any of the finer details, but it appeared to be the small group of the Black Knight’s adversaries. Although it was difficult to tell for certain from this distance, it seemed as if they were somehow working their way down the side of the cliff. Determined to get a better look, George crept westward through the underbrush. He remained close to the edge of the sheer drop-off, making sure that he didn’t lose sight of the group as he inched nearer.

Ten minutes had passed when he was finally close enough to confirm his suspicion, but soon after he came to the realization that he was right, the small party disappeared from view. He hesitated briefly, and considered returning to his mount. If he attempted to follow them on foot, he would likely plummet to his death. Or, at least, the body of his younger self would be in danger of dying, but that would put him right back where he was before … without a host. Before George could complete the thought and turn to make his way back to his mechanical steed, a piercing, half-growl, half-screech resonated through the forest from somewhere nearby. Nervously, he scanned the immediate area, but he saw nothing at first. Light was seeping out of the day as dusk approached. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like a bongo drummer strung out on cocaine while he waited to see if the sound would repeat itself, although he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hear anything over the thrumming beat of blood in his eardrums. He had almost convinced himself that the noise had been a wild animal hiding amongst the trees, but movement caught his attention once again. Turning toward it and squinting, a lump of fear formed in his throat. His mind tried to insist that what he saw was a hallucination, but his eyes claimed otherwise. Awkwardly beating its wings and flying through the air just beyond the edge of the cliff was a creature he’d never thought to be real … a dragon!

Chapter 14

Edward managed to locate a path, which led downward and hugged the sheer surface of the cliff, after a bit of searching. The dirt trail was narrow, and in spots was almost non-existent, but at least seemed to go as far as the outcropping of rock that looked to be about one hundred feet below. While Edward knew the risk to the lives of everyone in the group was great, staying where they were seemed to be a much more dangerous endeavor. As it was, he could already feel a slight trembling in the ground beneath his feet, which appeared to indicate that the army of machines was getting too close for comfort. For a few seconds, he entertained the possibility of creating a magical bubble to shield their presence, but since he couldn’t be certain it would prevent the machines from finding them, he dismissed the notion, deciding that the treacherous descent was the lesser of the two evils.

Every muscle in their bodies screamed in agony, but after a half an hour the group reached the stone ledge. Upon attaining the outcropping of rock, they happily thanked Edward for making the decision to navigate the path. Katie made an exaggerated show of dropping to her knees and kissing the ground. “How lucky are we?” she wheezed, still trying to catch her breath, pointing toward the enormous dark semi-circle embedded in the cliff beside her.

“It’s true, our fortunes seem to be improving a bit,” Edward replied, attempting to not sound too overjoyed with their situation.

“When we started down the trail, the only thing I hoped for was a chance to catch my breath,” Julie admitted with a weary smile. “I didn’t expect to find shelter.”

“I don’t think any of us expected such a thing,” Brian remarked, his words coming out in a hiss as he bent over and placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

“I wouldn’t get too excited just yet,” Edward interjected in a serious tone. “Even though, given the location of this cave, it seems unlikely that anything or anyone else is using it, we should still proceed with caution. I’ll feel better once we can conduct a thorough search of its depths, and make absolutely certain that we aren’t setting ourselves up to be killed.”

Just as Katie prepared to make a sarcastic response, a roar bellowed from deep within the cave. The ear-shattering noise was closely followed by a screech from behind her, tearing her attention from the initial sound. It took a moment for her to locate the source of the screech, but the beating wings of Sygax eventually drew her eyes to his presence. Katie restrained the urge to laugh when she realized that the dragon was flying with the effectiveness of a newborn bird. It shouldn’t have been funny, and her mirth would likely change quickly if something went drastically wrong, like watching Sygax plummet from the sky to crash on the beach far below.

Once the young dragon had their attention, he spoke urgently to Edward. “I’ve never flown before, so I’ve also never attempted a landing. It might be a good idea for you and your friends to get as low to the ground as possible. I’m going to try aiming for the cave behind you, and hope that there’s enough room to keep me from crashing into a wall.”

“Everyone! Get as low as you can,” Edward shouted. “Sygax is going to attempt to land.” His words took a few seconds to register with the group. At first, they had thought he was joking, but when they saw the young dragon awkwardly flying closer, they quickly complied.

After narrowly escaping Sygax’s beating wings, Katie wiped sweat from her brow. She was just propping herself in a sitting position when a loud thud rattled the stone shelf underneath her. “Shit! That was a little too close!”

“Sygax?” Edward hollered toward the dark mouth of the cave. “Are you all right?” Quickly rising to his feet, he moved toward the blackness like a concerned parent.

The impact of his landing had dazed him for a few seconds, but after shaking his head to clear it, he heard the near panic in Edward’s voice. “I’m fine,” Sygax announced, the deep rumble of his words echoing from the walls of the cave.

As Edward approached the dark opening, the young dragon’s proclamation had barely reached his ears when a deafening roar belched from the depths of the blackness. The force of it shook the stone walls and created a gust of hot wind unlike anything the group had ever experienced before. Katie, Julie, and Brian were more likely to have felt something similar in the past, all three of them originally coming from portions of the United States that were known for their abundance of tornado activity, but they had never encountered wind velocities of this magnitude ... especially not from an up close and personal perspective. When the gust lessened in intensity, they were all thankful they hadn’t been blasted from their tenuous, rocky perch. Although his ears were ringing, and everything sounded like it was underwater to him, Edward heard Sygax’s muffled reply, the young dragon following up with a roar of his own.

Seconds later, the walls vibrated like a tuning fork. Unable to understand the deep, rumbling voice, and feeling as if his ears were stuffed with cotton, Edward saw Sygax turn toward him. It appeared as if the creature was trying to tell him to stay put. The youngster held out one of his front claws as if he were a traffic cop, and disappeared from sight shortly after making the gesture.

Several tense minutes passed as Edward and his friends huddled close to the mouth of the cave, waiting for Sygax to return. When the young dragon reemerged, he was not alone. The ground shook when the new arrival stomped toward the group, its massive head poking from the darkness above Sygax. The creature’s large, golden eyes narrowed suspiciously, and it studied the humans with mistrust.

“I told you that there was another of my kind nearby,” Sygax announced excitedly. “Her name is Skarr.”

Katie was ready to bolt. Her fear of the young dragon turning on them was dwarfed by the terror she now felt. Calling the ancient creature behind Sygax huge seemed like the biggest understatement of her life. The beast’s head alone was nearly as large as the young dragon’s entire body! She could easily imagine Skarr using humans as toothpicks, but couldn’t even begin to fathom what a meal would consist of for the enormous beast. Before she could turn and run, Edward clamped a firm hand around her wrist.

Seeing Katie’s horrified expression, he whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t run. I know you are scared out of your wits right now, but try really hard to appear calm and unafraid.” He watched her Adam’s apple bob slowly, unsure of how much his words would soothe her. Letting out a calming breath through her slightly pursed lips, she nodded her understanding.

Edward quickly turned his attention back to the ancient dragon, fervently hoping his momentary lapse in focus hadn’t been perceived as an insult. His mind insisted that he do something to appease Skarr, lest she decide to turn all of them into charred bits on the stone floor of the cave.

Casting a nervous, sideways glance at Brian and Julie, Katie was shocked to see the awed expressions they wore on their faces. She couldn’t comprehend why they weren’t as terrified as she was. However, when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, she quickly turned her attention back to the mythical beings in front of her ... and saw Edward drop to one knee and bow before the beast as if it was royalty. Within seconds, Katie realized that she was the only member of the group still standing. Brian and Julie had followed Edward’s lead, and were posing in the same manner. Even though she didn’t share everyone else’s opinion, she quickly assumed a similar stance so that she didn’t appear out of place or disrespectful.

As Skarr regarded the group, she realized by the positioning of the humans—Edward knelt alone in front of his friends, while the remainder of the group formed a line behind him—that the foremost individual was likely the leader of the small party. Before she could open her mouth to address him, Sygax moved forward and stood beside Edward, placing one of his front claws on the wizard’s shoulder in a friendly manner. “Skarr, I would like you to meet my friend, Edward. He is a sorcerer, and the only one of the humans who can understand our speech. Although, the young, dark-haired woman in the middle behind him has also aided me by giving me my first lessons in hunting.” He knew Katie couldn’t understand a thing he’d just said, but he turned to briefly regard her nonetheless, the corners of his mouth lifting upward in a smile-like expression, hoping the friendly gesture would somehow ease her apprehension.

The ancient dragon took a step closer to the humans, cocking her head slightly, her pupils expanding as she curiously studied the wizard. Skarr paused briefly, waiting for Edward to raise his head and meet her gaze. “Why have you come to my lair?” Even though the rumble of her voice rattled the stagnant air of the cave, her tone was light and inquisitive.

“In truth, we stumbled upon your home by accident,” Edward admitted humbly, lifting his eyes to meet Skarr’s gaze. “Sygax had informed us that he felt there was one of his kind close by, but we didn’t expect to actually find another like him. Especially one as majestic as yourself,” he added, bowing his head again in hopes that his flattery would gain the dragon’s respect.

“I appreciate your honesty, young wizard. I haven’t spoken with a human in a very long time, but I must admit that I don’t recall your race being friendly to my kind.” Her golden eyes narrowed once more as she lowered her massive head, her snout a mere foot from Edward’s head, almost as if she were expecting a hostile response and preparing herself to swallow him whole.

“Let me assure you, my friends and I mean you no harm. Unless you do something to jeopardize our new relationship, you will be treated with the utmost respect,” Edward stated.

A brief rumble formed in Skarr’s throat. “Bold words for one so puny,” she hissed. “My kind is a noble race, and does not lower themselves to the treachery of humans. You can guarantee, if a dragon gives his word or vow, it is not given lightly.”

Edward took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “My apologies, Skarr. I did not mean to offend you, and I’m sorry if I have,” he responded in a hushed tone once his nerves had calmed.

The ancient beast studied the wizard’s expression, searching for signs of deception. Finally, her head rose and she backed away slightly. “Your apology is accepted.”

When Edward turned and relayed the dragon's words to his friends, a collective breath of relief reached his ears, even though they'd tried to hold it in. It was obvious to him that the tension in the air had eased up considerably, so he turned to look at his friends. Brian and Julie had raised their heads, and both wore ear-to-ear grins on their faces. Katie, however, remained sullen and withdrawn. Instead of meeting Edward’s gaze, she glanced to her left at the setting sun.

Chapter 15

In no mood to join in on the excited chatter of her companions, Katie sat on the edge of the rocky ledge at the lip of the cave with her legs dangling over the side. Staring out over the vast sea, she noticed not one, but two, ships were floating in the water beside each other, perhaps a half of a mile offshore. She briefly considered communicating her discovery to the others, but in her current state of mind she decided against it. She was not in the mood for conversation, and with her emotions churning like a violent storm, it was probably better that she kept her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted to do was start another argument, which seemed like something she had a knack for lately.

Lost in her thoughts, Katie didn’t hear the scuff of approaching footsteps. Startled when Julie’s hand touched her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin, and almost slipped from the outcropping of rock. If her friend had not clamped her grip on Katie’s upper arm when she did, the resulting fall would have been fatal.

“Jesus! You scared the crap out of me!”

“I’m really sorry, Katie. I honestly thought you heard me coming,” Julie apologized. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting kind of strange today, and it’s starting to make me worry.”

For a moment, Katie assumed that Edward had sent her friend over to check on her, but when she turned to face Julie, she saw that the expression of concern in her eyes appeared genuine. Inwardly, she cursed herself for ever doubting her best friend. A tear blazed a zigzag path down her cheek, which Julie saw immediately and wiped away. “I’m sorry, too. I guess I’ve been spending more time inside of my head than I should. This whole aging thing has really been hard to deal with,” Katie confessed.

“Shit! I don’t know how I forgot about that,” Julie admitted, cheeks turning red as she sat down on the ledge beside her.

Offering a weak smile, Katie exhaled a gentle sigh through her nose. “I do,” she remarked, hiking a thumb toward the mouth of the cave. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed by something you never imagined was real. It’s almost like watching everyone you know go through a second childhood.”

“I must admit, I felt that way when I first realized my recent captivity wasn’t toying with my mind and making me hallucinate dragons, but now … the novelty of them seems to have worn off a little. You have to accede one thing though,” Julie stated, pausing momentarily, “they should make very good allies.”

“You’re probably right,” Katie admitted, “but I don’t trust them.”

“I won’t pretend to understand why you feel that way. You should at least give them a chance, though.”

For a while, the two young women sat in silence. The sky had grown dark during their conversation, and they contented themselves with staring off into the black abyss of night.

***

As the first of Desolace’s moons crept above the horizon, footfalls approached. The small campfire that Edward had constructed in the mouth of the cave flickered in the slight breeze, casting strange, elongated shadows over the rocky ledge. A soft voice carried on the wind, and Katie turned toward the sound.

“Skarr has agreed to help us cross the sea,” Edward stated in a near whisper. Julie’s head whipped around, and an excited expression bloomed on her face after she'd heard the declaration.

“That is great news!”

Katie remained silent for a few seconds, as if she were brooding over the announcement. A sigh hissed through her narrowly parted lips. What she wanted more than anything was for the mythical beasts to prove their loyalty by aiding them in a fight, but that opportunity hadn’t arisen yet. “Are you absolutely sure that the Throne of the Gods is on the other side?”

“I’m positive,” Edward replied. “Skarr has confirmed what I was told when I was younger.”

Although it was difficult for her to take the word of a dragon, she could see in Edward’s eyes that he was already convinced. “So, how is a dragon going to help us? Does it know how to steer boats?” She could tell by the expression on his face that he wasn’t taking her questions seriously. Thankfully, Edward didn’t indulge her sarcasm and allow Katie to start an argument. Instead, he answered her nonchalantly, being careful to keep his tone neutral.

“Skarr is going to permit us to ride upon her back, and will fly us to the southern lands.”

Distracted by Katie’s inquiry from a moment ago, Julie didn’t hear Edward’s explanation. If she had, she would likely have been unable to control her excitement. Seeing a dragon for the first time was one thing, but actually riding on one’s back would have felt like winning the lottery. Instead of being thrilled with the prospect of flying through the sky upon a mythical creature, Julie was preoccupied and confused. “Hold on a second. Katie, did you say boats?”

“Yeah, why?” She pointed toward the water below, a sliver of moonlight gleaming across the dark liquid and confirming Katie’s statement.

“Oh, shit!” Julie began scooting backward away from the ledge, a look of abject fear suddenly etched across her face.

“What’s wrong?” Edward asked as the blonde woman bumped into his legs, which prevented her from moving closer to the cave. When she glanced up at him, the only thing he could see in her eyes was terror.

Her lips trembled, and for a brief moment she wasn’t sure if she could speak. “One of those boats looks the same as the one that Mr. M put me on when he abducted me and brought me to this crazy world.”

The mere mention of their old school bus driver’s name caused Katie’s head to whip around as if it was on a swivel. “Are you—” The question died in her throat. Her mind spun furiously when the implications of Julie’s declaration struck her like a sledgehammer to the gut. Getting to the boat drifting offshore was no longer an option, and she nervously glanced past her friend to where the ancient dragon patiently stood. Illuminated by the flames of the small campfire, Skarr watched and listened while the humans exchanged information, wondering how long it would take them to realize they were out of other options. As Locking eyes with the enormous beast, Katie knew what she would have to do: she had to get over her fear of the mythical creature. Surely, it wouldn’t be long before Edward took charge of the situation and ordered everyone to climb onto the dragon’s back.

“If what you suggest is true, then our adversary must know where we are trying to go and is attempting to impede our progress. Perhaps even trying to stall us long enough for his metallic army to overtake our position,” Edward surmised. “We need to get moving before it is too late.” Hoping that his words would be enough to get everyone motivated, and focusing more on the coming journey than the potential hazard that lay in their path, he offered his hand. His palm felt as if it was vibrating when he helped the trembling woman to her feet. Edward turned his head to check on the shaman and saw Brian calmly standing beside Skarr, stroking the dragon’s neck as if it was a pet.

The ancient beast anticipated the humans, based on the direction of their conversation. Skarr lowered her body as close to the rocky ledge beneath her as she could manage. “Have your people climb on to my back,” she instructed in a deep, rumbling tone. “There should be plenty of space for everyone to be seated comfortably between the ridges along my spine. I would suggest, however, that all of you sit as close as you can to my neck. It will be a smoother ride, and won’t take as much effort on my part to maintain the lengthy flight.”

Edward nodded, then passed the information along to the rest of the group. “We are forever in your debt, Skarr. Words are not enough to express how much your aid is appreciated.” One by one, he helped his comrades on to the dragon’s back. Once they were atop the creature—the two women seated ahead of Brian, who took up the rearmost position—Edward scaled to his seat, with the help of a hand from Katie, at the base of Skarr’s neck. He was about to let the dragon know that they were ready when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to the side in an attempt to see who was trying to get his attention, but could only see enough to determine that the hand was feminine. “Yes?”

“What about Sygax?” Julie inquired, pointing toward the young dragon.

It was a good question, one that Edward hadn’t considered. He gazed down at Sygax, who didn’t seem the least bit concerned. “I am sorry,” he apologized softly. “It was not my intention to make you an orphan again, especially after you led us to another of your kind.”

A rumbling noise bubbled up from the young dragon’s throat, one that almost sounded like laughter. “There is no need to apologize, my friend. Even though I haven’t truly mastered flight, I have no plans to stay behind. I will try my best to follow.”

Knowing it would be next to impossible for her to change the youngster’s mind, Skarr sighed, certain that Sygax would not be able to sustain flight for the entire journey, and all but sure she would end up with one of two burdens before the end of the trip. Either she would have to endure the pain of losing kin, and watching the young dragon plummet from the sky, or she would end up carrying him across the sea in her claws, which could potentially end the flight before they reached the southern lands. With great trepidation, Skarr unfurled her wings and extended them fully, and after a swift downward stroke, she vaulted from the rocky ledge into the night sky.

Chapter 16

He wasn’t sure how he knew it, but as the Black Knight docked Morgana beside the ship floating offshore he felt certain that his adversaries had somehow managed to elude him and were, as ludicrous as it sounded, sneaking past him in the darkness. The open sea should have contained them and made their elimination easy. However, if his instincts were correct, the troublesome wizard and his friends had somehow found a way to cross the open water. He couldn’t figure out how, though. As far as he knew, there were no other vessels to carry them across the ocean. The skeletal crew—literally, because it was comprised of bony, reanimated corpses of the Black Knight’s once human enemies, who now bore allegiance to him—had obliterated all ships between the northern and southern land masses. This much he was positive of. He’d seen the carnage first-hand from the monitors in his lair before his departure.

While climbing aboard the massive war galley, he couldn’t help but wonder if George somehow had a hand in the escape of his enemies. Immediately after stepping on to the deck, the ship’s captain detained him before he could get to the hold, which was a secret area of the boat that only he had access to. Much like his lair, it was equipped with monitors, which he was desperate to check. They would allow him to see what George was up to.

“Welcome aboard the Executioner’s Rage,” the scruffy, bearded skeleton announced in greeting.

The Black Knight sneered at the captain as he pushed past him without a word, suddenly remembering why he had never visited the ship before now. He hated the way these abominations spoke. Listening to their awful pirate lingo was like hearing fingernails scraping over a chalkboard.

Barely turning in time to see the demon’s back before it disappeared into the depths of the ship, the captain shouted at the Black Knight in a gravelly, rattling voice, “Can I help ye find something?”

Hesitating on the top stair, the Black Knight whipped his head around, his yellow eyes like flames burning in his skull as he fixed the skeleton with a glare that might have killed him had he not already been dead. In response, the captain held up his bony hands in surrender, backing away slowly like a child afraid of being beaten by an abusive parent. It was the only way he could think of to placate the raging entity, and thankfully it seemed to work. In a swirl of blackness, the Black Knight disappeared down the steps.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the Black Knight moved down a short hallway that appeared to come to a dead end. Without so much as a pause in his stride, he walked through the mirage that was constructed to keep others out. The image shimmered briefly when he passed through it; if someone had witnessed the event, it would probably have looked like the demon had stepped into a vertical body of water, due to the rippling effect of the image. It was reminiscent of the tiny waves caused by dropping a stone into a pond.

As soon as he was inside of the secret chamber, motion sensors stirred the electrical equipment to life. Brightly glowing disks embedded in the ceiling flooded the room with light; a wall, similar to the one he used in his lair, flickered for a moment before each of the computer screens blinked on. He narrowed his eyes, searching for the monitor that was linked to the three-headed mount he’d given to George. When he thought he had found it, the Black Knight studied the screen with a scowl. The image was stationary, and seemed to be coming from atop the nearby cliff. The angle of the view told him this, showing a downward, panoramic scene of the ocean. The ship he was on, as well as Morgana, was nothing more than a speck of darkness on the moonlit sea.

Knowing that George should be scouring the countryside for the troublesome group of his adversaries—because he’d been instructed to do so at night, and remain hidden during daylight hours—but unsure of why the metallic creature wasn’t moving, the Black Knight pressed a button beneath the console. “What are you doing?” He kept his voice low, in the event that his enemies were close by, but the underlying tone of the question made his mood abundantly apparent. When his new servant did not immediately reply, the demon drummed his skeletal fingers on the screen impatiently. He inquired again, this time raising his voice a notch in irritation. His anger grew when his question remained unanswered, and the familiar yellow glow of his eyes shifted, becoming obsidian in a reflection of his mood. Suddenly, he noticed a slight trembling in the image displayed on the monitor, but the Black Knight wasn’t sure if something was shaking the camera, or if the blood pounding in his eyeballs was causing the anomaly.

***

After spotting the dragon, George withdrew a few feet further into the forest. It provided him with enough cover to mask his presence, but allowed him to maintain sight of the mythical creature. As the beast continued to flap its wings, hovering in the air just beyond the cliff’s edge, he briefly considered returning to his three-headed steed. Surely, the Black Knight would want to know about the possible complication of his plans, but it would likely entail having to speak with Verin again. The mere thought of dealing with the formless demon turned his stomach, which was strange when he considered the deeds of his past. With all of the people he’d tortured and killed in his lifetime, not one of which had ever caused even the slightest stirring of queasiness, putting up with the vile creature should have been something as nonchalant as tying a shoe.

He took a deep breath and quickly blew it out, his cheeks puffing as he did, making him look like a squirrel with a mouthful of nuts. While he’d been lost in thought, the dragon had disappeared from sight. He hadn’t noticed until now, and wasn’t sure where the creature had gone. He briefly scanned the canopy of darkness overhead, but neither saw nor heard any indication of the beast being nearby. After the quick and fruitless search, George inched closer to the edge of the cliff. He was still unable to locate the flying menace, but discovered something far more interesting. The flames of a campfire flickered below him, revealing a rocky outcrop fifty to one hundred feet down. Two of the four individuals who comprised the small party he’d been following were visible, sitting beside each other on the edge of the stone surface.

As he contemplated the possibilities of infiltrating the group, and attempting to possess the body of one of the figures sitting on the ledge as he’d done to the wizard’s mother back in the abandoned town, he felt a slight tremble in the ground underneath his feet. It seemed to indicate that the Black Knight’s army of machines was closer than he’d thought, which suggested he would need to return to his mount. If he was to keep up his ruse with his demonic master, he would have to relay his findings to Verin, no matter how much he despised the ghost-like entity in charge of the army.

With a reluctant sigh, George moved away from the cliff’s edge and worked his way through the underbrush. By the time he reached his mechanical steed, the thundering boom of falling trees grew close enough that he felt like he was standing on a fault line during an earthquake. Any minute now, he would probably begin to see the moonlight reflecting from their metallic bodies. In preparation, he climbed on to the back of his mount and pressed the button to extend its wings. He took to the sky, but the crashing sounds suddenly stopped. After being airborne for less than a minute, he spotted Verin.

George maneuvered his steed toward the formless demon, and hovered in the sky several feet overhead. Before he could open his mouth to give his report, the terrifyingly familiar sound of wings beating the air erupted from somewhere behind him. It was apparent that Verin was oblivious to the noise as he stared up at George in disgust, loathing the fact he was forced to deal with a human, who for whatever reason seemed to be ignoring his presence.

“What information do you—” Verin began to demand, but was interrupted by the booming voice of his master.

“George!” The Black Knight’s hostility was apparent as the lone word roared from the flying machine, snapping his servant’s attention away from the possible threat to the more immediate demands of the demon. “Where are my enemies?”

“I—I’m not sure,” he stammered.

“What?” The sheer volume and force of the word caused the metallic hide of the three-headed monstrosity to shudder, much like an aircraft from Earth experiencing turbulence.

“The last I saw of them, they were climbing down the cliff. I’m not positive if they’re even alive anymore, however, because moments ago I heard what I believe was the same, fire-breathing creature I encountered a while back. You know, the one you refused to admit existed?” He wanted the question to sound angry and sarcastic, but the trembling of his tone made the words rolling from his lips have little impact. Yet, the implications of his query caused the Black Knight to pause.

When he finally spoke, though anger remained in his voice because of the insolence of his subject, his reply came in a more subdued tone. “Tell Verin to lead my army down to the beach. I’ll be there shortly. By the sounds of it, my enemies are trying to reach the southern lands, possibly in an effort to request aid from my father. It is absolutely imperative that we prevent them from speaking to him.”

After hearing the demon’s admission, the gears in his head spun wildly. Never in a million years would George have considered the possibility that the Black Knight had a family.

Chapter 17

When they departed from the relative safety and shelter of the cave on Skarr’s back, Edward worried that one or more of his friends might tumble off, falling to the waters below with such force that it would surely bring about their immediate death. It took a bit of getting used to because the ride was extremely rough at first, but after a few minutes of adjusting to the way the dragon moved as it flew, remaining seated became easier to manage.

The fact that Sygax had spotted the ships floating in the sea below them, and his subsequent insistence on attacking the vessels, only served to make their journey more dangerous. If Skarr hadn’t intervened and called the young dragon back, they would likely be locked in combat with an unknown foe right now.

Since then, the boats had become a distant memory, but hardly forgotten. Everyone, especially Julie, understood that the danger the ships presented had only been avoided temporarily. If she is correct, and the vessels belong to the dark forces arrayed against us, it’s likely they are lying in wait for the army of machines in order to transport them across the sea, Edward thought. Hopefully we can get far enough ahead of them that we can obtain the assistance of the gods before we are forced to engage them. If not, I can only pray that the aid of the dragons will be sufficient to thwart their efforts. He sighed softly, the cool night air stinging his cheeks when Edward turned his head to check on Sygax. So far, he seemed to be keeping pace with Skarr nicely. It was difficult to tell, but the young dragon didn’t appear the least bit tired. That was a good sign.

After the first couple of hours of their flight, both of Desolace’s moons shone down on them from directly overhead. Gazing into the distance, the only thing that could be seen in every direction was the eerily calm waters of the ocean. There wasn’t even a hint of land anywhere in sight, causing Edward to wonder just how long this journey would be. He'd begun to turn his eyes to the front again, but the barely audible sound of a female voice reached his ears.

Sitting behind Katie, Julie tilted her head to one side. She tried to think back to the start of their journey. When the dragon had left the ledge outside of her cave, Julie hadn’t remembered her friend’s long brown locks bothering her in the slightest as the wind swept them behind her. Now, however, the end of Katie’s hair was brushing against her nose and cheeks as the stiff breeze blew through it. At first, she merely found the tickling sensation mildly annoying, but when she realized why her friend’s mane was suddenly a nuisance, Julie gasped in shock. Initially, she had brushed the matter off, thinking Katie had leaned back, but as her mouth hung open in disbelief, she saw that it wasn’t the case at all. Not only had her best friend’s hair grown longer, there were now silvery streaks intertwined in the darker strands. She’s aging again! Taking a quick glance skyward, Julie got the impression by the positioning of the moons that it was near midnight.

“Are you all right?” she shouted, tapping her friend’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure if Katie would hear the panic in her tone, but it was obvious she had at least heard the question.

As she craned her head to look back at Julie, the wind swept Katie’s hair in such a manner that it made her features unreadable. “I’m hungry and tired,” she yelled, not yet realizing the change her body was going through. When she noticed the pained expression on her friend’s face, she became confused. Obviously, she was missing a vital piece of information. “Why?”

In response, Julie lifted one of her hands, releasing her grip on the spiked ridge of the dragon’s back she’d been clinging to, and reached out toward her friend, grasped a lock of her hair, and held it still so Katie could see the altered coloration.

Tears streaked down her cheeks when her eyes fell on the gray tendrils mixed in with her normal hair color. Immediately, she understood Julie’s concern. For a while, she had forgotten about the curse of aging that the fairies had placed upon her, but now it was not something she could ignore. Suddenly, she felt like she was dying, as if she could actually feel her life being sucked away. It wasn’t her intention to worry Julie further, but Katie turned her head and stared blankly at Edward’s back. She was afraid that her friend would see the despair in her eyes.

At first, when he craned his neck to see what the commotion behind him was about, the only thing he saw was the back of Katie’s head. When she finally turned toward him again, Edward noticed the dampness of her cheeks. Obviously, she was upset about something and had been crying. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong and decided against it, offering her a weak smile instead. Edward wished there was a way he could comfort her, but it would be difficult and awkward to do while they were flying. Turning back around, he resolved to do everything in his power for Katie once they landed.

***

When the Black Knight emerged from the hold, the crew was in a flurry of motion. In his absence, apparently the captain of the Executioner’s Rage had tasked his bony sailors with swabbing the deck. The dark liquid they pushed around with their mops glistened in the moonlight, giving the wooden planks the appearance of being slick with blood. Although, since the Black Knight was the only one aboard comprised of flesh and blood, it seemed unlikely that the fluid was anything other than water.

His clawed feet allowed him to maintain his balance while he crossed the deck and approached the captain, his elongated toenails clicking on the boards. “Head for shore,” he hissed, saliva glistening from his fang-like teeth. “My army should be waiting on the beach when you get there. Upon your arrival, load as many of my soldiers on board as you can. I will transport the remainder on my ship. Once the last of them are aboard, you will follow me to the southern lands. There, the army will disembark, and you can return to your normal duties.”

***

As Verin reached the cliff’s edge, he spotted the two vessels in the sea. They were slowly moving toward the shore. Turning toward the army, he began to issue orders. “All of you, use caution when you climb down. The surface looks sheer, so do what you can to prevent yourselves from falling.” His last comment, of course, was mostly directed toward the impish minions that he considered to be dense, especially in matters that required a measure of intelligence. “I’ll meet you on the beach, and give new orders at that time.”

Despite their lack of intellect, Verin was pleased to notice the tiny demons had a small amount of common sense. Knowing they wouldn’t be able to descend the steep surface on their own, they climbed on to the larger machines and clung to their metal bodies like leeches. Satisfied that things seemed to be in order, Verin descended to the sandy shore below, his ghostly form allowing him to drift down effortlessly, much like a soldier parachuting from a plane.

Upon reaching the sand, Verin turned his attention toward the approaching ships. A brief calculation told him that they would be close enough to board within a couple of minutes. Turning back to the cliff, he gazed upward to check the army’s progress. From the halfway point of the sheer surface, all the way to the forest at the top, a seething mass of silver fluttered down like a curtain dropping after a stage performance. Despite their smaller size, the tiniest of the machines seemed to be having less difficulty with the steep descent. The largest members of the army, the giant, troll-like monstrosities, though moving more slowly and deliberately, were creating a deluge of stone that fell to the ground like a meteor shower. If Verin wasn’t as insubstantial as a ghost, the downpour of rock might have killed him. Thankfully, he didn’t have that problem. The enormous machines had to punch their metal fists into the cliff to keep themselves from falling to the beach and becoming a huge pile of scrap, each strike forcing chunks of rock to break loose.

Before the first machine made it to the bottom of the steep slope, the Black Knight suddenly appeared by Verin’s side, his booming voice startling the formless demon. “Have my minions and the smaller members of the army board my ship when they get down here,” he instructed. “The remainder of the forces will be loaded on to the Executioner’s Rage. Understood?”

Verin bobbed his wispy head in acknowledgment. “As you wish, my Lord.”

Chapter 18

Almost as soon as the second moon dipped below the water at the limits of his vision, Edward saw the first light of the approaching dawn on the opposite horizon. In the muddled, deep orange glow, a welcomed sight blossomed in front of him … land. Even though the journey had only lasted one night, it felt like it had been forever since his feet had rested on solid ground. “We’re almost there,” he announced, turning his head to the side as he spoke, hoping that his friends could hear him. Katie obviously had, because she smiled weakly in response. However, her expression seemed lackluster, as if she really didn’t care one way or the other about his declaration.

With a sigh, he turned his eyes to the southern land mass, which was swiftly drawing nearer. Before he could shout instructions to Skarr, the ancient dragon began to descend. Whether she was anticipating his request, or merely landing in the first available place she could find, Edward wasn’t certain. The latter made more sense to him. Surely, after flying for several hours with creatures on her back that she wasn’t used to carrying, Skarr would likely need to rest. Surprisingly, Sygax had managed the journey without aid. For a creature that had barely learned how to fly before they left the northern lands, the young beast had done exceptionally well. Not once did he cry out for help, and taking his youthfulness into consideration, it was equally amazing that Skarr had only reprimanded the youngster once.

Unsure of how rough the landing would be, Edward shouted back to his comrades, instructing them to brace for impact. He was delightfully surprised when Skarr touched down, the finesse of their arrival barely stirring the sand beneath the dragon’s massive, clawed feet. If it weren’t for the deep imprints in the ground, it would have been as graceful as a feather floating down from the heavens. Sygax, however, was not as fortunate when he landed. His legs tangled up beneath him, causing his descent to terminate in a wild flailing of limbs. The result of which, though somewhat comical in appearance, concluded with the young dragon crashing into the palm trees at the edge of the beach.

“Are you all right?” Edward jumped down from Skarr’s back and hurried over to the crumpled red form.

“It seems that my landing needs a bit of work,” Sygax groaned, slowly unfolding his knotted limbs and rising unsteadily to his feet.

Edward chuckled, patting the young dragon’s neck affectionately. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually. The first time doing anything always seems a bit rough. At least you didn’t kill yourself, or get injured badly.” Once he was certain that Sygax had suffered no ill effects from the crash, Edward returned to the older beast and his friends. Foremost in his mind was the matter of Katie’s continued aging. It hadn’t been as noticeable in the night sky, but with the rising sun slowly brightening the day, the abundance of gray streaks in her hair was impossible to miss. She looks older than me now, he mused. He tried not to let his sadness show, but the downturn of his lips gave it away. Thankfully, it wasn’t Katie who caught him frowning.

After seeing Edward’s expression, Julie turned her back toward the wizard, hiding the tears that were beginning to form. Attempting to appear busy, she searched Skarr’s ridged spine for their supplies. “Shit!” She stomped her feet angrily, and spun back to face the others. “We didn’t bring anything other than our weapons with us! No food, no water, no blankets … nothing!”

Her outburst caused Edward to take a step back, and as he did, another thought occurred to him. They would either have to travel on foot, or ride Skarr in order to get to the Throne of the Gods. They no longer had use of the mechanical horses they’d grown accustomed to. As he realized this, Julie’s tirade struck home. All of their supplies had been stored in the cavernous chest compartments of their former mounts.

“Why does it seem like this mission keeps going from bad to worse?” Katie sank to her knees, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed.

***

As Verin began to prepare the machines for their descent, George—the inner monster hiding within the shell of his former, younger self—contemplated his options. On one hand, he was tempted to leave the mortal body he temporarily called home to infiltrate a machine. However, it wasn’t only the lack of control he would be able to exert over the mechanical construct that gave him reason to pause. Doing so would leave the young man he currently resided in completely on his own, and out of his realm of influence. All things considered, it wasn’t a risk worth taking. The most obvious problem it could cause would be devastating to his plans. The Black Knight would surely notice the difference. As much as he hated to admit it, things would be much simpler if he stayed put. He despised being depicted as the demon’s lapdog, but it was something he had to do for now. There should be ample opportunities for him to reverse his situation in the near future.

Since the Black Knight’s voice no longer boomed from within his three-headed steed, George assumed he was preoccupied with matters concerning his army. He hoped he wasn’t wrong because, if so, things could get ugly real quick. Pulling back on the lever at the base of his mount’s center neck, he urged the machine into the sky. Once he was above the canopy, what was left of it, he maneuvered the metallic beast in tight circles, trying to avoid detection. At the same time, he used the opportunity to keep track of the army’s descent and the process of them being loaded upon the ships. It gave him something to occupy his mind while he also searched the night sky for any indications that a dragon was near. If the Black Knight hadn’t interrupted him earlier, he would have been able to maintain visual contact with the creature instead of worrying about the possibility of a surprise attack.

Thankfully, George didn’t have too much time to dwell on the what ifs. Within fifteen minutes, the last remnant of the machines comprising the Black Knight’s army had reached the sandy shore below, and shortly thereafter were efficiently loaded upon the waiting vessels. Once the last of the mechanical monsters were aboard, the two ships swiftly departed, becoming mere dots on the watery horizon in a matter of minutes.

To further ease his mind, George waited until he couldn’t even detect a speck on the sea. Once he was sure there was no possibility of the Black Knight spotting him—lest he employed the use of the surveillance camera, hidden somewhere in one of his mount’s metallic skulls—he urged his three-headed steed higher, climbing through the night sky until the air started to feel thin. Hopefully, by ascending to this height, he would be able to avoid potential encounters with dragons. Surely, they would not carry their human passengers to such an altitude. As George urged the mechanical beast forward, and the cold wind began to assault his face, he contemplated the next phase of his plan.

***

After Skarr’s proclamation that it could be a considerable amount of time before she would be ready to fly again, Edward had urged everyone to the relative shelter of a nearby stand of palm trees. The flight to reach the southern lands had been long, though not as lengthy as he imagined it would be, and he knew his friends needed to rest, especially Katie. Her appearance might have been a result of the rapid aging process she was undergoing, but it could also be explained away as stress. To Edward, she looked as haggard as Jonas—the last living elder of Elysia, who had perished in the battle to save the greatest city on Desolace—though, with considerably less gray hair ... for now at least. Who knew how long that situation would remain true? At the rate Katie was aging, it was completely within the realm of possibility for her to succumb to death from old age within the next couple of days.

The mere thought of Katie’s impending demise made Edward second guess his decision to rest. Time was of the utmost importance. If they didn’t reach the Throne of the Gods in time, she would pay the ultimate price. As much as she grated on his nerves lately, it was unacceptable for her to die like that. He wasn’t sure why he felt so strongly about the young woman, other than the fact he’d spent so much time with her and grown to be close. Part of him cared for Katie as if she were a friend or sibling, and another part insisted that he actually loved her. What he did know was that if Katie died because he couldn’t get help for her in time, a significant part of him would die right along with her. In the case that such a thing were to happen before the group reached the Throne of the Gods, it could spell disaster. Supposing that he wasn’t fit to lead the party, it would likely mean that darkness consuming the world was inevitable. The gods would surely fall, and life—provided it could be consider such—wouldn’t be worth living. He would rather die than see Desolace a barren wasteland, defiled and destroyed by an evil that all but promised to corrupt every living thing.

Chapter 19

Shortly after taking flight, George soared past the ships bearing the Black Knight’s army. The vessels were barely visible from his current altitude, tiny twinkles of light that might have gone unnoticed if he hadn’t known where to look. Once they were behind him, he focused his attention on the pitch black curtain of night in front of him, hoping that the illumination provided by the moons and stars would give him sufficient warning if he was flying too close to the dragon. He recalled the Black Knight’s mention of a land mass beyond the sea, but since he was unfamiliar with the geography of Desolace, George had no clue how long the flight would take. It could be minutes, hours, or even days, for all he knew.

Unsure of how much time had passed, but feeling as if it had been at least a couple of hours, a cloud scuttled across the sky and briefly obscured the moons. With only the foreign constellations to guide him, George felt as if he were flying through a void in space. During the almost eclipse-like shroud of darkness, a faint glimmer below caught his eye. It was almost like gazing on a star from the heavens, the effect of which disoriented him and made him feel as if he no longer could judge what was up and what was down. He did the only thing he could think of to combat his confusion: he nudged the control lever of his mount forward. The air around him warmed slightly as he descended, and after a few minutes the shimmering glow began to solidify, becoming a distinct shape George immediately recognized as the meddlesome spirit that seemed attached at the hip with one or more of the humans he was following.

Not wishing to draw attention to himself, he jerked the lever back. Once he felt like he’d obtained a safer altitude, one that virtually eliminated the possibility of being spotted, George allowed the control to snap into its original, upright position, thus causing the flight of his steed to level off. So far, so good. If the spirit knew he was nearby, it gave no indication of such. It continued to glide in a straight line, presumably in the direction the humans had fled to.

When the first of the moons crept from behind the cloud cover, George had trouble distinguishing the ghost from the white orb’s reflection on the water. He was relatively certain that the spirit hadn’t suddenly changed course, and he found himself wishing his three-headed steed had an autopilot feature, or perhaps even the ability to be set to follow a specific target. The thought of this brought a smile to his otherwise emotionless face, reminiscing for a moment about the world of computers he’d left behind, and the MMO’s he used to enjoy playing in his spare time … provided that he didn’t have a new toy chained up in the basement to play with. Nothing was more fun than that!

Since stepping through that portal and finding himself in a foreign place, George frequently became bored. Not that there weren’t things to feed his need for chaos and death, but it was frustrating when he looked back at his time on Desolace and realized his opportunities to be his true self had been basically muted. Hunting for new victims was half of the fun, and he rarely got to do that here. Sure, on rare occasions, the Black Knight indulged him, but it was far from the same as torturing someone in the intimacy of his own farmhouse. He’d spent so long constructing the secret chamber in the basement, and it seemed a shame to have the dust and cobwebs of his absence building on its concrete walls as if it were an ancient artifact.

Lost in his thoughts, he considered whether or not his continued residence in the body of his younger self was what he truly wanted. When he’d first infiltrated the fleshy shell, it was really his only option. It had been essential to mask his presence from the Black Knight, lest his spectral form be obliterated by the demon, making it impossible to exact revenge for his death. Timing was everything, and he couldn’t help but feel that the hour of his salvation was close. As much as George had initially relished the idea of using his former self to carry out his plans, he now grappled with the restrictiveness of his situation. Once it had seemed like the ultimate way to subvert the demon’s authority, but lately it only felt like a flesh covered prison. More than anything, George yearned for the freedom he’d gotten a taste of; the ability to accomplish things no mortal could dream of doing.

As desirable as it sounded, he knew he must pick and choose his battles. Surely the opportunity to step outside of his younger body would arise soon. If he acted prematurely, there was a good chance—hell, better than good, it was almost a guarantee—young George would run back to the Black Knight to tattle on him, or his disorientation would be sufficient to warn the demon of the deception he’d fallen for. Either way, the Black Knight’s fury would know no boundaries. Therefore, no matter how much George hated to admit it, he needed more time to formulate the plan for his vengeance.

Before he knew it, the first light of dawn crept above the horizon. His daydream abruptly interrupted by the encroaching daylight, George glanced down and realized he could no longer see the ghostly form below. Silently, he berated himself for getting so lost in his mind that he’d been oblivious to everything else. For a brief moment, confusion and panic clouded his judgment. By sheer force of will, he pushed these feelings away. Gathering his thoughts, he turned his eyes to the front and was surprised to find a glimmer of hope. Knowing that as the sun rose he would be exposed and vulnerable, he aimed his steed toward the forested area below, which was rapidly growing larger with each passing second and made him feel like a fighter pilot zooming through the sky. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d expected to see when he finally encountered land, but the sight of palm trees was the last thing he had considered. It almost seemed as if he was about to crash in on someone’s exotic vacation, which was nothing like his true purpose.

During his final approach, George could just barely make out a reddish mass near the beach. He wasn’t positive, but he deemed it a near certainty that it was the dragon he’d seen last night. If he was right, it meant the group of adventurers was likely hidden in the foliage close by. He turned his mount to the left and searched for a place to land, hoping that the enormous mythical creature had not noticed his presence. The last thing he needed right now was to get blasted from the sky by a monstrous fireball.

***

The Black Knight’s rage boiled like a volcanic inferno, ready to burn the world to ashes at a moment’s notice. Although his anger should have been directed inward—it was his fault for the miscalculation—he lashed out at anyone dumb enough to cross his path, which in this case resulted in the deaths of several of his impish minions.

An hour after his army was loaded onto the two ships, he programmed Morgana to head toward the southern lands. What he had failed to take into consideration was that his computerized vessel only had two speeds, blazing fast and stop. The galley carrying his remaining forces was manned by dead sailors, and its movement was induced by a multitude of oars, dipped into the sea and manipulated by the skeletal crew. When the Black Knight realized how quickly he was leaving them behind, he cursed under his breath that he hadn’t commissioned another ship like his own to be built.

As he fumed about how much longer the journey would take due to the unforeseen circumstance, a new idea formed. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but it would definitely speed things up if it did. Commanding Morgana to a full stop, the Black Knight paced the deck.

The Executioner’s Rage pulled up alongside the futuristic vessel and the crew pulled the oars inside. The captain stroked his scruffy beard, curious as to why the other boat floated beside his like a dead fish. Had the strange ship encountered a malfunction that left it stranded? Pushing his men aside, he approached the rail and hailed the Black Knight, who immediately appeared and began issuing instructions to the captain.

Complying with the new orders, he paced the deck of the Executioner’s Rage, and commanded specific sailors to extend their oars. He knew the Black Knight was not patient, but he did the best he could and hoped it would be enough to keep him from the demon’s wrath. After a half an hour of delicate maneuvering, the galley was in place. Before he could signal Morgana that his vessel was positioned as ordered, the Black Knight suddenly appeared on the deck of the Executioner’s Rage, batting the captain aside like he was no more significant than an annoying fly. Since the boarding plank had not been extended, the captain scratched his head in confusion, wondering how the demon had gotten from one ship to the other.

The Black Knight moved with eerie speed, stopping in front of his cowering subordinate, Verin. “I want you to command this machine,” he began, pointing toward one of the giant, troll-like sentinels, “to stretch itself between the vessels. Once it firmly has both ships in its grasp, come aboard Morgana and notify me.”

“As you wish, Master,” Verin replied, trying his best to keep fear from creeping into his tone. When the Black Knight returned to his vessel, the formless demon let out a slow breath. Ignoring the icy glare of the skeletal captain, Verin communicated his orders to one of the enormous machines. After a short series of clicks and beeps, it slowly lumbered to the front of the Executioner’s Rage and leaned forward over the gap between the ships, latching its metallic fingers on to Morgana’s hull. Once that was accomplished, it hooked its giant feet through the foremost rails of the galley. Emitting a flurry of mechanical noises, it let Verin know it was in position. Quickly, the formless demon drifted aboard his master’s craft and apprised the Black Knight that his order had been carried out.

Saliva dripping from his elongated teeth, he grinned. The burning embers of his eyes flickered momentarily, as if flames were about to shoot from the darkened sockets beneath his tattered black hood, then the Black Knight turned toward the controls. He pushed a button to set Morgana back in motion, the prior route map popping up on the display monitor. A countdown timer began ticking toward their arrival in the southern lands, which according to Morgana would take just over two hours.

The Black Knight stalked to the rear of his ship to inspect the mechanical giant, hoping his improvised tow-bar would hold up under the stress of dragging the wooden galley. When he saw that his idea was working, he hissed a sigh of relief. So far, so good. If the seas remain calm, there shouldn’t be any more problems. His face twisted with demonic glee as he returned to the front cabin.

Chapter 20

A familiar sensation tickled her brain, a faint recollection of something from the not so distant past. Turning her golden eyes away from the young dragon sleeping on the beach, Skarr lifted her head and studied the sky. If she had been ten feet closer to the softly lapping waves rolling onto the sand, she might have caught a glimpse of sunlight reflecting off the metallic creature above. She hadn’t seen it, though, so the alarm bells in her head remained silent. A hot gust of wind blew across the shoreline as she sighed, washing over Sygax like a warm blanket. The youngster cracked open one eye for a moment, then drifted back to sleep. Once he’d seen the motherly figure of the ancient female dragon watching over him, he was comfortable enough to get some much needed rest. He had done his best to not show weakness, or the fact that the journey to the southern lands had almost been too long for his wings to bear, and all he could do was hope the others would not want to take to the air again anytime soon. If they did, he would have to come clean about how much the flight had taken out of him.

Sitting beneath a small cluster of palm trees, Edward noticed the skyward glance of the ancient dragon. He almost followed the angle of her gaze, but knew the foliage overhead would prevent him from seeing anything. Still, for a few seconds he thought he’d heard something, but dismissed the notion when he realized that Skarr was showing no signs of being alarmed. He turned his attention back to his comrades, most of which were sleeping soundly. Katie, however, was obviously faking. Every now and then as he looked at her back, Edward would catch a glimpse of her side heaving unsteadily. He was pretty sure she was crying, keeping her face turned away from him so he couldn’t see her tears. It was almost like she was ashamed to show her feelings, as if they would somehow bring the rest of the group down.

After briefly considering how to handle the problem, Edward rose and approached the shaman. Softly shaking the man and speaking in hushed tones, just loud enough that Julie could hear what he was saying—provided she was sleeping less soundly than he thought—from where she lay a few feet away, he asked Brian to search for firewood. Even though he knew it wasn’t needed, since the morning air was already warming quickly, the red-haired man yawned and nodded with a grim expression. Julie, on the other hand—who had only been resting her eyes—saw Edward’s request as a ploy to be alone with Katie. Her lips pressed together in a tight line when concern for her friend’s well-being flooded her head.

Once the shaman got to his feet and began the search, Edward sidled closer to the blonde woman. While he had spoken with Brian, he had noticed the hitch in Julie’s breathing. Keeping the expression on his face neutral in case she turned to face him, he whispered, “Why—”

“I see what you’re trying to do,” Julie interrupted quietly, craning her neck and meeting the wizard’s gaze. “She doesn’t need a man to stir up her emotions right now. She needs comfort and compassion, something that only a person she’s spent her entire life with can provide.”

His jaw unhinged in disbelief. It was almost as if the young woman had seen directly into his mind. Although, her assumptions about his intention of creating emotional turbulence was unfounded. He wanted the same thing she did, but begrudgingly admitted that she was better suited to the task. With a pained expression, Edward nodded and lowered his head in defeat.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Julie whispered, watching as the grown man absently stared at the sand by his feet like a scolded child.

“I know you didn’t,” he remarked softly, raising his moistened eyes to meet hers. “You’re just trying to do what you think is best for her. I can’t hold that against you. I would probably do the same if I were you.”

She offered him a weak smile, hoping that her words and actions were not going to have a detrimental effect on Edward, and stood. He was the best suited to lead the group, and crushing his spirit could prove to be disastrous. With a quick, backward glance, Julie approached her friend.

***

By mid-afternoon, Edward and his comrades were ready to venture further south. After Julie’s earlier intervention, Katie had finally stopped crying and fallen asleep in her friend’s arms. The rapidly aging woman seemed more like her old self now, though her graying hair and arthritic movements reminded everyone that her time was growing short in a hurry. Despite the fact she felt more comfortable when she could see her ghostly friend, Amber, Katie agreed to start their journey without her. In her heart, she knew the spirit was with them. She didn’t need to be able to see her to realize the specter was always looking out for her.

As they got underway, the situation was less than ideal. Edward had fervently hoped that Skarr would be ready to fly again, but the ancient dragon told him otherwise. It would likely be nightfall before she’d regained sufficient strength to carry the group on her back once more. In the meantime, they would have to travel on foot.

It wasn’t too bad at first, the sparse population of palm trees being relatively easy to navigate, but within an hour that changed. The ground beneath their feet became more solid, instead of the sand they'd trudged through at the beginning of their long hike, which should have been a welcomed reprieve. However, as the soil gained firmness, the foliage grew thicker. They’d traded one obstacle for another, and now faced a humid tangle of underbrush and vines. To the two women in the group, it was reminiscent of the jungles in South America. Remembering the giant serpent she’d seen slithering over the gruesome compost of bones surrounding the Tree of Life, Katie half expected an enormous anaconda to strike at her from the shadows. For a snake that large, she would likely be a light snack. She’d heard stories of the behemoth reptiles swallowing a full grown cow, but she wasn’t sure how much truth was in those tales. One thing was certain, though: she had no desire to find out.

With the sun sinking low on the horizon, not that its light had been penetrating the gloom provided by the immense foliage around them, the growing blackness made it difficult to see where they were going. Thankfully, Amber didn’t require the sunset to become visible. The darkened corner of a room would have been sufficient.

Katie breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the familiar shimmering, ghostly glow. Tears of happiness streaked down her cheeks. Having not seen Amber since they'd left the northern lands, she hadn’t been sure the spirit would be able to follow them. She should have known better, though. Amber had sworn to help them, and Katie had trusted her word from day one.

***

It was late afternoon the following day when Morgana finally made landfall on the shore of the southern lands. The Black Knight’s impatience had been driven to the outer limits during the seemingly never-ending journey. He knew it would take at least half a day to sail across the ocean, but he hadn’t expected the reduction in speed caused by having to tow the Executioner’s Rage. By the same token, it would have been useless to show up on the sands of the southern land mass hours before the galley would have arrived. Even though he was nearly in a full-blown rage because of the delay, at least he had his entire army at his disposal.

Within an hour, the beach was filled with the glimmering metal forms of each and every mechanical monstrosity that had been loaded on the ships. Placing Verin in charge of the machines once more, the Black Knight boarded the galley. The greatest annoyance of the voyage, besides being forced to tow the slower vessel, had been the fact that he felt blind aboard Morgana. With all of the futuristic characteristics of the ship at his skeletal fingertips, she lacked the one thing that he prized above all else: the bank of monitors, which sat idle in the hold of the Executioner’s Rage. Although most of his abilities would seem god-like to nearly anyone he crossed paths with, the surveillance screens were the keys. Without them, he couldn’t see faraway places and things, and intervene from a distance like a true god.

The mere thought of this made his eyes grow black, hatred for what his father had done to him years ago, burning within him like an unquenchable inferno. The desire to settle the score, and take what was rightfully his, fueled his every action. One day soon, he would cast his father from the position of power he held and claim it as his own, crushing the withered god beneath him like an insect. Nothing would get in the way of that!

The captain of the galley tried to detain the Black Knight when he climbed aboard his vessel by hurling one question after another at him. His queries were ignored, the demon striding past him as if he was invisible, and disappearing down the stairs that led to the hold.

Passing through the wall at the end of the steps as if it was an open doorway, he entered the secret chamber and immediately began to scrutinize the monitors. When he found the image he was looking for, he stopped in his tracks. His claw-like toenails tapped the floorboards impatiently as he tried to determine his disciple’s location. Turning a knob beneath the screen, he swiveled the camera angle of the three-headed machine until he located George, who seemed to be asleep under a palm tree a short distance away. A sinister smile played upon the Black Knight’s hideous face, adjusting the controls under the monitor until the mortal was no longer displayed on its surface. “You’ve served your purpose, slave. You’re on your own now.”

He wasn’t sure how long he would have to wait, but got his answer a few minutes later when he began to hear a commotion overhead. At first it was only the muted scamper of bony feet rushing back and forth on the deck. The sound dwindled down shortly thereafter, and was immediately followed by a thud that shook the boards above him. His ride was here!

Chapter 21

A sharp, metallic noise jolted him from slumber. His eyelids snapped open, suddenly sure that his enemies had snuck up on him while he slept. However, George wasn’t the least bit prepared for what he saw. The mechanical beast he’d grown accustomed to extended its wings, almost as if someone was sitting upon its back and pressing the button near the base of its center neck. It seemed absurd. The intruder, if one was really there, was invisible. That fact alone should have made the feat impossible. He knew from firsthand experience that without having the substance of flesh and bone, interacting with the physical world was out of the question. As a ghostly apparition, the best he could do was take control over others by possessing them. That has to be it! Someone, or something, was infiltrating the shell of the three-headed machine. His first assumption was the formless demon in charge of the Black Knight’s army.

“You little fucking coward! Get your ass—” The rant died in his throat. George watched helplessly as his gifted steed rose into the air. Seconds later, the mechanical creature turned and headed toward the sea. He hadn’t expected that, and was forced to consider the possibility of being wrong about who or what was in control of the machine. If it was Verin, wouldn’t he be flying in the opposite direction?

His rapidly escalating anger threatened to darken his vision, and George was on his feet before he was aware that he’d risen. He jogged to the edge of the beach, the gently rolling waves lapping at the toes of his boots, and shielded his eyes from the sunlight glaring off the water with one hand. His steed circled in the sky, as if it was a vulture scouting for a carcass. After a few seconds, it descended like a dive-bombing seagull, swooping in for a meal ... yet there was no giant splash as the creature careened toward the sea. Instead, it landed with a loud thud upon the deck of a wooden warship.

It took a minute for George to comprehend what had just happened, then recognition washed over him. If he hadn’t spotted the strange, futuristic vessel—which referred to itself in a robotic voice as Morgana—he might not have put two and two together so quickly. The galley was obviously the same ship he had seen floating offshore from the edge of the cliff before he’d left the northern lands. The only thing he didn’t understand was why his steed had flown to it.

He was tempted to get a closer look, but as he gazed up the sandy shoreline he saw a swath of destruction cutting through the palm trees where the beach terminated. That could only mean one thing: the Black Knight’s army was here, and already marching south.

Temporarily distracted and immersed in thought, he didn’t notice when the three-headed machine rose from the deck of the Executioner’s Rage. It wasn’t until George heard the sound of demonic laughter above him that he turned his eyes skyward. Like a witch’s bubbling cauldron, his temper flared as he caught sight of the rider sitting on his mount’s back. The flowing black cape and the size of the figure told George it could only be the Black Knight who had stolen his steed, not that the creature had ever really been his. “Son of a fucking bitch!”

He shook his fist in the air angrily when the demon flew overhead, the mechanical beast quickly disappearing from sight as the Black Knight headed south. George paced the beach like a caged animal, trying to force his mind to work through the dilemma. Several minutes passed before the only true option presented itself to him. As good as it felt to be within his own body—although, he preferred his original skin to the younger substitute—it had outlived its usefulness. He’d known it would be a matter of time before it came to this. It was time to leave the mortal world behind. At least for a while.

***

Amber’s presence should have uplifted the spirits of everyone, but instead it only allowed the group to see just how dire their predicament was. When they had landed in the southern lands this morning, Skarr had indicated that she wouldn’t have the strength to fly again until nightfall. At the time, it had been less of a concern than it was now. With Amber’s ghostly glow to light their path, Edward’s hopes sank. There was no way the ancient dragon would be flying anytime soon. The dense, jungle foliage was barely providing enough room to move, and if the humans of the party were having trouble pushing their way through the thick underbrush, Skarr would definitely not have room to spread her wings.

As if that was not bad enough, an hour ago they had begun to hear the familiar crashing of falling trees to their rear. Edward had hoped that by flying across the ocean, he and his friends had left the mechanical army behind like a bad memory. Unfortunately, the commotion behind them said otherwise. Not only had he been wrong to assume they were safe, it was beginning to look like a confrontation was inevitable, and much sooner than he’d anticipated. He glanced at Katie nervously, knowing that she would be less and less useful as time passed. Unless, of course, the battle would hold off until they reached the Throne of the Gods. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem likely.

Julie hesitated when another resounding crash made the ground beneath her feet tremble. She glanced back over her shoulder like a frightened rabbit. “We aren’t going to make it, are we?”

At the sound of despair in her voice, everyone shuffled to a stop. Before Edward could attempt to say anything to comfort his friends, Sygax spoke in his deep, rumbling tone. “I will turn back and try to stall them,” he offered courageously, staring directly at the wizard and awaiting approval.

“I can’t, in good conscience, allow you to do that.” Edward frowned, his voice quivering with emotion. “It would be suicide to go back there. Surely you must realize that.”

Although they couldn’t understand the dragon’s speech, Brian and the two women easily figured out what was being said by listening to Edward’s responses. As much as she fought with trust issues regarding the dragons, Katie realized the sacrifice Sygax would be making if he attempted to take on the army of machines by himself. The young dragon’s willingness to put himself in harm’s way was admirable, but instead of making Katie feel better, she suddenly felt like a fool. When she’d been a young girl, she had dreamed of and adored mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns. So why, as an adult, was she leery of their noble intentions? A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and she broke away from the others to approach Sygax, who eyed her curiously as she stopped before him. “I’m sorry for ever doubting you,” she whispered sadly, throwing her arms around the young dragon’s neck.

Shocked gazes passed between Edward, Brian, and Julie. None of them had expected this from Katie, especially considering the way she’d been acting since discovering that Sygax had spent his youth feasting on human flesh. A weak smile bloomed on the wizard’s face, thinking for the first time in a while that maybe, just maybe, things would get better. Katie’s seemingly new outlook on their mythical companions gave Edward hope, which was something all of them could really use right now. Begrudgingly, he approached the young beast. Putting one hand on Katie’s shoulder and the other on the dragon’s snout, Edward’s voice trembled when he said, “I withdraw my objection, Sygax. If you truly wish to attempt stalling the machines, I won’t stand in your way. Go with our blessings.”

“No!” Skarr’s booming tone shook the surrounding trees.

***

Disoriented, George regained consciousness on the sandy, unfamiliar shore. The bright afternoon sun reflected off of the sea, making it nearly impossible to gain his bearings. He rubbed his eyes, feeling like the landscape before them was a dream he could will away. A migraine threatened, his head pounding so hard that it made the simple task of focusing on any one thing a preposterous notion. Massaging his temples, he opened his eyelids as much as he dared.

Where the hell am I? How did I get here? As painful as the prospect was, George searched his aching brain for answers. The last thing he remembered was being whisked through a black void by some sort of evil creature or demon, feeling ripped apart and reassembled as he stepped into the strange portal, and finding himself standing in an enormous chamber of horrors. Before entering the crucifix filled room with its emaciated prisoners chained on to wooden frames, he had thought there was something wrong with himself because he found delight in torturing people. It was nothing compared to the display in front of him, though. Whoever had strung these individuals up was obviously much more twisted than he ever was. At least he was merciful, in his mind anyway, taking his captives’ lives before they wasted away. What was the point of having nude prisoners on display if they weren’t worth looking at?

He gazed through his squinted eyelids, and the memory instantly faded. The sound of softly lapping waves reinforced the harsh reality he now faced. There wasn’t a single shred of familiarity in his surroundings. Living most of his life in Ohio, the closest thing to this was standing on the shores of Lake Erie, which was obviously not what lay before him. These waters were clear, like the untainted sea of some exotic and remote location, not the murky brown of the great lake near his home.

The sun disappeared behind a wispy cloud, easing the glare from the ocean and allowing George to open his eyelids further. He shielded his eyes in case the fiery orb reappeared, and inhaled sharply. Until now, he hadn’t noticed the beached vessels. The sight of them forced doubts of his sanity to surface. Both looked out of place in the almost serene environment. One seemed to be something straight out of a science fiction movie, while the other appeared to be from a time long forgotten. Even from this distance, which was roughly a quarter of a mile, a bustle of activity could be seen on the deck of the latter. Hesitantly, George strolled across the sand toward the older looking vessel. He wasn’t entirely sure what he would discover when he got there, but maybe the crew could help him. At the very least, perhaps he could figure out where he was.

Chapter 22

Skarr had been extremely upset about Sygax putting himself in harm’s way, reacting with an almost maternal instinct as if she had raised him from the time he first emerged as a hatchling. Eventually, the ancient female dragon had come to realize that there was no stopping the willful youth. His determination and loyalty to his new friends was unshakable, and no matter what she said to persuade him, he insisted that the endeavor was the only way to ensure the humans had a chance to survive.

Unable to take flight, Sygax fought his way through the tangled vines and underbrush. After heading north for a couple of hours, he stopped to rest. When he did, the young dragon realized for the first time that the ground trembling beneath his feet was coming from something other than himself. During his travels, the canopy of leaves overhead had slowly begun to diminish, allowing slivered shafts of sunlight to penetrate the gloom. Even so, he couldn’t see what appeared to be coming toward him, and having never seen the army that was bent on destroying the humans, Sygax had no clue what he was up against. The only thing he was certain of was the fact that there was something large heading straight toward him.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Sygax resumed his journey. It wasn’t long, maybe an hour had lapsed, when he suddenly felt sure that the danger he searched for was upon him. Less than a minute after his senses went on high alert, he spotted a smoky form moving rapidly in his direction. Distracted by the ghostly presence, he didn’t catch sight of the machines trailing in the wake of the formless demon until they were already upon him.

An ear-splitting roar rushed toward the nearly transparent menace when Sygax attempted to warn the creature from getting any closer. Although the deafening blast was carried on his super-heated breath, causing the dampened bark of surrounding trees to smolder, the ghost-like entity showed no signs of backing down. The first glimmers of sunlight reflecting off the metallic bodies of the mechanical army caught his attention. It was in that moment when Sygax realized he might have bitten off a bit more than he could chew.

In an effort to regroup, the young dragon tried to launch himself skyward. Although the foliage had thinned considerably since leaving Skarr and the others, the branches overhead were still thick enough to prevent his escape. His wings tangled in the limbs as he attempted to rise into the air, causing Sygax to tumble back to the ground. He barely managed to get his legs beneath him as the first wave of metallic sentinels—the tiny, beetle-like drones—washed over him. He roared in agony as the minute machines began ripping scales, and the flesh underneath, from his bones, flaying the meat from his body like hundreds of tiny butchers. In a desperate, last ditch effort, Sygax inhaled as deeply as he could manage and expelled the largest flame from his mouth that he could muster. If it was his time to die, then he was going to take as many of the vile machines down with him as he could.

***

It took Edward much longer than he would have anticipated to convince Skarr to continue heading south toward the Throne of the Gods. While he could certainly sympathize with the dragon’s uneasiness after Sygax’s departure, the delay frustrated him beyond measure. Time was his greatest enemy at this point, knowing that Katie’s next cycle of aging was probably only hours away; the rapidly setting sun brought with it a renewed sense of urgency. The fact that Amber was beginning to gain solidity again—as much as a ghost could, anyway—only served to heighten his worries. Granted, by the eerie light of her glowing form, they would be able to pick their way through the tropical forest significantly quicker, but on the flip side of that was the depressing fact they were still unable to climb on Skarr’s back and take to the air.

Although the speed of their travel had increased after Amber rejoined them, Edward noticed that her pace had slowed slightly and her glow had begun to pulsate. Prior experience told him this wasn’t a good sign; usually it happened because she was fearful or nervous. Normally, it meant their lives were in eminent danger. His cheeks puffed out, and a despaired sigh pushed between his pursed lips. As if we don’t have enough problems!

Amber paused, allowing the others to catch up. It wasn’t something she was used to doing. Up until recently, her human friends had either machines or animals to ride, making it easier for them to keep pace with her.

“What’s wrong, Amber?” The anguish in Edward’s tone was more than evident.

“It—it’s my killer,” she answered nervously. “I can feel his presence getting closer to us by the second.”

As the words left Amber’s ghostly lips, Katie began to visibly shake. “Shit! Not again!” Her voice cracked, her response coming out like the croak of a frog. “I really thought we were done dealing with that asshole.” She turned her head toward Julie, who'd remained quiet, and saw the terrified look in her eyes. Although Katie was fighting her own conflicting emotions—predominantly hatred and fear, which was caused by thoughts of her former bus driver, but also a sense of doom as the seconds ticked away toward her impending death—she wrapped her arms around her friend in an attempt to comfort her. Julie’s experiences with the sadistic madman had been far more terrible than anything Katie had been forced to endure, aside from the fairy curse that continually aged her, and she couldn’t begin to imagine the horror her friend felt.

Edward’s jaw hung open in a gape of incredulity. He knew Amber was going to be the bearer of ill tidings, but he hadn’t expected the new development. He should have, though. The evil spirit had caused him to kill people he loved and his comrades, so it wasn’t likely an evil that great would just go away. Damn it! I should have seen this coming! If it weren’t for Katie’s situation, I would step down as their leader. I’m not sure how much longer I can do this. Everyone’s lives depend on my decisions, and all I’ve been doing lately is letting my friends down. He lowered his head shamefully, afraid to face the others and give voice to his concerns.

The wizard’s train of berating thoughts was interrupted by an agonized, half-scream, half-roar that pierced the air, the tortured sound coming from the north. Immediately, Skarr whipped her massive head toward the lamentation, knowing that it was the young dragon who she’d grown fond of, almost as if he were her own offspring. The mere thought of someone or something harming the youngster filled her with fury. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to snuff the life from any creature who got between her and Sygax. If it meant setting the world ablaze to rid Desolace of all potential threats to dragonkind, so be it.

Almost as an afterthought, Skarr spun her head to face Edward. Fire raged in her slitted eyes as she spoke, “I’m sorry, wizard, but I must go. I’ll try to find you again after I’ve avenged Sygax.”

Edward opened his mouth to protest and promptly shut it. Nothing he said would matter to the mythical beast, he could see that much in her eyes before she turned away. He’d felt the same, insurmountable hatred when his loved ones had died, some of which by his own misguided hands. All he could do now was watch as Skarr stomped off into the darkness, leaving behind a void that no one could fill. “Be careful, my friend,” he whispered. “May the gods bring you back to us safely.” With a heavy sigh, Edward turned back toward his comrades, suddenly feeling alone and extremely vulnerable.

Chapter 23

When George got within shouting distance of the galley, he waved his arms over his head in an attempt to get the attention of the crew. “Hey! Can I get a little help over here?” His bellowed plea seemed to reach the ship. All movement ground to a halt and the heads of everyone on deck spun toward the sound of his voice. He wasn’t entirely sure what he expected to get as a response, perhaps a plank extended from the ship toward the beach that would grant him access, but seeing a multitude of sailors jumping overboard was the last thing he thought would happen. Suddenly, he was nervous, wondering if it was a bad idea to draw attention to himself.

When the crew splashed into the water beside the vessel, the sun was at an angle that shrouded them in the shadows cast by the ship. It wasn’t until the first sailor attained the beach that he realized the dreadful mistake he’d made. The individual that approached was anything but human, and the rattle of its bones as it quickly came toward him sent a shiver up his spine. Had he bumped his head, or possibly been drugged? The situation seemed too surreal to be anything other than a dream or hallucination … or a scene from a really bad B movie. Skeletons don’t walk, his mind insisted. The approaching figures, however, suggested otherwise.

Before George could turn to flee the nightmarish sight, a net descended over him. Pinned beneath the weight of the ropes, he struggled to get free. When his efforts were unsuccessful, he dropped to his knees and pawed at the sand, trying to dig his way out with his hands. Cackling laughter erupted behind him.

“Ain’t no point in strugglin’,” the bony captain assured him. “Yer too scrawny to escape my net, ye stupid dog.” The skeletal man snapped his teeth together like a vicious animal, then chuckled madly.

George had barely managed to create a divot in the sand, not nearly enough of a hole to escape, when he realized the futility of his actions. The bony creature—which reminded him of the fake human skeleton from his high school anatomy class—was no longer alone; his fellow sailors had joined him in a tight circle, completely surrounding the heavy mesh draped over him. Glancing from one skeleton to the next, trying to spot a sign of weakness or distraction, his hopes sank. Not only was their attention transfixed, the crew began to kneel beside the edges of the net and jab their bony arms through the holes, stabbing George gleefully with the pointed tips of their fingers. At first, he had thought the sailors were merely torturing him. It wasn’t until one of the skeletons clamped onto his ankle with a vise-like grip and began drawing his leg toward its mouth that things began to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle in his mind. Suddenly, the captain’s snapping teeth made more sense. It had nothing to do with his reference to George being a dog. They weren’t trying to make him suffer. They had been checking to see how tender his flesh would be. He wasn’t a prisoner, but a meal!

As the crew eagerly latched on to George’s extremities, he was unable to hear the cracking of his bones over the excited sound of teeth clacking together. He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the pain, but the pressure on his stretching limbs was too much to bear. George screamed in agony, feeling like he was being drawn and quartered. Mercifully, the excruciating pain was short-lived. He felt the tendons and muscles in his left shoulder give way like overstretched rubber bands. His flesh separated, like flimsy pieces of tape were holding him together. Blood sprayed from the wound like a macabre fountain, and when the warm liquid reached its apex, it splashed down on his face like rain, coating his eyes with a veil of red. Then, his consciousness—as well as his life—drifted toward the darkness. There was no white light to greet him, only the oblivion of death.

***

When his vengeful spirit caught up to the Black Knight’s army, picking a machine to hide inside of was easy. He just searched for the biggest, most indestructible-looking machine he could find, and slipped through its metal outer shell to the vacant spaces within. After all, they weren’t completely solid. There had to be room within the framework of their bodies for the workers—who were primarily human—to attach the various pieces, parts, and wiring harnesses. At least, with the larger mechanical creatures. The smaller ones, like the tiny, beetle-like drones, were too minute for such considerations.

Once inside one of the enormous, troll-like sentinels, George slithered into its head. Unlike the cyborgs he had figured out how to control in the past, these machines were too large. He couldn’t stretch his spiritual form to imitate the mechanical monster, but at least he would be able to watch what transpired outside its metallic shell from within its head.

It wasn’t long after he’d infiltrated the gleaming creature when the sounds of battle penetrated the steel of the construct he hid inside of, the deafening reverberation of a dragon’s roar echoing through the empty spaces in the giant’s skull. One might think the biggest drawback to being a ghost was that you had no ears to plug and no eyelids to shut, so every sensation was forced upon you whether you liked it or not. Thankfully, it also meant there was no substance to the brain of a ghost, making it impossible to get headaches.

As gigantic as the head of the machine was, George could only position himself to gaze through one of its optic sensors. He caught a glimpse of the dragon outside, which seemed small in comparison to the machine he was inside of. Despite the mythical beast’s best efforts, the mechanical army swarmed over its body like a dark cloud moving across the sky. A belch of flame sprayed from the creature’s maw, engulfing and blackening everything in its path. Some of the affected machines lay smoldering and useless, looking like tiny lumps of coal from George’s vantage point, but most of the minute sentinels continued forward unfazed.

The beetle-like drones picked the flesh from the dragon’s bones quickly, lacerating the creature with the efficiency of a thousand tiny surgeons. Within less than ten minutes, the only thing that remained was a jumble of bones. The jungle floor was littered, however, with scraps of skin and scales, some of which clung to the bark of nearby trees, and an enormous pool of blood soaked partially into the damp soil. The carnage looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Any normal person would be throwing up violently and turning their head from the sight, but George was far from what anyone might even remotely consider normal.

Verin stepped from the shadows, temporarily assuming a humanoid form, and began to bring a measure of order to the frenzied machines. As George watched the shimmering mass falling into formation, an unfamiliar sensation washed over him; he had never felt anything like it before. It reminded him vaguely of pain, or perhaps even withdrawal, although he was pretty sure it wasn’t possible for a being like him. Ghosts don’t feel, at least not in the technical sense. They do, however, have thoughts and memories.

It only made what he felt right now all the more confusing. Part of him thought it was similar to an out-of-body experience, while another considered a much worse scenario: the sensation being akin to an exorcist forcing his spirit from a mortal body, only in this situation it couldn’t possibly be the case. The only other thing he could compare the feeling to was death. A brief flash of his initial demise upon Desolace raced through his mind. As the disturbing images flickered in his head like a silent, black and white film, another probability screamed up from the depths of his imagination. Perhaps his dread was due to his younger, mortal body succumbing to death. It was entirely plausible, but George didn’t want to give the thought any merit. If it was true, the implications of it could mean the Black Knight knew he’d hijacked his former self and was making sure George didn’t have the fleshy shell to use as a hiding place. My plans might be unraveling, so I’ll have to be more vigilant than ever. It’ll be tricky, but I think I can still do this. I just need to make sure I don’t alert that worm, Verin, to my presence.

Chapter 24

With her emotions raging on the edge of control, Skarr stomped through the jungle at an alarming pace. Although she was bent on destroying the beings who had almost certainly killed Sygax, she hadn’t become the oldest of her race by brute force. Her actions had to be tempered with wisdom, no matter how much her anger insisted to be unleashed. Lost in her thoughts, Skarr nearly missed the distinct sound of the swiftly approaching army. The blood pounding in her head had drowned out the steady thump of falling trees until it was almost too late. Thankfully, she managed to avert the crisis. A few seconds later and she very well could have been surrounded.

Skarr slinked through the foliage, moving to a safer location that was off to one side of the marching column of machines. Her golden eyes narrowed with venomous hatred while she studied the rapidly moving ranks of metallic drones, obliterating everything in their path. She couldn’t figure out how the army had dispatched Sygax, though, unless he had simply been overwhelmed by their numbers. Perhaps he had underestimated the strength of the force arrayed against him. After all, he was young and prone to the mistakes of youth, probably thinking he was invincible. Many youngsters had such delusions, and oftentimes discovered their folly far too late. That was one blunder she would not make.

In the cover of darkness, she watched the shiny contingent as it moved southward. Several different types of machines comprised the marching ranks. Some were so small they were barely noticeable, while the gleaming metal constructs bringing up the rear of the formation looked to be much more substantial; each one seemed to be nearly half her size. Surely they would represent the biggest threat, and were likely the machines that had killed Sygax. She would have to catch the army by surprise if she entertained any hope of getting the upper hand. Therefore, Skarr waited.

It wasn’t long, maybe fifteen minutes tops, when the last machine in the massive column passed by her hiding place. Even so, she didn’t leave the shadows right away. Patiently, Skarr continued to bide her time. When the metal giants at the rear of the formation were nothing more than shimmers of light in the distance, she stepped from cover and began to follow the path of destruction.

Each moment brought her closer to the satisfaction of avenging her young counterpart as Skarr slowly closed the gap between herself and the army. So far, the machines seemed to be unaware of her presence, but she could lose the upper hand in a matter of seconds if one of the giant sentinels in the rear happened to turn in her direction. It wouldn’t be long before she was close enough to launch her surprise attack. With any luck, she would be in range within the next minute or so. Hopefully, she would go undetected until then.

***

Despite his misgivings about traveling without Skarr, Edward instructed Amber to lead the way through the thick, jungle underbrush. His worried thoughts swirled through his mind, every potential problem screaming for his attention. If the ancient dragon was right about Sygax being dead, he couldn’t shake the dread of the possibility that Skarr was rushing headlong toward the same fate. Compound that feeling with the fact he could, once again, hear the steady sound of the forest behind them being ripped apart by the machines; the army was definitely gaining ground on them. When he added in the naked truth of Katie’s deteriorating condition, things began to look hopeless to him. There were simply too many variables for him to consider, and settling his priorities on which was most important gave him a terrible headache. It would likely only take one bad choice for everything to begin crumbling around him. At times like this, he desperately wished that someone else was in charge. He had no desire whatsoever to be the one to decide everyone’s fate. Edward found himself fervently longing for the mechanical horses the group had once acquired. At the very least, it would simplify matters a bit.

Without warning, Amber suddenly stopped. Her ghostly glow immediately began to pulsate wildly.

Keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t attract the attention of potential enemies, Edward whispered, “What’s wrong, Amber?”

For a brief moment, she was barely visible. When her form brightened, she was facing the wizard. “I think we need to make a detour,” she suggested nervously.

“Why? Do you sense something or someone who could help us?” Although no one except the ghostly woman could see it, a glimmer of hope sparkled in Edward’s gray eyes.

Vehemently, she shook her head. “No, I believe there is danger lurking nearby.”

Edward raised an eyebrow in confusion. “That doesn’t make sense. The army of machines is still quite a ways behind us.”

“It isn’t them that concerns me,” her disembodied voice stated gravely. “I’m sensing a strange energy signature close by, one that is reminiscent of the last time I got separated from all of you.”

He scratched his head, trying to recall the last instance of their being without her ghostly guidance. For a moment, he was drawing a blank, but then it hit him. Amber was referring to when he and the others had gone into Outpost 13, disappearing into the alternate version of Earth, where the undead had nearly managed to thwart their return to Desolace. Was it possible? Was Amber trying to indicate that another such structure was nearby, or perhaps she sensed another of the strange portals and feared where it might lead? Either way, the prospects seemed to hold equal parts of hope and danger.

The moist ground masked the sound of Katie’s approach, causing his heart to skip a beat and his mind to race when her hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder. Putting his palm to his chest, he turned his head toward her. “You scared the hell out of me,” he gasped, the words tumbling from his lips in a rush as he exhaled.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” she apologized, her voice cracking with premature age, making her sound like Edward’s mother, Victoria.

“You’re pretty sneaky for someone in your condition,” he whispered, his lips twisting upward in a faint smile. He’d meant the comment as a joke, something to lighten Katie’s spirits, but she showed no reaction.

“Did I hear correctly? Is there another one of those strange buildings nearby?”

“That’s what I’m guessing,” Edward confirmed, clinging to hope that it wasn’t a portal instead. They didn’t have time for inter-dimensional travel right now. Getting Katie to the Throne of the Gods was their priority.

Recalling the layout of the last such structure, she prayed there would be beds. Although she was likewise concerned about the rapid aging process she was undergoing, her body had been screaming at her for several hours. No matter the cost, she desperately needed a little shut-eye. Even if only for an hour or two.

“You’re too quiet. What are you thinking about?” Edward’s eyebrows dipped down, knitted with worry.

Katie sighed, her breath rattling slightly in her chest, as if she was catching a cold. “I’m just tired,” she finally confessed. “Until now, I never really understood why old people always wanted to take naps.” Her weak smile looked more like a wince of pain.

“I’ll tell you what. Against my better judgment, if there is one of those Outpost buildings close by, I’ll consent to you getting a little rest.” He glanced toward the sky, and guessed there to be at least a couple of hours until sunrise. “We should check out the situation first, though. If we find a bed, you can lay down while myself and the others search for anything that could help us. However, at the first hint of daybreak, we are leaving no matter what. Agreed?”

Her neck cracked painfully as she nodded in agreement. “I’ll make do with whatever I can get.”

“Then I guess we should see if there is anything worth investigating further in the vicinity.” Edward turned to face the ghostly woman. “I know you’re nervous about the situation, but would you lead us toward the energy signature you alluded to?”

In response, Amber’s glow diminished until the vague outline of her shape was barely visible. Edward started to panic when she almost disappeared entirely, but then her form brightened significantly and maintained its brilliance. Katie and Edward, due to their close proximity, were forced to shield their eyes. It was like staring into a policeman’s spotlight. “As much as I dislike your request, I will lead you. Just don’t blame me if the situation gets out of your control.”

“Fair enough,” Edward replied, inwardly second guessing himself and his decision. If he was a superstitious man, he would likely have crossed his fingers and his toes to ward off bad luck.

***

Fifteen minutes later, floodlights burst to life from the top of a structure they likely wouldn’t have seen in broad daylight had Amber not been guiding their steps. The building was nestled amongst the thick foliage, with vines wrapped around the husk of its wooden façade like several large constrictor snakes trying to squeeze the life from their prey. The rope-like strands gave the building the perfect camouflage, disguising the sharp angles of the exterior. The effect made the Outpost look like a creepy, haunted house that sat long forgotten in a desolate swampland.

The security lights, which seemed to sense motion like the other Outpost had been equipped with, belayed the fact that this location was anything but forgotten. If it was, the place would have remained dark and inactive.

Amber moved to one side, allowing the group to approach the building, and refused to get closer.

As Edward inched toward the entrance, the thick strands of vines making the strange doorknob almost invisible, he spotted movement to his left. Turning his head, he emitted an audible gasp. “Yes! We’re in luck!”

Katie, Julie, and Brian simultaneously whipped their heads in the direction their leader was looking. At first, they were unsure what Edward had seen, but as they stood perfectly still and the floodlights atop the Outpost shut off, they saw what had previously been hidden in the thick underbrush surrounding the structure. An ominous red light filtered through the foliage, and almost instantly Katie knew what it was. “Oh my God! I never thought I would see another one of those things in my lifetime, and I never imagined it would be such a welcomed sight!” As quickly as her newly arthritic bones would allow her, she jogged toward the mechanical beast, triggering the security lights.

The entrance to the Outpost temporarily forgotten, Edward and the others chased after Katie. When they rounded the corner of the building, they found her patting the metallic horse affectionately. All of them were glad to find the two-headed beast, but Katie more so than anyone else. She was acting as if the creature was her long lost friend. Julie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Katie’s reaction was similar to the way she’d acted upon finding her on Cemetery Hill, and it was disturbing to think her best friend would act in such a manner for anyone other than her. Julie understood why Katie was happy to see the machine—it meant she would no longer have to walk everywhere she went—but, in another respect, it sort of cheapened their friendship. Either way, Julie forced a smile when Katie glanced toward her, not wanting to deflate her best friend’s mood. She had enough going on with the whole aging thing, and Julie had no intention of belittling what she was going through by being petty. However, if they were back on Earth, it would have been an entirely different ball game; she would have given her all kinds of crap for acting like that.

“As much as I would have liked to find more than one, I suppose I shouldn’t complain,” Edward stated softly, interrupting Julie’s thoughts. “One is better than none.” An almost imperceptible sigh escaped his lips as he glanced from face to face, judging the reactions of his comrades, none of which showed any signs of enthusiasm. They’re probably too tired to care one way or the other at the moment. With grim resignation, he stepped past them and moved toward the building’s entrance again. “Let’s go inside. Hopefully, the interior is laid out the same as the last Outpost. If so, there should be beds in there.” His last statement seemed to get everyone’s attention. Their heads turned in his direction, and each of them bore similar expressions on their faces, albeit not in curiosity. To Edward, it seemed like an unseen finger had hoisted each of their eyebrows, giving all of them the appearance that someone was holding their eyelids open.

Chapter 25

Edward supposed that he should have been ecstatic. The interior of the Outpost was indeed like the last one the group had encountered. Well, minus the putrid stench of feces and death that had overwhelmed them on the previous occasion. The entry door was fitted with the exact same mechanism as he’d used to gain access to the prior building: a metallic circle that could be turned once his palm was placed inside of the hand-shaped depression. Unfortunately, Edward had forgotten about the electrical charge that surged through him as he operated the strange doorknob.

After a brief search for surprises, Katie and the others stretched out on the beds in the adjacent room, while Edward vigilantly went from one monitor to the next, studying the images on the screens. From what he could gather, once he completed his viewing of each display, they were currently in Outpost 1. This information gave him the feeling of being on the edge of the world, considering how far they had traveled to get here and the numerical reference. Finding nothing useful in the images and seeing no apparent threats, he passed the time by opening the sturdy metal hatch opposite the main entrance. The wheel-shaped mechanism, though difficult to move, did not screech or squeal like the one in Outpost 13. For a split second, he considered why this might be, and almost immediately, his mind settled on the most devastating explanations possible. Either the door had recently undergone some sort of maintenance, or—the absolute worst case scenario—the Outpost was still in use, perhaps even at this exact moment.

When he swung the heavy panel fully open, a familiar stone stairway came into view. Much like the prior Outpost, it was lit by bright orbs of light and seemed to stretch on forever. For a moment, Edward hesitated. A nagging feeling in the back of his mind, which picked at his brain as if he had a claw inside of his head, told him to reconsider. He almost turned away and shut the door because of it, but decided he had nothing to lose; everyone else was sleeping, and the bank of computer screens assured him there was no cause for alarm.

Despite his reservations, Edward began to descend the long staircase. After a few minutes, a strange noise echoed down the tunnel to his ears. The sound had multiple elements to it, simultaneously creaking like the floorboards in an old house, and groaning as if the building above was shifting on its foundation. The wooden walls emitted several cracks, as if they were buckling under immense pressure and about to snap in half. When combined with the staccato grinding reminiscent of furniture being shoved across a rough surface, memories of the horrifying experience in Katie's house on future Earth forced their way to the forefront of his mind. As he hurried back up the stone steps, Edward berated himself for complacently thinking his comrades were safe.

Halfway up the stairs, he heard a scream. In a full-fledged panic, he took the steps two and three at a time, suddenly sure he would be too late to help his friends. When he reached the doorway, Julie nearly plowed him over and knocked him back into the tunnel. The expression on her face was beyond terror, it was borderline hysterical. “What the hell is going on?” she screamed, trying to be heard over the cacophony.

“How should I know? Everything was quiet up here when I went downstairs to investigate,” Edward shouted, gently pushing the blonde woman back a few paces so she didn’t accidentally knock him down the never-ending flight of steps. Brian emerged from the adjacent room, rubbing his eyes.

“Is everyone okay? I heard a scream.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what’s happening,” Edward replied, guiding Julie toward the shaman with one hand placed firmly in the small of her back. “Where’s Katie?”

“I think she’s still sleeping.” Brian opened his eyes wide, and blinked his eyelids rapidly, trying to get them to focus.

“She can’t be. Nobody could sleep through this ruckus.” Edward stepped around the shaman and poked his head into the other room. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Katie, horizontal on the mattress and facing the outer wall. For a split second, Edward wondered if she had died in her sleep, but then saw the slight rise and fall of her rib cage, indicating she was still breathing. The evidence before him forced Edward to consider if, while Katie underwent the accelerated aging process, she was having issues normally reserved for the elderly, like the loss of hearing.

Although the main chamber of the cabin sounded like it was in total chaos, Edward entered the bunkhouse and sat down on the bed next to Katie. As he tried to shake her to wakefulness, he realized she was going through another change. Her dark brown hair, which had been streaked with gray highlights when they entered the Outpost, was nearly as white as a ghost and seemed to have grown another few inches during her slumber. Shit! She’s already aging too quickly to keep track of, but is it possible that the process is even faster when she sleeps? Fearing his thoughts might have merit, he shook her so hard he nearly knocked her out of bed.

Groggily, she opened her eyes and groaned. “Is it time to get up already? I feel like I’ve barely slept a wink,” she protested in a sleep-slurred voice.

Edward propped her into a sitting position, then helped Katie to her feet. She wobbled unsteadily for a few seconds, leaning against him until she gained feeling in her extremities. The noises emanating from the other room alarmed him; it sounded as if the building was being ripped apart, causing a pit of dread in his stomach. Had the army of machines caught up to them while they attempted to sneak in a couple of hours of rest? Although he detested being anything but gentle with Katie, he took her arthritic, wrinkled hand in his and nearly dragged her into the main room. Julie was cowering in one corner, trembling like a petrified child. Brian, however, stood his ground in the center of the chamber, turning his head when he sensed Edward’s entrance. The shaman’s eyes were glazed over and milky-looking, but only half of what they had been when the group encountered the zombie hordes on future Earth.

The cracking sound of splintering wood was almost deafening, and when Edward quickly surveyed the situation, he saw why. The outer walls were buckling! Suddenly, his mind flashed back to being trapped in Katie's old house, reinforcing the terror he felt. Their current dilemma felt oddly similar, like the Outpost was somehow alive and trying to swallow them. “We need to get out of here,” he shouted, dragging Katie behind him like a rag doll. Edward stopped just long enough to collect Julie, then hurried toward the exit, hoping the shaman would be right on his heels.

As he reached out to interact with the strange doorknob, debris rained down from the ceiling. His eyes darted upward to assess the cause, and he saw the edges of the roof being peeled back, as if it was no more substantial than a child’s dollhouse. The massive beams splintered and cracked, showering them with sharp, needle-like slivers of wood. He expected to see hundreds of machines peering down on them from the fissure, but instead was thrown for a loop when several rope-like tentacles plunged through the opening. While he hastily pulled the women toward the floor to avoid being struck, Edward realized they were the vines that had previously appeared to be wrapped like snakes around the structure. Apparently, the jungle outside was more alive than he ever would have imagined!

Unlike the experience in Katie’s old house, however, Edward didn’t feel as helpless now that he was fighting a foe—albeit, one he had never encountered before—in his own world. Here, he had his magic at his disposal. From his crouched position, he relinquished his hold on the women and narrowed his eyelids in concentration, his palms growing hot within a fraction of a second and causing intense heat to radiate from his hands. Within moments, flames sprouted from his fingertips. Closing his eyes, he pictured an enormous fireball between his outstretched palms. When he opened them, a huge globe of fire—about three feet in diameter—hovered silently in the air directly before him, awaiting his final command.

Thrusting his palms outward, the giant ball of flame leapt toward its target, striking most, if not all, of the rope-like vines that had penetrated the roof. Unfortunately, the spell did not have the effect he was hoping for. As the fireball had streaked skyward, it'd done little to no damage. The threat remained, although most of the lively vines seemed to have at least been singed. Tendrils of damp smoke rose from their bark.

Quickly trying to figure out his next move, Edward latched onto the first idea that came to him. If fire had little to no effect, than maybe the opposite would work. He closed his eyelids again, concentrating on summoning a spell that would hopefully get them out of this predicament. He felt the immediate temperature change in the air around him as his hands turned bitterly cold. When he opened his eyes, he saw Brian lying on the floor. Feeling like an idiot for not warning the shaman of the impending fireball, all Edward could do was hope he hadn’t killed him by accident. He’d caused enough pain and death for his friends, and didn’t want anyone else’s demise on his conscience. After a moment of hesitation, he let out his breath and twisted his palms outward. The air around them turned an icy blue for a few seconds as the blast of cold filled the room. Eagerly, everyone’s eyes turned to see what kind of effect the spell had on the vines.

Edward was the first to breathe a sigh of relief. “It worked,” he stated softly, as if in awe of his own power. For the time being, the threat had passed. The rope-like tentacles were frozen solid, looking like enormous icicles hanging from the gutters of a house in the dead of winter.

Rising to his feet, Edward helped the women from the floor and crossed the room to check on Brian, who hadn’t moved yet. As he approached the motionless shaman, he began to hear the sound of chattering teeth. Edward’s lips curled up in a smile as he realized his friend was alive. “Thank the gods that I didn’t kill you,” he whispered, kneeling on the floor beside Brian.

Although it was unlikely any of them would need such a thing, especially since they were traveling in a much warmer climate these days, Edward hurried to the bunkhouse and gathered a few of the coarse, wool blankets from the beds. He walked back into the half destroyed main room of the structure with his bounty, and draped one of them over Brian to warm him. As he gazed across the chamber toward Katie and Julie, he noticed that they were shivering as well. Their condition was probably caused more by shock than anything else, though. Even so, he strolled over to where the stood and swaddled them with the rough material.

Thinking that they were safe for the time being, Edward ushered everyone outside. Oddly enough, even after most of the Outpost had been torn apart, the exit door was still intact and working perfectly. Amber could just barely be seen hiding amongst the jungle trees surrounding the perimeter of the building. However, the first light of dawn was starting to illuminate the sky, and her glowing form was beginning to fade. It wouldn’t be long before their guide disappeared again, leaving them to find their own way south since Skarr was still gone as well. At least they had a mechanical horse at their disposal. Although, with Katie’s rapidly deteriorating condition, Edward might have to consider using the machine to travel more swiftly toward the Throne of the Gods, which meant separating themselves from Brian and Julie. It was not something he wanted to do, unless there was no other choice.

Once everyone had warmed sufficiently, they shed their woolen shrouds and stored them behind the breastplate of the metallic beast. Edward helped Katie to the creature’s back and turned to the others. “Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to ride with her for now so I can make certain she doesn’t fall off.” He paused briefly, noting Brian and Julie’s reactions. While they didn’t object, it was obvious that they were weary and didn’t really want to walk. “We’ll switch off and take turns riding with Katie once in a while. That way, we will all have a chance to rest our legs.” Hopefully, the situation doesn’t demand that we split up, he thought, exhaling a heavy sigh through his nose.

After climbing into the saddle, Edward opened his mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by a tremendous roar. The sound emanated from the north, and as one they turned their eyes in that direction. Seconds later, a billowing cloud of flame rose above the treetops, temporarily brightening the sky and causing Julie to shiver all over again. She never thought she would see something like that in person, especially not in a place like this. To her, it looked like the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion.

Chapter 26

She probably wouldn’t have a better opportunity than she had right now. If she risked getting any closer, the army of machines would almost certainly spot her. Skarr inhaled as deeply as her lungs would allow, held her breath for a moment, then opened her jaws wide and pushed the air from her body in one enormous gust. A wide stream of fire belched from her maw, extending for over a hundred feet. As soon as the flames left her mouth, the metallic regiment turned as if it were one giant creature. With the brightness of the blast traveling quicker than the physical aspect of the cone of blistering heat, the machines had no time to react.

Before the metal sentinels could launch a counter attack, or sidestep the massive fireball, a great many of them turned to blackened husks. Those unfortunate enough to be caught within the radius of the dragon’s molten breath crumbled uselessly to the jungle floor, their outer armor scorched by the intense heat, and the wires of their inner workings smoldering or fused together.

Skarr snapped her jaws closed and surveyed the damage she’d caused, scrutinizing every movement in order to determine if another flaming volley was necessary. Despite the humid dampness of the jungle, many of the surrounding trees burned like giant torches. At least, for the time being, the army of machines would find it difficult to hide from her wrath. Not that hiding from her was high on their list of priorities.

The enormous, troll-like sentinels at the rear of the formation spun to face the dragon, stomping with renewed purpose toward the new enemy. The skittering mass of tiny drones near Verin wheeled around, the metallic beetles surging forward. Although they wouldn’t be able to match the speed of the larger machines, they could change the tide of the fight in the Black Knight’s favor by incapacitating their enemy if the first wave could manage to injure the dragon. Then, they would rip the flesh from the creature’s bones as they’d done with the smaller beast a short while ago.

Too late, Skarr realized that her attack wasn’t enough to disable her enemies, or cause them to flee. As she drew in another breath, one of the gargantuan humanoid machines smashed its fist into her skull with a tremendous, arcing blow, the force of which whipped her head to the left. Before she had a chance to gather her wits and defend herself, another of the giants managed to get its hands on one of her outstretched wings. With a swift upward jerk, it ripped a long gash in the webbing of the appendage, eliciting a roar of agony.

Despite her thirst for revenge, the pain was a wake-up call. There was no way she was going to win this fight from the ground. Perhaps Sygax had made a similar error in judgment. One thing was certain, though. She wouldn’t be able to avenge the youngster if the machines got the better of her. She needed to swing the battle back in her favor. Before any further damage could be wrought upon her only means of escape, Skarr extended her wings fully and exerted a powerful, downward stroke, vaulting herself into the air. The turbulence didn’t budge her enemies, but at least now she was out of their reach. She wasn’t sure how long she could maintain flight, however, because of the damage she’d sustained to her wing. The excruciating pain was well beyond any she had ever felt before.

Skarr hovered over the remainder of the metallic regiment to the best of her ability. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to maintain her position for long, she inhaled as deeply as she could manage. Although she hadn’t been struck in the body, pain radiated outward from her wings and caused her massive frame to ache. The agony coursing through Skarr told her that she would only get one chance. Concentrating on her aim to the best of her ability, she opened her maw wide and spewed forth a column of flame that lit up the jungle, the pillar of fire likely visible for miles.

When the blaze emanating from her mouth had run its course, she didn’t stick around to survey the damage she’d wrought on the machines. Instead, Skarr beat her wings in a furious attempt to gain altitude, desperately hoping she would be able to maintain flight long enough to reach the party to the south. If she was going to die, she couldn’t allow her body to succumb to death until after she’d spoken to the wizard and apprised him of what he was up against.

***

For a few seconds, all any of them could do was to stare northward. Their jaws hung open, astonished by the conflagration that brightened the early morning sky. None of them spoke, knowing that in all likelihood it was a blaze caused by Skarr. Or so they hoped. They didn’t want to consider the alternative: that the ancient dragon had run into trouble and the flames were a sign of her destruction.

“You don’t think—” Katie began.

“Don’t say it,” Edward interrupted quietly, shaking his head. “I know it should go without saying, but I would like everyone to keep their voices down. I want to be able to hear Skarr if she cries out for help.” Another blaze erupted in the distance, yet it was much shorter and less intense than the previous one.

They tensely remained silent, refusing to turn their eyes from the north. The four of them grew even more anxious when the flames diminished to the degree that they only provided the barest hint of illumination. They continued to strain their eyes and ears to no avail. The jungle was ominously quiet, almost as if they had all gone deaf. Each of them waited, holding their breath and hoping to witness another sign that the mythical beast was still among the living.

When fifteen minutes had passed and the persisting silence became too much to bear, Edward sighed and turned to face his comrades with a grim expression. “I hate to say it, but I think Skarr has perished. I really doubt that we’ll see her again.” A tear leaked from the corner of his eye and he hung his head in sadness. His proclamation weighed heavily on the rest of the group, and although none of them were willing to give up just yet, they kept their opinions to themselves.

Fearing that Edward was right, each of them silently mourned the loss of their greatest ally. Julie was the first to break from the sorrow of the moment, wiping the moisture from her bloodshot eyes and glancing toward her best friend. She quickly lost interest in the dragon’s probable plight, Katie’s long gray hair and wrinkled skin reminding her of the urgent need for divine intervention on her behalf. Julie reached out and touched the wizard’s boot to get his attention. “I don’t want to downplay the loss of Skarr, but we have more immediate concerns.”

Confusion bloomed on Edward’s features, and his eyebrows were drawn downward. For a second, Julie thought he was going to scold her for being insensitive, so she hiked her thumb toward Katie. His intense scowl softened as the realization of what the blonde woman had suggested became apparent. Now he felt like an idiot. How could I have forgotten about Katie? “You’re right, of course. Getting to the Throne of the Gods, and hopefully enlisting their aid to cure Katie, is more important than anything else right now. Once the curse is lifted, and she returns to her proper age, we can take more time to mourn the loss of Skarr.”

***

As they pushed southward through the jungle, it was difficult to maintain a pace that satisfied Edward, especially since Brian and Julie were forced to walk. Not having a second steed for them to ride made progress seem excruciatingly slow. To make matters worse, once the sun had crested the horizon, the heat and humidity had increased nearly tenfold.

Even though he was frustrated by the delay, Edward brought the mechanical horse to a stop in order to allow the others a brief chance to rest their aching legs and feet. It wouldn’t do him any good if they were too weary to finish the journey. In unison, Brian and Julie sat down on the damp jungle floor, slipping off their footwear and massaging their sweaty feet. While she worked her fingers over her slick toes, Julie closed her eyes, as if the sensation was nearly orgasmic.

After a half an hour of rest, Edward was anxious to get moving again. As soon as everyone was ready, he pushed the control lever of his steed forward. Not long after they resumed their trek southward, brief gusts of wind penetrated the canopy above. However, it was no ordinary breeze. Edward distinctly heard the heavy whoosh of wings. Excitedly, he turned toward the others. “Is it just me, or did you hear that, too?”

“Oh, we heard it all right,” Brian replied, glancing at the blonde woman beside him, an ear-to-ear grin suffusing his pale features.

Julie could barely restrain her happiness. If she was right, not only was the dragon alive, she wouldn’t have to walk for much longer. She was tempted to call out to the beast, but was too excited to form the creature’s name on her lips. When the dragon did not stop, her shoulders sagged. “She probably couldn’t see us,” Julie announced, suddenly feeling energetic enough to chase after Skarr no matter how much her feet wanted no part of such an excursion.

Before Edward could open his mouth, the young blonde had dashed by and was already starting to disappear in the dense foliage. He laughed as the shaman raised his palms to the sky and shrugged his shoulders. “I’d venture to say that Julie’s a bit excited.”

“You think?” Edward couldn’t restrain his own grin, chuckling softly as he urged his mount after the young woman. Although he initially found the situation a tad comical, his mirth quickly soured as an unexpected memory surfaced: the vision of a similar instance, in which Katie was now paying the price for. Hopefully, he could catch up to Julie before she tempted fate to do something far worse to her.

Throne of the Gods

Chapter 1

As the Black Knight flew southward upon the three-headed monstrosity he had reclaimed from his servant—the younger version of his wayward disciple, George Mancini, who he’d gone back in time to acquire—the wind ruffled his black cloak, the fabric making crisp, snapping sounds in the chilly air just below the clouds. His yellow eyes narrowed, a sinister grin forming on his hideous face. In the distance, a lone spire rose, penetrating the fluffy underbelly of the sky like an enormous erection.

The gargantuan stone structure was home to the gods, most of which had long since fled to more hospitable planes of existence. For that matter, he wasn’t even sure his father still sat on the throne at the summit of the needle, hidden amongst the billowing clouds that always surrounded the spire. It was something the Black Knight would soon find out. As the metallic beast glided effortlessly toward the massive building, he calculated that he would reach it within the next hour. He couldn’t help but wonder, as he sped through the sky, how much progress his army was making. With the length of time his flight had taken, he figured it would be another day or two before they were at the castle walls below. It wasn’t an ideal timeline, but he supposed it would have to work. At the very least, the Black Knight could implement the rest of his plan while he waited; a scenario he had kept to himself because he didn’t trust any of his lackeys with the information.

Although he couldn’t make out any of the finer details as of yet, the stone façade of his father’s home began to dominate his vision. The Black Knight gently pushed the control lever—which was mounted to the base of the center neck of his mechanical steed—forward. The machine complied without hesitation, dropping steadily to the warmer, more humid air of the lesser altitude. As the castle walls grew closer and the ground rushed toward him, the Black Knight suddenly had the impression that someone was watching him. After a few seconds, he knew why.

“What do you want, Ares? Your presence here is not welcomed!”

His father’s voice rattled through his skull, its booming depth causing the Black Knight to wince. He closed his eyes in an attempt to endure the pain, which bounced through his mind like a pinball. The Black Knight exerted more pressure on the control lever, pushing his metallic mount into a steeper descent. It wouldn’t alleviate the agony of his father’s voice—there was no distance too great, no place to hide once he locked on to his target—but if he could get to the ground, at least he wouldn’t have to fret about falling through the sky like a rock dropped from an airplane. The thought would never have concerned him in the past, but after he’d been stripped of his godhood the Black Knight had no desire to find out if he could survive such a thing. He would feel much safer with his clawed feet firmly standing on solid ground.

“I know you can hear me,” the irate voice continued. “I never wanted to banish you from your home, but your arrogance and lust for power forced my hand. There is only room for one supreme being on this world, and that is not something I am willing to give up.”

The Black Knight opened his eyes, just in time to see the ground rushing up to meet him. Quickly adjusting the position of the control lever, he leveled off his descent and smoothly landed on the parched earth. Although he didn’t respond to his father’s tirade out loud, the Black Knight’s hate-filled reply echoed through his mind. "If it weren’t for you, I would never have gone to the lengths I did," he seethed. "I wouldn’t have sought out creatures you have no control over, and invited the greatest of them into my soul. You have no idea what I’m capable of now, old man, but you will find out shortly!"

“You should leave while you’re still able, and while I’m generous enough to extend you the opportunity!”

His shriveled lips twisted into a hideous sneer. “It is you who should entertain the notion of leaving, Father,” the Black Knight answered defiantly, the menace in his voice making the very air around him shudder. “Whether you think I’m capable or not, I promise you that the throne you sit upon will be mine before long.”

The clouds surrounding the pinnacle of the stone tower grew dark, swirling around the tip of the spire like a developing tornado. The Black Knight waited, his eyes drawn to the sky in anticipation, knowing exactly what Zeus was up to. “How dare you threaten me? I brought you into this world, and I can damn sure take you out of it!”

Ares couldn’t help but chuckle. His father had no clue what, or whom, he was dealing with. He was still under the delusion that his son was the God of War, only without the mantle he’d been stripped of. Sure, that aspect was still part of him, but the demonic entity which was intertwined with his soul now made him an entirely different monster. Part god, and part devil. Zeus was limited in what he could do. He could force his will upon mortals with ease, and even control other gods, but he had no idea what his rejected son was capable of. When the Black Knight had still been known to his underlings as Ares, Zeus probably would have been able to thwart his efforts. That time was long gone now.

“I think it would be a delightful surprise to see the look on your face as you fail. Your kingdom will fall, and I will watch the world crumble beneath your feet ... right before I claim your throne as my own,” the Black Knight taunted.

Knowing his father would not take the jibe well, he sidestepped the lightning bolt that lashed toward him from the angry clouds overhead. Instead of striking its intended target, the massive electrical charge slammed into the three-headed machine, sending a shower of sparks cascading to the earth, and smaller streaks of lightning toward the dusty soil like the tentacles of a kraken.

His lips peeled back in a grin he couldn’t restrain, amused by the ineptitude of his father’s attack. He laughed ruthlessly, suddenly sure that this little game would quickly swing in his favor. This was going to be child’s play. Before Zeus could launch another attempt on his life, the Black Knight summoned three spherical voids, each positioned around him to form a triangle. From within each rift, sounds of battle could be heard. Emanating from one was the clashing of swords and the steady pounding of hooves. Erupting from the second black portal was the near deafening rumble of machines and the intermittent pops of gunfire. The commotion coming from the third void was harder to discern, the noises from the other two portals drowning out what lay on the other side of the last summoned sphere: the distinct clamor of smacking lips and ripping flesh, mixed together with groans and shrieks of agony.

Chapter 2

Brian gasped for air as he tried to keep up with the sorcerer, who unlike him rode upon the back of the metallic steed they had acquired at the last outpost. After Julie had darted off into the thick underbrush of the jungle because she felt that their dragon ally, Skarr, had just flown by above the canopy of leaves, they were forced to chase after her. The not so distant memory of the incident near the underground river, in which the young blonde woman had failed to heed Edward’s warning and rushed headlong into the strange telephone booth, weighed heavily on most of their minds. It certainly appeared as if Julie had a knack for getting herself immersed in predicaments which required her to be saved from harm. For lack of a better term, she was reckless. Although, in her defense, the debacle involving the portal that landed everyone in a future filled with zombies upon Earth was not really her fault. The synthetic replica of the young woman took credit for that. Even so, the eerie similarity between Julie and the now defunct cyborg made the situation seem the same.

As Edward pulled the mechanical horse alongside the running girl, he attempted to reason with her. It was an extremely difficult task considering Julie refused to slow down, or for that matter turn her head in his direction. She just steadily chugged along as if she hadn’t heard a word he said, forcing him to push the control lever forward a tad more so he could position the metal beast in her path. Given the choice between maneuvering around the obstacle or conceding, Julie slowed to an angry walk, scowling at Edward.

“What the hell?”

“I know you’re excited, but you can’t just take off like that,” Edward scolded. “We need to stay together as much as possible. The last thing I want to happen is for us to get separated. We have an army of machines after us, remember?”

“Well, if we can find Skarr we’ll all have something to ride. Not to mention that it would get us to the Throne of the Gods faster, or have you suddenly lost interest in saving Katie’s life?”

“Don’t you think I know what’s at stake?” As hard as he tried, Edward couldn’t stop the angry frown from appearing on his face. His eyebrows dipped down to the point where they nearly touched, making his gaze look like the intense scrutiny of a killer. “Getting Katie to the Throne of the Gods so she can have this curse lifted is one of my top priorities, but making ourselves easy targets for the enemy isn’t going to accomplish anything! If we don’t stick together, we’re taking the risk of being picked off one by one,” he spat, furiously.

Finally catching up to the rest of them, Brian bent over and placed his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Keeping pace wouldn’t have been nearly as difficult if it wasn’t so damn hot, evidenced by the steady drops of sweat falling from his saturated hair. “Can we slow down a tad?” he pleaded, raising his weary head to gaze at his comrades in order to see if they’d heard his wheezy inquiry. The hardened look on Julie’s face told him it was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do. The others, though not entirely thrilled with the prospect, at least seemed sympathetic.

Edward dismounted the metallic beast, being careful not to knock the rapidly aging woman from its back as he swung his leg over. “It’s not much, but you can ride with Katie for a while.”

Brian straightened his posture and placed a hand on the wizard’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered gratefully.

Returning his attention to Julie, Edward let out a soft sigh of frustration. “Are you done being willful? I don’t want to be forced to restrain you, especially in light of all you’ve been through, but I will if you don’t agree to follow my instructions.”

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Just don’t expect me to like it.”

The defeated expression on the young woman’s face made him feel like a jerk for giving her such a harsh ultimatum. Closing the short distance between them, Edward approached her. He half expected Julie to shy away as he reached toward her. Gently placing two fingers beneath her chin, he tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry for being so hard on you. I hope you understand that it’s nothing personal.” Before a single word came from her mouth, he noticed her eyes were bloodshot and considerably moister than usual. Great! I’ve managed to upset her, probably by using the threat of restraining her. I should have never suggested any type of bondage to keep her in line. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hates me now.

Julie sniffled. “I realize you’re just trying to do what you think is best for everyone,” she admitted.

“True, but I could have handled the situation with a little more tact,” he confessed.

Trying her damnedest to hold back her tears, a hitching sigh escaped her lips.

***

For the next two hours the four of them trudged inexorably forward through the jungle. The growing heat was so oppressive that none of the small party had any interest in expending the energy to talk. It was taking everything they had just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

A hint of a breeze filtered through the trees, making the arduous journey mildly more bearable. Edward craned his neck slightly, cocking his head toward the canopy above, in order to relish the brief stirring of air. It was at that moment when he realized there was something vaguely different about their surroundings. Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or are the trees thinning out a bit? He blinked his eyelids rapidly, testing the possibility of the whole idea being nothing more than a mirage. When his view remained constant, he nearly gasped in relief. Upon hearing the sound, his weary friends turned their gazes in his direction.

“Is something wrong?” the red-haired shaman inquired, sensing a change in his leader’s mood.

“Not in the least,” Edward replied with a haggard half smile.

Brian scrutinized the wizard’s expression, attempting to ascertain if the man was being truthful or just telling him what he wanted to hear. “I just thought—” He frowned for a second, temporarily forgetting what he’d been about to say. “Your demeanor seems different,” he concluded, unable to finish his original line of thinking.

“I’m just feeling relieved. A moment ago, I noticed that the foliage around us appears to be thinning out a bit. I’m truly hoping it’s a sign that this stage of our journey is almost over.”

As Edward spoke, his traveling companions gazed upon the surrounding area and noted the same thing. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always enjoyed a stroll in the forest to clear my head, but that was before making my first trek into a jungle,” Brian admitted, wiping sweat from his brow. “Right now, I’d like nothing better than to dunk my head in a bucket of ice water.”

“How far do you think we are from the Throne of the Gods, Edward?” Katie asked, her voice cracking so badly that it almost sounded as if she was on the brink of death.

“I wish I could give you a definitive answer,” Edward replied glumly. “It could lie nearby, or it might take considerably longer to get there. With the way our luck has run in the past, it’s likely—” He saw the spark of hope go out of Katie’s eyes and couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought. Suddenly, the weight upon his shoulders to get to the Throne of the Gods before she died from old age felt like his castle home had been dropped on him. It almost seemed inevitable that he was going to lose the woman he’d grown to care so much for, despite how their bickering and fights would make their relationship look to an outsider. If it came to that, he wasn’t sure he could lead the group anymore … or have the will to continue fighting the battle, for that matter.

The implications of Edward’s unfinished sentence resonated in Katie’s mind. He didn’t need to voice his concerns for her to get the picture. Katie got the distinct impression she wasn’t going to survive the trip. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cry. There was no one to blame for her predicament but herself, knowing that she’d instigated the fairy guardians of the Tree of Life and was now paying the consequences for her folly. Any glimmer of hope that the gods would intervene on her behalf to save her life seemed to have flown out the window. The only thing she felt appropriate now was to accept the hand that fate had dealt her.

Chapter 3

In an attempt to keep Zeus preoccupied, the Black Knight disappeared through one of the three portals he’d opened. Although he spent considerable time on the other side of the dimensional rift, only an hour passed on Desolace before he reemerged. When he did, he wasn’t alone. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Within minutes of his arrival, the black void expanded like a mother’s nether region during childbirth and spewed forth column after column of uniformed men. The soldiers alone would hardly cause concern for Zeus, but what followed them out of the portal was surely something the god had never seen before. One by one, German Panzer tanks began to belch forth from the rift, emblazoned with symbols of Nazi Germany on their turrets.

As the massive army started to take shape, the ranks of men stood at attention and awaited their orders. Once the last man walked through the portal and joined his comrades, the Black Knight directed their focus to the stone spire his father called home. “I want that structure reduced to rubble! Leave no one alive!”

One of the men, who was apparently the leader, stepped forward and saluted the demonic entity. The Black Knight returned the gesture, then set upon his next task, disappearing into another of the black voids he’d created.

Once the hideous, robed figure was gone, the men became disoriented. They looked at each other as if they’d just awoken from a bizarre dream. The foreign landscape around them didn’t help matters much, it only reinforced the strange feelings they had. The men knew what they had been tasked to do, that much they remembered, but why they were doing it was beyond their comprehension. They had grown accustomed to imposing their will on their enemies, not being dropped in a seemingly barren wasteland with no other human beings in sight.

Although he hadn’t the slightest clue why he was doing the Black Knight’s bidding, the German commander figured there was nothing better to do. His men were already starting to break ranks and aimlessly mill around, so he climbed atop one of the tanks in order to make himself more visible and began to bark orders. As he did, dark clouds formed in the sky, blotting out the sun.

“Walk away from your foolish endeavor, mortals,” Zeus’ voice boomed from the heavens, causing the German soldiers to clamp their hands over their ears and turn their eyes toward the sky. “My son is a fool if he thinks that your pathetic rabble can defeat me!”

I don’t believe this idiot! Who does he think he is dealing with? Has he not heard of how powerful the Nazi regime is? The commander gazed toward the sky, preparing to hurl insults and scoff at the temerity of his unseen foe, but his mouth remained shut. Overhead, angry thunderheads churned. Lightning bolts zigzagged between the clouds. The telltale sign of forming tornadoes began to dip from the swollen bellies of the blackened sky and the heavens opened up. A torrential downpour rained down on the men, but it wasn’t the only thing. Softball-sized hail was mixed in with the falling liquid, which was coming down so hard that the men couldn’t see the chunks of ice dropping down until they struck the ground at their feet. By then, many of their numbers had already been killed, smitten by the god’s icy wrath. Those who were able fled for the shelter of the tanks, but even those only managed to lessen the casualties slightly. For a brief moment, the metal shells of the vehicles kept them from harm, although the torrent of ice pelted off of the hulls with the resonance of machine gun fire. Then the tornadoes began to touch the ground, the powerful vortexes tossing the tanks through the air like a child’s toys. When Zeus felt the humans would no longer be a threat, he calmed the swirling maelstrom and allowed the machines to fall back to the ground.

“I pray that you’ve learned a valuable lesson, mortals. If you continue to follow the direction of my insolent son, none of you shall survive!”

The German commander, lying battered and bloody inside an overturned tank, cursed under his breath in his native tongue. He would not be so easily subdued, but he was far from being an idiot. He would allow sufficient time to pass before attempting a counter attack, playing possum until he felt the time was right. If his ruse succeeded, hopefully the remains of the Nazi army would have some backup by then. He could only assume the entity, which called itself the Black Knight, had gone back to Earth through the black void to gather more soldiers.

***

His blood began to boil and his eyes turned to obsidian as the Black Knight gazed through the portal. He had yet to begin gathering the second faction of his earthly army, and after witnessing the decimation of the Germans it seemed like he’d been wise to wait on assembling the next portion of his assault. Originally, he had intended to return to ancient Greece to rally those who were loyal to him—in the guise of his true self, Ares—but now it appeared a change in his plans was necessary. The corpse-littered field surrounding his father’s abode on Desolace told him that brute force alone would not be enough to unseat Zeus. He would have to alter his agenda, using more subtle and deceptive maneuvers if he was going to have any chance of victory. He rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully, which was something he wasn’t used to. Upon Desolace, the Black Knight appeared to be a vile, demonic entity, his face a writhing mass of rotten flesh that he hid beneath a cowl, but when he was on Earth Ares found that he could assume any form he desired because technically he was still a god there. Zeus had stripped him of such honors while he walked on Desolace, and appearing in human form was a nice change that sometimes made him reconsider his priorities.

It was only a thought, however, because the Black Knight had no desire to stay in the place he once called home. Nowadays there was far too much competition. Earth had become a veritable smorgasbord of gods, making him feel less than significant. At least when he was in the parallel world of Desolace there were precious few to stand in his way—mainly Zeus because Ares was relatively certain the remaining Greek gods who’d chosen to go there had left for Earth and returned to Olympus. It made the epic conflicts between himself and his father seem like the Christian God and Devil fighting for control over all of mankind.

Suddenly, an idea struck Ares, making a sinister smile stretch across his countenance. What if I gather my father’s earthly worshipers and send them through the portal, telling them that their deity requested their presence at his throne? I could use them as a decoy, sending my loyal followers in after Zeus is sufficiently distracted. “Sometimes, I amaze myself with the shit I come up with,” he muttered aloud. A wicked laugh bubbled from his throat as he turned to set his new plan in motion.

Chapter 4

As nightfall rapidly approached, the heat of the day began to evaporate. The swiftly dropping temperatures resulted in a temporary collective sigh of relief. The sheen of sweat which adorned them all now felt like cool water had been poured over them. Initially this sensation had been welcomed, but once the sun sank completely below the horizon it turned into a chill which caused their teeth to chatter. While traveling during the day, building a fire was the furthest thing from any of their minds. Now, however, it almost seemed like a necessity.

Her arms crossed in front of her mid-section as if she were hugging herself, Julie vigorously rubbed her hands over the exposed flesh of her arms. “Brrrr! I don’t understand how the temperature could have dropped so much,” she complained. “I thought jungles were hot all the time.”

Although he knew anything he said would have little to no effect on the young woman’s demeanor, he opened his mouth to speak. Before a word could pass from his lips, Amber became visible. Edward allowed his reply to die in his throat when he saw the apparition pulsating erratically, normally an indication that something bad was about to happen. He glanced toward the shaman in an attempt to see if the red-haired man was having difficulty breathing or if his eyes had glazed over, both of which were afflictions Brian suffered from when evil was nearby. The strobe light ambiance that Amber provided made it impossible to discern, so Edward turned his attention back to the ghost. “What’s wrong, Amber?”

Her disembodied voice crackled, fading in and out with the brightness of her glow. “Surely you can feel the ground shaking beneath your feet. The army of machines is only about a half day's march behind you. If that isn’t bad enough, the monster who killed me is among them!” The mere insinuation that their former bus driver persisted beyond death and refused to stop making attempts on their lives caused both Katie and Julie to shudder.

Edward wasn’t sure how he had not noticed the tremor under his boots, but the vibration had become more than just a tickle on his soles. It seemed entirely possible that the army could be closer to their position than Amber surmised. He glanced back at his traveling companions nervously. “I know you are probably tired, but we need to keep moving.” The desperation in his eyes spoke louder than his words. However, unless they could somehow manage to all climb aboard the mechanical horse and ride away, their options looked bleak at best.

As if Katie had somehow heard his thoughts, she cleared her throat and voiced an idea. “I don’t suppose we could all fit on the back of this thing.” She paused briefly, not sure if she wanted to suggest her alternate solution. “Or … do you perhaps have a spell in your repertoire that will allow you to melt the hinges off of the horse’s breastplate, so someone could ride within the stomach cavity without being confined inside like a prisoner?”

He had to admit, he’d never even considered Katie’s latter proposition. “I’m not sure if I can pull off such a feat, but I’m willing to give it a try.” Edward truly hoped he could accomplish the task. If he did, their traveling speed would increase dramatically, making the possibility of getting Katie to the Throne of the Gods in time to reverse the curse upon her a much likelier scenario. Even Amber appeared to be calmed by the suggestion, her ghostly form becoming more substantial and her glow steadier. She drifted toward the front of the mechanical monstrosity, eager to assist the wizard by giving him the necessary light to work his magic by.

Having never attempted a spell like this, Edward crouched in front of the metallic horse and tried to study the hinges of the breastplate. He could clearly make out the creases in the beast’s metal hide that disguised the cavity behind it, but from what he discerned the hinges appeared to be on the inside. Edward exhaled loudly in frustration. “It looks as if—” He paused mid-sentence, suddenly feeling like an imbecile.

“Is something wrong?” Julie bit her lip nervously as she crouched down beside him.

In reply, Edward shoved both of his hands against the breastplate forcefully. “Not anymore,” he answered with a faint smile as the panel popped open. Thankfully, he caught the metal door before it made a full downward swing that might have rendered himself and the young blonde woman unconscious. Julie crab walked backward, then sat on the ground in a spot where she could watch. Once she was out of the way, Edward lowered the plating to its fully opened position and peered at the hinges. Other than the fact that they appeared to be heavy duty, they seemed similar to the ones used on the doors of what had once been his home. “Keep your fingers crossed,” he stated, taking a deep breath then closing his eyes to concentrate on a spell.

The veil of darkness surrounding them, previously lit only by Amber’s glow, took on the orange colored hue of sunset as Edward’s palms grew hot. Just as flames began to sprout from his hands, he turned them over and placed them directly on the hinges. Within less than a minute, the heated metal started to look like the embers of a campfire. “Do you need my help with anything?” Julie inquired, inching closer.

Edward seemed lost in concentration and didn’t reply. From his seat atop the steed, Brian tried to help with his own ideas. “Maybe if you grab the edge of the plating and try to pull it down,” he suggested. “Just keep your feet back, so if it breaks loose it doesn’t crush your toes.” He watched as she implemented his recommendation, tugging at the metal panel with every ounce of strength she had. Unfortunately, it appeared that Julie’s frail frame was too petite to muster enough leverage. Frustrated by her lack of success, she sat down with her arms crossed over her bosom and emitted a noise that was vaguely reminiscent of an angry guard dog. Brian turned his head so she couldn’t see his smile, or the fact he was restraining laughter.

After heating the hinges with his magic for nearly two minutes, Edward pulled his hands away and tested the breastplate to see if he’d managed to loosen it. When it refused to budge, he exhaled loudly. Since his efforts had made no difference, he attempted to lift the panel back into its original position. Again, it wouldn’t move, not even an inch. “Damn it,” he cursed, just loud enough that his traveling companions heard him.

From atop the steed, Katie peeked over Brian’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Not only have I failed to remove the breastplate, it appears as if I’ve locked it in the open position,” he grumbled.

“You welded it open?” Katie’s inquiry sounded more like a statement of despair.

“I have no clue what welded is,” Edward admitted, knowing it was likely part of her quirky repertoire of words from Earth that even now he fought to grasp the meanings of. He would have thought she would run out of such phrases by now, but apparently her supply of them was nearly limitless.

“It basically means that you’ve melted the hinges together, making them one solid piece.”

He sighed. “Then it would appear to be so.” As he conceded to Katie’s assessment, Julie began to cry. “It’s just a minor setback,” Edward stated in a soothing tone, hoping to ease the young woman’s apparent dismay.

She lifted her head to meet his gaze, her eyes leaking tiny rivers of tears down her cheeks. “A minor setback, is that what you call this? Now all of us will have to walk. You’ve disabled the one mode of transportation we had, so unless we manage to find Skarr soon Katie will die before we reach the Throne of the Gods.”

Dumbfounded, Edward turned his gaze back to the metallic creature, trying to assess the validity of Julie’s accusation. From what he could tell, the obstruction would likely hamper the machine’s ability to swiftly move forward, but every other direction should be unaffected. Navigation might be more difficult and take some getting used to, but technically they could travel sideways or backwards upon the beast. “Theoretically, the beast is still functional. We will just have to adapt to how we go about maneuvering it.” As he spoke, Edward noticed the spark of hope reappearing in the eyes of his friends. He could only pray that he wasn’t raising their expectations falsely.

Chapter 5

Progress was slow, mainly due to the increasingly thickening foliage. Days and nights blurred together for Verin as he led the army southward. In his opinion, they should have caught up to the small band of mortals by now. However, each day that passed gave him no indication of their presence. It certainly didn’t help matters much that the man he despised had been strangely absent since the army disembarked on the shore of the southern lands. What good was a scout if he was unreliable? Verin had no idea what the Black Knight saw in the human. He’s nothing but one headache after another if you ask me, and as worthless as the pile of defunct cyborgs littering the landscape below Cemetery Hill.

As the army relentlessly pushed forward, the first glimpse of something other than the jungle materialized ahead on his right. Although it appeared to be engulfed in vines roughly the diameter of a small tree, the distinct shape of an outpost loomed nearby. It was close to dusk when Verin gave orders to the army of machines to continue on their trajectory while he visited the structure. Since George and his three-headed mount had seemingly abandoned scouting duties, he hoped he could make contact with the Black Knight to determine if the entity had altered the mortal’s mission. Verin didn’t consider himself to be a tattle-tale, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring the wrath of his master down on the man. The mere thought of the Black Knight slowly dismembering George to exact his fury brought a wicked grin to Verin’s formless face.

Exuding more confidence than was healthy, especially in light of what his master might consider to be failure on his part, Verin drifted through the shadows and approached the outpost. By the time he realized he’d made a grievous error, it was too late. The slippery, rope-like vines had homed in on his presence and targeted him as if they were hungry snakes. They encircled him much like he was on the menu, and though Verin appeared to be nothing more than a misty figure, they firmly kept him in their grasp. When he struggled to break free and could not, it became obvious the vines were magically brought to an unnatural life or controlled by a higher power. The fact that they appeared to have thoughts and instincts of their own suggested the former.

Verin started to panic, his tortured scream for help barely piercing the thick, jungle air. For a moment, the only sound he heard was the constrictive creaking of the vines. Then, as if his wailing had miraculously been interpreted by the army of machines as a command to come to his aid, he began to hear the heavy footfalls of what he assumed to be one of the giant, troll-like creatures. Surely something of its size would snap the vines around him as if they were no more substantial than a string ... or so he hoped.

He waited with as much patience as he could muster, but after a few minutes the stomping ceased. From within the suffocating embrace of the vines, Verin could not even detect the slight whirring noise of the gears inside of the giant machine. It was dead silent, almost like someone had turned the mechanical monstrosity off. In desperation, he attempted to communicate with his savior by using the clicking sounds he associated with being their language. His efforts went unrewarded. The same empty void of response hung in the air.

After a lengthy pause, a disembodied voice broke the silence. “It feels as if I’ve waited a lifetime for this.” A maniacal chuckle followed the statement.

The vines squeezed tighter, the sensation feeling as if the tendrils were wild animals sucking the marrow from the bones of their prey. It shouldn’t have been painful for an insubstantial being like Verin, but the enchantment which gave the plants animation seemed to give them the ability to magically drain the life from creatures that would normally be considered immortal. The voice outside of their constrictive confines sounded familiar to Verin, although he couldn’t immediately place it. “Who’s there? Get these foul vines off of me,” he demanded in a rapidly fading tone, taking every bit of his energy to issue the command.

George couldn’t help but laugh. The idle threat in the formless demon’s tone seemed ludicrous. “Do you smell that?” he asked, taunting Verin. “It’s the smell of victory … for me! You are no longer in the position to make demands. Your army is now mine to command!”

An anguished scream bubbled from within Verin, but the resulting sound which penetrated the barrier of vines wasn’t much more than a barely audible grunt. He now knew who his tormentor was, to his dismay, and it infuriated him beyond comprehension to be at the mercy of a human. The only option left to him was to attempt contacting the Black Knight, though he doubted his pleas would be heard outside of the magical prison he was trapped in. As he strained to be heard by his master, heavy footfalls could be detected moving away from his position and fading into the distance.

***

It wasn’t an ideal situation, but at this point George was willing to exploit any advantage he could. He hadn’t entirely mastered the manipulation of the machine he was in, so he hoped his rudimentary knowledge of its inner workings would allow him to use the proper sequence of beeps and clicks. If he failed, his only option was to utilize the troll-like creature he currently inhabited to continue toward his goal and lose the aid of the smaller metallic counterparts of the regiment. The best case scenario, however, would unfold if the other mechanical constructs accepted him as their new leader. The Black Knight was a formidable adversary, but if George had an army at his command it just might even the odds or tip them in his favor.

Within fifteen minutes, he piloted the giant machine into view of the steadily marching column. Immediately, George began to attempt communication, which might have been an easier task were he not a ghost. Ripping a wire loose and bridging circuits would have been a more orthodox method, but what choice did he have? Being a living, breathing human would have simplified matters greatly. However, he could only work with using his limited knowledge of what made the machines tick, and try to exert control over them like he did when learning the ins and outs of the first cyborg he infiltrated.

A wicked grin spread across his ghostly face as the army suddenly stopped. The machines didn’t turn toward him as he’d hoped, although they did appear to be awaiting orders. Their metallic bodies rocked back and forth as if they were impatient with the delay and eager to get back to work, almost like they were preparing themselves to be launched. Some of the larger, animal-shaped drones appeared to be cocking their heads inquisitively. George continued his efforts until he gazed from the eye socket of the trollish sentinel he was inside of and saw results. It certainly seemed as if he indeed had control over the army. Section by section, the mechanical creatures returned to their destructive path, blazing a trail so wide it could likely be seen from the heavens. Although George would have vastly preferred the three-headed flying mount the Black Knight had given to him, then reclaimed as his own, over his current mode of transportation, perhaps the behemoth hunk of metal and wires would be better in the end. The only thing that frustrated him was his inability to soar above the treetops. In that respect, piloting the metallic troll was similar to being blind, which served to make him desire his previous mount even more. He longed for the freedom of the open sky, and to see his enemies before he struck. Inside of the giant’s head, the most likely scenario involved him crushing the small party of humans beneath the creature’s enormous feet before he realized it was happening, thus depriving himself of seeing the expressions on their faces as he took their lives.

His thoughts turned toward the formless demon, who had been in charge of the army before making a—what he hoped would be—fatal mistake. Verin’s miscalculation earned him a reward that George wished could have been his doing; the repulsive creature encased in the mystical vines near the outpost, trapped until such time that the rope-like tendrils tired of toying with him. Little did George know, there would be no reprieve for the Black Knight’s minion. Unbeknown to George, Verin would never again roam Desolace. The magical vines were sucking the very essence of the demon out of him, and when they were finished there would be nothing left.

Chapter 6

Learning to adapt to traveling sideways, the result of Edward accidentally fusing the hinges of the breastplate of the mechanical horse open, had been a tricky endeavor at first. It took the better part of an hour before the wizard had mastered the altered method of controlling the beast. The sixty-minute time frame leading up to that had often been agonizing, crashing into trees as he attempted to navigate the dense foliage. More often than not, one of the three—Edward, Katie, and Julie—who rode upon the back of the metallic steed ended up with a leg pinched between the horse and a tree. There were other instances, however, that the erroneous maneuvering caused laughter instead of pain; one of these situations involved Brian, who had opted to ride within the chest cavity of the machine to spare Julie the humiliation and suffering of being ejected from the belly of the beast like a newborn. Sure, things like this slowed their pace a bit, but as dawn approached none of them cared. The jungle foliage had thinned considerably, and as the sun began to crest over the horizon there was relief in sight. Not far from their current position, it appeared that the humid forest was coming to an end! Despite Julie’s ecstatic encouragement to “kick the horse to warp speed”—another Earthly expression which he had no idea what it referred to—Edward jockeyed the machine through the trees to the edge of the jungle.

“I thought we were never going to get out of there,” Julie remarked, although her enthusiasm was tempered by what lay ahead. “I swear that my clothes probably have enough moisture in them to wring out and drink.” She released her hold on Katie’s waist and patted her shirt rapidly with her hands. The display looked similar to what an agitated ape might use to warn others to back off, but didn’t have the same effect when Julie did it. Instead, the gesture drew Edward and Katie’s attention to the fact that her breasts could be seen through the soaked material. When Julie realized this she quickly used her hands to cover herself, her cheeks flushing a bright crimson in her embarrassment.

Now that the mechanical horse was no longer moving, Brian scooted out of the chest cavity. Initially the promise of fresh air had driven him, but his curiosity was aroused when he heard Edward laughing. “What’s going on? Did I miss something?” He leaned back slightly and stretched his arms overhead, gazing from one face to another.

“You had to be out here a couple of minutes ago to understand,” Katie replied, her voice cracking so badly that it sounded as if she had a mouthful of dust.

As their mirth subsided, each of them gazed into the distance. None of them, however, appeared to be looking in the same direction as anyone else. It was as if something had beckoned to each person, drawing their attention toward different facets of their surroundings. To the east, Katie saw what appeared to be a small pond about a quarter of a mile away. Julie was scrutinizing the landscape to the southeast with dismay, feeling like she had traded one version of hell for another. For as far as she could see, a sandy desert lay before them like an endless beach. Edward’s attention was pulled toward an apparent dust cloud, which seemed to suggest either windy conditions or a life form of some sort was in the distant southwest. There also appeared to be a dark speck in the vicinity of the anomaly. What it could possibly be, however, eluded him. Brian shaded his eyes with a hand as he peered westward, squinting to see through the blinding light of the rising sun. It was difficult to tell if the glowing orb had scorched his retinas, or if his mind was playing tricks on him. If he wasn’t mistaken there was a reddish shape near the edge of the jungle, maybe a mile or less from where he stood. Like a team of synchronized swimmers, they all spoke at once.

“Oh my God! That water looks so inviting,” Katie croaked.

“What the hell? We’re trading one type of heat for another?” Julie’s shoulders sagged, dreading a journey across the desert.

“I wonder if that disturbance is centered around the Throne of the Gods,” Edward mused aloud.

“Hey, guys! Look!” The red-haired shaman pointed to the west.

After sharing a laugh over the babble of blended words, Brian’s excitement seemed to draw their focus. As all four of them gazed in the direction he indicated with his finger, Katie emitted an audible gasp. She tapped Edward to get his attention. “Grab the pommel and steer us over there.”

“Hey, now! Don’t leave without me,” Brian admonished. “Remember, I’m not up there on the horse’s back like the rest of you.” Quickly, he scrambled to crawl inside the chest cavity.

Although Edward wasn’t entirely sure what the fuss was about, he complied with Katie’s request. A couple of minutes later, he eased up on the pressure he was exerting on the control lever. His awed intake of breath seemed to speak for everyone. “Skarr!” The single word passed through his lips in a reverent whisper. He maneuvered the metallic steed closer, unable to discern if the enormous dragon was alive. From where he sat, Edward couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not.

Apparently, the giant beast had heard her softly spoken name. She raised her massive head and gazed toward the sound. Her teeth became visible, much like she was attempting to smile. “My friends, I wasn’t sure I would ever lay eyes upon you again. I’m glad you have not perished.” Her deep voice resonated, shaking the very air around her and causing the mechanical horse to vibrate slightly.

“When you didn’t return, many of us thought you had died,” Edward admitted. “Well, Julie wasn’t convinced of your demise,” he added, nodding in her direction as he spoke.

“I did sustain injuries to my wings in the battle, but they are healed now.” Skarr rose to her feet and unfurled her wings. The scars upon them were barely distinguishable; the darker coloration of them blended into the normal hue of her wings like the shading of a tattoo.

“So quickly?” Edward’s jaw dropped open slightly in amazement.

“Dragon magic is strong. It heals much faster than any conjuration performed by mortals.”

“I mean no disrespect by asking this, but are your wings mended well enough for you to fly again?” The expression on Edward’s face was between concern and dread. He truly hoped his inquiry hadn’t offended the dragon, although he worried more about Skarr telling him she wouldn’t be able to carry riders on her back.

A warm gust of wind blew from Skarr’s maw and her eyes narrowed. If one were not familiar with a dragon’s body language they might assume the mythical beast was angry, evidenced by Edward and his comrades taking a few steps back. “I’m sure they would support me, though I imagine you are asking me if I’m well enough to bear riders in flight. Am I correct?”

“Indeed, you are,” he admitted.

“Then speak plainly, wizard,” Skarr remarked, a touch of irritation in her voice.

“My humblest apologies,” Edward stated, bowing his head in respect.

The dragon’s stern gaze softened. “How many of you require a ride?”

“If possible, all four of us. There have been complications with our current mode of transport and it would simplify matters were we able to stick together.”

“Then climb aboard,” Skarr insisted. “I will take to the air for a short time to test how well my wings will bear the extra weight. I don’t imagine it will effect my ability to fly very much. After all, even with the four of you on my back it hardly seems like the slight difference of encumbrance should be a concern.”

Wearing smiles as bright as the morning sun, the four travelers took their places between the ridges of Skarr’s spine. Edward’s was the brightest of them all because he felt confident they would now be able to get to the Throne of the Gods in time to reverse the fairy magic that continued to age Katie and thereby save her life.

Once everyone was nestled in place, Skarr stood and extended her wings. The force she exerted with the initial downward stroke created a dust cloud, but she rose above it in a matter of seconds. She continued to climb until the men and women upon her back could no longer discern one tree from the next, the jungle below looking like nothing more than an enormous green blanket. Skarr maintained this altitude for several minutes, during which time she flew in a large circular pattern. She did this in order to remain close to the cover of the forest should anything go wrong. It would be disastrous if she journeyed too far from the shelter of the greenery, especially if she had misjudged how well her wings had healed. It turned out to be a wise decision on her part, although it certainly didn’t ease anyone’s mind.

During the first circular pattern, dragon and human alike made a disheartening discovery. To the north, there was a distinct swath in the foliage. The morning sun glinted off of the metal bodies of the approaching mechanical army, causing their path to look like a giant arrow that was aimed right at them. Edward cursed under his breath, unable to believe he had grown complacent about the encroaching threat. Riding atop the mechanical horse had made it more difficult to detect the trembling of the ground beneath them, but to him it just sounded like an excuse. He should have been paying closer attention to the army’s whereabouts. Instead, his concerns for Katie’s life had clouded his judgment. The metallic regiment was much closer than he’d expected, perhaps as few as twelve hours away. His heart sank when he realized the dragon was slowly descending to the ground. Edward shouted a question to Skarr, but it seemed like the stiffening breeze had caused his words to fall unheard.

A few minutes later, Skarr landed in almost the identical spot she had previously occupied. When her forward momentum stopped, she gingerly pulled her wings close to her body, then turned her head to face her passengers. “It appears my wings are not in the shape I thought they were,” she confessed. The dragon saw Edward’s disappointed expression and added, “Do not worry, young wizard. I can still fly, but I’ll have to take frequent breaks. It might be more difficult to maintain your balance when I’m not in the air, but I can still carry all of you more comfortably than if you were to continue traveling on your old steed.”

“Might I inquire as to why you brought us back to the mechanical horse if your intention is to continue the journey with us upon your back?”

“I thought you would need to grab any supplies you’ve been carrying with you,” Skarr stated.

“We no longer have much of use to bother with,” Edward remarked. “Besides, I’m sincerely hoping that our quest will end shortly. If so, then either the gods will provide us with sustenance or we will perish in the fight, thus rendering food the least of our worries.”

“As you wish, wizard.” A thunderous crash resonated through the jungle to their north as the dragon turned and began walking in the opposite direction. Edward and his comrades glanced nervously over their shoulders and saw what appeared to be an enormous flock of birds fleeing toward the sky. The aerial congregation was much closer to their position than he would have liked.

Chapter 7

The German commander gazed at the bloody fields outside through a viewing portal in the Panzer. Everything had happened so quickly that he wasn’t entirely sure how his army had been dispatched with such efficiency. Precious few of his soldiers had managed to take cover inside of the available tanks during the onslaught of lightning bolts, apparently slung to the ground by an unseen menace with god-like powers. At least, it was the impression he got when he heard the booming voice from above.

His lone ally, who wore the black cloak and reeked of death, had disappeared into a void similar to the one his army had entered this world through. He assumed that the Black Knight had returned to Earth to gather reinforcements, but so far there hadn’t been any indication of help being on its way. One thing was certain, however. If the foul-smelling entity didn’t return soon, it was likely that his remaining troops would be dead … including himself!

He was unsure of how much time had passed since the Black Knight’s departure, although it no longer mattered at this point. A strange hum resonated in the air, causing the metal shells of the Panzers to vibrate. Until now, the corpse-littered fields had been eerily silent. No threats from above. No movement within the view of his tank. The sound rose in pitch for several minutes, then dropped away completely as if it was akin to the phenomenon of ringing in the ears. A short time after the noise receded, murmuring voices could be heard.

At first glance, the throng of white-robed men and women appeared to be ghosts. Although, after further scrutiny the commander realized they were actual humans and probably religious zealots of some sort. They moved as if controlled by a single mind, similar to a herd of sheep. If they were indeed fanatics it seemed plausible that they were here to pay homage to the voice in the clouds, whomever that might be.

The enormous assemblage moved across the bloody debris of the battlefield as if the men and women were oblivious to the gore around them. It was entirely possible that they had seen such things, or worse, wherever they’d come from, so they walked through the wasteland of body parts unfazed by the carnage. They wandered past the line of tanks, the crowd raising their hands toward the sky as if they were a single individual. The gesture appeared to be one of supplication, like the men and women were pleading for God to hear their prayers.

High above, the ominous dark clouds began to lose their angry hue, drifting away until their billows could no longer be seen. As if some unseen force was clearing a path for them, the white-clad congregation approached the massive stone spire without resistance. Within minutes they walked in the shadow of the structure, and shortly thereafter they began to disappear from sight as they filed inside.

***

From ancient Greece, the Black Knight gazed through the portal. Once he was certain his father was sufficiently distracted, he turned away to implement the next phase of his plan. With Zeus’ followers preoccupying the King of the Gods, Ares strode toward one of his temples to gather those who’d sworn allegiance to him. His hope was that the white-robed sheep would keep his father’s attention away from the black rifts he was using, giving him a chance to catch Zeus by surprise. The one thing he didn’t fully understand was why the god had casually dismissed the Germans. Perhaps he assumed them all to be dead. While it may seem true when gazing across the battlefield, the Black Knight was almost positive there were still soldiers alive. Most likely they were hidden in the armored machines, playing possum until they felt the odds were in their favor for an assault.

Fortunately, he had opened the rift to the place he’d once called home near his most active temple. Gathering Zeus’ followers had taken more time than he would have liked because he was required to travel farther to get to them. His soldiers were an entirely different matter. After walking for less than a half an hour, the ranks of his faithful came into view. It was a sight Ares relished, seeing their armored bodies stretching from one horizon to the other. By his calculations, there had to be more than one hundred thousand men surrounding his temple! Hell, it was entirely possible that his estimation was low. Their numbers seemed greater than the German army he’d acquired. This fact alone should be enough to give him cause for hope, especially in light of the absence of Asclepius. The one-time God of Medicine was either in hiding or dead, and as such increased the odds of Ares’ success. Without the aid of Asclepius, even Zeus could be mortally wounded with the proper weaponry. It wouldn’t be an easy task by any standards, but without the ability to heal his wounds Zeus could be killed.

The biggest drawback to an army of this size was how long it would take all of the men to get through the portal. In an effort to expedite the process, Ares gathered the warlords from each faction as he strode through the ranks of sweaty warriors toward his temple. As he ascended the steps, the Black Knight ushered his war generals inside. He closed the door behind them, then took his place on the raised dais his worshipers had constructed. He sat down on the throne and raised a hand in the air, waving it in a manner intended to quiet the men.

The chamber quickly went silent, each warlord turning their eyes upon their god and crossing their muscular arms over their chests. “Our time has finally come,” Ares announced. “With your help, the seat of power will soon be mine.”

“Tell us what to do, and it will be done.” The bold warlord stepped forward, as if he were Ares’ most trusted lieutenant. There wasn’t even an inkling of unease in the expression on his face, making it clear that he didn’t fear reprisal from the god. Instead his neutral look appeared confident, almost like he expected a hearty pat on the back.

“It will take considerable time, but we will enter the foreign lands in one long column. Once each regiment arrives, we will reform our ranks and begin the assault.” Ares paused for a moment to make sure the warlords understood. “Zeus will be otherwise occupied when we arrive, so it will make our mission as easy as taking candy from a child.” His lips peeled back in a toothy grin.

Although it was blatantly obvious that Ares meant to take the King of the Gods' throne for his own by force, the assembled warlords weren’t entirely sure how they were supposed to accomplish such a lofty task. Surely Zeus, even if caught unaware, would smite them before they could get close enough to the god to do anything to him. “When we encounter Zeus, how are we to subdue him?”

“Subdue?” The Black Knight couldn’t restrain his laughter, doubling over in nearly hysterical mirth. After regaining his composure, he glanced up at his men with a comical expression. “We won’t be taking prisoners when we get there, human or god. We will be killing my father, and thereby eliminating my only worthy competition for his throne.”

There was an audible intake of breath after the plan was revealed. “That’s not possible, is it? How are we supposed to kill a god, let alone the king of them?”

Ares wasn’t sure whether to be angry or amused by the line of inquiry. In one respect, it infuriated him that his men questioned his ability to dispatch Zeus. On the other hand, however, their queries were laughable to him. The men weren’t privy to the surprise he had in store. When he rose from his seat upon the dais, every warlord in the room took a couple of steps back. It was difficult to maintain an expression of sternness, but Ares managed to keep a straight face until after he turned away from their panicked eyes. He strolled to the rear of the chamber and placed a hand on the replica of his head, which his worshipers had crafted and placed on a pedestal. The Black Knight tipped the bust backward at a forty-five degree angle and the room began to shake, as if by doing so he had triggered an earthquake.

As the chamber trembled, decorative sculptures tumbled from where they stood and smashed into hundreds of tiny stone fragments. The warlords were too preoccupied by the falling debris to see that the back wall of the temple was sliding to one side. It wasn’t until the tremors ceased that they reacquired their bearings and noticed the open aperture. From within the secret nook, an enormous weapons rack could be seen. What appeared to be thousands of gleaming swords hung from the mammoth fixture.

The Black Knight turned to face his subjects, making a gesture toward the rack like a game show host. “This, my friends, is the means you can employ to end Zeus. The blades before you have been dipped in the waters of the river Styx. A cut with them will not be lethal to a god, but they will grievously injure one. Once Zeus is incapacitated, slaughtering his followers will end his existence. Without them, he is nothing. And after being weakened by these special blades, he will be too feeble to stop you.”

“Won’t Zeus just call on Asclepius to heal his wounds?”

“The God of Medicine will not interfere. That, I can promise.”

Chapter 8

The last of Ares’ faithful from ancient Greece strolled through the black void to Desolace, their god following right behind. Not that his soldiers would recognize him now. Upon reentering the parallel world, the hideousness of his true form was revealed. At least, true in a sense that it was the shell his father had cursed him with, making it more difficult for Ares to use his powers of persuasion or his comeliness to his advantage. The Black Knight surveyed the battlefield for a few moments, noting that the only movement was from the armor-clad men of Earth. The Panzer tanks sat motionless, as if they were relics of a long forgotten era and just as useless.

Like an enormous tidal wave of bodies, the massive column of warriors marched toward the stone spire. They needed no further encouragement or instruction from Ares—their willingness to gain the god’s favor was motivation enough. At times the army would shift direction slightly, but only enough to move around an obstacle in their path. So far, there was no indication that Zeus was aware of their presence. No storm clouds building. No wrathful words raining down on them. A wicked grin appeared on the Black Knight’s twisted features, and greedy anticipation caused rivulets of saliva to drip from his elongated fangs.

As the men marched inexorably forward, Ares caught movement from the corner of his gleaming yellow eyes. He shifted his gaze toward the disturbance and saw what seemed to be a gigantic dust cloud in the north. If his calculations were correct, the anomaly was evidence that his mechanical army had cleared the dense forest. From this distance it was impossible to discern if the machines had dispatched the small group of humans who plagued him at every turn. Verin’s instructions had been to kill the mortals, then rendezvous with the Black Knight near the Throne of the Gods.

Focusing his thoughts, Ares attempted to communicate telepathically with the formless demon. No response. He growled in aggravation, the glowing orbs within his skull rapidly shifting to obsidian. The Black Knight knew his unanswered questions did not bode well for the mission to overthrow Zeus. Either Verin was being willful and confident, believing himself to be more powerful than he actually was, or the small contingent led by the wizard had somehow managed to silence the demon. Both scenarios could potentially lead to disaster. I’ve worked too hard for my plans to unravel now. Good thing I have another surprise to unleash.

The Black Knight turned his narrowed eyes toward the three portals he’d opened, one of which he had yet to step through. Previously, the sounds coming from the rift were drowned out by the ruckus of battle emitted from the other two. Now, however, the hungry noises of lips smacking and teeth gnashing together could distinctly be heard. An occasional groan of agony was mixed in with the commotion, the caterwauling pleas for mercy falling upon ears which no longer cared. The discord was like a relaxing symphony to the Black Knight’s ears. A malicious grin spread across his writhing face when he stepped into the void.

***

As the Black Knight emerged in future Earth his form altered to a ghostly black visage, which was similar to how his minions appeared. He soon realized that there was one thing he had failed to consider. While his insubstantial, ethereal form was garnering attention from the undead, would they lose interest in him if they found out he wasn’t comprised of flesh? Should he shift to the form he’d previously used in ancient Greece, taking on the familiar guise of the God of War? It would certainly hamper his movements, making the demonic speed in which he moved when on Desolace unavailable to him. His initial thought had been to use himself as bait, to taunt the undead into chasing after him. Once he felt there were a sufficient number of the zombies trailing in his wake, he had intended to lead the hungry corpses back through the portal.

Before passing through the rift from Desolace to the apocalyptic future Earth, the Black Knight had thought that rounding up the mindless creatures would be simple. Now that he was actually here, however, he found the daunting task to be much more difficult. It would have been significantly easier had he been able to maintain a more ghostly form, but since he didn’t want to risk losing their interest he had opted to appear human. Shortly after stepping through the rift, the few zombies feasting on the gentleman he’d heard attempting to scream for help rose their heads. They locked their glazed-over eyes on the new arrival. Although their stare appeared vacant, the Black Knight could feel the ravenous need to feed focused on him. Until the first of the previously eating zombies rose to its feet, the remainder of the horde had been milling aimlessly through the burned out streets of the city. That changed in the blink of an eye.

With a string of entrails hanging from its decayed and bloody jowls, the zombie made a sound that was part growl, part hiss, dropping chunks of its meal on the pavement in a sickening splat. As if they were one being, the shuffling undead craned their heads toward the lamentation. No longer was their focus undirected. Fresh meat had suddenly entered the equation and gained their undivided attention. Moving with renewed purpose the hungry mob closed in, their ranks quickly circling their prey and limiting his options for escape, even though they weren’t exactly the fastest creatures.

The Black Knight’s mind raced as the zombies closed in. The rotting crowd was going to make matters more difficult than he’d imagined. There was no chance he could break through the wall of putrefied flesh, not without fighting his way through the wave of bodies or changing to his less substantial, ghostly form. The situation was far from ideal. If he could keep them focused on him as a black, misty shape, he could accomplish the task before him in the bat of an eye. It was far too much to risk, in his opinion, so he opted to remain human in appearance. He would be battling almost insurmountable odds by doing so. This was nothing like smiting human warriors in ancient Greece. They were mortal and easily dispatched, unlike the foe he presently faced.

The immediate threat came from the zombies that had been feasting when Ares arrived. All four of the foul creatures were now on their feet and shuffling toward him, less than a few steps away from being able to snag him with their grimy fingers. The Black Knight quickly surveyed his adjacent surroundings in search of a weapon. The only reasonable alternative to one that he saw was a battered hubcap, which lay on the asphalt between his most imminent foe and the rapidly approaching horde of corpses. He was going to have to eliminate his closest adversaries before he could even consider the chance of acquiring the dirty metal disk, or at the very least incapacitate them.

With bloody drool dripping from its chin, the first zombie to notice the Black Knight’s presence reached out for him. Before the foul creature could get Ares in its grasp, he grabbed on to the outstretched arm and twisted. His initial plan had been to wrench the limb with enough force to spin the corpse around and use it as a shield. Instead, the already sagging flesh of the zombie’s appendage caused it to pop loose from the shoulder socket. The wet, cracking sound was unlike anything Ares had ever heard, and probably would have made the stoutest of men heave the contents of their stomach. The Black Knight hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do next. He held the slimy arm in his hand like an obscene club that was crafted by cannibals. In his moment of indecision, the one-armed zombie turned to face him and snarled. As its decayed breath washed over the Black Knight’s face, he swung the flesh-covered weapon at his foe. The blow struck the zombie in the side of the head, but instead of decapitating the foul beast it merely knocked its rotten skull to one side. The crack of its neck was loud. Even though it was obviously broken, the corpse blinked at Ares. Gray matter could be seen oozing from the lacerated scalp. While the injuries hampered its movement, the zombie’s hungry friends were not suffering from the same affliction. In seconds, they closed the distance between themselves and their potential meal.

Forced to defend himself, the Black Knight swung his weapon like a baseball player trying to hit a home run. With precious little room to maneuver, he still managed to connect a vicious blow. The result was almost comical. As the arm struck his adversaries, it whipped their heads to the side, the effect on his opponents being similar to a Three Stooges episode where Larry, Curly, and Moe all stood in line to be slapped simultaneously. The undead, however, were less than amused. They spun their heads to face Ares in unison, snarling their displeasure. I know how you feel. That blow should have taken your heads clean off! Where the hell is my godly strength?

He quickly shook off the thoughts and refocused his efforts. With his last strike his foes had staggered backward, giving him a fraction more room to work. Ares cocked his arm like a boxer who was going for a knockout punch, then swung the severed limb with every ounce of strength he could muster. The resulting strike was far more effective than his previous attempt, causing all four zombies to lose their heads. They rolled toward the approaching mob like bowling balls rushing down a lane, although they didn’t generate a remotely similar outcome. The only thing it seemed to do was piss them off and incite them to move faster. The snarling wave of undead rushed forward, leaving Ares a narrow path that would likely only stay available for less than a minute as the faster moving zombies left their circling counterparts behind. It didn’t take long for the rest of the horde to follow suit, but by then the Black Knight had dodged the first wave and gotten into open space behind them.

The army of rotten flesh spun around as Ares ran by, the mob gaining numbers by the second as more undead poured out from alleyways and vacant buildings. By the time the Black Knight had put enough distance between himself and the crowd to begin making maneuvers to direct the flesh-eaters toward the black rift, the street was filled with the putrid smelling creatures. There had to be thousands of hungry zombies pursuing Ares. Not like he had time to take a head count, though. The only thing that mattered to him was knowing the massive assemblage of the dead should be more than enough to take care of his little problem back on Desolace. Until now, however, his utilization of the hungry mob had but a single purpose. As Ares sped toward the portal, other questions surfaced in his mind. Should he steer the undead toward the Throne of the Gods, or send them north to decimate the pain in the ass wizard and his friends? The decision would be easier to make if Verin would see fit to answer him.

Chapter 9

It felt like several hours had passed since he’d taken command of the mechanical army, although the sun’s position suggested otherwise. George no longer cared, however, because there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Moments ago, the machines had broken through the last tangles of jungle foliage and moved into the open. In fact, he was almost tempted to leave the confines of the troll-like creature’s skull to relish in the relative freedom of the vast and sandy plains before him. Instead, he restrained himself from such behavior—it was an extremely difficult task, knowing his plans could unravel in the blink of an eye if he allowed himself that indulgence.

He wished he could close his eyelids, even for a moment, to clear the swirling thoughts from his mind. As a spirit, however, the option wasn’t available to him. It was impossible to shut something you didn’t have. George didn’t realize just how lost in his musings he was until he noticed the massive column of mechanical drones had stopped. No longer having obstacles in their path to destroy, it seemed they were unsure of what was expected of them next. For an instant, he nearly forgot to bring the troll-like machine he was inside of to a halt, and almost ended up stomping his way through the smaller machines before him.

As the army sat idle, awaiting new instructions, George contemplated what commands to give them. He stared off into the distance, noting two anomalies that seemed to demand further scrutiny. Both were extremely difficult to distinguish, but the closest one appeared to be some sort of red blob surrounded by a haze of dust. From this range the crimson aberration wasn’t much bigger than a dot. It was entirely possible that it might just be a mirage. Heat did strange things to the air in open, sandy expanses similar to this one. For all he knew, what he was seeing could be a trick of the ambient lighting, but there was only one way to be absolutely certain. Gazing toward the second incongruity, which appeared to be much farther away, the only thing he could surmise was that an army similar to the one he commanded was in the area. At least, that was his best guess. There seemed to be an enormous dust cloud in that location, although from his vantage point it was hard to make out, especially when he considered the coloration. It almost had a grayish tint to it, like a thick cloud of smoke.

George briefly considered his best course of action, but before he settled on one something else caught his attention. To the left of the mechanical army stood a familiar sight, one of the two-headed, six-legged monstrosities he had once been fond of was gazing in the direction of the metallic regiment. It seemed to be wounded, if such a term could be used to describe the creature’s condition. The beast’s chest looked as if someone had opened it with a giant can opener. He felt sorry for the mechanical horse, even though he realized the likelihood that it was inoperable was remote. The eerie red glow of its eyes told George that the machine was still functional. Despite his desire to once again grace the saddle of the metallic monster, he knew such things were in his past. Besides, the massive troll-like sentinel he was within now afforded him his best opportunity to succeed. Not that he felt he had more than an outside chance, although he had managed to persist beyond death. That had to count for something, right?

When the shining column of drones began to emit noises that George translated as meaning they were impatient to proceed, he forced the machine he was inside of to utter the appropriate series of clicks and beeps. He was far from certain if he had chosen the proper commands, but his mechanical counterparts seemed to have accepted their new orders. The best option—in his opinion—was to go after the closest target, which happened to be the reddish speck. If he wasn’t mistaken, the aberration was heading straight toward the billowing grayish cloud that would have been George’s second choice to investigate. This meant, in all likelihood, that the object which was closer to his position was almost assuredly the wizard and his friends. The crimson blob puzzled him, however. In his time on Desolace, George had only seen one thing which had been that color … the tiny dragon he’d witnessed being torn apart by the machines he now commanded. It was impossible for the anomaly to be the same mythical creature, but it forced him to consider the possibility that another such being existed, even though in his mind he truly doubted the odds were in favor of such a thing.

With nothing to hinder their progress, the mechanical army headed for its target at speeds they’d not been able to use for quite some time. At this rate of travel, they should be upon their prey in no time at all. Provided, that is, no further problems developed.

Chapter 10

“Son of a bitch! I thought the jungle was hot,” Julie complained.

Edward exhaled loudly, annoyed by the fact that every time the group was forced to walk upon the sandy soil the blonde woman started whining. He did his best to keep in mind that her body wasn’t used to the rigors of nearly constant travel, especially since not so long ago she had been incarcerated on Cemetery Hill. Well, actually it was more like tortured and deprived of food. The emaciated girl she had been when Katie and her best friend had reunited was technically not very far into the past. Fortunately, Julie had rebounded nicely. Within days she had regained most of her previous appearance back, her sagging skin filling out quickly as she took in enough nourishment to feed a small army.

The group had made considerable progress over the past few hours, despite Skarr’s inability to maintain long periods of flight. The previously hard to distinguish anomalies on the horizon were now close enough that Edward could make out a bit more detail. One of these appeared to be an enormous stone spire, which rose so far into the sky it penetrated the clouds. By his calculations, it was likely the Throne of the Gods. “Can you keep it together for just a while longer, please?” He glanced at Julie, a scolding scowl upon his features. “If I’m right, we could possibly reach our objective by nightfall.”

Edward’s admonishment hurt like the barbed stinger of a giant wasp, even though Julie knew his words rang true. Her lips pressed together tightly and her eyebrows furrowed as she turned away shamefully. Julie let out a disparaged sigh while she pretended to run her fingertips over Skarr’s scaly hide like she was petting the family dog.

The wizard turned his attention to Katie. His aging comrade no longer seemed to have the energy to climb on and off the dragon’s back, so she remained seated on the ridged spine of the beast. As if she felt Edward’s gaze boring into her flesh, she craned her head in his direction. The expression on her face was haggard and weary, similar to what one might expect to see upon the countenance of an individual who was on their death bed, waiting for the sweet oblivion of the hereafter to make its claim upon their wrinkled and used up body. Technically, she wasn’t in that bad of shape yet, although by his estimation it wasn’t far from being accurate. The mere act of adjusting her position caused pain to shoot through her frame, like the debilitating agony of the advanced stages of arthritis. If Edward was correct in his assumption, she might actually survive the curse of the fairies long enough to make it to the Throne of the Gods. His biggest concern, however, was that once they got there the gods wouldn’t be able to reverse the effects, meaning she would be stuck in the shell of an old woman until she met her end. The possibility was depressing.

Skarr lifted her gaze toward the sky, calculating the position of the sun. “I think it best that we travel on foot until dusk,” she announced in a rumbling tone, turning her massive head in Edward’s direction. She spoke to the sorcerer, because he was the only member of the human party that could understand her speech. The ancient dragon saw an expression of dismay blossom on the wizard’s countenance. “I realize time is crucial, but I surmise that by dusk I should be able to maintain flight for the remainder of the journey. It seems more expedient than what we’ve been doing to this point.”

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. He rotated his neck in wide circles, as if he was getting a headache and trying to relieve some of the pressure. While doing so, he noticed a large dust cloud to the north and stopped moving his head in order to study it. It was almost impossible to discern if the anomaly was naturally occurring. Although, there didn’t appear to be any wind to cause such a disturbance, certainly not enough to make the dust storm move in their direction, which it seemed to be doing. He made this determination based on the appearance of the cloud, because it looked like it was growing larger. Edward turned to face the dragon, lowering his head and eyes. “I mean no disrespect by disagreeing with you, mighty Skarr, but I have noticed an anomaly to the north, which I believe to be the army of machines heading toward us. I can’t say for certain, because I don’t know for sure what speeds our enemies can travel at, but I somehow think they are moving more rapidly than what your stride is capable of.”

The ancient creature regarded the disturbance for nearly a minute, then returned her blazing golden eyes to the wizard. “Perhaps you are correct, young sorcerer. However, if the rearmost member of your party can keep an eye on the approaching cloud, I should have sufficient warning to take to the air if they get too close. Does this sound like an acceptable alternative?”

With furrowed brows and a tight-lipped expression, Edward inhaled and exhaled loudly through his nostrils. “Indeed, that does sound like a plausible scenario.” He glanced toward the others with a questioning look, momentarily forgetting they could only understand one side of the conversation. However, Katie appeared less than interested. In fact, she almost seemed to have fallen asleep. Trying not to wake the weary woman, Edward approached Brian and Julie. He spoke in hushed tones when he relayed the details of the conversation. Although the young blonde woman seemed anxious when she heard the news, she tried very hard not to let her worry show. After glancing over her shoulder toward the encroaching maelstrom of dust, keeping her expression neutral became impossible.

“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Julie nearly shouted, the panic obvious in her voice. Her eyes darted from one face to another. It was difficult to read Edward, but if she were to hazard a guess she would say his expression was not laced with concern. To her it appeared to be more like annoyance. Brian, on the other hand, seemed almost nonchalant about her outburst. His pale blue eyes didn’t show the slightest bit of worry.

“Calm down, Julie. Are my eyes glazed over?” The red-haired shaman crossed his arms over his scrawny chest as he waited for her reply, hoping she would realize things weren’t as bad as she thought.

“No,” she admitted, hanging her head like a scolded child.

“Then obviously we have no cause for alarm just yet,” he stated in a tone that was perhaps a bit more short than he intended. Brian closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus his mind on patience and forgiveness as he’d once done in a former lifetime. Those days were nothing but a distant memory now, and it seemed unlikely that he would ever return to them. Not that he had any desire to be back on Earth during an apocalypse filled with zombies, fighting for the privilege to draw breath on a daily basis.

“Can we please focus on more pressing matters?” Edward inquired, worried that the delay in travel might actually allow the machines to gain enough ground to be a serious threat to their well-being. When he had their attention, the wizard began to issue orders. “Julie, climb to the position directly behind Katie. I want you to hold on to her and keep her steady so she doesn’t fall from Skarr’s back.”

The blonde woman glanced up at her friend, who barely seemed conscious … let alone strong enough to maintain her seat once the dragon started moving. Without a word, she nodded at Edward to acknowledge her role.

“Brian, I would appreciate it if you took the rearmost position behind Julie. I think it best to have your exceptional ability as close as possible to the approaching army in order to give us an earlier warning. If the machines are traveling faster than us it will give Skarr a fighting chance to elude them.”

The faint hint of a smirk appeared on the shaman’s face. “And what will you being doing, oh fearless leader?” With a sweeping gesture, he bowed comically, eliciting a chuckle from the wizard.

“I will keep Skarr on track, and communicate any changes to our plan to her as becomes necessary,” Edward replied with a grin. “I’ll also be surveying the area surrounding the Throne of the Gods to determine a proper course of action. We have no idea what the dark forces of this world have in mind to thwart our mission, and we have to be ready for anything they throw at us.”

Brian briefly contemplated a smart ass comment, then thought better of it. The strange, smoke-like haze in the distance didn’t seem to be anything naturally occurring. In fact, the anomaly was probably something far worse than any of them could imagine. The jovial expression melted from his face as he locked eyes with Edward, along with any thoughts of giving the sorcerer grief about being a glorified jockey.

Chapter 11

A quiet murmur passed amongst the throng of white-robed men and women as they ascended the spiral staircase. Their journey toward the heavens seemed to be taking much longer than any of them had anticipated. Some had already voiced concerns that Ares might have led them astray by promising them an audience with their deity. The fact that the stone steps they climbed appeared to stretch on for eternity only served to bolster their apprehension. A disgruntled few had already turned around and begun to descend, fully intending to confront Ares and possibly even accuse the god of deceiving them—provided that at least one of them had the temerity to give voice to their displeasure once they exited the structure and were face-to-face with him. Gently pushing their way through the upward current of their friends and neighbors, the men and women who had given up hope of meeting Zeus in person eventually made it to the rear of the climbing masses. Within minutes the hollow resonance of their footfalls faded into the distance.

The remainder of Zeus’ faithful continued the ascent quietly, their demeanor subdued by those who had left the ranks. Their loss, probably in more ways than one. Surely the King of the Gods would not look upon their desertion favorably, and might even take their lives as payment for their insolence. Approximately half an hour had passed when the spiraling staircase started to grow lighter. At the very least, it meant they were approaching a window or room within the tower. Anything different at this point would be a welcomed sight.

An excited whisper began to pass among the individuals in the front of the formation, which was followed by a reverent gasp a few moments later. One by one, the men and women filed from the staircase into the massive, brilliantly lit chamber. It took only a matter of seconds for the wonderment of the ornate decorations of the huge room to be overshadowed by the presence gazing upon them from across the expansive alcove. The white-robed men and women quickly fell to their knees and lowered their heads, lest Zeus find their actions disrespectful.

As the last man entered the chamber and joined his comrades in a position of supplication, the only sound that could be heard was the soft whisper of Zeus’ golden sandals as he moved across the marble floor toward them. He stopped a short distance from the congregation. “What brings so many of you here?” Although his inquiry was uttered in a gentle tone, the sheer depth of his voice caused the floor to vibrate beneath his followers. The statues which adorned the area, life-sized sculptures of every Olympian god worshiped by man, rattled against the marble as if they were dancing.

A lone, female voice spoke out. The dark-haired woman raised her head slowly and locked her pale eyes on the countenance of her deity. “Ares—” It was the only word she could manage before Zeus interrupted her.

His eyebrows drew together in an angry scowl and his lips twisted into a snarl. “Why do you speak the name of that traitor?” Zeus demanded in a deafening voice, the force of which caused every statue in the chamber to tumble from its place and shatter upon the floor. Even the thick, stone pillars supporting the vaulted ceiling cracked.

The woman trembled, fearful that she would provoke Zeus’ wrath if she opened her mouth again.

“Speak!”

“He told us that you requested our presence,” she squeaked.

Before Zeus could manage a response, the sound of clanging weapons echoed from the stairwell. There were gurgled screams bubbling up from below as well. Intertwined with the other noises, the resulting cacophony which rose from the depths of the tower belched into the throne room like the masticating sounds of a hungry demon. The white-robed faithful cringed, half expecting to have hot, foul breath spewing forth from the stairway to wash over them. Instead, they scurried from their kneeling positions to get behind their god for protection.

The air surrounding the god crackled with electricity. The formerly bright chamber began to grow dark as storm clouds swirled just outside the tower. Zeus strode purposefully to the stairway entrance, but went no farther. The main objective for him was to keep his worshipers from harm. As long as he could keep the threat rising from below in a single, small column and not allow them access to his chamber, the rabble should be easily dispatched. By blocking the top of the stairs he prevented himself from being caught by surprise in the darkened corridor, and at the same time kept a source of energy to draw from nearby. He could thereby use the thunderheads swirling outside to rejuvenate the lightning bolts he would use to defend the tower.

The sounds of battle subsided, and for a short while all seemed quiet. So much so that Zeus began to ponder the possibility that the threat had withdrawn. He had nearly lowered his guard to turn toward his faithful, intending to comfort them and perhaps get more information, when the faint scuff of footfalls carried to his ears. He had no idea why his treacherous son would gather his followers and send them here, unless he meant to dispatch anyone and everyone associated with Zeus’ name in one final act of defiance. There was only one way Ares could succeed in harming Zeus and surely he had already thought about it. What Zeus was unsure of, however, was if his son was aware that Asclepius wasn’t available to heal any wounds he might sustain. If Ares knew Zeus had nobody to aid him, the situation could deteriorate rapidly.

When an eerie bluish light started to appear in the darkened stairwell, steadily growing in intensity with each passing moment, Zeus knew that whatever force was arrayed against him had weapons that could injure and even kill him. This meant there was no room for error on his part. When he did deploy his arsenal of lightning, he must be absolutely certain that his targets were destroyed. One tiny miscalculation could spell doom for him and his followers. He wished now that he’d never sent Asclepius back to Earth, believing there was no threat to his well-being, primarily because he could not summon the god’s aid without traveling to his old home world.

As the stomp of footfalls grew louder, the front section of the column of warriors came into view. Their weapons gleamed with a blue radiance that confirmed Zeus’ fears. The blades they possessed were god killers! When they caught sight of the white-haired figure at the top of the stairs, they uttered a deafening war cry and rushed forward. The King of the Gods reacted with the quick ferocity of a jungle cat. In a fraction of an instant the walls of the stone path lit up with blinding illumination. Streaks of lightning flew from his outstretched palms, passing through the first rank of men like a hot knife through butter and bouncing in a zig zag pattern from warrior to warrior as the bolts of electricity continued downward. Some of the men burst into flames when the current struck them, while others turned to blackened husks. The stench of cooked flesh quickly rose to where Zeus stood. He could hear the wretched sound of his followers behind him, coughing, gagging, and vomiting.

Zeus let out a long breath and carefully scrutinized the staircase, still illuminated by the eerie hue emanating from the swords scattered on its surface. Nothing appeared to be moving anymore, not even the sound of footfalls to indicate he might have missed a portion of the death squad. Pleased that he had thwarted his son’s assassination attempt, he spun around to face his followers. Every one of his white-robed faithful were kneeling before him, bent at the waist with their heads firmly pressed to the floor and their hands thrust toward him in reverence. Before announcing his victory to them, Zeus projected his thoughts toward Ares. “Your arrogant attempt on my life has failed. If I were you, I would leave this world before I destroy you for your insolence!” The response from his son was not at all what he expected. The sound of demented laughter filled Zeus’ head.

“Me, arrogant? Perhaps you should glance in a mirror, Father. You are foolish to think you’ve defeated me.”

The argument with Ares distracted Zeus. He was so focused on the bold words of his son that he failed to hear the faint scraping noise coming from the stairwell behind him. The mistake could prove to be his last. One of the warriors had somehow managed to survive and had crept up the stone steps through the debris of smoldering bodies. He didn’t dare try to get too close to Zeus, sure that the King of the Gods would hear him before he made it that far. Instead, he stopped a short distance away and rose to his knees. Cocking the blade behind him like a major league baseball pitcher, he flung the glowing sword toward Zeus. Before the god could react, the tip of the blade pierced into his back. His retort to Ares died in his throat, only managing to produce a blood bubble from his lips as he sank to the floor.

The Black Knight had assumed his father would continue the argument, so when the King’s reply didn’t come his mouth twisted into a deranged sneer of victory. For the first time since the battle began, events seemed like they were turning in his favor. With demonic speed, he rushed toward the tower and sped up the winding spiral staircase. He slowed upon reaching the scorched bodies of the men he’d brought from Greece, temporarily infuriated that so many of his worshipers were no longer among the living to fuel his rage. The Black Knight was suddenly unsure of himself because he found himself to be in the same dilemma as his father now. Without the power he drew from his followers, he would be weakened in the same manner as Zeus. Even in his depleted state, his father would still likely be able to best him. As much as it pained him to think it, retreating and regrouping appeared to be the most prudent course of action.

***

Zeus raised his head from the floor. A small pool of blood had already formed beneath him, conjoined from the crimson fluid seeping out of the wound in his back and from the claret dripping off his lips. His followers gazed upon him intently, hoping to see a sign from their deity that would ease their worry. Many of the men and women had tears staining their cheeks. Mustering what little strength he had, Zeus attempted to rally his faithful.

“Can one of you please pull out this infernal blade?”

The gray-haired woman closest to him rose. Her bare feet whispered across the floor as she approached. She bent slightly at the waist and gripped the hilt of the sword as tightly as her arthritic hands would allow, then lifted the vile weapon out of his back and cast it aside.

“Thank you.” Zeus pulled himself to a sitting position and placed a kind touch on the woman’s hand. Although his wound would take considerable time to heal without the aid of Asclepius, at least there was hope that the blood loss would slow to a crawl. The incessant cacophony of blood pounding in his ears had already lessened, and as such he now heard something which gave him a further glimmer of hope … the sound of wings beating the air outside the tower! If his godly senses were intact and the feeling wasn’t mere wishful thinking, there also appeared to be a healer of sorts nearby!

Chapter 12

Brian couldn’t help feeling as if he should have kept his mouth shut earlier. It was like he had tempted fate by making light of the situation. His rapidly clouding eyes told him that the army of machines was indeed moving more quickly than any of them had thought possible. So fast, in fact, he barely had time to voice his warning to Edward before they had glazed over completely, giving him the appearance of one who was possessed by a demonic entity. His breath came in ragged gasps that was increasingly difficult to draw. If we don’t get in the air soon, I might pass out from lack of oxygen. Once again, it was as if he had tempted the powers that be. The thought had no more than crossed his mind when his body went as limp as a sack of potatoes.

Concern creased Edward’s brow. He was frustrated about being right earlier. The wizard had truly hoped that Skarr would have been correct, but it hadn’t been more than an hour after the conversation when the ancient dragon had been forced to take to the skies. If he was thankful for any one thing, it was the shaman’s innate ability to detect when evil was close. Although, now that the sorcerer was drawing nearer to the Throne of the Gods he wasn’t sure what was worse. He knew what chased after them was bad, but the situation unfolding before his very eyes seemed like it could be even worse! Until a few minutes ago, he hadn’t thought such a thing was possible.

It wasn’t quite dusk yet, so Edward got a glimpse of the forces arrayed against them. Skarr had begun to fly closer to the ground, probably because she was beyond fatigued and searching for a good place to land. The lower altitude brought the Black Knight’s armies into sharper view. The machines littering the landscape around the base of the tower were unlike the animalistic monstrosities the party had been fleeing from for what seemed like weeks. They almost reminded Edward of his first encounter on Earth, when he’d nearly been struck by a car. The distant mission brought tears to his eyes as he thought about Melissa for the first time in quite a while. She had annoyed the hell out of him in the beginning, but he’d later grown to care for her deeply, perhaps even loved her.

Suddenly, memories of everyone Edward had lost recently bombarded his mind as if a floodgate had opened. Foremost among them was his mother, Victoria, whom he’d had to endure watching be crushed into millions of icy shards in the deserted inn. Then there was the aforementioned healer, Melissa, turned into a zombie during their trip to future Earth. The werewolf, Jack, who had valiantly fought by their side from day one, after meeting with the wizard outside of Haven. He had been a tremendous ally, even though Jack suffered with the loss of his wife Natasha on a daily basis. Going deeper into his memories, Mike surfaced. In the brief span of time that Edward got to know the man from Pennsylvania, he had grown to admire Mike’s fighting spirit. The fact that he’d been turned into a vampire toward the end was irrelevant. Nothing shook the man’s morals. Also in the wake of destruction Edward seemed plagued by was every horse he’d grown fond of, the most painful of which was the beast Brian had accidentally turned inside out while attempting to heal it. Last, but hardly least, the baby dragon that had called itself Sygax. In his final act of bravery, the youngster had died trying to destroy the Black Knight’s mechanical army.

Edward gripped the ridged spine of the dragon tightly, startled by the sharp movement of Skarr’s enormous head as she quickly turned it to look to her rear. “What’s wrong?” The question barely escaped his lips as he craned his neck to see what had commanded the ancient creature’s attention. The limp body of the red-haired shaman fell through the sky like a sack of potatoes, plummeting soundlessly toward the ground. Skarr did everything she could to alter her trajectory, but her massive body took too long to get pointed in a direction that had any hope of her being able to pluck Brian from the air. When the shaman’s body struck the ground Edward cringed, the impact raising a small cloud of dust which obscured him from view momentarily.

Despite the fact that there wasn’t really sufficient room for a landing, Skarr dove toward the ground in hopes that Brian was still alive. Her giant claws struck the soil with the force of a small earthquake, jarring the human riders which had still been on her back. The death grip Edward had on the ridge of her spine prevented him from being thrown off, though Katie and Julie weren’t so fortunate. Neither of the two women had been prepared for the abrupt stop. Even if the rapidly aging woman had, it was likely her fingers would have been to weak to hold on. Thankfully the fall wasn’t far. Worst case scenario was that they might have some bumps, bruises, scrapes, and maybe a broken bone or two. The wizard seriously doubted Brian was that lucky. His free-fall had been like taking a swan dive from the uppermost portion of the castle Edward had grown up in. The chances he had survived were slim. Even if the shaman had miraculously lived through the impact it was highly probable his frame would be so broken it would be worthless.

Although the dragon’s landing had stirred up more dust to further shroud the shaman’s form, one quick exhalation of breath from her nostrils blew it out of the way. As Edward leapt down from Skarr’s back he could already see that the prognosis wasn’t going to be good. Brian’s body was crumpled in such a manner that suggested he wasn’t even human. He looked more like a puppet master’s broken and discarded marionette, the only difference being the crimson stain soaking into the sandy soil underneath him. Edward rushed to his side and quickly fell to his knees beside the red-haired man. Placing his palms on the ground to brace himself, he lowered his head to Brian’s chest, praying to the gods that he would hear a heartbeat. He listened intently for nearly a minute, but heard nothing to give him hope. Sadly, Edward raised his head and let out quivering sigh. With tears already beginning to stream down his cheeks, he turned his gaze toward Skarr. “He’s gone,” Edward announced, his voice trembling. From the corner of his eye he saw movement, not from the shaman’s body but from farther away. Still in a fog of sadness, he watched the young blonde woman approach in a limping gait.

Julie cried out, making frantic gestures with her hands and pointing toward the ground behind her. “Edward, come quick!”

With a pit of dread in his stomach, he rose to his feet and rushed toward the hysterical woman. When he saw Katie lying on the dusty soil behind Julie his heart sank. Not another one! Not Katie! I don’t know if I can live with myself if she’s dead, too, especially considering how close we are to getting help from the gods. Thankfully, as Edward stepped closer he noticed the shallow rise and fall of her chest. In light of the realization that Katie was alive, he turned his concerned gaze toward Julie to assess her condition. “How are you? Are you okay?”

“I’ll live, I think.”

The expression on Julie’s face said she wasn’t entirely certain of the truth behind her words. The grimace of pain on her countenance was obvious, but Edward still smiled encouragingly at her in hopes the small token would make her feel a little better. She shuffled back toward her best friend as the wizard returned his attention to the aging woman. When he did, Katie’s eyelids fluttered open and she stared at him in such a way as to suggest he was unfamiliar to her, as if she’d struck her head and been afflicted with amnesia.

***

While Edward tended to his injured friends, Skarr remained by the motionless body of the shaman. She was growing increasingly nervous as time passed because her companions seemed to be oblivious to the approaching danger. As the ancient dragon surveyed her surroundings she realized that her time on this world was getting shorter by the minute. The situation appeared hopeless in her estimation. Even though they were shrouded in an enormous cloud of dust, the metallic bodies of the Black Knight’s mechanical army sparkled in the late day sun. They were approaching the tower with much greater speed than any of them had anticipated. By her calculations, the army would be upon them in less than an hour!

The machines weren’t her only concern, however. The giant metal objects which littered the fields around the tower were also troubling, even if they weren’t moving or giving any indication that they might be a threat. Beyond the hulking shells, Skarr could see more dust being raised in the east. Her eyesight was keen, but the only features she could discern about the encroaching forces were that they appeared to be human. Although, their shuffling gait would suggest they were wounded. Even so, the shambling humans were closer than the army of machines coming from the north. With the way the luck of her companions seemed to be going, it was very likely that both battalions of enemies would arrive at Skarr’s position at virtually the same time!

“Wizard!” The deep, rumbling tone of her voice commanded attention. Edward glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with the mythical beast. “Gather your friends and get inside of the tower, now! There is no time for dallying!” She noticed the expression of panic on his face as he turned back toward the women. He bent down, seemingly whispering words of encouragement in Katie’s ear. Moments later he rose to his feet after scooping the fragile woman into his arms. Although she was far from heavy, Edward’s thin build and lack of true muscle made the burden of carrying her appear next to impossible. If it weren’t for the adrenaline that was surely coursing through his veins he might not have been able to accomplish the task.

As he struggled not to drop Katie, he stopped in front of the mighty dragon. “What’s going on, Skarr? Why the urgency?”

“The battle we’ve been trying to avoid is now eminent. There is no time for idle chit-chat, get inside the tower!”

Edward’s brow furrowed deeply. “And what about you?”

“I’ll hold off your enemies for as long as I can. Now, get moving!”

A sigh of resignation blew from the wizard’s lips as he began to turn toward the tower. As he did, Edward caught a glimpse of Brian’s motionless body on the ground behind Skarr. A grim expression creased his features as he gently bent over and placed Katie on the ground for a moment.

“What are you doing?” The ancient dragon’s voice shook the air as she grew impatient and angry. “Did you not hear my command, wizard?”

Edward scowled at the beast. In that moment, he didn’t care if his actions made Skarr upset with him. “I will not leave Brian exposed as he is. If there is any hope of being able to bring him back, I must protect him in any way I can. If the situation is as dire as you seem to think, then you won’t be able to focus on keeping our enemies from ripping him apart.” He paused for a few seconds, half anticipating the dragon to swat him aside like an annoying fly. Her huge, golden eyes narrowed, but she didn’t make any aggressive moves toward him. “This will only take a minute, I promise. Once I’m done, I will do as you have commanded.”

Although Skarr’s expression didn’t change, her posture appeared to be slightly less tense. “Whatever you intend to do, be quick about it,” she snapped.

The wizard nodded gratefully then turned his attention to Brian. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Edward closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Once his mind was focused on the desired spell, he opened his eyelids. He whispered the words he’d heard his father use many times and gestured with his hands. Within seconds, the opaque bubble his father had used to protect Edward as a child began to form. Before it was fully formed the shaman coughed, spraying a mist of blood from his mouth. Edward knelt down beside the sphere as the veil of darkness engulfed the shaman. “Be still and stay inside the bubble, my friend. I will return for you as soon as I’m able.” There was no response to his words. The best Edward could hope for was that Brian had heard and understood his warning. More than anything, he was just thankful the man had survived the fall from Skarr’s back.

Knowing there was nothing else he could do for the red-haired man, he returned to Katie’s prone form and gathered her back into his arms. With a grim expression, he nodded at Skarr and hoped it wasn’t going to be the last time he saw the mighty beast. “Good luck, my ancient friend.”

Chapter 13

As the Black Knight exited the stone spire another problem came into view. The troublesome party of his adversaries had reached the tower! In his weakened condition, there was no way in hell he could consider taking them on himself, no matter how much pleasure it would give him. Fucking incompetent bastard! You are worthless, Verin! His mental tirade went unanswered, yet again, even though he could see his army of machines on the horizon. By his estimation, the massive wave of his mechanical abominations should be here in an hour or less. Hopefully it would be soon enough. The pain-in-the-ass wizard appeared to have enlisted the aid of a dragon, which would make exterminating him more complicated. The zombie hordes he’d brought from Earth would be too slow to be effective against the ancient creature and the sorcerer’s party. Besides, their presence was primarily a back-up to his Grecian soldiers, meant to finish the job on Zeus if his human followers failed.

He gazed across the battlefield, contemplating his options. The Nazi regiment was in tatters, the ground surrounding the tower was littered with their bodies and the soil was soaked with their blood. If any of them had escaped Zeus’ wrath, they were likely hiding in the tanks that were scattered across the landscape. Not one of the war machines moved, nor gave any indication that they were occupied. Although their engines still rattled and hummed with life, it appeared that if they were indeed occupied their drivers were probably cowering inside the metal husks like terrified school children. Since it was his only real option, the Black Knight began to move from one Panzer to the next to check for survivors and hopefully re-motivate them to do his bidding. Weakened by the deaths of his worshipers it wouldn’t be an easy task to accomplish. In his current state, the Black Knight was unable to wear the disguise of an alternate form, such as the one he used to get the Germans to follow him here in the first place. Masquerading as Adolf Hitler made that simple, but now he would have to persuade them while in the grotesque body his father had cursed him to wear. Chances were better that his subjects would die of fright than be inspired to follow his orders. It was, however, possible that the Black Knight was wrong. Fear could oftentimes be a powerful motivator.

As he moved from one tank to the next, he started to believe he was wasting his time. Every machine so far had been devoid of human life, the occupants being nothing more than smoldering, blackened lumps of flesh. Apparently when Zeus had cast his lightning bolts from the heavens the electrical current had cooked the tank operators. The Black Knight growled in frustration, though it certainly explained why the Panzers had stopped laying siege to the tower. Not that the brief bombardment had caused any notable damage to the structure. Ares was about to give up the search when he finally came across a tank with someone alive inside. Amusingly enough, it was the officer who’d been in charge of the entire regiment. The Black Knight grinned upon entering the machine, his long, fang-like teeth dripping with a steady stream of saliva as if he was a hungry animal focused on its next meal. The writhing skin of his face almost appeared to dance with glee as the man cringed in the rearmost corner of the tank’s interior.

“Get over here, you sniveling coward! I need you to fire the weapon,” the Black Knight commanded.

The hysterical man wiped the sweat from his brow on the sleeve of his uniform, never once taking his eyes off the hideous entity before him. In all likelihood the creature would kill him if he didn’t muster up the courage to move. “I-I’m a-afraid it’s n-not possible,” he stammered, in a thick German accent.

The Black Knight’s eyes changed from their normal color to a deep red hue that flickered like the glowing embers of a fire. “Is the machine no longer functional?” The anger in his voice caused his question to vibrate deafeningly within the vehicle. The commander quickly clapped his hands over his ears, but the sound went right through them. The noise bounced through his head as if it were attempting to pulverize his brain, the pain it evoked forcing him to squeeze his eyelids shut for a moment.

When the sensation began to abate, the commander opened his eyes. Part of him was hoping that the whole scenario was a nightmarish delusion brought on by stress and that the demonic creature would no longer be there. His shoulders slumped upon the realization that the Black Knight was very much real, and staring angrily at him as he awaited the answer to his question.

“It requires more than one person to accurately fire the cannon,” he finally replied, cringing when he spoke as if expecting the demon to flay him. When the Black Knight made no hostile move toward him, his confidence grew slightly. He’s not going to kill me. He needs me. “If I may take a moment to explain?”

“Make it quick, mortal! Lest my enemies get away yet again!” The bony toenails on his clawed feet clicked on the metal floor impatiently.

“Presuming that our target is stationary, it will take two people to fire the weapon.” The commander rose to his feet and hesitantly approached the demon. “One individual is positioned here,” he stated, indicating a small platform. “This person is the spotter. He acquires the target through the open hatch and relays bearings and distance to the gunner using these.” The commander pointed toward a pair of binoculars, which hung from a hook near the exit ladder. “The second individual is the gunner. He sits in this seat,” the commander moved through the interior of the tank and indicated an extremely confined space which was flanked on either side by wheel-like mechanisms, “and uses the levers to adjust the position of the cannon. Once the spotter confirms that the gun is on target, the gunner fires it.”

“That sounds kind of complex, and is probably very difficult to accurately hit what you’re aiming at,” the Black Knight remarked in a reflective tone. “I don’t suppose that I really want to hear about what is required if the target is moving, do I?”

“Probably not,” the commander admitted. “Moving targets are extremely difficult to hit without at least having a third individual to drive the tank. The shells which the gun fires have a limited range, so if our target moves away from us we’re screwed unless the blast radius can incapacitate it.”

There was a slight pause in the conversation, during which time Ares contemplated the commander’s explanations. It frustrated him to be in this weakened condition and not be able to take care of matters himself. More than anything, he hated having to rely on others to accomplish a task. No matter how easy things appeared to be in his mind, his minions always seemed to find a way to screw everything up. He slowly let out his breath, but the rush of air sounded more like a growl than a sigh. The Black Knight focused his glowing eyes on the commander, who had begun to look nervous again and had taken a step backward.

“So, in your opinion, which of the two roles that you described do you feel I would be best suited for?”

“I-I mean no disrespect,” he started to stammer, “but the workings of the aiming levers can take considerable time to master. In the interest of saving time, I believe things will operate more smoothly if you assume the position of the spotter and leave the gun to me.”

Without another word, the Black Knight stepped on to the platform and snagged the binoculars with a skeletal hand. As he maneuvered himself to sight in on the desired target, he saw the commander quickly scurry to the gunner’s chair. Although Ares was far taller than the average human, the top of his head did not rise above the open hatch door. From a distance, nobody would even realize anything was different because the silhouette of the vehicle had not changed.

From his vantage point Ares couldn’t make out every detail, but it was impossible to miss the hulking red blob that he knew was the dragon. As he raised the binoculars to his face in order to determine the range calculations he would need to give to the commander he nearly lost his composure. He made an adjustment to the viewing glasses to bring what he was seeing into sharper focus, fervently hoping the human-shaped figures running away from the dragon were Germans seeking shelter. It took every ounce of restraint he could muster when the Black Knight saw that it wasn’t the case at all. Fuck! It’s the damn wizard and his friends, and it looks like they’re heading into the tower! They were going to escape his wrath yet again ... for a short while anyway. The only thing he took solace in was the fact that a couple of the humans appeared to be injured. The wizard seemed to be carrying someone in his arms, probably one of the females, and another person hobbled toward the stone spire right behind him. Wait a minute. Wasn’t there one or two more people in the sorcerer’s party? Quickly scanning the back-trail of his fleeing adversaries, Ares scoured the area in search of the missing mortals.

From below, the commander’s unbidden voice startled the Black Knight, nearly causing him to drop the binoculars. “Do you have the target in your sights yet?”

“Give me a minute,” the demon snapped.

Don’t get nasty with me, you son of a bitch! You can always do this shit by yourself! The German man didn’t dare voice his opinions, but it didn’t prevent him from cursing the entity in his mind. Instead, he remained silent and waited for the trajectory calculations.

A deep growl rumbled in the Black Knight’s throat as he returned his attention to the battlefield. He couldn’t find a single trace of the other individuals that he’d presumed to be in the wizard’s group. As annoying as that fact was, however, he shifted his focus back to the dragon. Either he had misjudged the distance of his mechanical army, or he had been inside of the tank far longer than he thought. The sun was almost completely below the horizon now, but cast just enough light to allow Ares to see the massive wave of machines closing in on the dragon. If he still intended to have the commander fire the tank’s gun at the beast, the window of opportunity was closing fast.

Chapter 14

Skarr was getting more than a little nervous. Her companions had fled toward the entrance of the stone spire behind her only moments ago, and as she rotated her head to the north in order to check the progress of the machines, she worried about the humans reaching safety in time. It was obvious that she had misjudged the speed at which the shiny swarm was traveling. Any second now, they would reach her position. Skarr had no choice other than to take to the air again, lest her adversaries latch themselves onto her body and shred her to pieces. Doing so would mean going back on her word with Edward to protect the shaman for a short time, but hopefully the wizard’s magic bubble would keep the mortal from being detected.

Quickly unfurling her massive wings, the ancient dragon rose into the air with one swift downward stroke. She had no more than left the ground when a loud thud erupted from the east. Skarr was barely twenty feet above the dusty soil when an explosion boomed a short distance from where she’d previously been. A flash of smoke and fire mushroomed up from the impact. Even though it hadn’t quite made it to her height—she had continued to ascend toward the clouds as the armament approached—Skarr could feel the heat of the blast on her belly.

Although her enemies hadn’t succeeded to this point in exterminating her existence, they had managed to divide her attention. Instead of being able to focus on one threat at a time, now she was forced to deal with multiple distractions. Deciding which of them was the most pressing was a thing she needed to figure out fast! She turned her giant head toward the tower’s entrance in time to see her companions disappear inside. A quick sigh escaped her maw when she realized there was one less dilemma for her to fret over. Before returning her attention to the metallic army, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the immediate area to her east in search of who, or what, had used the incendiary device that had nearly cooked her.

She studied the area as fast as she could, and in doing so noticed there was more than one problem arising from the east. The secondary issue that she’d distractedly discovered a short while ago could potentially be the most devastating, that of the enormous gathering of humans. Although the large contingent didn’t move in the same manner as her companions had, their movements seemed almost methodical, like the confident swagger of a fighter who knows he’s about to win. From what Skarr could guess, it would probably take the congregation until well after dark to reach the tower. Hopefully it would give her enough time to take care of the more immediate dangers first.

As she homed in on the foreign machines littering the battlefield below, Skarr noted that only one of them appeared to be moving. Was this strange metallic object the source of the explosion that had nearly seared her scales? She was determined to find out. At the very least, it was easier for her to focus on one target and eliminate the possible distraction it could cause. Hoping that she wasn’t making a huge mistake, Skarr flew toward the machine. As she approached, she realized that the top section of the object was rotating. A slender tube extended from it, slowly rising like a finger to point at her. There was a strange symbol on the side of the machine that bore a resemblance to a treasure hunter’s mark. She would have chuckled at the irony if it weren’t for the fact that she was fighting for the very survival of herself and her friends. X marks the spot, she thought as she soared toward the vehicle with her gigantic, clawed talons extended in its direction.

The force of impact when her feet struck the target should have made the metal crumple. Her weight alone should have smashed it flat, but all she had managed to do was scratch its exterior. It didn’t matter though. The next phase of her plan would surely destroy the armored vehicle. As the tube continued to rise toward her body, Skarr used one mighty claw to force it down and pin the gun against the hull of the tank. The strength of her grip bent the barrel and rendered it useless. She then took a moment to secure the machine in the grasp of all four of her talons, after which she beat the air with her enormous wings and lifted it into the sky.

Skarr continued to ascend, despite the heavy burden she clutched, until she was a few hundred feet from the ground. She craned her neck toward the stone spire to acquire her next target and saw that the mechanical army of the Black Knight was nearly to the outer walls of the tower. There was no time to lose! If she didn’t set her plan in motion within the next thirty seconds or so, the metallic drones would reach the structure! The flesh of her wings hadn’t fully healed yet, and as she turned to dive toward the massive column of machines Skarr grimaced in agony. The added weight of the tank put tremendous pressure on the webbing of her appendages and she could already begin to feel her previous wounds starting to open up again. If she didn’t jettison the burden soon, she would likely plummet to the ground and be reduced to bloody bits.

As the front edge of the mechanical assault regiment came into clear view, Skarr tucked her wings tightly to her body and allowed herself to drop from the sky like a rock. The ground rushed toward her with blinding speed. With the boosted momentum of the free-fall, she released her grip on the tank. Unfurling her wings at the same instant, she managed to stay airborne as the armored vehicle slammed into the front ranks of the army. There was no spectacular fireball, but the resulting impact created a good-sized crater. The small, bug-like drones which had been at the leading edge of the column appeared to have been crushed beneath the tank from what she could tell, but the raised dust from the crash shrouded the machines and made it difficult to be certain.

Hoping to annihilate the remaining enemies, Skarr hovered in the air above the crater and belched a long stream of flame from her maw. The dust cloud turned black as her fiery breath blazed a path northward, the sandy grains melting in the molten exhalation and forming tiny, glassy beads which fell to the ground like rain. They bounced from the metallic bodies of her foes, the resulting sound being similar to a barrage of gunfire. Skarr maintained her position and waited, wanting to make sure her adversaries had been destroyed before turning her attention elsewhere. For a few seconds, the only noise she could hear was the beating of her wings. It was almost as if she’d gone deaf from the cacophony of battle. A brief moment passed as she began to consider other ways to help Edward and his friends, but her thoughts were interrupted by a venomous voice from below that shook the very air around her with more hate than she’d ever felt in her entire existence.

“When I get out of this contraption, you will pray for death,” the Black Knight seethed. The German commander was fortunate, for a split second anyway, to have been rendered unconscious when the tank fell from the sky. The close proximity to the demon and the sheer volume of Ares’ voice caused the man’s head to explode, splattering the interior of the vehicle with blood and brain matter.

Chapter 15

George gazed through the ocular device of the troll-like machine he inhabited. It was similar to a human eye, but had benefits that no mortal could hope for. At least, probably not for another hundred or more years on Earth. Even though he was hampered by his spiritual form, he had still managed to find a way to manipulate the mechanism. Unlike the eyeballs he’d been born with, the optics that the sentinel was equipped with could be magnified and zoomed in on objects well beyond the limits of normal human eyesight. As such, scanning the plains to the south for his adversaries was far easier. Although, even after he’d spotted his foes, it didn’t make the machine move any faster to catch them. The lumbering gait of the giant metal creature only went so fast. The Black Knight had probably designed it this way to ensure the enormous creature didn’t destroy the smaller machines that blazed a path for it by crushing their tiny bodies under its feet.

Hours had passed since he’d witnessed the troublesome party climbing to the back of the dragon they traveled with. They had risen into the sky shortly thereafter and headed swiftly to the south. George had lost sight of them for a while when they were airborne, but as the army of machines sped across the dusty soil he caught a glimpse of a red blob in the distance. What appeared to be a massive tower of some sort stretched toward the clouds, and possibly even into the billowing underbelly of the heavens, somewhere in close proximity to the crimson anomaly.

If he could have issued a command to make the regiment of machines move faster, he would have. They were already traveling at top speed, but with his target in sight once more, nothing seemed quick enough to satisfy George. From what he could tell, it appeared that the mechanical swarm would reach the distant tower before the sun sank below the horizon. It would have to suffice. He knew that his adversaries would see the army coming, and after witnessing how the dragon had dealt with the machines in the not so distant past he could only hope that the beast had been injured sufficiently to no longer provide the same level of menace.

***

Although his calculations had nearly been dead on about the army’s arrival at the spire, an unexpected development had begun to unfold as they closed in on the dragon. Before they’d gotten close enough to attack, the enormous beast had sprung into the air. The creature hadn’t seemed to regard the machines for more than a minute when it turned away and flew off in another direction. George hesitated, unsure whether to issue commands to the army to give pursuit. After all, the dragon could be leading them into a trap. If what he’d read in books back on Earth had any merit, the mythical beasts were rumored to be highly intelligent.

As George attempted to anticipate the creature’s next move, he began to communicate with the other machines by manipulating the troll-like construct to issue a series of beeps and clicks. Almost immediately, the swarm of metallic monstrosities started to slow. He quickly fiddled with the controls inside of the giant and brought it to a stop. For a brief moment he zoomed the optic device of the machine to study the dragon and try to determine if it was attempting to trick them somehow. After a few seconds, George realized that his assumption had been correct. The enormous beast was high in the sky, but flying in the direction of the army rapidly. As the creature quickly neared, it looked as if it had folded its wings in and was dive-bombing the column of machines like a fighter pilot. When it was within a couple hundred feet, George noticed that the beast appeared to be carrying something. However, by then it was too late to issue any tactical commands to the rest of the army.

Unable to react in time, the front ranks of the regiment were crushed by what looked to be a Nazi tank. Dust billowed from the crater that the impact had caused, making it hard to discern how many casualties the army of machines had suffered. The remaining, larger mechanical beasts needed no instructions when their existence was threatened. They charged forward to meet the enemy, instinctively trying to use the cloud of debris as camouflage. The only problem was, the murky disturbance also provided cover for the dragon. George barely managed to back away from the outer shell of the troll-like sentinel he was hiding within before the ancient beast scorched the area with its fiery breath. If he’d still been human, he would have been cooked inside the machine. The flames spewed by the dragon were so hot that the metal shell of the troll began to melt. The internal wiring started to pop, fizzle, and catch fire.

In theory, the destruction of the mechanical regiment was a blessing for George. He’d discovered long ago that he could infiltrate and use the bodies of machines in his present, spirit form, but he had never really figured out how to exit one of the mechanisms without the metal exterior suffering damage. It was almost like the concept of a genie in a bottle. Once inside a machine, he couldn’t get out unless someone let him out. As the outer shell of the troll-like monstrosity began to melt, George seized the opportunity to escape when the first hole developed. He allowed his form to drift above the devastated army and realized that the timing of his departure from the machine couldn’t have been better. He wasn’t sure if he could have been trapped within a chunk of molten metal, but at least he didn’t have to find out.

He glided over the wreckage like a general surveying his troops’ readiness for battle, thankful that even in death his survival instinct was razor sharp. The dragon had dispatched the Black Knight’s regiment of hideous creations as if they were no more significant than a child’s toy soldiers. Nothing was left except a long, charred line of earth filled with a substance similar to lava. Blackened flecks of ash rose into the sky, forced upward by the intense heat. The nearby beating of the dragon’s wings stirred the air as the ancient creature squinted its large golden eyes to study the scorched area for signs of survivors.

With the enormous crimson beast temporarily preoccupied, George began to move away, searching for a new way to finish what he started. As he got closer to the tower, he noticed an anomaly on the ground just beyond the fiery trail. For a few seconds, he felt like he’d encountered something similar in the past. The sensation made him initially hesitant to approach, but that was before he realized the dragon had turned its gaze on him. Can that thing actually see me, or is it just coincidence that it’s looking in my direction? He darted to his left a short distance to test the situation and sure enough, those huge golden eyes narrowed and followed him like a hawk tracking prey. Fuck! How the hell can something see a spirit? As he began to panic, it dawned on him. During the battle, the sun had gone below the horizon. The sky was darkening by the minute, causing the glow of his spiritual form to become visible!

George concentrated on dimming the spectral illumination, much as he’d done while stalking the party of adventurers some time ago. The ploy had worked perfectly back at the abandoned inn, and had also allowed him to jump from one body to another undetected. Well, except for the wolf which had been guarding the wizard. Even when he was dimmed the creature could see him. Thankfully the beast was dead and no longer a threat. The dragon, on the other hand, was far from that status. After rendering himself invisible—he held out a hand to make sure his effort to dim had been successful—the crimson monster continued to stare right at him! Apparently the dragon was imbued with similar abilities to the wolf in regards to seeing supernatural beings. Just what I need, more complications!

Although the mythical creature could obviously see him, it made no hostile moves and continued to watch him suspiciously. The pause gave George the time he needed to come up with a solution. Picking a spot on the wall of the stone spire that was near the anomaly, he sped toward it and hoped there was an empty space on the other side. In the few seconds it took him to traverse the distance, he realized that if there was someone on the opposite side of the wall they could raise an alarm and alert the wizard to his presence. When George passed through the stone he was greeted by blissful silence. There were lit torches jutting from the wall nearby, casting dancing shadows on the stone, but no movement otherwise. He waited and listened, hoping the dragon would find something else to occupy its attention.

Several minutes went by before he finally heard the sound of the beast’s wings fading into the distance. Even so, George knew he must be careful. The giant beast had shown itself to be crafty and it could just be a ploy to get him to reveal himself. As such, he didn’t fully commit to going through the wall again, despite how curious he was to study the strange anomaly. At first, only his disembodied head poked through the stone. Once he was satisfied that the dragon had truly left the area, the remainder of his body followed. A soft grunt came from the direction of the odd, bubble-shaped object on the ground. Being this close to it, George thought it looked like it could be a portal … or perhaps some sort of magical trap. Then, a raspy voice drifted from it, one that seemed vaguely familiar.

“No, stay away from me, you foul thing.” Brian barely managed to get the words out. It was quite apparent that something evil was extremely close to him. His lungs felt like the air had been sucked out of them and his eyes had clouded over so much that he felt like a blind man.

George looked at the broken shell of a man and couldn’t help but laugh. Although the shaman’s limbs were contorted in such a way as to suggest they were pretty much useless, and blood bubbled from his lips in an indication of his internal injuries, none of that mattered. What did was the fact that the red-haired man was someone the wizard trusted. Everything else was just trivial window dressing, which would help lend believability to the act.

In hopes of alerting Skarr to this new threat, or any of his friends if they were still nearby, the shaman attempted to cry out. Barely a sound escaped his lips before George merged his spirit with Brian, immediately stepping forward to take firm control over the broken man’s body and mind.

Chapter 16

An explosion shook the ground as Edward entered the stone spire with Katie in his arms and Julie a step behind him. Despite the urge to set the aging woman down on the floor so he could run outside to check on Skarr, the labored breathing that had become more pronounced in the last few minutes prevented him from doing so. He was more worried at the moment about Katie’s ability to stay alive long enough for him to reach a god who could possibly reverse the curse than of the ancient dragon’s uncanny resourcefulness and her capacity for destroying enemies. After all, she hadn’t lived for thousands of years by being naïve and weak.

The wizard paused briefly and gave his eyes a chance to adjust to the dimly lit interior of the tower. Torches adorned the outer wall of the structure, but the light they cast upon the vast open spaces provided no more illumination than a flickering candle. Even so, it was enough for him to make out a staircase to his left, which spiraled upward into complete darkness. Normally he would have used a spell to give him the light he required to see where he was going, but doing so while carrying Katie was impossible. At least, without catching her clothing on fire. He knew that ascending the stairs was likely his best hope for finding the gods, though without a light source it was more probable that a missed step would cause him to plummet to his death. The mere thought of the possibility brought on a pang of sorrow, knowing that Brian lay in a crumpled heap outside after his fall from Skarr’s back. The red-haired shaman was a vital part of the group, one that had bailed them out of trouble more times than Edward could count.

Keeping one shoulder on the outer wall to guide him, the wizard began to climb the staircase. It seemed like only moments before he’d ascended beyond the reach of the torchlight below. He let out a heavy sigh as he slowed the ascent to a crawl. It bothered him greatly that he couldn’t look down at Katie to see if she was still conscious and breathing. The only thing he could rely on now was the slight movement of her body as her lungs expanded and contracted. The exertion of the climb made that task difficult. He couldn’t distinguish the difference between her breathing and the pulsing of his blood, pounding in his veins like a thousand tiny drummers banging their instruments at once.

Edward had nearly given up hope of reaching help for Katie when an erratic light shined up from somewhere below. As he carefully rotated his head to see what the new light source was, he almost shouted in exultation. “Amber!” Within seconds the spirit was on the stairs beside him. “Thank the gods! I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again.” In his opinion she should have been relieved, perhaps even happy to be near Katie again, but the telltale pulsing of her glow said otherwise. She was extremely nervous about something, possibly afraid.

“I had a difficult time keeping up with you guys when you were flying on the dragon,” she admitted. “I’m thankful that I reached you while you’re still drawing breath.”

“We are a resilient bunch.” The wizard chuckled, but the ghostly woman didn’t share his mirth.

“This is no time for jokes,” Amber scolded. “Danger, and likely your death, closes in on you from every imaginable angle. If you are going to save Katie, you need to be quick about it. The sooner you can accomplish that and eliminate a distraction, the better the odds you and your friends will survive this night.”

Edward sighed deeply, feeling chastised. “Will you light our path and lead us to the gods?” He asked the question humbly, with a sense of renewed urgency.

Amber turned away and started the upward journey. Her disembodied voice floated back to the wizard as he resumed the long climb. “Let me know if I get too far ahead.”

For several minutes, the only sound came from the scuff of the sorcerer’s boots on the stone steps and the limping scrape, clomp of Julie’s gait as she tried to keep pace. Then, Amber stopped. She didn’t need to explain why. The butchered bodies of at least a dozen, possibly more, armored men were scattered on the stairs. Their severed and bloody limbs were a gruesome reminder that even inside of the tower, Edward and his friends weren’t safe.

Although most of the blood appeared to have soaked into the steps and begun to dry, small patches of wetness were visible under Amber’s glow. “There isn’t a safe path through this carnage. I would advise you to clear the obstacles from the stairs before we continue in order to prevent one of you from accidentally slipping and falling to the bottom of the tower.”

It was obvious to Julie that the ghost’s instructions were meant for her. She waited for Edward to flatten himself against the outer wall, then limped past him. The task was repulsive to say the least, and she nearly vomited several times as she flung the cleaved limbs over the edge of the stairs. The noise they made when they struck the floor at the bottom of the tower wasn’t half as bad as the sickening splats that the torsos made. The eviscerated trunks were not only bulky and more difficult to move, but the slick innards which spewed from them would fling blood everywhere as they tumbled off the stairs, splattering almost every inch of Julie in gore. She did her best not to think about her appearance, although she probably looked like someone from a horror movie she’d watched in another lifetime … one in which the main character was doused with a bucket of pig blood. At this point, Julie wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to go back to the bottom of the spire, even if she did manage to survive long enough for the return trip to be an option.

Once the last obstacle was out of the way, Amber began to lead them upward again. Julie’s queasy stomach didn’t start to settle until they were beyond the crimson stains. The next several minutes were deathly quiet. The only sound was the rattling echo of their breathing. By the time Edward noticed there was a strange luminescence just ahead of Amber’s position, he wasn’t sure if Katie was still alive. The barely detectable rise and fall of her chest had become so weak that there was only one other way he could tell. He stopped climbing the stairs for a moment and used the ghostly illumination to study the aging woman’s features. Gently, he shook her. For a few seconds he feared the worst. Then her eyelids fluttered open weakly, as if it took all of her energy to look up at him. Her mouth gaped slightly, as if she were attempting to talk. No sound passed between her lips, however.

While Edward was focused on Katie, Julie squeezed past him to investigate the strange glow beyond where Amber had stopped. It was obvious that whatever lay just ahead of the ghost was something which made her nervous. The fact that Amber’s phosphorescence had grown similar to a strobe light only heightened the blonde woman’s curiosity. There was no sound coming from farther up the stairs, so why was the ghostly woman acting as if she was terrified? Was the mysterious illumination created by a more powerful, and possibly malevolent, spirit? For a second, Julie hesitated. Was it possible that Mr. M. had shown up from beyond the grave to finish what he’d started? If it was, how could anyone in the group put an end to his madness without Brian’s help?

It took a few moments to shake her own trepidation. After finally gathering the courage to continue toward the anomaly, Julie limped past Amber. When the cause of the glow came into view she exhaled loudly, the rush of air from her lungs shattering the silence and breaking Edward’s intense concentration on the rapidly aging woman in his arms. His gaze snapped up as he attempted to locate the source of the noise. He immediately noticed Amber’s pulsing form, but for a brief instant he couldn’t find Julie and he began to panic.

“Julie?” Edward paused for a second, then became impatient when the blonde woman didn’t respond right away. “Where are you?”

“I’m up here,” she replied. “You need to come see this.”

The wizard started to climb again, but hesitated when he reached Amber. He opened his mouth to ask her to step aside, then quickly closed it. She’s a ghost, you idiot. She doesn’t need to move out of your way, just walk right through her. As Edward rounded the curve in the staircase Julie came into view. It took a few seconds for the scene in front of her to get his attention. Once again, the stone steps appeared to be littered with carnage. Although, this time it was different. Instead of the strewn body parts from their previous encounter, these individuals seemed as though they’d been cooked.

The air inside of the tower was cool, so it was difficult to be certain whether the mist rising from the corpses was smoke or steam. Every body on the stairs was nothing more than a blackened husk. It seemed apparent that these people had not been part of the group who’d been dismembered below. What remained of their armor bore no similarity to the shredded and blood-soaked garments the others had worn. It seemed likely that the scorched soldiers had killed the maimed individuals below, but Edward hadn’t the first clue why the warriors would slaughter a small group of obviously unarmed men and women. Unless, of course, it was the Black Knight’s doing. If that was the case, then these people had gotten what they deserved.

Julie could tell by the look on the wizard’s face that he was deep in thought, probably contemplating scenarios. She returned her attention to the seared bodies blocking their path, her cheeks puffing out slightly as she blew out a sigh, knowing it would be up to her to clear the stairs again. At least it didn’t seem like it would take as much effort this time, and the task would be far less likely to make her blow chunks. It should only be a matter of using her injured foot to push the charred remains over the side of the steps because most of the flesh had been cooked away, kind of like the shriveled black disks that used to be commonplace when her dad had grilled hamburgers. The likelihood that she would never see her parents again brought tears to her eyes.

As she desperately attempted to keep sadness from overwhelming her, Julie closed her eyelids and tried to focus on something else. In moments her emotions did a complete flip-flop, the depressing thoughts giving way to an anger unlike anything she’d ever felt. When she opened her eyes the physical pain she’d been feeling had vanished like a bad dream. Apparently, that whole myth of mind over matter was real. She began kicking corpses over the edge of the staircase as if she were brushing a child’s toys from her path. After the first body tumbled into the darkness below, Julie realized what had been causing the glow she had originally come to investigate. A bluish hue radiated from a sword nearby, and when she swept another body off the stairs she found another. Apparently this small army of men had been carrying weapons imbued with magic, for what other explanation could there be for the eerie appearance of the weapons?

Her head still filled with savage emotions, Julie bent down and snatched up a glowing sword with each hand. Instantly, her sentiments switched from anger to an all-encompassing rage. Amber’s disembodied voice screamed behind her, but Julie didn’t hear it. An insatiable thirst for blood was all she could focus on.

“Julie, no!” Amber wailed with despair, knowing that she should have warned the blonde woman before she’d picked up one of the blades.

***

In the throne room of the tower, Zeus struggled to raise his head from the floor as the commotion on the stairs drifted to his ears. The wound he had suffered at the hands of his son’s man could have been a death blow, but thankfully the belief of his followers was at least enough to keep him alive. Without the aid of Asclepius, however, the injury would never heal. He was weak, and that would not change unless his faithful could track down the wayward God of Medicine. In light of the new disturbance in the stairwell, the prospect of regaining his power and stature was bleak.

His eyes moved over the congregation of white-robed men and women between himself and the chamber’s entrance. They were frightened, and rightly so. His followers were peaceful people, not warriors. The sounds coming from the stairway only heightened their terror. Even so, Zeus knew that if he asked them to investigate, they would sacrifice their lives to do his bidding.

With this in mind, Zeus cleared his throat to get their attention. His voice sounded like that of a frail old man as he addressed his people. “Despite the deception of Ares that brought all of you to this world, your presence is likely what allows me to continue drawing breath. By the way events have transpired since your arrival, I am guessing that my son brought you here to slaughter you. So far, his devious plot to overthrow me as the King of the Gods has backfired on him. However, we cannot be content with this minor victory. Surely he will make another attempt on my life in the very near future, and there is only one viable option I can foresee that may see us victorious once more.”

Speaking to his people took great effort. Apparently, when he’d been stabbed in the back the blade had perforated a lung. He continually gasped for air while blood bubbled between his lips, spraying a fine crimson mist from his mouth with each exhalation. Even so, Zeus had to finish the instructions to his followers before he could rest. The men and women watched him patiently, although it was difficult to maintain concentration when an unknown threat approached. Many that were near the room’s exit cast nervous glances toward the aperture.

After catching what little breath he could, Zeus continued. “It pains me to ask this of you, but I believe the best course of action is to have all of you go back to the portal that brought you here and return to Earth. I need you to do whatever is necessary to find Asclepius. If you succeed, let him know how dire my need is for his help and then bring him to me.” In his oxygen deprived state, Zeus fought to remain conscious. Hesitant though they may be, his followers rose to their feet and made their way to the stairs. It was the last thing Zeus saw before collapsing to the floor. Their backs blurred, then everything went black.

Chapter 17

Although none of Zeus’ followers were violent people, their hands were forced shortly after their deity had asked for their help. As they rose to do their god’s bidding, a crazed, sword-wielding blonde woman appeared within the arch that led to the winding staircase and their way out of the tower. Shouts echoed up the stairs from below, pleading for someone named Julie to come back. The glint of insanity in the woman’s eyes spoke volumes to her intentions. She wasn’t entertaining the thought of retreat. Her hungry expression said only one thing would satisfy her … the blood of anyone who dared stand against her! The irrational look on her face gave Zeus’ followers the impression that she’d like nothing more than to bathe in the crimson liquid which gave them life.

The glowing weapons in Julie’s hands were intimidating, especially when considering that the white-robed men and women had nothing to defend themselves with. They were peaceful people who hadn’t wielded anything more dangerous than farming implements in their lives. They were more used to fighting their battles with words, not physical violence. Confronted with an adversary who was obviously not going to show mercy, however, they would be forced to engage the woman with any means necessary if they had any hope of reaching the portal and traveling back to Earth to find Asclepius.

Even though Julie had paused in the doorway to study her opponents, she didn’t remain there long. Letting out an ear-shattering war cry, the blonde woman charged. There was a split second of stunned silence from Zeus’ followers, then they rallied with a courageous roar of their own, descending on the lone woman like a pack of wolves. The glowing blades in Julie’s hands began to spin with blinding speed, making the young blonde woman look like a human food processor. The first several of the white-robed individuals to approach the crazed woman were hacked into bloody pieces within seconds. Limbs and entrails flew in every direction, quickly making the floor slick with blood. Heads rolled toward the encroaching white crowd like bowling balls, but didn’t deter them from closing in on the woman that stood between them and completing their mission.

They descended on Julie in a tidal wave of white. Although the blonde woman continued to cut them down, eventually Zeus’ followers began to get the upper hand. Nearly one quarter of the normally peaceful people had met a gruesome end before they were able to get their deadly adversary on the floor. Someone had managed to sweep Julie’s legs from beneath her. Within moments she’d been disarmed, and several white-robed men crashed down on her, their fists pummeling Julie’s face and body with a steady rain of knuckles. The beating continued well beyond Julie losing consciousness, the men determined to make certain she would no longer be a threat. When the blows finally ceased to fall, the young woman’s face was unrecognizable. Her skull had been caved in, leaving her previous youthful appearance replaced by a crater of blood and bone.

As Zeus’ faithful began to rise, the fervor of battle starting to wane, a spectral woman appeared in the doorway. She wailed with grief upon seeing the carnage, even though a part of her had expected the scene to be far worse. Shuffling footsteps could be heard in the stairwell beyond and the white-robed men and women braced themselves for another possible battle. Within moments, a long-haired man appeared. He held what seemed to be an elderly woman in his arms and didn’t look like he was a threat. Even so, Zeus’ followers remained on guard because it could be some sort of deception meant to lull them into being non-combative.

Although Edward had heard Amber’s mournful wail, he hadn’t noticed Julie’s battered body lying on the floor. Instead, his pale gray eyes were focused on the crowd of white-robed individuals before him. “Is this—” His voice cracked with weariness and he stopped to clear his throat. “Is this the Throne of the Gods?” A brief moment of confusion passed, several eyebrows raised as if the men had never heard the term before.

One of the men stepped forward as if he were the leader of the group and addressed Edward in a wary tone. “We are kind of in a hurry. What is it that you need?”

“I am seeking the aid of the gods. The woman I hold in my arms was cursed by the guardians of the Tree of Life. She has been aging ever since, and I fear she will soon die if the gods don’t intervene on her behalf.”

“Is that what happened to the blonde woman who just tried to kill us? Was she also cursed?” the man inquired.

“I’m not sure what caused her to act like she did, although it might have been related to the weapons she picked up off of the stairs. Her entire demeanor seemed to change once they were in her hands,” Edward sadly confessed, his eyes glistening with an unshed tear.

A murmur passed through the crowd behind the gentleman while he contemplated the wizard’s admission. “I’m not certain Zeus is in any condition to help you, or anyone else right now for that matter,” the man stated, a gentle sigh escaping his lips as he spoke. “Before you arrived, one of Ares’ men injured him. He has been quite frail since the incident, which is precisely the reason that we don’t have a lot of time to stand around here chatting. Zeus has tasked us with finding the God of Medicine.”

For a brief instant, Edward thought about the injured shaman who lay in a protective bubble outside the walls of the tower. If only he wasn’t hurt, Brian might have possibly been able to heal the god. Even though the chance of the red-haired man being able to accomplish such a feat was slim at best, Edward couldn’t help but consider leaving Katie on the floor of the throne room and trying to run down to retrieve the shaman. It was a tough decision. One of those situations where he was likely damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. If he took his chances with the injured god and he was too weak to fix Katie, she would almost certainly die. Although, if he left her here to retrieve Brian the same might hold true.

The white-robed gentleman at the forefront of the assemblage watched Edward’s face and hoped for a speedy response. However, the constantly changing expressions on the wizard’s countenance told him that the long-haired man seemed to be locked in some sort of inner turmoil and likely having difficulty making a decision he could live with. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t mean to be rude, but we really must go.”

Through the deluge of his thoughts, Edward was barely able to make out what the man had said. “I’m going to go back down in order to retrieve a friend. He’s a healer of sorts, and might be able to help with Zeus’ injuries.”

“You have a healer in your party?”

“Yes, but he was hurt badly a short while ago. We left him near the base of the spire because we didn’t feel he would be able to walk, let alone climb the tower.”

“If he is in that bad of shape, how will you get him up here?”

“I will carry him if necessary. I just pray he is still alive and able to help,” Edward stated in a grim tone, not entirely sure he was making the right choice. The flock of white robes had already begun moving toward the chamber’s exit. He took one last assessing glance at Katie, who was now unconscious, and gently placed her on the floor. Edward put his lips to her forehead, hoping it wasn’t a farewell kiss, then moved toward the crowd of Zeus’ followers. “The stairway is treacherous, and has many sections which are slick with blood,” he warned. “Julie managed to clear most of the corpses which previously littered the steps away before she suddenly changed into a monster I no longer recognized.”

Several groans of dismay erupted from the formation. They had intended to take one of the torches from the wall near the exit, but if they would be required to move bodies from their path it would make the descent much more tedious and time consuming. “That’s just great,” the leader complained. “Even when there are no enemies to hinder our progress, something else has to rear its ugly head to slow us down.”

“Hold on for just a minute,” Edward remarked, raising a hand with his index finger pointed upward. He approached Amber and began to speak in a conspiratorial whisper. After a brief conversation with the spirit, he turned his attention back toward the waiting throng. “If I may, can I make a suggestion?”

“So long as you make it quick.”

“Instead of traversing the staircase by torchlight, Amber has agreed to lead the way with the glow of her form. Is that an acceptable proposition for you?”

“Indeed it is. Anything that will expedite our journey is welcomed.”

With a gesture, Edward instructed the ghost to lead the way. “Then, let us waste no more time.”

***

With the threat of the Black Knight’s mechanical army vanquished, as well as the strange machine that had fired explosive objects at her, Skarr flew toward her next objective. It seemed that the immediate threat to the wounded shaman had passed, so she felt confident of no further harm reaching the protective bubble Edward had hidden the man inside of. Now it was time to eliminate the only remaining potentially perilous situation, that of the massive congregation of shambling humans. As she drew near Skarr circled like a vulture, high above her prey. Her golden eyes blazed as she took in the enormity of the prodigious formation. She continued to careen through the night sky, searching for the best point of attack. The immensity of the shuffling horde below was so overwhelming that there was no way she could eradicate it with one fiery breath.

After determining the best angle of attack, Skarr swooped down like a hungry hawk. Within fifty feet of the ground the ancient dragon snapped out her wings to stop her descent, then opened her giant maw and belched a pillar of flame. The assault didn’t have the intended effect, however. The undead masses kept shambling forward as if the mighty dragon didn’t exist, even though a good portion of them were burning like human torches. How had these creatures survived when they should have been reduced to boiling puddles of flesh? Obviously, Skarr needed to come up with a new plan, but the only other option that came to her involved a more hands on approach. She didn’t want to even entertain the thought of doing something so reckless unless it was the only recourse left. Surely it would be suicide if it became the last alternative at her disposal.

As she considered her choices, movement to the west caught her attention. Skarr narrowed her huge golden eyes to slits, suspiciously. It appeared the shaman had broken his protective bubble and was now making his way toward the tower entrance. She couldn’t begin to comprehend why the man would make such a risky move, or how he could even move for that matter, but it wasn’t the only problem arising. A flood of white was emerging from the spire. By the way it moved, Skarr could only assume it to be a considerable number of humans, perhaps men and women loyal to the gods. For a brief instant in time, she contemplated the best course of action. It wasn’t much of a reflection, however. Skarr knew in her heart that the humans wouldn’t stand a chance against the formidable adversaries below, and as such there was only one real decision that held any merit. The ancient beast descended to the ground, her enormous claws striking the soil with enough force to shake the earth. The tremendous impact did exactly as she’d anticipated, drawing the attention of the shuffling enemies away from the tower. As one, the massive horde turned their bloodshot, glazed eyes on her hungrily.

Chapter 18

Inside of the overturned Nazi tank, the Black Knight seethed with impotent rage. The German commander was dead. The impact of the Panzer striking the ground had thrown him head first into the steel hull of the vehicle and rendered him unconscious, only to have his skull burst open like a cracked egg when the demon's voice screamed at his unseen foe. The man’s demise was the least of Ares’ worries, however. The fact that he felt like he was encased in a metal tomb was perhaps more aggravating than anything. Well, aside from how weak he’d become. It seemed pretty obvious that he had precious few followers left alive, if any at all. There had been a tiny jolt of power a short while ago, but that had faded quickly. Now, when he tried to shift to a less substantial form it failed miserably. Not that it truly mattered. The dragon had taken away his only path of escape by bending the gun barrel backwards and folding it in half, pinching the tube shut and preventing anything from passing through it … including air. The German man should be thankful. At least his death was, for the most part, instantaneous. He could have had it far worse, by being slowly suffocated from the lack of oxygen.

It seemed highly unlikely that any help would come. The demon he’d elevated to second in charge was nowhere to be found. Apparently Verin had either been dispatched somehow or he had turned into the coward he once was and abandoned the battle to save his own hide. What was left of his backup—the tiny, impish creatures and the few remaining formless demons—were tucked away beneath the mountains near Cemetery Hill. The enormous distance between himself and his base of operations made it impossible to contact them, even with his mind. He knew that because he’d already attempted to communicate with them and received no response.

As the Black Knight pondered his situation further, he could nearly guarantee that chaos had broken out under the mountain by now. Surely one of the demonic creatures had gotten the bright idea that their boss was never going to return. As such, Ares could only assume that one of them had tried to gain command. They were selfish organisms, only capable of true bravado when the Black Knight wasn’t there to keep them in line. More often than not they cowered like frightened children, huddled in the corner together in order to avoid the abusive bully they called their master.

The crevices of his mind had nothing better to do than to go in vicious circles. No matter how hard he tried to think of something new, the same recurring ideas fluttered through his skull like a colony of bats in the bell tower of a church. Trapped inside of the tank, he really only had one option. He had to keep reaching out with his mind and hope that eventually someone would hear him and get him out of this metal tomb.

Although he expected nothing, when the Black Knight issued the mentally projected inquiry he felt like someone nearby had heard him. There was a strangely familiar vibe in the air, much like the anticipation of meeting an old friend for the first time in years. It was difficult to place the sensation initially, but then recognition began to flood through his head. It was George! It didn’t seem to matter how many times he’d attempted to rid himself of his once devout follower, the man continually defied the Black Knight at every turn … even in death! Ares had lost count of the ways he’d tried to end George’s existence. Each and every one of these endeavors had ended in failure. Now, when there was no hope of escaping his metal prison, here the wayward disciple was again. The Black Knight had no other alternative than to reach out to him.

His eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to contain his rage. With a pained grimace, he swallowed his pride and projected his voice with his mind and hoped that the one-time serial killer would respond. “George?”

***

Possessing the body of the red-haired shaman had been a piece of cake. However, forcing the man to walk upon broken legs was far from ideal. To George, it felt like he was trying to put on a puppet show with a disfigured marionette which had missing parts. Although it hadn’t been easy, he had managed so far. He braced himself against the outer wall of the spire, using it as a makeshift crutch. He could see the entrance to the tower now, only about twenty feet away. It seemed as if the journey from the bubble to here had taken hours, though, and he feared that he may have lost a vital opportunity.

As he inched closer, a mixture of voices and sounds began to clutter his head. While one set of these was muffled and distorted by scuffing noises, similar to children dragging their feet because they really didn’t want to go somewhere, the other was painfully clear. It was the booming voice of the entity who’d brought him to this world, calling out to him as if they were old friends. George laughed. Who does this asshole think he’s dealing with? Does he think I’m that naïve? Like I would lift a finger to help him after all he’s put me through. It gave George immense satisfaction to ignore the Black Knight’s call, knowing that the demon wouldn’t have reached out to him unless it was the only option left to him.

A glimmer of light started to emanate from the spire’s entrance, and with it the commotion of blended voices grew closer. George stopped moving toward the doorway and pressed the shaman’s body as tightly as he could to the stone wall, hoping to avoid detection long enough to assess the situation. Within seconds, the familiar glow of a ghostly woman emerged from the structure. The woman was just as much a thorn in his side as he was in hers. Both of them had persisted through death. While the driving force behind her continued existence was unclear to George, his own was not. He wanted more than anything in the world to get back to Earth and out of this hell-hole dimension. He wanted to return to his killing ways, the cat and mouse taunting of police while he plucked whores undeserving of life from beneath their noses. Those games had been the most satisfying part of his life. If things would just fall into place, he felt like he might get the opportunity to prowl the streets of Earth once more. No more being the lapdog of a demon. He would finally be able to live life on his terms. The mere thought of the possibilities gave him a ghostly erection. It was a shame that it didn’t translate into the fleshy shell he was wearing.

Several seconds had passed since the ghost had exited the tower. A steady stream of white-robed men and women began to file from the building. While they continued to pour from the structure, the spectral figure turned in his direction. For a brief moment she appeared to be studying him, then her glow started to blink rapidly, like a light bulb with a loose filament. Was it possible that she could see him, even though he was hidden within the shaman? George wanted to dismiss the ludicrous notion, but the ghostly woman’s reaction seemed to suggest that she saw through the disguise.

Quickly, he began to hobble toward the tower entrance in an attempt to get out of the spirit’s line of sight. Not that she couldn’t just move unfettered through the crowd, but perhaps it would buy him a few seconds of time to come up with an alternative method of losing her. As luck would have it, a curious opportunity presented itself moments later when his wizard nemesis stepped through the aperture. It was extremely unlikely that the sorcerer would realize something was amiss, so long as George acted natural … or at least in a similar manner to what the red-haired man would. Pretending to be the shaman shouldn’t be too difficult. Especially considering how much time he’d spent studying every facet and nuance of each member of the group. As someone who stalked and hunted his prey, these things were pretty much second nature to him. All George needed to happen was to engage the sorcerer in conversation to lower his guard, then hope that something or someone would distract him for a few seconds.

Catching a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye as he exited the spire, Edward turned toward the shaman with a slack-jawed expression. For a brief moment he was unable to speak, but he finally found his voice. “Brian? What are you doing out of the bubble? And better yet, why would you leave its protection?” One eyebrow rose, climbing his forehead like a bushy caterpillar, while the other dipped down in a disbelieving scowl. Before the shaman could answer, the wizard scolded him harshly. “You are in no shape to be wandering around out here. It’s far too dangerous!”

George put on a performance worthy of getting an Oscar. Contorting Brian’s features into an offended expression, he forced a sigh from his lips and started to turn away. He was going for a look that suggested he felt useless and pulled it off in stunning fashion. It was so convincing that he had barely spun away from Edward before the wizard called out to him in an effort to halt his progress.

“Brian, wait. I didn’t mean to upset you, which I’ve obviously managed to do.” Inwardly, he berated himself for being so callous with his friend. The shaman’s reaction stung, almost as badly as witnessing the death of a loved one. He had only been looking out for the man’s well-being. The red-haired man paused, then slowly rotated his head to meet Edward’s gaze. Brian’s mouth opened and shut, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words.

“You hurt my feelings,” he finally managed. “I thought we were a team.”

“I can’t apologize enough, Brian. I’m not sure why I said what I did.” Edward paused briefly and let out a resigned sigh. “In all fairness, I was actually coming out from the tower to retrieve you. I hadn’t expected you to be conscious.”

“How on Earth were you planning to retrieve me, then?”

“I had assumed I would have to carry you,” Edward confessed.

“Carry me?” The shaman chuckled as his eyes assessed the stature of the sorcerer. “You hardly look strong enough for such a task.”

Edward’s cheeks flushed to a bright crimson shade. “It wouldn’t have prevented me from trying, though.”

“What is so important that you would attempt such a thing?”

“Katie is near death. The god who might be able to remove the aging curse from her is badly wounded. At this point, it seemed like the only way to save Katie’s life was to see if you could heal the god’s injuries. He is far too weak to attempt the feat right now.”

George lifted the shaman’s hand to rub the red stubble on the man’s chin, trying to make it look like he was deep in contemplation. Inwardly, he was nearly bursting with maniacal glee. The opportunity he’d been hoping for was right in front of him. All he had to do now was to play along.

Chapter 19

Despite the initial attention she had garnered with her landing, Skarr was losing the interest of the enemies farthest from her position. The shamblers that were closer to her, however, did not suffer the same affliction. If anything they had been stirred into a frenzy by her arrival. She had hoped to be the focus of the entire throng, but already some had turned away from her and begun shuffling toward the tower once more. Perhaps they were enticed by the scent of humans. After all, these wretched creatures barely resembled the men and women they used to be once they were seen close up. In fact, the putrid swarm of bodies looked like they were better suited for a graveyard. Many of them appeared to be missing vital parts of their anatomy, making Skarr wonder how they managed to move around at all.

Of those closest to her, she saw a collection of maladies that should have prevented them from being above ground, let alone moving. Nearly every one of the shambling monstrosities had one or more disfigurements which should have forced their ancestors to bury them. Some were missing limbs, or at least parts of them, while others were absent large portions of flesh, leaving their internal organs either exposed or dripping from a body cavity like snot from a child’s nose. It defied all logical reasoning that these creatures could move about.

While she’d been lost in thought contemplating the best way to dispatch her foes, a large contingent of zombies broke away from the main herd and started to stumble toward the tower. Some of them were on fire, victims of the dragon’s molten breath, while others smoldered like the dying embers in a fireplace, sending wisps of vile smoke into the night air. In an attempt to reacquire their interest, Skarr opened her maw wide and emitted a deafening roar. It did not have nearly the impact she’d hoped for. Instead of drawing the stragglers toward her, she had only managed to incite those closest to her. Their once labored movements seemed more purposeful. They were closing in on the dragon fast, though Skarr appeared more intent on the zombies leaving the formation. She charged in their direction, swatting the living dead from her path with her enormous claws. Before she could reach the departing undead she got bogged down in the crowd of corpses.

Completely surrounded, she was forced to abandon the notion of saving the humans near the spire. She had underestimated her adversaries, believing they would be too slow to present a problem. Now her situation had become dire, and Skarr was coerced into trying to save her own life. As she continued to bat the zombies aside, she could already tell that she was fighting a losing battle. Her claws swiped in furious desperation, sending rotted bodies through the air like grotesque hail, but the spot vacated by the flying undead was quickly filled by more of the foul creatures. She flicked her enormous tail in an attempt to clear more room for herself to maneuver. This turned out to be a pointless endeavor as well. No matter what she did, the dead kept pushing forward. The only thing Skarr could hear anymore were the groans and growls the zombies vomited from their disfigured mouths between the hungry gnashings of their decayed teeth.

It was only a matter of time before the ancient dragon could no longer keep her foes at bay. Initially she had been so focused on the fight that she hadn’t noticed the tiny, pin-prick sensations of the teeth perforating her thick hide, but in the span of a few minutes there had become so many of them that they could no longer be ignored. As she lifted one of her front legs to swipe at the horde again, several zombies clung to it as if they had been glued to the appendage. Skarr stared in disbelief at one of the attached zombies. It might have been gazing back at her, it was difficult to tell. The abomination appeared to only have one eyeball, which dangled from the eye socket by a bloody thread, and the left side of its skull was caved in. Skarr wasn’t sure how the corpse was holding on. Most of its fingers were missing. The only thing she could make sense out of was the possibility that some of the zombie’s entrails had snagged on her scales.

She was running out of options fast, despite the size difference she had in her favor. In theory it should have been enough to swing the tide of battle and give her an edge, but the reality of the situation was … there were just too many of them! If Skarr didn’t come up with a new plan soon, she would be buried under the never-ending tide of her undead enemies. Already it seemed as if they were clinging to every part of her massive body. Zombies dangled from her outstretched wings like Christmas ornaments. If many more of the abominations latched on, it was entirely possible that their weight would prevent her from escaping into the sky. Right now, it appeared like the only feasible option. She desperately needed to regroup. It was paramount to her continued survival, as well as something she required if there was to be any hope of getting a chance to redeem her prior mistakes.

In a last ditch effort, Skarr propelled her wings downward and let out a mighty roar. The ensuing blast of air caused her nearest foes to be blown backward, many of them being vaulted through the air like movie stunt men, landing on their backs and skidding across the ground. Those who weren’t launched by the tremendous gust were toppled like a child’s dominoes, the subsequent collisions spreading in a fifty-foot circle around the dragon.

The added weight of the zombies still clinging to her body made her ascent slow and tedious, but Skarr was able to climb above the throng before they were able to regroup. As she gained altitude, she continued her attempts to shake the undead from her massive frame. She knew she wouldn’t be capable of maintaining flight for long if she couldn’t jettison some of the extra baggage she was carrying. A few of the zombies had lost their grip, plummeting to the ground like vile missiles. From this elevation, the sickening splat of their wretched bodies striking the soil was barely audible and the resulting collision of their impact did nothing to disperse the crowd below. The only positive aspect of the situation seemed to be that there were a few less enemies for the humans to deal with. The undead which had rained from the sky were reduced to nothing more than a gory smear on the ground. Although it appeared that Skarr had finally discovered a means to kill her adversaries, it was far from being an effective method.

The mythical beast continued her aerial struggles for nearly fifteen minutes before finally managing to shake the majority of the remaining corpses clinging to her. With most of them off of her she felt a sense of satisfaction, however brief. For a few flickering moments she was able to regain her focus. If only she knew why the humans had left the relative safety of the tower. In her mind, the only thing their departure from the spire did was add confusion and chaos to an already complicated situation. It would’ve been nice to have prior knowledge about what they were up to. Certainly it would make her decisions easier. How was she supposed to help if she wasn’t aware of the humans’ intentions? Skarr exhaled forcefully in frustration. Where was Edward when she needed guidance? All of the centuries of her existence couldn’t have prepared her for determining the proper course of action in this situation.

Skarr hovered in the sky, glancing between the army of undead and the crowd of white-robed men and women. There appeared to be an approximate separation of the two factions of perhaps fifteen minutes, provided that the humans didn’t do anything foolish like rushing headlong toward the zombie horde. If past experience had taught Skarr anything, it was that mortals often made rash and unpredictable decisions. There was no way to count on them making an intelligent choice. Too often they were motivated by their feelings, which frequently explained why their life spans were so short. Their intentions were normally good, but their frail bodies could rarely back up their bravado.

As she tried to decide what to do, Skarr began to feel a tingling sensation in her extremities that she hadn’t noticed until now. It was mild at first, much like the way an appendage feels when the blood flow to it has been reduced. The phenomenon rapidly mutated, becoming considerably more painful with each passing second. Her blood almost felt as if it were burning in her veins. Skarr began to feel true panic for probably the first time in her life. Although she didn’t understand the underlying cause of her affliction, she sensed that her body was somehow being deprived of oxygen. In a matter of seconds, her wings seemed as if the weight of the entire world rested upon them. Almost at the same instant, the clarity of her thoughts became muddled. Then, as if things weren’t bad enough already, her vision started to blur. She could sense the ground rushing toward her, but was unable to muster the energy to do anything about it. Screams erupted below her, and moments later her gigantic body struck the turf with a resounding thud.

Chapter 20

The scene in front of the stone spire was utter chaos. Amber had sensed that something was amiss the instant she exited the tower, but she hadn’t placed what was making her feel this way until after Edward stepped outside. It was at that exact moment when she realized the shaman was nearby, leaning against the outer wall of the structure. From what she recalled of the man’s injuries, there was no way he should have been there. In her opinion, the extensive damage to his body should have prevented him from crawling, much less standing upright. The only way it seemed remotely possible that Brian could accomplish such a feat was with supernatural aid. This thought prompted Amber to look harder, and attempt to gaze into his soul to find the cause of the aberration. When she did, Amber discovered the one thing she hoped to never see again … the ruthless son of a bitch who had taken her life from her back on Earth!

Her fear and nervousness caused the illumination of her glowing form to pulsate like a strobe light. She glanced back toward Edward, fervently hoping he either sensed something off about Brian or that he noticed her reaction. If his mind was in a state of high alert it was far more likely he would have a chance to avoid trouble. However, as Amber watched his reaction to finding the shaman nearby she knew he had already been duped.

She had just begun to float higher in order to get the wizard’s attention when a tremendous roar shattered the night air. Almost instantly the crowd of white robes took several cowering steps backward. Nervous chatter erupted, many of the men and women expressing the desire to go back inside of the tower. They had known when they left Zeus in the throne room that their mission wouldn’t be easy, but nobody had anticipated the possibility of having to enter combat against a creature that sounded as if it could wipe them all out with a single blow. This was insane! They were farmers, not fighters. This was simply too much to ask of them. Their god might shun them for their cowardice, but at least they had a slim chance to survive if they hid from whatever terrible beast made that noise.

The ensuing panic diverted Amber’s attention from Edward. Despite her own trepidation, she attempted to calm the throng. To some degree her efforts worked. At the very least, the men and women had not fled, although none of them seemed willing to fight. They looked like a herd of frightened sheep, ready to scatter in every direction at a moment’s notice. By the time Amber had soothed the assemblage enough to turn her attention elsewhere, both Edward and Brian had disappeared. It was entirely possible that she had missed her opportunity to warn the sorcerer. Even so, she had to try. There was still a slight chance that whatever her ghostly killer was up to, she could thwart his attempt. After all, who knew how long the sinister man would remain hidden within the shaman’s body?

Amber hadn’t made it more than five feet closer to the tower when the white-robed crowd glanced toward the sky as one. The wind picked up considerably, and a steady thwup, thwup sounded overhead. The skyward gazing men and women shielded their eyes as if they were looking at the sun, attempting to keep debris from blowing into their eyeballs to obstruct their vision. It was far too dark to see anything, at least until the moons of Desolace peeked out from behind the clouds. When the enormous black shape in the sky became visible, discourse started to pass through the gathering of Zeus’ followers once more. Nervous conversations blossomed again, rearing the ugly head of fear just after the men and women had finally begun to bolster a tiny bit of courage.

A sickening splat hit the ground nearby. As those closest to the sound turned to investigate, a gray-haired woman at the front of the assemblage cried out, the noise quickly muffled by a thud. Something had fallen from the sky and struck the elderly woman. It looked like another person, but for an instant none of them could figure out why a human being would drop from the heavens. Then they realized that the object had not been human at all.

The impact had not killed the old woman, but merely incapacitated her. The excruciating pain she felt told her that several bones in her body had been broken. Some of her ribs had snapped, perforating her lungs and making it extremely difficult to draw breath. Not that it mattered. The foul creature laying on top of her was still moving! As it adjusted its position, the elderly woman got a glimpse of its hideous, decayed face. The abomination had fixed its one, lone eyeball on her, and a flap of flesh hung loosely from its cheek as it opened its mouth to hiss at her. She tried to scream for help, but the sound that came from her throat was barely more than a squeak. A mixture of blood and drool dripped from the zombie’s maw as it lowered its head and savagely bit the woman’s neck. The undead monstrosity whipped its head from side to side, ripping tendons and flesh. Blood spurted into the air like a crimson fountain as the carotid artery was severed.

While the attention of many who had been standing near the old woman was focused on the scene of her demise, several other zombies fell from the sky and went unnoticed unless they landed on one of the white-robed congregation. The crowd was clearly panicked and disoriented by the situation. Many fled the area, mostly in random directions … anything to get away from the unfolding horrors. So intent they were to be anywhere other than in front of the stone tower that no one noticed when the night air ceased to billow their garments. A few seconds later, nearly half of the white-robed men and women were crushed when the ancient dragon plummeted to the ground. When the enormous beast gathered her legs beneath her and stood, it was obvious that the broken bones of the human cushion she’d fallen upon had punctured her belly. As she gazed upon the scattering mortals she let out a deafening roar. The remaining crowd of white-robed men and women dispersed as fast as their legs would carry them, running in every direction just to get as far away from the dragon as they could in hopes that they wouldn’t give the beast an easy target.

Skarr, feeling a hunger unlike anything she had ever felt before, chased after the human morsels. A grotesque crimson trail followed in her wake as her intestines dragged across the turf and slapped over the dead bodies of those she had crushed in her fall from the sky. Fueled by an insatiable need to feed, she stomped after her screaming prey.

Realizing there was nothing she could do to help the humans she’d led from the tower, Amber headed toward the entrance of the stone structure. There was still hope that she would reach Edward in time to warn him about the hitchhiker inside of Brian, provided the evil bastard hadn’t made his move already.

Chapter 21

Once inside the stone spire, the arduous journey up the spiral staircase began. It would have been far less treacherous if Edward could see where he was going. Since Amber was outside with Zeus’ followers and he was forced to play the role of a crutch for Brian, the best he could do was to use the outer wall of the tower as a guide. It made the ascent much slower than he would have liked, but it was the only option if he had any hope of saving Katie’s life. At least most of the obstructions had been cleared on previous trips up and down the stairs, and any remaining spots which had been slick with blood should be sufficiently dried by now.

The ascent was quiet for the most part. The only sounds came from the echoing scuff of his boots, his labored breathing, and the scrape, clop of the shaman’s gait. It was difficult to ascertain how far they’d gone without any visual queues, but if Edward was to make a guess he would say they were about halfway to the chamber where Zeus lay injured. He was tempted to call out to Katie in hopes he could get a sign to whether she was among the living or not, although he wasn’t sure if he could muster enough vocal strength. The way his breath sounded in the darkness he would have thought he’d been running for miles without a break.

“Can we stop for a few minutes? I need to catch my breath and take my weight off of my legs.”

Edward considered the question briefly. He could certainly use the respite, even though his mind screamed at him to continue. Katie’s life hung in the balance of his decision, but he also knew that taking a few extra minutes was preferable to collapsing on the stairs. It was entirely possible that by taking a short break it might actually speed up the journey. Surely they had slowed considerably since they began the climb.

“Yes, of course. I apologize for pushing you so hard,” Edward wheezed. “I probably should have never attempted to bring you up here, especially in your condition, but when I saw you outside of the tower and you were up and moving around I decided it was likely the only way to save Katie.”

Inside of the shaman, George tried to work out every possible scenario. He had to wait for the perfect opportunity to present itself if he had any hope of succeeding in his plans. At least while they were under the cover of darkness he didn’t have to worry about concentrating on the facial expressions of his fleshy disguise. “Do you really think I can heal a god?”

There was a significant pause after his question, the words lingering in the air as they echoed through the vast openness of the tower. “I pray that you can. It’s very close to my last hope. If you are unable to accomplish the task, the only alternative left is the remote possibility that Zeus’ followers will find Asclepius.”

“Who or what is that?”

“He is supposed to be the God of Medicine. The assemblage of white-robed men and women indicated that he was the only one they believed could heal Zeus’ wounds. It should go without saying, if the god cannot be saved, Katie will surely die. That isn’t something I’m prepared to deal with.”

George allowed the statement to hang in the air for several moments as he searched the shaman’s brain for an appropriate response. “Well, I certainly hope that I don’t let you down. My track record isn’t exactly the greatest when it comes to healing. Just ask your horse.” That last tidbit, plucked from the red-haired man’s mind, was especially comical to George. It took tremendous effort to keep the mirth from his voice as he spoke. It amused him to no end that even when he wasn’t antagonizing the wizard and his friends, things had a way of torturing the man.

For a few seconds, Edward remained silent. He was sure the jibe was not intentional, but it still forced painful memories to the surface of his mind. “While that may be true, you can hardly blame yourself. You were still pretty new to using your healing abilities back then. I’m almost certain you would fare better now that you have more experience.”

The shaman sighed. “You’re probably right.”

Edward had no idea how long they’d been resting, but it felt as if they were wasting too much time. With a soft exhalation of breath, he rose to his feet. “We should get going again,” he remarked, slowly moving his hand in the darkness in search of Brian. His fingertips brushed against the fabric of the shaman’s clothes. He ran his palm over the garment until he encountered the bare flesh of the man’s arm, then grasped the appendage firmly and helped Brian to stand.

The tedious ascent began once more. Apparently the short rest had done both of them good because it seemed as if they were climbing the stairs slightly quicker. After a few minutes, the faint glow of the magically imbued weapons left by Zeus’ would-be assassins became visible. It relieved Edward to know that they were finally close to the end of the upward journey. He resisted the urge to move faster, knowing that it was just as important to keep the shaman by his side as it was to get to the chamber. One wrong decision and the attempt to save Katie would fail.

As they rounded the curve and came into view of the charred section of the passageway, panicked screams from outside drifted through the spire’s entrance below. Edward knew in his heart that the commotion was an omen. Unless Asclepius just happened to appear at the right time because he sensed Zeus’ need, there would be no backup if Brian failed to heal the god. The chaos outside suggested that the white-robed men and women had been overrun by the dark forces arrayed against them, thus preventing them from returning to their world to locate the God of Medicine. In Edward’s opinion, it had been a tall order for them to accomplish anyway. Although he was used to such obstacles, he was worried about the sole responsibility of saving Desolace resting on his weary shoulders. Making sure that Zeus and Katie got healed was the first priority. Without both of their help the cause was lost, and the world as he knew it would cease to exist.

Before Edward took another step, a familiar disembodied wail echoed up from below. He whipped his head around to look and saw Amber’s ghostly glow rapidly approaching. The emotional turmoil that the wizard felt prevented him from detecting the subtle tensing of Brian’s muscles, not that he would have considered it a big deal even if he had noticed. The lamenting spirit had only covered half the distance between them when suddenly she burst into an unnatural flame. The apparition screamed in torment, but only for a matter of seconds. When the shriek subsided, her ghostly presence was gone!

George pretended to rub his face in dismay, using the hand and the surrounding shadows to hide the fact that a wicked grin had bloomed on the shaman’s face. The ghost could have ruined his plans if she’d managed to warn the wizard about him, but now it wasn’t a concern. One less enemy to deal with, and one step closer to accomplishing what he’d set out to do. So far, things seemed to be going perfectly. Not much longer now. Soon, all of his plotting would come to fruition. His biggest concern at the moment was whether or not the shaman would be able to mend the god. Doing so was the most vital part of his plan, but by the same token he had to ensure that Zeus wasn’t fully healed. A furious god at full strength was not what he wanted. George only required the entity to be functional enough to do his bidding. It was going to be a tricky proposition, of that much he was certain.

Chapter 22

For Edward, the remainder of the ascent to the great hall of the gods was filled with worry and doubt. After witnessing Amber’s untimely demise, he couldn’t help but wonder about the manner in which she’d been turned into a ghostly torch. Were the evil forces of Desolace responsible, or had something unspeakable happened to Brian that had in some way crossed the signals in his brain? The latter seemed to be the most likely scenario, although the wizard didn’t want to believe that his red-haired friend had been corrupted. The manner in which Amber went up in flames suggested it was the work of the shaman. She had appeared to be dispatched in a similar fashion to the tactics Brian had employed in the past when confronted with unfavorable odds. That worried him more than anything. If the ghost’s eradication had been the work of his friend, it complicated the situation and raised more questions.

If Brian had indeed been compromised, to what extent could Edward trust him? Would he have to watch over the shaman constantly to ensure the man didn’t have any other nefarious plans in mind? Despite how events had transpired, there was still a chance that Brian had nothing to do with the way things were unfolding. Could it be that the dark entity he’d been battling at every turn was behind Amber’s elimination? After all, Edward had never lain eyes on his elusive adversary. He didn’t have the first clue about what his foe looked like. For all he knew, the being was as insubstantial as the spirit of the dead woman. He resolved to watch over his friend to the best of his ability in hopes that he would detect any foul intentions before they got out of his control.

As soon as the wizard stepped foot into the audience chamber he took a quick look around the room to assess the situation. Zeus was still laying on the floor where he’d been when Edward had departed earlier, although he did seem a bit more coherent. A fleeting glance toward Katie told him she was still alive, but from this distance he couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or not, only that her chest rose and fell.

The god raised his head to gaze toward the entrance, knowing that his followers had not been gone long enough to find Asclepius and fearing that his son had come to finish him off. His expression brightened slightly when he saw that Edward had returned. A thin, red-haired man stood beside the sorcerer. “Did my people make it back to Earth without incident?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” Edward admitted. “There was quite a commotion outside a short time after I exited the tower, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what was causing it. I was distracted by finding my friend nearby, hobbling toward the entrance.”

The god’s mannerism relayed his disappointment. His sagging features suggested that he was resigned to a fate he had never assumed would be possible. He exhaled loudly, his head sinking back to the stone floor in defeat.

Seeing the hope fade from Zeus’ eyes was depressing, but Edward refused to succumb so easily. After everything he’d been through to get here, there was no way he was giving up. Especially since Katie’s very survival depended on his tenacious, unflappable determination to lift the aging curse that the fairy guardians of the Tree of Life had placed upon her. In a conspiratorial whisper, he gave Brian instructions. He would have to keep part of his attention focused on the shaman, however, because trusting him was now an issue. Edward wasn’t convinced that there wasn’t a malevolent force guiding the hand of his red-haired friend. Until he was absolutely certain, it was imperative that his diligence did not waver.

As the shaman crossed the expansive chamber toward Zeus, Edward walked over to where Katie lay. He knelt down beside her, his long locks brushing across her when he reached out to give her a gentle shake. Her eyelids fluttered open and a weak smile creased her features.

“How are you feeling?” he inquired in a near whisper, softly brushing her cheek with his fingertips.

She opened her mouth to reply, but her voice cracked so badly at first that the only sound she could produce was a cough. Katie swallowed a couple of times to moisten her throat then tried again. “Older than dirt,” she finally managed. “Have you found the gods?”

Apparently she didn’t know where she was, making it obvious that she must have been unconscious for most of the journey up the stairs. Either that or the aging process was affecting her memory.

Edward’s eyebrows crinkled with concern. He glanced toward the shaman to see if he was making any progress and saw him bent over the god in much the same fashion that he was over Katie. Nothing seemed different yet, but he could hear the soft chants of the bizarre language the man used when employing his abilities. “Please hurry, Brian.” Edward spoke in a hushed voice, trying not to break the shaman’s concentration. The last thing he wanted to see was Zeus turning inside out like his horse had. Closing his eyelids, Edward offered up a desperate prayer to anyone who would listen.

To make matters worse, the sounds of battle outside of the tower had ceased. Normally this would be a good thing. However, these noises had been replaced by another … one which Edward had hoped to never hear again. The groans and hisses of the undead were now echoing up from the bottom of the spire! It appeared evident that the dark forces of Desolace had somehow brought the foul abominations here from Earth, and apparently held some amount of sway over their actions. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse, could they?

***

George knelt down beside Zeus and immediately started to access the shaman’s brain, hoping that he would find the information he frantically needed. It didn’t require much searching. Apparently the red-haired man kept the most dire of his knowledge in the forefront of his memory to ensure quick accessibility. Upon locating what he felt to be the proper spell, he began the chant right away. The words were foreign to his ears and even more difficult to pronounce. He deliberately enunciated each syllable in an effort to ensure the chant worked like it was supposed to.

Within a few minutes, George started to notice a difference in the ailing god. Before he’d begun the chant, Zeus had appeared to be a fleshy husk incapable of movement. Now, however, he had raised his shaggy, gray-haired head and was looking at the shaman with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. The shaman continued the incantation until the god sat up. By his reckoning, Zeus was completely alert now, possibly even healed enough to do what George needed him to do.

“How did you do that, young man? Only Asclepius has been successful in healing the wounds of a god prior to your effort.”

A smile blossomed on the red-haired man’s countenance. “I can’t really explain the process. For that matter, I wasn’t even sure when I started the mantra that I would be successful. My prior attempts to heal living things were far from triumphant.”

“Well, I cannot thank you enough.” He patted Brian’s shoulder as if the two of them were best friends, the broad smile on his face, radiant. “If there is anything I can do for you in return for your kindness, just ask and it shall be done.”

Before responding, George glanced toward the wizard and the dying woman. He squinted his eyes as he attempted to ascertain just how much of his conversation with Zeus that the long-haired sorcerer had heard. Edward seemed distracted, gazing nervously toward the entrance to the chamber. It seemed like a safe assumption that he’d heard very little of the dialogue, making it appear as if the perfect opportunity had just reared its head. He turned back to face Zeus. “I would like to petition for two things from you, if it’s not too much to ask.”

“It would be an honor to provide you with any assistance I can,” the god replied.

He accessed the shaman’s mind once more, searching the man’s memory for the malady that the elderly woman was afflicted with. “I would be eternally grateful if you could lift the curse on my friend, which was placed upon her by the guardians of the Tree of Life,” George stated, pointing a finger toward Katie. This request wasn’t because he wished the woman to be restored to her former self, even though it would bring him greater satisfaction to kill her if she was more lively. Instead, he made the appeal to keep his disguise from slipping … just in case the wizard was paying attention.

“I’ll see what I can do. What was the second request you had?”

George leaned in close, cupping his hand over his mouth. “I would like for you to open a portal to Earth. I’m sure you can hear the commotion coming from the stairs. I would be forever thankful if I was not here when whatever is making that sound arrives,” he whispered.

“That would take far less effort than removing the curse from your friend. Although getting you back to your world is not an issue, I do need to know an approximate location and time period that you wish to go to. I would not be doing you a good service if I sent you back to Earth during an age you weren’t familiar with.”

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he mulled over the generous offer. George would have enjoyed returning to Earth during the same era as his previous killing spree, but a persistent, nagging intuition told him otherwise. “How about somewhere in the early part of the twenty-second century? Would that be possible?”

“Of course,” Zeus replied. “Do you have a particular locale in mind?”

“I’ve always been curious about what my hometown would be like in the future. Could you make the portal lead to Misty Hollows, Ohio?” Why am I so insistent about going to the future? Is this wretched shaman somehow behind the notion?

“Consider it done,” the god stated, making a sweeping gesture with one hand. A stream of golden mist began to drift through the air. Within seconds, a swirling portal materialized. The sounds echoing from the stairwell drowned out any that might have been heard emanating from the yellowish void.

Initially, George had been transfixed by the summoned sphere. For several moments he was oblivious to everything else around him. When he was finally able to pull his eyes away from the portal, he saw that his window of opportunity was closing rapidly. Zeus had already crossed the chamber and was standing near the wizard. George had to execute his plan now or it would be too late. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated on forcing the shaman’s mouth open. Once it was accomplished, the trick would be keeping it that way long enough for his essence to escape the red-haired man’s body. Thankfully, his exit from the fleshy disguise wasn’t as prolonged and drawn out as such things were in the movies. In less than a second, he was out of Brian and quickly barreling toward the wizard.

By the time he arrived, Zeus had already bent down and placed a hand on Katie’s chest. Her entire body was suffused in a nearly blinding white light, as if she were a giant, human glow-stick. It was now or never! Fortunately, the brilliant luminescence surrounding the woman masked any residual radiance that his spiritual form might have had. With Edward’s complete focus being on Katie, it was like taking candy from a baby to get inside of him. The wizard’s slack-jawed expression of awe allowed George easy access. By the time the sorcerer realized something was happening, it was too late. The struggle to control Edward’s mind was brief. The wizard’s guard had dropped when his emotional response to the changes in Katie’s appearance surfaced.

The age reversing transformation took only a couple of minutes. George stayed in the forefront of the wizard’s soul, but eased back slightly when Katie’s eyelids fluttered open. He wanted to ensure the proper emotional response would appear on Edward’s face when she gazed up at him. It was just a tiny fraction of control that he gave up to allow this. During this time, he kept a close watch on the rejuvenated woman as well as Zeus, who seemed to be reabsorbing the phosphorescent glow that had lifted the curse from Katie. As the illumination dimmed, the god rose to his feet. The sounds coming from the stairs had drawn his attention.

While Zeus wandered toward the chamber’s exit to investigate the source of the noises, Katie propped herself up to a sitting position. She was unable to take her eyes off of Edward. Tears streamed down his cheeks like tiny rivers. The expression on his face was one of happiness unlike any she’d ever seen since she met him.

“It worked,” he stated simply, his breath hitching in uneven gasps. “I was so afraid that I would lose you.” Edward reached out and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, his hand trembling, a gesture which suggested that the young woman was more than just a friend to him.

Katie tried to speak, but her voice cracked so much that her words never managed to pass her lips. She swallowed several times, attempting to moisten her parched throat. Gently placing her palms on his cheeks, she wiped his tears away with her fingertips. “Please don’t cry, Edward. I never doubted for a moment that you’d come through for me, and I can’t help but love you for the devotion you’ve shown.”

For a few seconds, Edward was speechless. Although he certainly wasn’t oblivious to the way his connection with her had evolved over time, he hadn’t expected her to use the “L” word. Even if its use was innocuous and spoken in a manner that could also construe the fact she considered him family. Still, it made him think really hard about what his true feelings for her were. At times, things had been messy between them. Some of the arguments they’d had in the past would have easily ended a normal relationship, but theirs had persevered. Most days he felt like a father figure to her, others he teetered on the precipice of romantic involvement. The current situation felt overwhelmingly like the latter.

Katie leaned forward and pressed her trembling lips to his. “Say something, please,” she begged.

“I love you,” he finally admitted, whispering in her ear the words he’d tried for so long to keep bottled up inside of him.

Chapter 23

Zeus stepped through the archway and onto the stairs. The dim light provided by the scattered weapons of his would-be assassins gave no indication of what was heading his way. The sounds he’d heard from the audience chamber were magnified in the stairwell, but they still seemed somewhat distant. From the room he had just left, he could barely make out the conversation between the wizard and the young woman he’d recently restored to her youth. There didn’t appear to be any reason for concern with them, so he kept the majority of his focus on the potential threat which loomed ahead in the darkness.

Knowing that there was only one way to discover the nature of his unseen enemy, he tilted his head to gaze into the black oblivion above him. Zeus wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to do what needed doing, but it was the only real option he had if he wanted to gain the upper hand. Being away from the window-like apertures of the audience chamber would make the task more difficult, though not impossible. In his still weakened state, there was a chance his efforts would meet with failure. He closed his eyelids and concentrated, exhaling slowly as he focused his intent. Zeus raised his arms above his head, summoning as much energy as he could muster, then released a burst of electricity toward the pinnacle of the tower.

A split second later, the bolt of lightning slammed into the reflective sphere positioned at the top of the spire like a bell in a church tower. Tendrils of intensely bright light arced from the object like the tentacles of a kraken. The result was astounding. Even the darkest recesses of the structure were illuminated. Zeus collapsed to his knees after the expulsion of energy. Between creating the portal for the wizard, removing the curse from his female counterpart, and lighting up the tower, he had precious little fortitude left. He had erroneously thought that the shaman had completely healed him, but it seemed pretty obvious now that a vital part of his essence was not fully functional. Only two possibilities for his lack of power appeared to be feasible. Either the shaman was too weak to perform the task that Asclepius would hardly bat an eye to accomplish, or close to every last one of his followers were dead. Zeus was tempted to return to his chamber to ask the red-haired man to try again.

Exhaling loudly, he lowered his gaze to see if he had time to weigh other alternatives. What he saw climbing the stairs filled him with dread. The blood drenched beings he laid eyes on looked as if they had no business walking, especially since there were at least a couple of them that didn’t even have legs! Instead, they dragged themselves along with their fingertips, using them like claws to pull themselves forward. Even though their movements were slow and deliberate, Zeus figured they would reach the audience chamber in no time at all. The prospect of thwarting the invasion was disappearing … fast! Quickly, he spun around and headed back to the throne room. As he did, the disparaging wail of a male voice rang out.

“No! Get away from her!”

***

As Edward stared longingly into the deep brown eyes of the woman he’d grown to love, the feeling that he was not alone washed over him. The sensation was similar to what he’d felt back in the abandoned inn below Cemetery Hill, the same despondency he had awoken from to find himself covered in blood with pieces of his friend Jack strewn about him. He tried to blink back the blur of tears, but everything went black. Edward was still aware, however. The nerve endings in his fingertips continued to relay information to his brain, even if he no longer had control over their movements. As he struggled to regain possession of his faculties, an eerie male voice intruded in his mind.

“There is no use fighting me,” George stated with a gleeful chuckle. “I own your ass now. Your pathetic emotional attachment to this girl was your undoing. You left yourself wide open and vulnerable, making it incredibly easy for me to take over your body.”

“You son of a—”

“Now, now. There’s no point in name calling,” George interrupted the wizard’s feeble attempt to interject his opinion. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride,” he taunted.

“What do you want with me?”

“Funny you should ask that. Honestly, I’m tempted to give a tiny sliver of control back to you, if for no other reason than to torment you by allowing you to see what I’m about to do.”

Across the room, where Zeus had lain a short time ago, Brian appeared to be regaining his wits. The broken limbs of his body didn’t give him the opportunity to interfere with what was transpiring, but his shamanic senses were on high alert. Something bad was unfolding, and in all likelihood he wasn’t strong enough to do anything about it. He took a quick glance around the chamber, hoping that Zeus was nearby and able to help him stop whatever was about to happen. The god was nowhere to be seen, but in his scan of the room he discovered an object that gave him a clue to who he was battling with. Several feet away from his crumpled form, a swirling golden portal stood. Suddenly, Brian had the sinking feeling that the sphere wasn’t intended to bring help.

Edward’s vision began to return, although the perception of depth seemed slightly off. It was similar to having an out-of-body experience, like he was drifting through the air above the scene. When he saw his hands reaching toward Katie, he almost wished he could close his eyelids. The monster inside of him wouldn’t allow that, so he struggled in futility to regain control of his actions. He wanted more than anything to be able to vocalize a warning to Katie, who appeared to be oblivious to the danger she was in until it was too late. His outstretched fingers brushed her cheeks and she closed her eyes in the euphoria of his touch. After which, Edward was forced to watch his hands betray him. His gentle caress moved from her face, slowly descending to her neck. Once there, the situation devolved rapidly. Unable to stop it from happening, his fingers tightened around her throat.

Katie’s eyelids shot open. Her lips formed a shocked “O” and twitched like a gasping fish. Her bulging eyes pleaded with Edward to stop as her face first turned red, then blue, then purple. She struggled to cry out for help, but the thumbs pressing firmly against her voice box prevented any sound from escaping her mouth. She heard Brian shouting for an instant, right before her vision went black.

George watched the young woman’s head loll to the side as she lost consciousness. He did not, however, relinquish his grip. He continued to choke Katie for another minute or so, until he could no longer feel her pulse throbbing beneath his fingers. Once he was certain that she was dead, he let go and laughed triumphantly as she slumped to the floor. For just a moment, he wished that he could keep her head as a trophy. Time was far too short, though. The shaman’s voice snapped him back to reality as he shoved Edward’s essence to the background and reclaimed complete control of the wizard.

It was exceedingly obvious that Brian knew exactly what had just happened. George wasn’t certain how effective the broken man would be if an attempt was made to expel him from the sorcerer’s body, but he wasn’t about to stick around to find out. The shaman had already begun chanting something in a foreign language, although the pained expression on his face might have been interfering with his success. George seized the brief window of opportunity, rising to his feet and sprinting toward the swirling golden portal. Seconds before he reached the sphere, Zeus had apparently come back into the room.

Upon his entry, the god immediately looked for the shaman. “What was all of the commotion about?” he inquired as he approached the kneeling, red-haired man. His shaggy eyebrows furrowed when he saw the glazed-over hue of Brian’s eyes. The man seemed to be possessed by a supernatural force, but his lack of hostility appeared to suggest something else was going on. Zeus attempted to focus on the words coming out of the shaman’s mouth, instead. As he tried to decipher the chant, the god noticed movement as another figure came into view. The wizard must have been previously hidden from sight by one of the massive pillars throughout the chamber.

“Edward, stop!” Zeus commanded. The wizard continued to run, ignoring the god. “Where are you going? I could use your assistance in the stairway. I’m too weak to fend off the monstrosities that are headed this way.” The truth behind his last statement wasn’t something he relished admitting. Even though the shaman had healed his wounds enough to allow him to resume a portion of his former abilities, without a considerable bolstering of the number of his followers he would be reduced in strength. As it stood now, that seemed like an impossible thing to hope for. The way he felt at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise him to find out that all of his once faithful subjects had perished.

A brilliant flash of light pervaded the chamber. Zeus cursed under his breath for failing to realize why Edward had been running away from battle, even though he could never have foreseen the action. After all, wasn’t it the shaman who’d requested the portal? Why would the wizard enter it? What motivation did he have for leaving? Zeus had assumed that the shaman merely wanted to go home after the battle was won, or to escape death if the fight was not winnable. At the time of his being healed, Zeus thought he owed the man that much. As a fail-safe, he’d created the portal in such a manner that it would collapse as soon as Brian entered, so if enemies had overrun the chamber they wouldn’t be able to follow him back to Earth. He regretted that decision now. He was too weak to open another portal, so the shaman was stuck here.

With great sadness in his heart, Zeus glanced down at Brian. The chanting had stopped. The skinny, red-haired man had apparently expended what little energy he had because he now lay in a crumpled heap upon the stone floor. It appeared that he couldn’t even muster the strength to lift his head. The groans and hisses of the approaching abominations was growing louder. If Zeus was right, they probably only had about five or ten minutes to regroup. Somehow, he doubted it would be sufficient time for the shaman.

Chapter 24

She couldn’t believe that she’d escaped, but before her the soft bending of tall grass in the midday sun was a welcomed and familiar sight. In the distance, farm animals called for the attention of their masters. A well worn path stretched into the expansive field from where she stood. For a few minutes, all she could do was close her eyes and breathe deeply. The air of her homeland smelled sweet in comparison to the stench of the world she’d just come from. It was an amazing feat that brought her here. How she had outflanked the ravenous swarm of living corpses she had no clue. She had hoped some of her friends would have made it back to Greece as well, but so far no one else had come through the portal. She was alone.

Although Diana knew what her mission was, she didn’t have the first idea of where to start searching for Asclepius. She had never heard anyone speak of the god having a temple nearby, even though it was almost a certainty that there was at least one such building erected in his honor. The trick was finding it … before her own deity suffered a mortal death. She had a vague inkling of what he looked like, if the marble statue in Zeus’ audience chamber was close to accurate. According to the stone effigy, the god sported curly hair and a beard. Diana recalled that there had been a staff of sorts in one of his hands, entwined with serpents if her memory served. Although, she wasn’t sure of his height. Stone representations of the gods were often cast to appear larger than life. For all she knew, the god could be as vertically challenged as a dwarf.

A discouraged sigh passed through her lips. As Diana gazed across her surroundings the insurmountable odds of the task ahead weighed heavily on her mind. It might not have been so bad if others had made the journey as well. Instead, she felt as if the fate of an entire world rested on her demure shoulders. The mission was too big for one lowly woman. Diana closed her eyes for a moment as the pressure mounted and her head began to throb.

With nobody in sight, she decided to walk down the trail. There should have been at least a few children playing in the field at this time of day. It was a peculiar feeling to witness such an absence of life. The town of Syri was small by Athens standards, but it wasn’t as if there were only a few people who lived here. It was true, many of the villagers were followers of Zeus and had stepped through the portal to Desolace with her. At most, however, less than half of the white-robed men and women who’d made the journey were from this city or those nearby. A considerable number of Zeus’ faithful came from outlying areas which rarely had contact with the citizens of Syri. Had the entrance to the swirling portal moved to a different location, dropping her into an uninhabited wilderness that only bore similarities to her home town? The possibility was disheartening.

When Diana reached the opposite end of the field without encountering even a single soul, she continued along the path which led into the forest. If this was indeed Syri, the trail should terminate in roughly fifteen minutes. The trees would thin out and houses would dot the landscape. There was already a hint of the salty sea in the air, which was an encouraging sign. By the time she exited the tree line she should hear the crash of waves on the shore, if this was actually Syri.

Diana was lost in her thoughts and nearly ran into a man who was traveling in the opposite direction on the path. It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere. The gentleman wasn’t familiar to her and looked like he might have been a homeless person or beggar, wandering aimlessly around in hopes of finding someone to ask for food or a bit of coin. The dirty shroud that was wrapped around him like a poor man’s cloak hid most of his features. The cowl over his head kept his face in shadows, although Diana could see that he had a modest beard. He carried a walking stick and moved like a decrepit old man, even though the coloration of his facial hair suggested he shouldn’t be that advanced in age.

Lowering her head, she softly apologized and sidestepped out of his way. As the man started walking again, she noticed the intricacies of the walking stick he used. At first glance, she’d missed the carvings which twined around it, likely due to the fact she hadn’t expected to see anything like it being carried by someone so disheveled in appearance. The meticulously sculpted patterns formed a design that resembled several snake-like figures, wrapped around the thick wooden shaft. Was this man Asclepius? If so, was it blind luck that had crossed their paths, or was a higher power at work?

“Excuse me, sir,” she said, clearing her throat before he’d gone more than a few feet past her. He stopped, craning his neck to gaze back in her direction. “You wouldn’t by chance be Asclepius, would you?”

Although he tried to hide it within his hood, an expression of concern appeared on his face. Apparently the woman had seen through his disguise. “I am, but I would ask that you please lower your voice,” he instructed, placing his index finger over his lips.

Diana had trouble containing her excitement. She rushed over to stand beside him and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “I’m so glad I found you. I wasn’t sure that I ever would.”

“You were searching for me?”

“Yes, Zeus sent me,” she replied, as if the god would understand the cryptic meaning behind her words.

“It seems strange that he would send one person to locate me. The world is a big place. I would think that under normal circumstances it would be a huge undertaking for one individual.”

“Well, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Originally, there were hundreds of us.” Asclepius seemed confused by her remark, but held his tongue and allowed her to continue. “Unfortunately, I believe I was the only one who was able to escape the battle, although I hope I’m wrong.”

“I haven’t spoken to Zeus in ages,” Asclepius confessed. “Until recently, I have been in hiding. For quite some time now, Ares and his minions have been hunting for me. I didn’t know why, but it seemed prudent to stay out of sight.”

“Then, why are you out in the open now?”

“While I haven’t talked to Zeus, I sensed that he was somehow in trouble. Before you state what I already know, yes, I’m aware that he’s currently in another world.”

Diana softly sighed, thankful that there was less she had to explain. “Will you come with me, then?”

His lips pursed, forming a thin line. Clearly he wasn’t happy about the question. “Young lady, you should remain here. Live your life in the manner the gods have intended you to. There is no need for you to accompany me.”

“But—”

“Do I need to command you to stay?” he inquired in a stern tone, his eyebrows furrowing deeply.

“I can show you where he is,” she argued, fruitlessly trying to plead her case.

“That won’t be necessary. I was with Zeus when he first went to Desolace. Myself and others helped to construct the tower which I know he resides in. I sincerely doubt that he would stray from his throne, unless he was captured or coerced in some way. Is that the case?”

“No,” she admitted. She should have been elated that she didn’t have to return to the hellish world of Desolace, but instead Diana was sad. Her shoulders slumped as she tried to accept what Asclepius was telling her. It wasn’t so much that she wanted the accolades of bringing the God of Medicine to Zeus in time to save his life, but rather the feeling of joy she would get from doing something important in her lifetime. It felt like something she was destined to do. The thought of returning to a simple and uncomplicated life seemed meaningless and empty in comparison to what she perceived her fate to be. “I want to go, though,” she protested.

“I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to do so. You are a mortal … and should live your life as such. You have completed the task Zeus gave you. While I admire the courage it took for you to accomplish this feat, I must insist that you step aside and allow gods to take care of godly business.”

Despite her best efforts, Diana couldn’t help but feel worthless and rejected. She was tempted to disregard Asclepius’ wishes and travel back to Desolace anyway. After all, he was the God of Medicine not a warrior, just as she wasn’t exactly suited for battle. At least she’d been there and survived. If it was any other god that had insisted she stay behind, it might have held more weight. He was a healer. If the wrath of a god was something to be feared, how bad could such a thing be when coming from a humble entity like Asclepius?

While the temptation to defy the god was nearly overwhelming, Diana finally consigned herself to stay behind like he’d suggested. Even though she wasn’t afraid of him raining vengeance down upon her, in some way it seemed like sacrilege. The last thing she wanted to have etched in her tombstone when she died was an inscription portraying her as being irreverent. Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled loudly. “Fine, I’ll stay here. I wish you would change your mind, though.”

A broad smile appeared on his face. “I’m glad you have finally listened to the voice of reason,” Asclepius announced. With a polite nod of his head, he turned and headed up the path toward the portal.

Chapter 25

Upon exiting the portal, Asclepius was disoriented by the time difference between the worlds. It had been quite some time since his last visit to Desolace and he’d forgotten how time passed with greater rapidity on this side of the magical vortex. After allowing his eyes to adjust to the near total darkness, the only illumination provided by the light of the two moons of this world, he surveyed the battlefield before him. If the massacre standing between himself and the tower was any indication, things did not bode well for Zeus. The ground in front of him was soaked with blood and body parts that seemed to be scattered across the landscape in such a manner as to suggest the level of violence in the battle. Not that fights of this magnitude weren’t normally bloody, but this one looked more like the inside of a slaughterhouse. If the army which had caused the gory scene before his eyes had won the fight, then there was a good chance Zeus was already dead. Even so, it was against his nature to ignore people he could heal. If there were any such individuals between himself and the tower, he would be compelled to help them first.

Asclepius hadn’t encountered any injured mortals after traversing half the distance between the portal and the stone spire. The farther he walked, the more he thought it would be unlikely if he found anyone alive. He picked up the pace, methodically searching for survivors, and was surprised when he heard a female voice calling his name.

“Asclepius, wait for me!”

The sound hadn’t come from the portion of battlefield between himself and the tower. It rang out from behind him! Dreading what he would see, he turned toward the familiar voice. “What are you doing here? I thought I instructed you to stay in Syri,” he scolded, his cheeks growing red with anger.

“I changed my mind. I know you don’t think that you need my help, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you’ll thank me soon enough.” Her words came out in a jaunting, ragged gasp as she jogged from the portal to meet him. When she reached his position, Diana bent over and put her hands on her knees while she caught her breath.

“Insolent woman,” he snapped. “If Zeus is still alive, you can believe I will be petitioning him to punish you severely for your temerity.”

“He can do whatever he likes with me. All I care about is making sure he lives,” she retorted, a smug smile creasing her features as she crossed her arms in front of her bosom.

“If it were up to me, I would have Zeus strike you with a lightning bolt where you stand!”

“Well, it’s not your decision. I don’t care what you think or say … you need me,” Diana stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“What makes you so confident that you can do something which I can’t?”

“If the foul creatures I escaped from initially when I was sent to find you are still lurking about, you are going to need a diversion in order to reach Zeus.”

Her statement caused him to pause briefly. “This wasn’t the work of humans?” Asclepius inquired, gesturing with one hand toward the carnage.

“They might have been human at some point, but when I eluded them to get to the portal they appeared to be reanimated corpses.”

“How is that possible? Even I can’t bring back the dead.” His brows furrowed with worry. If the woman was telling the truth and not just making up some tall tale of her adventures, he had no idea how to handle the situation. Dealing with mortals was one thing. This, on the other hand, seemed way out of his league. Even coping with cranky gods seemed preferable. He should know. He’d dealt with Aphrodite’s temper tantrums enough times, and often with her brother Ares as well. Just thinking about Zeus’ son caused a shiver to run down his spine. Ares’ bouts of rage were nearly impossible to diffuse, and from what he saw lying on the ground around him right now, it was entirely possible that the massacre was his doing. Maybe not first-hand, but surely the scattered bits of gore were the handiwork of his disciples.

Asclepius didn’t like to admit the outside chance that the woman was correct in saying he needed her help, although what she could do to aid him was just beyond his comprehension. What did she expect to do to create a diversion, flap her arms and cluck like a chicken? Attempting what she suggested seemed like a suicide mission to him. There had to be a different alternative. “In your brief experience with these matters, is our only option to lure these creatures away from Zeus? Would he not be able to destroy them with the bolts of lightning that he favors?” His lips pressed into a thin line and he exhaled loudly through his nostrils.

“In my humble opinion, I believe it’s the only way,” Diana replied. “The only thing I’ve witnessed that incapacitated them was when they were crushed under the feet of a dragon or dropped from the sky, high above. Both of these circumstances, however, are not a guarantee of a specific outcome. While the abominations appeared to have been obliterated and incapable of movement, it seems like there would still be a chance that they could be a threat. After all, if I’m correct in assuming that they’re dead, it begs the question … how do you kill something which wasn’t living to begin with? You can’t exactly rip out their beating hearts.”

He sighed heavily, realizing that each point she made was valid. Asclepius was wasting time by trying to figure out a solution that would keep the woman out of harm’s way. It was unavoidable, and further stalling would very likely spell doom for Zeus. He had to make a decision, and quickly. The King of the Gods' life depended on it. “Very well, you’ve made your point. We shall try things your way.” Asclepius watched her face light up with joy, though he failed to understand why she seemed so happy. To him, it was like he’d just given her a death sentence.

“Then, let’s go,” Diana shouted excitedly, rushing toward the entrance of the stone spire. A few minutes later, she stopped just outside of the gaping aperture and held out her hand. “Wait here for me,” she instructed. “Stay off to one side or the other, though. Otherwise, when I come back you might get plowed over by the entourage that should be right on my tail.”

Although it irritated him to take orders from a mortal, he stepped to the right of the open doorway. A gruesome, bloody handprint adorned the outer wall where he stood, trickles of the crimson fluid smearing the stone beneath it.

Once she saw that he was in position, Diana gave him a hopeful smile. “I’ll be back shortly.”

Asclepius wasn’t as certain as she was. For a few minutes, he heard the slap of her feet on the stone steps, but soon he was shrouded in silence with only his thoughts to listen to.

***

Right on queue, the leading edge of the zombie horde began to shuffle into the audience chamber from the stairway. Ten minutes had passed since the shaman’s collapse. Thankfully, his wits had begun to return a few moments before the undead threat arrived. Brian wasn’t at full strength, however, but whatever he could muster would have to suffice. Nothing Zeus did even slowed these wretched creatures down. The red-haired man was their only hope.

Brian raised his weary head and gazed toward the chamber’s entrance. A pit of disgust formed in his stomach. Why is this happening? What did I ever do to be so cursed? It seemed that no matter what he did, or on what world, he could not shake the horrors of his former life. The zombie apocalypse was real! It didn’t matter what world you called home, the foul creatures managed to find a way to infest it with their putrid stench and withered bodies.

A slight tremor developed in his hands as he briefly remembered the distant days of his priesthood. Until the undead had begun to outnumber the living on Earth, he had often thought that his faith would save him and those he held dear to his heart. Those days were long gone now. Thankfully, he’d looked in other places for salvation when the god he’d devoted most of his life to had failed. Even so, he wasn’t as proficient as he would like to be with the abilities of the shaman he now had at his disposal. Oftentimes he intermingled these talents with his former religion, thus creating an entirely new gift. More times than not, this altered skill had saved his life and everyone’s around him. Although, the last instance where he’d been faced with a large number of undead, Edward had turned them into zombie popsicles. He didn’t have that luxury today. He would have to take control of the situation on his own.

The shaman took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he began to focus his mind to the task at hand, the trembling in his extremities quickly abated. He could sense the undead closing in on him, probably less than twenty feet from him. It was a good thing that his powers appeared to regenerate more rapidly the more often he used them. Otherwise he’d be a sitting duck. It was also a blessing that the mere, close proximity of evil no longer affected him to the same extremes he’d dealt with in the past. His breath was labored, as he had grown accustomed to, but it wasn’t the feeling of suffocation that it once was.

Zeus took a few steps backward when Brian’s eyelids opened once again. They were no longer the shade of blue they’d previously been. His eyes were glazed over, making him look like a distant relative to the creatures he faced. The volume of the shaman’s voice rose in intensity, the chant inciting his foes to greater speed. It was as if they knew something was up, and they were determined to put an end to the threat. The zombies nearly got to him! Mere seconds before the horde of undead could reach Brian, he lifted his arms, palms facing the sky, as if he were encouraging a bird to fly. As they rose, so to did the familiar flames of what his friends called holy fire. The conflagration stretched from floor to ceiling in a matter of seconds.

As the flames cast their blinding light, the shaman sank to the floor. His energy was depleted once more, so when he heard a feminine voice shouting from somewhere behind the undead, all he could do was pray that the foolish woman wouldn’t venture into the brightly lit chamber. Brian had no idea how the magical fire would react if it came in contact with an actual living person, and he didn’t want to find out either. He was so drained that he could barely hold his head up, but at least his eyes had begun to clear and his breath was coming just a fraction easier. This normally meant one of two things—either the evil he battled against was retreating, or it had been consumed by the holy blaze.

The woman’s shrill voice seemed to be calling out in desperation, the same two words resonating from her mouth. “Hey!” followed a few seconds later by, “Hello?” Brian wasn’t sure whose attention she was trying to get, although he got the sense that she was attempting to garner the focus of the undead. Was it one of Zeus’ followers? He knew the god had sent his flock back to Earth to find Asclepius, but he hadn’t thought anyone would return so quickly, if at all. Had this woman found the god of medicine? If so, there might still be a tiny glimmer of hope.

Brian quickly discovered that his spell wasn’t quite as effective as his prior uses of it. While the heatless flames worked to do the shaman’s bidding, the shuffling creatures caught within the inferno continued toward their objective. Some sizzled and popped like the embers in a hearth, but others seemed unaffected. If Edward had been here to freeze them in place, this likely wouldn’t be an issue. However, since he was not, a small portion of the wretched horde moved toward Brian with hungry purpose. It would have been an even greater number, but the female voice in the stairway had drawn the majority of the zombies toward her. There was nothing he could do to help her, though.

Zeus cringed when he saw the undead emerge from the flames. Their sickly-looking flesh appeared to have begun melting while they were in the magical pyre, but despite this they still came, leaving drops of bloody, liquefied skin in their wake that seemed similar to the pustules on a teenager’s face as they hit the floor. Although his previous attempts had yielded no results, Zeus knew that if he did nothing the creatures would fall on the shaman like a flock of vultures. As he moved to put himself between Brian and the persistent few zombies a scream could be heard from somewhere outside. The shriek seemed so loud that it could have come from within the audience chamber. Although no words were spoken, Zeus was almost certain that he knew the owner of the screeching voice … Asclepius!

As Zeus rushed to the window, the few zombies who’d been focused on Brian followed after him, drawn by the sounds of distress. The King of the Gods gazed through the aperture and cringed. The caterwauling God of Medicine was dangling from the claw of an enormous dragon! The first rays of morning sun illuminated the scene, revealing the sickly pallor of the dragon’s hide. Zeus had seen red and gold scaled creatures in his time upon Desolace, but never a beast of this hue. The mythical monster appeared to have an affliction similar to that of the living corpses which had infiltrated the tower. If his assumption was correct, would the creature be cursed with a hunger for human flesh like the shuffling abominations intent on dining in the audience chamber?

He took a quick peek over his shoulder and noticed that Brian was slightly more lively than a few moments ago. From the corner of his eye, he saw that the interest of the undead was still upon him. Zeus wasn’t entirely certain what would happen if one of the zombies bit into him. Would it be something a god could survive, or would his skin change to the color of death? No matter what might happen, the shaman had saved his life … even if the respite had been short-lived. The least he could do was return the favor. Reaching into the pocket of his flowing robe, Zeus plucked a key from its depths and tossed it toward Brian. It clanged as it hit the stone floor and skittered within the red-haired man’s reach.

“Grab the key!” Zeus commanded. “Go to the back of the room, directly across from the stairway you ascended to get here. You will find a keyhole in the wall that opens a secret entrance. Go inside, then climb to the pinnacle of the spire. There is a small chamber at the top that you can barricade yourself within. Stay there until you hear from me.”

Despite the misgivings he had about following such an order, Brian picked up the ornate key. With a sigh of resignation, he rose to his feet. He slowly limped his way to where Zeus had instructed him to go, using the massive pillars to hide behind as he deliberately moved away from danger. After his success in renewing the vigor of the god, it pained him to leave Zeus to fend for himself. Like the commander of a vessel at sea, it seemed as if the King of the Gods wished to go down with the sinking ship.

When Brian reached the back wall, it took a few moments for him to find the keyhole Zeus had told him about. As he inserted the key and turned it, the shaman took one last look back toward the chaos. Just as he was about to turn away, an enormous claw appeared in the window near Zeus. In moments, a gaping hole appeared in the wall as the dragon once known as Skarr ripped the stone blocks away with her talons. It sickened Brian to see the magnificent creature in such a state, surely infected by the zombies which plagued humankind. To punctuate this thought, the dragon opened her maw as if she were intending to engulf the room in flames. Instead, a shadowy mist blew from her gaping mouth. The necrotic fog obscured everything, quickly filling the audience chamber.

Seconds before he would have been immersed in the deadly cloud, Brian entered the secret stairway and closed the fake wall behind him. He stood there for nearly a minute, debating with himself about his decision to follow Zeus’ order. Either the god was certain he would survive the assault, or he was sacrificing his life to save him. Brian shut his eyelids and took a couple deep breaths, but ultimately chose to do as he was commanded.

***

The climb to the pinnacle of the spire seemed as if it would never end. A few times, Brian felt like he was climbing a stairway to the heavens. When he had reached the uppermost chamber that Zeus had told him about and barricaded himself inside using the sturdy wooden brace on the door, he took a moment to enjoy the breathtaking view. There didn’t appear to be a ceiling in the room. The circular walls of stone extended upward from the floor for approximately three feet, almost like a safety rail, then turned sheer. It seemed as if there was an enormous, glass bubble that sat upon the top edge of the parapet, but it was hardly the most impressive feature of the secret room. When Brian walked to the edge of the chamber to gaze out, the billowing clouds of the sky were below him! It would seem that he had indeed climbed to the heavens! Nothing but blue sky and the bright yellow orb of the sun was above him.

He tried to peer down toward the ground, but had to wait for a break in the blanket of white. When the clouds parted enough to give him a brief view, it was like a giant gazing at an ant on the ground. The dusty soil far below was dotted with black specks, none of which appeared to be moving, although from this distance it was impossible to tell. No sound permeated the glass-like dome, so it was an experience similar to a sensory deprivation tank. He forced a couple of words from his lips, just to assure himself that his senses were indeed working and that this wasn’t all a dream. Brian sighed with relief when he heard the words fall from his tongue, but his contentment was short-lived.

As he peered to the north and saw the great sea that separated these lands from the continent where Edward had once called home, he couldn’t help thinking about his lost friends. Most had perished in a violent manner from this world and Brian had been helpless to stop it. For a moment, he pushed them from his mind and forced himself to consider Zeus. The mighty King of the Gods had yet to ascend the tower, which made him come to the conclusion that the entity was yet another casualty he would be cursed to live with for as long as he drew breath.

Since everyone Brian cared about was dead, he hoped he wouldn’t again be cursed … and be forced to live a long life of solitude. Outside of remaining in the tower for the rest of his life, however long that may be, the only other place he would consider spending his final days was in Elysia. He didn’t know anyone there, if the town still stood, but at least there might be a chance to have a somewhat normal life. He sighed once more. It was all wishful thinking, probably brought about by the euphoria of the view from where he stood. There would be no happy ending for him unless Zeus miraculously survived. The extended period of time that Brian had been alone in this room suggested otherwise. In all likelihood, it meant zombies would soon overrun Desolace as they had Earth … and he’d be trapped in the spire for the rest of his days.

Chapter 26

As George stepped through the dimensional rift the shouts of the shaman faded into oblivion. In a brilliant flash of light, the portal he’d just walked out of made a brief, suction-like noise then vanished. Unless the gods intervened, he would no longer be forced to deal with the strange world of Desolace anymore. No looking over his shoulder to see the Black Knight’s mechanical creations bearing down on him, threatening to tear him to shreds. For that matter, the dark entity himself was no longer a concern. Good riddance! He was stupid to allow the demon to manipulate him in the first place. Not that it had been the first occasion he’d permitted such a thing, but the demons of Earth were far tamer in his opinion and much easier to control.

His lips widened into a broad grin when he realized just how fortunate he’d been to escape the parallel world. The feeling didn’t last long, however. As the elation of his successful exit from Desolace began to wear off, he gazed at his surroundings. Zeus was supposed to have opened a portal to Misty Hollows, his hometown, but at this point he couldn’t tell if the god had duped him. The only thing he saw within the limits of his vision was trees, trees, and more trees. The god had dumped him in the middle of an expansive forest, it would seem. Having full control over Edward’s body now, he moved the wizard’s lips and mumbled a curse. George peered toward the midday sun, which filtered through the leafless branches overhead, directing the obscenities to the sky as if Zeus might actually hear the words.

Once his tirade had run its course, he chose a direction and started walking. Eventually he would have to step out of the woods into civilization, right? The forest couldn’t possibly be endless. Hell, he was kind of surprised that trees still stood in the Earth of the future. George had almost half expected to see a concrete jungle of buildings dotting the landscape when he exited the portal. He would have assumed it would be a necessity, what with the ever rising population of the planet. It forced him to wonder if people like himself had managed to keep the world from overpopulating. Killers were good for such things, whether people wanted to admit it or not.

After traveling for approximately fifteen minutes, the deafening crunch of dead leaves beneath his feet had become maddening, but thankfully it didn’t look like the annoying sound would last much longer. George could see an end to the forest, and with it the first signs of civilization! A short distance away, there seemed to be an old, rundown farmhouse. He was surprised by the appearance of the structure. He had expected the buildings of the future to look different, more high tech. If this was indeed Misty Hollows, then it gave him the impression of a town that time forgot.

As he got closer, the home tugged a string of familiarity in his mind. Despite the fact that the house looked as if half of it had collapsed, the relic of the past seemed to call to him. The vague notion of having been here before was almost overpowering. When he stepped out of the woods and walked the perimeter of the dwelling, he knew why. It was the Johnson homestead! The pain-in-the-ass teen girl who’d attempted to turn him in to the police had once lived here, although he’d finally gotten his retribution when he strangled the life from her, moments before his escape from Desolace. Just the memory of the light fading from her eyes brought him joy. If only he’d been able to do the same to the girl’s blonde friend. Well, at least he would finally be able to return to his home. If he could be thankful for nothing else, there was that. It would just be a matter of time before he could pick up where he left off, who knows how many years ago. Surely no one would expect his killings to start up again after such a lengthy hiatus.

First things first, though. George could tell by the trembling of the wizard’s appendages that he required rest. As a spirit, he didn’t have to concern himself with such things, but since he resided inside of a living human shell he would have to submit to stuff like that from time to time. Otherwise, the vessel he used would become worthless. In light of this fact, George turned away from the broken husk of the Johnson home and headed for his own. Hopefully it was in a better state of repair.

***

Apparently his old house was without power, and looked like it had been that way for a very long time. Everything in the home was coated in layers of dust and cobwebs. It was so thick upon the floors, in fact, that it had been like walking through snow drifts just to get to his old bedroom. His sanctuary of slumber was no different. Although he didn’t care about the comfort of the wizard, he began to brush the filth from the bed to clear a spot. Frustrated by the length of time it was taking, George grabbed a corner of the blanket that sat on the mattress and lifted it in hopes of speeding the process. The threadbare fabric disintegrated in his hand, causing a brief burst of expletives to stream from Edward’s mouth.

George wasn’t sure why he’d allowed such a trivial thing to upset him. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if the wizard was comfortable or not, so long as he lay motionless somewhere to rejuvenate his tired muscles. With that in mind, he flopped down on the mattress. A huge cloud of dust puffed into the air, causing the man to cough and gag. When the debris finally settled, he locked his fingers behind his head and stared at the ceiling. He would wait until the sun no longer penetrated the grimy bedroom window, then test the strength of the body. More than anything, George wanted to gaze upon the secret chamber he’d built in the basement. If he intended to put the room to use once more, he’d probably have to do some considerable cleaning.

***

The hours passed excessively slow with nothing to do except stare vacantly at the ceiling. The respite had, however, given George ample time to consider all of the things he planned to do now that he’d returned home. Although he knew that his dungeon needed to be prepared before he could embark on the finer things, the foremost motivation in his mind was getting back to his killing ways. It had been far too long since he’d been able to indulge his inner monster. The beast within was never silent, always clamoring for attention like a hungry child.

The sun had nearly set, the feeble light which penetrated the grime-encrusted window cast a dull, shadowy hue over the room. Up and at ’em, he jokingly interjected into what remained of the wizard’s consciousness. Not that Edward had any say over what George forced his body to do. He rose to his feet, extending his arms high overhead to stretch the muscles which had been dormant for hours. The sorcerer struggled to regain control, wishing Brian was here to aid in the expulsion of the foul spirit. Once again, his efforts met with failure. Helplessly, he watched his limbs betray him as George left the bed chamber and descended the stairs to the first floor.

When George entered his old study he noted that very little had changed in his absence. It was as if time had stood still when he’d left for Desolace. Obviously it hadn’t. Otherwise, the dust of passing centuries would not be coating everything. He walked toward the bookshelf he had constructed to serve as a secret doorway to his inner sanctum, noting that it was already slid partially open, almost like the power had gone out before it could completely close. George hesitated briefly, realizing it wasn’t the only explanation for the entrance being ajar. Was someone else inside the house with him? He glanced down at the grime-covered floor and saw no indication of trespass, so quickly dismissed the idea. Even so, it was second nature which drove him to tread lightly. Moving as silently as he could, George squeezed through the opening.

Upon entering the passage, he stopped for a few seconds to listen for any subtle noises that might tell him he wasn’t alone. After detecting nothing, George continued down the stone steps. His footfalls were cushioned by the thick layer of dust that had found its way into the stairway, but made his footing a bit more treacherous. The steps were steeper than he remembered. Coupled with the increasing darkness as he descended, occasionally it caused a slightly misplaced booted foot to slip on the surface. Not enough to make him fall, but his balance teetered once or twice before reaching the bottom of the staircase.

It was so dark on the lower landing that George considered returning upstairs. He had to feel around just to locate the outer door to his sanctuary. George pushed the thought of retreat from his mind, recalling that there was a hearth down here. If he could find it, hopefully there was still some wood nearby and a lighter. It was a stretch that such things could be in here after all of these years, but it was possible. In order to reach the fireplace he had to first pass through the inner door, then use his hand as a guide by running it along the wall. He would have to traverse the outer edge of the room to get there. So long as no obstacles lay on the floor like forgotten relics of days gone by, he guessed it would take around ten minutes.

Although the painstaking shuffle of his footfalls made progress slower than he would have liked, eventually he stumbled upon the hearth. George knelt down in front of the fireplace and felt around. He quickly discovered a few pieces of wood, but it took considerably longer to locate a means to light a fire. Just as his fingertips brushed across an object that could potentially be his salvation, a brief rustling clink of chain echoed throughout the chamber. His head whipped toward the sound. There was no way a breeze could have filtered down from upstairs to cause such a commotion, so who or what could have done it? To this point it was the only sound he’d heard down here, other than the scuffing of his own feet.

When the noise didn’t repeat itself, he turned back to the task at hand. It’s probably a rat, his mind insisted. The thought had merit. After all, the house didn’t look like it had entertained any guests since he departed for Desolace. A couple centuries worth of abandonment would surely not have escaped the notice of rodents. George ran his thumb over the wheel of the disposable lighter. Several times it produced an ineffective spark, but nothing else. He almost gave up hope that it would ever light when a tiny flame finally emerged, and he’d nearly lifted his finger from the button to make the next attempt. Thankfully his thumb hadn’t come completely off of the little red toggle.

George resisted the urge to use the feeble glow to gaze toward the area he suspected the chain rattle to have come from and instead slowly moved the flickering incandescence toward the firewood. The aged timbers were so dry that they immediately burst into flame. The conflagration quickly grew, casting the room in a light that was nearly as bright as full daylight. The scent of burning wood rapidly replaced the dank, unpleasant musty odor which had previously hung in the air like an oppressive blanket of rot. In minutes he was forced to back away from the hearth, despite how much enjoyment he might have gotten from watching the wizard’s flesh smolder. Since he was now using Edward’s body as a disguise, it would be foolish to mar the skin. He needed the meat suit he wore to be at least somewhat attractive, lest his new victims find him hideous enough to stay away from.

Briefly, George became lost in his thoughts, relishing the possibilities of hunting on familiar ground once more. The sound of rattling chains broke the silence again, drawing him out of his head. Expecting to see a half starved rodent nearby, he glanced toward the commotion. A shocked gasp passed from his lips as he laid eyes on an unexpected surprise. Dangling from the bindings he’d contrived long ago was a nude woman, albeit a downright ugly one. She might have had a body worthy of catching his attention at some point in her miserable life, but it was far from that now.

The chained woman was beyond repulsive, her withered body suggesting that she’d been bound in the cellar for decades. Despite what most women think, being thin is not all that attractive. Especially when they take it to extremes. Personally, I prefer a little meat on the bones. He chuckled at the thought. “Sorry, honey. The emaciated look isn’t in fashion anymore.” As his jibe echoed through the room, the woman stirred slightly in her bindings. However, she didn’t appear to have the strength to lift her head. George was thankful for that. If her body was in sad shape, surely her face wouldn’t make her any more attractive. Likely, it would only serve to heighten his disgust. Each moment that passed, the temptation to end her pathetic existence mounted. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was how she’d gotten down here in the first place. Was it possible that he’d left a captive chained up down here when he departed for Desolace? He quickly dismissed the notion. Certainly someone else had been in his house while he was away because it seemed impossible that the wretched female had been here for centuries. If she’d been here that long she would be nothing more than a pile of bones and dust, or mummified like a giant stick of jerky.

The woman groaned, the sound of which carried to George as if it was a plea for death. With a heavy sigh, he rose to his feet and crossed the room. “Fine. I’ll end your suffering, but only because it sickens me to look at you.” As he stood mere inches behind her, not wanting to gaze upon her face, the stench of rotten flesh washed over him like projectile vomit. George raised his hands to circle her throat, leaning forward to whisper his merciful good-bye in her ear.

Catching him completely off guard, the woman twisted her neck beneath his grip. There was an obscene crack as her head rotated one hundred and eighty degrees to face him. He had been correct in his assumption. She was, without a doubt, the ugliest woman he’d ever lain eyes on. Her cheeks sagged so badly that the flesh was tearing away from the underlying musculature and blood trickled from the exposed sinew like crimson tears.

Even though he had been accurate about how hideous she would be, actually seeing her glazed and bloodthirsty eyes staring back at him shocked George for a couple of seconds. The moment of hesitation came to be one he would later regret. The woman used the opportunity to lunge forward, sinking her decayed teeth into his neck. The pain brought him back to reality, but it was already too late. She jerked her head back. A large chunk of Edward’s neck swayed from her jowls. A jet of crimson sprayed from the open wound like a fountain of blood. Already, George could feel the life force fading from the wizard. It seemed he was seconds away from losing the disguise he’d worked so hard to get, and if the foul woman before him was any indication … it didn’t appear to be likely that he’d find another meat suit to inhabit. At least, not one that still drew breath.

The vile thing before him vaguely reminded George of the films he’d enjoyed watching so long ago. Apparently, the zombie apocalypse was more than just make-believe. It was real, and the evidence stood in chains right in front of him. There was, however, a subtle difference between this woman and the undead he’d seen on the movie screen and it had nothing to do with make-up or special effects. In this instance, it seemed that the creature before him was not only infected with a deadly virus, but possibly under the control of a demon. How else could you explain the way she’d turned to face the opposite direction with the twist of her neck? Linda Blair had nothing on this woman.

As the zombie woman continued to chomp at the air, life faded from Edward’s body and he slumped to the floor. With no other option available, George parted ways with the wizard for the last time. It would seem that he was condemned to pass through the ages as a ghost … or finally admit defeat and allow his spirit to journey to the underworld. For surely it was the only place which would welcome him.

The End

######

Author's Note

While I am sad that this epic tale has come to an end, I sincerely hope you have found it both entertaining and disturbing. It was my intention to bring the horror genre closer to its roots once more, primarily because I felt as if the offerings of many others had resorted to elements which only startle the audience. Not that this tactic doesn't have its merits, but I feel a good horror story needs more than just something to make you jump or twitch in your seat. It requires some blood and gore, something truly disgusting to turn the reader's stomach.

None of the aforementioned things matter much in the grand scheme of things if the reader isn't emotionally invested in the characters. With that said, I know I've probably left many of you either scratching your heads or cursing me after finding out how the story ended. In all honesty, I didn't conclude the tale in this manner to piss off the reader. I merely wanted to leave it up to your imagination, whether you wished to believe Brian eventually dies in the tower or if he somehow manages to escape. I realize now that some people like to have everything laid out before them, leaving no question about what did or did not happen. As such, I am adding a brief (a term I use in the loosest sense) afterword to this edition to either put your mind at ease, or upset you further. I leave it up to you, whether you read those final words or skip them.

If you are one of those who were a fan of George Mancini, but wish to know what made him into the vile serial killer he became, pick up a copy of Destined for Darkness and indulge yourself. Until the next time we meet in the shadowy worlds of fiction, keep looking over your shoulder. One day you may find me there.

Lucian

May 24, 2016

Afterword

Brian had witnessed the rise and fall of the sun so many times that he'd lost track of how long he had been in the pinnacle of the tower. Each day the view outside had been the same. Skarr, the once friendly dragon, flew in endless circles around the stone spire. Her appearance suggested that she suffered from a zombie-like affliction.

The pallor of her hide was no longer a deep reddish hue. Instead, her scales were a dull purplish-gray, giving her a semblance similar to the vile undead which had been pouring into the world of Desolace. At least, that is what the shaman assumed was happening below. The first time he had dared a downward glance he could make out an enormous congregation of dots on the landscape. Since these specks were bunched together into one large group, he just assumed it was a pack of the flesh-eating creatures.

The first few days, the zombies poured onto the barren plains, seemingly from thin air. Obviously there was one or more portals down there in the area. Was there someone near the rifts who was keeping them open? If not, would the magic which kept them active eventually dissipate and cause the portals to collapse? Brian feared that he might starve to death in the spire before ever figuring out the answers to those questions.

Thankfully, after what seemed to be a week, Skarr had stopped circling the tower like a vulture over a carcass. Brian hadn't seen which direction the dragon had flown off in, but felt it didn't actually matter. So long as the enormous beast was somewhere else he had a slim chance of escaping his stone prison. Not only was the mythical creature gone, the blight of black dots below had also begun to move away. Whether the dimensional rift had finally closed, or if something else had occurred, the shaman didn't care. All that mattered to him was the opportunity to walk in fresh air, and to put food in his belly. As much as it had been rumbling lately, Brian was reminded of a phrase from home which he frequently used when he felt famished. I'm so hungry that my stomach is eating my backbone.

Although he was exhausted and weak from malnourishment, Brian rushed down the staircase. He burst through the secret entrance to the pinnacle and entered what had once been Zeus' audience chamber, barely taking note of the bodies which lay upon the blood-soaked floor. Every person he had known or cared about was dead anyway, so what was the point? It was like his feet had a mind of their own, not giving him the option to stop and gawk at the devastation. Instead, his legs carried him to the spiral stairway at the opposite end of the room. Even though the path was poorly lit from below, Brian navigated the steps as if he'd traversed them for his entire life.

It wasn't until he exited the stone spire that his feet stopped moving of their own accord, allowing the realization to hit him like a sledgehammer to the face. His once crumpled and broken body had made the journey without help! Had Zeus healed him as a final token of his gratitude, or had he somehow inadvertently mended himself while reviving the King of the Gods? Not that it mattered how the feat was accomplished.

As he stood in the shadow of the tower, an angry voice echoed to his ears. The sound was reminiscent of someone shouting into a tin can, and seemed to be coming from nearby.

Even though the Black Knight was trapped within the battered shell of a Panzer, he had caught the scent of a human in his nostrils. His armies should have easily dispatched the troublesome group of mortals, so where was the smell emanating from?

"Who is out there? Follow the sound of my voice and come to my aid," he demanded. The Black Knight could have been mistaken, but he swore that he had just heard a muffled chuckle. "Get me out of here!"

The shaman couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling up his throat. It seemed that at least one thing had gone right. The evil entity who had plagued Brian and his friends for as long as he could recall was now as menacing as a box full of kittens. The impotent rage in the demon's voice made him feel like a celebration was in order, however brief the euphoria might last.

Brian turned his attention away from the vile creature, banging in futility against the hull of the tank. He glanced toward the east, where in days past he remembered a large army marching from, headed for the Throne of the Gods. At first, it appeared that the barren wasteland surrounding the spire like a moat just continued on all the way to the horizon, but then something caught his eye. The sun reflected off of a distant object. His curiosity rose and his feet began to move forward again.

Weaving his way through the devastation of the battlefield, Brian walked across the blood-soaked ground toward the shimmering anomaly, carefully avoiding the scattered body parts and gore. Eventually the shiny phenomenon started to materialize. He had almost considered the object to be a mirage, but as Brian stepped closer and closer he knew it was not. The metallic thing before him was similar in stature to the mechanical horses that their group had once made use of, although its construction was more wolf-like in appearance.

He assumed the creature would be controlled in a manner much like the horses had been, but the trick would be in figuring out the differences. Well, that and getting on the creature's back. This machine was considerably taller! How was he supposed to get on top of something that his outstretched fingertips couldn't reach? Had good fortune found him, only to laugh in his face?

Brian gazed at his surroundings, hoping to find something he could use as a stepladder. It was only a few moments before his shoulders sagged in despair. Apparently his days of dealing with gruesome carnage weren't quite over yet. The lone option he saw was to drag carcasses from the battlefield over to the machine and stack a couple of them on top of each other. It would be squishy and disgusting, with the possibility of his feet sinking through the flesh, but there didn't appear to be any alternative.

It took him close to two hours to haul the few torsos of corpses over to where the metallic beast stood. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he sat down on the ground for a couple of minutes to catch his breath. The midday sun was blistering hot and he was already showing signs of getting sunburned. Not that it was anything new to him. As a redhead, he'd grown accustomed to looking like a boiled lobster every time he spent a lot of time outside. The only reprieve he could foresee was if he figured out how to operate the strange machine and head for a cooler, less harsh environment.

Elysia, Edward's home town, would have been his first choice, but Brian was pretty sure the city was destroyed by the Black Knight's armies. Even so, there had to be someplace that was untouched by the demon and his minions. It was just a matter of finding a small town, preferably nestled in a remote location which wouldn't have drawn the attention of the malevolent being.

First things first, he thought with a heavy sigh. These corpses aren't going to pile themselves up. Wearily, he stood and began to stack the dead beside the machine. Once the task was accomplished, he placed a hand on the mechanical beast to steady himself and positioned his left foot atop the pile. In one, fluid motion, he straightened his raised leg. The grotesque step stool threatened to spill him back onto the ground, but somehow he managed to maintain his balance.

Careful to not relax too much, Brian exhaled slowly and draped his arms over the back of the machine. It would still be tricky to successfully mount the beast, but at least it seemed possible now. It was only a matter of if he could muster enough spring in his legs without toppling his fleshy, makeshift stairs. With both palms firmly against the body of the mechanical creature, Brian slowly bent his knees then sprung into the air. He didn't get as much height to his jump as he planned, although it turned out to be just enough. The shaman landed roughly, but was thankful to have attained the creature's back.

His limbs trembled. Whether it was due to adrenaline wearing off after making the successful leap or the exhilaration of finally having a means to leave this dreadful place, he didn't care. The only thing on his mind right now was figuring out how to operate the machine. It didn't take him long to find the joystick-like apparatus which resembled the controls of the mechanical horses he was used to. Although, there was a dark blemish on the beast's neck just beyond the lever. Something in Brian's intuition told him it was another control mechanism.

With great hesitation, primarily because he had no idea what would happen if he messed with the knob-like protrusion, Brian lightly ran his index finger over the raised bump. He had barely grazed it, but the anomaly sunk into the metal hide of the beast. Wings sprouted from the creature's sides with a rapidity that nearly severed his lower legs from his body. Painfully placing his feet upon the appendages, he gazed at the joystick with a new fascination. If the beast could fly it would give him almost limitless options on where to go.

Before testing the capabilities of the strange, three-headed mount, Brian took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly let it out. Raising his eyelids, he grasped the lever in his hand. He wasn't positive, but was relatively certain that the controls would function differently on a machine capable of flight. As such, Brian dismissed his initial instinct to push the joystick forward and pulled back lightly on it instead. Immediately, the wings began to move up and down. In mere seconds the beast slowly started to rise toward the sky.

He pulled the lever toward him slightly more, and the creature ascended more rapidly. In less than a minute Brian was high in the sky, the pinnacle of the stone tower which was once the home to Zeus now visible below. The view was breathtaking! If he squinted into the distance, Brian could see the enormous body of water that separated the northern and southern lands. From his current position, it looked like a tiny lake. He knew, however, that it was anything but small. On Skarr's back it had taken hours to cross the sea. The thought raised questions in his mind. How fast could the metallic monstrosity fly? Brian knew the mythical dragon, which appeared to be infected by the same virus that created zombies, was likely out here somewhere. If he encountered her in his travels, would the machine be able to outrun the dragon? Brian hoped he would never have to find out.

Unsure of how to make his acquired steed fly forward, or to adjust its speed if necessary, Brian allowed the lever to snap back to its original position while he searched for a control he might have missed. The creature lunged forward, nearly causing the shaman to tumble back to the ground. He'd barely managed to stay upon the metallic steed. After regaining his balance, Brian leaned forward like a jockey riding a race horse to cut down the wind resistance of his body. The mechanical beast was moving much quicker than he'd anticipated, so there was no need to look for anything which might make it go faster. He wasn't sure, but the creature's speed seemed comparable to the flight of the dragon, perhaps even enough to outrun the mythical beast if he encountered her on his journey.

***

Several hours had passed since Brian had climbed aboard the three-headed monstrosity. The expanse of the sea now lay behind him. So far, he had not seen Skarr or anything else he might perceive as a threat. He was so hungry that he felt weak and light-headed, even if his stomach had given up its protestations. Brian might have considered landing his mount if it was something he could do without the possibility of seriously re-injuring his body. Especially in the middle of nowhere. Instead, he pushed on, hoping to find a populated area to land just in case something went terribly wrong.

Picking the path he traveled was easy enough in daylight. All he needed to do was backtrack, and the giant swath of destruction from the Black Knight's army as they'd moved southward provided him with an enormous scar upon the earth like an arrow pointing the way. Granted, it would only take him so far. Brian was relatively certain that the metallic regiment had poured out of Cemetery Hill, so any locale beyond that he would have to find on his own. He believed he could find Elysia once he got to the abandoned city below the mountains, which unless he was mistaken was coming into view now.

He scanned the horizon to the north and thought he could make out the castle Edward had once called home. Moving the joystick slightly to the left, he steered his mount toward it. His heart sank as he got closer, realizing that the Black Knight's armies had indeed destroyed the largest city on Desolace. The tallest parapet of the castle was what he'd seen from a distance, but as he flew over Elysia he saw it was the only part of the structure which still stood. The remainder of the building—as well as all of the homes and shops—lay scattered upon the streets in piles of rubble.

Brian was just about to head farther north when he saw an enormous, dragon head poking out of the debris. It seemed he no longer needed to concern himself with Skarr coming after him. She was buried beneath tons of stone. Even if she still lived, there was no way she was strong enough to free herself.

***

The shaman's salvation came into view a few hours later. A small town, nestled within a bowl-like valley, appeared after he'd grown weary of watching what seemed to be an endless forest rushing by below him. At first glance, he felt the town to be familiar for some reason. A few seconds later he knew why. It was Loknar! As he pushed the joystick lever forward and descended, Brian could see people walking in the dusty street.

What he failed to realize was that the citizens of the small town didn't see him. All they saw was the metallic creature swooping from the sky like an enormous hawk diving for food. They were no strangers to the Black Knight's mechanical oddities, either. So, when Brian mistook them as people fleeing for shelter it almost proved to be a fatal error. They were not cowering under awnings or hiding within buildings, but were instead gathering weapons to fight.

As he neared the ground, Brian attempted to land as softly as possible. He failed miserably! The mechanical beast slammed into the dusty street so hard that the shaman was thrown from its back. He flew through the air for close to fifty feet before his body struck the ground, twisting and contorting his limbs like a novice skydiver who'd just made his first jump and hadn't opened his parachute in time. The pain that shot through his body was similar to when he'd fallen from Skarr's back. Before the dust cloud settled from his abrupt dismount, he lost consciousness.

When he finally awoke some time later, he was no longer in the street. His eyelids fluttered open. Although his vision was still somewhat blurry, Brian saw a vaguely familiar face staring down at him with concern. It took several seconds for his brain to figure out who the red-haired woman was. When her identity finally registered in his mind, an enormous smile spread across his face. It was the barmaid he'd had a crush on when he'd first visited Loknar! Perhaps he would be able to live a normal life after all!

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me over the course of the past several years with this project. Writing a series of this complexity and magnitude has been a marathon, albeit one which brought immense satisfaction to me even as I bid the story farewell. With that said, I would like to offer a special thanks to my fiancée, Angela Mullins, for her encouragement over the years. To Katie Cowan, for creating many truly great cover images for the series, and to J.H. Glaze at Mostcool Media, Inc. for the fantastic cover of the Omnibus Edition. To Melissa Ringsted, for suffering through the multiple nightmares my writing induced as she meticulously edited each manuscript. To my personal assistant, Lynn Shaw, for the effort she puts forth on a daily basis to spread the word about my work. To all of the beta readers who helped along the way, Claudine Astbury, Jane Linsdell, Tamara Hoffa, Ruthi Kight, Jamie Gibson, Valari Roberts, Carrie Barringer, Alicia Marietta, Cheree Crump, and Mindy Nabors, for providing their invaluable insight and suggestions. Last, but definitely not least, to all of my fans and readers. Thank you for buying my book! I hope you have enjoyed the journey across Desolace as much as I have been delighted to share the world with you through my writings.

Lucian Barnes

About the Author

Lucian Barnes is the author of 10 horror/fantasy novels, 7 of which belong to the Desolace series. The Desolace saga won an award from the Kindle Hub in 2014 for best horror series. He currently resides in Pueblo, Colorado with his fiancée Angela, where he sits in his office like a mad scientist concocting morbid tales for his fans.

Please visit the official Lucian Barnes website. He is also on the following social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

######

Table of Contents

Desolace Omnibus Edition Books 1-7 By Lucian Barnes

Also by Lucian Barnes
Table of Contents
Foreword
Desolace
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Haven
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Outpost 13
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Part Two
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Part Three
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
City of the Dead
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Cemetery Hill
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
The Tree of Life
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Throne of the Gods
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Author's Note
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Author