Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S5 Ep270: Episode 270: The Ultimate Fantasy Horror Story

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

Use the promo code SUPERBAD for 10% off your T-shirt! https://dr-creepens-vault.creator-spring.com/listing/the-devil-is-in-the-detail Tonight I'm proud to present the complete 'The Fall and Rise of Reginald P. Errin' BY WITCH DOCTOR (AKA Darius McCorkindale & KB Hurst) a fantasy horror story I co-wrote!

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Welcome to Dr. Creepen's Dungeon. Fantasy horror grips us because it fuses the wonder of the impossible with the dread of the unknown, creating worlds that are both enchanting and nightmarish. Unlike ordinary horror, which preys on fears rooted in reality, fantasy horror twists, myths, legends, and imagined realms into something darker, forcing us to confront the terrifying shadows that lurk behind wonder. It's a clash between awe and fear, a beautiful made monstrous,

that keeps our spellbound, eager to see what other worldly horrors might emerge from the depths of imagination, as we shall see in tonight's epic feature-length story. As ever before we begin a word of caution, tonight's tale may contain strong language as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. That sounds like your kind of thing. And let's begin. The Fall and Rise of Reginald P. Edith. Part one. In life there's always... is going to be someone better than you. Someone more intelligent, more articulate, faster or promising than you. You can't change it. Yet, what if you could? What if you could take all that has come before you and replant it in some form to make it perfect? Would you try? Would you want to make

an effort? Would you be too cosy to carry out the final blow if it meant killing a part of yourself that you grown accustomed to. Perhaps. Perhaps not. We adjudicate the probable outcomes in our lives, telling ourselves we did well. We should punish ourselves by suffering flagellation of the mind. We provide ourselves with little anxieties to parade around,

hoping somebody notices. Sometimes they do, but choose to ignore it. After all, we all have our own problems. Why do we want to suffer? for empathy? Why do we want to trudge along the path that we can no longer return from and get lost in a forest of thought filled with guilt and death wishes? There's a trick to sanity, they say. I haven't been able to enact or teach like a university professor, always driving their students to push for better, for more significant than this life has to offer.

Dry spells pulled by liquor never seemed to be plentiful after the first sip. Our lives are every lustful fantasy of a married man for beauty or a woman for money, fundamental goals to achievement by nothing except black holes that suck up the light. Is this hell? We've lived in caves and milked our last cows. There's no milk to give. There's only prestige of the mind. It's what haunts us. It's what provides us with that gift of hope.

What can we do today that we didn't do yesterday? We try to maintain our homes, our families, our identities like the Joneses, if even it is to our chagrin. There's a trick to this haven. If you just ask, you shall receive. The only devil is the one that lives in the mind of a guilty man. Men play God, judge and jury. Inventions of liberty and patriotism to keep our wits, us make us think we're far more intelligent than those who came before us as I said

there's always going to be someone better at our game than we are so this story is of a man who tried to better his past and in the end maybe he's just a failure to himself but maybe just perhaps he's the embodiment of a hero to all of us want to play a game it was asked of our middle-aged Reginald and of course he succeeded in acceptance and so it brings us to the beginning there was a pond smelling of death itself and a man perhaps guilty of love or lack of loving at its stance maybe to be corrected only he knows in the end won't you join us in figuring out this tale the lake smelled of decay Reginald thought as he stood looking at its cold, quiet stillness, like a graveyard.

After years of searching, could this be the location of the secret he'd been so desperately looking for? Just as he was pulling out the map from his pouch, he heard her voice. It was the one that had haunted his dreams for so many years now, he'd forgotten when it first came to him. Why are you searching for my grave? I never loved you. The voice seemed to vibrate from the bottom of the lake. You aren't real. You aren't my dead wife. Go away, demon.

Reginald closed his eyes. The voice that had caused him to doubt himself was ramping things up now. He must be getting close. The voice vibrated into his ears, and the lake began to ripple. He poured out his mat, but lost it to a fierce wind that sucked it up into the lake. the sky. A mosquito landed on his forehead. Reginald ignored it, more concerned for the fact that his map was now gone. Although he felt like he'd studied the details a thousand times, as soon as it slipped from his grasp, all he felt was a sudden sense of panic. That old man had been the first

one to help him even begin to make sense of this whole unbelievable situation. The old man had told him it would be challenging, but that he would reap the rewards if he stayed the course reginald trying not to lose hope looked upon the lake and that's when he knew he'd find it under the lake why else all the distractions without thinking he dived into the cold water reginald had always been a strong swimmer so he instinctively knew that he could handle whatever conditions he would typically expect to find in calm water such as this he realized quickly that this would be a challenge. As he swam towards the bottom,

towards a large decayed door covered in rust, he saw the bodies of dead men all clutching the same door. His first thought was to turn back and swim to the surface, but then he remembered how far he'd come and how much he'd suffered. With one pull he yanked the dead men's hands away from the door with all his strength,

breaking their bones apart as he did so, until he was able to pull the dead men. the handle and the door opened. This moment was massive for him in his quest. Did he want to traverse a path where so many dead people had also dared to venture?

Once he got the door ajar, he was shocked to find himself falling down a waterfall as the door slammed shut behind him. Reginald nearly choked on his bag that was wrapped around his neck, like a noose as he gasped for air. He kept falling.

for what seemed like an impossible amount of time, although his thoughts remained focused on his ever-growing problem, a lack of oxygen. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he felt his body crash into a hard surface. After slowly taking the time to collect his thoughts and come to his senses, he looked around, trying to work out where he was. It was a dark cave.

He took off the satchel from around his neck. He could see some long. light at the end of the cave. With no idea of where he was, how he got there, nor of how this cave could exist under the lake. He decided that logic would dictate his next move, and he would walk towards the light. He walked on further and further for what seemed like an eternity. Each time he got closer to the light, it evaded him. And then he heard a growl. The sound was coming from behind him, from the direction he'd entered the cave. Reginald looked back and began to wish he hadn't.

What was before him was something that smelled like lakescum, and he didn't look any better. It had an octopus's body, eyes like that of a hermit crab, a large stinger like a scorpion, but its mouth, oh, good God, its mouth. Something about this was wrong. the old man who'd given him the map had promised that he could find all the answers he sought by pursuing the light in the darkness

Reginald had a decision to make move forward towards the light and risk having to take on this abomination or turn around and run Reginald decided he would make a move and run for his life and as he did he realized he could be running towards his death either way he instinctively knew that he had to do something and this felt for reasons he couldn't hope to explain, like the right move. When he approached the edge, he realised that the drop was steep,

or he jumped anyhow, landing in thick moss. After everything he had experienced in these tumultuous few minutes of his life, the softness of the landing and the relative calm of his new surroundings felt like Nirvana. Reginald remained there for a few moments, his eyes closed. He could hear the monster in the distance, and yet he didn't care. He couldn't hurt him now. When he opened his eyes, he saw giant flowers everywhere. He was finally starting to believe the old man's doctrine.

The answers you seek can be found by pursuing the light in the darkness. Reginald took a deep breath, looking up at the sky. Everything seemed so much more colourful now that he'd made it this far. He sat up and looked around at the world he found him, himself in. Hopping down onto the earth, he felt it ripple beneath him, as if he was standing on a waterbed. Oh, looks could be deceiving, he surmised. As familiar as this might look, he was clearly in an environment different from any he'd previously experienced. Reginald moved slowly through the gardens, every step he took, expecting something to come up and grab him

from below. Something about this seems familiar, more so than he took. He took, he took, expecting something to come up and grab him from below. something about this seems familiar more so than it should he walked further down until he reached a path recalling what the old man said about no matter what happens keep going you must keep going the path continued off into the distance as far as he could see to see what would happen he stepped off of the course he felt that same waterbed ripple beneath him and that decided it stick to the path Reginald realized

he was growing thirsty now that he'd spent all of his energy on his survival he pulled out his water jug and as he took a swig he felt eyes on him turning around he saw eyes watching him

it was a small creature that seemed curious about what he was doing there do you speak Reginald found himself asking this small animal Yes, my name is Tapsio, and you don't belong here, the tiny creature said with a sinister grin. Despite this seemingly negative interaction, this was a good development. Solid proof in his mind that he was in an actual place that was ostensibly real within his plane of existence,

and which contained sentient creatures that he could converse with now. The creatures seemed to have a whimsical way about him. He flew up into the air and sat upon Reginald's shoulder. Reginald didn't know what to make of it at first. Nay, asked the tiny creature in a demanding way. Er, Reginald. Er, Reginald, pleasure to meet you. No, not a Ur-R, Reginald, just Reginal.

I know, I'm only teasing. This light gesture put him at ease, surprisingly enough. It was good to know that a sense of humor was a thing in this world. Reginald walked along while Tapsio dangled his legs over his shoulder. So, what brings you to the city of Karloff? Reginald wasn't afraid to tell the little wingman why he'd come so far. Someone very close to me needs something from here, or else I may lose them forever.

Well, that didn't draw much of a response from the creature, other than what looked to be a suspiciously knowing smile. Could this tapso be of genuine assistance, or was he just an annoying distraction? Reginald wondered how much he should reveal to his new acquaintance. He walked on further and then saw an area that didn't look so friendly. A large area of rocks and snags seemed to peek up from the ground, which now pulsated with the red liquids. Why, I wouldn't go near there, Tapio said in a sing-song voice.

He decided to trust the creature on this particular issue. The question was, could he find another way around? He paced back and forth for a moment. Are you looking for something in particular? Perhaps I can help you if you just tell me what it is you're looking for. Tapsio flew off Reginald, shoulder, landing on a tree stump. Although he felt some instant bond of friendliness to this odd little creature, he wasn't

yet ready to reveal too much of his story. How could he make sure he kept moving in the right direction without giving away too many details? Reginald just looked at Tapsio. I'll know it when I see it, I think. Reginald didn't want to think of his life. How tragic it had been for five years since my first. Marcella's death, his wife of ten years. She'd suffered a cruel death at his hands.

It wasn't his fault, but he would always blame himself regardless. Marcella, what did he hope to find here that would possibly bring her back? If not that, then, what could transpire that would bring him closure? Her death had been shrouded in such mystery that he'd always held a candle of hope that she was still out there somewhere in some form. form. It wasn't until she passed that he realized how important his role as a father had become. Always away on business, never home. And then came the day everything changed. Marcella left this world, leaving a young daughter. How could he begin to relate to this child?

He'd barely spend any time with her. Then at 18, off to college. And then, that phone call, no father wants. His child was found in an alley Those disgusting men What they'd done to her would horn his nightmares And sitting by her in the hospital bed This was my punishment I wanted revenge I wanted to kill them

What did Marcella do? What words of wisdom would she offer me What would she say to our precious Kayla That's when I met him him, the old man. First, Reginald had guessed he was there to visit someone, most probably his wife. But he seemed to just be standing there, as if he was waiting for him instead. Your daughter, Mr. Erin, he asked, sitting in a chair across from him. Yes.

She'll be okay, but are you okay? Well, this question was the first time anyone had thought to ask Reginald. about his feelings. For a moment he was utterly lost for words. No, he replied. Is this your daughter? Yeah. She was attacked on her college campus.

Reginald had tears in his eyes. The old man looked at him with empathy. You're a lost soul. One in need of salvation. Perhaps I can help you. You want revenge. don't you? Would crush those skulls if I could. What if I told you there was a way to fix all of your problems all at once? Why would you want to help me? I could hear your prayers. Who was this old man?

Could he possibly be God come down from the heavens to directly answer his wishes? He thought about this for a second. He had some pretty dark desires floating around in his mind right now. Would he want a benevolent God to be willing to grant him that which he so desperately wanted at this juncture in life? What would that mean for him as a human and for our species as a whole? Reginald knew not to question it. Something inside him told him that much. Just then, Kayla moaned in pain, her face bandaged and her jaw broken. The nurse came in and administered another dose of pain medication. She smiled empathetically at Mr. Erin and then left.

You, um, know what court system won't convict the men who did this. What? Reginald asked, annoyed. It's the way the courts work. Even if they do arrest them, there'll be a trial, and your beautiful child will have to relay the details of every single thing they did to her. Do you want to know? Oh, no, it's bad enough in my imagination, Reginald said.

What if I could make it where it never happened? Where for all the pain of the last five years to never have existed. It's a gift. I'm giving it to you, but you must do everything I tell you to get it, and it won't be easy. Why would you do this for me? "'Ah, let's just say I believe in paying it forward,' he said with a look of sincerity on his aged face. Reginald then left his reminiscences and returned to the present.

He looked around to try and regain his bearings. Everything was as it had been, but something felt different. He looked once more to Tapsia. He was quietly fiddling with something in his hand and then looked up at Reginald. "'You look disoriented.' "'Tapsio then handed him something round. "'What is it?' "'Fruit, from our nimbab trees.

"'It'll help you get your bearings. "'Our world is not yours.' "'I was still not sure he could trust Tapsio. "'He took the fruit but smelled it first, "'not that this would give him any helpful information. "'It didn't smell of anything in particular.' "'Oh, What do I have to lose, he thought.

Reginald ate the tiny round of fruit, and at once he began to feel less tired. It was as if his gravity had lifted, and he could now see clearly. Tapsio seemed very pleased with himself. Ah, feels better, doesn't it? Reginald nodded. Well, it did feel better.

It also enabled him to see clearly. This strange world had secrets. He was not exactly. expecting to find with the naked human eye. While Reginald realized he was thirsty too, he saw a water source that seemed safe to drink. Tapsoe stood by, watching him, saying nothing. You'll feel better now, I think,

he quipped in his usual sing-song tone. Reginald stood, feeling exhilarated now and ready to move forward. In front of him, he saw it. there was a light shining at the edge of the dark forest. He was starting to understand the world around him. The fruit was, so far, edible, and the water was drinkable. He could now begin to formulate a way forward based on assumptions from the world he knew well. With this in mind, coupled with what the old man had told him,

he felt that moving towards the light was a safe course of action. Reginald moved towards the edge of the forest. inching closer and closer to the light. It seemed to dim as though someone was switching it off as he got within a few feet of the end of the trail. It hung over a cliff, and as he peered down into a cavern, he heard it behind him.

Tapsio looked scared and jumped up into the air and landed in a hole in one of the nearby trees. The earth beneath them began to ripple. It moved as though it were alive and breathing. And so it was. Just as he thought he was starting to gain a genuine understanding of this new and wondrous world around him, everything started to mutate again. Witnessing the content and felicitous Tapsio bail on him so quickly, and without even a glance back towards his newfound acquaintance, struck an unpleasant core deep down within him.

He experienced an overwhelming feeling of envy for the seemingly simple existence that this Tapsio creature was living. The cloud appeared suddenly overhead, and Reginald man man moved his way down as best he could. He recalled the old man telling him that there be obstacles but to keep going, and soon he would find the Tethys 13 instrument. The cloud was a fog that seemed to arrive from nowhere. He felt the air change and his face felt like something was biting him. The wind moved in another direction, and the fog that carried with it seemed like tiny razors, cutting at the leaves of the trees. Reginald wiped his forehead and saw blood on his finger.

He looked around and found himself in deep thought. He recalled that day in the hospital again. Let's go for a walk. My name is Harry Michaels. I'm here for my wife's chemo treatment, and now you look like you could use a coffee. Well, there's a bar in the main restaurant, Reginald had said, sweating a bit.

Very well. Do you like vodka tonic? Very much, Reginald had said. And so off they went, together. There was something about Harry that had put Reginald immediately at ease. He guessed it was just the ease with which he could be around him without feeling any pressure to force a conversation. He'd had supposed friendships that had gone on for years that never felt as comfortable as this did. He'd enjoy this drink. The bar was relatively empty, just a handful of people guiltily enjoying a drink, yet looking like they should be more concerned about the person they were here to visit. Harry displayed no such feelings as he walked up to the bar. So tell me, how long have you been in at Dark Place?

Reginald wasn't expecting the question and wasn't sure how to answer. I don't know how to answer your question, Harry, although I do appreciate the drink. You look at life with a blind spot. No hope, no joy, no satisfaction. He turned to the bartender. Or a Catholic for my friend here, and me I'll have a double whiskey on the rocks, top shelf only.

Harry paid the tab and then look back at Reginald, never skipping a beat. How long have you been this depressed and miserable? You suck at being a dad and you were a shitty husband. Your wife died because you didn't care to arrive home on time to administer her medication. You still feel guilty. All we did was fight. I didn't want to fight. Marcellar had been able to administer her own diabetic medicine without me.

She called me, pissed off. And I took my time that afternoon. God, I wish I hadn't been so selfish and angry. Now you're here because your daughter, whom you barely spent time with her entire life, was beaten, raped, left for dead by some gang members. How does that make you feel, Reginald? Reginald had tears in his eyes. A deep, dark pain erupted, and he began to sob.

Harry took Reginald into his arms and held him for a moment. He'll be okay. I'll help you make this pain go away. How? Reginald asked angrily, By making the past disappear. Giving you a rewrite. Where to change your past?

How? I need something retrieved for me. It's an instrument. Once I have it, I can make the pain go away. What is it? Oh, first you have to agree to it. Harry said, sipping on his whiskey. Reginal thought long and hard, and after all was said and done, he thought,

To hell with it. What did he have to lose? He nodded at Harry. Ah, good. Shall we toast? Reginald didn't feel much like toasting. He was nervous and fidgety. But he trusted Harry, a complete stranger.

Now can you tell me how you're going to fix it? oh in good time finish a drink harry said to him the rest of that evening passed pleasantly which in itself was a cause for relief reginald was intrigued by what harry had to say however he judged his words with a healthy dose of skepticism too it seemed barely plausible and too good to be true well he knew only too well about things that are too good to be true Reginald remembered sitting in that bar that evening, thinking of his daughter, how much she had missed his wife no matter how faded their marriage had become. Harry stared at Reginald with the look of someone studying an experiment of his creation. Harry had known his pain. He knew it enough to recognise it in another human being.

Reginald had a soul, a heart, even if it had no direction. Finally, Harry sat down his empty glass. I know this is a lot for you to take in, so let me share something with you. Harry touched Reginald by the hand, and he saw a flash of light. Then he saw a younger version of Harry cradling a woman who was bloody.

There was another flash of light, a man in a dark cloak, taking Harry by the hand. There was a device that looked like a compass with some numbers all over it and with a timer. Then he saw Harry smiling. Then he saw him angry. Someone or something had stolen the device.

Harry released Reginald's hand. It's called a Tethis 13. Named after the oceanic goddess, he said. Reginald didn't know what to make of this. Regardless of how weird this encounter had been up to now, Harry's actions over the last few minutes had raised this to a whole new level of crazy What exactly had he just witnessed?

Well, there seemed to be images that defied logic that traversed both time and space. What had happened to Harry? What was this strange device of which he spoke? Was this connected to what Harry had said about being able to help him? I can relate to your pain, as I said earlier. Someone gave me the gift I'm about to give you, But to do it, I need someone to get the device for me.

It's in a place that's without logic. It'll be hard, but I have faith in you. Why me? Why do you need me to get this device? You're young and you can survive. I'm old and it'll be a wasted journey for me. I'll die before I make it back. You're smart and resourceful, Reginald.

Just always follow the light within you. He then pulled out a map and handed it to Reginald. The map. Was it a grave error to have lost it? He hoped not, as it was too late to do anything to try and retrieve it. It had it got him this far, perhaps that was its purpose. After all, it hadn't even hinted at the existence of this land in which he now found himself. He preserved an enormous mountain in his memory about the map

that he had to cross to get to a dangerous region. Reginald hoped that he'd make it out of this place alive. He stood still then, overlooking the cliff, and in the distance he could see Devil's Peak. Ah, Devil's Peak! Did Harry have to spell that out in all capital letters on the map? He'd ponder that particular geographical feature on many occasions in the weeks and months between coming into possession of the map and beginning his quest. Still, the reality of this mountain hadn't even removed.

remotely hit him until now. Reginald stared out into the distance. It looked dark and evil. There was a dark cloud that covered the valley below it. How was he going to get down this cliff? He opened his backpack to look for the rope he'd thrown in at Harry's suggestion. But it was there, but he'd forgotten the rest of the mountain climbing gear. Oh, God, you're a real asshole, Reginald said to himself, punching his head and frustration. A three hundred foot drop to his death or walked back the way he came. But then he felt the rippling earth. It seemed to groan beneath his feet as though it were alive.

A large wave of earth hit him, knocking him down flat on his back. And the ripple seemed to carry him down the cliff as though he were riding a waterfall. A sense of calm came over him. He was neither moving excessively fast, nor was he endangered by a waterfall. any hazards during his descent. He even dared to take this chance to look around him and enjoy the admittedly glorious landscape. However, he still didn't look down, as safe as his downward journey seemed to be, he still had no great head for heights. He could nonetheless sense that he was approaching the ground and finally dared to peek down. But the image that greeted him

brought only a renewed sense of horror. A large plants that had thorns the size of Spanish sword, They were three feet long with an outside casing that could slice you in half quite easily. Reginald learned this when his book bag hit one of the blade-like thorns, causing his bag's contents to fall out around him. But it wasn't the plants that caused the intense, almost paralyzing fear in Reginald. No, it was the creatures interspersed between each of the thorn-like protuberances.

Every one had their eyes peeled on him as if they were protecting something with their very lives. They didn't move, and they kept unerringly still. He knew now that the next move was his. Reginald backed away, trying to steer clear of them. It was of no use. Within seconds of them catching sight of him, one of the creatures leapt from its hiding place

and placed a long, thin, grey hand on Reginald's thigh. Within moments the creature had torn a hole, in Reginald's jeans and ripped a layer of skin off of his thigh with its piercing razor-like tongue. It was an injury that would surely come back to haunt him time and again. Their eyes were black, metallic, their skin grey and wrinkled. They had no teeth. Instead, they had tongues, though abnormally long, with tiny, sharp ridges like you'd find on a steak-knife. They were solid and agile creatures, and they were 12 feet tall,

as their long arms grabbed Reginald holding him down. Whatever these creatures were, the smell of blood caused them to go into a feeding frenzy. There were three, and out-fought-no, a dozen, and they all began tearing apart Reginald's clothing, lapping out thin layers of skin and blood. There was something inside of their tongues, a venom because Reginald felt no pain.

However, the scream that came from his mouth almost ruptured his eardrums. Then it came back to him. What else had Harry said? What was it that he'd given him? That was it. Reginald reached into his inside pocket and poured out the amulet. Harry had stood this across the table to him when they were drinking in the bar. It was circular in design, but parts were jutting out and looked like they connected to something else.

Harry's precise instructions had been to keep this strictly guarded, and that it was to remain hidden if at all possible. Only in situations where all hope was seemingly lost should Reginald produce it, and that in such instances the effects would be instantaneous. And so it was. At the mere sight of this amulet, it instantly repelled the creatures, and the path forward was clear once more. Reginald fell to the ground, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. But his joy was short-lived. From somewhere behind him came the unwelcome.

welcome sound of slow, laboured handclats. Excellent, my newfound friend. It was Tapsio, back to taunt him. So it seems like you're dealing well with the many secrets that Karloff has to throw at you. Pulling out the amulet to dissuade those canovars from devouring you piece by piece was a nice move on your part.

But I'm guessing that was a Hail Mary pass, alas throw the dice. Am I wrong? The question is, are you now ready to leave the city limits and embark on the next stage of your adventure? Reginald laid back, closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. What an earth had he gotten himself into now? Part two. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Kayla laid in a hospital bed staring up at the ceiling.

The degradation and the pain seemed to haunt her mind. Where was a father? Typical of him to bail when shit got tough. She tried to sit up, but when she did, she felt a sharp pain in her left rib. Taking a breath, not too deep. She looked around the room. As she did, she noticed she had a visitor coming in. It was an older man with a smile on his face.

Hello, you must be Kayla. Let me introduce myself. My name's Harry. I'm here on behalf of your father. He told me a lot about you. Cheerleader, head of your squad. Tutoring program with misspent youth and soon to be a graduate with honors at the University of Notre Dame.

You know a lot about me. I didn't think my dad even noticed me. He hasn't been exactly present, if you know what I mean. He may have mentioned that. Let me ask you something, Kayla. Did you ever wish you had a different friend? father? Well, the old man was touching a nerve. God damn, how many times had she said to herself, why couldn't her dad be like Madison's dad, the annoying pastor, but loving and caring,

or Tamsin's father, the millionaire that made the cover of Newsweek? How many times had she said it in her mind, but never out loud? How many times had she wished it were? You often wish it'd been good old Reggie that died instead of poor old Ma. Kayla, who's now growing uncomfortable. How do you know my father? Wee's on a bit of a business adventure, but I've always been a gambling man and never won for putting all my eggs in one basket. What if I told you, you got everything you ever wanted.

Your mom alive, not having been attacked by something. sick-old thugs and he articulated the disgust reflecting it from her own desires Kayla laughed amusing herself over this old man harry looked at her and stood he touched her stomach in a tender forceful manner you are uh with the child do you really want to have to make that choice to keep a rapist baby or do you choose it to have never been Kayla looked up at Harry. Show me how. Reginald looked at Tapsio, waiting on the wicked, winged creature to stop his laughter. Why did he have to find such humour in the bad things that happened to him? Tapsio flew over and spun upon Reginald's shoulder. Reginald had never noticed the creature's googly eyes or the

large crooked nose until now. He was staring down into his tiny face, which was beaming red with joy at Reginald's expense. Where is your amulet? Ensure it's safe inside your pocket. Don't take it out. There are thieves among these trees. Reginald looked ahead, ignoring Tapsia, and then the strange being tapped him upon his shoulder. Reginald stood, though now walking with a definite limb. Within seconds, they were in a dark forest full with dead trees and swamplands. They followed a trail, and Reginald didn't even have a much. moment to gather his wits the strangest thing about this swamp was that it was red everything down to the mud and the grass in the distance reginald could see fog the color of the grass from the emerald aisle

what strange land was this where did you bring me in the valley of ishtar dapsio said what is that blue peak in the distance that my stupid wanderer is devil's peak. Your leg looks a bit bad. Perhaps you'll want to get there before nightfall. You don't say. And Reginald shook his head at Tapsia. Really?

It could be that simple? Surely the answer was no. If there was one thing her father had taught her, it was that if something appeared too good to be true, then it certainly was. She would take her time over this. after all she was stuck here in this hospital bed for the foreseeable future what was there to rush her decision harry sat on the only chair in the room in silence he had such a calming presence she'd only spoken to him for a matter of minutes and what he proposed was how landishly weird than anything she'd encountered up to now in her admittedly troubled life still there was such a sense of inner peace and genuine empathy to this man Why was he here anyway, visiting some sick or elderly relative.

His wife, she guessed. Um, Harry, about what you said before, you know, about making all this right. He slowly turned his head in her direction. What's the downside? Nothing that good could come without a price. Even if I took the million to one shot and believed a word you said, so, well, Come on, spill the beans. I need help in retrieving an object.

It's a device that I will need to change your life. I've tried to obtain it once before, but I've failed miserably. And now I'm old. My body isn't what it once was. Are you a magician? Um, you could say that. As he spoke, his eyes changed from blue to red. his white hair disappeared and his skin looked almost reptilian.

Kayla caught her breath, realizing she'd not been breathing for some time. Harry touched her hand, and as he did she saw a flash in her mind as if he was speaking to her telepathically, showing her images. Kayla saw a gunshot, a murderer, a woman,

and then she saw Harry sitting in a white cell getting injected with something. A man helped him escape. and gave him an object that looked like it belonged in a futuristic sci-fi movie. Harry was important to these people. Harry then released his hand from Kalas, and she had tears in her eyes. Was that woman your wife? Yes, but I was able to save her with the help of a man from a very far off place. See, he gave me a gift, the same one I plan to use to help you.

Why? your father is important to me which means you are important to me i don't understand why how do you even know my father oh i heard his plea for you so i'm here to help you what are you all in good time what do i need to do to get this object well i should have seemed odd but harry put her at ease with his request "'Hm, glad you asked,' Harry said, pulling out a map. "'Why are we here?' thought Reginald. It was evident that Tapcio was up to something,

and in typical Tapcio fashion, he disappeared. Reginald turned around and could see that Tapio was gone as quickly as he'd appeared. Reginald couldn't see anything particularly scary as he stood overlooking the valley below. There was a stream that looked nice and refreshing. He thought he would clean off the blood and see about washing his face. The water sparkled and was healing in a way. He splashed the cool water upon his face. He woke him up and gave him a soothing feeling.

He'd come so far now. It'll be over soon, or so he thought to himself. Then he heard something above him and immediately decided to take cover under a large bush by the stream. It looked like a bird, but it had a face. like that of a dog or a wolf it seemed to be eyeing reginald most curiously this flying dog creature swooped down and in one bite grabbed reginald from his safe hiding place and carried him into the mountains by its mouth original didn't have the mind to scream he just waited to be dropped thousands of feet to his death he was getting used to strange things happening but this must surely be

the end of him that being said the creature was careful in the way it kept hold of him if it had intended to eat him indeed it would have ended his life before swooping him up and carry him away maybe there was another purpose to this the creature flew over a dark valley with dead trees and a river made of black sludge the beasts flew to where the valley changed back to green again when the flying dog creature finally landed it was with a thud at the opposite end of the valley it was precisely where Reginald needed to be. The flying dog creature dropped Reginald gently onto the surface of a rocky ledge

where there was what appeared to be a den behind the beast. The creature was dark, grey, with yellow piercing eyes and smelled God awful. Reginald covered his nose and waited to see what would happen next. He and the creature eyed one another, sizing each other up. It was not malevolent, At least that was what Reginald was happy to believe, given that he was still alive and this creature was easily big enough and strong enough to snap him like a twig. That journey would have taken him at least a whole day to complete, if indeed possible at all, especially with his injured leg. That river looked positively toxic, and he'd see no bridges nor natural crossing points.

Without this bird hound, he doubted if he would have even reached this point at all. The creature bowed its head before flying off. It took back off in the direction they'd come from. And so, Reginald once again found himself alone with his thoughts. So, this was devil's peak? Strangely enough, he now found himself hoping for Tapso's renewed presence, as he barely had the chance to question his erstwhile, mischievous companion about the peak earlier. When it was then, he heard them.

a choir of singers he followed the sound towards a cave or Reginald was amazed to see that once he was in the cave it got louder the cave turned out not to be a cave at all but a natural tunnel formation the choir of singers

he couldn't see them but he could hear them and they were singing a song happy you are here we greet you the land of forever lost Happy you are here, we welcome you. There are no strangers, just travellers. Merry meet, merry we greet.

Happy you are here, we greet you, the land of forevermore. Happy you are here, we welcome you, to the land of rivers and pine, we welcome you. Reginald looked around, and then he saw them. There were other creatures exactly like Tupsyo. At least had to be his family, or at least the inhabitants of his homeland. Reginald laughed as one of the creatures walked over to him. The tiny creature looked up at him, and then she flew into his face and smacked his nose. What the hell?

That's for losing my brother. Who's your brother? Tapsio. We've been trying to find him. Reginald was sure he looked confused and even a bit worried. I didn't lose him. "'Well, where is he?' asked the tiny sprite. "'I don't know. He left me at the edge of the other side of the valley.'

Tiny Sprites stopped looking so angrily at Reginald, and then she smiled. She smiled in that way that Tapsil always smiled. It was like she knew something he didn't. And he hated that damn look. Kela held the map in her hand, looking at it. It had been days since she's seen her father, typical of him. not even checking up on her. Her bandages were almost all off. She's able to walk okay,

and as long as she had a few painkillers, she was fine. She figured she had a day or so to get ready for her new adventure. She went to the local hardware store after her discharge from the hospital. She picked up some rope, hooks, and other random things. She also went to the local Walmart, where apparently you could purchase guns with the rest of the hillbillies. Kayla chuckled to herself. What she wouldn't like to do with this same gun if those men returned to harm her again?

She was walking out of the door when a young man stopped her. She recognised him as the younger brother of one of the men arrested for her assault. Must be nice, he said to her. Kayla looked alarmed, but said nothing. You know my brother's looking at... tend to lie for what she said. Can I try to walk past him, but he stopped her. I don't want any trouble.

I wish it had never happened. Believe me, but it did, she said, trying to seem empathetic even when that was the last thing she felt. Lads like you belong in hell. Sick rapist like your brother and his friends deserve to get their dicks chopped off and shoved up their asses, but unfortunately, I have to go to court to get any justice. Kayla snapped. Her nostrils flared, and she looked quite menacing.

It was too much for Henry here. Ellis's brother, the cute guy from her English class. The one, she trusted the one who thought it was funny if he asked her out on a date. Well, it was what guys in fraternities referred to as pig, parties. Ellis would be a freshman the following year. I wanted to get into the Alpha Kappa fraternity by hanging with some of the older guys now. Part of that was making sure you'd fit in.

You invited the ugliest girl to be your date as part of a pledge. Kayla didn't know that her crush Ellis thought of her as a fat pig. Well, she wasn't the skinniest girl, never had been. But she wasn't fat. Damn, she looked good when she put her makeup. She'd even dressed up for Ellis that night. But now, she felt so stupid. Ellis got her good and drunk.

She even tried a little cocaine. Something she swore she would never do. Then she overheard the guys talking in the hallway. They were laughing about all the pigs they'd invited. Ellis was mad he didn't win. they said his Miss Piggy was simply too pretty Kayla was embarrassed and stormed off when Ellis caught up to her

he was still laughing Oh come on don't be mad I thought you liked me Kayla Fuck off Ellis She said Walking around the side of the fraternity building To cut through the alley And that's when she felt it

The first hit on the back of her head well she cried and tried to scream but ellis had the other two help him hold her down the camera came out next well she recalled kicking fighting but they kicked her punched her in the face fracturing her jaw and left her there with the threat that if she told who did this they'd make sure someone finished the job the others had laughed until they saw ellis holding the camera on her "'Dud, I didn't come here for some sick show,' said Andrew, the oldest of the three. "'What did you stupid fucks come here for, then? "'If you don't like it, leave. "'I don't want to enjoy this,' Ellis had said. "'Well, Kaila had begged and pleaded with them not to leave her here with him. "'They were kids, like Ellis, other friends of his that wanted to be included

it when they started college the following year. I just know my brother wasn't like that. We all wish we'd known Ellis, she said, walking out the door of the hardware store. She got in her car, driving away, but as she did, she noticed someone was following her. It was a black SUV,

she couldn't see the driver, but she could see them watching her turning at every turn she might. The vehicle had been behind her for a few miles now. Kayla, in a panic, sped down the street, nearly forgetting to stop at a red light. The car halted, throwing her bags into the floor of her car. When she stopped, she looked into the rearview mirror and realized there was no longer anyone behind her. Maybe she was imagining it.

She pulled into the driveway of her father's house. she unlocked the door expecting to see her dad on the sofa that's where she found a note saying he'd be gone on business out of the city and wouldn't be able to make any return calls where he was but well he loved her and would make it all okay when he returned Kayla tossed that note onto the kitchen counter rolling her eyes she opened up her prescription bottle of painkillers and threw two in her mouth and took a beer from the fridge, popped it open, and swallowed her pills and the beer.

She took out the groceries and then got the rest of her items out. There was a bag with a tag on a box that carried her new firearm. A stupid rifle, but, well, anything would be better than nothing, especially if one of those assholes came to threaten her for turning them in. Kela was now 18, so where she was from buying a small firearm wasn't unusual. Many of the teenagers she knew owned guns because they were taught to hunt at a very early age and handle a firearm. What did Emery and Ellis expect her to do? Say nothing and let it happen to another girl.

Guys like that always committed crimes again and they got away with it the first time. Kayla was looking at her new rifle when she happened to look out of the kitchen window. It faced the street that ran along the side of her house. and part in front of her house was that black SUV Caleb began to panic when she saw it she wasn't sure if she should confront the driver or stay hidden inside her house after pacing back and forth in the kitchen for what felt like hours

she could take it no more and decided to confront the driver of that f-Uv she grabbed her rifle and flung it over her shoulder just in case they tried any funny business she went out the side door and into the street she walked up to the SUV and knocked on the driver's side window where he was sitting finishing a sub the man rolled his window down and he had his Italian dressing dripping on his chin can i help you he asked sheepishly why are you following me i'm not i'm sorry i just parted here on my lunch

I do that a lot. Look, this is the quietest street in this neighborhood. Where do you work? Kayla asked, accusingly. I'm at Frontier Bank up the road. What, am I not allowed to park here? Kayla felt confused. She was sure it was the same SUV.

I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. Hey, is everything okay? I can call someone if you're in trouble. Kayla shook her head and walked away She slammed the door to her kitchen when she went back inside She then took a deep breath and put down her rifle She tried to spend the rest of the day relaxing She opened another beer and sat at the kitchen table

Studying in the map that Harry had given her There was an access point to some city Just outside an alleyway not far from her campus she didn't want to go back there ever again if she could help it just seeing the college campus again brought back a painful memory she tried to make herself feel as normal as possible she watched some standard comedy on netflix eight wings and mozzarella sticks from her favorite restaurant

thank god for door dash they delivered everything everything felt normal until she felt herself getting sick Kayla ran to the bathroom and threw up all of her dinner She kept thinking that if she'd had an abortion now She could forget it all completely But there was just something inside her that couldn't do it Something about it felt wrong And it wasn't her unborn child's fault

Just because those sick fuckers mutilated her very existence Well there was always the option of adoption Kayla found it ironic, considering Ellis and Emery had lived with a foster family on and off for years, but they mainly lived at the Eldridge home for boys and girls, so sometimes they didn't come to school in the best clothes. They were known as the Blood Brothers, because they were always together. Well, Kayla had liked Ellis since the third grade. He'd always been nice to her.

She didn't know what had happened to make him so evil. Fuck my life, she said to herself. She went back to the table and looked at the map. She could just do this, right? It was like that movie Fantasy Island. She could change her very fate if she just did this one thing for some stranger that could be no more than a figment of her imagination.

Maybe it was. And yet, well, she had this fucking map. she studied it and then knew that tomorrow morning was the day she was going to make the jump supposedly there was a door in the back of her building at the end of 4th Street at the back of an alleyway that ran through the campus Reginald looked at the creatures

their faces seemed quite amused as they crowded around him the tiny one who claimed to be tapso's sister a small piece of something in her hand. "'I think this belongs to you,' she said, holding up a ripped piece of the map Reginald at last. "'Where did you find it?' He looked at her, amazed. "'Everything here is ours,

and everything that happens here is because of us.' So then, Tapsio knew that my map had gone missing. and he knew where to find it. The tiny creature grinned mischievously. Oh, he most certainly knew you had. He knew it was lost, but where to find all of the pieces is the biggest mystery,

she chirped. Um, can you help me find the rest? Well, that is not our responsibility. You must find it within yourself from the clues we've been leaving you. What clues? Reginald asked. Eh, silly, they're all around you. And with that, all the creatures flew away in a large migration of sorts.

Reginald looked down at the piece of the map he had. It was a corner piece that showed the map's key. There were waves for river, a circle for pits, three humps for mountains and black dots and a cluster for mud. And the last thing scared him. It had the fangs for the daigermeister. Whatever the hell that was. Kayla looked at her phone, waiting on the alarm to go off.

Today was the day she would use the map. What would her first move be? She'd played this over and over in her mind, but was still so unsure. A million and one things were running through her mind at this point. Should she just abandon this whole stupid idea and try to settle back into some semblance of everyday life? She rolled over and covered her head with her pillow. Sleep was something she had not had much of in the last few weeks.

Perhaps when this was all over, she'd be able to rest. She fell back to sleep for maybe a few minutes. and in those 10 to 15 minutes she found herself having a horrible nightmare a beast was chasing her through a strange forest and when it caught up to her began to devour her from the waist down Kayla sat up in bed drenched in sweat her alarm beeping annoyingly and she was secretly grateful it helped her escape the terror of her nightmares She thought then that she was safe from the beasts But she had no idea how wrong she was She got up and showered make toast Siped her coffee and tried to prepare for what lay ahead mentally

Kaley was fearful of what may come of this adventure But she couldn't get Harry's words out of her mind She stepped out into the brisk cool morning The sun was shining as if to mock her her with its smile upon her forehead. She had on black sunglasses to help make her feel unseen. It was a defence mechanism she developed over the last few days. She tossed the map into her bag,

and she took a photo of the map on a cellular phone just in case she damaged it. She got in her car and it started with a loud bang. Some day she guessed she would get a new vehicle, but for now there was not a chance of that happening as long as she remained a jobless college dropout. Kayla drove in a fog. She approached the alleyway where not so far away was the scene of that crime.

It didn't seem so scary during the day from the sun. She parked in the small parking lot of a coffee shop next to the alley, and she got out of the car and walked around the corner. Her breath was becoming short now, as she had trouble concentrating. Her hands shook she took out Harry's map. The first door

was the one on the left. It would be painted red. Gaila looked at the door. It looked red as if it was stained in blood. She touched the door and it was wet with a murky, red substance. Or could it be blood? She hoped not.

She reached for the handle and when she opened the door, there was nothing there but blackness. She stepped inside as she shook from fear. What if this was just a ployed to kidnap her? What if her attackers came back for her? Fear was all that erupted from her sweating brow. She was torturing herself reasonably well at this turn. She heard a sound that didn't sound very pleasant.

It was as if it was still. stepping out from her nightmare. She heard a growl, and then she saw amber eyes shine from the darkness. She knew instinctively, after what Harry had told her, that no matter what, she had to keep going. There was an awl floating behind the darkness, and the deep growling of, well, whatever she could only see, it's two amber eyes. And then she saw sharp white fangs the size of axe, the size of axe, that now appeared, and she knew she was a goner. It was exactly like the creature from her dream. It had a gigantic head with an evil look upon its face.

She knew if she was to follow that orb, she had to get past this creature somehow. She closed her eyes then and ran. She tackled it, finding herself free-falling until she landed into a dark hole with something that felt soft and squishy. She could barely see it. It was still so dark.

What she saw then only made her realize that she may be in way over her head. She wondered how such a simple red door could have taken her to such a place so quickly. It must have been a portal, like a gate. Well, they'd built them in Europe and Japan in the early days of the world's beginning. They believed that if they built a gate like this,

it would act as a portal to go to another land. Well, she guessed there was truth to it. All the history lessons by boring old Mr. Jeffries are finally paying off. And Kayla realized, to her horror, that she had landed upon a giant monster. And then, it moved. She wasn't sure it was the same thing she'd seen in the dark.

She could barely bring it. breathe as it moved beneath her. Apparently she had landed on the back of this beast, and to her amazement it was uninterested in her, but she had no intention of staying on its back. Kayla braced herself as she slid off the back of this creature and landed in a pile of mud. She felt her body grow sore all over from this collision.

Really need to start working out again, she said to herself, now out of breath. Then she saw what looked like someone walking in the woods behind her. It was a man who looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place him. He seemed to be wandering around in a day as much like herself. Then, to her horror, she recognized him. It was Ellis's brother. Emery.

Part three. Damn, that was close. Emory thought to himself as he slid down to the footwell of his SUV Witnessing Kayla run out of her house and verbally assault that poor dude in that vehicle that looked a lot like his He did that poor guy for choosing the wrong place to park His mind was all over the place at this point He laughed his brother dearly and it was tearing him apart that that one night had potentially ruined his life One night of overzealous pranking that had gotten just a bit out of hand

But in this chick really? realized that he hadn't meant any harm. Wasn't she super into him anyway? Did it have to come to this? So many of the girls at school were constantly swarming around Ellis. He could have had any of them with just the snap of his fingers. What did this stupid bitch think? But she was something special? Look at the state of her for fuck's sake. Sitting here watching her go off and this poor guy just made him hate her even more. Well, he resolved there and then to make the most of the couple of weeks he'd gotten off work. He'd follow Kayla around until he decided what his next move was. Emery wasn't into the idea of killing her, nor was he considering violating her as some sort of

revenge. In fact, his love for his brother was being tested right now. Part of him knew this girl had been hurt badly and that his brother was wrong, but he couldn't allow Ellis's whole future to be ripped away from him. Yeah, he'd follow her around, keeping tabs on her every move until his mind somehow came up with the plan that would help make all of this right. He'd follow her to the ends of the earth if he had to. Reginald stood alone, watching the creatures fly away. Well, he would have been confused or even annoyed by now, but he was getting used to the madness of this place. At least he had a key to the map, which was better than nothing at all. Reginald walked a bit and thought he heard screaming. I thought it sounded like a woman, but he wasn't sure. It could be anything

in this weird place. And then he heard it again. Get off me, you bastard. How do you think you are? She was a tall woman, short black hair and dark skin. She had brown eyes that went on for a long time. Reginald was intrigued by her and where she might have come from.

Maybe she'd have an idea of where you needed to go. Reginald had half expected not to see anyone in this place, no other humans, that is. Instead, he was so. someone that might have some answers. She seemed to be filing off something that Reginald couldn't see at first. The woman laid in the tall grass disheveled. Finally, he saw her standing up, wiping off her brow and looking around.

Then she looked in Reginald's direction. Hey, boy there! He waved his arms. She took one look at him, picked up her backpack, and began to run away from him. Wait, please. I mean you no harm. Oh, the woman ran as fast as a sprinter in the hundred. She was gone in the blink of an eye. Well, Reginald was no sprinter.

That was to be specific. He tried to keep his pace behind her, but she was gone. Where did she go? He felt a jolt to his shin. It was the woman. She'd hit him with a giant stick. Hey! What do you want?

She asked angrily. I'm trying to reach the river on the other side of the side of the other side of the other side of the the side of this mountain. I seem to have lost my way. She looked at him and then squinted. Why? To help my daughter. Who sent you? Look, if you don't want to help me, that's fine. Reginald then began to limp away. Fine, I'll help you. Oh, thank God. There's no God here, only the devil. Hey, what's your name? Reginal. He said, trying to eye her straight on, but it was hard. She was rather pretty.

Gail, I came here looking for a better life. So far, all I've met is misery. She trailed off. Have you been here long? Six years. Six years? Yeah, I think. I'm still trying to find what I came here for.

I guess beauty's in the eye of the beholder, no. She asked, laughing. She held out her hand. and Reginald took it. Well, nice to meet you. First we must get some water. I'll show you the way. Sunlight blinded Emery's eyes.

Damn, it was more complex than he'd thought trying to trail this bitch incognito. What was she doing here, of all places? This was right where it had happened. This was where his brother's world had fallen apart at the hands of this worthless, two-bit-nothing. Why would she, of all people, come here? He covered his eyes from,

the penetrating rays of the sun. What was she doing here? None of this made any sense. He hadn't any idea of what he thought she would do today. Will she go about her daily routine in some attempt to get her life back on track? Or will she be setting in motion the following stages of some plan to make sure his brother spent forever rotting in jail? His paranoid mind leaned towards the latter. But none of this made the slightest bit of sense, even if it was the former.

It looked like she'd not some giant folded piece of paper in her hand. Well, now he'd shielded his eyes. He could see that she was studying it intently, looking around as if trying to get her bearings. What did any of this have to do with Ellis? It must be something important like, as if some cop had tipped her off as to the whereabouts of something that would incriminate his brother even further.

Oh, he couldn't risk this going where he thought it was going. Whatever the danger to him personally, He knew he had to stop Kaila from getting whatever it was that she intended to get here. She was making her way towards this weird red door. Now was the moment to move. She was so focused on this entrance that she'd visibly eased up looking around her to see if she was being followed. He got out of his SUV and slowly, but surely, made his way to this mysterious red door. Reginald walked behind, Gail, and didn't say anything for a while, until they reached a stream.

and she nodded for him to take a drink. He took the cue from her, filled up his water can. He looked at her and was happy to have another human being to talk to now. Make sure you get enough, Biel said. Not all the streams are drinkable. Someone made her some real nasty shit. Yale put two water bottles in her bag and flung them over her shoulder. She had tattoos all up her arm,

and her white tank top barely covered her bra because of Reginald's eyes. he could still make out her nipples. He needed to get his head in the game and stop ogling the only other human being he'd met since he got here. Who was that man back there you were fighting with? Reginald could hide his curiosity no more. Someone I thought I knew,

but in this place everything's an illusion. Have you ever heard of the Doggermeister? Gail paused and then looked down at her boots. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but instead she asked her. question. How do you know anything about that? Reginald knew then that she knew more than she was willing to tell, and expected him to tell her everything like some dumb newbie to a camp. Oh, one of those fairy creatures mentioned it, figured the little bastard was lying. Oh, yeah, they do that.

What's the mosquitoes, if you ask me, and if you see one kill it on the spot? She smirked. Reginald didn't think she could be serious, but there was something in. Gail's tone. It was hard, harsh, and distant. How did you get here, Gail? Reginald was intrigued as to her story. Given his somewhat bizarre pathway into this world, he wondered if she'd gone through the same. Same as you, no doubt. I had to drive my car straight into that tree at full speed. Took one hell of a leap of faith to assume I'd come out on the other side, especially with those voices echoing in my mind, but, well, here I am. Gail responded.

Something told Reginald to keep quiet about the vastly different circumstances that have brought him here. She was clearly in Karloff for her mission. Why did he assume she had entered this world just as he had? She was then quiet as he followed her across the muddy valley. There were beautiful trees and plants everywhere here, but she had to be careful. Reginald stepped down and suddenly screamed. while she looked back at him and he was in some sort of quicksand he looked up at her trying to figure out how he'd gotten in this mess grab my hand gal pleaded reginald grabbed her and then he flew out of the quicksand and flew over her head it would have been comical if he wasn't so scared

and then he saw that little devil laughing you reginald said looking up at topsyl "'Hello, friends. I see you're both getting along quite nicely.' He cheered and clapped all the while, dancing around like a giddy little child. "'I told you to shoot them,' Gail said, rolling her eyes. "'And now you know why.' "'Gale, darling,' Tapsio quipped. "'Why don't you show Reginald our favorite spot? "'Make him feel at home.'

"'Reginald looked at Tapsio. "'Your sister was looking for you.' Which one? Dahlia, Rose, Wilma, Foxy, Ethel. I don't care which one, you overstuffed fairy. Get out of my face. Tapsio seemed to be less amused when Reginald was angry with him, much like a toddler's attitude. He was very close to Devil's Big Ridge, he said calmly.

Did you get my gift? He whispered. Reginald looked at him, and then Tapsio shook his head. Oh, that. Reginald remembered the key to the map. With that, Tapchaia was gone yet again, as quickly as he'd come, leaving Gail and Reginald defend for themselves once more. Kayla watched as the monster ran off into the woods.

She could now only see the other monster in her life, as she focused intently on the man standing among the trees, his dark eyes watching hers. The anger in them told her that if she stayed where she was, they may be the last thing she'd ever see. Kayla ran in the opposite direction from where Emery was and didn't stop until she reached a small cave entrance. She went inside it and looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide from Emery. What was he doing here?

He had to have been following her. Great. Just what she needed, she thought. Some stalker travelling through magic doors to find her when all she wanted was to erase her past and never look back. She found a secluded space between two rock formations and hid. She watched as he stepped inside the cave, but he didn't follow her inside. She took a deep breath, and when she thought the coast was clear, she pulled out the map. Where was she?

She used her phone to light the map and looked at the rocky cliffs. It looked like she was in a region called Hornets Haven. She hated the mere thought of it because it sounded so sinister. Just as she was about to leave her hiding space, someone gone. grabbed the map from her hands. Emery! Kayla saw her life flashed before her eyes as she looked at the fury and his. Stupid bitch, thought you could get one over on us all, didn't you?

Kayla could only look at him. As she watched him, suddenly a beast appeared from deep inside the cave. It had two large horns on top of its head, and had the hair of a snow leopard and the claws of a grizzly bear. His eyes were icy blue, and they were sizing up both Kayla and Emery. Kayla wasted no time. She bolted from the cave, which was the worst possible thing you could do in front of such a predator. Emery ran after Kayla, determined to catch up with her, so he could end this bullshit once and for all.

The creatures snarred at them both, before it stopped at the edge of the cave. The sunlight seemed to burn its eyes. When Kayla and Emery were free of the creature Kayla took one look at Emery picked up a rock hit him over the head with it knocking him out cold Detective Barnes sat in his chair

looking at the photo of Kayla he had no idea how someone could do something so vile to another human being he rubbed his eyes as he looked at the photo evidence the defence was looking at witnesses that said he wasn't in the area when she was attacked Hey Johnny, said a man with a thick Chicago accent

Oh, Jesus Christ, Marshall, what now? I got a tip on that missing woman, Gail Rashad. Yeah. The neighbor says she last saw her getting male, and a black SUV pulls up. She leaned in to talk to the person. That was the last time she saw her. We already knew about the SUV. It was her husband's.

We ran a match on this. make a model. Camera show he was in the area that day. She went missing. Is that all the person said? Well, I just thought you'd want to know. That kid Ellis is here for questioning. Tell the prick I'll be here in a minute. Johnny Barnes stood and fixed his belt buckle. He carried the evidence in a folder and walked into the interrogation room. When he opened the door, he expected Ellis to be sitting with his attorney. But to his luck, the cocky little shit wasn't even smart enough to do that. Detective Barnes shut the door to the room and sat down in front of Alice.

You know why you're here? I do. A miserable set of events. He smiled, pretending to be empathetic. Kayla Aaron was assaulted outside of your fraternity house two weeks ago. She says you were the one who did it. You'd tell me anything about that night. Oh, well, Kayla had a little too much to drink.

She put the moves on me. I wasn't into her. She wasn't my type. You know, I wasn't into her that way. She left the party, and, from what I understand, she made sure she had a good time anyway. Does this look like a good time? Detective Barnes flashed Ellis a photo of Kayla's nose

busted and bloody in the emergency room from the morning after the rate. Look, I didn't have anything to do with that. that girl was into some weird shit you know these girls watch one too many pornos next thing you know they're sucking off every guy at the party trying to re-enact the last gang band they saw they go too far and that

that's what you're saying happened to Kayla she was nearly beaten to death you say she wanted this oh you really are a sick fuck Ellis held up both of his hands well detective I'm telling you

I had nothing to do with that. I have a girlfriend. She'll corroborate my story, I swear. Detective Barnes was a father of boys, and if he had even one clue that one of his sons had the same sociopathic tendencies as Ellis, he'd have locked him up himself and thrown the key away in the East River. Detective Barnes looked at Ellis and then slammed down another hotel, another and another, hoping Ellis would break. Ellis didn't flinch. Instead, he looked into Detective Barnes. his eyes with the glare that sent chills up Johnny Barnes's back. My father spends a lot of money in this town. The last thing my father or my family will ever let happen is that I go to jail for some

fat little slut from Glenview. Well, I'm telling you, sometimes, unfortunately, girls like Kayla are the first to put it out there. They know no guy like me would ever touch that with a ten-foot pole. Detective Barnes laughed and then sat back in his chair. He rubbed his red beard. scratched it. Then he leaned in. It's isn't a matter of if we convict your sick fucking ass. It's a matter of when. As I said, you can talk to my girlfriend if you don't believe me.

Tiffany's in the hot way waiting on me. Fine. It took a few moments to locate Tiffany where the vending machines were, but when he found her and called her, he noticed something about Tiffany that made Detective Barnes chuckle to himself. Tiffany was not thin by any stretch of the word. She wasn't fat, but she was curvy and as imperfect as could be. Another thing that struck him as odd was that she had on the same necklace that Kayla had on in the evidence folder's photos. Tiffany Joyce, that's your name?

Yeah, is it okay if I drink my diet coat? Absolutely. Look, sorry for bringing you here, but we have a few questions. about your boyfriend Ellis. Oh, isn't that just shitty what that bitch said about him? Well, that's why you're here. Were you with Ellis the entire night? He was supposedly raping Kayla.

Oh, yeah, the entire night. It's just unfortunate what some girls will do to try and get a guy's attention. Detective Barnes knew she was lying. So, um, run by me where you were and what occurred the night of the assault. while my friend Sean and Laura and I were drinking there at the pool table. We heard some yelling upstairs, and we went upstairs. Kayla was putting on this show. She was dancing around all slutty-like.

We laughed it off and went back downstairs. Can your friends corroborate this story? Yeah, I'll give you their numbers. You say Kayla was dancing slowly. What happened then? Alice and I went to his room and went to bed for the rest of the night, watching movies and drinking and some... other stuff. She smiled.

Other stuff like what? Don't worry. I'm not in any trouble here. We may have done some recreational stuff. Do you and Ellis do a lot of recreational stuff? Not usually, but he wanted to that night. Detective Barnes smiled at Tiffany. Can you tell me where you got that gold necklace? What's that symbol?

It's an apple. Sort of a thing when you complete a course in Eder's anonymous. Is that how you might have known Kayla? Well, I wouldn't normally say, but yeah, I knew Kayla around. She was always fighting the bulge, you know. I get it. I mean, I can eat a cheesecake in under a minute if I'm left alone to my devices, but...

But Alice is always really supportive of it. Ellis. Oh, he says he loves my body. Thank you, Tiffany. May I have the numbers of your two friends from that night at the party? Oh, yeah, sure. Tiffany wrote down the numbers, and then Detective Barnes released both she and Ellis. Reginald and Gail walked for what seemed like several hours.

When their legs could go no further, he decided to camp for the night. Gail was much better at surviving this place than Reginald. He was still in a state of confusion as to where he needed to be, but Reginald was glad he was not alone. Gail gave Reginald a blanket. and he used his bag as a makeshift pillar. The night came on quickly. There was something different about Karloff than any other place he'd been.

There weren't just stars in the sky. There were giant balls of light that illuminated the sky above. There were no animal sounds like there were where he'd come from. Just quiet. Reginald fell into a deep sleep, quite unaware that this strange land have strange creatures that lurked under every rock. the moss and the roots of the trees

Reginald's mind dreamt for the first time in ages he dreamt of his wife and Kayla he could see the early days when she was just a little girl and then he saw a banshee holding his ill wife by the throat feeding her a black liquid oh he screamed at the evil hag to let Marcella go he struggled to reach her and Reginald felt hands around his neck

started him awake his eyes opened to Gail with her hands wrapped around his neck and Gail's eyes were white so she'd become possessed by something Reginald could not get her off him he could barely draw breath as her strength had grown to that of several men

as a reginald closed his eyes waiting to die but for painful paradise reeling in paranoia pleasure disguised as serenity At the dead walk, they will bring in the oceans, dark as night. Birthing beasts, best left unfound, where ice is chilled, where fear is made. Milk and honey, blood red, the life force guards the light.

The horsemen came, sought in hand, building a city, forged in past best left buried. A place made up of lives that only lived once, collected so the seeker could borrow, the future of those that never lived. A city made up of a collective consciousness. A town built on emotions as land. Hearts is a desire living in the stars, roots of trees, veins to the departed. A place that has to be believed to be found. Welcome to the edge of time and space. where hopes and dreams are given a place in reality.

Welcome to Karlov. Harry put his book down. He sat at his desk and patted his cat wildly on the head. Soon one of them will bring us what we desire. Harry picked up a board that had strange writing eyes. He picked up an eyepiece made of crystal and leaned in to get a closer look. And when he did, he could see Carlis. and all of its inhabitants.

I want to play a game. Harry asked out loud as he watched. He tipped the board and could see a ripple. He knew it would cause the rivers of Karloff to flood, and he smiled. The trees' tops glistened with dew as Kayla ran through the darkness of this new land, covered in forests of dreams left in lands of nightmares. She had to stop and look behind to see if Emery had begun to follow her. She sat on a rock and opened her book back.

Overwarned with thirst, Kayla pulled out a bottle of water and chugged the entire thing before she stopped. She heard a rustling behind her, and she turned in fear. Her eyes darted back and forth between the shadows of the trees. Kayla looked upward and swore

she could see a man standing in between the shadows. She wasted no time in getting up again, and this time she ran until she found a lake. What to do, Now. Before she could study it further, she felt the earth move. From the bog came a small stream of running water. Then she saw it get more expansive and faster, as a rushing river was now enveloping her. Kayla hopped onto a log to escape the rush of waves, now settling at the edge of the bog, starting to settle against a large boulder that had stopped the rushing water. She took a deep

breath as her mousy brown hair fell into her deep grey eyes she held on to a large tree and then looked down towards the nearby ground she leaped backward and found muddy ground to land upon once down she remembered the shadow man she'd seen from the forest's deep apart she was afraid that emery would find her Kayla kept on the move taking off the hoodie that she was wearing was growing hot where she was now She walked through the swampy forest on soft ground that felt alive under her feet. Still, she moved onward. Something inside her told her to keep going. There would be answers if she kept walking.

It seemed like hours had passed when she saw the red light. It burnt like a dragon's fire, but she felt as though she must keep going. Her face was red from the heat of the light. When she got to the source, she came to the source, she felt as though she was a little bit of her way. instantly chilled. There was a temple that was built around a still blue lake. The light from the temple melted with the glow of the water. Kayla looked at it, trying to understand what it was. There was a warm, motherly feeling to it that made her relax almost instantly. And then, she saw it. Kayla stepped back as she saw her head rising from the still blue lake. A woman with

The crown upon her head appeared entirely made of liquid. Even as she rose, the lake remained still without one single ripple. Kayla watched in awe and fell to her knees. A woman looked like a frozen goddess as her arms reached out to Kayla. Greetings! I am the maiden of the healing water of Ashkar. Tell me what it is I can do for you, my sad child. Kayla had tears in her eyes as she looked at the watery still goddess.

The woman opened her arms as they dropped with still no signs of their collision back into the lake. Kayla wanted to feel an embrace so badly she walked towards the maiden. Before she knew it, she was inside the woman's arms, going under the water, joining the still lake as she went under. Kayla had no issues breathing, which made her feel strangely high. There was a giddiness inside of her. She hadn't felt since she was a child. She saw memories of her life. sweet, caring, happy memories.

They were county fairs, horseback riding, family trips to the outer banks, first kisses, Christmas and birthdays. Her life flashed before her eyes, and then she saw Ellis. It was ripping off her shorts, laughing at her, as she begged him to leave her, unable to fight back as her attackers had held her down.

Suddenly she felt sick and hot and unable to breathe. She began to panic, but just as she thought she might drown, the maiden spit her back up to the land. Saying nothing, the lady returned inside with the lake. Or Kayla couldn't explain it, but she felt like she'd been through a war, mixed in with some hardcore therapy. The light was still burning, beating like a heart when all of a sudden it went out. Kayla laid on the ground and closed her eyes. Nothing. Not a damn thing. Well, of course, an officer of the law recognized witness coaching the second he saw it.

Both Shawna and Laura had trotted out the same story as Tiffany. Now, the human mind is a delicate thing that can only keep a hold of so many details, especially at times when nothing critical should be happening. It works like a giant filter, allowing the unimportant stuff to slide through and disappear unhindered, only keeping track of events that might be important further down the line. And so when they gave word for word accounts that exactly matched their friend regarding an incident in which nothing of interest had supposedly happened, he immediately knew two things. First, they were following a script, maybe not lying per se, but saying exactly what they've been told to say.

And second, that Ellis was hiding something, and that it was in these dumb-ass girls' best interests to play along. Oh, make that three things. Had he questioned them even one iota further, he could have broken these two and had them squealing every secret they'd been privy to since kindergarten,

but he'd gotten as much as he already needed from them. No, they'd meet their cam-up and soon enough, when pandering to some jock who'd treat them as bad, if not worse, than Kaler had been treated, they'd sooner or later get

what was coming to them, sadly enough. The third thing that even a journeyman professional like Barnes knew was said a guilty person would scramble like crazy to cover up their guilt. Keeping a careful eye on him would allow Barnes to uncover all the evidence that law enforcement would need. Yes, he would follow Ellis and enable him to slowly but surely dig his own grave, figuratively and perhaps, literally. Ellis had been confident that those dumbass sluts would value their place in the hierarchy enough to do precisely as he told them. or after all he'd had enough influence in the high school to be able to trash their reputations inside a single afternoon if he felt so inclined.

They knew it too, not that it mattered. They were so self-centered that they'd throw anyone under the bus at any cost to keep their place at the top table of high school society. Too fucking easy. Now that he was free from police scrutiny, he could immediately start tying up those pesky loose ends that he knew could still bury him, which was the easy part. As much as it pained him to in any way diminish the revenge porn library

that he and his buddies were put in together to safeguard their futures, this was one video that he'd have to erase. I'd pained him to do so, and he'd allow himself to watch it just one more time to sear into his brain just how nicely he'd used Kayla. Shame, he had a thing for heavy girls, not that he could ever admit it to his circle of peers. Yeah, one more time

and then erase any trace of that evening before it could get him into trouble. Next up would be a quick revisit to the scene of the crime. He liked referring to it in such a way. Kind of made it all the more fun. Naturally, he'd used a condom, not having my life ruined by having this bitch get pregnant.

But in his drunken state, he'd simply slid it off and tossed it out of the window. He was guessing the garden, with some jackass Mexican peasant, who'd do as shittier job as possible, even if he'd done his duties in the past few days. But, more likely, was that he'd still be lying around in the bushes below the bedroom window

he'd thrown it from after he was done. No problem. He'd either get El Jardineiro deported if he caused a fuss, or he'd find the offending item and dispose of it quickly. So, on to stage one of Operation Clearer. He left a copy of Kayla Fun Time.m.p.4 on that memory stick he'd given to his brother. Okay. Okay, time to think.

After a couple of deep breaths, he'd regain composure. No problem. He knew his brother looked up to him as a superhero. He'd be able to get it off him easy enough. Nevertheless, it was time to give his brother a quick phone call. Reginald was no longer breathing. Gail had her bony fingers wrapped tightly around. his neck, all the while she stared at him with only the whites of her eyes showing.

Something was possessing her. That much was clear. Reginald grabbed a large stick in her last desperate move and hit her over the head with it. Gelfail back, shrieking in agony. Reginald stood up over the woman, panting for breath. What the fuck had just happened? He was more determined now to find that Tethys 13 object than ever, and get himself the hell out of this horrible place. Gail closed her eyes and then opened them again.

Oh, what happened? I'm bleeding. Reginald looked at her. Are you serious? You mean you don't recall only moments ago trying to kill me? What? Gail looked at him as a worried expression fell upon her face. I think we'd better move on. There's something about this spot I don't like at the moment. We can move on and rest in the morning. Come on, let's go.

Emery came to with the worst headache he'd ever experienced. There was a cave, he remembered that much. That bitch had been right there, and he'd finally had her in his grasp. For his brother's sake, he was going to do precisely what he'd had to, so this whole problem would go away,

or so he'd wished. Planning to take someone's life and going through with it are two entirely different propositions he'd come to realize. His momentary hesitation had been natural, or so he would continue to try and justify in his mind. Exiting the cave in a hurry, he'd suddenly resolved to come up with a more amicable solution to his brother's indiscretions. However, that particular line of thinking hadn't got far off the ground.

He'd run out of the mouth of the cave, and then what? He hadn't even seen Caleb before his sudden and unexpected collapse into unconsciousness. The result being that he'd awoken here, alone. and with no clear sense of where he was or where he was heading. Time to get your ass into gear, E, he told himself. Those had been the words that he and his brother had shared so often during their teenage years. Let down by a failed faster system,

time to get your ass into gear. They were failed by useless school teachers who couldn't motivate them. Time to get your ass into gear. With a mutual appreciation, they always had each other's bags. This appreciation held as much for Emery as it did for Ellis, although Ellis being the older by a couple of years, meant that he more often than not automatically took the lead in such

self-preservation efforts, time to focus, no matter how otherworldly the current situation might be. In the grand scheme of things, a lot of changed. Time once again to get your ass into gear. We'd spend enough time out in the wilderness as a Boy Scout to be able to ground himself and draw many logical conclusions. So, time to take a look around and eliminate the impossible so that he could focus on the probable. First, there was no blood. That mint Kayla had gotten away from here relatively unscathed.

Second, there were no significant disturbances to the environment. No earth dug up by a scuffle, nor branches ripped from trees. Ah, she'd gotten away from here cleanly. Next, there were no helpful weather conditions, snow tracks, muddy footprints, that could give him an easy path to follow, meaning he'd have to play the odds. His old scoutmaster J.T. had always warned him that the biggest danger you'd face about being lost in the wilderness was walking around in circles. People did this way more often that you'd like to think. Yeah, that whole Blair Witch scene was a remarkably accurate portrayal of what happens when people try to walk their way out of trouble with, no real sense of what you'd like to think. Yeah, that whole Blair Witch scene was a remarkably accurate portrayal of what happens when people try to walk their way out of trouble with, no real sense of what to do.

Nonetheless, there were useful caveats what's that he'd be relying on now if it would have any hope of finding this bitch. The main one was this. If you're lost in the middle of nowhere, follow the nearest source of water. It will inevitably take you to the point of civilization. Despite countless examples of dumbass force

unnecessarily dying out in the wilds, this was a tendency that was hardwired into human beings. and A. Many people had wandered into some backwater town weeks after being abandoned, but nobody bothered keeping count of such miracles anymore. The simple fact was, they'd all just followed the water. From what he'd seen of Kayla, it looked clear she had some street smarts about her. He was lost and was looking for anything to help him right now, so why wouldn't she be the same? He had a hunch that she'd follow her instincts and head down towards the water, that he could hear somewhere not too far off in front of the

of him. There wasn't much, perhaps just a stream, but he was trusting his and her basic human instincts that this was what she would have headed for too. Reginald walked along the trail, tried to use his flashlight to see what was in front of him. Stars were lighting the sky above him and Gail, but he was afraid of what might be lurking out there. He didn't know what had possessed her in the middle of the night. Reginald was now unsure that he wanted to be. He was afraid of what wanted to continue further with her. It was nice having a companion, but he scared the living hell out of him,

wondering if she would kill him in his sleep. No. He'd find a way to lose her very soon. Tapsio smiled as he peered at Kaila in the dark. He smelled the air as he hovered over her body. She smelled like cotton candy and honey. Her face was pretty, and her form was plump in all the right places.

He couldn't help but stare at it. her human form, she slept on the grass by the lake. He opened his hand and sprinkled shimmering dust on her cheeks. It would help protect her against what was coming, and this child had been through enough. Tapsio leaned in and peered inside her third eye. He picked and prodded her brain, searching for her memories. When he saw Ellis and the other boys that had attacked her, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he threw more dust on her and then headed straight for Emery. This was going to be fun for Tapio. He hadn't had any mischief in a very long while, but he sensed this human was most deserving of it. He also sensed that the great master had not

invited this human. He'd been merely a hitchhiker, and that was no good for Emery. Not good indeed. Tapsio hummed to himself as he flew away in the dark. dark of the night to find Emery. Emory was getting close to the water source, and he could find it soon. Kayla sat up, her stomach felt funny, and all she wanted was to puke. Having not eaten in what felt like days, she rolled over dry heaving. She stopped abruptly, hearing something at the tree line of the forest. She stopped breathing and she started to search for the gun she'd packed in her back. It was no use. Emery was upon her before she could muster the courage to grab it.

He held her down, pushing her chin upward as though he were trying to snap it out of place. Kayla punched him in the shoulder as it was all she could manage. Then she pulled up her thigh and kicked him in the groin. He screamed, rolling over, giving her the upper hand. She grabbed her bag, searching once again for her gun. Looking for this? He asked, still rolling on the ground. Kayla waited for him to pull the trigger, but he hesitated.

Why are you here? What is this? he asked angrily. I'm pregnant, she yelled at him. Give you one guess who the father is. I came here to get rid of it. If you want to kill me, do it. You'd be doing me a favor. Kayla's gray eyes look green in the twilight of morning. There was another worldly appearance about her. Amory was even more pissed, but more so now at his brother.

He'd always thought Ellis was brilliant. Well, he hated this bitch more than before, but there was a part of him that knew he needed to play nice, or for now anyway. He'd get as much information out of her as he could. He'd even feign friendship if he needed to. Ellis wouldn't without protecting himself. There's no way he's the father.

He's the only one that fuck me. Well, the other two only held me down and helped beat the hell out of me. There were angry tears in her eyes now. Her eyes were fierce and dangerous as they looked to him directly in his dark eyes. Stop saying my brother hurt you. I don't want to hear it anymore. Emery hit his forehead with the gun. Kayla stopped fearing for her life.

Something told her that she had the upper hand now. She kept going with her story. You know, I used to imagine saving myself from marriage, as corny as that sound. But now, after what happened, even if I go full term with this baby, that asshole did so much internal damage, I'll never be able to conceive naturally. He did shit to me I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Kayla recalled with unintentional flashbacks of the other two boys telling her to smile for the camera. They degraded her body, unless even had her pose with them,

while they spread her legs and took photos of her most intimate places. The worst was when they hid her, cracking her jaw. They pretended she was a doll, something to be used at Will with no care in the world. They practiced their punches on her. They filmed it like some snuff video. They were never counting on the good Samaritan who found her bleeding and naked in pain. Well, they'd left her for dead in a dumpster. To make matters worse, when she was found,

Ellis took her to the ER, staying with her, all the while abusing her ears, saying he'd kill her and her dad if she told one person that they'd savagely raped her with the help of his two friends. Emery just looked at her then. He said nothing at first, and then looked down at her back. Putting the gun in his back pocket, he reached inside the backpack. Please tell me you have something to eat. Of course I do. I'm eating for two. emery ignored her and found beef jerky trail mix two salami sandwiches and some string cheese what he didn't count on with two beers well he was tempted to drink one but he figured he'd wait until a better time to indulge yeah thanks he sat finally as he ate one whole sandwich barely taking a breath if you promise not to kill me there's a fruit roll up in there too emery smirked and zipped the bag handing it back to kela Kayla managed a sly smile

secretly she was glad that she wasn't alone even if it was only this fool the sky had begun to redden it was nearly dawn now then she heard something strange coming from the sky Emery and Kayla were now distracted by whatever this was not like birds but maybe it was something more sinister

there were tiny flying humanoids only they carried weapons in their hands "'What the fuck?' Emory looked up and then grabbed Kayla, forcing her to go with him. What could be seen as a noble act was just Emery keeping his enemy close by. There was no way he'd lose sight of her now,

especially since she was supposedly pregnant. Most likely a plot to get money out of his family, he thought, and his foster father had a lot of it. Tapsio flew overhead, but he wasn't alone this time. He brought his kin with him to destroy Emery. "'Where the fuck was Emery?' "'He'd been calling him on and off for the past two hours,

"'not to mention the voice messages. "'Well, he never missed Ellis's calls. "'He knew he took his kid brother for granted, "'but he was starting to hit home now "'how much he assumed he'd be there whenever he needed him. "'This was worrying him, "'not even a sign that he'd receive the messages. "'The longer that memory stick was out of his hands,

"'the more paranoid he was getting. "'Sure he'd be able to talk E around, even if he had watched it, but what he truly needed was that shit erased out of existence, ASAP. He wouldn't be able to rest easy until he deleted all traces of that night from the world, for all that Emery regarded him as some Superman. It was the younger brother who had a keener eye for the broader world around him. Well, fair enough, Alice had successfully channeled his efforts into obtaining a sports scholarship

to his local community college. Still, even that was a hustle. Played the position that none of the guys would say, sky-high aspirations would pick and practice like a mother. Well, that had worked out okay, but he was suddenly envious of his kid brother. Well, he'd had the natural talent for sports, even for his studies, but he just never applied himself. It'd been easy enough to take second best on raw talent alone, without having to push himself to reach the peak. Well, he'd do that when it mattered, he constantly told himself. But then freshman year came, and all those girls

who'd been lining up to be with him were suddenly following the kind of guy he no longer was, ones who had the talent to still stroll through life, that was a big part of what drove him. Emory was different. He'd never had it in him to sit back and let the world fall at his feet. How many times had he made fun of his brother for all those lame, extracurricular dorky activities he participated in, the band practice, the chess club, boy scouts. All of it seemed so lame, but Ellis never remembered a single day when Emery wasn't saying hi to a bunch of friends wherever he went.

So where was he now? Wait a second. A load of unopened WhatsApp messages on his phone. Of course, there was a bunch of crap from Shauna, Laura and Tiffany, all three of them expectantly waiting on him in some thinly veiled attempt to get what they felt was owed to them for having his back. A bunch of other messages from buddies who were checking in after hearing about the bullshit allegations he was faced with too.

The truth was, though, he was only looking for one, from Emery. Yes, but wait, what the hell was this? A photo of a red door. Of all the times for Eid to be messing with him, there was a message, but he made no sense. On, key, right behind. You don't want to know. Red door, come. Well, Alice had never had the kind of brain that could deal with codes and signals, but that didn't matter here.

He knew that red door well enough. Reginald followed Gail making small talk until he grew bored. Gail wasn't much of a communicator. She'd smile and nod at him on occasion in agreement. Reginald felt terrible for what he was about to do, and he couldn't help it. The opportunity was now afforded to him. He looked down, there in front of him and Gail was a rushing river that seemed to come from nowhere. But it was now or never.

In one swoop he jumped over the cliff they were on and into the rushing waves he went. He saw Gail stunned for a moment, but he knew he couldn't risk being around her. She tried to kill him once, and even though he suspected it was something in this strange universe that was a cause, he just couldn't allow himself to die before he saved his family. part five sir did you want to see these papers now asked the young secretary harry looked at her and shook his head no darling just leave him on the table i'll look at them later harry watched the young woman leave and then he took out his magnifying glass and pulled out his miniature game board of carloff harry sprinkled some sugar on the board and then smiled Hmm, which one of you will survive the cold snowstorm? Harry watched on as he could see Kayla walking next to Emery. Oh, another storm is coming.

Harry watched Emery and knew he was not part of the plan, but he offered an interesting subplot to the challenge he'd put upon the players of this dangerous game. Then Harry saw something that was most concerning. Ellis stood in front of the red door. This one was not invited. but what a strange and wonderful plot twist to bestraw upon the players who had yet learned to play Harry's game properly. The challenge was enough, but there was so much more to it.

Much like a Willie Wonka. He had the golden ticket, but there was only one way to retrieve it. It was located in a hellish place, known as the Pearl of Devil's Peak. It was in the centre of the earth among crystals and strange lakes of blue water. It would be hard to withstand the humidity for longer than ten minutes. at a time. The only known way to get to it was a series of tunnels that we know of as Derenku in Turkey's Neveshir province. It was strange when it was found and Harry secretly hoped some odd digger would have seen the Tethys 13 object at the time during the archaeological dig, but no such luck. The tunnels led to Karloff by a unique set of structures that held many secrets

to anyone who found them. The true theories would only be guessed by those that saw it a a history lesson to teach to scholars. Harry knew too much, and I would be waiting on the other side of the tunnels when the winner of this life-changing golden ticket was found. He could see Tapsio gearing up for war, and he chuckled to himself. Oh, my friend, don't be so harsh. They're now a part of this game, too, Harry said. Hello again, Tiffany.

Who is this? I don't recognize your number. You better not be some psycho. I'll call the call. cops well my apologies it's detective barnes you were kind enough to come down to the station and answer my questions the other day there was a long pause exactly what barnes had hoped for oh hello mr barnes detective barnes yeah sorry detective barnes she was flustered this was going well can i um help you well i certainly hope so you'd already look

learned a great deal. She'd been dreading this call. Years of experience had taught him that much. People pretty much only spoke to him the way she was doing when they assumed leaving the station was the end of their involvement with the police. I was wondering if you'd heard from Ellis at all. Another long pause. Excellent. No. His turn to pause. Let her sweat for a few more seconds. And have you tried to contact him? Well, she might as well have been walking around wearing a sandwich board with a word yes emblazoned across it. I did message him, but he hasn't replied. Okay, just one more question, if I may.

He could practically hear the size of relief down the phone. Do you know anything about a red door? What? Well, there are many ways to say what. Numerous subtle nuances, but it's effortless to spot when someone's. doesn't know what you're talking about. Ah, she hasn't got a clue where he is now or what he's doing. Barnes immediately surmised,

all the while maintaining his focus on that red door from inside his vehicle parked across the street. Getting clearance to access Ellis's WhatsApp had necessitated the calling in of a couple of complex earned favours, as well as a virtual guarantee from him that this line of investigation would deliver concrete results. Still, Barnes had a gut instinct about this door. like he always said give a criminal enough rope and they'll hang themselves for you this little

shithead was leading barnes right to the evidence he'd need to nail him he was sure of it ellis had entered the building hours ago barnes was a seasoned stakeout pro there's no way he'd missed him leaving from what he could tell this was a one-way in one-way-out deal ellis was still in there by now tiffany had been as much used to him as she could be. In that overly friendly way, he thanked her, always kept the likes of her on edge and freeing his next phone call, and then he contemplated what all this meant. Ellis was a dumb-ass kid, but he indeed had the sense to keep his little alibi girl sweet until this was all done and dusted. Nevertheless, she had contacted him, and he hadn't responded. Ellis still needed her at this point, that much was obvious, to Barnes at least.

The fact he hadn't replied was either a stupid rookie mistake, overconfidence, or something genuinely was up. This red door was critical to the whole case at this point. Time to do what he did best. Sit and wait. Tabsio looked at Emery from afar, ignoring Harry's words, and with his kin and their tiny swords, they descended. The air was chilly now, and Kayla put back on her sweatshirt. she saw Emery eyeing her with a strange suspicious glare that never seemed to leave his face she hated that he was here with her but she also couldn't be more ecstatic to not be alone in this

strange place suddenly a swarm of flying bats appeared in the sky but oh wait those were not bats they were of tiny size but they were humanoid in appearance what an earth were these strange things. Emory saw it and then a tiny knife pierced his cheekbone. Oh! Another and another and then they swarmed him with a violent delight. These fairy creatures were fierce in their attack. Stop! A voice boomed from the distant trees. Tapsio knew that voice very well. Master, it is not time, it boomed. But master, Tapsio protested.

Stop this at once and go back to your homes. This is a creature that's contaminated this place. Tapsio. Harry's profound words were final. The fairy creatures flew away in a frenzy, but Tapsio remained hidden, watching and waiting. He would not budge. Reginald flowed with the river,

waiting for his moment when he could grab hold of something still to stop him from rushing right into a rock and knocking himself out. Finally the water slowed, and he could catch himself on a log hanging over into the water. When he got to his feet, he stumbled a bit. Then he heard voices. He hid from them so he wouldn't get caught again. But then he saw something that stunned him.

He saw his daughter, Kayla, with a young man. Reginald figured he was having hallucinations. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, and yet there she was. How could she be here? Why would she be here? Then he remembered that Harry had given him this opportunity. What if he'd done the same for his daughter?

What did that mean for him and his daughter? Will they both have to fight one another for the life they so desperately wanted? Gail made a tent near the riverbank under a large tree. Day six hundred seventy-five, she said to herself, marking a calendar she carried in her pocket. The girl poured out a sleeping bag and tried to forget Reginald. Well, he'd been very odd, and she wondered if she just dreamt him up.

She had left her husband, Michael, after they decided they weren't compatible any longer. If only she'd married Danny, her college sweetheart, and that was why she'd come here. Love. She'd been promised that she'd finally be with her soulmate, if only she could find her father. find what that old man had asked her to find. Gail fell asleep then and tried to forget. The following day she was awoken by the sound of something coming from one of the nearby caves. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was a high-pitched hum. It was captivating and strange, and then she felt the vibration of a large pink and white crystal all at once. She went towards

it, and in her all she could have cried happy tears. This was it. She could feel it, and she was sure of it. It had a wand made of silver attached to it, and when she picked it up, she felt a surge of energy like nothing she'd ever felt before. She held it for a long while, just admiring the Tethys 13.

She now knew why they called it that. It was Tethys after the sea princess, born of Uranus and Gaia. Holding no known mystical powers, she did have something that was left to this world. The water holds power From it we are born And from it we go to die

Was how the legend was told to her by Harry That greedy gin Could finally rest in peace She would bring him The Tethys 13 wand And had recalled Harry saying It was indeed very powerful It could harm those that were not meant to behold it

At one end of the wand was a small pearl Gail's eyes watched it And inside she could see a small creature teacher. She wasn't sure if this wand was bewitching her, but the tiny pearl broke free to behold a little water dragon-like animal. It was purple and turquoise and seemed to smile. It was only the size of a cricket at most. Then she felt it latch onto her hand. She tried to get it to release her, but it wouldn't. And then she saw the hag that had haunted her dreams, the old woman that had once guided her to a deep swamp where she knew.

nearly drowned. Oh God, this couldn't be real, and yet it was. And she soon found out what Harry meant when he said that not all were meant to behold it. But who? She questioned in her mind as the searing pain now took hold of her wrist. The dark creature began to suckle her blood, growing to an enormous size as her very life force left her brown eyes. As she lay there dying, she watched the tiny dragon creature. which made a return to its little pearl,

and then the wand fell from her hands. All the while the hag watched on, laughing and fading from view. Gale had lost so much, not just her mind. In this place, she had now lost her life. The wand remained in the cave, awaiting its next victim.

That victim would come soon enough, and the dragon would be able to feed again. he had grown so hungry in its tiny womb Reginald was growing bored of the situation he was in now he was tired of trying to find a way out of this place was it even worth it any longer Gaila was gone and he could no longer see which direction she'd gone with that young man

Reginald still wasn't entirely sure that he wasn't hallucinating maybe this place was getting to him after all like his life the assholes at his office job the morons on social media spouting out venom as though anyone gave a shit when there was so much more to life than this world maybe he should just end it all right now he thought of it hundreds of times

when his wife had become ill he couldn't take her fussing and a whining he'd rather be dead than have her see him turn into a monster he'd pop some pills go to sleep not say a word to anyone rent out a hotel room so that no one would find it He'd say it was a business trip, and then he'd do it.

If he couldn't find the right pills, he'd still get a room, but this time he'd slit his jugular so he'd bleed out faster. No, this bullshit where you slit your wrists and have time to change your mind. No, if he was going all in, he was going all in. And then his daughter could move on with her life and never have to think about what a goddamn shitty father she'd had her entire life. Reginald sat there on a stone, and wondered if he should just throw himself off the next cliff.

Then he saw something. There was a light calling to him. Reginald didn't look up right away, and he barely noticed it until the light had gotten hotter and closer to his face. An orb seemed to be right there in front of him. He took notice of it now because there was a humming coming from it, or the orb seemed to beckon him to follow it as it disappeared into the woods. Reginald did follow until he reached a point.

pond of still water. It was so still. He looked like ice. Then he stood in awe as the water began to rise, rose into the body of a woman, and she looked as though she were made of glass. He watched as her eyes opened and looked at him. You have come far to be here. She was calm. Reginald nodded. The thing you seek has been waiting on you. You are critical to someone who is light to you. The time to wander is no more. You are safe and this is your space. The item is in a cave and not far from here. You need to go to it and it will let you behold its power. When you find it, you must make a decision. I know. I was taught by someone that I could change my past, my present and my future. Rajinard was solemn. It is more than that. You will only know the meaning when you

behold the object. The lady in the lake then sunk back into the water from where'd she come and disappeared. Reginald stood and tried to remember the map. Where was that damn cave? He knew he'd come here to give his daughter the life she deserved and to go back and erase the death of his wife. He was so sure that this was the plan, but then he thought of Harry. What if he was a no-good liar? The lady of the lake had clearly said someone was lying to him.

Who else could she mean? Reginald felt the darkness erupting all around him with a sense of urgency. He made his way towards the dark forest, hoping to see the correct pathway to the cave. He knew he'd seen the cave somewhere, if only could remember when and where he'd seen it. This place made him feel lost like he was missing time, or that his reality had seemed to be slipping away. He was sure he'd hallucinated seeing Kayla. Oh, and what a strange, wondrous place this was at all that. times and what a complete horror at others just as reginald thought this he heard something behind him it was

something he did not expect nor did he want to see he heard it growl and then he smelled it god help me he thought as he turned around to look at this monstrosity what the hell where am i how do i get here Ellis couldn't have been further wrong in a guess as to what would be on the other side of that red door. The tumbler knocked him clean out, and when he awoke, he found himself where exactly? All he knew was that Emory had told him to go through the door. He checked his phone, no new messages. There was no sign of it working at all, for that matter. Looking around this strange landscape, he could safely say he wasn't in Kansas anymore.

He stumbled out of the cave into some kind of forest area This was seriously not his kind of shit The one person he could do with right now was Well Okay, time to focus What was that lame-ass thing he used to say Look for the North Star No, that wasn't it?

Well, it was, but he needed one of those other bullshit Zen philosophy say His kid, bro, always used to say to get out of here Oh, think, damn it always follow the water easier said than done in this place well he still had two things on his mind find emory to find the girl find emery to destroy the evidence

two birds with one stone as they say right time to start walking no time to break out into a run what the hell were those things emery asked the question knowing full well that she would have as little idea as he did Oh, they're gone now. I'd just keep moving, Kayla replied, already making her way forward. Where she was headed, neither of them knew for sure, but Emory saw little choice but to stay by her side.

Regardless of what he thought about the truth of her pregnancy claims, it did suddenly feel a need to protect her from what they might encounter next. He'd observed her when she'd explained the details of her ordeal. Whatever the truth of the situation, he could tell that she'd tell that she'd. thoroughly believed what she'd said and that she'd gone through something terrible couldn't really have been Alice could it he was feeling deeply conflicted he reached into the pocket and put his hand around the gun it felt reassuring in his other pocket he felt the crumpled piece of paper that he'd snatched from Kayla he drew this from his pocket and looked at it for the first time hey what's this he shouted it's a thing that's going to get us out of

of here. I was wondering when you'd bother to ask. She was still moving ahead, not even bothering to turn and face him as she spoke. But if I have it, how do you know which way to go? This got her attention. She stopped, turned, and looked him in the eye. I spent hours memorizing every last detail of that thing. I may not know what I'll find when I get there, but as sure as hell know where I'm headed. Coming? He felt again for the gun, and then nodded. They walked along for not even five minutes more when they both stopped. There was a vibration under their feet, and neither could move. They both stood stunned at this feeling.

Oh, this could not be good. Then they felt a swish of wind as something came up from the ground about 30 feet in front of them. There in front was a big, ungodly thing. A vine, at least it looked like a vine. It was dark green and as thick as a tree. tree trunk. He swung around and around as though it were a whip and then landed on the earth. When it did it created a quake and a break in the earth it caused both Kayla and Emery to try and find a way to stand up. Both grabbed hold of another smaller vine, using it as a rope to

climb back from the entry into the earth that this monstrosity had created. But it didn't stop there. To both their horror the creature did another twirl, this time blowing dirt into both of their faces, rendering them blind from the cloud. Once the ground settled, they heard a loud screech like something between a cat and a bird of prey. Then, when both opened their eyes, they could see this creature.

It was made entirely of green plant, but its mouth had thorns like that of a vine. It opened its snake-like jaws, and went for Emery, completely ignoring Kayla. Emery screamed as he dodged the mouth of this creature. He was no match for it, though, as it got the backside of it.

him causing him to scream. Kela didn't know why she did it, but she poured out a large machete she'd put into her pack just in case she had tall grass to cut down. She used it on the head of this creature, while it still ignored her. Emery was trying to climb up and away from this creature, but couldn't get away fast enough. Throw me the machete, he yelled. And she did just that, and once in Emery's strong hand, he cut off the creature's head with one swift movement. When it fell off, it let out the foulest odour. His blood was green like aloe and

sprayed Emery in the face. The rest of the creature fell into the same hole it had created. Both took a moment to rest as they climbed back up and now gaping hole in the ground. Once they got to the top, they heard another screech, and both of their horror, more of the same creatures were now coming after them. Emory and Kayla ran as best they could away. from them, but the creatures had reached them within ten feet. It was as if the thing they killed was connected to a network of these things, like one giant living organism. What in God's name was this thing? Emery was trying to get out of this situation, and at the same time he needed to keep a watchful eye on Kayla. Finally they both reached a sandy ravine. Instead of blinking an eye,

he pulled Kayla with him as they both jumped across the canyon and into a sandy brook. The monster vines were still snapping at them, but the sand seemed to burn them as though they were slugs and the sand was salt. Fucking hell, what was that? I don't want to know, Kayla said, laying next to Emery as her hands were still in his. Finally she sat up and recoiled quickly from his grip, as though he were poison ivy. Let's go. I think we're closer than I thought, Kayla said, standing up and walking away from Emery. Tapsio couldn't seem to help himself as he watched Reginald.

He knew he was going to bug him with the knowledge he now possessed. Tapping Reginald's shoulder, he nearly knocked him over. What the... Hello, sir. Are we enjoying this lovely morning, Encarloff? Oh, I see the sun is just rising. Get to the point, mischief-maker. Reginald took a moment to stop and pull out his water bottle, taking a swig he let out

deep sigh. I know something that you may need to know. What is it? Reginald was in no mood for this. Your kin has arrived, just the other morning. She has something of a nemesis fellow with her, and I didn't like the look of the trouble that he brings with him. Oh, and more things are coming. Kin!

Reginald thought about it, and then he knew. He had seen Kayla. It wasn't a figment of his imagination. Where? Why? It seems master has plans for both of you. Whoever reaches the top of the mountain first will win the rewards that this life has to offer. Perhaps you spoke in riddles, and Reginald had to figure out what the hell he was talking about. You say my caler is here. Who she will? Someone that wants to do her harm. You will not do a harm if you can reach them fast enough. Go north of the trail, and you will see.

Then Tapio disappeared once again as quickly and as mysteriously as he'd appeared. Part 6. Nothing. Twelve hours barns had been outside that damn building, and not one thing had happened. These days he was lucky that so many takeaway apps offered on-stakeout car delivery from his favorite fast-few joints. Otherwise, this would have been a truly miserable experience. A couple of water bottles had been sufficient to ease through his toiletry needs, but still, well, he'd stuck to the age-old time limit of what he and so many of those who'd done this job

before him considered reasonable. Twelve hours without shit happening is a sure sign to call it a day. He got out of the car in the miserable early hours of an unnaturally rainy day and wandered over to the door. The basics of the job dictated that if you haven't seen shit for twelve outs, you're entitled to show up at whatever door the punk you were following had gone through. It was always a risk, but in this game you had to have to be a bit of a bit of a bit of to play the percentages.

Indeed, his younger colleagues often looked to Barnes in awe. How could this journeyman who seemingly didn't have a natural eye for his work have been so successful all these years? Even though he'd always been willing to share his wisdom, few had fully taken on board his ethos. Play those percentages. Most of the time, Barnes would extol. The vast majority of criminals are straight up stupid.

Follow them around and I'll at least repeat the behavior that'll help. you nail them keep on the tail and you're like a fisherman dangling his rod in the water knowing something will bite sooner than later hell even those who are smart will inevitably know they are and well they'll have an ego that displays their criminality publicly the result same thing dangar your rod and let their ego take the bite this situation was therefore perplexing so much so that a couple hundred exuberant questioning rookies would have no doubt lined up to shove his play the odds advice back in his face

Barnes had waited outside expectantly for Ellis to appear no doubt with a suspect package in his hands within half an hour of entering this dump no a 12-hour shift was not what he'd had in his mind for this what was standard protocol in such situations simple follow up the lead to all reasonable expectations

and then move on and right now that required Barnes to go up to this stupid red door and at least try to enter the building. Reginald continued up the path that he'd been instructed to follow. He thought about his daughter and all that she'd been through recently. He stopped for a second to eat something from his bag.

There was little food left inside it. Reginald stood overlooking the cliffs and stared at the valley beneath him in all of its green splendor. What was this fantastic place? He'd occupied its space for only a few days, but it felt like an entire lifetime. He felt like a entire lifetime.

his face as a full-length beard now grew in its place. It was as if time was longer here. He thought of his wife and what a good mother she was. He had a strange reminiscence of Christmas morning. Kayla was about four or five at the time. She'd woken up with a fear and was too sick to open her gifts. Reginald and his wife postponed Christmas for another week, telling Kayla that Santa knew she was ill and he changed the day just for her. Ringlets of blonde curls had danced around her face and those green eyes. Reginald recalled reading to her every night, stories of Alice in Wonderland and The Little Mermaid.

She'd fall asleep in his arms before he'd finish the book. Those were the easy days. His job promoted him to marketing, and he had to travel more often. He left a space in the family dynamic, and Reginald eventually became a stranger to them. Days, weeks, months, became years, and soon he was a shadow against the wall

with a teenage daughter who stayed out too late, wore skin-tight pants and let out her cleavage. It made Reginald think about where the sweet baby girl had gone. Her makeup emulated every YouTube influencer, too thick of eyebrows, too much eyeliner, and red lipstick. She'd put on weight, and so her body had changed. That's when the boys were texting every second. Reginald had tried to discipline Kayla as best he could,

but little he could do with his absence. He relied on his wife to do most of it, and in his absence she'd let Kayla have her way on almost every occasion. Kaylee would stay out late with older boys, college-aged. He didn't want to know what she was doing. He just hoped she didn't end up pregnant. Now it was going to be difficult. She was already on a path to destruction at just barely 18.

He felt like a failure, thinking that money had been the culprit for losing. losing his family. If he hadn't been so gung-ho on making more money, his family life might have remained stable. Instead, his relationship with his wife, who accused him of cheating on her with younger, more attractive women, became strained over time. Eventually he found himself growing less attracted to her anger. Myra was always angry. She scoured at him with that chubby face. How fat she'd grown, how evil she looked when he'd come home. Long since were the days when he'd go home after a business trip, and she'd greet him with a hug and a kiss.

Sometimes a bit more than that. Original blushed, thinking of the time she opened the door in a red negligee. Their sex life had suffered because, well, who'd want to fuck such a foul bitch? He found himself growing more depressed with each day, and sometimes he'd stay an extra night at a hotel just to avoid going home, especially when she'd become ill. He'd swear that she was faking on her sometimes just for the attention. He tried, though, how he had tried.

There was some relief, if he was honest, when she finally died. He hated admitting it to himself, but he was now a free agent. Reginald was no hero to himself or anyone else, he thought. He'd grown bitter from working too hard, with too little to show for it, except a fancy red Porsche, a 450 grand house, a daughter in private Catholic school, one of the most expensive educations that he could afford. and yet there was no love in his home. He yearned for the little cottage by the lake

when they'd first married and had Kayla. Mara had insisted that they moved after Reginald began making more money. The house by the lake seemed old-fashioned and she claimed Kayla could accidentally drown. The truth was she was more concerned with fitting in with the women and the country club. It all seemed like a nightmare to Reginald

when he ran through the years up until that moment that he'd gotten the phone call. Reginald was watching football in some airport bar when his cellyla went off. Not recognising the number, he took a moment to answer it. Hello? Is this Reginald Aaron? A man's brutish voice asked. Yes, um, how can I help you?

Reginald asked, thinking it was related to his last meeting with the Bolton Corporation, a gun manufacture that he'd been very concerned, would not like his latest idea for an advertisement. I'm Detective Barnes, and I'd like to ask you if you, questions about your daughter Kayla. What's this about? She's in the hospital and unfortunately I'm unable to get anything from her. She's unconscious, as you know. What? No, I don't know. Who is this? Reginald had been distraught. He'd had no messages on his phone from anyone at home and then he quickly learned that Kayla's phone was missing. No one could get a hold of him,

except for this detective that had questions about what he knew of the assault on his daughter. Tears stained Reginald's cheek when he thought of what she looked like in that hospital the day he made it back and saw her. Her jaw had been broken. She had wrappings around her head and her face was barely recognisable. It was puffy and her lips were purple. Her shoulders had bruises on them as well. Ellis had beaten her nearly to death, all because she'd fought back. The knowledge of the rape was the worst thing. Someone was hurting his baby girl. He couldn't seem to get the image of her little face when she was four years old from that Christmas.

The happiness, the excitement in her face. She was so happy once upon a time. And then to see her in that hospital bed, knowing what had been done to her. O'Reginald was never a violent man, but when he thought of what had happened to his daughter, the desire to harm outweighed any sense of dignity he beheld as a father. He fantasised about finding the men who had done it and tying them up to an electric outlet, throwing water on it so they'd be electrocuted.

He thought of strapping them down on a table and cutting off their dicks one inch at a time. It was these violent thoughts that kept him from killing himself at the sight of her, at the idea that he hadn't been there to protect her. Reginald eyed the trail again, coming out of these thoughts. He must find his baby girl. He must save her. Kayla smiled at Emory as he fidgeted for something in his pocket.

She didn't know why it amused her, but he always had this serious expression on his face. You always look like that? Kayla asked, stopping in her tracks. Like what? Like you have to go number two. I'm sorry my face isn't pleasing to you. He rolled his eyes. Hey, if I have to spend all this time with you on a journey to the center of the earth,

I'd like to at least be with someone half pleasant. Oh, I'll try to be more to your liking, madame. him. He then bowed. Hey, what is that up ahead? Kayla interrupted his joke. I don't see anything. That smoke, it smells like a fire's burning. Kayla paused before walking any further.

There was a horrible stink like sulphur. What on earth was that? Kayla thought, looking towards the top of the pink stone mountain. Memory didn't have a good feeling about it. There was something wrong, he could feel it. He touched it. his pocket for his gun to ensure it was still there. It was a sense of comfort in this strange place.

Oddly, so was Kayla. He was beginning to see her as more of a person than just some girl who accused his brother of such an atrocity. Suddenly there was a loud boom. The mountain seemed to shake and Kayla and Emery fell to the ground. The mountain was releasing some sort of explosive gas, puffing stuff mountain, no pun intended. Kayla yelled out to Emory. what is it it's a mounting that burns from the inside and is always on fire but the fires never go out the release of gas causes eruptions it should only be every ten minutes or so if we hurry we can get to where we need to be before the next explosion

gala was on the ground now and as emery helped her up he noticed something was wrong with her keeler you're bleeding Kayla looked down at her pants That's when she realized she was bleeding from down there Kayla was incredibly embarrassed now She was also terribly worried about her body By all accounts It looked like she was miscarrying It'll be fine

Let's just get to the next spot she said Tears in her eyes Emory realized that she wasn't lying about being pregnant Did he want to believe that his brother was this monster Fuck. Now what is he going to do? Kayla rushed towards the top of the mountain with little help from Emery, who now struggled to keep up with her. They reached the top of where they needed to be just as the mountain let out another boom.

This time Kayla didn't fall over. Instead, she ran towards a cave. She seemed to be trying to find something in her bag. Emery saw her pull out a change of clothes. Hey, um, I think I hear water. rushing. Sounds like maybe you can wash off if we go in that direction. Kayla wouldn't look at him. The shame on her face was evident. Emery didn't want to feel sorry for her, but if his brother did do what he now suspected,

then she was losing his child. Emery walked a few feet behind Kayla, and she followed the sound of the water. Finally, there was a clearing in the cave with just enough light to shine on a small waterfall. There was moss hanging over the water's edge, and tightly. any redfin fish in the water. They looked like fire swirling around. It was beautiful. He'd stopped paying attention to it

when a very naked Kayla caught him off guard. She had her back turned to him and her shape was pretty. He found himself walking towards her though, but not to see her nude body. Instead, he saw a mark on her. It was a carved marking written with a knife. It was a circle with an arrow drawn through it.

and Emery grew sick to his stomach That's what Ellis had always carved into trees When they were kids What? Why did he carve up this beautiful girl's back like that? What in God's name was wrong with his fucking brother? Emery turned his gaze away quickly So it's not to offend or frighten her He turned and began walking away

Where are you going? I didn't want to be disrespectful He lied he just wanted to be away from her. No, I'd rather you stay while I wash up. I don't want to be alone in case something happens to me. Her voice trembled. Amory knew instinctively that she was crying over the loss.

It had to be scary for her to go through this all alone. Emery sat down on the rocks by the pond with his back facing away from her. He was at least ten feet or so away. He pulled out the part of the map that he'd found and tried to concentrate on it instead of the very naked girl behind him. He heard her sniffle. And that did it.

Hey, I have to take a piss off. Be right back. I promise I won't be gone long. And I'll be in hearing range in case anything happens. He ran around the corner of the cave where she couldn't see him. He hit the cave wall with his fist. Kayla washed up as best she could. The water was nice, but there was so much blood.

and she was afraid to get out. Luckily for her, she brought a spare set of clothes and some feminine products just in case. As a girl, you never quite know when they come in handy. Kayla thought about how mortifying it was to have Emery, the brother of Ellis, see her that way. It was as if she'd been assaulted all over again. Why did this fucking shit have to happen to her all the time?

It was like she was the unluckiest woman in the world. She closed her eyes for a moment and let her... body embraced the warmth of the water. It felt good on her neck and back. She heard something at that moment from the corner of the cave. She called out for Emery. No reply. People had long been disappointing to Emery for breaking promises constantly. Well, he was used to it, being in a family of perfectionists, private schools, athletes like his older brother, to live in the shadows of someone so perfect. Well, nothing shocked him anymore, and nothing made him happy. he lived in constant disappointment

three weeks before his brother had been accused of rape he'd found he was failing a class that was crucial to graduate he didn't want to say anything to anyone in his family he would have been so disappointed what sucked was the fact that it was a subject ellis excelled in emory had to be the positive one no matter what it had always been the one that covered for ellis everything stupid he'd ever done

well emery made excuses he was his older brother's enabler. Kayla's branding by knife only made Emery wish he'd never believed anything Ellis had told him. He'd idolized his brother, but not until this moment did he finally see how messed up this situation was. His brother was going to get away with it.

One look at Kayla, no one would believe he'd raped her. It was the fucked up society we lived in. She was pretty, but probably on the heavier side. Not severely obese, but she wasn't a size 10. She didn't dress like the more popular girls at school either. When no uniform was required, she always wore some ugly sweater to cover as much of her body as possible.

It made sense to Emery now, as he thought about it. She was insecure. He'd wanted to do more, but he was between a rock and a heart place. On the one hand, he tried to tell Ellis he didn't believe him. But there was something else, too. Ellis had given him a flash drive, and he hadn't gotten to see what was on it, but Ellis had also had other films of himself at parties

while girls smiled and let him do things to them. Well, it was all in good fun, but, oh, looking back, could Ellis have spiraled into utter darkness? His hand was bleeding, and he just wanted to get the hell out of wherever he was, go home, have a glass of his dad's whiskey,

and forget for a while by playing some video games. He heard Kayla scream, shaking him from his thoughts. When he got around the corner, Ellis was standing on the ledge by Kayla, who was still fully nude. Alice was making fun of her while she tried to cover herself up. Hey, brother, I've been looking for you.

Alice was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Harry stood up from his desk, looking around. He was in deep thought, realizing that he was close to obtaining that Tethys 13 object once and for all. Panicking, though. He felt a change. It was a glorious welcome, but he sensed something was wrong. There was a disturbance at the red door. Harry scowled. The man at the door was a stranger to him. This was not part of the plan. Harry got up from his chair and poured a small object out of the pocket of his tweed jacket. This ought to take care of that. His eyes illuminated an amber orange, and his face began to shift into the same.

someone else. Harry walked out of the door as one of Detective Barnes' fellow officers in disguise. Ellis, Emery shouted, surprised to see his brother here. His exuberance was short-lived, however, when he realized that he was taunting Kayla. Ellis, you need to come over here and leave her alone to get dressed. His words were met with a sharp turn of the head as his brother looked to face him. He, "'You have any idea what this bitch has put me through?' "'Ellis had a mean look on his face, "'one that Emery had seen him give many others, but never himself. "'I'm about ready to throw her lying ass over this bridge,

"'wherever the fuck this place is.' "'Ellis, you've got to calm down, man.' "'Well, that look struck, Emery. "'Eless was not acting like a brother right now. "'He was on a mission to resolve his problems, and he didn't care what it took to get things done. Ellis, just because we're in some weird dreamland, don't mean you can go ahead and kill a girl like that.

Ellis slowed. He was thinking over what his younger brother was saying. After a couple of deep breaths, he then turned fully to face Emery. Hey, kid, Ellis said, trying to force a friendly smile. You ever get to take a look at that memory stick I gave you? well that was uncomfortably weird Ellis had never called him kid before

and why'd he so quickly brought up the subject of that USB surely there would be some happiness at seeing his kid brother surely some acknowledgement that his current behaviour was indeed inappropriate but no nothing like that not even a blink of his eyes just a cold hard stare and deep down he knew For that exact second, it all became confirmed in his mind. Ellis had raped her and the evidence of the crime was in his possession.

No, um, I left it in the desk drawer at home. Too quick a response. He could see in Ellis's eyes now that he knew that Emery knew. Well, that's a cry and shame, kiddo. Real cry and shame. Emery looked his brother in the eye with a feeling of abject fear in his heart. Reginald followed the trail back towards where he'd last seen Kayla. He didn't know what he'd find, when and if he found her, but he had to try.

He ripped a giant stick from the ground and shook the dirt off of it. He'd use it to aid him in walking uphill. He could also use it to defend himself against any unsavory encounters. Just then Tabsio flew into Reginald's face. Oh, you've got to be shitting me. What on earth are you doing here? "'Our master is coming soon. "'You better be ready to give it up.

"'Give what up? "'This.' "'Tapsio held out a large wand, "'and Reginald instantly knew "'it was the Tethyst object named after the sea goddess. "'But I had to find that. "'Oh, you did, and you will. "'I'm replanting it near the front of the cave.

"'It will come upon in thirty feet. "'You'll need to hurry, though. "'I'm doing this to help you. I don't think our master means as well. The world is going to end soon. Oh, Tapsio and his rhymes. What are you going on about? This land is going to be over.

He's letting it go so he can return to his home. You'll see the entryway to the caves. They lead to his homeland near Derinkuy. That's where he was born. That's where he will go once he has what he's been waiting on. When he gets it, he won't need us anymore. we've helped him survive we've given him aid and he needed it look what he's chosen to do he's chosen to leave us so he must not get this you must fight it first and under no circumstances give it to the master tapio the only reason i'm hearing carloff is to get a new life the only way i get it is if i bring this to your master i must have it you'll use it to destroy us all

He's a dirty gin, selfish, and we fay folk were misguided for believing his sad stories. He eats pain. It's how he gets his energy to live. He thrives on it. He loves seeing you all in pain. And the longer it takes you to find the object, the longer he lives. He never had much intent on you finding it yourselves. But he doesn't know we Faye know where it is.

We're the ones who saved him years ago. Jennings. What the fuck? I thought you transferred out of here last year. Oh, um, yeah. The look on Jennings's face confused Barnes. He'd last seen him at his lame farewell get-together before Jennings sailed off to some cushy desk job upstate. More than this, the fact that Jennings looked precisely the same as he did last time Barnes had seen him, in the clothes, the haircut, the general demeanour,

meant that this was, to all intent and purpose, the same man he'd seen last 18 months ago. "'What are you doing here?' Barnes asked. "'Police business. You know the kind of thing.' Jennings replied unconvincingly. Barnes had always liked this guy. No bullshit. A keen eye for the job at hand. Nevertheless, something was up here. That much was immediately apparent. After all, Jennings had been reassigned a hundred miles or so away from this jurisdiction. What Jennings remained in Barnes' thoughts as one of his favourite ex-colleagues,

It was mainly due to his down-to-earth nature, ability to cut through the crap and focus on what was meaningful. Barnes couldn't for the life of him come up with a reasonable answer as to why he was here right now. Hey, Jennings, so how's Bo doing? Who? A pause. Shut the fuck up, man. Bo, how's she doing? Oh, yeah, she's fine.

Doing okay, I guess. alarm bell number one old prose develop a way of secretly connecting and throughout any detective's career there are always those moments when you need to convey danger or even that something is just a little off in a way that no one other than the two of you would pick up on barnes and jennings had chosen fictional pets as their signal on more than one occasion jennings had moved in when hearing that barnes's beloved fictional poodle mikey was under the weather similarly barnes had come crows crashing into many scenarios in which Jennings was on the wrong side of trouble when hearing that Bo was in danger. Something about this stank of trouble. If this was Jennings, he'd either abandon their code or, well, he wasn't Jennings. So, um, you've been giving Boa a tasty treats like I said, yeah? Oh, yeah, Barnes. Doing the job just like you said.

No doubt in his mind now. This wasn't Jennings. You let the distance between them grow significantly Before asking the question that would prove he was right Hey Jennings What was behind that red door Absolute stillness Alarm bell number two People who have no reason to freeze never do so

This was not Jennings Oh nothing much Just your typical backroom Ah great Good to know Something of a release With the slightest fringe of the shoulders, he moved in Jennings' direction. Whoever he was needed to make some effort to maintain this charade from this point on.

That much was obvious. So what brings you down here after all this time? It's passed so quickly. Longer than either of us would believe, I guess. In my mind, it feels like only yesterday that we were working the beat together. The raising of the neck and the deep intake of breath. Alarm bell number three. wherever this was they weren't ready for such a quick-fire interrogation well whoever you are you're hoping that to me at least feels like it was just yesterday ain't you

this jennings creature froze facing away from barnes to conceal his face no doubt slowly he turned around and spoke well look who just made the grade as a detective it said you either harbor intense feelings for this jennings ass or you're even more of a dumbass than I guessed. Either way, I plucked him from your subconsciousness as a person that you could trust without question. So I guess it's you who needs to make sense of all that. Oh, not as stupid as I gave you credit for. Barnes knew now that some serious shit was going down here. Someone or something had just manifested itself as his old partner, Jennings,

and it had done so for a reason. Whatever that was, it was sure to be because of what we were. was behind that red door. So, it said, menacingly, your mood. Reginald was agitated and even more confused than he ever had been before. Tapsio had just given him the most pertinent information since he'd arrived in Kalfe. I know you have many questions, but we don't have time. Just know you and your daughter are in danger.

You need to get the device and leave. Tapsio then disappeared once again, pissing Reginal. off. Stupid fan their games. Why doesn't he just sprinkle glitter all over me and call it a day? Reginald said to himself, a noise. He then walked about a quarter of a mile, and he saw something glittering near the cave's opening.

There it was, this object, named for the sea goddess of mythology. Reginald went towards it, and when he picked it up, it was shiny, and impossibly so. It resembled some sort of magic wand a little girl would pull. play with, but it had hieroglyphics in some old language. It wasn't anything he recognised. It was as ancient as the beginning of humanity. He moved his hands up and down, feeling the strange etchings. He felt empty. He'd been awaiting some big climax, but none came. This was the Tethyst-13 device that would change his life and was not more interesting than a Toy Star Wars lightsaber. Reginald held it.

And as he did, he heard a scream. Just as he ran, he fell to notice the wand was twisting on its own, and something emerged from it, something dark and twisted. Reginald ran up another hill, and then, from a cave tucked inside of the mountain, he heard his daughter's voice. Stop it! Another scream, Reginald ran as fast as he could, never noticing the object in his hand was now changing.

It twisted and turned in his hand. his hand, and yet he still fell to notice the object opening to reveal the blood-suckers that lived inside it. Ellis stood watching his brother's face as he grabbed Kayla by the hair. She was shivering in the cool air, with wet hair as she failed to dress completely. Standing in only her pants and bra, she felt the same as she had when Ellis had assaulted her. Exposed. Shame hurt on all accounts. This son of a bitch was taking liberties now. He wanted to hurt her, but she also noticed he tried to hurt Emery. Why? What had happened between them? Kela remembered them as the two top athletes in school, brothers so much like each other.

Ellis, the natural. Well, Emery was getting there through sheer practice, both confident, handsome, and loved by everyone. Now what she saw was something else. She wished she could just find a way to get away from Ellis. His grip was rugged. and she couldn't move in either direction. Kayla was bent back, and this time was worse than the last yank. He yanked her to his chest and how'd her there. He began taking off her bra. Kayla said to herself,

How am I going to get out of this? Tears in her eyes, she could barely see what was about to happen. Ellis exposed her breasts. She tried to cover herself up, but she couldn't. Ellis had both of her hands behind his back. See anything you like, brother? Nice to look at. Too bad it comes with a price.

Like, let her go, Alice. Stop it, Emery stuttered. Not till you come and get a closer look. Emery gulped as he tried so hard not to look at Kayla out of respect. Look at her, Emery. Looking at her makes you want to stick your dick between them, doesn't it? Alice was laughing now,

and nearly let Kay a go in his fit of excited laughter. Kayla moved with a loosening of his grip. That's what the fuck do you think you're doing? Come back here, slut. He pulled her harder into him. Just for that, I'm going to have to punish you. He said in a calm voice which made it all the more sinister. Ellis, let her go.

This is fucked up, man. Emery pleaded. Come here, brother. Ellis demanded. still in that calm voice that sent chills up both Kayla and Emery's spines. Kayla's eyes were bulging out as Ellis pulled harder on her hair. Emery approached her and his brother and looked at her as if he was saying, I'm so sorry.

What? Emory asked with a scowl. Touch her, feel her in the palm of your hands. I have to admit for a fatty. Oh, her body's so nice. But then if you are fat, you tend to have bigger tits. I think I don't know what. What do you think, Emery? I don't care, Emory said, looking at his brother directly in his cold blue eyes. I said, toucher, Ellis screamed, and this time he pulled out Emery's gun.

Emery looked at it, trying to figure out how he'd gotten it. He had tears in his eyes as Ellis screamed at him again. I said, toucher now. Feel how soft she is. No, no. Emery's voice was small but certain. I'll blow her brains out, and then maybe you'll touch her.

Do you know what this bitch did to me, what she deserves? She should die for her crimes. Emery knew his brother wasn't joking. He could see it in his eyes. He was utterly bereft of all feeling. He knew how his brother had been in the past. He could be crue.

but he'd never seen him this psychotic. It scared him to death, and he was sure it was imminent. Touch her. Ellis grabbed his brother's hand, still holding the gun, and put it on Kayla's left breast. Kayla was in shock that there was so much talk about her breasts, and for a second she wanted to laugh. It was the only way to take her mind off the callous nature of what was unfolding on her behalf. Kayla found herself wanting Emery to caress her, just to get it over. over with let ellis have his way and maybe he'd stop just touch me Kayla said to emery see she is a slut ellis laughed emery closed his eyes and put his hand on her use both hands emery felt like he was gonna go insane it's okay emery just do what he says Kayla found herself saying as her hair felt like it was

falling out he cut both of her breath with his hands and felt he was covering her up from his brother. Ellis deserved to be locked away from humans so he could never do something like this again. She lost your baby today, Emery found himself saying. Ellis had been smiling, but he stopped and looked at his brother. Emery was taking a sick pleasure out of telling this to his brother. What? She miscarried your unborn child.

You were going to be a dad. she killed my baby wellis had dark thoughts brewing in his mind now emery looked at him and now feared he'd made his psychosis worse he pushed emery off of kaila and this time tackled her to the ground cala screamed as her leg buckled under her what is that bitch you killed my baby cala wouldn't speak she only looked at him like the wild animal he now was "'Why would you do such a fucked-up thing? "'You're a liar, a slut, and a baby-killer.' Alice was screaming in her face. Kayla was now crying and praying that she could somehow get the hell away from both of them.

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot broke the cacophony of the screams, making it all change. Part seven, Reginald walked on, close to the sound of water rushing. And he could hear a scream as a gunshot went. off. However, just as he was about to turn the corner and find Kayla with Ellis and Emery, a hole opened up inside the ground where he stood, pulling him slowly inside it like quicksand. What the fuck? He began to panic. Reginald tried to grab hold of something nearby. A tree branch

helped him stop falling deeper into the hole in the ground. And then he heard something underneath him that gave him course for concern. There was a growl under him, and the earth was a growl under him, and the earth began to cave in all around. Well, something. Although he couldn't see very well from his position hanging on for dear life. He knew it was something huge. Then he saw white fur and realised it was the same creature that broke in his fall when he initially fell into the land of Karloff.

He could hold on no longer to the branch, and he fell onto the creature. Once again the strange white monster broke his fall. Only now it was crawling out of the hole, and Reginald had no idea where it was headed. But the drop-off from the creature was high. He could break a limb trying to jump off this gigantic thing. It moaned, and then, to his horror,

it began to shake the dirt from its body, and as it did so, Reginald nearly fell off. He remained the prisoner of this gigantic creature. Still holding on as best he could, he found himself nearly in tears. His daughter was in need. If ever there was a time to be brave, it was now. Oh, jump off, you idiot.

What's the worst that can happen? He reasoned with himself. The creature began to head in the opposite direction to where Reginald wanted to go. He saw the cave where his beloved cal that was getting smaller as the distance separating the two of them grew, increasing Reginald's fear. Emery lay on the ground.

Blood spilled all around him. Ellis looked at the damage he'd done and wiped the blood splatter from his face. He stood over, Emery, and went through his pocket, until he found the hard drive he'd been waiting for and tucked it inside his shirt pocket before rolling Emery's body over face down so he could rummish through his back pockets

and it was heartless and cruel to think that these two brothers were once so close that they told each other every secret and now Ellis viewed Emery is no better than one of the girls on that hard drive that he so desperately needed to hide stop groaned Emery to his brother

too late you had your chance brother It's never too late You can still do good in the world His voice was trailing off Instead of thinking about his brother's words He bent over in front of his face And held his hand over his brother's nose

So that he could no longer breathe You were supposed to be the kid brother The one cast it in my shadow But all these years I saw you just readying yourself to outshine me To make me look like shit All your fucking hard work and dedication God, I'm sick of it.

I'm the wonder kid of our family, but you just wouldn't accept it, would you? Tired of your shit, bro. Well, I think it's about time. It lights out for Emery. Ellis smiled as he watched Emery squirm under him, trying with all the strength he had left in his body to get his brother off of him.

It was no use, and soon a very blue-faced Emery's eyes bulged out of their sockets as he choked and spat inside of his mouth all the blood spewing into his lungs and throat from the gunshot. The impact was horrendous. Emery had done the act at close range.

Truthfully, Emery had never realized before this moment just how much he hated his younger brother, how jealousy was of what he could become. He'd been the big fish in the small pond at his high school society, but he knew how life panned out. The hard work is the Emery's of this world, who applied themselves and made the most of what they had,

and it went out in the end at the expense of those who had it easy throughout their high school years he could never let this kid brother escape him in such a way after it was over Ellis closed his brother's eyes because he just didn't want to look at him anymore

then he remembered the girl shit where the fuck was that girl Caleb he looked around but he didn't see her then he saw a glimmer of blonde hit sunlight between the trees and he was off to find her.

He put the gun in his back pockets and ran after her. He'd get the job done once and for all. Since they were in this weird place, he realized you didn't have to worry about bodies showing up in the Chicago River. If you think for one minute I can't find you, you've got it all

wrong, baby. Ellis laughed. This was going to be fun. What, like I'm just some alien who'll just take you to his leader? Yep, Barnes were told. something like that the Jennings creature shrugged well you know what actually yeah I can do that given that I didn't fool you he's kind of keen to meet you in person so Barnes was anxious to get

going what are we waiting for no not like that the Jennings creature looked amused if anything you just hold my hand and we close our eyes trust me The answer was a resounding no, but he knew he had to see this through. He had no other choice if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Emery was dead. His brother had mercilessly killed him. If he could do that to his flesh and blood, thought Kayla, he'd have no qualms about murdering her and leaving her body to rot in this strange land.

Stay down, out of sight. She could see Ellis striding forward like some peacock with his tailors. fellethers on display, but thankfully not towards her. He was moving forward with that disgusting matchau strut that he did to display his confident demeanour, but it was also clear he didn't have any idea where she was. Emery had had fundamental tracking skills and seemed to have a genuine connection and synergy with the natural world around him. But Ellis, on the other hand, he'd no doubt stumbled ass backward upon their whereabouts

by running around like a headless freaking chicken. She was cold, but she was well hit. This ass hat didn't have the upper hand right now. She felt like she was in control of her destiny for the first time in as long as she could remember. Ellis seemed to focus on some perilously thin rope bridge that hung invitingly across a deep ravine. He nodded his head and was grinning from ear to ear. He then took his first step out onto the rope bridge, then a second step, then another. The dumbass was utterly convinced that she'd gone across this bridge.

One more step, and one more. Oh, he was careful, but he was nonetheless well on his way to reaching the midpoint. A thought entered her mind. Cut the rope, let him plummet into the ravine. Well, there was just one problem. She was cold, shivering behind a bush in only her underwear, with absolutely nothing at hand to cut the rope bridge with. Just then a figure appeared.

Somewhat dishevelled, but the determination was nevertheless. clear from his demeanour. The figure did a 360, looking all around to try and orient himself. But there was more. A look of panic was also evident on his face. That face, one she'd looked upon so many times before. Not always the face she'd wanted or even felt she needed to see, but one that had always been there for her. Dad! She tried to call to him, but something held her back. if she did Ellis would hear her and almost certainly have enough time to make his way back across the rope bridge

and so she kept her mouth shut and waited lovely to meet you Detective Barnes my name's Harry Michaels you look like a man in need of answers spare me the bullshit I'm guessing from your little doppelgang charade that you know all about me already Barnes was in no mood for any crap

whatever was going on ended right here right now "'All my thanks to you, Zerxes. You may leave us now.' The Jennings thing promptly turned around and exited the room. And so here they were. Barnes was, as ever, the career professional. Everything according to the book, his book, that is. Never breaking the rules necessarily, but bending them to his will as and when. That being said, every rulebook he could ever have imagined was being thrown out of the window right now. who, or rather what, was sitting behind the desk in front of him, was an entirely new proposition.

Never had an ostensibly average-looking middle-aged man looked so damn unsuburnally. It was clear from the fact that Bizarro Jennings had been so openly willing to bring him here, that he was undoubtedly on this guy's turf. He'd have to keep his cards close to his chest. So, Barnes asked, what exactly is it we're doing here? "'Walling good time, detective!' "'This Harry asshole had a curious, "'sured expression across his face,

"'as though he were probing Barnes for some hidden secret. "'He stood up from behind his desk, "'and slowly, exaggeratedly so, "'moveed his way out into the open expanse of the room. "'He stopped directly between Barnes "'and that spherical screen-like object "'that Barnes knew he'd been at great pains "'not to look at since this little encounter had ensued.

"'Him, he's subconsciously hiding that. thing from me. Barnes thought to himself. Instinct told him that whatever it was, it was the key to this whole mystery. Come out, Kayla. I'm almost across the bridge now. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be. Ellis was making quick work of the bridge crossing, despite how precarious it looked to be. He had confidence in the idea that she'd made her way over this bridge. Ellis, looking forward, felt sure he could see her long hair flowing in the bridge. behind him on the other side she carefully tucked herself into one of the caves Kayla nearly fell trying to reach the edge praying she wouldn't meet her end she acknowledged that there always seemed to be something inside these caves that you didn't want to meet just then she heard a piercing sound from overhead and the sound of the wind as though it were a song on some sci-fi radio station she stopped and turned around to look once again at the bridge she could see alice glaring at her he'd stopped before he'd made it all the way across

he now located her and the sight he'd come from he had a sinister look upon his face and his blue eyes were blazing with sadistic fury Kayla stood trying to figure out where to go but she knew that there was nowhere she could go now she was at a dead end oh fuck she said to herself and then she heard Ellis

hey I see you you can't eye from me now just leave me alone just go i won't bother you ever again just leave me the fuck alone ellis smirk can stop in his tracks suddenly something hit his nostrils and he felt a severe itch he rubbed his nose and it stung

but he had no idea why he looked down and went towards caler again his smirk was short-lived because as he turned back and made his way back across the bridge getting to within 20 feet of her. He stopped dead. Looking up, Kayla saw a black fog appear, slowly rising from the water below.

Ellis only stopped for a moment, then continued on his way towards Kayla once again. It didn't matter to him if there was a hurricane right now. He was going to kill Kayla. His intention was one of pure malice as he managed to now come to within only a few feet of her. Then he stopped. again. Something sharp but stung his right eye. He tried to wipe his eye to get whatever it was

now irritating him. Then he felt his skin. Something was attacking him, but he couldn't see it. Looking down, he felt his skin slowly being ripped at, but by something unseen. Then he looked down at his fingers. There was the black fog that seemed to engulf him now. Getting a closer look at it, he saw that it was almost like black sand, but it was shone. sharp like glass. And it began to cut at him, scratching his skin again and again, leafing pieces of skin that were now missing. One small strip at a time ripped from his body.

Another strip across his forehead was now gone, then another strip of skin across his chest, taking a piece of his clothing as well. Then ripping pieces from his legs, then his arms. It was like a windstorm, but microscopic particles were all rushing to attack him. Kayla watched on in amazement. Soon, all that was left of Alice was only a humanoid form of subcutaneous tissue.

Then came the final stroke of horror as he cried out in horrific pain. Holding onto the rope with the makeshift bridge, they continued to cut into his flesh with tiny ribs. It was a meticulous process, but the microbes worked fast, stripping him like the wrapper from a fruit roller. That's when the microbes continued on their quest to wipe Ellis from the world like a disease, as they worked as quickly as possible to eradicate this germ of a human being. His blood flowed into the air, and now you could see his organs and the flesh that was now being cut deeper and deeper until Ellis could no longer breathe. The microbes ripped at his organs until there was only a bloody skeleton standing stuck on the bridge. Again and again they tore through the bone matter, and the microbes ripped at his organs.

remaining flesh until Ellis was merely dust. His remains flew into the air, disappearing as though he'd never existed. Caleb stood in horror as she watched the remaining part of Ellis disappeared. At the end of the bridge, she noticed someone else was now standing there. Dad! Keela! Reginald screamed. He too had witnessed the end of Ellis. He grabbed her and held her. Why are you here? Reginald asked her. And then he knew. Stupid question, he thought to himself as he looked into his daughter's eyes. I'm sorry, Dad, I should never have come here. Something then lit up the cave where they both were. It was the wand inside Reginald's bag. He stood and turned, looking at it.

As beautiful as the Tethys 13 object was, he could see the darkness that it possessed as well. He began to open up, and as it did, Black Death Beatles began to attack Reginald's home. Dad! Wait a second. That's the Aaron girl. Kayla Aaron. What the hell? Where is this place?

Barnes was transfixed by what he saw in Harry Michael's bizarre viewing device. Everything he'd heard Harry described during the last ten minutes or so, it sounded insane. Still, now that he was actually looking at it, events unraveling in this other world, a part of him could finally come to terms with what was happening. Sure, that whole stakeout when he spent more than half a day, pointlessly staring at a stupid red door, had been weird, and it was compounded by the emergence of an impossible Jennings doppelganger, instead of that punk kid who he'd been waiting for. It was finally confirmed to Barnes that he was dealing with some next-level weirdness.

Intriguing, don't you agree, Detective Barnes. What was Harry's game here? He must be showing him this for a reason. You see, Detective Barnes, I'm something of a game master, albeit one with a distinct motive. The people you see here are playing a game, one in which I will be the only winner. What the fuck are you talking about?

Barnes didn't care for this super villain monologuing which he was sure Michaels was about to embark upon. I have a particular need, Detective Barnes. one which these people will hopefully fulfill on my behalf. If I'm honest, they are unaware that they are there to do my bidding, but have entered into the current predicament of their own volition. Why you're telling me all this? Michael's rotated slowly in his luxurious moleskin off his chair so that he was finally fully face to face with Barnes. Because at heart I am simply a man of business. I see an opportunity that will be mutually beneficial.

sure to myself and whoever I choose to conduct a transaction with, and I thus present you an offer. Having my power the ability to grant you safe and easy passage into this world, in return, all I ask is that you bring me back a certain piece of equipment. Your reward for doing so, the granting of your greatest desire. Currently those whom you gaze upon are vying for the chance to fulfill their greatest wish, but that chance could still be able to. be yours the power of the device is in my control but what it bestows will be that of your greatest earthly desire should you complete your part of the deal so what do you say detective bar part eight the spindle on the tethyst 13 spun around as reginald held his daughter by the waist

he felt her in his arms for the first time in years he'd missed her and at that moment didn't understand why he felt like he was losing her. The Beatles came and writhed around Reginald's arm. He suddenly felt a stinging pain in his left wrist, dropping the tethyst object. He looked at Kayla, who was startled by the fact her father had dropped it. She knew exactly what that was.

Dad, what is that? Nothing. They're just claiming the next victim is all. But, Dad, I can't let them hurt you. Kayla, don't you see, my dear. they're consuming the one who's no longer desirly. Harry made it so only one can escape this place. If you take this object to him, he can control everything,

and I don't know if we should let that happen. I see now why I was put here. I needed to understand what it was like to love you. I needed to know you understood all the things I didn't do as a father. Fathers are supposed to love and protect their children. I was a miserable failure. all your life I had so many chances I fucked every one of them up

but I won't fuck this up Kayla looked at her father as the Beatles began to chew at his arm with renewed vigor Barnes looked at Harry curious at first He tried to work out inside his mind what this creature

wanted from him exactly He'd met a lot of men over the years That could put Harry to shame Who snook the book A bookie from Jersey who Barnes was pretty sure had paid a guy to ensure the New England Patriots won

Jacks the Axe, who axed eight Pidos to death. Or Barnes couldn't be angry with that one, given the many perverts he'd encountered over the years. And who, of course, could forget Toilet Man McGregor, who'd gained perverse revenge for losing out on a fortune

by murdering his victims with their pants down. Then there was Barry the Skinnerman, who liked to skin little boys after he'd raped and murdered them. He'd take the skin of their lower halves and put them in a drawer. Sick, son of a bitch. Barnes wished he'd been the one to pull the switch when he got the electric chair. Oh, Barnes knew what Harry was.

Barnes, what'll it be? What's your game, chump? Harry smiled, lighting a cigar. Whatever do you mean? Well, I know you're not from here. Oh, but I am from here. I'm every bit as human as you are. The human beings don't do this sort of thing.

I was 1904. I was a heavy drunk. Drank every day and night. My old mother had beaten me so many times as a kid that I was nearly dead. When I was 20, I married a nice girl from the city. She and I had tried for a son, but every time we had stillborns or daughters, my youngest, Bethany, was a sweet blonde baby with curls. Harry breathed in deeply with tears in his eyes. Okay

Go on Barnes was done playing games now Horse and buggy were driving down the street When I heard my son yell at my baby girl She was on the road playing and almost got killed I didn't hesitate to drag her little ass inside the house I beat her and I beat her again Something senseless

I was so angry at her for almost dying I ended up literally killing my baby girl I myself died that day too stupid, drunk and completely evil. I was sent to jail for a long time. Then one day a man came to see me. It'd been so long since I'd seen the outside world that I didn't know what day or month it was.

I was in the Mansfield Reformatory. He sat in front of me and taught me his name was John. I listened to John's tale about how a slave trader had murdered his wife. His black skin matched his black eyes. He gave me the option that I'm given you now. Take it or leave it. I refuse ever to let the fate of any one of us be a burden. Well, that doesn't explain why you look like you do.

Why do you look like a demon? Paz took a cigar from Harry and puffed on it for a few moments. And then Harry spoke again. Evil can turn a man. Magic born to help the loss can corrode itself into madness and darkness if it's stagnant and unloved, just like a human soul. And so I am what I am. But that doesn't change who I was and who I wanted to be.

My baby girl deserves to live every bit as much as anyone else's. You deserve a good case to solve. That way your boss gets off your back. Maybe when Sergeant Adams retires, you can finally become Sergeant Barnes. You can solve the murder of Abigail no. Harry, where is your daughter? She's buried in a body of water in color. "'Carloff?'

"'The place behind the red door. "'I don't think I want to go there.' "'Barns were standing up now, "'not sure what he was going to do. "'She's in her lake now. "'Some call her the lady of the dark waters. "'The frozen water where the lady healer lived, now rumbled. "'Kela could see in her mind's eye what the lady saw.

"'Only she was no lady. "'At that moment, Kayla could feel what the water gave her. "'She could feel the embrace of her. empathy and love. At that moment, the Beatles stopped eating her father's hand. Karloff stopped at once. There was no noise. There were no crickets. There were no fairies wings flapping. There was no wind blowing. Only silence. Like before a storm. You know what, Michael's? Barnes looked directly at Harry and lauded him before adding, I call him bullshit. A fraction of a second that Harry froze in place was more than enough

to confirm to Barnes that his hunch was correct. The whole story of his daughter being trapped in whatever this place was that he was seeing was a total fabrication. Come on, Michaels. Time to tell me what's really going on here. Oh, I rarely misjudge you human folk, replied Harry. But you seem to have the measure of me, Detective Barnes. So as you still don't know what you're dealing with here,

there seems to be no harm in me explaining my head. little dilemma to you. Barnes could tell that Harry sought some form of acknowledgement from him. He was about to unveil his super villain monologue. Well, he'd be sorely out of luck. Harry, noting Barnes' seeming ambivalence, proceeded. As you already know, I'm privy to the goings on of what may best be described as an alternate world. Don't think of it as a different planet or even another dimension. Rather, it's somewhere connected to this plane of existence, but but nonetheless quite separate. How lamentably my genetic makeup forbids me

from myself directly entering, but the same restrictions do not apply to your fair species, Detective Barnes. Harry looked at him again. Still nothing. Barnes knew how to play this, give the guy nothing, and let him monologue his way to give him Barnes

all the info he needed. So this has presented me with, as I said, something of a dilemma. Well, I am most certainly not a creature of Carl. I'm also not native to the reality in which we currently find ourselves. Without going into unnecessary detail, I have but one way of getting back to where I belong. Yes, my ticket out of here currently resides within Carlos. Well, that's a real bummer.

Barnes could tell that Harry was about to go to the crux of the situation and decided he needed the slightest of nudges to keep him going. "'Quiet, Detective Barnes. "'For that very reason, I've employed the services "'of a number of your fellow humans to assist me in this matter. "'It's quite simple. "'They enter Carlo, obtain the device, "'that is, in effect, the key that will open a door back to my reality,

"'and then bring it to me.' "'Well, I mentioned the year 1904. "'Well, that is how long I've been stuck here. "'Wait, how many people have you sent on this wild goose chase? why the hell would anyone go there and bring this thing for you? Harry looked as if you've been waiting for Barnes to ask these questions. Well, it's like this. Your species are likely to do anything

when they promise that their ultimate desire will be fulfilled. Every single time has been pathetically easy. You'll be reunited with a loved one. You can bring so-and-so back from the dead. You'll go back in time and take that golden opportunity that passed you by. all I had to do was make an outlandish promise to make their dream come true and half they went. Oh, and to answer your first question, more than I care to remember. As I said, I've been stuck here for more than a century, the Lady of the Dark Waters.

No, not Harry's daughter, nor indeed any relative of his. Instead, she was what could best be described as a gatekeeper. Many came to this world from the outside, but few would ever leave. the only thing that could guarantee safe teleportation back to the earth plane was the Tethyst 13 transportation control whoever was in possession of this device could return to wherever world they so pleased just as long as they had it strapped to their person for centuries the thirteenth pass key as it was commonly referred to had resided in Karl well of course it had no divine right to be here nor were there any reasons for it to remain in

carlo forever, but it was nonetheless Yusafsi's task to watch over it and ensure that it was not destroyed or placed in harm's way. Yusafsi, the keeper of the 13th Pasky. Well, of course, she'd known that this Harry character was pure trouble from the moment he'd first established contact. It was a situation she'd encountered countless times through the ages, a being trapped in a plain of existence utterly alien to them, with an aching to return to where, they'd come from but without access to a pass key naturally he tried the age old trickery and told the same faucets had had so many before him such behavior had always irked her the key was there to assist in interdimensional travel and all who sought help would be granted clemency there was no reason at all

to approach this situation with anything other than the absolute truth why did these fools feel the need to lie to her moreover why did they always always seemed to end up in possession of the viewing devices. Her thoughts drifted. There was a young female here. She was brave and strong and single-minded. She clearly experienced pain beyond her years and survived due to her resilience.

She would need to be all those qualities and much more if she was to use the device to teleport out of this world. Could she finally be the one? In fact, I can say with all certainty that you were the first ever ten. down my offer. Something unique in this time here on earth was cutly occurring.

Harry simply couldn't read Barnes' emotions. This was one particular human being to be reckoned with. No, when I had turned down my offer previously. I'm impressed, which makes what I have to do now all the more regrettable. Barnes had been expecting this. Be it in the movies or the real world, no villain ever does the spill of the beans monologue without the inevitable denouement. Now I do have the power to bring one person back from Carly.

I merely wait until there in the desired location and have the tethyst device strapped to their body. I'd hope that it would be you. You do make such an ideal candidate, after all. All you'd need to do is stand right here, then one flick of this switch, and I could forego the typical quest nonsense I used to convince the others and place you directly in Carlo. Another flick of the switch

And I bring you back Provided you were in possession Of a certain teleportation device at it Okay, play it cool, Barnes Ah, such a shame But as I'm sure you've realized Detective Barnes I can't let you walk out of the door

Knowing what you know Barnes noticed Harry reaching into his pocket Only to retrieve a pistol He needed to think fast wait michael sir i'm sure we can work this out barn started to move slowly to his right not purposefully toward harry's desk but slowly away from the spot in which he stood he continued to move towards the window slowly he had to hold his nerve now this tactic nearly always worked but you had to take your time and allow your victim to take the bait oh i'm sorry detective but you've had your chance but you've had your chance chance. Harry then made the tiniest of first steps away from behind his desk. No doubt in his mind he was simply giving himself a chance at the cleanest of shots. Little did he know, though. The game of Cadden Mouse had just begun. Only one of us can leave here, Dad.

The Lady of the Dark Waters, Uzavsi, had communicated this through thought to Kayla. She had no idea how, but after all of her experiences of this place, telepathic messaging was no longer a cause for concern. Rajinot looks at her, a smile of understanding slowly forming on his face. Ah, yeah, I'd come to that conclusion myself. Let me guess it has something to do with this thing, doesn't it? Kayla nodded. It's some kind of key or pass that lets you leave here,

just like a regular locked door. You can only go through if you have the pass. How do you know all this? Dad, I can't explain it. But there's a woman here who kind of keeps a guard on that thing, whatever it is. Well, she's in my mind now, and she's revealing all the truths about this to me. Harry didn't set this device so that it would hurt you. He has no control over it.

But you're right, he does want it for his own purposes. A device is an exceptional entity. It doesn't want to hurt you, but it does recognize the potential danger that Harry getting hold. of it poses that's why it attacked you the way it did reginald considered the situation whatever the risks he now knew what he had to do Kayla you must take the device and return to earth whatever harry's intentions are it's the only way for you to survive no Kayla shook her head at this she didn't want to abandon her father after finally reuniting with him please let me finally do one good thing for you Kayla and besides I fear I'm not exactly in the

best shape for such a journey myself he then revealed the wound to his chest he'd received earlier blood seeping through his shirt at an alarming rate take the contraption and leave this god-forsaken place she nodded tears flowing down her face dad I love you thank you you. Hearing those words from my daughter has made all of this worth it. He unstrapped the device with the very last reserves of his energy and handed it to her. Put this on and escape this place. It's not quite that simple, Dad. First I need to find you, Zafsin. Then they hugged for what seemed like an eternity before Reginald's eyes finally closed. And he drew his last breath. With a look of contentment and inner peace across his face,

Barnes continued to sidle obliquely around the room without looking in Harry's direction. He didn't need to. He could sense Michael's moving away from his desk. He'd have to do this slow and pick his moment carefully, but so far so good. Oh, stay right there, detective. Barnes had no intention of doing that. He moved a couple more steps, hearing how, Harry do the same. If he were going to shoot him in the back of the head, he would have done so by now.

Oh, he wanted Barnes facing him when he did it, a factor that the detective was counting on. It's rare I find a human opponent worthy of my attention. Such a shame it has to end this way. A couple more steps from Barnes, an action then reciprocated by Harry. I've circled the centre of the room, Barnes thought to himself. now I've got this asshole out in the open. If anything, Barnes was now closer to the viewing apparatus and the two switches than Harry, but he still needed to play it cool.

He had one shot at making this work. Whatever you do, don't make eye contact. Whatever this bastard was like, Barnes knew he wasn't going to shoot him without first being able to look him in the eye. Oh, and Harry stepped onto the sky. where in the middle of the room yet. When making his offer,

he told Barnes that all he needed to do to enter Karloff was stand within the white square while he flicked the switch. Simple as that. Oh, he was close now. He must be. Barnes could tell from the way his voice resonated. Just get him to move a couple of steps more.

Now it was time for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Barnes made to step forward again, clipping one foot against the other to give the impression of having stumbled over something. Oh, damn it, Barnes-narled. What is it? The quickest of glances out of the corner of his eye confirmed it. Harry had allowed himself to be distracted by this stupid little stunt and a move towards him just enough to be fully inside the square.

This was it. Barnes was within lunging distance of the switch, with Harry distracted just enough by his own. his lame stumbling act. He threw himself at the desk, plunging the lever downwards in one swift motion. The look of horror flashed across Harry's face as he realized what was happening. A rumbling sound filled the room, and prisms of light surrounded the square in the middle of it. Harry moved towards the edge of the square, but was thrown backward by some invisible force. Furious, he raised his gun and fired at Barnes, grazing his arm. Barnes ducked behind him. Barnes ducked behind him. He was thrown.

the desk, hoping that Harry was indeed trapped within the square. Oh, Barnes, you bastard, I can't go to Karloff, the journey will incinerate me. Well, that's the plan, you piece of shit. Barnes stayed hidden behind Michael's desk, while the cacophony of noise rose to near deafening levels. Harry screamed his lungs out as the square started to do its thing, a beam of light shooting up through the ceiling as it transported its passenger to Karloff. Last Bairns saw of him was his burning effigy as he was ripped apart by the device. Damn, said Barnes, now reclining in Harry's office chair.

I guess he wasn't lying about not being able to make the journey himself. The liar Harry creature is no longer a concern of yours. Kela had been drawn towards Uzafs' location instinctively, a relatively short and painless journey compared to everything else that had happened here. Nonetheless, these words had come as a surprise to her. You have the device. You are free to use it to return to the place you truly belong. Yusufsai was highly calm when conveying this message.

What do you mean he's no longer a concern? The connection between this realm and yours is strong. Contact has recently been made. He is no longer a concern. his life has been terminated. You are free to use it to return now. Was Harry dead? Kayla had been bracing herself for yet another fight to save her life,

if and when she made her way back to Earth. Now it seemed she had at least avoided that battle. This is, of course, pleasing to me and the other keepers of the Paskies. It would have been most unfortunate had one fallen into his hands. So, I can just leave it. then? Yes, press the button on the side of the panel and your signal will be activated. A man of good intentions is waiting on the other side and will complete the process. What about you?

Why, thank you, my dear. No one has thought to ask that question before. I'm looking forward to taking up residence elsewhere. This has been a perfectly ghastly place to keep watch over that Teth is 13. I look forward to seeing what your earth is like. "'Wait, so you're coming with me?' "'Not exactly, but as keeper of the pass-key for Tethys-13, "'I'm never too far away from it. "'You'll see me again soon enough.'

Barnes didn't have the chance to get too comfortable in Harry's office chair. "'Within a couple of minutes the viewing device was going berserk, "'a loud siren-like alarm booing out from it. "'Harry looked at it, only to be met with the sight of Kayla Erin, "'standing next to some weird ethereal, female figure she was standing inside a square very similar to the one in harry's office barnes knew what to do or at least he hoped he did well kid this sent the transport her off in one direction i'm guessing that if i flick the other switch it'll bring you right here with nothing to lose

barnes flicked the switch within seconds a somewhat disheveled but very much alive cala erin was standing before him detective barnes Miss Aaron Very nice to see you again She slumped to the floor Complete physical and mental exhaustion Wrought across her face Barnes immediately went to comfort her

Whincing at the sudden realization Of how much his arm hurts Oh, you're okay detective Your arm looks pretty bad I'll live Now let's get you a shower Some clean clothes And I'm taking you for breakfast

The paperwork on this one was going to be a next-level nightmare for Barnes. He'd worry about that later, though. He could do with a decent meal himself, and in the blink of an eye, Tapsio witnessed the Lady of the Dark Waters leave the realm of Carlo. These had been exciting times to have lived through, what with all these outsiders washing up constantly over these past decades. In the end, he hadn't gotten what Harry had promised him,

but then again wasn't that always the way at least now perhaps his life could return to normal too best diner in the city for this kind of crap eat up you look like you need it Kayla did not hesitate oh and just to let you know Barnes added I'm gonna have to question you formally about all this but I've got a feeling we'll both need to get our story straight before that happens Kayla looked at him and nodded And, by the way, Barnes leaned in close, speaking in a little more than a whisper. Do you know that lady's sitting alone at the table in the corner? She's been watching you ever since we sat down. Kayla smiled. Don't worry about her, detective. Just think of her as my new guardian angel.

Barnes thought better than to ask and instead got to work on his own breakfast. As Barnes dug his fork into his eggs, he heard his phone go off. Apologetically, he looked at Kayla and answered it. Another one. I'll be right there, he said, finishing his eggs in a rush. He set down a $20 bill. I apologize, Kayla, but works calling me. Oh, I understand.

Go. She smiled up at him. Detective Barnes wished he'd wish to him. She'd not eaten so fast because he knew what awaited him. There had been another murder, and he hoped this one wasn't as gross as the last one. It had been hard to eat after seeing the body of the woman and what had happened to her skull.

Barnes thought no more of it as he drove off. As he did, he felt as though someone or something was watching over him, and would be for a very long time. In the rear-view mirror was a woman. Detective Barnes nearly wrecked his vehicle. It was a lady. from the diner. He pulled over and turned around, but

she was gone. And so Barnes drove off into the sun as it came up over the city. And so once again, we reached the end of tonight's podcast. My thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories, and to you for taking

the time to listen. Now I'd ask one small favour of you. Wherever you get your podcast wrong, please write a few nice words and leave a five-star review. as it really helps the podcast. That's it for this week, but I'll be back again, same time, same place, and I do so hope you'll join me once more.

Until next time, sweet dreams and bye-bye.