Young Writers Society

It was night again, another day has gone through. I was laying in my bed, wearing my white night gown, hearing painful sounds of people in my head again. I started to scream, trying to get rid of those painful noises from my head. Suddenly, the room became white again.

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I opened my eyes slowly, seeing myself lying on a field of grass outside of that cave I saw before I woke up in the real world. I'm here again...

All I hear is yelling coming from the cave, which made me tilt my head in confusion. "What in the world...?" I stood up from the ground, walking to the cave wearing only my white night gown with no shoes and no coat, because it was surprisingly chilly outside. As I walked into the cave, I noticed Etain and Hope getting ready to fight. My eyes widened as I see them two in fighting stance. Then suddenly, I saw Etain attacking Hope, which made her cry in the end. I heard someone clap, which made me turn to see who it was. It was the man that was unconscious earlier before I disappeared.

“That was an amazing finale!” He yells, chuckling. “Shame you still have clothes on though, I was hoping it would get more exciting!”

So this guy is a pervert... Next thing I knew I saw Etain walking to him, his eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t like you,” She said, voice low. “Don’t make me hate you.”

"So I leave for a while, and this what happens?" Everyone in the cave turned, surprised to see me. "Kanna!" Grace came up to him, hugging me tightly as we both fell on the ground. "Ow ow ow..." Grace looked at me, looking miserable. "Glad you came back. It was total chaos in here after you left."

"So this is Kanna, huh?" The man who was unconscious earlier looked at me in a weird way. Like he was examining me or something. "Not bad, not very good in the breast department, but not bad."

W-What?! This guy is starting to irritate me... "The name's Peter." He placed his hand on my head, rubbing the top of it gently.

It's official... I hate this pervert.

"G-Glad you came back, Kanna." I turned around, seeing Archie twirling his thumbs around and around, averting his eyes in a different direction. I smiled gently at him.

"It's good to be back."

Ash Taralyn, Void Kingdom, Claustrophobia

Darkness

Infinite darkness

The cube sealed around the edges, all-concealing, the sound of my frantic heartbeat. The sharp intake of my breath and the leather strip that was my tongue, my fingers met solid walls. Cold, metal walls and my heart beat seem to envelope me in an all-consuming loudness.

A loudness that blocked out every other thought in my head, with nothing but panic, fear. I’m trapped, what can I do? Where can I go? My thoughts scrambled pathetically at the slippery wall in my mind, trying to fight their way through but alas, none prevailed.

But there is nowhere to go! My mind wailed desperately, a lone howl in the midst of a dark forest. Curling into a foetus position I attempted to block out the loudness, the walls that beared down on me.
Walls that kept me eternally trapped in a nightmare of my own, but then the walls started to creak and crumble and I gasped awake silently, eyelids flinging open in a desperate attempt to find light.


Instead a pair of crinkled hazel eyes met mine, and the smell of air freshener and antiseptics.
“Are you alright, dear?”

I blinked, once, twice. “Where am I?” I croaked out and winced at the sound of my own voice, it was like sandpaper across a rough surface.

“You’re in the first aid room, are you alright?” Hazel eyes came closer, searching my eyes carefully before placing a wrinkled hand on top of my forehead. She frowned again, two silver brows pulling together in a dance as she suddenly stroked my cheeks carefully.

“Ah, you poor dear, they bought you in without a word with your hands around your ears, I should have known. After all, I was once like you too.”
Her cryptic words barely broken through my haze of after terror and I shifted uneasily on the white cot, remanets of the nightmare clung onto me like feathers on tar.

“Like what?”

“Being terrified of small spaces,” She walked around casually, filling up a white plastic cup of tap water. She walked over to me and set the cup down and spoke “is all about illusions, you see.”

“Illusions?” I felt like a parrot, merely repeating her words, unable to form my own thoughts.

“Yes, you imagine yourself into a tiny space when indeed you are in infinity.” She waved her right hands absently, several rings jingled musically against each other. “Sleight of hand, that’s all it takes to beat the illusions. See through the darkness and you will see the truth.”

Her words had barely registered in my mind before someone burst through the room, my limbs felt like a pile of burnt rubber as I patted John’s back awkwardly as he enveloped me in a bear hug. This kid was probably the closest thing I had to a friend.

“I’m fine, John.” Chuckling lightly, I peeled John gently away and offered the old nurse an apologetic smile as he pulled me out of the first aid room. Bright sunlight blazed down from above and blinded me from a second, several students past me by and offered me words of comfort.

I smiled at them politely and let John pulled me on my way, the rest of the day went by is normal routine, but the nurse’s words could not be removed by any means. It hovered in my mind all the way through dinner, and at last midnight.
Shutting the glass lamp on my desk shut with weary fingers, I shut my novel tiredly. Pale ribbons of moonlight streamed into my room through the windows and fell upon my bed like silk, more tired than ever. I stumbled blindly onto the bed, and fell into oblivion.

Down

Down

Down

Into that familiar cubed room, the sense of fear clogged my sense again; the walls were closing in again but this time, I felt something quite different.
Instead of repelling it, instead of repelling against the darkness, the fear and the choking sense of panic. I welcomed it all, I opened my arms and heart and watched as the walls swallowed me whole and left me in an entirely different place.

White.

It was the only thing my senses could perceive.

Instead of darkness, this place was enveloped in an endless sea of white.

Instead of loudness, silence replaced it.

And this time, it was much more terrifying. Illusions or not, my mind was blank as a piece of paper and then, through the whiteness, came the cards.

Cards that whizzed past me with razor blades that glinted sharply even in the whiteness. All sense of logicalness abandoned me as a tower of them came whizzing towards me, letting out a desperate yowl of terror. I ran, on and on. Heading nowhere but to get away from the killer cards. My mind was focused on one thing, away.

And it was as one closed down on me. A powerful shimmer rippled through the air and propelled me upwards, my scream screeching higher as I flew higher and then I plummeted down my scream following me as I landed amidst a group of strangers before all my senses failed.

Hope Kyler, Algophobia, First Zone

I stared at Etain, breathing hard. Why am I such an idiot? I broke down in front her, and ended up crying like a baby. WITH WITNESSES. I sighed. I suppose this is why I never had friends. Everyone else was already pairing up and making couples and I was, once again left being he awkward third wheel. I hated it. I suppose it was my fault though. If I wouldn't have had a mental breakdown maybe it would have been a different outcome.

"Hope." Etain's stern voice interrupted me from wallowing in self-pity. "I have nothing to say to you." I spat, turning my head to glare at her. "I have nothing to say to any of you." With that, I turned around and stomped out of the cave, steam pouring from my ears. I didn't know where I had gone, or where I was going. I just wanted...away. Hours later, I had calmed down enough to look at my surroundings.

The ground was cracked and dry. The entire place seem to have a red, evil taste. I felt like I had run straight to hell. Maybe I had. A palace loomed above me, towering over me, dominating me. I looked around, fearful. Shakily, I turned to leave only to crash into two ripped men. Muscles bulged from their arms and legs, and evil shone from their eyes. I gulped. "Josh. Isn't she the one boss wants?" The taller one asked. I turned, trying to run, but was quickly grabbed from behind and slung over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I struggled wildly, fighting the man with all my strength. Unfortunately, I was hardly an annoyance to him, and he didn't take kindly to being annoyed. The last thing I remembered before being knocked unconscious was me screaming one name. "ETAIN!"

Archer Thomas, Knives, First Zone

Hope must have been a cross country star at her school; running was really her forte. After the skirmish with Etain, which Archie had failed to stop, she left. Well, she had come back earlier, so the chances were he'd run into her again.
"Aww, shoot," Peter said, lazily watching her disappear, "I was hoping you'd get at it again."
Etain was on him quick as a whistle, and Kanna grimaced. "Is it just me, or do I sense a personality clash?"
"Maybe you could silence them for a bit until they calm down," Archie suggested. Hearing Peter curse and Etain scream old war cries was giving him a headache.
"Yeah, but knowing those two, they'd just attack me too. It's probably better to sit this out and not tell them." She jerked her thumb to Grace and Dylan, who were probably sitting around in the cave.
Sniffing pathetically, Archie looked at his ghost leg. Ever since he decided the other boys, Kanna and Grace too, could be good friends, it had ached right at the middle of his thigh. And it was certainly no coincidence that its pain radiated from the exact spot where it turned from real to insubstantial-looking.
"Figured anything out about it yet?" Kanna asked, pointing at Archie's leg. Clearly, even though neither of them wanted to discuss the verbal brawl between Peter and Etain, she still found something unnerving to talk about.
"Uh, it's probably some kind of manifestation," Archie muttered, "We're all just dreaming, after all."
"Oh, right." Kanna glanced back at the cave before giggling. "I'm not sure Grace and Dylan see it that way though."
Finally, a joke that didn't involve lewdness. Archie couldn't help but snicker along with Kanna. "But you know," she started, suddenly serious, "Isn't it weird? We're all asleep, and yet, the time is... Is everyone in a coma or something?"
Archie's leg pulsed, sending a painful distress call along his nerves. He tensed, but clenched his teeth and held in a yelp. "I hope not," Archie said, shoving his hands back in his pockets, "That'd be pretty weird."
Suddenly, Kanna cocked her head, concentrating. "Shh, I hear something. It's a guy, screaming."
"It could be me screaming internally," Archie said, trying his hand at the joke-making, but then he heard it too. He gazed upward to find a green dot plummeting towards him at breakneck speed. "Gah!" he squeaked, immediately pulling on whatever metal was closest. Unlucky for him, it was Etain's sword.
"Archie, what do you think you're doing!" Kanna yelled, watching the broze streak across the hilly horizon to snag whoever was falling. "You've impaled an innocent person!"
Screeching like nails on glass, the sword stabbed through the rock above the cave entrance, an unconscious guy hanging by the neck of his T-shirt.
"Um, great work?" Kanna said, blinking rapidly. Archie's jaw had probably dropped further than it should have, and he too, blinked in surprise. He didn't even notice when The rest of the group gathered around him, scolding him for, one, breaking up Etain and Peter's fight, and two, scaring the wits out of Grace and Dylan.
Peter cracked a joke about the 'lovebirds making out when it happened', but rather than laugh with him, Archie felt his left leg give way beneath his body. That was the plane. That was how it crashed, by smashing into the face of a mountain after someone hijacked it.
That was the day he felt pure fear.
And then, Archer Thomas woke up.

Dylan| Enochlophobia| First zone

Grace explained to me the horrors that awaited her when she woke up. I was aghast to think that a father could be so cruel to his child. My father struck me only once, but that was because I’d accidently brought mud into the house and ran through all the rooms, splattering muddy hands on the walls. I found his study, and all the paper, and created a masterpiece. Father didn’t see it that way, of course, and smacked me across the backside. Never brought mud into the house again.
Grace started crying, and I – trying to be humane – pulled her into a hug. Her arms wrapped around me tightly, squeezing all the air from my lungs. When she stopped crying, I pulled away and tried smiling at her.
“Look, I’m sure everything will be alright. Here, anyway,” I offer.
She’s about to say something when a sword hits the rocks right above my head. Grace screams, and I let out a yelp, jumping back. We turn to see everyone laughing, the oldest woman and dragon boy stare in shock. There is some laughter, and someone says something about Grace and I.
My face goes beet red and I stand up quickly. “We’re just friends, leave us alone,” I growl.
“Oh, sure you are,” dragon boy teases.
Anger rises in my chest and I step toward him. The oldest woman notices and strolls over to me. I back up, staring into her grey eyes with fear.
“Everyone can just settle down,” she says, looking over her shoulder at the others.
I look away angrily, and then picture myself invisible. But before I blink out, something wakes me.
***
“Dylan, get out of bed, now!” Father growls.
I groan and roll over, sitting up in the uncomfortable bed. “What time is it?” I call.
“It’s two in the afternoon,” Father walks into the room, his face a dark cloud of anger.
I flop back onto the bed, thinking of the dream I’d just had. Of Grace, and dragon boy, and the woman with the grey eyes. And Archie and Kanna. I have made friends, and none of them are from this world.
“Dylan, get up now!” Father opens the blinds and sunlight streams in, almost blinding me. I’ve always slept in a dark room. I hate waking up to sunlight.
“Urgh! Father, what’s so bad about sleeping in? It’s not like we’re going to do anything today anyway,” I retort.
Father gives me a look that shuts me up. “Have you been up all night reading again?” He asks.
I look down, my blue eyes focusing and unfocusing. I’ve learnt to do that, and apparently it unnerves people. Well, that’s what Father told me. He warned me not to do that in the city.
“Maybe,” I mumble.
“Dylan, get up. You can’t sleep all day,” Father walks out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
“I can if I want to!” I shout back, but the light has prevented me from sleeping.
I turn to my laptop and pull it onto the bed. I open the screen and look at the desktop, trying not to laugh. And then sadness overwhelms me. It’s a picture of Mother and me in a tree, pulling faces, with black-rimmed glasses on.
Turning my attention to the small safari icon and click on it. The only good thing about this place is that there is internet, and it doesn’t drop out every five seconds.
I get onto a website that allows you to search for people and events, and I type in “Grace”. Thousands of Grace’s appear, so I decide to search for those in North America. I find nothing. Next I type in Kanna, and then Archer, and then Hope.
Finding nothing, I growl and shut the laptop. I then pull out my drawing book and start sketching the faces of my new found friends. Eventually, my eyes begin drooping as the sun goes down. I don’t know how much time has passed, but when I look out the window, the sun is gone.
“Dylan, dinner,” Father yells through the house.
But my eyes close and I fall asleep, the drawing pad still in my hands.

Archie awoke to the smell of lemon and a slow, steady beeping. Darkened white walls were dappled with lights. This wasn’t home.
Since they lacked curtains, Archie could see houses through the windows, sprawling out in the surrounding area. The hospital at home was surrounded by tall buildings, not skyscrapers, but still tall. He faced south, an obvious fact since the likely-to-be-American Kanna had just fallen asleep somewhere, and the only natural light Archie saw shone from his right.
He sniffed and looked over himself. His white hospital shirt looked awkward over his dark skin, and if felt just as bad, loose as the thoughts in his mind. He was connected to some kind of machine, though his data base of knowledge was still out of whack, and he couldn’t figure out what it did.
And then names popped into his mind. PanAm/KLM. Nine-Eleven. The Dragon. Mount Osutaka.
Plane crashes. The deadliest in aviation history. Why now? Archie shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts before realizing the fuzziness in his lower body. It felt like pins and needles, but less painful. He tried to push himself to a sitting position, but found himself too weak.
Suddenly, he heard the squeal of an opening door, and the click of the light switch flicking on. “Who’s there?” he asked, voice quivering.
“Oh!” It was a man’s voice, and his shoes padded on the tile floor. “You’re awake?” The man emerged from the short ‘hallway’ between the door and the room. “Well then, good morning, or rather, good night, Mr. Thomas.” He was a nurse, dressed in awkward-looking green scrubs.
“Um, same to you,” Archie said.
“Well, according to police reports, you were on Horizon flight 820, heading to Pasco, right? The investigators want to know exactly what happened to you and the other passengers, but we can’t disclose information until you say so, or until your parents come and sign a form for it.”
“I’m not sure I know what happened to me.”
Taking a seat next to Archie’s bed, the man smiled and held his pen above a clipboard. “Well, if you’re ready for it, I’ll tell you what we know happened to you, and then you can decide whether or not to say more, or tell what you figured out from it.”
Archie nodded.
“Well, you suffered head injuries,” the man said, glancing down at his paper. Archie sort of remembered that. “And it appears that your left leg was amputated rather badly. That’s an unusual injury considering this was a plane crash. We had to cut off a little more of your leg because of the traumatic removal.”
Blinking, Archie felt water drip from his eyes. No. “So that did happen,” he whispered, “I thought maybe I had been exaggerating it in my head, like nothing actually went wrong.”
“What happened? The investigators really need your help. They have no clue about anything that went on in that plane.”
Archie sniffled loudly, feeling a sticky streak roll down his cheek. He ignored the question. “Have you called my parents?”
“We tried, but no one was at home. We’re currently asking your local hospital for further contact information.”
Good. He needed time. “Am I in Seattle?” he asked.
“Yes, you’re at the Seattle Children’s hospital. You were originally admitted to one closer to the crash site, but it was decided that we had the best chance of helping you with… other matters.”
Archie rubbed his bare arms slowly, staring out the window. It was almost completely dark outside. “Like?”
“A possible prosthetic.”
He flicked his gaze towards the nurse. “Can I have visitors yet?”
“Um, maybe. Why?”
“I’d like company sometime, and I have a friend in Seattle.”
Sighing, the nurse checked the clock on the wall. It hadn’t been ticking, mostly so that it was easier to hear Archie’s heartbeat on the machine. “I’d better go. There’s a help button if you need someone right away. And if we hear someone specifically looking for you, I guess they could probably come up. You aren’t critical.”
Archie watched the man leave, letting the darkness of his room envelope him. It would be a while before he fell asleep, for Archer Thomas had some plotting to do.

Padma Menon / Ice kingdom/ Ophidiophobia
The next day, I found myself staring at the old oak shelf that was filled with binded and unbinded books with answers. Answers for all the mysteries, puzzles and riddles but, there was none for me, for my pain. A book that could possibly help me survive from the haunting. I sensed people looking at me and sneering and I didn’t bother may be I don’t have to or maybe I didn’t care.
“You do realize that you’ve been here for an hour, right? I mean, standing in the same area without moving.” asked me a middle aged librarian with his poring eyes. “Maybe I could help, eh? What do you think? He added, examining the shelf skilfully and moving his fingers as if he were orchestrating. “You didn’t ask me what I want?” I said, narrowing my eyes wondering whether he was part of the mystery.
“Exactly.” He said, grinning.
He handed me a huge untitled book. I hesitated for a while but his eyes were appealing, his innocent blue eyes made me believe him. Without waiting for my reply he turned around and walked away, humming the strangest tone I’ve ever heard.
The book was heavier than I anticipated, I pressed it closer to my chest as if it were a baby. I found a seat next to a long French window overlooking the vivid garden. I sat there in silence staring at the book.
I lay on my bed and fell asleep even before I could realize that I was tired.

I was there again, in the crowd. The big bellied man, yelled at his servants and the snake charmer played the same haunting tone which echoed inside my ears. I had the servants push my face closer to the jute box where the slithering creature lay in peace. I tightened my muscles and my jaws, I saved all my energy that I normally waste in screaming and fighting back. This time I knew how to fight back. The power to think quickly, is all you need when you are in the enemies hand. Patience and the power to think, quickly. They pressed my head harder and the charmer tapped his feet faster, making the grains of sand below is feet to jump. The vibration passed under the ground without disturbing the earthly particles, tingling the even fins of the creature making it to rise and there I noticed. I gave out a loud scream, pulling out my hand from one of the shocked servant’s grip and took the slithery creature. It opened its mouth show casing it’s deadly venom filled teeth, I turned to my left and plunged the snakes teeth into other servant’s face. The crowd gasped when they witnessed the two huge servants fell on the crowd. I stood with a snake in my hand, not afraid of its two tongues and its slithery oily skin. The crowd roared in amusement, some whistled on the arrival of the town’s new hero. The big bellied man stared at me with his wide eyes. He tried to stand up with a lot of difficulty, he kept staring at my posture and with a raised hand he made the exciting crowd go quiet. With a loud shrieking voice he said, “I present you, our new warrior.” With that, the crowd threw garlands on the ground I was standing. For almost what seemed an lifetime, I felt alive.

Peter Costa|Fire Kingdom|Drakonophobia|Awake

I gasped in shock as my eyes suddenly ripped open. My little god-brother had just jumped on my bed and started hopping up and down.

I groaned. "Sam, get off my bed before I shove you off."

He looked at me with careful, mischievous green eyes, like he was trying to see whether I was bluffing or not. For a six year old, the kid was like an evil genius. After an intense standoff, he stuck out his tongue and ran out of the room.

"Oh, lunch is ready, Pete," he said as he ran out.

I got up and stretched, looking at myself in the lengthy mirror hanging on my closet. My brown hair looked like a rats nest and there was thankfully no sign of scales.

"Well thats one less thing I have to explain to Marie," I sighed, pulling a shirt on and smoothing out my hair. "It was hard enough explaining why there were so many discarded tissues in my trash when I clearly didn't have a cold."

I walked out of my room and entered the kitchen, my god-parents were already at work and my sister, Susan, was busy serving lunch to Sam.

She glanced up at me. "Pete, it's one o'clock in the afternoon for God's sake, you need to stop staying up so late... blowing your nose," she snickered at me.

"I don't know what your talking about, for your information, I was playing Assassin's Creed and Battlefield," I said, grabbing a piece of bacon from her plate and leaned back in a chair, my legs crossed on top the table. I immediately whipped my phone out and started texting my friends.

"Don't you have something to do today, you lazy ass," Susan said to me, wiping Sam's nose.

I shot up. "Crap, you're right, I have a date with Clair today," I had completely forgotten, I was supposed to pick her up at Children's Hospital, were she volunteers then go out for Starbucks with her.

After getting properly dressed in an untucked, grey dress shirt with a skinny black tie and a pair of skinny khakis, I ran out the door and grabbed my keys.

"Wear protection!" I heard my sister yell at me as I ran out the door and into the hallway of our apartment complex. And people wonder where I get my sense of humor from.

I ran out into the bright, Seattle day. For once, it wasn't raining and I started up my car, looking at my phone. I sighed, looked like I was going to be fashionably twenty minutes late, as usual.

After driving through the busy Seattle streets, I finally made it to Children's. Claire wasn't standing out front, so I decided to park and go inside. Hopefully she wouldn't be too mad. Then again, who could stay mad at this face?

I walked through the sterile hallways, flashing my guest ID at some security. I volunteer at the hospital during the summer so I was given a guest ID, that I just "forgot" to give back once school started. I was walking towards the wing Clair volunteered at but as I walked by an open door, something caught my eye. A boy was laying on a bed, watching TV.

I stopped walking, shocked. I knew that boy. I quickly shut the door to the room as I slipped in, Archie rolled over and looked at me. I had no words to describe how shocked a felt at that moment.

"You know, part of me just wanted that to simply be a dream," I said, walking over to his bed. "You just had to ruin everything, didn't you?

Etain| Uselessness in battle/Romans| First zone

The scream sliced through the air like a hot knife would butter. Etain knew straight away who the owner was. Hope. Several thoughts ran through Etain’s head after she heard that scream.
Thought one: Why would Hope scream my name? Though two: Why was her scream so loud. Thought three: Where the bloody hell is that girl? Thought four: I hope she isn’t in danger. And finally, though five: Etain, stop wasting your time thinking about it and go see what’s wrong!
Etain whistled and Galzar came cantering over. She mounted the stallion midstride and pushed him into a gallop. All she had to do was picture the girl and found where she’d stopped.
Dismounting, Etain looked around through the grass. She found tracks, two more sets that shouldn’t be there. It looked like a struggle, but a small struggle.
“It’s the girl your fought,” Galzar told her.
“I know it was her,” Etain looked up, grey eyes narrowed. “But who else was it?”
Galzar made a noise that sounded like indifference. “Who knows but …” he lifts his nose to the sky. “They were tall and male.”
Etain cursed and remounted her horse. She turned him around and galloped back to the group. Peter and Archie were gone, it was only Kanna, Grace, an unconscious boy, and Dylan, who was keeping one eye on Etain.
“I’m going to search for Hope,” Etain told them.
Kanna leapt to her feet. “We’ll come with you,” she said.
Etain shook her head. “No. It’s my fault she’s gone. Besides, I can travel easier alone, and I have Galzar,” she patted her horse’s neck affectionately.
“That’s his name, Galzar?” Grace looked at the white stallion sceptically. “Prince would have been much better.”
Etain wrinkles her nose, but decides not to argue with the girl. “Whatever. I’m going and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
With that Etain rode away. Galzar picked up his pace as they galloped back to the place Hope was taken. Etain didn’t bother stopping Galzar. It was like a glowing line had appeared, showing her the path the two men had taken with Hope. She could almost see them, tall and burly, with Hope slung over the shoulder of one of them.
Anger blazed through Etain’s chest. She’s going to kill both men whether in cold blood or not. They stole her friend, and they’ve made her their enemy.
It was as the sun had reached it zenith that Etain saw that the tracks suddenly stopped. She dismounted Galzar to find she was in mountainous terrain, the ground pebbly, with lots of trees around her and mountains either side, blocking out most of the light.
“Is this place too familiar?” Galzar asked her.
Etain nodded slowly. Just then, a group of men came walking along the path she was following. All of them were a-horse, and all of them had silver armour on with billowing capes. All of them were Roman soldiers.
“Oh here we go,” Galzar breathes as Etain pulled out her sword.
Here was the second part of her fear she’d now have to face. Romans.

Grace | Astenphobia| First Zone| Awake



As soon as I woke up I started crying. My face still pressed into the wood floor blood puddled around me. My dad had passed out on the couch, thank god. I stood up slowly becoming dizzy already and walked slowly to my room not letting my left hand drop from my blood covered head. I changed into a tee shirt and running shorts I had stolen form the mall and my old, beat up, converse.

I grabbed a wad of toilet paper and stuck that to the back of my head and walked out the door. As soon as my head stop bleeding I put my long hair up in a bun to cover the blood. I walked through our terrifying neighbor hood always keeping one hand in a fist just in case. I started to feel less dizzy so I sped up to a jog. I sped through the shady neighbor hood and through the town ignoring the looks from people who knew about me and dad, which was mostly everyone. I came to the rich neighborhood and turned into the 7th house down which was white and grand.

I hopped the fence into the back yard and climbed up the side of the house to my friends bedroom. I climbed onto his balcony and knocked on the window. He looked up from his video game and ran over to open the window for me.

"Grace you look stunning," He said sarcastically giving me a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and replied, "You trying spending a night with my dad and then you'll see how beautiful you can look, Riley."

I crawled through the open window and onto his bed. He ran into the bathroom and cam back with a wet paper towel and a hair brush.

"Anything for the Queen," He said with a bow.

"You're an ass hole," I replied pointing my free right hand at him.

Riley flicked his hair out of his eyes and sat down next to me to return to his video game. My hair as soon blood free and I brushed it still it was silky and smooth. I heard Riley mumble something about me turning into Rapunzel, but I decided to let that one slide.

I threw out the paper towel and rested the brush on his bed before running into the closet to get my emergency pair of clothes. I slipped into the jeans and COD tee shirt and returned to my seat next to him.

"Can stay here tonight?" I asked Riley poking his cheek.

"Sure, I don't care." He replied with a shrug.

We heard foot steps up the stairs and I ran into the closet to hide from his mom. I could hear her crying as soon as Riley opened the door, she must be fighting with her husband, Mr. Henderson. I heard the door close and I crawled back out of the closet to find Riley crouching on the floor with his head in his hands.

"He's gone for good this time," Riley mumbled when I came over and bent down next to him rubbing circles into his back to calm him down.

"It's for the best buddy," I replied pulling him close to me in a tight hug.

We sat together like this till his room got dark and night time struck the clock. We pulled out the sleeping bags and slept on his bedroom floor listening to sounds of each other breathing till we both fell asleep.

Hope Kyler, Algophobia, Location Unknown

Crunch, crunch. I heard the sound of men talking. I groaned. My head was pounding. Where am I? I wondered. I tried to remember what happened and it all came back in a rush. "Etain..." I whispered. Why did I leave? "Aw, look she's awake." My blood froze. My body turned to ice. I knew that voice. I twisted my head to look at the person who had talked. It was one of the men who had captured me. Josh.

I rose to my feet. "Leave me alone." My voice came out shakily, and I could tell the men were amused. "Leave me alone." One of the men imitated. I backed up, looking for an opportunity to escape. The men rose to their feet. "I wouldn't go anywhere, girly." One of them sneered. "There's no where to go." I looked around and regretfully saw he was right. No escape. But that didn't stop me from trying.

I spun around and took off into the woods. "That little *****!" One of them called. I could hear their footsteps pounding behind me, their larger strides easily catching up with me. I was grabbed around the waist and hoisted into the air. I fought and kicked, even screamed once. "HELP ME!" But once again, the men just laughed. The one guy, Josh looked over at me. "Let's get her back to the boss." He said. Once again, I was slung over his shoulder and marched out of the clearing. This time, I decided I wouldn't fight him. After all, being knocked unconcious isn't really that fun.

I don't know how much time passed, but eventually we ended up at a black palace. It just looked....evil. The Josh and his friend dragged me inside, through several twisted hallways. The place reeked of death and destruction. Finally, we reached the throne room. Josh and his friend pulled me in and shoved me to the floor, while bowing to the throne themselves.

-POV of the unknown-
I looked at the pathetic girl in front of me. Two of my best, Josh and Kyle, had brought her to me. "Well done." I hissed. "Anything for you." They murmured. "We serve you." I smiled. Sick and cruel. "You may leave now." They bowed again and ran from the throne room. I now turned my attention to the girl. She would break, and be mine. Then, I would target the rest of that pitiful group of travelers. I laughed. My next target would soon be brought to me. I wanted to let him watch as I broke her. "Lock her up." I said. "Make sure she doesn't wake up." My soldiers scrambled to obey, always afraid. Afraid of me...As they should be. I laughed again. Evil.

No, don't wake up. You got lot to see. You are a Hero now, savour up the moment.

I murmured it to myself. The crowd were going crazy, and few men even jumped inside the circle to check the reality of my act. The snake hissed and curled up around my neck, ready to attack anyone who gutted to near me. A huge man with a weak smile printed on his face, walked proudly with a puffed chest while his servants pushed the excited mob out from the way. The red dust which raised from of the ground blinded his view of me. But I was able to recognize him. How can I forget this man? He was the one who blocked my view in the beginning, he was the one who welcomed the bellied man to view this amazing act. He was the minister and the owner of the market. His eyes was covered with pride and proudness, I knew that he hasn't come to congratulate me. He was not amused either, he was simply proud, as if he saw it coming.

"Maharaja, wants to take you to his palace. After you." he said.

He didn't ask me for my permission, he didn't inform me either, he simply wants to take me away with him.

Archer Thomas, Knives, Real world + Second Zone

Archie had not expected this.
He sniffled and turned off the television in his room, even though the documentary on quantum physics had been very enlightening.
“You know, part of me wanted that to simply be a dream,” Peter said, crossing his arms and glaring, “You just had to ruin everything, didn’t you?”
Archie crunched his weak abs before getting his arms in the right position to sit up. He prodded at the empty sheets left of his remaining leg and sighed. “Um, sorry.”
“Whatever. What’s done is done.” Peter stomped around Archie’s bed to sit in the nurse’s chair. “So what’re you doing here? I thought you said you were from, uhh…”
“East side,” Archie said, fingering the sheets covering his leg, “But I’m supposed to get a prosthetic, so I ended up at a more specialized hospital.”
Leaning back in his chair, Peter looked out the window, but then he suddenly sprang forward. “Wait a minute.” He turned back to Archie, a confused look on his face. “What do you need a prosthetic for?”
“F-f-for my leg. It was amputated recently.”
“Recently?” Peter narrowed his eyes, sending shivers through Archie’s messed-up nervous system. “Like how recently?”
“A f-f-few d-days?”
Shifting his eyes back to the window, Peter whispered. “Like three days? The day of that local plane crash?”
Archie nodded.
“And you haven’t told anyone what happened? What did you do, faint?”
About to explain, Archie hesitated. “I-I-I can’t say it. Not until I make sure nothing else will happen.” He turned to Peter. “I need your help. Do you have a laptop I can borrow?”
“Yeah.” Peter sounded suspicious.
“Good. I need to use it for some remote hacking. You won’t mind bringing it to me tomorrow?”
Peter stepped back, blinking. “I thought you were a wimp, not some mad hacker.”
“I am a wimp,” Archie said, “a brave person would have fought back way earlier than this. By the way, what are you doing here?”
The older boy stiffened, his face contorting into what almost looked like fear. Archie had a hard time imagining what could make Peter scared, and he even scared himself trying to think about it.
“Crap! You got me sidetracked, Archer.” Peter scrambled out of the room, but paused at the door. “I’ll let you borrow my laptop, but I’m staying here while you use it. No funny business.” He flung the door open and jumped out, looking both ways like he needed to sprint across a busy street.
“Um… Bye?” Archie said before laying himself back down. He’d stayed up all last night planning his attack and now he was well and truly tired. Sleep came as easily to him as it did to a baby.
***
Archie’s return to the dreamland was confusing. He seemed to be far from wherever he woke up, and the friends he’d made were no where in sight. Instead of being surrounded by hills and rocks, he sat on a marble bench that lay within an endless labyrinth of gardens. Pungent roses and honey-suckle grew everywhere, and lotus bloomed in large ponds surrounding the bench.
Archie checked his leg. It was just as nonexistent now as it was in the real world. He knew he shouldn’t have woken up. Tentatively, Archie scooted to the edge of the bench. He lowered himself to sit on the ground before one-leggedly crab-walking along the marble walkway.
Thought he had to rest a lot, Archie finally reached an area with others in it. There wasn’t anyone he knew, but all the residents of the garden were weeping about their oddities. A woman with spinach for hair cried loudly about her lover wanting to cook her hair and eat it.
One person stood out among the strangers though. It was a girl, obviously older than Archie, though probably around the same height. A green snake coiled around her neck and arms, flitting its tongue in and out. She was the first to notice Archie’s arrival.
“Who are you?” she said calmly.
Archied tried unsuccessfully to scurry backwards, but failed and landed on his bottom. “I-I-I’m Archie.”
“Did Maharaja buy you too?”
Archie shook his head frantically. “I shouldn’t be here, should I? I just fell asleep and I was hoping to end up with my friends, but I landed here…” he trailed off, laughing sheepishly.
“You fell asleep?” Suddenly, she grinned and raced to Archie, bending down with a hand extended to help him up. “So we’re both like that, huh? I’m from the real world too, but I was bought or something while here. I’m not stuck, am I?”
Archie stayed on the ground and hoped he didn’t appear rude. “Uh, no, you’re not stuck. I think it has something to do with what you’re thinking when you fall asleep.”
“Awesome! So tomorrow night when I come back, I won’t end up here?”
“That sounds right.”
The girl stood up again and stroked her snake’s head before freezing and staring into the distance. “He’s here,” she whispered. “It’s Maharaja.”
Something about the way she said that made Archie need the bathroom very badly.

Dylan| Enochlophobia| First zone

Grace disappears, and I’m left with Kanna and an unconscious man lying in next to me. He literally fell from the sky, and Kanna, Grace and I carried him into the cave.
“So, you and Grace, huh?” Kanna asks.
I know I’m blushing by the wide smile that graces her face soon after the question. “No. There’s nothing going on between us. We’re just friends,” I quickly say.
“Alright, alright!” Kanna holds up her hands defensively. “I was just wondering because you two were getting awfully close before.”
“No I … she was just telling me stuff, about her life,” I explain.
Kanna smiles. “Oh, I see! Hoping to find each other in the real world?” She laughs at my face.
“You’re a bitch, Kanna,” I grumble, but then smile at her.
We sit in silence for a while, when suddenly the man jolts awake, sitting up quickly. He looks around with wide eyes, and when he spots me and Kanna, he calms some what.
“Where am I?” He asks. I’m surprised to hear he has an Australian accent. Reminds me of an Australian girl I know back in the real world lodging with Father’s sister.
“In a cave,” Kanna smirks.
The man gives her a cynical look. “I figured that one out, smart-arse,” he snaps. “Where is the cave?”
“On the ground,” Kanna looks like she’s enjoying herself too much.
The man is about to say something but I cut him off. “Ignore her. We’re in some kind of dream world. I don’t know too much about it, to be quite honest,” I quickly say.
The man looks at me. “You’re British?” He asks.
Oh good lord. “Um … yes,” I give him a side-ways glance. That’s all he got from that sentence?
“What’s your name?” Kanna asks before I can say anything.
“Ash … my name is Ash,” the man says.
After an awkward silence, I stand up to go for a walk, stretch my legs a little. I find myself standing near the tree Peter and Archie had been in when watching Etain and Hope fight.
Hope. Etain left to go find her. I wonder if she’s ok. I hope she’s ok. Oh wait … that pun wasn’t intended.
I giggle at my mental joke, and then spot something from far away, a streak of black and white, speeding toward me. I will myself unseen and hide behind the tree.
It’s Etain on her horse, Galzar. The one Grace wanted to call Prince. That thought makes me smile. Who’d name a war horse Prince? But I can see how it suits him.
As Etain nears, I notice the dark expression on her face and the blood covering both her and Galzar’s body. I make myself visible and step into her view. She pulls up short beside me and narrows her eyes.
“What the hell happened to you?” I ask, shocked.
“Romans, that’s what,” she snaps.
I narrow my eyes in return. “What is it you have against me?” I growl, crossing my arms over my chest. I’m not going to admit that I’m so scared right now!
“You …” she trails off, and her cold expression changes. “I’m sorry … you’re right. Look, I’m going back to the cave –”
“I’ve always wanted to ride a war horse!” I blurt out, and she smiles.
Etain offers me her hand, and I take it hesitantly. She pulls me into the saddle by actually lifting me off the ground and pulling me onto Galzar’s back! I nearly screamed it was so startling.
As soon as my but hits the saddle and my arms wrap around Etain’s waist, the horse leaps into a canter and before I know it Etain is pulling me from her horse’s back with a huge smile.
“You’re … stronger than you look,” I manage, voice shaking.
Etain laughs. She turns around to address Kanna when her eyes fall upon Ash. Her body tenses, and she takes on threatening step toward him. Ash has a look of total fear on his face to see the bloodied woman glaring at him. Kanna quickly breaks the tension.
“Etain, this is Ash. Can he join our group?” She asks quickly.
“Why would I need to ask her to join this group?” Ash asks incredulously, his eyes never leaving Etain.
“Because I’m the leader,” she growls.
Only now do I realise Etain has a Scottish accent. I hadn’t noticed it before. I’m not so sure why, either, but its very thick and unlike any Scottish accent I’ve heard … but Scottish none of the less.
Ash looks quite intimidated. “Oh … um …” he looks from me to Etain and then to Kanna. The look in his eyes makes me stifle a giggle by slapping my hand over my mouth. Etain glances at me with an amused grin, and hen turns her attention back to Ash.
“You can stay,” she says, wiping blood from her forehead. “Just don’t get on my bad side,” she gives Ash a scathing look before leading Galzar into the cave, probably to wash him.
“I’m going for a walk,” I announce, but no one says anything.
I shrug and start walk. Something compels me to head toward the city, and as I walk, out of sight of the cave, something hits me in the head. As I fall to the ground, my vision blurring, I see a man laughing and another one fist-pumping the air. And then … nothing.

Unknown POV

The boy has been taken. My plan is unfolding well. The girl will be broken to my will, and he’ll watch. And then he can suffer. I will put them in a small space, alone. It’ll be torture. The mind will play tricks.
“We have the boy, Master,” one of the pathetic soldiers whimpers.
I glare at him, my eyes flashing. “Do you think I don’t know already?” I roar.
The man shakes and bows his head. “I’m sorry, Master,” he mutters.
“Get out of my sight,” I wave him away with the flick of my hand.
He walks away, and I turn my attention to the girl, chained to the floor, not far from my magnificent throne. I get up and elegantly step over to her. She glares up at me, but I can see her fear.
“Etain will find you,” she snarls. “And she’ll kill you!”
I bend down to her height, our noses almost touching. “I doubt it, little girl. I’m a king. A Master. Etain is but a dog that needs a Master to tell her what to do. She is no leader,” I sneer, lips twisted into an evil smile.
The doors burst open, and in come Josh and Kyle with the boy, unconscious, thrown over Kyle’s shoulder this time.
“We have him!” Josh beams.
I rise to my full height and glare at them. “I can see that, you idiots!” I snarl.
They exchange frightened glances. The boy slung over Kyle’s shoulder stirs. I smile with malicious glee.
“Take him to the torture room, Kyle,” I command, and Kyle disappears through a door.
“Dylan!” The girl screams, trying to leap forward, but the chains restrict her.
“And Josh, take the girl in there too,” I point to the pathetic excuse of a human behind me. “I have some … important matters I must attend to.”
Josh nods and quickly runs over to the girl. She screams at him the whole time, but he successfully drags her away. As soon as they’re gone, I turn to another door and make my way to the library.
Next, the other girl. The one that thinks she’s so special. Well, when I’m through with her she won’t be. None of them will be.

Hope Kyler, Algophobia, Somewhere in a palace

I stared in horror at Dylan as they dragged him away to the "torture room."
"No." I whispered. "Dylan!" I screamed. The guards just laughed. I need to wake up. But I couldn't. I felt as though I was trapped here, with no way out. As I struggled to wake up, I heard the clear, cold voice of the "Master" telling them to take me there too. I fought and kicked with everything I could, but once again I was but an annoyance to Josh. After dragging me down the hallway, he turned around and slapped me across the face. "Stop fighting me, *****." He whirled around and we continued down the hall.

The Torture Room was full of evil things, whips, chains, clubs, maces. The number was endless. I shuddered. What were they going to do? Dylan was chained to the floor, unconscious, with blood leaking from his head. "Dylan?" I said. "Please, wake up."
"Shut up you stupid girl!" Kyle roared. Josh turned around and smacked a white button on the wall and everything turned, well, white. All the "toys" were gone, the only thing left in the room was chains. Josh dragged me over to the other set of the cursed metal, and after fastening me there he laughed and said, "Just don't go insane. 'Cause then, we can't torture you." He smiled and left the room slamming the white door behind him.
-
White. It was the only color I saw. The walls were white, the floor was white, the door was white, and the light was white. Dylan's face was pale, giving it the appearance of being white. "Dylan." I said. "Please, wake up." He moaned. I sighed, and stared at my white life.

"Hope?" Dylan's groggy voice shook me from my daydream. "Dylan?" I said. "You're okay!"
"Where are we?" He asked. I faltered. "I'm not sure. In some palace, where this guy wants to "take over" I think." I paused. ""Dylan, he scares me."
"It'll be okay." He said. "Are you okay? You're head is still bleeding." I noted. "I'll be fine." He said. "Why is everything so white?" He asked. "Welcome to the torture room." I said. "Exciting, right?" We burst out laughing. It was funny. "Did they do anything to you?" He asked. "What do you mean?" I replied. "You know, bad stuff." I looked at him, confused before the truth of what he meant dawned on me. "No." I said quietly. "At least not yet." I shuddered. Would they do that? Would they hurt me like that? I shuddered to think about it. Please. Anything but that.

POV of the unknown

I stared at my weak soldiers. "The boy is awake." I said calmly. "Make sure he doesn't wake up in the real world. Ever. As you have done to the girl. Then bring them both to me." I smiled, cruelly. "It was time to show them who the real master is. Me."