Studio Apartment

Olivia and Norm reached the top of the fire escape to find a studio apartment waiting for them. The window was ajar so they took it upon themselves to crawl in. The inside was a mess. Books were scattered on the floor. The bed, which was in the center of the room, had slid off the boxspring, and the sheets were pulled into the kitchen. "You think anybody's here?" Norm asks. "I don't think anybody is anywhere. But I'd feel better if we checked." Olivia says. "I agree. You check the kitchen. I'll check the bathroom." They both walked off to their respective areas. After a moment, they both came back to the center of the room. "Anyone in the bathroom?" Olivia asks. "No, how about the kitchen?" "Not a soul." "Good." Olivia glances at the open window. "We should really close that." Norm strolls over to the window. He attempts to close it with no luck. "It's stuck." Olivia signs. "I was afraid of that, but it's not like we don't have any resources." Olivia picks up the mattress. She walks over to the wall, and places the mattress flat against the window. "Well, it's something." She says, trying to catch her breath. Norm whistles in admiration. " I love it. You think we'll be able to keep them away though?" "With any luck, yes."

Up and Up

Olivia knew she had a duty to perform. She knew she had to protect Norm. Perhaps she looked at him and saw a cute, defenseless creature. At any rate she knew she had to escape. Olivia rounded the corner. The first thing she saw was a fire escape ladder. Olivia jumped multiply times, but she could not reach the ladder. Norm saw her struggling and took it upon himself to help. He scaled the side of the building, hopped on the fire escape, and lowered the ladder for her. Olivia wasted no time and climbed up to Norm. "Thanks." "Don't mention it. You want to hide in this studio apartment? It looks cozy."  Olivia shakes her head. "No. It's too close to the street. They'll find us right away. We have to go up." "You don't go up. That's how the kids get killed in every horror movie." "We're not in a horror movie." Olivia says calmly. "I suppose you're right, but lemme do one thing." Norm raises the fire escape ladder. Olivia smiles approvingly. "Good thinking. And now up."

Choosing Sided

I was left in the dark for a long time. I have no idea how much time had actually passed, but I know enough that I was relived when I heard the door open. I was so relived that as soon as I saw Davies I shouted "I repent." Davies chuckled mildly to himself. "I repent." I said again. " I heard you." "Then you know what that means." "What does it mean?" Davies asks,creeping closer to me. "It means I'm on your side." "Does it?" "Yes it does. We had a deal, remember?" Davies crouches down to my level. He grabs my shirt and pulls me close. "Why should I trust your deal?" "Why shouldn't you?" Davies shakes me violently back and forth. "You're a lying sack of shit. You only want to bring us down." "I don't I swear." "You lie." He shouts, still shaking me. "No, it's true. I want to be on your side."  Davies throws me down. "You want to be on my side?" "Yes, I do." "Okay, tough guy. I'll put you on the front lines."

Untied

Olivia's heart pounded as she listened to the sirens blasting. She was tied up and left in the alley. Olivia struggled to break free by rubbing her ropes against a brick building. She knew she had to be quick. She knew it was only a matter of time before Eagle Eyes men found her. She furiously scratched the ropes against the bricks. It wasn't long after her freeing her right arm that she heard footsteps. Olivia readied her hand in anticipation. As soon as the subject came around the corner, Olivia shot it with a barrage of hearts. BAM! She didn't wait to find out who it was. Olivia slowly lowered her hand. She saw Norm standing there in a daze. "Norm. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you." "Oh, it's nothing. Now, is there anything I can do for you?" He asks, not entirely with it. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you untied me." "You got it." Norm drops his crossbow. He unties Olivia. Once she is free Olivia gives him a big hug. "Thank you so much." "It was nothing." Norm says swaying. "You hear that? They're coming for us." "But I put down my crossbow." "That's fine, but we can't be out here."

Like Snow

Todd worked furiously on the blueprints at his desk while Eagle Eyes stared out the window. Eagle Eyes seemed almost at peace with his arms behind his back as he watched the ascending globes. "You work too hard." Eagle Eyes says to Todd."Somebody should." Surprisingly Eagle Eyes chuckles at the comment. "Even so, a man should not work to work. He should not deny himself the simple pleasures of life." "What are you going on about?" Todd asks. "Come here." Todd begrudgingly complies. Eagle Eyes watches Todd watching the outside. "This wasn't done by us?" "No. It's far too sloppy." Eagle Eyes says. "I'll say...but it sure is pretty." "Isn't it? It's just like snow." "Just like snow." Todd repeats. The two of them marvel at the outside world for a moment. "They've been after this for a long time." Eagle Eyes admits. "Then why don't we stop them?" Eagle Eyes appears disgusted and annoyed. "Let them toil all they want. To them they are just hunting monsters. They have no idea that they are holding reality in their hands and that they can shape it to their liking." "How do you know they don't know?" "I just do." "Are you sure you want to risk that? I mean this could be a huge game changer if they know." Eagle Eyes stares at Todd intensely. Suddenly there is a knocking at the door. He turns away from Todd to answer the door. "What news do you have?" He asks Davies. "The girl is working with Ms. Rodgers. They are attempting to break into the tower and take it over." "Good luck with that." "I agree sir, but I believe some precautions should be taken." Eagle Eyes sighs and glances back at the ascending globes for a moment. "I suppose you believe they are close?" He asks. "Yes, sir." "Very well. You have redeemed yourself." "Thank you sir. What should we do now?" "Sound the alarms." "And what about the other? The one we have captured." "He knows more. Don't give up on him."

Out in the Open

"What are you doing?" Sgt. Rodgers shouts. "Grabbing these." Freddy says, pointing to the floating globes. "Get down now." Freddy fearfully complies. "What the hell is the matter with you?" She asks. "We were trying to get the globes." Olivia jumps in. "I wasn't talking to you." Sgt. Rodgers snaps. " I had trouble collecting them." Freddy says."So you decided to climb to the top of the fence where you were out in the fence where you were out in open? You know they have scopes, right?" "I'm sorry." Freddy says, lowering her head. "Don't be sorry. Just don't do it." There is an awkward pause. "Well, show me you got." Freddy reaches in his vest pocket and takes out two handfuls of the globes. "That's it?" "I have some too. Olivia says, showing Sgt. Rodgers a small handful of globes. Sgt. Rodgers shakes her head. "At least it's something." "She's gonna help us find Norm." Freddy says happily. Sgt. Rodgers turns to Olivia. "Oh, is she?" "Yeah, she said Norm is captured. She's gonna help us get him." Sgt. Rodgers draws her gun on Olivia. "And how does she know Norm was captured?"  "Because I saw it happen!" Olivia shouts. Sgt. Rodgers continues to aime her gun at Olivia while she talks to Freddy. "I don't believe her do you?" "I don't know." Freddy replies honestly. "Well, I don't. Tell me, Freddy, are you good at following orders?" "Yes ma'am." "Good .Steady your shotgun on her. Don't let her move an inch." Freddy does so, and Sgt. Rodgers lowers her gun. "Are you going somewhere?" He asks. "No. I'm just getting a rope out of my bag. We won't hurt her, but we won't let her leave either."

Grab Them

Olivia marveled at Freddy' s work. The little, yellow globes were smaller than usual. They looked almost like lemon drops. "Pick up." Freddy says, snapping Olivia out of her trance. She shakes her head. "Yes, we must pick them up." Olivia and Freddy scramble to pick up the globes. They do the best they can, but they are like marbles. They scatter everywhere. Olivia and Freddy grab handfuls and shove them in their pockets. Unfortunately, they are not fast enough. The globes start to lift up into the sky. "Oh no, we were too slow." Olivia cries."I have an idea." Freddy says. He climbs to the top of the fence, and grabs the globes as they ascend into the sky. The majority whiz past him, but he was able to get a decent amount. Enough to keep up spirits. At least until a stern voice shouted "Get down from there." Sgt. Rodgers emerged from the alley.

Freddy's Post

It was up to Olivia to not only snatch Freddy and Norm from Sgt. Rodgers, but also to evade being seen by  Eagle Eyes or any of his men. It was not an easy task, but I knew she was up to it. Olivia crept through alleys. Eventually she stumbled upon Freddy. He stood with his back to Olivia. He looked through a chain linked fence and held a shotgun. "Hey." Olivia whispered. Freddy turned slowly, preparing to fire at the enemy. A smile came over his face when he realized it was Olivia. "I know you." He says.  "I know you too. Now let's get out of here." "Can't. This is my post." "What if I told you Sgt. Rodgers assigned you a new position?" Olivia asks. "But this is my position." Olivia signs. "I know, but she's relocating you." "Where?" "Well, she wants you to find Norm." "Is he in trouble?" Olivia nods. "Very much so." Freddy stands firmly. "We must save him." "That's the spirit, Freddy." Then, out nowhere, Freddy squints his eyes. He looks like s crazed animals now. "Freddy, what's going on?" Freddy raises his shotgun. He stands menacingly with it. "Freddy, put down the gun." Without any further warning, Freddy fires the gun. It goes past Olivia, just missing her shoulder. Freddy relaxes and smiles victoriously. Olivia quickly grabs the gun from him. "What the hell was that about?" She shouts. "Look." He insists. Olivia turns around to see a million little, yellow globes scattered on the ground. "Wow. Good shot."

Torture

I was locked in a cold, dark room with cement walls. However, I was not dismayed. I used my solitary time to practice my lines in my head. "I'm sorry."  "I repent." "I believe in your cause and I want to join." These phrases left a bitter taste in my mind, but I knew I had to say them convincingly. I was ready. So ready, in fact that when I heard the door unlock, I didn't wait until the figure opened the door all the way before I shouted "I repent."  "Change of plans." Davies says, entering my cell. "What is it?" "Come with me." I stand."Am I free?" "You will be if you play your cards right." I reluctantly walk over to an even smaller room. This one though, has a bucket of water on the floor. "I don't get it. Do I have chores now?" "I'll ask the questions." Davies scolds. "Fine." "Where is she?" He asks in a slightly calmer, yet still threatening tone. "I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine." "Is it?" "Yes,it is." Davies shakes his head. He grabs me by the back of the head and forces my face under the icy cold water. "Where is she!" He asks, pulling my head back. I cough violently. "I don't know." He forces my head under water again. My arms flail frantically, and then he pulls my head back up. "Where is she?" "I told you I don't know." He dunks my head underwater again. This time he holds it slightly longer. I struggle to breath when he finally releases me. He waits for me to catch my breath. "I'll ask you one more time. Where is she?" "She went looking for Sgt. Rodgers. Sgt. Rodgers is trying to take over the tower, but you knew that." Davies smiles smugly. "Good work." He exits the small room, locking door behind him, leaving me alone to my thoughts. I wonder what I had just done.

Eagle Eye's Office

Davies stood in attention while Todd furiously drew up blueprints at the desk and Eagle Eyes stared out the window. It appeared Eagle Eyes was in deep reflection. Davies wanted him to have his moment, but at the same time he was eager to get the meeting done with. "Does he have to be here?" Davies asks, referring to Todd. Eagle Eyes continues to stare out the window. Then after a moment he slowly turns to Davies and answers. "Todd is an integral part of our operation."  "Remind me exactly what he does for us." "Never you mind that." "It's just-" "It's just what?" Eagle Eyes says, cutting Davies off. "Would you prefer if he wasn't here?" "Yes, sir. I would." Davies says. "Very well." Eagle Eyes turns to Todd. "Could you give us a moment?" Todd complies without giving a fuss. He stands up  and exits the room, closing the door behind him. "You're gonna wish he was here." Eagle Eyes says. "And why's that?" "Because now there are no witnesses." Eagle Eyes head butts Davies The bridge of Davies' nose bleeds. Eagle Eyes proceeds to slap Davies with the back of his hand. Davies tries to defend himself, but Eagle Eyes throws him to the ground. "You dare question me?" Eagle Eyes shouts to Davies while he picks him up only to shove him against the wall again. "Where were you?" Eagle Eyes shouts. "I was injured. I had to take time to recover." "And who healed your wounds?" "I did. I healed them myself." "Liar. You were making friends with the enemy." "I wasn't. I swear." "I don't believe you. Why should I?" "Because I have a prisoner." Davies says nervously. "Yes, you have one prisoner. Where is the other one? Where is the girl?" "She got away." "She got away? Or you let her get away?" Eagle Eyes accuses. "She got away. Please, you have to believe me." Eagle Eyes takes a deep breath. He takes a moment to collect himself. "Bring hell to him." "Excuse me?" "He's your prisoner, isn't he?" "Yes." "Then bring hell to him, and if you don't I will bring hell to you ten fold."

The Grand Tower

 We arrived at what Eagle Eyes and his men refer to as "the grand tower." The building seemed more sinister than ever. I stared straight up and could see no end in sight. The cold, grey, dilapidated skyscraper stretched on for miles. Davies conked me on the head. "Stop looking about." He then banged his fists on the steel door. He continued to pound his fists until a rat faced guard answered the door. "You're loud enough to wake the dead." He says. "I should hope so. I've been waiting out here a while." Davies replies. "I knew you were there. I had to size you up." The guard says, eyeing me. "Size me up? What's the matter with you?" "I wasn't sure of your intentions." Davies turns beat red. "My intention was to bring this scumbag in to torture." The guard looks into my eyes. "Wasn't there a girl with him?" The guard asks. "There was, but I wasn't able to capture her." Davies explains. "Pity. That means he'll be all by himself." The guard opens the door fully to reveal an assault rifle aimed at my chest. "I'll take him to the cell. You stay here. I'm sure the boss will want a word with you."

Makeshift Wespon

"What about me?" Olivia asks. "What about you?" Davies repeats. "You have a quote gun against his back, but what about me? How would you deal with me if I were your prisoner?" "I wouldn't do a thing?" "What?" "You wouldn't do anything. You'd be too afraid to. You'd know I could shoot him any second." "I guess that makes sense, but I still feel like I should be doing something." Olivia says. "Walk." Davies orders. Olivia starts to walk. "Not like that!" Davies shouts. "What's wrong with my walking?" "It's too confident. They'll know." Olivia sighs, she then starts to walk again. This time she is hunched over and her legs tremble. "That's more like it." Davies says. After half a block Olivia stops. "What's a matter? Why'd you stop?" Davies asks. Olivia turns around. "I can't do this." "Don't tell me it's moral reasons." He sneers. "No, I feel like I'm gonna give it away." "What are you gonna do? Hang low?" He asks. "Yes." Olivia walks over to me. She gives me a sweet goodbye kiss. "I'll see you soon. " She promises. I watch her leave out of the corner of my eye, and then Davies jabs me with his pretend gun."Just you and me now."

Why Follow?

"You guys don't have to come with me." He says as we continue our journey in the abandoned city. "I know, but we'd like to join you." Olivia replies. "You know you'll still have to be my prisoners." "I know." Olivia says. "Then why do you want to come? You already got your medical attention. You wouldn't benefit from this at all." There is a brief silence. I eventually answer. "We were hoping we could get back into Eagle Eyes' good graces." "That what you want?" Davies asks. "Yes." Olivia responds quickly. "Alright, if that's what you want then we have to lock you two up. Eagle Eyes will ask if you repent. You'll say yes, and maybe just maybe this plan will work." I sign deeply. "Don't relax. We're not out of the woods yet. I still have to fake a weapon." Davies pulls me back by the throat. He then shoves his hand in his pocket and jabs me in the back with it. I know its just his hand mimicking a gun, but it feels as menacing as the real thing. Davies whispers in my ear. "Now do exactly as I tell you."

After the Procedure

Without any form of anisthetic, the procedure was quite painful. It didn't start start out so bad. But the pain soon became unbearable. I kicked my feet and dug my nails  into my thighs. It was excruscriating. I ended up passing out from the pain. Olivia woke me when it was over. "It's done. And she's gone." Olivia says. "And so am I." Davies replies. I look up to see Davies. His right arm was bandaged up. "Where are you going?" I  ask. "I have to defend the tower, but you don't have to come. I won't make you." Davies starts to descend the ladder. Olivia leans in and whispers to me. "We have to go with him." "Why?" "Because he's probably going to fight Sgt. Rodgers." "So?" "So? She's with Freddy and Norm still. I don't want them to get hurt. They're basically kids playing soldier." I take a deep breath. "You're right. Davies! Wait up."

Medical Bag

Sgt. Rodgers left us alone for a full hour before finally coming back with the medical bag. She tossed it by my feet. "It took a little longer than expected." She says. "I'll say. Where did you go? Timbuktu?" Olivia asks. "Close. Our base." "The base? You went all the way to the abandoned subway station?" Olivia says in amazement. "Of course. That's the hiding spot." Olivia shakes her head. "Whatever. Can you fix them up now?" "Nope, you're on your own." "What?" Olivia gasps. "I said I'd get the medical bag, but I never said I'd help you." "I don't know what to do." Sgt. Rodgers digs in the bag. "You got bandages and pliers to dig out the bullet." "This doesn't seem like a good idea. I could dig too deep and hurt him." Olivia says. Sgt. Rodgers rolls her eyes. "Fine I'll help you with this, but the minuet we get the bullet out I'm splitting. With Davies injured this is my chance to move in on the tower."

Her Help

I did not fear Sgt. Rodgers, at least not in the sense that I believed I could loose my life because of her. It was a feeling of I was a troubled student being sent to the pricipals' office. I most likely didn't do anything wrong, yet I couldn't help myself from feeling so guilty. She climbed up the stares. Before she got a chance to say a word, Olivia fired a pink heart at her. Sgt. Rodgers, however, was quick. She pulled a yellow globe out of her pocket and held it up to the pink heart. The pink heart was then absorbed in the yellow globe. Sgt. Rodgers studied the pink heart trapped in the yellow globe before placing it back in her pocket. "Thanks. That may come in handy." "We need your help." I say. "I don't see why I should help you." "They're both injured. They need your help." Olivia replies. Sgt. Rodgers walks over to Davies. She snaps the end off of his arrow, and then tosses it over the edge of the catwalk. "There. I helped." "What about him? He has a bullet in his shoulder." Olivia says, pointing to me. "That's too bad." Sgt. Rodgers says, coldly. She turns to walk away. Olivia fires a pink heart at her back. Sgt. Rodgers turns back to us. "I have a medical supple bag. I can get it, but then it's every man for themselves."

We Have to Go

I waited patiently as I heard the metal clanging. I expected Norm to arrive, but like a running gag it was someone unexpected again. This time it was Olivia. She stared at Davies' arrow, then me, and then back at Davies. "I was going to say I saw Freddy, and that Sgt. Rodgers must be around here somewhere, but clearly they got here first." "It was Norm and it was an accident." I say. "I believe that, but now we definitely need help." "I know. Norm is getting Sgt. Rodgers. He thinks she can help." I reply. "What did you say?" Olivia asks in disbelief. "I said Norm is getting Sgt. Rodgers." "Are you insane? We can't do that." "That you." Davies says in a pained grunt. "What? She could help us." "She could, but it doesn't mean she will. We can't trust her." "So, you want to stick with the plan even though Davies has an arrow sticking out of his arm now?" I ask. "Yes! Who knows that might work out in our favor. But right now we have go. I mean what would Sgt. Rodgers say if she saw us now?" "I'd say you're on my turf ,and I wouldn't let you leave." My heart pounded. Sgt. Rodgers was just feet below us.

The "prisoner"

Davies posed in victory with his  boot on my chest in preparation of his soldiers. To both of our surprise , it was neither his soldiers nor Olivia. It was Norm with crossbow. He pointed it as menacingly as he could at Davies. "What's your business here?"  "I have come to seek refuge." Davies replies. "Yeah? Well, I'm part of the resistance, and I don't know if I want you here." Norm shouts. Davies chuckles. " I am! I am the resistance and I don't have to let anyone past me." Davies rolls his eyes. "Fine. You're the resistance." "Damn straight. Now who's that under your foot?" "My prisoner." Your prisoner?" I lift my head so Norm can see me. This instantly made him enraged. Norm shot Davies in the arm without warning. Davies recoiled in pain. I sprung up off the floor and stopped Norm before he could load another arrow in the crossbow. "Norm, it's ok." "What do you mean it's ok? He captured you." "All part of the plan." I say calmly. "What?" "I was shot. I need medical attention. Me being his prisoner was a sure fire way to get it." Norm sighs. " I guess that coulda worked. You coulda gotten hurt though." "No shit." Davies grunts. Norm ignores him. "I think the Sgt. is around here somewhere. She could probably help with you guys." "No, no way." Davies shouts. "Listen, you wanna get better?" Davies does not respond. "That's what I thought. I'll see if I can find her. I'll return."

Catwalk

We eventually found refuge in a sewage treatment plant. None of us were thrilled to be there, but it was a chance for us to rest. We climbed a tall ladder and Olivia set us down on a catwalk. I assumed she was going to stay with us, but she took off promptly. "Where are you going?" I asked. " I have to secure the area." Without questioning it I let her go. She left me alone with the man who shot me. Several times he tried to strike a conversation. I, however, was not in the mood. Fortunately , after a moment I heard the metal clanging. I knew it was her. "Olivia." I shouted. She did not respond. I decided to shout louder. "Olivia!" She still did not respond. "It ain't her." Davies says. "Then who is it?" I ask. "It's my guys. Stay where you are." Davies hoists himself up. He can barely stand. He leans most of his weight against the railing, but he is able to push me back. He then placed his boot on my chest in preparation for his his soldiers' arrival.

We Wander

We didn't want to admit it, but doubt was creeping into all of our minds. How could it possibly work? None of us  thought beyond the idea of stumbling up to the building, and stumbling is just about all we could do. At least me and Davies that is. I noticed we weren't bothered by anyone as we wandered about aimlessly. To which Davies replied "This is precisely when we should be the most vigilant." "I'm watching." Olivia says. "No, they already know we are here." "Then what do we do?" I ask. "Take cover as soon as possible."

Will it Work?

Climbing the ladder to the surface was a daunting experience. I have no idea how Davies or myself made it to the top in our condition other than Olivia doing most of the work. I wanted to thank Olivia once we got to the surface, however I knew it wasn't time to celebrate just yet. I knew we were not out of the woods. "How are we gonna do this?" I ask, leaning my weight on Olivia. "I don't know, but we will." She responds. "But how do we know this will work?" "Please, this is really not the time for your cynicism." She says as calmly as she can. "I'm just saying look at him. Look at his face. How are they supposed to believe we are his prisoners?" Davies turns his bloody face to me. "I may look like this, but you have a bullet wound. Therefore I win." "He's right. We're unarmed, after all." Olivia explains. "But he can barely walk." I shout. "I can walk just fine." Davies takes his weight off Olivia. He attempts to walk on his own, but he falls flat on the sidewalk. Olivia picks him up. "We'll figure something out before we get to headquarters."

Flesh Wound

"What? How could I have been shot? I didn't feel anything." "I don't know , but hold still." Olivia rips off a bit of my cape. She dabs the blood with it. That I can feel. That hurts like hell. "Ahhh. How did I not feel getting shot?" "I don't know, but you're gonna be ok." "No you're not." Davies replies. He's still half conscious on the floor, but his response is annoying none the less. "He'll be fine." Olivia assures. "You ain't Rambo, kid." He says condescendingly. "What the hell does that mean?" I ask. "Look, that's a flesh wound, and flesh wounds can get infected easily. You know how to deal with that?" "I could figure it out." Olivia says. Davies laughs. "I can." She shouts. "You think it's that easy?" He asks. "Fine. Then instead of criticing why don't you tell me exactly what I need to do?" "Because I don't know." "Aha!" Olivia shouts triumphantly. "I don't know because I'm a soldier not a doctor. He needs a doctor." Olivia stares at my wound. "He does, but we're not welcome above." "Then come with me." "Fuck that." Olivia says . "If you went up with me you'd have a better chance of survival." "And how is that?" "I'd take you two as my prisoners. Then they'd have to take care of him." Olivia thinks about the offer for a moment. "I don't trust you." Davies half smiles. "You could always stay down here. See what happens." Olivia stomps her foot. "Alright. We'll go with you, but I'm taking precautions." She then fires a pink heart in his chest. It's lighter than usual, but hopefully it does the trick.

Don't Wait

"What makes you so damn cocky?" I ask Davies as he stubbornly continues to point his gun at us. "Because while you may be right that my bullets can't penetrate your shield , I know I can wait." "Wait for what?" Olivia questions. "I know you can't have that shield up constantly." "Yes, I can." Olivia shouts. "No, I don't think you can. It takes up too much energy. It's only a matter of time before you get tired. Then your protection is gone. Then I attack." "If that's the case, you're gonna be waiting a long time." I say. "I don't mind." Davies stares at us with a smug "gotcha" smile. "What do we do?" I whisper to Olivia. "Only thing we can do. We wait." She replies. "That doesn't seem like a good idea." "You got a better idea?" She asks, annoyed. "Yeah, I'm going out there." "No, that's a worse idea." "Perhaps, but he's not going away." "But you'll be-"  Before I could hear Olivia finishing her sentence , I found myself pushing out of the bubble. Nothing can get in the bubble,  but anything can get out. We are always free leave. It just takes a little force. I pushed with all my might. I soon found myself face to face with Davies. Initially he was shocked, and then a weird delighted expression came over his face as I heard Bang! The devil tried to shoot me.He missed, but I was angered enough at the murder attempt to ball my hand into a fist. I punched his face so hard that his head turned. He spat blood and teeth. I saw him attempt to raise his gun again, so I swept his legs. He immediately fell backwards. His gun slidded across the floor. Then for no reason other than sheer adrenaline, I started to kick him in the ribs. Olivia shouted at me to stop. "Stop. No more." I stopped at her request at stared at this bloody mess of a soldier. Olivia throws down her shield and walks over to me. "Wow, you took care of him." "Yeah, I did." I say, panting. "Now its time to take care of you." "What?" "You're bleeding. He shot you in the shoulder."

Man Down

They all fired their guns simultaneously. Bullets bounced off the bubble and hit the walls of the tunnel. One bullet even hit a soldier , forcing him to fall backwards. They didn't notice however, they kept firing at us. I had to shout hold on at the top of lungs. Davies raised his hand to get them to stop. "Ready to tell us where she is?" He asks. "No, one of your men is hit." I reply. Davies glances down. He sees the soldier bleeding and clutching his side in agony. "Fuck." He says under his breath. "He needs medical attention, and we don't have that down here." I inform. "What are you suggesting I do?" Davies snarls. "You have to take him to the surface." I say. "I don't have to do shit." "No, you don't. " We stare at each other in silence for an intense moment. "I bring him to the surface, then what about you?" "You let us leave." "I let you leave?" He repeats. "Or you continue to fire at us and we continue to destroy you." Olivia replies. There is pause. Davies then grunts and lowers his gun. He barks orders to his soldiers. "Bring him to the surface." The soldiers pick up the wounded man and walk off. Davies watches them leave. After that he points the gun on us. "Looks like I outsmarted you."

Where is Ms. Rodgers?

"Well, where is Ms. Rogers?" Davies asks. "I don't know." I reply honestly. " I'll ask again, where is the former Sgt. Rodgers?" "You can ask as many times as you want. We don't know." Olivia says. "You have to know something." "We don't."  "But you're not with us." Davies tries to rationalize. "Don't give us that bullshit that if we're not with you we must be with them." Olivia shouts. "It's not bullshit. If you are not with us then you must be with them." "Sorry, I don't know what to tell you." Olivia responds. Davies points his gun menacingly at us. "What do you remember?" Olivia then throws up her pink, bubble shield. It wraps around the both of us. "I remember nothing. " She says coldly. Davies takes a deep breath and addresses his soldiers. "Alright boys, wear them down. "

After the Banshees

We raced in the direction of the horrendous, wailing banshee. This time I remembered how to deal with the spirit. This time I was going to create a powerful ruckus to drive it away. However, the closer I got, the sicker I felt. The high pitched noise was attempting to bring me to my knees. I wanted to fall down. I wanted to succumb, but I knew I couldn't. I powered on in my weakened state. As soon as I was ready to make some sort of noise I heard a Bang! Bang! Bang! The wailing abruptly stopped after that. "What was that?" Olivia asks. "Sgt. Rodgers. She knows how to deal with those things." " I guess that's good. Where is she?" The two of us look down the long, dark tunnel. "She must have left." I say. "I guess that's for the better." We walk along the tunnel until we see a split in the path."Which way?" I ask. Olivia extends her ear. "This way." She says pointing to the left. "I hear footsteps." We take the left. I hear the footsteps draw closer to us. "Sgt. Rodgers, is that you?" There is no response, and the footsteps draw even closer. "Sgt. Rodgers? That was a nice thing you did for us back there." There is still no response. "I don't think that's her." Olivia says, nervously. "No, it isn't." A familiar voice calls back. It then turns on a flashlight, and I can see it is Davies surrounded by many, many soldiers. "It's not Sgt. Rodgers at all, but perhaps you could tell us where she is?"

What's Ethical?

"Why didn't you pink heart them?" I ask. " I don't know. I guess I didn't think of it." "Yeah, It's hard to remember such things during times of stress." "Yeah." Olivia says in agreement. There is a brief pause in the conversation, and then she begins again. "I've been thinking a lot about my abilities." "What about them?" I ask. "Well, I have this great power to change people's perspectives even if it is only for a small amount of time." "And?" "And I'm wondering, should I exercise caution with these abilities?" "I don't see why you should." Olivia sighs. "I guess what I'm getting at is this ethical?" "What's unethical about it?" I ask. "I'm basically forcing my perspective on people." "But how is that a bad thing? You can save so many people with this." I inform. " I know that. I'm well aware of that, but if Norm and Freddy wanted to join Sgt. Rodgers army, even it is for what we think are stupid reasons, is it my place to stop them if that is what is in their heart?" I shrug. "I don't know." "I don't either. And that's where I'm at." We don't  talk for a while. The heavy philosophical conversation weighs on both our minds. Eventually our thoughts are interrupted by the crackling wail of a banshee in the distance. "What was that?" Olivia asks, worriedly. "A banshee." I respond casually.  Olivia turns around and starts walking in the direction of the wail. "Where are you going?" I shout. "We have to help. We have to save them?" "But what about all that about exercising caution?" "There's a banshee. We have to go." Olivia doesn't even wait for a response this time. She starts to run in the direction of the banshee wail.

Devilish Plan

"No.Absolutly not." I shout. "What's the problem?" Sgt. Rodgers asks. "We chose not to be with them because we didn't want to be in the war." "Looks like the war came to us." Sgt. Rodgers smiles smugly. I angrily point my finger at her. "You did this on purpose." "Yes, I knew what I was doing." I shake my head. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."  "Oh right, you morally object." Sgt. Rodgers mocks. "That's right, we do." Olivia says defiantly. Sgt. Rodgers half smiles. "You can leave if you like, but don't expect any more help from me." "Actually, me and Freddy are gonna stay." Norm says, timidly. "What!" I shout. "The crossbow's really cool." "You can't stay for that reason alone. " "Leave. They made there decision, and so did you." Sgt. Rodgers commanded. We shook Norm and Freddy's paws knowing that this may be the last time we see them. We then took off into the cold, dark tunnel alone.

Sgt. Rodgers' Return

I wasn't thrilled about Sgt. Rodgers leaving us, but I had to let it go. I had to think of better things. I couldn't let my mind go to dark places. She eventually came back. Naturally I asked her many questions about where she had been and why she was gone so long. She didn't say a word. She just took off her backpack, unzipped it, and poured out the contents. An entire bag full of yellow globes fell to the ground. "Is that what I think it is?" Norm gasps. "You're welcome." She says. "How'd you do it?" I ask. "I'm good. That's how." "That mean we can go back home?" Olivia asks. "Not yet. There is still more of it. This is only a small fraction." "It is impressive. But how did you do it?" I ask again. Sgt. Rodgers gets in my face. "This is a fine welcome back." "Were you seen?" I ask with gritted teeth. "You think I'm an amature?" "Were you seen?" I ask again. "It's possible that Eagle Eyes may have had some of his men there." She says. "Fuck! We have to leave." "Where?" She shouts. "I don't know, but if they saw you they probably followed you. They're gonna know we are here." Sgt. Rodgers smiles menacingly. "Good. Let them know we're here. We have guns, don't we?"

Why Worry?

I stood there for a long while staring at the pile of weapons, wondering what the hell just happened. Sgt. Rodgers left us basically everything , yet I still couldn't trust her. "Something's  not right." "Everything is fine." Norm says picking up the crossbow. "Would you be careful with that? And I agree with Scott. Something is not right." Olivia responds. Norm makes a face. "You guys don't know what you're talking about. What do you think about it, Freddy?" "Shiny guns." Norm shrugs. " I guess he's ok with it. It's just you two who have a problem." "Why do we have a problem with it?" Olivia asks while staring at the weapons. "I don't know but we have to stay on our feet."

Trust Exercise

I knew it was a long shot, but I believed that if we continued to destroy the Smiley Face each day we could use it as a portal back home. Luckily Sgt. Rodgers baught into the idea as well. We made our way back to the abandoned subway station to discuss our plans, or at least that's what I thought. Sgt. Rodgers was about to ditch us again. " Where are you going?" I demanded. " You have some serious trust issues." She replied. " You make it so hard to trust you. After all you did try to kill us several times." Olivia says. Sgt. Rodgers laughs. " Are you referring to the incidents on the island? That was months ago." "Well, it's still fresh in my mind." I say, coldly. She takes a deep breath. "You have to trust me." "Then convince us." Sgt. Rodgers takes off her backpack. She unloads guns, ammunitin, a cross bow, and a grappling hook, and places them on the floor."Now do you trust me?" She asks. "Yeah, I guess so." I say. "Good. Now I must take care of something." Sgt. Rodgers picks up the empty back pack. She turns to walk away. "Wait! Aren't you going to arm yourself?" Olivia shouts. Sgt. Rodgers lifts up her pant leg to reveal a gun strapped to her ankle. She then unrolls her pant leg and walks away.

No Monsters Here

Sgt. Rodgers stayed with us a while and waited for the Smiley Face monster. After an hour of waiting, she made the decision to split. "You don't think it's gonna show up?" Olivia shouted to Sgt. Rodgers. "If it was going to it would have already." She replies. "What do we do now?" I ask. "Whatever the hell you want. You can stay down here if you like. Just try not to destroy anything else." Olivia looks to me. "We're not staying down here." Olivia intended for only me to hear that comment, but unfortunately Sgt. Rodgers heard as well. " Go to the surface then. Then you'll find your monsters, and no one will protect you." "We didn't mean it like that."  I say. "I know exactly how you meant it. Go then if it's so important to you. It's a game to you just like it is to them." "A game?" I repeat. "Yeah, a game. What didn't you understand about that?" She sneers.  "Did you mean that literally? Are we in a video game?" I ask. "Way to catch on." Sgt. Rodgers sarcastically claps her hands. "That means that if we're in a video game then that Smiley Face, that Pac Man thing could be the portal." I say excitedly. "It is, but they've hijacked the portal to their own benefit." But we can take it back." I say smiling. Sgt. Rodgers sighs. "How? There are way more of them then there are of us." I hold up the yellow globe. "We're already winning.  We just gotta get more of these pieces. Basically we have to stop them every morning, or at least collect as many yellow pieces as we possibly can every day." Sgt. Rodgers shakes her head. "It's a suicide mission, but what else am I going to do?"

Explain

Sgt. Rodgers stared at the yellow globe for a long while. I could tell she had seen it before, but wanted me to talk first. "It's from above ground." I say finally. "Uh huh." "You know the big, yellow smiley face?" I ask. "I've heard of it." "Well, this is from it." "Why did you take it?" "Bait." I say simply. "Bait?" She repeats. "Yeah, this is part of the smiley face. The smiley face is looking for it." " So, you thought to bring it down here where I currently reside?" She blurts. "Well, yeah. We're gonna corner it and then attack." "That's a terrible idea." "It's not that bad." I reply. "No, it is. It is horrifying. And where are the others?" "Sleeping." Sgt. Rodgers eyes widen. "There is a monster lurking and you left them alone?" Sgt. Rodgers walks past me. "Where are you going?" I ask. "I'm going to protect your people because obviously you can't do that"

"War is Over"

"You saved me." I say, clutching my chest. Sgt. Rodgers finally lowers her gun and places it in the holder. "I was saving myself. You just happened to be there." I get to my feet. "Well, thanks anyways." Sgt. Rodgers makes a face. "Think nothing of it. Really." Sgt. Rodgers turns to walk away. "Wait. How did you know firing the gun would work?" I ask. She lets out a frustrated sigh. "I didn't. I just knew creating a loud noise would throw it off. But now I wish I didn't do that because I only had a finite amount of bullets." Sgt. Rodgers walks away. I run after her. "Where did the banshee come from?" I ask, out of breath. "I don't know. This is an old city. There is probably many more of them." She says annoyed. "Then can you help us?" "No. Why should I? You ditched me." "Ditched you!" I shout. "We did nothing of the sort. You locked us in that car." "You ever think I  did that for your own protection?" She says with intense, angry eyes. I shrink a little. "I guess I didn't think. " "No you didn't. And that's all too obvious with the million dollars worth of damages you did to the tunnels. I bet you didn't even know that was the one working car." "I didn't." I reply sheepishly. "Yeah, well you can go back to your people now. The war is over. Every man for himself." I stare at her for a moment. "I said go." She snarls. I quietly take the yellow globe out of my pocket and show it to her. She studied it for a moment, then looks up at me."What did you do?"

Banshee Wail

The closer I got to the mysterious noise the more I realized it was no ordinary sound. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it wasn't a whistle. The noise soon turned into an ear splitting wailing. I felt sick to my stomach and dropped to my knees. I covered my ears as I saw the image of a woman in a bright white dress hovering in the distance. The banshee's wail grew louder and more terrifying as she barreled in on me. I wanted to run, but I found myself paralyzed by her shrieks. Then, as I'm throwing up my lunch, I hear Bang! Bang! Bang! For whatever reason the bang threw the banshee off her game. She vanished into the darkness without another sound. I turned around to see Sgt. Rodgers holding a smoking gun high above her head.

Stay Alert

We found a little alcove in the tunnel. It was only a few feet wide. But it proved a nice refuge. We pressed our backs against locked door and rested our tired eyes. Well, Freddy, Norm and Olivia did. I stayed vigilant. No one asked me to. In fact everyone else somehow agreed that there were no threats underground. But I couldn't do that to them. I had to stay alert. I knew something was out there. Hours would pass by untill I had a hint of an idea, and then I heard it. It was faint whistle, but unlike a train or anything I had heard before. I jumped to my feet and ran in the direction of the strange, new sound.

Find a Place

We wandered the underground tunnels for some time. I was getting tired and hungry, and we were all getting on each others last nerve. "Where are we going exactly?" Norm asks. "I'm not sure." "Well, how do we know when we'll get there?" "I don't know!" I snap at Norm. He  recoils in silence. Olivia scolds me. "He was just asking a question. We're all curious." She says. "I know, but I don't know." "How 'bout we stop here?" Olivia asks. I take a good look at my surroundings. We're still in the subway tracks. "Are you kidding me?" I say. "What? It's an abandoned city. The chances of a subway car coming by while we're sleeping is slim." She replies. "But there's still a chance." "Then where do you suggest we go?" She asks. "Next platform we find we'll set up camp." I say calmly. "But that could be miles away." I sigh and shrug. "Then we'll walk for miles."

Tunnels Again

We walked the dark, subway tunnels. It was my idea to use the yellow globe as bait. Lure the monster underground and then attack. "You think this will work?" Olivia asks. "We'll see." I reply. There is a pause. "When do we stop?" She asks. "When we see it." "And if we don't see it?" "Then we don't stop." "Your instructions are incredibly vauge." She says, annoyed. "What do you want me to say?" "Hey! Isn't this where we found that lady?" Norm asks, changing the subject. "Sgt. Rodgers? Yeah." I say. "No. Don't tell me we are trying to find her." Olivia shouts. "We are trying to find the monster. If we so happen to find Sgt. Rodgers in the mean time I'm okay with that because I know she'd be able to help us."  Olivia stops in her tracks. "What makes you think she'll help us?" I shrug. "She might not. Then we are on our own." "This isn't well thought out." Olivia says. "Perhaps not, but it's the best idea we've got now."

"Get Rid of It"

We left early the next morning. We never figured out who owned the house, and that only led me to assume that it was there specifically for us. A safe haven. Maybe it wasn't true at all, but it sure felt nice to believe that. We walked back through the marsh. This time it was dry as a bone. No mud to pull me down. I stared at the yellow globe the entire time. That is until Norm said something. "You still have that thing?" "Yep." "Get rid of it." He urges."But I've been thinking-" "No thinking. Just get rid of it. Toss it somewhere." But-" "But what?" He shouts. "This yellow globe is part of it, right?And the rest of the smiley face is attracted to this, right?" "Yes! And that's exactly why we need to lose that." Norm attempts to grab the globe. I pull away from him. "Hold on. I'm not done. Now we also know it's not as strong as it once was without out this piece." "What are you getting at?" Norm asks. "I think I know. You think we can kill it." Olivia says. "I know we can." I reply, confidently. "But how?" "We use this thing to lure it." I say, holding up the ball. "And then what? We don't have anyone on our side now." She shouts. I smile. "Yes, we do. Let's go underground."

Missing Piece

We were sprawled out on the floor for hours. No one knew what to do. Big changes were in the air, and most likely nothing good. My stomach was in knots. We were all in various stages of disbelief. At one point Freddy's  yellow globe dropped out of his paws and landed by my feet. I studied it for a moment. "This is from the smiley face, isn't it?" "Yeah it is." I watch intense, yellow flicker of lights appear outside the window. " I think it wants it back." "Yeah, I guess." Freddy says, dejected. I stand up and prepare to chuck it out the window. "No, don't do that!" Norm shouts. "And why not?" I ask. "Think about it. That thing came from the smiley face. If you throw it back that'll only make it stronger." "That actually makes sense." Olivia says. "Okay then what should we do?" I ask nervously. Norm takes a deep breath. "Only one thing we can do right now. Ride this out till morning."

Ominous

I watched Freddy tremble and suddenly I realized this was no ordinary storm. This was something bigger. Something darker. I sank into the floor listless with my arms and legs completely spread out. I just allowed myself to melt into the rug. Perhaps despair wasn't the right choice, but it felt good. I didn't want to move for anyone or anything. In a few days or weeks I may have the answer, but not now. Not today.

Big Storm

There was a powerful storm last night. It started off as a quiet tapping against the small window, but the momentum gradually grew until it was a full storm with crackling thunder and all. The thing about being in the tree is that you can feel all the subtle gusts of wind. Trees will bend during such a storm. It was an unsettling feeling to be in the midst of that, but I kept chanting to myself "Trees will bend, not break." I should further explain that while I chanted that I didn't fully believe it, so my words were meaningless. At least to myself. Olivia overheard my chatting and offered her sympathies. "It's just a storm. We'll be ok." "You're right." I replied. But I still didn't quite believe it. Bang! Crash! Okay, that was just thunder I remind myself. Then I heard what sounded like many pots and pans falling on the kitchen floor. I sprung up. "Did you hear that?" "Yeah, it's probably nothing." After that, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I knew without a doubt someone was in the house now, but still I did not move. Perhaps it was out of shock. Maybe this person would pass by our room? The footsteps grew closer and my heart raced faster. As soon as I heard our doorknob jiggle I jumped from the bed and pushed my body against the dresser. The person was unable to get in so he knocked instead. Loudly and aggressively. This person meant business, but I wasn't about to let anyone in. Nor was Olivia who just joined me. It was like a game. See who could give in first. I had no idea who was on the other side of the door, but they were strong. They almost got in several times. I was getting tired and wanted to give up, but then I heard a tapping at the window. I looked over my shoulder to see Norm outside the window. I was so startled I let out a scream. Olivia, hearing my reaction turned to the window. She let out a scream as well upon seeing Norm. "Open the door."He shouts. "What? Why?" I ask.  "Because that's Freddy." Olivia and I take a moment to collect ourselves. We then push the dresser aside and open the door. I was expecting Freddy to be livid. Instead he had the same stupid grin on his face. "Sorry about that Freddy. I had no idea it was you." I say. "It's ok." He says simply, and then shakes himself dry. Which makes everything else soaked. Norm taps on the window. "Hey, let me in too."  I open the window. Norm crawls through the little opening, and sits down on the floor. "I don't know if you are aware, but there's a storm going on." There is a  massive thunderclap. It shakes the room back and forth. We all have trouble finding our footing for a moment. Freddy, however, is so frightened that he hides under the bed. I watch him shaking for a moment. "Yes, I'm aware of the storm."

Bunk Beds

We took the stairs to the second floor. There were many doors that I  assumed contained bedrooms on the upstairs hallway, but only one of the doors was ajar. We took that as a sign to enter. It was a small room with a bunk bed. There was a window, but it was only as big as my face, and there was a large dresser that had baseball trophies and other memorabilia hanging off of it. I glanced at a medal that read "Most Valuable Player." "I don't think this is a bed and breakfast." I tell Olivia. "No, I don't either, but we'll pretend. Just for tonight." I nod. "I can do that." "That's a small window." she says, changing the subject. "Yeah, it's kinda pointless in my opinion." "And we have bunk beds." She says, less than thrilled. "We do. Which one do you want?" "You can take the top one." "Really?" "Yeah, I don't like heights." I smile big. This was the best news in a while. "Well, shall I turn out the lights?" She asks. "Not yet." I get on the end of the dresser. It is much heavier that I had anticipated, and it creates an awful noise, but when I'm done it completely blocks the door. No one can get in or out now. "That for the monsters?" She asks. "Or the owners of the house. I figure that won't be too happy if they come back." "Good idea." With that Olivia turns out the light.

In the Willow Tree

The enterence to the willow tree was a small, dark corridor. It was a tight squeeze. We had to enter single filed and sideways, but it was worth it. The corridor openened up to Victorian style kitchen. Complete with a wood burning stove, floral wall paper, and a rotary phone. My mouth was wide open. I could not believe this was inside the tree. "Neat, huh?" Olivia says. "It sure is. What is this? Someone's house?" "I don't know, maybe. Maybe it's a bed and breakfast." I half smile. "You like that, don't you?" "If it were a bed and breakfast it would make me feel better about staying here at least." I say. "Well, we could always pretend it's a bed and breakfast." "Yes, we can pretend , but that doesn't make it true." "Nightfall is coming." She reminds. "I know, but what about your shield bubble? We can use that." "We can, but I need heightened concentration for that. At least to deal with these strange monsters we've been encountering." I take a sigh. "You're right. I'm guessing that leads to the rooms?" I say pointing to a staircase in the corner of the kitchen. "Probaby. We can grab the first room we see and then leave right away tomorrow."

Under the Willow Tree

I sat and stared out into the marsh that I had previously emerged from. I could not locate any of my friends. If it weren't for my muddy clothes I would have naturally assumed that my previous experiences were all but a dream. "Hey, you didn't touch your soup." A voice shouts from behind me. I look to the side to see a light green soup in a stone bowl by my feet. "There's no spoon." I say. Olivia crosses in front of me and then takes a seat on the ground beside me. "No, there's not. But you can pick it up and drink it that way." "I suppose I could." "Don't worry. It's not barbaric." "I just don't want to spill anything." I admit. "I wouldn't care if you did." I shrug, picking up the cold stone bowl and pourning the contents into my mouth. Indeed bits of soup splattered on my body, but I didn't care. I was famished. I drank the whole thing. When I was done I pushed the bowl aside and gave a satisfied grin. "Was it good?" Olivia asks. "Yeah, it was like split pea soup but better." "And it wasn't too hot?" "No, it was tepid." Olivia smiles. "Oh good. I didn't think it was scalding, but I wasn't sure when I took it." "Took it? What are you talking about? You didn't make it?" I ask. "No, I grabbed it." "From where?" "From a stove." She says straight forward. "Where was the stove?" Olivia points to a large opening in the willow tree. "Through there."  "Is that someone's house?" I ask nervously. " "It looks like it, but I don't think anyone is home." "That doesn't mean we can take their stuff." "Normally I would agree, but you were in dire need of sustenance." She says. I sign."You're right and I thank you for your help. Now I think we should return the bowl and be on our way." Olivia picks up the bowl and looks to the sky. "What now?" I ask. "Night is coming. We should stay here." "No. We can't do that." "And why not?" She asks. "Because this is someone's house. What if they come back?" "They'll be easier to deal with than the monsters." I shake my head. "Fine. We'll stay the night. "

In the Big Muddy

I could not see Olivia, Fredfy, or Norm, and screaming for help was impossible. The mud around my neck was thick, and seriously restricted any air flow. I could not move and I could not cry for help. It was clear to me I only had one option. I closed my eyes and took in my as much air as I could. As I sank deeper and deeper in the mud I noticed my body grew lighter. I'm sure it was due to lack of oxygen in my brain, but it was an interesting sensation none the less. It was like sleeping underwater. Perhaps I was shifting into the dreamtime. I have no idea how long I held my breath. It could have been hours. It sure felt like it. All I know is that when it seemed as though my head and body could take no more, my eyes suddenly opened. I then found myself sitting under a willow tree with a blanket wrapped around me.

Marsh

We trudged through the wet, murky marsh. A dense fog hung over the area. Even if it lifted,visibility would still have been limited. The grass was over five feet tall. Meaning even though I could see over the top, there was plenty of space for us to lose our fury friends, and we did early on. So Olivia were on our own once again. It didn't start out so bad, but then just moving became increasingly difficult. The mud became thicker and thicker the further we went. It started swallowing my feet. I had to pull with all my might to yank myself out of there, but the mud faught back. It grabbed my foot and pulled me down until I was waist deep. I foolishly tried to fight back with all my might. This was a bad idea. The mud was now up to my neck. It was only a matter of time before it swallowed me whole.

Upstream

It seemed counter intuituitive to follow the water upstream, but none of us had any better ideas. Plus it was nice to see Norm so gleeful. With every twist and turn he grew more excited. It felt as if we were truly getting somewhere. That is in untill the water suddenly stopped. We ended up in a marsh. Norm scratched his head. "This is where it took us?" "I guess we shouldn't be too surprised." Olivia says. Norm lifts his feet. "The ground is barely even wet." "Go further?" Freddy asks. Norm nods. "Yeah, you're right. We should."

There's A Way

"So, we're on our own?" I say out loud while watching Davies leave. "With no direction home." Olivia adds. Norm decides to jump in on the song reference. "Like complete unknowns." I half smile then sullenly lower my head. "Why despair?" Norm asks. "Because it seems easy." I reply. "Well, sure. It is the easy thing to do. But is it the right thing?" "Then what do you suggest?" I ask. "Alright, here are the facts. The monsters are on the streets, Eagle Eyes and his men got the tall buildings, and Sgt. Rodgers has the underground. Did I forget anything?" Norm asks. I shake my head. "No, I think that sums up everything." Norm grins. "Here's the thing. No one is covering air or water." "But none of us can fly." Olivia says. Norm shrugs. "Okay. Scratch air. We can do water." "Are you suggesting we go back to the stream?" I ask. "Yeah, but not to swim in it. We already did that, plus that would just lead to Sgt. Rodgers, and we don't want that." "Then what? We walk beside the stream in the opposite direction?" I remark. Norm's eyes light up. "Exactly. We see where that leads us. It's gotta go somewhere." I sigh. "Okay. The stream it is."

Make A Deal

"Who do you think that could be?" Norm asks, worridly. "I don't know , but it can't be anyone good." I respond. "It can't be anyone bad either." Davies shouts from around the corner. "Is that you, Davies?" I ask. There is no response. "I said is that you?" A moment later Davies casually walks around the corner. "Yes, it is I." "We're not afraid of you."  Olivia shouts. "I'm not afraid of you. Why should I be? There is far more of us than you. We're everywhere." Davies says calmly. "What do you want?" I ask with gritted teeth. "I want you to stop this nonsense." "What nonsense? Eagle Eyes let us go." "That's only because he knew you'd never get past the city limits. He knew you'd never escape." "He's wrong." Olivia replies. "If he's wrong then why are you still here?" Davies questions. The four of us are speechless. Davies clears his throat. "There's a war going on. Join us." "No." I say, firmly. Davies tilts his head slightly. "No?" Olivia stands up straight. "That's right. No." Davies turns red. "Fine. We won't recruit you, and we won't attack you, but don't you dare expect us to defend you again." With that Davies turned and walked away.

Souvenier

"Where are you looking?" Olivia asks. "Trying to figure out where Eagle Eyes is. He did that." "Then we should thank him." "Maybe. I'm still feeling a little concerned that I can't see him. I don't trust him one bit." "Even though he just saved us?" Olivia questions. "That doesn't mean anything. We aren't exactly on the best terms. Where is Norm?" I say, trying my best to change the subject. Norm slides down from the nearest building. "Here I am." He shouts. "Glad you finally showed up." I scold. "Hey, what was I to do? I didn't mean to leave you miles behind, but my animal instincts kicked in." I sigh. "Well, at least we are all ok." "We sure are." Norm looks at the ground and sees a yellow ball. It is roughly the size of a snow globe. He picks it up, juggling it from paw to paw. Obviously it is still hot. "Put it down." I say, tiredly. "I got a better idea." Norm then places the yellow ball in Freddy's vest pocket. "How's that, Freddy?" He asks. "Good." "Not too hot?" "Nope." "What are you doing?" I ask. "Souvenir. Something for the memories." I shake my head. "Whatever. What now?" Before anyone can answer a steel door can be heard opening nearby. Olivia clenches her fists. "We stay on guard."

Pac Man Fever

Norm and Freddy both backed up slowly. "Ok, this isn't good, but we can do this. On the count of the three we run." Norm says with a hint of nervousness. Norm takes a big breath. "One... two....three." Norm frantically scurries up the side of the building, and Freddy runs on all fours, leaving me and Olivia in the dust. Olivia and I run as fast as we can, but the Pac Man is breathing down our necks. Chomp, chomp, chomp. We can hear him getting closer and closer. The feet turn to inches. He bites off the end of my cape and my dangling shoelaces. We take a sharp turn in an alley. There we met up with Freddy. He made the same mistake we did. The alley turned into a dead end. There were no
windows, doors, or fire escapes in sight. Just a massive brick wall. The three of us gropped the wall in vain, searching for an exit. We found nothing and we knew then that the end was near. We huddled together closely as it opened its mouth wide, preparing to gobble us. But then something unexpected happened. The Pac Man burst into a million little, yellow balls. They all scattered. Some of the them went into buildings and lanterns. The rest ascended into the sky. We took a moment to collect ourselves before parting. "Does that mean the ghosts won?" Olivia asks. "No." I say glancing at one of the many tall buildings. Wondering where the shot came from. "The programmer won."

The Yellow Sphere

"Look at it. It's so beautiful." Norm says in ecstasy. "I know, it's like nothing I've ever seen before." Olivia responds, walking ever closer to the yellow shere. "Guys ,this is dangerous." They don't listen. "I'm serious. This isn't safe." Olivia,Freddy and Norm continue walking towards it. Eventually they stop about a foot away from it and look at it with new admiration. "It's so bright." Olivia says. Norm's  mouth is wide open. "What is it?" "I don't know." The yellow sphere spins around to reveal a familiar smiley face. "Is that the 70's smiley face you were talking about?" Olivia asks. "Yes, it is." I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from it. "Why'd you do that?" She asks, annoyed. "Trust me. We need to get the hell away from that thing." "But it's cute. It kinda reminds me of Pac Man." "Yeah, well if he's Pac Man, then we're the ghosts." "What are you talking about?" A second later the smiley face bites air. Norm backs away slowly. "That ain't good." Olivia looks to me. "So, we're the ghosts?"

Cold Dawn

The sun lit the way, but it did not warm our bones. There was a cold air that lingered. "Looks like winter is coming." I say with chartered teeth. "Yeah it sure got colder." Olivia replies. "I don't know what you guys are complaing about." Norm says. "That's because you guys have fur." I inform. "Maybe. I still wouldn't complain even if I didn't." I shake my head. "Let's just keep walking. We gotta be near the city limits." "How do you know?" Norm asks. "I don't. " "Don't fight." Olivia scolds. We all walk in silence for the next few minutes. No one utters a word until we take a turn and see a giant, yellow ball on the street. Everyone else is fascinated, but I know what it is right away and want to turn around. "What is it?" Olivia asks. "I don't know, but it's amazing." Norm says. "Guys don't look at that. We gotta turn around." But my words were no use . They were like moths to a flame.

Daylight Arrives

We marched on in the endless night. Despite barely being able to see an inch in front of ourselves, we prevailed. Our efforts paid off. Eventually we saw a ray of light pushing back the night sky. We walked in the direction of light and saw it peal away more dark. We crept closer and closer, and the light pushed away more and more night, until it seemed as though we were going to meet day finally. Unfortunately, the light stopped short of our bubble. It would not go past it, and we could not continue forward with our armor. We made the decision then and there to drop the shield at that exact moment and continue into day, but before we did we took one last look behind us to view the night sky, and then promptly moved forward in the daylight.

Menacing Night

Things are not what they seem in the dark. The imagination runs wild. Things appear in the corner of your eye that you never knew existed, and chills run down your spin as every sound is amplified. We heard howling wolves. Saw the pink aliens in the distance, and smelled danger at every turn. The one thing we decided to do was to counter the numerous menaces by shouting "I'm not afraid of you" whenever they popped up. It did not stop them from appearing, but it certainly helped ease our troubled minds as we continued to walk into an what seemed to be an endless night. "When does the sun come up?" Norm asks. "I don't know. I can't see my watch, and even if I could I doubt that would help." I reply. "Then we must journey onward." Olivia declares.

Nightfall

We now had a fox and a raccoon on our side. Perhaps they weren't my first of choices, but if there were a chance that we'd be stuck in the middle of a war, we needed all the help we could get. We walked the cracked and broken streets of the abandoned city all day. Our legs were tired, and everything looked the same, but we knew we couldn't stop. If we stopped, that could be the end. "How long have we been walking?" Norm complains. "I don't know. I never checked my watch." I reply. "It feels like forever." He groans. Freddy shushes him. Norm is offended, but he shuts up. "Thank you. He was getting out of hand." Olivia says. "No, listen." Freddy instructs. A cold wind blows past us. It takes out all the lights, leaving us in utter darkness. "What the hell just happened?" I ask, not being able to see my own hand. "Nightfall." Freddy responds. Olivia sighs. A second later she throws up a huge bubble that wraps around the four of us. It lets off a little bit of light. Olivia turns to us. "We walk in darkness now."

Storytime

We sat in eager anticipation and waited for Freddy to tell us his story. Instead of talking, he just sat there eating jelly beans. Finally, Olivia broke the weird silence. "Freddy, aren't you gonna tell us what happened?" "Hmm?" "How'd you get here?" Freddy opens his eyes wide and eats another jelly bean. "I don't think he wants to talk now." Norm says. "He doesn't have to, but I am curious what happened." I reply. "Who cares? He's here now and that's all we need to know." Norm says, patting Freddy on the back. I sigh. "I guess. It just is all very odd. I mean what was going on with Sgt. Rogers back there?" Freddy rolls his eyes. Olivia notices right away. "Something we should know about her?" She asks. Freddy shakes his head. "She's not bad, not bad." "But?" Olivia says, trying to get him to talk more. "There is a war going on. A war for power." Olivia stands up. "We gotta get out of here." She announces. "Where?" I ask. "I don't know,but you heard him. There's a war going on, and I'm not about to get stuck in the middle of it."

Look whose Back

Norm was running so fast that I nearly lost him a few times amidst the tall grass. I started to get horrible cramps in my side. I wanted to stop, but I wouldn't allow myself no matter how bad it hurt. I pressed on. Eventually our raccoon friend stopped , and there we saw it. Freddy the Fox was standing on his hind legs. He had his usual goofy smile and yellow vest, but he was holding a brown, paper bag. " what you got there?" Norm asks, pointing to the bag. "That's the first thing you're gonna ask him?" I say. "Of course it is." "Jelly beans." Freddy responds simply, offering us his candy. "Don't mind if I do." Norm replies, reaching his paw in the bag. Norm throws jelly bean in his mouth only to recoil in disgust a second later. "What is it?" Olivia asks worridly. "It's black liquorice. I hate black liquorice. Why do they even make that?" Norm grabs another jelly bean. This time he is pleased. "Candy is great and all, but I have to ask where were you and how did you get here?" I wonder. Freddy sits down slowly and then ushers us to do the same.

Meadow

"Well here we are again. " Olivia sighs. "It's not so bad, and I promise this time I won't dive in the stream." Norm assures. " You better not. I don't want to end up in the sewer again." I reply. " I won't . I -" Norm froze before he could finish his thought. "What is it?" Olivia asks. Norm doesn't rrspond. Instead he runs off. "Where is he going?" I shout . " Who knows?" Olivia shouts back, chasing after him. I shrug and decide to run with olivia, hoping that it's a better surprise this time.

Ladder

"So we're back to the start?" Norm says forlorn. "Not exactly." Olivia replied. "What are you talking about?" Olivia points to a ladder a short distance away. The three of us exit the scene of the crash and climb the ladder. The manhole cover at the top was surprisingly easy to push open. We were greeted by a warm ray of light as we entered a lush, green meadow.  "Weren't we here before?" Norm asks. "Maybe." I say. Norm excitedly points to the gushing stream. "Yeah, we were!" Olivia sighs. "At least we are above ground."

Cracked Windshield

"Was that the end of the line?" Norm asks in a pain filled Voice. "It was something." Olivia responds, grasping her neck. I get up slowly and notice the windshield is cracked. "Hey guys, I think we have a way out." I say , pointing to the cracked windshield."Yeah, but where does it lead?" Norm asks. "Who cares?" Olivia replies. Norm shakes his head. He then helps me smash the windshield. Bits of debris fall in the car , but nothing too destructive. Before we knew it, the windshield was gone and we were out of the car, on foot in the abandoned tunnels.

Stop This Train

Faster and faster we went through the underground tunnel. We twisted and turned with maximum speed. The three of us were hurled against the wall of the train. There was no way of telling where we were going. I crawled on the filthy floor, then with all my might I pulled a rusty lever. The train squeeled as it attempted to brake. It looked as if we were going to stop, but we hit a wall, hard. The three of us got tossed liked ragdolls. It was painful,but we did stop and for that I was thankful.

Conductor

"What's going on? Do you think it was an accident? Do you think she's coming back?" Olivia asks nervously. "Maybe." I say calmly while walking away. "Where are you going?" "To the front."  Strangely enough I always wanted to go to the very front of the subway car. This was the perfect opportunity. I had always wondered what the controls looked like. I imaged many levers and buttons. It wasn't so much like that. There was a steering wheel covered in cobwebs, and one red button. I looked down at it curiously. It couldn't be that hard to drive. "What are you doing?" Olivia asks. "I'm getting us out of here." I reply. "But you don't know how to drive that." "I know but-" "Oh come on. It can't be that hard." Norm interrupts us pressing the big, red button. The three of us are immediately flung backwards as the old subway car rockets to an unknown destination.

Set Up Base

Sgt. Rodgers led us to a grand, abandoned subway station. There were huge pillars and marble floors. Oddly there were no cobwebs, and nothing was decayed with time. Norm jumped off my shoulders and onto the the train tracks. "Careful." Sgt. Rodgers shouted. "Don't you know about the third rail?" "Thought that was a myth." Norm says. "It's not." She snaps back. We follow Sgt. Rodgers a short distance down the tracks to a lonely subway car. "I thought this could be a good place to set up our base. There's windows, so we can see, but we'll also be semi protected. What do you think?" "I think we need to see the inside." I reply. Sgt. Rodgers shakes her head. She knows my request is stupid, but she says nothing further. We walk to the side and she forces the doors open. "Usually they're automatic, but, you know." She informs. "I know." I say, tiredly. Sgt. Rodgers bites her lip. "Well, take your look."  The three of us view the inside. There is nothing spectacular about it. In fact, any other occasion it would be revolting. The seats were ripped. Some were missing, and the lights were flickering on and off. "What do you think?" She asks eagerly. "It smells funny." Olivia says. "Yes, it does. A hobo probably used it as a bathroom at one point." Sgt. Rodgers responds as a matter of factly. Olivia makes a horrified face. "We were just in the sewer. " Sgt. Rodgers reminds. "Good point." Sgt. Rodgers turns to leave through the open door. "Where are you going?" I ask. "We need supplies. I'll be back." Without saying another word, Sgt. Rodgers leaves, closing the door behind her from outside. I watch her get on the platform and then try to open the door with no luck. "What's the matter?" Olivia asks. "I think she locked us in."

Tunnel Walk

We walked for miles through the underground tunnels. It didn't seem as if we were making any progress towards finding Freddy. We were all skeptical. Olivia and I kept our comments to ourselves. Norm, not so much. "I thought you knew where he was." "No, I said I had an idea." "Oh, an idea. A precious idea." Norm mocks. "Do you have any ideas?" Sgt. Rodgers asks. "I have loads of them. My first would be to get the fuck out of the sewer." "We can't. At least not yet." She says. "And why not?" "Because there are more of them then there are of us. You want them to detect us easily? Fine, we'll go to the surface." Norm takes a deep breath. "We can stay down here." Sgt. Rodgers smiles smugly. "Good." There is a brief silence as we continue walking. "So, why did they turn against you?" I ask. "I'm not ready to answer." "That's a shame because I'm ready to ask." "Ask away, but I won't answer." I turn to Olivia. "You want to heart her again?" "No, it's not worth it. Let's just find Freddy and then we can part." "Yes, we can all go our separate ways. If you find a way out of this city that is." "We'll get out." I say confidently. Sgt. Rodgers chuckles. "We will. " She ignores my last comment. "Up ahead we're going to take a left. It's an abandoned subway station. We can set up there."

Not Trustworthy

"Yeah, I'm gonna take a pass on your friendly invitation." Norm says. "I'm going to have to agree." Olivia adds. "Do you honestly think I'm planning an ambush?" Sgt. Rodgers asks. "You aren't exactly trustworthy." Olivia quips. Sgt. Rodgers rolls her eyes. "You three may leave if you'd like, but you'll need help." "We don't need you." I reply. The three of us start to walk past Sgt. Rodgers. "There was a coup." She shouts. "And we're supposed to be surprised?" Olivia shouts back. We continue walking. "I can help." Sgt. Rodgers says again. Olivia stomps back to the Sgt. "Read my lips. We don't need your help." "But I know where his fox friend may be." She says, pointing towards Norm. "Is that true?" Olivia asks. "I don't know the exact location, but I have an idea... a better idea of where he is than you would." Olivia sighs. "You can come with, but.." She shoots a pink heart into Sgt. Rodger's chest. "I'm not taking any chances."

Waist Deep

We jumped in the opening. The dirty water was waist deep so Norm rode on my shoulders. There was an absolutely horrendous smell. I guess I must have winced because Olivia assured me it wasn't sewage. I suppose it was somewhat to comforting to at least know I wasn't walking in waste. That is until we walked a little further and saw the flicker of light. Someone was having a bonfire, but who? We continued down the path, trying as hard as we could to keep quiet. Not an easy task when you are splashing in water, and I guess we weren't successful because as soon as we made it around the bend we saw Sgt. Rodgers looking up at is in eager anticipation. Her clothes were ripped and dirty, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Norm growled fiercely. "Easy." She said. "I'm unarmed, unmanned, and my strength in waning. Why don't you have a seat by me?"

Shh, Listen

"That was fun. I mean I didn't like that last part, but what a ride." Norm exclaims. "I know right. It ended far too abruptly." I reply. "Guys, this wasn't a ride." Olivia jumps in. "Yeah, but we can turn it in to a ride." Norm says. "Why not? It would be like a lazy river." Norm smiles. "Better than a lazy river." You're right. Lazy River's are too slow sometimes." Norm nods at my comment. "Way too slow. When I go on a ride I don't want to be stuck there for hours, and I want a big splash at the end." "Yes, they don't always have big splashes." I excitedly agree. "Guys ,quiet." Olivia says, interrupting our banter. "Sorry, you don't feel included?" Norm asks. "No, it's not that. Listen. Someone is here." Norm and I put our ears close to the grate. Indeed we could hear someone faintly walking around. Olivia pulls off the grate. "What are you doing?" I ask. "We have to go down there." "You think that's a wise idea?" Norm questions. "Yes, I do." Without another word, Olivia  jumps into the opening. Norm and I shrug and follow after her.

Wild Ride

Norm's mouth opened wide like a small child on Christmas morning. I examined the muddy stream to try and see exactly what Norm saw. "Isn't it great?" He said. "What am I looking at?" "This." He replied simply. Waving his good paw at the stream. Olivia and I scratched our heads. "Are we missing something?" Olivia wondered. "No, this is everything." I leaned in even closer. This proved to be quite foolish for I lost my balance and fell in. The water was flowing much quicker than I realized. Olivia and Norm did not skip a beat. They jump in after me, but the current was too much for us. It took us further and further down stream. We went down bends and twists. We were going so fast I could barely keep my head above water, let alone see any of the scenery. Before we knew it we hit a water drainage grate, hard. It was painful, and the impact was enough to knock the wind out of us, but we were all thankful that that particular ride had ended.

Sirens

"But if there are sirens that could mean something happened? What happened? Are we being invaded? Is this the end times? Oh no it's the end of the world, isn't it? I can't take it." Norm starts to hyperventilate. Olivia grabs him by the shoulders and slaps his face. He quickly snaps out of it. "I think I needed that." "It's fine to worry. But it's not gonna get us anywhere." "Maybe we should check it out?" I suggest. "That's not a bad idea." Olivia says. The three of us walk outside. Except for the wind blowing, we can't hear anything. At least not anything that would be troubling. "Maybe it was just a testing?" I say. "Maybe, but why would they do that?" Olivia asks. "Who knows? Why would they choose to do anything?" "I mean it's illogical. If everyone is in that building why would  they need to alert anybody?" "Maybe they weren't alerting anybody. Maybe it was to lure us of out." I say, pointing to the Malt Shop. Olivia shrugs. "Well, it worked." Norm raises his ears and shushes us. "Quiet, I hear something." Without saying anther word, Norm runs off. We chase after him down a narrow alley, climbing over a fence, and through a valley. "We're almost there. I can feel it." He says, eagerly. We walk a little further and stop at a muddy flowing stream. Olivia and I are confused. Norm is happy as can be. "I knew I heard running water."

Malt Shop

The malt shop was a nice resting point for the three of us. Even if there were no tasty beverages for us to enjoy, it was great to be able to relax. Olivia and I sat at a booth while Norm wore a paper hat and pretended he was a 1950's soda jerk. "Where do you think we are?" Olivia asks. "I don't know, but I think we were here before. Remember  right before we got abducted by aliens?" "I do, but I still have no concept where we are." I shrug. "Hey shouldn't you kids be in school?" Norm chimes in with his waiter humor. "We're too cool for school." Olivia says playing along. "Oh yeah? Bet you're not too cool for the best root bear float in town." "Never." Norm places a dirty class under the soda faucet. He pulls the lever, but only dust comes out. "Piece of junk." Norm says in his regular voice. "That'll just be the new house favorite." I reply. But before Norm can come up with more witty banter, we are interrupted by what sounds like a tornado siren. The three of us cover our ears right away, but the blaring noise shakes the windows. I can feel the vibrations in my stomach. This siren lasts for what feels like forever. When it finally stops Norm stares out the window in disbelief. "What was that?" He asks. "It was a siren." I explain. "But why?" "I guess to alert us of a disaster." "But who would be doing that?" Olivia wonders. "It could be Eagle Eyes. It could be anyone of them." I suggest. "But if they are all together in that building who would they need to alert?" She asks. Norm scratches his head. "Maybe there's other people here."

Wandering the Ghost Town

The abandoned city was ours. We could wander anywhere we liked in the cracked and broken ghost town. Occasionally we'd look back to see how far we had traveled, but in those moments all we could see was a dense fog. We knew not where we were going. All we knew was that we had to keep walking and eventually the answer would come to us. Norm smacked his lips. "I'm thirsty." "Yeah, me too." I reply. "Wish I brought some water." Olivia says. "How about that?" Norm asks, pointing to a run down malt shop across the street. The windows were cracked and the M was missing in Malt. "You can't be serious." Olivia responds. "I am. I'm not picky." "Even if I didn't think that place would be crawling with diseases, do you really think a malt would be the best choice right now?" "We could always do tap water." He says. "Tap water? I bet the water has been turned off for years." "Perhaps, but we can at least sit down. I'm beat." He says. Olivia shakes her head. "Fine, we can take a rest."

All Clear?

To our surprise and delight, leaving the abandoned building was a piece of cake. No one tried to stop us. Not Davies, not Eagle Eyes, not any of the many soldiers. No one. The hallways were vacant. Outside was an eerie calm. All the streetlights were lit (Eagle Eye's work.) I wanted to be happy. I wanted to celebrate, but it seemed too good to be true. I knew we couldn't be out of the woods yet.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, on the top floor, Eagle Eyes studies us through the scope on his sniper rifle while Todd sits behind a desk and works on the blue prints. "I could pick them off one by one. It wouldn't difficult at all." Eagle Eyes says. "Then why don't you?" Todd asks. "Because where is the fun in that? I want a challenge." "So, we strike in the middle of the night?" "We strike when they least suspect it. I want a worthy challenger. Don't worry. I know they can't go far."

Bury Zip

Zip had never stepped foot in the Waiting Room before so he had no idea there was no escape, but he would soon find that out. He groped the walls and searched for an exit. "Where's the door?" "There is no door." I reply. "Then how do we get out of here?" Olivia points in the other direction to the E.R. Zip squints. Olivia sighs. "We go back into the medical wing." Zip shakes his head. "No, we can't do that." "And why not?" Olivia asks. "Because if you leave through that door they'll know I helped you. They'll question me. I don't know what to tell them. I don't know why I helped you." "Then what do you suggest we do?" I ask. Zip snaps his fingers. "I got it." He then lays down on the floor. "Bury me." "What?" I say. "Just throw some of the rubble on me." "Don't have to tell me twice." Norm replies. "Wait. And then what? Won't you still get chewed out if we overpowered you?" I question. "I will, but trust me. It will look much better for me if it looks like I'm hurt." Olivia looks to me. "I don't mind." We spent the next ten minuets burring Zip in bits of the coach and wall. When he was up to his neck we decided to stop. "There that should be good. I can move my right arm, but not much else." "What if they don't find you right away?" I ask. Zip stares at me for a moment as if it were the stupidest question I could ask. "Are you kidding? I'm very important. All those soldiers know where I went. I won't be gone for long." Norm, Olivia and I shake our heads. "Now get out of here while you can."

Command the Crowd

Going back in to the barracks was like being fed to the wolves. There was a commotion as soon as we stepped foot in the room. There was yelling and screaming. Some even through garbage at us. It was chaos. That is until Zip entered. "Quiet. Everybody. Quiet." He had an unusual command of the room. All eyes were on him, and no one dared to speak. "I assume you all know who these three are?" The crowed raged once more. "Quiet! I didn't say to speak. My disdain for these three matches if not surpasses all of you. But right now I turn my disgust on you." He says marching down the barracks. "How did these three get past an entire room of so called soldiers?" A wimpy soldier raised his hand. Zip directed his attention to him. "I was looking around and I think there's a hole in the wall." "I didn't ask how they entered. I asked how they got past you." The soldier gulps. "I don't know." "You don't know? Does anybody know?" He asks, directing the other soldiers. No one answers. "No one knows? That's fine. No breakfast for anybody." Some moaning is heard. "And no one leaves this room. I will take these three back to the Waiting Room and discipline them myself, but no one is to leave this room."

Lights On

In an attempt to locate a door Olivia accidentally hit the light switch. As you may have guessed it caused the soldiers to stir. It falsely made them think it was time to wake. "We have to get out of here." I say. "No shit." Olivia replies. "Shut up, shut up. It's this way." Norm shouts, pointing to a slightly opened door. We follow him as he scurries past the bunk beds. It seemed as though we were in the clear until we walked through and saw Zip on the other side with his arms crossed. "You're trying to escape, aren't you?" "Back off, Zip." Olivia shouts. "I don't want to stop you, but you can't go this way. Eagle Eyes and Davies are around the corner." "Then what do you suggest?" I ask. "Go back in there." He says, pointing to the barracks. "Are you nuts?" Olivia shouts. "Go back in there. I'll say that I caught you." "And then what?" I ask. "Don't worry." "No, I'll worry." "Don't worry." He repeats, but this time more sternly.

the Barracks

The three of us groped the walls of the Waiting Room. Olivia and I hoped that perhaps Norm could find a hinge or a button that we missed, but no such luck. We could not find any doors and knew once again that this was not the way out. "Back to the E.R.?" I suggest. "No way. That's suicide going back there." Norm shouts. "Well we can't go in through the barracks." I reply. "Sure we can." Olivia says. "What are you talking about that's even worse." "No it's not. They're all sleeping." Olivia started to walk out of the Waiting Room. Norm followed closely. I stood where I was, dumbfounded. After a minute , Olivia realized I wasn't following. "Come on, we'll be quiet."  I didn't want to argue anymore. I sighed and walked with them.
The entrance to the barracks had missing 2 by 4's from where Zip exited. We quietly entered, making  sure not to make a sound. It was pitch black, so all the more reason to be careful. The only noise we heard was snoring. Believe it or not, that was surprisingly helpful.  It allowed us to gage how far we could walk to any one side. Olivia guided the way with myself and Norm closely behind her. In no time we reached the end of the  barracks. The only problem was we hit another wall.

The Rescue

Olivia pushed Zip to the ground which caused him to drop his gun. "What the hell are you doing?" She shouted. "I'm helping." "You're helping? Get out of here."  Zip picked himself off he ground and grabbed his gun. "You really want me to leave?" He asked. "Yes, go." Without saying another word Zip walked down the hall. "He can turn on us you know." I say. " Yeah, I know. I know the pink hearts can wear off any minute, but I don't care. I'd rather not have him involved if that's how he is going to help." Olivia and I continued to work on the wall. Admittedly Zip's reckless firing did help. Because of that we were able to get to the other side in no time. There we saw the saddest thing. Norm was in the corner of the room tucked into a ball. He was shaking like crazy. I had never seen him look more like a frightened animal than at that moment. I slowly walked over to Norm. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder. This proved to be a bad idea. He quickly uncurled himself and clawed my wrist. I stepped back in shock, and pressed my left hand up against my wrist. Olivia not wanting to take any more chances, shot Norm with pink hearts. The effect caused him to sit down on the floor. His face then looked tired and melancholy. He knew exactly what he had done. "Did I hurt you?" He asked. "You did, but you you didn't mean to. It was all the adrenaline." Olivia answers. "Yeah, I guess so. Why were you guys firing at the wall?" "We weren't." I reply, ripping off a piece of my cape to wrap around my wrist. "That was Zip." Olivia adds. "He's not here, is he?" "No, he's not." Norm exhales. "Good. Shall we get out of here?" Olivia looks at the boarded up door. "No, not that way. They've been banging on that door. We gotta leave the way you came in." "But that's where Zip came from." I reply. Olivia glances at the hole in the wall. "It doesn't matter. Either way they'll catch up to us."

Help?

There was no authority in that voice, and even if there were there was still no reason for me to respect it. Olivia and I were trapped. Put their by soldiers with guns. They were not our friends. They were not our allies. We had no reason to listen. Olivia and I continued to bang and scrape the wall with our make shift tools. "I said stop."  The voice commanded. Olivia turned around and shot a pink heart down the hall. I couldn't tell if it hit its intended target, but when there was a sudden silence I naturally assumed it did its job. Eventually we were able to create a small hole. Olivia readied the table leg. She was going to strike the wall and make the opening wider, but before she could the voice called out again. "I know what you're doing." "Yeah, good luck trying to stop us." Olivia sneers. "I'm not trying to stop. I want to help. " I turned around to see Zip standing there with the utmost sincere face. "You want to help? Grab something and smash the wall." Olivia said. "No need to." Zip then pushed past us and without warning he took out his gun, firing at the wall several times.

Things to Smash With

I punched the wall as hard as I could. The impact created little knuckle sized dents. I knew that if I continued to pound it that eventually we'd be able to break through to the other side and rescue Norm.  However, Olivia was less than impressed. "What are you doing?" She cried. "Norm is trapped. So I'm doing what I can to save him." "You're gonna turn you hand into dust." "You have a better idea?" "Maybe. Just stop hitting it." I comply with Olivia's wish. "Let's see if we can find anything in the waiting room."  We casually walk back to the waiting room. It's in the same disarray it was before. Shards of glass and bits of the broken couch are everywhere. Olivia picks up a couch leg. "This could work." She declares. I stare at the leg as if it were a foreign item. "You know it will." I nod and pick up a particularly  sharp piece of glass. "Yeah, but I'm grabbing this too." "Go for it." We stroll back to the wall. This time we are ready with a bludgeon and dagger. As soon as we are about to strike the wall, we hear an angry command from down the hall. "You there! Stop what you are doing." "You think we should stop?" I ask. "No, I think we should smash faster."

Block the Door

Norm pushed his bed flesh against the door. It created a horrible noise and I hoped to God that no one heard it. "Could you be more quiet?" I ask, annoyed. "Unfortunately. I can not." "Enough bickering. Did you successfully block the door?" Olivia asks. "I did, but we have a new problem." "I sigh."What now?" "The only way out is if you guys smash the wall." "Can't you climb through to this side?" Olivia wonders. "Nope. I need both my arms for climbing. I only got one right now." I turn to Olivia. "Any ideas what we can smash the wall with?"

Muffled Voices

We had our ears placed against the cold wall for a good while. Right as we were about to give up we heard the smallest voice. "Who is it?" Olivia asks in a whisper. "I don't know. I can't tell, but it sounds like there are other people there." "Well, keep listening."  A few more minutes passed by of us listening to muffled voices. I took my head off the wall. "What if it's Norm?" Olivia shrugged. "It's possible, but we have no way of confirming that, let alone getting to him." The indistinct chatter on the other side of the wall continues, and we scratch our heads as we are unsure of what to do next. Then , suddenly the voices stopped and a door slammed shut. "There goes who ever it was." Olivia says. I sigh. "Now what?"  Our existential dread was interrupted by banging on the other side of the wall. Olivia appeared white as a ghost. "Don't move a muscle. Don't say a word. No one will know we're here." I whisper. "I know you're there." The voice shouts from the other side of the wall. I squint my eyes. "Norm, is that you?" "Yeah it's me. What are you guys doing?" "We don't know. We sorta found ourselves here. Who was with you?" I ask. "Some doctor checking up on me. I don't think he really gives a shit. You know, just checking up because he has to." "He didn't hear us, did he?" Olivia asks. "As far as I know, no." "How can you be sure?" "I'm a rodent. We have better hearing than you guys." "That works for me." I reply. "You guys stay where you are. I'm gonna find a way to lock the door and get to you."

Between Walls

The hole in the wall was narrow, but we were able to push in the edges and make it wider. On the other side was a dark, narrow tunnel. Bits of light would would shine in here and there. Olivia guessed that we were between walls. I placed my eye against on of the many cracks to check out Olivia's theory. I could see soldiers resting in their barracks. It was lights out which also meant that Olivia and I  were to step even lighter than before. To do that we walked ever so slowly. It must have taken an hour just to move a foot, but we reached the end of the tunnel without causing a ruckus . The only problem was that we were now at a dead end again, and this time there were no cracks in the wall to peak in. Olivia placed her ear against the wall. "You hear anything?" I ask. "No." I place my ear against the wall. "Do you have any luck." She asks. "No, but let's wait here for a minuet. We're bound to hear something."

Killing TIme

Some people can block out certain noises. I can not do that, at least not with clocks. I try. I close my eyes and think of a happy place, but that ticking noise never stops. Once you notice it, it is impossible not to. For me at least. Olivia has no problem tuning it out somehow. She sits next to me with her legs crossed in a meditative position. Good for her, but I need to do something a bit more drastic. I stand up on the couch and grope the edges of the clock in search of an off switch. No such luck, but I don't give up. There had to be something. Unfortunately my curiosity would get the better of me. The giant clock started to come off the wall. Olivia was still meditating, blissfully unaware. I shouted at her that clock was falling and we didn't have much time, but she couldn't hear me. I had to do something. I lept forward pushing Olivia off the couch in the process. A second later the clock crashed into the couch. "Did you do that?" Olivia asked about the wreckage. "Yeah." Olivia whistles. "Thanks for getting me out of the way." "I had to. You would have been squished like a bug." Olivia gets up and examines the new hole in the wall. "Well, looks like we found a way out."

Soldier Friend

Zip, the quite soldier with a blonde buzz cut studied Jones as he struggled to get on his wheelchair. It was more difficult than Jones had anticipated, and Norm noticed Zip's lack of effort to help. "Ain't you gonna help?" "Pipe down.He has it." Zip snaps. "Yeah, I do. Why don't you mind your business?You disgusting rodent." Norm knew that Jones was playing them, still the comment did not sit well with him. Unfortunately his annoyance was obvious to Zip. "Something bothering you?" Norm did not respond. "I said is something bothering you?" "No, not at all." Zip gets in Norm's face. "You don't like being called a rodent, do you?" "Can't say I do." "Well that's too bad." Jones is finally sitting in the wheelchair. Zip walks behind Jones and starts to push him. "You are a rodent. I will not call you anything else." "That's fine, but where are you going?" Norm asks, changing the subject. "You don't need to know." Jones says coldly. With that Jones and Zip exit the room, leaving Norm alone. "What have I created?"

Bad Plan

"What do you think Davies wants from him?" Jones asks Norm. "I don't know. Probably the same thing he wants from you." "And that would be?" Norm sits up. "You can not be this dense." "What?" "He wants you to fight for him, again." "I get that. I mean I am a soldier after all. But why would they want that guy? Why would they want him to fight?" Jones questions. "They probably see him as someone they can easily manipulate." Jones sighs. "I suppose you're right,but what do we do now?" "You go with them." "Excuse me?" "You heard me. You're gonna go with them. When Davies comes back your stomach will be much better, and fix that wheelchair. What the hell were you planning on doing with that?" "I was going to beat him over the head with the wheel." Jones says, defiantly. "Yeah, and then what?" What do you mean?" "After you beat Davies over the head were you planning on doing the same thing with everyone else? You know, just hobbling along on one leg, bashing every single soldier with a pillowcase?" "I suppose it's not the most well thought out plan." Jones admits. "No it's not. In fact it's suicide." "Okay I won't do that. I'll join Davies, then what?" "Then you act like you absolutely despise me. I'll do the rest."

New Position

Initially Davies and Todd did not see eye to eye, but it did not take long at all for Davies to sway Todd's view. On the way up to Eagle Eye's office, Davies filled Todd's head with ideas of finally getting the respect he deserves. The door to the office was ajar, suggesting that Eagle Eyes was waiting for them. Davies pushed the door all the way open. This time Eagle Eyes did not have his back to anybody. Instead he was seated at the window sill, admiring the newly lit city. Neither Davies nor Todd said a word. They waited a minute for Eagle Eyes to speak. "This was all my doing." He says, looking out the window. "And what glorious work it is." Davies replies. Eagle Eyes turns his attention to Todd. "Your employee had a chance to be in on this. You know, the one with the red cape?" "I think I know who you are talking about." Eagle Eyes nods. "He could have been a part of this, but he refused to help." "What exactly did you want him to do?" Todd asks. "It does not matter." Eagle Eyes takes a pause before continuing. "Is it true he was a general?" "Yes, technically." "What do you mean technically?" Eagle Eyes questions. "It was a merely a strategy he did to save his own skin. He knows nothing of the art of war, or much else for that matter." "That's obvious." Eagle Eyes snickers. He then stands up and walks toward Todd. "I know a bit about you as well." "What do you know?" Todd asks, nervously. "I know that you were in charge of the health and wellness of many people, but I don't care to go into the abstract right now." "What do you want to know then?" "I've done some research and I've noticed every single building you've worked in was destroyed in some way. You want to know what I think?" Todd gulps. "It's those clowns you've been hanging around with. They are responsible, not you. You create. You don't destroy." "I certainly try to create." "You do. You create, and you create well. That's why you will make a newer, stronger fortress for us." "I suppose I could." Eagle Eyes half smiles. "You will. Davies will make sure of it." Todd glances back at Davies to see him cracking his knuckles.