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."