This Is FICTION... any character resembling a real life person is by coincidence, and in the rare event a character is based on someone in real life their name has been changed due to legal and personal protection.  You never know who's lurking around reading this.  So now the little spiel is over so hopefully someone will enjoy this.  Do Not Reproduce this story, and if you would like to have it on your web site, email me for my permission. Thanks. Copyright © Jaden & Jaded Edge Productions

The slight breaks among the darkened clouds leaked with rays of sunlight.  A nippy wind coursed through the winter air of Anaheim, swaying trees menacingly.  People lined the streets of the city, taking in the sights and having a good time.  A mother smiled at her child as she wiped the remnants of a misplaced bite of an ice cream cone from the boy's lips.  A little girl yacked away to her older sister as the older sibling braided the younger's hair.  A father patted his son on the back while smiling proudly as the boy walked his newest responsibility in the form of a puppy.  All these people were what you would call 'happy' and 'content', in their own little world.  A world where they were the superior life forms; a world where they were the hunters and not the hunted.  If only they knew.

A young woman stepped out of a small shop near the various people having fun with their families.  A black hooded cloak draped over her pale white skin and long whitish blonde hair, making her out of place among the everyday people of California.  Onlookers cast judgment as they passed her walking up the sidewalk.  Some just ignored her appearance and wrote it off as another teenage girl in a gothic phase.  Others snickered and whispered snide comments under their breath, even going as far as slightly bumping into the woman as she continued on her way.  Her face remained unchanged and her mood unfazed.  Her coal black eyes stared straight ahead as she made her way toward a small outdoor cafe.  She sat down at one of the tables and took in the sights around her.  The smiles, the laughter, the happiness.  Uplifting spirits were abound and it made her sick.  She watched the mother of the ice cream faced boy bring a napkin down to her son's mouth once again to clean up the mess he had made.  The woman removed her hood and let her blonde hair fall over her shoulders.  A gleam flashed in her eyes as they moved to the sister's making up each other's faces, as they had already finished one another's braiding.  Soon, the woman spotted the young boy walking his puppy and being escorted by his father.  A wicked smile spread over her thin lips watching the people in front of her.

"See the clouds, see the light, show these animals the true world's spite."  The words whispered from the woman's mouth, her eyes now nothing, but a pure white color, as an unseen mystical force swept right along with the wind.  It engulfed the families she had been watching, putting the fear of evil into their souls.

The mother wiping her son's face pulled the napkin away and screamed out in horror as she saw a stream of blood pouring from the boy's mouth.  The two sister's dropped their makeup accessories to the ground, shrieking as their once braided hair hissed and slithered with at least a dozen green snakes.  The boy walking his puppy dropped the leash as the dog transformed before his very eyes.  The small animal's body bulged and shot out in many directions, the muscles rippling and altering it's body until it stood high above the young boy, it's eyes completely blackened out.  The father grabbed his son and started to run in the opposite direction as the woman watched on from her table in amusement.  People ran, screaming in panic.  Some tried to help the unfortunate souls that had been cursed with a taste of darkness, while others did what came natural to them.. selfishly and cowardly ran away.  The woman's eyes shifted back to the normal coal black iris adorned pupils as she stood from her table.  She pulled the hood over her head and casually walked down the street toward her destination, leaving the carnage she caused behind her.

The wind seemed to swirl around her as she walked, scattered leaves laying upon the sidewalk whipped in various directions, sticking to shop windows and onlookers alike.  The woman radiated of immense power and the forces of nature were thrown out of sync accordingly upon her presence.  She stopped outside a lone door which stood at the front of another small shop like structure.  The windows were blackened out completely, a sign of what and who was inside.  The woman turned the knob of the door and unsurprisingly it was locked.  She held onto the knob, squeezing it hard until it started glowing a flaming orange.  Smoke emitted from the small brass object as it quickly went from solid to liquid and oozed down to the ground below.  The woman pushed the door open, walked inside and shut the door behind her.

Just like the windows, the entire room was filled with darkness.  Single candles provided the scarce light along the perimeter of the "shop's" main area.  A small silver bell sat on satin covered show case.  The woman walked up and rang the bell three times, then waited patiently.  After a few moments, a young looking boy came out of the back room.  His youthful eyes caught glimpse of his 'guest', and flickered with worry.  A small frown formed, but was quickly replaced with a fake smile.  "Can I help you?"

"I believe you can."  The woman spoke in an eerily cold tone.  She reached into her cloak and pulled out a piece of paper with a name on it.  She slid it in front of the boy and pointed at the name, "You will tell me where he is."  She said it as a statement, not a request.

The boy looked at the name, studying it in his head.  His brow furrowed, as he feigned not being able to place it.  "I'm sorry, but I don't know this person."  The boy held a steady tone.

The woman looked at him with no emotion in her eyes, "Is that so?  I was told you are a locator.  I give you the name, you give me the boy."

"N-No..  I think you've been misinformed miss...."  The woman's eyes flickered as she shot her hands into the air.

"Light!"  She yelled out, letting her anger show.  The pitch black room filled with sunlight as the black paint peeled from the glass of the window panes.  The boy ducked behind the counter shielding himself from the lethal rays.  The woman walked behind the counter and grabbed the boy by the collar, slamming him against the wall.  "Now vampire, tell me what I need to know!"

The boy hissed, his fangs protruding menacingly from his mouth, "Never, witch!"

"It's unfortunate you should say that."  The woman pulled the boy forward so his left arm was directly in the sunlight.  The boy screamed out in agony as his arm set aflame, the bare flesh starting to char almost immediately.  The woman pushed him back against the wall, his arm blackened from the toasting.  "Now, unless you want to be used for firewood, I suggest you tell me what I ask."

Tears fell from the boy's eyes causing them to glow brightly.  "Please lady, I'm just a kid..."

"Don't try your foolish tricks on me, Rythen.  Your youthful looks don't disguise your true age."

"How do you know me?"

"Foolish invalid.  I was under the impression you were a 'wise' vampire, but I guess I was mistaken.  I am Kali."

"You lie, witch.  Kali was destroyed over a century ago.  My great grandfather watched you burn."

"Do you really think that fire can kill evil?  As long as there's evil in this world, I will be around no matter how many times some foolish pack of humans tries to burn me alive.  Besides.. I've moved up and beyond what I used to be.  A witch?  Yes, but I am much more than that now.."

"W-what do you mean..?"

"Do I have to spell everything out to you?  I obviously have the wrong Rythen.  I was looking for your father.  He too saw me 'burn'.  He was the leader of a group of rebels that took it upon themselves to hunt me down.  I didn't put up much of a fight for I knew that my resurrection would be one of great importance.  You are looking at much more than a witch young one.  You are looking at a dark goddess."

Rythen's eyes grew large as Kali put her hand to his face.  The images of the families she had cursed just minutes before played in his head.  A werewolf stalked innocent bystanders in broad daylight, while the other two families tried frantically to fix the problems placed upon them by the evil witch.  "Are you absolutely mad?!?  Setting a werewolf loose on humanity, let alone in broad daylight?!?  You can't go around attacking humans!  This isn't your own personal hell, Kali!"

"Heaven.....Hell.....Does it really matter where I live?  I live on a planet called Earth.....Inhabited by weak, pathetic, worthless mortals.  I care not for the mortals or this planet."

"I don't want to see your blatant attempts at harming people anymore."  Rythen spat out.

Kali grinned evilly, "Fine.  I've had enough of your lip anyway."  Instead of pulling her hand away from the vampire's face, she pressed harder.  Her hand started to melt into the soft skin of Rythen's face as he screamed out in anguish.  His arms thrashed about wildly, trying to free himself from her acidic touch.

"Ahhhhhh!  Let go.. please.. don't kill me.. please!"  The young vampire begged for his life.

"Since you don't have the information I need, you must promise to give a message to the one I seek if you see him."

"I will! I will!"  Kali removed her hand from his now horribly disfigured left cheek.  The skin was no longer there, leaving a mass of red, bubbling flesh.

"I'll be in touch young Rythen.  Don't make the same mistake your father's made before you.  I will not be taken down again.  Tell that boy I'm looking for him and no more harm shall come to you.  If you fail.. let's say you better go into hiding as well."'

Kali turned on her heels and walked out the door of the shop.  With a wave of her hands the black paint suddenly reappeared over the windows and the door slammed behind her, new door handle and all.  Rythen grabbed the piece of paper off the show case and slumped to the ground using the wall for support.  His eyes teared from the burning pain in his face and arm.  The name on the paper burned into his mind and forced him to pull himself to his feet.  He walked into the back room with a purpose, his pain turning into anger.  He grabbed a white mask from a nearby shelf and cut it down the middle.  He placed it over the unsightly disfigured left side of his face, then grabbed some burn suppressant spray and doused his arm down with it.  He threw a jacket on and grabbed a bag he had already packed incase of an emergency.  He was going to get the message to the one Kali sought, but it wasn't to help her... it was to warn him.
 

"How long are we going to trudge around down here?  This is gross."  Trevor let his thoughts and dismay be known about the current surroundings.

"You complain a lot," Caleb stated in his matter of fact tone.

"Yeah, well I don't take tours of the sewer tunnel system everyday.  I tend to like the earth above just fine."

"You can go back to the house, Trevor.  I'm not forcing you to help,"  Joey's voice snapped, the frustration setting in.  The stench and filth lining the tunnels was not one he wanted to keep revisiting, but he had no choice.

"Calm down, Joey.  I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to help you okay?"  Trevor's voice gave off a caring vibe, one that only Joey seemed to bring out of him.  Trevor walked over to Joey and kissed him delicately on his sweet lips.

"I'm sorry, it's just we've been searching for so long without any sign or hope of finding him.  I'm starting to think we really are just searching for his body at this point..."  Caleb stopped abruptly and turned to Joey.

"Quit is not your strong point, Joey.  If you quit, it brings down everyone else.  We all made it through the chaos of the agents and Skinwalkers.  Dave, Alex, Jared, Chloe, You and I.  What makes you think Gavin is any different?"

Joey ran a hand through his spiked black hair, "If he was alive how could we have not found him by now?  Why can't you get a lock on him?"

"I told you I see things in bits and pieces.  Even if I concentrate to the fullest extent I get nothing of Gavin.  Something has been.. interfering with my power.  I can't pinpoint what exactly."

"You know, from what I've heard about you, a little bump in the road shouldn't throw you off that much.  I mean, you are a visionary," Trevor chided in.

"Like I said," Caleb spoke sharply, "Something is interfering with my power."  Trevor smiled his cocky smile and kept on walking along.  Caleb turned his attention to Joey once again as they followed a few feet behind Trevor.  "Do you truly believe Gavin is dead?'

"I really don't know.  I don't want to believe it.. but I can't deny what I saw in that vision back when we were being hunted.  I saw him fighting two Skinwalkers, Caleb.  I saw one of them start to slit his throat just as I snapped out of it.  So far, whatever those flashes in my head are, have been pretty accurate."

"All we can do is keep our faith that he's alive and keep searching until we find him."  Joey gave Caleb a weak smile as they rounded the corner of the tunnel.

"Uh, guys.."  Trevor's voice echoed from up ahead.  Joey picked up the pace, then stopped in his tracks with Caleb right beside him.  Trevor walked almost knee deep through a crimson color liquid spread throughout the short section of tunnel.  He picked up some article of clothing from the liquid and tossed it to Joey.

"What is this stuff....?"  Joey questioned.  The faint smell of blood resided in the liquid, but it was drowned out by something much stronger.

Trevor stepped out of the crimson pool and back onto solid ground.  He cursed under his breath while trying to get the residue off his clothing.  Caleb leaned down and ran his fingers through the substance.  "It's synthetic... definitely blood, but it's been mixed with some kind of chemical."

"Who would dump a bunch of diluted blood down here?"  Trevor questioned.

"I'm not sure, but there appears to be some kind of organism living in this.."  Caleb studied a small tadpole like creature swimming around in the tainted blood.  He held it out in front of him by the tail, watching the creature thrash about wildly.  "It doesn't seem like it's anything more than some type of amphibious entity."  Caleb looked back at Joey and shrugged, then tossed the creature back into it's apparent home.

Joey leaned against the grimy wall of the tunnel, staring at the article of clothing in his hands.  "This is Gavin's.."  His fingers traced the grain of the once smooth, but now tattered leather.  The coat was Gavin's trademark, and Joey knew in his gut that Gavin wouldn't leave it behind.. not under his own power at least.  His mind started to drift off into any scenario it could concoct about Gavin's disappearance, when he was startled out of his reverie.

"Ahhhh!"  Joey's head snapped in the direction of Trevor, who was yelling out in pain.  Trevor quickly began ripping his clothes off, trying to get at something underneath.

"Trevor, what's wrong?"  Joey questioned.

"They're in my clothes!  Those little fucking things in the water.. they're biting...  Ahh!  You little mother.."  Joey was over by Trevor in a flash, and helped the boy rid himself of the rest of his clothes.

"Stand still..."

"Easy for you to say!  Ahhh!"  Trevor screamed again.  Joey lit up his eyes, emitting enough of a glow to see Trevor's body clearly.  There was at least 5 of the little tadpoles wiggling along his skin, biting into him as they pleased.  Trevor swatted two from his chest as Joey grabbed two more from Trevor's thighs.  "AHHH!!.. Oh my god!  Get it off of me!"  Trevor's voice was full of pain.  Joey searched Trevor's body quickly, but couldn't see the last creature.

"Where is it, Trevor?!?"  Joey asked, panicking a little.

"My back!  The small of my back, get it out!"  Joey's eyes perked when he heard Trevor say get it out and not off.  He leaned down and studied the small of Trevor's back.. and there was the creature.. half way burrowed into Trevor's skin.

"Shit.. don't move.."  Joey grabbed the creature by it's tail, but it only served to make the creature go faster and further into Trevor's back.  "Caleb!"  The panic in Joey's voice caused Trevor to start to freak out even more.  Caleb came up behind Trevor and looked at the creature putting a half dollar sized hole into his back.

"Hold him still and keep him calm, Joey."  Caleb spoke calmly, the situation not seeming to get a rise out of him at all, but then again, not many things did.  Joey walked around in front of Trevor and wrapped his arms around the boy's upper body.

"Get it out of me.."  Trevor pleaded between gasps of pain.  His eyes were lit up from the tears that had escaped, the bright pupils staring into Joey's.  Caleb knelt down and put his palm over the remainder of the creature's tail sticking out of Trevor's back.  A purple mist swirled around his hand, encircling the creature's body inside of Trevor.  Caleb slowly pulled his hand back inch by inch.  "Fuck!  What are you doing to me!?!?  It's biting me inside!"

"Calm him!"  Caleb spoke harshly.  Joey held Trevor with one arm, and with his free arm held Trevor's head firmly.  Joey brought his lips to Trevor's and pressed them gently against each other.  Joey could feel Trevor tense with every bite the creature was taking out of him, but never released Trevor's lips from his own.

Caleb's concentration left him in his own little world.  He watched intently as the creature's body painfully slid, a small section at a time, from it's point of entry in Trevor's back.  Each time Caleb pulled back with his hand, the purple mist seemed to pull the creature out as if the mist acted as a magnet of sorts.  The 'tadpole's' head popped out and Caleb grasped the creature quickly.  It's mouth expanded, with two sets of razor sharp teeth snapping out in the air, blood dripping from it's hungry chops.

Trevor's body fell limply into Joey's arms, their lips finally separated.  Joey ran a hand over Trevor's forehead, wiping his sweat covered brow.  "Caleb, he's burning up."  Caleb's eyes remained transfixed on the blood thirsty creature in his hand.  "Caleb!"  Joey yelled, snapping Caleb out of his daze.  He nodded at Joey, then splattered the creature against the cold, stone lined tunnel wall without a second glance.

"Let's start back to the Haven.  Jared can help him."  The three vampires walked together, one on each side supporting Trevor's feverish body.  Their former home had been reclaimed, as the government seemed to believe that Joey was disposed of.  The Haven was the name dubbed upon the building by the guys after they returned from an experience most others would not have come out of alive from.  As they came to an intersection in the tunnels, footsteps could be heard rapidly approaching.  Joey's eyes watched intently in the direction of the sound, expecting the unexpected.

"Take him into the next tunnel," Joey instructed Caleb.  Caleb nodded, then led Trevor further down the tunnel, as Joey awaited the oncoming intruder.  The footsteps grew louder as they got closer, so Joey ducked down just out of sight and awaited the owner of the footsteps.  A shadow of a person came sprinting down the tunnel, the darkness shielding them from sight.  Joey caught a glimpse and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, pounced on the unsuspecting runner.

The two forms tousled on the ground, rolling around in the muck decorating the wet concrete.  After a few moments, Joey gained the advantage and pinned the runner's arms down.  "Let go of me!"  The male voice demanded as he struggled with Joey.

"Who are you and what are you doing down here?"

"Let me go and I'll explain."  Joey reluctantly released his grasp and he and the other boy stood up.  The boy reached into a bag he had slung over his shoulder and pulled out a flashlight.  He turned it on and flashed it at Joey, who's eyes sparked as a warning to the boy not to try anything, "You're why I'm down here."

"What do you mean, I'm why you're down here?"  Joey asked confused.

"I can't explain this to you here.. it's not safe.  I'll tell you if you take me to your place."

"You expect me to take you back to my home without knowing who you are?  Sorry, my trust in strangers is long gone."

"You don't understand.  She'll kill them all.  We have to get there.."  Joey grabbed the boy by the arm, but released his grasp quickly when he felt the stale, crispy texture that used to be smooth skin.

"What the..."

"I'm Rythen.  My arm and this,"  Rythen shined the light on his masked face, "Are not even a fraction of what she can and will do."

"Who is this she you keep talking about?"  Rythen sighed, and before he could answer Caleb appeared out of the darkness behind them.

"Enough questions, Joey.  We have to go."  Caleb looked at Rythen, then continued, "He's not lying.  I've seen a vision of what's coming.  We have to get back to the others before the witch gets to them."  Caleb didn't wait for an agreement before he turned and headed back to Trevor and on his way to the Haven.  Joey hesitantly started to follow when Rythen grabbed his arm.

"Don't give in to temptation."  With those five words, Rythen trekked off in pursuit of Caleb, leaving Joey in a world of confusion. Joey shook his head, and went off to join his friends and new acquaintance.  If only they had any idea of what was brewing in the world up above them..

The Haven....
 

Jared sat reclined in the softness of a lazy boy chair, reading a book.  Actually, a medical remedy book to be exact.  His eyes scanned the words quickly, the advanced comprehension came along with his transformation.  Once in awhile his eyes would peek over the edge of the book and glance at the far side of the room.  His eyes focused intently on the two blondes training with each other.  Their motions were a little jerky, but the fluidness between them was almost an art form.

Alex's arm would swing at Dave, only to be grasped tightly, and twisted around.  Alex in turn wriggled free, only to be spun around into the arms of Dave, their faces inches apart.  Their lips would occasionally slip over one another, showing the affections that a lover would show his significant other.  Most people would think they were dancing rather than training.  For their stature, the more delicate fluid ways of attack were much more suitable in the way of battle.  To combine quickness with impact, you can't allow brute force to be a factor.  Alex and Dave were the mirror images of each other physically.  Joey and Dave had been training, but Joey's ways were those of power and strength.  Dave's were of agility and reaction.  When Jared watched the two train, he knew right away that matching Dave and Alex together would give them much better results.

Chloe watched Jared out of the corner of her eye as she typed away on the computer.  She admired his devotion to Alex, fulfilling the protector role.  Deep down inside of her she held the longing for Jared that had been building up over the last year.  His boyish good looks and sincere good guy personality enraptured her heart to the fullest extent, yet she couldn't bring herself to work up the nerve to make a move on him.  The computer beeped beside her, breaking her out of her longing stare.  "There's something on the ground scan."

Jared stood from his seat and walked over to the computer.  A red dot moved on the screen, disappearing and reappearing in various spots on the computerized map.  "What the hell?  Alex, go check the surveillance monitors.  We've got some kind of weird intrusion all over the map."

Alex looked at Dave, then Jared, then gulped nervously as he made his way into the surveillance room.  His eyes scanned the monitors looking for any sign of an intruder, but nothing appeared on any of them.  He sighed in relief, the memory of the Skinwalkers and agents still fresh in his adolescent mind.  He started to walk out of the room when he caught a slight movement on monitor 5.  He stopped and stared intently at the screen as something flew by the camera in a flash.  "Jared, there's something out there, but it's too fast for the cameras."

"Chloe, do your thing."  Jared instructed.  Chloe nodded and headed for the front doors and windows. She applied a shield to each and every one of them, then did the same to the back. The only entrance left open, was the entrance in the far back room.  A trap door in the floor leading down to the sewers.  Caleb put it in when they returned to the Haven, for easy access to roaming around during the daytime if needed.  As Chloe started back to the computer, her shields started to slowly disintegrate.  "Shit, Chloe!"  Jared yelled.  Chloe looked on in disbelief, then quickly sprinted over to the front door that was rapidly becoming unprotected.  She used her power to rebuild the shield, but an outside force fought against her.

The entire building shook, causing the lights to flicker and glass to crash to the ground.  Alex watched the monitors flicker then shut off completely.  "Jared, the monitors are out.."  Jared shot up out of his seat and headed to the closet next to his room.  Dave was already there, one step ahead of him.  Dave pulled out an axe and tossed it to Jared, then loaded a crossbow for himself.  As the final snap could be heard as the arrow settled in, the power shut off completely and the building became eerily still and quiet.

"What the hell is going on?"  Dave questioned.  Jared looked at him with the same questioning look on his face, then led the way out into the main living quarters.

"J-Jared.. I can't hold it.. something's fight.."  Chloe's cries of helplessness rang throughout the building, but were cut off without warning.

*BOOM*

A bright white light exploded throughout the room, shards of glass flying through the air as an explosion of sorts sent all four vampires sailing across the room, their bodies smacking the ground with sickening thuds.  The ground rumbled beneath them, the building's structure wavering.  The front door flew off it's hinges and splintered into various pieces.  Jared used the side of the tipped over couch to pull himself up.  His eyes bulged as they caught sight of the cause of the explosion.

Kali stood a few feet into the doorway, the magical essence whipping around in the air around her.  Her glazed over eyes pierced through the room, and met dead on with Jared's.  "Come vampire."  Jared looked on wearily, then stood up.  Dave sat on the ground out of sight with his back against the couch.  He picked the crossbow back up and grasped it tightly.  Alex laid against the far wall near the surveillance room, his body barely moving.  Chloe on the other hand laid motionless about ten feet from Kali.  Jared ran over to her quickly to check on her.  He kneeled down, keeping one eye on Kali and tried to get a response out of Chloe.  Her eyes were shut and her face was covered in dirt.  A few cuts bled from her forehead and cheeks.  "Chloe..."

"She's alive, vampire.  Leave her.  Your healing power will not be any use to her as long as I'm here.  The sooner I'm gone, the sooner you can attend to your little girlfriend."  Jared stood to his feet and stared into the eyes of an evil he had never seen before.  One so pure that you could literally see it in the woman's eyes.

"What do you want?"  Jared's voice came out shakily.

Kali brought her the back of her hand up to Jared's face and ran it down the soft skin, "Do I frighten you, Jared?"

"N-No.. and how do you know my name?"

"Are you questioning my intelligence?"

"N-No.."

"My, the vampire race has fallen hasn't it?  I remember when your kind were warriors... even cold blooded killers.  Now look at you. Worthless, enhanced teenagers is all you've become.  Let me guess, you had a few problems at home, you ran off one night and some baby faced fang bearer offered to take your pain away.  Is that about right?"  Kali sneered with contempt.

"You don't know anything about me lady.  Get out of our home."  Jared's sharp tongue seemed to slip, and Kali did not take it kindly.

"If there was only a little respect left in this intolerable world."  Kali's eyes glazed over as she started shooting off some kind of enchantment, "Feel their pain.."  Jared's body stiffened as the essence of her spell penetrated his body.  Kali laughed evilly, her evil smirk seemingly a permanent fixture on her flawless face.  She reached for Jared when all of a sudden a sharp pain ran through her arm.  Her smirk wavered as she looked down to see an arrow half way through her upper arm.  Kali's eyes shot to the other side of the room with rage in them.  They came to rest on Dave, aiming yet another arrow at the witch.  Jared slumped against the wall, the spell seemingly not having an effect because of Dave's interruption.

"I reckon you better back off before I make you a permanent fixture on that wall."  Dave's voice held a serious tone, the protector role now passed to him.  "Jared, can you move?"  Jared groggily nodded, as Dave moved in on Kali.  He made it to Jared and helped his friend to his feet.  "Get Alex out of here.  I'll get Chloe."  Jared used the wall for support and slowly, but surely walked over to the prone Alex.

"Very brave new blood.  I'll give you that.  You're not very bright though."  Kali waved her hand and set the cross bow on fire.  Dave dropped the weapon to the ground, the flaming metal scalding to the touch.

"Uh, is it too late to say I'm sorry?"  Kali sneered and shot out a flame at Dave.  Dave shimmered and teleported out of sight.  Jared did his best to pick Alex up, but the dead weight of an unconscious body is a lot to handle.  Kali stalked toward them, chanting as she moved.  She stopped when she heard a loud click behind her.

Dave stood, pistol in hand, aimed right between the eyes of Kali.  "Now, you have two choices.  Choice number one, die.  Choice number 2, die.  Oh wait, silly me, that's one choice.  So yeah, die."  Dave squeezed the trigger, but before it went back all the way, a loud crash came from below him and something grabbed his leg.  "Oh bloody hell.."

"I thought I'd invite a friend to the party," Kali spoke, her voice deadpanned.  Greenish, rotted flesh covered the arms emerging from the floor boards.  Dave struggled and kicked his way out of the arms grasp, and stumbled over.  Soon the arms became a full fledged walking corpse.  It stalked toward Dave menacingly, groaning with every step.

"Bad corpse!  Stop scaring!"  Dave yelled.  He pulled the trigger and shot at the walking dead in front of him, sending the bullet sailing way off target, bouncing off the metal frame of a doorway.  Dave cocked the pistol again and shot another errant shell casing around the room.  "Fark, why doesn't this thing shoot straight!?!?"

"That's enough!"  The voice echoed throughout the room with authority.  Everyone including Kali turned to see Joey standing at the back of the room, with Caleb right beside him.  "Jared, go to the back and take care of Trevor please.  Dave, can you handle that thing?"  Joey asked, speaking of the zombie.  Dave nodded.  "All right, be careful."

"I don't have to be careful! I have a gun!"  Dave turned and let out a barrage of bullets from the pistol. They sailed through the air, each splattering into the corpse with a faint 'squish' sound.  "Okay, this may not have been the best idea.."  Kali's eyes burned into Joey, who's eyes were lit up with fury.  Neither spoke, just stared.  Caleb rushed past Joey and jumped over the couch and to Dave's aid.  The zombie grabbed Dave as he fumbled with the gun, and tried to do what zombies do.. take a bite out of him.  Caleb came sailing through midair snapping the zombie's head back with a stiff snap kick to the jaw.  Dave teleported and ended up on the zombie's back.  Caleb's hands emitted a purple haze as he walked forward calmly.  He took his fist and drove it through the corpse's midsection, literally taking a chunk out of it.  Caleb backed off slowly, then nodded at Dave. Dave shook out of the shock of what he had just seen and firmly snapped the dislocated head of the corpse right off.  The once again lifeless form fell to the ground with a thud.  Dave teleported once again, this time heading for Kali.

"Okay, I've had enough of these games."  Kali snarled.  Her hands shot out at her sides and a heaviness formed in the air.  You could literally see the layers of air freeze in the room.  Everyone in the room froze in place.

"Uh.. not happy jan."  Dave's tone was one of irritation, as he was half there and half somewhere else, being frozen in mid teleportation.

Joey was surprised when he moved his limbs freely.  He looked around at his friends in confusion, "What did you do to them?"

"It's simple.  They are all frozen in time.  Or frozen in oxygen.. which ever you prefer."

"Let them go or I'll end your oxygen permanently."  Joey's eyes sparked with rage, showing he meant business.

"You probably could do that if you had complete and perfected control over your powers.. and I wasn't a dark goddess.  But whatever makes you sleep during the day, sweety."  Joey shot a string of lightning at Kali, to which she pulled her hands back and harnessed the energy into an orb like element... like Joey had seen Caleb do.  "If it was that easy to kill me, don't you think someone would have done it by now?"  Joey's heart rate sped up, the fear of the unknown finally setting in on him.  His eyes darted behind Kali, where Caleb was standing motionless.  "They are slowly running out of time, Joey.  When I decide it's time, the air will become so dense that it will crush them from the inside out... killing them.  It will be your choice whether they live or die."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you."

"If I give myself to you, you will leave my friends alone?"

"There's more to it than that, but that's more or less the gist of the deal."  Out of nowhere Caleb appeared behind Kali, pressing his palms against each side of her head.  A shock of light engulfed both of them, Kali screaming out in pain.  She threw her arms back sending Caleb tumbling backwards.  "You little bastard!!!!"  Kali held her head, shaking the cobwebs out.  Caleb recovered quickly and charged the witch.  He kicked and punched at her at a furious pace, with Kali knocking most of them down for a few moments, until Caleb broke through and let loose a well placed kick to the rib area of Kali.  Caleb grabbed her by the hair and threw her up against the wall.  Kali crawled on her hands and knees, seemingly defeated.  Caleb picked her up again, this time by the throat.  "Y-You're unexpected, mixed blood..  V-Very powerful..."  Kali shot her hands out and dug her nails into the back of Caleb's head.  "Just not powerful enough.."  Caleb struggled until a paralyzing pain shot down his spine.   Visions shot through his mind, leaving no room for thought.. no room for fight.

Flashes of Gavin and himself in their former life flooded the boy's mind.  The love they shared, and for the first time, the genuine sense of loss hit him.  The one he couldn't remember after the accident.  He remembered.. everything.  The pain hit his heart hard, causing him to lose his breath.  Kali, sneered at the now helpless boy.  Caleb's eyes teared up, not knowing what to do with the new emotions that flooded him inside.  Joey ran up and grabbed Kali from behind, but she just shrugged him off, smashing him into the back wall. Then the visions in Caleb's head turned into a different kind.  The ones he was used to.  The future.  This time.. it wasn't that of one person's fate, but the fate of the world as they knew it.  Cities aflame, demons and the like running wild in a world filled with darkness.  Kali stood at the top of a high peak, watching the chaos with satisfaction.  That wasn't what scared Caleb the most.  It was the person standing next to her that shocked him back to reality.

Caleb's eyes shot over to Joey, who had risen to his feet.  Joey's eyes met his and Caleb locked onto his mind.  "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."  Suddenly Caleb's body flew threw the air and slammed into the far wall.

"Nooooooo!"  Joey yelled.  He sprinted over to Caleb, where a sharp glinting sword pierced out the front of the boy's abdomen.  Tears fell from Joey's eyes, as he tried to hold Caleb up to keep the sword from impaling him anymore.  Blood, poured from the gaping wound.  Caleb slowly lifted his hand and brought it to Joey's face.

"Y-you... cannot.. w-win witho...."  Caleb's voice stopped completely and silence rang throughout the room.  Joey looked up at the limp body hanging on the wall, the tears running freely down his cheeks .  He wrapped his arms around Caleb and slid him off the impaled sword, blood splattering as it hit the floor.  Joey laid his friend on the ground and held him in his arms sobbing uncontrollably.

"WHY?!?!?!"  Joey screamed out.

"I felt like destroying something beautiful."  Joey's eyes burned with rage as he set Caleb down and stood up abruptly.  In one swift motion he grabbed the sword that had impaled his friend, and whipped it across the room, a whistling sound slicing through the dense air as it traveled faster than the naked eye could see.  The sharp blood stained metal stabbed through Kali's cloak, pinning it to the wall.

Joey walked with a purpose over to the dark goddess.  His body sparked with electricity, the anger building up inside of him like never before.  He stopped just short of her and burned his eyes into hers.  "I'm going to kill you."  The cold, emotionless tone in Joey's voice was one that had never escaped his lips before.

Kali smiled maliciously, "That's the Joey I was waiting to see."  Joey screamed out and drove his fists down toward Kali's chest.  As he was about to penetrate her body, her hands shot forward and grabbed his wrists.  Smoke emitted from Kali's hands as the electricity burnt her flesh.  She slowly drained the power from the boy, watching him struggle with all he had.  The blue glow flew from Joey's body into Kali's, her eyes lighting up as Joey's had many times before.  Joey screamed out in pain, dropping to his knees.  Kali knocked the boy over, sending him sprawling onto his back.  She straddled his waist and slammed the palms of her hand down on the middle of his chest.  A white light shout out of Joey's eyes and mouth, lighting up the entire interior of the Haven.  The light was so pure that it literally caused everything to turn white.

Joey's mind filled with clouds and a peaceful silence.  A cool breeze swept through his short kept hair, the sun shined brightly over his mocha colored skin.  Spirits swam around his body, smiling, and laughing.   A happiness was held in them that not many ever experience.  Joey stood on the cloud as if it were as solid as concrete.  His bare chest soaked in the rays of the sun hungrily.  "Joey."  A single voice swept through the air.  Joey turned and came face to face with Blade. His sun tanned body glistened in the light, a perfect, bright white smile adorning his face. Joey smiled as Blade came up and they hugged each other tightly.  Joey closed his eyes, then the body in his arms disappeared.  The clouds took on the form of grass; long shimmering emerald strands of grass.  "Daddy!"  Joey froze as he watched a young boy come running through the tall grass, laughing away without a care in the world.  The boy... his son...  jumped into Joey's arms and squealed in delight as Joey spun him around.  Joey kissed the boy on the forehead, "Cameron.. God.. How can this be.. "

The white light emitting from the room condensed from all around and shot down into Joey's body like a vacuum sucking up debris.  His eyes shot open, bringing the sight of the Haven's living quarters back into view.  Joey groggily shook his head and propped his aching body up on his elbows.  He looked around and saw Dave, Jared, Chloe, Alex, and Rythen standing around him, no sign of Kali in sight.  They all looked at him strangely, focusing on his chest, with one sound echoing throughout their ears...

*THUMP THUMP.  THUMP THUMP.  THUMP THUMP*

"Y-you're heart... "  Chloe whispered out incredulously.

Trevor stepped out from behind the group, his body flush and covered in sweat from his fever.  He kneeled near Joey and the smell of blood rushed through his senses, "He's.... Human...?"