Chapter Six: The Funeral

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

The world seemed to spin around the boy's head. He felt like he was thrown out of his body and viewing the scene in a 360 degree angle. He saw himself, grasping desperately at Lindsey. He saw Lindsey, with her face full of tears, pumping her arms and running towards the door. He saw Tony and Richard staring at her, both getting ready to run her down. He saw Kayla with her hand over her mouth and wide open eyes looking at him. The world stood still for the boy, and in what can be considered real time it took but a blink of the eye for the various emotions to go through his mind. "She can't do this. She shouldn't die. I have to protect these people. -These- are the people who should continue living. -These- are the people who in the future will make an impact."

Lindsey had begun her sprint without even thinking of what was behind the door. Something took hold of her, and thrusted her forward. She had not stopped since she felt it. She closed her eyes as she ran past the boy, because she didn't want to see the pain in his eyes. She didn't want to see the shame she must have caused him. She heard footsteps, and knew that Richard and Tony were chasing after her, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to stop. She was two steps past the boy, and only one second from the door, when suddenly her center of gravity failed her. Her arm felt like it was going to be torn apart. She began to fall, when suddenly the boy grabbed hold of her. He had caught hold of her hand just in the nick of time, and held on as tight as he could. When her head finally stopped spinning she noticed where she was. For a minute she thought it was a dream, and she was back in the locker room on that fateful day. But she was here, in this unknown hallway of this unknown house, in the arms of the boy. He was holding her just like he had that day in the locker room.
"Why? You idiot...", she said, and then she started to cry. The boy simply held her close and kept his arms around her.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't let you", he said. The boy stood up, and walked to within one step from the door. He turned back to face his fellow hostages one last time.

"Richard, I want you to learn what it means to be strong. I want you to find within yourself the power to do things that you've only imagined until now. Find fulfillment through aiding others in a mutual cause. Let go of what makes you happy, and learn to enjoy things which make everyone happy.
Tony, despite your efforts to kill me, I want you to know I've forgiven you. I want you to go back to your family and learn what it means to be a part of one. If there is no center to hold it together - then become that center. Become the light which spills on to others, so they too can see what it means to shine.
Kayla, I wish you the best with your baby, and I hope that it grows up to become a wonderful person. Remember to always love them with the greatest power possible in your heart. You may not know all the answers in how to raise them, but if you look within your heart, there will be a force there to guide you."
The boy turned finally to Lindsey.
"Lindsey, I'm sorry." She began to cry again. "There is a reason this is the way things must be. God has told me this is the way things must be. I finally realized this in a dream. Well, it wasn't actually a dream, I suppose it was more like a premonition. I didn't know what it meant when I had it, but the other night it suddenly came rushing back to me. You will find out soon why this is the way things must be. You need only look inside - or in this case around - yourself. Your life is ahead of you Lindsey. You still have graduation parties and wedding ceremonies to attend for yourself and your friends. This is God's gift to you, Lindsey. The gift of life. Please find a way to use it happily."
The boy was talking to all of them now:
"There will come a time in the not too distant future where you all will understand this. I promise. Until that day, take some time to open your heart, and reach out to a power which has the ability to change your lives forever."
With those last words, the boy opened the door, which was pitch black inside, and stepped through. Lindsey was watching him with sorrowful eyes, and she noticed that he caught her eye just before going through. She hoped that her eyes would say to him, "Please don't, Please, Why? Don't, You don't have to do this...", but all he did was pat his back pocket with his hand.

It was not until much later did Lindsey notice that in her back pocket was the mini notepad and pencil, filled out in the boy's handwriting from front to back.

---

(Two Weeks Later)
Media outlets had been covering the hostage story for several weeks now. CNN, FOX News, ABC, and others all had their cameramen present the moment the SWAT teams tore down the barricades to the home. The twisted old man had stayed true to his word, and phoned in the rescue. He is now facing four hundred and eighty-seven years in prison. When the police forces captured him, cameramen eagerly shot the footage of the crazy man screaming, "I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" The remaining four hostages were reunited with their families a few short hours after they were rescued. A crime scene investigator was sent to search behind the mahogany door, where the others told him a fifth hostage had ventured. When the crime scene investigator returned, his colleagues asked him what the situation was. "Burn the house", he said. "And never speak of this place again."

Soon Lindsey, Kayla, Tony, and Richard had appeared on nearly every imaginable news channel in the United States. They all recalled the events, sparing some of the more gruesome details. Whenever they were asked about what happened to the boy, they all became silent. Soon some people in the boy's home town began to hear about the story and wondered if their encounters with their mysterious boy and if he could possibly be the same person. Soon the entire nation was inspired by the heroic acts of such a young man (which people now found it fitting to call him). A funeral procession was held, and people from all across the city came to attend.

While no body was retrieved, a coffin was placed above the ground and chairs were set up for the people attending. The girl from the alley was there, and so was Jennifer, who was crying perhaps the hardest of all. Sara sat in the third row, with a face clear of bruises for the first time in months. Lindsey, Richard, Tony, and Kayla all sat together in the front row. Jessica Parker was seated in the back, still with her baby intact, which was due in only one month. The regular proceedings took place, and then when it was time for family and friends to speak, everyone took their turn to tell everyone what the man taught them about life. The man had no family to speak of, so these people that he had saved were the only ones to carry on and pass down his memory. Finally, it was Lindsey's turn to speak. She was the last person to say anything at the funeral, before everyone began disbanding.

"After hearing all of these stories, I can't really say that mine will be much different. He didn't save my life, like he did for some of these people, but he did show me how -I- could save it. I guess in some weird sort of way he taught me what it means to enjoy living. Right before he left us, he gave me something, and wrote that he wanted me to share it with everyone on the day of his funeral. The girl began to read out loud:

"Dear Fellow Angels,
First off, I'd like to say 'Thank You' to everyone for being such wonderful and loving people. Everyone is a child of God inside, and I'm sure that many of the people here today can tell you that by opening your heart, you can find him too. I sincerely hope that this day is not one of mourning for the majority of you. I want everyone here to not lament that I am gone, but rejoice in what I have given some of you. Throughout the last few months I've seen a lot of news stories on some of the things I've done for people. People were calling me an angel, a 'Miracle Man', or something from heaven. I'm sorry if I disappoint any of you, but I am not any of those things. I am simply a child of God, like each and every one of you. I am no more of an angel than anyone else in the world who extends a caring, compassionate, and loving hand towards others. The evil and darkness that has begun to consume this world, comes from hearts which are currently misguided and astray. I urge each and every one of you to reach out and touch someone! Do not pray to God as a lesser entity than he, but pray to him with the knowledge that his power is the same power that surges through each and every one of you! I'm asking everyone here to become a part of this power, and help make this world the best that it can be! I'm calling all angels here today, and the thousands more across the globe, to join together, little by little, day by day. Helping one person creates a network of connections that extends far beyond the immediate response of giving another person aid. Look to the sky friends, where I am watching over you, and pray with and for each other. Become a living and loving part of this world - and you can truly become an angel!"

Everyone sat in prayer after Lindsey read what the man had written in the mini notepad. Lindsey realized earlier that while the man was holding her back from going through that door, he had slipped it in her pocket. He must've written it while in the Ankh Room by himself the night before that day. As the first person began to leave, rain began to slowly fall down on the coffin as it was lowered in to the ground. The man's body was not in the coffin, but his heart and spirit were most assuredly in the hearts and minds of thousands of people across the nation. Lindsey, Jennifer, Jessica, Sara, and everyone else who had been saved by the man were the last remaining, and they all looked deep in to the sky. They all imagined that some where up there, and also within their hearts, that God was looking over them, with the man at his side.

The end.

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Chapter Five (Part Three): The Games

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

All four of the hostages' stomachs were beginning to rumble with discontent. Everyone was becoming more edgy and panicked. It was now approaching night-time, and just earlier that morning the boy had temporarily left their ranks. None of them knew where he was, and Tony began to doubt that he would be back.
"Why the hell would he come back if he found a way out?", he said. "If he found a way to get free, then he's probably halfway back to his fuckin' home by now!"
"He wouldn't do that", Lindsey said. "He wouldn't leave us here alone."

Before he could complain or argue any longer, they all heard a single thump at the door. Kayla and Richard stood up to join Tony and Lindsey, and they all huddled around the door. Suddenly the knob began to turn, and the door was cracked open. Tony was the first one to barge out, and after he did he went running off down the hallway. Kayla and Lindsey were next, and they rushed forward to check on the boy, who was slumped up against the opposite wall of the hallway.
"Are you alright?!", Lindsey asked with a concerned look on her face.
"I'll be alright for now", he said.
Kayla noticed that his left hand was discolored and badly injured. It wasn't until she forced him to let her have a closer look that she determined his outer layer of skin was in fact gone, and in its place was a thin layer of flesh. The boy insisted that he was fine. Richard came out last, but unlike Tony he wasn't eager to see what else this house had in store.
"How did you get out?", Richard asked.
"I opened the door", the boy said.
"But how did you? I mean - I thought no one could on their own. You saw what happened to Tony."
"Tony was opening the door with a different kind of strength than I was", the boy said.
Richard didn't quite understand what he meant, but nonetheless didn't question him any further. The two women helped the boy up to his feet and supported him.
"We need to get Tony back here. It's dangerous for him to wander on his own."
"He'll get whatever is coming to him", Kayla said.
"No. If I can help it, I want everyone to be safe. I don't want anyone to be hurt", the boy said.
"Oh come on, that jerk has done nothing but complain this entire time, and the only thing he's managed to do is dishearten us all", Kayla said.
"Everyone deserves to be safe and away from danger. No one should have to die, especially in their own ignorance. That is the saddest death of all", he said.

Kayla didn't know why this boy was feeling sorry for Tony, or why he wanted to help him, but she remembered what Richard had said earlier that morning about following the boy.
"Well, us three are with you. Why don't you tell us what you've found while we go searching for Tony?"
"Very well", he began, "I went to search the house, and make sure there wasn't anything like that door knob which might catch us off guard. I didn't want to leave you all in there, but I knew this was something I wanted to do alone, in case it was dangerous."
"What did you find?", Richard asked.
"I found more rooms, with more things rigged up like traps. I can only guess they are a part of this man's game, and that we will be forced to play each one before he allows us our freedom."
"What kind of traps?", Lindsey asked.
"You'll see soon enough", he said.
They continued to search for Tony, and they eventually found him outside the door to one of the rooms where apparently a trap had been rigged.
"What the hell is in there? What the hell is that?", he kept saying to himself, as the others approached him.
"Yes, I remember that room", the boy said. "It's a small room like a hallway, but the panels on the floor do not look normal. At the end of the hallway are five bags marked "Food". He probably wants us to try and reach it."
"Well I'll be a damned fool if I don't try!", Tony said. Tony ran in to the room, and was but two steps deep in walking down the hallway when suddenly he shrieked in pain and jumped back. "I-I-It's fuckin' hot!", he said.
The floor panels were set up to be scorching hot. Kayla licked her finger and tapped one of the panels, only to hear the brief "Ssssssst" sound as if she was testing an iron.
"We're all starving man! We need that fucking food!", Tony said.
"Well we can't get it can we!?", Kayla argued with him.
Richard was staring at the floor panels, and Lindsey was glancing towards the boy, who was sitting down.
"Are you really hungry?", the boy asked Lindsey.
"I'm doing okay. Don't think you have to, I mean, don't worry about going to get-" but the rumbling of her stomach interrupted the rest of her sentence.
The boy rose quietly, and stood in front of the floor panels. He hovered one foot over the first panel.
"What the fuck're you doin?", Tony said.
"STOP!", Kayla yelled.
"Don't be a goddamned fool", Richard added.
The boy tapped the panel with his toe for but a brief second. Tony looked up at the ceiling and took a big sigh. Richard looked to the ground and shook his head. Kayla had her eyes closed and her hands to her face. Lindsey was looking at the boy.
She put her arm on his back, and said, "It's okay. Really. Don't worry about i--" but her stomach rumbled ferociously once more. By the time Tony had looked back down from the ceiling, and when Kayla had re-opened her eyes, and when Richard looked his head up, and when Lindsey had time to scream, the boy was already halfway across the hallway, sprinting to the bags.

---

The first step was agonizing. The second step was torture. Anything after that could be summarized as Hell. He guessed it would take about seven steps if he sprinted to reach the other side, where he could collapse on to the food. Luckily for him (if there was such a thing), he didn't have to sprint to and back in one set. Two steps away from reaching the food the boy felt his foot buckle underneath the intense pain that spread through and up his leg. He half-stumbled the last remaining step, which in turn caused his leg to drag across the final blistering panel.
"WHY!?", Lindsey screamed. "Why did you do that you idiot?!" She began to cry.
"Hol-y shit, boy!", Tony yelled. "What the fuck're you thinkin?"
"Are you alright!?", Richard yelled.
"Can you hear us?!", Kayla screamed at him.
The boy lay on the ground, and looked back at all of them. He couldn't speak, so only gave the 'thumbs-up' sign with his good hand. He looked on the wall next to him, and saw a switch. He flipped it, curious as to what it might do. He heard the sound of something crackling, then the sound of something shutting off. He tried to gather his bearings, but passed out thirty seconds later. When he finally came to, he saw Kayla above him with a hand on his forehead.
"What happened?", he asked.
"You passed out after running down the hall. We saw you flip some switch, and then about ten minutes later Lindsey went running after you", Kayla said.
"She what?!", he said.
"The floor wasn't hot anymore. We expected to see her crumple to the ground after two or three steps, but she just kept running. We thought she was in pain because she was crying, but when she reached the end she threw herself on you. We realized the floor wasn't hot anymore, and all went after her."
The boy looked around, and saw the girl sitting with her back against the nearby wall, hugging her knees. She ran to him, even though she knew it was dangerous...
"The food?", he asked.
"Tony and Richard have already eaten their share. I have too, you know, with the baby and all I'm kind of eating for two. Lindsey still has hers, and I kept yours safe for you." ('Safe from Tony', she added in a whisper).

The boy half-crawled and half-walked over to Lindsey. "Aren't you going to eat?", he said. "I know you're hungry", he said.
"Why did you go and do that? You could've been killed", she said.
The boy opened up her bag, and for the first time he noticed what kind of food was actually in there. There was one slice of bread and about one cup of water. This was some kind of sick and twisted joke. He had risked his life for this? He handed her the food from her bag.
"Eat", he said.
"I-I saved it for you", she said.
"If you think that I'm going to take your food, then don't eat it", he said. She unwillingly ate her small portion of bread and drank the water.
"Now you eat yours", she said.
"Maybe later", he said, and he tucked it away.
They all walked back to the hallway, wondering where to go next. It was getting very late, and soon they all realized they would have to sleep somewhere. Not knowing anywhere else to go, (and not wanting to go back in to the room with the ankh on the wall) they all simply rested in the hallway until they all fell asleep. The boy had his back to the wall, and was favoring his hand which was still recovering. His feet where still painfully sore, and he knew they would probably never be perfectly normal again. "All for a little bread and water", he said to himself.

---

In the morning the five began to search the house again. It was raining, and the sound of thunder could be heard amidst the pattering of rain against the house. Tony and Richard both gave the boy a respectful distance after his actions from the other day. Tony had even managed to shut up and not quite complain as much. The boy was having trouble walking on his own, so Richard helped him along with Lindsey. They headed in the opposite direction of the hallway with the hot panels, and past the "Ankh Room". This lead to a foyer where a staircase lead down, to where the front entrance appeared heavily barricaded. The only other path was a hallway next to the front entrance, which lead to a door. The boy told them that the door lead down to a cellar, but he didn't know what was down there. When they reached the bottom Kayla turned on a light switch, which revealed a set of brands lying in a rack along the wall. There were about twenty of them in total.

A television popped up from a panel in the floor just as it had the first day they were in the house. The old man appeared again on the screen.
"Congratulations on making it this far. Also, an extended round of applause on your ability to reach the food I so carelessly misplaced. This special game is one that I invented personally. May you please notice on your left an open furnace. On your right lies a rack of brands. These brands each appear flat, but in fact they have untraceable indentures in each of them. When applied firmly to human flesh, it will produce a box number. The number that appears with the word "Correct", is the answer to this game. After finding the answer, locate the pull-out shelf underneath the stairs that corresponds to the brand. Inside will be a clue vital to your survival. Oh, and if you attempt to pull out any shelves and chose wrongly, well. Let's just say I didn't warn you, hmmm? Best be off!" And the television lowered back down in to the floor panel before it clicked back shut.

Tony wrangled a brand off the rack, turned on the furnace, and heated it up.
"What are you doing", Kayla asked.
"What's it look like I'm doin, huh? I'm gonna try and press this against my shirt or somethin", he said.
"But he said that wouldn't work!", Lindsey said.
"Do I look like I'm gonna listen to what he has to tell me? Do I?", he retorted.
Tony heated the brand to a sufficient temperature and pressed it firmly against his white t-shirt which he had laid on the table. As it turns out, the man wasn't lieing. Tony threw the brand down on the table.
"Did you really think that would work", Kayla asked.
"What, you got any better ideas", he said.
"Let us two take turns", Richard said, as he motioned to both himself and Tony. "That boy has suffered enough, and women shouldn't have to be any part of this."
"Fuck that, old man!", Tony said. "I'm not gonna fuckin' brand myself like a god damn cow or somethin!"
"Well at this time we do not have much of a choice. If we want to get out of here we have to play these sick games, and until then--", a loud, inhuman scream interrupted Richard. It caused everyone's stomachs to twist and their heads to pound.
The boy was on the table lying on his back. He held the brand up to his chest, and pressed it down firmly. The pain was immediate and intense, but it subsided after about twenty seconds. The pain, however, was ten times worse than the floor panels, and it left behind a stinging sensation.
"What in the world are you doing?!", Lindsey yelled, as she ran towards him and threw the brand off his chest.
"Is he all-right?", Kayla asked.
"I'm fine", he said through a grimace.
Richard and Tony peered over the women's shoulders to glance at the mark the brand had left.
"SORRY! Try again!"
"Wrong one", Tony said.
"Who gives a shit about that?!", screamed Lindsey. "Can't you see how much this hurt him?"
"Hey, don't blame me on this, he did it to himself!", Tony defended himself.

"Hand me another brand", the boy said.
"Are you crazy? No way!", said Lindsey.
The boy stared her in the eyes, and she stared resolutely back at him. He then stared at Richard. "Hand me another brand Richard", he said. Richard, who was not as strong as Lindsey was, did as he was told. Somewhere deep down he did it because he knew he didn't want to be the one being branded. The boy stuck the brand in the fire, and laid on his back again. He held the brand up to his chest, and pressed it in firmly. He let out another pathetic yelp of pain, this time longer and louder.
"SORRY! Try again!"
Lindsey didn't want to watch. She also didn't want to stop him. How could she? How could she stop this boy? He was too strong for her. Not physically, but in some other way.
He heated another.
"SORRY! Try again!"
Another.
"SORRY! Try again!"
Another. This time the pain lingered.
"SORRY! Try again!"
The boy was panting now, and covered in sweat. His entire chest seemed to be on fire, not just the portions he had branded.
Another.
"SORRY! Try again!"
Lindsey winced each time he pressed a brand to his body. She could only fathom the unbearable pain he was putting himself through, for the sake of strangers, some of which didn't even deserve it.
Another.
"SORRY! Try again!"
Lindsey began to cry. She turned to face away now, and went to go sit on the steps where she hugged her knees. Kayla went over to console her.
Another.
"SORRY! Try again!"
Another.
"CORRECT! Box #20!"

The boy reached for another brand.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute!", Richard said. "That's the correct one! It says Box 20! You picked the right one!"
Lindsey and Kayla ran over to the boy and examined his chest. Sure enough, he had finally managed to pick the right brand. The boy was thankful. He was beginning to think he'd have to go through all twenty, which even he thought to himself might be too much. He relaxed his body and let the pain slowly consume him. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the table. Lindsey and Kayla stayed to watch over him while Richard and Tony opened up the Box labeled 20 on the shelf underneath the stairs. It wasn't a cardboard box, but rather those which people receive mail in, like small tiny rectangles where letters fit inside. Inside was a key, and it was labeled "104". Tony went up the stairs and Richard followed after him.

"Lindsey, Kayla", the boy gasped.
"We're here", Lindsey said.
"Get my food bag on the chair next to me please", he asked.
She did as he requested, and he held it in front of himself. He broke the piece of bread in half, and extended one of the pieces to Lindsey. "Share this bread", he said. "And share half of the water. I don't want Tony or Richard mad they didn't get any, but Lindsey I still hear your stomach, and Kayla...", he paused for several seconds to swallow, "You're eating for two, remember?", he said with a smile. "If you two don't eat it, I'm giving it to Tony and Richard, and I know both of them will. Please, both of you, take these. You need them more", and then he temporarily passed out.
Lindsey and Kayla took his generous gift, but only because they knew otherwise it'd go to Tony, and also because they couldn't argue with an unconscious person. Lindsey tried pouring a little of the water in to the boy's mouth, but ultimately gave up when even while unconscious he refused.

Tony was flying up the stairs and past the Ankh Room. He found a door with the number "104" on it, and forced the key in. He rushed inside the room, fully expecting another type of game, but it was empty. He shut the door behind him, and soon yet another television began to rise from a floor panel. "Tony Margalosa", the old man said. "Have the others been keeping you back? Do you feel they are a hindrance? Well, no matter. This is the final game, Tony. But, this game will also only involve two people. I want you to kill the boy, Tony. Remember what I said about teamwork. It takes everyone's participation in this game to win. You are the final piece of this puzzle, Tony. The only person who stands in your way is the boy. I trust you will do the right thing."

---

Richard came crashing in just as the television began to descend in to the floor.
"What'd he say?", he asked. "What did the freak say?!"
"He said, that there was one last game", Tony said. "He said, that we were almost free, there's only one more thing that we have to do."
"Great!", Richard said. "What is it? What do we have to do?"
"He didn't say", Tony said.
Kayla, Lindsey, and the boy all arrived about five seconds later, and Richard told them what he had just heard from Tony. Tony gave the boy a menacing look when he first saw him, but quickly hid his expression. The boy did not seem to notice anything.
"So what do we do now?", Richard asked. "We're back at square one again!"
"We'll just have to think it over", Kayla said. "We've managed to come this far, thanks to--"
"Yea, we have managed to come this far", Tony said. "And we aren't gonna give up now! We can do whatever it takes to get out of here! I swear I will get out of here!"
"Let's rest for tonight", suggested Lindsey. "I think we all need some time to think about things, and he (she motioned to the boy) needs time to rest."

The boy, Kayla, and Lindsey all remained in the empty Room 104. Tony went to go pace around the foyer, and Richard was resting at various spots in the hallway. Soon twilight crept through various windowpanes of the building, and most of the building was shrouded in darkness and shadows. Kayla, the boy, and Lindsey had fallen asleep in Room 104, and Richard had fallen asleep just outside in the hallway. Tony was still walking around the foyer, when he noticed how late it had become. In truth he had been planning his next move for hours. He didn't like the idea of hitting a defenseless boy much, but he also knew that he would do almost anything to get out of this house. He picked up a blunt piece of wood that was part of the barricade at the front door, and walked slowly up the stairs. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do. Did he have his motives mixed up? Was this the right thing? He could do nothing about the creaking of the floorboards, so he simply proceeded and quietly as he could. He walked past Richard and peeked his head through in to Room 104. He couldn't see well, because there we no windows in this room, but he could make out three different body shapes. Two of them were lying close together, and when he leaned in closer he could tell one of them didn't have their shirt on. "That's the boy", Tony said to himself. If it was possible at this point Tony might have even cried for what he saw himself doing. He took notice of exactly where is head was, and lifted the blunt object high over his head. "This is it, I -HAVE- to get out of here!!!", he yelled. He was swinging it down with a giant roar, when the motionless person next to the boy leaped through the air and sheltered him. Richard came running through the door ten seconds later, and knocked a figure with a wooden object in their hands to the ground. The third figure in Room 104, who was sleeping in the opposite corner, began to stir with puzzlement.

Tony had successfully identified the boy while in the room. He held the blunt piece of wood high over his head, but didn't take notice of the second figure next to the boy. Lindsey had awoken when she heard the loud creaks of the floorboard. When she saw the shadow of a man in the doorway, she knew it had to be Tony. Richard was a much larger man, and their frames were very different. She could glimpse from the corner of her eye that he was carrying something, and then saw him about to attack the boy with it. She threw herself on top of the boy, and the blunt object hit her square in the back. She writhed in pain and began to cry. Richard wrestled the unknown assailant to the ground, only to realize it was Tony. Kayla awoke and saw Lindsey on the ground in terrible pain. The boy was lost in all of this. Lindsey was lying on top of him and crying, Richard was wrestling with Tony, and Kayla was running towards him. He soon noticed that Lindsey was bleeding from her back, and began to use his shirt (which he was using as a pillow) to try and stop the bleeding.

"What the hell!?", the boy yelled. Everyone was a bit taken aback, even Tony. None of them had seen the boy -angry- before. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Before anyone could answer, the boy got within an inch of Tony's face. Richard had him pinned to the ground, but he didn't know how long he could hold him there. "Listen to me, Tony. If you want to hurt me in any way then I will have to suffer the outcome of such a matter. If you have a problem with me, then I suggest you say so and we can settle it. But don't you -ever- harm another person here, no matter what the reason is. Violence of any form is against His ways, and I will most certainly not condone any such behavior against another living person! Should you choose to believe the masked man instead of us, then be my guest. But let me ask you one thing, Tony. Who are you going to trust? The man who kidnapped you? Or the people who are trying to help you escape alive!" The boy had nearly yelled the entire thing right in Tony's face at the top of his lungs. The boy returned to Lindsey, who was now being treated by Kayla.
"I think she's going to be okay", Kayla told the boy.
Richard lessened his grip on Tony. The boy half-expected Tony to leap from the ground and start pummeling him in to submission. But Tony just sat there, with his head down, staring at the ground. The boy knew that Tony was reflecting. The boy didn't like to yell, but when he saw someone harmed in front of his very eyes, he couldn't help it. He had always tried to protect people from such danger, but this time, it was someone else who had protected him.

---

No one was surprised to see the television come up from the floor. "You've passed the second-to-last game. Congratulations!", the man said with a twisted sort of pleasure. "The last game will take place tomorrow morning. Take the door at the end of the hallway and just keep walking. You can't miss it! Night!" The television descended back in to the floor. Tony remained motionless, as did Lindsey. Richard was back out in the hallway, pacing back and forth. Kayla was helping the boy tend to Lindsey.
"Don't worry", the boy said to Lindsey. "Soon you'll be able to get that treated, I promise. We'll be out of here tomorrow. Don't worry", he said again.
Lindsey was still in pain, but it had subsided for the most part. The bleeding was not severe, and it had stopped before she lost too much blood. No one went back to sleep for the rest of the night. Tony stayed in the room propped up against the wall, staring between his knees. Richard continued to walk around outside, although he'd periodically sit down for a few minutes. Kayla stayed with Lindsey, but the boy returned to the Ankh Room. There he got on both of his knees and stared through the Ankh shape high on the side of the wall, and began to pray. The boy prayed for the safety of the others, and for one final surge of strength.

"I understand now, God", the boy said. "It took me a long time, but now I know. I started to realize when I was off on my own after getting out of this room for the first time. I searched all the rooms, but I also took a peek through the keyhole of that one locked door at the end of this hall. It was then I knew what you were trying to tell me. Please allow me to do the right thing, God. Amen."

In the morning everyone was curious as to what they had to finally do to get out of the house.
"Now what?", Richard said.
"He said we'd play the last game today", Kayla said reassuringly. "We're going to leave today."
Lindsey was silent the entire morning, as was Tony. All four of them were gathered in Room 104, but the boy was still in the Ankh Room. When they finally found him, they noticed he was asleep. He woke up after he heard them walking in to the room, and sat up to look at the Ankh one last time. "Thank you god", he said out loud.

The boy got up and started walking down the hallway of the Ankh Room, Room 104, and the passage whose panels has previously scorched his feet. The boy now had an injured hand, burned feet, an aching chest, and worst of all the pain from seeing another person hurt before him. He could barely manage to limp on his own, but pushed anyone back who tried to help him walk. When they all finally reached the end of the hallway, the boy looked through the keyhole.
"This is it", he said. "It ends here."
He turned the knob, and opened the door.
"W-W-When did that get unlocked?", Richard said.
"Probably overnight", Tony managed to say. He had been much more quiet since the night before. Something about the boy had actually managed to scare him. "He isn't normal", Tony kept saying to himself every time he looked at him. The boy stepped in to the hallway past the door, and everyone followed him.

---

This hallway was completely unlike the others. It looked like it belonged in some branch of the Pentagon or some secret underground bunker of the White House. The sides of the walls had panels stretching the entire length of the hall. On each panel was a flat-screen television which had a live video feed of the man who kidnapped them. He was sitting in his black leather chair as usual, with his mask and robe. The floor was marble, and at the end of this long hallway stood a large mahogany door.
"Is it through there?", everyone but the boy asked.
"Yes", came the voice through over ten different televisions. "The final game, is through there. However, only one of you will be allowed to enter. If more than one person enters that door, then you all will die here. Also, a bit of a disclaimer if you will: The person who enters through that door will experience the last living moments of their lives."
Everyone looked at one another with frightened eyes, but the boy simply stared at the door.
"I know, that does seem somewhat cruel, but on the positive side, those who are left will be set free. Of course, I know that no such person is capable of such a human act, and thus you will all be doomed here to die. A bit tragic, actually..."
"Why?!", Lindsey screamed. "Why can't you just let us all go! Why are you doing all of this? What is the point? Why...?"

"Child, I am sure you have noticed by now that people can be incredibly brave, selfish, caring, and a whole slew of other things. Up until this point you four have practically free-loaded off this boy, allowing him to single-handedly carry all the pain and suffering. There is no such thing as angels!! There are no saviors of this world, who protect us from evil, and shelter us from any wrongdoings! The world is set in motion through corruption, and thus through corruption it will continue to turn. You five are merely my validation! Now, once and for all, I can finally prove not only to myself, but the non-believers as well, that no one in this world can possess the heart of something other-worldly! Humans only breed in corruption, raise children in corruption, and bathe in the cest pool of misconstrued morals and values!! Good-bye everyone. It was quite nice knowing you, but rest assured your deaths will allow for the uninterrupted cycle of corruption to continue."

Lindsey, Kayla, Richard, and Tony, all stared at the back of the boy's head. They couldn't tell now, but he was already limping slowly towards the door.
Kayla admired the boy's bravery and kindness. She remembered how he gave her and Lindsey his portion of food, which was probably worth more than their lives to him at that point. She remembered how he said, "You're eating for two, right?", and simply smiled. Something about that smile. It just wasn't something a normal human would do.
Richard was astonished by the kind of willpower the boy had managed to show up until now. He finally realized what the boy meant when he said he used a different kind of strength than Tony. Richard still didn't know where he got this strength from or how he used it, but he knew that it had worked up until now.
Tony looked tentatively at the back of the boy's head. He was at this point completely out of his mind. He had questioned his entire life up until now in one single night, all because of what that boy had said to him. He didn't know why he listened to him, or why it impacted him so much. The only thing he knew, was that the boy knew something about life that he didn't.
Lindsey was crying as she watched the boy. He had saved her life once, and he had suffered in this house in an attempt to do so again. She could not believe the power that one person could have. It bordered on being something inhuman and abnormal. Over the past few days her heart had been connected to the boy's. She was not in love, but rather consumed by it. It was not a romantic feeling, but a universal one. She never in all of her life would have imagined such a person existed.

Lindsey was the first person to snap out of her trance. She slowly looked down the boy's body, from his head, to his back, to his feet. She saw that he was limping slowly towards the door. Her mind flashed back to the day the boy had saved her in the locker room. "You are still searching Lindsey, searching for something to heal you.", he had said. The words rang in her ears. Her heart, deep within her chest, was in pain for such a long time. It had been drained from running an extremely strenuous race. But he had helped connect that heart to God. She was not about to admit to being the most religious person in the world, but he had helped her connect her heart to God. Suddenly Lindsey was hit with a realization. It was like God was speaking to her through her heart, which the boy had helped heal. "Without him, feeling what I feel now would not be possible", she said to herself. "I was meant to do this. He wants me to save him. The world -needs- him. I can't let him do this!!"

"No!!!!", Lindsey screamed. The boy, and everyone else too, turned to look at her. She was crying profusely now.
"I-I'm s-sorry", she stammered. "I-I can't l-let you!"
The girl stood still for a minute longer, before taking the first few steps of a sprint towards the door. She had gone from motionless to flying in just under half a second. The boy was already halfway down the hallway, and the girl was exactly next to where he was standing, still throwing everything she had in to her powerful sprint.

"No", the boy said to himself. "She can't..."

(To Be Continued)

Chapter Five (Part Two): Flashback

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

"Maybe someone here, would like to tell me, just what the -fuck- is goin on, huh?", the Italian man said loudly.
"What, you think any of us know? Shit man, look around. Everyone's confused", the black man replied.
"This is fuckin' bad, man, fuckin' bad. What the fuck is this shit? Games? Fuck man...", the Italian man continued to complain.
The pregnant woman could only sit on the ground and continue crying. The girl could only stare at the boy. The boy got up and walked over to the pregnant woman, and put his arms around her. She willingly accepted his gesture and put her hands over her stomach. "Am I going to die here with my baby?", she asked herself. She thought of her husband waiting for her at home this very instant. She thought of how sad he would be when he realized she had been one of the people taken from the bank. Thinking of him only made her cry harder and fiercer.

"Will you shut the fuck up!?", the Italian man yelled at her. "I can't think with that fucking bawling going on!"
"Please don't yell", the boy said calmly.
"Don't yell?! Don't fuckin' yell!? Look kid I don't know what your deal with this shit is, but in case you haven't noticed, we are gonna fuckin' -DIE- if we don't get out of here. Some fuckin', some fuckin' Satan worshipper or something has got us locked up, and I swear if I get my hands on him I'm going to..."
"Violence will not solve anything. It won't make anyone feel better, not even yourself. Hurting that man will bring no good. We must forgive him, and pray for him", the boy said.
"Yea, alright. You can pray, but I'll be breakin' his fuckin' arms off", the Italian man said.
"M-Maybe we should just get acquainted, since it doesn't look like we can do anything else for now", the girl suggested.

"Alright. I'm Tony. I'm 27. I work in a family restaurant, or I should say, I used to. Now I'm a part-time fuckin' -hostage- whose going to -die- in the next few days."
"I'm Richard", the large black man said. "I'm just a truck driver. I was getting my paycheck this morning, when suddenly that freak came barging in and took us all hostage. I'm just a poor son of a bitch, no one special. How 'bout you? You doin' okay with that baby?", he asked, as he nodded over to the pregnant woman.
"I-I'm fine", she said. "M-My name is K-K-Kayla, and my husba--" But that was all she could manage to squeeze in to her bouts of crying.
"My name's Lindsey. I was at the bank just getting money for a weekend trip this upcoming weekend. Now, I just want my family. I want to see my friends. I...I don't want to...to..." but then she, too, began to cry.
The two men looked at the boy. "I'm a nobody", he said. "I was at the bank, to get some money for a friend. I saw the man, but it was too late. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything without risking anyone being harmed."

The men gave him an odd look, and then everyone sat in silence for several minutes, before Tony started ramming the door with his shoulder. It was the middle of the night now, and the only light in the room was the ankh shape on the ground, cast by the moon in the clear night sky. The only sound was that of Tony banging on the door incessantly. Finally, a voice came over a speaker that was situated on the ceiling by a corner near the door.

"The first game we are going to play, involves you getting out of this room. As you may have noticed, the only way in or out of that particular room is through the door in front of you. The knob to this door will begin to surge with electricity. If anyone touches that knob for more then ten seconds, they will die. The knob will also not open the door until it is turned approximately five and a half times clockwise. Simply touching the handle will cause your body to go in to temporary shock, so therefore you must work together to open the door. I will leave the rest up to you."

---

"Electric knob my ass", Tony said. He wrapped his shirt around his hand, and went to open the door. After touching the knob though, he immediately started shaking furiously. Kayla started to cry, and Lindsey jumped back in fright. Richard raced over to Tony and pulled him off the knob, but the electricity was so powerful that even Richard jumped a little from simply touching him. The boy stood underneath the ankh, and stared at the knob on the door. No one could open that by themselves without risking death. Even then, it would cause severe strain and pain to the body to even try something like that. It was now approaching approximately 2AM, and Kayla fell asleep, followed by Lindsey and then Richard. Tony was the last to fall asleep, after unsuccessfully trying to open the door two more times. The boy sat in the light of the ankh, and stared through it and up to the moon. He closed his eyes and began to pray for strength. "Now more than ever God", he prayed, "I need strength."

Richard was the first person to wake up. It took him some time to take in his surroundings. The sun was barely rising, which meant he hadn't even gotten five hours of sleep. He looked around the room, only to notice someone was missing. There was Kayla, Lindsey, and Tony, but the "nobody Kid" was nowhere to be seen. He quickly woke up Tony and told him what was up.
"What the hell!?", Tony said angrily. "That fuckin' brat ditch us? He escape without us? Man, what the fuck!"
"Don't say that", Kayla said. "Just because he isn't here, doesn't mean he's abandoned us."
"I bet that kid is with the fuckin' guy who kidnapped us!", Tony yelled. "How else did he get through that fuckin' door!? You saw what happened when I tried to open it! No way he could have! He's with the guy I tell you!"
"Maybe he's right", Richard said. "No way that Kid could've opened the door on his own."
"No", Lindsey said. Everyone jumped, for they didn't know she was awake, but she was sitting indian-style behind them and staring at the door. "No, he did not abandon us. And yes, he opened the door on his own."
"How the fuck you know all that?", Tony demanded.
"Because, he put this in my hand last night, sometime while I was sleeping, I guess." It was a note, written on a mini-notepad with an incredibly small pencil, which was still lodged in the spiraling of the notepad:

"Lindsey,
Please help others stay calm. Remember what I said.
I will be back soon. Need to find out what's going
on. Don't follow or open door, it might kill you."

"You know that kid?", all three asked at the same time.
"Well, yes and no. I met him about three months ago. But I haven't talked to him since then. But he isn't normal."
"What happened between you two?", Kayla asked.
"Well. He saved me..."
"Saved you?", Richard asked.
"Yea."

---

"Just what the hell are you talking about?", Tony asked forcefully.
"It was about three months ago, like I said. It was the beginning of the school semester, and I had been going through a lot in my life. Back then, I had a really bad problem with the way I looked, and I didn't really eat much. Well, I didn't eat at all. I was anorexic, because I thought I was ugly."
"Oh brother...", Tony said.
"Just let her tell the story!", Kayla said in Lindsey's defense.
"Well, I suppose it isn't that big of a deal to hear a story like that, but well, one day, I had taken a lot of diet pills just before a track meet. I started to feel really dizzy, so I decided that I'd just throw them up. It wasn't like I didn't have experience forcing myself to throw up. But I tried and tried, and couldn't manage to force myself to throw up. My mouth was so dry, I just couldn't do it. Everything got kind of dim, and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the locker
room shower next to some strange boy, well, next to "him". I'll never forget what he said to me after that."

"Hi Lindsey [I had no idea how he knew my name, but didn't say anything]. Lindsey, has anyone ever told you that you look good? [I was all the sudden both frightened and embarrassed]. I know what you were doing Lindsey, and I know that you know that it isn't very good for you. I know that you want to look a certain way, or feel a certain way within your body, but there's something you have to know. The only way that you should 'feel' about the way you are, is from your heart, and not the shape and structure of your body. I'm sure you've been given this speech already by you parents, some school counselor, hell maybe even both. But I'm not going to tell you to stop what you're doing." [Then he put both his hands on either side of my waist, which caused me to shiver a little]. "What I feel here, is not what I should feel. What I feel here, is not best for you Lindsey. What I feel here will not make you happy. I doubt telling you that you'd be perfectly beautiful within your own body even if you ate three meals a day would cause you to change, but I suppose it's worth a shot." [Now he got within an inch of my face, and stared me straight in the eyes]. "We are all God's children, Lindsey. Each and everyone one of us can be beautiful on the inside, which will in turn reflect the beauty on the outside. You are hurting intensely on the inside Lindsey, and I can see this by how you look on the outside. I don't want you to hurt any longer, Lindsey. I want you to be comfortable with who you are on the inside, and open your heart. Connect that heart to others, and learn to feel comfortable within the body that has been granted to you. I doubt that you will stop your habits right away, Lindsey. I know that it is going to be very hard for you to start eating, since you have this obsession which plagues you. Your small and fragile body portrays your small and fragile soul. You are still searching Lindsey, searching for something to heal you. Until that day comes, I will pray for you." [And then he kissed me on the forehead, ran his hand through my hair, and left without another word]."

Richard stared at the ground. Tony was on his back and looking at the ceiling. Kayla was sitting next to Lindsey, taking in every word she said.
"Wow. And what happened after that?", Kayla asked.
"Well, it was like he said. I didn't stop right away. But, something about his eyes, and how he kissed me. Some days it still feels like it tingles. Then, one day, I looked in the mirror, and put my hands on my waist right where he did. I thought to myself 'This doesn't feel right. This isn't me.' Then I realized what he was telling me. My parents, the nurses at school, and my friends, they all wanted me to stop doing this because it was hurting me. But the boy, he understood. He knew that I did this -because- I was hurting. When I understood that he knew what I was going through, I decided to try and take his advice. I opened my heart to others, and told them how I felt. For so long everyone could see on the outside, but for once in my life I let people know what was going on inside. I was surprised how much support people gave me! I started to eat more, but only in small increment increases each day. I'm more or less eating normal portions now, but it is all because of that kid."

"Alright, look, that's a nice little love story, or whatever story, but in case you didn't notice, we're dying. And also, if you knew this kid, why didn't you say anything before?", Tony asked.
"I wanted to, but I was too scared. I knew he had recognized me, but he didn't say anything. Something told me, that if he wanted everyone to know, he would've acknowledged me."
"Wanted everyone to know what?!", Tony asked incredulously.
"That he was someone, or maybe, some-thing- different."
"O-ho! That's fresh shit that right there is! Well, I suppose I'll just sit quiet and patiently here until our hero comes back like he's Je---"
"Just calm down", Richard had said, breaking his silence. "There's nothing else we can do but wait for the boy. Whatever he has planned, is the only plan we have. I don't know who or what that kid is. All I know is somehow he got out, and that means he's the guy I'm gonna follow."
"Yea, yea, hold your pants on fatass", Tony said.
"I agree with him", Kayla said.
"Me too", added Lindsey.
"Fine, fine, then", Tony said reluctantly. "We'll wait for wonderboy to get back and 'follow his path to freedom'", he added in a mocking tone.
"He'll be back", Lindsey said. "I know he will."

Chapter Five (Part One): Robbery

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

Running down a long corridor, towards a mahogany door that stood ajar. A man with a mask. A murderer? There were innocents, too. There were people he had to protect. Lots of people. Something about a bank robbery. All of them were captured. He was captured with them. Now they were running down a long hall. The boy was in severe pain all throughout his body. It seems someone had done something horrible to him. He felt as if he'd been tortured for days, and the pain was unbearable. The other people followed in his half-jog toward the door. They all stared at the back of his head, each one thinking the same exact thing. The boy got closer and closer to the door. He began to sweat even more. Something in his heart told him death was behind that door, but still he pressed on. He would not give up, no matter what.

The boy awoke from his nightmare covered in sweat. His pillow was soaked, and he had to get a towel to wipe his head clean of all the sweat. He tried to remember what he had been dreaming about, but all he could remember was a man with a mask, several people, and a door at the end of a hallway. He also remembered that there was death behind that door. He didn't know how he knew, but something in his dream told him that. He tried desperately to hold the details in his head, but like all dreams they fell through is memory like sand sifts its way through one's fingers. It was six thirty in the morning, but the boy didn't get the chance to fall back asleep, because he saw another newsletter on his kitchen table. The boy was still in an eerie mood as he read it.

"Bank Robbery Causes Five Missing"
"Early yesterday morning at 7:01AM, an unidentified male assailant stormed in to the Union Bank on the corner of Yamada and Kaisuke St., just minutes after it opened for the morning. Police are puzzled by the nature of the act of this man, for he did not attempt to rob the bank of any money. Instead the man took four hostages - all bound and taped - and forced them in to the back of his armored vehicle. Witness reports from tellers and other customers were unable to identify the man because he was wearing some sort of mask. One teller explains, "The mask had some really weird patterns on it. I can't really describe it, it's like nothing I've ever seen before." Police are still searching for the armored vehicle and any possible clues which may lead to the arrest of the individual."

The boy had no time to think about how to handle this dangerous situation. This was definitely not like anything he ever had to do before. He couldn't call the police, they wouldn't be there in time. All he could manage to think of doing was get to the bank as fast as he could, and assess the situation. He was speeding down Kaisuke St., and arrived at the bank when his car's clock clicked 6:59AM. People were already waiting outside. The boy thought it was strange, but he remembered the bank closed at noon today, and tomorrow was a national holiday, so naturally people would be wanting to take care of their financial business early today. Just as he got out of the car, he rushed in where people were already in lines in front of the bank teller counters. "Did he chicken out?", the boy thought to himself. "Is he already here, is he one of these men?", he pondered even further. Before he could ask himself any more questions, he saw a man in a black suit, black gloves, and black briefcase enter the building. The boy only had time to blink before noticing the man was also wearing some sort of mask.

The boy was frozen with fear. He had no cards to play. There was no sneaking up behind this man like he had with Chad. He also couldn't just let this man beat him up, because he knew he would be killed in a matter of seconds. Something about this man suggested to the boy that he didn't fool around, and he knew he also couldn't reason with him. The man calmly took a handgun out of his briefcase, pointed it at the ceiling, and fired. Everyone in the bank gasped, and turned to face the source of the loud bang. Before anyone had time to drop their jaw, he was already speaking. "I please ask that all bank tellers raise their hands in to the air, and any that refuse to do so will be promptly killed. I ask that everyone else lie on the ground with their hands behind their backs. Anyone who fails to comply will be promptly killed. I also please ask that anyone currently concocting any heroic schemes to please refrain from doing so. All you will accomplish is getting everyone here killed." From the sound of his voice the boy guessed he was atleast fifty or sixty years old. Within two seconds the bank tellers stood with their hands high in the air, and everyone was on the ground with their hands behind their backs where the man in black could see them. The boy was on the ground like everyone else, but he looked up to try and get a look at his mask. Over the eye-holes were two ankhs (Egyptian crosses), and the mouth portion curved all the way around and up to the forehead to make a circle in which a pentagram was situated.

The man began walking around and examining each frightened customer. Everyone thought that he would go straight to a bank teller and start demanding money, but he did nothing of the sort. "If I tap you on the shoulder with my foot, I want you to stand up, but keep your eyes closed and your hands behind your back. If you open them, you will be promptly killed." He walked past the boy, who was on the ground quite a ways away from everyone else. He bent down to get a good look at the people who had been in line only seconds before. "You", he said, and he tapped a girl of eighteen. "And you", he said, as he tapped a portly black man. "Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Who will be the most worthy for me? How about...you", he said, and he tapped a pregnant woman. "I think two more lucky contestants will suffice", he said with a sinister smile. "You!", he said, as he tapped a young and muscular Italian man. The man continued to walk around for another minute. "Well, before anything unfortunate has the opportunity to happen to me, I suppose I should just get along with it, and pick...", he walked swiftly over to the boy. "You." The boy got up, put his hands behind his back, and kept his eyes closed. Soon he felt his hands being bound together from behind with some sort of rope or taping. Likewise tape was secured firmly over his mouth. "All of you follow me, and if you make any attempt to run I will shoot you in the back, and make sure not to kill you before dragging you back against your will."

The young girl, woman, two men, and the boy all followed the man out of the building. The bank tellers were in complete shock. The man with the mask wasn't here for money, he was here for people. Everyone else remained on the ground, and watched as the man left with the five hostages. "I couldn't do anything", the boy kept telling himself. "There was nothing I could do. Anything would've risked the lives of innocent people." He kept repeating it to himself to validate the situation he was currently in. He was now in possible mortal danger with four other, no, three other strangers. The man guided them to his armored van sitting not but five feet from the entrance to the bank. He opened the back and watched them all get in before securing it shut and making sure it was locked. For the first time, everyone began to take in the company they were with. No one had the chance to speak, since their mouths were still taped shut. The young girl looked at the boy with wide eyes. She stared at him as if he were floating, but the others did not seem to notice. Each person was giving the other a confused look, as if to say "Why are we here? What is this guy going to do with us?" The truth was that none of them knew.

The man pulled back the divider dividing his seat with their space in the back. "My name is Carl", he said. "Don't worry, none of you are gonna die", and he slid the divider back shut. After a few seconds, he slid the divider once more and looked back at them. "Yet", he added. The pregnant woman was crying, and the fat black man looked panicked. The Italian man looked furious, and the young girl looked half-frightened and half-bemused. The boy looked like he was praying, but as the others would later figure out, that is probably because he actually was. From their vantage point the divider was a mirror, and the back window was completely blacked out from the inside. No one could tell where they were going, or what kind of landscape they had been traveling on. None of them knew how long they had been driving, but after quite some time Carl slid back the divider again. The others could tell from a glimpse at the windshield that it was now approaching dusk. "I'm going to open the back door now, and I want you all to like belly-first on the ground. If you make an attempt to run, I will shoot you. If you try and attack me with your legs, I will shoot you. Please notice I said shoot you, not kill you. Killing you will be the fun part."

Everyone did as they were told, for they were all too fearful for their lives. The man put a blindfold on each of them, and tied them together using rope. He then led them in to the house they were next to. They went down some steps, then up some steps. Finally through a serious of hallways, and through several sets of doors. The pregnant woman and girl were crying the entire time. He cut the boy loose, for he was at the end of the rope. He faced him with his back away from the door, and cut his hands free with something sharp before shoving him in to the room with the others and locking the door behind him. The boy took off his blindfold and the tape covering his mouth. The room they were in was nothing short of a cell. The only window was a ankh-shaped window high on the wall, which cast an ankh-shaped shadow on the ground. The boy freed the pregnant woman first, followed by the girl and then the two men. The girl stared at the boy again with eyes that appeared panicked and scared. Once they were all free, but before they could introduce themselves, a television came up from a panel in the floor. On it was Carl, who was sitting in a high-back black leather chair, with his black mask and a black robe donned.

"Before you all have a chance to get acquainted, I wanted to properly introduced myself. As I stated before in the van, my name is Carl. You all may be wondering why you're here, but I think that you'll find out soon enough after you start playing. There of course is a very good reason that I've brought you all here, and if you all work together then of course nothing too bad should happen to any of you. It will take equal suffering of all of you to endure these tasks, which is the one and only tip that I'll give you for the duration of the game. The human body can go quite a while without food, but unless you all manage to get your acts together relatively quickly, you should die in about five days to a week due to the lack of water. I hope I've assembled an all-star cast for my viewing pleasure, as I look forward to seeing to how you all react to one another. As I said before, you will all figure out why you are here soon enough, but I do fear I've been rambling on for quite a bit of time now. Well, I do extend my best wishes to you all in the upcoming week! It would be unfortunate to find you all dead and de-hydrated." As the television was descending in to its floor panel, he added with a note of finality, "And now without any further adieu, let the games begin."

Chapter Four: Have Mercy

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

Sara had had an incredibly long and exhausting day. She was out since 8AM going to various offices looking for a job to help her boyfriend (Chad) pay for things like rent and utilities. She knew it wasn't her fault she was laid off because of downsizing merely months after beginning to go out with him. She kicked off her high heels, which had been causing her pain all day, when suddenly she remembered Chad would be home any minute, and she was so busy running errands she never had time to make dinner or pick something up. She picked up the phone and dialed Pizza Hut to order a medium pizza, hoping that he wouldn't be too angry. She didn't enjoy being around Chad when he was angry, but she knew she depended on his financial support for survival. Chad didn't arrive home until thirty minutes after the pizza was delivered.

"Hi hon", she said.
"Yea, what's up?", Chad said. "What're ya makin' us for dinner? I sure's hell don't smell nothin."
"Chad, I was out all day, and I just didn't have time, so I..."
"Didn't have time? Didn't have fuckin' time? What the fuck are you talkin' about 'didn't have time'? Are you gonna make us somethin or not!"
"I...I ordered pizza, it was getting cold, so I kept it in the oven for y--"
Chad nearly ripped the oven door off its hinges, and glared down at the luke-warm pizza. "You expect me to eat this piece of shit? And what the fuck you got the oven on for? You ain't payin to keep this shit runnin!"
Sara turned around to face away, but thought she could still hear him whispering to himself, "Goddammed dumb bitch." She worked up the courage to face him, and said, "Chad, I'm really sorry. I'll heat it up some more, and tomorrow I'll make your favorite Lasagna, I promi---"

But her promise was never made, for Chad had slapped her square across the face, where a red hand print left its mark. He spread his arms and curled his hand in to a fist and hit her hard on the side of the shoulder with the side of his palm.
Sara began to cry, as he slapped her once more - this time closer to her eye, and grabbed a hold of both her wrists with ruthless tenacity.
"You're right that you're sorry", he said. "And you damn fuckin' right that there'll be something -good- to eat tomorrow!"
She nodded between heavy sets of sobs.
Chad began to laugh. "Just a shame darlin'", he said. Then as he began to walk upstairs, with a sinister grin on his face, he said, "Just a shame you keep fallin' down those stairs."

---

A mixture of sounds greeted the boy early in the morning. Bird chirping, car horns beeping, and his alarm blaring all woke him up at about 7:15AM. He looked through his bedroom door to the kitchen table, where a neatly folded newsletter awaited him.

"Young Woman Killed In Domestic Dispute"
"Sara Morris, 22, was found dead yesterday afternoon at approximately 6:30PM, two miles away in the woods near her apartment. The cause of death was several gunshot wounds discovered in her back, as well as laceration marks found around her neck and wrists. Officials are still investigating the case, but believe the main suspect to be her boyfriend Chad Hoover, who has yet to return to his workplace of ACE Auto Repairs. If you have any information which may lead to the capture or arrest of Mr. Hoover, you are encouraged to call...." but the boy stopped reading.

"Another dangerous mission", he told himself. The truth was, he didn't very much care for putting his life on the line in situations like this. He would protect whoever he was meant to protect, but when it meant he might have to die, he was a hundred times more afraid. From the sound of the article, whoever he was trying to go up against was both armed and dangerous. He himself didn't have a gun, so he didn't know what he was going to do. He also didn't like the idea of using violence against others, even if it was to save a human life. "That's what some call War", he said to himself. "But I call it wrong."

He looked up Morris in the address book, but there were no matches. He looked up Hoover as well, but there were no Chad Hoover listings. His only clue at this point was ACE Auto Repairs - where Chad allegedly worked. Since he had no where else to turn, he figured he would try his luck there.

---

He arrived at the auto repair shop and asked for the manager. A burly man came out with an "ACE" hat on, and a cup for his chew.
"What can I do ya for kid?", he asked.
"I want to know about Chad Hoover, well, I need to know where he lives, you see I---"
The man gave out a hearty laugh. "Dern kid, you think I can just go out givin' ya stuff like that? Kinda strange though, Chad was s'pose ter come in today but I ain't seen him yet."
"Please", said the boy, "I need to know where it is Chad lives. It's very important."
"Look, kid, I told yer once, I can't go on givin' stuff like that away ter strangers! Hell, you'd have to be some kinder policeman or somethin' to get that kinda info."
The boy looked at the man straight in the eyes. The manager felt a small presence of rage coming from the boy's eyes, but also a sense of desparation.
"Please", the boy pleaded once more, "This is to save someone's life."
The manager looked at him one last time, at those fiery eyes which seemed to burn a hole right through him. "Ahright, Ahright. Tell yer what kid. His files is over there in them cabinets. But you go on and dig through 'em by yoself. I ain't gettin in ter no trouble for releasin' that stuff."
The boy quickly retrieved the information. He checked his watch, to see it was 12:30PM. He didn't have much time left.
"Thank you", he said on his way out.
As he was driving away, the manager turned to one of his co-workers and said, "Dat kid there just ain't right. Somethin' about the eyes if yous ask me. Just ain't right..."

---

The boy arrived at the address (which turned out to be an overly dingy apartment complex) and was sitting in his car, pondering his next move. "Shit", he said to himself. "I've really got myself in to it this time." The boy quickly surveyed his dilemma. He couldn't run in and get the woman because he probably couldn't convince her to come with him, and even if he did he'd have to return her sooner or later. He had no weapons to protect her with, and even if he did he couldn't do anything until her boyfriend acted. His only other alternative was to wait until her boyfriend arrived, which he guessed would be in about one hour, and go from there. This risked watching him kill her right in front of his eyes. Not wanting to think of the gruesome topic any more, he began to pray to God for the safety of the woman.

One hour had passed, and the boy had prayed the entire time. It was 2:00PM and the boy knew Chad would be by any minute. The boy didn't know what was going on with this relationship, or why it had fallen apart. He didn't know what this woman had done to deserve to be killed. He had not one scrap of detail concerning the convictions of his actions. All he knew was that killing is an evil that no human should commit, even against their worst enemies. He saw a car pull up to the apartment complex that he has noticed was Chad's, and a man got out of the car, and rushed in to the house. "That's got to be him", he said to himself. He sat in the car, praying that the man would return to his car with the woman. He would have a better chance of taking him off guard somewhere else, although he still had no idea how. He thought of calling the police right now, but then the man might kill not only the woman but also himself out of desparation. The boy sat in his car, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed. "Please God, let her be okay. Let her be alive. Please let him come back out with her through that front door. Please God let her be alive." Two minutes had passed, when suddenly the man burst out of the front door. Trailing behind him was a young woman, struggling to break free from his grip. She was abused, roughed up, and crying. But she was alive.

"Thank you God. Thank you. Thank you", the boy said over and over. The man pulled his car out of the parking lot, and began to take off down the street. He followed the car on to some back trail paths, which he thought weren't even for vehicles. Finally the man stopped his car, and the boy drove past as he saw the man take the woman out of the passenger side. "I can't just stop here and take him on", the boy thought. "He'd kill me along with her for sure". He kept driving, to make himself appear inconspicuous.

---

"Please, Chad! What are you doing?", Sara managed to weep out in between sobs. "I was only making your dinner, like I promised. I was just at home I swear, I never..."
"WHORE!!!", Chad screamed. "Don't you go on lyin' to me woman. I know you've been sneakin' 'round my back like some kinda whore! You ain't been lookin' fer a new job at all! You've just been gettin' yerself screwed for cash haven't yeh!"
"No!! I would never, no, please. I wouldn't, no, never...", she managed to mumble out.
"Bitch you ain't never been nothin' but a burden to me", Chad continued. "You ain't never helped me pay one goddamn bill!
Hell, you can't even get good food on the table, what else is you good for? 'Cause I don' fuckin' know. Fuck, you can't even fuck me every night like a good fuckin' bitch!"
"Chad, please, I've been spending long days looking for work, but I haven't found any, please, Chad, plea...", but the rest was lost in streams of tears.
"Tell you what bitch. Since you ain't no good to noone, specially not me, I'm gonna do us both a favor, and just put you outta yer misery, 'kay? Turn round and spread them legs apart. Maybe I'll force myself upon yehs one last time 'fore I blow your brains out."
"Please!! Don't!! Chad!!", she screamed. Then silently to herself, she prayed: "God help me...", and was knocked unconscious when Chad hit her in the back of the head with the butt of his handgun.

When Sara woke up, Chad was unconscious next to a nearby tree, and bleeding from his head. Next to him was a rock the size of her head, with blood smeared all over it.
"Don't worry", came a voice behind her. "He isn't dead, and the police will be here to arrest him shortly."Sara turned around, and a boy was sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, staring down at her.
"Who....are you?", she asked.
"Y'know, alot of people have been asking me that question, but I can't really say I've got a name anymore. Hell, my boss doesn't even know what to call me, although most the time it's just "Sick Kid".
"But, How, Where, What exactly happened here?", she said, as she was still very confused.
"I was driving by, and I saw that man harassing you. I knew I couldn't take him on, so I drove by and decided to wait. After he knocked you unconscious he was starting to tape your wrists and ankles together with duct tape. As he was doing this, I snuck up behind him, and well...", he pointed to Chad.
"But how did you know, why did you, no, what exactly is going on here?", she asked, still completely puzzled as to the nature of the appearance of this boy.

"Sara", the boy began (she was startled he knew her name, but did not ask him how he knew, for she would soon find out) "There are many evil people in this world, and sometimes those evil people do harmful things to others. But if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is for one person to reach out a hand with the intent to hurt another human being. This is not the way that people live, this is not the way that people grow. It is not the vision our God has for us to continue to harm each other like this. I bet for you, the road has probably been tough. Even tougher when you have someone like this dirtbag pushing you around. Yet despite the hopelessness, and despite how you feel alone without him, it is not okay to allow yourself to submit to him. It is never okay for a person to be stripped of their courage and their voice. These are gifts given to us for simply being human beings, and when another takes them away, we must sometimes fight to get them back. But Sara, we must never, ever, allow such demons to rule us like this man. The next time you feel hopeless and lonely, the next time that you feel the only one you have left is someone who does you harm, I want you to look to the sky. Look to the heavens, where a merciful God sits, watching over you. It is not his Will to see his children suffer, but he cannot help us by a divine intervention. The only miracles that take place Sara, are those within your heart. The decisions that you make, and the path that you now choose, are all up to you. But the courage to go through with this path, and the self-motivation to move beyond this despair, will come to you from up above."

The boy jumped down from the tree, and walked towards Sara. Sara, sprawled on the ground, could only look up at this boy with her mouth half open. There was something about this boy. There was no glowing aura, no halo, no wings, but she for sure thought he was some kind of angel sent by God to protect her.

"A-are you an a-angel?", she said.
The boy laughed. "Nah, I'm just the "Sick Kid".

He spread his arms wide, and Sara cringed. It had become an automatic mechanism of her's now, to cower back in fear at the site of dominance. The boy got closer and closer, and she was nearly crying by the time he was touching her. He put both arms gently around her neck and shoulders, and gave her a hug. The woman hadn't felt the sensation of such an embrace in quite some time. Chad had hardly ever seemed to embrace her like this, atleast not anymore. She wanted that moment to last forever, for she knew in that small window of time, she was both protected and loved, and that was all she wished for in life.

The boy let go after a minute, and bent down again to talk to her.
"The police will be here any minute to pick up him over there", he said as he pointed over to Chad. "I want you to tell them everything he's ever done to you. I've already told them that I knocked the assailant unconscious over the phone. But Sara, I never want you to forget. You are always loved, even if not by other people. No one has the right to touch you in such a way as this man has. No woman should have to physically submit to a man. May God protect you", he finished with a smile. The boy began to walk back down the road to where he had temporarily parked his car.

"Hey!", she shouted. The boy turned back around to look at her.
"Where do I go from here?", she shouted.
"Follow your heart!", he shouted back. "I bet there's something in there that'll help you!"


The boy kept on walking to his car. "She's going to have it really rough", he thought to himself. "She will probably have to live with some friends or go on Welfare for a while. I wish I could help her out more from here, but that is not my place, as I have now learned. Her life now lies in her own decisions and actions. The path she takes from here will be the result of her will to live and love, and the infinite mercy of God.

Chapter Three: Watching Over

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

It was 3AM in the morning when the boy awoke for no particular reason. Lately he had trouble staying asleep once he managed to go to bed, and he had been waking up in the middle of the night for quite some time now. He didn't know the exact cause of it, but he had a pretty good idea that it had to do with his emotional state as of late. He had been feeling himself slip further and further with the passing of the last few weeks, and tonight he was just about ready to cave. The boy questioned lots of things that night. He wanted to know why it was that he was chosen to act out these saving-grace acts and be some sort of savior. From what he could tell about himself he was just an ordinary kid, and if anything (although he soon regretted the thought) it was even harder on him because he was trying to support himself. But that feeling only brought up a more prevalent problem in his life - his lack of close relationships.

The boy knew that he had a very good relationship with God. Something in his heart just told him this. But he also knew that in order to be a happy person he must reach out to others and accept them in to his life. Even though he saved many people during the last few months, he never followed up and spent time with any of them. He was now lying in bed with a pillow half over his head, as he stared out his bedroom window to the night sky. He stared at the stars, and wondered how many people out there were staring at the same stars, and wishing they had someone to be with at this very moment. He even went as far to wonder if maybe he was meant to live this life of unahappiness, so that he would in turn be able to keep on saving people and try to better the world. But all that thinking of things on such a large scale caused him to become unnerved. He liked things close and relevant, not distant and hazy. Before managing to fall asleep, he sent out a simple prayer: "God, please help me find a way to resolve these hectic problems in my life. Please show me that what I'm doing is a good thing, and that in the future I can find happiness if I have faith and believe. Amen."

---

He woke up the next morning, and was not surprised to see that there wasn't any sign of a new newsletter. He didn't really understand at all the kind of pattern they arrived in. Sometimes he'd get seven in a week, and other times it would be weeks before one arrived. "Maybe other people are getting them too", he thought, "And I just get one when they are all too busy or something". He shrugged, knowing fully well that he wasn't going to be trying to crack the mystery of the newsletter any time soon. He got dressed to go working at the convenience store where he normally worked in his pits of boredom, and headed out the door. While at work only one topic plauged his mind. Sleep. Each night now it had gotten progressively worse. It wasn't that he had trouble getting to sleep. Every night he would lie down in bed, his heart would become twenty times heavier, and he could feel it sinking in to his chest. Each night it hurt him to crawl in to that lonely bed, where he knew in a few short hours he'd wake up to only himself. He tried to shake this horrible thought away, because the more he thought about it, the more the day seemed to drone on and on.

He was walking home on the same path that he had that night several weeks ago when he had rescued that girl from the two strange men. He was still sore in some places because of that night. But he didn't die, and if someone had asked him that night, "Are you willing to be a little sore in the future, in order to protect the most important thing that a young woman possess?" he would of course said yes, and hoped that any other person would have done the same. He thought when worded like that, it's amazing to see how simple a "heroic" act may seem. He arrived home at about 7PM, and was just as depressed as he thought he'd be. He stared in to his bedroom, where the sheets lay thrown about and unorganized. He stared at the couch, where he imagined some sort of girlfriend might take naps with his fleece blanket while he was away at work. "Honey, I'm home!", he said to himself. But thinking of those things only made it worse. It was like he had to force himself -not- to think about something that he wanted more than -anything- in the world. If only there were people in his life that he could hug a couple times a week, or a friend to eat dinner out with. But he had nothing.

---

He was lying belly-down on his bed, wondering whether he should try the sleeping pills he bought at the store where he worked. The images of having someone to love, being loved in return, smiles, happiness, bright futures, and more were all swirling around in his confused head. He was about two seconds away from crying, when he heard something from the television in the other room:
"Yes, that's right, he came out of no where!", some girl was saying on T.V. He got up to go take a look.
"And then what happened?", asked a news reporter.
"Well, he ran up to me, right past those two guys, and said it would be okay", she said.
The boy recognized her as the girl he had helped protect several weeks ago. They were actually doing a news story on this?
"Right. I see. And then what happened next?", the reporter asked.
"Well, you know, they, they, started beating him and stuff. Really bad too. I really thought that he was going to die.", the girl continued on. "The whole thing, it was, it was just so, so incredibly shocking and terrifying that I didn't even know what to think. All I could do was keep crying, but this stranger who was there helped me."
The female reporter turned to face the camera now. "Well, there you have it folks. A Miracle Man of the modern day, to be sure. Perhaps our city has its own superhero: Ordinary man by day - Protecter of the Streets by night! Now I'll turn it over to Chuck, who has profile information on the two assailants of this poor young woman. Should you have any information which may lead to the arrest or capture of either of the individuals, please....", but at that point the boy was too dumbstruck to hear anything else.

He wanted to laugh out loud. Miracle Man? Then he did laugh out loud. "Oh man", he said to himself, "People think I'm some kinda hero or something!! Miracle Man! Ordinary man by day - (then he half covered his face with the fleece blanket, as if it were a cape) - Protector of the Streets by night!" The idea of him being someone supernatural or of some other world was just
so ridiculous to him that he couldn't help but laughing. In the end he gave a warm smile at the television, and was turning to go to bed when suddenly he saw that, at some point during the night, he had received a new newsletter. "At this time of night?!", he thought.

But the contents of the newsletter was not something tragic that he had to go stop. There was no house on fire or young girl trapped in a warehouse.

"Center for Single and Abused Mothers Opens This Saturday"
"The Thompson's Center for Single and Abused Mothers is planned to open this Friday in West Hall County. The center aims to give not only emotional aid but financial aid as well, to any single mothers attempting to raise a child. Members of the community are encouraged to support any family or friends they know that could benefit from this center, and if at all possible to help the growth of the center by offering donations. If a person wishes, they can send a personal donation (anonymous or signed) to a specific member of their choosing."

"Jessica.", the boy whispered. Her face immediately popped up in his head again. He remembered that look on her face as he was holding her stomach. He remembered the way her eyes seemed to light up as she looked down on her precious baby daughter. He threw the paper away, because he knew he could simply get another one tomorrow. He didn't know if Jessica received the mail or not, but nonetheless he'd pick up an extra copy and mail it to her.

Just then he thought that he'd finally be able to get some peaceful sleep in that night. He stared at his ceiling as he thought to himself how something (or someone) was really looking out for him today. He knew that he didn't catch breaks all that often, but when he did he made sure to get the most out of them. He laid down to sleep, closed his eyes, and was drifting soundlessly asleep. Then suddenly, his phone rang.

"I knew it was too good to be true", he told himself. He let the answering machine pick up the call.
"Hey! Umm, gosh, I guess I never did quite get your name before. It's me Jennifer! Well, um, I was calling to say 'thanks alot!' again, and that, if you ever wanted to hang out, you know a movie or something, to just give me a call! Look forward to it! Bye!"

Looks like he actually might have friends to spend time with after all. For the remaining thirty minutes that he remained awake, he prayed and talked to God from his heart. He wanted to apologize to God, and ask for his forgiveness. He knew that he was somewhat selfish this past week, and only thought of himself and how miserable he was. He never took the chance to reach out and grab a hold of something. After all, if you're alone in this world, then it is up to you to fix it. God can't give you friends or a loving family, but he can give you a way to meet them. At this thought his mind drifted back to the newsletter. He had some strange feeling that he'd be getting one in the morning, and he was ready for it. The boy once again thanked God for allowing him to find some sort of inner strength, and vowed to never doubt his ways again.

Chapter Two: Gift of Life

Please read this blog from the older entries to the most recent, or from the older archives to the most recent.

It had been several days since he had received a new newsletter. During that time the boy questioned a lot of things, and in turn became a little bit depressed. The boy felt that he was serving God with the actions that he put forth, but he was still unable to shed the feelings of loneliness. He lived by himself, and had no friends to speak of. He had no pets, and no family to call. On the last day before a new newsletter would arrive he was even comparing himself to the kinds of people that he saved. "I'm really not all that different from them", he thought quietly to himself. Just when he felt he was going to emotionally break down, a newsletter arrived.

"Unborn Fetus Found In Garbage"
"An unborn fetus was found lying in a garbage bin on the corner of Sokawa and Tsubiki St. in the middle of yesterday evening. Officials predict the fetus was self-aborted and left in the bin at approximately 6 o clock PM last night. No details have surfaced as to the identity of the unborn child's parents."

"What the hell!?", the boy screamed out loud. "Is this some kind of joke?", he said seemingly to nothing but the air around him. "I can't help anyone with only this! I don't even know who it is! No names, no address, only an approximate time and a garbage bin! I can't just show up there at 6 and watch some lady throw her kid in the garbage, it'll be too late by then!" He frustratingly sat down on his couch and read the article again, hoping that he missed some sort of detail that might help him. In the end, however, there were no such clues. "Okay, look", the boy began to speak out loud again, "I don't know -who- you are, or -why- you're giving me this paper, but if you want me to keep on helping people, then -you- have to help -me- a little!" It took several minutes for his temper to die down, when suddenly he began to cry.

When he was only eight years old, his mother was pregnant with his small baby sister. He vowed the day that they told him she was pregnant that he would do everything in his power to always protect his little sister. He had fantasies of beating up kids who bullied her, and pulling pranks on her sleazy ex-boyfriends. His heart was filled to the brim, and he was ready to pour it out all over his little sister, as soon as she was born. The boy never got that chance, however. As one can probably guess, the mother aborted his little sister, and not early in the pregnancy either. The topic of abortion was always a very delicate one with the boy. He loathed people who would kill their unborn children, instead of just giving them up for someone else to raise. He could care less about having a child somewhere out there in the world on one's conscience. He just knew
that taking an innocent life was a wrong that it must never be committed.

With his resolution to attempt to stop this heinous act from occurring now freshly renewed, he began to systematically think of a plan. He couldn't work backwards from the garbage bin, since he had no leads. He couldn't sit around at the garbage bin, because that would only result in a dead child. He looked at the clock on his microwave, and it read 7:45AM. Given that the mother is likely to throw the child away quickly after it is aborted, that gave him roughly ten hours to find out who the parents are, and stop them. Even the boy was beginning to have his doubts, though. Abortion is usually a very final decision that people make. Would he really be able to change their minds, simply by talking to them? He didn't feel like he was anything special, or that he had any special abilities which made him capable for the task. Just after beginning to doubt himself, however, he began to pray. He prayed to God to lend him whatever strength or knowledge was required to help this poor helpless life, which was about to be thrown away forever.

---

The boy was always told that God works in mysterious ways. Obviously he does not converse directly with us, but rather shows us things in a unique fashion. Often times it is not so much God showing us the answers, as it is showing us how to find them within ourselves. Whatever the case may be, the boy was suddenly struck with a scheme that might work. If he didn't have the information he needed to find out who the culprits were, then he needed to -change the article-. He called up the county police and told them that at 6 o clock a very good friend of his was going to be committing illegal activities at the garbage dumptser on the corner of Sokawa and Tsubiki St. Hoping that the police would buy in to his tip, he ran back to the newsletter article, which now read:

"Mother of Dead Fetus Caught"
"Jessica Parker was caught late yesterday evening attempting to dispose of her unborn baby daughter at a dumpster on the corner of Sokawa and Tsubiki. One policeman was camping in his cruiser, going off of an anonymous tip, and saw the woman throw her baby away while it was still wrapped in a blanket. Ms. Parker was apprehended on site, and investigations are currently underway as to the cause of this travesty."

"Jessica Parker...", the boy said to himself, "Jessica Parker. Jessica Parker. Jessica Parker." He flew across the couch and tore through his Yellow Pages to the P's. Over one hundred listings for "Parker", and none of which had Jessica as the first name. He realized he could narrow down the number of calls he had to make to try and find a Jessica if he omitted any areas that were more than two hours or so from his city. He ended up with about twenty names, and called each of them asking for a Jessica. It took him about an hour to complete this arduous task, and by the time he was done it was already 4:00PM. Finally, on his last call, a woman answered.

"Hi, may I speak to Jessica please?", the boy asked.
"This is Jessica.", said she.
"This may sound like an odd question, Jessica, but are you by chance pregnant?", the boy interrogated.
"U-um, W-who is this again? I d-don't recall giving anyone my number recently", she said.
"Please, I need to talk to you somewhere", the boy began to plead. "Please, just for a lit--
"I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now", Jessica said.
"Please, I won't take much of your time, I just need to---
But she had already hung up the phone.

The boy tore the page furiously out of the yellow pages, circled her address with a sharpie, and darted out the door. 482 West Terrace Place. That was atleast an hour drive from where he lived, assuming he was speeding and didn't stop. When he arrived at the front door it was already 5:30PM, and his heart was racing so fast he could feel it thumping in his chest. He didn't even care if he was intruding or not, he swung back the screen door with all his might and ran in to the house, only to find the kitchen, den area, and foyer empty. He closed his eyes, and he heard moaning coming from upstairs, in what he could only imagine was the bathroom. Not even thinking twice about how he was in someone's else home without their permission, he flew up the steps and swung open the door the moaning was coming from. What he saw before him, he will never forget.

---

Jessica was lying in the tub, with her legs spread far apart. She was tilting her head back, with her eyes close shut, and was crying ferociously. To the boy, it wasn't even a cry. It was like some sort of battle-cry or screaming. In her hands she held a coat hanger, and she was going to insert it in to herself at any moment. The boy froze. What the hell could he do now? He had come all this way, and it was going to be too late. He was moments away from breaking down and crying with painful memories about his baby sister, when suddenly a voice spoke out to him. It came from within his heart, but he knew that it was not himself who was the source of it. The voice was telling him, that he must face that which haunts him the most, so that no more innocent lives will be lost like his sister's. It told him that he was the only person who could help Jessica at this moment in time, and that if he didn't, a living thing would die.

He snapped. "Jessica!!!", he screamed, "Wait...God...Oh God...Please...Just...Just...Please just put...put the coat hanger down", he managed to mumble out. Jessica could tell he was just as scared and nervous as she was. "Are you the person who called me?", she moaned out. To the boy it sounded like she was dying. Her voice seemed extremely desperate and tired. "Who are you? Did you call me? I -told you- it was -too late-!!!", she croaked. "No", the boy said, "It isn't too late. Please. I-it is never too late", he said. "It is for me!!! Who in the hell are you!? If you came to rob and kill me, you can go right ahead", Jessica said. "This is where the beginning of the end of my life begins!", she added. "Please, just tell me everything. Tell me your story, and in the end, if you still want to do this, I won't try to stop you. I can even drive you to the hospital if you want", the boy coaxed. He knew that he wouldn't drive her to the hospital. He also knew that if she didn't go through with it now, she probably wouldn't have the courage to try again by herself. He saw a small ray of light - the first of the day for him - and took advantage of it.

The boy was now fully aware that he was staring at a naked pregnant woman in her bathtub, in her home to which he was not invited, and became immediately flustered. He handed her a towel and clothes that were on the floor outside the bathroom. When she had come out, he noticed she had brushed her hair back. To his surprise, she was actually kind of pretty. He had no idea why someone like her would want to abort their child. Little did he know that such a thing happens all too commonly, and rarely is there a person to stop it.

Jessica began to tell her tale to the boy, but it wasn't all that enthralling of a story. "I'm just a typical loser", Jessica started out. "I got in to a really serious relationship way too early. I...I should still be in high school". The boy's eyes narrowed at the sound of this. This girl wasn't even twenty? "M-My boyfriend t-t-told me that h-he was using the necessary precautions, b-but one night, when he didn't have any condoms, and I said no, he wouldn't stop, a-and he k-kept going, and...and...", but continuing her story was just too much for Jessica. She started a fresh set of sobs, and the boy could only sit on this woman's couch and stare at her. This girl is as much of a victim as his little baby sister was. Neither of them asked for this kind of life. But there was one difference he could see. His little baby sister never had a choice, but this girl here, as depressing as it was to see her, is here because she had made the choice.

"I want you to know, that when I was eight years old, my mother aborted my baby sister", the boy said. This took the young woman off guard. He was sure that she had some rebuttal to spit his way, but continued before she could react. "In a lot of ways, my little sister was my hope that things would get better in my life. I had planned on growing up with her, and loving life with her. I fantasized about seeing her in a wedding dress on the happiest day of her life, with the most gorgeous smile on her face. But all of that was stripped from me when my mother ended her life. I can gather from what you've said that you don't want any of this. I suppose no one has gotten in your face about it, since they all assume it's a personal issue. Well let me just say this, abortion is a -very- personal issue, and if you allow yourself to carry through with this act, nothing but darkness and despair will consume you."

Fully expecting the woman to click in to some automatic defense mode, where she goes on about how it his her life and her choice, the boy was completely taken by surprise when she began to cry. She buried her face in to her hands and sobbed and sobbed. This briefly reminded the boy of that girl he had saved in the alley not too long ago. Realizing he needed to stay focused on the task at hand, he knelt down next to her, and pulled her arms down. Jessica stared in to the boy's eyes. Something about his eyes entranced her. By looking in to those eyes, somehow she could see a future. In some distant fantasy land, for a brief moment, she could picture herself living happily with her baby. With her current financial state and lack of a job or supportive father, however, she was quickly snapped back to reality, and began her crying anew. That is when the boy put one hand gently on her stomach, right over her navel.

"Jessica", he said. "I want you to listen very carefully. Underneath my hand here is a living person. And although you may not know it yet, this person loves you very much, because you take care of them and allow them to live. They rely on you for so many things, and although they cannot express their feelings of love or gratitude, rest assured that beneath this hand lies a source of future happiness that nothing else in this world can bring." His hand felt very warm against her stomach, and soon it began to tingle. Something about this man's hand comforting this part of her body made her feel - in the perfect word - alive. For once she finally looked at what may lay ahead of her, instead of what she has left behind. The boy looked at her with very sad eyes, which she knew meant that the road ahead of her was even more difficult than anything she had experienced thus far. "The choice is yours now, Jessica", the boy said shortly before departing. "If you don't mind, I'm going to check in on you later this week, okay? You should have my number from Caller I.D. Please make the right choice Jessica. I will look in to some centers that support single-mothers with babies, and see what I can help setup. If you need me to, I can even consider letting you borrow some money until you get back on your feet", he finished with a smile.

He left her house to the sound of her pleading with him to not send her any money. Partly because she knew she would be ashamed, and partly because she knew she wouldn't refuse it. The boy was at the door when he turned to her and said, "Jessica, there are many things we learn through life. The Lord knows that I still have the majority of them ahead of me. But
when a person extends their hand to help, do not refuse it, but take it and thank them." Jessica could only weep a little to this kind notion, and watched as the boy rode off in to the sunset.

---

Later that night Jessica wrote in her Diary about the day's events:

Dear Diary,
Today I came very close to taking the life of my unborn child. I know that you aren't shocked to hear it, since I've been writing to you about doing it for quite some time now, but today I came the closest than I ever have before. It turned out that being so lonely and having no support got the better of me, and I decided the baby would be better off dead than being raised by someone like me, or in some home where they don't know their real parents. I don't know what I was thinking. But Diary, the strangest thing in the world happened. A boy called my house asking about me, and I hung up on him. I suppose it is what I've been doing to the world all this time, Diary. I've shut them all out. But this boy refused to be shut out of my life for some reason. I was in the tub, Diary, naked and with a coat hanger clenched in my hands, when this boy showed up and stopped me. I wanted to do it right then and there, Diary, but I couldn't take my baby's life in front of another person. It was barely manageable for me to think about it when I was by myself.

But this boy, he sat me down, and talked to me about all kinds of things. It turns out his little sister was aborted, and for that I knew he hated me for what I was trying to do. When he touched my stomach, Diary, I think it was like he was forgiving me for what I had tried to do. It was like he understood all the pain that I had gone through, and was trying to take it all away from me, so I could be happy again. He even for a moment gave me a glimpse of a happy life that I might be able to have with my baby. I know I can never go to college now, and never get a degree, or a good job to support a real family. All of that still keeps me depressed during most of the day. But whenever I get those feelings, Diary, I just put my hands over my stomach, just like that boy did. He said this baby could bring me "a happiness in the world that nothing else can bring". I wonder if he's right, Diary? I still have a long way to go, but he said that he would try and help me. I really feel embarrassed to ask for his help, since he doesn't even know me, but we will see what happens. I really hope that I never try anything like that ever again. Praise be to God that I was saved today, by an unexpected stranger.

---

Back at his home about two hours later, the boy heaved the biggest sigh of his life, and crashed down on to his bed. The twilight of the night was dancing its way in to his room, and he watched his fan as it continued its perpetual motion around and around. He prayed for all those he had helped, and prayed for their futures as happy individuals. At the same time, he knew that he must keep in touch with some of these people, to ensure that nothing bad would creep up. Praying, to him, was to get the courage to do something. He knew that God doesn't do anything for us, or show us how to do anything. He simply gives us the capabilities within ourselves to seek that which our hearts desire. As his eyes were closing further and further, his final thought before falling asleep was: "What does my heart truly desire?"