[October 1, 2001. 3:04 a.m. Outside Coltrane Park.] Stephan Carroll knelt before the entrance of Coltrane Park. A glowing mystic circle lay in front of him. Having encompassed the park grounds already, the silvery sigils were now encroaching on New Haven itself. Not that he noticed, or cared. He used to, only less than a day before. Not anymore. He had other things on his mind. Stephan Carroll, recently back from the dead, had been crying. Things were not supposed to turn out this way. Centuries of plotting, manipulating, and patiently waiting, yet nothing has gone as expected. Centuries ago, while deep in contemplation with the theories behind his work, he was enlightened by a realization. The perfect state of all things in reality is pure, unbridled chaos. In everything lies nothing, thus the heart of nothingness contains the reason for everything, existence itself. Yet, if nature is left to its own devices, all of reality will only descend into oblivion. Therefore, order is introduced to the system as a necessity, to keep chaos in rein. However, once order establishes itself, the whole loses vitality and everything decays, falling down to entropy. Therefore, a balance is struck between the two forces. Both order and chaos together is the reason for reality to exist. So everything that existed is a force of chaos guided, not bound, by a force of order. From the simplest molecules to the grandest of galaxies, When he drew up the layout for New Haven, he painstakingly set the fragments of his plan within the borders. These bits and pieces were designed, as a guide post, to attract the supernatural towards the city, and contain them. After a certain passage of time, when the conditions have been set, New Haven would engineer his and his beloved's return, powered by the supernatural energy gathered in the city. All of this is meant nothing to him now. His Elizabeth rejected him, rejected all the things he did just for her. She turned her back and left him. She left him . . . for the boy. Everything could have been perfect if it was not for Aaron. That infernal brat was the one to truly blame for what had happened to her. It was all his fault, yet Elizabeth forgave HIM. Everything he did was pointless. Meaningless. There is nothing left in this world for Stephan Carroll n-- His moment of despair and self-loathing was violently interrupted when somebody burst out of the clearing and crashed behind him. The nerve of some people, he grumbled inwardly. Can't even leave people to angst in peace. ======== [October 1, 2001. 3:10 a.m. Outside Kramer"s Antiques.] Karen Hopewell came to. "John?" she groggily asked aloud. "What's going on?" "Thank goodness you're all right," her brother Charlie said, relieved. Karen sat up, disappointed at first that Johnny wasn't there. Moments later, she recalled what Johnny did yesterday, and she frowned. "What happened here?" Alicia Carmine, tending to one of the gun-toting rabbis, asked aloud. "Kramer happened," Jeremiah, having recovered first, replied from where he sat. "Now don't go saying things like that to the old man," a wheezy voice emerged from the remains of the shop, followed by the rest of the speaker. Isaiah got up, fuming. "You! Demon! Where is your master! What nefarious plans does he have in store--" Ahzgahzganahznergal, Under-Fiend of the Second Circle (Ned for short), look genuinely hurt. "Don"t be like that. Just because you guys showed up at a bad time--" "Where is Kramer?" Michael Lime interrupted. "Geez, impatient sort of folkes, aren't ye all." Ned said, a bit peeved over the interruption. "Well, anyway, the ol' codger suited himself up when youse guys got here. It's your bad luck that you all got jumped by the kinder in the interim. He's prolly now up and gone directly to the Catalyst by now." "The Catalyst?" Michael asked. "Why, the source of all these things happening right now, of course." Ned said absently. "He went there to stop it?" Charlie asked hopefully. Ned chortled. "Stop it? Him? No way in hell, boyo. I should know, I live there. He just wanted to have the best seats in the house when The End Times come 'round. And he had to leave me here by me lonesome, the cunning bastich. Why, just for that, I'll lend you folks some of his stuff. Maybe they'll be giving you a fighting chance." Isaiah looked skeptical. "You? Help us?" "Hey now, take it or leave it. I don't really care. It's not as if I need to save this miserable planet." Alicia spotted something in the distance. "Um, if you don't mind my interruption," she said. "We've got company." They saw another horde of zombies slowly shuffling towards them. Ned sighed. "Ack. More shoplifters. Listen, do me and the ol' coot another undeserved favor, all right? Can you beat those deadbeats off the property? Kramer won't be liking it if some of the merchandise gets swiped, know what I'm saying?" With that, he slipped back into the shop. "I think it might be a good idea to run," Michael suggested. "Didn't you hear what he said?" Charlie said. "He might have something to help us get out of here." "I don't think that's the p--" Before they can finish arguing, the zombies were now upon them. ===================================== New Haven ------------------------------------- With the aid of psychedelic substances Scene 2-8: I Have Joined the Rapture, and All I Got Was This Chapter Started by Thomas Wilde and James Howard As Written by Signus Megido the Revealer ===================================== Johnny Basquain reached an intersection. He had been walking along the subterranean tunnel for over an hour, aided by the dim glow from the passageway behind him. So far, he has yet to encounter any monstrous denizens since he first came to after his fall down the pit, although he was still unsure whether this was a good or bad thing. Deciding to take a brief respite, Johnny set down the heavy suitcase he was lugging around, in the middle of the intersection, and sat on it, looking around to regain his bearings. Two of the passageways slowly sloped upwards, probably towards the surface. One of the tunnels, which were the one where he came from, was somewhat smaller in size than the other two tunnels. "Somewhat" may be an understatement: While the tunnel where he came in was just large enough to drive a respectable car in, the other two tunnels were large enough to plow two eighteen-wheelers through"on their sides. Something in his pocket beeped. Startled, Johnny quickly pulled out the cellphone. "Christ, what now . . . ?" he said. He read the message, his face grim and humorless. "I can't do this. . ." he grumbled, keying out a reply to the sender. "I'm occupied with something else at the moment. . ." That was when he looked up. His gaze met round, beady orbs for eyes, surrounded by fuzzy brown fur. Otherwise the stubby creature was featureless. Startled, Johnny fell over. The last thing he saw was the stubby creature's mouth opening wide, revealing a row of sharp, perfectly white teeth. ======== [Date and time Classified.] The cellphone rang, singing the bars of "Dawson's Creek" for all the world to hear. Niemann answered the phone. He frowned at the message. "Well, at least you're still alive. Sort of." He speed-dialed a number. ======== [October 1, 2001. Early morning. Rome.] The phone rang. He mused at the swiftness of modern technology before slowly reaching out to answer it. Amazing what people take for granted; the miracles that happen around them. He may have lived a long time, but he still marvels at the many works of man. "Your Excellency," the voice of one of the faithful spoke from the loudspeaker. "Our man in the inside has just reached us. Perhaps this is a sign that God has not yet forsaken us. Neverthereless, we will still continue the operation as planned. Praise Be The Lord." The line went dead. He reflected on the message before getting up from the recliner. Today is going to be a long day. Appropriate, since today might as very well be the last day of Earth. May The Lord have mercy on us all. ======== [October 1, 2001. 3:05 a.m. Outside Coltrane Park.] The mages burst through the clearing, and stumbled into a nightmare. Maple, at the head of the group, was knocked over by something crumpled on the ground, and was sent sprawling on the ground. The others stopped and looked around them. "Vat. Is. Dis?" Stroika exclaimed, reverting back to her native accent. Alice screamed. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod . . ." she babbled hysterically. "ThisisthedreamIsawthisinthedreamogodohgod . . ." Maple picked himself up off the ground. "Now this is a complication we don't need right now." "Mygoditsrealgoditsrealsorealmygodmygod . . ." "Get a grip on yourself, Alice," Stroika said. "It could be worse." "NOOOO!!!!!" Alice wailed, and burst into tears. "We'reallgoingtodiewe'reallgoingtodieallgoingtodieallgoingtodieallg--" Maple slapped her. The others gasped in shock as Alice crumpled to the ground. "Alice," Maple spoke, more softly this time. "Look at me." Alice raised herself up and looked at Maple, a betrayed expression on her face. "Alice, we know about your premonition. We realize that you've seen the future, and you've seen it to be bleak. But right now, that future is still a possibility, not actuality. The future is still yet unwritten. We can make it the future differently, but we need you to have a clear head if we have a chance to succeed." Alice choked back a sob and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't know what we can do," she said. "I don't know what I can do. I'm not my brother." "Precisely," Maple continued. "And this is exactly why you are important to us. You may not have the experience or the ingenuity of Roderick, but you're still young. You can learn. You can become stronger if you want to. And you have something that your brother used to have, long ago." "What?" "You care. You care enough to want to make a difference. This is the rock that anchors our purpose. It was you that wanted us to come here, or have you forgotten?" Alice shook her head no. "Then get up," Maple said, offering her a hand. Alice took his hand gratefully, and Maple pulled her up. She burst into tears when she stood up. "Vat is vrong now?" Stroika wondered, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. Maple shot her a warning look. He embraced Alice, shushing her. "I was so scared," Alice said, her voice muffled under Maple's robes. "It's all right to be scared," Maple reassured her. "We'll get out of this, somehow. You came to me because you needed someone to protect you, right? I haven't let you down yet, and I won't let you down, ever. I promise you this. No matter what." Both Drachmov and Stroika could see the terrified expression on Maple's face at the realization of their impending doom. Drachmov leaned close to whisper to Stroika. "Ever get the feeling we're watching a bad soap, or worse, being a part of one?" "Oh?" Stroika raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you wanted to tell me, dear Drachmov?" "Never mind," Drachnov grumbled. His eyes fell on the inscription on the corner of the seal. His eyes widened as he saw the lines slowly expanding. "This is . . . ?" he wondered, his hand reaching down to touch the silver markings. "Wait!" Maple called out. "There's more. Watch closely." It was Stroika who noticed it first. "The lines are expanding and compressing at a regular interval. Although the rate of expansion is constant, there are intervals where the sigils would retreat back before resuming its outward expansion. It's almost as if it's--" "It's alive!" Drachnov gasped. "Not entirely accurate, but technically, yes. This sigil is what you practitioners call a living incantation. The entirety of this one has been in effect for several centuries now, although this stage has just been reached only now." A new voice piped up, the scent of death following him. The four mages went immediately into combat position, facing the newcomer. "Who are you, and why are you here!?!" Drachnov demanded. "I was always here," the revenant explained mildly. "And I was minding my own business before you carelessly knocked me over. And I do believe you are all not natives of New Haven, which would mean that you are the newcomers and strange ones besides. You should all be making your introductions to me." "Stephan Caroll, I presume?" Maple asked. Caroll smiled. Maybe there is a use for these intruders, after all. ======== [October 1, 2001. 3:31 a.m. Inside the New Haven Maximum Security Prison.] "Okay," Doug, tied up to a chair in a rather uncomfortable position, grumbled. "Whose bright idea was it anyway that we should just waltz into a building full of vampire-hating people?" "You did, you moron!" Adam, also tied up in a rather uncomfortable position as well in another chair, didn't reply, although he did intend to speak out along those lines. He couldn't reply mainly because his mouth was still sewn shut. So instead, all he said was a muffled, "Mmph!" Doug sighed. "Yeah, I understand why you wanted us to go in. I forgive you, man. Hey, who'd have expected a bunch of meddling kids--" "Mmph!" "--and their silly dog could do this to us." Doug finished. "Mmph! Mmph!" "Well, it could have been worse. Harloopie could find us like this--" At that precise moment, the heavy iron storage door was yanked off its hinges and burst inward, and the vampire lord Harlukia strode in, a strange-looking mechanical clock in hand. Harlukia took in the sight before him. The storage room's two occupants were tied up spread-eagled in the middle of the room, terrified eyes gazing back at him. "What are you two imbeciles doing?" "Oh! Um," Doug stammered. "Hi, Lord Harlukia. We're rather tied up at the moment, so. . ." With an idle wave of his hand, Harlukia sent both minions crashing to the wall--and smashing the chairs they were confined to apart. "You are freed. Now come. All this silly subordinate-retrieval business is giving me an appetite." And with that, Harlukia strode out, the Antikythera Mechanism slung carelessly over one shoulder. "Ow." ======== Johnny opened his eyes. "I'm. . . I'm alive." He exclaimed to himself in surprise and wonder. Somehow, those creatures ignored him and left him there. His jubilation was short-lived when he spotted the suitcase and cellphone. "Oh, right, the mission." He continued on the passage down after sending a short prayer for Karen's safety. ======== [October 1, 2001. 3:22 a.m. Streets of New Haven] The giant bone shamblers were victorious. Having soundly defeated the fish men, they have claimed most of the city proper as their territory. Beaten back, the giant fish men retreated to the docks to regroup and lick their wounds, and plan for the next round of attacks to take more ground. This was when a new force came into play. Cubish, squattish, and stoutish, the hairy creatures did not look as menacing as most of the new denizens of the city, who towered over them many stories over. Since their origins were unknown, none of the other monsters gave them any serious thought. How wrong they were. The bone shamblers were the first ones who encountered the new monsters. Foolishly, they attacked the furry bearlike creatures. All of them were eaten alive. The remaining bone shamblers with some spark of intelligence realize the hopelessness of their action and fled, away from the beady-eyed creatures. More of the new monsters emerged from underground, and slowly made their march through the city, devouring everything that opposed them. Hi ho. ======== Random Skribblings: * I'm going to use a pathetic excuse and blame work for inability to finish this in time. I'll apologize, but when given a choice between getting paid and getting personal satisfaction, I'd take the money first and foremost. Besides, I like my job. * Too much rambling. Yeah. * I couldn't decide on Ned's ethnic slurs, so I decided to use them all. Heck, he's a demon, after all. * While working on this, I kept typing "Mace Windu" for Maple. Hee. * Yes, Mace--I mean Maple is around Roderick's age while Alice is, at most, in her late teens. Those whose minds are in the gutter, stay there and drown. * Jinkies! * Domo-kun! [End Chapter 21] -Signus Megido Herald of the Last Army