Trailer Trash

Peter left me a final memento.

My brother Alec had to bring it to me, since it was sent to mom's house. I ripped it open, and it basically said that if I received that letter, ...Peter was certainly, most probably, dead. He then took the rest of the letter to relay to me that he was sorry things turned out the way they did for me, and that he wished me the best. He told me something else, but I am reluctant to share it on this blog, for various reasons. At the end, he told me there was one final thing: something to help me fight against the Fears. He gave me coordinates, and I was able to track down where he wanted me to go. I went to it, and I managed to find it.

It isn't very helpful at the moment, to be honest. But I'm hoping that maybe it will come in handy.

And for now, I am going to take a break from blogging. Norman has asked me and the others to meet with him more often; he is going to teach us how to fend for ourselves against the Dying Man. Hopefully, it'll make a difference. Hopefully, we can make a difference.

Trailer Trash (cover)  
- Jesse Lacey & Kevin Devine

Eating snow flakes with plastic forks,
And a paper plate of course,
You think of everything.

Short love with a long divorce,
And a couple of kids of course,
They don't mean anything

Live in trailers with no class,
Goddamn, I hope I can pass,
High school means nothing

Taking heartache with hard work.
Goddamn, I am such a jerk.
I can't do anything.

And I shout that you're all fakes,
And you should have seen the look on your face,
And I guess that's what it takes,
When comparing your bellyaches.

And it's been a long time,
Which agrees with this watch of mine.
And I guess that I miss you,
And I'm sorry if I dissed you.

I'm sorry if I screwed you up.
I'm sorry if I made you mad.

And you spend your whole life,
looking for the adult that you are,
then you spend the rest your life looking for,
looking for the child that you were.

But Breathing II

When I got out of the hospital, I went straight home and told my mother that I was moving out. She screamed. She yelled. She did a lot of things. But I managed to get my shit out of the house, and my grandmother managed to pull up and let me into the car just before my mother could run out and yell at us. She drove off, and seeing that house in the distance as we drove away... I'll never forget it.

My grandmother told me that she would attempt to finally try completely for custody. She said that once she gets custody back, maybe I can try for school again. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'd never be able to go back to school.

Mom tried to come over and pick me up but we locked the front door on her and called the police. She was forced to go home. I felt protected and safe, for once in my goddamn life.

I moved into the downstairs bedroom that we call the little den. It's actually kind of nice. It's very calming to have someplace where I don't have to hear termites continually eating the walls, or my brothers fighting with each other, or my mother... existing. I even have a desktop computer down here! It's kind of cool.

My friends and I hang out often. I've gotten extraordinarily close to Madelyn and Steven. We went to a festival the other day. There were fireworks, and it was gorgeous. I'm having so much fun with them, and I sort of kinda wish the summer will never end. They don't have school anymore, after all, so we can all just hang out whenever we feel like it. Fuck it, you know? 

But despite all of this, I have the emptiest feeling in the world. Was all of this fighting worth it? Especially when you factor in the future... or lack of one. Wouldn't all of this been easier if I had killed myself back in February?

Maybe. But it's too late to think about that now. Now, I can't afford to kill myself. I have responsibilities. I have friends. I have people to protect. I have mistakes to amend. I have things to do and things to experience. I need to keep on living. Even if it's the hardest thing to do.

I can't die yet. I can't. Not until I've stopped Grey.

Message

Since Owen never seems to care to check my blog, I decided to take it upon myself to hack his shitty blog. Hooray. So here I am.

Don't panic. I'm not planning anything dastardly at the moment! Not right now. No revenge. 

See, Owen kind of actually ruined a few things, and he sort of fucked me up a bit. Yes, look at me admitting that! I am proud to say, Owen, that your little group was quite the challenge.

I offer my congratulations to them. You see, because I admire your efforts... I promise a truce! I will not mess with any of you. That's right! Grey's so nice, I know, I know.

I'm serious though. I don't promise any specific amount of time, and I don't promise to lay off the rest of Portsmouth; but I promise to keep this promise. 

I won't hurt any of you. I won't possess any of you. I promise. 

But be ready when I come back. Because there won't be any mercy. 

Owen... next time, you can't have any either. You'll regret letting me live.

Trust me on that. 

With love,

your bestest buddy in the whole wide world.

Grey

Showdown at P-Town

I woke up today while walking down High Street. I was entirely dressed, and my body moved on its own. I could not stop. A humid mist clung to the ground. No cars traveled down the road. A harsh silence stopped any sounds, even birds or crickets. The morning sky was filled with gray clouds.

I assumed I was in a dream at first, but that illusion was crushed pretty early on.

"Good morning, Owen! Did you sleep well? I hope so... you're gonna need a lot of energy for today, kiddo! Trust me on that one..."

I said to myself. I figured out, I tried to scream. He didn't let me.

"Nuh-uh-uh! Be quiet, be quiet, shh-shh-shhhhh.... shh, little buddy. Calm it! We're almost there, after all. No sense in bitching and whining now!! So, just sit tight, and relax."

I couldn't move. I could only think and observe. Grey pulled out a cigarette and lit it up in my mouth. He smoked and chuckled.

"How've ya been, buddy? Me, I've been doing greaaaat. Yeah, super great. Not actually though, not actually though. Lemme ask a question: do you know how fucking irritating it is... to be sealed off in a godforsaken, ugly mask? Do you?"

No, can't say that I do.

"Ha! Getting a bit snippy. I like that. I've always admired that. You can be quite snippy if you're in the mood."

He took a long drag from the cigarette.

"Honestly, I told you so. I told you this would happen. You didn't believe me. You tried to stop the inevitable. But here we are! You thought you could stop it all with that stupid ritual. But child... there are cracks under the surface. Superstition isn't going to save you any longer-"

You really like hearing yourself talk, don't you?

"I could ask the same of you, really. Heh."

He threw the cigarette aside and stepped it out.







We reached Churchland Bridge. He walked to the side of it between the two railings, guarding the harsh drop to the river and the highway. He kept walking.

What are we doing here?

"What were you doing here all those months ago?"

It dawned upon me; he was going to kill me. He was finally going to kill me.

"Yes, that is what I'm doing. You really love hearing yourself talk, huh?"

Why now?

"Because you betrayed me. We were going to be together forever. But you said no. You tried to kill me. I'm only returning the favor. Is that really so wrong?"

We were nearing the middle of the bridge, which was the highest point of its curve.

How did you take control of me again?

"I already explained that, remember? Sowing season has holes in it. Though I have nowhere near the degree of control that I used to... but regardless, this is the end."

We reached the middle of the bridge. He stepped on top of the railing. The wind suddenly picked up. No cars, no people. Only us. Everything slowed down. I felt Grey look down at the water nervously.

What happens afterward? How are you going to escape if I die?

Grey pulled something out from under my shirt. It was his mask. He threw it to the pavement.

"That's how. Don't you worry your pretty little head; I've got this all under control."

He looked down at the water again. I could not think of anything else to say to bide time. I tried and tried and tried to take control back over my body. Nothing worked.

I finally just accepted it all. There wasn't anything I could do... and I was going to die.

I was going to die. I am going to die. I am going to die I am going to die I am going to die.

It's alright. I'm ready.

My memories flashed back to February. I stood on top of the railing... the chilled air beat against me. Tears dripped down into the freezing water below. I felt gravity slowly nudging me to take the jump.

It was now on the verge of summer. The river is below. Nothing is in our way.

I was prepared to go. But Grey wasn't. He stood there for a full minute. I could feel his hesitance. I could feel his... something. I couldn't exactly gather what.

But he did not want to jump. And because of that, there was enough time for Steven to pull him off the railing and slam us across the head with a baseball bat.

We fell to the ground. Grey felt all of the pain. I felt none of it.

"What the hell, Steven!? Why would you do that to me, holy fucking shit, agh-"

"Stop that. You and I both know that you're just embarrassing yourself right now."

It was only a distraction, the pain. Steven grabbed the mask. He held it over the water.

"If I drop this... what happens?"

I felt Grey's panic.

"Nothing. Absolutely... nothing."

Steven let it slip a little and Grey gasped aloud. He tried to reach for the mask but Steven pulled it away.

"Let Owen go and I won't kill your precious mask."

"..."

I could feel him trying to think of a way out. Any way out. And he might have found a way. But I found the energy to kick his ass straight out of my body before he could pull any tricks.

I fell to the floor. All of the pain from the baseball bat surged into my mind. I grasped at my head. Steven could tell I was myself. He dropped the mask, and knelt down to help me out... just as the Ghoul, carrying a limp body, appeared before us and grabbed the mask. The Ghoul forced the mask onto the body, and Grey fell to the ground. He picked himself back up, and for the first time, I faced Grey off in the physical world.

"Fuck! This body is so weak... couldn't you find anything else!?"

"Focus on these two for now, brother. We will worry about bodies later."

"Right, right-"

Grey cracked his neck.

"There is no more mercy for any of you. I am playing for keeps. Run if you want to buy more seconds to live."

"Ha, as if."

Grey stepped towards Steven. Steven tried to hit him again with the bat. Grey dodged and punched up into Steven's chin. Steven dropped the bat.

The Ghoul attacked me. He pulled out a knife and slashed at my gut. I grabbed his arm and he pushed me into the railing. He tried to stab into me but I held him at bay long enough for Steven to trip into the Ghoul and knock him off. I slapped the knife out of the Ghoul's hands and I punched Grey in the face. Grey laughed, and grabbed me by the throat. Steven kicked Grey in the balls and he let go. The Ghoul ran for the knife. Steven tackled him. I grabbed Grey and I attempted to throw him off of the bridge. Grey jumped out of my arms and landed on the railing. He jumped off of it, landed behind me, and pushed me into it. He held me against the railing, and brought out a knife. He almost plunged it deep into my back.

A gunshot. Grey cried out in pain. He dropped the knife. I looked around and I saw Madelyn near Steven and the Ghoul. The Ghoul backed up, hands in the air, away from Madelyn.


"Get the FUCK away from them!"

"Where the hell did you get a-," Steven started to say, but was then interrupted by Madelyn shooting the Ghoul five times in the chest.

The Ghoul fell to the ground, and stayed there, still. 

"...Fuck that," Grey said as blood spilled from his chest. He grabbed me, and before Madelyn could aim at him, he tossed us both over the bridge. Everything... everything slowed down. Like we were in an action movie. Grey, who apparently recovered the knife or had another one on his person, stabbed me in the abdomen as we fell.

I realized that I was most likely going to die.

I looked down. Beads of blood spilled everywhere throughout the air. The sky was now the watery grave we were falling to. I heard everyone scream my name out.

I made the decision, even if it would kill me... to challenge Grey to a William Tell right then. Grey's eyes widened as he realized what I was going to do. He tried to push away from me, but I grabbed him and hugged him close. I tried, with all my might, to pull us out of reality.

















 "I can't believe you actually did this."

I turned around and everything sprung into existence, including Grey. We were on the hill with the tree. The sky was pure blue and it was quite a nice day. Everything fit except Grey. He stood there, clearly upset and past angry. He was ready to throttle me into oblivion.

"You pulled me down in here to fight you. That has got to be the most idiotic thing you've done. And here I thought that maybe, you'd change your mind. But everything's been ruined, and you've pulled us into a William Tell. Why are you so selfish? You know you're going to die. Why don't you stop being afraid, and face death with dignity, instead of continually running away like this?"

"Why?"

"...?"

"Why should I do that?"

"Because it's the way things are. You need to own up to your mistakes and-"

I stomped the ground and screamed. The entire dimension shook.

"I DON'T OWE ANY OF YOU ANYTHING!"

Grey backed up a little.

"...But you do. You've ruined countless of lives-"

I rushed Grey and grabbed him by the throat. I threw him to the ground and I began to choke him to death.

"YOU KEEP TELLING ME TO ACCEPT DEATH, BUT TELL ME- WHAT IF YOU WERE TO DIE IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES, HUH? WOULD YOU ACCEPT IT?

He tried to talk but I gripped down harder.

"All my life, I've been pushed around by people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about! I've been told countless of lies, I've been pushed down and beat til I cry, I've never had any guidance and no one can ever seem to tell me why! Well, guess what, I've. FUCKING. HAD IT. I am sick of you, my mother... everyone!"

I punched him once. I imagined him as my father, who left me behind and never seemed to care enough to get me the hell away from here.

I punched him again. I imagined him as every bully I've ever had, from telling me I was just a fucking weirdo, or choking me out in the soccer field.

I punched him another time. It was for the officials, judges, all of social services, for turning a blind eye to everything I've ever suffered through, and for what my siblings have lived through.

I punched him another time for my family turning a blind eye to all of it. It was a half-hearted punch.

And then, I punched him several more times. I imagined him as everything my mother had ever done to me. From the emotional manipulation to the physical abuse to the verbal abuse to every goddamn thing she's ever said to my grandmother.

Grey's mask hid a face which, at this point, had to be completely broken. I felt like I was smashing up raw meat at this point. I felt guilty for letting all of this anger. But then I realized I didn't release even half of it yet.

The final blow... for everything that Grey has ever done to me.

I grabbed him by the throat. I began to choke him to death. I saw the human eyes behind the mask panic and then, cry.

"Pl-...pl...ease.... n-"

I ignored it. I kept choking. But I was not prepared for the next one.

"I'm... s-sor...sorr-y..."

I let go of him. I could not continue. I felt sick to my stomach.

He gasped for breath. He pushed me off of him. He got up slowly. He looked so weak and fragile. He was shaking. We locked eyes.

I don't think I'll ever be able to describe completely what I saw in them. But, for the first time, I did not see malice or hatred or sarcasm in them. For the first time... I saw fear in them. And sadness.

The world began to break apart. We kept our eyes locked as the world shook. Between us, the world split. Grey faded away. I remained.

I had come out on top in the match, but I did not win the William Tell.

If anything, it was a draw.














































I woke up to see Madelyn's face above me. I smiled. I felt like... I didn't think I was dead, but I didn't think I was alive either. I just existed, and she just existed, and I was happy for that. But then the rest of the surroundings came into view, and I saw that Madelyn was crying. Steven was beside her, and he was frantically stuffing his shirt onto my wound. Feeling came back to me, and I winced from all the pain. I was so cold, and so wet, and all the blood... I felt faint, and I almost passed out again, but Madelyn pulled me back with her voice.

"Are you okay?"

I laughed.

"I'm probably dead but that's okay I heard heaven has some cool things like Jesus and laffy taffy and I don't fucking know and-"

She put her hand over my mouth.

"Don't overexert yourself, you fucking dork."

I nodded, she kissed me on the cheek, and I don't exactly remember what happened next. They took me to the hospital. They claimed someone attempted to mug us on the bridge, and that I, being the headstrong idiot I can be sometimes, tried to play hero. Because of that, I got stabbed for my troubles.

Disclaimer: if any cop sees this THIS IS TOTALLY A WORK OF FICTION as you can see by all the monster on monster action and like who believes in monsters right haha crazy people that's who haha aha ha...

But anyway. I'm in the hospital right now. Steven's here, watching cartoons on the television with me. Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Haha.

 I feel kind of giddy because of the pain killers I'm taking but otherwise I think I'm feeling okay. I could worry about the Ghoul, as he disappeared when Steven and Madelyn rushed for me, and I could worry about Grey's next move-

But all I want to do is take a goddamn nap. Unfortunately, Steven won't let me kick him out, so he'll just have to nap at the same time as me so it won't be weird.

Paper Mario

"I'm sorry, guys.'

Steven and Madelyn looked at me from across the couch.

"What do you mean? Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for fucking things up for you guys... just, for generally ruining your lives."

Steven got up and kicked me. It was a very weak kick, but I said ow anyway.

"You're an idiot. Like, honestly. Do you think we resent you? Dude, you've done everything you can to save us. You've genuinely tried. Why would we be mad at you for that?"

"Yeah. You never had to help us. You could have left us out to dry, you could have said goodbye to it all and run away. But you didn't. You came back to us to help."

I looked away from them.

"But. But listen. Think about it. If I never made the stupid Mythos..."

"Are you serious right now?"

Madelyn sounded actually angry. She moved over on the couch and grabbed me by the chin. She looked into my eyes.

"None of this is your fault, okay?"

"...Okay."

I wanted to cry. But I couldn't. I actually couldn't. I tried but I could not conjure a single tear. So instead, I hugged her. Steven put his hand on my shoulder.

And in that moment I realized that I had friends again, and that maybe, we had a fighting chance against everything else out there. After that, we continued playing on Steven's nintendo 64. We fell asleep one by one on that couch afterwards. I was the last one to go.

I felt so safe and warm. I wished it could last forever.

Mistakes

We're all staying at Steven's house right now. Madelyn's parents don't really care and my mom doesn't really give a shit, so no excuses needed. We're not really doing much. Madelyn's sick, really sick, and she's in a lot of pain. Steven's hurt bad too, but he's also a wreck emotionally. I'm... I'm alright.

Madelyn's trying to adjust. She says that she doesn't even remember Steven's possession. She says that the last thing she remembers is going to sleep and having a bad nightmare.

Steven won't stop shaking sporadically. I've wanted to ask him what happened in there, but I'm afraid to. Honestly, if I had gone in there with him, maybe we could have both taken that witch down.

The truth is though, we were absolutely destroyed yesterday. We didn't stand a chance in hell against the Red Cap. We were played by all of them. Maybe even Grey.

I fucked up bad. Really badly. Everything Peter did... gone. I've ruined it. Grey is probably reborn, right now, and he could be hurting someone, anyone. And I know that he'll be leading the charge against us. He'll come back and he'll take me back again. Then, they'll take the Red Cap, and force it inside of Madelyn. We're all going to die, I think.

All because of me, yet again. What's even the point, really?

Mirror

Madelyn picked Steven and I up in her car and took us to her apartment. Her father wasn't home, as she said, so we were in the clear. She led us both to her room, closed the door, and she locked it. She had all the materials we needed on her desk.

"So what's going to happen? Am I going to suffer some sort of divine revelation, or?"

She was being quite sarcastic, but I could tell she was a tad scared.

"No. You are going to face the Dying Man piece inside of you, and... well, things might get ugly. Don't worry though. We will be here to support you. I promise."

I sort of awkwardly put my hand on her shoulder and attempted a smile.

"Uhh... okay. Well, that'll be a change of pace... haven't seen the... 'thing' in a while..."

"Whoa whoa whoa.... what do you mean?"

"The Dying Man thing or whatever. She's disappeared."

"...She?"

"Yeah, she... I think they were a she, anyway. And she hasn't really bothered me... I don't know why."

"That's peculiar. She may just be biding her time. Whatever, that doesn't change anything, so don't worry."

Madelyn frowned at me.

"Owen, it's impossible to not worry about this. Let's just get it over with..."

"Yeah... okay, here we go..."

I looked at Steven and nodded my head. He nodded too and we started. We set up everything we needed. When it was time, Madelyn handed me the final piece to her ritual.

"Are you sure this is it?"

"It has to be. It's all she would talk about for a week..."

I held the mirror in my hand and looked into its reflection. A strange, peculiar feeling washed over me. I decided that yes, it had to be it. I put it down at Madelyn's feet while she sat in her chair.

I looked up at her.

"Are you ready?"

"Just get it the fuck over with, dude..."

"Damn Owen, you heard that, let's get started then."

"Okay."

I got up, grabbed Steven's hand, and then held my hand at the center of Madelyn's chest.

It began.




We both dropped straight into some place that was not the River, and just by that I knew; something was up. Steven and I floated down and touched ground in some abandoned courtyard, surrounded by ornate columns and stone benches. Above us, a blood red harvest moon.

"...Where the fuck are we, Rome?"

"I have no clue, but be on your toes..."

I motioned for him to follow me. We found an entrance to a hallway into an ancient building. The hallway was dark as hell. There were slots for torches, but the torches that were in them were quite unlit. We bumped around in the dark until we saw a bright entrance deep into the hallway. We followed the light and emerged in a giant atrium, lit by a giant torch built into the floor of the room. The warmth from the blaze met us as we walked around it carefully.

"This is so weird..."

"Tell me about it. I've never seen anything like this."

There were four entrances in the atrium. We could go three different ways. I noticed symbols above each door. One particular symbol caught my eye... a tear drop, but colored in red.

"I think we should go this way."

"Does it matter, they're all spooky as hell."

I grinned half-heartedly. We went into the new hallway. It snaked its way for quite a while. In this hallway, there were torches. Because of this, we noticed the murals along the walls. I tried to ignore them, but every other glance revealed something interesting.

There were a lot of images and symbols for blood. From more of the bloody tear drops to bath tubs full of it. There were also wiry lines of red that resembled veins and arteries. There were more of these particular symbols the closer we got to the end of the hallway.

At the very end of the hallway, only the veins and arteries remained on the walls, and they all led to the door, which was a scarlet red color with a golden door knob. I reached for the door knob, but I could not make myself grab it. I felt my blood run cold and I could not move anything in my body. I heard, on the other side of the door, a woman softly singing.

At that moment, my body wanted to be miles upon miles away from that singing.

I forced my hand around the knob, and I opened the door. I looked inside, and upon a red throne sat a beautiful woman in white robes, with her legs crossed. She had dark, curly brown hair and she had golden bracelets and large triangular earrings. She was, admittedly, seductively dressed. She was honestly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life.

But then she opened her eyes, and a scarlet glare fell over us. I fell to my knees and I could not stop shivering. She smiled.

"Good evening, love. What's the sorry face for?"

"Wh-what are you?"

She smirked, picked herself up from the throne, and approached us.

"I'm eternal, I'm powerful, I'm gorgeous, and above all, I'm lovely! What are you, human?"

Steven gulped and spoke up.

"Scared, alone, and kind of nervous, to be honest."

"Ha! I like the honesty."

I tried to get up off of my knees. I could not. It was not allowed.

"Personally, I'm curious."

"Curiosity is one of humanity's greatest assets! It's so beautiful. I've watched it grow over thousands of years and honestly, it never gets old to watch some little pitiful creature question how the universe works. What are you curious of at the moment? Why your limbs refuse to budge? Where you are? Who I am? Go on, tell me!"

"Well, first things first, what are you?"

"Smart human. Well..."

She walked back to her throne. She raised her right hand, and we were suddenly standing up. Two stone chairs rose up from the ground, and we fell into them.

"If you'd like to know what others call me... The Red Cap. But if you want to know the full story of what I actually am, what no name could accurate describe... well. This might take a while. Make yourselves comfortable!"

The atmosphere changed. I was still uneasy, but it was clear she meant no ill harm to us. At that moment, at least.

"Sooo... what does it start with...  did it start with him? I guess it did. Well, our master, dear old fellow he is, arrived onto the planet quite some time ago.... for undisclosed reasons, might I add."

"Master? Who's that-"

"Hush. Don't interrupt me, dear. He arrived. and he discovered humanity, in all of its wondrous beauty. He was so transfixed by humanity's capacity for fear. He studied it, preyed upon it. Eventually, he learned how to manipulate fear. From there, it was only a matter of time before he could take humanity's fear and manipulate it into a material form. That's how the Memetim was born."

She yawned and stretched in her seat.

"I apologize; yacking on about the past gets me so tired sometimes! The Memetim surpassed all of my master's expectations. He was unprepared to deal with such a creature. So, in order to preserve the human race and the planet's future, he destroyed his own creation. The Memetim was obliterated, shattered into hundreds of pieces that scattered throughout the world."

Images began to pop into my head. Images that I could not make any sense of. They morphed into shots of a projectile crashing into an isolated valley. Smoke rose up from the blast radius. A red glow emanated from the crater. Zoomed in to see the silhouette of a woman yawning within the smoke.

"That's me! Wasn't I beautiful even then? Of course, I didn't actually have any physical form, that's just an artistic representation; I was not strong enough yet! I was a widdle babby!"

Thousands of years passed by in a blink of an eye. A structure was built upon the crater. The structure resembled the temple we were inside at that very moment. A young girl, around my age, sat in a courtyard. She had black curly hair, dark skin, and her eyes were a beautiful brown. She sat alone, singing softly to herself.

"She deserved better. I wish she wasn't the first. She was so innocent. But it had to be her."

She stopped singing. She shivered in her spot. She looked at where I spiritually watched from and I could see tears in her eyes.

"It took a single week for me to take her over. Soon, I had the entire temple under control. I used her to command them, lead them, guide them. I became their prized possession, and also their fearless leader. Everyone loved me, everyone wanted me, and everyone served me. I was content with just them. For the first decade, anyway."

The young girl, now controlled by the Red Cap, sat in a stone throne. She had the same smirk as she does in the present. But days passed by, and the smirk faded. She watched from top of the valley.

"I wanted more. But the body I was in... it was far too old to be useful to me. So, I decided to cast it aside in the city. I found a man who told me to call him Dionysus. I seduced him. I took him. I became him."

I saw her wear the skin of this man. He sat on a city corner, and his eyes seemed like a lion's, searching for his next prey.

"I took it upon myself to build up another family. Humans... they fall so easily into temptation. They have no self control! I could restrain myself centuries upon centuries, waiting to taste the human soul, and yet humans... they can hardly stand waiting at all! It's amusing, and yet so easy to manipulate if one knew how to. This man that I took the guise of was only the first. I traveled far and wide, and I studied what made humans wanted. What they lusted after. What they needed more than anything. I am a God, built upon the basis that humans cannot control themselves."

She smirked at us yet again. She tapped her long fingernails against her throne. She looked to the side of her throne, grabbed a bowl of grapes, and feasted upon them in front of us. She kept her eyes fixed on us as she bit into them.When she was done with one branch of grapes, she licked her fingers, put the bowl aside, and walked towards me slowly.

"Let's take a break..."
 

She began to slowly pull her robes off. As she did this, the throne room melted away. We were now on the shores of a giant ocean. The ocean, instead of dirty blue water, had either entirely scarlet water, or it was actually blood. Her robes fell onto the white sand behind her. I looked around for Steven, but he wasn't there; I was alone. I tried to avert my gaze from her.

She stood in front of me, inches away. I could see her smile in the edges of my vision.

"Stop that. I'm not going to hurt you, foolish boy."

She took my head and kissed me upon the forehead. I felt all my defenses vanish. My arms fell loose at my sides and I stared into her eyes. I felt my inhibitions slowly disappear. I was so goddamn scared.

"You like this. When was the last time someone truly hugged you, anyway? You want this. When was the last time someone really loved you, anyway? You need this. Come on, admit it...."

She embraced me. I felt comfort. And unease. All at the same time. She whispered against my neck.

"We could just take a break... no one would know. Wouldn't that be lovely? Right here, on the sands of oblivion... I know you're a virgin, honey. I can show you things. Or we could just hold each other, for eternity. I'd permit that. I'd allow anything to erase everything that painful woman did to you. She's no mother... She's not anything to you anymore. I can be everything, anything, to you."

She kissed my neck. I was shaking.

"No."

"What did you say?"

"N...nn..."

She put her hands on my cheeks gently. She pulled herself closer to me so that her body pressed against mine. I tried to squirm away but I could not.

"Please no."

"Are you telling me no? Oh honey... tsk, tsk, tsk... she's hurt you so deeply you refuse affection from anyone now. You've closed your heart to me... I cannot help you."

I felt something disconnect in my chest. Something rushed up my throat and suddenly I was spitting up blood.

"Wh-what's ha... aghghh..."

I felt so faint. Blood rushed up from inside of my chest. A deep pain resonated inside of me. I spat up blood everywhere. The Red Cap smiled in my face.

"I'm only doing this because I love you, sweetheart."

She kissed my cheek as she slowly put her hand around my throat. 



I woke up. It was as if she had never moved from her spot. She was still feasting upon her grapes. She put aside the bowl and smirked at us.

"Are you two alright? You both seem so pale!"

I looked at Steven. He was sweating and breathing frantically, just as I was. He looked at me. He mouthed the words "Fucking monster" to me.

"Oh well.... where should I start again... let's retrace our steps. Do you boys know what's so special about me? Well, I'll tell you: I'm a mommy, and you both have met my dear sons!"

She cheerily smiled at us. I felt my stomach churn.

"No... that isn't possible... I created him. I created him through the Fear Mythos."

She shook her head.

"No, boy; you were used to create this universe, you did not create something as complex and beautiful as my son. When the Memetim was split, many of the pieces did not survive their impacts upon the earth. They dissipated, and their energies filtered out into humanity. Some of the pieces were recycled by my master to create new creatures. The other pieces... they survived impact, feasted upon humans, and grew in size. Most of the pieces that grew in size did not do what I did, but some of them, including me, desired to... divide, and discover. It could be compared to the same rush of ego a human gets when they pass their genes upon their offspring. So I did so, and I sent my sons out into the world. My firstborn, is the one you call... Grey, right?"

I could not believe it. Except of course I could, because now it all made sense. But if that was the case....

"Then... how did Grey end up in a pocketwatch?"

"I'm not as polite as my other son would lead you to believe! I don't owe you any answers for that. Besides, that isn't my business; that's the master's business. Now, you're up to speed. How does that feel?"

I felt her control release us. I fell to the ground. Steven did a second later as well. We looked up at the Red Cap. She seemed pleased.

"That should've taken long enough."

I got up.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean? Did you think I'd chat with you forever just on a whim?"

She snapped her fingers, and I heard some guzzling noise at the corners of the room. I looked at each corner, and I noticed that on the floor, there were these drains. The drains began to spit up what resembled blood... but it was a bit too dark to be entirely blood. It was a part of the Red Cap.

It slowly inched toward us. I ran to the door and tried to open it. The door disappeared.

"Let us out!!"

Steven ran over to the Red Cap in order to hit her but she took him by the neck and threw him at the wall. He hit it with enough force to crack it. He fell to the floor. I ran over to him. The liquid switched direction and slithered toward us.

"This is so sad. You two were so brave! I've watched you both for weeks, and it wast just so fun watching humans try to gain control. You thought you had it all under control. Even when I led you right to my son and let you take him. Even when I smirked at you as Madelyn. You two are both so gullible it's pitiful. And she thought you would notice if she weren't herself! Either she was wrong, or I'm an amazing act-"

"So you've been using her this entire time. I knew something was wrong..."

"Don't make me laugh. You didn't know anything. You played right into it."

The liquid turned into some solid form and grabbed onto my ankle. It twisted around it and traveled up my leg. I tried to kick it off but it constricted around my leg and refused to budge.

"So where's Madelyn now, huh!?"

I felt panic completely break through the restraint of sowing season and take hold of me. I frantically fought against the substance. The Red Cap laughed.

"I think I've done enough yacking for today. Good night, sleep tight, little ones!"

She turned away from us and she almost left out through the throne room door. But... Steven got up, and despite his obvious pain, he screamed at her to stop right there.

She did, but she did not turn around immediately. She slowly turned around as Steven got up. Then I noticed the bloody substance was evaporating. I felt the scenery melt a little. Everything became blurry. I suddenly knew, and I prepared myself-

Steven initiated a William Tell. The Red Cap and him disappeared into a vortex. I held on tight to the reality of the domain. Luckily, I was not dragged along.

I immediately felt bad for my decision. Steven was alone in there with some monster. He could be suffering through anything. But... I had to stay behind so I could find a way out and stop sowing season. Everything was different then Steven and I; Madelyn was completely taken over. I thought it was too late for her. So I had to stop her on the outside.

For the next five minutes, I had to concentrate on ending the ritual. It was especially hard to do, considering I had no idea how to halt it without any results. In the end, I ended up escaping Madelyn's body. I was pushed out and I ended up in an entirely different setting then where we were before.

We were in my goddamn house somehow. And she had the shoebox. The one with Grey inside of it.

"How'd you find that?"

She ignored me. She opened up the shoe box and reached for the mask. I grabbed her from behind and tried to pull her away before she could take it. She stomped my leg and tripped me. I fell against my radiator. She grabbed the mask. I tried to tackle her but someone grabbed me from behind.

It was the Ghoul, in complete physical form. He had been hiding in my closet.

"Hello there. It's been a while."

"HOW DID YOU GET THE NECKLACE-"

The Ghoul smashed my stomach. It hurt so bad that I keeled over. I fell to the floor. He stomped my head so hard the floorboard underneath me splintered.

Madelyn tossed the mask to the Ghoul. He caught it.

"Go."

"Yes, mother."

The Ghoul left my room. I tried to cry out to my family to watch out.

Madelyn, or fuck, the Red Cap, sat down on my bed. She had no smirk. She studied me.

"How's it feel to lose completely, hm?"

"Where's... where's my family..."

"Why do you care?"

"They're my family..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor little Owen...."

She grabbed me by the shirt collar and lifted me up a bit just off the ground.

"I feel so bad for you. All that effort an-"

Her eyes widened. She let go of me and turned to look at my door way.

The old man, Norman, stood there.

"You're not Madelyn."

"Surprise, surprise-"

Norman pulled out a taser and unleashed it on her. She screamed and crashed in a heap to the floor. She rolled about as it electrocuted her. She became still.

Norman walked up to her. He shook his head, then looked at me.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really."

"That is alright. Stay down. I will handle the rest."

He sat down upon my bed. He waited. Around two minutes later, Steven appeared out of nowhere beside Madelyn on the floor. He was bloody and bruised up everywhere.

"Madelyn..."

He touched her face. She slowly opened her eyes.

"St-steven..?"

Norman pulled a gun out and held it to her head.

"Don't move."

"But... she's fine, I took care of it..., she's fine,  please stop pointing that gun at my friend!"

"Steven, it's okay... it's okay..."

Madelyn wasn't all together there, even if the Red Cap was gone. What ended up happening was, Norman forced Steven and I to leave my own room. It was sort of awkward, because there's no goddamn door on my room, so we had to go downstairs. He called us back up there later. Madelyn was in my bed. Beside her, the mirror, which was now cracked in a certain spot.

"She's okay now, but she has to take it easy. Steven, you cleared that spirit out of Madelyn-"

"No... no I didn't. She left. On her own. I wasn't strong enough to beat her..."

"Ah, well, that is no surprise."

I looked at him curiously.

"How the hell did you find us here? How did you know what was going on?"

Steven looked at me.

"That's my bad. I told him to be on the look out for us. I guess he saw some suspicious activity and decided to step in."

"Which you are lucky I did."

The old man picked up the mirror and went out my door. He turned to me.

"Owen...you realize that by doing this you've messed things up quite a bit? What did you expect to happen if you casually attempted to play God like this? I don't appreciate this at all. Next time, I might not be around to clean up any messes. I don't know who taught you that ritual, but do not use it again; it brings nothing but trouble upon those who use it."

He left after saying that. I couldn't respond even if I had the time to. I felt... so horrible. Steven's banged up to hell, Madelyn's hurt so much (SHE GOT FUCKING TASED), and...

Grey and the Ghoul are at large. Not only that, there's someone above even the Red Cap.

What have I done?