Welcome back, my peoples! This is book 4 of The Agents Series. I've got a little surprise for you guys in this chapter ;D I do not own Phineas and Ferb, but I thank the awesome people who brought it into existence. All rights to all products go to their proper owners. So, please enjoy The Agents Through Africa :D

Prologue

There were no words. No chance of denial. This was the end. It was very bleak in that little mud hut. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, and Penelope sat at a small ground-level table. Penelope held onto a cup of steaming liquid. It was very cold, which was odd for that time of year. Isabella nudged Penelope's shoulder and presented a Cat's Cradle to her. Penelope put her little fingers in and the two began moving the string about. Ferb was working on macrame with hay, his fingers working slowly on the project. Phineas just sat in his place, elbows on the table and hands to his cheeks, slouching with the most depressed expression upon his features.

"They should be back by now," said Phineas worriedly as he looked at the door.

Penelope was in the middle of winding string around as she said, "I do admit that this is longer than I had predicted of them to be gone, but they'll return. We have no worries there."

"What happens if they don't come back though? We've gotta go out there and look for them," said Phineas, rising and heading for the door. Penelope whipped the shoelace around and tripped the boy into falling on the ground.

"If I let you go after him, not only would I be breaking a promise, but I would also be sending you to your death." Penelope unwrapped the string from the boy's ankles. He went back to the table and sat back down. "Don't worry. If anyone can survive the horrors that await out there, it's my Perry."

Just then, the door burst open and shut to reveal little Maxwell. Fear was in his eyes and a bloody hand print was on his head. Penelope rushed to her son and enveloped him in a hug. Max shook with fear and hugged tightly to his mother. Penelope hummed a song to soothe him and it helped a little. "I saw Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Father and Rosalynn and..." he broke into a sob. Penelope hugged him close. She brought him to the table where the only source of light in that hut came from one small candle.

"It's going to be all right, Max," said Penelope, running her fingers through the fur at the top of his head (the non-bloodied part).

"No, Mother, I do not think it shall." Penelope looked to Phineas, trying to seek hope from the ever-optimistic boy. Phineas put out his arms and Penelope handed Max over to him. "Uncle Phineas, do you think everything will be all right?" The little platypus had formed a kinship with Phineas over the course of the adventure. He looked up to him. If Phineas lost hope... then all hope was gone.

Phineas smiled slightly. "I think it will be," he said. He still had a small glimmer of hope. That glimmer was only about as bright as the candle in the room though. Too much had happened. Even the smallest light can shine in the deepest darkness, but sometimes, when one is far enough away, the darkness stifles the light. Hope works the same way in bleak times. Little Max let out a shuddering sigh and hugged Phineas tight, his tears subsiding. Penelope went over to the bowl of water in the room and got a cloth wet. She dabbed this on Max's head, cleaning him off, but not before sniffing it. The gasp she made nearly took her breath away. "What is it?" asked Phineas.

"This- this is Perry's blood," said Penelope, her voice quivering. There was a loud banging at the door then. Everyone in the room jumped.

"They have followed me here. I had hoped they had not," said Max, his voice timid with fear. He hid his head in the crook of Phineas's arm. Penelope's face was already drained of blood from the fear in her heart that this experience had instilled, but now... she didn't know how much more she could take.

"Stay here, children," said Penelope. Children. That was a rare word for Penelope to use. It was clear her happy, calm state of mind was long left behind. This place... this experience had done well enough to help with that. She went to the door, humming to herself all the while. She edged toward the door as if expecting it to eat her. "Ya da da da... ya da da da..." Penelope winced as she gripped the door handle. She had her head turned away from the door, eyes shut tight. She was making incoherent noises, the noises of extreme nervousness... and fear. She yanked it open quickly, only letting herself be exposed to the outside. Nothing happened.

Penelope opened her eyes to the dark, foggy night. She looked carefully and took a shaky step closer. She didn't dare to make a sound any more than necessary. She stepped closer, her feet feeling the fog tickling her toes. Her breath added to the fog as it went in and out deeply. She felt a shiver, then, felt something pull her leg into the dark. She screamed and grabbed the edge of the hut. Something had her. Phineas got up and grabbed Penelope's arms, trying to pull her in. Whatever it was had great strength. Then, whatever was holding her let go and she fell into Phineas's arms. She looked into the fog and saw Doofenshmirtz come up.

"It's okay, it's just me," said Dr. Doofenshmirtz. He came in, two boxes under his arm. They were both black wooden boxes and Penelope couldn't help but notice how like coffins they were. The scientist put them down beside the table and, as he did, one of the boxes lids popped open and Rosalynn rose out of it. Penelope and Isabella had screamed at this. Rosalynn jumped out of the box quickly, then shoved it off of the other one. She appeared to be really shaky, but nonetheless worse for wear. She went to open the other box, but something made her stop. She ran over to Ferb and hid by his side.

"Doctor, forgive me for asking this, but why did you bring my daughter back in a coffin?" asked Penelope.

Doofenshmirtz waved a hand, batting it away. "It was on hand... besides, I had to get them out of there somehow," he said.

"So, I can assume that in that one...?" Penelope asked, pointing to the other box. Doofenshmirtz nodded sadly. Up until this point, Penelope hadn't left Phineas's arms. Now, she jumped down and made her way to the box. She grasped the lid and shakily removed it. The lid collapsed to the floor with a clatter and Penelope looked inside the coffin to notice her husband, Perry. He was pale, wounded, and out cold. "Perry?" her voice was uneven with fear. She touched a hand to his face, which was cold to the touch. "What have I done?" Tears started falling from her eyes. "It was never supposed to be this way." She laughed bitterly and said, "And to think that this journey had started out so happy and warm, and now... everything is dark and cold. When did it all go so wrong?" Her mind went back to those first few days, the time before they had realized they had entered an evil land. A time of naivety and light.

I'm sorry it had to get that spooky. I've been watching creepy game playthroughs and I recently played some creepy games, so... yeah. Also, you will notice that I typically don't get right into the drama in my stories. I begin with fairly light if not entirely light tones. Now, Perry's all out cold! Why is he out cold?! Anyway, perhaps it will all be cleared up in the next chapter. Please keep reading and reviewing to find out what happens. Until I update, you may relax and hold onto your favorite plushie while whispering "It's gonna be all right. It's gonna be okay." in your bed at night. Bwahahahahahaha! (Don't worry, I'm not evil.) Also, before I forget, it's my FanFiction anniversary in a few days. I shall be posting something special on my profile on the day, so keep a look-out ;) See you next chapter :D