"Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality. But... there is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit..."

-Tales From the Darkside

The fire of the Old Kingdom had claimed so many so long ago. Surprisingly, the two who remained to tarry until freed were not victims of the fire, but rather the aftermath at the hands of the same man, more or less.

Mary Jensen, a child of ten years old, was one of these two. She found out something she shouldn't have, but didn't understand. She paid for that innocent folly with her life-in a most excruciating way at the hands of the mad doctor…but she remained a happy being. She didn't know she had been used or died needlessly. She held no malice or desire for revenge, which is one of the reasons she infuriated Paul.

Paul Morlock was the other, though not as submissive. He was a boy of fifteen and had died in the fire by drowning. He was under the good doctor's care of curing his violent anti-social behavior by letting him soak in a tank of a saline solution of all things for treatments. Needless to say it hadn't helped. He held an anger that spanned over a century of his sentence to walk the earth of the Old Kingdom along with the girl. His anger was at his mother, his non-existant father but most of all himself.

Today-if you could call it a day, as Time never seemed to pay any mind within the realm that they dwelled within the Old Kingdom-was a normal if not boring day. Mary had lost track of Antibus as of late, her guardian and protector against Paul. He was an anteater, or at least took the form of one most of the time. But it worried her that he hadn't visited her lately. It also worried her that Paul had not tried to scare or torment her either for a while-not that she wished for such a thing, but it was unnerving as he was most consistent in his routine.

She sighed as she trailed a little finger along the murky walls of the dark corridor. It was always dark, but somehow it was comforting. She clutched her doll and hummed a tune softly, thinking about her friends when she was a time-keeper for the mill that connected to the Old Kingdom Hospital. She worked the shift when the children worked alongside the adults, and she would aid anyone and everyone, either with a helping hand or kind word. She was loved though she was an orphan, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed the company of the workers and they in turn enjoyed her presence.

If only she had company now.

She sighed again, recommenced her tune and held absently onto her silver bell than hung 'round her neck. She wished it still signified the time when she rang it, instead of death for those at the New Kingdom hospital that she occasionally visited. But it was her job now, and Antibus told her it would be temporary…though a hundred years wasn't exactly temporary…but what did she know? She was only ten after all, she thought. Maybe she would go looking for Paul. Perhaps his absence meant he wasn't so mad anymore, at least not at Mary. She knew there was some good in him…maybe.

"Will you shut it with that annoying noise you're making, you runt."

Mary spun around to see Paul sitting on some rafters above. He jumped down making her startle and inch back. He smiled wickedly at her reaction, then leaned against the wall.

"Well? Anteater got your tongue?" he laughed, a dark gleam in his eyes.

"W-where have you been, I haven't seen you in a w-while…" Mary replied, trying to sound brave but failing.

An emotion flickered across the boy's face she couldn't decipher before he frowned.

"Around..." He said suspiciously,"What's it to you?"

Mary shuffled her feet, but did not dare break her gaze with his.

"I was just wondering. It's just so lonely here…" she trailed off, a pitiful longing in her voice that only a child could give. She even sniffled, much to Paul's disdain. "I guess I missed you." She added. Paul paled even more than he already was.

In a swift movement that his ghostly form gave him, he appeared right before her, clutching her arms in a tight grasp and shaking her as she squealed in fright.

"WHAT did you SAY?!" He yelled, eyes flashing. He had to kneel to even be at eye level with the pest that plagued him night and day, tormented to keep his own sanity, suffered at the hands-or claws-of Antibus when he was caught. But now she just made even less sense to him now, and he wasn't used to it nor did he know how to respond. Years as a ghost with untreated problems do that to a person.

Mary struggled in his grasp, but he was too big and strong for her small frame to over throw, and he just held on tighter making her arms hurt.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" she began to cry. This seemed to only upset him worse. He shoved her away, making her fall, before he stood up to tower over her again.

"Miss me? Maybe the doc did more than just puncture your little brain—" he began but she cut him off.

"Don't talk about that!" she squeaked angrily. She never got angry, and even now it wasn't anger, but fear. She didn't like what the doctor had done to her, though she remembered little. The only remnants of any evidence of harm were a spot above each eyebrow, red but faded scars…

She shuddered and looked to Paul who for a moment was taken aback at her outburst but recovered upon seeing her momentary spurt of bravery pass.

"Then don't say ridiculous things, little girl."he spat. "And don't let me catch you saying anything like that ever again, you freak." She looked confused at what he meant but proceeded to get up gingerly and dust off her little dress.

With tears streaming down her face she looked up to see him watching her. "Why are you doing this?" She sniffled. "Why do you hurt me?"

"Because it passes time, stupid." Paul sneered. He leaned against the wall again, giving her a grin showing her his fangs-he had learned he could alter his appearance slightly this way to scare her, which worked. She gulped and stepped back.

"Ooohh, no one to care for poor Little Miss Orphan." He cooed menacingly. As he inched towards her she inched back. She began to tear up again.

"Stop it." She said quietly. She didn't like to be reminded of not having parents. Why did Paul always remind her of things that hurt her?

"Aww, gonna cry Goody-Two-Shoes? You should, having no one left to care about you. Parents just left you on the doorstep one day I guess. Smart choice." He chuckled horrible.

"At least mine didn't hurt me!" she cried out, but instantly regretted it. She slapped her mouth with her hands, eyes wide at her mistake. Paul's haunted look made her feel so bad about what she said, but she didn't dwell on it for long as he had pinned her to the ground, clamping her throat with his hands.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" He screamed.

Mary couldn't breathe. She was so scared. She knew she couldn't die, she was already dead, but it still frightened her terribly.

"ANTIBUS! ANTIBUS!" She screamed in a tiny strangled and desperately pleading voice. She saw a look in Paul's eyes she had never seen before, but didn't want to find out about either as he was a very unpredictable person.

She called on her friend, her guardian, to aid her. Maybe he wouldn't be too late.

She felt Paul's grip lessen as he continued to scream at her to shut up. He trembled and when she met his eyes with her own she saw tears falling on her dress. Her eyes widened at this.

Just then a hiss rumbled above her head and a familiar form intervened, baring huge fangs. Paul stumbled back in surprise and scooted back to the wall and the anteater nudged Mary up and helped her to her feet.

"Picking on defenseless little girls? My my my, aren't we brave…" the animal accused with his soothing yet authorative voice.

Paul just glared at him, the dark circles under his eyes darker than before, but his eyes shining from yet unshed tears.

Mary clutched onto the animal and he curled an arm around her comfortingly, not minding that Paul was still present.

Paul blinked as he felt…he wasn't sure what he felt. Anger? Fear?...Jealousy? He shook his head violently to rid himself of that particular thought. He did NOT feel jealous of that monster of an anteater being the one Mary always sought after. He looked up to see them both eyeing him. He abruptly stood up, narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists and disappeared through the wall.

Mary turned back to bury her face into Antibus's fur, to cry quietly as he spoke soft words to calm her.

TBC…

r/r please!^^