I do not own Hellraiser or static shock.

Ch. 1 round and round the puzzle box goes

It was a cold February day in Dakota. Snow began to fall on the town and blanket the sidewalks. Shiv sat against a wall clutching onto the only thing he still owned: a small puzzle box with red lines covering its faces. He was given the task of protecting it and passing it onto anyone who seemed interested in it. Eventually they'd solve the puzzle, succumb to their pain and soon, become a far off faded memory as the box found its way back to him.

As far as the law knew, he was just a homeless beggar. His face was scarred past recognition, even to his friends. He saw less and less of them as time went on. Some days, he even wished to return to hell even for a moment just to see a familiar face. What he wished however was impossible. Elliot told him never to come back unless he wanted to be there permanently.

Suddenly he heard a voice behind him. It seemed familiar but he was unsure of who it was.

"Excuse me sir I'm a bit lost. I'm looking for the Dakota public library"

He spun around to greet the person only to be greeted with an all too familiar woman. Her hair was longer but those tempting and controlling eyes were unchanged.

"Angelique? What are you doing here?"

She smiled and wrapped a strand of dark hair around her fingers. "Elliot needs to see you," she began. "He's looking for a friend of yours and may need your help to do so."

He smiled excitedly before realizing something was off. Angelique didn't work for Elliot she worked with him and only for herself.

"I don't believe you," he started. "You never work for anyone and Elliot told me I couldn't come back unless I really wanted to."

She smirked and looked around them. Not one person could be seen in the area. "And they told me you'd be clueless," she laughed.

Without hesitation, she revealed a small knife and forced it into his stomach. Shiv screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. His hands were warm and sticky and his vision began to fade.

Suddenly, he was awake on a makeshift bed in an abandoned building. Whatever had happened was a dream. The box was gone, Angelique was gone. Shiv was alone with the golden sword of the Harrowers as his protection. He sighed in relief and placed his shaking hands on his face. As he pulled them away he could feel something sticky now covering his face and hands. He was bleeding. Panic began to set in as he lifted his shirt. A red pool began to seep through bandages covering his stomach and chest. He hadn't been stabbed in his dream but he did tear an already damaged wound made by the weapon in his nightmare.

This was the norm for him now. Hiding away from the rest of the world, protecting that damn puzzle and passing it off to some poor sap. He wiped some of the blood covering his hands on the floor. As he did so, a small light began to glimmer from wall behind him. The pale blur light grew brighter until he was unable to see.

"Walk towards us boy," came a voice. "This is for your own good."

He knew that voice. It calmed him and welcomed him as he made his way towards the mysterious light.

Author's note:

I know I have a few fics that are unfinished and need to be updated but I forgot my flash drive this morning on the way out and couldn't work on them. I'll try later to post some updates on them but for now I give you the sequel to "Demons to Some." If you haven't read that and were lost, please read the first fan fiction that came before this one. As always read and review.