Hellraiser – New Blood

Disclaimer: Hellraiser Isn't mine. I wish it was, but it isn't. it belongs to Clive Barker and whoever did the Hellraiser movies. Any references to Power Rangers also aren't mine. They belong to Saban/Disney. Any OC's are mine. Read and review. Now…on with the show…

Part One – Beginnings…

I don't know how it started, really. This is what I know of. Who am I? Oh, yeah, whoops. My name is Weihan Liang, and a thirty two year old Palaeontologist/Writer in Sydney. This happened a long time ago, in 2003 – when I was just 18, but it still makes my flesh creep to this day. I'm a horror movie freak, you see, and I had watched the first three movies from the Hellraiser series. God, those movies freaked me good. But, I saw that there was something…freaky with them. More freaky than before, a black shadow coming from the T.V, then disappearing into thin air. I thought I had been seeing things. I wish I had. The strange stuff happened next.

I came back from school to find the neighbour's dog lying dead on the footpath, gutted. I thought maybe a car had done it, but then the owner wouldn't have left it in people's way. A few weeks later, I started seeing spots before my eyes in class. I didn't faint, but kept hearing the clink of chains throughout the day. When I arrived back home, I found a note in the mailbox. On it were the words "You're dead". Then, another day, I heard chilling laughter coming from a room, but when I opened the door, there was only empty space. Now, I was scared.

I didn't tell anyone I knew about what I saw or heard, but I knew it was connected with the black shadow. Then, it arrived in the mail. The one thing I dreaded the most to see, the one thing that proved to me that I was in deep shit.

It was the Box. In the movies – even in the book – the Box was the key to opening the gates of Hell, and closing them. The package had no return address, just a small tag with my name on it. I kept it secret, knowing that if it was seen by anyone, I was dead. Each day, trying to open it, so I could close it. Each day, no luck. The Box was impenetrable. Finally, in a moment of weakness, I brought the Box to school. I still don't know why I did it. The repercussions of that day still ring in my mind; I can remember every detail of what happened…if I want to.

***

7:30 am

Thursday, 14th August 2003

I woke up to Mum's screeching. My eyes flicked to the Box. I thought of opening it now, but I didn't have the time. After I got dressed, I reached out, grabbed the Box and placed it into my bag. In a corner of my brain, I could faintly hear the "Hellraiser" theme playing, but I thought nothing of it. After all, this wasn't the REAL Box, so why should I care, right?

The trip to school was uneventful; it was on public transport after all. Liz got on at her usual spot, sat near the front – facing me, but oddly, not seeing me. We walked in together, and seeing as I had some time to kill, I sat down at one of the tables in the foyer and pulled out the fake Box. At once, I had a group of spectators, the usual bunch.

Rebecca, Liz, Emma, Johan, Eli, Shannon, Tom, Alex, Jason and Tommy. The last two were exchange students from America, and had told us that they had seen stranger things. Suddenly, Bec turned around and motioned for me to come with her. Everyone responded with catcalls and wolf whistles, while I stood, and left the Box on the table. Now, that was a dumb move, especially around people like Johan and Eli, but I had…other things on my mind. Now, I remember everything of that conversation, every last word.

I walked to the nearby couches, where Bec was already sitting. I sat awkwardly next to her, as nervous as hell. She seemed anxious to tell me something, and I suppose we just lost our battle to the nerves. Bec first, of course.

"Wei, I don't think it's a good idea for you to bring that box here. It looks expensive." She started.

"Bec, that thing over there," I pointed out "is nothing more than a wooden cube with brass plates on it. It's about as expensive as a sheet of paper."

"New or recycled?"

I groaned. "Bec, I know that it's not dangerous. That can't be the REAL Box."

A cry of delight jerked our heads in the direction of the group. There, my worst fears were confirmed. Holding the Box over his head, Johan stood on the tabletop, unaware that the Box was changing. I saw it, and my blood froze in my veins. The opening at the top snapped open and that dreaded black mist swirled out. That's when four chains sprang out, and hooked into Johan's flesh. He dropped the Box, but it kept on levitating. The group scattered, and watched as his bleeding form was sucked into the Box, which promptly sealed shut again.

***

I'll tell you this – we were shitting ourselves. We had just seen a person being DRAGGED into the Box, the only remnant of him, a puddle of blood. I still don't know what happened next, it was a blur. People shouting, Bec screaming, Liz looking shocked, police sirens, forensic teams…all of it. And that damned Box, lying on the ground, and I swear on everything that's holy, it was SUCKING up the blood. The police didn't have any solid leads, so they released me, but kept the Box. That was not a smart move by them. I knew I would be hearing about the Box later…I was right. I usually am when it comes to this sort of thing…

***

Saturday 16th August

I knew something was going to happen. That was why I was glued to the TV all day. Watching, waiting, praying that I was wrong – which I wasn't. The bombshell dropped around 5:00 pm, watching the news. Watching a story about a guy who jumped from the roof of a police station because he saw death. Now, I was interested and a little bit scared. Then, it happened.

"And this just in, the entire North Sydney Police Force have been horrifically killed in what can be described as a massacre from Hell itself."

NOW, I was freaked way beyond the threats. A massacre from Hell? I turned up the volume, anticipating the rest of the bulletin

"Apparently, when the SWAT team investigated the building, they found bodies everywhere. A member of the team said that 'Everyone inside was dead. There was nothing we could do. All those bodies…all that blood…and that box…that box in the middle of the room, untouched by the blood.' We now have a close-up shot of the box for you."

And there it was. The Box on the screen, my Box. Surrounding it were dead bodies, people with skin flayed off, a female with her head handcuffed to her feet, a headless corpse, blood running everywhere. It looked like something out of a blood-splattered horror flick. Then, the next words made my heart almost stop.

"The box will be taken to a special forensic lab in Canberra for further study. This is Cassie Chan for Channel Ten news"

I paled and switched off the TV. Canberra. God. If there was anywhere the Box WANTED to go, it was Canberra. But then, it would never make it there…the Box would open and destroy more if it was in Canberra. I had to stop the Box before it left Sydney.

***

Man, that was no easy feat. And for what? The Box hadn't left Sydney at all. It was in MY post-box when I got home. Still clean, still looking like it hadn't claimed one friend and thirty odd cops. I kept it at home, afraid of what might happen if I didn't. Bec and the rest of the gang started speaking to me again, not blaming me for Johan's death. I didn't bring the Box anywhere else. But then, the dreams started happening. Dreams of…well, Hellraiser, Pinhead, the Cenobites and death. On the fifth day, after a fitful night of nightmares, the day I was dreading came.

The Box was missing

***

Monday 25th August

"C'mon, where is it?"

I flung clothes back as I desperately searched for the Box. I didn't know where it went, and that made it a tad nightmarish. All I knew was that if I didn't have the Box, someone else did. I was frantic. All night were dreams of that darn black shadow and a blood-red cloud hanging over Sydney. Throughout the day, I couldn't concentrate on anything. I kept racking my brains, trying to find out where I had left it, where it could be. Nothing turned up. I watched the news that night, waiting for something – anything – to tell me where the Box had turned up. Nothing.

Then, something happened. I blinked my eyes once, and found myself face to face with…Him. The Pinhead. He looked at me and smiled. His voice boomed throughout the room, although he didn't open his mouth.

"Ah. You are the Box's chosen. You are foolish if you think you will stop us. We have been around since the dawn of time. You, however, will see first hand, our magnificent power!"

I saw his eyes drop to the table in front of me. I saw him look at the VCD cases for the Hellraiser movies. He looked at me, smiled and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

I knew I was in deep shit.

TBC…