Terror.
Pure, undiluted terror was all that coursed through his veins as he plastered himself to the back of the locker he'd taken to hiding in. The chill of the metal bit into his skin even through his clothes, but he didn't care, he wouldn't risk finding another spot.
Not with that monster roaming the halls, searching, hunting.
The silence was broken suddenly, by faint, metallic footfalls from further up the hall. They grew steadily louder and closer every second. Julian shrunk further into his hiding spot, desperate to quiet his shaky breathing. The steps finally came to a stop, and everything was quiet...
"Where are you...?"
Ghoulian's robotic voice sent a chill down his spine, and he sunk slowly to the floor of the locker, arms wrapping around his knees. If he just stayed quiet and still, he'd be safe...Ghoulian wouldn't find him. He'd probably get bored and go to wreak havoc elsewhere; then he could escape and-
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of crumbling metal somewhere to his right. He jumped, biting his tongue to keep from screaming when another followed. The lockers, he was crushing the lockers.
What do I do? Should I run? Or stay in here? He wouldn't…he wouldn't kill me, would he? But why else would he be looking for me? He's getting closer, what do I do, what do I do?!
The one right next to him was smashed as well, and the inside of his was soon bathed in a chilling blue glow.
"Ah, there you are."
The door was pulled off, and Ghoulian towered over the startled teen, sneering as his claws twitched in excitement. He reached toward him, and Julian gave a yelp before rushing forward, sliding under the robot and taking off down the hall. He was quickly stopped though, by a cable snatching him by the wrist and pulling him back towards his evil double. He shouted in fright as he fought against the pull, trying to find ground on the smooth tile with his heels, but another cable snared his other wrist and yanked him off the floor, dangling him before Ghoulian's glowing blue eyes.
"Leaving so soon?" The robot asked with a laugh, the sound echoing through the hall. Julian squirmed in the tight grip Ghoulian had on him, but it proved a fruitless effort.
"No, no, let go of me! Please-!" He cried, whimpering as sharp claws gripped his head.
"Quiet," Ghoulian hissed, silencing the other, "relax, Julian; as annoying as I find you, I'm not going to kill you. Wouldn't be much point to that, would it?"
"Th-then let me go! Please just let me go!"
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that either. You're going to have to stay with me."
"Why? What do you want from me?!"
"Not a thing," Ghoulian replied, "but I'm sure you don't want to go back to the Land of Shadows, do you? Wouldn't it be nice to have a bed and normal food?"
Julian paused in his fidgeting, and gave a curious glance.
"Well…yes but, why do you care? You pulled me in and left me there without a thought."
"True, but that was out of necessity; couldn't very well have two of us running around and causing a fuss. But now, that's not really a problem, so I can afford to be generous."
"You're…being nice to me. Why?"
"Well why shouldn't we get along? After all, we're going to be working together."
"Wh..wha?"
Ghoulian snickered, before setting him on his feet, much to Julian's surprise. In a flash of green light, Ghoulian's form shifted, and reformed into his nearly identical human form.
"It's quite simple: we're one and the same," he stated, circling Julian at a leisurely pace, "this world has put us both through years of torment, and ignored us for too long. Now, I'm on the verge of total domination, and thus, you are as well."
"What? What does that even mean? I don't want to take over the world-"
"Oh don't deny it, Julian. I know what you want; I know everything you want! I am your deepest, darkest desires embodied!"
Ghoulian was practically flying circles around him now, and Julian was getting dizzy as he tried to keep up.
"Everything you crave is what created me, your desire for respect, recognition, power! You and I want the same things, Julian, it only makes sense for us to rule over these fools together."
"What, n-no- ?!"
"Just imagine," Ghoulian said, finally coming to a stop beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "the world at our feet! All the fools who once tormented us, begging for mercy, serving our needs! Anyone who ever wronged us would be at our mercy; all you have to do is join me, and I can give you everything you've yearned for."
Julian squirmed uncomfortably in his grip, but another hand on his shoulder kept him in place.
"I...I don't..."
"Oh come now, it'll be fun; no more bullies, no more mockery, no more hours of homework to suffer through. You can have anything you've ever wanted."
The two were silent for a moment as Julian stared at the floor, pondering the other's words. That's not...he never wanted to dominate the world. Sure, he wanted SOME of those things...magic abilities and respect, but he never wanted THIS!
But...Ghoulian was him, in a sense...HAD he actually wanted that? Somewhere deep down...maybe he and Ghoulian were the same...?
He shifted his gaze to Ghoulian then, noting the confident smirk splitting his face; as if he'd already won.
Hadn't he, though? The Ninja was defeated, and forced to flee with a handful of students he'd managed to free. Ghoulian was more powerful than anyone could imagine, with an army of otherworldly monsters a mere portal away. Who or what could stop him now? What was the point of fighting?
He swallowed nervously, before turning to fully face Ghoulian.
"Any...anything I want?"
Ghoulian's grin turned triumphant, and he began walking them down the hall they'd come from.
"Anything; attention, friends, you name it. Maybe if you're really well behaved, I'll even allow you a little authority over the monsters. This'll be a hoot!"
"...that does sound nice, I suppose..." Julian mumbled, keeping his eyes on the floor.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, world domination. People had to respect you then, didn't they? Even if they didn't like you…even if they didn't want to. Everyone feared you…like a monster.
Ghoulian promised him friends, but he already had them. Theresa and the rest of the Klub, and Randy, even if he didn't hang out with Julian all that often, was still nice enough to wave and talk with him every now and then. To turn on them like this…they would hate him. Even if Ghoulian could replace them, they wouldn't be his real friends.
He didn't need this kind of power, he'd already tasted it once, and it had terrified him. He didn't want anything to do with it ever again; and, he most certainly wanted nothing to do with his evil self's actions.
Julian suddenly came to a halt, causing Ghoulian to turn to him with a frown.
"What are you doing? Total destruction awaits!"
"No, no, no, that isn't right! I'm not going to help you ruin the world!"
"So you don't want any friends or respect? Are you so stupid as to turn down the opportunity of a lifetime?"
"Not like this! This isn't how to get them, not by force or magic mind control!"
"I urge you to think this through before rejecting- "
"No! I don't need to think about it, I'm not helping you! I'm not doing anything with you! I'm not you!"
Ghoulian studied him for a moment, then dropped his arms with a sigh.
"I see then," he said, returning to his robotic form, "such a shame. Here I'd hoped you'd be smarter."
Two cables shot out, once more ensnaring him and lifting him from the floor.
"Oh well, perhaps in time you'll see that my way is the best way. Now then, let's rejoin our former classmates and unleash darkness on the world, shall we?"
Julian wasn't given much choice, and Ghoulian let out a cackle as they were encased in a flash of green light. As it dimmed, Julian realized they had returned to the large main room of the school, still overtaken by the bluish white structures. The prisoners within them were startled by their sudden reappearance, but chose to keep quiet.
Julian could feel some of their angry stares, though.
He yelped when he was abruptly dropped, and as he sat up, a spherical structure identical to the others sprung up around him. One side was barred, leaving him with a view of sorts. Ghoulian sneered down at him, and turned towards the center of the room.
"That should keep you for the moment; now then, if you'll excuse me, I have an army to summon."
Once more Julian found himself confined to a small area, but unlike the Land of Shadows, or the locker, there was no hope for escape.
A loud pop sounded, and the gloom was filled with a golden glow. Snarls and screeches soon followed, and manic laughter joined them as green joined the golden colors. There was a shattering sound, and the remains of the ceiling fell to the parts of the floor he could see through the bars. He could hear an array of growling, snarling, hissing, joined by wicked laughter and the terrified screams of the remaining students and school staff.
Overwhelmed, all Julian could do was curl himself into a tight ball, and pull his hat over his head in a futile attempt to block out the cacophony.