Hi, thanks for stopping to read The End of Time. This is the first Ross and Mike story I've written since May 2005 and I've been looking forward to writing their eighteenth adventure for a while now. (it's also a sequel to Camp Glaregon, which can also be found in the Goosebumps section)
But before I start, there are a few things I want to say. A month ago I put up a "story" in this section called Ross and Mike Summary. It summarized the previous seventeen adventures in their series, so when references are made to them in this story, it'll make sense. So reading that is strongly recommended before the references start coming later in the story.
And before now, when writing Ross and Mike stories, they were mostly about the story. (that was what I considered them known for) This one will still have a plot that will advance, but it's also going to have a lot of action in it. So at times, it may seem more like a story with random fights in it than one with an actual plot.
Also, if you've read any of my other stories, you know that I usually try to make my chapters at least 2,000 words long and have them be over 30 chapters (with the exception of Revelations and Revenge). Well, this story is going to be MUCH shorter than that, meaning fewer and shorter chapters.
Lastly, I'll gladly accept any reviews you give me, whether they be praising my story or criticizing it. Please tell me what you think of this in a review or any tips you have for future writing. But please DON'T tell me any ideas you have for the next chapter, any new characters I should introduce or anything that would otherwise change the plot. I have this entire story outlined; I know what's going to happen in the final scene of this story and every other part leading up to that last scene.
All right, enough about that. The first Ross and Mike story in almost sixteen months is about to begin.
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It was a clear, but cool morning. The sunlight poured in through the bedroom window. It made the dark blue carpet look brighter and the pale walls more colorful and lively.
Moments later, a loud alarm on a clock started buzzing. It wasn't even 6:00 in the morning, but the clock was going off, indicating to whoever used it that it was time to start the day.
A hand pressed down on one of the buttons on the clock, shutting the alarm off. From a bed right next to the stand the clock was sitting upon, a boy started rising.
The boy had short, dark hair that was normally slicked downward but still barely made it a third of the way to his dark brown eyebrows. He was pretty skinny, but still had plenty of muscle tone and physical strength in himself. His eyes were a hazel shade and were barely open. His oval head slowly started rising from the soft, comfy pillow.
His name was Ross McKane. He was a sophomore in High School and was about three months shy of his sixteenth birthday. Slowly, he forced himself out of bed. He was wearing only a pair of plaid boxers and a gray t-shirt. As he made his way out of the bed, he felt something cold touch his chest, immediately waking him up a little.
"Huh?" Ross asked in a standard, flat teenaged voice. "What's this?"
Ross reached under his shirt and pulled out whatever it was that he felt. It was a necklace comprised of several think, silver-colored links. At the front of it was a mysterious circle shaped pendent that had a soft, but cold blue in the middle of it.
"When did I get this?" Ross asked as he stared at the necklace in his hand. "I definitely wasn't wearing this thing when I went to bed…" Indeed, Ross had no memory of where he got the necklace from. No memory at all…
Ross spent the rest of his morning doing what he normally does: showering, getting dressed, getting all his things ready for school and heading out to the bus stop. It was a cool March morning. The sun was shining clearly and warmed whatever its rays touched. Ross just sighed as he readjusted the backpack straps he was wearing on his shoulders as he thought about what the day would bring him.
"Hey, Ross!" called out a voice.
Ross turned around and a smile appeared over his otherwise bored face. "Hey, Mike!"
It was Mike, Ross's best friend. Ross and Mike had been good friends for about four and a half years now. His hair was a lot longer and thicker than Ross's and went about three-quarters of the way down his forehead. He didn't try to make it look straight or neat like Ross did. He was about five feet, three inches-about half four inches shorter than Ross was. His voice was still almost as high pitched and kid-like as it was when the two friends first met, but there was now an obvious deep tone and sense of maturity in it.
"How's it hanging?" Mike said to Ross, trying to create small talk.
"Ah, same old, same old," Ross said, turning his attention away from Mike and out in front of him to the empty road as the two of them awaited their school bus.
"Cool," Mike said, not knowing what else to say. "So…how's Alicia doing?"
"She's doing fine," Ross said. Alicia was Ross's girlfriend. They started seeing each other when Ross's parents got back together after being divorced for twelve years. It was hard to believe that it felt like a year and a half had passed since then.
A while later, the school bus finally came and picked the two friends up to take them to school. The ride was boring, as always. Just like how the first four periods of the day were boring before lunch time.
Lunch time wasn't a lot better, but at least Ross could spend it with Mike and Alicia. The three of them sat at a table together and talked about what their day had been like, if anything funny happened, or any stereotypical gossip about the teachers that students made.
While Mike was listening to his iPod, Ross had to sit through Alicia reading through a magazine about fashion accessories-stuff Ross honestly couldn't have cared less about.
"Did you see the picture of this dress!" Alicia asked as she flipped through the pages of the magazine, making sure Ross saw every single article of clothing in the catalogues. "I saw the most random picture for an ad ever! It has a girl wearing a dress, and she's kneeling on the beach and holding a bunny!"
Ross pretended to be shocked. "Wow," he said rather lifelessly.
"I know!" Alicia said loudly. "Oh, by the way, I just got really hungry, so I'm gonna go up to the vending machine and get a box of M&M's, k?"
"Sure," Ross said pleasantly.
Alicia got up from her chair and ran over to a vending machine across the cafeteria. Ross let out a giant sigh of relief and covered his eyes in his arm for a few seconds. When he looked up, he saw Mike was grinning at him.
"What's so funny?" Ross asked plainly.
"That look-you look like you've just had to sit through a lecture on harvesting dirt!" Mike said, still listening to his iPod.
"Heh. Try listening to complaints about prom dresses every day, then tell me what I look like! What are you listening to, anyway?"
"U2," Mike said with a smile on his face. "I downloaded it last night, along with some other songs from Sting and Metallica."
Ross smirked. "You're a real man of the eighties, aren't you, Mike? And that really says something, considering we weren't around then."
"Duh, of course we didn't exist in the eighties. Quick, before Alicia comes back-you want to get together this afternoon and just hang out at the brook by your house?"
"Why do we have to plan it before Alicia gets back?" Ross asked.
"Because if she hears us making plans, she'll invite herself and before you know it, the two of you will be kissing more than hanging out."
"Fine, I got no problem with it. What time?"
"4:00 good?"
"Sounds great. See you then."
The rest of the day dragged on. After Ross and Mike had completed the remainder of their classes for that day, both of them got home on the school bus. It was about 3:00 by the time Ross got home, so he went into his room and started working on his homework. The time slowly ticked by, but he put as much effort into the work as he could. After that, he went outside to the brook by his house and waited for Mike to show up.
In no time, Mike walked up to the brook and the two of them just started talking like friends do.
The two were walking along the muddy edge of the river. The sound of the flowing water was easing and seemed to take away any stress that the body had.
"So, Ross, what do you think of Sophomore year. Is it tough, or what?" Mike asked.
"Well, considering you've asked me this about fifty times since the school year began, I'll tell you, it's not hard. It's challenging."
Mike scoffed. "Easy for you to say. Let me guess, you made honor rolls for all three terms so far?"
"Yup," Ross said, looking at the muddy ground as the two of them continued walking along the side of the stream. Then, something caught Ross's breath.
"Hey, Ross, you okay?" Mike asked, stopping and looking at his friend. "What's wrong?"
"Mike, have you noticed that before?" Ross asked.
"Noticed what?"
"That."
Ross pointed to a mysterious cave that was sitting along the side of the stream. Although nothing was happening around or in it, there was something dark and brooding about it. The cave didn't look very big; it looked as if it were just barely big enough to fit both teenagers into it.
"Huh." Mike said casually. "I never noticed that cave before. Let's go look inside it!"
Mike started hurrying along the side of the stream and towards the cave.
"Wait, Mike, I don't think we should…" Ross started. But it was too late. Mike was gone and hurrying off towards the cave. Blowing a breath of air out from the bottom of his mouth and up into his short dark hair, Ross followed.
When both of them were at the entrance to the cave, they looked in. The inside looked dark and murky. Normally, it would be very dark, but based on the sun's location, there was plenty of light to see the inside of the cave. And the two of them could have sworn they saw drawings on the cave.
"Hey Ross, what do you think those drawings are?" Mike asked as he slowly went inside the cave.
"I have no idea," Ross admitted as he followed Mike into the brooding cave.
"Hey Ross, look!" Mike said. He pointed to a picture that looked like it had been drawn with a chalky material, but was obviously something stronger if it stood the test of time like that.
"What is that?" Ross asked.
The drawing appeared to be of a winged demon and it seemed to have a large circular center with several markings around the side of it. It also had a picture of three people who appeared to be fighting a man in robes. Another picture showed what looked like a feminine figure looking like she was about to do something drastic and a male figure looking upset-possibly crying about what the female figure was doing. It also showed what looked like a giant computer, only it looked like it was holding something far more complex than just data.
"I wonder what sick-minded kids drew these pictures," Mike said as he looked at the weird drawings on the cave's walls.
Ross was about to say something until he noticed something odd. He looked down at the ground and saw a white light shooting up from the floor. Where was the light coming from?
Ross bent down and looked at the light. His heavy-linked, silver-colored necklace dangled from his neck as he investigated the source of the light.
"Ross, what is it?" Mike asked.
"It looks like a light," Ross deducted, not knowing what else to say.
Ross reached out and touched the light. Instantly the entire cave lit up with the blinding light. The two teenagers had to shield their eyes from the bright light, and it only seemed to be getting brighter and brighter.
Finally, the light altogether disappeared, and Ross and Mike were now scared. It was obvious they were no longer in the cave. It was obvious they were no longer by the stream. It was obvious they were no longer home.