Sum: [Sequel to Trapped] A week has passed since Ben was discharged from the hospital and neither Gwen or Kevin have heard from him. During his silence, a series of riots have broken out around Bellewood and checking on him has become priority as his unwanted powers my have awoken once again. Rating is what it is for future swearing, violence, intense themes, partial nudity(nonsexual), and drug reference. Eh heh, I think I made sound worse than it actually is.

Welcome all to the second installment of Trapped! Thanks to all of you for reviewing and allowing me to get this far in my insane series. I'm actually really surprised that I haven't gotten any flames yet what with my major mangling of the Ben 10: Alien Force series, but this version might. ;) You should all know that Ben will be majorly OOC, but I will try to keep Kevin and Gwen's reactions accordingly and if you don't like something, say so. I'm open to constructive criticism. Anyway, I'll shut up now so you can read on and see for yourselves, yeah?

Disclaimer: Nope. Man Of Action owns this I believe and how I wish I was on their team… but I think I would be too brutal to the characters.

Prologue

The glow of the fires shown raging light down upon that of the rioting masses. People were fighting one another as though they were nothing more than the animals God had intended them to be. Biting, scratching, and that didn't even cover the amount of weapons they had created or even found lying around. Chaos reigned, pure and true, and stopping it now seemed to be all in vain. Especially when all they could do was fight for their own lives let alone those around them.

They were cornered. Ironic as the other walls around them were riddled with holes that could mean escape from the mass of fighting bodies around them, but said holes had become an entry point for the beings that fought all around them, fighting each other, fighting them.

But the beings in which they fought were not human. They were engulfed in an inky black substance that oozed off them as they clawed at each other, roaring menacingly in hoarse voices. She could hardly look at them. She knew what they were; what they used to be. Humans, altered drastically by the very touch of the black viney goo that was rapidly spreading through the city. There was no way to stop it now. It had grown too large, attatching itself to everything, human or animal, decaying it until they became nothing more than beasts that needed to share their pain by causing more.

The futility hit them both like a stab from a white hot knife. They couldn't win this battle, there were just too many and though they seemed to disintegrate with a strong enough hit, they had strength in numbers. The creatures were tireless, but they were not.

The worst of the situation, however, was not the monsters, but the fact that it was His fault. She argued that he didn't mean it, but nevertheless, all this death and chaos was caused by Him.

A monster leapt at her from the black mass, screaming at the top of it's lungs, claws raised to strike. She shot a bright pink ball of energy at it, hitting it in the chest. It burst into goo from internal decay, showering her in globs of black. She didn't pay it any heed for the sticky substance didn't attach itself onto her for reasons unbeknownst to either of them. He, however, had to remain in a shield of metal or wood lest he also fell pray the the black disease that swept nearly all of Bellewood.

Neither of them could take much more of this. She fell to her knees, panting heavily, the world around her looking like she was underwater. He was by her side in an instant, supporting her.

The creatures all seemed to notice a weakening in their prey. Their attentions changed collectively from each other to the humans before them and rushed at them ferally.

In a last attempt, she threw up a double layered shield, staggering some of the weaker creatures. He wished he could help, but the wall behind them, if taken out, led to nothing but a ten story fall and could very likely just create another opening for the monsters. He doubted he could even break the wall at this point. He was spent, they both were.

There had to be some option, anything to get them out of here. But nothing came to him. The first layer of their shield shattered, breaking like glass, but the pieces disappeared before touching the blackened floor. He looked at her, saw how tired she was. It was apparent on her face that a fainting spell was immeninent. He crouched beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

He knew the next shield was close to breaking. The cracks running up and down the flourescent pink wall gave that away. The creatures continued to throw their bodies against it, howling at the fact they couldn't reach their prey. He knew they both weren't ready to die, but he had the resolve to realize there was no other option. At least they would die together.

There was a brilliant flash of light as the final shield shattered, pieces flying in every direction. She fell limp in his arms, her energy spent to it's fullest. She wasn't unconscious as he thought she'd be as she layed a hand weakly on his shoulder. The creatures sensed their opening rapturously, crying tones of a higher pitch to express delight before making their final attack.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the intense pain as they ripped him limb from limb, praying that he would die first so he wouldn't hear her screams. He hugged her protectively, but the blow never came. A scream of outrage forced his eyes open only to see a battered body hunched protectively in front of them, a growl eminating from his throat.

At a first glance he was extremely pale, his bare back showing from lack of shirt. He was covered in scratches and blood, battle wounds from the hell outside. A hand was wrapped loosely in bandages, held out threateningly to the creatures that were confused by the sudden interference. His brown hair was a mess with a tattered white clothe tied at the back of his head. What it was for, he wasn't sure.

Their savior stood there for maybe a full second before leaping into the fray, fighting in a style similar to that of the creatures but slightly more aware.

Something tugged at the back of his mind. He was familiar, but it was hard to tell as he was hard to see amidst black crawlers. He felt the body in his arms tense up, as if in realization. She whispered a name that, despite the screams and roars still reached his ears. A name of someone they thought long lost, or even dead.

"Ben…"

Kind of confusing, right? I didn't want it to be easy to tell who was who and I'm sorry it's not that great. It's my first attempt at a prologue, so don't cast this story off right away! It will get better as I get to chapters with more detail. Also, updates are going to be a little far between as my father put a password on the comp and every other week I'm not going to have internet at all, but expect an update by at least next Monday. I'll try to keep up and not let this story die. Much love and many cookies to my R&R-ers!

-Xangabell