Ben: The Last Victim

Part 3: The End of All Things

I awoke on my back on the rough carpet flooring of my house. My head was burning; it felt like something had took a crowbar to my forehead. I looked around to see that Chelsey was gone and my living room looked in disarray. I checked the cellphone in my pocket. It read 1:30. It had only been one hour since we had started playing. The chair that I had used was knocked over. My video game collection that I had out when Chelsey and I were playing games was all over the place. The couch cushions were on the floor and scattered. My front door was wide open, letting in a cold chill. The thing that caught my eye was that the TV was on, and the game had been loaded up. Who could've done that? As I wondered this to myself, the feeling of absolute dread filled me up like hot freezing lava. The game was on the same cutscene. There, in blood red letter, the screen once again said:

You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

I needed to find Chelsey. I was worried about her well-being. The death threat BEN is too serious to ignore. I arose very slowly, as every bone in my body felt like it was going to snap. Why am I in such pain? I slowly trudged to the room area of my apartment, wincing with pain every step. On the kitchen table was a folded piece of paper. With my name picked it up with shaking hands as I nervously opened the note. It was from Chelsey. The note was moist, most likely from tears. I carefully read it to myself. I tried to keep myself from throwing up. My heart was pulsating in my chest as I began to decipher her handwriting.

Dear Daniel,

I'm sorry I left you unconscious. I tried to revive you, but you wouldn't come to. I tried to get your dad to wake up…but he won't budge. He wouldn't wake up no matter what I did.

As I read this, I made a dash for my dad's room. I rushed to his bedside tried to shake him to wake him up. I screamed for him. I pleaded for him to wake up. My vocal chords were straining from the shrieks coming from my mouth. My still broken body collapsed onto his bed. Tears filled my eyes as I absorbed the gravity of what was happening all around me. I listened to my dad's chest. I heard a heartbeat. It was faint; he was alive, but barely. Ben was trying to take them away from me. Anyone I care about he's trying to destroy, before he takes me over and leaves me in darkness. I managed to get some of my strength into my body and I decided to read more of Chelsey's note.

I tried to call the police, but the service on my phone wasn't working. I fear my own life is in danger. I…I played the game again…I knew I shouldn't have. By doing so, I have let him into my life as well. Ben led me to Stone Tower. It…it looked horrible. The redeads were everywhere...he showed his face to me. I know he wants me dead. At first I didn't believe you. Don't think I hate you for leading me into this. I could never hate you. Hopefully I can get help for you and your dad…

The note was unfinished. It was almost as if something caught up with her and stopped her from finishing. I now worried about her safety. If she didn't get help, then I needed to, and fast. I swore to myself I wouldn't let that demon take my dad. All of a sudden I heard a scream coming from outside. It was so loud that every nerve of my being was on edge. I rushed outside and lost my balance when I reached the porch. I fell onto the cold grass of our lawn. My body was still getting used to moving.

Gasping for my breath, I rose up a little, resting my knees on the grass and started to look around. There wasn't a sign of anyone around. The sky, however, was darker than it had ever been. Clouds covered the moon and stars, obstructing most of the light. The air was hot and humid. My clothes seemed to stick to me as I walked making it hard for me to breathe well. The air around me was quiet; the term silent as the grave came into my mind. Not even the comforting chirps of bugs in the grass permeated the silence. Once again I heard a scream, but I still saw nothing. I started to realize that the screams weren't coming from outside. They were coming from my head.

My head began to feel like pins and needles again. I heard the screaming. I reached for my head and the sound of Ganon's laughter mixed with the pleas and screams of a young girl haunting my thoughts. My mind had met its limit. I covered my face with my head in a feeble attempt to shut up the demons in my head. As I attempted to quell the screams, I began to realize that the screams sounded familiar. It sounded like my friend Chelsey. Ben had gotten to her and now he was replaying his torture in my mind. The yell of skull kid played over the pleading and screaming as my head felt like it was going under the knife. In my head, the screams kept coming as I heard a faint whisper in a low voice. It was almost too brief and too low to hear. I strained my inner ears to hear a chilling whisper in the back of my head.

She's… Dead…

I didn't know if I should be angry or sad. My heart had frozen over…everything seemed to become a blur. The shock and awe of my situation had taken away any last bit of sanity I had. All of the sudden the screams and laughter were replaced with that voice again…It wouldn't fucking leave me alone. It kept taunting me, saying it over…and over…and over. My head began to spin. I removed my hand from my eyes…and Chelsey's body lay at my feet. Her eyes were glazed over and her hair was covered in blood. I screamed and I collapsed again…falling into the blackness again.

Am…I…Dead?

"Not yet," a voice had woken me up from the black. I jumped awake, as if I was a child who had awoken from another a nightmare. I was in a hospital bed in a pale, yellow room. Portraits of children happy playing hung from the walls…oh if they only knew what lies in the dark I thought to myself. Because I was disoriented and misplaced, it took me a while to remember why I passed out. Chelsey…she's gone... the thoughts came rushing back. I had lost my best friend tonight…to that thing…tears started to well up in my eyes as I tried t

"You alright kid?" I heard a gruff male voice beside me. It made me jump. I turned to my right and saw that there was an old man in a chair beside me. It took me a while to realize because of everything that had happened. His face was rugged and covered with wrinkles His silvery hair was a mess. He kind of reminded me of Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future. I was puzzled as to what he could possibly want with me, so I gathered my energy to talk to him.

"w-who are you?" My mouth was barely able to get out the words. The old man smiled. It was a warm smile, though it seemed to be covering up the seriousness in his face.

"I am a friend," the old man replied. "I am the only person that can help you fight this demon."

I gulped. My eyes widened. I wasn't expecting this old man to know about my situation. I struggled to ask him more about what he knew. My voice was still shaky. I tried my best to keep my composure. "You know about Ben?"

"Yes," his smile faded as he answered my question. He seemed to be concealing some hidden pain. "However that was not the original name of the creature."

"So you saved me? Where's my father?! I want to see him. I-"

"Your father is still trapped in a realm of nightmares brought on by BEN. He is here in the hospital, in a coma." He cut me off. His kind disposition was suddenly gone. "And he NEVER will awaken unless you can put to rest a poor soul and send a demon back to hell."

"What are you saying? What do you mean demon? I thought BEN was a spirit of a boy who drowned." My mind was in a twist. Even though referred to BEN as a demon, I always thought that he was a spirit; a lost and twisted soul. I was of course referring to his malice and evil when I referred to him as a demon, but now this person is actually saying my assumption was true?

"There is much that I need to explain. We don't have much time so please listen." The old man I perked up my head from the hospital so I could listen to him better. He looked away for a second, his gaze falling upon the floor as if he were mustering up all his strength to explain the unexplainable. "First of all, my name is Jenson. If you have read that story of that teenager's encounter with Ben, then it should be obvious by now that I am the old man from the story."

My jaw dropped. Somewhere in my darkest subconscious I had my suspicions, but I wouldn't let my mind believe that that could be possible. "So you knowingly put Jadusable in Danger? Why?! Why would you let a dark creature like that attack an innocent soul!?"

"It's more complicated than that! Please keep quiet so I can finish." The old man was seething. He hated being blamed. In some ways I knew I needed help, but I still couldn't bear to trust this Jenson person all the way, but I let him anyway. He was my only hope. He calmed down and talked in a more serene tone, his voice very sage-like and carrying all the wisdom and pain of the world.

"What you've got to understand is that demons DO exist. There were legends told in ancient times about demons haunting the souls of children in their nightmares, trying to possess their souls. They feed on the darkness inside them and torment them into doing their bidding. This 'Ben' character is one of these things, but he is an impostor. The real Ben was a little boy I knew in the past…."

"A long time ago, I was the neighbor of a family that I saw was in turmoil from the start. They had moved in to get a shot of the good life in the suburbs. The couple had with them a ten-year-old boy named Ben. He was a sweet kid, but he seemed sad and malnourished. The couple seemed nice enough at first, but unfortunately they covered up their conflict well. Every night, I heard from next door yelling and screaming. The husband, it seems, was extremely abusive. He took out his rage out on his family, especially his son. During the day when I saw Ben walking around, he always had bruises. Even when he started school at the local elementary school, He didn't have any friends. He always was alone."

"I couldn't stand to watch him go through hell, so I befriended him. Even if his father hated me giving him company, I needed to do something. He wasn't very receptive at first, but he eventually warmed up to me. He told me about everything, even little things about how he loved his N64 and his videogames, which was the only one thing he loved with such childhood innocence. He loved Majora's Mask. He always talked about how much it meant to. I even let him play it on my TV while I watched the beauty of a child enjoying something with a lot of love. This is why I know so much about the game. It was his only outlet. For about a year he became like a son to me. I fed him and watched over him, so long as I didn't tell about what happened to anyone. He didn't want to be taken away from his mother. He needed to protect her. So I helped him feel happy, but he always was full of anger and fear. I was always worried he would fly off the deep end and do something irrational. What was even scarier was that he told me he kept having the same nightmares about a demon. He told me that he swore he heard a voice in his head telling him to hurt his father since he hurt Ben all the time. He thought that he was being haunted by a demon, as the voice kept getting louder and louder everyday…I should have listened to him…but I didn't. I thought it was a child imagination."

"One night I heard screaming coming from next door. Ben came over and told me his father went nuts and attacked him and his mother. He burst into tears as he told me his father destroyed his game and his N64, then when he went after Ben, his mother got into to the way and she was beaten to death…he didn't stop there though. He said he all of a sudden acted out all on his own, as if the demon controlled his actions. He grabbed something heavy and did in his father with every little bit of rage he held in. suddenly he began to convulse and scream. He was taken over by the demon completely. He advanced on me with one of my kitchen knives, but when he tried to kill me, he couldn't. Through demons eyes I saw Ben fight it and whisper his apologies as he screamed in pain. Ben ran out the door and killed himself by drowning in the nearby lake. After that, that house was condemned and barred up."

"However this was not the end. The day after I discovered the Majora's Mask cartridge that Ben said had been destroyed, but it looked good as new, save for the covering on the front which was missing. I picked it up and I got an n64 to play it… I thought I was honoring his memory by playing a game he cherished. Unfortunately, it became clear to me that the demon had possessed it, but he was now Ben in some sort of divine irony. Part of Ben's soul had been kept over by this demon, but it had been corrupted to serve his purpose. He now haunted the cartridge because of Ben's connection with it. I felt like it was taunting me by taking on his guise. I knew it wasn't just his guise; it was part of his soul that had not been allowed to rest. He had taken the identity of him, and placed himself inside what looked like a twisted statue of Ben's favorite character…Link. That fucking thing controlled my mind when I turned on the game. It used me as a tool to punish me for messing with his plans; for you see if a demon is allowed able to fully take over a human body, then he will become more powerful than anything. So he made me hurt others, as a puppet. It started with that teen. I Watched him mercilessly take the lives of many people. It was almost if he enjoyed being Ben. He liked ensnaring gamers as if they were easy prey. I was in his captivity; unable to help these people…The only reason I escaped was because of Ben's true spirit. That part of his soul that wasn't taken over freed me from my bondage and allowed me a chance to run. I did not run; however. I swore I would undo what he had done now I could track his movement through a link I share with this demon from being his pet. I tracked him to you. He wants you because he sees the same potential for a new vessel, just like he saw potential in Ben. He wants to become all powerful."

"I want it to stop too, Daniel, that's why I need you to believe me. I helped you not only because of BEN, but it's because you're…you're a lot like Ben was in life…" tears started to slowly form like morning dew. I now have the truth. BEN was a demon wanting a body, and he wanted me to help him achieve his goal. I didn't know what to say. I was speechless; from fear and from surprise. This man was trying to save me from the same fate. I immediately allowed myself to trust Jensen. I believed him. I knew that he wanted to help. I still needed to know how to end this. "Okay Jensen, I trust you. I need your help to send thing back to hell How do I make sure he can never come back? Also where is my father?"

"I have had time to study the world of the paranormal since I got away, specifically demons. However, because of the creature's integration with Ben's soul and because of the video game he resides in, the ritual has been changed in structure to fit the BEN form it has become. The key to sending the creature back to where he came from is to lure the dark spirit into the living world, then bind its soul to our plane of existence with a spell I created from my experience with BEN. Once the spell is cast we have to banish it back to its world with a melody that heals souls. This will probably be the Song of Healing, since it was one of Ben's favorites from the game. Unfortunately, you have to play the game and go to the place where the dead roam. Above all else you must not give in to fear, or else he will take you and finish his quest to take over your body."

He made it seem all too simple, as if this was a game, but I had to do it. My whole body was filled with fear and dread of what was to come. I knew that somehow that I would have to again, but I had to be brave, like Link. I had to do this. I knew I wasn't alone, so my chances of succeeding were slightly higher, but I still had my doubts. Regardless I accepted that we had little time, so I tried to man up the best I could. I got dressed in the bathroom and got ready to go to my apartment to finish the games, my head started to hurt, but I tried my best not to let the demonic laughter kill my brain. I had to be courageous if I were going to finish off BEN.

I signed myself out of the hospital. I paid a visit to my dad's bedside before we left. He was just lying there in his bed; his arms hooked up to machines to keep his heart going. I kissed his forehead, promising him that I would save him. I tried to hold back my tears as I watched him there, Trapped in his nightmare, being tortured by BEN. I couldn't be as strong as I had hoped to be… tears did come down, but they were tears of anger. I swore to myself that I wouldn't tale this son of a bitch down. I couldn't let my father die in that bed. I said a goodbye, trying to tell myself it was okay, but I just couldn't. I had lost my mom, and now I might lose my dad. I kept fighting inwards to block the mortal fear within my soul. It was like symbiotic life form, eating away every last bit of hope I had. I needed to win this battle, or we would all lose.

As I left Jenson took me to his car in the parking lot. My body still felt like I had been beaten all over. It was still night outside, the clouds still blocking any sign of starlight. I inched along like a snail as I made the way down the cobbled pathway to the parking lot. I managed to get my hands on the car door and pulled myself. As we drove back, we were both silent. I could sense the cold fear that erupted between us as well as the slightly warm feeling of blind courage. I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts to the spirits both good and evil within. I prayed. I prayed that my mother would protect me. I prayed for Ben's good spirit to aid me in this free fall into the dark. If I failed, who knows what would happen to everyone once BEN got my body. The car passed near various houses as we neared my. My body was still full of pain. My experience with BEN made me realize how easily life could be taken away… and he had taken away my best friend, and now my father's life was on the line now too. I prayed for the entire time, even though I did not know if they would've been answered.

When we pulled in to my driveway, I slowly and painfully got out of the car. I limped all the way to my front door as Jenson followed behind. The nearer I got to the darkness, I almost felt as if cold lightning shooting through every nerve of my body. I opened the door and began to turn on My N64, which had strangely shut itself off when I was gone. The fear was creeping in my heart, trying to suffocate my breath. I couldn't let myself fall now. I had a mission I had to beat BEN. Jenson got ready his spell and wished me luck. I sat on the floor while Jenson sat on the couch, nervously awaiting the end. Strangely, the title screen came up, but the Majora's Mask careening toward me was different, instead of being cool looking, it had become dark and creepier than it had been. The purplish border had been replace with black. The spikes on the end had been with all been colored red as blood and so were the eyes except for the pupils which were white. A mix between a demonic laugh and a woman's scream echoed when it went roaring past.

The profile screen select didn't come up when I hit start. Instead the screen went completely dark. All that I could hear was the laughs of the Happy Mask Salesman and Ganondorf in a fast consistent loop. It became so creepy and so intense that it pierced my eardrums. I couldn't help but shudder with fear and disgust. I tried not to. I had to be strong, but something inside me couldn't make my fears go away. Eventually it stopped with the ringing cry of skull kid as the scene opened up on Clock Town. I made sure that Jensen was behind me still. I needed his support. I knew in my heart I can't fight BEN alone.

Clock Town had become a living nightmare. The darkness had over taken the sky, filling the sky with a pulsating purple and blackish energy. It was the same color of the dark energy Ganon's castle produced. The moon was completely and its eyes weren't filled anymore with pain, but with bloodlust. Rain precipitated from the darkness and lightning tore through the sky. I walked Link around, Trying to get a feel. In every corner of town there were townspeople gazing up to the moon, their bodies cut up and bloodied as they seemed to be cheering for darkness. I knew I had to get to Stone Tower Temple. It was the place where souls could be cleansed, and I could end this. Immediately I tried the Song of Soaring; however it didn't work. My actions brought a text box up, but instead of saying my notes echoed far, a single phrase bathed in blood red text:

No Cheating Allowed, Daniel.

At this point, I wasn't surprised that BEN knew my name, but that doesn't mean I want scared shitless. Apparently he wanted me to go to stone tower as well. That is where he thinks he will finish his ritual of taking my body and our path to defeat him cross. Jensen warned me to be careful as I moved Link along, trying to get out of the darkened Clock Town. However leaving had become problematic. Townspeople became like redeads once spotting Link. They began to stumble and limp towards Link, shrieking and trying to eat his flesh. They tried to tear Link alive as I ran for the exit.

The darkness didn't go away. Termina Field was even darker. I Walked around and began to hear the Song of Unhealing again, seemingly getting louder and louder every step I took close to the entrance to Ikana canyon. The ground was littered with the same dead bodies I had seen before. In the midst of the music I heard what sounded like the whoosh of a wallmaster. It was faint, but it was enough to once again put me on edge. The darkness got worse as I neared Ikana canyon. I found the Dark Epona waiting for me on the very edge of the entrance. She looked at me menacingly and whinnied with what seemed like malice. Once again, I decided to ride her. She reacted on her own, taking me at least part of the way. Jenson and I watched Link fly over on this Dark Epona, taking me passed the dark, bloody rocks and canyon area as she seemed to be floating over everything. It even took me past the huge ledge that needed to be climbed to reach the village.

With a halt, Epona stopped and seemed to fling Link Over her head. The animation that shows when link gets hit in midair played as he flew over Epona with a scream. Jenson still sat behind me, still scared about what was going on, but like me was ready for anything. I moved Link around to take a look around. It took me a second to realize that the house containing the professor and their little girl was gone. It looked like it had it exploded, and there was a fire covering the remains. The song that had been playing from the beginning played even louder, possibly to add to the horror. What really made me sick was that the Gibdos were eating two bodies on the ground. One was and adult and one was a child…it was the family. Though I have seen some fucked up shit from dealing with BEN, I couldn't help being sick. I felt like my stomach was going to burst. The thing that creeped me out the most was that the Gibdos weren't even attacking me, they were just staring at the moon, bowing at it as if it were their god. I couldn't take anymore. This needed to end. I led Link along to Stone Tower. The platforms were all in the right place, so all I had to do was walk climb up to the top.

All of a sudden, the scene flip flopped as if I had hit the jewel switch. The screen changed to a sight I'd never see. The area around Stone Tower had become a dark abyss, like being on the inside of a dying star. The music had stopped; the only sound that played was that same laughter in an echoing I told Jensen to get ready, as the end was coming. I started to move Link around towards the entrance of the temple. Another text box stopped Link in his in his tracks.

Purgatory…The End of All Things…

My fear was hard to hide from the darkness. My will to keep going was waning. Jenson yelled at me to not give up as I began to hear the darkness in my head again. The noises became worse, to the point where my consciousness began to fade again. I felt myself slipping…until Jenson put his hand on my shoulder. I looked back at him and said he was right with me. Somehow, whatever little sanity I had left had been brought back a little by his kindness. I manned up and entered the Temple with Link.

Darkness surrounded the room. Link stood there amongst dark skies, almost as if floating on clouds. BEN was there, floating in the middle of the blackened purgatorial existence. He seemed to be smiling at me, once again peering into my soul, wanting to feed on my life force. He suddenly screamed skull kids scream and began to attack link. I tried to dodge as he flew towards me, trying to destroy ink and make me his vessel. He was done playing with me. He wanted me gone. Jenson watched nervously as I dodged his statue body throwing dark energy at Link, unable to hit him with anything I had. I was lost. We were going to fail. Link was going to die, forever to be in the dark, and I wasn't too far behind. Jenson kept yelling at me, telling me not to quit. My fear was taking me. I heard the voices piercing my mind in my head. Tears were filling my face. My hands could barely hold the controller anymore. I was going to lose. I had failed my father, my best friend, and above all else myself…Suddenly I heard a voice in my head. I was in so much pain that I could barely hear. It was so low and so fragile sounding that it almost went away with my hope. In the midst of dark, the small candle of a phrase helped me light up the darkness with one last bit of hope. the whisper lingering on a final thread of my mind gave me the way :

Let The Rain Wash It Away.

It was Ben. His good spirit had led me the way to defeat the demon imposter. I immediately knew what to do. I took out Link's ocarina and hit the notes on the buttons that would play the song of storms. BEN screamed as the water, like acid burned his existence away from the game. As Jenson had predicted, the darkness came into the living world. A dark, shadowy version of the BEN statue arose from the game. The constant demon smile was gone. All that was left was psychotic hate filling reddish purple demon eyes. The demon BEN spirit had been made alive, and then sealed into this world by the spell that Jenson shouted his incantation aloud. Just as he finished, BEN grew angry and began to attack Jenson with his dark purpose. He screamed with agony as BEN ripped apart his flesh and bone, taking out his destroyed plans by killing the man who loved his original host.

Jenson yelled his last breaths at me to play the song. I fumbled with my controller and played the notes to the Song of Healing. As soon as I played the last note, the song began to emanate through the entire room. The whole song began to play, filling the space in the room with bittersweet beauty. BEN stopped attacking Jenson and twitched. His spirit began to ignite as if on fire. The demon screamed as he was sent back to hell. The darkness went away from the soul of Ben. All that was left was the 10-year-old boy who had died a long time ago, smiling at me for my sacrifice. We had saved him. We had stopped impending darkness. I tried to savor our victory, but I couldn't. Jenson lay dying on the floor. Blood dripped down every orifice, making his old haggard face unrecognizable. I went to his side as he fell into darkness, smiling at me as he passed on. He had saved a boy he cared about. I watched as the real Ben went up to his body, and then pulled his spirit out of his body. The darkness released from their souls, they departed for the next life. I smiled and cried as I was conflicted. My nightmare was over, but it had come at a price. My only comfort in this thought was that they were reunited.

My Father eventually woke up, as if waking up from a good dream. We went back to our normal lives, us enjoying each other's company. I visit Chelsey's grave all the time. I know she was watching over me. She was always a good friend It has been years since that incident and we have lived in peace. I had survived the end of all things. I survived the darkness overtaking me, and even though our victory came at a price, I know it had to be done. All souls had come to rest. To anyone who is reading this story I have two last little shred of wisdom: Never challenge the struggles of worlds alone and always enjoy life while it lasts. Now that I am old, my death is nigh, but I know my life was full of promise. Even if it may seem like BEN coming into my life was the only highlight of my life, I know there was so much more. I hope you realize that when you look on your own lives and that you will do well with the time that was given to you. With my last breath, I bid you farewell friend. May you overcome the darkness like I did.