Chapter Three: The Winds of Change
"Sounds like you've either experienced a higher level of precognition during your sleep, or the fact that reading too much of Dante Alighieri's Il Divina Commedia caused your brainwaves to create graphic images as you slept." Egon explained with a slight smirk on his face.
Maria was seen sitting at Egon's office with a couple strands of medical stickers with wires connected to an analytical device set to the side of her, while Egon himself studied over the analysis of her mind in documentation that was printed out from the printer as it read of Maria's brainwave conditions.
"I'll um admit I did got excited a little after Ray handed me the second book." Maria replied with a slight chuckle in her voice, but continued as she felt a deep feeling of distraught. "This seemed a little… different though; I mean, in my dream, something was clouding over me, I-it didn't want to let go of me, and was keeping me under some kind of... seductive trance. Oh it was just an awful sight to see Dr. Spengler, but I couldn't… somehow help myself, I'll never even forget those eyes as long as I live."
"Yes, when you first walked in here you've mention something about the eyes;" Egon asked with a curious tone. "What did they look like by the way?"
Maria explained with a calm tone. "All I remember is… one of them was blind and the other, I think, was sort of a greenish color, and they looked - like they were hungry, like a pack of wolves! They were so real to me Egon, like something from an Edgar Allan Poe story or whatever; I mean the entire nightmare felt so real to me; I couldn't even tell if I was awake or asleep!"
"Calm down Miss Hecate; as I've explained with the readings here, you've probably experienced a mental form of psycho innuendo, a type of interpretation of one's desires, including some acts of sexual needs." Egon said as a thought occurred through his head after reading Maria's documented analysis. "Um, tell me Miss Hecate, have you recently engaged in a relationship over the past month or so?"
"What does that got to do with my dream?" Maria asked, feeling insulted at first.
"It's just a simple question Miss Hecate; have you or haven't you been seeing someone lately?"
"… Oh (sigh) Well, not since I've broken up with Eric a few years ago; but he did try to persuade me into going out with him again, but I've kept rejecting him God knows how many times already. Then I think after his visit, Dr. Stantz and I had a little discussion of our own for awhile about our own individual interests in true love."
"Mm, That could be one of the main reasons you had this dream last night; it seems your conversations with Ray, combined with your ex-boyfriend's return and reading The Divine Comedy filled your mind with unusual thoughts and other vivid visualizations that caused you to produce graphic images of your nightmare."
"Well, I guess that's a pretty good way to describe it; but are you sure that's what happened?"
"Not according to these readings here; I'd usually never doubt my calculations."
"Oh yeah, heh, silly me."
Then Egon finishes with a positive tone in his voice. "Don't worry Maria, it's absolutely nothing to worry about; this simple analogy is just part of the human mind, nothing to be concerned over."
"I guess so." Maria replied, despite she still felt that the nightmare she faced would somehow come back to haunt her once again. "Thank you Egon, I think I'm starting to feel a little better about this."
"However, if it's not too much to ask, I'll need to take a look at your brain for further studies."
"How? With an MRI?"
"… Probably."
That afternoon, Maria was back home for awhile so she could rest up at the moment before she would begin her shift at Ray's Occult Books as she called her boss that morning to tell him she wasn't feeling too good, but could probably make it to the store at a later time. Ray agrees to Maria's conditional reasons and that was when she visited Egon for a quick checkup of her own and to make sure she wasn't entirely sick in the mind altogether. Even after her visit with Egon, Maria somehow still felt that the nightmare will never be able to leave her, and that it may come back sooner than expected; but she didn't want to risk the thought of it and so decides to take a quick nap back in her apartment.
It wasn't but a couple hours or so after Maria had finally settled down to sleep for awhile, a knock on the door was heard loudly across the other side of the apartment where Maria was sleeping on the sofa at the moment; she gets up from the furniture to see who it was, and as she looks through the peephole of the entrance, she notices two women standing and knocking in front of the door; one appeared with dark copper/brown hair, gold colored eyes, ruby red lipstick, and was dressed in a casual short skirt sundress. The other woman had raven black hair, dark sapphire eyes, her lipstick was colored a natural peach to brighten her pale skin tone, and was dressed in a simple shirt and skirt wear. The expressions each of the women showed were gleeful and excited looks, as though they were told of something of great importance.
As Maria recognized who the women were, she smirked with a slightly motivated expression as she opens the door to let them inside. The two ladies began to excitedly cheer and scream at the top of their voices as they start to crowd around Maria, who instantly felt uncomfortable over this unexpected surprise. She then hears the girls cry out random words, sounding as though they were acknowledging her of an unknown accomplishment.
"Oh my gosh; I never thought this day would come!" The copper haired woman said.
"Congratulations Maria, you've really hit the jackpot this time!" The raven haired woman remarks as well.
"So how did he do it; we're dying to know!"
"- Wait, why aren't you wearing it?"
Maria felt so confused over this whole commotion as she couldn't keep up at first to what the women were talking about. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute; Annabel, Lenore slow down, what're you girls talking about? I should be wearing what now?"
The copper haired woman, named Annabel Lee Rodchester, spoke once more in confusion as she felt perhaps Maria didn't know of the news yet. "… Wait… you mean he hasn't told you yet?"
"Who told me what?" Maria asked with deep confusion.
The raven haired woman, named Lenore Karloff, felt confused as well, and then realized what she and Annabel had done. "Ooh… I don't think she knows yet."
"(Sigh) What're you two talking about?" Maria asked with a now developing look of annoyance on her face. "Who told you about me wearing what?!"
A long pause emerged for a long while, until Annabel started to speak with a nervous tone in her voice. "Uh… I-It's not really put that way Maria; you see… um… well, we thought that you were um, finally… eh… Well, we didn't want to say anything at first, but um… this afternoon we were going to come by here and ask if you'd like to have lunch with us, but then uh… there was this particular guy we sort of bumped into and um… h-he told us that you and this same man we bumped into were getting… eh…"
"(Grumble) Oh for the love of -" Lenore finishes with an agitated voice. "We thought you and Eric are finally engaged!"
"What?! And you actually believed him?!" Maria screamed with an angry look.
Both Annabel and Lenore stood still in dead silence for a very long moment, realizing that Maria had been deceived once again by her ex-boyfriend; never before had they seen their friend this enraged since they remembered the last time Maria was "engaged" behind her back. Then Annabel and Lenore each shook their heads in a positive manner, silently replying yes to Maria's angering question.
"(Grunt) Just - Fine, fine, fine;" Maria growled until she finally calms down to set things straight. "(sigh) okay, from the beginning, what exactly has Eric told you this time?"
Lenore was the first to explain with a lump in her throat. "Well, as Annabel said, we were on our way here to ask you to join us for lunch today, until we bumped into Eric for the first time, as we haven't seen him in a long while; he specifically told us that you and him were finally back together, after that hoagie fiasco in North Harlem, and we even thought that you've actually had the nerve to give him another chance, and that's where this whole engagement thing started."
Annabel took over the explanation next. "He did started to ramble on over how you can't live without him and that you were dying to come back into his arms after he told us of his supposed claim the two of you started dating again. Eric said that he and you have been dating for the past couple months until he finally asked your hand in marriage just this morning."
"Wait, as in this this morning?" Maria asked as she stopped the conversation at the moment. "(Sigh) I was just down at the university this morning, visiting Dr. Spengler. Oh I should've known Eric had come too far this time; he hasn't been this desperate over me since the time we were up to Niagara during our third date."
"He does seem to like rushing things." Lenore replied.
Annabel remarked as well. "Not to mention the fact that he would give up everything to spend the rest of his life with you. Of course (giggle) I'll admit he is kinda romantic in a way."
A long pause emerged once more after Annabel's own opinion of Eric's devotion of his own love. Maria just stared at Annabel with a disturbed look on her face.
"Eh… Hehe… I mean his romantic ways, not Eric, himself." Annabel spoke with a quiet tone in her voice.
Then after another long moment of silence, Maria asked once more. "(Sigh) okay, back to the wedding proposal thing, did Eric say anything else to you before you started congratulating me on my once again 'bogus engagement'? (Grunt) It's my poor grandmother's funeral all over again (may she rest in peace)"
Lenore explained once more. "No, I don't think so; he was feeling so contented to tell us his 'proposal' to you."
"Maybe he's actually planning to propose to you sometime anyway;" Annabel said. "Not sure when, but he is pretty anxious to make the perfect timing."
Momentarily, Maria's telephone starts ringing from the den area of her apartment. Then with a deep feeling of who it might be calling, Maria walks into the den and picks up the receiver as she answers with a large sigh in her voice as she greets the caller.
"Hello? Who may I say is calling? (As if I didn't already know)"
Then a familiar male voice answered on the other end. "Hey there beautiful; how's my favorite attractive lady today?"
"Ugh… What do you want Eric?"
The caller, Eric, explained with an erotic voice. "Well, I thought maybe we'd get together sometime and have dinner? I've got a special surprise for you, my Pretty Woman."
Maria replies with a sarcastic tone. "… Gee, that sounds swell. Oh, I just remembered though, I actually have to WORK tonight! (Grunt) For God's sake Eric, let it go; I'm never coming back to you EVER! Stop trying to impress me with flowers, expensive gifts, or even an engagement ring! That's right, you heard me, STOP TELLING EVERYONE WE'RE GETTING MARRIED; I just got the word from my friends here and they told me of how you explained how we're 'back together', and how you supposedly proposed to me this morning when I wasn't anywhere near you!"
There was deep silence going on at the other end of the receiver as Maria tries to take control of her temper and waited patiently for a response. Then, Maria hears a faint sound of a toilet being flushed on the telephone, and then afterwards hears Eric's voice once more.
"Ah, that's better, sorry about that. Now, what was that you were saying my little honey-bunny?"
"GAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Maria screamed at the top of her voice at the phone receiver, shaking it and choking it as if she were actually strangling Eric himself, and furiously slams it back onto the mechanism as she catches her breath from her anger.
Lenore and Annabel both stared at Maria with shocked expressions, never seeing their friend this angry before, and at the same time, they felt guilty over this awkward moment. Then Maria finally calms down from the phone call and mumbles to herself without Annabel or Lenore hearing her.
"(Grumble) I knew I should've asked the superintendent to change this phone number."
After a moment, Lenore steps up to comfort Maria. "Oh Maria, I'm really sorry about today; I mean, after everything Eric told us, we just got ourselves lost into the very thought of you getting married."
Then Annabel got into the conversation. "I mean, despite Eric is sort of hot, but… remember all those times you told us how you want to meet someone different than you, and that you'd like to spend the rest of your life with him?"
"Well, that is true, but Eric's just - … not the type I want." Maria replied with a slightly aggravated and yet a combined look of distress on her face. "It just didn't really sparked between us, we had nothing in common, and worst of all, I can't believe I actually stood up for him against those three drunk bitches when we first met at the nightclub at Broadway. (Sigh) Boy, was I stupid that time."
Lenore spoke with a comforting tone. "Oh Maria, it wasn't your fault; we were pretty young at the time, and it was just one of those moments in life when we make mistakes."
"I do remember that night when we first met Eric," Annabel replied. "I think I had like four daiquiris and a little bit of Jack Daniels'."
"Still…" Maria continued. "I really don't mind settling down someday, but I'm so busy recently I just don't have some of the time anymore."
There was a quick silence in the apartment for awhile, until Lenore spoke once more.
"Here's a random thought; what about that boss of yours?"
"Dr. Stantz?" Maria asked with a surprised look. "I-I've only been working at his bookshop for some time now, I can't really form that kind of relationship with him anyway."
"Who said anything about forming an employee/boss relationship? Think about it this way Maria, not only do you see him everyday, aside from the fact he is your employer, but he's tall, he's very intelligent…"
"Not to mention adorably cute!" Annabel replies as she remembers Ray Stantz. "Though Dr. Egon Spengler's my personal favorite of the whole team, I love a guy with big brains anyway."
Maria finishes with a similar remark she had told her employer once before. "Well, I do like him; he's so sweet and compassionate, so handsome and considerate, and even the most amazing man I've ever known; I mean, he's everything a girl wants, and any woman would be lucky to have him, but… for some messed up reason… Ray doesn't really make my sparks fly either."
"WHAT?!" Annabel screamed over Maria's explanation.
"You can't be serious!" Lenore said.
"I don't know what it is I want in someone either," Maria finished. "All I know is, he's out there somewhere, whoever he is, and I just know that in the future he'll make me so happy." Then Maria notices a nearby wall clock hanging above the sofa, indicating the current time. "Oh. Speaking of which, I'd better get down to the bookshop right now; I told Ray that I'd clock in at a later shift."
Then with the entire conversation at its final closure, Maria quickly grabs her purse, escorts her friends out of the apartment and locks up as she leaves her apartment building for the remainder of the day.
The next day, while watching the weather channel, Maria was preparing herself to go out and run some personal errands for awhile; she listens to the meteorologist predict a new form of thunderstorms that had been merging on and off for quite some time.
"… With more possible chances of thunderstorms heading into the East Coast for the remainder of the week, this one seems to be a little strange somehow, as dark clouds merge in and out of the Manhattan area with occasional raindrops that appear to be something glowing and once in a while green, all coming down in one spot of the Central Park area. Brick Tamland has this story…"
However, Maria didn't really paid much attention to the television since she thought weathermen are all just pretty faces on the screen, until she hears a knock on the door momentarily after she had gotten herself ready to go out. Once she opens the door, she finds none other than Eric Wadestone himself, once again.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" Maria cried in anger. "Do I have to call the cops on you from now on?!"
Eric then starts to explain as he tries to prevent Maria from slamming the door on him. "N-Now wait a minute, wait a minute Maria, please, let me explain;"
"(Grunt) Fine; you've got five minutes!"
"Okay, listen, about yesterday… (gulp) well, yeah I did kinda bumped into Lenny and Anna after I did a little personal shopping for awhile… and I did sort of… eh… hehe… maybe told them a little…"
"Believe me, I already know about that."
"Oh. Heh… T-They told you, didn't they?"
"Enough to make me kick your ass out of here before I finally call the cops!"
"Okay, okay, okay I know how you feel about what I did, seriously! That's why I came here; (sigh) I want to make this up to you, I'm sorry about everything I did to you, and to have eh… embarrassed you a little over the years. So, I was wondering if… you're not doing anything tonight… maybe, we could have dinner together?"
Maria stood in the middle of the doorway and stared at Eric in silence. At that moment, she readies herself to slam the apartment door as she spoke once more.
"Sorry, your five minutes is up!"
Quickly, Eric stops Maria from slamming the door as he tries to persuade Maria once more. "Nononono, wait a minute, I wasn't finished; I mean to just go out and just… you know, have dinner. Nothing romantic, nothing to make you feel a little eh discriminating, or anything else that's related to our last relationship, love affairs, or anything sexual. Just you and me, together at a restaurant, and just be ourselves."
Another moment of silence passed as Maria stood there in deep thought, thinking over Eric's offering and how he mentioned it won't be a romantic dinner this time. She thought it over and over and over, until she gives a large sigh and looked at Eric once more with a slightly disturbed expression on her face.
She asked with a steady but doubtful tone. "Nothing romantic?"
"Nothing romantic in any way you can think of." Eric replied with a solemn smirk.
"- No Mariachi Band and a bottle of Tequila, remember that?"
"Not even a pretty red rose with a ring tied around it; I promise."
Once more, the hallway fell into silence after Eric said he promised not to make up another schematic dinner proposal between him and Maria.
Maria took another moment to think this over again, and finally replies with a distressed voice. "(Sigh) I'll probably regret this but… If I do this, will you please leave me alone, and never try to convince me to come back to you ever again?!"
"I swear on my mother's grave."
Then Maria spoke once more with a quiet tone and her teeth grinding at the same time. "(Sigh) Alright, I'll go to dinner with you."
"Great! So, I'll pick you up at eight o'clock?"
"… Sure… why not."
With a very gleeful smile on his face, Eric finally leaves the apartment building, happy to see Maria finally agreeing to go out on a simple dinner date with him.
Afterwards, Maria shuts her apartment door after agreeing to have dinner with Eric, but developed a bad feeling tonight will not go at all planned, but hopefully after tonight Eric will never see her again. Then Maria grabs the remote control of the television set as she prepares to shut it off, and sees the weatherman on the screen, looking over at Central Park as it was raining and thundering hard, looking as though it were an actual tornado going on in the general area.
"… As you can see behind me once again," The meteorologist explained. "This rainstorm has just come back to this section of Central Park; it's been going on like this for the past few hours today, as the raindrops look like something you see at a toxic waste dump factory. The wind conditions are at a high level threat, temperatures around this spot had dropped drastically every few minutes, and there's even some hints of actual low moaning and screaming sounds being heard while the high winds continue to form. Sources say that this could become one of the biggest tornadoes in the state. Back to you Ron."
Soon after the meteorologist explained the current weather predictions, Maria finally turns off the television and grabs her purse so she could start her day.
"These weather forecasts get weirder and weirder every day." She said.
At the Tavern on the Green restaurant that night, Eric and Maria sat and talked throughout the whole time, eating their dinner and discuss of the separate events about each other after their breakup a long time ago. Truly, it was just an ordinary get together, and as promised, there was absolutely nothing in relation to romance or even a single commitment question was asked.
"Well, I must admit you actually did something right this time." Maria said in a complimenting manner.
Eric replied as well, despite he still kept his wandering eyes on Maria herself in admiration. "Well you know, after everything I put you thorough, I just felt this will help to ease and forget all about the troubles I did."
"I must say though, the wine did hit the spot; and that Dolphin, wow; who knew there was a type that has a high blunt forehead and a green, blue, and yellow colored body that could be so edible."
Silence broke out for a long moment after Maria and Eric giggled and chuckled while they continued their conversation.
"You know Eric, I don't know how I can thank you for this," Maria spoke. "I mean, this dinner was just what I needed to get my mind cleared off after everything that's happened this week. You really are a good man."
"Hey, anything for a se - I mean, fr-fri-friend." Eric hesitated, trying as though he were about to blow his cover.
"What was that? Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine. A little chilly in here, isn't it?"
"Sort of, I guess? It's not bothering me any."
Then as Eric and Maria continued to talk, a group of violinists started to play a beautiful piece of music, Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel, in order to lighten and romanticize the mood for the restaurant patrons; the waiter walks up to mostly the table where Eric and Maria sat brings in a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice and sets it to the side. He lays out two flute glasses and then pops open the liquor bottle to pour.
The waiter spoke after pouring the champagne with a slightly fake French accent. "This is complimentary to the house. We hope your evening is going well as planned, no? (giggle)"
Maria studies the unusual giddy expression the waiter had, looking as though he seems to know something was going to happen later on. What's he so happy about? She wondered with a confused expression.
"Will se Madame or Messieur be having anything else before I bring in se dessert?" The waiter asked once more while going a little overboard with the accent.
"No, we're fine." Eric said with a large smile as he looks over enchantingly at Maria. "I think I'm good with what I got now."
Maria asked though with her expression continuing to form a more puzzling mood. "Wait a minute, I-I didn't order any dessert."
"It is complimentary as well Mademoiselle, I'm sure your boyfriend here will explain."
"But he's not my…"
The waiter leaves to return to the kitchen, without explaining why the champagne and dessert were complimentary. Maria stares at Eric with a now concerned and tense look on her face after the waiter mentioned Eric was her boyfriend. Then Maria felt in her soul that something was indeed going to happen in a matter of time.
"There's something fishy going on here." Maria said with a disgruntled voice. "What are you up to again Eric?"
"Heh… Maybe the fish you ate is starting to act up." Eric said, trying to make a joke.
Maria stared at Eric with her eyes squinting in a discontented state as she is somehow starting to feel that tonight was not going to end well.
Soon the violinists played the Pachelbel music piece a little louder, some of the restaurant staff started to gather around one side of the building, some rose petals were somehow laid around the area in which Eric and Maria sat during most of the time, the same French accented waiter returned with the dessert cart in which he strangely parks beside the kitchen entrance, and even some of the restaurant patrons were noticing the goings on around the building. Even Maria had noticed some of the unexpected changes in which had just immediately gone on at the moment, and begins to feel a little nervous but at the same time agitated.
"Eric… what is going on he - (Gasp)?" Maria asked with her teeth grinding.
After noticing the unusual changes around the restaurant, Maria turns her head back around and sees Eric already kneeling down on one knee and held up Maria's hands in an admiring state. Maria's eyes widened with surprise but is slowly making their way into a fiery rage just as Eric begins to explain with a soft voice.
After noticing the unusual changes around the restaurant, Maria turns her head back around and sees Eric already kneeling down on one knee and held up Maria's hands in an admiring state. Maria's eyes widened with surprise but is slowly making their way into a fiery rage just as Eric begins to explain with a soft voice.
"Maria, my love, you are the only girl I ever wanted in my life, you're the only one who's always been there for me, have made me the most happiest man on Earth each and every day, and there's absolutely no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life than the most beautiful girl of my dreams."
Then Eric reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a small black velvet case and opens it to reveal a stunningly gorgeous 24k crystal diamond ring shining brighter than the very lights of the whole restaurant. Maria stared at the ring for a solid couple minutes, at first admiring the beautiful jewelry, and then she finally hears Eric ask the one question she didn't want to hear altogether.
"Maria Hecate… will you marry me?"
Everyone in the restaurant all gasped in shock to see Eric propose to Maria, with some of them feeling overwhelmed over this wonderful occasion, and most of them clapped softly as they await to hear Maria's reply, of course in their minds thought that it was going to be a definite yes.
Maria looked deep into Eric's eyes and saw the betrayal he held, and with her own expression turning into a furious rage, she finally bursts out one bold answer from the top of her voice.
"NO!"
The entire restaurant all gawked in fear as they heard Maria give a negative reply.
Eric at first, stared blankly at Maria, but held up the engagement ring with a noble determination. "Heh. Oh come on Maria, you do mean yes, right?"
Maria finally took her glass of champagne and threw the liquid right at Eric's face. The liquor slightly burned Eric for a moment, but he slowly begins to see the reality of Maria's frustration as she spoke.
"I should've known it would come to this, you lying piece of dirt! You promised you would never do this again, you swore on your mother's grave!"
"Actually, my mother's in Honolulu with her boyfriend."
Suddenly, after hearing how Eric's mother is not really dead, Maria viciously slaps Eric's face, knocking him down slightly.
"I haven't been this embarrassed since the last time you tried to propose;" Maria continued. "When are you going to get it through your thick head Eric, I am never going to marry you! I never should've stood up to you at that nightclub a long time ago; you had never been the type of man I want, and I never cared for anything you try to do for me. It's over Eric, in fact it's been over for years, I will never ever, ever, ever, EVER be yours!"
"So… is that a maybe, then?" Eric asked.
Maria growled at Eric as she forcibly picked him up by the collar of his shirt. "Stop pretending that you don't know what I'm talking about, stop embarrassing me with these stupid proposals, stop embarrassing yourself in asking my hand, and stop trying to convince everyone in the whole city that we're meant to be together! We've been broken up for several years now, and there's no way in Heaven, Hell, Earth, or even any dimensional worlds that you and I are ever going to be together; I can't take this anymore!"
Maria then pushes Eric down, grabs her purse, and finally stomps out of the restaurant. Eric tries to stop her as he spoke to convince her otherwise. "But Maria, I… I love you -"
"NOT EVEN IF YOU'RE SUCKED INTO A WHIRLING VORTEX OF DOOM!" Maria screamed once more. "If you did, I hope you'll end up somewhere horrible so you'd never come back! Just leave me alone Eric, I will NEVER BE. YOUR. WIFE! EVER!"
Then Maria leaves the restaurant, leaving Eric alone and embarrassed once again, despite it was his own doing that got himself into this mess to begin with.
Later that evening, Eric was walking alone through the public park, feeling heartbroken after Maria's denial; he still kept hold onto the engagement ring, still feeling that Maria will one day change her mind and crawl back to him so that they can finally be together at long last. The park itself seemed to be very quiet at this time of night, but it would soon change once Eric arrived upon the central cornerstone of the area. A large gust of wind blew by, feeling the heavy breeze whiz through his body like it were trying to pick him up off the ground; then some trembling roars of thunder were heard around the vicinity, some rain drizzled down from the sky, and oddly enough, some dark but shadowy clouds loomed right over Eric's head as it formed into one large mist as it begins to twirl slowly around.
"Whoa. The weatherman didn't say anything about a storm tonight." Eric said as he looks up at the storm formation.
Not long after the dark clouds merged into place, the entire storm itself started to form a more ghastly squall; the winds began to feel stronger and blew more heavily than the first time with slight sounds of eerie screams and moaning being strangely heard at the same time, the rain started to feel more gooey and slimy like unusual glops of a ghost-like substance, and then even the thunders and lightning of this unpredicted storm grew louder and rumbled more intensely than before. Eric decided at that moment to leave the area immediately before the storm would worsen, but as he rushes out of the general area, he notices that the rest of the city is not occupied with the weather; in fact, this one particular thunderstorm had only been located in this one specific spot somehow, not as to even naturally move on in the sky.
Then as the storm grew fiercer, Eric suddenly feels his body slowly being pulled away, as though someone or something was actually taking him. He looks over and sees the rainstorm grow stronger, but notices a strange opening deep beneath clouds, looking like it were some kind of… vortex. He then hears the strange moaning and screaming sounds coming from inside the clouds itself, sounding louder and more eerily than before.
The winds grew stronger still as it suddenly starts to suck Eric right into the tornado itself, making him drop his engagement ring onto the earthy ground! The massive thunderstorm roughly grabs Eric into its very eye and suddenly, as if by transportation, takes him swirling all around the clouds for a good solid thirty minutes, until he is ended up back onto the earthly terrain, safe and sound, as if time itself had just drastically passed by in the blink of an eye.
The unusual thunderstorm dies down at the moment, dissipating into thin air, and Eric was in a state of unconsciousness for a long while, until he finally awakens to find himself back in Central Park. Oddly enough, the sky looked to be darker than ever before, the air was dense and cold, and an unusual smell of rotting flesh filled the atmosphere. Eric felt so confused at first, wondering if he was even in New York anymore, and so he starts to walk around to see if anyone was present; sure enough he sees an old bum sitting on the sidewalk, alone, and he walks up behind him to grab his attention.
"Excuse me, sir?" Eric asked. "Hey, did you just see what happened back there?"
Once Eric grabbed the bum's attention, the hobo himself turns to see Eric with his own eyes, but his face appeared even worse than what street dwellers usually look like, as he was nothing but a skeletal corpse!
Both Eric and the bum screamed in horror, but the hobo looked to be even more scared as he cried out.
"A HUMAN!"
Momentarily, another citizen notices Eric's presence as well; this one was a woman, a walking dead zombie, who suddenly shrieks in fear and cried out a similar notification in which the bum yelled earlier.
"Gah! A human being! Help!"
Confused, Eric starts to run away down the streets of what looks to be 17th Parkway; then he comes across a group of little wolf-like creatures that appeared to have the characteristics of a human, but were more like werewolves instead, with each of them looking to wear girl scout uniforms as though they were an actual Brownie Troop team. Each of them howled in fright to see Eric in all his presence.
"It's a human!"
"Run!"
"Somebody do something (howl)!"
The troop leader, another werewolf, meanwhile tries to calm the little pups down as she tries to keep them away from Eric. "Calm down girls; get behind me and try not to panic!"
Then Eric runs away again, momentarily to find himself caught inside a nightclub full of zombies, ghosts, mutated creatures, incubi and succubae, and all other types of monsters. At first, Eric didn't notice the supernatural presence until he turns after shutting the door tight and stares blankly at the undead.
No one in the entire club said a single word once Eric ran inside; a long silence held on for quite a long while… until a bar patron, a zombie who had been quivering in fear at the moment, finally screams with a high pitched voice and raises a cold finger up, pointing at Eric over his presence.
Immediately, all of the bar patrons scattered and screamed in fear over the fact that a human, Eric, was "invading" the undead territory. Then, Eric rushes out of the nightclub before things would get worse and stumbles into the middle of the streets, seeing more of the ghoulish pedestrians scream and scatter away in fear of seeing a human present. Momentarily afterwards, Eric sees four large shadows looming right over him; he felt too scared to even turn around to see who or what was behind him, until he hears an unusual power-up sound, like someone was charging up a weapon.
KA-SKREEEEEEEE!
Slowly, Eric turns his head to see what was behind, and what he saw next felt like his own soul was already being torn away as soon as he screamed for his life.
"GGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH… !"
All at the same time, Eric felt darkness immediately clouding over him, feeling like multiple paintballs simultaneously hitting him into unconsciousness.