I was listening to Freaky Fred's theme from Courage the Cowardly Dog when the idea for this chapter popped into my head. Not much happens but I thought this chapter was a little morbid. That's all I got to say.

Crash is not mine. Jan is mine

Chapter 3 Haunting

Crash laid in his bed as stared outside the window. The early morning light had come bringing nothing but clouds an heaven rain.

Crash really didn't mind the cold very much, but he would have preferred to have the brightness of the sunshine as opposed the dark grey clouds that seemed to loom over him like a shadow.

Then again, grumbling over the weather wasn't going to anything to change it; the weather had called for rain the entire day, maybe even a few strong thunderstorms. Pretty soon it would be snowing; although Crash was looking forward to snow; it seemed much prettier than the rain.

The boy turned toward the alarm clock to see it read seven thirty. Crash could easily have gone back to bed since it was Saturday and he didn't have to get up to go to school, but he found himself wide awake.

"Maybe an early morning walk wouldn't be such a bad thing." Crash thought to himself, pulling the nice warm blankets off of him.

He walked to the dresser and pulled out some jeans and a thick sweatshirt. After he got his shoes on, he walked out the door. He looked towards Jan's apartment deciding whether or not he wanted her to join. He was about to approach the door when he decided against it. He really wanted to be by himself for awhile. Plus things between him and Jan had been weird ever since they had gotten back from the Hamptons.

Crash hurried down the stairs; his mind seemed surprisingly empty. Everything seemed empty ever since Jan had told him the morbid message: something was coming that even he wouldn't be able to stop.

What was coming? Had he seen it once before? Did he fight something of a great power once before? Then what about the image of him being bound to a wall with chains when he was a child? He heard himself talking about freedom; he wanted to get away from someone, but who did he want to get away from? But if that wasn't enough, then what about Coach Tanner's lost son, Craig? The Coach had said that his son had been hit by a bus and was a lost cause, only for him to disappear; hospital bed and all. So why in his flashback's was this Craig moving and talking as if nothing happened? But there was the most frightening flashback of all, Crash was running; running down that long dark corridor, alone and afraid.

Crash breathed deeply; all of these flashbacks came at different times, but they all had to be connected. They all had to have one link; he was a prisoner, he had apparently escaped, and this Craig have to been a servant or slave to however this person that was holding him prisoner.

He then remembered what Dr. Nitrus Brio had said; he had an old partner back awhile ago, and they created him. So who was this old partner? Was he responsible for this?

Suddenly he found himself flying through a dark tubed tunnel. Crash's expression was twisted into one of pure rage. He appeared to be chasing someone, but he could barely make out the form. Although it had the shape of a man.

"YOU SICK BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Crash could hear the image of himself scream in rage, causing the boy to cringe at the sight.

Only the figure did not seem to stop and continued to fly away.

"YOU LIED TO ME! COME BACK AND FIGHT YOU COWARD!"

Crash was starting to pick up some more speed and was getting closer and closer to the man. But just as he was about to see the man's face, the image died away.

Crash stood on the street in shock.

"Someone tricked me; someone made do something I shouldn't have done, and I wanted vengeance. Could it have been the man that was Brio's old partner and the one who held me prisoner?" Crash ran his hand through his hair.

The bandicoot lowered his head as he tried to clear his head. When he raised his head again, he saw himself at a playground, only it was completely empty.

Crash past the gate and looked around; the place seemed almost like a graveyard, the swings and the seesaw's moved morbidly against the wind giving the grounds a haunting present.

But amongst the haunting atmosphere, Crash found himself at ease; any tension he may have felt seemed to fade away with the morbid setting.

"Man this would a great place to throw a Halloween party." Crash chuckled to himself.

He turned toward the swings; he hadn't swung on them since the weather had started to turn crappy.

The boy walked to the wet swing and sat upon it. Crash kicked his legs and began to push himself and he began to swing higher and higher. The rush brought a silver lining to his mind and he felt almost at piece with himself. Any stressed feelings he had the last several days seemed to fade; and he did not want the feeling to end.

Crash pushed himself higher and higher until he heard a voice behind him.

"Crash?"

He turned to see it was Jan.

"Did you follow me?" He asked.

"You seemed out of place and were just wandering; I was worried so, yeah I followed you." She admitted.

She sat and the swing next to him and gently began to push herself.

"Why are you out here? It's only 35 degrees." She asked.

"I needed to clear my head."

Jan looked at the ground.

"Crash why don't we go get some breakfast? It's too cold to be outside."

"Jan, where did you say you first found me?" Crash asked.

"I found you on the shores of beach about two years ago. Why?"

Crash found another image swirling within him. He saw himself lying on the shoreline of a beach faced down. A slightly younger Jan was running toward him.

"Hey are you okay?!" Jan asked, gently shaking him.

Crash's eyes slightly opened and he saw himself looking into Jan's emerald eyes.

"Where am I?" Crash asked, groggy.

"You're on a beach; I think you washed up on the shore."

"I'm Crash Bandicoot." He said.

"I'm Jan." She answered.

Crash suddenly sat up.

"OH MY GOD! TAWNA THE OTHERS! I HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE CASTLE!" Crash started running when he felt himself falling forward, Jan luckily managed to grab him.

"What are you doing?!" She asked, angrily. "You're very weak."

"I don't care; I have to get back to the castle, before he hurts anyone else!" He growled.

"Then I'm coming with you." Jan said.

"No!"

"You don't have a choice, you need someone to come with you, you'll die out there alone. My parents squadron have been on the islands for months, and they haven't been able to do anything. So what makes you think you can?"

"Then I'll die knowing I tried."

"I'm still coming." Jan growled.

"Just don't fall behind." Crash sighed as he ran off into the jungle."

The image faded away.

"Jan... You, you saved me." Crash said, stopping his swing.

"Crash..." Jan asked.

"If it wasn't for you, I would've drowned. I'm alive because of you and I tried to brush you off and you still followed. Why?"

"I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"And we became friends, the best of friends." Crash said, in a rather childlike tone. The tone almost scared Jan.

"Crash, are you all right?"

Crash snapped out of it.

"Oh! Yeah I'm okay; I remember, I remember you finding me. And we went on our adventure like the misfits that we were." Crash said with his now goofy grin.

"I remember; we were a couple of misfits, weren't we?" Jan said smiling.

"We sure were." Crash replied.

Jan got up from the swing.

"Crash let's go inside; it's getting cold."

Crash got up himself.

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry."

Arms linked, the two friends walked away from the morbid playground, never even aware of the little camera that had been watching them the entire time.

I thought Crash behaved in a rather creepy manner throughout the chapter and I kind of enjoyed that. I think it gives him more character instead of being goofy all the time. I kind of felt bad for Crash in a way because the more of his memory he regains, the more unstable he seems to be becoming. Then again everything he went through could you blame him? Well the next chapter or the one after that is where Crash will regain all his memories. Until that time comes stop by my Profile Page, I have a poll going on and would appreciate it if you voted.

Until next time Read and review