Part II: Going Home

Chapter 9

Door 1

They wasted no time now that they had their memories. "You know pretty much the full story." Willow said to Patricia. "We got here, we tried to escape... it didn't work."

"If we go by what you said, time in this world moves quicker in this door than it does back home." Mara began. "And if time moves quicker here, do you suppose it moves quicker in the other doors as well? Did you bring a notebook with you?"

Patricia shook her head. Mara swore under her breath. "Do you have anything? A pen? A sharpie?"

Patricia rummaged through her things, coming up with a sharpie. Mara snatched it and began to write furiously on her arm. "Whatcha up to?" Eddie asked.

"I'm compiling a list of facts." Mara said. "I don't know what's with these marble what's its, but if they begin to take our memories again I'd like to know the basics. I know we have the marbles now but suppose we can't get to them when we need them, or they're confiscated."

"So what's on the list?" Patricia asked.

"I'll show you. Oh I'm running out of room!"

Eddie offered his arm and she grabbed it and quickly began to write on it as well.

By the time she was finished, they each had writing on their arm. In fact, Eddie had writing on two arms.

We came from the 4 doors room

The marbles from the attic are supposedly taking our memories

Patricia found home along with Fabian and Amber

She came back for us.

6 months = 60 minutes?

Everyone else may already be back home

They may come for us

Others:

- Jerome

- Fabian

- Nina

- Amber

- Alfie

- KT

- Mick

- Joy

- Trudy (house mother)

- Victor (professional pin dropper)

People who may have done this to us:

Rufus Zeno (an old enemy. Patricia won't give more details)

Unlikely, he's dead? Or trapped?

Senkhara (no details again)

Unlikely, also dead... sort of

Victor

I find unlikely

Mr. Sweet (Eddie says no)

Mrs. Denby

Unlikely... may also be dead... unsure

Any ghost

A teacher maybe

The police

Patricia made sure to add this

For some reason, they want us happy

"I think this will have to do for now." Mara sighed as everyone rolled down their sleeves. "We may have to go back."

"Oh man, back is where my brain turns to mush." Eddie groaned.

"Not thirty minutes ago we were in that prison, and I had no idea who I was." Willow reflected. "I don't want to go back."

"None of us do." Patricia said. "So I think it's time we find a way out of this crazy place."

Door 3

Fabian knew if she woke up and he wasn't there, she'd kill him.

He also knew that he had to make it first priority that he got Mick and KT back. They were smart, if he explained to them that they were being manipulated to be used as soldiers, they should understand. This wasn't a sure thing of course, but it was worth a shot. If that didn't work, he'd just have to knock some sense into them.

Small problem with this plan, it was the first time he was walking through this world without Nina. Since he knew his way to the House from the warehouse, this should have been easy. But in this strange parallel universe, everything was overgrown and thicker, and the sun was setting so it was much harder.

He was also very afraid. He had yet to run into any wild animals, but he was sure there were some. The hunters had to hunt something. Plus, he had no weapon or any way to defend himself, which was pretty stupid, but most of the people were out of the warehouse and the weapons were with them.

He jumped at the sound of a bird somewhere flying off, and shivered as the air grew cooler by the second. He stepped in something cool and thick, like chocolate moose. He couldn't see much but something told him it was the huge mud swamp thing that Nina had him trek in, which meant he was going in the correct direction.

It took a while, but he finally got out of the thick of the trees and saw the Anubis House. The village where Mick and KT were most likely sleeping was a little past the house, but there won't be any more trees to walk through so he felt more secure.

He glanced at the house. If he hadn't lived in that house for about six years, it'd be hard to tell it was the same building. Everything about it was old and dead. He looked at the door. Why hadn't it worked, why wasn't he able to get home? Would he be stuck in this door too? Would they die here?

He thought back to when he, Amber and Patricia went through the second door. For some reason the door didn't work then either. But why. In the end it opened just as easily as before. Was there some clue as to how to get home within that memory? Perhaps. He'd have to think more about that later, he was on a personal mission.

And he'd rather not stand in one place at a time, not only did he want to keep moving, but he didn't want someone to see him as a threat and decide to put an arrow or something in his head. That would put a damper on plans of returning home.

He started forward again towards the village. He didn't really know how to get there but he had a pretty good idea. The wind picked up and he shivered. It was freezing, and he had no jacket and one shoe. His teeth chattered and he began to miss the warehouse. But he missed home, his real home, even more.

As it got later, it got colder and darker. He could barely see what was in front of him. He feared he get lost on the way there. He squinted ahead, hoping to see the any hint of light from the village, but it was nothing but darkness and the light of the moon in front of him.

"Fabian!"

He turned quickly and could see the outline of Nina coming towards him. His stomach turned and he gulped. As she came closer, he could see her angry face illuminated by the moonlight.

"I should skin you alive." she growled when she reached him. "What the hell do you think you are doing out here this late?"

"Getting our friends!" Fabian yelled. Instantly she hit him over the side of the head and he staggered a bit.

"Since you waltzed into this door I've been worried sick." Nina explained. "And it feels like every ten seconds you are doing something stupid!"

"Nina-"

"Whatever dumb thing you plan on doing, wait until it's light out and I'm healthy." Nina pointed back. Fabian looked behind him, and then at Nina.

And he ran away from her, towards the village.

Door 4

Jerome, Alfie, and Joy got outside just in time to watch Amber start driving. Looking at each other for one more second, they ran after the car that sped off. Joy called out, "There is no way we can catch the car!"

Alfie growled, and increased his speed rapidly. Jerome and Joy looked in surprise as Alfie began to go so fast that his feet were starting to get blurry. Unwilling to leave their friend behind, they ran right after him.

Amber went over what she saw and heard in her head. She'd seen a lot of death over the time she'd went through the fourth door, but Joy, Alfie, and Jerome always came back. She doubted that man, Andrew, would come back. This was their job. They did this every week, sometime twice a week. And they seemed to have no problem with it either. Apparently two years can change a person more than she thought.

Joy and Amber were never the closest friends. Joy always hung out with Patricia and Fabian, while Amber stuck around with Mara and Mick. Plus, she used to think Joy was a nasty piece of work. What she did to Nina a couple years back was horrible and Amber still wasn't over it. Despite this, Amber never could see her just be okay with something like this.

Jerome sliced the man so easily, as if it were like cutting up butter or something. Something that wasn't a human being with a life right in front of him. He was greedy, selfish, and rude but he was never a murderer.

And Alfie, he was one of the sweetest guys Amber had ever met. She knew he had quite the temper at times. Especially when his friends are in danger. But he would never...

Whoever those people were in that room, they weren't her friends. And she had to get far away from them. Even if she didn't know where she was going.

Alfie, Joy, and Jerome had never run so fast.

The world was one giant blur beside them as they kept up speed. They'd never tried anything like this. But they weren't really human. So it made sense that they were able to run faster than humans.

Amber peered in the rearview mirror and nearly jumped at what she saw. Somehow, the others were right behind her. Not caring that the light in front of her was red, she pushed hard on the gas and sped forward. She began to find it hard to see as tears blurred her vision. She swerved out of an accident and heard cars honk behind her.

"Pull yourself together, Amber." she said to herself while tears ran down her face. But she couldn't. She couldn't believe her friends would do this.

She couldn't believe her friends would do this.

She couldn't believe her friends would do this without a good reason.

Slowly, Amber pulled over. It was only a second before friends caught up to her. Amber got out of the car and looked at them with tears in her eyes. "I don't know what I saw back there but you three better have a good explanation."

Joy felt tears well up in her eyes as well. She saw the way Amber looked at them. Like they were monsters. Joy was having trouble breathing, and she heard a high pitched beeping in her ears. Tears ran down her face, they were hotter than normal and burnt her eyes. Amber started staring at them all.

"What's wrong you guys?" she asked in a low, terrified voice. Joy looked at Jerome and Alfie, who had blood running down their faces like tears. Jerome was doubled over and Alfie was having a coughing fit. Then, while gasping for air, Joy fell to the ground.