A/N: Thanks again to Readingmama for the beta, she rocks! Thank you for all the lovely feedback and reviews on the last chapter, i bet you are all shocked and awed that i've actually posted another one within a year. I know, i've completely failed with the updates in the past. But never fear, this story is almost finished! About time right? Anyway, hope you all enjoy the next installment.

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The Beginning of the End

Chapter 11

Cleveland, Ohio USA

June 21st 2009

Connor kept his arms tight around his father's shoulders. As Booth returned the hug he was suddenly aware that his father was now human. When Buffy had told him Angel was back, some part of him still hadn't believed it, people just didn't come back, unless you were Buffy. But the breath of life against his shoulder, and the sound of Booth's heart beating in his chest brought the reality crashing home.

Apparently his dad should've been included in that statement. He was older, human, and the smile on his face was a little unfamiliar, but the look in his eyes was the same.

A few seconds passed before Connor and Booth took a step back out of the embrace, both of them looking slightly embarrassed. Booth glanced around the room as everyone stared at him in shock. "Damn, I think I need a drink," he muttered to himself as he rubbed his forehead.

Spike reached into his jacket and pulled out his hip flask, offering it to the shocked agent. Booth glanced at the flask, smiled ruefully and shook his head. Spike shrugged and took a swig before putting it back into his pocket.

Buffy's heart was racing, she could hardly breathe. Was this really happening?

"Angel?" she whispered softly.

Booth's head whipped around in shock. "Don't…" he said quietly as he stared at her. "Don't call me that anymore."

She took a step towards him, but he took a step backwards, keeping distance between them. She stopped, blinking back tears at the haunted look in his eyes. "Are you ok?" she asked finally.

He shook his head "No. I'm not ok," he said.

"What happened?" asked Connor quietly.

Booth looked at his son sadly. "I've just had two hundred and fifty years worth of memories shoved back into my head. I could have done without a few of them," he admitted.

"Karma's a bitch isn't it, dad." Connor said with a smirk.

Booth shot him an annoyed look. "I had my reasons for doing that; you were going to kill yourself." he tried to explain why he had done what he had done. "It wasn't an easy thing to do."

Connor looked away. "I know," he whispered. "I never said thanks for that either. I was pretty messed up before, the new memories were what I needed."

Booth nodded gratefully and glanced around the room, finally getting a good look at everyone. His gaze rested on Lorne, Spike and Illyria for a second, glad to see that the last of his team had made it. "So, you got Connor out?" he asked Spike quietly.

"Yeah, mate," Spike said.

Booth smiled, glad the other vampire had done what he asked for the first time in his life.

He grinned at Faith. "Hey Faith," he said.

"Hey, big guy, didn't think I'll ever see you again," the dark Slayer said with a wink.

He looked at the others, offering Willow a hesitant smile, nodded his head at Giles and Xander before he looked at Dawn.

Dawn bit her lip and took Connor's hand. "Say something, dad, you're making her nervous." Connor said jokingly as Booth continued to stare at them.

"How long have you been married?" Booth asked, noticing the rings on their fingers.

The couple looked at each other. "A few years," Connor said, "You ok with that?"

"Of course I'm ok," he said, sounding a little offended, "It's just…"

"What?"

Booth shrugged. "Could've had an invite though," he said with a smirk.

As everyone stared at him in shock he glanced around the room again, trying to suppress a grimace.

"What's wrong?"

"Just remembered 1885," he said and Spike winced as well. Booth frowned in concentration, a thought niggling at him, he's memories where shot, and he was having trouble remembering what had brought him here in the first place. "Where's Parker?" he asked quietly.

Buffy glanced at the others quickly. "Booth," she began hesitantly, taking a step towards him.

Booth glanced around the room again, his eyes wide before he spotted the note on the table and finally seemed to remember why he was here. "They took him…and Bones too," he whispered. "The vampires took them to get to me."

"We'll get them back," Buffy said forcefully looking him in the eye. "Don't worry."

"No."

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Not you, just me," he said.

There was silence for a few seconds before everyone started talking at once. "I'm coming with you." Buffy's voice drowned out the others protests.

"Nobody is coming with me!" he shouted angrily. "Didn't you read the note? I'm going alone or they're gonna kill Parker and Bones, I'm not letting that happen."

"An- Booth," began Buffy, "they'll kill you. Then they'll kill Parker and Bones."

"And what happens if you come with me? They'll do that anyway. No, at least this way they have a chance."

"So, what are you gonna do?" snapped Spike. "Go in their place?" Booth's silence was answer enough. There was an uproar, but Booth wasn't listening, he headed towards the door.

Connor rushed forward but Booth turned around quickly, his pistol in his hand. He pointed it right at Connor's head and the boy froze. Everyone else in the room stopped and stared, too shocked to do anything but shout their outrage. Illyria was the only one who was silent, merely tilting her head to the side curiously.

"I'm going alone," Booth said again.

"I'm faster than you now," Connor said, not at all concerned at the gun pointed at his head from across the room.

Booth paused considering, then he corrected his aim and pointed the gun at Dawn.

"Booth," whispered Buffy quietly, scared now. There was a glint in his eye she had only seen once, on the cliff above Sunnydale, when he was about to kill himself. When he was going do whatever it took, no matter the consequences.

She didn't think snow would work in this instance. She could see Spike shifting forward and knew the vampire would act soon, damn the consequences. She reached out and grabbed Spike's elbow, when he glanced at her she shook her head.

"Ok," she said to Booth. "Go. We won't follow."

Booth glanced at her quickly, while Connor gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you serious Buffy?" he snapped.

"Connor," Dawn interrupted quietly, "there's a gun being pointed at my head."

They could almost see the gears turning in Connor's head as he weighed up the options. Finally he stepped back and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Ok fine!" he barked.

Keeping the gun up Booth quickly took the couple of steps backwards before he got to the door and left, closing it with a firm click behind him.

"Why the hell didn't you do anything, Blue?" Spike snapped angrily. "You're the quickest one here!"

Illyria, who had been watching the exchange expressionlessly, merely looked at him. "His grief is overwhelming. I find it interesting to watch."

Spike sighed dramatically and rubbed his forehead. Connor snorted and shook his head, even after all these years he still didn't understand the old one, or her motives

"We're going after him aren't we?" he asked the room at large.

"Of course," said Buffy, in a tone that suggested Connor was a little slow.

"No doubt the old bastard will do something stupid," Spike muttered.

Connor opened his mouth to reply when the sound of gunshots shattered the night. Without even having to look at each other they all rushed for the door, running down the stairs and through the lobby. Stopping on the pavement they stared across the road.

"See, what did I tell ya, I knew he would do something stupid."

Buffy and the others all stared in shock at the cars parked across the road, one tire on each car was blasted apart, the work of a well placed bullet.

"Shit," snapped Faith, "How are we gonna go after him now?"

Buffy glanced down the road, where there were cars parked on the side of the road in front of the Terrance houses. "Go upstairs and get the weapons," she said to Faith and Illyria, "Spike and I will grab the cars. Who else is coming?"

"I am," Connor said as Willow also nodded.

"Ok," she said. "Connor can help us. Willow, go with Faith. Make sure you grab a sword for me and Spike. We have to hurry, he's already got a head start. We need to get there before he gets killed, or worse."

"What could possibly be worse?" Willow asked.

Spike turned his head around and gave her an incredulous look. "You've been living under a rock, Red? Doesn't the word 'Vampire' mean anything to you?"

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh, goddess," she muttered.

(v)

Booth was behind the wheel of the SUV and speeding down the highway heading towards the Zabor Funeral Home cemetery as fast as he could. His son and Bones needed him. He didn't feel proud about pulling his gun on the others, but this was something he had to do. He couldn't afford Buffy, Connor, or anyone else—except maybe Spike—from getting hurt. He didn't think he could handle it.

He didn't care if he died again, but he wouldn't let Parker or Bones down. They were counting on him and if that meant walking into the vampires lair by himself, then so be it. He knew there was a distinct possibility the vampires would try and turn him, but he would kill himself before he let that happen again. He had come prepared. The gun at his waist was full and he had a spare magazine stuffed in the pocket of his jacket if need be. There was also a stake in the glove box.

The sign for the cemetery appeared on his right. Slowing the car, he took the turn into the wooded lane. He continued on for a few minutes until the lane opened up into a car park and he stopped the SUV in front of the gates and parked. He grabbed the stake from the glove box and stuffed it in his pocket as he jumped out of the car. He grabbed his gun and held it in a two handed grip as he moved quickly through the trees toward the mausoleum. His heart was pumping wildly and he struggled to control his breathing as he headed further into the cemetery, passing graves even older then he was. He took a deep breath through his nose and told himself to remain calm. He could see the mausoleum on the top of the hill and headed towards it. As he got closer he noticed there were two vampires standing outside waiting for him, they both smiled evilly and Booth felt his heart sink a little. He holstered the gun and stepped up in front of them. "Where are they?" he asked.

The vampires grinned. "After you," the one on the right said with a smirk, indicating the open door.

Booth didn't say anything as he walked into the mausoleum and looked around. The crypt was trashed, the stone sarcophagus was broken and crumbled in the corner, in the place it should have been was a staircase leading down into the earth. He looked down and sighed. "Of course," he muttered to himself as the vampire took a flashlight from his pocket and started walking down the stairs, indicating Booth should follow him.

As he headed down the stairs, Booth could sense the other vampire behind him, bringing up the rear. He wondered again what he had stumbled into. This wasn't the first time he had gotten himself into life threatening situations, it might be the last though, Buffy was going to kill him if he lived through this. The staircase went down a little way before it turned into a tunnel. They followed the passageway for a couple of hundred meters until it opened up into a manmade cave.

He looked around quickly. There were holes in the walls for coffins to be placed. The entire room was quite large and furnished with 70's and 80's décor. He noticed an old couch, armchair and a fridge in the corner. There was a chess set on a rickety table and a couple of chairs and even an ancient black and white TV.

On the floor in the clear space in the middle of the room was an intricate circle design, made of metal. The Seal of Danzalthar, and the entrance to the Hellmouth.

He raised an eyebrow. "I like what you've done with the place," he deadpanned.

One of the vampires, completely missing the sarcasm nodded. "It needs a bit of paint and patching I think," he admitted, looking around thoughtfully.

Booth snorted as the other vampire hit him over the head and called him an idiot. Ten more vampires saunter into the room from the door at the other end, walking forward they spread out. Two men and a woman left the others and headed towards him, stopping right in front of him, as the others hovered in the background.

"Angelus," the taller of the men greeted, obviously the leader.

"It's Booth," he said, with absolutely no intention of mentioning his first name.

Allan 'Duke' Delaney smiled. "Not for much longer," he said.

Booth fought to remain calm, to keep his breathing steady and his eyes on the man in front of him. To show weakness was to give into these creatures, and he hadn't spent the last hundred years fighting to give in now. "Let my son and Bones go, then I'll do whatever you want," he told them.

"Anything?" the female vampire said with a coy smile, winking at him.

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief as the leader slowly turned his head and stared at her. "Focus, Nix," Duke muttered.

A grin spread across his face. "Can't you keep her under control?" Booth said as he shook his head and tutted, disappointed. The female vampire giggled as Duke growled angrily. She quickly bit her lip and fell silent, glancing up at him through hooded eyes, her shoulders still shaking with silent laughter.

Booth however kept his eyes on Duke. "Well?" he said.

Duke folded his arms over his chest. "Why should I let them go, you're human, they're human, you're no match for us," he grinned savagely, "and we're hungry."

Booth refused to look away as the vampire kept staring at him. Quickly he pushed his coat out of the way and drew his gun, pointing it directly at Duke. "You sure about that?" he asked as he pulled the trigger.

Duke dropped like a stone as the bullet lodged deep in his forehead. Metal bullets weren't fatal to vampires, but a direct hit to the middle of the forehead would hurt like a bitch and paralyse the vampire for a few minutes as it healed.

Booth moved quickly, targeting the other male vampire as Nix quickly ducked and jumped out of the way. By the time Booth had fired another shot, hitting the second male in the head, and turned to face Nix, she was already upon him. She snarled angrily as she got within reach, grabbed his arm and pushed it out of the way with a jerk. Pain shot up his arm and he yelled as his hand opened reflexively, releasing the trigger. Nix wrenched the gun from his hand and through it away from her so it skidded across the floor and then kicked him savagely to the ground.

He groaned in pain. "Stupid," she hissed as she bent down and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, hauling his upper body up off the floor.

Booth curled his hand into a fist and punched her right in the face with all his strength. The vampire's head snapped back and she grunted with pain. He started to grin, not the smartest thing to do. She glared down at him before backhanding him across the face, causing him to grunt in pain and slump in her grip. He had forgotten just how strong a vampire was against a human. He hadn't been on this side of a fight for a long, long time.

They were joined then by the two vampires that had led him down the tunnel. They jumped into the fray with relish, kicking and punching him. He fought back, managing to get a good hit in before the vampires overpowered him and he was forced to cover his head with his arm.

"Stop," Nix announced. Both vampires stopped immediately and stepped back.

He sucked in a deep breath as he laid on the floor. Nix knelt down beside him, grabbing his arm and pulling him up into a sitting position. She settled down next to him and placed a hand on his cheek in false gesture of comfort.

Booth tried to pull away but she was too strong. She put her fingers under his chin and tilted his face up exposing his neck. With a slow smile her face shifted and he found himself staring up into the yellow eyes of a demon, her fangs glinting in the lamplight. He struggled again but she merely laughed, leaned forward and sunk her teeth into the skin at the base of his throat.

Her nails dug into the tender skin on his upper arms as she drank greedily, fuelled by the sudden twang of fear she could taste and smell. Booth's face screwed up in pain and he grabbed her shoulders, trying to push her away, despite his best efforts he was getting scared. The last time he was in this position, Darla had turned him into a vampire and kicked off his reign of terror as one of the worst vampires in history. He didn't want to experience that again, not ever. He would die before he became a soulless monster again.

Desperately, he tried punching her again but his blows were weak, hardly worth Nix's attention. She growled, and he felt her lips brush the side of his neck as she swallowed the blood that was flowing from the wound. She grabbed his hair and wrenched his head even further back, causing Booth to yell out in pain.

His head was fuzzy and his heart thundered in his ears, a loud steady drum as it started to slow. He couldn't feel his legs, every breath he took came with a sharp stabbing pain. The vampire's fangs were torture against his neck. His vision darkened, black spots appeared in the corner of his eyes.

Suddenly she pulled away, letting him go so he slumped unceremoniously to the ground. He moaned softly and she smiled, licking her lips slowly. "Don't worry sweetie, I'm not gonna kill you, yet," she said with a smile as her face turned back to human.

She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pushed it from his shoulders, undoing his tie and ripped open his shirt, exposing his chest. She made an appreciative sound in the back of her throat before reaching into the waistband of her pants and pulling out a small Swiss Army knife, in hot pink. Booth flinched automatically when he saw it and tried to move away. Nix just snorted in amusement and put a hand on his shoulder, effectively stilling his movements.

On the other side of the room Duke had finally recovered from the bullet to the forehead, with a shake of his head and a fair bit of swearing he rolled to his feet. He walked towards them as the second vampire Booth had shot was also stirring, a soft moan coming from its throat.

The other vampires in the room were looking over curiously, excitement and anticipation plain on their faces. Most of them were in game face, the blood from his wounds making them loose whatever control they had.

Duke's boots clicked on the floor as he crossed the room and looked down at them. "I hope you didn't take too much," he said to Nix as he stared at Booth's wounds intently, unconsciously licking his lips.

Nix glared up at him. "Give me some credit, Duke," she growled. "I'm not some fledgling, he's cute but I know what we're here for. I'm not gonna stuff it up."

Duke grumbled under his breath but nodded, trusting the younger vampire to do what was needed. She smiled and wickedly twirled the knife in her hand. Before Booth even realised what was happening, Nix had pressed it against the skin of his chest, above his heart.

Panic washed over him. "What are you doing?" he asked in a raspy voice, his breath catching in his throat.

"The seal, it needs a blood sacrifice to open." She pressed the knife harder against his skin, drawing blood. At his wince, she smiled. "Now, for a little artistic license," she muttered as she started to carve intricate symbols into his chest. With each cut of the knife Booth jerked in pain, he bit his lip to keep from crying out. Once she had finished she shuffled back.

Duke bent down, grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. The entire room spun dangerously and Booth slumped warily against the vampire, unable to hold himself up. Duke smiled and walked across the room, practically dragging the agent behind him as Booth struggled to keep his feet. He stopped at the edge of the Seal of Danzalthar in the middle of the room and looked down at the ancient design and the bizarre goat head in the middle. Without warning Duke gave him a hard shove, causing Booth to sprawl on the floor, across the Seal, the wounds on his chest directly above the ancient design.

The Seal slowly began to glow with a bright white light and all around them the room began to shake as the earth rumbled ominously. Chairs and tables rattled across the ground, and the bookcase on the far wall toppled to the floor.

Duke looked around at the destruction, a smile on his face. "And so it begins."

(v)

Connor skidded the car to a stop outside the cemetery gates just as the earth began to shake. He put the car in park and shut off the ignition as he, Buffy, Giles and Faith hopped out of the car. Another car carrying Spike, Illyria and Willow stopped behind them and the other three got out as well. They gathered their weapons from the trunk of the car and walked through the gates, stepping off the path and quickly running through the cemetery. They entered a small strand of trees and ran through it until they came to a clearing with a mausoleum on top of a hill.

The group ran through the grass and burst through the door, seeing the crumbling sarcophagus and the stairs that lead down into the ground.

The earth shook with another quake.

"What's happening?" Faith asked quietly

"It's the Hellmouth," Willow explained.

"It's hungry," Illyria added in her soft monotone. "It's had blood."

Buffy and the others all looked at her in horror. "What?" whispered Buffy in horror. "How can you tell?"

Illyria tilted her head to the side. "It is connected to the earth. I can hear its thoughts. It is awakening, hungry and feeding on the blood that has been given to it…."

"Crap," muttered Connor as he and the others exchanged horrified looks before turning and running quickly down the stair. They quickly ran down the hall, not bothering to keep quiet before bursting into the room.

They all stopped, their eyes searching the room. The vampires were standing in a circle in the centre of the room, their arms raised above their heads, a glowing white light at their feet. The Hellmouth.

Buffy looked around the room frantically, finally spotting the outline of a body amongst the white light on the floor. Booth. Her eyes widened and she screamed the agents name as she rushed into the room, the others on her heels. The vampires turned, startled, but not for long. They growled, showing their teeth and attacked.

Buffy twirled her sword in her hand as a vampire headed directly for her, an axe in his hand. The others were similarly attacked. Connor ducked Nix's punch and retaliated by a kick to the stomach. He could smell blood, his father's blood, on her breath and knew she was the one responsible. He quickly grabbing the stake from his pocked and staked the vampire quickly. He saw surprise flash across her face before she turned to dust at his feet.

Duke attacked Spike, throwing the blonde vampire into the wall. Spike's hands braced against the wall, and he smirked as he turned his head back around.

"Oi, mate, you don't know how much I'm gonna enjoy this," he said before jumping back into the fray. He attacked Duke, punching and kicking the other vampire. Duke gave as good as he got though, splitting Spike's lip with a well-aimed punch and almost breaking the blonde vampires arm. Spike snarled in pain.

"Spike, catch!" yelled Faith from a few meters away. Spike looked over, and grinned as a sword sailed through the air towards him. Spike caught it and turned, grinning at the look of astonishment on Duke's face as he swept the blade through the air and cleaved his neck from his shoulders. As he crumbled to dust Spike gave a satisfied smirk and looked around for a new target.

In the centre of the room Illyria and Faith made quick work of their vampires as well, the blue demon literally punching the heart out of her opponent's chest as Faith ducked and dodged punches and kicks before beheading her vampire with a swing of her axe.

The earth rumbled again. Everyone stumbled and Willow fell to her knees. Faith glanced around the room; the light had grown stronger as she watched. She saw Booth stir and try to push himself upright as the seal below him started to open.

"Buffy!" Faith yelled frantically "The Hellmouth is opening!"

Buffy killed the vampire she was fighting before glancing quickly around the small room. She scrambled over, but by the time she reached him he was still again. "Booth?!" Buffy yelled frantically, kneeling down beside him and grabbing his shoulders, pulling him away from the Seal. She dragged him along the ground for a few meters before laying him down on his back and kneeling down beside him. "Booth," she said again, softer this time.

He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking at her, his eyes unfocused before he took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes again.

Then his breathing stopped.

"No!" Buffy yelled frantically, "Booth!"

She put her hands on his chest and started compressions, careful not to use all her strength, she didn't want to crush his ribs by accident. At the right intervals she leaned forward, opened his mouth and blew her breath down his throat. All the while tears were streaming down her face. "Willow!" she screamed over her shoulder.

Willow looked up and rushed to her side, the others close behind her as they noticed the panic Buffy was in. Willow knelt down beside the agent and put her hands on his chest and muttered a Wiccan incantation. The others crowded round, Faith had a horrified expression on her face and Connor looked worried.

"Do something, he's dying!" the young man shouted at the witch, his terror getting the better of him.

"I am," Willow assured him, as a spark of electricity shot from her splayed hands down into his chest, shocking his heart into beating. Buffy bent down and blew another mouthful of air into his lung. A strangled, choking gasp sprang from his throat as he suddenly started breathing again. Buffy let out a sob and clutched at him in relief.

Booth moaned again and slowly sat up. He glanced around the room, before looking up into Buffy's eyes.

Willow placed her hand over the seal and muttered an incantation. Without his blood feeding it the power slowly melted away, and the seal darkened under her hands.

Booth struggled to his feet with the help of Connor and Faith as Buffy stood up as well. "Not the brightest idea you've ever had, not that any of your other ideas could be considered a stroke of genius." Spike said cheerfully as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his smokes.

"Thanks," Booth muttered sarcastically as he glared at the other vampire. He glanced down at himself, down noticing his shirt was open. He quickly started buttoning it up over the wounds in his chest.

Still weak and lightheaded he started to sway unsteadily on his feet and almost stumble. Buffy quickly reached out to steady him. "How much blood did you lose?" she asked as she kept a hold of his elbow.

He shook his head. "I don't know, a lot," he muttered.

Spike's nostrils flared. "Enough to make you dizzy and weak, not enough to kill you."

"Comforting," Booth muttered dryly as he looked around the room again. He noticed the door at the other end of the room and pushed past Buffy as he started to walk towards it. He quickened his pace and was about to walk through the door when Buffy put a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked down at her in confusion but she merely held his gun out to him. He nodded his thanks and took the gun back, forgetting that Nix had thrown it across the room when she had attacked him.

He cocked the gun and held it out in front of him as he slowly pushed the door open. His eyes widened and he quickly pointed the gun to the floor as he rushed inside. "Parker," he said in a horrified whisper. The others rushed in after him.

It was a small, dark room and Bones and Parker were in chains against the far wall. In another corner of the room was a skeleton, also in chains.

"Shit", muttered Faith. Booth rushed to Parker's side and started pulling on his chains. "Its ok, buddy," he murmured as the little boy started crying softly. Illyria walked over and knelt down besides Booth. Slowly she reached out to grab the chains.

Booth eyed her warily but the ancient god simply broke the chains on the little boy's wrists and ankles before stepping back and going to Bones and doing the same for her.

Booth gathered the boy into a tight hug and let out the breath he had been holding. He was ok. Parker sniffed and buried his head in his dad's shoulder.

Booth stroked the boys head and made a soothing sound as he struggled to his feet. Settling the boy more comfortably on his hip, with his small arms wrapped around his neck.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, ever again." His voice was fierce as he looked over the boys head and directly into Connor's eyes. "Ever," he whispered again.

Connor's eyes widened and he looked away, unsure of what to say as Buffy smiled at him. Faith and Spike helped Bones to her feet. The anthropologist stumbled, and then took a few limping steps forward. There was a cut on her forehead and she had been bitten. Booth carefully checked Parker's neck and was relieved to find his son hadn't been bitten; all he had was a few bruises and some scratches on his arms.

"Are you ok, Bones?" he asked.

She shook her head. "My navicular is fractured."

Spike snorted. "Your what?" he spluttered.

"Her foot," said Booth. "One of the bones is fractured."

Bones nodded. "I heard it snap," she explained.

"Daddy?" muttered Parker.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go now, this place is scary."

Booth kissed his son's forehead. "Of course, buddy," he murmured, looking around the little prison. "This place is giving me the creeps."