Chapter 20: Escape (Of Other Worlds Part 3)

The lights in wardrobe went out, leaving Jared in total darkness. He would never admit it, but being trapped in the darkness terrified him. It reminded him of the night he learned his own true colors.

~Flashback~

Jared had just turned eight, and he was out celebrating it with his parents. They had moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, only a month ago, and everything was still so new. Chris and Kiera Brock wanted to give their son a birthday he would remember. Unfortunately, it turned into a horror he could never forget.

Of all the places he could have chosen for dinner, young Jared wanted Bojangles. Kiera was sceptical, but Chris went right along, talking about how it was Jared's birthday, and that made him king for a day. And if a king desires a biscuit and Cheerwine, by god he shall have it. This behavior always got a laugh out of Jared, who proceeded to jokingly demand that his father buy steak biscuits for the kingdom, as any king would. After their dinner, the family went to check out the local arcade, and the birthday boy wanted to see if they had Buckshot 4, the game that he always set a high score on, no matter what arcade. Before they entered the arcade, however, Kiera let out a small scream as she was dragged into the alley behind the building by a small gang. Chris made his son stay put as he ran after his wife, but the boy didn't listen. He ran in behind his father, getting hit in the head with the butt of a rifle. The sun had set, so Jared could only see what was going on through the dim amount of light coming from the back windows of the arcade building. He felt chains forced around him, keeping him from moving, and he watched as the man who held his mother in a vice-like grip pulled out a pistol and shot his father between the eyes. He wanted to scream, but the shock got to him first, causing him to remain silent instead. Kiera was the one to cry out instead, but she couldn't get a full word out before she was violently shoved against the rough brick wall. The man holding her did this repeatedly before dropping her to the ground. Her face was covered in blood as she lay there crying. The man raised his pistol, pointing it at the crying woman, and Jared let out a blood-curdling yell. His eyes lit up a vibrant green as a translucent shell of the same color formed over his mother. He broke through the chains as if they were wet paper, shoving one of the men holding him against the wall. With the amount of force used, it was no surprise that there was an audible crack from his captor's neck. The second one raised his rifle, but the boy quickly knocked it out of his hands, shoving the man to the ground. He grabbed the man's head and yanked it right of his neck before releasing another savage yell. He dove at the third and final man, lashing out with a fury only seen in feral beasts. He slammed his fist into the man's gut, sending him flying a few feet back and sprawling onto the ground. Jared ran over to him and grabbed his face, lifting his head up and slamming it back to the ground, fracturing his skull. He repeated the process, this time causing some brain matter to leak out. The young boy continued this until the back of the man's head was completely flat and his breathing had clearly stopped. He stood up and walked back to his mother, the glow in his eyes fading along with the shell over her. Looking at all of the bodies around him, most of them caused by him, he was relieved to find that his mother was still breathing, but she was unconscious. Sinking to his knees and looking at his now bloody hands, Jared broke down into tears.

The police had been told that the men had killed each other, with the Brocks getting caught in the crossfire. Kiera went comatose shortly after the attack and had to be put on a breathing machine as her body slowly shut down from the extreme head trauma. Jared was sent to live with the Tsurugi family, close family friends of the Brocks and now his legal guardians. They supported him at his father's funeral, and at his mother's a month later. But only their daughter, nine year old Kagami, ever learned what had truly happened that night, and just how terrified Jared was because of it.

~End Flashback~

"So, how are you so calm in this situation?" Zoe asked, trying to spark a conversation.

"For the very same reason as you," was all Joe said as they continued in silence. Unfortunately for the actor, Zoe was bored and curious, a combination almost as dangerous as her being tired and hungry.

"Are we there yet?"

"No. You'll know when we're there."

"Why do you have a sand pit in your air duct?"

"We don't."

"Then what's that?" Zoe pointed at a mass of blue-gold sand settled in the duct. It seemed to be swirling, but it didn't move from it's spot and there was nothing that could cause it to move like that. Joe's eyes went wide when he saw the sand.

"Move quickly," he whispered as he moved past the sand and down the duct. Zoe was now confused and even more curious.

"What's so dangerous about the sand?" Joe just glared at her and motioned for her to keep up. A few minutes of crawling later, and they were sliding down a vertical shaft that lead to a vent outside. Joe kicked the vent off and jumped out. There was an audible grunt a half a second later.

"It's a bit of a drop," he called up, but Zoe was already on her way out, laughing as he fell on top of the actor. Joe decided that he was officially up to ninety-eight percent done with the her and Jared.

"Well, we're out, so what was so dangerous about the sand?"

Marinette didn't hesitate. She thrusted her fists forward, knocking the two men back with dual pillars of sound. Not wanting to wait around and see what they did, she quickly got up and ran for the exit. Throwing herself into the door, it surprisingly opened with ease. Walking into the backlot, a cool breeze blew past. She needed to find Zoe and Jared, where ever they had ended up in there. Suddenly, the young girl had an idea. She ran for The Dragonfire, planning on calling Tenshi, but quite literally ran into someone as she rounded the corner. Looking at who she had collided with, she found a large, burly man in a security guard uniform. "Oh thank god," she said. "There are two armed men in the main room. They knocked each other unconscious, but I think one of them is genuinely insane and both are incredibly dangerous." The guard grimaced.

"I'll have to look into this, but I'll need some more people to help. Wait here." Marinette nodded and sat down on a nearby bench. Half an hour later, four more guards arrived and entered the building. They came out a few minutes later, looking puzzled.

"What happened?" the young girl asked.

"There was nothing there. All of the actors and tour members have gotten out and are accounted for, meaning that if those two were still here, they would have either been found somewhere else in the backlot, or be in that mess of corridors the director insists on keeping back there. I would recommend just heading home. If you would like, we can contact you if we find them?"

"I'm good." Marinette went back to the parking lot where they had parked their ship, finding Zoe already there.

"This world is officially on crack," the brunette huffed.

"What happened?"

"I was talking with the actor, Joe Keery. He was telling me about this weird sand we found in the air duct. Said it was dangerous and to not touch it if you want to continue living. I then turned my back to him for a second and there was a literal pop before he disappeared."

"That is weird," Jared said, walking up behind Zoe and slamming his hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump.

"How the hell did you get out?"

"Well, turns out urine is an excellent lubricant, and-"

"I'm going to stop you right there. Also, I don't think I'm alone in saying let's never come back to this world."

"Yeah, they think I look like Joe Keery. He looks nothing like me. Too short, lacks the booming voice, the beautiful face, the chiselled abs."

"Why don't you take those chiselled abs to the shower and clean up, because you stink." Jared shrugged.

"What do you expect from someone who was rolling around in their own urine for five straight minutes?" Zoe's face wrinkled in disgust. She pointed to the ship, sending the large man a look that said that she would do him serious harm if he didn't wash up soon. He quickly obeyed, and they were back off to the Blind Eternities.

So, Jared's life is shit, and that's all for this crackfest of a world. Don't worry, all of the loose threads will be answered, unlike the demon child in supernatural. Don't forget to review and au revoir.