Chapter 28

The six heroes landed hard on a dark, rocky surface. Blossom knelt up, ignoring the pain searing through from her legs and wrists, and looked around. They were enclosed in sparkling, blood red rock, lighted above with a single chandelier, complete with three red candles. Even the soft smoke had a reddish tinge. Ahead was only one passage, lit with more red lanterns. Blossom smirked.

"Where are we?" Bubbles asked, slowly standing up and brushing maroon sand off her knees. Buttercup stood up, and gripped her stomach.

"Not another cave," she grumbled. Butch stood up after her and – curiously, to Blossom – rubbed her shoulder.

"It's not just a cave," Blossom assured. She stood up and glanced at the others. All of them stood there, eying their surroundings.

"You guys ready?" Blossom asked. Bubbles and Buttercup nodded right away. Butch and Boomer eyed each other, then nodded. Brick's right eye simply twitched.

"I'm guessing you're taking charge, then," he said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Buttercup snapped, her bright green eyes staring dangerously in his direction. He glimpsed back at her, then away. He shook his head curtly.

"Alright," Blossom said. "Then let's go."

Blossom led the way through the passage, followed closely by Bubbles and a wary-looking Boomer, then a surly Brick, then Buttercup and Butch taking the rear. They took a quick right several feet ahead, then took a left almost straight away. They walked a few yards, then turned right again. Then again. Then again. The heroes wound themselves through endless, crimson cave halls, around and around.

"Where the fuck are we going?" Buttercup questioned, stopping short and wiping a thick layer of sweat off her face. Blossom stopped, too, followed immediately by the others.

"I don't know," Blossom admitted. "It feels like we're just going in circles."

"Now you get it."

Suddenly, the walls around them sank into the floors, faster than a snake's fangs. Beneath their feet, the crimson stone ground spread out and out then stopped. A cliff-like edge cut around the entire area, and it took only a second to realize they were standing on a giant floating platform. Beyond the edge, other smaller platforms floated casually around like clouds moving through a sky of pictures. The pictures moved soundlessly, snapshots and film reels of random thoughts, random movies, and random scenes taken out of real-life. Blossom caught a picture that looked strangely like a view of the Drake Hotel, the place that she and Brick had visited weeks earlier. Bubbles saw something with flickering black and white fuzz that occasionally would spit a blurry image of something tropical… and burning. Buttercup saw a snippet of a video, two small dark-haired beings embracing from far away. Her lip began to curl, as pink flushed over her face.

"Going in circles," said a soft, drawling voice. The six whirled around and faced none other than Sedusa, hovering far up above them on her own platform. Below one of her eyes shone a bright blue bruise and her gleaming smile showed one golden fang amongst the rest of her teeth. Otherwise, she looked completely recomposed, especially from the last time Butch and Buttercup had seen her. "What you've been doing the whole time, right?"

"Have we now?" Blossom asked, tilting her head to the side, curious. "What exactly have we been doing, Sedusa?"

The others gathered around behind Blossom, Brick close on her right with Bubbles and Boomer behind him, and Buttercup and Butch on her left. They all stared intently at Sedusa, as she simply shook her slithering snake-like locks out of her face.

"You've been on – what do they call them? – Ah… a wild goose chase," Sedusa replied, one gloved finger curling around one wild lock of hair.

"Oh, really?" Blossom snorted. "Why not tell us everything, Sedusa? Saves you time before—"

"We kick your ass," Buttercup spat, a poisonous look upon her face. Blossom nodded.

"Precisely."

"On the contrary," Sedusa giggled. "It wastes your time, doesn't it? The very little, precious time you still have?"

"Just tell us, Sedusa," Blossom said. "What is this supposed 'goose chase?'"

"Haven't you caught on?" Sedusa asked, her voice dripping. "And I thought you were the smart one."

Blossom raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Oh, fine," Sedusa snapped. "You were set up, kiddies."

"How?" Brick demanded, stepping forward a little.

"Didn't you hear me? You were sent on a wild goose chase. A wild chase that led you right into this," Sedusa said, raising her arms to present the room.

"What is this?" Blossom asked. "A trap?"

"Oh!" Sedusa cried. "So you are a little smart! Very good, Blossom!"

"Oh, she's not the smart," snapped a voice from behind. The six whirled around only to see a very bitter-looking, very battle-ready Princess, floating on her own platform. She wore an all-black jumpsuit with a glittering silver belt, and a matching helmet covering most of her bushy brown hair. Blossom and the others backed up and realigned themselves, putting both Sedusa and Princess in sight.

"I had to tell her," she added, folding her arms over her chest.

"Evening, Princess," Blossom said with a smirk. Princess sneered.

"What does clever ole Blossom know?" Sedusa asked. "Surely you have something figured out?"

"I do," Blossom said triumphantly. "Princess is working on another plan for world domination. Correct?"

"Correct, Blossom! You're so intelligent!" Princess exclaimed, though rather sarcastically.

"She has a point, Blossom," Brick whispered. Blossom rolled her eyes and continued.

"Mind control devices. You've been using those devices to… to control everyone. Everything. You used them for the monkeys on the island, you used them on the world leaders, to distract them or something, and you used one on Fuzzy Lumpkins so he can watch over your testing facility. Why, I don't know, but you did."

Princess's eyebrows flickered strangely. She smiled, bemused.

"Maybe you're smarter than I thought," she commented. "The monkeys were mostly just a test. The world leaders needed an extra push to pit them against each other, and yes, to distract them from my own business. Fuzzy, to be honest, is a hackneyed nobody, and I needed one to watch my testing facility, and he proved as easily-controlled as a TV set."

"And you were working on your weapon industry," Blossom continued. "Selling guns and whatnot all over the world, mostly to other mafias and other underground figures. You were building up a nice name for yourself, maybe making a personal army? Like the small one you had in Chicago? And speaking of weapons – you built those spiders, didn't you?"

"Did you?" Buttercup said suddenly.

"You are much smarter than I thought," Princess chuckled. "I'm actually surprised! Yes, as a matter of fact, I did build those spiders. Spy-2000 was one of my favorite weapons I've ever built, and I have every intention of releasing them upon the world."

"Have?" Buttercup snorted. "We destroyed all the ones in cave!"

"Why were they in the cave, anyway?" Blossom asked.

"Well, see," Princess began, repositioning herself on her platform. "That cave was a very handy storage unit, but once this whole thing started, I had to get rid of most of it, or at least relocate them. But I left my spiders as a nice little gift, right Buttercup?"

"Bitch," Buttercup snarled. Princess chortled.

"So what is this little thing exactly?" Blossomed questioned. "Maybe Sedusa can answer? She's been awfully quiet."

"I'm marveling at your intelligence," Sedusa said. "Or, well, lack thereof, more like. This 'little thing' was our plan. Our plan to destroy you."

"Obviously," Brick groaned. "Specifics, maybe?"

"Brick, please," Blossom said, looking scornfully at Brick. He gave her a dirty look and folded his arms across his chest. Blossom looked back at Sedusa.

"What is this plan, Sedusa?"

"To bring you all down, of course," Sedusa said. "Obviously, Miss Princess here couldn't take over the world with you in the way."

"What about us?" Brick asked, stepping forward and pushing Blossom out the way. Princess and Sedusa instinctively jumped, expecting him to attack. He stood there, both fists clenched at his sides.

"What do my brothers and I have to do with any of this? We're not them. Why are we dragged into this mess?"

Brick had a point, as Blossom thought about it. Considering Brick's loyalty to the mafia, and what she could only guess about Butch and Boomer, they weren't exactly on the same plane as she and her sisters. They were, and still are, the Powerpuff Girls. The boys were, and probably still are, the Rowdyruff Boys. Frankly, shouldn't the Rowdyruff Boys have been the perfect assets to any evil plan against them? The boys and the girls were equal, but have always been enemies… up until now at least.

Maybe that was it?

"Because, Brick," Princess started, her voice much higher than usual. "You all would just mess everything up! You and you other boys are nothing but failures!"

"What?!" Boomer and Butch stepped forward, Butch's jaw jutting out dangerously, and Boomer's eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"You heard me!" Princess snarled.

"Besides," Sedusa droned. "You did play some type of part for us, anyway. He told us you'd turn sweet on us anyway, though. Sure enough—" She looked at Butch specifically. "Most of you did."

"Wait, what?" Boomer asked quick. "What part did we play?"

"It doesn't matter," Blossom said softly, stepping closer, followed by Buttercup and Bubbles. "I think the better question is: who is 'he?' I know the answer, anyway, though."

"Oh?" Sedusa cooed. "Who?"

Blossom simply stared at Sedusa. Without a blink, she answered,

"Him."

"Really?" Princess laughed. "How'd you guess?"

"Well besides being in Him's lair," Blossom scoffed, glancing up. "Or besides you slipping it to Brick and I before you disappeared, I would say it was obvious that this wasn't just one of Princess' world domination plans, with Sedusa playing some key role. There's more to this. Oh, how did you pull that disappearing act, by the way?"

Princess and Sedusa glanced at each other and grinned. They both pulled out dazzling jewel necklaces, deep red for Sedusa, and shimmering purple for Princess. Blossom immediately recognized the necklace from the mob party; she was wearing it around her neck that night.

"Just another handy invention," Princess replied, dangling the necklace before them. "It's not exactly ruby slippers, but it does the job. It's got microphone, too."

"So you were talking into it at the party," Blossom remembered. Princess smiled and tucked the necklace back under her shirt.

"Got me out of that one mess, right, Buttercup?" Sedusa snickered, tucking her own necklace back into her cleavage. Buttercup remained silent, but her teeth began to show the more her lip curled.

"What was your part, anyway, Sedusa? Besides watching Butch and Buttercup in the cave."

"Do you really think that's all I did?" Sedusa asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward with her chin in her hand. "Watch two little idiots lovespat for a month underground? First of all, that's not all I watched. I think it was Butch that hoped I saw everything? Well, I did. I saw the optimistic Bubbles and buzzkill Boomer clean up lake, destroy a laboratory, and sleep like little angels all over an island. I saw a very proud Brick argue and argue everyday with a snooty Blossom, except of course that time when he took care of her when she was poisoned. That was so cute, by the way."

"You took care of her?" Princess asked Brick, her eyebrows raised. "My god, you did turn sweet."

"Fuck you, Princess," Brick grumbled.

"Not making that mistake again, thanks," she grumbled back.

"How?" Blossom asked curiously. "How did you watch us?"

"Well, Bubbles actually caught me once. Some of those mind control devices were, you know, cameras," Sedusa replied. "And as for you, maybe you should've checked behind the door in your room, hm?"

"The keyhole. How original," Buttercup chuckled.

"Regardless, I saw everything," Sedusa continued. "And right here, in the comfort of my future home. I had to keep tabs and make sure you all stayed right on track. While I watched, I also had some, well, control of most situations."

"You did the mind controlling?" Blossom asked.

"Yes, I did."

"I just built everything," Princess jumped. "I was busy keeping appearances, selling my weapons, and planning overthrows of big cities."

"Alright," Blossom accepted. "So what was in it for you, Sedusa?"

"Power, of course," Sedusa said, rolling her eyes. "Not exactly world domination, but just as sweet. If I got you here today, I would be granted the best powers a person could possibly have."

"Really now?" Blossom sighed.

"Of course," Sedusa laughed. "I would be the most powerful woman on this earth, and I would have any and every privilege. Princess dear would be the general, whereas I would be the army of one. A force not one would reckon with."

"So Princess would be the face of evil, whereas you would be the fist," Blossom concluded.

"Yes," Princess and Sedusa answered together. Blossom looked at the others. Then she looked at Sedusa, and then at Princess. She turned back to Sedusa. She clicked her tongue.

"Tsk tsk, Sedusa. Isn't that a step down for you? To work under this young, wealthy woman like Princess?"

Some of others behind her broke into laughter. Blossom smiled, noticing a small vein beginning to pulse in Sedusa's forehead. A smile even fell upon Princess's lips.

"Really, though. You intend to work under the command of someone who learned to read looking at price tags at Tiffany's? What has gotten into you, Sedusa?"

The smile immediately fell from Princess's face. She threw a death glare right at Blossom. The others snickering grew louder and louder.

"So now that we know all of that information," Blossom continued. "What exactly was the bigger plan? The whole 'destroying us' plan?"

"Enough talk!" Princess shouted. She stood up on her platform, fists clenched. "They're here, Sedusa, let's do this!" Below, Blossom and the others leapt into battle positions, legs in stance, fists raised. Sedusa slowly stood up, and she pursed her ruby-red lips. The vein on her forehead did not stop pulsing, but she spoke with great control and poise.

"Hold a second, Princess," she said. "We will. But first—" she held up her forefinger. "Let me answer her question. Blossom, the bigger plan was to destroy you all, but first, we were to get you here on this day, just before the Chemical X in your blood expires. We were to get you all here – ready to fight, ready to know, ready to go home – and to tell you everything. We were to tell you our motives and to tell you our actions. And after we've told you everything, we were to beat you down until you were too bloody to go on."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Blossom taunted.

"This."

Sedusa grinned, and she curled one hand and brought it straight up. The platform below the heroes began to quake, and slithering black shadows rumbled over the edge towards them. Princess leapt back and pressed something on her belt, and metal shot at all angles around her. They rammed into the platform under her, and quickly, the platform broke into pieces, which immediately began to shape something else. They built around and around Princess, and within seconds, they built an armor of metal and dark red stone, complete with ray guns and a clear shield over a face. The heroes leapt in the air, backs together, facing all directions.

The battle began.

Blossom shot off after Sedusa, one leg tucked aside and the other aimed straight for the face. Sedusa flicked her hair and sent several locks hurtling after Blossom. Blossom dodged aside, and swung her leg again, smashing her foot into Sedusa'a jaw. Sedusa whirled to the side, wiping the blood dripping down her chin. She spun in the air just as Blossom zipped after her, and jammed one stiletto heel into Blossom's thigh.

"Agh!"

Blossom fought off the pain easily, and swiftly grabbed Sedusa's wrist and twisted back. She slammed Sedusa into a platform, and twisted Sedusa's arm into an excruciating position. Sedusa cried out, and writhed beneath Blossom. Then, Sedusa kinked her neck back, and sent all her snaky hair at Blossom's throat and squeezed. Blossom released her, and ripped at the locks around her neck, splitting hairs left and right. Sedusa rolled away and stood up. She snarled and made a strange movement with her hands. Blossom tore off the last hairs, and looked up at Sedusa. Sedusa weaved a strange, flaming magenta thing in the air, stretching here and there. She smiled and lifted her magical concoction. She spun it around her head like a lasso and snapped it in the air – a fiery, magical, magenta whip. Blossom leapt up at began dodging each crack of the whip, figuring out a way to get around it.

Princess aimed one stone missile at Brick, but he quickly shielded his face, and the missile smashed into his forearms, crumbling into a thousand pieces. Brick rocketed forward and whammed right into Princess, fists flying. He pummeled at Princess's armor, rock disintegrating into thick ruby red smoke. He laughed, enjoying the upper hand of the fight. He too caught up to notice, Princess jerked her knee up and rammed it right into his stomach. Brick immediately stopped, a sickening noise gurgling from his throat. Princess back away, and reloaded her guns.

"I am so sick of fighting with you," she grumbled. "This is why I dumped your ass in the first place!"

Brick gritted his teeth and glared at her.

"You dumped me? Fuck you, I dumped you because you were a sleazy bitch," he roared. Princess snorted and aimed a gun right at him and fired.

Below, Boomer, Bubbles, Butch and Buttercup battled the lurking black masses. The masses grew and shrank, darted away, or fell upon them. The heroes kicked, punched, shot off eyebeams, screamed sonic waves, but the masses kept coming, blistering the heroes' skin on contact, burning right through the nerves. Buttercup backed into Butch, spinning around to push off the shadows. Boomer elbowed and stomped, and turned right into Bubbles, who was trying desperately to blast the masses away. Suddenly, she got an idea, and leapt into the air.

"Watch it, guys!" she yelled. Butch, Buttercup, and Boomer glanced up, confused. Bubbles wrung her hands together and licked her lips. Buttercup then realized what she was going to do, and grabbed Butch's and Boomer's wrist.

"Take cover!" she cried, and she dragged them off into the air away from the shadows.

Bubbles brought her hands to her face, and slowly cupped them over her mouth. Then she blew. She blew a shimmering, glasslike bubble, bigger, and bigger, and bigger, bigger than large minivan, and perfectly spherical. She quickly closed her hands together, and smiled.

"Sonic bubble blast."

She released the bubble, and it floated magnificently to the platform… and popped. The shadows blasted away, obliterating into the nothing from which they came. The platform was covered with thick, crimson debris, littered within an enormous crater. Up above, Bubbles giggled and looked back at a completely windswept and terror-struck Boomer and Butch, cowering behind an equally windswept but very proud Buttercup.

"Ain't she a kicker?" Buttercup laughed.

Sedusa slapped Blossom away with her magic whip, and whizzed around in the air. She looked below at the cratered platform and grimaced. She looked at Bubbles.

"You little—"

Sedusa tossed aside her whip, which disappeared right away, and she began to twiddle her fingers and move her hands. Right from the rock, she pulled something long, and slimy, with emerald green scales and an ominous toothy mouth at one end. She pulled out another, and then another, summoning an army of the most grotesque eel-like demons. One creature opened its mouth, revealing an endless funnel of razor-sharp teeth, oozing with bubbling saliva.

"Oh, this should be fun," Butch chortled. Buttercup, Boomer, and Bubbles dove right in for the kill, beating the creatures to smithereens. Buttercup snagged two at once and whipped them together, tying them into a perfect, bloody knot, squishing the creature's insides out of their mouths. Boomer stomped his foot onto one's tail and grabbed its slick head. He put one hand on each side of its mouth and pulled, ripping the jaw in half as easily as ripping a sheet of paper. Bubbles flipped several into the air, and zapped them into nothing. Butch rolled his eyes and swept his arms.

"Watch out below!" he called. He curled each hand almost into a fist, a single electric green light forming in each palm. They grew larger and larger, and Butch lifted them above his head. He laughed and crashed them together into a neon crackling orb. He tossed it into one hand, jumped in the air, and spiked it to the platform, the orb zooming down like a bolt of lightning. Buttercup, Bubbles, and Boomer rocketed up into the air, just as the orb struck one demo. Suddenly, all the demons one by one seized and convulsed, electrocuted by the powerful lightning. Butch cried out triumphantly. Buttercup turned to him and grinned, making Butch smile even wider.

"What is this?" Princess scowled, narrowly missing a series of eye beams delivered by Brick. Princess shrieked like an angry cat, and turned to Sedusa, who was still struggling with Blossom.

"Sedusa!" she screamed. She didn't wait for a response, and spiraled right in between Buttercup, Butch, Bubbles and Boomer, Brick zooming after her. Princess struck Boomer in the back of the head, sending him flying into Buttercup. Butch seethed and shot forward and punching upward, striking Princess hard with s tough upper cut. Bubbles zoomed around Princess and aimed one strong blow into the back of her helmeted head. Boomer and Buttercup recovered fast, and joined in the fight, pounding at Princess's rock armor.

A bit away, Brick spat out a mouthful blood, and slicked his grimy hair back out of his eyes. He looked away from the busy fighting of the others and saw Sedusa smack Blossom hard into the ground, blood spattering from her nose. Brick made a disgusted face, and then switched into defense mode. He took a deep breath, held it a second, and puffed out a ball of blazing fire. He tossed it in the air and puffed more fire from his mouth, spinning the ball as he blew. He ran out of air and the ball dropped back into his hands. He lifted the ball, the flames slowly darkening into a thick crust. He narrowed his eyes, ready to aim right at Sedusa.

"Hey, Sedusa!"

Sedusa whipped her head to him and raised her eyebrows. Brick grinned.

"Batter up!"

And he pitched the fireball right at her. Sedusa gasped and slashed into the air, creating a wall of blue light and striking the fireball right back at Brick. A few feet away, Blossom opened her sore, bruised eyes and saw the fireball shooting back at Brick. She cried out weakly.

"Brick!"

Brick simply shrug and swung his left arm, sending it right back at Sedusa. Sedusa huffed and slashed the ball back again. Blossom staggered off the ground and flew over a few yards away. She waved her hands at Brick.

"Over here!" she yelled. Brick gave her a strange look, and hit the fireball back at Sedusa. Blossom waved her arms again and made a desperate face at Brick. Sedusa whacked the fireball back at Brick. Brick noticed Blossom again and, against his better judgment, sent it after Blossom. Blossom geared up, hastily shaking her left arm and quickly calculating the best angle to aim, and then she smacked the fireball at Sedusa, several times the force and speed than before. Sedusa tried to hit it back, but the fireball crashed right into her, crushing her into the platform.

Blossom panicked. She zoomed over to her and evaporated the comet-like fireball into dust. Sedusa lay unconscious on the ground, her front and sides smoldered, and her hair completely burned away. Blossom grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse – it was weak, but it was there. Blossom sighed with relief.

"She dead?" Brick asked, popping up behind her. Blossom shook her and looked at him. He nodded.

"Good."

"One down," Blossom said, standing up. She and brick looked over at the others, still battling with Princess, but Princess putting up quite the fight.

"What kind of armor is that?" Blossom asked, staring at the relatively undamaged Princess.

"Rock and metal?" Brick answered. "I don't know."

"I was asking for the material of the armor, not music genres, but okay," Blossom said. She eyed Brick and smiled. Brick stared at her a second… then laughed.

"Whoa. A joke," he said.

"I'm not totally uptight," Blossom smiled. "Now tell me – can any of us make water?"

"What? Why?"

"Just tell me."

"Boomer can make rain, I think, but why?"

"That's perfect," Blossom said. She turned to Brick. "Give him the word."

"Me?" Brick asked, flabbergasted. Blossom nodded. Brick stared at her once again. Then he smiled.

"Alright then. Boomer!"

Boomer tumbled out of the fight and turned to Brick. He looked at him questioningly.

"Make it rain, bro!" Brick called. Boomer shook his head and looked around. Brick called again. "Make it rain, Boomer. Make it rain!"

Boomer seemed to have caught on, and he shot several feet up above the fight, and made a grand movement with his arms. He raised them above him and clenched his fists. His entire body trembled, and out of nowhere, miniscule droplets of water swirled around him, growing and growing into a soft cloud. Then, he stopped, and the water hovered a moment, then fell.

Just as the water fell to the earth, Blossom rocketed up and took a deep, deep breath. Then, she blew out the coldest breeze, icier than an Antarctic wind. As the water fell through the icy wind, long drops froze on impact and became nail-like icicles. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of small but sharp icicles fell to Butch, Buttercup, Bubbles, and Princess fighting below. Brick, Blossom, and Boomer cried out.

"Butch!"

"Buttercup!"

"Bubbles!"

All three looked up and gasped. They zoomed away at all angles, leaving Princess flustered, struggling to reload her guns. She stopped and looked around, noticing they were gone.

"What the—"

Then… she looked up.

"NO!"

She turned around and covered her face, as the ice shards rained on her. She plunged to a small platform below and crashed into ground, her arms still covering her head. The icicles hailed down on her, slowly chipping away at her stone armor. The six heroes watched powerlessly until the armor was completely gone, and the icicles fell in less and less numbers until they were all gone. Princess lay motionless on the dirt, her arms even still covering her head.

Blossom looked at the others, all of them sharing faces of apprehension. She took a deep breath, and floated down to her, the others close behind. Blossom stopped by her head and knelt down. She gently nudged at Princess's arm. A soft moan sounded beneath Princess's face. Butch knelt down and gingerly rolled her over. Princess inhaled sharply and groaned again. She slowly opened her eyes, slowly rolling her eyes at each of them. She frowned and coughed weakly.

"I… hate you…"

She closed her eyes and passed out. Blossom checked her pulse, too, just to be sure. Afterwards, Blossom sighed, and collapsed onto the ground. Brick stood nearby and put both hand behind his head, closing his eyes and envisioning the previous events in his head. Bubbles knelt over, trying to catch her breath, as Boomer rubbed his aching. Buttercup closed her eyes tight, then opened them again. A exhaled a very shuddery breath.

"I'm… exhausted." She took a wavering step and stumbled, tipping dangerously over by the edge. Butch caught her and gently helped her sit down. He sat down next to her and began rubbing her shoulders.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Bubbles asked, standing straight, though wincing at sharp cut on her knee.

"What are we supposed to do with them?" Butch asked, gesturing towards Princess and Sedusa.

"Well," Blossom said with a shrug. "They're both out cold, but they should probably get to a hospital or something."

"That's great!" Brick exclaimed. "Now how do we get out?"

"Brick, I don't have all the answers," Blossom admitted, too tired to fight with him. But surprisingly, Brick smiled weakly and nodded.

"I know," he said. "None of us do."

"Hey, wait!" Boomer said suddenly. "Wha-what time is it?"

"It's too late."

All six of them turned around, looking for the eerie, singsong voice and –

-- They froze.