Author's Note: Back again! I sort of left you guys hanging there with that hour of darkness thing; however I got a great chapter that I'm sure most of you will like. Enjoy! P.S. I changed the prologue a bit to fit the story. Not much... just maybe two sentences.
WoRdLiFeCeNa4: First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was really depressed when I logged onto my computer, and seeing a long review from my best reviewer put a big grin on my face! I like metaphors too. There was this cool one I read about life being a chess game. It was neat... Anyways, the reason why I'm capitalizing the LOL now is because my computer would always insist on changing it into this different word automatically, and I don't know how to shut that system off, so now I'm going to capitalize it to make it easier. When I see it from your point of view I guess that the rumour wouldn't suck. However, I just thought it might stink if we had to wait another year or two for the other half. But now I changed my mind and I decided the rumour is good. You could be an astronaut! As long as you work really hard... and pass all the tests... and get to know the right people... and... I think I see your point now. LOL! (Kidding)! LOL! I guess that after reading eight stories that phrase does get sort of annoying doesn't it? If it bothers you I won't say it anymore. Later! P.S. Thanks for telling me about that little error.
C. Anon: I thought it was a little dark yet creative. I want to make it really evil... I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!
tootierulez: Wow. Usually I catch the mistakes I make. I guess I was just really tired when I read it... Thanks for pointing those out! I have replaced the old chapter with the non-mistake one. Thanks for reviewing!
venusgal100: Is it just me, or are people getting desperate to try and solve my plot twists? LOL! Thanks for reviewing!
A. Nonymous: Blush Awwww. Thanks for the comment! I know what you mean by the gothic tones. There is this music from this one game I have that would go perfectly! Too bad I have no way of putting it into the story though... LOL! Yah, it is pretty awful... and the elder said it gets worse... OH NO! LOL! Ya, when I look back at my Mr. Krabs idea, I know I would not have been able to get far on the plot. Besides, I think Mindy has a bit more charisma. Yes, yes, I know about my mistakes. I've replaced the old chapter with corrected language. Let's all give a cheer for Mindy's grandmother! LOL! Anyway, thanks for reviewing! A trip? HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME! LOL! Kidding! I hope you have a good time! See ya September 21!
Bladequeen2000: Thanks for reviewing!
2tails: Glad to see you've taken a liking to reviewing my stories. You're guess of how Losing His Past would end was very creative! I wish I had thought of that while I was writing the story... maybe one day I'll change it a little. Anyways, I'm glad you like Sickness so far. Thanks for reviewing!
ComicCrystal: Thanks for reviewing!
Sponge5: Sad to say, no. I am not making a RAN 3. There is no plot that would be able to connect well with the other RANs, and also, I find that making a third will start to make people bored with the plot. However, if you are willing to submit to me your own plot and have me make it into a story, I'd be happy to do it. I'm sorry, but I can't just type willy-nilly. I need structure. Hope you understand. Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 6: Freedom to Fear
Mindy awoke to the neighing of her sea-horses. She glanced at the watch that was wrapped around her wrist. It read seven o' clock a.m. Much too early to get up, but this was an exception.
Mindy rose from her bed and changed into her day wear. She then wrote a note to her father telling him that she took her pets to the field for some fresh air.
Mindy silently exited the small house Neptune bought for their vacation, and then she saddled up her two sea-horses and led them to the field.
Mindy was silent, yet swimming extremely fast. After what she had witnessed yesterday, nothing was going to stop her from visiting the island today.
Within five minutes she reached the field. She ordered her sea-horse to stay where they were, and then she swam to the surface.
Her head broke surface, and she immediately turned to face the island. Only... she couldn't see it. The only thing Mindy could see was white. At first Mindy didn't understand why she couldn't see anything, but then she realised that it was fog that made her vision impaired.
Mindy searched for the island, swimming in the direction she normally swam to reach it. It was extremely difficult to navigate through the blinding whiteness. It was like walking into a solid wall.
Despite the fog, Mindy finally found the island. It looked like a black stain against a canvass of white. Mindy swam closer to get a better look. No one was on the beach today. However, Mindy couldn't blame them. The elder and man were probably busy with the village people today. They were going to escort the people who were sick to the other side of the island.
Still, whether there were people there or not, Mindy stayed by the island. Even though nothing was going on that she cold see, Mindy knew that there was something strange and paranormal happening today.
Mindy floated in the water, a ghostly shadow on the prospect of white death. It was hours since she arrived, yet Mindy stayed, a look of solid determination on her face.
Judging how long Mindy had been floating there, it was noon. She looked into the sky, yet the fog concealed the sun behind a jail of mist. Mindy turned her attention to the island. No one was there. Mindy gave a depressed sigh. Paranormal happenings or not, there was nothing to observe. Mindy felt defeated against the lack of events. She turned to leave the island...
Something rustled in the brush. Mindy zoomed back to face the island. She could have sworn she heard something. There it was again. The sound of frantic movement. Mindy edged closer to the island, uncaring if she was seen. The sound grew louder. Closer, closer... A woman erupted from the bushes, carrying a small child in her arms. She was panting heavily, and her hair was messy with worry and fright. The tiny child was crying in its mother's arms. The woman darted her head around, apparently looking for something. Whatever it was, it wasn't there. The woman gave a sigh of relief and then dashed away. Mindy followed the woman with her eyes; however, the fog soon turned the figure into a dark smudge on the landscape.
Mindy floated silently in the water. Why was the woman so afraid?
Suddenly, a dark shape passed Mindy by. She spun her head in the direction she saw the shape. It was gone...
Mindy shifted uneasily in the water. She could sense an evil presence...
Suddenly Mindy heard screaming. It was high-pitched that shattered the silent gloom hanging in the air. Without knowing entirely why, Mindy swam as fast as she could towards the screams.
Mindy reached the other side of the beach. She saw a dark blurry form through the fog. The screaming continued. Mindy swam closer, although with precaution, and gasped at what she saw.
The woman she had seen running was turning her body in all kinds of direction. She was wiggling about, looking like she was trying to shake something off her body. She continued screaming. Mindy was revolted at what she saw. All of a sudden, the village leader emerged from the bushes, a look of furry on his face.
"Garrum hozac mayoy!" The leader bellowed at the top of his voice. All of a sudden, everything went silent, and a flash of white light brighter than the fog filled the air. Mindy was surprised to find that she was comforted by the light. It made her feel cool with power.
In seconds, (or was it minutes?) Mindy opened her eyes, and they slowly adjusted back to the proper lighting. The first thing she saw was the village leader bending over the woman and the small youth. He appeared to be muttering words of reassurance. (Mindy was not using her gift of tongues).
The raven haired man then emerged from the bushes. Now, Mindy used her gift. The man approached the elder. The elder looked up, silently at his son, an unreadable look on his face. He then turned back to the woman. He muttered something (Mindy couldn't hear) to the woman and pointed her in a direction. It was then that Mindy realised there were a few, small huts on the other side of the island. Some other men were working on building others. The woman rose and started to walk stiffly towards the small colony.
The elder then gestured for his son to follow him. Despite what Mindy just witnessed, she was happy to see that the man and his father were going to have another talk. Mindy followed them along the beach until they stopped, far out of hearing of the woman. Both men wore looks of concern on their faces.
"Father, the attempt isn't working," the man said with fear. "We need more time."
"There is no more time. More and more of our people are being infected. Didn't you just see how that poor woman was struggling against it?"
Mindy gasped. Was the thrashing that woman was going through caused by the sickness?
"Still," replied the man. "You were able to find that healing spell in your scrolls..."
"Healing spell or not, they are still being infected. The spell is strong enough to prevent the sickness from moving to the next stage, but it is not enough to prevent it entirely."
The man turned from his father and looked at the new village. There was a shimmer of defeat in his eyes.
"What do we have to do?"
"I fear we have to leave this island. We'll leave the ones that are sick. They are protected by the spell. However, we should still leave as soon as possible. With every spell I grow weaker and if anything happened to me..." The elder broke of and gave a sigh. His son wore concern.
"Father, what do you mean by if anything happened to you?"
"You and I both know this is no ordinary sickness... I feel... I fear it has intelligence."
"Father you... surly... you must be joking. I mean... this is just a germ... a virus... it can't..."
"You know perfectly well what this thing is capable of! How can you still say it is merely a sickness?"
The man was left silent. He knew his father was right.
"As I was saying, we must leave before anything serious happens. I only hope we're not already too late..."
The man gave a beaten sigh. "We should find everyone who isn't sick and bring them here. Then we should get all the necessary supplies. Boats, food, those sort of things."
"You're right, you get the supplies, and I'll bring the people here." The leader turned to head for the village. "Be safe," he whispered before heading into the brush.
Five hours later
Mindy watched as the man worked steadily at making a boat. It was very big, but then again, his father never told him how long the journey would be. However, it would get them away from the island, and that was all that mattered.
The only thing that was bothering Mindy, was that none of the villagers had shown up. Apparently the same thought had struck the man, for when he paused the take a break from his work, he wore a look of concern.
Finally, a villager emerged from the growth; however both Mindy and the man could tell that something was horribly wrong.
The villager was a woman, and she was ecstatic with tears of fear and terror. The man abandoned his work to comfort her. Mindy used he gift of tongues.
"There, there. What's wrong? Are you upset because the leader said we need to leave?"
The woman shook her head rapidly, as if simple denial could change what was troubling her.
"What is wrong?" Then the man looked away from the woman and noticed no one else was with her. "Where are the villagers?" he questioned her, his voice suddenly serious. "Where is the elder?"
The woman looked up at him with pure terror in her eyes. She then turned rapidly around as if something had suddenly stirred in the bushes. However, neither Mindy nor the man heard anything.
"Miss..."
The woman tore herself from his arms and ran away into the fog.
"Something isn't right here," the man observed. The last thing Mindy saw was the man dashing towards his village.
"Father!" the man called through the mist. "Father!" He ran through the fog, hoping to find a villager that could help him. However, there were no villagers. The village was a ghost town. "What happened here?" the man asked himself. He ran towards his home, hoping to find his father.
He entered his house. Despite the door they had, the fog still found a way into the house. In fact, did the fog just grow... thicker? "Father!" the man called. A dark shape formed out of the fog, and the old leader appeared. At first he looked like he didn't know where he was, but then he spotted his son, and he remembered.
"What are you doing here? You should be leaving the island!"
The man was lightly surprised. That was not the type of welcome he expected...
"Father, what happened? Where are all of the villagers? Why aren't you leaving with me? We have to hurry before the fog gets any thicker..."
All of a sudden, horrible realisation dawned on the man. He glared at the fog, and then his father. His eyes were night black. A faint echo of the caring leadership he used to wear was the only light in his stone eyes.
"Father... No...Can... have you been..."
"Infected?" asked the elder. "Yes, I'm afraid so, my son. You need to leave."
"But... the healing spell..."
"The monster resting inside of me knows I have power, so it is using it for its own use. Please, I can't explain... Not enough time..."
"Father, what happened to the villagers?"
"They fled, when they saw..." The elder grew silent.
"Father?"
"I will explain as much as I can while I'm still here... While I was getting the villagers together, the monster emerged. Before I could do anything it... attacked. It now resides inside me. It is trying to... violently possess me..."
"WHAT!"
"I knew you wouldn't approve, but that is the way it is. Remember how I said it has intelligence?"
"Yes..."
"I was right. It's smarter than anything that resides in this world... I'm risking your life just by telling you this. I'm sure that it's listening on our conversation... Please, son. Leave the island... now. My time with you has grown short..."
"Father..."
The old man reached into his drawer and pulled out a long dagger. The young man was shocked by the sight of its lethal blade.
"Just remember... I always wanted what was best for you. I always wanted..."
Then it seemed like time froze. The fatherly glint that rested in the old man's eyes was swallowed by the darkness, and the monster reigned.
"KILL YOU!" screeched the monster. However, the father was still inside, and with a violent swing, the blade entered the man's throat. The thing screeched in pain and started to leave the corpse. The man watched as his father drained of the evil in him. Then with a sudden bolt, he realised that he was the sickness' new target. He burst out of the hut and sprinted for the beach. The last thing he remembered of his father was a terrible black plague leaving his father through the mouth. It steered itself towards the man, and he ran faster.
The man reached the beach. He looked around desperately for his boat, but it was nowhere. The man cursed under his breath. How did the creature know to bring the boat out? The man started to run again. He didn't have time to dwell on such questions. His only hope now was to out-run the monster.
Mindy floated in the waves, hoping the man would soon show himself. Suddenly, she could hear heavy breathing. She looked down the beach and she could see the man running; almost like he was being chased by something. She backed away, sensing that something dreadful was coming.
The man stopped running for a minute to catch his breath. He clutched his left side, which was in pain. He then straightened himself and brushed the sweaty hair out of his face. He surveyed his surroundings, and then looked behind him. Whatever was following him, it obviously wasn't there now because the man bent over, relieved. The only thing that could be heard for a while was the gentle waves of the sea.
Suddenly, a white fog descended onto the water. The man's expression turned to fear as he noticed the fog. He was going to take a step, when the air turned freezing cold. Goosebumps crawled up Mindy's arm. The man whirled around, but nothing was there. Mindy saw him take a careful step backwards. Then the fog thickened, and Mindy could only see a black silhouette of the man.
All of a sudden, something lunged out of the bushes and onto the man. Mindy would have gasped, but her body was paralyzed with fear. Mindy could only watch in blind horror as the man struggled to free himself of whatever was clinging to him. Mindy cringed as the man yelled and burst into a fit to tear off the thing. The man appeared to be losing, but then she was taken by surprise, when both he and the creature stumbled into the freezing water of the ocean.
Mindy watched as the creature was shocked by the drop in temperature. The man pried it off of him and threw it deeper into the ocean. For a minute, everything seemed still, but then it sprang again, and the man was pulled under. Mindy dove her head underwater to watch the rest of the battle. The thing had disappeared, but the man was moving about strangely, just how the woman was moving. Mindy backed away, slowly in terror, but the next thing she knew, the man was motionless. Mindy edged a little closer, and found that the man had drowned himself. But yet... he still looked awake. Mindy moved closer to the man, and saw in his eyes, there was still something in the corpse, trying to escape.
Suddenly, a deep, petrifying shock of evil and terror spread throughout Mindy. She knew that if she stayed any longer, it would be suicide, but yet, she did not want to leave just yet. Mindy swam father from the dead man, and watched his body eerily float in the water. Suddenly, she gasped. Something indescribable started to leave the man through his mouth. It swam in circles for a minute. Was it possibly looking for witnesses to the death? Whatever it was looking for, it didn't see it. It swam into the depths of the ocean, and vanished from Mindy's sight.
Mindy started at the spot where the thing vanished, and then she glanced back at the island. Her senses told her it was over... for now.
Mindy turned, and started to swim home.
Back to Present Day
"We came back to Bikini Bottom the next day. I never saw the island again."
Spongebob remained silent. "That is ... quite a story. But what does it have to do with Bikini Bottom?"
"I think..." Mindy pause to take in a short breath of claming air. "I think the sickness is in Bikini Bottom."