And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

The dull sound of the clock's bell rang throughout the tower twice, signaling the fourteenth hour. It had now been a week after the funeral, and although most of the tower's occupants had managed to continue on with their lives, one remained locked in her room, leaving only to creep to the restroom or kitchen. Usually, no one ever seemed to interrupt her, despite the fact they would eye her with concern when she did leave her quarters. And yet, they somehow managed to keep their worry to themselves, and after a short time, Starfire would soon leave the room to return to her prison.

The others were affected shortly after this sudden change in character. As most people, they did not realize how the alien's cheer and warmth put a part of their lives into motion. Beast Boy had yet to come up with any new jokes, and Cyborg had now lost two people he could comfortably sit and talk with.

Raven, on the other hand, was the least affected, for she was able to do the things she normally did. There were always plenty of books to read, and when she read those books, she would only have to make a trip to the county library to get more. It was only after she had read Ethan Frome did she begin to feel a need to confront Starfire's problem.

For instance, on a cold, gray morning, Raven managed to spot Starfire skulking around the hall, her skin ten shades paler than its usual tone. Her eyes were the usual shade of green and bore no traces of being bloodshot, though they were not as wide and heartwarming. Instead, they were constantly half-open, and staring directly into her pupils seemed to only send a slight shiver down one's spine, causing that individual to turn away immediately.

The girls walked in opposite directions, the blank stare of the alien getting closer and closer to Raven. It wasn't until Starfire was twenty feet behind her that she made an attempt to speak.

"Starfire?"

Her footsteps had been as lifeless as her face, almost like a mentally imbalanced patient surrounded by watchful nurses. Raven was now staring at her long, red hair, which no longer seemed to match with the rest of her body.

"…What?"

At last; the first words she had heard from her in a long time. She had almost forgotten what she sounded like…

"Are you OK?"

A long five seconds of silence followed, but to Raven it felt more like several hours. She didn't understand why she wasn't used to it yet; she had been hearing this same kind of silence ever since the funeral. But now, due to the fact it was coming from a person that was usually so cheerful, it was disturbing.

"…I could be… better."

Despite the fact she had been longing to hear words once again, they came all too soon; Raven was startled and flinched, but immediately recovered. Raven then remembered why she had confronted the girl in the first place, but she pushed her mission aside, responding with an "Alright… I'll see you around" and turning to leave.

Although the tower had become a solemn place, life still continued. Raven and Beast Boy, cautious of their horrible discovery, had managed to set up an agreeable curfew for the team. Bedtime was to be ten o'clock, for "a long chance of rest for the morning", as Raven would put it. Although she and the changeling did consider telling the team their discovery, they kept their secret and ensured their comrades safety by taking this procedure.

And apparently, no one died. Well… physically, at least.

Despite this reassurance, the two friends couldn't help but wonder if there was going to be some kind of event that would keep the team awake past midnight (midnight being realized the time that the Red Death struck from the story's textual reference). On several circumstances, Beast Boy was lucky enough to catch Cyborg in the living at 11:30. This was the closest call they had ever had.

Of course, the idea that Cyborg may not be harmed occupied the changeling's brain. He had managed to remember his trip into the android's body as a cell, which proved that he did have some kind of circulatory track. He brought it up with Raven, who agreed with his theory; and besides, android or not, they couldn't take any chances.

But in the end, whether it was a risk or not, the Titans fell to pain and horror. The events I'm about to tell now may shock you, if not disturb you, because of their unpredictability. What happened on that terrible, terrible night is nothing to be joked about, and, if one can resist, thought about in any way. The idea that such a fate could happen to four, helpless teenagers in their safe home disturbed the citizens of Jump City in many ways. It was even wondered if it was a rumor; of course, the Titans didn't show up in the city now, but who were they to say? No one ever went out to the small island that housed their home, so no one could confirm if they were alive or not.

But now, I digress. There's a time for discussion and a time for story-telling. What happened is true, and whether or not it'll happen again I'm unsure. However, the following paragraphs, as well as many of the paragraphs before, are a retelling of the story that has haunted the city for years and years to come.

The fatal mistake began when Raven built up the nerve to confront Starfire once again, hoping to get her back into the normal swing of things. As she knocked on the alien's door, she couldn't help but wonder if her plan would work or not, but either way, she had to try.

After a long minute, the once cheerful girl slowly opened her door. If Raven had managed to see this girl's new image a hundred times, it would still appear new and shocking.

"Yes?" asked Starfire, the door open wide enough to see an emerald eye surrounded by pale skin.

"Hey Starfire," said Raven, trying to sound warm. "The other guys and I just found out… there's a Three's Company marathon on TV tonight, and we were wondering if you would like to come down and-"

Before the empath could finish her sentence, the emerald eye disappeared, replaced by the gray of the door.

Raven sighed and pressed her cheek against the wall. "Starfire," she spoke, knowing very well that the alien on the other side could hear her. "It's been long enough now. Don't you think it's time to move on?"

For the longest time, there was no response. As Raven was about to walk away in defeat, she gave a startled gasp when she saw the door open completely. Starfire's frail figured was standing in the doorframe, her red hair now matted and ruined.

"I'm… willing to try, Raven," she spoke, looking at the empath straight in the eye. "I've been willing… but it's been so hard. Too hard."

"I know," said Raven, giving a faint smile. "But hey, you do know that you're not the only one going through this, right?"

Though Starfire gave no signs of reaction, Raven knew she was surprised. "Really?"

"Absolutely. Cyborg's been bored out of his mind ever since you've locked yourself up, and Beast Boy…" Raven rolled her eyes to the left. "Well, Beast Boy's just… odd, and I haven't been the same either."

"I don't make that much of a difference."

"You make a world of difference."

Starfire bit her lips and nodded. "OK. I'll come… but I can't guarantee I'll have a great time."

"Trust me," said Raven, grabbing hold of Starfire's right hand. "You will."

It was from this moment on that the two girls walked down the hall to the living room, talking endlessly about various topics. Starfire had asked if anything major had happened, only to find out that no, things had been the same. "The same", of course, meaning that no villains of any kind had managed to threaten the city beyond a policeman's control. They would then talk about many other things, from the open topic of world news to the private discussion of boys.

These "girl talks", as Starfire called them, had only happened on a very rare basis, and while the alien enjoyed them a great deal, Raven usually had a large feeling of discomfort. To her surprise, however, she felt no uneasiness at all during this long commute to the living room. It was almost as if Starfire was already becoming her old self once again, and because of that, Raven felt… happy, for a change.

After a short amount of time, the two reached the living room, where Cyborg and Beast Boy were sitting on the couch, just about to turn on the television. The two boys looked behind them and smiled, happy to know that things went smoothly between the two girls.

"Feeling alright?" asked Cyborg as he looked at the alien. Starfire smiled faintly and nodded, causing the cyborg to grin even wider.

"Come," said Beast Boy, patting an empty cushion. "Sit. The show's just about to start."

And the show did start, and for the first time in a long while, Starfire felt complete.

Now, from this point forward, the horror and tragedy begins. Any reader that has a full, sound mind would think that from the events above, nothing terrible would happen to the four on a couch. However, ideas can escape the mind, just as thoughts that were intended to be remembered can be forgotten.

As the marathon rounded its fifth hour, the four continued to laugh heartily at the classic television show. Starfire had long ago regained her cheerful voice, and Beast Boy was back to making witty (though sometimes terrible) comments as events took place on the plasma screen. Their eyes were focused on this very screen, and even though they wanted that evening to go oh so well, things were about to make a turn for the worse.

The horror began to enter the hearts of these carefree teenagers when Beast Boy got up to get a glass of water.

"Anybody want anything?" asked Beast Boy as he got off of the couch.

"Bring me back that sandwich in the fridge," said Cyborg, turning his head to look at the changeling. "It's in that white wrap."

Beast Boy made his way over to the refrigerator, reached inside, and got the sandwich. Half of his work done, he headed over to the cabinet and reached for a glass, and having done so, turned on the sink and filled the glass three-fourths full, turned around, and managed to read the time on the microwave.

11:58.

No…

Beast Boy, in all carelessness, threw the sandwich and the glass down onto the kitchen floor, where the latter crashed into a million pieces, sending fragments and water over the surface.

"Beast Boy?" asked Starfire, voice calling from the living room. "Is everything alright?"

"Um…" said Beast Boy, looking at the clock once again. 11:59. "I think we should all go to bed now."

Beast Boy could've sworn he heard a feminine and horrified gasp.

"What?" asked Cyborg. "Are you kidding? The marathon's not even half-way over!"

"I don't care," said Beast Boy, rushing back into the living room. "Rules are rules. Get going, now."

"Beast Boy?" asked Starfire, her eyes wide with concern. "What's going on?"

Before the changeling could even answer, twelve loud chimes echoed throughout the tower, striking fear into the hearts of two individuals.

"Beast Boy," said Raven, giving Beast Boy a worried glance. "Get back on the couch."

Beast Boy returned the glance with a curious one. "What?"

"Get on the couch, Beast Boy."

"Yeah," said Cyborg, turning up the volume to the television. "We can stay up late for one night."

"Beast Boy, get on the couch, now, and don't even look at that door."

Beast Boy sat on the couch with much haste, and the four continued to look at the screen. While Cyborg and Starfire laughed as joyously as they had done before, Beast Boy and Raven sat still, as if waiting for something to happen.

It was then that the television suddenly turned off, leaving the four in moonlight.

"Hey…" said Cyborg. "What happened? Did somebody sit on the remote?"

"I did not," said Starfire. "The remote is on the coffee table, where you put it."

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak once again, but he closed it when he heard a swooshing noise behind him.

"What was that?" he asked, about to turn his head.

"Don't…" said Raven, her eyes shut tight, "turn… around…"

"What?" asked the android, giving the empath a glance. "Why?"

"Don't do it," said Raven, her voice sounding very stern. "Whatever you do, keep facing the TV with your eyes shut tightly."

For the longest time, silence echoed throughout the living room, being broken by an identical noise.

As they sat, Raven couldn't help but wonder how she allowed her friends into this mess. She and Beast Boy had agreed that going to bed before twelve would be the safest thing for all of them, and yet… she let something as stupid as a TV program get in her way. She was such a fool... and she could only wonder if Beast Boy felt the same way.

"Raven…" whispered Starfire from beside her. "Who is he…?"

Raven couldn't believe it… Starfire had opened her eyes and was looking at this horrible servant from Hell. She realized, though, that if the alien could open her eyes and see this creature, it was safe for her to do so as well.

She opened her eyes slowly, only to see the back of a red, blood-stained cloak. It, too, was facing the television, almost as if it were an animal, confused as to why the four were looking at something so intently.

"Whatever you do," said Raven, whispering quietly, "if he ever turns around, don't look into his eyes."

This hint was not enough, for Raven could tell that this only confused Starfire. She was still looking at this strange presence, no doubt wondering how he had come into the tower and asking herself why. However, Raven felt extremely reassured when Starfire inhaled deeply and shut her eyes tight, and she did the same thing.

However, four or five seconds later, her eyes shot open as the result of a bloodcurdling scream. She looked beside her to see that the others had done it as well, except Starfire's face held an expression of shock and disgust.

There, on the ground, Cyborg lay rolling on the floor, a clear fluid seeping out of his remaining skin and sparks flying from every which way. His good eye was wide open as well as his mouth, which was releasing loud, terrifying screams into the cold air. Curiosity had gotten the best of him.

"Everyone out…" said Raven, getting up off the couch.

"Raven!" shouted Starfire, no doubt looking at her friend. "We can't just leave him!"

"Get out!" shouted Raven, noticing that Beast Boy had already taken her advice. "Run!"

Starfire stared back at Cyborg's body as Raven darted across the room and exited. Despite the fact she wanted to help her friend in any way she could, she left as well. She didn't know where she would go, but she knew for certain that she would have to get as far away from this… "being" as possible.

As she flew through the metallic halls of the tower, she felt tears leaking down her face as she heard the screams of her friend die out. The day she had decided to put her life back together, something had to happen to someone else. She was almost ready to give up.

However, she didn't give up, and instead continued her flight to wherever she would end up. This just so happened to be her own room, and as she approached her door, she touched down on the floor and allowed the laws of momentum to give her the running speed she needed to reach her door quickly.

After rapidly typing in her code, the girl ran inside her quarters and quickly pushed the door shut. She then threw herself against it, breathing very rapidly from both exhaustion and fear.

The alien girl slowly walked away from her door, clutching her chest as if that were a way to allow air into her lungs. She closed her eyes and continued to walk, knowing that sooner or later she would get to the opposite side of the room. She opened her eyes once again to find herself in front of her large window, through which the moon's beams shined through brightly. The moon had always been a calming thing to the alien, and as she gazed at it, she wished that she could fly to the moon to escape whatever was in this tower.

It was then that it dawned on her… If she got outside of the tower, she and her friends would be safe! A smile appeared on her face as she reached for the latch, but that smile was soon replaced by a gasp when she saw a corpse-like face appear from below. Whatever that being was, it had tracked her to her room, and it was now making eye contact through her window.

As she kept her mouth open, she randomly found herself screaming as a searing pain replaced the feeling of fear. Her knees gave out below her and she fell to the floor, writhing and twitching as her bloodcurdling screams filled the air. She soon felt something warm leaking out from every pore of her body, images of Cyborg and even Robin in her mind.

So this was how they died… They both must've seen the eyes of the creature.

But as she lay on the floor to die, not every thought was focused on the pain and suffering she and her friends had to go through. Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to see her departed companions in another world.

Just maybe…

For five minutes now, Raven had been running throughout the tower, her destination unknown. Though her legs and arms were aching, she never quit to rest. Instead, she continued to make her unknown destination, hoping that somehow she would be able to escape death.

In her mind, however, she knew that she had little chance of doing so, and it wasn't until she crashed into something that she stopped running.

Clutching her head in pain, Raven quickly stood on her feet to see what she had hit.

It was Beast Boy.

Letting out a small gasp, she quickly reached out her hand to assist the changeling. After shaking his head he looked up, smiled, and accepted her assistance.

"And what are you running from?" asked Beast Boy. Somehow, someway, he had managed to keep a sense of humor.

"I'm running from my doom," muttered Raven, her smile disappearing. "I take it you have no idea where you're going to go, either?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "No idea."

Raven looked down the hall, eager to see if she knew where it would lead. "My room's close to here. If we can get there before that… thing does, we can get out the window and go someplace safe."

"But what about Starfire?" asked Beast Boy, stopping Raven from moving. "What if she's still alive? We can't just leave her."

Raven turned back to stare into the eyes of her friend, and though she hated to admit it, he had a point.

"Fine," she said, a hint of reluctance in her voice. "But we should get to my room anyway. If the Red Death ever did enter, we could at least have a chance to get away."

The empath immediately set out for her new destination. The changeling behind her shrugged and took pursuit, and the two were in front of the girl's door in less than a minute.

Raven quickly typed in her security code with all due speed and entered, the changeling behind her. To him, her room had never been a welcoming place, but now it was probably the only place he wanted to be.

This room, of course, and some place far, far away.

"So what do we do now?" he asked, taking a few steps and looking around, taking in the scenery as if it were his last chance to see it. "Do we just wait until one o'clock, or what?"

There was no response for a good five seconds, but from the shock of the current events, Beast Boy only guessed that such a delay would be acceptable. However, there wasn't a response for ten, fifteen, or even twenty seconds. Instead, the silence lasted for about a minute, and Beast Boy grew awfully curious.

"Raven?" he asked, turning around. "Did you hear me?"

And she didn't hear him, for he discovered she was staring at the tall clock that decorated her wall. Now, the only sound in the room was that of the pendulum, which would swing back and forth to count the precious seconds life had to offer.

"Raven?" asked the changeling again, as if he were a parent awaking their child from a deep sleep. "Hello? Is something wrong? Are you-"

"Help me move the clock, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy only stood in silence, his brain trying to comprehend what she had just said. "Um… What?"

"Come on. Help me move it."

Shrugging, the boy joined his comrade and grabbed the left edge of the piece. The two then dragged the clock outward towards the middle, showing the wall that was once covered.

"Why did we do that, Raven?" asked Beast Boy, not understanding his accomplishment. Raven, however, did not respond, but instead put herself behind the piece so she could see the back.

"Come here, Beast Boy. I want you to see something…"

Beast Boy made his way so he could see the back of the clock as well, but the only thing he saw was more of the black wood that made up the body.

"What?"

"Look here."

Raven lifted her index finger and pressed it against a spot on back. Her finger nail was just under a faint marking that Beast Boy hadn't noticed before, and as he bent forward to look, the mark became bigger and clearer.

There, faintly etched into the wood, was the number 1840.

"What are you getting at, Raven?" asked Beast Boy. "I'm guessing this is just a fake year, right?"

"Beast Boy," said Raven. "This clock was made two years before The Masque of the Red Death was written and published."

"But how do you know that?" asked Beast Boy. "Replicas were made because of popularity, right? What if they just wrote a number down to say that this was the year the clock in the story was made?"

"That's the thing. Nowhere in the story does it say when the clock was created. They wouldn't have put a date on the replicas; that would be assumption. And they certainly couldn't have made this clock before the story ever came out. I hope you're understanding where I'm getting at."

Beast Boy only shook his head.

"The Masque of the Red Death, Beast Boy, was a true event, and this clock is the real thing."

A moment of silence drifted throughout the room, broken only by the constant ticks of the pendulum.

"Then…" began Beast Boy, shaking his head as he looked at the ground, "how could Poe've written this? He would've had to been there to know about it, wouldn't have he? And he would've died."

"Perhaps he didn't go," said Raven. "Perhaps word got out to a select few, and it reached him. Maybe it was a freak coincidence. Who knows?"

The two Titans then stood there for a very long time, the clock's pendulum being the only source of noise. However, it was not the only source for very long, for an ear-piercing scream filled the halls of the tower.

"That was… Starfire, wasn't it?" began Beast Boy, gulping.

Raven frowned and nodded, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Come on, then." The changeling then headed over to the empath's window. "We can leave now. We have a chance!"

Though he was solemn for his friend's death, he knew very well that if he stayed around, he too would end up like the others. It didn't feel right to leave them here, but it wasn't exactly right to stay. If he and Raven managed to survive, they could come back to collect the bodies later.

However, Raven did not move, but stayed where she was. Her lips were pursed tightly and her eyes shut closed, and she remained that way for a good amount of time.

"Raven," began Beast Boy. "Come on! We should go!"

Her response, however, was not exactly what he expected. Instead, she darted towards the other side of her room and grabbed her mounted fire extinguisher. She then turned around and darted towards the clock and stopped just before it, where she then brought the metallic barrel to the fragile body of the piece.

"Damn you!" she shouted, hitting the clock with amazing force. "Damn you to Hell! Damn you!"

Beast Boy had never seen his friend in such a state. However, she continued to defy her image, and continued to strike the clock with all of her might. The pendulum stopped its motion, and large amounts of wooden splinters flew through the air. The glass case broke into a million pieces, and finally, after much abuse, the clock collapsed on top of itself to become a mound of rubble on the floor.

This wasn't the end of it, however. Raven continued to ruin her personality. There, kneeling on the floor and to Beast Boy's shock, was an angry and weeping girl, each of her sobs putting an end to her emotionless state.

"What did I do?" she managed to say through her tears. "What did I do?"

Beast Boy couldn't do anything but stand there, shocked beyond belief to see his friend in such a state.

"Raven… You… You didn't know. You didn't."

His words brought no comfort to the girl, and just as things couldn't get worse, Beast Boy heard a loud swoosh beyond the door.

"Raven!" he shouted, his voice riddled with fear. "Please! Come on! He's here!"

Again, no response came from the girl but quiet sobs. The swoosh outside of their door became louder, and Beast Boy's fear seemed to have reached its peak.

"Raven! We've got to go!"

Sooner than he imagined, the door to Raven's room burst open, and there, in all of its horror, was the Red Death.

In all of the horrible reactions to make, Beast Boy looked towards the door, as if wondering who it was that had opened it so recklessly. He also brought his eyes to meet the empty sockets of the Red Death, and immediately, pain began to flow through his body, and blood out of his pores.

However, as he lay there dying, Raven continued to remain on the floor as if oblivious to everything. But now, she was actually witnessing a victim of the Red Death, and although she tried to stop, hearing the pained screams of Beast Boy only made her cry harder.

It was only when the screams stopped did she quit crying, but when she did, she continued to remain on the floor, her eyes leaking the excess of her tears.

"It's quite funny, isn't it?" she asked to the only other being in the room. Of course, it did not respond, but she could feel that it was paying close attention. "I've once again allowed something to happen to everyone else, haven't I? It never fails…"

A moment of silence went by, and although Death itself was in her presence, no fear struck the empath's heart.

"I… think it's time for me to go now. You've taken away all of my friends, and I have no one else to turn to… My only choice would be to return to Azarath, and that's really the last place I would like to go."

She slowly stood up, her eyes facing the wall that was once covered by the one thing that had started it all; the one thing that had taken everything she held dear.

"I would like you to take me. Who knows? Maybe I'll see my friends somewhere else."

Though she knew very well that the Red Death probably couldn't understand a single word she said, it stood still, almost as if it were confused of this girl's decision.

Raven continued to stand there, ready to turn and look into the face of Death. And it was a brief moment later that she did turn and look into the creatures empty sockets. And she was gone.

From that moment on, people of Jump City began to wonder whatever happened to their saviors. It was two months later that they discovered what happened. A man, the mayor of the city, and his wife took a small boat out to the Titans' island, where they entered the tower. All security features were immediately shut down by the mayor, who knew very well the layout of the tower, and after a brief ten minutes of exploration, the body of their robotic hero was found, in a mangled heap and completely beyond repair.

After a grueling excavation, the three discovered the rest of the bodies… or what was left of them. In a bright, pink room, they there discovered the bones of what was known to be one of the most carefree and loving people of the city, mangled just like the robot before her.

And in the end, the journey came to a close as they opened the darkest room of the tower. There, they discovered two sets of bones, one of which belonging to one of their most heart-warming and cheerful people. This pair of bones was mangled and crooked like the rest of them; while the skull rested on the floor in an upright position, all of the other bones were in an amorphous pile, as if the person that died was in an extremely awkward position when he left.

The second pair of bones, however, was in no such fashion. This skeleton was straight and neat; its skull was facing the ceiling, and despite the fact she was dead, the three could easily tell that the person was neatly lying on her back when she died. The fact that this pair of bones was different from the others only made them curious, but they decided that dwelling on this matter was pointless.

The four bodies were placed alongside their leader on a cold, rainy day, and although no one wanted to dwell on the fact that their greatest heroes had been killed, they certainly knew that one thing for sure.

Darkness, and Decay, and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

THE END

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