(Hmm… Well, I decided to respond to my reviews and suggestions right now.)

MichelLover67: Thanks for the suggestion, but I doubt I'll be using it. Besides, if you have it in mind for a future story, I'd rather not "steal" your idea.

Servo: I like most of your ideas, and I don't mean this in any offense to MichelLover67. I basically told you the ones I would use in the reply to your e-mail.

SageoWind218: Thanks for your review. Yeah, the fact that I'm using the offspring or younger relatives of the main characters of the series is the reason I think this story's been as successful as it has been.

SilverGato: Well, the idea to use relatives was inspired by another story on this site, which was centered around Walter Sullivan having a son. This made me think about that person causing all the havoc and by some chance Henry had a son as well. Plus, I thought the idea was really original; how many of these stories do you see around here?

The Extremely Crappy Days at Ashfield High

Chappy Fourteen: Time's up

Cheryl Mason stared at her desk for the longest time, deep in thought. Aside from the ticking of the timer clock she had placed on the front of her desk, the classroom was in complete silence.

'…should contact him… but… Who could it be…?'

"Ms. Mason?"

She looked up, half expecting to see a Closer beast standing before the desk, but it was only Christian, holding his test paper out to her.

"Y-You're already finished?"

"It was pretty easy, at least in my opinion."

She took the paper from him as he backed away and went back to his seat; Joshua watched him in the corner of his eye, wincing. 'Easy? Damn, it's only been fifteen minutes since the start!'

"I think I broke my spleen…"

Christian chuckled at this, while Myron only adjusted his glasses.

"You can't really break your spleen…"

"Well I think I did," responded Joshua as they turned left into another hallway. Myron shrugged.

"Oh, come on, that basketball game wasn't that bad."

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck as they neared a stairwell. "To you, maybe; if you hadn't been on our team we would've been screwed… I hate those damn three- team thingies…"

"S-So, uh, w-w-what class d-do you h-h-have n-next?" Myron inquired as they advanced downwards. "We both have Art," Christian answered as they stepped onto the first floor.

"Yeah... What about that drawing thing we were working on with Nicole?"

"She said she would work a little on it at her house."

"N-Nicole's in your c-c-c-class?"

"Oh yeah, she sits at our table. Only problem is, I have to all the damn work while she and Chris flirt!"

"Flirt? We don't… flirt."

"Then what do you call what you two do in class?"

"Well… just because we offer each other help and talk..."

"Exactly what I mean; do I get any help? No. If I trip and she drops a pencil, do I get asked if I'm all right? No."

"But she's female, and I'm only being polite…"

"Ah, but you see, you're going to be one of those cheery husbands, you know? I'm just going to be a homeless person sitting in an alley, and when you, in all of your wealth, fame, and family, pass by, you won't even remember who I am, which is pretty logical…"

Myron cleared his throat and glanced at his watch. "I've g-g-got to g-g-g-go, s-so until l-l-lunch guys…"

"Okay, bye."

Christian waved goodbye as they continued on towards Mr. O'Connell's class.

"You know what, Chris? I'm going to hook you up with Nicole," Joshua stated as they entered the hallway containing the classroom. "W-What? Weren't you just complaining about that?"

"Not really, besides, you're kind of gloomy with all your Silent Hill stuff; have you had a girl friend before?"

"Well, not really; I never really concentrated on that…"

"So you're gay?"

"I didn't say that."

"Good, I haven't actually had a GF either, but let's go."

Nicole sat patiently in her chair as a few more students wandered inside. She had decided to let her hair down that day, not for any apparent reason though.

Her eyes hovered down to the sight of the rolled up sheet of paper; it was a project assigned by Mr. O'Connell a few days before. All of the students sitting at a table were to partake in it. She had felt like drawing a pyramid, and neither Joshua nor Christian really protested.

"See? She looks even more prettiful!" Joshua said as they walked into the classroom. "Josh, this isn't really necessary, is it?"

"Hey, if you like her, you'll be happy, and we all want to be happy, don't we?"

"I suppose…"

"Good."

Joshua sped over to the table and immediately sat down; Christian took his seat a few moments later.

"Oh, hey guys," Nicole greeted them. Christian gave a small smile and nod as Joshua took out a drawing pencil from a pocket on his backpack. "So… how did the drawing thing come out?"

"Um, fine…"

"Great, well, has Mr. O'Connell given out instructions?"

"Not yet…"

"Okay, cool…" Joshua grasped the rolled up paper as Mr. O'Connell walked up to the front of the class. "Well, class, I hope all of the groups have completed their projects; they are worth two test grades, but even though this is the day I pick it up, I'm allowing fifteen minutes for any projects to be finished. I advise you all to use your time wisely."

He gave a slight nod before walking back to his desk, and Joshua shrugged. "Well, we're done, right?"

"Yeah, I don't think anymore work is necessary," Nicole answered as Christian examined the now open paper. On the top right hand corner were their three names…

'Nicole Sunderland…'

He turned his head to face her before asking, "Nicole, um, do you know a 'Mary Sunderland'?"

She had been looking at the picture and not exactly paying attention, but the question had seemed to stir her from her thoughts.

"W-What…?"

"Do you know a 'Mary Sunderland'?"

Nicole glanced to the floor, taking a moment to think up a response. "I, uh, never really knew her… She was my aunt, but she passed away a few years before I was born… Why do you ask?"

Christian shook his head. "It's… It's nothing, don't worry about it…" Nicole had obviously been affected by the question, but she seemed to shrug it off when Joshua, who hadn't been paying any thought to the conversation, alerted her to a small mistake on the drawing.

It was then that he noticed the clock fixated on the wall had stopped ticking.

"Joshua, what are you doing?"

"Hold on…"

The brown- haired teenager stopped fishing around in his backpack and raised his arm out to reveal a granola bar in his hand.

"A granola bar?" Christian cocked an eyebrow up as Joshua closed the zipper on his backpack. "What?"

"Why did you bring a granola bar to school?"

"A g-granola b-b-bar…?"

Myron pushed his glasses up slightly. Joshua looked at both of them before starting to walk towards the school exit. His two friends began to follow him.

"Why are you two following me?" Joshua asked in a bored manner. "Do you think you're part of my posse?"

"Not really, but you haven't answer4ed my question."

"Okay, fine… If you must know, I created an addiction for granola after my puppy died when I was four."

"Y-Y-You h-had a p-p-p-puppy?"

"Yeah, but I don't even remember what he looked like… But I do remember that he was hit by a car… Hell, I saw him die."

"You saw your own pet die?"

"Yeah… It really tore me up… so I started eating granola bars…"

Myron's eyes only widened as Christian remained silent. "Hmm… Yeah, all the gore as the wheel crushed him… I just can't remember what he looked like though… It has been over ten years…"

Joshua shrugged and glanced at his watch. "That's weird…"

"What is it?"

"The Second Hand… it stopped…"

"So why the hell are we here?" Catherine inquired before taking another bite of her chocolate doughnut. "An associate of my grandfather's has some items we need…" Melissa replied.

"And why can't Jeremy get his own stuff?"

"Because he has us…" Alexis's smile grew even larger as he approached Catherine, resulting in her to move away. "Was I talking to you?"

"You might've been…" He licked his lips suddenly, earning a look of disgust from the female.

"Both of you just stop talking."

All three turned to see Noah walking towards them from across the street, his coat swaying behind him.

"Ah, Noah, it's good you were able to make it," stated the raven- haired woman as he stepped up beside Alexis. "Yes, well, is this the place where our benefactor is located? In some clock shop one the corner of the street?"

"Seems like it, but why'd we have to come in the middle of the night?" Catherine whined once more.

Melissa only sighed before removing a set of keys from her pocket and unlocking the door...

The elderly man breathed deeply under the hood as he watched the four young people walk inside. He sat in a wheelchair at the opposite side of the room.

Clocks adorned the wall, and it was quite a variety at that. They were all ticking, however, as Melissa advanced forward. "You must be the man who promised to meet us here; hello."

She held out her hand to him, but he only gave a small wave. "Yes, yes… I'm surprised that Jeremy couldn't attend…"

"He's very busy at the moment, so he had us come…"

"Yes… Please, take a seat, if you will…"

Catherine and Alexis quickly plopped down onto two seats located near the entrance, but Noah continued standing. The man sighed. "So I understand you all are here for some items…?"

"Yes we are…"

"Good, good… Now-,"

"So why exactly do you wear that hood, sir?"

All the people in the room looked to the source of the voice: a man, wearing a long brown coat, his blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, stood at the back of the room; a smile played on his face.

"W-Who are you?" demanded the hooded man as he looked towards the man.

"You still haven't answered my question… Were you burned? Is that what it is? Are you so horribly scarred by the flames that you cannot face any, decent human?"

"What, ho-,"

"I am curious, as well; who are you?" It was Noah who spoke this time, and he was slowly approaching him.

The man chuckled, before responding, "My name is Sydney Wells, and you are…?"

"Noah Franklin."

Sydney reached into his coat pocket, removing a box of matches. "I suppose you all are part of that cult… If you are, I cannot let you continue…"

"And why is that?" Noah countered, his right hand fiddling with a single, silver bullet in his coat pocket.

"I have certain things that I must take care of… and the only thing you people will accomplish is just getting in the way…"

"You intend to burn us alive!" Melissa suddenly yelled; Catherine and Alexis remained deathly quiet. "Well, what a grasp for the obvious you have…" Sydney took out one of the matches, quickly bringing it down against the rough side of the box. The bright flame ignited.

"Don't worry, though… Death isn't so bad…"

Sydney dropped the match onto the wooden floor, flames quickly spreading.

He smirked before walking out the back door in which he had entered, leaving the others alone in the center of the fire… The clocks ceased ticking.