AN: Here we are at Chapter 5! Honestly, this is just another filler chapter but this is mildly connected to what will happen in the story. I hope you all like this. Thanks to those who read and reviewed by the way.

To nyantasticMIO: You want a condo with those cool toys? Join the CIA then! XD

Chapter V:

His return

The next day, it was Monday morning. Alex was getting ready for school and Sam was waiting for her in the living room. With her bag, she left the room.

"Oh, hey." Sam greeted her. Alex noticed that she was packing guns in a large bag.

"What is that?" Alex asked, horrified.

"This? Well, it's pretty clear that this Ancient threat ain't over yet. So, it's better safe that sorry." She said as she tucked a pistol in her pants. The clips were also in her belt. She held one out to Alex. Alex was reluctant to take up arms again.

"Take it or die, Alex." Sam warned her. Reluctantly, Alex took it and Sam handed her some clips. Like Sam she tucked it in her pants, the only concealment offered is her shirt and her jacket. James entered the condo all of a sudden.

"Sam, I'm going to tell you this once. Spare key under the mat is so old fashioned." He said. He saw the bag of guns and stopped in his tracks.

"What's going on?" He asked. Alex explained to James the precautionary measures they have to take from now on.

"Are you sure that they could still be out there?" He asked.

"Well, I'm pretty sure these damn chapter pages wouldn't appear out of the blue for no good reason." Sam answered. James sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. She looked at Alex's weary face. Sam pitied the two of them. No one should have to go through this. She sighed and spoke up again.

"Look, I get it. You guys want your normal college life back. I want that too. The sooner we get these over with the better but right now, I still have papers to grade and lessons to discuss while you guys still have some studying to deal with. Once we're done for the day, we can get a move on those chapter pages, hopefully end this Ancient threat and you guys can go back to your normal college lives and I can take up my usual load of field work again. Let's go."

She picked up the bag of guns and they left the condo after locking the door. They got in Sam's car and drove silently to the university. When they arrived, Sam was able to sneak the bag of guns into the university to her office.

"Now, remember; keep your guns with you at all times. It's raining so your jackets should be an additional protection. Take it to the cafeteria with you, classes, I don't care. Just keep them with you at all times, alright." Sam explained as she handed James a gun and a couple of clips. He took it and, like the other two, tucked it in his pants.

"How are you hiding yours?" Alex asked. Sam lifted up her sweater vest, revealing her gun. Sam was wearing a red sweater vest, a long sleeved white dress shirt, jeans and boots. A black tie was around the collar of her shirt.

"That should work." She said as she let go of the vest.

"Get to your classes, both of you." Sam said sternly. The two left and headed for their first classes of the day. After that, they jumped from class to class as usual. Then lunch time and free period, then jump from class to class again. All in all, it seemed like it was going to be a normal day for Alex and James. When it was their literature class, however, that's when shit hit the fan. They entered the classroom and sat in their usual seats. Sam entered a couple of minutes later.

"Alright, my dear sweet students. Please sit down. Your lessons in H.P. Lovecraft and weird fiction ain't over yet." Sam announced.

"Right, where did we stop last Friday? Anyone?" She asked. A bespectacled boy raised his hand all of a sudden. Sam pointed at him and gestured for him to answer.

"Professor, last week we stopped after you gave the summary and themes of The Shadow over Innsmouth. You said that you'd start with the summary and themes of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." The boy said.

"Yes, that's quite true. Alright, let's start." Sam said and she opened up a picture in her laptop that was projected to the screen. It was of a rather large house.

"Anyone can guess what that house is?" Sam asked. Nobody dared to talk. She sighed deeply and shook her head. It was obvious that these kids did not do their research.

"That house is The Halsey House at 140 Prospect Street in Providence, Rhode Island, built in 1801 by Colonel Thomas Lloyd Halsey. You guys see the connection yet?" She asked. Still no one talked.

"Look, unless you guys provoke me I'm not going to eat you, kill you or shoot you. Having a wrong answer once will not provoke me so if you guys know something, answer it when I ask a question. Anyways, this house served as The Ward House in the story." Sam explained. Suddenly, that Watson girl raised her hand. Alex and James looked at the girl who raised her hand.

"Miss Watson, what is it?" She asked.

"Professor, is this Literature class or Architecture class? Because you're boring the crap out of me." She answered. Alex and James looked back at her.

"Alex, look at her eyes. That's not even her anymore. Or barely her." James pointed out. Indeed, Alex noticed the way Sam stared at the girl. It was like the life got sucked out of her. What creeped them out the most was when she smiled the smile of a calm yet provoked woman. And in their books, that's not good news. Especially with Sam.

"You really like to play with fire don't you, Miss Watson? Trust me when you've been through the things I've been through, you will consider this thing as a treat. Nobody entertained me when I was barely hanging on to life because of this." Sam said as she lifted her shirt up. Revealing to the entire class her scar that neither James nor even Alex has ever seen. It was a scar that started from her left collarbone and ended at the bottom of her stomach. It was like an elongated object imbedded itself in her.

"James, if she had an injury that left her a scar like that and seemingly deep, shouldn't it have killed her?" Alex asked, curiously. James couldn't answer her, however. Sam put her shirt down and addressed the girl yet again.

"Now go on. Say another offensive thing to me, about my lectures, about Alex and James or about my family and I will guarantee to you that you will not like what punishment I will hand out to you. You will wish that you have never crossed paths with me. You will wish that you have never provoked me." Sam threatened. It was obvious that the girl was scared shitless.

"Now, I will begin with the summarization. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is about a young man. The title character, Charles, is a member of a prominent Rhode Island family who is said to have disappeared from a mental asylum after prolonged periods of insanity followed by minor but unheard of physiological changes. Shut up all of you." Sam said, knowing full well that insults about their family would follow. She shared a look with Alex. Now that they think of it, the tragedies of the House of Roivas aren't so different from the tragedies of the Wards.

"The story is narrated by the family doctor, Marinus Bicknell Willett, in his attempt to discover the root of the family's mental instability. By that time, Charles has already descended to madness."

Just then a man in his late 20s entered the room. Sam was suspicious of him but nevertheless pressed on with her lesson.

"Anyways, Willett learns that Charles has spent the past several years finding the grave of his ancestor, the ill-reputed Joseph Curwen. Joseph Curwen is a successful shipping entrepreneur but he was also rumored to be an alchemist but in reality, he was a necromancer and a mass murderer."

Alex and James looked behind them and saw the suspicious man. They looked at Sam but she shook her head.

"Willett's investigation proceeds and he finds out that Charles has recovered Curwen's ashes and-alright, seriously. Hey! You at the back! Yeah, you who just entered! Are you a student here?" She asked. The man stood up and sneered at her. Whenever someone suspicious does that, it only means one thing. The man pulled a gun and pointed it at her.

"Everyone get down!" Sam yelled. Alex and James, who knew that, something was up with the guy pulled there guns out and held him at gun point. Only the four of them remained standing while most of the students stayed down watching the scene.

"Who are you? What do you want?" James questioned.

"I'm just a messenger named Ralph Phillips." The man, Ralph, said while he pointed his gun.

"Well, you know what, Ralph. You might as well put the gun down because the three of us are crack shots here." Alex warned him.

"Well, too bad. Before I try to kill the three of you and leave I'll tell you this; Pious Augustus is out there on the quadrangle with more students and more people like me and he sends his regards." He said with a smile. Then he started firing his gun. Alex, James and Sam started firing at him as well. They managed to hit him but one bullet hit Sam's shoulder, making her fall to the ground.

"Aaah! Son of a bitch!" She yelled as she clutched her fingers.

"All students please go to the quadrangle!" A voice from the intercom said.

"Go! All of you. I'll be fine!" Sam yelled at her students. In panic, the students left. Only James and Alex stayed behind.

"You alright?" James asked.

"I feel like a million bucks. Let's get to my office." Sam said, sarcastically. She stood up and ran out the side door and headed for Sam's office undetected. She handed them each a sword in case they run out of bullets and bulletproof vests that she kept in a chest. Alex and James grabbed shotguns while Sam grabbed a machine gun. Sam hissed in pain as she slung the machine gun on her shoulder.

"You okay?" Alex asked worriedly.

"It stings but I'll live." She answered. She prepped her gun up immediately.

"Let's go. I'm willing to bet that since I'm here and someone most likely called the cops, the CIA would be arriving in a couple of minutes." She added. With caution, they walked the halls and got to the quadrangle with no problems. The entire student body and faculty were there out in the pouring rain and there were more men with guns watching over the students. And on the middle of them, was someone they were familiar with. An old man with sunglasses wearing dress pants, loafers, a white dress shirt and a beige blazer. They knew who it was.

"Pious, you bastard." James said as he tried to move to attack but Alex held him back.

"No, we try silent attacks on the patrolling guards. Go." Sam ordered. The two left and Sam watched as they killed the patrolling guards with their swords. Pulling out her own, she killed a passing guard by slitting his throat. They met up yet again.

"This is ridiculous! I'm ending this now!" Alex yelled before she went and revealed herself. She shot one of the 10 guards in there. James joined the fray as well. Reluctantly, Sam joined as well but after killing half of the guards, a damage field spell went up. The three of them were overpowered. Alex and James were forced to kneel with guns pointed to their head but Sam was left standing.

"Well done, men. Strip the girl of her weapons and vest." Pious ordered them. One of his men took Sam's guns, sword and her vest. Alex noticed that her bullet wound was bleeding more.

"Now, where are the remaining artifacts and the tome? My new master requires them." Pious demanded of her. Sam remained silent.

"Where is it, Roivas? Tell me and I will spare you from the same fate Ellia suffered!" He threatened her.

"You can do what you want to me, Pious! You see I'm trained to be tortured and still not reveal information! You can torture me, you can kill me but I will not tell you anything! You can do the same to them! I guarantee you they won't talk as well!" She spat at him defiantly.

"Oh, really now? Then I'm sure dear Alexandra here will tell me in exchange for your safety." Pious said in glee. He stuck a finger in the bullet wound, causing her immense pain but she didn't show it. He added some electricity and transferred it to her. This caused Sam to finally crack and start yelling.

"No, stop! Please!" Alex begged him but instead he just kept on going. It broke the students' hearts to see their beloved Professor be tortured. Alex was torn. Without the tome to save them, she wanted to talk.

"Both of you better not tell him anything, Alex! It's our duty!" Sam yelled.

"Ah, yes! The duty of the Guardians of Light." Pious muttered as he continued his torture.

"Oh, you still won't tell me anything, Alexandra? Would you reveal your secrets if I did this?" He asked. He summoned a sword and stabbed Sam. The students and teachers were horrified. Alex still didn't speak and neither did James. Sam stood up and when one of the men spotted her, she overpowered him, used him as a human shield and shot 2 men with the gun. Then she grabbed Alex's shotgun and shot the remaining 3 men.

"Did you really think that's all it would take to kill me? I took an entire chunk of shrapnel at 17, for God's sake!" Sam told him. Her bleeding was getting worse.

"This isn't the last you will hear from me, Roivas! I trust you will know the truth soon enough about you survived that shrapnel when you were 17!" Pious said confidently as he summoned a spell. Most likely to get him out of there.

"NO!" Sam yelled as he tried to go after him.

"Sam, no!" Alex said as she tried to stop Sam but it was too late. The spell was complete and a blast wave was emitted, throwing Sam into one of the pillars, adding a wound to her head.

"Sam! No, you cannot leave me! Not again!" Alex yelled at her as she cried and cradled Sam's body in her arms. She was too weak to talk but she saw bright lights and sound of helicopters approaching. The cavalry just arrived. Hopefully, it would keep them safe for now. Sam closed her eyes and passed out, knowing that everything is far from over.

AN: And that is chapter 5! Another filler chapter! I hope you guys liked it. Please leave a review. I would appreciate it. Till next time! Ciao!