Chapter 8: Strange

I opened my eyes and looked around, trying to figure out where I was. All around me, in every direction was nothing but infinite white space. "Hello!" I called out, "Is anyone here?" There was no answer. There wasn't even an echo. I took a few steps, but it was almost like I was walking on a treadmill. I didn't get anywhere and the white space didn't seem to move. "Where AM I?" I asked myself. I had been to a lot of places and seen a lot of strange things in my life, but I'd never been anywhere or seen anything like this. Actually... I wasn't really sure that where I was even WAS a place.

I tried to remember what had happened, but everything was a blur. It all went down so fast, I didn't have time to think. Not that I was ever that good at thinking anyway...

After what I think was a few minutes, I heard a voice. It sounded like it was coming from every direction, like the space itself was talking to me. I turned around in a useless attempt to find where it was coming from. Then, the voice said my name. This time, though, it was only coming from behind me in the direction I had been facing. I spun around to face to source of the voice. I was surprised to see that, where the white space had been less than a second ago, there was now a room. It was almost like I had blinked it into existance.

The room was dark, the only light coming from a few torches along the walls. Everything in it was black. The marble floor, the stone walls. It looked like one of those ancient castles you might see on the History Channel or something. To my right, there was a large fireplace with long, red banners hanging down on either side that went from the ceiling to the floor. The banners had designs on them in gold. On the opposite wall there was a window with red drapes. There wasn't any glass in the window. It was just a hole in the stone wall. There was a large, wooden door ahead of me with black, metal bars on its small window. I started to walk toward it, my footsteps echoing loudly off the stone walls all around me, when I heard the voice call my name from behind me.

When I turned around, there was a man standing in the room that hadn't been there before. Just like the room seemed to appear out of nowhere, so did this guy. He looked kinda familiar to me, but I wasn't quite sure where I'd seen him before. He was tall with black hair that had gray patches on the sides around his ears. He had a black goatee and was dressed like... well... I don't know. His shirt looked like something a pirate might wear. I mean... a Captain Jack pirate... not those guys that were on the ship. It was blue with a strange white symbol on the chest. It hung down over his blue pants and there was a brown scarf looking thing tied around his waist. The weirdest part. His cape. It was a huge, red cape with gold trim around the edges and a had a part that came up behind his head with two large points on either side. If his clothes had been solid black, I would have sworn he was the Undertaker or something.

"Who... who are you?" I asked. "Where am I?"

"I am Dr. Steven Strange," he said. "And you are in Mephisto's palace."

"Mephisto? You mean..." I'd heard the name before. I had learned about it from my dad. Mephisto was short for... something I couldn't pronounce and he was... well... he was the devil.

"Yes, Mephisto. You are in his palace in the underworld."

"Am... am I dead?" The thought hadn't occured to me yet since I'd mysteriously found myself here. I remembered being on the SS Tipton trying to save my friends. I jumped down to help London Tipton and then... poof. I was here.

"Yes, Max Russo, unfortunately... you are dead."

(Author's Note: Surprise! Well... sort of. Max is still dead. For those who don't know Dr. Steven Strange is a Marvel Comics character. He is the Sorcerer Supreme, the master of the mystic arts. What role will he play in this story? Keep reading and find out. Also, while you're at it, REVIEW!)

For more information on Dr. Strange, visit www(dot)marvel(dot)com/universe/Doctor_Strange_(Stephen_Strange)