Chapter 2

Tom ducked into the locking dock of the arena and caught his breath. The place was crawling with people. Must hide, he repeated to himself like a mantra.

Keeping near the wall, he tried to blend in and eventually found an unlocked supply closet. He snuck in, leaned against the closed door and thought back on how he got himself into this mess.

Tom and his friends always had an interest in the occult. Over the past few years, they acquired a couple of nifty things like a magic gourd and a copy of the "Tiberius Manifesto." Then Joey bought a replica of the Orb of Scelus off of eBay. Problem was the orb turned out to be real.

They met at Joey's apartment to figure out what to do with it. The assault happened so fast. The monsters came out of nowhere and brutally attacked them. Before one of the creatures killed him, Joey threw the orb to Tom yelling for him to run. Tom dove out the window and fled as fast as he could.

He had no particular destination in mind so he was surprised to find himself at the arena. At least for the moment, he was relatively safe, but he still didn't know what to do next.

The orb was burning a hole in his pocket. He wanted nothing more than to throw it away and forget he ever heard of it, but that would be irresponsible. It would also dishonor his friends' deaths, and he couldn't do that. What he needed was some advice. He sat there considering his dwindling options when inspiration stuck. There was someone who could help him. Hopefully.

Tom decided to hide the orb. That way if something did happen to him before he got some help at least the monsters wouldn't get their hands on it. He looked around, grabbed a roll of electrical tape and climbed a small stepladder. Placing the orb on the top shelf, he secured it with the tape. It'll be safer here, he thought and left before he had a chance to change his mind.

ooOoo

The air in the arena's boiler room sparked with a strange energy. Steam seeped through leaks in the pipes. Ominously, a large creature wearing armor and a horned helmet slowly stepped out of the vapor. Its eyes glowed red as it reached for the door.

ooOoo

The small orb began to strain against its bonds. An odd light pulsed from deep within it. Must be free. Must be free. A metallic tapping echoed in the closet as the orb bounced on the shelf. The sound got more frantic until it finally broke free, punctured the grating directly above and went spinning into the vent.