Only A Dream Away

Part 1

Among The Living

By Nick Maro

The darkness of the blindfold cut off all the light around him, sitting back in the fast moving car Rio let out a sigh. It was a mix of boredom and confusion. He was unsure of the time that had elapsed since his mysterious trip began. He was certain it had been a few hours and he was traveling roughly east. He felt the sun beat on his skin through the window. Rio knew there were three others in the car beside him. They all remained silent. They communicated strictly through text messages on their cell phones.

Rio was allowed a chance to relieve himself at the gas station they had stopped at midway through the trip. One of the men in the car was his once future brother-in-law David Gabor. David had led him into the bathroom and guided his way through the doorway. The smells in the public restroom made him glad he wore the blindfold. Rio felt secure that he was okay since David was there. He trusted the young man even though his sister was once a rival to his fiancée.

Rio jumped slightly as David brought him out of his thoughts. A pair of headphones was placed over his ears. The music that blasted through his ears was The Misfits soon to be released album. Role Models Of A New Generation. He'd heard the album at Christmas when the mixing was finished. He felt it was a leap forward for the band. They'd finally found their true musical style.

The car turned and began to slow down. When the car came to a complete stop, Rio was led out of the vehicle by David. He stood in the cool, mid-January air as he waited for David to lead away. David took him by the arm after the car pulled away. The music drowned out the sound around him. David was now his eyes. He thought back quickly to how David put a hand around his mouth. And then an unseen person put a blindfold over his eyes as he came out of the Starlight House's guest house.

David stopped for a moment and then guided him to a floor that felt like it was on springs. He knew he was now in an elevator by the feel. The elevator car began moving upward at a slow pace. It stopped, but David put a hand on Rio's chest. The car started to move again, this time when it stopped David led Rio out. He was guided down the hallway for a dozen steps and then turned until they stopped again. Rio was led inside and then to a chair.

Rio sat down and waited.

Sighing to herself Jerrica sat patiently in the back of the car. The blindfold cut off all the light from around her. Yet she could hear the others in the car with her. She knew her sister Kimber and her best friend Stormer were in the car. In fact it was them who lured her into the car in the first place. Rather than fight it Jerrica played along with her sister's little game.

Jerrica was brought out of her nap by a slight shaking from Kimber. She then had a pair of headphones placed on her ears. It was Kimber and Stormer's new album Bare Essentials. She smiled as she listened. Happy to know her sister's music was growing up. Jerrica felt the car make a turn. She then realized that whoever was driving was getting directions.

After a few moments the car pulled to a stop. Kimber gently tugged at Jerrica's arm and led her out. Stormer stood on the other side of Jerrica. The music still played through the headphones. The cool air hit Jerrica's skin after a moment. She knew she was in a building. Jerrica guessed they were either in an office building or a hotel after the elevator ride.

Stopping once again, Jerrica let out a controlled breath. She knew this would be over shortly. She was then guided inside and to a chair. Jerrica sat down and waited while the music played.

Standing side by side David and Kimber exchanged looks. "Should we take the blindfolds off? Or wait and see who does it first?"

"I say we start betting who does it first." Stormer smirked at Kimber. "After all we're in Vegas."

"My money is on Rio. He's not exactly the most patient man on the planet." David winked at his half sister Stormer. "But I guess we should go ahead and kill the suspense." He turned the music off for Rio while Kimber did the same to Jerrica. Next were the blindfolds for both Jerrica and Rio.

The couple blinked at the sudden assault of light and winced. They then looked at each other and smiled wide. Jerrica and Rio sat across from each other. They were in what looked to be a hotel suite. They looked at Kimber, David and Stormer. "Okay, what's going on?"

David clapped Rio on the shoulder and chuckled, "This is the start of your bachelor party."

Sitting at the table, Roxy chewed on the end of the cocktail napkin. She studied the cards before her. The eyes of the dealer stared at the top of her head. She looked up then back down at the cards. She bit a piece of napkin off and chewed on it. She exhaled and cleared her throat. "Hit me."

The dealer slid a card to Roxy face down. She flipped the card over. It was a two. She now held two nines and a two equaling twenty. A satisfied smile crossed her lips. She looked up at the dealer who flipped his own card over. Her face fell when she saw was it a four. The dealer gave a small grin. "Twenty-one, house wins again."

"Fuck this," Roxy grumbled as she stood. She walked to the bank of elevators and pressed the up button. She boarded the car and pressed the button for her floor. Reaching into her jacket pocket Roxy pulled out a handful of casino chips. She had about a hundred and fifty dollars in chips leftover. Sighing she put the chips back in her pocket. The car stopped and the doors opened with a ding. Roxy left the elevator and went to her room.

Jetta turned when she heard the door open. "Rough night at the tables, luv?"

Flopping on the bed, Roxy groaned to herself. "It wasn't that bad. Not my money, so I don't care." She rolled over on her stomach and looked up at her girlfriend. "Headache go away, yet?"

"No. It's just a throbbing at the back of me skull," Jetta gave an unconscious rub on the back of her head. "I probably just need a good night's rest. When we get back home I'm going into a coma for a day. That usually helps."

Roxy smirked at her girlfriend. "Good idea, but tonight we're supposed to be social. Let's go torment the bride and groom to be." She went to her wheeled suit case and pulled out two water guns. "I really hope they're not wearing anything they don't want wet."

Giggling softly and taking one the guns Jetta smiled herself. "And why are we going against what was asked of us?"

"We're Misfits." Roxy stuck her tongue out between her teeth and grinned wide while holding the water gun up.

Returning from Las Vegas, David helped The Misfits get their album ready for release. They had hoped to release the album within the next few weeks. Kimber and Stormer also wanted to release their new album on the same day. Rio helped David in the production of both albums. The radio was on in the background when Chip turned up the volume.

"…arents watchdog group, Smut Harms Your Teens, SHYT for short, issued a statement today regarding the rock bands Fire and Ice and The Misfits. The statement was addressing the nature of The Misfits album Role Models Of A New Generation mainly the album cover depicting the band in prison garb. They feel it sends the wrong message to the youth in America.

"As for the duo Fire and Ice they feel the upcoming album Bare Essentials and its cover are completely inappropriate for anyone. The group plans on boycotting and picketing all stores selling either album."

Turning the radio off in more annoyance than disgust, Pizzazz leaned against the table. "Well, we've finally done it. We've pissed off the conservative Middle America dimwits. It's about damn time, too." She smirked and winked at her friends. "However, I wouldn't worry too much about them. They're a bunch of blowhards."

"I dunno, Phyllis, they do have some powerful backing. Lots of the older Hollywood stars think this generation of music, movies and television are offensive, but then again they do come from a simpler time." Rio sat back in what he called his Command Chair. "You might want to take them somewhat serious, but not too much. But I figure both albums should be finished in about two weeks. Have you decided if you want to go digital download with it also?"

Pizzazz turned and looked at David as he cleared his throat and started pacing across the recording room floor. "Well, we may as well. I'm also going to put The Misfits back catalog up for digital download. I just need to talk to Techrat about things. I should also ask Jerrica if she wants us to put The Holograms albums up for download. I don't feel right doing it without asking her first."

"She's actually been thinking of doing that for quite some time now. It's just with the wedding and everything she hasn't had a chance," Kimber offered while studying the liner notes for her album. She circled a few errors and sat back.

"Then that settles it, Misfits Music is moving into the digital age. As for me I need to check on the construction of the new house." David said his farewells to his friends and rushed out the door.

Meditating in the darkness sat the form of the being known as the Dweller. Looking at him directly was nearly impossible. His whole being seemed to absorb the light around him. It was almost as if he was a living black hole. Even in darkness no light could escape his power.

The small group of worshippers sat before him. They meditated along with their leader and living god. Slowly, the group was growing in size. It wouldn't be long before the Dweller and his acolytes would be able to thank their savior Phoebe Ashe. And to punish those that sought to imprison the dark god.

Getting a sense of déjà vu, Richard Xanthos and his longtime friend Christine began contacting the mages of his order. He looked at her with a weary exhaustion and an uncharacteristic uncertainty of things to come. "I'm not too sure if we can survive this time, Chrissy. Our numbers are too thin and I don't know who will answer our call."

"It'll be fine Richard. I'm activating the Chosen. Remember that desperate times call for desperate measures." She gave him her best smile and left the room.

Richard pressed his hands against the top of his desk and let of a long calming breath. When he looked up Rapture was standing before him. She looked around trying not to show how uneasy and scared she was. "I'm so very sorry, Richard. I was scared. I just acted without thinking." She began to sob again. Hugging her arms across her chest she turned from him. "I didn't want my friends to die."

"It's okay, Phoebe. We'll help control your powers again. You've shown that you're no longer in his thrall." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Your mother would be proud at the young woman you've become."

Rapture turned around and buried her face into his chest. She began crying harder only to look up and smile. "Thank you, Daddy."

Shana opened the front doors to the Starlight Mansion feeling completely exhausted. She flipped the foyer's lights on only to have them remain dark. "Great, power is out again. Damn these rolling black outs." She cleared her throat and yelled into the house. "Jerrica? Girls? I'm home!" After waiting a few moments, she shrugged and found the small flashlight she kept in her bag. Shana proceeded up the stairs to her room.

Opening her bedroom door, she heard a noise on the main floor. She shined her flashlight into the darkness. "Hello? Someone there? Ashley, if this is you messing with me again, I'm gonna kick your butt. You know I hate horror movies." She put her bag in her room after getting her cell phone out. She called her fiancé Anthony Julian. His phone rang and went to voice mail.

Cursing softly under her breath, Shana started heading back down the stairs slowly and carefully. "Whoever is here I have a gun. Not afraid to use it." She scanned the main floor as she got to the bottom of the staircase. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw movement. Swallowing hard she turned and scanned the hallway. There was nothing.

Slowly walking into the living room, Shana made sure her flashlight passed over every inch. She stood near the center of the room and looked around. She turned quickly when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Gathering up her courage, Shana started to walk toward the hallway again. She then heard the same noise behind her.

Freezing in place, Shana licked her dry lips and began to turn around. She was now shaking with terror. The lights in the whole house went on. In front of her, appearing out of nowhere were her lifelong friends. They all yelled at the same time, "Surprise!"

Shana screamed in pure terror and jumped and stumbled over the couch. She hid behind it before she poked her head over the back. She quickly regained her composure and stood up. "Goddammit! You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!" She then noticed the Starlight Girls standing behind The Holograms. The older girls were giggling at her reaction. Shana let out a breath and smiled wide. "So whose bright idea was this?"

The surprise going away party continued outside of the Starlight House in the backyard. Shana had forgotten how tired she really was after her initial shock. She pulled Kimber aside and spoke with her. "Thank you so much for this, Kim, but you do know I'm not leaving until after Jerrica's wedding, right?"

Kimber took a sip from her beer and smirked. "Are kidding me? With everything that happens to us, you wanted us to wait? Come on! You know we attract trouble on a seemingly weekly basis. I'm just glad we were able to get this done now." She turned to watch the younger Starlight Girls run around and play while the older girls talked with the adults. Kimber let out a sigh. "We're getting old. The Holograms are pretty much finished. You're moving away. I'm in two bands. And the girls will soon be leaving one by one."

Shana put her arm across Kimber's shoulders and hugged the woman she loved as a sister. "It's a part of life. We all knew this would happen, just didn't know when. I'm going to miss every one of you. I'm going to miss seeing the girls every day. Seeing Jerrica, Aja, Raya, and Rio in the house, having you and Mary come by and visit. Hell, I'm going to miss seeing David and The Misfits. But I'm just going to be in New York. You can visit or call anytime. And I will be coming to L.A. for shows." She paused and watched for a few moments then finished her own beer. "Who knows, I might just have time to record with The Holograms. So I wouldn't count them as disbanded yet."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm still gonna miss you."

"Me too, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to rescue my dear Anthony from the younger girls. He's sending me the help me signal." Shana hugged Kimber quickly again and ran off.

Standing alone and starting to feel the ache of nostalgia, Kimber watched the people celebrate. She went to the cooler and grabbed herself another beer and opened it as she walked into the house. Pizzazz and Roxy were in the kitchen helping Cyndi bring more snacks and drinks outside. She smiled and held her drink up in greeting, but remained silent. Kimber went into the living room, set her bottle on a coaster and flopped back on her favorite couch.

"Not enjoying yourself, Kimber?" asked an older man with graying blue hair. He sat across from her and offered a kind smile.

"Oh, I am Max, just started to feel nostalgic about everything." She took a sip of her beer and changed the subject. "So how are you adjusting to Los Angeles? The City of Angels. Tinsletown. Hollywood. Ummm, damn, I've run out of nicknames." She paused looking at her beer. "And I may be slightly tipsy."

Max let out a deep chuckle. "I'm adjusting. It's different than being in the military. I'm just happy to be talking with Craig and Mary again, even if she isn't my biological daughter. Craig scared the hell outta me when he punched me, but I guess I had it coming after the last time I ran out on them. Why Ness kept taking me back, I'll never know." He looked down at his feet. "I miss her every day."

Kimber put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Hey, you're back now and that's what matters."

"No. I should have been here to protect her. I was her husband and that's a husband's duty. Protect his family at all costs." Max started to raise his voice a bit. "But I couldn't, all because I had to run away from it all and join the fucking Army!" He stood and began to walk out of the living room. He then stopped and regained his composure. "I'm sorry for that. It's one of the issues I'm working on." He left the room and the somewhat startled redhead.

"So is this another box marked fragile or can I just drop it anywhere?" Roxy grunted as she carried the heavy box inside David and Kaori's new home. "Because it's starting to slip and I'm worried about crushing my feet with it."

David looked over with his eyes wide. "Let me help you. This box is full of family heirlooms from Japan. Hiroshi passed them on to me after he died." He smirked when he heard Roxy let out a small gulp. "Don't worry about it. Just set it down here and I'll take care of it later." Together they set the box down in an out of the way area.

Shaking her arms, Roxy looked up at David with a somewhat serious look. "You do know this is the last time I'm helping you move. I mean ever. I don't give a shit if it's ten years from now, never again will you have my help." She looked at Kaori who was setting up her art table. "Now Kaori, I'll help. She doesn't have a whole feudal Japanese armory to move but you, never again."

Chuckling as he handed Roxy a beer, David leaned against the wall. "Oh sure you will. I'll just ask nicely." Roxy rolled her eyes and walked away to help Pizzazz and Stormer unload the rental truck. David walked over to his fiancé and watched her work on the table. "So did I find the right contractor or what? You have your eastern view and it's far away from my dojo."

"This is perfect! I have a great view of the mountains, too." Kaori grabbed a rag that was next to her and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Are you going to help unload or are you still playing supervisor?"

"Okay, okay, I'll go help. Besides we're getting to the heavy furniture, we're going to need everyone for this." David helped Kaori to her feet and they went to the moving truck. The Misfits were starting to pile boxes off to the side of the vehicle. David looked inside and saw the bed, dressers and other heavy furniture.

Together they unloaded the truck within a few hours by putting the furniture in the rooms they needed to go. It was helped along by a set of hover pads that allowed them to guide the furniture easily. It was one of the gadgets that Techrat had invented with the help of Stormer's boyfriend Chip. David and Kaori told their friends that they would handle the arranging of rooms on their own. The main concern was getting the boxes inside.

David and Rio quickly set up the dining table while Kimber and Jerrica cooked dinner for everyone. Jetta was in one of the guest bedrooms setting up one of the guest beds. She reached for the socket wrench, when she thought she saw her hand flicker with bluish-white light. Ignoring it, she went back to work. She was tightening the last bolt when the light arced from her hand and hit the metal. Letting out a shriek of shock, she fell back on her butt.

"What happened?" Roxy asked as she ran into the room. Pizzazz and David came running up behind her trying to look into the room.

Jetta shook her head and stood up. "Nothin', luv. Carpet gave me a static shock is all." She didn't want to tell her girlfriend what she suspected. She needed to talk to Richard or a member of his Order first.

Waiting for Pizzazz and David to leave, Roxy shut the bedroom door. "A static shock my ass. I've seen that scared look on your face before. Now just what the fuck happened?"

"I'm not sure." Jetta kept her voice even lower than Roxy's. "I think, I think I'm gettin' those magickal energies back. I thought I was only being used as a conduit, but it felt like the real thing. I need to talk to Richard or one of his friends." She glanced at the door quickly. "We'll talk about this at home. Don't want everyone to think we snuck off for a quick snog."

"Doesn't that violate some kind of moving in code? Don't have sex in the house before the people who moved in have?" Roxy smirked and opened the door. They finished their talk just in time for dinner.

"So, that was a quickie," Kimber said with a smirk. She yelped when Roxy flung a spoonful of mashed potatoes at her head.

The release day for both The Misfits and Fire and Ice's albums had finally arrived. David sat in his office at Misfits Music. David retook his position in the company after both Yuji and Pizzazz begged him to. He insisted that he remain a silent partner. He would only advise and not make any decisions on his own. He would consult only with Pizzazz, Eric Raymond and Yuji, but no one else in the company.

He watched V-TV for any word on the release of the albums. While watching he checked the online sales and seemed pleased with how they were doing. The Misfits back catalog of music was selling better than he expected. He looked up when V-TV started a story about the Smut Harms Your Teens protests going on across the country. Groups of protesters were trying to bar people entering the music stores.

David turned the volume up when it cut to a reporter at one of the stores. The group of protesters was locked arm in arm, forming a chain in front of the store's door. He knew this was not legal and would have to be broken up. The reporter talked to the lead protester who spewed the recycled list of ills both albums had caused. He continued to watch in amusement until a Misfits fan came running up and got into the face of head protester.

"Whatever you do, don't punch first," David said to the screen as the fan got more animated. "Let her punch you first, then knock the self-righteous bitch out." He stood and walked closer to the television. He ran his hand through his hair and cringed as the fan punched the lead protester without warning. "Goddammit."

The lead protester stood up as the fan was pulled away by security. She looked right into the camera and shrieked at the reporter. "You see where listening to this music gets your children? Parents across this nation must prevent their children from listening to this filth! The Misfits create nothing but degenerates!"

David rubbed his temples thinking of the public relations nightmare that had just unfolded before his eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED IN "SOULWEEPER"

PART 2 OF ONLY A DREAM AWAY