Chapter eleven

Thomas walks back into the hospital angry at himself for letting Sara and the others slip away from him so easily. He looks all around the lobby to make sure it is still empty before walking over to pick the bloodied knife back up off the floor. As he wipes the blood from the blade, he hears the elevator gears begin to grind and pop as the elevator slowly comes back down from the fifth floor. He hides the knife behind his back and stands back up, waiting for the doors to open. As soon as the elevator reaches the first floor and the doors open, Thomas is shocked to see who is standing inside.

"Thomas, what are you doing here?" the guy standing just inside the elevator asks as he steps out into the dimly lit lobby. "Hey, you didn't happen to see Sara or Lexi come down here, did you?"

Thomas doesn't say anything, he just stands there looking at the guy suspiciously, one hand tightening its grip around the knife handle behind his back.

"Hey, Michael. No, I haven't seen either of them. I just came here to visit an old friend of the family," Thomas watches cautiously as Michael slowly walks towards him. "So what brings you here, tonight?" He asks curiously, looking towards the second elevator, like he is expecting someone else to step out of it.

Michael looks around the lobby nervously.

"I was just looking for someone but I guess she has already been released or something. What happened to the nurse that was down here earlier?" he asks as he notices the empty desk beside them.

"I don't know, there wasn't anyone down here when I got here. Now, who is this mystery girl you were looking for?" Thomas walks over to the computer on the nurses desk and brings up the patient list. "I'm sure I can help you find her."

"Her name is Julie. I don't really know her, I was just trying to help out a friend by trying to find her," he pauses to look at Thomas, trying to read the expression on his face, wondering what was going through his mind. "I know it probably sounds weird to you, but when I went up to the room she was supposed to be in the door was wide open and the room was empty."

Thomas looks up from the computer, disappointed.

"Well, it seems like this Julie girl was here but all of the files on her have been sealed."

While partially hid behind the desk, Thomas pulls out a small flash drive and plugs it into the computer tower, beginning to download the files from the computer onto the flash drive to try to unlock them later on.

Something about how Thomas is acting is making Michael nervous.

"Well, thanks for trying but I really have to be leaving now."

Michael begins walking towards the front doors but Thomas blocks his path, quickly moving from behind the desk and staring at him curiously, grinning slightly. Something inside Michael tells him to run but he can't move. He just stands there, frozen in place. Thomas unplugs the flash drive and walks over to Michael.

"What's your hurry?" Thomas grins as he walks closer and closer to Michael. He reaches behind his back and grabs the knife handle, stopping just a few feet away. "Tell me, how much do you know about Sara and Julie?"

Thomas continues to stare at Michael, that same weird grin across his lips as he brings the knife out.

Michael's heart begins to race as he looks at the knife in Thomas's hand. "Thomas, what are you doing put that knife down right now. I don't know anything. I just came here looking for Julie and Sara."

Michael starts backing up towards the main doors.

"I'm sorry Michael but I just don't believe you. I believe you aren't telling me everything you know," Thomas continues to smile and hold the knife out in front of him. "But don't worry, I'm not going to kill you just yet, I think there is someone else that may want to talk to you first."

Michael begins to say something else, but he hears a slight noise behind him. As he starts to turn around someone throws a bag over his head and hits him on the head, knocking him to the ground.

"What do you want me to do with him?" a male voice asks.

Michael almost recognizes the voice, but he passes out before he gets the chance to hear anything else. Thomas walks over to the other guy and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Just take him out to the van, brother. I'll be out in a minute."

Thomas pulls out his cell phone and punches in a few buttons, bringing up Kayla's name. It rings three times before he is sent to her voicemail.

"Thomas!" a male voice says as Thomas hangs up the phone.

Thomas looks up surprised to see Jerry standing in front of him. He puts the knife away as Jerry walks towards him.

"I trust that everything is in order. Now, tell me, where is my daughter, Julie?"

"Well, we may have a slight problem. Like I was saying earlier, she is no longer at the hospital. I have no idea where she is and I can't get a hold of Kayla either," Thomas tells him, starting to leave. "Oh, there is one more thing." He pauses as he turns back around to face Jerry. "We captured one of Sara's friends, a guy named Michael. He was snooping around here, he knows about Julie so I figured that you would want to talk to him."

"Excellent! I still have faith that we will find Julie. For now, we must leave. Take Michael to his fathers house. I'll catch up to you guys soon, there is just one other thing I need to do," Jerry smiles slightly, walking swiftly towards the elevator. "Oh, and try to see if you can find Kayla for me." He says as he steps into the elevator.

Where could that girl be?

The elevator begins to rise slowly as it goes up to the third floor. As soon as the elevator stops and the doors slide open everything becomes cast in darkness.

"Jerry!" a voice calls out from within the darkness.

As Jerry heads towards the voice the darkness begins to clear and he finds himself standing in an old prison. All the cells are open except the one at the very end.

"Come to me," the voice cries out to him.

He walks down the rows of empty cells until he reaches the last one. He stares at the man that is locked away inside fearfully.

Jerry stares curiously at the man sitting in the back of the cell.

"Why did you summon me, Griffin?"

"What is taking you so long to free me?" the man asks as he walks towards the front of the cell. "Ever since your daughter found my spell book, I've been waiting for someone like you to free me. Sacrifice your daughters and free me so that I may take revenge on those who imprisoned me." Griffin orders him.

"No, I can't. I won't!" Jerry cries out, staring down at the concrete floor. "I can't kill my own daughters!"

"Yes, you will. Do not forget who is in charge. For as long as a piece of my soul is trapped within you, you will do everything I tell you to do," Griffin laughs loudly as he grips the bars of his cell door tightly. "Now go we will have another chat again shortly."

He stares at Jerry with hate filled eyes as the darkness begins to thicken around him until everything is pitch black.

Jerry closes his eyes and begins to feel a little bit dizzy as everything begins to spin. When he finally reopens his eyes, he is standing in front of room 150. An elderly woman is staring at him slightly confused and afraid. He blinks and walks back towards the elevators.

"Now where are you, Kayla?" he thinks out loud as he steps into the elevator to his right.

He grins widely as the doors begin to close. Wherever you are, I am going to find you.

~

Terri stares at Kayla, both shocked and surprised.

"How are you here? Sis, our parents told me you were dead." she lets a few tears roll down her cheek. "They told me that you died in a car crash."

She runs across the living room to Kayla and wraps her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly.

"I'm not dead, Terri, I ran away from home and lost control of moms car, crashing it into a hillside. I smacked my head against the windshield and I guess it must have knocked me out. I don't remember much about the accident. When I finally woke up, I didn't know where I was, how long I had been unconscious, or even what had happened to me." Kayla explains to Terri as she hugs her sister back.

"It's been almost two years. Why didn't you ever come home, sis?" Terri cries out, tears running down her cheeks as she stares into her sisters eyes. "Why didn't you just come home?"

"I know, I wished every day that I could come back home to you. But things were never quite that simple," Kayla smiles as she looks at Terri, pulling her sister into another hug. "Look, I am here now, that's all that matters."

"Don't ever think of leaving me again, things were really bad without you around."

Terri wraps her arms around Kayla's waist, laying her head on her sisters shoulder, soaking her shirt with tears.

"I won't, I promise. There's so much I have to tell you, Terri, but all of that can wait until tomorrow. You look exhausted. Go get some rest, we will talk again in the morning."

Terri tries to stifle a yawn but she can't. She hadn't even realized how tired she really was until Kayla mentioned it to her. Even though she doesn't want to, she stands up and wipes her eyes one more time.

"Good night, sis."

"Good night, sis."

Kayla stands up and hugs her sister one last time before walking out into the hall. Terri is about to follow her sister and go on to bed when Julie walks into the room, carrying two sodas with her. Even though she feels close to passing out, she decides to fight her drowsiness for a few more minutes.

"Hey, Julie, is everything alright?" Terri asks as Julie sits down on the couch.

Terri sits back down and looks at Julie worriedly. As Julie sits down, Terri notices the tear streaks running down Julie's cheeks from where she had been crying earlier.

"Yeah, I'm just glad to finally be here," she smiles, reaching one of the sodas to Terri. "It feels so good to finally be awake and to be reunited with my family."

Julie takes a sip of her soda and smiles at Terri.

"Thanks and I know what you mean. I thought my sister was dead for a long time. A part of me is still expecting to just wake up and all this be nothing more than just a dream."

"I was in the shadow realm for so long that, even now, it still feels like I'm asleep," Julie replies, placing a hand on Terri's shoulder. "I know how you're feeling and, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Terri sees the sincerity in Julie's eyes and smiles.

"Well, there is one thing I have been curious about," Terri pauses and takes another drink of her soda. "How was it that you were able to come into my house the other night in...that shadow realm?" She wonders, a slightly puzzled look on her face. "I thought only those with near death experiences could enter the shadow realm."

"Terri, it's more complicated than that. It takes a lot of effort, but anyone can be called into the shadow realm," Julie pauses and looks over at Terri, expecting her to be confused. But instead of being confused, Terri looks more curious and intrigued then anything else. "I willed you into the shadow realm." Terri tries to hide a yawn from Julie, but she still notices it. "You look exhausted, when's the last time you got any sleep?"

Terri feels her eyes begin to close on their own, struggling to keep them open.

"I haven't been to sleep since you last visited me the other night."

Julie stands up and helps Terri up off the couch.

"Come on, I'll help you to your room. We will talk some more tomorrow," Julie walks with Terri down the hall to an empty bedroom. "Good night, Terri." She says, beginning to head on down the hall.

"Good night."

Terri turns to look at Julie but she is already heading on down the hall to her and Sara's room. So Terri just shuts her door and climbs into bed, turning the table lamp off and staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. As she begins to drift off to sleep, a sudden thought pops into her head and she smiles as Julie's words echo through her mind.

Anyone can visit the shadow realm, it just takes a lot of effort.

She makes herself concentrate as she clears her mind.

"I must go to the shadow realm. I have to find Michael."

She repeats the words over and over again as she drifts off to sleep.

~

"Where are they!" Terri hears a male voice yell suddenly.

She begins to panic, thinking that Sara and Julie's father was in the house. She slowly opens her eyes, expecting to see someone standing over her. Instead she finds herself alone, surrounded only by darkness. Once her eyes begin to adjust, she realizes that she is no longer in her bedroom. She is a little shocked to find herself laying in the living room floor of Michael's house.

"I did it, I'm in the shadow realm," Terri whispers to herself as she walks around Michael's house, wondering where Michael was at.

She slowly makes her way back through the house towards the voice she had heard.

"Tell me where they are!" the strange voice says again.

She freezes as she hears footsteps heading towards her. She begins to look around for a quick place to hide, but before she can move, she sees someone step out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

"Oh no!" she whispers as fear washes over her.

She starts to panic again as the figure turns towards her. He looks a little nervous as he walks towards her. She knew that she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't remember exactly who he was. He stops a few feet away, close enough for Terri to reach out and touch him if she wanted to.

"Has he said anything to you, Riley?"

Terri jumps as she hears a voice behind her. She hadn't heard anyone else walking towards her. She feels the fear slowly creeping up her spine. She is terrified as she begins to turn around.

"No, he hasn't said a single word," Riley says, looking past Terri like she wasn't even there. "I really don't think he knows anything Jerry." He takes a few more steps towards Terri. "Now what are we going to do?"

Terri feels herself slowly beginning to slip out of the shadow realm. She wants to stay longer and see if Michael is okay, but soon the darkness envelopes her, pulling her back to reality.

~

"Nooo!" Terri screams out as she opens her eyes.

She blinks a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light shining into her room from the hallway.

Why is my door open?

She is disappointed that she had to leave the shadow realm so soon. As she raises up she sees someone sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her.

"Is everything alright, sis?" Terri smiles as she hears her sisters voice.

Terri flips on the bedside table lamp and looks at Kayla, seeing the concerned and worried expression on her face.

"I couldn't sleep so I came in here to check on you. I just walked in and sit down when you started screaming."

Kayla moves to sit up beside her sister.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you worry about me. I was just having a really weird dream," Terri gives her sister a faint smile and hugs her. "Though, I think we've all been having nothing but bad dreams lately."

"I'm just glad you're alright," Kayla pulls Terri close, hugging her. "Now come on, let's go get something to eat."

Kayla helps her sister out of bed and they walk down the hall to the kitchen where everyone else is already sitting around the table eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Terri."

Chris looks up as Terri sits across the table from him. She gives him a warm smile and picks up a piece of bacon. As she begins to eat, her mind keeps drifting back to her dream.

Did I really go to the shadow realm? She thinks as she stares down at her plate. Is Michael really in trouble?

"Hey, is everything alright?"

Sara's voice quickly pulls Terri from her thoughts. She looks up at Sara and smiles weakly.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Terri looks down as she begins eating again. "Can I ask you something, Sara?"

She looks up suddenly, pushing her empty plate aside. She looks around but the only other ones still sitting around the table was Sara, Lexi and Kayla.

"Yeah, you can ask me anything, Terri," Sara tells her, placing a hand on Terri's shoulder. She looks around the table and then back at Sara, unsure of what the others might think. "We can always go talk in the living room if you want." She notices the look of uncertainty in Terri's eyes.

"No, its okay. I was just wanting to talk to you about the shadow realm," Terri looks at her sisters confused expression but continues. "I think I went there last night."

"Really? How? What all did you see?"

Sara can't hide her excitement as she speaks.

Lexi and Kayla both look at Terri both shocked and surprised, but Sara just smiles and waits for Terri to continue while Kayla can't help but to worry about her sister as she stares at her.

"I kept saying that I have to go to the shadow realm and that I must find Michael," Sara and Lexi exchange worried glances with one another. Terri sees how worried they are and frowns. "I know you guys seen him at the hospital, but I'm sure he was just trying to help us. When I seen a glimpse of him in the shadow realm, he was tied up and nearly unconscious." She pauses and waits to see if Sara was going to say anything, but she doesn't so Terri continues. "He is in trouble. I don't know who the other guys were, but they kept asking him where they were. Whoever has Michael is looking for you and Julie."

"Are you sure you went to the shadow realm?" Lexi stares curiously at Terri.

Terri just nods her head and looks down at the table.

Lexi puts a hand on Terri's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out hatefully."

"Yes, it wasn't a dream and it's okay, really," Terri smiles, placing her hand on Lexi's. "I have to know if Michael is okay."

Before she can say anything else her phone begins to ring, causing her to jump. She pulls out her phone and flips it open.

Unknown caller. She reads as she looks at the caller Id.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Lexi stares at the phone in Terri's hand. Terri just shakes her head and sends the call to her voicemail. "Who was it?"

"I don't know, it was an unknown caller," Terri replies, turning her phone off.

They sit there in silence for a few minutes before Kendra and Jeffery come into the kitchen.

"You guys have to come see this. Remember the guy from the hospital the other night, well the police just discovered his body in Arthur Creepsly's house."

They follow him into the living room and he turns up the TV for all of them to hear the breaking news report.

"We are sorry for interrupting your normal programming. This is a special news bulletin. The search continues for the four missing high school students. So far there are no leads as to what has happened to them. Police are urging anyone with any information to come forward."

The news reporter pauses as she looks at a piece of paper she was just given.

"This just in, police are looking for sixteen year old Michael Creepsly. The body of seventeen year old Thomas Bentley was found earlier today in Michael's home. The police have no clue as to what happened to him or why, but Michael is considered to be armed and dangerous."

The broadcast ends with Sara, Lexi, Terri, Chris and Michael's pictures flashing across the screen.

"Now what are we going to do?"

Lexi feels frightened as she looks around at everyone else.

For a long time, no one says anything. They just sit there silently, listening to the tv.

"I don't know, but we are going to have to figure out what to do soon. We are running out of time," Sara looks at Julie with saddened eyes. "I just have a feeling that something bad is going to happen soon."

Sara leans back on the couch and closes her eyes. Soon she begins to feel herself slipping into the shadow realm.