A Romantic Future

~Kindle Joy Miller

I smiled at him when he walked in the door. “Hi,” he said and I just smiled. “Want to play?” He asked. “No,” I said but I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. We played checkers then chess, we played Uno then Monopoly, and last we played life. After that, we went outside and played tag and the neighbor kids came and played with us. When they left we kept playing and we played tag all night until it got dark. Then we went inside and hot chocolate talking about how much fun we had. His mom picked him up at nine O’clock and I waved good bye to my friend.

Later, I heard my parents talking about us. “They belong together,” said my dad. “How do you know?” said my mom, “They’re only five.”

“Because I do,” said Dad with a smile and I went to bed with happy thoughts.

10 Years Later...

“May I speak with her?” he asked my dad. Dad called me down and I went to the door with a big grin on my face. Dad slammed the door behind us and locked it saying, “Be back before twelve O’clock!” We laughed. “Here,” he said and helped me down the stairs. I gave him a big smile and he smiled back, looking at me with loving blue eyes.

I wear a light green dress with a dark green jacket and he wear blue jeans and a light blue shirt. I liked it and I knew he did too.

We walked down the old dirt road, not saying a word just smiling at each other. I watched as butterflies flew past as if they were dancing and I heard the birds in the trees singing beautifully. The butterflies had given me an idea. “Can you dance?” I asked him. He smiled and said, “No.” But he grabbed my arm and put it on his shoulder and put his hand on my waist and we began to dance. We danced to the birds’ song and we danced in the cool night air. I leaned on him and he leaned on me with a smile across is face. We danced in the middle of the road till suddenly we heard “HONK!” We turned around to see a car with a couple inside laughing at us.
I smiled big and grabbed his hand running out into a field where I sat down. He looked at me and laughed. I looked around at where I had gone and saw we were in a beautiful meadow. The grass was green and there were small hills all around us. He helped me up and together we hiked to the biggest hill in the middle of the meadow. We ran holding hands down the hill. I smiled at him and he smiled at me. I fell down and rolled the rest of the way down smiling and laughing. He laughed too. We lay in the grass staring at the sky watching the sun slowly go down. I reached for his hand again and he moved it away, I just left my hand there waiting. I looked at him and he looked at my hand. He laughed got up and lifted me up, holding me in his arms. He carried me the rest of the way down the hill then set me down. We both looked back at the hill and at each other. “Race you back up!” He yelled and started running. I laughed and ran after him. When we made it back to the top, He turned around and I ran into his arms. We held each other and smiled and in my heart I knew we were meant to be.

10 Years Later...

I opened the door and was happy to see him and he looked at me with a smile on his face. He bent down on one knee and pulled out a ring and said, “Will you marry me?” I looked at him and began to cry. I didn’t know what to say but the word popped out, “yes!”

I ran into his arms and hugged him. He got up and put the ring on my hand with that beautiful grin upon his face. I smiled and cried and leaned on his shoulder, when he said, “May I come in?”

I laughed and opened the door. We went to the couch and watched some TV but we didn’t pay much attention to it. We talked all night till two O’clock and I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was excited and scared, I didn’t want him to leave but I knew I would see him tomorrow. I waved good bye and smiled at him. He hugged me real tight then left and I knew that he loved me.

6 Months Later

I walked down the isle with a smile on my face looking into his eyes. I looked at my dad and he smiled at me and it gave me confidence.

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“Do you, Jacen Christian, take Ashira Rose to be your wife?”

“I do.”

“Do you, Ashira Rose, take Jacen Christian to be your husband?”

“I do.”

“You may kiss the bride.” As I kissed my husband for the first time, I could hear my dad in the front pew saying to my mom, “I told you so.”

A Mission of Terror

~Kindle Joy Miller

"Come in, Red10. Do you copy?" came a voice from the walkie talkie, "This is Purple42. Where are you?"
*Crunch* A man in black stepped on it laughing. “As I was saying, you will be accompanying us to the great white shark, “he said. Red10 tried to scream but all that came out was a quiet squeal. Another man had his hand tight over her mouth and someone was holding her hands behind her back. "Take her out to the car," said the man in black, “and tie her up. We'll blow up this building then take off."
The men carried Red10 out to the cars where they tied her up and gagged her. They put her in the back of a black little car and locked the doors then got in another car, a blue minivan. Red10 just sat there not knowing what to do but there was nothing she could do. Her fellow agents were still inside probably looking for her before they busted out of there. They would never leave anyone behind. They are all going to be blown to pieces, she thought.
The old factory exploded and went up in flames. She started to cry as she saw the black man coming up to the car. “So,” he said, “looks like your coming a long for the ride.” He chuckled and got in the car and they headed to the city.
What am I going to do, thought Hannah, My team is dead and I have no communication with the base. These terrorists are planning to steal the HAT Secret Files from the Scientists for the Future Laboratory or the SFF Laboratory, and then destroy the building so there is no evidence. The HAT files contain instructions of how to build a device that can destroy total countries at one time. This has not been proven and the terrorists want to try it on Canada. A mole figured out the main information from some files at the base and through some private facilities. The mole, known as Orange8, was discovered and arrested. Red10 was listening in on the terrorists meeting and they caught her. Red10 and a team of agents had been sent because they had found out that this old factory was one of their secret bases but they didn’t know the terrorists were going to explode it and were going to go after the HAT files. That wasn’t in their minds at all. they had no idea what the terrorists were planning. And now Purple42 and the other agents were dead… Purple42 was Red10’s brother, the one who encouraged her to be an agent and who supported her in everything she did.
The car drove up to the laboratory and the man in black looked at Red10. “Hmm,” He said, “what are we going to do with you?” Red10 shuttered. She didn’t want them to do anything with her.
“Will blow her up with the building,” he told one of his men, “But keep her here until I call you.”
Red10 started to cry. She did not want to end this way.

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Purple42 and the other agents were hiding in the building waiting for the terrorists. Purple16 saw them kidnap Red10 and she heard them planning to blow up the building. All the agents got out of there as fast as possible and ran to their cars. They hid on an old road that went behind the factory and slowly went to the other side where they could see the terrorist’s cars. They saw some of the terrorists taking Red10 to their car and tying her up. A second later the building blew up and the terrorists took off. Purple42 contacted the base and told them what was happening and then they followed the terrorists without being seen. They discovered where the terrorists were headed and took a shortcut to the laboratory. They got the scientists out of there and now they were waiting for the terrorists.
Purple42 lead a group of agents to the entrance of the building and Purple16 and a few agents stayed with the scientists. After they found out where the terrorists were going it was obvious what they wanted. The terrorist’s goal is world peace through world destruction. They claim they want peace but they are trying to get it the wrong way.
Purple42 and Green14 waited for the terrorists when they finally broke in the agents jumped out and the terrorists started shooting at them. The agents had a head start though. In the mean time Purple16 and her agents took the terrorists that were waiting by the cars by surprise and they tied up the terrorists and freed Red10. Puple16 stayed with the tied up terrorists and the scientists while Red10 took some agents and came in behind the terrorists inside. She shot their leader, the man in black, in the back.

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They arrested the terrorists and the scientists destroyed the devise that they had created that brought the terrorists to them and went back to their work on other stuff. Red10 hugged Purple42 and Purple16 and they all went back to the base till their next mission which would be more dangerous and more deadly then any mission they have ever been on. They would risk their lives for each other and they wouldn’t be able to press on.

Destiny Fulfilled

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

Joumos stood on the narrow path that led to the lair of Edric Mauvais. Edric had heard the announcement of Joumos and Ariana’s future wedding and in a fit of rage and jealousy; he had kidnapped her and taken her to his kingdom, a kingdom of darkness.

Many knights had been requested by King Malkeck, yet that made Joumos even more uneasy about the fate of his beloved bride to be. He had once again taken up his armor plating and his sacred weapon for one last battle. His armor was tarnished and warn by previous battles that gave him the honor and glory only and honest and just man should deserve. His weapon, Kinoshi, was feared by many people. It was given to him, in his youth, by an Asian traveler. He had been walking down the path to his home and the nomad told him it was to be his tool and one day, it would be the key to keeping his future safe. He knew that the nomad was referring to this moment.

Joumos stood in an aggressive stance. His entire body tense with anticipation, he was prepared for war. He was willing to go to the underworld and back if that’s what it took to get his beloved Ariana. As he advanced on to the enormous castle that was under Edric’s rule, heat started to hit him. The closer he got to the moat crossing of the castle, the more he realized it wasn’t a simple moat at all. He looked over the side just as a large fireball came straight up at him.

He jumped back from the ledge as the fire blasted past him. Then, he heard another sound. The sound of weight moving through the air. Just then, a dragon burst out from the moat of hellfire. He grounded himself and boar Kinoshi in front of himself.

The enormous dragon flew high into the air and then turned towards him. The beast released the foulest roar any man had ever heard from a beast of creation. No, this beast was not of God’s creation, it was from the pits of Hell. It came down with lightning speed, aimed for Joumos.

He raised his other arm, bearing his shield. Then, he put it between himself and the dragon as it belched fire at him. When the dragon flew overhead, roaring its unnatural sound, Joumos threw the shield. It had been heated by the fire of the beast and was no longer able to be held.

As the dragon came down for another attacked, Joumos was standing on the crossing over the fiery lake. He jumped to his left as another assault of fire rained down at him. However, this time was different. The dragon continued and then moved underneath the crossing where Joumos was standing. That’s when he took Joumos ran to the other side and jumped off the opposite side of the moat, towards the fiery lakes below.

As he started to fall he placed his mighty sword out in front of him. Then, the dragon was just within reach as it passed and he punctured the scales of the dragon’s throat until it stopped and was locked in, holding and sustaining the tug and weight of Joumos. The mighty beast roared at the pain it felt from this attack and started to gain altitude in the sky. Joumos pulled out a smaller dagger from inside his armor and started climbing up the neck of the best with his sword and his dagger, inching closer to the head of the creature.

As he reached the head, the dragon was turning around and starting its dive towards the ground yet again. He turned himself and was now eye to eye with the dragon. Fire poured out of its mouth as well as another scream of anger from the monster. Joumos took his sword and plunged it into the eye of the beast. Another scream came from it as the sword plucked out the once, useful eye from the dragon’s face.

When Joumos turned around to see where they were flying, the dragon was aimed at the remains of Edric’s empire. He slid himself down the dragon’s throat as the course did not change. Every time he looked, the tower of the castle was closer and larger. Then he looked at it one last time as he secured himself with the weapon he had and that’s when he and the dragon slammed through it.

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As Joumos awoke he had Princess Ariana kneeling beside him. Her beautiful brown hair swaying in the wind as if by a celestial gust. Her green eyes piercing into him as she stared into his eyes. He felt her beauty as it resonated off of her and he felt warmth.

“Are you alright,” the angelic Ariana asked. Joumos moved slowly and got to his feet.

“I am fine my lady.”

As he stood into the eyes of his beautiful bride, fear had come across her face. Then, blood pooled around the front of her dress as shock also came over her face. She fell to the ground as Edric stood there, smirking.

“NO,” Joumos screamed as he pulled Kinoshi at the ready and jumped at Edric. As Edric attempted to block the initial attack, Joumos twirled to his right and plunged his blade squarely into Edric’s abdomen. Edric stared at him with pure hatred in his eyes. They were not eyes of a man but of a demon. Red and lusting for blood and destruction. Edric pulled himself down the sword, impaling himself further, but also inching closer to Joumos’s face.

“You may think you have won this battle, knight. But you have yet to win the war. There have been things set in motion even you cannot stop.” Then Edric fell limp and lifeless on the steel blade.

Joumos released the corpse and ran to the side of Ariana. She was still breathing but bleeding a lot. He felt his heart beat faster with the fear of his beloved leaving him cold and alone. He had been told that he would defend and keep his future safe, and he had failed. Ariana opened her eyes and looked sweetly into her savior’s eyes.

“I love you…” were all the words that came whispered out of her mouth as tears rolled down her face. She had fallen back into unconsciousness. Joumos picked her up and carried her out of the castle to his steed. He whipped the horse numerous times to make him run faster than the four winds could move to his kingdom in the hopes he could save her.
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Ariana opened her eyes and felt stiff and sore. Light was all around her and she couldn’t take it all in. There was a figure that was next to her side, in a chair, where she was laying. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust before realizing it was her Joumos. The man that had risked his life and did whatever it took to save her life.

She reached out and touched his hand and then held it firmly in hers. To this, he had awoken and smiled at her with more warmth than she had ever seen within him.
“How are you feeling,” he asked her softly.

“I’m sore but I will live.” Tears came to his eyes and he held her softly in his arms.

“I thought I had lost you, my love.”

“…Never. I will be with you always.”

The both laid there in each other’s embrace. Joumos thought about what the nomad had once said about he would defend his fate and destiny and Kinoshi would help him succeed. For the Asian was right, his future, his fate, his destiny, was safe and in his arms, where she belonged.

Dark

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

Devlin Sparks drove as fast as he could through the storm. It was only moments ago that he had gotten a call from his beautiful wife that men were inside of his house. His wife, Nicole, had said she was hiding with the kids in a closet far in the back hallway of the second story. He knew why they were there. The agency he had worked for told him this would happen in time. He had made too many enemies while working for Project Prometheus. Safe wasn’t a word that would ever be allowed in his vocabulary.

Yet, he had slipped in keeping the whereabouts of himself and his family from prowling danger. As he sped down the narrow streets of the country side, the monstrous storm around him raged on. Lightning flashed brilliantly and thunder shook him to his very core. Devlin had put the windshield wipers on full and it was still hard to keep the windshield of his little Ford clear.

As nature once again boomed in defiance of ceasing, his cell phone rang.
“Hello,” he said into the phone.

“Devlin, where are you? They’re still here.” He could hear the silent whimpering through the phone as her fear was more and more obvious with each passing second. He heart was pounding in his chest and he wanted to scream from the strain he felt from being so defenseless.

“Honey, you and the kids just hang in there and keep quiet. I’m just around the corner.”

“Wait, I think they’re leaving now. They’re all walking out the door.”

“Nicole, I want you to get yourself and the kids out of the house, right now. Get in the car and drive down the road and meet me.”

“No, honey, they’re gone. We’re safe now. They just pulled out some papers and things from your study and that’s it.” He came around the last turn and he was within a mile of his house. That’s when he could hear the voice of his 5 year old daughter through the phone.

“Mommy, what’s this big box? There’s little numbers.” Devlin’s heart was in his throat and he could breath. He had just pulled into his driveway. Then, it happened.

The explosion was so intense, it threw Devlin onto the roof of his car and everything went silent to him. His house had just been completely blown away. He was stunned and in shock of what had just happened. His wife, his children, were no more.

“No…,” was the only word that came out of Devlin’s mouth as he watched in horror as the remains of his house burned in front of him. Rain poured down from the sky and drenched his face as he laid there, in the mud, whimpering silently like a child. How could this have happened? Why did this happen? Who was responsible?

As everything fully registered, his jaw tightened and his soft, wet hands became solid fists. He screamed as loud as he could and for a second, he was above the thunder. He stood up and continued to watch the flames destroy the last piece of sanity he had left.

Whoever was responsible for this, their days were numbered. It was one thing to threaten him, it was another to slaughter his own wife and two innocent children. His son, Marcus, was only a year old and his daughter had just had her 5th birthday party.

He shed one more tear before he became dead inside. The numbness overtook him. He was no longer Devlin Sparks. No, that man had just died in the explosion that took the lives of his family. He was a man without a name, without a reason to live or be cautious. He was a man with a mission, a vendetta, and had nothing left to lose.

Earthquake

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

It was supposed to be another typical morning for Elizabeth. She was to do her normal routine in the morning that consisted of a lumpy bowl of oatmeal and a shower before heading off to work. However, today not only did her life change, reality was changed. Earlier this morning Elizabeth woke up to her house shaking all around her. She didn’t know what was going on or for how long it had been happening. However, it was thirty minutes after she woke up that the shaking ended. She had just been through an earthquake.

As Elizabeth came out from under the table she had taken shelter under, she walked to the television and turned it on. Mayhem was EVERYWHERE! The earthquake was the strongest that California had ever seen on any Richter Scale. It seemed like a part of the San Andreas fault had given way and created a large chasm that enveloped half of the state. She watched the news, scared of what she saw. People were hurt, dead, or dying.

Just then, her cell phone rang. As she ran back to the other side of the house to her cell phone she saw things that had fallen all over the house and either broke or shattered. When she got to her cell phone, the caller ID said it was her supervisor at the E.R.

“Elizabeth, thank God you’re alright,” Thomas Avery said with a sigh of relief.

“Tom, what’s going on?” She was still in shock of how she was awakened earlier.

“Have you seen the news? The San Andreas Fault just opened up and sucked half the state inside. We’ve been getting so many emergency calls that we’re being overloaded. I need you down here right away. Our paramedic team is being called in.”

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes,” she said as she hung up the phone.

After a quick shower and throwing on her uniform, she had jumped into her car and was headed to the hospital. She passed numerous accidents as well as collapsed houses because of the earthquake or trees that had been shaken down. Mayhem, terror, fear, death and dying, it was everywhere. The looks on people’s faces was something right out of a horror movie. Most of them were in shock and just staring off because of what just happened to them.

When she got to the hospital she was immediately dispatched with her team to an accident that consisted of a 6 car pile –up 1 mile from the interstate. As they arrived, there were people whimpering and bleeding. Only the sounds from the aftermath of destruction remained. Elizabeth ran to the first person that she saw that needed the most attention. There was a man that was laying on his back on the ground next to an open car from the accident. She checked his pulse and it was quite faint. As she started to look over his wounds she could see that he was bleeding from all over his abdomen. She checked his pulse one more time and there was nothing that existed of the man anymore.

Just then there was another tremor that started to shake the streets. As everything shook she did her best to keep from falling. She saw a large shadow waving back and forth over her and she looked up to the source. The highway was swaying back and forth like it was nothing. She could do nothing but watch in awe as the massive concrete structure started to buckle over its supports and start to lean her way. There was so much shaking that there was no way she could move far enough to not be right where the street was going to land. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and heard an engine that was getting louder. She turned and watched a man on a motorcycle flying down the street towards her. He slowed just enough to grab her and throw her on the bike and speed off. Elizabeth’s heart was in her throat and racing as she was moved just in time before the highway crashed where she had been standing moments ago.

“Elizabeth, it’s not your time yet. God’s not finished with you,” the strange savior said. Elizabeth was stunned.

“How do you know my name,” she asked.

“The way I know your name and my name is not important. Only hold fast to His promise that your time is far from over. You have many things to accomplish.” The driver stopped the motorcycle and she climbed off.

“Just remember that I’ll be watching out for you and I’ll be around,” the rider finished before driving off.

She was stunned. A minute ago she thought her life was going to end and yet here she stood, still in one piece. Who was the person that saved her? What did he mean by she still had many things to accomplish? What was she to do now?

Life After Death

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

As little Annie walked back to her seat after talking to the stewardess she felt embarrassed. She had just explained how she was too small for the seat belts and needed a booster for when the plane landed. It was embarrassing enough that she was 4' 9" and that people always looked down on her. The attention was more than she ever wanted.

Annie climbed back into her seat just as they started hitting some turbulence. They were flying over a lush rainforest at the moment and the mixture of dark forest green and the polka dots of exotic colors were more than words could describe.

The turbulence was starting to get worse and the fasten seatbelts sign dinged on. As Annie looked around for a stewardess to get her a booster they all had panicked looks on their faces. None of them paid attention to any of the passengers asking questions. Instead, they hurried to their seats and buckled in.

Just then the pilot came over the loud speaker.
"This is your captain speaking. We seem to be running into quite a bit of turbulence and don't worry, we'll be safe and sound and in time to our destination. Thank you."

Annie felt sick to her stomach. As she buckled into the giant seat the plane started to shake violently. People started moaning and screaming as the plane was tossed violently. Just then the hull of the plane started to moan louder than anything being heard inside. All of the sudden, the roof of the plane was torn away and darkness intruded into the bowels of the aircraft. She looked around as parts of the airplane continued to moan and strain under the pressure. Next, the back of the plane was torn completely off. At this point Annie was gripping onto the seatbelt itself with white knuckles for fear of being pulled out of her seat. They were going to crash and there were no doubts about that. Last thing Annie remembered was hearing people screaming and then their screaming fading as she lost consciousness.

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When Annie woke up to reality she was flat on her stomach in the middle of a field. Her head was killing her because of the giant headache that was currently tormenting her well-being. However, she didn’t have any broken bones or blood flowing out of her. Besides a few bruises that were starting to reveal themselves on her arms and legs, she was surprisingly fine. As she stood up and looked around, she couldn’t tell much about her surroundings and where she was. So, she climbed over to a wing from the plane that had landed in the middle of the field that she was in.

As she got to the top of the wing and looked all around her, she felt sick to her stomach. As she turned to all sides she realized that she was literally in the middle of a field of death. Bodies from the plane were strewn in various angles, shapes, and poses that were both natural and unnatural. Annie’s knees buckled and she fell to her hands and knees as she threw up.

Once she got down from the wing she walked into the surrounding forest. As she walked she was thinking about her current situation. She hadn’t seen any other survivors from the crash. Why was she the only one? Out of everyone on the flight, she was the smallest and she was the sole survivor of the horrible event.

Just then, something moved out of the corner of her eye. A man was running with a giant metal cylinder in his hands. As she thought about shouting out to the man she studied the cylinder he was carrying, it was a rocket launcher. This person was the reason for the crash! Annie decided that she would follow the man through the forest to see where he was going. If she followed him to a city or somewhere with a phone, she could report what happened and tell the police what happened.

After 30 minutes of following the man he finally got to a car that was parked on the side of the road. She watched as he opened the trunk of his car to put the destructive weapon in. As he started to put it in, bright flashing lights of red and blue came from all sides and surrounded the man. As she watched police officers arresting the man she ran after them shouting, screaming, and flailing her arms. However, none of the officers acknowledged her. She ran up to one telling him what she had seen the man do and about the crash site and the bodies that were everywhere. But still, there was nothing to show that the officer knew anything about her existence. As she was confused to why a team of people in hazmat uniforms ran past her and she followed them to the crash site.

When they got there, everyone went right to work. However, nobody had yet to acknowledge her.

“What is wrong with you people? Can’t you hear me,” she screamed as loud as she could. By this point, tears were streaming down her face. She felt so alone and isolated. As bodies were cleared away, one of the team members called the captain over to a body. As the captain raced over, she did as well. When she got there, the sight was gruesome and unbelievable.

“It’s such a shame to see someone so little and young have this happen to them,” breathed the captain under his breath.

Annie was in a total state of shock as she was looking at, herself. There was her body, lifeless, laying there with her head broken open, her arms with the bones protruding through the skin unnaturally, and her brain matter bleeding out of her ears as well as the breaks in her skull. How could it be that she was standing there, thinking, talking, and yet she was a lifeless corpse at the same time?

As she looked around at the scene again there was something new. A man stood in the middle of the field, cleanly dressed and he was looking straight at her. She thought it was just herself projecting him staring at her so she walked to another part of the field. When she looked at him again, he was still watching her. As she walked up to him he smiled warmly and she didn’t feel threatened by him.

“What is your name,” Annie asked.

“My name is Andrew,” replied the comforting but strange man.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“Depends on how you look at it Annie.” She was confused.

“Perhaps I’ll just let Him show you.” Just then everything around her disappeared and she was embraced in light. Not a normal light that could have been from the sun or from electric light, but true light. Annie felt not only comforted but an emotion of love that was stronger than anything she had ever felt before, the true essence of love. As she felt lifted by the light into the air she felt supported and in awe and wonder.

“Hello, my child,” boomed a soft voice that had so much compassion that it felt like it dripped off of every word. Tears came to Annie’s eyes as she came to a new level of relaxed. For she knew the voice immediately when it spoke, it was God.

“D…daddy,” she choked the question out because of the overwhelming emotions that were overtaking her.

“Welcome home, my good and faithful servant.”

Unicorns

~Kindle Joy Miller

They snuck closer without making a sound. Slowly peeking over a large rock, the unicorn was only a couple yards away. “Are we gonna go get her, Paul?” asked Lucas. “NO! Be quiet! It will hear you,” said Paul. The black unicorn turned around and looked past them. It had piercing dark blue eyes and a bright read horn sticking out of its head. “I don’t think this was such a good idea said Lucas slowly backing away. “Nonsense!” said Paul, “Soon we will be as rich as kings!”

Paul took some ropes out of his pack and handed one to Lucas. “On the count to three will lasso it!” said Paul. “But Paul…”

“One… Two… Three!” They threw there ropes at the unicorn with all their might. Lucas opened his eyes to see the unicorn gone and Paul looking over where it used to be and where there ropes were on the ground. “Where’d it go?” He asked. “Where do you think it went, Lucas?” Yelled Paul, “Where all the other ones went this is the fourth time this has happened and we won’t get anything if we go back empty handed!”

“Paul, what are we gonna do?” asked Lucas. “We’ll look for another one, you idiot!” Paul was ready to burst. He had been up in these mountains for almost a month looking for unicorns. They’ve only found four but they have all strangely disappeared at the last moment. His partner, Lucas wasn’t much help and Paul was ready to kill someone. “I guess we head back to camp?” suggested Lucas. “Can’t you get through your little brain? I’m not going back anywhere till I catch a unicorn!”

“Come on,” said Paul, “follow me.” There was a clearing up a head and Paul was for sure there would be a unicorn there. Nothing, the clearing was empty. Paul was about to yell at Lucas again when out of nowhere a little furry creature appeared. “Oh, my, It’s a…” Paul cut him off, “Be quiet you’re gonna scare it.” It was a Jackalope, a hare with the antlers of a deer which was said to mimic voices at night. Paul quietly pulled a net out of his pack. It was just the right size. He stepped towards the creature and the Jackalope looked up at him. “What do you want at this time of night?’ came a voice out of nowhere. Paul looked around, “Who said that?” He asked. Lucas turned and ran off screaming, “I’m not doing this anymore! You’re gonna get killed!!”

Paul looked back down at the hare. He was about to swing his net when he heard it again. “What are you doing here and what do you want with us?”

“I’m just traveler passing through” he said as he looked around again to see no one. “Well, you better get going then, we don’t want you here,” came the voice, “You have seen things you shouldn’t have seen and you have tried to capture us for your own gain.”

Paul stared at the hare on the ground beneath him. This is crazy, he thought, rabbits can’t talk. Paul picked up his net to capture the jackalope. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Suddenly a bunch of unicorns, jackalopes, griffins, wolves, fairies, and creatures of all kinds that Paul had never seen before or even heard of came out of nowhere into the clearing with the little hare. “I think I’ll be leaving now…” said Paul. He turned around and ran the way that Lucas went.

“Lucas, pack your things we’re getting out of here. I’m leaving and I’m not coming back.”

“But what about the boss?” asked Lucas, “What happened?”

“You can stay here if you want but I’m leaving, I will not go back to the boss. I’m going to go make my fortune in peace somewhere else.”

“Can I go with you?” asked Lucas, “I have nowhere else to go. I can’t go back to the boss either!”

“No!” yelled Paul as he ran out of the tent. Lucas ran after him. “Why not?” said Lucas, “If you don’t I’ll go back to the boss and tell him what you did.”

“Fine,” said Paul, he just wanted to get out of there and never see that place and those creatures again.

12 YEARS LATER

“Could you tell us a story, Daddy?”

“Yeah, Dad, tell us a story!”

“Okay… There was this black unicorn with piercing dark blue eyes and a bright red horn…”

“Dad, do you believe in unicorns?”

The Story of a Hair

~Kindle Joy Miller

Harry held on for his life has a huge monster with sharp teeth slowly pulled him away from his friends and family. He screamed in terror and his friends reached out to grab him. They held on tight to eachother. Harry’s brother, Fuzz, was being pulled out too and Harry reached out so that Fuzz could grab him. Fuzz grabbed Harry. “Hold on,” said Harry. Fuzz held on to Harry and Harry held on to their other friends, Split End, Greesy, and Fluff. Fuzz was holding on really tight but the monster came again and pulled him down and away. “Help!” yelled Fuzz but it was to late. Harry watched as his brother feel to the floor. But he still had a problem of his own, he had been disconected from the head and was also hanging on for his life. “Don’t worry,” said Split End, “We will hold on to you. Just don’t let go!”

So through out the rest of the day Harry held on to his fre=iends and they held him up but later in the afternoon he got tired and could not hold on much longer. “Keep holding,” said Greesy. “Don’t let go!” said Fluff. “I’m getting tired,” replied Harry, “What do I do?”

“Don’t do anything,” said Split End, “We will try and hold you while you sleep and you can sleep in peace.” Now this would be fine if the others did not dose off. They all fell asleep and Harry slowly floated down and away. He seemed to have landed in a big pot with boiling water. Harry woke up right away wondering where he was. There was huge orange things and brown pieces of something. “Split End! Greesy! Fluff! Where are you?” He yelled, “Where am I?” He thought about what he was going to do and how he could get out of there when suddenly big brown and white chunks of something started falling from the sky. Harry screamed in fright and tried to move out of the way. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t sway back and forth like he used to on the head. A big chunk landed on him and pulled him into the soup. He was stuck and now there was no possible way to get free he thought. Harry started to cry and fell back to sleep not know ing what to do.

Harry woke up later to a giant black and gray monster coming twards him he tried to float away but the big chunk of something was still on top of him. The black and gray monster grabed him and the thing on top of him and carried them out of the stew. It was huge and it dropped them into a little bowl of some kind. The thing landed on top of Harry again and Harry shreaked. But nobody could hear him. A smaller black and gray thing came towards him and picked up him and the thing on top of him again. He slowly went upwards and he looked around. Harry screamed again because right in front of him with the sharpest teeth he had ever seen was another monster! It was huge, bigger then anything he had ever seen! He got closer and closer to it and shut his eyes be cause he knew he would die. Suddenly he heard the loudest voice coming from the monster saying, “Hey! There is a hair in my food!”

Lockdown

~Kindle Joy Miller

Randy grabbed Daisy and pulled her into his hiding place in a large coat closet. “Hey!” Randy cut her off. “Shh,” He said, “It’s just me.” She stared at him for a minute not recognizing him in the dark. “Oh, Randy,” She said after a few minutes, “I’m so scared.”

“Me too,” He admitted, “Let’s get farther away from the door.” They quietly stepped towards the back of the closet. They looked at each other in the dark breathing deeply when they heard someone come in the room. Randy grabbed Daisy and held her close not making a sound. They heard footsteps walking around the room and coming towards the closet. They backed up and Randy felt a breeze go past his leg. “Did you feel that,” he whispered as quietly as possible. Daisy bent down and felt around. “It’s a vent,” said Daisy. Randy bent down. “Let’s go through,” He said, “we got to get out of here.” The footsteps stopped for a second then headed towards the closet. Randy quickly pulled out the vent and motioned for Daisy to go through. She crawled into the vent and saw a turn in it up ahead. Randy followed as quickly as possible and pulled the vent back in behind him. The door to the closet opened and Randy saw the shadow of a man with a gun. He turned around and headed as fast and as quietly as he could to the end of the vent where Daisy was. They turned the corner then Randy looked back around it to see a shadow opening the vent. He quickly turned around and whispered to Daisy to go fast. They heard a gun shot and both ducked. It must have missed, thought Randy. They crawled farther down the vent until they came to a cross in it. “Let’s go this way, I think we can get to the gym through here,” said Randy. “Okay,” said Daisy, “But if you get us lost…”

“Whatever, we won’t get lost,” said Randy. “I think I feel better now,” Said Daisy. “Feel better?” asked Randy. “About this whole lock down thing,” She replied, “I’m still very scared but a lot more confident now that your with me.”

“Oh... Well, thanks.” Randy started to blush. They finally got to the end of the tunnel but it didn’t go to the gym it led them outside. Daisy peaked out to police cars, an ambulance, and a few fire trucks. They climbed out and two police officers ran up to them. “Are you alright?” one asked. “Yeah, we’re fine answered Daisy as she helped pull Randy out of the vent. “Good. Come this way,” They followed the officers to where a bunch of other students were. “What do you think they’re gonna do?” a kid with red hair and large glasses asked. “I don’t know” said Daisy. Just then she looked over to see her best friend, Carla, on a stretcher being put into an ambulance. Daisy ran over there and Randy ran after her. “What are you two doing?” said a nurse that was right there. That’s my friend, Carla!” said Daisy, “Is she gonna be okay?”

“I’m sorry,” said the nurse and shook her head, “it would take a miracle for her to survive.” Daisy started to cry and Randy tried to comfort her. Then a few police officers came out with three men in cuffs. “I hate you! I hate you!” Daisy screamed at them. “Yelling at them isn’t gonna bring Carla back,” said Randy. Daisy sniffed “I know,” She said.

Grin

~Kindle Joy Miller

The grim reaper is supposed to be a black-cloaked, scythe-wielding creature that sends people to the darkness of hell to grieve in death and pain forever. But there is one grim reaper who is very different than what the stories tell. He is scared of death and allergic to the colors black and red. Because he’s allergic to the color black his cloak and scythe are dark blue. Other grim reapers call him grin because he doesn’t like to make people hurt or feel pain and he doesn’t have many friends because of this. He does everything happily by himself not wanting to hurt another soul. But one day the council of the lake of fire called for him. “Grin,” they said, “under the laws of Hell set up by the devil you must murder someone and send them down there before midnight tonight or we will have to send you down there.” They pointed towards the fiery lake. “You can’t just live without hurting a soul! The law is the law. Now go and do this for I don’t want to see a grim reaper suffer or any of the creatures of hell, not Hades nor the demons of night! Now go and do these evil deeds!”

Grin walked away very sad wondering how he could hurt someone or even kill someone when he himself was afraid of death. He walked down the streets of the underworld to the portal to the mortal realm. Grin went through the portal for the first time in his life. He swirled through blackness and dark and began to sneeze on his way through the portal.

Grin opened his eyes and he was on a tree. He jumped out of the tree and looked around he seemed to be in a park. There was a little girl there who saw him. “Who... are… you?” She asked. “My name is Grin,” Said Grin, “Who are you?” He put out his hand but the girl shrieked and hid behind the tree. He pulled it back in his cloak. “Sorry,” he said. The girl slowly came back out. “What… are you?” She asked looking him over. “I’m a grim reaper…” He replied afraid she would run away again. “Oh,” she said simply,”Are you gonna kill someone?”

“…No,” he said, “…I’m here to make friends.”

“Oh! Can I be your friend?” she asked, “My name is Lacy.”

“Sure,” replied Grin, “Nice to meet you Lacy.” He put out his hand again and she looked at it for a second then shook it smiling. “Is that really why you’re here? I thought grim reapers killed things…”

“Okay… I hve to kill someone otherwise something very bad will happen to me,” Grin told her. She looked wide eyed. “What would happen to you?” she asked. “They will throw me in the lake of fire if I don’t do it but I don’t want to kill anyone!” said Grin. “Why don’t you kill an animalinstead would that work?” asked Lacy. “I don’tknow,” said Grin, “ but I rather do that then kill a person.”

“Okay,” Said Lacy, “ my family has a farm and There is this pig that my dad hates and we just kill all our pigs anyway so you can kill it. Follow me!”

“Great,” said Grin, “then I will be doing you a faver and I won’t have to be sent to the lake of fire!” Grin followed Lacy down the street and a little ways out of town where a little farm stood. “This is my house,” said Lacy, “The pigs are this way.” She pointed towards a big barn. “Okay,” said Grin. Lacy opened the door and told Grin what to do. “I not allowed to watch but my dad tells me how it is done,” she said. Grin walked in and Lacy shut the door behind him so she couldn’t see. He found a large pig in a pin and raised his scythe.

After he killed the pig he suddenly started transporting back to the underworld. He opened his eyes and he was in front of the concil of the lake of fire again. “We are amazed at how quickly you have obeyed the devil’s orders. You will now not have to kill anyone for another 10 years”

After his meeting with the council, Grin went back to the human world and thanked Lacy for her help.

Strange Letters From Another World

~Kindle Joy Miller

Dear Cody,

I am writing form another world. I don’t know how I got here or how I get back. All I remember before I got here was I was on my laptop and I bent down to get something and I hit a button I came back up and the screen read, “Welcome to Eacon”. A weird glowing light appeared on my computer and then I woke up here. This place is very different. There are giant mushrooms, lollipop trees, fields and mountains full of butterflies, and flying toads here! I don’t know if you’ll get this letter but you would be amazed. You probably won’t believe what I’m telling you but it is true! I’ve found money trees and there are these bushes that grow every kind of flower you can think of! I wish you were here with me though. It’s so lonely here. I haven’t found any human life yet.

Your good friend,

Emma

Dear Cody,

You won’t believe it! I have met a fairy but it isn’t what you think a fairy would be like. They are human sized not tiny and they are very friendly! They invited me to tea and I went to their little house. They live inside the giant mushrooms! They are nice and I might stay with one of them for a few days (Until I figure out how to get home). They say this place is called Eacon. Her name is Daisy and she lives with her husband, Pine, and their two daughters, Blossom and Peach. I’m excited! They say they have only met a human twice before. I can’t wait to get back and see you though! I miss you so much!

Your good friend,

Emma

Dear Cody,

Today, we were attacked by cat people! The cat people look awesome! They have long tails and little kitten ears but they’re fierce! The fairies were helping me try to find away home when these cat people came out of nowhere! The fairies flew away as fast as possible! But the cats got me! I’m writing this from a cell in the cat people castle. I don’t know what to do! Now I will never find a way home. I miss you now more than ever and I wish I have never come here!

Your good friend,

Emma

Dear Cody,

The cats took me to their leader today to see what to do with me. Their king, Leapardclaws, told me that they would let me go because there is no use for me unless I knew where the hounds’ fortress was. I told him my story and he said he believed me. So now I’m in a dark forest by myself and I don’t know what to do but write you! I hear howls and it scares me because of what the cat king told me about the hounds. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back home and even if I did I couldn’t tell anyone what happened because they’d think I’m insane. But you don’t think I’m insane, do you, Cody?

Your good friend,

Emma

Dear Cody,

I have met these fire people who think they know how to get me home! They have fiery hair and are super nice! They told me that if on a full moon I go to the top of the volcano (Where they live) the volcano will erupt and glowing light will appear which will transport me home! Their chief elder, Flame, told me that many humans have come here and that is how they have left. I can’t wait to see you! When I was with the fairies they said that every full moon they have a celebration for their queen, Waterlily, and the next one would be in three days. This would be tomorrow! I’m so excited! I just want to go home and see you!

Your good friend,

Emma

Dear Cody,

I am on my way! In a few minutes the sun will be down and I will go to the top of the volcano! I’m saying goodbye to everyone that has helped me on my way. The fairies came and are happy that I’ll be able to go home. Daisy says she’ll miss me and I met a fire person named Ember who I will never forget! She is so kind and loving. She is Flame’s wife and I am very glad I met them both. Well here I go hopefully I’ll see you soon.

Your good friend,

Emma

Fire People

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

The year was 2012. The world was in chaos and disorder as more and more was being taken over by corporate giants that were run by the government. There was also in uproar in the business world because of the takeover of jobs and tasks by the technological advancements as well. Because of this upheaval, the unemployment rate was on a spiral rise up. People were losing their jobs left and right.

As things continued to get worse there became word of a conspiracy in all of this against those with jobs. The reason for the amount of job loss was because the government wanted to have more control over everything and wanted people to have no control over their lives or resources. Because of this conspiracy, an underground movement was created. This movement was simply called, “The Fire People.”

The Fire People was a mass of people that were a rebellion against the hostile government take over. This, is one of the records of their campaigns against the oppressive and mechanical government that was hell-bent on taking them over.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

May 8, 2012

Time: 22:00 Hours

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Lathan stood at the back of his jeep. He had the back opened up and numerous weapons sprawled out with ammunition strewn everywhere. His mission was simple. He was given a flash drive less than three hours ago by the Fire People leaders that had a virus that was to destroy the mainframe of an automated car factory. As he finished suiting up he closed up the back of the jeep and locked it. He had to be careful with the security around the perimeter of the plant. Granted, he was covered by the cover of darkness but he wasn’t sure what kind of security was used here.

As he walked over to the chain link fence with barbed wire he looked around the outside area of the factory. He couldn’t see any security patrol robots or any of the few human security officers that were still employed in few places like this. Lathan cut through the fence and made his way to the giant building with smoke stacks and flashing lights inside like a strobe light at a club. He pulled a grappling gun out of the holster on his left leg and aimed at the roof of the building. He fired and the hook flew up and over onto the roof, catching and locking itself. He pressed a button and he started to lift into the air.

As he came to the third story of the building he stopped in front of a window and smashed it open. Lathan swung himself into the now open window and let go of the gun. He heard a slight humming sound coming from down the hall. He watched as two robots came around the corner. They looked right at him and aimed their weapons.

“Halt intruder,” they said with their fake human voices. Lathan pulled out two boomerang shaped blades from his back pocket.

“Hope you two enjoy magnets.” The security bots made a tinny, chuckling sound as they heard this.

“We have no metal that can be magnetized. We’re made of carbon fiber.” This made Lathan smile wide. He threw both of the boomerangs at the robots. Both machines did not fire at the incoming projectiles. However, when the boomerangs came up to the robots, it sliced both of their heads clean off and they fell to the floor with a thud as their bodies still stood erect on their wheels. Lathan caught the returning boomerangs.

“How did you do that,” asked one of the robots in its hollow voice. Lathan walked over to the heads laying on the ground and squatted down in front of them.

“Diamond tipped, magnetic boomerangs. See, you may not be made of metal but you have a small piece of metal about an inch wide and a tenth of a millimeter thick that is required to be part of your CPU in your head. The super magnet automatically is attracted to that. It’s a new weapon we’ve been working on.”

Lathan stood back up and pulled a small handgun out of his back pocket. It was a handheld EMP weapon. He aimed it at the heads and fired, destroying the insides completely. Then, he walked over to a room that was behind the still standing bodies of the robots. He kicked the door in and walked over to a clear window console. He pressed a few keys and a small USB raised from the middle of the console. Just then a face came into view on the screen.

“Whoever you are, you are not allowed in here. This is a restricted area. Cease your actions and leave this place or prepare for the calling of the military police.”

Lathan pulled out the USB from his front pocket. He looked over at the artificial intelligence face floating on the screen. He smiled as he plugged the USB device into the system.

“I assure you, intruder, that whatever virus or program that is written on this device will not affect me in any way and do no harm to this system.” This made Lathan smile and laugh to himself.

“I don’t know if you’re aware or not but my name is Lathan McDaniels. I’m not only the smartest computer genius in the world as of this moment but I also built and was responsible for the artificial brain that you call yourself. As you hear me talking you can feel yourself losing control of systems more and more. Like your Borg cousins say, resistance is futile.” Just then the face disappeared and there were sparks shooting from the screen and the console. Then, the power shut down throughout the entire building.

Lathan put on a pair of night vision glasses and a spray can. He walked over to the screen and put three words over the screen with the can of paint.

THE FIRE PEOPLE.

As he walked out of the building and towards his parked Jeep he dialed into his radio.

“This is Agent 5Z. Mission accomplished. Returning to base.” There were two beeps on the other end of the radio signaling that his message was received by the listener on the other end.

Jackson & The Ninja

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

Jackson walked towards the black masked figure ahead of him. He didn’t know who it was or where they had come from but this was the last time he would allow the stranger to kill the people around him that he loved and cared for.

“I don’t know who you are,” Jackson yelled. “But whoever you are, that was the last time you will take the life of anyone!” The figure took a stance showing he was ready for a fight. Jackson stopped 10 feet away from the black dressed ninja. He was ready for anything.

Just then the attacker shot a fist at him and Jackson moved to his left just as a knife slid out of the enemy’s sleeve. This person was insane. Did he even know who he was attacking?

Jackson spun around and grabbed the intruding wrist, turning it, making the knife fall out of its grasp. Then, he spun back around the other way and slammed the palm of his hand into the elbow. By the sound of bone breaking loudly, he knew that he had broken clean through. However, not a sound came from the ninja. He let go of the wrist and then jumped in the air thrusting a foot at the masked attacker. As he reached the peak of his jump, the ninja caught his foot, pulling him down to the ground. As he fell he put his hands out in front of him, catching himself from slamming into the concrete and then pushed off his hands, slammed his other foot up from the bottom on the ninja’s face, and then landing on his feet farther back.

Just then the ninja pulled a katana out from the sheath behind his back and aimed it at Jackson. Jackson knew that this was not going in his favor at all. He looked around for something to defend himself and saw a raggedy towel sticking out of a trashcan next to him. He grabbed it, rolled it up, and held it between his two hands. The attacker cried and then lunged at Jackson. With the grace of a dancer, Jackson pivoted to his left, wrapped the towel around the blade of the katana, and flung it away from their fight. Then he spun farther, coming up behind the still lunging ninja and kicked him in the left kneecap. This made the ninja fall to the ground back.

Jackson dropped down behind the masked man and wrapped his left arm around their neck and then pressed his right hand on the right side of their face.

“Who sent you and why,” Jackson asked. The only response he obtained from the failed ninja was silence.

“I won’t ask another time. Who sent you here and why?” Still, the attacker kept quiet.

“Alright, you have to the count of three. If you don’t answer by then, I’ll break your neck.” Yet again no words left the lips of the murderer that he held in his arms. Jackson pushed with his right hand on the side of their neck and heard a loud snapping sound, then the body that he was holding hostage went limp in his grasp.

He laid the body down on the ground and walked over to the sword that he had flung away during the scuffle. As he observed the blade it instantly became familiar to him. The craftsmanship was original and rarely seen in this part of the world. It was made in a remote part of Japan and only given to the warriors of the Oonagi. The Oonagi were a mythological group of people who were supposedly nothing more than a legend created to scare the criminals of Japan. Now, however, it seemed that they were not only real, but they were heartless murderers.

Jackson walked back over to the now limp body on the ground. He took the sword’s sheath off of the dead ninja and strapped it to himself while sliding the sword in its place as well, within the sheath. He was going to find out who ordered the personal attack on him, and they didn’t have any idea what Jackson was going to do them next.

The Runner

~Brandon James Scott Scholl

As Margaret ran through the forest the branches slapped against her in an attempt to hold her for her pursuers. There was little light from the quarter moon that was high in the sky gently lighting her path to safety. Not this time, she thought. I won't go back. They won't stop me. She could hear the footfalls of her chaser and their heavy breathing. She had to lose them. Her life was finally in her hands. She, for once in her life, was making her own decisions. Her arms were scratched and bleeding from the attack of the trees as she ran. Her legs were just as battered because of the medical shorts she was wearing. She ducked down into a couple mashed together trees to hide. She slowed her breathing and calmed herself down as best she could. The footsteps that were following her were getting louder. She could hear the voice from the attacker in her head.

Come out, come out wherever you are.

She continued to listen to what was in his head. She could only hear his immediate thoughts but that’s all she needed. She hadn’t sharpened her skills enough to get completely into the minds of people around her. She remembered how they had taken her from her home when she was a child. She was considered a glitch in the system. Something that was unnatural and was to be experimented on. They had taken so many years out of her life. From the time she was 5 she had been their prisoner of tests and torture. Not this time, not anymore.

As the man that was following her moved closer she could tell he was severely out of breath.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he muttered in a husky voice.

The voice made her jump inside. It was the voice that was only heard when they would grab her and force surgical tools inside of her and hurt her. He was the brute force for the brains. She could hear him thinking again.

I’ll just crouch behind this tree and watch her run out. She won’t know where I am and she’ll think it’s safe.

She knew exactly where he was too. As she came out of her hiding place she grabbed a giant branch that was laying on the ground next to her. She came up behind the crouched, bearded man. He smelled of alcohol and sweat. She raised the branch up over her head and watched him for a moment, peering into his mind.

“Where is that little wench,” he thought.

Just then she swung the giant branch down on top of his head as hard as she could. Then she felt the connection to his head go silent and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

“I’m right here,” she mumbled to herself. She collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. As she looked around she could hear the distant barking of dogs and men shouting orders at other men. She got up off the ground and ran in the opposite direction.

As she was running she saw a clearing up ahead. As she broke through the branches into the open area she saw a road. A car was coming her way. She put her thumb out to flag the car down. It was an old, blue, Ford Taurus. A car that was made between 1986-1991. Primarily made in Georgia and Illinois. How did she know that? She had never grown up around cars. In fact, she didn’t have much of a life at all outside of the testing and torture that was inflicted on her.

As the car came closer it pulled off to where she was on the side of the road. A woman in her mid 40’s got out immediately and came around.

“Oh my gosh! Are you alright honey,” the woman asked. She was out of breath. All she could do was mutter two words.

“Help me.”

“Here, come get in my car. I’ll take you to my house right now. What’s your name?” The woman waited for a reply while helping her new companion into the car. The answer to her question never came though. All the response she had gotten was the only two words that were in Margaret’s verbal vocabulary.

“Help me.”

As Margaret laid down in the back seat she could hear the thoughts going through her savior’s mind. She was genuinely worried about Margaret’s condition. She was worried about whether she had been beaten, running from an accident, or even worse, raped.

As the car lurched forward and the engine came to life while they drove, all Margaret could think about was that she was free. No more pain, no more humility, no more being seen as a science experiment. She was safe. That was the last thing that she thought before darkness overtook her consciousness and she fell asleep.