Chapter 44: Molly's Fate

    Things weren't going my way. I had no idea whether I was legally sane, or if the witch was just more clever today. Either way, this was ridiculous.
    She brought me back to my room, not really enthralled in my protection. She probably didn't give if I got hurt or even ran, its not like she'd get in trouble for it anyways. As I tripped along, she stopped every now and then, mocking a prisioner (or at least thats what I thought of the rooms.) "Sup Retard" to a few. "Hey, how you two doing?" She would ask some of the single cell people.  I laughed at that one, even though it was terrible. The fact was, I kind of stuck with her to hear her sick (but funny) sense of humor. We didn't even get back to my room for about thirty minutes. But when we finally did, she looked back at me, "Here we are Klar's, your paradise, complete with girl." She then grabbed my arm and tossed me in.
     The first thing I realized when I got in was the two seperate wall designs. Mine was covered in drawings of future cities, and a few of the Retreat. (They all look pretty professionally done.) I even had one of Molly and I kissing. I hadn't even gotten to that part of the story yet. (I just called it "the story". I'm going insane. ) The other wall was covered in nature photos and posters. The most brilliant, a white tiger that hung over the bed. That must have been the nature professionals.
     I walked over to my bed. I then layed down, kind of exhausted from the bit of lifestyle change. I had went from Future Warrior to Insane quickly. I was kind of confused also. Where was Molly? She was my roommate, so she had to be somewhere. I didn't get curious though, because in the end it wasn't really any of my business. I just had to wait it out. So I went to sleep...

     A couple hours later, the thick metal door to the room opened, squeaking loudly, and squeaky herself said, "Here you go Nature Freak." Then the door shut. And in stepped Molly. She looked just as she had in the future, beautiful and powerful. I liked it still. But she also had another NEW look to her. That was the look of crazy, as she looked at me, her left eye twitching awkwardly.
     She started to talk, "Sup Alex. Long time no see." She casually walked to her bed and sat down. I was still laying. "I've been wondering how long they were going to hold you in the Keep." (The Keep must have been the place where I was strapped to the chair.) I sat up, laughing at the fact that  Molly was actually talking to me again. "Yeah, Doc Murphy was trying to teach me what I supposedly "didn't know" (as she flipped her index and middle finger up and down in a familiar gesture) about nature." I then tried to interrupt, but she continued over me. " Like I don't know about nature. Lions are purple and he can't convince me otherwise." Man, she was a wackjob."So, whats up with you Al."
     (Finally...) "How long was I there?" I asked. "Because the last thing I remember was you and me in an apartment dancing when all of the sudden some people attacked us." I was hoping she would remember something similar.
     "You were in there for a while, I'd say three or four days." I think that she was scared for me. She seemed to stutter a bit. "But about the apartment, I don't remember that at all. I remember you and me on a safari though." Nope.
     "No apartment? Nothing?"
     "Nope."
    "Damn." Maybe I was just a looney bin regular. Nobody knew my story except that nurse. THAT NURSE. "Molly, what was the nurses name. Squeaky I mean." (Squeaky. I'd been calling her that for a while.)
     "You know her name silly. That's nurse Georgie hun. Now get some sleep, and make sure to snore a ton. Keeps the mosquitoes away."
      Nurse Georgie. Sounds familiar. Georgie wasn't good. I had to do it, I had to get to Georgie. She would know whether I was crazy or not. She had to.  

Chapter 46: Fish, Food, and Death

     We walked in and everything was great. I saw some flying fish and giant mongrals and sharks. The aquarium was huge. It had to have had seventy thousand gallons of water in it. If not more. And Molly was absolutely hilarious. She was telling these absolutely crazy fast facts. I think my favorite was "Sharks are cool. They don't eat people, but they suck them into their mouths where parasites eat their intestines, then the shark poops them out whole." What made that funny was that the tour guide behind us looked at her, and she made a face that made Molly look idiotic. It was funny.
     I still had my plans against Nurse Georgie, but I figured I'd enjoy myself before plotting murder. I mean, I never would have if I was back at Nexus. Its different now. As we walked towards the end of our tour, I knew it would be the end for her soon. In fact, it would be right after dinner.
    When we pulled up to the stalls for dinner, there were foods I had come to miss over the years. Burgers, fries, shakes. I hadn't had a good burger in years. It kind of made me think actually. What if this all was real? What if I was crazy and by killing Georgie, I would be erasing any chance I had of living life again. It was crazy, but could you imagine what would happen if everything I planned for the aquarium steps worked out. I had to confirm that I wasn't in a dream again. I needed to know if this is all real.
    First I tried Molly again. There had to be a shard of memory, there had to be. That all was to epic to not have been stored somewhere in that brain of hers. "So, Molly. Do you remember Nexus? That apartment you had there was pretty crazy..."
    "What you talking about you silly monkey-man?" She had no idea did she.
       "Come on Moll, you've gotta remember. The Retreat ring a bell, or maybe the Masks?"
         "Oh, the Masks!" I think I had her. "The masks lemurs wear to hid their alien identities."... Nothing.
    I needed some other proof. I tried to get to Georgie. Maybe a confession or something. That could work.
    "So, hey Georgie, hows it going?" I asked. I don't even know how I would get her to confess. She would die if she didn't though. "Hey... Do you remember those old apartments? The ones I met you in before I was crazy?" I tried my best.
    "No, I don't remember. Your having a moment again, aren't you?" She started to grab a pill box out of her purse."Here you..."
    "That won't be necessary. We don't need you to do that for me. I was just testing you." Plan B, act retarted. "Test success. Guess you aren't a patient." I laughed. This made a crazy red-headed girl next to me laugh herself. But I don't know why.
    "Well, its time to go yall," said Georgie.  I was ready to go. Operation: Nurse Georgie was ready to commense.

Chapter 43:Truth

This couldn't have been happening. It was impossible. Bellville Mental Hospital! But what about Molly, and the Masks, and the Witch. It all had to have happened. "Your bluffing, you witch." I screamed.
    "Now now Alex, don't raise your voice. You may scare Molly," she said. My eyes got wide. Molly was here? But where?
    "Where is she you bastard?!?" I screamed again, this time louder.
     "She's in your room, remember. The one me and Nurse Cherry gave you two. You two were perfect for each other, as roommates that is." My mind went blank. Everything I could remember went blank. Was this squeaky lady telling me the truth? Was I actually creating my own nightmare?
     "What's Molly's problem?" I asked calmer, hoping for a few answers.
     "She has the strange premonitions that she is on a safari. She dreams she is jungle girl," said squeaky. She then laughed, "Just the other day she thought a tiger was under her bed."
      BOOM! My world exploded. As my mind went into a shock I had never known existed, all I could do was wait for more. (Not that I was ready for any more news) The only things I was getting out of this conversation though was that I was either stuck in a new nightmare, or a crazy, delusional child. Either way, my situation wasn't good considering squeaky found it fun beating me.
     The squeaky nurse started towards me. This time with some keys instead of a needle. She then unlocked my left wrist, and my right wrist. "Now get to your room jackass. You're going to get me fired."
    I turned around, and then looked her in the eye. "What's your name again?" I asked, just to see if she'd answer.
    "I'm nurse Jaklyn" she said. "Don't you remember?" She then slapped me upside the head. "Now get a move on you idjit."

Chapter 42: The Boy and The Witch

     When I woke up, everything was brighter. I had that flash you get when you've been in darkness for a long time. But for some reason, I was wishing my eyes would never focus. I was scared about what nightmare I would be forced to wake up to next. And slowly, as my vision got darker and darker, I realized that it wasn't a dream anymore.
     What I woke up to was a snarling face. The snarling face of the witch. " Well, my pretty boy. Quite the adventure you had, tossing and turning like that." She then laughed, and then looked at me again. " I would have been surprised if you would have gone into shock." She then grabbed one of my two arms, which I now realized was strapped down. "You were having fun right?!?" she cackled.
    I was terrified. But in the shock, pride was clinging somewhere. Just enough in face for me to spit right into her face. "Hows that for dreaming?" I cackled myself.
    But before I could get another laugh off, she grabbed my face, gripping it strongly. "Boy, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Otherwise, you're going to be locked in here longer." She then slapped me. "Now hold on." She pulled something out of her pocket. It was a needle about the size of a pencil, filled with a blue liquid.
   I slapped it away, knocking it across the room into a wall. It shattered and crashed as it hit it. But as I looked back at the witch, this time, the look wasn't patience, as it usually showed. It was anger. "THAT COST THE HOSPITAL 200$ TO GET YOU THAT STUFF!" She screamed. She then kicked me hard, right in the nuts.
    "Hospital?" I choked out, wincing in pain.
     "No shit stupid." The witch said...
       But there was something peculiar about her voice this time. It rose. Rose quite a bit, into a high pitched squeak. It was a woman's voice alright, but a squeaker at that. I looked at her again. There were no straps on my neck, so my field of vision was decent. And as I looked at her, her face started to shift into new positions. Her nose started moving upwards, and the wart started disappearing. The ears started to slip into her head, and they changed angle. Her eyes changed color, along with her skin and hair. And eventually, she was a new person.
       "You've been staying at the Bellville Mental Hospital for five years now Al, don't you remember." She then winked, showing one of those cheesy nurse smiles. "Or did you have one of your moments again, Klarsey."

Chapter 41:Everybody Dance (Georgie's Friend)

   Authors Note: This chapter is written in a peaceful manor in dedication to the 22 people who died in Connecticut recently. God Bless their Souls. (Although the cliffhanger ending isn't as peaceful)

 I left the library eventually, after searching and searching for hours on a way to defeat the masks. Nothing. Plus, I got the weird feeling you get when you've been at a library for more than 3 hours. So I had to leave.
    Once I got back out, I wasn't sure whether I should keep exploring or whether I should find something useful to do. I did the latter. I went back downstairs and checked the kitchen. The only thing I found down there was some old guys playing chess (On this ridiculous hologram board thing that was super awesome) and Georgie cleaning up the grime from the meal I must have missed. She had this gigantic smile on her face as she looked at me as I came in. "Hey there KlarsEE. Hosit goin?" She had the hilariously psycho southern accent.
    "Good Georgie." I answered. "A little tired. I found the library."
      She laughed, "A boy who axsually reads. Mirecels happen." She then raised her hands in the air, giggling to herself, "Praise the loid." This was the first time I had seen Georgie like this. Things really esclated quickly as she then walked towards me and grabbed my arm and pranced around the table, as we did a little jig around the table. The guys who had been playing chess looked up and laughed.
     "Georgie, you're especially cheery today. Whats up?" For the small while I had been in the apartments, hiding from the masks, I had never seen Georgie doing anything but clean.
     "Ise happy because Ise gotta frien comin from a fort down sout." She then giggled again, like a Tigger giggle.
     "Well then lets celebrate." I said to Georgie.
      I missed times like this. Other than the time I successfully saved Molly, I had never felt pure joy like this. As Georgie jumped around, waiving her hands like a maniac, I took off. I sprinted, hallway after hallway and told everyone "Go to the dining room. We've got ourselves a celebration." Everyone came down. Even Molly. We ran down all together and without music, we danced. I danced around with people I had met in my short stay, and people I hadn't seen in my life. I even snuck a dance with Molly, who for the first time in a while, didn't have the "I'm going to kill you" look.  We danced, we conga lined, and even did some dances I'd never seen before. It was great.
     Then, in the middle of the dancing, there was a knock on the door...

     Everybody stopped. Some people looked at the door, some attempted to dance again. I looked at Georgie, as she smiled with the biggest smirk I had ever seen. "Shes here?" I mouthed to Georgie.
    "He's here." mouthed back Georgie. She then approached the door. Each step she took got more skittish and skittish, but she still had a stride to her step. She finally got to the door, took the handle, and opened it.
     Time slowed down. People eerily danced around, shuffling at a pace (to my perception) only possible in space. The people staring at the door blinked slowly, three seconds a blink. The person sitting on the other side of the door, was a mask. Not the mask I was looking for, but a big, melted white mask. In fact, it was a group of masks.
      I looked at Molly, and I knew she was in the same shocked mode as I was. Georgie smirked as she looked around the room. Her now bloodshot eyes scanned across the room. In a weirdly glitchy, low voice, this time not as southern, Georgie said, "Turn it off boys." Then there was a crash.
     I looked around, frozen, as the walls started peeling. The floor itself was phasing into a giant black abyss. This one similar to the black hole that had gotten me here. Soon the walls melted, and everything soon melted also. The people standing around the room who were once dancing melted away, like wax figurines to a flame. Then, the blackness folded around me, coming closer, and closer. As I could see the black wave coming at me, I tried to run.
    But I couldn't. The black wave got closer, and closer, and soon hit me like a black tsunami. It took my breath away. Then even though everything I could see in front of me was black, I felt another type of black, as I myself blacked out.

Chapter 40: Information

Red Mask, Fandora    
Search; Results
Search # 233674a41
Results:

(Audio File) Legand of the Red Mask
Read by: Gary Hardnam
 Explains the legacy of the "Phong clan". The controversial story about people living through the racial contrasts of our society tod...

(Document File) 2042 Red Mask Weapondry
 Written by: Fandora Historic Society
Red Mask Weapondry was a manufacturing company that produced blades as well as guns. Known for inventing the only "laser" saber, Red Mask We...

(Video File) Red Masks Spotting; Unknown Mysteries; Paranormal Netowork
  #paranormal #DouglassJohannason #UnknownMysteries

The first thing I picked was the video file. That meant no pain and no reading. What pulled up was what looked like a well made paranormal show that was hosting "Search for the Red Mask". What was great was it was just what I was looking for. It first gave me a sketch of the mask based on eyewitness accounts. I wanted it printed, so I said "print" to see what would happen, and so enough, it came up. A little piece of what almost didn't even seem like paper came up. A floating image of the mask, right in my hand. It was amazing.
    Next, it gave me information about the "Red Mask's" whereabouts. But, sadly against my advantage, it was in the direct middle of the "Retreat" (which was rather gigantic now that I could see it on a map). It also showed that the "Red Mask" moved a lot. There were blips of his sightings all over Earth. (or at least I think im still on Earth. I'm not even sure anymore)
    The third, and final thing I could pull out of the project was that the Red Mask was ancient. I mean, aparently, if this dude was still alive, he'd be 107 years old. So, whatever chance I had of finding the red mask was done. But I'm very zealot, and I couldn't give up. I had to find him. There must have been a way to beat the masks.
    I looked at the other files and got similar answers. Nothing out of the ordinary. (Other than the fact I was 150 years in the future, fighting a hoard of cultist who were following a 200 year old witch. Oh, and all with a girl I nearly got killed and whom had a huge scar on her face) I had to do some research. I had to do some research, but there had to be a way to stop the masks.There just had to be.
 

Part 4 Ad (Final Part)

Well, this is near the end. I can't believe it, but after 6 or 7 months, I finally am near completion of the book. Thank you to Molly for helping me for her short period of time. I'd like to thank all the people who were willing to get this far. And I'd like to thank my future publishers.

Chapter 39: The Library

    After talking to Jack and eating the fabulous turkey Georgie had served, I decided it was about time I ventured around the apartments. There had to be stuff Georgie hadn't shown us while giving us the "grand" tour. Plus, getting out of Molly's way for now was probably best.
     First I stayed downstairs. I walked down the hallway the dining room was in and kept going. From what it looked like, all that was down there was a big shared gender bathroom, (Welcome to the future) and a old pool that was green from the bacteria running through it. (This place was big for an apartment)
   Next I went upstairs. I think it was floor 2/3 floors, I couldn't remember but all I knew is it was where I would spend all of my time while at the apartments I knew there was another set of bathrooms and my room., but it got way more extensive. First thing I had found was a bunch of old gaming equipment. Being from 2000, (until a witch stole me) all I could remember was my old trusty X-Box and Nintendo 64. But here were some pretty cool toys. The dustier old ones were called X-Box 360 and PS3, but beyond that there were some pretty incredible machines. There was a some small orange cube called a Jynx. Next to the cube were different small cubes that fit into a slot. Every time I went to touch a cube, a little hologram came out of it with a title. The one I thought sounded the most familiar was Madden 68. What made the room cool was all of the systems down the row. There was something called a "Perico", one called a "Wii", and one called "Paradox". I wanted to try them all, but I was feeling to adventurous.
    The next room I found was the one I stayed in. It was a gigantic library. In the library, all I could see is shelf upon shelf of books. I mean, obviously there was a wall, considering the building had to eventually end, but it was still gigantic. I could spend days here. I walked in, and was immediately greeted by this R2D2 looking robot that was a tan color, looking old and rusty. "Hello there, what are you looking for today?" It asked, having a rusty feminine voice.
   I stared blankly at it, kind of freaking out at first. But then, an obvious idea came into my head. I said, "Red Mask". Sure enough.
    "Right this wa..." It zapped out of what was probably an eye. I wasn't sure anymore. "Way." It corrected itself, then took of at a very natural walking pace. It creaked as it wheeled its way across the dusty wooded floor. Nobody had been in here. I must have been its first visitor in years. "Here we are..." the little librarian bot choked out, "banana boats." Wow that thing was rusty.
   I was kind of pissed about the stupid robot, but I didn't let it get me down. I just looked over and saw another one of those computers like the one in Nexus. This ones lights were dimmer though, and it kind of had an eerie dusty look to it, even tho it had no true mass. (Another hologram computer.) I looked into it, "Search, Red Mask, Fandora." Sure enough, the computer jumped into action and brought me right to it. In the background I could hear the librarian robot going "Right this way." as it vroomed into another random section.
    What I found on the computer was amazing? What Jack had said was actually true, and it made sense. I couldn't help but laugh. Not because of the findings though, more because of the librarian robot suddenly saying, "Here we are, Cooking with Nail Clippings."