The Stone Throne Room

The posse implores to speak directly with the queen. “Let her decide our fate.”

The Golden Knight objects. “I am the voice of the crown, and I shall act on her behalf.” He waves a hand, ushering in a multitude of guards and combatants. The hall quickly fills with twisted shadow-versions of people the posse has met.

Hammond steps forward. “Then I issue a challenge. A duel, for the queen’s honor. Just you, and me.” He points, calling out the Incubus to a one-on-one fight.

The Incubus pauses, as if in consideration. "Agreed. " He waves his hand again. A puff of smoke envelopes Hammond, and in an instant he is gone.

“Take care of these two, I will return.” The Incubus states with a hint of hubris, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke himself.

Ben and Nigel turn back to back to face the oncoming swarm. Before them rushes a cast of characters, both friends and foe, all with the look of disdain on their faces. They decide it best to try and scale the stairs, in an effort to reach queen Marilyn.

Void Plateau

Hammond blinks, opening his eyes to a small platform floating within a deep nothingness. The lack of surroundings is disorienting. Seconds later the Incubus arrives before him.

The Golden Knight produces a flaming sword, and a whip. It gestures mockingly at Hammond. They rush at each other and begin their duel.

Throne Room

The barrage of fire coming from the crowd creates a dangerous landscape for Nigel and Ben.

Nigel takes a few shots to the limbs, leaving him rather vulnerable for a few moments. Ben utilizes his force-field to make a dash up the imposing staircase to the throne.

At the top of the steps, from behind the throne, step three more familiar faces. The Incubus’s cohorts- The Crimson Sorceress, The Pumpkin King, and the Man in Black. Ben uses his powers to blast at them.

Nigel Fires up at the guards on the stairs, taking down a few. He then turns to find he is being assaulted by a group of fighters, including the intimidating Norman they met near Globe.

Void Plateau

Hammond kick-jumps off of the Incubus, calling forth the blessing of El Gato. They engage in a vicious battle. Hammond lands a hard blow on the armor of the Incubus, sending it staggering back.

Throne room

Obsidian Chamber

The posse faces off against the Incubus’s three cohorts. The experience is similar to staring at themselves in a corrupted fun-house mirror, their dark reflections peering back at them.

The eldritch flame of the Pumpkin King spills forth from his face, and blazes from the open hole in his head. Floating behind is the Scarlet Sorceress cloaked in deep crimson with eyes that glow red. The man in black stands stoic, sunglasses on even in the cave.

“Who will play? Who you say?, Come my friends, you’re at the end .. of your rope. Come Coil it round and round. Oh your feet will dangle as they try to touch the ground. Save yourself, Hang, yourself, kill yourself. It’s much better than what we’re going to do to you.” says the Pumpkin King in his evil-tinged rhyme.

Nigel maintains aim on the Sorceress’s head while he speaks.

The Pumpkin head opens his mouth and drops 2 orbs of flaming matter to the ground. The smoldering vine material begins to writhe and bubble, forming into two hideous venous scarecrows.

“I’m gonna give y’all one more chance to get outta the way.” Hammond calls out.

“You know we can’t do that Templar. All of your paths have lead to this moment. This is your destiny.” Says the man in black.

“You got that wrong. Well maybe you got that destiny part right. Looks like you’re just on the wrong side of the blade” Hammond retorts.

“I’ve felt the sting of a blade before. Tell me, do you fear death?” – MiB

“Anything living does.” -Hammy

’Anything living? Interesting…"

“Not just anything living.” Nigel chimes in. “I’ve made his acquaintance so to say.”

“You’ve met a feeble god, who clangs and clatters at a long forgotten glory. He’ll use you as a pawn, just as he uses the one that sent you here.” – MiB

’And are you any different? Are you not a pawn yourself?" – Nigel

“I am a knight.” -MiB

“Looks like a queen to me.” -Ben wittily snaps.

“No, that would be the child. She will be the queen of a new world. Whether or not we like it.” -Mib

“Speak for yourself, I like it fine. Come on dearies, you’re wasting time!” the pumpkin key notes.

“I think thats the one time I’m gonna agree with you. all this time spent yakkin, you got somethin you wanna do, lets get it started.” – Hammond states impatiently

“Or perhaps it’s best to heed the Templar’s Advice and Stand Aside!” Nigel states.

“I’m afraid that is impossible. You have come far enough. Now is the time for retribution. Now is the time to wash away this world. you and the rest of your ilk will die, and my master will live again!” – The scarlet sorceress viciously screeches.

Nigel pulls the trigger and fires right at the head of the sorceress. The bullet just grazes her.

The two groups fight furiously.

Ben quips – “I guess it’s gonna be ugly vs ugly.”

The sorceress claps her hands together and pulls them apart to create a purpleish, smokey haze across the room. The haze blankets the room and makes it difficult to discern forms. The posse has a hard time aiming.

Hammond calls out that he will take the Man in Black. He rushes forward into the smoke. Ben shouts he’ll take the ugly one (Pumpkin King). Nigel goes after the Sorceress.

Ben fires on the Pumpkin King and the fleshy scarecrow figures using his exploding fire ball. Hammond attacks the man in black.

The Man in Black leaps up and over Hammond right after Ben. The MiB waylays Ben with a flurry of lightning fast blows. Then the MiB punches into the air- a wave of energy flies at Nigel hitting him with great force.

The burnt crisps of the scarecrows burst open, as new veins begin to grow out. They are regrowing.

The Pumpkin King fires a blast of eldritch flame at Hammond. Nigel Fires at the Sorceress, damaging her slightly. In response she casts a spell at the ground. Bursting forth from the earth, a group of undead warriors emerges. They are dressed in viking armor.

Hammond rushes to catch up to the MiB. They resume trading blows. Ben places a force field around himself.

The viking warriors attack Nigel. The posse battles to put them down quickly.

Ben uses the latin spell that was found in the prison against the Pumpkin King. He manages to pull off the spell, sending a blast of radiant light at the monster. The two scarecrows are instantly destroyed. The pumpkin King reels back in pain and rushes to attack in melee combat. clearly he has been weakened. Ben uses the spell again to obliterate the Pumpkin King. The explosion throws Ben across the room into a wall.

Nigel manages to strike down the Sorceress in a barrage of bullets.

The Man in Black picks up Nigel and throws him at Ben. Their bodies collide forcefully. They shake it off and join back in the fight.

The MiB cannot dodge attacks from all of them, and finally catches a blade in the chest.

“My debt is paid. Now I return to the place I was born.” MiB

The Vision

As the MiB breathes his last breath, the obsidian walls begin to clear. Swirls of time and space mix with color and distort. Through the walls they can see the hunting grounds.

They are shown a vision of the past. A man walks in a dirty cloak. He looks like a disheveled hermit. He is surrounded by a variety of entities, blobs and twisted forms of spirits. The man is none other than John Prophet.

Before him is a painfully beautiful women. She beckons him seductively. He comes to her embrace. They entangle for a moment, but he is able to break away. He generates a bloom of energy and blasts the Succubus with the energy. It’s form explodes.

John Prophet begins to walk away. He summons the image of a cobblestone path before him hill he walks off into the distance.

The remaining energy of the Succubus begins to reform. It’s shape begins to appear. It is united back intuit the form of a man. He is newly birthed, but fully grown. This is the birth of the MiB. The vision fades and the walls return to black.

Obsidian Chamber

Back in the chamber they advance to the back of the cave. There is yet another gate. This door is much more recently crafted.

The bars are crafted of a dark metallic material, one which is not familiar. It is engraved with the strange demonic writing.

The posse braces themselves for a strange vision, but nothing happens when they touch the gate. The whole piece moves with extreme ease. A cold shiver runs up their spines. The Incubus has left this open for them. They step through the threshold.

The Enchanted Forest

The posse emerges to find themselves in a picturesque wooded area. They hear the chirping of birds and the buzz of insects. There is dew on the grass and a sweet smell of wildflowers and other flora.

They glance at each other and find their appearance has changed drastically. Nigel is dressed as a nobel-man of old. Ben is draped in the cloth and leathers of a roguish brigand. Hammond is an armored knight of legend.

They ponder what kind of trickery this is. Are they in an illusion,like the ones they experienced in the Salem Apartment Towers?

They hear bells jingling nearby, approaching ever closer. An impish creature with a familiar face appears from the bushes. It looks like the gremlin from the underground area outside of Kingman, except he is dressed as a jester.

The jester greets them and speaks to them in a tongue of old english- a mishmash of language approximating an English accent.

Still not fully convinced this is real, Ben raises his weapon (a crossbow) and shoots the imp in the face. It falls to the ground dead instantly.

They surmise this is not a mere illusion, but perhaps a dream world created by the Incubus. It is unknown what effect their actions may have on the real world, so they will have to exercise a bit more caution.

Hammond climbs a tree to get a better view. There is a path that leads through the forest to a field. Past the pined he can just make out the top of a great castle.

Ben speculates that this dream world might be able to be bent to their will. He states that if they are heroes, then they should have mighty steeds.

Within seconds they hear another rustling in the bushes. Much to their surprise, it is not horses that emerge, but a large mechanized spider. The spider seems to follow their will.

They conclude that this must be cross between their van and the black widow. It seems this dream world is a re-imaged version of the real one. Each of the posse members is cloaked in a costume of what they represent idealistically. The things around them are the approximations of real things, seen through the filter of a fantasy / make-believe world.

They climb aboard the spider and head off towards the castle. As they approach they see it is a great white building, draped in banners bearing the Templar cross.

The guards outside are actually Haldeman and Dixon. They question the posse. Hammond responds in a terrible acting move, claiming to be Sir Hammond of Cleiboldton. The guards state they were expected, and allow them entrance.

Inside the castle is a large throne room. A large flight of stairs leads to the actual throne, upon which Queen Marilyn sits. Standing before her is a shimmering golden knight.

The golden one tunes around, revealing the helmet- oversized and bearing 3 sets of eye holes. This must be the Incubus.

The Golden knight professes his allegiance to the Queen, and begins to slander the posse members. He insults them personally, and makes claims that they are murderers and brigands.

He cites the incident of the imp in the forest as example of Ben’s disregard for life. He also makes mention of the time when Hammond killed a group of “guards” at the royal hotel (a reference to the abduction attempt at the Yard Arms in Junkyard).

The posse murmurs to each other, trying to develop a plan for how to proceed.

The Cultist Chamber

The cultists reveal their weapons and begin to close in on the posse. One of the cult members steps back from the rest of the group and begins to recite some demonic incantation. His hands start glowing with an etheric light as he waves them about. With a quick gesture and an unknown phrase, he casts a cloud or red about the cult members.

The red cloud seems to empower the cultists, enraging them and giving their eyes a thristy red glow. The cultists begin to attack with a wild ferocity. They manage to land a few blows on Hammond and Ben- The sight of the blood seems exhilirate them up, making them attack ever more aggresively.

The posse members do their best to avoid being harmed. However, with so many knives and clubs flailing at them, and bullets being fired haphazzardly, they find it impossible.

Ben and Nigel fire on with their rifles while Hammond slashes out with his sword. The cultist are only wearing their robes, which do little to protect them. While they sustain a lot of damage, the cultists continue to lash out like rabid animals.

Knowling that they likely have much more fighting to do after finishing with the cultists, the posse shouts to each other about how to put them down quickly. This strategy will help them avoid being heavily damaged by the ravenous cultists.

Ben takes note of the cloth robes the cultist bare, and compares it to the swat armor worn by the rest of the posse. In a snap decision, he calls forth a mighty blaze, lighing up the entire room with flame.

Fire engulfs everyone in the room, heroes included. The cultist’s robes ignite. Cloaked in burning death, they scream out before falling to the floor. The posse members shake off the fire and quicly tend to ech other’s minor wounds.

They look about the room and find a large portcullis blocking an entrance to the next chamber. The beams of the portcullis are thick, ancient wood. Each surface of the gate is inscribed with mystical writing. Some is runic, other parts appear to be pictoglyphs. It is a curious mixture indeed.

Recognizing they have little time, they get right to the point- trying to open the door. Hammond grabs at the gate to open it. As his hand touches the wood, the posse’s vision blacks out. Their eyes adjust to the darkness and they begin to see leaves waving in the mild wind, all bathed in the dim of moonlight.

A Dark Forest

From within the brush, a group of warriors appears. Draped in skins and leather armor, wielding iron weapons, decorated with bone; these warriors look to be the Vikings of ancient times. They are anxious, darting their gaze back and forth in an intense search. This is a hunt, but who is the prey?

Suddenly a rustle from nearby startles the Vikings. They run to encounter the source of the sound. The Vikings emerge to find a battle in progress.

Before them stands a hodge-podge of fighters, both Viking and native Americans. However, the two groups are not fighting one another. Their foe is the same. A large black humanoid figure stands in the center, surrounded by swirling tendrils which flail and stab at its opposition.

The Vikings attack with their brutal weapons. The natives fire with bows and hurl spears and sharpened rocks. The fighting seems merely alight diversion for the dark beast. It swipes across a large patch of the fighters, sending them flying back.

Close by, a group of shaman, both Viking and native, perform a ritual. They direct their magical chants and energies at rocky outcropping. The mystical energy is pulling in rocks from nearby, forming a small cave-like structure.

The Incubus continues to play with the fighters, slashing and destroying them left and right. As each one falls, another comes to take the place. It is clear they are only buying the shaman time.

When the cave is completed, several of the shaman break off and divert their attention to the Incubus. They project a force to push it back, toward the cave. Their light magic seems to actually harm it, or at the very least push it around.

The tactic works! They manage to push the Incubus into the constructed magical cave. While they hold it there, another group of fighters grabs the final piece. They hoist a large wooden portcullis, engraved with magic, into place at the mouth of the cave. Using an additional bit of magic, the shaman seal the portcullis to the rock.

The Cultist Chamber

The posse wakes from the vision in a violent flash. This place was a prison to the Incubus. A sad bit of irony that a supernatural-prison was built atop it, and that they somehow managed to free something so dangerous. They also realize, the magic that once lived in this gate is long gone. They work as a group to remove the mighty gate and set it aside. The opening in the next chamber is void, only darkness, but this is practically expected. The crew steps through into the next chamber.

Obsidian Chamber

On the other side of the dark is another chamber. This one is laid out in an almost starburst pattern. The walls look to be made of infinitely black obsidian which shimmers, despite the fact that there appears to be no source for the light in the room.

Before the posse stand the three underlings of the Incubus: The Man in Black, the Crimson Sorceress, and the Pumpkin King.

Level 5 of the prison

The posse exits from the elevator area. This level is dimly lit. They know the kind of mind games that the Incubus and his cohorts may try to play. Ben establishes a mind link with Hammond, and they turn on their walkie-talkies to keep contact. They venture forward into the main hallway of the prison.

With the lights so dim, it is difficult to make out shapes and details. Nigel switches on his low light vision. Ben uses the optics of his Land Warrior helmet to assist in seeing the way. Hammond activates his vampire vision.

As Hammond’s eyes shift into he blood red spectrum of the vampire vision, he begins to hear the sound of someone running down the hall. He turns quickly and sees several guards running toward them. The guards seem to be running from something. Hammond tells the others to look out. Ben hears the same sounds through the mental link with Hammond. He turns but sees Hammond staring blankly down the empty.

Hammy flinches as the soldiers run right up to, and through the rest of the posse. Ben sees Hammonds reaction, and hears the soldiers shouting out warnings to each other. Hammond watches the the soldiers turn around to fire on an unknown enemy. He rotates around to view what they may have seen.

Down the hall he sees a swirling cloud of darkness. It looks less like an object, more like billowing shadows overlapping and flowing through one another. Barely visible within the swirling mass is a figure. It’s motion like a walk, but more fluid, and its form similar to a man, but yet not. The black figure moves forward, the only contrasting elements are its eyes, yellow and red , fixed Jon the soldiers ahead.

The guards open fire, but their fight is futile. Extending out from the black mass are several dark tendrils. They move like shadowy fist, and strike the guards pummeling them to death while ripping their bodies apart. The black figure turns and looks at Hammond. It sees him, even though this seems to be an echo of past events. “I will destroy you” the creature states. It this moment that both Hammond and Ben’s suspicions are confirmed, this black creature is the Incubus- albeit in a much more powerful form than they have encountered.

The incubus reaches out its hand, grasping Hammy by the throat. He feels the corrupted touch of the demon grasp around his neck, strangling the life from him. He flails and fights the demon, but to no avail. In the midst of it, he switches out of his vampire vision, and in that instant the vision is gone.

Shaken by the vent, he describes what he saw to Ben and Nigel. They come to an agreement that this must have been a vision of the Incubus from long before. They see that it had once been quite powerful, with a body all it’s own rather than needing a host. Perhaps it was kept as a prisoner here and broke out. They will need to search for more clues while they explore the level.

The posse ventures forth at a slow pace, being careful to note their path. Ben thinks back tot he memory of what had happened to Twitch. He runs his hand across the wall, feeling a groove that sets him into a flashback.

He IS Twitch, or at least within his mind looking out. The young boy is being dragged down the hallway by a disheveled man. Frantically trying to get away, he grasps at the corner of the wall feeling the same groove Ben had touched. The man turns his head, revealing the same yellow / red eyes as the Incubus. He yanks the boy away from the wall and continues down and around the corner. Ben instructs the other which way to go.

The crew continues down the bend and comes to a side room that has had the wall busted through. Inside the room are a at least a dozen bodies of the guards, as well as countless bits and pieces of flesh. The bodies are so twisted and mutilated that they are only recognizable by the scraps of uniform.

Ben checks his memory once again. This time the vision reveals that Twitch was carried down a neighboring hallway to their right.

Solitary confinement area

Nigel, Ben and Hammond move down the hall. Each side is lined with tiny cells, each with barely enough room for a bed and toilet. Most have a sealed door with only a small eye hole to view in, others are open, revealing the confining conditions. As they continue down the hall, Ben feels a rising anxiety within himself, an imprint left behind from his melding with Twitch, perhaps. The group walks further, until Ben feels his heart spike with a jolt of adrenaline. He turns to find the room, in all its horrific awe.

A single pendant bare bulb light hangs from above. It sways slight with some unknown force. Below is a melange of splattered stains, some blood, others waste, others unknown. The cell’s mattress has been folded up agains the wall, fixed with crude shackles. The tortures that took place in this room have left a weight to the air within.

To their dismay, they realize that this is not the location Marilyn is being held. Quickly they turn back and head to the perimeter corridor.

Perimeter section, near the room of bodies

Returning to the main hall they stop as Ben goes into another trance. Twitch is once again being escorted down the hall by a man. It’s time, the man is dressed in a long black duster. His head turns back to speak to the boy. It is someone else. He states his name is Jason Graham, he is hear to help… But they just move quickly.

Jason pulls Twitch around the turn, past the room full of bodies. From the other end of the hall a voice yells out. The man possessed by the incubus shouts at them to stop. He runs forward to attack them.

Jason pulls a strip of paper from sprocket and reads from it aloud. " Oppete lumen et dispergimini" he states with focus and conviction. A brilliant light shines from his hand at the Incubus. The demon cringes and shields it’s face from the light. A few of its tendrils emerge from its back and smack Jason, knocking the paper awaya no disrupting the spell- however the beast is still blinded from the initial blast.

Twitch has been watching this in a daze. Jason shouts at him to head down the hall. “There is an emergency elevator. Push the button on the electrical box and pull he lever to reveal the door. Go on kid, get out of here!”

Twitch gets to the electrical box at the end of the hall and does as he was instructed. The wall opens up to reveal the small service elevator. He takes a look back to check for Jason.

Jason stands back up to square off with the Demon. He appears to be concentrating hard. “Sit porta aperatur”

As he completes the phrase, a portal beings to open. Looking within, Twitch sees something unbelievable. He sees what looks to be hell, or something like it (in fact he sees into the Hunting Grounds). In his fragile mental state, the vision of such a thing is more than his sanity can stand. In that instant his mind is broken.

Jason yells again for Twitch to escape. The portal grows, pulling the Incubus to the other side. However, Jason had made a mistake. he called the portal too close to himself. As it grew, it began to pull his body in as well. The portal twists his body into unhealthy shapes, and the spell is broken. The portal beings to close.

Jason lay on the ground, in terrible pain and barely alive. Just before the portal closes a small black tendril forces its way through. The portal disappears, severing the tendril from its root. The inky black mass flops to the ground, and wriggles off.

Twitch, nearly unaware of his actions, climbs aboard the elevator and pushes the button. The gate closes and he begins to ascend.

Back in real time

Ben emerges from the vision and quickly explains it while rummaging around in the trash on the floor. Through some stroke of incredible luck he finds the crumpled paper dropped by Jason Graham. However the writing has long since faded.

Nigel suggests they try and do a rubbing to see if they can pull the words from the page. Unfortunately, they are short on pencils, and haven’t the time to track one down. Hammond suggests they use ash instead of the graphite. They burn a scrap piece of closets and use the ashes to get a rubbing with the light spell.

They come down tot the corner and find the service elevator. Unfortunate it looks as though it has long since been destroyed. They turn down the last corner and find a hole has been cut out of the wall. It leads to a cave, which descends even further. Regretfully, they all suspect this is the correct way to go and climb into the cave.

The Cave

They follow the cave down to another level. All they while they hear an eerie but enchanting song coming from the depths ahead of them.

Eerie song

Come little children
I’ll take thee away, into a land
of Enchantment

Come little children
the time’s come to play
here in my garden
of Shadows

Follow sweet children
I’ll show thee the way
through all the pain and
the Sorrows

Weep not poor childlen
for life is this way
murdering beauty and
Passions

Hush now dear children
it must be this way
to weary of life and
Deceptions

Rest now my children
for soon we’ll away
into the calm and
the Quiet

Come little children
I’ll take thee away, into a land
of Enchantment

Come little children
the time’s come to play
here in my garden
of Shadows

The chamber

They find the source of the singing and chanting in a chamber at the end of the path. Inside is a group of cultists, cloaked in deep red robes. They stand in a circle, spaced out by candelabras , encircling a large glyph in the floor. It’s seal seems to have some archaic meaning, not unlike the seal of the metatron, but darker and more sinister.

The see a crimson haired women at the center of the circle leading the chanting. She looks up and sees the posse. With a quick wave, she disappears In a puff of smoke. The other cultists turn and acknowledge the posse members. From within their robes they pull various hand weapons and pistols. It looks like the crew has found the right place.

Warehouse area of Level 1

The living mannequins shuffle in around the posse. Their claw-shaped fingers swipe out as they flail around. Some of them are wielding actual weapons. The crew is quickly surrounded.

Hammond pulls out his sword and starts doing a figure 8 to keep them at bay. Ben fires around with his assault rifle. Nigel uses his over-charged plasma hand to break up some of the crowd.

Their attacks are successful, but the grotesque horde fills in the empty spaces quickly. The freakish mannequins lash back with a flurry of blows. The weapons and claws come in from all sides making it difficult for the posse members to avoid them. All three of the heros take a few scrapes.

Nigel deftly maneuvers through the crowd towards the lab door. He finds the door is sealed with another keypad. He yells this out to the other while resuming fire.

Ben and Hammond start inching their way towards the corner of the room to avoid from being surrounded. The twisted forms manage to strike them both a few times. Nigel attempts another plasma blast. He fires the shot, but the power draw shorts out one of his internal systems. He hobbles his way into the corner with the others.

Slowly the posse whittles down the numbers of the mannequins until all have been dispatched. They then turn their attention the to door of the lab.

Nanite Lab area

The keypad lock system to the lab is still partially functional. Nigel and Ben work together to jimmy the door open. Nigel enters first. Te lab itself has been completely trashed. Equipment has been picked apart or taken completely. Much of the contents of the area has been destroyed or looted.

But there is something else. The air in the lab is not breathable. There is not sufficient oxygen and it contains high levels of other inert gasses. Ben and Nigel confirm the lab must have been in clean room conditions. In order for the others to enter they will need to get some air flow. Hammond points out the windows, though they are most likely blast proof. Ben says its worth a shot. Hammy slacks the glass with his hammer. The glass does not break but the force is enough to pop the window right out of place.

While waiting for the air in the lab to become breathable, they check the other areas of the warehouse. The door they come through has been barred by a thick steel blast door, far too thick for them to get through in time. They also check out the elevator. They suspect it may be rigged with some type of boogie trap, but don’t find any evidence of it.

Nigel continues searching around the lab and finds some small metal filings on the floor near some busted test tubes. Ben and Nigel inspect them with various optics. They find that there is a very compact structure to the filings, and are nearly certain that these are the nanites they are seeking. Hammond finds a relatively clean test tube and scoops the filings into it very carefully. The posse heads down the only way they can, using the freight elevator.

Level 3 storage area

Much to the posse’s surprise, the elevator is both functional, and free of death-traps. They ride the lift down to the third level. The 3rd floor storage area has an array of boxes and crates. Some are still intact, others have been rummaged through. They venture out tot the main door, but upon opening Ben states that he knows this is not the level.

Hammond and Nigel question this. Ben states he knows because the color is wrong. Twitch’s memory that Ben had tapped into showed the floor color as being a distinct deep red, almost like old blood. They head back to the freight elevator and descend once again.

Level 4

The storage area of the 4th level is much smaller, but the sight when they open the doors has a much bigger impact. Immediately they see a barricade constructed from heavy crates. Curiously, the barricade was set up facing the elevator. Scattered behind the crates are a dozen or so of the prison guards. It appears they were trying to keep something from coming IN.

The bodies are quite old and decayed. Still, the posse can see that they were badly mangled and torn. Whatever made its way in, it made quick work of these guards.

They check the door to the main area. While the color of this floor is red, it is much more vibrant than what Ben had seen. They head back to the elevator and go down once more.

Level 5

The posse reaches the fifth level, last stop occurring to the map Hammond found.

The storage area of this floor is little more than the size of a medium closet. They open the door to the main section.

Ben catches sight of the floor. In an instant he is back in the memory, seeing the floor through Twitch’s eyes as he is pulled through the hall.

Realizing this is the place, Ben states it with an unmistakable phrase in total deadpan – “Ah, shit..”

Staircase into the dark

The posse descends the steps, leading into a slanted corridor. The walls are constructed of cinderblocks, many of which have cracked over time. The lights which line the ceiling have gone dark and look to be well beyond repair.

The walkway continues on, deeper and deeper, until the group reaches a reflective wall. It looks like a mirror, but the edges of the glass extend well into the walls on each side.

Nigel checks the temperature on the glass. It is not as cold as expected, indicating it is probably some type of reflective plastic. Ben chimes in, stating it is most likely blast-proof security glass. Hammond points a flashlight into the glass, checking to see if it is a one-way mirror. While trying to look through the glass he sees something moving “in” the image.

Ben sees nothing in the glass. On a hunch, Nigel peers into the mirror and tries to reach through and grab his own hand. As he begins to move his hand, he sees his own image reach up to his head and blast with the plasma hand. Shaken by the image he steps back and mumbles out what happened.

Ben checks around the edges, but can’t find a way to pry the glass. Hammond attempts to push the glass or slide it out of the way, but it does not budge.

They talk about possible options. Ben points out how the door in the corn field was just an illusion. Perhaps this is as well. He stands up straight and walks full tilt at the mirror. SMACK The front of his helmet connects with the surface of the mirror. The impact actually dazes him for a split second.

Hammond expresses his belief that the Incubus is projecting itself from the inside. He calls out the demon, staring down the image on the thier side. Ben and Nigel see no change. Hammond sees his reflection shift into that of a young man. The man stands, in a leering, over-bearing stance staring forward with yellow other-worldly eyes. The world burns behind him.

The Incubus speaks to Hammy through the glass. It offers him a deal. Since it’s victory is a certainty, it offers them the change to save Marilyn from total mutilation by walking away.

Hammond quips back- “I’m not a bettin man, but My guess is you’re bluffin. Besides, if you were really certain you’d win- you wouldn’t be asking us to give up.”

The man in the mirror reaches through with icy claws and pierces Hammonds chest. The pain shoots up through his heart and he stumbles backwards. Nigel and Ben heard only Hammonds side of the conversation, so they are a bit confused.

After several more minutes of deliberation, they start checking back down the hall. Ben spots a patch of moss on the left side wall. He presses the moss. Rumble The wall near the glass retracts into the floor. Inside they find a small vestibule leading to a well lit hallway.

“The Maze” level 1

The Hallways leads down straight ahead and out to the right. Doors line the inner portions of each hallway. Immediately to the right they see another door.

The posse opens the door immediately to the right and finds a small security room. One wall of the room is a window out to the corridor (the other side of the mirror). In front of the window is a desk with an old computer terminal. Ben asks Nigel to fix it up or try and access it. Nigel assesses the damage and realizes it will take far too long to repair.

They move on to the first door in the hallway. Inside they find a small office, which looks to have been for the top level administration and security. The rummage around for anything useful. Hammond finds a laminated floor map on one of the walls. He pulls it of and they use it to navigate their way through the halls.

Ben does not recognize any of this area from the memory he accessed in Twitch’s mind. They will need to push on.

The posse finds a stair case, but the ceiling has collapse in on it. The elevator shaft next to the stairs is open, but there is no car, and the drop to the next floor is too far to safely drop.

They work their way around the back side and find door to the warehouse area. There is a sign pointing out the freight elevator, but they decide to check the other side of the facility first. In the other end of the hallway they find another elevator shaft. This one has a car ready and waiting – and the door to the stairs next to it is welded shut. Ben points out that a path has been laid out for them, and is most likely a trap.

Hammond pulls out his hammer and smashes the door. The force is strong enough to breach the sub-par welds on the door. They manage to carefully make their way down tot he next floor.

Level 2

The posse enters the 2nd level. The walls and floor of this level are a bit more grey than those of the 1st floor. Otherwise the layout is, at first glance, the same. However as they begin to traverse the hall, they find the doors to be heavy, with only a small slit at about eye level. Several of the rooms have bodies, or, what is left of them. In one, they see a mound of dried oozy-goop.

The next door holds back a smokey presence. The smoke floats in the vague shape of a man. The figure seems to perk up, noticing it is not alone. It breaks into a stream and flows up to the door before reforming into the man shape.

“Release me.” The smokey figure’s eerie disembodied voice half commands, half pleads.

Recognizing that this being may be quite dangerous, the posse questions it first. It is not able to escape on it’s own as it’s powers are being dampened. Some type of technology is keeping it’s powers from working to their full potential.

Smokey does know of the Incubus, but indicates it does not side with him. (In retropect, obvious from the fact that it is still sealed in the cell.) The being simply wants to be freed, it will neither help nor hinder them. The posse deliberates about it, and decides to free the being. They smash a hole in the view slot and Smokey slips out through the spot – speeding off to exit the prison.

As they explore they find that the hallway is blocked just around the corner. A large barred gate blocks the way. They check the other end of the hall and find another gate. This gate was blow out however. There is an old repair job in place, someone had welded several layers of steel plates together to block the way.

They decide to blow the gate on the first side to get through. Ben loads some plastic explosives and detonates. BLAM the blast completely destroys the gate. “If they didn’t already know we were here, they do now” says Nigel.

They pass through the gate and find another security terminal in a nearby office. This one is active. They tap in to the system and find records pointing to some “incident”. This event cause a lockdown situation sealing up most of the rest of the jail. It becomes clear that they will not be able to continue on this route and hope to make it in time.

They check the records to find info about the power controlling tech. They find that there were multiple types, some injectable, some machine based. The injectible nanites sound like the most viable solution- and will be very useful if they need to incapacitate Soria. The log files show that there was a nanite lab located in the 1st floor warehouse area.

Level 1

The posse heads back up to the first level towards the warehouse. As they enter, the blast doors slam shut behind them. As their eyes adjust to the lower light level in the warehouse, they see figures filling all of the space.

The entire room is full of “mannequin” figures, all arranges in grotesque, macabre positions. Some dominant, some submissive- other engaged in lewd acts, still others being tortured/torturing. The site bears a grim resemblance to the bodies that were arrange by Vlados under the Incubus’s direction.

The group slowly creeps their way towards the door in the back end of the warehouse that leads to the nano factory. Suddenly they notice that the eyes of the mannequins are following them. Several of the figures turn their heads and begin to move, creaking and squishing, inching in closer to the posse.

Camp area outside of the corn maze

The posse awakens and packs themselves up to leave. They discuss their destination. Ben and Nigel feel that the cemetery is unlikely, as it seems too cliche, even for the evil being they are pursuing.

It is decided that they will make their way to the battlefields. This is where Twitch had been scrounging with his father when he was abducted. They’ll be heading out into the area East of the Wichita Maelstrom.

Battlefield Outskirts – East of Wichita

As the van pulls up to the outskirts of the battlefield, they slow down to take in the view. As far as the eye can see (which is rather far considering the flat land of middle Kansas) nothing is visible but piles of dust covered rubble commingled with husks of tanks and vehicles.

They see a modified school bus being surrounded by a pack of walking dead. The scavengers riding in the bus are firing out at the zombies, but seem to be losing ground. Some of the scavengers climb on the roof of the bus in desperation.

Seeing this, the posse drives in to the rescue. They spin up the black widow and quickly mow down the walking dead. The scavengers seem relieved, but are very leery of the posse- considering how out-gunned they are. Hammond shouts out to them and gets them to let down their guard. Nigel and Ben chime in, asking only for information, a small price considering the posse just saved their lives.

The scavengers reveal that they had been scrounging for items to trade in Near-Kansas City / Topeka. They have not seen or heard anything of similar to the Pumpkin King. The scavengers point them in the direction of Near-KC and head off on their way.

Battlefield – Among the wreckage

Hours pass as the crew scours the endless wastes. They find no evidence of an underground area matching “the room” (from Twitch’s memory). They also realize that the undead have been looming nearby- but they have not been attacked. The Incubus must be holding them back somehow. Karisha wants them alive and has made it know in the local circles of darkness.

They stop for a bit to determine their next course of action. They discuss the area. Thinking about likely locations, they conclude it may be a larger installation with a bunker. Ben’s initial training was here on Earth. Portions of the training took place at military installations near Kansas City.

During his time in Kansas City, Ben heard about an underground military jail in the area. Rumors about “The Maze” stated it was some kind of prison for particularly dangerous individuals- those with exceptional powers. There were also stories of terrible mishaps and strange goings-on. According to the legends, it was because it was built under a cemetery, but they only moved the headstones when they cleared the ground."

Ben finishes relating this story to Nigel and Hammond. They conclude the cemetery is most likely just a cover for the underground prison. They head out towards the cemetery that afternoon.

Cemetery outside near Wichita

They arrive in twilight. The grounds of the cemetery are relatively intact. A small maintenance shed sits on the edge of the grounds. There are three plots, situated around a group of mausoleums. Remembering the story of the Pumpkin King as relayed by the head of Near-Wichita, they recall the “legend” was spawned from an encounter near a cemetery. The posse keeps on guard while surveying the area.

Ben checks out the maintenance shed, it’s placement and menial nature could be hiding a secret entrance to the prison below. Inside he finds only rusted tools and old broken gardening supplies. Their attention turns towards the tombs themselves.

Monuments area of the Cemetery

In the center of the grounds lies a grouping of 3 mausoleums and 2 obelisk style monuments. One of the mausoleums has crumbled completely on top of itself. While they inspect the other monuments, the posse mulls over possible strategies. They realize that since Karisha has taken over Soria, they may have to dispatch her. Hammond is uncomfortable with this, but the reality is that while she is under control she is a extremely deadly. They will have no choice but to take her down.

Hammond checks the first mausoleum and finds it slightly cracked open. Inscribed above the door is a latin phrase “semper viam pugiles”. He gives the phrase to Nigel for storage/ possible translation. Semper is easy enough to figure out, but the rest is unknown. he digs around the inside of the tomb, but nothing else is found. He does note that the casket was emblazoned with a regal bird- making it highly likely this was a military grave.

Nigel explores one of the obelisks and finds the phrase “vigilit qui custodium”. Nigel attempts to translate "viglient? " the guardians. Perhaps vigilit is meant in the sense of watching. Watch the Guard

Ben comes over and inspects the other standing mausoleum. This one curiously has a large steel door, with no identifiable handle. He talks with the others and they all find this strange. Above the door is the inscription “ad abyssos nos infixit eas”.

The posse debates what the meaning of the phrases could be. They have a little bit of an idea, but feel they need to find a bit more to clue them in.

On the second obelisk they find another inscription – “inluminent viam ad caelum”. They understand it as “Light” something “to” something

Another hour or so is spent trying to discern the meaning of the phrases. On a whim, they check the stones again.

This time They find a slot carved into the side of one of the obelisks. On a hunch they create a small flame inside the slot. A loud chunk is heard, followed by a low rumble coming from one of the mausoleums.

They inspect to find that the steel door has retracted into the ground, revealing a descending staircase.

Staircase into the dark

Ben makes a quip about who would like to be the first to step into the dark, creepy tomb first. Hammond notes the fact that the prison is covered by a tomb does not bode well for them.

For Player reference, and reader’s ease
latin on the grave sites:

ad abyssos nos infixit eas – to the depths we fixed them

inluminent viam ad caelum – illuminate the way to heaven

vigilit qui custodium – watching the guard

semper viam pugiles – always the way of champions

The center of the corn maze

The center of the maze has been cleared in a large circle. A few tall trees are the only things that stand out in the field. Funny, even with their large size and ominous appearance, they were not visible from within the corn maze. Yet another of the Pumpkin King’s tricks.

The posse is surrounded by a dozen pumpkin-headed scarecrows. Each and every one moving independently, but all look identical. One of the scarecrows holds a lantern with a greenish glowing eldritch flame. This one holds up a hand can commands the others to attack.

Several of the scarecrows break off from the circle and rush forth. They attack with a variety of rusted, bloody, farming tools. They slash and swing at the posse members.

Hammond sweeps his sword around, hitting several at once. Nigel begins firing on the ones charging at them. Ben fires a few times before resorting to his powers. The crew and the scarecrows trade blows. All three of them sustain some moderate injuries, but not enough to stop them fighting.

Finally, Ben uses his pyrokinetics to light up the outer area (near the scarecrow with the lantern). This lights a few of the scarecrows, as well as one of the large trees. The tree seems to come to life, flailing in pain, it’s large branches swinging like arms. The lantern holder waves a hand, and is replaced by one of the other scarecrows. The lantern appears in the hand of a scarecrow on the other side of the circle.

Nigel lands a shot right through the head of the lantern holder. The pumpkin head explodes and the body slumps to the ground. But once again, the lantern appears int he hands of another scarecrow.

The posse notices what is happening, and quickly devises a plan. Hammond continues fighting the scarecrows in the immediate area. Ben and Nigel try and put some of them down as well, in order to get an opportunity to take a shot at the lantern holder. Nigel gets hit with the business end of a large scythe. The blade cuts deep and puts him out of commission of a bit.

Ben gets his chance, sending forth a brain blast which shatters the lantern. The eldritch flame flickers, then flies straight up into the sky, out of sight.

As soon as the flame leaves, the rest of the scarecrows drop to the ground. Everything around them, the trees, the pumpkins, the corn itself all wilts away. Everything crumbles to the dirt, leaving only a mixed slop of mud and rotten vegetation.

Ben and Hammond assist Nigel in getting back to the van. They perform what medical aid they can on each other and discuss what their next move should be. It is agreed that they should set up the auto-shelter and rest for the night, since they all have been been damaged and have been up for an unknown amount of time.

The Creepy Corn Field

The crew debates how to proceed. Hammond climbs on top of the van to get a better view. There is a noticeable path through the maze, though the rain and motion of the stalks in the wind makes it difficult to track.

They decide to enter the corn maze.

Within the Maze

The path through the corn seems to bend and twist about. The posse walks cautiously onward. With each step they hear shuffling of the corn in the wind. Far off echoes of laughter seem to mock them. As the corridor of corn becomes ever thinner, they form a line.

Nigel tries to track them out, by following his compass. Unfortunately their compasses are going haywire, constantly shifting directions. Hammond mentions using an old technique form his mining days. If they stay to one side- i.e. follow the right side, they can navigate through the maze. It may take longer, but it will always lead them out. As they start hugging the one side, they begin to feel the corn itself almost grabbing at their clothing. It is as if the plants themselves are alive, and trying to pull them into the thick.

Nigel calls out " You taunt us and speak to us, where is your master?"

Pumpkin King – “The painter puts brush to canvas, the poet puts pen to paper. The poet has the easier task, for his pen does not alter his rhyme. laugh”

PK – “I’m tired of love, I’m tired of rhyme. But blood, precious blood, gives me pleasure all the time…”

They push on though to the next area and come to an intersection. They ponder which direction to head, arguing left or right.

PK- “Left side, right side, who’s to blame. Go on try, they’re all the same. Oh yes, yes, take your time. in the end, they will be mine.”

Ben postulates that they need to communicate to the Pumpkin King in rhymes. “Show us the correct way, so that you have a chance to eat today.”

PK- “Foolish child, stuck in the wild. Ah, such a beautiful lark, ah but hark, do I hear the sound of children play? on this day, there shall be blood.”

They decide to head left. They round the corner and find a short distance to a “t” intersection. At the intersection, there is a small sign. Nigel zooms in with his robotic eye.

“I’m right behind you” the voice of the Pumpkin King says aloud inside of Nigel’s mind. He checks to see if the others heard it, but their reactions (or lack thereof) show that thy did not.

They continue with their plan and head left again. Immediately upon turning they see a scarecrow strung up on a pole at the end of the walkway. The head is made of a pumpkin with a carved face. The pumpkin is partially rotted, wrinkling the face in a twisted gruesome smile.

Ben suggests they shoot it from afar. Nigel agrees, but Hammond has already begun to approach it. The scarecrow hangs limp. A centipede crawls through one of the eyes and back into the mouth. The posse takes the left, just to stick with their strategy.

At the end of this hall they find a box. Ben pokes around and finds a rope buried in the dirt that leads to the box. They suspect the rope is likely part of a trap and they turn back around.

At the end of the opposite hallway they see a reaping scythe stuck in the ground. The blade is embedded in the ground. Hammond inspects it to find it is covered in flesh blood. He tries to pull it out of the ground, thinking they can use it.

The scyth does not move easily. In fact it seems to be stuck in the ground. Hammond tries as hard as he can. His frustration with it grows. He feels angered at Ben and Nigel that they are not helping. His anger grows, until he snaps to and realizes the rage is not his own. He leaves the scyth behind. They turn to head back to the sign area. Upon this second glance, the hanging scarecrow is gone. Another mocking laugh echoes out from the corn.

As they come back to the area with the sign, they find that it is also gone. The crew pushes onward. They find another section that is rather tight. While trying to navigate through, Nigel almost trips over a root. He looks down to see the root actually move back under the ground. The sides of the maze move ever closer. The corn begins to wave wildly in the wind as several vines spring forth and wrap themselves around the arms of the posse.

With a bit of force, they rip themselves free. Spurting forth from the vines is a red viscous fluid. The posse recognizes it as coagulated blood. This troubles them, and they propose maybe the corn is similar to the blood sucking tumbleweeds they encountered before.

They finally pass the thinner area and find a dead end with another scarecrow. Deciding to not take any chances this time, they allow Nigel to fire at it. The bullet vaporizes the pumpkin head.

Emerging from the neck of the scarecrow are several more vines. At the end are corn husks which seem to lock on their location. The husks open up and instead of corn, they reveal a whole mas of spines. The spines launch out and shoot at the posse. Ben avoids it altogether, Hammond is struck but they do not breech his armor. Nigel catches a few spines in the leg. Instantly the spines sprout, and begin to grow small vines. The entry point sprouts a tiny set of husks.

Nigel blasts the scarecrow with his plasma shot, burning the leg and dropping it to the ground. The scarecrow launches back at them with a few more vine shots. Benn shouts for them to duck, and lights up the scarecrow with his brain blast. The force blows apart the scarecrow. The remaining vines writhe around before retracting back into the corn rows- those left behind instantly rot. Nigel rips the remaining vines out from his leg.

Since this way is a dead end they head back to the nearest intersection and try the other direction. This portion loops around, bringing them to another split in the path.

The posse splits up just to see what is there, and will meet back after surveying each direction. Nigel looks around the corn and finds a door. Hammond and Ben come around the corner and find yet another scarecrow.

As a group they decide to avoid the scarecrow and head for the door.

The Mysterious Door

The crew knocks at the door. There is no answer. Hammond tries the handle and finds the door unlocked. They open the door and see it leads to a dark void. Thinking this may be their destination (possibly “the room” where they will find the Incubus), they step through into the dark.

the following scenes all happen simultaneously

A rocky area on Banshee

Ben looks around at the landscape. It appears to be a battle site on Banshee. A trail of fire burns around the area, barring an easy exit. A tall figure approaches him. To his horror he sees that the figure is a Skinny. The purple figure lifts it’s hands forward and launches blast at Ben. He manages to doge out of the way. Fear races through him. These things can fight off whole squads of men, and here he is fighting one alone.

He takes turns trading blows with the Skinny. He manages to land quite a few shots on it, but the Skinny also strikes him with a few blasts.

Slowly he begins to realize that this place is not right. The fire around the crater gives off no heat. The Skinny is not nearly as powerful as it should be. As soon as he verbalizes this doubt, he sees the Skinny reach up and pull off it’s face. It is the Pumpkin King. He taunts Ben, beckoning him to attack. The Pumpkin King urges him to shoot, and kill him once and for all.

Ben rejects, realizing this is part of the trick.

The basement of the Salem Apartment Towers

Nigel turns to find himself staring down on Ben. A frightening voice chatters in his head, gone is the familiar sound of his AI. The voice commands Nigel to kill Ben. Much to his dismay, Nigel is unable to stop himself from raising his weapons and firing upon him.

Ben fights back, and the two manage to damage each other. All the while Nigel fights with the voice of the manitou inside him.

After some struggle, Nigel realizes that this is not right. The location is wrong, they haven’t been in the towers for some time now.

Upon this realization, Nigel shouts out. The voice of the manitou changes to that of the Pumpkin King. Ben’s head morphs into the grotesque pumpkin face. He urges Nigel to destroy him once and for all. But Nigel objects.

Deep Underground Junkyard (Combine secret base)

Hammond finds himself face to face with Nigel. Nigel’s eyes glow with a frightening familiar energy. Baphomet’s voice emerges from Nigel’s lips. He mocks Hammond and begins attacking him.

At first, Hammond fights back. Then he remembers what Simon said. Baphomet was bound to his body, and was completely defeated. Nigel cannot be posses by Baphomet, and none of this is real.

The Pumpkin King tears Nigel’s face in two, revealing that he is the one behind the ruse. He confesses that Hammond has found him out and drops the charade.

Hammond’s view blacks out. When he opens his eyes again, he sees a horrific scene ahead of him. Ben and Nigel lie dead at the feet of the Pumpkin King’s scarecrows. He is underground and sees 2 more familiar faces ahead. Soria’s necrotized body stands next to the necrotized body of Twitch. Marilyn stand at the end. She turns and greets Hammy- the voice is familiar, that of the Incubus. She is visibly pregnant.

The Incubus speaks out, describing how wonderful it is to be in this body. It describes how the Pumpkin King deceived them and the posse lost. Hammond breaks free of his bonds and charges forth. He struggles internally and realizes there is nothing else to do. He must kill Marilyn. It takes every bit of his being, but he strikes her down, as tears well up in his eyes.

The center of the corn maze.

Ben awakens and rips off the pumpkin vine wrapped around him. The pumpkin was trying to envelop his head. He shakes free and sees Nigel doing the same.

They both get free and turn to see the vine around Hammond has nearly swallowed his head. they rip the pumpkin off. This pulls Hammond out of his dreamworld in full emotional flux. He babbles on about how he won’t let it occur. Hammond stands and grabs his weapon in a half rage.

Den of the old Farm House

The stitched-together man lunges forward at Nigel, who deftly sidesteps the swing. The adolescent girl asks Hammond if he would like to dance. She then gracefully steps forward, seemingly blinking through space as she moves across the room in a split second. The wolf man

roars at Ben. Seeing an opportunity Ben produces his auto-shotgun and makes swiss-cheese of the wolf. the creature is heavily injured but still able to attack. The girl swipes out a Hammond. She makes a small connection, packing a surprising punch. Hammy defends himself and gets a slap in as well. Nigel fires a sniper round straight through the brain of the hulk. A massive hole blows out from the side of it’s skull. The hulk stumbles a bit, then starts coming after Nigel again. Nigel starts running, trying to put some distance between them.

Ben finishes the wolf off with a few more shots. The stitched hulk becomes frustrated and grabs one of the chairs. He chucks it at Nigel, but breaks the chair in the corner. Hammond manages to slice the girl in half, which only seems to act as a minor inconvenience. She scolds him and calls for her father.

The dried skeleton-corpses rise(one from the chair, one from the corner by the smashed chair) and attack Ben and Nigel. Nigel over-charges his plasma and blasts at the skeleton in the corner. The blast radius hits the hulk and both of the skeletons. The father skeleton bursts into flame and falls to the ground. The mother burns through the middle, but her top half keeps crawling towards him.

The hulking monster takes a lot of damage to the arms and legs. Seeing an opportunity, Ben uses his telekinetic power to levitate the small wooden table next to the remaining chair. He flings it with great force at the vampire girl. The legs of the table stab through her heart and the force slams her into the back wall. She lets out a final gasp and slumps over. The mother skeleton goes limp.

Hammond and Ben continue the assault on the stitched-together monster.

At this moment a green scaly fish-man emerges from the kitchen door. He reels back and lobs a sizzling green glob of goo towards Nigel. Nigel just dodges the projectile. As it lands it begins to quickly eat away at the floor. Nigel quickly dispatches the fish-man in a flurry of bullets.

With all of the monsters dead. They inspect the area of the den. On the shelf they find a book, bound in flesh. An “O” ring is prominently displayed on the front, as though the metal ring was embedded under the flesh. Within the “O” is a metal, almost golden, “z”.

They cautiously open the book and begin to read it-

__INTRODUCTION.

Folk lore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

Yet the old-time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as “historical” in the children’s library; for the time has come for a series of newer “wonder tales” in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood curdling incident devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all dis-agreeable incident.

Having this thought in mind, the story was written solely to pleasure children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the
heart-aches and nightmares are left out.__

Nigel reads through the rest of the book to relay it to the others. The story contained in the book is the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The posse puts the pieces together. The girl was dressed in the same type of dress as Dorothy. She called the dog-man “ti-ti” (perhaps just a misreading of ToTo). The Hulking monster was a man, stitched together (not unlike the scarecrow).

They exit into the room where the wolf came from. Whatever function this room had before is long lost. The room has been turned into an abattoir. Blood and left over parts cover most of the surfaces of the room. They push past and return to the foyer. Upstairs they find one of the bathrooms has been converted into a darkroom for the girl to use as a bedroom. A makeshift coffin sits in the middle of the floor. They find little else of value.

The posse exits the house through the front. On the way out of the yard they discover the opened well. The smell emanating from it makes it obvious the water is not safe to drink.

The crew returns to the van and heads off in the direction of their next lead- Their options are the cemetery, thick dead woods, and the corn field. Their know they are in search of the Pumpkin King, and so they opt for the corn field.

The creepy corn field.

The trip to the corn field is rather short. The size of the field makes it stand out from the rest of the landscape. They exit the vehicle and find that there is an opening in the corn field- a cleared path of sorts.

The stalks of corn sway back and forth in the wind. The wind billows in again, and a sort of laugh is heard emanating from the corn.

From all direction in the corn field, they hear voice " When you laugh and you grin, When you hold me so near- I let go of my worries, my anxieties and all of my fears. I look at you and you look at me, and that’s when I realize all of the best things in life are free. Come to me…"

The sky quickly turns grey. A heavy, and unyielding rain begins. The ground quickly becomes muddy.The very surface of the field seems to shimmer with the glimmering light reflected by the rain droplets.

“Life is full of secrets and lies. So when you’re surprised, don’t act so. I’m not supposed to love you, I’m not supposed to care. I’m not supposed to live my life, wishing you were there. I’m not supposed to wonder, where you are, what you do. I’m sorry I just can’t help myself, I fell in love with killing you…”

“I have a message for you from my master. Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven. She awaits you, come for her.”