Sealing Death (20 page)

Death

      “CHARLIE?!” Cassie yelped, “What are you doing here?! How did you get here?! What happened?!” Cassie ran over to Charlie and added, “Thank you.”

      “Well,” Charlie began, “to answer your questions: I didn’t want you to face this alone, I called Electra, and it turns out my parents aren’t like my grandma described. Especially my father.” “Electra?” Cassie questioned, “Really?”

      “Not being able to wheel and deal was killing her, so I decided to promise her you would destroy the contract if she helped me.” Charlie admitted, “Are you mad?”

      Cassie didn’t know what to say. If she was completely honest with herself, she was ecstatic that Charlie chose to be with her over his dead family; he really loves her! But it also bugged Cassie that he promised Electra she’d destroy the contract. Electra would be allowed to make more deals! Who knows where that would lead! Sure she was good now, but maybe that was just a facade.  Electra was probably using this pretext, while secretly plotting a malevolent plan to get the contract destroyed and her free will restored!

      “No.” Cassie asserted, making Charlie perk up, “I will not destroy the contract. I can’t believe you would promise that without consulting me!” Cassie had no idea what she was saying.

      Charlie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He thought she’d be happy to see him! But all she can do is chastise him! How could she act like this? He just saved her!

      “What did you want me to do?” Charlie asked, “Stay behind and wait? I wanted to help!” “I don’t care.” Cassie snapped, “We need to move on. Now.”

      Cassie whisked her hand over the door, and the passage was yanked from its hinges and thrown into the sky. “Who first?” Chrissy asked, “Who knows what’s in there?”

      “I do.” Braddock piped up in the sassiest voice ever, “I am dead, remember?” Braddock walked over and looked down at the darkness. “Nothing.” Braddock answered finally, “Nothing except an empty Death Realm. Now let’s go.”

      Arthur closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped in the doorway. One by one, everybody entered Death, and the one step closer to sealing it.

      Charlie passed through the doorway and looked around. “Whoa.” Charlie gasped, “It’s so, familiar!”

      The group stood right directly inside the Death Realm, about three feet in front of the entrance. The doorway they entered was nowhere to be seen. Dark black clouds loomed overhead, just covering the massive hole in the blood red sky where the Scarrcedenhogg broke out. Below the broken sky laid an almost endless landscape surrounded by a massive wall, and two large, open gates. On the edge of the Realm was a gigantic, menacing castle with tall towers of different time periods sprouting in every direction. The center tower was the tallest, touching the shell of the Realm, and had a single window, sparkling faintly.

     There was an eerie feeling in the air; two tall modern towers sprouted from the inside of a decaying castle. Beyond that were more buildings, charred and desolate houses, and structures rising out from the shadows of forests that once were. The ground was littered with billions of lost items such as dolls, change, and keys. In the far right, were mountains of thick, broken chains.  It was like a nightmare that was just too real.

      “Come on, let’s go.” Will ordered, “We really need to hurry. Who knows what’s happening back home!” Will walked forward, signaling for the others to follow.

      Cassie, Charlie, Stella, Will, Chrissy, Susan, James, Vander, and Vanessa all walked through Death. Mac the Idyll bot was following a few feet behind, nervously scanning the area. “My scans suggest trouble is ahead.” it beeped, “Either that or my NeRVouS Chip is acting up.”

      “Relax!” Braddock ordered, “Everyone left the Death Realm once the gates opened! There is absolutely, positively, nothing at all to worry about!”

      Several yards away, hidden in the rubble of old townhouses, a small group watched the heroes progress through Death. “Finally!” a young black haired girl whispered, “Cassie and Company are here! Time to make a move Team Cassandra!”

      Reflection Cassandra turned around to face her minions she had collected along the way. “Let’s do this.”

Kingdom Plantae Part One

      Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, King Albert, Mayor Sanders, and Riley Alicia made their way through the thick New York forests. Maybe they were in Central Park, or maybe they were under the Empire State Building. No one could tell. Every now and then they would run into a lost tourist, or a local in a tree, but for the most part, there was no one to be seen.

      “Look!” Riley called, pointing beside a large oak, “A sign!” Sure enough, a green street name sign stood up against the tree. Before they could see what it said, however, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the woods. “It came from that way!” Albert determined, hastily making his way towards the source, “Let’s go!”

      “Many years ago, this was the entrance to my humble home, down in the center of the Earth.” Mother Nature explained, walking around the room, “It was amazing until people, giants, trolls, and everything else in between started asking me for what they want! I couldn’t heed every single request! I wasn’t strong enough! But now I am.”

      Arcanala walked up to Betty. “I know you don’t know the whole story, but you should be familiar with a little dagger I picked up from a kind, old couple and their witch friend when they returned home.” she explained, nonchalantly pulling the Silver Shadow out from the folds of her weed dress, “This knife has killed many. It has hurt even more. But now it is the hands of its first victim, the one it was made to kill. It was forged from the immortal soul of my son by an expert blacksmith named Temujin. Now I can use it to make myself unstoppable!” Mother Nature raised her hand, and the house shook violently as she clenched her fist.

      Outside the Myers home, Miss Teacher’s bunch made their way to the door step. A fierce wind was blowing through the jungle, toppling trees, and shaking buildings. Albert grabbed the moss-covered doorknob but lost his grip as the wind yanked it from the door. They backed up as the shingles from the tree-infested house blew off the roof and flew up and away. The vinyl siding curled up, and followed the shingles into the air. Boards and insulation left next, exposing the scene inside.

      “Betty!” Mrs. Spencer shouted, catching Mother Nature’s attention. “Looks like we have a larger audience than I once thought!” she chirped, extending her arm out toward the group. Vines shot up and wrapped around everyone. Mayor Sanders tried to run, but the vines caught him.
Crack
! The mayor felt a slimy liquid leak out onto his coat pocket. “Miracle Hair!” he whispered, remembering the sample he stole for his own head. The goo dropped on the vine, and was quickly absorbed.

      Mayor Sanders fell to the ground as the plant released him and began thrashing around, smacking into Mother Nature. She fell to the ground, hitting her head on a rock. The plants holding everyone retreated and Betty snatched the dagger. “We need to stall her long enough for Cassie to send the dead back, or we are all doomed.” Betty summed up, walking over to Mrs. Spencer, “She’s planning on using this knife made out of her son’s soul to become the most powerful being on Earth, and we can’t let her.”

      “Well, how?” Riley asked, “We know nothing about her!” At this point, they would believe anything.

      “Actually, we do.” Greg Myers admitted, wiping the plant juice from his shirt, “While we were in Death, I worked in the Afterlife Library. It contained the stories of everyone who’s ever died, and the Mother Nature Story was one of the more interesting ones. Her son sacrificed his immortality for a weapon to stop her from destroying the world thousands of years ago. What was strange was that her son’s, Arcane Pandemoni’s, story wasn’t there, which means he hasn’t died yet, even though he is a mortal.”

      “Do you think he’ll be able to stop her?” Mayor Sanders pondered, looking at the unconscious maiden, “It’s not like we can kill her yet anyway, and we don’t know when she’ll go back to the Underworld.”

      “Death.” Paul corrected, earning the signature Sanders Scowl from the mayor.

      “If he is truly more powerful than his mother he could!” Betty cheered, waving the Silver Shadow through the air. A small white cut appeared in the fabric of time, and a bright flash followed. When vision returned to everyone, an auburn-haired boy stood next to Betty.

      “Whoa.” Riley murmured in amazement, not because of his appearance-trick, but because of how good-looking he was. She fixed her brown hair and brushed it away from her hazel eyes. “Hi!” she greeted, holding out her hand, “I’m Riley Alicia.”

      The boy looked at her and shook her hand. “I’m Arcane Pandemoni.” he introduced nervously, “Where, and when, am I?”

      “You are in 2016, in New York City.” Mayor Sanders informed, “Your mother is right there, so you need to stop her so she doesn’t destroy the world.” “WHAT?!” the boy screeched, turning around, “It was, I just, how?!”

      Arcane whipped around and held out his hands. “What do you know about us?!” he demanded to know, his hands sparking with lightning bolts ready to char any foe.

      “All we know is your mother has returned from Death and is about to destroy us all, using the Silver Shadow.” Betty stammered, holding up the blade, “We believe you are the only one who can stop her.”

      “If you had the Silver Shadow, why didn’t you kill her?” Arcane pressed, still ready to defend himself if need be. “The gates of Death have been opened, and no one can die until they are closed.” King Albert began, “We believe someone is about to shut them, but we need someone to hold off your mother until she returns to Death.”

      Arcane lowered his hands, looked at Riley and Betty, “You get that cursed blade as far away from here as you can. I will hold off my mother for as long as I can, and if she gets past me, you are doomed. She can control every aspect of nature on this planet.”

      “So let’s get off this planet.” Betty smirked, “To the portal!”

Team Cassandra Strikes

      The group walked in the direction of the gates. There was nothing in their way, so there was no point in running; they needed all their energy to figure out how to shut those massive gates.

      Cassie glared at Charlie. She hoped they never saw Electra again; there was absolutely, positively, no way at all she would give that witch the ability to keep making deals, and send the deal breakers to Electra-City! Cassie knew there was no reason for Electra to need to make a deal anymore, since she got what she wanted. Her and her brother are safe from those monsters now. Why keep dealing?

      Earlier that day, Electra was walking through the streets of NYC when she felt it.
Oh no.
Then came the relief. Someone was calling her. Also known as an excuse to get out of this place as soon as possible. To the amazement of several tourists, Electra whirled her hand and vanished into thin air.

      “What do you want?” Electra asked nervously, seeing she was still in the Realm of the Foretold.

      “I need your help.” Charlie asked, “I need you to send me to the Tartarus, please. I hope it is not too much to ask, but I really need to get to Cassie. I know she’s powerful enough to do it, but I am still worried.”

      “I cannot make any deals because of your stupid girlfriend!” Electra shouted angrily, as she didn’t have time for this, “Why would I help you?!”

      “Cassie will destroy the contract if you help me!” Charlie panicked. Uh-oh. Electra perked up. “Do you promise?”  she asked, hopefully. Her life depended on it. Charlie nodded, and Electra smiled. She waved her hand, and Charlie vanished. She was saved!

      Cassie was brought out from her angry rant by a familiar voice. It was her own.

      “Hello Cassie!” Reflection Cassandra greeted, “Remember me?” “How could I forget?” Cassie growled, “Seriously, I tried.”

      Reflection Cassandra simply smiled. “It’s always nice to know someone is thinking about you.” she cooed, “Too bad it wasn’t Charlie, though.” Cassie picked up her reflection and threw her backwards. “Don’t test me!” she warned, creating a fireball in her hand. “Don’t bother, dear.” said an unfriendly voice. Cassie turned and saw, a rather flat, Alice Harper. “You should exercise more,” Cassie began, holding back laughter, “because you seem very out of shape!”

      Alice scowled. Well, she might have scowled. She was really distorted.

      “You always did enjoy a bad joke, didn’t you?” she recalled, “So annoying, then and now. I can’t wait to eliminate you!” “How do you two expect a reflection and Flat Alice to be able to beat us?” Charlie asked, amused.

      “The answer is, we aren’t alone!” Reflection Cassandra revealed, “I picked up a few friends to help us along the way.”

      The Death Realm became darker than it already was, and everyone looked up. The entire sky was blackened by millions of birds. “That’s right!” a voice squawked, “Mr. Angla is here to join the party!” The birdman landed behind James and pecked his back, knocking him out cold. “I never liked him.”

      “Dad!” Cassie yelled. She raised her hand and stammered a quick spell.

To protect loved ones from the danger,

Send them far away, maybe to a manger?

Through the realms, as Betty did.

Send my family back home, and- away from Sid! 

      “How’d you know I was here?” Saxton questioned as Susan, James, and the twins disappeared. “You smell.” Cassie replied, smirking, “I suppose Reflectra over there thawed you.” “I like that name!” Reflection Cassandra chimed in, “I think I’ll keep it!”

      “Why aren’t you frightened?” Saxton asked, strutting over to Cassie’s side. “I’ve dealt with so many people today. Four of them just aren’t that scary.”

      “What about five?” an eerily familiar woman’s voice asked, “I heard what you said about refusing to destroy the contract, so now I will destroy it. Even if I destroy you with it!” Electra formed a blue fireball and shot it at the distraught Cassie, flinging her several yards away.

      Electra appeared above Cassie. “I’ve been practicing magic for literally thousands of years.” she warned, brushing the dirt off of her light blue uniform, “You barely have a year! Your magic can’t beat me. I thought I would be content with having saved my brother, but there’s a bigger problem now, and I need to make deals to fix it. Now destroy the contract, or be destroyed.”

      “Electra.” Cassie grunted, “Stop this, or we all will be destroyed.”

      Electra cackled. “You mean the Scarrcedenhogg!” Electra bellowed, “That is simple! To destroy the destroyer of Reality, you send it out of Reality, so it can’t destroy. All we need to do, is cast a spell to do just that. No one has to return to the Death Realm, and Reality is saved! Better yet, the ‘bad guys’ will be the heroes, and you and your sidekicks will become the number one hated group in existence for trying to stop us! Your living, feeling, remains will be scattered amongst the realms, so everyone gets a piece to torture! It will be an amazing marketing opportunity; I’ll be rich, and able to deal all I want!”

      “A spell that powerful could destroy us all!” Cassie gasped, sitting up. “You think I don’t know the risks?” Electra snorted, “Thousands of years, remember? And I still have the complexion of a child!”

      “No.” Cassie asserted, “If you are evil enough to even make a threat like that, you deserve what you are running from!” Cassie threw out her arm and blasted Electra back. Electra caught her footing and screamed, “I AM NOT EVIL!!!!!!!!”

      Electra was gone. No, she was next to Reflectra. “Eliminate them.” she ordered. “YOU HEARD THE WOMAN!” Reflectra screamed into the air, “ATTACK!!!”

      The birds flew around faster, and a giant one soared out of the mix. “That’s not a bird!” Chrissy stuttered, reaching for her bow and arrow. “It’s The Dragon!” Arthur shouted, “Find shelter!”

      The group ran as Stella waved her hand, producing an arrow. “Can you run and shoot, Chrissy?” she asked, looking over. Chrissy nodded as she shot her last arrow into the air. Stella tossed the arrow to Chrissy, who promptly shot it at the dragon. The ice hit the beast and froze its snout.

      Jason shook his head, shattering the ice. “More arrows Stella!” Chrissy yelped, holding out her hand. About twenty arrows landed in it. Chrissy smiled and shot a steady stream at the dragon.

      Cassie looked back and saw the frozen dragon fall to the ground, shattering into billions of pieces on contact with the ground. Dragon down, but the birds were coming. Cassie scanned the horizon and saw the castle-towers. She shut her eyes, and ran smack into a wall.

      “A little warning next time would be nice!” Charlie grouched, rubbing his nose. They were inside the tower of the building and could see the mist they left behind. The birds returned to the sky, and Cassie could see the villains arguing as they walked over the dragon pieces. Electra waved her hand in an offhand way, as if she was mocking Cassie, and The Dragon reformed.

      “We can’t beat them.” Cassie acknowledged, depressingly, “As long as Electra is on their side, we can’t beat them. We have to destroy the contract.”

      “I have a better idea.” Stella smiled, reaching in her purse, “I might have snatched this up in the Realm of the Untold. It’s a spell book. I was reading through it after Sisilla gave me my power and I found something.” Stella handed the book to Cassie and pointed at the page.

      “A curse?” Cassie questioned. “The Curse of Fire and Ice!” Stella cheered, “WE can do it together! It freezes the whole realm, and everyone in it, except those who we don’t want to cover in a layer of ice. The ingredients are even perfect!”

      Cassie read the list, “Ice of a royal, fire from the dark, and the worst version of a hero? This is so creepy! It is like it was written for this moment!” “Maybe it was, but are we gonna do it or not!” Cassie smiled and snapped her fingers. “That was a protection spell on this room.” Cassie explained, “DO NOT LEAVE THIS ROOM UNTIL WE SAY IT IS SAFE.”

      Having warned her friends, Cassie vanished with Stella and the book.