Into The Death Realm

Brett sat on a lunch table in the cafeteria at school with his friends Jeffery, Mark, and Josh. “So, you’re telling me you fell asleep in the haunted cabin, wolves chased you and you ran inside the house?” he asked. “For the second time,” said Jeffery, “they weren’t wolves. They were like… werewolves!” He set down his sandwich and started munching down on his potato chips. 
“Well, that’s a nice story. I hope you wake up soon,” said Josh. He walked over to the trash can and threw away his garbage. 
Mark scooted closer to Jeffery. “Do you think they’ll ever believe us?” asked Mark. Jeffery shrugged. 
“Probably not,” said Jeffery, “but maybe they will.” He scooted away from Mark. 
Brett walked on the school grounds after school. “So, what are you going to do this weekend?” asked Josh. 
“I don’t know,” said Brett. “Tomorrow after school I’m just… I don’t know. Why, what do you want to do?” 
Josh smiled. “Should we go check out that cabin?” he asked. 
“Nah, something else,” said Brett. 
He noticed someone who was walking up to them. A tall eighth grader named Bravo was big, buff and always had an angry attitude. He wore a red T-shirt and black torn pants. 
Bravo stepped up close to them, forcing them to take a step back. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in a harsh voice, stepping forward and forcing them to take a step back again. He blocked the sunlight from their eyes.
“We’re just walking home,” said Josh. He seemed to be more frightened than Brett. Bravo’s friend, Jake, stepped up beside him with his arms crossed in a show-off way. 
“We don’t want any trouble,” said Brett. He slowly turned around, keeping an eye on them. Bravo smiled. He turned around and walked away after, followed by his friend Josh. 
Josh stepped up to Brett once he knew they were gone. “Those guys are weird, huh?” he asked. He turned his head and looked to his side to Brett.
“Yeah, kind of,” Brett said. He scanned around the school grounds. “Hey look! There’s Tom! Maybe he can be part of our group.” 
“But I can’t talk to him now,” said Josh. “I planned to see a horror movie at the theatre today.” 
Brett looked at Josh. “Which movie?” he asked. 
Josh paused. “The Death Realm,” he said, moving his arm across Brett’s face. 
“What’s it about? 
“It’s about some kids that get into this world, kind of, and he has to winto live. It seems pretty interesting,” said Josh. “Want to come?” 
Brett looked at the ground. “Sure. I don’t have any plans tonight.” 
“Alright, then!” said Josh. “To the movies!” He pointed his index finger up in the air and started walking out the gate and down the street to the theatre. 
They continued to walk down to the movies. “Don’t tell me we’re going to go to that old one,” said Brett. 
Josh sped up. “Come here,” he said. Brett followed him and soon stopped at the front of the old theatre. It was a mess. The paint was chipped; a window was broken, there were cobwebs on the top and looked as if no one was ever there. And this place is still running, thought Brett. 
“Why can’t we watch it over at the ordinary theatre?” asked Brett. 
“Because this is the only place they have the movie on,” said Josh. “Come on!” He started forward toward the front desk, where an old man was standing. “Excuse me sir,” said Josh, “how much does two tickets to 
The Death Realm cost?” “It’s free,” said the man. His lips barely moved. 
Brett walked toward the door. “Thank you, sir.” They walked inside. They saw no snack booth, no restrooms or anyone. All they saw was one door. Josh walked to the door and opened it. Brett followed after. There was a screen inside and about thirty rusty torn chairs. They sat in the middle. “When does the movie start?” asked Brett. 
“We just wait,” said Josh. They soon heard sliding metal, as if the back door had locked and the screen brightened. Soon, the movie started rolling. “I don’t know why they don’t have any previews,” said Josh. 
“Me neither,” said Brett. 
Soon, the beginning credits started playing. All of the names were the same ‘Hyrus.’ The director, the director of photography and the producer was all the same. “There all the same!” shouted Brett. 
Josh silenced him as the beginning started to play. There were two kids. One found a set of cards in his basement and they started playing. Bad things started happening. The cards said that they had to do something for them to live. They had to win to get their lives back. 
They haven’t said a word. They started getting tired and sleepy. The dozed and woke, dozed and woke, until they fell asleep. 
“Ahhh!” screamed Brett as he shot up in the air from his sleep. But he didn’t recognize the room. Somehow, it looked very familiar to him. He rubbed his head and got up. He looked around and saw a gray wall, a gray ceiling, a gray floor, some tools, and a door. He soon saw Josh lying on the floor with his arms and legs spread out. “Josh.” 
Josh’s eyes starting moving. He opened his eyes and focused on the small bright light bulb hanging on top of him. “Oh,” he moaned. Brett crawled up and leaned against a corner of the room as he watched Josh roll over. Josh got up and started looking around. His eyes were constantly dropping and Brett could tell that he was still sleepy. He gazed around the room and saw Brett crawled up against the corner. Josh’s eyes widened. “Where are we?” he said lightly. 
“I don’t know,” said Brett. He slowly got up and walked passed Josh to the door. He grabbed the handle and shook it, but the door didn’t budge. “What do we do?” asked Brett. His voice sounded panicking. “What’s happening!” he cried. 
Josh’s expression changed to sadness as his eyebrows lifted up. “Ahhh!” screamed Josh like a crazy person. He ran to another corner and crouched. Brett heard him slightly weeping. They didn’t know where they were. They didn’t know how they got there. They didn’t know it was The Death Realm. 
*(If you have experienced an unusual phenomenon, you are unexpectedly to do crazy things as if it were a dream. Trust me; I have some of my own, too. I have seen a rocket brake apart in the sky while I was on the freeway, and saw the beauty of the trail of smoke left containing light. How can smoke contain light? That’s the phenomena. My hands were shaking after that, and then I noticed my whole body became shaky.) Brett felt as if he was about to throw up. His stomach felt as if it were expanding on the inside. He crouched on the floor, taking deep breaths until they heard a deep, hoarse voice that vibrated against the ground. It said, “SURVIVE, OH PAST, DEAR VICTIMS. YOUR BRAVERY IS AT TEST.” 
Josh turned around in fear. Brett saw his face was red and his eyes were soaked with tears. “Who are you!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “What do you want!” he said, ending in a deep weeping sound. 
“Josh,” said Brett in an exhausted voice. He crawled over to where Josh was sitting. “I think we’ve entered the movie.” 
“We what?” said Josh. “We’re in the death realm? We’re going to die?” His voice started to get furious. His breathing became deeper than ever. 
Soon, the room started turning one way, and then another, slowly forming into a different room. Josh and Brett started getting dizzy, and soon found themselves chained up against the wall, on both sides of the room. Their ankles were chained up. But the room wasn’t complete. This time, Brett found himself vomiting on his chest. “Ahhh!” he screamed. He started wiping the foamy yellowish chunks from his chest. 
His scream was followed by Josh, who screamed even louder this time. As the room slowly morphed, they could make out a room with a red long carpet that stretched for what seemed forever between them. There were two walls on each side in which each were chained up on and no walls on the other angle, but the red carpet. The room lit up, making their eyes hurt a little. 
They heard the booming voice that seemed to echo through the everlasting trail of darkness. “Powers you will receive. Lose and retrieve. Forfeit to die. Win to live. Play around, you pay.” 
“What does that mean?” Josh said almost immediately. 
Just then, the voice spoke again. “YOU WILL USE YOUR POWERS TO ESCAPE, ONCE FREE YOU MUST FIGHT, ONCE YOU FIGHT, YOU WILL BE BACK, YOU MAKE A DECISION.” 
Brett Got up, but the chains made it difficult. “A decision?” he said. “What type of decision?” 
“I don’t know,” said Josh, his voice a lot more calm. “But what I’m wondering about is the powers. What will we have?” 
“I’m not sure, but all I know is that it may get us out of here,” said Brett. 
A minute later was silence, and then they felt tingling in their bodies. “What’s happening?” asked Josh. 
“I think it’s our powers,” said Brett. It soon ended, but they felt no different. 
The voice once again came back. “YOU POSSES POWER. USE IT, AND IT WILL SET YOU FREE.” 
“I don’t really know what to do,” said Josh. “But let’s try to see if we can use them.” He got up and closed his eyes. Josh took a slow deep breath, but nothing happened, until Brett heard a clanging noise of metal. It came from one of Josh’s ankle chains. 
Brett stared wide-eyed from what was happening. “Josh! I think you’re a telekinetic!” 
Josh opened his eyes. “Cool!” He undid the other lock. “I’m free!” he shouted. He stepped forward and put his arms on his hips as if he were a hero. “Try yours.” 
“Alright,” said Brett. He stood up and closed his eyes, too. He waited for a minute, and nothing happened. “Nothing’s happening!” he shouted. His expression changed to anger and he sat down again. “This is so stupid!” he shouted, throwing the chain to the floor. He opened his eyes wide and frowned. 
“What’s the matter?” asked Josh. 
Brett started shaking at what he saw on the chain. The part of the chain he grabbed was shaped as his hand. “Look.” 
Brett showed the dented chain to Josh. “Oh, my gosh,” said Josh, as he moved closer to see. 
Brett gripped with both hands on the chain that connected to the wall and yanked it out. “Wow!” shouted Bret. “I have strength!” 
“Great! Since we’re both free… what do we do?” asked Josh. 
Brett was about to say something but got interrupted by the voice again. “FIGHTING SESSIONS BEGINS!” it boomed. There was an eerie silence for a few moments afterwards. They both didn’t say a word. 
But then they heard heavy footsteps, coming from down the long passageway. Clanging metal and heavy footsteps were coming towards them. “What’s going to happen?” asked Brett in a worried voice. 
But the sound was a lot closer than they had expected. A legionnaire stepped up to them wearing a breastplate, holding a javelin stick that was seven feet high and carried a short sword in his dagger. His expression was fierce and got in position to attack. “Who is he?” asked Brett panicking as the man pulled out his sword. 
“Our powers!” shouted Josh. He closed his eyes and almost immediately the javelin stick broke in half. He opened his eyes. “Yahoo!” 
The man was about to strike Josh until Brett punched him on his breastplate, which seemed to dent into the shape of a fist. “Ahhh!” screamed the man. Suddenly, his neck started cracking and misshaping, as if his neck bones were double-jointed. “Josh, what are you doing?” asked Brett. 
“Attacking from the inside,” he answered, To Brett, that seemed pretty gross. Soon, his back folded and cracked even louder. The man closed his eyes and slowly fell backwards from the pain. A bone poked through his stomach. 
“That’s enough,” said Brett. 
Josh opened his eyes. “Alright. I’m just into gore.” 
Brett kneeled down and gave the man his hardest blow, which almost went inside his stomach. “That’ll do,” he said, swiping his hands together.
“So now we wait?” asked Josh. 
“I guess,” answered Brett. 
They sat back down near each other, waiting for the voice to tell them what to do. Brett was thinking about the decision. What decision is that? He wondered. Could it be someone’s life to pay? 
“CHOOSE YOUR DECISION,” the voice later shouted. “WHICH POWER WILL YOU KEEP?” 
Brett stared at the ceiling. “Choose which power one of us is keeping?” he asked. 
“Please,” begged Josh, “please can I keep mine?” He kneeled down and crossed his fingers. 
Brett tightened his lips. He really wanted his strength for protection and he thought that Josh’s power as a telekinetic won’t be handy. “Well…” said Brett, “Maybe I should –” 
“You only?” shouted Josh. “So you want your powers, huh? Then I won’t have any, then what would I do?” 
“It’s just that mine can be more useful,” said Brett. He sighed. 
Josh stomped his foot childishly. “Fine. You can keep your powers. Once we get out of here, I’ll join another group. You’ll be all alone.” He turned around. “Take us back!” he shouted at the ceiling. “We decided! I want to be back home!” 
The room started swirling, making Brett’s eyes hurt. One object was going one way and another object was going somewhere else, which caused Brett and Josh’s eyes to start separating into pain. They closed their eyes and blocked them with their hands. 
Soon, it slowed down, and before they knew it, they were back at the theatre, sitting down on the chairs, with the back door unlocked. Brett opened his eyes. “We’re home!” he shouted. “We’re finally here!” a big smile grew on his face as he saw Josh’s eyes open. 
“Yes!” he shouted. They both got out of the section of chairs and ran out the door, into the open. 

WRITTEN BY ALEXY, THE COOLEST 12 YEAR OLD WRITE

The Babysitter

I started baby-sitting when I was I6. But somehow, everything got out of control. Weird things started happening. I got scared. I wanted to leave.

To live

I needed a job for summer vacation. My mom wasn’t making enough money. So I decided to go Babysitting. This is how it went:

“So how much is the pay?” I asked Mrs. Helen.

“Its four dollars an hour,” said Mrs. Helen.

I leaned to my side. “Alright, I’ll take it.”

“Alright. Now it’s settled,” said Mr. Helen. I thought about the job. Four nights a week. But how hard can it be? I only have to put the baby to bed.

“I’ll start Monday, tomorrow,” I said.

Mrs. Helen grinned. “Tomorrow it is, then.”

When I exited the house, I started walking down the street to the bus stop. Soon the bus came and I went home.

As I entered the house, I saw my mom waiting for me at the kitchen table. “Did you get the job?” she asked.

I put an angry expression on. “No.”

“How come?” asked mom in a soft voice.

And then I smiled. “Just kidding. Yes,” I said.

“You,” said mom nodding her head. “Do you know how much you get paid?”

“I get paid four dollars an hour,” I said.

“Good. How many nights a week?”

“Four nights a week,” I said. “That’s a lot. But I get paid more.”

Mom got up. “Great,” she said.

I walked up to my room and went to bed.

Mrs. Helen got her stuff ready for the meeting. “I’ll be kind of late, so don’t be troubled,” said Mrs. Helen.

“Oh, she’ll be fine,” said Mr. Helen as he walked down the stairs. He walked to the door and opened it for Mrs. Helen to go through.

“We’ll be back in a while, so make yourself comfortable,” said Mrs. Helen as she exited. Boy, were they in a hurry.

She quickly exited the door followed by Mr. Helen and closed the door. Well, here we go.

I walked to her bedroom to tuck her in. “Good night,” I said. I gently put the covers up to her shoulders. I could tell she was already falling asleep. Her eyelids were constantly dropping. I slowly walked out the room and closed the door. Now that wasn’t so hard.

I walked downstairs and turned on the TV. But then I heard the phone ring. I immediately grabbed it so it wouldn’t wake the baby. “Hello?” I asked.

But all I heard was wild laughter. “Ha ha ha, I’m up here with your daughter, you’d better come up,” it said. I got frightened. How did he know? He hung up.

Just some kids crank calling, I thought. I heard the phone ring a few minutes later. The same message. That’s it. I’m going to call the operator for help.

I dialed 411. “Hello, operator speaking,” she said. I asked her what I should do if the crazy man calls again. She suggested that I keep him talking so she could get information on where he’s calling.

Later, the phone rang and I grabbed the phone. Still, wild laughter. Still he’s up there with the daughter. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. He just hung up.

A few seconds later, I heard the phone ring again. This time it was the operator.

“Quick, get out of the house. I called the police. The man is calling from the second floor of the house!”

I immediately ran out of the house to the arms of the police.

A few officers barged in the house and saw the man standing next to the bedroom door, holding a butchers knife. Thank goodness! I figured he hasn’t hurt the baby!

They still allowed me to baby-sit. But one night, while I put the baby to bed, I went downstairs to watch some TV. I heard no sound in the monitor. In case you don’t know what that is, it tells you what sounds the baby’s making. If you hear crying from it, you go upstairs to comfort him or her. But this time I heard something unusual.

I heard a soothing voice from the monitor. It sang: Rock my baby, on the tree top. When the wind blows, the cradle will fall. I got scared. I froze. I turned off the TV and slowly walked up the steps quietly.

I felt tingling all over. I couldn’t keep still. When I reached the baby’s bedroom, I opened the door slowly. I heard thumping of feet. I immediately opened the door, trying to not wake up the baby. Nothing there.

No one there.

I walked down the steps toward the living room. Boy, have I ever felt so relieved in my life. I turned the TV back on. Then I heard the voice again.Rock my baby, on the tree top. When the wind blows, the cradle will fall.

I gathered my courage. One more time. I got up and walked steadily up the steps holding my breath. Who’s there?

My pants rustled together making too much noise as I walked.

When I reached the door, I opened it. Nothing except an open window. I went to close the window, but I took a minute to look outside. What a nice view, I thought. I almost saw my house from there.

I turned back and there I saw it. A man in the closet, holding a black ball. His coal black eyes reflected from the light. He smiled.

I couldn’t say anything. I was too shocked. He got up and walked to where I was. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed hard. He pushed so hard, my shoulders nearly broke.

I fell back against the open window and tripped over. I expected to feel the floor beneath me. But no. He pushed me out the window! On the second floor!

I gripped and tugged the black ball from his hand. I then flipped upside down. I turned my head up and saw the ground before I died.

The corpse was discovered a while later. The black ball was taken to a jewelry shop and was given as a gift to a little girl.

ALEXI WROTE THIS BABYYYYYYYYYY

The Death Realm

I stabbed the waffles sitting in front of me. I didn’t want to eat. I wasn’t hungry.

“Eat your breakfast, it’s important,” said my mom. I just stared at my waffles, feeling sick of it and not willing to eat. I knew it would be a bad day.

“Do I have to eat this?” I asked. I put on a fake smile showing her my plate.

“Well, okay. Go comb your hair and brush your teeth,” said mom. I was surprised; she always had me finish my food. I dumped it in the trash and headed upstairs.

I walked outside to another boring day at school. I was actually happy because it was Friday. At last, I thought. Free weekend.

“Want to meet on Saturday at the park?” asked Tom as we walked home together.

“Okay, but we’ll have to avoid Bravo and Jake,” I said.

“Those guys are real freaks,” said Tom.

“Well, we’ll have to face them for the weekend. Those guys never give up,” I said. “They’re like gorillas, I mean, their hands are practically dragging on the ground.” 

Tom giggled. “Yeah -” he was interrupted by Bravo and Jake stepping in front of us.

“Hello, guys,” said Jake as Bravo grabbed Tom on the shoulder.

“Let’s talk in private,” said Bravo impatiently to Tom. He dragged Tom over to a fence.

Jake stepped even closer, frowning. I was at least a foot smaller.

“Just give me a break,” I said, trying to pass him.

“A break? You want me to give you a break, Josh? Sure, I’ll give you one!” he grabbed me with one arm and punched me in the face. My vision went blurry. Everything didn’t seem real, except the pain. I didn’t see the other punch come in.

I fell to the floor. With one last kick from his shoe, everything went black.

I woke up a while later in aching pain. I managed to get up. Tom, Bravo or Jake weren’t there, so I walked home.

I snuck up the stairs without mom noticing the torn shirt, blood-stained nose, or the bruise covering my stomach where I got kicked. If she noticed, she would call their parents and tell them not to touch me. If she did, those guys would kill me.

Later, before dinner, I got clean cloths on and took a bath and tried to cover my bruises.

I walked downstairs to the kitchen table and sat down. “Josh, did you take a bath?” asked mom as I scooted in my chair.

“Yeah, I did,” I said.

“What’s that on your cheek?” asked my dad.

“Nothing,” I said. “What’s for dinner?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Did those brats do that? Come here, let me rub your cheek,” said mom.

“No, that’s okay,” I said quickly.

“Well, I’m going to call thier parents,” said mom in a firm voice.

“Mom, please,” I said. “They really will kill me if you tell them.” 

“So they did do it?” asked dad.

“Yes,” I said, looking down.

“Well, I’m going to call them anyway. They’ll do something about it,” said mom, getting up and walking to her room.

Dad looked at me and frowned. “You’ve got to stop letting this happen to you. You’re going to have to do something about it. If not, they’ll be on you every day.” 

I stood in the park where I was supposed to meet Tom. “Come on, where are you?” I mumbled. I started tapping my foot.

At the corner of my eye, I could see Tom running toward me, holding something.

Finally, I thought. “Hey, Josh! Look what I found!” he said as he paused in front of me taking deep breaths.

“What is it?” I asked. I eyed what he was holding suspiciously.

“These are some cards. There’s very little. I found it in a box in my basement. It tells you what to do. It’s a game, sort of,” he said.

“Is that why you wanted me to meet you here?” I asked.

“Well, no. I just found it today,” he said. Suddenly I saw to tall kids walking towards us. Bravo and Jake! 

“Run!” I urged.

I took off until Tom asked, “What are you doing?” but he was too late. Bravo pushed him forward onto the cement. The cards fell, but didn’t separate because they were held together tight in a rubber band.

“I guess I stepped onto the wrong place, mamma’s boy,” said Bravo looking at me with a smirk. Jake smiled.

“What’s this?” Jake asked leaning over to get the cards.

“Don’t touch that!” I said as Tom got up and stood on my side.

“Awe, isn’t that too bad,” said Bravo as Jake got a hold of the cards.

Jake looked at it suspiciously. “It’s a stupid game,” said Jake.

“Let me see that,” said Bravo. He grabbed it from Jake’s hand and took off the rubber band.

“Bravo, no!” shouted Tom. Bravo smiled and threw them across the muddy ground.

“You idiots!” shouted Tom with fierce anger.

They immediately put on angry faces and grabbed each of us. Bravo held my shirt in a tight grip.

He lifted up a fist and punched me right below the chest. Pain shot through my body. He knocked the air out of me. I bent forward gasping for breath until he hit me on the face. He hit me right below my right eye. I let out a faint cry of pain. With one hard shove on my shoulder I fell backwards and got kicked on the shin.

I opened my eyes and saw Tom being held against a fence getting punched in the stomach numerous times.

“Those guys are just so – so bad!” said Tom as we walked home together. 
I rubbed my nose as gently as I could. “I wish you didn’t tell them they were idiots,” I said.

“I’m sorry; I just got so mad, them throwing the cards on the ground. I couldn’t help it,” said Tom.

“Do you want to go to my house?” he asked.

“For what?” I asked.

“To play the card game. It might be fun,” said Tom.

“Well, for a little bit,” I said.


Later, we sat in the couch of the living room and set the cards in front of us. “Okay. What do we do?” I asked.

Tom reached out and grabbed a card. “We do what it says,” said Tom. “What does it say?” I asked.

“It says ‘don’t worry, you can do it,’” said Tom.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should pull out another card,” said Tom. He reached for another card and read it. “It says, ‘just do it.’ That doesn’t make sense.” 

“Maybe you have to turn it around,” I said, I turned it upside down. 

Tom pulled another card. “This one says ‘Take yourself, put yourself in the basement, and lock the door.’ That’s weird,” said Tom. “No way am I doing that.” 

“Tell me when you want to get out. It’s simple as that, and then we can stop the game. Come on, you wanted to play,” I said.

He frowned, “Okay, fine.”

He led me to the basement. “Remember, let me out when I say,” said Tom.

“Alright. You have my word,” I said. He walked inside and I closed the door and locked it.

I pulled out a card. “The next card says ‘murder.’ What!” I shouted.

All of a sudden, I saw the door rattling. Then I heard a scream. A terrifying scream. I fell back. I then heard gushy squishing sounds, like… Tom’s being murdered! 

My heart was pounding. I didn’t know what to do.

Surprisingly, it all stopped. I got up shaking. I slowly opened the door, and inside was the dead body of Tom. Blood was splattered everywhere. His stomach was torn open and his ribs were showing. I nearly fainted.

I immediately slammed the door. I looked at the set of cards in fear. Should I pull another one? Well, I did. The card said “Go to the park, see what’s under the playhouse.” 

I felt like I had to do it. I walked out of the house to the park.

After a short while, I arrived at the park. It was dawn. I walked over to the child area and looked under the little house.
There, I saw, was a black box.

I stared at it in suspiciousness. I should open the box, just to see what’s inside. Nothing that can fit in that box can kill someone, right? 

I slowly opened the box. All there was inside was a black ball. I decided to pull another card. It said “Grab the ball, go back, say ‘Hes tha monste uln disaper.’” I ran back to the house and went downstairs near the basement entrance. I held the ball high up in the air and chanted once the prophecy while reading it.

I felt weird after I said that. I opened the door slowly and saw Tom laying there. The strange thing was there was no blood or chest torn open. It was like nothing had happened at all.

I ran towards him and put my ear against his chest. His heart was pumping! I felt so relieved.

“Tom! Tom! Wake up!” I said, shaking his body with his shoulders. I heard a low groan, and then he opened his eyes. He looked so tired. “Tom! You’re not dead!” 

“I’m alive?” asked Tom.

“Yes,” I said. I helped him to his feet. “You’re alive.” 

Tom laughed a little. “Yes!” he shouted. He then started to run around and even jump. Man, he was so happy.

The door slammed behind us. I heard sliding metal. We were locked in! “Tom, we’re locked in,” I said.

“We’re what?” he asked. His sudden joy ended.

“I said we’re locked in. Look at the door. I saw it close and heard it lock,” I said.

“Oh, man,” said Tom. “What are we going to do?” he said, putting his arms on the sides of his head.

“I think we need to keep playing,” I said. “What else is there to do?” 
“I don’t know,” he said.

A voice in the room made me jump. “You are now in the death realm. You shall play as a team or forfeit and die.” 

We shivered. “What was that!” shouted Tom.

“I don’t know! I think we need to calm down and settle this,” I said.

I sat down next to Tom. He sat down, too. “Lets pull a card,” said Tom. He reached for the set of cards and pulled one out.

“It says ‘Go to the end. If you fail, death will come.’” 

“I don’t get what any of this means. I just want to stop playing that stupid game and get out here,” I said.

I felt a sudden shock. The room was spinning and morphed into a different place. It was all red and at the sides was covered by armored statues and at the end of the room there was the black ball. The one I saw at the park.

Tom sat closer to me. “What’s happening!” shouted Tom.

“I don’t know what’s happening! What do we do?” I shouted back.

“Listen to the card we read, maybe,” said Tom a little calmer.

I suddenly felt dizzy. I ran to one side of the room and vomited. Tom just sat still. “Come on, lets do this,” I said. I started to walk a little bit until I saw the closest statue move. “Did you see that?” I asked Tom. I heard sliding metal and everything went black.

“Josh, wake up. Wake up!” I heard. I opened my eyes and saw Tom sitting beside me.

“What happened?” I asked.

“You got slayed by one of the statues. I got the black ball and brought you back to life. I pulled another card and said this weird prophecy and also said that it would bring life back. Weird, huh,” said Tom.

“Well, I’m glad you saved me,” I said. I heard the same voice as before. It said “nine places left.” 

“What does that mean?” asked Tom.

“I guess it means we have to go to nine more places. Let me see the next card,” I said, grabbing a card. “It says ‘you will defend yourself for short.’ Let’s see what that one does.” 

We waited for about a minute then the room started to morph. It was all black. My eyes had to adjust to the darkness. I could make out a small statue with a small sword. I felt shocked because then I saw millions of them! Each the same one.

“Grab your weapon” said the voice. There came a sudden light pointing to two swords and shields.

“Tom, over there,” I said pointing to that area.

“Okay,” said Tom. He walked up and grabbed a sword and a shield. I grabbed some, too.

“Defend” said that unearthly voice. I heard a screeching noise and saw the statues move. They lifted up their swords. One came charging.

“What do we do?” I asked Tom.

“We need to defend ourselves, remember?” said Tom.

“Oh, yeah. This might be tough,” I said.

The statue swung its sword. I blocked it using my shield. With my free hand I hit it on the side. It broke in two. Another one charged at Tom. “Tom! Watch out!” I shouted. I ran to help him, but I was too late. He did the same technique as I did. Two more charged toward us.

“Josh, we need to work as a team!” shouted Tom. I stood right next to him.

The other statue swung its sword to the side. I managed to block it before the other one struck Tom. “Tom!” I shouted. A bloody mess poured everywhere.

But before I could look back, I got struck on the head. Everything went black again.

I opened my eyes and saw a gray ceiling. I felt dizzy for a while. I sat up and looked around. I saw nothing. I must’ve been back at Tom’s basement! I felt so good.

I looked around and saw Tom lying on the floor. I rolled over and crawled to him. I grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him hard. “Tom! Tom, wake up! We’re home!” I whispered.

I heard him moan. “Tom!” 

“Where are we now?” he choked out.

“Home,” I said.

He sighed. I helped him up to his feet. “Well, we’d better get out of here,” he said.

“Do you have the cards?” I asked. He smiled and held out the last two cards. “Good. Should we bust the door down?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Lets see what the next card says,” said Tom. He pulled the other card out. “It says ‘don’t worry, you can do it.’ Does it mean us breaking the door down?” 

“Well, let’s give it a try,” I said, reaching for a shovel.

I grabbed the very end of it tightly and swung it at the door. It made a sound so loud I had to cover my ears. I dropped the shovel because the vibration hurt my hands. “Owe, I think we should take turns,” I said. I flapped my hand sideways up and down.

“Okay, I’ll try,” said Tom. He gripped the end of the shovel and hit a little lighter.

I turned and looked at him. “Tom, hit harder.” 

“I don’t want to get hurt,” said Tom.

“Here, give me the last card,” I said. Tom handed me the card. “It says ‘just do it.’ Alright, I’ll give it my biggest blow.” I gripped the shovel in one hand and swung it at the door. “Aaaaaah!” I screamed. The shovel broke the door. I felt so much pain, I nearly got knocked out.

“Josh, come on!” shouted Tom. He helped me stand by holding my shoulders. Tom helped me to the door, and we burst out. “We’re going outside,” said Tom. He ran up the stairs. I was able to walk so I ran after. He opened the door and we ran outside. It was already night.

“Yes!” I shouted.

“Ssh, the neighbors!” whispered Tom. Oh, gosh, I hope I didn’t wake anyone.

“Wait. Tom, I have something to tell you,” I said.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Remember when Bravo scattered the cards all over the floor? Well, I got one and put it in my pocket,” I said. I pulled it out. “It says ‘you are not where you think you are. This is where you die.’” 

“This can’t be!” shouted Tom. I stood frozen in place.

Tom gripped the black ball and threw it over to someone’s backyard. “Tom!” I shouted. Why did he do that? That ball could’ve saved us.

I saw Tom’s body melt into a light steaming liquid that spread all over the floor. “T-” was all I could say. I noticed that I started melting, too.

I never got so mad at Tom. Our lives could’ve been spared if he hadn’t thrown the black ball over the fence. Now, we’re melting and dying. 

WRITTEN BY MY FAVORITE NEW WRITER, 12 YEAR OLD ALEXI

Danny

A boy named Peter had a little brother named Danny. He loved his little brother so, and he respected Danny. Danny also treated Peter with respect. They both would help each other in need and would cheer each other up.

Danny was often scared at night, always saying he saw a man in his closet and heard whispers that he cannot understand. Danny always woke up from nightmares and went to his brother’s room. But to Peter, that wasn’t a problem.

Peter waved goodbye to his parents before they left to a party. Danny followed beside him and also waved. Their parents waved back as they entered the car, holding hands with each other. To Peter, it was kind of nice. They had been married for eighteen years and they still did that.

Danny ran back inside. “So, what do you want to do?” he asked when he bounced onto the couch. Danny leaned his head on his arm, staring at the television even though it was not on.

Peter walked up and sat down on the armchair next to the couch. “I don’t know,” he said, “Wait, I know! I’ll ask you what to do. That’s something you can do.” Danny giggled. He laughs mostly at whatever Peter says.

“How about we go for a walk?” said Danny. He jumped up from the couch and plopped back down laying on his stomach. He hung his hand off the couch and let it swing back and forth.

Peter didn’t think that was a god idea because first of all, it was getting late. Peter looked at the clock in the kitchen and managed to make out the clock hands pointing to five ‘o clock. And second of all, he didn’t want to be given a hard time with those three ‘verbal yet physical bullies’ he calls them, named Robert, Pat and Nigel. They always hung out at the park. But his brother had a big passion for the park. He loved running in the park and playing, but for Peter, it was disaster. To Peter, it was like those kids were always there, waiting to give him a hard time, while his brother watched in shock. Peter thought about it for a moment and then came up with a solution.

“Alright, but since it’s getting late, we’ll only be there for a little bit,” he said.

Danny jumped from the couch. “Hooray!” he shouted as he shot his arms up in the air. He ran to the door. Peter followed behind. They were allowed to go to the park alone because it was very close by; a short three blocks.

Peter already was thinking about the kids when he first walked out of the house. What will they do if they’re there? He thought. Will they beat me up? Will they take my hat away? Or worse, will they hurt Danny?

As Peter thought, He noticed that he was at the end of the first block. They had to cross the street now.

Peter nearly dozed off in his thinking, when he noticed that Danny was trying to pull his hand. Peter immediately woke up. “Oh, sorry,” he said. Danny didn’t answer. They crossed the street without seeing any cars pass by.

* * *

Peter slowly walked up to the park. Peter saw them. They were under one of the play houses. Just talking.

Danny sped up to one of the houses and climbed on. Okay, thought Peter. Just be cool.

He decided to just wait for his brother near the parking lot. Peter kept watching Robert, Pat and Nigel. Peter couldn’t stop thinking about them. His mother always told him to drop the subject and have fun, but he could not.

He froze. Peter thought Nigel had seen him. And just as he thought, he started to think that he hadn’t seen him, Nigel pointed at Peter. Pat and Robert looked at Peter and smiled. They started walking towards him. Oh shoot, Peter thought. As they got nearer, Peter felt worse and worse. He didn’t want any trouble.

“Hey, Peter!” shouted Pat. “What are you doing here?”

Peter didn’t answer. He just waited until they finally got to him.

“Hey dip face, nice hat,” said Robert. “Mind if I have it?”

Peter stayed put, staring at the three.

Nigel immediately snatched it from Peter’s head. He held it up higher than Peter could reach. “Give it back!” said Peter. He jumped up, trying to get his hat back.

“Awe, isn’t that too bad?” said Pat, putting on a sad face. Nigel and Robert smiled.

“Give me a break!” shouted Peter.

“We’ll give you a break!” shouted Nigel. He walked up to Peter and punched him in the stomach, really hard. Peter bent forward tucking his stomach. Nigel had knocked the air out of him.

Peter looked up at the play area where Danny was. He hoped that he wasn’t watching. Peter always kept the bullying thing a secret from his brother Danny because it would make him feel bad. But Danny was watching. Peter saw his horrified face staring back at him. Peter’s heart sank.

Nigel pushed him to a nearby fence and held him up. “Awe, what’s the matter?” asked Robert. Nigel threw the hat he had taken from Peter on the grass.

Nigel held Peter against the fence and lifted up his fist. He punched Peter in the stomach again. A pain of nausea swept over his body. He couldn’t breath.

He heard general giggles from Pat and Robert. Nigel didn’t say anything. He punched Peter three more times in his stomach holding him up. Danny covered his eyes. He couldn’t bear to watch.

Nigel pulled him away from the fence. He punched Peter in the stomach which caused him to fall on his knees. So much punching, Peter thought. Nigel punched him in the eye then. Then he felt it again at another place. Then another.

They were hitting him now. That went on for about two minutes and it finally stopped. They started walking away. Peter saw Pat step on his hat and smush it to the ground with his shoe. That was the most brutal moment, thought Peter. They aren’t like this. Not this brutal.

Danny cried and cried as they walked down the first block. Peter could not help him that much since most of his body was sore. “I never want to go to the park again!” shouted Danny. Tears went down his cheeks and his face was red. He made loud crying sounds like sirens you would hear from fire trucks that pass by your neighborhood. He covered his eyes with his hands and tucked his chin down to his chest. He was in complete agony.

They reached the end of the block. They had to cross the street. “Stop, Danny,” instructed Peter. But Danny did not listen. He kept going onto the middle of the street. “Danny!” Peter shouted as loud as he could, but not as loud due to the stomach injuries.

Danny opened his eyes and saw a truck coming. “Danny!” Peter shouted. But Danny ignored him once more. He turned facing the truck as he got nearer. Danny’s eyes were blank. He just stayed put.

“No!” shouted Peter. He started running as fast as he could, but the truck was too close. Peter stopped and fell back, and then saw his brother get run over.

It was a windy day. There were slight cold breezes that passed by and stopped, and were expected to blow again. Trees were bending in the distance. It was a beautiful day. It was just right; not to hot. The heat was cooled by the wind. On days like this, Peter and Danny would go to the park or run in the backyard. But now, he was an only child.

“How could he?” said mother crying, standing next to his burial place at the funeral. Peter too, was crying. His father had a very sad expression on his face. Peter was too scared to talk to his family right now. Whatever he might say will get them into frustration because of it not having to do with his little brother.

The preacher spoke. Relatives surrounded the funeral. Many of the women were crying like mother, too. Everything else was silent, except for the preacher preaching and the people crying.

They lowered the coffin in the hole.

* * *

Mother cried for hours after they got home. She couldn’t get her mind out of it. Peter remembered her telling him to forget the bullying thing. Maybe I should tell her to try and forget about it, he thought. But he’s my little brother, who got hit by a truck, and since he’s gone, he pretty much changed my life. Now I’m an only child.

An only child… Peter walked up to his mother. But he stopped for a moment. Should I tell her to forget about him? All that he’s been through? All the memories? He thought. Peter backed away from the room and headed upstairs, to his brother’s room.

Once Peter got to Danny’s room, he started walking around. What do I do with his stuff? He thought. I shouldn’t keep it, I shouldn’t sell it. But then Peter remembered something else. Danny’s highest possession: his pocket knife. Peter remembered how he got the knife at that age. On Christmas Eve, when Peter was two years younger, at age nine, his father bought him a knife for camping trips. Peter always hated camping trips, and thought that for Christmas day, he would make that as a gift for Danny, since Peter hadn’t bought anything for him yet. So Peter got to work on wrapping. After the gift was opened, Danny got so excited. He even named it Holly. Peter’s father felt bad for a couple of days due to Peter not liking it, but then he thought maybe Peter did the right thing, giving it to Danny. He thought maybe Danny needed to be more responsible.

Peter went through his nightstand where the knife was at and grabbed it. He went downstairs. “I’m going out really quick –”

“No you’re not,” shouted his father strictly across the house. “Not after what just happened.”

“It’ll only be a second,” said Peter. “Besides, why would I get run over by a truck? I tried to save Danny. I jumped for him and I called his name. It seemed he did it on purpose.”

He heard his mother cry harder in the living room. His father turned and looked at her, then looked back at Peter. They paused for a while and then his father said, “No.” He shook his head, looking at the floor. His expression turned back into sadness.

Peter did not know what to do. He decided to put the knife back in Danny’s room. “Fine.” He walked back upstairs and looked around in Danny’s room.

Somehow, Peter felt a strange energy. He looked around. He felt it becoming stronger. Peter soon felt fear. He did not know what was happening. He then felt it strike his heart and then fell to the ground. He started rolling around on the floor, thinking he was having a heart attack. Peter grabbed the floor and shut his eyes. He let out a faint cry of pain. Then he heard a voice, calling him from the bathroom. It sounded like a child. Then he heard laughter.

He opened his eyes and looked at the bathroom door. Right then, faster than a blink of an eye, the pain stopped. He smiled a little and let out a sigh of relief, but was still in fear. He got up slowly. His heart started pumping harder as he slowly walked to the bathroom door. Once he got there, he paused. He then heard whispers. Whispers he could not make out or understand.

Once he gripped the knob, he started feeling dizzy. He let go and backed away. His head leaned to one side, then the other. His body somehow automatically fell onto the floor without knowing it. He noticed that he began to feel sleepy, then even more tired. His eyes rolled upward and then shut. He fell into a painful, deep, dreamless slumber.

He had a dream. His dream was much unexpected. He was floating in space, but with no color, no feeling. If he were to describe it, he wouldn’t even be able to tell how he could feel, if he even remembered. He had no feeling at all, whatsoever. There was no color on his surroundings. Everything was just as if you were closing your eyes.

He stayed put for a moment, then saw Danny. He was laughing and running like he always does. Then Peter himself appeared in the image. In his dream, Peter saw that he and Danny were playing a game that Danny made up. It was called Bear. The ‘Bear’ was supposed to tag the one who was ‘it’ before they could get to their destination. Normally, their destination would always be from the backyard to the front, where they would normally put a doll or some toy they had to tag and automatically Danny would be chased by the ‘Bear.’

Soon, other images appeared. The ones that were most remembered: The time Peter and Danny had an Easter egg hunt, the time they had Christmas together, etc. Then the most emotional one of all: the time Danny got hit by the truck. Worst of all, it was a hit and run. Peter did not see who was driving it; he only saw a shadow.

Then he saw his brother, staring back at him. He said something, but it echoed through the darkness. Peter could not hear him, nor see him as well. But it all stopped as soon as he felt water leak onto his head with great pressure.

Peter immediately shot up and found his parents sitting around him. They were both staring at him in shock. Peter rubbed his head. “What happened?” he asked, then coughed.

“You fainted,” said his father in a firm, serious voice. He tightened his lips and looked hard at Peter’s face. “What were you doing in here?”

“Well, I was returning the knife -”

“Danny’s pocket knife?” asked his mother.

His father looked at Peter harder with his eyes squinting. “He loves that knife. Don’t mess with it and don’t come back to his room.”

“But -”

“No buts,” said his mother. “His belongings aren’t yours. You should know better.”

Peter sighed. He wiped the water from his face and got up. “Fine. I just wanted to go to his grave and put the knife there. I thought it would show some respect.”

His mother looked at his father. His father looked at her, too. They both thought for a moment. “We’ll visit the cemetery next weekend,” said mother.

“Yes!” shouted Peter. He ran out of the room, leaving his parents, the pocket knife and the bucket in the room.

Danny had truly changed Peter’s personal life. He now had a different personality. He was more mature and serious in a way, but he was also been noticing something. He hadn’t seen Nigel, Pat or Robert at school. He wondered where they were most of the time.

Right now, Peter walked up to Danny’s grave. He looked at it, having an emotional moment. All the times they had together and how much fun. But now, his parents were bugging only him.

Peter pulled out the knife and flicked it open. He stuck it deep down near Danny’s name. But next too Danny’s name, he noticed something very strange. At the corner of his eye, he thought he had seen Nigel’s name on one of the tablets. Peter looked back and read. Nigel’s dead? He thought in a sudden fear. How did he die? What happened? When?

But his fierce thoughts were interrupted by another site. Next to Nigel’s gravestone was Pat and Robert’s grave. Peter’s heart chilled in deep emotion. Once he saw their graves, he feared his little brother’s presence. 

GUESS WHO WROTE THIS? THATS RIGHT, ALEXI, HAHA

The Door Opener

I live in a town called Overlook Valley. This is the town I have been living in for my whole life. I have never gone anywhere else: I have never seen the wonders of the ocean, experienced the thrills of mountains, or looked out upon the amazing views of the world I live in. I have never been anywhere. The farthest I’ve ever been was the border of the city when my parents were moving. They never let me know when I’m moving, because they think it would break my heart. Instead, they told me they were visiting friends from work and put me outside for the whole time they were looking at the house. I hated moving. I found out my parents grew poor, and so we lived in a small apartment across town. I shredded in tears when I found out these things. We got rid of a lot of things, such as my computer, some of my furniture, their furniture, valuable objects and a lot more.  But it wasn’t all bad. I actually kind of liked the thought of having a new school, so I can meet up with new friends, and the thought of having another crush. I rarely fall in love with boys, but when I do, I’m crushing crazy. I get shaky every time I see him, and every time he passes by, I stutter. But there was one very special boy in my 4th period class. His name was Paul. He is a tall, twelve – year – old boy with long brunette hair, tan skin and a beautiful smile. Every time he smiled, it brightened my day. I sometimes smiled myself. I saw him opening the doors for everyone to come into the school building. He’d smile at every passing student that walked through the red, heavy doors of the school. Often when I’d pass by, I would say, “Thanks,” or, “Hey.” He responds with a nod on the head and a big smile on his face. In class once, I saw him staring at me. He sat two chairs to the right of me. I saw him staring straight into my eyes with a happy expression. I smiled back at him, and followed his lead by staring at him in the eyes. That day at lunch, he sat across from me on the lunch table. After a few moments, he said, “Hey.” 

“Hi,” I responded back. My hands started shaking. 
“What’s your name?” 
“Katie.” 
“Katie…” He studied the look on my face and smiled. “Mine’s Paul. Nice to meet you,” he said in a polite voice. He put his hand out for me to shake it. I shook it intentionally. 
“Nice to meet you to,” I squeaked. My voice sounded teary and quiet scratchy. 
We started talking about our interests, movies, hobbies, and we soon got into the subject of dating! “So, will you call me tonight?” he asked. 
“Sure,” I said. “What’s your number?” He ripped out a piece of paper from his beaten-up looking binder and wrote his phone number. He slid it across the table to me. “Thanks. I’ll call this weekend.” 
I couldn’t believe that I was calling my crush on the phone! I was very excited until then. My palms were sweaty, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him all day! That night, something strange happened. When I walked home from school, my front door was opened. I thought maybe my parents were trying to get some fresh air, but I found out that they weren’t there. I walked inside saying, “I’m home. Mom? Dad?” but there was no answer. All the doors were closed, all except for my bedroom door. It was wide open. That reminded me of Paul, the kid who opened the door for me and the rest of the school; the kid who asked me out. When I walked into the room, I felt a cold, chilling feeling in my bones. But that wasn’t all. When I went to sleep at around eleven a clock, I had a dream about him. It was a bright, sunny day at a park somewhere. It was beautiful. Mountains and Valleys lined up from corner to corner, flowers bloomed at the second, blur invaded my eyes and there was a small rainbow that lined from one end of the sky to the other. And there was Paul. He sat on a bench next to the sidewalk a few yards ahead of me. I ran to the bench and sat down with him, noticing the sad, sad expression on his face. “Katie,” he said in a sorrow voice. He lifted his face up without showing the beautiful smile he always had on. “I want you to know this. I love you, and I will always watch over you. Pray for me, okay?” He bit his upper lip as tears swelled up in his eyes. He shut his eyes and told me one more thing. “Remember me forever as I will remember you.” I woke up late the next day at around ten a clock. It was a Saturday, and it was the day to call Paul. I was excited, but then it reminded me of that odd dream I had that night. I picked up the phone and dialed his number. The phone rang once. This is it, I thought. Then it rang twice, then three times, then four, then five. I felt very excited and confused at the same time, for one: He didn’t pick up the phone yet. Two: I was actually talking to him. After the tenth ring, a woman picked up. “Hello?” she said in a sad voice. “Hi,” I said. “Is Paul there?” There was a long silence. I only heard some sniffles and some weeps. “He… died.” She said. My heart sank. How did he die? Where did he die? When? All these questions flew in and out of my mind until she spoke again. “While he was walking home yesterday, he got ran over by an unidentified car!” she all of a sudden shouted. Tears started to swell up in my eyes, too.He died when he was walking home. I dreamed about him that night, giving a message to me. It was a frightening experience, indeed, but we all move on. I pray to him every night, and feel the warmth of his hand on my shoulder, the warmth of his soul flowing around me. Even now I think about him. When I went home that night, all the doors were open. It seems that he opens the doors only for me now, and I hope he will for the rest of my life. 

ALEXI, THE COOLEST 12 YEAR OLDER WRITER EVER, WROTE THIS (.^_^.)