BryanOrion

I posted a journal a while ago about a series mimicking the Avengers in a way, but with various creepypasta characters, official fan-fiction style. It's still in "production", as in, the original episodes I had written were lost when my laptop died and I had to switch to my backup for writing stories. I remembered mostly everything, but still, the episodes have gone through several rewrites (the outlines anyway), but now I have up to four season's planned out.

There is, however, something I think needs to be said. I don't know if it's been going on for longer and I've missed it, or if it really is recent, but the whole of creepypasta seems to have come under a lot of scrutiny lately. All the wannabe critiques have suddenly gotten their own websites and youtube channels over night and now I can't even read the comments in MrCreepyPasta's videos any more. Clockwork isn't original and blah, blah, blah. Eyeless Jack and Jeff were badly written stories. The fact that Sally was raped as a child and becomes a ghost has no point and doesn't make sense. Oh, another pointless killer for the fangirls. 

I have always been the guy that sits in the back row while the history class discusses politics. The cermit (kermit?) the frog meme, the 'but it's none of my business', that's what I am. I've never bought more lipton tea than when I first saw that. The internet has done it's duty and given everyone the mind-set that their opinion matters. Many a time I've scrolled down facebook wondering why everyone is so insistent upon shoving their opinion down my throat (but then, Oh! Kittens!), but that's what facebook is there for. 

So, the point I'm making; I'm writing this because I like creepypasta, even the badly written ones, and I love to write. As far as characters go, Jeff, Clockwork, Toby, Eyeless Jack, Laughing Jack and everyone else aren't that bad. I'm not looking for stories to be Oscar Nominated for their 'originality', I'm looking for entertainment, because I'm human, and I like what I like. 

Now that I'm done with my little opinion column, onto what to look forward to for the series. I'll go ahead and tell you who you'll be seeing, at least a few of them;

Jeff the Killer (can you handle it?)- www.creepypasta.com/jeff-the-k…
Eyeless Jack- www.creepypasta.com/eyeless-ja…
Ticci Toby- Ticci-Toby
Clockwork- www.wattpad.com/story/12603272…
Slenderman, Hoodie and Masky- www.youtube.com/user/MarbleHor…
Jane the Killer- creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Jan…
The Grey Man- creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The…
Sally- creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Pla…
BEN Drowned- creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/BEN…
Puppeteer-  Creepy Pasta: The Puppeteer
I had this doll for quite a while now. 
It was a beautiful porcelain doll. You know, the way that most porcelain doll looks like. I was just like that. Wavy, long blonde curls. Black eyes. A beautiful pink and red dress with a typical headband with lace around the edges. It was a doll I received from my mother at an early age. At that age I always thought it was such a pretty doll - A perfect look. My grandmother had almost fifty dolls of that kind. All of them beautiful, perfect porcelain dolls. But this one in particular, the blonde with the red dress, I will always remember. 
Because this is the one that would be the death of me.
I lived alone for quite awhile, had now. I had just gotten into college, seeing my whole life lay in front of me and all I had to do was to just go and pick out what I wanted. Easy as that. I was aiming for Psychology - A subject I had started to respect and enjoy the last three years. Seeing as my mother was a nurse and my dad a therapist, It was

Others will appear, but for now, I'll let you imagine the chemistry between these blokes. And Jane the Killer? Why yes. I think the original story involving her, the radio-play Jeff vs Jane by MrCreepyPasta wasn't really that bad. All the characters created on DeviantArt belong to their original owners. And I put Marble Hornets for Slenderman because I've got to have something. He really just belongs to the whole internet. But Hoodie and Masky really are created by Marble Hornets, so you should check out the whole series some time. The ending was epic. 

There namely two other non-creepypasta things that will appear in the series. The SCP (Search Contain Protect) will be a very big part of it, and while closely related with Creepypasta, it isn't strictly speaking part of the 'genre'. Various SCPs will make appearances, as will some of the Mobile Task Forces (but not strictly speaking in this season). Second, you'll see a lot of Silent Hill. I became a fan of both Silent Hill and Creepypasta at the same time, so they're closely related for me. I think Silent Hill could have been a creepypasta itself, and it's certainly spawned plenty of CP-ish fanfictions. So, you'll be seeing Pyramid Head and Alessa Gillespie quite a bit, certainly more than the SCP.

Ok, I've prattled on enough. First episode should be out soon. I'm still trying to wrap up the SirenxEvan thing.

Hello! I just wanted to go over a few things very quickly, mainly for the forty or so people who've actually read any of my stuff ^.^

Purple Roses is the first set of stories I've actually had feedback on, so thanks to everyone who's read it! It will continue and finish soon. No, I actually don't have the ending in mind right now, the series has been completely new in my mind for every entry, which probably isn't a good idea as I'm more liable to run into a block and not finish it for several months, as I did with the little Jeff the Killer series. But honest to God, Purple Roses WILL finish in about two or three episodes. I said it would stay under ten entries and it will. 

If anyone has read my journal update I posted a gazillion years ago, you know that I've had a super-mega creepypasta project in the works. And I did, until my seven-year-old laptop died on me (understandably), and I had none of the written files saved to a flashdrive. I'd had several episodes written and now they're gone. However, I already had a new laptop I wasn't using, bought about two Thanksgivings ago. It took a while to get used to (new format), and it didn't have Word Document, but a different program. So I now have at least four seasons of the Creepypasta series planned out, episode for episode, completely plotted out. However, the episodes themselves have not been written, just the planned plot summaries. So that will take a while, but it's on its way and I will announce the according time for the series to start. The First season has about Sixteen Episodes (a lot less than originally planned, which is fine) so I'm thinking of having those ready for the summer.

Lastly, I also have a Vocaloid series in mind, but that's further down the road. However, I have shipped vocaloid thing in mind also, and that will be a lot easier to write. I'll say it now, it's a Luki x Mikuo ship. I haven't seen many on here, so I figured I'd give it a go. These will be about as many entries as Purple Roses, so less than ten.

So that should be setting me up for quite a while. I mean, four seasons of creepypasta? That'll last me through college as far as hobbies go ^.^

Thanks for reading this. Coming up episodes are of Purple Roses, and soon Luki x Mikuo!

*insert golf clapping* 

I've always been quite a sucker for villains. I watched star wars when I was little, and darth vader was my favorite. I watched lord of the rings and the wizard of oz and spider man. Suaron, Sauromon, the Wicked Witch of the West, Green Goblin and Doc Oc were my favorite. Now that I'm older, I still can't help but feel that adoration for evil. So I did some researching and found, mostly by clothing produce and social media listings, what villains in the comic book world teens of the scene/emo/goth ilk find most appealing. It wasn't a full blown college paper study kind of thing, just glance over what seemed legit and assessment of my own experiences with us of the outcast variety in the young adult society. 

Now there are lots of villains that we as scene/emo/goth/nerd/otaku/whatever kids take as our own models of fictional adoration. So I might post more lists later, for sci-fi, fantasy, anime, stuff like that. And no, manga is not included in this list. Frankly, that would need more research anyway. I'm more familiar with these guys. 

Let us start, shall we?

#10- Faora
I find her quite iconic, especially when there are so few DC villains that are female (outside of the batman comics that is) that just don't become famous. She still made it though, fighting superman and being really kick-ass while at it. Also remember, this is GOTH top ten, so we're taking in the fact that she wears a lot of black and can be evilly quiet sometimes. Just seeing her personalities in the movies is worthy of fan-boy jitters. She doesn't make it on a lot of merchandise that would be scene worthy, but that level of intense fandom following is particular to few fictional figures at all. 

#9- Bane
I almost made him an honorable mention. But thanks to that awesome trilogy that will probably never be on netflix, Bane has made it out of his leather wrestling outfit and into the hearts of those that wanted the Joker again but got him instead. We weren't too disappointed, and many times baffled by his severity. The good things were; 1) that mask is just awesome and unmistakable, I fanboy every time I see the darn thing, 2) his prowess and psychological thinking are so...just, wow. Where the Joker was total anarchy, Bane just made it sound like a lecture for a doctorate, and 3) did I mention his awesome mask? The one thing I don't like about him, why he's so near the bottom of this list, is just the fact that for all of his sick-awesome reasoning and the way he acts, he still comes across as just another brutal fighter when it comes down fist to fist. And then catwoman shoots him. Just...cold. 

#8- Catwoman
Don't worry, I have Marvel on here, I'm not favoring DC, ok? Now, Catwoman as had many variations and portrayals throughout her fictional existence, and most all of them have remained loosely the same. It's no doubt, many of us have known about Catwoman for as long as we've known about Batman. It's hard to talk about one without mentioning the other. Heck, even Halle Berry's Catwoman was sort of close to the original DC one (awful movie, don't watch it). The fact remains, the tight leather suit and the ears will let you know it's her. I liked Ann Hathaway's role in the Dark Knight Rises and Nolan's personal spin on the character, but I'll never ever have any other favorite Catwoman than Michelle Pfiefer. Her version isn't on a lot of merchandise or anything, but I think she's closest to what our emo/gothic/scene minds conjure up when dreaming of tightly clad women bearing whips. 

#7- Carnage
See? Told you Marvel would show up. Now, our last three to make it in the list had their 'blackness value' and Carnage obviously lacks in that quality. However, other colors associate well with goth other than black sometimes, and to me, those are red and purple. So, Carnage is Red and it's awesome. Moving on, I know I pulled Bane back due to his pure brutality, so I should pull Carnage back right? I don't think so, there's just something about being a small humanoid red alien/man that just doesn't seem as brutal. True to his name, Carnage is very evil, but since it isn't as refined as some other villains, he gets more value from his 'chaos' attitude, which I count. Also, he isn't unmistakable. I switch him in as my wallpaper sometimes, no lie. 

#6- Poison Ivy
Oops, back to DC. I'll be quick. The reason this green chick with red hair is above the others is that she's more into the scene spotlight. I could imagine why, and I'll try explaining it too. A lot of people just like her personality, and how her Batman association kind of kicks into her fame. And yes, she's sexy. Very few versions of this villainess are hardly overlooked by comic book nerds looking for some busty dream fuel. That aside, her dark and sometimes quiet manner fit in too. I know, even green isn't one of my non-black goth colors, but in the end it doesn't matter. 

#5- the Winter Soldier
This was kind of a hard pick, and I'm pretty sure he isn't as up there in fame with us of the scene, but I have a feeling he will be. A lot of people like us can even relate to him sometimes, like how we feel used and directionless, like we're fighting a battle that isn't really ours. He also offers an interesting outlook on what seemed like a solid coalition (SHIELD) which is now obviously not so solid. So with that own kind of chaos in his background, we get a strong vision of something a lot of us as scene/emo/goths often affiliate with. This and his dark demeanor set a tone that I hope will trend more. 

#4- Harley Quinn
I love Harley, no doubt in my mind about it. I mean, you walk into any scene store and you'll find at least some kind of merchandise with her. She seems popular in my Hastings, Hot Topic and Spencers, for multiple reasons. She's really good in the comic book area, even though she stemmed from the cartoons. She hit it off so well though, people can't ignore her. Her style and form of character get a lot of scene people in the mood with her, so that gains points. And yes, she's sexy. That always, always will be a factor, no matter what. So a mix of all that put together makes probably one of the best villains I've ever seen, especially a woman. 

#3- Venom
I watched the spiderman trilogy when I was little and...gotta say, the third one I liked a lot, even though it was shit compared to the first two (some people say so at least). But I didn't care, because I had my black/dark/evil spiderman, and then, for like five minutes, Venom. The fact that he's so dark and has those weird alien features, I just, gaaahhh!! While shortlived in the movie, he certainly has a lot of airtime in the comics and even some video games. I see his symbol quite a but on merchandise, and I wouldn't be lying if I said I had some Venom symbols here or there among my Stuff. Point being, due to his infamy and pure evil, he's become famous among the nerd-sided community and is adored by many fans. He even has an alternate version, a more white-colored theme called Anti-Venom. Just so cool. 

#2- Loki
The asgardian god of Mischief, Loki is the super bad-ass british dude from the Thor Movies and the first Avengers. And I fangirl when I see his face. I put as his powerful prowess and very dark demeanor as to why he's second on this list. Sure, he isn't drenched in black and cradling a whip or anything like that, but just look at him! You can't see that and not think of the emo kid in your class. Or maybe you can, whatever. But the fact remains, Loki has become quite famous in the general community, since everyone who didn't read comic books at least watched the movies. I'm a sucker for movies, and I certainly jumped on this guys bandwagon. 

#1- the Joker
You probably called it. I mean, you KNOW why he's number one, I don't necessarily need to explain it. Just walk into Hot Topic or Hastings, his face is somewhere in there, with catchphrases or one liners, or that unforgettable red chelsea grin. Yeah, the movies, not always the comics, offer this character a little more infamy among the Bad Kids, but I'd be lying if I said I'd never read a batman graphic novel that had the Joker. the Arkham Asylum comic book is quite defining, as is the Killing Joke and the plain Joker graphic novels. Of course, there's the video games and TV shows too. This man is up there with the kings of villainy, right between Darth Vader and Scar (yeah from the Lion King ).

In case there are any uber-nerds who think I underrated somone, here's a list of honorable mentions. If they still aren't on there, sorry ^.^

Honorable Mentions;
Wiccan
Scarlet Witch
Silver Surfer
Black Cat
Scarecrow 

Well, I can definitely say I loathe myself right now. Ok, when did I post the last date? Obviously forever ago, and my plan to start releasing episodes has been thwarted. Allow me to explain; my old laptop had all the episodes written on it, right? I open it one day in early September (this is last week by now) and it tells me it's having an error trying to open and to restart. So I restart it and it does the same darn thing. And my first thought is 'oh, it's ok, I have my new laptop I got for thanksgiving/christmas/whatever last year, I've been meaning to start using that'. My next thought goes along the lines of "Holy ****, the new laptop is a windows 8 and doesn't have Word Document 2007 like my last one!". My last thought before slumping into a deep depression is, "And every single thing I've ever written in my entire life is on this stupid thing".

 

So even with my new laptop, I still can't write all my episodes. I'd finished the fourth and was going strong with the fifth. Now my flow hath been disrupted and I'm still in a stupor. My old laptop has done this before and it only makes sense it should do it now that classes are in full swing.  

So, my lovelies, the episodes are coming and I will find a way to get my old computer going. Until then you'll be seeing random journal entries and chapters of stuff that just isn't anything like creepypasta. Feel free to read those do don't expect a lot of progress. 

Now that I've prattled on about excuses, cross your fingers and hope my old laptop starts acting like a proper gentleman. As soon as I get it working, I'm uploading Episode 1. 

The sky in Arcorra is always bleak this time of the season. I've been trying to ignore the eternal expanse of grayness above me as I travel down the White Road, but it's the sky; it's hard to not think about something so large and present. The trees don't help either, their bare branches picked clean by the chilled evening breeze, the silver clouds completely visible through them. A few ravens sit on the higher ends of the forest, their bodies stately and serene, but deathly. The grass is as brown and dead as the pastel gravel that crunches beneath my boots. 

    My pack has grown heavy, the supply of bread and cheese inside becoming less and less of a comfort and more of an annoying weight. I know that tossing them aside is ridiculous, but the thought continues to cross my mind and becomes more tempting every time. I know that Rose City isn't far, but the fact remains that anything could happen between now and the time I run through it's southern gates. More and more traffic has been passing me on the White Road with each passing day, hinting to just how close I am. There are chariots, sometimes entire platoons of bronze-armored soldiers, and the occasional shepherd or farmer with their livestock in tow. 

    Evening draws close, and I can't help but wonder what lies awaiting for the fall of darkness in the dead woods on either side of me. I'd heard wolves several evenings prior to this morning, and saw the occasional tracks of roaming moose from time to time on the road. Still, the thought of a rogue Shadow Bear often sent an automatic chill down my back. Or maybe something smaller, like a serpent or scorpion. Even worse were the fabled Night-Gaunts; sable demonic creatures who steel people into the night without a sound. I'd never seen one myself, or even met someone who'd seen them to be completely honest. Still, the stories remained, and the Nightlands were only several miles away. 

    So when I began hearing footsteps behind me as the sun disappeared behind the dead tree limbs, my heartbeat grew in rapidity. I had my walking staff with me, a strong thing made from tough Ash wood, and refined so well as it could stop even a metal blade in some instances. I gripped it tightly in my hand, and tried to remember exactly where I'd put the hunting knife my mother gave me before I left home. The footsteps only grew closer, and sweat began to form on my forehead. The knife must be in the pack, which I can't access right now without looking suspicious. I'll just have to use the staff. 

    I turn as soon as I'm sure the footsteps are several feet behind me. I raise my staff, the top pointed straight forward. 

    The person behind me isn't a silent Night-Gaunt, or even a mercenary looking to steel from me. He's a guy my age with dark auburn hair and a young face. His eyes are wide with surprise and his lips are turned up in a kind of incredulous grin. I blink, a little shocked myself. 

    "Stefan?" the guy says, "Is...is that you?"

    I lower my staff slowly before replying. "Yeah, it's me. How do you know my name?"

    He opens his hands as if to embrace me. "Stef, it's me. It's Leyr."

    The memories slowly begin to return. I think back to my younger years living on the moors, before my mother moved with me to the mountain villages. I'd gone to a small school with one teacher and maybe ten or twelve other students. The room and children were always heavy with the musky smell of a barn, or whatever animal would be held within. I try remembering the other children, and an auburn-haired boy pops into my mind, especially when he says his name. I smile at him, pleasantly surprised. 

    "I do remember you," I say, "You lived on the farm near mine with the sheep. You had a pet black one that you always played with."

    He nods. "Yes, I know. And you had the all those cows on your property."

    The scene of the herd my father owned comes to mind, along with the backdrop of distant sloping mountains and cold blue clouds. The house had been small and grey, made of thick stones and bearing a roof made of sticks. There was a fox too, a small red fox that hid in the distant woods and watched my father herd the cattle. 

    "What are you doing on the way to Rose City?" Leyr asks, falling in step with me, "You must have finished schooling are going to finish Primary Studies, am I correct?"

     "You would be," I say, "I sent in a formal request and got accepted into Shlayde. I'm going to be an Alchemist."

    His eyes widen. "No way! I'm going to Shlayde as well."
  
    "Really? What for."

    He smiles and looks forward as if his destiny were standing in front of him. "I, sir, am on my way to being an Alchemist as well. I studied it for years at my towns library. Our histories were well written, and we even used to hold something like an annual convention before the Necro-Bans. There were charts and certificates of all kinds. I even found an original set of notes by Barron Kotarro."

    I smile at the shine in his hazel eyes. It kind of brights up the growing shadows of the fading daytime. Now that I'm not alone though, I don't fear darkfall as much. The trees and distant outstretch of the road don't seem as ominous as they did before. If only I'd known the magic of companionship earlier, I might have rethought taking the journey on my own. 

    He slaps me on the shoulder as we continue forward. "Stefan my friend, I've been to Rose City twice within the past year and know for a fact the its bright lights and raving taverns are only half the night away. What's say we make this last stretch together, eh?"

    I nod. "I'd be obliged. Do you have a place to stay in mind? I haven't really been able to visit yet."

    "In fact I do," he says, "Shlayde's dormitories are being renovated as of late, and I set up a room for myself on my last visit at an Inn. Cora's Place, in fact. It's a lovely place, with fresh breakfast every morning. I think you'll like it."

    The idea sounds nice. Originally, I'd planned on just finding a temporary room to stay in during the beginning of my classes. "Are you sure? If the room can only have one person..."

    He grins and shrugs. "We're in Primary Studies, Stef. Who's to say we can't share e bedroom? It would be my honor for you to stay, you don't even have to pay rent."

    "Wow, thank you," I say gratefully. 

    Truly this turn of events will benefit me. All the uncertainty I'd been facing were already being put to rest. The odds too, to think I'd run into someone from my childhood on this remote road who already had a room purchased and was going to the same school. Plus, we'd be doing the same studies, meaning we could help each other. Alchemy was a tough subject, and I'd been bracing myself to tackle it on my own. Now, I won't have to. 

    We continue on our way, exchanging stories and filling in the past few years we were apart. After leaving the moors, I'd gone to the mountains, where my father died in a deadly winter and I was left with my mother. I worked our own garden and went to school while she sewed clothing that she sold along with me vegetables at a market. We had a goat to milk, several chickens that laid eggs, and a cat to keep the mice out. We worked hard together, and now it had all paid off. I'd gone to secondary schooling while in the mountains, one that allowed me to send a letter to Rose City; specifically, Shlayde Academy for Sorcery and Science. I was the only one in that small village to even go to Primary Studies, the rest finding it agreeable to stay and help their aging parents with their farms. I'd planned on staying with my mother, but she knew how much I wanted to get schooling. She told me the day I sent the request that she knew I'd be accepted and that she'd already made plans to move into town as the scribe's assistant. She assured me that Rose City was something I had to pursue, and that she didn't want to get in the way of my future. It was a hard decision, but she forced herself out of the equation, and I was left only one road to follow. 

    As the moon rose high and the stars blinked silently above us, the distant lights of high towers and palaces came into view above the dark trees. Leyr was nearly shaking with glee, his footsteps getting more of a spring. 

    "There it is," he breathed, "It can only be a few miles, Stefan."

    I nod, my breath billowing out in a cloud before me. Campfires and small lean-to huts begin to appear, and the road becomes more worn and flat. Soldiers like I'd seen during previous days ride by on dark steeds, their pikes held high in the air. The gravel turns to cobblestone, the forest fades away to collections of buildings and the smell of smoking food enters my nostrils. Dogs bark in the distance, and I notice small groups of cats crossing the road before us. 

    I turn to Leyr, confused. "It must be near Moon-noon. Why do I hear so many people?"

    Leyr grins. "Rose City never sleeps. There are entire buildings of people weaving clothes and spinning thread. People in kitchens cooking meat for the markets, stock houses gutting livestock and ships from the river docking every hour. Men running exports to companies, taverns open until early morning, freak shows and palace banquets. It never stops running."

    I give him a silent nod as I survey the growing amount of people in our surroundings. Indeed, there are people running to and fro, some bearing carts full of boxes, others dressed in extravagant clothing. I notice a man with blonde hair and green eyes walking past, and my heart nearly stops when I see a purple adder wrapped comfortably around his shoulders. I stop in my tracks and the man pasts me, his eyes unbinking, the snake equally uninterested in me. Leyr chuckles and pats my shoulder. 

    "I'm sure you'll get used to it." he says, "come, the Inn is down this road."

    We eventually reach a stately buildings, the front porch aglow with a single yellow lamp. The sign outside reads 'Ye Olde Corra Inn'. There's a painting of a violet flower and a silver shield behind it. The inside is wide and empty, save for a flat front desk and portly old woman with small spectacles. Leyr slams his right palm onto the desk and removes his stocking hat. The woman jumps, breaking out of a peaceful sleep. 

    "Miss Blanche," Leyr says, "You remember me? It's Leyr, I had a room reserved for myself."

    The woman, Miss Blanche, blinks and fixes her specs to get a better look at Leyr and me. Her eyebrow raises in confusion when she pieces together that we're together. "I thought it was just you, Master Leyr."

    Leyr nods patiently. "I know, but he's an old friend of mine I met on the road. He'll be staying with me until he finds a suitable place to stay on his own. I hope it's no trouble."

    Miss Blanche waits only a moment before shrugging and placing a parchment and quill on the desk surface. "Very well, but there's only one bed remember. Sign here."

     Leyr takes the quill, dips it in the ink, and writes his signature below the long paragraph on the parchment that I can't read from where I stand. "I'm aware, Miss Blanche," Leyr says, then looks up and hands her the parchment, "We'll compromise. We're fine young gentlemen who are going to a school of higher thinking, I believe we can manage."

    She shrugs again and hands Leyr a small bronze key. "Room 4, upstairs. I have breakfast in the morning, be sure not to wake up too late or you'll miss it. Other than that, have a good night."

    We thank her and go upstairs. We're both equally worn by the previous day's journey and quietly argue over who doesn't get the bed. We eventually decide to switch every night, and since Leyr owns the room, he eventually consented to resting in it. He ignores the covers altogether and flops on top, immediately going into a deep slumber. I arrange my packs in such a way that they form a kind of bed spread. I then take the blanket I'd used during my travels and lie down. Classes begin in two days, which gives both of us enough time to get situated and visit the school grounds. 

    As I sleep, I dream.

    I dream of darkness and Night-Gaunts. I dream of my dead father and the disease that took him. I dream of a circle of hooded figures that stand above me, their hands red with blood, their faces hidden by shadow. There's a guttural moaning, something a beast not of this world can only utter from its cavernous throat. The stars turn red, and then...impossibly, they go out. The world has been plunged into darkness, and I get the feeling that I should have stopped it. That it's somehow my fault. That I failed, and now the world is destroyed because of it. 

    Leyr wakes me as the universe crumbles around me. My eyes open and I'm back in the room, soaked in sweat. I tell Leyr I'm fine and he groggily returns to bed. I'm not so ready to sleep. For the dream had awakened in me a very deep and dark horror that I'd thought had since been diminished and snuffed out. 

    The monsters of my childhood had returned.