Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 44

Mark hissed and blew on his fingers. The pain left him shaking and slightly more terrified. He could feel the eyes of the mannequin looking at him, adding to the terrible pain of his hands.

“Maaaaark!” he heard Felix called, just before the basket crashed.

Mark’s back slammed into a wall. He felt only biting pain as his body tensed from the impact. All of the muscles in his body clenched as the pain ran through him. It slowly subsided though, as shock hit him.

“Mark are you okay?” Felix quickly clambered over the edge of the basket.

“Uhh…” Mark hesitated, unsure of his current state.

His back was in severe pain. He was not sure if he broke anything or if he should even move. It was likely that if he stretched out, he might be able to loosen his muscles and help his body to not hurt worse later. But, he was not sure if he had broken anything, which could worsen if he moved.

“Why’d you do it man?” Felix asked, as he bent to check on Mark. He moved the mechanical piece out of the way, so that he could lay Mark flat on the bottom of the basket.

“I think I…I don’t know what I did…I might have broken everything,” Mark moaned.

“Mark! Why didn’t you wait for me?” Felix asked, “We could have worked together!”

“I just…we had to catch it,” Mark took a deep breath, as he rested on the floor of the basket.

“Well…this thing is broken,” Felix motioned to the mechanical parts, where the flames had already extinguished.

“It disconnected,” Mark replied, “So there’s probably a way to reattach it.”

“Okay, I’ll take a look,” Felix said, as he turned to investigate the parts. He hissed as he burned his fingers, “Ouch! Owie! That was uncalled for!”

“Yea, it’s hot. You might want to let it cool down. It’s been heated up by fire,” Mark explained.

“Alright…” Felix pulled his shirt off and wrapped it around his hand.

He used the shirt to protect his hands as he grabbed the base. He lifted it with a loud grunt. He strained beneath the weight of it, as he raised it to the frame.

Mark shifted, noting the subsiding of the pain. He was probably in a lot of shock already, but it allowed him to move again. He rose to his feet and pulled off the suit jacket. He used it the way Felix used his shirt, grabbing onto the other side of the mechanics to aid in lifting it.

“Careful Mark! You took a hard hit!” Felix insisted, “Don’t hurt yourself!”

“I’ll be fine,” Mark insisted, as they set it into its frame.

“What do we do now?” Felix sighed with relief, as the whole thing fell nicely into its frame.

“What we need to do is get up,” Mark pointed towards the sky, “That way we can get a better view of things. Let’s figure out what these levers do.”

“What about this lever?” Felix asked, grabbing one of the levers.

“NO! Don’t touch that!” Mark exclaimed, “One of those causes it to drop!”

“So it was this one?” Felix asked.

“I…I don’t really know,” Mark paused, scratching his head, “I’m not sure which one it was.”

“Let’s try…” Felix rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Mark’s attention was turned to the mannequin sitting in the basket with them. It was staring directly at him, as if its head turned to keep his gaze. Its lifeless eyes held a dark yet subtle expression. He could only tremble with an eerie feeling of fear.

“Mark?” Felix called his attention.

“Ugh…I hate mannequins,” Mark said, taking a small step away from the mannequin.

“Why? It never did anything to you,” Felix said.

“They just give me an eerie feeling,” Mark shuddered, “My fans like to poke fun at my fear of them, especially with fan games. I just really don’t like them. It’s not that I’m legit scared…I’m just…creeped out.”

“I can understand being creeped out,” Felix replied, empathetically, “But Mark, let’s focus. We need to figure this out. Otherwise you hit…the…thing on the building…for nothing!”

Mark sighed, “Alright then…carrying on.”

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 43

Mark bounced upwards as he ran. He was gaining more height. He figured if he could get up higher, he might be able to catch the balloon from one of the buildings.

“Mark slow down!” Felix called after him.

“Almost there!” Mark shouted, as he bounced up onto the side of a building.

The feeling of being up so high was a bit frightening, but the achievement was thrilling. He was starting to enjoy the thrill of bouncing so high, even if all of the muscles in his body were starting to ache again. He howled with enjoyment as he leaped to the next building.

He kept the momentum going, bounding from building to building. It was difficult to grab onto the building’s surface, but it was easy to bounce off of them. He could easily bounce from place to place with ease, and without injury.

The joyous feeling wore off as he finally hit the basket. He was surprised that he made it. He had not expected to actually catch up to the balloon. It had been a long shot to hope for. Now he was caught hanging onto the side of the balloon’s basket.

“I should proooobably climb in,” he muttered to himself.

He looked down at the ground below. He was higher up than he had expected. It made him a bit woozy.

He caught a glimpse of Felix trying to catch up. He was shouting something, but Mark could no longer hear his words. They were caught in the air and hung without ears to take them.

“Come on, Pewdie!” he called below.

He turned his attention to the basket, pulling himself up. As he clambered over the basket’s edge, a chill shivered its way up his spine. His eyes rose to the face of a mannequin, something plain and white, but as creepy as any life sized doll he had ever seen. Perhaps it was the dead black eyes that stared back at him. Or perhaps it was just the matter of it being a mannequin that creeped him out the most. Whatever it was, it caused him to freeze in place. He had to force his body to work for him again, clambering all the way inside.

He forced himself to keep his focus off of the mannequin. He still felt that eerie chill of his hackles being uplifted though. He could not get it fully off of his mind.

But, his attention turned back to Felix and he knew he had to slow the balloon down. He had to lower it if he could. He started studying the balloon’s mechanics, finding a few mechanics that did not look normal.

The only thing that looked familiar to him was the fire heating the balloon’s air. He was not sure what the rope or the two levers did. He needed to figure out what would quell the fire so that the balloon would move down.

“Mark! Mark!” Felix called to him.

“Hang on, Felix!” Mark bit his lip as he put a hand on each lever.

“Mark look out!” Felix called.

“I said, hang on!” Mark roared.

“But, Mark! The balloon!” Felix called to him.

Mark looked up to see a building looming nearer and nearer. Nothing was slowing the balloon down or causing it to go off to any other coarse. It would soon collide into the building.

“FUCK!” Mark exclaimed, as he pulled one of the levers in frightened reaction.

The entire part fell off its bracer. It hit the basket and the fire started burning a hole into the basket. Mark hopped out of the way before it could burn his feet.

“No! No no no no!” he exclaimed, as he reached down to move the fire off the basket.

He stood the mechanical pieces upright, so that the fire was no longer touching the basket. He successfully saved the basket from being deteriorated, but immediately burned his hands. He screamed with pain, as he dropped it.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 42

“This is fun!” Felix laughed as he bounced up and down, “Wheee!”

Mark laughed as his body flopped against the bouncy ground. It was like trying to walk in a bouncy castle, only he had shoes on. He had a strange desire to remove his shoes, if just for the sake of nostalgia. It brought back the fun of trampolines.

But, as he looked around, he realized that it was more than that. The whole world was bouncy. Even the slightest bounce he made echoed through this world, as buildings jiggled and swayed for miles around. Everything responded to the movements under his and Felix’s feet.

“I want an entire house like this!” Felix laughed.

Mark laughed again, “That would be awesome! This  is awesome! Look at this place! Everything bounces!”

“I wonder where the others are. They are totally missing out!” Felix exclaimed, overjoyed by the blissfulness of this world.

“I’ll admit, this is kinda fun,” Mark said, as he let himself bounce around, “But, I feel like we’re wasting time, when we need to be finding the others.”

“I know,” Felix said, “But while we’re at it, we might as well bounce around and look!”

“Okay,” Mark bounced after Felix, following him into what appeared to be a city.

The city was filled with odd things. There were no people, just random things. They were all soft and bouncy as well. There were cars that bounced around, making squeaky noises. A little blue and green mail box bounced around, honking like a bird.

“Look at that!” Felix pointed to the sky, as a large balloon started rising above the buildings’ rooftops.

“How do we get up there?” Mark stopped to look up at the balloon. It was moving slowly, so he started to wonder if they could catch it.

“I don’t know…but I wanna!” Felix sprinted down the street, causing everything to bounce around him.

“Wait for me!” Mark called, as he darted after Felix.

They hurried down the street, following after the balloon. It did not rise very far, making its way slowly upwards. It did not ascend as Mark had expected, but it did move up over the buildings, moving slowly away from them. It seemed to be headed towards a particular destination.

“Oh gawd,” Felix stopped in his tracks, panting heavily.

Mark darted past him, with his eyes set on the balloon. If they could reach the balloon, they could get a better view of the world. It could provide them with transportation as well. If anything, it could be a useful tool for finding the others.

“Wait up, Mark!” Felix called after him.

“Let’s catch that damn balloon!” Mark called over his shoulder.

Dorm Haze

Dorm Haze has officially been published in its new edition!

Available for free in eBook format and in Paperback format!

Thoughts to be Shared

Lots of things to be pondered...

I have discovered this site called Medium for example...

Though I apparently joined it some time ago and forgot all about it...

I don't even fully understand what it is for. It seems like a blogging site...

But...

I have blogger for that.

So, I don't think I really need it.

And...I have wix pages and those websites' blogs.

It feels like a lot more than it really is to ponder.

But worrying about where one's work is being published is important.

Obviously, being on blogger I use a more playful and loose format of writing, hopefully giving readers an easier set of words to read on the page.

It seems to be easier on the eyes when viewing a screen that has fewer blocks of paragraphs and rather smaller lines that have some separation.

And, while I thought about having the wix sites just showing this blog, making everything simpler, I made the separate sites for a reason.

Having one site seems rather simple. It gives reader a place to go and see stuff about me and my work.

However, I made each of the other sites for 2 reasons.

1) Wix doesn't do well with loading a lot of information on a single site, so I do not have much room for all of the information I wish to store on just one site.

2) The application for blogspot is limited and looks tacky. It does not allow for much within the actual app, not even new comments to be added.

3) I have various series. I feel that this is probably the most important reason.

I mean, it does not take a genius to figure out that a writer like me who is working on multiple things is going to have differences in projects. That means if you are drawn in by Red Dragon, you probably don't want to sift through information about Glastica, Dorm Haze, Obsessed or Sins of an Empire.

It makes everything simpler, so that even if you are following me, you have a way of just following the information that you want (for the most part).

And if you clicked any of the links above, you'll see for yourself that each gets its own (fairly dark) theme and its own set of pages. It has its own space, so to speak.

This is partially due to the fact that these projects (or as I call them Universes) are large scale, with smaller subseries within them that then harbor the books. It helps me to keep track of not just the story line I am working with, but also the structure.

In Caliri du Aspiratorg, there is no such thing as a werewolf, that is just a myth. But dragons are real. There are even half dragon half humans.

In World of Shadows though, you won't find any half dragons, as you would in the other. There are werewolves and were-dragons, but those aren't half dragons. You'll find instead vampires and werecats.

And in Destined Hearts...everything is a whole lot different. This series is coauthored by Andrew Gray, which makes the separate site all the easier, since readers can simply follow the site. It has its own lore, its own timeline and its own theme.



So...I'm not sure about the stuff at medium. Maybe I will try it out. Maybe I'll forget about it again, until I stumble upon it. Who knows.

For now, I have too much to juggle.

tumbling

Check Tumblr for more updates on the ask me concepts.

I will keep this blog updated with the fanfiction stuff.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 41

“Mark? Wade?” Bob called out weakly.

“I’m right here,” Wade replied.

“Where’d Mark go? Pewds!” Sean called out.

“I don’t know! They were just here!” Bob exclaimed.

“Fuckin’ hell!” Sean growled with exasperation.

“Let’s figure out where we are first,” Wade said, calmly.

“Wade…there’s nothing but blackness,” Bob noted.

“Yes, but we need to keep our heads, until we find the others,” Wade insisted.

“Okay…what do you suggest?” Sean asked.

“I don’t see anything,” Bob said, turning to look around.

“No ground…” Wade noted, as he looked up and down, “No sky…we’re not moving. At least, not that I can tell…”

“What if we are moving?” Sean asked.

“Well, if we’re moving, it’s probably in small increments,” Bob replied, “I can’t feel any movement. Not even like…if we were in water.”

“Well…you wouldn’t be able to tell if you were in moving water,” Wade argued, “It could be moving us around, for all we know!”

“Instead of making conjectures, let’s figure a way out,” Bob said.

“Any suggestions?” Wade asked.

Sean looked around, trying to investigate their situation. As he looked around, his body started turning, tilting him sideways and then upside downs. It was disorienting, as Bob and Wade remained upright.

“How…how are you doing that?” Bob asked.

“I don’t know…” Sean said, with amazement, “But there’s no gravity!”

“What do you mean there’s no gravity?” Wade asked, with disbelief.

“I mean, there’s no up or down!” Sean exclaimed, “I can’t…I can’t feel an up or a down! You guys are upside down now!”

“No…you’re upside down, Jack,” Wade argued.

“Is this like…is this like outer space or something?” Bob asked.

“Must be something like that,” Sean shrugged.

“That’s so cool!” Wade said with awe, as he tilted sideways.

“Wade, stop that!” Bob barked, “We need to focus on how to get out of here!”

“Perhaps if we determine where Mark and Pewdiepie went…we’ll find out how to get out of here,” Wade offered.

“Now how do you propose that?” Sean asked, moving his arms and legs in an attempt to move. He could not move anywhere, making his movements seem ridiculous.

“Jack-Jack-Jack!” Bob tried a slightly different movement to swim, “If we have no gravitational pull, then we are simply floating. That means…we are probably moving.”

“Are we back on that again?” Wade asked.

“I’m serious…this could actually be bad,” Bob said, his brow furrowing into a concerned frown, “If we are floating in a lack of gravitational pull, we may have already moved far from Mark and Felix by now.”

“Oh no,” Wade moaned.

Weird "Reviews"

So...I received some weird reviews for Dorm Haze on nook.

This copy will be coming down soon (it takes them a while to receive the information from the publisher about removed books).

But...I thought I would share these...reviews? is that what these are?

But, I thought I would share a laugh.

This has to be the only review that made any sense. It pointed out where the errors were and made clear what the reader did/didn't like about it.
At least this one I can call a review.

Ethics? Ethics then? I suppose you were going somewhere with that...but where?

I...don't even know what this is about.

No...that's not the book's name...that's nonsense.

This is just...what?

Another: WTF moment

And the top of the hilarity is this list of...randomness.

Other than that first review...I really do not know what all of this is. Most people have done justice to these by marking them as not helpful.

I do not even know what people were thinking when they wrote these...

But...maybe you had a laugh.

I know I did.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 40

“Do you think the others are okay?” Michelle asked.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Ken brushed off the topic.

“Yea but…this place is kinda chaotic,” Michelle replied.

“I’m…I’m sure they’re alright,” Bonnie said, nervously.

“I’m not so sure,” Tiny Box Tim said, with a timid tone of voice.

“You’re not helping,” Ken said to the little box.

“Sorry, but I’m nervous too,” Tiny Box Tim sighed.

They made their way up a small grassy hill. They had left the white vast world behind them to be destroyed by a massive sphere. None of the characters had any explanation for the sphere’s appearance, only ideas of escape. They had decided to bring Michelle and Ken to a remote location, where they could hide until the others were found.

They came upon a small cottage surrounded by white picket fencing. It was lonely on this little green hill. Its quiet atmosphere made it creepy, despite its well-lit and welcoming environment.

“Here we are!” Bonnie raised his hands and motioned to the cottage.

“It’s not much, but we believe the Markimash won’t look for anybody here,” Cinnabon added.

“Oh great…” Michelle sighed.

“Yea…that’s…” Ken let his voice trail off as he looked the cottage over.

The place had a thin layer of dust on its white paint, with leaves on the gray shingles. At the back, he could see a stone trail leading out to what appeared to be a pig pen.

“W-why are there pigs?” Ken asked, pointing towards the back of the house.

“Oh…those?” Cinnabon shrugged.

“We don’t really know where they came from,” Bonnie shrugged.

“They’re just really wild, so we caught them up and penned them,” Cinnabon explained.

“Not much chance petting them, but you could try,” Tiny Box Tim told them.

“So…” Ken sighed, “We’re just going to sit around here and wait for something to happen?”

There was a long silence. Tiny Box Tim looked to Cinnabon and the others with a sad look on his face. The little rodent made some squeaky noises, but did not say anything comprehensible. Even the SepticEye seemed a bit down.

“Come on, you guys,” Michelle insisted, “The others will be fine…well we…we’ll be fine too! And in the end, everything’s going to work itself out. Okay?”

“It’s really nice of you to try to cheer us up,” Tiny Box Tim said, with a cheery little smile, “But, I’m just not in the mood for cheering.”

“Me neither,” Bonnie sighed.

“Let’s…let’s go inside then,” Ken motioned to Michelle as he led the way up the stone path to the front door.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 39

 “Boooooob! Waaaaade!” Mark screamed, “Jaaaaaaack!”

“What about me?” a voice called.

He looked around as light finally hit him. Felix was falling next to him. They were both headed towards the ground that suddenly appeared below.

“What? Where’s Bob and Wade?” Mark exclaimed. He looked around, searching for the rest of his friends. “Jack?” he called out.

“What? I’m not good enough?” Felix scoffed.

“What? No…you are…I’m just…” Mark looked around, searching for the others, “I’m worried about the others! Where did they go?”

“They disappeared in that darkness,” Felix replied.

Felix turned over so that he could look up. He pointed upwards, drawing Mark’s attention to the blackness they fell from. It looked like a mass of black ooze, with nothing beyond it.

Mark turned back over and looked down at the fast approaching ground. He could already feel his body accepting defeat. They were falling faster and faster, while his eyes could see the ground coming towards them. The buildings were becoming larger and larger as they approached the ground. There was nothing to slow them down or catch them before hitting the very bottom.

“Um…I don’t think we’re going to survive this drop,” Mark said. A tremble of fear ran through his body as he looked down at the ground before.

“Oh…uh…” Felix looked down, with a fearful look on his face, “It was n-nice meeting you.”

“You too,” Mark reached out, offering his hand.

Felix took his hand and shook it firmly. They were both shaking with fear, but they proudly grasped hands. It felt like a second of shaking his hand, before they were body slammed. The powerful force gave and bent downwards, from their weight, then they were flung up in the air.

Airborne, Mark lost his cognitive senses. It took him a few moments before he understood what was happening. Then he landed again, this time bouncing a little lower than before. His body flopped around a few times, until the ground finally settled beneath him.

“Mark?” Felix said, in a weak voice.

“Felix?” Mark squeaked. He cleared his throat to speak more clearly. “Yes?” he spoke a bit louder.

“You still alive?” Felix asked.

“Yea…I’m still alive,” Mark said.

He laid there staring up at the distant black ooze. It covered much of the sky, though the rest of it was still blue. The world was even lit up and bright, despite the lack of sun above them. It was a creepiness he could only have experienced in a dream.

“That’s good,” Felix muttered, “I’m still not sure if I’m alive.”

“Pinch yourself,” Mark said.

“What would that do?” Felix asked.

“Just do it,” Mark said.

He waited and listened. His eyes were drawn to the strange waves and ripples occurring in the ooze overhead. It was like a massive body of water that would not be taken by gravity.

“I pinched myself,” Felix finally said.

“Then you’re alive,” Mark said, firmly.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the trick to see if you’re awake or in a dream,” Felix protested.

“Well…” Mark turned his head to look around.

They were in a bright and colorful world. Everything looked stitched together though. The ground was made up of different colored patches sewn together. Even the buildings were simply stitched things that were sewn down to the ground.

Everything moved in unison as well. Every time the ground bounced, giving into the weight of a body, the buildings tilted and jiggled. Nothing seemed quite solid enough to hold up against somebody’s weight.

“I don’t think we’re dead, Felix,” Mark scrambled to his feet as he looked around.

“Why?” Felix scrambled to his feet so quickly that he fell over, “Whoa! Whoa! What? WHAT?!”

“I know!” Mark looked around, careful not to move around so much that he lost his balance.

“What the fuck is this?” Felix rubbed his hand against the ground.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 38

“I know this feels rather hopeless,” Mark admitted, “But we can’t turn back now!”

“Why not? It’s probably safer!” Bob protested.

“If we turn back, we’ll just be going back to an explosive war zone,” Wade shrugged.

“And if we go forward, we’ll likely run into the Markimash,” Bob argued.

“And if we go nowhere, we’ll be getting…pretty much…nowhere,” Mark added.

“So we’re stuck now?” Sean sighed with exasperation, “I’m tired! And I want to go home!”

“Me too,” Felix sighed, with despair.

“I don’t want to die here!” Sean added.

“I want to go back to Marzia!” Felix whined, with a purse of his lips.

“We’ll get back home!” Mark assured them, “We just have to make it through this. And we’ll all be fine.”

Sean pointed down the aisle. He motioned for Felix to pay attention. Mark blinked at him and looked at the brick walls that stretched out for another few miles.

“What about those doors? Those could lead somewhere else!” Sean said, eagerly.

“I…don’t know…” Mark shook his head, “We don’t even know where those go.”

“We don’t even know where we’re going now!” Bob said, sternly.

“Point made,” Mark scratched his chin, with uncertainty.

“Then, let’s just look,” Sean offered, as he approached one of the doors, “Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a door that leads through the gumdrop forest and into Candy Kingdom” Mark burst into laughter.

“What are you talking about?” Bob demanded.

“I have no idea!” Sean said, as he opened a door.

It swung wide on its hinges, yanking itself out of Sean’s hand. It shot out powerful lights that stung their eyes. The door seemed to have a power of its own, as a new gravitational force pulled them straight through the door. Mark was about to try and grab the door frame when the door slammed shut behind them.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Bob exclaimed.

“I didn’t do anything!” Mark exclaimed.

“Not you! Jack!” Bob exclaimed.

“I couldn’t have known this would happen!” Sean exclaimed.

“Guys! Guys! Nobody’s to blame. We all wanted to try the door,” Felix protested, “Though, mostly I blame Bob.”

“Why me?!” Bob exclaimed.

“This was your idea!” Felix replied.

“Mine? No it wasn’t!” Bob argued, “It was Mark’s idea or something.”

Mark scoffed at them, “I didn’t suggest-” He was cut off as gravity caught his body and dropped him so fast that he lost sight of the others.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 37

They made their way between the brick walls, following the narrow path as far as they could go. Their feet were tired, and walking was not helping. Even brief stops were not helping with the aches and pains in their soles.

“I don’t think I can keep going on like this,” Felix panted, “I’m too tired.”

“Yea…me neither,” Sean agreed.

“If we stop moving, who knows what will find us!” Mark protested.

“Face it, Mark,” Sean leaned one hand against the brick of the wall, “We’re too tired to keep goin.’ If we keep it up, we’re bound to hurt ourselves worse.”

“And if we don’t, we’re more likely to be found by somebody we don’t want to be found by,” Mark argued.

“Mark! We’re tired!” Bob barked.

“Yes, I know! I’m tired too!” Mark explained, “Look, all I’m saying is that if we stop now, we aren’t safe. If we keep going, maybe we’ll find someplace safe.”

“Mark, the other end of this aisle was the mansion you were in,” Wade protested, “Who’s to say the Markimash isn’t down there.”

“You didn’t say anything about that!” Bob exclaimed, frantically.

“The Markimash?! Why didn’t you say anything!” Sean exclaimed, angrily.

“We were getting away from a more dangerous threat!” Mark explained, “I didn’t think about it before.”

“Neither did I,” Wade admitted.

“Mark…Wade…”Bob moaned with a weary sigh. He was too exhausted to argue about it.

“You guys suuuuck!” Sean growled.

“If we go back, we’ll be pummeled to death by a giant orb thing,” Felix said, pointing down the way they came. He turned to point down the other direction. “On the other hand, if we go that way, we might run into the slendyman.”

“The Markimash…” Mark corrected.

“Same thing, right?” Felix asked.

“Um…not really,” Wade shrugged, “The Markimash is fashioned after the slenderman…but it goes beyond that. It’s really creepy.”

“How creepy?” Sean asked. He a bold tone of challenge in his voice.

“Like…he kept shooting out more tentacles at us,” Wade explained.

“Yea, that’s how creepy that was,” Mark nodded in agreement.

Sean winced, “That’s creepy!”

“So, we might as well stop then,” Bob said.

“The Markimash can move, you know,” Mark told them, “If we don’t move, he’ll find us.”

“You can’t be sure of that, Mark,” Bob argued.

“You didn’t see that fucker,” Wade turned to Bob, “I think I’d rather keep moving than chance running into that guy.”

“But if we keep moving forward, we’re just going right to where he wants us!” Bob protested, with frustration.

“He’s not likely to be in the same place he was before, right?” Wade offered.

“Yea…maybe they’re right?” Felix offered, “Maybe he’s gone.”

“One thing’s for sure,” Mark announced, “I am not going back into that mansion!”

“What mansion?” Sean asked.

“That creepy ass mansion I woke up in,” Mark explained, “Did you not pay attention to what I was explaining back there? You know…my exposition, if you will?”

“Not really,” Sean admitted, with a shake of his head.

“We’re all gonna die here,” Felix sighed, as he flopped tiredly onto the ground.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 36

“RUN!” Sean leaped to his feet with a loud howl.

“What? I can’t run yet! Too tired!” Mark groaned.

“Run you fuckers! I said run! Somethin’s comin’ our way!” Sean shouted, bouncing around in a panic.

Mark hopped to his feet and quickly turned to help Bob. That was when he saw it coming. He barely had time to react to it, as it slammed into the ground nearby. He could hear Bob yelling with pain and fear.

“What’d I tell ya! I told ya to run!” Sean shouted over the roar of the ground exploding.

“Shut up and run!” Felix screamed, “Run! Ruuuuun!”

Mark kept a hold on Bob’s arm as he ran after Sean, Felix and Wade. They took the lead with a quick sprint. None of them dared to look back to see what the ground was doing behind them. They were all certain that would lead to injury and death.

They hurried across the vast expanse of whiteness. They could not see anybody for miles. There were not even figures of them. Mark could only hope and wish for their survival. He did not want to think about his little biscuit getting hurt.

“Mark! Hurry up!” Bob shouted, dragging Mark forward.

“Can we stop running yet?” Felix shouted, with a pain-filled outcry.

“We have to get clear of that sphere!” Wade turned to point.

“Wade! Pay attention!” Bob shouted, as he nearly ran over Wade’s feet.

“Just keep runnin’! We’ll get clear of the damage,” Sean urged them.

“Do we even know where we’re going?” Mark called to Sean.

“No, but I think we’re best gettin’ far far away from that thing!” Sean responded.

“Look! There! The brick walls!” Wade pointed.

Mark looked to see the graffiti covered walls. They looked very similar to the ones they had walked between before. But, they did not seem quite the same. Perhaps it was the giant spray painted ‘BLUE BALLS’ covering a large spans of the wall he could see.

“What’s over there?” Sean asked.

“Mark, Bonnie and I went through there!” Wade gasped and huffed.

“It should be safe!” Mark added.

“Alright! I trust ya!” Sean turned, leading the way into the aisle of brick walls.

“What if it follows us?” Felix cried out.

“Don’t be such a big bubble blowin’ baby!” Mark shouted.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 35

“I got ‘im! I got ‘im!” Felix cried.

“Yes!” tears of relief sprang to Sean’s eyes as he pulled on Felix’s legs.

“Oh gawd,” Bob started to weep, as he and Mark watched Felix and Sean pull Wade over the ledge.

“Okay Bob, just hang tight, until they get Wade up,” Mark sighed with relief. It was almost over.

“Got your back, Mark!” Sean left Felix and Wade to help Mark pull on Bob.

Felix quickly joined them, as they hoisted Bob up and over the ledge. When Bob was safely up, they even pulled Mark away from the ledge by his legs, as if he were dangling for his life.

“Is…is everyone alright?” Mark huffed, exhausted yet relieved.

“I think…I think I’m gettin’…” Sean could not finish a sentence, as he huffed and puffed with exhaustion.

“Do me a favor,” Felix requested.

“Yea?” Sean asked.

“Don’t ever lower me over an edge into the abyss of nothing, while the ground is blowing up, EVER AGAIN!” Felix declared with much anti-enthusiasm.

“Will do,” Sean nodded. He pulled off his cap to fan himself with it.

Wade rubbed his reddened eyes, “I’m so sorry guys.” When he blinked at Mark and Bob, they were surprised to see how red and swollen his eyes were from crying. “I let my fear get the better of me…I panicked…” he sniffled.

“It’s okay, Wade,” Bob scooted closer to his friend. He paused, as he slammed a fist into Wade’s shoulder.

“OWWW! Why’d you do that?!” Wade exclaimed.

“Don’t you EVER threaten to kill yourself again!” Bob threatened, angrily.

“Oh gawd,” Mark sniffled and rubbed his eyes.

He was sobbing with joy and relief to see his friends alive. Just to be alive, he was happier than he had ever been. Just knowing that they were that close to death was a terrifying prospect that left him bawling.

“You okay, Mark?” Sean asked.

“Yea…yea…” Mark sniffled.

“You have some nasty bruises,” Felix noted.

“Some ice would help with that,” Bob said, rubbing his own arms.

Random moment...

My new favorite word of today: Rubbish.

No reason.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 34

“And if you fall, we lose a dear friend! Now shut up and take Jack’s hand!” Mark yelled.

Wade looked down with terror. He could not see the bottom of the gray vastness. He could only imagine the impact his body would have when it dropped.

“Waaaade!” Mark bellowed.

“What are you doing?!” a voice called from behind them.

Sean turned his head, “Pewds! Bob and Wade are fallin’! Come help!”

Felix joined Sean at the ledge as they reached for Wade. They were not able to reach him, though.

“This isn’t working!” Sean slammed a fist against the ledge.

“Help! Me!” Mark groaned.

“Mark can’t hold on anymore!” Bob exclaimed.

“Felix, I’ll lower you down, and you grab Wade,” Sean pointed to Felix.

“Wait! Why don’t I lower you down?” Felix protested.

“I can carry an axe! I’ll be able to hold you!” Sean pointed at the ledge, “Now get down there!”

Felix did not protest as he laid on his belly and carefully slid over the edge. “Hold onto me, Jack!” Felix exclaimed, as the feel of gravity grabbed a hold of his fear.

“I got you!” Sean took a hold of Felix’s legs, “Just grab Wade and I’ll pull you up!”

“Jack! Heeeeelp!” Mark moaned. His hands were beginning to slip along Bob’s upper arms, where bruises had formed.

“Hang in there, Mark! Bob!” Sean lowered Felix farther.

“Grab my hand!” Felix got a hold of Wade’s arm, but it was difficult to pry him loose.

“What? Ack!” Wade exclaimed, as his arms came loose from Bob.

“Wade! Noo!” Felix lunged for Wade, desperately grasping at his arms.

 “No! Shit! No! Wade!” Bob exclaimed, struck by fear for his friend’s life.

“No Bob! Focus!” Mark exclaimed.

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth against the pain in his arms. He was certain bruises were forming on his own arms, from Bob’s grasp. He would not complain, if it meant his friends’ lives. He would hold out until the bitter end.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 33

“This is it, isn’t it?” Mark heard Sean say.

He looked around for his friend, and noticed him grabbing his cap off the ground. As he plopped it on his head, he turned to face whatever came at him. He was no longer armed with his axe though. That seemed to have disappeared.

“Jack! Let’s get out of here!” Mark scrambled to his feet and darted towards Sean.

“Where is all the rest of the gang?” Sean asked, as Mark grabbed him by the arm.

“No time to talk!” Mark exclaimed, as he caught the giant sphere in the corner of his eye, “We gotta move!”

“Heeeeelp!” a familiar voice caught their attention.

They darted towards the source of the voice. When they slid to a stop at the edge of an opening, Mark was surprised to find Bob and Wade hanging off the edge. Bob was barely clinging to the smooth surface with his fingers, while Wade clung to Bob’s waist. Both of them were slipping though.

“Hang on! We’ll get you up!” Mark laid down on his belly as he took Bob’s arms.

“Hurry, Mark! I’m slipping!” Wade called, as he clung desperately to Bob’s middle.

“I got your back Markie!” Sean knelt to help Mark pull Bob up.

He was too heavy for Mark to lift alone. They heaved, lifting has quickly as they could manage. They barely managed to bring Bob up to his shoulders. He struggled to help by hooking his arms over the edge, grappling to help himself up.

“Okay, Mark you hang onto me. Jack, you grab Wade. He’s pulling my pants down, and he’s going to slip if it breaks,” Bob commanded in earnest.

“Gotcha!” Sean dropped to his belly, sliding as close to the edge as he dared. He reached as far down as his arms could go, but Wade was too scared to reach for his hands. “Come on Wade! Just reach!” Sean pleaded.

“Come on, Wade!” Bob urged him.

“Come on, Wade! You can do it!” Mark added encouragement.

Wade finally let go with one hand to flail for Sean’s hand. In a blinded terror, he grabbed back onto Bob. Bob was starting to slip though.

“Uh oh! Uh oh!” Bob exclaimed, “Guys! I’m slipping!”

“I gotcha Bob!” Mark tightened his grip on Bob’s arms.

“Come on, Wade! One more try!” Sean pleaded, reaching again for Wade’s arms.

“We’re not going to make it!” Wade closed his eyes again, “I have to let go, or Bob won’t make it either!”

“Shut up! Don’t say that!” Mark called. His arms were growing tired from the strain of holding on.

“Just reach for me, Wade! Reach!” Sean called to him, “I’m right here! Just reach up!”

“I can’t!” Wade let go with one hand. He looked down and started to panic.

“Just reach for me, Wade!” Sean scooted a little farther off the edge, trying to reach for Wade’s arm.

“Come on, Wade! Just reach for him!” Bob pleaded.

“I’m just going to let go,” Wade said, calmly, “If I don’t, we’ll both fall.”

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 32

“I don’t understand how that’s possible,” Sean argued, “I’m not much for upper body strength…I mean…I’m pretty boss on my own…but I don’t think I could normally swing such a big axe. This has to be some sort of alternate reality avatar.”

“This oculus is so awesome,” Felix smiled, putting both of his thumbs up.

“You’re not getting it!” Dexter argued.

“They can’t understand it,” Bonnie said, with a shrug.

“You guys have to understand,” Tiny Box Tim interjected, “None of you are wearing an oculus rift. None of you are playing a game. This is not a game. This is a real realm. Reflective of a non-real world you call internet…maybe…but it is real. You’re real. I’m real. This is all real.”

“Shit is getting real,” Felix muttered.

“So, what do we do?” Bob asked, “I mean…if we can die here…why are we here?”

“We…we need you,” Cinnabon said, with a slight whimper in his voice, “We…we’re real. This world of ours is real. And the Markimash…he’s very real too. And he’s become very very dangerous.”

“The more the fans make Markimash fanfiction, the stronger it gets,” Tiny Box Tim added.

“So, we need to stop the fanfictions?” Bob offered.

“NO!” Cinnabon spat, “That’s a stupid idea!”

“It’s pretty dumb,” Tiny Box Tim shrugged.

“We’re not going to escape what the Markimash is doing just because they stop making fanfictions,” Bonnie put in, “The Markimash still exists…and it’s still popular.”

“Wow…I’m glad there isn’t a shipping of me with anybody,” Ken breathed a sigh of relief.

“I wouldn’t speak so soon,” Michelle giggled, “You’ve been shipped with Felix as often as he’s been shipped with Cry.”

“Oh yea…and you were shipped with Cry too,” Felix chuckled.

“That’s…that’s not funny…” Ken pouted.

Mark snickered, “You guys…you guys and your shipping…it’s fun that fans like to make stuff about us…but…”

“I’m going to admit…” Wade hesitated, “I’ve never actually seen any Markimash before.”

“Wait? Really?” Bob asked.

“Yea…no…I don’t wanna see that,” Wade said.

Felix laughed, “It’s disgustin’!”

“What? You looked it up?” Ken asked.

“DON’T look it up!” Mark exclaimed.

“Too late,” Felix shrugged.

“Markimash is disgusting,” the pug agreed.

Mark shook his head at them. Nobody listens. He looked to Tiny Box Tim, who was frowning.

“If we could just focus for a minute,” Bonnie interrupted, “That would be great.”

Sean chuckled at the animatronic’s attempt, “I think we’re a bit too wound up to focus on-”

The crashing explosion of the ground hit their ears loudly. The ground flew up in large chunks. The ground beneath their feet shifted, and they all ran for their lives, desperate not to fall to the emptiness beneath the ground.

Quick Note

So...not a lot has gone down lately.

Don't worry, I'm still working on the fanfiction.

It's on pause due to bad health.

In the meantime, I'm working more closely on my more important projects.

Listed as follows:

School Projects

Book Work

Fanfiction

Because I need to get these things done.

But, I have my priorities straight, don't worry.

Betcha most of you are thinking "but finals are coming up...it's near the end of the semester, right?"

In case you had not heard, I have been at school in Okayama Japan. I attend Okayama University and will not be back in the United States until August 2015. I have been having a hard time keeping up with my peers. I have learning problems, so trying to keep a level head can be difficult. So, focusing on my schoolwork has been top priority since day 1.

Not for me! My school only just started spring semester last month!

So that's the spiel for me.

Bad Dreams with Good Friends part 31

“This place is NOT the internet,” Dexter stated, sternly, “This place is a reflection of the internet. It is reflective of all of the things that go on there, good and bad. And…”

He eyed Tiny Box Tim sideways. None of the other characters interjected. They were hesitant to speak.

“You’re not here as avatars either,” Dexter went on, “There is no such thing as an avatar. You are here for real. This place is more real than you know. Your body is here. Feel your face, feel your clothes! Everything is very very real!”

“I dunno…I feel like I’m in a fever dream,” Michelle commented.

“That’s what I said!” Mark exclaimed.

“Mark…you would say that,” Sean chuckled.

“You’re not in a fever dream, you moooooorons!” Dexter scoffed, “This place is very real. Life here is very real! And that means that death is very real here too.”

Everybody was silent. It was as if death had taken the words out of their mouths. The giggles were gone and the cheerfulness had vanished. Everybody else was coming to the realization that Mark had long since come to know: they could die here.

“So…what exactly are we supposed to do?” Bob asked, in a more solemn tone.

“We need your help to defeat the Markimash,” Bonnie explained, “Because he threatens the Rift of Doors and our existence.”

“Not really,” Dexter scoffed.

“If not for Markimash’s existence, we wouldn’t have had to drag anybody in here in the first place,” Tiny Box Tim finally spoke.

“It was yooooooooooour fault…that this issue has come up in the first place,” Dexter pointed to the little box.

“What do you mean? What did he do?” Bob asked.

“And what can we do?” Felix asked.

“You’re gamers, you can do just about anything against a monster that is based on a game monster!” Tiny Box Tim explained, enthusiastically. He seemed to lose the tension that still hung over the youtubers.

“I’m scared,” Michelle said, in a tiny squeak.