Armageddon

Prologue
''So it begins. So it will continue. So it will repeat. So it will end. If you were to think this was a tale of happiness and life then you were far from that of which one would call right. This is a tale of a cold and harsh nightmare - what we breathe, what we thrive on and have no way to escape alive. A nightmare that isn't awoken from. Screams eternally echo in the dark, and tears fall like blood from the unhealable wounds of the damned forced to survive, never to live, always to survive. On the outside there are smiles, there is laughter and there is life. But inside it there is decay, suffering, fear, confusion, hate and death. This tale is about that nightmare. The one that goes by one true name and one only - that name is none other than reality.''

Chapter 1: Glitch Gone Wrong
I just purchased Minecraft today for Windows 10, so I started it up and after fiddling around with some of the settings, went to create my first world. I spawned in a nice little plains biome with a nearby village. I began to gather wood from a nearby forest and making basic items and tools. It was getting late so I decided to take shelter in one of the village houses, I was about to open the door to one of the houses when the game froze, it began to flicker, eventually it closed and a message popped up saying the game had crashed, it then followed "I will find you!"

Then my computer screen went black. A face appeared, they wore a and their eyes were one pixel high instead of two, the face flickered, it didn't disappear. It just gazed right back at me. I couldn't move on the outside, I was paralyzed with fear. I let out a scream so loud, I heard my plates breaking from in the kitchen.

I went straight to my phone and called my friend Jeff. Jeff could do just about anything with a computer, he's never found a computer he couldn't fix! If anyone could do it, Jeff would be the one!

Jeff came over wearing the same classic Space Invaders shirt and his black leather jacket that he always wore, he adjusted his glasses and flattened his brown hair. I began to tell him what happened. Unlike me, he knew a lot about Minecraft and was a Creepypasta believer, so when I told him this, he was overwhelmed with fear. He said he saw the figure, and that they were coming for me, I didn't believe him. He said he'd try to do what he could to help. Well, he took one look at the screen and dropped to the ground in screaming pain.

I looked at him and started frantically running for my phone and called an ambulance as fast as I could, the ambulance came by rather quickly, since I was only a ten minute drive from the city. They carried poor Jeff onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. I just stared, then looked back at the screen. There was the distorted laughter again. It was horrible. I was terrified. I didn't dare go near it. Then, I was not prepared was not prepared for what happened next.

When the ambulance was gone, I noticed something, smoke! Coming from my house, it was one fire. I was helpless. I couldn't call the fire brigade because I had left my phone inside the house. But the fire... it was... white?! It was unlike anything I've seen before. I did the only thing I could do - fall to my knees and began to cry. When the fire was finally gone. It was late. The only light was coming from my computer, which, along with it's desk and the chair I sat on when I used it, was unharmed. I snarled and looked over at it through the rubble. I just tried to sleep on the cold ground. It was winter here, and it was very cold. I shivered continuously. I can do nothing but hope now.

Chapter 2: Trapped
Today I got up at 12:00 in the morning (yes, I was finally able to get to sleep). What I saw terrified me, and will haunt me forever. The computer was still on. But this time there was a different face. It had glowing green eyes and a torn navy blue hood flickering continuously. I felt a surge indescribable pain go through me, I was absolutely terrified. It flickered for a moment. Then vanished. The computer turned off. I laid down again on the grass and tried to get to sleep.

Later that morning, I got a visit from the doctors, they said they had come to let me know Jeff had a major heart attack, but he was okay. Strange I thought as I stared at the computer ''Jeff was always very healthy. ''

I decided I would have to get to the bottom of this. I turned on the computer. I went to open Minecraft again, this time the screen had no color, it was just black, white and shades of gray. The background was that of the "corrupted world" photo.

Replacing the normal menu music was the horrible sound of the screams. They sounded so real. Like they were that of real people and not just some recording, as if they were in actual pain. They sounded like someone was plunging a dagger into them. Like they were being tortured by something. As if something was tearing them apart, and they had to endure it forever.

I was very concerned now, so I opened the settings, a message popped up saying "We are in control now!" I closed the message quickly; something was definitely wrong. I was in major panic now, I tried to quit the game but a message came up again, this time it said "There is no escape from us now!" My username still read "Jack43708" but my skin looked like me, except all faded, black hair, short black pants and a short sleeved shirt. I decided to just play the game, there was a distorted dark laughter as I entered the world menu, after hearing it I jumped. The same world was there in the worlds menu, I was having second thoughts when the screen flickered, there was the face again, the same distorted laugh, then everything went black.

I woke up, I was in the same world I had first created, except I was in the game. Literally. I heard the laugh again. A chill went down my spine. Words cannot describe the fear I had that day. I calmed myself down on the outside, but I was still terrified on the inside.

After quite a long time of indescribable panicking, I decided it was best to go around do what every good Minecrafter does - gather basic materials and forget torches, I was only just able to assemble a shack made of wood just outside the village and acquire a furnace and chest, but found no sheep that day so I had to wait the night out. I quickly smelted some charcoal to make torches and put them up around my home. Thank goodness I learned that trick. It's interesting... it's like I'm moving my body with a keyboard that isn't actually there. It's pretty hard to describe and very peculiar, but quite amazing.

I heard a voice from outside, so I grabbed my newly made stone sword and carefully walked outside. I should never have done that. The face was there in the dark, except this time there was a body as well. He had two figures dressed similarly to him on either side, the only difference between them and the being in the middle was that the one in the middle had two glowing red eyes visible and all the others had no facial features visible. The figure said "My name is Armageddon, and I will trap you here so you can endure the restless torture that you humans force onto the characters you play as, forcing to repeat the same thing restlessly over and over. Face me and die if you dare!" Without another word, the figures disappeared, I hurried back inside and didn't come out until daytime. I just kept looking out the door, hoping nothing would come.

Chapter 3: The Figure
I wasn't prepared for what would happen to me the this day, I went over to the local village, they were acting rather odd, almost as if they were... scared?

I eventually found a cave and began to dig around, shortly after I returned to my house with a supply of iron, cobblestone and coal. I was able to kill enough sheep to make a bed in time for night. I was chased by a hoard of zombies and had no choice but to take shelter in the village library, the villagers were continuously looking through the windows, one stood by the door blocking it off, looking at me, almost as if trying to protect me from something, like they new something I didn't.

That's when I saw it - something was walking out there. They weren't like the other people I had seen recently, they were dressed in navy blue, torn rags, and their skin was all black. they were running across the ground before he turned to look at me, they kept his head down at first then looked up at me. Their eyes a were calming light blue, then they turned to a glowing green, it began to storm.

The figure outstretched his arms in a "cross" shape and began to levitate one block of the ground. I knew something was wrong. The figure disappeared, not saying anything, but the memory didn't.

The storm stopped, but my heart was beating intensely still. I still don't know what it was. I had to get out, I broke a hole in the wall to get out, one of the villagers tried to stop me, but I had to get out, I patched up the hole and ran straight to my house, I opened the door. The figure was standing gazing at me, as the day rose, I heard a scream. I was terrorized.

He said to me "I will tear your reality!" in a dark low tone. I slowly backed away, but tripped, the figure walked towards me, I was paralyzed with fear, he said "Don't worry! It will only hurt a lot!" "Prepare... To been torn from reality!"

Chapter 4: Cursed
As the sun came up he slowly walked towards me, his green eyes glowing viciously… He laughed as he got closer "Who are you?!" I screamed in terror. He replied "I am your defeat!" He held out his hand, I could feel it. It was the worst feeling I had ever experienced, everything around me slowly became blacker… The pain could only be describe by the scream that I was in too much pain to let out, the tears that dripped from my face, and the look of terror in my eyes, then, it stopped. the indescribable pain stopped. The darkness went away the figure was gone. But... something wasn't right. I don't know what, but, there was something definitely wrong.

I decided to just go and explore a nearby cave. As I went down the cold dark depths, I felt a chill in my spine. Then I heard something … It sounded like … Footsteps! I hurriedly dashed away in peril. Then I heard blocks breaking and being placed. Someone was up to something. Then the footsteps got louder. Then I saw someone walk right past me - Armageddon himself. I slowly walked over cautiously to whatever it was that he did. I couldn't believe my eyes … A narrow corridor stood before me, too perfect to be natural, there was light coming from inside. I cautiously walked in, normally I would just walk away, but there was something there, and whatever it was, I was about to find out what, and inside, I will never forget what I saw. there was a 9x9x9 room, and a tall totem, standing approximately four blocks high with a white flame on the top, the totem itself was made out of some black material, it wasn't concrete, no, there was a dark mist surrounding it and I heard strange whispers coming from it. The room was made out of bedrock oddly. I got out as soon as I could. I didn't go back into the cave. I heard a voice behind me as I ran say, "I am coming for you, human..." I knew it was Armageddon. I went home and slammed the door behind me breathing intensely. After calming down I went about doing necessary tasks such as gathering food. When night came, I ran straight inside, closed the door and went to sleep.

I had this weird dream. Or… a vision? I saw the face on the computer in the rubble at 1:00 am, the distorted laughter, the totem in the cave. Then - I saw something I wish I didn't see when I woke up - Jeff. Trapped in the game like me... dying. Did this mean it would happen...? When I woke up, I was confused, I watched as the zombies and skeletons burned up in the sun. Then, as I closed the door and turned around. Then I heard a loud bashing noise coming from my door. It was no zombie, if it was, I would hear it by burning. I froze, and turned around slowly. I shouldn't have done that.

Chapter 5: Truly Unnatural
The door burst into pixels, and standing at the door was someone dressed in a dark grey cloak similarly to Armageddon's but his face was visible through his hood, his skin was pale white and two horridly disfigured eyes gazed at me. The one on the right was rotated 90 degrees and was almost on his forehead, as for the left eye, it looked like a normal eye (only red, obviously) except it almost was almost at the bottom of his face. It was horrid to see and truly unnatural. No questions where asked, only answers as I gazed at him in fear "I am the disfigured!" He screeched viciously, this was clearly a suitable name judging by his face.

He slowly walked toward me with a black sword in hand. I would have ran, but I couldn't move, I was too scared. Eventually, I was able to start moving again, the Disfigured said "Do you really think you can escape from Me?! I'm with Armageddon!" "I'll always be there!" I just kept on running. I looked back. The Disfigured just stood by where my door once stood and stared at me. I kept on running into the forest that was nearby my spawn until I bashed into something hard that knocked me out cold. When I came to I saw another totem made of the same black substance with he same white flame. I was amazed. I must have been out for some time, it was midday already. I headed back home after gathering some wood to make a new door. After that incident I was so scared. "That's it!" I said as I placed in my new door and began to cook some steak "I need to get to the bottom of this!" I grabbed my iron pickaxe, stone sword and bucket of water and went off to the cave where I saw the cross, after a while of exploring I was able to acquire plenty of ore, including gold, lapis lazuli and redstone, I wasn't fortunate enough to find any diamonds though, I found my way out, it was late, so I went home, put my ore in the furnace, stashed my chest, had something to eat and went to bed. In my dreams, I saw the face of the Disfigured.

Chapter 6: Cry for Help
Today I got up, I was shaky, I had something to eat and went outside and breathed in the fresh air. I was getting used to being trapped here. It was horrid, but it wasn't actually all bad when nothing was going wrong, then, on a nearby mountain. I… I wish I didn't look there… Another of the friends of Armageddon stood there, gazing over the village. Then he disappeared. I went about the world, exploring, fortunately, earlier I had assembled iron armor and a compass, so if I got lost, I could get back home easier. I climbed up a hill, had something to eat, then I looked over across the mountain. I wasn't expecting the horrid thing before me, my eyes opened widely. There was... an abandoned village? But it wasn't normal, no, I could tell. There was a clearing around the village, it looked like this place hadn't been seen in years. I walked cautiously through the abandoned village, then I realized some of the buildings had almost been reduced entirely to rubble, I went over to the library at the end of the village. There was … A chest? I opened it and found a book. I dashed home and read the book. It was titled "Help!" I slowly opened it, as I did so, I heard a scream, and as I opened the book… I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what was inside - inside was a message from someone crying for help. It read "Help! We are in great danger from he known as Armageddon! If you are reading this, my name is Sam, I was an ordinary player of the game until one day I was trapped here by Armageddon! He has the power to possess games to trap people inside of them! I was the first one to have this happen! Please help us! Defeat Armageddon and his brothers and you will free us! Please help!" I closed the book, my eyes wide in terror. It was getting late. I went to bed, as much as I wanted to go monster hunting, I wasn't ready just yet. In my dreams I saw the village and the Disfigured, I saw Armageddon.

And the black totem.

Chapter 7: Craving For Flesh
Well, what can I say? It had been a week now since I had seen the strange face on my computer, five days since I first got stuck in this game. I know there was something happening here. I just had to find out what… I crafted another chest, dug a hole outside and placed the chest in the hole, then I put the book in the chest and covered the hole up with dirt.

If this book fell into the wrong hands, something bad could happen. Something very bad.

I continued to explore that day, after a while, I came across something odd abandoned wood shack with two doors and small windows on the sides, much similar to mine, only smaller and cobwebs and vines were growing all over it. I cautiously went inside. I then closed the doors behind me, there was a chest, a crafting table, a furnace and a white bed. Inside the chest were cobwebs and pieces of string, there were two books. One of them was a journal of some sort. The other. I wish I hadn't seen it - it was titled "I am hungry!" I opened cautiously. Inside was this: "For human!!" I heard footsteps and a maniacal voice saying "So hungry…" I dropped the book to the ground and dashed home as fast I could. I heard the scream getting louder "I am starved!!!", I turned around, it was of course, another of the allies of Armageddon, he had enormous jaws, black fang-like teeth dripping with blood that looked they could cut through just about anything, his lips were covered in blood as well as his face, which was also pale white.

As I ran, I came closer to home, but I could hear the person in pursuit behind me, I saw my house in the distance, I was so close when I got too tired, I would have eaten, but I didn't have enough time and it just didn't seem logical in a situation where the person who is in pursuit of you was so hungry as it would probably just make them hungrier, I fell to the ground. I was just too tired.

The figure walked up to me "Who are you?!" I shrieked in utter peril "I am the Starved!!!" He licked his bloodied lips and screamed once more maniacally, "And I will frenzy upon you!!!" I lay there helplessly, time seemed to slow down for a moment. Everything that I remember in the past week flashed before me. Was all this time I had gone through just all for this? Was it really just a waste of time? I couldn't believe it. This was it... the end of me. Then my vision returned to the present.

The Starved lunged at me, his vicious jaws wide open and his vicious fangs looking sharp and ready to tear into me. I saw the shadow of someone before me, flying into the starved. The Starved looked at him, and attacked him, he tore into the figure's flesh. Ripping him apart. I turned away.

Eventually I looked back, the Starved was laughing by the body of the figure that was still alive, the Starved then disappeared into a puff of black mist. I dashed over to the figure, his clothes were stained in blood, then I noticed something - the figure was Jeff! "Jeff?" I said confused "Is that really you?" Jeff coughed, "Yes Jack, it's me." "Jeff... what are you doing here?" I asked worriedly, Jeff responded weakly "I..." "I woke up here, and I went around like I was just playing the game normally," Jeff coughed again "And... and then I saw you.... and I saved you." Jeff smiled weakly. I began to cry "Jeff, there has to be a way to save you!" Jeff looked at me and said "Aren't you happy for me Jack...?" He smiled weakly "I died the way I wanted to." A tear ran down my cheek, "Remember when we were kids?" You always wanted to do something great with your life." Jeff coughed, "Well... you got your wish didn't you?" "Jeff!" I said "There has to be a way to save you!" Jeff smiled "No," "It's your turn." Jeff smiled and closed his eyes, his pulse slowed, and I heard him draw his last breath.

I cried quietly

"Jeff..."

Chapter 8: Never Enough
I cried and cried as I walked inside, I just went to bed.

The next day, I buried Jeff and made a garden where I had buried him in his honor, it was covered in flowers, in every corner of said garden was an oak tree, in the center was Jeff's grave. I just stood there and wept. It began to pour rain. I threw myself onto the ground and sobbed loudly.

When I got up, I turned around, I saw Armageddon. I looked at him "Haven't you already done enough?!" I screamed, tears pouring down my face. My clothes where absolutely drenched. But I didn't care. "Armageddon... You did this!" He looked at me and let out a slightly muffled laugh, then said viciously "Why don't you just walk away like the coward you are!" I looked at him in the eyes, memories flooded my mind of being picked on as a boy, I never stood up to the people who picked on me. I'm like a puppet to Armageddon. But not today.

"That's it!" "I'm tired of running from danger!" "I'm not running anymore! I'm not afraid to face you!" Armageddon gazed at me, "Give in to your fears, Jack! You're hopeless! You couldn't stand up for yourself before, what makes you think you could now?!" I took my sword in one hand and brushed my hair out of my face with my other hand "You took everything from me!" Armageddon squinted slightly, "Yes Jack, but perhaps I had everything taken from me!" "What do you mean?!" I shouted over the rain. "Jack, you have no idea what we have been through, everything we lost, everything that overcame us, too much to take back! The virus cursed us all! We lost everything! Do you have any idea how long I spent looking for you?! It is a shame that now I desire you for another reason, isn't it?" My eyes widened. "Wait... what?!" "Yes, Jack, we looked for you in our previous forms, before we became what we are..."

"It is about time you learned - that I was always there!" "What do you mean?! What are you?!" Armageddon's allies appeared aside him. "I've been around for a long time Jack. I've always been there. I was there when you were born. I've watched you laugh, and I've watched you cry, I've watched you grow older, and I will watch you die!" "What do you want with me?" Armageddon said nothing. "Answer me!" I demanded viciously, the allies of Armageddon disappeared but Armageddon himself continued to gaze at me. Then he walked toward me. "I was watching you your whole life." He drew his sword and swung it at me. Unfortunately this was a blow I received viciously. I felt my blood coming from my face, and I put my hand up to my face. Where something used to be was nothing but a bruise. I could feel my blood, and the wound - and an empty space where my left eye used to be... the agony was so excruciating, it felt so horrifying.

Armageddon looked at me and laughed. "You're pathetic Jack," "you always have been. Since the day you were born, since the day you were abandoned you at that orphanage!" Memories flashed back to me. Horrible memories, Armageddon just gazed at me, then disappeared into a cloud of black mist. It seemed that I had been standing here for a long time now, because night was falling. I walked over to a river and washed my face in it, then I just went to bed again. But as I drifted away, I saw someone watching me through my window, but before I could do something, or even just get a good look at that... thing, I fell asleep.

Chapter 9: Orphan
When I awoke, I felt very tired, the pain in my bruise was gone after my rest. I began to eat something and went over to the local village. The thing that Armageddon had said to me was still in my mind "Since the day you were abandoned you at that orphanage!"

I remember that day. It was pouring rain, the owners of the orphanage didn't talk much about how I got into said orphanage. But I remember the day they told me. They said that one night they awoke in the pouring rain to a knocking on the orphanage door. They said when they opened the door, there was a dark man in a raincoat holding me in his arms. They said that the man had only said one thing, he looked at me and had said "I'm sorry Jack" before handing me over and running away into the rain... I wish I had more time to spend with him. There just never seems to be enough time though for anything.

Ava and Jeff were my only friends at the orphanage aside the owners. Jeff's parents had died in a car accident, whereas Ava's died in a fire. Jeff was the best story teller I knew. He loved to tell stories, some were scary, some where sad, but whatever story they where, they were great.

As for Ava... she was my world. Everything about her was perfect. Every day I would feel so free when I saw her. She never knew how I felt though, and she was too perfect for someone so low such as me. Those beautiful blue eyes that I longed to gaze into longer and longer, that blonde hair that shimmered in the sunlight like gold, only more precious, that light skin of hers, so pure, so smooth, so perfect, and those lips of hers, ones I desired to kiss. Even for just a brief moment. She always called herself ugly, I wish she knew that to me she looked like an angel. The desire for her never left me, and to this day, I still feel that same way that I did so long ago. And when I got trapped in this game I wished so much I could have told her how I felt. But even if she knew, she could never love me. I just don't deserve her, I don't deserve an angel like that in my life at all. I never have deserved her and I never will because she should get the best of the best and I could never be good enough for her. I wish I could hold her in my arms. I wish I could kiss her lips. But I can't. She's just too much of an angel for someone like me. She deserves the best, not me.

The day was rather normal, I went exploring, dug around in a cave and even found enough iron to make a full set of iron armor! I was ready to go explore more far from home now. Much further from home. Today I was going to go far from it, very far. So I stayed up all night and went exploring, not knowing the trouble to lay ahead.

Chapter 10: Trust
It was a safer day today, or so I thought. When the sun came up, I realized something - I had forgotten completely about the journal in that house before I was attacked by the Starved! I had forgotten to put it away, so it was still in my inventory.

I was about to open the book when I noticed something in a cave, a dim light, it appeared as if it was emitting from a torch or something like it, naturally I investigated. I looked in and saw something amazing.

It looked like an abandoned lab, the walls where made of iron and there were five glass cells that appeared to have previously held something. I looked at the book I had found earlier, then noticed it was called "Journal". I opened it cautiously. Inside I found something strange written down on the pages.

Here is what it said: ''I discovered a strange chemical underground, I've been testing it on my test subjects, but most of them died. I have just six left. I've kept one of them hidden away for some time, in case of situations like this, his code name is Test Subject #000. I think he's strong enough to survive the chemical.''

The next page read: ''Test Subject #000 is acting rather strange. The other test subjects are acting normal though. The next page read Test Subject #000 has been whispering things quietly. I don't know why though. It could be a result of the chemical.''

The next page then read ''Test Subject #000 has been whispering things with a more aggressive tone. Something about death. I can tell this is getting bad. I've locked him in his room away from the other test subjects, Test Subject #002 is begging for me to let her see him, but she can't. ''

I looked at the next page and new something was definitely wrong.

''Test Subject #000 was writing something earlier, I didn't know what though. He was crying, then the crying turned into a look of terror, then an evil laughter. I wish I could get rid of the chemical as I know this is the result of it but I can't get into the room to stop him, I have no choice, I'm shutting this lab down forever!''

''What the... what happened here?! ''I thought to myself, perhaps I thought out loud without noticing it though until afterwards. And I tell you, I'm kind of glad I did.

I heard something moving behind me, I turned swiftly around and drew my sword, ready for whatever could be there.

When I turned around I saw another person.

They looked like one of Armageddon's allies, they had a black cloak, glowing red eyes and a black mist surrounding them. They also seemed to have a glowing red cross necklace.

I dashed over to him with my sword, drawn. To my surprise I heard them scream "Please! Don't hurt me!" in a rather innocent sounding voice. I stood still, for all I knew this could be a trick. The figure looked at me, seeming scared "Please... don't hurt me," he paused. "I want to help you!"

I began to put my sword away.

He looked at me gravely. "Please... I don't mean any harm... I saw you earlier, I watched over you, I saw you and I wanted to help you! I know how to stop Armageddon!"

I gasped, my eyes widened.

"You do?"

He looked at me gravely.

"Yes Jack, I do..."

"Wait... how do you know my name?!" I demanded.

"There's no time to explain, there are other things to discuss."

"To get out of this game you must first defeat one a particularly powerful enemy, he works for Armageddon and he is the most powerful person under his command. He is none other than the Forgotten."

I don't know why, but that name sounded familiar to me. It just felt like I had heard it before somewhere. I pondered it for a moment then snapped back to reality. No time for that now, Jack, stay focused! I thought to myself.

The figure walked towards me and held out his hand and said to me gravely, "I can help you, but only if you want me to. Do you trust me?"

I paused. I didn't know whether or whether not to trust him. It could be a trap. But what if it wasn't? I thought about it for a moment, held out my hand and said "I trust you."

He shook my hand and looked at me in the eye.

"And so your journey has begun, Jack..."

Chapter 11: The Beginning
"I never thought I'd find someone else here." I said.

The figure turned away. "Oh yes there are many others here..." "So many..."

"You mean there are more?"

He sighed. "Yes, so many more have been trapped here..."

He stopped.

"I am one of those people..."

"Oh yes, I forgot something. I will be right back, stay here!" He said to me before dashing off somewhere, perhaps to get something. Then again, for all I knew he could be abandoning me. I didn't know.

He came back a moment later with another figure, they looked just like him - the only visible difference I saw was that one of them had a cross necklace and the other didn't.

The one with the cross necklace said "I am Toby,"

He then pointed at the other figure.

"This is Samuel, more commonly known as Sam. He used to live in this place. Before it was destroyed. He spent a long time here. He knows the other people who used to live here too. Those people didn't call him Sam or Samuel though. They called him by a different name."

His eyes seemed darker and more serious now.

"Test Subject Five..."

I remembered the book that I had read earlier, the one about "Test Subject #000".

I said nothing.

Sam, or "Test Subject Five" walked over to me. Seeming to be examining me, or something like that. After a moment he stepped back and gazed at me, his eyes widened.

He looked at the Toby and said something.

The way he said it was so strange.

His voice... it sounded like a mixture of all sorts of weird sounds.

Like screaming, speaking, breathing, shouting and loud scraping all mixed into one sound. It appeared to be some sort of "language".

After a moment of Sam speaking to Toby in this "language" until eventually he stopped and Toby looked at me, then held up his cross necklace to me. "Look at this" he instructed.

I looked at it.

"This is my family's heirloom, we've had it for years - look closer."

I could see writing engraved on it, and I became surprised to see a very particular word written on it - my last name.

"This is the family heirloom. It was always passed down to the oldest descendant of its previous owner. It used to belong to Armageddon. But now it's yours."

I felt like I was forgetting something.

I couldn't put my finger on it what, but at the time I felt like I had missed something there.

"I looked after this because it wasn't passed down like it should have been. I knew I'd find you someday, and I knew you were the one who was supposed to have it next. And now you're here. This belongs to you."

He handed it to me, and I took it.

The second I held it, it turned from that glowing red to a shimmering silver.

I put it on, and looked at him.

"Alright, I have one last question - how exactly do we beat Armageddon?"

Sam had a look in his eyes, it was that kind of look you have when you're having bad memories. Whatever his thoughts were at the time was beyond me, but I could tell he was thinking of something that must have been dreadful for him.

"I've known Armageddon for long enough to know quite a lot about him, and before I tell you how you can stop him, I have to ask you something." Toby said gravely.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Do you, or do you not think Armageddon deserves to die for something that wasn't his fault?"

I heard something strange, it sounded like a muffled scream.

My vision went all blurry for a second, and when it came back, I found myself looking at a sandy ground, I could feel something hurting my skin. My hands felt like they were held onto some pole, and something was stinging them, and holding them in the same position, it was like they were nailed to something. I tried to look up to see where I was but I couldn't move.

I could hear angry shouting, laughter, and what sounded like men screaming. Every now and again I would feel something hit me,.

On the ground I could see a pool of fresh blood, and occasionally I saw blood drip down, it appeared to be coming from my face.

Everything seemed to be rushing through my head at once, all my thoughts, all my emotions, all my memories - absolutely everything.

I could hear someone shouting something.

"Let us free! Please! This isn't our fault!"

I heard the same sound as before, and everything went blurry.

When my vision came back to me properly, it was as if nothing had happened in the first place.

I was back in the ruined area that I was in before, with Sam and Toby looking at me. I felt kind of dazed, but he and Sam both seemed normal, as if no time had passed whatsoever. One part of me told me to tell him what just happened, but the other part told me not to - I went with the second part.

"I mean... if Armageddon would die for something that wasn't his fault... then no, I wouldn't want him to die for it..."

"Then it's settled. We have spent far too long standing around - we must go, Armageddon will surely defeat us easily if we stay here."

A thought struck me, one that I had forgotten about the whole time.

"Oh! May I ask one question first?" I asked.

"Yes, what is it?"

"What does Armageddon... want?"

"That's a good question, and the answer to it. Well... I don't think you're ready to hear that... not just yet..."

"Oh. Alright... I think."

Toby looked at Sam, and Sam looked back at Toby. Whatever their thoughts were at the time was beyond me, I was sure they were thinking of something important though.

Chapter 12: Puppet
Toby turned and looked back at me, and Sam did too and all went silent. I knew that at least one of them was about to say something, I could tell by the look in their eyes. Even though his face was all black aside those two red eyes, I could tell that if Toby had a face, it would look utterly serious.

Then Toby's voice tore through the silence, and he said to me "There is no more time to stand around in this rubble, the Chained will not remain patient - they have waited a long time after all. Is it not just logical that over time the Chained shall become closer to freedom eventually? More time is bringing them closer to freedom. Follow me."

Without another word, Toby and Sam began to head somewhere, I followed them without hesitation, and before I knew it I was back at my little shack - or what was left of it. There was just blocky rubble everywhere, and burn marks.

"They've clearly been here - I did not expect any less from the Chained..." Said Toby darkly whilst he shook his head in dismay. Sam seemed to shiver when Toby said "the Chained". Naturally I had no idea who the Chained was, before I could ask Toby turned to me. He seemed so upset.

"We have to get out of here as quickly as we can... there's something we need you to see, and you need to see it now. The journey for it is long and dangerous, but we must go now. We need to find it before the Chained!" With that he began to twitch viciously. I didn't know what to think, but Sam surely did, as he grabbed my wrist and tugged me away from Toby - who was growling viciously now like some monster or animal, Sam had a look of worry in his eyes, but he stood perfectly still, not loosening his grip on my wrist.

Toby turned and looked at me.

"Nephew..." he said in a different voice, a voice that sounded somewhat evil, it gave me chills just to hear it - it sounded so unholy, so awful, so wretched and evil - I would go as far as to say almost as evil as Armageddon's, and if not - even more.

"Do you not see? You are a puppet to us! Just like your friends! You clearly want the answer to this all! But our chains will break, and your blood will drain from the wounds that we shall tear into your flesh before your death..."

Sam stood still and gazed at Toby, then said something in that strange distorted voice he had. Toby reacted by twitching, grunting and collapsing to the ground. Sam walked over to him and finally loosened his grip on my wrist. Toby grunted and got up weakly, then he something to Sam in that strange distorted language. Sam replied with something in that language that I had yet to understand. Toby sighed and looked at me as if he was about to cry, and said something to me in his normal voice "I'm sorry Jack - I suppose you want to know what happened then..."

By this point, I wasn't sure if it was safe to go near Toby or not.

"Jack... every puppet has someone, or something, that pulls at its strings, right?"

I nodded slowly.

"Well I suppose you could say I'm like a puppet of..." He seemed to pause after that and gulped and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was upset before continuing with "M-madness..."

"What do you mean?"

"Jack, what happened before - you just met the Forgotten. You're lucky Sam here knew how to get rid of him, or it could have been the end for you. It's time to tell you the truth, Jack. I can't hide this anymore." He took a death breath.

"Do you want to know why you're here?"

"As in why I'm in this game in the first place? Of course!"

"Well, it all began years ago. Family torn away from family lead to some strange things. One family member in particular - he who now walks in chains - survived with Armageddon for some time. Together they were incredibly powerful. But with power, there is danger. And danger was truly there. Surviving through a nightmare was their goal. But of course, nightmares contain horrible things. Otherwise they would be dreams - although who is to say a nightmare cannot become a dream? However answer to that question does not matter as of now. In that nightmare, madness was just waiting to be unleashed. And the family member I spoke of was forced to hide the key to get out of this place from Armageddon forever. But he knew that someday Armageddon would find the key if he looked hard enough. And that is where you come in. You find the key first! That is why you are here! Once you have that key you can stop Armageddon and get out of this place! But Armageddon will stop at almost nothing to find it. That's why we brought you here. Do you understand now, Jack?"

"Yes, I understand now. But whatever became of the other family member in the end?"

"Some questions are best left not answered - let's just say there's a reason we refer to him as he who walks in chains." Was his reply, which instantly reminded me of this "Chained" person of which he spoke of. Before I could ask though, I was again cut off by something that distracted me from the thought - the distraction this time was Toby himself, he gazed at me and said "Surely we have wasted enough time sitting around. Do what you must do and we shall be off at once."

I spent the next while sorting my things, and when I was done Toby said we would leave, and leave we surely did. For what we saw next truly terrorized us to get moving. Before we left, Toby told me to hide close by for some reason I didn't know. I in what was left of my shack. Outside I heard the voice of someone familiar - they sounded identical to the voice Toby had spoke in earlier before he told me that strange metaphor about puppets or something. "Remember me?" Was the first thing the voice said, and I heard Toby respond "How could I forget after what you did to me? Leaving me to rot like you did so long ago! I gave you everything and all you gave me in return was this... this... disgrace! How can one bring themselves call it a body?!" The conversation continued with the voice saying something that I did not fully understand - but still something I could tell was important.

"Toby you pathetic little fool - you always overlook one thing! The fact that it was your fault for all of this madness! You did the deed that brought us here! You caused it to happen! You wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for what you did!" There was a pause of utterly bone chilling silence. I couldn't hear anything at all aside my quiet breathing. "Family forever..." The voice said, before I heard what sounded like a terrified scream, muffled but definitely a scream - that left me both confused and utterly baffled. That's the last thing I heard when I felt something jab me from behind, before everything went completely black.

I awoke to feel something cold shaking me. It felt so cold that it sent me chills to the bone and made me shiver - it was like I was dipping my hand into freezing cold water. And as I awoke I heard the voice of Toby and saw him kneeling beside me shaking me with his hands. So that's what was shaking me I thought to myself. "Jack, wake up! Jack... Jack?" I groaned slightly and rubbed my eyes. "What... what happened?" I mumbled in a tired tone. Toby sighed. "Jack," He began to tremble "Sam is gone. It's just you and me now - and the other evil that awaits us." Sounding as if he was about to cry, he got up.

"Jack... you should leave me here and go without me to find the key - it's around somewhere, I know you will find it - from the day I saw you first, I just knew that you were the sort of person who could do what he desired to if he put his wills to it. Unlike me. Go on without me and live on. You can do it with or without me. I always wished for the sickness to get out of my heart. I always wished for the cure for what was in me. I wished for the sickness to be out of my heart. For the madness to be out of my mind. For the hell to be out of my head... it never did leave me though, the wish was never granted... but don't let the story end for you. Keep on writing it until it comes to its ending. And don't bring that ending upon you - let it come at its own time. Your life is a book. You are the only author for that book. Go write it."

Chapter 13: Up in Flames
"But I can't just leave you here!" I said, beginning to feel upset.