Power Rangers Jungle Force

Chapter 23 - Ghosts of the Past: Part 2

   Kaa was shoving Chell through the halls of Alecia's palace. Chell remained silent the whole time. The physical abuse stopped after about twenty minutes. They reached a cell with a stylized red gate.
   "Get in there," Kaa demanded. "You should feel honored. The Mistress has not killed a master in some time."
   "Who said she was killing me," Chell proposed as she rose to her feet. "Alecia loves to savor someone's defeat. That's what she did to my students."
   "You mean the spirits she broke," Kaa boasted. "Your Brotherhood is dead. And you will be the first she will destroy."
   Kaa walked off after he slammed the gate shut. Chell was left alone and her face showed she was anxious. She took a soft breath and began to meditate.

o

   Daric awoke with a slight headache. He began rubbing his head while looking around. He saw it was his bedroom back on Earth.
   W-What, he asked himself. What it...A dream...
   Daric rose to his feet and walked to the door. When he turned the knob, he saw the halls of his old school.
   "What the..." Daric said aloud.
   He slowly started walking out of the room and into the halls. Behind him, the door slammed closed, making Daric flinch. When he spun around, the door had already gone. Daric turned back around and saw a sign pointing toward the gym. Left with no other options, Daric cautiously made his way toward the gym.

   In the gym, there were six basketball hoops (two on the side walls, and one on the far ends), and a set of bleachers on one of the side walls. Daric entered through a pair of double doors and found himself alone.
   "Hello," called Daric as he walked to the center of the room. "Anybody here?"
   The room echoed with his voice for about a minute before he let out a soft sigh.
   "Long time no see, Goliath," taunted a voice from behind him.
   Daric quickly spun around and saw men who were half his height. They wore loose-fitting jackets, baggy slacks, dress shirts, and tennis shoes.
   "M-M-Martin," Daric asked in a panic.
   "Don't forget my boys," Martin responded as he stood with his hand on the now-closed door. "Devin, Stephen, and Cliff."
   At the sight of the four men, Daric began to tremble and step backward.
   "I think you owe us...a couple years' worth of drinks," Martin said.
   "And a couple of years of snacks," Devin added.
   "Add on some homework for us," Stephen said.
   "Here's an idea boss," Cliff spoke up. "How about we teach him a lesson for ditching us when we needed him."
   "Good thinking Cliff," Martin smirked. "TAKE HIM, BOYS!!"
   Daric was left in shock at the four men who began racing toward him.

o

   Chell continued to meditate in her prison and seemed like a living statue. Kaa began to walk toward her with a tray of subpar food.
   "Eat," Kaa said as he tossed the tray down. "You will need every ounce of strength you can get."
   Once Kaa walked away, Chell opened her eyes to see a small loaf of bread, water, and an apple. She slowly took the bread and looked at it for a moment, contemplating if it was poisoned or not.
   Would she really want to hinder me, Chell asked herself. She seems like the kind of person who wants to fight at full power...
Cautiously, she took a bite of the bread.
   Not poisoned, she told herself. Thank god...Don't get comfy girl, you're not out of this yet.

o

   Daric was on the defensive, with the men attacking him. His arms were raised to his face as flying kicks and punches were sent his way. Martin went low and tripped Daric down to the ground. He fell on his back and the four began pounding away at Daric. Even with his arms up, they were still causing major damage.
   "Stop it," Daric pleaded. "Why are you doing this?!"
   Martin and his gang were not listening as Daric dared to open an eye. As Daric opened his eye, he saw the eyes of Martin and his gang glowing pure white, as if they were zombies. Daric gritted his teeth and kicked the boys off him as he made a break for the back door. Martin and his gang gave chase, but Daric was too fast and he dove through the door in less than two minutes.