The 10 Gateways: Secrets

In a Timely Manner

"What is she doing!?" Henry exclaimed.

"Is... she powering up?" I asked.

"I believe so," Dr. Roberto said.

"We must stop her!" Joe yelled, and he ran into the trees, crashing into them.

Joe fell to the ground, and we all looked at him questioningly, but he sprung up.

"I'm okay!" Joe smiled.

Nathan's hand glowed a dark red and he threw his fist at the trees. He kept punching, and as he did the trees cracked.

As he was punching, the ground started rumbling and Nathan fell to his knees. We all looked around looking for a source.

Dr. Roberto gasped, "It's coming from under us!"

As we all looked down, what seemed like wooden planks started coming up from the ground. They rose up like zombies as a foundation seemed to build right from under us. Sawdust spun through the air as walls started building themselves around us.

"Is she trapping us in a house?" Andrew asked out loud.

The ground kept rumbling and we were all on our knees at this point. I could feel a powerful presence. Her powers were strong.

Finally, the rumbling ceased and we were left in the darkness. The newly rebuilt building around us was old and crumbling, seemed like it was about to fall back into pieces. We heard a thump outside the walls and rustling, most likely from the trees Monica had been hiding in.

We stood there in silence, expecting her to come through the wall at us. We were all tense, eyeing the darkness surrounding us. Dr. Roberto quickly looked at the ceiling above us.

"Above us," Dr. Roberto said quietly and calmly.

As he said that, we heard a little squeak of the old wood, and a little dust fell from the ceiling. It was completely silent again for a few seconds before the floor caved in. I yelled run, as we all took different directions, down different hallways and into different rooms. Jenny and Henry had gone the same way I ran.

We stopped in an empty room and looked back, but there was nothing we could see in the darkness. I heard banging and yelling from the other side of the house and then it ceased. We stood there in silence. We started slowly walking into another room, and I noticed very damaged stairs to the next floor. I directed them to it, and we ascended carefully.

The room at the top of the stairs was empty as far as we could tell. We sneaked through another doorway into a long hallway. As I led the two girls down the hallway, I stepped on a loose board and it collapsed underneath me. I let out a shocked yell and the board shattering made a loud noise.

"Jeffrey!" Jenny exclaimed and kneeled down to me, trying to lift me up.

I was stuck in the floorboards, one leg in the bottom floor, the rest of me on the upper floor. I felt something brush against my foot that was through the floor.

"Jenny, Henry, run," I said calmly, and they backed away.

"But why," Jenny said before getting cut off by someone yanking on my leg and I went through the floorboards, landing hard on the bottom floor.

Dust went flying in the air, and I heard the floorboards creak as the two girls ran from the floor that has just been broken. I laid on the floor, dazed from the slam. I slowly looked up to see Monica staring right at me.

I brought my hands to my hair and my hands glowed red as I jumped up. I shot the hellfire at her and she dodged it. It hit the wall of the house, making a hole. She chuckled and she brought up her own hands, holding a lilac glow. She waved her hand, and the ceiling right above me collapsed and I jumped back. I shot at Monica again and again, and all I heard was her chuckle. I started running back and I tripped on a hole in the foundation. Monica's chuckle became a laugh and then I heard her walking away.