"I do indeed."
"But you don't know what really matters. If you did, you'd know Beth would tell me to kick your evil bitch ass."
Reality distorted around Gwendolyn as she allowed her true aspect to show. "THEN SHE WAS AN EVEN GREATER FOOL THAN YOU."
He launched himself at her, rocketing at full speed. Gwendolyn flicked out a hand, and it was as if every one of Brandon's limbs flew in a different direction. There was a horrible CRACKKKK, and Brandon howled in pain. He tumbled out of the air and sailed past her, landing several meters beyond.
"Come on, get her!" Mia ran forward, her fists and eyes glowing.
Gwendolyn held out one hand, and Mia stopped cold. The yellow energy funneled out of her collecting in the air above Gwendolyn's hand.
"LET ME SHOW YOU A REAL DESTRUCTIVE FORCE, IMBECILE CHILD."
When the last of the energy leaked from Mia's eyes, Gwendolyn raised both hands and brought them down. The collected energy smashed down on her with a thunderous impact, shaking the ground. Gwendolyn raised one hand and the yellow energy followed. She swirled it around the group, knocking them all off their feet.
Tyler stood and focused on her, his eyes dialing open. Gwendolyn spun around, and splayed a hand open in his direction.
"AGGGHHHH!" He clapped both hands over his face and white viscous liquid boiled out where his eyes had been, dripping down through the cracks between his fingers.
"Tyler!" Becca ran to him, holding him as he fell to his knees.
"MY EYES...."
Max charged at Gwendolyn, shifting her out of sync with others, making her a ghost like him. He growled, moving to sink his teeth into her leg. Gwendolyn raised both hands, spreading them apart. Max stopped, seized by an invisible force.
Gwendolyn reappeared. The others heard a terrible howl, echoing into the distance, as if Max were torn apart and cast away.
"No more, Momma." Zachary said. "No more, I have to stop you."
"NO, MESSENGER," Gwendolyn said, "YOU WILL KNEEL BEFORE ME IN TIME. BUT UNTIL THEN, I HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE FOR YOU."
Kevin appeared behind Zachary, wrapping his arms around him. A portal cracked open, and they vanished through it.
______________________
Ryan carried Zachary through the portal and into the void. Once there, he released him.
You're gonna love this, Tardy Boy!
Red energy coalesced in Zachary's hand. He put it against Kevin's face, and an explosion threw them apart. Without Kevin holding him, however, Zachary couldn't control himself. He tumbled end over end through the void.
Nice moves, moron, not that it'll do you any good. You're in the Goddess's penalty box now. She showed me how to do it, go back to when the void was first sealed off. There's only her friends here, for like billions of years. And no way back to your time, without me anyway.
Lights appeared in the darkness, moving closer.
They're gonna love playing with you. Have fun, jerkoff.
As the lights grew closer, they began to take on form and substance, the images of strange races lost before the universe ever began.
Zachary felt a cold dread in the pit of his stomach. Demons. They're demons, and this is Hell.
That's my girl all right, Ryan sent. Bad as hell.
He used Kevin's power and vanished.
Zachary tumbled through the void, unable to right himself or stop his fall. The lights were all around him now. He was alone among The Lost.
______________________
A sudden wind swirled around the circle.
"AH, THE MIRROR TAKES ON THE NATURE OF THE WIND. SUCH POWER."
The wind buffeted at her, but couldn't reach her. Finally, it swirled and the form of Heather appeared from it. She stepped next to Gwendolyn, reaching out to touch her-
-and something pulled her away.
"I'm sorry, Heather," Simon said, using the invisible hands to hold her back. "Really sorry. But you have to stop."
"Simon? What are you doing?"
"This isn't my home anymore. I was happy on the jungle world. Finally happy."
"Simon, she's a liar!" Tears fell down Heather's face. "She's-" She stopped speaking and was silent.
"You can let go, Simon, I have her." Becca lay Tyler gently on the ground and stepped forward. "I have her. She can't stop you. Just do what you have to do."
"Becca, no," Tyler groaned, still clutching the hollow place where his eyes had been. "No!"
Gwendolyn smiled. "MY PRINCESS CHOOSES WISELY. YOU WILL BE A QUEEN AFTER ALL."
"Just do it," Becca said, looking down.
"Becca, Simon, don't do this, please!" Brandon had managed to prop himself up on his broken legs. "We have to stop her, she's-"
Gwendolyn became a blur as she streaked to him, clutching his neck in her hand and lifting him from the ground. "ENOUGH, BROKEN HERO."
She launched into the air, rising at supersonic speed, reaching the upper atmosphere in moments. There the blackness of the void as seen through the rift blotted out the sun. Gwendolyn turned, wound back her arm and threw Brandon with impossible force, sending him hurtling back to Earth. He struck the ground with a massive impact, raising a dust cloud that choked the air for miles.
______________________
"IDIOT SYNCRATIC"
I'd love to tell you that I rallied the troops, the heroes saved the day, we all went for shawarma afterwards, the whole nine yards...but that's not what happened. I fell, the team got smashed, some of us sided with the big bad herself. Basically? Hell came to Earth.
I used to be able to fly. And for a minute there, I really was a hero. That was a dream come true for me, it really was. Dreams die hard, you know. But it wasn't just my body that came crashing down that day. Something inside me got broken too, and it never did mend quite right again.
Maybe it was inevitable. Maybe we all have to grow up sometime. Whatever it was, it happened as I was lying there, my bones shattered, watching the rift grow so wide I lost sight of the sky. Reality fell apart. Space crumbled. Time lost. Everything ended. It just...ended.
And guys, that's when things really got weird.
EPILOGUE
"The power of time."
You have to listen to me, Becca, Carl sent, because we're almost out of time. She will be here soon, and she's already done so much.
WWHAT HAS SHE DONEE
She's invaded our pasts, changed our histories, made us who we are. She's given us flaws so deep we may not have the strength to hold against her. But more, she's gathered us together, to use us to do what she can't do alone.
WWHAT? HOWW
She sent her Emissary, Carl sent, to bring us together for the end. She said it's closer than you think.
Becca looked up, startled. BBUT...THAT'S WHAT KEVIN SAIDD
Becca, I asked Kevin if he remembered me saying Zachary was the catalyst, and he said yes.
SSOO?
I never said that. I said HE was the catalyst. And when I mentioned tracking Kevin down... his parents were killed, but he didn't bat an eye about it or mention them at all.
Becca didn't respond.
I don't know who or what that is...but IT'S NOT KEVIN.
WWHO IS IT THENN
I believe he is the red woman's Emissary. He brought us all together for her, and she'll be here soon. You have to listen to me!
OOKAY I'M LISTENINGG
There is a path to victory, but there's no margin for error. Once she gets here it will be too late, because she's like you. She can hear our thoughts.
FFUCKING BEAUTIFULL
We only have a chance because right now, she doesn't know she can kill us. She thinks we're like her and the others like her, but we haven't absorbed enough of the energy to be immortal like them. If we fight her, she will quickly learn that she can kill us, and if that happens, we don't stand a chance.
SSO...IF WE CAN'T FIGHT, THEN WHATT
"What's going on?" Kevin asked. "Are you talking in your heads? What is he saying, Becca?"
<
br /> Don't say anything...for god's sake, don't say anything. It's not him, I swear to you.
Becca looked to him and back to Carl. "I don't know. I mean...I'm not sure."
Listen to me Becca...the red woman will make us an offer. An offer to join her. Becca, we have to take that offer. We have to let the red woman win.
"Hey, I never got to ask my questions," Brandon interjected.
"Shut up, Dork!" Becca said.
Brandon threw up his hands. "What did I do?"
"Like we don't have more important things to do than answer the question about the aliens one more damn time!"
"What's more important?" asked Kevin. "What was he saying?"
"It's all right." Carl nodded to Brandon. "Go ahead, Brandon."
"I asked you a question!" Kevin strode up to Becca. "What was he saying just now?"
"I was trying to show her what Zachary showed me," Carl said, "but it's like a dream, you know, they fade once you wake--"
Kevin turned quickly, driving his fist into Carl's face. "QUIET."
"Hey hey!" Brandon tried to grab Kevin's arm but his hands slipped away. "Calm down!"
Kevin turned on Becca, ignoring Brandon completely. "You think you can put one over on me? What was he saying?"
Becca... Carl struggled to keep sending but he was dazed from Kevin's punch. The only way to beat the red woman is to let her win. Then we have time to put things in motion. The path to victory...lies through defeat.
Brandon tried to move between Kevin and Becca but something held him back. Simon pointed a finger at him. "Let him talk. She's up to something, I'm telling you. I saw her in my vision."
"And I told you to fucking drop it, didn't I?" Becca asked with a raised eyebrow.
You have to tell Simon. He can see the future...he can help...tell Simon...
"He may be afraid of you," Kevin said, moving closer to her. "But your little mind tricks don't work on me...do they, bitch?"
Becca saw something then, lurking behind Kevin's eyes: a milky white spiraling cloud.
TTHIS IS NOT KEVIN...OKAY, OTTO...WE'LL TRY IT YOUR WAYY
______________________
Brandon lay on the ground, his body broken. A tear slid down his face as he watched the rift widen.
______________________
Mia tried to stand, but she felt weak, her body hollow inside. She closed her eyes, trying to summon the will to fight back, but nothing came. Her mind was still, the sound that had plagued her since the bus crash had fallen silent.
______________________
Tyler clutched his face, the ruined fluid of his eyes drying on the backs of his hands.
______________________
Max howled and howled, lost in an endless night, unable to bring himself back together.
______________________
Heather stood frozen, betrayed and alone.
______________________
Simon sat on the ground, miserable. He put his head in his hands and waited for the end.
______________________
Becca stood, looking up at the sky, or what was left of it. The rift grew and grew, and Gwendolyn rose to meet the strange lights approaching from the void. She turned, and saw Tiffany and the others from the second bus 313 still standing immobile in a circle.
She ran to Tiffany and shook her shoulders. "Tiffany, why are you doing this? What's wrong with you?"
Tiffany looked down at her. "I'm not Tiffany. I'm Aaron." Brock, standing several feet away, looked at her as well. "Gwendolyn thought it would be best if I kept the others in line." Tiffany spoke again: "Just in case."
So she lied. They don't "know their place". They're being controlled.
She turned away from Tiffany, and Kevin appeared in front of her.
"Thought you switched sides, but it sounds like you're still playing for the losing team. Stupid move, bitch."
"Who the hell ARE you?" she asked.
Ryan laughed. "You still haven't figured it out? Maybe this will help: 'We're gonna have some real fun now, you fucking scumbag'."
Becca recoiled. "What...what did you say?" She turned toward Carl. AARE YOU SURE ABOUT THISS? But Carl was lying on the ground, staring at the sky, immobile and unresponsive. OOH GREATT
Ryan laughed. "He can't help you." He grabbed Becca's wrists and pulled her close. "No one can help you so just get used to it."
______________________
Gwendolyn rose through the sky until she was on the verge of the tear in space, nearly touching the inky black. Her red hair streamed behind her, her eyes glowing in the night. Energy surrounded her, glowing like starlight.
There were others ahead, glowing in the vastness of the void.
They appeared, shining like stars. First dozens, then hundreds, then so many they were beyond counting.
The Lost had come.
Her brethren had brought her a gift, as well. They carried among them one who had been lost, tumbling through the void. This one did not glow like the others. This one was human. They laid him at her feet.
Zachary looked up at her, a deep sadness in his eyes. Slowly, deliberately, he kneeled there, suspended in the air at her feet.
She laid a hand on his blond hair, smiling fondly. Then she addressed the others.
MY BROTHERS, MY SISTERS, MY CHILDREN, THE TYRANT'S REIGN HAS ENDED. THE POWER OF TIME TO CONTAIN US IS SPENT.
They streamed forth from the void, thousands upon thousands of them flying into the night as the rift widened. Behind them, the rift grew until space around it lost cohesion and the rift was everywhere. Every reality, every world collapsed, one upon another upon another until there was nothing left.
NOW MY SON, she placed a hand on Zachary's chin and lifted him up, NOW THE TIME OF THE LOST CAN BEGIN.
END VOLUME TWO
NEXT:
"Space crumbled. Time lost. Everything ended. It just...ended."
At the end of time and space, the passengers of school bus 313 find themselves on a bizarre patchwork world, pieced together from their wildest dreams and most terrifying nightmares, and populated by servants of their nemesis, designed to keep them under constant guard. To defeat the Lost and restore their world, they must come together, face impossible odds, and learn more about their power and their own minds than they ever thought they could.
TIME LOST
Enjoy a special sneak preview of "313" Volume 3: TIME LOST!
Prologue
"We know what you did."
Lightning flashed outside, for a brief moment replacing the dim yellow glow of the tiny bulbs that served as the only illumination in the hospital halls.
Mia's feet dragged along the floor as the two orderlies dragged her by her arms, bound up in the straightjacket she was made to wear. The rounded a corner and made their way to the cramped room where she was to receive her treatment. Mia began to resist, kicking at the floor, the walls, their legs, whatever she could reach, until they slammed her down on the table and pulled straps across her chest and legs. Once tightened, the straps made it impossible to move. A final strap was pulled across her shaved head, and Mia couldn't even look away as they placed the contacts on her temples.
"This will all be over in a moment, Miss Fury," the doctor said. He was tall, with white and black streaked hair that stood straight up. A scar ran down the side of his face, from left eye to chin. The eye at which it began was frosted over and milky white.
That's not my name! This is all a mistake! I'm not crazy!
"Nnngghh!" Mia tried to protest, but the mouthpiece prevented her from forming words.
Next to the head of the table was a strange machine, filled with dials and knobs and indicators, none of which had any words or numbers to tell what they did or how much of it they were doing. The doctor flipped two black switches and a sound began: eeeeeee!
The doctor turned up one dial and the sound rose in volume.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE
Mia knew that sound. She writhed on the table but c
ouldn't escape.
"Now, Miss Fury," the doctor said, leaning in close, "this is going to hurt...quite a lot, I'm afraid." His lips turned up in a sneer.
He flipped one final switch and yellow sparks jumped from her head to the machine.
"NNNNN!!"
The doctor turned up another dial and the sparks became more fluid, growing into a torrent of yellow energy that poured from her head into the contacts. The energy could be seen passing through the wires and into the machine.
"NNNNNNNGGGGGHHH!!" Mia's body shook and convulsed.
Finally, the doctor turned down the dials and switched the machine off. Mia's body sagged on the table, weak and empty. The straps were removed, and the orderlies hauled her off the table and dragged her back to her room. There was an audible CLICK-CLACK as the door was locked.
The tiny light above her went off. Mia sat on the floor, leaning against the padded walls in the corner and gently sobbing in the darkness, only the occasional flash of lightning through the small circular window to show her pain.
The CLICK-CLACK of the lock awakened her. She had slid to the floor in her sleep, a puddle of cold, sticky drool collected under her cheek. Mia tried to lift herself, but the straightjacket combined with the weakness of her limbs combined to leave her helplessly immobile.
The door opened.
Someone entered her room, an outline framed by bursts of lightning from outside.
"Mia?" A man's voice.
Lightning flashed again, this time a long, sustained series of bolts, giving her a better look at the man in her room: young, perhaps early twenties, with jet black hair.
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