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Riley stood at the foot of the bridge, staring at the huge castle silhouetted against the night sky. It was dark and moonless but he could still make out the shadows of people in the windows calling him, seeking him out, asking him to come home. Dark-winged creatures circled the castle, screaming into the night sky at his presence. Lights flickered in the windows of the seven turrets, glaring at him, daring him to continue.

He took a deep breath and stepped onto the wooden bridge, testing it to make sure it would hold his weight, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't scared of this place, just nervous about being in a foreign land. In fact he felt like he was home, even though he had never been here before.

Riley walked across the bridge carefully, testing each step to make sure he didn't fall through to the river below. After making it across safely, he started walking along the cobblestone road which led to the castle and the strange people calling out his name.

It seemed to take hours, but he finally reached the huge door. It loomed over him and for the first time, indecision crept into his mind. The urge to flee was strong, but at the same time there was something comforting about this place. He wrung his hands, trying to decide whether to continue, or go back to the bridge. He looked behind him and gasped. The bridge had disappeared, leaving the river to block his retreat from danger.

Something to his right caught Riley's eye and he turned to see a two-headed dog sitting on his haunches, not moving, staring at him with its four eyes. Riley slowly backed away from the dog, hoping it wouldn't attack. The dog, sensing his fear seemed to sigh, turned and disappeared into the night, leaving Riley alone, violently shaking from fear.

Gathering his courage, he grabbed the huge ring hanging on the door and banged it twice, listening to the sound echoing inside the castle. He waited nervously, not knowing what to expect, but as he was by now more afraid of what lay on the road than what was in the castle, he had no choice but to go further. After a few moments, he heard the sound of a lock being turned. The door swung open, its hinges creaking in protest. His heart skipped a beat. Light streamed through the crack in the door, blinding him. He quickly moved to the side, trying to regain his eyesight, hoping nothing was going to attack him. As his eyes refocused, he saw a large manlike creature silhouetted in the light, holding the door open.

It stood at least seven feet tall, with limbs as thick as a tree. The face was of a baboon, with intelligent eyes set close together, which gave it a distinctively angry look. Riley cowered against the wall, wondering where he was and who the creature was. Though one part of him desperately wanted to go home, Riley recognized that this terrifying place was home.

After what seemed an eternity, the creature smiled, stepped back, opened the door wide and invited him in. Riley, still unsure, walked through the doorway and into a huge lobby. His mouth opened in awe at the vastness and beauty of the place. A feeling of warmth and comfort filled his mind while he walked further into the castle, oblivious to any danger he might face.

Riley, still unsure of what was happening, turned to the creature and whispered "Where am I?"

"This is Summit Castle, Master. This is your home."

Riley jumped as the alarm clock went off, beeping the urgency of the moment into his head. He glanced at the clock and relaxed. It was only 6:00 p.m. He still had time. He quickly jumped out of bed and, while stripping his sweat soaked pyjamas, walked over to his dresser. He opened the top drawer and took out the clothes which were labeled Wednesday and made sure they were properly ironed. Then he walked back to his bed and laid them out in the order he would put them on.

Riley quickly retraced his steps, picked up his pyjamas and entered the bathroom where he put his pj's in the hamper, peed and turned the shower on. Once he was finished with the shower, he used a towel to wipe the walls and the floor of the shower stall, then picked up the bar of soap and carefully dried it before placing it on the shelf over the toilet.

Satisfied everything was clean, he moved over to the vanity and pulled out the hair dryer from the third drawer. He plugged it into the wall outlet, then moved toward the full-length wall mirror. He loved to stare at his features while he dried his hair, a habit he had grown up with, but lately, didn't enjoy as much.

His hair used to be blond but had turned brown, due to the lack of sunlight which normally would have kept his hair bleached. His eyes had the puppy dog look, big and droopy at the corners, and were the color of steel. But it was his dimples everyone liked, especially the nurses. Everyone used to tell him he was so handsome when he smiled and it had pleased him to hear it. But that was a while back, before the change happened. Now, the only time he smiled was when he got to play outdoors, with Nelson.

At four feet, one inch he was pretty short for his age but the Doctor had told him he would grow in the next few years. Still, everyone remarked on how, although his body was that of a ten-year-old, his muscle tone was similar to a sixteen-year-old football player. His chest was well developed and his biceps, when flexed, were rock hard as were his stomach muscles.

He looked deep into his eyes, searching for the light which had existed when he was younger, but only saw the same darkness which clouded his soul. There was once a twinkle in his eyes; a twinkle he would stare at in the mirror for hours, but it had disappeared when the dreams began. Now, all that was left was a feeling of loneliness and his whole face showed it, in the bags under his eyes and the expressionless look. Sighing, he put the hair dryer away and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Ten minutes later he was fully dressed and making his bed. The room had to be immaculate for the Doctor or else he wouldn't get his privileges for the day. He remembered one time when he hadn't folded the edge of his bed properly. The Doctor had forced him to train for a full twelve hours without a break, then sent him straight to bed. After the last incident, he made sure everything was perfect. When he was finished making his bed, and double-checking everything, he sat quietly at his table, waiting for the Doctor to arrive.

The dream re-entered his mind and he wondered what it meant. He had been dreaming about the castle for a while now, ever since his body started to change. It had been about two months now since hair started to grow in places where there wasn't any before, and it scared him. Once, he had gotten up the nerve to ask the Doctor about it and was told he had reached something called puberty and not to worry. The Doctor wouldn't explain what puberty was, so he read about it in the encyclopedia. The change unnerved him and he felt there was an even bigger change happening to him. Something less visible than new hair growth.

He casually scanned his stainless steel room, making sure nothing was out of place. Everything was steel except for the linens on his bed, which were fireproof. He remembered the first time he woke up during his sleep period, discovering his room was on fire. Choking on the smoke, he had screamed for help. This happened over and over again until the Doctor decided to make everything steel, even the chairs.

He heard the click of the lock being turned on his door. He jumped up and pushed his chair in, waiting patiently for the door to open. He heard the outer door slam, the hydraulic motors whining when it sealed itself. Then the inner door whined while the bolts were retracted and the door swung open, revealing Dr. Jacob standing with a tray in his hand.

"Good evening, Riley. I trust you had a good sleep today." The Doctor was dressed in a white lab coat, which had a pocket protector, filled with pens, stuffed into the pocket.

"Yes, sir." Riley stood at attention beside his chair. It was the same ritual he followed every day of his life. The Doctor put the food on the table in front of him and then sat across from Riley. It was his typical breakfast, oatmeal mixed with brown sugar and cheese, toast and fruit, with a glass of orange juice.

"You may sit and eat." The Doctor pointed at the food.

Riley pulled the chair out and sat, making sure the chair didn't squeal. He carefully unfolded the handkerchief and tucked one corner into his shirt, spreading out the rest of the cloth to cover his chest as much as possible. He picked up his spoon and started to eat, wishing he had something different. Not that it was bad, but having the same breakfast for two years was getting boring and he wanted a change.

"So, today's the big day, eh?" The Doctor smiled at him. "Your birthday. My, how time flies. It seemed like only yesterday when I was holding you in my arms and you couldn't do anything but burp and fart. Now look at you, slowly turning into a man."

Riley continued to eat, knowing better than to interrupt the Doctor.

"In honor of this special occasion I'm going to give you a present." The Doctor pulled a cigarette from his shirt pocket and placed it in his mouth while fishing for a lighter in his pocket. "Damn."

Riley looked up from his breakfast and noticed the Doctor was looking straight at him.

"I can't seem to find my lighter. Could you light this for me?"

Riley put down the spoon and wiped his mouth on the handkerchief. He stared at the end of the cigarette and, in his mind, pictured a fire burning. Suddenly, the cigarette caught fire. The Doctor quickly placed the filtered end in his mouth and puffed so the fire wouldn't go out, then leaned back in his chair while Riley resumed eating. There was a long pause while the Doctor smoked and blew smoke rings toward the ceiling.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, your present. Today I'm going to allow you an extra half-hour outside. What do you think of that, Riley?"

"Thank you, sir. I'm most grateful." Riley felt a rush of excitement at the news, but kept his emotions to himself. He loved being outside in the cool air, playing soccer and running around. It was the only thing he looked forward to after his lessons, especially since he was getting tired of the same routine. Now he looked forward to any deviation. He finished his breakfast and carefully stacked the dishes on the tray, making sure they wouldn't fall off and break.

"Are you ready for today's lessons?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Today, there will be two gentlemen who wish to watch you as you practice your training, so I want you on your best behavior."

"Yes, sir."

"These men are from the army and they are interested in your abilities. If you do well, then we'll be able to do more things like going outside more often and having more leisure time."

Riley's eyes lit up at the thought of getting out of his lessons. "Really?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No, sir." Riley's body started to shake from the excitement of the news. His lessons were boring and he was hoping for a change in his routine. Perhaps this time, his wishes would come true.

"First of all, we have to do the yearly examination, so if you could get undressed, we can get that over with." The Doctor stood up and pulled a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket.

Riley groaned inwardly and quietly took off his clothes. He had forgotten about the exams which took place on his birthdays; exams which he wished he didn't have to go through. Every year the Doctor would have him strip and then measure his body parts, including his private ones. The examinations had been fine up until a year ago when he suddenly started to feel embarrassed whenever he undressed in front of anyone. He tried to tell the Doctor but he didn't seem to notice, or even care about Riley's concerns.

"Stand in front of the camera, facing forward."

Riley walked toward one of the four cameras, which were hanging from the ceiling. They were originally placed there to watch for the fires but remained even after the fires had ceased to occur. He had thought about asking the Doctor to have them removed so he could at least get dressed in private, but he knew the Doctor wouldn't allow it, not even the one in the bathroom.

"Physical examination, November 16th, 1995, of Riley, age ten. As can be clearly seen, Riley has obviously entered puberty and has started to develop a higher muscular tone." Riley blushed when he felt the Doctor examine his privates. The feeling made him uncomfortable, to the point he wanted the examination to stop, but he kept his mouth shut. It took everything he had to stop his clenched fists from lashing out at the doctor. Instead, he just stared at the wall, thinking about the castle in his dreams.

"His testicles have grown and are probably capable of producing sperm. This is quite remarkable due to this child's age and may perhaps be due to the strange brain waves seen earlier this year. Can you turn to your side please?"

Riley resisted the urge to sigh and turned to the right so the camera could see his side. For the next half-hour the camera photographed every angle of his body while the Doctor droned on with medical observations. Finally, the exam was over.

"Ok. Get dressed and let's go." The Doctor pulled off his gloves and waited until Riley was finished dressing. He walked to the door while Riley picked up the tray and followed. He watched the Doctor pull a card from his shirt pocket and inserted it into a slot. Shortly after, Riley heard the whine as the door unlocked itself and swung open. They entered a chamber and waited for the door to close behind them, locking them inside the vault. The Doctor slid the card into another slot and, before pressing a button near the door, waited for the light to go green.

"Identify yourself," a voice demanded through a speaker on the wall.

"Dr. Jacob. Escorting Riley to the Lab." Dr. Jacob winked at Riley as they waited for the door to open. He had seen the routine hundreds of times and still wondered why the guard demanded their identity each and every time.

There was an audible click as the lock was turned and the door whined open. Riley looked at the door as it was opening. It was a huge steel door, at least two feet thick, on motorized hinges, with round bars imbedded into the side of the door. Dr. Jacob had told him once, the door was thick for his protection and because he wanted to ensure nobody bothered Riley. Still, he often wondered if it was more to keep him locked in his room than to keep other people out.

"Did you have any more of your dreams, Riley?" The sound of the Doctor's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Yes, I had one last night."

"Tell me about it."

Riley recited the whole dream as they walked down a long corridor. While he spoke, he gazed out the windows and looked for the moon. He liked the moon. It seemed to lift his spirits and give him strength, unlike the sun, which drained him and at times hurt his eyes and skin. He had grown to hate the sun and the light that came with it, which is why the Doctor decided Riley would sleep during the day and train during the night.

They came to a set of stairs and climbed up until they reached the landing, where a guard waited to check the Doctor's pass. Riley placed the tray on the desk and looked up at the Doctor. He saw concern written all over the Doctor's face and wondered if it was about the dream. He had known the Doctor all of his life; while other people had come and gone the Doctor had always been there.

The guard nodded at the Doctor and then opened the door for them. They entered another short hallway which had two doors. The Doctor opened the first one and let Riley into the Lab. He followed and shut the door behind them, locking it.

The Lab was basically a large room with one chair in the middle. On the far wall was a huge one-way mirror which the Doctor usually sat behind to observe Riley. In front of the chair lay a model of a town, complete with a church, school and office buildings. Up against the right-hand wall, a table sat with at least twenty bottles on it. Each was filled to the brim with liquid. Riley moved to the chair and sat waiting for the Doctor's instructions. He sensed the Doctor behind the mirror and felt him move across the room into a seat. Suddenly he felt two more people in the room, moving toward the Doctor, and was curious about who they were.

The Doctor's voice came through the loud speakers. "Riley, can you hear me ok?"

"Yes, sir."

"Like I told you before, there are two other people here to observe your training, Colonel Luker and Major Legault." Riley heard faint hellos in the background. "Let's get started."

"Uh, before you get started Riley, I just want to introduce myself. My name is Colonel Luker and I'm with the army. Do you know what the army is, son?"

Riley shook his head.

"Well, we'll explain it later. I just want to say, what you're doing is very important and we're very pleased with your progress. Show us what you can do, ok?"

Riley nodded and gazed at the bottles lined up on the table to his right. He felt a pressure start in his chest and could feel a tingling in his fingers. Suddenly, one of the bottles started to move and then floated upward, spinning slowly. It continued upward until it was high enough to clear the rest of the bottles, and then slowly headed toward the mock village. It stopped and hovered over the center of the village and then dropped straight down, shattering the glass and spilling its contents over the buildings. A spark appeared over the village and suddenly the liquid caught fire, burning the entire village and filling the room with an acrid smoke.

"Excellent!" He wasn't sure who had said it, but he was almost positive it had been the Colonel.

Lab assistants rushed into the room and extinguished the flames. Huge fans turned on, sucking the smoke out of the room while a soldier handed Riley an oxygen mask.

"Okay Riley. Once we have it set up again, I want you to try and burn only the cathedral, ok?"

"Sure." Riley fidgeted in his seat, anxious to get the job done. He had performed these feats over and over again for the last four years and he was not worried about screwing up. In fact, ever since the dreams, he had performed the tests automatically while using his mind to think about other things. It was a trick he had stumbled across one day and had never told the Doctor about it. Now, as he performed his maneuver, he thought about who the people were in his dream. He had tried a few times to talk with them, through his mind, but he was never successful.

For the next four hours, he performed his appointed tasks, still trying to contact the castle without success. He was starting to get frustrated when he heard the Doctor's voice cutting through his thoughts. "Ok, Riley, you can go outside now. Remember you have an extra half-hour, so use it wisely."

"Thank you." Riley got out of his chair and waited for the door to be opened.

Riley could hear whispering in the background and wondered what was being said ...

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Dr. Jacob stood by his window, watching Riley run after a soccer ball. It had been almost ten years since Riley was first brought to him, showing the first signs of the strange power he possessed. Riley had been born in a military hospital in San Diego to a lady he only knew as Terri. It had been a normal birth by caesarean section, but soon after he was born, a nurse, who was drawing blood from Riley, suddenly burst into flames. In the confusion that followed, Riley had been placed in the nursery while his mother recuperated from her operation. During the night, another nurse, who had tried to change his diaper, was killed as she also turned into an inferno. Suspecting the fires had something to do with the baby, the doctors had called on Dr. Jacob, who specialized in psychic children.

He had arrived at the hospital skeptical at the reports. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the reports were exaggerated to benefit the parents who thought they had been blessed with a wonder child. Instead, they ended up being hoaxes or just coincidences. But while checking Riley out, he accidentally hurt the baby. As soon as the child started to cry, a mirror had exploded on the wall and a row of glass tubes used for blood samples had shattered on the shelf. At that point, Dr. Jacob was convinced Riley had special powers and ordered he be removed from the hospital and from his mother. After spiriting Riley away, he had calmly told the mother Riley had died and then discharged her from the hospital, so she wouldn't be able to ask any questions.

As Riley grew up, the fires seemed to happen less frequently and the military grew worried the boy was losing his power. But as it turned out, he was just learning how to control it better. When Riley began to walk and talk, Dr. Jacob decided it was time to control the child's emotions so nobody else could get hurt. He decided physical discipline was too dangerous but an enforced strict code of conduct would stifle any rebellious attitude the boy might have.

It had worked so far but now something was wrong. The boy seemed different since puberty started and he was particularly worried about these dreams the boy was having. Dreaming may be normal but not about castles with monsters, not every night. Especially not if the monsters are talking to you and telling you to go home. He wondered if it was possible Riley was an alien and now his race was calling him, trying to find him and bring him back.

He wasn't sure about the alien part but just in case, he had a battery of tests performed on the kid. The results showed Riley to be a normal blue-eyed ten-year-old with a more powerful brain than other kids. All the medical tests over the years had proven that physically, he was human. The only difference was the child's brain pattern, which accelerated when the abnormal activity started. He had been astounded by the change in the brain waves when they had deliberately provoked the child. The brain scan had gone right off the scale.

It was the change in Riley's eyes which led Dr. Jacob to realize something was terribly wrong with the boy. Before puberty hit, Riley's eyes were extremely bright, almost as if a light source was stuck inside of them. He remembered a few times Riley looking at him out of the corner of his eyes, and they would literally flash. Now, the eyes were dim, without life, and he realized there might be trouble ahead. Therefore, he insisted Riley's daily Valium dosage be increased, just to make sure his temper was kept under control.

Even with the Valium, the boy was showing signs of anger, like when he had performed the annual examination. He debated discussing this with Riley, but he was deathly afraid of the kid and didn't want to give him a chance to say no to anything. To make things worse, he suddenly had Colonel Luker from the Special Operations section of the Army breathing down his neck.

"Come in." He heard the knock on his office door and looked up to see who it was. Colonel Luker walked in, followed by Major Legault. The Colonel sat in the chair in front of the desk and put his briefcase on the floor. He was the typical Colonel, grown fat and lazy by his desk job. His graying, greasy hair stuck out at all angles from his hat and his double chin quivered with every movement his huge body made. The Colonel had an air of disdain around him, but it was the small, pig-like eyes which disturbed the Doctor the most. They were cold and calculating, without a trace of emotion.

The Major, on the other hand, was much scarier. He was a powerfully built soldier without a hint of fat on him. He had the same cold and calculating eyes as the Colonel. They gave the Doctor the impression he would have no problem killing anyone, at any time.

"What can I do for you?" He closed the file on his desk so the Colonel wouldn't see what was written inside.

"I just wanted to say how impressed I am with his progress. But something seems wrong with the kid."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it seems like he's not there. As if he's in another world or something." The Colonel pulled out a cigar from his pocket and bit the end off.

Dr. Jacob looked out the window and watched Riley play. "I don't know what the problem is. Lately he's been having dreams about a castle filled with strange beings. They keep talking to him. Asking him to come home."

"Strange people? Like aliens?"

"Could be. It's been a theory of mine for the longest time that Riley is a product of an alien insemination program. Perhaps even a biological experiment on their part."

"For what reason?"

"The same reason we're examining him. To see what he can do in our environment or to see if they can exist on earth."

"I don't know. All along everyone has been saying this kid just has an overactive brain. Why do you think he could be an alien?"

"Because his IQ is off the chart. He learned to read and write in less than a week, then read through the encyclopedia in less than two. He has an incredible ability to learn. Besides, look at the amount of psychic ability this kid has. He can set objects on fire, levitate objects and can do God knows what else."

"You mean to say he may have other powers we don't know about?" The Colonel's eyes lit up at the prospect that they could have more on their hands than first thought.

"It has been my experience from other psychic children that when they show a strong ability in one area, they are unaware they have abilities in others. For instance, I am almost positive Riley can read people's minds, even though he never shows it."

"How can you sense it in him?" The excitement was growing in Luker's voice.

"Because I can feel it. It's like your mind is suddenly dulled, or momentarily put on hold. When you were in the control room and you first saw Riley, didn't you feel something? Like your mind was stopped for a second?"

"You're right, now that you mention it. I did feel a little strange when I first saw him."

"That's what I mean. He has other abilities we need to explore. What we need to know is what this kid is capable of. Before something bad happens!" Dr. Jacob slammed his hand on the table emphasizing his words.

"Before his alien family finds him, you mean. Well. This little talk has enlightened me. I think it's time to accelerate his training so he can be ready for his real purpose in life."

"What do you mean real purpose in life?" The Doctor was confused by what the Colonel was saying.

"I just got word from the Pentagon. They want him dropping real bombs, preferably by next week. And judging from the news of his dreams, I think we should be hurrying along with this project."

"You're kidding, right?" The Doctor was stunned by this turn of events.

"Did you think we had him in training for nothing? This kid is a perfect weapon. We send him into a country and he blows it up from inside. No weapons needed." The Colonel had a smirk on his face which Dr. Jacob wanted to wipe off with his fist.

The Doctor was shocked. For the first time he realized he had been duped. How naive he'd been. He thought he was just there to teach the kid how to control his powers so he could live properly, but all along, they wanted him as a weapon.

"Secondly, we need to know if we can reproduce him. We need a sample of his sperm."

"You need what?" The Doctor could feel his temper starting to rise and he was having a hard time containing it.

"You heard me. I need the sample by tomorrow. Someone is coming to pick it up, so get it from him."

"And how the hell do you expect me to get it?" the Doctor yelled, finally losing control of his temper.

"It doesn't matter to me. Just get it. Either teach him how to masturbate or remove it surgically. It's up to you, Doctor."

Dr. Jacob stared at the Colonel in disbelief. He was about to say something but the Colonel quickly stood and opened the door.

"Remember. I need it by tomorrow. Oh, and by the way, if you can't get it . . . we'll get it our way . . . understand? I would hate to believe you would want to be charged with insubordination. Not after such a brilliant career." Colonel Luker grinned at the Major as he left the room.

Soon Dr. Jacob 'disappears.' A chain of terrifying events occur. Riley's life being threatened, he suddenly hears voices from the dream, begging him to leave this world, to come home ... USE THE POWER AND THINK OF THE CASTLE--YOUR HOME--IT WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR YOU ...

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Legault had not noticed the improvement in Riley's breathing, nor his chest which was no longer caved in. He had been too excited to notice anything except for the work he was doing. He thought perhaps the Colonel would promote him to Lieutenant Colonel after delivering the goodies. So he was taken aback when he heard Riley's words and wasn't prepared when the force hit him square in the chest, knocking him across the room, headfirst into the bed. Cursing he rose to his feet and picked up the tire iron, ready to finally kill the boy. That was when he noticed something strange about the kid. Riley's chest and other body parts had healed themselves. His head was reeling from confusion when he realized all of the work he had done was gone. The only thing left, were the bloody handprints on Riley's chest.

"My servants, come to me now." Riley said as he watched Legault raise the tire iron high into the air.

He started the downward thrust which would have ended Riley's life but stopped when he saw the wall behind Riley disappear into thin air, replaced by a scene straight out of a horror story.

Where the wall once was, a castle could be seen, silhouetted against the dark sky where stars gleamed. The sound of drums could be heard from the castle and huge, flying creatures could be seen blacking out the stars. Suddenly a ball of light shot from the castle and flew into Riley, knocking him off the table and onto the floor, where he lay face up staring at Legault.

Riley's eyes had turned a fiery red, as if they were on fire. A soft, white glow encased his body like a cocoon, as it rose into the air. Slowly his body turned in midair, until Riley was facing him. His arms stretched out like Christ on the crucifix, while the light which encased his body pulsed in with intensity.

Legault could feel the hair on his body tingle as the air was filled with the enormous power radiating from Riley. The most amazing changes of all were the wings which grew from Riley's back. So white they made Riley look like an angel from Heaven.

Legault suddenly knew he had missed his chance. He should have listened to Nelson and killed Riley right away but nevertheless, he was prepared to try again. He threw the tire iron at Riley, hoping to knock him down, but it only bounced off the light which surrounded him and fell to the floor.

"Shoot! Shoot him! Gun him down!" The soldiers picked up their machine guns and pointed them at Riley but they never got a chance to shoot. Just as they were about to pull the triggers, a blast of energy hit them, throwing them against the wall.

"Welcome to my world, Legault. Don't you like the decor?" The intensity of the light which surrounded him grew brighter and brighter as the drums became louder.

Fear broke Legault's spell. He pulled his gun from his shoulder harness and sighted on Riley's head. Riley stared at him, daring him to shoot.

"You can no longer hurt me. Let me introduce you to my friends."

The two guards had recovered their guns and were shooting at the castle, trying to hit invisible enemies. They fired until their weapons were empty. Legault watched as something black flew out of the wall and struck one of the guards, decapitating him and carrying the body back to where it came from. Another monster flew in and grabbed the second guard, lifting him high into the air and dragging him back into the wall with him. The guard's screaming could be heard as his silhouette disappeared into the darkness.

Panic struck Legault as more creatures appeared. This time a huge two-headed dog appeared, followed by another. He dropped his gun and headed for the door, swiping his card furiously in an attempt to open it. One of the dogs leapt over the table and caught him, severing his leg just below the hip. Legault screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his hip as the two heads fought over his leg. The other dog rushed in when Riley spoke.

"Stop. He's mine."

The dog stopped and turned toward Riley, whining at its lost feast. Riley, the glow gone from him, as well as the wings, walked over and petted the dog, whispering something into his ear. Riley stared at Legault, his eyes burning with an intensity which could only come from hate.

"Don't let them eat me." Legault crawled toward the wall, leaving a trail of blood and gore on the floor. Riley stood there and waited until Legault's back was against the wall. Legault looked around for a weapon but before he could find one, he was suddenly lifted up along the wall until his foot was off the ground. His arms were spread out, as if he were a mannequin, and he screamed as a screwdriver plunged through his left shoulder and lodged deep into the wall. He tried to move his other arm to pull out the screwdriver but he couldn't budge. He looked at Riley and saw he was holding the tire iron.

"No, please don't." For the first time in his life he felt helpless and out of control. Fear took his mind and he lost control of his bladder. He felt weak from the loss of blood. "Please help me."

He closed his eyes from the excruciating pain when he felt the tire iron enter his right shoulder and lodge into the wall. He screamed like never before, crying and begging for his life.

"Please stop..."

"Heal yourself."

Anger filled Legault, making him fight to free himself. "I'll kill you, you little brat, just like I killed your precious Doctor."

Riley stopped and turned around, his eyes red with anger.

"I pity people like you. You have no idea of what you are doing or whom you do it to. The Doctor was a good man. He didn't deserve to die. All he did was make a mistake by trusting you guys, and you end up chewing him up and spitting him out."

"Go fuck yourself, asshole." Legault spit at Riley in a last attempt to insult him.

"I think you're the one who's fucked now, don't you think?" Riley held his clenched fist out toward Legault. Legault looked at the fist and saw eerie lights streaming through Riley's fingers, as if he had a ball of light in his hands.

Legault, knowing he was near death now, struggled even harder to free himself, only to make his wounds larger. Crying from the intense pain, his body shaking from the shock, he shook his head and then spat at Riley again.

"Go to Hell." His voice was weak and low as the effect of the loss of blood started to take its toll.

"Sorry but I think that's your destination, not mine." Riley opened his hand and pushed it toward Legault.

A ball of light flew from his hand and streaked across the room, striking Legault in the middle of the chest. Fire spread over his entire body, consuming flesh as it burned with a high intensity. Legault's screams were choked off as the flames entered his mouth and traveled down his throat. Popping sounds could be heard as his organs exploded, and the flesh was slowly melted away from bone. Soon the only thing left of Major Legault was a burning skeleton.

So begins Riley's journey home ...

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