Chapter 1:Nightmares & Bloodlust
June 12,1996
Ashley sat in the bar with Harold, downing Coke while he sipped Mountain Dew. She had agreed to hang out with him, as well as continuing to mourn the loss of their now dead friend Danny Mason, who had died three weeks ago in an explosion they themselves had caused in order to save the town. Danny had sacrificed himself to help them achieve this goal, and despite being a vampire, there was no possible way Danny could have survived the explosion, as she had continuiously told Harold. On this particular night however, Ashley was not just out to mourn Danny's death. She hungered for blood, and was scouting the bar looking for a suitable target. Harold seemed to know what she was doing, as he motioned to her and whispered, "Don't kill anybody." Ashley should've been surprised by this but was not. Harold was a psychic,
and a devoloping telepath. He was able to read people's emotions and expressions. He also had dreams that were linked to her or any supernatural activity that was about to occur. Changing Harold into a vampire posed a risk to humanity. There was a very probable chance that his abilities would be magnified enough to drive him insane. Ashley looked at him and sighed. In two months Harold would be off to Stanford, which gave her mixed emotions. For one, she knew he deserved it. After all, he had graduated high school almost two years early. She also was worried for his safety, due to his abilities having a history of attracting paranormal activity. The final emotion she felt was sadness, because she'd be losing the only surviving friend she had left. Over the past year, Ashley had Harold had devoloped not just a friendship, but a connection that Ashley herself couldn't explain better than that. He often wrote about her on his computer, adding his own touches as well as any dreams he was having, and in turn added them to his story. Ever since they'd defeated Twilight however, all had been quiet, and they had just been hanging out. Ashley assured Harold she wouldn't kill anyone, and he nodded, knowing she'd have a better chance of getting blood without him getting in the way. He bid her goodnight, and left the bar. Ashley, now alone, heightened her senses. She immediantly smelt dry blood. She turned to see a man at the opposite end of the bar. Although not visible, she smelt the blood on him, and it wasn't his either. She knew this man was a killer, and judging by the look on his face, he had gotten away with it. She knew she had found her mark. Ashley walked over and sat by him. She walked up to him. "Hey." she said, the man turned to look at her. "Hey." he said pleasantly.
"Can I buy you anything?" he asked. Ashley nodded. "Scotch." she said. He was surprised. "You're old enough to drink?" he asked. She nodded. "I'm older than I look." she said honestly. He pointed over to where she and Harold were sitting a minute ago. "Who was the guy you were with a minute ago?" he asked. She shrugged.
"He's my younger brother. He just graduated. We're still celebrating it." she said. The man bought her a drink, and they continued to talk. Eventually, she asked if they could leave, and he agreed. They walked out of the bar and into the night. She felt guilty, knowing she'd be lying to Harold, but at the same time, she knew this man was a sociopath. They arrived at his house, and he let her inside. "I know what you've done." she said calmly, as he shut the door. He looked at her. "What're you talking about?"
Ashley smiled. "Simple, you're a cruel, vile, heartless, murderer."
she said. He was shocked. "I am not." he stuttered. "Don't worry, I'll deal with you, I don't think the police should be brought in."
"What're you..." he asked. "I'm a vampire. I'm going to use your blood to feed on, and remove a threat to society while I'm at it. It's a win win." He backed up. "You're crazy, there's no such thing as vampires." he muttered. Ashley shrugged. "Guess you'll find out." she said, and tackled him before he uttered another breath.
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Meanwhile, Harold was tossing and turning in his sleep. He suddenly saw flashes. He woke up. He was in Crystal Cove's clock tower. He heard a stange voice. "You're going to die..." it said raspily. Harold turned, and saw three men in suits with horribly deformed faces and razor sharp teeth. They smiled at him, and held up their hands to reveal long sharp blades. "Crystal Cove is doomed! So says, 'The Cursed Ones! We need six, and you might be next!" One of them said. Harold immediantly woke up in cold sweat. "It's happening again." he said gasping for breath.

Chapter 2:Research Begins
Ashley noted the fear in Harold's voice when he called her at two in the morning. She told him she was one the way. She drove until she was a block from his house, where she stopped. She had no intention of having his dad wake up. She raced down the street, and climbed up to his window. He immediantly let her in. After explaining everything he'd dreamt about, she responded. "The Cursed
Ones? That sounds vaguely familiar." Harold nodded. "I know. I think I heard that somewhere too. But this dream... I don't know. I have a worse feeling about this than I did Pike and Twilight." Ashley thought a moment. "They need to take six? Six what?" she asked. Harold shrugged. "I have no idea." he said. "Ok, tomorrow, we'll meet at the library for research." she said. Harold nodded, and sat down at his computer. Ashley turned to see what he was doing. She saw it was a word document, with the title reading "Nightfall Part 3". "What's "Nightfall"?" she asked. "The story I told you about. Your biography." Harold replied. "Part 3?" she asked. Harold nodded. "I've been working on a new chapter based on my dreams I've had." Harold replied. Ashley sat down on his bed. "Like what?" she asked. "Like, right now I'm trying to write Danny back to life. You know. I know whatever is going on, he could've helped us. I'm just trying to find a way to do it without sounding cliche." he said. Ashley climbed back out the window. "Good luck with that." she said. "Good night." he replied, as she left. Harold turned back to his computer. "How would he reintroduce Danny? Suddenly he got an idea. He went up to the top of the page and typed the title, "Phantom".
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The next day, Ashley and Harold met up at the library, and went through every book in the paranormal section. Ashley was ready to give up, until Harold remembered where he'd heard that name before.
"Wait here." he replied. After a moment, Harold returned. "Found it." he replied, holding up a book labeled "Dark Fairy Tales".
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Back at Ashley's apartment, Ashley waited while Harold examined the story. "Every two thousand years, the Cursed Ones roam the earth, going to the place that has had the most paranormal activity, and has a human population. They hold a ritual where they take the blood and organs of six different people, which they use to summon their master, which is discribed as 'the most horrible and bloodthristy demon besides the prince of darkness himself'. If they succeed in their plan, the demon walks the earth." he said. "What happens next?" Ashley asked. Harold shook his head. "It doesn't say. Nor does it say the leader's name, which means we have no idea what it is." "Does it say how to stop them?" Ashley asked. Harold nodded. "A dagger made of pure brass. But I doubt it's that easy just to go up and stab them." he said.
"I wonder how powerful a demon is compared to a vampire?" Ashley wondered. "I'd imagine one would be hard enough. But three there's no way." Harold replied. "So what do we do?" asked Ashley. Suddenly, they heard the coded knock they used when one of them came to the other's place. They looked at each other in confusion. Nobody but them knew the knock. Noone alive anyway. Harold cautiously walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. His face turned to shocked. "Who is it?" asked Ashley. Harold turned to her. "It's Danny." he replied.

Chapter 3:Danny's Tale
Danny stood aghast. "Can I come in?" he asked. Ashley had gotten up off the couch, and was also staring at him in shock. "I know what you think, but I can explain if you let me in." Danny said. Harold opened the door to let him in. Danny looked at Ashley. "Got anything to eat or drink?" he asked. Ashley studied him for a moment, then nodded towards the kitchen. Danny nodded. "Thanks." he said. Within a few minutes, he was back in the room, scarfing down food and soda. "I haven't eaten for three weeks." he said. Harold decided to break the silence. "So... How exactly are you alive? I mean, you were dying before the explosion. Twilight stabbed you in the heart with a sword. Even if you made it out before the explosion, you would be dead within an hour." Danny smiled. "I thought that too. But when you left, I noticed the sword barely missed my heart. It didn't stab it." he said. Ashley was suprised. "How'd you survive the explosion? What happened to Twi... I mean Vincent?" Danny was smirking again. "First off, about Vincent, I tossed him into open flames. He was on the floor burning when I escaped through the skylight. But just to make sure, I sealed it off before I left." Harold interrupted. "Then why did it take you three weeks to go to us?" he asked suspiciously. Danny shrugged. "I panicked. I didn't know where you were. I thought you might have been put in the hospital for the smoke you inhaled, you could've left town for all I knew. The last place I thought to look was here, because if Twilight had any minions or anything, that'd be the first place they'd look. You know?" he finished. "I guess that makes sense." Ashley finally noted. Harold nodded too, but he still didn't seem sure. "Anyway," Danny replied. "What's going on? Something else about to attack the town?" he asked. "We think so. Harold had another dream last night." Ashley replied. Danny looked up, curiously. "About what?" he asked. Harold held up the book. "The Cursed Ones". he said.
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After explaining everything to Danny, Harold left for the town's history department, to see if there was mass killings in the area Crystal Cove
is in two thousand years ago. Danny contiued to hang around the apartment, since he knew he couldn't very well go home was his excuse.
Although Ashley wondered if there was another reason for him doing so, she kept that particular thought to herself. Danny plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. "Checking the news." he replied when she looked at him. "For what?" she asked. He shrugged. "Any murder victims last night with missing organs." he said. Ashley noticed something was different about the tone in his voice. "Have you drank any blood recently?" she asked. She knew if he hadn't he needed some soon, or he would die of starvation, no matter how much regular food he ate. "Yeah. You'd be surprised. I'm not as queasy about it as I used to be." was his reply. She noticed it again. The coolness in his voice.
It sounded strangely sinister. Why? She didn't have the faintest idea. At this moment, the coded knock signaled Harold's arrival. Ashley opened the door to let him in. "You won't believe this." he said, walking inside. Danny looked over at him and asked "Let me guess. Six mutilated bodies back then?" Harold shook his head. "No. But there were five, before the Cursed Ones were repelled back at midnight on the last day." he said. Ashley noticed he was smiling. "Why're you smiling?" she asked. Harold opened the book he was holding. "The spell's here. It'll take a few days, but we won't have to risk our lives killing those demons." he answered happily. "What do we need?" asked Ashley.
Harold opened his mouth to answer, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Danny's reflection in the glass coffee table. His eyes had no pupils. They were pure white.

Chapter 4:First Victim
Harold barely slept at all that night. He was worried about Ashley's safety. He wasn't sure it was Danny when he saw him, but now he was sure it wasn't him. But if it wasn't Danny, who was it? Or better yet, what was it?***************************************­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­*Ha­rol­d wasn't surprised in the slightest when Ashley called him early the next morning. Although he was surprised that it wasn't about Danny at all. Ashley told him to hurry to her apartment. He raced downstairs and out to his car, and sped away.
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Harold used the coded knock on the door, and Ashley let him in. He was surprised to see Danny was there too, watching the news.
"What's wrong?" he asked. It was Danny who answered. "Looks like the Cursed Ones are real after all." he said, calmly. Ashley elaberated when Danny fell silent. "The police got a call from a neighbor who noticed their neighbor's window stained with something red. When they got there, they found the neighbor's body, cut open." she sighed. "His heart had been removed neatly by what seems to be a scapel." she said. Harold suddenly felt queasy, and nervous. The Danny he knew was queasy at the thought of drinking blood, let alone having someone's heart surgically removed. Something was definitly wrong here, he knew it was Danny, but he also wondered, if this wasn't Danny, who or what was it? "Harold? Are you okay?" asked Ashley. Harold snapped out of his trance and nodded. "You said you knew a spell that would work." Danny mentioned. Harold nodded. It may take a day or two though." he answered. He didn't want this fake Danny to know he suspected something. Not yet anyway. "I've got all the stuff we need. But it'll take a day or two to prepare it." he said. Danny shrugged. "Fine, but by then, there will've been two more victims with their hearts or other organs cut out. Innocent people too." he added. Harold was having trouble not snapping back at him. "Danny, do you have any other ideas?" Harold asked. Danny shrugged. "Yeah, we go up and stab those demons with that brass knife you told Ashley about. Right now." he snapped. Harold was taken aback by this change in tone, and he could tell, so was Ashley. "That's suicide!" Harold screamed. Danny stood up. "What're you going to do if your little spell doesn't work?" he asked. Ashley spoke up. "Then we'll have no choice." she answered. Danny looked at Harold, and Ashley noticed his eyes change color for a split second.
"I hope it doesn't have to come to that honestly, I do, but are we just going to sit here and let two more people meet horrible deaths while you work on that spell?" he asked. Harold noted that Danny seemed to have regained his attitude.and Harold began to wonder if this was Danny after all. But was it truely him? he still couldn't tell for sure. Danny seemed to note Harold's feelings about this, because of his next sentence. "Harold, I know what must be going through your mind, but you've got to believe me. I'm still me. Ok?" Ashley noted it too. There seemed to be something off about Danny, but it must still be him. Who else could it be?

Chapter 5:Attack
The sun began to set over the town. Ashley,Danny, and Harold had just set everything up for the ritual to repel the Cursed Ones. However, it was required to be preformed at the full moon, which was two days away. They had already set up a plan to protect the town from the demons. Ashley and Danny would patrol the streets of Crystal Cove looking for them, and if they heard screaming, which would be easy with their super hearing, which was a perk of being a vampire, they would jump into action to prevent the fiends from stealing organs from the citizens. Harold meanwhile, would be researching a way to possibly preform the ritual earlier than they expected. The weather advisery suggested severe thunderstorms would plauge the night, and Ashley hoped it didn't mean a hurricane would hit within the next couple of days. Danny felt the same, because vampires contrary to popular belief, hated the rain because of the coldness it provided. It was because of this that they also hated snow during the winter season. While this was going about, Harold was sitting up in his room, going through all the books on the occult he could find. His eyes strained even with his glasses on. This was because it was storming. When rain pounded heavily like this, all he could think about was sleeping. Yet tonight, he knew he couldn't sleep, not when Ashley and Danny were counting on him.
He paused while skimming through one of the books, because a strange passage caught his eye. It was about the Cursed Ones. It read "The Cursed Ones need six, once the six are found, the Freak walks free from his prison." Harold stood up. "The Freak walks free?" he muttered. "What's that mean?" he pondered. He knew whatever it meant it couldn't be good, and he had to tell Ashley right away. He dialed her apartment, but got no answer. He paced around his room. It couldn't wait until morning, after all, whose to say the Cursed Ones wouldn't get the remaining organs tonight? That's when he heard a knock at his door. He looked at the window downstairs, but saw nothing. That's when he remembered the peephole his dad had installed when they moved to town. He could see who was there without opening the door. He crept downstairs and to the front door. The knocking continued. He was lucky his dad was out of town, or he would've answered the door by now. He quietly looked through the peephole, and saw Danny standing on the front porch. He sighed in relief and opened the door. Danny stood outside, completly drenched. "Danny?" he asked.
Danny nodded. "Yeah. I just came by to see how the research was going." he said. Harold looked outside. "Boy it's pouring down isn't it?" he asked. Danny nodded. "Yeah, so have you found anything?" he asked. Before Harold could speak, they heard a loud scream from a few houses down the street. Harold and Danny raced out into the rain, and looked in the direction the scream had come from. They saw two men wearing suits floating inside the house. "Wait here." Danny said to Harold, and raced down towards the house. Harold turned and noticed Danny had dropped his brass knife he had been carrying. Without thinking, Harold grabbed the knife and raced after Danny. He was totally soaked to the bone when he climbed onto the porch. Then he climbed inside the house, and that's when he heard screaming coming from upstairs. He looked around. Danny was nowhere to be seen. Harold raced upstairs and followed the shrieks to a room at the end of the hall. He peered inside, and saw Danny pinned against the wall, trying to get down. He watched in horror as the screams stopped, and the body of
his neighbor fell limp. The demons turned to Danny. "You're lucky you're a vampire, your organs won't work." and with that, they disappeared.
Danny fell to the floor, and Harold noticed, for a split second, his face formed a sinister grin.

Chapter 6:Dark of the Moon
After Danny and Harold regrouped, they made their way back to Ashley's apartment. Harold went into detail about what he had discovered.
"The Freak?" asked Danny. "Yeah. I know." Harold said. Ashley looked at both of them. "What's wrong?" she asked. Danny spoke. "There's
sort of a legend about the town. I guess we didn't think it was true, but I guess it is true." Ashley turned to Harold. "What's he talking about?"
she asked. Harold looked up. "The Freak of Crystal Cove." he answered. "All right, let me get this right, you two've heard of this Freak before?" she asked. Danny and Harold nodded. "What happens if it gets loose?" she asked. Harold looked up. "All heck will break loose."
was his only reply. Danny explained. "The Freak is a extremely powerful demon. He can't be killed at all. If he gets loose, the apocylpse will
happen, and nothing can stop it." Ashley's eyes widened. "Wait, the Cursed Ones have two victims, right?" she asked. "Three." Danny responded. "How do you know?" asked Harold. "It was on the news last night. They claimed a victim during the daytime." Harold looked at him suspiciously. "How are you sure it was them?" he asked. Danny stared back at him. "Their heart had been removed, what else would do that?" he asked. After a long silence, Ashley spoke. "If they claimed three victims in two days, we need to do the ritual before tomorrow night, or there may be three more, and then..." "The Freak walks free." Danny said. Harold sighed. "I know, but the ritual can only be performed at the full moon." he stated. Then he perked up, "Unless..." he started. "Unless what?" Danny asked. Harold raced over to check something on Ashley's computer. Ashley and Danny raced over to see what he was looking at, and noticed charts detailing the moon's cycles. "What's that?" asked Ashley. Harold didn't answer as he looked over the charts for a moment, then a grin formed over his face. "The moon's cycle." he said. "What about it?" Ashley asked. "I can't believe it myself. The full moon is tonight." he said, smiling. "I thought it was tomorrow?" Danny asked. Harold nodded. "It's today." Danny stared awestruck at him. Harold noted that for a split second, pure hatred spread across Danny's face, but he regained his cool before Ashley noticed. Harold wasn't sure what to make of this, but he knew he'd have to tell Ashley about his
suspicions about Danny soon. "Ok, do we have everything we need to do the ritual tonight?" asked Ashley. Harold nodded. "We could do it now." he said. "Ok." Ashley said. Harold spoke up. "But even if everything goes right, one of us could still get hurt during this ritual." he said.
Ashley looked up. "What do you mean?" she asked. Harold looked back at her. "If the Cursed Ones find out we're doing the ritual, and they interrupt it before it's finished... I don't know exactly what will happen... But I know it can't be good." he finished. Ashley put a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing will go wrong." she said. Harold suddenly began shaking violently. "Harold?" she said. He began breathing heavily and moving his arms and legs around like crazy. Suddenly, he saw something... "He stood in a warehouse, he looked to see Ashley was beside him. He turned to see Danny fighting off a horrible creature, it had long sharp claws, and big jagged teeth. Danny finally stabbed it with a blade that was brimming with blood already. The creature let out a cry and fell to the floor. It was dead. Danny turned to Harold. "I've done what I was brought back to do... The rest is all up to you and Ashley." he said. He disappeared in a bright light, and then, out of the dark came... The Cursed Ones smiling their sinister smile." Harold stopped moving, and looked up at Ashley and Danny. "Let's do the ritual. Now." he said.

Chapter 7:The Ritual
Ashley lit the candles needed for the ritual. They were neccessary for this due to the fact they were lit with holy fire. Danny had drawn a pentagram on the floor. Ashley knew this was neccessary, because contrary to popular belief, a pentagram protects from evil spirits rather than attract them. Harold was searching his book on the occult for the ritual for the exorcism that would expel The Cursed Ones from Crystal Cove. He finally found it and motioned to Ashley and Danny to join him in the circle. They sat on the floor and joined hands. Harold began
chanting a spell from the book, which he had laid out on the middle of the floor. "I hope this works." Danny whispered to Ashley, and she nodded. "Me too" she said. Harold continued chanting. Suddenly, Ashley looked up and noticed the lights in the apartment were flickering.
"Harold?" she asked. Harold looked up from the book. "Yeah?" he asked. "Is this supposed to happen?" she asked. Harold looked around at the many flickering lights. "No. Not unless there's an evil spirit in the room." he said. Harold and Ashley looked around but did not see anything that remotely resembled the Cursed One's wrinkled, smiling, sinister faces. However, Harold's eyes quickly focused on Danny. Ashley noticed his terrified look, and followed his gaze. Danny was changing. The lights began flickering more quickly. The furniture in the apartment began to vibrate. Danny looked up at them, a sinister grin on his face. Then all of a sudden, the expression changed to one of pure terror. "Ashley, Harold... Help me... Please!" Harold knew this was Danny. He could tell by his voice, it was of geniune fear. Suddenly, the face changed again. "So, you figured me out." came a deep, sinister, downright evil voice. Danny's eyes turned inside out, black blood spewed out from his eye sockets, his teeth grew jagged and bloody. He began to smirk. "Who are you?" asked Ashley. The creature looked at her. "I know who you are. The last vampire." it said. Harold looked at the chant, and began to read it. The creature turned to him. "I know who you are too. You should be on your deathbed right now in the hospital. The only reason you're still alive is that you're psychic. If you weren't, Ashley would've never bothered to save you." it said, still grinning. Harold looked up at it. "That's not true." he said, and continued reading the text. The creature turned back to Ashley. "Or is it? Had you not known he was psychic, would you have saved him with your venom?" it asked. Ashley knew she needed to keep this thing distracted until Harold finished the chant to exorcise it. "Of course I would have!" she screamed. The monster continued. "If you had just died back in London saving Vincent, Danny would still be alive, and not be a vampire. He'd probably have gone on to have a very successful life. Of course Harold wouldn't. Oh no. He'd be dead. Wouldn't you Harold?" it said, smiling at Harold, who Ashley could tell was almost done with the text, because the creature had started to burn from the exocism. "Harold, I've seen the future. I know what happens." it said. Harold stopped for a moment. "She kills you." it said. Harold looked at the creature. "Ashley will be the one to kill you. And it'll happen soon. Within the few months. Then, she'll probably kill herself, because she won't be able to cope with having lost you and Danny." it said. "Liar!" Harold shouted. Before he could continue the exorsism, the creature disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Everything returned to normal in the apartment. Harold and Ashley shared glances. They knew the creature had the real Danny. Now, on top of the Old Ones, they had to find it, and save him.

Chapter 8:Harold's Request
The sun rose over Crystal Cove at about 6:00 the next morning. Harold had long since gone to sleep, hoping to have a vision that would help them stop the Old Ones and save Danny, but so far it seemed as if he hadn't, and Ashley doubted very much that he would too. Ashley also knew time was an important factor. By midnight that night, the Old Ones would have claimed the three remaining victims, so they had to try to stab them with the brass knife that Harold had procured, they needed to find their lair before nightfall. Ashley shook Harold awake, and told him to get ready. He quickly put on his glasses and slipped into his t-shirt. They slipped out of the apartment and down to Ashley's car. Once Harold pulled on his seatbelt, Ashley decided to ask what she thought was a pointless question. "Did you see anything?" she asked. To her surprise, Harold nodded. "What?" she asked. Harold closed his eyes, trying to remember. "It was extremly vauge, but I saw the same warehouse I saw before." he replied. "What warehouse? When did you see a warehouse?" she asked. Harold remembered he hadn't told Ashley about his dream before the ritual, and went into an explaination about exactly what he'd seen. When he finished, Ashley spoke. "So you saw both Danny, and the Old Ones?" she asked. When he nodded, she continued. "And Danny was fighting off a monster? Could it be that same monster that was possessing him?" she asked. Harold nodded. "I considered that, and I've also considered Danny may have been fighting that creature off the whole time. I've noticed, and I'm sure you've noticed, he seemed to have mood swings. I think, sometimes, that was Danny, trying to warn us." Ashley nodded. "I just wish we'd seen it earlier." she said. Harold sighed. "I suspected, but I didn't want to say anything, because..." Ashley finished. "You thought it wasn't him, and you didn't want him to catch on." she said. Harold nodded. "And also because..." Ashley looked into his eyes directly. "Because why? You didn't think I'd believe you?" she asked. Harold looked up, and nodded. "Of course I would've believed you. You're the psychic after all." she said. Harold sighed. "I know. It was ridiculous, but you seemed so relieved to have Danny back." he said sadly. "And to tell you the truth, I kind of wanted him back too." he said. Ashley nodded. "In the hundred and sixty or so years I've been alive, I've never cared more about anyone more than you and Danny, well except my parents, but you know..." Harold nodded. "I know what you mean." he said. Ashley smiled sadly. "I'd do anything to be with both of you." she said. Harold looked over at her. "Make me a vampire. Then you can." Ashley looked over at him. "You know I can't. You could go completly insane. You'd have to be killed if that happened." she said. "Key word here, "could" I could also be completely fine right?" he asked. Ashley sighed. "I don't know. I've never heard of a psychic turned vampire. I'd say it'd be a fifty fifty chance."
Harold nodded. "Still. There's a fifty percent chance I'd be completly fine too right?" he asked. Ashley sighed. "What about the other fifty?" she asked. Harold sighed. "Maybe you're right, but you know you could be wrong too. I mean, in my dream, Danny died." "Your point?" Ashley asked. Harold sighed. "The point is... What will you do if I die?" he asked. Ashley looked at him. "I promise you Harold, that won't happen for a long time." she said. "But what about when it does? Would you let me die?" he asked. Tears had started to form in Ashley's eyes. "I don't know. I honestly don't know, but when that time comes... I'll make the decision." she said. Harold nodded. "I know you'll do what you think is right." he said. "Hopefully, I'll have a long time to make that decision." she said. Harold looked at the clock. They had been talking for nearly half an hour. "We'll resume this conversation after we stop the Old Ones." Ashley said. Harold nodded. "So, anything in your dreams to help us find the warehouse?" she asked. Harold nodded. "Yes. I heard a waves. It must be by the beach." he said. Ashley thought. "Is there a warehouse by the beach?" she asked. Harold smiled and nodded. "Yes." he said, "There's the one on Gator Road." he said. Ashley nodded. "I know where it is." she said. As she drove to the warehouse, Harold remained silent. She hadn't told him that she secretly envied him. He was so anxious to be like her, he didn't know all the things he would miss out on. She sighed. She hoped she would get to tell him this the next time the conversation came up.

Chapter 9:The Warehouse
Eventually, Ashley's car pulled in front of the warehouse. Harold insisted on coming inside, reminding her there were three demons, not one.
Reluctantly, she agreed to let him come. Harold tried the door, and found it was locked. "Move." Ashley said, and broke the lock with her fist.
Harold stared, clearly impressed at her vampire strength. As she opened the door, Harold noticed it had become overcast all of a sudden. Suddenly, it began pouring down rain. Ashley and Harold ducked inside the warehouse. Thunder clapped as Harold pulled the door shut behind them. As a vampire, Ashley could see in the darkness that engulfed the warehouse. Harold, meanwhile, tinkered around with his flashlight until it turned on. "What exactly are we looking for?" asked Harold. "If your dream was right, both Danny and the Old Ones are here." Ashley replied. "Keep your eyes out for anything unusual or in other words, out of the ordinary whatsoever." she continued. Harold nodded. "So in other words, we have to find either Danny or three demons. Great." he answered sarcastically. "Got those knives?" Ashley asked him. Harold stopped. "Uh, yeah. Hang on a minute." he answered, rummaging through the backpack he'd brought with him. Ashley turned around and walked over to him just as he pulled out two knives made entirely out of brass. He tossed one to her, and slipped his backpack back on. "Do you really need that?" Ashley asked. Harold shrugged. "I guess not." he said, tossing it on to the floor. They continued in silence for awhile, and neither heard nor saw anything unusual, and Ashley's hearing didn't pick up anything either, which made them both very uneasy. Yet, they kept it to themselves, as any words shared between them could be used to help either the Old Ones or the creature possessing Danny determine their location. They continued for a little bit longer, before they heard footsteps from above. Ashley motioned to Harold to turn off his flashlight, which he did. Suddenly, Danny stepped out of the shadows, a wicked grin covering his face.

Chapter 10:Phantom
Danny took a step forward, and spoke. "You can put those knives down, they won't work on me." he said calmly. Neither Harold or Ashley made any attempt whatsoever to lower the knives in their hands, or lower their guard in anyway. Danny sighed, and continued pacing around. "You know," he began, "I really didn't want to hurt you, but you're not really giving me an option here." he stated coldly. It was Harold who spoke first. "What are you?" he asked. Danny turned to him. "You're the psychic. You should know better than anyone I'm Danny, or at least in control of him. "If you'll recall, Danny's body was assumed to be destroyed when the school exploded. I am a demon who needs a living host to survive, my sole purpose is to oversee that Freak is released." Ashley spoke next. "So is Danny still alive?" she asked. The demon sighed again. "It depends on what you mean by 'alive'." he said. "What's that mean?" Ashley demanded. This time, a grin formed across Danny's face. "I mean his spirit had moved on, but physically, he was in a vegative state when I found him. He was alive just long enough for me to slip into his body." it said. Harold spoke again. "Wait, we've seen the real Danny appear too, however brief that was, it still happened. How?" he demanded. "Danny's spirit has been trying to return to his physical form, but is too weak to overthrow me, and even if he did, he would die within seconds. There really is no point in letting him back in." The demon smiled at the look of shock on Ashley and Harold's faces, and then spoke again. "You two have become a threat to the Freak's release from the prision he has been sealed in for over two thousand years. I have to finish you off." he said. Before Ashley or Harold could react, the knives in their hands fell to the foor. Then, they were thrown across the room and pinned to the wall. "I can't move!" Harold said, struggling too. Ashley found she couldn't either. The demon picked up one of the blades they had dropped, and walked over to them. "You know," he said, staring at Harold, "I was telling the truth about the future, and your fate was worse than this. Trust me, you should thank me for this." he said casually, raising the blade. Harold stared at Ashley, tears forming in his eyes. It seemed their luck had finally run out. To both their surprise, the demon was shoved to the floor just as he was about to stab Harold. Ashley and Harold looked to see Danny, and they knew this was the real Danny, pull the demon out of his body.
Ashley and Harold fell to the floor. Danny began attempting to stab the demon with a blade that already seemed to have blood on it. After about a minute, Danny finally stabbed the demon, and it faded into black smoke. Danny walked over to his unconscious body and faded into it. Ashley and Harold raced over to him when they noticed he was breathing. "Danny?" Ashley asked. Danny nodded weakly. Harold looked down at his friend, with tears falling from his eyes to the floor. "I saved you..." Danny said weakly. Harold pulled his sleeve up to reveal where he had cut his arm with the knife when it flew out of his hand. Danny saw what he was doing, and shook his head. "I... don't want it." he said.
Ashley looked down at him. "I'm already dying, I know nothing can save me..." he said, pulling up his shirt to reveal where Vincent had stabbed him. Black blood was dripping heavily from the wound. Ashley took a look at it for about thirty seconds before turning to Harold. "Not even a vampire can survive having their heart stabbed, especially that deep. Danny looked at Harold. "You two are the only ones left who can stop those demons from awakening the Freak. They're upstairs right now preparing the ritual." he said. Ashley and Harold noticed his breaths
were getting slower every second. "I'm sorry..." Danny said weakly, and gestured to Harold. Harold raced over to him. Danny whispered in his ear, "What you want most will happen soon. I saw it..." he said, then, Danny drew one last breath, and closed his eyes for the last time. Harold set him down gently, and turned to Ashley. "Let's end this." he said.

Chapter 11:The Old Ones
The Old Ones formed a circle, with a smile on their faces, and placed the jars of blood and organs in the center. Without speaking, they began to move clockwise around the jars. Ashley and Harold waited in the shadows. "I don't see anyone else." Ashley noted. "They must have already finished those people off." Harold replied sadly. "The ritual's starting." Ashley said, not taking her eyes off the Old Ones, who were still moving around, their backs to Ashley and Harold, who were contemplating what to do next. Ashley gripped the blade in her hand, and motioned to Harold to do the same. "If they turn around, we're dead." Ashley noted. "We have to stop them. It was Danny's dying wish."
Harold replied. "The Freak can't be released, or there's no hope for humanity." Ashley turned to Harold. "Can you believe you used to be a normal high school kid who was dying from liver cancer?" she asked. Harold sighed. "No, a lot has happened in the past year. Now I'm going to try to save the world." Tears formed in his eyes. "I never dreamed that... in all the years I've known Danny, that he would die in front of me." "It might just be by a few minutes if we can't stop those demons." Ashley remarked. Harold nodded. "This could be our last night alive, or in your case, undead." he said. Ashley nodded sadly. "Any last words?" she asked. Harold nodded. "Let's finish this." he replied. Then they moved slowly towards the Old Ones, who were still circling in the center of the room. Both of them raised the blades in their hands, and moved a little faster. Suddenly, the Old Ones stopped circling, and stood very still. Ashley and Harold stopped and stood motionless. The Old Ones slowly turned around, sinister grins forming on their deformed faces. Ashley, using superhuman strength, tossed her blade at the nearest demon. It collided with it's heart upon impact. Green blood began pouring out of the wound, and the first of the demons fell to the floor. Moving quickly, Ashley recovered her blade. Harold, knowing now was the time to react, raced over to another demon. However, the demon turned around and tossed Harold against the wall. Harold tried to stand, but felt to much pain to do so. The demon floated over to Harold and pulled out a scapel. Grinning it's sinister,demonic grin, it reached towards Harold. "No!" Ashley screamed, and tossed her blade into the demon's back. Once again, green blood splattered all over the room, and the demon's body fell to the floor. Suddenly, Ashley was grabbed from behind by the final demon. She struggled as she was forced to the floor. The demon raised it's scapel, still grinning. Ashley realized her strength couldn't hold the arm, and closed her eyes, preparing to feel unimaginable pain as she died, hoping Harold would recover
and somehow escape before the demon could get to him. But the pain didn't come, what did come was a horrible shriek from above her. Ashley opened her eyes just in time to see green blood splatter everywhere. The demon fell to the floor, as she pushed it off her and got to her feet, she saw, to her surprise, Harold was standing over the demon, holding the brass blade he had brought for himself, which was covered in green blood. Ashley looked Harold over. He seemed okay for the most part, but blood was coming from his mouth and nose, and upon further inspection, she discovered he had a deep scratch on the back of his shoulder. "Got it when I fell." he replied when he saw what Ashley was looking at. "You did it!" she said, giving him a light hug. Harold sighed. "Maybe not." he said, staring behind Ashley. Ashley noticed his gaze, and turned around to see, to her horror, the blood from the Old Ones had merged with the blood and organs the demons had collected over the past three days. The blood formed a puddle, which began emitting a black light. "Run!" Harold shouted. "What's going on?" Ashley asked him. "I think it's the Freak, I don't know how but I think it's him! We've got to leave now!" he shouted. Ashley knew Harold was right, even though it didn't make since to her either. They raced out of the room and after stopping only long enough to recover Danny's body, ran outside. The storm had gotten even more severe since they had come in, and seemed to be getting worse. They tossed Danny into the back of Ashley's car, and climbed inside, and drove away just as a bright light filled the warehouse.

Epilouge:
June 22,1996
The clouds over Crystal Cove seemed to get darker by the day. The rain had become even more heavy with each passing day, and the storms had been just as bad. In fact, Crystal Cove hadn't had even one sunny day in over a week. But Ashley and Harold were the only ones who knew why. It was the Freak. Dispite their best efforts to stop his release, they had failed to do so. The Freak roamed the Earth for the first time in who knows how long. But, the two had not given up, because they had made a promise not to do so. A promise to a very close friend.***********************************­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­*Ha­rol­d Sunderland had moved in with Ashley after the Freak's release, it really hurt him to leave his dad, but he knew it was best to do so. At least for the time being. Most of the days and nights in their apartment were spent researching some way to stop the Freak and prevent the end of humanity, but so far, they hadn't found anything at all. After a particularly tiring day of research, Ashley urged Harold to go to sleep,
which he hardly had done at all since Danny died and the Freak was released. After eventually agreeing, Harold climbed into his bed and fell asleep within a few minutes. Suddenly, he was hit by a very intense dream. Harold lay on the floor. He was bleeding all over, he knew he was dying. He looked up at Ashley, who was weeping heavily, saying "This is all my fault." Harold couldn't move, and he everything was starting
to get blurry. As Harold began to close his eyes, Ashley rushed over to him. Suddenly he heard the words Danny had told him before he died. "What you want most will happen soon. I... saw it. As Ashley watched Harold toss and turn in his sleep, she wondered what horrors lay ahead.
TO BE CONTINUED...