Hello, everyone!
I am absolutely ecstatic to announce that my first forum story, The Mors Island Incident, is finally ready to be released, and it's happening right now! (I'm so excited!)
The Mors Island Incident is a choose-your-path story about the Murder mini-game. If you don't know what a choose-your-path story is, it's basically a story where you, the reader, makes choices that affect the story. It's kind of like playing a choices-matter video game, but you're reading the story instead of playing it!
WARNING: This story may not be fitting for young children. Please read the following subjects to make sure that you're okay with reading the story!
This story contains the following themes:
Murder (duh)
A reference to a cult (I guess you could call it that, I made it up) or organization that is built around murder
Blood? I say it a couple times (It's a Murder story, I mean duh)
Yeah, basically Murder. If you don't like Murder, you should probably leave.
I said Murder enough, didn't I?
I'd like to give you a bit of instruction as to how to go about reading this story, because I'm posting the entire story on this thread. It might get a little weird to navigate the story; I'm posting each chapter inside its own spoiler box.
Basically, you'll start at the Prologue, and when you're done reading that, there will be some instructions at the bottom of that spoiler box. It'll tell you where to go based on the choice you make in that chapter. Then, you'll need to close that spoiler box and open the one that you were told to open. Keep all other boxes closed so that you don't read a spoiler by mistake!
I'd also like to give you a few rules and code of conduct for this thread.
1. Please be respectful to others at all times.
2. If you're going to leave a comment about your thoughts about a specific section of the story, or if you're just going to flat-out put in a spoiler, please put it inside a spoiler box with the label being that of the related chapter. Example:
3. Please, PLEASE, DO NOT open the spoiler box of a chapter that you're not supposed to read yet. This goes for people who don't like how the story is going. For example, if you don't like the choice you made and you think the story isn't going the way you want it to, please don't go backwards! Keep reading the story until the end so that you understand everything, and then you can go back and try to find a different ending. There are a total of six endings; try to find them all!
4. I really appreciate feedback and constructive criticism. If you're going to leave a comment about things that I could have made better, please apply it as constructive criticism. Basically what I mean is, don't leave a hate comment.
5. Have fun reading the story and enjoy your stay!
On the subject of comments, I'd just like you all to know that I'll make sure to read all of your comments to see your thoughts!
Also I'd just like to say.. If you enjoy the story, please leave a "like." It really helps to make the thread popular so that more people can see it, and it also lets me know that you've enjoyed my work. I may write more stories in the future! It would also help a TON if you, the audience, could share the story with friends. I would really appreciate the support and the help! Thank you!
Alright, I think that's enough talk. Let's get into the story! Remember to check the labels of the spoiler boxes to make sure you're opening the right ones! Start with the Prologue. Remember, don't read the spoiler boxes in the order that they're placed! PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT CHAPTER YOU NEED TO GO TO AFTER EACH CHAPTER.
ENJOY YOUR STAY!
***
I am absolutely ecstatic to announce that my first forum story, The Mors Island Incident, is finally ready to be released, and it's happening right now! (I'm so excited!)
The Mors Island Incident is a choose-your-path story about the Murder mini-game. If you don't know what a choose-your-path story is, it's basically a story where you, the reader, makes choices that affect the story. It's kind of like playing a choices-matter video game, but you're reading the story instead of playing it!
WARNING: This story may not be fitting for young children. Please read the following subjects to make sure that you're okay with reading the story!
This story contains the following themes:
Murder (duh)
A reference to a cult (I guess you could call it that, I made it up) or organization that is built around murder
Blood? I say it a couple times (It's a Murder story, I mean duh)
Yeah, basically Murder. If you don't like Murder, you should probably leave.
I said Murder enough, didn't I?
I'd like to give you a bit of instruction as to how to go about reading this story, because I'm posting the entire story on this thread. It might get a little weird to navigate the story; I'm posting each chapter inside its own spoiler box.
Basically, you'll start at the Prologue, and when you're done reading that, there will be some instructions at the bottom of that spoiler box. It'll tell you where to go based on the choice you make in that chapter. Then, you'll need to close that spoiler box and open the one that you were told to open. Keep all other boxes closed so that you don't read a spoiler by mistake!
I'd also like to give you a few rules and code of conduct for this thread.
1. Please be respectful to others at all times.
2. If you're going to leave a comment about your thoughts about a specific section of the story, or if you're just going to flat-out put in a spoiler, please put it inside a spoiler box with the label being that of the related chapter. Example:
I was very surprised when that one guy pulled a John Cena on the other guy and everyone was all like OHHHH BABY A TRIPLE and that one guy said OH WADDUP ITS DAT BOI and that one lady said something about peanut butter jelly time. It was cool!
4. I really appreciate feedback and constructive criticism. If you're going to leave a comment about things that I could have made better, please apply it as constructive criticism. Basically what I mean is, don't leave a hate comment.
OMG THAT WAS SO BAD I HATED EVERY PART OF IT THE STORY WAS SHORT THE CHARACTERS ARE LAME THE STORY IS BAD AND THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE IS 0/10 IGN WOULD NOT READ AGAIN
The story didn't appeal to me personally. I like the idea of a choose-your-path story, but I think you could have executed your idea differently. I think it would have been better to have a longer story
On the subject of comments, I'd just like you all to know that I'll make sure to read all of your comments to see your thoughts!
Also I'd just like to say.. If you enjoy the story, please leave a "like." It really helps to make the thread popular so that more people can see it, and it also lets me know that you've enjoyed my work. I may write more stories in the future! It would also help a TON if you, the audience, could share the story with friends. I would really appreciate the support and the help! Thank you!
Alright, I think that's enough talk. Let's get into the story! Remember to check the labels of the spoiler boxes to make sure you're opening the right ones! Start with the Prologue. Remember, don't read the spoiler boxes in the order that they're placed! PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT CHAPTER YOU NEED TO GO TO AFTER EACH CHAPTER.
ENJOY YOUR STAY!
***
Prologue
Aiden gasped as the island came into view. It was quite a small island; smaller than he had expected.
"Do you see that, guys? We're almost there!" Aiden exclaimed, turning in his seat to face the others. Savi nodded, a wild but excited expression on her face. Jerome was leaning to the side to get a better view of the island, and Lillian seemed strangely apprehensive. Reena sat next to Lillian, the former's nose buried in a book about the ocean. The pilot announced the upcoming landing and banked to the right.
The island somewhat resembled a bowl - three "sides" of the seemingly round island were made up of tall, natural, wall-like hills of stone. A few tall, thick trees dotted the flat central landscape of the small island. A sparkling waterfall seemed to recognize their presence, and it gleamed ever brighter against the blazing sun.
"Here it is - Mors Island! Brace yourselves, everyone," the pilot bellowed. The plane leveled out and the landing wheels skimmed across the surface of the gleaming ocean water. Soon enough, the plane had landed safely - and quite soundly - on land. Aiden grumbled as he thought about the last time he tried to land a plane. Only one wing broke off, he thought.
The passengers and the pilot, Jasmine, clambered out of their doors and ran to the shore. Jerome yelled and waved his arms wildly above him as the second small plane came in for the landing. Aiden grinned as Jerome tried to duck out of the way of the landing, but instead tripped over a small stone and fell into the soft, tan sand of the shore.
A few minutes later, all nine of the explorers and the two pilots gazed with awe at the slightly creepy, yet strangely beautiful and captivating island in front of them. A tall structure loomed before them.
"That's the Mors Temple, that is," explained Sheryl, the pilot of the second plane. "No one's quite sure how long ago it was built. Some historians think it was only a few centuries, but I think it's been here for longer."
"Let's go find out, then!" exclaimed Samuel as he broke his gaze away from the strange temple and fixed it on the rest of the group. "What are we waiting for?"
The others voiced their agreement, but Jasmine, the pilot of the plane Aiden rode in, apparently decided that everyones's health was at stake and told everyone to take a break, have some water, and rest for a bit.
"We've been sitting down for hours," Aiden grumbled to Jerome, who nodded his agreement, "why can't we just go now?"
Fifteen minutes later, the pilots agreed that it would be safe to explore. Aiden stood and nodded to Jerome, and they took a few steps away from the rising group of explorers to discuss where they wanted to go first.
"I want to check out the temple, obviously," said Jerome, "but I think I see a cave behind that waterfall. Think we should check that out?"
"I don't know. I'm still sort of tired, but I want to see everything. What do you think? Where should we go?"
Jerome agreed that he, too, was tired, but that he wanted to explore everything before they would have to leave the island. They thought about it in silence for a moment.
Aiden gasped as the island came into view. It was quite a small island; smaller than he had expected.
"Do you see that, guys? We're almost there!" Aiden exclaimed, turning in his seat to face the others. Savi nodded, a wild but excited expression on her face. Jerome was leaning to the side to get a better view of the island, and Lillian seemed strangely apprehensive. Reena sat next to Lillian, the former's nose buried in a book about the ocean. The pilot announced the upcoming landing and banked to the right.
The island somewhat resembled a bowl - three "sides" of the seemingly round island were made up of tall, natural, wall-like hills of stone. A few tall, thick trees dotted the flat central landscape of the small island. A sparkling waterfall seemed to recognize their presence, and it gleamed ever brighter against the blazing sun.
"Here it is - Mors Island! Brace yourselves, everyone," the pilot bellowed. The plane leveled out and the landing wheels skimmed across the surface of the gleaming ocean water. Soon enough, the plane had landed safely - and quite soundly - on land. Aiden grumbled as he thought about the last time he tried to land a plane. Only one wing broke off, he thought.
The passengers and the pilot, Jasmine, clambered out of their doors and ran to the shore. Jerome yelled and waved his arms wildly above him as the second small plane came in for the landing. Aiden grinned as Jerome tried to duck out of the way of the landing, but instead tripped over a small stone and fell into the soft, tan sand of the shore.
A few minutes later, all nine of the explorers and the two pilots gazed with awe at the slightly creepy, yet strangely beautiful and captivating island in front of them. A tall structure loomed before them.
"That's the Mors Temple, that is," explained Sheryl, the pilot of the second plane. "No one's quite sure how long ago it was built. Some historians think it was only a few centuries, but I think it's been here for longer."
"Let's go find out, then!" exclaimed Samuel as he broke his gaze away from the strange temple and fixed it on the rest of the group. "What are we waiting for?"
The others voiced their agreement, but Jasmine, the pilot of the plane Aiden rode in, apparently decided that everyones's health was at stake and told everyone to take a break, have some water, and rest for a bit.
"We've been sitting down for hours," Aiden grumbled to Jerome, who nodded his agreement, "why can't we just go now?"
Fifteen minutes later, the pilots agreed that it would be safe to explore. Aiden stood and nodded to Jerome, and they took a few steps away from the rising group of explorers to discuss where they wanted to go first.
"I want to check out the temple, obviously," said Jerome, "but I think I see a cave behind that waterfall. Think we should check that out?"
"I don't know. I'm still sort of tired, but I want to see everything. What do you think? Where should we go?"
Jerome agreed that he, too, was tired, but that he wanted to explore everything before they would have to leave the island. They thought about it in silence for a moment.
* * *
Hey there! Emviar here. First I'd like to thank you all for reading the Prologue. I hope you like the rest of the story. If you look below, you'll see that it's time for you to make your first choice of the story. If you don't know what to choose, just think about it for a moment. Obviously you can read the story again after you've found and ending. There are a total of six endings; try to find them all, but please don't read parts of the story that you haven't got to yet, and please don't go back to a previous choice just because you don't like how the story is going. Alright, sorry for the super-long interruption here. This will be the only time I interject like this. Okay, make your choice and proceed to the corresponding spoiler box!
You and Jerome are deciding where to explore first.
If you wish to explore the Mors Temple first, close this spoiler box and open A1.
If you wish to continue to rest in the nice shade of the trees and have a nice chat, open B1.
If you wish to investigate the waterfall, close this box and open C1.
***
Hey there! Emviar here. First I'd like to thank you all for reading the Prologue. I hope you like the rest of the story. If you look below, you'll see that it's time for you to make your first choice of the story. If you don't know what to choose, just think about it for a moment. Obviously you can read the story again after you've found and ending. There are a total of six endings; try to find them all, but please don't read parts of the story that you haven't got to yet, and please don't go back to a previous choice just because you don't like how the story is going. Alright, sorry for the super-long interruption here. This will be the only time I interject like this. Okay, make your choice and proceed to the corresponding spoiler box!
You and Jerome are deciding where to explore first.
If you wish to explore the Mors Temple first, close this spoiler box and open A1.
If you wish to continue to rest in the nice shade of the trees and have a nice chat, open B1.
If you wish to investigate the waterfall, close this box and open C1.
***
If you've opened this spoiler box, it means that you've just chosen to explore the Mors Temple first. If you have not chosen to explore the temple first, please close this box and go back to the Prologue. Then you can find the correct spoiler box to proceed to. Once again, please do not go back to the Prologue to switch choices just because you don't like how the story is going.
Chapter A1
After another minute or so of discussing, Aiden and Jerome agreed to go explore the Mors Temple first.
"I'm really looking forward to this," Aiden said cheerfully as they set out towards the temple, being the first two of the group to go anywhere since the landing. "I think this thing is going to be pretty cool."
It took them less than a minute to get close to the temple's entrance. It was a very old, pyramid-type temple, almost like that of the Aztecs. Made of dark gray stone, the temple appeared to be very old. The two boys entered the hole that they took to be the entrance.
Once inside, they found that it was extremely dark. The only light they could see, besides what came through the obvious door behind them, came from small holes in the walls and cracks in the ceiling.
"This place is way cool, but I wish we could see a bit more," said Jerome. Aiden groped in his back pocket for the flashlight that he always kept with him and turned it on. It filled the room with a bright, white light and illuminated many interesting things.
Small, unrecognizable carvings were etched into some areas of the walls of the room in which they stood. A great stone pillar stood in the middle of the room, connecting the floor with the ceiling and providing support for the large structure. It, too, had strange carvings on it.
"Look at this, Jerome," Aiden muttered as he ran his hand along the strange language. "I keep seeing the same carvings. Look, this one looks like a knife and it keeps showing up." Jerome leaned closer and examined the deadly-looking glyph.
"I wonder if anyone here knows how to translate the language?" Jerome wondered aloud. "Maybe we should ask the pilots."
"I don't think so," Aiden replied, hardly listening. "I asked Reena before we got into the planes. She told me that no one alive is known to be able to translate the markings." He directed his full attention back to the markings. Aiden noted that they seemed to be in some sort of pattern; many of the strange glyphs appeared more than once in a set.
After examining the markings until they no longer kept his full interest, Aiden began to move on to the next room. Jerome followed closely. A staircase stood on their left while a vacant hole formed a doorway on the opposite wall. The two looked for a moment at the staircase; it led upwards, and they had a more intense interest for what could be on the main floor, or possibly below. The boys made their way through the doorway, leaving behind the few rays of sunlight that beamed down the staircase.
Immediately Aiden's eyes were overcome with darkness and dust. Coughing, he clicked the flashlight on once again and waved it around the room. It was fairly plain; the only mildly interesting part of the room was a small, pedestal-like structure on the floor, in the middle of the room.
"What do you think used to be on there?" Aiden asked quietly as he glanced back at Jerome. The latter shrugged and crouched down next to Aiden. "Whatever it was," Jerome muttered, "it's gone. Someone must have taken it."
"Unless.." said Aiden quietly, more to himself than to Jerome, "unless it's not the real pedestal. I've read in books before that there can sometimes be fake treasure to make whoever's looting the place think that they've found the most prized object." Jerome seemed to understand. "Not realizing that it's fake, they'll leave the temple and probably never realize that they were duped." Aiden finished.
"Well, if whatever used to be on this pedestal was fake, then where does that leave the real treasure?" Jerome asked with a sort of longing in his voice.
"I don't know. Whatever the real treasure was has probably already been taken. But, you know, there may not have been any treasure to begin with. I guess we shouldn't assume there's anything here."
"Yeah, but didn't our pilot say something about a treasure?" Jerome inquired with a sort of crushed hope. "I feel like I remember Jasmine saying something about that."
Aiden nodded and directed his focus back to the pedestal. Something about it unnerved him. He glanced around the room and took the plainness in.
"You know what," he said finally, after a minute's contemplation, "I think this room's too plain for treasure. I think that if whoever built this temple had any treasure at all, they would have made a better room for it, which means that if this room held something fake..."
"..maybe there's a way into the real treasure room!" Jerome finished for him. He immediately sprang to his feet and began searching the room for anything suspicious. Aiden watched him for a few seconds in silence, then joined him as well.
After several minutes of searching, they sat down on the extremely dusty floor and pulled out their bottles of water to have a quick drink.
"Wait a second," Jerome began, a look of surprise and understanding on his face, "water!"
"What?"
"Water! Haven't you seen movies where the treasure hunters pour water on rocks and other things to reveal hidden stuff? Maybe there are more markings on the floor, or even a map carved into the stone!" Jerome exclaimed breathlessly.
"Jerome, I think you watch too many movies," said Aiden, but with a grin. Reluctantly he pulled out his water bottle and joined Jerome as he began pouring water on various areas of the room, including the pedestal.
All of a sudden, Jerome let out a squeal of joy. "I've found something!" he yelled.
"You don't have to yell, I'm right here. What did you find, Jerome?" Aiden asked with hopefulness. Jerome stepped to the side to reveal a small stone protruding from the wall, close to the floor. He moved to press it.
"Wait! What if it's a trap?" Aiden screamed and ran towards Jerome, but it was too late. He had already pushed the stone as far as it would go into the wall.
A sound of stone against stone echoed in the room, and the two boys covered their ears in pain. Suddenly, the floor gave way and the two of them were sliding down a large stone wedge. The two of them hit the floor painfully, one on top of the other.
"Sorry," Jerome groaned as he struggled to get off of Aiden. The latter muttered dismissively and got to his feet as well.
Standing in the middle of the larger room was a second pedestal, larger than the one above. On it stood a magnificent glowing blade. It seemed to emit a strange, compelling power.
"Jerome, you're a genius."
"Hey, Aiden, that looks just like the markings from that first room! That looks so cool!" Jerome exclaimed, but Aiden was barely listening. He had already began running to the middle of the room. Ignoring Jerome's cries of protest, Aiden picked up the sharp blade. Immediately he felt a surge of power, pain and confusion course through his body.
In a second, he felt as though he was gone from the world. Not dead nor alive, present but away. He could not hear, taste, smell, or even feel. He could only see. He could only sense the desire to hurt, to strike, to kill. He was overcome with a blood-lust he had never felt and, ignoring Jerome's soundless cries of fear, he advanced on his friend. It was not until after he had thrust the six-inch-long blade into Jerome's chest did Aiden start to hear or feel anything. By then, Jerome had collapsed on the floor of the room and all traces of life left his limp body. Aiden watched as all color drained from Jerome's face and his eyes became lifeless.
Chapter A1
After another minute or so of discussing, Aiden and Jerome agreed to go explore the Mors Temple first.
"I'm really looking forward to this," Aiden said cheerfully as they set out towards the temple, being the first two of the group to go anywhere since the landing. "I think this thing is going to be pretty cool."
It took them less than a minute to get close to the temple's entrance. It was a very old, pyramid-type temple, almost like that of the Aztecs. Made of dark gray stone, the temple appeared to be very old. The two boys entered the hole that they took to be the entrance.
Once inside, they found that it was extremely dark. The only light they could see, besides what came through the obvious door behind them, came from small holes in the walls and cracks in the ceiling.
"This place is way cool, but I wish we could see a bit more," said Jerome. Aiden groped in his back pocket for the flashlight that he always kept with him and turned it on. It filled the room with a bright, white light and illuminated many interesting things.
Small, unrecognizable carvings were etched into some areas of the walls of the room in which they stood. A great stone pillar stood in the middle of the room, connecting the floor with the ceiling and providing support for the large structure. It, too, had strange carvings on it.
"Look at this, Jerome," Aiden muttered as he ran his hand along the strange language. "I keep seeing the same carvings. Look, this one looks like a knife and it keeps showing up." Jerome leaned closer and examined the deadly-looking glyph.
"I wonder if anyone here knows how to translate the language?" Jerome wondered aloud. "Maybe we should ask the pilots."
"I don't think so," Aiden replied, hardly listening. "I asked Reena before we got into the planes. She told me that no one alive is known to be able to translate the markings." He directed his full attention back to the markings. Aiden noted that they seemed to be in some sort of pattern; many of the strange glyphs appeared more than once in a set.
After examining the markings until they no longer kept his full interest, Aiden began to move on to the next room. Jerome followed closely. A staircase stood on their left while a vacant hole formed a doorway on the opposite wall. The two looked for a moment at the staircase; it led upwards, and they had a more intense interest for what could be on the main floor, or possibly below. The boys made their way through the doorway, leaving behind the few rays of sunlight that beamed down the staircase.
Immediately Aiden's eyes were overcome with darkness and dust. Coughing, he clicked the flashlight on once again and waved it around the room. It was fairly plain; the only mildly interesting part of the room was a small, pedestal-like structure on the floor, in the middle of the room.
"What do you think used to be on there?" Aiden asked quietly as he glanced back at Jerome. The latter shrugged and crouched down next to Aiden. "Whatever it was," Jerome muttered, "it's gone. Someone must have taken it."
"Unless.." said Aiden quietly, more to himself than to Jerome, "unless it's not the real pedestal. I've read in books before that there can sometimes be fake treasure to make whoever's looting the place think that they've found the most prized object." Jerome seemed to understand. "Not realizing that it's fake, they'll leave the temple and probably never realize that they were duped." Aiden finished.
"Well, if whatever used to be on this pedestal was fake, then where does that leave the real treasure?" Jerome asked with a sort of longing in his voice.
"I don't know. Whatever the real treasure was has probably already been taken. But, you know, there may not have been any treasure to begin with. I guess we shouldn't assume there's anything here."
"Yeah, but didn't our pilot say something about a treasure?" Jerome inquired with a sort of crushed hope. "I feel like I remember Jasmine saying something about that."
Aiden nodded and directed his focus back to the pedestal. Something about it unnerved him. He glanced around the room and took the plainness in.
"You know what," he said finally, after a minute's contemplation, "I think this room's too plain for treasure. I think that if whoever built this temple had any treasure at all, they would have made a better room for it, which means that if this room held something fake..."
"..maybe there's a way into the real treasure room!" Jerome finished for him. He immediately sprang to his feet and began searching the room for anything suspicious. Aiden watched him for a few seconds in silence, then joined him as well.
After several minutes of searching, they sat down on the extremely dusty floor and pulled out their bottles of water to have a quick drink.
"Wait a second," Jerome began, a look of surprise and understanding on his face, "water!"
"What?"
"Water! Haven't you seen movies where the treasure hunters pour water on rocks and other things to reveal hidden stuff? Maybe there are more markings on the floor, or even a map carved into the stone!" Jerome exclaimed breathlessly.
"Jerome, I think you watch too many movies," said Aiden, but with a grin. Reluctantly he pulled out his water bottle and joined Jerome as he began pouring water on various areas of the room, including the pedestal.
All of a sudden, Jerome let out a squeal of joy. "I've found something!" he yelled.
"You don't have to yell, I'm right here. What did you find, Jerome?" Aiden asked with hopefulness. Jerome stepped to the side to reveal a small stone protruding from the wall, close to the floor. He moved to press it.
"Wait! What if it's a trap?" Aiden screamed and ran towards Jerome, but it was too late. He had already pushed the stone as far as it would go into the wall.
A sound of stone against stone echoed in the room, and the two boys covered their ears in pain. Suddenly, the floor gave way and the two of them were sliding down a large stone wedge. The two of them hit the floor painfully, one on top of the other.
"Sorry," Jerome groaned as he struggled to get off of Aiden. The latter muttered dismissively and got to his feet as well.
Standing in the middle of the larger room was a second pedestal, larger than the one above. On it stood a magnificent glowing blade. It seemed to emit a strange, compelling power.
"Jerome, you're a genius."
"Hey, Aiden, that looks just like the markings from that first room! That looks so cool!" Jerome exclaimed, but Aiden was barely listening. He had already began running to the middle of the room. Ignoring Jerome's cries of protest, Aiden picked up the sharp blade. Immediately he felt a surge of power, pain and confusion course through his body.
In a second, he felt as though he was gone from the world. Not dead nor alive, present but away. He could not hear, taste, smell, or even feel. He could only see. He could only sense the desire to hurt, to strike, to kill. He was overcome with a blood-lust he had never felt and, ignoring Jerome's soundless cries of fear, he advanced on his friend. It was not until after he had thrust the six-inch-long blade into Jerome's chest did Aiden start to hear or feel anything. By then, Jerome had collapsed on the floor of the room and all traces of life left his limp body. Aiden watched as all color drained from Jerome's face and his eyes became lifeless.
You are the Murderer. Kill everyone. Don't get caught.
***
Proceed to Chapter A2.
***
***
Proceed to Chapter A2.
***
If you've opened this spoiler box, it means that you have just completed Chapter A1. If this is incorrect, please return to the chapter that you just read and find the correct chapter.
Chapter A2
Aiden watched as life itself drained from Savi's eyes. He had just murdered her with the knife he had found in the depths of the Mors Temple. He stood up and left the body, and the room, without looking back. Chapter A2
She almost got away, he thought. Savi was a very fast runner, but Aiden had the advantage. Because they were in the enclosed space of the temple's rooms, Savi was unable to run fast enough to escape Aiden's blade when he had thrown it at her from the other end of the room. It pierced her back and she had fallen to the ground, only to die in a few seconds.
Aiden continued to walk in the shadows of the dark temple rooms. He was starting to enjoy this game of cat and mouse. He knew not why he was here or what he was doing before this, but all he felt was the need to eliminate everyone on the island. And after that, everyone else...
He pressed on through the dark passages of the temple. He did not have enough time to memorize the rooms when he was pursuing Savi. Because of this, he now tried his best to remember where each room was.
Aiden thought about who he had killed. When he first found the knife, which was the beginning of the only things he could remember, he had murdered Jerome. Then, he had just killed Savi. That left many others, including the pilots, alive.
As he walked, he thought about the need to hide the bodies of the people he killed. Then again, he thought, Jerome died in the room where he, Aiden, had found the knife, and Savi died in a room in the corner of the temple. She wasn't likely to be found.
Aiden approached one of the side-entrances of the temple. He was bathed in sunlight, yet he felt strangely cold. The voices of the other explorers made their way to his ears. For a split second he contemplated sprinting out and killing them all, but he thought better.
He would wait until another unsuspecting person would wander into the temple, then he would kill them and hide the body. When that person never comes back out, he thought, more will come in. Then I can kill them, too.
Aiden felt that he was enjoying this strange game of cat and mouse. He enjoyed the thought of planning more murders. He turned the idea around in his head for a bit until he heard footsteps coming his way.
He quickly ducked behind the wall and waited. Soon enough, he heard the voices of a boy and a girl coming closer.
"...Besides, Gabby, they probably just got lost. C'mon, here's an entrance. We can find them in here," said the male.
"I know, Sam, but I feel sort of scared. I mean, what if something horrible happened to them? What if the same happens to us and no one will know?"
"It's fine, it's fine," Samuel reassured her. "I've got your back." The girl, Gabby, laughed and stepped inside. Aiden's heart, if you could call it that, pumped furiously in his chest. He knew what he had to do.
He lauched himself out from behind the wall and slammed into Samuel instead.
"OI! What do you think you're-"
Aiden sent a blow full-force at Samuel's chest and the latter crashed to the ground, but he pulled Aiden down with him. Upon seeing the sharp blade in Aiden's hand, Samuel screamed for Gabby to run away.
"Sam, no! I won't leave-"
"GO! Get help! Hurry!"
Gabby sped off towards the others. Aiden knew that he had little time left, so he swung the knife and narrowly missed Samuel's throat.
"What do you think you're doing?" Samuel snarled.
"Ridding this island of the lot of you," Aiden snarled back. His voice was dry and cracked; he had not used his voice since before he had killed Jerome. Samuel, struggling against the weight of Aiden on top of him, began to protest, but-
Aiden pushed the knife with all of his might into Samuel's stomach. The latter let out a roar of pain and tried to hit Aiden back, but it was too late; Aiden knocked him unconcious, never to wake again.
Footsteps - fast, hard footsteps, and many of them - were approaching the entrance quickly. Aiden panicked, and when Rena, the second pilot's younger sister, stepped in front of the doorway, she let out a loud shriek of terror.
"HE'S IN HERE! He's killed Sam!"
Suddenly some of the other explorers showed their faces, including Jev, Gabby and Lillian, Aiden's and Jerome's friend from home. Many of them let out shrieks, but something caught Aiden's eye. One of the explorers pulled a metal object from their pocket - a pistol.
Hardly thinking, Aiden grasped the knife and pulled it out of Samuel's body, hurled it at the mass of bodies in front of him, and vanished into a doorway. The scream of a female voice seemed to penetrate the walls of the temple. Aiden knew he had hit one of them. He continued to scramble through the maze of rooms.
He thought he heard voices, so he ducked into the room that contained the fake pedestal where Jerome had discovered the switch that opened the real treasure room. He ducked down into the real treasure room and waited.
Idiot, he told himself. Now you don't have a weapon. He was completely defenseless; he had no weapon to use to complete the mission that was set before him. He sat in silence for a moment, until-
Soundlessly and seemingly effortlessly, the knife which he had already used to murder three innocent souls materialized in his hand. He jumped at the sudden feeling of the smooth handle in his once-empty hand.
Aiden turned the knife over a couple times in his hand, as if to truly be sure that it was there, and not playing some childish trick on him. Suddenly, he understood.
His weapon would always return to him.
Revelling in this strange phenomenon, Aiden thought about his surroundings.
All of the explorers arrived in the two planes that were flown to the island by two pilots; one pilot per plane. He had hit a female with the knife when he threw it, but he knew he could not be sure who it was that he hit.
Most likely, he thought, they would still be looking for him. And they were armed. He realized that once they rounded up everyone who was still alive, and seeing all of the bodies of the innocent explorers he had murdered earlier, they would likely get in the planes and leave the island to contact help.
He had to do something. He couldn't just leave those perfectly-working planes on the shore. He needed to make an important decision. Would he try to go to the planes and damage them, or even crash them so that no one could leave? Or would he wait it out and go there later? The others, he thought, were probably still looking for him, and if he made one wrong move, it could all be over. He turned these thoughts around in his head for a moment.
He had to make a choice.
***
If you wish to attempt to sabotage the planes on shore, proceed to Chapter A2a.
If you wish to stay in the treasure room and wait things out, proceed to Chapter A2b.
***
If you wish to attempt to sabotage the planes on shore, proceed to Chapter A2a.
If you wish to stay in the treasure room and wait things out, proceed to Chapter A2b.
***
If you're reading this spoiler box, it means that you've just chosen to attempt to sabotage the planes that brought everyone to the island. If this is incorrect, please close this box and return to the correct chapter.
Chapter A3a
The soft breeze of The Mors Island, combined with the cool ocean water, the gleaming waterfall and the historic temple would have, under normal circumstances, made for a relaxing area.Chapter A3a
The only problem was the commotion of murder.
Aiden watched as the remaining explorers entered the temple. He had created a diversion to make all of the explorers think it was safe to enter the it. He relayed in his mind what he had to do.
First, he would move across the open area of the island and behind the planes. Next, he would remove a vital component of both. Then, he would destroy the component of one and hide the other. That way, he thought, after he had killed everyone else, he would be able to repair one of the planes and fly back to the mainland.
And if he found someone on the way?
He'd kill them.
Aiden felt the rough wood of the tree trunk once more. It was, he thought, strangely soothing. But he had no time for soothing things. He checked the coast once more. No one was to be seen.
He stepped forward, then broke into a mad sprint. He had just barely made it to one of the planes when he heard a familiar voice. But how was it familiar...? He remembered nothing of his past life. All he could remember was touching the knife, feeling its power surge through him...
"Aiden? Aiden, is that you?"
He stopped in his tracks. Why was that voice familiar?
"Aiden, please. Stop this. Don't hurt anyone else."
He took another step around the plane to see Lillian. He could not understand why she seemed to know him. He did not know anyone. Lillian looked at him and her eyes filled with tears.
"Aiden, this has gone too far. Please, stop this."
"What are you talking about?" he croaked in reply. His voice was dry; he had not used it in a while.
"What are you talking about? We've known each other our whole lives! The three of us - you, Jerome and I - have been best friends since we were babies!"
Aiden could not understand. He could not remember anything before he had found the blade in the temple. He thought that that moment was the beginning of his life, and he could only achieve what he was put here for by killing everyone on the island.
"Aiden, please! Are you even listening to me?"
"I don't know who you are."
Lillian took a step back. She was silently sobbing. She turned to run away. Aiden's only mission was to kill everyone. And that was what he was going to do.
He hurled the knife through the air towards Lillian. It missed her head by only a few inches. She clearly knew what had happened, for she screamed and ran ever faster. Aiden sprinted to the place where his knife lay on the ground. After picking it up, he hurled it again at Lillian, and this time he hit her square in the back.
Lillian shrieked and fell to the ground, shaking. She hastily tried to remove the knife from her back, but it seemed to want to stay inside her. It did not move.
She slowly turned to see Aiden again.
"Aiden.. stop.. this."
Her words trailed off, and she fell to the ground, her body limp and her face lifeless. Her overall state was exactly what fueled Aiden. Seeing what he could do with this blade, with the power that was inside him because of it.
He suddenly remembered why he had found Lillian in the first place. He pulled the knife out of Lillian's back and hastily returned to the planes where he opened up a wire compartment on the first.
He was decently trained in plane mechanics, he thought; he could handle this. Using the knife, he cut three wires. That ought to do it, he thought. No control means no flying.
He approached the second plane and opened the motor compartment. He removed a part that connects an important cable to the motor, thus making it so that the plane would not work. He stowed the small piece away in his back pocket. Just as he was walking away, he heard a female voice echo from the side of the temple.
"No! Lillian!" it yelled.
His heart racing, Aiden ran back to the corner of the temple and peered around. Reena was standing over Lillian, sobbing. Aiden knew that the others would arrive at that place in a few seconds. Hardly thinking, he hurled the knife at Reena and sprinted away.
He heard a shrill scream pierce the air. Aiden knew he had hit his target.
He sprinted to the waterfall and jumped inside the hole behind it. He had not been in there before, but he had a feeling he would be able to hide there. Feeling the smooth handle of the knife materialize in his hand, he looked around the strange place where he was.
He was inside a cave, a sort of tunnel. It had rough but seemingly rounded walls that curved upwards to the ceiling. The floor was rough and jagged. Aiden saw a light at the end of the cave.
Approaching it, he saw that a stone door that once guarded a room now stood open. Looking inside, he saw a circular room with walls that, once again, curved towards a dome-like ceiling. The floor was smooth, and there was a hole in the ceiling that let in rays of sunlight.
Looking closer at the walls, he noticed strange carvings etched into the walls. They depicted more modern humans handing down a metal weapon - a pistol - to other people, who Aiden assumed to be the people who had built the temple - The Mors.
A wooden chest emblazoned with gold and strange markings sat in the middle of the room. It was open. Aiden looked inside to see if anything remained.
Only the outline of a pistol.
So this is where they got it, he thought. They didn't bring one, assuming someone would cause trouble.
This troubled him. Was the knife intended to fall into his hands? Was he supposed to find it and wreak havoc on the island?
Yes. That was his mission, he thought. That was what he must do. Eliminate.
Refueled by this revelation, he turned on the spot and left the room.
***
Proceed to Ending 1.
***
Proceed to Ending 1.
***
If you're reading this spoiler box, it means that you've just come from Chapter A2. It means that you've just chosen to wait things out in the treasure room for a bit. If this is incorrect, please return to the chapter that you just read.
Chapter A3b
It was cold and dark in the treasure room. It was the room in which Aiden had first found the strange knife; the knife he used to murder his friend Jerome and many others.Chapter A3b
Aiden looked up at the ceiling again. He had been sitting in the room for what felt like hours, but he knew it could only have been a few minutes. After contemplating whether or not he should attempt to destroy the planes that brought them all to the island, he decided to remain in the room for a minute to rest.
But he could not rest. Not now. He had to complete his mission.
Aiden stood up, refueled, and made to exit the room. As he was stepping out of the room, however, he was struck with the realization of how many explorers were still alive. He listed them off in his head.
Jasmine and Sheryl, the two pilots, were still alive. Gabby and Reena were also present, which only left Lillian and Jev. Six more, Aiden thought.
As he wove his way through the temple's dark rooms, he thought about what he had to do. He had to kill six more people, one of them armed.
Maybe he could create a distraction. Yes! Maybe, he thought, by picking off one of the weaker ones, he could create a distraction in which he could kill the rest! It seemed foolproof. He just needed to decide who he would target first.
As he decided to go for Gabby first, he noticed that he had never gone up the stone staircases on the second floor of the temple. He had always avoided them because so much sunlight came streaming down from above, but now he went up, thinking that this may just be what he needed.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he realized that the staircases wove around a large stone pillar in the middle of the temple. At the top of the staircases there was a small dome-like structure, clearly on the top of the temple. There were stone pillars in the corner of the room, and there was a ceiling and floor, but there were no walls. Sunlight streamed in through the absence of stone.
Aiden looked down at the island surrounding him. The two planes sat gleaming on the shore, unmanned and empty. Sheryl and Lillian stood, keeping watch, in front of the planes, obviously deep in conversation.
Aiden would have chucked the knife at one of them, but the distance was too great. He knew he would miss, and then he would just attract attention. He looked around at the other areas of the island.
Reena and Gabby stood as still as stone next to the waterfall. They were evidently keeping watch to make sure Aiden wouldn't enter the cave to hide. Jasmine and Jev were nowhere to be seen.
They're coming in, Aiden thought. They're looking for me.
As this realization sunk in, it continued to make even more sense in Aiden's mind. He had seen previously that Jev was a brave explorer, and it was obvious that he wielded the pistol. It made sense that someone would enter the temple with him. Safety in numbers, Aiden thought. Jasmine, he thought, must be in there with him.
He took a step towards the staircases, thinking he would need to make a quick escape. But did he? He could just wait in the top of the temple until Jev would find him. Then he could just kill him and prevent anyone else from getting the gun.
Too risky, he told himself. I'm trapped up here. If they find me, I'll be dead right away.
He dashed down the stone steps. He would need to find a way to get to Jev when he least expected it.
When he finally made it back down to the first floor, he noticed something that he had never seen before. There was a hole, half carved into the floor and half into the wall, that was just wide enough for a human to crawl through.
Aiden quickly slipped into the hole arms-first. It only took him a few seconds to realize where this tunnel led. It let straight into the cave that Gabby and Reena were guarding.
Heart racing, Aiden pressed on through the rough tunnel. Finally, he slipped out of the hole and he was there; he was in the cave.
He looked around and, seeing the entrance, began dashing towards it. His feet slipped a little on the wet stone floor, but his gaze was fixed upon the sparkling water that separated the cave from the outdoors.
When he made it to the entrance, he found that he could just see the outlines of the two girls on the other side of the wall of water. He readied himself to throw the knife, but just as he was about to swing his arm, the girls moved.
"C'mon, Gabby, let's go," Reena said. "It's almost time."
Time for what? Aiden thought.
The two girls began to move away from the waterfall. Aiden was missing his chance. He leapt from the cave, through the icy cold water in the waterfall, and plunged into the river. It only took him a few seconds to get to the shore, but Gabby and Reena had already seen him.
"SHERYL! IT'S AIDEN!" Gabby screamed.
Aiden dashed towards Gabby and threw the knife, aiming straight for her chest, but he missed. It soared past her and cut through a small shrub instead. The two girls screamed and ran towards the planes; Sheryl was calling for Jev and Jasmine.
Aiden, after recovering the knife from the shrub, hurled it at Sheryl and missed once again. It bounced off of one of the planes with a thunk. Aiden dove to recover it, but the air was pierced by a shrill crack. Jev had fired the gun.
Jev sprinted into sight, Jasmine following closely, and called for the others.
"Get behind me! I'll take care of this!" he called. Lillian, Sheryl, Gabby and Reena dashed behind Jev. He took a step foward, toward the plane that Aiden was ducking behind.
"Aiden, I know you're there! Come out from behind there, now!"
But it was too late. The echo of Jev's voice was quickly overpowered by the sound of a helicopter. Two of the girls cheered.
"YES! We're saved!" they yelled.
"It's not over yet," Jev replied. "Stay behind me."
But who was here? Who could have found them? Were they really here for Aiden?
For the first time in Aiden's memory, he felt fear.
***
Proceed to Ending 2.
***
Proceed to Ending 2.
***
If you've opened this spoiler box, this means that you've chosen to remain in the cool shade of the tall trees and have a nice chat with some of the other explorers. If this is incorrect, please close this box and return to the Prologue. Once again, please do not go back to the Prologue to change your choice just because you don't like how the story is going.
Chapter B1
Lillian sighed happily as she leaned her back on the large stone that lay under a great tree. Some of the explorers, including Aiden and Jerome, decided to remain under the trees for a bit until they decided where to explore. The blazing sun did not affect them under the great leaves of the tree. After a few minutes, Aiden turned to speak to Lillian.
"Lillian, where did you say you want to go first?"
"I don't know," she replied, "I thought I saw something behind that waterfall, but the temple also looks really cool."
Reena gave a quiet noise of agreement. She glanced over the top of her book.
"Oh, come on, ReRe, you brought your book out here? I thought you wanted to see the island! Besides, you told me you'd rather explore alone than with everyone else," Lillian finished. Reena nodded slowly, but blushed a little and returned to her book.
"That's funny, Jerome saw something behind the waterfall too. We're probably going to explore it later; we're a bit tired right now." Aiden said, a little bit louder than he intended; he was trying to break the silence of the awkward moment.
Lillian turned to face him. "Have you asked Sheryl yet? She likes caves, so she might want to check that thing out."
"Sheryl? Who's that?" Aiden replied. He hadn't met everyone in the group yet.
"She's the pilot of the other plane - the one we weren't in. C'mon, I'll show you," Lillian said happily as she stood up; she pulled Aiden up and nodded to Jerome. The three moved toward the planes.
"See? There she is," Lillian said and she gave the two boys a little push towards the group of girls. "She's really nice, don't worry."
Several female explorers were standing in a group, partly under the shade. They stood next to the two planes that brought them all to the island. The blazing sun reflected off the white-orange paint job on the first plane intensely. As the two boys approached the group of girls, the latter turned towards the former. Aiden felt a bit embarassed as he felt the looks of several pairs of eyes on him.
"Hey, um, is Sheryl here?" he said with a stutter. The tallest girl nodded and stepped forward. Aiden added, "Lillian wanted me to meet you. She thinks you'd want to check out the waterfall at some point."
Sheryl nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you," she said as she extended a hand. After shaking, she stepped sidways to address a girl who looked a couple years younger than the former. She looked a bit pale and tired.
"This is my sister, Rena. What's your name?"
"I'm Aiden." After a minute or so they agreed that they'd like to examine the waterfall soon.
"We can go in a few minutes," Sheryl explained, "Rena's a little bit dehydrated. We gave her some water but she'll need a few minutes to rest, and I don't want to leave her here."
"Alright, just let me know when you're ready, then," Aiden replied and walked briskly back to the spot where Lillian and Jerome stood.
"You just looked as though she had a disease," she told him with a smirk. "You turned so quickly everyone would have thought you had slipped on something."
Aiden waved her off. He knew he didn't have too much experience talking to strangers. He had no trouble talking to Jerome and Lillian: he had known them for as long as he could remember.
After making it back to the nice shade of the tall tree, Aiden and Lillian sat back down on either side of Jerome and started discussing video games. It seemed to be a general hobby between the three. After several minutes of discussion, the topic of cell service on the deserted island came up.
"It's been weird, you know, not having cell service here. I've had a phone for a couple years now and I already feel naked without it. I mean, it's still here, you know, but I can almost feel the absence of WiFi," Jerome finished as he looked skyward with a dramatic look on his face.
"Oh, come on," Lillian said as she gave him a tiny punch in the shoulder, "it's not that bad living without connection. I'm happy to have a break. What do you think, Aiden?"
Aiden opened his mouth and began to speak, but his voice was drowned out by a scream. It was faint, but it seemed to ring out from the temple itself. The three of them squinted up at the temple.
A boy, apparently alone, practically sprinted out of the temple entrance.
"Help! Someone help! It's... it's Gabby! She's DEAD!"
The chatter among the few girls remaining by the planes was immediately broken. One of the pilots took a step towards the boy.
"Sam, what do you mean? How can Gabby be dead?"
"I watched someone kill her.. with a knife!"
Chapter B1
Lillian sighed happily as she leaned her back on the large stone that lay under a great tree. Some of the explorers, including Aiden and Jerome, decided to remain under the trees for a bit until they decided where to explore. The blazing sun did not affect them under the great leaves of the tree. After a few minutes, Aiden turned to speak to Lillian.
"Lillian, where did you say you want to go first?"
"I don't know," she replied, "I thought I saw something behind that waterfall, but the temple also looks really cool."
Reena gave a quiet noise of agreement. She glanced over the top of her book.
"Oh, come on, ReRe, you brought your book out here? I thought you wanted to see the island! Besides, you told me you'd rather explore alone than with everyone else," Lillian finished. Reena nodded slowly, but blushed a little and returned to her book.
"That's funny, Jerome saw something behind the waterfall too. We're probably going to explore it later; we're a bit tired right now." Aiden said, a little bit louder than he intended; he was trying to break the silence of the awkward moment.
Lillian turned to face him. "Have you asked Sheryl yet? She likes caves, so she might want to check that thing out."
"Sheryl? Who's that?" Aiden replied. He hadn't met everyone in the group yet.
"She's the pilot of the other plane - the one we weren't in. C'mon, I'll show you," Lillian said happily as she stood up; she pulled Aiden up and nodded to Jerome. The three moved toward the planes.
"See? There she is," Lillian said and she gave the two boys a little push towards the group of girls. "She's really nice, don't worry."
Several female explorers were standing in a group, partly under the shade. They stood next to the two planes that brought them all to the island. The blazing sun reflected off the white-orange paint job on the first plane intensely. As the two boys approached the group of girls, the latter turned towards the former. Aiden felt a bit embarassed as he felt the looks of several pairs of eyes on him.
"Hey, um, is Sheryl here?" he said with a stutter. The tallest girl nodded and stepped forward. Aiden added, "Lillian wanted me to meet you. She thinks you'd want to check out the waterfall at some point."
Sheryl nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you," she said as she extended a hand. After shaking, she stepped sidways to address a girl who looked a couple years younger than the former. She looked a bit pale and tired.
"This is my sister, Rena. What's your name?"
"I'm Aiden." After a minute or so they agreed that they'd like to examine the waterfall soon.
"We can go in a few minutes," Sheryl explained, "Rena's a little bit dehydrated. We gave her some water but she'll need a few minutes to rest, and I don't want to leave her here."
"Alright, just let me know when you're ready, then," Aiden replied and walked briskly back to the spot where Lillian and Jerome stood.
"You just looked as though she had a disease," she told him with a smirk. "You turned so quickly everyone would have thought you had slipped on something."
Aiden waved her off. He knew he didn't have too much experience talking to strangers. He had no trouble talking to Jerome and Lillian: he had known them for as long as he could remember.
After making it back to the nice shade of the tall tree, Aiden and Lillian sat back down on either side of Jerome and started discussing video games. It seemed to be a general hobby between the three. After several minutes of discussion, the topic of cell service on the deserted island came up.
"It's been weird, you know, not having cell service here. I've had a phone for a couple years now and I already feel naked without it. I mean, it's still here, you know, but I can almost feel the absence of WiFi," Jerome finished as he looked skyward with a dramatic look on his face.
"Oh, come on," Lillian said as she gave him a tiny punch in the shoulder, "it's not that bad living without connection. I'm happy to have a break. What do you think, Aiden?"
Aiden opened his mouth and began to speak, but his voice was drowned out by a scream. It was faint, but it seemed to ring out from the temple itself. The three of them squinted up at the temple.
A boy, apparently alone, practically sprinted out of the temple entrance.
"Help! Someone help! It's... it's Gabby! She's DEAD!"
The chatter among the few girls remaining by the planes was immediately broken. One of the pilots took a step towards the boy.
"Sam, what do you mean? How can Gabby be dead?"
"I watched someone kill her.. with a knife!"
You are a Bystander. Avoid the Murderer. Don't get killed.
***
Proceed to Chapter B2.
***
***
Proceed to Chapter B2.
***
If you've opened this spoiler box, this means that you've come from Chapter B1. If this is incorrect, please return to the chapter that you read previously and proceed to the correct chapter.
Chapter B2
Aiden watched as Samuel sat in the shade of the tall tree, trembling with anger.
"She just- she just stabbed her," he snarled.
"Calm down, Sam, it's going to be alright," Jasmine said. Jasmine and Sheryl, the two pilots, had been trying to calm Sam down for the past few minutes, but it wasn't going so well.
"Look, if what you say is true, then there's a real murderer on the loose," Sheryl added, "which means we're going to need to figure out how to protect everyone else."
"But the problem is," Aiden cut in, ignoring Sheryl's obvious look of annoyance, "we don't know where everyone is. Obviously one person has a knife, but we don't know if anyone else has been killed. Some people could be still in the Mors Temple, seconds away from their deaths."
"Exactly. Sam, did you see anyone else go in?"
"Only Gabby, me, and her." Samuel's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Who, Sam?" Aiden asked.
"Reena."
Fear seemed to cut across everyone at that moment. Lillian, who was sitting with her back to the large boulder once again, suddenly stood up.
"Oh, no! I didn't even think about where Reena was! She must have gone in while we were talking to Sheryl!" she said breathlessly.
"Lillian, it's not your fault. Don't even start."
"Yes, it was! I nagged on her about exploring alone, she always says she'd prefer not to be in a crowd, and now she's gone and killed someone!" She made no effort to conceal the tears that began to roll down her cheeks.
"Lillian, stop," Jasmine cut in. "It's not your fault and you know that. We can't do anything if we're all sitting here blaming ourselves." She turned to Samuel. "Sam, didn't you say she found the knife in the temple? She didn't bring it along with her on the plane, did she?"
Samuel shook his head. "No. The three of us - Gabby, Reena and I - found a hidden room. There was a knife on a pedestal, and Reena got to it before we did. She seemed to go crazy. We only wanted to look at it, but she just went berserk and started attacking us. And Gabby," he croaked, but his voice cracked, "didn't make it."
Those last three words seemed to take their toll on everyone more than the entire subject had before. They all - Aiden, Lillian, Jasmine, Sheryl, and Savi, who had not yet said a word on the subject - sat in silence.
"Uh oh, don't look, Sheryl," Jasmine said with a sort of smirk. From behind Sheryl, Savi spoke for the first time in several minutes. "What? It helps to calm me down!"
Aiden finally noticed what Jasmine was talking about. Behind Sheryl, Savi was peacefully knitting a scarf. She also had a side project of sewing a hole in her jeans back together. Sheryl turned around and let out a shriek.
"AHH!"
"What? What is it, Sheryl?"
"N-needles.." Everyone laughed loudly at the sound of Sheryl's fear.
"C'mon, Sheryl, you've gotta be kidding!" Aiden laughed.
"If you had the experiences I've had with needles, you'd be pretty afraid of them too," Sheryl croaked and gave a shudder.
lol what
"HEY! Guys!"
Aiden turned around. Jev was sprinting to the group.
"What's up, Jev?" Jasmine asked.
"I'm looking for Reena," he replied, "Have any of you seen her?"
"You're.. looking for Reena?" Sheryl asked, sounding faint. "She's just killed Gabby. Don't go looking for her."
"I know," Jev replied strongly. "That's why I'm looking for her. I'm going to stop her." he moved his arm to reveal a silver pistol attached to his belt. Everyone - except for Jev, of course - let out a dramatic gasp.
"Jev.. you can't possibly.. how could you even think of doing something like that?" Lillian shrieked.
"Lillian, you know as well as I do that Reena's already killed someone. It won't be long before someone else goes. Listen, I found this gun in that cave over there. As soon as I touched it, I felt a sort of understanding. I knew there was a murderer on this island, and I knew everyone was in danger. I have to eliminate her."
"Eliminate? Isn't that a bit.. I don't know.. drastic?" Jasmine gasped.
"Jasmine, it's the only way. The gun... told me. It's the only way to end this. I just know that we won't be able to safely get Reena back to shore to have a proper trial. Look, I'm going to go looking for Reena, with or without any of you. I have to do it. Obviously you're welcome to come, because I can't stop you, but I don't want to put you in danger."
"I'm coming," Jasmine said and stood up at once. "Last time Sam saw Reena, she was in the temple."
"No, Jasmine, you're a pilot," Lillian objected. "What if you get hurt and you can't fly everyone back safely?"
"I can fly," Aiden interjected for the first time in minutes.
"One of these?" Sheryl gestured to the two immobile planes on the shore. Aiden nodded.
"Listen," Jev interrupted, "if we keep stalling, there might not even be enough people left to need both planes. We have to act now." Jev turned on the spot and left for the temple. Jasmine followed briskly. Sheryl let out a sigh of annoyance.
"I swear," she growled, "if anything happens to my sister, we're going to have a problem." She stood up and appeared to be gathering herself.
"Alright. Someone should watch the planes to make sure Reena doesn't try to destroy or use them. We can't let her get away. I'll do it if no one else will."
"Sheryl, no. If something happens to Jasmine and you, we'll be all out of pilots." Lillian croaked.
"Lillian, this isn't about the importance of one person over another. This is about keeping the most people alive as possible." she replied.
Aiden thought for a moment. Should he be the one to watch the planes? If no one was watching, Reena could use the planes to escape, he thought. Someone needed to take action.
Chapter B2
Aiden watched as Samuel sat in the shade of the tall tree, trembling with anger.
"She just- she just stabbed her," he snarled.
"Calm down, Sam, it's going to be alright," Jasmine said. Jasmine and Sheryl, the two pilots, had been trying to calm Sam down for the past few minutes, but it wasn't going so well.
"Look, if what you say is true, then there's a real murderer on the loose," Sheryl added, "which means we're going to need to figure out how to protect everyone else."
"But the problem is," Aiden cut in, ignoring Sheryl's obvious look of annoyance, "we don't know where everyone is. Obviously one person has a knife, but we don't know if anyone else has been killed. Some people could be still in the Mors Temple, seconds away from their deaths."
"Exactly. Sam, did you see anyone else go in?"
"Only Gabby, me, and her." Samuel's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Who, Sam?" Aiden asked.
"Reena."
Fear seemed to cut across everyone at that moment. Lillian, who was sitting with her back to the large boulder once again, suddenly stood up.
"Oh, no! I didn't even think about where Reena was! She must have gone in while we were talking to Sheryl!" she said breathlessly.
"Lillian, it's not your fault. Don't even start."
"Yes, it was! I nagged on her about exploring alone, she always says she'd prefer not to be in a crowd, and now she's gone and killed someone!" She made no effort to conceal the tears that began to roll down her cheeks.
"Lillian, stop," Jasmine cut in. "It's not your fault and you know that. We can't do anything if we're all sitting here blaming ourselves." She turned to Samuel. "Sam, didn't you say she found the knife in the temple? She didn't bring it along with her on the plane, did she?"
Samuel shook his head. "No. The three of us - Gabby, Reena and I - found a hidden room. There was a knife on a pedestal, and Reena got to it before we did. She seemed to go crazy. We only wanted to look at it, but she just went berserk and started attacking us. And Gabby," he croaked, but his voice cracked, "didn't make it."
Those last three words seemed to take their toll on everyone more than the entire subject had before. They all - Aiden, Lillian, Jasmine, Sheryl, and Savi, who had not yet said a word on the subject - sat in silence.
"Uh oh, don't look, Sheryl," Jasmine said with a sort of smirk. From behind Sheryl, Savi spoke for the first time in several minutes. "What? It helps to calm me down!"
Aiden finally noticed what Jasmine was talking about. Behind Sheryl, Savi was peacefully knitting a scarf. She also had a side project of sewing a hole in her jeans back together. Sheryl turned around and let out a shriek.
"AHH!"
"What? What is it, Sheryl?"
"N-needles.." Everyone laughed loudly at the sound of Sheryl's fear.
"C'mon, Sheryl, you've gotta be kidding!" Aiden laughed.
"If you had the experiences I've had with needles, you'd be pretty afraid of them too," Sheryl croaked and gave a shudder.
lol what
"HEY! Guys!"
Aiden turned around. Jev was sprinting to the group.
"What's up, Jev?" Jasmine asked.
"I'm looking for Reena," he replied, "Have any of you seen her?"
"You're.. looking for Reena?" Sheryl asked, sounding faint. "She's just killed Gabby. Don't go looking for her."
"I know," Jev replied strongly. "That's why I'm looking for her. I'm going to stop her." he moved his arm to reveal a silver pistol attached to his belt. Everyone - except for Jev, of course - let out a dramatic gasp.
"Jev.. you can't possibly.. how could you even think of doing something like that?" Lillian shrieked.
"Lillian, you know as well as I do that Reena's already killed someone. It won't be long before someone else goes. Listen, I found this gun in that cave over there. As soon as I touched it, I felt a sort of understanding. I knew there was a murderer on this island, and I knew everyone was in danger. I have to eliminate her."
"Eliminate? Isn't that a bit.. I don't know.. drastic?" Jasmine gasped.
"Jasmine, it's the only way. The gun... told me. It's the only way to end this. I just know that we won't be able to safely get Reena back to shore to have a proper trial. Look, I'm going to go looking for Reena, with or without any of you. I have to do it. Obviously you're welcome to come, because I can't stop you, but I don't want to put you in danger."
"I'm coming," Jasmine said and stood up at once. "Last time Sam saw Reena, she was in the temple."
"No, Jasmine, you're a pilot," Lillian objected. "What if you get hurt and you can't fly everyone back safely?"
"I can fly," Aiden interjected for the first time in minutes.
"One of these?" Sheryl gestured to the two immobile planes on the shore. Aiden nodded.
"Listen," Jev interrupted, "if we keep stalling, there might not even be enough people left to need both planes. We have to act now." Jev turned on the spot and left for the temple. Jasmine followed briskly. Sheryl let out a sigh of annoyance.
"I swear," she growled, "if anything happens to my sister, we're going to have a problem." She stood up and appeared to be gathering herself.
"Alright. Someone should watch the planes to make sure Reena doesn't try to destroy or use them. We can't let her get away. I'll do it if no one else will."
"Sheryl, no. If something happens to Jasmine and you, we'll be all out of pilots." Lillian croaked.
"Lillian, this isn't about the importance of one person over another. This is about keeping the most people alive as possible." she replied.
Aiden thought for a moment. Should he be the one to watch the planes? If no one was watching, Reena could use the planes to escape, he thought. Someone needed to take action.
***
If you wish to volunteer to watch over the planes, proceed to Chapter B3a.
If you wish to ask someone else to watch over the planes, proceed to Chapter B3b.
***
If you wish to volunteer to watch over the planes, proceed to Chapter B3a.
If you wish to ask someone else to watch over the planes, proceed to Chapter B3b.
***
If you're reading this spoiler box, it means that you've just come from Chapter B2. It means that you've just chosen to volunteer to keep watch over the planes. If this is incorrect, please close this box and return to the chapter that you previously read.
Chapter B3a
"I'll do it."
The other explorers stared at Aiden. "Are you sure?" they asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I'll keep watch over the planes, and you can all go find Reena. C'mon, it'll be fine."
"All right, all right," Sheryl replied. "Just be safe, okay? We don't want anyone else to die."
Aiden immediately sprang to his feet. He felt important now; the planes had to be protected, and he was the one who was going to do it. He marched to the two planes that brought everyone to the island. Once he went behind them, he climbed a small hill and sat behind a bush to be the lookout.
If Reena finds the planes, she can use them to escape, Aiden thought. Or she could just destroy them so that we can't leave.
It turned out to be a fairly boring job, however Aiden did find a shred of relaxation amidst the whole mess. The cool breeze and the distant sound of the rushing waterfall provided a bit of calming tranquility. Aiden wished it could last forever.
However, every now and then he was attacked by the feeling of dread in his heart, the feeling that tells a person that they're being watched.
He tried to shake off this feeling, but it kept coming back every few minutes. Aiden supposed it was just because of the circumstances. However, no matter afraid he was or would become, he thought, he had to stay put and fulfill his duties as lookout.
Nothing strange happened, however, until Aiden noticed Lillian approaching where he sat. He gave her a questioning look, but before he could say anything, she spoke first.
"She got Jev," Lillian said. "He's dead. Reena got to him."
Aiden barely knew Jev, but now he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Reena had killed another explorer? How could this be happening?
"We found the body behind the temple. Jasmine was with us; she was sobbing. They were really good friends." Lillian looked like she was on the verge of tears as well.
"We've got to find Reena," Aiden growled. "She's killed two explorers already. We can't let her kill anyone else."
"That's what Sheryl's doing," Lillian replied. "I think she's with one or two of the other explorers, including her sister. She won't let Rena out of her sight."
"That makes sense."
"So, how is the plane watching?" Lillian began. "Have you seen anything suspicious?"
"No, not really. I've just been feeling weird this whole time, like someone's watching me." Aiden replied.
"I understand. I've been feeling that way this entire time, too. Do you want me to stay here and watch with you?" Lillian asked.
"Sure, that would be great," Aiden replied. He could feel the dread in his heart lessen a bit. As his great friend sat down next to him, he felt relieved. It feels nice to have someone to talk to, Aiden thought.
Aiden and Lillian tried to change the conversation from Jev's death to something less dreadful. They began talking about Jerome and where he could be.
"I don't know," Lillian replied, "he's got to be somewhere, but I haven't seen him since Jev mentioned-"
Lillian gasped so loudly and deeply that Aiden could practically hear her lungs stretching.
"The gun! Jev had a gun!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"
"Aiden, when we found Jev's body, he didn't have the pistol anymore! What if someone took the gun?"
Aiden nodded. "It's possible," he replied.
"And if someone else took it," Lillian said, springing to her feet, "someone else is in danger now! If Reena knows who has the gun, they'll be killed next!"
Aiden's heart seemed to be jabbed with icy spears. He was horrified at the thought of more people dying. He sprang to his feet, joined Lillian, and began to sprint down the hill.
"We've got to find Sheryl," Lillian panted as they ran, "she'll know what to do!"
The two explorers sprinted to the entrance of the temple. Lillian quickly explained that she last saw Sheryl and the others enter the temple through this door. Aiden agreed, and they hastily entered. However, they were disrupted.
Upon entering a dark room, Aiden heard a knife whirl through the air beside him. Lillian screamed and jumped. The two of them turned around and began to sprint in opposite directions.
"It's Reena! She's here!" Lillian screamed. Before Aiden could see where Lillian ran off to, they were already in different rooms.
Aiden glanced around to take in his surroundings. He appeared to be in a small room that held.. prisoners?
It appeared to be a prison room, a room designed for keeping hostages concealed and trapped. Aiden's eyes wandered around the room, until he saw the mangled, dead body of his best friend Jerome.
Chapter B3a
"I'll do it."
The other explorers stared at Aiden. "Are you sure?" they asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I'll keep watch over the planes, and you can all go find Reena. C'mon, it'll be fine."
"All right, all right," Sheryl replied. "Just be safe, okay? We don't want anyone else to die."
Aiden immediately sprang to his feet. He felt important now; the planes had to be protected, and he was the one who was going to do it. He marched to the two planes that brought everyone to the island. Once he went behind them, he climbed a small hill and sat behind a bush to be the lookout.
If Reena finds the planes, she can use them to escape, Aiden thought. Or she could just destroy them so that we can't leave.
It turned out to be a fairly boring job, however Aiden did find a shred of relaxation amidst the whole mess. The cool breeze and the distant sound of the rushing waterfall provided a bit of calming tranquility. Aiden wished it could last forever.
However, every now and then he was attacked by the feeling of dread in his heart, the feeling that tells a person that they're being watched.
He tried to shake off this feeling, but it kept coming back every few minutes. Aiden supposed it was just because of the circumstances. However, no matter afraid he was or would become, he thought, he had to stay put and fulfill his duties as lookout.
Nothing strange happened, however, until Aiden noticed Lillian approaching where he sat. He gave her a questioning look, but before he could say anything, she spoke first.
"She got Jev," Lillian said. "He's dead. Reena got to him."
Aiden barely knew Jev, but now he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Reena had killed another explorer? How could this be happening?
"We found the body behind the temple. Jasmine was with us; she was sobbing. They were really good friends." Lillian looked like she was on the verge of tears as well.
"We've got to find Reena," Aiden growled. "She's killed two explorers already. We can't let her kill anyone else."
"That's what Sheryl's doing," Lillian replied. "I think she's with one or two of the other explorers, including her sister. She won't let Rena out of her sight."
"That makes sense."
"So, how is the plane watching?" Lillian began. "Have you seen anything suspicious?"
"No, not really. I've just been feeling weird this whole time, like someone's watching me." Aiden replied.
"I understand. I've been feeling that way this entire time, too. Do you want me to stay here and watch with you?" Lillian asked.
"Sure, that would be great," Aiden replied. He could feel the dread in his heart lessen a bit. As his great friend sat down next to him, he felt relieved. It feels nice to have someone to talk to, Aiden thought.
Aiden and Lillian tried to change the conversation from Jev's death to something less dreadful. They began talking about Jerome and where he could be.
"I don't know," Lillian replied, "he's got to be somewhere, but I haven't seen him since Jev mentioned-"
Lillian gasped so loudly and deeply that Aiden could practically hear her lungs stretching.
"The gun! Jev had a gun!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"
"Aiden, when we found Jev's body, he didn't have the pistol anymore! What if someone took the gun?"
Aiden nodded. "It's possible," he replied.
"And if someone else took it," Lillian said, springing to her feet, "someone else is in danger now! If Reena knows who has the gun, they'll be killed next!"
Aiden's heart seemed to be jabbed with icy spears. He was horrified at the thought of more people dying. He sprang to his feet, joined Lillian, and began to sprint down the hill.
"We've got to find Sheryl," Lillian panted as they ran, "she'll know what to do!"
The two explorers sprinted to the entrance of the temple. Lillian quickly explained that she last saw Sheryl and the others enter the temple through this door. Aiden agreed, and they hastily entered. However, they were disrupted.
Upon entering a dark room, Aiden heard a knife whirl through the air beside him. Lillian screamed and jumped. The two of them turned around and began to sprint in opposite directions.
"It's Reena! She's here!" Lillian screamed. Before Aiden could see where Lillian ran off to, they were already in different rooms.
Aiden glanced around to take in his surroundings. He appeared to be in a small room that held.. prisoners?
It appeared to be a prison room, a room designed for keeping hostages concealed and trapped. Aiden's eyes wandered around the room, until he saw the mangled, dead body of his best friend Jerome.
***
Proceed to Ending 3.
***
Proceed to Ending 3.
***
If you're reading this spoiler box, it means that you've just come from Chapter B2. It means that you've just decided not to volunteer to be the lookout for the planes. If this is incorrect, please return to the chapter that you just read and proceed to the correct next chapter.
Chapter B3b
Aiden remained silent, sitting on the grass. He had decided not to volunteer to watch over the planes. What if he went over to watch them and would be killed by Reena? He couldn't take that chance.
"Anyone?" Sheryl asked. She still stood among the sitting explorers.
"I'll do it," Rena replied. She had not spoken in a long time. Sheryl whipped around to face her sister. Her face was filled with shock.
"Rena... Alright. I'm not going to let you keep watch alone, so I'm going with you."
Rena nodded, stood up, and the two sisters marched off towards the planes. Aiden watched as they sat down beside a bush on top of a small hill.
"Well, I guess that leaves us with the apparent responsibility to make sure Reena doesn't kill anyone else," said Jerome. "Lovely."
"You know what," Aiden began, "maybe we should go find Jev and stick with him. He's got the gun, you know. Maybe we can help him find Reena."
"Good idea," Lillian agreed. "Let's go."
The three explorers - Aiden, Jerome and Lillian - sprang to their feet and walked straight into the temple. They knew not what they might encounter - instead, they forged ahead into the ruins. Once in the dark, however, Jerome began to have some doubts.
"Uh, are you guys sure this is a good idea?" he whispered with a shudder. "I mean, Reena could still be in here. We could be walking straight into our deaths."
"That's true," Lillian replied, "but I think this is our best option. If we stay outside, and something happens to Jev, no one will know! No one will find the gun."
Jerome shrugged, though Aiden and Lillian could hardly see in front of them.
The three explorers continued to weave their way around the winding, maze-like rooms of the temple. They could hardly see; it was so dark that they had to feel their way around the stone chambers.
As they walked, Aiden felt a strong feeling of fear. He was normally okay with being in the dark, he thought, but this was different. There was a murderer on the loose, and she could be anywhere. There was a reason to be afraid, right?
Eventually, the three friends found a small, stone room with a doorway that contained a few broken bars. The room was extremely dark and dusty; Lillian coughed, even though she was standing behind Aiden.
"Do you think this is.. a prison cell?" he whispered.
"Could be," Jerome replied, "sure looks like one to me."
"Oh, thank goodness," Lillian added, "no one's in here. I thought for sure Reena would have killed someone if she found them in here."
"I'm sure she would," Aiden agreed, "so let's be glad no one was in here."
They stood there for a few moments, until Lillian broke the silence and requested to leave the area. The others agreed, and they continued their journey through the temple.
After passing through a few more rooms, Aiden suddenly had a horrifying thought. What if, while the three of them were inside the temple, Reena was outside and killing everyone else? What if they were the only ones left? What if she was coming inside the temple to kill them right now?
Aiden's heart began to race. He had to get the others to safety. They had to leave the temple now.
"Hold up," Aiden said, a bit louder than he meant to. He spread his arms out to block Jerome and Lillian. "I'm starting to get worried about the others."
"I think Reena might be outside, killing off all of the unarmed people," Aiden explained breathlessly. "If she's out there, that means we're sitting ducks because she can just come in and kill us whenever she sees fit. I don't think we should stay in here much longer."
"But, Aiden," Lillian interrupted, "do you really think Reena would be able to find us in here? It's such a maze!"
Aiden nodded. "I've been able to memorize a bit of the layout. I think Reena will too. Besides, she's had more time than us to learn how to get around in here. We need to leave."
"Alright," Jerome replied, "I agree with Aiden. We should get out of here before it's too late."
Lillian seemed to be thinking it over. She finally nodded. "Yes, I think you're right. We should leave," she agreed.
The three explorers continued to walk through the maze-like rooms until they finally saw daylight. Excited, the three friends began to run through the hallway. They finally reached one of the open doorways on the side of the temple.
"Hold it," Jerome said suddenly, "I think I see something."
Jerome gestured to the dark room to their left. He stepped inside, then he drew back quickly as if he had just seen a ghost.
"What? What do you see?" Lillian asked quickly.
"I think- I think it's.." he trailed off. Aiden pushed past them and stepped into the room by himself. He immediately wished he hadn't. On the floor, in the back corner of the dark room, he could just make out the shape of.. a body.
Jev.
"Oh, no.." Aiden began. "He must have lost his guard. Reena got to Jev." Lillian let out a scream, and Jerome drew back even farther.
"You don't think.." he began.
"Yes, I do. I think Reena got to him and now she's probably outside, finding other people to kill. We have to-" Aiden's voice trailed off as he saw the silver glint of the pistol in Jev's lifeless hand.
"He's still got the pistol," he said as he turned to the others.
"Here, let me take it." Jerome said. "I'll find Reena."
"No," Aiden interrupted, "both of you are too important to me. I can't bear to think that Reena will get to either of you. You're like family to me. I'll take it and protect you two, but if I see Reena, I'll have to kill her."
Before anyone could object, Aiden reached for the gun in Jev's hand. As he touched it, he felt a sudden rush of duty, a sudden feeling that he must protect his friends even more so than he had been. He felt the gun in his hands and he knew what he had to do.
He had to kill Reena.
"So this is what Jev was talking about," Aiden whispered. "Guys, I can feel something. I've got a feeling that the only way to end this is to kill Reena."
Chapter B3b
Aiden remained silent, sitting on the grass. He had decided not to volunteer to watch over the planes. What if he went over to watch them and would be killed by Reena? He couldn't take that chance.
"Anyone?" Sheryl asked. She still stood among the sitting explorers.
"I'll do it," Rena replied. She had not spoken in a long time. Sheryl whipped around to face her sister. Her face was filled with shock.
"Rena... Alright. I'm not going to let you keep watch alone, so I'm going with you."
Rena nodded, stood up, and the two sisters marched off towards the planes. Aiden watched as they sat down beside a bush on top of a small hill.
"Well, I guess that leaves us with the apparent responsibility to make sure Reena doesn't kill anyone else," said Jerome. "Lovely."
"You know what," Aiden began, "maybe we should go find Jev and stick with him. He's got the gun, you know. Maybe we can help him find Reena."
"Good idea," Lillian agreed. "Let's go."
The three explorers - Aiden, Jerome and Lillian - sprang to their feet and walked straight into the temple. They knew not what they might encounter - instead, they forged ahead into the ruins. Once in the dark, however, Jerome began to have some doubts.
"Uh, are you guys sure this is a good idea?" he whispered with a shudder. "I mean, Reena could still be in here. We could be walking straight into our deaths."
"That's true," Lillian replied, "but I think this is our best option. If we stay outside, and something happens to Jev, no one will know! No one will find the gun."
Jerome shrugged, though Aiden and Lillian could hardly see in front of them.
The three explorers continued to weave their way around the winding, maze-like rooms of the temple. They could hardly see; it was so dark that they had to feel their way around the stone chambers.
As they walked, Aiden felt a strong feeling of fear. He was normally okay with being in the dark, he thought, but this was different. There was a murderer on the loose, and she could be anywhere. There was a reason to be afraid, right?
Eventually, the three friends found a small, stone room with a doorway that contained a few broken bars. The room was extremely dark and dusty; Lillian coughed, even though she was standing behind Aiden.
"Do you think this is.. a prison cell?" he whispered.
"Could be," Jerome replied, "sure looks like one to me."
"Oh, thank goodness," Lillian added, "no one's in here. I thought for sure Reena would have killed someone if she found them in here."
"I'm sure she would," Aiden agreed, "so let's be glad no one was in here."
They stood there for a few moments, until Lillian broke the silence and requested to leave the area. The others agreed, and they continued their journey through the temple.
After passing through a few more rooms, Aiden suddenly had a horrifying thought. What if, while the three of them were inside the temple, Reena was outside and killing everyone else? What if they were the only ones left? What if she was coming inside the temple to kill them right now?
Aiden's heart began to race. He had to get the others to safety. They had to leave the temple now.
"Hold up," Aiden said, a bit louder than he meant to. He spread his arms out to block Jerome and Lillian. "I'm starting to get worried about the others."
"I think Reena might be outside, killing off all of the unarmed people," Aiden explained breathlessly. "If she's out there, that means we're sitting ducks because she can just come in and kill us whenever she sees fit. I don't think we should stay in here much longer."
"But, Aiden," Lillian interrupted, "do you really think Reena would be able to find us in here? It's such a maze!"
Aiden nodded. "I've been able to memorize a bit of the layout. I think Reena will too. Besides, she's had more time than us to learn how to get around in here. We need to leave."
"Alright," Jerome replied, "I agree with Aiden. We should get out of here before it's too late."
Lillian seemed to be thinking it over. She finally nodded. "Yes, I think you're right. We should leave," she agreed.
The three explorers continued to walk through the maze-like rooms until they finally saw daylight. Excited, the three friends began to run through the hallway. They finally reached one of the open doorways on the side of the temple.
"Hold it," Jerome said suddenly, "I think I see something."
Jerome gestured to the dark room to their left. He stepped inside, then he drew back quickly as if he had just seen a ghost.
"What? What do you see?" Lillian asked quickly.
"I think- I think it's.." he trailed off. Aiden pushed past them and stepped into the room by himself. He immediately wished he hadn't. On the floor, in the back corner of the dark room, he could just make out the shape of.. a body.
Jev.
"Oh, no.." Aiden began. "He must have lost his guard. Reena got to Jev." Lillian let out a scream, and Jerome drew back even farther.
"You don't think.." he began.
"Yes, I do. I think Reena got to him and now she's probably outside, finding other people to kill. We have to-" Aiden's voice trailed off as he saw the silver glint of the pistol in Jev's lifeless hand.
"He's still got the pistol," he said as he turned to the others.
"Here, let me take it." Jerome said. "I'll find Reena."
"No," Aiden interrupted, "both of you are too important to me. I can't bear to think that Reena will get to either of you. You're like family to me. I'll take it and protect you two, but if I see Reena, I'll have to kill her."
Before anyone could object, Aiden reached for the gun in Jev's hand. As he touched it, he felt a sudden rush of duty, a sudden feeling that he must protect his friends even more so than he had been. He felt the gun in his hands and he knew what he had to do.
He had to kill Reena.
"So this is what Jev was talking about," Aiden whispered. "Guys, I can feel something. I've got a feeling that the only way to end this is to kill Reena."
***
Proceed to Ending 4.
***
Proceed to Ending 4.
***
If you've opened this spoiler box, it means that you've just chosen to examine the waterfall located on the other side of the island. If this is incorrect, please close this spoiler box and return to the Prologue. Once again, please do not go back to the Prologue to change your choice just because you don't like how the story is going.
Chapter C1
Aiden and Jerome, followed closely by Lillian, made their way to the gleaming waterfall on the other side of the temple. It was located on one side of the temple, but on the opposite end of the island from where the planes landed. The sparkling water landed in a small river which wove its way across the island and back into the ocean.
"Jerome, you were right! There is something behind that waterfall," Lillian said with the air of someone who knew it all along, but tried not to let the others down by saying so.
The three explorers stepped up on a large, flat boulder on the edge of the river and watched the water tumble down from a long hole in the rock, far above their heads.
"Where do you think that water is coming from?" Aiden inquired of the others. "There's no way water can come out of that forever."
"Well, it is, so that's good enough for me," laughed Jerome. Aiden glanced back at the group of explorers that had not left the planes yet. A few of them had already gone to explore the temple. Aiden gazed back at the hole behind the waterfall, and, without a word, jumped through the waterfall and slipped on his landing. He fell to the wet stone floor with a crash.
"Aiden, what does it look like in there?" Lillian asked. She sounded a bit worried, and even more so when she added, "Are there any spiders? I can't stand spiders!"
"Lillian, I'd bet you my life there's at least one spider in here. It's a cave! But don't worry, we'll kill them if they try to get close."
Aiden's comment did not seem to reassure Lillian. The former noted that he should work on his motivational talks. With a loud whoop, Jerome became visible, falling into the hole of the cave. Aiden grinned as he thought of Lillian trying to get in without jumping.
After a minute's time of talking to Lillian to persuade her that spiders aren't such a big deal, and that the jump into the cave is virtually painless, she finally consented. With a small scream as she slid down the short entrance, she stood up and shivered.
"Just, if you see a spider, kill it, okay?"
"Alright, Lillian. Tell you what, if a spider gets close to you, and we can't kill it, you can run back up to the entrance." Jerome said. That seemed to work a little bit.
The three explorers began making their way down the wet cave. The walls curved up to the ceiling to make almost a nice circle, except for the floor, which was rough and bumpy. Still shivering from the cold water from the waterfall, they pressed on. There was, surprisingly, enough light to see for the first minute or two. When the cave began dipping downwards a bit, however, Aiden was forced to use the flashlight that he always kept in his back pocket.
Immediately following the light that filled the cave, Lillian let out a shriek. There were large webs strung about the ceiling and walls, and each one had its own large spider. Most of them scurried away when they saw the humans.
"It's okay, Lillian, they're running away, see?" Aiden reassured her, "They're more afraid of you than you are of them."
Lillian shivered and, reluctantly, consented to continue the journey. Soon, the three explorers came upon a stone wall with strange markings on it, blocking the path and forming what would seem to be a dead end. Aiden studied the markings and muttered to himself.
"Hmm.. these must be the markings of the people who built the Mors Temple, right?" he thought aloud.
"Either that, or it's just graffiti," Jerome blurted out, "you never know. Maybe some people thought it'd be funny to deface their door."
"Jer!" Lillian said and slugged him on the shoulder, but she let out a laugh.
"D'you think anyone here would be able to translate the markings? Jasmine might know," Jerome suggested. Jasmine, the pilot of the plane Aiden, Jerome and Lillian rode in, seemed to know a decent amount about the island.
"No, I think I remember Jasmine saying that no one is known to be able to translate them. The language is too old," he replied. "But the language seems very interesting."
Jerome leaned on the door and faced Lillian. "Maybe it's just a dead end."
Suddenly, Aiden heard a deep rumbling on the other side of the door. Jerome seemed to hear it as well; he jumped off of the wall to reveal a switch that he hadn't seen before.
"Jerome! Oh, no, what if it's a trap?" Lillian screamed. But before any of them could begin to run away, the stone wall sank into the floor.
"Jerome," Aiden practically yelled out of the stress of the previous moment, "you're a genius."
"Well, I did get an 'A' in 'Switch-Pressing 101.' It was a pretty easy class, though, quite a snore if you ask me."
The three of them laughed and examined the room that lay before them. The room seemed almost perfectly round, the floor smooth and the ceiling curved upwards. A round hole in the ceiling let in a beautiful ray of sunlight. Ancient carvings covered the walls, depicting advanced-looking humans handing a small, metal object to ones who looked to be ancient and somewhat primitive. Aiden received the impression that the ones receiving the metal object were the ones who built the temple: the Mors.
"Well, would you look at that! There's a chest in the middle of the room!" Jerome burst out, pointing to a beautifully carved, wooden chest emblazoned with gold. "Should we open it?"
"Eh, why not?" said Lillian. "But if there's spiders in it, I'm out of here." The two of them moved to open the crate, but Aiden remained behind. For a split second he was about to scream at them to move back, that it was a trap, but something inside him told him to open it with them.
Aiden, Lillian and Jerome pushed the crate open. Inside lay the shiny metal object depicted in the carvings. All three of them, seeing what was inside the crate, burst out laughing. It was a pistol.
"It's - it's just a pistol!" Jerome yelled, practically falling to the floor with laughter, "Did they really think it was magic or something?"
Aiden recovered first and moved his hand inside the chest to pick up the pistol. He felt a desire to help someone, though he knew not why. He felt as though everyone were in danger, even if they didn't know it; and that this pistol was going to help everyone.
Aiden picked up the gun and examined it while keeping the barrel pointed into the chest. He felt a sudden understanding, a sudden knowing as to why he previously felt a desire to help someone. He could barely breathe.
There was a murderer on the island. And everyone else on the island, who knew nothing of it, were in serious danger.
Chapter C1
Aiden and Jerome, followed closely by Lillian, made their way to the gleaming waterfall on the other side of the temple. It was located on one side of the temple, but on the opposite end of the island from where the planes landed. The sparkling water landed in a small river which wove its way across the island and back into the ocean.
"Jerome, you were right! There is something behind that waterfall," Lillian said with the air of someone who knew it all along, but tried not to let the others down by saying so.
The three explorers stepped up on a large, flat boulder on the edge of the river and watched the water tumble down from a long hole in the rock, far above their heads.
"Where do you think that water is coming from?" Aiden inquired of the others. "There's no way water can come out of that forever."
"Well, it is, so that's good enough for me," laughed Jerome. Aiden glanced back at the group of explorers that had not left the planes yet. A few of them had already gone to explore the temple. Aiden gazed back at the hole behind the waterfall, and, without a word, jumped through the waterfall and slipped on his landing. He fell to the wet stone floor with a crash.
"Aiden, what does it look like in there?" Lillian asked. She sounded a bit worried, and even more so when she added, "Are there any spiders? I can't stand spiders!"
"Lillian, I'd bet you my life there's at least one spider in here. It's a cave! But don't worry, we'll kill them if they try to get close."
Aiden's comment did not seem to reassure Lillian. The former noted that he should work on his motivational talks. With a loud whoop, Jerome became visible, falling into the hole of the cave. Aiden grinned as he thought of Lillian trying to get in without jumping.
After a minute's time of talking to Lillian to persuade her that spiders aren't such a big deal, and that the jump into the cave is virtually painless, she finally consented. With a small scream as she slid down the short entrance, she stood up and shivered.
"Just, if you see a spider, kill it, okay?"
"Alright, Lillian. Tell you what, if a spider gets close to you, and we can't kill it, you can run back up to the entrance." Jerome said. That seemed to work a little bit.
The three explorers began making their way down the wet cave. The walls curved up to the ceiling to make almost a nice circle, except for the floor, which was rough and bumpy. Still shivering from the cold water from the waterfall, they pressed on. There was, surprisingly, enough light to see for the first minute or two. When the cave began dipping downwards a bit, however, Aiden was forced to use the flashlight that he always kept in his back pocket.
Immediately following the light that filled the cave, Lillian let out a shriek. There were large webs strung about the ceiling and walls, and each one had its own large spider. Most of them scurried away when they saw the humans.
"It's okay, Lillian, they're running away, see?" Aiden reassured her, "They're more afraid of you than you are of them."
Lillian shivered and, reluctantly, consented to continue the journey. Soon, the three explorers came upon a stone wall with strange markings on it, blocking the path and forming what would seem to be a dead end. Aiden studied the markings and muttered to himself.
"Hmm.. these must be the markings of the people who built the Mors Temple, right?" he thought aloud.
"Either that, or it's just graffiti," Jerome blurted out, "you never know. Maybe some people thought it'd be funny to deface their door."
"Jer!" Lillian said and slugged him on the shoulder, but she let out a laugh.
"D'you think anyone here would be able to translate the markings? Jasmine might know," Jerome suggested. Jasmine, the pilot of the plane Aiden, Jerome and Lillian rode in, seemed to know a decent amount about the island.
"No, I think I remember Jasmine saying that no one is known to be able to translate them. The language is too old," he replied. "But the language seems very interesting."
Jerome leaned on the door and faced Lillian. "Maybe it's just a dead end."
Suddenly, Aiden heard a deep rumbling on the other side of the door. Jerome seemed to hear it as well; he jumped off of the wall to reveal a switch that he hadn't seen before.
"Jerome! Oh, no, what if it's a trap?" Lillian screamed. But before any of them could begin to run away, the stone wall sank into the floor.
"Jerome," Aiden practically yelled out of the stress of the previous moment, "you're a genius."
"Well, I did get an 'A' in 'Switch-Pressing 101.' It was a pretty easy class, though, quite a snore if you ask me."
The three of them laughed and examined the room that lay before them. The room seemed almost perfectly round, the floor smooth and the ceiling curved upwards. A round hole in the ceiling let in a beautiful ray of sunlight. Ancient carvings covered the walls, depicting advanced-looking humans handing a small, metal object to ones who looked to be ancient and somewhat primitive. Aiden received the impression that the ones receiving the metal object were the ones who built the temple: the Mors.
"Well, would you look at that! There's a chest in the middle of the room!" Jerome burst out, pointing to a beautifully carved, wooden chest emblazoned with gold. "Should we open it?"
"Eh, why not?" said Lillian. "But if there's spiders in it, I'm out of here." The two of them moved to open the crate, but Aiden remained behind. For a split second he was about to scream at them to move back, that it was a trap, but something inside him told him to open it with them.
Aiden, Lillian and Jerome pushed the crate open. Inside lay the shiny metal object depicted in the carvings. All three of them, seeing what was inside the crate, burst out laughing. It was a pistol.
"It's - it's just a pistol!" Jerome yelled, practically falling to the floor with laughter, "Did they really think it was magic or something?"
Aiden recovered first and moved his hand inside the chest to pick up the pistol. He felt a desire to help someone, though he knew not why. He felt as though everyone were in danger, even if they didn't know it; and that this pistol was going to help everyone.
Aiden picked up the gun and examined it while keeping the barrel pointed into the chest. He felt a sudden understanding, a sudden knowing as to why he previously felt a desire to help someone. He could barely breathe.
There was a murderer on the island. And everyone else on the island, who knew nothing of it, were in serious danger.
You are the Detecive. Find the Murderer and stop them from killing everyone.
***
Proceed to Chapter C2.
***
***
Proceed to Chapter C2.
***
If you're reading this spoiler box, it means that you've just come from Chapter C1. If this is incorrect, please return to the chapter that you just read and proceed to the correct chapter.
Chapter C2
"What? Aiden, have you lost your mind?"
"No, it's true! Listen, I felt it when I touched the pistol."
Aiden had been trying to explain to Lillian and Jerome, for the past few minutes, that there was a murderer on the island. Everyone was in danger - Aiden could sense it - but his two friends wouldn't believe him.
"I'm not crazy!" he hissed. "I felt it when I picked up the gun!"
The three explorers were still standing in the round, ancient treasure room. They had found this room at the end of a cave hidden behind a waterfall. Aged carvings were etched into the walls; one depicting modern humans giving the gun to the less modern humans: The Mors. Aiden thought that The Mors believed the gun was a sacred gift; something rare, something to be treasured. Aiden, however, knew better.
"HERE. You try holding it and see if you feel anything, Lillian," he snarled. He attempted to thrust the gun (with the barrel pointed down, of course), into Lillian's hands. With a laugh she tried to grasp it. She pulled, but it did not leave Aiden's hand.
"Aiden, let go, don't you want me to hold it?"
"I'm trying! It won't let me let go!"
They struggled against the strange power of the pistol until finally, Lillian stopped trying to take it. She glared at Aiden, and he returned it full-force.
"Let's just go, guys," Jerome said, pulling himself back together; he had been practically dying of laughter the whole time. "Let's get out of here."
They left the room in silence. Aiden was surprised to find that he could attach the pistol to his belt, and it wasn't trying to stick to his hand. As they were making their way through the dark, wet cave once again, they heard a shrill scream. Lillian started to run ahead.
"What? What is it?" Jerome yelled.
"That spider was almost the size of my fist," she screeched. The two boys sighed, grinned and pressed on.
After a few minutes, they managed to make their way back up to the hole where they entered. The gleaming water streaming down from the hole in the rock above seemed strange from this side. Aiden thought it seemed more.. dangerous.
They jumped, one by one, out of the hole and into the shallow water of the small river. It felt icy cold, as if they just stepped into a walk-in freezer. Shivering from the cold, the three explorers crawled up the edge and lay on the grass to rest.
"That," Jerome panted, "was interesting. Wanna go see the temple now?"
"Hold it," Aiden interrupted. "We're not going anywhere until we find out who this murderer is." Lillian glared at Aiden, looking furious.
"Oh, come on, Aiden. You're not still going on about this, are you?"
"Of course I am!" he replied, "Don't you care about everyone's safety?"
Before Lillian could reply, a knife whizzed through the air and pierced her back. She screamed and fell to her knees. Both of the boys shouted their surprise and terror.
"Lillian! LILLIAN!" Jerome shouted and, standing up, bellowed to the few explorers remaining at the planes, "WE NEED HELP OVER HERE! LILLIAN'S HURT!"
Aiden stood up and peered at the Mors Temple for the unknown attacker. He saw a faint movement in the shadows of the temple entrance. He made for the pistol on his belt, but it was too late. Sheryl, the pilot of the first plane, had made it to where they all were.
"What's wro- Oh, LILLIAN!" she cried. She helped Lillian lay down on the grass. Lillian tried to pull the knife out of her own back, but it was no use. Aiden felt numb. How could this be happening?
"Sheryl, there's a murderer on this island. We have to find them. I saw them in the temple, I think it's a girl."
"But who could it be? Who could do this?" she replied.
Jerome looked terrified. "It's Gabby."
"What? " said Sheryl.
"I saw Gabby and Sam go into the temple together with Rena."
Sheryl gasped. "But Rena made it out, right?" Jerome shook his head. "I haven't seen her since," he replied. "I think I saw the girl in there too; there's no way that's Rena."
Everyone fell silent. Evidently they felt guilty that they had forgotten Lillian laying there, staining the grass with her blood. A single tear fell down her cheek.
"Lillian," Aiden croaked as he leaned towards her, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
"No, Aiden," she croaked. It seemed to take all of her strength to speak. "I.. I should have- should have listened to.. you. I should h-have taken you.. seriously." Her voice went deadly quiet on the last word. Her eyes became lifeless, her body limp. Sheryl did not even try to prolong the sobbing that so desperately struggled to escape.
"You were right, Aiden." Jerome seemed to be on the verge of tears. "We should have listened."
"Don't even start, Jerome. We couldn't have known this would happen. Don't hurt yourself with your own words." Aiden replied, doing his best to comfort Jerome while trying to suppress the void growing inside him. Lillian was his friend for as long as he could remember, and now she was gone.. She was like a sister to him. How could this have happened?
But you knew, he thought. You knew there was a murderer and you didn't convince them. His mind seemed to be waging war against itself. But they wouldn't listen! They thought you were joking around! His heart seemed to be taking sides. A part of him felt that he should have worked harder, tried harder to convince them. The other part of him felt that it was their fault, Lillian's fault that she got herself killed.
NO. He could not think like that. It was not her fault. Aiden stood up. He felt numb, as if every part of his body were affected by the kind of medicine your dentist puts into your gums when you're about to get a cavity drilled.
"I'm going to find Gabby." The words left his mouth before he could recover them. He began to cry.
"What are you going to do?" Sheryl sobbed. "She has a weapon, and you don't. You're just going to get yourself hurt too. And Rena, my sister... she's probably dead too." She shook her head and sobbed more. Aiden supposed she felt the same way he did, he supposed her mind was waging war and arguing against itself.
"I do have a weapon. And I'm going to end this, once and for all." he took a few steps toward the Mors Temple, but Jerome stopped him.
"Listen, mate. If you're going to go find Gabby, I'm coming with you. I have to help you avenge Lillian."
"No, Jerome. That would just put you in danger. I have to do it alone."
"Think about it!" he exclaimed. "We don't have much time, and besides, two is better than one! I'm coming with you, and you can't stop me."
Aiden considered it for a moment, and then decided he really didn't have a choice. He nodded, turned towards the temple and waited for Jerome to follow. He heard Jerome give a quiet goodbye to Lillian. Aiden wanted to cry even more. He wanted this to be over, to be back at home with his friends. But it was too late. Now, all he could do was prevent other friendships from being torn apart by Gabby.
But the darkness of greed and selfishness tried to take hold of Aiden. Fly away, it told him. You know how to fly a plane. Bring Jerome with you and fly away. Let everyone else deal with Gabby.
No, he thought back. She killed my friend. I have to be the one to do it.
But the selfishness fought harder. He would have to make a choice, and he knew that this one choice would affect the lives of everyone else on the island. He knew what he had to do.
Chapter C2
"What? Aiden, have you lost your mind?"
"No, it's true! Listen, I felt it when I touched the pistol."
Aiden had been trying to explain to Lillian and Jerome, for the past few minutes, that there was a murderer on the island. Everyone was in danger - Aiden could sense it - but his two friends wouldn't believe him.
"I'm not crazy!" he hissed. "I felt it when I picked up the gun!"
The three explorers were still standing in the round, ancient treasure room. They had found this room at the end of a cave hidden behind a waterfall. Aged carvings were etched into the walls; one depicting modern humans giving the gun to the less modern humans: The Mors. Aiden thought that The Mors believed the gun was a sacred gift; something rare, something to be treasured. Aiden, however, knew better.
"HERE. You try holding it and see if you feel anything, Lillian," he snarled. He attempted to thrust the gun (with the barrel pointed down, of course), into Lillian's hands. With a laugh she tried to grasp it. She pulled, but it did not leave Aiden's hand.
"Aiden, let go, don't you want me to hold it?"
"I'm trying! It won't let me let go!"
They struggled against the strange power of the pistol until finally, Lillian stopped trying to take it. She glared at Aiden, and he returned it full-force.
"Let's just go, guys," Jerome said, pulling himself back together; he had been practically dying of laughter the whole time. "Let's get out of here."
They left the room in silence. Aiden was surprised to find that he could attach the pistol to his belt, and it wasn't trying to stick to his hand. As they were making their way through the dark, wet cave once again, they heard a shrill scream. Lillian started to run ahead.
"What? What is it?" Jerome yelled.
"That spider was almost the size of my fist," she screeched. The two boys sighed, grinned and pressed on.
After a few minutes, they managed to make their way back up to the hole where they entered. The gleaming water streaming down from the hole in the rock above seemed strange from this side. Aiden thought it seemed more.. dangerous.
They jumped, one by one, out of the hole and into the shallow water of the small river. It felt icy cold, as if they just stepped into a walk-in freezer. Shivering from the cold, the three explorers crawled up the edge and lay on the grass to rest.
"That," Jerome panted, "was interesting. Wanna go see the temple now?"
"Hold it," Aiden interrupted. "We're not going anywhere until we find out who this murderer is." Lillian glared at Aiden, looking furious.
"Oh, come on, Aiden. You're not still going on about this, are you?"
"Of course I am!" he replied, "Don't you care about everyone's safety?"
Before Lillian could reply, a knife whizzed through the air and pierced her back. She screamed and fell to her knees. Both of the boys shouted their surprise and terror.
"Lillian! LILLIAN!" Jerome shouted and, standing up, bellowed to the few explorers remaining at the planes, "WE NEED HELP OVER HERE! LILLIAN'S HURT!"
Aiden stood up and peered at the Mors Temple for the unknown attacker. He saw a faint movement in the shadows of the temple entrance. He made for the pistol on his belt, but it was too late. Sheryl, the pilot of the first plane, had made it to where they all were.
"What's wro- Oh, LILLIAN!" she cried. She helped Lillian lay down on the grass. Lillian tried to pull the knife out of her own back, but it was no use. Aiden felt numb. How could this be happening?
"Sheryl, there's a murderer on this island. We have to find them. I saw them in the temple, I think it's a girl."
"But who could it be? Who could do this?" she replied.
Jerome looked terrified. "It's Gabby."
"What? " said Sheryl.
"I saw Gabby and Sam go into the temple together with Rena."
Sheryl gasped. "But Rena made it out, right?" Jerome shook his head. "I haven't seen her since," he replied. "I think I saw the girl in there too; there's no way that's Rena."
Everyone fell silent. Evidently they felt guilty that they had forgotten Lillian laying there, staining the grass with her blood. A single tear fell down her cheek.
"Lillian," Aiden croaked as he leaned towards her, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
"No, Aiden," she croaked. It seemed to take all of her strength to speak. "I.. I should have- should have listened to.. you. I should h-have taken you.. seriously." Her voice went deadly quiet on the last word. Her eyes became lifeless, her body limp. Sheryl did not even try to prolong the sobbing that so desperately struggled to escape.
"You were right, Aiden." Jerome seemed to be on the verge of tears. "We should have listened."
"Don't even start, Jerome. We couldn't have known this would happen. Don't hurt yourself with your own words." Aiden replied, doing his best to comfort Jerome while trying to suppress the void growing inside him. Lillian was his friend for as long as he could remember, and now she was gone.. She was like a sister to him. How could this have happened?
But you knew, he thought. You knew there was a murderer and you didn't convince them. His mind seemed to be waging war against itself. But they wouldn't listen! They thought you were joking around! His heart seemed to be taking sides. A part of him felt that he should have worked harder, tried harder to convince them. The other part of him felt that it was their fault, Lillian's fault that she got herself killed.
NO. He could not think like that. It was not her fault. Aiden stood up. He felt numb, as if every part of his body were affected by the kind of medicine your dentist puts into your gums when you're about to get a cavity drilled.
"I'm going to find Gabby." The words left his mouth before he could recover them. He began to cry.
"What are you going to do?" Sheryl sobbed. "She has a weapon, and you don't. You're just going to get yourself hurt too. And Rena, my sister... she's probably dead too." She shook her head and sobbed more. Aiden supposed she felt the same way he did, he supposed her mind was waging war and arguing against itself.
"I do have a weapon. And I'm going to end this, once and for all." he took a few steps toward the Mors Temple, but Jerome stopped him.
"Listen, mate. If you're going to go find Gabby, I'm coming with you. I have to help you avenge Lillian."
"No, Jerome. That would just put you in danger. I have to do it alone."
"Think about it!" he exclaimed. "We don't have much time, and besides, two is better than one! I'm coming with you, and you can't stop me."
Aiden considered it for a moment, and then decided he really didn't have a choice. He nodded, turned towards the temple and waited for Jerome to follow. He heard Jerome give a quiet goodbye to Lillian. Aiden wanted to cry even more. He wanted this to be over, to be back at home with his friends. But it was too late. Now, all he could do was prevent other friendships from being torn apart by Gabby.
But the darkness of greed and selfishness tried to take hold of Aiden. Fly away, it told him. You know how to fly a plane. Bring Jerome with you and fly away. Let everyone else deal with Gabby.
No, he thought back. She killed my friend. I have to be the one to do it.
But the selfishness fought harder. He would have to make a choice, and he knew that this one choice would affect the lives of everyone else on the island. He knew what he had to do.
***
If you wish to pursue Gabby and finish what she started, proceed to Chapter C3a.
If you wish to get in a plane with Jerome and leave the island forever, proceed to Chapter C3b.
***
If you wish to pursue Gabby and finish what she started, proceed to Chapter C3a.
If you wish to get in a plane with Jerome and leave the island forever, proceed to Chapter C3b.
***
If you're reading this spoiler box, it means that you've just come from Chapter C2. It means that you've just chosen to stay on the island and fight. If this is incorrect, please close this box and return to the correct previous chapter.
Chapter C3a
No. Aiden would stay. He could not leave his friends to die by Gabby's hands.
"Jerome, you're right. We need to go find Gabby."
Jerome sighed in relief. "Finally," he said. "Alright, let's go."
The two friends walked across the field in front of the temple to see Sheryl - she was now observing the planes after bidding Lillian goodbye.
"Sheryl," Aiden said, "Jerome and I are going to try to find Gabby. If you see any of the others, being them here and make sure Gabby doesn't find them."
Sheryl nodded. "Alright. Stay safe, you two." She appeared to have finally understood what Aiden was talking about - she made no effort to change their minds. It's probably the gun, Aiden thought. She probably thinks I can handle myself. I mean, I can handle myself. Right?
Aiden and Jerome made their way to one of the side entrances to the Mors Temple. Aiden supposed that Gabby would still be inside.
"If she's anywhere," Aiden said heavily, "she'll be in here. Let's go."
They stepped inside only to be plunged into darkness. Thankfully, Aiden thought, there were occasional holes in the walls or the ceiling which let in tiny beams of sunlight. The ancient temple stood silent. The walls and floor were as dusty as ever.
Aiden crouched to examine a few carvings on the side of a pillar, but Jerome stopped him.
"Aiden, we probably shouldn't stop to look at stuff right now. Gabby could sneak up on us," he said.
"Good point," Aiden agreed. "Sorry, I should have thought about that. Should we check the next floor?"
"Wait a minute," Jerome said suddenly. "Didn't Samuel say there was a 'treasure room' at the bottom of the temple? I think he said they found the knife in there."
"True," Aiden said. "Gabby might be hiding in there!"
The two boys hurried to find the room. As they walked, they discussed directions and argued over where it might be. Finally, they found a room that looked somewhat important.
"Look, there's a pedestal in the middle. Do you think this is what he was talking about?" Jerome said happily.
"Sure looks like it," Aiden replied. "But Gabby's not here."
The two stood in the room for a moment, examining the walls and the floor. Just like the other rooms, there were ancient glyphs etched into the walls - they looked nothing like any language Aiden had seen before. Someone can figure that out later, he said to himself. Focus on Gabby.
Suddenly, Jerome let out a shout of excitement.
"Look, I found a switch!" he exclaimed. "Maybe there's a secret room.."
Before Aiden could argue, Jerome had already activated whatever mechanism he had found. There was a loud, grinding sound, some cracking sounds, and then the floor under Jerome suddenly gave way. He screamed as he tumbled downwards.
"JEROME!"
Aiden could hardly see; there was dust everywhere from the sudden motion. As he waited for the air to clear up, he tried to call Jerome.
"Are you alright? Can you hear me, Jerome?"
After a moment of silence, he heard Jerome's reply. "Yeah, I'm fine! It's really cool down here, come look!"
Aiden approached the new hole in the floor and saw that there was an old stone staircase leading down into a new room. He supposed that, when the floor gave way, Jerome tumbled down the staircase. Thank goodness he didn't get hurt, he thought. We already have a lot to deal with.
The light inside this new room was strangely red. Inside it, a pedestal - identical to the one in the room above - sat, immobile. Aiden supposed that it used to contain the knife which Gabby was using to kill.
"I guess this is where Gabby found it," Jerome said. "What could have gotten into her? She was always so nice.."
Suddenly, and without warning, the light in the room vanished, burying Aiden and Jerome in total darkness. The sound of stone moving filled the room, and soon, the staircase that once led to the upstairs room was gone.
They were trapped.
"No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Aiden yelled. He pounded his fist on what he thought was where the staircase used to be. "We've got to find Gabby!" he screamed.
"Maybe that was Gabby," Jerome said. "Maybe she did it."
Aiden began to panic. He wasn't afraid of the dark, no; he was afraid of being confined in a space that was impossible to escape from. He shuddered and sat down.
"It'll be okay, Aiden," Jerome said.
"No, it won't!" Aiden yelled. Couldn't Jerome see that there was no way out? "We'll be stuck in here until we starve to death!"
"Aiden, Aiden.." Jerome began. Aiden could tell Jerome was doing his best to be comforting, but it wasn't working.
"Aiden, how about this? We'll feel around the room and see if we can find anything to help us escape. Just because we can't see doesn't mean we can't get out."
That seemed to do the trick. Aiden stopped worrying, and the two began to search around the room with their hands, touching every inch of the dusty stone walls and floor. After a few minutes of finding nothing, they sat down, tired and stressed.
"Do you think we'll suffocate in here?"
"No idea. I guess we'll find out, right?" Jerome chuckled.
"Jerome, stop it." After a moment, Aiden added, "Do you think we should call for help?"
And the two friends began to yell at the top of their lungs, hoping that someone would hear them. Hoping that someone would be able to hear their cries and come to rescue them.
But they were alone.
Chapter C3a
No. Aiden would stay. He could not leave his friends to die by Gabby's hands.
"Jerome, you're right. We need to go find Gabby."
Jerome sighed in relief. "Finally," he said. "Alright, let's go."
The two friends walked across the field in front of the temple to see Sheryl - she was now observing the planes after bidding Lillian goodbye.
"Sheryl," Aiden said, "Jerome and I are going to try to find Gabby. If you see any of the others, being them here and make sure Gabby doesn't find them."
Sheryl nodded. "Alright. Stay safe, you two." She appeared to have finally understood what Aiden was talking about - she made no effort to change their minds. It's probably the gun, Aiden thought. She probably thinks I can handle myself. I mean, I can handle myself. Right?
Aiden and Jerome made their way to one of the side entrances to the Mors Temple. Aiden supposed that Gabby would still be inside.
"If she's anywhere," Aiden said heavily, "she'll be in here. Let's go."
They stepped inside only to be plunged into darkness. Thankfully, Aiden thought, there were occasional holes in the walls or the ceiling which let in tiny beams of sunlight. The ancient temple stood silent. The walls and floor were as dusty as ever.
Aiden crouched to examine a few carvings on the side of a pillar, but Jerome stopped him.
"Aiden, we probably shouldn't stop to look at stuff right now. Gabby could sneak up on us," he said.
"Good point," Aiden agreed. "Sorry, I should have thought about that. Should we check the next floor?"
"Wait a minute," Jerome said suddenly. "Didn't Samuel say there was a 'treasure room' at the bottom of the temple? I think he said they found the knife in there."
"True," Aiden said. "Gabby might be hiding in there!"
The two boys hurried to find the room. As they walked, they discussed directions and argued over where it might be. Finally, they found a room that looked somewhat important.
"Look, there's a pedestal in the middle. Do you think this is what he was talking about?" Jerome said happily.
"Sure looks like it," Aiden replied. "But Gabby's not here."
The two stood in the room for a moment, examining the walls and the floor. Just like the other rooms, there were ancient glyphs etched into the walls - they looked nothing like any language Aiden had seen before. Someone can figure that out later, he said to himself. Focus on Gabby.
Suddenly, Jerome let out a shout of excitement.
"Look, I found a switch!" he exclaimed. "Maybe there's a secret room.."
Before Aiden could argue, Jerome had already activated whatever mechanism he had found. There was a loud, grinding sound, some cracking sounds, and then the floor under Jerome suddenly gave way. He screamed as he tumbled downwards.
"JEROME!"
Aiden could hardly see; there was dust everywhere from the sudden motion. As he waited for the air to clear up, he tried to call Jerome.
"Are you alright? Can you hear me, Jerome?"
After a moment of silence, he heard Jerome's reply. "Yeah, I'm fine! It's really cool down here, come look!"
Aiden approached the new hole in the floor and saw that there was an old stone staircase leading down into a new room. He supposed that, when the floor gave way, Jerome tumbled down the staircase. Thank goodness he didn't get hurt, he thought. We already have a lot to deal with.
The light inside this new room was strangely red. Inside it, a pedestal - identical to the one in the room above - sat, immobile. Aiden supposed that it used to contain the knife which Gabby was using to kill.
"I guess this is where Gabby found it," Jerome said. "What could have gotten into her? She was always so nice.."
Suddenly, and without warning, the light in the room vanished, burying Aiden and Jerome in total darkness. The sound of stone moving filled the room, and soon, the staircase that once led to the upstairs room was gone.
They were trapped.
"No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Aiden yelled. He pounded his fist on what he thought was where the staircase used to be. "We've got to find Gabby!" he screamed.
"Maybe that was Gabby," Jerome said. "Maybe she did it."
Aiden began to panic. He wasn't afraid of the dark, no; he was afraid of being confined in a space that was impossible to escape from. He shuddered and sat down.
"It'll be okay, Aiden," Jerome said.
"No, it won't!" Aiden yelled. Couldn't Jerome see that there was no way out? "We'll be stuck in here until we starve to death!"
"Aiden, Aiden.." Jerome began. Aiden could tell Jerome was doing his best to be comforting, but it wasn't working.
"Aiden, how about this? We'll feel around the room and see if we can find anything to help us escape. Just because we can't see doesn't mean we can't get out."
That seemed to do the trick. Aiden stopped worrying, and the two began to search around the room with their hands, touching every inch of the dusty stone walls and floor. After a few minutes of finding nothing, they sat down, tired and stressed.
"Do you think we'll suffocate in here?"
"No idea. I guess we'll find out, right?" Jerome chuckled.
"Jerome, stop it." After a moment, Aiden added, "Do you think we should call for help?"
And the two friends began to yell at the top of their lungs, hoping that someone would hear them. Hoping that someone would be able to hear their cries and come to rescue them.
But they were alone.
***
Proceed to Ending 5.
***
Proceed to Ending 5.
***
If you're reading this, it means that you've just come from Chapter C2. It means that you've just chosen to try to convince Jerome to leave the island with you. If this is incorrect, please close this spoiler box and return to the correct chapter.
Chapter C3b
Aiden made up his mind. He would get on a plane and leave the island with Jerome. He did not even notice Sheryl's absence; apparently she had left.
"Jerome."
"What?"
"We need to leave. I'm going to fly us off the island."
Jerome looked confused. "What? Aiden, what are you talking about?"
"We don't have time for this, Jerome. Listen. You and I can get off of this island right here, right now. I know how to fly those planes. I can get us to safety."
A look of horror flashed across Jerome's face, then it turned to anger. "And what, we'd just leave everyone else here to die? Aiden, we've got to do something! You've got the gun, for crying out loud!"
"Jerome, there's no time! If we stay, we'll be killed! I'm trying to save us. I want to make sure we don't die like Lillian did."
"Aiden, how could you say that? She was murdered; don't you want to do something about it? Don't you want to avenge her?"
"Killing Gabby won't do anything to help me. Lillian's gone, and you two were the only ones I cared about. Now I feel a growing void.. Lillian's gone."
They both stood in silence for a moment. To Aiden it seemed like an hour. Finally, Jerome spoke.
"Aiden, I'm not going to leave. I'm not going to abandon everyone else and let them die by Gabby's hands. Either we both stay here, or you go alone."
Anger began to rise in Aiden's chest. Couldn't Jerome see that they needed to leave?
"Jerome! If we stay, we die!"
"I DON'T CARE."
Aiden stood silent. He had never heard Jerome say something so firmly before. Jerome had made up his mind, Aiden thought, and he wasn't going to leave. Aiden wanted to tear something apart. Jerome was his friend for just as long as Lillian; didn't he want to keep living?
"Aiden, if staying alive means leaving the island and letting everyone else die, I'd rather let Gabby get me."
"Fine."
Aiden took one last look at his friend and turned on the spot. He tried his best to look like he didn't care if he left Jerome behind, but in his heart he could feel sadness. Ignore it, he thought. Stay alive. Get out of here.
He practically ran across the field in front of the temple. His eyes were trained on the two planes that sat immobile on the shore.
Aiden observed the area around him. He'd have to get the plane running, and then he'd have to turn it around and taxi it to an open area that he could use as a runway. Upon reaching the first plane, he opened the driver's door and climbed inside. To his horror, he saw that the ignition key was missing.
Since when do I need a key to fly? Aiden thought. He then rememered seeing his pilot turn the plane on; a key was vital.
Who could possibly have the key? Jasmine, Aiden thought. She was our pilot. If I can find her, I can find the key.
Aiden sprinted to a side-entrance of the temple and peered inside. "Jasmine?" he called. There was no answer.
Suddenly, a realization hit him. Jasmine went with Jev, he thought. If Jev died, she probably did too. He stepped into the temple and began to search for Jasmine. He passed the room in which Jev's body lay lifeless. He checked every corner of every room for anything suspicious.
He kept weaving his way through different rooms until he saw what he was looking for. Peering into a dark room, he saw the lifeless outline of Jasmine's body. Aiden knew she had the key.
He stepped into the dark room and crouched next to her body. He felt around inside her pockets for the key to the plane. It was not there, however.
No, he thought. She's supposed to have it! Where could it be?!
"Aiden?"
He whipped around to see Sheryl standing just outside the stone doorway.
"Oh! Sheryl!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, Aiden, is that Jasmine?" she squeaked. "Oh, no.."
"Sheryl, I didn't do it, I swear."
"What? No, Gabby did it. Listen, Aiden, we need to gather everyone. Everyone's in danger, and we still haven't found Gabby. I think we might have a lead, though."
"Sheryl, I can't. I need to get off the island."
"We all do, Aiden, but we can't leave until we've made sure we have everyone who is still alive."
Anger surged through Aiden's body at this reply. Couldn't Sheryl understand that they had to leave now?
"Sheryl, I'm leaving, with or without any of you," Aiden said. At her confused expression, he added, "Jasmine's key isn't here. Gabby must have taken it. Which means," he said as he took a step toward Sheryl, "I need your key."
Sheryl took a step back. Fear flashed across her face, then anger.
"No," she said. "I'm not going to let you abandon everyone else."
"Sheryl, give me that key." Aiden began to raise the pistol in his hand. Sheryl apparently understood what he was going to do; she turned and ran in the opposite direction. Aiden launched out of the room in pursuit of the pilot.
Chapter C3b
Aiden made up his mind. He would get on a plane and leave the island with Jerome. He did not even notice Sheryl's absence; apparently she had left.
"Jerome."
"What?"
"We need to leave. I'm going to fly us off the island."
Jerome looked confused. "What? Aiden, what are you talking about?"
"We don't have time for this, Jerome. Listen. You and I can get off of this island right here, right now. I know how to fly those planes. I can get us to safety."
A look of horror flashed across Jerome's face, then it turned to anger. "And what, we'd just leave everyone else here to die? Aiden, we've got to do something! You've got the gun, for crying out loud!"
"Jerome, there's no time! If we stay, we'll be killed! I'm trying to save us. I want to make sure we don't die like Lillian did."
"Aiden, how could you say that? She was murdered; don't you want to do something about it? Don't you want to avenge her?"
"Killing Gabby won't do anything to help me. Lillian's gone, and you two were the only ones I cared about. Now I feel a growing void.. Lillian's gone."
They both stood in silence for a moment. To Aiden it seemed like an hour. Finally, Jerome spoke.
"Aiden, I'm not going to leave. I'm not going to abandon everyone else and let them die by Gabby's hands. Either we both stay here, or you go alone."
Anger began to rise in Aiden's chest. Couldn't Jerome see that they needed to leave?
"Jerome! If we stay, we die!"
"I DON'T CARE."
Aiden stood silent. He had never heard Jerome say something so firmly before. Jerome had made up his mind, Aiden thought, and he wasn't going to leave. Aiden wanted to tear something apart. Jerome was his friend for just as long as Lillian; didn't he want to keep living?
"Aiden, if staying alive means leaving the island and letting everyone else die, I'd rather let Gabby get me."
"Fine."
Aiden took one last look at his friend and turned on the spot. He tried his best to look like he didn't care if he left Jerome behind, but in his heart he could feel sadness. Ignore it, he thought. Stay alive. Get out of here.
He practically ran across the field in front of the temple. His eyes were trained on the two planes that sat immobile on the shore.
Aiden observed the area around him. He'd have to get the plane running, and then he'd have to turn it around and taxi it to an open area that he could use as a runway. Upon reaching the first plane, he opened the driver's door and climbed inside. To his horror, he saw that the ignition key was missing.
Since when do I need a key to fly? Aiden thought. He then rememered seeing his pilot turn the plane on; a key was vital.
Who could possibly have the key? Jasmine, Aiden thought. She was our pilot. If I can find her, I can find the key.
Aiden sprinted to a side-entrance of the temple and peered inside. "Jasmine?" he called. There was no answer.
Suddenly, a realization hit him. Jasmine went with Jev, he thought. If Jev died, she probably did too. He stepped into the temple and began to search for Jasmine. He passed the room in which Jev's body lay lifeless. He checked every corner of every room for anything suspicious.
He kept weaving his way through different rooms until he saw what he was looking for. Peering into a dark room, he saw the lifeless outline of Jasmine's body. Aiden knew she had the key.
He stepped into the dark room and crouched next to her body. He felt around inside her pockets for the key to the plane. It was not there, however.
No, he thought. She's supposed to have it! Where could it be?!
"Aiden?"
He whipped around to see Sheryl standing just outside the stone doorway.
"Oh! Sheryl!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, Aiden, is that Jasmine?" she squeaked. "Oh, no.."
"Sheryl, I didn't do it, I swear."
"What? No, Gabby did it. Listen, Aiden, we need to gather everyone. Everyone's in danger, and we still haven't found Gabby. I think we might have a lead, though."
"Sheryl, I can't. I need to get off the island."
"We all do, Aiden, but we can't leave until we've made sure we have everyone who is still alive."
Anger surged through Aiden's body at this reply. Couldn't Sheryl understand that they had to leave now?
"Sheryl, I'm leaving, with or without any of you," Aiden said. At her confused expression, he added, "Jasmine's key isn't here. Gabby must have taken it. Which means," he said as he took a step toward Sheryl, "I need your key."
Sheryl took a step back. Fear flashed across her face, then anger.
"No," she said. "I'm not going to let you abandon everyone else."
"Sheryl, give me that key." Aiden began to raise the pistol in his hand. Sheryl apparently understood what he was going to do; she turned and ran in the opposite direction. Aiden launched out of the room in pursuit of the pilot.
***
Proceed to Ending 6.
***
Proceed to Ending 6.
***
ATTENTION: This is one of the endings of the story. If you're reading this ending, it means that you should have come from Chapter A3a. If this is incorrect, stop reading now and return to the chapter that you just read.
Ending 1
Crack.
The sound of a gunshot rang across the island and into Aiden's ears. He had been watching the last of the explorers - Jasmine, Jev, Gabby and Sheryl - bring the bodies out of the areas where he had killed. It appeared that the male - Jev - was testing the gun.
Only four left.
Aiden thought for a moment about how he should go about doing this. Could he really kill all of them? Of course he could, he thought. He had the knife.
But what he didn't know was that the knife had him.
He crouched behind the trunk of the large tree again and thought about his options. He could sneak up on Jev and get the kill before he would notice, he could try to throw it from here.. No, that would be reckless. He would be spotted for sure.
After a minute or two, Aiden formulated a plan. He would get close enough to throw the knife at Jev when he wasn't looking, then he would kill everyone else. It was foolproof, he thought. Just get rid of the person with the gun.
He stole a quick glance around the tree again. The four remaining explorers were standing in a tight circle, talking, and glancing around the island every once in a while. The two planes that brought them all to the island were standing, immobile, next to him. Aiden wondered if they had even tried to operate them yet.
He saw the perfect moment, when no one was looking, and he dove from behind his tree to behind a bush that was a few feet closer to the group. Stealth was the key here.
"..won't work anymore, I've tried. He's done something to the wires."
So they know, he thought. They know I've sabotaged the planes.
"But, Jasmine, don't you have a repair kit? All that's missing from mine is a part that connects a tube to the motor, but the problem is that was the last one I had." Aiden assumed the two pilots, Jasmine and Sheryl, were discussing the plane situation.
"Look, can't we just find the little rat and get this over with?" said a deeper voice. Aiden remembered - back when he had killed Samuel, Jev was the one who pointed the gun at Aiden.
"What's that going to do? We need to get off the island. If we try to find him, we might all get ourselves killed in the process," Gabby replied.
"It doesn't matter!" Jev burst out angrily. "I'll bet you anything he's got that motor part, Sheryl, and if we find him we can end this and go home!"
Aiden's heart rate increased dramatically. Without thinking, he hurled the knife at the group of remaining explorers. It narrowly missed Sheryl's back. Aiden could not believe his mistake.
"HE'S HERE!" Jev roared. He turned, pointed the gun at a bush not far from Aiden's, and fired. A loud crack pierced the air around them. Aiden knew what was about to happen next.
His heart racing, he vaulted himself out of the way of Jev's gunpoint and sprinted behind the temple. He heard the others shouting, and he ducked inside the temple once more. What was usually only half a minute felt like an hour. He felt vulnerable without his knife. Finally, to his relief it materialized in his hand.
He sprinted back out of the temple and, seeing Jev again, hurled the knife at him. Jev ducked out of the way and the knife split into Jasmine's abdomen. She screamed and fell to her knees.
"NO!" Jev roared. "Jasmine.. I didn't know.. you were behind me.. I'm so sorry.."
Jasmine shuddered and tried to grasp Jev's hand, but she fell backwards first and her back was to the ground. Sheryl and Gabby were next to her now.
"Jasmine.." they sobbed.
"Find.. Aiden.. fi-finish this.. avenge.. the others.."
Aiden ducked into the temple once again when he saw Sheryl glance his way. The latter shouted and Aiden heard footsteps coming his way. He wove his way through the maze of rooms in the Mors Temple. Finally he emerged on the other side and Aiden found that the knife was in his hand once again.
Crack.
Aiden whipped around. Jev had gone the opposite way around the outside of the temple; he had fired a shot with the pistol and missed, but he was readying himself to fire again.
Aiden hurled the knife back at Jev and saw that it narrowly missed his head. He growled and ducked back into the temple as Jev flinched.
"Come back here, Aiden! I'm not finished with you!" he bellowed. Aiden ducked into a corner and waited for the knife to materialize in his hand. When it did, he stood up and sprinted back outside.
He threw the knife once more at Jev as he was trying to shout to Sheryl and Gabby. To Aiden's immense satisfaction, the knife pierced Jev's chest and he crumpled to the ground. Sheryl and Gabby made it outside just in time to see Jev fall to the green grass below.
"JEV!"
Aiden could not stay there, he had to run. He sprinted back inside the temple and found a small hole to peer out of. It was also close enough to the three explorers for Aiden to be able to hear what they were saying.
"Oh, Jev, I'm so sorry.." Sheryl sobbed. Evidently they had learned that no victim of the blade lasted longer than a few dozen seconds. Gabby attempted to pull the knife out of Jev's bloodstained chest, but she seemed to know it wouldn't work before she tried. The two girls bade their goodbye and sobbed longer.
As the color drained from Jev's face and he went limp, the pistol clutched in his hand suddenly dropped to the ground. Gabby gasped.
"Maybe this means someone else has to take it," she said, staring up at Sheryl.
"Yes, I think so." she replied.
"Sheryl, you should take it. My accuracy is much worse than yours."
"I can't let you go without a weapon!" Sheryl sobbed. "Rena died the same way! She didn't have any way to defend herself and look where that's gotten her!"
"Sheryl, it's okay. We'll stick together."
That seemed to do the trick. Sheryl nodded and leaned down to pick up the gun. As she did it, the silver pistol seemed to bind itself to her hand. She was now the one who must wield it, Aiden thought. Now he would have to kill her.
Aiden sprinted back out to the front entrance of the temple and saw that the two girls were trying to pry their gaze away from Jev's body. They looked behind them and saw Aiden.
"Aiden!" Gabby cried.
Sheryl made to point the gun up at Aiden, but he was too quick for her. He hurled the knife at Sheryl, but it completely missed. She fired the gun back at Aiden, but she also missed.
Aiden ducked back into the temple to wait.
"AIDEN, STOP! This has gone far enough!" Sheryl bellowed.
The knife materialized once more in Aiden's hand. Gripping it tightly, he dashed back out of the temple entrance, hurled the knife at Sheryl, and watched as it went straight through her neck. Gabby screamed and tried to run away, but it was no use. Aiden sprinted to Sheryl's lifeless body, scooped up the knife, and pursued Gabby.
Gabby screamed in terror as Aiden tackled her, sending both of them to the ground.
"Aiden, please," she croaked.
"You're the only one left," Aiden snarled. "The only thing keeping me from peace." Gabby's eyes widened in terror, and Aiden raised his arm to strike. Gabby screamed as the knife cut into her abdomen. She became lifeless within seconds.
Aiden had won. He had completed his mission. Standing up, he stared at the knife with pride.
"I've done it," he whispered.
Aiden walked in silence back to the second plane, the plane which had brought half of the explorers to the island in the first place. And now, he was going to be the only one to leave. He opened the motor compartment again and replaced the item that he removed previously.
He closed the compartment, climbed into the pilot's seat, and began what he needed to do to fly.
After about a minute, he was in the air, soaring away from The Mors Island. He had used the knife to get rid of everyone on that island. And now, he would get rid of everyone else.
***
Epilogue
Now that you've seen how this branch of the story ends, I think it appropriate to give you some history on the Mors Island and one of the weapons that was used there.
The Mors Blade was a knife that was created long ago by the Mors, the self-appointed "liberators" of the world. They believed that their purpose in life was to relieve everyone of the sad, cold life that they thought everyone lived.
The Mors Blade was designed to overtake anyone who posesses it, to force upon them the desire to kill. It had taken many victims across history, and the worst of all was the one who used it. They, most of the time, lived for a time after killing everyone they could, until they either wasted away, alone on the island, or were found committing other murders on the mainland and thus were imprisoned or given the death punishment.
Every time the posessor of the Mors Blade died, the blade needed to find a new home, a new person to control. Therefore it always returned to the temple on the island, awaiting a new person to be seduced by its power.
The explorers of this story, when they arrived on the island, had no idea what they were in for. However, because they came to the island to poke around and explore, it was obvious that they would find the Mors Blade at some point.
And Aiden found it.
Aiden became the next "owner" of the blade, therefore becoming one of its victims. After killing everyone on the island, he made his way to the mainland where he killed two more humans. His streak was quickly brought to and end, however, because he was instantly arrested, tried and sent to prison.
The power of the blade and the crime against humanity that is murder took its toll on Aiden. It turned out that he died while being escorted to prison. His body and mind could not handle the aftermath of his killings. The Mors Blade returned to the island, inside the temple, to await its next victim.
And that was the end of Aiden.
Ending 1
Crack.
The sound of a gunshot rang across the island and into Aiden's ears. He had been watching the last of the explorers - Jasmine, Jev, Gabby and Sheryl - bring the bodies out of the areas where he had killed. It appeared that the male - Jev - was testing the gun.
Only four left.
Aiden thought for a moment about how he should go about doing this. Could he really kill all of them? Of course he could, he thought. He had the knife.
But what he didn't know was that the knife had him.
He crouched behind the trunk of the large tree again and thought about his options. He could sneak up on Jev and get the kill before he would notice, he could try to throw it from here.. No, that would be reckless. He would be spotted for sure.
After a minute or two, Aiden formulated a plan. He would get close enough to throw the knife at Jev when he wasn't looking, then he would kill everyone else. It was foolproof, he thought. Just get rid of the person with the gun.
He stole a quick glance around the tree again. The four remaining explorers were standing in a tight circle, talking, and glancing around the island every once in a while. The two planes that brought them all to the island were standing, immobile, next to him. Aiden wondered if they had even tried to operate them yet.
He saw the perfect moment, when no one was looking, and he dove from behind his tree to behind a bush that was a few feet closer to the group. Stealth was the key here.
"..won't work anymore, I've tried. He's done something to the wires."
So they know, he thought. They know I've sabotaged the planes.
"But, Jasmine, don't you have a repair kit? All that's missing from mine is a part that connects a tube to the motor, but the problem is that was the last one I had." Aiden assumed the two pilots, Jasmine and Sheryl, were discussing the plane situation.
"Look, can't we just find the little rat and get this over with?" said a deeper voice. Aiden remembered - back when he had killed Samuel, Jev was the one who pointed the gun at Aiden.
"What's that going to do? We need to get off the island. If we try to find him, we might all get ourselves killed in the process," Gabby replied.
"It doesn't matter!" Jev burst out angrily. "I'll bet you anything he's got that motor part, Sheryl, and if we find him we can end this and go home!"
Aiden's heart rate increased dramatically. Without thinking, he hurled the knife at the group of remaining explorers. It narrowly missed Sheryl's back. Aiden could not believe his mistake.
"HE'S HERE!" Jev roared. He turned, pointed the gun at a bush not far from Aiden's, and fired. A loud crack pierced the air around them. Aiden knew what was about to happen next.
His heart racing, he vaulted himself out of the way of Jev's gunpoint and sprinted behind the temple. He heard the others shouting, and he ducked inside the temple once more. What was usually only half a minute felt like an hour. He felt vulnerable without his knife. Finally, to his relief it materialized in his hand.
He sprinted back out of the temple and, seeing Jev again, hurled the knife at him. Jev ducked out of the way and the knife split into Jasmine's abdomen. She screamed and fell to her knees.
"NO!" Jev roared. "Jasmine.. I didn't know.. you were behind me.. I'm so sorry.."
Jasmine shuddered and tried to grasp Jev's hand, but she fell backwards first and her back was to the ground. Sheryl and Gabby were next to her now.
"Jasmine.." they sobbed.
"Find.. Aiden.. fi-finish this.. avenge.. the others.."
Aiden ducked into the temple once again when he saw Sheryl glance his way. The latter shouted and Aiden heard footsteps coming his way. He wove his way through the maze of rooms in the Mors Temple. Finally he emerged on the other side and Aiden found that the knife was in his hand once again.
Crack.
Aiden whipped around. Jev had gone the opposite way around the outside of the temple; he had fired a shot with the pistol and missed, but he was readying himself to fire again.
Aiden hurled the knife back at Jev and saw that it narrowly missed his head. He growled and ducked back into the temple as Jev flinched.
"Come back here, Aiden! I'm not finished with you!" he bellowed. Aiden ducked into a corner and waited for the knife to materialize in his hand. When it did, he stood up and sprinted back outside.
He threw the knife once more at Jev as he was trying to shout to Sheryl and Gabby. To Aiden's immense satisfaction, the knife pierced Jev's chest and he crumpled to the ground. Sheryl and Gabby made it outside just in time to see Jev fall to the green grass below.
"JEV!"
Aiden could not stay there, he had to run. He sprinted back inside the temple and found a small hole to peer out of. It was also close enough to the three explorers for Aiden to be able to hear what they were saying.
"Oh, Jev, I'm so sorry.." Sheryl sobbed. Evidently they had learned that no victim of the blade lasted longer than a few dozen seconds. Gabby attempted to pull the knife out of Jev's bloodstained chest, but she seemed to know it wouldn't work before she tried. The two girls bade their goodbye and sobbed longer.
As the color drained from Jev's face and he went limp, the pistol clutched in his hand suddenly dropped to the ground. Gabby gasped.
"Maybe this means someone else has to take it," she said, staring up at Sheryl.
"Yes, I think so." she replied.
"Sheryl, you should take it. My accuracy is much worse than yours."
"I can't let you go without a weapon!" Sheryl sobbed. "Rena died the same way! She didn't have any way to defend herself and look where that's gotten her!"
"Sheryl, it's okay. We'll stick together."
That seemed to do the trick. Sheryl nodded and leaned down to pick up the gun. As she did it, the silver pistol seemed to bind itself to her hand. She was now the one who must wield it, Aiden thought. Now he would have to kill her.
Aiden sprinted back out to the front entrance of the temple and saw that the two girls were trying to pry their gaze away from Jev's body. They looked behind them and saw Aiden.
"Aiden!" Gabby cried.
Sheryl made to point the gun up at Aiden, but he was too quick for her. He hurled the knife at Sheryl, but it completely missed. She fired the gun back at Aiden, but she also missed.
Aiden ducked back into the temple to wait.
"AIDEN, STOP! This has gone far enough!" Sheryl bellowed.
The knife materialized once more in Aiden's hand. Gripping it tightly, he dashed back out of the temple entrance, hurled the knife at Sheryl, and watched as it went straight through her neck. Gabby screamed and tried to run away, but it was no use. Aiden sprinted to Sheryl's lifeless body, scooped up the knife, and pursued Gabby.
Gabby screamed in terror as Aiden tackled her, sending both of them to the ground.
"Aiden, please," she croaked.
"You're the only one left," Aiden snarled. "The only thing keeping me from peace." Gabby's eyes widened in terror, and Aiden raised his arm to strike. Gabby screamed as the knife cut into her abdomen. She became lifeless within seconds.
Aiden had won. He had completed his mission. Standing up, he stared at the knife with pride.
"I've done it," he whispered.
Aiden walked in silence back to the second plane, the plane which had brought half of the explorers to the island in the first place. And now, he was going to be the only one to leave. He opened the motor compartment again and replaced the item that he removed previously.
He closed the compartment, climbed into the pilot's seat, and began what he needed to do to fly.
After about a minute, he was in the air, soaring away from The Mors Island. He had used the knife to get rid of everyone on that island. And now, he would get rid of everyone else.
***
Epilogue
Now that you've seen how this branch of the story ends, I think it appropriate to give you some history on the Mors Island and one of the weapons that was used there.
The Mors Blade was a knife that was created long ago by the Mors, the self-appointed "liberators" of the world. They believed that their purpose in life was to relieve everyone of the sad, cold life that they thought everyone lived.
The Mors Blade was designed to overtake anyone who posesses it, to force upon them the desire to kill. It had taken many victims across history, and the worst of all was the one who used it. They, most of the time, lived for a time after killing everyone they could, until they either wasted away, alone on the island, or were found committing other murders on the mainland and thus were imprisoned or given the death punishment.
Every time the posessor of the Mors Blade died, the blade needed to find a new home, a new person to control. Therefore it always returned to the temple on the island, awaiting a new person to be seduced by its power.
The explorers of this story, when they arrived on the island, had no idea what they were in for. However, because they came to the island to poke around and explore, it was obvious that they would find the Mors Blade at some point.
And Aiden found it.
Aiden became the next "owner" of the blade, therefore becoming one of its victims. After killing everyone on the island, he made his way to the mainland where he killed two more humans. His streak was quickly brought to and end, however, because he was instantly arrested, tried and sent to prison.
The power of the blade and the crime against humanity that is murder took its toll on Aiden. It turned out that he died while being escorted to prison. His body and mind could not handle the aftermath of his killings. The Mors Blade returned to the island, inside the temple, to await its next victim.
And that was the end of Aiden.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
ATTENTION: This is one of the endings of the story. If you're reading this ending, it means that you should have come from Chapter A3b. If this is incorrect, stop reading now and return to the chapter that you just read.
Ending 2
Aiden looked over his shoulder. The vast shape of the helicopter came into view, and it was approaching quickly. It had a sleek, black paint job with the symbol of the mainland police on the side.
Aiden panicked. He had not thought about the mainland. How could they have known?
The planes, Aiden thought. They used the radio to contact someone on land.
As Aiden was scolding himself in his mind, he ran out from behind the planes and tumbled toward the temple entrance. As he fell, he felt his left ankle become sprained. He groaned in pain and continued to crawl toward the temple. As he stood up to enter, however, the mecanically-magnified boom of a man's voice echoed across the island.
"STOP! Stop right there, son! In the name of the law, stand down!"
Aiden did not stop, however. He kept inching toward the temple door.
"I have guns trained on you now! STAND DOWN!"
This seemed to motivate Aiden. Only in fear, he reluctantly stopped moving. He tried to hide the knife under his chest so no one could see it. He thought he could try to pretend he didn't do anything.
No. Everyone here must die.
His instincts told him to run, to sprint away and hide, but the throbbing pain in his ankle prevented him from moving.
"That's right. You just stay there, and I'm going to turn off the copter. The guns will still be pointed right at you, so stay put!" the voice said.
Aiden obeyed, but he was planning to take the first opportunity to run away. The sound of the helicopter's spinning propellors slowly died down. Aiden's face was pressed to the ground; he dared not look up. Soon, he heard footsteps approaching him. He had to move, he had to try to escape-
He immediately felt a sharp, tingling sensation on his back. He winced as moderate pain coursed through his back, and he realized that the person had used a taser to stun him. He could not move.
"Tie him up, Michelle," a female's voice said. He felt another pair of hands near him and he panicked once again as he felt rope bind him tightly. One pair of hands grasped his ankles (with a sharp, inward cry of pain from Aiden), and the other grasped his shoulders. They flipped him over in the air and he saw who was holding him.
Two female police officers stood, holding him so that he would face the sky. They both looked a bit young to be police officers.
"We've got him," the first officer yelled after tying him up. The second one agreed.
"Thank you, Red. You too, Michelle," said the man's voice. "Well, well, well.. it looks like we've got the one who's causing all of this... trouble."
Aiden fixed his gaze upon the source of the voice as it approached him. He was surprised to see that the man looked to be.. elderly?
yep I'm 78 apparently ;D
"You must be Aiden, then. My name's Levi, and I'm in charge here. You'd better not try anything funny, because if you do, we're going to have a real problem here."
The six remaining explorers made it to where they were standing. Sheryl, Reena, Jev, Jasmine, Lillian and Gabby all showed their obvious disgust on their faces.
"Finally, someone got him."
"He's killed several already."
"Let's just finish this now."
"Hold it, hold it!" Levi shouted. He had the air of a man who was easily underestimated. Aiden supposed he was very skilled.
"Now," Levi began, "he's stunned. Red tased him. Now, I need you to tell me exactly what's been going on here, Miss..?" he looked questioningly at Sheryl.
"S-Sheryl," she stuttered.
"Ah, yes. You must be the one who sent us the message that you were in danger. Alright, Sheryl, what happened here?"
Sheryl quickly recounted the story of how all of the explorers arrived on the island, and then Aiden suddenly started killing everyone in sight. Aiden didn't remember arriving on the island. How could there be anything before the knife? Aiden remembered nothing.
Aiden could feel his body waking up, but it was too late for moving. He was tied up tightly. After a few minutes, the police officers set him down on the ground, but they still watched him like hawks.
For a few minutes, they argued about whether or not they had to kill Aiden to end everything. The officers seemed to think it wasn't necessary, but the explorers kept stressing that it was the only way.
"Listen, I just know. It's the only way," Sheryl repeated.
They kept arguing, but the explorers pointed out that the knife kept returning to Aiden's hands no matter how many times Michelle, one of Levi's officers, removed it. It took a while, but they finally convinced the elderly man that they had to kill Aiden.
"Alright, alright. There seems to be no way we can get him back to the station safely," Levi admitted. "I guess we're going to have to do it. And I can't let any of you do it," he added, gesturing to the explorers, "even though you're armed. I've had to kill before - in the war. It won't damage me anymore as much as it'll damage you."
The explorers and the two female police officers exchanged worried looks. Jev seemed as though he was just waiting for Aiden to die.
"All of you, stand back." Levi pointed to the explorers. "Red, Michelle.. get behind me and I want everyone to take twenty steps away from here, close your eyes and look away. Got it?"
Everyone nodded and did as they were told. Aiden suddenly remembered why he was here; he panicked and began to squirm.
"No - no!" he screamed.
"Aiden," Levi began, "from the power invested in me, I hereby charge you, as penalty for your actions, with the death penalty."
Aiden closed his eyes. This was it. There was no way to escape.
Crack.
***
Epilogue
The explorers who visited the Mors Island had quite a fright on that day.
Aiden had found a weapon, killed his best friend and several other innocent people, and was stopped. Due to his ignorance, the bystanders were able to send a radio message to the mainland police station, and reinforcements came. They dealt with Aiden.
Upon returning to the mainland, Levi, the seventy-eight year old policeman, resigned from his post. Despite the many people who told the man that what he did was right, he could not forgive himself. He had killed a boy who was by no means innocent, but he was no longer a threat. Or was he?
Some people said that the old man had done wrong, that he was going insane. They said that there was no reason for him to kill Aiden. Others, however, argued. Many believed that Levi should not have felt any remorse for eliminating a murderer.
Upon the examination of Aiden's body, it was concluded that he was about to die anyway. The professionals who examined him said that the state of his body was extremely unhealthy, and that he was going to pass away within the month.
However, this did little to change Levi's mind about what he had done. Aiden was dead, a murderer had been killed. And now..
The Mors Blade returned to the temple to await its next victim.
Ending 2
Aiden looked over his shoulder. The vast shape of the helicopter came into view, and it was approaching quickly. It had a sleek, black paint job with the symbol of the mainland police on the side.
Aiden panicked. He had not thought about the mainland. How could they have known?
The planes, Aiden thought. They used the radio to contact someone on land.
As Aiden was scolding himself in his mind, he ran out from behind the planes and tumbled toward the temple entrance. As he fell, he felt his left ankle become sprained. He groaned in pain and continued to crawl toward the temple. As he stood up to enter, however, the mecanically-magnified boom of a man's voice echoed across the island.
"STOP! Stop right there, son! In the name of the law, stand down!"
Aiden did not stop, however. He kept inching toward the temple door.
"I have guns trained on you now! STAND DOWN!"
This seemed to motivate Aiden. Only in fear, he reluctantly stopped moving. He tried to hide the knife under his chest so no one could see it. He thought he could try to pretend he didn't do anything.
No. Everyone here must die.
His instincts told him to run, to sprint away and hide, but the throbbing pain in his ankle prevented him from moving.
"That's right. You just stay there, and I'm going to turn off the copter. The guns will still be pointed right at you, so stay put!" the voice said.
Aiden obeyed, but he was planning to take the first opportunity to run away. The sound of the helicopter's spinning propellors slowly died down. Aiden's face was pressed to the ground; he dared not look up. Soon, he heard footsteps approaching him. He had to move, he had to try to escape-
He immediately felt a sharp, tingling sensation on his back. He winced as moderate pain coursed through his back, and he realized that the person had used a taser to stun him. He could not move.
"Tie him up, Michelle," a female's voice said. He felt another pair of hands near him and he panicked once again as he felt rope bind him tightly. One pair of hands grasped his ankles (with a sharp, inward cry of pain from Aiden), and the other grasped his shoulders. They flipped him over in the air and he saw who was holding him.
Two female police officers stood, holding him so that he would face the sky. They both looked a bit young to be police officers.
"We've got him," the first officer yelled after tying him up. The second one agreed.
"Thank you, Red. You too, Michelle," said the man's voice. "Well, well, well.. it looks like we've got the one who's causing all of this... trouble."
Aiden fixed his gaze upon the source of the voice as it approached him. He was surprised to see that the man looked to be.. elderly?
yep I'm 78 apparently ;D
"You must be Aiden, then. My name's Levi, and I'm in charge here. You'd better not try anything funny, because if you do, we're going to have a real problem here."
The six remaining explorers made it to where they were standing. Sheryl, Reena, Jev, Jasmine, Lillian and Gabby all showed their obvious disgust on their faces.
"Finally, someone got him."
"He's killed several already."
"Let's just finish this now."
"Hold it, hold it!" Levi shouted. He had the air of a man who was easily underestimated. Aiden supposed he was very skilled.
"Now," Levi began, "he's stunned. Red tased him. Now, I need you to tell me exactly what's been going on here, Miss..?" he looked questioningly at Sheryl.
"S-Sheryl," she stuttered.
"Ah, yes. You must be the one who sent us the message that you were in danger. Alright, Sheryl, what happened here?"
Sheryl quickly recounted the story of how all of the explorers arrived on the island, and then Aiden suddenly started killing everyone in sight. Aiden didn't remember arriving on the island. How could there be anything before the knife? Aiden remembered nothing.
Aiden could feel his body waking up, but it was too late for moving. He was tied up tightly. After a few minutes, the police officers set him down on the ground, but they still watched him like hawks.
For a few minutes, they argued about whether or not they had to kill Aiden to end everything. The officers seemed to think it wasn't necessary, but the explorers kept stressing that it was the only way.
"Listen, I just know. It's the only way," Sheryl repeated.
They kept arguing, but the explorers pointed out that the knife kept returning to Aiden's hands no matter how many times Michelle, one of Levi's officers, removed it. It took a while, but they finally convinced the elderly man that they had to kill Aiden.
"Alright, alright. There seems to be no way we can get him back to the station safely," Levi admitted. "I guess we're going to have to do it. And I can't let any of you do it," he added, gesturing to the explorers, "even though you're armed. I've had to kill before - in the war. It won't damage me anymore as much as it'll damage you."
The explorers and the two female police officers exchanged worried looks. Jev seemed as though he was just waiting for Aiden to die.
"All of you, stand back." Levi pointed to the explorers. "Red, Michelle.. get behind me and I want everyone to take twenty steps away from here, close your eyes and look away. Got it?"
Everyone nodded and did as they were told. Aiden suddenly remembered why he was here; he panicked and began to squirm.
"No - no!" he screamed.
"Aiden," Levi began, "from the power invested in me, I hereby charge you, as penalty for your actions, with the death penalty."
Aiden closed his eyes. This was it. There was no way to escape.
Crack.
***
Epilogue
The explorers who visited the Mors Island had quite a fright on that day.
Aiden had found a weapon, killed his best friend and several other innocent people, and was stopped. Due to his ignorance, the bystanders were able to send a radio message to the mainland police station, and reinforcements came. They dealt with Aiden.
Upon returning to the mainland, Levi, the seventy-eight year old policeman, resigned from his post. Despite the many people who told the man that what he did was right, he could not forgive himself. He had killed a boy who was by no means innocent, but he was no longer a threat. Or was he?
Some people said that the old man had done wrong, that he was going insane. They said that there was no reason for him to kill Aiden. Others, however, argued. Many believed that Levi should not have felt any remorse for eliminating a murderer.
Upon the examination of Aiden's body, it was concluded that he was about to die anyway. The professionals who examined him said that the state of his body was extremely unhealthy, and that he was going to pass away within the month.
However, this did little to change Levi's mind about what he had done. Aiden was dead, a murderer had been killed. And now..
The Mors Blade returned to the temple to await its next victim.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
ATTENTION: This is one of the endings of the story. If you're reading this ending, it means that you should have come from Chapter B3a. If this is incorrect, stop reading now and return to the chapter that you just read.
Ending 3
Jerome, dead? How could this happen?
Aiden collapsed on the floor next to his best friend. He had known Jerome as long as he could remember, and now he was gone. Reena had killed him.
Aiden's eyes filled with tears. Jerome was like a brother to him. And now, Aiden thought, Reena was likely seeking out new targets.
Aiden's gaze was caught by a glint of silver in Jerome's lifeless hand. The pistol!
So Lillian was right, Aiden thought. Jerome found the gun, and now he's dead. Reena found him. Aiden reached for the silver pistol in Jerome's hand, and he immediately felt a strange sensation.
It was as if the gun was telling him about something, warning him of danger. He felt a sudden understanding about everything that was going on. There was a murderer on the island. And Aiden already knew who it was. He felt a refueled desire to finish what Reena started, to end this horrible chain of events, to make sure no one else would die.
He felt the desire to eliminate Reena.
He had never felt the desire to kill in his life, but this, he thought, felt different. It must have felt different. He, Aiden, only wanted to save everyone else. That's what he was feeling. Right?
He stood up and said a silent goodbye to Jerome, and his mind was immediately charged by memories of what had just happened before he found the prison room.
Aiden and Lillian had sprinted into the temple after being lookouts for the planes. They thought someone had found Jev's gun, and that Reena would be looking for them. When they arrived inside the temple, they were attacked by Reena, the murderer. Aiden ran away and found the gun.
And now he would have to fix everything.
He thought about his circumstances for a minute. Would Lillian have returned to the planes, or would Reena have already found her?
Idiot, Aiden told himself. You left Lillian. She could already be dead.
"No," he whispered. "I can't afford to think like that."
Before he knew what was going on, he was running out of the room. Weaving his way through the unknown rooms of the temple, he finally made it back outside. He sprinted in the direction of the planes.
She has to be here, he told himself. She just has to. I can't lose her too.
Upon reaching the planes, he realized that he was completely alone. He double-checked inside both of the planes to make sure Lillian wasn't hiding in them to avoid Reena.
"Lillian?" Aiden shouted. "LILLIAN! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Aiden sunk to his knees. Jerome was dead, and now Lillian was too. He had left her to die, he thought. As this realization sunk in, his heart pumped furiously.
Suddenly, the sound of a knife pierced the air, and a silver blade crossed Aiden's vision.
He yelled, startled, and rose to his feet as quickly as humanly possible. He glanced to his right, from where the knife came from. He saw a girl - Reena, he presumed - running away from him and dashing around a corner of the temple.
Aiden once again felt the need to eliminate the threat. He sprinted blindly across the open area in front of the temple and dashed around the corner. Reena was nowhere to be seen.
He tried to gather his thoughts. He had a pistol. He had to find Reena and kill her. It was the only way to ensure everyone else's safety, even if it meant risking his.
Aiden stood up, refueled by his passion to save the other explorers, and dashed back to the place where the planes sat, immobile. He dipped out of sight and waited for a sound.
You can't just sit here and let everyone else die, he thought. You have to go find Reena.
Aiden's mind battled against itself for a minute or two, until a scream suddenly pierced the silent air of the island.
"Help! Somebody help! It's Reena!"
Aiden recognized that voice. Savi, he thought. She's in trouble.
Aiden began sprinting in the direction he came. He sensed that the scream came from the other side of the temple. He sprinted as fast as he could across the front side of the huge structure. He rounded the final corner, but-
He saw the body of Savi on the ground, completely lifeless. Blood stained the ground around her.
Aiden, after reaching her, sunk down to his knees. Another explorer, dead? This had to stop.
Even though he knew in his heart that Savi was already dead, he reached for her throat to find a pulse. He felt nothing.
Heart racing, Aiden stood up, but it was too late. He suddenly felt a sharp object pierce his back. The pain was worse than anything he had ever felt before. He fell forwards, face-down, and stared into the ground. He could not move.
The form of Reena loomed above him. He struggled to move his arms, but she pinned him down. He knew he only had a few seconds left to live, but he couldn't muster the strength to push her off.
"Reena.." he croaked.
"It's too late, Aiden. You can't save Savi, and you can't save yourself. And now," she added, "you won't be able to save Lillian when I kill her."
And everything went black.
***
Epilogue
Now that this part of Aiden's story is over, I think it would be best to give you a short recap of what happened before and after Aiden's death.
The explorers arrived on the Mors Island via plane that day. The two pilots, Sheryl and Jasmine, each flew their own plane with passengers. However, none of them knew what would happen when they arrived.
Aiden, along with his friends Jerome, Lillian and Reena, decided to rest for a while after arriving on the island. They sat down under the shade of a tree and had a nice chat. However, Aiden needed to strike up a conversation with Sheryl about the mysterious waterfall, and what could be behind it.
Little did they know that Reena left to explore the Mors Temple with Gabby and Samuel.
When they got back to their shady area, they didn't really notice Reena's absence. However, when Samuel escaped the temple and told everyone of Gabby's murder, they all knew what was about to happen.
There was a murderer on the island, and they needed help.
Thankfully, Jev had managed to find a firearm somewhere on the island prior to the attack. He went in search of Reena with Jasmine. However, during the search, Jev and Jasmine were both murdered.
Jerome found the gun and took it from Jev's body; he then attempted to search for Reena himself. However, he too failed. Reena killed him.
Aiden found Jerome's body and took the gun from it. He then searched for Reena and was killed.
And that was the end of Aiden.
After Aiden's death, however, Reena fled. She tried to search for the remaining explorers, but before she could find anyone else, Sheryl found the gun, took it from Aiden's body, and pursued Reena.
Sheryl eliminated Reena.
Finally, Reena was dead. The explorers were saved. Leading the group, Sheryl made sure all of the bodies were brought back to the front of the island and buried under a nice, shady tree.
To this day, there is a headstone on which the names of all of the deceased explorers are written.
The explorers flew away from the island, leaving the empty plane and the horrible experience behind them. Unfortunately, however, the haunting day never seemed to leave their mind.
Some explorers, including Sheryl, became members of the armed forces, in attempts to help make their world a safer place. They did not wish for anyone else to experience what they did on that day.
Others resumed normal lives: some of them even married and had happy children. They were all happy. But most of all, they missed their fellow explorers and they mourned their deaths.
And once again, the Mors Blade - the weapon wielded by Reena - returned itself to the Mors Temple, awaiting its next victim.
Ending 3
Jerome, dead? How could this happen?
Aiden collapsed on the floor next to his best friend. He had known Jerome as long as he could remember, and now he was gone. Reena had killed him.
Aiden's eyes filled with tears. Jerome was like a brother to him. And now, Aiden thought, Reena was likely seeking out new targets.
Aiden's gaze was caught by a glint of silver in Jerome's lifeless hand. The pistol!
So Lillian was right, Aiden thought. Jerome found the gun, and now he's dead. Reena found him. Aiden reached for the silver pistol in Jerome's hand, and he immediately felt a strange sensation.
It was as if the gun was telling him about something, warning him of danger. He felt a sudden understanding about everything that was going on. There was a murderer on the island. And Aiden already knew who it was. He felt a refueled desire to finish what Reena started, to end this horrible chain of events, to make sure no one else would die.
He felt the desire to eliminate Reena.
He had never felt the desire to kill in his life, but this, he thought, felt different. It must have felt different. He, Aiden, only wanted to save everyone else. That's what he was feeling. Right?
He stood up and said a silent goodbye to Jerome, and his mind was immediately charged by memories of what had just happened before he found the prison room.
Aiden and Lillian had sprinted into the temple after being lookouts for the planes. They thought someone had found Jev's gun, and that Reena would be looking for them. When they arrived inside the temple, they were attacked by Reena, the murderer. Aiden ran away and found the gun.
And now he would have to fix everything.
He thought about his circumstances for a minute. Would Lillian have returned to the planes, or would Reena have already found her?
Idiot, Aiden told himself. You left Lillian. She could already be dead.
"No," he whispered. "I can't afford to think like that."
Before he knew what was going on, he was running out of the room. Weaving his way through the unknown rooms of the temple, he finally made it back outside. He sprinted in the direction of the planes.
She has to be here, he told himself. She just has to. I can't lose her too.
Upon reaching the planes, he realized that he was completely alone. He double-checked inside both of the planes to make sure Lillian wasn't hiding in them to avoid Reena.
"Lillian?" Aiden shouted. "LILLIAN! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Aiden sunk to his knees. Jerome was dead, and now Lillian was too. He had left her to die, he thought. As this realization sunk in, his heart pumped furiously.
Suddenly, the sound of a knife pierced the air, and a silver blade crossed Aiden's vision.
He yelled, startled, and rose to his feet as quickly as humanly possible. He glanced to his right, from where the knife came from. He saw a girl - Reena, he presumed - running away from him and dashing around a corner of the temple.
Aiden once again felt the need to eliminate the threat. He sprinted blindly across the open area in front of the temple and dashed around the corner. Reena was nowhere to be seen.
He tried to gather his thoughts. He had a pistol. He had to find Reena and kill her. It was the only way to ensure everyone else's safety, even if it meant risking his.
Aiden stood up, refueled by his passion to save the other explorers, and dashed back to the place where the planes sat, immobile. He dipped out of sight and waited for a sound.
You can't just sit here and let everyone else die, he thought. You have to go find Reena.
Aiden's mind battled against itself for a minute or two, until a scream suddenly pierced the silent air of the island.
"Help! Somebody help! It's Reena!"
Aiden recognized that voice. Savi, he thought. She's in trouble.
Aiden began sprinting in the direction he came. He sensed that the scream came from the other side of the temple. He sprinted as fast as he could across the front side of the huge structure. He rounded the final corner, but-
He saw the body of Savi on the ground, completely lifeless. Blood stained the ground around her.
Aiden, after reaching her, sunk down to his knees. Another explorer, dead? This had to stop.
Even though he knew in his heart that Savi was already dead, he reached for her throat to find a pulse. He felt nothing.
Heart racing, Aiden stood up, but it was too late. He suddenly felt a sharp object pierce his back. The pain was worse than anything he had ever felt before. He fell forwards, face-down, and stared into the ground. He could not move.
The form of Reena loomed above him. He struggled to move his arms, but she pinned him down. He knew he only had a few seconds left to live, but he couldn't muster the strength to push her off.
"Reena.." he croaked.
"It's too late, Aiden. You can't save Savi, and you can't save yourself. And now," she added, "you won't be able to save Lillian when I kill her."
And everything went black.
***
Epilogue
Now that this part of Aiden's story is over, I think it would be best to give you a short recap of what happened before and after Aiden's death.
The explorers arrived on the Mors Island via plane that day. The two pilots, Sheryl and Jasmine, each flew their own plane with passengers. However, none of them knew what would happen when they arrived.
Aiden, along with his friends Jerome, Lillian and Reena, decided to rest for a while after arriving on the island. They sat down under the shade of a tree and had a nice chat. However, Aiden needed to strike up a conversation with Sheryl about the mysterious waterfall, and what could be behind it.
Little did they know that Reena left to explore the Mors Temple with Gabby and Samuel.
When they got back to their shady area, they didn't really notice Reena's absence. However, when Samuel escaped the temple and told everyone of Gabby's murder, they all knew what was about to happen.
There was a murderer on the island, and they needed help.
Thankfully, Jev had managed to find a firearm somewhere on the island prior to the attack. He went in search of Reena with Jasmine. However, during the search, Jev and Jasmine were both murdered.
Jerome found the gun and took it from Jev's body; he then attempted to search for Reena himself. However, he too failed. Reena killed him.
Aiden found Jerome's body and took the gun from it. He then searched for Reena and was killed.
And that was the end of Aiden.
After Aiden's death, however, Reena fled. She tried to search for the remaining explorers, but before she could find anyone else, Sheryl found the gun, took it from Aiden's body, and pursued Reena.
Sheryl eliminated Reena.
Finally, Reena was dead. The explorers were saved. Leading the group, Sheryl made sure all of the bodies were brought back to the front of the island and buried under a nice, shady tree.
To this day, there is a headstone on which the names of all of the deceased explorers are written.
The explorers flew away from the island, leaving the empty plane and the horrible experience behind them. Unfortunately, however, the haunting day never seemed to leave their mind.
Some explorers, including Sheryl, became members of the armed forces, in attempts to help make their world a safer place. They did not wish for anyone else to experience what they did on that day.
Others resumed normal lives: some of them even married and had happy children. They were all happy. But most of all, they missed their fellow explorers and they mourned their deaths.
And once again, the Mors Blade - the weapon wielded by Reena - returned itself to the Mors Temple, awaiting its next victim.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
ATTENTION: This is one of the endings of the story. If you're reading this ending, it means that you should have come from Chapter B3b. If this is incorrect, stop reading now and return to the chapter that you just read.
Ending 4
"Do you think they know about Jev?" Lillian whispered. Aiden shook his head. He didn't think anyone knew but the three of them.
Aiden, Lillian and Jerome were hiding behind a thick bush to the right of a tree. They had been looking around the outside of the temple for a few minutes, and yet they had found nothing leading to the exposure of Reena. They were now taking a few minutes of rest behind the large bush.
"Alright," Aiden said as he glanced around, "I think it's time to start looking again. She's bound to be somewhere."
The three explorers stood up and began to stride down the hill. Aiden looked at the gleaming waterfall to the left of the temple and thought about what could be behind it.
"I think we should check behind the waterfall," he said.
"What?" Lillian and Jerome said in unison.
"I've just got a feeling. I think there might be something behind that waterfall, and if there is, I've got a hunch that Reena will be back there."
The other two explorers had no choice but to agree; Aiden was obviously the one who was best fit to lead at the moment considering he was the one with the pistol.
As the three friends walked across the field in front of the temple, Aiden thought about all that had happened so far. They had all arrived on the island, thinking they were in for a good time. Oh, how wrong they were, Aiden thought.
They took a rest under a tree, and before they knew it, Reena was off killing everyone in sight. He had to finish this; he couldn't let her kill Aiden's friends.
They were close now. They rounded the corner of the looming scructure of the ancient temple, and Aiden peered at the waterfall beyond. The sparkling water reflected sunlight in a magnificent way.
"Here we go," Aiden said. "It's time."
"Wait," Lillian cut in. "What if she's waiting right there to kill anyone who goes behind the water?"
"Then you'll hear me shout, and you can run away. I'm not going to let either of you go in first."
Without further words, Aiden began to clamber up the large stones that formed the walls of the island. He slowly made his way behind the falling wall of water. Gathering his bravery, he leapt into the darkness beyond.
He landed sharply on wet, hard stone. He slid on the smooth surface for a few seconds until he collected himself and stood up. He called to his fellow explorers outside.
"It's okay, guys! It's just a cave; I don't see Reena anywhere in here!" he called.
"Alright, we're coming in!" Jerome yelled back.
Two minutes later, Lillian and Jerome were both safely inside the cave. The three friends turned and began to examine the cave tunnel in which they stood. It had a rough and jagged stone floor, however the "walls" - if you could call them that - rounded up towards the ceiling.
"Interesting," Aiden whispered, "but don't let your guard down. This place is bigger than I thought."
After a couple minutes of walking, they reached what appeared to be a stone door, however it stood open. Upon examining it, Aiden saw that there were strange symbols etched into the rock.
"I wonder what this is supposed to be?" Lillian wondered aloud.
"I don't know, but it sure looks cool." Jerome answered.
The three of them squeezed through the small opening in the door, and were instantly amazed at what they saw. They were standing in a round, dome-like room with ancient carvings on the walls, and a hole in the ceiling that allowed a bright stream of golden sunlight to fill the room.
"Wow! This is so cool!" Lillian cheered. Jerome loudly sounded his agreement. Aiden strode to the wall to examine the strange carvings.
It appeared to Aiden that the ones who once inhabited the island - The Mors - made these carvings to depict a story. It appeared that a few somewhat modern-looking people were handing down a silver pistol to The Mors. They treated it like a treasured possession, and..
Aiden saw that there was a large chest sitting in the middle of the room - but it was already open; Jerome and Lillian obviously hadn't opened it, for they were standing (a bit sadly) in front of it, sounding their disappointment at the chest being empty.
"Aiden, come look at this," Lillian called softly, "I think this is where the gun came from."
Sure enough, Aiden thought, as he looked into the wooden chest. There was a barely-visible outline of where a pistol must have been. Suddenly, he remembered who took it in the first place.
"I guess this is where Jev found it, then."
"I guess so." Jerome replied.
The three friends stood in silence for a moment, reflecting on Jev's death. They also thought about the deaths of the other explorers whom Reena had killed. Aiden was reassured by his friends' presence, and he was ready to finish what Reena had started.
"I'm going now. I need to end this before anyone else dies." Jerome and Lillian nodded silently. They turned around and followed Aiden out of the room.
As the three made the short journey back through the cave tunnel and back to the waterfall, they each silently thought about what would happen next. Aiden, however, knew exactly what was going to happen.
He was going to leave the cave, find Reena, and eliminate her.
When Aiden, Jerome and Lillian reached the exit of the cave which hid behind the waterfall, Aiden made it clear that he was to go out first in case Reena was waiting outside.
"..And then I'll let you know that it's safe. Don't come out until I give you the call."
Aiden, after stepping out onto the cold, wet rock in front of the waterfall, glanced around quickly. He saw no one. He quickly turned and called to his friends.
"It looks alright! You can come out!"
A second later, Jerome and Lillian both stepped out at the same time. Lillian slipped, however, and fell; she hit Aiden and Jerome and they all tumbled into the river below.
Cold water came into contact with Aiden's skin. His head went under the cold liquid. He groped around to find his friends; feeling nothing, he quickly returned his head above the surface. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Jerome and Lillian were already laying on the shore, recovering.
Aiden swam to shore, stood up, and glanced in the distance. He saw the outline of a person. Who could that be? They shouldn't be alone, he thought.
Suddenly, however, the figure quickly moved forward, and Aiden saw something leave the person's hand and whirl through the air towards him. Instinctively, he ducked out of the way, but before he could get back up, Lillian saw who it was.
"Aiden, it's Reena! She's here!"
Aiden got to his feet and moved his arms to aim the pistol at Reena. He was too quick for him, however. She lunged forward and tackled Aiden. He fell to the ground and struggled to escape, but Reena pinned his arms down.
Lillian screamed; Jerome shouted in shock. Why isn't she trying to kill me? Aiden thought. She threw the knife. She doesn't have it! I have to act now!
Mustering all of his energy, Aiden managed to knock Reena to the side. He stood up and swung his arms to point at her with the pistol, but she kicked his legs. Aiden fell to the ground again and rolled to the side.
After standing up, Aiden saw that Reena had somehow managed to recover the knife. How did she get it? he thought. She threw it away!
Reena swung her arm back to throw the knife, and Aiden knew this was his chance. He swung the pistol up, aimed straight for her chest, and pulled the trigger.
Crack.
***
Epilogue
That was a sad, sad day.
The day in which many explorers arrived on The Mors Island was.. eventful. Eventful in a bad sense, however. After arriving on the island, an ordinary girl became a murderer.. and a victim.
Upon reaching the island, Reena was a bit shy. She had been more of an introvert for a long time, and she just preferred to be by herself. However, Gabby was a great friend of hers.
Thus, when Reena got word that Gabby and Samuel were going to go exploring in the temple - and it would just be the three of them; no crowds - she immediately went with them.
However, while they were inside the Mors Temple, something happened. Something happened to Reena, and she killed Gabby. She attempted to kill Samuel, too - but Samuel made it outside to warn the others.
Jev, a quiet but brave young man, went to explore what he thought was a normal cave. However, inside it he found a weapon that he knew must be used to eliminate the murderer - a pistol.
Unfortunately, Reena got to Jev before he could find her.
Aiden, followed closely by his two best friends, Jerome and Lillian, found Jev's body and recovered the gun. Aiden found Reena and eliminated her.
The explorers who survived came together to recover all of the bodies; they buried them on the island. They then boarded the planes and left the island forever.
The Mors Blade, however - the weapon that Reena used to kill - returned to the temple, only to be found by a new victim.
The three main characters of this story - Aiden, Lillian and Jerome - never quite forgot this "incident." What they called the "Mors Island Incident" was, unfortunately, forever burned into their minds. However, they learned something that day. They learned to stick together as friends for life.
And they were happy.
Ending 4
"Do you think they know about Jev?" Lillian whispered. Aiden shook his head. He didn't think anyone knew but the three of them.
Aiden, Lillian and Jerome were hiding behind a thick bush to the right of a tree. They had been looking around the outside of the temple for a few minutes, and yet they had found nothing leading to the exposure of Reena. They were now taking a few minutes of rest behind the large bush.
"Alright," Aiden said as he glanced around, "I think it's time to start looking again. She's bound to be somewhere."
The three explorers stood up and began to stride down the hill. Aiden looked at the gleaming waterfall to the left of the temple and thought about what could be behind it.
"I think we should check behind the waterfall," he said.
"What?" Lillian and Jerome said in unison.
"I've just got a feeling. I think there might be something behind that waterfall, and if there is, I've got a hunch that Reena will be back there."
The other two explorers had no choice but to agree; Aiden was obviously the one who was best fit to lead at the moment considering he was the one with the pistol.
As the three friends walked across the field in front of the temple, Aiden thought about all that had happened so far. They had all arrived on the island, thinking they were in for a good time. Oh, how wrong they were, Aiden thought.
They took a rest under a tree, and before they knew it, Reena was off killing everyone in sight. He had to finish this; he couldn't let her kill Aiden's friends.
They were close now. They rounded the corner of the looming scructure of the ancient temple, and Aiden peered at the waterfall beyond. The sparkling water reflected sunlight in a magnificent way.
"Here we go," Aiden said. "It's time."
"Wait," Lillian cut in. "What if she's waiting right there to kill anyone who goes behind the water?"
"Then you'll hear me shout, and you can run away. I'm not going to let either of you go in first."
Without further words, Aiden began to clamber up the large stones that formed the walls of the island. He slowly made his way behind the falling wall of water. Gathering his bravery, he leapt into the darkness beyond.
He landed sharply on wet, hard stone. He slid on the smooth surface for a few seconds until he collected himself and stood up. He called to his fellow explorers outside.
"It's okay, guys! It's just a cave; I don't see Reena anywhere in here!" he called.
"Alright, we're coming in!" Jerome yelled back.
Two minutes later, Lillian and Jerome were both safely inside the cave. The three friends turned and began to examine the cave tunnel in which they stood. It had a rough and jagged stone floor, however the "walls" - if you could call them that - rounded up towards the ceiling.
"Interesting," Aiden whispered, "but don't let your guard down. This place is bigger than I thought."
After a couple minutes of walking, they reached what appeared to be a stone door, however it stood open. Upon examining it, Aiden saw that there were strange symbols etched into the rock.
"I wonder what this is supposed to be?" Lillian wondered aloud.
"I don't know, but it sure looks cool." Jerome answered.
The three of them squeezed through the small opening in the door, and were instantly amazed at what they saw. They were standing in a round, dome-like room with ancient carvings on the walls, and a hole in the ceiling that allowed a bright stream of golden sunlight to fill the room.
"Wow! This is so cool!" Lillian cheered. Jerome loudly sounded his agreement. Aiden strode to the wall to examine the strange carvings.
It appeared to Aiden that the ones who once inhabited the island - The Mors - made these carvings to depict a story. It appeared that a few somewhat modern-looking people were handing down a silver pistol to The Mors. They treated it like a treasured possession, and..
Aiden saw that there was a large chest sitting in the middle of the room - but it was already open; Jerome and Lillian obviously hadn't opened it, for they were standing (a bit sadly) in front of it, sounding their disappointment at the chest being empty.
"Aiden, come look at this," Lillian called softly, "I think this is where the gun came from."
Sure enough, Aiden thought, as he looked into the wooden chest. There was a barely-visible outline of where a pistol must have been. Suddenly, he remembered who took it in the first place.
"I guess this is where Jev found it, then."
"I guess so." Jerome replied.
The three friends stood in silence for a moment, reflecting on Jev's death. They also thought about the deaths of the other explorers whom Reena had killed. Aiden was reassured by his friends' presence, and he was ready to finish what Reena had started.
"I'm going now. I need to end this before anyone else dies." Jerome and Lillian nodded silently. They turned around and followed Aiden out of the room.
As the three made the short journey back through the cave tunnel and back to the waterfall, they each silently thought about what would happen next. Aiden, however, knew exactly what was going to happen.
He was going to leave the cave, find Reena, and eliminate her.
When Aiden, Jerome and Lillian reached the exit of the cave which hid behind the waterfall, Aiden made it clear that he was to go out first in case Reena was waiting outside.
"..And then I'll let you know that it's safe. Don't come out until I give you the call."
Aiden, after stepping out onto the cold, wet rock in front of the waterfall, glanced around quickly. He saw no one. He quickly turned and called to his friends.
"It looks alright! You can come out!"
A second later, Jerome and Lillian both stepped out at the same time. Lillian slipped, however, and fell; she hit Aiden and Jerome and they all tumbled into the river below.
Cold water came into contact with Aiden's skin. His head went under the cold liquid. He groped around to find his friends; feeling nothing, he quickly returned his head above the surface. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Jerome and Lillian were already laying on the shore, recovering.
Aiden swam to shore, stood up, and glanced in the distance. He saw the outline of a person. Who could that be? They shouldn't be alone, he thought.
Suddenly, however, the figure quickly moved forward, and Aiden saw something leave the person's hand and whirl through the air towards him. Instinctively, he ducked out of the way, but before he could get back up, Lillian saw who it was.
"Aiden, it's Reena! She's here!"
Aiden got to his feet and moved his arms to aim the pistol at Reena. He was too quick for him, however. She lunged forward and tackled Aiden. He fell to the ground and struggled to escape, but Reena pinned his arms down.
Lillian screamed; Jerome shouted in shock. Why isn't she trying to kill me? Aiden thought. She threw the knife. She doesn't have it! I have to act now!
Mustering all of his energy, Aiden managed to knock Reena to the side. He stood up and swung his arms to point at her with the pistol, but she kicked his legs. Aiden fell to the ground again and rolled to the side.
After standing up, Aiden saw that Reena had somehow managed to recover the knife. How did she get it? he thought. She threw it away!
Reena swung her arm back to throw the knife, and Aiden knew this was his chance. He swung the pistol up, aimed straight for her chest, and pulled the trigger.
Crack.
***
Epilogue
That was a sad, sad day.
The day in which many explorers arrived on The Mors Island was.. eventful. Eventful in a bad sense, however. After arriving on the island, an ordinary girl became a murderer.. and a victim.
Upon reaching the island, Reena was a bit shy. She had been more of an introvert for a long time, and she just preferred to be by herself. However, Gabby was a great friend of hers.
Thus, when Reena got word that Gabby and Samuel were going to go exploring in the temple - and it would just be the three of them; no crowds - she immediately went with them.
However, while they were inside the Mors Temple, something happened. Something happened to Reena, and she killed Gabby. She attempted to kill Samuel, too - but Samuel made it outside to warn the others.
Jev, a quiet but brave young man, went to explore what he thought was a normal cave. However, inside it he found a weapon that he knew must be used to eliminate the murderer - a pistol.
Unfortunately, Reena got to Jev before he could find her.
Aiden, followed closely by his two best friends, Jerome and Lillian, found Jev's body and recovered the gun. Aiden found Reena and eliminated her.
The explorers who survived came together to recover all of the bodies; they buried them on the island. They then boarded the planes and left the island forever.
The Mors Blade, however - the weapon that Reena used to kill - returned to the temple, only to be found by a new victim.
The three main characters of this story - Aiden, Lillian and Jerome - never quite forgot this "incident." What they called the "Mors Island Incident" was, unfortunately, forever burned into their minds. However, they learned something that day. They learned to stick together as friends for life.
And they were happy.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
ATTENTION: This is one of the endings of the story. If you're reading this ending, it means that you should have come from Chapter C3a. If this is incorrect, stop reading now and return to the chapter that you just read.
Ending 5
Aiden and Jerome sat in silence. They had been trapped in the dark, cold room for what felt like hours.
"No one's going to find us."
"What?" Jerome said. "No, Aiden, don't say things like that. We need to stay positive."
"What's that going to do for us?" Aiden growled. "We're trapped, and we can't get out. This is the end. Lillian's dead, and we will be too."
They sat in silence for a moment, until Jerome suddenly said, "No, we won't."
Jerome stood up and began yelling at the top of his lungs for help. He was calling Sheryl, calling anyone who would help. He began to pound his fists on the walls and ceiling.
"HEY! ANYONE! WE'RE STUCK DOWN HERE! HELP US!"
"HELP! SHERYL! SOMEONE!"
"WE'RE TRAPPED!"
Jerome finally sat down and stopped screaming. I guess he realized the truth too, Aiden thought. Both of us are going to die down here. And it's all my fault.
"Jerome, I'm sorry."
"For what, Aiden?"
"Because it's my fault we're stuck down here," Aiden said. "I should have thought about the possibilities of a trap in the temple. I should have been more careful. I didn't even think about the possibilty of Gabby being down here. I could have lured us straight into a knife."
"Aiden, don't do that. If anything, it's my fault. I pressed the switch."
Aiden sighed. "I just wish we could have helped Lillian. Her death is on me."
The two friends, after a few short comments, closed their eyes and remained still. The cold, stone floor felt strangely comfortable under Aiden. Maybe he'd just lie down here, maybe he'd just go to sleep and he'd never wake up... that would be nice. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this horrible nightmare.
Go to sleep, Aiden.
Aiden suddenly felt wide awake. He stood up and found himself gliding across the gleaming ocean water in an airplane.. he was flying the plane. Until it crashed.
He was standing in front of Gabby, her hands covered in blood. Aiden aimed the pistol at her, but his chest was pierced by the blade. Even after he felt death, he could still see someone picking up the pistol from his hands.. they shot Gabby.
Now he was standing in front of the two airplanes, all of the explorers in a large group. Aiden and Jerome broke off to talk about where they wanted to go.
Don't go to the cave. Don't go. Lillian will die.
"Aiden?"
Aiden opened his eyes and saw... light? He squinted up at the strange thing that felt foreign to him.
"Aiden, it's me. Sheryl. Are you okay?"
Aiden sat for a moment, but he glanced up at Sheryl and nodded. He pointed to Jerome and gave a quiet cry of helplessness.
Sheryl jumped down into the new treasure room. She walked to Jerome and tried to pick him up. Unfortunately, he was a bit too heavy for her alone. Thus, Aiden helped her carry Jerome out of the room and outside.
Aiden sat down on the lush, green grass of the field. He smelled the air; it was very fresh and uplifting. The salty smell of the ocean water seemed to wake him up a little.
"Aiden, what happened?" Sheryl asked.
Aiden quickly recounted the story of how Aiden and Jerome went to explore the room, and how they were trapped inside. He then hesitated, but told Sheryl about the dreams he had before she awoke him.
"And.. and I saw.. I saw Gabby killing me."
Sheryl sat in silence. She looked very worried.
"You mean.. she just killed you?"
"Yes. I mean, I tried to kill her using this gun. In the dream, it felt like it was the only way to end it - and that's exactly how I feel right now. But after I died, someone else picked up the gun and shot Gabby. I think that.. that I'm going to die. I think I saw the future in my dream."
Sheryl sat motionless, her face paralyzed with horror. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Aiden.. there's got to be another way. I mean," Sheryl gasped, "what if you die and no one can get to the gun in time?"
"Well, I'm not just going to walk up to her and surrender. I'm going to put up a fight. I just have a feeling I'm going to die."
Aiden glanced at the still-sleeping Jerome. "He'll be fine," Sheryl assured him. "When he wakes up, I'll make sure to give him something to drink and I'll tell him what you're doing."
"Thanks, Sheryl."
Aiden stood up and marched to the open field in front of the temple. He turned and stared at the open ocean. The blazing sun reflected off of the smooth surface of the water. As Aiden reflected on what the day had included, he heard a scraping sound behind him.
He turned and looked at the waterfall on the other side of the island. He could just make out a person climbing down from the rocks..
Gabby!
Before Aiden could think of anything else, he was sprinting in her direction. He knew that he would have a better chance of hitting her if he was closer...
Gabby saw him and threw the sharp blade at him. It whirled through the air and narrowly missed his shoulder. This is it, he thought. Now's the time.
Aiden aimed and fired the pistol straight at Gabby's heart. He missed, however, and the bullet went straight into the cave behind the waterfall. He felt a trickle of fear, but he was reassured when Gabby sprinted behind the temple.
Aiden followed at a quick pace. He tore through the tall grass next to the river and bolted around the corner. Gabby, however, was gone. Aiden turned around to go back, when suddenly-
He felt a piercing pain in his back. He looked at his chest and saw the tip of a sharp blade peeking out of his shirt.
Aiden fell forwards onto the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gabby running away. He knew his time had come. He was going to die.
"AIDEN!"
Aiden was suddenly flipped over quickly. He saw Sheryl and Jerome staring down at him. Jerome was on the verge of tears; Sheryl was already sobbing.
"I told you, Sheryl. It was meant to be. Take.. take the gun. One of you needs to kill her."
"Aiden.. I'm sorry. It's all my fault... you've been my best friend for my whole life, and now I'm losing you just like we lost Lillian..."
"Jerome, it's okay. It's okay because I know one if you is.. is going to make sure Lillian didn't die.. in vain."
Sheryl and Jerome both cried loudly. Sheryl barely even knew Aiden, but she apparently had the same feeling for everyone.
"I'm coming.. Lillian."
***
Epilogue
I was going to make a long recap of what happened on that day, but I feel that it would be a bit redundant considering I've done that for at least one of the other endings. Therefore I shall simply tell you what happened after Aiden's death.
Aiden died happy, because he knew that it was supposed to happen. He knew that one of the other two explorers would use his gun to destroy Gabby and save everyone else. He died knowing that Lillian wouldn't have died in vain.
In Jerome's rage due to Aiden's death, he immediately took the gun and sprinted in front of the temple, where Gabby was peeking out of the temple entrance. He did not hesitate to pull the trigger.
And Gabby was dead.
The remaining explorers - which I'm not going to list because I'm really lazy, not to mention I really want to get this story out (if you don't know, this is the last chapter I have to type before it gets released) - found their way gradually back to the planes. Most of them found places to hide, and it took a long time for Sheryl and Jerome to find them all and bring them back to safety.
With Jasmine dead, Sheryl was the only pilot left. Thus she flew all of the remaining explorers back to the mainland in her plane. The other plane was one of two things that they left on that island.
They also left a headstone in front of the temple which listed the names of the dead explorers.
When the remaining people were in the plane, they remembered that Gabby's knife could still be out in the open - they didn't want anyone to find it.
When they went back for it, however.. they found that it was gone.
What they didn't know was that the Mors Blade always returns to the temple to await its next victim.
The explorers returned to the mainland in a very sorrowful manner. Many of their friends had died. However, they could rejoice knowing that the remaining explorers were able to stay alive. They were very happy to put what they called the Mors Island Incident behind them, and move on with their lives.
The Incident never really left their minds; it came up in their thoughts every once in a while. Therefore they took those moments to be silent and reflect on the dead explorers and friends.
And the Mors Island Incident was not forgotten.
Ending 5
Aiden and Jerome sat in silence. They had been trapped in the dark, cold room for what felt like hours.
"No one's going to find us."
"What?" Jerome said. "No, Aiden, don't say things like that. We need to stay positive."
"What's that going to do for us?" Aiden growled. "We're trapped, and we can't get out. This is the end. Lillian's dead, and we will be too."
They sat in silence for a moment, until Jerome suddenly said, "No, we won't."
Jerome stood up and began yelling at the top of his lungs for help. He was calling Sheryl, calling anyone who would help. He began to pound his fists on the walls and ceiling.
"HEY! ANYONE! WE'RE STUCK DOWN HERE! HELP US!"
"HELP! SHERYL! SOMEONE!"
"WE'RE TRAPPED!"
Jerome finally sat down and stopped screaming. I guess he realized the truth too, Aiden thought. Both of us are going to die down here. And it's all my fault.
"Jerome, I'm sorry."
"For what, Aiden?"
"Because it's my fault we're stuck down here," Aiden said. "I should have thought about the possibilities of a trap in the temple. I should have been more careful. I didn't even think about the possibilty of Gabby being down here. I could have lured us straight into a knife."
"Aiden, don't do that. If anything, it's my fault. I pressed the switch."
Aiden sighed. "I just wish we could have helped Lillian. Her death is on me."
The two friends, after a few short comments, closed their eyes and remained still. The cold, stone floor felt strangely comfortable under Aiden. Maybe he'd just lie down here, maybe he'd just go to sleep and he'd never wake up... that would be nice. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this horrible nightmare.
Go to sleep, Aiden.
Aiden suddenly felt wide awake. He stood up and found himself gliding across the gleaming ocean water in an airplane.. he was flying the plane. Until it crashed.
He was standing in front of Gabby, her hands covered in blood. Aiden aimed the pistol at her, but his chest was pierced by the blade. Even after he felt death, he could still see someone picking up the pistol from his hands.. they shot Gabby.
Now he was standing in front of the two airplanes, all of the explorers in a large group. Aiden and Jerome broke off to talk about where they wanted to go.
Don't go to the cave. Don't go. Lillian will die.
"Aiden?"
Aiden opened his eyes and saw... light? He squinted up at the strange thing that felt foreign to him.
"Aiden, it's me. Sheryl. Are you okay?"
Aiden sat for a moment, but he glanced up at Sheryl and nodded. He pointed to Jerome and gave a quiet cry of helplessness.
Sheryl jumped down into the new treasure room. She walked to Jerome and tried to pick him up. Unfortunately, he was a bit too heavy for her alone. Thus, Aiden helped her carry Jerome out of the room and outside.
Aiden sat down on the lush, green grass of the field. He smelled the air; it was very fresh and uplifting. The salty smell of the ocean water seemed to wake him up a little.
"Aiden, what happened?" Sheryl asked.
Aiden quickly recounted the story of how Aiden and Jerome went to explore the room, and how they were trapped inside. He then hesitated, but told Sheryl about the dreams he had before she awoke him.
"And.. and I saw.. I saw Gabby killing me."
Sheryl sat in silence. She looked very worried.
"You mean.. she just killed you?"
"Yes. I mean, I tried to kill her using this gun. In the dream, it felt like it was the only way to end it - and that's exactly how I feel right now. But after I died, someone else picked up the gun and shot Gabby. I think that.. that I'm going to die. I think I saw the future in my dream."
Sheryl sat motionless, her face paralyzed with horror. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Aiden.. there's got to be another way. I mean," Sheryl gasped, "what if you die and no one can get to the gun in time?"
"Well, I'm not just going to walk up to her and surrender. I'm going to put up a fight. I just have a feeling I'm going to die."
Aiden glanced at the still-sleeping Jerome. "He'll be fine," Sheryl assured him. "When he wakes up, I'll make sure to give him something to drink and I'll tell him what you're doing."
"Thanks, Sheryl."
Aiden stood up and marched to the open field in front of the temple. He turned and stared at the open ocean. The blazing sun reflected off of the smooth surface of the water. As Aiden reflected on what the day had included, he heard a scraping sound behind him.
He turned and looked at the waterfall on the other side of the island. He could just make out a person climbing down from the rocks..
Gabby!
Before Aiden could think of anything else, he was sprinting in her direction. He knew that he would have a better chance of hitting her if he was closer...
Gabby saw him and threw the sharp blade at him. It whirled through the air and narrowly missed his shoulder. This is it, he thought. Now's the time.
Aiden aimed and fired the pistol straight at Gabby's heart. He missed, however, and the bullet went straight into the cave behind the waterfall. He felt a trickle of fear, but he was reassured when Gabby sprinted behind the temple.
Aiden followed at a quick pace. He tore through the tall grass next to the river and bolted around the corner. Gabby, however, was gone. Aiden turned around to go back, when suddenly-
He felt a piercing pain in his back. He looked at his chest and saw the tip of a sharp blade peeking out of his shirt.
Aiden fell forwards onto the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gabby running away. He knew his time had come. He was going to die.
"AIDEN!"
Aiden was suddenly flipped over quickly. He saw Sheryl and Jerome staring down at him. Jerome was on the verge of tears; Sheryl was already sobbing.
"I told you, Sheryl. It was meant to be. Take.. take the gun. One of you needs to kill her."
"Aiden.. I'm sorry. It's all my fault... you've been my best friend for my whole life, and now I'm losing you just like we lost Lillian..."
"Jerome, it's okay. It's okay because I know one if you is.. is going to make sure Lillian didn't die.. in vain."
Sheryl and Jerome both cried loudly. Sheryl barely even knew Aiden, but she apparently had the same feeling for everyone.
"I'm coming.. Lillian."
***
Epilogue
I was going to make a long recap of what happened on that day, but I feel that it would be a bit redundant considering I've done that for at least one of the other endings. Therefore I shall simply tell you what happened after Aiden's death.
Aiden died happy, because he knew that it was supposed to happen. He knew that one of the other two explorers would use his gun to destroy Gabby and save everyone else. He died knowing that Lillian wouldn't have died in vain.
In Jerome's rage due to Aiden's death, he immediately took the gun and sprinted in front of the temple, where Gabby was peeking out of the temple entrance. He did not hesitate to pull the trigger.
And Gabby was dead.
The remaining explorers - which I'm not going to list because I'm really lazy, not to mention I really want to get this story out (if you don't know, this is the last chapter I have to type before it gets released) - found their way gradually back to the planes. Most of them found places to hide, and it took a long time for Sheryl and Jerome to find them all and bring them back to safety.
With Jasmine dead, Sheryl was the only pilot left. Thus she flew all of the remaining explorers back to the mainland in her plane. The other plane was one of two things that they left on that island.
They also left a headstone in front of the temple which listed the names of the dead explorers.
When the remaining people were in the plane, they remembered that Gabby's knife could still be out in the open - they didn't want anyone to find it.
When they went back for it, however.. they found that it was gone.
What they didn't know was that the Mors Blade always returns to the temple to await its next victim.
The explorers returned to the mainland in a very sorrowful manner. Many of their friends had died. However, they could rejoice knowing that the remaining explorers were able to stay alive. They were very happy to put what they called the Mors Island Incident behind them, and move on with their lives.
The Incident never really left their minds; it came up in their thoughts every once in a while. Therefore they took those moments to be silent and reflect on the dead explorers and friends.
And the Mors Island Incident was not forgotten.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
ATTENTION: This is one of the endings of the story. If you're reading this ending, it means that you should have come from Chapter C3b. If this is incorrect, stop reading now and return to the chapter that you just read.
Ending 6
Aiden's heart raced as he ran in pursuit of Sheryl. I need that key.
He had been chasing her for only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes. Sheryl had the key that would lead to Aiden's safety. It seemed that no one else wanted to leave - so he would leave alone.
He ran faster, as fast as he could in pursuit - he saw Sheryl trip over a stone and crash to the ground. Aiden rushed over to her and pinned her down.
"Sheryl, give me that key!"
Sheryl shook her head. "I'm not letting you take that plane! As the pilot, it's my responsibility to-"
"Sheryl, this is your last warning! Give me that key, or I'll shoot you!"
"You wouldn't! We're all on the same team, Aiden!"
"I WILL. GIVE ME THE KEY."
"Aiden.." Sheryl sobbed, "Fine. If you're going to abandon everyone else.. you'll have to kill me."
Aiden considered it for a moment. She's going to die anyway, he thought. Just kill her and get the key. Then, you can be safe.
"Well?" Sheryl boomed.
"Sheryl, I'm sorry," Aiden said as he raised his pistol. "You leave me no choice." Sheryl closed her eyes, her face expressionless. She knew what was about to happen.
Crack.
Aiden screamed in pain and dropped the pistol. His vision was clouded - he could not see. Everything was as darker than a moonless night.
Finally, his vision returned. He picked up the pistol again and pulled the small plane key out of Sheryl's pocket. Aiden felt a twinge of remorse as Sheryl's dead eyes stared up at him. Forget it, Aiden thought. Gabby was going to get her anyway.
Aiden stood up and left the room briskly. He weaved his way through the maze-like temple rooms until he found an exit. He stepped outside to be bathed in sunlight. He began walking toward the planes, completely silent.
Upon reaching Sheryl's plane, he unlocked the door, stepped inside, and prepared for flight. When he was almost ready to leave, however, he heard a voice calling his name.
"Aiden!" it called. "Aiden, where are you?"
Aiden stepped out of the plane and saw Jerome standing by the river. He was apparently trying to find Aiden.
"Aiden! Don't leave!"
Aiden decided he would call back. I'll give him another chance to come with me, he thought.
"Jerome, I'm over here!" Aiden yelled. Jerome turned and ran to Aiden.
"Aiden, c'mon. Don't leave, please! We have to help the others."
"No, Jerome. I'm leaving, with or without you. This is your last chance."
Jerome simply stood, rooted to the spot, staring at Aiden with a very angry expression on his face. "Fine." Aiden raised an eyebrow questioningly - Jerome answered.
"If you're going to be that selfish, just go."
***
Before long, Aiden was already back in the plane, using the ground as his runway. He was close now, just a few seconds...
Aiden was in the air.
Yes, he was probably too young to have a pilot's licence, he thought, but he had been taking flight lessons for a while now and he was close to being ready. He just had to keep control of the plane and not panic. Right?
***
Epilogue
Aiden committed a terrible act that day.
The explorers arrived on the Mors Island, expecting a day of fun and educational exploration. They expected to find interesting things on the island among the beautiful scenery of the temple, the waterfall, the river and the island's many tall, ancient trees.
Boy, were they wrong.
After arriving on the island, Aiden and his friends, Jerome and Lillian, decided to explore a cave hidden behind the gleaming waterfall. At the end of the tunnel, they found a firearm that was given to the Mors - a pistol. Aiden, upon picking it up, realised that there was a murderer on the island - and that everyone was in danger.
Once the three friends made their way out of the cave, Lillian was killed by Gabby - a vicious murderer who looked like a mere explorer. After Lillian's untimely death, Aiden didn't care about anything anymore. Lillian was one of his best friends. He just wanted to get off of the island and leave it all behind.
Therefore, Aiden tried to convince Jerome to leave the island with him. Aiden had a lot of flight practice and training - he was to earn his pilot's license soon. Even after trying a second time, Jerome would not come. He did not want to abandon everyone else to die by Gabby's hands.
So Aiden left. He let his selfishness take control of him.
And Gabby killed everyone else on the island.
Without a weapon, the other explorers were rendered unable to defend themselves, and thus Gabby was able to kill all of them easily. She was a murderer - and she was skilled with a knife.
Aiden knew none of this, however. He was merely flying a plane across the water, making his way to the mainland. His mind battled over what happened for a long time. Did he make the right decision?
No.
Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, or perhaps the plane had a malfunction. Or maybe it was his lack of skill that caused the plane to crash. Whilst Aiden was going in for a landing on the mainland, something happened.
And he failed the landing.
He crashed the plane. As he was slowly dying by his wounds, he was discovered. Some people tried to help him. Unfortunately, he was too close to death. He uttered his last words - not to the people there, but to the people whom he loved; the people who were his friends - as follows:
"I'm sorry."
Ending 6
Aiden's heart raced as he ran in pursuit of Sheryl. I need that key.
He had been chasing her for only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes. Sheryl had the key that would lead to Aiden's safety. It seemed that no one else wanted to leave - so he would leave alone.
He ran faster, as fast as he could in pursuit - he saw Sheryl trip over a stone and crash to the ground. Aiden rushed over to her and pinned her down.
"Sheryl, give me that key!"
Sheryl shook her head. "I'm not letting you take that plane! As the pilot, it's my responsibility to-"
"Sheryl, this is your last warning! Give me that key, or I'll shoot you!"
"You wouldn't! We're all on the same team, Aiden!"
"I WILL. GIVE ME THE KEY."
"Aiden.." Sheryl sobbed, "Fine. If you're going to abandon everyone else.. you'll have to kill me."
Aiden considered it for a moment. She's going to die anyway, he thought. Just kill her and get the key. Then, you can be safe.
"Well?" Sheryl boomed.
"Sheryl, I'm sorry," Aiden said as he raised his pistol. "You leave me no choice." Sheryl closed her eyes, her face expressionless. She knew what was about to happen.
Crack.
Aiden screamed in pain and dropped the pistol. His vision was clouded - he could not see. Everything was as darker than a moonless night.
Finally, his vision returned. He picked up the pistol again and pulled the small plane key out of Sheryl's pocket. Aiden felt a twinge of remorse as Sheryl's dead eyes stared up at him. Forget it, Aiden thought. Gabby was going to get her anyway.
Aiden stood up and left the room briskly. He weaved his way through the maze-like temple rooms until he found an exit. He stepped outside to be bathed in sunlight. He began walking toward the planes, completely silent.
Upon reaching Sheryl's plane, he unlocked the door, stepped inside, and prepared for flight. When he was almost ready to leave, however, he heard a voice calling his name.
"Aiden!" it called. "Aiden, where are you?"
Aiden stepped out of the plane and saw Jerome standing by the river. He was apparently trying to find Aiden.
"Aiden! Don't leave!"
Aiden decided he would call back. I'll give him another chance to come with me, he thought.
"Jerome, I'm over here!" Aiden yelled. Jerome turned and ran to Aiden.
"Aiden, c'mon. Don't leave, please! We have to help the others."
"No, Jerome. I'm leaving, with or without you. This is your last chance."
Jerome simply stood, rooted to the spot, staring at Aiden with a very angry expression on his face. "Fine." Aiden raised an eyebrow questioningly - Jerome answered.
"If you're going to be that selfish, just go."
***
Before long, Aiden was already back in the plane, using the ground as his runway. He was close now, just a few seconds...
Aiden was in the air.
Yes, he was probably too young to have a pilot's licence, he thought, but he had been taking flight lessons for a while now and he was close to being ready. He just had to keep control of the plane and not panic. Right?
***
Epilogue
Aiden committed a terrible act that day.
The explorers arrived on the Mors Island, expecting a day of fun and educational exploration. They expected to find interesting things on the island among the beautiful scenery of the temple, the waterfall, the river and the island's many tall, ancient trees.
Boy, were they wrong.
After arriving on the island, Aiden and his friends, Jerome and Lillian, decided to explore a cave hidden behind the gleaming waterfall. At the end of the tunnel, they found a firearm that was given to the Mors - a pistol. Aiden, upon picking it up, realised that there was a murderer on the island - and that everyone was in danger.
Once the three friends made their way out of the cave, Lillian was killed by Gabby - a vicious murderer who looked like a mere explorer. After Lillian's untimely death, Aiden didn't care about anything anymore. Lillian was one of his best friends. He just wanted to get off of the island and leave it all behind.
Therefore, Aiden tried to convince Jerome to leave the island with him. Aiden had a lot of flight practice and training - he was to earn his pilot's license soon. Even after trying a second time, Jerome would not come. He did not want to abandon everyone else to die by Gabby's hands.
So Aiden left. He let his selfishness take control of him.
And Gabby killed everyone else on the island.
Without a weapon, the other explorers were rendered unable to defend themselves, and thus Gabby was able to kill all of them easily. She was a murderer - and she was skilled with a knife.
Aiden knew none of this, however. He was merely flying a plane across the water, making his way to the mainland. His mind battled over what happened for a long time. Did he make the right decision?
No.
Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, or perhaps the plane had a malfunction. Or maybe it was his lack of skill that caused the plane to crash. Whilst Aiden was going in for a landing on the mainland, something happened.
And he failed the landing.
He crashed the plane. As he was slowly dying by his wounds, he was discovered. Some people tried to help him. Unfortunately, he was too close to death. He uttered his last words - not to the people there, but to the people whom he loved; the people who were his friends - as follows:
"I'm sorry."
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Proceed to the Conclusion.
***
Thanks again to everyone who submitted a character! This would not have been possible without you!
Name - Nickname - Gender - Age - Bio - Best Friend
Characters:
Levi - Levi - Male - 78 - Levi - Levi - dat boi
Aiden - Aiden - Male - 12 - Martial Arts Master - Red
Michelle - Chelle? - Female - 15 - Likes music; fear of spiders; funny personality - Levi
Savi - Savi - Female - 16 - Enjoys sewing, stealing, drawing, and eating candy. Is a hyper girl, and is very quick on her feet. She fears "Normal" people as well as pain. - Arwy
Reena - Reese or ReRe - 16 - Reena is a bookworm and very stubborn, yet shy. She hates crowds and is a secluded person;
she has a huge fear of dogs and heights. Her skills involve reading and her high intelligence. - A loner.. Reena doesn't make friends.
Lillian - Lil - Female - 16 - A hardcore gamer, is very afraid of spiders and loves writing fan-fictions. - A girl named Lucy.
Sheryl Willow Hart - Bheryl Roll - Female - 18 - Hobbies: Playing computer games, reading, practicing Martial Arts. Fears: Only needles. Terrified of needles to the point where
she will resort to violence and hurting others just to be away from the needles. - Rena, her best friend/sister.
Rena Hart - Rena - Female - 16 - Hobbies: Writing, playing computer games with Sheryl and Zan, reading, drawing, constantly relates to everything to the point where it's annoying.
Fears: Abandonment, disappointment, and failure. Skills: Can get along with most people, is a good problem solver, is a hard worker and does her best, even if she ends up failing.
Best Friend: Sheryl (sister)
Jasmine - Jas - Female - 14 - Hobbies: Singing, acting crazy, screeching like a pterodactyl, and using the dog filter on Snapchat. Fears: Being forgotten, drowning, and never waking up.
Skills: Jasmine has no skills because she's bad. Best friend: SMGxPanda (May not be his character name)
Red - Red - Female - 14 - Hobbies: Guitar, singing. Fears: Being alone, dying. Skills: Guitar and singing. Best friend: Eeehhhh Aiden.
Jerome - Jer - Male - 16 - Hobbies: Playing computer games and hanging out with his friends. Fears: Disappointing his friends. Is skilled in combat with hands or a sword. - Refusal
Gabby - Gab - Female - 13 - Afraid of spiders, likes to draw and sing. Hyper and nice, but sometimes can get mean.
Samuel - Sam - Male - 14 - Soccer, Basketball, Drawing. Fears: heights. Skills: PvP and Soccer. - Oh, please.
Jev - No data xD
Name - Nickname - Gender - Age - Bio - Best Friend
Characters:
Levi - Levi - Male - 78 - Levi - Levi - dat boi
Aiden - Aiden - Male - 12 - Martial Arts Master - Red
Michelle - Chelle? - Female - 15 - Likes music; fear of spiders; funny personality - Levi
Savi - Savi - Female - 16 - Enjoys sewing, stealing, drawing, and eating candy. Is a hyper girl, and is very quick on her feet. She fears "Normal" people as well as pain. - Arwy
Reena - Reese or ReRe - 16 - Reena is a bookworm and very stubborn, yet shy. She hates crowds and is a secluded person;
she has a huge fear of dogs and heights. Her skills involve reading and her high intelligence. - A loner.. Reena doesn't make friends.
Lillian - Lil - Female - 16 - A hardcore gamer, is very afraid of spiders and loves writing fan-fictions. - A girl named Lucy.
Sheryl Willow Hart - Bheryl Roll - Female - 18 - Hobbies: Playing computer games, reading, practicing Martial Arts. Fears: Only needles. Terrified of needles to the point where
she will resort to violence and hurting others just to be away from the needles. - Rena, her best friend/sister.
Rena Hart - Rena - Female - 16 - Hobbies: Writing, playing computer games with Sheryl and Zan, reading, drawing, constantly relates to everything to the point where it's annoying.
Fears: Abandonment, disappointment, and failure. Skills: Can get along with most people, is a good problem solver, is a hard worker and does her best, even if she ends up failing.
Best Friend: Sheryl (sister)
Jasmine - Jas - Female - 14 - Hobbies: Singing, acting crazy, screeching like a pterodactyl, and using the dog filter on Snapchat. Fears: Being forgotten, drowning, and never waking up.
Skills: Jasmine has no skills because she's bad. Best friend: SMGxPanda (May not be his character name)
Red - Red - Female - 14 - Hobbies: Guitar, singing. Fears: Being alone, dying. Skills: Guitar and singing. Best friend: Eeehhhh Aiden.
Jerome - Jer - Male - 16 - Hobbies: Playing computer games and hanging out with his friends. Fears: Disappointing his friends. Is skilled in combat with hands or a sword. - Refusal
Gabby - Gab - Female - 13 - Afraid of spiders, likes to draw and sing. Hyper and nice, but sometimes can get mean.
Samuel - Sam - Male - 14 - Soccer, Basketball, Drawing. Fears: heights. Skills: PvP and Soccer. - Oh, please.
Jev - No data xD
***
Conclusion
Hey, Emviar here. Thank you for reading my story. Please feel free to close this spoiler box (and any more that may still be open) and start the story over. If you wish to do so, return to the Prologue and begin again. There are a total of six unique endings to the story. See if you can find them all! However, please don't skip around in the story or read the endings just because you don't have the patience to read through the entire story again. Some chapters are shorter than others; you may find that one ending comes more quickly than another.
I'd like to thank you once again for reading "The Mors Island Incident." It's been fun to create, however, if you can't tell, I've tried not to give too many details on the deaths of the characters. Maybe I'm a bit soft, but I tried not to make the story very bloody and gorey. I apologize if it seemed too soft to you.
I encourage you to leave a comment below about what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy about the story. I would appreciate hearing your feedback. I would like to remind you, however, that if you wish to say something about the plot or the story, please place it inside a spoiler box - with the name of the related chapter on it - so that people who haven't finished the story yet - or haven't read the chapter you're talking about - won't get the story spoiled for them.
Also, let me know if the story seems a bit too elaborate. As I stated, there are six endings, which means that if you want to get all of them, you'll have to read through the story six times. Let me know in your response whether you thought it was too much, or if it was a good amount of endings.
As I've stated before, this is my first story on the Party Zone forums, and also my first completed "Choose-your-path" story. Please leave feedback about how well or how poor I wrote the story! Also, please "like" the story if you enjoyed it. It really helps to make the thread popular so other people can read it, and it also lets me know that you enjoyed the story!
If I get enough support and if I know that you all have enjoyed it as much as I have, I might make more stories for the MCPZ forums in the future. They may not all be choose-your-path, and they may not even be Murder stories. Nevertheless, I may make more in the future. So please leave a "like" on the story if you enjoyed it!
It would also really help me if you could tell your friends about the story. I'll be putting a link in my forum signature, but I think the thread will get a lot more people if you, the readers, share it with friends. Thank you so much for your support!
I'd also like to give one last thank-you to all of the many lovely people who submitted characters! If you want to see the list, go over to the Characters box.
I'm rambling again.
Thank you so much! I hope to see you around!
~Emviar
