I jumped awake from... Whatever the fuck they're called and back to the cave. Everyone was knocked out cold around me. I could hear moaning coming from some of the hungover kids and I could smell their puke like it was right next to me. Which... Some... Was...

I got up on wobbly legs and staggered around, looking for Darien so he could get this show on the road. I looked around, realizing how hazy and distorted it was. I put my hand to my face to see my glasses had gone. I looked around until I fell over a passed out Nik. He was clutching three different pairs of chipped and broken glasses. His, Amoy's, and mine.

I rolled my eyes and pried my glasses out of his grip. I put the glasses on as I continued through the cave. My stomach was aching badly, but I had to get the tunnels ready.

I finally found Darien knocked out of the floor of the cave. His arms were wrapped around Larry and Larry's were wrapped around him. I snorted with a shake of my head and poked our leader with my foot. Both boys woke up and looked to see who they were holding.

Darien shoved himself away from Larry, jumping up and dusting at himself. Larry cried out with a jump to his feet, doing as Darien did.

"You dumbass!" Darien shouted, making the people around us stir.

"Me!?" Larry shouted back. "You're the one who was cuddling me!"

"Hey!" I shouted loud enough to make the other half of the cave jolt awake. "I'm sorry to interrupt your first marriage couple fight, but we have an issue! On the ledge now!" I stormed away from the boys, not caring if I stepped on a few people. I climbed up the ledge to where the staff still stood. I grabbed it and looked at it to make sure it hadn't broke during the night.

I looked back to the others to see them all start to get up and look for water and Amoy to heal their heads. Why couldn't Kine have warned me sooner? Everyone was sick and hungover today.

Darien climbed up the ledge and walked up to me, his hand on his head and one eye closed. The guy had a headache.

"What's wrong?" he grumbled.

"I had a vision of Natas!" I told him, arousing his attention. "He's setting up ground patrols! They're going to dog tunnels too and look for us!"

"Oh, shit!" Darien shouted, turning his head to look at his sick, hungover teenagers. "Fuck! God mother fucking damn it! You couldn't have had this 'vision' sooner!?"

"I can't control what I can and can't see!" I shot back.

"Damn it, Kylen! Look at them! They can barely get off the ground!" Darien yelled, pointing at the down below. One person was on the ledge looking at his hand like he'd never seen it before, a girl down below was groaning from a migraine, and others were puking in buckets.

"I'm not the one who suggested this party!" I yelled back.

"Larry!" We both called out furiously.

The blond idiot was rubbing his temple as he was sitting up with others. He looked around and up, his blue eyes widening in fear. I zipped down with the staff as a "witch's broom" and loomed over him, my eyes on fire.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" I roared, grabbing him by the shirt collar. "Do you realize what your 'party' has done!? Everyone is too sick to make the escape tunnel and Natas might've sent out a tunnel patrol!"

"What!?" everyone in the cave had gathered to see what was going on and I let Larry go to turn and face them.

"You mean they could be digging around us now!?" a girl from the other school cried out.

"I don't want to go back!" Someone screamed. "I can't go back! It was horrible!"

Everyone was starting to freak out, running around and crying for mercy to smile on them. I watched helplessly as everyone held on to one another, or pushed people back to grab another's collar and shout their worries and fears.

Ah, fear, Bás' voice sang, my favorite part of the human race. You all hurt others out of fear.

"Sh... Shut up!" I hissed, putting a fist to my head. When she didn't respond, I pushed Larry out of my way and climbed up back to the top of the ledge. I looked down to see Darien was trying to get to the ledge and calm everyone down, but the fighting was continuing.

I lifted my staff and slammed it down, sending a massive quake to shake the cave. Rocks were falling down and some people got hit. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!!!!!" I boomed, making the quake worse. My throat immediately went hoarse, never screaming out like that before.

"Your highness..." Nature whispered.

"Shut up, Nature!" I snapped, looking over my shoulder to her and Time.

"What?" I heard someone call up.

I spun back around and glared down at all the people beneath me. I clutched my staff, my knuckles turning white. They were counting on me, one damn human being, to tell them what we could do to live through this.

"We're not going to die!" I shouted. "We'll get through this, I know we will!"

"How can you be sure!?" a freshman cried up. "They're searching for us and who knows how long that will take!"

"I know... It's a scary thing we all have to face... Some of you have seen those horror movies right... Bad guys like Natas using his power to kill us...?" I looked at the faces, some trying to look heroic. "Natas... And those guys... Aren't like those guys... This is real... And Natas has power we can't even fathom to see in those movies... The only thing we can do is keep trying and working to survive and get as far from Natas as possible... So... Nik, gather all your diggers and dig as far as you can in your furthest tunnel, don't stop until all the sounds of this cave are completely gone!"

Nik nodded, bumped his fists together and drew them back, making his digging gloves to form. Half the cave went to join him.

"Amoy," I turned to my other schoolmate, "get as many as healers as you can, teach them every medical procedure they'll ever need to know, show them everything you know!"

More people went to join Amoy as her hands glowed with her healing magic.

"Kay," I turned to him, "teach the rest every fighting move you can think of, I don't care what it is, just teach them to fight and take down any enemy!"

Kay nodded as everyone else went to his side.

"Savannah, Darien, and Larry," I called out, "come with me so we can make different duplicate doors to slow Natas and his tunnelers down to give us enough time!"

They nodded and headed for the main entrance. I made my way after them, my head giving a sharp pang. My head was hurting like someone was stabbing me with a dagger. I shook it off and went to the entrance. Nothing's going to stop me, even if it kills me.

---

The staff glowed bright as a door appeared on the ground beneath me. I made it to make a deep tunnel, so it would be more believable that we were hiding down there. Larry and Darien were keeping guard as Savannah watched me work.

I blinked, feeling tired and weak. I had to stay up. I couldn't waste a moment of work. Natas could be getting closer with every second.

"I think we've made enough," Savannah yawned, placing a hand on my shoulder, "we should head back."

"No," I grumbled, "a few more... Natas is relentless... He could... Be right around the corner..."

"Listen to you, you're getting sick!" Savannah pointed out.

"I'm fine..." I rasped. I couldn't stop now. Natas would find us.

"Look, what if we just-" Darien started, but was stopped by a screech coming from the sky. We all turned to see demons flying at us full force. Demons and Men in Blue were running beneath them, their eyes and claws ready to kill.

"Run!" I ordered, swinging my staff, sending a huge wave of dirt at the stampede. The dust made them disappear and we all ran off, back to the hideout. Savannah and Larry were ahead, Darien close behind them. I spun and turned to staff to the pistols and shot at the dust as more of those creatures ran out of it. I shot a few, but they just kept coming and running at us.

I transformed the staff into a bazooka and shot the missile into the group. They exploded and red dust filled the sky along with blood. More will still coming, so we ran on.

Darien skidded to a stop. I ran ahead, but stopped and turned to him.

"Run!" He shouted. "I'll slow them down!"

"I'm not leaving you!" I shouted back. "You have to lead everyone!"

"I'm leaving you in charge now!" he shot back, looking over his shoulder. "You have the staff, you told everyone how to handle this situation! You're the only person who can lead everyone out of this hell!"

Before I could stop him, Darien turned and walked over, shoving me through the field that protected the door. I looked back and saw the Men in Blue snatch Darien. He kicked around as they pushed him to the ground. One took out a blade, stabbed it into Darien's chest, and dragged it down to his thigh.

I could hear Darien's screams of pain as Men grabbed his cut and pulled it back to reveal his guts. They reached in, grabbed his innards and began yanking them out individually. Flying demons came down and began eating anything that got thrown out. I began backing away. I gagged on nothing, having thrown up everything last night.

I held back the tears and bolted to the door and jumped down. Larry and Savannah were waiting. I couldn't tell them what had happened to Darien, we had to tell everyone that Natas was coming now.