Chapter 19

19: The Defectors were slowly coming around to Mar's style of leadership.  He was not as brutal and sadistic as Richard Finestra, but he did have rules.  The first rule was that no one was to leave the school alone.  The second rule was that people listen to what Mar says because he would never do anything to harm them.  The third and final rule was that there were no lights allowed at night.  Mar knew that the Untaken were the enemy, not anyone of the Defectors.
  Under Rend, they had lived in fear of drowning.  Under Richard, they had lived in fear of any number of unspeakably horrible tortures and deaths.  Under Mar, they would learn to work together to defeat a common enemy. 
  Mar believed that the Collective and anyone who listened to their wishy washy Hierarchy were weak and pathetic.  They believed that the less solid something was, the more powerful it was.  The Nocent had the right idea.  They know the power of solidity.  That is why the humans fascinated them so.  An entire 70% of their bodies was composed of water, but it was the other 30% from which they derived their strength.  The brain in particular was a wonder and a mystery.  Muscles were endlessly intriguing.  Skin, hair, organs.  Everything about the human body spoke of power and ability.
  With so many human beings at the hotel, Mar knew that his small, ragtag group of people had no hope of success in a frontal assault.  No, their attack had to be more subtle.  Mar questioned the members of his group as to the make up of the amusement park.  They were more than happy to tell him everything they knew about it.  Now they were getting somewhere.  This was exactly how they were going to work together and bring those bastards down.

Chapter 18

18: The world goes on without me, but I'm still here.  From here I can see my own body.  Only, it doesn't look like me.  Why are my fingers bent that way?  And where's my other hand?  I used to cut myself.  I usually liked to cut my hands.  I knew that it would always heal, but it won't now.  Even the smallest scratch on a severed hand will never heal.  That's the story of my life.  Disconnected from the rest of humanity.  Nothing's different now.  All my cuts still bleed and I suppose they always will.  Without scars we would just keep bleeding and never heal.  I would rather be scarred for life than bleed to death.  Healing feels better than never hurting.  I cut myself because I wanted to feel something.  Now I can't feel anything.  What's changed?
  Why is there blood all over my clothes?  These wounds are much too massive to sustain.  I cannot deny the truth.  I have died.  If that is the case then why do I still remain on this earth?  I guess what hurts the most isn't that I'm dead, but that I realize I was never really alive.  Try that on for size.  I have a post-mortem depression.  All I can do now is watch people.  I never took the time to just stand back and observe my surroundings before.  Well, let's see what we can see.
  I watch in horror as some of the living leave their elderly, the sick and the injured to die.  They would only slow them down.  They've been reduced to a liability.  Those of us who have died are men, women and children. We are old, young, sick, and healthy.  Some have arms or legs missing, but we all work together as one for a common purpose.  Age, gender, race and economic status have been taken out of the equation.  Death is the great equalizer, but why wait?  I used to hate everyone equally, now I indiscriminately eat them.  Me, Viveca Jones, a goddamn cannibal!
  Ironically, in life I was bulimic.  I died of starvation and I woke up ravenous.  Looking at me from the outside, I can't believe I ever thought I was fat.  Controlling my body was the only way I felt that I had any power over my life.  My mother's entire life was dedicated to feeding me, which only led to my inevitable purge.  She thought she was helping me, but she only enabled my sickness.  Now I have a new disease.  I'm no stranger to my huge appetite, but must I now eat the living?  I can only watch in horror as my body commits such atrocities.  It is not in my control any more or any less than it was before.  My poor mother cowers before me as I rip her to pieces.  She will feed me one last time, but this time I will not purge.
  My mother didn't deserve to die like that.  When she had nothing more to give, she gave me the only thing she had left, which was her life.  I know she loved me.  She did the best she could and that's all anyone can do.  More than I ever did.  Now that my mother's spirit has left its body, I see her walking toward me.  We look upon the husks of our former selves a final time, then embrace each other.  Tears, but just a few.  There is a light up ahead.  We know it's time to go home.  This is the first thing we'll truly do together.  Hand in hand we walk toward the light to cross over to the Other Side.  Perhaps in my next life, I will appreciate my mother more and maybe even love myself.

Chapter 17

17: At Marble Cliff's Lake, Zemostra instructed Damion on the possible entry points into the Riven.  Kenn and Mina wished him good luck and hoped he'd stay safe.  With that, Damion plunged into the water.  He swam down to the Riven and examined the hull.  The entry points were exactly where Zemostra had described and Damion chose one to get into the space craft.  Having a body made of water made it easy for him to gain entry.
  Once inside, he found that there was still some air trapped inside the interior, but the water level was steadily rising.  He quickly made his way to the room in which the suspended animation chamber was.  The glass front had been shattered.  From the looks of it, it had been broken from the inside.  That told Damion that Kaziah had gotten out and was either hiding somewhere or dead from starvation.  It depended on how long ago she had left the life support behind.  He hoped it hadn't been long.  The evidence did not give that information.
  Noticing again the rising water level, Damion knew that even if she was alive, she would drown if he didn't find her in time.  He called out her name several times.  A thorough search might take too much time, but he didn't have a choice.  He went from room to room looking anywhere a human being could fit.  The strange machinery was literally alien to him, but he kept up a diligent search of all the quarters.  So far he hadn't heard a peep.
  Around a corner he thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye.  In the dimness he couldn't be sure, but he would investigate.  Yes, there was a figure lying behind a table.  She had wisely chosen to stay in the highest point of the ship, but even here, the water level was dangerously high.  Damion had come just in time. He rushed over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.  She was unconscious.  She was probably weak from a lack of sustenance.  He gave her mouth to mouth in an attempt to resuscitate her.
  Her eyelids fluttered almost imperceptibly.  Damion breathed a sigh of relief.  "Kaziah, I'm here to rescue you. The water is rising and we need to get out now."
  Kaziah opened her eyes and they slowly gained focus.  She looked at Damion, but there was no sense of awareness in her stare.  A moan escaped her lips, but she was obviously still quite dazed from hunger.  By this time, there were less than two feet between the surface of the water and the highest point in the room.  All of the exits were now under water.
  Damion tried to think quickly.  He closed his eyes and thought back to what Temeron had said about the Hierarchy of Sypraxus.  He said that the third stage of matter was gas.  Unfortunately, he had never seen anyone with enough love or faith to reach the third stage.  Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the water level reach his chest.
  He thought back to his many nights in Mina's arms.  A warmth filled him.  This was the mother of the woman he loved.  Kaziah somehow mustered the strength to make a panicked sound somewhat akin to a whimper.  Damion thought back to the night he himself had died.  He had very clear memories of the horrible grief that Kenn went through in the wake of his murder.  Damion did not want Mina to have to never have a chance of even meeting her real mother.
  There were mere inches of water left in the room.  Kaziah was practically kissing the ceiling.  She took one last deep breath and was plunged into murky darkness.  Damion cried out in desperate agony at the hopelessness of the situation.  The warmth that was inside him suddenly spread out.  It spread out so wide that it was no longer contained in a human shape.  To Damion's amazement, the entire room was once again filled with air.
  It occurred to him that he was the air.  Oxygen is a gas and he had become that to save the life of this poor woman who would never have had a chance to escape without enough air.  His love for Mina and now Kaziah had brought him to the third stage of enlightenment.  His consciousness was still aware of everything in the room, but he was not in bodily form any more.  He wasn't seeing with his eyes, he was seeing with his heart.
  He found that he could also move around.  The pocket of air that he provided was mobile.  Adrenalin had given Kaziah stamina enough to stand on her own.  She took a hesitant step toward the door.  Her legs were a little wobbly, but she did not fall.  This encouraged her to take further steps.  She wasn't completely out of danger yet.  The air bubble moved toward the passageway outside the door and she followed it.  Since Damion knew the way out, she let him lead.
  When they came to a hatch which led to the outside world, he used his strength to shred a hole through solid metal.  Water would have started pouring in, but he held it at bay.  She would now have to tread water on her way up as he provided a safe atmosphere for her.  She was fearful, but she trusted him.
  When they reached the surface of the lake, he became a hard surface for her to float on.  He propelled himself toward the shore where they were met by a grateful group.  Kenn ran to Damion while Mina ran to Kaziah.  Zemostra helped Mina support Kaziah as she hobbled her way to Kenn's car.  Kenn then drove the five of them back to the hotel where an even larger group of people was waiting to greet them.  It was a hero's welcome for Damion.

Chapter 16

16: Alex and Lowe were in the gift shop looking at the magazines.  Lowe put down his soda and looked over at what Alex was reading.  "Dude, that's a French fashion magazine.  You can't read fuckin' French!  Are you retarded?"
  "No, you ho!"  Alex smiled.  "As long as the pictures are in French I'm OK.  Besides, look at what you're reading.  That's an African-American publication."
  "Now I know you're retarded.  You think just because there's a black guy on the cover, it's a black magazine?"
  "Well, it's predominantly black."
  Lowe had been taking a sip of his soda, but now he almost choked on it.  Carbonated liquid dribbled down his chin.  "Predominantly black?  Are you trying to sound smart by using multi syllabic words?"
  "Ooh, does it make you feel smart to use big words?"
  "No.  Does it make you feel stupid to use small words?"
  "No."  Alex's eyes shifted to the right.  "I guess I never thought of it that way."
  Lowe wiped his chin with his hand.  "Good, now can you please hand me a predominantly white napkin?"
  "Oh, you're so very clever.  Here you go.  Wipe yourself off, asshole.  You think you're so smart just because you were number 1 in your graduating class in high school."
  Lowe looked at Alex for as moment before responding.  "It's hard being number 1 in the class."
  Alex slammed his magazine down.  "You try being number 78 out of a class of 121, then tell me what hard is.  In high school I wasn't doing well no matter how hard I studied.  I had what I called RETARD: RETention And Recall Deficit.  Then I joined the yearbook staff and the poetry club.  Being part of something and having friends helped me to start to feel better about myself.  I found that when I felt better about myself, I thought better.  I finally started making Cs and Ds.  You have no idea how proud I was."  Alex's eyes were watery.
  Lowe could see that he had hit a raw nerve.  "I'm sorry I called you retarded.  I just didn't like the way you talked about the magazine being a black magazine.  I guess in the same way your IQ is a sore subject for you, my race is a sore subject for me. I'm not saying that I'm ashamed of being Chinese, but it's difficult in this country to not be a heterosexual white man.  And no, I'm not saying that I'm gay, but some people who are very close to my heart are homosexual.  You can tell that the ones in power in America are heterosexual white men.  Anywhere you look there are things to remind you of that.
  "Take for instance, the difference between porn and gay porn.  One guy and one girl is porn.  One guy and two girls or two guys and one girl.  One guy with fifty girls.  Fifty girls and no guy.  Some of those movies have dozens of guys and only one girl and it's still considered heterosexual pornography.  But it's all just called porn.  Now you take two guys with no girl and all of a sudden you have to call it gay porn.  Why's that?
  "Or how about 2nd class or 3rd world?  Do you think it was a second class citizen who made up that term?  Was it a 3rd world country that decided it was a good idea to put themselves down?
  "How 'bout this?  A bunch of guys dribbling a ball and throwing it into a hoop.  It's called basketball, right? So why is it when it's a bunch of women doing the exact same thing, you have to call it women's basketball?"
  Alex put his hand on Lowe's shoulder.  "Boy, you have too much time on your hands.  I'm just joking.  It's me who should apologize.  I can see that you feel very deeply about this subject.  I was acting retarded when I said that was a black magazine."
  Lowe shook his head.  "Nah, you're not retarded.  The fact that you felt bad enough to apologize makes you pretty smart in my book."
  "Aw shucks.  I think I'm blushing.  Stop the press!  Someone thinks I'm smart!"
  A team of rescuers returned to the hotel.  It was Sauro, Ben, Mickey and Randy.  They had found only three people, but that was better than nothing.  Samuel Wine was the first.  They had also found Alex's parents, Philippe Manchot and Maria Rivas-Manchot.
  Alex left the magazine rack behind to see his parents, but it was a bittersweet moment.  He didn't have the best relationship with them, but he was glad they were alright.  The three of them went to Alex's room to talk.
  Sam was pleasantly surprised to see Barney Abbot.  The two of them had much catching up to do.  They would do so over shots of Cisler's Cheap Scotch.
  Not too long later, Damion returned.  He had been briefed about the situation at the lake.  Very quickly, Kenn, Damion, Mina and Zemostra set out on their way to Marble Cliff's Lake.

Chapter 15

15: Azaroth, the Collective scientist was suddenly struck with a horrifying thought.  He went to Temeron, the elder and voiced his concern.  "Temeron, back on Sypraxia we had our friend, Wondimyn put into suspended animation on board the Riven.  Who knows if the electronics of her sleep chamber survived the crash into the lake?"
  Zemostra came and put his hand on Azaroth's shoulder.  "I designed the suspended animation chamber to withstand almost any calamity.  It is right up against the Core Zone, which is the heart of the ship.  Remember, the computer is an artificial intelligence.  It will use every ounce of energy on board to keep life support going for our dear, sweet friend."
  Temeron turned to Azaroth.  "We can't keep this from Mina any longer.  We must tell her."
  Azaroth nodded his head thoughtfully.  "I'll send someone to find Damion.  He may be able to help rescue Wondimyn.  We don't know how much time we have so we must treat this with the utmost of urgency."
  Together the three of them went to find Mina.  She was in the gift store thumbing through a magazine.  Temeron approached her and asked if she would come sit with them in one of the conference rooms.  She agreed and they went.  Once they were all seated, she looked a bit unnerved.  Temeron faced her.  "We have something to tell you. It won't be easy for you to hear, but you must know."
  Now Mina was much more anxious.  She looked at each of the three Collective in turn.  "I can't imagine what it is that you might have to say to me, but I get the feeling I won't like it."
  Temeron had a look of calm resolve.  "We know where your mother is."
  Mina looked around as if she had lost something.  "Uh, my mother lives in Tucson.  Is she in any danger?"
  "The people who raised you were not your biological parents."
  "Well, yeah, I know.  They were my foster parents."
  "We know who your real mother is."
  Mina became absolutely still.  She didn't quite know how to process this information.  "Why would you know who my real mother is?"
  "She is a dear friend of ours who has lived with us on Sypraxia for all of your life."
  Mina had still not moved a single muscle.  Her eyes darted to the right.  "My mother is an alien?"
  "No, your mother is very much human.  Would you like to hear her story?"
  "Sure.  I don't think anything you say at this point would come as a surprise to me."
  Zemostra brought Repotox, the story teller, into the conference room.  He sat in a chair directly across from Mina.  "Your mother is a very special woman.  Our name for her is Wondimyn, which means one who spreads love.  We Collective have been coming to Earth for millenia.  In our many travels, we've tried to keep discovery of our existence from happening.
  "One fateful night, we landed in a forest clearing that we thought was devoid of people.  We were wrong.  There was a young lady there who had been praying.  She seemed in no way to be afraid of us.  She told us her name was Kaziah Soulever."
  Mina interrupted.  "So that's my real last name?  Soulever?  It's beautiful."
  Repotox smiled and continued.  "We told her where we were from and what we were doing here.  We were students of the human race.  We wanted to know all about humans.  She wanted to know all about us.  She promised to tell us everything she knew about humanity if we would take her to our home planet.  After much discussion among ourselves, we agreed and she boarded our craft.  We brought her to Sypraxia."
  Tears came to Mina's eyes.  "That is so amazing!"
  The story went into more detail.  "She taught us about your culture, history and God.  When she had told us everything she could about humanity, it was our turn to teach her about the Collective.  You see, we don't always communicate orally.  When we are together as a lake, we share our thoughts directly from mind to mind.  We invited Kaziah to swim in the lake.  She waded in and floated on her back.  All of our collected thoughts, joys, fears, loves, hopes, sorrows and stories flowed through her spirit like a river.
  "As the weeks passed, it was discovered that she had somehow become impregnated by her swim in our lake.  It was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to us.  She would give birth to offspring that were part human and part Collective.  About nine months later, you were born."
  "You mean.  You're saying.  You mean I'm half Collective?"  Mina looked stunned.
  "That is why you have the green aura of the Collective.  As you know, the Nocent have a red aura.  You are the only one of your kind in existence.  That is why you are a sensor.  It is also why Rend wanted you.  I'm glad we have been able to keep you safe.  Our name for you is Valodyn, which means one who brings together."
  "I can't believe I thought you had bad news for me."
  "Well, here comes the difficult part."  Temeron took over.  "When we were going to embark on our journey here to Earth, we took her on board our craft in a suspended animation chamber.  Our craft is now at the bottom of the lake by the copper mill.  Now, before you panic, Zemostra assures me that the computer is keeping her life support going for as long as possible.  Damion is on his way back here now to help us rescue her.  We will leave as soon as he arrives.  Don't worry, we will save your mother."
  Mina wasn't completely reassured, but she was resolved to keep an optimistic attitude.  Perhaps only faith could keep her mother safe.

Chapter 14

14: Calliope Baxter was a middle-aged woman with sad eyes.  She had been troubled for quite some time now, but didn't know who to talk to.  Finally, she decided that she couldn't hold it in anymore.  She approached Barney Abbot at the table where he was having lunch.  He invited her to have a seat and join him.
  "It's good to finally speak with you, Barney.  My name is Calliope."
  "Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, Calliope.  Would you like any of these curly fries?  They're excellent."
  "No, thanks.  I'm not very hungry.  You see, actually I have something that's been bothering me since I heard it when we first came to this hotel."
  "Oh, I'm glad you came to me.  What's on your mind?"
  "It's about your son."
  Barney put his curly fry down, picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth.  He re-oriented his body to focus his entire attention on Calliope.  "Did you know Daniel?"
  "No.  But I need to know.  Kenn had said he was the Good Friday Killer."  She looked him squarely in the eyes. "Is that true?  Was he?"
  Barney inhaled deeply and let his breath out through his nose.  He never broke eye contact with her, but his countenance now reflected deep regret and emotional pain.  "Yes, he was."  His eyes welled up with an unexpected tumult of memories.  He took a sip of his soda to wet his suddenly dry throat.
  Calliope's eyes now focused on an imaginary point somewhere behind Barney's head.  A flurry of conflicting emotions contorted her face several times before she could speak again.  When she finally found her voice again, her cheeks weren't dry.  "Three years ago, my husband, Maxwell Baxter was on his way home from work.  He never made it home.  I spent that entire night calling every police station, hospital and friend in Marble Cliffs.  The next day, his car was found at the bottom of a wash.  His body was found several feet from the car behind a creosote bush.  A cross was carved into his chest and his body was completely drained of blood.  Everyone said it had to have been the Good Friday Killer.  My husband's killer was never found."
  "Yes, that was his M.O.  I'm sorry for your loss."  Barney knew the words were nothing compared to what this poor woman had been through.  "I tracked my son for years.  I took the job as senior editor of the newspaper so that I could use all the resources available to expose his terrible acts and hopefully bring him to justice.  He was always way ahead of me.  Seeing him here was the first contact I'd had with him for years.  I didn't know if I should kill him or hug him or both.  I was well aware of the atrocities he had committed.  It only hurt more that he was my son.  When I found out that he was filled with the spirits of the Collective, I didn't know if I could trust him, but I decided to give him a chance.  His sacrifice very well might have saved us all.  It doesn't erase anything he had done in his past, but that was his cross to bear."  Barney and Calliope sat silently for quite some time, each in their own world.
  In the ball room, Mendoron, the Collective military specialist, was training a group of people with some combat techniques.  Knowledge in hand to hand combat was going to be a matter of life or death in these grim days.  The Collective had an understandably fluid style of fighting.  For some it was difficult to learn, but Mendoron had an almost uncanny patience.  Through diligence and practice, all who wanted to learn became better with each little step along the path to mastery.
  In room 742, the Maine Eleven Company was setting up its equipment.  Jeffrey turned to Lowe.  "What up, chiznickel?  Hey, what did you say your uncle's address was again?"
  Lowe wasn't expecting the question so he took a second to respond.  "Um, lot 1408 at Casanova Mobile Homes."
  Jeffrey grabbed a nearby napkin and scribbled on it hurriedly with a hotel pen.  He started a sentence mid-thought.  "And you're staying in room 742, right?"
  Lowe looked at Jeffrey.  "Yeah, so?"
  Jeffrey continued.  "Well, if you subtract 742 from 1408 you're left with. . .666.  Spooky, huh?"
  Lowe punched Jeffrey on the shoulder.  "More like kooky, dumbass."  Just then a knock came at the door.  It was Lume, the Collective musician.  Jeffrey couldn't take his eyes off her.
  "Welcome to a Maine Eleven Company jam session.  Won't you please join us?"  Jeffrey bowed.
  Lowe shook his head.  "Jeffrey, you old smoothly."
  Jeffrey blushed and punched Lowe in the shoulder.  "Is everyone ready?"  Carrie nodded.  Alex gave a thumbs up. Lowe hefted his bass and slung it onto his shoulder.  Jeffrey tested his microphone once or twice.  Lume stood in a corner by the entertainment center.
  Carrie got a mid-tempo beat going.  Lowe started in with a smooth groove.  Alex strummed a chord progression to fit the bass line.  Lume closed her eyes.  She put her hands up and added an orchestral flourish to the musical endeavor.  Jeffrey let the beat permeate his senses.  As images filled his mind, he gave voice to them.  This spontaneous rapture of harmonic melodies continued well into the night.

Chapter 13

13: The five men were seated comfortably in Samuel Wine's living room.  Sam had a trick he wanted to show his guests.  "I found this out one day totally by accident.  I was on the phone with a friend and I was walking around my apartment while I was talking.  When I passed by a certain area in my living room, I heard a voice on the line other than the person I was talking to.  I asked if my friend if he heard it too.  Hell yeah he did and no, it wasn't coming from his side of the line.  It sure as hell wasn't coming from my end.
  "It was an EVP, an electronic voice phenomenon.  It was actually two distinct voices.  One voice was crying and kept saying the word no over and over again.  The other voice kept yelling at the first voice to shut up!  My friend and I were freaking out.  Never in my 45 years of living had I encountered such a thing.  The next day I decided to see if it was still there.  I called my friend again and he agreed to try to find the spot again.  I moved around the living room until, sure enough, there it was.  The crying and everything.
  Sauro looked disturbed and tried to shake off the creepy feeling.  Once he had sufficiently composed himself, he asked the question that he believed was on everyone's mind.  "Do you think those voices are connected to the hauntings in this place?"
  "No.  Those voices are what are called an imprint.  Sometimes, when there is an experience that brings about strong emotions such as fear, sadness or trauma, it can leave its mark at the spot in which it occurred.  For all we know, the people I heard on the phone are still alive.  A haunting, however, does involve the spirits of the dead who have not passed over into the light for some reason."
  Mickey shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.  "Okay.  Whatever.  But then what is going on here?  This place is haunted, but by whom or by what?"
  "I was getting to that.  I've only been able to get so much from down here.  If I went to the apartment on the fifth floor, I would be able to get more from touching the walls.  I also should try to communicate with the spirits that are stuck there.  I haven't done any of this yet because it wouldn't have been safe to do it alone.  It's only because of my spiritual awareness and knowledge that I've survived this haunting."
  Randy looked uneasy about the prospect of going back up there.  "Do we have to go there for your mojo to work?"
  Sam put his hands up.  "Don't worry.  We don't all have to go.  Perhaps if you and Ben want to stay down here, Mickey, Sauro and I can go up there.  But first, let me tell you what I've figured out so far.  I've been able to distinctly identify six different entities up there.  There is a young man, a young woman, an old lady, a little boy, a dog and a dark entity."
  Randy raised his hand.  "I've seen the old lady.  Her name is Ruth Verdi.  I also saw the dog and the dark one."
  Sam grabbed a notebook and a pen.  "Ruth Verdi, you say?"  Randy nodded.  Sam spelled the name out phonetically for future reference.  "Now, my story starts about three months ago.  I had changed from a daytime schedule at my job to an afternoon schedule.  My alarm clock used to wake me up every morning at 8 sharp.  Of course, when I switched schedules, I wanted to sleep in a little.  I figured I could wake up at noon, have lunch and still have plenty of time to get to work at 3pm.
  "Now here comes the weird part.  No matter how much I wanted to sleep in, I kept waking up just around 8 anyway. The first few days, I figured it was because I was so used to getting up at 8.  I thought perhaps that my body just needed to adjust to the new schedule.  But day after day I woke up around 8 o' clock.  I started noticing that it wasn't just 8-ish like I had thought.  It was consistently 8:14 I would wake up.  I tested it.  I'd wake up and immediately look at my clock.  8:14 every time.  I didn't understand what was going on until the spiritual disturbances began.  Then it clicked.  A significant event must have occurred at 8:14 in the morning.
  "I still have no idea what that event was, but I can't shake the nagging feeling that it's important.  It may even be the spirits trying to communicate with me.  That's about all I have so far.  Now, we must get up there for me to get more clues and piece this story together."
  Sam, Mickey and Sauro opened the door which led to the hallway, went out and closed the door behind them.  Ben and Randy stayed at Sam's apartment and tried not to worry.
  Meanwhile, at the hotel, a rescue group arrived with Lowe's uncle, Singh Ho Ping and his boyfriend, Bolly Wotso. Bolly was a half Samoan, half Ethiopian midget of medium build.  When Singh saw his nephew, Yong Lowe, his eyes lit up.  "Well, potato I have!  It's my favorite nephew!"  He reached up for a hug.
  Lowe stooped down to hug his uncle.  "Uncle Singh and Aunt Bolly!  I'm so glad you're safe!  I was so worried.  How are you, my avuncular compadre?"
  "I'm doing alright.  It's good to see you're OK.  How are your mother and father?"
  Lowe's head drooped.  With a trembling voice, he said, "They got into a car accident and they were both killed."
  Singh's eyes watered up.  "Oh, my dear, sweet, beautiful Ling!  My heart is ripping!"  Lowe embraced his uncle in a huge bear hug.  They both cried together for a while.  When Singh could breathe evenly enough to speak again, he realized he should also help his nephew mourn for his father.  "Your father, Tom, was a wonderful husband to my sister and a good father to you. I will miss him greatly."
  Lowe remained silent for a little while longer, but finally spoke.  "You're the only family I have left."  They held each other for comfort and then went to Lowe's room to rest.  It had been a long day.

Chapter 12

12: Temeron, the elder Collective had a group gathered around him who were eager to learn more about the religion of the Collective.  "It's called the Hierarchy of Sypraxus.  To begin with, it is important to note that the more solid something is, the less you need it.  Food is the least needed, then water, air and finally your spirit.  Life follows the example of these different states of matter.  Sypraxus is the ability to change at will between the different states of matter.  This is only possible through a deep understanding of the three stages of life. 
  "We all start in innocence.  For the Collective, we call that the solid stage.  During that time of your spiritual development, you are in ignorance and bliss.  You do not take notice of the problems of the world.  Some may even be in denial that problems even exist.  You are only in touch with your needs.  You tend to be more real. It takes nothing to be innocent.  You don't want anything to change.
  "The second stage comes when we start to notice the problems in the world.  We might become disillusioned or disenchanted.  We call that the liquid stage.  Everything seems to be bad.  We lose our innocense and begin to be aware of wants as opposed to mere needs.  We may become superficial or even hateful.  It takes your five senses to reach the second stage.  You want the world to change.
  "The third stage is enlightenment.  We call that the air stage.  At this stage you begin to have hope.  You begin to recognize that there is more than your eyes can perceive.  You begin to be aware of others' needs.  You become more deep.  It takes faith to reach the third stage.  You can be calm and at peace.  You want yourself to change.  Unfortunately, some people never get past the first stage.  Most people never get past the second stage. For some reason unknown to me, some people want to go back to the first stage after having reached the second. I must confess to you that I have never met anyone who has truly reached the third stage.  It would take an incredible amount of love and faith to reach the third stage.  The Sypratic Tome promises that there will be someone who will reach all states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and spirit.  We await their arrival eagerly."
  In a different part of the hotel, Jeffrey was sitting in front of a microwave reading a book.  Alexander approached him, intrigued by the wonderful aroma emanating from the microwave.  "Chuptu?" he asked Jeffrey.
  Jeffrey looked up from his book.  "What did you say?"
  "I said, what are you up to?"
  "Oh.  I'm microwaving some popcorn that I won in the raffle.  Want some?"
  Alex's eyes lit up.  "Sure, sounds good.  What are you reading?"
  Jeffrey showed the cover of the book to Alexander.  "I'm reading about a guy named Pavlov who trained his dogs to salivate when he rang a bell."
  A really confused look came across Alex's face.  "That's weird."
  Jeffrey shrugged.  "I guess it depends on how you look at it."  At that point, the microwave beeped.
  Alex rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation.  "Alright!  Popcorn's ready!"
  Jeffrey sighed and shook his head.  Then he put the book down and pulled the microwave door open to retrieve the bag.  Lowe walked into the room just as the two of them were munching.  He looked downcast.  With all the rescue parties coming back with survivors they had found, there were many tearful reunions, but there were still many loved ones missing.  One of those was Lowe's uncle.
  Jeffrey offered Lowe some popcorn, but Lowe was in no mood for any.  "Lowe, they did send a search party in the direction of your uncle's home.  You did give them his address, right?"
  "Yeah.  Him and his boyfriend live at Casanova Mobile Homes lot 1408."
  Jeffrey did a double take and suppressed a laugh.  "Casanova Mobile Homes?"  After a second, he shook it off.  What he was thinking wasn't appropriate to say at the moment.
  Alex swallowed a mouthful of popcorn.  "So your uncle's gay?"
  Lowe looked at Alex for a moment.  "If you laugh I will seriously hurt you."
  Alex shook his head.  "No, I won't laugh.  There's nothing funny about homosexuality."
  "Well, my uncle is a lesbian stuck in a man's body.  You see, he's gay, but his body just doesn't know it yet. In order to fit in with the homosexual crowd, he has a boyfriend for now until he can have the sex change operation.  Think of it as a reverse 'fag hag', as much as I hate that term."
  "I look forward to meeting him.  What does he do?" asked Alex.
  "He's the singer for a midget metal band called Bawdy Flies.  You know that T-shirt I wear that says 'Asian midget trannies are people too'?"
  "Oh yeah, I think that shirt's hilarious."
  "Well, it's not supposed to be funny.  It's my way of supporting my uncle.  His name is Singh Ho Ping, but his stage name is Urban Confucius."
  Alex's eyebrows went up.  "You uncle is Urban Confucius?  Dude, I've heard of him.  He did that one Christmas song or something.  I once saw his band perform dressed as female elves."
  "So you've heard 'Don We Now Our Gay Apparel'?  It was a minor local hit.  Got some air play."

Chapter 11

11: Mar stood outside the Wolf Cub Elementary school.  He had observed the Defectors for an entire day now.  These people were in desperate need of direction.  This man, this Richard Finestra as he was called, had no real leadership skills, but he seemed to revel in the power of his assumed position.  Once Mar showed up, Richard would not be willing to give up his place at the top.  There was one very simple solution to that.

  The gutter by the curb offered him a way onto the school grounds.  He had decided that a dramatic entrance was the approach he wanted to take.  The playground had a system of lawn sprinklers that were set to a timer.  Richard was currently sitting in a lawn chair right beside one of those sprinklers sipping lemonade.  Showtime.

  Moments later, a noisy spray of water gushed forth from the sprinkler and formed up in mid air into Mar's body. He looked Richard in the eyes and said, "Richard Finestra.  My name is Mar.  I will now be leading the Defectors."

  Richard's eyes went wide and his glass of lemonade fell with a dull thud onto the grass, splashing onto his leg. At the same time, his chair tipped so far back from his involuntary leg jerk that he fell backward.  As soon as he was able to scramble to his feet he ran for the door to the main school house.  Mar entered through the garden hose.  If it was a chase Richard wanted, Mar would be more than happy to oblige.

  Richard was hiding in the kitchen.  Mar quietly snuck out of the sink and tapped him on the shoulder.  Richard bugged out and fled, looking for another hiding place.  Mar was going to toy with him for a bit before engaging the kill switch.  Next, Richard chose the janitor's closet on the second floor.  This was too easy.  Mar came out of the utility sink and tapped him once again.  Richard actually let out a yelp and ran some more.  He ran up the stairs to the third, uppermost level and hid in a classroom.  One small problem.  There just happened to be a bathroom which opened into the classroom.  Easy pickings.

  Mar was through with games.  He sprayed out of the toilet and grabbed Richard by the ankles.  Richard struggled free, but fell backwards and went right through the glass of a window.  Mar watched as he plummeted three stories to his death in a shower of wood fragments and glass shards.  A guy named Finestra being defenestrated.  Mar just couldn't resist laughing at the irony of the whole thing.  That was a goddamn masterpiece and fuck it all, no one was around who could appreciate the true genius of it.  Mar sighed, shook his head and headed downstairs on foot to address his new army.

  The Defectors shied away from his approach.  There were many questions.  "Who are you?  Are you Rend?  We thought you were dead.  Why did you kill Richard?"

  Mar put his hands up to silence the crowd.  "No, I'm not Rend, though he was a good friend of mine.  I was sad to see him go.  I've been watching everything that has been going on.  I know about the Collective, about the Untaken, the Revenant and about you guys, the Defectors.  I figured it was about time to step in and take the reins.  My name is Mar.  I'm your leader now and I want nothing more than to destroy every last one of the Collective and the Untaken."

  At this, there were several nods of agreement.  The tension seemed to ease just a little.  "Now I killed that motherfucker out there because I didn't like the way he was running things.  The Revenant are an asset to us.  They can take care of the Untaken if there are sufficient numbers of them.  Richard was mindlessly destroying so many of them without even thinking about the fact that he could be using them if he was smart.  If he had a plan. If he had a goal.  If he had two fuckin' brain cells to rub together.  He also took you for granted."

  Heads were nodding more vigorously now.  Mar could see that he had them in his grasp.  "He should have been training you to fight so that you could mount your own attack against that damn hotel.  Well, that's what I'm here to do.  We will be a formidable army by the time I'm through with you.  Now let's get to work."  A small round of applause materialized and vanished quickly, but Mar could still see some fear in their eyes.

Chapter 10

10: The smell of fried chicken.  Randall Switter was just starting to come down from his adrenalin rush.  After watching Glen disappear, Randy had fled for his life.  Unseen hands had silently pulled him into a dark room.  Those hands belonged to Sam Wine.  Sam was the inhabitant of this apartment.  Apparently, he was cooking up some fried chicken.  It smelled delicious.
  "Randall, were there any others with you?"
  "Yeah, three guys outside and one upstairs.  I think Glen's dead, though."
  "Damn!  I had tried to stop you before you went up, but you ran up there as if your lives depended on it."
  "Yeah, Glen had to use the bathroom."
  "That's a damn shame.  Did you know him well?"
  "No.  We were put together as part of a rescue team to find survivors out here."
  "You two and the other three guys outside?"
  "Yeah.  They're keeping an eye out at the entrance to the building for any zombies."
  "You should go get them.  The zombies don't come here.  This place scares them.  It's haunted."
  "It figures.  I got zombies outside, ghosts inside.  Do you see the irony here?  We're stuck in the middle here with soulless bodies on the one hand and bodiless spirits on the other.  I don't know if I'd rather laugh or piss myself.  I think both."  Sam sat silently as Randy went to the others and told them about what had happened to Glen and then about finding Sam.  They agreed to come inside.
  After a round of introductions, the timer went off on the oven.  "If you'll excuse me for just one moment."  Sam went into the kitchen to check on the chicken.  He came back with a steaming platter full of fried chicken.
  "You know, it's too bad Lowe ain't here with us.  I hear that Chinese people really like fried chicken," said Ben.
  Randy looked confused.  "The Chinese?  I thought that was somebody else that really likes fried chicken."
  Ben nodded.  "Well, that's just a stereotype."
  "That looks like enough chicken for all of us," observed Mickey.
  "Yes, I have been saving it for a special occasion.  Today seemed to be just that day."
  "But you were all by yourself.  Why did you cook so much chicken?  And why is today so special?"
  "Oh well, you see, today is the day that you have come to my house."
  "But you couldn't have known that we were coming and how many of us there'd be."
  "Well that does take some explaining doesn't it?  Why don't we discuss it over dinner?"  Everyone agreed and helped themselves to some tender, juicy thighs and drumsticks.  There was also a fresh pot of coffee.  He prepared each of their coffees to their liking.  As usual, Sam took his with two sugars and a splash of cream.
  "There's no simpler way to put it except to say that I am a psychic."  Everyone at the table looked at each other, then to him.  "I knew you were coming today.  As I told Randy, I tried to keep him and Glen from going up the stairs, but I wasn't fast enough.  I knew Glen was going to die, but I failed to prevent that.  I did prepare enough chicken for him too, but unfortunately, we shall have to dine upon his portion as well."  Ben put down his fifth piece of chicken, suddenly not hungry any more.
  "How do you know you're a psychic?" asked Sauro.
  Sam took a sip of coffee.  "I don't know.  How do you know that you have the sense of smell?"
  Sauro's eyes went wide.  "Because I can smell things."  He swept imaginary crumbs off his lap.
  Sam nodded his head.  "Exactly.  I can sense things that aren't immediately obvious to most people.  I first became aware of this gift when I was seven.  My father was dying of stomach cancer.  Near the end, he asked me to come to the side of his bed to sit and talk to him.  He took my hand and asked how school was that day.  As I recanted the various details of my day, he was asking me questions here and there.  Then his voice seemed to stand up from the bed, walk around my chair and put his hand on my shoulder.  My hand was still holding his as his body lay in the bed.  I finally realized what had happened.  He had died some time during our conversation and his spirit had left his body.  I wept, but he told me to be strong.  We said our goodbyes and then he crossed over to the other side."  Sam used a toothpick to persuade some persistent chicken gristle out from between his teeth.

Chapter 9

9: Out in the desert, the battle raged on between the vampires and the zombies.  A female vampire named Amrita was shoulder to shoulder with her friend, Bufadora.  Every day it seemed as if there were more and more of these things.  Bufadora's fists were as tough as hammers and she smashed them together with a zombie's head between them.  The Scathing seemed to be spreading even beyond the city of Marble Cliffs, Arizona.

  "How is this getting around so fast?  Most of these people don't even have the chip.  Somehow it's gotten everywhere!  This virus must have ways of transmitting that we don't know about."

  Amrita thought back to life on Sypraxus when the Scathing was still rampant.  It had travelled from lake to lake infecting everyone in its path.  "It must have a way of becoming airborne," she postulated while kicking her heel through the face of a zombie.  "Before Dimojyn helped us to reconnect with our spirits, entire lakes were dying."

  "You do have a point, Amrita.  The Scathing travelled from lake to lake without any person being the medium."  Bufadora looked around the desert and noticed tiny flying bugs here and there.  These sand flies were something she hadn't noticed before.  "These little bugs seem to have no fear in landing on us.  We can swat them away, but what if they are carrying the Scathing in their bodies?"

  Amrita looked around at the sand flies.  "You're right.  We don't know for sure one way or the other.  We should bring some back to the hotel to examine them further."  She looked around at the other vampires.  "Bufadora, all of us Collective are immune to the Scathing, but the humans are not.  We should go now to tell the Untaken at the hotel."  Bufadora nodded and the two of them carefully caught a few of the sand flies, then headed off to warn the others to be wary of the flying bugs until more could be found out about them.

Chapter 8

8: A the Wolf Cub Elementary school, Richard Finestra's leadership had turned this small band of survivors into a mob of zombie killers.  Gone were the days of cowering from the Revenant.  As a matter of fact, the Revenant were all welcome to come into the school grounds.  Bring it on.
  The Defectors had also been raiding the nearby houses for supplies.  They occasionally found people hiding in the houses.  If they were cool, alright.  If they resisted, they were taken as prisoners.  Two such prisoners were brought in today.
  Richard looked the two men up and down.  "So, what are your names?"  One of them started to answer, but Richard cut him off.  "I don't really give a shit.  We're just gonna kill you anyway.  All in good time, but for now you can watch the festivities."  Richard brought the two men out to the playground area.  There, all manner of atrocities were being carried out against the Revenant.
  At a wooden bench, a zombie was tied down and a Defector was casually scraping away the skin of her face with a fork from the cafeteria.  He used the back of the fork to scoop out her eyeballs.  Most of her right cheek was missing, but there was very little blood.  On a zombie, wounds don't scab, they dry up or rot.  There's no pus, just maggots, no inflammation, no infection, very little blood.  Their blood either congeals or collects in the legs through gravity and spills out of their bloated veins.
  At the swings, a different zombie was tied to each swing.  Behind each, a Defector stood ready to push the swing.  In front of each was another Defector holding some stabbing tool.  One had a pitchfork, one had a machete and one had a dagger.  The point of the game was to push the zombie into the blade until it stuck.  If the blade came out when the swing went back, they had to keep pushing.
  Several zombies were strung up from the football goal posts.  Wrapped candies had been forced down their throats and people were beating them with baseball bats.  These human pinatas would be battered until they gave up their goodies.  One particularly vicious swing opened the chest cavity of a zombie and candies spilled out.  Several Defectors rushed forward to claim their prizes.
  In the middle of the field, a zombie had each of its limbs tied to the bumper of four different cars.  The Defectors each drove the cars in different directions, ripping the zombie limb from limb.  This game was called wishboning.  You won if the torso was still attached to the appendage tied to your car.
  Both of the prisoners saw all this and were disgusted.  One said so and Richard asked him how it made him feel.  "It makes me sick to my stomach," the man replied.
  Richard grabbed a machete from a nearby Defector.  "Go ahead, puke.  I dare you."  The man wasn't able to resist his body's urge.  He doubled over.  With a quick motion, Richard lopped his head off with the machete.  The stump of his neck spewed forth vomit along with blood.  Unable to support the weight of the body any longer, the legs gave out and the man crumpled to the dirt, landing in his own mess.
  Richard turned to the other man.  "How about you?  Do you feel like puking?"  The other man down at the body and then to Richard.  His eyes went wide and then he fled toward the fence separating the school from the outside world.  Some of the Defectors easily caught him since his hands were tied behind his back and he couldn't get over the fence.  They brought him back to Richard.
  "I'd bet you'd like to be free of those ropes, wouldn't you?" asked Richard.  The man nodded, looking a little pale.  "Turn around and stick your hands out."  The man did as he was told.  Richard raised the machete and chopped off both his hands, right above the ropes.  "There is that better?"  The man screamed and fell to the ground.  "Oh, and in case you ever think of running away again."  Richard chopped off both of the man's feet.  Richard grabbed a tiki torch that was posted by the fence.  He cauterized both arms and one leg.  "You're not going anywhere.  And I don't want you dying too fast.  I want you to think about what you've done."
  The man writhed around in the dirt.  His face was contorted in agony.  He tried to stand up or to move in any way that would get him away, but it was hopeless.  A crowd formed around him to watch his last few minutes of life.  The ground around him was turning into a thick, dark mud.  It got in his mouth, up his nose and into his eyes.  He was face down and he couldn't use his hands to lift himself out of the muck.  He turned his head to the side and vomited.  He had also urinated and defecated himself.  His body was losing fluids at a deadly rate.  It wasn't long before his movements became less frantic.  He was reduced to involuntary twitches which became less and less frequent until they finally ceased.  By then, most of the crowd had already lost interest and had returned to whatever they had been doing.  Recess is everyone's favorite period.

Chapter 7

7: Miles above the Earth, from an abandoned military outpost built by the Collective, a solitary Nocent looked down upon the bright blue orb.  His name was Mar and he had been living at Rue for many years watching and waiting for the arrival of the Nocent for the setting in motion of the Plan.  The outpost was nothing more than a loose cluster of pipes and tanks buried under the surface of Earth's moon.  The entrance to Rue was on the dark side of the moon.  With his body made of liquid, this outpost had been all that Mar needed.  Sypraxians gain their energy from the rays of the sun.
  The observation room was nothing more than a pane of glass at the end of a pipe which protruded out of the ground.  The end of the pipe was flush with the surface of the moon.  Since there's no wind on the moon, no dust would blow onto the glass.  Mar always had a perfectly clear view of the Earth.  Mar could shape his body to be a lens through which he could see incredible distances with complete clarity.  Today, as he looked down, he knew the time was near for him to make his move.  This outpost that his brother, Mendoron had built would no longer be needed.  Mendoron had included an escape pod which was a one-way ticket to Earth.
  Mar had been watching the Defectors and didn't like the way they were dealing with the Revenant.  These foolish humans were unfocused and uncoordinated.  They needed a new leader.  Rend had failed, but the Plan could still work.  Mar could wait no longer.  Today was the day for the Nocent to achieve absolute power.

Chapter 6

6: One night, Gene Crowley, the owner of the Hotel of Wonders, decided to help ease the highly anxious group of the Untaken by putting on a nice dinner and having the Collective vampires tell everyone a little bit about themselves.  There was much excitement about the people from another planet who had materialized from rocks.  This would be a wonderful way to bring everyone together as a community and not just a scared bunch of survivors.
  Bill had asked Gene where the Mortimer Marmot costume was and Gene showed him.  Ben Templewhite volunteered to don it so that he could entertain the children and take pictures with them to boost their morale.  The hotel gift shop had small selection of TV dinners that were in a display cooler.  Those were auctioned off to the highest bidder since there wasn't enough for everybody.  After the auction came the dinner.  Everyone gathered in the main ball room.  It was served buffet style.
  "Ooh, they have rice crispy treats!" marveled Alex.
  "Rice.  Crispy.  Treats," nodded Jeff.  "You had me at the rice."
  "Hey, Lowe.  How come you didn't bid on any of the TV dinners?" asked Carrie.
  Jeffrey interrupted, using a mocking tone.  "Let me guess.  You have not the financial fortitude for such frivolities."
  Carrie turned to Jeffrey and said, "He wouldn't take the time to alliterate his iterations."
  Lowe nodded his head at Jeffrey, then turned to Carrie.  "Thank you, Carrie.  The real reason I didn't want any of the TV dinners is that, microwaved food does not constitute a substitute for real food.  The subsequent consequence is large increments of excrement," he replied with a sage look on his face.
  Carrie ignored Jeffrey's huge grin, sighed dramatically and shook her head.  "I just HAD to ask."
  The dinner was a hit.  And while the people ate, the ten Collective vampires in turn took the stage and spoke a little about themselves.  First up was a man named Rymuthis.
  "Hello, my name is Rymuthis.  I am a clothing designer.  I know what you're probably thinking: if they're made of water, do they even wear clothes?  Well, no we don't wear clothes, but we have been coming to Earth for many millenia.  As your clothing styles changed from year to year, it was my job to observe trends and learn to imitate your outer wear so as to be able to blend in with you.  We've been studying human behavior and other things for a long time and we couldn't risk being found out by you."
  A hand went up in the audience.  "Hey, how come people from other planets always dress the same?  It's all silver leotards with V-neck tops wide shoulders?"
  Rymuthis chuckled at that.  "I think that misconception arises from your movies.  As you can see, we're each 'wearing' different looking clothes.  It's all a matter of personal taste, just like for you."
  After him, a man named Zemostra got up to speak.  "My name is Zemostra.  I am an engineer.  I designed and built the craft which brought us here, called the Riven.  It is a Zemostra 9300.  On Sypraxia we have different brands of spacecraft just like your automobiles.  Of course, right now, the Riven is at the bottom of a little lake.  I must say, that is rather embarrassing."  The crowd laughed a little.  "But anyway, the Riven is run by a computer called the Core Zone.  I also invented that.  It is an intelligent computer.  If not for the Core Zone, this planet would now be overrun by the Nocent.  As it is, this town is creeping with the Revenant, but those are a lot easier to deal with due to a lack of motor function and low mental capacity."
  A woman got up next.  "My name is Azaroth.  I am a scientist.  I have been coming here for years to study your cultures, religions, technology and societies.  I actually knew Rend very well before he betrayed us.  We used to come here together and share notes on our various discoveries and insights.  I've always admired the human spirit. Through many large-scale tragedies and calamities, you have persevered over the centuries.  As the resources on my planet dwindled due to the Nocent's over-industrialization, we turned more and more to humanity's unyielding faith, love and optimism as inspiration for our lives."  Many in the audience looked at each other wondering how the hell she came to that by observing humans.  "I am truly humbled to finally live among you as equals."
  A rather short vampire took the stage.  "Hi, my name's Lox Myth.  I am an artist and no I don't do paintings.  We're made of frickin' water.  Paint would never dry.  No, my friends, I mostly sew and cross-stitch.  I also do the occasional sculpture.  My sculptures may look boring on the outside, but on the inside are full of tunnels, crevices, enclosures and such.  There are different textures and bumps and holes to fell as you flow through them. Some of them are rather large and can only be compared to your roller coasters.  They're kind of like a combination of a maze, an obstacle course and a water slide.  They're fun as hell."
  An older looking man got up to speak.  "My name is Temeron.  I am an elder.  I have been around since the beginning of intelligence on Sypraxia.  There is much you do not yet know about our history.  We will share more with you as time goes on."
  A young woman with long, flowing hair came up next.  "My name is Marisol.  My job is one of the most sacred on Sypraxia.  It needs a little setting up, though.  First, you must know that on Sypraxia, there is a stone temple called Petralumis, made of living stone.  The stone was carved from a quarry on the banks of the Collective shore.  Our gods are the rocks.
  "One day, I was walking around when I felt a rock in my shoe.  When I took my shoe off to shake the rock out, a bunch of sand also came out.  Sometimes you don't notice the sand in your shoes until you feel a rock.  I took that as a life lesson.  As soon as the thought came to me, something like a voice spoke into my mind.  It was the rock in my hand communicating with me in the way that the gods speak to people of faith.  I listened.
  "The rock told me the story of how it broke off.  It had been a part of Petralumis.  When it first broke off, it's edges were sharp.  At first it hurt to be broken off, but the pain went away.  Now there was no more pain, but it hated the hot sun.  It didn't remember when it stopped enjoying the sunlight.  One day it just realized that it didn't like being hot any more.  It hoped that it could cool down.  Eventually, storms came and a river formed.  The rock was stuck at the bottom of the river with no light.  There was only the constant torrent of water which slowly chipped away at it.  Each chip hurt.  As the water slowly dried up, the stone realized that it had become smooth.  After years in darkness, the rock saw daylight once more.  It thought the sun was beautiful, not because it had never seen it before, but because it had."  Marisol lifted the pendant from her necklace for the audience to see.  It was a rock on a chain.
  "Many years before, Petralumis had been whole.  The Collective would leave the lake to worship at the temple.  When the Nocent and the Collective split, the temple crumbled.  The temple is old and falling apart, but even so, the gods are within.  Legend has it that a small boy had heard the voices of the gods.  He filled his pockets with rocks which had broken off from the temple and he brought them to the Collective lake just as they had asked him to do. When the elders saw what he was doing, they asked him why and he told them.  Thus began the tradition of Petralumis.  It is an annual ceremony, kind of like your Christmas.  Only those who have been appointed by the gods can transport these rocks to the lake.  That is my job and it is an honor to have been chosen for it.  You see, the story of the boy is more than just a legend to me.  That boy was my father."
  A woman with flowing white hair and a simple white gown got on the stage.  "My name is Dimojyn.  I am a healer.  If you remember, the Scathing is a Sypraxian virus.  For us, it kept our spirits from connecting with the water. It is a disease that separates spirit from matter.  I was able to spiritually reconnect the Collective with their physical selves.  My hope is that I will be able to do the same for those humans afflicted with it."
  A man in a tweed jacket and gray slacks stood up to speak.  "My name is Repotox.  I'm a story teller.  I know the entire history of the Collective and Sypraxia."
  A young looking woman stepped up wearing a purple gown.  "My name is Lume.  I am a musician."  In the audience, Jeffrey's ears perked up.  "I carry no instruments."  She slowly waved her fingers in the air.  Holes appeared in her fingertips.  Then the most pure and beautiful sounds started to play.  She was sucking air through the holes of various sizes and this created different tones which mingled freely and harmonized at random intervals.  The sound was similar to bells, but without the initial impact.  It was like a flute which could hold impossibly long chords and play intricate melodies.  Her eyes were closed and she moved her head to the music.  Many in the audience wept with the power of her emotion conveyed through the tune.
  A large man in dust-gray coveralls took the stage.  "My name is Mendoron.  I am a military specialist.  I have studied many of your fighting techniques, but there are many things that the Sypraxian body can do that the human body does not easily replicate.  I'd demonstrate, but it might be too dangerous indoors.  Anyway, I was in charge of keeping the Collective safe during our many trips here to Earth over the years.  I also designed and built an outpost on your moon.  It is an underground living space from which we could remotely view the Earth.  Unfortunately, we never used it because nobody wanted to stay there, separated from the Collective.  But enough about that.  I hope to be able to train some of you in hand-to-hand combat to fight against the Revenant and the Defectors.  I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of them."
  The night went on and the vampires mingled with the crowd.  Dozens of small group conversations broke out as everyone got to know each other a little better.

Chapter 5

5: Many people at the hotel were restless thinking of people they knew who were still out in the city.  The rescue teams periodically returned with survivors they had found.  Most were strangers, but there was the occasional tearful reunion.  Everyone knew someone who was possibly dead or even undead.  That was never very far from anyone's minds.  That is why the rescue missions were so important.  There was still hope with every successful return of the rescue parties.  There were potentially thousands of survivors out there hiding all around town.
  There was a large map of Marble Cliffs tacked to a wall.  The city was sectioned off into small clusters that the rescuers systematically searched.  A pin was stuck into the map wherever the teams had already looked.  Unfortunately, for every tearful reunion, there were ten tearful goodbyes.
  Yong Loh had already lost his parents to the Revenant.  His only ray of hope came in the form of his uncle, Singh Ho Ping and his girlfriend, Chien.  Every day, Yong prayed that the rescuers would find them.  Singh was his mother's brother and had been very close to Yong all his life.  He was the only family that Yong had left.  And then there was Chien.  He had met her at a show one night.  She knew all of Maine Eleven Company's songs.
  Carrie Annette Oneiro longed to see her parents again.  She kept pictures of them in her purse and looked at them often.  It had been over a week since she'd seen them.  She was beginning to fear the worst.  She tried not to believe that she would never see them again.  The rescue teams had not yet reached the part of town in which they lived so she had a glimmer of positivity to cling to.

Chapter 4

4: At Wolf Cub Elementary, the Defectors were all frazzled and wary of any intrusions by the Revenant.  They had had considerable trouble dealing with the five that had come in the day before.  Richard Finestra had shut and barred the front door of the school to prevent any more of the undead from entering and then one by one the Defectors had destroyed the zombies.  Nobody had died and that was a testament to Richard's speed and skill at fighting.   Richard had been a faithful disciple to Rend, the Nocent from Sypraxia who had led the Defectors.  He listened to all his stories about the Collective and their ignorant ways.  The Nocent seemed to have the right idea in Richard's mind.  They understood the importance of physical strength and mental sharpness.  Who needs all the touchy feely, lovey dovey spiritual shit that the Collective wanted to live by?  Might makes right.  If you're too weak to kill, you don't deserve to live.
  Rend had taught him that the Nocent spirits were trapped inside the bodies of the Revenant.  If only there was a way to extract those spirits and implant them into healthy bodies, then the Nocent could rise from the ashes and dominate this world full of weak, pathetic people.  And all the while, Richard would be by their side, in a position of power and honor.
  The only thing that stood in his way was the Scathing, which was a Sypraxian disease that humans were not immune to.  It killed them.  It was spread through the zombie's saliva and other excretions.  Another possible roadblock to his success was the Untaken.  But they were all powerless fools.  In order to take up the gauntlet of world domination, Richard had to organize the Defectors and have a plan to free the Nocent from their prisons of ravaged flesh.  He needed to find a way to defeat the Scathing.  The Untaken were of little concern.  The Revenant would destroy them all, given enough time.  He was sure of it.  Nothing to do now but kill some zombies.  Any of the undead with a bandage on their hand was spared.  No bandage meant they were fair game.

Chapter 3

3: Ten groups of five were sent out of the Hotel of Wonders to search for any survivors.  Each group consisted of one VAMP and four members of the Untaken.  Kenn, Barney and a Collective named Mendoron were in charge of organizing the search groups.  It was important that each group had someone of petite stature to climb through windows if the need arose.  There was also a Spanish speaker in each group, as well as someone of some strength.  Whenever possible, a group would have someone who was able to pick locks.
  Sauro Laurentis led a group which also included Ben Templewhite, Mickey Thrush, Randall Switter and Glen Daniels.  They all rode together in Ben's SUV until they reached a five-story apartment building that had some lights on.  It looked as if it might have some people in it so they tried to see if they could get in.  The front door was blocked on the inside by a chair, but Ben broke the glass with a rock and they got inside.  Randall, Sauro's brother-in-law, was an Army brat who preferred to be called Randy. He was glad he didn't have to climb into any windows here.  Sauro, Ben and Mickey stood guard outside just in case any Revenant showed up.  Ben kept his ears open in the event that Randy and Glen might need some help inside the building.
  The ground floor of the building had doors marked 1, 2 and 4 only.  Randy furrowed his brows and looked at each door in rapid succession.  He pointed to each in turn and asked, "What's this one?  What's this to?  What's this for?"  Glen wasn't amused.  He resented being sent out just because he spoke Spanish.
  "Hey, let's just search the damn building so we can get the hell out of here.  Besides, I have to pee."
  "Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Race you to the top.  Hope you ain't allergic to silver."  Randy was going to take off running, but Glen was quicker.  He thought if he could beat Randy to the top, it might shut him up for a little while at least.
  Randy hadn't actually expected Glen to take up the challenge so he was taken aback by his speed.  Truth be told, Randy wasn't a very fast runner and had absolutely no sustainable stamina.  He was slow and huffing for air by the time he reached the top.  He wasn't expecting what he saw when he got to the top.  Glen was talking to an old lady sitting in a chair in front of an open apartment door.  There was a medium sized, brown dog in the hallway lying on the tiles.  Randy stooped down to let it sniff his hand, then he pet its head.
  Meanwhile, the old lady said, "I'm Ruth Verdi and you are welcome to use our bathroom.  It's the first door to the left."  Glen gladly entered the apartment, went into the indicated door and shut it behind him.
  Ruth then turned her attention to Randy.  "And what might your name be?"
  Randy was beginning to get a little nervous.  Something didn't feel quite right about this whole situation.  He didn't want to be rude so he replied, "My name is Randall."
  "How nice, dear."  Ruth smiled and placed her hands in her lap.  She paused then said, "Oh, Randall?"
  "Um, yes miss?"
  "Ruth.  You can call me Ruth, dear.  Randall, would you like an extra liver?"
  Randy's eyebrows belly danced to the tune of his confusion.  He thought she might be inviting them to dinner, but somehow that didn't seem to be what she was asking.  "How can you have an extra liver?  Wouldn't you die without your liver?"
  The smile never left her face.  "Yes, indeed, you would die without your liver," she replied.  Then she just vanished before his eyes.  Randy blinked twice and froze.  The entire building began to grow darker.  Dust and cobwebs appeared on everything.  The paint visibly started to chip and peel.
  Randy took this all in but didn't understand.  He yelled out for Glen but got no answer.  Once he was finally able to move, he went into the apartment and opened the bathroom door.  It was just a closet full of junk and Glen was nowhere to be found.  There was something glistening on the floor of the closet, but it was too dark to see.  Randy pulled out a lighter and flicked it on.  His thumb immediately let go of the light because he had seen enough.  There, in a pool of crimson, laid a bloody human liver.  All the blood drained from Randy's face.
  A dark, hooded figure appeared in the living room and looked at Randy silently.  The figure raised it's left hand, pointing to him as if in accusation.  Randy stepped out of the apartment backwards into the hallway.  Without looking where he was going, he continued to back down the hall.  He stumbled on something.  Daring to rip his gaze from the hooded figure for one split second, he looked down and saw the bones of a long-dead dog.  The hooded figure stepped out of the apartment.  By that time, Randy had made it to the staircase where he saw Glen's body which had its liver ripped out.  That was the necessary nudge Randy needed to snap into decisive action.  He bolted down the stairs faster than he ever knew he could.
  At the bottom of the staircase at the second level, he could hear Ben and Mickey talking.  Freedom was in his sight.  Before he could open his mouth or start to move toward the final flight of stairs, a door squeaked ajar to his right.  A hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the apartment.  The door slammed shut.

Chapter 2

2: At the Hotel of Wonders, some of the Collective had stayed behind to help organize search parties to comb the city of Marble Cliffs for any survivors.  These rescue groups would be led by newly christened members of the Volunteer Auxiliary Mortified Platoon.  Kenn had asked for a show of hands among the Untaken for who would have what it takes to accept this important responsibility.  A brave man named Sauro Laurentis was the first of the people to volunteer to become a vampire via the bite of one of the Collective.
  His wife, Joi, and her younger brother, Randall, were standing next to him and she tried to pull his hand down.  "Honey, don't you think we should discuss this?  I mean, this is a life changing transformation.  You can't just make a decision that quickly."
  "Sweetie, there are people out there who will die if they don't get help.  We can't just stay here in the safety of the hotel and let them fend for themselves.  I feel as if it's my duty to help them in any way that I can.  Your father was in the army.  He would understand."
  "Yes, my father was a brave man and he died defending our country, but this is different.  You will be dying even before you have a chance to help anyone.  That's what mortified means."
  "Well, I won't stay dead.  I'll be undead."
  "How is that any better?"
  "It will keep me safe from the Revenant.  I'm going to go out there to help the people.  And your brother will be with me.  At least with my increased strength and speed, you won't have to worry about us."
  Joi hung her head.  "I'm still going to worry about you."
  Sauro's expression softened.  He put his hand on her shoulder.  "I know.  And that's why I love you.  And that's why I know you love me."  She nodded and he kissed her on the forehead.  She squeezed her eyes shut and tears trailed down her face as their hands parted.  A female vampire named Azaroth took Sauro into a room to bite him while his wife and brother-in-law waited outside.
  In various rooms, the other vampires: Rymuthis, Zemostra, Lox Myth, Temeron, Marisol, Dimojyn, Repotox, Lume and Mendoron each helped other Untaken volunteers to make the transformation from human to vampire.

'The Nocent part 3: Revenant War' Chapter 1

1: Somewhere in the calm of not quite dawn, a rotting, foul corpse stumbled ravenously toward its intended prey.  Too bad this would be the last day of its unlife.  People say that pain eventually goes away, but you see, hunger is a pain that does not subside with time.  Unfortunately, a poor choice of sources for sustenance would be this zombie's undoing.  In its ignorance, it had chosen Damion Varson as its dinner.  Boy oh boy oh boy.  I think you can see where this is going.
  Damion calmly faced his opponent.  His brother, Kenn, had told him that there is only one rule that matters when it comes to dealing with the Revenant: Shoot first, fuck the questions.  Well, Damion took that rule to heart except for one minor detail.  He didn't have a gun.  As you may have guessed, in his case, that wasn't a problem.  Damion raised his left arm, pointing at the zombie's mouth.  He paused for a second as the zombie raised its arms for a death embrace and contorted what was left of its face into a snarl.  Damion wondered why they always do that.  I mean, honestly, who mean mugs their dinner?
  The zombie got within six feet of Damion's fingertip when all of a sudden, a jet of water gushed forth from said fingertip and entered the zombie's mouth.  A split second later, the top of its head exploded in an eruption of blood, brains and water.  Damion's entire body liquefied and flowed into the zombie's mouth and out of the top of its head as a torrent of fluid movement.
  In midair over the zombie's body, Damion formed up with his feet pointed straight up and his left arm extended down to the zombie's empty head.  He leaned back and landed on his feet behind the zombie with his hand still resting on the back of the zombie's head.  He casually pushed the motionless zombie forward and it fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
  Damion brushed off his sleeves then turned his head to survey the area around him in the Arizona desert.  All around him, an entire necrambulistic horde was engaged in immortal combat with the new vampire army of the Collective.  This was the beginning of the Revenant War.

Chapter 52

52: I'm standing at the bottom of a pyramid, looking up.  All around me is sand as far as I can see.  There are no trees.  Nothing at all that would provide any shelter.
  At the top of the pyramid is a royal looking throne made of gold and red velvet.  There is a skeleton sitting in it.  The skeleton is wearing a royal purple robe.
  Since there is nowhere else to go, I start to walk up the steps of the pyramid.  I'm getting closer to the throne.  As I do, I am disgusted as I see my flesh start to deteriorate and fall off my bones.  This will not stop me.  I will continue my ascent.
  At the same time that my flesh is dripping off in huge chunks, I can see that the majestic skeleton in the throne is fading away.  It seems like he will completely disappear soon.  I can already see the details of the throne through his once-solid form.
  By the time I reach top, I am fully skeletonized.  I am now wearing a golden crown and a purple robe.  The skeleton in the throne had disappeared completely.  I then take my place at the throne and sit down.  Now I am the ruler.  Of what, I don't know.
  Looking below, I can see a person is standing at the bottom of the pyramid, looking up at me.  I silently dare him to play King of the Mountain with me.  Bring it on.
  Mina awoke from her dream to find herself safe in her hotel room.  Damion was still sleeping quietly next to her. She sat there, gazing at the ruggedly handsome features on the silent form beside her.  She kissed him softly on the cheek, being careful not to awaken him.  Last night had been magnificent.  There is no limit as to what a liquid body can do.  Mina took some comfort in knowing that the Collective were, basically, a living pool of water. She had always imagined the Other Side to be like that.  In the room's bathroom, Stratford sat, perched on the shower curtain rod, sleeping.  Pretty soon everyone would be waking up.
  Mina sighed because today was the day that the new vampire army could engage the zombie army in mortal conflict.  She felt hungry.  Is this how the Revenant feel?  That deep, gnawing hunger for human flesh?  Shudder.  She looked outside her window at the sunrise.  Arizona sunrises had a magical serenity about them that she loved almost as much as the spectacular sunsets.  She could tell just by looking at the dew on the grass that it was a little chilly out.  That was something she had noticed over the years.  It's always coldest right after sunrise.

Chapter 51

51: Each of the nine hundred, five rocks now contained the spirit of one of the Collective.  The band played for over two hours because they all knew that tomorrow, the vampire army would go out to face the hordes of the undead. The Revenant War would begin in the dawn's mystical illumination.
  Daniel had given the Untaken a lesson in Sypraxian physiology and theology before he died.  "This is an important tactical lesson because you have to know the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.  That way you know how they can defeat you and how you can defeat them.  As Confucius once said, 'To take untaught men into battle is to cast them away.'  I'm gonna give you an edu-ma-cation.
  "All Sypraxians have a liquid body.  We've already established that the only difference physically is that the Nocent have the Syproid gland.  That is their brain.  The Nocent use the energy of the mind to live.  Therefore, since the Revenant were created by the Nocent spirits, the only way to kill the Revenant will be by destroying their brains.  That is their only weak spot.
  "On the other hand, the Collective use the energy of the heart to live.  Since this new vampire army will be created by the Collective spirits, the only way to kill the vampires will be to destroy their hearts.  There is another important thing to remember.  They will only be half vampires.  They must not kill any humans or else they will lose their soul.  If that happens, they will be left with only their body, which, as we know, is made of stone.  They will literally be turned to stone.  Also, since the Nocent value solidity, the Revenant eat flesh.  The Collective value liquid, so the vampires will only drink blood, no solid food.
  "The Sypraxian religion, the Hierarchy of Sypraxus, holds that the more immaterial something is, the closer it is to God.  I mean, you know, other than dark spirits, of course.  But anyway, the Collective believe this, but the Nocent hold to a different ideal.  They have the Hierarchy backwards.  They hold solidity in high regard.  That is why they are so fascinated with humans.  That is also why they have Syproid glands.  It is not a naturally occurring organ.  When someone chooses to follow the ways of the Nocent, they must first prove their loyalty by performing some task for them.  Then they are implanted with the Syproid gland, which is an electronic device which acts like an energy/information storage device.  It's like a battery and computer all in one.  Once it's implanted, it cannot be removed or else that Nocent will die."
  Now that Daniel was dead, it was up to the Untaken and the Collective to keep the Defectors and the Revenant from terrorizing the rest of the world.  There was no telling how far the Scathing could reach.  Now that it was airborne, it would spread and the armies of the undead would grow.  A lot of what lay ahead was rescue missions for those still alive in Marble Cliffs.  Also, a search and destroy mission would be undertaken for the Revenant around town.  Lastly, there would be the creation of the Volunteer Auxiliary Mortified Platoon, made up of those Untaken who chose to join in the fight.  While most of the Collective would be going out tomorrow, a select few would remain at the hotel to protect the Untaken and to begin the voluntary vampiric transformation process.

Chapter 50

50: Damion had been standing with Mina, watching this miracle take place.  For the moment, Stratford went back to Kenn's shoulder.  Damion turned to Mina and asked, "Madam, would you give me the pleasure of dancing with me?"
  "I don't know how to dance," muttered Mina.
  Damion looked around the ballroom and pointed to the refreshment table.  There was a rose in a vase standing next to the punch bowl.  "I have a mission for you.  Please go over there and smell that rose."
  Mina looked at the flower he was pointing to and said, "That one?  Why?"
  "Because you never have before.  And if you don't do something about it, you may never get another chance to."
  Mina went to the table and bent forward to the flower.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of its light fragrance.  She smiled and brought it to Damion.
  He smiled back at her.  "Is it good?"
  Mina nodded.  "It's a keeper."  He put the flower in her hair.  She gazed into Damion's eyes and without another word, they swept the dance floor arm in arm.  They were incongruously waltzing to a hip hop song blaring from the speakers.  Mina was a better dancer than she knew.
  Damion whispered into her ear, "If you're hungry, I am also a fabulous chef."  They left the ballroom and went together to the hotel's kitchen facilities.  Within half an hour, Damion had whipped up a gourmet meal for two.  They ate the noodles with chopsticks.  Mina was a little awkward with the chopsticks.  She got some of her sauce on her finger.  They both giggled as she set down her chopsticks.  She began to lick her finger suggestively.  Damion leaned forward and also began to lick her finger.  Their tongues mingled on her finger, with the taste of her sauce as the music to which they danced.  When the meal was done, they went up to Mina's room.

Chapter 49

49: Pretty soon, all the rocks were red with Daniel's blood and the band was prepared.  Jeffrey tested his microphone.  "Good evening, individuals.  We are the Maine Eleven Company.  This first song is called 'House of Cards'.  We hope you enjoy it."  Alex started into the intro and Lowe Freq thumped out his bass line.  Carrionette threw down a beat, then Jeffrey started to sing the words, "Here, in the house made of cards is my heart.  With a life full of scars I am hurt.  Lift me up."  The song started out mellow, but by the middle of the second verse, Jeffrey was screaming, "Did you believe they were giving you something you could give to anyone?  Was it a sacrifice or was it dollars and cents?!"  At the end of the song, Jeffrey belted out, "Give me love!" with all the passion he could reach deep inside for.
  As the band launched into more songs from their repertoire, the energy in the room became palpable.  Then something amazing started to happen.  Green streaks of light began to burst forth from the speakers and one by one shoot like a laser into each of the rocks.  The Untaken, who were standing in the enormous auditorium for the concert/revivification stepped away from the rocks and watched in stunned fascination.  Apparently, the band had gotten their chi to flow because the rocks on the floor started to glow with the green light and grow in size.  They grew like a seed to a tree in seconds flat until they were the size and shape of human beings.  Then each of them became a distinct person.
  The band kept right on playing because then, the newly formed Collective vampire army started to dance to the music.  The Untaken joined in the jubilee as the night wore on.  It was a celebration of life and a new hope.

Chapter 48

48: When Kenn, Damion and Stratford returned safely to the hotel, everyone was amazed to see Damion walking around with his own body.  They were used to seeing him merely as Kenn's reflection.
  Mina walked up to Damion and gave him a hug.  "It's good to finally meet you in person.  From all that Kenn talks about you, I feel as if I already know you."
  "And I bet it feels good not having to get the chills whenever I'm around."
  "Yes, you are quite warm to the touch."
  Kenn brought in Daniel's body from his trunk.  The stage was set for the final act of the plan that the Untaken had formulated.  Actually, a stage literally was set.  The Maine Eleven Company was booked for a gig tonight at the Hotel of Wonders.  They had an integral part to play in the plan to overcome the Revenant and the Defectors.
  Daniel had said that the Collective's lifeforce behaves much like the concept of chi.  It was all around in the air now that it was no longer in Daniel's body.  His sacrifice had served the purpose of distracting Rend while Kenn aimed his shot, but also had a much more important function.  It freed the Collective spirits from their bodily confinement.  Tonight they would have new homes.
  Bill was very familiar with the concept of chi.  It was a form of energy.  It could be channeled.  It could be focused and concentrated.  "A literal translation of chi is life breath.  All we need is a vessel to contain the life force.  To give a body to these spirits.  Since everything will eventually turn to dust, it doesn't matter what the vessel consists of.  The spirits will give it life.  In the beginning, God formed Adam out of the dust of the Earth.  Then he put into him the breath of life."
  "What about the rocks outside on the lawn?" asked Barney.
  "Yes, that would be perfect.  Daniel said that there are nine hundred, five spirits of the Collective.  Have several people go out to gather the rocks and arrange them here in the auditorium."  There was another more grim task that needed to be tended to.  Now that Kenn and Damion had returned with Daniel's body, several of the men set to draining the body of its blood.  This vital fluid was collected and brushed onto each of the rocks with paint brushes.  These would not be ordinary people being given life to tonight.
  Alexander looked doubtful as to the whole idea of playing to a bunch of rocks.  "OK, so I understand this chi thing, but how are we going to channel it into the rocks?" he asked.  "I've heard of rock concerts, but this is ridiculous.  You mean these rocks are supposed to come alive?"
  Bill looked at him compassionately.  "In the orient, we believe that we can get our chi to flow if we have a pure focus.  That can come from meditation or from passionate activity.  I doubt any of us know to to meditate.  But you do know passionate activity.  When you are performing onstage, you are pouring forth your energy with passion and intensity.  That energy is 'infectious' as they say.  At your concerts, it really gets the crowd energized.  It screams out of your pores, out of your fingers, your eyes, your mouth.  Every ounce of your being explodes with raw power.  It's electricity in its purest form.  The life energy all around you will gravitate toward you and be propelled out of you and penetrate everything in its path.  That life energy right now is filled with the spirits of the Collective and it will saturate and possess these rocks, giving them life."
  "Shit.  Well, I'll believe it when I see it," replied Alex.
  Bill smiled.  "Alexander, you are forgetting the element of faith.  Buddha once said that 'Faith is the encouragement when one's way is long and wearisome, and it leads to enlightenment.'  It is easy to believe when you can see.  My philosophy is 'To believe is to see.'  You will only see something once you believe that you will."
  "Yeah, you know.  Well, I've got to go warm up and tune my guitar."
  "Yes, go get ready for the show.  I know you will let your chi flow."
  "Dude, did you say, 'Chief Lowe?'" asked Lowe Freq.
  "No," Bill laughed, "but I think that's what I will call you if you don't mind.  I never got a chance to properly thank you for helping to rescue my wife.  I owe a debt of gratitude to all of you who helped, including you, Chief Lowe."  Beside him, Sandy, who was still weak, beamed with joy at the men who had helped her.
  She licked her lips to moisten them and said, "I hope that you all will have an iced A."  The band surged with pride and a renewed sense of confidence.