FEAR

The boy's eyes were shut. His ears and soul were also closed to all that might try to open them. But still he could hear the voices. Like metal scraping against metal, it's voice echoed his own pain and misery. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't block it out completely.

"You cannot ignore me and more than you can ignore your own feelings, Michael." the voice whisphered gently.

"Frag off! I'm not you and you're not me!" Mikey shouted aloud into the darkness.

He was lying in his makeshift bed, a large pile of old, unwashed and tattered blankets, sheets, clothes and pillows. This room, was located deep beneath the streets of Chicago. Once you pass the complex sewer system, if you find the right juncture, it merged with the abandoned railway system that was forever ruined by the destruction of the IBM building. And even then if you knew the right tunnels to take, it could take weeks to find this chamber, let alone find your way out again. Nobody heard his screams in the darkness.

"On the contrary, we are so alike it is frightening. You were abandoned by those you cared about as I was abandoned by those who created me." the voice replied.

"I wasn't abandoned - they couldn't reach me in time!" he screamed.

"Of course," the voice replied "But did they search for you? Look for you? How many weeks passed before you came down here? A week? Two weeks? A month? The Containment Zone is not that large. It's a rather incestuous community really. They obviously did not try very hard."

The boy shivered realising just how alone he was. He was being trained in the arts of magic, he had friends and he was protected. His mother and he had joined with a group of their neighbours for mutual protection against the bugs. He was safe and secure. Until the ghouls came through on a recruitment drive for new members. The Volk were waiting for them and when the opportunity struck, they attacked. Mikey was caught in the middle of the mob and was dragged away by the ghouls. He remembers watching with horror the look on his mothers face as he tried to fight to freedom.

"Yesss... even your mother now loathes what you have become. Even if you could return to your home and lifestyle - would they accept you? Could they accept you?"

Tears welled within the boys eyes and he fought hard to stop them, but he could not hold back.

"I had no choice! I didn't want to become a monster." he sobbed.

A light sparked, igniting a candle illuminating the room. A shimmering red humanoid form hovered over the boy, glistening like fresh blood. Yellow soulless eyes looked down upon the boy.

The boy had handled the change to ghouldom exceptionally well, the spirit mentally noted - physically that is. Emotionally, withoout the support of a family or even fellow ghouls, he was crippled.

He looked unremarkably typical for one of his species.

Greyish-pale like a corpse, stained yellow barbed teeth, and noticably bald, save for a few blonde strands still remaining. He was huddled into a little ball, crying uncontrollably.

The spirit reached out with it's long barbed hands gently stroked his head.

"But you have become a monster all the same. You are what you are and you cannot change that."

"Yes I will!" the boy shouted "I am a magician! Spider talks to me and I can talk to him!"

"Ahh Spider..." the spirit cooed "Spider is the great weaver of all things. Surely this would not have happened to you unless Spider wished it?"

The boy shook his head fiercely in denial.

"As with all living things you must accept what you are and play your role within this universe. To fight that - to fight your destiny is not only futile, but a waste of a lifetime."

The boy sobbed silently.

"But you have me, Mikey. Just as I have you. We are linked you and I. And in time you will agree with me.
But you must hurry. There is work to be done and you must feed or else you will die."

"Maybe I want to die! Ever think of that?" the boy shouted back, his face flushing red with anger.

"Then kill yourself. Walk up to the surface and attack the insects. Summon the biggest spirit you can, throw all the insignificant spells that you can at them and attack the insects with everything you have. Your death will be swift."

The boy sat silently, neither crying nor speaking. The spirit glared at him, as if taunting the boy to act.

"It's not that simple isn't it? It's harder that you thought. The desire to live, the will to survive burns within us all. Especially in humans. And for all your anger and fear - I can see how brightly it burns within you Mikey. You want to conquer your fear don't you, Mikey?"

The boy looked up the spirit imploringly.

"You must come to terms with being a ghoul and once you have done that, we can begin."

"Begin what?" he asked.

The spirit smiled, baring it's blood dripping fangs "Your training."