Something called, Samuel. He got out of bed and carefully lifted his bedroom window. He looked down at the lawn, judging the fall not to be as terrific as it looked. He tumbled out awkwardly, however. And he found himself limping away from the suburban cul-de-sac in the dead of night. He still wore his school's uniform. For some reason, when he had gotten home hours earlier, he felt no desire to take it off. He had been in a stupor ever since the library. Only vaguely did he remember what was discussed. And whom he discussed things with.

The streets were calm. He did not look out of place, for no one was there to finger him as such. It was in no time that he reached an empty Valor High parking lot. And there, up ahead, its gymnasium. No sign of life. No lights overhead. But Sam still approached the gym's spottily painted double doors. He stood for a moment, hearing his more sane self question what was happening: He felt like a child being pulled by a too-big dog on a leash. Reason and rationale could not persuade it. Sam walked closer to the gym's doors. He knocked, paused, knocked two more times, paused, and knocked again.

It was then that heavy chains could be heard. They moved and clanked. And Sam heard that unmistakable metallic pitch of something being unlocked.

"Welcome, brother," said the person at the door.

Sam didn't recognize the hooded stranger. Not that he could see his face properly anyway. He was no taller than Sam—Sam already being short for a ninth grader. And he wore a black robe with a large black hood. "My name is Moonlight. It is one of my greatest pleasures to be the first to greet you." Moonlight caressed Sam's cheek in an all too familiar way. Sam could only stand, unflinchingly, trapped behind his eyes. "You seem a bit pale, brother. You must yield. You must relax. Galmut will see you through."

If Sam could furrow his brow he would have. Galmut. That name had been said many times recently.

"Come. Come," he told Sam. "I will bring you into the ceremony in a moment." The hooded child ushered Sam into the hallway and started to fix the chains back on the door.

Sam heard footsteps coming from behind and eventually saw a grown man with a boy in his arms. The man was average in size. He wore a robe with a hood as well. But his hood was down, revealing claw marks along the bridge of his nose and right above his eyebrow.

Moonlight shuffled towards the man, caressing—much like he did with Sam—the cheek of the boy who lay passed out or dead. "My dear brother Aldridge, what has happened to a precious one of Galmut's sacrifices?"

"Damn kid snapped out of it," said Aldridge. "He made a break for the door, and started screaming his brains out."

Moonlight, shrunken compared to the full-sized Aldridge, gave the grown man a hideous stare. "You chose to kill him; not subdue him?" The kid's neck was broken.

Sam could see the uneasiness in Aldridge's face. He never saw a young boy invoke such fear into an adult except once: when a childhood friend had threatened to have his maid fired for not properly preparing the smores for his slumber party. Sam could never imagine doing that to Ms. Emily.

"My dear Brother Aldridge, Galmut requested the souls of forty. We now have thirty-nine. What would you propose I do?"

Sam could actually hear the breathing of Aldridge now. The man prepared his mouth for speaking with saliva-less smacks of the cheeks. "Isn't this your 'bag,' Moonlight?" said Aldridge with a curious combination of smugness and fear.

Moonlight's face was hidden more than ever under his large cowl. "Ahh, yes. You're saying it's my fault," Moonlight said. "I suppose you are correct. As you know it is very difficult for me to keep this many bodies docile. Admittedly, it's easier to do with children in terms of quantity. But one fully developed mind shouldn't throw things off too much."

Aldridge frowned a frown of resentment and dropped the poor dead boy's corpse to the floor. Aldridge, as opposed to attacking Moonlight, pivoted to run back up the steps. But when the man reached the top, almost turning the corner to the second set of stairs, he froze in his tracks.

Moonlight didn't move. He stood very still and pressed his palms onto each other like a monk meditating.

Sam wanted to draw the conclusion that this was impossible. And perhaps he could have if he had been able to move. But just like Aldridge and the dead boy, Sam was under some kind of control.

Aldridge slowly turned around. He casually walked down to the last step and didn't move thereafter. He looked like a man who was probably powerful in the real world. He had one of those faces befitting a CEO or a high-powered attorney. Who knows, thought Sam. He could have been a janitor for all he knew. But now he was a puppet of some sort. Sam wondered if Aldridge could still observe himself; if, in his brain as well, he was screaming and yelling to no avail.

Moonlight's clasped hands came undone and he took a nice breath. "No brother Sam, Aldridge cannot hear himself as you do."

He turned to Sam, his face now much more apparent. The one fluorescent light above made what was already a pale face on Moonlight even paler.

"There is a reason why I cannot control you to the core. Although, as you can see, I can manipulate you enough to be here."

Sam wanted to feel outrage the same way he wanted to be able to turn around and walk away. But his emotions seemed arrested as well. So he can read my mind? thought Sam. This was crazy. This was beyond crazy.

Some more footsteps pattered down the stairs. More hooded men. One of them grabbed the dead boy and threw him over his shoulder like a duffel bag. The other sort of guided Aldridge up the steps in a very passive way.

"Galmut forgive me. I have veered from your instruction and have taken a fellow Brother from your bosom. Let not your wrath befall upon me."

The more Moonlight spoke, the more Sam felt pangs of familiarity. It was jumbled, but Sam could hear Moonlight's voice saying other words; in other places. And much like a name abruptly remembered, or a song forgotten but then sprung from the midst of the mind into consciousness, Sam fully recalled "Moonlight's" voice uttering the words "Hey, Sam. My name is Adam. Welcome." "Yes, the gorilla is Galmut. Overseer of worlds." "I see him too, Sam. We all do." "Please, Sam. Reconsider. Yes, we lied to you. But you have to trust Aejo. Come to the ceremony."

The hooded boy touched Sam's shoulder and Sam lost his train of thought. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. We go now, Brother Sam." Sam was led up a staircase to where the basketball court was. The court in no way resembled its usual appearance. White-laced cloth draped over every bleacher. And hundreds, perhaps many hundreds, of candles lay on their surface.

"This way, Brother." Sam continued to be led to the middle of the court where huddles of other students were standing. They parted like the Red Sea for Sam. But they all stood lifeless, staring at him. A podium centered in between two long tables was at the forefront of it all. Sat, were more hooded persons. No one was yet behind the podium.

"Bring me a chair," said Moonlight. Moonlight looked at Sam. He took his hood off revealing the dirty blonde hair underneath. "Ad…Adam?" asked Sam. A weird smirk graced Moonlight's face. He appeared pleased that Sam recognized him. Adam was definitely one of the guys in 304C.

"You're something else, you know that?" said Moonlight. His affectation left the moment Sam pointed out who he was. "You don't deserve that brain of yours," he continued. Sam either couldn't say anything or didn't know what to say. "Without even trying, your body is slowly creating an immunity to my grip on you." Moonlight shrugged. "No matter. I am going to release you now, Sam. I cannot guide you forever; I am very tired." Sam hated the audacity in Moonlight's (Adam's) statement. "Brother, Sam. Are you hearing me?" When Moonlight asked, he placed his hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezed a bit. Sam felt some of his wherewithal come back.

"Brother, Sa—"

Sam grabbed Adam's neck as quick as he could. He never strangled anyone before. He never ever had a real fight. But he was attacking Adam—or Moonlight; or whoever the hell he was— as if he meant to kill him. It lasted only for seconds. Several of the previously lifeless students tackled Sam. They didn't need so many.

Moonlight coughed and started laughing. "Oh, Brother Sam. Galmut will repay you more than I ever could."

Sam roared and threw a tantrum. "Let me go!" he yelped. "What is this, Adam?" he cried.

A singular orange chair was placed right next to Sam. Adam was gone and Sam now had a couple of fellow students tying him to the chair. The fastening ended with a thick piece of duct tape draped over his lips.

Sam was Sam again. No longer a prisoner within his own body, he was now only restrained by rope and tape. And his memories flooded back. He remembered the brunt of the exchange with Aejo and his followers. Aejo had given Sam—what Aejo thought to be—a wonderful offer. He called Sam's hallucination, "Galmut." And he continued, regaling Sam with a farfetched story of different classes of humans, present humanity's confusion over demons, and alien beings that were basically gods. Sam did not know how to reconcile it all. And he didn't know how they could see the leafy green gorrilla known as Galmut either. But nor could Sam find himself accepting their words as fact. Until now, at least. In all liklihood, though, Adam simply read his mind—it was crazy to think that: "Adam read my mind." Ludicrous.

"With all joy, comes its inevitable brother pain. With all life, comes the inevitable end, death. These things a human is aware; most are not aware of the truth."

Sam had not even noticed someone walking up to the podium. But sure enough it was the cult leader: Aejo. How were they using the school's gymnasium unnoticed? Where were these kids' parents? Sam made muffled noises of frustration for minutes before listening to the jabber of the nutcase. Aejo was preaching to more or less to forty zombies and several hoods.

"Immortality is chased and chased by every person of power. Those in dire times; those on the outskirts of society wish for no such thing. They simply wish for an end to pain and suffering. To grant them eternity would continue their stay in hell. We blame politicians. We blame schools. We blame crime. But, we brothers…" Aejo paused. "We know the truth. We know this world's true history!" Aejo slammed a fist on the podium. "We truly know how this world came to be. And from the richest rich to the poorest poor, we are all victims of a more insidious circumstance." Aejo's arms rose high and mightily.

"Brothers and sisters, Galmut had this planet seized from him by the ones who are the unfortunate progenitors of you, me, and all the lowly humans of this Earth. They banished Galmut, a being who was truly in harmony with not only Earth but a traverser and nourisher of all planets. The progenitors cast him out. And they themselves care not even a spec for this planet eons since he was gone. They have handed over to what, lesser humans consider, demon-possesed men and heathens. But Galmut teaches us truth. We're not foolish as they are. We know these dastards to be nothing more than greedy alien opportunist; unchecked, unrivaled, somehow just as—if not more—greedy than the lowly human."

Aejo had a morbid expression and pointed to Sam with his entire hand.

"We have a descendant of the progenitors with us today: Samuel Delphi. Galmut trembles with vengeance. He aches to taste the blood of one of his wrongdoers. And he, along with other sacrifices, will allow Galmut to further reach into this realm once again." Aejo turned to his left.

"Galmut comes to us today by proxy since he is not yet strong enough to to enter again into his rightful realm. But we, with open arms, welcome, Waris, in his stead."

A young girl walked from near the podium and came towards Sam. He didn't notice her before, but now that he did, he couldn't see anything but her. "Hello, Samuel. My name is Waris, but you may call me Jessica." Jessica gently placed her forefinger and thumb on the loose end of the duct tape on Sam's mouth. "Here," she said, removing the tape and letting it fall to the floor.

Dried tears and snot riddled Sam's face. He looked at Jessica, more confused than ever. "I know who you are," said Sam. "You're the one who led me to that room in the library in the first place."

Jessica had a puzzled look, but then looked at Sam with gentle eyes. "Wow. Adam really could only affect your memory for a little bit. You really are of the progenitor's bloodline."

"What is going on? Are you people going to kill me?" Sam really didn't want to cry again. Especially in front of her. When she didn't answer immediately, though, he found himself pleading. "Please, please, please, don't kill me."

Jessica knelt down right in front of Sam. Her hands folded onto his lap. She stared into his eyes—her expression not nearly as odd as everyone else's.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, Sam. Something that neither those hooded guys behind you know; nor even Aejo knows." Jessica had the spotlight. She did nothing with it other than intimately speak to him. Sam wondered if this was part of the "ceremony." He understood nothing. But, now, he really understood nothing.

"I'm not here to sacrifice you. I'm not here to kill you. Galmut is real, Sam. That's who you see. That's who we all see. But he has bigger hopes for you. You're more special than anyone in this entire world."

Sam not only felt more relaxed than he had in the past hour. But he felt more relaxed than he had ever felt. He felt powerful. Was it her words? Or was it that damn look on her face. Jessica didn't look away from Sam. She locked her hazel eyes onto his bronze ones. She smiled as if she was a proud mother; or, perhaps, a proud girlfriend.

"Waris," said Aejo from afar. "Is something wrong?"

Jessica raised a tepid hand, signaling Aejo to be silent. Jessica finally blinked. "You see their impatience?" she asked Sam. She then spoke into Sam's ear, "Let us not keep them waiting, Samuel."

Jessica stood up and looked at Aejo. "I am ready to proceed," she said. The grisly expression Aejo wore all night changed into a wide grin.

"My brothers, my sisters, it is time. Samuel Delphi will be sacrificed for the sake of our liberator, Galmut. And in turn Galmut will grant us power beyond human measure." Aejo gave Jessica a nodding of the head.

Jessica smiled and got in between Sam and the podium. Her gaze took to the hoods sat on either side of Aejo. "It is important that more than ever, all of you open your hearts and mind to Galmut. It will feel as if someone is knocking at the door of your soul. And when this feeling comes upon you, just know that is Galmut—let him in with open arms. Do not fight it."

Sam watched her. Only her. He must have been crazy. These people kidnapped him. They were wannabe witches and warlocks. They were a cult. But… Jessica. He watched her with a supreme feeling of confidence that she would not harm him. He felt, truly, she would save him. Somehow. Jessica took a deep breath and released an even bigger exhale. Her arms were, at first, at her side. But after some moments, they moved in odd ways, like erratic Tai Chi. She visibly shuddered. Her eyes became closed. And then, she shuddered some more. Sam studied her more closely. It appeared she was having a seizure. No… she was definitely having a seizure.

"Someone help her!" yelled Sam. Sam tried to turn his head to the crowd to his rear. But the way in which he was tied prevented him from doing so. Jessica was having a seizure. This wasn't funny. This wasn't a game. Sam rocked the chair repeatedly. It made him fall to the floor on his side and banged his shoulder. She didn't fall to the gym floor with him. But she remained convulsing.

"For the love of God," said Sam. Tears streamed sideways down his face. He shut his eyes tight and then tighter. It had to be a nightmare. It had to be.

He opened them again and there was Jessica: still as death. She no longer convulsed. It filled Sam with relief to see that she wasn't. But now, someone was standing by her side. Sam saw Galmut again. He seemed clearer than ever; more intimidating than ever. The gorrilla, or, "nourisher of planets" this time started moving. Sam could hear each of Galmut's footsteps. They were heavy and quaked the floor. Sam was certain he would die here. Galmut was a giant of a monster. The hallucination which haunted Sam was no longer merely that. It was a materialized nightmare heading its way toward him. Closer and closer it came. Paralysis engulfed Sam. The creature's hand reached out to him—in the candle-lit darkness, it was black as night and blocked out everything in Sam's field of vision. No thoughts ran through Sam's mind. Only a certainty that he would soon see his mother. Sam felt terse skin and smelt odd odors as his head was gripped. But he also felt the pressure just as quickly leave him. He could see through the big ape. Galmut's hand was transparent. Through it, Sam could now see the podium. Aejo looked crestfallen—as if he too were about to break down into tears. Galmut faded slowly but surely, ever smiling that devious smile.

When the image fully left, something inside of Sam told him to get up. So he did.

Sam broke the thick rope which bounded his hands as if it were paper towel. He almost got angry when he did it. He wondered if he could have done that the whole time.

"Why?" said Aejo at the top of his lungs. "Why? Why?!" He kept yelling it. Sam didn't know what it was that made Aejo so disturbed.

He stood and looked behind him: all the students were on the floor. As well as all of the other hooded individuals. They were unconscious?

"Hey," said Sam, not knowing what to say.

He went to Jessica. She was the only vertical human being. She stood as a lifeless corpse. Aejo was screaming something but Sam had tuned him out. Sam grabbed Jessica by the shoulders and shook her. He told her to wake up; not to die. That same feeling that told Sam he could get up told Sam he could revive her. It wasn't words. It was a feeling—a strong one.

Sam placed both his hands on the middle of Jessica's chest. He could feel something wanting to leave his very soul, but not until he gave it permission. It told him that he would be a bit "less" if he did. He didn't understand what that meant. But he didn't interpret it as life threatening. "Go," said Sam.

Sam grew weak and hunched over. But he knew it was temporary. Jessica's eyes opened. She looked at Sam as if he just woke up from a gentle nap. She was several inches taller than Sam so she tilted her head down and lifted Sam's chin with her hand. "Sam, Galmut chose you. Our lives were gone. For you."

Sam understood that somehow. He nodded his head. Those students, lying on the ground, they were dead. And somehow, they were now a part of him.

"Not only their lives, but Galmut gave you mine as well." Jessica's head came closer to Sam's. "And you gave me mine back."

Sam wasn't sure what to think. All he knew was that he was alive. He looked back at Jessica; his intuition affirmed that she was there to protect him. "I did," said Sam.

Jessica kissed him.