ACT I

INTO A NEW WORLD

DAYS IN EQUESTRIA: ZERO

_________________________________________________________________________________

“Son of a bitch” I cursed, looking at the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 screen. Once again I had the pleasure of being the humiliating final kill. I had been caught napping while sniping and of course I didn’t notice my good friend Tyler getting a “lead enema moment” AKA “Bullets up ze anus”.

“Nice one” Mike joked, acknowledging the soldier tea-bagging my oblivious character from behind before throwing knifing my guy; The small child screaming into his mic in an ecstatic voice.

“That was a sucky final kill” I remarked

“I WONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN YOU SUCK YOU SUCK YOU SUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCK HAHAHAHAHAHA YOU SUCK!” The small child said, I swear to God 8 year olds piss me off.

I was about to hoax more conversation before the phone began to chirp, I looked down to see that it was from my good friend Nico Britt. I put the phone up to my head

“Yello” I said with my normal suave, knowing that the call was either going to be life shocking or just another derp-like moment in my life.

“Hey Vespi” Nico said “Can you come to my house in like 15 minutes? Ojay has gone missing”

I couldn’t help but not care. Ojay was Nico’s new dog, one of those fluffy little white ones that hover on the ground and look like a football. Then again it was going to be helping Nico out with his dilemma, or listening to PWNDAWGLEGITZ1111 screaming into his mic sounding like a hamster on speed.

“Sure I’ll help you out” I said, I put the mic back up to my head “Hey Tyler, Mike, Conor- Conor you still there?”

“Right here” Conor instantly responded

“Okay, Nico lost Ojay I’m going over there in like 15 minutes, want to come with?”

“Sure whatever” Everyone responded in a type of staccato unison.

“Awesome” I said, I put the phone back up to my head, dropping the mic “Hey Nico, me, Tyler, Conor, and Mike are coming over. Where’d you lose Ojay?”

“Forest” Nico said tersely. God I love my small town! New Jersey was a great place to live (Except for Newark and Camden of course), we weren’t a bunch of Rednecks down in Florida but we still acted like one of those 1950 like small towns. Almost everyone knew everyone and everyone seemed to get along for the most part, myself being in tune with that.

“Okay I’ll meet you there” I said, ending the message “Okay see you guys at Nico’s house”

Everyone said “okay” and the Xbox was off.

I left my chair and waltzed towards my dresser, now I had the pleasure of which clothes to wear to such a prestigious occasion. I glanced through my 2nd draw to see what was in stock

Jeans?

Way too hot, it’s April and almost 90 Degrees

Cargo Pants?

No

Jean Shorts?

Sorry not gay and or a girl

Gym Shorts?

Bingo,

I tossed on my best pair of gym shorts, the black ones with the green slash and Nike symbol, and tossed on a shirt, grabbed my phone from my desk and trudged down the stairs. I plopped both my (Also Nike) shoes on and went into the kitchen for a quick bite on the go, seriously, who eats breakfast anyways?

I grabbed a granola bar, I could go for a drink but my parents were nothing less of gung-ho about health and soda was strictly forbidden. Good thing Nico has a stash of Pepsi.

“Where are you going?” My dad, noticing my, what he would call “ghetto gear”.

“Nico’s house” I said “He lost his new dog and we are going to help him find him” I quickly chirped in.

“Where are you going to be? By the forest?” My dad asked, drinking a protein shake (Seriously gung-ho)

“Maybe, I don’t think so” I said, we would probably end up in the forest either way, I just didn’t want my over worrisome dad to flip his shit about me walking in a forest.

“Okay, there has been some talk about the forest” I admitted said in a circumspect manner

“Don’t worry” I said “See you” running into the other room to say goodbye to my sister.

She was sitting in my parent’s room, watching TV and eating a stack of pancakes.

“Where are you going gangsta?” She asked trying to bust my chops

“Nico’s house” I said

“Cool broski” She said “Later broski boi!”

“See you little girl” I said, getting up and heading out the door.

It was surprisingly good day, mid 80s with a gentle soothing breeze. It was one of those days you just couldn’t be cooped up inside like a slave. The walk to Nico’s house was 15 minutes and relatively uneventful. I walked right up to the front door and knocked twice. From inside  I could hear a pair of footsteps coming towards the door.

“O hey Michael” Mrs. Britt said, she and the parents were the only ones who called me by my actual name.

“Hey Mrs. Britt” I said “Is Nico home?”

“He’s in the basement with a couple of his friends” Mrs. Britt said, shifting to the side to let me in. I instantly knew where to go and made a left and went down the shoddy wooden stairs, from the stairwell I could hear Mike and Nico talking. In the background I assumed they were playing on the Wii. I walked inside, Dan was sitting on a bean bag, and Conor and Tyler were sitting on the black leather couch. Nico and Mike were playing exactly what I thought, Wii Tennis. Nico really needed an Xbox.

“Hey Vespi” Nico said, swatting at the computerized ball.

“Sup, got a Pepsi I can have?” I asked

“Yea one’s in the freezer”

I walked to the next room and took the coldest looking Pepsi I could find and opened it and took a sip. I walked back into the room.

“Ready to go?” Dan asked

“Let me rape Nico with this backhand” Mike said excitedly. Nico hit a weak shot sending the Wii tennis ball onto Mike’s court. Mike swung the Wii stick like a baseball, sadly on the follow up Mike failed to keep the safety string attached to the wrist, the Wii remote went flying and hit a nearby glass vase filled with water. The glass exploded with a loud “clang” before the contents of the vase leaked onto the carpet floor.

“O shit” Nico cursed, running for paper towels.

I’m sure you’re going to want to know all about this loveable gaggle of idiots. Well I’m Michael Vespa. Basic run of the mill kid from New Jersey, I basically do whatever and do what I can. As you probably guessed I’m not the smartest guy on the block, or in the neighborhood…or in the town, mainly for hanging out with these guys. But then again those B-s don’t lie!

Your probably wondering why Mike isn’t freaking out about breaking Nico’s Chinese Ming vase, mainly because he is Mike. Mike is what you’d expect from a kid from Newark, except he’s not from Newark…nor is he black. He is probably the best liar you will ever meet though, his wily and clever lines catching off-guard authority figures all around the county. Sadly lying is a double edged sword, lucky me.

Then there is Nico, who is right now picking up small shards of glass and using a Sham Wow on the carpet. He is an amazing athlete. He can play baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, competitive swimming, volleyball, kick ball, ball kick, javelin throwing, parkour, gymnastics and an even longer list of athletic hobbies. Nothing is really wrong with him, besides the fact he doesn’t own an Xbox…which is saying a lot.

Tyler Martin is the designated class clown. There isn’t a teacher or parent or police officer or clerk or any adult that has been spared by him. He is probably one of the funniest kids you will know, turning a melancholy activity like a funeral into an enjoyable event. When paired with kids like Me, Mike or our other good friend Harrison….well expect to laugh.

Conor is the crazy ninja like monkey to our drug cartel (Hangover Part 2 Anyone?). He has an amazing amount of vitality, constantly hyper and always jumpy. It is like Scarface snorted kerosene and an assortment of other drugs all at the same time. He’s the type of kid you’d expect to be into something abnormally dangerous.

Last, but not least is Dan. Long blond hair like Dan and athletic capabilities like Nico, Dan is the perfect combination of everything we respect. Sadly he isn’t too into integrity. Fortunately he isn’t like Mike who would lie about the most frivolous thing, but rather would lie to just avoid paying his dues. He still owes me 50$s worth of soda…bastard.

“Are we ready to go soon?” I inquired, watching Nico finish picking up individual shards of glass and dropping them in the garbage can. The Wii remote laid in salvageable condition across the room.

“Yea, let’s go before Mike breaks anything else” Nico said

“Relax I’ll fix it when we get back” Mike said, perfect example.

I took a sip of Pepsi and left it on the table; I got up and opened the backdoor. Nico’s backyard was a cozy looking platform of grass, surrounding it were dozens of sullen oak trees.

“We are going in the forest?” I asked

“Yea, Ojay must be in there somewhere” Dan said

“Okay let’s go” Mike said, walking into the trail.

I automatically had skepticism about the intent of our journey. The woods weren’t massive, but still a large amount of ground to go through. There was a wide river with a strong current cutting the woods in twain, we tried crossing it once but sadly Mike was almost swept off to his death.

We followed an elderly like trail for some time, observing the beautiful landscape in front of us. Squirrels and deer were in the midst, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, white wispy clouds were overhead; flowers of red and yellow and blue and orange added to the riot of color….and there was a dead deer right on the road.

“Want to go up to old Agincourt Manor?” Tyler inquired, growing wearisome of our adventure already. Agincourt Manor was a massive deserted estate, centered on a large hill in the middle of the hill. How it got the name Agincourt no one knows, but one thing was certain, nothing good could come out of the house. No one ever entered it, two teens before our time approached its proximity. But that were instantly scared off by something, they said it was larger than a human. I assume there imagination was overtaking their mind?

“No” Dan said “That place is scary as shit, and it is a long walk”

I didn’t believe the myths concocted by older students, but yet I was still intimidated by the ruins of the once prestigious mansion.

“That is one huge house” My dad once remarked “Huge place, beautiful marble pillars. The owner said that two of them were from a temple in Rome!”

My dad never said who the owner was, maybe I could find out myself!

“I want to go” I said “You in Mike?”

Mike gave a smile “As long as Dan doesn’t piss himself”

Mike and Dan had an odd relationship. They were like friendly enemies, or enemy like friends. The two would go down to Miami over spring break but talk about the other behind the other’s back. Still in the end, even though they showed a semblance of distrust for the other, they were dependable friends when it was necessary.

Dan’s face turned serious “Let’s go then”

We turned around and took a shortcut up a steep hill. We eventually found the driveway half-way up the hill. It was marked by a massive stone gate. Two marble lions stood sentry outside, their faces locked for eternity in a belligerent and malicious face.

The Iron Gate was rusted and even falling to pieces in some places, With one sharp kick of Nico the gate broke in twain, clanging as it hit the ground.

“After you good sir” Nico said as he made a mock bow while hold half the gate open for us.

In the distance I could see the Agincourt Manor. It looked more like the house of a king then a once illustrious business man. The house had to be three stories high and spanned out in a E like array, the two ends sticking out and turning at a 90 degree angle to form a sort of courtyard with the third annex. Huge oak trees encompassed the entire vicinity, making it difficult to see the surroundings, shame too; it would have had a nice view.

I felt my senses sharpen, my eyes darted from side to side, inspecting the ruins. One of the walls on the left annex was toppled over. A large oak tree had landed on part of the right annex, crashing into what looked like a bathroom. Don’t want to sound like I’m from Newark….but… this would be a nice place to loot.

The annex’s met at a second larger iron gate, from inside I could see the marble pillars my dad had talked about, each looking massive, jetting out into the air over the 1 story annexes.

Dan took his turn; he ran into the Iron Gate and sent it flying back, it being broken at the hinges. Dan sadly went with it, falling down as well.

“You okay?” Mike asked, offering Dan a helping hand

“Thanks” Dan said, taking the liberty to dust himself off.

The inside of the courtyard was even creepier. The once well-tailored courtyard was a muddle of overgrow plants, some of them being almost attached to the walls. Thorn bushes went onto the path, making a sort of barbed wire. Another hole was found in the left annex; inside we saw what looked like some sort of a library.

“OJJJJJJJJJJJJJAY” I heard behind me “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJAAAAAYYYYYYYY”

        A gargoyle fell from the roof, landing right next to my right foot.

“Be quiet!” I hissed

“Sorry” Nico said, acknowledging I almost got killed by a 25 pound gargoyle falling from 3 stories above.

We tip-toed by the thorn bushes and opened the large oak doors inside the parlor. The door making a surprisingly long creak as it was slowly opened.

The parlor was musty and intimidating. A grand piano had crashed from the floor above and landed right off to our right. The air was stale and rancid; there was evidence of fire everywhere. I took a few cautious steps, my legs feeling 10 xs heavier than they actually were.

“Where should we go first?” Conor asked, his voice quavering for only a moment.

“Let’s go upstairs” Mike said, walking straight towards the stairs, not even partially frightened.

I followed behind, we walked up the stairs, and the stairs divided half way up (One gong to the left, one going to the right) and met at the top. There was no actually floor above, but instead a sort of inside balcony, the massive chandelier was hanging by a thin thread.

“Dare me to bring it crashing down?” Tyler offered, already looking for a projectile.

Then something strange happened, a strong gusty wind blew through the house, the thin thread snapped and the chandelier came smashing down; encasing the first floor full of shards of glass.

“That was…weird” I said. There was a large hole in the wall right across from us, and all the windows were broken. But was that enough to send such a strong wind through the house?

“Let’s head back” Dan said

“Relax, let’s go just a little further” Mike said in a reassuring voice. We hastily yet somehow stealthily walked across the wooden cat walk and opened the door, revealing a kitchen. Once again a stronger wind blew, sending some pots and pans dangling from the wall flying off their position. But what was weirder was that all the windows but 1 was intact! Did all that wind come from that one small opening?

“Okay well we can ju-“Mike was cut off mid-sentence, a lone little plastic cup rolled across the linoleum floor, coming from behind the wall in the kitchen.

“Who’s there?” Mike asked, his voice somewhat shaking

No response

“Who’s there?” Mike repeated

No response

“Hashtray!” Mike called out. What did he just expect whoever that was to scream out “YOLO”?

No response again, but a second plastic cup, identical to the first, rolled from the kitchen again.

“Let’s get out of here” Mike whispered. As soon as he took a step two pairs of feet went running. HOLY SHIT THEY WERE FOLLOWING US!

“RUNNNNN” Mike shouted

“IT’S PATRICK LOTT!” Tyler screamed

Yea…Patrick was our child-molester ex-vice principal. We kind of take him more like a meme though now. If something odd happens… like something went missing expect someone to scream “P Lott did it!” Now it actually just might be him.

I dashed for the door, half-expecting to see two men chasing after us but whatever was chasing us was going in the opposite direction. We ran back into the balcony and slammed the door behind us. Of course the door breaks and falls to the ground.

“Fuck me” Mike cursed

“YOLO” Tyler joked. Tyler could be staring Death in the eye and still bust his balls.

I saw the door, it was closed and locked! But…but…we didn’t close it! I doubt any of us would even have the IQ to lock it.

“O my god” Mike cursed. Just then I went blind. The whole room was darkness, I couldn’t see past my hands (O wait never mind not blind :D). Mike flipped his phone open and gave us a limited source of light. Tyler had his phone on too, calling-

"Julianne? Are you there? We are at the Agincourt Manor and something is really wrong HELP ME" Tyler screamed into his phone. Tyler could call:

A.Police Department

B.Fire Department

C.911

D.His parents

E.Any of his neighbors

F.The army

G.Ghost Busters

H.Chuck Norris

I.Neighborhood gun nut (Mr. Larrington)

         But of course he chooses to call his girlfriend. Tyler, why you so stupid!?

         “Hey Dad?” Mike said, calling someone useful “We are at Agincourt Manor and something is wrong can you-“ Mike went blanched white, his mouth wide open.

          “V-V-Vespi” Mike said “Don’t look behind you….”

           Great now I have to look behind me- HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

           There were something right behind me, I could feel it’s body mass. I wasn’t stupid, I turned around and sent a straight cross right into the attacker’s face, only to hit what felt like ribs. I wasn’t a midget, whoever this was had to be really tall!

          The lights went back on, everything was normal and the attacker was gone.

          “O my god” I said, my hands were shaking, my heart was raceing, and my brain felt like it was shutting down.

           “The phone lines are down” Mike said “Got no connection”

           Right then the phone died, turning off. Tyler’s did the same, then the darkness came back.

           “CONOR BEHIND YOU” Mike shouted, before I could respond I heard a quick muffled scream from Conor. Fuck bravery, I’m not stupid. Mike and I went running back into the kitchen, Dan, Tyler and Nico in hot pursuit. We were now running through the pitch black hallway, falling and stumbling and running into things all the way.

          We finally made it up a stairs. The light was back up the stairs but the hallway below was an unnatural pitch black. There were only 4 of us now.

         “Where’s Tyler?” I asked, looking around furiously. P LOTT HAD TYLER!

            “Over here” Mike shouted. I looked inside to see a cracked open safe and a bed. Nico ran into the closet while Mike pulled something from the safe. It was a Colt .45

          “Mike you’re going to shoot your eye out” I said

       “I got a better shot then you do” Mike said. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or being serious.

Nico reappeared from the closet, he was holding a old fashion black comb up to his face and he had an old British two cornered hat.

“I AM LE NAPOLEON BIOTCH!” He said, strutting around “BOW BEFORE ME THE MIDGET EMPORER!”

I had to chuckle at this, Nico used to live in France but spoke fluent German. That or he lived in Germany and spoke fluent French… doesn’t matter at the moment.

The lights went off again. I felt an impending doom; my heart beat was In my ears. I heard two shots go off then the lights went back. Dan and I were the only ones left, Mike was gone the gun on the floor and Nico (Along with his hat) were missing.

“Dan this might be the end” I said solemnly

“Vespi, never side with Mike EVER AGAIN” Dan said. The lights went off again for a split second. I was alone.

“Hashtray?” I said, the lights were off again. I was alone, scared, and starring death in the face.

“YOLO” I said, giving off a quick laugh. I could feel another presence in the room with me, stalking me, hunting me. This was the end; I was going to die right here and right now.

“How’d you do the thing with the lights?” I asked, there was no response; then the tears came, I felt a huge lump in my throat.

Something like a Taser hit me, I felt stunned and dropped to the floor. Immortally staring at my hand, it fidgeted a few moments before stopping. My head fell back and the world went black.

I was dead

Or was i?

….

        Nothing happened, guess this wasn’t a dream

So yea…still dead Next Chapter: Waking up Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 32 Minutes