Haunt or be Haunted: Chapters 7-9

CHAPTER 7
Nightmares

When Cordelia and Shadow arrived back at the camp, no one was there.
“I guess we’re the first ones here,” Shadow said.
Five minutes later, Leo and Crystal arrived.

“Hey guys. We have something for you,” Crystal said.
“We found this meadow with purple flowers blooming everywhere and a small, clear pond in the middle. We brought back some of the flowers,” Leo explained.

Leo and Crystal handed some flowers to Cordelia and Shadow.
“Wow, thanks. Shadow and I got some stuff to use as medicine wraps,” Cordelia explained.
“That should come in handy,” Crystal said.

At that moment, Nikki and Sonic entered the camp.
Nikki asked, “Oh, what are those?”
“They look like wraps of some sort,” Sonic replied.
“They’re medicine wraps.” Leo said.
“Oh, cool!” Nikki exclaimed.

“We found some green, pink, blue, and red flowers and picked them for you guys.” Sonic said as he showed them the flowers.
“What’s that in your hair Nikki?” Cordelia asked.
“It’s a green flower. Why?” Nikki said shyly.

“Oh, it’s just that ever since I met you, you have never worn anything in your hair.” Cordelia said suspiciously.
Nikki and Sonic looked at each other, worrying if they would be busted.
“You two look like you did something wrong,” Shadow said.
Nikki gave Sonic the “Just-tell-them” look.

“Ok, we’re busted. I gave Nikki that flower,” Sonic said reluctantly.
“Wait, what!?” Cordelia said surprised. “Are you two…”
Rose and Joey came in at that time and interrupted Cordelia.
“Hey guys,” Rose said cheerfully. “Did we miss something?”
“Nope.” Nikki said, grateful that Rose and Joey didn’t hear their previous conversation.
“Oh, okay. Look what we found,” Rose said as she showed the group the gems.
“Wow! They’re beautiful!” Nikki exclaimed.

“Leo and Crystal, the blue one is for you,” Rose said as she handed them the blue jewel.
“Wow, thanks Rose!” Crystal said.

“Nikki and Sonic, we found a green one for you two,” Joey said as he handed Nikki the green gem.
“Thanks!” Sonic said.

“Cordelia and Shadow, the purple one is for you two,” Rose said as she handed Shadow the gem.
“It’s beautiful,” Cordelia said as she gave Rose a hug.
“What about you guys?” Leo asked.

“We...have a pink one,” Joey said as he got out the pink jewel.
“These are amazing. Where did you find them?” Shadow asked.

“In a cave not too far from here. It was full of a ton of gems other colors and ones like these,” Rose explained.
“These are wonderful, Joey and Rose.” Nikki said as she and Sonic looked at the gem intently.
“Okay, anyway. What I was saying earlier, right before you two showed up,” Cordelia said as she pointed a finger and Joey and Rose while getting back on point, “was that I was going to ask Nikki and Sonic a question.”
“Which was?” Rose asked, determined to get an answer.

“Nikki and Sonic, are you two a thing?” Cordelia said as she raised her eyebrows.
Sonic and Nikki looked at each other and shrugged while everyone was staring at them. They had the same idea, to kiss, so they did.
“I’ll say that is a yes,” Rose whispered.

Everyone agreed. After a few more minutes of laughing and talking, Rose and Joey were the first ones to say goodnight.
"See you guys in the morning," Joey said.
"Ok, goodnight," Cordelia said.

Rose and Joey went farther back into the cave where they could be alone. They lied down on the stone floor close together.
"Sleep well, my beautiful flower," Joey whispered into Rose's ear.
"You too, my wonderful man," Rose whispered back.
The next ones to go to bed where Leo and Crystal.
"I'm going to bed," Crystal said as she yawned.
"I'll come, too," Leo agreed.
"Goodnight," Nikki said.

"Goodnight," Leo and Crystal replied as they went to a different part of the cave.
When they got to their part of the cave, Leo and Crystal lied down on the floor, facing each other.
"Good night, Crystal," Leo said softly as he gave Crystal a small kiss.
"Goodnight, Leo," Crystal replied, her eyes already closed.
The next couple to go to bed was Nikki and Sonic.
"I'm getting tired, Sonic," Nikki whispered into Sonic's ear.
"I think it's time we go to bed as well," Sonic said.
"Ok, goodnight," Shadow said as Sonic and Nikki went outside and climbed up the mountain a ways to their ledge. When they got there, Sonic grabbed both if Nikki's hands.

"Sleep well, beautiful," Sonic whispered.
"You too," Nikki whispered back as she gave Sonic a kiss.
They lied down on the ledge, with the tops of their heads touching, and staring up at where the moon should be.
“Look’s like we’re the only ones who are still awake,” Cordelia whispered.

“That doesn't mean we have to go to bed,” Shadow replied.
“Yeah, but I’m tired,” Cordelia said as she lied her head on Shadow’s shoulder.
“Then, we can go to bed,” Shadow whispered. He then kissed the top of Cordelia's head.
The two were silent after that and soon fell into a deep sleep.

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“What is this place?” Cordelia said as she walked along a dark path.
She was walking along the path when she spotted a shadow in the distance. As she got closer, the shadow’s details became clearer.
“Shadow?!” Cordelia said shocked to see him.
His eyes were closed.

“Shadow, it’s me, Cordelia,” Cordelia said as she came closer to give him a hug.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. Cordelia screamed and backed away. Shadow’s eyes were glowing red.
“Shadow...what’s wrong with you?” Cordelia said as she backed away and Shadow came closer.
“Join me,” Shadow said.

Shadow reached out his arms and Cordelia screamed...

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Shadow walked along a dark path in the forest.
“Where am I?” Shadow said to himself.
He saw a shadow in the distance.
“Who is that?” Shadow said to himself.
As he got closer, the details became clearer.
“Cordelia!?” Shadow exclaimed.
He reached out his arms to give her a hug.

When he noticed her eyes were closed, Shadow said, “Cordelia, what’s wrong?”
Her eyes suddenly opened. Shadow noticed that her eyes were glowing red.
“Cordelia, what’s the matter?” Shadow asked her.
“Nothing,” Cordelia said in a sweet tone. “What are you looking at?”
“Your eyes are glowing red.” Shadow said as he backed away because she started to walk towards him.
"That's right. I want you to look like me as well. Come join me," Cordelia said as she reached her arms toward him. Shadow screamed...

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A similar nightmare occurred within everyone else's mind.


CHAPTER 8
Nightmares Come true

The first ones to wake up the next morning were Nikki and Sonic.
"Good morning, beautiful," Sonic said sweetly. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Ok, I guess. I had this one nightmare that really stood out to me. I was walking along a dark path when I spotted a shadowy figure in the distance. As I walked closer to it, the shadow turned out to be you. I was so happy to see you, but your eyes were closed. Then suddenly, you opened them and they were glowing red! I was so scared, especially when you said ‘Come join me.' That was when I screamed and woke up," Nikki explained.

"That sounds like the same dream I had!" Sonic replied. “Except that you were the one with red eyes.”
When Nikki and Sonic went into the cave, they saw Cordelia and Shadow awake.
“Morning guys,” Cordelia said. “How did you guys sleep?”
Nikki replied, “I had a nightmare about Sonic.”

“Yeah, I had a similar one, but about Nikki,” Sonic said.
“Really? I had a nightmare about Shadow,” Cordelia said.
“I had a nightmare about you, too,” Shadow replied.
Leo and Crystal were the next ones to wake up.
“How did you guys sleep last night?” Crystal asked groggily.
“We all had nightmares,” Shadow replied.
“I did too. It was about Crystal,” Leo said.

“I had a nightmare about you too, Leo,” Crystal said surprised.
“Do you think Rose and Joey had nightmares, too?” Nikki asked.
“That would be weird,” Cordelia said.

At that moment, Rose and Joey awoke.

The first thing Nikki asked them was, “Did you two have nightmares?”
“Yeah, why?” Rose replied.

“We all had nightmares about each other,” Leo explained.
“I remember a nightmare I had about Rose,” Joey said.
“I had a nightmare about you,” Rose said to Joey.
“Why am I not surprised?” Sonic sarcastically.
“What do you think this means?” Shadow asked.
“Could be a warning,” Crystal replied.
“Or a vision,” Nikki added.

“Or it could be a coincidence,” Rose said.
“Or...it could be nothing,” Sonic added.

The gang debated all the possibilities for a while. When the sun had risen over the horizon, the gang set out in search of a new camp. At the beginning of the trip, no one spoke because the nightmares were still troubling everyone.

As the group waked up the mountain, they spotted odd looking shapes in the mountain. While they continued their trip, the air became cold.
“Why is it so cold?” Nikki asked the group.
“I don’t know, why is it cold?” Sonic replied.
“Guys, did you hear that?” Rose asked frightened.
“I did.” Cordelia said as Joey and Shadow nod their heads in agreement.
Nikki, Sonic, Crystal, and Leo look at each other confused because they didn't hear anything.
“I think you guys are delusional.” Nikki said.

“We are not delusional!” Cordelia exclaimed, mad that Nikki would say that when she knew that vampires have extremely good hearing.
“Woah, did you guys feel that breeze?” Crystal asked the group while she rubbed her hands on her arms.
“Yeah.” Shadow said as he examined the area.

“We better get out of here. I have a really bad feeling.” Joey said as he started to walk down the mountain.
“Yeah, that was no ordinary breeze.” Leo said as he and Crystal took out their katanas.
“Let’s go now so we can get a head start.” Rose said, frightened.

“Okay.” Sonic said as he took Nikki’s hand.

Nikki looked up into Sonic’s eyes and smiled. She was glad that she has someone that cares for her like Sonic does.
Leo and Crystal were the last ones to start going back down the mountain, when suddenly, Rose screamed. Everyone ran down to Rose to see what had happened, or better, what was happening. When everyone reached Rose, they all froze in fright. Blocking their path were eight shadowy figures only a few feet from them. The entities were still, but not silent. Leo and Crystal, with their katanas still in their hands, ran to the front of the group.

“You have come, but you will not leave,” the entities said together in unison.
Cordelia stayed very close to Shadow, Rose stayed very close to Joey, and Nikki stayed very close to Sonic.
“Try and stop us,” Leo said to the entities.

“As you wish,” the entities replied as they came towards the group.
Leo and Crystal ran back at them with all their might. Rose, Cordelia, Shadow, and Joey started to throw fireballs at the entities. Nikki and Sonic turned into a wolf and ran after Leo and Crystal. In a matter of minutes, the group was pinned to the ground, each entity on one Spook. The entities were about to kill everyone, and they all closed their eyes. When the woke up, they were back in the forest, but the entities and everyone else was gone.

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“Crystal?” Leo called out as he got up.
“What happened?” he asked himself.
Leo started to walk down a dark path.
I have a bad feeling about this, he thought.
Just then, five shadowy figures appeared in the distance.

Strange, this is kind of like that nightmare I had last night, except there was only one shadow and it was Crystal. Who are the other four? Leo thought as he slowly advanced to the shadows.

As Leo got closer to the shadows, he started to recognize them.
“No...it can’t be. Donnie? Raph? Mikey? Master Splinter? All of you are here too?” Leo said.
Just like in the dream, the shadows’ eyes were closed. When Leo was about five feet from them, he stopped.
I know what’s going to happen next, Leo thought as he started to back away.
Then, the shadows’ eyes opened. All of their eyes were glowing red. Leo took out his katanas as he continued to back away.
“Come join us, Leo,” Crystal said.

“Yeah, just let the power overtake you,” Mikey added.
“Never!” Leo exclaimed.
Crystal got out her katanas.
“If that’s how it has to be,” Crystal said as everyone else got out their weapons.
Crystal came running towards him. Leo blocked her attack but involuntarily stared into her eyes. Crystal knew this and stopped attacking him.
Leo heard a voice in his head say, “Give in to the power. You will be unstoppable.”

“No! I know this isn’t real,” Leo said as he mentally fought the entity.
Then everyone disappeared, and there was only one shadow left...the actual entity.
“You are strong,” the entity said.

Leo regained his focus and attacked the being. When he was about to hit the entity, it vanished. Leo woke up back in the real world. He looked around and saw everyone on the ground, with their eyes closed and the entities, all except one, were gone. Leo looked at the entity for a moment. It was still and quiet.

If only Donnie was here, he could find a way to defeat the entities. But I have to save my friends, Leo thought as he got up and went over to Crystal, while keeping an eye on the entity.

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Cordelia woke up and saw that no one was on top of her.
She thought, Strange, the being disappeared.
She said to herself, “This seems too...weird.”

Cordelia started to walk down a dark path. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared in the distance.
Oh, no, Cordelia thought to herself as she stopped walking towards the shadow. Cordelia realized that this was just like the nightmare she had.
When Cordelia stopped walking, the shadow, who was Shadow, opened his eyes. They were glowing red.
"Come join me," Shadow said as he started to walk toward Cordelia.

"No, no this can't be happening!" Cordelia exclaimed.
“Let the power overtake you,” Shadow said in his sweet voice.
“No, NO!” Cordelia screamed.

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Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, Leo is trying to save Crystal.
“Come on, Crystal. Wake up,” Leo said to himself.

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In Crystal’s mind, she saw the same things Leo did, only backwards: Leo was the one with red eyes and so were his brothers and Master Splinter.

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Back in Cordelia’s mind: Shadow started to attack her.
“Shadow, stop! It’s me, Cordelia!” Cordelia said.
“Just give in. You will be unstoppable like me,” Shadow replied.

“No, Shadow, this is not like you. Snap out of it.” Cordelia said dodging his attacks.
“You snap out of it. Trust me, you’ll feel so much better when you let the power overtake you. You do trust me, right?” Shadow asked.
“I do trust you,” Cordelia started to say.

“Then join me.” Shadow interrupted.
“No, I don’t trust you when you act like this.” Cordelia said, terrified by the way Shadow was acting right then and there.
“Then, you shall die!” Shadow said as he bit Cordelia’s neck.
Cordelia screamed in pain as Shadow kept his hold on her neck.

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In the real world, Leo was trying to wake up Crystal.
“I’ve tried everything, but nothing’s working...unless,” Leo thought out loud.
He then kissed Crystal. She awoke. Leo backed away and looked over at where the entity was standing, except, there were now two entities.
“Leo!” Crystal exclaimed as she jumped up and gave Leo a big hug.

“Crystal! I’m so glad your ok,” Leo said as he returned the hug.
“How are we going to wake up everyone else?” Crystal asked
“I guess all we can do now is keep those two away from the rest of the group,” Leo replied as he got out his katanas.

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“No, this isn’t real!” Cordelia screamed as Shadow continued drinking her blood from her neck.
Shadow stopped drinking and looked into Cordelia's eyes and said, “Okay, you have one more chance, join me or don’t.”
Cordelia breathed heavily while holding her neck where Shadow bit her.
As she bent over, she thought about what she should do.

“Tick Tock, Tick Tock.” Shadow said as he waited for Cordelia’s answer, knowing that she was too weak to do anything.
“No, I...will never...join you,” Cordelia managed to say.

“Tsk tsk, poor choice little girl,” Shadow replied as he bit Cordelia’s neck again.
No, this is not real, it’s not real. But the pain seems so real, Cordelia kept thinking to herself.
Then a voice entered Cordelia’s head, saying, “Give in. Give in.”
“No!” Cordelia exclaimed as she closed her eyes.

When Cordelia opened her eyes, she was back in the real world.
Ow, my neck hurts, Cordelia thought to herself as she got up.
She looked around and saw Leo and Crystal fighting three beings.

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“Look! Another entity!” Crystal said, pointing a few feet behind the other entities.
The third being advanced forward and attacked them.

“Where did it come from?” Leo asked.
“I don’t know. Someone must have woken up.” Crystal said as she looked around.
Cordelia ran up to Leo and Crystal.

“Cordelia!” Crystal said as she kept fighting the entities.
The entities backed off.
“Are they retreating?” Cordelia asked.
“Looks like it,” Leo replied.
“Cordelia! Your neck!” Crystal said.

Cordelia put her hand on her neck and then looked at it. Her hand was covered in blood.
“What happened? We didn’t see anyone attack you while you were out. Then again, we were fighting the beings,” Leo said.
“Shadow...he...he...he bit me!” Cordelia said.

“How? He was out cold like everyone else, and he still is,” Crystal said as she pointed at Shadow.
“What?” Cordelia asked looking at where Crystal was pointing at. Cordelia then ran over to Shadow to try and wake him up.

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Meanwhile in Shadow’s mind, the same thing Cordelia had seen was what Shadow was experiencing, except she didn’t bite him.

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“Try kissing him,” Leo suggested.
“Why?” Cordelia asked.

“It worked with Crystal,” Leo said with a smile as he looked at Crystal.
Crystal gave him a big hug.
“Okay I’ll give it a try.” Cordelia said as she knelt down next to Shadow.
Cordelia lowered her head and kissed Shadow.
Shadow then woke up to find Cordelia above him.

“Cordelia?” Shadow said as he looked at her.
“Yes?” Cordelia asked as she smiled at him, glad that he is okay.
“Your...your neck,” Shadow said as he sat up and touched her neck softly where the blood was.
“It’s nothing,” Cordelia lied.

“No, don’t lie to me Cordelia. Something happened. Tell me what really happened.” Shadow said as he looked into her eyes.
“I...I don’t really want to talk about it.” Cordelia said as she looked into Shadow’s eyes that were full of concern.
“Okay,” Shadow said as he gave Cordelia a big hug.

“Eh hem,” Crystal said as she stood there with Leo waiting for them to get up.
“What?” Cordelia asked.

“Are you forgetting about anyone?” Crystal asked as she moved her arm behind her to show Nikki, Sonic, Rose, and Joey lying unconscious on the ground.

“Oh my gosh, you’re right!” Cordelia exclaimed as she and Shadow got up from the ground.


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Meanwhile, in Nikki’s head:
“Where am I?” Nikki asked herself.

As she started walking down a dark path, a shadow in the shape of a four-legged animal appeared. Nikki turned into her wolf form. As she approached the shadow, she recognized who it was.
“Sonic!?” Nikki exclaimed.

Sonic immediately opened his eyes at the mention of his name. Nikki gasped in horror as she started walking backwards. Sonic, with his eyes glowing red, followed her.

“Hey, Nikki. I missed you. Where have you been?” Sonic said in a sing-song voice.
“You’re acting strange, Sonic. This isn’t like you!” Nikki exclaimed.
“What do you mean? You’re the one who’s acting strange,” Sonic replied.
“No! Stop! You’re scaring me,” Nikki said.

“Feel the power. Let it overtake you. You will become powerful and unstoppable like me!” Sonic exclaimed.
“No!” Nikki replied.
“Have it your way,” Sonic replied as he attacked Nikki.
Sonic tackled her to the ground and scraped her left side with his claw. Nikki screamed in pain.
“No, no! this isn’t real!” Nikki exclaimed.

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Sonic was gone, but her left side hurt.

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“Look! Another being!” Crystal exclaimed as she pointed down a dark path where the other four shadows were.
The others turned around to see Nikki with her eyes open and some deep scratch marks across her left side.
“Nikki!” Cordelia said as she ran up to her.

“Cordelia!?” Nikki exclaimed.
“Woah, Nikki! What happened to your side?” Cordelia asked, seeing the blood. Cordelia then tried to bite Nikki.
Leo, Shadow, and Crystal ran up to them and held Cordelia back.
“Cordelia stop!” Crystal demanded.

“Must...have...one...bite,” Cordelia said.

“No Cordelia! You have to resist the temptation!” Crystal replied, still helping Leo and Shadow hold Cordelia back. Crystal put her hand over Cordelia’s eyes.

“Nikki, get up and hide!” Shadow instructed.
Nikki nodded, got up, and ran into the woods. When Nikki was out of sight, Leo, Shadow, and Crystal let Cordelia go.
“What was that for?” Cordelia said, raged with fury.

“You were going to kill her!” Shadow exclaimed.
“No, I wasn’t!” Cordelia yelled back.
“Uh, guys?” Crystal asked.
“What!?!” Shadow and Cordelia yelled at the same time.
“How are we going to wake up Sonic without Nikki?” Leo asked.

Cordelia and Shadow stared at each other dumbfounded.
“I’ll go get her,” Cordelia said.
“No!” everyone said at the same time.
“Fine. Shadow will go.” Cordelia said as she volunteered Shadow.
“I think it would be safer if I go.” Leo said.

“And I’ll go too,” Crystal added.
“Fine. We’ll keep an eye on everyone else,” Shadow said.
Leo and Crystal nodded and took off into the forest.

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In Joey’s mind:
Joey awoke to the sound of the birds.

“What? Where is everyone?” Joey asked himself as he looked around.
A shadow appeared in the distance. Joey advanced towards the shadow. As he got closer, he discovered it was Rose.
“Rose!” Joey exclaimed.

As soon as Rose heard this, her eyes opened.
Oh, no, Joey thought as he stopped running towards her.
“Join me, Joey,” Rose said.
“No, flower. This isn’t like you,” Joey said.

“What do you mean? I’ve never felt better.” Rose replied
“No. This is not my Rose,” Joey said.
“No, this isn’t your Rose. I’m a much better Rose now. Come, join me, and you will be unstoppable.” Rose said in a very tempting voice.
“No! I will not join you.” Joey said as he backed away.

“Suit yourself,” Rose said as she attacked Joey.
Joey dodged Rose’s first attacks, but then, she caught him off guard and bit his arm. Joey screamed in pain. Rose let go and prepared to attack a second time. Joey closed his eyes, waiting for more pain. He didn’t want to hurt Rose…

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When Joey opened his eyes, Rose was gone, but his arm still hurt. He looked at his arm and it was bleeding.
How? Joey thought.

“Another entity!” Cordelia said as she pointed to the group of beings a ways down a dark path.
“Joey!” Shadow exclaimed as he rushed over to his friend’s side. Cordelia ran over to Joey’s side, too.
She then asked, “What happened to your arm?”

“Nothing.” Joey replied. Joey then looked up at Cordelia. “What happened to your neck?”
“Nothing.” Cordelia said as she covered her neck up with her hand.

“Wait how long has it been like that?” Shadow asked.

“I don’t know, why?” Cordelia asked worried that there was something that he wasn’t telling her.
“It hasn’t healed.” Shadow said shocked. “It actually looks worse.”
“What?!” Cordelia yelled as she threw down her hand.

“Yeah, he’s right, Cordelia. Wait, my arm isn’t healing either,” Joey said, concerned.
“Oh, that’s not good.” Shadow said concerned for both Joey and Cordelia.
Just then, Leo and Crystal returned with Nikki.

“What’s not good?” Nikki asked keeping her head down, not wanting to make eye contact with Cordelia.
Shadow told Nikki, Leo, and Crystal about how Joey and Cordelia’s wounds are not healing.
“The herbal wraps back at the cave!” Nikki exclaimed.

“Oh yeah! I had forgotten about those,” Cordelia said.
“Well, first we need to wake Rose and Sonic up.” Leo said.
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Joey asked.

“Joey, you have to kiss Rose and Nikki has to kiss Sonic,” Crystal replied.
“And you know this will work because,” Nikki started.

“It worked with Crystal.” Leo replied, looking at Crystal and smiling.
“And with Shadow.” Cordelia added, looking into Shadow’s eyes.
Shadow smiled.

“If you guys insist,” Nikki said, going over to Sonic.
Shadow helped Joey up and then Joey went over to Rose. Nikki kissed Sonic and his eyes opened immediately. Joey did the same, and Rose opened her eyes.

Rose then said, “Joey?” while at the same time Sonic said, “Nikki?”
Nikki gave Sonic a big hug and another kiss, while Joey gave Rose a big hug and another kiss as well.
“Alright, everyone. We have to get back to the cave. Cordelia, Nikki, and Joey need those medical wraps,” Shadow instructed.

“Why? Can’t Cordelia and Joey just heal themselves?” Sonic asked.
“Apparently, not this time.” Cordelia said.
Rose and Sonic then looked at Cordelia in horror.

“Oh my gosh, Cordelia.” Rose said as she stood up and went over to her friend and touched her neck. When Rose took her hand away, it was covered in wet blood.

“We need to hurry. Cordelia how long has it been bleeding?” Rose said.
“I don’t know.” Cordelia said as she touched her neck again.
Cordelia’s vision then became blurry and she swayed back and forth.
She fainted and Shadow caught her yelling, “Cordelia, Cordelia!”

“We need to hurry.” Leo instructed.
“Right,” everyone agreed.
“Um, we have a little problem,” Crystal said as she got out her katanas.
“I forgot about those goons,” Joey said.

The entities were blocking their path down the mountain. Leo ran to Crystal’s side and got out his katanas.
“Go! We’ll distract them!” Leo instructed.
Everyone ran back down the mountain. Shadow picked up Cordelia and ran down after them.
After a few minutes, Rose, Joey, Nikki, Sonic, and Shadow made it back to the cave. They all went in. Shadow then set Cordelia down gently on the cave floor. He sat down next to Cordelia and put her head in his lap.

“Here, I’ve got the medical wraps.” Rose said as she handed Shadow some of the medicine wraps.
Rose took the other medicine wraps and put them on Joey’s arm.
“Ouch,” Joey said as he flinched.

Rose gave Joey a kiss and said, “There. The wrap should at least keep it from getting infected.”
As soon as Shadow put the wrap on Cordelia’s neck, he gave her a long kiss. Nikki and Sonic went to the back of the cave so they could be alone.

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Meanwhile, Crystal and Leo had their hands full with the entities.

“These guys are tough. We can’t hurt them, but they can hurt us. How will we ever defeat them, Leo?” Crystal asked.
“Well, Master Splinter always says that the mind is the most powerful weapon. Maybe if we try meditating,” Leo suggested.
“That makes sense,” Crystal replied as she put her katanas away and sat down criss-crossed.
Leo did the same. Then, they closed their eyes and focused. The beings started shrieking.
“It’s working!” Crystal exclaimed.

“Keep concentrating,” Leo replied.
The shrieking slowly faded away.

When all was quiet, Leo and Crystal opened their eyes. Then, they stood up.

“We did it!” Crystal exclaimed as she jumped into Leo’s arms and gave him a big hug.
The two headed back to the cave to tell the others. When they got there, Cordelia was still unconscious.
“Hey guys. Where’s Nikki and Sonic?” Crystal said as she and Leo entered the cave.

“In the back probably doing you know what.” Shadow said as he lifted his eyebrows three times.
“Um, we’re right here you know.” Nikki said as she and Sonic walked out from the shadows.

“I said nothing,” Shadow replied innocently.
“I heard nothing,” Crystal said.
“Sure,” Sonic replied sarcastically.

“I think someone should go look for food. I bet when Cordelia wakes up she’s going to be hungry.” Shadow suggested as he stroked Cordelia’s hair.

“If she wakes up. Shadow, you know what happens to vampires when they don’t have enough blood in their system.” Joey said as Rose nodded her head in agreement.

“Wait, what happens?” Sonic asked worried for his friend.

“Vampires who don’t have enough blood in their system...die.” Rose said as tears filled her eyes. Joey reached around her and held her close for comfort.

“What! Then we need to get food now. Sonic and I will go get food right now.” Nikki said as she started to go out of the cave. Sonic followed her out of the cave.

“Be careful and hurry back.” Crystal whispered quietly so that no one could hear her.


CHAPTER 9
Save Cordelia!

Sonic and Nikki ran as fast as they could.
I hope Cordelia will be ok, Sonic thought.
Sonic and Nikki ran to the same spot where they had caught that elk.
“There are still some around here,” Nikki said.

“Great, then let’s get one,” Sonic replied.
“Ok, but how are we going to get it back?” Nikki asked.
“Um...how about we just catch something smaller?” Sonic replied.
“Like fifty rabbits?” Nikki said sarcastically.

“No….yes….maybe,” Sonic replied.
Nikki just rolled her eyes.

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Back in the cave, Joey, Rose, Leo, Crystal, and Shadow all stared at Cordelia. They noticed that Cordelia has gotten much paler than she was when they first brought her back.

"I hope she's going to be okay." Crystal said as she and Leo leaned on the wall.
“If Donnie was here, he could fix her up in no time,” Leo said.

“Who?” Joey asked.

“Donnie is my brother who’s the brainiac. He comes up with all sorts of inventions that help us in our fight against Shredder. He can also use his brain to help us if we get hurt,” Leo explained as tears started to run from his eyes.

“I miss them too, Leo. If the Shredder is here, then that means they only have to deal with the Purple Dragons. I’m sure they’re fine,” Crystal said as she gave Leo a big hug.

"How do you know if Cordelia's going to be okay?" Leo asked Shadow, Joey, and Rose.
“She has to be,” Rose said as she started crying.

Joey then put his arms around Rose. Rose sank into Joey and stayed like that.
Crystal turned to Leo and asked, “Do you think Nikki and Sonic will need help if the get another elk?”
“Probably. Let’s go look for them,” Leo replied.
“We’ll stay here with Cordelia,” Shadow said.

“Ok,” Crystal said as she and Leo exited the cave.
“Do you think that they will make it back in time?” Rose asked Shadow after Leo and Crystal left.
“I don’t know. Cordelia has gotten really pale.” Shadow said as he looked down at Cordelia and adjusted her in his lap.
“That's never good, Shadow.” Joey said as he looked at his friend with worried eyes.

------------------------------

Meanwhile, Leo and Crystal were looking for Nikki and Sonic. They went to the spot where they waited last time and called Nikki and Sonic. After a few seconds, there was a howl.

“That has to be Nikki or Sonic,” Crystal said.
The howling continued.

“I think they want us to follow the howling to them,” Leo said.
The two ran towards the howling. After two minutes, they found Nikki and Sonic.
“What’s the news?” Nikki asked.

“Cordelia is getting worse. We came to see if you wanted help carrying an elk if you caught one,” Crystal explained.
“We have to hurry or she might die!” Nikki exclaimed.

“Right. There’s a herd of elk only ¾ of a mile from here,” Sonic said as he and Nikki took off.
Leo and Crystal followed right behind them.

---------------------------------

“I hope Leo and Crystal come back soon with Nikki and Sonic. Hopefully they had some success at hunting,” Rose said, her eyes still wet from crying.

Just then, Leo and Crystal came back with Sonic and Nikki, but with no luck.
“Oh, no! What are we going to do now? Cordelia’s going to die and we can’t do anything about it.” Rose said as she started to cry again.
“Wait, there is one thing.” Joey said as he lifted his head up.

“What?” Nikki asked as Sonic, Rose, Crystal stared at Joey in a way that said, “Tell us now or else.”
“Shadow, remember what Professor SnowFlurry said in his mythology class about vampires saving other vampires, but that it comes at a price?” Joey said as he continued.

“Yeah, why?” Shadow said wondering where Joey was going.
“Wait what did he say?” Sonic asked.
“Professor SnowFlurry said that a vampire can save other vampires by having them drink a healthy vampires blood.” Joey explained.
“So, what’s the price?” Rose asked.

“The price is that we will be bonded for eternity. But that’s a price I will take.” Shadow said as he bared his fangs and tore his wrist open.
Shadow then positioned Cordelia to where she was laying on top of him as he was sitting against the cave wall. He put his wrist into Cordelia’s mouth where she could drink.

“Come on Cordelia. Drink, baby, drink.” Shadow said as he hoped that Cordelia would drink.

After about a minute, Cordelia started to move. Her teeth sank into Shadow’s wrist. He winced at the slight pain her teeth made. Cordelia moved her hands up to circle around Shadow’s forearm and hand as she held onto him as she drank.

“Oh my gosh, it’s working!” Rose exclaimed glad that her friend isn’t going to die.

“Cordelia?” Shadow whispered into her ear.

Cordelia stopped drinking and looked up into Shadow’s eyes and then looked down to see what she was drinking. Cordelia’s eyes widened at the sight of Shadow’s wrist. Tears started to form in her eyes.
“Shadow?” Cordelia said as she tried not to cry.

“Yes, my love?” Shadow replied in his sweet voice.
“I love you.” Cordelia whispered before she kissed him deeply with passion.
“Awe!” everyone else said after a while.

Crystal and Leo looked at each other and gave each other a big hug and a kiss. Rose and Joey did the same and so did Nikki and Sonic.
"Well, now that everything is back to normal, we can all go get some rest. It's been a long day,” Leo said.
"Yeah, I'm wiped out," Nikki said.

"Me too," Rose added.
"Me three," Joey said.
"Yeah, goodnight everyone. I'm going to bed," Sonic said as he started to exit the cave towards his and Nikki's ledge.
"I'm going too," Nikki said as she followed Sonic.

Everyone else went to bed soon afterward. The only ones that were left were Cordelia and Shadow.
“Hey Shadow.”Cordelia said.
“Yeah?” Shadow asked.

“What happened after I, well you know, and what is this thing on my neck?” Cordelia asked as she tried to get the wrap off of her neck.
"Well, after you passed out out, Nikki said that the medicine wraps should help. I carried you in my arms and went to the cave. Then, Nikki and Sonic went out to try and find food to save you, but with no luck. That was when Joey suggested the thing Professor SnowFlurry said about vampires saving vampires," Shadow explained.

"So I have to leave this wrap on?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes, at least for two more days," Shadow replied.
Soon, Cordelia fell asleep, still in Shadow's arms.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you," Shadow whispered as he kiss her forehead.
Shadow soon fell asleep as well, with Cordelia still in his arms.