Sanity's Wasteland Once you're in,

They don't want you to leave

It was on a Sunday morning that I knew something was going to happen. It must have been the heavy pitter-patter of the rain on the roof of apartment, or the gale force winds rocking at the window. It was here that I knew that today was not going to be normal. Of course it just seemed that way because I was partying all night at a local club and I had a massive headache. I walked into my living room to find my to roommates, Laurie and Sasha, sitting on the couch looking at me like I had three heads. Laurie just stood up and told it to me straight. "My god Alex! Do you know how late you were out last night? I swear you were out at least until 3:30." Laurie has always been the sensible one. She is the one that makes the decisions and is very straightforward. But anyone would be that smart with a mother whose journalist, a father who's a financial consultant and a grandmother that lived in the geisha district of Kyoto, Japan for all her life. On the other hand Sasha was always the one to straighten us out. Sasha's a body builder. He's obsessed with staying in great shape, but behind those gigantic biceps is a heart of gold. And then there's me, Alex. As a kid I was always the unusual one. I didn't follow all the trends and I expressed my personality in my own way. I walked into the kitchen to find donuts and a coffee lying in wait for me. As I was eating, I read the paper and I found an article that I couldn't stop myself from reading. On the front page the headline shouted:

Millionaire Killed in Tragic Accident

Wife Says the Demons Killed Him!

In the article it said that this huge millionaire died last night of unknown reasons. An eyewitness account from his wife said the so-called "demons" had killed her husband. The wife has been moved to a mental institution in up-state New York and will be questioned later in the week. Also, in the article it said that they had a group of mediums travel up to the house. They said that they could feel the strongest of all supernatural tremors that they had ever felt. And the thing of it is that during the day the house is completely deserted, but they still feel the tremors at their strongest. This really interested me because I had a bachelor's degree in supernatural occurrences from Boston University. I showed Sasha and Laurie this article and they thought it was pretty cool. In the article it said if you want more information about this tragic story, you could get on this Web address and find out what has happened. After reading it I quickly logged on to my screen name and typed in the website. Their it just talked about the article, but then on button said "talk to specialist about it." I clicked and I saw that I was able to IM an officer for the FBI Supernatural Occurrences Agency. I started to chat with this guy and when I mentioned my degree he asked me if I wanted to help with an investigation tonight. I agreed and I wrote down the address of where the building was. As I was writing, I didn't know what I was getting myself into.

Before I left for the house, I tried to do a little background check on it and man was I shocked at what I found. When the millionaire that was killed bought the house he kept a very dirty secret about the house. A dirty little secret that he thought if he swept under the rug it would never be found. It was said that during the 1700's during the Salem Witch Trials, refugee witches would stay at this house to shelter other witches from all the chaos that was happening in nearby Massachusetts. While here, the witches found that it was safe to exercise their powers here. Some good, but some that is as evil as death itself. So they dubbed it Sanity's Wasteland because it was on the verge of the sane and insane. And just in case Sanity's Wasteland was ever found, they set a curse on it in which anyone that set foot into Sanity's Wasteland on the full moon phase of the anniversary would be maliciously killed. But after 12 years of operation, the witch hunters found the witch's hostel and all the witches were captured and all burned at the stake. But the witch that ran the hostels last words were:

"You may have destroyed our bodies, but our magic will live on. Anyone who steps in Sanity's Wasteland will find their sanity gone." And with an ear- piercing scream each witch was burnt down to the ground. Then in 1916, a couple from Ireland that were considerably rich bought Sanity's Wasteland. And on the anniversary of the burning of the witches, the couple was found dead in a bloody mess. But the weird thing was all the supernatural things happened during the full moon phase in October. This was found because the man who owned the house said on the first night many odd occurrences kept happening. Then, on the third night, all hell broke loose. One maid said that these so called "demons" had killed her employers, but the people just thought of her as crazy and institutionalized. But while she was being dragged into the mental institution she kept screaming:

"The demons will come, the demons will come!" After that the house was empty for 80 years until, a mass millionaire who had been looking at homes came along. When he first saw Sanity's Wasteland he wanted that house, but when the real estate agent told him the legend of Sanity's Wasteland he just laughed and asked for the papers to buy the house. Then on the eve of the anniversary the millionaire was found dead in his courtyard. But the thing was he was such a bloody mess and so much tissue was ripped off his body that surgeons said that attempts at an autopsy would be futile.

After finding out all this information on the house I was very skittish about the investigation. I didn't dare show it to Laurie or Sasha because they'd back out and I couldn't do this alone. The scary thing was that that night was the third night of the full moon and, according to the legend, the third day is supposed to be the most violent. We packed up and left for the house. When we got their we met Sergeant Michael Lunin who would supply us with artillery just in case would need to be armored, and Serena Misatra, a medium who has worked on big cases of the supernatural. Before we entered we were forewarned that other officers have entered and they have had supernatural waves tracked that are off the charts and that nightfall is when the chaos should start. It was 6:30, a half an hour until sunset and I was saying to myself to go home.

"You're putting yourself into trouble and who knows what could happen." We waited 20 minutes before going in so that we could prepare. I was equipped with a 13mm automatic shotgun, explosive head bullets, and a compact phaser that sends out a laser that can cut through anything, even human or inhuman flesh. When we went in and there I could tell this was not going to be good. I hear loud rapping noises against the walls and the walls oozed this dark substance. Soon we divided into groups. I was grouped with Laurie, Serena, and two officers. Our assignment was to go to the east wing and investigate the murder scene. We walked up the grand staircase and said we'd start at the top and work our way down. On the top floor there were two hallways that connected with each other so we decided to start at the left and work around. Before we ventured into the hallway there was a plaque on the space that separates the two hallways. One the plaque it inscribes:

Warning to all who enter here

Your life will fill with chilling fear, Each room contains a different beast, Looking for a new soul to feast Normally this type of thing wouldn't faze me but right now I'm exploring a witch hostel and the walls are oozing slime, I think I have the right to be scared. We walked down to the first door and turmoil was about form right in front of our eyes. Before we opened the door I took precaution to load my gun just in case we had to open fire. I approached the doorknob and I touch the knob and it was frigid cold. When I open the door I was absolutely dumbfounded at what I saw. What I saw was a quiet field with a serene pond with a willow tree in the middle. But what really scared me was these fairy-like creatures that were flying around the tree. I turned to Serena and she had an expression of fear across her face. She spoke to herself in a soft drone that said "doxys" I felt like I could scream. I remember hearing about doxys in supernatural class. Doxys are of Celtic origins in which they were the fairies of Darkness. A flash off the doxys illuminated body could permanently blind you by corroding your eyes and in time corroding your whole face. We only stepped in about a half a step but the door slammed shut. I remember hearing in class that the doxys source of power was the willow tree they loomed over. If the willow tree was destroyed the doxys would be helpless. When the doxys heard the door slam they got frustrated by the sound and flew out to attack. One doxy flied up into one the officers place and in flash of light you could only see the empty eye sockets of the officer. After seeing this I saw Laurie with her phaser out shot down as many doxys as she could. Then I got an idea. I took out my phaser and shouted to Laurie to shot the tree. Instantly, the tree was set aflame and I could see the doxys getting weaker and weaker. When it looked like the doxys had lost all their power Laurie and I shot our phasers full out and in a matter of minutes the doxys were wiped out. After the last doxy was gone the door unlatched and we were able to exit. It seemed that for every room we enter we had to destroy some creature of supernatural origin. I walked out in to the hallway and looked up and said to myself "one down two to go." It seemed that there were three rooms in each hallway and each would have a new creature for us to obliterate. We were all still quite distressed after we saw what happened to that officer. Next time, we have to be a lot careful while fighting. For everyone's sake. We walked down the hallway. We had only 2 more doors before we had to go on the next hallway. We were trying to decide what to do with the body of the officer but it was already rotting away from the affects of the doxys flash so we just decided to keep it there. At the next door I had everyone prepare again for this next room will probably be as bad as the doxys. We walk in I have my gun in ready position but I don't think it's necessary because all it is is a hallway with a giant tank next to it. I tell everyone to put down their arms because they won't need them but Laurie told us to stand still. Right in front of us were 6 or 7 20-foot sharks. But these aren't any other sharks because these are Great Whites and they'd be able to break through this glass within three rams onto it. Laurie took charge on this room because she has a major in marine biology. Laurie told us to be quiet and make no sudden movements. She says that's what attracts the sharks. We walked down very slowly until the worst possible thing could happen. I saw the officer tightening up his face and in a split second the officer sneezed his lungs out. Right at that moment the sharks turn to us and start to circle right about to ram. As if it were impulse I screamed, "RUN!!!" and we darted down the hallway. And as we did the sharks shot through the water like torpedoes and when they got close enough they'd ram the glass and a light crack would appear. But then suddenly the sharks stopped and started to idle where they were. And then we heard an alarm sounding and the bottom wall that stopped the water from reaching the mesh walkway started to come up and as it did so did the sharks. Then under my feet I could hear the snap of gigantic jaws just trying to swallow me whole. I was about to try to ram through the door when I remembered about the explosive bullets I had. I loaded my gun with six bullets and aimed carefully and with precision I shot each shark and they exploded under the water. But the relief didn't last when I see the nightmare coming back. One more shark twice the size of the other was coming towards us and then I just pulled out my phaser and shot it at full blast until their was nothing left of it. And once it was destroyed the door again unlatched. I didn't know if we could make it through the next four doors if we keep risking our heads for this investigation. But still it was pure curiosity that made me go on. I didn't want to go through the door. I think it was the fact that once I touch the doorknob a tingling sensation swept through my body. I open the door with little force and as I peered in I thought that I would keel over. Instead of having regular floors and walls, this room had a floor of clouds. I got so freaked out that I ran for the door but as if the house could read my mind the door slammed in front of my face. I didn't think this would be too bad though, they're clouds, what threat could they possibly possess? Actually clouds could possess a big threat. In the distance I could hear a loud yelping sound and a shriek that could break glass. Then, 4 years of supernatural classes kicked in and I knew exactly knew what it was. All I knew was that were in for fright of our lives. All I did was told them plain and simple, we were going to be dealing with harpies. Harpies are one of the most dangerous of all supernatural creatures known. They come in the form of a beautiful woman with wings and claws. Although they are beautiful to see, they can be quite deadly. With their razor sharp claws they pose a major threat. And right then we saw at least five harpies swoop down from the sky and I got ready for worst. But it seemed that they were just going to stand there, waiting for us to attack. And of course at the worst possible moment, the officer took out his handgun and took the liberty of open firing at the harpies. But of course a huge mass flies down from the sky and blocks the bullet. As the mass slowed down it become clear to me what it was. It seemed that the harpies had brought along three of their pets, hellhounds. These hellish creatures are resistant to all man made weapons and can only be banished by magic. Once the gunshot was blocked by the hellhound the creature was fuming at the officer. Try as he might the officer shot at the creature with out success and in the blink of an eye laid the skeleton of the officer. After two deaths, I wanted revenge but it wasn't me who was about to do something drastic. Serena stepped forward and murmured some incantation and her hands started to glow in an aura of colors and as they glowed she walked over to Laurie and I and my whole body was taken over by a rush of energy. She told us that she has cast a spell on us that is able to wipe out any supernatural creature. All we had to do was point our hands at a harpy or hellhound and we could blast to a pulp. I ask Serena why we couldn't have used it on the doxys but she said that it would be to powerful and that we'd obliterate both the doxys and ourselves. So with our new power we started to point and shot the glow upon the harpies and hellhounds and one by one they went down. And at long last the all the creatures were gone and the door unlatched. It seemed stupid to go on since only Serena, Laurie, and myself were left. But with our new power we were able to press on. It was the next room that was the most confusing of all. We approached the next hallway but it seemed that all the doors were connected to form one door. We opened the door and all it looked like was regular sitting room. We walk in and I think to myself, "This is to easy, there has to be a catch." And of course, right from under our feet the floor disappeared and we started to free-fall through the house. After about thirty seconds of falling we slide out through a stone tunnel covered in vines and we land in the center of all the evil, the courtyard. The courtyard was comprised of a large stone ground with raised walls where gardens were planted and huge, malicious statues loomed over us. But the odd thing was this odd stone ring in the middle of the garden about the size of a wishing well. Above the garden was an odd purple mist that seemed to lightly sprinkle upon it. At the site of the stone ring Serena got dizzy and fell on the ground. I run over to see if she's okay. All she says is that the circle is the center of all evil is concentrated. All she could say before passing out was "To destroy the evil, use the power." And with a slight sigh Serena fell unconscious. After Serena fainted, the purple mist started to engulf the stone ring and then finally was consumed by the ring. But what rose from the ring was the most frightening. One by one, women started to appear out of the ring and stood in a line. As I counted them there were at least six of them. Finally all of them looked at us and started to glare. Finally one of the witches dressed in a tattered crimson robe approached us. She stared at us and then started to speak. "Mortal souls you have stumbled upon something so sinful and malicious that it could kill you in an instance" "By finding our power source you have raised us from after life condemned a burning eternity in hell itself." I tell her that we were trying to find what happened to the man that was killed. All she did was laugh and start to stride over toward Serena. "It seems that you did not understand what happened to us. Because of our ways and our beliefs, we were burned at the stake and for centuries we have tried to gain enough power to finally get revenge and I think that I have found the amount of power left to avenge our deaths". All she could do was stare at Serena and then I found out what she wanted. She wanted the rest of Serena's magic so she can destroy us all. Screaming I run over and tackle the women to the ground I could see the tint coming back to my hands. In that instant I zapped the woman and she disintegrated before my eyes. At that instant Serena awoke and could see the five witches lined up waiting to kill us. Once she saw the witches she gave us detailed directions. She told us to keep the witches at bay while she recites the final incantation. The catch is she must be in back of the ring. So what we did was I started to fist fight some of the witches while Laurie snuck Serena over toward the ring. Finally when Serena was there she told us to start using our powers against the witches. So I started to shoot. As I shoot I saw that each of the witches had their own special power too. So I started to go into a magic gauntlet with different witches. As Serena recited the spell Laurie and I destroyed to witches but had three to go. It seemed that they were combining their powers of fire, darkness, and hatred to destroy us. We finally destroyed two and had one more left. The last witch was the witch of hatred. The thing bout this witch was that she was twelve-years-old and just snickered at us. Then, in a split second she let out an ear-piercing scream that drained all of our energy. But the witches started to slowly break apart into little particles and then finally disintegrated. We wonder what happen since why didn't unleash anything upon her but then we see Serena with her eyes glazed over and her body glowing in a dark crimson. It seemed that she was concentrating energy with her magic and destroying the remaining evil in the house. As the darkness was being destroyed we saw something appearing in the distance. It was body of Sasha lying in the middle of the ground. I run over to see what was wrong it seemed that he had sustained major scrapes and burns. With the power in me I touched his wounds and they started to heal. As he healed, he started to wake up. As he awoke he started to tell me what had happened. Early one both officers with him died in a telekinetic attack by Kappas or water demon. Then molten fire fairies killed the Sergeant. His explanation was cut short though when we heard a lox rumbling noise in the distance and Serena told us that the land was about to explode. We ran through the garden and got over the gate and head to the car to duck for cover. From behind the car we saw the house burst into bits of debris, and in a way it was a relief because the nightmare was over. It has been 10 years since that terror and things have changed. Laurie and I started dating and then got married and had a baby girl named Autumn. Sasha is now playing for the New York Giants and is the MVP quarterback in the state. Serena went on to be major supernatural scientist. She is now studying a haunting in Russia. The grounds of Sanity's Wasteland has been turned into a city park and a monument has been erected for the officers that died and the witches that were relinquished. The monument shows 6 beautiful women with hands joined and raised. In the past ten years people have always asked me if the events really happened and I always say the same thing "yes they did" In that time I have been interviewed by scientists and professors alike. Especially now at the age of 9, my daughter Autumn is utterly fascinated in the supernatural and wants to be a supernatural scientist just like me. And of course her godmother is Serena since they have so much in common. I still believe in things that happened 10 years ago and I believe that the witches will protect Autumn even though I destroyed them because I think they fell gracefully and have been repayed.