Page 7 of A Stranger's Fear

above. It appeared to show night time due to the night vision being dominant in his eyesight.

  He grimaced as the horse continued on walking. He feeling himself very nervous while repeatedly eyeing the bats above. He eyed direction the mare was traveling through. He lowered himself onto the horse as he saw the bats abruptly flew all over and around him in numerous directions. Some felt hitting him hard making him while hearing the mare whinny sounding annoyed to him.

  He kept his tight hold onto the horse while recalling a memory fully in his mind. In the memory he saw loomed was tall towering buildings with glass entrances. This including one standing where the horse he was on stopped while having an old male dress in some fancy uniform in front.

  The old male spoke "I'll take the horse to the stable while you go inside. It's Columbus' Day anyway. Also judging by the looks of your uniform you should be home."

  Jinx obeyed to get off the horse and handed the reins towards the male. The old male he saw walked in a direction towards a building across the empty street. He walked inside the building via its glass entrance and found the elevators. He went inside one.

  Jinx found the elevator going to a floor of an apartment was held as if compelled to press it from memory of doing it. He pressed the button and stood waiting for the thing to go up which it obeyed to his order. He found the elevator stopped once reaching the floor numbered eighteen.

  He heard a computer electronic male like voice speak instead of doors opening like he hoped "Identify yourself and purpose of the visit now."

  Jinx spoke "Robert Jinx O'Neil. I'm here to see Lizette O'Neil my Mother for Columbus' Day as promised I would."

  He heard in response "Hold on while I check your identity."

  Jinx figured while on the horse from memory that his stepbrother named James son of his Mother's current husband was speaking through the computer. 'He recalled that James hadn't yet met him in person or knew what he looked like till Columbus' Day is when he met him. Hence the computer's wording sounding like that indicating on that to him.

  He stood impatiently waiting and removed his round like helmet off his shoulder lengthy black hair to clasp into his hands' grips.

  Jinx frowned as the computer voice spoke again "Entry granted. Your ID has been clarified."

  He sighed and found the doors opening to his relief. He wound up to walk into the hallway to find an older woman with all white hair. He saw her having a smiley look on her face he recognized her as his Mother. She followed by an unfamiliar male looking younger than him and his as his age. The young male was seemingly having a concerned look on his face he assumed was his stepbrother. Jinks frowned as his Mother reached him to hug him in a tight hug he hugging her back.

  He hearing her speaking loudly "Robert you came like you promised you would."

  Jinx spoke as his Mother stopped hugging him to show tears coming from her eyes "I aim to keep my promises Mother. I wouldn't let anything stop me from keeping my promise to you regardless of how I got to here."

  He eyed his Mother who in response hugged him again and heard her speak "All that matters to me is I have my son safe sound at home for Columbus' Day like I wanted."

  Jinx mentally thought to himself as he let his Mother hug him from memory of it "Yes if only if you knew of the path I took to get to here."

  He didn't protest as his Mother stopped hugging him and led him further into the apartment towards where the Columbus' Day celebrations were ongoing at the moment. It was a holiday celebrating Columbia nation's independence. He saw darkness arriving to his eyesight blocking out the memory.

  That confused him to find the hallway's end glowing of light and a male voice speaking "It's not your time yet so return now."

  Jinks frowned as the light stopped shining followed by darkness arriving.

  He came to find himself limply hanging onto the horse still on her back. He felt the pelting of bats had stop to his relief. He raised his form shaking his head of sleep. He saw the bats most of them were gone through the ceiling entrance.

  He felt relief as the horse entered a cave passageway that didn't seem cold to him or indicate gonoids travelling in it. He sighed softly only to groan of fear as rumbling vibrations was felt. Along with feeling of heat hitting him which he figured that they were traveling near a lava pathway hence the heat and rumbling vibrations. He heard nothing from the horse in response to his fearful feeling.

  He mentally thought to himself "I wish I could feel safe from feeling so fearful."

  Jinx got a communication from Lance blaring unexpectedly "You'll get your wish. So don't you dare let fear take control. Maribel needs you to guide her through this. It's scaring her anyway."

  He exhaled a breath through his mouth hearing Lance's words and forced himself to nose breathe.

  Despite caves near lava flows usually have gasses that were poisonous towards Humanoids but gonoids indicating they were breathing fine. He groaned as the heat became more blaring making him sweaty unexpectedly. Maribel the horse's name he assumed as he urged the horse continued to walk through the passageway that didn't resists to his urging. He groaned softly feeling himself nervous at each time there was rumbles of earth shakes felt.

  Jinx feeling like it could cause rockslides and bury him alive or lava could burst through burning the both of them alive. He looked around all around him seeing the cave was not just of earth but included metal scattered imbedded in the walls and ceiling all around him. He figured were holding the passageway from collapsing.

  Jinx groaned feeling more fearful as the heat continued to blare as there were openings in the cave passageway dripping of liquid. He knew by instinct wasn't water but acid judging by them hitting the ground causing smoke to form.

  He forced Maribel passed those cave entrances instead of letting her stop for a drink by repeatedly manipulating the reins along with thrusting his feet on her sides despite them in stirrups. Due to knowing that the acid would cause death to gonoids and Egyptians if they drank a drop of it as the familiar crunching noises was heard again. He looked down with fear hitting him seeing the ground had scattered bones all indicating humanoids from the looks of them.

  Jinx urged Maribel through the heated cave passageway making her continue. Despite he balking her attempts to stop and her peals of protest indicating drinking statuses. He kept it up till the heat and rumbling vibrations slowly went away.

  They traveled through the cave passageway till coldness hit unexpectedly making him feel no longer sweaty. He sighed from the coldness only to stiffened of fear as a sign was seen on the wall of the cave passageway. He found was in a popular common Humanoid lettering language of hieroglyphs dubbed Canton as its official name in Columbia. He stiffened as they reached the sign to force the horse to stop to read the sign.

  He read saying "Now entering King Winter's domain. Enter at your own risk."

  He felt fear hitting him making him gulp air through his mouth.

  He mentally thought "Ugh King Winter will suck me alive and use me as his food sources."

  He heard from Lance in response "Stop being afraid. He doesn't normally target every single humanoid that comes through this cave passageway. He only targets the ones that don't answer his questions he asks towards Humanoids traveling in his domain."

  He mentally spoke feeling himself still fearful "That talk doesn't help me, Father."

  He heard nothing more from Lance in response. He figured that his Father was working on a solution of keeping King Winter a Humanoid vampire, god lord of the cold and snow who sucks Humans' blood as a way of surviving, off of him.

  Jinx urged Maribel through the cave passageway feeling coldness hitting him all around him. That along with seeing the ground appearing to be covered with snow from the horse's legs digging into it.

  He looked around feeling himself very nervous to meet King Winter unexpectedly as Maribel traveled through the snowy passageway.

  He sensed himself watched by the familiar senses blaring
warning unexpectedly making him begin to panic. That was due to thinking from the senses that the watcher was King Winter himself.

  He shivered from the cold concentrated ahead of him. Maribel continued to travel through the snow sensing the watcher was nearby but not making an appearance. He felt fear unexpectedly hit as Maribel gave off a loud whinnying noise sounding familiar. She indicating a Humanoid nearby for always giving that noises whenever there were Humanoids nearby traveling hidden instead of hiding waiting to pounce. He concentrated on the cave passageway in front of him. Maribel continued to give off her noises due to sensing she'll keep sounding it till humanoids were no longer sensed near.

  Jinx felt Maribel stop abruptly that gave off a whinnying noise in panicky tone despite his attempts to get her moving each met failure. He looked down towards the ground at her feet to see the snow appeared to have clamped around them looking icy to him.

  He figured that King Winter was nearby observing them from his senses blaring of someone watching. He looked all around him forcing himself to stop feeling fearful as there was a loud roaring noise heard making his fear take hold.

  The stranger felt an itchy feeling on the side of his neck scratched the area only to continue feeling itchiness on the other side of his neck which he again scratched with a free hand off the reins. He continued to hold the reins as he scratched his neck all over the place.