Red Moon Nightmare: Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Zero suited up in a ton of biking gear, reading a guide on how to drive a dirt bike quickly in the changing room before he got outside to race the Shadow Rider. The two of them walked over to their dirt bikes, and the announcer told them the rules. “Ok, the rules are simple. This is a no holds race. One lap around the track. If you die or wipe out, you lose. Use any weapons you have on hand to try and win. Other than that, there are no other rules. Any questions? No? Good luck out there, you two.” The announcer said to Zero and the Shadow Rider before he walked away to go tell the audience the rules. Zero wasn’t feeling ready to do this, but he had no other choice in the matter at the current point. Both Zero and the Shadow Rider got on their dirt bikes, and drove over to the starting line. Zero noticed the Shadow Rider was holding a large, spiked, metal club in his left hand. “It’s that weapon again. The one he used to make that hole in the clock tower.” Zero thought, knowing that dealing with avoiding a hit from it wasn’t going to be an easy task due to its large size and strength. “You better be ready, kid. They’ll have to clean your blood off the walls after I’m done with you.” The Shadow Rider coldly said. Zero didn’t reply as he waited for the countdown to start the race. “You two know the rules. One lap around the track. If you die or wipe out, you lose. Keep it somewhat clean.” The announcer said into his microphone. Soon, the announcer took out a pistol, and shot it into the air once to indicate Zero and the Shadow Rider could start the race. They both quickly started off the line, and made it through the first turn easily. They went through a short straight path until a sharp left turn. As they turned, the Shadow Rider swung his metal club at Zero, but Zero managed to take the turn tight to avoid the attack. The Shadow Rider swung at Zero at every sharp turn, but Zero managed to avoid all of them for a while. “Damn, I can’t drive and fight at the same time. Plus, I’m done for if I get hit by that club of his. I just have to hold on a little longer. Just have to make it through the large jump.” Zero thought as the two reached a large ramp. Although, the second their dirt bikes lifted up into the air, the Book of Fear floated down on its own, and a black aura soon surrounded it. Everything became darkness, and it seemed like Zero and the Shadow Rider disappeared into thin air. Soon, the book’s magic turned the entire stadium into a roman colosseum. People were turned into Roman spectators watching what was about to happen. Zero landed on the ground, and fell off his dirt bike, but didn’t sustain too much damage from the fall.
“Huh? Where am I? This isn’t the Star City Stadium.” Zero said, getting up off the ground, looking around. He noticed the sky was a strange, distorted looking red color unlike how it was before. “Fool. Don’t you get it?” a voice called out as the Shadow Rider jumped down, still holding his spiked metal club. “This place was created by the dark magic of the Book of Fear. This place is just an illusion, but in reality, we’re all frozen in time back in our world.” The Shadow Rider added. “Frozen in time? How is that possible?” Zero wondered. “The Book of Fear commands dark power. The reason it sent us here is a mystery.” The Shadow Rider said before the Emperor walked over to his chair, and cracked his whip a few times. “It is time these two champions engage in combat. There is only one rule. This…is a fight to the death. In order to become the champion of this colosseum, you will fight. You will kill, and you will entertain me.” The emperor said. Zero and the Shadow Rider turned to each other, and Zero took off his helmet. “A fight to the death, huh? Well, I guess it’s a second round of when we fought back near the clock tower.” Zero said, taking his sword out. “At least this time, we won’t be having a repeat of what happened before. There are no interruptions or distractions except for this crowd. Prepare yourself, Zero. Your days end here. I’ll be sure to feed you to the lions after this is over.” The Shadow Rider said, walking towards Zero with his large, metal spiked club. “You see, I’ve been training ever since our last encounter. I’ve become far stronger. So strong, my strength is like that of a superhuman. That is why I can carry this metal club.” The Shadow Rider said as he walked towards Zero, preparing for an attack with his metal club. “Superhuman strength, huh? Definitely not what I expected.” Zero thought as he jumped over a swing from the Shadow Rider’s large metal club. “So, you really think you’ll dodge my attacks. Well then, let’s up the pain.” The Shadow Rider said, dropping his metal club and taking out his shotgun. “Great, that shotgun again.” Zero thought, looking around for anything he could use. He ran past the Shadow Rider, and attempted to pick up the large metal club, but it was far too heavy for him to lift. The Shadow Rider aimed his shotgun at Zero, and prepared to shoot it, but Zero kicked the shotgun out of the Shadow Rider’s hand, then kicked the Shadow Rider away. “Is that really the best you got? Watch this.” The Shadow Rider said as his spiked metal club reappeared in his hand. He grabbed the handle with both hands, then smashed the metal spiked club down on the ground with full force. The attack broke apart the ground below Zero’s feet like an earthquake with one of the quakes forcing him up into the air. “What the hell was that?” Zero thought before the Shadow Rider jumped up, and hit Zero with his spiked metal club with full force, sending Zero flying into a wall at very high speeds.
Meanwhile, outside the stadium, the mysterious man with the large sword was investigating the clock tower, looking for something. “It doesn’t look like it’s here, either. Just where is that sword?” the mystery guy wondered until he sensed a very dark presence coming from somewhere. He looked out the hole the Shadow Rider made upon entering, and noticed there was a lot of mysterious dark energy flowing out of the doors and windows of the Star City Stadium. He jumped onto a tall building quickly, and then jumped from tall building to tall building until he reached the roof of the stadium. He looked inside, and saw that Zero and the Shadow Rider were frozen in the air after taking the ramp, the entire audience was frozen, and there was a ton of dark fog inside the stadium. Among all the fog, a bright red light could be seen. “What the hell is going on down there?” the mystery guy thought, wondering what was going on. He tried getting in through one of the open windows, but the strange dark energy pushed him back. “It looks like something is sealing everyone and everything inside so nobody can get in or out. Something strange is causing this. Maybe it’s the sword.” The mystery man said, trying to look for a way into the stadium. Back in the stadium, after the Shadow Rider’s attack on Zero, there was a path of blood leading to the wall Zero made impact with a few moments ago. “Emperor, that kid is finished. He’s not surviving that.” The Shadow Rider said to the Emperor until Zero walked out of the hole in the wall with blood dripping down his face and his left arm. He had multiple cuts and bruises on him, but the mysterious tribal marks on his arm didn’t activate yet. “What? You aren’t dead yet? How did you survive that?!” the Shadow Rider said, surprised. “Your attack didn’t hit me hard enough to kill me. That first attack only nearly killed me.” Zero said, walking back towards the Shadow Rider. “Well, maybe you are stronger than you look. It doesn’t matter, though. You won’t survive another hit from my metal club.” The Shadow Rider answered, about to slam the ground again with his metal club. “That’s what you think.” Zero quietly said before the Shadow Rider slammed down on the ground with his metal spiked club, making a quake exactly like the first one. Zero tried to run towards the areas already damaged by the first quake to avoid the second one, but the new quake continued striking. “Fool, don’t you get it? My Earthshaker has a wide, fast range of attack. You’ll end up being hit by its power no matter what.” The Shadow Rider said. The power of the Shadow Rider’s Earthshaker managed to rip up the ground below Zero, forcing him into the air before the Shadow Rider slammed Zero with his club again, this time into the ground, making an average sized hole in the ground. “Now it’s over. He’s finished for real this time. But just to make sure he’s really dead, I’ll throw this at him.” The Shadow Rider said, swinging his spiked metal club around before throwing it at the hole Zero was in to make sure he was really dead this time, but he didn’t hear any impact. Through the smoke from Zero’s impact with the ground, the Shadow Rider could see a faint red glow. When the smoke cleared, Zero emerged from the hole, holding the metal spiked club with one hand. His right arm was glowing, indicating the strange tribal marks on his arm were active, but…it glowed with a faint, red color, and spread slightly farther down Zero’s arm. Zero threw the metal spiked club onto the ground in an angry rage, leaving a large hole in the ground. “So, you’re finally unleashing your true colors, huh? It’s about time.” The Shadow Rider said, taking his shotgun back out. “This is only temporary, so I’ll have to use this power while it lasts.” Zero thought, walking towards the Shadow Rider. “This isn’t over yet, kid. I’ll definitely end it this time.” The Shadow Rider said, trying to get a clear shot on Zero, but before he could pull the trigger, Zero threw his sword at the Shadow Rider’s shotgun. When the Shadow Rider pulled the trigger, the speed from Zero’s sword forced some of the shot back at the Shadow Rider, causing him to stumble back before his arm was cut by Zero’s sword. Zero ran at the Shadow Rider afterwards, and kicked him in the face, then threw him into a wall. “This isn’t over yet, kid.” The Shadow Rider said, getting up, holding his arm injury to try to stop the bleeding. Zero took his sword out of the ground after it landed, and charged at the Shadow Rider. Everything felt like it went in slow motion after that. The Shadow Rider took out a scythe, and managed to get a slightly decent hit on Zero before he was finished off. Although, the second the fight was over, a bright light flashed through the stadium, and the Book of Fear’s dark magic had finally wore off.
Everything had reverted to its original state in the stadium, but both Zero and the Shadow Rider were badly harmed. They defrosted from being frozen in time, and the Shadow Rider couldn’t make the landing. He fell off his dirt bike, and hit one of the two poles of the finish line. Zero nearly falls off his dirt bike, but manages to make the landing. “Wow…that was lucky.” Zero thought, walking over to the Shadow Rider. “I’m…quite surprised by your power, kid.” The Shadow Rider said, unable to get back up. “Tell me the truth. What are you? A regular human being wouldn’t be able to get a scythe out that quickly.” Zero asked. “I am no more than a phantom version of Mr. Shadow. I was created by accident after Mr. Shadow found the book. I only found out I was nothing but a phantom when I came here. The Book of Fear lured me in.” the Shadow Rider answered. “Well, that does explain why the demons never attacked him.” Zero thought. “The prophecy states I was intended to die here. I guess this…marks the end of our little game.” The Shadow Rider said before his body started to disappear. “I’m just a phantom, kid. I knew I was going back to that book eventually. Good luck defeating Brad. You’ll need it.” He added, laughing a bit before he fully disappeared into nothing. Fans started clapping since Zero still technically won the race, then the announcer walked over. “We have a winner, folks! Say hello to your new champion!” the announcer said into his microphone, with no notice of Zero’s injuries. Meanwhile, up on the roof, Brad was watching what happened with the Book of Fear floating next to him. “That kid might actually be a threat to my perfect plans. He’s strong, but not strong enough to defeat me. He only has three days to train as well.” Brad said, looking at what was going on. The afternoon sky was beginning to darken, but before Brad could leave, the mystery man with the large sword jumped onto the roof to confront Brad. “Who are you? Brad asked. “That’s none of your business. What are you up to?” the mystery guy asked. “You don’t need to know. But, tell me something. You’re looking for a sword, right?” Brad answered. “You know about the sword? You better not be trying to trick me.” The mystery guy said. “I know what sword you’re talking about. But if you want my information, you’ll have to work for the Book of Fear. It’s a fair deal, right?” Brad said. The two were silent for a few moments, up until the mystery guy finally responded. “…..Fine. I’ll work for your weird book.” The mystery guy answered, submitting to Brad’s words and possible information. “Good. We’ll need to get started tonight. You’ll be with me all night, so don’t worry about the demons.” Brad said before disappearing in a strange black mist with the mystery guy.
Zero walks out of the stadium holding a large trophy with one hand since the marks on his right arm were still active. “It’s weird, but I don’t feel any of my injuries. Especially that last attack from that scythe.” Zero thought, noticing the Red Moon would be rising soon. He looked around the outside of the stadium, looking for the girl. He spotted her near one of the entrances, so he decided to walk over to her. “I saw your fight with the Shadow Rider…” she shyly said. “That’s impossible. Everyone got turned into Romans.” Zero thought, wondering if she also had immunity to the book’s magic. “I wonder…I’m already immune to the dark power that can change things that the Book of Fear commands. Is it possible that other people are also immune to the book’s magic other than me? I guess I may never know for sure yet.” Zero added, trying to forget about it. “Anyway, I should bring you home before the demons come out to play.” Zero said. The girl nodded, and they started walking. Brad, the Book of Fear, and the mystery guy watched from a distance, plotting out what their plan will be. “So that kid has a girlfriend, huh?” Brad said. “I don’t assume those two are in any type of romantic relationship.” The mystery guy answered. “You know what they say, though. Love is in the air. That girl might positively impact him. But…I have an idea. The day before my fight with Zero, I want you to capture the girl. I want to see what will happen to him.” Brad said, laughing a bit. “The boy has a lot of untapped hidden power. I sensed it the moment I saw him. Strong, magical force. Stronger than anything I’ve seen in any type of magical arts.” The mystery guy added. “We’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be putting you to work immediately. A shark tank is coming here tonight. We’ll need them later.” Brad said. “Why would we need sharks?” the mystery guy asked. “All in due time, my servant. All in due time. Let’s just say it’s for a much bigger picture.” Brad said.
Soon, Zero escorted the girl to her house about an hour before the red moon was intended to rise. The entire time, Zero wondered if she had immunity to the Book of Fear’s dark magic, but he tried to forget about it at the same time. “You seem to command a lot of strength, Zero. But that strength seems rather ancient. Who knows what kind of cursed power lies within you.” The girl said to Zero. “Sorry about ruining things with that fight against the Shadow Rider. I didn’t really expect a fight today.” Zero replied, still not feeling his injuries for the time being. The two of them for silent for about a minute, and Zero checked the time. “Almost demon time. I better get going.” Zero said as he started to walk away. The girl was still silent for another moment as Zero was walking away. Soon, Zero walked to the docks of Star City before the Red Moon rose. The entire area was deserted, but Zero spotted a suspicious shark tank in a boat filled with sharks. The water was strangely murky, and there was something wrong with the sharks. “Sharks? That’s weird.” Zero thought until he heard voices approaching. Zero hid behind a building, and noticed Brad and the mystery guy walking over to the shark tank. “Sharks, huh? What’s the plan with these things?” the mystery guy asked. “We’re bringing them to the Star Bridge.” Brad answered. Soon, Brad’s left hand glowed gray, and the shark tank lifted up into the air on its own by a few feet. After that, Brad, the mystery guy, and the floating shark tank left from sight, but Zero waited until the voices were out of his range of hearing before coming out of his hiding spot. “Something’s up with those sharks in the tank. I wonder what.” Zero thought as he started walking towards Mr. Shadow’s house to get some more information before going back to the hotel.
Zero fell asleep in the hotel room late at night, reading books he obtained from Mr. Shadow’s house to try and find information on how to stop the Book of Fear, but he didn’t find a thing. He awoke in the morning, still really tired and tempted to skip school for the day to get some rest, but he realized he had already wasted one of his three days before his encounter with Brad at some location. He decided to go to school anyway even though Brad wouldn’t be there. Unlike most mornings, Zero didn’t dash on rooftops to reach the school. He was far too tired to do so, so Zero simply walked. The distant figure of the raised Star Bridge in sight, Zero yawned a bit as he walked towards the school.
On the roof, Brad was observing Zero before the mystery guy jumped down from the flagpole. “Did you complete the task at hand?” Brad asked, and the mystery guy handed Brad a key. “Yes. I went with the Red Moon Shadow last night to invade the mayor’s residence. That key is what will lower the bridge.” The mystery guy answered. “Good. Everything is going according to plan. You do have the cages ready, right?” Brad said. “Yes. The cages were sent in at around five in the morning after the demons disappeared.” The mystery guy said. “Good. You also collected the data sample from the original Red Moon Brute DNA that Mr. Shadow had hidden in his house, right?” Brad asked as the mystery guy handed Brad a flask filled with black blood. “Perfect. We are heading for the secret cryogenics lab hidden in the city.” Brad said, bottling up the black blood so it wouldn’t leak out of the flask. “A cryogenics lab hidden in this city? But why?” the mystery guy asked. “We are going to…create some more little, shall we say, friends.” Brad replied, taking out the Book of Fear, and using a spell to make the three of them disappear in a strange black mist.
Zero attended his classes as usual in the morning, but during lunch, Zero decided to skip the rest of the school day to get some more training done before his showdown with Brad in about forty-eight hours. He decided to run a few laps around the city before heading to the clock tower for some sword training. The mystery man observed Zero for a few minutes from a distance, and then headed towards Mr. Shadow’s house with a bomb in his hand. “That building is useless now. It will be destroyed.” The mystery guy said as he went towards Mr. Shadow’s house to destroy it with the bomb. When he reached the house, he stuck the bomb to a pillar keeping the house up. He then took out three more bombs from a closet, and planted them all on different pillars. He set the timer on all of them, and left the house. “It’s nearly time to check on the chambers. Maybe I should capture the girl earlier than scheduled. Maybe not, though. It isn’t time to capture the girl yet.” The mystery guy thought as he walked back into the city from Mr. Shadow’s house, holding the detonator in his hands. Zero spent the rest of the day with training like it would be his last before returning to his hotel room to rest up for the night when the demons came out.
At the Star Bridge, this was still raised up, below lied a large river that seemed to be blocked near the ends by huge rocks. The sharks from the large, murky tank were recently put into the water, swimming around aimlessly. “So, the sharks are in the water. Now what?” the mystery guy asked. “You will see…” Brad answered, opening up the Book of Fear, flipping through pages until he found the one he needed. “In the shadows of the cursed Red Moon, these sharks bring forth the sign of human eradication. Release the inner demon of these sharks. Open up their carnivorous side. Bring forth the dreaded sharks of shadow!” Brad said as the Book of Fear started glowing light blue, and multiple bolts of a strange light blue lightning into the water, hitting all of the sharks that were swimming in there. The lightning soon stopped, and there was no sounds coming from the water. “Now for a test run. Bring the corpse of the mayor over here.” Brad says as the mystery guy drags the dead body of the mayor of Star City towards Brad. “Throw it inside the water.” Brad added. The mystery guy nodded, and threw the body into the water. When the body got close to the water, a black, monstrous shark jumped out of the water, and ripped off the arm of the body, and ate it whole. Soon, four more monster sharks appeared out of the water, and ate the body like a group of savage beasts. After the body was consumed and only blood remained, the sharks went back underwater to await their next meal. The mystery guy was shocked, and yet surprised at the same time. “Just what happened to those sharks?” the mystery guy asked. “Those are no longer regular sharks. Those are what are known as Shadow Sharks.” Brad answered with a cruel smile. “Shadow Sharks?” the mystery guy questioned. “Shadow Sharks are a recreation of regular sharks. Thing is, they’re far more carnivorous than even the biggest and baddest animals in the animal kingdom. In fact, they enjoy one thing more than anything else. Humans.” Brad explained. “Those things eat humans?” the mystery guy asked. “Yes. Humans are their favorite food. But…I never got your name. Tell me…who are you?” Brad replied. The mystery guy was silent for a few moments, then finally answered Brad’s question. “My name…is Zac.” He said.
The day seemed to move by quickly since Zero’s showdown with Brad was the next day. Zero didn’t go to school since training for his showdown was his top priority. He spent the entire morning training before a break for an hour for lunch at about noon. After that, he did various types of training exercises for the rest of the day until he assumed he was ready. The mystery guy, commonly known as Zac, was watching Zero train, until he knew it was time for the plan to begin. About an hour after the Red Moon rose, Zac went looking for the girl he saw with Zero two days ago. He looked around most of the city until he found where she lived. Zac busted down the door, and looked around the house, looking for the girl. He went upstairs, and found her in her room. “You! You’re coming with me.” Zac said, putting on a gas mask before using a bomb filled with sleeping gas. “Enjoy your little nap. You’ll be in for one hell of a night.” Zac said as the sleeping gas spread through the room.
After a full day of intense training exercises, Zero didn’t wake up from sleeping after training until around five in the afternoon. He looked around, half awake. He yawned a bit up until the phone in his hotel room started ringing. Zero walked out of bed, and answered the phone. “Zero…it is almost time for our encounter.” Brad said. “Already?” Zero asked. “Heh. Don’t tell me you forgot already. No matter, though. I believe I have something you want.” Brad said with a slightly devious laugh. “I know. I’m getting that Book of Fear from you today, Brad.” Zero answered. “Fool, I have something more that you would be after. Maybe, somebody you care about. Like that girl of yours.” Brad said. Zero realized what Brad was talking about, and immediately grew furious. “What did you do to her?!” Zero asked with an angry tone of voice. “Don’t worry. I have her hanging in a cage. Come to the football field at the school by seven, or I’ll kill the girl.” Brad said, laughing before hanging up the phone. Zero ripped the phone out of the wall, and smashed it into a table. His showdown was about to begin.