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This story and its characters are completely original and belong to Zelosh and him alone. Any resemblance it has to another story is accidental as well as coincidental. While this story is fairly clean there may be things you find inappropriate or offensive. Read at your own risk.

With that, enjoy your stay inside The Eternal Door.

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Eternal Door

" This isn't me"

Things stayed the same much longer than they had expected. By now they were all back to sitting together next to the fire because the only thing that seemed to destroy boredom was each other's company. This must've been what it felt like before technology advanced and people spent all their time with family. These people weren't family, but they were close enough.

There were a few books laying around but none of them interested Ryan. Though he was curious as to find what would be in a place like this just to find one of them titled "Be a Slimmer You in Just 30 Days!" So that's what maniacal villains who kidnap people and make them go through hell like to read, who knew! Actually it didn't seem like this book was here because of some particular hobby or need to be slimmer. All the books were so incredibly diverse that he'd be shocked if there was a connection between any two of them.

"Hey man this thing is old, check it out it dates back thousands of years!" Gil was talking animatedly with Jack as the skimmed through various pieces of literature.

"That's BS, how can you read it if its that old? It should be wrinkly and in a different language cause English hadn't been invented back then right?"

"No one 'invented' a language Jack... and I dunno I'm just looking at what the book says. It's broken English though I'll tell you that, I can hardly read it as is."

The rest of them were preoccupied with their own thing but Jessica said something that seemed to grab everyone's attention. "You know what... I think we should come up with a name for Kid." That was mildly surprising but it did make sense. "I mean she needs a proper name, and if things get dangerous it would be nice to have something to call her by."

Blake nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that's true, if anything a codename would be nice at the very least. I'm not very good with names though..."

Gil dropped his book and jumped in on the conversation. "Hell I want a codename! Call me... The Silver Bullet!" He pretended he was James bond and showed off the silver streaks on his fur to help represent the connection.

"Not the point! Look we really need to think this through," she said shaking her head a bit, sighing at his inability to take anything seriously.

"Well... maybe something simple like Mary or Sarah?" Ryan pulled on every connection he had and came up with a list of names from girls in his school. "April, May, July, Julie, Savannah, Brook, Faith, Maria, Emily, Elizabeth, Jessie... Hey Jessie would be a good nickname for you Jessica!"

"Once again not the point! Though I do kind of like Brook. What do you guys think?"

Jack glowered at the suggestion. "Heck no, who wants a boring name like that? Think of something cooler."

Ryan scratched his head racking his brain for something but he didn't know what would be a 'cool' name for a girl. "Well let's see there's Mabel, Aubrie, Tanya, Britteny, Maggie, Abigail, Edna, Antoinette, Flora, Brenda, Gwen, Amy, Olivia, Bridget, Bonnie, Tabitha, Lora, Rebecca, Ginger, Lily, Esther, Ruth, Melissa, Bella, Lisa, Gladys, Margaret, Ulani, Fiona, Molly, Ursula, Erica, Page, Holly-"

"ALRIGHT! We get it, you can stop now!" Gil had jumped in and stopped him before he felt the need to go on forever.

Blake couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Damn man, are those the names of all your past girlfriends or something? Where do you get stuff like this?"

"Oh Ryan has never dated before, he'd never have time to tend to all a girl's needs anyway." Jessica grinned as she continued, saying "Actually if I remember correctly a few girls got into a fight over him a few years ago and he ended up being asked to decide who was the best, or in other words who he would date. He was so cute back then, especially when he got all frantic and ended up shouting 'I-I-I... I'll only marry Jessica!'" She captured his stuttering and distressed voice perfectly causing the whole room to be sent into uproarious laughter.

"Marry?! You said marry! Getting a little ahead of yourself are we?"

"I knew you liked her you playboy!"

Ryan, who wasn't laughing, tried to get them to stop. "Hey no telling old stories about me! So what if I wasn't a smooth talker back then..." He blushed and looked away trying to act all indifferent. "Besides aren't we getting off topic again?"

"Oh right right! Okay any ONE particular name you guys like?" She said it obviously making fun of Ryan's list and looked around at the others for more suggestions.

Jack was first to go much to their surprise. "You missed my point completely, all those names are boring. How about..." He thought carefully and gazed at the far wall before smirking at the idea he came up with. "Like Bertha!"

He got a couple silent stares and disturbed expressions. Eventually Blake managed to find the nerve to reply. "That's a fat girl's name... No offense to anyone named Bertha though."

He looked confused and Gil found a way to make it even better. "Are you like into that kind of thing Jack? Cause I mean I don't judge but..."

"What?! What's that suppose to mean!"

Ryan tried to keep himself from snickering, as did the others, and decided it best not to go there. "Give him a break you guys... he can like what he wants." Well he tried not to go there at least.

"What are you guys talking about?!" Jack's hysteria just made it that much funnier, but Kid ended up being the one to finally speak up, breaking up the laughter and getting everyone's full attention.

"Um... I don't really need a name..."

Jessica raised an eyebrow and realized they had gone off and done this without her consent. "Well I understand if that's how you feel but are you sure? We can't call you Kid forever."

"Yeah it'll just be weird when you're all old and wrinkly!" Gil remarked. He however decided it best to stop joking around when Jessica gave a quick death glare.

"B-but... I have to wait." Kid mumbled, almost inaudible and seemed distraught as to what to do. The others waited for her to get herself together and explain, a comforting hand was placed on her shoulder. "I was told only mommy can give me my name, so I have to look for her..." She began to tear up a bit. "That's right, I need to find my mom!"

She tried to run but Blake stopped her realizing a flaw in her logic. "Wait Kid! I thought you said Jessica was your mom."

She looked back and considered the canine for a moment, but could only see her as alien. "B-b-but... it told me to... It said mommy would be here, so I got to find her."

Bewildered he tried to get her to make sense. "Who told you?! What are you talking about? If something happened you need to tell us! You can't go around trusting things random strangers-"

Something in her snapped and he was unable to finish as she broke his grip and turned around towards them in anger. She yelled at the top of her small lungs, closing her eyes as she did so with a feral look on her face. "She's here it promised! I have to find her!" With that she took off at top speed. "I have to find my mom!"

Ryan finally took action and jumped up but was too late to stop her. "Wait Kid! Where are you going?! Who told you-" He was cut off, but at least one of his questions was answered by the interruption. It was the signal, the booming snap sounded and from the ceiling a set of winding stairs formed and slammed down into the ground. There was now an opening in the ceiling that the stairs led to, and as if she had anticipated it happening Kid was already flying up them. She was going into the next trial without them. "Kid no!"

The green tiger was quick to take action but found Blake who had been behind him jumped up skipping some stairs and managed to get ahead. He seemed more desperate than Ryan for some reason, but then again everyone was desperately following behind them as well. There was no need to convince anyone this time, every single one of them was up the second Kid had taken off toward the portal.

"Kid stop!"

"What are you doing you big idiot?!"

"Come back it's dangerous!"

They couldn't catch up, she was too fast and made it to the top way before them. By the time they made it up there she was nowhere to be found, but that was the least of their worries now as they soon found out. They completely just rushed into the trial unprepared, they had to consider the fact that they might not live much longer much less get the chance to find Kid now.

Something they noticed quickly though, was this trial was much more plain compared to the last one. They were in a circular room made entirely of white stone and was pretty much entirely bare. It was also weird because it was really easy to see but they couldn't define any particular light source. There were no doors but there was some kind of large box on four sides of the room. The boxes were completely jet black and smooth, their designs intricate and beautiful. Near the top of each was a squarish hole, which he guessed was so that one could see through to the other side, and they all resembled coffins to the most disturbing degree.

Last of all, there was sign straight out in front of the hole they came up out of in the center of the room. It read...

TRIAL OF FEAR

GOAL: One of you is lost, find her and bring her back.

RULES: There is only you five here. That means no other dangers, no other monsters, and all traps are deactivated until activated by the Master Key. However, only one of you is allowed to complete the given goal. If the lost one is reached by another first, then you all lose, but be warned that as always killing each other outside home base results in permanent death.

TOOLS: The Master Key will be given to the one who is to complete the goal, the rest are the obstacles.

Ryan had seen the idiocy of this place before but this one takes the cake. "Wait so there are no dangers except that the wrong person may find Kid first? What the heck kind of game is that, that's no challenge at all!"

Blake seemed worried but agreed to an extent. "Yeah... We know who it will be because they'll be given the key so... all the rest of us have to do is sit back and wait until it's over?"

"Maybe the catch is that the traps have to be activated in order to complete the goal?" Gil suggested.

Ryan replied, "I don't buy that though. I mean it's possible I guess, but in that case maybe the rest of us should be the ones to make sure the key holder gets through?"

"Yeah like take some of the damage then just go back to heal. I think we can handle some purposeful injuries after last time right guys?" The black tiger seemed confident in his ability to jump into harm's way but they all weren't sure if they wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

"Whatever the case guys let's just get this show on the road, where's the Master Key?" Jessica was tired of waiting around so she looked around the room but didn't really see anything. The others did the same trying to find it but without luck. She was getting nervous, there had to be a catch, maybe it was finding the key? She needed to find Kid now though and make sure she was safe. She couldn't bare the idea of her being alone and crying to herself somewhere in this place. Taking a few steps forward she noticed something taped to the back of the sign as she passed it. It was a white card with a single bar code on it and she immediately went for it. With excitement in her voice she turned to the others. "Guys I think I found it! Okay let's... what's that noise?"

There was some kind of clinking noise and the sound of grinding metals. Ryan recognized the sound immediately and with great horror in his voice he tried to call out to the others. "GET DOWN!" He glanced around hastily and finally laid his eyes on the coffins that all swung upon at once, creaking loudly as they went. He knew what would happen next and tried to dodge but was caught despite his efforts.

Chains were everywhere, shooting out of every box and strangling each of them as they were pulled in. That is, everyone but Jessica, who with terrified eyes gripped the card in her hands tightly. The four guys were hardly given a moment to struggle before being pulled into the coffins and locked inside. They all shut in at the same time with the loud clicking of locks.

Ryan writhed and struggled against the chains but he was already inside and unable to do anything about it. Out of nowhere he heard screaming and tried to see through the square hole at eye level, but his vision blurred as something stabbed into his back and began injecting something into him. It hurt, not only because of the stabbing but as the thing inside him spread every little inch of him was pained with agony.

He was getting claustrophobic and the fear had taken over. He was scared, he was panicking and going into shock, his breathing became hard and rapid, and his eyes stung with bitter tears. He wouldn't stop thrashing around and smashing into walls but it wouldn't let him go. He could see Jessica's horrified face but amidst the movement and tears everything blended together and his mind stopped registering what he saw.

That's when it began happening. His body snapped in half, but then was put back in place. Bone snap after snap blood splattered the walls and poured out of his mouth. The outside of the neat and smooth coffin was dripping with bile, blood, and other bodily juices. It was dark, so dark in there. The thing in his back reached further in and like an infection spread and entered inside. His legs snapped and he lost balance but the chains and thing in his back kept him upright.

It hurts! Make it stop please... Please make it stop! His wails of terror filled the room and was joined with the others in perfect harmony. His body was being picked apart and rearranged like a jigsaw puzzle. He cried, he pleaded for it to stop, but nothing could make it stop. Even when he felt his jaw dislodge the screams still rung out until his voice was hoarse. He could scream in anguish and misery all he wanted but it wouldn't help. What's happening to me?!

His mind was falling apart. The pain added on with the claustrophobia made him go into shock right then and there and it eventually became an outright seizure, but he wasn't numb, he could feel everything. He even felt it when the invader slowly glided up his spinal cord and tickled the edges of his brain. With a swift stab it reached inside and began to pull him apart there as well. It was in his head, and it was destroying him. The convulsions continued as he changed drastically. He felt things grow larger and hardening. The pain would slowly stop ebbing away at him as bones fixated themselves into new positions.

Before he knew it it was like he was the backseat driver in his own body but could still feel every little detail and sensation. It was uncomfortable being possessed, the crowding pulled on his insanity. Before he knew it a growl had escaped his lips followed by a deafening roar. He was bellowing with rage that literally shook the whole room until the hole in front of him snapped shut and sealed him off completely from the rest of the world.

* * *

Jessica was petrified, unable to move a muscle until things had gone silent. What could she do? All four of them had been taken and rather than being able to act she was stuck choosing who to save and soon lost the ability to save herself. Her hands clasped over her ears to shut out the screams, but they penetrated her defenses against her wishes.

It wasn't long until it all stopped though, the only thing connecting her to them had been closed off and the room was dead silent. So much for the room being white, the floor and coffins were splattered with mostly blood but other things as well. The smell was vile and she threw up on the spot unable to keep anything down. She only took a moment to wonder how she had thrown up when she hadn't eaten anything but moved on to a new thought quickly.

The circular room didn't stay closed off, a doorway had soon appeared on one of the walls showing a hallway beyond. None of this made sense, why would the others just suddenly be attacked? Were they dead? The rules stated that there were no dangers though!

Other than them of course.

The thought crossed her mind involuntarily. She held the Master Key, so she had to go complete the goal. That meant the others were... No don't think about it! I have to save Kid! She needs me. Jessica tried her best to increase her resolve and immediately headed down the hallway that opened up hoping with all her heart her friends were okay.

The hallway was completely bare and the same white stone as before, and after about 20 seconds of walking she had hit a fork in the road. More precisely, there were three ways she could go, but something about the darkened path straight ahead of her narrowed down her options to two, that being left and right. The walls were no longer bare, much to her dismay actually, because now they were cluttered with obscure and strange signs trying to give her directions. Probably best to ignore the ones pointing up and down.

Some of the signs were crudely carven, others were normal street signs ripped to shreds in order to resemble arrows. She noticed they were all rather unique, like there was an wrought iron arrow with hundreds of spirals the sprang out of it's dizzying design, an arrow made of shattered glass with love words written in lipstick on it's pieces, a cluster of them all pointing one direction with designs etched into each of them resembling crowds of people all with disturbingly wide smiles, and even a pair of headphones shredding and hung in the same shape as the other but had sparks of electricity still dancing through it's form.

The right and left paths seemed no different than this hallway while straight ahead it seemed to end in pitch black darkness. Not wanting to waste a moment she darted off to the right and soon realized she had just passed some kind of card slot in the wall. She was still holding the key card hard and it had left an impression on her hand that ached a bit. She knew what to do, but wasn't sure whether she should or not. Based off of what the sign said it would activate a "trap" which sounded like something that could only end badly. Perhaps though she could simply deactivate it by putting the card in again? What if the trap killed her the second it was turned on though? She was hesitating, she didn't have time for this! Somehow just running around didn't seem like it would bear any fruit though, and she wanted to feel like something was happening.

She wasn't exactly on the clock but something could happen at any moment, she had to know what was at her disposal. Cautiously she inserted the card into the slot, anxious to see the result. Further down the hall she was heading down a grid of easily seen holes opened up on the ground. If she had to take a gander as to what they were, she'd say spikes would shoot up out of the holes. "That's... absolutely retarded. Who would fall for this? It's an obvious trap." She was talking to herself but didn't care. Placing the card back into the slot she found that her guess was correct, the trap deactivated.

So with that she proceeded onward and found another three way split. If she didn't know any better this entire place was organized in straight lines like a grid, which meant that there was a point on the grid indicating the location of Kid. She was hoping that maybe deciphering the signs would show her how to get to this point, but they were all so jumbled and confusing that it was no use.

However, once again one of the directional choices held a hallway unlike the others. The one to right more precisely, and it was rather intriguing the change the white hall had undergone. It was overgrown with various trees and bushy vegetation. All the walls seemed to be fuzzy with grass or something like it, and absolutely everything seemed to have the occasional black mark across its surface.

To be truthful, she had a good idea of what this hallway was here for, and for a moment paused to consider it. Against her better judgment, she decided on going right down the green path. It was better than more blank walls at least, but she couldn't see any card slots like this though unfortunately. Going down the hallway it didn't take long for her to lose herself gazing at the various growing plants and patterns all around her. It was so serene, so calming, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. This was peace, she finally felt a moment of peace and in a place like this, but that wasn't all. She had this strange feeling overtake her, filling her up until it spilled over out of her. She felt somehow strong, somehow safe, she didn't understand the feeling but she recognized it from somewhere. Yes, she knew it all too well.

A memory flashed through her mind and became vivid and real. She was with Ryan and they were close, all too close, but it seemed so right. She didn't know what it was, but this wasn't the same thing as love. Did she love him? Maybe, but that wasn't what she was feeling, this wasn't some fuzzy feeling, but then again he was so fuzzy, his fur so soft. She was on his chest and could tell he was trying not to bother her with his breathing, but every rise and fall of his chest had become something she would lean closer just to enjoy. She had been crying but the tears were quickly dried within his warm embrace. This wasn't love, but it was more than intimate. It was friendship, concern, a deep caring, a deeper love, and the deepest expression.

She hardly knew him, he was just some guy, but these weren't just some tears. She was deeply hurt and was sorrowfully reminded of her of her past every second, but suddenly, with a look of annoyance, he had brought her close without even bothering to put his shirt back on. "Dummy... I can't stand when a girl cries." His warmth diffused into her, his strength became hers. Through the biggest of pains she was gaining the greatest of gifts. "I get it I get it, something bad happened just stop looking at me like that. It'll get better okay?" She learned a crucial lesson then, that only through the deepest of pits can one learn how to fly. She had to grow stronger, she had to persevere.

He would bring her even closely and wrap his tail around her where the tip would soak up the tears. "I know it must be hard and life sucks but... have you ever thought that maybe it's worth it?" She continued on down the hallway still lost in thought, but something came into view even though she couldn't focus enough to sense it. "Tell you what, you look like you're a good person, but hell if I should know right? So this is where I gamble." Ahead of her was a great beast, a monster indeed. It was hulking and massive, stood on all fours and towered above her. "I'll be your friend, and vice versa. So when those jerks come around again I'll beat them up!" From its back grew many a beautiful flower, and the roots of so many trees devoured its back and reached into every pore. It had a fierce and fiery appearance, yet also blended into the peaceful background like it was nature itself.

"When I'm around..." She'd recognize that green fur anywhere, no matter how grossly enlarged and feral the form became. "...I'll protect you..." It's tail was pretty much the longest branch on earth, one she had so come to love. "I'll even cook for you! I'm not that great yet, but I'm learning..." There was no doubt in her mind now. "So how about it?"

This monster was Ryan.

"Wanna take a risk?"

She had remembered the day they first met...