Don and his group had been walking down a road surrounded by empty lands for a while now. They had exited a town area a few miles back, and the night was drawing in. Some members felt like it would be best to go back and take shelter, but Don told them that there was no need. They didn't understand why.
"Don, are you sure?" April asked, looking up at him and Don nodded. He decided to lift his hand and point with his finger towards something off in the distance. Said object was slowly showing up in the distance as they continued to move towards it. "That is our new home," Don said. Everyone would squint their eyes to try and make out what was there.
As they drew closer, they saw a large building made out of concrete. Around the building was fencing with barbwire on the top to keep people from climbing over. The fence wasn't some cheap chain-linked fence either. Instead, it looked reinforced to make it so the fence wouldn't topple over from any extreme force applied to it. That was when someone said something, "A prison...."
Everyone looked to Boss than to Don, who had a smirk across his face. "You can't be serious..." Tyrone complained. "I am. This is better than anything else out there. There is plenty of room. It has its own generator, or well several, and it has its own water system. Not to mention we can renovate the area and even grow our own crops, much like at our previous home. Besides..." Don would pause to motion towards the surrounding area.
"There is nothing surrounding it. Just empty fields." Don said. It was true. No trees, buildings, or anything else. The fields were empty aside from the overgrowth due to a lack of maintenance in the area. "Later on, we can expand our home if need be." Don would speak again. Everyone was silent. They didn't know what to say. Don was truly looking into the future of things. They couldn't argue with him either. The prison didn't look small, and everyone knew how fairly large a prison was. There were watchtowers and many rooms. Everyone could have their own room, which meant everyone could have their own privacy. Even Noah was thinking of ways to renovate the cells. Make them into proper rooms, but he would need to look at the interior before all that.
There was a problem, though. As they drew closer, they could see oversized flies, mosquitos, and undead. Thankfully, these bugs and undead were normal. They didn't know if they could deal with any more abnormalities. Don gave them the order to clean out the place. He wasn't worried about this group because he knew how strong they were. Don told everyone to split into groups of three, except two people aside from him and April.
Jake, John, and Josh were one group.
Dillian, Ryan, and Sussan a second group.
Alice, Sarah, and Rose decided to be the third group.
Catalina, Juan, and Sofia were the fourth group.
Natalie, Noah, and Tyrone were the fifth group.
Jen, Boss, and Rebecca were the sixth group.
Ion and Jessica were the seventh group.
Lastly, Don and April were the last group.
To make things easier, Don gave everyone a squad name.
Jake, John, and Josh were known as the Three Js Squad.
Dillian, Ryan, and Sussan were known as the Brave Hearts Squad.
Alice, Sarah, and Rose would be known as the Queen's Squad.
Catalina, Juan, and Sofia were known as the Lucky Clovers Squad.
Natalie, Noah, and Tyrone were known as the Sly Spades Squad.
Jen, Boss, and Rebecca were known as the King's Squad
Ion and Jessica were known as the Raw Diamond's Squad.
Lastly, Don and April were known as the Ace Squad.
Jake, John, and Josh, the Three Js Squad, decided to clear out what was around the prison. They took half of the prison perimeter. Josh planted landmines in various areas, and Jake drew the attention of undead and bugs by calling them names and whatnot. It wasn't like the bugs and undead understood what he was saying, but it was more, so they just saw a juicy meal and followed after it. As for John, he would use his Seed Power on anything that came too close to them. An explosion caused Don to smirk. He knew who it was since multiple explosions went off right after that. The noise alerted the many bugs and undead that someone was there, but it didn't matter.
Dillian, Ryan, and Sussan, the Brave Hearts Squad, decided to take the outside as well. The perimeter was rather large, so they knew that Jake, John, and Josh wouldn't be able to do everything themselves. Dillian decided it wouldn't be a good idea to manipulate the earth around them. Instead, he opt for just shooting the undead in the head. On the other hand, Ryan would blast any bugs and undead with his Seed Power: Hydro Blast. The water pressure was enough to tear them apart. Meanwhile, Sussan found out that she could bestow flames to her weapon, giving it a fire attribute. She had a double-edged sword that Noah had created. The blade didn't look like anything exquisite, but it was extremely sharp, and the flames that light the blade up made it seem like some kind of magic sword. Sussan would cut down any undead and bugs that were close to her. The flames searing the flesh, causing even more damage to her enemies. Although the bugs could feel the pain, the undead didn't. She just chopped their heads off, and the flames made it easier to do such.
With the outside being taken care of, Alice, Sarah, and Rose, the Queen's Squad decided to clear out the prison's courtyard. Alice and Sarah still had yet to unlock their Seed Power, but thanks to Don, they could use a sniper rifle. Even Rose had trained them when Don was away. Rose would protect them while they took out any undead and bugs they could. Their skills were good. They made every shot count, but they couldn't keep up with the hostiles coming in. Rose would cut down any undead and bugs that got too close, so they didn't have to worry too much. If her blade wasn't able to reach, she used her Wind Seed Power. Their goal was to clear out the watchtowers, but the courtyard was on the way, so; they decided to do some spring cleaning.
Juan, Catalina, and Sofia, the Lucky Covers Squad, would support the Queen's Squad. However, they didn't want to put Sofia into any unnecessary danger. So they decided to just support the other squads. For now, they supported Alice, Sarah, and Rose. Catalina would enhance Rose's Seed Power, and Juan would create wind walls when any bugs decided to spew out ranged attacks or got too close to attack girls. Meanwhile, Sofia was just cheering everyone on, which seemed to boost their morale and keep them calm the entire time.
Natalie, Noah, and Tyrone, the Sly Spades Squad decided to also infiltrate the courtyard. Still, their end goal was to get into the prison. Noah wanted to find the generator room and the control center so he could begin setting the place up. Noah had a spike ended staff in hand and began taking out the undead in the way; meanwhile, Tyrone managed to turn the mosquitos on the flies. The mosquitos started attacking the flies, and the flies started to attack back. So, as to not break command, they let the Queen's Squad kill the bugs. The girls made sure not to hit any of their allies. Natalie would make sure to stay close to Noah and Tyrone. She went along because she wanted to check out the medical area in the prison.
Jen, Boss, and Rebecca, the King's Squad, decided to also take the courtyard. They were just going to clean out the inside of the prison. Their main goal was to make the place habitable; alongside them was the Rough Diamond's Squad: Ion and Jessica. The inside was sure to be rather large, so they decided to work together. Boss had his personal brass knuckles and Seed Power; that he used on the undead; meanwhile, Jen had a pair of steel spiked knuckles that Noah had created for her. She fought alongside Boss, and the two of them massacred the Undead; meanwhile, Rebecca and Jessica took care of the flying bugs. Jessica would toss fireballs at them; meanwhile, Rebecca blew them to pieces with her shotgun. As for Ion, well, he didn't know what to do. So he just decided to do his own thing and kill undead and bugs in a different area. Although, he made sure to stay close to the others.
This left Don and April, the Ace Squad. They remained outside of the prison. Don was standing at the entry with his back facing towards the prison. He was looking out over the field; meanwhile, April was bouncing on her heels with a smile on her face. "You had some cheesy names for all of the squads; then again, you always liked playing cards. So, I can't say I didn't expect it." April said with a soft giggle.
"Of course. Though, the Squad Names fit them to perfection. Don't you think?" Don asked with a smirk across his face. "Well, the Three Js Squad seems fitting but funny at the same time. I get the others a bit, but why did you name Rose, Sarah, and Alice's Squad the Queen's Squad?" April asked since she couldn't quite understand it. Ryan, Dillian, and Sussan's squad were named the Brave Hearts Squad because they were brave and had heart. She noticed it over the past two months; ever since that day, they boldly claimed they would put their all forward, and they had. They still were even to this day. Meanwhile, Catalina, Juan, and Sofia were called the Lucky Covers. She had her thoughts on it. Their family was lucky to meet Don and even more so lucky to survive this entire time.
April wouldn't deny them credit for all their hard work, but even still, Luck had to play a major factor in all of it. Up next was the Sly Spades Squad, Natalie, Tyrone, and Noah. It fits them perfectly; Life, Mystery, and Creation. As for the Raw Diamonds, well, April could easily guess. It was because they were rough and filled with raw power, but they were valuable like that of a diamond. Still, the King's and Queen's squad was a mystery to her.
Don chuckled lightly, "It's because they are our guards. I am the King, and you are the Queen. Which makes us the Ace Squad. Alice and Sarah may seem weak now, but their Seed Power and resolve will make them a force to be reckoned with. Rose is already a force of her own, and the others are just as strong." Don explained. April knew that Don had recollections of his past lives, but even still, she wondered just how powerful everyone was. If they were truly that strong, then why did they all die?
"Well, aside from that, why are we just standing here?" April asked. It had donned on her since they were just looking out at the empty land. "Because something is coming. Just because the fields are empty and nothing surrounds us doesn't mean there isn't anything below us." Don explained. April's brow rose, "A worm?" She asked. It was the only thing that came to mind, and Don shook his head. "The Phantoms," Don said, and just as he did, a pure white ghastly figure rose from the ground as if it were phasing through it. Its arms and hands were bones; most of the bone was covered by some kind of tattered ghastly robe. Of course, the head was a skull; the entire thing looked creepy. It made sense to call it a ghost.
"Phantoms?" April inquired shortly before one made its appearance. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn't just seeing things. This thing looked like a ghost. Don would bring his hand outward, and his eyes flared black, then the space around the ghastly being began to distort, twist, and turn before exploding. It wasn't like what he did with the Molten Spider. With the Molten Spider, he caused a black hole effect, which was why the Molten Spider imploded. This was more like what he did with Mark. He manipulated the space around the ghastly being, which caused it to morph and bend until its body expunged as if it had been exorcised or something.
"They are beings that most would call Ghosts. They usually keep to the sewers and underground. Most assume it is because they enjoy the dark space; however, it is because the ground above is filled with too much noise. Bugs and Undead are generally above ground, and the sound they make bounces off the buildings. The Ghosts hate it, but they will come out in a place like this with little to no sound. Don't touch them, though, or you will die." Don explained. April gulped heavily at the last remark. "Then... I'll just shot them," April said, but before she could, Don told her not to.
"No, it would be pointless. The only other way to kill them is to burn them. I can kill them with my Spatial Distortion because I can manipulate the space around them and ultimately destroy their core. Fire is the only other way to destroy the core. They are immune to water and ice, and wind will just faze through them. Physical attacks do nothing either." Don explained to April. "Then I'll just stay near you." April would move closer to Don, pressing herself against him from behind and holding onto him. Don just smiled softly at her action.
"I'll clean them up quickly," Don said since more Phantoms were rising from the ground beneath them. It looked like an army of them, and Don used his other arm to manipulate the space around them. He was taking them out as they were hovering towards him. He wasn't surrounded, though. The Phantoms stayed away from the prison.
Truth be told, Don didn't know why they were attracted to the prison. In all of his runs, they rose from the ground and would end up killing a few of his people. Sussan and Jessica could deal with them, but no one else other than himself could. This was when he found out that he could exorcise them with his Spatial Distortion; however, what he found weird was that most of the Phantoms came after him in all of his runs.
Even now, they were coming after him. They ignored the others and the prison as a whole. He wanted to test his theory, seeing if it was the prison or him. Which was why he stayed outside rather than enter the prison, and now his deduction gave a conclusion. The Phantoms were after him; however, now he needed to know why.
As he was taking them out, he was starting to theorize why. There were a few possibilities. First, the Rewind. Due to his rewind, he may have created a small paradox that altered the Phantom's reactions. This one was the most viable because it happened during his second run and continued to happen after that during each run. As for why they wanted him, he could only assume it had something to do with his wish. The second was the actual Paradox. This one wasn't as viable since it didn't make much sense. The Paradox was created after his death and when he came back. Everything changed, and things were happening sooner than they should have. The Phantoms were moving before the Paradox had even happened, so this one didn't make much sense.
Finally, the last reason; the Boy. Perhaps the boy was sending these things after him. Maybe as a test. It only happened after the first run. He had met with the boy, and maybe the boy was just trying to test him or something. This one went alongside his first theory, and this was why he felt this one could also be viable. Still, this didn't really explain what the Phantoms wanted with him. Sure the boy could have been sending them, but they still had a will of their own, right? Couldn't they just go after something else?
Also, what if the boy wasn't controlling them? Then they were just coming after him of their own volition, which meant something about him, in particular, drew them in. That was when Don realized something. It was the most important thing, and he had completely forgotten about it. It never occurred to him. The reason why they would be after it.
It was because.....