...

...well, that's about as close to blushing as I've ever gotten.

Thank you for the kind words, people :D I'm very, very, very glad that you're both enjoying this so much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~

UPDATE:

Next chapter will be done and posted by tomorrow. Today...they studying for the end-of-the-year exams begins. I'll barely have enough time to get out of the house and stretch my legs as it is, let alone sit peacfully in front of my monitor and think up a new chapter.

At 6/8/07 04:12 AM, LinkSilvermane wrote:
Next chapter will be done and posted by tomorrow. Today...they studying for the end-of-the-year exams begins. I'll barely have enough time to get out of the house and stretch my legs as it is, let alone sit peacfully in front of my monitor and think up a new chapter.

Exams are more important dear, take it a bit easy :) Or spend the time just pencil planning the next chapter and the few after that, nothing too heavy but help you know where you're going. I don't want you failing exams on the back of Zombies!

I would have thought this story was about zombies..

I always seem to find these BBS stories late, though at least this time I only had three pages to read through- thanks Gagsy for pointing me in this direction :)

Awesome story, up there with the best I have read on here, and it certainly leaves you wanting more each time. Great blend of humour and violence, always a good sign if you can pull that off. I like the little diary extracts at the start, but I feel it fails to grab the reader that quickly at the start of each chapter. The beginning is the most important part if you want people to keep reading, and although there are a few people around here that will go on reading regardless, there are many with the attention span of a goldfish on these forums.

I also love the little touches of knowledge you have of Italy and the language, it just adds an extra layer of professionalism to it.

Don't burn yourself out, and don't worry about exams/life getting in the way. I've dabbled in writing on these forums myself (all be it in the C&C forum), and I know how easy it is to feel pressured to keep writing- it seems you've got a fair group hooked, so keep them waiting if you have to, it'll only add to the anticipation.

I'm looking forward to the next part, if you have a little list of people you are contacting when you post new parts then please add me to it :).

Sorry folks, (and by "folks" I mean the few kind people who have been following this story up 'till now), but it seems I won't be able to get that chapter done by today after all :( the history crap that I've been studying today has been quite trying.

However, rest assured that I'll do my level best to finish it off by tomorrow. And it should be a fairly informative chapter, so hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

:'(
but good luck with studying n'stuff!

First the comments, then the next chapter :)

Sarai: Don't you worry, Zombies won't be stopping me from getting a passing grade ;) truth be told, I'm not all that concerned about doing particularly well in these exams...I just want to get out of High School and into University, that's all. And by that I mean that I won't have to study all that much, in the end.

iateamexican: ...well, you would have though right, apparently. Congrats?

Sentio: So people are actually pointing other people "in this direction"? Sweet :D

First of all, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.

Second of all...I understand what you mean about the trouble with the little Diary sequences that I've written down for the start of each chapter...the ordinary Bbs reader, as you say, might not find them particularly interesting. However, the thing is that the way I've mapped out the main storyline, people are going to need those introductory notes in order to understand some key facts and events that will be narrated further on in the story. The kind of things people wouldn't be able to understand just by reading the "normal" section of each chapter.

As I said, I'm happy you're enjoying all this, anyhow, and I'll be sure to send you a pm with each new chapter :)

Xtesh: Yes, the story has zombies in it...but, sadly, no ninjas :( that was just Link jerking around a wee bit to ease the tension. Sorry he mislead you.

Next chapter! :D A bit shorter than the rest, unfortunately, but that's because it only concerns a meeting between a few of the main characters...which means, there won't be much action involved.

And in this one, for the sake of experimentation, there won't be any introduction of any sort either. In other words, no pages from anyone's Diary. We'll see how it looks :p

----------------------------------------

Chapter Four: The Joy of Education (part two)

(part one)

The slim, elegantly bespectacled woman walked towards the four panicked students, keeping her hands well in front of her and palms turned towards them, in a placating sort of gesture. She didn't seem to have anything up the stylish sleeves of her black leather jacket...or at least, that was what she was attempting to show the kids she'd just saved.

"Really now, I don't mean you guys any harm. When I came out from that janitor's closet over there and saw what was happening, I knew full well that these two lugs..." (she glanced at the two torn, lifeless carcasses on the ground) "...were basically already dead, and that you guys..." (she looked each member of the group in the eye, in another attempt to soothe them with her straight-forwardness and sincerity) "...definitely weren't. And thanks to me, all modesty aside...you still are."

She smiled encouragingly. A joke, to calm down the nerves of the four youngsters, who'd only just been saved from a very nasty demise.

Tigerkitty and Link were the first two to ease up a bit, though for entirely different reasons; tigerkitty was simply a fairly optimistic kind of person, choosing to believe in the good in people rather than in the bad. Link, on the other hand, had ditched most of his previous panicky emotions in order to make way for a bit of a mixture between admiration for the young woman's quick reflexes and obvious skill, and...

"Yo, Trunks" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"She's hot, eh?"

"...goddamnit, Link."

Trunks and Gagsy weren't quite as taken with the mysterious lady as their two companions were, it seemed. They glanced at each other briefly, as if trying to communicate something they'd both witnessed moments earlier.

That woman had moved fast. Way too fast for any ordinary chic-chick...if what she'd said about the janitor's closet was true, then she had basically cleared a distance of approximately 20 feet in 2 seconds. Which, of course, was impossible.

And yet, not one of them had managed to get more than a glimpse of that sudden blur of motion that had apparently been her, striking their two assailants. Which, they were slowly realizing, was also impossible, given her own size and the stature of the cannibals she'd snuffed out...

Trunks opened his mouth half way, intent on voicing his doubts on the matter.

Gagsy, however, quickly squished his left foot under her right heel, stopping him in mid sentence. It was a silent message of sorts: NOT NOW.

So all Trunks said was: "I'd like to know ho-OUCH! Uhm...I mean, I think we'd all like to know who you are, ma'am. And, if it's not too much to ask, what you were doing all by yourself on the bottom floor with all these freaks around...couldn't you have ran out the front door?"

The young lady nodded her head, letting him know she'd answer all his questions.

"Of course, Trunks. My name is Sarai, and I'm a substitute teacher here at this institute."

She took a moment to look around at the room. It looked more like a war-zone than a reception area.

"...well, I was a substitute English teacher at this institute. Looks like that job's pretty much all the way down the gutter now, I suppose...though that's probably the last thing I should worry about, given the present circumstances."

She looked back at the group, and doing so she quickly noticed Trunk's puzzled stare...he seemed suspicious about something she'd said.

"Oh, and as such, I know the names of a great deal of the students that come and go through the halls of this edifice. Which is how I know who you guys are, basically."

"That makes sense" said Link. He was eyeing the new arrival with more than a bit less obvious "interest" than before...something about her being a teacher had made him snap out of his oogling pretty quick.

But, unlike him, Gagsy wasn't as easily satisfied. She wanted more answers. She looked Sarai straight in the eye, neither glaring at her nor easing up.

"You still haven't told us about why you were hiding out in a room like that,"

She pointed at the cramped little closet across the room, on the opposite side of the cafeteria.

"when you could have just bolted for the exit and gotten some help".

Sarai looked at Gagsy, and for a moment it seemed to the student that the other woman's expression was that of...annoyance. Anger, even.

But it faded away so quickly that Gagsy wondered if she'd simply imagined it on Sarai's face. Because the teacher suddenly seemed a lot more sober than she had before...sad, even.

"I...I'm not sure. I came in through the front door earlier this morning, discussing a joint-class with the teacher of Italian literature...something about the similarities between T.S. Eliot and Eugenio Montale, if I recall. Soon as we'd done talking, I hurried off for a quick bite to eat before classes."

At this point, she stopped for a moment and shuddered, ever so slightly, haunted by the horrific images that she, like the students themselves, still saw in her mind's eye.

"...I heard the first screams just before I reached the doorway. It was as if someone had set fire to the whole room...they were all just shrieking so loud...so I ran in to see what could possibly have scared them all so much, and I saw...them."

She pointed at the two corpses on the ground.

"A kid ran towards me and told me that they'd started acting funny, after eating a bit reheated sandwiches that they'd bought right there in the cafeteria. I told him wanted to know more details, but...he didn't get the chance to tell me anything else. The first infected students had already reached the door. They swarmed over that student right before my very eyes, and..."

She swallowed down hard.

(end of part one)

(part two)

"...all I remember after that is finding myself in the janitor's closet. I suppose I must have freaked out entirely and just locked myself in there, instead of running all the way to the exit."

A brief silence followed, as the group took in what the teacher had just told them.

Tigerkitty was the first to pipe up. "So...this all started from the food in the cafeteria? People were turned into bloody zombies by eating some friggin' sandwiches?!"

"Guess Italian food isn't all it's cracked up to be" whispered Link in a hushed voice, who'd gone chalk-white in the face. "I...I drank a coke that I bought down in the cafeteria, and so did Trunks. And the girls took a couple of water bottles" he said, when everyone turned towards him. He was trembling. "So that means...it means..."

"It means nothing" soothed Sarai. "You're not losing skin or anything, right? You haven't noticed any rigidness of motion, any loss of your ability to reason? 'Cause if you haven't, then that means that you won't be turning into ghoulish cannibals any time soon, trust me. The infection probably started from the sandwiches, and was spread out to the rest of the school by the first carriers...the zombie-looking ones, I mean. So if you didn't touch the sandwiches, you should be ok. At any rate, the transformation from normal human being to monstrous human-devourer is pretty damned fast from what I've witnessed, and unless you guys guzzled down those drinks about ten seconds ago..."

"Then we're gonna be fine!" breathed Trunks, immensely relieved.

"Precisely" said Sarai. "But we've got no time to lose in celebrations, unfortunately...we have to get out of here, fast. There's no telling how many infected people there may be around the place at this point...the disease just spreads too quickly for anyone to make an educated guess at how far it'll get before the authorities handle the situation."

"Right, right" said Tigerkitty. "We've got to get to the local police station and get some people back here at the school, to close this whole area off."

But Sarai shook her head. "This area, you say? I'm sorry guys, but...it's worse than that. These two students I was forced to stop weren't the only quick ones of the bunch..."

She looked towards the open doors at the exit. Only now, the others noticed that they'd been open this whole time...blood-smeared, and wide open.

"Jesus" whispered Gagsy, understanding the sheer magnitude of the problem.

"...the faster ones didn't go for the stairs, you see" Sarai continued. "...20 or so of them managed to break out, even after the principal locked the doors in order to stop the disease from spreading any further, and...they got outside."

Outside. To the city.

To Rome proper, a place with over 2 million inhabitants, most of which had been on their way to work.

"Shit" said Link, catching on.

It wasn't just about the school anymore. If the zombies had managed to reach the unsuspecting populace...if they'd managed to spread the infection beyond the institute...

...then they had a full-blown catastrophe on their hands. The entire city would become entirely enveloped in the horror, in the utter madness that they'd just witnessed.

Sarai hadn't finished speaking quite yet.

"If we're very, very lucky, someone might have seen them coming from a distance and notified the police, who may have been able to stop the infection altogether. We'll just have to go out, and see for ourselves. I'd start praying, if I were you."

A couple of them did.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

(end of part two)

Another short, sweet installment. Leaves the reader wanting more.

I have a feeling Fyndir and Jade are going to kill some zombies :O

At 6/10/07 06:00 PM, LinkSilvermane wrote:

Sentio: So people are actually pointing other people "in this direction"? Sweet :D

Well one person :).

First of all, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.

Sure am!

Second of all...I understand what you mean about the trouble with the little Diary sequences that I've written down for the start of each chapter...the ordinary Bbs reader, as you say, might not find them particularly interesting. However, the thing is that the way I've mapped out the main storyline, people are going to need those introductory notes in order to understand some key facts and events that will be narrated further on in the story. The kind of things people wouldn't be able to understand just by reading the "normal" section of each chapter.

Yeah, I realise their importance, and they're a good way of kind of narrating it and keeping it going in a direction. It was just the use of them at the start of the chapters, just slowing the story up a little and losing the interest of the casual reader. Maybe intersperse them throughout the chapter, or even at the end? It would be a good way to include a cliffhanger to end a chapter maybe.

But then what do I know, this story rocks, so certainly don't change anything because of what I am saying :). Just throwing out ideas.

Chapter Four: The Joy of Education (part two)

Awesome chapter, and setting up the story to come :). I'm a little worried that it is going down the generic zombie story route (small outbreak- city outbreak- end of the world, bar a few heroic survivers), but I'm sure you have great things in mind for where the story is going, so all is good :D.

And I love the characters- a good blend of NG users I know and don't know, but I feel like I know all of their individual personalities now (from the stories point of view anyway).

Looking forward to the next part :)

At 6/10/07 06:30 PM, Sentio wrote: And I love the characters- a good blend of NG users I know and don't know, but I feel like I know all of their individual personalities now (from the stories point of view anyway).

Haha, he kind of does have me down pretty well, in some ways. Although, like Monocrom said earlier, I probably would have used a bit stronger f-word before :P

At 6/10/07 06:29 PM, tigerkitty wrote: Another short, sweet installment. Leaves the reader wanting more.

I have to agree! This is getting juicy indeed. Love the fact that it's set in Rome. Keep up the good work, Link. :)

I have a feeling Fyndir and Jade are going to kill some zombies :O

I doubt it..... I'm thinking Jade might become a zombie meal.
Mmm..... Jade on toast! Sugary sweet! Who could resist?? :P

Ah, "les comments", as we say in French (albeit pretty crappy French :D)...cool, very cool.

- tigerkitty: Glad you liked the chapter :p and yes indeed, Fyndir and Jade will probably be doing a tad more than swearing at a T.V. screen and smashing some random household furniture :p

- Sentio: Don't worry, I won't be changing anything major about the way I write...however, as I said, the reader's criticism is well-appreciated, so it does count for something.

And you can rest assured that the story itself won't end like most 28DaysLater-ish movies and such. 'Course, I can't promise you anything incredibly original either, but like I said...it still shouldn't be too predictable.

- Monocrom: Thanks for the positive feedback, it's much appreciated :)

However, whether or not Jade will end up like she did in her own story (the "food is food" thing was deliciously nasty, I gotta say :D ) is something that I myself, to be brutally honest, haven't worked out yet.

Sometimes I come up with a cool concept, then afterwards something new and more appealing comes to mind. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.

Fast zombies eh? Well damn, now you've got me wondering on something,
which I won't say because it's only relevent to the zombies.

But yeah, still as great as when it started, and still I'll wait for it.

oh noes!
sarai is in on it!

At 6/11/07 01:17 PM, Crosses wrote: Fast zombies eh? Well damn, now you've got me wondering on something,

Headcrabs much?

Hey, good chapter. The pacing so far is right, very good. I think that if you swing out to some other characters now and have them involved in action it would be dreamy and perfect. Heh, anyway you're writing this, but you're doing it very well for now.

Something a lot of people don't get about these things (quite a few of the other story threads now) is that action shouldn't be non-stop, dialogue like this chapter and emotions and what-not is great, followed by action. Even the best sci-fi shooter games like Resident Evil have a plot of some sorts right? :)

Very well done, good spelling, grammar and dialogue / emotions.

xxx

This story is made out of pure win. l'm putting this in my links so i can get to it easily,maybe even put it it in my sig.Keep it coming link!

That was amazing and because of this story I know love you.

lmao

Seriously dude, awesome story, it looks and reads like a professional book... publish the damn thing!

:D

At 6/12/07 07:35 PM, Trunks wrote: That was amazing and because of this story I know love you.

Love is in the air, everywhere I look around.

Gee Trunks, I'm glad you're happy :D

Learn to SPELL though, lol. It's "now", not "know".

Oh, what the bloody hell do I know, I'm not exactly the most sober person in the world right now. I might be wrong.

UPDATE: Next chapter will be coming along...in the next two or three days. I apologize for the tardiness to those of you who are sincerely interested in reading the next chapter (and who aren't simply being kind and thoughtful by complimenting me on each new instalmentation-thingy that I come up with), but those exams are DAMNED close. Hell yeah, I gotta study. But fear not, I love this story, and I love the fact that some of you seem to like it, so I'll keep writing anyways.

See you guys in a bit, then.

Lots of us seem to like it :) WEll done at being populat :0

xx

At 6/14/07 04:59 PM, Sarai wrote: Lots of us seem to like it :) WEll done at being populat :0

xx

That's very kind of you :)

At any rate, I just dropped by for a moment to apologize to the "faithful" readers, for taking so long to post the next chapter.

Unfortunately, I've been taking a lot more time than I originally thought I would, in order to study all the stuff that I'll need to know for my End of the Year exams (which are a real pain in the ass, over here in Europe). I've been having less and less time to even think about the next chapter, let alone write it.

Basically, I hope that you guys will manage to be patient, because (and I hate myself for saying this) I'm not entirely sure if I'll manage to come up with the next installment any time soon, even though I'm already running late.

All I can do is promise you that I enjoy writing this story very much, and that as soon as I have a minute of spare time to relax and think a bit, I'll get right on the next chapter.

I know I'll be patient. ^_________^

Unlike that fucking knob, Themanbehindtheflash.

At 6/12/07 08:18 PM, LinkSilvermane wrote: Gee Trunks, I'm glad you're happy :D

Learn to SPELL though, lol. It's "now", not "know".

I swear that was entirely accidental... the k key is kinda near the n key, right? lol

At 6/22/07 02:14 AM, Fyndir wrote:

Relax guy!

Lol, I love Saddam. Don't think I've ever laughed quite so hard as when he said "stupid asshole" in that voice of his.

At any rate,that's what everyone 'round here is telling me. "Cool down, it's ok, who gives a damn about doing well, just get a passing grade and enjoy your friggin' Summer already" >:(

But I've been working towards this exam for 5 years! It's like, the final frontier of the Italian High-school system. I'd like to look like I've at least tried to do well, when the time comes.

Speaking of which, I've finally found out when my oral exams are...the 7th of July.

So basically, 'til the 8th or so, I will be quite busy with going over what I've managed to cram and stuff into my poor, undersized cranium this past year. Which means (as you've probably guessed) that until then, I won't be able to even look at the story thread, let alone sit down and write the next chapter.

So I apologize once again for making some of you wait for so damned long...but believe you me, I've been pining over getting back to the thread myself.

Fortunately, I've at least come up with a decent storyline, at this point. Nothing breath-takingly original, perhaps, but it's a lot better than what I was going with at the start of all this. And, as always, I hope that when you'll read it, you'll enjoy it ;)

So...see you 'round the 8th!

And wish me luck (pretty plz :( )

At 7/1/07 07:24 AM, LinkSilvermane wrote:

So...see you 'round the 8th!

And wish me luck (pretty plz :( )

Good luck! =)

Don't worry about pleasing us, just do stuff when you're happy to!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Oh. Snap.

Dude, this is one of the best stories i've read, and i've read a helluva lot of books, man.

You know, you should really consider making this into a book, it'd do really well, i'm sure.

Might even make it into a movie, perhaps.

As for reviews, i can't think of any other way to make it better!

Kudos, Link, kudos.

The 8th of July?

Hooo humm, that's a long time to wait, still as I said, I hope that your exams go well. This story is very good, but not as important as those!

At 7/1/07 02:12 PM, Sarai wrote: The 8th of July?

Hooo humm, that's a long time to wait, still as I said, I hope that your exams go well. This story is very good, but not as important as those!

That's very kind of you indeed, Sarai.

So, first of all, I apologize (for the ump-teenth time) for my incredibly prolonged absence, and for my exceeding tardiness. I can't stress how crappy I feel about not being able to get back to this thread until recently, especially to those who've been periodically checking the story (as the view-count has risen quite a bit, since the last time I was here).

All I can say is that, as I tried my level best to do well at my exams (which went pretty well :p ), I will also try to make this story (if pathetically slow in the making) an enjoyable one, from here on out.

At any rate, it's truly great to finally be free from that load of stuff that had ladened my brain cells up 'till the day before yesterday. So great, in fact, that I now feel ready for the next chapter.

As always, I hope that you'll enjoy the new installment, and that you'll be kind enough to point out each and every major fault or error that you happen to notice in my tale.

...right, so...enough dilly-dallying. On with the show ;)

Chapter Five: "-ay, there's the rub."

(part one)

"Sorry, I'd rather not waste any more time here...I've got nothing against praying, but I think we've spent quite enough time as it is, chatting away. Sure, speculating and hoping beats the hell out of shooting people's un-dead brains out and all, but I'd still rather not sit in one place for too long."

Gagsy's tone was within a hair's breadth of disrespect...hostility, even. She didn't care much for this mystery lady that had so recently plummeted in their midst, explaining little and proving less, and who believed to have complete control over the group.

Hidden in the janitor's closet? With those kind of self defense skills? She could have bashed half a wall down with the force she'd used on those ex-classmates of theirs. Not to mention the sheer speed she'd pulled it off with.

No, she didn't trust this Sarai woman. Not for an instant. And she hoped to high heaven that the others hadn't been swayed by the woman's words either...or at least, that they'd realize (as she had) that not one of them had ever even seen this substitute teacher before, much less met her and spoken with her in class.

Sarai couldn't manage to notice the edge in the young student's voice, it seemed. Or perhaps she simply didn't feel like addressing the problem at the moment, given the unprecedented crisis on their hands. At any rate, she turned towards Gagsy, and nodded her head.

"You're probably right. The faster we move outside, the quicker we find out how bad this really is. Let's move."

And with that, she turned and cleared a path to the smashed doors.

Gagsy scoffed inwardly, but followed suit nonetheless. Her own, private suspicions would have to wait. The rest of the group moved for the exit as well.

Except for Trunks.

He stared blankly above the shattered remains of the front doors of the institute, as if puzzled. His attention was apparently fixed on the enormous clock that hung there, as always, and that was apparently still functioning.

"You've got a watch, ya know. And if it takes you that long to tell the time, you should probably just make it easier on yourself and ask someone who isn't ADD positive."

Link was keen on getting as far away from the blood-smeared surroundings as possible, so the idea of waiting a while for his younger fellow student to keep up with him wasn't all that fetching to him.

But of course, Trunks wasn't concerned with what time it was at that moment.

"...what day is it today?"

Tigerkitty had also taken notice of the hold-up, and didn't seem all that much happier about it than Link (albeit not willing to be so much of a smart-ass about it).

"Not sure if it matters all that much at the moment, but...it's Saturday, I think. Why do you ask?"

Trunks frowned. "I thought so too, but..."

He pointed at the clock.

"...it says that it's Friday. Friday the 29th."

The others stopped for a moment and craned their necks to look at the date that Trunks was reading. Sure enough, they saw the same numbers and the same day of the week, right below the large Clock.

Link rolled his eyes. "Well, if we start complaining about every itty-bitty thing that's busted in the school at this point, we might as well start a camp fire and pitch a tent somewhere. Heck, even the people are fucked up, come to think of it..."

Gagsy ignored this and just looked towards Tigerkitty, who was checking her watch. She glanced up at her classmate, and nodded.

"My watch says it's Friday, too. As does my cellphone."

"Ok, ok...what? Are you hearing yourselves here, guys? We've obviously got a case of weird-ass coincidences on our hands, here. I mean, how the hell would..."

Link pulled out his own cellphone and checked the display.

"...would...uhm..."

"Well?"

"...erm...obviously, my cell phone's been screwed with as well" he muttered quietly.

"Excuse me, but weren't you kids in a hurry just a minute ago?"

Sarai had come back inside the building, after having exited from it just about when the rest of them had stopped going onwards. She glanced at their confused expressions and jerked her head towards the outside.

"I don't know what's the matter with you guys, but whatever it is, I'm pretty sure that it can wait. This is more important, trust me."

Her expression and mannerism didn't leave room for any doubt. Something had troubled her quite a bit. They put their phones and watches away and moved quickly towards the exit. They went past the cafeteria, past the smashed-up Principal's office, and into the small recreation plaza in front of the school.

Sarai (who hadn't waited up) was moving quickly towards the iron gates that lead to the main road, the "Viale Vaticano". Once she reached them, she turned and gestured to the students to join her there.

But before they could reach her, they began to gag and retch, almost simultaneously. An unholy stench had begun to fill their nostrils with it's nauseating odor, forcing them to clutch at their shirts and sweaters and cover up their noses.

"Jesus, what the hell is that?!? It smells worse than it did back in the goddamned school, for crap's sake!"

Tigerkitty, who alone seemed able to stand the horrid smell without covering her face up and losing her balance, moved forward and squinted past Sarai's shoulders, down into the ancient part of the city that lay below the winding road.

She grimaced.

"...I think I'd be surprised if it didn't, Link. I suggest you take a look."

He sped up, and did as she said.

And didn't believe his eyes. He dropped the part of his shirt that he'd been holding over his face, mouth agape, struck dumb.

Half of Rome, the Eternal City, was ablaze.

The rest of the group didn't react much differently. Trunks began to shake, as Gagsy simply closed her eyes tightly and stood still.

Tigerkitty spoke up first. "We should do something. Now. If things are as bad as they look from here, there are hundreds of thousands of people in danger at this very moment. We've got to call someone. Anyone. Now." She fumbled in her backpack for her cell phone, already trying to remember the Italian number for the police. Gagsy, still not opening her eyes, reached into her pocket and pulled out her own.

Sarai shook her head.

"I'm afraid that that wouldn't do much good. Try to think for a second, kids. Do you really think that all of Rome won't have noticed this? That an entire city of people wouldn't react to hundreds of buildings going up in flames?"

(end of part one)