The Hospital, Santa Alma

6:00 A.M.

August 2, 2011

I do not know where begin with the how the secret mission went. I am clearly still around. If I wasn't I do not know how I would be writing this passage. Everyone is alive. Mostly alive. Alice has become stable. Conrad wakes up every now and then. I am starting to think that knowing first aid is very important. Al and the others survived for the most part with less serious injuries and are able to walk about. Donna nearly did not make it...

Right the fallout of yesterday's work.

With guns left on the shoreline, my Western outfit tucked away, a few goodies from Alice for the journey, and brown clothing to blend in we started. The swim across the ocean to Don Tolo house, it was not that terrible. We managed get by without any major problems. I did swallow a small amount of water during the trip. But I did it. Conrad and I began to scale up the rope Al laid ahead of us. We ran smoothly for the most part. Knocked out a few vampires and humans. Almost got caught a couple of time. Found a hidden room with information Alice wanted about government files. Just plain lucky.

The problem came for my friends, who were attending Don Tolo's party in the house. Al, Conrad, and I were making our way back down out of the mansion. We heard a struggle coming from beyond the kitchen doors. Conrad paused and peered pass the door to see the beginning of a gunfight. Now, journal, keep in mind. My guns were back on the shoreline. I had not the time to receive them for this battle.

Between all the confusion, I saw passed Conrad and there were my friends under fire and poisoned. Not skipping a beat we joined the fight to save my friends. Al had disappeared behind us. He had gone another way up stairs to help with the gun fight. I knew we were screwed. I kept myself fast and managed to steal a gun from a dead vampire. I am sorry if I cannot keep track of how my friends managed their fight. I can only let you know Don Tolo was not who he was pretending to be and he disappeared after Matt stabbed him with a knife.

A massive fire broke out in the house. It was increasingly unable. We all had to escape by the route of hidden bay area and boat. By the time all that had happened, I can conclude the following: Donna was poisoned by a jerk named Malic. Malic was now a hostage. Jenna was ill from the same poison. Matt was very pissed off. Andy had burns on his right arm. Conrad was a great shot during the fight. Alice was in need of help, because Don Tolo was plotting to kill her. Did I mention that half of the bay was catching fire from the mansion? Fire in the city.

A quick, very quick pit stop to pick up forgotten items on the shore. Then a rush over to where Alice was supposed to be meeting with a friend of her, Toby. They were supposed to be checking out Don Tolo's warehouses for illegal goods. The jerk, Malic, kept smugly smiling at himself. I wanted to shot him for harming Donna. But she insisted we need him for information.

When we got to the shore again, we had to fight pass some minor goons. There at last inside of the warehouse, we called for Alice. She was not to be seen in the darkness of the place. But her weak voice was heard from beyond the doorway. Now Matt spotted a creature in the darkness. He hissed, "A Boogie Man ..."

What was a Boogie Man? How can I put this for you to understand? A creature which cannot stand the light. A huge shadowy being with sharp claws and pointy teeth. It had the strength of twenty werewolves or more. It was a heavy creature too. It would make the floor tremble very time it moved. But it was fast as the wind!

A flare from my bag managed to weaken it a little. We had to distract the creature to get to help Alice. Her stomach had been sliced open. She needed help right away. The fight went rather quickly. Despite the fact, I felt it was forever. Conrad had been fighting furiously alongside my friends. That was until the heavy creature fell. Jenna and I jumped out of the way, but Conrad had been trapped. I wasted no time in struggling to pull it off. Eventually, Jenna and Andy joined me and I pulled Conrad out. He wasn't breathing. In all my life, I have never rushed to perform first aid no quickly. I knew I couldn't fix broken ribs. But I had to make him live. I performed CPR. (If you are wondering when did a goblin from a village in the desert live that. I had lots of time to learn when I endlessly feared for the death of my friends. I bought a book on human first aid.)

I got him to live. He was nowhere near ready to fight again. But Conrad was alive. Donna was the one who called in the distress call to the Kobolds. A van of medics showed up and help us transport Alice and Conrad back to the hospital. (Matt managed to keep Alice steady, until I went to go help and the medics showed up.) Now I sit beside Conrad's bed. I am tired. I am very tired. I am not going back to the warehouse today. I am staying here with Conrad.

-Sin

P.S. Malic escaped in all of the chaos.

Alice's Warehouse, Santa Alma

9:29 P.M.

August 3, 2011

What did I just witness? I cannot believe what I saw. Poor Matt. Poor Top Hat. An innocent child's family killed. Why? Why would someone do something like that? Furthermore, why make him a vampire? Matt's family... I ... I am sorry, so very sorry... And Top Hat role . . . He did not know what he had been signed up for in his work. He was just going about government work. He knew not the children were going to be there. And then the effects that were done to Top Hat's mind. Someone used magic on it. Messed with. I ... I feel very sick.

I never want to go near the magic Matt performed. I never want to be taken in the mind of someone else again. It was strange and sickening. I do not want to hear the words, "My mind is a fortress." Again. Ever!

I never even want to think about what I just saw or witnessed. Pardon me, journal. I need to get some air.

11:00 P.M.

Some cheerful news. Conrad with some bed rest, now he refuses to continue to stay in the hospital. He came back with me to the warehouse. I had visited him before sunset. He remains in stable condition. I only wished he not stayed in the hospital longer.

-Sin

Taco Shack and Brothel, Santa Alma

10:00 P.M.

August 4, 2011

Before the board meeting here starts, I am going to try and sum up the day as best as I can. Last night, besides the awful trip to meet Top Hat, Conrad had noted the full moon was coming too early. Normally, I would go well that is no big deal. But with Conrad, the moon has always been a big deal. You recall he fears werewolves. So I had to take him very, very seriously. My friend Andy is a werewolf. If we allowed too much time to pass we would be screwed.

From our outing with Top Hat, we know there is something called an atomic bomb hidden in the city. Furthermore, someone was plotting to kill off the vampires, goblins, and werewolves. They were only planning for humans to survive. How? Why? I will get back to that in a moment.

Alice finally out of critical care called us back to her service. She wanted us to work with a goblin named Nitch. You remember Nitch, right? I mentioned him back at the Velvet Fist. Nitch knew where these guys, who wanted us to be blown to the Creators, were hiding. Donna and Andy had to blow off their gag to play against Meyer's band. It had a name. It was I think Shock a puss. They were going to play their crappy music everywhere now on the radio.

Nitch knew something we did not. One: about a goblin city under Santa Alma that related to Silkie's disappearance and Matt's unfortunate death of his family. Two: he knew secrets about the Baba Gaga, which he might reveal to us in the future. Three: how to sneak pass people or talk his way out of anything.

Yes, Nitch lead us to that goblin city. That old goblin city underground with writing on the walls I could not read. It remained me of Elder Mike's pueblo. I walked with my friends. Donna with Nitch in the front. Al, Andy, and Jenna toward the back. Matt, Conrad, and I walking in the middle. Our flashlights, lighters, and other light sources brightening up the darkness. Then we reached the city...

The city in ruins was a chilling sight. I saw bones of other goblins. I could make out the remains of young children. I darted my eyes about the area. Nitch pressed on inside of a house. It was once his old place he said. I could only mutter, "I am sorry for your lost."

"It is no biggie nowadays," Nitch answered unconcernedly.

I went back to being quiet. I waited in the dim light of my lighter. Conrad moved about in the darkness. My thoughts. My thoughts I tried to control so badly. I did not want to think about what happened here. I did not want to talk about the Dust Eaters. I never wanted to speak about that night. The twelve graves. Not eleven. I ... I ... I covered my face. I could not weep at the moment. Al had spoken up, "There are tracks here. A large truck has been here recently. Hey there is something else."

That something else. Between swallowing my tears and not panicking, I went over to Al with the others coming too. There was a lab inside of a hidden metal door. Inside was a place where the lights still turned on. I saw cages. Cages with remains of goblins, werewolves, and I thought dead vampires. The artificial lights flickered.

Matt had explored the room. He found a type that explained the purpose of the lab. The humans, the ones who ran the human government, had been trying to kill werewolves, goblins, and vampires. They wanted us dead! The only wanted the humans around! They planned to drive everyone mad with sound waves. (What are sound waves? Why is the moon changing so quickly?) I understood the results of the testing when I went to the cages. The remains made my stomach turn. I tried to save the vampires who lived. But Matt pointed out they were too far gone. It was best to kill them he said. Matt did just that. Killed them dead.

As for the riots ... The Under the Bed Riots had started with a breach of information by these people. They had a leak which caused out whole mess. I wanted to shout at these people! These humans! But by some spark of thought from Donna, Al, and Matt we had to disable the radio tower and take down Papa Pollo.

They are starting to call on us for the board meeting! Here is the short version of the long adventure. We disabled the radio tower. Nearly got killed. Radio in for a taxi to the radio station. We got picked up by a dead guy. Nearly got killed by fires throughout the city, Boogie Man attacks, and normal crazed goons of Papa Pollo. We fought our way up to the top of the tower. Nearly got killed. Stopped some ancient rite to bring the full moon. Enter the radio station control center.

Papa Pollo was actually the president of the United States of America. I think that is important. Papa Pollo had a stare down with Matt and he did his mind magic. I did not go. I stood firmly in this reality. The man had a remote control with the power to blow up an atomic boom. I kept my gun steady. Matt killed Papa Pollo through his mental magic and then shot his head.

Okay the board meeting with Rasputin is starting. I have to go.

-Sin

Taco Shack and Brothel, Santa Alma

4:45 A.M.

August 6, 2011

I had a job offer from Rasputin, but I refused. I am starting to think those goblins from the rally were right. I do not trust this Russian. I do not trust him one bit. However, Conrad thought it was a great idea to join him. He now works for Rasputin and nearly all of my friends do. But Matt he refused to work for Rasputin, too.

When the party was in full swing, Conrad hugged me. He told me everything was going to be all right. I answered I refused to become a servant of Rasputin. However, wherever Conrad goes I would follow him. I promised. I promised this time I would keep him safe. No one is going to harm Conrad!

The party went as to be expected of a group of people who nearly died trying to save the city. Andy and Donna played a rocking gag here in Rasputin's. Matt sat quietly in a corner with Jenna cheering on the stage. Al the fishman took up several rounds of beer from a very happy barkeeper. The barkeeper just kept the drinks coming. I had a few drink. After a while, I took Conrad aside... Well, you can get the idea, journal.

-Sin