7.

Holding onto a cuddly toy she has had from birth more or less, six-year-old Maxene slowly makes her way down a steep decline. She is drawn to darkened passageway, a slum like underworld beneath a roadway flyover. She moves without tumbling, without falling, as if a force is guiding her, aiding her down that decline.

A veil of darkness is not easily passed, not for all of whom who come down here. It is not easy to even arrive to such a place. Often those who do come near, accidentally or otherwise, inexplicably feel the need to get as far away from the place as possible. A lot of those who do come down here do so uninvited and most of these do feel that need to leave however from those who remain some are only then invited in or beyond the veil once they arrive while others meet a disturbing demise. There are some who come already possessing an invite.

For Maxene Ferguson, formerly Maxene Grady, she comes down here as if she knew what she were doing, as if she knows what she is doing, and she most definitely needs no invite. She is one of nine so down here she is darkness royalty no matter if she is just a child and no matter if she has yet to do anything which could be considered ... evil, well what occurred in the moments after leaving her mother, or who she had assumed is her mother, and coming to where she has come to could be considered quite dark even if she were following instruction.

Down that decline and on she moves to a rather large stone arch underneath that flyover roadway, an arch that indeed gives way to a part of town where indeed not very many everyday people ever go near and on to a tunnel like area guarded by that veil she goes. Through the veil she passes with ease, the youngest individual or entity to ever arrive to this place.

Unbeknown to her, she indeed is darkness royalty, that is in itself her invite though something else, a feeling perhaps, compelled her to come down here. How could she know to be here? Maxene is only six years old and previously had been cared for by an unrelated woman who claimed to be her mother in an effort to prevent evil from having its way with this girl. Darkness has visited with her, still it is early days in what she is and what she is meant to become.

Immediately beyond the veil and off to the left an oil drum fire crackles strong, illuminating the face of an aging man, casting his shadow up and onto the grey brick wall behind him. His cracked wrinkled face shaded with stubble, his hair grey and wild, his eyes glazed over and blankly looking the child's way, his mouth open, smiling slightly, revealing a lack of teeth and what teeth he has are rotten. He is not a creation of Darkness rather a product of what has been done to him by Darkness and the offspring of Darkness.

On she walks as if with purpose as if she has a mission to complete. So many souls down here, so many creatures ... this is not a place for the ordinary ... this is not a place for a child ... Maxene is in many ways is not someone ordinary ... and she isn't just any child. If any of the nine daughters of darkness is stronger and more powerful than the others with as far as their given gift goes then that may just be so of Maxene. However, if one were to have something more ... something extra ... then ... well.

Before any entity living down here, if living is in any way an accurate term, can even begin to consider moving towards this child someone else takes the initiative and moves quickly towards her. He who moves quickly is not someone looking to harm this little girl, if anything he wants to help her, save her for his initial reaction is that she must have come down here by accident. She must be lost, separated from family or something to that effect.

He who approaches is a boy, a young man, someone who has been down here for most of the previous four years, someone whose time here is nearing an end. Seventeen-year-old Sammy Fontaine comes to the aid of this little girl while doing all he can to ensure that she does not become anyone's slave or anyone's food, at that she could save herself if needs be though exactly who or what the child is will be something Sammy will only find out in time, still his attention is drawn to her.

When Sammy Fontaine does move on from this underground then he moves on with a child in tow still none the wiser to exactly who or what this child is, not wholly at least. Her had no intent for her to be near or to follow him, choice is such a thing is not his.

Tanya Ferguson as we know will not be coming down to the flyover underpass to look for Maxene anytime soon, there will not be a search for Maxene over the upcoming weeks and months as Tanya is in hospital at the beginning of a long road to recovery, a recovery made all the more difficult by the absence of one who had become her little one.

What Tanya had set out to do is surly in ruins now. To her there is no doubt that Maxene will survive away from her care and move on to walk down a darkened path. What Maxene is destined to become has only, will only, take a slightly different path to how it may have previously intended to play out and this path was always going to be no matter Tanya's involvement and most likely no matter Sammy's involvement too. One can always hope, and one can always try.

The visit which comes ten years on, a visit that brings Tanya Ferguson and Jason Alveron to question Jerry Grady, not only does it end in mayhem, but it also ends with a gift awaiting Jerry Grady upon his return to his living quarters. Jerry sees it straight away for it lies atop of the pillows which in turn lay upon his bed.

'No' he says quietly upon spying this gift then his voice and demeanour completely loses control. 'No ... no ... no ...'

The orderlies accompanying Jerry Grady have no idea as to what has set him off at this point in time. It has been many years since Jerry Grady has had an ... episode. He has been so calm and easy going that it is a shame at times when they are instructed to restrain him for no apparent reason. The handcuffs, the restraints, it has been a long time since they have felt necessary.

Yeah, the reason why Jerry Grady is in this place is due to the certain, or perhaps uncertain, murder of his wife Eve and for the possible murder of their daughter Maxene whose body has never been discovered. Though Maxene had paid a brief visit and had vanished. Jerry too briefly vanished only to return unconscious and unrestrained to the interview room where two guests had been waiting on him. Where he had vanished to is what has set him off once he does regain consciousness.

Jerry Grady has not killed anyone. He is positive of this no matter what he may be told and no matter what he may be shown. He too always suspected his daughter still lives, he has been told this many times and now, especially with all that has occurred on this particular day, Jerry now knows for certain that his daughter is still alive but it all could be some elaborate hoax. Someone or something is messing with his soul.

That gift which had been left for him to find, the orderlies cannot see the problem with a gift intended for Jerry, they cannot understand its significance, nor do they know how it got to be where it is and they cannot see the harm in it either as they also have no idea as to if this, or anything else, is what has set Jerry off. This gift left for him so happens to be a stuffed bunny rabbit toy, the same bunny he had once seen levitate up and out his daughter's crib.

A prepared sedative proves unnecessary for Jerry Grady passes out before the sedative can be administered. His unconsciousness in the meeting room was short lived but back in his quarters he will be out for a good ten hours.