Okay, so here is the prologue to my new story, Body Shock. A word of warning: it's a bit slow, but I promise it'll get better in the next chapter. This is just me setting things up. Please stick with it! Also, it gets very confusing. Veeeeeery confusing. I present to you my (first!) multiple chapter story... Body Shock! I think it will be dedicated to the lovely miss-midget, who has returned to Fanfiction in a blaze of glory. She's totally awesome.

Before I forget, I have no idea when it is set. Let's say that in Hunger, Drake attempted to kill Diana, didn't do a great job and got punished by Caine BUT NOT KILLED. Caine, Drake and Diana are still the Coates Trio, and not enemies. Panda is also alive, because I like him and couldn't be bothered to work out a time scale. xD Oh, and Lana wasn't called by the Darkness because the author hates Lana and because it only called to it kids who had attacking powers.

This is only half serious. Next chapter is going to be slightly crazy.

Now... ONWARDS!

Little Pete's fingers stabbed at the Game Boy, but his efforts were fruitless. Nestor had planned everything out long ago; it had hatched its revenge deep beneath the surface of the earth and coaxed it to life like the hatching of a grotesque, demonic baby. Pete continued to play his game, never taking his eyes off the screen. He took a step forwards.

And another.

Little Pete travelled with his head down, neither aware of the fact he was moving nor the reason why he had begun to walk. The Gaiaphage had him, and he was like a fish being reeled in on the end of a fishing rod. Its efforts would be fulfilled.

With a little help, the Gaiaphage would kill Nemesis.

Caine sat silently in his office with Drake and Diana, pouring over an old map of Perdido Beach. He had been ranting for hours, concocting a dozen plans in the process, and was looking for the best place to attack the small town. Not that he thought that idea would work; but it just felt good to have that kind of knowledge. Diana was daydreaming in her chair, biting her thumbnail in a very Caine-like gesture. Drake's head was folded into his arms, and it was unclear as to whether he was still awake. There was no sound, other than the breathing of the Coates trio and the tick of the clock, sounding like a mechanical heart.

Come…

Come to me…

Caine jumped and Drake's head sprang from the cradle he had made out of his arms. It couldn't be…

"What?" asked Diana, glancing between the two of them. "What is it?"

Neither answered; both boys were straining their ears in an attempt to catch a whisper of the voice.

Diana pinched Caine lightly on the arm. "What?"

He spoke to her out of the corner of his mouth almost absentmindedly, still listening out. "I heard it. It's back."

No-one had to explain what 'it' was.

Diana blinked in surprise. "That's impossible. You said –"

Come to me.

Caine could feel its influence tugging at him, attempting to drag him to the mine shaft, to the underground cavern in which he'd writhed in agony for days…

"Someone get Panda. We're going for a drive."

"Sam?"

Sam woke up groggily, unable to remember where he was. Head spinning, stomach hollow. He was a mess.

"Sam?"

Astrid's face swam into view, and even half asleep Sam could tell something was wrong. Astrid's face was pale in the moonlight, and he could see tear tracks on her cheeks as clearly as if they'd been scars. He held down the fear that had threatened to rise up in him, curling it into a tight ball.

"What is it, Astrid?"

"It's Petey."

Sam felt his stomach drop. When it came to Little Pete, the news was hardly ever good.

"He's missing."

Orc was drunk. He staggered past the day care, mumbling to himself about cupcakes. He liked cupcakes. Cupcakes were good. Not like him.

"I am not a cupcake," he informed a nearby lamppost. It didn't answer.

He wished he could be good. Be kind and nice – not that many people were in the FAYZ.

He looked down at his arms and sighed. They were coated in that disgusting gravel. What he would give to feel soft skin, which he'd once foolishly taken for granted. He'd never take his body for granted again.

An idea blossomed in the darkness like a nocturnal flower. He'd go back to the sight where it had happened. Where the coyotes had ambushed him and… he'd changed. He lumbered away, to where he hoped the town ended.

Sam and Astrid had left a note for Edilio on the side, explaining where they'd gone and why. The two of them had talked it over in low voices, eventually deciding to leave Edilio and anyone who might aid their search in Perdido Beach. If Zil and the Human Crew heard that they were leaving, they'd make a grab for control. The same was true of Sam's brother, Caine, and nobody wanted to risk that. There was also a small part of Sam that was afraid that he and Astrid were walking straight into danger. He was risking their lives, and couldn't risk his friends on top of that.

"Where do we start?" Sam asked. Searching for Pete was all too similar; they'd had to do that in the beginning. Maybe they'd come full circle.

Astrid was biting her lip, ignoring the pain when she broke through the skin and tasted blood. Here was another question that the genius couldn't answer. "I… don't know. He wouldn't just leave! You don't think – what if someone kidnapped him?"

Sam frowned. "If it was Caine, we'd know about it. And I don't think it was the Human Crew; there are no signs of a struggle."

Astrid nodded in agreement.

Come to me…

The hairs on Sam's arms stood up in regimented lines.

I am the Gaiaphage…

Sam sucked in a breath. "Oh my God," he hissed, remembering what Lana had told him about the thing in the mine. The thing that he'd watched sink into the ground and disappear for what he had thought was forever. "It's got me too."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know where Little Pete's gone. And that means we're in big trouble."

The trek was long and hard. Neither of them spoke much, and the silence was filled with the scuffled scraping of their shoes. They were egged on now and again by the voice in Sam's head, which spoke with such command and power that Sam could now appreciate how difficult it had been for Caine to resist the Darkness.

The sun had not yet emerged from beyond the horizon, yet the air was humid, like a warm, thick soup. Sam and Astrid walked on determinedly, wiping sweat from their brows every other minute.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Astrid asked, her forehead creased in worry.

Sam paused. "I think so," he said. "It's getting louder, and I… can you feel it?"

Astrid looked at him blankly, so he didn't press the point.

They rounded an outcropping of rock, and just before Astrid could take a swig from the water bottle they'd had the foresight of bringing with them, a wave of light illuminated their surroundings. Astrid called out in surprise.

It was a car, filled with people Sam couldn't quite make out; the light was burrowing into his eyes, blinding him. Had someone found their note and decided to help?

A huge blow tackled Sam to the floor, knocking the air out of him with a whooshing noise. He heard Astrid give a yelp of surprise, and before he could spring up and attempt to defend her, an arm came out of nowhere and snagged him by the hair, forcing him to stand up.

"Look who it is," said an extremely familiar voice. "The elusive Sam Temple, off taking a midnight stroll with his girlfriend." Caine grinned down at him.

"Caine, man, we're not looking for trouble. We… have to do something. Something important."

Caine nodded in mock-interest. "I see. And what is this oh-so-important job that the two of you have to do?"

Sam dragged his sandpaper tongue across his lips before swallowing. "I can't tell you."

Caine cocked an eyebrow and nodded to Sam's captor. Sam heard the click of a gun, and he could have sworn the temperature in the desert dropped by at least ten degrees. There was a harsh, cool laugh and his hope plummeted even further. It was Drake, and he wouldn't bluff.

Caine looked Sam in the eyes, disgust etched onto his face, before turning to Drake. "Shoot him."

Astrid and Diana shouted out, one in panic and the other in anger, but the three boys acted as if they hadn't heard. They were listening to another voice.

"You're going to it too?" asked Caine. He sounded hollow; dead.

Sam didn't answer, which was as good as admitting it.

"Tie them up and put them in the car. We have to hurry."

Orc wasn't far away. He wasn't sure where exactly he'd been changed – it all looked maddeningly similar. Everything looked the same except for…

He could only just make out the figures. They were being illuminated by a car's lights as if they were under spot lamps. It was the glint of gold that caught his eye; Astrid was being pushed along by Panda. His eyes narrowed when Panda jostled her too violently and she staggered.

"No-one messes with Astrid," Orc glared before jumping down and heading after the travelling party.

When the car finally ran out of gas, Caine ordered his crew to get out and walk. Panda was guarding Astrid and Drake was guarding Sam, leaving Diana and him alone. She didn't meet his gaze, and he realised with a jolt of horror that he was leading her straight to the Darkness.

"Maybe you should go back," he hedged.

"Maybe we all should."

Caine sighed. He'd hoped that she would understand. "I have to get it out of my head. Otherwise it's always going to be in here. I thought it was gone. And it just keeps catching me again. I can't –" He was cut off by the sudden lump which had appeared in his throat. He gulped and attempted to get rid of it. Caine Soren didn't cry, especially not in full view of everyone.

They were approaching the old mining town now. Diana shuddered when she saw the empty windows; it was like seeing an empty eye socket. The ghosts of the past still seemed to linger on, and Diana could almost smell the stench of death – her death. She remembered the last time she had passed through this town, and it wasn't a pleasant memory.

Diana didn't believe in ghosts, but she couldn't help wondering.

A sudden white shape appeared out of the gloom, and her scream filled the night air. Caine shouted her name and swept out an arm, trying to push her behind him, but by that time they'd worked out what the thing was.

"Petey!" gasped Astrid in relief, but Drake cut her off.

"Silence!"

Diana took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. She saw Drake smirk as he walked past, mumbling something that sounded like "coward". Git. She allowed the resentment to bubble inside of her and whispered "psycho", loud enough for him to hear.

They marched on towards the cave, leaving Panda to turn back and guard the now useless car. Little Pete continued to play his game in the dark, whimpering as the group of kids got dangerously close to the mine entrance.

Orc heard a female's voice scream just as he was about to collapse on the floor. Astrid? He forced himself onwards, clenching his fists. If they hurt Astrid…

His huge legs propelled him with a burst of speed, his nerve finally breaking. He started running before he could stop himself. He didn't even see Little Pete.

They were coming. The Darkness knew they were close. They passed through the entrance, and it felt a shiver of anticipation. As soon as it took control of them, it could kill Nestor. It would be able to...

Another child had followed them inside, a child of huge magnitude, made of rock.

The Gaiaphage felt a surge of terror. That boy would ruin everything. It would have to act now…

The Darkness broke through the flimsy mental barriers of the children as if they were made of tissue paper. They needed their minds no longer. They were its puppets.

It flung out their consciousnesses and poured itself into their heads, triumphant as it gained control of their bodies. Hands! It flexed the fingers of the dark haired girl, delighting in the feeling. As the rock boy it moved its neck, and it used Caine to speak.

"You loose, Nemesis."

Little Pete had crept to the edge of the mine entrance. He knew Astrid was inside. Astrid was his sister. Astrid was… good.

He could sense what Nestor was doing.

His fingers pressed at the Game Boy keys frantically, and he used all of his power. Little Pete pushed. Pushed everything out of their minds before reassembling them all back together.

The Gaiaphage screamed, but it no longer owned a mouth.

Caine breathed deeply, as if it was the first breath he'd taken in years. In truth, it felt like it was.

The Darkness had had him. Had trapped him and used him and…

He wanted to vomit.

But he had his mind back. His control back.

The six kids lay panting on the floor, whimpering in alarm. For a long time, none of them moved, the rise and fall of their chests the only indication that they were still alive. Astrid was the first to sit up straight. She masked her expression as if ashamed of her fear.

"Now that," she said loudly. "Was some crazy shit."

Someone groaned in answer, and the six teenagers, Perdido Beach and Coates Academy alike, crawled from the cave, half dragging themselves along the rugged ground.

"Thanks, Petey," said Orc gratefully. Everyone turned to look at him in shock, and a dim-witted look of surprise crept up on his face.

He glanced down at his gravel coated body, turning his hand over in surprise; as if that was the first time he'd seen it. "Why the heck am I now Orc?"

"Excuse me?" asked Caine, looking thoroughly confused. He kept sending long glances at Astrid.

Orc stood up slowly, in shock. "I'm Astrid." Orc pointed at Astrid. "And that's my body."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "What?" she snapped angrily. "You shut your big mutant mouth, Orc, or I'll whip you 'till –"

They were cut off by Drake screaming. Astrid span around and stared at Drake in absolute shock.

Drake was staring at his whip in horror. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

He tried to back away from it, but it just moved with him. "SOMEONE GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!"

Astrid closed her open mouth and dived at Drake. "Get off my whip!"

Drake gave another girly scream. "IT'S MOVING! I CAN FEEL IT MOVING!"

"Everyone be quiet!" Orc roared, his voice echoing. "I can see that there is perfectly reasonable and logical – well, the logic is dubious at best, but in consideration of our present circumstances, I would hasten to add that there is a strong basis of logic at least to our situation."

The fact that something like that came from Orc's mouth shut everyone up.

Sam turned and looked at Caine. "What?"

"The Darkness entered our heads," explained Orc patiently. "And Petey, in a knee jerk reaction, got rid of it. But I think… he switched our minds round." Orc pointed to himself. "I'm Astrid. And yet I seem to be inside of Orc's body. And I – sorry, my body – is housing Drake."

"That's bullshit," snapped Astrid, making everyone immediately agree with Orc's – or Astrid's – theory.

"So who's inside of Drake's body?"

Everyone looked at Drake, who looked incredibly upset. "I'm Diana! I don't want to be Drake!"

Caine sniggered. "I'm Sam," he explained. "Who's in my body?"

Everyone turned to look at Sam, who blinked slowly, not understanding for a few seconds. "Oh. I'm Orc."

Caine's mind was whirring. This was so messed up. And it also meant that he was…

He looked down at his fingers, his arms, his chest…

"YES!" He cried, punching the air. "I'm Diana!"

The prologue is finished! YEY! I know it was quite choppy, but the changing narrative is meant to highlight the confusing tone. I don't know. :P If you need some help with what the heck is going on, PM me or leave me review asking for help.

And if you can't remember, have this!

Orc's body - Astrid's mind

Astrid's body - Drake's mind

Drake's body - Diana's mind

Diana's body - Caine's mind

Caine's body - Sam's mind

Sam's body - Orc's mind

I know it's confusing, but stick with it! Thank you for reading, and please leave me a review! Anyone who does will get a thank you cookie. *Waves cookies in the air*