God's Garden

Rainbow knocked on the door of the Utonium household. It was quickly pulled open by a redheaded child no older than the tender age of seven.

"Hey, Bloss. Long time, no see."

Blossom wrapped her arms around her friend in a gesture of unrestrained affection. Rainbow placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders.

"Thanks for coming."

"Think I'd pass up an opportunity to hang out with you guys? Yeah, right."

"You want something to eat or drink?"

"Nah, I'm good right now."

"Come upstairs. I want you to meet somebody."

Rainbow stepped inside the house. She looked around.

"Where's the professor?"

"He's out right now. He'll be back soon."

"Sure you didn't chop him up and stuff his body in the basement?"

"Pfft. Weirdo."

The pair headed up the staircase.

"So you mentioned something about a project? Is it for school, or...?"

"Not exactly. I'll fill you in in a little bit."

Blossom opened the door leading to the room she shared with her sisters, Bubbles and Buttercup. There were three boys with strong resemblances to them standing in the middle of the room.

"Rainbow!"

Bubbles tackled the teen.

"Holy crap! I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Rainbow rose back to her feet. She placed her palm over her eye and tilted her head both sides to clear her senses.

"You guys must be the Jojo brothers, right?"

"It's a long story," Blossom explained.

"I've got time."

"Well..."

"So Boomer disappeared for a while, huh?"

"I got fed up with the way we were living," he responded, "Going around causing trouble seemed pointless and just not worth it in the grand scheme of things. I needed time alone to think."

"Two years is a pretty long time, but it sounds like you had it rough."

"To put it mildly."

"Sorry you're feeling bummed out. Wish there was something I could do to help."

"You get used to it. These days I just try to block out the world as much as possible aside from you guys."

"Best way to do it."

"Anyway, it hasn't been all bad."

"So I see. Didn't think I noticed you and Bubbles being all lovey dovey over there, did ya'?"

Bubbles and Boomer blushed in unison.

"Alright, enough with the mushy stuff," Brick interrupted.

"Right," Blossom continued, "The project I mentioned over the phone is actually a movie idea we came up with recently."

"A movie," Rainbow questioned.

"You're familiar with found footage horror, right?"

"Ohhhhhh! You mean stuff like Paranormal Activity and the V/H/S series."

"Older, actually: The Blair Witch Project."

"I don't know that one."

"That's surprising. It's considered the defining film of the genre."

"When did it come out?"

"1999."

"So you wanna' make something like that?"

"No way. That movie was garbage."

"You can say that again," Buttercup agreed.

"It was literally three people running around the woods freaking out over nothing."

"You can't be serious," Rainbow replied.

"Most horror movies are God-awful now. The characters lack any redeeming qualities or unique traits, the stories are boring and incoherent, there's little to no real atmosphere, and the music consists of the same recycled orchestral pieces despite their demographics displaying higher predilections for rock and metal."

"I gotcha'. You wanna' make something that doesn't conform to uninspired cash grab standards."

"If screenwriters stopped trying to copy outdated formulas, they could focus on making stuff that's actually engaging for the audience."

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it's also the killer of creativity."

"Since we're on the subject, do you wanna' read the script?"

"Absolutely. Whatcha' got?"

Blossom retrieved a binder from the girls' shared computer desk.

"Here."

Rainbow skimmed over the text on each page.

"Now I get what you meant by a coherent story. I never imagined something like this could be turned into a found footage movie."

"They're the cheapest kind to make. With our powers and the free editing software on computers these days, I'm almost positive we can make it for no cost at all."

"This is amazing. I'm really interested to see it on film."

"I called you to see if you wanted to be in it."

Rainbow's eyes burst wide with stars.

"For real!?"

"We need two camera operators. Adding another character would be a cinch."

"Yeah! I'm definitely down."

"I'll start working on it."

"By the way, out of curiosity, which characters are you guys?"

"I'm Matilda, Bubbles is Carol, Buttercup is our sister Jessica, the professor is the doctor, Boomer is Samuel, Brick and Butch are the dreadnought, and Lucifer will play himself. I just have to print an edited copy for him."

"I can't wait to see it when we're done."

"Yeah..."

Two days later, Rainbow, Blossom, and Bubbles began filming. Rainbow chose to act out the role of a seventeen-year-old girl named Sarah Miller: a family friend who'd brought Matilda and Carol to New York to investigate a series of local disappearances. Blossom sat on one of the park benches. She pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her coat pocket. She and Bubbles had ditched their uniforms for casual autumn wear.

"When did you start smoking," Rainbow wondered.

"Protecting a city full of ignoramuses takes its toll."

"It can't be that bad."

"They didn't even understand the relationship between water and electricity."

"Oh my goodness."

"You guys ready?"

"All set here. How 'bout you, Bubbles?"

"I'm ready," Bubbles stated from above a tree.

Rainbow raised her video camera.

"And...Action."

Blossom, assuming the role of Matilda, took another puff of her cigarette. She gazed sideways before commencing her opening exposition.

"There are secrets all around us. Even in broad daylight, there are shadows where things unknown hide - things that are impossible for most people to fully comprehend, be it out of terror, aversion, or indifference. That's why we're here: to search for and uncover the truth behind one of these enigmas."

"Which one in particular," Sarah asked.

"Carol?"

Sarah directed the camera at Matilda's sister.

"About twenty-one years ago, in 1999, there was a doctor who was supposedly obsessed with the supernatural. At the time, there were a number of unexplained disappearances occurring daily. At least two people went missing within each twenty-four hour interval: one during daylight, and the other at night."

"The doc was a respected researcher and data analyst. When the disappearances started, the police weren't able to find any clues or physical evidence. He suspected something strange was going on. His own appearances in public became less and less frequent until one day, he vanished altogether. The official reports pertaining to these disappearances were sealed until 2005. Apparently, the precinct decided the case had gone cold. It was left to the public to speculate about what was going on."

"Did the disappearances ever stop," Sarah inquired.

"The last report was filed in 2001. There hasn't been any new information since."

"So why are we here?"

"Until he went missing, doctor Lewis's increasingly rare presence suggested he was looking for a way to solve the disappearances so he could put an end to them. When the police investigated, they found his personal lab in the basement. There were canned goods and a few gallons of water, but nothing else out of the ordinary."

"You're wondering if there's something they missed."

"Exactly. Something about this whole situation doesn't sit right with me."

Matilda put out the cigarette.

"Let's go."

The group began their Journey through Townsville.