Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all related indicia belong to Saban. The bad guys in this fic are taken from the Bible. Revelations, to be precise. Guy Tanaka is a character of my own creation, and neither he, nor any of the other non-created characters in this fic or any other of my fics, are not meant to represent real people. Any similarity with other persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Author's Note: This is Fic One in my Quadruplet Fics. This fic takes place on the same timeline as the other three fics, "Long, Hard Summer," "Fall From Innocence," and "Dead of Winter." All timelines will be resolved in "Dead of Winter," so if you have unaswered questions at the end of this, they'll be answered eventually, I promise. The idea for these four fics come from one of Stephen King's finest collections, "Different Seasons." Thank you, Ellen, for putting up with me. 8^) Happy reading, everyone.
By Jeremy Ray Logsdon
The church was agonizingly empty. The only immediate light she saw was from rows and rows of red candles. However, the light traveled far in the dark room, and she was able to see everything she needed to.
Katherine dipped her fingers in the large marble basin standing in the center of the aisle, just inside the church. She crossed herself quickly and knelt, briefly, beside a back pew. Then, standing up, she straightened her dress and walked to the back of the church.
She entered the closest confessional and solemnly knelt before the window. The wooden door slid opened, and Katherine crossed herself again, saying, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's… it's been… too long since my last confession. About six weeks."
"What troubles you my child?"
"I was intimate with my boyfriend," she said softly.
"You aren't married?"
"No."
"How intimate?"
"Pardon, Father?"
"How intimate were you with your… so-called boyfriend."
(So-called?) "Not- we didn't- we didn't actually engage in sexual intercourse," Katherine murmured.
"Oral sex, then?"
(This is NOT right.) "Yes, Father, forgive me," Katherine said hurriedly.
"So," the priest said, and suddenly his voice was changed. No longer gruff and quiet, it was female and demanding. "Little slut can't keep her legs together, eh?"
Katherine peered through the wooden grating separating the two halves of the confessional booth. On the other side sat a female silhouette with softly gleaming red-amber eyes.
Screaming, Katherine stumbled out of the confessional. The female with the glowing eyes parted the curtain on her side and stepped out. She had long hair that was truly an even mixture of gold and red, a beautiful golden strawberry. She wore a red gown, embroidered impeccably at the hem with silvers and golds. At her side hung a red scabbard, holding a broadsword with a hilt speckled with rubies. She placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled once, loud and shrill. Immediately, a gaping mouth of flames opened in mid-air, and a gorgeous, red stallion strode out.
A whooshing sound behind made her turn, and she saw a similar mouth of fire, only white. A white horse with a white-haired rider dressed in white armor trotted out. To her left, a black fire portal flamed open, and a black horse with a black-haired rider dressed in a black suit galloped out, sliding to a halt beside Katherine. The white horse moved up next to her, and she suddenly felt the red horse nuzzling against the back of her neck. The horse's warm, puffy muzzle slid down the side of her face and forcefully turned her gaze to the right.
There, the animated skeletal remains of a horse stood in wait, without a rider. The deceased animal looked at her expectantly, as such was possible without eyes, and it pawed the ground with one skeletal roof.
"We need a Pale Rider," the woman in red said. "We've chosen you."
August 18, Monday
With a scream, Katherine sat up in bed, clutching the sheets tightly to her chest.
"Huh?" her sleeping partner mumbled lazily. She turned to see Tommy still lying against her side.
"Wake up," she snarled, elbowing him.
"Wha- It's the middle of the night," he returned, turning on his side.
Katherine however, was already out of bed, getting dressed. "Tommy, I'm going to St. Nathan's," she told him. "Please wait until I get back?"
"You're going to church?" he asked, trying to sit up in bed. He fisted his eyes and then looked at the alarm by the bed. "It's six thirty!"
A realization suddenly came to him, and he sat fully upright, a look of shock on his face. "Oh dear God, I fell asleep here. My mother is going to kill me!"
"I need to go to confession," Katherine insisted. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Okay?"
"All right," Tommy said nervously, lying back down. "I'll wait."
Tommy sat at the counter in Katherine's kitchenette after having cleaned up in her bathroom. His mind was literally awhorl with everything that had transpired in what seemed like the past few minutes.
He didn't have a clue how it even happened. The previous night's events seemed to have arisen all on their own. He wasn't upset about them; actually, he would been quite pleased to have had much more happen than what did happen. Well, at the time, anyhow.
But Katherine, though… He almost wished it hadn't happened, just because he knew how much she treasured her personal innocence. Now while he still considered them both virgins, he wasn't sure if she would. And that was going to bother her. She had already taken off to go to confession. The only thing he had to be grateful for was the fact that he had instigated nothing. For everything that had happened, they shared equal blame.
The telephone ringing snapped Tommy out of his reverie. He stared numbly as the phone continued ringing. He had almost answered it, but he wasn't even supposed to be there. And if it was his mother calling…
After the fifth ring, Kat's answering machine kicked in. Her chipper voice announced, "Hi, this is Kat, and you've just called my new personal phone line. Yay for me! Anyhow, leave a message, and I'll get back to you."
Immediately following the beep, an authoritative voice announced, "Tommy, I know you're there. Pick up!"
Just as quickly, Tommy scooped the receiver up. "Jason?!" he all but shouted into the receiver.
"Young man, you had better explain yourself," Jason threatened.
"Bro, it's not what you think," Tommy said quickly. "Well, I guess it is what you think, only not nearly as far as what you think."
"WHY did you spend the night?" Jason asked, still sounding a bit hot. "Your mother called me at eleven thirty last night. You'll be pleased to know I covered for your sorry butt-"
Tommy promptly let out a relieved sigh.
"-, but next time you're gonna get romantic with your girlfriend, let me know in advance."
"Yeah, listen man, I didn't mean to put you in a position like that," Tommy apologized.
"I know," Jason said, his voice at a more normal tone now. "Listen, if you, or Kat, need to talk-"
"Full account, bro, I promise."
"For once, that honestly isn't what I meant," Jason told him. "After this past summer, I know Kat as well as I know you now, and whatever did happen, she's probably going to be wishing it didn't happen."
"Yeah, we've, uhm, we've talked about this before," Tommy said. "It's just… we were finally alone, and we haven't seen each other in so long… How are you and Emily handling things?"
"Emily and I have talked about it, often and in detail. We know exactly how far we, or she, anyhow, is willing to go, and we go no further. And it's not easy sometimes. It wasn't easy last night. But we believe that this way is going to work out for the best."
Tommy glanced at the bathroom as the shower turned off. "She's out of the shower, bro."
"Talk to ya later, man."
"Thanks for covering for me."
"Don't sweat it. I'll call you before we leave."
"It was JUST a dream, Katherine," Sister Mary Helen said.
"It was so vivid, though," Katherine sighed. "I could feel the red horse's skin against my face." She traced her fingertips down her cheek idly.
"Katherine, if the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse do come to Earth, they're going to appear on a much larger scale than just in your dreams," the nun told her calmly.
"I know you're right," Katherine returned, smiling. "Thank you, Sister."
"You can thank me by sending us postcards from your trip."
"Deal."
"Here we are, Miss," the chauffeur said to Kimberly as he opened the door.
"Thank you," Kimberly said warmly, taking the offered hand to get out of the back of the limo.
"Welcome, Kimberly," an attractive, muscular, Japanese man greeted. He was standing next to their private jet. "My name is Guy Tanaka, and I'll be your host on this global romp."
"Nice to meet you," Kimberly agreed, shaking his hand. "Anyone else coming?"
"You're the last to arrive," Guy said, "and we're still early. We don't have to be in Brasilia for another twenty-some hours. But as soon as we get your bags on the plane, we'll be in the air."
"Did you guys see that kitchen?!" Jason cried happily.
"Welcome to your home away from home, unless we're in a hotel," Guy said, escorting Kimberly into the plane.
"Wow," she sighed. "This is nice."
"This is only like the second time I've flown," Rocky murmured. "That time we went to Australia, and now…"
"Jets are the safest form of travel, Rocky, and this is, though a bit on the small side, technically a jet," Billy said. "Perfectly safe."
"I can't wait to get to Australia," Katherine grinned. She was kneeling in a seat backwards with her elbows propped up on the head rest. "I'll have time to see my family, right?"
"Absolutely," Guy promised. "As soon as we get in the air, I'll give you the full run-down of the whole trip. All thirteen weeks of it."
Somewhere over Mexico
"We'll be finished on November 22, which is a bit later than we had initially hoped for," Guy said. "Now we'll be spending two weeks in Brasilia, Brazil, first. You've each been assigned a continent. Essentially, it'll be yours. You'll take the lead at the Press Conference."
"Poster Boy," Jason quipped.
"Exactly. Rocky, you're up first for South America. After South America, we hop over to Africa for three weeks. Billy's, that's you. Australia, another three weeks. I think we can guess who gets Australia. Japan, two weeks. Jason, you're Japan. And we finish up in England, three weeks, with Kimberly. On November 22, you head back home, and hopefully out of the spotlight for a while."
"And when we get home, we got full scholarships, right?" Rocky asked.
"You bet. And the Highlights of our trip… South America-"
"We're still meeting the Spice Girls, right?" Jason interrupted.
Brasilia, Brazil
August 20, Wednesday
"What exactly do you serve as?" Jason asked as he and Guy walked down the hallways of Hotel Ashbury in Brasilia. The two hadn't yet had a chance to talk much, as Guy had been busy pulling strings. Their hotel reservations had been lost, and things were just now starting to calm down.
"Oh, a little bit of everything," Guy said. "I'm fluent in six languages, for starters. I studied culture in college, so I'm able to move within all of the places we'll be visiting. In addition to that, I was chosen over the other potential guide candidates based on my age and my interests. I have the most in common with you guys. I can serve as a sparring partner, for one thing."
"Oh yeah? What-?"
"Sixth degree black belt in Shotokan," Guy said. "Plus some other stuff, dabbled here and there."
"I'm impressed," Jason admitted. "Care to gimme a shot later? I have a hunch you could teach me some things."
"And likewise, I'm sure," Guy agreed. "Yeah, that'd be great. I need to take Rocky and Katherine to a cathedral for a film segment here in a bit, though. The live one isn't until this weekend, but we have some documentary stuff to film."
Jason opened the door to their suite, allowing Guy to step in first. "Did you guys see that pool?" Kimberly asked, gesturing at the open door leading to the balcony. "It's huge!"
She was wearing a pink two-piece with a pair of denim cut-off shorts. "Uhm, Guy, there aren't any, like, cultural things that could get me arrested, are there?"
"You could probably swim topless at this hotel and nobody would say anything," Guy answered. "American hotel. You'll notice that a lot of the staff speaks near-fluent English."
Billy emerged from the bathroom in a pair of dark blue trunks. "Will you swim topless?" he asked. "I am."
"Funny, smart guy," Kimberly shot back. "You wanna come with, Jase?"
"Yeah, I think I will," Jase said, hurrying over to his bed to dig through the as-of-yet unpacked suitcase. "I'll catch up with you later, Guy."
"Rocky, Kat!" Guy called. "You guys ready?!"
"I had darn well better get some sun while we're here," Katherine insisted as she stepped into view. She was wearing a suitable pink floral "church dress," though she looked like she much would have preferred to be in a swimsuit on her way to the massive pool that would have put the Olympics to shame.
"You'll have tonight to swim," Guy promised. "If you think this place is fun now, wait 'til the sun sets."
Katherine sat lazily on a pew near the back of the church, watching as Rocky, dressed church-wise in a blue suit, walked about the church with a microphone and a camera crew following him. They had filmed just a few moments with her in the picture, and she had quickly been discarded. She was trying to think up some way to get out of the cathedral and back to that beautiful swimming pool.
"Dear, would you like to come with me?" a small, old nun asked suddenly, startling Kat from her stupor.
"You speak English," Katherine said with a smile.
"Your friend is going to be filming something for his documentary in the rectory, soon, and I need to get it ready. There are some very unusual things in there, and it occurred to me that you might like to see them."
"I'd love to, thanks," Katherine grinned, standing up.
"There is a candelabra in that chest," the nun, Sister Agnes, said, gesturing loosely at the other side of the room. "Would you please get it out and light it? There are matches for the candles. You may go ahead and light it. Oh, I just remembered something… I'll be right back, dear."
Katherine smiled as the nun left and turned back to the side of the room she had gestured toward. She saw an old black chest beneath the counter, which she pulled out with a grunt. It was heavier than it looked. After fiddling with the lock for a few moments, she managed to get it open. Inside, there was a silver candelabra with four rounded cups instead of candles.
"It must burn off of oil," Katherine realized as she pulled it free. She lifted it carefully to the counter and set it down just as gently. She quickly retrieved a paper towel from a nearby bench and wiped the candelabra down.
Each of the four oil holders was a different color. Red, black, white, and one that was semi-translucent glass. It wasn't particularly attractive, nor was it ugly for that matter, but it didn't strike her as something worthy of being filmed. It was just a candelabra. A quick search produced oil, which she carefully poured into the four cups. A wick in each floated gracefully to the top. She found the matches and struck one, touching it gently to the wick in the red bowl.
With a slight hiss, the wick flamed to life. However, to her surprise, the flame glowed a pleasing shade of red. She had been expecting the typical orangey-yellow, not cardinal red. As she touched the match to the black bowl's wick, a similar hiss sounded. Much to her surprise yet again, the flame was black.
"Now I'm impressed," she announced to the empty room. (It can't be the oil, that's all the same. Must be the wick. Chemicals, or something.) Hurriedly, she touched the flame to the white bowl, and as she expected, the flame was a pure, snow white. "Beautiful." However, the match had finally burned too close, and she shook her hand, extinguishing the flame before it touched her hand.
Just as she was about to light another candle to light the wick in the clear bowl, a frantic voice cried out, "Katherine! Stop!"
Katherine spun around, gasping, as the little nun hurried across the room in what seemed to be three bounds. Licking her thumb and index finger, she pinched each of the three burning flames out. "Did I do something wrong?" Katherine asked in horror.
"That was the WRONG candelabra," Sister Agnes said sternly. "I'm terribly sorry, it was my own fault. Please, hurry and bring me some holy water."
"Holy wate-"
"Please, hurry!" Sister Agnes cried again with more urgency.
By the time Katherine returned with a white marble bowl filled with holy water, the candelabra had been put back in the chest. As soon as Sister Agnes saw her, she took the bowl from Kat and dipped her fingers in it. Urging Katherine to bend down, Sister Agnes made the image of a cross on Kat's forehead, saying something in what Katherine presumed to be Portuguese.
"What did I do?" Katherine asked, more than a trifle shocked.
"Dear, you did nothing inherently wrong," Sister Agnes said. "I just guided you wrong, and you lit a candelabra that was never meant to be lit. Did you light the Pale Wick?"
"The Pale Wick?"
"The wick in the clear bowl."
"No, just the red, black, and-" Katherine paused suddenly. "And the white bowl. What was that candelabra?"
"Katherine," Guy called from the doorway, "we're ready for you upstairs if you wanna join us."
"Go, dear," Sister Agnes sighed. With heavy steps, Katherine followed Guy out of the small room, confused and shocked about what had just happened.
Katherine started a bit as Kimberly was dumped, shrieking, into the pool. Jason and Rocky, still holding the lawn chair they had dumped her off of, shared high-fives as the shocked-awake Kimberly tried to clamber out of the pool.
"Kat, you seem out of sorts," Billy said as he swam up to the side of her pool float.
"I'm just thinking," Katherine answered. "Something weird happened at the church today. I think I freaked a nun out."
"Social norms are different here, Kat," Billy told her. "You probably just committed some minor social faux pas. Don't sweat it."
"You're right," Kat agreed, sighing heavily.
"Could I compel you to teach me how to dive?" Billy asked, propping his elbows up on the float.
Katherine looked up at the high dive. The pool was mostly empty, and there was no one near the diving board. "Yeah, I guess I could do that," she said with a smile.
"It's a world of power, Katherine," the woman in red said. They four of them were standing in the center of the dimly lit church. She slipped a comforting arm around Kat's shoulders. "You can't even imagine what we have…"
"So much more than what Rita could offer you," the white-haired man added.
"I don't WANT any of that," Katherine growled.
"Oh, yes you do," the red woman said as though she were speaking to a disobedient child. "Everyone does."
"We all have the capacity for evil or good, Katherine," the black-haired man added.
"You just happened to start out on the wrong side," the beautiful woman said. "But you've tasted the darkness, Katherine. And you liked it."
"We all do," the White Rider remarked.
"Just think about it," Red Rider said gently. She brushed the back of her fingers down Katherine's face. "You don't have to make a decision tonight. We'll get back to you, soon…"
Somewhere over the Atlantic
September 2, Tuesday
"And that's when I wake up," Katherine said.
"Wow," Kimberly muttered, scrunching her face up. "That's creepy."
"You've been having that dream for how long?" Jason asked.
"That's actually just the second one," Katherine answered, leaning back in her seat. "I dunno what it's even about. The same three people. There weren't any horses this time, though."
"Did you maybe see a horror movie recently that bothered you?" Guy suggested.
"Oh no, I love scary movies," Katherine said quickly.
"Katherine, a lot of people have recurring dreams," Billy said. "It's just that yours happen to be nightmares, which always wake you up in the peak of your dream. That means you remember almost all of the details, which most people usually lose because they don't wake up in time. They'll end soon enough."
"Sounds like the Four Horsemen," Rocky mentioned.
"Trust me, that was the first thing I thought of," Katherine sighed.
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are not after you, Katherine," Billy said. "When they come back, they'll have bigger things to take care of."
"As do we," Guy interrupted, tapping his clipboard. "Billy, we're going to film a lot of Pyramid stuff. Do tightly enclosed, dark places make you freak out or anything like that?" With no answer forthcoming, Guy said, "I'll take your silence as a no."
Katherine was able to put her dreams behind her, and she enjoyed their time in Africa to the fullest. She even tagged along with Billy and Guy on private time when they went to see "Lucy" in Hadar, Ethiopia. Before they knew it, there time in Egypt was over, and they were off to chilly Australia.
Sydney, Australia
September 24, Wednesday
"Geeze Louise, it's cold here," Kimberly grumbled as she stepped off of the private jet.
"It's early spring, here," Katherine answered. "Must be having a cold snap."
"I can't imagine celebrating Christmas in the summer time," Rocky remarked, jumping out onto the tarmac.
"Like we have a White Christmas in Angel Grove?" Jason asked sarcastically.
"Not having warm weather at Christmas was one of the hardest things for me to get used to in Angel Grove," Katherine remarked. "It was great having warm weather at Christmas. We could go outside and have our traditional Christmas barbecue… We'd go swimming lots of times the day after Christmas. It was great."
"Could that tall, gangly thing be my granddaughter?"
Katherine turned suddenly and cried, "Grandpa!" She tore off across the pavement and ran right into the arms of a large grey-haired man. After sharing a tight hug, Katherine stepped back a bit and said, "Grandpa, these are my great friends, Kimberly, Rocky, Billy, and Jason. And that's Guy. Everybody, this is my grandpa."
"Call me Jacob," he offered. "Let's get everybody rounded up and we'll head back to the farm. Your grandma is dying to see you again."
The Hillard Ranch was located just outside the neighboring city of Wollongong. Cattle and horses grazed together in the sparse winter grass in the rolling fields. A gigantic flock of chickens were scratching in front of a chicken house, and an old-ish woman in a pale blue dress was tossing feed out to them.
"Grandmum!" Katherine called out the window as their truck rolled up the drive.
"Katherine?" Louise Hillard asked, turning up. "Katherine!" The chickens exploded in noise as Louise burst through them, running out of the chicken yard and down the beautiful, sloping lawn.
Kat pushed the door open and ran to her grandmother, nearly slamming into each other as they hugged.
"Is that our little girl?" another female voice asked.
"Chessy!" Katherine cried happily, letting the third woman into the hug. Chessy was a middle-aged lady with had a smile that could melt anybody's heart.
"That's Chessy," Jacob offered. "She helps us with some chores around the place. We ain't as young as we used to be."
"I am going to love this country," Jason remarked, climbing into the back of the truck to start handing their luggage out. "Such a cool accent! I wish I had an accent."
"Trust me, pup, you do have an accent," Jacob told him.
"I came to Australia to hear one thing," Rocky commented, taking his duffel as Jason tossed it to him, "and if I don't hear it-"
"G'day mate," Jacob said with a grin.
"Ahh," Rocky sighed. "Now I can die a happy man."
"Now who are all these handsome people?" Louise asked. "Are you boys big eaters?"
"Yes ma'am," Rocky said with a grin.
"Well we had best get some breakfast in your bellies," Louise offered. "Now stop standing around like the ground is gonna break if you move funny and make yourself at home."
Long after everyone else was practically bursting, Rocky and Guy were still eating Louise's renowned biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, ham, and what Billy suspected was hand-squeezed orange juice. "I'm moving in," Jason announced, sighing heavily as he leaned back in his chair.
"We're always glad to have more mouths to feed around here," Louise said with a smile.
"And more hands to tend to the farm work," Jacob added.
"You can help milk the cows," Katherine decided. "Tonight at five, right, Pop?"
"And tomorrow morning at five a.m.," Jacob said.
"We'll have our camera people here at four thirty to get a shot of the city kids doing farm stuff," Guy said with an almost obnoxious grin.
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Katherine cried, sitting up tall. "Sir Barney?!"
"He's waiting for you, Kat," Jacob told her.
"Great!" she said excitedly, tearing out of the house.
"Sir Barney?" Billy asked.
Katherine ran her palm down Sir Barney's neck, feeling his muscles quiver beneath her touch. "I'm so glad you remember me," she said softly. She let his chestnut brown mane drift between her fingertips, eliciting a soft whinny from her favorite horse.
"Whaddya say, boy?" she asked, placing her foot in the stirrup. She swung her leg up over his back and sat proudly in the saddle. Chirping at him and squeezing with her legs, he eagerly trotted out of the stable and down the barn lane.
Before she knew it, Katherine and Sir Barney were running as fast as his legs could carry them through the rolling hills of the Hillard Ranch. Both rider and horse knew where they were heading.
The chilly wind whipped through her hair, but Katherine barely paid it any heed. She was going to the place where some of her happiest, childhood memories were born.
As they headed into the copse of trees, Katherine slid off of Sir Barney. From her vantage point, she could see all of the Ranch. "Stay there, Sir Barney," she said. When she was younger, she honestly believed that Sir Barney could understand everything she said. Truth be told, she still believed he could.
She clambered up her favorite tree, while her horse looked up at her from below with a look that could have been perceived as humor. The tree didn't seem as large as it was when she was a kid. Even so, the tree still towered far over her when she stopped at the first large branch to look.
And as soon as she did, her heart stopped. Far off, she could see a black horse with a man in black clothing sitting atop. To his right, a red horse and red woman rider. To his left, a white horse and white rider. "Oh God," Katherine gasped. Suddenly, the three horses took off running, spurring Katherine to hurry down the tree.
"Come on," she urged, taking Sir Barney by the halter and pulling him out of the copse of trees. Running beside him, she leapt up onto his back, clucked her tongue, and squeezed him with her legs. He sensed her urgency, and his trot turned into a gallop. The wind no longer felt chilly but bitterly cold as it whipped her hair all around her head. Her heart felt like a chunk of ice throbbing in her chest, and her throat ached from her desperate, open-mouthed breathing.
All she could hear was the sounds of Sir Barney's hooves beating against the ground. She had no idea if the three riders from her dreams were still after her, but she couldn't dare take that chance. She knew if she opened her eyes, she would be opening them just in time to see the woman in red right beside her, ready to… do whatever it is they wanted to do.
She finally managed to force her eyes open, just in time to see Sir Barney race into the barn. Plumes of dust rose up from the ground in his wake, and as he approached his stall, he quickly slowed down. Katherine sat up taller in the saddle, looking around. Breathing as hard as if she had just run across the Ranch with Sir Barney on her back, she looked around and saw nothing. She slowly walked down the center of the barn, looking around. And then, she felt a strong hand land on her shoulder.
Screaming, Katherine spun around, only to earn a scream and startled look from Chessy. "Good Lord, girl!" Chessy cried, pulling her hand back quickly.
"Sorry, Chessy," Katherine apologized, pressing her hand to the center of her chest. Her heart beat almost painfully. "You just startled me."
"Yeah, I kinda gathered," Chessy said, now with a wry grin on her face. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Katherine lied. Her knees felt like rubber, and there was a butterfly circus in her stomach. "Uhm… Chessy? Are there any other… riders on the Ranch? Some people you all have working for you that I don't know about?"
"There certainly aren't, Miss Katherine," Chessy answered. "Are you through with Sir Barney?"
"For the time being," Katherine said. Chessy began to remove Sir Barney's saddle, and Katherine grabbed a brush to smooth his coat.
"I assume you've missed your friend?" Chessy asked as she continued to strip down the horse.
"Oh yeah," Katherine said with a smile. "I never did find a horse in the states as good as Sir Barney."
"I'd wager you never will."
"Are you sure that aren't any people out riding today?" Katherine asked.
"You know your grandfather doesn't let people PLAY on the ranch," Chessy said as though the mere idea were ridiculous. "What happened out there today?"
"Just an overactive imagination, I guess," Katherine relented.
Somewhere over the Indian Ocean
October 17, Friday
All too soon, their three week stay in Australia was over. Katherine never did see the mysterious horsemen again, and after a while, she was even able to enjoy herself and have a few nights of restful sleep.
Their live telecast from Sydney ended up having the highest ratings of either of the prior two. Considering that all had been quite well received, the wheels inside the entertainment industry began to turn. By the time they actually left Sydney, they received the news that a movie chronicling their adventure was in preproduction.
"I bet you we won't get a penny of it," Kimberly muttered, turning through the page of her Nordies catalog.
"Of course we won't," Billy answered. Sitting next to her, he was idly thumbing through a notebook of hand-scribbled physics formulae. He was absolutely astonished at all that Justin and Trini had come up with in an attempt to build their slider.
"We did sign that release form," Jason reminded. Wearing naught but a pair of red gi pants, he was taking advantage of the smooth flight. Guy, dressed likewise in black pants, was sparring with him, and giving Jason Scott a run for his money. It wasn't something he was used to.
"We are getting full scholarships," Rocky said. He was sitting at a table near the back of their private jet, enjoying the benefits of their full kitchen.
"Besides, it isn't really fair we should take advantage of this situation," Billy added.
"If you say so," Kimberly muttered.
"They've already cast us," Katherine said. "Jason Scott will be played by Mario Lopez."
"Why Mario Lopez?" Jason asked. "Do I look anything like him?"
"Well, you're both really muscular," Kimberly said, "and you both look for opportunities to take off your shirts."
"Billy Cranston will be portrayed by young actor Matt Damon," Katherine read.
"Oh wow!" Kimberly cried. "He's really cute, Billy!"
"Oh yay," Billy said noncommittally, still looking through the physics problems before him.
"Alyssa Milano will be stepping in to fill the shoes of Kimberly Hart," Katherine said, grinning at her friend. "She's really pretty, Kimberly."
"Sam from Who's the Boss?!," Kimberly giggled. She flipped a page of her catalog enthusiastically.
"Rocky DeSantos," Katherine started.
"All right, the good stuff," Rocky said through a mouthful of club sandwich.
"-will be played by none other than the Boy Wonder, Chris O'Donnell," Katherine read. Looking at Rocky, she said, "It's a stretch, but it'll work. Okay, now about me." Clearing her throat, she said, "Casting for Katherine Hillard has been a bit harder, seeing as it is difficult to find an actress who can perform an authentic accent. Although she's British, Baby Spice, a.k.a. Emma Bunton, has been approached for the role. Also being considered are Melissa Joan Hart, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Alicia Silverstone, although no one has been cast at press time…"
"Baby Spice," Kimberly said, tipping her catalog to Kat. "She'd be a good one."
"She's a Brit," Kat announced, already giggling. "I am an Aussie, but I suppose it'd be better than being played by a Yank with a bad accent. Oh wait, there's more.
"Casting for the five Angel Grove teens turned world news overnight has been particularly troublesome, as it is rather difficult to cast five extreme stereotypes. Agents in LA were faxed photographs and a very vague, yet accurate, physical and personality description of the five teens."
"Stereotypes?" Rocky asked. "Not again."
"Why must everyone insist on stereotyping us?!" Kimberly cried.
"Within a few hours, a nickname had been unofficially assigned to each member of the quintet. Jason Scott is the Shirtless Karate Guy. Rocky DeSantos, a.k.a. the Bottomless Stomach, can be found eating something fattening. Kimberly Hart, the Shopper. You will probably find her at Macy's. Billy Cranston can probably be found doing some type of Calculus problem. It's no surprise that he's been dubbed Einstein. And Katherine Hillard is the Innocent One." Katherine slowed down as she read, "She can probably be found with pink lipstick in her pockets, a sucker in her hand, and the delightful naivet‚ of a child." She looked at her lollipop before tossing it to the nearest trash can. Jason and Guy paused in mid-move, completely still before Jason retrieved his shirt and sat down in a nearby seat.
"It was physics," Billy grumbled as he set his notebook on the floor. Kimberly dropped her catalog atop it. Rocky set the sandwich on his plate and pushed it away.
"It could be worse," Guy said slowly.
"Yeah," Kimberly finally agreed with a nod. "We could have made the Worst Dressed List."
Tokyo, Japan
November 1, Saturday
Katherine stepped into the currently empty diner, holding the massive list of food requests in her hands. The six were about to head out on the last leg of their journey, the trip to England, but before they left, they had to have one more meal from the fabulous Gumbel's Diner, a small diner with a staff fluent in both Japanese and English and food that could even put Ernie's to shame.
"Hello, Ms. Hillard. How can I help you today?" the usual busboy asked.
"You know us," Katherine answered, handing him the list. "We're big eaters."
"Have a seat and I'll have this out to you in just a moment," he answered. Smiling her thanks, Katherine turned away from the bar and moved into a window booth.
"Hey Kitten," a sickeningly sweet female voice called. Katherine looked up, just as the woman in red sat down beside her in the booth. With a gasp, Katherine stiffened. The men in black and white sat down opposite them.
"Try unclenching for a change," the white man sighed.
"Who are you?" Katherine asked.
Scowling, the red woman tapped her index finger against Katherine's forehead. "You aren't this stupid, Katherine," she insisted, tapping her with each word. "Think about it.
"She knows who we are," the man in black said. "She's just too afraid to admit it, even to herself."
"We're the Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse," the red woman whispered in Kat's ear. "Just call me Pestilence."
"Famine," the man in black greeted, waving his hand and smiling warmly.
"War's my name and my game," the White Rider added.
"There are… four… horsemen," Katherine said softly.
"Very good," Famine said, nodding.
"Pale Rider, fourth horse," Pestilence said. "The 'original' wasn't freed."
"If you had lit that final wick, we wouldn't be bothering you right now," War sighed, shaking his head sadly.
"But you didn't, and we need a Pale Rider," Pestilence whispered. She was so close to Katherine her breath was hot in her ear. "We choose you."
"I think I'll pass," Katherine said, immediately trying to scramble over the top of the bench. Pestilence, however, grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her back down into the seat. She produced a red-hilted Sword and slid it onto the table before her. Katherine took the none-too-subtle hint and did as Pestilence requested.
"We'll convince you," Famine said. He picked up a fork and handed it to Pestilence, who accepted the offered utensil.
"Now just concentrate," Pestilence said, holding the fork out before Katherine's face. "Just muster up some of your energy, and direct it at this utensil. Bend it with your mind."
"Mortals can't do that," Katherine answered simply.
"They can with a little push," War told her. He lifted his hand up in the air, all of his fingers folded down except for the index and middle. A subdued ball of white energy appeared around his fingertips. Famine did likewise, differing only in that his energy was black.
"Can you feel us probing in your mind?" Pestilence asked. Katherine tensed even more as she felt one of Red Rider's hands slide up her back and through her golden hair. "You can feel it, I know you can. Now just direct that energy outward…"
Trembling, Katherine stared at the fork held before her. "I can't-," Katherine started to answer.
"DO IT!" Pestilence bellowed in Katherine's ear.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Katherine screeched. Instantly, the window next to them shattered, raining blue fragments of glass down onto them. A chain reaction was set off, and each window shattered. On the table top, each fork, spoon, and butter knife leapt into the air as they were forcibly bent. All around the diner, utensils bent suddenly. A television mounted into the wall exploded in a boom of fire, leaving black scorch marks on the ceiling.
Somewhere over Asia
November 1, Saturday
This time, Katherine didn't scream. She just jerked as the nightmare reached its crescendoed peak. Her eyes darted around frantically, and she calmed only when she realized she was safely in their private jet.
"Katherine, you okay?" Kimberly asked, sitting down beside her. Kat turned to see Kimberly's warm, shining eyes directly locked onto hers, and she instantly felt better. The dream already felt farther away.
"I've just been having the same bad dreams," Katherine said. "S'stupid, I know."
"Recurrent dreams aren't stupid," Kimberly told her. "Remember when we had those dreams about Nadia? If we hadn't paid attention to them, then it could have turned out a lot worse. They still about those three people on horses?"
"I finally figured out who they are," Katherine answered.
"They're real?"
"Sort of. They're the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Well, three of them. They don't have a Pale Rider, and… you know how when you dream, as soon as you wake up, you start to forget about it all of a sudden?" At Kimberly's nod, Katherine continued. "It's like that, but I'm pretty sure they're implying they want me to be the Pale Rider."
"This is like in the Bible?"
"Yeah. The Pale Rider rides a Pale Horse. I remember seeing a skeletal horse a long time ago. That was back before we even left home. No skeletal rider, though." Sighing, she added, "Something about candles, or something, too. I don't know. It's so stupid. It's obviously just an ordinary dream. If it was supernatural in origin, I should be able to remember more than this."
"Maybe it's because we've been traveling so much," Kimberly suggested. "You know, I've heard about things like this happening to people. Some people kind of lose their mind when they travel a lot."
"Thank you, that's very comforting," Katherine said with a grin.
Laughing, Kimberly reached out and slapped her arm, saying, "That's not what I meant and you know it. I just mean that when we get back home, things will calm down and you'll stop having the dreams. In two and a half weeks, we'll be home…"
"That's a nice thought, huh?"
"Besides, you can't lose your mind too soon," Kimberly told her. "The Spice Girls concert here in just a few week. The photo shoots…"
"Rocky and I have an audience with a Pope this Tuesday," Katherine remembered. "I'm very excited about that. Maybe that's where all of these dreams are coming from. I'm just nervous."
"There ya go," Kimberly said, patting her on the hand. "Now c'mon, let's go get something to eat before Rocky cleans out the kitchen."
November 4, Tuesday
Vatican City
Katherine was still full of nervous energy as the helicopter carrying herself, Rocky, and Guy flew away from Vatican City. She had just had an audience with the Pope. It was still too weird for her to even believe.
However, as the helicopter banked across the city, Katherine's attention was drawn to one building in particular. Standing on the roof were three people, each wearing red, black, or white. She took a second, harder look, and just as fast, they were gone.
"Rocky?" Katherine asked. "Have you ever had the feeling you were being stalked?"
"Not… really," he muttered. "Why?"
"No reason, I guess," she answered.
November 15, *Late* Saturday night
London
"I can't believe I'm this nervous," Jason said, shaking his head.
"Is Ginger Spice single?" Rocky asked, looking around.
Before anyone could answer him, the door to the Green Room opened. Guy stepped in, saying, "Guys, meet the Spice Girls."
As the five, grinning, cheerful women entered the room, Kimberly was quick to say, "Your concert was awesome."
"I'm Rocky," Rocky said eagerly, stepping up to Ginger Spice.
"Call me Geri," she returned with a grin.
"I know this is a really weird thing to ask," Rocky said, "but-" Without saying another word, Geri leaned over and gave him a noisy smack on the cheek. Actually blushing, a rare event for Rocky, he managed to say, "Thank you."
"I'm sorry, everybody, but we aren't going to have as much time as we thought," Guy said. "We only have three hours to do the Photo Shoot."
"Because we have to hustle ourselves off to the States," Mel C., Sporty Spice, commented.
"We'll do the Group Photos first," Guy said. "After that, you'll be split up into twos for your individual shots."
"What are these pictures going to be used for, anyhow?" Billy asked.
"Oh, some will be placed on the internet with our heads airbrushed on naked bodies," Victoria, Posh, commented.
"The rest will be used for promotional stuff, both for the Spice Girls and yourselves," Guy answered. "Okay, you'll be split up thus-wise."
"I don't think that's a word," Ginger answered.
Guy paid her no heed and continued, "Ginger and Rocky."
"Yes!" Rocky shouted, pumping a fist in the hand. As soon as Ginger flashed him another smile, he once again resumed his perfect embarrassed-little-boy impersonation.
"Jason and Scary," Guy said. "Billy and Sporty. Kimberly and Posh, and Katherine and Baby. Let's split up."
"These photos look great," Guy said, passing them out among the group.
"It's a shame we didn't have anymore in common, eh?" Sporty asked, elbowing Billy in the ribs playfully. While all of the others had managed to share something in common, Mel C. and Billy's photo layout consisted of highlighting their differences. Their mutual favorite photo consisted of Billy in a muscle tank, reading a book, and Melanie, decked out in full-nerd gear, on an exercise bike.
"Now that is a cool photo," Scary Spice said with a broad smile. Jason was holding a dirty hockey mask in one hand, while Scary stood with one arm around his shoulders and a Freddy Krueger glove splayed across Jason's chest.
"Scary," Jason grinned.
"Is this not the cutest picture you've ever seen?!" Baby Spice cried, holding up the prized Emma/Katherine photo. The two blondes held each other in a full-bodied hug, both wearing pig-tails and each with equally innocent grins.
"I am so glad you decided to play me in the movie," Katherine smiled.
"Rocky, you're looking at my breasts in every picture!" Ginger complained.
"Not this one," he said, holding up a picture. In said picture, Geri was standing behind Rocky with her hands across his eyes.
"Here Rocky," Posh offered. "You'll like this picture."
As soon as he took the photo, his mouth dropped open. "Oh dear Lord," he sighed.
"Which one is it?" Kimberly asked, looking over his shoulder. As soon as she saw it, she grinned mischievously. The photo showed Kimberly and Victoria sitting on a red velvet couch, bare-shouldered and leaning back to back with a black shroud draped loosely across their bodies.
"That is a really good picture!" Ginger agreed, looking at it.
"Are you actually naked," Rocky asked in a husky voice.
"From the waist up," Kimberly answered.
"Can we take a picture like this?" Rocky asked, looking at Geri hopefully.
"Sure," she said with a shrug.
"Yes!" he cried happily, jumping up.
As Rocky hurried off to the photo room, Geri leaned over to Victoria and Kimberly. "We were actually wearing strapless bikini tops," Victoria answered to her unasked question.
"Kat, Emma, we need to take a few more," Guy announced as he stepped into the room. "Some of yours were overexposed."
"Ready Aussie?"
"Ready Brit."
"And that's why I wear shoes with fifteen-centimeter platforms," Baby said. "I'm short."
"Smile," the photographer called. The two blondes flashed him with grins just as the camera flashed. "All right, I think that'll do it. I'll be back in a minute."
Guy hurried into the room with a cellular phone. "Katherine, phone for you," he said.
"I'll see you later," Emma told her, patting her on the biceps. Katherine smiled as she hurried up to Guy, taking the phone from him.
"Hello," she said sweetly.
"Hi Kat? This is Kim. I know this is stupid, but I stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air, and the door locked behind me. Would you please come let me in?"
"Sure, but why didn't you just have Guy do it?" Katherine asked.
"Because I stepped out through the door in the women's dressing room," she answered. "No Guys allowed in there."
"All right," Katherine said with a grin. "Gimme a sec."
She emerged from the back room of the changing room, stepping out into the brisk night air. "Kim?" she asked, holding the door open with one hand. She had expected to see the petite Pink Ranger waiting for her, but the parking lot behind the building was empty. "Hello?"
Suddenly, the door was wrenched out of her hands with such force it yanked her out of the building. It slammed shut with a bang, and she found herself standing outside.
"Katherine," the White Rider greeted, standing between her and the closed door.
She screamed and backed away, only to bump into Famine, the Black Rider. "We finally caught up with you," he said, locking his arms into hers.
"Who are you?!" Katherine cried.
The red-dressed Rider, Pestilence, stepped into view, still holding a cellular phone. "Three-fourths completed," she answered.
Katherine suddenly drove both elbows backwards and lurched forward with all of her weight. She broke free of his arms, and spun in a quick circle, executing a strong kick to his chest. He grunted and fell back a bit, but as she turned to run, she found herself facing a sharp sword. In a guarded move, she twisted her hand, producing her morpher.
"Ah ah ah," Pestilence taunted, pointing her sword at Katherine. "Mortals shouldn't fight demons."
"Zeo Ranger I, Pink — Butterfly!" Katherine shouted. Pink light quickly welled up around Katherine, and she was morphed in her Pink Ranger armor. "How about Power Rangers?" she asked, balling her hands into fists and dropping into a defensive stance.
Famine grinned and stepped forward. In his hands, he held a set of black balance scales. He held them in front of Katherine, demonstrating that they were perfectly balanced. Then, he placed his free hand on the left side of the scales and pushed them down. Immediately, Katherine's form broke, and her arms hung limply at her side.
War, the White Rider, scooped the Pink Ranger into his arms and threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Where?" he asked, looking at Pestilence and Famine.
"There," Famine suggested, pointing at a nearby building.
"Is ten stories enough?" War asked.
"Headfirst, it will be," Pestilence decided. They promptly turned into three pin-points of light, red, black, and white, and streaked up to the top of the brownstone building where they rematerialized.
War stood Katherine up, holding her by the waist so she wouldn't crumple up and fall to the ground. "Demorph," Famine ordered, "and don't morph again."
Katherine's body glowed pink, and as the light faded away, she was left standing in her normal clothing. "Wake up," he demanded.
Instantly, her fogged eyes cleared, and she looked around at the trio. "No!" she cried, attempting to run, but War held her still.
"Relax," Pestilence told her. She pulled a pale grey cloak from somewhere and pulled it down over Katherine's head. She forced Kat's arms through the sleeves and pulled the hood up over her head. Numbly, Katherine looked down, seeing faint pink runes stitched around the hem and wrists of the garment.
"You won't feel a thing," Pestilence said, wrapping a comforting arm around her waist and escorting her to the edge of the building. "Until you hit the ground after I throw you off this building."
So saying, she grabbed Katherine with both arms, holding on to her tightly. "NO!" Katherine pleaded, lashing out with her arms and legs. Pestilence ignored the screeching young woman in her grip and walked closer to the edge, stepping up on the edge of the building. "PLEASE!" Katherine screeched.
"Sure thing," Pestilence agreed, and with that, she tossed Katherine over the side of the building. She leaned over, watching as the young blonde free-falled to the hard ground below.
Time seemed to be moving in slow-motion for Katherine. The wind that rushed up past her whipped the long grey cloak about her body. Her eyes widened as the ground rose up faster and faster to meet her. A thought occurred to her, and she stretched her right arm out, giving her wrist a quick turn. Her morpher materialized, but before she could activate it, she slammed into the ground.
There was no pain, just a sudden, over-whelming darkness.
The three Riders appeared beside Katherine's prone body. A misshapen halo of maroon stretched out around her, but then, it just disappeared. Katherine sat up, and she promptly changed appearance. The flesh beneath her skin disappeared, and her skin shriveled and shrank until it was just barely stretched across her skeleton. Her face was gaunt and bony, and her skin was no longer a healthy shade. Instead, it was brown with decomposition. Katherine was gone. Death had arisen to take her place.
Four horses trotted up to the quartet. Red rider mounted her red steed, black on black, white on white, and Death, the empty shell of Katherine Hillard, climbed atop her skeletal beast of burden. The quartet could not have looked more different had they tried. Famine was dressed in a black suit, Pestilence in a red dress, War in shining white armor, and Death, little more than a skeleton, wore the grey cloak.
"Now… what exactly is the protocol?" Famine asked, straightening his tie.
Death attempted to speak, but she found that death had stripped her of the capacity of speech. "You'll get used to the silence," Pestilence said soothingly. Death nodded.
"We bring about the downfall of the Earth, of course," War answered.
"How dear, how?" Pestilence asked, laying her sword across her horse's back.
"There are evil forces working to claim Angel Grove as we speak," War said.
"We shall begin our own war here," Pestilence realized.
"Yes," War agreed with a smile. "We defeat the remaining Power Rangers here, first. And then…"
"The world, right?" Pestilence smirked.
"Well," War said. "I was just thinking Europe, for the time being. But yeah, we can take over the world."
"Katherine?!" Kimberly called, hurrying into the suite she shared with her. Glancing at Kat's bed, she saw a human-sized lump under the covers, and she gave a happy sigh. Sticking her head back out the door, she called out to her friends, "She's just in here, guys."
"Tell her not to disappear on us like that again," Jason said sternly.
"All right, I'll chew her out real good," Kimberly said sarcastically. "Good night, fellas." She closed the door and crossed over to her own bed, sitting down on the edge of it.
Katherine gave a soft moan and turned over in bed, still covered. "It's been quite a trip, huh?" Katherine asked.
"Tell me about it," Kimberly agreed. "Where did you disappear to tonight, anyhow? You freaked everybody out. Emma thought she had done something to make you mad."
"No, I just got really tired," Katherine commented. "I hope you told her as much."
"Yeah, I didn't really figure you were mad at her," Kimberly said. She opened her dresser drawers and rummaged until she found a pink nightgown. Draping it over one arm, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
"Hard to believe we'll be home soon, huh?" Katherine added.
"Yeah, really," Kimberly agreed. "It's been a blast, though. It was great seeing my mom again. I just wish she'd move back to Angel Grove."
"You could always move to France," Katherine suggested.
"No way that's happening," Kimberly muttered through a mouthful of toothpaste.
"I just had another one of my nightmares."
"Aw man," Kimberly sighed before spitting in the sink. "What was this one about?"
"I dreamt they threw me off of a building to kill me and make me the fourth horsemen," Katherine answered.
"Scary," Kimberly agreed. "Hey, do you remember what everybody used to say when they were kids?"
"How if you hit the ground in a dream you'll die?"
"Yeah," Kimberly said with a grin as she washed her mouth out. "Did you dream you hit the ground?"
"Yep. It hurt, too," Katherine answered. "But it isn't true. I didn't die."
Kimberly quickly pulled her shirt off and pushed her shorts to the floor, stretching her tired muscles as she did so. She unclasped her bra and let it fall to the ground before picking up her nightgown. "Man, it's been a long day," she complained. "I think you had the right idea after all."
"When time is our press conference?" Katherine asked.
"Not 'til like Wednesday," Kimberly answered. "We're having it outside, too. Should be fun." She pulled her soft pink shortie nightgown down over her head. "But if I get up before noon tomorrow it will be too soon."
She turned off the bathroom light and started to her bed, when Katherine interrupted with, "I hate to be a bother, but would you bring me a drink? I'm not feeling very well all of a sudden"
"Sure, no prob," Kimberly answered. She turned back into the bathroom and soon emerged with a glass of water. She walked over to Katherine's bed and set it on her nighttable. "There you are, Kat."
She was halfway back to her own bed when she was overcome with a bad sense of dread. "Kat?" she asked, turning back to her bed. (I hope she isn't too bad sick…) Kimberly hurried over to the bed, a bit unsettled to see the lump so still and unmoving, even after she had just addressed her directly.
"Kat?" she asked. Finally, she reached out and grabbed the covers, pulling them back a bit.
"Boo," Pestilence taunted in her own voice with a grin, sitting straight up in bed.
Kimberly screamed and stumbled back as Pestilence lashed out with her sword. "Kimmy scared?" Pestilence asked in a perfect impression of Katherine's voice. She threw the covers off of her body and got out of bed.
"Who are you?!" Kimberly demanded.
"Just call me Pestilence," she answered, standing up to her full height.
"Where's Katherine?" Kimberly growled.
"Perhaps you'd like to meet her," Pestilence offered, just a moment before she thrust forward with her sword.
Kimberly dodged the blade and promptly placed her strength into a side kick that struck Pestilence in the ribs. She kicked up, attempting to knock the sword from her grip, but Pestilence held tightly to the weapon. She spun around with her arm extended, and Kimberly just narrowly avoided the lethal blade.
She took off running, darting out of the bedroom and into their suite. Pestilence, still standing beside the bed, saw a bright pink flash shine through both doors leading to the bedroom. Kimberly emerged from the door next to the balcony, clad in her Pink Ranger armor. "Let's try evening up the stakes," Kimberly suggested.
"Nah, that's no fun," Pestilence remarked. Famine stepped out of the bathroom, holding his balancing scales in one hand. The closet door beside Katherine's bad was kicked open, and War stepped free. Death stepped in from the balcony.
"Katherine?" Kimberly asked, one hand coming up to shield her mouthplate in shock.
"She can't talk anymore," Pestilence said. "But she sure can fight."
Kimberly wrenched her attention off of Pestilence just in time to see Death barreling for her with her scythe held high. Kimberly yelled and ducked, the scythe passing over her head effortlessly. Death spun the scythe in her hands, slamming the wooden end into Kimberly's helmet.
The Pink Ranger moved her hands quickly, holding tightly to the scythe. She ran backwards, out onto the balcony, and leapt up to the rai