Short story collection. They gather in the dark: those who did not traverse to face their judgement when their mortal shells expired. It is within these darkest regions that the veil to the mortal realm is weakest. Sentinels stand at each of the seven gates, commanded by the gods to guard against the spirits that try to break out of Akasha. But there are some who manage. Many come seeking closure, demanding retribution for wrongs done onto them by their mortal brethren. No longer visible, they collate shadows, merging with the darkness to assume corporeal form that allows them to move among you, yet remain hidden; at least until it's too late to do anything more than beg for mercy. For darkness taints even the purest of souls.

[COMPLETED] "Shoot," Joey mumbles, letting out a string of profanities under his breath. We turn around to find a group of men, all with guns, standing where we just came from, and they look pissed... probably because they were forced to run through this tunnel after us. "Thought you could get away, didn't you?" The man who I saw before asks. His husky voice booms in the hollow tunnel, reverberating off of the dirt walls. His voice sounds familiar, and a realization strikes me. It sounds like the man from my dream. I remember him holding a gun and wearing a blue suit, smiling evilly at me. "Leave us alone," Joey says, sounding dangerous and snapping me out of my thoughts. The levity of the situation hits-we need to get out of here. I look around for a route of escape and thankfully I see a light, literally, at the end of the second tunnel. I let out a small, almost inaudible, gasp and nudge Joey. He looks at me and I subtly gesture with my head to the second tunnel. He glances at it and immediately we are on the same page. His jaw sets and he looks at the group. The man speaks up again, chuckling darkly-a sound I will never forget and will be permanently etched into my brain, "You can thank your father for starting this mess." -------------------------- Liza was a normal teenaged girl, living the average life that an eighteen year old girl should be living. She had good friends, good grades, a happy family, a loving boyfriend, and an overall content life, seemingly having everything a person could ask for. However, when she somehow gets thrown into the mix and is in the crossfires of a brutal mafia war that she has no business being a part of, things spiral out of control and she has to do whatever it takes to regain her freedom. In this hectic adventure of gun fights, torture, bank robbing and intimidating mafia men, Liza has to face it all, putting her average life on the line in order to defeat the bad guys and go back to her normal way of living.