The Story so far:
- Prologue
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Interlude, Part 1
- Interlude, Part 2

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Somewhere in Comic Book Limbo's Grey Desert, there walked a lone person, A woman. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, the dune they walked on with each step their leg sunk down into the san about mid calf. This caused some sand to get into their navy blue Converse high tops. It was was making their argyle socks become grey with each step. She tried to put the pant legs of their well worn & ripped in place blue jeans into their shoes to keep out the dirty but they didn't work.

She had her faded black hood zipped up with the hood pulled tight around her head. The only thing sticking out were a few wisps of a sand blond hair & her black plastic glasses with rested on her nose. Her hand were shoved in the coat's pockets. Slung over on shoulder was her olive drab messenger bag.

Catherine wasn't sure how long she had been walking or where she was walking to. She did know that see did not want to go back where she had come from. She continued to walk since there was little else to do. The only thing she could see around her was grey sand, tons of grey sand.

After what seemed like hours later Catherine checked her bag for anything edible or drinkable. She came up short of the food front but she did have the last few gulps of Riptide Rush Gatorade. She tried to ration, it didn't last long or that is how it felt because the bottle was now empty.

She still had no idea how long she had been walking, every time she had checked her watch after ended up here the hand on her watch hadn't moved.

Sometime latter, it got worse since a sand storm started up. Catherine looked around for shelter. There was none. So, she did the only thing she could thing off: she sat down, put her bag on her lap & wrapped arms around her legs. She put her head down on her knees & tried to get herself as compact as she could as the wind whipped the sand about her.

She was getting tired. It was getting hard to hold herself tight. She did not want to be there. She was now reconsidering her decision to walk out here. If she had stayed in the town with the fake Chad she wouldn't have to deal with the sandstorm. Then another voice in her head said that if she had stayed she would be dead & wouldn't have to deal with anything.

Later on, with also all her strength gone a thought popped into head. It was a risky one but what other choices did she have. Catherine uncurled herself, the sand was flying sound some much she could she anything. She opened her mouth to say something, it became filled with sand. She spit it out & started to say something. More sand came in. She spit that sand out. She then started to yell or she thinks she was yelling for she couldn't hear herself for the sound of the sandstorm was drown herself out. In between spitting out the sand & it getting in her mouth she yelled one word. A name. The name of a person she hoped her could help her.

The yelling took all her strength. Catherine collapsed to the ground & past out. The last thing she thought before she did was that she must be in the eye of the storm since she couldn't here the storm anymore.

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"Uh… Miss?"

"Miss?"

"Are you ok?"

"Wha?" Catherine said.

"Are you ok?"

Catherine opened her eyes & saw a man kneeling over her. He was a paramedic.

"Where am I?"

"Your in a hole." He said with a bit of laugh. "What used to be here was the Essex Theatre but that mysterious disappeared. So, it's current just a big hole."

Catherine took a few second to take it all in.

"Did you say Essex Theatre?"

"Yes."

"Did they find any of the people from inside the theatre?"

"No. Where you in it?"

"I was & then something weird happened."

"The Building folded up into it's self & then in a blight flash of light it disappeared?"

"I don't know. I had my eyes closed."

"Well, if you were inside the Theatre when it disappeared you'd be the first survivor found."

"What?"

"Everyone is counted as being dead since the building & those inside disappeared about a year ago."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I've missed a whole year."

"If you were in the building then yes. " The Paramedic said as he continued to look over Catherine for any injuries. The thing he could see wrong was that she was cover in grey sand but there wasn't any sand of that kind in the hole.

"I got to go." Catherine said as sprung up from the ground, sand fell off her in streams.

She then slung her messenger bag over right shoulder & attempted to walk off. She was grabbed by the paramedic.

"I can't let you do that. I think you might have of sustained some head tram."

"No. I've just being in another dimension for the last year & everyone I know probably thinks I'm dead." Catherine said & after she did it she thought about what she had just said. She then said. "That sounded less insane in my head."

"They always do. But I need you to come with me to Phantomhawk."

"That won't be needed." said a voice from behind both of them.

They both turned around to see a tall, slender gentleman. In his right hand, he carried a grey Umbrella like it was a cane. He wore a plain looking three piece grey suit with a plain looking grey button down shirt with it was a plain looking grey tie. His shoes were pitch black & buffed to a shine. His brown hair was cut short & he was slightly balding up top. He had a neatly trimmed, well groomed Goatee. His emerald green eyes were slightly unearthly.

"Spooky!" Catherine said happily.

"You know this woman?" the paramedic asked.

"Yes."

Paramedic looked Mr. Spooky. Mr. Spooky just looked at the Paramedic.

"Can I go?" Catherine asked.

"It's alright. I'll look after her."

"ok." The paramedic said hesitantly.

As the two of them walked away, Catherine asked. "So, you heard me?"

"How could I not? You were screaming quite loudly. But let's get back to your Apartment there are few people waiting for you."

Catherine thought of who they might be & then her mind latched on to something that horrified her. "Oh crap."

"What?"

"I left Little Cat in my Apartment."

"Yes?"

"I've been gone for a year."

"yes?" Mr. Spooky said still not sure where she was going with this line of thinking.

"I didn't feed him. He's probably dead." Catherine said. She was just about the tear up.

"The Hamster is not dead."

"He's not?"

"No. Shortly after you & Miss Tarzania left this dimension I told it upon myself to take care for the hamster until either his owners, you or Miss Tarzania returned."

"Chad & Ronnie are still missing?"

"They were never missing. They just choose to leave without telling you were they went. It is something they have done before in the past."

"True. So, who is waiting at my apartment?"

"wait & see." was al he said.

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Once at the apartment, Catherine walked in to see Jane sitting on her couch with Little Cat in hands.

"Jane!"

She looked once she heard her name being said, her face light up.

"Catherine! How have you been?"

"Better. How have you been?"

"The same."

They both laughed.

"Where did you go?" Jane asked.

"A place called Comic Book Limbo where a meet a monster that was pretending be a alternate version of Chad. But most of the year I think was spent in a desert."

"oh. I spent most of it in a jungle somewhere with a guy named Marzipan." Jane said with a smile on her face.

"That good?"

"oh. yeah." Jane said with a even bigger smile.

"Yes. Both of you spent the last year in a different side dimensions as a result of your presence at Pastor Jude's attempt at crossing over."

"Crossing over into what?" Jane asked.

"It best you don't know."

"What happened to Jude & everyone else?"

"Again, it's best you don't know."

"So, why did we get saved from the what ever we are not to know about?" Catherine asked.

"Catherine, do you remember where we had the conversation after the World's population returned after the Lair Legion defeated the Void Spectre?"

"Yes."

"What did was discuss?"

Catherine thought about it for a bit & then said. "Auras & Portals."

"Yes. It is very hard to pull someone from Comic Book Limbo since once someone is sent there a new person takes their place in the real world…"

Interrupting, Catherine said. "That's what the fake Chad said!"

"But you still had that aura surrounding you. That was something that made you stand out. Something I could look for."

"Since you have some confection to portals." Catherine said.

"Yes. I had be searching for you since both of you went out of this dimension. Jane was easier to find."

"I think Marzipan was going to ask me to marry him when Spooky pulled me away."

"No. He was going ask toy bare his Brother's children."

"Marzipan wanted me to have children with an Elephant?"

"Yes." Mr. Spooky said. Catherine wasn't sure but she thought she saw a small smile on Spooky's face.

"But getting back to Miss Gillespie: you were harder to find. You did have a doppleganger going around. This is why you still have your job, apartment & such."

"What happened to her?"

"I dealt with her."

Catherine wasn't sure what to make of that comment.

"I had narrowed down where I might find you. A couple thousand dimensions, a handful of fraction dimensions & pocket dimensions. But when you called out to me in that sandstorm, it helped me pinpoint where you were & pull you out."

"So, we are back to where we were a year ago: where are Chad & Ronnie?" Jane asked.

"Yes we are." another voice said.

They were standing in the door. It was Clive & his group.

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END OF INTERLUDE.

TO CONTINUED IN CHAD & RONNIE: FUGITIVES #3
OUT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE

Footnotes:

- The 1 year time frame is pretty spot since I wrote Part 1 of this Interlude last June. Part 2 didn't come out until last December. I had been meaning to write the last part short there after but I got distracted. So I decided I needed to just sit down, write the last part. Mostly because wanted to have one less unfinished story looming over me & also felt like I need to post something.

- The "Aura & Portals" Catherine & Mr. Spooky are referring to were first established in my "Saving the Future" epilogue which can be read here: Tying up some loose ends