1987: 15 Years On (Aftermask)

by SteveAtwater

The events of "The Mask" may seem like they only affected Kitty and Bunny, but as it turns out, Mad Dog was more important than you might think. The repercussions are now affecting Nowhere, and the town may never be the same. Set in 2002 because that's when "The Mask" aired and because I wrote a timeline that puts it then. Rated M for strong language and murder.

1. Welcome to the Jungle

Bloodstains.

A pounding beat.

Doorknob sticky. It turned.

Legs, legs, many legs.

A voice, dry and emotionless.

Run. Have to run. Have to run.

Escape must escape.

Run.

Shirley's eyes burst open. She'd had that dream before, but for some reason she was having it more often these days. It had been with her for quite a while, since, oh, when was it? She couldn't really remember; of course, there were lots of things she couldn't remember. Like where she had gotten her crystal ball. It had been with her for what seemed like her whole adult life, but for some reason, she wasn't sure where she had picked it up.

Oh well, the crystal ball was not important. As her heart slowed to its normal pace, Shirley stood up and slowly walked to the bathroom. Once there, she got a drink of water. She was in the middle of swallowing it when her heart once again began beating double-time. Struck with fear, all Shirley could do was stand still. The glass she was holding dropped from her hand as she stared at herself, wide-eyed in the mirror. She was having a premonition, the details of which were faint and disturbing. Not only that, but every time things seemed to get slightly clearer, her mind would fog up, as though it was trying to keep her from finding out what was going on.

Shirley stood in the bathroom, motionless, for several minutes. Not all of these were due to her being in a trance; in fact, the trance itself only lasted a few seconds. However, she spent the next few minutes trying to come to grips with what she had seen.

While she was unsure of the specific details, she knew this much: an evil force had been defeated by a good one, but unfortunately, this was going to lead an even more evil force to take control and gain more power. She knew that this was what the future entailed, but not how, where, when, or why.

Finally, she broke the still of the air, shuddering at what she had seen. Despite knowing she wouldn't sleep again that night, Shirley did the only thing she could: she went back to bed and laid there until the morning, all the while trying to puzzle out what had happened and what it might mean for her.