Chapter 1: Into the Night

It was 7:30 on a bright Friday morning. The harbor town of Basseville was crawling with students leaving for school. One such student was Ian Tan, a slacker known for mischief and smart talk. This Chinese-American boy was running down the slope of his street wearing a red flannel shirt and gray skinny jeans. He was stuffing frozen waffles into his mouth, hoping to catch the city's trolley service on time.

Boarding the trolley was his classmate Sara Potts, a girl known for her vanity and bottomless pool of connections. She was chattering with her friends about her new yellow top, but they stopped to watch the spectacle of Ian struggling to board the moving trolley. Their chatter quickly turned into gossip with Sara and her friends taking pictures and sending them to everyone they knew.

Ian successfully climbed onto the back and snuck in without the driver noticing. He climbed over a passenger trying to read his book and snagged the window seat.

Ian grinned at his neighbor and said "Good thing we don't use busses like the rest of the country! Then I wouldn't have made it!"

The passenger didn't look at him but replied, "You forget San Francisco."

"Okay yeah but nowhere else—"

"Denver."

Ian folded his arms and gazed out the window. On a black bicycle he saw his classmate, Patrick Layne. He was considered by most to be a loner and intimidating, which was ironic since he came from a large Irish Catholic family. Ian figured it must have been cold outside, but Patrick was just wearing a black fast over a white thermal sweater. At the stop sign, Patrick's ears perked up and he looked directly at Ian, who practically jumped out of his seat and turned away, pretending he wasn't staring at Patrick.

Once the trolley arrived at school, all of the students disembarked. Outside of the school entrance, Ian saw half Mexican-half Puerto Rican Miguel Rolón, the class slob and a bit of a coward. He was surrounded by a trio of rather unpleasant students and seemed helpless as they poured coffee on his bright blue polo shirt. Ian thought this was more than a little unfair and approached them.

Ian shouted, "Hey Paul!"

Paul looked at him and said, "What you lookin' at?"

"Come on man! Why would want to pick on that kid? He has like negative ten dollars in his bank account!"

"I'm surprised Tan, you usually have smarter material than that!"

"I had to dumb it down it down for your sake."

"You wanna go or somethin'?"

"Man, prom's like six months away."

Paul threw off his backpack and cracked his knuckles alongside his friends. Ian just shrugged, figuring he could outrun them. Sara had been watching everything the whole time, and was ready to record the fight and send it to Vine. Miguel shuffled away and hid within the crowd, curious to watch as well.

"Alright, come at me bro!" Ian said while playfully holding up his fists. Paul just snorted.

However, before they could start someone said, "You're an idiot for fighting alone."

To the crowd's surprise, Patrick walked up and was siding with Ian. He flipped his bike's kickstand and removed his backpack. Patrick crouched down and clenched his fists, ready for a brawl. Sara was ready with her phone, and Miguel still hid in the crowd. Ian was stretching for the fight.

Paul turned his palms up and said, "Come on Layne. What're you even doing here?"

Patrick shrugged, "You guys are blocking the bike rack; you shouldn't do that. Others need it, you know?"

Miguel whispered to himself, "So cool!"

Paul didn't hear him but retorted, "You think you're cool or something?"

"I think I can take you, and that's all that's important."

Ian was surprised but glad to have the help. However, before the throw down could begin, the sound of a whistle filled the courtyard. It was blown by the Kylie Meyer, the class vice president. This African-American girl was a responsible student with a penchant for old-fashioned things. Currently she was a wearing a pink sweater with a pleated skirt clearly wanted to go back inside. The crowd dispersed and the students went to their first period classes. Kylie walked up and grabbed Ian and Patrick by the collars of their shirts. Paul slinked away pretending like nothing happened. The only students left were Kylie, Ian, Patrick, Sara, and Miguel.

"What were you two thinking? Violence is forbidden on school grounds!" Kyle scolded.

"Hey I was just going to run and tire them out. Talk to tough guy over here." Ian shouted.

Patrick calmly said, "The rules haven't stopped fights in the past and they won't stop them in the future."

Sara giggled and said, "Melodramatic much?"

Ian was ready to pick another fight, "You've been awfully quiet until now."

"I don't usually associate with the riff-raff." She responded while folding her arms.

Ian continued to prod her, "Who says riff-raff these days?"

"L-lots of people do!" Kylie interjected in a flustered manner.

Miguel wanted everyone to calm down, "Should we really be fighting now?"

Patrick just wanted his neck to be free, "Guys, as great as this conversation is, I think you're all forgetting something."

The school's warning bell rang throughout the area. Kylie immediately let go of Ian and Patrick. Patrick, Miguel, and Sara ran off to class. Ian tried to skip it, but Kylie grabbed him by the wrist and dragged Ian with her. The group shared study hall as their first period class. They all arrived just before the late bell rang.

Coach Jefferson just stared at them with her disinterested eyes and said, "Well I suppose I can account for your presence. Take your seats. Chelsea? Brandy? Tony? Amy? Calvin?"

"Don't you mean Calviny?" Ian chimed.

Coach was definitely not in the mood, "Zip it. Tracy?"

"There it is!"

"Boy! One more time and I'll send your sorry butt to the office. Mark? Penny?"

Ian was about to say something by Kylie put her hand over his mouth, "Stop trying to get kicked out of class."

"Quiet Miss Meyer" Ian smirked at Kylie's pouting. Coach Jefferson continued, "Paul? Helen? Zephyr? Claire? Davis?"

Miguel was sure he had never heard that name before, "Davis? Who's Davis?"

Coach didn't look up but responded, "He's over there. I guess you can introduce yourself now."

A pale a red headed student rose, "Oh! Um, I'm new. I was uh… homeschooled until my mom found a job."

Ian turned around excitedly, "Hey, I know you! I sat next to you on the trolley. Why would you want to start school on a Friday?"

Davis ignored Ian just as he had on the way to school. He was surrounded by several classmates wanting to know the new kid. They chatted while Sara gossiped with Chelsea and Brandy. Miguel was swapping stories about comic books with Helen. Kylie went over school issues with Tony, Mark, and Penny. Ian jammed with his pencils on a book while Calvin rocked the air guitar. Patrick sat alone, ignoring Tracy trying to start conversation with him. Coach Jefferson sat at the front of the room reviewing her practice routine for after school. Nobody was doing anything productive; all in all, it was a typical day at first period study hall.

Then Paul had to be the center of attention, "So new guy. You ever hear of Crypt Manor?"

"Uh, I live on the outskirts of town, so no."

Brandy perked up, "There's a skirt store out of town? Shut up!"

Zephyr guffaws, "Just how blonde are you?"

"Hey, I'm not blonde. I'm a brunette who dyed it blonde, duh!"

Know-it-all Claire got them back on track, "Hey hipster, blondie, you don't have a clue. Listen up new guy. Crypt Manor is this old house that used to belong to this old guy, and a long time ago in the old days he just vanished. Now, anyone who goes in there just disappears. It's like something out of an old b-horror movie.

Davis tilted his head, "Sounds old."

"Nobody believes that stuff though. It's just a stupid rumor." Ian said.

Sara joined him, "It only worked back when we were like seven."

Patrick smirked, "If even that."

"People shouldn't be going through that man's property anyway." Kylie said.

Miguel wanted to sound brave but couldn't help but stutter, "Y-yeah s-so n-n-no reason for you to go there."

Paul walked up and poked Ian in the chest, "If that's what you guys think, y'all should prove it's just a stupid story."

The class erupted into a heated debate, Coach still not caring. There were those talking about it being pointless, and others who thought it would be a neat throwback experiment. Eventually, everyone agreed to a bribe. If Ian, Patrick, Miguel, Sara, and Kylie went into Crypt Manor and stayed for at least an hour, they would each get fifty dollars. Ian and Sara immediately jumped at the opportunity for quick cash while Patrick was indifferent and went along with it. Kylie was convinced by her friends that she could go for a history project. Miguel succumbed to regular peer pressure despite Helen's support. After class ended, the day continued like it was normal, although each of the teens were thinking about what would happen when the dismissal bell rang.

Sure enough, the bell rang and the entire first period study hall headed towards Crypt Manor. Some of the kids tried to convince them not go, but by this point they were determined. The group of five creaked open the rusted gate and walked on the eroding stones of a cracked pathway. Dandelions swayed as they walked past them, their seeds flying into the breeze. At the front door, Kylie gently knocked. Everyone except Miguel gave her a disparaging look.

"I thought it would be polite."

Patrick ran into the door and the rusted lock snapped into a cloud of dust. The manor let out a ghostly chill. The draft had been accumulating for quite some time. The October air was warmer outside than inside.

Sara shivered, "I wish I had another coat."

Ian just walked past her, "Yeah, but then you'd be complaining that you look fat."

"That's not… entirely true."

Patrick ushered her in, "Let's go. The sooner we start, the sooner we're done."

Miguel followed behind them "R-right."

The inside was dark, and the power had been cut off ages ago. There were candles lying about the living room. Miguel told each of them to grab one and asked if anyone had a lighter, which Ian did. Miguel sat on one of the dusty couches to read some comics and eat snacks, but he saw the others walk down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Wait, I thought we were just going to sit around for an hour."

Patrick turned to him and said, "We could, but that's boring."

"Not to mention treasure we could loot." Sara said sarcastically.

Kylie looked at her disapprovingly, "Or enjoy the history."

Ian kept looking around, "Didn't Claire describe this place as something like a horror movie? You're probably going to find a monster instead of gold."

Sara pouted and strutted away from the group, though they all followed (even Miguel). The teens came upon a library. It was noticeably cleaner than the rest of the house. There was a pedestal in the middle of the room with a large chest and black key sitting on it. Ian approached it; the key radiated warmness.

Patrick grabbed Ian's shoulder, "Ian, that thing is all kinds of weird. It's giving me goose bumps."

"Weren't you the one complaining about boring things?" Ian sneered.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Just relax a bit. After all, it could be treasure, right Sara?"

Ian opened the chest and darkness filled the room. Sparks flew into the air and the haunting chant of ancient voices echoed off the walls. The world around them became warped and strange visions danced in the shadows. Five beams of light struck through the bodies of our group. A red one through Ian, a black one through Patrick, a blue one through Miguel, a yellow one through Sara, and a pink one through Kylie. Each of them screamed until the room settled. All became normal… almost.

"I think you should have listened to Patrick." Miguel huffed.

Sara was beating her fists on Ian's arm, "You just had to open that chest! I was kidding about treasure!"

Kylie pulled her off of him, "Now let's be fair. It's not like anyone could have predicted something like that."

Patrick looked at the pedestal, "But what exactly was that anyway?"

Ian walked toward it, "Well it's all over now, so let's see what's inside."

A golden oil lamp encrusted with pearls was inside of the chest. Ian reached for it, but the others tried to dissuade him. Nonetheless, he brushed them off, assuming nothing worse could happen. He rubbed the lamp, hoping for something like a fairy tale. To his and everyone else's surprise, smoke came out of the lamp and a purplish lady with pink hair appeared before them.

"You didn't learn anything from last time?" Patrick said angrily.

Ian shrugged, "Yeah, but this time it's cool. Nothing scary, so I'm like one for two today."

Sara slapped her forehead, "That's still failing in school terms."

Kylie clapped her hands together, "Though this time it's something positive. We've stumbled upon a genie."

Miguel stepped back, "You are a genie, right?"

"Indeed. I am Lulu, the genie of the lamp."

Ian jumped excitedly, "Cool, I'm your master, Ian! That's Patrick, Miguel, Sara, and Kylie."

Lulu nodded, "Yes, but now is not the time for excitement. That chest contained great evil. Supernatural entities, called Soul Terrors, were contained within it. Opening the chest opened their prison."

Kylie stepped back with Miguel, "If that chest was a prison, why were you in it?"

"My master used one of his wishes and placed me in there to use my magic as a binding seal. When you opened the chest, you set me free just like the others."

Patrick looked at the lock, "Why would he leave the key sitting next to it?"

"I don't know anything that happened after I was placed within the box."

Miguel started to freak out, "So are those monsters going to rampage the city?"

Sara snapped, "You're probably right Miguel, but there's an easy solution. Ian can use one of his wishes to put them all back in the chest."

"I wish I could do that, but unfortunately, I am bound to only grant wishes for one master. My original master only used two of his wishes. One was to keep me bound to him and the other was for sealing the book. The third must be used before I can do anything for you."

"So we'll have to get the military involved." Patrick said solemnly.

"These monsters can only be defeated by those with similar properties. No mortal man can hope to scratch them."

Ian flipped over a chair, "Man that—that sucks!"

With that last word, Ian's eyes turned red. Two of his front teeth were sharpening. He was biting at the air like a wild animal.

Lulu stood between Ian and the others "Were any of you hit by something strange when the chest was opened?"

Kylie looked at them for support, "I think each of us was hit by some kind of light."

"Oh dear, those lights were spirits of monsters drawn to you. They have each given you a Monster Gene. Over time, your bodies will mutate into your respective monster. I can see it now. Your friend Ian is already reacting to the vampire spirit. Patrick has taken to the werewolf spirit. Miguel has the gill-man. The mummy was drawn to Sara. Kylie you are the witch."

Sara started feeling her face, "A mummy?! Does that mean I'm going to die?! Is there anything we can do?!"

Lulu approached Ian, "Let me try something."

Lulu waved her hand over Ian's. A ring studded with red crystals appeared on Ian's middle finger. He started to calm down and collapsed into Lulu's arms. Lulu explained to everyone that she can perform minor acts of magic, but nothing that can grant wishes or grand scale miracles. The rings she created can help keep their monster sides dormant, but they're not permanent. Each student gained a golden ring studded with a crystal matching the color of their spirit.

Miguel looked at the floor, "So we can only prolong the inevitable."

"Ugh, what if we can reseal the monsters?" Ian struggled.

Patrick put his fists together, "Bring the fight to them? Sounds good, but she said humans can't do anything."

There was a short pause, but Kylie broke the silence, "But we're not fully human anymore."

Sara looked at here, "Are you talking about the monster gene?"

"That could actually work. The spirits inside of you will give off the same properties as monsters, allowing you to fight on their level." Lulu said joyfully.

Ian had recovered and was smiling, "There's no way my family would be cool with this."

Unlike Ian, Kylie was frowning, "You're right."

"My mom would probably ground me until I'm thirty." Miguel added.

"I don't even know to fight." Sara said nervously.

Patrick turned from Sara to Lulu, "Is there anything you can do? Like give us disguises and weapons?"

"Yes I can use my powers and some of the magic in this room to enhance your rings. They will transform you every time you pose and say the phrase 'Fight of Fright! Beware the Night!' Together you will be an unstoppable team."

A card with a picture and the number zero magically appeared between Lulu's palms. A warm energy emerged from it and swirled around the group's rings. She told them that their enhancements were ready and that it was time to test them, for she could sense a disturbance in the city already. The team nodded their heads in agreement and left the house. They found that everybody except Davis had left.

"Everyone either got bored and left or went to see what the uproar was in Town Square. I figured I should let you guys know."

At the word "uproar", the teens looked at each other with uncertainty. They ran off for Town Square and left Davis behind.

"You're welcome!" Davis shouted.

Sure enough, there were creatures terrorizing the area. All of the civilians had fled. One monster wore a trench coat, bandages, and sunglasses. The other was a half man-half bull creature in a greaser jacket. They were surrounded by tons of creatures that looked like red, blue, and green skeletons.

Miguel pointed at the bandaged man excitedly, "I've seen this movie. He's the Invisible Man! He's from a story about a scientist who turned himself invisible and became mad!"

Sara put her hands on her hips, "Well just because he's invisible doesn't mean he's invincible."

Kylie point at the bull man, "And next to him is the Minotaur from Greek mythology! However, I don't know what those skeletons are supposed to be."

"Doesn't matter, there's no one here. That means we can change without worrying about our secret identities." Patrick said.

Ian raised his ringed hand in front of his face, "Then let's transform! It's… oh I know! IT'S MORPHING TIME!"

The others nodded and joined him, "Fight of Fright! Beware the Night!"

A loud screech pierced the air. Clouds of smoke surrounded the teens and colored suits began to enwrap their bodies. Shadow portals appeared at the tips of their hands and feet and provided gloves and boots for them to wear. At their heads, colored wisps flew through them and the sound of a creature can be heard. They wear a vampire's hiss for red, a wolf's howl for black, bubbling for blue, a mummy's groan for yellow, and a witch's cackle for pink. At the end of each sound, the transformation was completed. The smoke dissipated and there stood the teens fully transformed.

They admired themselves for a few seconds but needed some way to attack. Patrick was about to lean against a wall next to him, but he noticed a handle sticking out of his shadow. He pulled on it and was now equipped with a stylized handgun. He told the others to do the same. Sure enough, when they reached into their shadows, handguns appeared. They all fired at the monsters.

The invisible man paused to get his cohort's attention, "Minotaur! What's going on here?"

Minotaur stomped his foot-hoof hybrid, "Commander Noview! Strange people here! Me furious!"

"Ah so you're right, and what should I call you?"

Patrick point his gun at Noview, "That's nothing you need to know, because we're going to take you down."

Miguel spoke to the others, "He's right though. We're a superhero team like the Power Rangers. We need to call ourselves something."

Kylie agreed, "Codenames would also be a good idea too since we don't want friends and family involved with our fight. I'm a pink witch, so perhaps Witch Pink. You can be Gill Blue and Were Black is perfect for him."

Sara twirled her weapon, "So that would mean I'm Mummy Yellow? Too long, I'll just use Mum Yellow."

Ian nodded, "I think Vamp Red will work for me. As for the team…the bull dude said we made him furious, and we're fighting as creatures of night. How about Power Rangers Night Fury?" Everyone nodded in agreement, "Great, follow my lead!"

Noview put his hand on his hip, "I'm getting bored. Can you wrap this up a bit? Aren't you people afraid of the big scary monsters?"

Ian gestured at him, "Fool! From fear comes bravery!"

Together the team said, "We fight as heroes of the shadows! We are Power Rangers—Night Fury!"

A dark energy emerged from Noview's hand, "Minotaur, take half of our Bone Men back to the temporary lair and recharge. I can handle these delusional novices."

"Yes commander!"

A cloud of smoke appeared and Minotaur walked into it with some of the Bone Men. Noview drew a sword from his scabbard and rushed at the Night Fury Rangers. Likewise, the skeletons raised their clubs and charged alongside their leader. The Night Fury Rangers shot at their opposition until they come in too close. Ian quickly discovered that their handguns could be converted into a dagger form. The others followed his lead and attacked.

Patrick was fighting on his own, taking out at least four of the skeletons. Ian fought well, but was held back a bit since was trying to cover for Sara, who is not a competent fighter at all. Miguel and Kylie were not much better than Sara, but were good enough to cover each other's backs and effectively take out more of the Bone Men. As each of them landed the finishing blow, the skeletons dropped into a pile of bones and turn into dust.

Noview huffed, "I shouldn't have sent my cohorts away. You're much better than I thought."

Ian pointed to himself, "Normally people say vampires suck, guess I'm the exception."

Noview chuckled, "So you choose to utter puns as your last words, very well."

Noview slashed Ian a couple of times but was quickly knocked back by Miguel and Kylie. Noview was about to recover but was instead shot by Sara as a distraction while Patrick and Ian ran at him. They used their daggers to strike Noview in an X-shaped attack. Sparks flew from his chest and he kneeled to the ground.

Noview was now panting heavily, "Oh yes, you're definitely stronger than you seem. I'll return with far stronger forces."

A cloud of smoke enshrouded Noview and once it dispersed, he was gone. The rangers cheered and congratulated each other, but soon remembered who they were with and the circumstances that surrounded their fight. They were filled with feelings of melancholy, but the sound of police sirens didn't give the time for those feelings to sink them. They ran off quickly as soon the cruisers were arriving and didn't de-morph until they made it back to the Manor.

They were greeted by Lulu, "I saw everything through my magic mirror! You were spectacular, but why are you so glum now?"

Kylie was fighting back tears, "Those monsters…how many must we fight?"

Sara was trying to keep herself calm, "For real! I don't know how to handle any of this."

Lulu took both girls into her arms to console them, "There are thousands of Soul Terrors, but they can only cause damage if the public has awareness of them. They are powered by fear and rumors, but if we can take out their leader, they'll all return to chest since he's the ultimate source of their power.

"But aren't leaders usually strong?" Miguel asked.

Patrick sat down in the corner, "That means we'll have to train and be prepared for anything."

Ian took a journal out of his backpack to make a checklist, "So we saw the Invisible Man, the Minotaur, and a bunch of Bone Men. What do you think their master is like?"

Elsewhere in a sinister looking cave, Noview stumbled toward a large wooden chair. A menacing figure sat, shrouded by shadows. Noview collapsed before him but tried to stay on his knees for his master. Behind Noview, you can also see a cloaked figure and a chained coffin.

To be continued…

Author's note: Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my Power Rangers fan fiction. I hope this will lead to successful saga that's entertaining to read. Please leave any constructive criticism or comments you may have. I also wasn't alone in this, so here are some special mentions.

Template I used for ranger sprites came from rangerboard: . ?p=2105578&postcount=4053

Also on rangerboard, Sean Haynes aka U.R Dimand, created the title artwork. He has a story called Power Rangers Star Renegade.

After receiving feedback about script style, I have changed it into a prose format.