Fifteen

Monsters

It was another nice week in Adventure Bay, so the pups decided to play on their Xbox console. "It's been a while. I want to play Assassin's Creed," Tracker said. "Guys, put this on. You need a live terrain for it to work, remember?" Marshall said giving them a helmet. "In other words, you need to go outside," Chase said. "Right," they all said.

They all went outside and started playing. "This is so cool! I like how it's like virtual reality," Tracker said. "What I like about it is that we can see what you're doing while playing," Rubble said. Then, they saw Marshall walking away. "Hey, Marshall, don't you want to play?" Chase asked. "No. I'll just take a walk in the woods. Maybe go cave exploring, even," Marshall replied. "I'll come with you. I haven't had an adventure since ever," Zuma said. "Bring a satchel. Maybe we'll find another stone," Marshall said. "Oh, and get permission from Ryder," he said again.

After they got approved by Ryder and borrowed Rocky's satchel from Halloween when he dressed up as the puppy version of Indiana Jones, they went on to their walk.

After a few minutes, they found a cave. "Ooh," Zuma said. "This is going to be awesome," Marshall said. They went in the cave and started exploring. They went in deep; very deep. They started feeling a frequency. "Marshall did you feel…"

"The frequency, yes," Marshall replied. "I feel it through that entrance over there," he said. "I'm very thankful that we have night vision by our side or else we wouldn't see a thing in here," Zuma said.

They came closer and closer until the frequency they felt was very close. "There it is, Zuma," Marshall said. It was a very dark stone. They went closer. "Where will that take us?" Zuma asked. "I don't know, but put it in the satchel," Marshall said.

As they put it inside the satchel, it unleashed a maroon aura. It smelled of a very rotten corpse. "Ugh, what is…that?" Zuma said before fainting. "Zuma…" Marshall said before fainting as well. It engulfed them and left the satchel with the stone in it.

Back in the Lookout, it was time for lunch. They had just finished playing the Assassin's Creed game. But, Marshall and Zuma weren't back. "Did those two pack lunch?" Chase asked. "Actually, no" Ryder said. "I didn't see them pack any lunch," he said. Then, Chase's gift from the Hackers Organization (which was worn on the ear) beeped and glowed green. "Is it supposed to glow like that, Chase?" Ryder asked. Chase heard it and listened carefully. "Ryder," he said. "They're in another dimension!" Chase said. "We need to find that stone. They said they were going to go cave exploring. Maybe it was in a cave!" Chase said. "Maybe, it is. But we'll need an expert of those caves," Ryder said. "Do you know a cave expert besides Carlos? I mean he's in Brazil right now," Chase said. "Don't worry. I'll call him," Ryder said.

He and Chase went inside the Lookout. Ryder swiped through the numbers and found the one that he needed. "Aha! Here's his number," Ryder said. He called the cave expert. "Hello?" a pup asked. "Yes, are you free today? We have friends that went missing today. They went cave exploring and aren't here yet. We think something happened to them. Though we'd handle this situation, we aren't sure what to do if we do find them. Can you help us please?" Ryder said. "Oh, Ryder," the pup said. "You know what to do in these types of situation," he said. "Yes, but I think it's about time they meet you," Ryder said. "Alright, if you say so," the pup said. "I'll be there in a day," he said. "What do you mean you'll be here within a day?! Our friends might be in constant danger!" Chase said. "Chase, please calm down," Ryder said. "He knows what he's doing," Ryder said.

In a place where they don't even know, Marshall and Zuma just woke up. "Ouch. Where are we?" Zuma asked. "I-I don't even know," Marshall said. Then someone entered the room. "Oh, you're awake!" he said. "Mavis, honey, they're awake!" he said. "Where are we?" Marshall asked. "Only the best hotel that serves both humans and monsters: Hotel Transylvania!" the man said. "Okay, look, sir, we need to get back home," Zuma said. "Sorry, no can do. Well not at least Dracula, Mavis, and Dennis see you. Don't worry, Dracula doesn't suck blood like the old days," he said. "I'm Johnny, nice to meet you," Johnny said giving his hand up to them. "I'm Marshall, and that's Zuma," Marshall said accepting the shake. "Anyway, you should wait here until…" Johnny was saying until someone burst in the room. "Oh, thank the heavens you're all right," a lady said. "This is Mavis. She's a vampire," Johnny said. "Are there really m-m-monsters here?" Zuma said. "No need to tremble in fear, little dude," Johnny said. "These monsters eat corpses instead of live humans," he said. "My father would like to see you," Mavis said. "Do you mean the Dracula?" they asked. "Don't worry. He won't kill you," she said.

They walked down the halls where witches flew. "Uh, what are the witches…?" Zuma was asking. "Housekeeping," Mavis said with a smile. They walked on further and further. They approached a tall man in the middle of the reception floor. "Dad, here they are," Mavis said. The man turned around. "Oh, so they are awake!" Dracula said. "Dennisovich, they're here," Dracula said. "Before you bring us into torture to these kids, is it true you say 'blah-blah-blah'?" Zuma asked. "I don't say 'blah-blah-blah'!" Dracula said. "And those kids are not going to torture you. They'll simply play with you. You see, their dog Tingles died and they have been heartbroken for days," Dracula said. "Oh, there's no problem there unless you buried the body," Marshall said. "We did. But monster bodies' decomposition depends on the type of species. Since he is a dog too, well, his decomposition is as fast as a normal dog's," Dracula explained. "When did you bury him?" Marshall asked. "We buried him just about a few hours ago. You see, we had an embalmer preserve his body. We had a funeral offered to him," he said. "A pet of honor," Zuma said. "Take out the body and find a live tree. If you're going to ask what I'm going to do, ask later. We have to do this quickly," Marshall said. Not knowing what to do, they all shrugged their shoulders and followed what Marshall said. Then, the kids came. "What is it Papa Drac?" Dennis asked. His eyes were red from crying. So was the werewolf's beside him. "We have someone who'd like to play with you," Dracula said. They looked at the two dogs that were there. "They won't be as fun as Tingles, though," Dennis said. Then, ice appeared on the floor. "It's better if you ice skate than run around," Zuma said sliding on the floor on his paws. Everyone was astonished. "H-how can you do this?" Dracula asked. "Don't ask now. We have to get the body and find a live tree. Zuma, keep them busy, okay?" Marshall said. "Fine with me," Zuma said as he taught the two kids to skate.

Back in Adventure Bay, the pups just met the new arrival. "Guys, this is Bedrock," Ryder introduced. "'Sup?" Bedrock said. "This is Chase, Rubble, Rocky, Skye, Tracker, Everest, Pangaea, Chaos, Ares, Meliodas, Ashe, Blaze, King, Hacker, Bowie, Trigger, Bullet, Roxy, Gowther, Fang, Boulder, Rose, Aqua, Droplet, Ban, Sunburn, Daydream, Starlight, Sunshine, Diane, Dawn, Dusk, Esperanza, Arabian, Merlin, Compass, Rodrigo, Amor, Snowflake, Snowstorm, Elizabeth, Frostbite, and Avalanche," Ryder introduced. "You have one big family, Ryder," Bedrock said. "Anyway, let's get back to the real deal why I'm here. You say that two of them are missing, what are their names?" he asked. "Marshall and Zuma are their names," Ryder said. "Okay. That makes your family a total number of 49," Bedrock said. "Do you have the last location of your friends before they disappeared?" he asked. "Yup, I do. They were by the cave in the forest," Ryder said. "Take me there and let me do my job," Bedrock said. "Okay. You can ride in Chase's police truck," Ryder said. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Bedrock said.

After driving for a few minutes, they arrive at the very cave Marshall and Zuma went to. "I smell them in there," Chase said. "Good. You will come with me. The others will stay here," Bedrock said. They got on mining suits and were ready to go inside. "Why are we in mining suits?" Chase asked. "I was a miner, the reason I became a cave expert. Twisting tunnels and dark caves are nothing," Bedrock said. "Let's go find your friends."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Dracula asked Marshall. "Yes. Here's the coffin! Take it out and bring it near to that tree. I'll take care of it from there," he said. Dracula whistled for the zombies to lift the coffin up. They brought it to the tree that was near there. "Open the coffin," Marshall said. They did so obediently. Inside was the corpse of Tingles. "Okay. Stand back," Marshall said. When everybody was aside, Marshall started the chant. "Resurrection: Transfer," Marshall chanted.

The tree started wilting and Tingles started moving. They heard him breathe again. Then, he opened up his eyes. "I'm done!" Marshall said. "Tingles?" Dracula asked. Tingles barked very loudly. "H-how did you get him to live again?" Dracula asked. "Sorry, but you wouldn't understand," Marshall said. "But you said to ask questions after!" Dracula said. "I'll explain it while we go back," Marshall said.

In the hotel, everyone was skating. "There we go! You really enjoy this, Dennis," Zuma said. Dennis laughed with satisfaction. "I wonder how Tingles would skate though," Winnie said. "How about you find out yourself?" Marshall said entering the Hotel. "Bring him in!" Marshall said. Tingles came in, barking and rushing like a thunderbolt. "TINGLES!" the two kids said. "I'm so glad you're back," Dennis said.

"There's a satchel here! Does this belong to them?" Bedrock asked. "Yes!" Chase said. "Okay. We better get out now," Bedrock said. They both went out and started going back the way they came. While walking, it was so silent, so Chase decided to break the ice. "Look. How did you meet Ryder?" he asked. "That's a long story. To keep it short, I helped him get out of a cave once. He was just ten that time," he said. "Oh," Chase said. "How about you Chase? How did you meet him?" Bedrock asked. "It happened after I was separated from my family. I was all alone with no shelter, food, or anything. I was walking across the road once when a truck lost control. If it wasn't for Ryder, I would've died that day. Just as I was paralyzed to move, he got me out of the way. Then, I became his pet," Chase said. "Okay. How did you meet these two that are missing?" Bedrock asked. "Oh, do you mean Marshall and Zuma? Well, I met Marshall during our first mission. It was a fire in a house. He was there to help the person inside there get out. We recruited him after. Zuma, I met him – by that I mean saw him – drifting on the ocean. He was in this scrap metal that was buoyant enough to carry at least one person. I used my zip-line to get him to shore. I called Ryder and after a few days he was awake," Chase explained. "How did you become a miner?" he asked. "Well, I was born in a desert mine. I literally grew up there. Then, a tragedy occurred. They say it was a premature detonation. My parents died in that accident. As his last words and command, my father said to me not to mine anymore," Bedrock said. "Oh. Well, look, the entrance is here. Let's get out of this hole," Chase said.

"What's in the bag, Chase?" Ryder asked. They took out the stone that was in the satchel. "Good. Let's get back to the Lookout," Ryder said.

When they got back the Lookout, they instantly went to the metal door. "What's that for?" Bedrock asked. "Oh, you'll see," they said. Bedrock didn't understand whatsoever. "Okay, here goes," Rocky said. He put the stone on the door and it activated. The portal had an aura of maroon and it smelled horribly. "Oh, God!" they said. "That smells terrible!" they said. "Okay, pups, you need to get inside and find Marshall and Zuma. Of course, Bedrock, you'll stay here," Ryder said. "Let's go," Chase said.

When they went in holding their breaths, they came out in an icy house. "Zuma did this," Chase said sniffing the air. Then, Zuma and Marshall skated past them. They noticed them, however. "Hey guys!" they greeted. "Is there anybody else here?" Rocky asked. "Yup, there is. They're getting on ice skates. But, don't kill them when you see them," Marshall said. Then, there were a population of monster that went down the stairs. They cheered in every way. "This is so fun!" they said. "They're m-m-monsters?!" Rubble said. "Don't worry. They don't hurt a fly because, well, there's literally a fly with them," Zuma said. "Hey, are these your other friends? Why don't they join us?" Dracula asked. "Yeah, guys, join us! It's one fun time," Zuma urged. The pups just shrugged their shoulders and started skating with them. All of them skated until the night was over. "We have to go now, Count Drac," Marshall said. "And Tingles won't die anymore. I put Immortality Spell on him," Marshall said. "Goodbye!" they said to the monsters there.

When they got back home, they instantly put the stone in the "Demon" chamber and they renamed it to "Transylvania". "That was so fun," they said. "I had no idea monsters would be that friendly," Skye said.