A/N: Hey guys, I know your all waiting for the next chapter of dappled ground but I lost them when my phone drowned in a river a couple months ago and remembering what I had is hard. So that will be on hold for a while.
Anyway, I love Goosebumps and I saw and adored the second movie so it inspired me to write. This particular idea came from a discussion I read about what would happen if one of the kids had gotten injured in the movie. The thing is Slappy appears to want to keep them harm free, he's just going on a bit of a power trip. So out of that conversation this alternate ending one-shot was born! Enjoy~
Energy, both magical and electrical thrummed through the air on Halloween night. The inky black clouds were only lit ablaze by the random offshoots of lightening emanating from a tower piercing high in to the sky. The saucer like dome at the top of the spire hummed menacingly as a lone human attempted to race to the top, hoping to stop the madness of the night. What had started out as any other holiday night had devolved into a frightening parade of monsters and insanity. Creatures come to life to terrorize the town of Wardenclyffe and at the center of it all a single puppet bent on make the new reality all those in the town witnessed permanent.
Sarah Quinn climbed ever higher, rung after rung of the ladder, hoping to beat the dummy to top despite his obvious advantage. The corset of the witch outfit she still wore hugged her snugly and made it difficult to breath, but she had to keep going. She couldn't allow Slappy to keep things the way they were, not with what he did to everyone... to her mother. Her brother and his friend were down below trying to find a way to turn off the scientific wonder which left her with this task alone. With a sudden burst of energy she moved faster, only to falter upon hearing the taunting words of her opponent.
"Careful Sarah, it's be a shame to fall from that height!" Slappy called down with a sneer.
The blonde barely had time to register what he said when a piercing wail sounded through the air. Trying to look behind her, Sarah managed to turn just in time to see a faceless witch barreling at her with dizzying speed. The gust of wind nearly blew her off the ladder and she hugged it for dear life.
"Plenty more where that came from!" The dummy hollered, followed by his high pitched giggle that could cause even the most stalwart of people to feel uncomfortable. Knuckles white and breathing hard, Sarah swallowed as she saw the witch fly back up into the clouds above and steeled her resolve as she climbed higher... though one question lingered in the back of her mind. Why hadn't he just had the witch knock her off?
"Common Sonny, turn this thing off." She breathed as the cold night air brushed against her face. She wouldn't worry about such questions now, especially if it meant that she would still be able to save everyone. Much to her dismay she saw Slappy reach the top and step off. With a cry of frustration she bolt up the remaining rungs. She had to be in time, she had to! Panic caused her adrenaline to spike and she shoved the heavy trap door to the top of the spire open. She barely had time to react when she saw the dummy in front of her and did the first thing that came to her mind.
Grabbing Slappy's leg Sarah pulled him down, causing the book he was holding to fly from his hands. She heard him cry out but she didn't pay attention as she scrambled over to it. Clutching the manuscript tightly to her. She glanced at the puppet who was regaining his balance and looking at her incredulously.
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, clear surprise in his raspy voice.
"Writing my own ending," Sarah replied. The cathartic nature of that statement sent a thrill down her spine. She had done it! She made it in time and she was going to fix everything, she gave a smirk towards Slappy. "Spoiler alert, I save the town and put you back where you belong!"
Perhaps it was her adrenaline that made her reckless or the sheer relief of making it in time that made her forget that her foe had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. As she turned the book towards him, she barely noticed his eyes narrowing in displeasure before opening the book... or attempting to.
Sarah felt her heart skip a beat as the magical gust that would suck the evil creature back into the pages of the book never came. Blinking down at the manuscript she tried to open the damn thing but the pages felt like they were welded together. She looked at it desperately as she attempted to force the leather bound tome open but no amount of force would allow it to budge. She gazed helplessly at the dummy who looked smug. It really was astounding how many expressions she could get from him.
"What's wrong?" Slappy asking mockingly, adding to her annoyance. "Writers block... again?"
Deciding not to dignify his comment with an answer she kept herself busy trying futility to pry open the pages. How on earth was he doing this? Her arms were already exhausted from forcing herself up the tall tower and they began to throb in protest to her attempts to open the key to her victory.
"Give me the book Sarah." The sound in his voice was almost patient and that was enough to make her even more desperate. Fear began to grip her heart and her breathing became shaky, it had to open! She glanced back up at the puppet who had inched closer to her. She quickly retreated a few steps as her fingers fumbled with the cover of the manuscript.
"You're not getting this book Slappy." She called to him over the aggressive hum of the energy produced by the tower. She hoped the sound would hide the desperation in her voice but apparently it didn't. The dummy began to advance on her as she looked for a way around him but she was getting closer to the caging wall of the spires summit.
"Oh, I have a friend who might think otherwise!" Slappy motioned behind her with a snicker and she turned hesitantly to see the giant balloon spider that Mr. Chu had set up the day before crawling up behind her. The purple and blue balloons that made up it's body quivered from being so close to the electricity, making the whole creature look like it was bristling in anger. She saw it raise a leg and come down, only for a small explosion to happen from the helium bursting from the fragile plastic container. The sound and shock wave knocked her off her feet and she curled up around the book in her arms trying to protect it at all costs.
"NO WHERE TO RUN, SIS!" She heard the dummy shout over the noise. She hesitantly glanced up only to be met with the banshee like screams of the witches. Any monster that could fly or climb was converging on the top of the tower. Bats and flying pumpkins shrieked as they dove around the outside of the structure like a hive of angry hornets.
Sarah sat up, holding onto the book for dear life as she gazed around and was once again struck with the oddest thought. Why weren't they attacking? She had no doubt in her mind that with the power at his disposal he could have easily killed her. Heck, if he could keep the book shut what was stopping him from using his abilities to just shove her off the tower? Looking up she jumped as she realized that Slappy was right in front of her. He must have walked up while she was spacing out.
"It's over, hand me the book." He held out his hand, that patient tone in his voice again and she couldn't help but stare at him. He could take it, have his monsters hold her down, even pry it out of her grip if he wanted. She just didn't understand.
"Why?" She didn't even realize she had said it out loud until she saw his eye brows rise. Grimacing she scooted back away from him, looking around from some kind of opening to get away.
"Why?" Slappy echoed with a half laugh, but rather than victorious it sounded bitter... extremely so. "Why would I want to destroy the thing that has imprisoned me for years? Why would I want to be free just like everyone else in the world? Why would I want to have a family that cares about me for once in my life?!"
Sarah stared at him in disbelief because he sounded more than angry. He sounded hurt... somehow. Finally she remembered what her brothers had said about him, what he had done for them and even for her. More than that, everything was beginning to make sense. Why he wouldn't kill her, why he was being so patient despite Sarah doing everything in her power to oppose him. When they walked in to find their mom he had still addressed them all as his siblings... his family. Maybe she had a chance to distract him long enough after all.
It was a gamble, a big one. But it might just be her only chance.
"Here." She said holding out the book in shaky hands. Instantly Slappy's focus turned from the tirade he had continued on, despite her not paying attention, to the leather bound volume in her grasp before looking at her suspiciously. Sarah did nothing, she kept a blank poker face as she waited for him to take it. It was at the moment that he reached out that she remembered the fake book she had created and internally scolded herself. How could she have forgotten to use that! It was too late now, she couldn't take it back without repercussions and she didn't want to jeopardize her position. This just meant she was now playing with a loaded gun in Russian roulette rather than blanks.
"What's with the change of heart, sis?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of her as he took hold of the manuscript. Sarah watched him run a wooden hand down the front cover, and she gave a shrug. She needed to say something but coming up with the words was hard. It was like staring at the blank page of her essay all over again. Various phrases she could utter flew past but she wasn't able to hang on to any of it so she didn't say anything.
"Finally, it all ends here." Slappy muttered as he turned away from here and towards the sparking core of the tower, his intention to destroy the book obvious. It was now or never, she had to say something, anything!
"You know I never got to thank you!" Sarah couldn't believe she said that but was amazed when the dummy stopped in mid stride and turned his head slightly.
"What?" The tone of his voice was as mocking as ever but there was a hint of confusion present in it. Feeling a bit more confident, though not by much, she sat up a bit straighter and raised her voice a bit higher to be heard over the crackling of energy.
"F-for what you did to Tyler," She tried to stamp down the flush that threatened to bloom on her cheeks from embarrassment. She had really just stuttered at such an important moment. Slappy said nothing but she noticed his grip on the book tighten.
"Yeah, he was a real jerk." Sarah started again, her bottled up thoughts and emotions coming to the forefront of her mind. At this point whatever she could use, she would take. "He went and invited me specifically to a party and then he has the nerve to go make out with another girl! He didn't even notice I was there or have the decency to even tell the truth to my face the next day! He got what he deserved, so thank you."
There was a long moment of silence between the two of them while the hoard of angry monsters outside seemed to slow slightly in their erratic movements. Sarah had no clue what was going through the puppets mind and she found herself holding her breath in anticipation for his response.
"You're welcome, Sarah." Slappy finally said quietly. It was an odd sound coming from him. The arrogant, confident venom he usually spoke with wasn't present and if anything he sounded somewhat vulnerable. She wasn't wrong about his weak point after all! Just as he turned from her to take another somewhat hesitant step away from her, she spoke again.
"And I know Sonny isn't here but thank you for helping him with his project. He had been working on that thing for weeks and hadn't gotten it right. You really helped us out... just like a big brother should." She added the last part hoping it would sound too corny but it apparently worked because he was now turned around and fully facing her. The book clutched tightly to him and looking somewhat close to thunderstruck. The dummy was as still as a statue and she honestly didn't know what would happen next.
"But you were angry with me..." The words were so quiet she nearly missed them, but then next ones were stronger, louder, more bitter and absolutely accusatory. Sarah felt a force beginning to press down on her, as if gravity itself was intensifying and she couldn't help gasping under the weight of it."You didn't want me to be a part of your family."
"You're right" Sarah managed to say despite the weight of his magic. She wouldn't deny that, she still didn't, but it was throwing him of his game so she persisted. "I was shocked, confused and angry. I wasn't thinking clearly and we haven't really had to deal with anything magical so can you really blame me? You cant expect us to just accept you after a couple days, it takes time."
Slappy's brows pressed together in what the blonde interpreted as a grimace. She wondered if there would be tiny hand printed indentations in the book when she got it back from him with how hard he was gripping it. She needed something else though. Carefully she got up, legs shaking under the force but she couldn't help but hide a smile. The pressure she had been under was weakening which meant his focus was slipping. She could make it, she could win. Slowly she began to make her way over to him, the energy from her surroundings causing her hair to whip around.
"For what it's worth I think what you did for Halloween was kind of cool." She said and he looked up at her suddenly, practically jumping from being startled as he backed away a step. She stopped her advance and put her hands up in a surrendering motion as if she was approaching a skittish animal. Inwardly Sarah couldn't help but grin at how the tables had turned. "I mean it, seeing Mr. Chu's entire front yard come to life was actually incredible. I know that everyone will be remembering this night forever so thank you for that too."
The look in his painted eyes was nothing short of lost and confused. She knelt down in front of him while he was protecting the book, like a child not wanting to have a precious toy taken from them. She was so close, just a little more.
"It's time to stop now Slappy, but we can do it all again next year alright?" She said forcing a smile onto her face and praying it looked genuine. He looked at her and back at the book, confusion etched onto his wooden features.
"What do you mean?" He asked, voice thick with uncertainty and suspicion. "What are you saying?"
Sarah playfully rolled her eyes and grinned, using her best adult voice, "I'm saying that you've had your fun for tonight but it's time to stop and make everything right again before we go home." She was never going to complain about the drama class she had taken in her junior year ever again if she could pull this off.
Slappy was fidgeting and looking at anything but her when his voice came out small again with an extremely odd note of... hope? "What do you mean we?"
"Well..." She said acting like she was thinking hard about it. "I mean Sonny, Sam, Mom, Me... and you." She put the pause in to make him squirm, which he did surprisingly, but when she said it his face practically lit up. She held out her hand to him and watched as his gaze flickered from it to the book and back.
"Do you really mean that?" His voice was stronger this time and his stance changed to one she thought she could see as threatening but his eyes hadn't changed. It was probably what kept her from flinching away from him and blowing this whole endeavor.
"Yeah," She smiled wide, "If you put everything back the way it was we can all go home, as a family. Deal?" The tough exterior he had just put up practically melted as he staggered a moment. She was tempted to put a hand out and steady him but not only did she not want to touch him, she also didn't know if he'd react negatively to that. All at once the remaining force that was pulling her down left her and she inhaled a grateful breath. After a short silence, he looked up at her and moved to hand her the book.
Elation and relief flooded her while she desperately fought to keep the emotions off of her face. Just as her fingers brushed against the leather cover, she felt a searing pain run up her back. Sparks flew from somewhere either behind her... or off of her, Sarah honestly couldn't tell. She wasn't sure if she screamed or was too in shock to do so, but she felt her body spasm. She glanced towards Slappy, assuming it was his doing, only to see his equally shocked expression. Then she was weightless, like flying, and the world around her was dark and rushing by faster than her mind could process. Her limbs didn't respond to any of her commands and the last thing she saw before blacking out was the world turning upside down.
GB
It wasn't panic he was feeling. There was no way he could be panicking. Had he even been written to feel such and emotion? There was also no way he had just flashed forward to the edge of the tower, desperately looking for the human who had just been in front of him. His grip on the book was fierce as his eyes danced across the inky night sky rather than turning and sending the cursed tome to it's doom. It couldn't have been worry creeping up his spine the longer it took to find a glimpse of his sister-
Sister...
Slappy's emotions were dizzying and making it hard to think. On the one hand he knew it had to be a trap. There was absolutely no way it hadn't all been a trick to let his guard down and get the book from him. Yet he wanted it so badly to be real. It honestly had to be the first time he had been thanked for anything he did, and she looked so genuine about it. Even Stine had been hard pressed to give him any such words and it had actually stunned him. All at once he had been given an actual taste of the acceptance and forgiveness that he had been hunting for this whole time. More than that, he caught sight of what it could really be like to be a part of a family, a true one... but just like always it was ripped away from him. Whether he was sucked into a book to be forgotten forever or having something precious taken away, it didn't matter. In the end he was always left alone. It didn't matter how much he wanted to write his own ending, what he did was always doomed to failure because of the written words of his father.
Before the bitterness could over take him, Slappy finally caught sight of a smoking form plummeting out of the sky. The lightening bolt that hit her had to have launched her skyward and only now was she coming back down. He felt that tightness once again in his chest. Looking down at the book he remembered her words that had been spinning in his mind and disrupting his thoughts. It's time to make everything right again before we go home.
Home... The very thought was foreign to him for he never truly had a home aside from the cage that he had been kept in. As mixed emotions warred within the puppet Sarah's body drew closer to the ground. He hadn't realized he had gripped a nearby panel for support and the force of his turmoil was warping the material. The mindless monsters outside that were beholden to his will were in a frenzy as he fought back and forth with himself. She had to have been lying, but did he really care? He could make her keep a promise like that. Could he stand to see what happened if he did nothing? The entire night he had made sure to keep the kids more or less out of harms way, but if he did nothing she would... heck she could already be...
As if he was struck with lightening himself Slappy came to a decision. He was the one in control here and he wouldn't allow the night to end like this. Sarah's blood would not be on his hands. He was the one writing this story now and he wasn't going to let anything take any of his family from him again. Not some freak act of nature... and not even his own creator if it ever came to that.
Decision made he scanned the grounds below, he knew he had to have some monsters patrolling that could catch her. The witches were too high in the sky to make it to her in time and the ones who could fly faster were too small. Desperation hit began to hit him as she neared the unforgiving earth when he finally found what he needed.
Just then a high pitched whinny sounded through the tree's just as the headless horseman exploded into the air. His steed lept high and just in time the once Halloween decoration caught the girl. Elegantly the monster horse touched down, trotting victoriously towards the building while the horseman cradled Sarah in his arms.
Slappy let out a breath he didn't know he had taken, much less held. Immediate crisis averted, but getting electrocuted like that still could have damaged her extensively. Taking a few steps back, the dummy turned to flash down to the ground floor to meet the horseman and Sarah. It was up to him to fix her and most likely the rest of this mess while he was at it... Pausing at that thought he realized he was still clutching the book to him. Looking at the core of the tower and then back at the manuscript an inner war once again raged. If he had used it to turn everything back to normal sooner, his sister would have splattered all over the ground. Yet if he destroyed it and kept everything the same it would cause problems later. Lot's of problems. Once gain he was having to make a decision that wasn't coming easy to him much to his own annoyance. Finally, with a grimace, he shoved the book into his jacket before flashing down to the first floor of the building.
The boys had beaten him to Sarah while he had been debating on the whole book issue and were now crowded around her mostly likely not helping at all. The horseman was keeping them back, sword not drawn, but his horse was tossing it's head, unhappy to be inside the cramped metal hallways.
"Move!" Slappy commanded the kids as he moved forward, he needed to be in front of her to be able to use his magic. Much to his annoyance and exasperation they turned and looked more ready to attack than obey. Why was it so hard to just do what he said?
"No way!" Sonny said, while looking ready to bolt like the pacifist he was. Despite his obvious fear and panic he looked ready to defend his sister the end. The dummy couldn't help getting frustrated, this kid was smart, at least by human standards and had potential but he was being a real pain at the moment.
"Look, I'm going to fix this, now get out of my way!" Slappy tried his best to keep his composure but his magic lashed out on the last word sending them sprawling away from the girl. It was a testament to how frazzled he really was that his grip on his own powers was slipping. He prided himself on control but this night was pushing him to his limits. The tower was siphoning and harnessing his magic yes, but having the systems flooded with his own powers meant that they were more volatile as well. The entire laboratory was essentially alive with it. With his grip slipping as much as it was it was amazing he had kept full control over it for this long.
In a flash he was by the girls side and he immediately put a hand on her chest to feel a weak heartbeat pulsing through his arm. She was still alive after all. Slappy had to give the girl credit, she was stronger than most. It looked like her side had suffered most of the damage, her clothes were burnt and her flesh blackened from where the electricity struck. Her hair was wild and all over the place and small plumes of smoke continues to trail off of her. Her breath was thready and rattled like death but he could fix that. He could fix all of it.
"Whatever you're doing, stop!" With a huff of annoyance the dummy turned to the owner of the voice. Sonny had gotten up again, ruffled a bit from the blow but unharmed. Oh for the love of...
"Why don't you boys make yourselves useful and turn this thing off?" Maybe if he gave them something to do they would let him be. The boys exchanged glances and his fingers drummed impatiently on the floor. The magic he was casting would take focus and concentration, he couldn't have these two dummy's screwing it up.
"And how do we do that? You have this whole place booby trapped!" Sam postured, looking flustered and unsure what to do. Rolling his eyes, Slappy raised his hand and lifted the magic he had placed on the controls.
"Anything else you want to waste my time with?" Both boys looked utterly confused. Sam nodded to Sonny and the heavy set boy wandered over to a panel and successfully laid a hand on it. He then looked back at the puppet, slight wonder in his eyes, and Slappy had to resist the urge to start twitching, he didn't have the time for this.
"What about mom?" Sonny finally asked as Sam started making for the second floor of the lab. Slappy actually hesitated at that one. Mama... Turning off the tower wouldn't undo the curse he had placed upon her, it was directly linked to him. He supposed if he was going to clean up the mess he made, that meant everything. Satisfying himself with the fact that he would be able to meet her again, and properly his time given that she wouldn't remember this little fiasco, he waved his hand again and released the enchantment he placed.
"Now if your done bothering me I'm going to save our sister, now go!" The blonde boy nodded dumbly at his for a moment before taking off up the stairs after his friend, leaving Slappy alone with the half dead girl. The horseman had wandered off shortly after the puppet had arrived, having fulfilled his task and the dummy subconsciously willing to be alone.
Finally he could focus on healing the girl. Now that she wasn't being moved her heart rate and breathing was returning to normal but it was getting shallower. Placing on hand on her chest and another on her side where the lightening struck he was about to being chanting when his fingers brushed by something hard. Brows knitting together he pulled away the burnt remains of her corset to see what looked like the remains of a book fall out. A somewhat thick hard cover with leather binding. The engraving said Frankenstein on it with fake leather glued to the corners. It was badly burnt and the pages were singed and blackened leaving the words mostly unreadable. Aside from the engraved words, it looked oddly familiar. His thumb brushed across the cover when he heard the sound of his wooden hand clink against metal. Holding it up closer he saw scorched metal, like some sort of dog tag had been glue to it's surface as if to imitate...
As if to imitate a lock.
Slappy's jaw dropped as he realized what he was holding. It was a decoy book she was going to use to trick him. He felt anger and hurt rise up but they didn't erupt because his mind was racing so fast that he realized one simple detail before they could. That was probably the one thing that was holding his emotions together at the moment. She hadn't used it. She had this decoy made and ready but she had handed him the real one. She had taken a chance, she honestly meant what she said. If she hadn't why would she have ever given him the real book?
Quickly tossing the remains of the novel away, he put his hands back in position, closed his eyes and the chanting words began to fly out of his mouth. He felt his magic rising even as the tower began to sputter and one by one the rods and lights of the laboratory were going out. Sarah was slowly getting stronger he could feel it, her heartbeat was getting faster and her breathing was getting deeper. He was actually going to do it, he had to keep from giggling in sheer relief.
"Slappy... what are you doing?" The voice that sounded around him shattered whatever elation and confidence the dummy had just had. The voice was filled with such disappointment that it froze him on the spot. Slappy opened his eyes and looked up at the newcomer.
"Papa?"
GB
Stine had been so ready to delete the voice mail. There was no possible way one of his stories could have come to life given what happened last year. Every monster he had was safely tucked away in a single book in his cabin hopefully to never see the light of day again. When he played the message back however he immediately recognized the name of the town. How could he not?
It was his childhood home after all.
And like all his homes it had a secret, a rather large one that no one knew about. Not even his own daughter knew about it because it was well before her time. There was indeed one manuscript of his still out there in the world and if by some chance it had actually had been found...
It was shortly after, that Stine packed up everything he thought he would need and booked it to the old town. He couldn't take any chances, not if what he was thinking was happening. It may not have been a 50 foot tall mantis or a hoard of lawn gnomes but the power he had put into that single script was just as bad as every monster he had written. The script had been written when he was younger, much younger. As a writer and as a person, and as such he had been prone to over powering certain characters in it, most likely the reason why he never finished it, much less published it. Although, it could have been that he had feared what would happen if the work was completed as well.
Upon finally reaching the town, he stepped out of the car only to be met with the sight he had been dreading the most. Haunted Halloween had indeed come to life, in all it's glory just like he had seen all those years ago in his mind. In the distance he saw the tower and the saucer like structure at it's peak emitting deadly waves of electricity. If there was ever a place for a climax, it would definitely be there.
So though numerous close calls with running into monsters, over screaming children and into tree's he finally made it. Grabbing his type writer he waited till the headless horseman (who would make for an excellent story when he got back home) had trotted out of sight and he darted for the large open doors. The maze of working machinery and sparking wires had him disoriented as he stumbled along trying to find the people who had called for his aid. They would have to be here somewhere, most likely along with-
Stine stopped dead as he found an open part of the floor and what he saw didn't only freeze him but nearly made him drop his type writer as well. On the ground lay a teen in clearly critical condition, showing obvious signs of electrocution, and over her was none other than Slappy. His hands were place on her stomach and chest as he was furiously chanting some spell that the writer couldn't make out. Without thought he took a step forward and unknowingly uttered the question that was screaming in his mind.
Just like that the dummy's eyes shot up to his as if he had just been caught stealing something red handed. The look of alarm in his glassy eyes did nothing to help the scene. It was bad enough when the puppet did bad things, it was all the worse when he actually acknowledged that it was a bad thing.
"Papa?" Slappy's voice was full of disbelief and if the writer wasn't mistaken... fear. It took longer than Stine had ever seen for the dummy to put a passive mask on. It was probably also the first time in a long time that Stine felt no fear of his creation, just disappointment and deep shame for creating him. Slappy opened his mouth to say something but Stine beat him to it, he didn't want to hear any of his excuses.
"Just don't," The writer held up his hand to stop the other from interrupting him. " I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your excuses and I don't want to know what you have to say. Haven't you done enough? Is it ever enough for you?" The numbing shock was wearing off and Stine was getting angry. He was furious at himself for forgetting the book and leaving it for someone to stumble upon. He was mad that he had wasted time debating on whether or not to come and then arriving too late. Sadly, all of this anger was solely at himself because if it wasn't for him none of this ever would have happened. All those times monsters got out, all those times Slappy had run loose had all been because of him and that responsibility was crushing.
"But... Papa I-" The dummy started, his small hands curling into fists but Stine was having none of it.
"Enough!" Stine ran a hand through his thinning hair and took a deep breath. "Just for once, will you own up to what you did? What you're doing!?" He motioned to the girl on the floor who was beginning to shake slightly, from what he didn't know. Perhaps shock was setting in due to whatever happened to her.
"That's what I am doing!" Slappy practically screamed as several tubes and dials popped from the sudden influx of magic. The entire laboratory shuddered as sparks flew from the coils and slowly began to shut down. One by one the cords and electrical beams died away, the constant humming and buzzing fading and leaving silence behind in it's wake. Without the light from the generators it was dim, very much so. The only light was that of the early morning rays gracing the sky and flittering through the busted or dusty windows.
The writer blinked down at his creation, clearly confused, before he cast his gaze around the now quiet and shut down lab. This made no sense to him. He turned back to Slappy to see him once again mumbling something under his breath. Stine took a step to stop the puppet before his creation spoke again.
"I'm already fixing everything, Papa." Just like that the girl on the ground suddenly inhaled and practically sprang away coughing violently and shaking, though clearly very much alive. Stunned and completely lost as to what was going on, the writer was about to ask when another voice tore through the now quiet building.
"Sarah! You're okay!" A young blonde haired boy bounded down the stairs and practically tackled the girl. The family resemblance was glaringly obvious so they were clearly siblings, he supposed that made sense. Stine watched the two for a moment before turning back to Slappy who was gazing at the kids with such clear longing it made him blink. In the instant he closed his eyes the look was gone and replaced with the dummy's usual countenance. What was going on here?
"Sonny... what?" The girl, Sarah, was having trouble getting a word in edge wise and through the fierce hug she was getting from her brother.
"Heh, told you." Slappy said crossing his arms in a gesture that wasn't like him and plastering a smug look across his face. The blonde kid looked at the dummy with uncertainty before giving a small grin of his own.
"Thanks..." Sarah glanced between the puppet and her brother in confusion, obviously just as lost as Stine himself was. That gratitude was enough to make him need to sit down just to process what was happening. He couldn't have just... saved the girl could he? Slappy wasn't written to do such a thing, ever. The very thought was laughable. Yet, as Stine looked on he saw the dummy practically preening at the praise he was given.
"W-where's mom?" Sarah finally got out before getting thrown into another coughing fit. Sonny looked surprised for a moment before he patted his sister on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sam's getting her. Mom's fine." Even as he said that another kid appeared at the top of the stairs with an older blonde woman hanging off of his small shoulders. She looked high out of her mind and was gazing around the place in wonder. Sarah's face lit up as she recognized the woman and made a motion to stand before obviously getting dizzy and sitting back down.
"Wow, I don't remember a thing. How did I even end up here?" Stine couldn't help taking off his glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose. The mother didn't even sound worried or concerned. He knew that transmutation usually ended up wiping the memories of the time they were transformed but that usually left people scared and confused not... whatever this was.
Just as Stine put his glasses back on another man came stumbling out of the depths of the lab, shirt torn and looking just as confused and out of his mind. The second the guy caught sight of the kids' mother his face lit up and he went over to her, clearly happy to see her and not at all concerned about the situation. Sarah for her part watched in clear confusion and non understanding. Finally the blond girls gaze turned to Slappy who met it with a shrug.
"What, we had a deal didn't we? I put everything back the way it was and we all get to go home." The dummy let out a chuckle but it was clearly more subdued that usual. "Unless you prefer all the monsters roaming around...?" The girl shook her head and let out a small uncomfortable laugh of her own as her brother helped her up, slinging one of her arms over his shoulder for support. Finally the girl caught sight of Stine who was fighting the on coming migraine from the situation.
"Wait... who are you?" She pointed at him and just like that all eyes were on him and he let out a long suffered sigh.
"I believe one of you had called me here about one of my books coming to life?" He said replacing his glasses on his face, instead of the deadpanning the snarky quip he was preparing.
"Wait a minute... are you R.L. Stine?" Sam asked, looking to everyone else for answers while the rest let the truth sink in.
"No," He stated, unable to hold back the sarcasm on this one. "I'm Dr. Shivers, OF COURSE I'M R.L. STINE!" Frustration and confusion were not a good combination this early in the morning. He had already been up all night driving in a panic, hoping to get to Wardenclyffe on time only to be confronted with... this! Whatever this situation even was. The writer suddenly realized none of the eyes were on him anymore and were instead focused on the living dummy who was distinctly not looking at anybody.
"If everyone could please leave the room so I can talk to my Papa alone?" Slappy's voice suddenly sounded across the quiet open space and after the kids all glanced at one another and then to their gaping adults, who were exchanging glances and whispering to each other if they knew what was going on. They all nodded and began herding the older humans out of the building much to the surprise of Stine. Just before Sarah was out of sight she paused, causing her brother to stumble a bit before she half turned around, looking unsure for a moment before finally adding a final comment.
"Don't take too long, we'll be waiting outside." With that she was gone, leaving only the creator and his creation behind. Both stunned, though for different reasons and unsure what to do next.
It was quiet for a short while before Stine decided to make the first move.
"I don't know what you're playing at Slappy but I'm not going to let you hurt those kids anymore." He said it firmly and left no room for argument. The dummy straitened up and looked right at the writer in challenge. Oddly enough the puppet looked offended.
"You think you know everything don't you?" Slappy asked bitterly, his posture tightening. "Where were you tonight Stine? Were you watching from afar and just too cowardly to come out and face me? That's the only reason I can think of for you to know everything that happened."
The author didn't know what to say to this. Slappy only ever use his last name as a way to create distance between the two. Stine had been "Papa" to the dummy as long as he remembered. It was only when his "son" was truly furious with him that he was called that. He also had no clue where the dummy was going with this. As far as he could tell the events of the night had unfolded almost exactly as he had written all those years ago, so of course he would know what had gone on... until the ending, which he had never written...
"Oh wait!" The dummy cried as he took an angry step closer. Mock surprise spreading across his features. "If you had been around and just avoiding me then you would have noticed that those kids were never in danger. I made sure that they weren't in any real harms way!"
"The girl getting electrocuted wasn't real harm?!" Stine shouted in alarm as he tried to get through to the dummy and fight down his own rising panic. He didn't understand what was happening or where the story was going. They were off script and it was honestly unnerving.
"That wasn't me!" Slappy screamed back. "If she had just stayed away like I told her too that never would have happened! Why does no one ever listen to me?! I would never hurt my family!"
"They're not your family!" That was the exact wrong thing to say as Stine found out. He had a split second to realize his error before he was violently shoved against the metal wall of the laboratory by an unseen force. Slappy's arms were outstretched and shaking as the crushing weight of his magic bore down on the writer.
How had it come to this? Stine wondered as he struggled to breath. He had written the dummy to be vindictive and possessive but he didn't think it was to this extent. The author also had a hard time believing that those were the emotions fueling his wayward son at the moment. They couldn't be so strong that it snapped his impressive control to this extent. Even after all the energy he had to have expended during his temper tantrum this past night it was still this strong. While it was true that he had initially written Slappy with this level of strength he had originally gone back and edited him to put in limitations, yet the dummy seemed to have no problems over coming them through sheer emotional turmoil. Suddenly the choking force was gone and Stine collapsed onto the ground gulping down air into his lungs and quickly coughing it back out.
"Yes," The dummy whispered hands dropping to his sides, the writer barely catching the words over his hacking. "They are my family."
Stine shook his head before shakily standing up, "Are you really that delusional?"
"Oh, would you like to talk about delusional, Stine?" Slappy sneered at the older man. "Would you like to talk about how you were so lonely when you were young that you had to create imaginary friends just to fill the void? Would you like to talk about how as an adult you were still so lonely that you couldn't help but cling to those imaginary friends? Would you like to talk about how even now you're own daughter is merely one of your creations?!"
Stine said nothing, he honestly couldn't. The dummy had rendered him effectively speechless by the weight of the crushing words because they were all true.
"Well look at that, like father like son... I guess we're both delusional then, huh?" Slappy looked away from him, towards the exit. "You must be so disappointed."
"Where do you think you're going?" Stine stumbled forward as the dummy moved to leave back out the way the other had gone. He wouldn't let his demented son just go off to ruin more lives. The author had brought this character to life and it was his responsibility to deal with him. He couldn't stand the thought of pushing it on an innocent family with problems of their own. At his question Slappy merely looked back, attempting to look less tired than he obviously was.
"My family is waiting for me," The dummy said quietly. He produced the manuscript of the nights events from his jacket and tossed it back towards a dumbfounded Stine. "You've robbed me of a good ending every time you've written a new story but you left this one unfinished. So I'm making my own ending and I won't let you or anyone else take it away from me."
With that the dummy flash away as a final bulb popped from the destroyed lab leaving behind a conflicted author staring at the pages of his first book as the suns warm rays spread across the desolate building.
GB
He wouldn't tell anyone what happened that night. If anyone asked, he had never left his cabin. If anyone found the manuscript and asked, it would be a new project he was working on. No one needed to know that the final pages had been completed. No one needed to know what he had left behind in that small town in New York, and no one needed to know that what had happened had shaken him on a fundamental level.
Stine wearily entered his cabin after several more hours of silent driving. He hadn't been up this long for some time and it was truly taking it's toll on him. He was no where near as young as he used to be and it was becoming a glaring fact. As he shut and locked the door he moved over towards the mantle over the fire place and moved the skunk statue that was situated there. The hidden door moved to reveal a book case full of burnt and nearly illegible manuscripts. He didn't know why he kept them after they were set ablaze. Perhaps out of nostalgia?
Producing the book from the bag that held his type writer, the author sighed at the spine that displayed "Haunted Halloween". His first work that he didn't even get to finish. Stine moved aside several novels to find a spot to put the manuscript before taking a step back to look over his collection.
It was no where near as impressive as he used to see it.
With a final sigh he closed up his secret book case and tiredly made his way over to his desk and set his type writer down. Landing heavily in the chair he heard the clattering coming from his middle desk drawer and hesitantly unlocked it with the key he kept around his neck and opened it. Within was a manuscript. Much like the others the black leather book was small but held nothing short of an army within it's pages. Around the novel was not just a lock but chains as well, keeping the magic from spilling out. It rattled angrily so Stine gingerly reached in and picked up the book. It practically growled in his hands but no one inside could do anything to unlock it.
Not even him...
It was a long kept secret, even more so than the first novel that he had written.
If the famous author had twin son's... well, that was just one more thing that no one needed to know.