SO sorry this is so late for Halloween. I see it too late? Have we on moved on to Christmas already? Inman post this anyway. It's too he first multi chapter thing over complicated!
The "I'm telling ya this is the wrong place!" Johnny insisted as him and Meena followed a curious Ash around the abandoned and poorly cared for property. Moon had sent the three out to an old theater to collect some props the other theater owner no longer needed. After turning off the main road and driving in what seemed like the middle of nowhere for a good 20 minutes, Johnny became suspicious. Once they arrived at the location Google maps had directed them to when he typed the address Moon gave him in, he was convinced there was some mistake. The building they pulled up to vaguely looked like a theater, but it was clearly abandoned and was falling apart. It reminded him of a haunted castle in those mystery cartoons he watched as a kid. The doors and windows were boarded up and as the cherry on top of it all, the sun had long since gone down by the time they arrived and it was shaping up to be a dreary night. Johnny was half expecting an ominous bolt of light to strike behind the building.
Johnny had wanted to turn tails and leave as soon as they got close enough to get a good look at the destination, but Ash insisted they look around.
"What are the odds Moon happened to write down a wrong address that just happened to also be a theater?" Ash reasoned as she examined the boarded up building. "Maybe the owner left the prop out here somewhere. Or maybe there's still inside and were forgotten about." Ash pressed her face up against a widow trying to see in, a giddy smile on her face. "We need to find a way in!"
"Ash." The gorilla sighed, unsure why the porcupine was so taken with the creepy old building. "Come on, there's no way in. Let's just go, yeah?" He tried to reason.
Ash turned to cock an eyebrow at him. "You scared?" She smirked knowing.
"No!" Johnny huffed red-faced.
"Yes!" Meena's answer overlapped Johnny and had no shame. She gave the porcupine a wide-eyed, stricken look. "I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to go in another rickety, falling apart theater." Her voice wavered and and her gaze fell nervously.
Ash stopped for moment and gave her friend a concerned look before shaking her head and giving the elephant an encouraging smile. "Deep breathes, Meena. This place isn't gonna up and fall down on us." Ash's voice was gentle and reassuring as she became sensitive to her large friend's fears. "There's no bear gang or crazy water works show here to knock it down, okay?" Ash got Meena to look up at her and give the porcupine a soft smile.
"Doesn't even look likes its got workin' plumbin'." Johnny added as he gave the building a disapproving look. "Why would ya want t' find a way into this place? From the looks of it, ya' think there be dead bodies stashed here or somethin'."
"As a matter a fact..." Ash dragged out with a huge grin on her face, causing both her companions give look at in slight horror. "I googled the name of this place when we passed a sign for it. Apparently, some goat singer died here 50-some years ago." She said with excitement in her voice as she continued to scan the building for a way in.
"That sounds like a dumb internet rumor." Johnny quipped unconvinced.
"No, seriously! There's like news articles and records and stuff. Her name was Madame Florence Capra and apparently she was murdered here right after a performance." Ash's eyes lite up as she was practically bouncing in spot pressed against the window. "They found her decapitated body, but never found the killer."
The was a brief, horrified silence before Meena spoke up. "That's awful! Is that why this theater is closed?" She gave the building a fearful look.
Ash spoke without looking away from the window. "Naw, it only closed a couple of years ago. But there's a bunch of rumors saying she haunts the place. Some say they saw her headless body walking around back stage! Or that they could hear her screaming!" The porcupine grinned eagerly and pushed back from the window to continue her search for a way in.
Johnny and Meena exchange a disturbed glance. "Ash, can ya maybe not sound so excited 'bout some lady's death?" Johnny asked looking back at the building uneasily. "And, not to be obvious, but ya know there no such thing as ghos-"
"Found a way in!" The larger two heard Ash cut in and looked just in time to see the porcupine squeeze through a missing chunk of a boarded up door.
"Ash!" Meena darted to look through the hole in the door, knowing there was no way her or Johnny would fit.
Johnny grabbed the door handle and tried to push in open, but it felt solidly in place.
"Er, Ash, ya know we can't follow ya, right? The door's boarded up and I think somethin's blocking it." Johnny called out from his side as he sized up the door.
"There's nothing blocking it." Ash's muffled voice commented from the other side. Johnny raised an eyebrow as he look over the door again. It didn't look that sturdy.
After slamming his shoulder against the door twice and wincing in pain a little after the second attempt, Meena nervously voiced. "Uh, Johnny..."
"Nawnawnaw, its fine. Da' worry bout it." He brushed out her concern quickly before she could say anything. He shot the door a glare, taking it as a personal challenge. After half a moment of contemplation, he decided all he needed was a running start.
From the other side of the boarded up door and a good distance away, Ash heard running footsteps, the sound of something slamming against he door, and a groan of painful regret. Ash rolled her eyes as she heard Meena fuss over Johnny to make sure he was okay. Turning on her heels, the porcupine decided she was done waiting and wanted to look around. The interior of the old theater looked just as one would have expected from the outside. It was decaying and covered in dust and cobwebs. Ash squinted and blinked frantically as she turned a corner, both trying to avoid dust in her eyes and adjust to her very dark surroundings. After a few moments of not being able to see anything but shadows and vague shapes; she pulled out her phone, switched the flashlight on, and pointed it in front of her. What she saw made her heart stop.
Frozen in place, all she could was give a short, chilling scream as shock took control. She barely had time register that she wasn't in actual danger before she heard the splintering sound of thick wood being broken and heavy footsteps on creaky floor boards. Meena appeared around the corner skittering to a stop when she found Ash hunched over and silently wheezing with shocked laughter.
The elephant approached slowly trying to decipher what the strained noises Ash was making were. Once Meena realized it was laughter, her panic face morphed into a look of frustration. "Seriously?! I was actually worried about you!" Meena turned to storm back but Ash grabbed her pant leg, the porcupine still trying to gain control her breathing.
Between scattered breaths and laughter, Ash tried to convey what happened and pointed in the direction of what scared her. "I-heh-I promise, I w-wasn't messing with you!" She finally managed to pant out just as Johnny turned the corner to find them. He had previously been frozen gawking at the remains of the boarded up door. After recovering and making a mental note to stay on Meena's good side, he pulled out his phone's flashlight and quickly found the others, with Meena looking rightly ticked off and Ash wheezing and pointing behind. His flashlight flickered up in the direction of Ash's pointing and he and Meena tried to see what it was.
Johnny gave out a very unmanly yipe and Meena's heart stopped dead for a moment. Before them was a huge, ghastly wooden cutout painted to look like a clown bear. The clown had beady yellow eyes and the most unsettled painted smile the three had ever seen
"Wot. The. Hell is the that?!" Johnny stamped out, looking at the clown in something akin to disgust.
"What nightmares are made of." Ash quipped before turning back to Meena. "That's why I screamed. Sorry for scaring you. But hey, look on the bright side. You guys got through the door!"
"She got through the door." Johnny corrected with a smile, jabbing his thumb at Meena. "I got a sore shoulde'."
"Dawww, Meena was worried about meeee!" Ash teased as she leaned on her largest friend's leg affectionately. The elephant wasn't paying either of them any mind, still staring at the clown.
"Why would anyone make that?" Meena wondered out loud as she stared in horrified amazement, her frustration thoroughly scared out of her.
"Right, I'm callin' it. Moon sent us t' the wrong place. Let's get outta here." Johnny jerked his head in the direction them came in as he spoke. Meena nodded eagerly and turn to follow his out.
"Wait, hold on! Can bring this?" Ash said as she went over to the prop to see if it could be moved.
"What? Why would you want to bring that?" Meena's attention was back on Ash as she tried to understand the porcupine's motives.
"To show Moon we tried. We don't want go emptied-handed, right?" Ash reasoned soundly to the puzzled elephant, giving her large friend an innocent smile.
Johnny, however, saw right through it. "Ya' wanna stick that thing in Moon's office and scare the livin' crap outta 'im, don't cha?" He stated exasperatedly.
"Yep!" Ash stood next to the clown expectantly with a huge grin on her face. Meena and Johnny traded looks briefly before Meena sighed and caved, walking over to the prop and an excited Ash.
The prop was heavy, which wasn't normally a problem for Meena, but it was also large and awkwardly shaped, making it difficult for the elephant to get a good hold on it and carry it. She struggled with it for a few moments before she felt Johnny come over and lift the other side. "Just sayin', I'm pretty sure this is theft." Johnny added as he and Meena made slow progress back around the corner.
"You honestly think anyone's gonna miss it?" Ash retorted as she tried not to be underfoot. Johnny didn't answer, his focus on moving the ugly prop and trying to ignore threatening creaking from the floor boards.
They were clear of the corner and about halfway to the door when hear a loud crack. All three froze, wide-eyed and scared to move. Johnny and Meena looked at each each other, realizing then that they were two very large mammals, carrying a very heavy prop, on a very rickety floor. This wasn't good.
After a beat, Ash took a few cautious steps in front of the other two. She then carefully turned around to address them. "Okay, maybe this was a bad idea. Just leave the clown and get away from each other to spread out the weight." Ash's ordered shooing them in opposite directions. Them fumbled briefly trying to carefully set down the prop before it clattered to the floor. All three stiffened and waited once it felt. When nothing creaked or broke, the larger two cautiously stepped backward and away from each other. They only made it a few feet each before a sickening snap came from below Meena as her foot fell through the floor. She yelled in surprise as she fell against the ground. The other two present immediately forgot their plan as they quickly went to help her up, only realizing their mistake too late. Both were within reach of her when more cracking from all around made them aware of their mistake. Before anyone of them could think of what to do, there was the applause of wooden beams breaking and the floor beneath them gave. The trio fell.