Thought I'd put up the second chapter, just so I have a little more of my story up. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Please shoot me a review when you finish. I'd love to know what you guys think :)
Chapter 2
"Look out below, Cake!"
The crickets were chirping in the surrounding forest. The sun had set a long time ago, and on their way home, they had stumbled upon mound of old, bleached dragon bones. Fiona stood atop the dragon's back. Below, the beast's wing bone sloped down into an empty ditch. Cake was sitting at the bottom, waiting for her.
"Here I come!" she hollered.
She took a running start and slid down the wing bone like a slide. She shouted as she slid down it to the ditch below. Cake's tail flicked back and forth in excitement. When she hit the mound of dirt at the bottom, small bones flew off in every direction. Fiona laughed, scrambling up the side of the ditch to do it again.
Marshall sat peeking out at them from behind the bushes. He was dressed nicer than when they first met. He wore a shirt and tie with a blazer that hung open loosely. He looked like he was headed to a party or wedding…or maybe a funeral. The girls were so engrossed in what they were doing that they hadn't noticed him at all. It had been a while since he teased Fiona and Cake. Normally the girls were out being heroes and stuff, so he didn't see them much. He smirked, disappearing into the foliage.
"That was awesome!" Fiona cried.
Hurrying over to the old man waiting in the forest clearing, Marshall chuckled. "Okay. Now just pretend you're miserable and do everything I say. Got it?"
The man gave him a thumbs-up. "You got it, Marshall," he said in his raspy old voice. He started sobbing and pleading. Soon rushed footsteps and the rustle of bushes could be heard behind them.
Arms folded, Marshall stared down at the little old man. "What is it about 'henchman for life' that you don't understand?"
"Oh, come on…" he pleaded.
Fiona gasped. "Cake, it's Marshall Lee."
Cake immediately started trembling. She was still afraid of vampires.
"Can't you find the compassion to release this poor old body?" the old man begged.
"Henchman for life mean's henchman for life, dude!" Marshall chuckled. "Now fall on the ground for me!"
The old man sighed. "Yes, master." His knees wobbling, he fell face first on the ground. He groaned.
"Now cry, gramps!"
"O-okay…. I don't want to cry, but I shall cry for you, master." Immediately the man started wailing, tears streaming down his face.
Fiona rushed out of the bushes. "Hey! Cut it out!" She ran to the old man's side and knelt beside him. She helped him sit up. Cake followed nervously. She didn't want to get too close to the vampire.
"Well well, if it isn't my favorite goody-two-shoes, Fiona," Marshall said with a smirk.
"Stop making this poor old dude cry!"
Marshall laughed. "I can make him do whatever I want. Watch." He glanced down at the old man. "Henchman, amuse me."
Using his cane, the old man shakily pulled himself to his feet. "Yes, master." He hopped up on his cane, balancing himself with one hand while the other arm flailed around.
Fiona frowned. "Stop it!"
"Now, hop around in a circle," he said twirling his finger in a circular motion.
The man obediently began hopping in a circle while balancing on his cane. He only made it a few hops before the end snapped and he came tumbling down. He landed with a hard thud, joints and bones popping. He groaned. Fiona gasped. She helped him sit up slowly.
"Don't worry, mister. I'll make sure you get set free," she said.
Marshall arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? And how you gonna pull that off, hero?" he asked sarcastically.
"I'll do whatever it takes. I'll even take his place if I have to! But I won't let you push him around anymore!"
"Girl, what you talkin' about?" Cake said in shock.
"You mean it?" Marshall leaned closer.
"Well…." She glanced down at the old man groaning beside her. He looked miserable and downright pathetic. She sighed. "Heck yeah. But you have to promise to let him go!"
"Deal." Marshall snapped his finger. "Old henchman, you're free."
The old man gasped and sat up straight. He hooted and hollered in joy before bounding off. He seemed much more spry and lively than he had seconds ago.
"What?! Hey wait, how'd he…?" Cake stuttered. She scooted closer to Fiona. "Girl, what're you doin'?"
"Hey, Cake," Marshall said softly. When the cat glanced at him, he hissed loudly, his face contorting into a warped bat-like scowl. Cake's tail bushed out and she hid behind Fiona.
"Sorry, Cake," Fiona whispered. "But I couldn't watch him take advantage of that old man. You know I'm all about justice and junk."
Marshall laughed. "Are you for real? Justice, huh? What a joke!"
"Hey!" Cake scowled at him.
He arched an eyebrow. "Yeah?" In an instant he was in front of the cat, his normal face warped into a hideous bat creature with glowing red eyes. He hissed. "What did you want to say, Cake?"
The cat darted behind Fiona. "Oh, girl, you know I wanna help you out of this mess…but that guy scares the fleas off me! He makes my fur all stand on end! Let's just go home…."
"I can't…as a hero, I'm bound by my word."
Marshall snatched her by her backpack and dragged her away. She shrieked in shock. He flew her up into the sky, far away from her cat. Cake shouted Fiona's name over and over again, but soon she was out of sight. Fiona's blonde hair fluttered in the cool night air. As they flew over the forest, Marshall glanced back at the clearing. He couldn't see the cat anywhere. Maybe they were in the clear. Fiona struggle a little.
"Stop holding me up like that!" she complained. "It hurts."
"Okay, okay. Quit your whining." He chuckled. "You know, you're really lucky, Fiona. Your first job as henchman is to help me feed."
She gasped. "Feed?! You mean like…pizza or a sandwich or something?" She glanced around nervously. Sweat rolled down her neck. She clenched her fists and shook her head. "I guess it doesn't matter…whatever it is, I can handle it!"
He flew them down toward a small cottage nestled in a little valley. It was far away from any other towns, and in the darkness of night, no one would hear the victim's screams. Light from the open window lit up the ground outside. From inside the house, they could hear the light and slow melodies of a piano. Marshall set Fiona down in front of the cottage before landing beside her.
"Sounds like dinner." Arms folded, he gestured toward the house. "Fiona, open the door."
Frowning up at him, she slouched toward the door. She reached for the knob, her hand shaking. She knew she shouldn't do it, knew that the poor soul inside didn't deserve to be eaten by a vampire, but she was bound by her word. Then again she couldn't just stand by and let an innocent person be killed.
"Open it already! What're you waiting for?" he said impatiently.
"No!" She rounded on him, fists clenched. "I'm not gonna open the door if innocent people are gonna get hurt!"
"Aren't you bound by your word to do what I say?" He arched an eyebrow. "So what's it gonna be, miss goody-two-shoes?"
"But—I…." Fiona sighed. "Yes…."
She had to obey him whether she wanted to or not. She trudged toward the door and opened it slowly. A cool breeze blew through the house, extinguishing the candles. A woman in a red dress, sitting at the piano looked up in shock and gasped. Fiona hung her head. She was ashamed that she was helping Marshall do this to a poor innocent woman.
"What's going on?" the woman cried.
"Sorry about this," Fiona muttered.
The woman gasped. "Oh my!"
"Hold her down!" Marshall ordered.
Fiona groaned, but complied. Marshall slammed the door shut behind them. Fiona snatched the woman and pushed her to the floor. She held the woman down, her own arms trembling. She wasn't even sure what Marshall was about to do. But whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
"You enjoying this, Fiona?" he said teasingly.
"No way!"
He laughed evilly as he leaned over his victim.
"Please, human girl," the woman begged. "Let me go."
"I'm sorry, lady. But I'm bound by my honor to do what he says," she muttered.
The woman sighed. "I understand, dear. I was married once myself."
Fiona's face flushed a deep red. "Wait, wait! What?! No! Im' not married to—"
Marshall groaned impatiently. "Man, enough talking already! Dinner is served!" He leaned over the woman, mouth wide. But as he neared her neck, Fiona jerked the woman away.
"No!" Fiona cried.
"Huh?" He tried again, But Fiona dragged the lady out of harm's reach. "How dare you, henchman! I order you to let me feed!" He pointed at Fiona and her body instantly went rigid. Her nerves were frozen in place. She struggled to move, but her body wouldn't listen. He chuckled and turned his attention again to the woman. He hissed and hunched over her. The woman screamed. He sunk his fangs into the shoulder of the dress.
"Noooo!" Fiona shouted, eyes wide.
Slowly the red of the woman's dress melted away. Marshall sucked out the color through his fangs until there was nothing but white cloth left behind. He sat up and sighed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Mm…man, that red dress hit the spot! Know what I'm sayin'?"
"Wait…what?" The spell wore off and Fiona could move again. Her body relaxed and she stared at the woman on the floor in confusion.
"What's wrong Fiona?" Marshall asked.
"I-I thought…I thought you were…."
The woman sat up. "Oh my! A white dress!" A bright smile spread across her face as she looked up at Marshall. Her eyes sparkled with joy. "Thank you so much, young man! It's so beautiful."
"But, but," Fiona stammered.
"What? You know I eat the color red. Don't tell me you forgot."
"Oh…yeah…um, okay…."
"Come on." Marshall stood up and shoved her toward the door. "We've got more evil stuff to do before the night's over."
Once they were outside, he grabbed her hand and flew up into the sky. He could feel her hand trembling as he held it tightly. Her skin was warm, unlike his. He chuckled to himself. He loved the confused look she had on her face when he ate the woman's red dress. He knew she had thought he was going to suck her blood instead. He loved messing with her. The urge was just too irresistible. He spotted an old graveyard near the edge of the forest. He swooped down and dropped her in the middle of the cemetery. Marshall floated above an old coffin.
"Hmm. You know," he said. "This place seems a little dead. But don't worry, it'll soon be undead."
"What?!" Fiona's legs were trembling.
Marshall landed atop the crumbling tombstone. Fingers curled, he swept his hand over the ground. "Corpses buried in mud that's black, from death I command you to come back!"
The ground began to shake and the tombstones rattled. Fiona took a step back, closer to where Marshall was standing. The graves rose slightly as the corpses and bones stirred. Bony hands burst from the earth. They clawed at the ground as the skeletons pulled themselves up to the surface. Marshall laughed maniacally as the undead army rose at his command. Many of the corpses carried swords and daggers. They moaned and groaned as they staggered closer to their master.
"You ready to lead an evil undead army?" he said with a dark smile.
Fiona was trembling. "N-no…I shouldn't!"
"Come on, girl. You can't back out on your word, now can you?"
She clenched her fists, frustrated. But finally she sighed. "Okay…I'll do it."
He chuckled. "That's a good little girl."
Marshall led them out of the cemetery and down the hill toward a familiar looking house. It was a tall white manor with what looked like bricks scattered throughout the building. Spires stuck out of the walls, going in every which way, and a wall surrounded the grounds. Lights from the windows glowed like beacons in the dark. Fiona was hesitant as she marched with the undead army toward the house. The corpses and skeletons moaned as they headed for the manor.
"Excited to hear the screams of an entire house?" Marshall asked, casting her a mischievous look.
She laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. Sounds totally rad. But uh, I'm just gonna run up ahead and scope everything out okay?"
He shook his head and snickered as she darted off toward the house. He knew what she was up to, but it wouldn't do her any good. Marshall picked up the pace. He and his army descended on the Duke of Nuts' home. Fiona stood in the doorway, pleading with one of the nut people inside. She was screaming at the people to run for their lives. Slowly the skeletons filed into the manor. Marshall floated in, over the heads of his undead army. His axe-bass was strapped across his chest. He strummed it as he flew inside.
"Yo! What's up, guys? I wrote this song about a fisherman." He swirled around the room, above all the guests. They had entered the Duke of Nuts' manor during his son's birthday party. He strummed his bass and sang as he flew above them. "You looked so cool, sitting in your boat. I wanna suck out your eyeballs and rip out your throat." His voice was dark and melodious as he sang. "Suck out your eye~ba-a-alls and rip out your throat!"
"Marshall Lee, wait!" Fiona pleaded. "Don't do it!"
"Don't do what?" He arched an eyebrow.
The Duke of Nuts rushed toward him. "You're late, Marshall Lee! My son has been dying to hear you play!"
"Oh, I forgot!" the nut butler said in a lofty voice. "Marshall Lee is playing tonight!"
Everyone cheered and began to dance as Marshall played another song on his bass.
Fiona frowned, her brows drawing together in confusion. "Wait…so he's just making things sound bad…or his personality seems bad but he's really not…or something?"
"Hey!" the butler said. "Why're you thinking so hard? Just party hard!"
She grinned. "Yeah…. Yeah I guess you're right."
She joined the others in dancing to Marshall's music. Marshall flew above them, playing away to his heart's content. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. They danced and shouted the night away. He floated toward Fiona.
"Hey, castle crasher," he said.
"Hey, Marshall Lee. What's up?"
"It's almost morning and this place is starting to get kinda dull." He smirked. "Let's ditch 'em."
"Uh…okay."
He grabbed her hands and took off, leaving the Nut manor behind them. Slowly the sounds of music and laughter faded behind them. He flew her toward and abandoned field where wild berries grew. He set her down in the midst of the bushes before landing beside her. The sun was just starting to peek over the top of the hill when they arrived. Pulling out an old, gothic umbrella, he opened it and held it above him. It was black and decorated in old bones. The shade hid him from the sunrise's morning rays.
"Hey, can't the sun like kill you and junk?" Fiona asked.
Marshall shrugged. "Yeah, it hurts. But I kinda like it. Makes me feel a little more alive, know what I'm sayin'?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Hey, Fiona." He leaned closer grinning maliciously. His eyes gleamed red in the shade of his umbrella. "I need you to strangle some pixies."
Fiona shrugged. "Yeah, sure. That sounds cool."
He arched an eyebrow. "Woah! Being all casual about it, huh? Killing pixies is some hardcore evil. Sure a good little girl like you can handle it?"
"I'm not falling for your jokes anymore, dude. You just like sayin' weird junk that messes with my mind!"
Marshall burst out laughing. He held his side as he tried to get control of it. "Man, Fiona, I didn't think you'd ever catch on."
She laughed. "I knew it! But I've been wondering…what about your old henchman? Who was he?"
He shrugged. "Oh, just an old diving buddy of mine. So, you ready to go strangle some pixies or what?"
"Yeah! I'm totally ready!"
Suddenly Cake leaped out of the bushes. "Die, unholy monster!" She threw cloves of garlic at him. Marshall recoiled in surprise, dropping his umbrella by accident. His skin began to sizzle and blister as the sunlight touched him. He hissed, shielding his face with his arms.
"Marshall!" Fiona cried.
"I'm gonna stake that vampire and set you free, girl!" Cake cried.
"Cake, wait! He's not so bad!"
Marshall pulled himself toward the umbrella. He slunk underneath it, taking refuge from the sun.
"He's controlling your mind, Fiona! Now stand back as I vanquish him from existence!" She launched at the umbrella, stake in hand. As the wooden stake plunged into the umbrella, there was a shrieking wail. Cake tossed the umbrella aside, but there was nothing underneath it. "Where'd he go?!"
Fiona shook her head. She glanced at the umbrella and grinned. "Cake, I'm free! You saved me! You actually faced your fear and saved me!"
"Oh, it's good to have you back, honey!" Cake hugged her tightly. "Come on, let's get back to the tree house!"
"Be there in a sec," Fiona said, picking up the umbrella. Once Cake was gone, she glanced up into the shadowed fabric. A small bat clung to the metal rod near the top.
"She gone? Is it cool?" he asked.
"Yep, she's gone."
"Thanks, Fiona. I was really worried for a second there." He lifted the umbrella from her hand. "Quick thinking there. I owe you one."
She giggled. "Thanks. That's what henchmen are for, right?"
"Oh yeah," Marshall said, as if he just remembered something. "You're fired from being my henchman. It's no fun when I can't mess with you." He chuckled.
"That's cool. But we're still on for pixie strangling tomorrow, right?" She winked.
"Totally." Lifting the umbrella, he flew off toward his house. That had been more fun than he thought it would be. She was definitely an interesting one all right. And he couldn't wait to mess with her again.
Chapter 3 coming soon!