The Rivals
Al, Mavis, and Dennis watched in anticipation of what was going to come out of the box Drac had opened. Of course, Al knew exactly what would come out. He regretted telling Johnny his greatest fear. He didn't realize Johnny was so weak willed when it came to protecting secrets, and he promised himself to never trust Johnny with any secret ever again.
Dennis grabbed onto his mother's hand. He was trembling with fear. Despite being a vampire, Dennis was still a child, and most children were scared of the unknown. Admittedly, Mavis was a little tense herself. What concerned her the most - however - was how exactly Drac planned to awaken Al's alleged prime vampire powers if Al wasn't a prime vampire.
A foot came out of the box. When it made contact with the ground, Al felt as if the earth was shaking. Mavis and Dennis watched in confusion as they realized that the foot was covered in a large, long, red, and shiny shoe.
From out of the box came a clown. He was dressed in a rainbow-striped jumpsuit over a white shirt. He had basic clown make-up put on him capped off by a large, red nose, and colorful, frizzy hair.
Despite the clown's obnoxious grin, Al nearly jumped back and ran away. He did yell, however. His yell wasn't loud enough to attract the attention of all the other monsters in the sport courts, so they were saved from embarrassment.
"Ah!" Al yelled. He stepped back and hid behind Mavis. She wasn't very amused by Al's cowardice.
"It's just a clown, Al," Mavis trivialized.
"He's an agent of death," asserted Al.
"H - Hey, kids!" The clown announced. The clown saw that there wasn't an audience of children in front of him, but continued on with his act. "My name's BoJo the Clown! What's your name?"
"Dennis!" exclaimed the child as he ran towards BoJo. From out of nowhere, Blobby slid over to the clown and began to vibrate in excitement. It was an odd sight to see to be sure, but it wasn't something Blobby hadn't done before.
"I don't get what your problem is, Al," said Mavis.
"Have you seen 'It'?" Al asked. "I'd rather keep my arm, thank you very much."
"The Fang of New York is scared of men in make-up?" Mavis asked. "That's a big confidence booster."
"Hey," BoJo said after making Dennis a balloon monkey. He pointed at Al's peeking head over Mavis's shoulder. "Don't be shy! Come on out!"
Mavis stepped to the side to reveal Al - cowering in fear - to the clown. She smirked, crossed her arms, and took her place beside her son. Al was incredibly shocked. He had hoped that Mavis would at least respect him enough to not make him face such an ordeal, but he was evidently wrong. She really did hate his guts.
"What's your name?" BoJo asked as he slowly approached Al. The vampire slowly stepped backwards - away from the clown. Still, he was facing the clown with his arms raised to defend himself. In case BoJo did anything hostile, Al would be prepared.
"I am the Fang," Al announced. "I defend New York from the night terrors that may harm it. You shall submit to my will or suffer as my enemies have suffered." His voice cracked at one point during the speech.
"The Fang?" BoJo asked. "That's a silly name. You look like the kind of guy who needs more love in his life. How about I give you a great, big hug?"
"Don't you dare come anymore closer or I will suck all of the blood from your body," threatened Al.
BoJo began to jog towards Al with his arms extended. There was no way that the clown listened to Al's threat. It was as if the clown has heard worse things in his career. That wasn't impossible, either. A good percentage of people all around the world hated clowns.
The few seconds of the approaching clown were the slowest in Al's life. Not even when the Hunters held his mother at blade-point did he feel as scared as he did at that moment. Ironic was the most appropriate word to describe a vigilante with a fear of something as mundane as clowns.
Al closed his eyes and held his hand out in front of him, pointing at BoJo. It was his idea of a last stand. Much to his surprise, many seconds passed by and no individual wrapped their arms around him. This made Al very confused. The clown would've grabbed onto him at that point. When he heard gasps, he realized something was very wrong.
He opened one eye to look at what was in front of him. A few feet away, BoJo was frozen mid-run. His body was temporarily surrounded by a field of green energy, but it disappeared. It was just like how Drac, Mavis, Vlad, and Dennis froze people. It was just like how a prime vampire would freeze people.
"What the hell?" Al muttered.
"It can't be," Mavis said.
"He's just like us?" Dennis asked.
Blobby vibrated.
"I knew it," said Drac as he walked passed his family and BoJo. The clown darted his eyes in confusion.
Al was examining his hands when Drac placed his own hand on Al's shoulder.
"My boy," Drac announced, "you are a prime vampire."
"How?" Al asked. "My mother was a normal vampire. My father was - "
"I don't have all the answers," Drac replied. "For now, just know that you're a goldmine of untapped potential."
Steve walks warily down the street / With the brim pulled way down low
From the last round, only very obscure participants were eliminated. Al and Mavis - obviously - advanced. Johnny barely made the cut. Drac's friends were average participants, but in the first trial, being average was just enough to pass.
The second trial took place the night after the first trial - the night after Al learned that he was a prime vampire. Drac promised to help him get used to his new powers and lifestyle at a later time, and Al accepted his offer. Still, Al was incredibly bothered by it all. He needed answers, and he needed them soon.
"Who likes to go on Easter egg hunts? The next trial is simple. There are thirty-five shrunken heads in this area of the forest. Bring back a head, and you'll advance to the next trial. The last five who do not bring back a head are eliminated."
The sounds of complaining shrunken heads were everywhere. They were so common that they couldn't be used as clues to indicate whether a competitor was getting closer or farther from one of them. Too many voices speaking at the same time made it impossible to follow one's ear.
The variety of places they were hidden made for great sport. Some were hidden under rocks - making their complaints muffled. Some were in the branches of trees which annoyed all. Some were located in the mouths of various woodland critters. The monsters who decided to chase these animals looked particularly funny.
The heads were only hidden in the confines of a certain forest area near the Hotel. This prevented monsters from looking too far away and kept people from wandering off to be at the mercy of any and all dangers. Once again, hidden cameras were established everywhere for the viewing pleasure of the guests.
It was about ten minutes into the competition when Al found his shrunken head. He grinned as he bent down to pick it up from under the pile of leaves it was buried under.
"Good job, sugah," sarcastically congratulated the head. "You got one of the easy ones. You must feel so proud of yourself."
"I could throw you into a lake," Al suggested. "Then, I'd dive in after you and get you. Would I have worked hard enough for you then?"
Needless to say, the shrunken head silenced itself.
"Took you long enough," Mavis's voice said from above.
It was impossible to miss Mavis sitting on a long, sturdy branch of a tree. She spun her shrunken head on her fingertip like a basketball player would spin their basketball. She ignored the wailing from the head.
Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet / Machine guns ready to go
"Endurance testing is always a great competitive activity. Let's see which of you guys can handle eating a chicken wing dipped in Super Ultra Mega Spicy Chile Fire Death Sauce with Honey. I don't know why they add the "Honey" part in the name but they did and here we are. The first five of you to drink from your glass goblets are eliminated. If no one grabs for their drinks, the first thirty of you to finish the wing to the bone advance. Those who can't take the heat are out of the game."
The thirty-five contestants sat around various tables in the dining hall. Most tables had only pairs of people save for the one seating Frank, Wayne, and Griffin. Other than them, the table pairings were what anyone would've expected: Mavis and Johnny, Al and Lily, etc.
The gargoyle and zombie servants brought silver platters to each and every seated contestant. In the middle of each platter was a decently sized chicken drumstick covered in a glowing red sauce. There wasn't really anything supernatural about the sauce, either. It was glowing because of its clear nuclear potency.
It was common knowledge that monsters ate unconventional things from spiders to monkey brains. The line was drawn at spicy foods, however. Monsters were just as susceptible to spicy human foods as humans were. Many were very weak to the taste because of how uncommonly they consumed them. The spicy wing would definitely be a challenge to all.
"That's it?" Frank asked his friends at the table. "Drac wants us to face off by eating a wing?"
"Don't underestimate Drac," Wayne warned. "You heard all the adjectives in the sauce name."
"Oh, please, Wayne," interrupted Griffin. "This is Frank we're talking about. He can eat anything."
"Begin," announced Drac from his position on the stage of the dining room.
"Watch this," Frank said as he picked up the chicken wing with two fingers and tossed it into his mouth. He smirked at his friends.
It didn't take very long for his smirk to die. Widened eyes of fear presented themselves on his previously calmed face.
"FIRE!" Frank yelled as he breathed literal fire. They had no idea how that was possible. Instantly, he grabbed all of the glasses of water on the table and threw them into his mouth. He started swishing around the water in his mouth like one would swish mouth wash. He then began to feed on the glass with a smile of relief.
"You're out, Frank!" Drac announced.
"Oh, come on," Frank complained. "It was as if you designed this trial against me on purpose."
Elsewhere, people weren't having a good time with their meals.
Mavis dug her nails into her palm and slammed the table with her fist. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine herself in a better situation. The spicy drumstick was more painful than going into labor.
When she opened her eyes, she found that Johnny was already done with his chicken and wiping his mouth with his napkin.
"How did you finish it already?" Mavis asked. She was genuinely concerned.
"I used to put that sauce in my cereal back in high school," Johnny revealed.
Nearby, Blobby grabbed his drumstick and stuck it inside himself. He technically consumed it with no problems. All that was left was for it to break down inside him. He willed his body to consume the chicken, and the meat began to disappear inside him until there was nothing left but bone.
At Al's table, the vigilante himself was sticking his tongue out and fanning it with his hands. Lily was nibbling on the edge of her drumstick, and she made sure she paced herself so that she wouldn't take the full force of the spiciness.
"Oh, that's hot," said Al. "Still, it's not as hot as you."
"What a charmer you are," Lily complimented.
Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this? / Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?
"Dodgeball! In the case, it'll be Dodge Balls of Death! Twenty nine monsters left - plus Johnny - means that you'll all be split into two teams of fifteen. The first ten to be struck on either team are out of the Monster Marathon. I suggest that all of you try to participate to the best of your ability. If more and more people on your team are getting eliminated, then you're just going to become a bigger and bigger target."
They used the Hotel's own gymnasium with bleachers to host the dodgeball game. The seats were completely filled by monsters of all shapes and sizes.
What was really either strange or fortuitous was that Al and Mavis were put on the same team as well as Johnny, Wayne, Blobby, and Griffin. Lily was - unfortunately - on the opposing side. Frank was eliminated from the competition because of his failure during the previous round. The remaining monsters on each side weren't very noteworthy.
In the center was a line of balls. There was a spiked ball, a ball on fire, a normal dodgeball, and a balloon covered in bubblewrap.
Drac allowed Dennis to blow the whistle to begin the game. When the game began, Wayne ran on all fours to the center of the court and began to gnaw on the normal dodgeball. Griffin took it upon himself to drag his friend away from the center. Luckily, the crowd of fellow competitors passing by them to try to grab a ball made it so that Griffin and Wayne weren't big targets anymore.
Griffin had the unfair advantage in the game. Being invisible, he was almost impossible to target.
Lily's team managed to get their hands on the spiked ball and bubblewrap ball. Al's team got the remaining fire ball.
It took longer than expected for some people to get eliminated. However, perhaps the fact that Wayne wouldn't let go of his ball contributed to the slow game. At least some unexceptional monsters got struck out.
Al couldn't count how many balls were thrown at him. He managed to dodge them all like he was in the Matrix. Mavis was even more graceful when dodging. Both of them played rather defensively. Johnny spent the game running from end to end of his side of the court. There was no way he could compete with the monsters on the other team.
Mavis got the spiked dodgeball after eight monsters were eliminated. All of those monsters suffered injuries from the dangerous balls, but those injuries were far from fatal. There were a few burns, a few cuts, and a truckload of bruises.
In Mavis's line of sight was a succubus: Lily. Lily didn't seem to be paying Mavis any attention, and rather focusing on the monster who held the fire ball on the opposite team. Mavis saw her chance to get an easy elimination. She prepared to throw her ball at Lily, and when her arm was making its motion, she felt a bump to the side.
Mavis's throw was way off. It didn't go anywhere near Lily. It landed on the ground on the opposite side of the court where a skeleton grabbed it - despite having no muscles.
Mavis angrily turned to look at the one who sabotaged her throw, and she was not surprised to see that it was Al.
"Oh, you've got to be messing with me," Mavis muttered. "You sabotaged my shot so your girlfriend could advance?"
"You targeted her on purpose to piss me off," argued Al.
"I targeted her because she was an easy hit," revealed Mavis.
Both of them leaned backwards to dodge an incoming ball that was headed towards them.
"Only two eliminations needed to end the game," Mavis pointed out. At that moment, a slimy cyclops got eliminated from their team. Drac blew his whistle to call him out. "One elimination. Want her chances to be better? Get yourself out."
"Oh, you'd love that wouldn't you?"
"It'd make my week."
"In that case, I think I'll keep on playing. I really want to take a picture of your face when I spend that Jamba Juice gift card."
"Fine by me. Of course, don't cry too hard when I kick the rabies out of you. Don't worry, though. I always keep a tissue box around."
Drac blew the whistle once more. The tenth elimination was a skeleton on the enemy team. When the ball covered in bubble wrap hit him, he collapsed and his bones fell apart in a messy manner. Al and Mavis paid the skeleton no mind. As far as they were concerned, the game was the least of their worries.
As the competitors walked around the court to congratulate their peers on advancing, Al and Mavis continued their argument.
"You know what your problem is, Mavis?" Al asked. "You're all talk. When was the last time you made good on your threats? Probably never. I don't know why I took you seriously."
Mavis attempted to side-kick Al. She swung her leg up towards his body, but he managed to grab a hold of her leg and toss her aside. As she fell over, she transformed into a bat and flew towards Al with her fist raised. He wasn't expecting her to be so quick about it. Mavis landed a good punch on Al's cheek, making him fall over.
When Al fell, he got the attention of various monsters around them. The competitors on the court began to form a circle around the two. Al rubbed his cheek as he got up, and Mavis transformed back to normal.
"You sure you want to do this here?" Al asked, staring her down. "I'm not afraid to hit a girl, you know?"
"Just to show you I'm not all talk," Mavis confirmed. "I'll let you have the next throw."
Before Al could lunge at Mavis, Drac's voice broke through the crowd, asking, "What is going on here?" The Count appeared in between Mavis and Al not long after he saw the situation. Dennis sat on his shoulders. Johnny approached Drac and joined him at his side; Johnny seemed just as upset with the situation as Drac was.
"We were just settling our differences, Dad," Mavis explained.
"Friendly dispute," Al added.
"Save your differences for the trials," Drac ordered. "The rules apply to you two the same as they do for everybody, meaning that if this ever happens again, I'll have you both disqualified. Do you understand?"
"Yes," reluctantly answered Mavis.
"Crystal," Al muttered.
"Good," Drac said, although he didn't believe that the situation was handled. He did the best he could with the two. "Now, I need you two separated. Mavis, lets go."
"I'm an adult," Mavis reminded. "I don't need to - "
Drac's eyes turned red and he began to roar at Mavis. She raised her hand up - telling him that she got the memo. She took Dennis from Drac's shoulders and held him in her own arms. Glaring back at Al one more time, she followed her father out of the gymnasium as the spectators watched. Johnny hung his head down as he followed them.
Wayne and Griffin made their way to Al, and both put a hand on each of Al's shoulders. He welcomed the notion, but he wasn't really in the mood to be comforted or lectured.
"You two really need to stop biting at each other," Wayne suggested. "You're both good kids."
"I admit that I started it this time," said Al. "But, no matter how hard I tried before, she won't trust me. She won't even entertain the idea of liking me. Tell me, has this happened before?"
"Nope," Griffin said. "She's always really nice to everyone she meets. You must be a terrible person."
Wayne elbowed Griffin.
"Whatever," Al dismissed.
He walked away from them to look for Lily.
Out of the doorway the bullets rip / To the sound of the beat, yeah
"Kayaking is a popular human activity. What was that? It's not popular? Well, then. Kayaking is a human activity. Why don't we try it? Everyone will partner up and get into a kayak. You will race down the river until you reach the end point. The first ten competitors to make it to the end advance."
Once again, the pairings for the activity were predictable. Mavis and Johnny waited in their kayak, holding onto their paddles and grabbing onto the gravel and rocks of the riverbank. In the front was Mavis, and behind her was Johnny. They looked around to observe the pairings of their opponents: Alucard and Lily, Wayne and Griffin, a yeti and skeleton, two witches, a reptilian swamp monster and a cyclops, Blobby and a tentacle humanoid monster, two gremlins, a hairy cyclops and bull-creature, and a humanoid fly with a banshee.
The running river was very wide and relatively deep further out. It was thirty feet in width and twenty feet in depth at the maximum. The starting point was over shallow water on the banks. On each edge of the river were five kayaks; each with two competitors. The kayaks were placed in a line, but the ones at the end of the line got to start paddling first. When they reached the point of the next pair of kayaks, then those ones would be able to go and so on and so forth.
The river itself was not smooth. It was a struggle to even hold on to the bank for each and every team. Ahead, they knew they faced obstacles such as random water bombs which would blow them out of the water and random giant hammers which would knock them out of their kayaks. Furthermore, the river was unpredictable in its turns.
"Is your head in the game, Johnny?" Mavis asked.
"Yeah, but where is yours?" Johnny replied.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean that you care more about Al than winning the game," he elaborated.
Drac stood nearby with a small number of spectators. They planned to run along the river to witness the race instead of staying in their rooms to watch it happen on their televisions. He blew the whistle, signaling the two kayaks at the end of the lines to start paddling. Mavis and Johnny were in front of the line, so they wouldn't have to worry about going too soon.
"He's not a good influence," argued Mavis.
"He's a great guy!" Johnny insisted.
Drac blew the whistle again, allowing the fourth teams in the line to go - joining the fifth teams side by side.
"So you're taking his side?" angrily asked Mavis.
"I'm not taking any sides," Johnny asserted. "I'm just saying that you're letting your paranoia cloud your judgment. Remember - at the gym - you tried to hit him first? You won't give him a chance.
"Rightfully so," confirmed Mavis. "He deliberately sabotaged me last game so he could look better in front of his girlfriend."
"I don't think they're - "
"That's besides the point, Johnny. He's selfish, he's arrogant, and he's manipulative. Might I add that he might be our enemy."
The whistle blew for the third teams.
"Mavis, he's none of those things. If you and him sat down together and had a meaningful conversation, I'm sure you'd get why everyone likes him so much."
"I'm tired of you trying to change my mind!"
"And I'm tired of you not listening!"
"I know it's not my place to say," shouted Al from the other edge of the river, "but you guys really need to go to couples therapy!"
The whistle blew again. It was Al's turn to go, so he and Lily paddled in next to the kayaks that started before them.
"We're done talking about this," Mavis stated, readying her paddle. She hated drifting further and further apart from her husband. If everything she said about Al was true, then division among family was beneficial for him. She refused to let him win like that.
"Agreed," Johnny said, preparing himself to get going.
He missed the days of his early relationship with Mavis. They were both so carefree and infatuated with each other. They'd hold countless conversations about countless topics. He loved listening to Mavis's voice telling him about monster life and history. She could never stop listening about the world outside of the Hotel. Their love for each other was strengthened with Dennis's entry into their lives.
Recent events have definitely strained their relationship without a doubt in the world. Both wished that it was a temporary thing. However, the strain was a result of stress. That stress wouldn't go away until the Hunters were dealt with. No one could predict when that would happen.
The final whistle blow gave Mavis and Johnny the go to fall in next to the rest of the kayakers. The real challenge was about to begin. They paddled rather quickly, passing a few competitors who were just barely building some good speed.
Nearby, Griffin was doing all the work in his kayak. He paddled side-to-side as hard as he could, but his hard work was not good enough to save them from last place. Wayne sat behind him, inspecting his paddle.
"How do I use this thing?" Wayne asked.
"Watch my arm movements!" ordered Griffin. Wayne then studied the paddle floating around the air and water.
It didn't take long for the competitors to reach the rapids of the river. This made it more difficult for them to traverse the river. Al and Lily were at the front, but they had to slow themselves down in order to keep themselves and their kayaks secured. Despite their slowness, they weren't saved from being wet.
Al was especially annoyed because he had his earbuds in, and he didn't want his phone to be damaged. He needed his music to motivate him through the competition.
"Another one bites the dust," Al sang. "Another one bites the dust."
The witches behind them saw their shot at taking the lead. They sped up, passed Al and Lily, and took first place for themselves. Both witches turned their heads to mock the vampire and succubus and unfortunately weren't looking at the water ahead of them.
"Should I tell them?" Lily asked.
"Absolutely not," answered Al.
And another one gone, and another one gone / Another one bites the dust
The witches hit a black ball in the water which looked like a classic bomb. It exploded, but there was nothing dangerous inside. It was just very forceful. It forced the kayak of the witches flying into the air. Both women screamed as they flew upward. As they descended, they made sure to position their kayak so they'd land with the bottom of it touching the water. That way, they'd be able to keep on going.
However, when they landed, they found themselves in last place.
Wayne had gotten used to using his paddle, so he aided Griffin in speeding up. However, he preferred to use his paddle as a weapon rather than as a tool to move the kayak. Wayne tried to strike at his enemies with his paddle, but he picked a fight with a cyclops who watched one too many action movies.
The cyclops and werewolf began to duel with their paddles while their respective partners were tasked with controlling the kayaks. Wayne struck downward, but the cyclops blocked the attack. The cyclops attempted to jab at Wayne, but Wayne managed to move his torso back, dodging the attack. With a free hand, Wayne grabbed the cyclops's paddle and yanked it towards himself.
This resulted in the cyclops falling out of his kayak. To save himself from the water, the cyclops hugged the back of his kayak and attempted to climb back into it as Wayne and Griffin sped up past other competitors.
"Looks like that guy is getting... Salty," joked Wayne.
"Ye - Wait," Griffin said. "Are you making a pun?"
"I'd like to think so," confirmed Wayne.
"This is a river," reminded Griffin. "River water is not salty."
"Wish you'd have told me that before I said it," Wayne muttered.
"I thought it was common knowledge!"
As the waters smoothed out, the giant hammers began to appear. Connected from the trees besides the river, the hammers would fly horizontally over the river in a sweeping motion. Anyone who was too unlucky to dodge the danger would surely be knocked off of their kayak if not knocked out.
Blobby was not bothered by the hammers. He sat through them all. They would deform him for a second but he'd instantly reform himself. His tentacled partner ducked his head but used his tentacle arms to propel their kayak forward instead of using the paddle.
Most of the monsters were wise enough to keep their heads down for the hundred feet that the hammers made a danger zone. Two unlucky groups were knocked off of their kayaks. However, all was not lost for them. They technically didn't need to be on their kayaks to participate in the race. The rules only said that the first ten - groups or no - to make it to the end of the race would advance, and to finish the race they would need to be in the river.
Swimming was an option, but kayaks would make things so easier. So, the monsters who were knocked off swam rapidly towards their kayaks which were unfortunately floating away from them faster than they could swim to catch up to them.
Mavis didn't even realize it but she and Johnny had first place for a good while. Their only competition was - of course - Al and Lily, but the remaining monsters were far behind the pairs.
Mavis used her clairvoyance to see the finish line far ahead of them. The finish constituted of two large poles erected on both sides of the river with a banner connecting them which read "Finish." It couldn't have been anymore than three hundred feet away. Furthermore, it was a straight, smooth shoot to it.
She quickly turned her head around to find Al and Lily accelerating.
"I'm not tying this time," Mavis announced as she herself got faster.
Vampire abilities allowed her to propel her kayak at inhuman speeds. She used her strength and speed to accelerate faster than Al and Lily. Johnny wasn't able to keep up. He took his paddle out of the water because he was scared of slowing Mavis down in some way.
As Mavis got faster, her paddle placement got sloppier. Johnny found himself dodging the end of her paddle more times than he'd like.
"Mavey," Johnny called. "Hey, hon?! You need to calm down! Mavis!" No matter how many times he called her, she'd ignore him. Her eyes were set on the prize. She could taste victory. "Mavis, we pretty much won. You don't have to - "
Her paddle smacked Johnny's face with such force that it sent him falling back into the water. He heard a ringing in his ears and his vision became incredibly blurry. The next thing he knew was sinking in the river. He expected Mavis to have grabbed him already, but he felt no such thing.
When Johnny finally managed to get his vision cleared underwater, he saw something peculiar. From the depths of the river was a figure growing larger towards him. Only when it grabbed Johnny's ankle did he realize what he was looking at.
It was a monster, for sure. Johnny recognized the type of monster it was, and he recalled another one of its kind participating in the competition, although it was definitely not the same one. It was a reptilian humanoid with webbed fingers, feet, and fins on its head like the others of its kind. However, its skin was grey and its eyes were red - contrasting the normal green or red skin for those types of monsters.
It began to drag Johnny down deeper into the water. The human did his best to struggle and try to free his leg, but the monster's grip was strong. Air bubbles rapidly escaped from Johnny's mouth. He couldn't go much longer without air.
Johnny was just about to lose consciousness when Al swooped into his vision. The vampire grabbed the assailant's wrist and pulled it away from Johnny. He then punched the monster's face. However, the attack was slowed by the water, so it didn't do the damage Al hoped it would do.
The attacker had sharp finger nails. It scratched Al's belly, ripping his clothes. Blood began to seep out of the wound and floated out into the water. Al tried not to let it bother him, though. He punched the attacker in the face again, but made sure to add a knee to the gut.
Al grabbed the monster's arm and pulled it aside so it'd be farther away from Johnny. They continued to fight underwater. In a series of punches, blocks, and grabs, they began to tire themselves out. The monster managed to scratch Al's arm, resulting in bleeding in the water.
He grabbed the monster by the shoulder and continuously punched it in different areas of the body. After a punch to the face, a sharp tooth escaped its mouth.
Soon, Al got into a position where he could kick the monster's face with both feet. This allowed him to propel himself away from the creature and towards Johnny. He used it as an opportunity to grab him and swim upward. As Al swam up, he looked down to check the position of his opponent, but the monster wasn't there. It simply disappeared, and Al knew for a fact that it was still lurking around somewhere.
There was only one reason a monster would be so malicious as to attack them: it was a Hunter.
When Al stuck his head out of the water, he didn't take a deep breath. Vampires could go much longer than humans without food, water, or air.
He pulled Johnny - making sure to keep Johnny's head above the water - behind him as he swam to the river's edge. The river was no longer shallow, so he couldn't simply drag himself and Johnny out of the water. Al pulled himself up onto the grass first before pulling Johnny up.
"Johnny!" Mavis exclaimed.
She was flying towards him in her bat form as quickly as she could. Her kayak sat abandoned at the finish line. Lily had just finished the race herself when she used her wings to fly over to Johnny. She had Al's phone and earbuds in her hands because he didn't want them to get wet when he dived in after Johnny.
Johnny was unconscious, and they all saw that he wasn't breathing. Al pressed his ear against Johnny's mouth and confirmed for himself that Johnny was out. Mavis landed on Johnny's left - the opposite side from which Al was at - when Al was checking his pulse.
"I'm sorry, Johnny," Mavis said, grabbing his hand. "This is my fault. Please, don't die on me."
To be continued in the next chapter
Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter. Please leave a comment/review to let me know what you think!
I got a nice, long chapter for you guys. It seems like I upload once a week, and that's only because I love writing longer chapters. Please check on my profile regularly on updates for the next chapter.
The next chapter will be the end of Act I in the story. Also, did you guys see the released image for Hotel Transylvania 3?
Ciao.
