Disclaimer: Wolf Emperor doesn't own any copyrighted material included in this Fan Fiction.
Chapter 8 The Ballroom
"Damn," Juice Box breathed.
That single word seemed to sum up the cold, aching feeling that was left hanging in the air after the little display the kids saw on the monitor screen.
"What was that?" Race asked aloud to no one in particular.
"Do we even stand a chance against some thing like that?" Blast questioned while she turned her head to Blade.
"I don't know," Blade responded, "I don't think so, but we still need to try."
"Huh," Juice Box gasped, "you still seriously want to fight that…. that…that thing?!"
"No, I don't want to, but its not like any of the other people here can use their powers to fight it," Blade stated.
"He's right," Double D said.
"Yes," Slick agreed, "We can't abandon these people if they're in danger."
"Yeah," Spaz agreed with a single word.
Puff and Juice Box just exchanged glances to confer each other's feelings. They then turned to the kids with a look of determination and, sense there was no additional terms of protest, the kids recognized the sign that they were in agreement, too.
Blade glanced at the label under the monitor they had been watching. It read 'Hallway C' in thin, black letters on a taped-on-laminated piece of paper.
"C'mon," Blade called out just before he ran out the door.
The others, as if they knew what he had been thinking, were right behind him. Blade rounded the corner that the security guards had done just moments before. Blade ran down the hallway and scanned the walls. Finally, he fond what he was looking for and stopped in his tracts as the others did the same.
He stared up at a blue, plastic sign that gave directions. The sign had an 'Hallway A-B' carved into it with an arrow pointing toward the way they came and an arrow pointed in the way they were going with the words, 'Hallway C and Kitchen'
"We're on the right track," Blade announced.
Blade and the others began their run again. The all white walls of the hallway became a solid white blur as they continued to run.
"Hey," Blast called out as suddenly stopped, "are those the same doors?"
Blast pointed to a pair of double doors. Her reflection in the silver chrome was horribly distorted with all parts of her body being pulled in all directions.
"How do we know that these are the right doors?" Puff asked as his breathing was slightly heavy.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," a sharp scream of terror came from behind the doors.
"Just a hunk," replied Blast.
They went through the doors and ran through a short corridor that ended at yet another pair of double doors. The run through the hallway was a short one (the hallway was only a few feet or a little more) but there was a never-ending chorus of screams and loud brays.
The kids ran through the doors that were identical to the previous ones. They ended up in what appeared to be a modern, industrial size kitchen. Trays upon trays of clean glasses were waiting to be used in the corner, metal pots and pans hung up on hooks on the ceiling, skillets were holding steaming food on top of stoves, steak knives, spatulas, and other cooking utensils were scattered on the counters, several tables were toppled, and scraps of food and broken glass piled up on the floor.
A creature (the same that was on the monitor screen just moments before) stood atop a table in a predator's position. It had five chiefs trapped in a corner of the capacious kitchen.
The creature turned sharply to face the kids. The exposed brain jostled a bit and it was clear to see that it had no eyes. It opened its mouth on the otherwise empty face to reveal rows of sharp teeth. It let out a ghastly hiss as a long, pointed tongue extended from its mouth.
Everyone gasped as the creature (seeing just how big it really was) tensed its legs in preparation almost like a cat would when it spots a field mouse. It made a spectacular jump toward the kids, giving them only a split second to dodge the attack.
Puff, Blast, Double D, Spaz, and Race went to one side of the creature and the table where it had perked while Blade, Slick, and Juice Box went to the other side. Blade turned sharply with flaming crimson eyes and shot a laser blast that hit the creature's shoulder dead on.
It let out a torturous shriek but Blade also had heard the screams of the cooks who were still huddled in the corner.
"Get outta here!" Blade called to them.
The chiefs listened to his words as all five started in a mad dash for the exit with their white aprons flapping in the breeze as they ran.
The creature turned its head and gave another shriek. This projection of sound was (while in no form of know langue) what seemed to be a vow of revenge for its injury or maybe it was just giving the kids a warning that they were getting in over their heads. Whatever it had been trying to say, it had a terrifying effect all the same.
"Good idea," Puff yelped as the kids started to run for it also.
Slick had only paused for a moment and, with a green mist around his hands, up-ended one of the metal tables in the creature's direction. It dodged it with ease and continued to case the kids as they sprinted through a pair of double door. These were incredibly similar to the previous two but these were slightly wider and had small windows in the upper right hand corner.
The entered what was called the Glass Ballroom, and for good reason. There were wavy glass pillars around the outside of the room, on the ceiling there were large chandeliers with small glass jewels held together by gold beads, the floor was like a giant mirror, and tables for dinning with silk tablecloths and intricate flower arrangements were scattered around the room.
The kids ran out onto the reflective floor and spun around to face the doors they had just entered. They wanted to be ready to fight the creature when it made its appearance.
It crawled through the doors, but it didn't come out onto the floor, it had come out at the top of the door and was now climbing. The guests and patrons who were sitting at the prim dinner tables screamed bloody murder (and who could blame them) and started for the doors.
The creature, probably sensing a meal getting away, changed its slow strides into galloping jumps and started running rapid on the ceiling.
Blast exhaled and launched a Brain Blast at the creature.
The appalling creature dodged the power ball and continued on its run. The Brain Blast, however, after missing its mark, hit dead center at the base of a chandelier that was sent crashing down on a table. The table (thankfully an empty table) had its legs buckle on impacted, the delicate flowers in the arrangements were crushed, the glass ornaments of the chandelier and the plates and wine glasses of the table shattered, while the bits and pieces of broken glass scatter on the floor with their reflections.
"Ooops…" Blast called out apologetically, "...ummm…that was me. My fault."
"Don't worry," Juice Box reassured, "the table broke its fall."
The creature came to a halt on the far end of the ceiling where the wall connected. It jumped to the floor and landed on all fours right in front of the doors. It let out another heart stopping shriek and the mob of guests who were running for the exit came to a violent stop, screamed, and then started running in the opposite direction.
Seeing this, Slick was suddenly reminded of when they would play Human Pinball in gym class. Human Pinball was just like Dodge Ball except there weren't any teams. Anyone could get anyone out and you didn't have to stay on one side of the gymnasium, so the massive majority of the students would be running around in a group while five or so students would throw balls at them from the middle or the opposite side of the room (depending on how close the could get).
Currently, this event looked almost exactly the same. The only differences being that most of the players were wearing tuxedos and instead of a sixth grader with a red rubber dodge ball, there was a huge monster with a pulsing brain and a spear-like tongue.
The screams and sounds of a running mob echoed through the ballroom. The monster suddenly seemed to be confused. It took a few, vacuous strides forward.
A thought occurred it Blade, 'It must have sensitive hearing.'
Blade glanced above, seeing what they could use to trap the creature. The thick, long, red curtains with a gold-colored ropes the bounded them. The curtains were probably there to stop the windows from showing the employee parking lot.
"Somebody distract that thing," Blade vociferated, "Everyone else, can and help me. Get ready to led that thing over to where we are and trap it."
They went into action. Puff, Juice Box, and Blast went for the monster while Blade, Double D, Race, Spaz, and Slick went to prepare.
After 20 seconds, Blade and Double D stood holding the curtains open, Race and Slick stood ready with ropes in hand, and Spaz stood to the side, waiting for when he was needed.
At the same time, the creature had regained its composition and was preparing to attack a young women huddled against the wall when a serge of pain through its body. It spun around to see Blast, who had just hit its upper back with a Brain Blast. The female rabbit was standing on one side of a buffet table in an offensive position while Puff and Juice Box stood on the other side. The two human boys began to throw vegetable platters at the creature Frisbee-style.
The creature in response just turned its head, gave another low growl, and brought its front left ligament up to try to protect its head in an almost annoyed manner. When the projectiles stopped flying, the creature turned its head to face the boys and let out another annoyed growl.
"Come get us, Gruesome," Juice Box responded.
The boys took off on a mad dash with the monster hot on their heals. The creature had slammed into the buffet table in the process. The bump resulted into many trays of food to topple over onto the floor, including a large punch bowl spilling over onto Blast.
She gave a small yelp at the feel of the ice cold, cherry-lemonade concoction running down her neck but other than that she was fine. Blast then kicked empty punch bowel out of her way and ran toward her friends. She didn't notice that the light pink liquid on the floor was now a murky brown.
(A/N Reminder: The kids dyed their fur a few chapters back)
Puff and Juice Box stood side by side in front of a bare window. The creature stood in front of them, ready for the kill. It opened its mouth and the piecing tongue slithered out in preparation.
"Go," Blade called out.
Puff went to the left and Juice went to the right leaving a very disorientated monster being rapped up in curtains by Blade and Double D. Once the creature was contained, the two jumped back and let Spaz hold the creature in place with his super strength. Slick and Race started to tie the curtains up with their ropes. Slick went around two times and Race used his super speed to go around multiple times (both went under Spaz's arms so they didn't tie the devil up with the creature) and then they returned to their starting positions.
"Wow," Puff stated admiringly, "We really did it."
"What the hell?!" a Brooklyn accent called out.
Everyone gasped and looked toward the entranceways were the six living paragons known as the Loonatics stood. The super heroes just stared blankly at the devastated ballroom and the strange children.
At the same time, the rolled up curtain started to buck and jerk. Large gashes started to form as the creature started to tear its way out. Ace's eyes glowed yellow and then crimson as he fired a laser blast at the creature tearing from the curtains like a caterpillar emerging from the cocoon.
