Chapter 11
This is Halloween Part 2
Zack felt a rush of energy enveloping his body as he began involuntarily levitating off the ground. Without having a chance to blink he turned into a black force that jumped through the sky into a far-off dust-brown tower which led into an even larger building. With a crash, he landed hard on his shoulder.
Looking around himself, he noticed the walls were black and had white lights shining out of them. There were computers control boxes lined in a circle, with a path leading off to, what appeared to be, a crystal ball. On the opposite side was a familiar floating head trapped in a glass tube. Oh, right. I'm at the Command Center.
"What the hell!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the floor.
"Please, calm down Zack," Alpha said.
For the first time, Zack noticed he was on the floor and standing above him was the android, Alpha 5. "What's going on?" Zack asked, picking himself up off the floor.
"Zackary, your friends are in great danger. Please observe the Viewing Globe," Zordon commanded from his glass confinement.
Without thinking, Zack turned around and faced the Viewing Globe. A face played across the screen. No, not just any face, it was Kimberly. Zack watched the nights events play itself on the screen in only a matter of minutes.
"Zordon, what the hell is going on here?" Zack asked, his eyes never leaving the viewing globe.
"I believe Kimberly has been put under Dracula's thrall. She is not herself right now. She is acting under his control and is luring and attacking her team members. You must free her from his control and find out where the others," Zordon said.
"You can't just locate them with a molecular scanner and teleport them here?" Zack asked incredulously.
"We tried that," Zordon said, "something is blocking our scans."
"You're our last hope, Zack. You're everyone's last hope," Alpha chimed, "good luck."
"All right then," Zack said, reaching for then extending his Power Morpher out before him, "Mastodon!"
""""""""""'
With a flash of energy, Zack landed, this time on his feet. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. A slight breeze, two walls on either side of him, and a bunch of trash on the ground. I fell into a damn alleyway, covered in trash…and I just stepped into something green and slimy. Amazing targeting, Zordon, how about next time you send me to a goddamn KKK rally?
Zack began to quietly make his way to the nearest open street. Keeping to the shadows, he peered into the street. A desolate, partially destroyed street was laid out before his eyes. Signs of a struggle and a broken car were all there was in sight. The surrounding buildings showed no sign of having been occupied in some years.
"What shall I do, Master?" a familiar voice said, "I can't find the black ranger an-"
Dracula quickly hushed her; "someone's close." His eyes darted wildly around the area, searching for some movement. On discovering he could sense none, he took in a deep breath of air through his nose. "Over there," he pointed to the alleyway Zack was hiding in, "your friend is that way."
Kimberly grinned, "thank you, Master."
With a whoosh, Dracula disappeared, leaving Kimberly alone in the street. Turning around, Kimberly began her approach. Zack quietly cursed to himself. "Power Down!" he called. A white light traveled up and down his body, removing the Ranger coating from him.
"Zackary!" Kimberly called after she walked into the alley, "thank God you're here. We gotta-"
"Where are the others?" Zack demanded.
"I don't know, we were attacked. The monsters-"
"Where did you take them?" Zack said coldly.
"What are you talking about? The monsters! They-"
"I know what you're up to. Tell me where they are."
"Hmph," Kimberly pouted, turning her back on Zack, her hair whipping in the wind.
"Kimber-" to his surpise, Zack was cut short by a spinning kick to the head. "Fuck!" Zack screeched, catching her foot in the next spin. "You're being controlled! Snap out of it!" Kimberly hopped up and down on one foot, struggling to break free. With a twist, her other foot launched into the air and collided with Zack's skull, knocking him backward.
"You fuck!" Kimberly screamed, launching at him again.
"Kimberly, get control of your self!" Zack yelled, getting behind Kim and and putting her in a sleeper hold. "Kim, stop it!" Zack struggled to hold Kim, "where are the other Rangers?"
"Let go of me! You're hurting me, stop it!" Kimberly said, breaking down in tears.
"Oh, look, it's bad and kind sad. He's dressed in black and won't atttack," a voice said from Zack's left side.
"Who the fuck is there?" Zack said.
Kimberly took advantage of the distraction, slamming her foot down hard onto Zack's, she took off running.
"Kimberly!" Zack said, turning his attention from the new presence. Without thinking, he started to run after her, but was abruptly stopped by something hitting the back of his head. "What the fuck?" He turned around to see a monster with a pumpkin-shaped head leaning against a poorly lit wall.
"Did I forget to mention that I need your attention? You see, I chose you to-"
"Shut up!" Zack shouted.
"You should know, this is your end. You're all alone, you have no friends."
"I said shut up!" Within an instant Zack had his Power Morpher out before him. "Mastodon!" He called and quickly morphed into the Black Ranger.
"Well, well, what do you know. You've got a plan to finish this show!"
"Oh, Christ – stop rhyming!" Zack shouted, calling on his Power Axe.
"What's the matter, little man? All alone without a plan?"
"Oh, I got plan," Zack sneered, "and it's going right up your ass!" With a grunt, Zack swung his axe and the monster, instantly decapitating it.
"Oh, my, I guess I died, but your end's to come, no lie," the head said before deteriorating before Zack's eyes.
"You will die," Kimberly appeared before Zack after firing an arrow at him.
The arrow fell harmless to the side, deflected by Zack's Ranger suit.
"Kimberly, knock this off. You're being used!" Zack said, dodging Kimberly's next attack.
"I only wish to serve my Master," Kimberly said, launching another arrow at him.
"The only master you have to obey is yourself." Zack caught the arrow and threw it aside carelessly, "Don't let this muthafucka control you!"
"Oh, enough with the clichéd dialogue, Zack. I thought you were better than that," Kimberly mocked.
"Well, you're a white bitch, I thought you might fall for it," Zack said, getting behind Kimberly and catching her in another restraining hold, "either way, you have to tell me where the others are."
"Oh, I'll show you," Kimberly said, kicking straight up to Zack's head and dislodging herself from his hold, "just close your eyes and stick your neck out."
"Yeah, like I'm that retarded!" Zack spat.
"Well, you're a black, I thought you might fall for it," Kimberly said doing a split and almost hitting Zack in a tender spot.
"Kimberly," Zack sighed, "I'm sorry I have to do this but," with a hard smack to her head, Zack screamed, "snap out of it!"
At that point, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Kimberly fell backward on to the hard cement with a thud. After a few moments, Kimberly rubbed her head and looked around wildly.
"Zack, wh-what happened? Where am I?" Kimberly said in a frightened whisper.
"You were under a spell, Kimberly." Zack kneeled beside her. "The others are in trouble; quick, do you remember anything?"
"Yeah, I remember…this!" Kimberly shouted, striking Zack over the head as hard as she could, knocking him unconscious. "Master, I got him!" Kimberly shouted into the air.
"Perfect," Dracula said, his voice forming a beautiful melody with a thick Romanian accent.
"Yes, perfect," Kimberly grinned, "did I do good, Daddy?"
"Yes," Dracula's hand slipped down Kimberly's back, to her butt, "you did just fine."
"Master, can we go back now? I want my reward," Kimberly pouted.
"Yes, of course," Dracula grinned, "just give me your morphing coin, first, my sweet."
"But it's so pretty," Kimberly pouted, "can't I hold onto it, just a little longer?"
"Only if you don't want your reward." Kimberly turned her back on Dracula and began to sob. "I know what you need," Dracula said with a sigh. With a blur of motion, he made a cut on his wrist and presented it to her.
"Ew! Like, totally gross!" Kimberly blanched but quickly corrected herself, "I mean…wouldn't this be better by a roaring fire in a nice warm room?"
"Why?" Dracula asked.
"Because it's more romantic," Kimberly giggled.
"All right, then," Dracula sighed.
Dracula walked over to where Zack lay unconscious and retrieved his Power Morpher. "Excellent," he said, reminding Kimberly of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.
"Let's go," Dracula said.
Taking Kimberly's hand in his, he closed his eyes and envisioned the roaring fire in his bedroom. A gray mist formed around their feet, and slowly traveled up their bodies, into Kimberly's eyes, blocking her view. This is weird, she thought. Her head began spinning as the mist traveled up her nose, into her lungs.
Suddenly, the mist was gone and Kimberly found herself standing in a Victorian styled room, in non-ranger form. A large bed-frame stood against the far wall, lined with, what one must assume, to be expensive cloths. It's high poles reaching for the ceiling. A fireplace roared in the wall directly behind her casting shadows on the wall. If she looked to her left, opposite the only door in the room, she'd have the greatest view of Angel Grove from atop the highest tower in Dracula's castle.
"Now, lie down," Kimberly giggled, "and close your eyes."
"I may have fallen for that one a century ago, but not again!" Dracula hissed.
"Fine," Kimberly turned her back to him, "then I guess we do this the hard way." With the reflexes of a cat, she spun and dug the stake into his chest.
Or she would have if he hadn't have turned himself into a blue cloud of mist. With the fluidity of water, the mist slicked behind Kimberly's back. The cold draft caused Kimberly to shudder as it condensed and Dracula materialized behind her. Grasping her ponytail, he jerked her head back fiercely.
"Oh, Dracy, I was just kidding," Kimberly kidding, "I just wanna play."
"No! You're game is up," with a guttural shout, Dracula threw Kimberly at a nearby stone wall, "you will die, just like your friends."
Kimberly quickly tucked the stake back into her belt and grabbed for her Power Morpher. Holding it out before her; she opened her mouth to call out her guardian's name, but was cut off by a hand to her throat. Complete and utter shock took over her mind. Oh, God, I'm gonna die!
Gasping for air and not thinking clearly, Kimberly dropped her Power Morpher to the ground and wrapped her hands around the hand that was choking her. As her face turned blue, Kimberly scratched frantically at the hand but had no affect on him. With a last coruscation, she reached for the stake stuffed in her belt.
"Any last words, Pink Ranger?" Dracula hissed.
"Yeah," Kimberly grunted, clutching the wooden stake in her hand, "trick or treat!" Summoning the last strength in her body, she raised the stake and brought it down hard, burying it deep into her attacker's chest.
"Gah!" Dracula cried as his body slowly turned to dust.
The hand clamping down on Kimberly's next slowly turned to dust and she collapsed on the floor. Taking deep breaths Kimberly calmed her self down within ten minutes. Her mind raced as she formed a plan. Eyeing the door, she collected her Power Morpher and left the room.
""""""""""'
"Oh, Doomsy," Kimberly said, having finally found his room after about ten minutes of searching aimlessly through the Victorian-style halls of Dracula's castle, "I'm so lonely. I haven't seen Drac for hours, have you?"
"Wasn't he with you?" Doomstone asked.
"Er…" Kimberly faltered, "no, he left me all alone. It's so cold. Hold me?" Kimberly wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
"Sorry, dear," Doomstone lamented, "I'm naturally cold. I couldn't do much for you."
"Oh," Kimberly sighed, "that's a pity. Got someone who can?"
"No."
"No? What about the Blue boy?" Kimberly asked sweetly.
"You want the nerdy kid?" Doomstone asked incredulously.
"Please?" Kimberly asked, trying to look her cutest and most vulnerable.
"Fine," the monster said with an annoyed sigh, "I'll go get him."
Kimberly watched the monster trudge off into the other room. Kimberly took the alone time to familiarize herself with the room. It was much like Dracula's, except it had two doors in it and an ancient looking sword hung above the fireplace.
A loud bang forced Kimberly to quickly returned her attention to the door Doomstone left from.
"Here he is," Doomstone said, throwing a bound and gagged Billy at her feet.
"Oh, he's perfect!" Kimberly said, leaning down and bringing her mouth to his ear, "play along," she said in a whisper, "I got a plan."
Kimberly quickly removed the gag from Billy's mouth. "Oh, no! You're so evil!" Billy said, his acting failing worse than Jennifer Lopez's movie career.
"Way to be obvious" Kimberly glared at him menacingly.
"Die Rangers!" Doomstone shouted, lunging at them.
"Shit!" Kimberly screamed, "Billy, when we get back to school, enroll in the drama club!"
"Uh…what?"
"Now's not the time," Kimberly reached for her Power Morpher, holding it out before her, she called out, "Pterodac-" but the Power Morpher was kicked from her hand before she could finish her requirements for morphing.
"Kimberly, quick, untie me!" Billy screamed.
Doomstone moved quickly for a block of stone, retrieving the sword from the fireplace, he turned and set his death-gaze on the two teenagers.
"There's no time! We gotta run!" Kimberly said, struggling to move him.
"So, which of you do I kill first?" Doomstone asked, waving the sword in their faces.
Acting out of fear, Kimberly sent a swift kick to Doomstone's midsection, knocking him backward several feet. A loud cracking sound enveloped the room and, much to Kimberly's surprise, Doomstone cracked straight down the middle and quickly turned to dust. Did I kick him that hard? Damn, I don't know my own strength.
As the dust settled, Kimberly saw a familiar face.
"Miss me?" Zack asked, clutching his Power Axe in his hands.
"Oh, God, yes," Kimberly said with total relief in her voice, "wait, how the hell did you get here?"
"Well…I saw a castle and thought 'since when does Angel Grove have a motherfucking castle'," Zack said.
"Ooh, right," Kimberly face-palmed.
"Whatever, right now we need to find Trini and Jason," Zack said.
"Where is Trini?" Billy demanded.
"I'm pretty sure Bones took Trini to another dimension," Kimberly said uneasily.
"I'm gonna go find Trini," Billy said, after being untied "you and Zack go find Jason."
"No…you and Zack go find Trini, I'll find Jason," Kimberly corrected. "Just. Do. It." She added before they had a chance to protest.
"Triceratops!" Billy called, causing a blue light to engulf his body as he transformed into the Blue Ranger.
""""""""""'
"So, how do we find this other dimension?" Zack asked as they explored the halls of the castle.
"Well, it can't be too far. It's here in this castle, somewhere," Billy said, marveling at the sculptures that lined the walls.
Zack sighed, and continued past two ornate sculptures shaped into the form of human skeletons, "Well, I-"
As Zack's voice cut out, Billy began to panic. His heartbeat accelerated and his breathing hitched. Shaking uncontrollably, he scanned the room for any sign of his friend.
"I found it," Zack said smugly.
"You fuck!" Billy screamed uncharacteristically.
"Stop standing around, we gotta save Trini!" Zack commanded.
The air was thick and seemed to swirl in tight coils around Billy and Zack's helmets as they stepped into Bone's dimension. The sky was black and the ground seemed to be not at all visible but still mist swirled around their ankles. The place seemed to have a gravity level that far exceeded that of the Rangers' own dimension.
"Do you see anything?" Billy asked, breathing heavily.
"I see the same shit as you do," Zack said.
"Trini, where are you?" Billy called out, his echo coming back to him.
The wind blew through the only tree in sight, causing the leaves to rustle.
Finally, "over here! Help!" a voice came back.
"Trini!" Billy shouted, "this way. Come on, Zack!"
Trini was fighting off a gang of Putties when her teammates arrived to rescue her. A blow was dealt to her stomach, then to her lower back and finally a barrage of kicks were sent to her after she hit the ground. "Trini!" Billy shouted, rushing to her side he threw the Putties off of her and helped her to her feet.
"You're in a dimension of illusions," Trini said, before twisting Billy's arm behind his back and throwing him a far distance south.
"Billy!" Zack called, "what the hell did yo-" he stopped, noticing that Trini was a Putty. "You bitch!"
"You're in a dimension of illusions," it said again, before blasting him north.
Billy found himself on lying on very lumpy ground. Shaking his head he-
"Hey, get the fuck off of me!" Trini cried.
"Trini?" Billy asked, "is this really you or another Putty?"
"I thought I told you to move your scrawny ass!" Trini shouted.
"It is you!" Billy cheered and clambered to his feet. "Hurry, we have to find Zack."
As quickly as he said it, he found himself face to face with the Black Ranger.
"That was easy," Trini said.
"How did you – er…never mind," Billy said, "let's just focus on getting out of here. Trini, you might want to morph."
"Right," Trini said, reaching for her Power Morpher, "Saber-toothed Tig-"
A sudden explosion knocked them all to their feet and Trini's Morpher from her hand. A shadow overtook them and Trini scrambled to find her Morpher in the darkness. Her hand brushed over something hard and smooth. Bringing it to her eyes, Trini realized what it was.
"What'sa matter? Ain'tcha never seen a talking skull before?" the skull said.
Trini let out an ear-shattering scream before throwing the skull to the ground. Billy looked over to see what the matter was but soon found himself crawling backward until his back was pressed against a tree. "What the hell?" Zack shouted, noticing the skull, too.
The trio stared in horror as the skull began to levitate in front of them. In one swift move, the skull had floated over to a seven-foot skeleton and attached itself to the spine. A faint yellow glow began in the eye sockets, which quickly grew into a light that engulfed the room and subsequently blinded the Rangers.
Searing pain overtook their bodies and they quickly realized what happened. The light was actually meant to precede a laser blast that had shortly followed.
"Guys! Before he has another chance, blast at once with the Power Blasters!" Billy grunted.
Drawing their blasters, the three Rangers took aim and quickly fired. Three bolts of energy were sent hurtling at the monster, making contact only seconds after they were fired. However, much to their dismay, the attacks simply bounced off the skeletal menace.
"I thought I was smart enough to think up a feasible plan but I have failed," Billy said meekly,
"Translation?"
"We need Jason," Trini said in utter shock.
""""""""""'
"Jason, where are you?" Kimberly said under her breath.
Kimberly felt completely deprived of energy and just wanted to lie down for a while. For what seemed like hours, Kimberly had been searching the castle for any sign of Jason and not finding any. What little hope she had left was dwindling.
"Christ!" Kimberly shouted in pure aggravation.
Within minutes, the Frankenstein Monster had appeared at her side. "What is matter?" he grunted.
"Er…" Kimberly stumbled. Hey, maybe I can trick him into leading me to Jason! "Oh, Frankie," Kimberly said, being as sexy as she could and trying to show off as much cleavage as she could, "I'm so lonely."
"That too bad," Frankenstein said bluntly.
That dead bastard! Kimberly thought, desperately trying to suppress the urge to punch him.
"Is there somebody that could keep me company?" Kimberly pouted.
"Me no want to," Frankenstein said in his stunted English.
"Know someone else?" Kimberly said, brushing up against him.
"Where Dracula? You with him, no?" Frankenstein said.
"He left me alone hours ago, I've been so lonely since then. Isn't there someone who could keep me company?" Kimberly pouted again.
After a pause, Frankenstein finally responded, "follow."
Kimberly followed for a few rooms before a bound and gagged Jason slowly came into view. Suppressing the urge to run over to him, Kimberly turned to Frankenstein deliberately. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes while putting on her most innocent smile.
"Frankie," Kimberly smirked, "he's perfect! How can I ever repay you?"
"Me no interested," Frankenstein said bluntly.
Kimberly looked at Jason, his wide-eyed stare at her said so much. How can someone put so much emotion into a single look? she thought. Hurt, anger, sadness, surprise and more.
"Don't worry," Kimberly mouthed the words, "I've got a plan." Kimberly quickly turned her attention back to Frankenstein.
In a flash, Kimberly pulled out her Power Morpher and called out, "Pterodactyl!" As the pink light enveloped her body, Frankenstein stumbled back in shock and landed on a Fire Poker near the room's fireplace.
"I…that was easy," Kimberly said, seeing the monster impaled. She turned quickly to Jason. Leaning by his side, she quickly began untie the ropes that bound him.
"Thanks," Jason said after the restraints were removed. "I guess you snapped out of it, huh?" After stretching his arms and legs to relieve the stiffness, he quickly retrieved his Power Morpher from the fallen monster.
"Tyrannosaurus!" he called out and a red light temporarily blinded Kimberly as he transformed into the Red Ranger.
"All right," Kimberly said, "we need to go find the others."
A flood of pain entered Kimberly's body and she felt herself being lifted and thrown into something. A loud cracking and rumbling sound and she saw the rooms flying past her and the revived Frankenstein monster stumbling through the holes in the walls.
""""""""""'
"We need Jason." The words echoed and bounced around Jason's head in a distorted fashion but gradually cleared as he came to his senses. His vision, which had blurred on impact with the cold, hard surface they were lying on now, had cleared to reveal Trini, Zack and Billy standing before him.
"You called?" Jason said groggily as he climbed to his feet.
"Prodigious!" Billy cried.
"Hey, Fags-R-Us," Kimberly clutched her side, "Frankenstein over here wants to play!"
"Oh, goody, goody another friend." Bones clapped his hands and jumped like an excited two-year old.
"Shit!" Jason shouted, as a hand clamped around his throat. His friends watched in horror as he was lifted off the ground.
"Power Bow!" Kimberly called and shot an arrow that was quickly blocked by the skeletal menace.
"Oh, not so fast!" the bony monster said, throwing the arrow to the ground.
"Kimberly!" Billy shouted, "we'll distract him, you help Jason!"
Kimberly reloaded her Power Bow as her friends attacked Bones head-on with their weapons; Billy with his Power Lance, Trini with her Power Daggers and Zack with his Power Axe.
Kimberly took aim and Frankenstein again and fired. The arrow whipped from the bow with lightening fast speed and pierced the creature's abdomen.
With a grunt, the behemoth pulled it out and flung it across the plane with ease. The beast focused its eyes on the squirming human beneath his fingers. A menacing glare was sent and he squeezed tighter.
Jason struggled hopeless against the monster and his efforts were met with the hand squeezing even tighter.
"Jason!" Trini shrieked.
"Quick," Billy shouted, "everyone shoot him now!"
"What?" Kimberly screeched.
"Th-the monster," Billy corrected, "shoot the monster. On the count of three! One." They Rangers drew their Power Blasters. "Two." And aimed carefully, in fear of hurting their friend. "Three!" Four bright beams of color shot from the barrels of their guns and made contact with the unnatural being. A guttural shout later and Jason was sprawled out on the surface of Bones' Dimension.
"Shit!" Jason gasped, taking in big gulps of breath. "Way too close!" Jumping to his feet, he called on his Power Sword. "All right, guys! Let's bring it together!"
"All right!" Kimberly said, her bowing flying to connect with Zack's Power Axe.
"I'm in!" Billy said as he threw his Power Lance and watched it combine with the weapon resting in Zack's hands.
"Let's do this!" Trini said, throwing her Power Daggers in the mix.
"Everyone, calm the fuck down! I got this!" Jason said as he used his Power Sword to finish the Power Blaster. "Everyone get ready…aim…and fire!"
In a terrifying display of power, the attack was sent hurtling off into the sky as something quickly darted through and reflected the attack. The sky crackled with energy. As the dust settled, another shape arose from the blackness.
"Shit! I thought I killed you!" Kimberly screamed.
"Don't you know," a thick accented voice drawled, "I never die."
"We'll see about that!" Kimberly shouted. "Quick, split them up, they're too strong together."
"On it!" Zack said as he and Billy been began attacking Bones head on with their Power Weapons.
"We got Franky," Trini shouted as she and Jason began pounding on the behemoth.
A few quick punches and well-timed kicks, Kimberly had Dracula on the ground in submission. "Give it up, you lunatic," Kimberly shouted as she shoved the vampire onto a branch that had grown astray from the tree. "Or just turn to dust," she sneered. "And this time stay that way!"
Brushing herself off, she summoned her Power Bow once again and focused her attention on Frankenstein.
"Kimberly, behind you!" Billy's warning came too late and Kimberly found herself sprawled on the ground. A cloister of Putties had surrounded her and was now holding her down.
"Fuck it!" Kimberly cried and performed a spinning kick that knocked all of the Putties onto their backs.
Stumbling to her feet, Kimberly witnessed Jason shoving his Power Sword into Frankenstein's chest. With a furious grunt, he pulled out it. Blood showered both the Red and Yellow Rangers, which would have made them identical if it wasn't for Trini's smaller frame.
"God-fuck it!" Trini screamed in disgust. She began to wipe her helmet clean of the monster blood.
"Kill monsters now - bitch later, Trini," Jason said with humor in his voice. "All right, team, we got one left!"
"Let's take him together!" Kimberly shouted, readying his Power Axe.
"The thighbone's connected to the hip bone!" Billy sang then cut off the thighbone. "But not anymore!" His sneer went unseen in his helmet.
"No," the creature shouted, "I need that to stand!" Bones wobbled a bit before finally falling to the floor and shattering.
"And don't forget," Trini shouted as she readied her daggers, "the neck bone's connected to the head bone!" A lethal swipe and the head went rolling to Kimberly's feet. "But not anymore!" I…argh! Did I really just copy him? Okay, maybe I'm not so good with holding a grudge, but damnit, it shouldn't be so easy to forgive him! I…is Kimberly saying something? Maybe I should pay attention.
"…go party!" Kimberly said.
"You wanna party?" Jason said incredulously.
"Well, yes, we just kicked major monster ass, I think we deserve something along the lines of a celebration."
"Juice Bar?" Jason suggested.
"Juice Bar!" Kimberly agreed.
"I'm down," Trini said.
"For sure!" Billy nodded.
"It's 'fo sho'. And I'm in too," Zack's wide smile was hidden by his helmet.
"Do you guys mind if I bring Rocky along?" Jason asked.
"I don't mind," Kimberly smiled, as she demorphed.
"Who's Rocky?" Billy asked.
"Some fag from school," Zack said.
"Watch it, Zack. Rocky's my…friend," Jason said in a low voice.
"Yeah, his bosom buddy," Kimberly smirked. "Except with less bosom and more ass."
"Uh…what?" Billy said, his stomach getting queasy.
"Nothing, let's go," Jason said, laughing inwardly.
""""""""""'
"Ashley!" Zack shouted as the brunette walked in. "Getcho fine ass over here! Jason wants a dance!"
Ashley pushed through the crowded dance floor to the table where the five teenagers sat. "Hi." Her cleavage in plain sight due to her leather cop outfit.
"Hi," Jason said gruffly. Where is Rocky? I called him over a half-hour ago!
"Hey, Jason," Ashley said innocently. Waiting until he was looking at her to continue. "I, I know you think I'm strange but–"
"Hey, peeps!" Rocky wore a wide smile as he strode to the table.
"Hey, Rocky," Jason grinned in a goofy manner.
Fuck! Ashley's mind screamed.
"What is she doing here?" Rocky whispered into Jason's ear.
"I don't know," he sighed. "Hey, Rocky, have a drink with us! I'll get you whatever you want."
"Thanks, but I'm not thirsty right now," Rocky smiled.
"So, what happened to you earlier; you kinda disappeared?" Jason asked.
"Oh, I went back to the school, I made sure the kids got back safe," Rocky said, not really believing his own words.
"Yeah, but…why did the kids run off, they said you were attacked?" Jason asked.
"I wasn't attacked," Rocky said with a perplexed look on his face. "We finished Trick-Or-Treating and went back to the school. What dimension were you in?"
"I…I'm just glad you're okay," Jason smiled.
"So," Ashley butted in, "Jason, will you be taking drama next semester?"
"Billy sure should," Kimberly smirked from behind her drink. "Oh, no, you're so evil!" She chuckled. "Douche."
"Did I miss something here?" Ashley's confused voice was almost lost in the din.
"Yeah, about half of your brain," Kimberly rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me?" Ashley said, her voice taking on a defensive and snobby tone.
"Er…it's been a long night, let's not do this!" Jason cut in.
"I'm taking Drama, too," Ashley smiled politely at Jason.
"I'm…not?" Jason said, unease flooding his body.
"Jason, could we talk in private? Please?" Ashley pleaded.
A quick glance at Rocky for confirmation left him feeling a bit nauseous, as all the Latino did was shake his head. "I'm sure whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my friends…and Zack," Jason said.
"Yo, fuck you!" Zack shouted.
"Hey, I love this song! I wanna dance!" Kimberly shouted gleefully.
"Oh?" Zack perked up.
"Hey, look, Kimberly, there's Tommy! You should go ask him to dance!" Trini said excitedly.
"Oh…" Zack's voice took on a depressed tone.
"Hey, Trini-"
"Don't talk to me," Trini said harshly. "I'm…praying." She switched to the now open seat, where Kimberly was, to get away from Billy.
"Trini, look, I'm sorry. I'm just a screw up. I'm not used to these situations. I'm usually not the one who has girls jumping at him," Billy said.
"Did you make a list of reasons?" Trini said, then spied the piece of paper in his hand. "Oh, of course you did."
"Trini…I'm sorry, I really am," Billy said solemnly.
After a pause, Trini finally said, "you're sorry?"
"I am. But if you still want to be mad at me, I get it. I'm an idiot."
With a sigh, Trini asked, "wanna dance?"
"Uh…sure," Billy smiled. Taking her hand he led her onto the dance floor.
"Wanna dance, Jason?" Ashley asked sweetly.
"I don't dance," with women just finished in his head.
"Jason…why don't you like me?" Ashley asked, her heart feeling heavy.
"I…uh…" he glanced around nervously looking for a scapegoat or some kind of distraction. Something to get him out of this situation. "It's not-"
"Woo!" Kimberly shouted excitedly. "I fucking dancing but I need another drink!"
"Where's Tommy?" Jason asked.
"He went home," Kimberly said, sounding a bit bitter. "He didn't want to dance."
"Oh," was all Jason could say as he watched Kimberly down the rest of her drink.
"Jason!" Ashley cried. "Please don't ignore me!"
"I…oh…I'm sorry," Jason said hushed.
"I know I can be a bit weird, but I'm sure if you got to know me-"
"Sorry, Billy," Trini said as they approached the table. "I guess I'm a bit too worn out to dance."
"Oh, for fuck's sake! Jason, I'm so sick of all these distractions and interruptions! Tell me, why don't you want to be with me?" Ashley screamed.
"I…"
"Is it me? Am I too ugly? Too fat? Is it my hair? My eyes? Tell me so I can change it!"
"It's not you!" Jason protested.
"Yeah, right. I get it. Nobody likes me. I'm ugly, I'm trash, worthless…" Ashley said, her actions becoming rather frightening and erratic.
"It's just…me. Being…gay." Did I really just say that? Out loud? "With Rocky." Oh, God…stop me. "A lot." Maybe if I stapled my mouth shut?
"I know," Ashley said, her voice taking on a deadly undertone as she narrowed her eyes as soon as Rocky was in her field of vision. "It's him."
"And what did I do exactly?" Rocky asked defensively.
"You're taking my love away!" Ashley shouted as she rose from her chair. In a flash, before anyone had time to react, Ashley had shoved Rocky hard against the table behind him.
"Woah!" Jason said, stepping between the two. "That's enough!"
"Jason, move! Please! As soon as he's dead, we can be together!" Ashley pleaded.
"What a crazy bitch!" Rocky groaned as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm not crazy!" Ashley screamed.
"Woah, guys, enough!" Kimberly shouted.
"You fucking faggot!" Ashley hurtled herself towards Rocky but Jason quickly shoved her away.
"Jason, please understand. I need you!" Ashley wept from her place on the floor.
"You just attacked my boyfriend!" Jason raged.
"Boy…boyfriend?" Rocky asked taken aback.
Jason blushed.
"He's not your boyfriend! How can he be!" Ashley screamed. "Jason, we're soul mates, I know we are!"
"Crazy bitch isn't just crazy," Zack said nervously, "she's fucking insane!"
With a surprising ferocity, Ashley barreled her body into Zack, knocking him down.
"Ow, you bitch!" Zack groaned.
"Keep your mouth shut!" Ashley said as she kicked him in the shin. Turning to Jason, she started up again, "Jason what can I do to convince you? How can I show I love you?"
"You don't even know me!" Jason shouted back.
"Yes, I do! I know everything about you! I know that your favorite food is Lasagne…"
"It's Sushi, actually," Rocky rolled his eys.
"I know your favorite artist is Sublime."
"Ace of Base," Rocky coughed.
"Shut up!" Ashley screamed at him. "How could you truly understand our love? You're a freak of nature! An abnormality! No one wants or appreciates your opinion!"
A stunned silence rocked through the Rangers and Rocky. Kimberly found the nerve, after a silence, to say something. "Ashley," Kimberly said in a low voice, but still loud enough to be heard over the music, "Jason is gay. G-A-Y gay. Do you understand what that means?"
"Fine," Ashley said with tears in her eyes. "I get it. I understand…nobody wants me. Not really." She gasped, brushing tears from her eyes. "I'll go home. I'll go to sleep and when daddy comes into my room, and starts fucking me. I'll pretend I'm not there." By now, tears were streaming down her face and she was choking on the air.
"Yeah, you do that," Zack sneered then a shocked look came over his face. "Wait…what?"
"And by tomorrow," she gasped, "this won't matter because," Looking at Jason, she wiped tears from her eyes, "you'll never love me. I get it." She sobbed. "You'll never love me. Nobody will ever love me."
"That makes sense," Billy said in a shock.
"No!" Ashley cried defiantly. "I will prove to you that I love you!" In the blink of an eye, she had scooped up a kitchen knife that Ernie left carelessly on the counter. "Who else would die for you?" Ashley screamed as she plunged the knife deep into her abdomen. "Not some faggot," she groaned as blood dripped from her mouth.
Gasps and screams were heard around the room and Jason's mouth went dry and his palms were clammy and sweaty.
"Everybody stop what you're doing!" a voice called from the back.
Vaguely, Jason realized it was a police officer with their gun at the ready. A familiar voice caught his attention. He turned his head to face Rocky, but everything seemed distorted. He blinked once, then again and finally snapped back to reality.
"I think you should sit down," Rocky said.
Behind them, paramedics had been called and were loading Ashley onto a stretcher that would transport her to the ambulance waiting outside which would, in turn, bring her to a hospital. His eyes darted around the room and locked onto an approaching police officer.
"He's probably gonna ask us what happened," Kimberly whispered in his ear. "Just stay calm and tell him the truth."
"Why me?" Jason choked.