Author's Note: Thanks to Shelby the Hedgehog, Sage of Dorks, and Elfang0r Shamtul for reviewing the last chapter. Also, in the case of this chapter…I apologize if this chapter seems rushed. Happy reading! ;)-AMX

Disclaimer: "Change" belongs to Blind Melon.


Chapter 11

A few hours later, Gorillaz and the Eds found themselves right in the heart of Essex; Murdoc, 2D, and Russel in the Winnebago, and the Eds and Noodle in Hoon. At the moment, the two vehicles were stationed just outside the town, preparing to head to Kong Studios.

"Ooh…" Ed was viewing the gloomy atmosphere of the U.K. "Spooky!"

"I know, right?" asked 2D. "Perfect place for a zombie movie. Maybe that's why we got problems with 'em ourselves, eh?"

"That, or the fact that Kong Studios is smack dab in the middle of a graveyard…mixed with a landfill," said Russel.

"Zombies?" asked Double D. "There's no such thing!" He paused. "At least…not in this world…"

"That's the beauty of Kong Studios, mate," said Murdoc. "The laws of physics don't apply."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that when Noodle told us about the giant disembodied head in her closet," said Eddy.

Noodle gasped. "That's right! Shaun!" she exclaimed. "I hope they're not hurting him!"

"Relax, luv," said Murdoc. "We've only been gone a couple days. I mean, how much damage could they cause?"

"Well, considering that I've been a part of schemes that have dilapidated houses in a matter of minutes…" said Double D.

"So what exactly are we expecting here?" asked Eddy.

"Yeah, enlighten us, Muds," said Russel. "You've had the most contact with the Hell Hole out of all of us."

"Well…" Murdoc paused, "as you can imagine, we're mainly gonna be going up against the big guy…below…himself. An' he's no pushover; I should know."

"Hey, Muds…" said 2D. "Is that who you were talkin' to that night when I 'eard ya talkin' about gettin' eternal life or somefing like that…?"

"I'll let you keep the rest o' your teeth if you shut up, Faceache," Murdoc growled.

As expected, 2D clamped his mouth shut.

"Anyway…" said Double D. "Basically, this isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"It will be if we go in unprepared," said Russel.

"Exactly," said Murdoc. "We ain't exactly sure what he'll throw at us…" He paused to take out his gun. "So we'll just be prepared for anything he'll throw at us."

"Okay, that's a good shorthand plan…at least for now," said Noodle. "But what about stopping it for good?"

"I like the sound of that plan," Double D chimed in.

"That's a first," said Eddy.

"That's going to be a little more tricky," said Murdoc. Out of his other pocket, he took out a small dark-colored vial. "We gotta find a way to get this thing down the Hell Hole."

"What is it?" asked Russel.

"Eh, just a high-concentrated salt solvent," Murdoc answered. "Y'know, since salt is their main weakness." He paused. "And…"

"And?" asked Ed.

"And we also gotta find something big enough to block the Hell Hole itself," said Murdoc.

"What do you mean by 'big'?" asked Russel.

"Eh…the last time I checked, the Hell Hole was about the size of…I don't know, a small convertible."

This caught Eddy's attention. He cast a glance at Hoon.

"So…shouldn't we get there before the situation gets any worse?' 2D spoke up again.

"Eh, don't rush us, Two Dents," said Murdoc. He walked back to the Winnebago and got in, followed by Russel and 2D (who wanted to ready his cricket bat).

Meanwhile, the Eds and Noodle piled back into Hoon. Both engines started, and Eddy began to follow Murdoc to Kong Studios.

As they drove, Noodle looked over at Eddy. She was surprised to find that Eddy seemed…distracted.

'Is it because of what happened on the plane?' she thought. She decided to speak up.

"Uh…is something wrong, Eddy?" the guitarist asked.

Eddy snapped to attention. "What?" he asked. "Uh…no. Of course not."

"So why'd you look like Double D does when he's doing our homework?" asked Ed; it seemed that somehow, he had noticed, too.

"It's…nothing," said Eddy. "Just thinking about the plan."

"Are you sure?" asked Double D.

"Yes, already!" Eddy suddenly heard himself snap. "Look, can you guys just let me drive? It's hard enough when everything's on the opposite side of the road…"

This quieted everyone in the car. Eddy tried to keep his eyes on the road, following the Winnebago. But the…other idea he had gotten after hearing Murdoc's plan just kept nagging and nagging at him until he finally came to a decision:

If they needed a small convertible to plug up the Hell Hole, he'd give them a small convertible.

--

After about a half-hour of driving, the Winnebago and Hoon were stationary again; but this time, they were on top of a hill overlooking Kong Studios, which had definitely seen better days.

The building was falling apart. There were giant holes everywhere; bits and pieces were falling off the roof and walls. Two particularly dilapidated areas of the building were Noodle's room and the entire car-park area; without all the extra rooms down below, there was a clear view of a smoking crater in the vicinity of the building.

Double D squinted to get a better view of the area. "Is that it?" he asked, pointing at the crater.

"Yep," said Murdoc. "Who knows what's been comin' outta that thing…"

"I thought you said you were taking care of the place," said 2D. "There's stuff fallin' off from the roof an' stuff…"

"Well…the money used to keep this ol' shack standing has been…lacking…lately…" said Murdoc. "I almost forgot about that ol' golf subscription…"

Russel gave Murdoc a weird look. "Muds, you hate golf," he said.

"Look, mate, when you're a rock star, you buy a bunch o' stuff you don't need," Murdoc interrupted. "Especially when it's fueled by a few…unmentionables…"

"Fascinating," said Double D. "Are we gonna move any closer?"

"I wanna see if anything comes out!" said Ed.

"Take it easy," said Murdoc, taking his gun back out. "We just gotta make sure we're prepared first."

"I know I am," said 2D, clutching his cricket bat.

"Aw…" said Ed. "I want one of those…"

"Here, Ed." Suddenly, Eddy threw something to Ed. It looked like a bicycle helmet, but it was the milky white color of bone. Hence its name, the Bony Helmet.

Ed beamed. "Thanks, Eddy!" he said, putting it on.

Double D (who had already taken out his weapon, the Death Rattle) looked back at Eddy, and was surprised by what he saw. "Eddy, why are you taking everything out of Hoon?" he asked.

This caught everyone else's attention. Sure enough, Eddy was taking everything out of Hoon's trunk.

"Oh, uh…" said Eddy. "I was just…moving all our stuff back farther away. You know…so nothing gets damaged. I mean, my brother would kill me if anything happened to his stuff…" He ended this with a large, uncertain-looking grin.

Russel, Noodle, and Double D didn't look too convinced, but Ed and 2D seemed to buy it. As for Murdoc…

"Whatever, kid," the bassist growled. "Just hurry an' get yer game face on so you can back us up."

"Y-yeah…sure…" said Eddy, taking out his weapon, the Yo-Yo Mace, and putting it in his pocket. He began to move to the glove compartment. As everyone else began to walk closer to Kong Studios in defensive positions, he bit his lower lip. He really didn't want to do what he was planning to do, but he had to…for the sake of the world.

I don't feel the sun's coming out today

It's staying in... It's gonna find another way (yeah)

As I sit here in this misery

I don't think I'll ever know lord

See the sun from here

"I'm so sorry," Eddy kept whispering as he continued to empty everything from his precious car; the car his brother has trusted him to take care of. "I'm so sorry."

He continued to search every nook and cranny of Hoon, looking for anything he might have missed. He didn't want anything in the car to be damaged; that much was true. But it wasn't the demons he was worried about.

After he felt satisfied that everything had been removed from his car, he finally turned back to face Kong Studios. There was only one thing left to do now.

He had to get that vial from Murdoc.

And oh as I fade away

They'll all look at me and say,

and they'll say,

"Hey, look at him I'll never live that way"

But that's ok, they're just afraid to change

Murdoc led the rest of the group (Ed, Double D, Noodle, 2D, and Russel) toward the building, constantly reminding them to keep their guard up.

"Murdoc, relax," Double D whispered. "We've been in situations like this before.

"Three times!" said Ed.

"Well, even so, I gotta go with Muds on this one," said Russel. "Even if you think you're prepared for a situation, something can always end up bitin' you in the ass."

Noodle looked behind her. Eddy was slowly making his own way down the hill, a few feet behind everyone else. However, while the group was weaving their way through piles of garbage, Eddy was still seemingly unprotected. Also…he seemed to be focused on Murdoc, in particular.

"Guys, I don't like Eddy being out in the open like that…" Noodle whispered to the rest of the boys.

Ed and Double D also looked back at Eddy.

"Noodle, relax," said Double D. "Eddy may not look like much at first, but he can put his skills to good use in battle."

"Besides," 2D piped in, "he's so small, them demons are gonna have a hard time gettin' a lock on him, eh?"

"2D…" Murdoc growled. "I'm only gonna say this once…shut the…"

BANG!

And when you feel life ain't worth living

You've got to stand up, and take a look around, then you look up way to the sky

Everyone scrambled when the gunshot rang out. Ed, Double D, Noodle, and Russel ducked back down behind a garbage pile (not the most appealing place in the world). Meanwhile, Eddy, still a few feet back, jumped from the noise and stumbled, causing him to fall to the ground; he immediately took out his Yo-Yo Mace, making sure he still had the keys to Hoon in his pocket.

For some reason, Murdoc was the only one who didn't hide. Before him, about twenty feet away, an ethereal form was beginning to materialize in front of him. And he didn't like what he was seeing.

"Huh…" the bassist growled, readying his gun. "Not sure if I deserve that or not."

"Oh, you deserve it all right…partner," the spirit spit out. Soon, the spirit's appearance became clearer: it was a scraggly little man with thinning hair and a crazed look in his eyes. And somehow…somehow…he was holding a small handgun. And pointing it straight at Murdoc.

Murdoc gave a pointy-toothed grin at the spirit.

"How's Hell been treatin' ya, Jimmy?"

And when your deepest thoughts are broken,

Keep on dreamin' boy, cus when you stop dreamin' it's time to die

'Oh geez, oh geez, oh geez…' Eddy thought as he began to scramble down the hill. That thing was shooting at Murdoc. That was bad. The vial could be wrecked! His whole plan would be ruined!

Something had to give.

Meanwhile, everyone else was peeking out from behind the mound of garbage, watching Murdoc face off against the ghost of Jimmy Manson.

"That's the guy who wanted to be in the band?" Double D whispered.

"Ugly lil' creep, isn't he?" Russel asked.

"Guys, I fink that ghost is mad at Muds," said 2D.

"Well, he definitely has a good reason to be mad…" said Noodle.

At this point, Eddy had finally caught up with everyone. He stopped running and doubled over.

"Did I miss anything?" he panted.

"No, not really," said 2D. "Murdoc's just havin' a starin' contest with the ghost of the guy who wanted to kill Noodle."

"Does he still have that vial?" asked Eddy.

"The salt stuff?" asked Russel. "Yeah, why?"

Eddy took a deep breath. "Just wondering," he said.

Meanwhile, Murdoc wasn't taking his mis-matched eyes off his former conspirator.

"I take it you're the reason all this crazy s--'s been happening?" asked Murdoc.

"You're damn right," Manson's ghost growled. "I thought we had a deal, Niccals. A deal! You set me up!"

"That's right," said Murdoc. "You thought we had a deal. Looks like the joke's on you, eh?"

"I was gonna have it all…" The ghost's voice began to crack. "That was supposed to be my fame! Once Noodle was gone, I was supposed to have that fame with you guys! But all you did was play me for a sucker!"

"That's because you're a f-- nutcase, Manson!" Murdoc barked back. "There's no way I'm killing Noodle. She's Noodle. We're Gorillaz! And I was not about to have my popularity squandered 'cause some little nut wanted a piece of fame."

"It's always about you, isn't it?" the spirit growled. Then it seemed to smirk. "Well, the damn joke's on you. Right now, that little black-skinned imp you were oh-so-nice enough to create is rounding up a gang of the most powerful demons from the dark depths of the underworld, and the whole Earth is going to suffer! What have you got to say about that, Mr. High-and-Mighty?"

Even Murdoc was surprised by this proclamation. He slowly brought down one hand and reached into his pocket. "Well," he said, "I say that you'd better be careful that you don't pay so much attention to me that you don't notice someone goin' behind your back and ruining everything." As Murdoc talked, he quietly took the small vial out of his pocket and drew it behind his back. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the small bottle of liquid to the rest of the group.

Russel caught the small vial. At the same time, Eddy's eyes lit up. Perfect.

"I think we were just given our orders," Russel whispered. "We just need to figure out a way to get this down the Hell Hole, and then find something to block it up. Now, all we need is someone fast enough to get it over there before anyone can go after them…"

Eddy saw his chance. "Leave it to me!" he said, snatching the vial out of Russel's hands.

Russel turned his milky white eyes toward Eddy. "You fast, kid?" he asked.

Eddy grinned. "You know it," he said. "And even better, I've found something to block up the hole with."

"Really?" asked 2D.

"What, Eddy?" asked Ed.

"You'll see," said Eddy. Then he paused. "And…if I don't make it out of this…" Then, without warning, Eddy reached over and kissed Noodle, right on the lips. Four pairs of eyes widened.

Then, without another word, Eddy began running back toward Hoon.

Ed was the first to break the silence. "Aww…Eddy likes you, Noodle!" he said.

That snapped Double D back to attention. He turned toward his friend. "Eddy, what in the world are you doing?!" he called.

"Saving the world…again!" Eddy called back. "Ed, Double D…I love you guys!"

"What…?" Double D started to say. Then, suddenly, that big brain of his put two and two together. Taking everything out of Hoon…the "goodbye…kiss"…saying goodbye to himself and Ed…

By this time, Eddy was back in Hoon, revving the engine. He took the vial and stuck it in the glove compartment.

"This is for you, bro," he muttered.

Then he slammed on the gas.

And as we all play parts of tomorrow, oh no

Some ways we'll work, and other ways we'll play

But I know we can't all stay here forever

So I'm gonna write my words on the face of today...

until they'll paint it

"MURDOC!" Double D shouted to the satanic bassist. "Eddy's driving Hoon into the hole!!"

Murdoc, who had been staring down Manson's ghost the whole time, was caught off-guard by this. "What?" he asked, turning his head slightly.

Unfortunately, Manson's ghost saw this as a chance.

BANG!

The bullet just grazed Murdoc's shoulder; his reaction was immediate. He shot off a round, trying to knock the gun out of the spirit's hands.

Meanwhile, Eddy continued to speed Hoon toward the ominous Hell Hole.

"GO BABY, GO!" Eddy shouted.

As Eddy loomed ever so closer to the Hell Hole, Murdoc realized he didn't have a lot of ammo left. He had to make his last few shots count. He closed one of his mis-matched eyes, aimed as accurately as he could with the other one, loomed his finger over the trigger, and…

BANG!

That one shot was enough to knock the gun out of the ghost's hands. As Manson's ghost recoiled from the shot, that was when he noticed Eddy.

At this point, Eddy was just feet away from the Hell Hole. As he drove, he was aware that he was breaking one of the most important rules of driving:

He wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

Everyone else was watching in horror. Eddy was going with Hoon! Even Murdoc was becoming uneasy.

Just as Hoon was about to dive into the hole, he stood up on his seat and crouched down.

'Man…' he thought. 'Bro's gonna kill me…'

"EDDY!" Double D and Ed screamed.

Noodle put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Mother of Satan…" Murdoc mumbled.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A blinding light filled the whole area, and the shock wave knocked everyone back.

Also, if you listened real closely, you could just make out the ghost of one Jimmy Manson screaming "NOOOOOOOOOO…!" as he was forcibly sucked back down the Hell Hole.

Finally, the light and the noise dimmed, and Kong Studios was suddenly no longer a place of impending doom.

There were no more demons. No more vengeful ghosts. No more threats.

And…quite possibly…no more Eddy…

As soon as they were able to, Double D, Ed, and Noodle sprinted toward the previous location of the Hell Hole, with 2D, Murdoc, and Russel jogging behind them.

And oh... As I fade away

They'll all look at me and say, and they'll say

"Hey look at him, and where he is these days"

When life is hard you have to change...

When life is hard you have to change

When everyone finally got to the location, they were stunned by what they saw. There, standing near the wreckage, was Eddy. He had found a slightly charred flag from who-knows-where and was holding it with one hand (his other arm was laying limply at his side).

Eddy was looking at the spot where the Hell Hole used to be. Then, suddenly, he shoved the flag into the ash.

"There it is," he grunted as the flag's pole sank into the dirt. "In remembrance of Hoon, right there." He then slowly turned around. He sheepishly stared at everyone. Then he gave a small shrug and said in a small voice, "I still stand by my original statements…" he looked at Noodle, "…and actions."

Ed, once again, broke the ice. "EDDY!" he chorused, running up to his friend and tightly hugging him. "We thought you went down into the underworld!" When Eddy didn't respond, Ed slightly loosened his grip on his friend. That's when he noticed something.

"Double D, I think Eddy's head is eating his eyes," said the tallest Ed.

That's when everyone saw what Ed meant. Eddy had passed out, and his eyes had rolled into the back of his head.

2D gasped. "Did he turn into a zombie?" he asked.

Russel shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think that's the case, D," he said.

Murdoc turned back to his vehicle. "I'll warm up the Winnie," he said.

"Please hurry," Noodle muttered.

Meanwhile, in the depths of Hell, a very bitter Jimmy Manson was not happy.

"Dammit…!" Manson's ghost growled. "I was so close…I could have had it all…!"

Meanwhile, at the other corner of the room, there was an all-too-familiar living sack of potatoes. His baggy body was filled with burn holes, and…bugs were pouring out of the holes.

"Hey, I offered you my help," said the sack of potatoes. "But nooooo…"


A/N: Wow…that was longer than I thought it would be! Plus…there's even a special cameo at the end of the chapter! A thousand points courtesy of Whose Line is it Anyway for anyone who knows who it is…;)-AMX