Note: Poor, poor Timmy McGee. He just can't catch a break, can he?

Track Twenty-Four

It's Terror Time Again

NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee glanced around the darkened park nervously. Thankfully the full moon lent plenty of light, but he couldn't help remembering the last time he'd gone for a nighttime walk when the moon was full. He'd been chased by two wolves who had been his colleagues, trapped in a creepy old house, and almost scared to death. Now it seemed to be happening all over again as he heard an owl screech and the wind begin to howl.

You hear the screeching of an owl.
You hear the wind begin to howl.
You know there's zombies on the prowl.

Goosebumps formed on McGee's arms as he heard the cries of two wolves—and they were close, very close.

He swallowed hard as he saw two brown wolves, one with green eyes, the other with eyes so brown they were almost black, prowling towards him, their belly fur brushing the ground.

"Not again!" Tim cried, a low moan of fear in his throat as he turned and began running away from Tony and Ziva.

And it's terror time again!
They've got you running through the night.
It's terror time again.
Oh you just might die of fright.
It's a terrifying time!

He ran blindly through the park, knowing that Ziva and Tony were on his tail and that there was no way he could outrun them. They were toying with him, the way a cat plays with a mouse right before it eats its prey.

McGee could hear the click of teeth interlocking as one of them snapped their jaws. He glanced back to see who it was, and in that second, he tripped over a tree root and went sprawling. Tim instantly scrabbled to his feet and began running once more, his only thought to lose his wolf co-workers. For some reason he was being reminded of the song in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, only instead of zombies chasing him, it was werewolves. McGee was thinking that if they didn't finish him off first, he was going to die of fright.

You hear the beating of your heart.
You know the screaming's gonna start.
Here comes the really scary part.

Tim's heart pounded against his chest; adrenaline and fear coursed through his body, lending him strength and speed he didn't know he had.

A scream bubbled up in his throat as Tony in wolf form crashed through the undergrowth and landed in front of him, his gray-green eyes dancing even as he bared his teeth in a snarl. Terrified, McGee couldn't help but release the scream that had been building. He skidded to a halt and turned to the left, only to freeze as he saw Ziva blocking his path. Her dark eyes were unreadable, but her hackles had risen and she looked ready to attack. McGee thought, God help me, please.

'Cause it's terror time again.
They've got you running through the night.
It's terror time again.
Oh you just might die of fright.
It's a terrifying time!

Desperate now, McGee did a 180, dodged past DiNozzo, and started running for his life once more. He found himself humming the chorus to the song in the '98 Scooby-Doo movie, but he didn't mind: it was so appropriate under the circumstances.

Arms pumping at his sides, feet pounding the ground, Tim was afraid that they would have him running all through the night. He scrambled up a small hill, which the wolves made in one bound. Tim didn't dare look back to see how close they were. All he had to do was keep running. Keep running . . .

All the trees begin to moan,
And the monsters grunt and groan.
Rotting faces full of slime,
Don't you know it's terror time?

The wind blew harder, causing all the trees to sway and moan.

McGee reached the crest of the hill and froze, terror freezing his limbs as he stared in horror at the corpses that were beginning to claw their way out of the ground. He screamed and turned to run back down the hill, ignoring his sore muscles. "Run guys!" he yelled to Tony and Ziva. "There's dead bodies up there . . . and they're moving!"

The two wolves exchanged worried glances and wheeled around, taking up flanking positions on either side of McGee. Tony and Ziva's pelts prickled in horror as they heard the groans and grunts of zombies lurching forward behind them. What had started out as a way to have some fun and scare McGee had turned out to be not-so-fun and terrifying.

Both Shifters whined with fear, not daring to look back as they pelted toward safety, slowing down every so often to stay with McGee. Suddenly Ziva peeled away from the two men and crouched in front of the horde of undead monsters. Her fur was sticking up along her spine and her ears were flat against her head, but she managed to growl her defiance at the zombies lurching toward her. It was obvious to both Tim and Tony that she was ready to attack, but who knew what damage could be inflicted on her if she bit one of them?

One of the zombies hit his head on a low tree branch, and his head came flying off his neck. Still he slowly moved forward, arms searching for his head. The groping hands found it and set it firmly back in its place.

"Forget about fighting them, Ziva!" McGee yelled. "Let's get out of here!" Beside him, Tony barked agreement.

The she-wolf grumbled under her breath but turned tail anyway. Yet again, the three agents were on the run.

Hours later, when the sun came up, the living dead were back in the ground, having given no sign that they had been up and about.

And it's terror time again.
They've got you running through the night.
Yes it's terror time again.
Oh you just might die of fright.
It's a terrifying time!