Darcie liked horror movies.

Watching them. Not being in them. Mary was being pulled away from her, the hands of the monsters grabbing her by the jeans, pulling her back. Mary screamed, and frantically undid her jeans as Darcie grabbed and pulled.

Now Mary was free, but there were more, not just on the walkway, but on the walls and even roof, their spidery limbs gripping the surface while their horrible, leering faces looked down at the two terrified girls.

Darcie kept pulling Mary back, but she wasn't going to get free, they were going to—

And then a bronze armored thunderbolt struck some of the monsters, green goo splattering all over Mary and Darcie, and landed on the walkway, holding a flaming hammer.

"Darcie! What are you doing here!" Toby asked as he looked back.

"I—"

"Never mind, Steve and Eli are coming up, go with them. Draal and Arrrggghhh will help you!"

Then he turned around, his hammer smashing monster after monster into goo. Darcie managed to pull Mary to her feet the crying girl stumbling as they ran for the iron stairway to the first level. Coming up it were two figures holding steel bats.

Steve and Eli.

"What are you doing—"

"Never mind!" Darcie said. "Toby—"

"He can handle it!" Steve told her. "Get down the stairs before we get swarmed by these goblins!" He took a swing at one leaping goblin, splattering it.

"These are blood Goblins, Steve!" Eli said. "They're from the—"

"I know!" Steve shouted as he pulled Mary and Darcie behind him. "Down, go, go, go!"

Darcie helped Mary, who was finally getting more with it, and then the two girls stopped and squeaked in horror as they saw the monsters below. One mossy, one all stone and crystals.

"Hurry up, fleshbags!" the smaller one said, smashing a goblin with its hands.

"Hello, Toby's Girlfriend!" the other one said, and Darci blinked. Toby had been talking about her with…

Who cares, they're friendly. As she ran down, she reached into her pocket, finally remembering to press the panic button app Dad insisted she have.

Because they really needed the police here, right now.

But then she was grabbed, her shriek joining Mary's as they were deposited onto the back of the mossy… monster? Rescuer?

"Hang on," it told them.

"Trollhunter!" the other one bellowed. "There are too many, and these are blood goblins! We have to retreat!"

"I know," Toby shouted. He was backing up the walkway, killing every goblin that came near him, Eli and Steve covering his rear, but there were so many of the little monsters… "I've called for backup!"

"But—"

"No choice!" Toby cut the protest off. "Draal, we can't let this many goblins loose into the community, they run wild, it won't just be animals they—HOLY!"

Something erupted from the rear of the building, boxes of fireworks going everywhere. They were huge, armored, with hellish green eyes glowing from their slits.

"Gumm Gumms?" Steve asked. "I thought they—"

"Well, they're here now!" Eli said.

"Everyone out!" Toby shouted. "It's a trap!"

But the companion to the creature holding Darcie and Mary didn't run—it rolled forward, smashing one of the monsters to the side, before another one charged up and attacked it, a flurry of blows filling the warehouse with clamor. Steve and Eli got off the walkway, and Toby dove from it, causing Darcie to squeak in horror, but somehow his warhammer seemed to pull him, until he raised it up, feet still in midair, and brought it down upon the crown of one of the big monsters. There was a boom, flash and then fragments of a now-stone body were flying all over the warehouse.

"Guys! Fire!" Steve shouted. Everyone looked to see a goblin throw what looked like a glowing stone into the back of the warehouse.

Darcie blinked. Oh God. It's full of fireworks. Why did it do that? Does it want to blow us all up!

But then there were more goblins, more of those big critters and suddenly their protector was hit by two, knocking Darcie and Mary off of its back. She felt her breath go out in a whuff when she hit the ground.

"Arrrggghhh!" Toby yelled. "Mary, Darcie, run for the door! Hurry!"

Darcie tried, but this time she was grabbed by goblins, pulled towards one of the big critters, this time holding a sword over head. Mary was sobbing, trying to pull Darcie away, but there were just too many, and everyone on their side was fighting so that they couldn't come and save them and when had she last told Daddy she love—

And suddenly a hole opened up in the air, and a spray of throwing spikes came through it, impaling the goblins holding Mary and Darcie. They scrambled back as two armored figures appeared, one in dark purplish armor, holding a staff in one hand, and the other…

Shining, silver armor and a sword that blazed like it had been forged from daylight. He dove under the monsters awkward swing and came up with a savage blow that split it in half, flesh turning to stone. Then he was rising and looking back at Darcie and she recognized that armor. From the play.

The armor Jim had wor—was wearing. Beside him Claire, wearing an armor that Darcie had never seen before, finished slicing a goblin in half.

Darcie had one thought as she and Mary ran back, the monsters now completely focused on the two new arrivals.

Jim and Claire hadn't been taken to any fight club in LA.

Then Toby landed by them, and the three formed up like they'd been doing this forever.

"Stay behind us," Jim ordered, and how had his voice gotten like that? He didn't just sound unafraid, he made Darcie feel less afraid.

But then the monsters charged them, and Jim and his allies went to meet them.

Authors note: Yes, we've put our characters through hell. Breakdowns, school issues, everything. Well, you know what they say-that you gotta work to ensure that people think the characters deserve their payoff.

Now here's the payoff. The Trollhunters are back.