Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.

Rating: K+

Chapter 32

Death by killer hornets is not Julie's ideal way of starting a morning in Jumanji.

When she'd awoken in the morning, all was fine. Nick was the only one already awake, doing something across the camp that her bleary eyes couldn't quite make out. By the time she'd gotten up and moved to sit around the ashes of last night's fire, he had also taken a seat.

"What were you doing?" she asks.

He shrugs. "I was trying to find more food, but...no luck."

"We have enough rations in our packs to get us to the fortress."

"Not comfortably, though. Besides, I'm tired of eating dehydrated meals."

Julie smiles wanly. "Trust me, once you've died from eating a poisoned berry here, you're thankful for food that tastes like cardboard."

The others had woken up shortly after. Alex was busy packing up his bedroll when he suddenly slapped his arm and cursed.

"What is it?" Luke asks.

Alex removes his hand from his arm with a grimace and looks at something smeared on his fingers. "I just got stung...by a giant wasp."

"Killer hornets," Trevor supplies, his avatar's knowledge coming in hand. "They're native to Jumanji. A few stings will hurt, but a dozen or more are deadly." He glances around. "This isn't the kind of environment they're normally found in, though."

Something small flies around Alex and he cries out again and smacks at his leg. "Another one! Where are they coming from?"

Carlos, keeping his distance, points at a pale yellow blob mere feet from Alex. "That looks like a hive of some sort."

Even as he speaks, a swarm of black and yellow hornets begin crawling out of the cracked hive. Julie watches in morbid fascination for a few seconds. The others don't hesitate. They grab their packs and start running.

Trevor passes her before she snaps out of her trance and begins to flee as well. She can hear angry buzzing behind them. She doesn't know what angered the hornets, or how they got into their campsite when they were clearly not there last night, but she isn't about to sit around and wait for answers.

Luke leads the way as they leave the desert behind and weave between increasing numbers of trees. Alex had estimated they'd reach the forest by noon, but at the pace they're going now, Julie wouldn't be surprised if they get there a lot faster. With the angry buzzing behind them, no one is eager to stop.

Julie's avatar has good stats for speed and endurance, and she easily keeps up with the others. Trevor and Alex fall behind

Julie isn't sure how long they've run before Alex trips and sprawls out on the ground. She looks back to see the canister with the map go flying. He hesitates, glancing between the canister and the closing swarm of bees. They can't continue without the map, but there's no way he's going to survive getting it.

She turns around and runs back, leaping over his body as he pulls himself up and rushing to where the canister fell. The buzzing of the hornets is nearly deafening in her ear. There were only a few dozens in the hive, but somehow their numbers have multiplied. There must be hundreds in a thick, black swarm intent on killing them.

The first of them reach her as she snatches up the canister. The stings feel like tasers - or what Julie imagines tasers would feel like. She tries to ignore the pain as she runs back to the group. Alex and Trevor are still hanging behind and the bees are closing in.

She feels another sting on her calf and she nearly misses her next step. How many is that now? Three? Four? Trevor had said that a dozen are deadly.

Julie reaches Alex and hands him the canister without breaking stride. He secures it back onto his belt.

Up ahead, Luke, Carlos, and Nick break through a line of trees. Julie can't decide if the forest will help them lose the hornets or if the insects will have the advantage. She feels another sting on her elbow and decides that it doesn't matter; they're going to die out here anyway, so they might as well chance the forest.

Trevor and Alex both grunt in pain at her sides, and she knows they've been stung again as well.

They break through the trees, following the frantic trail the others have left in their wake. Julie is starting to gain on the others, and no longer feels any stings.

"There!" Trevor shouts, pointing ahead. Julie hears a roar of water and sees a waterfall cascading down in the distance. "The hornets can't stand water. We'll be safe behind there!"

Julie can only see the back of Luke's head, but she knows he must be panicking. He has only one life left, and his weakness is water. But if he doesn't go under the waterfall, then he's guaranteed a death by killer hornets. Neither prospect is looking good for him.

She glances back to see Trevor and Alex struggling through the dense underbrush. She slows down to let them catch up. The hornets have broken up somewhat to weave between the trees, but they're still a black wave of death chasing on their heels.

The waterfall and the small pool of water at its base are just within reach. Julie didn't see Luke, Nick, and Carlos disappear behind it, but they must have. Julie can only hope nothing bad befell Luke. For now, her focus is on the last remaining members of their group.

"Watch your step!" she calls out, reaching out to steady Alex. To get behind the waterfall, there's a short climb on slippery rocks. She supports Alex until he's safely behind the wall of water. Then she turns to Trevor.

Her hand flies up to her mouth in horror. In the few seconds it took Alex to get behind the waterfall, the swarm of hornets had caught up. Trevor is covered in them, his body not even visible. He's convulsing on the ground. If Julie had anything in her stomach, she'd probably puke.

Trevor's body stops moving and the hornets start flying her way. Julie turns and scrambles up the rocks as quickly as she can. As she's grabbing for the last hand-hold, one hornet stings her neck and another one her hand. Her fingers slip on the rock and she dangles by one hand. She reaches up and grabs for it again as she's stung a few more times.

Julie doesn't make it to the waterfall. As she falls from the sky a few seconds later, she's just grateful that she didn't have the same kind of death as Trevor. Getting stung twelve times by a few different hornets is nothing compared to being swarmed by them.

Her avatar lands in the pool of water, next to Trevor. The hornets buzz in the air around the water, but they don't dare approach. As they tread water for a few minutes, the hornets begin disappearing through the trees, as if realizing that their prey isn't emerging. When most of them are gone, Julie swims over to the edge and attempts the climb to the waterfall again. She's successful this time, and she ducks under the pounding water into the dark crevasse on the other side.

All the others are waiting, huddled together in the small space. As soon as she appears, Alex instantly wraps his arms around her in a hug.

"We got worried when you didn't appear," he says. "We thought…"

Julie shakes her head. "I'm okay. Trevor, too. We both lost a life, but just one. The hornets are mostly gone."

By the time everyone emerges from behind the waterfall, the last of the hornets are gone. Trevor swims to the edge of the pool and hauls himself out. He rubs at the black tally on his arm, an apprehensive look in his eyes.

They all wring out their hair and clothes as best as possible before setting off again. That's the worst part about Jumanji - no matter what horrible circumstances you survive, you just have to keep pushing on. There's no time to rest up and recover.

The sun shines down through the trees and by the time they reach the next obstacle, their clothes are all dried out. It's a relief Julie can't enjoy; compared to this new obstacle, the killer hornets were child's play.

They all pause at the edge of the cliff. It's similar to the cliff from their first game, only instead of one single rope bridge stretching out over the canyon, it's dozens of different bridges twisting and turning. The canyon itself is four times as large as last time, and instead of there being a river sixty feet below, there's nothing but mist. Climbing down and back up is clearly not an option here.

"Anyone good at mazes?" Nick asks.

"You guys don't see it?" Alex asks. "We jump on this first one here, and then down to that triangle, and then back up to the square one…"

"You're the cartographer. You must be able to see it the same way you see the map," Julie says. She motions. "Lead the way, Alex."

No sooner have they all jumped on the first platform, which is slowly moving in a circular motion, then they hear the noise. It sounds far away at first, but Trevor lifts a shaking arm and points.

"We're not alone," he says.

Two dozen black figures in the distance are leaping and jumping from platform to platform, heading their way. When they get closer, Julie realizes they're monkeys. Large ones.

"Orangutans," Trevor says. His voice shakes. "They're nearly as large as us, and a genetic mutation common in Jumanji has left them with large fangs and an appetite for flesh."

Luke pushes Alex forward. "Hurry up!"

Alex leads them in a run and they try to cross the platforms before the monkeys reach them. Julie and Nick are in the back of the group, and they barely make the jumps before the platforms are too far away. With Nick's climbing abilities and her gymnastics, they're able to make leaps that should be impossible, but they're still cutting it too close. And Julie is hyper aware that her avatar's weakness is heights.

Trevor jumps and immediately his leg smashes through the next board. Luke turns back to haul him up, but the time it takes is costly. Nick and Julie aren't able to make the leap themselves before the edges of the platform turn away. Julie glances back at the orangutans, who are only two platforms away. They're hissing and baring their sharp fangs.

"We don't have time to wait for his platform to turn," Julie says, turning to Nick.

He leans over the edge and glances down. "We'll have to take an alternate route," he says before throwing himself over the rope handhold. He lands on the platform beneath them and looks back up.

Julie's heart pounds. She glances down, and then back over at the orangutans, which are only one platform away. She swallows away her fear and jumps down next to him. The platform sways dangerously as she lands.

Nick is already jumping onto the next one. Julie isn't sure what his plan is exactly, but as long as they're moving towards the opposite cliff she'll follow him. The others, running above them, are just reaching the last platform. Julie and Nick still have a couple to go, not to mention having to find a way to climb up.

Julie feels the platform behind them sway. She glances backward and sees that an orangutan has jumped on. She turns back and puts on a burst of speed. She feels the platform sway again as another monkey jumps on.

Above them, the others are reaching the other end of the cliff. Luke pulls out a machete and begins sawing at the ropes, severing them before the monkeys can follow.

Nick leaps onto the last platform on their level. Julie follows. When Nick reaches the cliff face he starts to free climb, using his avatar's abilities. Julie doesn't know how he expects her to follow.

She's just reaching the edge of the platform when it suddenly gives way beneath her. She grabs at the rope hand-hold as the other end falls. When she looks down, she sees that the ropes holding up the other end of the platform had snapped from the weight of the orangutans who had tried to pile on it in pursuit of her. Now she's hanging above the abyss by a rope. Her stomach rolls and tumbles at the sight. She looks up and sees Nick glancing down at her.

Julie reaches up with a hand. "Help me, Nick!"

Their eyes meet and he holds her gaze. She doesn't recognize the look in his eyes. It's cold and hard and nothing like she's ever seen before. If she could, she'd recoil.

The moment passes, and it's simply Nick again. Julie wonders for a moment if she had imagined it.

A tearing sound draws her attention to the rope she's holding onto. The braided ends are fraying, and one has already snapped. This old rope isn't going to hold her weight much longer.

"Nick!" she shouts again. She reaches out with an arm for him. "The rope won't hold!"

She feels the snap as the second strand snaps. Her panic boils over and she reaches out as far as she can. Nick slowly turns and offers out his arm.

Their fingers just brush as the last rope frays. Julie plummets, unable to keep from screaming as she falls into the abyss.

When Julie blinks out of the sky, the game thankfully deposits her on the other side of the cliff. She isn't sure how long she'd been falling through the abyss, but it was long enough to upset her stomach. She dry-heaves into a pile of brush.

All the others are waiting for her. As soon as she straightens up and wipes at her mouth, Luke rushes over.

"Julie," he says, taking her arm and turning it over. The two black tallies on her arm stand out from her pale skin. She looks up to see the raw concern in Luke's eyes.

Never in their first game were they in such a sorry state. They had several lives to spare each when they reached the last challenge. Now, they aren't even at the fortress and they're on their last lives. Julie hopes for escaping the game alive are quickly dwindling.

She looks past Luke and to the others. When her eyes fall on Nick, a wave of anger bursts through her.

"You," she hisses, storming over. "What's going on? Why didn't you save me?"

Nick looks up, his eyes wide, but it's not the Nick she knows. Julie remembers the cruel expression on his face when she'd been dangling from that rope bridge and the pieces start falling into place.

"It was you," she says slowly. "You were the one who tampered with the bikes. You did it right in front of us. And you were the one who brought that killer hornet hive into our camp. I didn't realize what you were doing, but I should have figured it out. And you let me fall. You could have saved me, but you didn't."

Nick stares at her for a moment. Then a cruel smile stretches across his face.

"You caught me." He throws out his arms. "Took you long enough. Wonder how that must make poor Nick feel."

"What's going on?" Luke asks, coming to stand by Julie.

Nick's mouth opens wide and a strange purple smoke spills out. It slowly solidifies into the figure of a person - and not just any person, but Caleb Covington himself.

Nick staggers and collapses. Trevor kneels by his side. Julie looks over at him in concern, but Caleb demands her attention.

"I warned you not to be getting in any trouble," Caleb says. "But you never listen to me. And I couldn't have you beating the game again."

"So you possessed our friend. That's cheating!"

Caleb throws back his head and laughs. "Cheating? It's my game. I can do whatever I want. You were the one who cheated last time, coming and going at will. I made sure to fix that this time around."

"We're going to beat you," Julie swears. "We're going to escape. You can't stop us."

"No, but I can certainly try." Caleb flashes them all a smile. "When you've decided you've had enough of playing the game, come find me. I have an offer that I think you can't resist."

"What kind of offer? Like the one you gave Willie?" Alex crosses his arms over his chest. "We all saw how that worked out for him."

Caleb's eyes swivel over to him. "Not like the one I gave Willie. You boys have a certain...talent I'm eager to acquire. I'm sure we can work out a mutually beneficial agreement. And since I'm so generous, I'll even throw in Willie as part of it."

"He's a person, not a bargaining tool," Alex spits out.

Caleb shrugs. "Not much difference between the two, in my experience. I'll give you until you reach Ghost Fortress to consider."

"We're not going to accept it," Luke says.

Caleb simply smiles at him condescendingly. "Like I said, I'll give you time to think it over."

He waves his hand and disappears. A strange quiet settles over their group. Trevor is helping Nick to sit up. His face is pale. Julie kneels on the other side of him.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

Nick nods. His eyes can't seem to focus. "It was horrible. I was trapped inside my own head. I couldn't stop him." He looks over at her. "I'm sorry, Julie. I didn't mean - "

She shakes her head. "It's not your fault. You weren't the one who was doing those things." Julie looks back over at Luke and Alex. She can tell they're mulling over Caleb's words, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

What talent do the boys have that Caleb wants so badly? What kind of agreement would he be giving them? He'd been so vague about it all. He must assume that they'll grow desperate as they lose more lives, like poor Willie all those years ago. But Julie isn't like Willie. She doesn't want to live in this game for the rest of her life. She'd rather escape or die trying.

She just wonders if the boys feel the same way.