The girls had just reached the outside ledge when the three strangers barged into the room. Their shouts filled the small space and Wendy's cry reached Gajeel's ears. He strengthened his shadows, shifting himself to the size of a full-grown persons. The strangers stumbled to a halt, eyes darting behind his shoulder. He could hear Levy's words of encouragement and knew that she would do all she could to get Wendy home safe. Now it was his turn to help them.
With a pang in his chest, he faced the strangers head on, letting all the rage and anger boiling in his chest show in his eyes.
"So," he snarled, cracking his knuckles. "You are the ones who stole my child?"
He watched the strangers shake where they stood, the weapons in their hands quivering.
"What...what are you?" asked the shorted stranger, his voice pitched high.
Gajeel flashed a feral smile. "I'm so glad you asked. In exchange for stealing my child, I'm about to become your worst Nightmare! How does that sound?"
The tallest stranger fumbled with the room-portal. "Wh-what do you mean? Your child? You're not even human!"
Gajeel shrugged. "'Course not…"
He used his shadows to phase next to the room-portal, morphing and shifting into the largest dragon his magic could create. His tail whipped around the BED, his wings filled the corners of the room, and his fiery red eyes burned bright in their terrified gaze.
"I'm the Monster in the Closet."
He snapped and the room exploded.
Wendy screamed and fell to her knees at the ghostly echo of an explosion behind them. Levy covered her ears, cringing as the roar filled her entire being. The shadows around the town shivered and quaked as monsters and stray cats hurried back to their homes, but the persons houses remained silent. Wendy shifted and Levy opened her eyes, hands covering her mouth as her heart plummeted to her feet.
Black, flaming shadows licked from the broken wall-portal. The shadows crawled on the outside of the house, completely covering the side of the house and wall-portal in darkness. Levy shook her head. Just what did Gajeel do? There were too many shadows. Not even a strong MC like him could survive-
"Is...is the other monster ok?" Wendy whispered where they sat trembling on the street.
Levy swallowed, blinking back the emotion in her eyes. "He is strong. He has to be alright."
What should I do? Should I go back? But I have to get Wendy to safety! But what about Gajeel? Is he really going to be ok? My fuzz is gone...where will I get my static?
Slow, plodding footsteps shook the ground next to them. Wendy scurried to her feet, rigid body holding Levy close. Levy stared at the thin monster approaching them, body quivering and hands raised in a desperate attempt to channel at least a small bit of her static.
"Monster...under the...BED…" The creature growled low in his throat. The tall, pale, persons-type monster stopped in its tracks, its long, spindly arms swinging all the way down to its feet.
Wendy's arms tightened around her until Levy could hardly breath. "That...yes, that is me."
The monster nodded slowly. "My name...is...Ac...Acnologia. Follow...me...please."
He turned on his narrow feet and his long, thin legs took a giant step across the road.
"Wait!" Levy called out to its lumbering form, seeing its bobbing head to turn back and look at her. "How do we know we can trust you?"
"Sting...Ro...Rogue...tell...Acnologia. Follow...now...stay...safe."
Wendy trembled and her feet shuffled backward. Levy placed a hand on her arm, keeping a wary eye on their benefactor.
"It is alright. He is a friend. Just...please do not be following after one of these creatures without me or Gajeel next to your side, do you understand?"
Wendy nodded and after a few more words of encouragement finally hurried after the nighttime monster. They followed close in his wake, his ambling, lanky strides making it easy for the terrified girl to follow after.
Wendy flinched at every noise, which made Levy jump at each shadow. A flying creature screeched and rushed at their heads, but Acnologia roared and swung his arm at the Nightmare, sending feathers flying as it hurried away. Wendy whimpered and Levy patted her cheek, wishing for her sake that the night would soon be over.
They traveled past the park with the palm trees and abandoned playground and down the main road of the small town. Acnologia led them to a well lit corner, a light shining directly on a blue box with a persons communication device located inside. The metminwi gave the pool of light a wide berth and stood next to the blue box.
"Must...make...payment."
Levy shook her head, wringing her hands. "But I do not have any persons payment."
The metminwi bent at his narrow waist and stretched out a long arm. He opened his fingers one by one, revealing a shining silver coin nestled in his palm.
"Human...payment...place...inside."
Levy glanced at Wendy and nodded to the girl. She watched the child swallow and reach out a tentative hand, grabbing the coin with two outstretched fingers. She hurried to the blue box, looking it over carefully.
"Do you know who to communicate?"
Wendy nodded, pushing the coin into a narrow slot. "Mama told me the number to call if anything bad ever happened."
She picked up the black device and pressed three numbers. Holding the phone against her ear, and giving Levy several side glances, they stood in silence on the abandoned road. Acnologia stood ramrod straight in the shadow next to them, his large head turning back and forth down the street.
The device beeped and a woman's voice came from the other side.
[911 please state your emergency]
Wendy gripped the phone until her fingers turned white. "He..hello! My...my name is Wendy. I'm 8 years old, people came and took me from my room and now I'm very far from home."
[Ok Wendy, just stay on the line with me and I promise we get you home. Are you in a safe place right now?]
Her child nodded, dark blue strands of hair falling over her shoulder. "Yes, I think so. The bad guys are stuck in the house."
[You are such a brave girl! Do you recognize anything about where you are?]
"Um, I'm not sure…" Wendy turned to her with terrified eyes and Levy shrunk to whisper in her ear.
"We are somewhere between Magnolia and Crocus. A small, old town off the side of the main road."
"Um, between two big towns? I live in Magnolia and I don't think I'm very far? But this town is old and smells funny."
[Good job, Honey. Can you tell me what else is around you? I'm sending an officer to come pick you up right now.]
Wendy nodded, turning to look behind her. "There's a park. And trees. The houses are really old, but this light works right here next to me."
[Great! Someone is on their way and will definitely see you then. Stay on the line with me until they come. Are you hurt anywhere?]
"No, I'm just hungry. The bad guys didn't feed me breakfast or dinner."
[Well I'm sure your mom and dad will buy you whatever food you want! What's your favorite place to eat?]
Levy patted Wendy's cheek and listened as the officer calmly talked through the device. The fear gradually left her child's eyes and she began to laugh with the woman, a warm, familiar giggle that Levy loved so dearly. She patted Wendy's cheek again and the girl turned, looking at her shoulder with a puzzled frown. Wendy blinked, her usual sparkle back in her eyes. She shook her head and with a final glance to her shoulder, answered another question from the woman on the communication device.
Her child was once again all grown up.
Bittersweet emotion filled her eyes, making her vision blur. Flashes of red and blue shone across the buildings and the loud blares of transportation vehicles reached her ears. The metminwi waved one long, lanky hand in farewell and lumbered down the road, disappearing back into the night. When the vehicles only a few streets away, Levy shrunk and scurried to the ground, running along the base of the communication device to collect all the dust she could find.
After giving her body a healthy covering of fuzz, she scampered to the safety of Wendy's pocket. The vehicles drove loudly through the streets, scaring away any monsters that would dare approach the young child who was safely tucked into her BED. Two vehicles stopped in front of the communication device, blocking it from the rest of the road, while the others zoomed ahead down the road in the direction of the abandoned house.
One of the vehicle's room-portals burst open and Wendy's parentals stumbled out of the opening. They rushed to their child and surrounded her with hugs and kisses, almost making Levy fall out of Wendy's pocket with the jostling attention. After many tears, and even more kisses, the black clothed persons lead the familiar unit back to the safety of the vehicles. As they drove away, Levy climbed on top of the seating arrangement, peering down the achingly empty street behind them.
Last monster fact:
Acnologia: Metminwi (Haiti)