This is based on another Goosebumps fic. The author gave me permission. I think he's happy I leave him alone lol. I'm so excited to write this, and I'm really happy with this chapter. I really like the concept, monsters taking over and kids teaming up to fight them. It's a great concept, and I wanted to try it. This chapter has segments with the different protagonists when monsters are taking over. It's super long. You can just skip to the sections with the protagonists you want to read about, if it's too long for you.
"More reports of monsters have spread across the city. There have been sightings of ghosts, werewolves, lizards, and even sentient lawn gnomes and ventriloquist dummies. We advise you to be careful, protect your loved ones, and keep under lockdown."
Billy Deep watched the television with dread in the pit of his stomach. For the last week, it was all that had been on the news. Monsters were spreading over the city, and no one quite knew where they were coming from. Thankfully, they only seemed to come out at night, and hadn't harmed anybody yet. They still had to go to school for some reason, maybe because there were only a few days left. Billy was in high school now, along with his sister Sheena.
What was more, Billy himself had personal experience with monsters. Well, sort of. On one of his vacations at his uncle's, he had met a real life mermaid in the ocean. She hadn't been threatening or menacing in the slightest, and they had become good friends. In the end, he had had to say goodbye to her so she could be free in the ocean again, where she belonged. He was sad about it, but knew she didn't want to be caged up like a prisoner or zoo exhibit, which she would've become.
If anything, the real monster he had faced was Alexander DuBrow. He had seemed so nice and friendly at first, before he tried to murder Billy's whole family and capture the mermaid. Billy didn't know what had happened to him after he had been dragged away by the mermaids, and didn't care. He deserved whatever he got.
Then, next summer, he had visited his uncle again, and that time, he had actually encountered monsters. And even then, not really. He had encountered giant fish, but it was only because a scientist had created a potion that enlarged them. The human was the real bad guy again. Billy had been so worried when his sister, Sheena, had drank a bottle of iced tea and said she thought it was the potion, but it turned out she had just been kidding. She was so annoying.
Just then, Sheena walked in. "They're still talking about the monsters?" she asked Billy as she sat next to him.
"Yeah," he replied. "Sheena, do you think..." He trailed off. He was going to ask if she thought the mermaid or Dr. Ritter were one of them. Neither were monsters, but they weren't normal humans either.
It was a huge city, so it'd be hard to move out. They'd have to travel all the way across it, while monsters were everywhere. And even if they did, monsters would still be everywhere, ready to harm or kill innocent people. They could even spread past the city.
On the TV, there was now a kid talking. It was a skinny boy with curly red hair and freckles. He was talking about how he had faced monsters before.
"Well, monster blood," he corrected. "It's green and slimy. It grows and grows, and if you eat even a little bit, you grow too. I ate some, and I grew as big as a house!"
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Sheena asked. She was still somewhat close-minded, despite her recent experiences with strange creatures, though she had at least stopped saying "No such thing".
Billy didn't reply. It wasn't the first kid who had showed up on TV. A bunch of kids had reported their previous experiences with monsters or supernatural beings. There was one girl who said she had put on a mask she couldn't take off. Billy wondered if he could be on TV if he told everyone his experiences. He had always wanted to be on TV, but now, he didn't think it'd be that exciting.
Sheena picked up the remote next to Billy and turned off the TV. She was tired of hearing about monsters. She wanted to forget all about them after her experiences, while Billy considered their visits to their uncle's exciting adventures. Still, hearing about monsters everywhere was distressing for him as well. He was more curious about the kids on TV. Could there really be kids who had been through the same stuff as him?
"I wish we could do something," Billy told his sister. "About the monsters, I mean. I bet we could take them out."
Sheena scoffed. "Billy, what could we do? We're just kids."
"Kids who bravely faced mermaids and giant fish and evil scientists," Billy reminded. "And Alexander's awful cooking." He made a face, both at the mention of Alexander and his cooking.
"Mom and Dad won't let us," Sheena reminded. "They haven't let us do anything since the reports. I'm surprised they even let us go to school each day. Hell, I'm surprised school is still on. Then again, we only have a few days left, and they only come out at night."
"Did I hear that right?" Billy asked in mock horror. "Did you, Miss Know It All, just not want school to be on?"
"I didn't say that," Sheena retorted, glaring at him.
"We could totally kill every monster together," said Billy. "Of course, if you're too scared, you don't have to," he added, seeing the scowl on her face. She seemed to reserve it just for him. "I could do it by myself. Oh, I know! You could be my sidekick. The great William Deep Jr...and his sometimes helpful kid sister."
Sheena whacked him on the back of the head. He yelped. "You know what? Maybe I should try fighting the monsters. They have to be less annoying than you."
"I think they're less annoying than you," Billy retorted. "You'd scare them away with how annoying you are. Just start talking about knowing everything, and they'll run away from you." Sheena whacked him over the head again.
He grew serious. "Sheena, those kids on TV... they have to be telling the truth. They have to have faced monsters before as well."
"Maybe," Sheena replied. "I guess we weren't the only ones."
"We can't fight all the monsters by ourselves... but we could with help." Billy spoke slowly, not sure of the idea.
"Oh, no." Sheena shook her head. "You've had a lot of stupid ideas, Billy, but that's one of the stupidest. In the top five. No, maybe top ten... you've had some dumber ones."
"Shut up!" Billy snapped, annoyed by her teasing now. "I'm serious, Sheena. We could find all the kids, and–"
"And what?" she interrupted. "Form a junior monster fighting gang?" She rolled her eyes.
"Yes," Billy replied seriously.
Sheena rolled her eyes again. "Even if that was a good idea, which it isn't... how will we find all the kids?"
"I... I don't know," Billy admitted.
"And how will we do it without Mom and Dad noticing?" she pressed. "And how will we track down all the monsters?"
"I don't know," he repeated, realising his plan wasn't as good as he thought. A smug look crossed Sheena's face. She loved being right, and she loved proving Billy wrong.
"We have to do something," Billy insisted, not wanting his sister to be right yet again. "We can't just stand around while monsters are attacking."
"We can," Sheena insisted. "Let the adults handle it."
Billy scoffed. "Let the adults handle it? Are you serious? Like how great Alexander, the scientists, and Dr. Ritter were? Even our uncle isn't the most competent sometimes." He hated saying it, since he greatly looked up to his uncle. Ever since he was little, he had always wanted to be an undersea explorer like him and his namesake.
"They're just a few adults," Sheena pointed out. "The police are all over the city, tracking the monsters."
"They wouldn't understand," Billy insisted. "Only kids appear on TV to say they've seen weird stuff before. Not any adults." He stood up, a confident look on his face. "I won't just be an undersea explorer. I'd be the great William Deep, monster destroyer, leader of... hey!" Sheena whacked him over the head again.
"You won't defeat monsters with that attitude," she said. "You'd get too cocky. They'd kill you in a heartbeat." She sounded a little happy about the idea.
"They'd kill you in a heartbeat," Billy retorted. "No, they'd run away from you because of how annoying you are. You'd probably scare them off better than me."
Sheena started whacking him over the head again. Billy yelled out. "Thanks for the practice, Sheena," he said. "You're the first monster I have to deal with." He knew Sheena was likely right and the idea was a pipe dream, but he still liked thinking about it. Kids teaming up to defeat monsters, with him as the leader... but it was probably harder than it sounded.
Todd Barstow inspected the unmoving butterflies pinned on his desk. They looked so beautiful, even dead. They were much better than worms. They were more gentle, more pretty. In fact, he didn't know why he had ever liked worms. They were gross and slimy... and terrifying. He shuddered as he remembered the giant worm that had nearly killed him, as revenge for the little worms he had sliced in half.
He had once had a nightmare that a giant butterfly had flown into the house, brandishing a giant safety pin, and woken up just as it was about to stab him. Then he had laughed. What a dumb dream.
The only downside to butterflies was that he couldn't torment his sister Regina with them. She wasn't afraid of butterflies like she was of worms. She thought they were pretty, even dead. Still, he could torment her in other ways. He had stopped tormenting for a while, but couldn't resist starting again. It was too boring not to.
"Todd!" Case in point.
He glanced up from the butterflies to look at his sister. She had tears running down her face. Todd rolled his eyes. What a baby. She cried over every little thing. It was so easy to scare her, even without worms.
"You did this!" She was holding sheets of her homework. "You glued all my homework together!" To demonstrate, she tried to separate it, only managing to tear one corner of it in the process.
"How do you know?" Todd replied innocently. "Maybe your homework was just too sticky."
"You did!" she accused, glaring at him through her tears. "It took me ages to finish it! Now I'll have to do it all again."
"You could copy mine," Todd suggested, enjoying her distress. It was so fun to torment her.
"You didn't even do your homework," Regina retorted.
"Oh, right," Todd said. "Hey, that's not true. I did one or two lines. You could copy those."
Regina let out a scream and lunged at her brother. At that moment, their mother walked in.
"Honestly, you two," she admonished, frowning. Regina backed away, but not before knocking Todd's Raiders cap off his head. "Don't you have more important things to focus on right now than your petty bickering?"
"It's not my fault, Mom!" Regina insisted, holding up her glued homework. "Todd started it. He–"
Mrs. Barstow held up her hand, silencing her. "I can't believe you two are still arguing. Haven't you heard of the reports of monsters everywhere?"
Todd tensed up at that. He had been attacked by a giant worm before the reports had started appearing. It had been scared off by Regina's paper mâché bird, but simply retreated back into the ground. It could still be there, ready to come out again. Was it one of the monsters?
"I think Todd's more of a monster than them," Regina declared. He glared at her.
Mrs. Barstow let out an annoyed huff of air. "Honestly, you two–"
"Uh, Mom," Todd said uneasily. "Have there been any reports of a... a giant worm?"
Regina laughed. "Todd always has worms on the brain. Well, used to. I guess old habits die hard."
Mrs. Barstow sighed. "Todd, I thought you'd grown past your worm obsession by now. I was glad about that. Then again, I don't like what you do to those poor butterflies much more." Her gaze travelled to his desk.
"But have there been?" Todd asked anxiously.
"Well... yes, actually." Mrs. Barstow frowned. "Did you say a giant worm?"
"Yes," Todd replied, his heart pounding.
"I think one of the news reporters mentioned something about it... but I'm not sure. She mentioned a lot of other strange things as well. An abominable snowman, a giant purple blob..."
Todd's heart beat in his chest. There could be a giant worm out there, the same one that had attacked him. He hadn't told anyone about it, except for Regina and her friend Beth, but of course, they hadn't believed him. At least his friend Danny had been there.
Maybe now, they'd believe him. "Mom," he said, cutting off her rambling. "I have something to tell you."
"What?" she replied distractedly. "I hope it's something important."
"I have something to tell you too," Regina added. "Todd glued my homework together!"
"You know that giant worm?" Todd said, before his mother could reply to Regina. "Well... I saw it."
"What?" his mother asked, while Regina groaned. "Oh, I remember you telling me."
"There was a giant worm that attacked me," Todd insisted, ignoring his sister. "It came out of the ground, and then Regina's bird model scared it off and it went back into the ground again. Danny was there. Ask him."
"Mom, he told me this before," Regina told her mother, who had a shocked expression on her face. "I knew he was making it up. He's always trying to scare me with worms."
"I'm not!" Todd insisted. "Mom, don't you believe me? Didn't you say you saw the worm on TV?"
"Well, I didn't see it," Mrs. Barstow replied, eyeing Todd uncertainly. "I heard about it... but I'm not even sure I did. They might have said something else."
"But you believe me," Todd insisted.
"Todd..." Mrs. Barstow paused. "I'm not sure."
"What?" Todd exclaimed. "But, the news–"
"I know what the news says," Mrs. Barstow replied. "But... I'm sorry, dear, but I don't know whether to believe you. A giant worm sounds like the sort of thing you'd come up with."
"It's true!" Todd insisted. "You know how worms kept appearing everywhere? That was Regina at first, but then they were doing it by themselves. They were getting revenge on me for slicing one in half."
"Wow," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "I was just saying that to mess with you. I didn't know you were stupid enough to actually believe it."
"Todd..." Mrs. Barstow said. "Maybe if you said you saw a ghost or vampire, I'd believe you. But a giant worm? That sounds too much like something you'd come up with. You haven't gotten over worms completely, have you?"
"I saw a ghost and a vampire as well," Todd joked.
"You're dumb, Todd," Regina said, snickering. She was pleased that their mother sided with her.
Todd let out a cry and ran out. Even his own mother didn't believe him. How could she? Couldn't she see how sincere he was, how frightened he was talking about the giant worm?
If his mother wouldn't believe him, maybe his father would. He was in the living room, boarding up the windows with planks. He had started doing so a few days ago, at Mrs. Barstow's insistence. Most other houses had as well.
"Dad, I need to talk to you," Todd called.
Mrs. Barstow didn't look away, hammering the plank. "Not now, Todd. I'm busy."
"It's important," Todd insisted. "I–"
"I have to board up the windows," Mr. Barstow insisted. "There's monster sightings all over the city. We should feel lucky none have come to our area yet."
"They have," Todd said. "I saw one."
"Everyone's going crazy," Mr. Barstow was saying. He hadn't heard what Todd said. "I'm surprised all the schools and businesses haven't closed down yet. But some say it's all a big conspiracy by the government. They're idiots if they do."
"Dad–" Todd pleaded, walking up to him. "I really need to talk to you."
His father moved onto the next window. "This is the last one. You know, you could give me a hand."
"No!" Todd yelled. "You're not listening."
"Cut it out," Mr. Barstow snapped. "You don't seem to have been taking this seriously at all. All you care about is killing insects, and torturing your sister."
Todd let out a cry of frustration. Why wasn't anyone listening to him? Well, maybe Danny would. Yes, he had seen the giant worm too. It might make him feel better to talk to him.
He went up to his room, where thankfully, his mother and sister weren't there. He picked up the phone and dialed Danny's number.
"Todd?" Danny asked.
"Danny, you saw the giant worm, right?" Todd got right to the point. "Maybe that's one of the monsters."
"What?" Danny asked, taken aback.
"You know, the worm that came out of the ground?" Todd demanded.
"Oh. Right," Danny replied. "That was so scary. For a moment, I thought I was going to be killed. By a worm. What a way to go."
"It's not funny!" Todd snapped. "My family didn't believe me when I told them. They think I'm making it up."
"What?" Danny exclaimed. "But why? They're monsters everywhere now."
"I know," Todd replied glumly. "It's because they think I'm just obsessed with worms."
"But you aren't," Danny noted. "Well, not anymore. You've moved on to butterflies now."
"Well, they haven't forgotten how I used to be obsessed with them," Todd said. "But at least you believe me."
"Well, I have to," Danny replied. "I did see the giant worm, after all. It attacked both of us."
"So you think it's still out there?" Todd lowered his voice. "It just went back under the ground."
"I... I don't know," Danny replied. "But it wouldn't be the worst monster I've heard about recently."
"My parents are real jerks," Todd quipped. "So is my sister. Can you believe they didn't believe me?"
"Well, yeah," Danny admitted. "I can believe it. I mean, you were obsessed with worms for a long time."
"You're going to take their side?" Todd snapped, fury building inside him.
"Well, I can see where they're coming from," Danny defended. "A giant worm sounds like the kind of thing you'd come up with. In fact, I'm not sure I'd believe you, if I wasn't there to witness it."
"I can't believe you!" Todd cried. "You're a lousy friend." Before Danny could reply, he hung up.
How could Danny say that? Todd thought furiously. He's supposed to be my friend, and even he's not on my side. My own family thinks I'm a liar, and my best friend agrees with them. The next time he saw Danny, he'd give him a nasty surprise. Not with worms, but with something else. That'd show him for being such a bad friend.
In the meantime, he'd play another practical joke on his sister. Not gluing her homework together, something worse. That'd cheer him up. He was already starting to feel better as he thought about it.
"Sarah..."
Sarah Maas shuddered, then groaned. She had initially felt scared when Della had appeared around her house, but now she was just annoyed. She apparently wasn't confined to Camp Cold Lake anymore, but still insisted on following her around, always at night, which was when all the monsters sighted came out. It seemed Della was one of them. Sarah thought she had finally escaped from the annoying ghost. She had made her camp experience even more miserable than it already was.
"Leave me alone, Della," Sarah snapped. Why was she so obsessed with making Sarah her buddy even when she wasn't confined to Camp Cold Lake anymore? She could bother anyone else instead. She had at least stopped trying to kill her, and now just stalked her. They were in the backyard of Sarah's house, where she hoped Della would leave her alone. She didn't.
"I just want to talk to you," Della insisted. Her pale blue eyes were fixed on Sarah's. They creeped Sarah out. They were almost the color of ice, and made her feel cold whenever she looked at them.
"About how much you want me to be your buddy?" Sarah scoffed. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested? I was kind of put off after all the times you tried to kill me," she added in a sarcastic tone.
Della winced. "You can't blame me, Sarah. I just want to go to the afterlife. It's so hard being stuck this way for so long."
Sarah felt a flash of pity, before it disappeared. "It's also hard being stalked by a ghost for so long." She knew she was being mean, but she didn't care. She had been so relieved to escape from Della when she returned from Camp Cold Lake, only for her to show up at her house. She cringed remembering Camp Cold Lake. Her experience there had been miserable, and not just because of Della.
"I haven't tried to kill you," Della pointed out.
Sarah laughed. "Oh, that's great. You didn't attempt murder this time. What an upgrade." Well, it was kind of an upgrade. Anything was better than not being murdered.
"Well, I can't, with your parents and brother around," Della noted. "But even if they weren't, I wouldn't."
That gave Sarah a sudden thought. "You could ask my brother to be your buddy instead," she suggested. It was a joke, but it was actually a good idea. He was a lot more friendly than her, she had to admit, and could make friends with just about anyone. In fact, he'd probably be excited about being friends with a ghost. But he likely wouldn't want to die to be her buddy.
Della shook her head, making her white-blond curls shake. "No, Sarah. I want to be your buddy."
What? Sarah thought disbelievingly. That made no sense. Why would she want to be her buddy when Sarah had been nothing but rude and hostile to her? And for good reason. She could ask anyone to be her buddy, now that she wasn't confined to Camp Cold Lake.
"Sarah?" Sarah jumped at the familiar voice. She turned around to see her brother exiting the house. "What are you doing? You know how dangerous it is to be outside at night."
"We still have to go to school," Sarah pointed out.
"True," Aaron agreed. "I think school should be cancelled. If monsters taking over the world won't cancel school, what will?"
"Speaking of monsters..." Sarah said. She decided to let Della speak for herself. She turned around, but the ghost was nowhere to be seen. She always disappeard whenever Aaron showed up, to Sarah's annoyance.
"Was that ghost girl pestering you again?" Aaron asked. Even though for some reason, Della always disappeared whenever he showed up, he believed Sarah about her now. The monster crisis was enough to mostly convince him.
"Yeah," Sarah replied. "At least she's stopped trying to kill me."
"How come this ghost always happens to disappear when I'm around?" asked a suspicious Aaron. "Maybe you did make her up."
"I didn't!" Sarah insisted. "I saw her at Camp Cold Lake, too. I–"
"Okay, okay," Aaron conceded. "I believe you, I guess. I just think it's weird, that's all."
"She really wants to be my buddy," Sarah said. "I told her you could be her buddy instead, but she said no. She only wanted me."
"Hey, leave me out of this!" Aaron exclaimed. "I don't want to be her buddy if it involves dying." Then he smirked. "You know, maybe this ghost has a crush on you."
Sarah glared at him. "Not funny."
"Why else would she always follow you around?" he teased.
Sarah changed the subject. "Do you think some of the monsters are other ghosts?"
"Definitely," Aaron replied, enjoying teasing his sister. "They're one of the more normal kinds of monsters. I've heard about some crazy ones. I even heard there are lawn gnomes that are alive."
"Lawn gnomes?" Sarah scoffed. Her gaze trailed to the lawn ornaments on their own lawn, though there weren't any gnomes.
Aaron glanced at them as well. "Maybe they are alive. Maybe they come to life each night and sneak into our house–"
"Shut up, Aaron!" Sarah cried. "It's not funny."
"You never know," Aaron said, grinning at her.
At that moment, their father came out. "What are you two doing out here?" he barked. "Get back inside!"
They quickly hurried back in. Their mother was there, and their parents started lecturing them.
"I just went out to look for Sarah," Aaron explained. "She's the one who went out." She glared at him.
"What were you doing out, Sarah?" Mr. Maas demanded.
"I just wanted some fresh air," Sarah lied. She hadn't told her parents about Della. She didn't think they'd understand.
"Fresh air?" Mr. Maas repeated in disbelief. "You know it's not safe out. Especially at night."
"But we still have to go to school," Aaron pointed out. "What's the point of that if we still have to go out every weekday?" Sarah nodded in agreement.
"I'm not sure," Mrs. Maas said, frowning. "You only have a few days left, though. But we try our hardest to keep you two safe."
How safe can I be? Sarah thought. I have a ghost stalking me 24/7. At least Della was more annoying than scary, opposed to how she had been like at Camp Cold Lake. She shuddered when she remembered how she had nearly sliced her head off while she was water skiing.
"You know, I heard about another sighting," Mr. Maas said, looking uncomfortable. "It happened at the town I lived in growing up."
"What?" Sarah gasped. Aaron glanced at him, shocked.
"Yeah, I was shocked to hear it," Mr. Maas said. "I went to school there. Harding Middle School. I remember how the kids spray painted over the sign." He paused for a moment, reminiscing, before growing serious. "Apparently, there were these monsters spotted there. They said they were these purple lizard monsters."
"That's horrible!" Sarah exclaimed. Her father's home town had been attacked by monsters as well?
"So now do you see how serious it is?" Mrs. Maas demanded.
"Yes, Dad," Sarah and Aaron said in unison. Their father looked into the distance, thinking about his home town, and his school. He hadn't been there in years, and didn't have entirely fond memories of it, but it was still horrifying to hear it had been infested with monsters as well. Had anyone been killed? No, if they had, it'd be on the news, he told himself. Still, the thought of monsters where he used to live filled him with dread.
Gabe Sabry had received a letter from his cousin, Sari. She lived in Egypt, and he visited her and his uncle on occasion. On the last two occasions, they had encountered live mummies and crazier humans. This had caused Gabe's excitement for visiting to wane, especially after all the monster sightings now reported across his city.
It was a good thing his uncle and cousin lived in Egypt, so they didn't have to deal with this. Gabe would've even preferred the boring reports of the weather over the constant monster reports. He read the letter Sari had sent him with growing shock.
Dear Gabe,
I heard about the monsters where you are. It's the main thing on the news. It sounds scary - for you, I mean. I'm sorry you have to deal with this. But it also sounds exciting. I'd love to see a monster. Well, another one. It's so boring here, after the last time you visited. Nothing interesting has happened. I wish I could find another mummy in the pyramids. I kind of wish there were monsters here as well. That'd liven things upl
Good news is, I'll get my chance to see the monsters now. This was supposed to be a surprise, but I have to tell you now. Daddy and I were going to visit you for the summer holidays. You always visit us, so we—or rather, Dad—decided to instead for once. We had already booked a flight.
After hearing about what's happening in your country, Daddy didn't cancel the visit. Actually, he wanted to visit even more. He thinks he can get to the bottom of what's happening and help the police get rid of the monsters. I believe in him. If anyone can do it, he can. I'm excited to visit as well. I'm not scared of the monsters at all, like you probably are. Maybe I can help Daddy kill one of them. They aren't letting anyone travel there, but made an exception for him and a few others since he's working there. I expect the plane shall be very empty.
Listen, you can't tell your parents. Daddy just knows that if you do, they'll try to stop him and won't want him to come. They can't stop him, but he'd prefer for them not to try. You should get rid of this letter as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Sari
P.S. Are there any mummies where you are?
Even as Gabe gawked at the letter in disbelief at what Sari had told him, he couldn't help rolling his eyes at his cousin's cocky attitude. He couldn't believe she actually wished to see more monsters—well, actually, he could. She'd probably make it a competition who could kill more of them. He suspected she wasn't as excited about it as she claimed, though. She was probably a bit nervous about it, but she would never admit that.
He wasn't surprised his uncle wanted to come. He was almost as daring as his daughter. He considered their encounters with live mummies to be the greatest expeditions in his career. Well, also the most frightening, but that was obvious. Gabe supposed the police wouldn't mind having an archaeologist on their side. He was right that Gabe's parents wouldn't approve. Gabe's mother was a lot more sensible than her brother. Gabe was a little excited to visit him again. And even Sari, as annoying as she was.
He started to fold up the letter when his mother came into his room. "Gabe, what did your letter from Sari say?"
"Uh..." Gabe wished Sari had offered him some tips on how to deceive his parents. "Just that she's worried about what's happening here, and that she hopes I'm staying safe. And that Uncle Ben said the same thing."
"That's nice," Mrs. Sabry said. "Can I see it?"
"No!" Gabe clutched the letter to his chest, causing his mother to frown. "I mean, I'd rather you didn't."
"But I want to see it," she protested. "I want to hear from Sari. And I'd like to hear from someone from another part of the world, away from the monsters." Gabe couldn't blame her for that.
"Uh... sorry, Mom." Gabe tore a corner of the letter. "But didn't you get a letter from Uncle Ben?"
"Well, yes," Mrs. Sabry admitted. "He was very nice in it. And very funny. Well, not too funny, but I appreciate how he tried to cheer me up." She smiled, thinking about her brother. Gabe suspected they had a similar dynamic as him and Sari. "But I'd like to hear from my niece, too. She's just like her father."
"She is," Gabe agreed. "They both love picking on me."
"Ben did the same to me when we were children," Mrs. Sabry reminisced. "He could turn everything into a competition."
"So can Sari," Gabe noted, surprised by how similar they were. Like father, like daughter. "She can even turn eating breakfast into one."
Mrs. Sabry laughed. "So did Ben, once. He made it a competition who could eat more pancakes. He won, of course. And he loved scaring me with stories about mummies and monsters." Gabe remembered how he had grossed out Sari by telling her exactly how mummies were made.
"If Uncle Ben was like that to you, why do you always make me visit him and Sari?" Gabe complained. "She's even worse than he was."
"I bet you'd love to visit them now," Mrs. Sabry retorted.
"Yeah," Gabe conceded. "I wouldn't have to deal with monsters then."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Sabry said. "I got carried away remembering them. I guess I miss them more than I thought. I almost wish they could visit us..."
Gabe perked up at that. Maybe she wouldn't be completely opposed to his uncle's plan. "Uh, Mom, about the letter..."
"I really wish you'd show it to me, Gabe," Mrs. Sabry said. "But if you don't want to, I guess it's fine. It is your letter."
She was doing that guilt tripping thing again when she wanted him to do something. Gabe hesitated. He didn't know for sure whether he'd be happy about Ben's idea to help exterminate the monsters. She might think it was too dangerous.
Gabe made a decision, hoping it was the right one. "Maybe you should see the letter, Mom."
"Oh, thank you," she said. "I can't wait to hear from Sari."
"I... kind of lied about what it said," Gabe admitted. "Uncle Ben... he–"
"It's fine, dear," Mrs. Sabry interrupted. "Just show me it, please."
Gabe handed the letter to his mother, who scanned it, her eyes widening. He waited for her to start yelling, but she just read it again.
"Uh... I know it's a bit surprising," Gabe said. "But please don't try to stop Uncle Ben. He'll do it anyway."
"Stop him?" she exclaimed. "Why would I do that?"
"You won't?" Gabe felt relief fill him.
"I'd love for him to visit," Mrs. Sabry proclaimed. "I'm worried about him fighting monsters, but he's an archaeologist. I'm sure he's dealt with stuff like this before. He can handle this. I just hope he gets here safely." Gabe hadn't told his parents about his adventures in Egypt. He wondered if he should now, but decided against it. The letter was enough of a shock for his mother. Besides, Uncle Ben would probably tell her once he arrived.
"I'm glad to hear it, Mom," Gabe said. "But... you know, he's not gonna really visit us. He'll be too busy working with the police to take out monsters."
"Oh, right," Mrs. Sabry realised, looking disappointed. "Well, I'm sure we'll be able to see him at least once. Sari will probably stay with us."
Gabe suddenly imagined him, Uncle Ben, and Sari hunting down the monsters and going on adventures together, just like they had before. "Are you gonna tell Dad?" he asked.
"I... I'm not sure," Mrs. Sabry admitted. "I think I should. Don't worry, I won't make him stop them from coming." She winked at him before leaving.
Gabe smiled, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a while. He wished he, Uncle Ben, and Sari would try to hunt down the monsters by themselves, without the police. It was likely a pipe dream, but it made him nostalgic to think about. He'd put up with all of their practical jokes and teasing and Sari's dumb competitions to see them again.
"Amy, do you think this looks good enough?"
Amy Kramer rolled her eyes. Even now, her sister was still obsessed with painting. They were in Amy's room, having a sleepover. They were having a great time. It had been so long since they had spent time together. Sara had brought her canvas and had finished painting a forest scene.
"It's fine, Sara," Amy replied, shoving another chocolate raisin into her mouth.
"Just fine?" Sara repeated.
"I mean, it's beautiful, amazing, gorgeous," Amy corrected with some sarcasm, though it really was. Just like all of Sara's paintings.
"Do you think the shade of green is too dark?" Sara frowned as she observed her artwork. "I think it clashes with the sky."
"Maybe you should draw something different," Amy suggested. "Something more relevant to modern times."
Sara turned around, frowning at her sister. "What do you mean?"
"A monster," Amy suggested. "Or several of them. Have you ever painted that before?"
"No," Sara replied. "I prefer scenic shots of places."
"You could draw a monster in that forest," Amy suggested. "There's plenty of 'scenic shots' with monsters these days, according to the news."
Sara frowned deeper, and for a moment, Amy was afraid she was about to snap at her. But then she turned around, dipped her paintbrush, and started painting again. Amy watched curiously. When Sara stepped back, she burst out laughing.
"Wow," she laughed. "I didn't know you'd do that."
There was now a tiny blue monster resembling a dinosaur between the trees, ruining the perfect forest scene.
"It looks much nicer now," Amy remarked. Sara glared at her, but couldn't resist laughing.
"It doesn't look like any of the monsters that have been reported, though," Amy noted. "Maybe you should draw another one."
Sara turned back to her painting, frowning as she inspected it and saw what she had done. Amy sighed. Here it came, the horrified realisation that she had ruined her masterpiece.
"The forest's in the way." Sara turned over the canvas to reveal a blank piece of paper. "I can't paint with the wet paint in the background."
Amy smiled as Sara continued painting. "Uh, Amy, what monsters were sighted?" she asked.
"Lots of them," Amy replied. "Lawn gnomes, scarecrows, giant worms..."
Sara started painting, listening to Amy's reports of monsters. Amy peered over her sister's shoulder. She was a wonderful painter, even when painting differently from what she usually did. Amy had always been annoyed whenever she called her paintings her "masterpieces", or bragged about them, or went on and on about how much work they took, but maybe she was justified.
When Sara stepped back, Amy burst out laughing. She knew there wasn't anything remotely amusing about the monsters taking over everywhere, but it was funny for her sister, who usually drew forests and sunsets and beaches, to draw monsters instead. Amy liked it more than yet another perfect, but boring nature scene.
"You should draw stuff like that more often," Amy suggested, focusing on the giant worm across the canvas. "It's much better than another sunset."
"You want to be reminded of the monsters?" Sara asked incredulously.
"Well, no," Amy admitted. "But... maybe I can laugh at them instead." That was a good idea. Laughing at fear helped it go away.
"Don't think my painting's very funny," Sara noted, inspecting it. It was just as perfect as her other ones.
"Well, no," said Amy. "But..."
Sara turned to her sister. "Do you want to see a really scary monster?"
"Uh... sure," Amy replied.
"Close your eyes," Sara instructed, turning a new page on the canvas. "And lie down. Or turn around. You can see it when I tell you."
Confused, Amy lay down in her bed, closing her eyes. After a while, she felt sleepy. They had stayed up very late. She was just about to drift off when she heard her sister call to her.
Then she felt Sara shaking her. "Don't go to sleep!"
"Okay, okay," Amy grumbled as she got up. Sara showed her the painting. It took a while for Amy's tired eyes to adjust, but when they did, she gasped.
It was the dummy she had met, the one that had nearly ruined her life. Sara had drawn him almost exactly the way he was, despite not having seen him for so long. The brown hair, bright blue eyes, and cherry red lips. He was wearing the same double-breasted suit and black shoes.
"I'm sorry, Amy," said Sara, noticing the horrified expression on her sister's face. "I know it was insensitive of me, but–"
"You think?" Amy scoffed. "I never want to see that dummy again."
"I'm sorry," repeated Sara, taking down the picture and replacing it with her previous one of the monsters. "I don't know what I was thinking. You just said you thought you could laugh at the monsters if you saw my paintings, and–"
"It's fine, Sara," interrupted Amy. "But I'd rather not see... him again. I heard about a ventriloquist dummy on the news."
"So did I," said Sara. "Should we tell the police about Slappy?"
Amy yawned. "Maybe in the morning."
Sara nodded. "Goodnight, Amy." She picked up the canvas and headed to her room. She didn't want to sleep in her sister's. Amy's room was too messy for her taste, though at least not as much as Jed's. Sara always kept her room super neat.
Amy slipped back into her bed. Even though she had felt so tired a few minutes ago, she had trouble getting to sleep now. She couldn't stop thinking about Slappy. Was he really one of the monsters out there? Would he ruin other people's lives, like he had almost ruined hers?
Amy couldn't get to sleep. She kept thinking about Slappy and all the monsters. She eventually opened her eyes and got out of bed. She found herself wandering to the bathroom, though she didn't need to. She splashed cold water on her face and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Dark bangs hung under her green eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep recently. She was too stressed and scared.
She brushed her teeth. Then she opened the drawers under the kitchen sink and started cleaning the items inside with the water and rag on the sink. She didn't know why. It gave her something to do. Strangely enough, the process calmed her. She almost laughed. Maybe she was turning into Sara.
Some of the items were very dirty. Amy grimaced as she found a half-eaten, moldy sandwich. It reminded her of when she had found that sandwich in Slappy's head. She threw it into the bin and washed her hands.
Then she found something else under the sink. It was a sponge. She used it to wipe the sink. It worked much better than the tattered rag. But then, she noticed something odd about it. It felt like it was moving in her hand.
She glanced down at it. It seemed to be vibrating, expanding and withdrawing, almost like it was breathing in and out. But that was ridiculous. Sponges couldn't breathe.
Still, it freaked her out. She tossed it back into the cupboard. She was done cleaning. She returned to her room, and found it easier to get to sleep.
Carly Beth Caldwell lay in bed, her eyes shut tightly. Her nightlight was on, even though she had stopped sleeping with one years ago. The dim, wavering light comforted her. But she couldn't get to sleep. Her mind was filled with the reports of monsters. It made her remember when she had almost become a monster herself. She could be one of the monsters out there, if the mask had taken her over.
No, she couldn't think like that. She moved onto a slightly less horrifying thought. What if the mask itself was one of the monsters? Slightly less horrifying, but still horrifying. It was more of an object. At least it wouldn't hurt anyone unless they put it on. And Carly Beth doubted they would, with the monsters that were everywhere. Unless they had a sick sense of humor and wanted to scare everyone. Like Chuck and Steve... but Carly Beth doubted even they would do that.
She tried to force the monsters out of her mind and think about something different. Her mother. She thought about when they had gone to the fair together when she was little. Mom had bought her candy and hugged her when she fell over. When some boys had scared her and made her cry (not Chuck and Steve, surprisingly), her mom had yelled at them and scared them even more with her scolding. They had quickly apologized and ran off.
They had had a great time together. Dad and Noah were away, so it was just the two of them. Thinking about her mother, all thoughts of monsters disappeared from Carly Beth's mind. She wished she was with her, singing her a lullaby and assuring her everything would be alright.
She was just about to drift off when she felt something icy cold on the back of her neck. She went completely still, and her stomach felt icy cold as well. When it pinched her neck, she let out a scream, sitting up.
Then she saw her brother Noah laughing. "Wow, Carly Beth. I can't believe you got scared by that."
"Noah!" she shrieked. She picked up her pillow and started hitting him over the head with it.
"I didn't even bring anything to scare you with," Noah said, still laughing. "I just pinched you. And it made you do the Carly Beth scream."
"The Carly Beth scream?" she demanded.
"It's the scream only you can do," Noah explained, grinning. "It's high and shrill, and happens at every little thing. But I haven't heard one in a while. I thought you'd stopped doing them."
"I'm just on edge," Carly Beth argued. "There's monsters everywhere. And I was just about to falł asleep. You disturbed me."
"You mean I scared you," Noah corrected smugly. "I thought you were braver now."
That made Carly Beth pause. Was he right? She did still get scared sometimes. When it was completely dark, without a flicker or spot of light, she felt dread in the pit of her stomach. When she watched horror movies, she screamed at the scariest parts. When she had to walk home alone at night, she felt unease overtake her. Was she really braver, or was she just pretending?
"Get out, Noah," she demanded. When she settled back into bed, she turned off the nightlight, wanting to prove to herself that she was brave.
"You know what?" Shari Walker asked over the phone. "I preferred it when Pitts Landing was boring."
"It's boring now as well," Greg Banks retorted. "Even more boring than before. We're not allowed to go out anywhere or do anything."
"At least we hear about all the monsters," Shari said. "That isn't boring."
"It is if we don't ever see any," Greg retorted. "We just hear about them."
"We do, on the news," Shari noted. "Well, when there's footage. But honestly, Greg, don't you think we've had enough horror?"
Greg supposed that was true. His past summers at Pitts Landing had been horrifying instead of dull and boring like they usually were. Ever since he had found that evil camera that had caused so much trouble and pain. And that he couldn't put down for some reason. Mostly due to his own stupidity. He wondered if it was one of the monsters out there. It wasn't a monster, more an object. A very evil object.
At least he didn't have to deal with Mr. Saur anymore. He was in high school, thankfully one without him. The teacher had changed schools after becoming bald as a result of the camera. The kids were too amused to take him seriously anymore, no matter how intimidating he tried to be.
"I think Mr. Saur's a monster," he joked. "I bet the monsters out there are nicer than him."
"Was he really mean to you?" asked Shari.
"Yeah," Greg replied. "He kept making fun of my weight." His blood boiled thinking about it. Saur has been so cruel. Making fun of him, making awful jokes about his weight even when the meanest kids in class left him alone because they could tell there was something seriously wrong with him.
"I feel bad for the kids at the school he teaches at now," said Shari. Greg agreed.
"He's bald now," Greg noted. "Serves him right." He had been lucky. The camera had done far worse things to other people than taking their hair. The entire class had laughed at him, including Greg.
"I suppose it does," Shari agreed. "He got off easy. Still, I wish you hadn't brought that camera to school, after everything it did."
"Saud deserved it," Greg insisted. He had been so desperate for revenge on the cruel teacher. A sudden thought came to him. "Shari... do you think anyone's discovered the camera?" They had returned it to the now taken down Hoffman house.
"I don't know," she replied. "It just looks like a normal camera. Someone might find it and take a picture without knowing what it does."
"Like we did," Greg noted. "And we kept doing it." He cringed remembering. They had been so stupid. Why couldn't they just get rid of the camera?
"Do you think Spidey's out there?" Shari implored. The name made Greg's spine tingle. "As one of the monsters?"
"He's not a monster," Greg noted. "Well, not really. He just made the camera." Thinking about it, he felt a little bad for Spidey. He had his life ruined because of the camera. It was his partner who had cursed it. Then, he remembered something. "How could he be?" he asked. "He's dead. You took his picture, remember?"
"Oh, right," said an embarrassed Shari. "How could I forget?"
"I wish Saur was," Greg said bitterly.
"Greg!" exclaimed Shari. "You don't mean that."
"I don't," Greg admitted. He hated Saur, but he didn't wish death on him. He wasn't that kind of person. Just pain and humiliation, which he had suffered thanks to the camera. Was the camera causing other people pain and humiliation right now?
The Dark family was in danger.
Everyone knew about the monsters sighted that everyone was now either terrified of or trying to hunt down. Or both. All of Timberland Falls was in a panic, along with the rest of the city. The Darks were an entire family of monsters, so obviously they were in a highly dangerous position. Thankfully, they could only reveal they were monsters by transforming, and otherwise looked like normal humans. Lucy and Randy, the children, were too young to transform. Since Lucy had turned thirteen, her fangs had just started to grow, but they were still very blunt.
Like the other houses in Timberland Falls, their windows were boarded and doors were locked, but for a different reason. Instead of hiding from the monsters, they were hiding from humans. And the monsters as well, since some of them sounded malicious.
"I'm scared, Lucy," Randy whimpered. "It's like all the monster stories you told me are coming true."
For the first time, Lucy felt a pang of guilt for constantly scaring her brother. Still, how was she supposed to know they were monsters as well? She had been shocked when her parents explained it to her. "Don't be scared," she assured. "You're a monster too. So why should you be scared of other monsters? It's like being scared of yourself. Then again, you're probably enough of a wuss to be scared of yourself," she added teasingly.
"I guess you're right," Randy replied, still looking uneasy.
"About you being a wuss?" Lucy teased.
"No!" Randy snapped.
"It's no fun anymore," she said, gazing out the window. Or at the boards blocking it. "I'm not allowed to go outside or do anything." She had a sudden thought. "Do you think this is how Mortman felt?" He probably had to be extra careful to make sure no human found out he was a monster. And no human had.
Randy tensed up at the mention of the former librarian. "Mortman? D-do you think he's one of the monsters out there?"
"Of course not," Lucy replied, rolling her eyes. "Mom and Dad ate him, remember?"
"Oh, right," Randy said.
Lucy had felt nothing but satisfaction when they did. He had tried to kill her, chasing her through the library. Still, he had hid being a monster, afraid the humans would find out, the same way they were doing now...
It's easy to think about the protagonists in this situation, with monsters taking over. I had more segments written for other protagonists, but the chapter was too long. Hell, I could write one for every protagonist. Not to brag, but I think my version of the characters is a lot more in character. I really disliked Sarah's portrayal in the original. I'm a huge Sarah fangirl lol. Which section is your favorite?