Chapter 8: It's Not Over Yet

Stine drove the bus that we got on after I told everyone about my plan. I wasn't sure if it wasn't going to work or not, since this is my first plan that I ever came up with. To me, it was kind of a stupid plan in my own personal opinion.

"Did it work?" Stine asked me.

I shook my head. "Not yet." I crossed my fingers. "Come on. Come on. Work," I muttered.

Just as I thought my plan hadn't worked, there was a loud explosion from the distance. I actually put a dummy in a different bus, setting up a timer and bomb in it, and it turns out one of the monsters pulled the trigger.

"Yes!" Stine held out his hand. "High five," he declared.

"What about your fingers?" I asked, just as Zach was about to give the writer a high five.

Stine thought about it. "Oh yeah, right." He put his hand back on the steering wheel. "But that was a great plan, Hazel," he commented, grinning at me. I, however, didn't return the grin. I just sat there, resting my head on the window.

"It was the only thing I can come up with," I spoke, glancing out the window.

"You still look sad," Champ noted. "Even with that plan you came up with, I thought it was going to make you happy."

"Well, it didn't," I bitterly snapped, making him flinch from his seat. "Nothing makes me happy." I crossed my arms. "I'm sorry," I said, "I guess I'm having a bad night. After my encounter with that dummy, I just want this night to be over with." And to get away from you guys, since Slappy said that you guys betrayed me.

I felt their eyes look at me, and I used my hair as a curtain to hide from them. Then Zach broke the silence. "Where should we go now?" he said. "We need to find a hideout."

"How about the abandoned amusement park?" Hannah suggested.

"Good idea," Stine agreed. "Just tell me where it is, and we can finish the story."

While she told him which way to go, I was deep in my own thoughts, feeling my depression coming over me, clouding my head inside. By the time we stop these monsters, I'm not going to come back to their lives ever again, I vowed silently. I actually don't need friends anyway.

Luckily, since no one can see the other side of my face from my hair, as tear slipped out of my eye, hitting the floor.

I must've dozed off, because when I woke up, no one else was on the bus. Good thing that I didn't have any nightmares, at least... Getting off the bus, I looked around to see where the others went, walking down the old fair grounds, until I heard Stine's voice over at the Funhouse.

"Stine ingenious plan work to perfection..." I went over to the creepy Funhouse, entering it, where I saw him narrating while Zach did his best to keep up. Hannah was straightening out the pages, while Champ just poked around the room. "The Funhouse was terrifying. Not so much for Stine as it was for the others. And it offered refuge from the rear terrors that lurked outside..." He knelt behind Zach, voicing out the story in an eerie tone to just give the right vibe.

"You wish..." When we all thought it was safe, Slappy appeared in one of the mirrors, making my heart go up to my throat.

"He's found us," Stine gasped. "Quick, follow me." They were about to leave when Slappy appeared again.

"Papa, you left without saying goodbye..." he rasped. He disappeared again, before showing himself at another mirror. "Trying to hide from me? That's like hiding from yourself..." Another mirror. "...I was your best friend, and you turn your back on me..." His voice sounded hurt and angry. "Locked me up, imprisoned in a pages of a book..." A bunch of his reflections shown on each mirror, his voice echoing in the room. "...you put me on a shelf for years and years. The key was right there..." All of his reflections vanished, and he showed half his face in the mirror that Stine is standing in front of. "...and you never used it." His brow lowered as he gave the writer an angry look, reminding of me back when I was a young kid...

"You're not real, Slappy," Stine stated. "I created you..." He pointed. "I can write you out..."

Slappy suddenly appeared, holding a book in one hand with the key in the other. "I've been saving this monster just for you. Say hello to my..."

I grabbed the book and the key.

"Hazel!" Stine cried out, surprised to see me.

"Go! Run!" I cried. "Finish the book!" I ran out of the Funhouse.

"Give those back to me, you brat!" I turned my head to see Slappy behind me. My legs burned and my chest act, but I kept on going. I didn't stop 'til I was all out of breath, leaning against one of the trees.

Just as I was about to move again, Slappy was standing in front of me.

"Ahh!" I let out a yelp, dropping both the key and the book. I went to grab it, but Slappy got it first, having me land on the dirt face first.

"Haha! You thought you can get away from me by taking these items?" he provoked. "Well, too bad for you, kid. Papa is going to be gone for good!" His eyes glared into mine. "Even those other bratty kids that betrayed you," he sneered.

I scrambled up to my feet, seeing Slappy running back to the funhouse. I brushed the dirt off my pants, and began to go after him.

By the time I got back to the Funhouse, I saw Slappy unlocking the book, and something pink and large and liquidity came out of the book, and I saw the others run out of the small creepy building.

"It's The Blob That Ate Everyone," Stine declared by the time they got out of the Funhouse. "Don't let it touch you," he warned. "We need to get to higher ground."

Hannah pointed. "The Ferris wheel," she proclaimed, and we all ran to the Ferris wheel. I stopped, seeing out large the wheel was. Even looking up made me dizzy...

"Zach." I turned to see Stine going up to the boy. "You go on ahead. I'll hold it off. You finish the book," he told him, looking at the Blob monster at it was eating everything in its path.

Zach, however, wasn't so sure about the idea. "What?" he questioned. "What do I write? W-What's the end?"

"The story I've been writing. It's what's happening right now. You can do this..." Stine backed away. "End it," he urged, then spotted me. "Hazel, go up there with the others," he ordered me.

"I can't," I protested. "I don't like heights."

"Then get away as far as possible."

"But-"

"Go."

"But Stine-"

"Go!" he forced out.

I had no choice, but to get away. I turned and ran to the nearest tree and hid behind it, watching. I saw him go up to the Blob monster as it devoured him, along with Hannah screaming. "Dad!"

I heard Zach telling her something, only I didn't pay any attention. I saw Slappy walked up to Stine who poked his head out of the pink goo. "Not so fun... is it?" he taunted. "How do you like it, papa? The world is just outside your grasp, but you can't move. You're trapped. That's what it felt like to be locked inside your books." He then stopped, and saw that Stine doesn't have the book. "Wait... the book. Where is it?" he asked out loud.

Suddenly, we heard a snap. All three of us turned to see that the praying mantis broke the Ferris wheel, and we all saw it rolling down the hills.

"We're all gonna die!" I heard Champ cried out.

"Just hold on!" I also heard Zach as everyone screamed. "Hold on tight!" My mouth made a small gape, seeing the wheel flying and rolling in the air, landing on the ground and continued rolling.

I then heard Champ yell, "Where's the seatbelt on this thing?!"

The sound of rolling stopped.

As I stood up, I felt a pair of large hands grab me from behind. "Hey!" I yelped, yanking free to see Dr. Maniac and Purple Rage.

"Look who we found," Purple Rage mused, chuckling.

"Back off." I picked up a rock, ready to throw it at them.

"Oh, I'm so scared," Maniac mocked, doing his insane laugh that he has. And that's when I threw the rock right on his forehead. "Ow!" he cried out. From his stance, I jumped on him, tackling him to the ground, punching his face. "Hey, get her off me!"

"Get off him!" Purple Rage grabbed my shoulders, but I smacked him away, and kept punching Maniac, wanting to cause as much damage to his face. I was in rage, and all I saw was red. My anger build up inside me, my depression leaving from my head and chest.

Suddenly, I fell off, landing on the ground on my back. At first, I thought it was Purple Rage that flung me off of him. But no, I saw a light burst up to the sky, and they were floating, turning back to ink when I felt a strong current of wind.

I got up and ran to where Stine is, seeing the Blob monster spit him out. He grabbed his glasses, flicking the goo off the lenses, and saw me. "Hazel." He came over to me, putting his glasses on his face. "Hazel, are you alright?"

"...yeah..." I answered, then look up to see the praying mantis. I knew all the monsters were going back into the book. That is, until I felt wooden hands on my throat, strangling me.

"Remember kid, you're friends betrayed you," he whispered in my ear, where Stine couldn't hear. "Just like papa did to me..."

"Let go of her!" Stine grabbed the dummy off of me. I fell on the ground.

"No!" the puppet declared. "Slappy's not happy!"

"Neither is Stine!" the writer proclaimed. "Stupid..." He held Slappy's wrists, lowering him. "...dummy!" He dropped kicked him, sending him back into the book.

Slappy's last words that I heard was, "See you in your dreams!"

By then, the wind died down. I got up off the ground, brushing the dirt off the back of my shirt. I saw Stine jogging over to where the strong wind current took place, as well as the blue light.

I ran to where the others are, but... I didn't see Hannah.

"Zach...?" I went up to him. "...where's Hannah?"

"Trapped," he replied in a verge of tears. "In a book..."

"Come on, let's go home," Stine said gently. He began to walk away with the boys, then he stopped and turned. "Aren't you coming, Hazel?" he asked.

I stepped back. "I know where I live," I told him. "I can go home by myself..."

"...okay," he responded.

I waited for them to leave, then I made my way back to my house.

By the time I got back home, I slammed the door shut, kicking my shoes off, going up to my room, entering it. I went over to my bed, and got under the covers, resting my head on the single pillow that I had.

I stared at the empty wall that is bare white, closing my eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

I don't want to see those people ever again. Slappy was right, and so was I. I'll never have friends. I'm worthless. In fact, I'm useless... I'll never have friends...

A tear escaped my eye, rolling down my cheek, landing on the mattress...

Its been a few weeks later, and I had decided to check on the school. I don't know why, though, but I just... feel like it.

By the time I got there, I saw Zach walk out of the building with a girl that I recognized.

Hannah...

I ran up to them, and they saw me. Zach grinned. "Hey, Hazel," he greeted. "Look who's back."

"I can see that..." I said confused. "I thought she was trapped inside a book with the other monsters..."

"Well, Stine wrote one more book, and well, here she is." His smile didn't leave his face.

"That's good..." I nodded slowly. "I was going to see how the school is doing, but..." I looked at the people who were putting fresh coat of paint on the building. "...it seems like it's doing great..." I turned and began leaving, but Hannah got in front of me, a sad look on her face.

"Why are you leaving...?" she asked. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

I looked away. "It's not because of you, Hannah. It's just..." I sighed, still looking away.

It was silent for a moment, until Zach said, "What is it?" He too, walked up in front of me, taking Hannah's hand.

Remembering what Slappy had said to me, I looked at them. "It's nothing, guys... I can see you two having a happy life..." I looked away again. "...I don't wanna ruin it..."

"But..." was all I heard from Hannah as I left to go back to my house.

By the time I got back home, I laid upstairs in my bed. I felt fatigued, as if I hadn't slept in days.

I shut my eyes, and went to sleep.

Stine

When I saw the two walk out of the door holding hands, I picked up my briefcase, heading down the hallway. And as I walked, I thought about Hazel. I remember her going to tell me about her childhood, only to be interrupted by Zach when all of us were running away from those ghouls at the graveyard. I asked her if she had foster parents...

I sighed. I can try asking her again someday when I see her.

Just as I walked past the display case where my typewriter is, I heard a clack of a key, making me stop. I backed up, and peered at the typewriter.

T...H...E...I...N...V...

I kept watching as each word hit the paper, watching the typewriter type on its own.

I...S...I...B...L...E...

My eyes widen. This can't be...

B...O...Y...'S...

No...

R...E...V...E...N...G...

My mouth dropped open as the last letter hit the paper. The letter E. And I read the title.

The Invisible Boy's Revenge...

"You forgot about me..." Hand prints planted onto the glass as I heard a voice giggle.

I let out a terrified yell.