Chapter 9: Gremlins Emerge
Billy had barely managed to get the door shut and locked when the other person had fully entered and he, Gerald and Gene cried out in pain while they shielded their eyes. Closing them did nothing to help and even covering his eyes with his arm was barely enough.
"Hey, you okay in there?" The man on the other side was not chuck. "Do you need me to get help?"
"I'm fine," Billy cried out while he tried to form a tent over his head with the coat. "I'm just constipated."
"Say no more," the man said before he stepped back. "I've been there earlier this week. Just breath in and out and if you still need help they have this smoothie place on the second floor that has this special high fiber drink."
"Thanks for the help," Billy managed to get out while he kept himself and Gene covered. He listened as the man did his business, washed and left and he had thought about just running out and turning out the light again, but that wouldn't be much help. As soon as another person entered the light would automatically turn back on and he should be thankful that design of the mall including all of its facilities was not as advanced as Clamps old tower. That was annoying having a voice greet him every time he had to use the bathroom.
"How long do we have to stay here?" Gerald asked.
"Until Chuck returns," Billy said. "I don't know how long that will take and hopefully we will not have to wait too long." He still had no idea if the gremlins had emerged from their cocoons and if they had what were they doing? Were they looking for a water source? Or were they looking for something else to eat because Billy surely felt hungry.
Clamp Corners Medical Research Center, Mammography.
She had to do it just once a year and even though it was only once a year, Marsha Bowman was not looking forward to having breasts crushed by flat metal panels, but as uncomfortable as that was it was still better than having a tumor go unnoticed. So she had sucked it up, made the appointment and drove to the center. At least the floor she was on opened up to the second level of the mall and after dealing with some discomfort she could treat herself to a little retail therapy.
"Just go into one the curtained rooms, Mrs. Bowman," one of the medical assistants said. "Change into a robe and after they are done you can have the option to just change back or use one of our showers."
"Thank you," Bowman said as she pulled back the curtain and recoiled in disgust at the sight of the slimy globs of what looked moldy cabbage leaves. "Did you not look in here?" She stared at the assistant in disgust.
"They usually clean in here before we be-" She cut herself off with her own gasp. "What is this?"
"Looks like someone had a party here weeks ago," Bowman said as he pointed one of her well-manicured finger at a sandwich crust. "And you never cleaned up. Is this some kind of hidden camera joke? Because I don't find it the least bit funny." She backed away from the mess and did not see that she was backing against another curtained room. "You are probably too young to need one for yourself but when you get older and need a mammogram you will understand how vulnerable we feel and how much pain we are about to endear. This is-"
"Avast!" The voice hissed in her ear as the curtain was pulled back to reveal a leering, teal, two and half foot monster.
Both women screamed as they backed away from it.
"Saucy wenches," the teal creature said. It looked like a monkey crossed with some type of reptile with large reddish orange ears and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The skin around its left eye was darker almost black and resembled an eyepatch.
"Boo," another curtain pulled back and a taller creature emerged. It was darker green in color and pudgy. Like the first it had red eyes, large ears, claws, spines on its face and darker spots on its body.
Laughter was heard behind a third curtain as it pulled back revealing two more creatures. One was light brown and had eyes that were staring at the opposite directions and a tongue hanging out. The fourth was shorter than the others and a creamy white color with golden mottling and pink eyes.
The two women slowly backed away as the final curtain pulled back and there stood a light jade green creature who had a row of long silver spikes run down his head and down the back of his neck. The spikes on his face were even longer than those on the others. He even had spikes on his ears. The ones on his shoulders were even longer than the others and he had spikes on his elbows, his chin, his knees, a large spike on each hip and a small one jutting out of each heel.
The women screamed once more before they ran out of the room.
Of course they scream. The humans might be bigger than them but they were still weaker, still dumber and of course much more cowardly. Razor could hear the laughter from his gang subside until only Chuckles was still laughing.
"Let's go," Razor hissed. Scaring some humans were fun, but there was more he had to do and find something to eat was one itinerary on the list.
The others had walked out of the changing rooms ready and eager to do mischief except for one. Brody peeked out from the small room that he had shared with Patch. Like Chuckles he had emerged from his cocoon as a brown gremlin but the ends of his ears were folded in like when he was a mogwai and his pupils were large and round.
"Join us," Razor hissed. Why was he still resisting? He was transformed as well. He should be wanting to join in their revelry.
"Yeah play," Butterball added only to be met with a sigh and the curtain closing back.
"Leave him," Razor snarled. How dare he? How dare he just stay back. "We will come back for him later." He pointed at the brown gremlin and glared. He would give him just one more chance. Just one more…someone was tapping on his shoulder. He turned to look into Chuckles goofy face. "What?"
Chuckles continued to giggle as he pointed to a sign right out of the room, a sign that said SHOWERS THIS WAY.
There were no one using the showers when they arrived but there were only four shower stalls. Razor shoved Garrison out of the room and ran towards one of the shower heads while the others took the others. He turned on the water and could instantly feel the burning within his back despite how cold the water is. He adjusted the knob until it was slightly warm and he sank his claws into the grout of the tiles while he felt the bulges on his back and—oh the slight pain. He cringed as the skin on each of the bubble like growths had burst and five new gremlins crawled out of him. As soon as the new gremlins emerged and started to grow he felt new bulges emerge. He could hear the sounds coming from the other stalls as his gang was spawning off even more. He will soon have his army.
Billy tried to ignore the growls coming from not only his stomach but also Gerald's and Gene's. How long were they in that bathroom? At least two others have come into use it, including someone who had an upset stomach and that odor was bad enough to cause his eyes to water. If he wasn't already green he would have turned.
"Are we cold blooded now?" Gerald was the first to speak after several minutes of silence. "Are we reptiles?"
"Not sure," Billy answered. He never thought about that and frankly that was the furthest thing from his mind and he wondered why Gerald as asking that unless it kept him from breaking down again. "We have hair still and I'm not sure. If we stayed they probably would of poked and prodded and cut us until they could determine what we were."
"Until they wanted to give us bat wings and electric powers and ship us off to fight guerillas in some third world country."
"I don't know if it would be us or if they just want to dunk us in a tank and use our offspring for that." He thought about Penny. She was still with them. Would they trick her into eating after midnight? Did Darwin escape?
"You guys alone?" The voice of Chuck was heard before he tapped on the third stall. "Guys? Gremlin people?"
"Still in here," Billy said. "Can you kill the light?"
"Sure," Chuck answered after he turned off the light. They could hear the door being locked. "You are not going to attack me now? I will turn the light back on."
Billy pushed open the stall. "First thing about gremlins and us…uh…goblins, just call us goblins. The first rule is that we hate bright light. You know when you wake up in the middle of the night and turn on the light in the bathroom? That's like that for us, but all the time. The second is you cant get them wet. They multiply with water."
"Just a few drops for them," Gerald added. "You have to dunk us in a pool or a tub and then it's just one at a time."
"Sunlight can kill them," Billy continued. "And we think us as well."
"Only sunlight can kill them?" Chuck answered as he handed them several bags. One of the bags was made out of paper and smelled delicious.
"You can kill them with guns, knives, decapitation, crush them, electrocute them, strangle them, shove them into a paper shredder or an electric mixer or blow them up in a microwave." That was not fun to clean up, but Billy had to admire his mother for disposing three of them in the kitchen.
"Hey!" Someone shouted from outside. "Why is this still locked?" He shook the doorknob.
"Mall security," Chuck called out to them. "You will have to use one of the other facilities."
"What's in the bag?" Gerald asked and sniffed. "I smell cinnamon rolls."
"I got you all something to eat in one of them," Chuck said. "I didn't know if you were hungry or not."
"Oh yes we are," Billy said as he licked his lips. He pulled one of the sticky buns from the box and tore into it with his mouth. "Yum." He was halfway done with his when he remembered that Gene was also hungry and he tore of a chunk and fed it to the little mogwai.
"That toy is eating?" Chuck asked as he sat next to them and ignored the sound of someone shaking the knob. "That isn't a toy is it?"
"He is a mogwai," Billy explained after he had finished his breakfast. "Gremlins start out as mogwai and there were others and they used their blood to mutate us into half human half mogwai creatures."
"We were smaller and fuzzier," Gerald added while he was licking his fingers. "We looked like Ewoks with big ears."
"Mogwai also fall under the other rules but they have a third rule and that is to never feed them after midnight. Anytime from midnight to sunrise."
"The other's changed?" Chuck said as he handed them what felt like cups and they smelled like milk. "Why hasn't he transformed? Is it because he didn't eat like the others?" The way Gene shook his head confirmed it. "And you were telling me these other things are now on the loose?"
"That is why we have to cut off the water," Billy said. "Close and seal off the hotel."
"First part may be hard, but the second is easy. The hotel is already closed until next weekend," Chuck explained. "And it's sealed off as well. They are doing some last minute renovations, mostly on the bar entrance on the second floor but they are also sprucing up some of the rooms."
The door shook again but after another throttle the person on the other just gave up and left.
"That is somewhat of a relief," Billy said. "But we have to close down the mall just in case, keep people out and-"
"What's with these kids clothes?" Gerald asked as held up the Gap Kids bags. "And backpack and he held up a small bag from a beauty store. "This?"
"I got you some stuff to wear. I figured that one maybe if you didn't come off as scary as first then people will be easier to talk too." He grimaced. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that you two are all that scary."
"We can be frightening," Billy explained and remembered how he scared himself with his own reflection earlier.
"The second reason why I got you this stuff is well you guys are running around in swim trunks and lab coats and if I was transformed." He pointed at himself. "I would want to try and find someway to cover myself and if I had some clothes then it might make me feel more human."
The doorknob shook again. The person on the other side cursed and left.
"That will make us more comfortable," Gerald said as he pulled out a pair of jeans and handed the other to Billy. "Which shirt do you want, the Godzilla or Banjo Kaz..kazoo…kaz-zoe?"
"New game for the N64," Chuck explained and tilted his head. "I guess they think it will be all the rage, but seriously there are enough games with cute fuzzy characters. I don't think it will catch on."
"Doesn't matter," Billy said as he accepted the shirt with the bear and bird on it. He slipped into the jeans and pulled on the top, noticing the shirt was slightly loose and it did snag on his shoulder spikes. There were also two large baseball caps and two pairs of sunglasses in the bag. Billy lowered his ears as he slapped on the cap and slipped on the sunglasses.
"I didn't know about the light thing I just…well your red eyes might throw some people off," Chuck explained and cringed again. "Sorry. I really don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"Why the hell is this door locked?"
"Mall security. You will have to use another facility."
"These will be helpful," Billy said. "Thanks for helping us."
"I understand about having to go on your rounds," Gerald added. He looked kind of goofy with his cap and shades, but he also looked more human. "I don't want any creepers near stores my daughters might shop in." He reached into the last bag and pulled out some small bottles of beige liquid. "Foundation? Oh I get its for our green skin."
"Sorry," Chuck stared down. "I don't want to offend you and your predicament."
"We understand and was the backpack for our toy?" Billy guessed and he was right when Chuck nodded. "Gene can ride inside and shield him from the light. Can you get in?"
"Uh-huh," Gene squeaked as he climbed inside.
It took them a few minutes to apply the makeup and several more people trying to enter the bathroom. The makeup was streaky and looked more like they were trying for a fake tan but they looked less like goblins and more like humans. There was plenty of bottles and they were able to cover their arms and hands.
"I would have gotten gloves, but they were out of season, same as long sleeve shirts and I don't think I can find shoes for you."
"This will work for us," Billy said as he gave one last tug on the hem of his jeans. "We have to find your head of security and try to speak with him."
The door rattled again followed by pounding.
"I'm going to turn on the light." Chuck had decided to ignore the other patrons as he flipped the switch. The room became a bit brighter, but it was still tolerable thanks to the sunglasses.
"They work," Gerald said. "This is going to make everything a bit more easier."
"We have a mission," Chuck said and opened the door , only to reveal a tall, attractive and very pissed off female security guard. "Laura?" He took one step back
"You are in big trouble," was all that she said.