Chapter 14: The Return of Darwin and Penny.
Gerald swallowed when he saw the four gremlins, sure one was short and another looked dopey but the one with all the spines looked pissed and not only did he have more spiky growths than the other gremlins but they were also longer.
"Uh oh," Gizmo squeaked and trembled in Gerald's arms.
"Uh hi," Gerald said as he removed the sunglasses from his face. He really had no need for them since the lights were off and he slipped them into his pocket. "I'm Gerald and you may have never seen something like me before but I'm called a goblin. I'm half of what you guys are." His one instinct told him to not talk with them and just run. He also felt a tiny urge to attack with his own claws but logic says a four against one fight was not going to happen.
"Schrodinger?" The spiky one asked as he tilted his head and looked him up and down.
"Stripe, Mohawk," Gizmo said as he continued to tremble.
"My name is Gerald," his voice dropped as he felt the bile form. How did this gremlin know what Friedrich had tried to rename him unless it was the one mogwai pet of the deformed scientist. "Razor?" He waited for the lead gremlin to nod. "Who are your friends?"
"Ooh, ooh," the large fat one raised his hand. "Butterball." He pointed at himself and then the albino one. "Garrison." At last he pointed at the brown one. "Chuckles."
"It's nice to meet you all," Gerald said as he tried to hide his fear.
"Nice to meet you," Butterball said and held out his hand only for Garrison to smack it away and growl at him.
"I'm guessing you are not a fan of the little guy," He looked down at Gizmo who stared back up with his large fearful eyes and ears held back. "Now I wonder if you would spare my life if I handed him over to you."
Razor blinked and his scowl switched into a frightening grin while he nodded.
"Oh and this is where the humanity in me is the strongest," Gerald said. "Also you guys are so stupid you didn't realize I was stalling you while my friends are about to hit you with mallets."
"Huh?" Razor and the rest turned around.
That was his cue. Gerald bolted and ran as fast as he could and turned to look over his shoulder to see the others right after him and even though their legs were shorter they keeping up by running on all fours.
"I need you to hold on tight to my shirt," Gerald said as placed the mogwai on his shoulders. "Have a good grip?"
"Uh huh," Gizmo answered and Gerald could feel the area near the collar being pulled back.
"Good." He dropped down and loped. He was faster than he was before and he noticed he was headed towards the direction of Sears. He could try and lose them in the department store.
He ignored the few other gremlins as he dodged through clothing racks and ran around the aisles. He leaped onto a table with several shoes on display and leaped down, scattering the footwear everywhere.
"Up," Gizmo said and pointed to the nearest escalator. It was off but it would suit as stairs.
Gerald climbed up the escalator until he reached the second floor and looked behind him. Garrison and Butterball were climbing up and Chuckles was about to join them.
The escalator started back up and it was the down direction. Garrison lost his footing and tumbled down to the ground followed by Butterball who landed right on top of him while Chuckles just pointed and laughed.
"Whoa," Gerald gasped. He stood back up to his full height and had to catch his breath. He stared at the escalator and wondered why it had started back up again.
"Razor," Gizmo said.
"Crap." Gerald had turned to the other escalator on the other side. It wasn't working but Razor had climbed up its steps and had reached the top.
"Gizmo, Schrodinger," the gremlin hissed.
"The name is Gerald," he snarled. "Your little goon squad had a spill and now it is you and me." He bared his own teeth. "You have claws and sharp teeth? Well so do I and I'm bigger than you."
Razor growled once more and leapt.
Right as a large metal object struck his head and sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Nasty little thing," the wielder of the object said. She was as tall as Gerald and had the same shade of green skin as Billy and wore a hot pink dress. Her head was crowned with dark brown curls and the narrow pupils in her pale green eyes turned round when she turned to look at him. "Hi I'm Penny."
"Penny?" Gerald tilted his head as he studied her. She was like him: four feet in height with four fingers and toes, large feet and ears. There were shorter spines on her shoulders and her face and she had human nose, mouth, chin, jawline and eyebrows and she was cute, pretty even. She also had the lovely curves of a human female.
"Gerald?" Penny asked in a pleased tone. "Where's daddy?"
"Downstairs with Chuck, uh he is a new friend of ours."
"New friend?" A familiar voice asked as a red headed teal goblin joined them.
"Darwin?" Gerald used his fee arm to sweep his friend up into a hug. "You got away from that oaf."
"I…ki…killed him," Darwin said and looked down. "I couldn't stop biting and scratching. I hated him. He helped them hurt you and Billy."
"Hey," Gerald said and brushed the crimson bangs out of the teal hybrid's eyes. "I was very tempted to do the same and he was a very bad man."
"But killing people is wrong," Darwin said. "Killing is wrong."
"Wrong," a brown gremlin said as he walked up to them. He had the largest eyes of any gremlin and the tips of his ears were folded in. "Hi. I Brody."
"Maybe we should talk about this later," Penny spoke up. "Razor is about to wake up." She pointed at the spiky gremlin who was slowly sitting up.
"Here take, Giz," Gerald handed her the mogwai and walked straight up the spiky gremlin. "Darwin can you get his legs?"
"Yes," Darwin replied and was careful to avoid the knee spikes on Razor.
"Huh?" the gremlin leader asked as Gerald grabbed his arms.
"Who wants to see if he can fly?"
"Yes," Darwin, Penny and the brown gremlin answered. Even Gizmo liked the idea.
With a quick motion the tossed Razor over the side and watched him fall to the floor. The spiky gremlin shook his head before he glared at them. He didn't see Chuckles run up behind him and grab his leader by the arms and haul him away.
Gerald wondered why they were running when the reason slithered into a view. He felt his heart rate increase as a creature that was half cobra and half gremlin crawled around in the area where Razor and his goons were.
"Everybody stay low," Gerald whispered as he dropped to the ground. "There is a snake gremlin monster down there and I don't think he saw us."
"Where should we hide?" Penny asked.
"Split up," Gerald suggested. "We find two different places and meet near kitchen supplies after about twenty minutes and then I will see if it is gone."
"I want to stay with you, Gerald," Penny said. "Please?"
"Darwin is that okay?" Gerald was originally going to be with Darwin and Gizmo, but he didn't mind being with the female goblin.
"Brody and I will hide together," Darwin said as he crawled away and was followed by the brown gremlin.
He's different from the others, right?" Gerald didn't feel threatened by the brown gremlin.
"Didn't want to change," Penny agreed. "Force fed."
"And we were tricked." He shook his head. "Follow me."
"Do you think, daddy is okay?" Penny asked as she crawled after him and Gizmo walked besides them.
"I'm sure Billy is fine."
Billy was relaxed and quite entertained as he continued to watch the cartoons. He could not remember the last time he enjoyed watching those classics and new series and laughed. He only wished he had some popcorn to snack on while he watched…or candy. Yes, he wanted some of that sugary candy and licked his lips while several gremlins chomped down on their Marvin the Martian lollipops.
"Yummy candy," Billy hissed.
"Here you go." The screechy voice was heard as something was placed in his hands. "Veggies are better than candy."
Billy stared down and watched as a half gremlin half salad bar walked away and then at the carrots in his hands.
"He's not wrong," Billy said as he took a bite from one of the carrots. He was always trying to make sure his own children had healthy snacks. He had to follow his own example. He did pause in midchew when thought of where the carrots came from. Did that vegetable gremlin break off some of his own body parts and if by eating them did that make Billy a semi cannibal? He'd worry about that later. He was hungry.
"Hey Billy do you read?" Chuck's voice came from the radio. "I repeat, do you read?"
"Loud and clear," Billy said after he had finished his first carrot. "Nothing has changed since you have left."
"Well nobody is in the office and I can't get a hold of Laura and she usually has two like me. I did talk to the other security guard and he found some people hiding in Walden Books and he is right now leading them outside."
"Good we need to get everyone out to safety first," Billy said and took a bite from another carrot. "I need to make sure everyone is outside and then we can look for Gerald." He looked at his hand and sighed as he remembered how the one woman had said he was a monster. "And you should be the one to do it, you and the other guard. I might scare someone."
"Dude if you speak with them-"
"Before these guys broke out into the mall they would listen but right now they are panicked. You were busy fighting some of the other gremlins in Claire's but I scared someone. They saw my teeth and claws and…and said I was a monster."
"You. Are. Not. A. monster." Chuck slowly drew out. "Don't let anyone get to you. It's because of you I know how to handle these things. You have been helping me and everyone. You are a great guy and a good friend."
"Thanks," Billy felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile. "Still would be easier for everyone with me staying here and you helping people. Is Gene still with you?"
"Yeah, he's snacking on some cookies."
"Stay together and get everyone to safety and I will try to come up with a plan." He would think of a place later, right now he needed a place to lie low. He looked around and his eye caught hold of the arcade. "I'm going to be in Vidiots. I'll kill some time there."
"I'll check back with you soon." Static ended the transmission.
"I'll just think of an idea on getting rid of these guys," Billy said softly as he approached the arcade. He could lure them all to the cinema. That worked the first time although he didn't want to blow up another building…even if it would look cool to watch. "No." He smacked the side of his head. Tricking them into stepping into the sunlight won't work and the only reason why soaking them and electrocuting them the last time was because of the electric gremlin and he was gone, then again the vegetable and bat gremlins have returned. He thought of how Chuck caused one of the gremlins to melt with a stun gun and maybe if they had more they could kill all of them, but they had to be wet as well.
Maybe the idea will come to him while he did some gaming.
They had removed the pillows from the shelves in the bedding department and slid inside and grabbed a few of the pillows to cover them. It was a quick plan but it wasn't the best.
"I don't think he is coming up here," Penny had said after a few minutes. "I don't know if he can climb up the steps or he just doesn't want to."
"I think you are right," Gerald said as he released his hold on the shams he was holding and tossed them to the ground. "How long have we been hiding? Five minutes?"
"Uh-huh," Gizmo agreed.
"I guess we can stop hiding," Gerald said. He was the first to climb out and he placed the pillows back.
"It was frightening." Penny helped him clean up the area. "It even scared Razor and did you see his face when you and Darwin tossed him?"
"Yeah," Gerald chuckled, "But not as funny as when you beaned him with a frying pan and those others falling down the escalator."
"Brody and Darwin were able to get it to run again," Penny said as she ran her fingers through her waves. "We make a great team."
"Yes team goblin and mogwai and rogue gremlin."
"Why do you keep calling us goblins?" Penny asked and raised her eyebrows.
"It's easier than calling us gremlin-human hybrids and few other words we came up with." He shrugged and looked down at Gizmo. "You think its good a temporary name for us."
"Goblins, yes," Gizmo agreed.
"Temporary," Penny said and looked down. "You are not going to stay like this?"
"I don't mean to offend you or hurt you, but Billy and I were born human. We have human lives, jobs, families. He has a wife and two kids and I have two daughters."
"No wife?"
"Divorced and it's complicated."
"Does that mean it will be okay if you gave me a kiss?"
"Huh?" He looked up at her and she had her hair twirled around a claw and a shy smile. "You want a kiss?"
"I've never been kissed." She traced the ground with her foot. "I know I'm only a day old, but in that time I read stories about kissing. The hero saves the princess and he would receive a kiss from her and I did save you from Razor."
"Sure, I guess." He walked up to her, closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were warm and soft. "That was kind of-"He was pulled in for another kiss. The second one lasted longer than the first. "That was something."
"You are very handsome," she breathed. "And smart, just like Darwin said."
"I..I..guess I'm not bad looking for a goblin." He felt her hands on his shoulders.
"Please kiss me again."
He didn't answer but complied with her request. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. She was the prettiest goblin he had even seen and he could imagine what she looked like if she were human. Damn when was the last time someone kissed him like that?
The kissed again, longer deeper and he felt her tongue in his mouth. A part of him wanted to stop but another part wanted to keep on going. Finally after a minute he pulled away.
"Whoo I think things are getting pretty intense, pretty fast. If we continue I might have to buy you a drink first." He opened his eyes and felt his jaw drop. She was standing in front of him, completely naked. When did she take that dress off? "Yes very fast."
"I want to go fast," Penny said as she ran her fingers along the length of her body. "I want to go all the way."
"We barely know each other and did you not hear what I said about a drink?"
"Please," she murmured and looked into his eyes. Her pupils were slits again. "Please have sex with me."
"I..I..really think we…" He was interrupted by another kiss. Why the hell was he resisting? He has gone way too long without some action.
"Yes?" She breathed while she traced his chin. She hissed at him, but it wasn't a threatening hiss, more soothing and more arousing.
"We should move to one of those bed set displays."