Chapter 25: Final Battle
Gizmo tried to wiggle out of the grasps out of the two gremlins that held him but to no avail. He had failed in trying to take on Razor. He had thought he would be able to since he had taken on the former carnations of the lead gremlin granted Stripe and Mohawk were alone both those times and even with Gene's help eleven gremlins might have been too much for them, at least there were five less.
"Gizmo," Razor hissed while constantly baring his teeth. He held the loathing scowl for only a few seconds before the corners of his mouth turned up into a grin, a very unsettling grin. "I wanted to kill you for so long, although torturing you is fun, much more fun and I like to have fun." He walked over to the magnetic gremlin and pulled off two large knives that were stuck to him.
"Do what you want with me," Gizmo said in defiance. He was prepared for the worst. "Let Gene go. I'm the one you want, not him."
You care about your clone, don't you?" Razor said before he walked over to where Vegetable and Gene were. "Before I play with you, we are going to play with him and you are going to watch and at midnight we will kill him right before your eyes and you know what we will do after?" He brought the tip of one of the knives against the nose of a trembling Gene who had his ears lowered.
"Kill me?"
"No my dear little goody two shoes, we will force you to eat and you will become one of us."
Gizmo's ears lowered as he gasped and he knew it was the reaction Razor was looking for and tried to hide it and he was able to turn it into a grin when he saw a goblin approach them, although he did not know who this goblin was since he was brown, had chestnut colored hair and wore glasses along with a child sized suit.
"So that is your game," the goblin said in a refined voice. "Turning him into something that he hates. As for punishments that is quite clever, although that wasn't your idea, not originally."
"You?" Razor blinked and pointed at him. "It worked."
"It did take longer than I had expected," the new goblin said. "But as you can see it works." He held up his briefcase. "I have more in here and my offer still stands." His smug grin faded when Razor smacked his hand against the briefcase, nearly knocking it out of the goblin's clutches.
"No goblin," the gremlin leader snarled.
"No goblin." The others chimed in.
"I don't just have the human serum in here," the goblin said as he set the case down on the chair and popped it open. "I do have some of it to turn some of my former species into creatures like me and the serum that would change humans, but I have others." He looked back up at them and grinned. "It is quite obvious the human friends of your imprisoned mogwai will be here any second and even with the boxing champion you have on your side they still have the advantage, especially if they have weapons." He pulled out three syringes "No human in here, but there are other animal serums that could give you and your party the advantage." He walked over to Garrison. "Allow me to demonstrate." He inserted the needle.
"Hey," Garrison said as he was being injected.
"That should do it." The goblin placed the syringe back into his briefcase and turned around to watch.
Garrison shuddered as his bottom bulged and another pair of arms grew from his middle. Two sets of translucent insect wings sprouted from his back. From the end of his bottom a stinger emerged.
"Apidae apis, or the common honey bee," the goblin explained. "And just in time."
Gizmo could hear the approaching steps and turned to see Billy, Kate, Billy's mom and Penny run towards the food court.
"Billy," Razor hissed.
"Oh, he betrayed you has he?" The goblin asked as punching gremlin leapt and Garrison flew off towards Billy and the others. "I could give all you some upgrades, make you even more stronger."
"Yeah," Butterball said and nodded while Chuckles also nodded his head.
"All I want is the other mogwai. Valerie is quite fond of little Gene and I am certain she will be grateful when she sees him safe and sound."
Gizmo looked at Razor who seemed to just shrug before he nodded. The vegetable gremlin handed over a squirming Gene to the goblin. Gizmo felt himself being grabbed by the spiky gremlin before he was handed over to the half plant gremlin
"Now for my part of the bargain," the goblin said as he injected both Butterball and Chuckles. "Bovidae bos tauros and chlamyphoridaw tolypeutes. The bovine bull and three banded armadillo."
Butterball grew taller and his legs longer and more muscular. His feet shifted into hooves and two large bull horns grew on his head. He swept one hoof on the floor, snorted and charged towards Billy and the others.
Chuckles continued to laugh as he mutated. His ears grew longer and floppier and his feet grew longer and he developed a fluffy tail.
"What?" The goblin asked as he stared at the empty syringe. "Lepus L Californicus?" He sighed. "I am sorry I mixed up the armadillo with the black tailed jack rabbit."
Chuckles jumped a few times before he bolted and ran around in circles before he joined the others.
"Well I guess it does have some benefits," the goblin said with a shrug. "Are you certain you wouldn't like anything to give you a winning edge, King Razor?" He waited for the gremlin to shake his head no before he grabbed his suitcase. "Very well, then we shall be off." The goblin walked away with Gene.
"Bye-bye," Gizmo said sadly as he waved at Gene who looked over the goblin's shoulder and waved back, at least the other mogwai was going to be safe.
"There they are," Billy said as they approached the food court. He could see several gremlins, including razor and he could see both mogwai, one was being held by Butterball and Chuckles and the vegetable one was holding Gene. He wasn't sure why the gremlins came here, unless they just got hungry again.
"Another goblin?" His mother asked and sure enough there was another one in a suit. There was something very familiar about him, especially the way he gestured when he talked and that briefcase he was holding. There was only one brown gremlin that walked around with a briefcase.
"Helix," Billy said as soon as he realized who it was. "So his serum did eventually work."
"Billy?" Kate had touched his arm.
The punching gremlin was leaping straight for them.
"Hold it," Billy said as he stepped in front and held out his arms. "Easy their champ."
"Put up your dukes," the gremlin said.
"If you insist," Billy said before he socked the gremlin as hard as he could in the chest and received a punch to the face. "Owe."
"More are coming," Kate said as a white bee like gremlin was flying their way. Great they were mutating again. The bee gremlin had to be Garrison and he was flying straight towards his mother.
"Get away from my grandma!" Penny shouted before she smacked the small white flying gremlin with her pan and sent him tumbling backwards in the air.
"Another one," Kate said as a bull like gremlin came charging towards them and sent them scattering. Billy had leaped onto the top of a trash can and Kate and his mother had jumped or side stepped to the side. Their weapons were scattered as was the old beach towel he had used a cloak.
"Looks like it is a divide and conquer," Billy said as the punching gremlin bounced towards him.
"I'll take the rock em sock em one," Kate volunteered as she got back onto her feet. She tackled the kangaroo gremlin. "Try and get me." She ran back to where her sword was on the ground.
"Right," Billy said and rubbed his jaw before he jumped down. It was time for him to get vicious again. He turned to face the Butterbull while snarling at him. The mutated gremlin was as tall as him now and he was charging again. Billy waited until the last second before he jumped and tried to swipe at the gremlin with his claws and missed. Well if acting like a gremlin wasn't going to work then he had to act or think like a human and how does a human fight a bull?
"Come back here you," his mother shouted as she tried to chase around Chuckles who was now running around twice as fast as a regular gremlin.
"Fight a bull, fight a bull," Billy mumbled as the idea came to him. "Of course." He was glad he kept the towel and picked it up off the floor. "Oh Butterball." He held up the sheet. "Toro toro, ole?"
Butterball snorted and swept the ground with his hoof twice before he charged again and Billy side stepped him.
"Take that," Penny said as she continued to swat at Garrison with her pan. "And that, and that."
Kate managed to block the strikes from the kangaroo and smiled before she brought her foot up and kicked him between the legs.
Billy continued his dance with Butterbull, waving the towel and luring him away. He couldn't keep it up forever and had to kill Razor and rescue the mogwai. He had one more idea since the mutated gremlin was pretty dumb and he seems to fall into a routine.
"Toro Bueno," Billy said to him. "Toro, toro." He waved the sheet this time in front of a brick wall and hoped it would work. "Toro, toro, ole." He watched as the gremlin bull charged and he kept the sheet up and ready. At the last second he dropped it and the bull struck head first into the wall.
With that one gremlin out of commission for a little while he could help the others.
The head of the kangaroo gremlin rolled out in front of him. He looked up to see Kate as she lowered the blade, stained with green blood.
"Now for the other two," Billy said and turned to face Garrison who was on the ground and just twitching. "Or one?" He looked for his mother and Chuckles who was also twitching. He turned to where the Butterbull was and it was also vibrating like the others. "What is going on?"
The three mutated gremlins kept on vibrating before bulges appeared on their bodies and then they expanded, growing bloated before they shrank back down again and expanded once more and shrank back to regular size before they shriveled up like raisons and melted into three puddles.
"Why did they do that?" Penny asked. She still had her pan raised but lowered it down and tilted her head. "Did anyone use electricity?"
"I must have failed to mention that side effect." The voice belonged to Helix and Billy turned to see the former gremlin had returned with his briefcase and Gene. "The animal serum did transform them instantly as I had hoped and the other compound took effect a few minutes later causing their cellular structure to instantly disintegrate." He set the mogwai down who ran straight towards Billy's mom.
"Why are you here?" Billy asked, trying to keep his voice from growling. "Whose side are you on and are you plan on using your mutating and disintegrating serums on us?"
"I do not blame you for your reservations about me, my dear William, but the animal serums were not meant for humans but for them." He pointed at the puddles. "I had them prepared when I made the others but I didn't have enough to take on the whole army if I wished. I had a feeling you were going to take care of them and you have." He gave him a polite grin and a brief applause. "I do have to give your performance as King Billy the proper respect it had deserved. You almost even had me convinced you turned against humanity."
"I was actually starting to turn," Billy said in a weak voice. "Then I had some sense slapped into me." He turned to his mother. "Thanks mom."
"My plan would have been perfect," Helix said. "Except for the one detail. I was hoping Razor would also accept, but we will have to find another way."
"What is this we?" Billy asked as he folded his arms.
"He okay, he okay," Gene explained.
"I explained everything to young Gene as was the original plan was that I would bring the mogwai to safety and after the four disintegrated then Gizmo would be safe."
"Gizmo," Billy gasped before he turned back to where he last saw his friend and nearly collided with the vegetable gremlin who was running up to them with Gizmo in his arms.
"Fire bad, fire bad," the vegetable one said before he was slugged in the face by Kate.
"Giz!" Billy took his mogwai into his arms and gave him a hug. "I missed you so much." He stared into the warm brown eyes of his friend before he stroked the top of his head. "So glad you are okay." He pulled the purring mogwai back for another hug.
"Billy," Gizmo said and hugged him back. "I miss you."
"Missed you as well. Are you okay with me being like this?"
"It is strange but I know it is you, my good friend," Gizmo answered before he looked back to the center of the food court. "Razor."
Billy heard the ringing of the fire alarm and turned to see Razor standing in the middle where several chairs were on fire. Almost instantly the sprinklers turned on.
"Uh oh," Gizmo said as not only the sprinklers over the fire were turned on but other sprinklers had started.
"Cover the mogwai," Billy said and pointed to the nearest store. "Inside now." He grabbed the unconscious vegetable gremlin and hauled him into the store. It was an athletic apparel store the gremlins did not touch and more importantly it was dry.
The others had also ran inside and even though a few drops got on Helix and Penny it was not enough to cause any kind of an reaction.
"How are we going to stop them?" Penny asked as she stared out of one of the display windows.
Blisters had developed on the back of Razor while the other gremlin just started to twitch while sparks bounced over his body. It had ran off and only made it a few feet before it had started to melt. Well at least that was one down.
"Not sure," Billy answered as he ran his claws through his slightly damp hair. It wasn't enough for him to multiply. "We go out there and get wet and there will be more of us as well."
"Two of you don't have that problem," Helix said as he gestured at the two human women. He was right.
"Mom," Billy said as he looked at his mother and then at his wife. "Kate. It's up to the two of you."
"Don't worry about us," his mother said and gave him a kiss on the top of the head.
"We'll be right back," Kate added before she kissed him on the lips. "Well, mom, lets be heroes." She grabbed onto the hilt of the sword and ran off with Lynn behind her.
Kate felt her heart racing as she ran towards the spawning gremlin. She had never fought against the gremlin leader before. In the past she assisted Billy with blowing up the Kingston Falls movie theater and by trying to find the right switches in the department store, eight years ago she pulled the fire alarm so people would leave the building and she assisted Billy with his idea and now she was going to take on the lead gremlin.
"Katie," Razor said her name. His back was covered with the bubble like bulges and there were several small gremlins on the ground already and they were growing. He also had two knives.
"Hello Razor," Kate said as she swung her sword and was blocked by the knives. She swung again and again only to be blocked by the gremlin. "Looks like you may have won this time."
"I did win," Razor said as more gremlins crawled out. He lashed at her with the blade only to be blocked. "King Razor."
"You forgot about me," Kate said as she swung her blade again. "I'm not the victim this time."
"Where my blood brother?" Razor asked. "Where Billy?"
"Safe and dry," Kate answered before she swung again and once again was blocked but it was just the one knife, freeing the other to strike her arm. She cried out in pain.
"Victim," Razor chuckled as the first group of gremlins had reached their full height and a third group climbed out. "I win."
"You forgot something else," Kate told him.
"Huh?" Razor asked right before he vibrated and sparks danced over his body.
"You forgot about Billy's mother," Kate answered as Lynn Peltzer stepped away from the gremlin while she was holding a stun gun. Kate plunged the sword into Razor's chest before she pulled it out and swung down and swiped at a few more of the new adult gremlins who had their backs about to burst with more spawn. Several heads went flying.
"I fryem and you carve em," Lynn said as she used her stun gun on the other gremlins.
Kate continued to stab and slice the gremlins until they were all dead and the sprinklers had begun to shut themselves off, one at a time.
"That's all of them," Lynn said with a smile. "It's over, again."
"Almost," Kate told her. "There is still one left." She thought of the vegetable gremlin. "I'm pretty sure the others have taken care of it."
They made their way back to the shop, soaked with water and clothes stained green by gremlin blood. Kate had handed Lynn the sword while she continued to hold onto her bleeding arm and paused where the dead gremlins were to retrieve the towel Billy had used to wrap up her arm.
"We did it," Kate said as they entered the store and paused. She couldn't see where they others were. "Billy? Gizmo?"
The only sounds she could hear were crunching and munching sounds followed by a few "Yum yums."