Evan's in a hurry. If he doesn't get going, Slappy might have obtained all the Monster Blood and worst of all, Andy and Conan might be hurt, or worse. It's the "or worse" part that scares him most. He doesn't want to imagine either of them dead, not even Conan. He doesn't have the time, not the want to talk to Lucy right now, Just looking at her makes Evan angry, but she won't let him leave.
"How can you do it, Lucy?" Evan asks.
"Do what?" She asks, totally innocent-sounding.
"Let your father do what he's about to do!" Evan shouts.
Lucy turns away, a little guilty now. Evan starts to wonder if somehow he can reach her, turn her against her father's plot. Maybe it's not too late.
"You wouldn't understand, Evan. I'd do anything for my family." Lucy says defensively.
"Oh yeah? So you'll just let him turn everyone on the planet into monsters? For some stupid revenge?" Evan asks her.
"Is being a monster such a bad thing? I don't think you get the kind of things humans have done. We're a horror show for you to gawk at!" Lucy says.
Evan stops. It's true, he doesn't understand. How can he? Hell, all of this is brand new to him. A couple days ago, the only monster he'd ever met was an uncontrollable can of green slime, and even that one was capable of destroying his life. What could monsters like the Darks do to him then? What even is all out there? Maybe Mr. Dark is right. The supernatural is too difficult for the human brain to comprehend, but surely there is a better way, a way to fix a battle that's been going on for god-knows how long? Evan is hardly the best candidate for the job. He can hardly understand people in general. He isn't sure if he even understands himself.
"You're right, Lucy. I can't, but you have to listen to me: Your father is luring people like me to Dark Falls because of what happened to us as kids. Somehow, we were unlucky enough to encounter things we shouldn't have. Nobody would believe us, so we had to fight that battle for ourselves. Then when all was said and done, it was like nothing ever happened, our experiences were swept under the rug." Evan says.
This was something he'd never really spoken about to anyone. After the whole incident with the blue blobs, the authorities were all too eager to cover everything up in a way that made the story a lot easier to stomach. Any evidence the blue blobs had ever attacked Atlanta was erased. Maybe similar things had happened to the other kids, and maybe this is why Mr. Dark is so angry at them. Because at the end of the day, monsters are still forced to hide in the shadows.
"Lucy, when I first met you, I felt somehow connected. I don't think you want to admit it, but you're one of us, aren't you? I think you had an experience of your own as a kid. That no one believed you either. You might want to forget it, but you can't. I know I certainly can't either. Because those kinds of things stick with you. It's not your fault. You have to see what your father's doing is wrong. Please" Evan pleads with Lucy, still trying to reason with her.
She's still turned away, but Evan can tell he's made some kind of impact.
"Evan, stop. You'll never understand." She replies.
"Then help me!" Evan begs. "Before it's too late."
"No. I won't turn against my father." Lucy says. "Not even for you, Evan."
"Fine," he says. "Now the least you can do is let me leave, because all of my friends might be dead now because of you."
Evan doesn't hold back his rage. He wants it to sting. But Lucy doesn't really respond, she just opens the door, finally allowing Evan to run down the dilapidated stairs of the Dead House out into the inky black of Dark Falls, which somehow feels more sinisterly alive now that it's night. Maybe it's just the fact Evan is now running like hell down the street, narrowly avoiding any creeping shadow that might be a threat ready to pop out at him and suck him dry of blood. Evan knows there must be a lot out here. Something still bothers him though. How much control does Mr. Dark have over the town? The ones back in the cemetery were certainly disobedient, but was there someway the Darks were immune to becoming victims? Evan isn't sure. He also wonders just what the "special tool" Mr. Dark mentioned is. Frankly, there's too many questions, Evan thinks. The important part now is getting back home.
Evan expects to find the windows smashed or something, but his house seems to be okay on the outside, besides the obvious imperfections due to old age and general creepiness the buildings in Dark Falls provide. His parents aren't home yet. Strange, considering they usually are at this time. Another thing to worry about. Reaching the front door, Evan uses his shoulder to bring it down, but finds it's completely unlocked. When he flicks on the lights, he sees the walls are now smeared with red paint- messages like "SLAPPY WAS HERE" and "WELCOME HOME EVAN" alongside tiny dummy-sized handprints.
As Evan walks, something crunches under his shoes. Looking down, he sees it's shards from a broken vase. His mother's, to be more specific. She's not going to be happy about this. She'll have to forgive Evan if he saves her life from monsters though, right? That seems like a fair trade. But then he starts to feel the fear creep in. A broken vase means there must have been a struggle.
"Andy?" Evan cries out. "Are you here?"
Suddenly, Evan hears something else crash, then the familiar sound of Andy shouting.
"I've got you now, you fucking dummy!" Andy says.
In response, Evan hears an evil cackle. The same from the phone call.
"The only dummies I see are you bozos!" Slappy rasps. "I've strangled puppies more threatening than you!"
Evan picks up the pace. In the living room, he sees a sight he can't say he ever expected to see- Andy, her arms raised with a baseball bat, fending off a walking ventriloquist dummy the size of a child. Slappy is just as creepy as Evan expected. He wears a gray suit, currently buttoned all the way up, though part of a white undershirt is still visible as a large red bowtie rests beneath his chin. His limbs are lanky. Evan wonders if his whole body's made out of wood, or just certain parts, because he seems to have no trouble walking, as if someone brought a ragdoll to life. Meanwhile, his head looks shiny and polished, sporting dark brown hair and a pair of eerie blue eyes, which look like they're almost glowing in the darkness of the room. The worst part though are the dummy's lips, which curl into a permanent red smile.
"Newsflash, girly-girl, those kinds of clothes went out of style YEARS ago. I'd say you're colorblind, but even colorblind people have more fashion sense than you! Did a rainbow vomit on you or what?" Slappy insults Andy with an evil grin.
Evan hates how unnatural the dummy's jaw looks as it opens up to speak, wide, allowing Evan to see the hollow blackness inside Slappy's mouth. He never liked dummies very much to begin with.
"Come on, Conan! Pin him down or something! I swear to god, I'm going to gag you!" Andy shouts.
"What? No way! You know dolls freak me out!" Conan says.
"Christ. Do I have to do everything around here?" Andy snaps at him, and goes for a swing.
With a crack, Evan watches as Andy smacks Slappy with her bat, sending the dummy flying into the wall. It's an impressive hit. The dummy makes a noise of pain when it hits. Do dummies feel pain? This one apparently does.
"Chucky doesn't have shit on me!" Andy says with a laugh.
"Andy! Thank god you're okay." Evan says, rushing over to her side.
Andy doesn't look quite as happy to see him. In fact, she's more than a little bitter.
"Took you long enough." She says. "As you can see, we have a little problem!"
Evan watches as Slappy sits right back up, standing once more.
Slappy giggles. "Hello Evan. You're even UGLIER than you sound on the phone!"
"Slappy." Evan grimaces. "You want to talk? Okay, first things first- I'm going to need you to get the hell out of my house."
"Sure thing, kiddo. Just as soon as you give me the Monster Blood!" Slappy says.
Andy looks over at him. "In case you're worried, I didn't give ANY of it to him. What does he even need it for?"
"It's okay. I didn't think you would. It's a long story- short version, Mr. Dark is going to use it to turn the whole world into monsters. He's a monster too- he blames kids like us for monsters having to hide themselves, so all of this- the whole luring people to Dark falls stuff, is part of some revenge scheme. He chose us for a reason." Evan explains.
"Geez, talk about karma." Conan says.
Both Evan and Andy choose to ignore him. Andy seems surprisingly unphased by the information. "Wow. Typical rich guy plot, huh?" she says.
Evan struggles to respond. "A bit simplistic way of putting it, but something like that."
"So I guess things aren't going to work out with Lucy?" she asks
Evan cringes a bit. "Nope. I don't think so."
Andy looks at him apologetically.
"Yes, too bad so sad, Evan. Not even a monster wants to be your girlfriend! And if the rumors are to be believed, Lucy Dark is quite repulsive under all that makeup!" Slappy says, still amused as ever.
"Shut up." Evan snaps at Slappy. He's already had enough of the dummy's wisecracks.
"Are we taking this guy down together?" Andy asks.
"Let's do it." Evan smirks.
"Bring it on! At least you won't die alone!" Slappy says.
Without hesitation, Evan grabs Slappy with brute force. He's heavier than Evan expected. Evan isn't sure if all dummies have a bit of weight, or if somehow Slappy actually has organs and a skeleton beneath all that wood. The second option unnerves him. In Evan's grasp, Slappy squirms around and struggles, making cries of protest, followed by continued insults.
"You think you can stop me, carrot-top? I'll peel you like one! Then your stupid little hamster too!" Slappy warns Evan.
Okay, now Evan's angry. No one threatens Cuddles, especially not this dummy.
"Hold him down, Evan! I'll get the tape!" Andy instructs.
Evan obeys, keeping Slappy in a tight chokehold as Andy begins to tie the dummy to a chair in the living room. Evan's still struggling to comprehend what's going on right now. It's like they're kidnapping someone. Said someone is an evil dummy, but still, it's strange. Before long, Slappy is tied up completely. Andy seems satisfied, a little too happy to see the dummy now completely helpless but Evan hopes duct tape will be enough to hold him.
"Can we tape his mouth shut or what? I'm tired of hearing his voice." Andy asks.
"Not yet.. I need answers." Evan tells her.
"Of course you do. You're already so clueless!" Slappy says.
"Ricky Beamer? You know him, don't you?" Evan asks the Dummy.
"That nerdy loser with the lizard skin? How could I forget?" Slappy sneers.
"He said that you paid him a visit.. You were the one who told him about Mr. Dark's plan to lure us to Dark Falls. Why do that if you're working with him?" Evan asks.
Slappy begins to laugh. "You think I'm working with him? That dummy's just my puppet! I'm the one pulling the strings. Larry Dark found me for his collection and used the words to bring me to life. He's nothing more than my slave! I told Ricky the Rat the details because it was a trap, you idiot! I needed you all together to launch what will be my ultimate revenge." he explains.
Evan wonders if what Slappy's saying is true. He can't imagine Mr. Dark actually served this dummy. No. It seems both have their own conflicting agendas.
"Why?" Evan asks. It's the only question he can really think of now.
"Honestly? I just thought it'd be fun." Slappy giggles. "Larry Dark's kidding himself if he thinks all monsters will just magically get along. That's why the only answer is to put me in charge. Then everyone will be my slave, for all eternity!" The giggle turns into a long cackle.
"Yeah, I've had enough of this fucking guy." Andy says, and places a string of tape on Slappy's mouth as a gag.
Evan doesn't stop her. He's rather glad to shut Slappy up, but there's still a big problem weighing him down.
"What the hell do we do now?" Evan asks.
"Why not just let him go to war with the Darks? It would benefit us all in the long run. Let them kill each other!" Andy says.
"It's too risky." Evan tells her. "For now, what matters is they don't have the Monster Blood. I say we dispose of Slappy. Shouldn't be that hard, right?"
Slappy begins to speak, but it's muffled by the tape. He's definitely getting angry. Too bad.
"I can get behind that idea. I'm sure there's room in Dark Falls cemetery, isn't there?" Andy asks.
Evan stops. He doesn't like the idea of anyone venturing back there, especially not Andy.
"I don't think it's safe. The place is crawling with dead people and uh.. I may have released some Monster Blood there."
Andy flashes him a familiar look.
"It was an emergency, okay? I didn't have a choice." Evan explains.
"I'm not judging. Look, I'll find a sewer or something to drop the dummy in if it bothers you that much."
Evan considers the option. It's not like there's many alternatives.
"Okay." he says.
"Good, now help me lug him into my car."
Evan nods and soon he and Andy have picked up the chair like they're moving furniture into a new house, all the while Slappy keeps on squirming. Evan wishes he'd shut up for five seconds. Carefully, Evan and Andy open the trunk but stop in complete shock and horror at what they see.
The Monster Blood is gone. Slappy was nothing more than a distraction for someone else to come and take it. Even though the tape is still over his mouth, Evan can tell the dummy is laughing in victory. Mr. Dark is one step closer to achieving his goal.