Monsters roamed around Wakefield, Jack and Rover sitting at the front of the treehouse. He tapped his slicer against the wood and then threw it before catching it. "You know, Rover, ever since we battled Blarg, everything's been perfect and everyone's been happy. June's moved into the treehouse, and everyone's totally buddy-buddy. And we have zero problems," He smiled happily at the thought that everyone was getting along...
"You're the smelliest thing in this apocalypse!" June shouted from inside, and Jack turned to the treehouse in shock.
"Living with you is the end of the world!" Quint argued back.
"Ugh!" June threw a shoe out the window, Jack ducking.
"Did you just throw my shoe?!" Quint pointed to where she threw it.
"You're lucky I didn't throw you!" June retorted back.
"I'd like to see you try!" Quint glared at her, hands on his hips.
"I bet you would!"
"DIRK!" May shouted as she stormed over to him. He glanced down at her from the upper level. "Did you seriously use all of my peach-mango shampoo?!" She demanded to him, holding up the empty bottle. "I used to get that imported from France! I was trying to figure out what it was made of so that I could replicate it!"
"It's just shampoo, you could always get some at a store," Dirk shrugged it off.
"You wanna tell me which one in Wakefield then, or you wanna drive to Paris to get it?!" She growled at him. "I've spent hours ever since I've been here trying to re-make it! And you don't even need it!"
"Excuse me for trying to keep my hair clean!"
"Well, maybe we have one or two problems," Jack corrected himself, looking a bit sad that they weren't getting along like he had hoped.
"Ugh!" June slammed down her spear. "Quint, filling the bestiary could help us figure out where those monsters came from, or how this all happened. So we have to be organized." He didn't seem to be paying attention or listening. "I was the editor of the school paper and I know exactly how to do this."
He slammed down the book on the desk in front of him. "June, I am a scientist. Believe me, I know how best to construct the bestiary," He then held it up. "A photo and all pertinent facts for each creature shall be logged alphabetically. May, you see my point, right?"
"Quint, all I know right now is that my hair is gonna stink by next week, thanks to a shampoo thief!" She clenched her fists while glaring up at Dirk. "Look, all I'm gonna say is that there's no one right way to do things, and as the former editor of the school paper, you should know that," She pointed out in annoyance to June.
"Oh, and like your shampoo is the same as outside right now," June retorted back, May growling at her. "You know, we're in the apocalypse! Stop trying to be Ms. Perfect all the time!"
"And you stop-"
"You dorks!" Dirk jumped from the upper level, landing on the ground. "All we gotta know is, is this monster mean? How do we destroy it? And is anyone ever gonna clean the bathroom or get May some stupid shampoo?!"
"This is ridiculous!" June shouted in annoyance.
"You threw my shoe!" Quint pointed at her in anger.
"And you two are being stubborn! Not that I'm surprised from Ms. Firecracker," May jerked a thumb to June, who whipped around to her.
"What did you just call me?!"
"You guys are the real dumbbells!" Dirk yelled and they all started arguing with each other. Jack and Rover watched them from the window.
"Ugh," He sat down in dismay. "Now it's like we're all at each other's throats in this treehouse..." Rover lowered his head, Jack petting it. "I just want us to be one big, perfect, happy buddy family," He looked up as he daydreamed.
Jack opened the door to the treehouse, a laugh track occurring for some reason. "How was everyone's day?" He tossed the slicer and it landed perfectly inside of their armory.
"Look what I caught today!" June held up a giant monster hanging from a fishing pole, wearing a red bandana with white polka dots on it.
"Looks like we have dinner!" Jack lightly tapped it. "Thanks, June."
"I raided some of the stores today! I brought home a cake for dessert!" May held it up with a smile.
"Aw, that's so cool, May," Jack smiled at her, taking some frosting with his finger and tasting it. "Mm, still fresh!"
"And I put the finishing touches on my explosive zombie disruptor," Quint put on goggles, scratching his cheek. "Now where did I put it?"
A toilet was heard flushing and Dirk stumbled out covered in smoke. He touched his butt while bouncing around. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" He fell onto the ground as the zombie disruptor was in there.
"Classic Quint," June, May, and Jack said in unison with big smiles, Quint just shrugging. They all laughed in unison.
A shoe was thrown outside, hitting Jack in the back of his head. "Ow!"
"Hey! My other shoe!" Quint protested from inside.
"Stop throwing his stuff outside, Bossy Pants!" May told June in annoyance.
"Protecting your boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend!" May screeched in embarrassment, both girls heard arguing.
"Rover, we need something to unite everyone, remind everyone we're a team," Jack smiled at the monster, clenching a fist. Rover whimpered as Jack looked at his slicer. "Like when on our battling-and-defeating-Blarg quest!"
"A zombie would be a better roommate than you two!" Quint told Dirk and June.
"With a zombie, at least I'd be able to hear myself think!" June slammed down her spear.
"Nobody can hear themselves think!" Dirk retorted back, May pinching her nose.
"Any monster would be better than trying to reason with you," She pointed at June, who got into her face.
"Same here!"
"A quest!" Jack announced as he burst in, everyone staring at him with narrowed eyes. "We're going questing! Don't you see what this is?" He took the bestiary from Quint, holding it up. "It's not just a bestiary," He showed it to everyone. "It's a gateway to questing fun! Because we're questers! We're heroic heroes of heroicism!" He declared to them, jumping down from the ladder. "It's the end of the world and we're still here," He jumped on tables, kicking off a checkers board. "We're still standing! You know why?"
"...Cause we don't have enough chairs?" Dirk shrugged a bit.
"Because we're a team!" Jack answered him, jumping down from the table. "So stop arguing and start lacing up your sneakers!"
"Mine are outside," Quint lamented as he looked down at his socked feet.
"We're going on a quest together," Jack wrapped his arms around everyone. Quint and Dirk smiled, but June and May didn't look too sure about it.
"And what are we questing for?" June pointed out.
"Fun! At the funnest end-of-the-world place anyone ever heard of! ...The mall."
The mall itself was surrounded by zombies, but they had managed to slip past all of them. The main problem now was that they were being chased by a giant worm monster. They all screamed as they ran side-by-side. "I don't remember the mall being so deadly!" Jack shouted at the top of his lungs while the worm monster roared.
"The good news is, we found another monster for our bestiary!" Quint yelled over the chaos.
"Yeah, that's what's important right now," Dirk retorted to him.
"Indeed! We must name our monstrous new discovery," Quint smiled at his panicked friends. "How about-"
He slipped from some rubble, falling off a broken platform towards a crowd of zombies. May and Dirk both grabbed his feet while running. He screamed at being so closed to the zombies before he was pulled up.
"Worry about the name later," Dirk told him.
"Maybe it can wait a little!" Quint screamed as they turned the corner. The worm beast slammed into a wall before screeching at them.
"Now what?" May asked as they came to an intersection.
"Split up! It can't follow all five of us," June ordered the group.
"Copy that!" Jack agreed and they took off...Dirk turned to Quint at his side in confusion.
"What?! We were supposed to split."
"I always split left. June knows that," He turned to her in accusation.
"That's literally never come up," June argued back.
"Well, May at least knows that."
"No I don't," May interjected to him. "Honestly never knew until today!"
"I love it," Jack smiled as they had all went in the same direction. "Great minds thinking alike. A real team. Just a classic quest." Another snarl was heard and he looked up ahead to see the worm blocking their path. They all skid to a stop as it screeched.
"Jack! Throw it!" Quint called out to him.
"Oh, right. The boomerang," He held it up from his pocket.
"Boomerang!" Quint smiled widely to the camera. "A rang that goes boom. Designed to distract and disorient monsters. Another fine product brought to you by Quint's Post-Apocalyptic Action Adventure Supplies, Inc."
"Hey! Wormburger! You rang?" Jack threw the boomerang and...he missed. "Oh..." He lamented before it spun back around and hit the worm from behind. They all cheered as it screeched in pain and then lunged forward. Cheering turned into screaming and Dirk grabbed all of them, diving out of the way into another room. They looked back as the worm dove out from the upper lever and then dug into the ground floor of the mall. Rubble fell from the ceiling, May looking up as she leaned forward, but not by too much. "That worked just like I planned."
"Whoo! He's gone," Dirk declared, hands on his hips. "Probably forever."
"Oh, please," Quint rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure you're a hundred percent right," June deadpanned at him.
"Yeah, a worm monster giving up after getting hit with a boomerang. That happens," May retorted, raising a brow at Dirk that said 'Really?'
"Okay, slight adventure hiccup. But the quest is back on track!" Jack smiled at the four. "Our goal: have as much fun as possible! Your happy meters are gonna explode!" He could just imagine four meters above their heads going from empty to green in seconds, exploding. They just stared at him weirdly.
"Sorry, our what meters?" Dirk asked in confusion.
"Might wanna start explaining that stuff in a language that I can understand," May rubbed a temple.
"Well, you may have a point," June walked up to the edge, smiling. "I mean, wow. The whole mall. What are we gonna do?"
Jack joined her side with a smile. "The question isn't what are we gonna do? The question is-"
"What aren't we gonna do?" Quint interrupted while holding up his finger with a smile. "Was that gonna be the question? I suspect that was gonna be the question." Jack just sighed, pinching his nose while shaking his head.
"Y-Yes, Quint..."
June just laughed at him.
They visited the candy store, raiding all the displays. June was about to snatch something from a container when Quint closed it, pointing up to a sign that said no touching it with your hands. He held out a scooper instead, Dirk running up to some machines. Quint glanced over to see May eating from a display of gummy worms. Dirk pulled all the levers and he, Jack, and June laughed as they let it spill. Quint plucked some from the displays, putting them all into a bag. He wanted his candy to at least be clean. May just enjoyed her gummy worms and Quint poked her shoulder. She glanced behind her to see Quint holding out a giant bag full of gummy worms and she squealed happily.
They all rode bikes down a floor, June using a makeshift ramp. "Ha! Follow the leader, guys," She challenged them. Jack laughed and headed for the escalator. Dirk jumped and went down the rail, followed by May. Jack and Quint both went down the steps, all of them laughing. Quint then spread out his legs, pulling them back to press on a fire extinguisher attached to the bike.
"So long, slowpokes!" He called out as he passed by them.
"Ha! And Quint takes the lead," Jack grinned, looking up and gasping. They were passing right by a store called Gameageddon. "End of the world means..." He looked up ahead and saw he was heading for the fountain. He crashed into it and fell into the water. He spit it out, seemingly okay as he pumped his fists. "Free video games!"
He shouted happily as he was inside a display, grabbing all the games he could. He then saw a giant statue in front of him. "Whoa. Epic...is that-" He slipped out of the display, kneeling in front of it. "Battlefort 2 armor?! Save and protect the entire galaxy. I am totally taking this! Just need a way to get it out of here."
He pulled the armor out of the store filled with games, and Rover crashed into him. He held a panda stuffed toy in his mouth, wanting to play. "Buddy! Your timing is awesome!" Rover panted in front of him. "Ugh! And your breath needs work," He waved a hand in front of his face. Rover let out a howl.
Quint ran down an aisle from an electronics store, looking around happily. He took a telescope and some other things, leaving behind some cash. It might be the end of the world, but that didn't mean he was gonna start stealing. He laughed happily as he hugged the telescope.
June destroyed some fashion displays, cheering happily.
Dirk took a fishing pole, using it to catch a hat.
May hugged a big giant lizard plush, laughing happily. She then looked across to the mechanics shop and ran in, aweing all sorts of tools she could on the next repair for Big Mama.
June, Quint, Dirk, and May all laughed happily as they rejoined, walking up to Jack, who was loading up Rover. He looked at them and saw their happy meters fill up. He then took out a camera and took a picture of them, smiling.
"Rover, please carry our loot back to Big Mama," Jack informed him. May patted his snout and he licked at her cheek happily.
"Rover!" She chuckled at him. "Be safe, okay?"
He roared and jumped, climbing up a pillar before jumping up to the ceiling and getting out that way. "Well, guys, shall we say, uh, quest complete? Now let's skedaddle."
"Ugh, I forgot," Dirk pushed past him as they looked down at the ground floor. There was a giant hole...right in front of the exit, so there was no way to get out or in from the front entrance.
"That big worm monster destroyed our way out," June gestured to the hole.
"The big worm monster?" Quint deadpanned at this. "Ugh! We gotta come up with a better name."
"Seriously!" Dirk exclaimed in exasperation at him.
"Man, we can't jump like Rover can, and no way am I jumping down there into that hole," May crossed her arms.
"Uh, no worries. Plenty of exits," Jack tried to ease the slight tension. Every single exit they found was blocked off by zombies, debris, or closed doors that they couldn't get through.
"Jack! Your quest has trapped us in the mall with oodles of super fun zombies!" June yelled at him.
"Uh, yeah, but uh, stuff! Loot! We got good gear and also fun while having fun together," Jack tried to remind them.
"Yeah, if you think dying together's fun," Dirk retorted to him.
"Did fun include that giant worm?" May shook her head, June sighing heavily.
"Split up. Look for a way out. And stay on the walkie," She told them as they all split up, May going with Quint. Jack looked around at them, as now they weren't so happy anymore.
"Okay, I'll just be here. Walking in this direction," He lamented as he walked by himself. Something moved from the shadows, looking at a display shelf of perfume. They sprayed it onto themselves before following after Jack.
June heard a screech, looking up. She then hid as a giant monster flew above the glass skylight up above. She then went back to searching.
Dirk had went down a hallway that supposedly lead to an emergency exit, trying to punch it open, and was unsuccessful. "Oh, I hate when brute force isn't the answer," He sagged his shoulders.
May and Quint were in a partly lit area as they looked around. Quint glanced back at the girl he liked, as he was now alone with her. "So...May. Just us two friends hanging out..." He said casually and she glanced to him.
"Is looking for a way to escape being trapped inside with a bunch of zombies and that worm monster really hanging out?" She raised a brow in confusion.
"Uh, well..." He rubbed his neck sheepishly before seeing something. "Ooh!" He ran up to a window, looking outside it. He opened it...and then a moving vine slithered in. "Aah! Poor choice! Poor choice," He slammed the window, the thing still moving. It lunged towards Quint, who screamed until May pushed past them and sliced it off with her shovel claws. It moved while on the ground and she stomped on it until it stopped. "Thank you, May."
"No problem. Guess windows are a no go..." She sweated a little.
Jack walked down another hallway when suddenly he heard a gust of wind. He looked to see a door, moving something out of the way. He then peeked and saw another door across a staircase, laughing in triumph. "An exit. Yes!"
He was about to inform the others when he heard the zombies from down below. He looked down at them in thought.
"Anyone have any luck?" June asked over walkie.
"Sure, I found a bunch of ways out," Dirk retorted to her. "I just didn't tell anyone."
"I do believe that's sarcasm," Quint pointed out.
"Dirk, come on, really? Why?" May asked in annoyance.
"I asked a simple question, but no!"
Jack sighed at their bickering once again, looking back between the door and the rest of the mall. "Escape or stay here for a family dinner? Hmm...no question." He then turned on the walkie. "Guys, I found exactly what we need!"
The food court was littered with zombies, one of them dropping some food on the floor. "Exactly what we need!" He explained once the others had met up with him. "A family dinner. We can't quest on empty tummies."
"Great! You brought us to the food court, and we're the buffet!" Dirk yelled at him.
"Jack, we need a way out of here," June reminded the boy.
"Not to mention that worm thing is still around somewhere; we can eat when we get back to the treehouse," May jerked a thumb behind her.
"It's even better than a way out!" Jack exclaimed happily, grabbing June's shoulders. "Don't you see? Our quest just got leveled up. Now, it's a quest for fun, by way of eating our way through the ultimate-endless-food-court-smorgasbord quest!"
"Stop saying quest!" The four shouted in unison to him, annoyed. All of their stomachs growled right after this, though. All four looked embarrassed, Dirk patting his stomach.
"I could stand to eat," The boy admitted while looking away.
"Great!" Jack smiled, rubbing his chin. "Just need an awesome brilliant strategy to get down there."
"The safest approach would be first to knock the zombies out of commission, and then-"
June shoved past him. "Not bad, but I have a better idea. What if-"
"Ah, here we go again," Quint interrupted her, crossing his arms.
"What?" She asked a bit in defense.
"Nothing. I'm sure your plan will be great. After all, you know the best to do everything! You know the best way to build a bestiary, the best way to-"
"Dude! That's not what I meant," June protested, Dirk turning around and covering his ears. May pinched her nose with a sigh.
"Let me know when you two are done!"
"Seriously, this is getting old," May rolled her eyes.
"Like you would know! If you would let me finish-"
"If I let you finish, you still would not be ever finished!" Quint argued as they all walked off to argue.
"June, I swear, if you can't get it together and just listen-"
Their happy meters to Jack went down. "Okay, good discussion. My rushed plan it is," He rolled up his sleeve.
"You know what?" June started off.
"Action hero escalator slide!" Jack pushed past all of them and then jumped off to ride the escalator.
"No, no, not down the middle!" Dirk tried to warn him, but it was too late as Jack went down the middle anyway. "Learned that the hard way," He explained as they watched him fall. He finally bounced off and landed roughly on the ground...surrounded by zombies.
"Un, on second thought...guys, never mind, terrible plan, help me right away, no delay—ah!" He screamed as Dirk used his fishing pole to get him back up, the four laughing at how silly he looked. Mainly because he had the end handing from his pants. "Ah, thanks, guys. Thanks a lot," He deadpanned at them, flinching in alarm. He saw a zombie ride a segway, then looked up June. She gasped and saw a donut balloon in the distance, smiling. She glanced at Quint, who gasped upon seeing Upper Crustacean. He also gave a look of thought. May then saw the trash bins, rubbing her chin.
"Hmm," Dirk looked at his thumb. "Hangnail." He then looked confused by the thinking faces. "What?"
"We're doing a buddy-buddy-unspoken-mission-planning thing," Jack said in excitement.
"Just tell me when it's time to do strong guy stuff," Dirk tossed Jack behind him, who groaned in pain from the landing. "I'm okay."
"Quint! Mood music, please," June smiled at him. He pressed play on a music player, the zombies still lagging around. The donut balloon fell onto the police zombie. June and Jack slid down from ropes, knocking him off the segway.
"Would you like to drive, m'lady?" He offered her.
"Yeah, I would," She didn't look too flattered as she got on. "Stop trying to be super cool, huh?" She asked as they both got on.
"But that's the only way I know how to beeee!" He shouted out the last word as June took off, the zombies trying to attack them. June honked the horn, Jack laughing as they went all around the zombies. Her hair flew into his face and he spit some out. May flipped into the area, spinning around and kicking trash bins around the zombies. She did this until they were completely closed in. Quint jumped onto the top of Upper Crustacean, grabbing a rope. He grabbed an anchor, Jack looking back at him.
"The rope, Quint! Now!" June called out. He dropped the rope attached to the anchor, Jack catching it in his hands.
"Got it!" He swung it around and grabbed something to keep the rope steady, June driving around the trash bins. This enclosed the zombies inside in a circle as they couldn't get past the rope. "Nice strategy, dude," Jack told June, holding out his fist.
"Thanks," She bumped his fist, smiling proudly. "Newspaper editor brain. All about seeing the big picture."
The police zombies came out of hiding, groaning at them. "Uh-oh. Guess we forgot about those ones," May sweated a little.
"Premature fist-bump, friends!" Quint pointed down at them. June, May, and Jack all pulled out their weapons.
"Remember, we don't hurt the zombies too bad," He said as they inched forward. "It's not their fault they're brain nibblers."
Dirk suddenly swung in on a giant fork and knocked them down. "All right!" They all landed in the food court, Dirk landing in front of the trio. "Was it time for me to do a thing? It felt like it was," He shrugged, the three smiling at his good timing.
"Let's eat!" Jack declared with a big grin. A zombie popped up from behind the stand, wearing a pot of pasta. All five placed down their trays full of food, eating to their heart's content. Jack opened up his burger, flicking a pickle onto Quint's face. He chuckled and tossed some cookies onto Jack's eyes and mouth. All of them started having a food fight with each other.
Then once they're done eating, they all sighed in unison, holding their stomachs. "Gang, the quest has been completed," Jack leaned back in his chair. "Shall we head back to the treehouse for video games, unnecessary dessert, a possible burp contest, and-"
"Head back?" Quint blinked at him, since the four still thought there was no way out still. "Wait a minute. How? We still don't have a way out." Jack looked away a bit sheepishly. "Unless...Jack?" He asked knowingly.
"Jack?" Dirk raised a skeptical brow, using the same tone. "Did you find out a way out?"
"You wouldn't be so confident about going back unless there was, would you, Jack?" May narrowed her eyes.
"Jack? Did you not tell us?" June glared at him.
"Stop saying 'Jack'?" He slammed down his hands, sighing in defeat. "Okay, yes, I found a way out."
"I knew it!" Quint exclaimed in disbelief while June groaned.
"This food court feast was wrapped in deceit!" Dirk crossed his arms.
"You what?! Jack, why would you do that?" May clenched a fist in anger.
"But in my defense, I didn't tell you because I didn't wanna ruin the quest!" Jack protested, crossing his arms with a frown.
"So instead, you left us trapped in the mall with zombies?" June stood up angrily.
"Dude, did you also forget about that giant worm? It could come back at any minute!" May gestured to the mall, June pointing at her in agreement. "The whole time, we were walking food for that thing, did you just not care?!"
"You were all still arguing!" Suddenly he was the one that got hit with a shoe. "Ow! Enough with the shoe-throwing already!" He glared at Quint, who dropped his other one.
"Yeah well, that time, it was definitely earned," May grumbled at him.
"Okay, there's a clear exit if we go back upstairs," He pointed to the upper level. A giant figure watched them from not too far away. He narrowed his eyes and then slipped away. A shake occurred and they all grabbed at the table as a roar was heard. "Probably just the mall settling..."
They turned around to see the worm emerge, jumping over them. They looked up in shock before it started circling around the zombies. Then the worm crawled past the escalator to destroy it, which was the way that they got down there.
"There goes the exit!" Quint panicked at this.
"Again," June gritted her teeth, glaring at Jack.
"And the zombies are free," Quint pointed out as the worm had broken through the zombie trap.
"Again," Dirk added in.
"Which means we're worm and zombie food. Again," May crossed her arms as they all glared at Jack angrily, their happy meters disintegrating at that point. Jack frowned, looking back at the zombies approaching. The worm slithered back and headed straight for them.
"May, look out!" Quint pushed her out of the way, the others jumping out of the way as May landed on her back. Quint landed on top of her as the worm went at a fast pace past the group. May looked up, her eyes widening as Quint glanced back. He stood up without saying anything and she shook it off. "A map!" Quint examined the map that fell. "We can find a worm-free exit!"
Dirk knocked back a zombie using a chair. "Seriously? You're just thinking of that now?" He called out.
"There! The department store," June pointed at it using the end of her spear. "It's the one way we haven't tried yet."
The worm came crashing back inside with a roar. "New quest," Jack pointed at his friends. "Escape the worm monster together."
"Shut up, Jack!" May, June, and Quint all exclaimed in annoyance while narrowing their eyes.
"Shut up, Jack!" Dirk shouted while knocking away another zombie. The worm headed straight for them and they took off. Dirk tossed the chair and went after his friends. They all turned the corner, panting while the worm monster followed after them. They saw a pathway slightly blocked by vines.
"Go down there!" Jack pointed while looking panicked. He jumped on a vine, jumping up and slashing one with his slicer. The others jumped in after him, but Dirk's leg got caught in one of them.
"Ah! Guys!" He called out, holding out a hand. They slid to a stop, rushing back over to help him. Dirk continued pulling on his leg as the worm got closer. They pulled him in further, Jack slicing off the vine. They pulled him in just before he could get tackled by the worm.
"Look at us, working together," Jack pointed out happily to his friends. "All it took was a giant monster, like Blarg. Of course! That's the key! We should always be battling giant monsters."
"Now? We're doing this now?" May turned to him in disbelief and Jack gave an awkward laugh.
"It still needs a name!" Quint reminded him. "How about Monsieur Big Worm?"
"How about you put a sock in it and run faster?" Dirk exclaimed at him.
"That's a terrible name," Quint scolded, apparently not getting the point. They got through the other side and reached the department store. Unfortunately, it was closed off, with no way to get in or out.
"Oh no," Jack murmured in worry. The worm caught up to them as it got up to the vines, but was trapped in them. But it wouldn't be long before it found a way to break out of them. Dirk pulled at the bars in front of the department store. Jack watched as the others joined Dirk in pulling at the bars. The worm screeched while still trying to break free, the boy standing in front of his friends.
"Jack! What are you doing?" Quint shouted to him, the others looking back.
"Stay back, behind me," He ordered them, pointing at the bars. "Dirk! Get that gate open. I'll try to buy you some time."
"Jack, no!"
"It's not safe!"
"We should go-"
"Enough!" He shouted while clenching a fist. "No. More. Arguing!" They all looked at him in shock for his outburst. The worm snapped off the vines, charging right towards Jack. He held his slicer tight as it approached.
"Jack!" Quint screamed in worry. Jack kept his gaze on the worm and when it was close enough, he rolled out of the way. He then slashed at the worm's side, leaving behind a scar. It knocked Jack away and sent him flying. While he was flying, he saw a shadow past, his mouth opening. He landed in a display case, the worm charging forward once again. Someone pushed the four out of the way and suddenly it was black. Jack opened his eyes, groaning as he sat up. He looked to see the entrance to the department store destroyed, with no sign of his friends.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Jack ran up to the rubble in horror, panting as he looked down, seeing them underneath some bars. "No!" He threw off some rocks, trying to pull off the bars. "Come on! What about all that hero adrenaline muscle stuff that's supposed to be happening?!" A hand was placed on his shoulder and he screamed as he was pulled away from the group. The monster started hitting at the four. "No! Don't hurt my buddies!" He pushed off the bars. "Guys! Guys, are you okay?" He wondered in worry.
"Whoa. What hit us?" June asked as they sat up, a little disoriented, but okay.
"Monsieur Big Worm," Quint answered, Jack laughing hysterically as he stared down at them. "You're okay!" A tear ran down his face as he gave them a big hug.
"Don't pile on the pile. We're already in a pain pile," Dirk winced at this.
"Okay, okay, dude, ease up on your arms," May tried to assure Jack.
"Pain, yes, but also alive."
All of them stood up to look at the monster. "We are alive, thanks to...him," She gestured to the tall monster in front of them. "He punched a hole in the gate at the last second." Jack examined him in awe.
"Pouches with beastly thingamabobs. Bone and skull jewelry. Maybe not a great sign. Generally humanoid face. Complete with monstrously awesome beard. He smells great too." He stepped forward and then his leg shook before he fell.
"I think he's hurt," June stated as they approached him cautiously.
"Hurt, yes," He spoke up in actual English. "But you are okay," He looked up at them and they all gasped, recoiling back in alarm.
"Oh my. You-you speak our language?" Quint asked in shock.
"I speak many languages," He dusted himself off. "You are human, yes?"
Quint. They couldn't get out because zombies were on the "Sure are," Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "And what are you?"
"Your tongue could not form the words," The monster simply stated.
"Oh! Well, do you have, like, a name? One that my lame sub-par tongue could form?"
"Thrull," He answered and May dug into her pockets.
"Cool!" Dirk exclaimed with a smile.
"Why did you save us?" Jack raised a brow.
"I have followed you. I saw your doom approaching." They glanced at each other, as they weren't aware of this until now.
"You followed us? Why didn't you come stomping over earlier?" Jack couldn't help but ask, as they definitely could've used his help when they were being chased from the worm—twice.
"I saw much fighting in your ranks," Thrull explained as May took out a rag and bent down. She looked at his leg. "You stank of dispute."
Jack realized it was because of the arguing. "See? You guys hear that?!" He turned around with his arms raised. "This cool monster thinks we stink of dispute. That's the unhappy vibe we're putting out."
"Dude," May groaned while patching up Thrull's leg. "We can't-"
Suddenly zombies appeared from the entrance the worm made. June groaned while rolling her eyes. Dirk held up Thrull, surprising the monster that he could even carry him. "I got the big dude!"
"Come on!" Jack ordered as they made a break for it. June knocked a zombie down, jumping and landing on something to make her roll. Jack was confronted by a zombie until June pushed into it.
"This way! Quickly!" She led the way to a window, jumping off the small cart and running down the hall. Jack let the others pass him as they reached a sliding door. June smiled until Dirk bumped into her and Quint. They couldn't get out because zombies were blocking the way from the other side. "Gotta unlock the door," June winced at zombies being right next to them.
"Just force it!" Dirk yelled as May tried to break through, failing. Thrull threw away some zombies, Jack falling back into the door. He looked back and saw four zombies that looked very similar to his friends.
"No, Quint!" He could hear their voices, imagining them from the zombies.
"June!"
"Do it like this!"
"That is preposterous!"
"You guys!"
"I don't need you dorks!"
"My way is best! I know science!"
"You guys are driving me insane!"
"Why can't you guys just reason with each other?"
Jack held his head as he couldn't take it anymore; he had had enough. "Enough! Stop arguing!" He screamed to the zombies, squeezing his eyes shut. "We're supposed to be having fun together!" The four just stared at him from the side. "It's the end of the world! No rules, no bedtimes, everything is free for the taking, and all you do is fight!" The four glanced at each other, Dirk twirling his finger. June touched his shoulder and that snapped him out of it.
"Uh, what? Jack?" June asked in confusion.
"We're not arguing, friend! We're trying to devise a way out!" Quint reminded him. He looked back at the four zombies and then rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Oh..."
Thrull took a zombie and used it to knock the others away. A screech was heard as the giant worm arrived back. "Spear! There!" Dirk pointed at the bottom of the door.
"Right! I can use the leverage-"
"To pop the door!" Quint finished for her.
"We just need a lot of force," May nodded in agreement. June pointed the bottom of her spear at the door. She started to pull, with the other three grabbing on. All together, they pulled on the door until the glass popped open.
"Yeah!" June cheered, Jack amazed at their teamwork. Thrull stepped back from the zombies and the giant worm, which went in the other direction. June, Quint, May, and Jack all hid behind a car, panting heavily. Rover looked up from Big Mama as they all caught their breath. Dirk helped support Thrull to the car, who leaned against it so much that it fell a bit. June laughed, hitting Jack from behind. "Hey! Way to lose it, Jack."
"Grade-A freakout, friend!" Quint grinned at him.
"You scolded zombies. It was weird," Dirk placed a hand on his shoulder before crossing his arms.
"I gotta admit, never thought you'd be taking it out on zombies," May smiled in amusement, a hand on her hip.
He chuckled in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uhh, sorry."
"Dude, we're gonna disagree sometimes," June shrugged with a smile. "We live in a tiny treehouse at the end of the world!"
"But we're still gonna be buds," Dirk added in.
"We're friends, friend," Quint smiled at him.
"Look, Jack, not everyone is gonna get along, but we haven't forgotten that we're still a team. We're just gonna have a few rough patches, and that's okay. It just means we get stronger by working things out," May smiled too as she gestured to the others, who nodded at her. Jack smiled proudly and then pumped his fists.
"Yes! Family squabble solved," He gathered them around as he wrapped his arms around all four of them. "And all it took was a bunch of near-death experiences. You know, I knew that-" Thrull grabbed him from behind, lifting him. He yelped as they stepped back in alarm. The monster growled down at him while holding the slicer. They glanced at each other silently and he sniffed it.
"Your weapon. Your weapon is the one that felled Kerzueal, the evil servant of Rezzoch, the Ancient Destroyer of Worlds," He spoke up and Quint leaned in towards the others.
"Who is Kerzueal?" He whispered in confusion, but Thrull heard it anyway.
"...BLAAAAARG!" The monster roared just like Blarg so big that wind blew onto all of them.
"Oh, Blarg," Jack waved it off. "Oh, yeah, I slayed Blarg," He bragged with a smile. "I slayed Blarg big time."
"Dude," May started off in a warning tone.
"I knew Blarg," Thrull changed the subject before she could point out that Jack didn't do it alone. He glared at them and they winced as they thought the two monsters were friends.
"Uh, it was a team effort, really," Jack gestured to the others, Dirk trying to weasel his way out of it. "I don't know if one person really actually slayed him more than another," He placed his hands on June's shoulder. She pushed him away and then silently pointed to him in annoyance. "Or..." Thrull approached them and Jack immediately stood in front of the four protectively. Thrull got on one knee, holding out the slicer to Jack. "...Um, what's happening?" He whispered to his friends.
"I think this is a 'just go with it' sort of moment," Dirk whispered back, using quotation marks.
"It takes a great hero to defeat a creature from my dimension, to defeat a servant of Rezzoch the Ancient, Destructor of Worlds."
"Umm, thanks?" Jack asked cluelessly as he took it back.
"Wait! Mr. Thrull, sir," Quint spoke up as he realized something. "You come from another dimension?"
"Oh, hold up!" June interrupted his questioning. "Do you, like, know what caused the monster apocalypse?"
"And what can you tell us about this Rezzoch anyway?" May crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.
"I know some, yes. Portals between our dimensions appeared where-" A crunch was heard and he groaned as he kneeled. They all saw his foot...was detached from his ankle.
"Your ankle!"
"Nasty!"
"Oh my gosh!"
"It-it's-"
"It will grow back," Thrull interrupted, but that did nothing to assure them since it was his foot not attached to his leg! "But it is problematic. Help me home," He held out his hand.
"Home?" Jack wondered as Dirk went over to help him stand. "A monster home?"
"Like a cave?" June questioned to Thrull.
"Or an ancient castle?"
"Or a time share?" Dirk looked up at Thrull.
"Please just tell me that it's at least clean within the last two weeks," May placed a hand on her forehead.
"It is called mahajeemahordeoba. But in your tongue, I believe it's pronounced...Joe's Pizza."
"Joe's Pizza is your home? We can take you there!" Jack smiled at the others. They went over to Big Mama.
"Wait!" Quint stopped them before they could get into the car. "We didn't capture a photo of the worm monster the entire day! And we didn't add a single thing to the bestiary."
"Oh, yeah!" Jack took out his camera, glancing around. He then smiled up at Thrull. "Say 'cheese'."
"Chee-argh!" Thrull got photo bombed and then they took off in Big Mama. Thrull was in the back with Rover, who sniffed him and whimpered. Thrull then gave in and started petting him, to Rover's delight. They came to a stop and they all gasped at the sight.
"Whoa!"
Joe's Pizza was entirely overrun by different kinds of monster, both big and small. Thrull growled as he stepped out, still in pain from earlier. Jack got out of the car and gave the monster his hockey stick. "Come, and have no concerns," Thrull started off while hopping over. "I promise you will encounter no Wormungulus in here."
"Hey, Wormungulus. That's a great name!" Jack smiled as he followed after Thrull.
"Fine, whatever," Quint dismissed as he wrote it in his own bestiary. "Wormungulus it is."
June just chuckled and gently pushed him forward. "Come on."
"We can debate the name later," May giggled a bit, Quint rubbing his neck in embarrassment. Thrull lead them to the front door, and they could hear lots of talking and stuff breaking. Jack stopped with his mouth opened as the door opened in front of them...