Chapter 3: The Ravens Return (cont'd)

Like I said: It AIN'T OVER!

.........not yet, anyway.........

At least this chapter's nice and long, right?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Man, we've been suckered big time."

"You can say that again, but don't."

The door swung open, revealing three very wet, very pissed Ghost Busters.

"It was bad enough that we got prank called by a couple of pre-teens...." Garrett pulled off one of his gloves and wrung it out. "But the little tykes didn't have to snow-clobber us to boot!"

"That proves it: New York hates us." Eduardo grabbed a towel from the bathroom. "Why's there no one on standby? Where's Kylie and the mutt?"

"Freshman? You down there?" Garrett hollered into the basement. There was no answer.

Slimer flew in, squeaking and waving a note around. Roland plucked it from his slimy hand and read aloud. "Gone with Bane and Sidus to settle some urgent matters. Be back once I'm done. Kylie." He shrugged. "Guess we'll have to wait for them to return."

"Fits." Garrett grabbed the phone off its cradle. "I'm calling home. Gotta tell my folks I'll be a tad late for Christmas Dinner."

"Make it fast so I can call home too, okay?"

Garrett held the phone up to his ear. "Sure Roland."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Okay, this is it."

Marcus led the way into his front yard. Sidus sniffed the air and growled.

Bane looked up. "Like, why are there, y'know, so many birds on your roof?"

"No idea. I think my Mom called the cops about that." Marcus fumbled with the catch as he opened the garage door. "This way."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Strange." Garrett put the phone down. "No one's home."

"Maybe they went out to do last minute shopping." Eduardo started surfing through the channels.

The phone suddenly started to ring. Roland picked it up. "Hello? Ghost Busters......Hold, please. Garrett, it's your mother."

Garrett took the phone and held it to his ear a second time. "Hello......Mom, where the heck are you? I've been calling h-What?! You're still in England?!"

Eduardo clicked on to the Evening News and suddenly seized thumb action.

"Mom, you said the flight back was this afternoon! Shouldn't you at least be on the plane or something?" There was a small pause before Garrett's disbelieving voice rang out. "What do you mean the plane was mobbed by a million blue jays?!"

Roland soon joined Eduardo on the couch. Both of them stared at the screen with wide eyes.

Garrett put down the phone and reentered the living room. "My Mom just prank called the Ghost Busters. I never thought she'd have it in her."

"I don't think you're mother was kidding." Eduardo pointed at the screen. "Look."

".......At exactly 2.45pm this afternoon, mass groups of approximately 998 600 birds each rose out of nowhere and attacked all incoming and departing planes in all of America's airports. Fortunately, no one was hurt during that period of time. Witnesses have described the birds to be average-sized adult blue jays. Expert are unable to explain as yet this sudden display of aggressive behavior in such a large number of birds at one time. Public Security has decided to cancel all flights in and out of America until further notice........"

The phone rang once more. Garrett picked it up. "Ghost Busters."

"Garrett, this is Egon. I'm calling from the airport. Ray's here with me, and we're lucky that he managed to film the blue jays close up when they attacked the plane he was on board. We're on our way back to the firehouse now to see what he managed to get."

"All right, Egon. We'll see you then."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The garage was fairly empty, unlike what Marcus had frantically described. All that was there were a workbench, a portable phone with the cable still attached and intact, an empty doghouse, a wooden post and an overturned box.

"I....I don't get it! They were all here!" Marcus stared around in disbelief. "I swear, they were all right here!"

"Maybe they went into the house." Kylie took out her pke meter. "Bane, why don't you go check the house? I'll stay here with Sidus and see what I can find."

"Yes, Ma'am." Bane retrieved a second pke meter as he climbed up the stairs and through the door.

Kylie switched on the meter, watching green light dance like mad. Class 8.

Sidus growled again. Kylie looked down and spotted him sniffing suspiciously at the box. As she approached it, the readings got wilder. "You said you had a bird in that box?"

"Yeah. A small black raven." Marcus sounded like he was as far back as he could get. "I don't know if it's still in there, though......."

Only one way to find out. Kylie reached over and lifted the box.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Hmm.......nothing here........"

Bane stepped back and ran the pke meter down a closet. "Nothing here either."

He was about to enter the next room when he stepped on something red with brass studs.

"What's that?" He reached down and picked it up. It looked a lot like a large leather dog collar. The torn fabric showed where the ring should have been before someone - or something - had forcefully ripped it out.

There was a loud scream and fierce barking.

"MA'AM!!" Bane dropped the collar and bolted back toward the garage.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"......now my family's stuck in England, so I doubt I'm going back for Christmas." Garrett finished.

"Same here. I was supposed to catch a flight to Hawaii for Thanksgiving with the rest of my family. Now I'm staying put until this bird problem blows over." Roland added.

Ray pulled out a cassette tape from his camera. "Well now, let's take a look at what I have, shall we?"

Egon slotted it into the reader and pressed the play button.

All the Ghost Busters watched as the windows was suddenly splashed with bright blue. Angry squawking could be heard through the hard glass screen that barely protected the passengers from harm.

"......This doesn't look good."

"Especially when all the birds have red glowing eyes."

"So what do you think we're up against, Egon?"

Egon was about to answer when there was another phone ring. Garrett parted from the huddle to answer it. "Ghost Busters......."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A few minutes ago......

"Ma'am! What, like, happened?!" Bane rushed through the door and gripped the top of the banister. "Ma'am? Sidus?"

Kylie, Marcus and Sidus were gone. Beside the turned over box was the pke meter, green lights dancing like crazy.

Oh mega crud.

Bane slid down the banister and picked up the pke meter. Crud, this is bad. Class 8 is very bad. I gotta get help. I gotta call GB HQ.

Bane grabbed the phone from the workbench and dialed the firehouse. After the third ring, it was answered. "Ghost Busters." Garrett's voice came on.

"Coach. It's Bane. Ma'am's gone. Sidus' gone. A class 8 is loose." Bane gushed out in as many short sentences as possible. As far as he knew, his speech problem was less likely to jump out when his sentences were extremely short.

"Whoa! Bane, slow down! Tell me where you are."

As Bane opened his mouth to continue, the pke readings jumped again. There was a low rumble of thunder.

Bane looked up. Inches from his face was a large Great Dane. It's eyes glowed a fierce, hungry red.

"Oh, like, shit."

The Great Dane lunged. Bane backed away as it clamped the phone between its jaws and smashed it. The now damaged phone lay in a wet mess, static breaking up whatever Garrett was probably saying. Bane pulled out his proton gun and fired at point blank range.

The dog looked like it was laughing as the beam missed it by three inches too high. With a loud roar, it's powerful jaws seized any chance of a second shot.

Bane froze up as the dog made short work of his gun. Backing further, he found himself forced into a corner. "N-n-n-nice doggie......G-g-g-g-good boy......"

The dog snarled and gnashed its fear-instilling fangs as it got one step closer.

I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die...

The dog crouched slightly back. In only a second's pause, it pounced toward him with jaws bared.

For the love of Heaven, I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!!!!!!

Bane felt a body connect with his, and then knew nothing more.

= * =

Howling WereWolf:

Merry Belated Christmas 2003!!!

Roland: Gimme back my family!

Garrett: Gimme back my family and my Christmas dinner!

Lichmonde: Gimme back my Class 9 ranking!

Bane: Gimme back my dignity!

HW: No.

DC cast: You are sooooo gone.......

HW: Says you and whose army?

The Bird-Lovers Association moves in for the kill.

HW: YOINKS!!!! (flees with tail between legs)

Sidus: If she had a tail, that is.

HW: LEAVE ME BE!!!!!!

A/N: No birds were harmed in the production of this story.

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