Chapter Six
As the sun set in Manhattan, the youngest Fantastic had just started getting to work on what was quite a dreadful task in the kitchen, cleaning out the many leftovers that had deteriorated with age in the refrigerator. Marilyn was well aware that did not have to eat, nor drink in her current form to stay alive. But her philosophy was along the lines of...
"What would stop me from doing so?"
Marilyn also decided to take up time doing the job so she could get her mind of the previous day's happenings. Even though it was disgusting, the rotten food brought back many memories to Marilyn. She sighed.
"Here is that birthday cake from that party we held to celebrate Father's final patented invention and birthday."
After looking at it for a moment, Marilyn threw the half-molded cake into the trashcan next to her, and went back to exploring the old icebox. She came across what appeared to be an ancient opened can of Spam. Marilyn found its odors repulsive, but could not help the memory that came to her as she tossed the can into the trashcan.
"I don't know why, but Benjamin sure loved this substance..."
Marilyn turned around to retrieve more perished foodstuffs from the refrigerator, when suddenly; she heard a stirring take place in the wastebasket. The stirring then became an oozing. Marilyn feared what was coming, for she knew of how if Victor was at his peak of arrival on the Earth plane, he could come in any form, anywhere. The oozing got louder as it got closer to the opening of the trashcan. All of a sudden, the nastiest and slimiest beast Marilyn had ever laid her eyes upon in her eternal life made his entrance from the garbage. She could not help but notice the horrible smell that protruded from it, like fifty year old Spam.
"Why, aren't you adorable! You are so adorable, I could just eat you up!"
The nauseating form hissed. Marilyn wanted to scream, but did not for she knew it would increase the creature's sensing of her apprehension. The demon began to crawl out of where it made its entrance, leaving a trail of slime like a slug. Seeing this reminded Marilyn of a film she saw in her previous life.
" This demon, he is like that life-form in the only horror movie Father was willing to take me to, the Blob. If he is anything like that, he should absolutely hate the COLD!"
A smile came to Marilyn's face as she looked at the slimy creature in the eyes, and yelled.
"URANIAN DEEP FREEZE!"
A coating of ice formed underneath from where her hands were touching the floor, and coated the entire kitchen in a transparent, yet chilling layer. When the process was over, Marilyn expected to see the beast vanquished, but instead saw it grinning, and then laughing. The youngest Fantastic, both shocked and angered at what was before her, blurted out.
"What?! But, you, you were supposed to be frozen! Or at least sent back to the Underworld!"
This outburst made the demon continue even further with his peals of amused laughter. Marilyn saw how each laugh seemed to make the creature grow larger. The evil being was covering half of the kitchen with its muculent body as it spoke.
"My master told me not to expose any of my powers to you and your kind. But I cannot help myself seeing how pathetic you truly are as he said."
He chuckled as he continued.
"I could read what you were thinking within. I will never forget that movie like you! For that was one of the very few films my master would allow to be shown in the old country he reigned over."
The creature sighed.
"Gee, I have forgotten what a wonderful place Latveria was when I was living. Maybe I could work out a deal with my master over taking a vacation as my reward for capturing you."
Marilyn could not help but feel hypnotized by how the demon talked. Despite his hideous appearance, he had a very jolly demeanor, and it was almost like he did not deserve to have resided in the Underworld. But all of a sudden, Marilyn's senses came back to her for she realized she had been under the beast's spell too long. His almost liquid yet solid tail had wrapped its slimy self around her legs, and was lifting her near the ceiling of the kitchen. The dreadful realization was accompanied by a familiar, warm voice of caution in her head, her father's.
"My child, when you are observing your enemy, or surroundings, you should not take too much stock of what is around you, or too much time in doing so. For it may be too late if you are not too careful."
Marilyn remembered being rather surprised at her father saying there was such a thing as being too observant. But, that saying of his really clicked into place in that very situation she was in.
"I should have listened to AND understood Father more. Now I realize the price of those precious words he said to me. The price now my being Purina Slug Chow, and on top of that, helping Victor arrive in this plane!"
The creature, which now covered the entire icy kitchen floor, had a menacing grin on his face as he looked at what his master desired with delight knowing he had succeeded. The demon trumpeted in the most jovial of voices.
"I just know you are going to be one FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUS MORSAL!!!!"
All of Marilyn could do was close her eyes, for she thought her fate was sealed. With an ounce of desperation, Marilyn said under her breath so the almost humanoid slug could not hear her.
"Friends, have you totally forsaken me?"
Closer and closer he brought the young one to his mouth, laughing and carrying on.
"It is a shame that I could not prepare a quick recipe for you and your kind. Something to serve the Underworld with. Now, why couldn't I think of THAT before I came here to undertake this mission?!"
Marilyn grimaced at the beast's words as she was brought closer to his mouth. It was at this point she began to cry, hoping the salt in her tears would affect the demon, since he was like a slug. It was a silent crying, but the creature could sense Marilyn's sorrow, and he relished the moment even more due to it.
"I have always liked a little salt in my food."
Marilyn was prepared to be eaten when she was only an inch away from the creature's mouth. Her eyes were closed, and she was ready to say good-bye to all she knew on the Earthly and Heavenly planes. She could hear nothing but the creature's convivial laughter as she thought.
"What a way to go. Like that man, Jonah, and his being swallowed by the whale."
The creature began to devour the youngest Fantastic.
Though her eyes were closed, Marilyn saw the darkness light up before her lids, and felt a great heat surround her. This heat came from a presence different from that of the evil one who had Marilyn held hostage before his gaping mouth. Marilyn opened her eyes to see the red cladded one of her kind, Johnny standing before her. Without saying a word, Johnny brought back his hand, as if he was going to throw a baseball, but instead threw a baseball-sized fireball at his enemy's tail. The creature let out a yelp of pain as he lost his grip on Marilyn and his tail along with the rear part surrounding it disintegrated into ashes. Marilyn landed on the place that was once taken up by the rear part of the beast's mass.
"He shoots, he scores!" Johnny bellowed as the demon looked at him with not a festive demeanor, but an irate one.
"Just so you'll know, you upstart, I have my own weapons too."
As if he knew what was coming, Johnny transformed into a blaze of fire, and burned his way through the creature's seemingly infinite hide to the entrance of the kitchen right as it vomited onto the spot Johnny stood. Marilyn screamed to her youthful friend as he metamorphosed back into his humanoid form.
"Finish him off before he grows his burned off tail and flesh back!"
Johnny looked at his surrounded friend with a gleam in his eyes, and then into the demonic slug's eyes as he hollered.
"MARTIAN FIRE STORM!"
Waves of flames appeared out of nowhere from the ceiling, and rained down upon the slimy Hell-sent mass. The creature could do nothing but cry, then gurgle in pain as the fire rendered it from a slug into a harmless mass of black ashes. Amazingly, the fire destroyed what was going to eat Marilyn, but did not burn any of the kitchen. Marilyn was overall relieved, but also rather irritated with Johnny's belated appearance.
"DO YOU REALIZE HOW CLOSE I CAME TO BEING THAT DISGUSTING GLUTTON OF A DEMON'S MIDNIGHT SNACK?!"
She raged as she flew right up to Johnny, and demonstrated right in his face exactly how close she came to being dinner for the just vanquished creature. Johnny gently pushed her away, and replied to Marilyn's tirade of a compliment.
"Man, even in this life, you still have your unique way of complimenting me."
Marilyn looked at her friend for a moment with anger in her eyes, but then backed off.
"I apologize for my bursting out like that. But, I am sure you would have felt like that too after going through what I went through."
There was silence between the two young Fantastics for a moment. Then, Johnny spoke up.
"Man, that was quite some demon. He made that demon Reed told us about seem like nothing!"
"You don't have to tell me. I just pray they do not get any worst." Marilyn replied in a rather relieved yet solemn tone, then continued.
"Can you believe that demon emerged from an ancient can of Spam I threw away? I actually do not know if that is where he came from. But man, he sure smelled like it."
"Well, there is something I can get on Benjamin about! I swear, I'll never forget how much I got on him in my last life about eating that crud. But now that it was almost the cause of your being captured, well he better listen to me very well about it."
For the rest of that night, the two youngest of the Fantastics carried on. While doing so, they remained alert, and watched out for others like the glutton Johnny had defeated earlier that night.
As the sun set in Manhattan, the youngest Fantastic had just started getting to work on what was quite a dreadful task in the kitchen, cleaning out the many leftovers that had deteriorated with age in the refrigerator. Marilyn was well aware that did not have to eat, nor drink in her current form to stay alive. But her philosophy was along the lines of...
"What would stop me from doing so?"
Marilyn also decided to take up time doing the job so she could get her mind of the previous day's happenings. Even though it was disgusting, the rotten food brought back many memories to Marilyn. She sighed.
"Here is that birthday cake from that party we held to celebrate Father's final patented invention and birthday."
After looking at it for a moment, Marilyn threw the half-molded cake into the trashcan next to her, and went back to exploring the old icebox. She came across what appeared to be an ancient opened can of Spam. Marilyn found its odors repulsive, but could not help the memory that came to her as she tossed the can into the trashcan.
"I don't know why, but Benjamin sure loved this substance..."
Marilyn turned around to retrieve more perished foodstuffs from the refrigerator, when suddenly; she heard a stirring take place in the wastebasket. The stirring then became an oozing. Marilyn feared what was coming, for she knew of how if Victor was at his peak of arrival on the Earth plane, he could come in any form, anywhere. The oozing got louder as it got closer to the opening of the trashcan. All of a sudden, the nastiest and slimiest beast Marilyn had ever laid her eyes upon in her eternal life made his entrance from the garbage. She could not help but notice the horrible smell that protruded from it, like fifty year old Spam.
"Why, aren't you adorable! You are so adorable, I could just eat you up!"
The nauseating form hissed. Marilyn wanted to scream, but did not for she knew it would increase the creature's sensing of her apprehension. The demon began to crawl out of where it made its entrance, leaving a trail of slime like a slug. Seeing this reminded Marilyn of a film she saw in her previous life.
" This demon, he is like that life-form in the only horror movie Father was willing to take me to, the Blob. If he is anything like that, he should absolutely hate the COLD!"
A smile came to Marilyn's face as she looked at the slimy creature in the eyes, and yelled.
"URANIAN DEEP FREEZE!"
A coating of ice formed underneath from where her hands were touching the floor, and coated the entire kitchen in a transparent, yet chilling layer. When the process was over, Marilyn expected to see the beast vanquished, but instead saw it grinning, and then laughing. The youngest Fantastic, both shocked and angered at what was before her, blurted out.
"What?! But, you, you were supposed to be frozen! Or at least sent back to the Underworld!"
This outburst made the demon continue even further with his peals of amused laughter. Marilyn saw how each laugh seemed to make the creature grow larger. The evil being was covering half of the kitchen with its muculent body as it spoke.
"My master told me not to expose any of my powers to you and your kind. But I cannot help myself seeing how pathetic you truly are as he said."
He chuckled as he continued.
"I could read what you were thinking within. I will never forget that movie like you! For that was one of the very few films my master would allow to be shown in the old country he reigned over."
The creature sighed.
"Gee, I have forgotten what a wonderful place Latveria was when I was living. Maybe I could work out a deal with my master over taking a vacation as my reward for capturing you."
Marilyn could not help but feel hypnotized by how the demon talked. Despite his hideous appearance, he had a very jolly demeanor, and it was almost like he did not deserve to have resided in the Underworld. But all of a sudden, Marilyn's senses came back to her for she realized she had been under the beast's spell too long. His almost liquid yet solid tail had wrapped its slimy self around her legs, and was lifting her near the ceiling of the kitchen. The dreadful realization was accompanied by a familiar, warm voice of caution in her head, her father's.
"My child, when you are observing your enemy, or surroundings, you should not take too much stock of what is around you, or too much time in doing so. For it may be too late if you are not too careful."
Marilyn remembered being rather surprised at her father saying there was such a thing as being too observant. But, that saying of his really clicked into place in that very situation she was in.
"I should have listened to AND understood Father more. Now I realize the price of those precious words he said to me. The price now my being Purina Slug Chow, and on top of that, helping Victor arrive in this plane!"
The creature, which now covered the entire icy kitchen floor, had a menacing grin on his face as he looked at what his master desired with delight knowing he had succeeded. The demon trumpeted in the most jovial of voices.
"I just know you are going to be one FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUS MORSAL!!!!"
All of Marilyn could do was close her eyes, for she thought her fate was sealed. With an ounce of desperation, Marilyn said under her breath so the almost humanoid slug could not hear her.
"Friends, have you totally forsaken me?"
Closer and closer he brought the young one to his mouth, laughing and carrying on.
"It is a shame that I could not prepare a quick recipe for you and your kind. Something to serve the Underworld with. Now, why couldn't I think of THAT before I came here to undertake this mission?!"
Marilyn grimaced at the beast's words as she was brought closer to his mouth. It was at this point she began to cry, hoping the salt in her tears would affect the demon, since he was like a slug. It was a silent crying, but the creature could sense Marilyn's sorrow, and he relished the moment even more due to it.
"I have always liked a little salt in my food."
Marilyn was prepared to be eaten when she was only an inch away from the creature's mouth. Her eyes were closed, and she was ready to say good-bye to all she knew on the Earthly and Heavenly planes. She could hear nothing but the creature's convivial laughter as she thought.
"What a way to go. Like that man, Jonah, and his being swallowed by the whale."
The creature began to devour the youngest Fantastic.
Though her eyes were closed, Marilyn saw the darkness light up before her lids, and felt a great heat surround her. This heat came from a presence different from that of the evil one who had Marilyn held hostage before his gaping mouth. Marilyn opened her eyes to see the red cladded one of her kind, Johnny standing before her. Without saying a word, Johnny brought back his hand, as if he was going to throw a baseball, but instead threw a baseball-sized fireball at his enemy's tail. The creature let out a yelp of pain as he lost his grip on Marilyn and his tail along with the rear part surrounding it disintegrated into ashes. Marilyn landed on the place that was once taken up by the rear part of the beast's mass.
"He shoots, he scores!" Johnny bellowed as the demon looked at him with not a festive demeanor, but an irate one.
"Just so you'll know, you upstart, I have my own weapons too."
As if he knew what was coming, Johnny transformed into a blaze of fire, and burned his way through the creature's seemingly infinite hide to the entrance of the kitchen right as it vomited onto the spot Johnny stood. Marilyn screamed to her youthful friend as he metamorphosed back into his humanoid form.
"Finish him off before he grows his burned off tail and flesh back!"
Johnny looked at his surrounded friend with a gleam in his eyes, and then into the demonic slug's eyes as he hollered.
"MARTIAN FIRE STORM!"
Waves of flames appeared out of nowhere from the ceiling, and rained down upon the slimy Hell-sent mass. The creature could do nothing but cry, then gurgle in pain as the fire rendered it from a slug into a harmless mass of black ashes. Amazingly, the fire destroyed what was going to eat Marilyn, but did not burn any of the kitchen. Marilyn was overall relieved, but also rather irritated with Johnny's belated appearance.
"DO YOU REALIZE HOW CLOSE I CAME TO BEING THAT DISGUSTING GLUTTON OF A DEMON'S MIDNIGHT SNACK?!"
She raged as she flew right up to Johnny, and demonstrated right in his face exactly how close she came to being dinner for the just vanquished creature. Johnny gently pushed her away, and replied to Marilyn's tirade of a compliment.
"Man, even in this life, you still have your unique way of complimenting me."
Marilyn looked at her friend for a moment with anger in her eyes, but then backed off.
"I apologize for my bursting out like that. But, I am sure you would have felt like that too after going through what I went through."
There was silence between the two young Fantastics for a moment. Then, Johnny spoke up.
"Man, that was quite some demon. He made that demon Reed told us about seem like nothing!"
"You don't have to tell me. I just pray they do not get any worst." Marilyn replied in a rather relieved yet solemn tone, then continued.
"Can you believe that demon emerged from an ancient can of Spam I threw away? I actually do not know if that is where he came from. But man, he sure smelled like it."
"Well, there is something I can get on Benjamin about! I swear, I'll never forget how much I got on him in my last life about eating that crud. But now that it was almost the cause of your being captured, well he better listen to me very well about it."
For the rest of that night, the two youngest of the Fantastics carried on. While doing so, they remained alert, and watched out for others like the glutton Johnny had defeated earlier that night.