CORY
Well, that's one way to make things complicated. We're supposed to be active during the day. Otherwise whatever the hell's out there at night will tear us apart. And I'm still no closer to uncovering more of the Lazarus Project!
Van Helsing's going back to tracking Slappy's footsteps, and in this case, investigating what he did to the Riggles family back in Hollowville. His Astral Projection skills are paying off, and he's having Dylan help him on the investigation. So far we only know the first nine words of the incantation that can defeat Slappy for good. But he's heard some rumors about how there are fifteen words in total. That leaves six more left.
Meanwhile, Lisa's doing some immense therapy sessions to combat Fier's control. And I've evolved as the Ultimate again. Yesterday I got enhanced intellect, possibly like a mad scientist. I can even tap into the power of Cyberspace!
But today, I've evolved into a mummy state. Which means I have magic, dark curses, and the ability to manipulate souls. I wouldn't be surprised if I managed to get a longer life. But thanks to my newfound powers, I found something in the attic of Dead House: The journal of scientist and Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Richard Klopfer.
Right now, I'm in the library reading that journal. This might prove useful in a way.
"I have finally arrived in the city of Cairo." I read. "It is here that I plan to become the first to uncover the tomb of Arragotus. According to Egyptian lore, he was to be the next to be crowned prince, like a Pharaoh, but he was murdered by his own brother, Amen Lucax, the morning before so he could take the throne for himself. Superstition states that, thanks to a mysterious stone, Arragotus was resurrected and had his revenge by ripping out Amen Lucax's heart, thus preventing him from entering the afterlife, as he would need it to do so. Thus, upon mummification, Amen had five jars instead of the usual and traditional four."
Amen Lucax….that's right! Gabe encountered and defeated him WAY back in the day, when we were rescuing the kids in the books! Ah…good times…
"However, a man from the E.S.C, the Egyptian Science Council, has warned me about the risks of this expedition." I continued reading. "Mr. Amari states that Arragotus can come to life when the words on his sarcophagus are read. Cursed, he is bound to take revenge on anyone who summons him and disturbs his eternal rest. The only way to send him to slumber once again is to repeat those words. But I am a man of science, not superstition. We will embark for the tomb tomorrow. I can only wonder what mysteries we will uncover."
I turn the page. This next entry is dated only two weeks afterwards.
"Please excuse my absence. I have managed to recover from my time in the hospital. To recap, my team found some strange words on the sarcophagus: Abaseego Modaro Lamadoros Creben. When spoken aloud, the legend was indeed proven to be true. Arragotus awakened and began clawing my face off! Luckily, to save my life, my assistant, Bella, managed to say the words again to send Arragotus into a slumber once again. Roughly translated, I believe that the words mean to say: 'Revenge Shall Be Mine'."
Ouch. Sometimes great sacrifices must be made in the name of science.
"I have ordered my team to hide the sarcophagus, and send Arragotus somewhere where he can't hurt anyone. How do I tell my son, Christopher, what a fool I was? He certainly won't believe the cause of my injuries. I pray that that cursed mummy does not awaken again by the hands of a fool, and cause such havoc once again."
I turn some more pages, and eventually, I unexpectedly strike gold.
"It is just as I feared! Some poor soul had taken Arragotus and put him in the Haunted Horror Museum in Dark Falls! It was just mere days ago, and they too realized the terrible curse! However, Arragotus was not alone. Two kids, Cathy O'Connor and Aaron Riggles, state that there was ANOTHER evil in the museum. A strange living ventriloquist dummy named Slappy. Like Arragotus, he can ALSO awaken when magic words are said! And Arragotus does not take defeat very well. He will most likely get revenge on those who managed to beat him before."
Uh oh…I keep reading.
"The two monsters ended up fighting all across the museum, causing great damage! Even the T-Rex skeleton and the incest amber stones were shattered! Fortunately, after a stalemate, it was said that Shannon O'Connor, Cathy's younger sister, managed to defeat Arragotus by tickling him to death. This may have stopped him because he just wanted a little affection after all these years. However, Slappy was still a threat, but when Cathy tried to send him to sleep, she said the wrong words! Thus, Arragotus was awakened once more! Thankfully, he still remembered how Slappy defeated him, so he set his sights on the dummy for vengeance. This ended up creating the perfect diversion, and the kids were able to escape! However, none of them knew what happened to Slappy and Arragotus, as there was no sign of them left when the entire museum crumbled."
Well…knowing Slappy, he may have beaten Arragotus. That's gonna make him DOUBLE mad. And the mummy could still be here. Whether in Dark Falls OR in the rubble of the museum.
A smirk emerges on my lips. What we have here is an opportunity to recruit a temporary ally against Slappy. After all, they fought to a standstill. Slappy may be more powerful now, but we need all the help we can get.
I close the journal and head out. I should meet up with Van Helsing and inform him of my plan. Time for some recruitment…
…
"You're one crazy kid, you know that?"
"Hey, we'd ALL have to be crazy to wrap ourselves up in supernatural affairs." I responded. "The museum, or what's left of it, should be around here somewhere."
That's when I noticed a pile of rubble. This must be the place. We head over, and I brush aside some debris. There, I saw something. A standard mummy, with tar covering the eyes. Doesn't look TOO tough. I'm not sensing any magic in it. Our souls should be fine.
"Well?" Abe asks. "This is your idea. YOU wake him up."
"Gladly." I state. "Abaseego Modaro Lamadoros Creben."
Nothing seems to happen. At first. But then I sense the magic kick in.
And Mr. Mummy opens his red eyes.
"Morning, old timer." I state. "About time you're awake. Sorry to disturb you, but…we need your help."
The mummy only rises, and then, it begins to speak.
"You…DARE…?" He moans in Egyptian. "Vengeance…shall…be mine…"
He throws a punch, but I catch it once I don my Monster Armor.
"Nice try." I reply in his language before landing a spin kick. The mummy gets knocked down, but gets back up again.
"I know you've got every right to be pissed, but does the name Slappy mean anything to you?"
"Slappy…?" Arragotus pauses. "He…killed me…"
"Yeah, we get that you died a lot." Abe adds. "Point is, he's trying to conquer the world. And we've heard that you actually managed to hold your own against him. Besides…don't you have a score to settle?"
The mummy is only silent. Then, his bandaged hands curl into fists.
"Know this. Once the dummy dies, YOU will be next…"
"Uh huh. Heard THAT before."
"Slappy's gotten a lot stronger this time. We'll need all the help we can get." I state. "Can't guarantee that you'll be the one to do him in for good. And I doubt you know anything about an incantation that can send him to sleep forever."
"It matters not how he pays with his life. Only that he DOES."
Well, that's ONE way to get to a truce. But I'm not worried about the upcoming revenge match. I've fought worse.
Be glad you didn't fight Dracula, Arragotus. That monster would've torn you to shreds.
…
SLAPPY
…bah! This is getting BORING! Sure, monster life and business is booming and all, but we STILL haven't found those pesky humans! Well, at least I've still got some slaves and subjects down in the prison to serve as my…minions…
Whenever I start to get bored, I decide to do what I do best: Torture my enemies. I head down to the main cell where my favorite slave is. He seems happy to see me. And by happy…I mean miserable.
"Jimmy, my good pal!" I chuckle. "So…how are you liking the new life?"
His lips are moving, but they don't make a sound. Well, look at that! I guess he's scared speechless!
"Hahahahahahahaha! You must be one sorry old man! You actually tried to put me on the shelf! YOU ended up scaring ME! ME! NOBODY SCARES SLAPPY AND SPEAKS OF IT!"
Grrrr! Just SAYING that gives me bad memories! Me, having a nightmare! ME, having to do disgustingly good deeds! Well…he was right. Some nightmares DO come true. But not mine. Not anymore!
"But Wally isn't here to save you now. There's only ONE guy I know that puts this wooden family up against each other, and that's ME! And now, I'm giving YOU a nightmare for once. And this is more terrifying than any nightmare you've ever had before!"
He's so pathetic, he can't even say anything! Good. As long as I don't hear THOSE words (the really really bad ones even for me words), there's no way ANYTHING can stop me. And he's the only one who knows. That's one secret he's forced to keep for the rest of his short life. But I don't see it in his eyes. He's not scared at all. Yet.
"That's right. This small town is just the beginning! We're talking mass chaos turned up to 11! Mayhem on unprecedented levels! Nothing but tricks and the WORST kind of treats! One town after another falling to scare after scare! Soon, this world will be MINE! And there is nothing that you, R.L. Stine, Van Helsing, the Midnight Society, Dylan, that space squid god, or ANYONE else can do to stop me! So you might as well ENJOY rotting away like a sad little potato sack! Because NO ONE is gonna be around to hear you SCREAM! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
