Chapter 4
"Help! Somebody help!" Jenny screamed, scrambling out of bed and running to the door of her room.
"Wait! Jenny, it's me!" Lincoln called and gave chase. He pursued Jenny down a hallway until they both nearly collided with Clyde.
"Clyde, help! This guy broke in and is impersonating Lincoln!" Jenny screamed. Before Lincoln could interject, Clyde grabbed Jenny's hand and ran with her down an intersecting tunnel. Lincoln knew where the tunnel led, so he sighed in exasperation and shadow-slipped to try and cut them off. The room Clyde and Jenny were heading to was being used as a mess hall, and it was where the other residents of the small underground community were having breakfast. Everyone looked up as the two young adults rushed into the room and slammed the door shut behind them.
"Whoa, what's up with you two? You both look like you've seen a ghost," Lynn Sr. asked
"Guys, you have to help me! When I woke up, there was someone in bed with me. I thought I was still dreaming because he looked and sounded just like Lincoln. I only realized I was awake after he kissed me! He even kisses like Lincoln!" Jenny told them through terrified tears.
"That's because I am Lincoln." Everyone was startled when Lincoln emerged from the shadows on the opposite side of the room, and the white-haired teen found multiple firearms leveled at his chest.
"Nice try, pal. The real Lincoln died more than two weeks ago," Lynn Jr. said.
"Might I suggest a non-violent solution to the dilemma?" Lisa suggested. "After all, we have no way of knowing if this person is truly hostile. I am curious to find out his true identity, what with his claim to be Lincoln, as well as Lana's news of Lincoln's grave being exhumed."
"Alright, smartypants, how do you think we should do this?" Lola asked.
"Simple: we ask him questions that only Lincoln would know the correct answers to," the bespectacled ten-year-old replied.
"What's Lincoln's favorite color?" Lana asked.
"Sunset orange," answered Lincoln.
"What was the name of Lana's frog?" asked Lola.
"Hops. What is this, Kindergarten? Give me a hard one!"
"What was the name and grade of the teacher Lincoln first had a crush on?" asked Luna.
"Miss Sirena DiMartino in fifth grade."
The girls all huddled, and Lola said, "Dang, this guy's good. We need a showstopper that'll really stump him."
"Okay, I think I've got it," Jenny said and turned back to face Lincoln. "What were Lincoln's last words to me right before he died?" she asked.
"I told you that I wasn't going to make it. I pulled a pair of rings out of my pocket and asked you to marry me. With Clyde and Lisa as witnesses, we exchanged our vows. My last words to you were 'I now pronounce us man and wife.'" As he said this, he held up his left hand for everyone to see and proudly displayed the ring still on his finger. Jenny's hands flew to her mouth, and her eyes welled with tears.
"Oh Lincoln! It IS you!" she cried and flung her arms around him.
"How is this possible? I pronounced you legally dead myself," Lisa asked.
"Because I brought him back." Everyone gasped and turned to the entrance of the room, where Haiku now stood, still dressed in her priestess' robes. "When news reached my ears of his death, and that he had left a widow behind, I could not help myself. He is still my friend. I would rather not explain where precisely my allegiance lies, but it is not with my uncle. If you will permit me, as High Priestess of Khonsu, I can ensure that Lincoln and Jenny are wed properly." Lincoln turned to Jenny.
"She brought me back to life, Jenny. She hates her uncle just as much as we do. I trust her, and so should you. What do you say?"
Jenny smiled and said, "Let's do it. For us, for our families, and for...our child."
"Y-you mean..."
"Yes, Lincoln. I'm pregnant. I was going to tell you, but...you know." Jenny was surprised when Lincoln wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her through the air, laughing all the while.
"Jenny, you just made me the happiest man alive!" Lincoln said when he finally stopped.
...
"Hey everyone! Come watch this!" Lana exclaimed, turning up the volume on the TV she was watching. It was turned to the local news channel, where Katie Crest the reporter was interviewing Cristina, who was dressed far more modestly than on the night Lincoln had saved her and the other girls.
"I'm Katie Crest, coming to you live with an exclusive interview with this young woman, who until last night was serving against her will alongside several of her friends and classmates as a barmaid in a club run by these detestable gangsters. Cristina, tell me how on Earth you and your friends managed to escape."
"We didn't escape, Ms. Crest. At least, not without help. I was sitting on the lap of one of the patrons, whose hands were EVERYWHERE by the way, when the whole building lost power. Then, a masked man dressed all in black came into the room, holding the man that was supposed to be guarding the place by the back of his neck. In full view of everyone, he killed the guy he was holding and warned the gangsters that they would be next if they didn't let us go. Somehow, he survived the barrage of bullets they hit him with, and he formed a blade from this tar-like stuff that dripped down his arm. He killed every man in the room almost before we could blink. The girls and I raided the corpses for clothing, and the man that saved us protected us from the shadows as we returned to our homes."
"I see. Did this man give any indication of who he was?"
"No, ma'am. He gave me permission to call him whatever I wanted, but said his real identity needed to stay secret."
"Have you decided on a title for your mysterious savior?"
"I have. Given his unsettling appearance and his tendency to attack from the shadows, I call him...the Boogeyman!"
Lincoln was actually impressed that Cristina had found the courage for a news interview so soon after he rescued her, but unsurprised at the same. If "the Boogeyman" (an interesting choice for a name, but one that he liked) was to make an impact on the gangsters, then news of him needed to spread. Now was not the time for planning future rescues and attacks, however. Lincoln leaned back in his seat, allowing Jenny to get more comfortable as she sat in his lap with her head resting against his shoulder. Now was the time for enjoying the finer things in life, like the mutual love between (future) husband and wife.