Chapter 5
Lincoln went on his second killing spree two days later, when the gangsters had unknowingly revealed the location of one of their various hideouts. He intentionally left one of them alive to bear witness to what happened, paying heed to the saying that "dead men tell no tales." Authorities found the man in the fetal position, scared out of his skin, with bodies alternately heaped on the floor or pinned to the walls and ceiling via large spikes of Lincoln's peculiar body fluid.
News that Lincoln himself was back from the dead also spread like wildfire, and he almost had to beat adoring fans away with a stick. After the shooting, nobody bothered to go back to school, opting instead to fortify their homes as best they could. This made it easier to balance Lincoln's home life with his new superhero (actually, better make that anti-hero) life.
One week after his return, Lincoln and his fiancé were at the park with each other's younger siblings, relaxing and keeping a wary eye out for gangsters at the same time, when Katherine Mulligan and her camera crew came up to the bench they were sitting on.
"Mr. Loud, may I have the honor of conducting an interview with you?" she asked.
"Uh, sure. Lisa?" Lincoln called. Upon receiving assurance that he had her attention, Lincoln said, "Deploy the camouflage drones and tell Darcy to stay close. This lady wants me to give her a news interview." Once the drones were in the air, Katherine began the interview.
"I'm Katherine Mulligan, coming to you live with an exclusive interview with Lincoln Loud, a local teenager who has returned from the grave after he was killed in a school shooting nearly a month ago. Tell me, Mr. Loud, what was it like to die?"
"Details get kind of hazy, but I guess it was like you'd see in movies and books: like falling asleep, only faster and easier."
"I see. And did you experience any kind of afterlife when you died?" Katherine asked. Lincoln decided to tell her the truth, or at least part of it.
"When I died, I found myself floating in this black void, like that nightmare where it feels like you're falling endlessly. Before I could panic, a bald man dressed in flowing silver robes appeared. He introduced himself as Khonsu, the moon god of Egyptian mythology. He said that he took pity on me because my life was taken from me so abruptly. He then offered to return me to the mortal plane of existence if I so wished. All I had to do was bow down and become his servant. I accepted his offer and shook his hand to seal the deal. After that, Khonsu vanished, and I woke up laying on a wooden altar in the middle of the woods, surrounded by the followers of Khonsu and their High Priestess. They took me to their temple in an undisclosed location to prepare me to re-enter society." Lincoln purposefully left out Khonsu's offer of revenge on Lincoln's killers. He would tell his family and friends in due time.
"Wow, Lincoln! What a fascinating story! That concludes the interview, folks; I'm Katherine Mulligan, signing off!" Katherine made a slashing motion across her throat, signaling her crew to turn off the camera. She turned back to Lincoln and handed him a wad of cash. "Here's a little something for wasting your time, Mr. Loud. I hope this didn't bother you too much," she said.
"Nah, it was no trouble at all. The only downside is that I'll probably have to make it clear that I'm already engaged," Lincoln replied.
...
The Boogeyman struck five more times, all at night and all robberies of homes and small businesses. The fourth time, he was nearly caught by Royal Woods' corrupt police department, but he managed to give them the slip. What he didn't know was that Jenny sometimes woke up right when he left the bunker and was starting to catch on. Without solid proof, she decided to just stay quiet.
About a month after his return, the overjoyed Santiago family insisted that he and Jenny come to Great Lakes City and visit. Lincoln's three-year-old niece, Amanda, was particularly thrilled. As the daughter of Lori and Bobby, her skin tone was exactly halfway between those of her parents, but she fully inherited her mother's hair color. She was cute as a button and a bundle of energy, and more often than not wore her parents out at the end of every day. She calmed down a bit when she saw how sad her parents were over Lincoln's death.
Lincoln drove himself and Jenny to the city, but he didn't know that the gangsters had been keeping tabs on the family, and thus were following them. They reached the Casagrande apartment building without incident, and the first thing Lori did was wrap Lincoln in the tightest, most rib-crushing hug she could muster. She then slapped him and yelled at him for making her sad like that. After that, her mood improved considerably, and she brought the two of them inside for lunch, as Bobby was making his grandmother's famous tamales. They sat at the dining room table, and Lincoln held Amanda on his lap, her head nestled in the center of his chest.
"Uncle Lincoln, why can't I hear your heart?" Amanda suddenly asked without warning.
"It's an unfortunate side effect of the resurrection ritual. I'm alive, but my heart no longer beats. I guess I'm technically undead," Lincoln explained.
"Hey, Lincoln, what are your thoughts on this Boogeyman guy that's been running around?" Lori asked. "Personally, I'm torn. I think he could save our little town without leaving so many bodies in his wake, but at the same time, they shoot him when he's trying to offer a chance to surrender."
"I think we need someone like him. He only shows no mercy because he receives none in return. He exacts justice on those that have shed innocent blood," Lincoln said.
"Wow. Usually you only hear something worded that deeply in action movies with morally conflicted protagonists. I think Lucy's poetic side is rubbing off on you," Lori responded, impressed with her brother's vocabulary. The family discussed recent news from both cities long after the sun went down and Amanda retired for the night.