REVIEW RESPONSE
Nightw2: Glad you liked the chapter. I did a small calculation and realised that this won't be the last chapter, there will be one more after this, my estimate was slightly off. This chapter does have two surprises. Sorry about the chapter confusion and for putting even more suspense but I can't get the story completely finished in this chapter, I'll need one more but the last will be more of an epilogue.
acosta pérez josé ramiro: I was aware that Sylvester can't be easily killed but the only thing he had on him when he was trapped was the silver dagger, which WOULD kill him. Thanks for pointing that out anyway. Hope you like the surprises in this chapter. One you may have guessed.
EscapeEveryone was looking at the skeleton that had fallen out of the secret passage.
"That's Sweetie's" Tweety exclaimed.
"So, at least we found the body." Sylvester muttered. Aaooga went to the skeleton and examined it. She found some flesh on the corpse.
"Did you notice this piece of flesh before?" Aaooga asked.
"No, can't say I did." Tweety replied.
"Why?" Penelope asked.
"This may just be me, but this flesh seems fresh." Aaooga replied. Tweety came up and had a look at the flesh.
"She's right, and there's feather's growing from it." Tweety exclaimed. The corpse suddenly stood up on it's own accord. Tweety and Aaooga jumped back. Penelope screamed when she saw the skeleton move.
"What's going on?" Aaooga asked. The animated skeleton started walking towards Tweety.
"I don't know, but I don't feel scared." Tweety replied. He stood his ground as the skeleton walked up to him. To everyone's surprise, the skeleton did no harm. It put its arms around Tweety and hugged him.
"It's not hostile?" Penelope asked in confusion. Tweety returned the embrace the skeleton was giving him and it fell to the floor motionless.
"That was weird." Sylvester muttered. Tweety picked up the skeleton.
"The most we can do is hold a short service for Sweetie before we go." Tweety said.
"Good idea, at least then she can rest in peace." Penelope replied.
"Wait!" Aaooga said.
"What's wrong?" Tweety asked.
"That flesh is growing." Aaooga replied, pointing to the flesh on Sweetie's corpse. Tweety had a look.
"She's right." Tweety exclaimed.
"All of a sudden, I'm very scared." Sylvester muttered.
"There is something weird going on." Penelope added.
"We can't figure it out now, let's just have a small remembrance for Sweetie." Aaooga said.
"Ok." Everyone replied. They didn't notice a mist forming above them.
Tweety placed Sweetie's corpse on the altar where Sleety had been reading the book. It was decorated with vampire fangs and canaries. There were also inscriptions involving skulls around the top rim of the altar. Everyone gathered around the altar and looked at the skeleton. The flesh was still growing, which sent shivers down everyone's spines. "Well Sweetie, we avenged your death, but we're sorry we could not prevent it." Tweety began.
"When we heard you'd gone missing, everyone was worried about you. We set up search parties that even now search for you" Aaooga added. She began to cry over the loss.
"You did well in looking up to Tweety and driving Furball nuts." Sylvester said mournfully.
"You shall be missed by everyone in the town." Penelope finished. High above them, Sweetie's ghost was watching the remembrance from above. If she could, she would cry at the heart-warming display. She longed to live again. Tweety took the silver dagger that he'd used to slay Sleety.
"May your memory live on for as long as we live." Tweety said mournfully. He laid the dagger across the skeleton and started to cry.
"May you now finally rest in peace." Aaooga added.
"Let us pause for a moment of silence." Sylvester said. Everyone in the room went quiet. High above, Sweetie was touched by the display. She then felt a force build up in her ghostly form. It began dragging her to her own corpse. Her ghostly form turned back into mist and her corpse itself began to glow red, causing everyone to jump back.
"What's going on?" Penelope asked. The corpse stopped flashing and everyone was shocked to see that the body had been repaired. The skin had grown back and the feathers had returned.
"Her body's been repaired!" Aaooga exclaimed.
"Look!" Sylvester said, pointing up to the air. Everyone looked up and saw a mist descending on them. It entered the corpse and the body began to flash brightly, dazzling everyone in the room.
"What's going on?" Penelope shouted. The light faded and everyone looked at the corpse lying on the altar. To everyone's horror, the body opened her eyes.
"What happened?" Sweetie asked. Everyone looked at her with shocked expressions.
"You're… alive?" Sylvester asked, not quite believing what he'd just seen. Sweetie looked around her surroundings.
"Are you ok?" Aaooga asked.
"I'm fine, but… I still remember what happened while I was dead." Sweetie replied.
"That's something you don't want to remember." Tweety muttered. Sweetie stood up and threw herself at Tweety's arms.
"Thank you for slaying Count Sleety uncle!" Sweetie said, practically crying in Tweety's arms. Tweety returned the hug.
"I was worried that I'd have to tell your parents that you were dead." Tweety replied. Sweetie let go and turned to Aaooga. She ran up to her and embraced her.
"Thank you too Aaooga, if it wasn't for all of you, I'd be dead now." Sweetie said, still crying.
"I don't understand how you were resurrected." Aaooga said.
"Neither do I." Tweety added.
"I think I know." Penelope said. Everyone looked at her.
"Sweetie, did you have an urge to return to life?" Penelope asked.
"Yes I did." Sweetie replied.
"I think the death of the vampire combined with your will to live caused a power that resurrected you." Penelope reasoned.
"I don't understand that at all." Sylvester moaned.
"I'll explain later, let's just get out of here." Penelope replied.
"One question, what were you all doing here in the first place?" Sweetie asked. Sylvester then looked very solemn.
"What's wrong?" Tweety asked.
"Everything that has happened here, all the times we've been in danger, has been my fault." Sylvester replied solemnly.
"What do you mean?" Penelope asked.
"If I hadn't attacked Tweety and Aaooga in the bird bath, none of this will happen." Sylvester replied.
"No, it's my fault." Aaooga said.
"Why?" Penelope asked.
"Coming to this place was my idea." Aaooga replied. Tweety embraced her.
"I didn't know this place was haunted either. I think all of us have some part of the blame." Tweety said comfortingly.
"Even me?" Penelope asked.
"You should've stayed outside and called for help instead of coming in when you saw me enter." Sylvester replied. Penelope lowered her head.
"I guess you're right." Penelope said sadly. Sylvester hugged her.
"I forgive you now, let's just escape from this mansion and get home." Sylvester replied.
"Yeah, it'll be completely dark outside soon." Tweety added. They left the sacred chamber through the secret passage and began to head for the main entrance.
The group were a short distance away from the main entrance. Aaooga was looking at the keys they'd collected.
"Well, now we can get out of here finally." Aaooga said. She looked and saw Tweety just staring at the wall of the corridor.
"What's wrong?" Aaooga asked. Tweety looked at her.
"I'm troubled by what Sleety said before he died." Tweety replied.
"What did he say?" Aaooga asked.
"He said that only a pure young girl could defeat his minions for good." Tweety replied.
"I suppose that would be me." Sweetie added.
"Guess so." Sylvester muttered.
"But how can I kill zombies?" Sweetie asked.
"Don't know." Tweety replied.
"But do you think we'll have to?" Penelope asked.
"The zombies fled once Count Sleety was killed, but that doesn't mean they're dead." Aaooga replied. They were blocked by mist in the corridor.
"Looks like more ghosts." Tweety muttered. The ghosts were Lord and Lady Valetta. Lord Valetta's face was no longer twisted, it was as normal as day. Lord Valetta spelt out…
'W, E, A, R, E, I, N, Y, O, U, R, D, E, B, T!'
"You mean for ridding the house of the vampire?" Sylvester asked. Lady Valetta nodded.
"Well, we need to go now." Tweety said. Lady Valetta nodded and spelt out…
'Y, O, U, A, R, E, W, E, L, C, O, M, E, B, A, C, K, A, N, Y, T, I, M, E!' The ghosts then vanished.
"It's nice to be wanted." Sylvester muttered.
"Let's just get out of here, I miss my mum." Sweetie said.
"Yeah, I've had enough of this place for a while." Tweety added. They continued to head to the entrance so they could leave.
They were one corridor away from the main entrance of the mansion. They could soon leave the mansion and return home.
"Got the keys?" Sylvester asked. Aaooga showed all three keys.
"Yep, got them all." Aaooga replied.
"Then let's get out of here. They arrived at the main hall and saw the main entrance blocked by a hoard of zombies.
"Great, now what do we do?" Sweetie asked in annoyance.
"We have to get past them to get out of here." Penelope said.
"Looks like we'll have to kill them." Tweety said.
"But the silver dagger is still in the sacred chamber." Sweetie protested.
"There must be a way." Aaooga said.
"There isn't" came a voice from the direction of the zombies.
"Who's there?" Sylvester asked nervously.
"That voice sounded familiar." Penelope added.
"Look!" Aaooga shouted in horror. Above the zombies was the ghost of a canary.
"Ghosts can talk?" Sylvester asked.
"Not normally." Tweety replied.
"You're not getting out so easily!" The ghost shouted. Tweety then realised who it was.
"Sleety, why won't you let us out?" Tweety asked. Everyone looked at Tweety.
"That's Sleety's ghost?" Penelope asked.
"I'm certain of it." Tweety replied. The ghost flew over to the group.
"I see you're good at identifying ghosts." Sleety said
"Now you know how I felt when I was killed by you!" Sweetie shouted. Sleety looked at her.
"I see that you were resurrected. It doesn't matter, all of you will stay here for the rest of eternity." Sleety replied.
"We're leaving!" Aaooga shouted, holding up the three keys.
"I'm impressed that you found the other two after stealing the one from my body." Sleety said.
"Will you let us go?" Penelope asked. Sleety chuckled.
"If you can get past my zombie minions." Sleety replied evilly. The ghost flew over to the zombies.
"Alright, do whatever it takes to keep them here!" Sleety ordered. The zombies created a wall like American football players, determined not to let anyone past.
"What do we do now?" Aaooga asked. Tweety looked around the room for anything they could use to get past. He saw a large rug on the floor. He saw no sharp implements or heat giving items other than some long dead light bulbs. He looked at the wooden poles on the banister of the staircase; they were about ½ a foot wide. He then remembered how, when he was younger, he pulled a cloth between two wooden posts so fast that it caught fire. He went over to the rug and tried lifting it. To his surprise, it was incredibly light. This gave him an idea.
"Sylvester, Penelope, distract those zombies." Tweety said.
"How?" Sylvester asked.
"I'm sure you'll think of something." Tweety replied.
"I have an idea, come on Sylvester." Penelope said. They ran down to the zombies.
"What do we do?" Aaooga asked.
"Aaooga, Sleety, come to this end of the rug and grab it." Tweety said.
"I don't know what you're planning but ok." Sweetie replied. They grabbed the end of the rug.
"Now, on the count of three, we fly towards the zombies as fast as we can, pulling the rug through those two posts." Tweety instructed, pointing to two of the posts.
"Ok." Aaooga replied. They grabbed the rug.
"One, Two, THREE!" Tweety called. As soon as he said three, they pulled the rug through the posts. The friction made by the fabric rubbing against the posts caused the rug to catch fire.
"Just like I hoped." Tweety muttered.
While this was happening, Sylvester and Penelope were fist fighting the zombies at the door.
"Whatever Tweety has planned, he'd better do it quickly." Sylvester shouted. He was being surrounded by zombies from all sides.
"We have to keep these zombies in a group." Penelope replied. She was fighting zombies off both her and Sylvester.
"Thanks." Sylvester managed to say. He was rather out of breath.
"No problem." Penelope replied.
"How are you so strong?" Sylvester asked. Penelope laughed.
"You get like that if you spend half your life running away from a persistent admirer." Penelope replied.
"Whatever you do, you can't win!" Sleety taunted. This just made Sylvester and Penelope even more determined.
"We will escape!" Sylvester shouted. Sleety smirked.
"I'd like to see that." Sleety replied. Now Penelope smirked.
"Looks like Tweety's ready." Penelope said to herself, looking up at the canaries.
The canaries were now holding onto the rug. It was slowly burning away.
"What now?" Aaooga asked.
"Sweetie, throw this burning rug onto the zombies." Tweety instructed.
"Alone?" Sweetie protested.
"Only a young girl pure of heart can kill those minions. Besides, the rug is light." Tweety replied.
"Ok." Sweetie said hesitantly. Tweety and Aaooga let go of the rug.
"Sylvester, Penelope, run!" Tweety shouted. Sylvester and Penelope ran back to the canaries.
"What's going on?" Sleety asked. Sweetie took the rug and flew over the zombies blocking the door. The rug was burning steadily. Sleety looked up and saw Sweetie with the rug.
"What are you doing?" Sleety's ghost asked in rage.
"Now Sweetie!" Tweety shouted. Sweetie dropped the rug and it landed on all of the zombies. The canaries flew back to Sylvester and Penelope.
"What now?" Penelope asked.
"Now we wait for the zombies to burn." Tweety replied. Penelope then realised what was going on.
"I get it, as Sweetie is a young girl of pure heart, the zombies will be burnt to a crisp." Penelope said. And sure enough, they were. The rug fell limp to the ground and fully burned, leaving only a large amount of ashes where the zombies were. Sleety's ghost was furious.
"Curse you! Fine! I'll let you go then!" Sleety shouted in a fume. His ghost fled deep into the mansion.
"Hope we don't see his face again." Aaooga muttered.
"Come on, let's unlock that door." Tweety said.
"Ok, here are the keys." Aaooga replied. They went to the door and opened it with the keys they'd found. The door made a loud creaking sound as it opened. It was getting dark outside.
"Now let's head home." Penelope said. The group went out of the door and back into the outside world.
(A/N: Ok, one more chapter left. There are a couple more things to be explained so there's going to be a short epilogue for th next and final chapter. I know I said this would be the last chapter but I re-counted and realised I'd need an epilogue. Sorry about that.)