Author's note: Two chapters in a row, because I can. Like Chapter 5, this one is from Sam's point of view.
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Chapter 7: Who's Behind This?
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CRASH! Mathew and I landed in a heap on the floor of some kind of dungeon cell. Leo wasn't with us for some reason.
A familiar-looking man approached us, holding Clover's X-powder. "A bat and a hedgehog. We don't get too many of these in Horror Haven. But, tell me, Sam and Matthew, whatever happened to that fox Leo?"
Mathew got up. "It's Mathew. One T, not two. Get it right for once, Tim Scam."
As I got up and joined Mathew, Tim Scam continued speaking. "Sorry. That's just an uncommon spelling. But there is also one 'T' in 'You are in deep trouble'!"
"How corny," I muttered. "You must be a friend of Leo's."
"Corn is one of my favorite vegetables," Scam countered, looking around. "Now, where could Leo have ended up?"
Tim Scam looked up, and Mathew and I did the same thing. One of Leo's tails had gotten caught in the trap door as it closed, leaving him dangling and muttering some words I can't repeat.
"So that's where he ended up," Mathew finally said. "Leo, quit making a clown out of yourself and come down here!"
"I didn't choose to get stuck like this," Leo shot back. "Now GET ME DOWN, SOMEBODY!"
Tim Scam jostled a nearby lever, the trap door opened a little more, and Leo dropped down and landed on top of Mathew. I couldn't resist a quick laugh. Scam joined in the laughter. "The Three Stooges, live!"
"What in the world is going on over here?" one of Scam's soldiers asked, approaching our cell.
"Nothing that concerns you," Scam replied. "Get back to your post at the Ghostionizer."
Mathew asked the inevitable question: "What in the world is a Ghostionizer?"
"Oh, I guess I forgot to explain. The Ghostionizer is what I use to turn the tourists I capture into ghosts. Like I did with Clover and Alex. In time I plan to use it to fill Horror Haven with ghosts, making it really haunted! It's got everything, even a reverse switch!"
"It always has a reverse switch," Leo whispered to Mat and me. "Always." More laughter.
The same soldier from before came back. "Why do I keep hearing laughter from this stupid cell?"
As Tim Scam was distracted, I took out my sonic disintegrator boom-box and began to play it. The intense noise caused Scam and the soldier to fall to the ground, and Leo snatched the cell key from Scam's pocket. The door was unlocked in seconds.
"Leo, Mathew," I instructed the boys, "take out Tim Scam and his henchmen. I'll go find Alex and Clover and try to figure out how to get them back to normal."
Leo gave me a pointing gesture, just like Mathew always does. "Sure thing, bat girl." I promptly whacked him.
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Well, that's all for this chapter. Not a lot, but oh well.