A/N: Hello, again! ...Um, I have nothing else more to say, so... Chappie time!
A Monster Mansion Halloween: Chapter 3: Deadly Nightmares
Orange light flooded the walls of the master bedroom as the door cracked open. Banjo quickly peeked in first, seeing nothing but drawers, cabinets, and a great bed in the center of the back wall. No sign of any abnormal creatures.
"It's safe," Banjo sighed, pushing the rest of the door open and letting Kazooie peek in herself. Comforted, she slowly climbed out of the backpack to stretch her long legs; she really needed to, but it was difficult since they were shaking do much from fear.
"What now, Banjo?" she asked quietly, watching the bear place the oil lamp down on a table.
"We should try out best to stay in one room. It'll be dangerous to roam around aimlessly," he reasoned, taking a seat on the bed's purple blankets. Kazooie quickly sat next to him, and the green drapes drooped over them.
"Okay."
Banjo looked down at the soft, velvety cloth as he ran his paw gently through it. It looked so plush and comfortable... And those pillows... Banjo yawned, exhausted beyond belief. The more he looked at the bed, the more his tired body demanded rest. Finally, he gave in, and flopped down on the bed, enjoying the company of the soft and feathery pillow.
A little surprised by the sudden movement, Kazooie turned and blinked down at him. "Banjo...?"
But the bear was beyond hearing, already deep in sleep...
Inky blackness covered the dark realms of his mind at first, but then it slowly faded to that of a clear, spring afternoon in Spiral Mountain. A warm breeze kissed his furry face as he laid in the soft grass in content, staring up into the bright blue skies.
In his sleep, Banjo softly smiled, comforted by the calm dream.
He heard the giggling of a child nearby, and he sat up to see Tooty dashing toward him gleefully. She flew into his arms laughing, hugging her brother tightly. Banjo returned the graciously, happy for her safety.
Banjo hugged the pillow tightly, sighing dreamily.
The simple bliss only lasted so long, though, as he began to hear an all-too-familiar cackle that dreaded him so. Instantly, Tooty evaporated from his arms, and the blue skies turned dark.
Banjo cringed softly, firmly grasping the pillows. Something was going wrong.
"Tooty!" he cried, quickly getting to his feet. The maniacal laughter continued as he looked around frantically. "Gruntilda! Where are you?"
"All around you, foolish bear!"
Suddenly, the grass disappeared under his feet, and a circle of fire surrounded him, and from the flames came at least ten to twenty Gruntildas, looming over him like giants. Their metallic cackles nearly blew his eardrums out, then the largest one in front of him delivered the first blow: a vicious kick to the abdomen. Surprisingly, he could actually feel the flash of pain as he collapsed to his knees, coughing.
What followed as all the Gruntildas jumped on top of him was a brutal beating much too vicious to describe. Banjo was blinded by fear, but he could feel the punches and the boots thrusting into him, the fingernails clawing into his skin, the mocking laughter echoing in his aching head. The agony went on, and he couldn't keep up much longer...
"BANJO! BANJO, WAKE UP!" Kazooie shouted desperately, shaking him back and forth. She became more horrified as more cuts and bruises appeared out of nowhere on his body. A pained look crossed his face as he appeared to be struggling viciously for his life.
Finally, after trying everything else, Kazooie pecked her partner on the head, hoping that would awaken him. And it worked.
With a shout, Banjo sat up quickly, blue eyes wide with fear. He gasped for breath, clutching his tired heart. Scared, Kazooie embraced him with her wings.
"B-B-Banjo... y... you..." She could barely speak, her breath caught in her throat.
Slowly, Banjo tried to move, but gasped in pain, clutching his side painfully and hissing through his teeth. In mild confusion, he looked toward a vanity mirror across the room at himself in horror. He looked tired and beaten, his fur a wild mess and his peachy skin blackened and bruised. He had sustained many minor, but painful injuries, including a highly-noticeable gash across his cheek.
As realization dawned on him, he sighed tiredly. "Gruntilda... as long as we're here... she can invade our dreams... Kill us in our sleep..." he whispered, looking at Kazooie sternly. "We can't fall asleep, Kazooie. It could mean our lives."
Kazooie nodded, looking him over. "You look... pretty beat up..." she said softly, trying to sound casual. "Want me to go find a washroom and..."
"NO!" Banjo sharply cut her off, wincing in pain. "...W-we can't leave each other alone! Who knows what could happen!"
"Well, look at yourself, Banjo! You're a mess! If we plan on surviving the night, we gotta get you cleaned up! The only problem is you're so beat up, you can barely move without hurting yourself!"
Banjo's shoulders slumped as he sighed, acknowledging the very good points the breegul had brought up. Rubbing the side of his arm in thought, he came up with a solution.
"Use the Talon Trot."
Kazooie looked up at the bear and nodded, climbing back into the backpack. She poked her long, thin legs out of the bottom, then stood with her talons digging into the plush carpet, moving slowly as to not hurt Banjo anymore. Banjo limply settled, his jarred limbs throbbing a bit, but the pain was bearable. He reached over with a shaky paw and grasped the oil lamp, holding it against his chest. Kazooie approached the door and nudged it open, stepping back into the hall.
A/N: Alright... hehe, I know took a while, been busy with homework and all. Don't worry, Tooty's okay, that's just the nightmares. ore to come, so review!