A/N: Alright, I'm gonna see if I can get all three of the chapters left in one big post. LET'S SEE IF I CAN DO IT! 8D
A Monster Mansion Halloween: Chapter 7: The Ghouls' Last Stand
As he backed up fearfully against the back wall, Banjo reevaluated his past few decisions and clarified each mistake.
Let's see... Oh, yes, walking into the graveyard. Yeah, that was the first mistake. Why couldn't he remember that the graveyard was the most dangerous place to be in a haunted area?
Oh, yeah, and second was kicking that gravestone in frustration. Yeah, that wasn't smart. Turns out it was a monster in disguise, and it was so angered that it summoned the rest of the ghosts, ghouls, and zombies from below and beyond the grave.
Now as Banjo squeezed himself into a corner of the graveyard, both him and Kazooie looked on in horror as tens of thousands of the undead and the supernatural surrounded them, a greedy, gleeful look on each of their grotesque faces as they cornered their prey.
"B-B-Banjo! What now?" Kazooie cried desperately.
The bear couldn't answer. The more he stared at their predators, the more he lost hope in ever escaping from this hell hole. He glanced at the ground hopelessly, then quietly answered, "I don't know... I just don't know..."
That's when the monsters jumped on top of them, and what followed was a beating worse than in his dreams. Everything from fists to claws, kicks to bites, struck him with unnatural brutality. He was thrown around the crowded and ended up at the opposite end, rolling onto the damp ground roughly and limply. When they stopped, Kazooie darted over and looked over him frantically, finding too many bruises and open wounds all over his abused body.
"BANJO! COME ON, BANJO, GET UP! YOU CAN'T GIVE UP NOW!"
Banjo groaned painfully, slowly cracking his eyes open. His left eye barely opened, for it had been blackened with abuse.
"Come on, Banjo, get up! Don't give in! Don't... ACK!" The creatures had seized hold of Kazooie, pulling her off of him and proceeding to beat her next.
"KAZOOIE!" Banjo cried, ignoring the weakness in his body and leaping to his feet. Fearlessly, he jumped into the mess and tumbled back out a few seconds later with Kazooie in his strong arms. Hiding behind a real gravestone, Banjo let the battered breegul lay limply in his arms.
"Kazooie! Kazooie, please answer!" he begged.
The bird let out a coughed and moaned, leaning on the bear tiredly. Her eyes threatened to close.
"No, Kazooie! Don't go to sleep!" Banjo ordered, trying to keep calm. "Grunty'll kill you!" He embraced her gently, holding her against his chest as he shakily stood. "Stay awake, Kazooie! Focus on something, anything that'll keep you awake!"
Kazooie moaned again, becoming limper.
Banjo then whispered in her ear, "Stay alive for me, Kazooie. I don't know how, but we'll get out of here. I promise."
After hearing this, Kazooie fiercely fought off her unconsciousness with a strong will to survive. She focused on both the raindrops that splashed upon her skull and the bear's fast, heavy heartbeats. She could hear his heart racing in his chest.
Banjo stood and faced the advancing horde of monsters, carefully calculating a beeline towards the entrance of the graveyard, then from there to the front gate of the entire estate. Nearly a hundred yards of the undead separating them from freedom. The risk was worth it.
With a loud battle cry, Banjo held Kazooie closer and charged into the legion of monsters. Like a football player running down the final stretch for a touchdown, he plowed through them with amazing strength and speed. They growled in anger and pursued him, not willing to give in to their prey so easily.
Treading across the muddy ground, drenched in rain and sweat, and nearly blinded by pain and his black eye, Banjo ran on, looking down at Kazooie every few seconds to make sure she was still awake. His fatigue body screamed for rest, but Banjo wouldn't have it. Too much depended on him now; both his and his partner's life rested on his shoulders. He had to keep going, no matter what, just as she had told him a few minutes before.
So he kept going, never stopping to even glance back. He was so desperate, not even a wall of fire could stop him now.
Suddenly, as he neared the gate, a mound of dirt grew on the ground as another creature began to burrow up to block his way.
Aw, no, not now! he thought fleetingly, that is, until a pair of large, blue eyes from under thick glasses popped out quickly, followed by another familiar face.
"BANJO!" she cried out, scared.
"Tooty! Bottles!" Banjo realized, greatly relieved.
"Hurry, Banjo! We'll get you out of here!" Bottles exclaimed, popping out of the hole to give room for his furry friend to leap into. Tooty pushed him through hastily, quickly following after him. Bottles went last after he diverted the monsters' attention away from their previous prey by slinging several pawfuls of mud at them. This angered them more, but Bottles dove under and sealed up the hole before they could attack.
On his paws and knees, Banjo crawled through the tiny tunnel hastily, still clutching Kazooie with one arm. It was difficult for the other two to keep up with him in his desperation.
But one statement brought his mind out of his mad panic, and it came from a flustered Bottles. "Well, we're out now..."
Hearing this, Banjo froze, nearly having Tooty ram into him from behind. Out...? They were out?
Tooty crawled up to him, glancing over his shoulder at the bird he held in his arms. "Kazooie... is she okay...?"
Coming back to himself, Banjo leaned against the dirt walls of the tunnel, looking over the unconscious Kazooie fearfully. Bottles took a look at her carefully.
"Don't worry, she's okay." He gave Banjo a comforting smile. "A little battered and bruised, but not too bad." He then looked the bear up and down. "But you don't look all that well yourself."
Indeed, he didn't. His fur had become a complete mess, slashed in many places where his blood-coated wounds were, and his peachy skin was pale. Fatigue was written clearly on his face, especially in those aquatic blue eyes that were staring down at the ground tiredly. But something else was in them as well: happiness.
"B-Banjo... Are you okay...?" Tooty asked timidly.
Happiness. He was safe. Kazooie was safe. Finally, after a whole night filled with both physical and mental terror and torture, they had escaped from the evil mansion. They were free.
"Free..." he softly whispered, a smile spreading across his face as this last thought went through his mind. And it was the last thought before Banjo let his consciousness carelessly slip away, drifting into what he hoped to be a dreamless sleep.
"Banjo!" Tooty cried as she caught her now unconscious brother from falling back.
"I doubt Grunty gave these two any rest during their stay," Bottles muttered ruefully, shaking his head. "Come on, let's get them back home."
A/N: Yay! Almost done! Call me butter, cause I'M ON A ROLL! 8D YEAH! REVIEW!