Okay, this time the story actually does change direction a little bit. So it won't only be about Billy and Mandy anymore (though there will still be plenty of that). I guess that's all I have to say. I hopes you enjoy this chapter.
A Grim Apprenticeship
Chapter 5: New Underworld Order
And so, Billy and Mandy resumed their jobs as temporary reapers and once again terrorized the inhabitants of Endsville. In a miniscule amount of time they became the most sinister creatures the town had ever seen. In an act of pitiless fury they unleashed a plague of death upon the unsuspecting citizens, wielding their scythes with all the hatred of the Underworld itself. Soon, a shadow fell over the city and the horrible legend of Billy and Mandy began to grow…
"PICKLES DIPPED IN OLD MAYONNAISE!" Billy squealed with delight as he spotted a jar of one of his favorite snacks sitting behind a parked car on the side of the road.
"I wouldn't eat that, Billy. I don't feel like dragging you to the hospital again." Mandy cautioned.
Billy ignored Mandy (of course) and ran over to the jar, which he sat next to. He plunged his hand into the messy contents of the jar, splattering thick, yellow mayonnaise all over himself. He gently lifted a pickle, which was covered in mayo, out of the container. There were small hairs growing out of the glob of mayonnaise.
"You're just jealous 'cause I saw them first!" Billy replied with his mouth full of pickles, causing mayonnaise to drip out his mouth.
"That's right, Billy. I'm jealous." She said sarcastically as she came closer, trying not to look at Billy's disgusting eating habits.
They both noticed a sudden rumbling noise just after Billy shoved another pickle into his mouth. The noise appeared to be coming from beneath the ground.
"What is that?" Mandy wondered, looking around to try and find the source of the noise.
"It's probably just my stomach growling, it does that a lot when I eat mayonnaise pickles." Billy explained, not seeming to notice anything different. "The searing pain in my stomach means it's good for me!"
The rumbling sound only appeared to get louder, and Mandy noticed a large crack in the street that formed a circle around her and Billy. Even Billy noticed the strange circle, though he kept stuffing food into his face. The ground inside the circle suddenly began to break apart, forming a small crater. They both sat in the middle of the crater, neither one entirely sure about what had happened. Then the ground gave way beneath them, creating a tunnel that led deep underground.
Mandy tried to use her scythe to hook onto the stone walls of the tunnel, hoping that she could stop herself from falling, but she lost her grip on it and continued to plummet downwards. All Billy did was wrap both arms around his jar of pickles to keep it from spilling; he had let go of his scythe the second the tunnel had appeared.
They kept falling deeper and deeper into the earth for what seemed like hours. Finally, the tunnel ended and they both landed hard on the ground, which was made of solid rock.
As Mandy stood up she realized they were now standing in the middle of Grim's realm, the Underworld.
The jagged rocks that covered the landscape were lit up by the intense fires that surrounded them. Clouds of vampire bats flew through the stalactites above, while multitudes of bizarre creatures slithered through the rocks below. There were giant minotaurs in the distance, each one wielding a pitchfork, which they used to guide groups of screaming souls through the flames and caverns of their new eternal home. Mandy recognized Grim's three headed dog Cerberus, who was guarding the gates of the Underworld, a massive structure that towered above everything else. She surveyed everything with an expressionless stare, but Billy looked a little uncomfortable, even though this was not their first trip to the Underworld.
A fairly large creature appeared from the flames below and climbed up on the large stone platform where the two reapers were standing. He was red in color, with dark yellow horns and large hooves for feet. In his right hand he carried a large scepter, which was made of some sort of black metal.
The demon looked back down below and made a signal with his hand as if he were telling someone that it was safe to come out. Almost immediately after that, an assortment of demons and other Underworld creatures began to emerge from beneath the platform, which they quickly surrounded. They were of all sizes and shapes; some were giants, others were barely the size of Billy's nose. Some of them had horns, wings or tails while other had dozens of eyes, or none at all. Though they all looked different, each one stared anxiously at Billy and Mandy.
"As you can see, we have brought both of you here to the Underworld, thanks to our pickle jar bait." The demon with the scepter announced. Apparently he was the appointed leader of the Underworld creatures.
"Pickle bait? Why didn't you just send someone up to find us?" Mandy asked, annoyed at being thrown down a tunnel instead of being escorted down.
The red demon thought about it for a moment, "I don't know, I guess it's just funnier this way." He answered with a chuckle as he pointed to Billy, who had just devoured another pickle, getting mayonnaise up his nose.
Mandy frowned angrily, but she let the demon continue speaking.
"We have been watching you on your reaping assignments and we're very impressed at all the souls you two have collected. We didn't even know there were that many people on the reaper list!"
Billy and Mandy exchanged glances, but neither one of them said anything.
"We've all been thinking about it and we have decided that it's time for some new management around here." The demon said loudly. "That Grim guy had a good run, but he hasn't been doing well since the 1800's. It took as more than a century, but we finally realize he's nothing but a loser."
Mandy looked surprised, she knew Grim's reputation was lower than it used to be, but she never thought he was in danger of being replaced.
"Remember that time Grim had his own show, and we saw that footage of him in a flower garden wearing a dress?" The red demon asked the surrounded creatures as he laughed. "Or that time we saw him dancing in a cowboy suit?"
That got all the creatures in the Underworld to start laughing hysterically. Even Billy started laughing.
"Yeah, Grim is always doing stuff like that!" He shouted before laughing like an idiot again.
Mandy stayed silent among the roaring laughter, glaring irately at the red demon. The laughter finally died down until only a few scattered giggles could be heard.
The red demon cleared his throat (he obviously had a lot to say), "No, we can't have a someone like that as lord of the Underworld. We need reapers like you two, who can instill fear into the hearts of mortal men at the mere mention of your names. You are the future of the Underworld!"
"Can we get on with this, or do we have to listen to you rant for another hour?" Mandy asked impatiently.
The demon looked startled for a moment, then a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat again and looked around.
"Yes, of course…" He said in a low voice before he shouted, "TIME FOR THE CEREMONY!"
The demon's voice echoed throughout the Underworld as the rock platform Billy and Mandy were standing on rose even higher above the cheering multitudes of creatures on the ground. It continued to rise until it surveyed the entire realm of the Underworld. Soaring flames of many different colors encircled the platform, creating dark smoke that took the form of skulls as it drifted into the air. Floating souls, bats, and other demonic creatures flew above them in a frenzy. Down below, hordes of undead corpses burst from the ground and joined the crowd of creatures. All of this happened as Cerberus let out a deafening howl, which added perfectly to the hectic scene. It was clear to Billy and Mandy that this was meant to be a very dramatic ceremony.
"This may sting a lot." The demon said as he lifted his scepter, which was now glowing red, into the air.
The demon slammed the end of the scepter down into the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the platform. The surrounding fire intensified until it appeared to consume everything around it. A dark red glow appeared around Billy and Mandy and grew larger with each second.
"Getting caught on fire tickles!" Billy shouted as the red glow continued to spread.
There was a flash of blinding white light, which quickly faded away. The red glow had disappeared and the fire had relented. Billy and Mandy's robes were a little singed, but other than that they didn't feel any different.
"You now posses all the powers of the Underworld. Did you really think your friend granted you unlimited reaper powers? Even he wouldn't risk something like that." The demon said with a grin. He stepped closer and extended his scepter, "You will now receive the mark of the Grim Reaper."
The demon pressed the end of the scepter against Billy's bare arm. There was a loud sizzling noise as Billy yelped in pain. When he removed the scepter there was smoke coming from Billy's arm, but that disappeared quickly, revealing a black skull-shaped tattoo. The demon did the same thing to Mandy, who didn't even flinch when the scepter touched her skin.
"Coool, I didn't know reapers get their own tattoos!" Billy exclaimed as he and Mandy examined their own 'marks of the reaper'.
"Those crappy scythes won't cut it, we'll have to get you new ones." The demon declared.
He raised his scepter one last time and two perfectly made scythes appeared. They were larger than the older scythes and had sharper, sleeker blades. They were both inscribed with Billy and Mandy's names and they floated towards their respective owners.
"Behold, the King and Queen of the Underworld!" The demon shouted as he faced the crowd, which erupted in cheers.
"What a second!" Mandy yelled, silencing the entire crowd. "What do you mean 'King and Queen of the Underworld'? What are you implying?"
The demon was at a loss for words. He stared nervously at Mandy, who glared furiously at him.
"Well I…I thought that…well, I just assumed that you two were…you know!" He stuttered. "I mean, why else would you hang out with him? Look at him, he's an idiot!" The demon pointed to Billy, who was snorting the rest of the mayonnaise out of the pickle jar.
Mandy gritted her teeth and gripped her new scythe in both hands. She approached the demon and cleaved him in half before he could defend himself. His scepter fell to the ground and what was left of his body disintegrated in a burst of flames.
"These scythes are better." Mandy said quietly as she closely examined the blade.
"Yeah, now I can use my old scythe as a backscratcher!" Billy shouted while he scratched his back and nose with the blade of his old scythe.
"You've been doing that anyway…" Mandy pointed out.
Billy just shrugged and lodged the scythe up his nostril. Mandy looked at her old scythe, then chucked it off the stone platform, where it landed in front of Cerberus' feet. The three dog heads bent down to sniff the scythe before growling and biting viciously at each other. One of the heads got hold of the scythe and promptly swallowed it.
Another demon cautiously climbed up to the platform and picked up the scepter. He glanced nervously at the pile of ashes that used to be his predecessor. He shook his head vigorously, trying to forget about it, then he faced the crowd.
"All hail the new Grim Reapers of the Underworld!" He bellowed.
The crowd cheered again as fire and brimstone rained down from above. Billy stared thoughtlessly out in front of him with his tongue sticking out. Mandy's face showed no expression or sign of emotion.
That day would become one of the most memorable days in the history of the Underworld. Many souls were damned to eternal suffering that day as the unholy creatures celebrated the arrival of their new rulers. Even God would have thought it was a beautiful moment (well, maybe not).
It was early morning in Endsville and the blanket-covered lump on Billy's bed began to stir. The 'lump' was Grim of course, who threw off the covers and stretched his bones. He yawned deeply and looked out the window with a smile on his face. It was a beautiful morning; the sun was shining, birds were chirping and everything looked peaceful (at least at first glance).Grim jumped out of bed and inspected his bones, which were now a healthy, pearly-white color.
"Ah, that's much better." He said as he took a deep breath and summoned his black robe.
Grim walked briskly out of the room and into the hallway. He had completely recovered from his illness and all it took was a little rest and some peace and quiet. He had slept for almost three straight days, only being awoken occasionally by Billy's mom, who had been sneaking into the room and hitting him on the head with a broomstick.
As Grim walked down the hallway, Billy's mom jumped out from one of the hall closets, "Stay away from my Billy, skeleton man!" She shrieked hysterically, throwing an alarm clock at his head before disappearing again.
Grim rubbed the sore spot on his skull, but tried to ignore it as much as possible. He still felt great and nothing was going to make him feel otherwise.
He walked down the stairs, hoping to see Billy and Mandy sitting on the couch, as usual. He wanted to get his scythe back and see how their reaping assignment went (he hoped it wasn't a complete disaster). But when Grim stepped inside the living room, all he saw was Billy's dad laying lazily on the couch.
"Morning, Harold. Have you seen Billy around?" Grim asked.
"Nope haven't seen him or Mandy for days." He answered, not taking his eyes off the television set. None of this seemed to worry him.
"You haven't seen them in days?" Grim couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yep, just like when I was a kid. Walking around town in funny costumes, chopping people's heads off, leaving home for days at a time…" Harold chuckled. "It's good to be young."
Grim was shocked by all of this. He hadn't expected Billy and Mandy to have a lot of success while reaping, but he at least expected each of them to come back in one piece. Although he hated both of them with a blind, undying rage, there was a part of Grim that was worried about the safety of those two children. He looked down and noticed the morning newspaper on the ground. The article on the front page read: 'New Reapers terrorize Endsville. Mortals once again fear death'. Grim's eyes widened as he snatched the paper off the carpet and read the rest of the story. Any worries Grim may have had about Billy and Mandy's well-being were destroyed as he finished reading the article. He crumpled up the paper and threw it to the floor.
"Those ungrateful little brats!" He yelled furiously. "I leave them alone for a few days and they betray me!"
He began to storm out of the house, but Harold asked him something before he went out the door.
"Hey Grimmy, could you pick up some of that ice cream with the little éclairs in it while you're out there?" Harold wondered.
Grim grumbled, "Yes, Harold. I'll pick up the ice cream with the little éclairs in it." He said blankly.
"Thanks a lot, buddy!" Harold yelled back.
Grim cursed under his breath while he walked across the front lawn. He noticed that there was something different about the neighborhood. Everything around him was encased in an eerie silence and a sense of dread seemed to hang over each household. He looked around to see if anyone had even left their house as he raised his hand in the air, anticipating his scythe to appear any second. Grim looked at his empty, outstretched hand, wondering what the problem was. He smacked himself on the forehead when he realized that Billy and Mandy still had his scythe.
"I might as well face it, I'm stuck here forever." He said hopelessly. "Billy and Mandy have my job and there's nothing I can do about it." He lowered his head.
The sound of a powerful engine caught Grim's attention and he looked up. There appeared to be a large vehicle of some sort speeding up the road in his direction. The vehicle was surrounded by a cloud of dust, making it impossible to see it clearly. It came to a screeching halt in front of Billy's house, covering everything with dust and dirt. Grim coughed uncontrollably as dust filled his eye sockets, temporarily blinding him. As he turned around he was knocked backwards by a large object, which he couldn't get a good look at.
As the dust slowly cleared away, Grim found himself staring at the end of a large chainsaw inches away from his face. The chainsaw belonged to Hoss Delgado, spectral exterminator; the ruthless, but dimwitted fighter of supernatural evil.
"I've got you now, ghost monkey. Now tell where you hid the babies." Hoss said intensely, still holding his chainsaw hand right above Grim's skull.
"Do you know who I am?" Grim asked in agitation, making sure to keep his face away from the chainsaw.
Hoss Delgado removed his chainsaw hand, replacing it with a solid-metal gauntlet. He sat down on the grass and looked at Grim with a curious expression, trying as hard as he could to remember where he'd seen him before.
"The King of Pop? I thought he was in jail…" Hoss said to himself, though it was loud enough for Grim to hear. "I'm keeping my eyes on you too, pal."
"I'm the messenger of death! The reaper of lost souls! Remember?" Grim snapped.
Hoss strained his mind for another minute or so before he replied, "Oh yeah, the skinny guy with the slave children."
"I'm their slave, but close enough." He corrected him.
Grim stood up and brushed off his robe. Hoss looked around the neighborhood, hoping to see the 'ghost monkey' or any other suspicious creature. Grim looked at the gigantic four-wheel monster truck parked in front of them. He realized he had no way of traveling to the Underworld all by himself. Although he hated the thought of it, Grim had to ask Hoss Delgado for a favor.
"Hoss…this is something I wouldn't normally ask, but I'm in a difficult situation." He began slowly, as each word was painful for him. "I know you have ties to the supernatural and I was wondering if…you could help me get to the Underworld." Grim finally finished.
Hoss stared at him with his eyebrow raised. He thought about it, lightly tapping his chin with one of his prosthetic steel fingers.
He agreed, "Alright, Jacko. You got yourself a deal. Come to think of it, I have a score to settle with those Underworld punks. They stole a picture of me when I was still a woman."
Hoss' overdramatic expression didn't change as he finished speaking. Grim stared blankly at him, not sure how to react. There was an awkward silence as they both stared at each other, neither one moved.
"I guess we better take my truck." Hoss said after awhile.
Grim was silent for a moment longer, "Yeah, I guess we better…"
They both stared at each other again before turning towards Hoss' vehicle. Hoss jumped into the driver's seat with ease, but Grim had trouble climbing up to the passenger's door, which was at least six feet off the ground.
"Need some help there?" Hoss asked almost sarcastically.
"I can do it myself!" Grim shouted.
Grim tried to pull himself up to the leather-covered seat, but almost fell out of the truck in the process. He managed to hold on by grabbing the seat belt that hung out the door and hoisting himself next to the driver's seat. The massive engine roared back to life as Grim shut the door. Hoss slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, causing the oversized wheels to spin rapidly. There was another cloud of smoke and dust as Grim and Hoss drove out of sight.
This chapter is a little longer than usual, but that's okay every once in a while. I wanted to get Grim back into the story in this chapter, so that's why I made sure I got that last part in. Well, I think that's about it (whoa, short author's notes). Thank you for your time.