Ninten gripped his bat. It was his one item he was bringing with him, aside from his wallet and inhaler, on his journey. He was really doing this. He was going to save the world. Ninten never really wondered how he was going to do it. He knew he was trying to stop...something. He just wasn't sure what.

"Sorry I have to go, mom. And also that I have to miss school today." his mother smiled and tousled his hair.

"Don't worry dear. Your father told me everything while you were looking for decent clothes. And don't worry about school, I told them you were sick. I love you. You're a good kid. Any girl would be lucky to have you." A light blush flashed across his face. He shook his head.

"Thanks, mom. I love you. When I come back, I'll make your favorite food." his mother snickered.

"No offense dear, but the last time you tried to cook, we had to call the fire department." Ninten nodded. His sisters were by the door, nearing the verge of tears.

"Do you really have to go?" Mimmie whined. Ninten kneeled down and patted her head.

"Yes, I do. But don't worry, I'll be fine. I got my trusty bat and my lucky hat." Mimmie solemnly nodded while Minnie cried. Ninten rolled his eyes and hugged his little sis. He stood up once more and placed his hand on the doorknob. Mick stood right in front of it.

"Mick, you're the man of the house while I'm gone. Mom'll feed you, and make sure to keep Mimmie and Minnie from fighting." Mick whined and lowered his head.

'I'll miss you, kid.' Ninten nodded and scritched behind his ears.

"You'll always be my brother, boy." he finally opened the door and was hit with sunlight. He waved once more to his family and shut the door.

He was by himself.

"I should probably head into Podunk for supplies, I guess." Ninten lived in a semi-rural area. Podunk was a town that finished construction on Mother's Day. Every Mother's Day was basically treated as a second Christmas, only mom's got treated like luxury. Ninten could remember his Mother's Day gift, a mug he had made in art class out of clay. She still used it to this day.

It didn't take him long to arrive in Podunk, which seemed to be a normal day for everybody. People went to work, kids were off to school, and the shops were opening. Ninten wondered if any of them had to battle evil lamps and have to save the world.

He headed to the department store and was immediately assaulted by a flier.

"Have you seen my daughter?" He managed to pry the paper off his face and was staring at a tall woman with red hair. She couldn't have been older than his mom.

"Um, what does your daughter look like?" he asked.

"She's about yay tall, with red hair in pigtails and she was wearing a pink dress. She's a bit of a smart alec too, if that helps. Her name is Pippi Lindgren." Ninten finally figured out who this girl was. Pippi didn't just have a mouth on her, she had lungs the size of train cars. A rumor went around that her parents somehow genetically altered her to look like Pippi Longstocking. He hated sitting next to her during English class.

"Sorry, the last time I saw her was in school last week." Pippi's mother sighed. It looked like she had been told that numerous times already.

"I'll keep a lookout for her, though." he said. She nodded and went back to passing out sliders. He read her last location. She was last seen around the South Cemetery. Ninten gulped. His friends had told him to spend a night in a mausoleum to be able to join the baseball team. He cried the entire time but was able to pull through.

"Pfft. Some pals." he said to himself. His team was the only friends he had, and yet they didn't even invite him to their birthdays. In fact, he didn't think they even talked to him unless it was on the field, aside from Harry.

"Well, Harry's my best friend at least." he got a sinking feeling in his stomach when he said that.

A burger store was located at the top of the department store, and Ninten was gunning for that. He had to pass a pet store where he first got Mick, when he was still in diapers. He halted to a stop so he could rake in that nostalgia.

"Hey, kid, wanna buy something?" he turned to a teenager sitting at a desk looking bored out of his mind. Ninten finally noticed the one strange thing about the store.

"Where are all the animals?" he asked. The teen groaned.

"They all got away. I don't know-how, all the cages and terrariums were snapped shut. Now, all we have is this bird." He pointed to a birdcage next to him, where a bird sat huddled as far away from them as it could. Although Ninten knew next to nothing about birds, he deduced the bird was a canary, by its yellow feathers, and a chick, by its small size and growing wings.

"Shouldn't this one be at Canary Village?" Canary village was a wildlife refuge for the canaries to live without fear of hunting.

"I don't know. My boss came in saying he found it off the property, so technically it's free-range."

"I don't think that's how that works."

"Do you want the bird not, kid?" Ninten turned to the little bird. It looked absolutely terrified. He knew what he had to do.

"How much is it?"

"Eh. Just take it. I'll say someone stole it. I don't care enough to care." Ninten shrugged and opened the cage door. It took a little coaxing, but he was able to get the chick on his finger. It seemed to stop shivering out of fear and looked up at him with curiosity.

'Where mama?' a little voice cried. Ninten immediately knew whose it was.

"Don't worry, I'll take you to her." he quickly rushed to the burger shop and ordered a hamburger. He took off a sized piece of bun and patty and mashed it together, then wet with water from a water fountain.

"I don't really know what birds eat, so I hope this is fine." he said. The bird chirped and happily pecked at the ball. Ninten finished his burger and put the Canary on his shoulder.

"Alright, from my calculations, Canary Village should be to the Northwest...but is it my Northwest or what?" Ninten stood in front of a map of the town, slowly tracing his finger along the chipped paint.

"Do you know where it is?" he asked the canary. It shook its tiny head.

"Figured." he was just about to continue with guessing when suddenly a blur and pass of air met him.

"STOP, THIEF!" The blur was already running off clutching a wallet, almost reaching the edge of town, before a blow to the head sent him down. Ninten rushed over and picked back up his thrown bat.

"Maybe I should try pitching more often," he said. He could've sworn the canary shook its head in annoyance. The thief was apprehended and the wallet was returned. Ninten was given immense thanks and he merely just asked where Canary Village was. And just when he got his answer, a man pulled him aside.

"Excuse me, but the mayor wishes to speak with you."

"The mayor? Why?"

"He wants to make you an...offer." Ninten contemplated it. He really needed to get this chick to his home. And he really didn't like the mayor to begin with. But then again, the guy basically owns his house, and he didn't want to mess with someone with power like that. He agreed.

He was escorted to city hall and was shoved into a room. Now he was standing with the mayor, Mr. A. Goodman, an aging fellow with a cowboy hat, and Abbot, his tall and menacing bodyguard. Ninten took a seat quietly.

Mr. Goodman smiled down at Ninten. "That was quite a heroic thing you did there, boy. Not many children your age would do such a thing."

Ninten shrugged. "I guess. But why am I here? Am I in trouble?"

"Trouble? Boy, you are far away from trouble. I don't even care that you should be in school right now." he flashed a wider grin at Ninten, which made him shudder.

"So, what do you want from me?" The mayor's smile twitched slightly.

"You see, re-elections coming up, and that Pippi girl is missing. Her mother complained we weren't sending anybody out to the cemetery to save her, but there's a small problem with that.

"What is it? Is the ground too fragile? Do you not want to disturb the graves?" The mayor sighed.

"You ever seen Night of the Living Dead, boy." Ninten nodded. He had seen every zombie movie he could, which was a big mistake on his part. The reason he kept his bat by his bed was in case of the zombie apocalypse started.

"Well, the bodies won't stay...down."

"What do you mean won't stay down?"

"They didn't stay resting."

"They're dead, Not sleeping. What are you talking abou-"

"WE GOT ZOMBIES ON OUR HANDS, BOY!" Ninten jumped in his seat. Zombies? The living dead?

"Zombies are-"

"I know it might be hard to believe, but it's true. I don't know how and I don't care why, I just want you to save that girl."

"But why me? I'm just a kid." The Mayor finally stood up from his desk.

"If you help me out on this, you'll be a hero. People will love you, you'll get anything you ever want, you'll be a hero…" Ninten glanced at the canary. It was cowering in the collar of his shirt. Ninten grumbled.

"Fine, I'll do it. Just one more thing."

"What?"

"Where's Canary Village?

"I never should have asked." Ninten pushed a branch out of his way. Canary Village rested in the forest Northwest of Podunk, and it was just Ninten's luck the path seemed to stretch on forever.

"I hope you're grateful, Tweety." he muttered. The canary cheeped.

A rustle alerted him, as suddenly all around him leaves started shuffling and he could feel hostility approach. He raised his bat high.

A brown dog, dragging a leash behind it, suddenly sprang from the bushes and leaped at him. He held his bat sideways, and the dog's jaws only barely missed him.

"Now it's animals. I wish it had stuck at lamps." he pushed the dog away and hesitated using his bat. He didn't want to hurt it, but the mutt was attacking him. The dog leaped at him again, and instinctively, Ninten swung his bat, hitting the dog in the side.

A short whine made Ninten freeze as the dog stood back up. But the animal merely looked around like it had no memory of attacking the boy. Then it bounded past him back to Podunk. Ninten let out a sigh.

"Ok, so thankfully that ended." he said. He barely even took one step before a loud, "CAW!" stopped him. Turning around, he saw about 3 Crows on a branch peering down at him. It took him a second to realize the birds were holding and smoking cigarettes and seemed to be conversing.

"Ok. Now this is getting weird." one of the crows passed its cancer stick to his comrade, then proceeded to dive-bomb Ninten, who dodged. The crow flew in a circle before dive-bombing again, this time leaving behind a sticky surprise. Ninten intercepted the white gunk with his bat, and quickly turned and smacked the crow away. It sailed away into the treeline, leaving the other two crows with Ninten.

"Don't smoke and fly, kids." he said, pointing to the other birds. They smartly flew away after stomping out their cigs. Ninten continued his walk in peace. The sun was still shining and he had a pep in his step after the battle.

"The village should be just about...here!" he said to the sleeping canary. The tall brick walls and the sign stating, 'Canary Village. Where you can watch our feathered friends fly in peace.' were a sign this was in fact the place. Admission was free, so he ducked through the greeting hall and burst open the doors to the refuge.

The last time he was here on a school trip, the canaries were all flying and singing, amazing everyone in his science class. Now, the birds all looked sad and miserable, with them dragging their wings as they walked on the ground.

"What the heck happened here." Ninten wondered. He walked, careful not to step on the birds, and made his way to the caretaker.

"Welcome to Canary Village young man. What can I do for you?"

"Um, why are all the birds so down in the dumps? Shouldn't they be flying or something." the caretaker sighed and popped a squat.

"Well, it's because of Laura. She's like the mayor of Canary Village. Every time she sang, the whole place would be filled with the birds helping out. Then, her chick just disappeared. We don't know-how since it was too young to fly and the walls are too high for it to climb. Since then, Laura has been sulking, and that made the other birdies feel blue too." Ninten scratched the back of his neck. Who knew birds could feel so sympathetic.

"Well, where's Laura now?"

"She's over there, facing the wall. Don't know why you want to see her, but go for it." he nodded and hurried over to the spot. He squeezed in between a tree and a stone statue of a pillar and looked up.

Indeed, there was an adult canary, looking out over the wall to the outskirts of Podunk. If Ninten climbed the tree, he would have seen his house.

"That wouldn't happen to be your mom, would it?" he asked his canary pal. The baby didn't acknowledge him and cheeped and chirped at Laura. She turned and her eyes grew big as she saw the baby. She hopped up and cheeped back. Ninten couldn't understand what they were saying, nor could he get a read on their thoughts, but he was content. He picked up the baby and stood on his tiptoes to the branch. The baby jumped on to the branch and rushed to his mother, who embraced it in her wings. By now, all the canaries gathered at the heartwarming sight. Ninten's eyes were glassy, and he forced himself not to cry.

Laura suddenly raised her wings, getting the bird's attention. Then, she let out a song. A short one that made all the rest of the birds join in, including the baby.

Ninten felt his heartbeat quicker as the notes pierced his ears. The song spoke to him.

"...Simple as can be…" Ninten sang. He realized again he had said a verse out loud. His mind drifted back to the previous melody, the one that came from the doll.

Take a Melody

Simple as can be

Ninten was astonished. They rhymed. These weren't just random words that came to his mind, this was becoming a song. He racked his brain, trying to explain this phenomenon, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn't explain it.

He left the village, passing the caretaker mesmerized by the song.

'What is happening? I should just head back home. But then the world will get destroyed, or something. Was that journal even true?' he thought to himself.

'Well, first I have to save Pippi. She might be annoying, but nobody deserves to get eaten by zombies.' He passed through the town, arriving at the road that led to the cemetery. He sighed and began to walk down. The road ended and dirt replaced the path.

"Stop! Cease!" a person suddenly burst out of a bush next to him, diving towards him. He backed away as the person stood up. His figure was lanky and he could see his ribs protruding.

"You must not go into the cemetery, it is dangerous!"

"I know it is, but I gotta go help the girl that disappeared there."

"There is no girl, it is just a myth. Turn back now." Ninten's eyes narrowed. He had never seen this person in town before.

"What's the girl's name that's trapped in there?"

"There is no girl tra-"

"Right, right. But the girl has a name, right? It's the talk of the town, it's on everybody's mind. What's her name?" the person bit his lip and stroked his chin. Ninten waited patiently.

"Do you need a hint?" he said smugly. The person turned to him, his eyes suddenly much fiercer.

"Shut up! My plan didn't work, so I'll just go the old fashioned way!" the person suddenly ripped off his shirt. Ninten gasped as he saw his skin was a sickly green. He glanced at his eyes. They were black, with red pupils glaring at him. Ninten knew immediately what this was. A Zombie, staring him down.

"DIE!" the zombie charged at him, knocking him down to the dirt.

"Oof!" Ninten's bat was knocked to the side. The zombie lunged at him pinning him down.

"I can't wait to savor your brains…" the zombie opened its mouth, saliva dripped from it, withering grass next to Ninten's face.

"Not today, corpse breath." Ninten hacked and spit his slimmest loogie, right in the zombie's mouth. It let go of Ninten and grabbed its throat

"AGGGHH! That is so unsanitary! You want me to catch something, brat!" Ninten recovered his bat and didn't waste time reeling back and swinging at the zombie's head. The zombie's head did a 360 before it fell to the ground. Dust started to drift off, its green skin melted away and its eyes changed into soft human ones.

"Whoa! I'm pretty sure that wasn't in Night of the Living Dead!" he said. The person stood up, grabbing his head and groaning.

"Damn, where am I? What happened?" he asked.

"I, um, think you got turned into a zombie. Well, you changed back so you were probably in the process of becoming a zombie, so a Pseudo Zombie." the man blinked at Ninten before turning around and walking back to Podunk.

"You're welcome!" he screamed at him. He turned around and was met with the gates to the Cemetery. The iron was rusted, and somebody had spray-painted, 'Abandon hope ye who enters here.', on the sign. Ninten gulped.

"C'mon Ninten. What if it was you probably getting mauled by zombies." he said to himself. He sighed once again and pushed open the gate. It made a shrill creaking sound and he could have sworn he heard thunder crack.

"Time to be a hero." he walked briskly into the cemetery. If he had looked back, he could have seen the gates close behind him.

Ninten had his bat raised at all times walking down the dirt path. Even though it was at least 10:00, he could hear crickets chirping.

"Boy, they should shoot the next Halloween movie here." he quipped. Nobody heard except the bugs. He sighed. He walked through more bushes and trees until he reached the graveyard. They stretched off until they hit the forest. He scanned the graves for any side of the girl. Nothing. His eye's settled on the lone mausoleum at the end of the cemetery.

"Of course." he sighed. He began to walk past the graves while being careful not to touch them. No zombies were in sight, only bats that were strangely in the sun.

"This kinda takes the spooky atmosphere away when I can just look at the sun." dark clouds suddenly blocked the sun, sending down rain onto the cemetery.

"Me and my big mouth." he groaned. He began to walk more when a snicker came behind him. He turned around and nothing was there. It came from behind him again. He turned and nothing was there.

"Zombies, a graveyard, and bats. Please don't tell me there are-" a pink aspiration appeared in front of him, laughing at him.

"-Ghost's here too." he finished. He swung his bat at the ghost, but it passed through its body. It laughed even more. The ghost suddenly stopped and pulled back and punched him. Ninten barely saw it coming as he fell to the ground. The ghost once again laughed at him.

"Why you little!" Ninten once again assaulted his bat at the ghost. It laughed and laughed and laughed. Ninten finally relented. He left the ghost to its chuckles.

"Stupid Ghost. Once I die I'll come back and kick him straight into the underworld." The Mausoleum was no more than 45 feet away. He ran towards it, stomping into puddles along the way.

"Great! Nothing's gonna stop me now!" he cried. He regretted saying this 5 seconds later.

A crack appeared on the earth as a hand reached out. Ninten stepped back when it climbed out to reveal a body. He could tell immediately that it was a zombie by its green skin and eyes, but this was different than the Pseudo Zombie he saw. It looked like a gangster he had seen on tv, with a fedora and a dress coat with a tie with a trenchcoat. The main selling point on the undead origins was numerous bullet holes still leaking blood.

"Sonuva-OOF!" The Gangster Zombie sent a kick into his stomach, sending him to hit his head on a gravestone.

"Alright then. Let's do this like civilized men. GET BACK IN YOUR GRAVE!" he pounded dirt and jumped. He brought his bat careening on its head. The zombie didn't seem to acknowledge the damage and went to punch Ninten. He ducked and swung at its knees. The zombie buckled and went down hard on the ground. Ninten stood above it, swinging his bat.

"I guess it's true. The bigger they are, the harder they fa-" BANG! He stopped. He felt so much pain. Looking down, he could see the Gangster Zombie holding a pistol, almost smiling at him, blood dripping from his stomach.

He turned and bolted to the mausoleum, shoving an empty coffin against the door. He sunk down to the floor, holding a hand to the wound.

"Damn it!" he swore. A gun. Why would a zombie have a gun? Granted it was a gang zombie, but even then the weapon should have rusted.

Ninten coughed. He felt cold, and not just from the rain. He feared next he would see his life flash before his eyes. Tears fell from his eyes as he remembered his mom, only just a couple of minutes away.

"So this is it. This is how I die. It was a good run. It...was…" Ninten closed his eyes. He could see himself walking around school. Harry was there. He could see Harry pushing kids into lockers. He could see Harry giving a girl a swirly. He could see his team leaving him to go party. He could see Eilen choking that poor girl. He could see himself blaming Lloyd for Harry's mistake. He could see everything.

"Man, I was such a douche." he realized. How could he have been so blind? He sighed. He might never even get to give HArry a piece of his mind.

'Lifeup: Alpha'

"Huh?" he opened his eyes again. He could have sworn he heard a voice. Maybe it was in his head?

"Lifeup: Alpha?" he wondered aloud. Suddenly, his palm glowed. He merely watched as his hand glowed against his bullet wound. His eyes widened when he realized he felt no pain. He lifted up his hand. His shirt was repaired and when he looked at the wound, it showed no such injury. Ninten stood up shakily before leaping in the air and cheering.

"Eureka! I have superpowers! I can't just read minds, I can heal people! I'll make a living as a doctor! I'll solve cancer, nobody would have to use crutches anymore! This is great!" he cried. He was about to push the coffin out the way until he heard a nearby coffin shake. He walked over to it and stared. Once again, it shook. He raised his bat and pushed the lid off with his foot. A green hand reached out and grabbed the side.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" raising up and screaming from the coffin was Pippi. She matched her last description; pink dress and long pigtails.

"Oh my gosh! Nancy, it's you!" she jumped out of the coffin and ran to hug Ninten.

"It's Ninten, not Nancy." he grumbled. The green hand was merely her hand covered in dirt. She hugged him strongly, almost crushing his spine.

"Did you come to save me? I would have wished for Daniel Radley to come or maybe Harry, but you'll do." she said. Ninten swallowed a sigh.

He pushed the coffin blocking the door out of the way and opened the doors. He gasped. Surrounding them were hundreds of Pseudo and Gangster Zombies. Pippi shrieked and hid behind Ninten. He swallowed. The zombies wasted no time advancing on the kids. Ninten grabbed Pippi's hand and charged through the Pseudo Zombies, knocking them aside with his bat.

"Slow down, we're going to miss it!" Pippi said.

"Miss whAAAA HEY!" Ninten cried as Pippi suddenly grabbed his hand and rushed the other way, diving through Zombie's legs and dodging Gangster Zombies. She finally stopped far away enough from the zombies and sank to her knees.

"Hey, what's the big idea? We almost got turned into a 5 Course Meal for them!" he screamed at Pippi. She ignored him and stared at a tombstone. Ninten looked at it and mentally slapped himself. 'Thomas Lindgren: Son, Father, and Husband' was chiseled into the granite. Pippi pulled out a flattened flower and laid it in front of the tombstone. Ninten kept' quiet until Pippi stood back up.

"Now we can go." she said. Ninten nodded. They ran back through the horde of zombies. Ninten swung his bat in a circle, creating a domino effect knocking down zombies. Pippi whipped out a slingshot and shot at zombies with marbles and rocks. Before long, all the Pseudo Zombies had transformed back into people and had fled the Cemetery. The Gangster Zombies were the only undead standing. Pippi and Ninten stare at them. They stared back. Thunder crackled in the distance. A ghost rested on a tombstone eating popcorn.

"Any ideas on what to do, Nancy?" Pippi asked. Ninten shrugged. He did have one idea, but it was a long shot.

"Stay here and let me work my magic. If I die, tell my family I love them." he passed his bat to the girl and trudged through the mus to the Gangster Zombies. The one in the lead twirled a gun. Ninten knew it was the one that shot him.

"Hey, Al Capone! I got an offer you can't refuse!" the Gangster Zombie looked back at the others with a grunt. They shrugged. He bent down to Ninten's level.

"Listen, you obviously caught that girl to eat her brain, that's what zombies do, right?" the zombie nodded.

"Well, what if I told you there were more towns than just this one. You don't have to be cooped up in this horror set. You should be going out there and eating brains, and I'm the guy that can help."

"WHAT!?" Pippi screamed. Ninten motioned her to be quiet.

"If you stick with me, I'll be able to make all that come true. So whaddya say, big guy." Ninten said, holding out his hand. The Gangster Zombie thought about it for a second, before nodding and shaking Ninten's hand.

"Great!", Ninten's smug smile suddenly turned into a scowl, "oh, and one more thing." Ninten motioned for the zombie to lean in closer. He leaned into his ear and whispered, "Lifeup: Alpha." the glow started immediately, almost blinding the caster. The zombie, however, got it even worse. Ninten kept' the grip on his hand like his life depended on it. The green skin of the zombie suddenly melted away, revealing decaying bones. It traveled up to its arm, to its shoulder, and over its entire body. In a few seconds, the zombie was just a skeleton with clothes, and after a few more seconds, the bones drifted away into dust.

Ninten glanced up at the remaining zombies. "I suggest you guys get back in your graves. I would hate for something like this to happen to you." he raised his still glowing hand at the zombies. They hurriedly dug up dirt and quickly covered themselves.

The ghost eating popcorn booed and threw kernels at him. Ninten rolled his eyes and raised his hand. The ghost was immediately evaporated by the healing powers.

Ninten walked back to Pippi, whose mouth was basically on the ground.

"You have super-powers?! Cool!" Pippi exclaimed. Ninten cheeks flushed with red. He waved his hand.

"Nah, it's not that special. Say, how about we get the heck outta this cemetery?" he asked. Pippi giggled and linked her arms around his hand.

"Okee Dokee...hero." she batted her eyelashes at him. Ninten sighed and trudged through the mud and out of the cemetery.

"Excellent! You're a regular day Superman!" the mayor exclaimed when Ninten walked in with Pippi. He wiggled his hand to escape her grip. She tightened her hold.

"So, um, Pippi? Could you let go of my arm? I think I'm losing all circulation." Pippi relented and let go.

"Thanks for saving me, Ninten."

"Hey, you finally called me by my actual name."

"Well, a hero should be respected, don't ya' think?" Ninten's next response was interrupted when Pippi's mother slammed open the mayor's door.

"Pippi! Oh my god, you're safe!" Mrs. Lindgren dove and hugged and tackled her daughter. Ninten stood back in shock.

"Urk! Mom, I don't think my spine is supposed to bend like that!" Mrs. Lindgren let her daughter go as Pippi straightened her spine.

"Yes madam," Mr. Goodman interrupted, sliding across his desk, "I too am glad that young Pippi is safe. It was tough running through the graveyard, escaping the feral creatures and such. But I just kept' on thinking, 'I must save the girl!'." Mrs. Lindgren was hanging on to every word while the kids glanced at each other.

"Mom, it was actually Nin-"

"I must ask you all to leave now, ladies. I must recuperate from my rescue and take on another problem to the north of town." the mayor said.

"Mr. Goodman, you are a brave man. You have my vote for re-election." Ninten was appalled. Only on tv had he seen corrupt adults. Who knew politicians were like this in real life?

"Well looks like my mom is the new president of the, 'I love the mayor', fan club. But at least I know you're a hero, Ninten. I'll be sure to tell everybody at school too." Ninten solemnly nodded.

"You really don't have to do that, but thanks." she smiled, then seemed to realize something and reached in her pocket.

"Here." She handed him a small metal badge with a lightning bolt and the faint outline of Eagleland in the background.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a Franklin Badge. My dad gave it to me before he died. He said it would save me one day. I never got what he meant, but you might get some use out of it, hero boy."

"Are you sure you want to give it to me? If it came from your father…"

"Nah, don't worry. He was never one for holding on to trinkets. I'm pretty sure he regifted all my aunt's Christmas presents." Ninten nodded and struggled to clip it on his shirt. Pippi laughed and took it from his hands and untied his bandanna. She clipped the badge on it, flipping it to the front and transforming it into an ascot.

"There. That better?" Ninten nodded once more.

"Thanks, Pippi. You're not so bad after all." she giggled and suddenly leaned in. his mind went blank as she kissed him on the cheek.

"See you in class, Ninten!" she said as she and her mother left the office. Ninten laid a hand at the smooch spot, mumbling to himself.

"Well boy, what did I say? You're a hero!" Ninten shook his head and put the thought of the kiss away for now.

"Then why did you tell Mrs. Lindgren you save Pippi? You used me for labor!" Mr. Goodman snapped his fingers. Abbott nodded and pressed a button on a nearby machine. It whirred to life and immediately printed out posters proclaiming what a hero the mayor was.

"Dear young Ninten, once you grow up, you'll understand. What would the public think if I, the mayor, said a kid solved such a disastrous problem? I'd be a kook, a sham, and nutcase. You'd be bullied till the end of time and it would be all my fault."

"I call bullcrap." Ninten muttered.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I have another mission for you. The animals at the Choucream Zoo have gone wild. We've had to close it, but that's sort of our main income for tourists. Would it be much trouble for you to go there and just, I don't know, see what's going on and knock some sense into them beasts?"

"You want me to go to a zoo infested with rabid animals after I just dealt with zombies, which you took credit for? Forget it. I'm outta here." he threw open the door and was about to step out before the mayor spoke.

"Well, that's a shame. I suppose we'll just have to sit around and wait for those animals to break the gate and rampage into town. Animals can do so much damage. Oh well." Ninten grit his teeth. This low-life, bottom-feeding son of a…

"FINE! Fine, I'll do it." he muttered.

"Splendid. Abbott, if you will." Abbott opened a drawer and took out a unique key, with the words, 'City Zoo', carved into it.

"Use that key to get into the zoo. Be sure to lock it after yourself." Ninten snatched the key away from Abbott and stormed out of the office.

"Sir, did you just send a child on a suicide mission?" Abbott said after a few minutes. The mayor chuckled as he spun a pen.

"Why Abbott, how cruel. Do I look like a person that would do such a thing? No, the boy will be fine."

"Really?"

"Of course, of course. But if he so happens to fail, then, well, a misguided youth is a misguided youth."

"Sir, he's just a kid, younger than my nephew."

"The boy has gotten himself out of one situation. If he can't get himself out of this one, then I'm afraid his title of hero would fall. After all, I'm not the one that gave the young lad the key, am I?"