Author's Note: Once again, I thank all the people who have read, reviewed, or favorited this story, and I extend an even bigger thanks to those who have done all three. As a bit of news, I will likely be uploading a one shot at sometime in the next month, since I'm writing a story for a contest on another website, and I might as well upload it here so that all of you can enjoy it as well. Now enough about that, for it is Nazz's turn to take a trip into the Twilight Zone. Let's tune in and see what happens...
You unlock this door with the key of imagination, beyond it is another dimension...
... a dimension of sound...
... a dimension of sight...
... a dimension of mind.
You are moving into a land of both shadow and substance...
... of things and ideas.
You've just crossed over into...
The Twilight Zone.
"This is going to be a great day," Nazz said contently as she stood on her front porch, a big smile on her face. She looked out into a beautiful summer day, the sun illuminating everything that laid before her in the cul-de-sac. The freshly cut lawns looked greener than ever, contrasting nicely with the smooth asphalt and pavement of the sidewalk and street. Birds chirped as they flew around above her, landing on the roofs of a few houses to relish the day as Nazz was doing herself.
Nazz, age twelve, is a perfectly normal girl living in a not-so-normal cul-de-sac. A strong contrast to her neighbors, Nazz is kind, considerate, thoughtful, and, most of all, mature. Her neighbors, on the other hand, routinely demonstrate their irate and kid-like nature on a daily basis. As Nazz will soon come to understand, however, maturity has its consequences.
Nazz took in a breath of fresh air and then began to walk across her yard at a leisurely pace, wanting to take her time and enjoy her day. She took another look around the cul-de-sac, this time looking for the other kids, hoping to get her day started by finding her two best friends, Kevin and Rolf. She didn't see them anywhere, but she did see Jimmy and Sarah sitting on Sarah's front lawn playing with several doll houses and a large assortment of dolls, action figures, and vehicles. Nazz changed course and walked toward the two younger ones, hoping that they could assist her in locating Kevin and Rolf. "Hey, do you guys know where Kevin and Rolf are?" Nazz asked as she came with talking distance of Sarah and Jimmy, who both looked away from their toys and toward her.
"Hey, Nazz!" Jimmy said before smiling at her. "I think I saw Kevin and Rolf walking toward the playground," he added, Nazz nodding in response.
"Thanks for your help, Jimmy," Nazz answered as she started to walk away.
"Hold on, Nazz," Sarah suddenly said, causing Nazz to stop and turn back to her and Jimmy. "Why would you want to go hang out with them when you could come play with us?" she asked as she grinned and held up one of her dolls and a miniature car. "We could really use an extra person to help us out with all these toys!" she exclaimed. Nazz smiled back at her, but she knew that she didn't want to stick around and play with dolls and action figures, of all things. As much as she liked Sarah and Jimmy, they were still kids, and some of the things that they did really didn't appeal to someone like her.
"As fun as that sounds, Sarah, I think I'm going to pass this time," Nazz responded, causing Sarah's smile to falter a bit. "I'm not really into playing with dolls anymore, since that's only for little kids, but you two dudes can still have fun, okay?" she added, trying her best not to sound rude.
"Fine," Sarah answered as she sat the car and doll down by one of the doll houses. "Go and play with your stupid friends, then," she muttered, not seeing why Nazz wouldn't want to play with her and Jimmy.
"Sarah, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's fine, I understand," Sarah said, cutting Nazz off. "Me and Jimmy will just stay here and play with our dolls today. But you'll probably end up playing with us tomorrow or something, right?" she asked, as she smiled up at Nazz.
"Maybe," Nazz replied, although she knew that was a promise she was unwilling to keep. "Anyway, I better go catch Kevin and Rolf before they decide to run off. See you guys around!" she said cheerfully before waving at them and walking away, Sarah and Jimmy waving in response.
"Come on, Jimmy, let's go inside my house; I have some even better dolls and some new doll houses I want to show you that we can play with tomorrow..." Sarah suggested as she stood up and dusted herself off.
"Oh goody, I love new toys!" Jimmy exclaimed as Sarah took his hand and led him toward her house.
A basketball soared through the air and flew perfectly through a basketball hoop, causing Kevin to grin widely and Rolf to look on in surprise. "Once again, Rolf is amazed at your prowess with the basketball!" Rolf exclaimed as he walked over and retrieved the basketball, which had bounced a few times after going through the hoop and was beginning to roll away from the playing area.
"Hey, what can I say, I've just got major skills," Kevin bragged, stroking his rapidly expanding ego.
"Perhaps, hotshot Kevin, but Rolf bets that you cannot defeat him in a one on one basketball duel to the death!" Rolf proclaimed as he began to dribble the basketball.
"Yeah right, no offense, Rolf, but you're gonna get stomped if you go up against me!" Kevin claimed as he smiled eagerly. "But if we're really gonna do this, let's not make it to the death, I gotta do some chores when I get back home," he joked, causing Rolf to laugh.
"Then the game is on!" Rolf shouted as he began to dribble the ball more rapidly; Kevin readied himself to block Rolf from trying to make a basket.
"Alright, what are we playing to?" Kevin asked as he stared down Rolf, who returned his determined stare.
"We are playing to-" Rolf began, but stopped when he spotted Nazz walking toward them. "Ah, I see that go-go Nazz-girl has arrived to witness hard-head Kevin getting his tail beaten by Rolf at basketball!" he exclaimed, causing Kevin to turn around and face Nazz, who had stopped at the edge of the playing area.
"I don't know, Rolf, Kevin's pretty good..." Nazz warned before crossing her arms and smiling radiantly.
"Thanks, Nazz," Kevin commented as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh... so anyway, you can play with us if you want," he offered. "It'd be better than standing around and watching us play, ya know?" he explained.
"Hey, I love playing basketball, but it'd have to be two versus one if I played," Nazz answered. "But I'm sure we could find a way to work it out somehow," she added as Rolf cleared his throat.
"Rolf suggests that we-"
"Or it could be three versus three!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind the three, causing them to turn around. They all went bug-eyed when their eyes fell upon Lee Kanker, who stood next to the basketball hoop grinning at them. Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf just stood there for a few moments, none of them knowing how to react to Lee's sudden appearance. Kevin, finally deciding on a plan of action, slowly walked up behind Nazz and leaned in close to her ear, his eyes fixed on Lee the whole time.
"Run... me and Rolf will hold her off," Kevin whispered into Nazz's ear, not wanting her to get hurt by Lee.
"What's the matter, scared of little old me?" Lee asked as she crossed her arms, her grin growing wider. Rolf began to back away slowly, debating in his head whether he should just make a run for it or risk staying to see what happened. Rolf suddenly jumped in fright when he bumped into someone that was standing behind him; he whirled around and came face to face with Marie Kanker, who was smiling insidiously.
"How about you, big guy? You ain't scared, are ya?" Marie teased as she stepped toward him menacingly, causing Rolf to back off toward Kevin and Nazz, who still had their eyes locked on Lee.
"Leave us alone!" Nazz exclaimed as Rolf joined she and Kevin in the middle of the playing area, Lee and Marie moving in closer.
"Why don't you make us?" May Kanker asked threateningly, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, just as her sisters had done.
"Don't you three have some 'boyfriends' to bother or something?" Kevin asked in an angry tone, although on the inside he was scared out of his wits.
"Hey, we ain't here to fight, we just want to play a fair game of basketball is all," Lee explained as she stopped only a few feet from the three shivering preteens, her sisters doing the same. "Ain't that right girls?"
"Yeah, but I guess these three wimps are too scared to take on us," Marie answered as she stared Rolf in the eyes, who could only stare back at her in silent fear. "I don't blame them, though, they probably all suck at basketball."
"Heck, I bet they don't even know what a basketball is!" May mocked before guffawing, her sisters joining in on the laughter. Kevin gritted his teeth, having enough of the teasing by the three bullies.
"Alright, you want us to take you three on?" Kevin exclaimed boldly, causing the Kankers' laughter to die down. He stomped toward Lee and put his face inches from hers, a snarl on his face. Nazz was tempted to pull him away from Lee, thinking that his sudden move was stupid, but she did nothing out of fear of provoking the Kankers. "Then I say bring it on; you and your stupid sisters against me, Nazz, and Rolf," he challenged, causing Lee and her sisters to grin. Nazz almost felt like protesting, not wanting to be dragged into this game, but fear once again stopped her from doing anything.
"Okay, tough guy, but if me and my stupid sisters win, then you and your stupid friends owe us five bucks," Lee responded, causing Kevin to cringe a bit. "Each," she added, causing Nazz and Rolf to look at each other in terror. Kevin knew he didn't have that kind of money on him, and he was sure Nazz and Rolf didn't either, but he wasn't about to back down now.
"Fine, but if we win, you three can't set foot in the cul-de-sac for a week!" Kevin shouted back, knowing that would hit them right where it hurts; after all, the Kankers loved to go and bother everyone in the cul-de-sac, especially the Eds, and not being able to come anywhere near the cul-de-sac for an entire week would be painful for them. Lee stopped to think for a moment, obviously debating on the inside whether or not the money would be worth the risk.
"You got yourself a deal, jockstrap," Lee responded before spitting on her hand and sticking out toward him, Kevin looking down at it in disgust.
"Uh..." Kevin uttered, not wanting to touch Lee's nasty hand.
"Shake it, or the deal's off and we just beat the snot out of you and your friends and call it a day," Lee threatened, causing Kevin to sigh and bring his hand forward.
"It's a deal," Kevin said as he took Lee's hand and shook it firmly, almost wanting to gag at the feeling of her spit sliding against the palm of his hand.
"Good," Lee answered as she let go of Kevin's hand; he quickly wiped his hand on his shirt, wanting to be rid of the nasty substance that coated it. "But we get the ball first," she added as she nodded at Marie, who quickly snatched the basketball from Rolf while he was looking at Lee. Marie and May then walked over to Lee and stood on either side of her, Marie dribbling the ball on the ground lightly. Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf each got in a line facing them; Nazz and Rolf were obviously nervous, neither of them having seen the Kankers play basketball before and fearing that they might be really good or something. Kevin, however, maintained a look of confidence, knowing that letting himself give into his fears would only give the Kankers an advantage.
"Kevin, are you sure this was such a good idea?" Nazz whispered to Kevin. She knew that something wasn't right here; the Kankers were going to pull something, she was almost sure of it.
"Look, it was either agree to play these goons at basketball or get thrashed by them... besides, me and Rolf are pros at basketball, there's no way they can beat us," Kevin answered quietly before turning his attention back to the Kankers, who all were all grinning widely, obviously confident that they would win in the end.
"First to ten wins," Lee announced as Marie dribbled the basketball intensely and chuckled lightly, relishing the fear on Nazz and Rolf's faces.
"Alright, Rolf, you block Marie, and Nazz, you block May," Kevin whispered as he readied himself. "I've got Lee," he said as his eyes locked onto Lee, who was whispering something to her sisters. Lee turned her attention back to Kevin, Nazz, and Rolf and her smile twisted into a frown.
"Now let's crush these losers!" Lee shouted as she and May went out, leaving Marie to dribble the basketball. Rolf quickly moved in front of Marie, stopping several feet in front of her, while Kevin and Nazz both moved to keep Lee and May in check.
"Are we going to, how do you say, check the ball?" Rolf asked as Marie continued to dribble the basketball.
"Sure, we'll check the ball..." Marie answered as she bounced the ball a few more times. Kevin and Nazz watched Marie nervously, ready for anything; Lee and May grinned evilly, knowing what was coming. Marie suddenly shot the ball forward toward Rolf's leg, and his eyes followed the ball as it bounced off of his leg and right back to her. Marie quickly caught the ball and shot past Rolf, causing the taller boy to whirl around and scramble to catch up with her.
"Curse you, tricky Kanker-girl, Rolf will make you pay for this!" he shouted as Marie zoomed forward, easily outrunning him.
"Darn it, Rolf!" Nazz cursed as she left her post by May and ran forward, blocking Marie and stopping her short of a clean shot at the basket.
"Ha, what are you gonna do, blondie?" Marie taunted as she looked over at May, who Nazz had left open. She quickly passed the ball over to May, who easily caught it.
"Good one, Marie!" Lee called out; Kevin watched in horror as May rushed toward the basket. He knew he had no choice but to block her himself; Rolf was still running to catch up and Nazz had to cover Marie in case May tried to shoot it back to her. Kevin rushed forward and blocked May, who quickly stopped in front of him and dribbled the ball to her side, trying to keep it out of his reach.
"You ain't getting past me, you buck-toothed freak!" Kevin insulted, a sneer on his face.
"Says the no-toothed freak!" May shot back, causing Kevin to look at her in confusion.
"What do you-" Kevin began to ask, but was quickly cut off when May punched him right in the mouth. He fell backwards and his hands shot up to his mouth, which was aching with pain.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Nazz called out as she looked at Kevin in horror, who had fallen to the ground and was holding his mouth in agony.
"Street rules, sucker!" May exclaimed before running forward, jumping up, and dunking the basketball, causing Lee and Marie to let out a cheer. Nazz and Rolf quickly ran over to Kevin, who had sat up, although he still held his mouth with one of his hands.
"Are you alright, Kevin?" Nazz asked in concern as Rolf grabbed Kevin's arm and helped him to his feet.
"Let go of me, Rolf!" Kevin shouted as he ripped his arm away from Rolf, who looked down at him in shock.
"Rolf was only trying to help..." he said in response, taken aback by Kevin's rude behavior.
"I can't believe that stupid Kanker punched me in the mouth..." Kevin muttered as he looked over at the Kankers, who were giving each other high fives and laughing incessantly.
"Kevin, we can't do this, they're obviously going to just cheat to win..." Nazz pleaded, knowing that this was probably only the beginning of what the Kankers would do just to claim victory.
"No way, Nazz, I'm not going to let those three rejects have the satisfaction of beating me," Kevin shot back, his pride getting in the way of reason.
"This isn't all about you, Kevin, we've just gotta give up while we're all still in one piece," Nazz suggested, causing him to sigh and then look over at the Kankers again in anger.
"Rolf agrees with Nazz-girl on this one, Kevin... this game will bear no fruit, save for our cries of anguish," Rolf warned.
"Listen, it doesn't matter whether we give up now or keep at it... the Kankers are going to have their fun with us either way, so we might as well keep playing. At least that way we still have a chance of winning and getting those Kankers to leave us alone for a while," Kevin explained, causing Rolf and Nazz to nod in reluctant agreement. Nazz knew he was right; giving up wouldn't make the Kankers leave them alone, so they had no choice but to keep playing.
"Alright, I guess we'll keep playing, but I don't want to play the way the Kankers are... I don't think I can bring myself to hit them, even if they deserve it," Nazz answered.
"Don't worry, Nazz, none of us are gonna hit them. We're gonna prove to those stupid Kankers that we can play fair and square and still whip their tails," Kevin vowed, his confidence and anger making him forget all about the pulsating pain coming from his mouth. Nazz sighed as the three of them turned back to the Kankers, the three sisters grinning back at them knowingly. She knew this wasn't going to end well.
"Screw those stupid pieces of trailer trash garbage!" Kevin screamed as he punched a fence with all his strength, causing a huge reverberation to shake throughout it. Nazz, Rolf, and Kevin all stood in the lane, each of them exhausted after their game with the Kanker sisters. They all had cuts and bruises all over them, Kevin having the most of all of them; he refused to let the Kankers walk all over them, and he had paid the price for doing so. No matter how hard Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf tried, they just couldn't score a single basket, mostly due to the fact that the Kankers just punched or kicked them as soon as they got anywhere close to scoring. Nazz was just glad the entire ordeal was over, although she knew it wasn't really over; after all, since the Kankers had won, she, Kevin, and Rolf all owed them five bucks each, and the Kankers told them they were coming to collect it tomorrow.
"Kevin, just calm down, you can't let them get to you like this," Nazz said soothingly, wanting to calm Kevin down. He punched the fence lightly a few more times, wanting to calm down like Nazz said, but finding it difficult to do so.
"I know..." Kevin began as he turned around to face Nazz and Rolf. "Look, I know being angry ain't gonna solve anything, but I just can't help it... I can't believe we let those three cheaters win... we should've just fought back and played by their rules..." he complained before sighing. "And now we owe them all that money... man, this day was going so well too," he added as he leaned up against the fence.
"If you do not have the money to repay the rotten Kanker-girls, then Rolf can offer you shelter in his cellar, where Rolf has weathered the wrath of the Kanker-girls before!" Rolf offered as he rubbed his side, which was sore from the game.
"Thanks, dude, but I don't think that's going to help much... unless we all plan on living in your cellar for the rest of our lives, the Kankers will probably just keep bothering us until we cough up the money," Nazz answered solemnly. The three of them then stood there silently, each of them wondering what they were going to do. Kevin hated standing around sulking, so he knew he had to do something to keep his mind, and his anger, off of the Kankers.
"Uh... look, let's just head back to my place and hang out," Kevin recommended as he stepped away from the fence and toward Nazz and Rolf. "We can figure out what we're going to do about the money tomorrow... I just want to salvage what's left of this day and have some fun," he added, causing Nazz and Rolf to smile.
"Right you are! And perhaps Rolf can use some healing techniques from the old country to sooth the pain that riddles all of our bodies, yes?" Rolf suggested, Nazz nodding in response.
"Sounds great, dude," Nazz answered as the three of them began to head toward Rolf's house. She was happy to see that Kevin and Rolf were both trying to improve the day, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread about tomorrow. She didn't have the money to repay the Kankers, so she didn't know what she was actually going to do when they came to collect. She thought humorously about setting up a scam like the Eds always did to obtain the money, which cheered her up a little. But only a little.
Nazz slowly pulled her blanket over her body, which was still wracked with pain from her earlier encounter with the Kankers. She had had a good time hanging out with Kevin and Rolf, although she had to turn down Rolf's remedies for her pain; after all, anything that involved a mallet, a squid, and a can of shaving cream couldn't possibly be healthy. Nazz sucked in a breath of air and put her head down on her soft pillow. She turned her head and looked at a digital clock that sat on a desk next to her bed; in bright red letters it told her that it was eleven thirty. Nazz sighed and turned her head away to look up toward the ceiling. Now that her time with Kevin and Rolf was over and she was alone, her mind couldn't help but wander to tomorrow, which she definitely wasn't looking forward to. She didn't know when the Kankers would come for their money, but she hoped she could find something else that she could exchange instead. Her eyes slowly began to close, drowsiness overcoming her. And soon, she was asleep.
Nazz's eyes fluttered open and she looked up toward her ceiling, which was illuminated by the sun shining in through her window, although the light seemed dim and faded. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, almost afraid to get up and start her day. Nazz sat up, fearing the pain that would likely shoot throughout her body, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no pain at all. "Wow, I guess laughter isn't the best medicine, sleep is..." Nazz whispered to herself before looking at the clock that rested beside her bed, which told her in dull red letters that it was twelve o'clock on the dot. Nazz scooted to the edge of her bed and landed softly on the floor. She began to walk toward her closet door, hoping to freshen up and start her day, although she was admittedly more than a little scared to do so; the prospect of the Kankers coming to get the money that she owed them without warning scared the daylights out of her, but she knew just sitting around in her room wouldn't help the problem, so she had no choice but go on with her day, whether she liked it or not.
After gathering some clothes and laying them out on her bed and retrieving a towel, Nazz stood in the bathroom, the towel wrapped around her as she prepared to take a shower. She reached down toward the handle to turn on the water, wanting to adjust it before hopping right in. She twisted the handle and expected water to come flooding out of the shower head. She was surprised, however, when no water issued forth. In fact, not even a drop dripped from the shower head. "That's weird..." she muttered to herself as she twisted the handle every which way, although nothing seemed to work. I guess something must be wrong with the water... I guess I'll have to skip the shower for now Nazz thought to herself, although she wasn't happy about it.
Nazz dressed up in fresh clothes and then headed down to the kitchen, hoping to get some breakfast. As she entered the kitchen, she suddenly stopped and realized that she wasn't hungry. It was an odd feeling to wake up and not be hungry for at least a bite of something, but she figured it might be because she was still nervous about the money that the Kankers were no doubt on their way to get. After all, it was already noon, and she was sure the Kankers would come as soon as they were done with whatever chores they had, or whatever they did when they weren't bothering her and the others. She mentally shrugged and decided to go ahead and get her day started; hopefully going outside would make her feel better.
Nazz stepped outside of her door and shut it tightly behind her and then turned around to face the cul-de-sac, which had a strange look to it. The sky had a dreadfully dreary appearance, seeming like nothing but a large gray mass, and the sun almost seemed like a dim light bulb that hung in the dull sky. The houses, however, seemed brighter than ever, almost as if they had absorbed all of the suns rays, stealing it's brightness and weakening it. She sighed before walking out into her yard and toward the street. She knew she had to go see Kevin and Rolf before the Kankers came. They could at least plan out what they were going to do if they couldn't come up with the fifteen dollars. She began to walk toward Rolf's house, which was a bit closer than Kevin's, who lived across from Rolf. Nazz noticed that the cul-de-sac was completely empty for some odd reason; she had at least expected to see Sarah or Jimmy playing outside, or even the Eds setting up for their next little scheme. She reached Rolf's yard and began to walk toward his door, which was a pasty white. She reached the door and then rapped on it lightly. While she was waiting for Rolf to answer, she turned around and looked around the cul-de-sac nervously, hoping that the Kankers didn't decide to show up until later.
"I wonder what's taking him so long..." Nazz muttered to herself before turning around and looking at Rolf's door. It had been a whole minute since she had knocked, and still no one had come. She knocked on the door again, this time a bit harder, hoping that maybe Rolf just hadn't heard her. She found herself staring at his door for literally minutes, and she sucked her in teeth in annoyance. She was usually very patient, but this was just getting ridiculous. Nazz suddenly remembered that Rolf had said something about hiding from the Kankers in his cellar, and she quickly ran off of Rolf's front porch and toward his backyard. She hopped his fence and ran around the back, spotting the entrance to his cellar instantly. She walked over to the cellar and rapped on it a few times, afraid that just opening it might startle him. She turned around looked at Rolf's yard, which was strangely absent of animals. She realized that he must've take them into the cellar with him, and she then turned back around to face the cellar doors, which were still tightly shut.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Nazz began to once again grow impatient. She reached down toward the cellar doors and took hold of their handles; she yanked on them hard, but was surprised to find that the cellar doors didn't budge at all. "What in the world..." she whispered before trying again. Once more, however, the cellar doors didn't move an inch. She removed her hands from the hands, not understanding how it was possible that the cellar doors could be so tightly shut. She leaned down toward the doors and stared at them closely; to her surprise, there appeared to be some kind of sealant in the crack between the doors, and that was obviously the cause of the doors being so resistant to her tugging on them. Now why would Rolf seal his cellar shut? Nazz thought to herself. She began to wonder, with a bit of anger, if Rolf was down there hiding from the Kankers and just didn't want to let her in.
"Rolf, it's just me, Nazz!" she yelled at the cellar doors. There was no response. Nazz crossed her arms and began to think about the situation a bit more clearly; it wouldn't be like Rolf to leave her out here by herself, as he was usually nice and hospitable. No, there was something else going on here, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She walked away from the cellar doors and back toward the cul-de-sac, her next thought being that perhaps Kevin knew where Rolf was, or that Rolf was actually at Kevin's house. She quickly crossed the street and marched up to Kevin's house. She reached his door and then knocked loudly, hoping that he would answer quickly so that she wouldn't have to stand out in the open for much longer. Nazz was once again stuck standing there for minutes, however, Kevin being a no-show just like Rolf.
What is with these two? They better not have left me! Nazz thought, a mix of anger and fear swirling around in her. It wasn't like Kevin and Rolf to leave her hanging like this, but, then again, they were obviously just as scared of the Kanker sisters as everyone else was, so she wouldn't put it past them to leave her to face the heat instead of them. She just found it a bit odd, especially since Kevin had seemed so willing to throw himself out there to protect her yesterday. Regardless of these thoughts, Nazz knew she had to find out where they went, and she was sure that one of the other residents might know where they had run off to.
Nazz quickly walked over to Eddy's house, which was right next door; she knew that Eddy and Kevin weren't exactly friends, the complete opposite really, but she figured that Eddy, since he lived right next door, might've seen where Kevin went or whether Rolf had come over Kevin's house. She decided to go around back and knock on Eddy's backdoor, which led directly to his room. She rounded the house and walked up to Eddy's door and knocked on it, hoping that he would actually respond, unlike Rolf and Kevin. Nazz was more than a little bit surprised to find that Eddy wasn't answering his door either. She knew it might be normal, as Eddy and his two friends, Ed and Edd, usually were out setting up a scam to use on the other kids as soon as they woke up, but she was starting to feel a bit paranoid. After all, she hadn't seen a soul since she had gotten up, no one was answering their doors, and the cul-de-sac was very, very quiet. In fact, she had never heard it so quiet in her entire life. As she stood there, she realized that nothing was making any noise. There were no birds chirping, no cars being started, and no lawn mowers or weed whackers being revved up. There was only silence.
Nazz's breathing began to get heavy and she had to lean against Eddy's door for support. Everything was strange today, it seemed. First, it seemed like she had healed in one night from the abuse from yesterday, which she found hard to believe, especially with how rough the Kankers had been. Second, the water in her house wasn't working, and she couldn't find an explanation for it. Third, she wasn't hungry or thirsty at all, although it was actually even stranger than that; she felt hollow on the inside, but not from hunger. It was just a strong hollow sensation that she couldn't explain. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Her mind got back on track, and she focused on the strangest thing of all: the cul-de-sac seemed deserted. But she knew that couldn't be true; there was no way everyone just up and left in the middle of the night without her noticing. "That's it..." Nazz whispered before darting away from Eddy's door and running out to the middle of the cul-de-sac. She stopped in the dead center of the cul-de-sac and looked around. She didn't see anyone, save for the houses that surrounded her on almost every side. Nazz sucked in a huge breath of air and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Where is everybody?" Nazz shouted with all her strength. She whirled around, looking for any sign of anybody. Not a soul was in sight. She gathered another breath of air. "Is anybody here? Anybody at all?" she shouted. Once again, no one responded to her shouting, and the cul-de-sac stayed as silent and as empty as ever. Nazz fell back and sat in the middle of the cul-de-sac crossed legged, not knowing what to do. Everyone had left for some reason, but they had left her behind. She didn't know what could've happened in the middle of the night that had caused this mass exodus of kids, but she feared that it might be for some health reason, and that they had accidentally left her behind. After all, that could explain why the water in her house wasn't working, and it might also explain the strange feeling that she felt inside of herself. She just resigned herself to sitting there, the silence almost deafening as she listened closely for even the slightest noise.
A strange sound suddenly issued forth from somewhere behind Nazz, and her head swiveled around to face the source. Her eyes locked onto Sarah's house. Nazz stared at it for a few moments, as if waiting for the sound to repeat one more time so that she was sure she wasn't hearing things. After a few moments of silence, Nazz stood up, although her eyes were still fixated on Sarah's house. She knew she had heard something, and she was going to check it out. Even if it just turned out to be an animal or something, it would still bring her great relief to know that something was still alive and well in the cul-de-sac. Nazz walked toward Sarah's house slowly at first, but then picked up speed, quickly reaching Sarah's front door. She stopped and listened closely, thinking that the sound had come from within the house. She didn't hear anything at first, but she suddenly heard the sound again, although this time she could tell that it had come from behind Sarah's house; it sounded like rubber sliding up against grass. Nazz dashed away from the front door and rounded the side of the house, although she made sure to stay as quiet as she could; she didn't want whatever was making the sound to run away.
Nazz sneaked up the side of Sarah's house and peaked around the corner and out into Sarah's backyard. She didn't see anyone, but there were a few things scattered around the backyard, such as chairs, towels, a beach ball, and Sarah's kiddie pool, which was flipped upside down. She stepped out a bit from around the corner of the house to see the entire backyard, but she could plainly see that not a living thing was in sight. She sighed and begin to walk into the backyard, hopelessness once again welling up inside of her. Something had made a noise back here, yet she didn't see anyone or anything that could've done it. She stopped in the middle of the yard and took one last look around before taking a deep breath and turning around, deciding to search the rest of the cul-de-sac. She suddenly froze as soon as she turned around, however, when she heard the weird noise once more; this time, it was directly behind her. She whirled around, expecting the worst, but saw nothing but the kiddie pool, which sat only a few feet behind her, still flipped over. She sighed with relief, realizing that it must be the wind moving the pool slightly that was making the noise. What wind? she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't even feel the slightest breeze.
"What the..." Nazz whispered in fear before choking up. Her eyes locked onto the center of the pool, where she could see a slight lump that rose upwards. Something was underneath of the pool, and whatever it was, it was alive, as she could see the pool shifting around ever so slightly, almost not enough to even notice. Nazz felt a cold shiver run up her spine as she began to slowly move toward the kiddie pool, which still continued to move insignificantly. She reached down toward the kiddie pool, her hand shaking as it grasped the side of the pool, a squeaking sound issuing forth as she did so. As soon as she grabbed hold of the pool, it suddenly shot upwards, causing her to jump back and shriek in terror.
"I don't want to be taken away!" Ed yelled as he shot out from under the pool and ran off toward the side of the house. Nazz whirled around and watched him as he ran, still in disbelief. She quickly shook off her disbelief, however, realizing that she had actually found someone other than herself who still remained in the cul-de-sac.
"Ed, wait!" Nazz called out as she began to run after the terrified boy, although he had a head start and was faster than her. Nazz already lost sight of Ed, as he rounded the side of the house and was out of sight, although she could still here his rapid breaths and his feet pounding on the dirt. "Please come back!" she shouted after Ed as she too rounded the side of the house; she could see him running toward Jonny's house, and she picked up her pace. She didn't understand why he was running from her, but she didn't want to be left alone again. Nazz once again lost sight of him when he burst through Jonny's front door and shut it behind him. She ran up to Jonny's door and stopped for a quick breather, sweat beginning to form on her brow. She recovered after a few moments and grabbed hold of the handle and turned it, surprised to find it unlocked.
Nazz slowly opened the door, a little scared that Ed might jump out and frighten her for a second time. Nazz opened the door all the way and stepped into Jonny's living room carefully. She lightly closed the door behind her and then took a look around the room. There were a few throw rugs on the floor and there were a large amount of pillows sitting around on the floor. There was a bookshelf on the right side of the room and a fireplace across from it on the opposite wall. On the far wall was a table with a few plants and electronics sitting on top of it. Nazz stepped farther into the room and looked around a second time, although there was once again no sign of Ed. "Darn it, I can't believe I let him get away..." she whispered to herself, frustrated that even after locating another person she still felt clueless and alone, especially since Ed had run from her as soon as she had found him. A crash from the kitchen made Nazz jump, the sudden sound frightening her, but she quickly realized that it must be Ed. She rushed toward Jonny's kitchen, which was through a doorway with several strings of beads hanging down from it.
"Get out, Ed, they'll find both of us if we both hide in here!" Nazz heard a panicked voice yell as she came within feet of the doorway.
"Please, Jonny, the hands are out there!" Nazz heard Ed cry as she drew closer and closer to the doorway. "They'll grab me and squeeze me until my organs pop out of my nostrils!" Ed added in fear as Nazz peaked through the doorway. She spotted Jonny and Ed on the far side of the room: Jonny was hiding underneath of his kitchen table, Plank pulled close to his side, and Ed was trying to get Jonny to let him crawl under the table with him, although Jonny had one of his arms out, stopping Ed from doing so.
"Plank says to scram! We aren't letting them take us!" Jonny cried as he pushed Ed away, causing him to fall backwards onto his rump. "Better you than me and Plank!" he added resolutely, although he was obviously scared, his entire body shaking with fear.
"What in the world is going on you two?" Nazz asked as she stepped through the doorway, revealing herself to the two panicked boys. Ed whirled around on his knees and faced her; his face was contorted into one of unbridled and absolute terror. Jonny looked no better, and his clothes appeared to be torn and weathered in places.
"Oh great, now we have two people trying to steal our hiding spot, Plank!" Jonny complained as he shoved himself deeper under his kitchen table, wanting to be in the shadow as much as possible.
"Nazz, Jonny won't let me hide with him!" Ed whined as he crawled over to her and grabbed hold of her leg.
"Let go of me!" Nazz cried before pulling her leg away from Ed, still in the dark about what was going on.
"Get out of here or me and Plank will scream so loud that they'll come for you two and take you away, just like the others..." Jonny threatened in a low voice, desperate to get Nazz and Ed out of his house. Nazz looked at Jonny incredulously, taken aback at how cruel and uncaring he was being.
"Will someone just tell me what is going on?" Nazz requested, her voice high and whiny. She was at wit's end, and she just wanted to know why Ed and Jonny were acting so scared, as well as what happened to the other kids.
"You... you mean you don't know?" Jonny asked, a bit of shock in his voice and on his face. Nazz looked over at Ed, who slowly stood up; Ed looked equally shocked at her admission of ignorance.
"Oh no, what if they wiped Nazz's brain and she is now their servant?" Ed shouted in fear as he backed away from her.
"No one wiped my brain, Ed, I just want to know what happened and where everyone is!" Nazz answered as she stepped toward Ed, who backed into the kitchen table where Jonny hid. Ed and Jonny both just stared at her for a moment, as if they were both too frightened to even speak anymore.
"Ed, she must've just woken up..." Jonny whispered up to Ed, who was still watching Nazz carefully, the idea of brainwashing still in his mind. Jonny then shifted his attention to Nazz, who stared at he and Ed, a clueless expression on her face. "All you need to know is that you shouldn't be running around out in the open, let alone shouting! Me and Plank could hear you running around yelling from all the way in here!" he quickly explained.
"Well what was I supposed to do, Jonny? I was scared, and I wanted to know where everyone was," Nazz responded, although Jonny still wasn't telling her anything of value. She suddenly realized why everyone must be hiding, and her expression turned to one of fear. "Oh no, I think I know what's going on here..." she began as she raised her hands to her mouth in horror. "The Kanker sisters are here, and they're tearing this place apart looking for me, Rolf, and Kevin, aren't they?" she asked as she began to shake in terror.
"I wish it was just the Kanker sisters, Nazz..." Jonny mumbled as he scooted further under the table, pressing Plank closer to his trembling body.
"But... if it isn't the Kanker sisters you guys are hiding from, then... then... then what are you guys hiding from?" Nazz asked, once again falling into confusion. Nothing was adding up here, and it was really bothering her; it didn't help that Ed and Jonny were pretty much rambling on about nothing, since she still couldn't tell what exactly had them so spooked. Ed looked behind him and out of Jonny's window, as if making sure nobody was watching, and then turned back to Nazz. He slowly began to move toward her, although it was clear he was a bit reluctant to do so. He came within a few feet of her and leaned toward her, obviously about to whisper something.
"We're hiding from the hands from the sky," Ed said in a barely audible, shaky voice. Nazz stared back at him, her head turned to the side a little like a confused canine. Hands from the sky? He couldn't be serious! But he looked didn't look like he was fooling around, so she didn't know what to think. She looked past Ed and at Jonny, who watched she and Ed from the darkness beneath the table. Jonny didn't looked like he was going to correct Ed, and that bewildered her even more. Nazz looked back at Ed, who looked like he was about to collapse from fright.
"Come on... stop... stop playing around, guys," Nazz began, although her voice was unsure. "Please tell me what's really going on..." she went on. Ed and Jonny looked at each other and then back at her.
"But that's the truth..." Ed answered as he ducked his head a little into his jacket. "The hands are out there, and they already got Kevin, Rolf, Eddy and Double D... and Sarah and Jimmy too, I think..." he explained as he whirled around, making sure that nothing was behind him. "And they're coming for us next!" he suddenly shouted, fear overtaking him as he continued to turn around rapidly, watching every direction in paranoia.
"You idiot! Plank says to stop yelling or they'll find us for sure!" Jonny warned from his hiding spot. This was ludicrous; Nazz still didn't believe any of this. Surely Ed and Jonny were just being over-dramatic about all this; after all, they were two people who were very prone to flights of fancy, and she wouldn't put it past them to embellish what was happening. Nazz suddenly reached out and grabbed Ed's shoulders, stopping him and making him face her.
"Look, you two, enough is enough!" Nazz said loudly, causing Ed and Jonny to don panicked expressions. "Now I think you two are just freaking out a little too much! Heck, I bet these hands you guys are talking about really are the Kanker sisters, and you guys are just too scared to see things for what they really are," she explained, hoping to calm them down. It was obvious, however, that her words only served to frighten them further.
"How do you know, Nazz?" Jonny asked as he moved a little out of the darkness to get a better look at her. "I mean, me, Plank, and Ed have been awake for hours, and you just woke up! We know what we saw! Hands... hands from the sky! And they won't stop until they take us all away!" he proclaimed fanatically; his ranting was actually beginning to frighten Nazz, and she feared that maybe Jonny had finally snapped for real. Ed suddenly fell to his knees in front of Nazz and he once again grabbed her leg, although this time she didn't try to stop him.
"And they took away Eddy and Double D! My two best pals are now snacks for the hands in the sky!" Ed cried in fear as began to sob, although no tears came from his eyes. Nazz did nothing but look on as Jonny's bottom lip began to quiver; he pulled Plank close to his side and he began to sob without tears as well, the entire ordeal being too much for him to handle. This was almost unreal to Nazz; she still couldn't fully believe what they were telling her, but she was beginning to fear that something serious was really going on, something far worse than the Kanker sisters paying a visit.
"Please, somebody help us!" a voice called from outside, causing Jonny and Ed to stop crying and whirl around to face the window.
"Did you hear that?" Jonny asked as he scrambled to his feet and dashed behind Nazz. "It sounded like someone just called for help..." he mumbled as he watched the window in terror. Ed climbed to his feet and got behind Nazz as well, fearing for the worst. Nazz watched the window carefully, still unbelieving of what she just heard. If she didn't know any better, the voice that they all heard sounded a lot like-
"Someone assist us! The son of a shepherd does not wish to die!" another voice called out. Nazz now knew for sure who was outside screaming for help: Kevin and Rolf. Nazz began to move toward the window, desperate to see what was happening to her two friends. Jonny suddenly grabbed hold of Nazz's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
"No way, Nazz, if they're outside then they're goners!" Jonny cried, although he was really afraid that Nazz would give away where they were hiding. She turned to Jonny, a slightly peeved expression on her face. "Besides, we saw Kevin and Rolf get taken away before... they're probably being used as bait!" he added.
"Look, Jonny, if what you and Ed are saying about these 'hands' are true, then we've got to go help Kevin and Rolf... I don't want them get taken by these things again," Nazz explained, although she felt stupid saying it. The thought of hands from the sky certainly did frighten her, but she still wasn't buying it completely. "Now let's go help them already!" she exclaimed; Jonny and Ed just watched her, both of them obviously not wanting to accompany her. Nazz couldn't believe this; Ed and Jonny were usually fairly nice, but here they were, willing to just hide in fright and let two people who obviously needed help fend for themselves. "Alright, then I'll just do it myself," she finally relented.
"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Jonny warned as he stared at Nazz, who had obviously already made up her mind.
"I don't care, they're my friends and they need my help," Nazz responded resolutely.
"Fine, but Plank says don't blame us if you get snatched up yourself," Jonny replied before looking over at Ed and tugging at his sleeve. "Come on, Ed, we better go hide in my room... the hands will never find us there!" he suggested as Ed nodded. The two of them then scampered off to find haven in Jonny's room, leaving Nazz by herself once more. She sighed and then turned back to the window, now a little unsure whether she wanted to go outside herself.
"For the love of God, someone help us, please!" Nazz heard Kevin shout, his voice filled with desperation. She decided she couldn't waste time looking out the window; from the sound of things, Kevin and Rolf needed her help right now. Nazz rushed through the doorway to the living room and ran toward Jonny's front door. She quickly grabbed the handle, twisted it, and swung the door open, letting the dim light from the sun flood into Jonny's dark house.
"That's the last of 'em, Lee!" May called out as she carefully placed the last plate into a cabinet and then closed it. She tossed a towel she was using to dry the dishes onto the counter, and then began to walk toward the living room.
"Took you long enough," Lee commented as May walked into the living room; Lee and Marie lounged casually on the couch, both of their eyes locked onto their television, where Fish Bowl II played. Lee stood up and stretched, and Marie pushed the power button on the remote, turning off the television. "Now let's go get our loot from those chumps in the cul-de-sac," Lee said as Marie jumped up off of the couch and grinned.
"I still can't believe how easy it was to beat those three losers at basketball," Marie jeered as she and her sisters began to move toward their front door.
"Hey, not everyone can be as good as us, Marie," Lee joked before bursting out into laughter, her sisters doing the same. The three of them then exited through their front door and headed toward the cul-de-sac to pay a visit to Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf.
Nazz stepped outside and shut Jonny's front door behind her, and then looked out into the cul-de-sac. It didn't take her very long to spot who she was looking for: Kevin and Rolf were in the middle of the cul-de-sac, although neither of them looked in good condition. Kevin's clothes were ripped and torn in places and Rolf was helping to keep him on his feet, Kevin looking like he would collapse at any moment. "Guys, it's me, I'm here to help!" Nazz called out before running across Jonny's yard and toward Kevin and Rolf, who turned to face her. As she ran toward them, she was puzzled to see that they seemed unhappy to see her. Scared to see her, even.
"No, Nazz, don't come any closer!" Kevin shouted, causing her to freeze in her tracks at the sidewalk. "It's a trap!"
"But Kevin-"
"Kevin is right, Nazz-girl, it is not as it seems!" Rolf called out. "Run now while you still have the chance! The hands will descend from the sky at any moment!" he cried. Nazz gulped at his mentioning of the hands; it seemed that even Rolf and Kevin hand encountered these hands, although she wasn't sure if they were literally giant hands from the sky or if the term "hands from the sky" was just figurative.
"Oh no, they're here!" Kevin screamed as he looked upwards behind Nazz, his face draining of all color. Nazz whirled around and looked up into the grey sky, and her mouth fell open as if she was about to shriek in terror, but no sound came out. She stared up in horror as a massive hand ripped through the grey sky and went straight toward Jonny's house. The hand grabbed hold of his roof and then yanked it upwards, flipping the roof open effortlessly, almost as if it was on hinges, revealing the second story of Jonny's house to the outside world. Nazz's eyes focused on two shivering forms who were revealed when the roof was opened up: Ed and Jonny. The two boys had their arms wrapped around each other as they stood in the middle of Jonny's room and stared up at the massive hand, which hovered over top of Jonny's house, as if waiting for just the right moment to move in and snatch them up.
"Don't take me away!" Ed screamed as the hand began to lower toward him and Jonny, who both fell to the floor and began to crawl away from the hand. Nazz began to move toward Jonny's house mindlessly, something inside of her telling her that she had to help Jonny and Ed before it was too late. Nazz suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around her midsection and pull her backwards, and she began to struggle to free herself.
"We must run while we have the chance, Nazz-girl!" Rolf cried as he pulled her away from Jonny's front yard.
"No, we have to help them!" Nazz countered as she continued her struggle, although it was clearly fruitless, as Rolf was far stronger than she was.
"Quick, Rolf, to my house!" Kevin called out as he began to run toward his house. Rolf quickly began to run after him, Nazz still secure in his tight grip.
"Let go of me!" Nazz screamed as she beat on Rolf with her fists, Rolf still refusing to release her until they reached safety.
"Take Plank instead!" Jonny pleaded as he threw Plank up at the hand. The hand swatted Plank away and he went flying out into the street, where he landed with a thud and bounced a few times. The hand then shot down toward Jonny and wrapped its fingers around his tiny body. It then began to pull him up toward the dark sky, Jonny screaming as he was pulled away from the ground. "Don't hurt me!" was the last thing Jonny cried before disappearing into the grey sky. Ed watched from the floor of Jonny's room as he disappeared, and he kept his eyes on the sky even after Jonny was long gone. His entire body shook with absolute terror as his wide eyes stayed locked onto the skies; he prayed with all his heart that the hands would take pity on him and leave him alone. After a few moments, Ed finally climbed to his feet, the hands seeming to be content with taking Jonny away for now. He began to move toward the hole in Jonny's floor that led to the first floor, but stopped when he heard Jonny's bed being flipped over behind him. Ed whirled around to come face to face with another one of the hands, which quickly rocketed toward him from across Jonny's room.
"Have mercy on me, mutant hand from the sky!" Ed shouted as the hand grabbed hold of him and pulled him rapidly toward the sky, his screams and shouts soon fading into nothingness as he disappeared into the grey mass.
"Alright, I think we'll be safe in here," Kevin said with much relief as he shut the door of his room tightly and turned to face Rolf and Nazz. Rolf finally let go of Nazz and she landed softly on her feet.
"Rolf is not so sure that we'll be safe in-" Rolf began to say, but was quickly cut off by a fuming Nazz.
"Why didn't we help them?" Nazz yelled in anger, causing Kevin's expression of relief to twist into one of panic.
"Nazz, keep it down or those hands will know where we are and get us next," Kevin recommended in a quiet tone, although it was clear it wasn't enough to calm Nazz down.
"I don't care about those hands, all I know is that it was wrong to leave our friends like that, especially in a situation like this!" Nazz shouted. "And even worse, I-" Rolf suddenly slapped his hand over her mouth, silencing her.
"Please, Nazz-girl, Rolf begs you to quell your fury, else we will become the hands' next victims," Rolf whispered into Nazz's ear. She couldn't believe how selfish everyone was being today, but she figured that Kevin and Rolf were right; being angry would get her nowhere. Besides, Ed and Jonny had been the same way, so it was obvious that everyone was really out to save their own skins. Rolf removed his hand from Nazz's mouth, and she sighed in defeat.
"Fine..." Nazz said in a melancholy tone. Kevin and Rolf seemed relieved that Nazz was now on the same page as them. Rolf sat down on Kevin's bed and Kevin walked over to his window and looked out to make sure that there was no sign of the hands. "But can you guys at least tell me how this all started?" she asked, wanting to at least know when these hands started terrorizing the cul-de-sac. Kevin sighed heavily and then turned to face her, a sorrowful look on his face.
"Well... it all started this morning when I called Rolf to come over my place to check out the piping in my house. For some reason, the water wasn't working, and I figured Rolf could help me find out what was wrong," Kevin explained as he leaned up against his wall and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, my water wasn't working either..." Nazz commented as Kevin cleared his throat to go on.
"We couldn't find out what was wrong, but we did hear some commotion outside, and so we headed out to go check what was going on. When we got outside, we saw the Eds running from the end of the street and into the cul-de-sac, all of them yelling about hands from the sky," Kevin went on. "At first me and Rolf thought it was part of some stupid scam, but then we saw them, and they... they... they just swooped down from the sky and snatched up Double D and Eddy before they could get to safety. Ed got lucky and managed to get hidden before they could snatch him up too... and I guess Jonny knew about the hands too, because I didn't even see the guy until just now when that hand tore his roof off," he related as he stared down at the floor. An eerie silence fell over the room after he stopped his explanation, his words weighing heavily on all three of them.
"I just don't get it... I don't understand where these hands came from, or what they want," Nazz finally said, breaking the silence. Rolf and Kevin looked at each other, strange looks on their faces. She saw this, and stepped toward Kevin. "You two know something, don't you?" she asked, causing him to look away from her. "Yeah... yeah, that's right... Jonny and Ed said that they saw the hands take away you two... and then you guys suddenly reappear in the middle of the cul-de-sac," she thought aloud as she watched Kevin, who was acting very nervous. "How do you two explain that, huh?" she questioned an obviously nervous Kevin.
"Nazz... look... there... there is more, but they told us not tell you, or... or they'd come for you next and make us watch as they pulled you to pieces..." Kevin said in a low, trembling voice.
"Who? Who told you, Kevin?" Nazz asked as she stepped toward him. His gaze shifted to her face, which was filled with the need to know what was going on.
"It was... it was- Augh!" Kevin cried as he fell to the ground gripped his chest and stomach in agony.
"Oh my gosh, Kevin, are you okay?" Nazz asked as she rushed forward and knelt beside Kevin, who was clearly in some kind of pain. Rolf quickly left his post at Kevin's bed and joined Nazz at her side, equally concerned by Kevin's current condition.
"It's this empty feeling in me..." Kevin moaned as his grip on his chest tightened. "It just won't go away, darn it!" Nazz's eyes widened at his words; it sounded like Kevin also felt the hollow feeling within him, just as she did.
"I feel it too, Kevin," Nazz admitted, causing Kevin to look up at her.
"Nazz... I-I know why we feel this way inside, and so does Rolf," Kevin revealed. Nazz looked over at Rolf, and he nodded slowly. Rolf opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but he froze when his eyes saw what was just outside of Kevin's window.
"What's wrong, Rolf?" Nazz asked as she and Kevin looked at Rolf in concern.
"Run for your life, Nazz-girl!" Rolf cried before grabbing Nazz by her shoulders and tossing her across the room and toward the door to Kevin's room. She hit the ground hard, but she quickly whirled around to face Rolf and Kevin. The entire side of the house suddenly opened up with ease, as if it was a giant door. Rolf and Kevin flipped around and screamed in terror as two massive hands flew into Kevin's house and grabbed them by their legs and began dragging them across the floor.
"No, don't take them, please!" Nazz begged as she climbed to her feet and began to run after Kevin and Rolf, both of whom clung onto the carpeting in Kevin's room for dear life.
"Get out of here while you still have the chance!" Kevin shouted as Nazz dived forward in an attempt to grab hold of Kevin and Rolf's arms.
"No!" Nazz screamed in horror as Kevin and Rolf were torn away from the house by the hands and taken into the sky.
"Remember the son of a shepherd as he was, Nazz-girl!" Rolf called out as he and Kevin disappeared into the sky. Nazz burst out into a fit of crying, although no tears came from her eyes. The hands had taken Kevin and Rolf from her, and now she was alone. And she was still so confused. The hollow feeling she felt within herself was still there, and now she couldn't even make tears fall from her own eyes. She wanted to cry in remembrance of Kevin and Rolf, but just couldn't. It was as if she had no tear ducts at all. After a few more moments of sitting there on the floor, Nazz finally climbed to her feet. She knew she had to go hide from the hands. She had to at least honor Kevin and Rolf's last wish and make sure that the hands didn't get her too. Nazz quickly turned tail and ran through the door to Kevin's room and into his hallway. She ran downstairs and into Kevin's kitchen, which was at the back of his house. She hoped she would be safe here, although with how easily the hands tore open the houses, she wasn't completely sure.
Nazz opened up one of the cabinets under Kevin's sink and crawled inside, shutting it carefully behind her. She then curled up in the darkness of the cabinet, praying with all her heart that the hands wouldn't find her. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the darkness fill them. She just wanted this day to end. She hoped this was just all a nightmare and that she would wake up in her soft, warm bed, her friends still safe and sound and ready to greet her outside. Her eyes suddenly flicked open at the sound of shouting from outside. She opened up the cabinet and crawled out a little, hoping to get a better listen at who it was. She suddenly realized who it was: it was the Kanker sisters. Their voices sounded weird and a little loud, but she could hear them clearly from outside. Nazz couldn't believe she was actually relieved to hear the Kankers, of all people, but she knew she had to get out there and warn them before it was too late and the hands snatched them up as well. Nazz got to her feet and began to run toward Kevin's front door.
"Alright you three, come on out and give us our money!" Lee shouted. She and her sisters stood in the center of the cul-de-sac, and they hoped that Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf would just come out and give up the money that they owed so that they wouldn't have to go searching for them. After a few minutes of waiting, the Kankers found that no one answered Lee's request. "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?" Lee asked herself before sighing.
"They're probably in their houses hiding from us, the big babies," Marie commented as she turned toward Lee and May.
"Yeah, and they're probably sucking their thumbs like babies too!" May joked, causing her and Marie to burst out into a fit of laughter
"Babies or not, those three owe us money, and I ain't gonna give up till we get our fifteen bucks," Lee said resolutely as she looked over at Marie and May, who both stopped laughing and returned Lee's gaze. "Now let's stop standing around and go find them. May, you go to that blond chick's house and get the money from her, Marie, you go to that foreign kid's house and get the money from him, and I'll go to Kevin's house and get the money from him," Lee explained as her sisters nodded, insidious smiles on their faces. "And remember to give them a little something for making this harder than it needs to be," she added as she grinned and pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand. With that, May, Marie, and Lee broke away from each other and began to move to their respective targets. May marched up to Nazz's house and kicked the front door in before heading inside, and Marie ran up to Rolf's house and ripped the doorknob off of the front door before pushing it open and stepping inside. Lee walked methodically across Kevin's yard and toward his front door. She reached Kevin's front door and reached for the doorknob.
Nazz rushed toward the front door of Kevin's house frantically, desperate to at least save the Kankers, even though the thought of doing so left a bad taste in her mouth. She grabbed the door knob, twisted it, and threw Kevin's front door open and ran out onto Kevin's porch. "Quick, run for your-" she began to yell as she stared out into the cul-de-sac, but she felt her throat choke up. There was no sign of the Kankers anywhere. "What in the world..." she muttered as she looked around in shock. She knew she had heard the Kankers outside; their voices were clear and audible, so there was no way she was mistaken. She ran out into the center of the cul-de-sac and looked around, hoping that the Kankers were still around. But there was no sign of them anywhere! Nazz didn't understand it; this made no sense! She knew she heard them! She knew she did!
Marie kicked open the door to Rolf's room and stepped inside, an evil grin on her face. She had already checked the other rooms in his house, and she knew that this was the only place left that he could be hiding. Marie stepped into the darkness of Rolf's room, and looked around. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she spotted Rolf lying in his bed. "Go figure, the lazy foreign kid is still asleep..." Marie muttered as she marched up to Rolf's bed and stopped beside it. She studied Rolf's sleeping form; he was lying perfectly still, and he had an expression of distress on his face. "Oh well, better wake him up and beat the cash outta him," she whispered to herself before raising her fist into the air. She brought her fist down right into Rolf's stomach, expecting it to wake him up. Marie looked on in shock as she pulled her fist back; Rolf hadn't reacted to her punch at all, and he just flopped back down on the bed, still deep in sleep. "What in the world..." Marie muttered to herself, still in disbelief.
Lee opened the door to Kevin's room lightly, hoping to get the drop on Kevin while he was changing his clothes. To her dismay, he was still lying in his bed, fast asleep. "Wow, these stupid cul-de-sac kids sure do sleep late," Lee commented to herself before walking over to Kevin's bed and staring down at him. He was shaking slightly, and there was sweat running down his face and body. "Ha, must be having a nightmare or somethin'..." she said before chuckling. She reached her hand out and slapped Kevin across the face, hoping it would be enough to wake him up. Lee was surprised when Kevin did no such thing, and instead just went on sleeping. "Must be tougher than I thought..." she muttered before slapping him across the face again, this time much harder. Once again, he stayed asleep. "Now he's asking for it..." she seethed before slapping him several times across the face in quick succession. Kevin still did not awake from his sleep, and Lee couldn't help but just gawk at the seemingly pain-resistant boy. "Oh well, I'll just go check his wallet," she said in defeat, giving up on trying to wake up the slumbering boy.
May tried the door to Nazz's room, and found that it swung open easily. "Give up the money!" May shouted as she jumped into Nazz's room, a devious smile on her face. She found herself face to face with an empty room, and she regained her composure, a little perplexed; after all, Nazz wasn't anywhere else in her house, and this was the only room she hadn't checked. She took a closer look around Nazz's room, and then realized it wasn't empty when she spotted Nazz snoozing on her bed. May walked over to Nazz's sleeping form and stared down at it in annoyance. "What a lazy bones! Instead of sleeping, she should be up getting our money!" she complained to herself before grabbing Nazz by her shoulders and shaking her a few times. She didn't wake up. May's face scrunched up in annoyance and she shook her a bit harder this time, her head bouncing around limply. "Wake up!" she shouted before shaking Nazz even harder. She finally let go of her shoulders after a few moments, the sleeping girl seemingly impossible to awake. May stared down in confusion at the blonde girl, wondering what she could possibly be dreaming about that would keep her in such a deep slumber...
Nazz fell to her knees, the cul-de-sac spinning around her. She just wanted this all to end. She wanted this nightmare to be over. She squeezed her eyes shut, the need to cry her eyes out once again surfacing, but no tears answered her call. Her eyes flicked open and she let out a furious scream, all of her fear, anger, horror, and sorrow finally being too much for her to contain. She gripped the pavement with her hands and she stared down at the black of the street, lost and no longer sure of what to do. "Just make this all end..." she moaned as she begin to sob quietly. She suddenly felt her entire body stiffen when she saw a large shadow beginning to form over top of her. Her lips began to quiver and her body began to tremble with fear as she slowly turned her gaze skyward. Before Nazz could even scream, a massive hand wrapped around her body and the next thing she knew, the dark grey sky was rushing to meet her.
Brought to her wit's end by that which she cannot explain, Nazz's mature and thoughtful mind has been twisted beyond repair. For maturity and thoughtfulness can only get one so far in the real world, and, unfortunately for Nazz, they won't get one very far at all in the Twilight Zone.
Nazz suddenly felt the hand stop pulling her upwards, although she refused to open her eyes. After a few more moments of sitting there, however, she could not resist the temptation to look any longer. She opened up her eyes. The first thing she saw was a massive bed that towered over her. She then saw a humungous yellow chest with pink flowers all over it. She then spotted several giant stuffed toys that lined giant pink walls that stood on all sides of her. Nazz then turned herself around, and what she saw next caused her to scream in horror. A giant little girl sat in front of her, and Nazz could see that the hand belonged to her. "See, I told you that you'd end up playing with us today, Nazz," Sarah said, her voice unbearably loud, as she stared down at Nazz, who she held over a bunch of doll houses arranged just like the cul-de-sac. A lamp sat beside the miniature cul-de-sac, it's light bulb angled to shine down upon it. Sarah grinned evilly, and her grip on Nazz tightened.
"Isn't playing with dolls so much fun, Nazz?" Jimmy asked in a booming voice, causing Nazz to whirl around in Sarah's hand and face him. Jimmy towered over her, and he too had a despicable smile on his face. "I think we've had enough fun with Nazz today, Sarah. You better go put her with the others," he suggested as he pointed over at the giant yellow chest that sat in the corner of the room. Sarah stood up, Nazz still in her hand, and walked over to the chest, Jimmy quickly following her. She opened it up, and Nazz stared down into the chest. She could see that it was completely empty, save for six dolls that all stared up at her.
"Let us out!" a tiny doll that looked like Jonny shouted.
"Please release Rolf from this prison!" another doll that resembled Rolf yelled as he jumped up and down.
"You're a real dork, Sarah!" a doll that looked like Kevin yelled in anger.
"You're going to pay for this, you little brat!" a doll that looked like Eddy cried as he helped another doll that looked like Edd to his feet.
"Mom is going to be so mad when she finds out, Sarah!" an Ed doll shouted out.
"In you go!" Sarah said before tossing Nazz down into the toy chest, where she landed in the crowd of dolls with a thud. Kevin quickly ran over and helped Nazz to her feet, and then they both joined the others in looking up at Sarah and Jimmy, who both smiled devilishly down at the group of dolls. "It's been fun playing with you all, but me and Jimmy are probably going to take a long break from playing with dolls. After all, playing with dolls is for little kids," Sarah quipped before breaking out into spiteful laughter, Jimmy doing the same. Sarah then slammed the chest shut, and darkness devoured everything that Nazz could see.