Chapter 4:
At day break they emerged from the community centre. The town's people went to gather food, hunting supplies and survival gear. Jimbo Kern sold out everything he had in stock from guns and ammunition to freeze dried food and even can openers as people prepared for the fight ahead.
Without revealing the source of her Intel McDaniels instructed those accompanying the police and The Freedom Pals on the search mission to find The Master deep in the mountains.
"Everyone has to be back in the community centre before dark!" Barbrady shouted through a megaphone. "Once we shut the doors that's it. No one gets in."
It was a harsh thing to do. They agonized over the decision to leave people behind after dark all night, but since Butters Stotch almost got them killed they didn't have a choice.
"I'm sorry." Butters mumbled meekly as he had his eyes fixed on the floor and nervously scuffed his right foot in the snow.
"Just get back before dark this time kid." McDaniels snapped at Butters.
All The Freedom Pals had returned to the community centre after they completed their research. They were out of costume and all the children were grounded for leaving the community centre behind their parents' backs.
McDaniels wanted to talk to Katherine Holloway who she recently discovered was the newest member of The Freedom Pals known to authorities as Kitty Litter. The Holloways were insane and she wondered how the kid lived with those people. South Park had its fair share of hicks, but these people were worse than the McCormick's when they were drunk and belligerent. She became concerned for her welfare when she noticed Katherine had a black after coming back to the community centre.
"Katherine is it?" She didn't know what to say to her. After her run in with Katherine's mother the night before and the woman's lack of concern for her daughter when she went missing that night and her attitude towards Katherine after she saved Butters Stotch's life she wondered why DHS hadn't done anything to remove this child from their custody and find her a safe home earlier.
"Yes ma'am." Kat mumbled meekly. She was clearly embarrassed over the state of her face. She glanced at her parents who were busy talking to some of the local rednecks. "You won't tell them about my powers will you?"
She decided not to press the kid for information too soon. It was obvious Katherine didn't trust her yet or even anyone else as she wasn't yet an official member of The Freedom Pals. "I won't tell them."
"What's the deal with your parents kid?" Johnson asked after several minutes of awkward silence.
"Goddamnit Bob!" She smacked him across the back of the head and scowled at him. She ignored his protests and focused on Katherine.
Kat shrugged. "They're Bogans. They're like that all the time."
"What the fuck's a Bogan?" Alex asked as he passed around water bottles and backpacks containing survival supplies.
Kat had to think about her explanation a while. "American equivalents are white trash or trailer park trash. They're usually drunk and they have their own culture and style. My parents are typical cashed-up Bogans. We do know plenty of dole bludgers too."
"Cashed up?" She and Alex exchanged awkward glances.
"What's a dole bludger?" Johnson asked.
"Cashed-up means the Bogans have money and a dole bludger is someone that mooches from welfare and won't get a job." Kat explained. "Those rednecks would be considered Bogans if they lived in Australia."
"What state are you from kid?" She asked curiously. The kid had a thick Australian accent that was sometimes difficult to understand.
"New South Wales." Kat replied. "Blacktown in Sydney if you want to get specific."
"Are all Bogans like them?" Alex asked with concern.
"Not all, some are really nice and they're just rough around the edges I guess." Katherine was clear that not all Bogans were like her parents, but there were some in the bunch that were just as scary if not more so than they were.
"Damn dude! What happened to your face?!" Cartman spotted Katherine with her and noticed her swollen black eye.
"I'll make you look worse than me Fat Ass!" Screamed as her fists clenched and her arms stiffened at her side.
"If she wants to hit you Eric I won't stop her." McDaniels added. She hated the little fat kid. She continued to wonder why his mother didn't do anything to rein him in.
Cartman backed away from them and ran away as soon as he was no longer within hitting range.
"I have to ask now." She worried about the child's welfare. It was painfully clear she was having problems at home. "What happened?"
Katherine sighed with embarrassment. "Mom punched me after I came back this morning. She said I made her look bad."
Their jaws dropped. They were horrified. She was just a child.
"What the fuck?" Alex clamoured with disgust towards her parents.
She shook her head not knowing what to say. "Your mother makes herself look bad. It's not your fault kid."
"She's a dumb drunk Bogan!" Kat snapped with bitter resentment. "She picks fights with everyone especially if she thinks they're better than her. I'd watch your back if I were you Mayor. She's staring you down."
"She already tried to fight me after she noticed you were missing last night." She wasn't in the mood to deal with Katherine's mother and opted to keep her distance from her.
Katherine buried her face in her arm and sighed with embarrassment. "She does this fucking shit all the time."
"Mom can't fight anyone she's pregnant." Alex explained.
"Mary isn't supposed to be here anyway." Barbrady added with annoyance. "I sent you and the kids to the cabin for your own safety."
She rolled her eyes at her husband. "The children are safe, that's all that matters."
"You're pregnant Mary!" Barbrady snapped at her clearly frustrated by her stubbornness. "Randy is a vampire now. He'll come after you again."
"Don't remind me George." She snapped back. "We still have to find him and The Master."
"Look deep in the mountains." Katherine interjected. "The Master will be there. She's at her weakest during the day. You should send a search party up before it gets dark."
"Before dark?!" Alex exclaimed as his eyes widened in horror. "Are you out of your mind kid?!"
"Before dark." Katherine insisted."The Master is weakest when going to bed. Dawn is the best time to take her out."
"We'll send a search party up." Jimbo Kern and Ned Gerblanski were the first two people she thought of to lead the mission.
"I'll supervise the police department." Barbrady added to her horror.
"No!" She snapped at him. "You're not going anywhere near the mountains it's too fucking dangerous!"
She worried that Randy would make an attempt on Barbrady's life. He was trying to get rid of George when he first started going mad. It was after she dropped out of the progressive movement and reinstated her long time lover as Police Chief. She knew he still wanted her. She got disturbing letters from him on a regular basis. She wondered why he'd been released from the mental ward. He was supposed to remain locked up.
"I'm the Police Chief, Mary." Barbrady protested. "I have to do my job!"
"He tried to get rid of you George!" She insisted that Yates could take charge of the police search team. "I can't lose you!"
He hugged her tightly and placed his right hand on her pregnant belly to feel the twins kicking. "I'm sending you back to the cabin Mary." He insisted while ignoring her protests. "It's too dangerous for you here."
Stan Marsh approached them looking for Kat. "Callgirl wants everyone for a Freedom Pals meeting." He was in his Toolshed costume.
"Don't draw attention to my eye. God!" Kat snapped at Toolshed who backed away from her in fear.
"Sorry." He was very apologetic as they left the city officials for a Freedom Pals meeting.
Johnson nudged her on the arm after they left. "Does that little girl remind you of anyone?" Freddie and Alex looked at her curiously as they'd noticed it too.
"Holy crap! She does!" Johnson exclaimed.
"She even looks like you Mary." Barbrady added when he made the same connection.
"She has your feisty attitude mom." Alex added, pointing out the similarities between his mother and Katherine Holloway.
"She's a mini you, Mayor." Johnson added to her surprise.
"Holy crap!" She exclaimed when she finally realised that they were right. "She is too!" The little girl reminded her of herself so much that it scared her.
XXXX
"We have a possible location on The Master." Callgirl explained as she had a laptop open for her research. "There's a cave at the very top of the mountain. I think The Master is hiding there."
"Should we go and check it out? Bzzt!" Mosquito suggested.
"We have to find The Master before it's too late. So many people are already infected. My dad is already a vampire now. He died last night. He's currently hibernating." Mysterion explained fearfully.
"Jesus Christ!" Tweek panicked. "See! I fucking told you! I told you all! Argh! It's South Park. We can't have a normal Halloween and at this rate we won't even get Christmas! Argh!"
"It's okay babe." Craig said reassuringly. He handed Tweek a fidget spinner to keep him grounded. "We're good at saving the town. The Master will be dead and everything will be back to normal before Christmas."
"O-okay." This seemed to calm Tweek down a bit. "Christmas will be good right? We'll save the town again."
"We should go to the mountains tonight." Kitty Litter suggested to everyone's horror. She already pitched this idea to the Mayor.
"Are you fucking insane Kitty?!" Toolshed screamed at her. "We almost fucking died trying to get to Token's house last night! There isn't much daylight left now!"
There was a reason why it was better to track The Master at night despite the danger. "By the time we get to the Master's Cave it'll be dawn and The Master will go back to her slumber. She is weakest at this time and will be easier to defeat."
"Mayor?" The Shadow flagged her down as she exited the bathroom "Kitty has an idea."
"Whatever it is kid, you have my full support." She'd been on edge since she learned what the creatures were and that Randy was among them.
"I still say it's insane." Toolshed interjected nervously.
"If you have a better idea then I'd like to hear it!"Kitty snapped at him.
The children looked at McDaniels intently to the point it made her nervous. "What?"
"You guys are a lot alike."Human Kite noted referring to Kitty Litter.
"I noticed." McDaniels changed the subject. "What's the plan kid?"
Kitty Litter explained her plan in detail and insisted on tracking The Master at night to McDaniels' horror.
"Oh no! Oh no! No one goes out at night and I don't want to hear parents complaining about missing children tonight."It looked as though she wouldn't shake her disapproval of Kitty's idea. She'd backtracked when she originally approved the plan.
"We'll just destroy The Master tomorrow."Toolshed assured Kitty.
"It's going to take all fucking night to track The Master's location!"He backed away from Kitty Litter when she was in his face with her fists clenched and her arms stiffened by her sides. "If it's going to take all fucking night, then it'll take all fucking day. If we get up there at sunset we're screwed. They'll either be gone or they'll hunt us straight away!"
"Couldn't we just wait for them to come back?"Human Kite shrugged. It sounded like a suicide mission.
"No!"Kitty insisted forcefully. "We wait for them to go to sleep. They're weakest when they return to their slumber. If we delay this any further more people will be infected!"
"What makes you so sure about this kid?"McDaniels asked when she noticed Kitty Litter insisting on doing things her way.
"Yeah dude?"He wouldn't normally accuse Kitty Litter of behaving like Cartman, but the occasion called for it. She was acting like him. "What makes you so sure?"
Kitty Litter sighed with exasperation. "If I tell you guys about this you can't say anything to anyone especially not my parents."
"I know I've asked before, but why don't you want your parents to know about your super powers?" He asked her. He didn't understand her insistence on keeping her powers from them.
"Just keep your mouth shut okay!" She shouted at him. He backed off when she raised a clenched fist at his face. In a way he was more afraid of Kitty Litter than he was of his older sister Shelly.
"What is it kid?" McDaniels asked curiously. The same question was on everyone else's mind.
Kitty Litter explained her visions and how she could always tell when something bad was going to happen in the near future. "It's not just the vampires." Kitty Litter continued. "There's something else coming. I don't know when, but this town is the target for it."
"Another disaster. That's just perfect." McDaniels grumbled.
"It's a big event." Kitty continued as if Mayor McDaniels hadn't interrupted. "One that would mean the extinction of the human race."
"Dude? Seriously?" They shouted simultaneously. Their faces paled and their eyes widened in fear of the prospect.
"So, this is the apocalypse?" Mysterion asked referring to the vampires.
"No." Kitty explained the event would be bigger than this. "This is just a minor bump in the road. This isn't the end of the human race."
"So, it's zombies then?" Captain Diabetes shrugged.
Kitty Litter shook her head. "No, not zombies. It's something else. The visions aren't that clear. I just know something will cause the end of the world. I don't know what it is or when it will be. I do know for sure this isn't it."
McDaniels sighed. "We'll do it your way kid, but only because I don't want to be Randy's vampire bride."