Chapter 6

Walking through the doors of the game room was like trying to avoid a million ropes trying to trip you. Everyone was staring at the weary ghouls and mansters. Everyone in the room could sense something was wrong and eyes shifted throughout the members of the original scouting group. To many of the monsters, it was quite obvious that their friends were missing. Clawdeen locked eyes with Draculaura. Instantly, Clawdeen's eyes swelled with tears. She felt awful that her brother had been captured, and to make it worse, she had to break the news to her best friend and his girlfriend, Draculaura.

"What happened?" Draculaura and Cleo quickly approached the group of solemn monsters.

"Yes. You all look…not chill." Abbey and a few more friends came over.

"I'm sorry…" Clawdeen began, wiping tears from her eyes. "We totally misjudged their powa. They…they got Clawd." She broke down and embraced Draculaura. Cleo rubbed Clawdeen's back.

"They're gonna pay!" Deuce Gorgon shouted with fury. He couldn't imagine how some humans were able to capture his best friend and one of the most agile athletes he'd ever known. He was angry with himself. If only he were there…Maybe he could have done something?

"No." Billy shouted somewhat suddenly. "It won't matter. They have weapons designed for each one of us. They know our weaknesses…" Billy's voice trailed off. He couldn't stop thinking about Scarah.

"It's true." Pawl admitted. They had this high pitched siren that almost made us deaf, and they have some kind of gas that can turn the ghosts solid." At that, the remaining ghosts gasped.

"What about Sirena?" Avea Trotter demanded.

"We don't know." Pawl stared at the floor, refusing to look any monster in the eye. It was too hard. "Kiyomi, Spectra, and Porter are here. Apparently there is some kind of vaccine to counteract the gas, but Sirena may have been captured."

"How could you let this happen?" Avea trotted up to Pawl with haste.

"Back off." Toralei stepped up to Avea who was flanked by Neighthan and Bonita. "We all did the best we could. Be lucky any of us came back. All of us lost friends!"

Avea backed away feeling guilt. She understood. Her emotions were targeted at the wrong creature.

"Listen, we all tried our best. I can guarantee you that, but Sirena, Catrine, Scarah, Clawd, Catty, and Twyla are still missing." Pawl announced with a heavy heart.

"Then why are we all standing around here like locusts waiting for the next plague? We need to get out there and teach those humans a lesson!" Cleo commanded.

"Cleo, stop it." Clawdeen insisted. "I'm not gonna risk anyone else. Those humans are dangerous. Look how many of our friends they already captured or hurt."

"She's right, mate. We won't do your sister and Ghoulia any good if we're stuck there with them." Lagoona said as she stood by Cleo with Frankie.

"We are totes angry too, but we need another way." Frankie agreed.

"Uuuuugghh!" SloMo groaned from the periphery.

"That's right, love, SloMo has been in touch with Ghoulia this entire time." Lagoona reminded Cleo.

Many of the monsters headed over to hear what SloMo had to say.

"Why don't you all wash up and rest up? We can take it from here. We'll tell you all about it when you're done." Draculaura smiled. She knew she would only see Clawd again if they had a plan.

Clawdeen and most of the others nodded silently. "You will let me know if you hear anything about Clawd, right?"

"Of course!" Draculaura smiled.

"And Scarah?" Billy asked.

"You will know everything we do." Cleo insisted. "Now wash up, you smell like my daddy's old sarcophagus."

While the others washed up and rested, many of the monsters gathered around SloMo. Each time he moaned and groaned in the zombie language, Gil explained for any of the ghouls and mansters that weren't as quick to pick up.

"Uuugh Ahhh," moaned SloMo.

"Ghoulia has been giving us good information. She said that she knew when the others were at the wall because all the men rushed out pretty quickly." Gil explained.

"Mmmuuuuuuugghhh," SloMo smiled.

"Ghoulia told SloMo that there's a weakness in the wall she heard the men talking about. Apparently, the monsters that originally created Scare Block 5 made a tunnel that goes beneath the wall. The men know there is a tunnel, but the maps weren't kept at the prison, so they don't know exactly where. They were kept with the original headmonster of Monster High!" Gil ended excitedly. Many of the students gasped with excitement. This revelation could mean success.

"Why would they leave that here?" Frankie asked. "I mean, it sounds weird that they connected a prison with a school, but leaving the map here is even weirder."

"Uuughhh," SloMo moaned.

"Oh, I see, the tunnels into Scare Block 5 have always connected to Monster High since when they were both being constructed…What!?" Gil was taken by surprise.

"Do you think the army monsters know that?" Draculaura wondered. "If they do, then this plan will not work, unless it works for them."

"Yeah, for all we know, they could already have that map." Operetta suggested.

"Do you think they saying Monster High is safe if they knowing this?" Abbey questioned. "Perhaps, Draculaura is right. Maybe they using tunnel already."

"I don't think they know yet." Billy appeared in front of the crowd with a white towel around his waist and his soaked black and blue hair leaving a puddle on the stone floor. Everyone stared at him, mostly because he shocked them all when he appeared, but some of the ghouls were staring because he was only wearing a towel around his surprisingly chiseled blue body. Billy felt his cheeks burn. He went invisible once more.

"Don't be ashamed. We not mind staring a your hunky body." Abbey giggled. Heath, a bit jealous, nudged her.

"I've got a hunky body too!" He flexed in front of Abbey.

"Yes. You are hunky too. Now cool it. I want to hear Ivisi-hunk." Abbey laughed.

Remaining invisible, Billy replied. "It seemed like the ARM soldiers were going to mount a search and rescue mission using the same tunnel we did. I think if they knew about this other tunnel, then they would be using that instead."

"That makes sense, but you said 'seems,' so you're not sure?" Robecca asked. She had been listening to the entire conversation. Like her father, she liked to observe and analyze before taking action. She agreed with Billy. If the soldiers knew of this connecting tunnel, they would have exploited it by now.

"I could get sure." Billy reappeared.

"Wow…I mean… how?" Robecca inquired, embarrassed by her slip of admitted admiration of Billy's physique.

Billy blushed. He was madly in love with Scarah, but he had never received attention like that from another ghoul before. "I can go invisible and eavesdrop."

"This is good idea, but first you must be getting clothes." Abbey laughed.

Billy went invisible once more. "Okay, getting clothes and spying." Billy's voice trailed off.

"Okay. So we find this tunnel, but what's the next step?" Frankie asked. She couldn't bare the thought of anymore of her friends getting kidnapped. "We need to be scary thoughtful with our planning."

"I agree." Cleo announced. She stepped up onto an end table. "We'll need every monster in this room to play their part, including you, new ghouls." Cleo was pretty good at giving orders and intimidating others. That was like her super power in some ways.

"All well and good, mate, but for now we just wait." Lagoona pointed out.

"Everyone is on standby until further notice!" Cleo announced once more, and then stepped down off the table.

"I love how you boo, babe." Deuce kissed Cleo on the cheek. His head snakes did too.