Chapter Seven Catacombs and Werecats
The greenish winged creatures came out of the dark from above and below. Kim and Operetta ducked, and the first wave missed them by inches.
"Cover yoah eahs!" said Operetta, standing up.
Kim did so, and the Tennessee monster started singing. "You ain't nothin' but a hound dawg, just a-rockin' all the time!"
The force of her voice slammed into their attackers and disrupted the flight patterns. Many fell to the steps, senseless. The remainder flew off to regroup.
"Whoa!" said Kim.
"Yeah, it ain't safe ta hear me sing in person," said Operetta, "That'll hold 'em fer a bit, but what are we gonna do?"
Kim reached into her utility belt and pulled out a lip gloss container. "This will have to do."
The scargoyles had regained their courage, and flew toward them again.
"Lip gloss? Ya gonna dazzle 'em with your moist, shiny lips?" the monster asked, skeptically.
"Not exactly," said Kim grabbing the top, "Hold your breath."
She pulled the top off, and a noxious green vapor flowed out of the small canister. The scargoyles flew through it, but it didn't affect them! In fact, they made an effort to get a better whiff!
"Uh, sweet pea, they seem ta like it!"
"Yeah... I've seen it take out a dozen henchmen at one time, why isn't it working now?" said Kim, closing the top.
Operetta sniffed. "Hey, that ain't so bad! Got a perfume that's pretty close to it."
Kim stared at her for a moment, then realization hit; "Oh, right. Monsters." she thought. She considered the flock of creatures around them. "Maybe we can sneak past while they're distracted."
"Ah got nothin' better ta suggest... let's try." was the answer.
Kim tossed the open knockout gas tin down the steps, and while the scargoyles went for it, the girls ran on up the stairs.
"Won't be long now," Operetta offered as they climbed as quickly as they could.
Just then, the sound of the scargoyles, which had grown fainter behind them, got louder.
"Uh oh," said Kim.
"Darn! Ah was hopin' it would take 'em a bit longer," said the other redhead, glancing behind her, "We'd better move." She took a step, but slipped and with a cry fell hard to the stone steps.
Kim knelt beside her. "You okay?" She got the girl to roll onto her side.
"Naw, -gasp- mah ankle's hurtin' sumpthin' awful, and -gasp- ah got th' wind knocked out of me." she glanced down the stairs then at Kim. "Y'all'd better go on."
"Not a chance," replied the heroine, pulling out the lipstick laser again. She squatted beside the other girl, laser at the ready. She put a hand on Operetta's shoulder and watched for the scargoyle's appearance.
"Thet bitty thing ain't gonna do much to 'em," commented the monster.
"You might be surprised," answered Kim, "Here they come. Lay down as flat as you can, maybe they won't notice you."
Operetta complied, and Kim got ready to unleash coherent red death on the creatures approaching. She hadn't bothered to mention the charge was almost gone after using it to mark her way. She had three or four shots left, at best.
Just as they got within five feet of the pair, a bright bolt of electricity flashed overhead, knocking several out of the air, stunned. Ice followed, freezing most of the remainder, and forming a solid wall between them and the scargoyles.
"Whoa!" said Kim, ducking. She looked behind them, where the bolts had come from, and as her sight cleared saw Frankie, with Abbey beside her. Frankie was touching one of her neck bolts and pointing with the other hand. Abbey was shooting a bit more ice, just to 'seal the deal'.
"Way to go, both of you!" said Clawdeen from behind them.
"Is good to see you again," said Abbey.
"Are you two all right?" asked Frankie.
"Her ankle's hurt, but I'm okay," said Kim.
"That is problem," said Abbey, "Ice will not hold them for long. Know from experience."
Indeed, the noise from the creatures was increasingly frantic, and they were slamming their bodies against the ice, which was beginning to crack.
"What are we going to do?" I hate scargoyles!" said Draculaura, gray eyes wide as the cracks in the ice grew bigger.
"Help me get her up," said Kim, taking one of Operetta's arms.
"That won't be necessary, if you still have my statue," said Cleo, coming down to them.
The normie girl slung off her backpack, quickly found and unwrapped the statue, and gave it to Cleo.
The ice was breaking up, large chunks falling off, and the noise from the creatures on the other side got much louder.
"Everybody hold on to each other, we're leaving," said the mummy-girl.
A moment's confusion, and everyone was touching. Frankie put her hand on Cleo's arm.
"Ready?" asked the elegant Egyptian princess. She touched the emerald, and they all vanished, leaving a flock of very confused scargoyles behind.
kp/mh kp/mh kp/mh
With an electrical sizzle, they all appeared together in the halls of Monster High, just outside the door to the school infirmary.
"Perfect!" said Cleo, with a smirk.
"Good thinking, Cleo! This will save some time!" said Frankie.
"Of course!" said the mummy-girl, preening.
"Is everyone here?" said Kim in a loud voice.
Abbey did a quick head count. "Yes, all are here. And are outside infirmary. I will get nurse." She opened the door and stepped inside.
"I gotta admit, you done good..." said Clawdeen, and Cleo's smile grew wider. "...For what little you actually did." It was her turn to smirk, and she stooped to help Operetta up, Draculaura on the other side.
"Ohhh..." Cleo fumed.
"Cleo..." said Kim, coming over to her.
"Oh, Kimberly, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I don't know who took the statue, or how it got into your locker," she said. She looked just a bit fearful, and ready to run if necessary.
"It's okay," said Kim, "I figured out you weren't responsible pretty quick. And for what it's worth, I'm grateful you were able to get us all out of there. Thank you. And thank all of you!"
"You're very welcome," was the answer.
They helped Operetta inside where it was discovered she had a strained Achilles tendon and some scrapes from falling on the stairs.
Headmistress Bloodgood came in, accompanied by Ghoulia, and both were very happy to see them all.
Wade picked up the signal from the Kimmunicator and called. Kim assured him she was fine. She'd just seen a lot more of Monster High than she'd planned to, or had known existed.
She stepped into the hall and headed toward her locker. "While I've got you, I want to investigate that cat litter. If sending me to the Catacombs is related, we'd better find the culprit pretty quick, before the evidence is gone."
"I'm coming with you," said Draculaura, suddenly by her side.
"Thanks," said Kim. They went to the place where Robecca said she had lost control of her skates.
The green sensor beam appeared and swept over the hall.
"I'm picking up a few parts per thousand of dust that matches the litter," said Wade, "Go to the left."
They followed the trail down another hall where it abruptly stopped.
"That's it, Kim, the trail ends here," said Wade.
"Okay, thanks, I'll check with you later," she replied, and signed off.
"D, do you notice or know anything about this place that might be relevant?" she asked the vampire.
"Mmm... not really... I know a few of the monsters who have these lockers, but I don't..." she said, looking around.
"Mmrroww... they found you?" said a strange voice behind them.
Standing there was the werecat trio.
"We haven't met," said Toralei, in her smoothest voice, "I'm Toralei, and this is Meowlody and Purrsephone."
"Hi, nice to meet you," said Kim, shaking their hands. That name rang a bell.
"I'm glad to see you're okay," said Toralei, "Everyone was soooo worried..."
"Thank you," nodded Kim.
"Why are you still here?" asked Draculaura, "The school emptied out an hour ago."
"To help out, of course," was the reply, "We can get into places most monsters can't."
"I appreciate the effort," said Kim.
"Of course," nodded Toralei. She and her friends moved past the normie and the vampire and went to their lockers, which were just five feet past where the trail ended.
"You wouldn't know anything about how spilled cat litter almost caused an accident, would you?" asked Kim.
"Cat litter? Why, no, we wouldn't," was the reply. Toralei shut her locker door and turned to the normie heroine.
"Why would you ask that? Just because we are werecats?" she looked at her buds, now at her elbows. "Isn't that racial profiling?"
"Maybe. But when you add the fact that the trail ends here, almost in front of your lockers, and you're known to pull mean pranks, it adds up," Draculaura contributed, glaring at them.
"All circumstantial evidence. And here we expended our energy in an effort to find you. Some gratitude. Come on, let's go before the normie accuses us of something else."
Draculaura and Kim watched the werecats as they stalked away in high dignity.
"I'm with you, Kim," said D, "I think they scattered the litter, and tried to get rid of you before you could investigate."
"Yeah... but there's no way of proving it, now," answered the redhead, "Let's get back to the infirmary and check on Operetta."
The vampire looked frustrated for a moment, then her face lit up. She looked at her normie friend. "You know, Kim, there IS something you can do, if you want to..."
The others were leaving as they got there. Operetta's ankle had been taped, and she was told to stay off of it as much as possible, but was okay otherwise.
"Since school's out, let's head for the gym and get practice in early," said Kim.
Cleo was surprised. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
The normie shrugged. "Sure. Not the first time I've gone to practice after a mission."
"Well, okay, then," said the fearleading captain.
"Uhhhh...?" questioned Ghoulia.
"She SAYS she's fine," answered Cleo, "So let's carry on like normal."
Operetta, leaning on her crutches, spoke up. "Ah reckon ah'm gonna head on home, then."
Kim came over to her. "Thank you so much for finding me!"
"Shucks, honey, 'twern't nothin'! Thank you fer savin' me! Iffen y'all ever need mah help, lemme know!" the other redhead turned and made a three-legged gait toward the Catacombs.
As they walked toward the gym, Kim told them of her theory that Toralei was responsible.
"That sounds like something she would do," said Clawdeen with a growl.
"Uhhh..." said Ghoulia. "She's been a troublemaker since she started here." came from the Kimmunicator.
"Too bad we can't prove she's behind it," said Draculaura.
Behind them, unnoticed, the werecat trio was sneaking along listening. When they heard that, they stopped and smiled.
