Meanwhile, upstairs, Ralph, Melissa, and Cedric were searching through the south wing of the mansion. Cedric was practically beside himself.
"I really hope Sophia's okay," he said, nervously wringing his hands.
"Don't worry, Cedric," Melissa assured him. "We'll find her."
"One thing's for sure, we can't leave this house until we find her," Ralph said. "And once we do find Sophia, I'm planning on getting out of here as fast as I can!"
"I'm with you," Cedric replied. "Pop can do his own construction work and renovations."
Ralph and Melissa agreed, and the threesome continued walking down the halls. They began tapping on the walls and the floors, looking for secret passages. They figured there were probably some around. All old houses seem to have them. But Cedric and Ralph weren't having much luck finding them.
"I don't think there are any trap doors in this wing, guys," Melissa said.
"I think you're right, Melissa," Ralph said with a sigh. "We'd better keep moving."
"Let's check behind the pictures on the walls," Cedric said. "Maybe they'll be something behind one of them."
"You'd better do that, Cedric," Ralph said. "Melissa and I can't reach them."
"Okay," Cedric said. "Keep your eyes open for any secret doors that might open up."
Cedric began lifted pictures off the wall, and searching for secret buttons or something behind them. Ralph began to tap on the walls a little more. Melissa looked around the hallway. One end was where they had come in from, and the other was pitch darkness. She didn't necessarily want to go down that way, that was for sure. She leaned against the wall for a moment, but a door suddenly opened, and she fell through.
"Huh?!" she shouted, and the door closed.
"Did you say something, Melissa?" Ralph asked. He and Cedric looked to where Melissa had been standing only a few moments before.
"Melissa?" Ralph asked, again, suddenly feeling panicked. "Melissa, where are you?!"
"Oh no," Cedric said. "She's gone and disappeared, too!"
"Let's not panic, Cedric," Ralph said, trying to get ahold of himself. "Panicking won't get us anywhere."
"Y-y-y-you're r-r-r-right, R-r-r-ralph," Cedric stammered. "W-w-w-we w-w-w-won't find M-m-m-melissa and S-s-s-sophia if w-w-w-we j-j-j-just st-st-stand here and p-p-p-panic!"
"That Porky Pig thing must be catching. Come on, Cedric."
Ralph and Cedric went down the hallway, continuing to tap on the walls. Suddenly, Cedric stopped.
"Ralph," he said, a bit nervously. "I feel the need to quote Bugs Bunny here . . . . did you ever get the feeling you were being . . . . . watched?"
"Yeah, actually," Ralph said with a gulp. "But it must be our imaginations. There's nothing to be afraid of. There's no one here."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Suddenly, without any word of warning, a large fishing net fell from the ceiling, and landed on Ralph and Cedric. Both of them screamed, and tried to find their way out of it.
"Hey! What's going on?!" Cedric shouted.
"Let us out of here!" Ralph yelled.
A sinister cackle was heard, and suddenly, Ralph and Cedric were being pulled towards the pitch black end of the hallway, but by no one at all.
"Something's telling me we're going to find out what happened to Melissa and Sophia," Ralph said.
Elsewhere, the Pigs were wandering around the west wing with Broo and Snag sniffing around the ground, trying to pick up scents.
"Why'd he have to give us the west wing?" Floyd asked. "I don't like west wings!"
"Why not?" Lloyd asked.
"There's always beasts hiding in west wings!" Floyd yelled. "Everyone knows that! Big, ugly beasts make west wings forbidden! Oooohhhhhh!"
"You watch too much television," Boyd said, and the Pigs walked on. The dogs were in the lead, trying to sniff things out, but they weren't having much luck.
"Whew," Lloyd said, leaning against the wall. "This is hard work!"
"I need a break," Boyd said, leaning against the same wall.
"Me too!" Floyd said, and he leaned against the wall as well. But the minute all three pigs were leaning against the wall, a door opened up, and they fell through it. Snag and Broo followed in after them.
"Whoooaaaa!" the Pigs shouted.
Back in the east wing, Schafer and Cyril continued looking around.
"This is ridiculous!" Cyril shouted. "We've been through this part of the house at least ten times and we haven't gotten anywhere!"
"Calm down, Cyril," Schafer said.
"Maybe there's a door in the wall," Forest said. "Like on TV."
"Right," Cyril said, rolling his eyes. "Like I'm supposed to grab on to this light fixture, pull it, and a door opens up in the wall!"
Cyril took hold of the light fixture, pulled, and a door did open up in the wall. As a matter of fact, the entire wall swung around, and Schafer and the kids were turned around inside the walls as well.
"Remind me to talk to your parents about how much television you watch, Forest," Cyril said, turning around. "I'm starting to think you and the Pigs watch entirely too much . . . . ."
Cyril trailed off when he realized he was alone in the hallway, and he wasn't at all amused with it.
"This is all those Raccoons doing!" he shouted. "Trying to scare me out of business! Hah! I'll show them . . . . once I find them."
Cyril walked back towards the main hall. He had a few bones to pick with these Raccoons. As he was on his way back, he ran into Bert, literally.
"Sorry about that, Cyril," Bert said.
"Well, where's the rest of your search party?" Cyril asked.
"Lisa and Bentley? They're right . . . ." Bert turned around, and finally realized Bentley and Lisa were no longer with him. He gulped, and then looked at Cyril.
"Well, they were right here," he said. "What about you? Where are Schafer and the kids?"
"My best guess is hiding trying to scare me out of business, like you and your friends put them up to do!"
"Are you kidding?! Why would I put my pals up to something like this?! It's scaring me out of my wits!"
"Well . . . . where's Cedric and the others? Weren't we all supposed to meet back here about now?"
"Yeah. Hey, Cyril, I, uhh, I just realized something."
"What?"
"Well, Sophia's disappeared, then Bentley and Lisa go missing, then Schafer and the kids are gone, and no one else has shown up to check in."
"What's your point?"
"We're the only ones left!"
Another clap of thunder roared through the air, as did another crack of lightning. Bert and Cyril began to get nervous. They didn't like the look of this at all.
"Are you positive you and those other raccoons aren't behind all of this?" Cyril asked, chewing on his cigar nervously.
"Positive," Bert said. "Raccoon Scout's honor. I wouldn't make something like this up, Cyril! I wouldn't involve Forest and Evelyn in a prank this terrifying. I think we should look for the others. And I also think we should stick together. Who knows what could happen if we split up?"
"I don't like it. I don't like it one bit, but I'll do it anyway, seeing is it's better than wandering around here alone."
Bert and Cyril shook hands on it, and started walking down a hallway. Suddenly, a door opened underneath Bert's feet, and he fell down it.
"Yaahhhhh!" he yelled as he fell.
"Now what?" Cyril asked, turning around. He looked around, and found Bert was gone.
"Oh terrific," he grumbled. "And then there was one. Fine time for that rat of a raccoon to disappear on me!"
Cyril continued walking along until he heard mad cackling coming from nowhere.
"Your friends did not heed my warning!" an ominous voice shouted. "There is time, though. Time for you to leave! Get out while you still can! Or there will be no hope for you, or your friends!"
