Chapter 11. Night of the Living Ash
Ash's eyes widened as he stared into the night and watched the countless number of specters float up toward the mountain. More and more of them were traveling, as if compelled by an unknown force. Upon reaching the peak of the mountain, they simply began to mindlessly encircle it. A few of them looked in Ash's direction as he walked toward the town, but seemed to pay him no more notice.
"I think it's a pretty safe assumption as to were my book is." Ash said as he paused for a moment and watched the twirling vortex of spirits. Below them, an array of demons marched up the mound as well. Ash quickly inspected his weapons and made sure everything was in check before he began to trudge toward the town. Even though the ghosts and ghouls were paying little mind to him, several skeletons were marching around town mindlessly. Ash opted to do his best to try to avoid them. He was carefully darting between the small amount of dead foliage that surrounded the area as he quietly made his way to the center of the town. It took him nearly an hour to make it down the muddy path he had chosen before he found himself in what appeared to be the town square. As he looked around at the decaying remains of the village, another ghost rose from the ground right between his feet. Ash jumped back a bit as the entity floated by as if he wasn't even there.
"I hate ghosts." The whole time Ash had been traveling, the ghosts had not slowed in rising from the ground. A steady stream of specters, demons and skeletons had been constantly returning from the grave and heading up to join the others.
"That's a lot of dead people." Ash's eyes rested upon the castle to his right that was on the other side of town. It was in terrible shape and looked as though it could fall at any minute. After disregarding his better judgment, Ash decided to investigate. He needed to get his book back, but decided that an army of ghosts might be to much for even him.
"Who knows?" he said to himself. "Maybe it's in there. Sitting on a table surrounded by Penthouse Models. Yeah, maybe I'm The Duchess of Canterbury." Ash made his way toward the decadent stone structure as silently as possible. He quickly dove into a run down cottage as a couple of skeletons clad in rusty, old armor limped past him.
"This is stupid." Ash said to himself as he exited out of the backdoor. "Well, I guess as long as no one sees the savior of the universe playing hide-and-seek, I don't need to worry." Once outside, Ash once again took refuge behind some severely decaying bushes. He slowly poked his head through the dry, black leaves to see a couple of skeletons guarding the heavy, yet rotten doors to the castle. Ash began to get ready to charge, before he had an idea. He reached into his shadow pocket and pulled out the Batarang that he found in front of Dracula's castle.
"Worth a shot." Ash said as he shrugged his shoulders. He quickly stood up and through the weapon as hard as he could. He missed and the metal bat struck the door behind the boney figures. Their heads snapped in his direction before they began to march Ash's way, swords drawn. Ash readied for battle before a huge "crack" echoed in his ears. The skeletons looked behind them and watched helplessly as the massive door crashed onto them, turning them to dust.
"Hmm. I meant to do that." Ash sifted through the splintered wood until he found the Batarang. "Yeah dude, I rock." He placed it back into his shadow pocket. Ash wandered into the courtyard and looked around at what used to be a blacksmith's shop. He looked inside and found what seemed to be car parts and a suit of armor that was missing a right hand.
"Why would there be car parts...? Ah, who cares." He then made his way to what appeared to be a well, but when he looked in, he saw the remains of humans strewn about the floor. On the right and left, the walls were covered in spikes were several more remains clung to the sharp steel.
"This place seems strangely familiar. Yep, it's official. I'm going insane." Ash's attention was then grabbed by the snapping sound of a whip. "Finally some action." Ash drew his sword and ran toward the sound. "I shouldn't run with this, but at least it's not a pair of scissors." He slowed his pace at the sound of a roar not unlike that of an animal. A big animal. "Bring it on." He neared the entrance to the castle when he saw a bare chested man in a black hood whipping a hulking mass that was chained to the ground. The torturer saw Ash making his way toward him and grabbed a huge axe with his free hand.
"Hey pal, I'm not into s&m and bondage." Ash swung his sword down only to have it blocked by the wooden handle of the heavy axe. The man then stood aside and kicked Ash in the back, knocking him to the ground. He came to rest in front of the being that was chained down. Ash looked up and was face to face with a huge set of teeth.
"Ash?" the teeth said. Without a word, Ash rolled away, stood up and blocked an axe attack with his sword and kicked him in the stomach. The man stumbled backward only to stand up strait and catch the Nightblade in the coils of his whip. With a quick tug, the blade fell to the ground well out of Ash's reach. Curiosity got the better of him at that moment, and Ash looked out of the corner of his eye at the thing that had said his name.
"Beast?" He said in surprise. He was right. This was the same creature that Ash had freed from Maleficent during their first encounter. He was then grabbed around his left wrist with the whip. A game of tug-o-war then commenced. Ash was being pulled inch by inch closer to the huge man with the black hood.
"I hope you're a dog person." Ash pulled his shotgun off of his back with his free hand, pointed it at Beast and fired. He looked down to see that the chains on his right wrist had been snapped by the slug. He then slashed at his other set and broke them with his claws. Even though he was wearing a hood, Ash could see the man's eyes widen as Beast lunged at him.
"Oh my." Ash said as he watched Beast savagely rip his torturer into bloody pieces. Beast stood up when he was done and looked at Ash, breathing heavily.
"I think you got him."
"Hello again Ash. I apologize for the ferocity, but I have been chained up for quite some time now."
"How long?"
"I was transported here almost immediately after you departed my world." Beast then turned around so Ash could see a sickening amount of whip wounds on his back. "As you can see, I have been wanting to do that for a long time."
"What is this place?"
"I'm afraid that you probably know more about this place than me. I was incarcerated as soon as I arrived."
"Well, we're not gonna find out standing around here. How bout we go into the castle."
"With pleasure." Ash placed his sword back into his belt and the two entered the castle. They carefully made their way into a huge room that appeared to be a dining hall with a huge stained glass window. The fancy oak furniture lay all around, broken and rotting. When they reached the center of the room, a slight breeze began to blow.
"I don't think this place is winterized." Ash said. "The propane bill must be murder." The breeze began to pick up speed. In a matter of seconds, the two of them were barely heavy enough to stay grounded. The wind then vortexed around them, sending everything in the huge room crashing into the stone walls. The room was completely still for a moment, before three clouds of mist floated into the room in front of the two. Beast and Ash watched as the mist slowly began to form into figures.
"This could be bad." Ash said when the figures took shape.
"Who are they?" Beast asked.
"A few guys that may have it in for me." The two were surrounded by what appeared to be the ghosts of Sauron, Dracula and Starscream.
"Were you the one that released these spirits?"
"If by release, you mean kill. Then, yes. But, technically I didn't kill you." he pointed at Starscream.
"We do not wish to engage you, our time is very short. We need you, Ash of the Cosmos, to destroy Maleficent."
"Ash of the Cosmos?" Beast said silently to Ash. A hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Never mind that. Why are three guys who should be after my head, telling me of what I already know."
"You do not understand." Sauron said. "With the universe in this state of dismay, the spirits of the recently deceased are compelled to this world by a long dormant evil that resides here, more heartless and vile than anything you have yet encountered"
"Our souls will never find peace, as long as we remain here." Dracula added. "This place is home to a fierce demon, and the more souls it is able to call forth, the more powerful it will become. It's strength will soon rival that of the rest of the remaining universe."
"What demon?" Ash said. "I've been all over this place and the closest thing I've seen to a huge, menacing demon is a bunch of cheese dick skeletons and three whining ghosts."
"It resides in the mountain." Starscream said as he pointed out the stained glass window at the peak that the spirits were circling. "It is gaining strength with every soul that it calls to the top."
"Maleficent has absorbed the power of the book," Dracula added. "The universe can only by restored with her destruction and you returned to your own world."
"Spare me the Uncle Tom lecture." Ash said. "I'll take down your damn demon here directly, and anyone else in the way. I owe that rotten bitch one anyway. Her and her little tin can Doom."
"It will not be that easy," Sauron added. "The demon is under the control of the book and the one that possesses it."
"Figures." Ash said. "Well, who has my book now?"
"We don't know." Starscream replied as the three ghosts began to dissipate and be pulled toward the mountain. "But you hold the key to all of our fates. Only you can undo what Maleficent has done."
"Well, at least there's no pressure."
"C'mon Ash." Beast said. "Don't worry. I'm here to help you."
"That's comforting. If little Timmy falls in a well, I'm sure you'll be the first to know." Ash took a step towards the exit. "Hold up."
"What is it?"
"Do you feel that too?" Beast paused for a moment.
"Yes. It felt like distant thunder." A slight crash was heard again, slightly louder.
"Not as distant as we'd like." The sound was increasing in intensity and frequency. "Move!" Ash pushed Beast out of the way just in time as the stone wall to their right exploded, pelting them both with rubble. Ash rolled onto his side and tried to see through the dust. He was eventually able to make out two figures, one was a hulking mass of a man while the other seemed to be only a shadow. As the dust settled, Ash was able to see that the man was donned in a hooded, black cloak and that his face was covered with a black mask that was adorned with four red slashes that ran down it diagonally.
"What do we do?" Beast asked.
"I've always found it best to improvise." Ash fired his gun into the shadow. The slug went right through and struck the wall. Both beings turned and looked at the hero. "Maybe improve is not my forte. Let's try slapstick." Ash drew his sword while Beast leapt at the cloaked figure. A sword slash seemed to hurt the shadow as it reeled back slightly. On the other side of the room, Beast had been grabbed around the throat and sent crashing through the huge stained glass window. The cloaked man then turned his full attention back to the shadow.
"Looks like we're on the same side." Ash said to him with no response. Beast crawled back in the window that he had been cast out of. He growled loudly at the masked man.
"Beast, you two can play around later. For now, let's take out this gay cloud." The three combatants slowly approached the menacing shadow. As they neared there target, the shadow began to sink into the thousands of shards of shattered glass. Within seconds, the pieces began to join together and rise from the floor.
"Well kiss my grits." Ash and the others looked up at a stained glass monster looming over them.
"My, my, my. Glass wasn't a very good choice there disco." Ash fired a slug at the fragile glass and blasted a huge hole in it's chest. In a matter of seconds, the glass floated back up into place and repaired the damage Ash had done.
"Any other ideas?" Beast asked. The two turned to their new ally and watched as he willed a ball of fire between his hands. He thrust his arms forward and the flames careened toward their adversary. The heat melted it's way through the glass that composed the giants left arm. It howled in pain as it swung with it's remaining arm, knocking Ash and Beast to the ground. It then turned and ran out the window and seemed to make it's way toward the mountain were all of the spirits were circling. Without a word, the man that had saved them both began to follow.
"Sorry about mistaking you for an enemy." Beast said to him. He only paused for a moment, before continuing on his way.
"Rude much?" Ash said. "Ah who needs him anyway? Just another mouth to feed." The two exited out the same way and started their own way up toward the summit. They didn't walk with the mysterious stranger, but they never lost sight of him. Neither Ash nor Beast would admit that they were slightly frightened of this new world, so they reasoned that they'd follow the only moderately friendly being that they had come across. He never slowed his pace or ever looked back, he just kept on moving as though he was looking for something. They began to exit the town toward the mountain and the countless ghosts that were circling the peak. Ash stopped in his tracks when he heard something to his right.
"It's coming from the graveyard." Beast said silently.
"My luck it'll be Frankenstein waltzing with the Wolf Man, or something." Ash added as he heard what sounded like sobbing. He sighed. "Alright, let's go." The two walked into the graveyard and the sobbing was heightened by the moaning and wailing of true sorrow.
"What? Did Granny kick the bucket?" As the two neared the sound, they noticed several bodies of demons and skeletons were beginning to litter the ground. They all had their lower mandibles ribbed from their heads. The two peeked from behind a large headstone and saw a man wearing a white, short sleeved button up shirt, a black tie, brown sweat pants and a leather mask that was open around the mouth and the back sitting cross-legged on the ground. Long, matted, unwashed hair hung out the back of the mask. The man turned at the two heroes.
"Mr. Socko." He said hysterically. "They killed Mr. Socko! I made them pay. They have to eat baby food from now on. Can't chew with only one set of teeth." He began to laugh as well as cry and he was making weird squealing sounds while he put the finishing touches on carving Mr. Socko RIP on the stone in front of him.
"Maybe we'd better go." Ash said.
"Don't go. You came to pay last respect to Mr. Socko. He appreciates that." He used his hands to pull some dirt toward him and make a very shallow hole in the ground. He then pulled what looked like a tube sock from his pants that had a crudely drawn face on it.
"Goodnight, sweet prince." He kissed the ragged, smelly sock into the grave and buried it. He stood up and faced Ash and Beast, both of whom had inquisitive looks on their face.
"He died fighting. It's how he wanted to go."
"Right." Ash said sarcastically.
"Who are you?" Beast asked.
"My friends call me Mankind. And by friends I mean Mr. Socko. But you can call me that, if you want."
"Well," Ash said. "It's been nice, but we'd better get going."
"Can I come?"
"I'm the only crazy asshole in this little herd. Sorry, clubhouse is full." When Ash finished speaking, Mankind leapt at him and pushed both him and Beast to the ground. They were both surprised at his strength and rolled to their sides and watched as he tore into four demons that had snuck up behind them. He was throwing a flurry of punches that struck with huge amounts of force. He them ripped up a large headstone from the ground and brought it down hard on the horned head of one of his adversaries. He then head butted another, knocking it to the ground as well. With two more remaining, he stuck his middle and ring fingers into their putrid mouths and grabbed on to their jaws. He quickly jerked back, ribbing their mandibles right from their heads. He was breathing heavy and his white shirt was covered in rancid smelling blood.
"Welcome aboard." Mankind jumped for joy as he still held the jaws in his hands. One of the demons began to move. He simply jumped into the air and came down on the creatures neck with an elbow, breaking it.
"We'd better get moving." Beast said.
"This is gonna be great!" Mankind said excitedly.
"Your work ethic is an inspiration to us all." Ash said sarcastically. As the three of them continued up the mountain. Before long, Mankind was getting bored. He began to gawk around at his surroundings and look under rocks.
"Hey, puppet pal." Ash yelled behind him as Mankind fell further and further behind. "Hurry up or we're gonna fight an invincible army of undead without you."
"Okay, just one more rock." Mankind lifted up one last rock and something black caught his eye. It appeared to be liquid but was able to move on it's own. He reached out with his hand and allowed the strange substance to crawl into his palm. He stood up right and ran toward the others.
"Look what I found."
"What is it?" Ash asked as he rolled his eyes and continued walking. "A dead bird, or better yet, a tall glass of shut the hell up."
"Ash." Beast said. "You might want to look at this."
"I'm trying to think how I'm gonna get my book from an entire freakin' mountain. What is so Goddamn im...port...ant?" Ash turned just in time to see Mankind's body become encased in the black substance. His mask, shirt and tie were still visible but the rest of him was dark blue and black. His teeth had become long and sharp while his eyes looked just like...
"Venom?" Ash silently said to himself.
"I hear something." Mankind's new voice stated. "Something talking to me in my mind."
"I bet it echoes pretty bad in there."
"This black stuff, is an alien. It wants to bond with me, be my friend. I like friends."
"You recognize that stuff Ash?"
"Yeah. I met someone who had the same ugly mug a while back."
"My new friend says that he was transported to this world, along with an enemy he was battling at the time."
"Much like I was." Beast said. "But, who is this enemy?"
"It was most likely some kind of killer clown from outer space. I hate clowns." Behind Ash, something was silently crawling toward him. Mankind took a breath to speak, but before he could, Ash was grabbed by several bloody tendrils and pulled to the ground. He dropped his weapons and was getting drug away. Beast and Mankind took chase, trying to free him from the grip.
"That's it." Mankind yelled as they ran. "That is what my friend was fighting."
"What is it?" Beast asked.
"It's an alien that is capable of assimilating any living creature and copying it exactly."
"Are we having a biology lesson or are we gonna save my ass?" Ash yelled as he craned his head up to look in the direction he was heading. "Holy shit! Hurry up!" Ash was being pulled into what looked like a huge Venus Flytrap that was made of blood dripping muscle and jagged bone. Ash was pulled inside and the trap closed. Mankind shot out a tendril that buried itself into the tissue of the alien and pulled himself rapidly toward it. He began to slash at it with his claws and bite down with his teeth. Beast then arrived and employed the same tactic. The two then thrust their fingers into the seam on the "mouth" and attempt to pull it apart. With considerable effort, they were successful, and Ash fell to the ground, covered in blood and slime. He was dragged to safety by his allies as the huge, grotesque mass began to shrink and take shape. The three watched as it took human form. It looked a lot like Ash, wearing the same clothes and black hair but its skin was still dripping with blood and was red and inflamed as though it had been freshly burned by fire.
"Hiya kids." It spoke. "In every set of twins, there is always a better looking one."
"Yeah right." Ash rebutted as he wiped slim from his face. "I bet a Xerox machine could make a better copy and I don't think they make one with a fairy setting."
"I rather like this form. It is better suited as a one of a kind." Bad Ash thrust his right arm out and it extended all the way to Ash and grabbed him around the throat with a clawed hand.
"I don't need to stretch any of my anatomy." Ash drew his Nightblade and slashed at the appendage, causing Bad Ash to loose his grip. "I'm naturally big." The arm slithered back to regular size before his mouth opened several times it's regular size. His teeth became longer, sharp and jagged as he roared at the three. He took a step toward the two, but was struck in the face by a ball of fire. Bad Ash reeled back a bit before taking another step and being struck yet again by fire. This time, his face returned to normal. The three turned around to see the masked stranger from earlier, small flames dancing in each of his upright palms.
"This isn't over. I'm am a part of you Ash. You are the key to the universe's redemption, while I am the source of it's destruction. Maleficent knows this. She sent me here for this one purpose. We will meet again shortly." Bad Ash turned and ran off into the shadows.
"Yeah," Ash said. "Tough talk for someone who has to pretend to be someone else. Pretending's for children and fat people."
"Aren't you worried about that...thing?" Beast asked.
"Nah, he looks the part, but there's only one Ash, baby." They all approached the source of the flame while Ash picked up his gun and saw.
"Who're you?" Mankind asked. There was no response.
"He is unable to speak." A voice said in the darkness. Every one watched as the stained glass monster from before emerged from the darkness, still missing his arm. "His name is Kane. I reveal this so it will be known what to scribe on his tombstone." Kane's eyes were burning with anger behind the mask as he forced a blast of fire in it's direction. The golem, held up it's remaining hand and blocked the blaze. "Not this time, brother."
"Brother?" Beast inquired.
"I bet Christmas is a riot." Ash added.
"I like presents." Mankind said cheerfully. Ash looked at him.
"Are you retarded?" Ash once again fired a shot at the glass with the same result. Beast leapt toward it and slashed with his claws, cutting deep gouges in the colored glass. Mankind followed with a blunt tendril attack to the chest. Ash then ran in close and slashed with both his saw and sword. Kane stood back and watched, knowing full well that these attacks were useless. The glass monster simply let out a concussive blast the shattered it's body. Shards of glass would have easily killed them had Mankind not have created a shield with his symbiotic suit. He lowered the barrier and the three watched as the dark shadow began to take shape. It became a black skinned demon with large talons and a tail.
"Now, you will know the wrath of Blackheart." Kane let loose another volley of fire. Blackheart became intangible and the flames went right through him. The four of them regrouped.
"Due to Maleficent's carelessness, she has provided me with the means to become more powerful then her. The universe shall belong to me." The Necronomicon manifested itself in his clawed hand. "With this, the demon that resides within Bald Mountain shall awaken from it's eons on slumber.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure." Ash argued. "I've heard this tune a thousand times before there, Purple heart. You don't seem to know who your dealing with. I am Ash fo the Cosmos."
"How quaint. A self appointed title. I will make sure that it is etched on your tombstone." Mankind leaned over to Ash.
"I think that means he doesn't know who you are."
"Ya' think." The exchange of words was broken by Kane jumping at his brother and knocking the book from his hand. The two then began trading blows. The other three could feel the shockwaves from the massive strikes. Ash fired a round into Blackheart's spin without a result. Beast and Mankind then sprung in to help Kane. The demonic creature was getting scorched by fire and torn into by teeth and claws. Kane's fist lit up in flame and he began to pummel his brother in the face. Ash leapt into the air with chainsaw buzzing, but was caught in the abdomen by Blackheart tree trunk-like tail. He crashed through an old headstone. He stood up and rubbed his head.
"They don't make 'em like they used to." Just then he spotted the Necronomicon in a pile of leaves. Blackheart saw him making his way toward it.
"Enough!" A huge wave of energy erupted from his body, that sent everyone to the ground. The earth started to shake as Blackheart rose to his feet.
"An army of the dead shall be your undoing." Ash watched as coffins began to fly from the ground and shatter on impact. Decaying corpses with clouded white eyes began to rise to their feet. Ash tried to crawl to the book until his leg was grabbed by a legless body. It pulled him closer and opened it's mouth.
"Suck on this stumpy." He fired a slug into it's mouth, blood, skull and rotten brains sprayed Ash in the face. "I think I'll skip lunch." He once again moved toward the book. He was a few feet from it when a pair of skeletal hands grabbed him around the head. Ash was pulled into the ground to accompany his capture in it's shallow grave. Above, Ash's allies were barely holding back the armada of decaying corpses. Several of them were set ablaze, courtesy of Kane. Others were torn to ribbons while some ley on the ground, their lower jaws no longer attached to their heads. Blackheart walked over to the book and forced it to levitate into his hand.
"See you on the mountain. In one way or another." Blackheart once again took his shadow form and drifted to the base of the mountain.
"Were is Ash?" Beast yelled as he tore a deadite in half.
"How are me and my friend supposed to know?" Mankind replied while tearing another jaw off and punching the deadite in the face. It fell backwards toward Kane who them exploded it's head with a fire blast. Just then, a skull was sent flying from the ground and Ash clawed his way out of the grave.
"This party's kind of dead." He picked up his gun and blasted several deadites away before dropping his weapon and wielding both his saw and Nightblade, severing heads from bodies and cleaving others in twine. Between the four of them, they cleared the graveyard of deadites in moments.
"Smells like bacon." Mankind said referring to the charred corpses that littered the ground. Ash crushed a skull beneath his boot.
"Now that we're done stomping this yard," A deadite rose up behind him in mid sentence. Ash turned around and kicked it in the nuts before slicing off it's head. "My favorite, a double header. Let's roll bitches." Ash led the team up to the mountain. As they walked, the ghosts that had been circling the peak all night began to swiftly disappear into the rock. Within seconds, they were all assimilated by the peak. They stopped in their tracks as the mountain began to move. Eyes widened when a huge pair of bat like wings rose up and the monster's head came into view. It reached it's arms up in the air and the ground quaked, causing the four to stagger for a moment.
"It's his turn to get rocked." Ash took off in a sprint. The other followed closely behind. They were nearing the monster, when they were blind sided by Blackheart's shadow. He took his form and made his way toward the four. Kane stood and pointed at Ash.
"Y...ou...go. I ssst...ay." Kane turned toward his brother and once again, the two began to exchange blows.
"We have to help him." Beast said. Kane and Blackheart were both showing signs of severe damage.
"He can handle himself. We have bigger fish to fry." The demon looked down at the three charging at him.
"Mankind." Ash said. "Get me up there."
"Contact." Mankind shot out a tendril that wrapped around Ash's waist. He was spun in a full circle once and tossed through the air, sword drawn. The Deadly Nightblade hit it's mark and pierced the right eye of the monster. Ash released his hold of the blade and began to fall. Beast leapt up and caught him and sunk his claws into the black, scaly skin of the demon to slow their descent.
"You had me at hello." Ash said as the two landed, him in Beast arms. Ash was dropped to the ground.
"What's a girl gotta do," Ash drew a bead on the monster with his shotgun. "To get a little attention around here." He fired several slugs that seemed to do a small amount of damage.
"This is for Mr. Socko." Mankind attached his arm to one of the demon's horns and swung up past his neck, carving a huge gash. Mankind was then caught by a huge hand and bathed in a black flame. He and his symbiote screamed in pain before they were dropped to the ground, separated. Mankind was out cold and the symbiote was barely moving. Beast was next slapped to the ground and pinned by a hand. Ash looked around him. Kane and Blackheart were trying to kill each other, Mankind was knocked unconscious and Beast was being held immobile. Ash let out a sigh.
"Don't mind me, just saving the world by myself." He loaded his shotgun when he felt something poking at his leg. He looked down to see the symbiote reaching into his shadow pocket.
"Hey, you need to buy me a couple of drinks before you can get in my pants." The symbiote pulled out the twisted bottle that was full of the green liquid from Halloween Town. It forced itself inside and soaked up the fluid.
"Oh great. A freakin' booger just drank the rest of my voodoo juice." The symbiote then began to glow bright green with renewed energy. It reached out and grabbed Ash.
"Gross." It slithered all over his body and face.
"Hold on." Ash said. The alien removed itself from his face to reveal that his teeth had become sharp and his eyes glowed green. "That's better. Covering my face is like vandalizing a national treasure." Ash then leapt at the demon and slashed away with a energized symbiote. The mountain monster attempted in vain to black the attacks, only to be maimed even worse. Beast was released from the weight of it's hand and watched in awe. Ash then sliced open the monster's throat and climbed in. Both of it's hands covered the wound before it looked down at it's chest. Ash burst through it's heart and ribcage. It wailed in agony before it slumped down, dead. Ash landed on the ground in front of Beast. He turned around and shot up a tendril that grabbed his sword from the eye of the dead behemoth.
"I apologize for the savagery." The symbiote, with just a slight hint of green left in it, removed itself from Ash and returned to Mankind. The last of the green used to restore him to consciousness.
"My head hurts."
"I'm surprised you have a brain to damage."
"I have had enough of your meddling." The three turned to see Blackheart, visibly hurt and no Kane in sight. "You may have thwarted my plans, but that will not stop me from making all of you permanent denizens of this world." He took one step, before being struck in the back of the head with a ball of fire. He turned to see his brother, also barely standing.
"Let's end this." The two charged at each other. Blackheart with fists of black flames and Kane, who was engulfing his entire body in flame as he ran. When the two collided, the resulting blast blew every one to the ground. A huge crater left were the two had met.
"He's gone." Beast said.
"It's probably how he wanted to go." Ash said. "Exploding." The book was lying, smoking in the middle of the crater.
"The sun is coming up." Mankind said. Everyone looked and saw the ghosts and demons reemerge from the dead body of the demon and slowly make their way back to the town, sinking back into the ground from which they came.
"Well guys." Ash said as he shoved the empty crystal bottle back into his pocket while walking into the crater toward his book. Mankind and Beast stood on the ridge. "As much as I like ghosts and ghouls, It's high time I hit the old dusty trail." He picked it up and was carried off yet again.
"Are you the one known as Kain?" Ash recognized the being as Cooler even though he was a considerable distance away..
"I am. I care not who you are, but know that this blasphemous act will be your last."
"I come for the Soul Reaver." Kain drew the sword from his back.
"That which you seek will become your undoing." Cooler soared at the ancient vampire. The impact of his fist with the Soul Reaver erupted in an explosion that seemed adequate enough to destroy a small planet.
Ash was instantly transported away. He was now in a land that was erupting in lava, in the shadow of a huge volcano.
"Glad I stored away my winter jacket." He turned at the sound of footsteps. "Maleficent." She was standing with Doom, Bad Ash and a tall, humanoid, silver robot with a canon on his right forearm.
"The mighty Megatron." Maleficent said. "Thank you for joining us."
"Don't patronize me witch. You know full well that I was transported here from Cybertron and am unable to leave."
"My apologies. Doom, please inform Megatron of this, unique opportunity." Like before, Doom approached and opened his palm. An image of a small golden ring was projected.
"This is known as the One Ring of Power. It was forged in the fires of this very land."
"What does it do?"
"It gives you the power to control an army, the likes of which, the universe has never seen."
"Intriguing. Were can I find this artifact?" Doom removed the image from his palm and pointed at the volcano.
"There. In the bowels of the flaming mountain."
"Get out of my way." Megatron moved past the three and headed toward the mountain.
"Our plan is almost complete." Maleficent said. "With my army, Ash's counterpart and help in covering the universe in darkness, soon I will become invincible."
"Speaking of Ash," Bad Ash said. "When do I get to assimilate him."
"Shortly, and I do hope you make him suffer."
"That will be my pleasure."
"Maleficent." Doom said. "Should the others see through your plot."
"Never." She laughed slightly. "Apocalypse, Thanos, Cooler and Megatron will not discover that since I have absorbed the power of the book, I become increasingly powerful as the universe dies. When that happens, neither the power of a god, Unicron, an ancient vampire blade nor a ring will not be able to stop me."
Ash made the mistake of blinking his eyes and he found himself in a different place in an instant. He looked around.
"No way." A huge sign was in front of him. It read S-Mart All Your Needs Store Dearborn, Michigan. "I'm home." He was so excited that he forgot to look down to his hand, when he did, he saw the Necronomicon.
"Who cares about the bitch witch. Ash is back and on the prowl. I wonder if good 'ol S-Mart has hired any hot chicks...or moderate chicks...or fat chicks. I don't care." He ran into the store shouting. "Line 'em up people. Ash is back." Not even a cricket was heard. "Were is everyone? Oh well. Might as well do some shopping." He grabbed a cart, tossed in the book and began to throw shotgun shells, chainsaw gas and lots of alcohol into it. He also made use of his shadow pocket. He stuck a whole wrecking bar into it as he rounded a corner. His eyes widened at a display.
"The Tree Eater 3000! Top of the line chainsaw with a chain that can cut steel?! I'm in heaven. I've already modified mine to fit, I'll just replace the chain. This is so sweet." When he finished his task, he made his way toward the exit with his haul. He made a quick stop and emptied all the cash registers into his shadow pocket and stuffed in two snickers bars before leaving. Outside, he tested his new chain by sawing through the engine of a parked car.
"I'm a real cut up." Ash stuffed all of his shells into his pocket, refueled his saw and pushed his cart of beer downtown. He cracked one open and continued walking.
"It's good to be home. Even if I am the only one here." He then heard a loud noise as if hundreds of jets were flying low overhead. He was in the middle of the street surrounded by tall buildings and was unable to see the source of the noise. After hiding his cart of beer and the Necronomicon behind a dumpster, he entered an office building and climbed the stairs to the top carrying his gun, saw, sword and a six-pack.
"When I get to the top, I'm throwing up. I've earned it." He faunally reached the top of the tall building. He looked around in horror. Those tall robots that Maleficent had referred to as Sentinels were landing all over the town. When they touched down, they began smashing everything in sight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked off into the distance. After peering around for a few seconds, his eyes rested upon Maleficent, Doom and Bad Ash on a far away building. Even at this considerable distance, he could still hear her shrill voice.
"Find him. Find him and the book. They both must be destroyed." Ash put the binoculars back into his pocket. He felt something round and smooth. Removing his hand, he saw the Summon Stone that King Mickey had given him. The green gem was glowing brightly. He didn't remember it glowing.