I just wanted to say thanks to Truth of Chaos for coming up with this chapter and I hope you fellow readers enjoyed reading it.
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 17-The Graveyard
It was just a typical, average day at the school cafeteria, as Gumball, Darwin and Brian were sitting at their usual spot, eating their meals. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. As all three boys happily atethey failed to notice the presence of a certain, young ghost floating right behind them.
"You guys enjoying your meals?" asked Carrie, startling Gumball, Darwin and Brian in the process. Although the blue feline and the two-legged fish were relieved that it was Carrie, the purple fox, on the other hand, looked at her with an annoyed glance.
"Do you have to do that every time you come by to our table?"
"I can't help, I'm a ghost." Carrie bluntly responded. "Besides, I just drop by to say hi."
"Are you sure that why you came here?" Gumball asked the ghost. "If I recall, you ended up using my body for your junk food spree the other day."
"Don't worry about that, Gumball." Carrie assured the blue feline. "I'm not in the mood for food today anyway. Besides, today's menu doesn't look appetizing."
"That's a relief." says Darwin. "The last few days may have been uneventful, but then again, there hasn't been anything interesting going on in town."
"Oh, is that so?" Carrie asked with a grin, much to the boys' confusion.
"What are you talking about, Carrie?" Brian asked.
"If you must know…" Carrie began. "Let me tell you a story that has been passed down from each generation in Elmore…"
"About a few hundred years ago, the graveyard on the outskirts of Elmore was once a thriving and lively area called Paradise, a place for young love and aspiring writers to write their most creative stories the world has ever seen."
"All over Paradise, there were young couples having a fun time, happily skipping on the ground holding hands, while writers everywhere sat near the tree for shades, solely concentrating on their writings in peace."
"But everything changed when the town's mayor bought the land right under their feet and declared it off-limits to all trespassers."
"In the midst of their idyllic outings, the Mayor of Elmore unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere in Paradise, presenting a sales contract to the shock and dismay of the individuals that were present."
"While the majority left Paradise and relocated elsewhere, one individual, calling himself the Grave-Keeper, choose to remain in the area and resigned himself to live off the land for the rest of his afterlife."
"Throughout the years, the place that was once called Paradise was reduced to its current deplorable state, leaving nothing but rows of graves, a gloomy, depressed atmosphere and the mysterious Grave-Keeper himself, his cloak covering his entire body, with two red eyes glowing beneath it and carrying a scythe whenever he goes."
"It's said that he would show up every night, under the full moon, terrorizing anyone who dared to trespass. Those who choose to ignore this warning suffered a fate worse than death."
"So, what do you think, Brian?" Carrie asked.
Brian didn't respond right away and continued to look at the young ghost with doubt in his mind. Gumball and Darwin, on the other hand, were mortified by the story Carrie had just told them. They never imagined such an event had taken place in a town like Elmore and the idea that someone choose to live and die in a graveyard, of all places, was enough to leave them spooked.
After continuing to stare at Carrie for a long time, Brian was finally ready to answer the ghost's question.
"Are you sure that really happened, Carrie? It sounds more like a horror story written by an amateur."
"You're not afraid, are you Brian?" Carrie questioned the purple fox, looking at him with a smirk, earning a glare from Brian.
"If I know any better, I say you're challenging me."
"That's exactly what I have in mind. Tell you what, why don't you, me, Gumball and Darwin head to the graveyard and find out whether the tale is true or not. That is, if you guys are afraid of things that go bump in the night."
As soon as Carrie offered her challenge, Brian arched an eyebrow, somewhat interested by it, while Gumball and Darwin were aghast after hearing the ghost's offer. Their behavior didn't go unnoticed by Brian, as he suddenly becomes a bit worried of heading out to the graveyard all alone. Then, an idea hit him.
"Why don't I talk with the guys about this before we made a decision?" Brian asked, before him, Gumball and Darwin huddled up with one another to discuss Carrie's challenge.
"Come on, you guys, there's no way that story Carrie had told us about is true. I say we head out tonight to the graveyard and at least show her that were brave."
"But Brian…" a fearful Darwin began. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to head out of night. What if our parents managed to find out?"
"Let's worried about that later, Darwin." Brian replied, before he turned his attention to Gumball. "What about you, Gumball? Are you in or out?"
"I don't know, to be honest, Brian. Besides, give me one good reason why I should accept Carrie's challenge."
In response to the blue feline's comment, Brian, smiling slyly, knew one thing that would convince Gumball to accept Carrie's challenge.
"If you accepted Carrie's challenge and word spreads around the school about your bravery, you might make a good impression with Penny."
The moment Brian mentioned Penny's name, Gumball was struck in a hypnotic-like trance, envision the antler peanut praising him, kissing him on the lips and perhaps becoming his girlfriend in the process. Even if they didn't find the graveyard's mysterious resident, the fact that he stayed in such a scary place all night and coming out unscathed would be enough to win Penny's heart.
As Gumball continued to fantasize, Darwin, noticing the blue feline's mannerism, could only sigh in response. Knowing full well that voicing his objection would have little effect on the outcome, he decided to just tag along with them, if only because Gumball and Brian happened to be his friends.
'So it's settled then.' Brian thought, before him, Gumball and Darwin turned their attention back to Carrie, waiting patiently for one of them to answer.
"We're in, Carrie." was the answer that Brian gave to the young ghost, much to her satisfaction.
"That's great to hear." says Carrie. "I'll see you guys at the stroke of midnight."
With that, the young ghost teleported herself out of their sights, while Brian, Gumball and a reluctant Darwin looked forward to tonight's challenge. The purple fox was determined to make Carrie eat her own words out.
Night had finally descended on the town of Elmore, as the stars shined brightly and the moon glowed in the sky, even on such a gloomy and depressing area as the graveyard. But on this particular night, it was going to be visited by a few lucky people.
After making sure that everyone at their respective household were sleeping peacefully, Gumball, Darwin and Brian quietly snuck their way out of their homes and biked their way to the graveyard near the stroke of midnight, just as they had planned. Not surprisingly, Carrie was waiting for them the moment they arrived, somewhat impressed that the boys actually made it on time.
"I've had to be honest with you guys…" Carrie began. "I thought for sure that you three would flake out at the last minute."
"There's no way none of us would back out." Brian replied. "Besides, I only came here just to prove that you're so-called story is just fiction."
"Be my guest then, Brian." Carrie said to the fox. "Anyway you guys, follow me, if you dare."
Doing as they were told, Gumball, Brian and Darwin followed the ghost around the graveyard, leading them to who knows where. The purple fox doesn't know what Carrie is planning, but whatever it is that she had in stored for him and his friends, he was determined to keep his guard up at all cost.
'As soon as you make the first move, I'll expose this charade right away.'
While Brian pondered in his own thoughts, Darwin, still nervous and completely afraid due the atmosphere of the graveyard, finally talked after what felt like a long time.
"Um, Carrie…" Darwin began. "Where exactly are we going?"
"Now that Darwin mentions it, you haven't exactly told us what we're going to do all night." says Gumball, as he made note on Darwin's statement.
"Oh, that's simple, Gumball. We're going to locate the Grave-Keeper's shack and pay him a visit. I heard that if you don't greet him properly, he might steal your soul forever."
When Carrie brought the Grave-Keeper's name, Darwin's body turned white almost immediately, as chills spread through his spine, leaving him utterly mortified of meeting this Grave-Keeper in person. His fear didn't go unnoticed from both Gumball and Brian, as both boys come to his aide, hoping to calm him down enough to continue on.
"Darwin, you have to relax. Carrie's probably just saying that so you can run off." says Brian.
"Besides buddy, even if we do find this shack, this Grave-Keeper guy, or whoever he is, might not be there at all." Gumball insisted to the two-legged fish.
The boys' words were enough to calm down Darwin, as the color slowly came back to his body and some of his worries melted away. Even so, the two-legged fish remained nervous and afraid, as he still wasn't looking forward to their plans at all. Carrie, meanwhile, continued to watch the scene with a calmed and relaxed demeanor, while also being somewhat amused at the same time.
'I really can't wait to see the look on their faces when is this over.' Carrie thought, before she realized something very important on her person.
'Rats! It looks like I forgot to bring the camera with me.' Not wanting to miss the one and only opportunity, Carrie quickly turned to the boys with an excuse she hope would bring her some time.
"Hey guys, I need to head back to my place very quickly. I, um, need to get the flashlight just in case."
Once the ghost finished up her excuse, Carrie immediately teleported herself back home, leaving Gumball, Darwin and Brian with no choice but to wait until she came back. It was at the moment Carrie left that something unexpected happen in the graveyard: out of nowhere, foggy mists dispersed all over the place, confusing the three of them.
'That's strange…' Gumball thought. 'There weren't any weather reports like this tonight. Then again, they were never-'
Gumball's thoughts weren't interrupted by Darwin's fearful shriek, prompting him and Brian to turn to Darwin, startled and concern by the two-legged fish's action.
"What's wrong there, buddy?" Gumball asked.
"Did something scare you?" Brian questioned Darwin.
In response, the two-legged fish simply pointed behind them. As soon as Gumball and Brian turned around, they couldn't believe what they were staring at: standing in right in front of them was a mysterious, hooded figure, his body covered in an aged, brown cloak, leaving only red, glowing eyes coming out from his obscured his face. He was also holding what appeared to be a scythe. It didn't took either of the boys to realize that this mysterious figure is none other than the Grave-Keeper himself.
His mere presence was enough for both Gumball and Darwin to become immensely afraid, holding onto one another as tightly as they could, seeking the other for comfort. Brian, on the other hand, was hardly impressed by this scenery; in fact, he was far more amused and shocked his friend by slowly approaching him.
"Brian, what are you doing?!" Darwin shouted. "Get back here this instant!"
"Don't you recall what Carrie said earlier?! He might steal your soul unless you give him a proper greeting!" Gumball pointed out, before Brian turned around and looked at his friends with an annoyed look.
"Come on you guys, that story never happened to begin with." Brian adamantly insisted. "For all we know, this 'Grave-Keeper' might be Carrie herself in disguise and I'm going to prove it."
Once Brian made his statement clear, he returned his attention to the Grave-Keeper and resumed approaching the individual once more, as Gumball and Darwin continued to look on, their bodies frozen with fear and anxiety. As soon as the purple fox finally approached the hooded figure, Brian began to calmly examine him from head-to-toe, inspecting the Grave-Keeper with much detail.
"I have to admit, that was an impressive stunt you pulled on us earlier, Carrie." Brian commented. "Then again, I always suspected that you were going to scare us sooner or later."
Expecting to hear a response right away, Brian was given nothing but silence from the Grave-Keeper. Undaunted, Brian continued to questioned 'Carrie', hoping to get some confession out of her, while the hooded figure continued to silently stare at him.
"Come on Carrie, you can't continue to fool us with the silent treatment. Why don't you just confess that the whole story was nothing more than fiction and just call it a night?"
"Who are you talking to?" a certain, cold voice asked.
"Not now Carrie; can't you see that I'm…talking…to…you…"
Brian trailed off the moment the ghost spoke out of the blue, prompting the purple fox to turn around to see Carrie floating right next to Gumball and Darwin. Shocked to see the ghost right next to the duo, Brian fearfully turned to see the Grave-Keeper continue staring right down at him, before he turned his attention back to Carrie and back. Once it was clear to the purple fox that Carrie and the Grave-Keeper was not the same person, his entire boy turned pale, his eyes became completely blank and his jaws hanged out, before he fainted, collapsing to the ground, as his friends looked on horror.
"Oh my goodness, Brian's going to lose his soul!" Darwin shouted.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's help him out right now!" Gumball pointed out, before him, Darwin and Carrie rushed towards their friend's aide and picked him off the ground and ran to the opposite direction, just before the Grave-Keeper could make a single move. They didn't know which direction to go, but anywhere is better than facing certain doom with the hooded figure.
10 minutes later…
Gumball, Darwin and Carrie have been traversing the graveyard for quite some time, with the boys carrying an unconscious Brian, while Carrie floated around to survey the area, hoping to find their way out. The task proved far more difficult than she imagined, as the fogs were becoming increasingly denser, making it impossible to see which path she and her friends should take.
"Carrie, what's taking you so long?!" Gumball shouted at the ghost. "I thought you know the way out of this place!"
"This wasn't going to be easier than I thought." Carrie replied. "The fog is way too dense to see which path we should take. For all we know, we could just be going around in circle."
"Then why don't you just teleport us out of here instead?" asked Darwin.
"Darwin, it's that simple." Carrie started to explain. "I'm still trying to get the hang of my ability and in case you don't recall, my accuracy is quite low. Even if I do manage to successfully teleport you guys, I have to concentrate and visualize the area with specific details. Otherwise, we might end up in another part of the world."
"Darn! I knew it was too good to be true." Gumball exclaimed. "Well, things can't get any worse."
Just then, the wind blew increasingly hard out of nowhere, leaving the group quite bewildered, before they turned to the direction of the wind and discovered, to their horror, that the Grave-Keeper was right behind them. Terrified by his presence, the trio immediately ran to another direction of the graveyard, while continuing to drag Brian's unconscious form along with them.
'Oh man! I wish I have kept my mouth shut!' Gumball thought, as him, Darwin and Carrie, alongside the unconscious Brian, continued to run for their lives. But as they made a sharp turn to the corner, the Grave-Keeper mysteriously appeared out of nowhere.
"What the…? When did he-how did he?" was all Darwin could say at the moment.
Not wanting to stick around and find out for themselves, the kids turned to another section of the graveyard, only to find the mysterious hooded figure waiting patiently for them. Startled by his presence, they continued to travel from one area after another, but no matter where they went, the Grave-Keeper showed up, waiting for them to arrive. By the time the four made their way out of the area, their energies were completely exhausted, especially for Gumball and Darwin, since they had to carry around the unconscious purple fox all night.
"I don't know how much more we could take this." Gumball commented.
"I know what you mean, Gumball." says Darwin. "My flippers are getting tired of carrying Brian around. It would be a lot better if we find a way to wake him up."
"Allow me." Carrie spoke, before she entered into Brian's open mouth. Before Gumball or Darwin could do anything, Brian suddenly shot up forward, completely awake, before Carrie exited his body.
"Dude, are you alright?" Gumball asked, as he and Darwin came to the fox's aide.
"I'm fine, Gumball. It's just that, I had a weird dream that I was talking to some hooded person whom I thought was Carrie and-"
"Brian, you weren't dreaming at all. That really happened ten minutes earlier." Darwin replied.
"I thought so." Brian commented, before he suddenly began to panic. "What do we do then?! I don't want my soul being taken!"
"Calm down for a moment, Brian. We just need to stick our heads together and think of a good plan." Carrie said to the purple fox.
"You better make it quick then, Carrie." Brian informed the young ghost.
"Why?"
In response, the purple fox pointed to the direction in right behind Carrie, prompting, as well as Gumball and Darwin to turn around and much to their dismay, the Grave-Keeper was once again not far behind. His sudden experience shocked them so much; they ended up falling down into a shallow grave six feet below. Carrie floated all the way down, concern for the boys' well-beings.
"Is everyone alright?" a worried Carrie asked.
"Yeah, we're good. Thanks for asking, Carrie." Gumball replied.
"That still doesn't change the fact that the Grave-Keeper is heading right towards us." Brian pointed out. "We need to get out of here and fast."
"But how are we going to do that?" asked Darwin. "The dirt is too slippery for us to get a good grip. Even if we do get up, that Grave-Keeper fellow will be waiting for us. Wait a minute…I got it!"
"Got what?" Gumball and Brian asked simultaneously. Before they knew it, Darwin turned to Carrie, as if he had found the answer to their situation.
"Carrie, this could be a good time to test your teleportation ability on us."
"Wait a minute, Darwin, are you serious?!" Carrie shouted at the two-legged fish. "I've already told you that I'm still getting the hang of it."
"This is no time for arguments, Carrie!" Darwin retorted. "This could be our one and only shot!"
"But-" was all Carrie could say before the four could feel the rush of air coming right at them. There was no doubt in their mind that the Grave-Keeper had caught up with them and it'll be a matter of time before he comes for them and seals their doom.
"I'm going to have to agree with Darwin on this one, Carrie." says Brian. "Just at least attempt to teleport us, as long as it's not here."
"Alright, you guys. I'll give it shot."
Taking a deep breath, Carrie huddled the boys with each other, before closing her eyes, concentrating on her ability as hard as she could. The boys, in turned, had their eyes closed as well, hoping that this plan of theirs would work. Soon, everyone was enveloped by a bright glow and before they all knew what was happening, they mysteriously disappeared in a flash of a light, transported to who knows where.
In a lone, shabby shack, with badly decorated interiors and even awful looking exteriors, a flash of light suddenly burst out of nowhere, dropping a certain blue cat, a two-legged fish, a purple fox and a young ghost on top of a worn-out mattress. Once all four kids were certain that they were someplace safe, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Carrie rejoiced, relieved that they were able to escape the Grave-Keeper's wrath.
"Wow Carrie, that was amazing." Gumball praised the young ghost.
"No kidding, I knew you could pull it off." Darwin added.
"Oh, it was nothing." Carrie says, as she rubbed her head sheepishly.
"Guys, as much as I enjoyed praising Carrie for her help, we need to get out of this graveyard now." Brian pointed out.
Agreeing with the purple fox, the four made their way to the lone door. But just before they could reach the knob, the door suddenly burst open, revealing the Grave-Keeper standing right in front of them, prompting all four to scream with horror, before they slowly backed away from the figure.
"Please, Mr. Grave-Keeper sir, spare our young lives!" Gumball fearfully pleaded.
"We're so sorry we trespassed in the first place! Just don't suck our souls or anything!" Brian shouted.
As the four kids raised their arms for defense, embracing whatever action the Grave-Keeper would take, what happened next took them by complete surprise: he sighed and relaxed his pose.
"You kids could relax now. I'm just glad that everyone is safe." the Grave-Keeper spoke in a deep voice.
Shocked to hear the Grave-Keeper's response, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Carrie lowered their arms down, clearly surprised that this hooded figure, who had been chasing them all night, was acting rather kind to them. Something wasn't adding up at all.
"Excuse me for stating the obvious…" Brian began. "But why were you so concern for our well-beings all of sudden?"
"Now that he mentions it, you've been chasing us all night." Darwin pointed out.
"Only to make sure that none of you suffered any serious injuries. That and I wanted to escort all of you out of the graveyard safely." the Grave-Keeper explained.
"That still doesn't explain why you're holding a scythe to begin with." Carrie pointed out.
"I'm an old man, little lady. My ancient body isn't what it used to be. Plus, the blade is made out of plastic."
"Wait a minute, so you're saying that we're not going to suffer a fate worse than death nor have our souls taken away forever for not given you a proper greeting?" Gumball asked, calming down a bit. The Grave-Keeper, however, didn't respond to the blue feline's question right away. Instead, he stared at Gumball with a somewhat aggravated look on his face.
"You and your friends have been listening to that story, haven't you?"
In response, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Carrie nodded their heads in agreement, confirming the Grave-Keeper's hunch. The hooded figure then took a deep breath before he began to talk to the four.
"I don't like giving out long, detailed explanations, so I'll get to the point. Paradise was never real to begin with. In fact, the whole place was destined to be a graveyard to begin with. Plus, I just moved here a few hundred years ago. As for the story itself, it was written by an amateur writer, just trying to make a living. Does that answer everyone's question?"
As soon as the Grave-Keeper finished his words, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Carrie nodded their heads in agreement, much to the hooded figure's satisfaction.
"That's good to know. Now, if you don't mind, I'll lead you out of this place." The Grave-Keeper spoke, turning around and heading out the door, beckoning the four of them to follow, as he escorted them back to the graveyard's entrance.
After what felt like a very long time, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Carrie finally made their way to the entrance of the graveyard, courtesy of the Grave-Keeper himself. After bidding him farewell and departing on good terms, the Grave-Keeper returned to the mist, disappearing from their sight as he headed back to his shack, as the kids walked back to their bikes, reflecting on tonight's events.
"Well, that was quite eventful." Brian commented.
"No kidding." Gumball remarked. "Who would have known that story we just heard was nothing but a writer's fabrication?"
"I'm just glad that story was never real to begin with." says a relieved Darwin. "Plus, that Grave-Keeper guy was quite friendly."
"It wasn't what I have in mind for tonight…" Carrie began. "But even so, I did manage to get this nice picture of Brian."
The young ghost then showed the boys the picture of a petrified Brian lying on the ground; the purple fox was as white as snow, his eyes completely blanked and his jaws hanging out. Brian has no doubt that Carrie had taken that picture minutes earlier, as he could hear Gumball and Darwin trying to hold back their laughter.
"Ha-ha, very funny." Brian replied sarcastically at Carrie, looking quite smug. "Even so, I still know that story was nothing but a writer's imagination all along."
"Sure you did, Brian. But try saying that to everyone else back at school when I show them this picture tomorrow." says Carrie.
"Don't even think about it, Carrie." Brian said to the ghost, before she laughed and started floating off, prompting the fox to chase the young ghost.
As the purple fox desperately tried to get his paws on the picture and his friends laughing on the ground, unbeknownst to the group, an individual was staring at them from a long distance, covered almost entirely in a blue cloak, while one of his skeletal hand was holding a scythe. After no more than a few seconds, the hooded figure smiled and walked back inside the fogs, disappearing completely and leaving no trail of his existence.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 18-The Clueless
Brian's day hits a snag when his father, at Annie's insistence, decided to hang out with his only son.
Tidbits
-This chapter idea was requested by Truth of Chaos and as such, I wanted to give him full credit for it and I wanted to thank him for coming up with such a great idea!
-It's been a while since I have done a chapter with Brian interacting with one of the supporting cast. Still, I hope to do something similar for future chapters to come.
-For the Grave-Keeper, I have Kevin Grevioux in mind, due to his role as Raze in Underworld, but also for his voice acting, such as his role as Black Beetle in Young Justice.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and as always, let me know what you guys think so far.
Thanks and see ya next chapter!