"I just can't believe it, " Carly Beth says as she steps back into Amanda's car, "Whoever that woman was back there, she wasn't my mother. She told me she was ashamed to have such a scaredy cat for a daughter. My mom would never say something like that. She's been supportive of me since the beginning."
The rest of the teens follow suit, taking their seats in the cramped insides of the Benson siblings' van. Evan doesn't say a word, clutching Cuddles' cage in his lap. The hamster is still fast asleep. Beside him, Andy is having fun prodding at the broken remains of Slappy. The dummy lets out vulgar threats with each poke of his wooden skin. Andy doesn't seem threatened in the slightest. She passes Slappy to Conan, who looks slightly intimidated himself, before he gets a few hits in too.
"My mom and dad told me they couldn't wait to kick me out when I turned 18," Jerry says with a sigh. "Said I needed to grow up."
Andy scoffs, "Guys, I feel for you, I really do, but sometimes you just gotta face the harsh reality that some parents are just really shitty."
"Not my mom," Carly Beth says. "She bought me a pride flag the day I came out."
"Then I guess you're one of the lucky ones," Andy tells her.
"What did yours say?" Jerry asks, turning to Evan.
"Huh?"
Evan is so distracted by his own thoughts Jerry's words pass right through his ears.
"Your parents. You seem shaken by something they said,"
"Oh. Well, it was more or less the same as you. They told me I needed to stop being afraid of monsters," Evan says. It's a much nicer version of the harsh words exchanged. He can still hear his parents berating him on loop in his head like a particularly nasty broken record.
"I say screw them!" Andy says. "Did they say anything about me?
Evan looks at Andy. Her eyes are full of genuine curiosity.
"They said you were a bad influence."
"Well, they were right about one thing."
"What about me? Am I a bad influence too?" Conan asks.
"Funny thing. They didn't mention you at all, Conan." Evan says.
"Well, my parents called me a weirdo," Ricky says, "Said it was a miracle I even managed to make friends given how much everybody hates me."
"When I talked with mine, it was like I was a kid all over again. They kept comparing me to my sister," Amy says, "When I brought up Slappy, they practically blew up, told me we came to Dark Falls to forget all that just for me to dig it up again."
"What did I tell you, Amy?" Slappy rasps from the back seat in a weak voice. "Always the middle child!"
"What did I say about talking?" Andy asks the dummy, just before she smacks him around some more.
In fear, Slappy raises his wooden arms to protect what's left of his face.
"I told you guys already. Those aren't your parents." Amanda says, keeping her eyes glued to the endless stretch of dark road in front of them. "We'll get them back. I promise."
Beneath Amanda's gruff exterior, her words sound sincere. Like despite it all, she genuinely does want to help them.
"Fuck. We're here," Josh says
Amanda pulls to a stop in front of Dead House. The tall, redbrick house looms large over the teens, its sloping black roof tearing into the sky. Evan finds himself thinking of the word pareidolia, the phenomenon of seeing faces where there weren't any there. If Dead House had a face, it's rotting away, a fact made evident by the thin cracks which run jagged across the uneven brick house. Each window is a sinister looking eye, gazing down upon them from way up high, the black shutters tiny prison bars hammered in place to keep the specter of evil which resided within Dead House locked away. That very evil poisoned the house itself and yet despite so much death, the house was alive with rot, ghostly white mushrooms sticking up from the dirt. The decaying steps up to the massive front door beckons them out of the car.
"This place is AWESOME." Andy says. Once more, she seems to take immediate notice of the house's gothic architecture. "I feel like we've just walked into the house of Usher."
"Awesome? This place is way more horrifying than I imagined." Jerry says.
"It's even worse than the Carpenter Mansion." Carly Beth says.
"God, why are we doing this again?" Amy asks. "Just look at it! That's a murder house!"
"Yeah, we're definitely going to die here." Ricky says.
Evan's heard this exact conversation before. Back when they first came to Dead House and almost lost their lives. Going to the cemetery had delayed Mr. Dark's little party, but Evan is sure the man is nothing if not adaptable. He probably has this slight change of plans fully accounted for. Things have to be different this time, Evan tells himself.
"We're not going to die," Evan tells Ricky, "But we have to be careful. I have a feeling we're coming to the end of this whole thing."
"I have a feeling you're right, ginger."
Evan wants nothing more than to tear the Dead House down himself, until there is nothing left. As he glances at Amanda and Josh, both of the siblings visibly pale, he wonders if they're thinking the same thing.
"Why did we have to come back?" Josh asks.
"Because it was the right thing to do." Amanda tells him. She still has a flashlight strapped to her belt.
At last, they step out of the car, passing through a bed of overgrown weeds. Evan is surprised how sharp they are, cutting against his ankles like tiny blades as he wades through the vegetation. He finds himself thinking of Dr. Brewer's evil plants. At the side of the house, Evan see a rusty water faucet, a long, snake-like hose attached to it.
"I don't care what you tell me, Evan," Amanda says, "I'm bringing a gun with me."
Evan sighs as Amanda grabs a small pistol. "Do what you have to do."
The front door creaks open, just like last time, Mr. Dark descends from the staircase in a crimson red suit, a lit candelabra in hand.
"Children? You're later than I expected. I'm afraid your food's already gone cold. And here I went through the liberty of making my famous meatballs. Fear not, though, we still have dessert. Say, you like cherry pie?"
"You got any drinks?" Conan asks. "I'm still REALLY fucking thirsty!"
"No, Mr. Barber, we do not have any drinks."
"You can skip the bullshit, Mr. Dark," Evan snaps, "We're not having your dinner party. All of us have been here before."
Mr. Dark looks at him curiously before his eyes widen in surprise. "You used the cuckoo clock, didn't you?"
Evan doesn't respond. He doesn't have to. Mr. Dark laughs.
"I thought I felt something different. Lookie here, we even have two brand new guests! Mr. and Ms. Benson, I have to say, it's poetic to have you come back here."
Mr. Dark looks at Amanda and Josh with a grin on his face.
"Fuck you!" Amanda snaps.
Mr. Dark scowls. "You children really don't have any manners, do you? That's the problem with kids these days, no respect. Everyone was so much more polite back in the '90s!"
"Things change," Amanda says.
"Apparently so," Mr. Dark replies. "So, tell me, Evan. What on earth did you do? Frankly, I'm surprised you're still alive after messing with that clock. Most who use it don't come back."
Evan smirks. "I got the Monster Blood before you could use it. I even took out your little enforcer. Didn't I, Andy?"
At this, Andy laughs and chucks Slappy at Mr. Dark's feet.
"Now we're here to stop you. Whatever you have planned, Dark, you're not going to get away with it."
Mr. Dark picks Slappy from off the ground, examining the dummy with a panicked expression. "Oh no, not Slappy!" he cries. "How could you do this to poor Slappy?"
Mr. Dark starts to weep, obvious crocodile tears before he breaks into mad laughter, bringing Slappy close to his face. "Serves you right, you wooden bastard! I knew I should've hired your brother instead of you!"
Slappy laughs. "You should have known I'd never share power!"
"You're right, I should have," Mr. Dark says. "Oh, well, live and learn. See, that's the problem with working with evil dummies, especially evil dummies possessed by evil sorcerers. Their egos get too big for their tiny wooden heads!"
Mr. Dark throws Slappy on the ground, kicking him back to Andy.
"So, you ready to admit we've won?" Evan asks. "Hard to turn people into monsters without Monster Blood."
Mr. Dark bursts into laughter, as if Evan has just told the funniest joke he's ever heard. "Oh, Evan. You really thought you did something, didn't you? I've got enough Monster Blood to last me a lifetime, stored all over this town. See, I don't think you understand yet, but DARK FALLS IS MINE!"
"Not for long," Evan says.
"I have to admit, Evan. I admire your boldness," Mr. Dark says, "Perhaps you really have changed."
"More than you know."
"We'll see about that," Mr. Dark tells Evan. "But to me, you're still that scared little boy terrified of monsters. You want to take my Monster Blood from me, huh, Evan? Well, go ahead. I'll just move to the next best option, killing each and every one of you with my bare hands."
"There's more of us than there are of you," Evan says,
Mr. Dark smiles, his mouth full of fangs. "I have an army of my own."
From behind Mr. Dark, his family emerges to stand beside him. Lucy. His wife. Randy. All three of them are wearing the same distinct shade of red. It's the very color of blood.
"You don't have to do this, Lucy," Evan tells her. "You still have a place with us."
"I'm sorry, Evan," she says. "My loyalty is to my family."
"Then that makes you our enemy," Andy says. 'You must be Lucy Dark. I've heard a lot about you."
Lucy's expression doesn't change. "I see why Evan likes you."
"Good," Andy smiles, "Because you're about to hate me."
"Let's make this quick, honey," Mrs. Dark says to her husband. "It's past Randy's bedtime."
"Mom!" Randy yells. "I'm 14! And a monster too! They broke Slappy. I want to break them now too!"
"That's my boy!" Mr. Dark says.
It's not just the Dark family which has gathered on the lawn. Evan sees his teacher Mrs. Maaargh is also here. She's completely shed her human form to reveal the wide, open-jawed creature beneath. Thick drool pours from her massive tongue. Her large feet, with gnarled yellow toenails thud against the ground.
"Isn't it a school night, children?" Mrs. Maaargh cackles, her throat full of phlegm. "You should be studying for my next exam!"
"Mrs. Maaargh?" Amy asks in surprise.
"Ah, Amy Kramer! My esteemed pupil! Don't worry, I'll eat you last!"
"Calm your appetite, Agatha," Mr. Dark tells her, "There will be time enough for that later."
Over Mrs. Maargh's shoulder floats a hideous green mask, orange eyes blazing like hot fire. The mask opens its mouth, baring a row of fangs dripping with drool. It makes a horrible rubber noise as its lips rub together.
"Carly Beth…" the mask rasps. "It's almost Halloween. Let us join together once more!"
"Never!" Carly Beth answers.
The mask growls, throwing itself at Carly Beth. She grabs the mask with both hands, gripping its cheeks tightly. The mask has enough strength to knock her to the ground, though Carly Beth refuses to go.
"I'll never join you again, never!" Carly Beth screams at the mask. "I have friends who love me! Something you'll never have!"
Mr. Dark chuckles. "Oh, Carly Beth. Always so fearless. You know, out of all you humans, I might respect you the most. After all, it takes a certain amount of guts to survive not only your ordeal with the mask, but to survive HorrorLand as well. It's quite admirable. Alas, this is where your story ends. Where ALL your stories end. I fear, Carly Beth, that you'll never truly separate from your bond with the haunted mask. It seems you two are quite inseparable. Not unlike Evan and his dear friend, Andy. It's only been a few days, and all of you have forged a great bond. Perhaps it's fitting you should all die together."
Evan glances at Andy, before glancing back at Mr. Dark with a scowl. As Carly Beth continues to wrestle the mask, Evan turns his attention to a face he doesn't recognize. He's a good-looking man in a dark gray suit and a black cowboy hat atop his head. Evan would almost take for a human were it not for his cracked gray skin and sunken cheekbones. He looks as if he's wearing eyeliner, with two dark rings painted on his face like a tired raccoon. Heavy purple bags sag beneath them. From beneath his large black cowboy hat, the man's hair is long and stark white in color. Both Amanda and Josh are looking at the man with hatred in their eyes. Evan realizes this must be Compton Dawes.
"Well, golly," Dawes says, "Amanda and Josh! You sure have grown up, haven't you?"
"We watched you die," Amanda says.
"I know," Dawes replies. "That's the funny thing about this town. Nobody ever really dies. No matter how much they might want to."
"It must be nostalgic seeing them here, isn't it, Compton?"
"It sure is, Larry, it sure is," Dawes smiles with a mouth full of rotting yellow teeth.
Evan shudders as he looks into the man's pitch black eyes.
"Oh, pardon me, I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? The name's Compton Dawes, real estate agent."
Mr. Dawes walks up to Evan and hands him a small business card on what appears to be a slightly off white bit of cardstock. A picture of Compton Dawes is printed on it, obviously photoshopped so as to hide the man's decaying skin. Frankly, Evan thinks it resembles a Snapchat filter, as Dawes has even given himself a bright red blush on each cheek. Evan reads the text beside it.
BETTER CALL DAWES!
COMPTON DAWES, REAL ESTATE AGENT,
555-352-1266
comptondawes
GIVING YOU A HOUSE YOU'LL WANT TO LIVE IN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
LOCATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL TOWN OF DARK FALLS
Evan looks up from the card at Mr. Dawes, whose smile hasn't faded.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Evan asks Mr. Dawes, "How can you work for Mr. Dark? You know what he plans to do to all these families moving here, don't you?"
Mr. Dawes waves a hand to brush off Evan's concerns. "Oh, I don't fret over any of the messy details as long as my client is happy. Besides, business is booming! Just take a look!"
Mr. Dawes pulls out another sheet of paper out of thin air and hands it to Evan to read over. It's a list of names, none of whom sound familiar to Evan. As he reads the list, Evan realizes these names are all the families who have agreed to come to Dark Falls. It's exactly as the man in the cemetery said. There's so many more kids coming, their families all hoping to start a new life here. Evan reads over the names a second time.
BREWER, MARGARET
BANKS, GREG
SABRY, GABE (Crossed off, deceased?)
THOMPSON, MAX
POWELL, KRIS
POWELL, LINDY
ANDERSON, DANNY
BYRD, SAMANTHA (Crossed off)
TUCKER, GRADY
MORRIS, LIZZY
MORIS, LUKE
LUTZ, GARY
DEEP, BILLY
DEEP, SHEENA
MATTHEWS, SKIPPER
BOYD, LARRY (Crossed off, dog?)
MERTON, KAT
BURTON, JOE
BLAKE, JORDAN
ROWE, MARK
JOHNSON, DANA
WALD, GINGER
There's so many names that Evan's eyes go numb. He doesn't know a single one of them, and yet he feels an immediate desire to protect these kids from the same fate.
"You're not taking any more victims," Evan says, "This ends with us."
In response, Mr. Dawes puts his fingers in his mouth and blows them like a whistle.
In the distance, Evan hears the faint sound of a dog barking. It reminds him of Trigger, though he knows that's impossible. The closer the dog gets, the more Evan finds his nose burning with a pungent smell like rotten eggs.
"Oh my god, is that Petey?" Josh asks.
Evan watches as a large border collie emerges from the thick forest surrounding Dead House. As it takes a seat beside Mr. Dawes, Evan gets a closer look at the dog. It becomes obvious very quickly that this is no ordinary dog. Like Dawes, it's as if the animal has been painted a dull gray, not a single ounce of life left in its eyes. Its fur is matted with blood and dirt. Much of its flesh has rotted away, exposing the bones beneath. The worst part is the smell. It reeks of death. Mr. Dawes smiles at the zombified canine, stroking his mangled fur with a bony hand. Evan notices now how much of Dawes' fingers appear shrunken and purple, leaving the man's dirty fingernails looking longer than normal.
"Petey?" Josh asks in a shaky voice. "Petey, it's okay, boy. It's Josh, remember? Come here, boy."
Petey stares blankly at Josh before he begins to bare his teeth, barking violently at both him and Amanda.
"What did you do to him?" Amanda asks.
"Funny thing," Mr. Dawes says, "You know how dogs can sense when people are dead? Well, it turns out dead dogs can detect the living!"
"You bastard!" Amanda screams, unholstering her flashlight and pointing it directly into Mr. Dawes' face. She turns it on, waiting for the light to melt his face off. Instead, nothing happens, and Evan watches as Amanda tries desperately to get it working again.
"Out of batteries, Amanda?" Mr. Dawes asks with a sneer. "Yeah, I reckon those don't last too long."
"Yeah? Well, this won't,"
"What?" Mr. Dawes raises an eyebrow.
Pulling out her gun, Amanda fires a single round through Mr. Dawes' head. The bullet passes through swiftly, leaving a large hole in the man's forehead from which black blood pours from. Gray brain matter lands on the ground with a splat. Dawes falls to the ground like a fallen tree. Evan can barely conceal his surprise.
"I hope it hurts, Compton," Amanda says, standing over his body.
"I'll be back. Amanda… I'll be back." Mr. Dawes rasps, dark liquid trickling down his forehead. "Nobody in Dark Falls ever dies."
Amanda fires another round into Dawes and Petey lets out a frightened whimper in response. Evan watches as the dog scurries back off into the woods.
"Petey!" Josh cries, attempting to chase after his dog before Amanda stops him.
"Leave him, Josh, He's one of them now." she says.
As the air is full of silence, it's interrupted by the scream of Carly Beth. It's not a scream of fear, but a battle cry of triumphant victory. Evan turns to see the girl has started to tear the mask in half with her bare hands. The mask lets out a pained scream.
"I hope you can find peace." Carly Beth tells the mask, her voice far more aggressive than it had when she originally removed the mask in front of them. "From all your anger. All that hatred. I know I have. My darkness will always be a part of me, but you no longer will."
Carly Beth throws the scraps of the Haunted Mask to the ground, and by now, Mr. Dark is frantically glancing back and forth between the mask's remains and Mr. Dawes' corpse.
"That's two more of your army down," Evan says. "Kind of seems like our odds are improving."
Although Mr. Dark smiles. Evan can see from the beads of sweat that he's starting to show some signs of worry.
"You think they matter?" Mr. Dark asks. "My family is what matters. See, that's the thing about monsters. They can present themselves as big and scary, but in the end, so many of them are weak. That's why they need a strong hand like mine to lead them."
"And what am I, Lawrence? Weak?" Mrs. Maaargh asks.
"Of course not, Agatha," Mr. Dark says. "You are one of the finest monsters I know, which is why I'm letting you pick which one you want to eat right now."
Mrs. Maaargh licks her lips, looking at the nine of them in anticipation of her next meal.
"Why are you doing this, Mrs. Maaargh?" Amy asks.
"I'm sorry, dear, but we all have to eat, don't we? Fortunately, I always work my way from the bottom up. Let's start with the worst student here."
As Mrs. Maaargh's eyes scan the crowd, she finally lands on Conan.
"YOU," Mrs. Maaargh growls, pointing a monstrous figure at him.
"Me?" Conan asks.
"Yes, YOU," she rasps, "You're every teacher's nightmare. The brainless jock who does the bare minimum in class."
Evan has to admit she has a point. Conan certainly wasn't a favorite of many teachers. Evan had never seen his grades, but he imagined Conan's were less than stellar.
"Listen, lady, I only care about one class," Conan says, "Pounding 101. How about you let me teach you?"
"I prefer EATING 101," Mrs. Maaargh cackles.
As much as Evan would like to see Conan get his just desserts, the thought of Mrs. Maaargh chewing him up isn't one he can entertain without feeling at least a little bit guilty.
"Hey, Conan!" Evan says, "You still thirsty?"
"Always,"
"Then how about a drink of water?" Evan asks, unwinding the hose at the side of the Dead House and cranking the faucet on. It takes a bit of strength, given just how rusty it is, letting out a shrill squawk as he does so. Eventually, though, it does, and Conan knows just what Evan has in mind. For perhaps the first time, Evan is grateful that Conan is here.
"What is the meaning of this," Mrs. Maaargh asks.
Conan lets out a growl as he drinks up the hose water like a dog on a hot summer day. It's not a pretty sight, the way the water drips from his mouth. It doesn't take long before Conan is soaked. This is just what Evan had hoped for, though, as from Conan's flesh sprouts another Conan, fully formed. After the incident with the blue blobs that summer, this was Conan's hidden talent. Call it Mitosis, call it whatever, Conan could now make as many clones of himself as he wanted.
As Conan continues drinking the water, more clones appear, creating a massive circle around Mrs. Maaargh, who by now looks very confused until she realizes the more Conans there are, the more food to eat.
"Clone yourself all you want, boy!" Mrs. Maaargh yells. "You're just making me hungrier!"
"So, you're hungry, huh?" Conan asks. "How about a knuckle sandwich?"
At this, Conan punches Mrs. Maaargh in the face. It's the first time Evan has ever supported someone hitting a teacher. He can't help but smile.
As Mrs. Maaargh stumbles backwards, Jerry walks behind her, his fingers wiggling.
"You know what teachers hate just as much as a brainless jock?" Jerry asks. "The class clown!"
Jerry takes his fingers and begins tickling Mrs. Maaargh. In response, she lets out a husky laugh full of rage.
"Stop that!" Mrs. Maaargh orders, trying to stifle her giggles. "You're not going to make me-"
With one final tickle, Maaargh collapses on the ground, her eyes shut. Evan knows she's not going to wake up anytime soon.
"How'd you know to do that?" Amy asks.
"Lucky guess," Jerry answers, "Not the first time I've annoyed a teacher to near death."
Evan chuckles and looks to Mr. Dark, his face full of red hot rage. Veins bulge out of his thick neck.
"Are you happy now, Evan? You come here and ruin everything I've worked so hard to achieve?"
"Yes," Evan answers with a smile. "You wanted us to face our fears? Well, guess what? We're facing them!"
Mr. Dark grits his teeth. "The only thing you should fear is ME. You should all be very afraid of what I'm going to do to you!"
"Yeah, we're a bit past that," Ricky says, "Right now you seem pretty pathetic."
Mr. Dark turns his gaze to Ricky. "Frankly, I'm disappointed in you, Mr. Beamer. You should be up here with me, helping bring about a new age. You hate humanity just as much as I do. Join me, and I'll create an environment where the Creeps can rule at last!"
"Tempting, but no," Ricky answers, "You're right, I do hate people, but I hate rich assholes like you even more."
"Fine," Mr. Dark snarls, "You want to die among the humans, be my guest! You know, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to test you, Ricky, and I thought there was no better way than to show you what you've lost. Oh, honey, you did make some cookies like I asked, didn't you?"
Mr. Dark turns to his wife with a smile.
"Of course," Mrs. Dark says, carrying a red tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Their dough is golden brown.
Evan raises an eyebrow, though he can see an expression of agitation forming on Ricky's face.
"Would you like one, Ricky?" Mr. Dark asks, throwing him one from the plate.
Ricky catches the cookie without much effort, examining it in his hand.
"This can give you your power back, Ricky" Mr. Dark says, "Remember what they told you? Humans are the past. Creeps are the future! You belong up here with us. They'll never accept you as one of them."
Evan turns to Ricky, still studying the cookie intently.
"Don't do it, Ricky!" Evan pleads. "You're stronger than this!"
Ricky turns to Evan with a menacing look in his eyes. "Sorry, Ginger. Humanity had its chance."
Ricky takes one last look at the cookie and Evan watches in horror as he bites down.