Evan can hardly stop swearing, even as he, Andy, and Conan are driving down the street with Slappy trapped securely in the trunk. At least as far as Evan can see. He's stuck in the backseat while Andy and Conan are in front. Somehow this was always their car set-up and it felt humiliating to say the least. Perhaps now more than ever. He's not a kid anymore, for God's sake, so why treat him like one? Then again, there are worse things at hand.

"God damn it." Evan snaps bitterly. "I can't believe I was that stupid!"

"It's going to be okay, Evan. We'll get it back." Andy assures him in a soft voice.

Her head is turned and focused on the road so Evan can't tell if she believes this or not.

"How do you know that, Andy? Mr. Dark said he had a lot of friends working with him. Just about anyone could have taken the Monster Blood and Dark might even have the stuff now!" Evan says.

"I'll admit things don't look good, but we've survived worse, haven't we? We can do it again." Andy says.

While Andy does have a point, her attempt to be optimistic doesn't quite work. Things feel different now, like this might really be the end of everything as they know it.

"Or else the world is destroyed by Monster Blood." Conan chimes in.

"Not helping, Conan." Andy barks at him. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you guys. Now who wants to help me get rid of the dummy in the back?"

Evan hates to admit it but he sides more with Conan now, though he can't help but admire Andy's pure ferocity and determination. He's always admired that about her and is glad at least she's still on his side in all of this. As Andy steps out of the vehicle, Evan follows, watching as she pops open the trunk-lid. Slappy's still lying there, and as he turns his head, Evan can see a mix of both anger and odd satisfaction in the dummy's cold blue eyes. Andy reaches out for him before Evan stops her.

"Wait." Evan says. "You don't think Slappy could maybe tell us who really took the Monster Blood, do you?" he asks.

Andy turns to look at him with a look he recognizes. It's her trademark "don't be stupid, Evan" look. He can't blame her for activating it, but if there's a chance the dummy knows, Evan wants to take it. Meanwhile, Slappy has a different look. It's almost one of intrigue. He's staring right at Andy, who's deliberately avoiding him, as if pleading for her to listen to Evan.

"I don't know. What makes you think he'll tell the truth, even if he does? He'll just try to trick us again." Andy tells him.

She has a point. Slappy is far from trustworthy. Hell, he probably would have killed them all earlier had he been able to, but Evan is more than a little desperate.

"I know how it sounds, Andy, but we have to try." He pleads.

"Fine. But I'm not letting that dummy out of my sight." Andy replies, clearly reluctant.

Evan steps forward and as he reaches for Slappy, he expects the dummy to grab his arm, before remembering the dummy's limbs are currently tied. He still manages to look creepy, however, and just as quickly as Evan removes the tape from Slappy, he recoils his hand in fear.

"So, Evan. You finally came to your senses, huh?" Slappy giggles. "And hey, just WHO gave YOU a driver's license?!" he says, looking at Andy. "I think a blind old lady would do a better job than you!"

Slappy starts laughing, and Andy just flips her middle finger at him. This only seems to amuse the dummy, but Evan can tell it's satisfying. Andy's hatred for Slappy is practically radiating off of her.

"Enough jokes, I want answers, Slappy. And you're going to give them to me." Evan says. "I know Mr. Dark sent you as a distraction so someone else could take the Monster Blood. And I think you know who."

Slappy narrows his dark eyebrows and smirks "You sound so certain of yourself. Maybe the Monster Blood just happened to fall out?" he says snidely, as if taunting Evan.

Evan just glares back at Slappy. How else could things have gone? The answer seems so simple, but Evan still doesn't have all the pieces.

"Nice try, but I have a pretty good guess as to what happened. Now tell me, or I'll have Andy here break you into a million pieces. I think you and I both know there's no coming back from that." Even threaten, and Andy nods in agreement. In fact, she looks pretty eager to carry things out.

Slappy only laughs, however. "Oh, Evan. You can break me as many times as you want. I always come back. You think you and your friends can do anything worse to me than what's already been done? I've been torn apart, sawn in half, steam-rolled, and guess what? I DIDN'T DIE!" Slappy throws his head back and laughs, his wooden jaw hobbling uneasily as he does so.

Evan knows this time he's telling the truth. Who knows what the hell the dummy's done in the past or who he's hurt, but clearly something keeps bringing him back. Maybe that same thing brought him to Dark Falls.

"You wanna know why, Evan?" Slappy asks. "Why I keep on coming back? Go on. Ask. I know you're curious." He teases.

Fine. I'll humor the dummy, Evan thinks. It's true. He is curious how a wooden doll is somehow so powerful.

"Why?" Evan asks.

Slappy smiles. "BECAUSE I'M A STAR, EVAN! There can be no Goosebumps without SLAPPY THE DUMMY!" he rasps, not able to contain his laughter.

Evan doesn't know what the hell Slappy's talking about, or what a "Goosebumps" even is, but Evan doesn't care to find out.

"You're not a star, Slappy. You're just a wooden dick." Even says.

He can hear Andy trying to hold in laughter. She'll probably tease him about that comment later.

"Well I guess that's true too." Slappy teases. He's about to say more before Evan cuts him off.

"If you're not afraid of me, maybe you'll be afraid of Mr. Dark. I'm sure he won't appreciate you wanting to spoil his plan." Evan says.

"That 2nd rate villain?" Slappy raises an eyebrow. "He's a nobody. He WISHES he could be me!"

"So you're not afraid of monsters?" Evan asks.

"I AM a monster, Evan. The kind that gives little kids nightmares! You'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Big Baby Evan Ross. Still afraid of green slime." Slappy says.

He's trying to get into Evan's head and it's working. He can't let himself be outsmarted by a goddamn DUMMY. That name had to exist for a reason, right? But then an idea creeps into Evan's head and he can't help but smirk back at Slappy.

"So then, Slappy.. if the whole world is turned into monsters. Aren't you afraid you'll be outshined? You said it yourself- you're a star. Now you're going to be replaced with something brand new and shiny." Evan says, taunting the dummy for a change. It feels surprisingly good.

This time, Slappy looks angry. "THERE'S NO REPLACING ME!" He snaps. It's almost like a venomous hiss, full of malice. "I'M ONE OF A KIND!"

Evan scoffs. All that scary exterior Slappy has while underneath he's nothing more than a child craving attention. He's trying to make himself bigger than he actually is. Maybe Evan can relate to that in a sad way. He's felt neglected his entire life.

"Yeah, I don't think so, Slappy. Nobody's going to give a shit about you once Mr. Dark releases that Monster Blood."

"Oh, they'll care, Evan." He rasps. "I'll do something so horrible they'll never forget me. Look, you want your stupid little slime? Ask Agatha Maaargh." Slappy tells him.

Maaargh? As in Mrs. Maaargh? Evan questions. It's hard to imagine there's anyone else with that name, especially in as small a town like this. She had been acting strange during class, Evan remembers. And the way she talked to Lucy? It was like she was a friend to the Darks. It makes a strange amount of sense.

"And why should I believe you?" Evan asks, even though he suspects Slappy is indeed telling the truth.

"You probably shouldn't." Slappy says. "But I like a little chaos. Now, are you going to free me or what?" he asks.

"What?" Evan responds. He doesn't know what Slappy means.

"Our deal. I tell you where the green gunk is, and you let me free." Slappy replies.

Evan almost laughs. Surely Slappy doesn't really expect to be freed? Where had he even suggested that possibility?

"Yeah, not happening. You're still getting dropped in the sewer. I guess you're not that smart, huh?" Evan asks.

A condescending smirk crosses his face as he looks down at Slappy. Now Evan feels like a giant in comparison. Just like he did after eating the Monster Blood that time at Kermit's. Like he could just stomp Slappy into oblivion. Maybe the part that satisfies him the most is knowing he finally outsmarted someone. That's rare indeed, and Evan is going to relish the victory for as long as he can.

He and Andy waste no time in grabbing the dummy, who continues struggling as they drag him to an open grate in the road. Out of his mouth, Slappy makes more vile threats.

"Oh, Evan! We're more alike than you think!" Slappy rasps. "You still don't know the whole story- nor do you know how this is going to end. You think Mr. Dark just cares about the Monster Blood? No, he also needs YOU. YOU'RE-"

"I don't care!" Evan shouts.

He's done listening to Slappy, as curious as he is, he can't afford to let the dummy keep getting in his head. Whatever the truth, he'll have to find out on his own. Evan watches in amusement as he drops into the darkness below, making an audible thud as he hits the bottom.

"That's taken care of." Andy says. "You think he'll be back?"

"I think he will, yeah. No doubt." Evan replies, and this is true. Slappy had said he's survived all kinds of damage. A fall is probably nothing.

"Well, we'll have to be ready." Andy replies. "Who's Agatha Maaargh?"

"My English teacher. I guess she's just another monster we have to deal with." Evan explains.

Andy nods. "Not my first time fighting a teacher."

Now there's a long story, Evan thinks. He'd rather not make a comment though.

"I think we should recharge. It's been a long night for all of us." Evan says.

Andy doesn't argue, driving back to his house, where both of Evan's parents are still nowhere to be found, and the house remains a mess after Slappy's rampage. It feels bleak and empty.

"I'm taking the couch." Conan says. "I'm exhausted."

Evan almost wants to comment about how Conan hardly did much of anything, but he bites his tongue. He's shocked as he watches Conan practically swan-dive onto the couch, which is a lot smaller than him and within what feels like seconds, he's asleep. And snoring. God, is he snoring. Evan wonders if the real Conan was this heavy of a sleeper, or if it was all part of his blue blob physiology.

"Great." Andy says. "I guess I'll have to listen to that all night. Unless you want to let me stay in your room?" she asks.

Evan just stares and Andy looks instantly regretful over her comment.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. That was awkward." Andy says, avoiding his gaze.

Evan does the same. "Right." he replies. It's all he can say in the moment.

Why were things so awkward between them? Evan would love to know. Even after beating up an evil dummy together, stuff like this seemed scarier and Evan would rather avoid it all entirely.

He watches Andy grab a blanket and curl up in another of the chairs in the living room. He has to stop himself from staring for too long.

"Goodnight, Andy." Evan whispers.

That night, Evan struggles to fall asleep until finally, he finds himself dreaming again. But it's not what he expects. This isn't something from his past- but something he's never seen before. Or has he? Evan realizes he's looking at the interior of the Dead House- He, Andy, Conan, Ricky, Carly Beth are others he doesn't quite recognize are seated around a large dinner table. It doesn't take Evan long before he realizes he is in fact strapped down securely with no way of leaving. As he looks around, he sees the same has happened to his friends. Struggling, Evan watches as Mr. Dark places a large bowl in front of each of them. From the bowl, Evan begins to hear a horrible gurgling noise.

Evan inside and his fears are confirmed as he sees the bowl is full of Monster Blood. It smells foul and continues to move and jiggle in an eerie motion, even as he forcibly moves his spoon into the gelatinous mass. The Monster Blood is hungry no doubt, pulsating like a heart, before it starts to expand, just like it always does, pouring right over the bowl, and creeping ever so slowly onto Evan's lap. As the slime comes down in droplets onto his torn jeans, Evan screams in pain as it burns him. The Monster Blood is doing something to his skin, he realizes, and as he looks down, he sees the slime is now acting like a very corrosive acid, eating away at his flesh until only melty bits of skin and bone are revealed. Evan wants to scream, but no words come out.

"Come on, Evan!" Mr. Dark pleads with a dark chuckle. "Eat the Monster Blood before it eats YOU!"

Evan begins to raise the slime to his lips. It's thick, actively trying to escape the spoon and latch onto him and that pungent smell continues to sting his nostrils. He watches as his friends do the same. Once the Monster Blood enters their mouths, Evan sees them react in pure horror, as the green slime begins to pour down their lips like fresh vomit or pea soup, and then it begins to melt their faces down into nothing but a horrifying gray-green skull. While their hollow eye sockets contain nothing but darkness, Evan can tell they're somehow looking at him accusingly, and he can't blame them. He continues to stare at the quivering Monster Blood down on his spoon. He hates it. He fucking hates it so much. And it hates Evan just as much.

"Come on, Evan! EAT!" Mr. Dark urges. "You need that to grow big and strong!"

"Here. I'll help." A familiar voice says from behind Evan.

He realizes Lucy Dark is standing there, and can do little to stop her as he takes the spoon out of his hands and begins propelling it towards his mouth.

"You know, most people learn how to properly eat their food when they're a baby." Lucy taunts. "Oh well. Here comes the airplane!" She laughs.

"You can't blame Evan, honey. He never got a chance to grow up." Mr. Dark says. "Very sad, if you ask me."

"Shut up, Shut up!" Evan shouts.

He's had enough hearing himself say these things, much less people who hardly knew a damn thing about him.

"Just remember this is your fault, Evan. This is why your friends have to die. Why the whole world has to die." Mr. Dark says.

Evan starts to scream before the cold spoon is thrust into his mouth. He gets a taste of the Monster Blood once again. He hates just how good it tastes. Like getting an instant dose of power and strength. But it's not worth it. His body falls apart just like the rest of them.

Somehow, though, Evan is still screaming. He realizes then that he's not sitting at the table but instead watching from afar- not as he is now, but a kid again. Twelve years old, just like the summer he went to his great-aunt Kathryn's, and just as helpless as he was then. And he's just shouting. Shouting without an end. But no one can hear him. Maybe all of this really is his fault.

It's hard to tell if Evan's still screaming when he wakes up or if he's just imagining it, but as he wakes up covered in sweat and with a mouth dry as cotton, he still feels trapped in the nightmare. It takes longer to fall back into reality this time. If dreams are premonitions, as Evan has often considered them, then what does this one mean?

Reaching for his cell phone, Evan begins to call Ricky Beamer, who picks up almost instantly.

"That you, Ginger?" He asks.

"Yeah. It's me." Evan replies.

Evan proceeds to explain everything to Ricky, and as he's all caught up, he seems practically in disbelief, but somehow, Ricky knows all of this wild stuff is true, and is all aboard the Evan train without much hesitation,

"We need to gather everyone we can before it's too late and stop Mr. Dark." Evan says.

"I'll say." Ricky replies. I guess the only question now is... When will the Creeps meet?"