After a morning having to convince Andy she couldn't exactly come along to school with him (Conan wasn't interested in going to class, not exactly surprising there), and especially not without getting herself noticed or somehow becoming a target, Evan finds himself back in Mrs. Maaargh's classroom, first period. As he looks at the teacher herself, he now knows she's just another monster in disguise. In retrospect, he should've known there was something beastly behind those eyes. He was so focused on Lucy, who ALSO just so happens to be a monster, that he missed the other one right in front of him. Funny how things work out. A little bit cruel too. Ironic, maybe?
Maybe Maaargh's last name is a dead giveaway after all, and now he's stuck in a class with both monsters who are probably thinking about eating Evan and his friends. Evan tries his hardest to ignore looking at Lucy, and he might as well not even exist the way she's not bothering to acknowledge him. Evan begins to wonder just where she's hiding the Monster Blood, if she is indeed the one who took it as Slappy said. He stares at her desk. More specifically, its many drawers. Teachers always use those to store Gameboys and other confiscated goods, right? Maybe that's where Evan will find his eggs, he thinks.
"Attention, class," Mrs. Maaargh begins to speak, getting everyone's attention. Her voice is still raspy beyond belief, like there's a tiny fork scratching against her tonsils.
We've made it past first-day introductions, and I want to talk about something I consider very important: Discipline." Mrs. Maaargh says.
Evan watches as she unrolls a poster and tacks it on the wall with pieces of tape. Evan sees this is in fact what looks like a chart of names- the ones of everyone currently in the class. Evan scans the list and there he is, where else but the very bottom? Life sure does love laughing at him, doesn't it?
"This is my Weight Watchers chart." she says. "I will be using this to keep track of who's at the top of the class. That would be you, Mrs. Dark. Congratulations." Mrs. Maaargh says to Lucy.
"Thank you, Mrs. Maaargh. I aspire to keep being the best." Lucy replies, doing a slight head bow to the teacher.
Evan rolls his eyes at this. She aspires to be the best? He almost wants to laugh. Lucy was already at the top of the chart the minute Mr. Dark moved here. There's no effort in something like that. Somehow. Mrs. Maaargh catches him doing this, even though she's currently facing away from him. Evan wonders if she somehow has eyes at the back of her head. He wouldn't be surprised. Teachers always loved saying that to threaten kids, don't they? But with Mrs. Maaargh, that may be very literal. What the hell have I gotten myself into? Evan thinks to himself again. He's thought the very same thing over a dozen times since arriving to Dark Falls. Right now, Mrs. Maaargh's dark brown hair is tied up into a large bun and she's wearing a green dress with a floral pattern- only said flowers have a grotesque-looking skull planted right in the middle. Andy would probably love it.
"Do you have a problem with that, Evan? Because as I see things, you're at the very bottom of the chart." Mrs. Maaargh says that last part with amusement.
A dark smile appears on her face. Evan freezes as everyone turns to look at him. Well, everyone but Lucy, that is, and now Mrs. Maaargh is staring at him too with a very intent look on her face.
"I wouldn't be laughing, unless my class is just one big joke to you, Evan? Is it?" Mrs. Maaargh asks.
Meanwhile, Evan just wants to know why HE'S at the bottom, though part of him already knows the answer to that question.
"Of course not, Mrs. Maaargh.. But what did I do to be placed at the bottom?" Evan asks her, slightly stuttering.
Mrs. Maaargh laughs and begins to lick her lips hungrily. "Oh, Evan. What HAVEN'T you done?"
Evan starts searching through his mind for an answer to that question, before he stops himself. That would take too long.
"Well.. can't I boost myself to the top?" Evan asks.
Mrs. Maaargh acts as if he's just told a really funny joke. "Well.. I guess we'll just have to WAIT.. and WATCH, won't we? But frankly, I doubt it. From what I've seen, Evan. You lack commitment." she says.
Oh yeah? And you've determined this from what? One, barely two, days of class? Evan thinks bitterly to himself. Even though she's a monster, Mrs. Maaargh is reminding him of one too many past teachers who said similar things about his lack of "commitment" to learning or trying to improve. They didn't know what kind of person Evan was, and surely Mrs. Maaargh doesn't know anything either. He has to stop himself from lashing out, because Evan knows that will only make things messier for him.
"Did you even do last night's reading assignment?" Mrs. Maaargh asks him.
Evan blinks a few times. "There was a reading assignment?"
"YES THERE WAS A READING ASSIGNMENT!" Mrs. Maaargh snaps at him. "This is why you're at the bottom of my chart, Evan. You don't listen!"
He hears a couple slight chuckles from the rest of the class, probably Jerry Hawkins from the sound of it. That guy's a joker, Evan already knows. He had pretended to fall out of his desk in Math class while introducing himself to everyone. According to Jerry, it was one of his favorite pranks. Most look like they feel bad for Evan, however, It's definitely a step above what he's usually used to- all the pointing and laughing from his peers always stung like hell. But no, most just look awkward, and Amy Kramer looks as if she's about to tell Mrs. Maaargh to stop the way her eyes keep darting between Evan and the teacher with a look of unsure panic.
"Sorry. I've had a lot going on lately." Evan replies.
It's not a lie. Far from it. He'd been out practically the whole rest of yesterday dealing with zombies, monsters, and an evil ventriloquist dummy after all. Not much time for reading there.
"Well then. I'm sorry your life is too important to take your education seriously." Mrs. Maaargh says mockingly. "For the rest of the class, why don't we fill Evan in on what he missed? Obviously he could use some help."
The rest of the class sits in silence.
"And by that, I mean pull out your books!" Mrs. Maaargh orders, and this time, they comply.
Evan's just wondering when exactly they got their books. Had he really not been paying attention or was Maaargh just trying her hardest to screw him over in every way possible? Glancing at the text, Evan is shocked to see each student has a copy of Welcome to Dead House, the very same book Andy had mentioned to him, by a "J.R. Benson", which Evan assumes must be the pen name of the father from the story.
"I don't think I got a copy." Evan says.
Mrs. Maaargh rolls her eyes. "Of course you didn't. Amy. why don't you hand Evan a copy and fill him in on what he missed, since it seems to me you want to help him, don't you? That's very nice of you, but helping others too much without focusing on your own work will bump you down in my chart." she says.
As Mrs. Maaargh turns her attention to Amy, the girl practically jumps hearing her name mentioned and scrambles to get a copy.
"I- Yes, Mrs. Maaargh." Amy says in a meekly voice. She seems almost terrified.
"There should be one more in my desk." Mrs. Maaargh says.
Ah, Evan thinks. So she does keep things in her desk! Maybe he might have a chance getting that Monster Blood back after all.
Amy pulls out a copy and practically throws it onto Evan's desk. He thanks her nonetheless though, it's not Amy's fault Maaargh picked on her.
As Evan looks at the book he gets a chill just seeing the front cover. It's a perfectly painted image of the Dead House, looking grim as ever. The front door is wide open, as if inviting anyone who dares enter. In the window Evan can make out what looks like a shadowy figure peering out. Exactly like the strange one he saw last night. The artist obviously did a good job, because Evan feels like he's back there just staring up at the massive, rotting old house just looking at it. It's an image he'd rather forget.
Mrs. Maaargh is smirking again. "Is something wrong, Evan?" she asks.
Another chill runs down Evan's back. "N-no, not at all. This book just looks a bit.. I dunno, creepy, that's all." he explains.
In reality, Evan is just thinking that it feels more than a little fucked to read about the tragedy of a town in the very same town said tragedy took place. Especially now that he knows it's all true, having seen the undead walking around Dark Falls for himself. Part of him is curious about what the book contains, however, after Andy's little synopsis. Maybe it could reveal some useful information he doesn't have? That would be nice. Then again, Andy said the author had made up a lot of details, right?
"This is about.. our town, isn't it? Dark Falls?" Evan asks.
Mrs. Maaargh seems strangely proud of him. Well, Maybe.
"So you have been paying attention to something, Evan. The answer is yes. While I had wanted to teach Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a CLASSIC monster story, administration thought this book would be.. much more relevant to our class." she explains.
It's hard to tell if she's disappointed or just playing the part. Either way, Mrs. Maaargh would have chosen a horror book. Evan really can't catch a break from monsters. Then he finds himself questioning her words. Who picked the book out in the first place? He wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Dark has a hand in this too. He probably finds it funny.
"When I introduced this book, I wanted you to consider the difference between fiction and reality." Mrs. Maaargh begins explaining. "While many believe Dark Falls to be haunted, just as many believe tales such as Jack Benson's are nothing more than the product of a haunted mind. The imagination can bring the greatest terrors of all. And that's how nightmares like this book are created. But why- why do we feel the need to make up stories about the supernatural? Why do we like to be scared? What do the monsters of the page say about the dark monsters within us?"
Maaargh asks the question rhetorically, but the way she looks at Evan it's like she wants him to have all the answers when he doesn't. Honestly, he hadn't spent any of his life thinking about any of this stuff. Before he encountered the Monster Blood, Evan might have said "oh, because monsters are totally cool!" but now he just thinks any fiction pales in comparison to the reality. Monsters. The supernatural. Witches. It's all real. Sometimes people, kids, even, are unlucky enough to encounter them, and they're far too powerful to understand. They take a heavy toll even when beaten, but most of the time they win over us. He doesn't say all of this, however. Evan keeps it buried deep in the dark recesses of his mind. It's not something he even wants to share.
Evan chooses not to say anything, and feels relief when Mrs. Maaargh looks away and begins lecturing again.
"Last night, you should've read up to midway through the book- siblings Amanda and Josh had just entered the cemetery in Dark Falls, in search of their beloved dog, Petey, much to the reluctance of their strange new friend, Ray. There, they get the shock of their lives as they discover Ray and all of their new playground friends are actually undead creatures of the night! So today I ask you this question: Are the people of Dark Falls monsters, or are they victims, caught in a cycle of violence? Should the Benson family just accept their fates and become undead like them? Are they as human beings, the same human beings who caused the factory incident in the first place, not just as greedy and cannibalistic as the zombies?" Mrs. Maaargh asks.
"Actually, I was wondering why this book moves so SLOWLY? I want to see some zombie action!" Jerry Hawkins interrupts Mrs. Maaargh with a groan of boredom. He is enthusiastic about that zombie action, however.
This earns Jerry some laughs, but Evan's surprise, Mrs. Maaargh doesn't seem angry, or even upset. Just slightly amused.
"Sometimes you have to appreciate the slowness, Jerry. Let the story take its time and unfold in the only way it can. Dead House is all about build-up to a fateful ending. You can't expect instant satisfaction in every book." Mrs. Maaargh tells him with an odd half smile.
Jerry doesn't seem impressed by Mrs. Maaargh's answer but nods anyway. Soon enough, the bell rings and Evan stuffs the book into his backpack for later reading. He wants so badly to walk out the door and leave, but he can't. Not until he confronts Maaargh about the Monster Blood. The only question is, well, how the hell is he going to do that? Mrs. Maaargh has currently retreated to sitting at her desk and as Evan walks up to her, a wave of nausea rolls over him. At first, it's just from the pure anxiety of the situation. Then it's from actual disgust as he sees Mrs. Maaargh has discarded her shoes, fully exposing a pair of large, nasty feet. They certainly look monstrous, gray and wrinkled, with black toenails that look like talons. Very sharp talons. Evan has to fight the urge to vomit but maintains his composure. He has to. He can't afford to look as weak as he already does. Just one bad move, and Mrs. Maaargh would eat him right up. Probably literally, unless Mr. Dark already has dibs on that. Either of the options sounds awful. When Mrs. Maaargh finally notices Evan standing there, she looks up from her copy of Frankenstein, her face contorting in a way that tells Evan right away she doesn't really want to talk to him right now.
"Can I help you, Evan?" she asks gruffly.
"Well-" Evan starts.
"Before you ask, no, I do not offer extra credit. You'll have to try harder than that to boost yourself on my chart." Mrs. Maaargh cuts him off without a care in the world.
Wow, she really is tough, Evan thinks. What kind of teacher doesn't allow extra credit?
"I wasn't going to ask about that- I-I, well, I guess I wanted to know if you might have confiscated- no, not confiscated, but seen something of mine? It's really, really, important." Evan explains, fumbling with his words.
How is he even going to explain this? "I think you took my green slime!" sounds a bit silly. It's not easy for Evan to be that confrontational, and something about Mrs. Maaargh scares him even when she was in this human form. Maybe it's because he was always weary around strict teachers like her. The kind that felt no remorse for yelling at kids and treating them poorly for their own twisted amusement. Mrs. Maaargh is the embodiment of all those bad teachers he had, like Mr. Murphy, and just being around her is bringing those bad memories back.
Mrs. Maaargh raises an eyebrow. "Evan. I really don't care what you lost. And if I took it, you're not getting it back. That's another rule of mine. Shouldn't you be going to your next class?" she tells him.
Evan is shocked just how rude Maaargh is. What if he was genuinely looking for some family heirloom, not a bunch of cursed ooze? What then? Would she turn him away? He thinks hard for the next words to say.
"You don't understand just how important it is. It- it belonged to my Great-Aunt.. before she passed." Evan explains, trying to seem bold, or maybe even gain some sympathy from Mrs. Maaargh, though frankly that seemed impossible.
This time, Mrs. Maaargh seems curious. "You mean your Aunt Kathryn?" she asks.
Evan can't conceal his surprise. There's some fear too. How did she know about his aunt?
"You know her?" Evan asks.
He wants to lie, like Mrs. Maaargh had guessed wrong, but can't. Evan can't really place a finger on why.
"Of course." Mrs. Maaargh says. "Lawrence Dark told me everything about you, Evan. I know exactly what you're looking for. Your precious Monster Blood!" she laughs.
This time, Evan doesn't bother with any more formalities. No more pretending like he's some student talking to a teacher. No. He is someone trying to stop something evil from winning like it always does.
"Where is it?!" Evan snaps.
This seems to infuriate Mrs. Maaargh. "DON'T YOU EVER RAISE YOUR VOICE IN MY CLASS!" she hisses. "I AM YOUR TEACHER!"
Evan just smirks. "I'm done listening to you." he says. "Not to a monster."
"Really?" Mrs. Maaargh snarls. "Not even one that looks like THIS?" she asks.
Evan stumbles back in fright as Mrs. Maaargh gets out his chair and begins to transform before his very eyes. Leering over the desk, her fingers extend into bony claws ready to sink their nails deep into his skin. From behind her glasses, her eyes pop right out of her head like a pair of those drooping eye-glasses you'd find at a gag party store, breaking the frames completely so they're just staring intently at Evan. Mrs. Maaargh takes a lot of delight in seeing Evan's own fear, especially as her jaw begins to unhinge just like a snake's, revealing a massive open mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, four full rows of them, swollen gums, and an impossibly large red tongue dripping saliva down her mouth that's now larger than the rest of her body.
"You're lucky Dark wants you to himself, because if not, I'd eat you right here. RAW! And I like my meat properly barbecued." Mrs. Maaargh snarls in a dark and gravelly voice. She sounds hungry.
Maybe Evan should consider himself lucky, he thinks. He's not exactly on Mrs. Maaargh's menu, or rather, not allowed to be. So Mr. Dark really MUST have called dibs on eating him. The information doesn't help the situation though, as he's still shaking.
"Too bad, Evan. I bet you would have tasted good! I would have marinated you in Monster Blood too, just for a bit of irony!" Mrs. Maaargh laughs evily. "Oh well, I'll just eat the person before you. Less satisfying.. But still a whole meal."
Evan finds her comment about Monster Blood not in the slightest bit funny, but the idea of Maaargh somehow consuming the slime horrifies him. What would happen then? But then he glances back to her chart and sees that Jerry Hawkins' name is right above him. He doesn't really like the guy that much, but he doesn't deserve to be eaten by Mrs. Maaargh.
"Where's the Monster Blood, Mrs. Maaargh?" Evan asks.
It's the only thing he can muster up the courage to say, especially as her drool starts to drip down onto him. He can feel her hot breath in his face.
"Come on, Evan. Surely you must realize I gave that stuff to Mr. Dark already." Mrs. Maaargh replies. It sounds rather condescending.
A bunch of thoughts race through Evan's head. Mostly panic. So all of this has been in vain. That's the one that hurts most. Maybe he should have accepted the possibility sooner, but he thought maybe, just maybe there was a chance to fix this before it even happens. But nope, good things like that don't happen to someone like Evan Ross. It's always the worst case scenario. Always.
"Fuck." Evan mutters. He wants to say more but can't. He feels hopeless.
Evan starts running out the door, not even sure where the hell he's going, just hoping he can somehow find Ricky. Dead House. He knows now the only way to stop Mr. Dark is going back there, but first, they have to gather everyone. This will be a team effort, Evan accepts that, even if he's willing to just go back there himself. But no, that's too dangerous, he reminds himself. As he finally reaches the outside of the hallway, Evan hears Mrs. Maaargh yell at him once again.
"Hey, Evan! You forgot another rule of my class: NO SWEARING!" Mrs. Maaargh cackles.
The way her laughter echoes behind him makes Evan feel like Mrs. Maaargh is chasing right after him. But after a long time of running, there's really no one there at all. Maybe there never was.
