Everyone waits for Amanda to reveal she's just joking, that all this is just a big gag, but the moment never comes back. Quickly, everyone is glancing back and forth at Evan and at each other. Evan feels as if he's trapped inside Da Vinci's Last Supper, the way everyone is casting accusatory glances around the room.
"Amanda's right, Evan. It's clear whatever Mr. Dark wants, it starts with you. Like it or not, a sacrifice may be necessary," Josh says.
"Hold the fuck on," Andy yells. "I'm prepared to do a lot of things, but sacrificing Evan? That's a big fucking nope. He might be an idiot, but he's my best friend! If you guys want to toss him into a goddamn meat grinder or whatever, I'm out. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to let that happen. You want a sacrifice? Take me, not him."
"It's okay, Andy." Evan assures her. "If that's what it takes, then so be it."
"It's not okay!" Andy snaps. "I'll kill you myself before you do something that stupid. Come on, guys, we're not really doing this, are we?"
"I don't know," Amy says, I really want to say no, but this is all getting really intense. Life as we know it could literally be destroyed. If it comes to it-"
"Come on, Amy! Listen to yourself! Would you let Slappy take another victim if it meant you'd sleep easier at night? No! Then why would you risk Evan?" Andy asks.
"Andy's right. We're not going to let you do that, Evan. Whatever it takes, we'll find another way. Anything but that. I once thought I'd never be free of the haunted mask, but I did it. Once that nightmare was over, I almost thought I'd lost my brother. I saved him too. It doesn't have to end this way." Carly Beth says.
"Glad someone else is on my side, CB!" Andy says. "What about you, Ricky? What does the Creep Commander have to say about this?"
Ricky looks as if he hasn't been addressed by this name in a long time. "Nobody's dying on my watch."
"Then it's settled," Andy says. "Evan isn't going anywhere."
"Hey, you didn't ask my opinion!" Conan says.
Andy glares at him. "Because I made up your mind for you, Conan."
"If it makes you feel any better, I was going to say no to the whole sacrifice thing anyway." Conan says.
"Good boy, Conan." Andy says, patting his head like a dog.
"You're all foolish children," Amanda says. "You want to do things your way? Fine, But at the end of the day, you'll realize I'm right, and if you don't.. you'll just die."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Andy says. Her voice drips with sarcasm in an overly jovial tone.
The room is silent before Evan clears his throat, looking to Andy for some encouragement. She gives him a nod of recognition.
"When I was captured by the Reality Police, they told me something about myself that I'm still trying to wrap my head around. They said that I had.. Witches' blood."
"You have bitches blood? I already knew that." Conan says, trying to lighten the mood. Nobody laughs.
"They told me that after Sarabeth, the witch who originally cursed the Monster Blood died, that her… ability transferred to me. Maybe from my Aunt Kathryn, who was also a witch. They basically said it was my fault for every instance after that, that somehow I was the one cursing the Monster Blood. Said my own anxiety caused it to act monstrous whenever Andy wanted to use. Basically, everything the Monster Blood did is my fault. I thought it was out of control when this whole time, I've been controlling it without even knowing."
"Come on, Evan. You can't really believe that." Andy says.
"I don't know what to believe, but it makes sense, in some weird way."
"Even if it is true, how do you plan to use this.. Magic?" Andy asks. "Not even Sarabeth could control the Monster Blood, remember? She got, well, you know…"
At this, Andy does her best impression of Sarabeth being sucked into the Monster Blood. The scary part is how accurate it is.
"I have to try," Evan says, "Mr. Dark was right about one thing, we have to face our fears. All of us."
"That's all said and good, but we don't even know where to start looking for the Monster Blood. I know Dark Falls isn't the biggest town, but still, it could literally be anywhere," Ricky says.
"Yeah, and not to mention finding our parents," Carly Beth adds.
Amanda looks as if she's deep in thought. "Back when we first moved here, Mr. Dawes and the others kidnapped our parents and took them to the cemetery in Dark Falls. I have a feeling that might be where we find what we're looking for."
"And what if you're wrong?" Ricky asks.
"Then none of us will live to see tomorrow," Amanda replies.
"Well, it's as good a place as any I guess," Evan says, though he's far more reluctant to return there than he's currently letting on. He thinks back to his date with Lucy Dark and how they were attacked by the undead. The Monster Blood had saved him then. Maybe it can again. He finds himself thinking about how the zombies had reacted to Lucy. They didn't seem very happy with her father. What was it they had said? We aren't going to do this anymore, Evan remembers. He isn't quite sure what it means. Is it possible to get them on his side? Right, Evan thinks, I'm sure a bunch of hungry zombies would be totally game to team up with me. They'd probably bite his head off before he could ask.
"We'll take my car," Amanda says. "We have to be careful. It's getting dark already, and the place will be crawling with undead."
Josh nods. "As far as we know, light is their only true weakness, but guns haven't failed us in the past."
"Guns?" Jerry asks, stunned. "Are we going to war or what?"
"Yes," The Benson siblings say in unison.
"We get the Monster Blood, save our parents, and get out. I know it's not much of a plan, but we don't have a whole lot of time." Evan says.
"Suit yourself," Amanda replies, "Josh and I are going to make sure we kill as many of them as possible. They're going to stay dead this time."
Amanda and Josh step outside, with the rest following not far behind. Only Andy sticks around, looking at Evan with a worried expression.
"You're not really considering this, are you?" she asks.
"You're talking like you care about what happens to me," Evan says,
Andy gives him a playful shove. "Of course I care about you, dumbass!"
Evan smirks, and the two stare at each other for what feels like a lot longer than the five seconds it actually is.
"When this is all over, can we talk?" Evan asks, "You know, about the two of us?"
Andy blushes. Now this is a sight he's not used to seeing. The girl doesn't know the definition of embarrassment, yet here she is.
"One step at a time, Evan, one step at a time. We kinda have bigger problems at hand right now," Andy says, "So, you really went back to when we first met?"
Evan nods.
"And I believed you? About everything?"
"Well, you didn't until I gave you twenty bucks."
Andy laughs. "That sounds like me."
Andy walks toward the front door, shooting him a look to follow.
"Hold on a second, I have something I need to get."
Before Andy can ask what, Evan ascends the wooden steps to his bedroom, where his pet hamster, Cuddles, is currently spinning in his wheel with great vigor.
"Hey, Buddy. I need your help, alright?" Evan tells the tiny creature, which looks back at him with beady black eyes.
Evan picks up Cuddles' cage. The metal feels cold in his hands.
"You're bringing Cuddles?" Andy asks from behind him. It makes Evan jump.
"Yeah, I thought he could be like our mascot or something. You know, like Scooby Doo is to Mystery Inc. Maybe he's what we need to win this thing."
"Well first off, Scooby Doo was a great dane, not a hamster," Andy reminds him.
"Hey, it's the thought that counts," Evan says, and Cuddles makes a little squeak as they head out the door.
Amanda and Josh's car is a large white van without windows. Sprawled on the side is a logo in painted black letters, BENSON AND BENSON: MAKING SURE THE DEAD REST IN PEACE.
Evan has to groan. Once again, he's reduced to sitting in the back of the car while Amanda drives and Josh takes shotgun beside her. There's just enough seats to fit all of them inside, though the space is cramped, leaving many shoulder to shoulder with each other. On the radio, Amanda is currently blasting "Pet Sematary" by The Ramones, nodding her head to the beat.
"Is that a hamster?" Ricky asks.
"He's our moral support," Evan tells her, looking at Cuddles. The hamster is feeding.
"This place hasn't changed a bit, has it, Amanda?" Josh asks, glancing out at the window at the deteriorated-looking town. Just like it had been when they first moved here, it feels as if every building is painted a permanent shade of gray, the whole town bathed in a deep shadow that can never be removed.
"Not a bit," she replies. "I don't get it. It's nighttime. They should all be starting to come out by now. Where are they?"
Glancing at the sky, any sunlight is slowly fading away, covered in thick storm clouds, though there's not a drop of rain anywhere. It's like Dark Falls itself is frozen, stuck in time, just seconds before something awful is going to happen. Evan can feel it in the pit of his stomach. All of them are waiting for that bad thing to happen.
"Last time I went to the cemetery with Lucy Dark, they were gathered for some kind of meeting. Said something about wanting to talk with her father. I don't know how they factor into all this."
"Last I heard our old friend Compton Dawes sold Dark the place for a large sum. Why Dawes still needs money as a zombie, I don't know, but he's the closest things to a ringleader these things have." Josh says.
"Dawes?" Andy asks. "He's the creepy real estate guy who sold you the house, isn't he?"
"The very same," Josh says.
Amanda looks as if she's about to say something before her van pulls to a stop at the large gates of the Dark Falls cemetery. They're still wide open, as if inviting the group of teens to step inside and meet their doom. The wind howls among the many tombstones, which look now like jagged white bones emerging from the hilly ground. Evan swears he can hear the faint groaning of a secret meeting of the undead in the distance, their shuffling feet crunching the brittle leaves which scatter the soil.
"We're here," Amanda announces.
"God, is everything in this town horrifying?" Jerry asks.
"Well I for one think it's kinda cool," Andy says. "I mean, talk about Night of the Living Dead, am I right? They're coming to get you, Barbara!"
At this, Andy grabs Evan's shoulder, her long fingernails becoming the claws of a stiff, undead corpse.
"Is this everyone's first time visiting a cemetery?" Ricky asks.
"No," Carly Beth replies. "But the last time I was in one, I buried myself."
Out of all of them, it's revealed only Jerry and Amy have never stepped foot in a graveyard, the rest are more or less experienced with the whole deal.
The nine of them hop out of the van, feeling an instant chill as they hit open air. Somehow the cemetery is the coldest place in Dark Falls. Amanda leads them to the back, popping the trunk open wide and exposing the contents within. Amanda wasn't lying. She really is loaded. There's more guns and ammo than Evan can count. His eyes almost bulge out of his head.
"The guns are a last resort, do you understand, Amanda?" Evan asks. "We do things my way."
Amanda shoots him an ice cold glare. "Fine. Luckily for you guys, we also brought flashlights for everyone. Now these aren't your everyday flashlights. These are military grade stuff. If you shine them in your eyes, you'll probably go blind."
Evan watches as Amanda and Josh retrieve the flashlights from the car, handing one to each kid. Evan is surprised how heavy it feels in his hand. Its exterior is black and metallic, like the thing is made out of body armor or something. It reminds Evan of a lightsaber, and he finds himself peering down at the bulb within. It's massive. Evan can only imagine how bright it must be.
"It should be enough to melt those fuckers' faces off," Josh says, "But keep in mind, the battery can only last so long. But If you think you're completely fucked, these also make pretty good blunt force weapons."
Evan looks at the flashlight, feeling its heft like a dumbbell in his hand. He doesn't doubt that Josh is telling the truth. It probably could crack someone's skull wide open.
The group exhales a collective breath of fear and anxiety, stepping into the mangled gates of the cemetery. The sky has already grown even darker, making the uneven ground even trickier to navigate. It's hard to tell what's really an undead fiend walking by and what's a mere trick of the mind, the shadow dead trees messing with their heads as they sway in the wind, resembling bodies hanging from a tightened noose. Evan turns on his flashlight. It's even brighter than he expected, like a spotlight being cast onto the ground. As he walks, the light illuminates the dead leaves and fallen twigs which cover the ground. Once more, he hears a faint murmur, the hushed whispers of the undead, calling out to him.
Shining his light across the tombstones, Evan reads the names etched on the surface. Names he hasn't read before.
"I can't see a damn thing in this place," Andy says, "How do we even know where to look?"
"We keep moving," Evan says, "This cemetery is bigger than you think."
As Evan finishes his sentence, the agonizing howl of the wind is cut off by a real scream, a blood-curdling shriek that causes the group to turn in a wave of sudden panic. It doesn't take long to realize it's Carly Beth screaming.
"There's something else here with us.." she chokes
Evan turns his light, and to his horror, one of the undead ghouls is peering over Carly Beth's shoulder, a bony hand on her shoulder. The man looks like he's walked straight out of the grave, his dapper suit covered in soil. Tears in the fabric reveal the pale bones beneath, the same shade as his ghostly white skin. His cheek bones are sunken in, leaving his face resembling a skull. One side sags to the ground, looking as if it's been burned. It reminds Evan of a wax figure melting. One sickly yellow eyeball bulges out of his face, almost to the point of falling out.
"It's been so long since we've had fresh faces around here!" the ghoul cries, "I'm so hungry! Give me your blood, children! Please. I NEED YOUR BLOOD! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT!"
Carly Beth manages to break free of the skeletal man's grasp, running as he lurches forward. A series of guttural sounds come out of his throat, and he licks his lips, looking at the group as if they're nothing but food to him.
"I need to eat! Don't deny an old man his last meal!"
"Eat this!" Amanda cries, turning her flashlight on to hit the ghoul's face.
He lets out an agonizing cry as the light starts to boil his skin. Evan watches in disgust as the whole thing begins to melt off in one disgusting clump. His screams continue as he claws at his face, but it's not long before all that's left is a sinister-looking skull gnashing its teeth.
"I NEED TO FEED!" the man screams in a distorted bellow, just before his jaw drops to the floor and his eyeballs follow suit, landing with a wet squish on the ground.
"Join us, children, Join us." More voices cry out from all around them.
Before they know it, the nine teens are surrounded by an army of the undead, all of them staggering forward, reaching out to grab them. In unison, they chant.
"Dark Falls is our town! We must feed!"
"Join us, children! It doesn't hurt to die!"
"Give us your blood! We promise it will be painless!"
"I'm so hungry.. So hungry.."
A chill runs down Evan's spine. Their cries are haunting the way they seem to bleed together. It's a ghastly chorus.
"Give us your blood.. Give us your flesh."
"Dark Falls is ours!"
"Oh, fuck." Jerry cries.
"How are we supposed to stop this?!" Amy pleads
"Don't just stand there!" Amanda snaps. "They die in the light!"
Some of them follow Amanda. Amy, Ricky, and Carly Beth turn on their flashlights, aiming them at the decaying horde. Just like the last one, they let out horrible screams of pain as their faces melt off. Others, like Evan himself, find themselves frozen in fear.
As he hears a low growl over his shoulder, Evan is saved by a burst of light from Andy. As his undead attacker screams, chunks of flesh drip onto Evan's shoulder, staining it with a mix of blood and slime.
"Thanks," Evan cries.
"Don't mention it," At this, Andy takes the blunt end of her flashlight and cracks it across one of the undead's faces. It's a strong blow that sends the man's head flying right off. Josh follows behind her, using his light as a stake to drive through another's chest. As Evan looks around at the carnage, he sees that many of his friends are now covered head to toe in blood.
Exhaling, Evan begins to fight back, watching as more eyeballs fall to the ground with a splat. The once silent cemetery is filled with the pained screams of the undead.
"WE MUST FEED!" They cry in unison.
"You want to feed?" Conan asks, cracking his knuckles. "Well come on! I'm going to give all you undead freaks a good, hard pounding!"
Conan abandons his flashlight and begins fighting the ghouls with his fists. Evan knows from experience they're no joke. He's glad that for once, he's not on the receiving end. Just as Conan promises, he gives them a hard pounding, punching the undead creatures right in their jaws. As his fist collides with bone, it makes a loud cracking sound.
"They're never going to stop coming!" Amanda yells. "We need to run!"
Nobody is in disagreement, all of them taking off deeper into the cemetery as the undead continue their desperate, hungry chants. The group stop as they reach what seems like the very edge of the cemetery, the meeting hall not far in the distance. Evan pauses as he reaches a series of fresh tombstones that weren't here when he came with Lucy. He counts. Nine. There's exactly nine of them, one for each of his friends.
Turning his flashlight to the large headstones, his fears are confirmed. Their names are all etched into the granite. Carly Beth. Andy. Conan. Ricky. Amy. Josh. Amanda. Jerry. Then, there's his own gravestone, smack in the middle. Evan doesn't know how to respond. He's hit by an overwhelming wave of emotion that he's never felt before. Evan supposes this must be a result of seeing his own headstone. He glances at the epitaph.
HERE LIES EVAN ROSS, WHO DIED A COWARD TO HIS OWN MONSTERS. NO ONE WILL MOURN HIM.
Evan wants to cry. Andy always teased him that his epitaph would be, Rest in Peace, Evan. He died as he lived- a fucking dumbass.
While the memory brings a temporary smile to his face, it's not enough to suppress the sheer terror he's now feeling. It's all become too real to bear. Looking around, Evan sees that the soil of his grave is open, a large chasm dug into the dirt which exposes a wooden coffin inside the Earth. His is the only one like that. Evan knows it can only mean one thing.
"Guys," Evan says, motioning them to look. "It's us."
The group is silent, just as panic-stricken as he is.
"Mr. Dark has a sick sense of humor," Carly Beth says, reading her own epitaph.
A symbol of love couldn't save her this time.
"I don't think it's a joke," Jerry says, "This guy really wants us dead. All of us."
Evan reads Jerry's. Here lies Jerry Hawlins. He could have been a musician, but instead he chose to die a clown. How can we not then all laugh at his death?
"Don't pay attention to it, Jerry. Mr. Dark wants this to be as cruel as possible. He's preying on our insecurities, our fears."
"I can see that," Amy says, audibly choked up.
Rest in Peace, Amy Kramer, never the favorite child. Gone and always forgotten. At least her parents still have two more kids.
Carly Beth and Andy comfort her.
"Fuck this guy," Amanda snaps, reading her tombstone. "Amanda Benson- the one who started it all. Came back to Dark Falls just to die here?"
"Your's isn't as bad as mine," Josh tells her.
Evan winces.
Josh Benson. The annoying little brother. At least he'll join his beloved dog soon enough."
Ricky laughs, not at the gravestones, but at the sheer absurdity of it all. Evan wonders if he's doing it to mask his own emotion.
"I'm almost excited to read mine," Ricky says.
HERE LIES RICKY "THE RAT" BEAMER, CREEP COMMANDER. REJECTED A LIFE OF POWER JUST TO DIE WHAT HE'S ALWAYS BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING- A LOSER.
"Not very original," he says.
"Andy, what's your's say?" Evan asks. He's strangely curious.
She's silent for a moment before she begins to read. Evan's already memorized it before Andy's lips even open.
HERE LIES ANDY, ALWAYS THE SIDEKICK AND NEVER THE HERO. THOUGH SHE TRIED, HER REBELLIOUS NATURE COULD NEVER HIDE HOW BROKEN SHE TRULY WAS.
"Don't listen to it," Evan tells her, "None of it's true."
"Isn't it?" Andy asks. "This guy has studied all our stories."
"Maybe," Evan replies, "But he doesn't know how it ends."
Now, all that's left is Conan's grave. Evan glances at it. It's written in sharpie.
RIP CONAN BARBER. HE POUNDED TILL HE COULDN'T POUND NO MORE.
"Shit. This guy knows exactly how I want to go out." Conan says.
"He wants us all to be afraid," Carly Beth tells them. "We can't let him scare us."
"She's right." Evan says, "My grave is the only one open. I have a feeling that inside is where we'll find our Monster Blood."
"You're getting into your own coffin?" Jerry asks.
"What choice do I have?"
Evan cautiously walks to his grave, kneeling down. He places a hand on his coffin. It's smooth and polished wood. He hopes this is it. That after all this time chasing Dark, this is what they've been looking for all along.
"Be careful," Carly Beth says.
Evan nods and opens the coffin. It lets out a loud creak. As he peers into the darkness, Evan stumbles back in surprise. Just as he hoped, the plastic cartons full of Monster Blood are inside, but that's not the only thing. A small corpse lies limp inside the casket. Evan turns his flashlight towards the miniature figure, which appears to be wearing a black suit on his lanky body. The figure sits up.
"It's rude to wake up someone when they're napping!" Slappy cackles with a high-pitched sneer.
"Oh my god!" Amy cries. "It really is him!"
"Hey, babe," Slappy taunts with a wink. "Long time no see! Come to help your old master rule the world?"
"In your dreams, creep." Amy tells him. "I watched you die!"
Slappy cackles. "Well, you can't keep a good dummy down!"
"What are you doing here?" Evan asks.
Slappy laughs again. "Just out for a nightly stroll, carrot top! I like long walks in the grave!"
"You think this is funny?"
"The only thing I think is funny is how ugly your face is!" Slappy shouts at Evan.
"Tell me again, Slappy. Why are you here? Did Mr. Dark send you?" Evan asks.
"That idiot couldn't send a check in the mail! I told you, I needed a nap. I always need a nap after I finish a good meal."
"Meal?" Evan raises an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
Slappy smiles and opens his mouth wide. From inside the dummy's wooden jaws, green slime begins to pour out. Monster Blood.
Slappy laughs maniacally, exposing even more of the slime currently sitting inside his mouth. The Monster Blood continues to drip onto the soil.
"What have you done?!" Evan cries.
"Oh, relax, Evan! I only had room in this tiny wooden stomach for one little morsel." Slappy says. "But it was enough to finally give me a growth spurt!"
Evan opens his mouth before the ground begins to rumble. At first, he feels like he's shrinking, but then Evan realizes he isn't getting smaller, it's Slappy that's starting to grow.
"Oh my god! This can't be real!" Amy says.
"Oh, it's real alright," the giant Slappy laughs from above, towering over the teens. Evan thinks he must be about 15 feet tall now.
"On the bright side, Amy, maybe I'll finally be your type!" Slappy taunts, "After all, aren't you into tall guys?"
Slappy cackles a laugh which shakes the cemetery around them. Evan can only imagine the dead beneath the soil being jostled around.
"I'm going to make all of you my slaves!" Slappy yells.
He looks down at Evan.
"On second thought, you've been a very annoying pest this whole time, carrot top! You know what I do to pests? I SQUASH 'EM!"
Evan doesn't have time to react as the dummy's giant wooden foot comes crashing down, ready to crush Evan beneath its weight.
