Evan wakes up to darkness. Not the inside of the Monster Blood like he expects, but an endless black void that makes him feel as if he's drifted off into outer space. Or worse, Evan shudders, that he's died and gone on to the next life. Evan gulps. The bright light emanating in the distance seems a confirmation of his greatest fears. Evan begins walking toward it, fully aware this is the one you should never do in the case you see a light at the end of the tunnel. The only thing Evan can hear is a faint buzzing, a white noise that reminds him of times spent staring at the wall in study hall. Evan can't even hear his own footsteps as he walks closer, but with one final step, his ears are greeted by the sound of a loud mechanical clicking.

Evan realizes the light is not some portal to the afterlife like he expected, but instead a door leading to what appears to be a tiny room with four walls connected to nothing, floating in the pitch-black void which surrounds Evan from all sides. Stepping into it, Evan realizes he's not alone. The silhouette of a man in a trenchcoat and fedora sits with his back turned to Evan, typing away at a large typewriter on his desk, the source of the loud clicking. Evan jumps as he notices what appears to be a skeleton sitting on the man's desk. Evan does a double take. The skeleton has a wild pink mohawk and shades covering his eyes. Around the skeleton's neck is tied a red ascot with a large green G.

"What if in the end, they all turned out to be dogs or something?" the skeleton asks.

"Been there, done that," the man in the trench coat says, "I need something REALLY scary."

"Um, excuse me?" Evan says, interrupting their conversation. "This might sound weird, but am I dead?"

The man in the chair glances at the skeleton, who shrugs, looking back at Evan with a smile. The darkness of the room obscures the man's face, though Evan can tell he's wearing glasses.

"Nobody ever dies in a Goosebumps book," the man says.

"Yeah, not unless you're Spidey," the skeleton says.

Evan looks at him with a confused expression. "I'm not talking about books, I'm talking about real life. I just want to know if I'm dead or not."

"He looks confused, R.L., I think he's one of your… protagonists." the skeleton says, "Maybe we should explain things from the beginning,"

"You might be right, Curly," the man says, "Hello, Evan. It's nice to finally meet you."

"So… are you, you know, God?" Evan asks.

The man laughs in a jovial way. "God? I wouldn't go that far. Really, I'm more like a puppet master, and right now I'm pulling a lot of strings."

"Who are you then?"

The man looks as if he's pondering what to say. "You can call me the author."

"And I'm Curly," the skeleton says, "BOO DUDE!"

"I'm still not following," Evan says."How do you even know who I am?"

"Have a look here, Evan," the author says, motioning Evan to come closer to the typewriter, "I've written a lot of stories over the years. I've even written yours."

"Mine?"

The author nods, pulling a book from the black abyss around them, handing it to Evan. His eyes widen as he takes a closer look at it. It's a lightweight paperback in blue and yellow, the blue dripping across the yellow like slime, spelling out the word Goosebumps. The cover shows a wooden staircase in dim lighting. It reminds Even of the one at his Aunt Kathryn's. From the stairs drips a puddle of green slime all the way down, an abandoned pair of glasses caught in the muck. Even pans down to read the bold white title beneath: MONSTER BLOOD.

Evan feels rage wash over him. "Is this a joke? This is- this is-"

"It's your story, Evan," the author says, "I'm just the one who wrote it. In fact, I wrote all your stories. From Welcome to Dead House all the way up to Monster Blood IV! Yours just happened to be so popular that it needed a few sequels. Everything in your life, Evan, I control."

"So you're telling me YOU'RE the one who's made my life a living hell?" Evan asks. "I should kill you right now!"

"Take it easy, dude!" Curly says. "Let's all just chill and watch Goosebumps on Fox Kids! Besides, you kill R.L., your whole existence goes poof."

"It's not personal, Evan, it's my job," the author says, "I make my living scaring kids. And you know what? They love to be scared!"

"Isn't that a little fucked up?" Evan asks. "You're messing with the lives of real kids, filling their lives with trauma they can never move on from! All for, what, some cheap entertainment?"

"But they're not real, Evan," The author says, "As far as I was aware, these were all just books. Actually seeing you here in the flesh is a tad bit… unprecedented."

Evan scoffs. "And yet the lives of your characters continue even though the story ends. Did you ever think about what happened to kids like me when your books were over? We had to survive."

"That's my problem, Evan!" the author says, "My audience is demanding I bring back some of their fan-favorites! You see, teen dramas are all the rage right now, and they're demanding I update my books to incorporate some teenage angst!"

The rest of the author's words go through Evan's ears. "I'm a fan favorite?"

"No," the author replies.

Evan frowns. "So what's the problem?"

"I can't think of an ending!" the author says, "Can you believe it? This never happens to me! I've got writer's block!"

"I've suggested a bunch of endings!" Curly says, "Like, "Dark Falls is actually on another planet! But this guy thinks he's too good for my ideas!"

"This ending has to be special," the author says, "Something I haven't done before."

"Well, how about a happy ending?" Evan asks. "Mr. Dark is beaten, and everyone lives happily ever after."

The author shakes his head. "No, it has to end with a horrible, shocking TWIST. That's what the fans want. For everything to be shaken up in an instant."

Evan stops. "Well maybe that's what needs to change. Maybe not everything needs to have some big twist. Maybe stories can just end."

The author strokes his chin. "No twist? That's unthinkable."

"You said you wanted something new, this is your chance! Give us the ending we deserve!" Evan sys, just before he pauses. "Wait, no, I get it now. This is the moral of the story, isn't it? We have to make our own endings! Defy the expectations society places on us!"

The author glances at Curly before he looks back at Evan.

"If you say so, kid. There typically aren't any morals in these kinds of stories."

"Then let me write one!" Evan pleads.

"You sure you can handle the job?" the author says,

"Of course I can," Evan says, though in truth, he doesn't have a single clue about how to write a good ending.

"Then be my guest!"

Evan takes a seat at the typewriter and gets to work, just before he feels an icy hand on his shoulder, one as cold as death!