Biker Mice from Mars
Hard Luck Sunni & Dently
The Dim-Wit-Inning!
Part 3.
"Oh, ouch, this place is so not getting a good review, ow." Hard Luck griped, painfully crawling out into the dark motel hallway, still with the picture frame over his head, leaving a trail of broken pieces of furniture, and pottery.
"Ugh, oh I hate when it hurts on both ends." Moaning, with body creaking and cracking, he pushed himself up to a standing position. Click, Clack, Buzz, Kzzt, Flash! The Old lights abruptly snapped on overhead. Hard Luck blinked and put a paw over his eyes to shade from the unexpected brightness. "Uh, Now What?"
The only reply the lights gave was a quiet but consistent buzzing. "Why do I suddenly feel that I should check up on those two?" Pulling the frame off his head, tossing it back into the room, extending his metal antenna he attempted to radio contact Dently.
"Hey, Dents where are…*Kzzt-Snap*… Ouch!" Paws going to the sides of his head, antennas sending a shower of sparks cascading off the top of his aviator cap. "Oh, right, can't do that when I get hit in the head too hard, oh now I really got a headache. I could so use a grape soda right now."
As if on cue, the power flickered, and a chugging noise came from down the hallway. A set of machines at the end of the hall turned on. One was an Ice Machine, now making ice in that loud way, so typical of these old Motels. On the other side was what really caught His attention! It was an old-fashioned Soda Machine!
"Oh, no way I'm this lucky!" Hard Luck gasped and stumbled over to them as fast as he could. The Soda Machine was the kind that had a tall single door on one side with an assortment of soda flavors. "Does it have it, please let it, Yes, it's got it, and in Glass Bottles, yes, double win!" Yanking the thin rectangular door open, he grabbed a bottle and pulled. The bottle clinked but wouldn't come out. He repeated the process with all the bottles! "Cheese It, stupid machine!" He growled. He spotted a little sign. Soda 25 Cents. He patted his pants pockets.
"Cheese, cheese, cheese, Dently's got all the money!" He stomped petulantly, paws in fists. "He never lets me handle the cash, treats me like I'm a dumb kid or something, I'm supposed to be in charge not him!" He shot a childishly mean look down the hall.
He turned back to the machine. "I don't care if I aint got no money, I want, I Need that Grape Soda Dang It!" He grabbed a bottle again and tugged on it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge!
"Grunt…get…out…of…There!" He snarled, muscles bulging on his thin frame, but still the bottle wouldn't budge. Putting cyborg foot up against the front of the machine He pulled as hard as he could, the whole machine rattling, & clanking while almost tottering over on top of him!
"Guh…stu, stupid muh… machine! "He wheezed, stepping back, paws on knees and bent over panting. "Aint…gonna…let…no…Stupid Machine…beat me…not this time!" His paws went to his blaster holsters, but nothing was there. "FROMAGE! Dently's got those too! Fromage! Fromage! FROMAGE!"
BASH! His cyborg leg shot up, giving the Soda Machine a furious kick! "Stupid Pile of Junk!" BASH! "I'll get a Soda out of You even if it's the Last Thing I DO!" BASH! "Paint flaking off the Machine as a big ugly dent formed on the front, the bottles clanking but still refusing to fall out.
Metal Foot pulled back to deliver another kick; the power flickered again! Just managing to stop himself from toppling over, Hard Luck looked up at the lights and then back to the Soda and Ice Machine, both chunking and clunking in sync with the flickering power.
The Soda Machine's shaking and noises increased, it started jumping, and threatened to launch forward on top of him! "I, I'm Sorry I take it all back, I didn't mean it!" He panicked and spat out guiltily while bracing to get crushed!
Grumble, Rumble, Woosh! The Soda Machine Abruptly settled down and became still! Hard Luck stopped cringing like a big blue coward and peeked over his paws to see why it got quiet and why he wasn't a big blue pancake right now.
Chunk! A bottle of grape soda popped loose from its slot. "Uh, oh wow, I, I won?" Hard Luck gasped, not sure if he really believed what he saw or not. "I mean, yeah I won, take that ya stupid contraption!" He grinned peevishly while reaching for the bottle.
Clunk! The bottle retracted back into its slot. "Hey!" Hard Luck snapped! Chunk! A different bottle popped out! He reached for that one and again, Clunk! "Oh, you gotta be kidding…" Clunk, Chunk, Clunk, Chunk, Clunk, Clunk, Chunk, Clunk!
"Stop it, You Stupid Rust Bucket!" Hard Luck yelled out pathetically trying to grab a bottle as they popped in and out of their slots! CLUNK! All the bottles in the slots popped out, and it looked like all of them were now free for the taking!
Suspicion practically painted on his face, he slowly stretched out a paw toward one of the bottles. He tapped it's bottlecap, quickly snatching his paw back, as if he expected it to either go back, explode, or bite him.
Nothing happened. Still not trusting the machine, he again slowly went for the cherished soda, got a hold of it, and yanked it out of the slot as fast as he could! Tensing again waiting for an attack, but again, the machine simply sat there humming.
"Hah, Take that ya piece of junk!" Hard Luck chuckled, holding up the Soda Pop in Triumph, and just to add injury to insult, kicked the Soda Machine again! BAM! Lifting the bottle to take a Victory Chug, he gripped the bottlecap, attempting to twist it off.
"Ugh, come on, get off you stubborn little…" Struggling to remove the over-a-decade-old cap, he tightened his grip, twisting harder. "Oh, this aint a twist off, is it?" POW! Poke! "OW!" KA-BLOOSH! "AAAAAHH!"
In a rapid-fire of events, the cap explodes off the bottle, shooting up and poking Hard Luck in the eye, to be followed by the ancient soda erupting out right into his face! "Uh, ow, oh yuck!" Paw over one sore eye, and covered in sticky soda pop, he glared at the Dispenser, feeling like it was somehow casting a smug look at him.
"Ha, ha, real funny, you miserable piece of…I'm gonna recycle you into… I don't know what, but it's gonna be something Horrible!" Impotently threatening the appliance with the now empty bottle!
RUMBLE, GRIND, GROWL! The Soda Dispenser and the Ice Machine seeming to support its insulted companion, both lurched into horrible engine noises while shaking violently!
"Uh Oh!" Hard Luck gasped, attempting to make a hasty withdrawal! BANG! PUNCH! "OOOOOHHHH!" A bottle blasting out of the Soda Machine, hitting Him low in his mid-section! "WOO! Right in the Moons!" Hard Luck bent over, letting out a high-pitched squeak!
POP, POP, POP, POP, POP, SPLASH, CHAKA, CHAKA, CHAKA, CHAK! "ARGH, AHH, OW, OW, OUCH, OW!" All the remaining soda bottle caps shot off, pelting, and Soda Spraying out all over him, with the Ice Machine joining in, doing the same with ice cubes!
Turning to escape the attacking deluge, but also blinded by it, He just bolted in whatever direction he was facing! Regrettably, not being able to see, he was unaware of the thick, and getting thicker layer of ice cubes on the floor!
"Wha, whu, aaahh, WAAAUUGGHH!"!?" Feet slipping and sliding, losing his balance, and pitching forward into an out-of-control roll, slamming headfirst into a room door, and crashing through it, shattering into splinters with a loud CRASH as he rolled through the dark room's doorway!
Crunch! "Ouch!" Crash! "Argh!" Bash! "Oomph!" Smash! "OW!" The Chaos continued as he tumbled over, thru and into chairs, and small tables! Sending lamps, a mirror, clocks, and a small TV everywhere and in pieces!
Almost regaining control of himself, but with a lampshade on his head, he stumbled backward across the room into a corner! Finally coming to a halt, He slid down the wall into an awkward sitting position. "Ugh, did somebody mess up the gravity settings or is it just me?" He painfully mumbled.
"Gerroff!" He grunted, pulling the lampshade off and tossing it away. "Cheese, I'm really starting to think this stupid place don't like me?" He looked around, holding his throbbing head and other sore areas.
Basically, it was just a room with a bed and some (now wrecked) furniture. "Well, the Feeling is Mutual!" He growled at the room, he kicked out with his cyborg foot, sending some debris flying, hitting the opposite wall, causing another avalanche of falling paintings onto a table next to the bed, knocking its contents onto the cluttered floor. It also put a big crack into the drywall. Dust and plaster chunks tumbling down.
"Ha, take That ya crummy dump!" Venting some pent-up frustration at the Motel with some petty abuse. Gurgle, grumble, burble! "Whoa, didn't know I was hungry." Paws going to his thin stomach.
"Wait-a-sec, I aint hungry, why you growling?" He looked at his stomach as if expecting an answer. He got the answer to that question, but it was one he really didn't want. It wasn't his stomach grumbling; it was the old-fashioned room radiator he was sitting on.
"Oh, Fondue ME!" Using a Well-Worn Martian Curse, he pushed against the wall, attempting to jump off the radiator, only to not budge an inch! "Ah, what the…?" His battered old bandage-wrapped tail was snagged in between the heater and the wall!
"Ah, Oh, Hot, Hot, Very Hot, Ouch!" Frantically trying to get his already scorched seat up and sizzling tail free, steam and smoke puffing out every time he moved! Hiss! "Ahh, Ouch, Ahh, Hot! Not again, Ahh, Ah Ow, Ouch, Argh!"
Hiss, Hiss, HISS! The Heat of the Radiator seemed to increase by the second, the seat of his pants, and tail sizzling as if to confirm it! Trying and pretty much failing, to not panic, he put both feet against the radiator and pushed as hard as he could!
"AAAAAHHH!" Sizzle! Hiss! Scrap! Pulling free, bits of melted pants, and tail bandage sticking to the steaming radiator, he fell to the floor, landing on all fours, smoking seat, and tail wiggling! "Oh, oh that wasn't fun, oh, ahh, stupid piece of…!" He snapped angrily!
CLANG! Cyborg leg kicking backwards giving the metal heater a direct hit! "Take that, oh ouch." He smiled at getting some payback despite the reminder his burnt backside was giving him. CLANK, RATTLE! The Radiator abruptly shakes, getting more intense every second!
"Uh, would it help if I said I'm sorry!?" He gulped! The Even Angrier shaking seemed to tell him NO! BANG! FOOSH! A Side Valve snapped off, letting a jet of Super-Hot-Steam shoot out, hitting him directly in the seat of his already scalded pants!
"EEEEEEYYYYEEEEEOOWWWW!" Jumping up and paws grabbing his seared backside, hopping around the room, trailing a steam cloud in his wake! "Ouch, Ow, Ouch, Ouch! Ahh" Abandoning all reason, he dived for the window! CRASH! "AAAAUUUGGHHH!" Was the only sound as he fell to the deep cooling snow below!
The Old Radiator's hissing and clanking died off, rattling as it rapidly cooled down. Oddly the little steam still escaping seemed to take on the chuffing sound of a bemused, if somewhat childlike mean-spirited laughter.
DING!
Elevator doors stiffly open and its light spilled out into the dim hallway. Sunni and Dently popped out cautiously looking around! "Gee, do you think it was the storm making that noise again!?" Dently did his best to nonchalantly reassure her it wasn't anything to worry about, despite him having a pretty good idea what, or more accurately WHO, the cause of that noise was.
"Searching the motel will be a lot easier now that we can use the elevator." Dently agreed with a nod. Neither of them thought the stairs was a good idea anymore. They moved into the hallway.
The Lights were flickering between dim, and dimmer! Dently's bright headlight didn't seem to help much to push the shadows away. The Elevator Door closing with another Ding and its added light going away didn't help matters any.
A Chilling Cold Wind blew down the hallway with an audible sigh! "Brr, that's Chilly! There must be an open window somewhere!" Sunni shivered, once again wrapping arms around herself. Dently shaking enough to rattle, nodded in agreement, although he worried that it Wasn't just an open window!
Pulling Hard Luck's heated trench coat from his storage chamber and handing it to her, who gratefully thanked him and put it on, he also pushed his sensors up to Max Sensitivity! He didn't want what happened in the basement to sneak up on them. Again! Not that they seemed to work worth a Plutarkian Mud Half Penny in this place.
Sunni looked up and down the shadowy corridor at the widely spaced doors. "Well, I guess best is the closest, so I'll start with that one." Taking the passkey, she opened the door next to them and stepped inside. The room just happened to be Room 12a.
Dently started to follow her but… the Door Slammed with a Crack like Thunder right in his mechanical face! "Vroom!?" Just managing to stop from outright freaking out, banged his front wheel against the door! "HONK, HONK HONK!"
"Why did you slam the door like that, and how did you get down there so fast?!" Sunni called out, from a door at the other end of the hallway! Camera looking at her, back at the door in front of him, and back at her! "Vroom, Growl. HONK!?"
"Nothing in here, but probably a good idea if you check out the other end, we don't want anything sneaking up on us, do we!?" She laughed and walked across to another door. "I'll check here next, be sure to make a noise if you spot anything!"
"Rumble, vroom, vrum, rattle, clank!" Frantically racing towards her, but too late! The Door slammed shut the instant she was passed it! "BRAP!" Engine rasping, he decided to stop playing around, this wasn't funny anymore!
Engine revving building up power, he backed up to get some room to build up speed to crash through the door! Sunni's Safety takes precedence over everything else! Back Tire spinning, tearing into the carpet, He took aim again and prepared to RAM!
THUNK! A door at the other end of the hallway opened seemingly by itself! "Vrum?" Nearly falling over. He momentarily froze up, caught between checking it out, versus breaking into the room Sunni went into.
"Dently, where are you?" Sunni's voice called out from the door, sounding like she was calling out from the far side of a long tunnel! "Vrum, vroom!?" That was enough for him! He tore down the hallway towards the opening!
SLAM! "VRRAAP!" The Door Crashed Shut the instant before He could get to it, getting another motorized curse out of him! "Brum, vrum, brrrrrm!" Mechanized Tolerance at its breaking point, he was ready to Blast His Way through the Motel!
Thump! "Dently!?" Thud!
Thud! "Dently?!" Slam!
Crack! "Dently!?"! Crash!
Bang! "Dently?" Smash!
Crash! "Dently!" Bash!
Wham! "Dently!? Bam!
All the doors in the hallway opened and closed in rapid movements, and his name was called out, not just in Sunni's voice but Hard Luck's and others' voices he'd never heard before! He frantically spun around trying to see who or what was doing this!
"Dently! I've been looking all over for you, where have you been!?" "BEEEEP!" Falling over in a loud clatter as Sunni as if by magic appeared right behind him! "Oh, Gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, are you ok!?" Sunni gushed, bending down to try and pull him back up.
Kickstand popped out, and with Sunni's help, he got back on his wheels, they both started shooting questions at each other, which just wound up in a verbal mess! "Hold it, OK let's just calm down!" She interrupted with, her hands out in a calming gesture.
Venting some built-up pressure, literally as steam hissed from his exhaust, He nodded camera eye at her and let her go first. "Like I said, I've been looking for you for something like 30 minutes, I've been in and out of half the rooms on this floor, and the whole time I could hear you honking all over the place!"
Not responding to her for a few seconds, his storage container hatch pops open and extends two mechanical appendages. One points at the floor, the other, holding a digital chronometer, displaying a blinking 5:00.
"Wait, are you trying to say it's only been 5 minutes? Disbelief all over as she shook her head. "No, it can't have been, I mean I've been through at least 8 more rooms, it's…" He cut her off, holding the chronometer even closer to her, the 5:00 blinking very insistently.
"No, no it can't be I mean, I, um…what about all the other noises, and…that wasn't you…was it?!" The camera shakes a very clear NO. "Maybe it was Hard Luck…?" Again. NO. "Gulp, buh, but if, if it wasn't you, or Hard Luck, and it wasn't me, then…who...what...!?" She looked at Dently who just looked back, then both nervously looked all around.
The Quiet Motel suddenly took on a more haunting feeling. The feeling of the Walls looking at them was enough to make her feel dizzy! "I think we should really find Hard Luck and GO, what do you think?" He nodded a very Enthusiastic YES!
"Right!" She grabbed his handlebar and made to get the heck out of there when suddenly…they froze! The Motel itself seemed to let out a long deep rumbling moan! It felt like the air was pressing down on them, and the hallway began to stretch out until the ends disappeared into a dark shadowy distance!
BZZZZZZZZZZZ! The Lights above started humming like enraged insects and the light increased so that Sunni had to shield her eyes with her hands! FLASH! In an instant, the lights went out, sending the hallway into an impenetrable pitch-black darkness!
Before either could respond another flash and the hallway was no longer dark, but the illumination didn't come from the lights on the ceiling. The hallway was lite in an eerie blue light, with a freezing fog on the floor up to her knees! Ice sickles hung from above, nearly long enough to poke her in the top of the head! She looked down at Dently, frost on his chassis, He looked back up at her!
"Whu, whu, whu, whu, whu…!?" Sunni shiveringly stuttered, in part due to the cold and scary situation despite wearing the heated coat! Dently shaking just as much in a rattling, and clanking clatter! BAM! All the room doors slammed open simultaneously!
More chilly fog rolled into the hallway just like Sunni's breath crystalized as she fearfully breathed out! Dently seemed on the verge of flying apart, shaking as badly as he was!
Out of the Frosty Vapor of the open doorways first came whispering unintelligible voices, followed a few seconds by a host of people! People of all kinds, but all dressed in bright and gaudy ski and cold weather fashions from nearly two decades ago!
Carrying skis, poles, and all kinds of luggage they moved up and down the hallway walking around the two, seemingly not noticing them. It could have been confused as a totally normal thing if all the people weren't transparent, and glowing the same color as the cold light!
Sunni almost forgot what was actually happening as she just looked at the odd see thru people, it felt more like a movie than anything else! At least She did until all the people suddenly froze in place like the film was put on pause!
Sunni and Dently stood just as still as the Ghosts! It felt like the moment threatened to freeze and never start again! Suddenly the Ghost People all Stared at them! Blue Flames burst out around the ghosts, who transformed into Skeletons in tattered and decayed clothes! All started howling and laughing insanely!
"YYAAAHAA HAH HAAH AHAAA HAHA YAAAAHHH AAAARRRHHHH!" The Ghosts erupted into maniacal activity! Pointing and flying and spinning around the scared stiff duo! The Ghost flew faster and faster, dissolving into mist and flaming balls of light until all zoomed through the open room doors, sending them crashing shut with loud slams like thunder!
The Ghostly Blue Light winked out! Complete Darkness lasted for a split second, before the ceiling lights came back on, and the hallway was back to the way it had been before! The mist, ice, and flames are all gone!
Her eyes nearly as big around as Dently's headlight, they slowly looked at each other for a few seconds. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sunni screamed! Dently looked at her. "BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!" Unable to fight off the fear anymore! She jumped onto his seat, and they zoomed down the hall, still yelling!
The Hallway returned to its pre-haunted, yet still eerie normality. The stillness lasts only a couple of seconds before… "BOOO I'm a Ghost! BOOO! GET OUT GET OUT NOW...Hey, where is…ooh they Did it Again! A Befuddled Shape jumped around agitatedly underneath what appeared to be a Plain Bed Sheet with some eye holes cut in it! Stomping The "Ghost" awkwardly ran down the hall, looking for its missing victims, cussing all the way!
Down in the mostly forgotten mechanical room, The Large Antiquated Boiler chugged and clanked, seemingly as was intended, its old pressure gauges ticking registering that all was in the safe zones.
A low almost inaudible growl started somewhere in the room, but its source was impossible to tell. The Growling grew in strength, as the room started to shake and rumble! The yellow fire behind the Boiler's grate surged out, deepening into an ugly scarlet!
The Web of Fuel and Steam pipes clustered around the Boiler began juddering and shuddering, with the fire growing more and more! The Dails slowly crept closer to the Danger Markings with Superhot steam & water shooting out from the pipe's joints!
Water leaking dripping and pooling on the floor and running down the walls. Fuel Barrels and Containers quivered, while emergency electrical generators started running, spinning faster and faster as more water and steam gathered around them!
The Generators began sparking, the fuel containers leaking, and the Boiler getting louder, and louder, with the very feeling of the pressure in the room building more and more, taking on a sense of impending doom as the seconds passed!
Click-Clack-Thump-Woosh-Thud! "Ugh, Oomph!" For the 2nd time that night, the front doors of the motel flew open, as Hard Luck once again picked the locks open and pushed by the strong winds of the still raging blizzard, he tumbled into the lobby, this time accompanied by a few feet of snow that had drifted up in front of the doors.
Body shivering, His fur a few shades bluer than usual, and teeth chattering, he sat there in the snow, failing to notice the now warmer and not as dark lobby. Having a thick layer of snow built up on his shoulders, head, and tail is a prime cause for this.
"I, I fuh, fuh, feel , luh, luh, I, I guh, guh, got Fuh, Fuh, Freezer Buh, Burn!" He sputtered through chattering teeth as he got up and slowly limped due to his metal cyborg leg having frozen up, its joints packed with snow and ice.
Plop, scrape. "Ow." Plop, scrap. "Ow." Dragging his metal leg, which pulled painfully on his burns, he made his way slowly toward the stairs and elevators. "Uh, maybe just spending a quiet night inside where it's warm aint such a bad idea, uh In a Nice and Friendly Resort Like this du..er I mean Motel!" He made sure to put in that last part.
"Hey, cool the power is on!" Noticing the glowing elevator buttons on the way to the stairs. "I guess Those two found the on button or whatever, but if I don't have to drag my sore butt up 4 flights of stairs, looks like my luck is finally changing."
DING! The Elevator bell rang just before he could push the button. The doors started to roll open, and he stepped forward to get inside. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" "BEEEEEEEEEEP" Sunni, and Dently Bellowed as they Charged out of the Open Doors and Directly into Hard Luck, sending him flying across the Lobby!
CRASH, BASH, CLATTER, CRUNCH! "OUCH!" THUNK! "UGH!" Landing on a cluster of old ceramic plant holders, with long dead and withered plants, some still having thorns, all crushed and shattered beneath him, with one small pot landing on his head!
"Oh, Hard Luck, we've been looking all over for you, we need to Get Out of Here Right NOW!" She ran over and took his paws in hand and tried to pull him out of the rubble, but he proved too heavy for her.
"Gosh you're heavy, oh, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to knock you over into those planters, wow those are big thorns!" Guilty Gushing Dently helped her pull him free. "Oh, ow, thu, thanks. Yeech!" Thanking them, he pulled a thorn out of a tender area, removing the pot from his head with a Pop!
"Oh, I'm sorry, but we really…why're you covered in snow, what were you doing outside?" Blushing he looked around the lobby. "Uh, I needed to cool off, what are you two so excited about anyway?
"Huh, oh right, GHOSTS!" "BEEEEEP!" Sunni and Dently hollered out! "Ghosts? What've you two been doing, or do I not wanna know?" "No, really there Are Ghost, a lot of them We've seen them, haven't we!" She blurted out, turning to Dently to back up her story. He nodded his camera eye as vigorously as possible!
"Uh, huh, sure. I think you two have been running around in this moldy old shack too long, it's messing with your cognitive senses, or to put it another way, you're letting yer imagination run away with you."
"Vroom vrum rumble bakaw!" Dently revved, backing her up! Smiling thanks to the bike, she grabbed a blue arm and started pulling. "There isn't time to argue about this, Please Hard Luck, we gotta go and we gotta go…" DING! "…uh oh!"
Interrupted by the chime of the 2nd elevator car arriving, all 3 stared at it, watching as the doors opened, and out jumped…something!? "Hey, there you are, I've been looking, uh I mean… BOO, BOOO I'm a Ghost! Get Out Now, BOOOO!" Howled the Apparition!
"Yeah, that's a GHOST all right, oh I'm So Scared Right Now!" Hard Luck chuckled, while Sunni & Dently could only stare in utter disbelief! "But, but, but…" Sunni stuttered. "Rup, rup, rup!" Dently doing the same.
Hard Luck limped over towards the "Ghost", who backed away from the approaching Martian. "Uh, didn't you hear me, I said I'm a Ghost, A Ghost ya hear me, Boo, BOO! Boo?" The Ghost backed up until he hit the closed elevator doors behind him.
"Nuh, now I said I'm a Ghost now, SO you Better Git Now, BOO, BOO *BOP* Ouch!" The Ghost cried out as Hard Luck Bopped Him on his nose. Hard Luck grabbed a paw full of bed sheets and yanked it off the ghost, revealing a little old man, in workman's overalls and with a long white beard and hair!
"Yeah, you're one scary Spooky Specter you are." Hard Luck chuckled. "Oh, my sniffer, grr I mean I Am A GHOST, Ya fuzzy Weirdo!" *BOP* "Yeouch!" Sunni jumped forward. "Hard Luck, leave the poor old man alone!" Standing by his side and giving Hard Luck a (what passed for her) a stern scowl.
'Ok, ok, I've proved my point, there Aint No Ghosts here, just an Old Fart that's been playing tricks on us, that's all it is!" Sunni continued to scowl at him. "It couldn't have been, there's no way he could have done what we saw, isn't that right Dently? The motorcycle nodded again! Also shooting his best scowl at Hard Luck.
"Why's ya getting Mad at Me for, of course, it's this crank ball!" Upset that they didn't seem inclined to take his side in any of this. "It wasn't you playing tricks was it, uh Mr. Gus?" Sunni asked the old man, reading the name on the tattered name badge.
"Well, The Big Blue Meanie is kinda right, but I only been trying to scare You Little Miss, and your uh, two-wheeled doohickey there, not You ya Big Jerk, eehh!" Gus explained throwing a couple of insults at Hard Luck then winching when threatened with another BOP to the nose!
"See, we told you it wasn't him, didn't we Dently!?" He gave her a supportive honk. "WHAT!? I don't believe it; you're going to believe Him!?" Sunni turned back to Gus and gave him one of her warmest smiles. "Maybe it would help if you told us who you are, and what's going on.
"Well, you see Ma'am, I've been the Custodian of this here Motel for more years than I can remember." *Explains why it's such a dump* Hard Luck muttered a little bit louder than he thought and got a disapproving shush from Sunni, who gestured for Gus to go on.
"One day a while back I heard tell that C.B Dooper, the Famous Bank Robber! They say he jumped outta that plane over the motel and stayed here, and hid the money he stole somewhere, well I've been looking for it, so as I could get the Reward for Finding it that is, not keep it for myself No Siree Bob!"
"Huh?" Hard Luck and Dently both gave her confused looks. She was confused for a few seconds before it hit her. "I think he means D.B. Cooper. A Famous Bank Robber who jumped out of an Airplane with a big bag of money who just vanished, but that happened out west, like in Washington, not Colorado, and it was also something like 30 years ago!"
Gus just returned their confused looks with one of his own. "No, no that can be, I just heard about it the other day, I'm sure I did?" He mumbled not sounding all that sure. "I heard some of those Ski Bums talking about it, I know, that's when I got the Ghost Idea, scare em all off, so I could find the loot myself, it was the day I was supposed to…what was I supposed to do that day?" The confusion on his old face took a stronghold again. Hard Luck held a paw up to the side of his head and spun a finger in circles, Sunni managed to not laugh, she did make a reprimanding face at him though.
"You mean they closed the Motel down because you got dressed up like a ghost and scared everyone away?" Even Sunni sounded like she couldn't buy that one. Gus looked at her with a funny expression. "Closed the Motel, what'd ya mean, they aint closed the motel down why it's the middle of the Busy Ski Season!?"
Hard Luck had had enough! "See, there aint nothing going on here, it's just this Crazy old Kook messing around looking for something that aint here!" He snapped. The other 3 just looked on aghast, but the Blue Martian had hit his boiling point!
"Going by the quality of the job you've been doing it's no wonder this stupid place hasn't fallen apart yet, or you'd have gotten fired YEARS AGO!" Gus seemed to deflate but Hard Luck wasn't going to stop Venting Now!
"Lucky for all of you I'm smart enough not to fall for the whole Ghost Nonsense! If there is even One Ghost in this Lousy Termite Terrace well then it can go to Blazes!" He yelled and stomped his seized-up cyborg leg against the floor as hard as he could!
Thud, Clunk, Clatter! A Chaotic Catastrophe broke out beneath the floor, the whole Motel shaking like it might literally fall in on their heads! They all nearly fell off their feet and tires, but somehow all stayed upright!
"Now I remember what I was forgetting, I needed to check on the Boiler, the old thing has been kind of testy of late!" Gus replied with a guilty smile on his old face. "TESTY!?" Hard Luck & Sunni cried out, giving each other worried looks.
KAH-BOOOOOM! A Massive Explosion Rocked the Entire Motel from under them, and no one stayed on this time! Another round of explosions rumbled under the floor, making sure they stayed down!
Dust fell from the straining, and creaking rafters overhead while cracks broke out across the floor with hot steam and smoke pouring out of them! The lights flickering like a strobe light in a Level 10 Earthquake!
"This is all your fault, you crazy old Kook!" Hard Luck angrily yelled, fighting to stand up, while trying to help Sunni to do the same! "If you hadn't been running around playing Spook, and been doing your JOB, this wouldn't be happening!"
"But Hard Luck, there Are Ghosts, we've seen them, haven't we!?" She replied shakily while looking at Dently to confirm this! He backed her up as best he could, despite lying on his side, and bouncing, sounding like he might fall apart!
"You need your transistors replaced!" Responding rudely. "You should know better than to get fooled into thinking this guy is a Ghost!" He was pointing at Gus when a Loud Ding rang out, signaling the two Elevator Cars arriving in the Lobby! The doors opened, and behind them was pure darkness for a few seconds before SOMETHING Emerged! "Nuh, Now Thu, those are, are Rhu, REAL GUH, GUH, GHOSTS!" Hard Luck stammered!
A Horde of Howling Ghosts and Phantoms emerged, far more than either elevator could possibly contain if they were physical people! Howling and Laughing Insanely, while resembling Glowing and Flaming Skeletons and Ghouls floated, and flew into the lobby like an ectoplasmic tidal wave!
The Chaos in the Lobby increased tenfold as more Ghosts flowed in! Furniture, magazines, and everything not nailed down jumped into the air and flew around like a tornado suddenly sprung up!
The Rumbling under the floor got worse, with more flames and smoke shooting up through the bigger cracks in the floor, causing the 3 living beings to start coughing! "Check Out Time, Dently, get Us Outta Here!" Hard Luck yelled out, pulling the motorbike upright on his wheels, and grabbed and picked up Sunni with his tail!
"We can't leave Mr. Gus!" Sunni cried out, as Hard Luck dropped her onto Dently's seat, who quickly all but wrapped the seat belt around her! "Oh, you gotta be Cheesing…!" Hard Luck started to complain, looking over his shoulder at the Old Man, scared and confused in the center of the twisting supernatural chaos in the lobby!
Another reverberating crash shook the Motel! The Smoke and Flames were thicker than ever, the Storm of Ghosts seemed to be reveling in the destructive anarchy! He tried to object, point out that it was too late but he stood no chance against her large compassion-filled eyes. He melted like butter in a hot skillet!
"Oh, Fondue Me, I'll be right back!' He groaned and turned to enter the fray. Sunni smiled. "Thanks, Hard Luck!" He bit his tongue & pushed his way into the supernatural squall! Gus stood frozen like a statue, wild-eyed as the Ghosts Spun laughing and howling around him!
"Cough, hack, ouch, ow, argh!" Choking and yelping as he entered the thick smoke while getting pelted by flying debris hurled at him by the swirling specters! He reached out to grab Gus! "Come On ya old fart, we gotta go!"
"Hard Luck, HURRY!" Sunni cried out! The Flames and Smoke got thicker as more of the Lobby ignited! The Ghosts seemed to enjoy the chaos and destruction, howling, and laughing as things got worse and worse!
"DOORS!" Hard Luck Yelled, while awkwardly putting Gus on his shoulder! Blasters popping out, Dently opened fire at the Lobby Doors! They exploded into Ashes, and Splinters, the blizzard outside momentarily paused as the fires forced it back in a Backblast!
"EEEK!" "BEEP!" "OH!" "YEOUCH!" Sunni, Dently, and Gus all Shrieked Out when Flames, Smoke, and Debris whipped past them out the door, with Hard Luck's fur getting singed while trying to escape from the raging inferno! Biting back the stinging burns, Hard Luck tossed Gus up over his head and onto Dently's lowered rear seat!
Pushing Gus up on the seat, Hard Luck clumsily crawled onto Dently's crumpled rear fender! "No, no don't go! Stay with us! Join Us! Stay and Play with us! Play in the Ice and Fire Forever, and EVER! HA, HA, HA, HEE, HEE, WHEEE, PLAY IN THE NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER, AND EVER! The Phantoms Cackling and Cajoling as they Flew and Swam in the Smoke, Fire, and Snow twisting in the air!
"Ha, yeah right!" Hard Luck barked back at the Ghosts! "You can take that Offer and shove it into yer Jack-O-Lantern!" The now Aggravated Apparitions roared and snarled angrily at him, but Hard Luck took what little pleasure he could get even in some weakly tossed-out verbal vengeance!
"Stay here and ROT in this Lousy Flea Trap till the End of Time, you Buncha Gibbering Ghoulies!" He finished making a rude gesture at them, and signaling Dently that it was Time to Go!
Engine Revving, and tires chewing into the smoldering lobby carpet! Just as Dently started to get some traction, the burning floor started to collapse! "YIKE, WHOA, HONK, AH!" They Gasped and Yelled out, starting to fall back towards the fires beneath the floor! "Hang On, Jets, use yer Jets!" Hard Luck frantically instructing Dently!
Klunk! Rattle! Chug! KAPOW! FOOSH!" Motor fighting, Dently finally got his thrusters to Fire! They all Shot Forward up out of the Motel's Doorway and into the Blizzard outside! Everyone except Hard Luck who fell off the fender, was grabbed by ghostly arms, and pulled down towards the collapsed floor into the smoke and flames!
"AAAAAUUUUGGGHHH!" Hard Luck cried out as he rolled backward onto the collapsed floor, vanishing into the smoking hole, with flaming blaze and Ghosts all circling around him as he went!
"HHHOOOOOONNNNKK!" "HAAARRRRDD LLLUUUUCCKKK!" Dently and Sunni called out at seeing their friend disappear into the now flame-engulfed motel behind them! They almost uncontrollably flew through the cold night sky! SCRUNCH! Crashing into a large Snowbank, completely disappearing into it!
Two Heads and a Camera Eye popped up out of the snow! They looked back at the Motel, which was now Totally Engulfed in Flames! Windows explodes out as fires spread across the building at impossible speeds and a raging inferno on the roof!
Flames of deep reds, oranges, and yellows swirled and swooshed up and into the sky, forming a fiery tornado up into the stormy night, with a multitude of laughing and howling ghosts riding in the blaze!
Loud crunching, cracking, and crashing noises sounded as the floors of the Motel began to collapse in on each other, falling downward! They looked at the doorway, it was now just a Crimson Flamed inferno smoke-circled portal of pitch-black darkness!
Sunni, Dently, and Gus stared back at the Motel, two with horror and fear, while one with confusion! "Oh my gosh!" Sunni gasped horrified at the thought of her new friend being gone! Dently rumbled and clanked beside, trying to free himself from the snow, desperately wanting to try and save his best friend in the universe!
"CHECK OUT TIME, HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOU'RE STAY, OH PLEASE DO COME AGAIN, HA, HA, HA, HA!" A Booming and Boisterous Voice bellowed out of the Motel Doorway, which was followed by Hard Luck, howling painfully as he was kicked out of the Motel by a giant boot-shaped flame!
"YEEEE-HOWW-OW-OUCHH!" Howling as he flew across the sky with smoke and flames trailing behind him, most from his butt and tail! Sunni and Dently could only watch with a mix of Awe and Relief as he passed over them and crashed headfirst into another massive snowbank behind them with a loud POOMPH!
"Hooray, you're alive!" Sunni cheered, pushing slowly to the snow with Dently doing the same beside her, trying to reach the struggling Hard Luck. Stuck in the snow up to his waist, with his lower half up, legs kicking as the seat of his pants and tail sizzled and smoked with muffled ouches and ow noises could be heard underneath the snowbank.
Dawn started to break on the horizon visible in between the mountains. The Blizzard moving on out of the area. As Light poured into the Valley the Motel, Flames, and Ghosts all started to Vanish like Mist Evaporating in the Dawn!
"No, no, it can't be gone, it can't be!" Gus muttered to himself as Sunni and Dently were focused on Hard Luck. "The loot can't be gone, not just like that, I know it's still there, I can find it, I Know I'll Find it!" He sighed as he also melted away as the sunlight rolled across him, and he joined the Motel and Ghosts doing the same.
EPILOGUE
"Wow, I can't believe it! Ghosts! It was All Ghosts! Gus, the Guests, and even the Motel! They and it were all Actually Really Real GHOSTS!" Bewilderment and Excitement on her face as she looked at the large empty and crumbling concrete slab and walls sticking up out of the snow, all that marked that the Motel had ever actually been there!
"Now I wish I'd taken more pictures, gotten real evidence!" Sunni gasped trying to get a grip on the wild events of the night. "Vrum, rumble rattle clan?" Dently clattered beside her in the snowbank. "If we had pictures, we could prove what we saw, because I mean Nobody is going to believe us, NOBODY!" She blinked and shook her head. "I mean I'm not sure that I believe it, and I saw it! What about You Hard Luck, what do you think!?
"Uh, I thu, think I, I'd just like to suh, sit here a while." Hard Luck moaned. Free'ed from the snowdrift, but now sitting in it with only his shoulders, arms, and lower half of his legs visible, with a grimace on his face, letting the cold snow cool his lower section.
"Oh, man if the rest of this trip is going to be like this, I'm going to need to buy a Lot of Film to record every second of it!" Sunni giggled, with Dently nodding in agreement with her. Hard Luck just sighed at that thought and just let himself sink a little bit more into the cold, wonderfully cold snow.
Sunni and Dently chuckled while looking at one of the Motel Pamphlets she'd taken from the front desk. It was now old and faded, having aged many years as dawn happened. She looked at the date on it, and realized it was the same as today. "Happy Friday the 13th!" Sunni wished them both while laughing.
The End!