While the Alliance detail team had gone out in search of the youngsters, unknowingly away from the chaos, the other group had to contend with the infamous Lord High executioner from R.L. Stone's Goosebump book A night in Terror Tower.
Tony held up his hands to show he was unarmed but he was discreetly trying to edge his way to a potential weapon. And because his twin sister Sara and the other guardians were grounded with their powers decreased as punishment, this was going to be a lot more difficult than they thought.
"Can't we calm down and talk this through?" Haruna tried to reason, even though this may prove futile. "Settle our differences like civilized people?"
The Executioner began advancing on the group.
"I'm not afraid of you. I don't know if you're aware of this but I'm a witch." Theo said, putting up her fists.
"WITCH!" The executioner growled raising his axe.
"We're not that kind of witch." Yui said with a nervous laugh.
In the meantime, Beth and the girls had to explain things to Stine and the others. Naturally, they'd been skeptical until Beth showed them a small demonstration. Sure, it was a small orb of pink energy but it sufficed.
"Wait, so you're telling me your dad's the captain of an international secret society..?" Zach questioned.
"And you and your friends are all some kind of supernatural protectors of portals that could randomly pop up all over the universe?" Hannah inquired.
"Er, just eight of us are guardians any true-blue friends we make along the way become allies for life if they choose so."
"How long have you all been Americanized?" Champ asked.
Dana facepalmed. "Seriously? You're hung up on that?"
"It's not often one gets to do something extraordinary and truly make a difference in one lifetime, that's one of the main reasons I love being a guardian." Kylie said.
"And having four spellcasters with their magic decreased due grounding helps us how…?" Stine reminded grumpily.
The girls' faces went from sheepish to chagrined. Of course.
"Well maybe putting out heads together might help." Beth responded.
They were in Stine's car driving all over town, searching for Slappy. They didn't find him. Only destruction. Smoking ruins, people screaming...some were frozen, the town looked like a war zone.
Main Street was a frozen ruin. Downed telephone lines sizzled on the concrete. Shattered streetlights bent at crazy angles over silent streets. Fire hydrants spewed water. Some- thing had taken a giant bite out of the statue of the town founder.
The square wasn't empty. ... not quite. There were about a dozen people scattered around-but none of them were moving, not even a little. Not even to breathe. Something had turned them into statues.
Champ leaped out of the car and raced toward one of the frozen figures. "Oh my god, Dad! Dad! What have they- oh." He laughed, then patted the frozen man on the shoulder. "Oops. False alarm, that's not my dad."
It was enough to make one whether the people were alive or dead, whether they were watching them through terrified, frozen eyes, waiting for them to do something-to save them.
"What are we going to do?" Hannah said, reaching out to one of the women, stopping just before her finger came to rest on the woman's frozen tear.
"One of the few times we're grounded with only 10% of our powers." Beth sight in frustration.
Stine must have felt even worse. He was the one who'd written all these monsters into existence. Whatever they did, he must have felt like it was his fault. He sighed. "Without those manuscripts, there's nothing I can do."
Suddenly, Zach had an idea. "If you wrote the monsters off page, then maybe there's a way you could write them back on the page."
Stine shook his head. "Do you know how many stories I'd have to write to capture every monster I ever created? I already have carpal tunnel in both hands-and my neck!" He didn't get it.
"No, not a whole bunch of books! Just one," Kylie then explained. "One story to capture them all at once!"
"Oh, just one?" he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "One story with every creature I've ever created? Great plan!"
"You have a better idea?" Zach challenged.
But Stine was obviously out of ideas-everyone was. It was try Zach's plan, wait for the grounding to be over or give up, go home, and wait to get eaten by a carnivorous frog or whatever else Stine and Slappy had in store for us.
"We need to get you to a computer so you can start writing. Here, we'll break into that computer store." Zach offered.
Champ looked excited at the idea of getting his hands on some shiny new tech, the guardians shot him a scolding glance but Stine shook his head again. "No, I need my typewriter. All my stories were written on that Smith Corona! It's not just me. That typewriter... It's special. It has a soul of its own. If I write on anything else, it won't matter."
"Where's the typewriter then?" Dana asked.
"Don't worry," Stine assured them. "It's in a safe place."
So they headed for the High school in Stine's car. A further problem, they tried calling different people by cellphone but they got no response and the signal appeared to be out.
"Theo, did you get any of that? How can that be? I just talked to her hours ago!" Beth put her cellphone away.
"I don't know what's going on with my phone, I can't get reception." Zach said.
"No dice," Zaira reported, after the tenth try returned yet another busy signal.
"Slappy's taking out all the cell towers," Stine said. "That's what I'd do if I were him. He's cutting us off," Stine went on. "Isolating us."
"Least I know three members of my family are alright." Zaira said looking out the window.
The others looked to her. "Where are they?"
Zaira shrugged. "Dad's on a legal case back home while Stephanie, Raymond and my step grandmother are on some cheesy mother and toddler bonding experience."
There was a loud thud on the hood of the car.
"What was that?" Champ asked in a trembling voice. They peered through the windshield into darkness: Nothing. Or so they thought.
A second later, two handprints appeared on the windshield with a mischievous snicker.
Stine gulped. "It's the Invisible Boy! He's a menace!"
Whatever was out there scampered onto the roof.
"If I remember the book, isn't he supposed just a scared human kid?" Zaira said.
Then Champ jerked back, as if something had reached through the open window and slapped him hard. "Ow!" he yelped.
"Never mind." Zaira said, taken aback.
Suddenly, Champ was yanked off the seat by his tie. His head ricocheted back with one invisible slap after another. He swatted the air uselessly. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so terrifying. "Help!" he screamed, whacking at empty space. "Help me! Help!"
Stine slammed on the brakes, and whatever was clinging to the car landed hard on the grass, grunting at the impact.
"Not cool!" The Invisible boy whined from where he landed.
"I think we're safe now," Stine said, then pushed the pedal to the floor. Better not to take any chances.
"Look out!" Champ pointed at two people standing in the middle of the street-right in front of our car. Stine swerved hard to the left, but it was too late. The car rammed straight into them... and straight through them, into a telephone pole.
Everyone inside screamed as metal crunched and squealed. The car's hood crumpled around the pole. The people they'd swerved to avoid were glowing and transparent in the moonlight. Ghosts.
Dana peered at the back windows to look. "They don't look the ones in the book Ghost beach…" she mused.
"Is everyone okay?" Stine asked
"What's a telephone pole doing in the middle of the street?" Beth complained.
"That thing came out of nowhere." Zach said.
"Uhm..." Dana pointed up through the sunroof. "I don't think that's a telephone pole."
They looked up and up, and up. The pole stretched at least thirty feet high. But it was no telephone pole. It was a leg... attached to a giant insect torso... attached to a fifty-foot-tall praying mantis!
A praying mantis that was bowing its head in their direction, jaws gaping wide. The mere sight had everyone screaming their heads off in horror.
"I don't remember writing about a giant praying mantis," Stine shouted.
"Shocker on shock street!" Zaira yelped. "But I thought it was supposed to be a machine!"
The mantis spit out a splatter of green mucus the size of an elephant. Mantis gunk plastered the windshield.
Outside, they could hear a primal hiss, low and crackly, like an egg sizzling on the world's biggest frying pan.
"Right." Stine nodded sharply. "Now I remember."
"Get us out of here," Zach suggested. "Now!"
Stine turned on the windshield wipers.
"What are you doing?" Zach screeched.
"Well, I can't drive if I can't see!"
While the wiper smeared grey slime back and forth across the windshield, Stine threw the car into reverse, and then into drive. The car sped away from the mantis. They could hear it pounding concrete behind us, the road cracking beneath its massive weight. Stine swerved back and forth between its gigantic legs.
"They've all turned against me!" he complained. "It's like Frankenstein's monster turning on Frankenstein!"
"It's above us!" Hannah cried as the mantis hissed again. Thick splats of mantis mucus rained down on the sunroof.
"And behind us!" Dana shouted as another leg stomped down inches from the car's trunk.
"It's everywhere!" Champ whispered in despair.
"Watch out!"
"Turn left!"
"Stop driving straight!"
"He's catching up! Turn right!"
"Step on it!"
"Does someone else wanna drive? I'll pull over right now!" Stine snapped.
Instead of pulling over, he sped up, bouncing over a curb and into the parking lot of a supermarket called Wayfield Foods, faster and faster until they barreled hard into a parked car. Only the seat belt kept they from flying through the windshield.
Air bags exploded into our faces, and the car filled with smoke. Inmediately everyone piled out, fast as they could, as the mantis closed in.
"In there!" Dana cried.
They threw ourselves through the supermarket door just as the mantis snatched the car by its hood and tore off the roof. It screeched in frustration when it discovered they weren't inside, then tossed the car across the parking lot.
"Why'd you have to come up with something so bizarre?" Champ whined. "Why, Stine? Why?!"
"Just have a knack for it, I guess." He sounded almost proud.
The mantis leaped toward the overturned car and stomped on it, crushing it to a pancake.
"My Wagoneer!" Stine cried. He seemed more dismayed by this than anything that had happened all night. "It had such low mileage!"
Fortunately, the praying mantis had a taste for cars, and the parking lot was full of them. It hopped from car to car, having fun shaking them in the air and then crushing them flat. It might have been playing-or it might just have been looking for the group.
The supermarket lights were on and its music was playing full blast, but the place was completely deserted. Everyone sane was probably at home, hiding under their beds.
"How far are we from the high school?" I asked.
"Not too far," Hannah said. "We can cut through the cemetery."
"Oh great." Beth grumbled.
Everyone else save for Stine appeared to share the sentiment.
"You've gotta be kidding me." said Zach.
Hannah merely shrugged. "Relax. The high school is just past the woods on the other side."
Stine narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"
"Well..." Hannah looked like she'd said something she hadn't meant to. "Sometimes I get a little stir-crazy and go exploring."
"When?"
"At night," she admitted. "After you go to bed."
It didn't seem like such a big deal, especially after everything that had happened, but to Stine, it was a big deal. "You're grounded!" he shouted.
"That is so unfair!" Hannah shouted back.
Zach rolled my eyes. "Um, you guys are both bringing up good points, but let's keep moving while you argue."
As long they were in the market, they might as well grab some supplies. Stine snagged a bag of chips. Champ gazed at a towering display of soda bottles.
"Hey, you got a dollar I could borrow?" he asked Stine.
"What? No. Why?"
"I'm really parched! I need a soda."
Stine sighed. "Just take one. It's an emergency. They'll understand."
"Really?" Champ looked delighted. " Lemonade, grape or strawberry...?"
" Good God, man. Here. Orange." Stine snatched an orange soda off the rack and shoved at Champ.
Hannah giggled and wandered toward the granola bars. Zach followed her.
Beth and the other girls walked through the snack section then picked up random items before marching to the self-checkout. Kylie took a Keebler caramel filled cookies bag, Beth a bag of cheddar popcorn chips, Zaira a box of freeze dried fruits and Dana a bag of pepperidge snacks.
It would probably be redundant since it's an emergency, however it still wouldn't be right.
Beth had just finished paying for her snacks but as she looked up she freezes, turning pale.
"Beth, what's the matter?" Dana questioned. "You look like you just saw…"
The sound of something snuffling and moving glass got their attention. And it was coming from the frozen meat section.
At first they saw nothing, but then, furry claws reached out! It was a large, shaggy werewolf in blue shorts with red and white stripes and damaged athletic sneakers. It sniffed about then began biting down on a piece of meat.
"Will Blake, the werewolf of Fever swamp…" Beth whispered, she looked close to hyperventilating.
The other girls put their items away and gently approached Beth. Maybe if they were very quiet and backed away very slowly, they could get out of there before the wolf sniffed out some über-fresh meat.
At the other aisle were Hannah and Zach staring wide-eyed at the werewolf. Stine and Champ joined them just as the wolf tossed the rib aside and started gnawing away at a bloody flank steak.
Champ twisted open his orange soda.
Hssh!
The werewolf swiveled its head toward the sound. The group fled.
Champ and Hannah raced toward the frozen-food section. Kylie and Zaira had ducked behind the bakery counter. Beth and Dana hid by the deli. Zach headed toward the pet aisle and Stine followed, but he got waylaid in personal hygiene.
"What are you doing?"
"That's the Werewolf of Fever Swamp. He can smell my scent," he explained, smearing himself with Purell. " No, it's not working. I have to hide!"
It didn't work.
Somehow Zach had squeezed himself into a cardboard doghouse when he smelled Stine – who was under a wagon of fruits. The wolf was coming straight for him.
The werewolf stood on the pile of cantaloupes, sniffing and growling for Stine. And drooling, what's more part of the droll dripped down onto Stine's forehead then on his nose.
From their hiding places, the girls silently gag or wince at the sight.
Zach just wiggled out of the cardboard house, just as Hannaha and Champ approached. At Hannah's urging to help, Zach grabbed a rubber drumstick from the nearest shelf, and threw the steak as far as he could.
The werewolf yelped happily and went racing after the rubber steak.
Hannah and Champ then dragged Stine to his feet, and then they were off, racing toward the glowing EMERGENCY EXIT lights, trying to ignore the footsteps pounding behind them as the werewolf saw his new prey was escaping.
The werewolf jumped upon he aisles intending to catch up with the group. Inadvertently he crashes in an aisle of food, as R.L. Stine turns to laugh, he trips and gets placed in a shopping cart, and Zach pushes the cart.
"What are you doing? Get me out!" R.L. Stine protested at first but quickly changed his mind. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, keep going!"
Dana kicked over a mop bucket, and soapy water went sloshing everywhere. The werewolf slipped and slid, and the group ran, throwing themselves through the back door and into the alleyway.
Stine slammed the steel door shut behind us. "Let's see him get through that!"
However, Beth and the girls still looked quite fearful.
Zaira said, "Uh Mr. Stine, werewolves have great strength."
She wasn't wrong. After a couple tries, the wolf exploded through the door.
The group turned and kept running, down the alley, into the back parking lot-straight into a dead end!
The werewolf approached, scraping its claws against two trucks causing sparks. Then he bared his fangs, lowered his head, and prepared to charge.
To be continued…
Author's note: Okay, I honestly don't thin I'll finish this before Halloween. But I'll still finish it regardless. That you can count on.
