NOTE: Here's the finale!
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Monster 10 (3)
"SCREEEE!"
The entire party went deadly silent as the loud screech of the zombies filled the air. The noise was too monstrous for them to brush it off as some weird animal. Some of them even took notice of the fog that had settled in over them. "W-what's going on!?" A girl asked.
"Did someone bring a fog machine or something?" Another kid asked.
Cash came forward, seeing this as his opportunity to look cool. "It's probably nothing! But if it bothers you all so much, then I'll take a look. Think of it as the beginning challenge."
"Uh… Cash?" J.T. looked pretty uncertain.
"Shut it, J.T.! This is my chance!" Cash hissed at his friend. The bully walked through the fog confidently. Everyone waited silently, wondering if the bully would be okay.
…
…
…
"EEEEKKKK!"
Seconds ticked by until Cash came back, screaming like a little girl. Someone would have laughed if it wasn't for the sight of what made the bully come running in the first place. A zombie was chasing him down, and it became apparent to everyone it wasn't a costume.
"KYYAAAA!" Girls and boys alike all screamed in fear, turning to escape from the zombie, but their way of exit was blocked off. Standing in their way was Dutch with a whole horde of zombies behind him.
Dutch chuckled at the fear stricken faces, enjoying the children's tears. "My pets, devour these children in the name of our master!" He snapped his fingers, allowing the zombies to rush towards the children. They would have succeeded in reaching the kids if only a large pink construct hadn't blocked their path. "What!?" Dutch cried, shocked by the phenomenon.
Suddenly, a white and black blur smashed into several zombies, cutting them to pieces. Dutch gasped at the massacre of his zombies. "Who dares!?"
"Me." Looking up, he saw Alice in her transformed state glaring down at him. The wolf girl stood on top of the pink wall, raising her sharp claws as a threat. "I don't know who you are, but you're getting in the way of my payback."
Getting over his surprise at the sight of a monster standing in his way, Dutch snarled at the wolf girl. "You're not the only one looking for revenge tonight, mutt!"
A visible tick mark appeared on Alice's forehead. "Don't call me a mutt!" She descended down to handle Dutch and his horde.
Gwen, who was keeping herself hidden in the fog, manipulated the wall to form a barrier around the horde to keep them in. She then rushed forward towards the kids. "What are you all standing here for!? RUN!" They didn't require much more convincing, all rushing past the barrier for the cemetery's exit.
"CASH!"
Gwen looked over to see J.T. rushing for his friend, who was being pinned down by a zombie. The creature was moments away from biting his throat out. Gwen was about to help, but then she noticed a pair of glowing green eyes emerging from the fog. She stopped, rolling her eyes and knowing exactly what was about to happen.
Right before the zombie could bite into the tasty meal of the young boy, several bandages wrapped around its body, pulling it into the air. The zombie screamed as it was bashed into the ground before more sharp bandages tore it to pieces. Green zombie blood rained down on the newest addition, the creature's breathing sending a chill down the bullies' spines. J.T. and Cash stared at the monster with fear as it leaned down to stare at them.
"Boo."
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
With speed that could rival a blue hedgehog, the bullies bolted out of the cemetery with the rest of the fleeing children. They would forever remember this moment for the rest of their lives and the mocking laughter that followed after.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man! That was so worth it!" Snare-Oh declared, holding his gut. Bella landed on his shoulders, tossing two discarded zombie heads to the ground and punched the mummy alien on the head. "OW!"
"You stupid bandaged idiot!" Bella hissed at him. "I thought we were supposed to do that together!?"
"Ah… I forgot."
BONK!
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, FORGOT!?"
"Eh hem." Gwen coughed into her hands, getting their attention before a fight could break out. "If you two hadn't noticed there's a zombie outbreak and Alice needs our help fighting the guy responsible!"
"We know! We were fighting some before getting over here!"
"Where's Alice!?" Bella asked her sister's location.
Gwen pointed towards the pink barrier. "Like I said, she's fighting the ringleader! I already called Grandpa, so he and Kenny are on their way, but we should hurry-" Before any of them realized a figure appeared right in front of Gwen. "What-"
SMACK!
With a single backhand, Gwen rolled across the ground much to her allies' surprise. "GWEN!"
"Hmph, seems I will be facing some resistance tonight." Snare-Oh and Bella turned to the guy who attacked them. "However, I didn't expect fellow monsters to be protecting human children." Scrooge revealed himself, glaring at the heroes.
"I don't know who you are, Twilight-reject, but I'm not letting you get away with that!" Snare-Oh declared.
"And I'm not really a fan of getting called a monster, so I'll be sure to break your pale face!" Bella cracked her knuckles.
Scrooge scoffed at the children, spreading his arms wide. "You fools truly have no idea who you're messing with!"
The Rustbucket zoomed through traffic to reach the cemetery, Max had activated the boosters to increase their travel time. He looked back to his oldest grandson. "Kenny, did you find it yet!?"
Currently, Kenny was searching through the Rustbucket's cabinets and storage. "Not yet, Grandpa! But…uh…do zombies really have anything to do with aliens?"
"You'd be surprised, son. I didn't say that everything the Plumbers had to deal with were alien related. There are a lot of mysteries that exist here on Earth that we haven't fully discovered yet." Max explained.
"And you just so happen to have the thing needed to beat them?"
"If there's anything I've learned from the summer it's to always stay prepared, especially if Ben is at the center of it." Max smirked. The two shared a laugh at that last part, and understood just how big of a trouble magnet Ben is.
RING!
Max looked down at the dashboard, expecting to see Gwen calling him, but instead the caller ID made the old man pale.
"Is it, Gwen?" Kenny asked, still searching.
"Nope, it's definitely a frightful night." Max sighed at the ringing phone.
CALLING: NATALIE TENNYSON
POW!
"Guh…!" Bella grunted as she was smashed into the ground. The wolf girl watched as Scrooge attempted to grab her, but several wrappings yanked him to the side. Snare-Oh pulled back his large fist and bashed the vampire into the ground, but the madman didn't stay down for long. He tore the bandages off and then released a powerful blast of dark energy from his palms. The mummy was sent flying across the graveyard, crashing through several gravestones.
Suddenly, the vampire felt his body freeze up, shifting his eyes to see Gwen using her magic. "A spellcaster? So, your kind truly does still exist..."
"Huh?" Gwen tilted her head.
"Too bad you're too weak!" He strained his body, breaking free from her control. A dark blast was directed at Gwen, who blocked it with a pink construct.
Bella attempted to kick him in the head, but he grabbed her leg in time before smashing her into the ground like a hammer. "Why do you fight me!?"
"Why do you think, stupid!? You're the bad guy!" Bella tore her leg free before opening her mouth to release a shot of acid. The vampire moved out of the way, but his cape got burnt by the acid. Bella licked her lips. "Hadn't used that one in a while."
Scrooge hissed. "I am not the enemy, child! The humans are!"
"What?" Bella questioned.
"Surely you've experienced it: The prejudice, the hatred, the violence, and the pain! I know for certain they took something from you!" Scrooge stepped towards her.
"Took something from me…?" Bella actually stepped back. Memories she had been trying to fight against resurfacing. Her old lifestyle before the Tennysons arrived and changed everything, memories of her father, and…
"My mother."
"Don't listen to him, Bella!" Gwen cried, running towards them.
Scrooge hissed at her, preparing another attack. "Stay out of this!"
"How about you just go back to Transylvania!" Snare-Oh exclaimed, coming out of nowhere to wrap the vampire up. The mummy spun his captive around like a battery before smashing him into the ground repeatedly. His assault didn't last for long as Scrooge used his might to burst free.
"Annoying pest!" Scrooge roared, shooting another blast of energy at Snare-Oh, who was prepared for it this time. He opened up his body to allow the blast to pass right through him, then enlarged his arms into massive bandage fists.
"Going down!" Snare-Oh brought down his fists on the vampire, who raised his own arms to fight back against the mummy's might. As the two struggle to push against the other, Gwen begins conjuring up a ton of magic power.
With her eyes glowing pink, Gwen pushed her arms forward. "This is for that backhand earlier!" A powerful burst of energy nailed the vampire in the back, which staggered him enough to be crushed underneath the weight of Snare-Oh's fists.
"Alright, we got him!" Snare-Oh cheered.
RUMBLE!
"Uh oh."
"You just HAD to say something!" Gwen yelled at him.
BOOM!
The two jumped back before the ground exploded, Snare-Oh had grabbed the stationed Bella before she could get hurt. Floating in the air was Scrooge, and the old vampire didn't look happy in the least. His blood-red eyes promised the children nothing but the most brutal of demises. "ENOUGH! I will not be denied my justice by some ignorant pests! Playtime is over!"
Snare-Oh scoffed. "Oh yeah, Count Dracula!? Guess again, because this hero is gonna-"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"OH, COME ON!"
FLASH!
Ben and Bella, who were still mid-air, hit the ground unceremoniously. Ben groaned, glaring at the Omnitrix. "You seriously need to work on your timing."
"What is this? A child?" Ben turned around to see Scrooge towering over him and Bella. "How does a mummy turn into a human child?" He questioned for a moment.
"Wouldn't you like to know?!" Ben stuck his tongue out.
"Hm, how about I just blow you to bits instead?" Scrooge prepared to blast Ben away until Bella jumped in the way, glaring at the vampire.
"As if I'd let you!" She declared.
"Oh, you're going to let me, young one." The energy in his hands shifted, turning into a purple mist. His hand crashed into her face, causing Bella to gasp loudly. "And I'll be sure to remind you where your real loyalties lie." Once he removed his hands, Bella's eyes had changed to pitch black. She slumped to the ground, motionless.
Ben stared at his downed friend in shock. "BELLA!"
Alice grunted as zombies swarmed her, preventing her from reaching the laughing hunchback. Twisting her body with a jump, she split-kicked two heads off before cutting one down the middle with her claws. With her enhanced speed, Alice rushed towards a few more zombies to blitz them to pieces. "Quit hiding behind your toys!"
The hunchback giggled. "Oh, but fighting a werewolf wouldn't be fun. Your strength and speed far outclasses my own."
"One of the few villains to admit something like that. Then, you should at least go down quietly!" She jumped at him, ready to take him down.
SHATTER!
"What!?" Alice gasped as Gwen's barrier completely shattered. Before she could question what had done so, the wolf girl saw a massive shadow loom over her. Turning around, Alice stared wide eyed at the huge zombie. "What the heck!?"
"Surprise! Seems simply beating down on my zombies wasn't as cracked up as you thought it would be! All of their broken pieces fused together to create the ultimate zombie!" Dutch declared, cackling madly. "Now kill that traitor, my pet!"
The Mega Zombie brought down its massive arms, forcing Alice to jump out of the way. She landed on its left arm with the intent to run up the appendage, however several smaller arms sprouted out of the monster to hold her in place. "W-what-GUH!" Alice coughed as the right fist smashed into her, blasting her across the cemetery ground.
The wolf girl felt her body screaming in pain still reeling from the devastating blow. It didn't take much for her to realize that she couldn't take that thing on by herself. "Where are the others?" Alice asked herself.
"Well, well, well, seems the puppy is too scared to move, hm?" Dutch stood over her downed body, his large pet was ready to smash her into paste. "Of course, even death from my zombie is too good for a traitor."
"W-why…?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you keep calling me a traitor?"
The hunchback stared at her for a few seconds before laughing again. "You don't know? Even with your young age, you still should've experienced it. The hatred that humans hold towards us, their fear and anxiety." He kneeled down to the young girl, getting really close to her face. "You know all about it, don't you? That humans hate monsters such as ourselves. Why else would they create a holiday to mock us, to humiliate us, to rob us?!"
Alice didn't respond as she didn't want to agree with the sick bastard, but some part in her head couldn't disagree with him. She's experienced it firsthand, the pain that humans had brought her family. They had turned her father into a killer, stole her childhood, and took her mother's life.
This stupid holiday was nothing more than some cheap way to remind monsters like them what they had lost.
"My master is planning to turn this day back into one for monsters. A bloodbath the human race shall never forget for centuries!" Dutch happily declared.
"Y-you're insane…" Alice coughed.
He stopped laughing and looked down at her. "Insane? Mutt…what have these humans ever done for you?"
"What have humans ever done for me…?"
Bella didn't know why she wasn't in the cemetery anymore, but what she did know is she'd rather be back there than here. The new scenery was all too sickly familiar, putting her senses on edge.
She was back in that old house. The one she used to live with her sister and father, her old home, and way of life.
"P-PLEASE STOP! PLEASE! I-I HAVE A FAMILY! M-MY KIDS!"
Teal eyes watched as a woman was dragged into the house by her father. Chris looked unsympathetic, having heard the same dribble hundreds of times before. Bella could see the past versions of herself and Alice. They stared at the scene impassively, following their father's orders of not showing emotion.
It was uncomfortable to stare at herself like that. To see what she used to be, to see what others had always seen.
"PLEASE! I-I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I'LL PAY YOU!" The woman pleaded for her life. Whatever dignity she could've possibly possessed was long gone.
Chris, having heard enough, smashed the woman's head against the floor. "Shut it. Did our pleas ever matter to you people when you took everything from us?" She didn't answer as she was too busy processing the pain. "We begged and screamed for you to leave us alone, but you never listened."
Bella felt her stomach churn as she felt the heat generated from her father's powers all around her. Fear gripped at her as she stared at the utter hatred he held for the woman at his mercy. This feeling confused her, because she never once feared her father. He was gentle with them, loved them, cared for them, and trusted them.
But all she could see right in front of her was a monster, someone who hated humans with every fiber of his being. A hatred she once had…
…wait…?
Doesn't she still hate humans…?
Hate this holiday…?
…
…
…
What changed her-
TZZT!
Bella flinched as the world around her fizzed like static on a TV. The scene shifted into something different, but even more familiar. A day that Bella knew she'd never forget…
"Nice to meet you, Chris. My name is Yukiko and this is Ben and Gwen."
Standing in the middle of that godforsaken town were the Tennysons, the first time she had met them. It was the day that changed everything. She watched as the scene shifted to the battle in the haunted house, when she had her first tussle with Ben. She hadn't expected him to transform into Wildmutt nor for Yukiko to have supernatural abilities.
"Ben! Can you handle those two on your own?" Yukiko asked her little brother.
"Heh? Do you remember who you're asking? I'm Ben Tennyson, I got this covered! It's Hero Time!"
Irritation found its way inside of her as she watched Ghostfreak easily defeat her and her sister. A sudden realization this was likely where her anger at the boy stemmed from. But it was weird, she should've felt angered they got in the way.
These people ruined her chance to reunite with her mother, sent her father to prison, and had them put into an adoption center.
But…but she…
"You're not wild beasts." Bella found herself staring directly into Ben's eyes. The boy had that usual stupid smile on his face, holding out his hand for her to take. Appearing behind him were Gwen, Yukiko, Max, Kenny, Joan, and Todd. "You're still people who deserve as much freedom as everyone else."
Without even thinking about it, Bella took his hand.
"What have humans ever done for me…?" Alice repeated out loud.
"You're name's Alice, right? Sorry, you just don't talk much unlike Bella! But you're pretty cool too, ya know!"
"It's nice having someone who understands my way of thinking for once. I think we're going to be great friends, Alice."
Alice found the strength to push herself against the ground, glaring at the hunchback. "These humans gave me my first friends…"
"Hey, the name's Joan Maplewood. From today and onwards, I'll be your new foster mother. I hope the four of us will be able to get along."
"My name's Todd Maplewood, but I guess Ma already explained that to ya, huh? I guess you're my sisters now! This will be so sweet! I always wanted siblings!"
Before the hunchback could even stop her, Alice landed a devastating headbutt against him. The attack pushed him back, allowing her to finally stand back up. "These humans gave me a new family…" New found determination etched its way to her face as the wolf bared her sharp fangs. "And I'll be damned if I let anyone take them away!"
"Stupid little girl!" Dutch hissed. "Fine, be that way, but my zombie will still-"
HONK!
"SPECIAL DELIVERY!" Max declared as the Rustbucket rammed straight into the massive zombie, knocking it down before landing on the ground.
"Mr. Tennyson!?" Alice gasped.
"I'm here too!" Kenny waved his arm out the window.
"I see that, but what are you doing here!?"
Max stepped out of the Rustbucket, holding a modified gun in his arms. "Here to lend a hand is all."
Dutch hissed at the old man. "And what does some measly old man think he can do!? Zombie, kill them!" He ordered his monster as it got back up. The creature roared loudly, planning to smash the ex-Plumber to mush.
"Mr. Tennyson!"
"Grandpa!"
"Heh, didn't anyone ever tell you not to underestimate the elderly? Because we old folks always have tricks up our sleeves!" Max pointed the gun at the zombie and fired, nailing his large target in the head. However, nothing happened to the large monster, because even it was confused.
"What? It didn't do anything!" Kenny cried.
"Ha! As I said, against my zombie, all means of fighting are worthless-"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Eh?"
CRASH!
Turning back to the massive zombie, everyone except Max stared in shock as the flesh started to vanish from its body. The large monster turned from a terrifying zombie to just a harmless pile of bones on the ground.
Dutch was visibly shaken. "M-my zombie!"
"Woah! How did you do that, Grandpa!?" Kenny asked.
Max smirked, showing off the gun. "Back in the day, we ran into some zombie-like creatures on a mission. We weren't able to kill them the normal way, so we had to design some weapons capable of reversing the effects."
Dutch, having heard the explanation, growled at the ex-Plumber. "T-to think some measly human was able to undo the effects of my serum! I-I won't allow this to stand! I'm gonna-
POW!
He wasn't allowed to finish as Alice's fist smashed into his jaw, sliding the hunchback across the dirt. He screamed in pain, holding the almost-certainly broken jaw. Dutch cowered in fear as Alice slowly crept towards him, cracking her knuckles.
"I'm going to take a page out of my sister's book and enjoy this far more than I should."
Gwen grunted as the energy blast from Scrooge cracked her shield. The sorceress turned to her cousin, who was fiddling with the Omnitrix. "Is that thing charged yet?!"
"I-I don't know! You wanna ask the stupid watch?!"
"I can't, because I'm too busy protecting my doofus cousin and that stupid watch!"
Scrooge laughed maliciously, enjoying their plight. "You two can argue all you want after becoming my perfect little sacrifices!"
Gwen raised a brow at that. "Sacrifice-Kya!" She cried as the shield gave way, pushing her into Ben. The two tumbled across the ground, getting stuck in a ball of limbs.
"Don't worry, little girl. The dead don't have any reason to ask silly questions-GUAH!" Scrooge screamed as something barreled into his back. The vampire slid across the dirt face-fist as Bella rode him like a surfboard.
"Bella!" Ben and Gwen exclaimed.
The wolf girl grinned, holding up a peace sign. "Yo! Did you two miss me?"
"Nope."
"Why would anyone miss you?"
"OI! AT LEAST TRY TO LOOK HAPPY!" Bella screamed at them. She would've yelled at them more if Scrooge hadn't pushed her off of him, giving him the chance to stand back up.
He stared at Bella with disbelief. "How!? My power should've reminded you of your hatred of humans!"
Bella frowned, sharpening her claws. "It did, but it also reminded me of what I've managed to gain. Not all humans are bad, and the ones that are good are more than worth protecting. Killing them only makes people fear us more instead of seeing us equal living beings." She smirked as both Ben and Gwen stood side-by-side with her. "I'm not gonna waste this second chance to live my life by my own rules!"
Scrooge scowled. "So be it, child. You'll die with the rest of these fools."
Ben looked down to see that the watch was back in green. "I don't think so, Alucard! We're kicking your butt this time! It's Hero Time!"
FLASH!
Feedback cracked his knuckles, sparks circling his body. "C'mon!"
Scrooge wasted no time, rushing for the brats to end this madness. However, Gwen was quick to box him in with constructs, keeping him contained. Feedback soared over the blockade, unleashing a torrent of electricity at the vampire. The living vampire screamed as the sparks electrocuted him.
Sliding underneath the construct, Bella pulled back her fist and landed a devastating uppercut to Scrooge's jaw. The vampire bit back his scream, raised his arms, and brought them down on Bella to spike her into the ground. Scrooge gathered up energy and used it to destroy the construct blocking him.
Feedback used that chance to rush in and punched the vampire across the jaw, but Scrooge recovered faster than he thought and backhanded the Conductoid. Above him, Gwen soared above with a raised leg for an axe-kick, but was stopped by a single grab. He was going to smash her into the ground if it wasn't for Bella sweeping his legs from under him, leaving him open for Feedback to blast him with more electricity.
The old vampire kept himself from falling, then started building up energy again. He sent the ball of energy towards the kids in hopes of blowing them away. Unfortunately for him, Feedback held out his fingers and absorbed the energy into his body. "WHAT!?"
"Thanks for the snack, buddy! I'll be sure to put this energy to good use!"
Scrooge, in an act of desperation, fired off more energy blasts, but they all kept getting absorbed by Feedback. "W-what are you?!"
"The name's Ben Tennyson, the baddest kid to ever save the day!" Feedback declared.
"And he's not the only one you have to deal with!" Gwen and Bella had used the distraction to flank the vampire. Scrooge gasped, but wasn't ready to give up just yet! He still had enough power left to hold these two back!
If only two black antennae didn't wrap themselves around his arms. The plugs attached themselves to his body and sent shocks through his body. "LET HIM HAVE IT!" Feedback yelled.
"WITH PLEASURE!" Gwen's mana-infused fists and Bella's enhanced fists were cocked back with brutal power ready to be unleashed.
POW!
Gwen's fists landed first, nailing the vampire in the jaw.
BAM!
Bella's punches struck his liver, making the vampire squeal like a pig.
WHAM!
Gwen uppercutted Scrooge's sternum, knocking the wind out of the old vampire.
SLAM!
The wolf girl's hammerstrike smashed him into the concrete.
SMASH!
The girls struck simultaneous kicks to Scrooge's jaw, sending the vampire skidding across the graveyard. The villain's body was broken and battered, too hurt to continue fighting the heroes.
Bella and Gwen celebrated their beatdown. "Aw yeah! We girls rock!" They shared a high-five, leaving Feedback to just stare at them.
"Man…why is every female in my life incredibly violent?" He muttered.
The Tennysons and the twins had joined back up, both Scrooge and Dutch had been tied down and captured. "Don't you two think about doing anything crazy, the police will be here soon to take you to jail." Max warned them.
Scrooge didn't respond, simply looking up at the night sky. He watched as the moon stood at its highest peak, which was worthless to him now that he had failed his goal. He didn't care much about what the old man said, because it didn't matter. This body of his wasn't going to last much longer. "Do you know why I hate Halloween so much?"
"Didn't really ask-OW!" Ben yelped as all three girls smacked him on the head. "What was that for!?"
"For being an insensitive jerk, now shut it!" Bella hissed dangerously.
"Why? I can assume it's because you lost someone, right?" Alice asked.
"You would be correct."
"Master!"
"It's fine, Dutch, it doesn't matter anymore." Scrooge said. He returned his gaze back towards the moon. "100 years ago, there was a purge. The humans had grown tired of our kind, wishing to get rid of those who weren't considered human. They had discovered our weaknesses, which granted them the power needed to stand against us."
"Man…" Kenny couldn't imagine how terrifying that had to have been.
"It was quicker than I could've predicted; my people hunted and killed with myself unable to do anything to help. But there was one person I believed that I could protect…my wife, Maria." A soft smile reached his face. "But…when the humans stormed our castle, Maria chose to sacrifice herself for me, to protect me from them."
"Just like mom…" Bella and Alice realized the similarities with Scrooge and their father: Two men driven to extreme levels of hatred due to the loss of their wives who were more than willing to sacrifice themselves for those they love.
"When all monsters were thought to be eradicated, humans created a day to celebrate it. Though it changed over the years, I still recognized the original intent behind it all."
"That's…wow." Gwen frowned.
Alice stepped forward. "We understand how you feel, but taking out this hatred on others wasn't the answer."
Scrooge looked the little girls in the eyes, wishing to hear what they had to say. "Then, please tell me, what is the answer?"
"We don't know." Bella answered truthfully.
"It's something we're still trying to figure out ourselves, but we're more than willing to move on from that hatred to find it. A world stained with blood would only bury the answer away even further." Alice explained.
"I see…" Scrooge felt the last of his power leave his body, a content smile finding its way to his lips. "Then I hope that you girls manage to find that answer." To everyone's shock, Scrooge's body vanished, leaving only the clothes behind. The particles levitating towards the moon above, illuminated by its light.
The Tennysons and twins gave their silence as Dutch cried out his master's name.
Bella and Alice waved goodbye to the Tennysons as Max dropped them off back home. The girls were beyond tired, but were hoping that the Maplewoods were asleep by now. As they entered the house, they quietly made their way to the stairs.
CLICK!
"Crap." Bella cursed. The girls turned to see Joan sitting on the sofa, giving the girls a soft look.
"I won't bother asking why you two are home with bruises and scars, because it's too late at night for that conversation. We can have that when the sun rises." Both girls internally groaned, having forgotten about their wounds. "But… I do want to apologize."
"Huh?"
"I should've noticed that you girls were uncomfortable about Halloween considering your backgrounds, but I hadn't even realized it. As your foster mother I need to be better for the both of you, but I failed."
"No."
"What?" Joan stared at Alice.
"You didn't fail, Joan. Not when we haven't given you a chance to try." Alice said.
"Yeah, you're pretty cool and stuff. We should've talked to you about it before, but we were too focused on ourselves to see that. I… I don't want to let the past keep me chained down anymore." Bella said.
"Especially, when we have a loving parent who was willing to take us into her home." Before the girls could do anything, Joan had wrapped them both up in a tight hug. The girls returned the embrace, allowing tears to fall from their eyes. In their heads they could only think of one thing:
"Is this what a mother's love feels like?"
Monster 10 (End)
NOTE: I hope you guys enjoyed.
Oh wait, there's still one last thing.
The Tennysons relaxed as Max took them back to their respective homes. Kenny was on his phone as it buzzed, alerting him that he got a new e-mail. "Huh? Oh, it seems Yukiko just sent me an email."
"Really!? Let me see!" Ben rushed over to see what Yukiko could've sent. Gwen lightly pushed him out the way, so that she could get a good view of it too.
"Maybe, it's what she and the others did for Halloween?" Gwen suggested.
"Could be." Max responded from the front. "They probably threw a party to celebrate."
Kenny opened the e-mail, so that he and the kids could see what Yukiko had sent them. "Heh, I bet Yukiko cooked and they all…got…food…oh…" His face had grown incredibly pale as he stared at the image.
He wasn't the only one as Ben and Gwen's faces had lost all semblance of color as they stared at Yukiko's message.
The text was a bunch of cryptic scrambled words with a picture of Jason-kiko standing over the 'corpses' of her friends. The villainous heiress was holding a flaming chainsaw, while also doing a weird pose similar to that of a blonde vampire with the ability to stop time.
Max looked at his kids through the rearview mirror. "What's wrong? What did Yukiko send?"
The three looked at each other before Kenny decided to delete the e-mail entirely. "You're better off not knowing, Grandpa."
END