Hello, my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
I should also say I apologize if the first chapter was a bit uncomfortable. I know I didn't include anything inappropriate, but I don't usually write like that. I will make this more friendly and more exciting. Don't worry, more excitement will come!
Now, let's continue our story...
Season 2, episode 2; Picnic Panic
Days passed after Audrey and the boys broke out of their prison situations. Things seem to be slow for the group, especially after all that. The boys still had a few days before they were ungrounded, and Audrey decided to take the chance to clear their name.
She found herself at the police station, where she was chatting with the same bee officers who arrested the boys at the cookie factory.
"And so you see, officer. The boys did not break into the factory, since the guard at the door let them in." Audrey explained. "They didn't cause any damage to the place and only ate a few of the cookies."
"Well, I guess since they didn't do anything terrible, then I guess we can drop the charges." The chief officer announced. "Since they spent some time in prison, we don't see any need to send them back. We will leave them with a warning, but know that if they try something like that again, they will be punished."
"Of course, officer. Thank you for not pressing charges." Audrey sighed.
The bee officer bid her farewell and she headed out. While that helped the situation, that still didn't make Audrey feel better about what happened.
She knew the boys shouldn't have gone into the factory, but at the same time, Chalice should not have pressured them into doing so.
On top of that, she didn't show up to confess what happened that night. It made Audrey furious, seeing that they wanted to spend time with her and she left them when they needed her most.
"It's not right. It's just not." Audrey muttered as she entered the cottage. She headed upstairs to the guest room and laid on the bed, facing away from the door.
Just then the door opened and Josh stepped in, placing his hat on the chair.
"Whew, what a day." He sighed. "I tell ya even during the summer, it can get busy with shopping."
He looked over and saw her laying on the bed. He had a strong feeling she was feeling pretty down and low in energy.
He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back gently. "Hey, you ok? You look a little down."
"I just don't feel good." She replied, her voice cracking a bit.
"You're still upset about that day, huh?" Josh asked.
While he, Monica and Andy rescued her from the Devil, she hadn't been able to get a good night's rest and had been scared to fall asleep, worried she might end up back in that horrifying dream world with him.
The group tried many things to help, but the fear still lingered and it was hard for her to feel at peace.
"Yes." She answered, feeling tears slip down her face. "I-I'm sorry, Josh. I-I feel horrible."
"Why? Why do you feel horrible?" Josh asked.
"Because I-I feel like I cheated on you." She answered. "I actually enjoyed the dream world and hung on his every word. I feel terrible and honestly violated."
"Audie, no, you didn't cheat on me." Josh assured her, helping her up and placed her head on his chest.
He gently wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder with his other.
"Look, he placed a very powerful spell on you and made the whole thing so real. He took advantage of you and used it to try and get you."
"I just couldn't fight it." She choked out. "I tried to fight his power, but it was too strong. I made a vow to love you and to be there for you. I feel like I broke it."
"Audie, no. Don't say that. You didn't break any wedding vow." Josh informed her. "He may be a defeated foe, and someone who acts like a child, but he's still got some tricks up his sleeve. Look, if you knew about the world being a dream and still went along with it, then we would be having an entirely different conversation."
Audrey nodded and sniffled a bit.
"And on top of that, you're stressed out and haven't gotten a good night's sleep." Josh added. "Monica and Andy are working on herbal tea to help you, which should be ready later today."
Josh paused for a second, before a thought came to him.
"Say, what have you got planned for today?"
"Erm, nothing really." Audrey answered. "I don't have work today and I just cleared the boys' names."
"Come on. Let's go on a picnic. Just the two of us." Josh announced.
"Really? Don't you have things to do?" Audrey asked.
"Yeah, but you're first priority." He reminded her. "Come on, we'll make all kinds of yummy food and spend time together, not thinking of that demonic freak."
"Well, a picnic would be nice." Audrey smiled. "Can I pack my favorite ham and cheese sandwiches?"
"You can pack whatever you'd like." Josh smiled. "I want you to have a good time today."
He gave her a gentle kiss and the two headed to the kitchen to make some lunch. They made a variety of sandwiches, sides, fun drinks and desserts. They placed them in a picnic basket, grabbed a blanket and headed out the door.
A bit later, the two strolled in the forest, holding each other's hands. The sun was peeking through the branches and leaves of the various plants and trees, the sounds of birds chirping filled the air and the warm wind brushed by them, lifting their spirits.
Josh carried the picnic basket handles around his arm while Audrey held the blanket in her arms. They proceeded forward until they came to a clearing. It was near the river, surrounded by trees, bushes and other plant life.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Audrey gasped.
"It is! I found this area a few days ago." Josh explained. "Thought it would be the perfect spot with my perfect girl."
Audrey began to blush and smile bashfully. Josh always knew the right thing to say, and made her feel really loved. He treated her like a person, and is always willing to help her, as much as she wants to help Josh.
Once they made it to the middle of the clearing, Audrey unfolded the blanket and laid it on the ground. Once it was settled, the two sat down and began to unload the food from the basket. They ate, chatted and laughed together.
It felt like nothing could ruin this special moment.
Sadly, someone will.
In the underworld, the Devil, who finally healed after the ball and chain crashed on him, was spying on the two through his looking glass, seeing red.
"UGH! I can't stand that blonde-haired loser!" He shouted. "How dare she think he's better for her, when in reality, I am far better!"
"D'uh, I don't know, boss." Henchman piped up, holding a tray of refreshments. "When you brought her here last time, she was kicking and screaming. It didn't sound like she was happy to see you or wanted to be here."
"She was just having a rough day." The Devil argued. "Besides, once I get her back here, I will win her over, marry her and make her my wife and queen!"
"Duh, boss, have you ever considered that she may not want to marry you?" Henchman asked. "She seems more happy with Josh, and he seems really nice. Maybe you should go after someone who's more interested?"
"The only thing that would interest me is getting wedding ideas down and what music we will be dancing to!" His boss snapped. "I will bring her here and we will get married whether she likes it or not!"
Henchman wanted to say something else but the Devil grabbed his pitchfork and teleported out. Henchman took a sigh and turned to an imp who appeared with a few supplies.
"You ok, Henchman?" the imp asked.
"I think we need to get the first aid kit out. Again." He sighed.
The imp nodded and rushed off.
With the young couple, the two continued to eat and Audrey pulled out a bag of cut up celery and a container of buffalo Chicken Dip. She placed it in the middle of the blanket and dipped a celery in, taking a bite.
"Mmm. That is so good." She smiled, her mouth a bit full.
"Wow! It's got a bit of a kick." Josh mentioned. "Not one to burn my mouth, but adds a pack of flavor."
"Oh yeah. Lexie made this once when we were hanging out and it was soo good." She informed him. "I had to get the recipe."
"Good ol Lexie. Always got a taste for something good." Josh sighed. "I heard her mother used to have spicy food when she was expecting Lex."
"Interesting. My mother used to crave Italian sandwiches."
"I think mine craved mozzarella stuffed meatballs. Which would make sense why I got excited for them each time she made them."
Audrey giggled and took another bite. As she and Josh ate more of the dip, the Devil teleported behind a large tree, not too far from the picnic sight.
He peered over and glared at Josh, who opened his mouth for Audrey to pop a grape in his mouth. It's like those classic romance scenes where the girl feeds the guy a grape or a small piece of food, like he's a king.
"That annoying blonde thinks he can keep my bride from me, huh?" He muttered. "We'll see about that! If there's one thing I am fluent at, next to torture, deception and causing mayhem, is getting rid of the competition!"
He began to look around, trying to look for inspiration to commence his scheme when a thought came to him. He took his pitchfork and casted a spell. The couple were finishing up their smoothies when suddenly Josh noticed small little black creatures coming to their spot.
"Wait, what are those?" He asked. "They're coming very quickly…"
Audrey looked down from her drink when she realized what they were.
"Oh my gosh! Those are ants!"
That's right, folks. Several lines of ants marched and invaded their spot, attempting to climb all over their food and the picnic basket.
Thinking fast, the two humans grabbed and placed their meal in the basket, slipped off the blanket and grabbed it, shaking the blanket to fling them off. They wouldn't stop coming, as more and more appeared and attempted to get into the basket.
"Ugh! These ants will not go away!" Josh grunted. "I know I've seen picnic episodes like this, but this is ridiculous!"
"I know! We need to get them away from here!" Audrey added, smacking a few off the blanket. "There's got to be something they like besides food!"
Josh looked around the area, trying to come up with a plan, when a thought came to him.
"Audie! Draw a huge pile of sugar!"
"What?! Why?!" She asked.
"Just do it!"
Audrey did and to the far left of them, an enormous pile of sugar appeared. The ants took notice and began to rush to it, climbing the mountain of sweetener. She even drew a house that covered it and teleported it out of the area.
The plain was calm once again and Josh took a breath.
"Whew. That was close."
"Great thinking on that." Audrey commented, as the two laid down the blanket. "How did you know ants were attracted to sugar?"
"Couple of things; one, we did an insect unit in high school and they brought that up, and two, I remember you telling me that one of the reasons your uncle Liam married your Aunt Lana is because she's really sweet. Get it? Aunt? Ant? Kinda follows the same sound."
"Ok, I get it." Audrey smiled, playfully rolling her eyes. "Well, since that's taken care of, let's return to our date."
The two sat down, pulled out their food, and resumed their meal. The Devil growled in annoyance, angry that his plan didn't work.
"Are you kidding me?! That always makes a scene in any picnic!" He grunted. "Stupid blonde actually knew what to do. Well, let's see how he handles this!"
He casted another spell and this time, the sky turned dark and the wind began to pick up. The couple noticed this and began to panic.
"Whoa! What's going on?!" Audrey cried.
"I don't know, but we need to go!" Josh replied. He grabbed Audrey's hand and made a run for it.
They weren't far from their spot when almost immediately, the wind started to blow around them faster and faster, and right before their very eyes, a tornado formed and swirled towards them.
"Oh jeez! Oh Jeez! Oh jeez!" Audrey panicked, as the two ran faster.
They tried to get away, but the twister was approaching closer until it sucked them right up, twisting and spinning them, like they were in a blender minus the blade of course.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Josh cried, holding onto his hat and trying to reach for Audrey.
"Yikes!" She screamed, holding down her dress. "This is worse than that tornado in Mario Kart Double Dash!"
They spun around faster and faster and were drawing closer near the funnel. The Devil watched with a sickening grin, edging closer to the spot.
"Oh, this is perfect." He grinned. "Once they get flung out, I'll be there to catch my bride and let the idiot fall to his doom."
The two got closer and closer near the funnel and Audrey frantically pondered a plan, one that would save her neck as well as Josh's. She looked over at his hat and her dress.
Suddenly she had an idea.
"Josh!" She called. "When we get flung out, open your hat!"
"You sure!?" He called back.
"Trust me!"
They were shot out of the tornado and high in the sky. In that brief second of being up in the sky, Josh held up his hat and Audrey quickly drew something in her sketchbook. A swirl of magic flew around them and they began to pummel down to earth.
Just as they neared the ground-
POOF!
Josh's hat and Audrey's dress opened up like a parachute and the two floated down to the ground, landing harmlessly feet first.
Josh placed his hat back on and Audrey smoothed out her dress, as their picnic supplies fell and landed back in place.
"Ugh! That should have worked!" The Devil sulked. "Forgot she had that stupid sketchbook. Worse than that stupid invisible impenetrable sweater. Ok, new plan, and this time, it will be sweet revenge!"
Audrey and Josh dusted themselves off and caught their breaths.
"Jeez, that was crazy." Josh gasped. "Great thinking with the sketchbook."
"No worries." Audrey smiled. "Not the first time I used my dress as a parachute. And great thing our picnic wasn't destroyed, but where's our pie?"
Just then, The Devil saw a small shadow grow bigger and bigger.
He looked up and
SPLAT!
A strawberry pie landed right on his face, filling sliding off his face. He growled, and wiped his face off.
Audrey bit into her sandwich and wondered about the events that had happened. The ants attacking was strange, but at the same time it could have happened to anyone but the tornado was a weird moment, seeing that the sky cleared and it vanished from sight.
She had one idea on what could be going on but she wanted to wait a bit and see if anything else happened.
And to their surprise, something did happen.
The Devil, having enough, grabbed a stone and threw it at Josh, hoping to smack him in the face.
Josh, unbeknownst to him, ducked down to reach for a sandwich, causing the stone to miss him, hit a branch which pulled back on a branch and flung back, smacking the Devil hard in the face and causing him to hit the ground hard.
The two finished their lunch and decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Audrey took a small yawn and placed her head on Josh's shoulder, who gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, wrapping his arm around her.
The Devil stood up, saw the couple and became very angry, along with a mark on his face.
"Alright, you want to do this the hard way?! I'll do it the hard way!"
He grabbed his pitchfork and teleported.
The water near them began to bubble and shake violently. Before the couple could figure out what it was, just then, a long and scaly tentacle emerged from the water and grabbed Josh, pulling him hard from Audrey.
"JOSH!" Audrey screamed.
She bolted to the edge of the river when just then something violently arose from the water. She watched in complete horror as she saw a monstrous sized octopus before her. It gave a thunderous roar before sneering down at her.
"Well, hello, my sweet. Having a nice day?"
It didn't take her long to figure out it was the Devil, remembering he could shapeshift into different creatures, as he showed when the boys first got the invisible sweater.
Which was still a mystery on where it went after the time at the Pier.
Sorry, got off track.
"Hey! Put him down!" Audrey shouted. "You'll be sorry if you don't!"
"Ah ah ah. If you try anything, I will personally drown this fool." He taunted. He quickly flipped Josh grabbed him by his leg, dangling him upside down.
"Audrey! Run!" Josh cried, squirming a bit.
Audrey began to panic. She didn't want to leave Josh but at the same time, she didn't want him to drown. He's able to hold his breath for a while, but not forever.
Before Adure could act, she then noticed that the Devil looked a bit pale, and heard that his breathing was shorter and heavier. Normally she wouldn't care, especially this coming from the Father of Lies, but she couldn't help but wonder if something was up.
"Uh, you ok?" Audrey asked.
"Perfectly *gasp* fine, my *gasp* lovely." The Devil panted. "Now be a *gasp* good girl and *gasp* come with me so we can *gasp* be married!"
Audrey arched an eyebrow until something came to her mind.
"Wait, I think I know what's wrong. You're in a freshwater marsh and octopuses can't survive in freshwater." She explained. "They need to be in salty water like the ocean."
A deadspan look came over the Devil. Once more, the idiot didn't seem to think logically about his planning and now was suffering. He groaned a bit, nearly losing his grip on Josh.
"Ya know, that would explain why I'm feeling a bit queasy." He mentioned. "I thought it was something I ate."
"Glad you figured that out." Josh muttered.
"Don't worry. There's a simple solution to this; just place Josh down on the ground safely and turn into I dunno a fish that can survive the river." Audrey suggested.
"No! I won't release him until you agree to marry me!" The Devil snapped.
Audrey pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, groaning. He really did act like a child, giving him a simple solution but not even taking it because he thinks his idea is far better.
She needed to come up with an idea and fast, not knowing how much longer he was willing to keep Josh alive.
Just then, something clicked in her mind. She rushed back to the picnic sight and dug through the basket. She finally found what she was looking for and pulled it out. It was a salt shaker, bringing it in case either one of them needed a little seasoning for their food.
She strolled back, unscrewed the top and poured in the salt. Now, Audrey knew that she was giving him a bit of a helping hand, and could easily get his strength back, but if there was one thing movies and tv shows taught her is attacking someone in their weakest moment was low and unfair play.
The only exception was in Super Smash Bros. when the player is over 190% of damage and could easily K.O. them with a powerful attack and end the tournament.
"Ok this should help." Audrey stated. "I'll just add a little salt."
"Whew. Well, I'm glad that you're helping." The Devil sighed. "You must really love me."
Audrey finished dumping the salt and shot a glare at him.
"First off, I don't love you, and that last incident made it very clear that I don't want to even be around you. And second of all, attacking you with a drawing from my sketchbook while you're weakened is a cheap and shallow move."
"Well, if you would have just cooperated with me in the dream world and agreed then maybe-"
Just then, he stopped mid sentence and to their surprise, he collapsed in the water, freeing Josh from his grip and caused him to fall on the ground. He scrambled to his feet and rushed over to Audrey.
"Hey, you ok?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm good." She nodded. "I'm glad he didn't hurt you."
"Yeah, I'm all good." He replied. "But that was kinda random. How could salt make him faint?"
"I dunno…" Audrey dropped a few specks of salt on her finger and took a taste.
"Oh, I see why. This isn't salt. It's sugar."
"Wait, what? How did that happen?"
"Oh, I know. The boys must have done this to prank one another." Audrey suggested. "I think they started the prank but, never finished it because they were in jail."
"Ah. That makes sense." Josh nodded. "Well, I think we had enough fun for one day. Ready to head back?"
"Yeah. I think so."
They then started to pack up their picnic and prepared to leave the area. The Devil, who was now in his normal form soaking wet, crawled back to the surface and saw the two starting to leave.
"Alright, that does it." He growled. "No one makes a fool out of me!"
Don't really need them for that. *Snicker snicker*
He decided to pull one last trick, one that would really get them good.
The two were heading back on the path they took when just then, they felt the grasslands rumble. Trees shook, birds flew off and the couple was losing their balance.
"Whoa! What's going on?!" Audrey cried.
"I'm hoping it's an earthquake!" Josh called out.
However, he was wrong as the ground shook harder and harder. Right before as trees and long branches were torn down by an enormous and terrifying looking lawn mower. It was different from average mowers, since on top there was a large control panel and the Devil managing it, grinning wickedly from ear to ear.
"Oh you gotta be kidding…" Josh grumbled.
"Ok! I was polite! I was reasonable! Remember, you forced me to do this!" The Devil spat. "Now hand over my bride or I'll rip you to shreds!"
"I'm not going to do that!" Josh shouted. "You want her?! Gotta go through me first!"
"That's the idea, you little weasel!" The Devil sneered.
He pulled a handle and it began to move again, this time it began to increase in speed. The two made no hesitations and made a run for it.
The thing was as he chased them around, the area was getting cut up and he almost ran over some woodland creatures. They were unharmed, thankfully, but Audrey didn't want this to be ruined or trashed. She needed to act fast.
She got out her sketchpad, quickly scribbled and what appeared in her palm was a cork, one that's used for wine bottles.
"Uh, Audrey, what good is that little thing going to do?" Josh asked, panting.
"Sometimes, a little thing can make a big difference." Audrey answered. "Now, stop by the lake over there. I need a clear shot."
Josh nodded and the two halted near the edge of the lake. The Devil got closer and closer, inches away from them. He assumed Josh would shove Audrey out of the way so he could kill him and then nab her.
Then, as the world went into slow motion, Audrey took aim and threw the cork at the machine. By mere luck, it shot into a small pipe and it was stuck in there. That caused the smoke that was coming out of the pipe to get clogged up and caused it to expand bigger and bigger. Not only that but the controls began to overheat and to break down.
"What?! No! All systems are failing!?" He cried, vigorously pulling knobs and pushing buttons.
It didn't help as it began to shake violently and steam blew out and whistled thunderously, like a tea pot with boiling water. Josh grabbed Audrey, bolted and jumped into a large bush when-
KABOOM!
The mower exploded, leaving a large crater in the middle. The two peered out and saw the destruction, as well as broken parts falling and scattering all over. The Devil screamed as he fell and landed flat on his face, burnt to a crisp.
"We should go." Josh claimed.
"Yeah. Let's." Audrey nodded.
They gathered their things and scampered away, vanishing from sight.
The Devil stood up and groaned, feeling pain all over his body. He looked around and saw his machine turned to scrap metal and the humans vanished from sight.
"Ugh, I hate that blonde buffon." He grunted.
He grabbed his pitchfork and teleported home.
Once he was in the underworld, Henchman saw him and was about to ask him but his employer simply stated
"Not a word."
Meanwhile, the humans arrived safely at the cottage, out of breath.
"Whew, that was close." Josh panted. "Great thinking with that cork, Audie."
"Thanks. I remember seeing that in a movie once but I'm glad it worked." She mentioned. "I'm sorry he ruined the picnic."
"Eh, it's ok." Josh shrugged. "We managed to have lunch and everything so it's all good. I could use some time to rest. I'm a bit worn out after that."
"Good call." Audie nodded.
The couple headed inside and rested for the remainder of the day. When it was time for bed, Andy handed Audrey a cup of tea that had special herbs in it.
"And you sure this will help me sleep?" She asked.
"100%." Andy assured her. "You'll still have dreams, but they're good dreams."
"Alright, I trust ya." Audrey nodded. "And let's make time to get to know each other and talk about how you're my brother. Still need to clarify things."
"Oh yeah, for sure. I figured you needed time off after that." He mentioned. "Don't worry, sis. I'm not leaving just yet."
She smiled and sipped on her tea. Once she was finished, she and Josh headed to sleep and for the first time in a while, she was able to get some rest and dream happy and pleasant dreams, being at home with her friends and family.
It was going to take a while to get back, not to mention the Devil wanting Audrey to be with him, but she was determined to find a way home.
One adventure at a time.
Well, that was pretty thrilling and it serves him right for bothering them! Guess he's pretty persistent and won't give up, but neither are our heroes. "Toon" in next time for another thrilling adventure!
As always, thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review, but let's avoid the flames please :D