Chapter 3


The moon was high in the night sky, and stars were shimmering brightly. High above the grass lands of Ooo, Marceline the Vampire Queen let out a content sigh as she bathed herself in the moon's light. After a long day of being cooped up away from the sun, Marceline greatly enjoyed the freedom that night blessed her with.
She ran her fingers through her long black hair as the wind gently blew against her.

"Mmmm…that's nice." She sighed happily as the cool night air sent pleasant shivers down her spine.

No matter how many times she had seen the moon over the eons, it never failed to make her feel alive.
Her fingers gracefully traced over her bass guitar with anticipation. She had been trying to work on a new song, but she had been having trouble coming up with anything. She couldn't think of any lyrics yet, so she hoped that maybe she could flesh out the tune that night.

As she readied her guitar, she noticed that a large flock of birds were flying out of the tree line of the neighboring forest.

"Something must have spooked them." She said dismissively. "Not my problem."

After taking a moment to prep herself, Marceline began to strum the chords of her bass. She stopped and quickly retuned her instrument.

"That's not right." She muttered as she steadily twisted the tuning pegs.

Once she was finished retuning her guitar, she quickly went back to strumming a soft melody. She still couldn't think of any lyrics, but at least she had a tune to follow.

I wonder what Princess Bubblegum is up to tonight? Marceline thought as she continued to play her melody. Or that goofball Finn. Haven't seen him in a while.

Marceline had noticed that Finn had been looking a little down for a good while. Marceline hadn't seen Finn so bummed out since his breakup with Flame Princess.
She knew that he had taken it hard, but he seemed to have since gotten over it. He just needed time to heal.
Despite that, Finn seemed to be back in the gloomy cloud that he had lost himself in once again.
She had tried her best to get him to brighten up, but nothing had worked. But Marceline was persistent, she knew that she would get him to cheer up eventually.
It was only a matter of time, something which she had plenty of.

Finn just needs time to sort his brain and feels out. That's all. Marceline thought with a sad smile.

As for Princess Bubblegum, she had been so busy with managing her kingdom, that she hardly had time for anyone now.
This stung more than she wished it did as the two of them had become very close friends.
Marceline hated to admit it, but the land of Ooo was slowly feeling more lonesome.
However; she knew that this rough period was just another bump on the long road of life. Eventually, things would go back to normal.
They always did. It was all just a matter of time.

And I have plenty of time. Marceline thought coolly as she continued to strum thoughtlessly.


Marceline's ears twitched as she heard a low rumbling far off in the distance.

Thunder? She thought as she stopped playing her melody. But there isn't a cloud in sight.

The rumbling persisted for a few moments before everything grew silent once more.

That was weird…whatever. Marceline shrugged her shoulders. No skin of my nose.

The wind shifted slightly, and with it, came a terrible, acrid smell. Marceline hissed in disgust as she covered her nose.

"Glob, what is that stink?!" she spat bitterly.

She knew this smell, all vampires and those that hunted them knew it. It was the smell of garlic.

"Who uses that much garlic to cook?" she gagged as the stench wormed its way into her nose.

Marceline hid her nose under her shirt, as she tried to find the source of the stench.

With teary, yet still keen eyes, Marceline noticed that the tree line was abuzz with activity.
Dozens, maybe hundreds of tiny woodland animals were running out of the forest.
Most likely trying to get away from the vile smell that had fallen upon their slumbering heads.

"Good idea!" Marceline hissed as she dove for the ground. "Time to bounce!"

The air lower to the ground was easier on her senses, but not by much. In fact, the air seemed to be growing thicker with the pungent smell.

"What's with this friggin' smell?!" Marceline gagged as she flew as fast as she could.
The moon light that once bathed the land in light suddenly grew dim as a thick black cloud rolled over the night sky.
Again, Marceline could hear the dull rumbling. This time it sounded closer.


A rush of relief flooded through her as the familiar opening of her cavernous home quickly came into view.
With a burst of incredible speed, Marceline bolted into the subterranean refuge.
The gentle glow of the subterranean fungus that covered the cavern ceiling gave Marceline all the light that she needed. Not that she needed any light.
She could see perfectly in pitch-blackness should she ever need to.
Without skipping a beat, she quickly flew to her house and flung open the door before slamming it behind her.

"Made it!" she exclaimed happily as she let out a held breath. "That was too crazy…"

Marceline sniffed herself and hissed in disgust. The strong stink of garlic had stuck to her clothing and body.

"So yuck!" she hissed as she pulled her shirt off and threw it across the living room. "I sooo need a shower…"


After stripping out of her garlic smelling clothing, Marceline quickly hopped in the shower and scrubbed the smell off.
After a quick shower, she slipped into a fresh change of clothes. Shorts, and a loose-fitting t-shirt. Her hair was still damp, but she didn't mind it.
With her evening of outside fun ruined, Marceline lazily floated into her living room.
She picked up her guitar and started to strum absentmindedly before remembering the melody she had made up earlier.

All I need are lyrics, and I'm golden. She thought happily as she floated over her couch.

Her mind was abruptly pulled from her music as a new scent wafted into her nose.

What now? She thought with a scowl as she looked around the room. The smell was subtle, but she would find its source. Nothing escaped her nose.
After following her nose around the house, Marceline finally found the source of the strange smell.
Setting tucked under her television was a small box with the words "For Player Three," written on the lid.

What is this? Marceline thought as she looked over the box. Is this some kind of prank?

She held the box gently up to her nose and sniffed it. She could smell rust, oil, coal, and blood.

Blood…why do you smell like blood, box? She asked as she lifted up its lid.

Inside the box was a small tape recorder with the words "Play Me," written on the label. She picked it up and debated on whether or not she should play it.
Next to the recorder sat a pile of photographs. Still holding the recorder, Marceline quickly flipped through the photos.
The photos were of herself, Finn, Princess Bubblegum, and Flame Princess.
An intense anger surged through her veins as she studied the photos of herself.
Several of them had been taken while she had been showering earlier that night.
Someone was in her house!

"Alright, I know your in here! Show yourself and I'll go easy on you!" She practically roared as she raised her bass, brandishing its axe blade edge. With her fangs bared menacingly, Marceline took the tape recorder and began to crush it in her hand. With a crackle, the tape recorder began to play.

"That was unwise."

With a white flash and a loud bang, the tape recorder suddenly exploded in Marceline's hand. She screamed in pain as her skin smoked and burned.
Dropping her bass and falling to her knees, she clung to her burning hand as she tired to muscle through the shock and pain.

"S-s-silver nitrate?!" She stammered as her hand shook in pain.

With an angry hiss, Marceline rose to her feet and wiped the silver powder off as best as she could.

"You will have to do better than that!" she roared in challenge.

The sound of shattering glass alerted Marceline to a small metal canister that had been thrown into her house.

"Oh, cram it!"

With a loud hiss, the canister erupted into a wall off thick purple smoke. The smoke stung Marceline's eyes and felt like broken glass to her skin.

Vervain! I need to bale, now!

As a former vampire hunter, Marceline knew exactly what the goal here was. Whoever or whatever was attacking her were trying to smoke her out and get her out into the open. And though she hated to admit it, their plan was working.

Through the smoke, Marceline could see three figures. Each of the robed figures wore a pig mask.

"Heads up, little piggies!" She roared as she charged them.

With the force of a semi-truck, Marceline tackled the largest of the three attackers and sent him flying across the kitchen and through the wall.
Now outside the smoke-filled house, Marceline could finally fight her attackers unhindered.

With a terrifying snarl, Marceline sank her fangs deep into the attacker's neck. But rather than warm blood, she was greeted with a mouthful of grey liquid.
Undaunted by what should have been a fatal wound, her attacker grabbed her by the hair and yanked her off of his neck.

Quickly spitting the bitter tasting liquid from her mouth, Marceline reared back up and pounced again. This time, her attacker was ready for her.
From within the sleeve of its robe, the attacker sprayed a stream of clear liquid at the attacking vampire queen.
The moment the liquid touched her skin, it began to burn like white out coals. Losing her momentum, Marceline stumbled and rolled to the ground.

Scolded, half blinded and agonized, Marceline screamed and hissed as she clawed at her skin. The attackers did not relent. While Marceline was temporarily disabled, they had regrouped and surrounded her. Thinking quickly, Marceline grabbed as much dirt as she could and rubbed it against her burning skin.
It didn't stop the pain, but it dulled it enough for her to continue the fight.

"Holy water," she spat smugly. "You guys sure know your stuff. I'll give you that much."

Marceline took a breath and began to levitate off of the ground. Her eyes began to glow a fiery red and her hair thrashed like a nest of snakes. Her body suddenly grew and warped into a horrific mass of teeth and tentacles.

"But I am no mere vampire!" Marceline roared monstrously. "I am the Vampire Queen! You will have to try harder than that if you hope to survive this night!"

Much to her surprise, none of the attackers seemed even the slightest bit alarmed by her eldritch transformation. The smallest of the attackers held out a trigger switch. Marceline looked up at the cavern ceiling and noticed several blinking lights that she hadn't noticed before. Placed snugly next to the patches of glowing fungus were several explosive charges placed around the largest stalactite. The pieces all finally fell into place. This wasn't a random group of bounty hunters or mercenaries trying to make a name for themselves. This was a trap all along, one that had been set long in advance, and one that she was about to fall victim to. This had been planned and planned very well.

"Huh…you guys are good."


The cavern shook as the charges exploded, releasing the massive stalactite from the cave ceiling. Marceline let out a roar of pain as the stalactite pierced through her monstrous form. Overwhelmed by pain, Marceline transformed back into her human form. Using the dust and falling rocks as cover, Marceline moved as fast as she could towards the cave entrance. She was not going to win this fight. She needed to run, she needed to get help, she needed to survive!

Before Marceline could reach the mouth of the cave, something tightly coiled around her feet and tripped her.
A pair of silver wire bolos were wrapped tightly around her ankles. Through the settling dust flew a wire lasso that wrapped tightly around her neck.
With a loud gag, Marceline was yanked backwards. The three pig masked attackers now enclosed upon her, each one armed with a long silver prod with a crucifix attached to the end of it.

Panic and dread washed over the vampire queen at the sight of such ancient hunting tools. In a last desperate attempt, Marceline hissed and lunged towards the smallest attacker. Her effort was rewarded in the form of a large muzzle that clamped tightly around her face.

One by one, the attackers lanced her with their crucifixes, sapping her of her energy. The crosses burnt her harder than the sun ever could.

Finally, after a few more minutes of struggling, the fight was drained from her. Her eyes rolled back as she lost consciousness.


The earth shook and rumbled as a massive wall of clouds washed over the land. Nothing could be seen through the clouds.

But for those that were hidden nearby, they knew that something massive was moving across the land.

Whatever it was, it was using the clouds as cover. Once it passed, nothing of its presence would be left, save for the one-hundred-foot-wide gashes in the ground.


Marceline awoke from a restless fitful sleep only to find that she was trapped and in complete darkness. It did not take her long to realize what she was trapped in. She was trapped in a metal casket. She was too tired to panic; all of her strength was still drained from her.
Through the casket she could tell that she was being moved, but to where, she did not know.

Tired and defeated, Marceline rested her head against the lid of the casket. Her still stinging eyes spotted something resting on the bottom to the casket next to her foot.

It was another tape recorder.

Why the frick not? She thought bitterly as she clicked the play button with her foot.

The tape recorder clicked, after a moment of crackling static, a voice spoke.

"Hello, Marceline. You don't know me. But I know you. If you are playing this tape, then I have found you wanting."

Wanting…wanting of what? Marceline asked herself. What did I do this time?

"By the time this tape finishes playing, your friends will already be in my possession. Do not struggle, for you will be joining them soon. I want to play a game."

Marceline couldn't help but chuckle weakly at this. Whatever mess she had gotten herself into, at least she wouldn't be going through it alone.

PB is gonna be totes steamed. Marceline thought snidely before she slipped back into unconsciousness.


This was more fun to write than it should have been.