Trixie let out an exasperated groan, reclining deeper into the passenger's seat. The Rust Bucket was driving through a heavy rainstorm on a treacherous cliffside road (not the smartest combination.) And the entire time, the Tennyson cousins were going back and forth on yet another petty argument that was starting to get on Trixie's nerves. And judging by the twitching of his eyebrows, it was starting to get to Max, too.
"Change it!" Ben demanded.
"No way, you change yours!" Gwen rejected.
"It's your turn!" said Ben
"Sorry, but I already picked out the cake, color-coordinated the balloons, and sent the invitations," answered Gwen, proving her point with the portfolio she had ready on the table, including an envelope for Ben. "By the way here's yours."
Ben grimaced and tossed the invitation behind him without even looking at it, which bounced off Trixie's head and landed on her lap.
"Who plans their birthday party six months in advance?" Ben argued.
"The one who gets to celebrate it on her actual birthday this year," Gwen retorted.
"I don't think so," said Ben. "Grandpa promised he's taking me for laser tag for my birthday."
"But you can't miss my party, grandpa!" Gwen cried.
"Now you two have shared the same birthday for ten years," said Max irritably. "And if you don't stop arguing, neither of you will make it to eleven."
"I don't even understand what the big deal is," said Trixie, looking over Gwen's invitation letter. "What's so special about this…'birthday' concept you continually prattle on about?"
"Duh, it's to celebrate the day you were born," said Ben.
"Don't you celebrate your birthday?" asked Gwen.
"I was a shapeless mass that fell out of the sky and you accidentally stumbled upon in the forest," said Trixie bluntly. "If I have a 'birthday', I certainly don't know about it."
"Oh, right…, said Ben, looking down guiltily.
"Sorry, Trixie," Gwen apologized.
"You know, you two are lucky you et to share a birthday together," said Max, looking bac at his grandchildren. "Some people like Trixie are – "
"Maxwell, look out!" Trixie suddenly screamed.
Max turned bac around and felt a thrill of panic rise in his chest. Someone – tall and skinny in a long black cloak – was standing in the middle of the waving them down. They seemed to be yelling something, but it was impossible to hear over the pattering of the rain and the Rust Bucket's engine. Max slammed his foot on the break, but the slippery road made it impossible to stop in time. The Rust Bucket slammed the unsuspecting soul with a loud bang, sending the stranger flying off the road and over the edge of the cliff.
Max finally managed to get the Rust Bucket under control and pulled the RVV to a screeching stop. Ben and Gwen immediately hopped out, followed shortly by Trixie and Max. They ran over to the edge of the cliff where – much to their relief – they found the tall man hanging desperately to a branch sticking out of the rockface.
"H – Help me!" The man cried in a Jamaican accent. "I'm slipping!"
"Hold on, we'll be right there!" shouted Gwen.
"I've got this," said Ben, activating the Omnitrix and flipping through the selection wheel. "Jetray to the rescue."
He slammed the faceplate down and exploded in a blast of green light. But instead of a skinny, manta ray alien, Ben had transformed into an adorable fairy.
"Aw man," Pesky Dust complained. "Can't this thing ever get it right?"
"I keep telling you not to slam down on the selection matrix!" Trixie scolded him.
Pesky Dust pouted (which made him look even more adorable), but nevertheless jumped off the edge of the cliff and flew down to the rescue. Unfortunately, the man's strangely skinny fingers finally slipped and he began to plummet down a hundred-foot drop to a sudden stop. Pesky Dust flapped his wings as hard as he could, but gravity was pulling the man faster than he could fly.
"He's not going to make it!" yelled Trixie.
"Oh, if only I still had my lucky – " Gwen started to say when inspiration struck her. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a familiar book. "Wait a minute! I have the spellbook that Charmcaster gave me!"
"Have you learned how to use it yet?" asked Max, concerned.
"We're about to find out," said Gwen. She held out her hand toward the falling pair and chanted: "Galleyus Disruptus!"
Just as the cloaked man was about to hit the ground, a small funnel of wind suddenly rose up and broke his fall. It wasn't enough to stop him completely, but it slowed his descent enough for Pesky Dust to grab him by the hood and pull him up. The fairy alien was surprised by how lightweight he was; Pesky Dust hardly had enough physical strength to lift more than a small child.
With a little bit of struggling, Pesky Dust managed to carry the hooded man all the way back to the top of the cliff and set him down gently on his feet. The man bended over, supporting himself on his knees with one bony hand on his chest.
"Are you all right, sir?" asked Max.
"I'm fine now," said the man, standing up straight…and revealed a skinless, eyeless, pale-white skull staring at them. "You really saved my bacon."
The Tennysons (minus Trixie) screamed in a fright; then the skeleton man screamed back, holding his chest like he was trying to calm his nonexistent heart.
"What was that for?" said the skeleton. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Oh, uh, sorry about that?" Gwen apologized, surprised that a skeleton could have heart attacks (or Jamaican accents, for that matter.) "You um…just caught us by surprise. Being a skeleton, and all."
"Yes, yes, I get that all the time," said the skeleton man. "Just one of the many pitfalls to being the Grim Reaper."
"Wait…," said Trixie, quirking her brow strangely. "You're the Grim Reaper? The personification of death?"
"I wouldn't say I'm the personification, exactly," said Grim. "You have to be voted to be a Reaper, but that's a whole 'nother story with spiders and flashbacks and whatnot."
"I always thought the Grim Reaper would have bone spikes, flaming eyes, and a ten-foot scythe," said Ben.
"Bah, Japanese anime writers always exaggerating everything," Grim scoffed. "I'll have you know I'm much more pleasant in real life. If it's not your time, at least. I also know how to make a killer soufflé."
"So…Mr. Grim," said Max awkwardly. "What're you doing all the way out here?"
"Oh, that's right!" Grim cried, suddenly grabbing Max by the shoulder. "I need help!"
In less than ten minutes, they were back on the road, following the directions Grim had given them. To a normal person, having the Grim Reaper in the passenger's would have been terrifying. But for the Tennysons, it was just another Wednesday. While they were driving, Grim regaled them with what happened before they literally ran into him.
"Camp Opinicon?" said Gwen.
"That's right," Grim nodded. "I'm am – or was – working there as a camp counselor over the summer."
"Why is the Grim Reaper working as a camp counselor?" asked Trixie.
"It was either that or having Gladys nagging me all summer," said Grim, crossing his arms in a huff. "Anyway, for the first few weeks, everything started out fairly normal. We sang some songs, roasted marshmallows, telling ghosts stories, and swimming in toxic waste."
"Uh…," Gwen hummed, but Ben stopped her.
"Then last night, the children started hearing strange noises in the woods," said Grim. "At first, we just thought it might have been a pack of wolves passing by. So the head counselor sent me to check them out. As if he wasn't going to be stuffing his face with donuts and watching Sassy Cat while I was doing all the hard work alone."
"So how'd you end up all the way out here?" asked Max.
"Well, I was searching the forest, expecting some wild animals to send away," said Grim. "And then – WHAM – something attacked me from behind!"
"Something attacked you?" Gwen repeated, startled.
"I didn't get a good look at it, but it was definitely no wolf," said Grim seriously. "It was big and there a whole lot of then – maybe thirty or forty. They had me surrounded. I tried to fight back as best I could, but they overwhelmed me. They beat me up and took me scythe. I had no choice but to flee for me life. Unfortunately, I got lost in the woods. By the time I found me way out, that's when we ran into each other."
"Literally," Trixie commented.
"They took your scythe?" said Ben. "Why would they do that?"
"That scythe is the source of the Reaper's power," said Grim gravely. "Whoever wields it will have power beyond mortal comprehension. Why, it could even tear open a rift into the underworld, unleashing horrors the likes of which you have never seen."
"Then it sounds lie we need to get to that camp and fast," said Max seriously.
Thankfully, they were able to make it to the campground in fifteen minutes following Grim's directions. They drove through the overhead sign welcoming them to Camp Opinicon and pared near the main grounds. The entire camo was covered in an eerie darkness with the exception of the mess hall, which was the only building with the lights on. Grim and the Tennysons hopped out of the RV and ran inside.
"Hello?" Max called tentatively. "Anybody home?"
The answer seemed rather obvious based on the condition of the mess hall. Living up to its name, there were broken plates and splattered food everywhere; chairs were tossed and one of the tables was flipped on its side.
"Looks abandoned," said Ben.
"What was your first clue, Sherlock?" Gwen insulted; Ben stuck his tongue out in retaliation.
Max walked up to one of the tables where some food had not been spilled. He held his hand over a plate of spaghetti and could feel the heat rising from the freshly cooked food.
"It's still warm," said Max. "Looks like everyone left in a hurry."
"They just left?!" said Grim, startled. "Without me?! If I ever see those two brats again, I'm gonna – " At that moment, a loud clap of thunder cried out and, like any horror cliché, the power went out. "Well, that's just great."
"Don't worry, we're prepared for these situations," said Max calmly. "Trixie, could you give us some light?"
"Accessing Pyronite sequence."
A bright warm glow radiated from Trixie's flaming hair. By the light of Trixie's flames, Max checked on the rest of their party. Grim and Gwen seemed all right, though the latter had her arms crossed in annoyance. The reason being because Ben was stuffing himself on the leftover spaghetti on the table, covering his face in meat sauce.
"…What? I'm hungry," said Ben defensively.
"There is so much wrong with you," said Trixie, shaking her head.
"Everyone, stay close to Trixie," said Max. "Grim, you worked in this camp for a while. Do you know where they would keep any candles or flashlights for emergencies?"
"I think there might be a few lights in the kitchen," said Grim thoughtfully. "The cooking staff works very late into the night to prepare the morning meals."
"Then we should check – "
Everyone tensed up when a they heard a crash coming from the kitchen; it sounded like a bunch of pots being dropped on the floor. Max cautiously approached the swinging doors with Trixie providing light behind him while Grim and his grandchildren were close behind. The retired Plumber tried peering through the window, but it was too dark to see, so the group walked through instead.
The kitchen was a mess just like the rest of the building; pots still filled with food dumped on the ground with utensils thrown haphazardly everywhere. Max noticed there was a knife embedded in the wall, like someone had thrown it at something and missed. Grim inspected the sink and realized that someone had been in the middle of washing when they suddenly dropped what they were doing and ran out. Ben and Gwen stayed close to Trixie; the former was bravely searching the cupboards while the latter was clutching her spellbook like a lifeline.
"There doesn't seem to be anything here," said Trixie after checking the third cabinet.
"Then what made that noise?" asked Ben.
"Maybe it was a mouse," Gwen suggested hopefully.
"That was no mouse," said Grim as he reached for the pantry door. "I'm telling you, there is something here. And I intended to get to the bottom of – "
Before the Reaper could grasp the handle, however, something burst out of the pantry and tackled Grim to the floor. While Grim was down, his assailant began smacking his skull repeatedly with a stale baguette as hard a brick, screaming a panicked battlecry. Trixie moved closer to scene and her flaming hair illuminated a young boy with an unnaturally large nose wearing a ball cap.
"Die, monster!" the boy screamed. "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"
"Bi – ow – Billy – ow!" Grim cried, holding his arms up defensively. "It's – ow – me – ow – you buffoon!"
The big-nosed boy named Billy stopped beating Grim's skull, took a good look at the Reaper, then wrapped him in a death grip hug with a happy wail.
"Grim!" Billy cried. "You're okay! I was so worried!"
"Yeah, yeah, now get off me! You're getting snot on me cloak!" Grim complained.
"Took you long enough, you useless bag of bones," a critical voice came from behind Billy. A small girl with no nose and blonde hair curled like devil horns stepped out of the pantry. "I have a mind to throw your skull in the lake for abandoning us."
"I didn't abandon you!" said Grim, gesturing to the Tennysons. "I went for help. See?"
"You two okay?" asked Max, concerned.
"We would've better if that bony idiot hadn't ditched us," said the little girl, gesturing to Grim, who stuck his tongue out in retaliation. (Do skeletons even have tongues?) "I'm Mandy. Idiot number one next to me is Billy, and you already met idiot number two.
"What happened here?" Trixie questioned; these two didn't seem bothered by her flaming hair. "Grim told us he was attacked by something in the woods and that this camp might be in danger."
"That's about the gist of it," said the little girl. "After Grim went missing, we started looking for him in the woods. When we didn't find him, we came back, only to find the whole camp had just up and run away."
"We heard something scary outside, so we hid in here," said Billy, his teeth chattering in terror. "We were hoping that Grim would come back soon."
"Aw, you were that worried about me?" said Grim happily.
"No, we were waiting because you have the magic scythe that can send us home," said Mandy shortly.
"Typical," said Grim grumpily. "Well, sorry to tell you, but I lost me scythe when I was attacked by whatever is in those woods."
"Again?" said Billy exasperatedly. "You know, you should really take better care of your stuff, Grim."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Billy!" Grim snapped.
"So everyone just left without even checking if you were okay?" said Gwen.
"Lie I said, the place was abandoned when we got back," said Mandy, scowling with her arms crossed. "By the looks of things, they all got scared and ran without even thinking. They probably didn't even notice we were gone."
"Maybe we should call for help?" Ben suggested.
"No good," said Trixie, who was stretching her smartphone above her head. "There's no signal out here. Another ridiculous camp cliché."
"The landlines are no good either," said Max, who had tried picking up the wall mounted phone. "The storm has completely cut off all power to the whole camp. Our best option will be to get back to the RV and drive to the nearest town."
"If we even make it that far," said Mandy ominously.
"Why did you have to say that?" Gwen moaned.
The Tennysons along with the party of Grim, Billy, and Mandy left the mess hall and ran through the rain back to the Rust Bucket. Once everyone was inside, Max went to the cabinet and pulled out a couple of towels.
"Here, to help you dry off," said Max, throwing one to Ben and Gwen and the other to Billy and Mandy. "Sorry, but I've only got to clean ones."
Predictably, Ben and Gwen started fighting over who would use the towel first and stretched the fabric dangerously close to tearing it in half. Billy and Mandy didn't have this problem. Despite the boy's lack of intelligence, and the girl's blatant animosity towards everything that breathed, the two were able to share without complaint. Grim even helped them dry off despite their earlier argument. Trixie didn't need a towel; she strengthened her flames to dry herself off before returning to human form, staring exasperatedly at the Tennyson cousins
"Let go!" Ben and Gwen yelled simultaneously.
Max shook his head and said to Billy and Mandy, "A couple of kids I know could learn a thing or two from you guys."
"Trust me, you don't want me as a role model," said Mandy monotonously.
"You really don't," Billy agreed.
While his grandchildren were now rolling around on the floor, Max returned to the driver's seat and turned the ignition. Or at least he tried to, but each turn of the key was met with a high-pitched squealing noise.
"That's strange," Max hummed. "Grim, could you help me check the engine?"
"Why me?" Grim complained.
"Because you're the only other adult here," said Max.
Grim grumbled under his breath, but reluctantly followed Max outside nonetheless. Thankfully, though unrealistically, the rain seemed to have stopped, so they didn't have to worry about getting soaked. They walked around to the front where Max popped the hood and looked inside. Strangely enough, everything seemed to be tangled in thick cocoon of vines.
"Huh, that's weird," Max hummed. "How did all these vines get in here?"
"I'm telling you, man, this is not natural," said the talking skeleton of death. "We should clean this up and get out of here."
"Easier said than done," said Max, who reached inside and tried pulling one of the vines. He had to use the Rust Bucket's grill for leverage, but he managed to rip it out and fell on his butt in the process. "Those weeds are stuck in there good. Looks like we're hunkering down here for a while."
"Ooh, I was afraid you were going to say that," Grim moaned.
Max slammed the hood down and walked back inside with Grim. Both of them were unaware that something was moving on the edge of the forest, watching them from a distance.
After informing everyone that they were holding up in camp for the night, Max made the executive decision to move the party into the nearest cabin. The Rust Bucket was already cramped with four people – there was no way they would sleep comfortably with seven. According to Grim, the cabins would have half-a-dozen bunkbeds available so nobody had to fight over a sleeping spot.
"Everyone make yourselves comfortable," said Max. "We're going to be here for a long night."
Billy certainly made himself at home, flying onto the nearest bed, only to side off the other side and slam his face on the ground. Mandy facepalmed herself exasperatedly.
"Now you kids stay put," Max ordered by the door. "Trixie, you're in charge. Grim and I will see if we can rustle up something from the kitchen."
"Do I have to?" Grim whined. Max gave him a stern leer. "Oh, fine. But if we're going to be cooking, we're making mama's twelve-alarm spicy death chili."
"I don't know what's scarier: death chili or whatever grandpa makes," said Gwen apprehensively.
"Aw, it's not that bad," said Billy happily. "Once tongue stops bleeding and your face skin peels off, it's pretty tasty."
"…Please tell me you have emergency food stored around here somewhere," Gwen pleaded to Mandy.
"I might have something stored away for a rainy day," said Mandy, putting on the air of a calculative businesswoman. She held out her hand and demanded, "Fifty bucks."
"Fifty bucks?!" Ben cried in outrage. "For some snacks? That's a rip off."
"That's no problem," said Mandy coolly. "I'm sure you'll be fine with Grim's chili or your grandfather's cooking."
Ben and Gwen looked at each other for a moment…then started rummaging through their pockets, grumbling under their breaths.
That's when everyone heard a pair of strangled cries from outside.
"That sounded like Grim!" yelled Billy.
"And Maxwell," Trixie added.
"C'mon!" shouted Ben, running to the door.
When he grabbed the handle, Gwen suddenly grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.
"Wait a second, Ben," said Gwen, gesturing to Billy and Mandy. "We can't just leave them alone."
"We can take care of ourselves," said Mandy, crossing her arms indignantly.
"No, we can't!" Billy countered, shivering behind his best friend.
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on them," said Trixie. "If anything happens, we can message each other through the Omnitrix. The communication uplink can span across the galaxy. But how're you going to track Maxwell and Grim. No doubt whoever attacked will have taken then away by now and none of your current aliens are adequate trackers."
"I think I might have something right here," said Gwen, bringing out her spellbook.
Running through the forest at Arctiguana was less than ideal. He wanted to pick Fasttrack, but the watch never gave him what he wanted. It was even more uncomfortable with Gwen riding on his back, unable to secure herself because she had one hand holding her spellbook and the other hand stretched out to conduct the spell. The incantation that Gwen had found created a glowing blue sphere that supposedly tracked down whomever the user thought of. But as they ran deeper into the woods, Arctiguana was starting to have her doubts.
"Are you spell even works," he complained.
"I don't know!" Gwen snapped. "I've only been practicing for a few days. Get off my back! At least it's better than nothing."
"Unless it gets us hopelessly lost," said Arctiguana. Gwen kicked her heels into his sides. "Ow!"
In the midst of their arguing, the tracking sphere suddenly shot to the top of a large hill. In between the trees, they saw an abandoned crane covered in shadow.
"Up there!" shouted Gwen.
"Hold on!" said Arctiguana before sprinting at full speed; Gwen grabbed the edge of his shell before she fell off.
Following the tracking spell to the top of the hill, Arctiguana and Gwen came to a stop and stared slack jawed at what laid out before them.
There were signs that a construction crew had been working in the airs based on the bulldozer and dump truck nearby, but they were all abandoned without explanation. All of the equipment was covered in thick vines that were rising from the massive hole in the center. It wasn't just vines, either. Spreading outwards from the hole was a large field of bright orange gourds growing at an alarming rate.
"Pumpkins?" said Gwen curiously. "Those are way out of season."
"Who cares about the vegetables?" said Arctiguana. "Where's grandpa?"
Gwen took a moment to check the spell again, spying the orb of light before it disappeared into the gaping hole.
"He's somewhere down there," said Gwen, pointing the way.
Arctiguana trotted down the small gap and through the pumpkin field. Neither of the Tennyson cousins realized that the pumpkins had been carved with spooky faces fit for Halloween, turning slowly to follow their movements. Gwen and Arctiguana stopped at the edge of the hole, peering inside. The hole was much deeper than they had anticipated, and was carved out into a perfect circular tunnel that curved slightly out of sight.
"Whoa," said Arctiguana. "What do you think made that?"
"I don't think I want to find out," said Gwen nervously. "We should head back to the cabin and tell Trixie what we found. We can regroup – "
Gwen idea was put on hold when a dozen ropes of thick vines suddenly sprouted out of the tunnel walls and snapped at the Tennyson cousins. Arctiguana had no time to run away, so he bucked his cousin off his back before the vines ensnared him. Gwen landed roughly on her back, but she ignored the sharp pain in her pin and watched the vines slowly drag her cousin into the hole.
"Ben!" Gwen cried, dashing to the edge of the hole.
Arctiguana hit the bottom with a hard thud. Fortunately, his shell managed to absorb most of the impact. The vines attempted to drag him deeper into the caves, but Arctiguana managed to flip around and freeze the vines with his breath, shattering them like glass. When he took a quick look around, he quickly realized he wasn't alone.
Grim and Max were tied to the wall by the pumpkin vines, hanging upside down; Gwen's tracking orb was hovering over Max. Guess it worked after all, he thought.
"Grandpa! Grim!" yelped Arctiguana.
"Ben, you're here," Max gasped in surprise.
"Way to go, boyo!" said Grim happily. "Now get us out of clingy plants. I'm starting to get a rash."
He didn't need to be told twice. Arctiguana breathed a puff of crystal mist on the vines holding Grim since he was the closest. After the plants had been flash frozen, the Polar Manzardill punched them into shards, dropping the Reaper on his head. Arctiguana moved to rescue his grandfather next when a dozen more pumpkin vines shot out of the darkness, grabbing Max and pulling him deeper into the tunnels.
"Grandpa!" Ben screamed.
Arctiguana sprinted at full speed after them, but he had barely run ten feet before the Omnitrix issued its warning beep and Ben reverted to human form in a red explosion. And because he had been running thirty miles an hour, Ben tripped over his feet and faceplanted into the tunnel wall. Grim,, who had been running behind him, helped the boy to his feet and offered his cloak to wipe his bloody nose.
"You okay, boyo?" he asked.
"I'll be fine," Ben groaned, glaring at the Omnitrix. "Stupid thing always has the worst timing."
"That pretty ironic for a watch," said Grim, then he suddenly tensed up. "Did you hear that?"
Ben took a moment to listen and he did hear something rustling in the darkness. Something was moving in the tunnels, getting closer. In moments, a group of a dozen eight-foot plant monsters lurched around the corner. Their bodies were made entirely of vines and other plant matter while their heads were carved pumpkins, glaring dangerously at Ben and Grim.
"Time to run, boyo!" said Grim, pulling at Ben's arm.
"What about grandpa?" said Ben worriedly.
"It won't do us any good getting caught here," said Grim. "We can come back for him once that watch of yours has had a chance to recharge."
Ben hated to admit it, especially when his grandpa was in danger, but Grim was right. As he was right now, he wasn't any good to anyone.
So they ran – ran as fast as their legs (bones?) could carry them. The pumpkin monster chased after them, covering a lot of ground with their longer limbs, swinging their leafy claws through the air. More plant-based claws shot out from the ground and walls, swiping at Ben and Grim as they ran by, forcing the pair to duck and jump over them. They were able to make it back to the entrance of the tunnel in short time, but they ran into another problem. When Ben attempted to climb the sheer wall, the dirt crumpled easily in his hands and dropped him bac down.
"Well, that's just great!" Grim complained. "Now how do we get out of here?"
They pumpkin monsters shuffled out of the caverns one-by-one, their numbers now swelling over two dozen. Ben and Grim pressed their backs against the wall as the vegetable creatures swarmed around them, preparing to meet their plant-y end….
But to their astonishment and relief, a pair of wobbly pink auras fell over their heads and slowly lifted them off the ground like they had been pulled by fishing lines. The pumpkin beasts swung their lengthy claws, but Ben and Grim were too far out of reach. After a few moments of being reeled to the top, Ben and Grim landed safely on soldi ground next to Gwen; the redhead's hands faintly glowed of the same aura before snuffing out. Gwen fell to her knees, breathing heavy, and wiping the sweat from her brow.
"Whoa, nice save," Ben complimented her cousin with a thumbs-up.
"Levitation spell," Gwen wheezed. "A little difficult, but I managed."
"I didn't know you were a sorceress," said Grim, brushing himself off. "That could've made things a whole lot easier."
"What happened down there? Where's grandpa?" asked Gwen, letting Ben assist her back to her feet. She looked down at the tunnel, spying the pumpkin monsters scaling the wall with their claws and the giant vines springing to life again. "And what are those things?"
"We can talk about that later," said Ben, tugging at Gwen's wrist urgently. "We gotta get back to camp. C'mon!"
They ran without looking back, narrowly evading the massive vines that stabbed the ground behind them as the pumpkin beasts began to crawl out of the hole in droves –
Trixie stared out the window apprehensively. It had been half an hour since the Tennyson cousins had gone to search for Grim and Maxwell. She was starting to get worried. Mandy seemed to be doing all right; Trixie doubted there was anything in the universe that could shake her. Billy, on the other hand, had been shivering under the blankets as it the thin sheet of cloth would somehow protect him.
"…They've been gone too long," said Trixie, stepping away from the window and pacing toward the door. "I'm going to go look for them."
"No, don't go!" Billy cried. "You'll be eaten by the monsters."
"Better her than us," said Mandy uncaringly.
Trixie didn't have to worry about find them, however, because Ben, Gwen, and Grim charged through the door, knocking Trixie flat on her butt. Ben slammed the door behind them and Grim started piling luggage, mattresses, Mandy (scowling furiously) to barricade it.
"Grim!" Billy shouted weepily, throwing himself at the Reaper into a tight hug. "I was so scared!"
"Get off me, you brainless twit!" Grim complained, trying to pull away from the big-nosed boy to no avail. "You're getting snot all over me cloak!
"What happened?" asked Trixie, picking herself up.
"You're never going to believe it," said Ben, panting. "Okay, so there's this big hole in the forest and there are a bunch of killer pumpkins coming out of it. They're taking over the camp."
"And they've got grandpa!" Gwen added fretfully.
"Did you say killer pumpkins?" asked Mandy, poking her head out of the barricade. "What did they look like?"
"Well…they were big, and made of plant stuff," said Ben unhelpfully.
"And they had heads carved out like Jack-o'-lanterns," Gwen added.
"Jack-o'-lanterns, huh?" said Mandy, her scowl intensifying. "Now everything makes sense."
"What about all of this madness makes sense?" asked Grim.
"Everything," said Mandy seriously, pulling herself out of the pile. "The vines, the pumpkins, the hole in the forest, why they're attacking this decrepit old camp in the first place. All of it is connected. And if I'm right, we'll find the answer to all of this at the source."
"The source?" Trixie repeated.
"You mean you want us to go back down there?!" Grim cried.
"Fine by me," said Ben. With Mandy and Gwen's help, they pushed aside Grim's barricade and walked out the door. "I'm not going anywhere without my grandpa."
"That goes double for me," said Gwen determinedly.
Mandy jogged to keep up with her stubby little legs. Trixie, Billy, and Grim exchanged curious looks before following them outside.
"Do we have to go down there?" Billy asked fretfully. "Can't we just go home and watch Sassy Cat?"
"We're not running away, Billy," Mandy said in a tone that left no room for argument. "Besides, even if we ran, they would just chase us back to Endsville."
"Why is that?" asked Trixie.
"Because Billy, Grim, and I are their targets," said Mandy assuredly.
"Us?" said Grim, surprised. "Why us? What did we do?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet, bonehead?" Mandy insulted in annoyance. "The one responsible for all this is – "
Before Mandy could reveal the identity of the eldritch mastermind, the ground quaked and exploded in front of them as a twenty-foot pumpkin with a carved face emerged from the depths. It screamed in their faces, splattering them with pumpkin guts. Gwen would've normally been repulsed by the mess, but her brain was frozen in terror at the vegetable abomination towering over them.
"GIANT PUMPKIN MONSTER!" Billy screamed in a high-pitched squeal, snapping everyone to their senses.
"Back to the cabin!" yelled Grim.
They didn't need to be told twice. Everyone pivoted and ran back inside the cabin, slamming the door shut and pressing their backs against the entrance to keep it shut. Unfortunately, that did little good because another pumpkin beast emerged through the floorboard, taking up the entirety of the cabin.
"Back outside!" cried Ben.
"Out, in – make up your mind already!" said Bill impatiently.
Grim grabbed the big-nosed boy by the back of his shirt and carried him outside with the rest of the kids as the pumpkin monster smashed the cabin into splinters. The heroes didn't get very far as they found themselves faced with not one, but three twenty-foot jack-o'-lanterns blocking their path. And when they turned back, three more giants were closing in around them. They were surrounded on all sides.
"We're trapped!" Gwen cried.
"I never thought I'd go out like this," said Mandy. "I always thought I'd rule the world and be poisoned by my children trying to take over the throne."
"Is she serious?" Trixie asked Grim curiously.
"Definitely," the reaper replied blandly. "She's already made a six-four-point plan on her global conquest. Probably already picked out the poison, too."
"Not that this isn't an interesting conversation," said Gwen, backing up slowly and bumping into the others. "But does anyone have a plan on how we get out of here?"
"Trixie, can't you turn into anything that can whack these weeds?" asked Ben.
"My transformations only have half the power of the Omnitrix," said Trixie. "And none of them are powerful enough to take on all them?"
"Gwen?" Ben turned to his cousin hopefully.
"I – I don't know!" cried Gwen, visibly panicking as she flipped through her spellbook. "There are too many spells! And I don't even know how half of them work!"
The pumpkin monsters have completely closed ranks around the six, cutting them off from any potential escape route. Their vine-tentacles slithered along the ground and started to climb up their legs.
"Whelp, this is it," Grim moaned defeatedly. "It was nice knowing you, kids."
"Do you really mean that, Grim?" asked Billy happily.
"Of course not!" Grim snapped. "I hate every one of you fleshy parasites!"
"That's harsh," Ben commented.
The pumpkin monster wrapped their vines around the heroes, encasing them in leafy cocoons, and everything went black….
…en…
…Ben…
…Ben, wake up!
Ben's eyes flew open with a startled gasp. His heart was beating furiously in his chest, his breath coming out in sharp gasps, as he instinctually peered around trying to get his bearings on the situation. As he looked around, he became aware of three things:
1. He was back in the underground cave system. His friends and family (including grandpa Max) were all strung up on the wall, their arms and legs bound by ridiculously strong vines.
2. Ben was also pinned, but by some good fortune, his left arm (and the Omnitrix) was free. If he struggled hard enough, he might be able to activate it. If it wasn't on cooldown, that is.
3. Half a dozen monster pumpkins were standing guard in front of massive thirty-foot-pulsating gourd. The giant pumpkin looked like it had been heavily mutated; it had disgusting pustules and throbbing green veins bulging from its surface. Almost a hundred vines stretched out from the roots of the master pumpkin, digging into the walls and ground. It was likely connected to every animated pumpkin in the forest, including the guards.
"Ben, are you all right?" asked Max, concerned.
"I've been better," said Ben, struggling fruitlessly against his restraints. "Where are we."
"Most likely the source of all these freaky vegetables," said Grim, leering up at the master pumpkin. "They dragged us all the way here from the campsite."
"Benjamin, can you reach the Omnitrix?" asked Trixie.
Checking to make sure the guards weren't watching (they looked like they were in a daze), Ben reached for the activation switch on the Omnitrix. The dial popped up, but, oddly, the selection wheel didn't appear on the faceplate. He tried slapping it down, not even care about which alien he chose at this point, but the dial wouldn't budge.
"It's no good," said Ben. "I think it still needs to recharge."
"What're we gonna do now?" asked Billy, shaking. "Are they gonna eat us?"
"I vote Billy gets eaten first," said Grim quickly.
"Seconded," Gwen added.
"Hey!" said Billy.
"They're not going to eat us," said Mandy, acting strangely calm despite the situation. She gazed up at the master pumpkin and called out to it. "That wouldn't be a satisfying way of getting your revenge, wouldn't…Jack?"
As if Mandy had said the magic word, the cavern shuddered as the master pumpkin turned around slowly. On the other side of the gourd was a carved-out face like a Halloween jack-o'-lantern, except its right eye was clotted with disgusting pulsating pustules, glowing green blood-like fluid was running down its face, and hundreds of vines were pouring out of its mouth. But despite its disfigured appearance, the giant lantern cackled hilariously.
"I figured you'd be the one to figure it out, little miss smarty pants," said the master pumpkin.
"Jack?" said Grim, shocked. "Jack O'Lantern, is that you?"
"Hello, Grim," Jack the Master Pumpkin grinned wickedly. "Did you miss me?"
"Not really," said Grim bluntly. "You only appeared in one seasonal special. I kinda forgot about you until now."
"You know this disgusting vegetable?" asked Gwen.
"Jack O'Lantern," Mandy explained. "He used to be relentless prankster in the sixteen-hundreds until the people had enough of his practical jokes and got him killed. Grim went to reap his soul, but instead got tricked into making him immortal."
"But I got my payback by cutting off his head, which forced him to wear a pumpkin instead," said Grim proudly.
"Yes, yes, we don't need a recap," said Jack irksomely.
"Hey, wait," Billy called out. "I thought we banished you to the underworld at the end of the Halloween special."
"Oh, you did," said Jack, his carved face making a menacing scowl. "And for the past – wait, what year is it?"
"Almost 2023 by the time this chapter goes up," said Mandy, confusing the Tennyson party.
"Really?" asked Jack, surprised. "Wow, you guys look good after twenty years. What is it? Diet? Exercise?"
"What're they talking about?" Trixie asked Max.
"I have no idea…," said Max cluelessly.
"Where was I?" Jack muttered to himself. "Oh, right. I was banished to the underworld after you snot-nosed brats foiled my plans. There, I was tormented relentlessly by foul demons who couldn't take a joke. They smashed my head in, fixed it up, then smashed it again. Over and over for twenty years! After the constant torture and exposure to the underworld's unique energies, I began to mutate it to the foul, hideous creature you see before you. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting my revenge on you three."
"But how did you get out?" Grim asked.
"Oh, the Boogie Man showed me the exit," said Jack simply.
"Darn it, Boogie!" Grim cursed.
"So what's the plan, Jack?" said Mandy, scowling. "Gonna try to cut Grim's head off again. Go back to your ridiculous plan of making every day Halloween?"
"Oh no, we are way beyond beheading skeletons and pulling pranks," said Jack, sneering venomously. "I mean, look at me! Do I look like I can every show myself on surface again, even on Halloween?! I'm a freak! An abomination! And it's all thanks to you three!"
"It's your own fault for trying to destroy the world," said Billy pointedly.
"SILENCE!" Jack snarled. "No more jokes! No more pranks! This time, I will make everyone pay for my suffering! My prized pumpkins have already taken root in this camp. Soon they were spread to the nearby cities! Then the rest of the state! Then the country! Then the world! Every last living thing on this planet shall be devoured until there is nothing left!"
"Not going to happen, Jack," said Grim defiantly. "I banished you once before, I can do it again."
"You won't be doing much banishing," said Jack maliciously. One of his vines came to life, grabbing something out of sight and bringing it into view. "Without this."
"Me scythe!" Grim cried, his infamous tool of reaping in the tendril of his enemy.
"You really should take better care of your stuff, Grim," said Jack.
"That's what I said," said Billy.
"Shut it, Billy!" everyone yelled in unison.
"As fun as this little reunion has been," said Jack malevolently, "I have a world to devour. Boys…feeding time!"
The pumpkin monsters snapped out of the daze and snarled to life, lurching towards their helpless captives.
"Ben, now would be a good time to go alien!" Gwen shouted desperately.
She didn't realize that Ben had been slapping the Omnitrix nonstop for the past three minutes without the device ever budging. His slapping became even more desperate as one of the monsters slithered its tentacles towards Max, ripping him off the wall and pulling the retired Plumber towards its gaping maw.
But then, finally, the Omnitrix finally pushed down and Ben exploded in a flash of green light, temporarily blinding everyone in the cavern.
But the alien that Ben had transformed into was one none of them had ever seen before. He had become a tall and bulky purple alien with nozzles on his head, shoulders, and arms. His abdominal region was transparent, showing a strange mixture of chemicals swirling around, and a black mask with the Omnitrix symbol over where his mouth should be. The strange new alien looked down at his hands, which had been freed when he outgrew his viney restraints.
"What kind of alien is that?" asked Gwen.
"I don't know," said Ben. "I've never been this guy before."
"You've unlocked the Lavoisian DNA strand!" Trixie gasped. "This is a stroke of good fortune!"
"Uh, okay…why?" asked Ben.
"Lavoisians are walking chemical laboratories," Trixie explained. "They have the abilities to create and combine various chemicals within their innards – or guts, I suppose – and release them in a gaseous form."
"No way, seriously?" said Ben. "That's awesome! Ooh, wait, I just came up with the best name. You can call me…Gutrot!"
"Yes, yes, good for you," said Grim calmly. "Now would you mind…saving us from these carnivorous gourds!"
"Right, right, on it!" Gutrot nodded quickly. He ran up to the nearest pumpkin monster as it was about to chop down on his grandfather. "Suck gas, you overgrown weed!"
The Lavoisian hero extended both arms and released a thick cloud of noxious-yellow gas from the nozzles on his hands. The smog rolled over the pumpkin monster, which let out a painful shriek as it withered in seconds, becoming a deflated mound of mush on the ground. The vines around Max equally wilted and decayed, and Gutrot helped the retired Plumber stand back on his feet.
"Ben, what did you do?" asked Max curiously.
"Just gave them a healthy dose of glyphosate," said Gutrot proudly.
"What?" Grim and Billy asked together, confused.
"Weed killer," Mandy answered plainly.
"No, no, no, no!" Jack screamed. "II will not disappear into obscurity for another twenty years! Kill them!"
Jack's army of horror gourds surged forward with spitting screeches and lashing vines. Gutrot pushed Max behind him and released another cloud of weed killer into the air, shriveling up four pumpkin monsters at once. But the creatures were not only quickly replaced, but even more pumpkin beasts started pouring in from the tunnels.
"That's looks bad," said Gutrot, killing another pair of pumpkin with a gas cloud. "There's only so much wind I can break."
"We need to cut them off at the source," said Gwen. "If we get rid of Jack, the whole thing will die."
"How do we get rid of an immortal pumpkin?" asked Trixie.
"Me scythe!" Grim exclaimed. "If you can get me scythe back, I canh banish him back to the underworld. This time, I'll send him to a nightmare the likes of which he will never escape from."
"The nineth circle?" asked Mandy.
"Worse: New Jersey," said Grim.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" said Gutrot, spraying another the pumpkins. "But I'm gonna need some backup."
The Lavoisian flipped back around to his friends and blasted them with another cloud of gas. He internally synthesized the chemicals so it was harmless to humans, but not the vines binding them to the wall. Trixie landed at a crouch and immediately dashed forward, zipping through six pumpkin beasts in the half-Nosedeenian form. Gwen flipped through her spellbook and cast a telekinesis spell to throw the gourds. Though she seemed to have misspoken and caused the pumpkins to explode instead. That works too.
And Grim, Billy, and Mandy…took cover behind Max.
"We'll be here if you need us!" said Grim.
"Please no need us!" Billy added.
"So you want this scythe, do you?" said Jack, holding up the reaping tool threateningly. "You can have it!"
Jack took a swing at Gutrot, nearly decapitating the Lavoisian if he hadn't rolled out of the way in time. He took another swing, and Gutrot leaned sideways to avoid it.
"If you can't place nice," said Gutrot, "Then I'm gonna have to take your toy away."
Gutrot extended his arm and expelled another cloud of weed killer at the vine holding the reaper scythe. The root withered and snapped, to Jack's outrage. Gutrot swiftly dashed forward, killing two more pumpkins on either side, and grabbed the scythe before it hit the ground.
"Grim, catch!" he shouted.
Gutrot threw the reaper's tool across the cavern. Jack tried to reclaim the supernatural weapon, only for his vines to finely shredded by the scythe's blade. Grim ran out from behind Max and jumped into the air to grab his scythe, a flare of mystical power suddenly exploding from his bony body as his hand wrapped around the tool.
"I got me scythe back!" said Grim jubilantly. A wicked grin crossed his nonexistent lips as he stared down Jack, who shrank away in fear. "Time to go back, Jack.
The Grim Reaper sliced the air with his scythe and tore open a rift in reality. The rift pulled the pumpkin beasts inside like a vacuum cleaner while not affecting the heroes (possibly because Grim willed it that way.) But even with his minion being sucked into the void, Jack was stilling clinging to the walls by his roots, furiously determined to stay.
"No! I can't go back now! I barely had any screen time!" he cried.
"We just need one more push!" said Max.
"I've got this," said Mandy coolly. She turned to her best friend and told him, "Billy, shoe."
The big-nosed boy saluted like a soldier to his general. He dropped on his butt and tugged at his left shoe three times before it popped off. The repulsive odor it gave off was enough to make even Gutrot feel lightheaded; Mandy didn't have this issue because she lacked a nose. The devil in a pink dress grabbed Billy's shoe, took aim, and flung it across the cave. The offensive object landed directly in Jack's open mouth; the master pumpkin shriveled up in a different way. But the technique was effective as it forced Jack to release his grip and was sucked into the vortex, which Grim closed behind him.
Finally, everything was quiet. The long night was over.
The sun had already risen by the time everyone found their way out of the caverns. With Jack gone, his vines and pumpkin beasts shriveled up, littering the campgrounds with dead plants. Grim, Billy, Mandy and the Tennysons made the long trek back to the Rust Bucket, trying to avoid stepping in loose pumpkin guts.
"Yeesh, I'd hate to be the guy that has to clean this mess up," said Grim.
"I'd say that was one of the more interesting nights I've had in a while," said Max.
"Eh, it was okay," said Billy, shrugging. "You should see all the weird stuff we do back in Endsville."
"Well, I know which town we'll be avoiding," Trixie commented.
"I can't thank you kids enough," Grim said gratefully to Ben and Gwen. "You saved the world from an obscure villain and got me scythe back. Here, I want you to have this."
He reached into his cloak and handed something to Gwen. It was a long whistle with a skull at the end.
"A whistle?" said Gwen curiously.
"That whistle will summon me anywhere in the world," said Grim. "If you blow that, I will grant you one request. Just – one. And it better not be for anything stupid like ordering a pizza."
"Sweet!" Ben cheered, snatching the whistle. "Wonder what we should ask for?"
Trixie snatches the mystical item and says, "I think I'll hold on to this."
"C'mon, Grim, let's get out of here," said Mandy, punching her fist into her palm. "I wanna pay Irwin a little visit for suggesting this stupid camp."
The Tennysons felt bad for whoever this Irwin kid was.
Grim slashed air again, creating another portal. After saying their final good byes, the rift closed behind them. With nothing left to do, the Tennysons walked back to the Rust Bucket.
"You know, you were pretty awesome last night, cuz," said Ben, sitting at the table across from Gwen. "Couldn't have done it without those spells of yours."
"You're one to talk," said Gwen. "Pulling out a new alien like that. Now that's awesome."
"You know, I was thinking," said Ben. "I guess I don't mind sharing my birthday again this year."
"Yeah, same," Gwen agreed. "It's really not that bad when you think about it."
"Have you noticed?" Trixie murmured to Max from the passenger's seat. "Those two have been agree more than when I first met them. It's like they're actually starting to tolerate each other."
"They're growing up," said Max proudly. "They're starting to understand just how important family is to them.
"No, we're having the party at my house!" Gwen suddenly yelled.
"No, we're going to laser tag!" Ben argued.
"Doofus!"
"Dweeb!"
"…Baby steps," Max responded to Trixie's pointed stare.
Next chapter: Grudge Match