The Evasion
The next day Carrie stood…hovered before her uncle Vladimir's place. Sure, she should be in school right now, as it was a weekday, but current circumstances were dire and to her were more important than school attendance. Besides, personally, Carrie wasn't too broken up about skipping school for this. She'd never been the type to overly pay heed to rules, especially not if there's more important things to be concerned about. Like the most evil of demons finally resurfacing after a thousand years yet again to wreak havoc, her friend Gumball directly in the middle of it.
What did give Carrie misgivings however was whether or not she could convince her uncle to help.
The van her uncle resides in was parked at the bottom floor of the rather expansive parking garage of Elmore Mall, though this floor was rather unkempt and derelict, the ceiling lights flickering ominously from disrepair. The van's very appearance itself didn't really instill a sense of calm either, being rust red and decorated with graffiti. But Carrie was unperturbed. Not only because she had a rather important task to complete, but she was a freaking ghost. She saw creepier things than this before breakfast. Or that would be the case if she could actually eat anything without possessing someone.
Whatever! The fact is she wasn't scared.
Gliding forward, Carrie phased through the side door of the van. The interior wasn't something one would expect to find in a motorized vehicle. There were no windows, seatbelts, or seats; if there was anything like that they were probably located where the vehicle was driven from, but that area was not visible from here, mainly because of the layout. There were multiple shelves set up, containing bizarre objects and trinkets, as well as multiple books. The place was not illuminated with a usual ceiling light either, but was instead illuminated by several dim candles, giving the place a foreboding feel. And to top it off (to quote a famous British sci-fi series) the van also appeared bigger on the inside than on the outside.
"Vlad?" Carrie called out, "Uncle Vladimir?"
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's impolite to enter someone's domicile without knocking?" said a gruff, baritone voice. "And what have I told you about just phasing through my door, dear niece?"
Turning to the source of the voice, Carrie beheld a set of slightly parted crimson curtains, two creeping, squinty eyes lurking in the shadows behind them. With a deep breath, Carrie floated over and hovered before the curtains. "Forgive me for my intrusion uncle, but I need your help."
"Ah, I see," said Vladimir as he observed Carrie from the shadows. "So, what can your dear old uncle do for you, my precious little niece?"
Carrie couldn't suppress a tremor of disgust. She disliked her uncle for a multitude of reasons, but none more so than the way he taunted her with his feigned familiar concern.
"I need the Moonbeam Ink," she spat out her request before she gagged on it.
The eyes of Vladimir widened in surprise and shock. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. "You know that particular item is not for sale, Carrie, and even if it was, you wouldn't be able to afford it with a poultry child's allowance."
"Yes, I understand the value and rarity of Moonbeam Ink, uncle," said Carrie, resignation in her voice, but also hoping that she could reason with her uncle. "But I don't have any other options but to ask you for it. It's the only thing that can help with the coming crisis."
"Coming crisis?" Vladimir inquired.
"Yes. Elmore is on the brink of disaster, and the Moonbeam Ink is the only solution," said Carrie.
Vlad, however, appeared unmoved. "I don't know if you've noticed yet, dear niece, but this is Elmore. There's always a looming disaster."
"Not like this one," said Carrie further. "And if you actually don't help, you may just as well be caught up in it too."
"I've conducted business in Elmore for years and have always persevered, despite the calamity this place seems to constantly endure," said Vladimir, a hint of pride in his voice. "What makes this up and coming disaster you speak of so much more crucial than all the other times this city was practically destroyed?"
"How about the re-emergence of Green," stated Carrie flatly, crossing her semi transparent arms.
Vladimir's eyes widened even further than they had when Carrie first brought up the Moonbeam Ink, his pupils dilating in apparent fear and when he spoke next his voice dropped an octave or two. "You…you're serious?"
Carrie nodded.
"The Lord of Mayhem himself? He's emerged yet again?"
Carrie nodded again.
"In Elmore?"
Again, Carrie nodded.
"Has he initiated his scheme of destruction yet?"
This time Carrie answered with words, "The big cat creature that rampaged through the mall the other day."
"That was Green's doing?" asked Vladimir, and from there Carrie explained all that she had deduced. "The Watterson's… If Green is enacting his plan through them, then no one is safe. No one spreads mayhem better than they do, and with the likes of Green added to the mix…Perhaps that's why they're my best customers?"
"That's why I need the Moonbeam Ink!" Carrie insisted. "With it a spell can be cast that will break Green's connection to this world."
"Yes yes, I'm very well aware of the spell you speak of, and I understand the necessity of the Moonbeam Ink," said Vladimir.
"So you'll let me have it?" asked Carrie hopefully.
Vladimir's eyes narrowed, "Perhaps…"
"What do you mean perhaps?" Asked Carrie impatiently. "You know what will happen if we don't stop Green! Not even Elmore could survive his machinations!"
"Yes yes, I am aware of that fact as well," said Vladimir, "But you must understand, dear niece, that the Moonbeam Ink is one of my most valuable items. I can't just "give" it away."
Carrie facepalmed. That's her uncle. A shrewd entrepreneur to the end, even in the face of such a crisis.
"So what do I need to do to get it?" she asked. "Like you said, there's no way I could afford such an item on my allowance."
"Yes, but as it so happens, there is an approaching situation that you might just be able to help me with, and if you do, I might just be inclined to part with the Moonbeam Ink," said Vladimir, Carrie looking up expectantly, eager to find out what she has to do. "This week my most wealthy, but also my most uptight clients will be visiting the Awesome Store. It would please me greatly if a certain incorporeal spirit were to, say, possess them and prevent them from haggling the prices as low as they usually do."
—
Night was falling on Elmore Wrecking Yard once more and Penny was to be found giving Gumball a tight hug. It had been two days since they came up with a plan on how to deal with Green, and Carrie had departed that same night to procure the special ink they'd need, but they hadn't heard a thing from her since. It was nerve-wracking, but not so unexpected. According to Carrie, her uncle was going to be hard pressed to convince to part with the ink and she'd said it might even take her a few days. They could only hope Green's patience would hold out and he wouldn't intervene until they were ready. If he did, they'd lose their shot at casting the spell that would sever his connection to this world.
What would they even do if that happens?
Kneeling down a little after breaking their embrace, Penny drew Gumball in for a small kiss that brought comfort to both of them before walking over and picking up the tranquilizer gun from where it lay. Gumball's family had wanted to be here whenever it came time for Gumball to be put under, but they'd all decided it would be a bad idea. After all, Gumball was still listed as missing and if he were to be discovered it could lead to his condition becoming public knowledge and that was the last thing anyone wants, so Gumball's family had settled for just giving Penny messages to pass on to him when she stopped by.
"I love you, Penny," said Gumball sincerely.
"I love you too, Gumball," said Penny with just as much sincerity.
The sun fully set outside and Gumball became the abyssalis cat yet again. The sight was still so hard for Penny to watch, to see her Gumball becoming such a ferocious monster. Penny aimed the sight of the tranquilizer gun just as the massive beast emerged from the cloud of black smoke that always precedes Gumball's transformation, honing in on the neck, then pulled the trigger. The gun fired a single dart, which sped towards the abyssalis cat…who proceeded to duck, the dart sailing over his head and imbedding in the sheet metal wall with a small clang.
Penny watched on, dumbstruck at what had just happened.
The abyssalis cat, however, stood back up and hissed at her, baring his lethal fangs warningly. Penny yelped in surprise and shock, quickly reloading the dart gun and firing again. The abyssalis cat dodged yet again, having seemingly learned from past experience and was avoiding the things launched at him from the cylindrical object held by the individual before him. He could easily attack her, incapacitate her so she can't shoot him, but her visage still instilled a sense of familiarity in him associated with being in the presence of a mate.
He couldn't attack, so instead the abyssalis cat turned to the wall and made to smash through it.
"NO!" declared Penny in fear, aiming and shooting once again.
This time she managed to land a hit, though in the abyssalis cat's hindleg, rather than the neck. The abyssalis cat cried out in pain, turning to Penny with a vengeful sneer, his shot leg going limp. He didn't want to attack her but she was trying his patience. There is only so much one can take, even from one's own mate. Letting out a strangled roar-cry, the abyssalis cat made to lunge at Penny. Penny screamed in terror and repeatedly fired dart after dart at the abyssalis cat, each one impacting his chest with a dull thud. He may be her boyfriend, but Gumball had insisted to Penny that, should she ever be in danger because of his actions as the abyssalis cat; for which he had no control over, she was to stop him by any means necessary. He couldn't live with himself if she got hurt because of him.
Those were his exact words.
It was only after about five darts had impacted the abyssalis cat's chest did he finally fall to the ground, unconscious, and when Penny saw what she had done she screamed in terror and worry, dropping the dart gun and racing to his side.
"Oh Gumball, I'm so sorry!" she cried frantically, falling to her knees and throwing her arms around the abyssalis cat's neck, seeing not the beast, but her beloved boyfriend. "I missed! I can't believe I missed!"
Gumball didn't appear to be overly harmed though, the abyssalis cat just laying on his side and breathing steadily in slumber as he always does when tranqed. But he'd gotten a much bigger dose of the tranquilizer than he ever had before. Who knows what will happen now. If anything, he was going to be out of it for quite a bit longer than usual.