Night Of Fright

By Mark J. DeGregorio, a.k.a.- Lucky

Patricia looked across the room to see Nonie asleep. She gave a large smile, not a happy one but a sneaky smile. Patricia stretched her arm down the side of her bed then slithered it beneath the bed to the other side of the room. Silently, Patricia’s arm passed underneath Nonie’s bed until it reached the wall on the other side of the room. Ever so slowly, her arm snaked up along the wall to Nonie’s face. With one swift movement, Patricia grabbed Nonie’s nose and stretched it three feet then let it snapped back into her face.

“Ouch!” Nonie cried as she popped her head up. Patricia had already pulled her arm back before Nonie saw it and was pretending to be asleep. Nonie was rubbing her nose, looked at Patricia sleeping, and wondered what had happened. That was, until Nonie saw Patricia smirk just a tad. Furiously, Nonie stretched her arm across the room and punched Patricia in the mouth and yelled, “Take that!”

Nonie’s fist left an imprint where Patricia’s mouth was. Both girls stretched towards each other and began to exchange fists. Moments later, James came into the room to break it up yelled, “Will you two stop with all this fighting!”

The two pointed at each other and said, “She started it!”

James finished it by tying their arms and legs to their bedposts and warned them what would happen if he had to come back in there again.

* * * * * * *

2:03 am – October 31^st - Central Museum:

A museum guard was taking a short nap when someone began to sneak up behind him. The shadowy figure bent down to the side of the guard’s head and yelled, “Oooga-Booga-Booga!”

The security guard jumped from his chair and spun around to see his partner laughing himself silly, “I got you good Bert, you jumped right out of your pants!”

Infuriated, he replied, “Lenny, you moron! What’s the big idea?”

Lenny smiled, “I couldn’t help myself when I saw you sleeping…”

“I was not sleeping…” Bert interrupted his younger partner, “…I was resting my eyes!”

“Sure…” Lenny said, “…and I’m dating Reese Witherspoon.”

As the two security guards argue, two shadowy figures slip past on a security camera. The two were dressed in black, which covered everything except for their eyes. They approached a glass case containing a scroll and the staff of Hallo. One pulled out two mirrors and each went to an electric laser eye. Timing it perfectly, they placed a mirror in front of both eyes to fool it into thinking the beam was unbroken. The other pulled out a glasscutter and began to cut a hole into the glass. When that was finished, they removed the items of the case. The two slipped out as quickly and quietly as they entered the museum.

* * * * * * *

Nonie staggered out of her room. She got into trouble last night because of Patricia and was glad that it was their “day off” from the comic book store. She entered the kitchen to get breakfast and was dismayed at the sight of Patricia, twin sister, nemesis, and all around troublemaker, eating HER Cocoa Puffs. “Morning sleepy head.” Patricia giggled with a mouth full of cereal.

“Those are MY Cocoa Puffs you’re eating.” Nonie snarled.

Patricia picked up the box of cereal and looked it over, “I don’t see your name on it, however…” Patricia pointed at Sonny the cuckoo bird and continued, “…it does have your picture on the box.”

Alan walked into the kitchen, saw a fight about to erupt, quickly turned to leave the room, when an arm stretched out and wrapped itself around him. Alan was pulled back into the kitchen by Patricia who said, “Hey Geek, tell your girlfriend here, that she doesn’t own all the Cocoa Puffs on Earth.”

Nonie stretched her arm around Alan and replied, “Tell the plastic queen that she has to go out and buy her own cereal.”

Alan knew that he was between a rock and a hard place, or more technically, wrapped between two angry rubber girls. “Can’t we all just get along?” he yelped.

“NO!” they both yelled and a catfight started with Alan caught in the middle.

Penny and Stephanie entered the kitchen and saw the fight. Penny moved at super speed and grabbed both girls by the ears and began to pull. Nonie and Patricia ceased their fighting, in favor of keeping their ears intact.

As they released Alan, Stephanie teased, “So brother, still want to put the squeeze on Nonie?”

Alan was grasping for air, responded, “Oh you’re funny, but not very.” When he was able to breath without pain, he grabbed his bag and said, “I’m off to work on the ship.”

Before he could get to the door, Nonie stretched ahead of him and begged, “I want to go too…please!”

Alan sighed, “Alright, seeing that I can’t get out of the house without going through you first.”

* * * * * * *

The last time Alan was on the Terisian, he forgot to pick-up a fuel cell for his jetpack, fortunately, he has a shape-shifting friend. Nonie had shaped her arms into large bat-like wings and was flying them to the spaceship. When they were close enough to see the Terisian, Nonie decided to shape herself into a hang-glider and said, “Okay Alan, take us in.”

“I don’t know how to fly a hang-glider.” Alan fearfully responded, and the two collided with the side of the mountain. As they slid down the side, they ended up by the hatch to the Terisian. “At lease I got us to the ship.” Nonie moaned.

Once inside, Alan worked on restoring the tactical systems. Nonie wanted to explore the ship. She had a com-link that Alan had giving her so when it was time to leave, he could inform her.

* * * * * * *

“Elizabeth?” Franklin called and when he received no answer, he ran to the storeroom and grabbed the box that contained the Collector’s costume.

Franklin pulled the costume out of the box and looked it over. He took notice of the “C” on the chest of the costume and tried to think up a name, which began with a C.

“Courage-man?” he said aloud, “Maybe Captain something.”

He thought for a moment and got distracted on how great becoming a superhero was going to be. After he got his mind back on track, he mumbles to himself, “I need to think of a wonderful name…wait…Captain Wonderful…that’s it!” He held up the costume and continued, “I’ll call myself…Captain Wonderful!”

Franklin looked at the costume and thought that he would need a W to go with the C and started to look for some material to match the C’s color. The only thing he could find was one of Elizabeth’s skirts. Franklin cut a W out of the skirt and hid the rest of it so Elizabeth could never find it in a million years, balled up in the back of the walk-in closet.

An hour later, Franklin was modeling his super costume. He not only added a W to the chest but he also got a pair of underwear to wear on the outside of his costume. Other heroes do it, why not him? Franklin took a heroic stance and admired himself in the mirror before going out on patrol.

“It’s Captain Wonderful!” he shouted and ran out of the door with his arms extended straight out in front of him as he imagined himself flying. “Swoosh!” he added as to make the sound effect of him soaring through the sky.

* * * * * * *

It was mid-afternoon when Alan remembered the comic book convention. He gather up the things he had plan to work on, including a nuclear accelerator he was planning to upgrade Stephanie’s car with. He called Nonie over the com-link, but didn’t get an answer. He stuffed the accelerator into his bag and left to look for her.

Nonie was in the hydroponics lab overlooking all the plants, and giving them names. “…Okay, and your name will be Walter…yours will be Clem…”

Alan entered the lab, sighed, “There you are. I’ve been looking all over this ship for you.”

Nonie turned to face Alan and responded, “Oh, hi Alan. I was in here.”

“Obviously…” he sighed, “Why didn’t you answer when I called?”

“I tried too, but you couldn’t hear me.” Nonie replied.

Alan stood there a moment and then asked, “Did you push the button before you spoke into it?”

Nonie blinked and asked, “Button?”

Alan looked at his watch, this time he really had one, and informed Nonie, “It’s getting late and we have to get ready for the convention, to sell all that Elasticity merchandize.”

As the two left the lab, Nonie turned and said, “I’ll name the rest of you guys when I get back.”

Alan made Nonie promise not to shape herself into a hang glider for the return trip home.

* * * * * * *

The two thieves approach an abandon warehouse. They had the museum’s stolen staff and scroll as they knocked a secret signal on the door. A few minutes the small window on the door slid open and a pair of eyes peered out. When the door opened, the two entered the room. They went down a flight of stairs and into a secret room in the basement.

This room was decorated in spirit of Halloween, with candles, cobwebs, pumpkins, and most notable, a banner of Samhain. A man in a red hooded robe approached them and the thieves handed over the staff and scroll. The hooded figure took these items and placed them on an eerie alter. He then turned to the thieves and said, “You have done well, my children. Now that we have both, the staff of Hallo, and the scroll, we can begin the ritual to bring forth…Samhain.”

He took the staff from alter and placed it in the middle on the room, on an insignia of a pentagram. The two thieves put on their robes as three others, in robes, enter the room and took their places around the staff. When all six were in position, they began the ritual.

After twenty minutes of chanting, the staff began to glow with energy. The leader in the red robe lifted the staff and said; “Now we must get this staff to the pillar of Eve before midnight of All Hallows Eve.”

Another robed figure held a book and added, “According to the ancient book of Rights, the pillar should be in the convention center.”

The leader then said, “We only have eight hours before midnight, we must get to the convention center.”

One of the hooded figures informed him, “There is a comic book convention being held there, we would have no problem blending in there.”

The six cultists exited the room to go to the convention center.

* * * * * * *

Franklin, who was playing superhero, was running still with his arms extended out pretending he was flying, ran pass a poster advertising the comic book convention. He stops to look at it and said, “A comic convention…” then started to think aloud, “…that would be a great place to show off my super abilities.”

Franklin resumed with his flight to the convention center, shouted, “Captain Wonderful Away…Swoosh!”

* * * * * * *

At the convention center, people were buying comics, selling ideas for books, getting autographs from artists and writers. Many were in costumes of their favorite heroes and villains, while others were getting their pictures with guest celebrities.

At one table in a booth, Patricia was sitting there sulking while Nonie, as Elasticity, was getting all the attention. She had all the posters. She had all the cutouts. She had all the figures. Patricia glanced at Elasticity’s cardboard cutout and stretched her arm out, punching it and knocking it over. “If I had Plastrica merchandize, it would be a bigger seller than that skinny little twerp’s.”

Elasticity was having fun posing for pictures for fans. Alan was busy selling the concept of the Elasticity video game. Penny took care of selling the comic books of Elasticity, as James brought out more things from the van. Stephanie wanted to get the money that Alan had invested of hers, which at the time, she did not know anything about, worked the cashbox.

Alan had sold another copy of the PC game said, “That’ll be $32.99.”

As he took the money, Stephanie snatched it form his hands and said, “I’ll take that, brother dear.” And she placed it into the cashbox and added; “Now you still owe me fourteen hundred and eighteen dollars.”

Alan looked at his sister and asked, “Say, when do I get to keep some money?”

“When you pay me back the fourteen hundred and eighteen dollars you still owe me.” She repeated.

Patricia got up from the table and shifted her clothes into her Plastrica costume and shouted, “Listen up folks. Here is the new sensation… PLASTRICIA!”

Hearing this, Elasticity spun around and shouted, “Plastrica!” and stretched towards her and continued, “What do you think you are doing?”

“Stealing some of you thunder, what else?” Plastrica grinned.

Elasticity clenched her teeth and snarled, “Well quit it.”

“What’s a matter, afraid of some REAL competition” she grinned.

The crowd began to chant, “Fight…fight…fight…”

No one noticed the six hooded figures enter the convention center as all eyes were fixed on two girls in superhero costumes fighting each other. Alan tried to break it up before someone got hurt, had only got him fisted by Plastrica.

Then it happened, Franklin entered the convention center. He, as Captain Wonderful, ran into the two girls knocking them both over. Franklin shouted, “Have no fear, Captain Wonderful is here!”

The two girls looked up at this new character standing before them. Somehow, the costume looked very familiar to them. Nonie spouted, “Franklin?” and she and Plastrica began to laugh themselves silly.

“I’m not Franklin Cummings…” he insisted, “…I’m Captain Wonderful!”

The two girls looked at each other and continued to laugh.

Captain Wonderful took a heroes stance and said, “I must be off to fight all evil doers everywhere…” as he ran with his arms extended straight out in front of him continued, ”Captain Wonderful Away…Swoosh!”

Plastrica still laughing, said, “What a Dork!”

As he helped them off the floor, Alan asked, “Do you think Elizabeth knows what he is doing?”

After a mediocre discussion, Elasticity and Plastrica decided, with a little nudge from James, to share to spotlight.

* * * * * * *

The six cultists made their way to the pillar of Eve when Captain Wonderful ran into them knocking them into a display case with staffs looking similar to the staff of Hallow. Everyone including Franklin fell to the floor and the cult leader dropped his staff. He looked at the idiotic superhero clown and yelled, “You Bumbling Boob!” and got up off the floor and continued, “…watch where you’re going!” and picked up a staff off the floor and left.

Franklin watched as the six walked away and then looked down at all the other staffs on the floor. He saw one of the staffs began to glow and thought Captain Wonderful could use a staff for fighting crime. He grunted as he bent down to pick it off the floor. When he held it in his hand, he could feel a slight vibration. Franklin continued his flight “run” around the convention center.

The cultists arrived at the pillar and the leader in the red robe, placed the staff into the pillar, then, nothing happened. They looked at one another when the one in the red robe grabbed the staff and examined it more closely and said, “This is not the staff of Hallow!” and realized what had happened said, “It must still be back where that idiot ran into us, come on.”

* * * * * * *

Alan reached for the cash box sitting on the table when Stephanie slapped his hand with a flyswatter. She smiled and said, “You still owe me nine hundred eighty-six dollars.”

“I just wanted to look at the money.” Alan insisted.

Stephanie smiled, “Yea, Right, and Nonie has an I.Q. of two hundred.”

Elasticity and Plastrica were working the crowds getting them to buy their merchandize. Both tried to out-do the other in taking cheesecake photos with the fans. Plastrica was showing off her best asset, her cleavage. As the guys want to get their picture with Plastrica, Elasticity would stretch her hand to block Plastrica’s face. “Will you quit doing that?” Plastrica snapped.

“You’re just trying to get all the attention for yourself!” Elasticity responded.

“Do you want to know why I’m getting “the attention” of the fans?” Plastrica asked as she stretched an arm over to an Elasticity cutout and held it up to Elasticity and answered, “You see this cutout; it’s as flat as your chest.”

“Again with the flat-chested jokes!” Elasticity snarled.

The two were about to get into another fight when they saw James glaring at them as he bent a metal bar into a pretzel. They glanced at each other and went back to signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans.

* * * * * * *

The members of the cult were franticly searching through the fallen staffs looking their staff of Hallow, when their leader saw the bumbling fool playing superhero running with their staff. “That fool has the staff, get him!”

Captain Wonderful had been running for fifteen minutes carrying the staff and needed to rest. He leaned against a pillar to catch his breath and noticed a notched hole on the top of the pillar. It had an unusual shape to it. He then saw that the staff he was holding was crafted with the same shape. As the cultists approached Captain Wonderful, he placed the staff into the pillar of Eve.

All at once, the entire convention center began to tremble. Parts of the walls and ceiling began to break apart and fall. People were becoming panicking as they dodged the falling debris. Captain Wonderful stepped back from the pillar as all eyes at the convention stared at the pillar when it and the staff exploded.

When the dust settled, a demon with a pumpkin head stood where the pillar once stood. It wore a tattered orange and black outfit with a frayed green cape. Its eyes were most frightening as it glowed a bright yellow.

The cultists bowed before the demon, chanting hail Samhain…

Franklin cried out, “Oh Boy! A Genie! I get three wishes!”

The demon roared, “I am Samhain… the spirit of All Hallows Eve… This world will know no other…”

“For my first wish, I think I would like to be able to really fly!” Captain Wonderful interrupted.

Samhain approach Franklin and angrily shouted, “You dare confuse me with a servant deity…” Samhain grabbed Captain Wonderful and continued, “…So, you want to fly?” and he threw him across the convention center.

“Hey Pumpkin-Puss!” Elasticity stretched her upper body from the crowd and continued, “Pick on someone with real powers!”

“Non-nie, what are you do-ing?” Alan whined through clench teeth.

“You Dare Call Me “Pumpkin-Puss”, do you know whom you’re talking to?” he roared.

“Yea, a guy with a pumpkin for a head.” Elasticity replied.

Samhain was now angry, he shouted, “You Dare Insult me, with your feeble Jokes!”

Plastrica did not want Nonie to get all the credit, added, “Look Mister Pumpkin head, why don’t you just crawl back under that rock you slithered out of and leave us alone.”

The intensity of his glowing eyes became brighter as he screamed, “Infidels! Now you will face my wrath!”

“Oooh, I’m scared.” Plastrica said, “You’re going to fight us?”

Nonie laughed, “Yea, you and what army.”

He smiled, “Why, my army of the dead.”

Outside the dead were raising from their graves. Ghosts, demons, skeletons, and the walking dead, headed for the convention center.

Stephanie ran over to the rubber twins to knock their heads in, but James stopped her as he said, “We don’t have time for that now. We have to get these people to safety.”

Samhain ascended to the rafters to watch the festivities. James shouted, “Alan, you and Stephanie take everyone into the maintenance room.”

“Why?” Alan asked.

“There are no windows there, it’s large enough to accommodate everyone, and only one entrance to that room.” James answered.

Penny approached her husband and asked, “What about the rest of us?”

James looked at his wife and said, “Use that speed thing of yours and try to stop as many creatures as you can...” James turned to Elasticity and Plastrica and said, “…The rubber twins here, will try to find a way to stop Pumpkin Puss.”

Elasticity asked, “So, how much time before they arrive?”

Plastrica tapped her on the shoulder, and then pointed towards the front doors. There were at least twelve dozen zombies, demons, skeletons, and ghosts breaking their way into the convention center. Nonie’s eyes tripled in size, as she squeaked, “No time at all.”

Alan and Stephanie started to get everyone to the maintenance room as James grabbed a mask and placed it on his face, and then switch off his disguising watch revealing his green form. James did something Penny or the others had never seen him do before, James rose into the air and began to fly.

Penny began to run at super speed and came to the Star Trek booth. She saw a Klingon’s bat’leth. It was a nicely crafted. She grabbed it and a sharpening stone and began to use it at super speed until it was razor sharp. She then threw down the three hundred dollars on the counter to pay for it. As Penny turned, she saw two zombies approach her from behind her. She spun the bat’leth with hyper swiftness, cutting off their heads. Both fell to the floor and miss hyper-woman ferociously started to cut through the horde.

Alan and Stephanie got the most of the remaining by-standers into the maintenance room. Stephanie turned to her brother and asked, “Do you have your welding torch with you?”

“Yes, why?” he responded.

Stephanie answered, “You’re going to weld to metal door shut so as to keep these people safe…”

“BUT, we’ll be stuck out here with these monsters…”Alan whined, “…How are WE going to be safe!”

Stephanie grabbed his shirt and threatened, “You are going to weld that door shut, and when you’re finish securing it, you’re going to help us fight these monsters, understand.”

“Do I have a choice?” he whimper.

“No…” she yelled, “…get welding”

Alan proceeded to weld the door shut.

* * * * * * *

Elasticity and Plastrica were making their way to where Pumpkin Puss appeared. As Elasticity approached a skeleton jumped out and grabbed her by the arm. Nonie turned and screamed, “AAAHHH! Leg go of me!”

For a skeleton, it seemed to be strong. Elasticity wrapped her arms around the skeleton and called to Plastrica, “A little help here!”

Plastrica saw the image of Nonie fighting the skeleton and the little demon inside of her head just could not resist this crack. She smiled and laughed, “Look, Nonie is fighting herself…no, wait…the skeleton has more meat on its body than you!”

Elasticity struggled with the bony freak, snapped, “Just you wait until I get out of this mess!” and she snapped a few of the skeleton’s ribs.

While Patricia laughed, a winged demon was sneaking up on her. Elasticity snapped the neck off the skeleton and it fell into a pile of bones. As she was about to thank her rotten twin for the help, she saw the demon behind Plastrica and shouted, “Patty! Behind you!”

“The name’s Patricia or Plastrica! Never Patty…” Plastrica was cut off by the demon grabbing her from behind. As the demon began to fly off with Plastrica, Elasticity stretched her arm into a slingshot and grabbing the skull from the defeated skeleton, shot it at the demon. The skull missed the demon, but hit Plastrica on the head, “Nonie, you numb-skull!” Plastrica yelled as she rubbed her sore head.

James saw all this and flew up to the demon, tapped it on the shoulder and smashed his fist into its face when it looked. Plastrica began to fall. Elasticity ran to catch her but then pulled away to let her hit the floor with a splat.

Plastrica had been reduced to a flatten girl. As she peeled herself off the floor, Elasticity giggled, “Well, now look who’s Flat-Chested.”

Plastrica began to inflate herself back to her normal dimensions, said, “Just you wait Nonie, when we’re out of this mess, I am so gona flatten you out.”

Nonie smiled, “Yea, whatever, Flatty Patty!”

* * * * * * *

“Yo boss, we got company.” Alan whispered to his sister. The two ran and hid behind a vehicle on the showroom floor, “Oh man, big, bad and creepy is over there, what are we going to do?”

Stephanie placed her hand over her brother’s mouth to shut him up, “If you don’t stop that whining of yours, that thing will find us.” She whispered.

The two turned to see where the zombie was. Alan noticed the automobile was a large white hearse, with a ghost painted on the side. “It’s the Ecto mobile.” Alan whispered.

“So.” Stephanie sighed.

Alan reached into Ecto 1 and pulled out a proton pack and pointed the rod at the zombie and said, “Watch this.” And pulled the trigger.

He tried it three more times before Stephanie said, “Watch what?” he looked at the proton pack as she continued, “Did you really think that was going to work, doofus!”

Alan started to dig into his bag and pulled out the nuclear accelerator he got from the Terisian that morning. He was going to use it in Stephanie’s car, but it’s needed now. Alan pulled out his tools and quickly made some modifications to the proton pack. Stephanie checked to see where the zombie was, said, “What ever it is you’re doing, make it fast.”

“I think I got it!” Alan shouted, which brought the attention of the zombie.

It staggered towards the front of the Ecto mobile as Alan pulled the trigger and shot the corpse’s head off. Alan was so pleased with himself, that he got up and began to moonwalk as he shouted, “Oh yeah, who’s the man…I am…uh huh…uh huh…Baby I’m so rad…”

“Alan, if you’re through acting like an idiot, we should round up the others.”

Alan got an-all-to-familiar gleam in his eyes, as she continued, “Oh no, don’t even think about it!”

“Yo boss, it’s the Ecto 1.” He grinned.

Moments later, Alan and Stephanie were driving through the convention center in the Ecto mobile, running down zombies and demons. Stephanie was blasting some with the proton pack, said, “I can’t believe you talked me into stealing the ghost mobile.”

“Appropriate is a better word.” Alan grin.

Stephanie pulled her head back into the car and replied, “So is grand larceny.”

* * * * * * *

Plastrica and Elasticity saw a man in a red hooded robe running away from the area where Pumpkin Puss made his appearance. Something told Plastrica that this guy was a cultist. “Nonie, we have to stop that guy!”

The two rubber girls stretched their bodies to snare him. Both wrapped themselves around him, but somehow, he seem to phase out of their hold and ran through a wall. Plastrica blinked and asked, “What just happened just now?”

Elasticity shrugged her shoulders. Plastrica annoyed said, “You knuckle-head! You let him get away!”

“No I didn’t…” Elasticity snapped, “besides, I pulled this off him before he did that ghosty thingy.” And she held up a scroll.”

Penny ran up to the twins and asked, “What is that you’ve got there?”

“It’s an old piece of paper on a roll, I think it’s a paper towel holder.” Nonie blathered.

Plastrica rolled her blue eyes and sighed, “It’s a magical scroll.”

Penny looked around and said, “We better find the others.”

The three heard a siren and flashing lights of the Ecto mobile as it roared onto the screen. It was being chased by a winged demon as a proton stream blaster it knocking it out of the air. The Ecto 1 slid to a stop as Alan said, “Need a lift?”

As the girls got into the vehicle and drove away, Franklin as Captain Wonderful, came out of hiding and began to chase after them shouted, “Hey! Wait for me! Wait up!”

As Franklin caught up with the Ecto 1, a demon threw a fireball at him, striking him on the ass. Franklin leaped into the back of the car and began to slap the fire out on his butt with his hands. When the fire was out, he said, “I don’t want to be a superhero anymore…” as he removed the mask, “…it’s too dangerous, a guy can get hurt doing that.”

Another fireball hit the Ecto mobile and it smashed into a wall. The six got out of the car to assess the damage. Elasticity open the scroll and began to read it, getting stuck on a word. Plastrica said the word and the two began to read the scroll. The twin’s hands were touching as they both held the scroll. As they read it, the words began to radiance on the paper.

From the rafters, Samhain felt the scroll’s magic and shouted, “No! I will not be defeated!” and summoned his minions to stop them.

All the remaining dead converged on the twins. Penny saw them coming and said, “What ever they’re doing; Pumpkin Puss doesn’t like it.”

James flew down to see why all the demons he was fighting suddenly left the battle. When he arrived, he saw Nonie and Patricia casting a spell of banishment on Pumpkin Puss. James thought the last time he heard that spell cast, Linda used it on a Rhinoid warrior.

James helped the others protect the twins to finish the spell. James used his incredible strength to bash anything that came close to them. Penny used her bat’leth to slice-and-dice, while Alan used the proton pack; blasting everything that moved that wasn’t alive. Stephanie had grabbed a baseball bat from the car and was smacking away at the monsters. Franklin was cowering behind the rubber twins.

Samhain descended from the rafters to deal with those annoying girls once and for all. As he approached, Penny charged him. Samhain raised his hand and Penny ran into an invisible force blast sending her flying back. James tried to stop him, but Samhain grabbed him with telekinesis and bounced him around the area. Stephanie ran over and swung the bat, but Samhain caught the bat and pulled it out of her hands, and then broke it in half. Alan used the proton pack to blast ol’ Pumpkin Puss, but he merely deflected the stream blasting a hole in the ceiling, then grabbed Alan and threw him aside. Franklin fainted as Samhain approached and commenced to charge up for his finial attack. But before he could strike, Elasticity and Plastrica said the last word on the scroll. As he began to implode, the twins giggled, “Bye-bye Pumpkin Puss!”

All the remaining demons teleported back to hell from where they came from, the skeletons and zombies fell to the ground, and the ghosts disappeared. The others got up from their beating as Elasticity and Plastrica jumped around in joy. James went to free the people in the maintenance room. Elasticity saw Alan was still lying from where he was thrown and had some blood on his forehead. “Oh Alan…” she cried, until he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

Elasticity was so happy that he was not dead that she gave him a long kiss. As they were embracing in the kiss, Stephanie bent down and said, “Get a Room you two!”

As the bystanders left the convention center, Plastrica strolled over to her twin and said, “Now that we’re out of this mess…” and enlarged her hand into a huge iron, “…I owe you this.”

Plastrica slammed her iron into Elasticity, pressing her flat against the wall, and then giggled, “I see you have some pressing issues to attend to.”

Penny glanced at Stephanie and said, “And they were working so well together.”

Elasticity peeled herself off the wall and embark on unflattening herself, and then stretch a fist at Plastrica, and within moments, the two were in yet, another catfight.

* * * * * * *

The heroes exited the convention center as the crowds, whom they have saved, cheered. They got into their van as Franklin stopped them to bum a ride home. Everyone was still mad at Franklin for releasing Pumpkin Puss in the first place, but did give him a ride home.

When they arrived at their old apartment complex, they escorted Franklin to his front door and rang the bell. Elizabeth opened the door and saw her weasel husband dressed in a ridiculous costume.

“Do you know what this cue-bald was doing?” James asked.

“He was playing superhero and released a demon spirit into the world, and nearly destroyed downtown.” Stephanie added.

Elizabeth held up a skirt of hers with a “W” cutout of it and asked Franklin, “Explain this?”

Sweat was rolling off his fat baldhead as he said; “I needed a W for my superhero costume.”

“Well here’s two Os to go with that W.” and Elizabeth slammed both of her fists into Franklin’s eyes, and then pulled him into the apartment.

As everyone went back to the van, they could hear Franklin getting beat-up by Elizabeth. Nonie asked, “Shouldn’t we go in there and help?”

James smiled, “No, I think Elizabeth can take care of Franklin all by herself.”

* * * * * * *

A few weeks had passed since Pumpkin Puss, and Nonie got up and went to take a shower. She was glade that Patricia did not use up all the hot water. After she was done, she wrapped one towel around her body and another around her hair into a turban. She dried herself and put on fresh underwear. Nonie then started to dry her hair and walked towards the mirror. When she pulled the towel away from her head, she received the biggest shock in her life. From her reflection Nonie had large pointed elf ears, which stuck out from the sides of her head, “AAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHHH!”

To be continue: