A Monster More Terrifying

Ectoplasm - Part 2

Across the wall, tree-root-like projections creeped out of the ever expanding mass of shadow at the top of the stairs.
They spun around as the wind crashed against the door. Although the door was far from pristine, there was a sharp chip new to its surface.
"Can you smell burning?" Xaviera asked. Winnie eyed her "Ye-" then did a double take, looking through the circular hole in her hair, "-s."
"What is it?"
"Um..." Winnie held up the metal detector as a mirror.
She looked back at her warped reflection — her hand hovered under her gawping mouth.
Another invisible projectile whistled past their faces with a wobbling sound as it made another indent in the door.
They faced each other in terror. "RUN!"
Xaviera grabbed Winnie's hand as they sprinted to the right wing of the castle.

Or so they intended.

Winnie was swooped back onto their bum and Xaviera fell forward onto her side, her feet stuck to the floor.
There was another whistle. And another. Until soon the room boomed like a fireworks display. Though the projectiles were invisible, they still cast alarming shadows on the floorboards.
"Ectoplasm!" Winnie exclaimed, correctly this time.
Xaviera was frozen in fear. Winnie had to do something. They strenuously dragged the heavy table towards her and propped it up as a barricade. Xaviera sat uncomfortably rigid with her knees up near her chest, her muscles tightened and her breathing rapid as she bit her nails.
Winnie's dewy pale skin glowed like the moon. What am I doing? All this for a bat-shaped badge.
A bat dived through the rainy window like a rocket. The two friends panicked, then had the simultaneous thought, I must be braver.
"Cease-fire," announced a commanding voice.
They both froze, as did the bombardment of ghostly attack.
Winnie peered over the table.
"What is it?" Xaviera managed.
They gulped. "Dracula."

Vampire. Garlic. Allergy. Escape. They took off their garlic necklace and threw it quickly over the table.
"Garlic wards away vampires,"
"Yeah,"
"it's over there now," Xaviera criticised.
"Oh."
Crunch.
"Mmh. I love onions. Thanks."
"Onions?"
"And you didn't notice?" Retorted Winnie.
They were running low on ideas. They grabbed the cross from their bag and clutched it tightly.
They stood up and faced the vampire. "Oi, mate." They trembled, "Come any closer and I'm not afraid to use this cross!"
The vampire remained cocky. "Just you behind that table for two?"
"Yeah, yeah just me..." they panted, glancing at their friend.
Dracula raised his arm, and as he flicked his hand up, the table flew through the dangerous roof into the atmosphere. The rainy beam of moonlight spotlighted Xaviera's exposure.
"Lighter than air." Smirked the vampire.
"No it bloody wasn't!" Winnie argued.
Dracula powerfully inhaled. "I cannot stand intruders, and especially those who deceive me. However, you gave me my favourite type of onions and for that I shall spare you your lives..."
"Oh." Winnie said surprised. "Great then."
"For intruding, however," bellowed his voice again. "You shall be imprisoned here for 55 years..."
"Where'd you get that number from?" Winnie retorted. Gosh, I'm in complete danger, why am I being sarcastic?
"Fifty six then!" He shouted over the patter of rain and thunder.
As Winnie and the vampire continued their back and forth arguing, Xaviera had a revelation. Water melts ectoplasm!
"Alright, fifty seven!"
She slowly prized her feet out of the gloop.
The roof began to crumble.
Shadow engulfed the room entirely, apart from a small hole in the roof and the door.
"FIFTY EI-"
CRASH!
The table plummeted through the roof above the stairs, onto the vampire.
As a bat, he screeched out of the roof at the speed of sound.
The roof continued to crumble — two support beams had been demolished.
A piece of fabric brushed against Winnies foot. They looked down to see... the giant rags monster?
The rain had shrunk it to the size of a hamster! It's glowing eye stared up at Winnie. They weren't scared of it anymore. It was harmless.
They picked it up and put it in their bag — maybe they could release it back into the wild, wherever on earth it's from.
A gigantic woodworm infested support beam crashed to the floorboards, dividing the two friends and throwing open the doors.
Xaviera grabbed Winnie's hand and pulled them over the beam, closer to the safety of their automatic car.
She threw open the car door, restarted the sat-nav and put her foot down, glaring at the crumbling castle in the mirror. "The movies lied! The vampire was horrible, not handsome at all!" She scrunched up her list and threw it out the window. "I'm never going back there ever again!"
"Where're your shoes?"