Freaky Friday (but on a Tuesday)

Chapter 12 - Journey to the Cave

The group all leaped back inside the car - with Johnny taking the wheel and Mavis by his side - and then they all sped away through the jungle just as a fearsome thunderstorm was going by. Johnny quickly explained the situation to Mavis.

"If we don't get to the Crystal Cave in time, Ericka's going to keep transforming!"

"Keep transforming?" Mavis echoed in surprise.

"Yeah! Van Helsing said it will keep happening until she becomes a mindless beast, and then there won't even be anything left of Ericka!"

Mavis gasped.

She looked down at the tracker, seeing which direction they should travel it. She pointed. "Over there! Follow the river!"

Johnny swerved the jeep, everyone inside holding on tightly as he did so. Torrential rain continued to pour down as the vehicle sped onward.

Suddenly, Johnny noticed a gap along the cliffside that they were traveling on. He looked around, not seeing anywhere else that they could drive in the jungle that would not delay them. Thinking quickly, he looked at the jeep's dashboard. There were plenty more little buttons and dials than there would be on a normal car, given that it belonged to a monster hunter. Surely something on there would be able to help them now.

Then, his eyes found a button with an icon that looked like a boat. He pushed it and hoped that it would do what he thought it would do. Please work, please work! he thought desperately, and to the others shouted, "All right, everybody hang on!"

The jeep was driven off of the cliffside, monsters and humans alike shrieking as they free-fell from the sky and down into the water below. The vehicle sunk below the surface for a brief moment, before bubbling back up. Johnny looked down to the sides of the car, realizing that the wheels had turned into small boat propellers that were keeping it afloat.

"Woah!" Johnny exclaimed. "I think I'm gonna have to ask Van Helsing if I can keep this really cool jeep!" he smiled, stepped on the gas, and accelerated through the river rapids.

***

With little difficulty, Dracula was able to find Ericka. His vampire vision enabled him to track her footsteps in the dark. Plus, with the trail of destruction she was leaving behind, it was rather easy. He then saw her, lumbering through the vegetation and growling under her breath.

"Ericka!" he called out, flying out in front of her. "Ericka, stop!"

She snarled for a minute, and then her eyes focused in on the little black bat fluttering before her face. Through the haze of her anger, she recognized her husband.

"Drac!"

"Yes, Ericka! Thank goodness you're still here!" He breathed a sigh of relief. "Look, I'm really sorry about Mavis - "

The mention of his daughter's name sent Ericka into a frenzy. She snarled out again, roaring out her frustration into the air. Flames fired out of her mouth, the heat grazing Drac's wings as he ducked and dodged to avoid them burning him.

"Woah! Ericka! Darling, calm down!"

He ducked again to avoid a vicious swipe from her claws, and then heard his phone ring. "Sorry, sweetheart!" he called. "Just give me one quick minute to answer this call!"

Drac flew over to a nearby tree, turned himself back to his humanoid form and answered. Johnny was on the other end.

"Hey, Drac, good news!" he said excitedly. "We found the Crystal Cave, and we're about to head inside to find the actual crystal!"