Monster Catchers

Chapter #7 Who You Calling Dummy?

Nicole's POV

Brad and I followed Mary-Ellen into the City Hall building. It was dark inside. She went up some stairs to the second floor, where the Mayor's office is. I suddenly thought of my mom. She should be home by now, having that party....

Mary-Ellen threw her hatchet at a door and from the other side a familiar, raspy, hoarse voice could be heard. Slappy.

    "Come in." He said.

Mary-Ellen entered the room and left the door open. From outside in the hall Brad and I could hear Mary-Ellen absolutely explode into rage on Slappy. About how he'd called me babe and how she was the ONLY girl for him. He called her a plastic parasite and told her to get lost. When all she did was get more angry, we heard a soft thump and suddenly Mary-Ellen started screaming.

Running into the room I saw that the screaming was because Slappy had opened and thrown a book titled: 'Bride of the Living Dummy' onto the floor, and Mary-Ellen was getting sucked into it. Her book. When she was gone Slappy closed and locked the book himself.

    "I don't know why those dumb dead house idiots thought it was a good idea to open her book!" Slappy groaned.

I picked up Mary-Ellen's book and put it in my bag when Slappy finally noticed me.

    "Oh, slave. What are you doing here? Come to have some fun?" He asked.

    "What did you just call me?" I questioned him.

    "Slave. That's what you are, my slave! You may have freed me from my book, but that's still what you are to me." Slappy explained.

    "In your dreams you dumb dummy! And you're not staying freed, you're going back in your book where you belong!" I declared, getting out Slappy's book.

Slappy's eyes narrowed at me. He wasn't happy anymore.

    "Who you calling dummy, DUMMY?!" He growled.

Slappy stood up on his chair at the Mayor's desk and held his hand out towards me. A green aura snaked around his hand and suddenly my throat tightened. Looking down, the green aura was around my neck too. Slappy was choking me! I dropped the book, grabbing my neck. The book fell to the floor, still closed. Slappy released me from my choke hold and ran for the book.

    "No!" Brad yelled running for it as well.

They both reached the book at the same time and began struggling for it. Slappy bit Brad's arm in the process, but to no avail because with one final hard yank, Brad freed the book from Slappy's grasp. Slappy, thinking quickly, opened the window and jumped out onto the ledge, dangling himself down, he dropped down onto the pavement below.

I had finally regained my breathing. Brad checked if I was alright before we ran back down to the first floor. Slappy was running across the parking lot. We ran after him at full speed when he suddenly stopped and turned around. He took a book out of his suit jacket. It was titled: 'Stay Out of the Basement'. He unlocked it and threw the book on the ground between us, opening it.

    "I'm sure my rainforest friend will grow on you!" Slappy joked before letting out a menacing cackle.

I wasn't sure what he meant until what I saw was coming out of the book. Big green leafy vines of all kinds were crawling out of the book. Venus fly trap heads began poking out of the vines as well.

    "Slappy, you're going too far, you have to be returned to your book!" I exclaimed, ready to open it.

    "I'm merely doing what my papa created me to do! Terrorize people! That's what all of my brothers and sisters were created to do!" Slappy called.

    "Yeah, well your brothers and sisters have already been stopped. You now stand alone." I explained.

    "What?! You caught all of them?!" Slappy asked.

    "Yes I did. The gnomes, the werewolf of fever swamp, the people of dead house, the abominable snowman, the haunted mask, and now Mary-Ellen!" I yelled.

    "You didn't get everyone. The scarecrows are still out there." Slappy smiled.

    "No they're not." Carly said from behind Slappy, holding up the scarecrow's book.

    "See? All of your allies are gone. Safely back in their books. And now it's your turn." I said.

Slappy glared at me and turned to the mess of green vines.

    "Stop her!" He ordered.

The green vines charged towards me, wrapping itself around me and lifting me off of the ground. I screamed. One of the smaller vines crawled up my wrist, trying to grab the book. I held it away from it.

    "Carly, catch!" I called and threw the book her way.

Carly caught the book and started to open it, but the mass of vines wrapped itself around her legs and held her upside down, reaching for the book as well.

    "Ellie, here!" Carly yelled, throwing the book at her.

The book fumbled in Ellie's hands but she caught it. The vines reached for her but she ducked out of the way and began to run. The vines began to come from both ways and cornered Ellie as they reached for her and the book. Before they could grab ahold of either of them, they paused suddenly.

Behind them, Brad had re-opened 'Stay Out of the Basement' and was now standing behind the vines trapping Ellie. He held open the book that now had blue smoke coming out of it and was turning the vines to ink. The vines began to get sucked back in as Brad turned to see Slappy raising his hand, a green aura starting to form around it. Brad knew what was coming, so he threw the vines' book towards me and Carly in order to trap the vines constricting us and accepted his fate of Slappy's choke hold.

The rest of the vines began being sucked back into their book, dropping Carly and I to the ground. When they were all gone I closed the book and locked it, adding it to the arsenal in my bookbag.

Slappy was now walking towards Brad, who was still being choked by him. Slappy began kicking Brad as well.

    "No!" I called before running at him and tackling him to the ground.

Slappy and I struggled against each other for a minute before I turned to Ellie.

    "Ellie, open his book, NOW!" I commanded. As I did Slappy rolled on the ground and onto me. He began to choke me with his wooden hands.

    "Slappys not happy!" He yelled, glaring into my eyes.

Ellie ran up behind us and opened the book. Blue smoke immediately emerged from it and began circling around Slappy. His wooden hands that were still choking me turned liquidy black, starting to climb up his arms and torso. Soon his face turned back to ink as well and he began to get pulled backwards.

With one last maniacal laugh he disappeared back into 'Night of the Living Dummy'.