We Are One Now - A Goosebumps Fanfiction

Chapter Thirteen

Slappy was prepared for the reaction. He was used to his slaves complaining about being...well, his slaves. Besides the girls, who would want to give up all their freedom and obey a dummy's commands? But to be fair, Slappy was not a mere dummy. He is clever and knows how to use his magical powers.

It is rare to catch this puppet by surprise, but when you do, it is hilarious. Shelly was able to do just that. He was expecting her to ask questions and refuse his proposal. Well, Shelly did ask a few questions, but it was how she said them. She was not angry or afraid or sad. She was...curious. Curious why a dashing and powerful monster would choose her.

Slappy and his new bride walked together with the Gnomes trailing behind them. He smirked at her and stated, "Somebody around here is not convinced that they are beautiful." He noticed from the corner of his glassy eye that a Gnome raised his hand. "You idiot. I was referring to my bride."

"I am not understanding," Shelly said softly, playing with her hands. "Out of all the girls in this town, on this planet, you picked me. Why? Am I that ugly? Is it because I am easy to be manipulated? Is it because the readers think that I am as dumb as a rock?"

Slappy stopped and grabbed her wrist with one hand and patted her hand with the other. "My beautiful bride. I can assure you that I am doing this out of true love."

The Gnomes snickered. If it were true love, Slappy would not have had the monsters kidnap her.

Slappy glared at them, his eyes glowing green, and whispered, "Shut up."

"Slappy," Shelly said. "Your eyes."

His eyes immediately changed back to their normal color, which is brown. He released her hand, crossed his arms over his chest, and tilted his wooden head to the dirt floor.

Shelly tugged on her hair. She sometimes does that when she is in an awkward situation. Talking with a living puppet is no exception. "Was it something that I said? If so, I am sorry."

He mumbled something, but Shelly could not hear him. She kneeled to his level and placed a hand on his back. Slappy freaked out and pointed a wooden finger at her.

"The heck were you doing?!"

His bride almost fell back from his reaction. "I just put my hand on your back. I am sorry that I startled you."

"Please. Stop saying that you are sorry. You are my bride. My bride will get whatever her heart desires..." He paused and shook his finger at her. "...as long as she holds up her end of the bargain."

"A bargain? I did not know that a marriage not built on a lasting relationship requires a deal."

"Was that sarcasm? Or were you being serious?"

"I guess however the readers want to interpret it."

He grinned and took her hand into his. "As soon as I introduce you to the others, I will explain the deal."

"'Others'?"

Right after she said that, she was in the presence of Slappy's monster friends. The Haunted Mask. The Scarecrows. The Creeps. The Muglani. The Pumpkin Heads. The Executioner. The Graveyard Ghouls. Fifi the Vampire Dog. Madame Doom. The Blob. Captain Long Ben One-Leg. Cronby the Troll. The Mummy. Murder the Clown. The Snake Lady. The Annihilator 3000. Count Nightwing. The Haunted Car. Professor Shock. The Mud Monsters. The Body Squeezers. And the rest that were not in the movie.

I bet that you readers are having a hard time keeping the names straight as much as the writer had a hard time writing them down. Although that Shelly could not remember all the names, a few stuck out to her.

She looked at the clown and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Murder the Clown. You...you do not actually murder people...do you?"

"Not all the time," Murder confessed. "But I could if you wish, Your Majesty."

She looked at Slappy. "'Your Majesty'?"

Slappy laughed. "Silly me. Forgot to mention that my bride will also be the queen."

"'The queen'? The queen of what?"

"Horrorland. I am the king for two reasons. One, my fans always make me the king of Horrorland in their little fanfictions. And two, I am the most powerful monster in the Goosebumps series!"

"What is Horrorland?"

"Horrorland is the scariest amusement park in the world. And it will soon be your home."

Shelly raised an eyebrow. "You sure that Horrorland is the scariest amusement park in the world?"

"Yes. Not only that, but it is the most terrifying place that this world has ever seen!"

"Hmm...I do not believe you."

"What?! Why do you say that? Why does my queen not believe me?"

"It is just...has there been a murder in Horrorland?"

"I have been in Horrorland more times than I can count," Murder the Clown announced.

Shelly shook her head. "I am not talking about you. I am referring to murders. You know. People dying in the hands of somebody else."

The doll tapped his cracked chin. "Horrorland has never dealt with a murder. We have experienced kids going missing plenty of times, but never a murder."

"Oh. Then I guess that Horrorland is not the scariest place."

"You deaf? I said that we experience tons of missing children."

"Missing children are not as terrifying as an actual murder. There is a mysterious town somewhere in the United States called Forlot. Among Forlot is an amusement park named Territory of Terror. It was abandoned years ago after a victim enjoying the park was brutally murdered."

"Dang. That is dark," the Executioner admitted.

Shelly eyed his axe and swallowed hard and wrapped her thumbs and fingers around her neck. "Please tell me that you have never used that thing."

"He has," Slappy responded. "But he will not use it on my bride."