CBUB Hall of Fame

[DSkillz]

And now, corvette1710's second co-winning September entry:

The Xenomorph Queen hissed in pleasure. No sickly, grey beings pervaded her hives now. They were diseased, scrawny things who could put up little resistance against her drones. The eggs she’d laid put them to good use, though. Their feeble weaponry, slings and bows by her estimation, could little pierce the hide of her children. She had lost a few, it was true, but they had served their purpose in the end.

 

 

      Now, she reached out telepathically in the night, sending visions of herself far and wide to entice newcomers to her hive, that she might make them of her own. She could feel their differing physiologies; the material they would bring unto her would be extensively useful.

 

 

      Her first outsider quarry was a group of stout biped men with weapons befitting their stature. They’d posed some small challenge to capture, but she would allow a few to escape: at least, after they had been impregnated, and she would stay the hand of her hatchlings until they had returned to their homes. Then, she would allow her seed to propagate similarly across the planet.

 

 

      For, of course, this was her only objective: Control the planet through her progeny. And there was plentiful wildlife to turn to her own, from grey-blue, violent bipedal creatures to proud, strong, long-maned, hooved quadrupeds. They all fell to her dream assault, her immense telepathic presence turning her into their deity. They marched en masse into the mines to be turned, their numbers becoming hers as they were impregnated and parasitized.

 

 

      Word had begun to spread among the kingdoms of a terror inside Moria. The tales told of a great dark monster with crystalline teeth and a black crown, who turned men and beast alike unto its brood.

 

 

      The problem in the kingdoms’ communications came in the form of secrecy and deceit: None were willing to admit that their dreams had been pervaded with terrifying, awe-inspiring images of this Lord of Night, as they had taken to calling it. They could see it in their sleep, feel its presence looming in their mind when they were waking, and perhaps most frighteningly, they were hesitant to kill it, as it exuded magnificence and power, and to attempt its destruction may only incur its wrath and end its splendor.

 

 

      Thus the delegation at Rivendell, excluding those who had once felt the corruption of the One Ring, spoke endlessly of containment over eradication. The kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan were represented appropriately, but not by those men who had felt the vitriol the Ring evoked. Thranduil himself appeared to represent Mirkwood, and Elrond was the host of the invoked gathering. A near-nameless dwarf king represented his entire race, and the Hobbits didn’t bother to send a delegation. No other races had been invited or informed to appear to discuss the greatest evil since Sauron begat the War for the Ring. Ergo, neither orcs, goblins, or werewolves, nor trolls, ents, or spiders were allowed to discuss their fate, as the elves detested them each but for ents, whom they respected but thought their numbers too few.

 

 

      In essence, the Fellowship lived on in memorial action, though many of the peoples of Middle-Earth had fallen back into their ways of petty discourse and war.

 

 

      In Rivendell did the convention speak in hushed tones, fearing the inferring of fear amongst their number by another, in that such a showing would emplace weakness upon their people in the minds of potential enemies.

 

 

      And so, speaking from false boldness, the many chose to send forth parties of their own toward Moria, to collect in Rivendell and ride southward thus.

 

 

      In one month’s time, the assorted factions had gathered themselves for a journey to Moria from Rivendell and marched forward, spirits beginning low as their visions of a desolate future under the Lord of Night where its spawn reigned made them more certain of their failure.

 

 

      The Queen met their forces with several thousand of her own drones and warriors taken from the miles surrounding Moria. Her brood had converted the mines’ walls to a resinous compilation of her own making, which allowed them places to hide and ambush them as her forces feigned weakness, gathering inside the mines for the war party to follow.

 

 

***

 

 

               “Thus we must take this task above all others upon ourselves: To slay the Lord of Night and bring an end to the terror of its brood. Who among you cannot speak to the horrors you have endured to reach this place? Not one, I can be assured. It is not in spite of your ordeals, but because of them, that you have found the courage—nay, the will—to fight to end night’s reign over Middle-Earth. It is for you that I raise my sword, and for each other and all others that you must as well. By the end of our great mission, each and all of us will be as the great heroes of old!”

 

 

               Aragorn punctuated his speech by raising his sword. Fifty thousand men, dwarves, and elves raised their swords with him.

 

 

*****

 

 

So, in summary: fifty thousand men, dwarves, and elves, led by Aragorn, have to enter Moria, navigate the mines, and fight about ten thousand drones and warriors before finally reaching the Queen in the deepest part of the mines and killing her as well.

 

 

Assume the numbers to be something like 40,000 men, 9,500 dwarves, and 500 elves, and 8,000 drones, 2,000 warriors, a handful of praetorians, and the Queen.

 

 

Of the Fellowship, only Aragorn and Legolas are present.

[DSkillz]

And now, the first entry from our second co-winner of the September 2020 CBUB Tournament (and the third repeat tourney-winner), JohnnyChany! Congratulations!

 

 

It was parole day in the Mysic Realm. Da Ji, pink skinned purple haired former general of Orochi’s demon army, thrusted her large explosive orbs at the towering gates of her cloud prison with giddy glee. But, the explosions had no effect on the gates. After a few minutes, the gates disappeared and in their place stood the white haired Mystic, Nuwa.

Nuwa rolled her eyes before she addressed the prisoner. “How much time have you spent attacking these gates in vain?”

“I had to do something to keep myself entertained,” Da Ji replied.

Nuwa escorted her out of her confinement and walked next to her on a long crystalline path back to the Mystic Realm.

“If it were just up to me you would have remained in there for eternity,” said Nuwa. “But, Fu Xi is a big believer in atonement and rehabilitation. Me, I believe you will try to betray us again the first chance you get.”

Da Ji did not dispute this assertion. Nuwa pulled out her rapier and held it directly at Da Ji’s throat. “Rest assured that if you do try and betray us again, I will be first in line to cut you down.”

Da Ji’s eyes glittered with excitement. “Do you promise?”

Nuwa sighed and returned her rapier to its hilt. “Not that there is much you can do now to betray us. I’m sure you might try to raise your precious master, Orochi, back from the dead. But, there is no longer an army to lead. Susano’o went on a rage after Orochi’s last defeat and slaughtered most of the demons single handedly.”

Da Ji’s elven ears perked up at this news. She was sad to hear that the anger filled mass of muscles had ruined so much potential fun.

“I believe Kiyomori Taira is still in hiding somewhere in the mortal realm. If you lure him out of his hole, I am sure the two of you can reminisce about the good old days,” Nuwa suggested.

Da Ji grew wary of Nuwa’s condescending tone.

“You could try to cause some chaos in the mortal realm, but the humans have pretty much already done that to themselves.It has changed significantly since the last time you were there.”

“What?” replied Da Ji. “I want to see. Can I go look at the Divine Mirror.”

“There is no chance I would let you close to the Divine Mirror by yourself. But, if you are genuinely curious I can escort you there,” Nuwa offered.

“Of course,” said Da Ji. Her expression darkened. “Also don’t think I don’t see what you are doing. You are trying to tempt me into doing something that will get me thrown back in that horrible cage.”

Nuwa laughed. “I did not think I was being subtle.”

A few hours later, Da Ji and Nuwa arrived at the palace of the former Heavenly Emperor. In his throne room, Nuwa presented the Divine Mirror. “Take a look.”

Da Ji gazed into the mirror to get glimpses of the Mortal Realm. Images of sickly humans dying by the thousands and abandoned cities filled the mirror. 

“Did I just see a monkey building a hut?” asked Da Ji.

“An ape actually. An unusual side effect in humanity’s self destruction. In their efforts to control the uncontrollable with their science, the mortals inadvertently created a deadly virus that has wiped out most of their species. The virus has also enhanced the intellectual capacity of the apes. In the very near future, the apes will become the dominant species of the realm. Whether or not they repeat the mistakes of their predecessors remains to be seen.”

That night, Da Ji formulated a plan to bring back her master, Orochi, the Serpent King. She would use the apes as her new army to replace the demons. A new species on the rise would be impressionable and easy to manipulate, and she knew just the one to do it. As much as she disliked Sun Wukong, he was destined for this role. He was cunning and he could relate to the apes in a way that no one else could. She just needed to locate her associate, the half demon half human, Kiyamori Taira first. Sun Wukong was loyal to Kiyamori.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A few years later in the mortal realm...

 

 

 

Caesar, chosen leader of the apes, walked through a densely forested area with his friend and confidant, Maurice the Orangutan. They carefully inspected branches and tree trunks from which new dwellings would be built. Caesar raised his hands to sign and communicate to his friend the growing frustrations bubbling up inside. I am tired of living a nomadic existence, I want to find a permanent settlement  for us. 

Maurice paused for a moment and then signed in response. Do you think it is safe?

“No, not yet,” replied Caesar. One day we may be able to live in peace with the humans, but while soldiers still hunt us we must retain the ability to leave quickly.

Maurice nodded with sadness in his eyes and then attempted a smile. It will be a day of great celebration when that time comes.

Their conversation was then interrupted by the arrival of Caesar’s son, Blue Eyes. “Hurry!’ Come! Hurry!”

A sense of dread filled Caesar’s body as he and Maurice followed his son through the forest. They came to a sudden stop at the sight of a large group of apes staring into the sky. Caesar followed their gaze to the treetops. A figure with a red vest and black trousers surfed through the trees on a long crimson staff. A handful of branches broke off and fell by Caesar’s feet several yards from the group of apes. 

“Kikey! Kikey!” shouted the figure.He then leapt off his staff and landed in front of the apes. It was a large humanoid monkey.

“Greetings. First, let me congratulate you, my simien brothers and sisters, on your ascension in this realm.” Sun Wukong immediately picked up on the confusion emanating from his audience. “I am Sun Wukong.” A clone of Sun Wukong popped into existence next to the original one and then spoke. “The legendary monkey king.”

The sudden apparition frightened several of the apes who bellowed out howls of terror.

The original Sun Wukong smiled. “I mean you no harm.” The clone disappeared. “Based on your responses I can only conclude that your human slavers never told you stories about me.”

Caesar, Maurice, and Blue Eyes walked slowly toward the group but did not make a sound.

“I was created a very long time ago by the gods to lead my fellow simeons to a golden age of prosperity!” Wukong proclaimed. “But, unfortunately at the time the humans had taken control and did not take kindly to a leader that looked like me. So the gods sealed me up in a rock, because they knew of a prophecy. The prophecy that stated that one day the apes would rise up against their human masters and take control of the planet. And when that time came, I would be set free. Here I am!”

Howls of excitement erupted from the collection of apes.

“Now all we have to do is deal with the remnants of humanity,” Wukong announced.

The excitement level dissipated. One of the apes attempted to use his hands to sign a response to Sun Wukong.

“What are you doing?” asked Wukong. “Can not all of you speak?”

Blue Eyes spoke up. “That is not the way… Caesar taught us.”

It was at this moment that the other apes first became aware of Caesar’s presence. They immediately knelt in respect and offered up their palms to him. He stroked each palm so the apes knew they could return to their feet. Caesar then turned his attention to Sun Wukong.

“We do not want bloodshed...or war. Only peace.”

Sun Wukong thought quickly on his feet. “Kikey! Of course! I wanted to make sure you were as noble as I had hoped. You passed the test. I will do everything in my power to help bring an everlasting peace.” 

Caesar’s expression remained unchanged.

“You must be the leader of this colony,” Wukong continued. “The other apes did a great job in picking you. I would very much like to meet all the others.”

After Sun Wukong had left with the other apes back to the colony, Maurice approached Caesar to express his concerns. I have read much of the human folklore and I have never read anything about this prophecy. I have read about Sun Wukong before. He is a trickster and cannot be trusted.

Caesar signed in response. Can we trust the human perspective of him?

Maurice shrugged. I have a bad feeling about him.

Caesar agreed with his friend and viewed this new interloper as a bad omen. But, Caesar also noticed the amazement and adoration from the other apes toward Sun Wukong. He did not want to openly shun this newcomer and alienate part of his colony or come across as jealous. He had learned his lessons from Koba’s betrayal years before. If he wanted to avoid fracturing his colony even further, he would have to prove to his kind that Sun Wukong can not be trusted to lead them.

 

And so begins the battle for the hearts and minds of ape kind…

 

Story note: This iteration of Sun Wukong is from the Warriors Orochi video game franchise. He is very similar to most iterations in that he is a mischievous trickster, but he is not malicious. 

[DSkillz]

Here's the second entry from September tournament co-winner, JohnnyChany:

 

 

“Your friends are here Dustin,”  Ms. Henderson called out.

Before young Dustin could open his bedroom door, his two friends, Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair, busted through. Dustin’s Star Wars figures and remote control robot fell from their perched shelf.

“What’s up guys?” asked Dustin. “We literally just got back.”

“You tell us,” replied Mike. “You called last night and said you found something really awesome in New York and had to show us.”

“Oh yeah.” Dustin rummaged through his backpack and glanced back up at his friends. “Before I show you it, I have to tell you how I got it.”

Mike and Lucas listened intently.

“So my last night in New York I talked my mom into letting me go see that movie Lucas won’t shut up about,” said Dustin.

“Weird Science?” Lucas blurted with excitement.

“That’s the one. She didn’t want to go so I had to find a theatre close to the hotel. It took me a little while but then there it was, some old fashioned theatre in the middle of New York City.”

Lucas beamed with pride. “Wasn’t that movie amazing?”

Dustin shrugged. “It wasn’t terrible. It was way too derivative. Frankenstein for teenage boys, I think they could have done it better.”

“What?” Lucas replied in disbelief.

“I think Lucas just liked it so much because he has a crush on Kelly LeBrock,” Mike guessed.

Lucas turned his expression of bewilderment toward Mike. “And you don’t?”

“I mean she is pretty,” Mike stammered.

“Pretty?” Lucas repeated.

“That was another thing I didn’t like, they have what is essentially a genie and they do nothing cool with her,” said Dustin.

“You’re missing the point,” Lucas insisted. “Even if you take the magic out, these two teenage boys put their heads together and started to make something really cool. Just think of the possibilities of what we could create if we put our minds together. Easily something way better than that ham radio tower you are so proud of.”

Dustin got defensive. “Cerebro is a monument to scientific ingenuity.”

“For what purpose? You use it to sing “Neverending Story” with your girlfriend in Utah.”

Mike raised his arms and positioned himself between his two friends. “Guys! Guys! How did we even get into this argument. Dustin, what did you find in New York?”

“Right The theatre was almost empty, so after the movie I started chatting with the projectionist, some old guy named Nick. We talked about movies, and then we talked about incredible things we have seen in our lives…”

“Dustin, please tell me you didn’t tell him about us,” said Mike

 “Of course I did,” answered Dustin. “I told him about us, and El, and the Demogorgon, and the Mind Flayer…”

Mike’s eyes widened with disbelief. “What the hell, man! What if he tells the government, We could get in a lot of trouble,”

Dustin waved his hand dismissively. “Nick won’t tell the government. And, even if he did no one will believe some crazy old movie projectionist,”

 

 “Still seems like a weird conversation to have with somebody you just met,” commented Lucas.

“Well, I will have you know that Nick happened to love my stories. So much so that he gave me a present to show his gratitude.” Dustin lifted up his backpack He reached inside and procured a golden ticket with a magic eye symbol emblazoned in the middle.

Mike furrowed his brow. “He gave you a fancy movie ticket?”

“No. He gave me the ticket given to him as a boy by Harry Houdini,” Dustin corrected. “It’s a magic ticket. Nick says it has a mind of its own. Look..” Dustin wiggled the ticket, nothing extraordinary happened. He could feel the disappointment radiating from his friends. “Just a second.” Suddenly, golden sparkles and small flashes of electricity emanated from the ticket.

“Is it some kind of electronic ticket?” Lucas wondered.

Dustin flipped the ticket to reveal both sides. “Do you see a circuit board anywhere? I told you it’s a magic ticket.”

“What do you  do with a magic ticket?”

“Well you...I mean I can...well… I don’t know but it looks cool and it’s a magic ticket from freakin’ Harry Houdini and you guys should be more excited about it,” Dusin insisted.

“I guess,” said Lucas.

“Maybe you should destroy it,” Mike suggested.

“What!?! Why would I do that?” Dustin yelped.

“Do you remember the last cool thing you found that you were so excited to show us? It turned out to be a baby demogorgon,” said Mike.

Dustin stood with his mouth open for a moment. “How can you even compare those two things? This ticket didn’t come from Hawkins Lab. It came from a cool guy in New York who met Harry Houdini.”

“Regardless, it’s not as cool as you made it out to be,” said Lucas.

“Unbelievable. I thought you guys would be alot more enthusiastic about this.” Dustin turned his attention specifically to Lucas. “You were so amazed by some pseudo science magic from a movie. News flash Lucas you can’t find a way to get a super model to jump out of a computer screen, no more than I can get wizards and monsters to jump out of my tv screen. But, this, here, this is a legitimate magical artifact and you have no reaction.”

“To be fair we have all seen some crazy things the last few years.” Mike looked down at his watch. “Dustin, I gotta go, I need to go…”

“Call Eleven, of course,” Lucas sighed. “God forbid a few days go by without that.”

 

Later in the evening, lightning filled the night sky and it began to rain. Inside the Henderson household, Dustin sat on his couch, still simmering over his earlier interaction with Lucas and Mike. He looked over Houdini’s ticket. It sparkled in his hand, and he regarded it with a mix of adoration and confusion at Mike and Lucas’s lack of appreciation for the object. He placed it on the armrest of the couch and picked up his walkie talkie. He considered calling Mike to ask how Eleven was doing and if he had got a chance to talk to Will as well. Eleven had left with the Byers family to go house hunting during the last week of summer. Will’s mom was determined to move out of Hawkins. Dustin secretly hoped they would fail, and be forced to stay. He held the walkie to his mouth, but then he stopped himself. Dustin decided he did not want to talk to Mike anymore that day and instead wanted to think about someone who always made him feel happy and appreciated, his long distance girlfriend, Suzie. Dustin walked over to his VHS collection and picked out Suzie’s favorite movie, The Never Ending Story. Dustin popped the movie in the VCR and laid down on his couch to watch it. He did not make it far into the movie before the jet lag from his flight caught up with him. He fell asleep on the couch.The golden ticket by Dustin’s feet sparked more intensely than it had ever done before and a soft glow radiated from it. 

 

“DUSTIN!! DUSTIN!! DO YOU COPY? WE HAVE A CODE RED! REPEAT WE HAVE A CODE RED!!”

The shouts from his walkie talkie woke Dustin up from his slumber and he sprang to his feet to grab the walkie talkie.

“This is Dustin.”

“Dustin, I need you to meet Mike and me on Weathertop,” said Lucas.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it the upside down?”

“I don’t know.”

Dustin quickly ran out of his house and hopped on his bike. The rain had stopped, but the thunder and lightning were now louder and more continuous. Dustin pedaled as hard as he could to get to the highest point in Hawkins, Weathertop. As he biked through the town, Dustin was confused by what his eyes were seeing. It was Hawkins, but there was something different about it that he could not quite identify.

When Dustin arrived at the hilltop, Lucas and Mike were already there standing with their bikes. Dustin followed their gaze to a large beam of light shining down in the distance.

“When the storm started acting crazy, I went outside and saw that beam,” Lucas explained. “I couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from so that's why we came up here so that we could see all of Hawkins.”

Mike’s face was a pale shade of white.

“Mike, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said Dustin.

“Not a ghost, but I’m pretty sure I saw Falcor. Maybe even Rockbiter, but definitely Falcor flying in the sky while I was biking up here,” stated Mike.

“Falcor? The luck dragon from Neverending Story? Are you sure?” asked Lucas. “You didn’t say anything when we got here.”

“I’m still processing,” Mike admitted.

“So you’re saying the creatures from the movie, the Never Ending Story, are invading from the upside down?”

“I was just watching that movie before I fell asleep.” said Dustin.

 “So they didn’t come from the upside down? Did they come from your tv? Did the storm bring them to life?”  Lucas theorized. “Is Weird Science actually a real thing? Dustin, do you have any action figures of Falcor that could have been hit by lightning?”

Realization washed over Dustin’s face. “The ticket?”

“That golden ticket?” asked Mike.

“When Nick was given that ticket by Houdini, Houdini told him it was a passport to another world. My stories about the gate are what originally reminded Nick of it,” said Dustin.

“You’re just telling us this now?” screamed Mike.

“I didn’t want to freak you guys out, or have you assume it was dangerous,” said Dustin.

“Dustin! Look around, that thing is dangerous!”

“Man! This is bad. If Falcor is here from Fantasia do you think other characters are too?” Lucas wondered. “Like Bastian or the Nothing or….” Lucas stared up into the sky as lightning danced across it like a ballet stage. His eyes then returned to the ray of light in the distance. “That must be the home of…”

“The child-like empress,” Dustin interjected. He built up his resolve. “Guys, we can do this. We know the story. All we have to do is get there and give her a name.”

“The only place we should go to is back to your house to get that ticket,” said Mike.

“We can’t go back there. If my mom discovers that I warped reality I’ll be grounded forever. I’m telling you we can do this. We have figured out more difficult campaigns before,” Dustin insisted.

“Have you forgotten. We are missing two of our party members,” replied Mike. “Who knows what will be out there.”

“I vote we go back to Dustin’s house,” said Lucas.

“Majority rules. Let’s get going,” announced Mike.

Dustin relented and the three boys jumped back on their bikes and headed back home. On their way through the forested area on the outskirts of town, Dustin suddenly stopped.

“Do you guys hear that?” he asked.

A voice rumbled through the trees. “Hello? Hello? Is anyone out there?”

 “Someone needs help.”

The boys wandered through the forest. Lucas was the first one to see the origin of the voice, He froze with fear. In the distance, green eyes and large white teeth pierced through the darkness. A low growl discharged from a mountain of black fur. It was the large wolf, it was G’Mork.

“Come closer, boys. Come closer,” G’Mork beckoned.

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin did not move.

“I am weakened by my neverending hunt.” G’mork breathed heavily and then raised his voice. “Come closer so that I may devour you and regain my strength to track down the one who can stop the Nothing.”

“Is Atreyu here too?” Dustin wondered.

G’mork’s eyes widened. “How do you know that name?”

“Run! Run! Run!” Mike shouted.

The boys ran back to their bikes. G’Mork slowly rose to his feet. His failure to capture Atreyu in Fantasia had led him to starvation. Starvation he was willing to give into. Until now. These strange boys had given him new purpose. They knew who Atreyu was. The hunt was on.

 

VISUAL TIMELINE/REFERENCES:

[DSkillz]

Here is the first and highest-scoring October entry from only our second three-time tournament winner, JohnnyChany! Congrats once again!

“Go ahead and come in.”

College student, Michael, walked into his friend, Victor’s apartment. He did not see his friend, but was immediately greeted by Victor’s pet chihuahua. The dog greeted him by trying to chew on his shoes.

“Dang it, Cujo. It’s me,” said Michael.

Victor laughed as he stepped out of his room. “Get him, Cujo. Get him.”

The two buddies reached one another in the middle of the living room in front of a wall decorated by posters of Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween. They clasped hands.

“What’s up, man,” said Michael.

“I am good. What’s going on? Want to hang out tonight?” asked Victor.

“I would if I could, but I gotta work tonight,”  stated Michael.

“Really? Where is the agency sending you tonight?” Victor inquired.

“Discount Tire,” Michael answered.

Victor chuckled. “Discount Tire? What do they need with a security guard? Are people really out here stealing tires?”

“Guess so. Their normal security system is down so they are contracting out a security guard until it can get fixed tomorrow,” Michael explained.

“Waste of money if you ask me,” said Victor.

“Hey, that money is going to me, asshole.” Michael shoved Victor’s arm. “Anyway, I was on the way there now, but I figured I’d stop by and say hi. I haven’t seen you since you got back from New Orleans.”

Victor’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I’ve got to show you what I picked up there. You’re gonna flip.” Victor disappeared back into his room and reemerged with a dusty, but authentic looking monkey’s paw.

“The hell is that?” Michael commented.

“It’s a monkey’s paw.”

“I know what it is, but why did you get one?” asked Michael.

“Just look at it. It looks so real and gnarly. Feel the fur. Why wouldn’t I get it?” Victor reasoned.

Victor offered the monkey’s paw to Michael.

“Keep that shit away from me.”

Victor laughed again. “You aren’t afraid of it, are you?”

“You know I don’t get down with that voodoo nonsense. How about you? Have you tried to use it?” inquired Michael.

Victor scoffed. “Of course not. It’s not like I believe anything would happen, but why risk it? I just want to carry it around as a good luck charm, like a rabbit’s foot.” Victor picked up his backpack and placed the monkey’s paw inside.

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like that. Don’t you remember the story?”

“I’ve never actually read the original story,” Victor admitted. “But I do remember it being on an episode of The Simpsons.”

The two friends chatted for several more minutes before Michael took his leave to go to work.

Later that night, Victor was having trouble completing some Sociology homework. Mostly, he was just bored. He decided he would go bother Michael at work. They could order a pizza. Victor could get his Sociology homework done, Heck, he might even check out some new tires for his beloved car.

Victor loved his car, a red and white 1958 Pymouth Fury, just like Stephen King’s Christine. However, Victor was also frustrated by his car. It was really expensive to maintain, and it always felt like there was something wrong. Currently, there were several dings and scratches on the car that Victor was dragging his feet about fixing. The engine had recently begun making funny noises and the tread on his current tires really was worn down. Victor swung his backpack into the passenger seat and made his way to the tire shop. Halfway to his destination, the engine started to make the funny noises again. Victor wished his car really was like its inspiration and could fix itself. A muffled sound emitted from Victor’s backpack, but he did not hear it.

Victor soon arrived at Discount Tire. There were several cars parked in front of the storefront so Victor parked on the opposite end of the parking lot. Victor grabbed his bag and exited the car. Victor did not initially notice that his car’s exterior now looked brand new. He walked up to the front of Discount Tire and banged on the door. As he waited for his friend to come to the entrance, Victor turned around and looked back at the parking lot. It was at this point he noticed the radical changes to his car.

“What the hell?”

Victor turned back around and banged even harder on the glass door. Michael ran up to the door and opened it.

“Victor? What are you doing here?”

“Dude you’ve got to see this.” Victor pulled Michael’s arm out into the parking lot and pointed in the direction of his car.

“What am I looking at?” Michael wondered.

Victor followed Michael’s eyes only to realize his car was not parked in the same spot anymore.

“Where did it go? What is going on here?” Victor exclaimed.

“Victor, you are not making any sense.”

“My car… it looked brand spanking new,,, and now it’s gone..and”

Victor was interrupted by a pair of headlights cutting through the dark night aimed directly at Victor and Michael.

“It’s not possible,” Victor whispered.

The car’s engine revved up and sped in a straight line at the two friends. They jumped out of the way and looked back in horror at Victor’s car when they noticed no one was in the driver’s seat.

“Get inside,” Michael declared.

They both rushed inside and Michael locked the door as he muttered to himself. “This isn’t real. This isn’t real.”

Victor’s mouth was agape, it took him a few moments to form a sentence. “My car has actually become Christine.”

“Shut up. There is no way that could happen,” said Michael.

Realization set in on Victor and he pulled the monkey’s paw from his backpack. One of the fingers was now closed shut.

“Oh my god!” Michael exclaimed. “You actually used that thing to wish that your car could turn into Christine?”

“No!” insisted Victor. “I was just wishing my car could fix itself like Christine, and I wasn’t actually holding it at the time. I didn’t know it would activate by proximity. I didn’t think it would activate at all. This whole thing is insane.”

Christine’s headlights shined through the windows of Discount Tire. Michael and Victor heard the sound of screeching tires as the demonic Plymouth plowed through the windows of the shop. Christine drove straight across the floor and crashed into the back offices. Michael fell back into a tire display and Victor fell to the right desperately trying to shield himself from broken glass. He looked up at a large Michelin Man poster. Fear and panic filled his heart and mind. The sound of Christine going in reverse startled Victor to his feet and he dropped the monkey’s paw to go check on his friend. Another finger closed on the paw. 

As Victor helped Michael back up he remembered the monkey’s paw. After pulling out of the office rubble, Christine made a beeline for the monkey’s paw and hovered over it. She revved her engines again in a threatening manner.

Suddenly, the door to the service garage swung open and Bibendum walked through the doorway. He smiled at the two boys before launching a pair of tires at Christine at high velocity. The two tires smashed into Christine’s windshield and knocked the car back a little.

“The Michelin Man?!?” Michael screamed in disbelief. “You wished for the Michelin Man?”

“No!” Victor shouted back. “I was wishing for someone to come and save us. I just happened to be looking at that poster at the time.”

“Why didn’t you just wish for your car to go back to normal?” Michael demanded.

“I wasn’t thinking straight, there’s a lot going on right now.”

“We have to get to that monkey’s paw,” said Michael.

“I think he can actually help us,” Victor remarked. 

Bibendum formed two more tires from his stomach and readied another assault on Christine.

[DSkillz]

Here is JohnnyChany's second October entry:

Alex Cross sat at a booth in his favorite diner in Washington DC with a mixture of intrigue and uneasiness in his heart. He was approached by a waitress.

“Is there anything I can get you, sweetie?” she asked.

“No, not right now, thank you. I am meeting someone.”

“Ok then, I’ll check on you later.”

Alex was scheduled to meet with a NYPD detective by the name of Amelia Donaghy. She had told him it was an urgent matter over the phone, but would not elaborate. Cross wondered how a police officer from New York had obtained his number, and why she was willing to travel all the way to DC just to talk to him. She had an exemplary record, and Cross had no reason to distrust her motives. Yet, life experiences had taught him to be wary of everyone, even cops.

Alex Cross’s internal pondering was interrupted by the arrival of Detective Donaghy. She was a pretty woman with short, dark hair. She wore a polite smile, but there was fatigue in her eyes.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Dr. Cross,” she said.

“I am flattered, if a little perplexed you felt the need to track me down,” Alex admitted.

“I’ve read up on a lot of your cases. The Casanova case, in particular, is really fascinating and Lincoln always had great things to say about you. It’s nice to put a face to the name,” said Amelia.

“Lincoln?”

“Lincoln Rhyme,” Amelia answered.

Things started to click in Alex’s head. “So that’s how you got my number.”

“I met Lincoln a few years ago when I was still just a  regular officer, and we have grown quite close,” Amelia explained.

Alex chuckled. “I haven’t talked to Lincoln in years. We used to meet up at a lot of national functions. Being lawmen and writers who were obsessed with finding answers and a good story, guess you could call us two peas in a pod.”

“He says you're the best forensic psychologist he has ever met,” stated Amelia. “And you know him, he doesn’t compliment anyone.”

“Yeah..” Alex’s smile faded. “I should have reached out more after his accident. I heard he..”

Amelia interrupted him. “He is doing much better now. He’s in a wheelchair these days. He hasn’t been confined to a bed in years.”

“That’s good to hear.” Alex put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. “So, Detective Donaghy I suspect you didn’t come all this way just to give me an update on Lincoln Rhyme.”

Amelia pulled out a manilla envelope and placed it in front of Alex. “I’ve got a case that is really throwing me for a loop.”

Alex pulled crime scene photos out from the envelope and went over them one by one. “Some grizzly stuff, but not totally uncommon for our line of wo…” Alex paused as he reached a section of photos depicting various walls adorned with names and phrases written in blood.

“The killer loves to leave vague clues at all the crime scenes,” stated Amelia.

“Lincoln lives for these kinds of things, he must have eaten this stuff up.”

“We cracked them together,” Amelia clarified. “It led us to a name, Detective John Hobbes. He was a police officer in Philadelphia. He died four years ago under mysterious circumstances. He had gained some national fame for helping capture the serial killer, Edgar Reese. You can see some of Reese’s handiwork in that file as well. You’ll notice it looks eerily similar to the killer running roughshod in New York right now, right down to the half eaten bowl of cereal placed neatly by the cereal box.”

“So you’ve got a copycat killer now? You think he or she is the one who killed this Detective Hobbes?” Alex wondered.

“If only it were that simple. After Reese was executed, a copycat killer popped up in Philadelphia shortly thereafter. At some point, Hobbes’s fingerprints were found at one of the crime scenes. There were also conflicting reports on whether Hobbs had killed a teacher in the middle of the street in cold blood. It seems like he snapped. He was going to be brought in for questioning, but he was found dead at an old cabin in the woods. His police chief and partner were found there with bullets in their heads, and Hobbs himself was dead from smoking cigarettes laced with poison. The same lethal poison injected into his brother the previous day.”

Alex Cross massaged his temples as he tried to wrap his head around the cascade of information just dumped on him.

“The deeper I dig, the more confusing it gets. The cabin where Hobbs was found belonged to another cop named Milano. Milano had also taken his own life at that cabin years prior after being suspected of committing several murders with satanic undertones. It is a never ending cycle of violence and tragedy and it’s heartbreaking,” said Amelia.

Alex leaned in. “I would say that your current killer could just be fascinated by this cop’s story and just wants to bring attention to it while he has a platform, but that wouldn’t explain how he would know the exact way Reese killed his victims. Unless your killer is…”

Amelia interrupted again. “Another cop.”

Alex leaned back into his booth. “It appears to me that you have already considered all these angles. So what exactly is it you want from me?”

“I want, no I need your help as an active participant in this case. No one understands the criminal mind like you do,” Amelia declared. “If I am going to have even the slightest chance catching this perp then I need to know what they are thinking,”

Alex regarded Amelia for a moment. “Lincoln isn’t helping you anymore, is he? That’s why you sought me out.”

Amelia confirmed this assertion by shaking her head. “He has given me a dozen excuses, but I know what the real reason is.” Amelia grabbed a photo out of her jacket pocket and laid it on the table. “This is Detective John Hobbs.”

Alex Cross stared at a photo of what could have very well have been the twin brother of Lincoln Rhyme. He was silent for a moment.

“I can understand how seeing something like this could very well give a person even as smart as Lincoln doppelganger syndrome. And knowing the tragic fate of this cop can’t help matters,” Alex reasoned.

“I don’t blame him for being freaked out, but that is why I need your help. We have to stop this person before they kill again,” Amelia insisted.

The fate of every cop even tangentially related to this case weighed heavy on Alex’s mind. “Can I have some time?”

“Of course, I know it’s a lot to digest.” Amelia slipped a card to Alex. “This is the number of where I am staying here in DC. I leave back to New York tomorrow. I hope that you’ll join me.”

Amelia stood up. ‘I meant what I said earlier, it is nice to finally meet you. I wish it could have been under different circumstances.”

“You and me both.”

Amelia walked out of the diner and the waitress returned to Alex.

“You two didn’t order anything, but did you find what you were looking for?” she asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Alex replied.

“Well I’ll be around if you need anything. All you have to do is holler,” said the waitress.

She walked over to an adjacent table, wiped it down, and started to sing. “Time is on my side! Yes it is!”