Authors: Dean Lorey
Monster Madness (16 page)
In the ruins of the High Council Chamber of the Nightmare Division, Director Reginald Drake addressed the surviving Nethermancers and Banishers. The Headmaster was not present—neither were Rex, Tabitha, Charlie, Violet, or Theodore—but William, his General, stood silently by his side.
“I wish, with all my heart, that I had been wrong,” Director Drake said solemnly. “I wish I could stand in front of you today, with the evil of the Named and their terrible minions a distant memory, and say to you all that I had misjudged the Double-Threats—that Edward Pinch, Headmaster Brazenhope, and Charlie Benjamin had nothing but our best interests at heart.
“Sadly, I cannot.
“We have been betrayed, ladies and gentlemen—heinously, maliciously betrayed. Why did Charlie Benjamin poison the Guardian? Was it out of ego? Greed? We may never know. We do know, however, that he was the only one alone with that gentle creature, and that it died soon after it came into contact with him. How much did it suffer after being exposed to his poisonous human touch? Did it cry out in pain? Did it scream?
“Again, we may never know.
“And Edward Pinch? Did he intentionally lead us all to slaughter? It appears that he did. We now know that he has sided with the monsters of the Nether, and we must assume that he was in league with them all along. Why? Because he, like the other Double-Threats, seeks power above all else—and he must have felt that joining the Named was the best way to achieve it.
“Which brings us to the Headmaster.
“Who trained the Double-Threats? Who fought for them when all the voices of reason rose up in opposition to their evil ways? Who assigned them their missions and then protected them even in grave failure? Do I even need to say her name? Headmaster Brazenhope, of course—the architect of their infamy.
“These three—Edward Pinch, Headmaster Brazenhope, and Charlie Benjamin—have led us down a dark and desperate path.
“The Fifth has been summoned, and the Army of the Nether mobilizes even as we speak here today. It is too late for regrets, and the time has passed for second chances. We can now only look to the future with clear heads and stout hearts. We must face down the terrible monsters that used to be contained—safely, if not soundly—in our nightmares.
“With thoughts of our fallen brothers and sisters forever burned into my soul and with firm resolve and strong determination, I offer myself—and General Dagget—to lead the way to a brighter future.”
The Director turned to William then, who stared silently at the crowd as if lost in thought.
“General Dagget?” the Director gently prodded. “Is there anything you would like to add?”
William didn’t move.
“William?”
“No,” he said finally, his voice hoarse and cracking. “I think you’ve said it all.”
The Director turned back to the crowded room.
“The age of the Double-Threat has passed, and we welcome the dawning of a bright and shining era of logic and reason. As we rebuild this great facility, I ask you to follow me, Banishers and Nethermancers—follow us”—he nodded to William—“as we face off against the army of the Nether and turn our backs on those who have sought to destroy us, those whom we now send into exile, those we call…the ‘Double-Threats.’”
There was silence, followed by the sound of applause. Starting small, it soon became a thunderous roar, echoing across the great chamber. Within moments, all the surviving Banishers and Nethermancers stood, clapping furiously, showing their support for the Director—whom they had clearly so terribly misjudged—and their defiance of Charlie Benjamin and his friends.
“What does exile mean?” Theodore asked as he, Charlie, and Violet pitched shells off the top of the Nightmare Academy. The day was clear and the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, although there was a hint of chill in the air. Charlie knew it was just winter coming, but his mind crazily tried to make a connection between the loss of warmth and the death of the Guardian, which now left the Academy unprotected against the monsters of the Nether.
“I don’t know what they mean by exile,” Charlie answered. “That we’re not wanted at the Division, for sure. Whether it means something more serious, like they want to arrest us or Reduce us or something…I have no idea. The Headmaster could probably tell us, but she’s…” He shrugged and sighed heavily. “You know.”
“She still hasn’t woken up?” Violet asked.
Charlie shook his head. “Mama Rose is taking care of her in the infirmary, but her wounds were pretty serious. No one will tell me how serious.”
“I never saw anyone fight so many monsters at once,” Theodore said. “She’s totally unbelievable.”
“She really is,” Violet added. “I mean, how could anyone think that she, or you”—she nodded to Charlie—“would ever want to kill the Guardian?”
Charlie shrugged. “I don’t know, but they definitely blame me. I never touched him, though.”
“I believe you.”
“So do I,” Theodore added, staring off into the jungle. A bird screeched from somewhere far below. “Because I know who the real murderer is.”
Charlie and Violet turned to him, shocked.
“You do?” Charlie asked.
Theodore nodded. Charlie desperately wanted to ask who, but he waited so that Theodore could tell them when he was ready. Finally, Theodore looked at them:
“My father.”
“No,” Charlie said. “That can’t be. He’s the General—he’s trying to protect the Division, not destroy it!”
“It’s true,” Theodore said quietly. “I caught him red-handed. He was holding the Guardian, laying it on the ice, dead.”
“Maybe you didn’t see what you think you saw,” Violet suggested. “I mean, everyone thinks Charlie did it and they’re wrong about that.”
Theodore shook his head. “I know what I saw, and what I saw is that my father is a monster.”
Monster. The word hung there in the air.
“How did you escape?” Charlie asked after a moment.
“I portaled us out—me, my father, and the Director.”
“And did you talk to him afterward?” Violet asked. “Your father, I mean. Maybe he has some other explanation for—”
Theodore cut her off. “I’m never talking to him again. Far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a father.”
Charlie wasn’t sure what to say, but Violet spoke eloquently just by laying her head on Theodore’s shoulder.
“Hi, guys.”
Charlie glanced down to see Brooke on a platform below them, walking with her boyfriend, Geoff.
“Hey, Brooke,” Charlie called back. “You guys doing all right?”
“Yeah. We’re off to hang out with some friends.”
“Oh. Well, have fun.”
“Bye, Brooke,” Violet said. “And thanks again for that portal back in the lair—you saved my life.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have been able to make it to begin with if you hadn’t kept those monsters off me, so you saved mine, too.” She smiled warmly, then she and Geoff walked off.
“What does she see in that guy?” Theodore moaned.
“I don’t know,” Violet replied. “He’s kind of good-looking, I guess.”
“Him? Are you serious? Yeah, I guess he’s good-looking if you like them big and muscle-y and blond!” He snorted with laughter as if the very idea were ridiculous.
“He’s uncomplicated,” Charlie said. “Simple. Maybe that’s just what she wants right now.”
“I’m simple!” Theodore shot back. “I mean, who’s more simple than me? I’m like a one-piece jigsaw puzzle!”
Charlie and Violet stared at him for a second, then burst into laughter.
“What?”
They kept laughing until Theodore finally joined them. It didn’t get rid of all the tension, but it was a welcome break.
“I just want to say,” Charlie said after they all quieted down, “that I wouldn’t have made it this far without you guys. I can’t explain it, exactly, but you guys mean, well, everything to me.”
“I think that explains it pretty well,” Violet said. “And, for the record, I feel the same way about you guys.”
“Me, too,” Theodore added.
Charlie turned to look out over the vast ocean.
“I don’t know. Every time I try to do something good, it seems like it always turns out bad. We got the milk to save the Guardian, but that just ended up allowing Pinch to get his power back and summon the Fifth. We rescued that little kid on the 5th Ring, but that just let Slagguron escape from the Nether. We brought the Guardian to Earth, but that just ended up getting half the Nethermancers and Banishers in the Nightmare Division killed.”
He shook his head.
“I try so hard to figure out what’s right, and it seems like half the time it all goes wrong.”
“We got a fancy word for that,” a friendly voice drawled. Charlie turned to see Rex standing there with Tabitha. “We call it ‘life.’”
“Hi, Rex. Hi, Tabitha,” Charlie said. “I’m so glad you two are all right.”
“Oh, you gotta throw more than a couple little Nethercritters at the Princess and me to take us down.”
“We’re just glad you’re safe,” Tabitha added. “All of you.”
Rex grinned. “Yeah, just think, if you’d gotten hurt, we wouldn’t be able to come to this little pity party you’re throwin’.”
“Pity party!” Charlie exclaimed. “Come on, it’s not like we’re just sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves—some seriously bad stuff has happened.”
“Uh-huh. Here’s your problem.” Rex put one dusty boot up on the lower rail of the pirate ship. “See, you think life is one plus one equals two—but it ain’t. Sometimes it equals three or nineteen or a sack of magic beans. Just ’cause you do something good doesn’t mean good’s gonna come out of it right away. And just ’cause you do something bad doesn’t mean you’re gonna get punched in the kisser. But if you keep trying, and you keep making choices that are decent and moral—eventually the ball’s gonna roll your way and you’ll be glad you fought the fight.”
“Eventually?” Charlie asked.
“Sorry, kid, I don’t control the universe.”
Charlie smiled. “I wish you did.”
“You and me both, kid.”
“Would you like a bit of good news?” Tabitha asked.
“Would we!” Violet said. “Please!”
“The Headmaster is awake…and she’s asking for you.”
The Headmaster lay on a cot in the open air of the infirmary as Mama Rose cooled her forehead with a wet cloth. Charlie didn’t know the full extent of the injuries she had sustained, but she seemed weak and frail—nothing like the picture of confidence and strength that he was used to.
“I know what’s happened, Mr. Benjamin,” she said, her voice not much more than a whisper. “We could sit here and debate the wisdom of our previous actions if there were time, but there isn’t. With the Fifth in our world, the monsters of the Nether will soon begin their assault. As you know, Pinch has betrayed us; I am in no condition to fight; and so, I’m afraid, a very dangerous and unpleasant task falls to you. You must find a way to confront the Fifth—the Ruler of the Army of the Nether—and destroy her…or all will be lost.”
“I understand,” Charlie said, not understanding at all. How could he possibly defeat something so powerful that not even the Named could stand against it?
“You will get no help from the Division, Mr. Benjamin. In fact, you must stay away from them—they will try to harm you. Nor can you stay here. Instead, you must rely on your friends.” The Headmaster nodded to Violet and Theodore. “You are very lucky to have such splendid ones.”
“I agree, Headmaster.”
“We won’t let anything happen to him,” Theodore chirped, clapping Charlie on the back. “That’s a TDG—a Theodore Dagget guarantee.”
“We’ll do whatever it takes to protect him and get the job done,” Violet added. “Don’t worry.”
“I won’t,” the Headmaster said. Then she took Charlie’s hand in hers. He could feel her bones, as frail and fragile as a bird’s.
“This is a task I wish had not fallen to you, Charlie,” she said. “But it has. There will be much darkness ahead—but, in the end, there will be light.”
Charlie nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Headmaster,” Rex said, stepping up. “I’d like to take Charlie to do that ‘thing’ we talked about.”
The Headmaster smiled weakly and nodded. “Yes. You should. He certainly deserves it.”
“Come with me, kid. I think you’re gonna like this. Tabitha? A portal if you please…”
Moments later, Charlie knocked on the door of a small apartment—it was several stories above a modest Brooklyn pizza joint called “Slice of Heaven.” He heard shuffling on the other side, followed by a couple shouts of “Hold on a second! We’re coming!” Finally, the door opened to reveal a tall, balding man with a kind smile and a woman with her hair done up in curlers.
They stared at Charlie in shock.
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.”
His mother burst into tears. “Charlie!” she screamed, grabbing him to her. She kissed him all over his cheeks, and Charlie was surprised to discover that he didn’t even mind all that much.
“Son!” Barrington Benjamin exclaimed, snatching him from Olga, hugging him tightly. “My boy, we’ve missed you terribly!”
“I’ve missed you, too. So much, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Rex followed Charlie into the apartment and, after several slices of pizza from the place downstairs (pretty good, actually, Charlie thought) he found out what his parents had been up to during the six long months that they’d been hidden from him. The Nightmare Division had gotten a job for his father: “World of Batteries!” Barrington said proudly. “Anything you need to know about batteries, you just ask me!”
And his mother had busied herself with charity work at the local soup kitchen while trying to start a home bakery business.
“After smelling that delicious pizza all day long, I just couldn’t resist,” she explained.
Like everyone else on the planet, his parents had watched the monstrous attack at the San Diego Zoo. They were filled with questions, but Charlie was reluctant to answer them—not because he wasn’t supposed to, but because, if they knew the true depth of the danger he was about to place himself in, they would worry themselves sick.
Although they’re probably going to do that anyway, he thought.
“This place is nice,” Charlie said, looking around at the apartment. It was far smaller than the model 3 that he’d grown up in, but his parents had made it cozy and warm and had decorated it with tons of family pictures—almost all of them of Charlie.