Match 4

GREMLINS VS. KRITES: QUANTITY VS. QUALITY

The small community known as Kingston Falls was in ruins.

Windows were broken and stores were looted. All electricity was out. Cars were aflame, dimly lighting the destruction around them. Several bodies were sprawled in the street, limbs broken and twisted, faces cut and bruised. They were the lucky few. Most citizens were tied up in dark places, screaming helplessly into dirty, greasy rags, wrists and ankles bloody from struggling. They were going to be tortured. Their captors couldn't go outside during daylight, so they needed a good form of entertainment to occupy themselves until the sun when down. And the cause of all this mayhem? The source of the suffering and death that had occurred here?

A Mogwai feed after midnight and a local pool.

Yes, the small demonic humanoids, know as "Gremlins", were responsible for the current state of Kingston Falls. Only a few feet tall, these scaly beasts were named for their habit to operate, destroy, and sabotage machinery. They were strange and terrible creatures, sadistic and violent, but still childlike in some aspects. Wile they may spend hours killing, maiming, drinking, and smoking, they will just as easily spend a better part of the day watching repeated showings of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as they were at the moment. Most present in the cramped theater, the bat-eared bipeds sang happily along to "Heigh-Ho" and cackled hysterically all the while. They all were wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes from the light. Although they had taken brutal control over the small town their population had originated in, the Gremlins were happy there, holding no ambitions to leave their little patch of Hell.

That was one of the many things that differentiated theses miniature demons from the approaching species of fellow tiny terrors.

They were the extraterrestrial lifeforms known as Krites. At first glance they seemed to be fluffy fur-balls of a race, small, curious, and harmless. This, sadly, was not the truth. While they were small and curious, they were far from harmless. Upon closer inspection, their true nature began to become clear. Dozens of sharp fangs lined their large mouths. Their fur was actually countless of toxic needles that could be shot with deadly accuracy and speed. The venom used to slow down victims. They could curl in balls to quickly run down prey. What's more, they could also gather together to form one huge sphere of hungry maws and deadly fangs. While they were less in number than they Gremlins, the alien creatures made up for this in pure killing prowess. They had arrived on Earth several weeks ago, several of them escaping from an intergalactic prison in a highjacked trash pod. Since that time, they had traveled from town to town devouring the humans living there and growing in number, completely obliterating all attempts to halt their progress. The lethal fuzz-balls were now closing in on Kingston Falls, unaware that this community had already been claimed.

When these two races met, two things were certain: there would be a battle and it would be bloody.

Back in the theater, a Gremlin realized he had run out of candy. Grumbling angrily, the reptilian creature shook another Gremlin sitting next to him. The other demon snarled in anger as he turned to face his sweet-toothed companion. Gremlin One jerked his head in the direction of the theater door. Gremlin Two continued to growl. The first Gremlin grabbed a handful of empty candy wrappers in his claws and shoved them into Gremlin Two's face. Finally understanding, the second Gremlin checked his own supply of sweets. It was gone too. Both hopped from their seats and hobbled out of the theater. As they entered the main lobby, the two beasts froze. Someone else had reached the concession stand before them, and they weren't Gremlins. A group of Krites were stuffing their mouth with candy, popcorn, and hot dogs. A few of the aliens were even feasting on a few strangler Gremlins. As the feeding frenzy continued, Gremlin Two began to slowly walk backwards, towards the theater. Gremlin One glanced back just in time to see his companion slowly opening the theater door. The demon yelped in surprise and outrage at being left behind. Every single Krite in the lobby stopped eating and turned to look at the pair of hellish tricksters. As Gremlin Two quickly disappeared into the theater, the Krites descended upon Gremlin One. As the demon shrieked in terror, the ravenous creatures tore him apart, staining their teeth with bright green blood. Soon, all that was a stain on the carpet. Finishing their meal, the Krites looked up to realize that Gremlins had left the theater and now had them surrounded and outnumbered. Shoving his way forward, their mohawked leader, Stripe, screamed a horse warning to the invaders.

The Krites only chucked darkly in response.

In the blink of an eyes, hundred of organic darts were launched at the Gremlins. As the immediate row of demons fell to the projectiles, the Krites rushed into the bigger group of creatures. Ripping out chunks of flesh with yellow teeth, the extraterrestrial piranhas tore through the Gremlins. Stripe, who had ducked under the barrage to poison darts, was quick to make a retreat, taking a good number of other Gremlins with him. As the Krites continued to rip apart the Gremlins, the stunned demon finally began to fight back. Using their greater number to their advantage, the tricksters ganged up on the smaller creatures, beating and bludgeoning. Slashing with long arms and sharp claws, the Gremlins disemboweled and slit throats. The reptilian demons even used hot liquid butter and large slush drinks as makeshift weapons.

But it was useless.

Gremlin after Gremlin fell to the Krite's sharp darts. The alien creatures took huge bites out of the bat-eared demons. Green blood soon covered the theater lobby. Only a small group of Gremlins were left. It was now the Krites who had the greater number. Snickering and laughing, the sinister aliens began to close in on the frightened Gremlins, who pushed together in a tight ball in panic. The biggest Krite stepped forward, proclaiming himself leader. After a moment the lead Krite grunted, giving the command to attack. In a flash of dark pelts and ivory fangs, the Gremlins were shredded apart mercilessly, the Krites eating the scaly demons alive.

A saw disk suddenly flew through the air and cleaved a Krite in half.

The aliens froze in shock, blood, flesh, and entrails hanging from their jaws. A small group of Gremlins charged into the lobby. Wielding saws, blades, drills, hammers, and even guns of all kinds, the Gremlins began to even the odds. Chainsaws split Krites in two. Hammers spilled brains on the floor. Axes hacked limbs and heads off. Gunshots rang throughout the theater. The lead Krite growled in frustration as the Gremlins pinned in their quickly shrinking group. They were being beaten. The best they could do now was escape with their lives. The large Krite screamed a command to the other aliens. Breaking off from combat, the extraterrestrials curled up into roller balls and converged on their leader. Soon, a large sphere made of a collection of the aliens rolled from the theater complex, bursting through a length of glass doors.

They didn't get far.

As the large roller ball made its way from the movie theater, a larger moving object intercepted its path. It was a steam roller, previously owned by the late Murray Futterman. And at the wheel was a cackling Stripe. The huge machine smashed into the fleeing Krites. The alien beasts were smashed and crushed as their combined roller ball collapsed. Some that escaped death after the initial impact were squashed flat by the powerful vehicle's wheels. As the handful of surviving Krites tried to escape, the remaining Gremlins struck with a vengeance. Skulls were smashed and bodies mutilated. As the lead Krite watch his allies slaughtered in cold blood, something cold ans smooth was placed against his head.

The last sound he heard was a deafening gunshot as Strip pulled the trigger of his favorite pistol.

As Stripe stood over the corpse of the lead Krite he slowly began to make his way back to the movie theater. He passed several other Gremlins capturing a few of the Krites who were injured, but still alive. He grumbled in approval. They should make for some interesting torture. Putting his sunglasses back on, he entered the theater and sat down.

He still needed to finish the movie.