Hey my lovelies. Not gonna lie, this is probably one of the shortest chapters I've done, and I'm sorry. I hit hardcore writer's block but I still wanted to deliver a chapter, I hope this is still up to your expectations of me. Anyways, it's been a long wait and I'm sorry, I'll try and get back to keeping these fairly regular.

Nazz couldn't help but smile, even after she had left Rolf's party. The event was so lighthearted, so sincere, but with little real cause, that she had been drawn into the sheer joy of the event. Though the party was still well under way, rumored to be a days-long event, Nazz had taken her leave, or a break, rather, and was laughing quietly to herself, recalling the frenzy just across the street. She rummaged around her refrigerator for one of the soft-drinks she tried to keep hidden from her weight-conscious mother, when she noticed movement out the back sliding door.

It was later in the day, the sun still setting behind the broken, crooked teeth of the city off to the west, but she was able to discern something rather large towards her back fence. It was a flash of something unhealthily pale, and physically massive. Nazz guessed at one of the larger Chows that from time to time got into her yard from her neighbor's, which wasn't a problem, she loved the burly animals and they typically obeyed when she sent them home. Still with a smile on her face, she walked out into the yard and tried to peer into the increasing darkness.

The shape had vanished somewhere behind the old tool shed tucked along the side fence and she guessed whatever it was had to be hiding there.

"Come on Champ, Rosie, let's get you guys home."

A rustling from the bushes growing untamed in the little alcove behind the shed. Still, no emerging dog.

"Champ, Rosie, come here, come on, you guys hungry?"

"Hnngry."

From behind the shed emerged three massive, grotesquely malformed and obese men, their faces deep, rotted brown hollows with mottled flesh and what looked like protruding bone. They lumbered towards her, the shriveled grapes for eyes lolling about in their sockets, their faltering steps sending shock waves along their flabby bodies. Nazz sprinted back inside, eyes wide, hair standing on end, every movement desperate and erratic. She locked the door, drew the blinds, shoved the kitchen table against the door, then hurriedly went to every window and every door leading outside and repeated the same steps, fumbling with her cell-phone as she came to the living room, an old baseball bat in her hands.

Before she could manage to dial, a frantic pounding came from the door.

"Nazz, Nazz, open up, please, it's me, Jimmy, there are people out here who... please let me inside!"

She flew to the door, moving aside a cabinate, undoing the locks and opening it just enough for Jimmy to slide inside, slamming it shut behind him.

"Jimmy, I'm so glad you're alright, I'm calling the police."

"No... no, I don't believe you shall."

Jimmy was beside her, hands gripping her own with an unusual strength. In their closeness, Nazz became aware of the jaundiced yellow tint to his eyes, as well as the spider-web veins crawling across patches of his pallid skin.

"Jimmy, let me go!"

"But first, we must allow someone in."

All the energy began to leave her, legs buckling, her arms losing all strength. She collapsed forward into Jimmy's arms, the fair-haired teen lying her daintily on the couch. She watched, paralyzed, as Jimmy undid the barricade and opened the door, a grinning, shadowed figure entering. The smell of rotting fruit followed him, suffocating her as he approached, crouching and twirling her blonde hair with his fingers.

"Don't be afraid, shush, shush, everything will be just fine." Ishmael became aware of the heavy banging sounds coming from the rear of the house. He felt his dried, straw-like hair bristle and relished the smell of spoiled pumpkin. "You have visitors, marvelous. I'm sure they'll be more amicable to my presence than yours, my dear." He strode towards the back door, Jimmy following as if tugged along by rope at the hip. With only slight difficulty, he moved the table, drawing back the blinds to be faced with the heavily smeared sliding-glass door beset by the three horrifying creatures.

With a surprising shock of revulsion, Ishmael cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, please." Still they continued on with their groaning, scraping attempts to break through the glass. Having no patience and understanding for their simple-minded drive, he pressed his hands to the glass and took a deep breath. Jimmy fell to the floor limply, the pumpkins shrinking away from the door, their bodies seeming to wilt and rot more rapidly. Ishmael was drooling as he took in the bitter-sweet energy of the creatures opposite him, his vitality returning, though still highly diminished. He wiped away the spittle from his lips and smiled serenely, drawing back the door and exiting, the abominations pulling away in fright.

"Now, you mongrel things, we have a few matters to discuss. We can do this easily, with rewards for your compliance, or, we can have a final repeat of my previous performance and see how you fare."

One of the rotted trio slumped forward, crashing to the ground as it's body split apart, meaty, spoiled, viscous fluids spewing forth as he disintegrated into a mound of terrible smelling masses. The remaining two turned their attention back to Ishmael and stepped forward, dropping down to their knees and bowing their heads, in fear, or reverence.

"Lovely."

Ed led the broach into Eddy's house, finding the lights either malfunctioning or broken. Plank followed closely behind, fully alert in the darkness. Double-Dee made his best attempt at seeming unafraid, but a series of crashes and shrieks from the rear of the house caused him to jump, bowling over the other two teens.

Plank righted himself and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll do all this together, alright, no splitting up. Stay calm." He searched the other teen's eyes for any sign of comprehension, a nervous nod allowing him to return his focus to their search. Ed stood ahead of them, his arms out at his sides, keeping the other two teens behind him. The crashing sounds became louder and more sharp, glass breaking, the sound of the walls being thrashed against. Slowly they edged towards the room, the bruised Ed jutting his lip out defiantly and gripping the doorknob, Ed and Plank noticing that it had been jammed up by a screwdriver.

"You ready, guys?"

"Ready as we'll ever be, Ed."

When they threw open the door, the room was the definition of chaos. The ceiling fan had been stripped of all it's blades, the loosened support piping swinging freely in a manic circle, bare bulb casting an eerie light on everything. All across the walls, what looked like claw marks and hand prints in an unidentifiable liquid abounded, as well as torn and ripped sections of wallpaper. All of the mirrors the image-conscious Eddy had placed around the room were shattered, their shards lying across the floor. The bed, as well as the dressers around the room, had all been smashed and ripped apart, their drawers and remaining pieces of intact paneling in piles and half-shelters.

Edd peered tentatively around his larger friend, mustering up the courage to speak. "E...E-Eddy?" From behind one of the makeshift shelters emerged a huddled figure, a bed-sheet wrapped around, only a few strands of brown hair jutting out, as well as the sound of heavy panting.

"Be careful Double-Dee, I said he was bitey."

"Nonsense, Ed, he's probably... probably ill, a fever, perhaps, affecting his finer motor functions and reasoning. Eddy, let us take care of you."

The figure under the sheets seemed to ponder the statement for a moment, its breathing calming down. Then, it threw back it's cover and the three teens at the door couldn't contain their surprise. Eddy was now a foot taller, completely in the nude, his body rippling with brutish musculature and covered in a coat of deep-brown hair. He took a step forward, letting out a heavy snort, stomping his feet impatiently.

Plank peered over Double-Dee's shoulder, appraising the situation. The slender teen looked up to him and searched for some kind of reassurance, some positive plan of action. Plank returned the stare and shrugged, dropping back and throwing his shoulder into Ed, launching the massive teen forward and triggering some kind of physical response, Ed transforming into a whirlwind of motion. Eddy let out a primal howl and the two came to blows in the center of the room, Ed managing an upper hand and bringing the transformed teen down to the floor where the two continued to grapple. Plank hurried around for something to try and use to assist Ed, settling on a long, narrow bit of broken wood he would occasionally lash out with.

Double-Dee was darting among it all, trying his best to try and speak to the enraged pair on the ground, calming Eddy as well as encouraging Ed, also holding Plank back as his blows became more erratic. Eddy pushed himself away from the large teen and retreated towards the back of the room, walking on all fours with his elongated arms in the same manner as an ape. Ed stood and wiped away some of the blood coming from a cut in his lip, his skin reddened and swelling lumps apparent on his face.

Plank found a dented shower-curtain rod and held it at the ready like a pitiful spear, Edd taking refuge behind him, still trying to get the feral teen to come to his senses.

"Eddy, please, I know you can understand us. This whole situation would be so much easier to resolve if you would simply allow us to help you." A shoe covered in some unidentifiable mess struck the wall beside him, Plank turning just enough to shake his head, as if to say, 'no good.'

Ed let out a growl and tore at his already ruined shirt, exposing his bare chest, thumping a balled fist against his pectorals. Eddy let out another challenging snort and beat at his own chest, bounding about in his corner of the room back and forth.

"I've seen this behavior before, in nature documentaries; Eddy is mistaking Ed's defiance as a challenge."

Plank glanced back with an eyebrow raised, looking over the suddenly unsure teen's features. "Ed's not exactly doing anything to dispel that."

"I don't think this situation is going to improve unless we can manage to incapacitate Eddy somehow, get him restrained and calmed."

"Unconscious is about all we can hope for right now."

"Alright, enough of this circus." Everyone's attention turned to Kevin, a worn metal baseball bat in one hand, the other placed reassuringly on Jim's head. "Babe, random dude, you two go out into the hallway, me and lumpy here will handle this."

"Kevin I don't think-" Edd was cut short as Kevin pulled him in curtly by the wrist, planting a firm kiss before prodding him along with Jim into the hallway. Edd was at a loss for words, Kevin giving him his confident smile and a wink as he shut the door.

"Leave not thinking to me, babe."

Rolf couldn't understand the ominous, broken warning Cucu had given him. He was worried by the indelible stain of decayed green on her palm, as well as her sudden insistence on sending everyone home, a request he begrudgingly obliged. As he helped move the furniture back inside, he tried his best not to seem to concerned with Cucu's watchful presence near the door, her eyes scrutinizing the cul-de-sac as if in anticipation of something.

"Rolf... we need to go there."

Rolf paused in the doorway, wiping the sweat from his brow and following her gesturing hand. Across the street, Double-Dee was anxiously walking back towards his own home, casting glances over his shoulder and seeming to try and comfort the small, green-haired child trailing him.

"To no good Ed-boy's? Has he insulted you in some way, taken something of Rolf's?"

"Sick spreading, hurting others, some change."

Rolf observed her absentmindedly digging at the ground beneath her feet, her toes curling into the grass and seeming to try and burrow down into the soil. He nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing as he stepped forward and began to march towards Eddy's house. Cucu smiled and followed close behind, the sound of her bare feet padding along behind Rolf's heavy booted footfalls.

"Lumpy hold him still damnit!" Kevin swayed unsteadily on his feet, the baseball bat held before him bobbing up and down as his vision faded in and out. Plank was down on his knees against the wall, his chest heaving, body a roadmap of cuts, scrapes and bruises. Ed stood his ground towards the center of the room, in a low crouch with his hands in a grappling gesture, Eddy before him posturing and beating at the ground with his heavy, increasingly hairy hands.

"I'm trying Kevin, Eddy's just too wild, I can't get a grip."

Plank stood shakily and steadied himself on the wall, rubbing at his swollen jaw, "I think our strategy of 'bum rush' needs some reworking."

Ed stamped his foot and thumped at his chest, locking eyes with Eddy, trying to keep his attention away from the weakened teens.

"Ed you're not helping."

The door to the room flew open, Rolf entering barechested, his hands balled into fists. Kevin slumped down onto one knee, his mouth agape. He locked eyes with Rolf and saw him survey the room, one hand pointing forcefully to Ed.

"One hen short of a full coop Ed-boy, restrain this hairy back wart's arms, Rolf will help end these shenanigans."

Ed nodded and lunged forward, letting out a growl as he came into contact with Eddy full bore, managing to maneuver around and take hold of his arms. Rolf strode towards the enraged and distracted mutated teen without batting an eye and caught him on the temple with one well placed fist. He came crashing down onto Ed, who pulled himself out from underneath, panting, falling backwards exhaustedly.

Kevin used the bat's handle to help him stand, coming alongside his friend, the two observing the unconscious Eddy lying before them.

"Well, Kevin, it seems Rolf has arrived just in time to pull your gonads from the heat of an uncontrolled flame?"

"Yeah, sure bro, whatever."

Plank carefully made his way over, crouching and putting his index and middle finger to Eddy's neck. "He's liable to wake up any minute, our advantage will be he'll be too out of it to do much more than flail around."

"Why is Plank alive?" Rolf looked to a dumbfounded Kevin, the redhead snapping out of it and rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Look man, there's a lot going on right now and at this point just the fact you know that's Plank is already a step ahead of where I thought we'd be."

A soft knock came from the door, Cucu standing with Jim before her, the boy rushing to Plank, toppling him over in an embrace. "Sick, sick, the sick is growing."

Kevin nodded and halfheartedly kicked at Eddy's prostrate form. "Yeah, I know, but we got him down, now we just need to get him back to Double-Dee's place."

"No... the sick isn't him, the sick outside." Cucu extended her hand, Rolf rushing forward to take it in his own. Her fingernails had fallen out, the skin a rotted banana-peel shade of brown and black. The discoloration extended to her wrist, Cucu stroking Rolf's cheek comfortingly as he looked into her eyes with concern.

"Rolf, bro, is this..."

"Now is not the time for dramatic confirmations, we must talk to the smarter than the average Ed-boy..." He looked again at Cucu's discolored hand. "And find out what curse has befallen us."