The Rufus Horror Picture Show, Chapter One

[lonewolfprincess]

“The Bubble Brain is a lot more useful than the name implies,” Dojo explained as he approached a Massachusetts town at sunset, the six teenagers crowded around the open Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu. “It grants whoever uses it photographic memory for up to an hour!”

The character in the scroll’s illustration demonstrated it by placing the roughly brain-shaped cap on their head, scanning piece of paper, and then recalling the paper down to the detail.

“Be careful though: continuous use can cause migraines and mild, short-term egomania.”

“Huh, hope it didn’t end up in a school,” Mia said. “Otherwise, we’ll have to fight a lot of desperate students for it.”

“Isn’t July the off-season for schools in the States?” Raimundo asked; sure, Brazilian schools had a break in July too, but it was a shorter winter break between semesters.

Mia rose an eyebrow at him. “Very desperate.”

The non-Americans turned to Tori and Clay, who just nodded grimly. Raimundo and Kimiko shuddered, while Omi just looked puzzled.

“What is so bad about going to school in July?”

Dojo landed on a quiet suburb street as the Americans explained to Omi that summer school was usually either a punishment, or a way for workaholic students to complete their courses early. Tori gave Mia a subtle ribbing at that last bit, with Mia giving a smiling eye roll in response.

The sun was already setting when the Xiaolin Dragons landed, streetlight and small, leafy green trees lining the idyllic neighborhood street as they walked along. Despite the warm, bright summer evening, though, a chilly wind blew through the street, and the sun starkly illuminated dark, billowing clouds looming from the north.

Dojo shivered even as he clung to the walking furnace of a cowboy. “C-can’t tell if it’s the Shen Gong Wu or this summer storm making me shake this badly, brrrr…”

Kimiko offered a hand up to the dragon from Clay’s shoulders.

“Here, lemme try something.” Dojo nodded and slithered down her arm to her shoulders. “Fire.”

Instead of fully tapping into the raw, aggressive power of her element, she let it course gently through her, letting it simmer through her body like a rock warming in the sun.

Dojo immediately relaxed. “Oooooh… thanks, Kimiko, that’s helping already.”

“Wow…” Tori stared at Kimiko, eyes sparkling both at the display of power and just how serene and kind and majestic and beautiful she looked, sharing her inner Fire with a mystical dragon. She made a note to absolutely draw that later. “You’re so cool, Kimiko~!”

Kimiko gave a soft chuckle. “Thanks. Hey, since you’re the Sun Dragon, maybe you’ll be able to do something like this someday.”

“Oh, that would be awesome!” Tori clapped her hands together as she pictured it. “Being a walking sunbeam and charming all sorts of animals, I love it!”

“Count Basie would love it too,” Mia chuckled too, thinking of their big round tuxedo cat back home.

Unfortunately, Dojo’s bliss only lasted so long as another shiver racked through him.

“Okay yup, these are definitely Shen Gong Wu shakes. And it’s close.”

Tori nodded and closed her eyes, letting the Sight of Hou Yi illuminate the blank canvas of her mind with the light of magic. Six sets of bright, swirling auras right next to her, and then a soft wisp reaching out and connecting to Dojo in wisps.

“Ooh! Found the trail, this way!”

“Wait, Tori!” Raimundo jogged after Tori as she sprinted ahead, everyone else following in hot pursuit. “Slow down, we don’t know what’s going to be there!”

Kimiko cocked an eyebrow at him. “Did you really just say ‘slow down?’”

Raimundo groaned. “Look, being a leader and a teacher at sixteen is weird, okay?”

Tori, meanwhile, barely took heed of them, focused on following the trail of magic like a thread through a maze, growing stronger, thicker, until finally it turned sharply right and into a spotlight pillar of gold rising up into the sky.

Tori turned her gaze back to the auras of her crew before opening her eyes.

“Guys, I found the Wu, it’s—!”

And then she turned her open eyes towards the beacon… and paled.

In front of her was a tall, spike-crowned wrought iron gate held aloft between two brick walls. Beyond it, a cracked concrete path through a lawn of withered grass and long-dead shrubs leading up to a tall, wide, dark brick building, not a single light on, the gold-brushed thunderstorm now turned pitch black with the fading sunlight and looming in the background.

“Schwarzherz State Hospital,” Clay read the educational sign next to the fence, only Tori flinching at the boom of thunder as he finished reading the name. “A state-run hospital and psychiatric asylum, built in the 1876, closed down in 1965… currently a historical site.”

“It’s also super haunted,” Kimiko piped up as she pulled up official town websites and ghost hunting forums on her PDA. “Apparently Schawrzherz,” another thunderclap, “is one of the top spots for ghost tours in America. Hunters have reported moans from patients, mad laughter, and a dog or wolf howling. It got closed to the public a couple months ago due to concerns about the building’s structural integrity,” she finished, pointing to the padlocked chain on the gate.

“Oh. Joy,” Tori said with a tight voice and tighter smile. “So, uh… how badly do we need a Wu that gives photographic memory, really? It’s not like we have a test coming up, right? Or uh… maybe we can let one of the villains get it first and win it in a Showdown later?”

Everyone but Mia blinked in puzzlement at Tori’s sudden shift from her earlier enthusiasm.

“Are you… scared of ghosts, Tori?” Kimiko asked.

Tori rolled her eyes. “No, honey, I’m just a big OSHA fangirl and I’m worried about the building not being up to code—yes, I’m scared of ghosts, Kimiko! Especially ghosts on their turf!”

Omi tilted his head in confusion. “But you were not afraid of Wuya when she and Jack Spicer attacked the temple.”

Tori waved her hands impatiently. “That’s different; she’s a powerless little ghost and she was coming onto our sacred ground! Schwarzherz?” She gestured to the building, another thunderclap accompanying her as lightning streaked behind the building. “This is horror movie nonsense! The name comes with its own lightning, for crying out loud! And I’m a gay person of color! I don’t know how many horror movies y’all’ve seen, but I might as well have ‘First Victim’ stamped on my forehead!”

After a few rounds of stunned blinks at Tori’s vehemence, Omi broke the silence first, stroking his chin as he evaluated the Sun Dragon.

“Hm… you are rather cheerful and brightly dressed…” he conceded, gesturing to her bright yellow peasant blouse and tie-dyed knee-length skirt. And then he blithely suggested, “perhaps if you dress and act like Mia, it will repel the ghosts instead?”

Everyone but the Moon Dragon gaped in shock at the blundering insult. Mia, in her black rock band t-shirt, denim jacket, jeans, and hiking boots, stared at the little monk flatly.

“Ouch.” But a second later, she gave a light shrug. “Fair, but ouch.”

“We can go over horror movie rules later,” Raimundo said impatiently, then schooled himself to be a bit gentler. “Tori, it’s gonna be okay. You’re the Xiaolin Dragon of the Sun, and you’ve got me, three Wudai-level Xiaolin Dragons, your sister, and a mystical fire-breathing dragon backing you up. We’ve got this.”

Mia nodded, resting a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“He’s right. Plus, I’m sort of a werewolf, and technically we’re monks now? That’s gotta give us some anti-ghost protection. Well, more anti-ghost protection for me, according to Omi.” Mia nodded sardonically at the now-sheepish monk before squeezing her sister’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”

Tori was about to rebut, but… then she noticed Mia’s other hand lightly popping into claws.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Tori brought her hand up to her shoulder to squeeze Mia’s hand. “What about you, are you okay?”

Mia nodded. “I’ll be fine as long as we don’t have to go into any basements, psych wards, or ORs. Even then… I’ve got you guys, right?”

Tori nodded firmly, proud of how many phobias her sister was tackling head on lately.

Raimundo smiled and nodded in approval at both of them.

Dojo, who’d been watching intently and hoping that maybe Tori could talk some sense into the others, sighed in defeat.

“Okay, fine, let’s get the Bubble Brain…” He mumbled under his breath about how the cute little animals in horror movies usually had even worse survival odds than the humans, except for that one dog.

Mia nodded and began rummaging through her backpack. “One sec, I have a lockpick set in here somewhere—”

The senior Dragons all leapt up onto the brick wall as easy as hopping onto a step.

The girls blinked in surprise… and then Mia scoff-laughed as Tori smiled in awe.

“Showoffs,” Mia said lightly as she let Raimundo and Clay take her hands to hoist her up, staying on the top to help them lift Tori up too.

They all hopped down easily and walked the long path of broken concrete to the creaky wooden stairs leading up to the heavy wooden front door. Once they reached the porch, however, Clay’s boot punched through one of the planks, everyone gasping in surprise and Tori and Dojo outright yelping.

Mia and Raimundo grabbed either side to help him out.

“You okay, Tex?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, I’m good, little lady.” Clay examined his boot for any scratches or tears, thankfully finding none so far. “This place is holding together worse than a scarecrow after a hailstorm…”

“Yeah, and I don’t like the feel of this storm,” the Dragon of Wind mused as he glared skyward to the encroaching clouds. He couldn’t tell whether it was just powerful or… if Tori had a point about it being supernatural, malevolent. Either way, it’d be a bad idea for it to hit while they were still inside the unstable structure. “Let’s find the Shen Gong Wu fast and bail.”

The front door creaked as ominously as they expected as the monks gently pushed it open. Inside the atrium, a low, wide reception desk guarded a tall staircase more suited for a ballroom than a hospital. The once-polished carpentry and plush green carpets were caked in dust, the air around them thick and dry as the teens kicked it up.

Mia scowled into the darkness as she pulled flashlights out of her backpack, six small ones with colorful metallic covers.

“Here.” She held them to the other monks to take. “Batteries should be fresh, but I have spares if we need them.”

Clay smiled and tipped his hat to her as he took his flashlight.

“You certainly came prepared, didn’t you?”

Mia shrugged, grateful that the darkness before everyone turned on their lights hid her blush.

“First official Shen Gong Wu hunt, didn’t want us to be without supplies.” Mia finally turned on her flashlight. “Hopefully this’ll be all we need if it’s just an abandoned building.”

“Yeah… just an abandoned building, never mind all the ghosts that might be lurking around,” Tori muttered.

Kimiko reached up to pat Tori’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Maybe you can use your Sight to help us find it faster?” Said gently; giving Tori a goal would probably help… and honestly, she didn’t want to linger too long in this rickety building either.

Tori took a quick breath through her nose, nodded, and closed her eyes. The pillar of light blazed brightly, taking up most of Tori’s vision and forcing her to look away and open her eyes.

“It’s hard to tell… I know it’s somewhere in front of us, but it’s like staring at the brightest spotlight ever, pointing up and down.”

Raimundo squinted up the stairs… if the porch was in that rough a shape, he didn’t want to chance a greater fall yet, even if some of them had mobility Wu.

“Let’s search this floor first. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

The troupe walked slowly and quietly as they could as they took a door on the left, even as the floors groaned and the walls creaked around them, Tori clinging to Mia’s shoulders as they walked.

“Y-you don’t hear any demon dogs or werewolves yet, do you, Sis?”

Mia trained her ears in the quiet… and then shook her head.

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Phew, that’s good—”

“No, I mean… I don’t hear anything.” A chill ran up everyone’s spine as she kept talking. “An abandoned building like this? There should be insects, arachnids, rodents, birds, bats, cats, maybe some foxes or coyotes… This place should be like a hotel during convention season. Instead, it’s like a—”

Tori whipped around and grabbed Mia firmly by the hands. “Mia, if you say ‘ghost town,’ I swear—”

Mia just rose an eyebrow and said, “You just said it,” smirking only a little when Tori gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

“Y-you wouldn’t happen to know any ghost banishing tricks, would you, Omi?” Tori asked pleadingly. “You’re the one with the most monk training, right?”

Omi pondered this. “Well… peach wood is usually effective; in fact, most of the Shen Gong Wu with wooden components are believed to use peach wood.” Omi would’ve guessed Wuya’s puzzle box to be peach too, if he hadn’t seen Dashi conjure it out of a pebble and thin air with his own eyes. “And visiting monks from the southwest would tell tales of their forebearers luring evil spirits out with song-stories and challenging them to contests of strength or wits!”

Everyone’s eyes widened in fascination.

“Kind of like Xiaolin Showdowns?” Tori asked.

“Indeed!” Omi grinned… and then thought a bit deeper. “Then again… they are not always effective if the ghost is very powerful. Or we would have defeated Wuya already…”

“Oh…” Everyone deflated. Well, so much for those ideas.

As they all passed a large painting of some late board member… none of them noticed the presence watching them, waiting… and then fading back into the walls with a grin.

Another door to the right, and they found a long, narrow hallway, the windows flanking all of one side so caked with dust that it blocked out the fading light of dusk from outside. As they reached the center of the hall, however, everyone heard a few faint taps against the panes.

“What was that?!” Tori and Dojo yelped as one, clinging to each other in panic.

Raimundo sighed as the tapping sped up into a deluge. “It’s just rain. Come on, guys, the worst thing we have to worry about is—”

A deep, booming howl cut him off, everyone jumping and clinging together as the unearthly sound rattled the windows and their bones.

Everyone but Mia slowly recovered from the flinch, her hands still firmly clamped over her ears.

“You okay, Mia?” Tori asked gently.

“Y-yeah…” Slowly, she uncovered her hears and straightened up, shaking her head to center herself again. “That’s definitely a dog. And he is not happy we’re here; that was him screaming ‘go away!’”

Everyone trembled at the news, Tori clinging even tighter to the teddy dragon.

Omi tapped his index fingers together, grin tight and pleading. “Perhaps you could persuade the dog to leave us be?"

Mia shook her head. “I could try, but… I can just talk to animals, I can’t make them listen to me. And Wuya’s the only ghost I’ve—” She froze… “Wait… do… you guys hear that?”

She pointed to the door at the end of the hall, now only ten feet away.

Everyone trained their ears, and Raimundo nodded, lowering his voice.

“Yeah, whispering…”

At least two voices, it sounded like… He approached the door slowly, grabbing the knob and turning to the others to give a silent countdown on his fingers as they all drew their Shen Gong Wu.

Three… two… one… now!

Raimundo flung the door and immediately pointed the Blade of the Nebula into the room.

“Freeze!”

Jack Spicer and Wuya both startled and screamed at pitches that threatened to break the glass.

The Xiaolin Dragons jumped back and screamed too, but were quicker to recover.

Mia smirked and leaned against the doorframe, trying to slow her breathing down. “Well, well, well… if it isn’t Not-Even-Remotely-Scary Spice.”

Dojo chuckled at the nickname and smirked at Wuya. “And the Ghost of Ugly Present.”

Jack and Wuya crossed their arms and huffed at the disses.

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Jack grumbled, “make jokes when there’s a demon dog on the loose, real mature…”

“Jack Spicer,” Omi stepped to the front and crossed his arms. “Leave at once and we will not serve you a most humiliating—”

A chorus of wails cut him off, and a second later a trio of tall, floating ghosts with long, branch-like limbs and hollow, howling faces flew through the walls!

Everyone in the room yelped and screamed, Tori, Jack, and Dojo all competing for the loudest and highest scream!

“AAAAAH WHAT DO WE DO?!” Tori shrieked!

Mia drew the Crescent Fang from its sheath. “I guess we fight!”

Raimundo drew the Blade of the Nebula again. “Remember, guys, this building’s primed to come down! Stay calm and keep your attacks small!”

All the Xiaolin Dragons nodded and tapped into their elements as one!

“Shimo Staff!” Omi’s dowel of ice shot out to become a perfectly sized quarterstaff, and he swung at one the wraiths. What would have been a hard whack to the ribs felt like rowing a stick through water, and the wraith only flinched lightly before roaring at him. “EEYA! These ghosts do not respond to physical attacks as they should!”

“Okay so… magic weapons work, but not that well…” Mia muttered as she thought this through, trying to think of it like fighting an unknown monster in Dungeons & Dragons: keep attacking, figure out the strengths and weaknesses, communicate, and don’t give up.

Just then, another ghost popped out of the floor to howl at her.

“Gah!”

She stumbled back a few steps, but then grit her teeth in a sneer and lunged at the ghost, the Fang’s silver-engraved blade stabbing it in the arm as she darted past it. She looked back with a grin… but it fell as she realized the ghost only paused to examine the tiny nick in its sleeve before turning to her with a furious howl, twisted and hollow face somehow still giving the impression of a scowl.

“Silver’s not working either, dangit!” she yelled to the others as she dodged out of the way.

As the Xiaolin Warriors jumped around and barely made a dent in the ghostly attackers’ forms, only Jack noticed Wuya groaning and clutching her spectral head.

“Uh… Wuya?”

“Begone…! You… you cannot control me, you… amateur…!” Her eyes flared yellow as they flew open, fending off whatever influence reached for her mind.

Jack gulped. “Oh, that’s not good…”

Kimiko flipped across the floor to evade another ghost. Clay attempted to Fist of Tebigong his opponent, only for the cowboy to pass through chilled and the ghost to only flinch for a second before roaring.

“It’s like trying to break down a barn wall with a pillow!” he groaned, before turning to Raimundo. “What do we do, Rai?”

Raimundo growled, Blade pointed at his own ghost. “We might need to make a break for it! Let’s find the Shen Gong Wu and get out, it’s not like they can hurt us—”

One of the ghosts skated through the wall facing the outside, every window shattering in a shower of glass and dust as the heavy winds and downpour burst in like an army breaking down a barricade! Everyone yelled as the gales shook the rotting timber of the room, the gaudy crystal chandelier overhead swinging and rattling like a windchime.

“Run!” Raimundo called out, grabbing Kimiko by the wrist as he dashed for the door off to the side.

Mia led the others’ charge after them, but one step from her heavy boots punched through a mass of rotten boarding obscured by carpet, and she yelled as her lean frame began to slip through the hole.

“Gotcha!”

Clay grabbed one denim-covered wrist while Tori and Omi grabbed the other, Dojo slithering down Tori’s arm to add tiny dragon claws to the pull, Jack and Wuya only sparing a glance before dodging them to reach the door.

Mia’s relief was short-lived as her gaze rose up to the chandelier, brass creaking and ceiling boards snapping as the wind shook them.

“Go, go, the room’s about to come down!”

“Mia, no—!” Tori called out, tightening her grip on Mia’s sleeve.

“I said go!” And with that, she shrugged out of her jacket and plummeted into the void below.

“Nooo!” Tori screamed, reaching down into the darkness!

Clay’s heart plummeted into his stomach, but then another creak brought his gaze up, and he rushed to scoop everyone else up and tackle through the far door like a battering ram before the whole ceiling came crashing down behind them!

“Miaaaaa!” Tori shouted at the door, broken and barricaded by shattered wood and pipes.