The P.I.E Rises (Venturiantale)

Chapter 1: The Storm

Johnny Ghost, Paranormal Investigator Extraordinaire, was in a bad situation. He was currently running for his life from a dinosaur as it chased him around a three-story-house. The creature was so large, that it's body literally went through the walls of the house, but it still managed to catch up to him easily.

"You got this, sir!", his partner, Johnny Toast called after the two as they dashed up the stairs. Ghost had only turned around once to fire his pistol. He did not dare to face the allosaurus gaping mouth, which was filled with what Sally called his "baby teeth". He raced down the hall, as the Jurassic Park cast member rushed at him, while Sally Acachalla laughed. She and the rest of the Acachalla children were the ones the P.I.E team was babysitting, while Papa went out to vote Gertrude for president, and Gertrude herself had to stop by the grocery store. The reason Papa had hired the investigators to do the job was a mystery, but they were willing to do it if it got them some money. Papa had left them, complaining about Donald Trump, saying that his lovely wife would be a much better fit for the job. The night had gone well, until Sally had summoned Freddie the dinosaur from his dimension. She had also decided to call him inside.

"He wants some hot coco and a pwate of waffles," explained Sally. Unfortunately, Freddie had begun chasing Johnny Ghost. Panting, Ghost ran up the stairs for what seemed the umpteenth time that day. He could hear the growls of the Allosaurus behind him, and a bit of saliva splattered him. Wiping the stuff away, the investigator stumbled through the house, knocking clutter into Freddie's path, as if to slow him down. As he dashed around the corner, Ghost tripped over Billy's train set, which sent him flying out of control. He was running into a dead end! His sneakers pounded against the wooden floor, speeding up, though he was trying to slow himself. But the momentum was too strong, and he had no choice but to keep running. Fortunately, there was a window at the end, and Johnny jumped through it, kicking and shattering the glass. He felt a sharp pain as glass shards dug into his unprotected skin.Ghost looked down as he fell, and a frantic look suddenly crossed his face. Sue Acachalla, who had been playing on the playground, stared in awe as Ghost clawed the air for something to hold onto. He tumbled into the family's swimming pool, with a mighty splash into the cold void. Fortunately for him, Freddie was afraid of water, and did not follow. Arms flailing, the investigator sank to the bottom. Bubbles flew from his mouth, and his nose began to ache.The drain! He had to dodge the drain before it pulled him into the 13th dimension. He began kicking upwards wildly. His lungs screamed at him, begging for oxygen. His head popped up on the surface, as he took in the sweet air that was being withheld from him only moments before. Looking around, he saw his partner running towards him. He pushed himself onto the cement ground, shivering.

"Are you alright, sir?", Toast was trying not to laugh, "People don't normally go for a swim in their clothes!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Ghost as he playfully hit the British man. He brushed the hair from his face.

"Sir, I swore your eyes were bigger than dinner plates, when you fell!" Ghost turned pink at that remark.

"Let's just go in," he replied. The two started towards the house, as the sun began to set. The sky was a beautiful mix of red and orange and blue, as the bright yellow dot that was the earth's oldest light source began to hide itself behind the horizon. They were almost to the door when an alarm went off.

Beep. Beep. Beep, it rang through the neighborhood. As if on cue, all the neighboring houses closed their blinds and turned off lights. Something was off.

"What was that, sir?"

"I don't know," replied Ghost uneasily, "Maybe someone just left the refrigerator door open for too long. Let's get inside." They ran to the door, as the wind picked up, to find the kids staring at the TV.

"What's a townado wawning?", asked Sally when they found her and Billy in the living room, "Does it have waffles?" Ghost looked at the TV, where a reporter was talking. Tornado. So that's what the alarms were.

"Of course!", cried Ghost, "I should have known it was one of those twisters! To the basement, everyone!"

"I don't wike the basement! Spencer's in dere," the girl's eyes became big and sad, and she pouted.

"I'll hold your hand," promised Billy. Sally nodded, though she was still whimpering a little. They rushed down the cold stairs, and found themselves staring straight at Spencer, who looked up from his computer.

"What are you abtholute nerdth doing down here?!" , Spencer's face, already covered in acne, was beet red, "Thith ith my bathement, ok? My lair!" Spencer ranted on and on, spit flying everywhere, but everyone ignored him. They heard a strange whooshing sound as the whirlwind drew closer.

"Sir, I'm picking up very strong paranormal readings," said Toast.

"Yeah, duh!", Ghost replied, "It's a tornado!"

"Oh yes, sir. I remember you told me they were actually the ghosts of clouds!" Overhead, they could hear the howling wind as it tore apart the neighborhood. Sue held on to Toast's leg, and he replied by patting the masked boy's head. They waited for a long time in silence. The wind never seemed to die down. Even Spencer was eventually silenced.

"The storm is still going. That tornado could be a higher level than we thought!", exclaimed Ghost after about 15 minutes.

"Don't you think we should stop it, sir?", asked Toast.

"Maybe," Ghost muttered, "But it may cost us our lives. We don't have our equipment."

"Don't worry. I have a plan, sir!", his friend told him. Ghost began to nod his head slowly.

"Alright...", he said this bravely, but inside, he was terrified. The two ghost hunters went upstairs. The wind almost blew them away, but they held on to the walls, sidling into the front hall. The house was a wreck. Gertrude would have a fit about her potted plants, and Papa's TV was cracked. Miscellaneous objects flew around the rooms, like agitated birds. The walls didn't look like they would hold up for very long.

"So,are you sure this is going to work?", Ghost asked, as the two grabbed onto a nearby curtain. The wind was so strong, it was as if they were flying.

"I'm positive," Toast replied, "Remember Papa Acachalla's head cruster?"

"Johnny! Are you saying we use it to send the storm into the 13th dimension?"

"Exactly, sir!"

"Great work, Johnny! You did it again!"

The two pushed themselves into the kitchen, and grabbed the handle of Papa's "head cruster".

"It's coming closer!"

"Hold on!" The men held as tight as they could to the device. There was a strong pull of the wind, and the whirlwind was caught in the head cruster. The door to the microwave-like device flew open, revealing a hidden interdimensional portal. Blue light filled the room, casting dark shadows. Inside the head cruster was a spiraling wormhole, a window to another dimension. Ghost felt as if his hands were being wrenched from the metal handle. He could not hold on! He screamed as he went flying through the air with the rest of the house, bouncing, and bumping against furniture. Toast was sucked into the portal, and the aperture shut, leaving the scene as still and silent as the air. Well, except for Ghost's piercing cry as he hit the ground. In one painful second, the life was sucked out of him. The rubble of the house surrounded Ghost's body, as it lay on the broken street.