A Ghouling Adventure - Shaded Hallow 11

Ron's small hands worked away at the earth in front of him, pulling it away. He enjoyed tunneling around the town; it seemed to always put his mind at ease as well as reveal long-forgotten trinkets left behind by generations past. Removing more dirt, he came face to face with a large concrete wall, a house's foundation. He turned and kept tunneling, following the perimeter of the house until he came upon a window well. He peered into the window and jumped as he saw a girl staring back at him. "It's okay," she said through the cracked window, "Didn't mean to scare you, I just heard scratching and thought it was a mole or something."

"S-sorry," Ron stammered, adrenaline flushing from his system, "I was just trying to go around." "You've got nothing to be sorry about," she told Ron, opening the window further to put a hand out, "Name's Gretchen." "Nice to meet you, Gretchen. I'm Ron," he replied, taking the girl's hand. "So, tell me about yourself," Gretchen asked, inviting Ron into her basement room. Ron felt immediately at ease, detecting that this girl harbored him no ill will. As they began talking, he immediately found her to be quite easy to talk to. They conversed for hours until the sun set and their time had come to an end. Waving goodbye, Ron left through his tunnel, smiling at the thought of his new friend.

"Petunia!" Ron called as he entered the local pub. He strode up to the cat girl who was shooting pool, her tongue poking out of her mouth. She hit the ball, the sound of clattering filling the room as she broke. "What's up, Ron?" She asked, sitting up and letting the other player line up their shot. "I found this nice girl while I was tunneling," he told her, grinning as he did so, "I think you'd really like her!" "Is that so?" A more menacing voice said from behind him. He turned around to see Daisy, Petunia's sister, staring down at him. "D-Daisy," Ron gulped, "I didn't realize you were here." "Tell me about it in a second," Petunia told him, "I gotta run to the restroom." Ron paled a bit at the idea of being alone with Daisy, her personality the complete opposite of her sister's.

Daisy crouched down, getting close to the small mouse boy. "Listen here, Ron," she snarled, "I don't know why my sister keeps you around, pretending like predator and prey can be friends." She poked his chest, pushing him back a bit. "It's nothing personal, you are just an herbivore while we are carnivores." Ron backed up a little, scared he was about to die. "I'm scared that that snake lady is gonna get me," she confessed, "I don't take it personally that I'm her prey, fear aside, but mark my words, my sister will eventually eat you and you will become a part of her, regardless of whether you want to or not." "It's wonderful, Ron," a small voice came from beneath Daisy's skirt. "N-Nick? Is that you?! What happened to you?" Ron asked, confused. "Daisy got me, and now I'm just her loins. It's been nothing but pleasure, but I still am looking forward to reuniting with my brother when Lilith exacts her revenge."

"Sorry!" Petunia said, wiping her hands on her sweater, "I couldn't hold it any longer. What did I miss?" "Nothing," Daisy said, standing back up straight, letting Ron mull over the implications of being consumed by his best friend. He couldn't imagine that she would do such a thing; heck, he's seen her apologize to gummy bears before eating them as if she was guilty of eating actual living things. But following Nick's words, the idea of being one with her for eternity struck a chord he didn't realize he had, and it was... exciting. "I, uh, I gotta go," Ron told the pair before leaving, not wanting to look at his possible future predator and her uncaring sister. He returned to his tunneling, putting his mind at ease as he thought about his future.

Removing a rather large rock, Ron discovered a larger tunnel, almost big enough for a man to fit in. Curious, he followed it, his sense of navigation letting him know he was moving towards Gretchen's house. As he got further along, he noticed a light. Soon, he was stepping over concrete debris and found a huge hole in the wall over the basement. There, standing over the terrified form of Gretchen, what could only be described as a monster pinned her down. "You'd make an excellent ghoul," it hissed, placing its clawed hand on her chest, "Yes, yes, you'd be so perfect."

Gretchen gasped as a powerful magic coursed into her body from the creature. Her face went pale, too pale, as if the pigment in her body had left completely. Her hair, once a vibrant orange, lightened to a bright white. Her eyes, a vibrant green, drained of their warmth and were replaced with a crimson color, devoid of the comfort they provided. She seized on the ground for a bit as more of her body lost color until she was almost completely albino. "Good, good," the ghoul cackled at its newest creation, "You will find being a ghoul is a boon, not a curse." Ron gasped at his friend's transformation, mirroring her dismay. He retreated a bit, accidentally kicking a rock loose, getting the ghoul's attention. "Who's there?" It said, looking around with its deranged eyes. It sniffed the air, unable to pick up on Ron's scent before deciding it wasn't worth the risk to hang around. It scampered back into the tunnel, missing Ron's prone form by mere inches.

Ron ran as fast as he could to the only person he thought could help, not wanting to approach Gretcen lest her mind had slipped and she had gone fully feral. "Petunia!" He shouted, desperate to find her. In his blind desperation, he ran directly into her, knocking his small body to the ground. "My friend! Gretchen! Something happened to her!" He babbled, trying to get the message across, "Monster! Ghoul! Changed her!" 'Ron, RON!" She shouted, shaking him, "Calm down, show me what happened, okay? Panicking helps no one." He took a few deep breaths and explained what happened, asking her to help him check on her. She agreed, following him to the house.

"Gretchen?" Ron asked, entering the basement through the window to find his friend in the corner, sobbing, "Are- are you okay?" "Do I LOOK okay!" She shouted, gesturing to her body. She took a few shuddering breaths, calming down enough to speak clearly, "Sorry, Ron, I didn't mean to yell at you." "It's okay, this is Petunia," Ron began, introducing the cat girls standing beside him, "And this is her sister, Daisy." A bit of nervousness slipped out as he remembered Daisy's earlier talk. "Ron's said nothing but nice things about you," Petunia told Gretchen. "I'd love to get to know you more." "But, I'm a monster now!" She cried. "You're appearance doesn't matter, you're still you, right?"

Gretchen wiped away tears, "You think so?" "Of course," Ron said, walking up to her, "I have nothing to do tonight, why don't we read up on ghouls? Maybe we can find some answers. Would you like that?" She nodded. "Thanks, guys," Ron said to the cat girls who turned to leave, satisfied with Ron's safety. "Call us if you need us!" Petunia told him, exiting the room. Daisy left without a word, a predatory gleam in her eyes, leaving Ron to his friend, knowing that he would be prey sooner or later.