After they finished eating and resting in Melissa's house, Jacob leaned back and looked at Stiles with a lazy smirk. "So… where's your harem?"
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Harem?"
Jacob's smirk widened. "Yeah. The four kissy bonobos."
Stiles shrugged. "Oh, them. I don't know. They took off the second that savage army showed up. Probably went into town to find a new husband."
Lydia smiled sweetly. "They were cute. Aren't you jealous?"
Stiles snorted. "Nope. I'm relieved. Now can we stop talking about the stupid perverted apes and get back to the game?"
Malia bounced in her seat. "Yes! Jay, take the game out! It's my turn!"
Jacob pulled out the Jumanji board from his pocket dimension. The familiar drumming sound filled the room as he placed it on the table. Everyone gathered around with eager anticipation.
Malia opened the board, grabbed the dice, and shook them dramatically. She threw.
A five. Her token moved. The crystal ball glowed, and letters formed.
She leaned in and read aloud:
"A slithering tide of scales and fangs
Their hiss foretells where death hangs."
Malia frowned. "Snakes?"
Kitty hissed. "I hate snakes."
The grass outside the window began to rustle. The porch steps creaked. Then something hit the front door hard—and busted it wide open.
Jacob and the others left the living room to see what had broken the door. It was there, hissing at them. A giant snake, easily twenty meters long or more, coiled in the doorway. Its hiss, amplified by its size, sounded like a deep, rumbling growl.
Stiles stared. "What the… what kind of snake is that?"
Chris's eyes narrowed. "I don't know, but from those two giant fangs in its mouth, it's definitely venomous."
A wave of serpents poured inside—hundreds of them, slithering past the giant snake. Rattlesnakes, cobras, vipers of every color and size, their scales gleaming in the afternoon light. They moved as one, a seething carpet of scales and fangs, sliding toward them with terrifying speed.
Everyone tensed, ready to fight.
Jacob released a fraction of his dragon aura.
All the snakes stopped dead, coiling into themselves in fear. Even the giant one went rigid.
He snapped his fingers. A wave of telekinetic force rippled outward from the house, lifting every snake off the ground. They writhed helplessly in the air for a moment—then Jacob teleported with them directly deep into the Beacon Hills Preserve. He deposited them there and teleported back.
He dusted off his hands. "Alright, snakes are dealt with. Let's go back to playing."
They returned to the living room. Lydia took the dice, shook them, and threw.
A three. Her token moved. The crystal ball glowed.
She read:
"A tiny bite can make you itch,
Make you sneeze, make you twitch."
Lydia sighed. "It's the giant mosquitoes. Like in the movie."
A low, droning hum filled the air. It started faint, then grew louder. Giant mosquitoes entered through the broken door and the windows, flying straight toward them.
Lydia waved her hand, creating an energy shield around everyone. "Gross. I hate bugs."
Cogman stepped out of the shield. The mosquitoes ignored him completely, fixated on the group behind the barrier. They threw themselves against it again and again—each impact breaking their own stingers against the shimmering energy.
Cogman began picking them off with precise lasers from his fingertips. One shot, one kill. Mosquito after mosquito dropped.
The remaining mosquitoes, sensing their doom, scattered and fled into town.
Lydia brushed a strand of hair from her face and looked at Allison. "Your turn."
Allison took the dice, shook them, and threw.
A seven. Her token moved. The crystal ball glowed.
She read:
"The jungle's ghost with eyes of gold,
A silent death both swift and bold."
Stiles looked around. "Okay, that sounds creepy. What is it?"
No one answered.
A single leaf drifted past the window. Then another. Then the light outside seemed to dim, as if a cloud had passed over the sun.
A creak from the second floor made everyone look up. A dark creature stepped into view on the stairs.
It was massive—a black panther the size of a horse, muscles rippling under its sleek coat. Its tail lashed once, twice. Its glowing golden eyes fixed on Allison.
Malia jumped to her feet. "Oh! What a beautiful cat! I'll tame it."
She walked toward the stairs. The panther's ears flattened. Its lips pulled back from teeth like ivory daggers. It let out a low, warning growl.
Malia didn't care at all.
The panther attacked, launching itself from the top of the stairs toward her.
Malia caught its massive body with ease. It tried to bite her, but she punched it to the ground and pressed its head into the floor.
The panther struggled. Malia's eyes glowed gold. An evil smirk spread across her face. "Looks like I need to teach you some manners, huh?" She sent an electric shock through its body.
The panther convulsed for a few seconds until Malia let go. It stood, looking at her warily. It hadn't learned its lesson—it lunged again.
Malia roared.
The panther dropped to the ground, completely submissive. She crouched beside it and tried to stroke its head. It snapped at her hand. She punched it again. "Be good."
The panther tried to struggle a few more times, but it quickly realized it couldn't win. It gave up, letting her do whatever she wanted.
Malia stood, scratching the panther's jaw. It leaned into her touch, its tail curling contentedly. She looked back at the group. "I'm keeping it."
Jacob shook his head. "You can't keep it. It's from the game. When we finish, it goes back."
Malia's face fell. "Oh. I forgot about that." She sighed and went back to sit with everyone.
The panther followed and lay down at her feet like an oversized housecat. She stroked its fur and looked at Jacob expectantly. "Your turn."
Jacob picked up the dice. 'I hope to be sent to the Jumanji world.' He threw.
A double. His token moved. The crystal ball glowed with a brilliant green light.
The riddle appeared:
"A hunter from the darkest wild
Makes you feel just like a child."
Stiles perked up. "It's Van Pelt! The hunter from the movie!"
A bullet shot toward Jacob's head from the window.
Jacob waved his hand. The bullet stopped in mid-air, hovering inches from his face. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it back toward the window.
Van Pelt, still visible outside, was frozen in shock. His bullet had simply... stopped. He didn't have time to react before it punched through his forehead. He dropped dead on the spot.
Jacob sighed. "Boring."
Since he had rolled a double, he got another turn. He threw again.
A five. His token moved. The crystal ball glowed.
He read the new riddle:
"Your darkest fears will take their shape
From deep within, they will escape."
Before Jacob could process what that meant, the air in the living room shimmered. A group of figures materialized in the room—and Jacob's blood ran cold.
There were at least a dozen of them, all with normal female bodies. But their heads... their heads belonged to animals.
A duck with a flat yellow beak tilted her head and quacked softly. A horse with a flowing mane flicked her ears and neighed. A naked mole-rat with wrinkled pink skin and buck teeth smiled awkwardly. An angler fish with a glowing lure dangled from her forehead blinked her massive eyes. A baboon with a colorful face bared her teeth in what might have been a smile. A sloth moved in slow motion, her shy expression somehow endearing. An ostrich with wide eyes blinked rapidly. A frog's bulging eyes locked onto him. A vulture with a hooked beak spread her arms as if inviting a hug. And a cassowary gave him a somewhat charming look.
Then, as one, they all cooed, "Husband!"
Jacob screamed in terror and scrambled backward over the couch, nearly taking Kitty down with him as he tried to put distance between himself and the nightmare fuel now occupying the living room.
Chris and the others, however, were not sharing his distress. They burst out laughing.
Allison paused mid-laugh, wiping tears from her eyes. "Wow. Even your fears are perverted." She burst into laughter again.
Malia grinned widely. "Hold on a second. Are we sure this is his fear? I mean, he does love monster girls."
Jacob sputtered. "I like you girls when you shift into beautiful monster girls! Not whatever this is!" He gestured wildly at the gathering of animal-headed women. "Look at them! There's one with an angler fish head! And a naked mole-rat!" He shivered violently, then raised his hand. Flames erupted from his palm, and with a single sweep, he reduced the entire group to ash, making the nightmare disappear.
Everyone else was still laughing. Jacob dropped onto the couch. "I'm starting to hate this game," he muttered.
The laughter hadn't even died down when the crystal ball glowed again. This time, a small figure materialized in the center of the room—a doll. But not just any doll. Chucky, complete with red hair, striped shirt, and a kitchen knife clutched in his tiny plastic hand.
The possessed doll's eyes locked onto Stiles, who had been enjoying Jacob's humiliation moments before.
Chucky grinned, raising the knife. "Do you want to play?"
Stiles screamed like a little girl. He launched himself behind Scott, using him as a human shield. "No! No, no, no! Kill him! Someone kill him, please!"
Jacob covered his ears. "Shut up, you're too loud. And are you really afraid of Chucky?"
Stiles peeked out from behind Scott's shoulder, pointing a trembling finger at Jacob. "You're one to talk! You're afraid of women with animal heads! I mean, what kind of fear is that?"
Jacob raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, you've got a point. But you better deal with your Chucky. He's gone."
Stiles whipped his head around. The spot where Chucky had been standing was empty. "Where did he go?!" he asked, panic creeping back into his voice.
"Behind you," Malia said casually.
Stiles spun just as Chucky lunged, knife raised. The blade came down—and barely pierced Stiles's clothes, stopping against his skin.
Chucky stabbed again. And again. And again.
Stiles screamed bloody murder the entire time. "Help! Help! He's killing me! Oh my God, I'm being murdered by a doll! This is how I die!"
Everyone watched with raised eyebrows as Chucky continued his futile assault. The doll put his whole body into each stab, grunting with effort, but the knife simply refused to penetrate Stiles's enhanced skin.
Finally, Chucky stopped. He looked at the knife, then at Stiles, then at the group of people staring at him with varying degrees of amusement.
He cleared his throat. "Well… this is awkward."
Then he turned and ran straight toward the kitchen, his tiny legs carrying him as fast as they could.
Scott turned to Stiles, who had collapsed on the floor still screaming, and gave him a light kick. "Shut up. You're fine. And Chucky's gone."
Stiles sat up slowly, patting his chest where the knife had struck. His eyes went wide with realization. "Oh! I'm fine! I forgot I have superpowers now!" He grinned, then looked around. "But wait—where's Chucky?"
Malia pointed toward the kitchen. "He went to the kitchen. And I smell gas."
Stiles's face went pale. "Gas? Oh no. He's trying to blow up the house!"
Jacob was already moving. He vanished from the living room and reappeared in the kitchen, where Chucky was indeed standing on the counter, trying to turn the gas stove knob with his tiny plastic hands. Jacob grabbed the doll by the back of its neck, twisted the knob to shut off the gas, and teleported back to the living room in the span of a single breath.
He held Chucky out to Stiles. "Here. You kill him."
Stiles backed away so fast he nearly tripped over the coffee table. "No! You kill him! I'm not touching that thing!"
Jacob sighed. His hand burst into flames, and Chucky didn't even have time to quip before he was reduced to ash. Jacob shook the residue off his hand and sat down.
The crystal ball pulsed again. Another figure materialized in the living room—and this time, everyone went quiet.
It was Jacob. Or rather, a perfect copy of him, smirking with a confidence that made the real Jacob's eye twitch.
Everyone turned to look at Stiles.
Allison raised an eyebrow. "What now? Are you scared of Jay?"
Stiles threw his hands up. "No! That's not my fear! It's probably…" He trailed off, glancing at Scott.
Scott coughed awkwardly, suddenly very interested in the ceiling.
Jacob's gaze snapped to him. "Why are you scared of me?"
Scott rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not scared of you. It's just… I used to have nightmares about you dating my mom."
The fake Jacob laughed, a perfect imitation of the real thing. "Those aren't nightmares anymore, Scott. Mel is already mine." He winked. "And now I'm going to look for Tracy." His eyes slid to Victoria and Natalie, a predatory gleam in them. "But not before I make these two beauties mine."
He took a step toward them.
Allison's hand shot out. Ice erupted from her palm, encasing the fake Jacob in a solid block of frost before he could take another step. Lydia opened her mouth, and a sonic scream shattered the ice sculpture into a thousand glittering shards that rained down on the carpet.
Then both girls turned to the real Jacob, eyes narrowed, voices perfectly synchronized. "Stay away from my mom."
Jacob frowned. "What? That's not even me! That thing was Scott's fear! I never thought about going after your moms!" He pointed accusingly at Scott. "That's just Scott's wild and stupid imagination!"
Allison narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious. Lydia pointed two fingers at her own eyes, then directed them at Jacob.
Jacob just shook his head with a helpless smile.
Stiles, finally recovering from his own embarrassment, grinned. "Malia, your turn."
To be continued… 😊