Rated PG-13
Mike ran as fast as he could around the castle, trying to find a way out. He tried the doors and windows, but everything was shut tight. Mike stopped a moment to catch his breath and then heard the distant sound of Groot's dragging walk. He ran upstairs and into one room and saw that it was a bedroom, in fact the same bedroom he and the other Monkees had stayed in the last time. Mike bolted the door and looked around. Across from the door, he spotted a set of curtains. Hoping there was a window behind those curtains, Mike ran over and pulled them apart...to find not a window, but Groot standing there!
"That wasn't very nice of you to run away." Groot said, a frown on his face.
"Well, it wasn't very nice of you and your master to kidnap us either." Mike replied, backing away from him.
"Let's go back downstairs." Groot told him, gesturing at the door, "My master has plans for you."
"I'm sure he does, but I'm not interested, you descendent from Jack the Ripper." Mike shot back.
"Oh, but you're wrong, young man." Groot said, walking slowly toward Mike, "I'm not a descendent of his; I AM Jack the Ripper."
Mike shook his head, "No, you're crazy...totally nuts." Mike said, trying to keep his distance. "The real Jack the ripper lived over eighty years ago."
"I admit I've gotten a few gray hairs since then." Groot said, smoothing back his hair, "But you must remember, Ghouls age slowly."
"Groot, listen to me." Mike said, trying to keep his voice calm, "Help me get out of here, I'll make sure you get the help you need."
Groot simply smiled, and then slowly pulled a knife out from his belt under his smock, "But I really am Jack the Ripper! See, here's the knife I used to kill all those pretty women."
"Get...get away from me you nut!" Mike shouted, totally frightened.
"Why don't you let me demonstrate how I flayed and disemboweled some of those women." Groot said, his eyes glazing over in anticipation.
Mike spun and raced for the door. Groot let out a shriek and charged Mike, knife raised high. Mike fumbled with the door handle, which now refused to open...
Suddenly, the door flew open and standing there was none other than Dr. Mendoza's monster!
Mike jumped to the side just as the monster charged inside the room. He grabbed Groot and flung him onto the bed. Groot let out another howl and charged the monster again, but the monster grabbed Groot and threw him against a wall. Groot slid to the floor and lay still.
Mike thought Groot was dead, but after a few seconds Dr. Mendoza's valet jumped up and ran out of the room as fast as his legs could take him. Mike made to follow him, but the Monster was very quick and he slammed the door in Mike's face. He simply stood there and glared at Mike, a low grumble coming from his throat.
"Um...hi, Frankie!" Mike said as cheerfully as he could, "Remember me?"
The monster growled at Mike, who gulped in fear.
"Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire." Mike thought to himself as the monster reached for his throat.
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Meanwhile, Dr. Mendoza was in the laboratory talking to his three captives.
"So, are you planning to steal our musical abilities again, Doctor?" Micky asked.
"And do what with them?" Dr. Mendoza demanded, "As you can see, my beautiful creation is gone!"
"Maybe he didn't want to be the world's greatest rock and roll singer." Peter said.
"Shut up!" Dr. Mendoza snapped. "Because of you four, my life's work is ruined! But I have more experiments to try on you Monkees!"
Just then, Groot came to the laboratory door across from the steps gasping for breath. Davy was the only one who could clearly see Groot and grew hopeful when he didn't see Mike. However, Davy couldn't hear what was being said.
"Master..." Groot breathed.
The evil doctor ran over to him, "What has happened? Where is the one with the wool hat?" He demanded, "You didn't let him escape, did you?"
"The monster, Master...he has returned." Groot said.
"Returned?" Dr. Mendoza exclaimed, "Then why didn't you bring him back here?"
"He turned on me, master." Groot replied, his hands to his mouth, "He attacked me."
"Oh he has, has he?" Dr. Mendoza growled, "It's another thing those Monkees must pay for."
"He may have killed the one with the wool hat, master." Groot said hopefully.
"Go back upstairs and find out, Groot." Dr. Mendoza said. "Search for them, while Nadia and I start our experiments with the other three."
"Yes, Master." Groot said reluctantly, then shuffled away.
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"Oof!" Mike said as the air in his lungs came out in a rush. He had been thrown to the floor in a deep, dark area. When the monster had first grabbed him, Mike thought that he would be taken back to Dr. Mendoza. But to his surprise, Mike was taken further down beneath the castle to this place. The cold, the damp and outside sounds he could hear led Mike to believe he was in a cave.
As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Mike could see the monster off to his right moving about. There was a flash of light as the Monster lit a lantern, which then slowly lit up the area.
Mike's first impression was right; he was inside a cave, a furnished cave with a table and chair, a straw bed and some shelving. The monster put the lantern on the table and continued to glare at Mike.
Slowly, rubbing the back of his neck from where he had been held, Mike stood up.
"Why are we here, Frankie?" Mike asked, puzzled.
The monster grabbed Mike by the front of his shirt and pulled him up until they were face to face.
"My name is Boris!" He shouted in Mike's face. He then dropped Mike to the ground again.
"Oh I'm sorry, Boris." Mike said quickly, "Why did you bring me here?"
In answer, Boris pointed at the standing book shelves along one side of the wall. Mike could see what looked like small framed photographs standing on the shelves.
Keeping one eye on Boris, Mike walked over to the shelves and took a closer look at the photos. In the dim lantern light, it was hard to make out anything, but soon Mike could see family photos. Mike picked up one photo and was shocked to see a younger Dr. Mendoza staring back at him! With Dr. Mendoza was a young woman, whom Mike assumed to be his wife. Carefully putting the photo down, Mike picked up another one with the Doctor and his wife and two young children, a boy and a girl. The girl Mike assumed was Nadia, but the boy...the boy looked familiar, and rather tall for his age too. Mike looked at Boris and then back at the photo. Suddenly, it dawned on him what Boris was trying to say...that Dr. Mendoza wasn't joking before when he said his monster was `his own flesh and blood'.
Boris was Dr. Mendoza's son.
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
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