twenty three | blues drive monster

[strike_you_out]

[Following this incident]

[The remains of what had once been Josephine lay scattered in broken heaps, still smoking from the impact of whatever had happened here. Had the mech been bombed? Or had it malfunctioned so badly that it blew itself asunder? It didn't matter. What mattered was the whereabouts of its operator.

Standing motionless amidst the

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[puzzlerprince]

[What the hell what the hell.

Skidding the Riddler-Mobile to a dangerous halt. What is that thing?! Fidgeting in terror, Edward begins to load more shells into the shotgun, fumbling slightly with each new round.]

[strike_you_out]

[Whatever it is, it just swatted a dozen zombies into the air with one swing of a giant baseball bat. A few of them strike the walls of nearby buildings, leaving bloody stains as the bodies peel away and fall. The rest are still airborne for the moment and at least one could be heading in Edward's direction.

Slugger has yet to notice the Riddlermobile.]

[puzzlerprince]

[Edward finishes loading the shotgun and pumps it. With a sick crash, an undead husk collides with Edward's windshield, the head sailing straight off from the force of impact and leaving the rest of the body in shambles. Eddie yelps at the very sight of it, flinching a bit. Unintentionally switching to his high-beams as his knee involuntarily jerks up. Damn it. Damn it.]

[strike_you_out]

[The beams catch his eye and he quickly recognizes the green car that happens to be in his path. The ground gives a tangible shudder as Slugger pushes forward, his skates roaring over gravel and zombie corpses alike.]

[puzzlerprince]

[...skates. And a large baseball bat. Slugger...?

But now the beast---whatever it is---is rocketing straight towards him. Time to put the car into reverse and get the hell out of there.]

[strike_you_out]

[In no mood for games of chase, Slugger leaps straight up out of Edward's high-beams. Soon, Edward will find that his car is facing a great resistance from behind as it tries to advance backwards and no matter how hard he lays on the gas, it seems stuck. This is because Slugger has firmly pinned the rear of the car between his hand and the street.

Next, the passenger side door is pried open. Slugger peeks beneath the dashboard, then pushes the seat down to check the back of the car. During this inspection, he pays the driver no mind at all.]

[puzzlerprince]

[Oh god OH GOD he's holding the car. And now he's rooting around inside the car as well.]

Wh-what the hell do you want? What are you doing?!

[strike_you_out]

[No, Pokey wasn't hiding inside the car. Frustration growing, Slugger growls and wastes a full second staring at Edward, teeth set in a monstrous rictus beneath glowing red eyes and a familiar ball cap, before turning away. He figures that, by the time he manages to enunciate "have you seen Pokey" clearly enough to be understood, Edward will have shot him in the face at least three times.

The back of the car is then released with a bounce as the huge creature steps away.]

[puzzlerprince]

[Oh, hey. Guess whose foot was still on the gas this whole time? And guess who's now screeching away from Slugger, completely out of control? Well, thankfully he isn't out of control for too long, slamming on the brakes once he's at least twenty meters or so away from the beast.

Edward takes a second to catch his breath once he's managed to stop the car, staring straight ahead of him in horror. Was that... was that really Slugger?]

[strike_you_out]

[The high beams swing past the creature as Edward's car nearly spins out, but when Eddie manages to regain control, Slugger is no longer within the beams' scope. Only a pair of golden skates briefly reflects the light as his massive form slips away into darkness like a phantom.]