"I apologize sir," Jason said. He stood up proudly.

"Private, when I am speaking to you, you will know it," he said angrily. "Lieutenant Scott? I am waiting for an explanation."

"I was just punishing these kids, sir," Karen said, barely stumbling over the words. She only hoped that she was Lt. Scott.

"Very well," the general said. "But inform me, next time."

"Yes sir," Karen answered. She promptly put her hand up in a salute, as did the six teenagers. With an angry chop of his hand, he turned and walked off.

"Good thinking Karen," Billy said.

"Saved our butts for now," she answered.

"We have to figure out where we are," Zack said.

"We are in Child's Play," Trini answered. "This is a military reform school."

"Is this the movie with that ugly little doll?" Jason asked.

"A doll?" Kimberly answered. "You have got to be kidding me."

"This should be a breeze," Billy said with a laugh. "I think we can defeat a three foot tall plastic doll."

"Don't be so sure," Rocky said.

"I think the first thing to do is try and figure out who we are," Karen said. "I already know that I'm Lieutenant Scott."

"Maybe we're ourselves?" Jason suggested.

"Not likely," Trini said. "This is a school for trouble-makers and delinquents."

"We can break into the school's computer system," Billy suggested.

"Do you have a password you use on your home computer?" Billy asked. "It might be the same on here."

"It's worth a shot," Karen said.

"Type Trini Kwan," Trini suggested. "We might at least have our own names.

"We had better fit in here," Trini said. "Punishments are big time in this place."

"And the entity is a doll?" Billy asked.

"He's more evil than you would think," Rocky said.

"He's the soul of a mass murdered trapped in a doll," Trini explained.

"I wonder where he is," Kimberly asked.

In the darkness just beyond the group, two plastic eyes gleamed.

"I hear that," Trini said.

"Should we go look for the doll, or will it look for us?" Karen asked nervously.

"We need to go look for it, but we can't," Trini said. "They guard these halls."

"I can leave," Karen said.

"You can't go looking for Chucky by yourself," Kimberly said. "You know less about horror movies than I do."

"We don't have a choice," Karen said. "Besides, you said yourself that it was just a

doll.""Please be careful," Trini pleaded. "He might have a knife, a gun, or anything else to use as a weapon."

"He's just a doll," Karen said. She walked to the door, adjusted her uniform, and stepped out into the semi-dark hallway.

"What?" Jason asked, only mildly surprised.

"Have you ever had sex?"

Jason looked across the dark room at Billy. "Have you?" Jason asked.

Billy was silent for a moment and then answered, "Nope."

"Why do you ask?" Jason asked.

"I just have a really bad feeling," Billy said. "I can't explain it, but...."

"And it has something to do with virgins," Jason finished his thought.

"Yeah," Billy said, sitting up in bed. "You feel it too?"

"Yep," Jason answered. "I am, by the way."

"Really?" Billy asked in awe. "You're a virgin?"

"Does that surprise you?"

"Well, yeah, actually it does." Jason just seemed so big and manly, it was almost hard to believe he hadn't had sex. Especially since he could have about any girl he wanted. "Do you know of any horror movie where a virgin is required to defeat the bad guy?" Billy asked.

"None that I can think of," Jason answered, "but I don't watch many horror movies. We'll ask Rocky and Trini tomorrow."

"I wonder if Rocky and Zack are virgins?" Billy pondered.

"I do not know," Jason said. "How about Kim and Trini?"

"Or Karen?" Billy said. "Wait a minute. That was just stupid."

"Man, stop talking about my mom and sex," Jason said.

"I wonder what it's like?" Billy asked with such a note of amusement and eagerness in his voice that Jason couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you smiling about?" Trini asked.

"I didn't know you were awake," Kimberly answered. "I'm just thinkin'."

"About Billy?" Trini asked with a smile.

"You know me too well," Kimberly answered.

"You've fallen hard," Trini said.

Kimberly giggled and said, "I must admit, I never thought I would date Billy."

"I bet he's having the same conversation with Jason about you," Trini said.

"Where's Karen?" Kimberly asked.

"I don't know," Trini said, sounding truly concerned. She looked at the window and squinted at the sunlight. "It's after dawn. You don't get to sleep in at military school."

"From the light, it's probably after noon. I guess we're still wasted from the past two sleepless movies." She pushed her cover aside and got out of bed. "But they wake you up," Trini said. "We should have been doing laps before dawn."

Kimberly and Trini looked out in the hallway. A few of the other students were milling about, confused. "There are no authority figures," Kimberly said.

Rocky pulled the cover back just a fraction before he realized that Jason was definitely dead. His head was missing. Rocky spun around and violently threw up.

"Karen?" Kimberly asked. A scream suddenly burst from her. Karen lay face-down in front of her desk. She had been shot seemingly point-blank in the back of the head, obliterating the back of her skull.

"Oh my God," Trini sobbed, covering her mouth with both hands.

"Chucky," Kimberly whispered angrily.

"There have been a bunch of people murdered out here at the Military School," Trini said. "All of the teachers, officials, and at least two students. Hurry."

"You're calm, that's good," the operator said.

"Just send some people out here fast," Trini said. She set the phone down on the desk so it could be traced and left the room.

"We gotta find that little doll," Rocky said.

"Let's split up and just comb the entire school," Zack said.

"What if it has a gun or something?" Kimberly asked.

"That's just a chance we'll have to take," Trini said.

"What if they really are dead this time?" Kimberly asked in a frightened voice.

"They're on a movie set someplace, Kim," Rocky said, "a whole lot safer than we are."

"I hope you're right," Kimberly sighed. "I just got Billy. I don't want to lose him now."

"C'mon Kim," Rocky said. The four teens split up to look for their murderer.

"Where is that doll!?" Trini screeched. Thunk thunk thunk. Zack looked up as the grenade rolled down the wall of the foxhole. The doll was nowhere to be seen, but they had definitely established that it was not in the school but in the training fields. However, if that grenade went off, they wouldn't have a chance to kill the doll.

"Zack no!" Trini screamed as he scrambled for the grenade. He scooped it up in his hands and jumped to his feet. He brought his hand up to throw the grenade out when it exploded. His chest collected the brunt of the explosion. Ragged flesh exploded out of his back, spraying blood and bits of flesh across Trini. Zack dropped to his knees and then fell face-forward, quite obviously dead. At last, she found her voice and screamed at the top of her lungs in horror.

"Should we get Zack and Trini?" Rocky asked. "Or do you think we can take it?"

"We should stay split up," Kimberly said. "If it kills all of us...."

"All right," Rocky agreed. "Let's go kill the little bugger."

"Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Chucky screeched. He brought a cro-bar high over his head and slammed it into Kimberly's head.

"NO!" Rocky screamed. He grabbed her legs and yanked her back to him. He took one look at her and collapsed to his knees. "NO!" he yelled. "Chucky!" The doll, still laughing, ran out of the tent and through the darkened shadows behind the row of tents. "I'm sorry, Kim," Rocky said through misty eyes. He jumped to his feet and ran after the doll.

"Geez, Trini," Rocky complained. "You scared me to death."

"You didn't do a whole lot for me, either," Trini said. "Have you seen Chucky?"

"He rode in here in a car, but I don't know which one," Rocky said.

Trini looked up at the large, black plastic mountain, covered with skulls, skeletons, and various disembodies limbs. Chucky was standing at the pinnacle, holding a large red brick in both hands. He hurled the brick at the two Rangers. "Rocky!" Trini shouted, jumping at him. The two landed in a tangled heap on the floor, barely missing the brick.

"Damn!" Chucky shouted. He began to climb down the mountain.

"Come on," Rocky said. "There's a ladder up the back that leads to a service platform." Rocky climbed up the ladder and stepped onto the service platform. The doll was nowhere in sight. He crept over to the edge of the platform and looked down. A large fan was spinning wildly on the floor, blowing red crepe paper and cellophane that was supposed to look like a fire.

"Is he here?" Trini asked.

"I don't see him," Rocky answered. He turned around and examined a service door on the back of the mountain. Trini stepped beside him and stared at the door as well. "He's probably in there, huh?"

"My guess," Trini said. "Do you want to, or should I?"

"I will," Rocky volunteered. "Just stay someplace safe in case he does kill me. One of us has to survive this story."

"Right," Trini agreed. "Be careful."

Rocky opened the door. He expected to find a small, walk-in closet, but instead saw the entire inside of the mountain. Light filtered in through the thin plastic. The room was round, as was the mountain. Silently wishing himself luck, he stepped into the room. Taking three big steps, he reached the center of the room. He darted his head around, looking for any possible hiding place. "Chucky?" Rocky asked.

Trini suddenly screamed, followed by a thumping sound. Rocky ran from the room to find Trini wrestling with the small doll. In his hands was a hunting knife. She had her own hands around his, trying to keep him from stabbing her. That doll was surprisingly strong. Rocky quickly assessed the situation. Trini wasn't dead yet, and it was just the two of them. "Trini, hang on tight!" Rocky shouted. He ran at them and jumped at the doll.

Chucky dropped the knife as Rocky hit him. Time seemed to stand still for all three involved. Rocky wrapped his arms around the shrieking doll and flew off of the platform. Trini rolled over and crawled to the very edge. Rocky and the doll fell into the spinning fan. "NO!" Trini shrieked.

The fan literally exploded as the two bodies were entangled within the sharp blades. "Rocky, why?" She forced her eyes open and looked down. Body parts, both Rocky's and Chucky's, were strewn everywhere. "Oh my God."

A strong breeze suddenly blew across her. Slowly standing up, she found a white portal of light before her. "The next story," she muttered. She leapt into it head-first, and was carried away from the world of Child's Play.

Trini flew from the portal and landed on her side. "Ow," she complained. "Is anybody alive?"

"We all are, Trini," Karen said happily. "Rocky killed Chucky."

"I can't believe you did that," Trini said with a wry smile on her face.

"It was all I could think of," Rocky said. "I knew that at least one of us had to survive, and that was the only way I could think of to get rid of the doll."

"I'm just glad it worked," Jason said. "Me and Billy didn't get a chance to do anything."

Kimberly felt a sharp pain in the small of her back. She sat up and felt behind her. "What is this?" she asked. She picked up a black and golden box, covered with intricate although abstract designs. It appeared to have been carved with great precision, and look as thought it might have been sectioned.

"What on Earth?"

E-mail: kittiec@starpower.net