A Nightly Walk

Chapter 5

Larry took a few steps at a time, attempting to hear any signs of that plant. Larry was shocked to see that the place was practically untouched, apart from that mysterious event that overturned those cars and messed up the sidewalks. 

Once Larry got near the cinema, he stopped for a while and began to wonder if this was where his keys were dropped. He scrutinized the current area he was at while keeping a check on the Chomper. The thought of the Chomper made Larry suddenly have a flashback. 

Larry was walking, with his hand in his pocket, the same pocket, where he had his house keys. It was when the Chomper had wrapped its vine around Larry and tripped him did the keys fall out. Larry got back to reality and quickly turned to where the Chomper was. To his happiness, the keys were right where he suspected they would be. 

Larry happily walked over to where his keys were, picked them up and happily started to walk back to his house, when he suddenly heard something. Larry immediately put his keys into his coat pocket and buttoned it up. Just in case, Larry thought to himself, while he looked around for the source of the noise. It wasn't that same noise that the Chomper had made, which Larry was both relieved and worried. The Chomper may be big and scary, but Larry figured he can outrun it, and he has no idea what other plant monsters could be after him, specifically the one that was the source of the new noise that Larry had heard.  

Larry decided to walk the other way, to test if the noise would be heard again, and to make sure that nothing follows him home. Larry strolled over to the deeper part of the city that he wasn't too familiar with, unfortunately for Larry. However, Larry started to see some things that he recognized. For example, there was a small playground for kids and preteens in between two building lots, with a few caterpiller spring rockers that Larry recalled playing with when he was younger. Out of curiosity and nostalgia, Larry stepped into the playground, suddenly feeling the mushy ground. 

The squishy foam ground! Oh man, such good times I had in youth! Larry had thought to himself. Once Larry got near the middle of the playground, he noticed that there was another entrance on the other side of the playground. Larry took a few steps towards the other exit and was surprised to see that the other side of the city was very reminiscent of his younger teenhood days. Oh dang! I didn't realize I've been here before! Wow, it still looks the same as it did before! Larry excitedly thought to himself. 

Larry was once again, too busy in his nostalgic thoughts, that something was sneaking up on him again. Just before Larry could turn around... 

BZZZT!

Larry jumped at the buzzing noise. He looked around for where the noise came from. When he looked back, he saw nothing there, but then, the noise came back, and Larry looked down to see a telephone on wheels, with a toy face on it. Confused, Larry picked it up and answered the mysterious call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Larry..."

Larry was disturbed. "How do you know my name?"

"I have seen you around these places many times before, a decade ago, during the Summer and Winter seasons, to be exact. My owner always saw you play here, at this very park you're standing in now, always enjoying life, carefree..."

"Huh? I don't remember seeing you or your owner, for that matter. But, since you seem to know me pretty well, I'll take your word for it. What brings you here anyway? Why did you decide to come over and talk to me?"

"Oh, right... you need to leave this city! It's becoming too dangerous to be in it! There are many dangerous plants starting to run about, and they're hungry and thirsty for zombies!"

Hearing the word, hungry, made Larry's eyes dilate and shrink. He suddenly has a flashback to when he nearly got eaten by that giant Chomper... THE GIANT CHOMPER!! Where could it have gone? Larry looked around fearfully, confusing the phone bot. 

"What's wrong?" inquired the phone bot. "Shh! I think I know what you're talking about... have you by any chance, seen a giant Chomper anywhere near here?" Larry quietly asked. 

"... YOU SAW IT TOO?!" the phone bot quietly exclaimed to Larry, who proceeded to ask the phone bot, "You too, huh? Alright, so now that we both know that we have seen it and I am now fully aware of the threats that are looming over this city, let's skedaddle out of here before that chomping beast comes back." Larry whispered to the phone bot, who proceeded to "hang up". Larry was baffled by that until he felt something breathing down his head and neck, and he saw a giant shadow behind him. 

Larry slowly turned around to face the beast. The Chomper looked exactly like he had feared it would look: it was very furious, and its teeth were far sharper than before. Larry stood there, petrified until the phone suddenly rang and Larry picked up the call. 

The phone bot uttered just one word, "Run."