SlugTerra: The Mystery Of The Missing Shane

Chapter 1: Deadweed

Everything was silent. The fog was thick, making visibility difficult, if not impossible. Four mecha-beasts trudged through the smoke and fog. Then, one of the drivers spoke. "There it is," she said, pointing to a door with a painted white skull on it. "Deadweed Cavern." Beatrice Sting, or as we all know, Trixie, turns to another mecha-beast driver. "I dare you to go near it." Kord Zane refused. Eli Shane, the leader of the Shane Gang, who was in front, asked, "Sure, it's a little creepy-looking, but what's the big deal?"

Then she remembered something. A story her mother had told her about Deadweed Cavern. "We're passing by; hold your breath or the spirits will get in your nose!" Pronto Geronimole, the driver at the very back, laughed and shouted, "Pah! A foolish superstition. Pronto holds his breath for nothing!" Then Pronto saw the door and the scary skull painted on it. He shivered, then reconsidered his decision not to obey Trixie's instructions. "Well, um...to be safe." He held his breath, cheeks puffing. Eli smiled. "You guys crack me up," he declared, "I'm going in for a closer look." The others, through held breaths, warned him not to, but it fell on deaf ears.

Eli was already steering Lucky, his white wolf mecha-beast, closer to the door of the cavern. He kept moving closer. Everyone stopped and released the air trapped in their mouths.  Pronto yelled, "Eli! Don't be a fool!" He jumped off Lucky. "Isn't Deadweed where Frightgeist slugs come from?" He asked. "Let's go see if we can get some." the 15-year-old Shane piped up excitedly. "Come on! Where's your sense of adventure?" he added. By now, the other three were off their mechas and were standing far behind their leader. Trixie even had her hands on her hips.

Pronto was still. "This is a place of...unspeakable danger," he began, acting as he went. Kord agreed. "Yeah. The only thing you'll find there is..." He started making ghostly sounds, in the hopes of convincing him to stop and turn back. But it was too late. The young, adventurous, curious, handsome and reckless Eli was already at the door of Deadweed Cavern. "Sick owls?" he asked, referring to the ghostly sounds Kord was making.

Pronto was now extremely frustrated with him. "Oh, for the love of...Eli! We're talking about ghosts!" he yelled, anger clear in his voice. he turned, grinning. Burpy, his cute and powerful Infurnus slug, was still on his slinger's shoulder, whose hand was on the door. "Well, I'm not afraid of ghosts..." Eli said bravely while Burpy looked at him. "...because they don't exist." Eli opened the door to the cavern after two strong tugs on the wooden door. The other three looked at each other in fear.

Still being the brave and adventurous  Shane he was, Eli said, trying to convince the Gang to come with him, "We'll be in and out before you know it." Trixie, Kord, and Pronto refused. "Fine," he said, turning to the cavern. "You wait here. I'll be back in one minute." Kord shook his head disapprovingly as Eli went in the dark, empty cavern with Burpy still on his shoulder.

Seconds later, they heard Eli's voice echoing. "Aaah! No!" The trio, who were already gripped with fear, said in unison, "Eli!" and ran into the cavern. Eli was still screaming. "Aah! Aaaahhh! Oh!" Trixie went in. "Eli?" She called. There was no answer from him, but a mere echo of Trixie's voice. She looked around. No sign of him either. Kord and Pronto were soon behind her. "I don't like this. Eli? Where are you, buddy?" Kord called. There was nothing but silence. "I don't like the sound of this, guys." Pronto was shaken. Kord was sick to his stomach.

For the first time in the Shane Gang's history, Eli had vanished.