The Deathzone

== WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT. ==
It was late at night when I came across a strange SpongeBob SquarePants episode online. The title was simply "The Deathzone," with no thumbnail and a description that read, "DO NOT WATCH ALONE." Figuring it was a fan-made horror spin, I clicked on it, expecting a cheap scare.
The episode opened on an eerie, washed-out view of Bikini Bottom, the usual bright colors dimmed to a sickly, rotting green. The screen flickered with static every few seconds, as if the footage were old and corrupted. There was no background music, only a low, disturbing hum. SpongeBob and Patrick were playing near Jellyfish Fields, but the usually cheerful scene looked desolate. The jellyfish were absent, and thick fog rolled in from the horizon, slowly swallowing up the landscape.
Patrick, looking anxious, turned to SpongeBob. "I think... I think we went too far," he stammered. His eyes darted around, wide with fear. "We’re in the Deathzone, SpongeBob.”
SpongeBob’s face fell, his usual smile replaced with genuine terror. “The Deathzone? But that’s… that’s just a story, right?”
The fog grew thicker, blanketing everything in a murky haze. Suddenly, a blood-red message flashed across the screen: WELCOME TO THE DEATHZONE. The text flickered and dissolved, but as it disappeared, a shadowy figure emerged from the fog.
This creature was massive, its form twisted and mangled, like an amalgamation of sea creatures and bone. Its eyes were hollow, empty voids, yet they seemed to follow SpongeBob and Patrick. Its mouth stretched impossibly wide, revealing row upon row of jagged, serrated teeth. As it moved, the screen glitched and distorted, and the low hum grew into an unsettling roar.
"RUN!" Patrick screamed, pulling SpongeBob. The two friends bolted down the dirt path, but the creature chased after them, extending clawed limbs that seemed to stretch and bend in impossible ways. It emitted a low, guttural growl, echoing through the fog.
The screen cut to a shot of the town square in Bikini Bottom. Fish civilians walked through the thickening fog, completely unaware of the horror lurking nearby. The creature emerged, towering over them, its twisted form casting a dark shadow over the crowd. In a horrifying display, it struck with a grotesque speed, grabbing a random fish and tearing it in half. Blood and viscera splattered across the ground, the fish’s lifeless eyes staring blankly at the screen as its body was thrown aside.
Another blood-red message flashed across the screen: THE DEATHZONE CLAIMS ALL.
The camera lingered on the carnage as the monster tore through the crowd, its claws slicing through bodies like paper. Fish screamed and tried to flee, but the fog thickened, trapping them in the square. The creature’s face twisted into a monstrous grin as it devoured its victims, bits of flesh and blood dripping from its mouth. The screen zoomed in on a fish desperately trying to crawl away, only to be crushed under the creature’s massive, spiked foot, bones crunching as it ground him into the pavement.
The screen glitched again, cutting to Squidward’s house. He was peering out of his window, his face pale and drawn. "What... what is that thing?” he whispered, his voice trembling. The screen flickered as Squidward watched the carnage unfold. Another fish was pulled into the fog by the creature, his screams fading as blood splattered onto the screen, almost as if it were spilling out of the TV.
A new message appeared in dripping red letters: YOU CAN’T ESCAPE THE DEATHZONE.
The scene cut to inside Squidward’s house. He was desperately trying to lock his windows and barricade his doors. Outside, SpongeBob stumbled toward his house, banging on the door, screaming, "Squidward! Please, it got Patrick! Let me in!"
Squidward hesitated, visibly torn, but finally opened the door and dragged SpongeBob inside, locking it behind him. Both of them sat in silence, breathing heavily, eyes wide with terror. The low hum was louder now, filling the room with a vibrating dread.
Just when it seemed they were safe, the walls began to ooze a dark, thick liquid. SpongeBob noticed it first, gasping as the goo seeped down in long, slow drips, staining the walls with what looked like blood. Squidward backed away, horrified, as the substance pooled on the floor, forming into grotesque shapes—eyes, limbs, and distorted faces—pressing out from the liquid like something was trying to escape from the other side.
Then, the creature itself appeared, forcing its way through the wall as if it were made of water, stretching its twisted form into Squidward’s house. Its gnarled claws reached out, grabbing Squidward by the tentacles, pulling him toward its jagged mouth. He screamed, but his cries were muffled by the creature’s foul, dripping mass as it began to tear him apart. The screen zoomed in close, showing every detail of Squidward’s agony—his skin peeling, his eyes rolling back, his blood staining the walls as the monster devoured him piece by piece.
SpongeBob screamed, backing into a corner, watching helplessly as his friend was torn to shreds. He tried to run, but the creature reached for him too, wrapping him in its claws and pulling him toward its gaping maw. The screen cut to black just as SpongeBob’s face twisted in terror, his screams echoing long after the video had ended.
One final message appeared on the screen: THE DEATHZONE TAKES ALL.
The video ended, but the last image of SpongeBob’s horror-stricken face was burned into my mind, lingering long after the screen went dark. I shut off my computer, but as I tried to shake the horror of what I’d seen, I noticed a faint fog creeping through my own window, and an unsettling hum that seemed to echo from the shadows. THE OLD VERSION: It was a late summer night when I found myself scrolling through old SpongeBob episodes on a website full of obscure cartoons. I’d seen every episode before, but something about this particular site caught my attention. There was one video titled "The Deathzone" with no thumbnail, just a black screen and a play button. Curiosity got the better of me, so I clicked it.
The episode started with a warped version of the familiar SpongeBob SquarePants theme song, distorted, as though recorded underwater but with an eerie, muffled echo. The visuals faded in, showing the iconic pineapple under the sea, but it was... different. There was no sunlight filtering through the ocean water. Everything was a murky, sickly green. The edges of the screen looked decayed, almost as if the very image was rotting away. SpongeBob's house was cracked and grimy, like it had been abandoned for years.
Inside the house, SpongeBob was sitting on his couch, but something was off. His usually wide eyes were half-lidded, hollow, and sunken, casting a shadow over his face. His body looked emaciated, with sharp angles and a disturbing, almost skeletal frame. He didn’t speak. He just sat there, staring at the TV, which flickered static. His smile was gone. In its place was a lifeless, blank expression, his mouth a thin, colorless line.
After a long, silent moment, the scene changed to Squidward’s house. The camera angle was low, as if something was creeping toward his front door. Inside, Squidward was playing his clarinet, but the sound was scary and was glitching the video and then it cut's to black and end's. 
Category:Halloween
Category:Story
Category:Special Event