Chapter 5

**Monster**

## Synopsis

Oscar and Clifford visit Darcy and Eliza for dinner, where a few things about Podunk become clearer. An electric game of tag in the night-time woods becomes a horrific game of monster-in-the-dark.

## Characters

* Bill and unnamed fellow hunter
* Oscar
* Clifford
* Eliza
* Darcy
* Thunder Children
* The White-Faced Bear
* Sylvia

## Continuity

* Clifford's tongue piercing.
* Clifford and Carl.
* Clifford and friends.
* Darcy buys Clifford's soul for a stick of jerky.
* Darcy wants to meet Sylvia.
* So does Eliza...
* Darcy and Eliza's backstory.
* Oscar's journalism habits
* Eliza, witch of summer
* Darcy creeping on Clifford
* Don't write anything down.
* Darcy creeping on Clifford *again*.
* Thunder Children
* Man-man
* Puppy-puppy!
* Clifford turns into a wolf, at play.
* Clifford should be immune to rougarous magic
* Eliza casually turns a branch into a sword.
* Clifford turns into a wolf, to kill.
* Clifford's eyes, shining in the dark.
* Darcy's superpower: caring for others.
* Clifford turns into a wolf, to hunt.
* Clifford meets the White-Faced Bear.
* The cutting edge of Eliza's task isn't just monsters.
* Monsters used to be people.
* Liz and Darcy reunited is achingly lovely.
* NO TOUCHY WOLFY
* Troubled teen disappears
* Sylvia *worries* about Oscar
* The Lamp
* Troubled ghost disappears
* Bathroom window? Locked
* Oscar makes sure Sylvia knows he'll be back.
* Clifford has a private spot out on a bluff
* Teenage werewolves need honesty and trust
* How Oscar arrived in Podunk (v1)

### Changes

A couple of pages were changed for clarity and flow.

**Page 217**

Originally:

"But, since we're alone... turn into a wolf and let me brush you."

YIKES, Darcy.

Updated as:

"But, since we're alone, I want to ask a favor. Could you turn into a wolf and let me brush you?"

**Page 225**

"You *shocked* me!"

Updated as:

"You *shocked* me! *Eliza!*"

**Page 243**

The door handles were on the wrong side of the door, first time.

**Page 244**

The last three panels were originally darker.

## Mythology

How strong ghosts are *may* be concerning.

Rougarous

## Post chapter

"Adventure" -- Oscar announces to Sylvia, while putting his bloodied t-shirt in the wash, p270.

## Art

The whole Thunder Children sequence is a stunner, even by Paz's standards.

A Podunk sunset leaves even Oscar speechless, p263

And then finishes us off too with a two-page splash, p268-p269

## Quotes

"I had to keep my mouth shut at home for like a month so I wouldn't get caught. Best Carl and I ever got along."
—The unexpected benefits of rebellion (p207)

"You *do* know Eliza is a vegetarian, right?"
—A slight problem with Cliff's plan to eat all the steak (p208)

"Your word for today is regret."
—Helpful writer is helpful (p208)

"He's terrible. Did you bring his adoption papers? I'm ready to sign."
—D'aww, Darcy (p209)

"Oscar, can we please have a haunted dinner party?"
—Might be best to ask about her ghost fanfic as well first though (p212)

"I was a newly liberated college goth coed and she was the blonde girl who sat in front of me in history. It was a magical time."
"No pun intended?"
"Who do you take me for? Of course pun intended! Pun always intended!"
—Darcy's happy memories (p213)

"So, what is the role of a witch, traditionally?"
"That sounds very much like an interview question for a witch."
"Force of habit."
"Is it?"
—Eliza seeing right through Oscar (p214)

"You can't tell anyone, Oscar. No articles. No hints, no insinuations."
"I'm not--"
"Don't even write anything down. Things are secret for a reason and they have to stay that way."
"I didn't come here to write a story, if that's what you're thinking."
"... Good."
—Eliza might just be entirely too trusting though (p215)

"I am a Witch of Summer and I have sworn an oath to the White Faced Bear. Podunk and the surrounding area are under my protection."
—Eliza's job description (p216)

"But, since we're alone... turn into a wolf and let me brush you."
—But who's protecting Podunk from Darcy? (p217)

"I feel like I should be concerned about following a witch into the woods at night..."
"Good survival instincts!"
—If you can't trust a witch, who can you trust? (p218)

"You've really done it this time, Oscar! Now we'll *never* find our way home!" (*Wink!)* "If only there was someone to help us!"
—Normal witch things in the woods (p220)

"Witchy-witch is not lost! Teasing poor Thunder's Children!"
"Shame! Shame!"
"Sorry. Maybe next time."
—Maybe don't hurt the feelings of things that want to eat you? (p221)

"Hello, Man-man."
—A meme is born (p222)

"If you listen to them, they will find a way to lure you into their nest -- and then they'll eat you!"
"*Eat?*"
"Hee hee hee"
—"That little bastard's just sitting there, giggling, not even trying to deny it..." rogue android FTW (p222)

"Any other supernatural creatures I should be afraid of?"
—Cue for Clifford's entrance (p223)

"That candle is talking..."
—He'd been hoping for a simple rewarding night with steak and more steak, but no (p224)

"Wolf-man! Wolf-boy! Puppy-puppy!"
—The Thunder Children are entirely without mercy (p224)

"You *shocked* me! *Eliza!*"
—The game starts (p225)

"*Oscar!* Whose side are you on?"
—Eliza with the deep questions (p228)

"I'm dead."
"Come on, Dead. Let's head back."
—Eliza has dad jokes of her own (p229)

"Close your eyes!"
"Hey!"
"*Eliza!*"
"*Close them!*"
"Okay, but wh--"
"Your life depends on it."
—A whole different game now (p230)

"The only thing you need to know right now is -- if you see one, you become one."
—We don't like this game (p231)

"I smell blood. And it's getting closer."
—The lupine leading the blind (p235)

"Sorry about the blood. None of it's yours, right?"
—Normal questions, nothing to be disturbed by (p240)

"How you doing, slugger? You look like you need a hug."
"Uh, I'm all bloody."
"It's okay, buddy. I'm washable."
—Darcy's superpower (p244)

"I took Oscar back to your house. And I came back to help you."
—Eliza wasn't expecting this side of Clifford (p246)

"The woods are clear. You know who did this."
"Another witch."
"They must be found."
"I understand."
—The White-Faced Bear putting out a contract (p247)

"Wait, are they..."
"They're eating it. They'll leave no trace. I know it seems cruel that their families will never know what happened to them, but it's better that they wonder."
"Families?"
"They were people. There's no way to turn them human again, though. It can't be helped."
—Clifford is growing up real fast (p248-p249)

"I knew Oscar would be safe with you."
—Clifford's comfortable with being trusted like this, honest (p249)

"Stop touching me! Can everybody here just stop touching me for five fucking seconds? Can we try that?"
—Clifford's breaking point though (p252)

"If something happened to you out there, I would never know! You would just never come back and that would be it. I would wonder forever... and I would miss you forever."
"Sylvia."
"And I'd be all alone again!"
—Sylvia's fears (p256)

"Oh. Oh, no. What did I--? I'm sorry!"
—Sylvia shatters right along with the lamp (p258)

"The window was locked. So..."
"Oh right. I forgot. Sorry."
—Oscar's body language says LIAR LIAR LIAR (p260)

"I'm sorry. I'm really in over my head, here. I didn't sign-up for all of this when I moved here, you know?"
—Oscar tries honesty (p266)

"Why *did* you move here?"
"I don't know. I just... couldn't stand to be where I was for another second. I thought I would just go some place completely different, see what happened, make an adventure out of it."
—Meet exciting new ~~people~~ monsters and write about them (p266)

"Wait, wait... you moved to *Podunk, Oklahoma* because you wanted to have an *adventure?*"
—Clifford with just one of the many flaws in Oscar's plan (p267)

"Hey, are you hungry? I'm starving. You want to go grab something?"

—Does a werewolf scoff barbecue in the woods? (p268-p269)