Episode 15 - The Ballad of Brian Mosby

## Summary

Susan, Shamanda and Krashlee run head-first into the holidays as they encounter a house that makes the Christmas spirit a little too literal. Meanwhile CEJ ignores every warning sign and decides to buy some pants, ignoring even more warning signs. And Adam? No one knows what happened to Adam.

## Previously On...

From the Diary of Cody Ernst Jr.:

Dear Diary, today was the coolest day of my life. First of all, I got to go to Old Navy, which you know is my favorite place to pop off because I've mentioned it in previous diary entries. Also, big news on other friends, I made some new friends and they are absolutely 100% totally normal high school kids and I cannot wait to spend more time with them in the future.

Oh, I guess I should probably update you on what's been going on with the Monster Hunter Club lately, even though I'm not sure we're going to be a gang for much longer. Maybe that's just a vibe I'm picking up that no one else is. Anyway, Susan I think is still hard at work trying to convert her Monster Girth book into a movie. Krashlee got in huge trouble with her mom, but I wasn't there for that, so I just assume she's grounded for life. Adam and Shamanda are bonded by the soul now, which seems a little heavy for high school, but not my business.

What else happened? Oh, right. I'm being haunted by a ghost and it low key kind of sucks. So, just trying to get rid of this Chet character, I think I might have banished him for good, which is perfect timing because I'm rocking a brand new pair of Heelys!!!.

*Editors Note: Heelys is underlined and exclamation pointed three or four times in this diary entry.*

Catcha laters, CEJ out.

## Plot

CEJ has made a startling discovery about his new friends in the Old Navy; they seem to be wearing the skins of teenagers he believed were his friends. Meanwhile, Adam, who was supposed to meet up with the Monster Hunters (Susan, Shamanda, and Krashlee), has gone missing. The Club tries to reach him through text, but he doesn't respond, leaving them worried about his sudden disappearance.

### THE QUIVIK HOUSE

Shamanda reunites with Susan and Krashlee, although nobody else is aware of the "soul bond" that exists between her and Adam. She is really worried because, even with the bond, she doesn't know where he is. Shamanda decides to keep this information private, not sharing it with the others. Krashlee speculates that Adam, if he's a grub and is busy eating T-shirts, might not be able to respond to messages. Shamanda and Susan agree that there might not be a reason to worry about him.

> "Yeah, he's probably just doing regular Moth Man stuff, ugh, okay."
>
>

As the group approaches the Quivik house, they find themselves surrounded by curious neighbors, many in bathrobes with coffee mugs, staring at the unusual sight. The house is covered from bottom to top in an overwhelming number of Christmas lights. While the Quivik family is known for their elaborate year-round Christmas display, this goes far beyond anything they've ever done before. The house is completely wrapped in lights, to the point that the building looks like a giant hedge. A utility truck and van are parked on the side of the street.

Krashlee pushes through the crowd. "Don't worry, I'm a gir...teen detective."

Krashlee suggests investigating the chimney as the most suspicious area, and with Shamanda's assistance, she decides to climb up the Christmas lights like a rope ladder. As Krashlee looks around from her elevated position, she notices something peculiar. The Christmas lights seem to be spreading, extending onto the neighboring houses on either side of the Quivik residence.

As Krashlee attempts to climb further up the house, the lights start to move under her hands. Shamanda tries to assist her but ends up getting entangled in the Christmas lights herself. While Krashlee manages to reach a window on the first floor and decides to break in, Shamanda tries to cut herself free with her army knife, but more lights target her. Realizing that she needs help, Shamanda locks eyes with Susan, who grabs hold of her and together they are pulled into the house.

### OLD NAVY

Meanwhile, CEJ finds himself in a completely different location – Old Navy's dressing room area. He is joined by his three best friends, Jeremy, Cynthia, and Joel, all searching for cool new pants. However, something is off. The dead skin of his friends seems to contort into smiling jovial faces.

Ignoring the warning signs and trying to distract himself, CEJ playfully spins in a slow circle, showing off his new pair of cool pants to his friends. Brian Mosby, an Old Navy employee, approaches them, and tells Joel that the boss wants to speak with him and the others about their time cards from last week.

They leave and it's evident that whoever the boss is holds significant power within the group of his new friends. CEJ is left alone with Brian Mosby. Despite the strangeness of the situation, Brian seems friendly and casual with CEJ, offering to ring him up and get him out of Old Navy. In fact, he really seems to be trying to get CEJ to leave. CEJ notices a CCTV camera that Brian seems intentionally to avoid.

Brian is tugging him toward the front of the store to the checkout. CEJ decides to comply with Brian, unsurprised that he's met another weird kid in Mystery County. As Brian quickly scans items at the register, CEJ notices textbooks stacked nearby, including study guides for the GRE and the GED.

As CEJ tries to understand Brian Mosby's strange behavior, he asks what's up with him. Brian seems nervous and apprehensive but doesn't give a straightforward answer. Instead, he tightly grips CEJ's hand while handing him the receipt, triggering the return of CEJ's psychic sight.

In that moment, CEJ sees that Brian is also a skin wearer, the same as the other kids. Brian becomes panicked, warning CEJ that he's in danger and that 'she wants you dead'. As the elderly woman and her child glance over, Brian continues to freak out and CEJ starts to lose it as well, yelling over and over that Brian is dead. Without hesitation, CEJ runs toward the exit, creating a disturbance as he flees.

Before he gets out, Cynthia, Joel and Jeremey charge out of the employees only door, and call to CEJ, imploring him to stay. CEJ tries to tell them about Brian, and how something is wrong with him. They other teens start pushing Brian, and telling CEJ that it's okay, as they start to pull him towards the employees only door. As his sight again shows him that his friends are actually just animating corpses, CEJ sees that every employee in Old Navy is the same.

CEJ closes his eyes as he lets them lead him into the back room. As the go through the employees only door, Jeremy grabs his upper lip, pulls it over his head like a hoodie, and reveals a Salamander.

### THE QUIVIK HOUSE

Susan and Shamanda find themselves entwined in the kitchen of the Quivik house, which is filled with crawling Christmas lights. Krashlee is in the living room. Susan tries to catch Shamanda up on the situation, explaining that the lights have entwined a work crew. The rooms are dark, lit only by the pulse of the multicolored Christmas lights.

Despite feeling insecure about keeping everyone safe, Susan decides to use her third eye to read a bad situation, hoping to gather more information. She discovers a ghost is haunting the Christmas lights, and insulting Melvin Quivik or attempting to dismantle the displays could provoke a dangerous reaction by the house.

Meanwhile, Krashlee finds a woman trapped in the chimney, completely wrapped in lights. She asks for help and Krashlee tries to pull her down, while yelling for Shamanda and Susan.

Shamanda attempts to use her telepathic abilities to calm the spirit, but instead, she inadvertently provokes a violent outburst and takes harm. To add to the chaos, a demon emerges from a void between worlds, demanding to know who dares to interfere with its charge.

## Characters

**Main Cast**

* Rashawn Nadine Scott as Shamanda Felt and Cynthia
* Erin Rein as Krashlee Grenadine and Jeremy
* Claire Linic as Susan Wexler
* Alan Linic as CEJ
* Tyler Samples as Brian Mosby, and everyone else

## Introductions

Tyler: Welcome to Mystery County Monster Hunters Club, where we use dice to tell a story of teenage terrors and supernatural scenarios. I'm Tyler Samples, your Keeper of Monsters and Mysteries. Let's meet our players.

Rashawn: Hi, everybody, I'm Rashawn Nadine Scott and my character is Shamanda Felt, the Crooked, and you can bet your Philosopher's Stone that I've got midnight tickets to Goblet of Fire.

Erin: Hi, this is Erin Rein. I play Krashlee Grenadine, the Flake, and I'm a girl - I mean - a teen detective.

Claire: Hi, everybody. My name is Claire Linic. I play Susan Wexler. I'm an Expert, whose heart was hurt, by three separate men named Bert.

Alan: Hey, I'm Alan Linic and I play CEJ. CEJ is a Mundane boy who has recently become Spooky and one thing you'd love to know about him…um…

## Notable Quotes

* "He should be eating t-shirts with us." - Shamanda Felt
* "That seems like the most suspicious area, Christmas-wise." - Krashlee Grenadine
* "Crawling up butts can't be the worst thing in the world." - Cynthia
* "I don't think you would want my job." - Tyler Samples as Brian Mosby
* "You wouldn't be able to wear them as church jeans." - Tyler Samples
* "Honestly, I think I'm going through the most, I would say, of all of our characters." - Alan Linic on CEJ
* "Yeah, we're his best friends bro. I cried about it." - Jeremy
* "Santa's here." - Susan Wexler

## Links

* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* Google Podcasts