Into the Netherworld (Real Terror Universe)

"Oh shit, I'm already grounded, they'll kill me." Se muttered
"Oh, and Mr. Stine, I think Charon needs some vacation days, or a lunch break, something." She said respectfully

"Or a stress ball, if nothing else...." Taryn added. The request lacked sarcasm. Shit. My mom's gonna flip. I'm going to be grounded for... until I'm thirty, she thought to herself.

"Oh, Charon. He has Sunday's off and a paid vacation every decade," Death noted with a sigh, "Anymore and he wouldn't be able to catch up with his work when he gets back. Perhaps I should hire more boatmen..."

"Hey. Why don't we do that?" Thomas asked, seeking a way to get off, "You know, as punishment. That'll be more of a lesson to us than being grounded."

"Yes, and the time spent down here could curb our interest in visiting the netherworld, thus a win win situation." She added on to her friend's suggestion nervously, she was more afraid of having to spend time with her angry parents than carrying sould across the river styx in a rowboat.

Hanyer didn't like the idea, but he'd rather that than get in trouble.

Charlie sighed in relief. She liked the idea of working as a boatman. If her grandmother found out that she was down her, she'd kill her.

"I don't know," Thomas' grandfather said to himself, scratching his chin. That meant he was thinking about it.

"Come one, we'll all work hard," Thomas promised.

"Please please please." Lily made puppy dog eyes over Thomas' shoulder.

Taryn clasped her hands together and followed Lily's example, making Bambi eyes over Thomas' other shoulder. "Please?"

"Alright, alright," Death told them with a sigh, "Just, go home tonight. You'll start work tomorrow."

Thoms grinned and turned to the others, "Nice one, guys."

Hanyer didn't want to be the wet blanket here, but well someone had to.

"Is this really better? I mean we don't know what will happen."

Charlie just shook her head at Hanyer. "Relax Hanyer. You worry too much."

"Come on boy, where's your sense of adventure? It'll be cool!" Lily said, she was ecstatic about being able to be around the supernatural at night. Without getting in trouble.

"Yeah. And even if you don't enjoy yourself, you won't be punished for playing in dangerous caves," Taryn told Hanyer, with a smile.

"Besides, Charon acted like the work was more annoying than anything else," Thomas added with a grin.

His grandfather chuckled, "Oh, it is. Trust me. There's nothing like meeting a recently deceased person."

"Ok," Hanyer said. Charlie smiled, glad that he wasn't worrying anymore.

"I guess it could be worse."

Taryn nodded at Hanyer, "That's the idea." She looked at Thomas' grandfather, "What are newly deceased people like?"

"Confused, angry, and at times, clingy," he told her with a shrug, "People don't necessarily like dying."

"I guess not, " Taryn said, then thinking about his description added, "Well, that sounds like your average angsty teenager. I'm sure we can handle it."

"Good," Death told her as he gripped his scythe and slashed, causing a tear in the air itself, revealing the spot right outside the caves, "Just ignore the begging and the bargaining."

"Besides Hanny, we can all hang out together, it'll be like working a night job with friends." She said, she smiled thankfully at Thomas' grandfather.
"How should we get here, same as tonight?" She asked death.

"Yes, that would be for the best," Death mused, "At Thomas' point in his training, creating a tear in the fabric of reality could lead you anywhere. I doubt you'd want to meet Ghengis Khan."

"Grandad, you're talking to Lily," Thomas pointed out.

Lily grinned slyly but then frowned.
"actually, I have to stay alive until I figure out my ancestry, you know, what kind of freak am I?" She pointed out.

"I think that if you met the Great Khan, you would help him conquer more than he actually managed," Thomas commented with a grin, "He might even be scared of you."

Lily looked up at him
"Thomas I am 16 years old and I'm 5'4", He would kill me before I got to his face.

"I'm part Death and you scare me," he teased her with a laugh.

"That's because I can hit you." She said with a smirk.