“Run!” he screeched without looking back.

The other boys ran inside the house, Rodney coming last, Richie took a chair and wedged it against the door so they couldn’t open the door. When he turned the boys were looking at each other, adrenaline flowing in their veins, eyes propped open in a mixture of confusion and joy.

Noobie laughed, “We did it!”

“We did it, guys!” He hugged Rodney, who was standing by him. The others joined as they also laughed awkwardly at this unbelievable day they had. They broke out of the hug, Noobie held Rodney by the shoulders.

“I love you, man,” he said with a smile. “Sorry I believed Old Al when he said you didn’t have a soul.”

“What?” Rodney said, laughing at Noobie.

A bang came at the door. Bizzaro Mrs Pulanski was at the door, her face pressed against the glass filling at the middle of the door hissing and growling while she gawked at them with her white luminescent eyes. She banged the door until the boys heard the chair move.

“We don’t have much time, let’s go now,” Richie said.

They hurried down the hallway and as they open the door to HQ, they heard the chair fall and more than one Bizzaro’s growls and hisses filled the house.

“Go!” Richie whispered.

They all hurried down the stairs and opened the basement door. When they were in, Vic and Noobie pushed the couch against the door, just in time too, the Bizzaros were already banging on the door trying to come inside.

“Anytime now, Rodney!” Richie said, sarcastically.

“I’m starting it, I’m starting it!” Rodney said kneeling down and taking out the printout.

Vic stood ready with the flint and steel. Richie, Nerdy and Noobie knelt with them. The Bizzaros hit the door so hard that the couch moved, their black jerky hands started slipping in and pushing everything back. Rodney was done with the incantation and Vic started clapping the flint and steel together. Bizzaro Richie got his upper body inside but his legs caught.

The portal activated, as all the boys were about to dip their hands in, Rodney yelled.

“No!”

They paused and glanced at him.

“If we all touch it at the same time we risk triggering an anomaly, hold hands.”

They held hands and he dipped his hand in the portal, the veins appeared in his hand and was in the process of spreading toward their whole bodies when Bizzaro Richie got inside.

He dove like a lion, reaching out with his claw like fingers, at Richie and they all imploded and disappeared in time. They showed up in the real world, around their end of the portal.

Vic hit the salt barrier, then he went on to keep on ruining it with his hands, then dropped on his back. The others were already laying on their backs panting and snivelling.

“Hey, Rodney,” Noobie said.

“Yeah, dude?” Rodney responded.

“No more internet for you,” he said with a chuckle. They all laughed.

“Hey guys,” Rodney said after they stopped laughing. “Thank you, for coming after me and saving me.”

“It’s no problem,” Richie said, reaching for his hand and finding it.

“Yeah, no problem, besides the fact that we almost died,” Noobie said, “and you look like a blank page.”

They all laughed until they coughed. Rodney kept looking at his newly pale hand and laughed even more.

“I wonder if, my colour will come back,” Rodney said rubbing the back of his hand and seeing it turn pink.

“Hey was I hallucinating or was Vic talking at the clubhouse?” Rodney asked.

Tell us: What do you think of the boys’ friendship?