The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade

While the BOOMerang doesn’t return like a typical boomerang should, it smacks the Wormungulous in the face, creating a series of smoke bomb and sparkler explosions. This causes it to smash into an elevator, and in the ensuing confusing, Jack and Quint hide in a nearby store. When the Wormungulous comes to, it heads off in a different direction, leaving a trail of yellow slime behind it.

Jack realizes they’re hiding in a GameStop. He is drawn to a life-sized promotional figure of a space marine from his favorite video game, Nimbus: Call to Action. He laments that the newest installment of the game will never be released because of the Monster Apocalypse. He and Quint realize the figure is made of silicone-plastic-Wonderflex and decide to take it with them, as it may be useful. They attach the space marine to Rover, the dog-like monster they have befriended and use as a means of transportation, and then begin looking for June and Dirk.

As Jack and Quint walk through the mall looking for June and Dirk, Jack smells a strange, sweet odor that reminds him of cheap cologne and middle school dances. He spots a flash of movement on the level below them that he describes as “an almost-human figure” (25). Quint confirms that he saw it as well, and they sneak down to get a closer look. On the way, Jack reveals that zombies have seemingly been disappearing lately, and that Quint thinks something is taking them.

When they’re close enough to get a better look, they see a large man that appears to be part monster, or a monster that is part man. Whatever it is, it frightens Jack and Quint tremendously. They’re shaken from their fear by screams from down the hall. They see June and Dirk running toward them, closely chased by the Wormungulous. Jack quickly looks for cover but realizes that all the stores around them are barred shut, meaning they’re trapped at a dead end.

Jack feels a surge of bravery. He steps up to slow the Wormungulous while Dirk attempts to open the gate into Sears. Jack feels frightened, but alive, and believes he is made for moments like this. When the monster gets close, he jumps to the side and slashes it with his weapon—a Louisville Slugger bat that he has been carving into a sword since it shattered against the Blarg’s teeth in the previous entry in the series. He slices into the side of Wormungulous, which shrieks in pain and crashes into a nearby building. However, Dirk cannot open the gate, and the Wormungulous is soon bearing down on them again. Jack then sees the man-monster they had spotted earlier. The man-monster runs toward Jack’s friends, pushes them aside, and opens the gate to Sears. Jack gets lashed across the face by the Wormungulous and passes out.

Jack wakes up among the wreckage caused by the rampaging Wormungulous and begins looking for his friends. The entrance to Sears is completely destroyed, and he soon spots June’s sneakers among the rubble. Fearing the worst, he attempts to clear the debris to get to her, but cannot lift the heavier pieces. The man-monster interrupts him, lifts Jack out of the way, and begins to clear the rubble. Quint, June, and Dirk are all underneath and alive. Dirk explains that the man-monster punched through the gate to get them inside, and then took the blow from the Wormungulous to protect them.

The man-monster asks if they are ok, and Jack is stunned he is able to speak English. He introduces himself as Thrull. When he sees Jack’s weapon, the Louisville Slicer, he takes it and claims it is the weapon used to fell the ancient evil Kerzueal, servant of Rezzoch, Destructor of Worlds. This confuses the group until they realize that Thrull is talking about Blarg, the main antagonist they defeated in the first novel of the series. Thrull kneels before Jack, offering him the weapon back, and tells him it takes a great hero to defeat a creature from the time before time.

Thrull reveals that he used to be a monster hunter in his dimension, but now he is simply trying to survive. He sustained a serious leg injury in protecting them. The group agrees to help him get back to his friends, who are living out of Joe’s Pizza.

When they arrive at Joe’s Pizza, it is not how they remember it. It has been taken over by monsters of all kinds. Before entering, the group takes a moment to discuss if it is actually safe for them to go inside. Dirk, June, and Quint all want to go in, but Jack is hesitant and does not trust the strange monsters they don’t know. They’re interrupted by a strange, harsh, devilish sounding noise that Jack describes as “inhuman shrieking.” Not wanting to find out where it is coming from, they head inside with Thrull.

Inside, Joe’s pizza is filled with all varieties of monsters hanging out. Some talk in English, others in various monster dialects. The monsters are eating food, arm wrestling, playing games, and having intense discussions when Thrull calls for everyone’s attention. He introduces Jack and his friends and explains that they defeated Kerzueal. The monsters laugh until Jack unsheathes his weapon. The monsters toast Jack and his friends, who enjoy the cheers and attention as they recount the battle with Blarg.

Later on, Thrull is having a conversation with a very serious looking monster. He calls Jack over and introduces his friend, who goes by the name Bardle. Bardle was conjurer in Thrull’s dimension and begins to tell Jack everything he knows about what is happening around them.

Bardle explains the legend of Rezzoch, Destructor of Worlds, who comes from the time before time, when great battles were fought. Rezzoch was defeated, and for a time, there was peace. However, from time to time, creatures would emerge who tried to resurrect Rezzoch, and one of them eventually managed to awaken his spirit. Rezzoch was hungry and craved death, but at the peak of his power, the world turned dark and portals opened. Everything was transported from that world to Jack’s—the zombies, the monsters, Bardle, Thrull, and their friends—that, is everything, except Rezzoch. Bardle is unsure who opened the portals or why Rezzoch was unable to get through, but suggests that his servants—like Blarg–will try to bring him over.

Thrull asks to see the bestiary that Jack and his friends have been building. Unimpressed, he shows them his own bestiary. The cover is hard and appears to be made of monster’s skin. The pages are thick, textured, and yellow, and each is covered with sketches and writing. The pages also contain things like teeth, hair, fingernails, and even a flattened eyeball. Thrull explains that this is a bestiary from his world and gives it to Jack as a gift for defeating Blarg. Thrull’s bestiary is also unfinished, and Thrull explains that the remaining pages are Jack’s to fill. Bardle remains silent and appears angry and suspicious throughout this conversation, but Jack is thrilled to have a new quest.