AN: Time for another story from your favourite author, who is now fresh from the clutches of computer viruses. Believe me, it took a lot of Coke (not the drug, sickos) and sugar to get me through that one. I'm sure you've all been waiting – or dreading – this one, since it features the return of an old enemy. Can you guess who it is? Hint: the clue's in the title. Consult a cheat book for level select code.

Shocker's Revenge

Chapter One: Thunder and Lightning

Elsa was very scared. She didn't like being in new places at all, and it was only because of the erratic weather conditions that she was out in the first place.

The storm was terrible. Its intensity was enough to instil fear in anyone. The rain was so strong, so terrifying, that Elsa felt like she would die there and then.

Thunder roared across the land. The empty, worthless land that seemed to stretch on for ever. She didn't see the point in it. All this space and it was being used for nothing. Just a target for the never-ending torrent of rain falling from the thick, black clouds above.

She couldn't believe it. How had she managed to become so lost in such a short time? Why, only an hour ago she was looking after her cubs back at the pride.

She frowned. They would be worrying about her. Wondering where their mother was. If they would ever see her again.

The truth was: Elsa didn't really know the answer. She had no way of telling the future, unlike some other lionesses. They were quite a funny bunch. Spreading strange stories about magical lions with strange staffs and creatures from far-off worlds beyond the one they lived in. She doubted their sanity after hearing about some sort of alien liquid known as an Inque. That was just silly…

Why did I have to go out? She groaned inwardly, wishing she could go back and undo the mistake she had made. All she wanted to do was go and visit one of her friends, but somehow she had become wildly lost. An hour now she had been walking across the barren land, hoping that she would find her pride once more.

But with every step she took, and every corner she turned, Elsa found herself just becoming more and more lost in the darkness. She couldn't see anything. Just how… hazy everything seemed. There seemed to be a thick fog clouding her surroundings. As if the storm itself just wanted to trap her.

The rain felt heavy on her back. The rain got into her eyes, causing a slight stinging sensation. She winced, trying to power on through the madness around her. She was determined to try and get home – but that didn't eliminate the ever growing sense of fear knotting in her stomach.

Elsa stared up at the sky, straining to see beyond the black clouds. She wished she could see the stars. She didn't believe in the nonsense that some lions spoke – about the stars representing a king or something like that – but right now, the circumstances made her want to find faith in such a thing. She always liked the emotion of hope. It was a very good emotion to have. All part of being alive.

And, when faced with such a deadly situation, hope was all that enveloped the fear. Right now, it was all she had to hold on to.

There was nothing to be seen beyond the clouds. They had covered the whole sky. Like some sort of bleak net enclosing her.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground close to Elsa, causing her to let out a gasp of both shock and fear, falling onto her back.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. She hated storms. As a cub, she'd always been afraid of them. Afraid that one day, she'd accidentally get hit by lightning, and then that would be the end of her. A waste of what could have been a decent life.

Elsa thought she would get over it, but the fear always remained as she grew into an adult. Deep down, there was something about storms that just… upset her. They just weren't… right. They didn't belong on this earth. She'd rather face one of those Inques, or something completely nonsensical, like… a psychotic frog. At least that would have been a little bit funny.

She whipped round as another bolt of lightning tore through the air from behind her. Okay. This was more than something random. This storm was after her. She was sure of it. It wanted her. The storm wanted to kill her.

It seemed to be growing in both volume and intensity. The sound of the thunderclaps was deafening. Her ears were ringing. Her deceased mate – he was eaten by a rhino (that happened a lot) – had always complimented her on those ears. He liked it when they twitched whenever she laughed. It made her look cute.

The rain became heavier, and the thunder became louder, and the lightning became frequenter. It all seemed to be building up. Building up in strength. Ready to strike her down.

Elsa stayed in place, paws firmly fixed to the wet ground. She felt like she was paralysed. She didn't want to move; she knew that it would result in her untimely death.

The storm continued to build up. Build and build and build, until—

"I like storms."

Slowly turning her head, Elsa saw a cub stood behind her. Instantly, an icy chill seemed to invade her heart. There was something about this cub. Something… wrong.

Something so wrong, that maybe it was even worse than the storm itself.

"I like storms," he repeated, taking a step towards her.

On instinct, Elsa backed away. She didn't want to touch him. Quite honestly, she didn't want to even look at him. He was all wrong. A freak of nature.

"A storm created me."

Elsa said nothing. That would probably be the worst thing she could do.

"I didn't like them very much at first," the cub told her, looking up at the sky and taking a deep breath. He sighed at the feeling of the rain on his face. He was embracing the ferocity of the storm.

"But then a storm – probably the worst storm you could imagine – gave so much to me," the cub explained, staring hard at Elsa. She felt as if he was staring right through her. Gazing into her soul. "It gave me something that the average cub can only dream of: power – and lots of it."

Shaking – she didn't know whether it was because of the cub or the storm – Elsa dared to speak. "Who… who are you?"

"I had a name once," the cub replied, looking at the ground. "But… it's been so long. It may not feel like it for anyone else, but it has for me. I've forgotten. I've forgotten my name." He chuckled slightly, looking back up at Elsa. "Not my new name, of course. I like my new name. My new name is better. Sums up all that I am. Quickly."

Elsa got ready to do the only thing that she could. Run. Run fast. Get away from this… this demon. This creature from ten thousand feet below the ground. It wasn't a cub. It was some kind of… thing. Something that didn't belong.

Zap!

Elsa's eyes snapped down on the cub's paws. She could have sworn she saw lightning coming from them. Or maybe she was just imagining things… The storm was messing with her mind. And so was this cub, for that matter.

"Sometimes… it hurts," the cub continued, "but I try to ignore that. I'm so young, and yet… I've seen so much. Things that no one would ever believe."

Elsa didn't know what he was talking about. The evil aura that surrounded him was just clouding her mind. She couldn't focus properly. His evil was so great that it was affecting her better judgement.

Forget hope. Fear was all that remained now.

"The darkness," the cub said. "That's what hurts. Knowing that… that's what you get. When it's all over. Life is all. Especially for me. Some would call it a gift. But I know that it's a curse. And it won't ever end. Not for me. You get the true reward."

The cub stared into Elsa's eyes. "You get to die."

"Who are you?" Elsa demanded, screaming over the noise of the storm.

"My name is Shocker," said the cub, raising his forepaws. "And have I got a shock for you."

Long, thin strands of lightning shot out from the cub's paws, striking Elsa in the chest. She gasped, her body racked with an immense shock.

And as she fell to the ground – as she died – Elsa wasn't thinking about how she had gotten lost, or how she would never see her cubs again, or how much they would cry over their lost mother.

All she could think about was the eyes. The eyes of that demon.

The eyes of death.