PAW Patrol: The Mask - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Clean Town, A Guilty Pup

The midday sun hung high over Adventure Bay, bathing the town in a bright, cheerful light that felt miles away from the neon-soaked chaos of the previous night. The mission: a simple rescue of a kitten stuck in a tree had gone perfectly smoothly. No green tornadoes. No flying sausages. Just good, old-fashioned police work.

​But for Chase, the normalcy felt fragile.

​While the other pups played tag near the bridge, celebrating a job well done, Chase sat alone on a park bench near Mr. Porter’s café. He rested his chin on his paws, his brown eyes scanning the streets.

​Everywhere he looked, he saw phantom reminders of Him. ​That lamp post? Mask Chase had twisted it into a balloon animal shape. And he had fixed it. That sidewalk? Mask Chase had painted it with polka dots. Mr. Porter’s fruit stand? Mask Chase had turned the melons into juggling bowling balls.

​Chase let out a heavy sigh, his ears drooping against his head.

"I can't believe I did all that." He muttered to himself. "What if... what if that craziness is still inside me somewhere?"

​A soft paw touched his shoulder. Chase flinched, then relaxed when he saw Skye sitting beside him. She offered him a warm, sympathetic smile.

​"Hey. You did great today, Chase. You got that kitten down in record time." She said softly.

​Chase managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Skye. But... I can't stop thinking about last night. Every time I look at the town, I feel like I need to apologize to the pavement. Especially for making you particularly uncomfortable from the way I acted."

​Skye giggled, nudging him playfully. "Chase, look around. The town is fine. Everyone is happy. And nobody blames you. We all know that wasn't the real you." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "You're the most responsible pup I know. One weird night with a magical mask doesn't change that."

​Her words were like a soothing balm. Chase felt the knot of anxiety in his chest loosen. He took a deep breath, smelling the fresh ocean air and the scent of baking bread. She was right. He was Chase. He was a good pup. The nightmare was over.

​"You're right. I need to stop worrying. The Mask is gone, the chaos is over, and everything is back to normal." Chase said as he sat up straighter and puffing out his chest.

​"Exactly!" Skye beamed.

​Chase smiled, feeling a genuine wave of relief. He turned his head to look at the wall of the bakery behind them, ready to embrace the clean, orderly town he loved so much.

Until his blood ran cold.

​There, splashed across the side of the bakery wall in bright, neon green, unmissable spray paint, was a mural. ​It was a caricature of Chase. But not normal Chase. It was Mask Chase. The painting showed him with an impossibly large head, eyes popping out of their sockets, wearing the zoot suit fedora, and giving a double thumbs-up. Below the cartoonish face, in jagged, graffiti-style letters, were the words: ​"I RULE!"

​Chase’s jaw dropped. His pupils shrank to pinpricks. "Oh no!" He whispered, his voice strangling in his throat. "I missed a spot."

​"What?" Skye asked, following his gaze.

​Before Skye could turn her head fully, a familiar voice rang out from down the street.

​"Oh, Ryder! Ry-derrr!"

​Chase’s ears swiveled like radar dishes. It was Mayor Goodway. She was walking briskly toward them, clutching her purse, with Chickaletta peering out from the top. Ryder was standing just a few feet away from the bench, checking his Pup-Pad.

​"Hello, Mayor Goodway, is everything okay?" Ryder said politely.

"Oh, everything is splendid!" Mayor Goodway chirped, though she looked a bit flustered. "I just wanted to remind you about tonight! The annual Moonlight Festival! We're expecting a huge turnout in the town square."

Chase's heart hammered against his ribs. The Mayor. The Town Square. The Graffiti. If Mayor Goodway saw that giant, vandalized mural of him looking like a green-faced maniac, she'd never let him live it down. Or worse, she'd ask questions he couldn't answer.

Mayor Goodway adjusted her purse strap. "I was just doing a final inspection of the town to make sure everything is pristine for the guests. I surely hope there aren't any... surprises left over from last night's... unusual weather event."

She took a step toward the bakery. "In fact, I thought I saw something colorful by this wall..."

"NO!" Chase yelped.

Using his police training speed, Chase launched himself off the bench. He was a blue blur.

ZOOM!

Chase skidded to a halt directly in front of the graffiti. He slammed his back against the wall, spreading his legs wide and stretching his paws out as far as they could go. He puffed up his fur, trying to make himself as wide as a German Shepherd possibly could be to cover the neon green face behind him.

Mayor Goodway stopped, blinking in surprise. Ryder and Skye turned to look at him.

"Chase?" Ryder asked, confused. "What are you doing?"

Chase smiled in a tight, awkward, terrified grin that showed way too many teeth. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "Nothing, Ryder, sir!" Chase barked, his voice cracking an octave higher than usual. "Just... stretching! Yoga! Yes, doing some... Downward Dog against the wall! It's very good for the spine!"

Mayor Goodway tilted her head, squinting at him. "Oh? Well, that's wonderful, Chase. But... is that green paint behind your ear?"

Chase leaned his head back, pressing harder against the brick, trying to physically absorb the graffiti with his uniform. "No! That's... uh... moss! Very rare, sidewalk moss! I was just… guarding it! To make sure no one steps on it!"

Skye covered her mouth with a paw, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter as she realized what he was hiding.

Mayor Goodway clapped her hands together. "Well, aren't you a dedicated pup! Always protecting our town's flora." She then turned her attention back to Ryder. "Anyway, Ryder, the festival starts at sundown. It's going to be a magical night under the full moon! I want everything to be perfect."

"We'll be there, Mayor," Ryder promised, though he was still looking at Chase with a raised eyebrow.

"Excellent! Come along, Chickaletta, let's go check the confetti cannon!" Mayor Goodway marched off, thankfully heading away from the bakery.

As soon as she was out of sight, Chase slumped forward, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the pavement. He let out a long, shuddering groan.

Ryder walked over, tilting his head to look at the wall Chase had been blocking. He saw the neon green face and the "I RULE!" slogan.

​Ryder sighed, trying to hide a smirk. "I guess we missed a spot during the cleanup."

​Chase buried his face in his paws. "Please tell me nobody else saw that."

​"I think you're safe, Chase.” Skye said, walking over and patting his back. "But we should probably scrub that off before the Moonlight Festival tonight."

​Chase froze. He lifted his head slowly. "Moonlight... Festival?"

​"Yeah! Tonight. Full moon. Music. Dancing." Ryder said.

​Chase looked at the graffiti, at the manic, wild grin of his alter ego. The memory of the Mask's power rushed back to him. The full moon was when the Mask was strongest. And even though he thought he had thrown the Mask away into the woods... the mere mention of a "Moonlight Festival" made his fur stand on end.

​"Right…" Chase whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "...Moonlight. What could possibly go wrong?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The afternoon sun was beginning to dip, casting long, golden rays across Adventure Bay. The town square was a hive of activity as the preparations for the Moonlight Festival kicked into high gear.

​Ryder stood in the center of the square, Pup-Pad in hand, directing the operation like a conductor. "Rocky, use your claw to hang those lanterns a little higher! Rubble, can you move those hay bales to the stage area? Zuma, help Mayor Goodway with the bobbing-for-apples station!"

​"On it, Ryder!" The pups barked in unison, scattering to their tasks.

​Just then, the sound of an engine roared down the main street, followed by the distinctive hum of a snowcat.

​"Did someone say 'party'?" A cheerful voice rang out.

​Everest pulled up in her teal and orange vehicle, her tail wagging excitedly. Right beside her, speeding in on her scooter, was Liberty, the long-haired dachshund from Adventure City.

​"Liberty! Everest!" Skye called out, flying down from the banner she was hanging. She landed gracefully and gave them both a high-paw.

​"We wouldn't miss the Moonlight Festival for anything!" Liberty said, bouncing with energy. "I brought some extra city-style sparklers. Let's make this place shine!"

​"And I brought ice for the coolers!" Everest added with a giggle. "Where do you need us, Ryder?"

​"Everest, you can help Marshall with the decorations. Liberty, help Skye with the stage lighting," Ryder directed with a smile.

​"You got it!" Liberty zipped off, her ears flowing in the wind.

​But as the team worked, a certain police pup was missing from the main group.

​Over by Mr. Porter’s bakery, Chase was engaged in a desperate, solo battle. He wasn't setting up games or hanging lights. He was scrubbing. Furiously. ​Armed with a bucket of soapy water and a stiff brush he’d borrowed from the Lookout’s garage, Chase was attacking the brick wall where the neon green graffiti of his "Mask" persona had been.

​Scrub. Scrub. Scrub.

​"Come on, come off!" Chase grunted through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. "If Mayor Goodway sees 'I RULE!' painted next to my face, I'll be on traffic duty for a century!"

​He dipped the brush and scrubbed harder, his eyes darting nervously left and right to make sure no one was watching. The neon paint was stubborn, glowing defiantly against the red brick.

​"I am a good pup. I am a serious pup. I do not spray paint bakeries. I do not wear zoot suits." He muttered to himself.

​Liberty, who had just finished untangling a string of lights, paused and tilted her head. She watched Chase attacking the wall with the intensity of a pup diffusing a bomb.

​"Uh... what is he doing?" Liberty asked, trotting over to where Skye and Marshall were untangling streamers.

​Everest looked over too, her ears perking up in confusion. "Is he... washing a wall? In the middle of festival prep?"

​Skye and Marshall froze. They exchanged a wide-eyed, panicked glance. They couldn't tell the new arrivals that Chase was erasing evidence of a supernatural, cartoon-powered rampage.

​"Oh! That!" Marshall laughed nervously, his voice cracking slightly. "He's just... uh... really into clean bricks! You know Chase. He loves a... tidy town!"

​Liberty raised an eyebrow, looking from Marshall to the frantic German Shepherd. Chase was currently growling at a particularly stubborn spot of green paint.

​"He looks like he's fighting the wall, not cleaning it," Liberty noted skeptically. "Is he okay? He seems a little... tightly wound. Even for Chase."

​"Yeah," Everest added, with concern in her voice. "He usually loves directing traffic for festivals. Why is he hiding over there?"

​Skye stepped in quickly, putting on her best smile. "He's just... blowing off some steam! He had a really weird... dream... last night. About dirt. So now he's super focused on cleaning. It's a... therapy thing?"

​Marshall nodded vigorously, his firefighter helmet wobbling. "Exactly! Dirt therapy! It's the latest trend. Very popular."

​Liberty stared at them for a long moment. She clearly didn't buy it, but she shrugged. "Alright, if you say so. Adventure Bay pups are weird sometimes."

​Back at the wall, Chase gave one final, mighty scrub. The last of the neon green "I RULE!" flaked away, leaving only wet, clean brick.

​Chase dropped the brush and panted, his chest heaving. "Gone. It's gone."

​He took a step back, inspecting his work. The evidence was destroyed. No one would ever know that the "Sheriff of Silliness" had been here. ​He shook his fur out, composed himself, and put on his serious police face. He trotted back to the group, trying to act casual, though his tail was twitching nervously.

​"All clear!" Chase announced, perhaps a bit too loudly as he joined the group. "That wall was... very dirty. A safety hazard, really. But it is handled now. I am ready to assist with the festival!"

​Everest smiled kindly. "Good job, Chase! We were just about to set up the music speakers."

​Liberty leaned in, whispering loudly to Skye. "He missed a spot of green on his ear."

​Chase froze, his eyes widening in horror. He immediately slapped a paw over his left ear. "What?! Where?! Is it glowing?!"

​Skye giggled and nudged him. "She's kidding, Chase. You're clean."

​Chase let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Right. Kidding. Good one, Liberty."

​As the group moved toward the stage to finish the setup, Chase cast one last paranoid glance at the bakery wall. It was clean. But as the sun began to set and the moon started to rise, he couldn't shake the feeling that the wall wasn't the only thing hiding a secret tonight.