A Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys: Hollywood Horror

Chapter One

"Eeeeooow!" Nancy Drew's scream pierced the darkness as the rocket she was riding in veered wildly toward a massive meteor.
"We're going to crash!" Cried Bess Marvin, Nancy's friend.
"Hold on!" Nancy felt a tingle of fear as she clutched the safety bar in front of her. She'd been on some thrilling amusement park rides before, but this voyage through cosmic galaxies took her breath away!
Just when a collision seemed inevitable, the meteor exploded, sending fragments of matter scattering through the darkness of deep space. The rocket plunged into the wake of the blast, and there was a flash of orange light, followed by thick white mist that cooled Nancy's skin.

"Mission accomplished!" A voice boomed over a loudspeaker as the rocket swept into a sea of royal blue lit by twinkling stars.
"Easy for you to say." Joe Hardy mocked the voice as the rocket slowed and descended into a series of gentle loops. "That voice has been bugging me ever since we blasted off from planet X."
"I didn't mind the voice," Said Joe's older brother, Frank. "It was those gooey orange-and-green aliens on Zebular that turned my stomach."
"I loved every minute of Space Race," Nancy said.
"Me, too!" Bess agreed. "It was just like the movie."
"Every ride here is based on a movie that HG Studios produced," Frank explained as their rocket pulled up beside a arched gateway with neon lights that spelled out Space Station: EARTH. The safety bar popped up, and guides wearing rubbery orange-and-green alien costumes helped the four scrambled into the platform.
"Warning," boomed the recorded voice as Joe pushed the exit door open. "You are entering uncharted territory-planet Earth. Good luck."
"Aye, aye, Captain," Frank quipped, holding the door for the others to step out into the bright California sunshine.
Nancy smiled at Frank, glad that she and Bess had decided to join the Hardys in Hollywood. When Frank had called to her know that he and his brother were flying to Los Angeles to work on a case, she decided to spent some time with her old friends and get in some sightseeing. Fortunately, it wasn't very hard to persuade Bess to join her. That very day they booked flight and started packing summer clothes.
Walking out into the warm morning, Nancy was glad she'd worn denim shorts, a white T-shirt, and a beaded vest. She wasn't cold inside the air-condition exhibits, and she wasn't hot outside.
The exit of Space Race left them in a shady garden overlooking the back lot of Hollywood Hold Studios. The morning haze was burning off, revealing acres of neatly laid out buildings, walkways, ponds, and facades of houses that formed tiny villages.
"From here it looks like HG Studios own half of Hollywood," Nancy said.
"Frank nodded. "The studio films most of its movie and television shows on that back lot on the valley below."
The upper level of the lot, built into into the Hollywood Hills, featured the theme park, shows, shops, and concession stands.
Joe pulled a pair of reflector sunglasses from his shirt pocket and put them on. "Anybody want to ride Space Race again?"
"Later. There are dozens of other attractions to check out first. After we've tried everything once, we can go back to the rides we like best," Frank suggested.
"What's next?" Bess asked. She pulled the map of HG Studios Theme Park from her back pocket of her khaki shorts and spread it out.

They all gathered around Bess discussing a plan when a tall cowboy sauntered over to them. In his early twenties, he had auburn hair, warm brown eyes, and a big smile.
"Howdy, folks," he said, removing his Stetson to greet them.
Bess gave the cowboy a dazzling smile. Instinctively, she ran her fingers through her long, straw blond hair, arranging it so that it cascaded down her shoulders.
Watching her, Nancy smiled. Flirting was a way of life with Bess.
"You must be from the Outlaw West Show," Bess said, taking in his leather chaps and gun belt.
"Zeke's the name," he said, twirling a pistol on his finger, then shoving in into his holster.
"Gunslinging's my game. Care to have your picture taken with one of the West's wildest?" He nodded to a dark-haired man who stood behind him, holding a camera.
"I'd love to!" Bess beamed, ticketing her white V-neck T-shirt into her shorts.
Zeke stepped into the center of the group and dropped his arms over the girls' shoulders. "Smile, y'all," Zelenograd drawled. The photographer snapped the picture.
"Have a good day, folk," the cowboy said, winking at Bess. "'Specially you, miss."
"Bess in my name," she called after.
"Pretty name, just like you." Zeke grinned, then headed off to scout new prospects.