Movieland

Chapter 34

A blurred charge of glass, pain, liquid metal, and blue green carried us. The booth dropped us onto a hallway lined with clear cells and fluorescent lights overhead.

"Didn't know where I was going. It took over at the end."

Standard had reverted from golden god to man, although his aura seemed to have stolen a bit of Qwin's swagger despite the bloody finger stumps that wept under the bandage.

"Kid, the least I can do," he said, using my jaw to twist my head side to side. He spat on his good hand and wiped at my nose. I flinched at first contact. My mind felt empty and full at the same time.

Mr. Stowe inhaled, savoring the home air. "I'm sorry," he said.

Applewhite surveyed the cells on either side of the hallway. "So, this is your fault?"

In one cell, a black and white striped ball curled against the back wall. Standard knocked on the glass. The ball didn't move. He knocked again. The ball rustled and stilled. He knocked harder. The ball uncoiled and shot like a bullet up to the glass. It was five feet wide of ugly. Its large red eyes hung at the side of its face. The face retracted and another smaller head came out of its mouth. The smaller head was the real creature. The outer was just a mask with teeth. The smaller and thicker head had red dots on its white snout and sharp teeth in a red-gummed mouth. It was hungry. Its second mouth opened, and a white and black striped tentacle slithered out.

It was also Claymation and the fucking sandworm from Beetlejuice. The tentacle extended to follow my fingers as I ran them along the glass.

"Guys," Mr. Stowe said.

Across the hall, a man in a blue jumpsuit stood stock still with alarmingly perfect posture. His arms were at his sides. A world of evil hid beneath a thin smile. The devil spoke through his eyes.

"Dr. Lecter, my name is Clarice Starling," I tried.

He considered me.

"Soundproof, you think?" Standard said.

Mr. Stowe knocked his knuckle against the glass. "No, but hard to tell with him. Oddly enough, he never talks.

Standard judged him. His frown switched to a scowl real fast. "This entire time."

Mr. Stowe did a guilty and I'm sorry shrug.

"They're all here," Applewhite said, inspecting the cell next to the sandworm.

A pale man in a black suit and cloak sneered at her. He raised his hands like claws and flashed his fangs.

"Why Lugosi?" I asked. "Not lee or Oldman or Schreck?"

"They're around," Mr. Stowe said. "We're close."

Applewhite walked down the deep hallway, past a half man, half wolf; past a Xenomorph; past Hans Landa; past a version of Lazlo; past a version of Quaid; past Jack Nicholson's Joker; past Hans Gruber. The hallway and its evil prisoners stretched forever. She stopped and ran back along the opposite wall. There were shiny white suits and green scales and Johnny Lawrence in his Cobra Kai gear.

"They, they can't," she croaked, and the sickness took her. She wiped at her nose and came away crimson. "It's too real." Her eyes flipped back as she slunk to the floor.

Standard ripped off a shirt sleeve and held it to her nose. He ripped off the other one and handed it to Mr. Stowe. "Make yourself useful."

Standard wiped blood away from her ears. Mr. Stowe looked the picture of perfect health. His hair stood stiff and his black beard thick. His eyes were not the serious sarcasm of Mr. Stowe in the classroom, or cool new Mr. Stowe from the movie-verse. They were determined.