A/N: I want to apologize in advance for the horrible French accent I wrote for when Jacques and Jenaviéve are speaking. I've never written with accents before, but at least it's still understandable so that's somewhat of an accomplishment. I'd like to thank RunningFromLove for being the first to review, the four followers this story has so far, and anyone else who's reading this. It does help inspire and motivate me to continue writing and posting. Please enjoy.
The Tyrant Grim
Chapter 2
The handle was stiff and turned somewhat reluctantly, letting out a high-pitched screak as if warning her; asking if she was sure she wanted to do this. With a click, the sound stopped and she could turn it no further. Giving a push, the door gave her more resistance and dust began to flurry out from the sides as if it hadn't been open for years. Using a little more force, the rusted iron hinges began to creak loudly as the door finally yielded; slowly swinging ajar until it was completely open.
Looking through, she couldn't see much; only a yellow haze that clung in the sky. Ducking her head under the short door, she poked her head through the threshold and couldn't believe what she was seeing. A twisting and turning road connected to no direct land mass whatsoever, stretched for miles with what looked like a grouping of buildings and lights in the distance. The sky was tinged a sallow yellow with orange streaks and she could make out spiked purple peaks protruding from the clouds below the roads.
"I-I have to be dreaming...I must've knocked myself out when I fell in the attic, or-or even at the cemetery..." She tried to reason with herself as she went to step down from the threshold. Ironically, becoming too focused on rationalizing her current state, she didn't realize there was no immediate ground outside the door and lost her footing, landing flat on the hard road a foot lower than anticipated.
She gave a frustrated cry, surprised from the pain she felt upon impact, but decided that maybe, if she stayed down long enough, she'd wake up and be back in the cemetery, or attic, or perhaps even her room if she was lucky.
After several long moments of remaining unmoving on the hard ground, she could've sworn she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and then abruptly stop. Something hard and bony suddenly poked her in the side followed by the sound of a feminine voice.
"What iz et z'at yoo are dooing on ze ground?"
The accent was definitely French without a doubt, and sounded like a little girl. Picking up her head and inching over to her side, her eyes widened and mouth almost dropped. It was a little girl, only, without any skin or hair or anything that constituted a typical little girl. Quite literally, she was only the frame of a little girl.
A skeleton.
She stood over Marcelyna, somewhere between two and three feet high, with a black bow on the top left side of her head with two decaying fuchsia flowers in the center and wore a short puffed sleeved, black dress patterned with grey swirls and white lace trimming on the sleeves, collar and hem.
"Are yoo trying to bee buried in ze dirt, b'cuz I don't t'ink yoo are dooing et right."
Marcelyna just stared up at the girl, speechless.
She suddenly became excited and clapped the little bones of her hands together. "Oh! Oh! Are yoo playing 'ide and go zeek? I wuz playingz w'it ze boy acrosz ze street but 'ee always takes too long too find me. Wood yoo like too play too?"
Still confused beyond all sense of the word, she stood up shakily and looked down at the skeleton girl that just barely came up past her knees.
"My name iz Jenaviéve, but yoo can call me Jenny." The little girl spoke, looking up at her happily. "What iz your name?"
"Mar...Marcelyna..."
She reached her little arm up and grasped her gloved hand, tugging her along the road. "Let'z go play et my 'ouz! We'll 'ave so much fun and play all my favor-it gamez!"
Marcelyna wasn't paying nearly as much attention to the girl as she was to her surroundings, thinking to herself that this was the most creative thing she had ever imagined.
And the most realistic.
"Thiz iz my 'ouse." Jenny suddenly spoke. Marcelyna stopped and looked forward, seeing an odd and misshapen structure. The sign had a B hanging upside down on the bottom hinge and a crooked J with an ''s'. The word 'Roadhouse' was written underneath in capital letters. "Come thiz way!" The little girl pulled her through doorway in to the interior which was even stranger than the exterior with its mismatched, oddly patterned and colored walls.
"Miz Ginger livez in z'at side of ze 'ouz," she pointed to the left doorway, "and I live ov're 'ere."
"Who's BJ?" Marcelyna asked before she even realized she was speaking. "I mean, it's the name outside..." Was it a coincidence that the initials would match the name on the paper she had read? It was clearly something about the name that had caused all this; but either way, why should she care? This was nothing more than a dream.
Right?
"Oh, 'ee doz not live 'ere, Pa-pa zaid 'ee iz under 'ouz arrezt."
She raised a questioning brow. "House arrest..?"
"Jenaviéve, iz zat yoo? I thought yoo were play-ing acrosz ze street?" A French male voice called from up the stairs accompanied by footsteps.
"I wuz but ze boi didn't findz me again s'zo I foundz a pretty grrl to play w'it inz'stead."
"A girrl?" The owner of the footsteps halted just as he came in to view.
Another skeleton. Though not as surprised as she was upon seeing Jenny, Marcelyna was still stunned to see the tall skeletal man wearing a red beret and blue shirt with orange-red shorts, holding a small dumbbell in his hand.
He seemed as stunned as she was if not more, letting the weight fall from his hand and nearly crash through the steps as he looked her up and down, uttering one of the last words she expected to hear.
"Lydia?"
Jenny looked back and forth between her father and her new friend, breaking the long and questioning silence. "'Er name iz Marcelyna Pa-pa, I found 'er on ze road by ze little door zat doezn't open."
The skeleton took a few more steps down, "Yoo came from up zere zrou ze door?" He asked incredulously.
Marcelyna became nervous and stuttered. "I...w-well I, um, I don't know how-"
"What was that awful crashing noise? Is everyone okay down there?" A shrill feminine voice with a Brooklyn accent called from above, interrupting her meek mumbling. Just as she looked up, she let out a gasp and jumped back as a deep rosy pink spider the size of a football dropped down from a string on the ceiling to eye level an inch from her face.
"Ooh! A guest!...Say, you look kinda familiar..." The spider propped up several of her elbows and scratched her chin, noting the girl's red and black webbed dress and dark hair.
Marcelyna took a few more hesitant steps back from the bizarre talking arachnid only to hear another voice, this one loud and booming with a southern drawl.
"Sorry my son ditched your d'aughter again Jacques. Just reckon'd I'd make sure she got home this time. Oh, begg'n yer pardon Miss," He spoke as she backed in to him before quickly turning around and staring up at the tall brown hairy monster with nothing more than a mouth on his features, wearing a blue cowboy hat and gloves. A smaller version of the creature minus the western attire stood to the side behind him.
"Say, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" The tall monster asked, taking his hat off and scratching his head.
"That's what I said," the spider agreed still hanging from the ceiling and making Marcelyna turn back around. She was trapped now from every side between the arachnid in front, the tall skeleton named Jacques who had moved down the stairs to her right, the two monsters behind her at the entrance and Jenny on her left.
"Sze looks like Lydia," the skeleton spoke, sounding almost certain.
"Lydia?" Ginger repeated, now seeing the resemblance. "Miss Lydia?" the Monster resounded, seeing it too.
The little skeleton girl came forward to stand next to her. "I told yoo Pa-pa, 'er name iz Marcelyna. Sze iz going too play w'it me."
"How did she get here?" The spider asked, jumping to the floor and beginning to circle her speculatively.
"Ze door down ze road." Jenny repeated, voice showing signs of agitation.
"Well how in tarnation's is that possible?" The monster asked dubiously.
"Yeah, I mean, the door to the living's been locked for twenty years." Ginger stated, shrugging.
Marcelyna shook her head and put her hands up in a gesture, trying to understand what they were talking about. "Wait, what do you mean 'door to the living'? This is just a dream. I'm in a-a crazy, coma-induced dream world from knocking myself out. That's it!"
The three adults looked at each other nervously before turning back to her. "T'ziz iz not a dream mademoiselle. It iz ze Neitherworld. If Viéve iz right, zat door led yoo from ze world of ze living to 'ere. T'ziz place iz, 'ow wood yoo zay, ze 'after' life."
The girl shrank back, body trembling as she clutched her arms. "B-but I'm not- I-I can't be...how did I... I'm not dead!" She pulled the black glove down and jabbed her left arm out. "Look! I have flesh and-and a pulse, and-" she put two fingers from her opposite hand up to her neck to feel for herself, then placed the hand over her chest, feeling the rapid beating, "and my heart's beating! I'm alive!"
The little monster came forward and grabbed her outstretched arm, giving it a squeeze. "It's soft and tender Pa, like it's really fresh!" He lowered her arm to his mouth and looked ready to take a bite when his father hit him right on the top of his head and yanked him away; Marcelyna doing the same with her arm and pulling the glove back up.
"What in tarhooties are ya doin' boy! Show some manners in front of a lady!"
"Ow! Sorry..." He replied while rubbing the now sore spot.
"Look, I was in my grandparents' attic and bumped in to my mom's old dresser and found this note in the mirror. I took it to my room and read it out loud and next thing I know, the window bursts open, the wallpaper gets shredded, everything goes flying out the door, my ceiling comes off, beams shoot out of the walls and bats are flying everywhere. When I look up, everything's changed, I'm wearing this, and there's a staircase with a little door. I climb up, walk through, and fall out and next thing I know, this little skeleton girl is poking me and taking me to her house to play hide and seek." Marcelyna explained in the calmest hysterical tone she could, realizing how crazy it still sounded. "Oh, I sound as crazy as Cousin Arnold, and he only saw vampire-toothed golden ducks stealing ketchup and wearing people's socks on their heads!"
Jenny erupted in a fit of giggles. "She's funny Pa-pa."
"A note yoo zay?"
Marcelyna nodded her head. "I must have lost it in that crazy wind but nothing happened until I said the last word three times. Beetle, um, Beetle-"
"Beetlejuice!" They shouted in unison.
"Yeah...who or, 'what' exactly is that? Jenny said something about house arrest?"
The three once again exchanged nervous looks before the monster ushered the two children out. "Go play across the street. Tell Ma I'll be back later."
Jacques cleared his throat. "Be-atlejoose waz a cloze friend of ourz and lived in ziz roadhouze. We don't talk about it, but 'e did zomething very...bad, and az a rezult, ze door to ze living world waz clozed and hazn't veen opened zinz."
She mulled it over in her head but something still didn't click. "But...how do you know my mother?"
"Yoor motder?"
"Lydia...Lydia Deetz."
Ginger gasped, closing all of her hands over her mouth. "You're Lydia's d'aughter? No wonder you look so similar!"
"Lydia yoozed to come to ze Neitherworld zrou ze door by zaying Be-atlejoose's name zree times," he held up three digits in explanation, "but after ze inzident...we never zaw 'er again..."
Marcelyna let out a withheld breath. "This...this doesn't make any sense. I mean...what am I supposed to do now? How do I get back to my world?"
"It yoosed to be sze wood zay Be-atlejoose's name zree timez to go back and for't but I don't t'ink zat will work wit'out 'im 'ere. I'm ztill sur-pirzed yoo came 'ere on yoor own..."
"I reckon ya could try the door. If it opened for ya to come in, maybe it'll open ta go out." The Monster suggested.
"And what if it doesn't?" The human girl asked. "Would this Beetlejuice guy know how to get me back?"
"It's worth a shot. What do you think Jacques? It wouldn't hurt to try." The female spider reasoned.
The skeleton thought it over. "It wood ve our vest chance. We could take Doomie to get zere."
"Doomie?" Marcelyna repeated as they led her out the door and around the back.
"Be-atlejoose's Dragzter of Doom." The skeleton man said as he walked ahead to a large dusty white tarp that appeared to be snoring. He pulled the material off, revealing a dull lime-green colored convertible sleeping soundly. Jacques kneeled down and gently tapped on the door while talking in to the side mirror. "Doomie, wake up, we 'ave zomewhere ver-ee important to go."
To her amazement, the car's headlights began to blink and the bumper opened up in a yawn before smiling at the sight of the skeleton and beeping it's horn excitedly. The other two moved forward and jumped in to the car while she stood there flabbergasted.
"Doomie, zis is Marcelyna, sze iz a friend. Marcelyna, zis iz Doomie." Jacques introduced them to one another.
Ginger crawled up on to the dashboard. "Don't worry, he's a real sweetheart, aren't you Doomie?" The spider scratched the top edge of the driver door, getting a pleasured beep from the car as it started whirring and shaking its back tire, reminding her greatly of a dog.
Giving a nervous smile, she walked around the front of the car, patting the hood lightly and hearing the engine purr as she did so. Upon making it to the passenger side, the door opened itself, allowing her in, and then closed.
"Alright Doomie, let uz go to ze doorway to ze living!" Jacques called from behind the driver's seat.
With a few beeps of understanding, the car revved up its wheels before launching itself out of the backyard and up the twisting and turning purple road to the door she had come from.
"Uuhh! Nngh...it won't-ngh-open..." Ginger gritted her teeth as she twisted and pulled the knob with all the strength she could muster in her eight legs. Putting too much strain, she lost her grip and fell to the ground, rubbing her head. "It's stuck."
The Monster jumped out of the car and pretended to roll his sleeves up as he approached the door. "Le'me have a go at it." Spitting in to his hands and rubbing them together, he grasped the knob with both hands and pulled, eventually propping a foot on the door to try and break it off but to no avail. Growing frustrated, the monster took a few steps back before running forward and ramming himself in to the door, only to fall down to the ground, seeing stars. "Uuooohhh..."
"Per-'apz if we 'ad a key or zomet'ing?" Jacques suggested, leaning against the passenger door.
Hearing his words, Marcelyna remembered the key from the cemetery and reached for it in her pocket just as Ginger began to speak.
"No, there isn't a keyhole on this door." She retorted, pointing at the solid wood.
Becoming sullen, she let her gloved hand drop from her pocket and sighed. "So I guess now we go to plan B?"
"Quite litter-a-lee, yez, we szall go zee Be-atlejoose at 'ouz a'rrezt." Jacques replied as they all hopped back in to the dragster and sped off down the road.
"I thought 'house arrest' meant you just can't leave your house so shouldn't he be at the roadhouse if he lived there?" Marcelyna asked over the roaring engine.
"Thingz are ver-ee diffrant 'ere in ze Neitherworld. Be-ing undur 'ouz a'rrezt, meanz reely being undur 'ouz a'rrezt."
Marcelyna quirked an eyebrow, still not understanding. "What?"
The skeleton pointed forward and she followed his directive, dropping her head down as her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh..."
Just around the corner of the curving road up ahead was an enormous, tall and slanted house propped up on what looked to be a clawed arm with a pair of bright-green horizontal crescent windows pointed down that greatly resembled closed eyes and a closed mouth baring tightly packed fang-like teeth for a door. Now she understood the pun as the entire structure seemed to be resting.
Coming to a stop at the rusted and bent gate, the group exited the sentient car and walked up to the closed mouth. "Pardoname'! 'Ello monsieur!" Jacques called up to the giant house. Blinking sleepily, the structure stretched to the side without moving its arm and shifted its eyes down to look at them. "We 'ave some buzi-nezz to attend to inzide! Can yoo pleaze let uz in?"
The house closed its eyes in a long blink before the long fangs began to lift and part as it let out a rumbling yawn, revealing a glowing green light and a jagged black swirl spiraling out along the walls and ceiling in the interior. Stepping on to the polished linoleum floor as the sharp teeth came back down behind them, they began their descent down the long hallway until the reached the end of the spiral where a tall desk stood in between two slanted, pillared doorways. A small, oozing green, toad-like figure wearing red was hunched over next to a large pile of papers while he scribbled on something down in front of him.
"Do you have an appointment?" The figure asked without looking up.
"Um, no, we are juzt 'ere to vizit-"
"There are no visiting hours, only appointments, and if you don't have one, then leave."
The four looked at one another before huddling together and whispering.
"What do we do now?" Ginger asked.
"I say we have ourselves a showdown and force our way through." The Monster suggested, slamming his fist in to his open palm.
"Marcelyna, virzt chanz yoo get, go down ze right hall, and go to ze very bottom. Be-atlejoose iz zuppozed to ve down zere. We'll diztract 'im." Jacques explained, motioning to the little creature above.
"Zir, yoo mizunderztand. We are 'ere to vizit yoo."
The green imp looked up from the papers, stretching himself over the desk to look down at the group. "Me? Who exactly are you?" He asked, adjusting his jagged, black-wire glasses.
"Are yoo tired or ou'verworked? Feeling bored out of yoor skull?" Jacques asked, pulling off his own head.
The creature sat back and twiddled his thumbs in thought. "Well yes, I've been stuck behind this desk in this awful place since before the plague."
"Z'en fret no more, we are 'ere to entertain yoo! We are part of 'Ze Bone-Jinglez Jambor-ee'." Jacques began juggling his head, adding in his foot and leg bones as he hopped on the other while the Monster pulled out a banjo and began playing as Ginger tap danced to the tune. Marcelyna, who had been hiding by the corner of the desk, waited until the receptionist began clapping, attention now fully drawn to their show, before turning around and hurrying through the right door and down the hall. Her fast pace was soon slowed to a walk as the floor became curved in waves, jutting sometimes over to the right, and sometimes to the left, like a slithering, uneven, black and white checkered-patterned snake. All she could see ahead were the slanted edges of the segmented walls that extended out slightly; separating equally strange and misshapen closed doors. Finally coming to the end of the long hall, she stopped to stare up at the sign above the dark opening that read:
"Neitherworld Maximum Holding Vault" With the words, "WARNING: EXTREME NECROHAZARD! Authorized personnel ONLY!" written underneath.
Feeling a sudden chill, she stepped through the dark threshold and looked down. Her stomach fell at the sight of the sheer drop in to a rift she couldn't even see the bottom of. The only thing in her view was a very unsafe looking swirling staircase without any railing that stretched hundreds of feet down in to a glowing green fog.
What had she gotten herself into?
Taking a deep breath of the thick and musty air, she carefully took the first step on to the staircase and began the frightening descent down. Eventually, it became brighter as the green fog enveloped the black steps, but it only heightened her anxiety level for now the stairs broke away from the wall and she feared now missing a step, or falling off the side and plummeting to her death.
After what felt like hours of walking down the spiral, she swore she could finally see the end at the bottom. Moving a little faster now, she stopped at the last visual step, looking around and seeing an almost even layer of green smoke covering the circular confines of the room. Kneeling down on the step, she carefully reached her hand through the fog until she felt a hard base. Certain of the floor now, she stood back up and stepped down, looking ahead at a tall slanted opening with black jagged points aiming to the floor; almost threatening to fall on anyone who dared to pass through.
Having already come this far, Marcelyna hurried through the threshold and walked down the short, greyish-white striped hall, stopping short at the ledge at the end where there was yet another sheer drop. This one however, wasn't as deep as she peered down and saw what appeared to be...sand? Surveying the rest of the room, she noted the tall surrounding walls of the circular room were padded grey, cut off at the same level as the hall with blackness surrounding the rest of the way down below.
Across the way was a circular rock structure fixed on an alarmingly skinny and jagged rock neck that made her wonder how on earth it could support it. Then again, this probably WASN'T part of earth anyway. The flat, round surface was covered over in sterile white flooring with a single structure dead center. It looked like some kind of giant vault-styled coffin covered over in gear-like mechanisms with a large spoked wheel and heavy metal chains criss-crossing over the mass to hold it down. The chains ran through metal circle-screws imbedded in the floor, stretching taught above in to a pulley system high up in the ceiling. The only way to get across was by walking over a strange black and white-striped cylindrical bridge connecting the end of the hall to the rock platform.
Steeling her will, Marcelyna carefully balanced herself on the sloping surface and crossed over; stepping up on to polished tiles with a click of her heels. Exhaling a long withheld breath, she made her way to the iron coffin-shaped vault.
"Hello?" She called out.
Not hearing anything, she came closer and knocked on a flat patch in between the many gears and chains.
"Hello?" She repeated, once again without gaining a response.
"Beetlejuice?" She tried his name, remembering what Jacques had said. "Beetlejuice...Beetlejuice!" Her voice rang off from yelling the last one, but no other sound was made.
Growing past the point of holding it together, she let out a frustrated cry and lashed out at the giant vault; pounding her fists against the mechanisms and links until her hands were sore, still yelling the name. "Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! BEETLEJUICE!" With one last scream, she slammed both fists against the still un-breached door and pressed her forehead against the cold metal, huffing in exhaustion. The chill felt good against her fevered skin as she calmed down, but it also brought her to painful awareness of the stinging ache in her hands. Loosening her clenched fists, she stretched out and flexed the sore digits, before pausing, feeling something bar-shaped against her right palm. Pulling away from the iron mass, she eyed the protrusion, recognizing it as one of the individual spokes of the large wheel.
Of course it didn't budge even a little as she tried to turn it but, with her being this close, she noticed a tiny little slit in the ornate center of the wheel. Rubbing her finger over the barely noticeable opening, her mind suddenly flashed back to the cemetery as she held the key in her hand, running her finger over the flat, notched and intricately patterned square extending out just before the end of the rod it was attached to.
Marcelyna reached in to her dress pocket and pulled out the object, holding it up in front of her. "Maybe it really is a key..." She angled it sideways and slipped it in to the crack, hesitating before turning it. 'Should I really do this?' A voice in her head spoke. But what if it was the only way to get home?
"It's the only chance I have..." She told herself to instill some confidence; turning the key and hearing a loud CHINK from within the vault. Several more resounding metal clinks echoed out, followed by a loud popping as dust was expelled from the twisting gears as they unlocked themselves. Marcelyna quickly removed the key before the large spoked wheel began turning at an increasing speed; the pulley system above screeched loudly as the chains came swinging loose, making her duck and fall to the ground from nearly getting lashed as they clanked on the floor.
Once the gears and wheel came a stop, another eruption of dust and stale air came out from the three sides of the vault as the door creaked open. A figure shot out and up in to the air like a rocket, the dust flying with him as he cackled loudly.
"A-HA-HA-HA! SA-WHEAT FREEDOM AT LAST! HA-HA!" The man turned in to a literal stalk of wheat and gently floated down, turning back as he landed hovering horizontally on the roof of the vault, kicking his legs as he continued to laugh hysterically. As if suddenly remembering something, he cut his rejoicing short and straightened himself in to a vertical slouch, looking down at the familiar red-clad figure with black hair covering her face.
"BABES!" He rapidly flew towards her and scooped her up from the floor in to a tight embrace as he spiraled back up in to the air. "I knew ya'd find a way to bust me out!"
Marcelyna quickly found herself suffocated by a grimy purple dress shirt and the overall smell of putrefying mold and rot. The sickening sense of vertigo began to set in and instead of clutching to his shoulders for dear life, she threw her hands out and tried to push him away. "Let me go! NOW!"
Face contorting in confusion, the man shrugged. "Sure Babes..." The action caused him to completely lose grasp of her and she plummeted to the ground, letting out a scream as she went down. Just before hitting the hard floor, she was stopped in mid-air as the trickster caught her in his arms and studied her intensely. "Hey...you're not Lyds..."
The girl forced herself out of his grasp and stumbled back. "No, I'm not! My name is Marcelyna!" She looked over the black and white suited, purple-skinned, light blonde and unkempt-haired man and he seemed to be doing the same to her. He was the one to speak first, voice low and eyes burning with rage:
"You...You're an IMPOSTER!" He pointed a threatening red-tipped finger at her. "A fake! FREUD!" The man suddenly shape-shifted in to Sigmund Freud as he yelled at her.
Marcelyna squinted as the force of his voice actually blew her hair back and the smell of his rancid breath made her wrinkle her nose as he continued. "What did ya do with her huh? You Sphacks got her locked up in one of these vaults too cuz I swear I'll juice the living dead right outta ya!"
Once he was done she balled her hands in to fists at her sides and took a challenging step forward. "Look, I'm not a 'sphack' or whatever! I'm her damn daughter! Now are you Beetlejuice or not, because I really would like to get out of here and back to Earth or the living world, or whatever you call it!"
The ghost's expression went slack. "Daughter...?"
Just as he opened his mouth to comment, a tremor suddenly shook the circular platform. A sharp sound of screeching metal followed by a loud locking sound rang out from behind. Turning around, Marcelyna saw the doorway she had come from was now closed and noticed the striped bridge move; disconnecting from the base they were standing on and disappearing in to the opposite side with the flick of a snake's tail. The sound of shifting grain made her peer over the edge to see the sand uplifting in a trail as something moved underneath it.
"What is that?" Taking a step back, she turned to Beetlejuice, only to find him trembling all over and looking ready to jump out of his skin. A loud rumbling from behind almost made her lose her footing, and without warning, a giant snake-like creature burst out from the sand, arching it's monochrome body in to an "S" as it towered over them; red eyes blazing. It's green lips parted and a second, more vicious looking white and red-spotted head came out, black slits narrowed in yellow eyes and razor-sharp fangs bared as it growled.
"IT'S SANDWORM-ZILLA!" She heard the frightened ghost scream dramatically from behind her as the creature opened its jaws and struck, crashing in to the tiled floor as they jumped out of the way. Marcelyna skidded just before the ledge and gripped it tightly at the sudden jolting movement. A sharp cracking sound made her look over her shoulder to see a section of the platform split and break apart, sending the chunk of rock down with her on it.
Crashing in to a sand dune, Marcelyna lost her grip and rolled down in to the sand, getting the wind knocked out of her as she collided with the tail of the sandworm. Wiping the grains from her eyes, the ghost's shrill screams made her look up to see him holding up the creature's jaw as its tongue was wrapped around his waist, trying to pull him in to its mouth. Quickly forcing herself to stand, she began furiously kicking the striped tail with her red boot, doing little, if any, damage.
Becoming annoyed by her feeble attempt, the sandworm coiled its tail around her and lifted her in to the air to glare at her from the corner of its eye, emitting a low snarl as it still tried to swallow the unrelenting poltergeist.
Giving a few agitated cries of her own she managed to wriggle her arms loose. "I've had it with-ngh-being tossed and-aahh! - thrown around and-argh- dropped!" Reeling her arm back, she clenched her fist and grit her teeth. "And I'm not getting eaten by a giant worm too!" Releasing the tension in her arm, she launched it forward, nailing the beast square in the eye.
Letting out a series of yelps, the sandworm's tongue loosened enough for Beetlejuice to fly out of its mouth and at the same time, it released Marcelyna to fall from its tail. Luckily this time, she only plummeted briefly as the ghost caught her and flew to set her down on what remained of the platform. "I can't believe you punched a sandworm!"
"Neither can I," she replied, regaining her balance, "but I definitely wouldn't say it was a knockout..." Her voice shrank as the snake-like creature writhed in pain before rearing its head back at the two. "How do we get out?"
"UWWAAHH!" The ghost threw his hands up in the air and turned tail -literally- to run. "I'M GOING BACK TO THE VAULT!"
Oddly amused by the punned transformation, even though their lives were on the line; - hers at least - she grabbed the black-ringed, orange tail before it could make its mad dash. "Wait! The vault!"
He turned back to normal so she was now holding him by the back of his striped jacket. "That's what I said! Nothing can bust that thing so I'm hiding in there!"
"No!" She pointed up to the pulley system of chains attached to the ceiling. "We can break through using the vault! Can you distract that thing?"
"Are you crazy? That thing'll chew me in to little bits!" He screeched, beginning to break apart in to tiny squares that barely retained form.
Marcelyna, unsure of what to do, began trying to mesh and mold the pieces back together. "Please! I have a plan and it'll only work if you help!"
Taking a gulp, Beetlejuice turned to face the monster worm as the girl ran somewhere behind the vault. "Uh...s-so how's the weather up there?"
The sandworm snapped at him, effectively making the ghost dodge to the side and become cornered, trembling all over and biting the constantly re-growing nails off his fingers. "YYAAAAHHHH!" he hollered as the creature lunged forward, ready to swallow him whole.
The rattling of metal could be heard and a wad of chains swung right in front of the worm, making it close its mouth on the links and dive down in the sand, pulling the chains with it. Becoming taught from the force, the lever on the pulley system broke and continued spinning, ripping out the circle-headed screws from the floor and launching the large iron vault in to the air. Marcelyna had jumped off of the structure after throwing the loose chains, now rushing over to the frozen ghost. "Are you okay?"
Beetlejuice whirled around and jumped in to her arms, blonde hair longer and now wearing a pink dress with a matching cone-shaped princess hat. "My hero!" He cooed in a horribly fake female voice, batting his long eyelashes and puckering his overly red colored lips.
Marcelyna laughed nervously and arched her head away. "Um...no..."
"Well, I never!" He feigned offense in a woman's tone before shrugging, voice back to normal. "Eh, your loss." In a poof of smoke, he was now standing next to her and readjusting his black tie.
By now, the vault had crashed through the ceiling, sending pieces of debris falling to the ground. The chains suddenly came loose once again as the sandworm let the links go and resurfaced. Not realizing what it had done, the unbalanced weight forced the vault to come back down, slamming in to the creature's head.
Beetlejuice laughed maniacally. "Boy kid, you sure know how to bring the house down, HA HA!" Wrapping an arm around her waist, he flew up in to the air and out the opening in the ceiling. "The King has left the building, huh, huh," he spoke as he crossed through, doing an Elvis impression before setting her down on the floor.
"Be-atlejoose?" The French voice drew their attention, just now realizing they were in the main entrance hall, surrounded by a ring of transparently veiled and hooded beings, tinged a sallow, dusty-brown color.
Jacques, Ginger and the Monster were clapped in irons and standing off to the side, guarded by two more of the figures.
They were trapped.
