Chapter 3
Beetlejuice, Lydia and Beth reappeared in a very odd place. It was very dark but below was the neitherworld planet that was easily visible. Above them was Earth as if they were looking at it very closely from space. Lydia gasped, she had only seen that image in pictures before.
"So, where is he?" Beth said, crossing her arms and looking around. There was no sign of any foul play or SID.
"Beth, I don't think he'd come out with a neon sign on his head that says bad guy. He- AHH!" A sizzle and a bolt of dark lightning that streaked inches from Lydia cut off her sarcastic remark. The odd thing was that the electricity was incredibly cold. Lydia shivered in response. Beetlejuice grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.
"Careful, babes. The Black is everywhere. One touch and you're as good as exorcised." Beetlejuice said.
"It's not going to be attracted to us, is it?" Beth asked, squinting at the spot where the Black had come. Beetlejuice shook his head.
"Nah, where The Black strikes is completely random. So just be on your guard." Beetlejuice said. Lydia and Beth nodded. Then:
BOOM!
"That sounded like a neon sign to me." Beth said to Lydia, who rolled her eyes.
They all walked quickly on the bubble of a realm that separated the two worlds. Every other second or so, everyone would look up and around to see if there was any Black coming at them. It came everywhere and it narrowly missed them a few times. But soon, the real enemy was visible.
There was a flash of light and then an explosion as a figure shrouded in darkness watched the glass like dome below break off a large piece and the piece shatter. The figure watched this through eyes that were glowing yellow and were shaped like the eyes of a snake. The eyes were the only things the trio could see.
"SID!!" Beth yelled in the direction of the eyes. "I suggest that you show your ectoplasmic self before I drag it out for you."
There was a deep laughter.
"Ahh, Beth. How nice to meet you again." A low, echoing voice emitted from the glowing eyes. "Even with such a weak mortal body, there is still such strength in your voice. I am almost honored that you remember me."
"How could I not?" Beth sneered. "You murdered an innocent family and their three children by your own hands. Then you destroyed their soles before they could enter the neitherworld. I'm surprised that you were only given an exorcism, for the rules are very strict on what is intolerable."
The eyes became wider and angrier. With a poof a tall man in a black tuxedo walked calmly up to them, appearing out of nowhere a few feet from where the figure in shadows had stood. The man had blood on his white shirt he wore, surrounding a bullet wound that was on the right side of his stomach that was obviously his cause of death. He glared at Beth and Beetlejuice as Lydia, sensing danger, backed up a short distance. The man was unnerving as he looked at them with green snake eyes that didn't make any sense on his face.
"Well, if that idiot," SID pointed to Beetlejuice "had done his job, then you wouldn't be in this situation now would you?"
Instead of answering the question, Beth looked at SID with disgust.
"So you figured out how to initiate my shape shifting power. Staying with the old dead body look, are you? Except for the eyes of course." Beth said, raising her eyebrows. SID started to open his mouth to yell again, but Beetlejuice cut him off.
"And for the record, I did do my job. But I wasn't totally freelance until after you so I had rules to follow. That family wasn't endangering you or your afterlife. They were innocent of what you accused them of. I was bound to my duties and you should have been happy that I was able make sure they were too scared to go into the room you choose to live in." Beetlejuice accused. "You killed the innocent. I may be crude in my ways of handling my job, but killing, though it is on my job description, is not an option when the victims are not any harm to the dead.
SID cracked his knuckles in a very dangerous fashion. He backed away slightly and frowned like a child who did not get what he wanted.
"Ya know, I learned a few things while sitting in pure torture in that room of the exorcised. I found out how to get out, how to steal ghost's powers to revitalize myself. And now," He smiled like a psychopath. "I know how to avenge my afterlife that was brutally taken from me from cowards who don't even know the true extent of their powers."
SID balled his hand up into a fist and it started to glow blue. He then punched it out and a streak of light came out, hitting the ground where Beetlejuice had been seconds before. Beetlejuice, seeing what was about to happen, jumped up and floated softly to the ground in front of Lydia with an unusual trait on his face: anger.
"Fine, you wanna play? Then I'm all game. Batter's up." Beetlejuice said.
He cupped his hands as if he had a ball in them. Then like a pitcher threw his arms out and ball of energy smacked dead center on SID. The ex-exorcised ghost went flying and landed hard. But like magic, he was back on his feet and had the most annoying smirk on his face. SID jumped up and flew toward Beetlejuice at a very fast speed. Lydia was amazed; she had never seen Beetlejuice go that fast and both bio-exorcist's powers were supposed to be equal. Lydia looked quickly at Beth, but Beth was looking at SID in disbelief and anger.
"Beetlejuice! Watch out!" Beth suddenly yelled but it was too late.
"Uh oh." Beetlejuice practically squeaked as SID landed feet first on him and flattened him, literally.
"Ya know, I'm sure our relation turned out badly just because we got off on the wrong foot." SID said, looking down at the deflated ghost. He rubbed his shoe into Beetlejuice's face. "We should really meet some time. I'm sure IHOP would love you.
On that sarcastic note, SID stomped on Beetlejuice one last time and headed Beth. But she was ready and before SID could get two steps toward Beth, she kicked him in the chest. Unfortunately, the force only made him go back slightly and he showed no sign of pain.
"ARRGH!" Beth said as she saw her kick become useless. "How is it that the only things that can hurt a ghost are ghost powers and they are in that stupid striped pancake on the floor."
"I guess fate just loves to favor me." SID smiled.
He punched at Beth, but she instantly blocked it. As Lydia watched, the fight became a battle of skill than powers and Lydia quickly determined that Kung Fu was definitely not her thing to watch. The one on one fight went on for a minute or so, each one at the same skill level, Beth from years of training with Bruce Lee and SID from instantly copying that knowledge when he took her powers. However, somewhere between the jump kick and the uppercut, SID decided he was getting bored and levitated Beth up, then slammed her on the ground. Lydia could instantly tell that Beth was not only unfamiliar with pain, but was in shock from it. SID stood next to Beth, looking at her and smiling.
"It's almost pathetic your life has to end like this. You see, if one dies outside the outerworld, their soul is lost forever, unable to be properly placed in the neitherworld." SID said at her. Beth was simply looking in anger at her enemy, unable to move. As she watched, SID held his hand in front of his face and it started elongating and becoming thinner. Before their very eyes, SID's hand became a machete, a very sharp one. "Goodbye."
SID raised his bladed hand over Beth's neck, ready to strike.
"NO!" Lydia said and did the only thing she could think of, run right into SID and knock him aside. Then she yelped as the machete nicked her neck as both her and the ghost fell into a heap. Beetlejuice, hearing her cry, pulled his arm out of the pancake mold it was in and zapped SID off her. Then he sucked in a lot of air and blew himself back to three dimensions with a pop. SID was already up again as if nothing had happened.
"I was wondering when you'd get out that form. Fighting your former student was getting boring." SID said with an air of superiority. "I was almost ready to get back to framing you for destroying the lining of the neitherworld."
"That ain't gonna happen, SID." Beetlejuice said forcefully. "Because, ya know, even though I'm out of practice…" Beetlejuice raised his arms in front of his face. "Monkey see, monkey do."
Instantaneously, Beetlejuice's hands were exact replicas of the machete that SID had. He floated up from the floor and started towards SID, pin wheeling his arms in a childlike fashion, much to both females' dismay. Beth slapped her forehead and shook her head in disbelief.
"What do you think you're doing. He's just as capable as I am when it comes to beating you butt back into the 1st century." Beth said in an undignified manner.
Unfortunately, Beetlejuice didn't hear that. SID smiled in a way that was not comforting and raised an eyebrow. He placed the hand that was not a knife out like a traffic controller who was stopping a car, if that car had been Beetlejuice. He raised an eyebrow and Beetlejuice went flying. This time, it finally clicked.
"Beth? Tell me, how many hours have you practiced your powers?" Beetlejuice said, now in pain from what had been inflicted on him. Beth sort of smiled sheepishly at her teacher.
"On 14 hours a week. It's not that much." She said, laughing nervously.
"Perfect, just perfect!" Beetlejuice replied. "You just had to out do me for the past two hundred years, didn't you."
SID laughed as he listened to the ghost.
"You fool. Why do you think I went after her." He said and zapped another bolt at Beetlejuice, who barely avoided it.
"Doesn't matter." Beetlejuice retorted. "I'm still at a higher class, which means I'm stronger than that if I want to be.
"Really?" SID said sarcastically. Then he laughed again and his hand turned back into… well, a hand. Then SID closed his eyes and raised his head like he was basking in some non-existent sunlight. Then he started to shake and convulse. Beth started hyperventilating oddly enough.
"Beth, what is your problem babes?" Beetlejuice said as he raised his hand to juice SID again.
Beth didn't reply; just pointed to SID. SID's body actually started to elongate and thicken. Wide horizontal black stripes appeared on his body and his arms and legs started to come together to make one body with no appendages. SID's head got longer and as he smiled, sharp, ugly and long fangs appeared in his mouth. In a matter of seconds the transformation was complete and SID had become a huge, dangerous:
"SANDWORM!!!" Beetlejuice suddenly whimpered loudly. He looked at Beth with a look of utter fear. "You can turn into a sand worm?"
SID in his form slithered down to be eye level with his nemesis and screeched in true worm like fashion. Beth let out a sort of terrified giggle.
"Did I mention that? I didn't mention that did I. Well, I can. Sorry." She seemed to babble. Then the worm snapped out at the ghost and tore his arm right off. Beetlejuice looked down at the socket that used to hold his arm and then looked at the ghost. There wasn't any blood or anything that made it seem like the arm wasn't a prop in a 1980's low budget movie.
"You are so lucky I am six feet under or you would be in major trouble!" Beetlejuice screamed at SID, but was too terrified to do anything else. However before he could say more, the soul eater brought its head down and engulfed Beetlejuice in its jaws. Lydia screamed bloody murder (for a good reason).
"Beth! For the love of god, DO SOMETHING!" Lydia yelled.
Beth looked at Lydia in helplessness. She was frozen solid by the Sandworm; a trait obviously picked up from her mentor years ago. The sandworm slithered around Beth as she shook in her spot. It surrounded her and before Beth realized what was going on, it entrapped her in its body and started to squeeze. Beth started to breathe harder and screamed silently at the sandworm. The sandworm squeezed tighter and as Lydia watched, unable to do anything, Beth went to the brink of not being able to expand her lungs. Then SID's hold loosened and he screeched terribly.
"Ya know, SID," a gruff voice said from the worm's jaws. "You really shouldn't bite off more than you can chew. And I am the biggest bite you could ever take."
With that, SID's fanged jaws were forced open and Beetlejuice, with his arm fully attached, held them there as SID screamed in frustration. Beetlejuice instantly jumped out and landed next to Beth, who was still inhaling deeply from lack of oxygen. Lydia started to run up to Beetlejuice, but he motioned her back.
"You know what?" Beth said as she regained he composure. "I've had it with him. Get us out of here NOW!"
SID started to come back for round two and for once, Beetlejuice agreed.
"Good idea." Beetlejuice said.
He ran up to Lydia very quickly and grabbed her arm while Beth grabbed his free arm. Lydia, not wasting a second, said the incantation instantly. The three were gone just in time as SID's monstrous head descended and snapped at the air where they had stood moments before. SID screeched in anger.
***
Beth, Lydia and Beetlejuice popped back into the neitherworld again; finding themselves standing in the living room of the roadhouse that was coincidentally the same place they had started from. Beth and Beetlejuice looked at each other for a second then started to laugh hysterically.
"What could possibly be so funny?" Lydia said, both amazed at them and still in a state of fear from what happened in the crease.
"Nothing." Beth said, still laughing. "It's just keeping me from screaming."
"Only 14 hours a week! I can't believe you practice your powers at all." Beetlejuice said as he calmed down from the laughter.
Beth was about to retort but Jacques walked into the living room from the kitchen. Seeing the three, he promptly dropped the glass of water he was carrying.
"Oh, thank god you are alive. I thought for sure zat zis would be ze end. But you are safe and zat is all zat matters." Jacques said, flexing an arm that was holding a barbell. Beth smiled at the skeleton and stood up with Lydia. Beetlejuice floated back into his usual relaxed position.
"Well, that was a complete failure, babes." Beetlejuice said to both Lydia and Beth. She nodded in agreement. But before she could put in any insight, Ginger came out of her hiding spot in the wall and looked at the group of both dead and alive people. She frowned upside down.
"Well, BJ, it's been nice to know ya. Hope you're as cozy in the lost souls room as you are here." She said solemnly.
"What are you on, Ginger?" Beetlejuice shot at the spider. Instead of answering, she simply pointed to the door. It was open and standing just inside were Prince Vince and two very serious looking law enforcement ghouls. One of the police ghosts stepped forward and looked at Beetlejuice intensely.
"Mr. Beetlejuice? You are under arrest," The ghoul said. "For the attempted destruction of our world. If you come quietly, we can ensure your exorcism will be quick and painless. Please come with us."
A/N: This took a little longer than expected due to three huge projects that I had to do. Thanks to all who reviewed. Hope you liked this chapter as much as the last. Please review.
