FOUR DAYS
It was hard for Ethan not to growl. It was especially hard for Ethan not to growl when he heard how Jesse had turned Benny and Sarah into his personal servants.
Ethan made do with covering his mouth with his hand.
Benny's main job at the hotel was run errands for the zombie cook in the kitchen and take up room service. It was lucky the zombies were the old-school non-contagious type, as the chef frequently tasted her cooking using the same large wooden spoon she used to mix all and sundry.
"Talk about a food safety issue" laughed Ethan, hollowly.
"Good one, sir."
For the first few days, Benny was constantly in Jesse's suite; Benny only occasionally saw Stephanie. When he wasn't needed, he froze into the statue-like state Ethan had found him in at the front desk.
Jesse hadn't much wish to be too close to Stephanie. He didn't seem to much like her or trust her. In fact, Jesse spoke derisively about Stephanie's cheerleading obsession. The fact that the hypnotized Sarah and the zombified Benny were the only ones who could hear him didn't dissuade the recalled-to-life Jesse.
Jesse had taken a large corner suite at the foot of one of the towers, as distant from the Royal Suite you could get while keeping a view of the lake. Jesse visited her once or twice a day, usually to share a meal, but that was all. The second night, Benny reported, he had spent hours in the suite with Stephanie. Jesse had returned angry, and the following day he had gone "werewolf hunting".
"Only he wasn't hunting, sir" said Benny. "That's obvious now. He was looking for potion ingredients."
"For what?" asked Ethan.
"He was looking for slugs" said Benny. Have you noticed there's no animals in this town? Not even an insect?"
"Nothing living but the plants" said Ethan through gritted teeth.
"Eerie, isn't it?" said Benny. "Now, sir, keep calm with what I'm going to tell you next."
Benny awkwardly sat across from Ethan.
"I'm not supposed to sit down" Benny explained. "It's hard. You know, duuuuuuude, that's a hard word to say, it's also nails scratching on a blackboard. But don't wolf out on me, sir! When I tell you what Jesse's trying to do."
"I promise" said Ethan. "On my honour as a Jedi."
"Jesse was looking for slugs, it's a main ingredient in the love potion I made almost two years ago now" said Benny trying to look as sympathetic as a guy could look without pupils in his eyes. "When Sarah was put under a spell, Jesse intended her to . . . canoodle with him. You alright, Ethan? You look as if you could literally chew steel?"
Ethan nodded tensely. He had promised to keep calm, and he did. Although he couldn't keep his eyes from glowing yellow.
"But it didn't work that way" said Benny hurriedly. "Every time he tried to touch her, she beat him up. Karate chopped him, tossed him. He seemed afraid to use his magic on her, in case he broke the spell."
Ethan broke into a grin. For a moment.
"But the love potion?"
"Obviously, sir, Jesse didn't care if Sarah hated him even more after it wore off" Benny added. "But he couldn't get all the ingredients. It's winter outside this evil pocket dimension. And Jesse's obliged to stay here for the next few weeks. So the young gentleman's very bored."
"Young . . . gentleman! Benny . . . Jack? Seriously!"
"Sorry, sir. But Jesse Black is a guest of the hotel. And he's technically in a sixteen-year-old body."
"A stolen one" Ethan corrected. "But what's Jesse up to with Sarah?"
"Yesterday afternoon, he sent me down to the lobby to stand there. Jesse said he couldn't work with me standing over him. He's taking Sarah to see movies in the screening room today . . . ."
"What movies?" said Ethan. "They're actually going on a date inside the hotel?"
"1956 movies. Jesse seems to have this idea to trick her into liking him" said Benny. "Sarah has just enough of her personality that he thinks he can influence her. But I can't say how it's been going. I've just been standing around, bringing things. Last thing I did was make popcorn at the concession stand outside the theatre. But Jesse didn't like my work, sir, so I was replaced with another of the zombies."
"Why not?" asked Ethan.
Benny tried but failed to smile. But he managed to look somewhat proud of himself.
"I put garlic butter on the popcorn. It must have been something deep seated."
Ethan gave a toothy grin in spite of himself.
"What about Rory?"
"Still an action figure in Stephanie's room" Benny said. "The last time I was there, he said Whazzzzz up one too many times so she threw him into a drawer, in the end table near the window. At least he's safe, sir."
"If you call being turned into an action figure safe" said Ethan wryly.
Benny then told him about Erica, and Stephanie having turned her into a particularly cheerful cheerleader. This didn't bother Ethan too much.
"I don't want her to be under a spell, dude" Ethan told Benny. "But . . . ."
"Call me Jack, sir. J-A-C-K"
"Jack" said Ethan impatiently. "But being hypnotized into being a cheerleader is the lesser of the five evils."
"Until she's sacrificed to the devil, sir" Benny said.
"WHAT!"
Benny explained to Ethan's shock the whole scheme.
"Her soul-stealing pentagram" Ethan remembered. "Like last time."
"I think that's why Stephanie has been guarding her from Jesse" said Benny. "Stephanie wants Erica unattached for the duration of her stay."
"Let me guess" said Ethan angrily. "Jesse couldn't canoodle with Sarah, so he wants to canoodle with Erica. Using her as Sarah's substitute. Again. Just like the first time! Is there anything that guy has ever done that was right?"
"No sir, I don't believe so. Are we going to go to the theatre to rescue Sarah now?"
Ethan grimaced. In fact, he gave a snarl.
Ethan didn't want Jesse in the same theatre as Sarah. Of course, Ethan knew Sarah un-spellbound, would have far more to say about it than he did. But Ethan's plans hadn't yet accounted for disenchanting her. And, technically Sarah was safe as long as Jesse was "only" planning to date her. At least for now.
"No, we have to creep up on Stephanie or Jesse. Or else I'm prowling the woods again as a werewolf and you're the super-obedient bellboy" said Ethan caustically.
"But, sir, how did you get back here in the first place?"
Ethan explained. It was unsettling to do, because Benny sat like a statute only forcing himself to nod once in a while. Ethan expected funny, maybe annoying comments from time to time. But for his best buddy to sit still was weird.
Sure, Benny could be quiet or polite if he wanted to. Mostly around parents. But now, to Ethan, it was as if Benny was tranquillized
Suddenly, Benny stood up as straight as a ramrod and gave a salute. So fast, Ethan too jumped in surprise.
"Stephanie called down to the front desk, and the clerk is ringing the bell" Benny said dully.
"You're still . . . you?" asked Ethan. "Jack . . . Benny!"
"It has to be Jack, J-A-C-K" Benny replied. "But I'm still me. As soon as I'm free, I"m going to report back here."
"Benny . . . Jack . . . try to get Astronaut Rory" said Ethan. "Dude . . . Jack . . . I'm know I how to get rid of Jesse. Stephanie too."
Benny's deadpan face showed the briefest sign of interest, but it quickly passed.
"Will do, sir. But take these!"
Benny had a money-belt on. He removed several silver dimes and put them on the table.
"In case they get you, you can undo the curse, sir! At least partially."
With that, Benny rushed out. Almost frantic to reach the Royal Suite.
Ethan closed the door after Benny. It was depressing to see his best friend enslaved like that, although he now saw hope that final victory might be in their grasp.
"Facing Stephanie's going to hurt" muttered Ethan to himself, after a few minutes thought.
Ethan looked down at the dimes. Ethan went and retrieved a facecloth from the washroom and carefully tied the dimes inside, without touching them direct. Ethan fought an attack of fatigue as he went about his work. Ethan put the tied-up dimes in his jacket pocket. It took several minutes for him to shake the silver-induced weariness from his head.
The weariness was replaced with a restlessness from being alone in a closed-up room in an empty hotel.
Ethan looked around. His eyes rested on the night-table and its one drawer. Ethan remembered the abandoned church in town. So, he wondered.
Ethan walked over and opened the drawer. He wasn't surprised to see the drawer empty. But it creeped him out all the same.
