Final Destination Meets The Lost Boys
The Cici Academy Would Like To Thank: My usual, lovely reviewers: Dharke and 277…where are you Scribble! I reckon it's time Sparky made a comeback. First off, Dharke…love your reviews, so detailed! Me try to get on your good side? What's that…? Well, this time I did mention Lycans…albeit in one sentence…will that take you out of sulking? (Imagines Hawk sulking) Nup didn't think so. There's not so much Carter in this (chapter three will make up for it!), so I apologise in advance for the A/C stuff…I know you'll wanna spew up last night's meal but I need to set up the A/C interaction, Damnit! An explosion at the comic book store? Nah, best you can hope for is Toddie and Baseball cap boy…being dorks! And 277 needs to be more constructive in reviews…naw, only joking…I LOVE ALL REVIEWS!
Chapter Two
Alex walked into the crowded comic book store. Posters of several franchises were adorned on the walls: Batman, Superman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, of course, Alex's personal favourite, X Men. Heading straight over to the movie section, Alex was within several inches of touching a comic when he clocked a young teenager, wearing a backwards baseball cap, watching him closely. Alex picked up the comic, deliberately trying to piss the teen off. Feeling a little nervous, Alex felt another pair of eyes on him. He saw another boy with brown hair and a slightly weird shaped head, sorting out other comics but keeping a firm eye on the newcomer.
Alex put down his comic and started to walk away. He got within yards of the exit when the two boys closed in on him.
"Got a problem guys?"
"Just scooping your civilian wardrobe," said the brown-haired lad.
"Pretty cool huh?"
"For a fashion victim." Said the square jawed baseball capped one.
"You're one to talk; baseball caps went out of fashion years ago."
"Listen buddy, if you're looking for the diet frozen yoghurt bar it went out of business last summer."
"The name's Alex, you'd do well to learn it."
The boy with the baseball cap looked at the other with a confused expression upon his face. The brown haired lad nodded to his friend. Alex knew that must have signalled some sort of an agreement.
"I'm Billy and this is my step brother, Tod. We own this place. Interested in comics, uh?"
"I'm looking for an X Men no.14. Centered around Wolverine."
"That's a very serious book man," Tod replied.
"Only five in existence," Billy interjected.
"Four actually." Correct Alex. "I'm always looking out for the other three. "
Alex turned to his left, noticing the Superman isle.
Aww, man this is wrong! Horribly wrong!
"You can't put the Superman no.77 with the 200s," Alex said, picking up a copy. "Red kryptonite hasn't been discovered." Placing that down, he picked up another. "And you, uh, can't put the no.98s with the 300's…Lori Lemaris hasn't even been introduced."
Tod glared at Billy, his eyes widening. Billy elbowed his stepbrother in the gut, forcing Tod to clutch at his stomach.
"I told you they were in the wrong place, dude!" he muttered, obviously embarrassed. Feeling cocky, Billy turned to Alex, tapping him on the shoulder. "Where are YOU from? Krypton?"
"Phoenix, actually. But luckily, my cousin and I moved…here."
Alex stopped short, feeling a slight shiver down his back. At the very front of the store, he clocked a beautiful sight. It was the blonde haired girl Carter had seen earlier. Noticing that she wasn't the one with the curls, Alex knew immediately his luck could be in. His sudden change in attention forced a desire to pull of a quick, but hasty exit.
Alex turned to walk up the aisle to go and introduce himself to the blonde, but Billy quickly followed him. Tod picked up a comic and caught up with the boys. He thrust a comic into Alex's hand.
"Here, take this."
Alex took one look at it. On the front, was a well-drawn sketch of a vampire. It's hand stretched out at Alex, as if enticing him to read the comic. Alex pushed it back in Tod's direction.
"I don't like horror comics."
"You'll like this one Mr Phoenix." Tod replied, handing it back to Alex. "It could save your life."
Alex glanced up to the front of the store, checking to see if the girl was still there. She was. However, now she wasn't alone. Surrounding her were a few other girls, they were all chatting and giggling over some comics. To the right of them, Alex saw several others huddled around one of the stalls. They were pushing and shoving amongst themselves. Suddenly, the bushy eye browed leader snatched up several comics and began stashing them into his pocket.
Billy was first to notice before Tod. Billy shouted out: "HEY!"
The guy looked up, startled by Billy's cry, and he and his mates attempted to make run for it. At the same time, the blonde girl had begun to make her exit but the brushy browed one barged right into her, knocking her to the floor, trying to escape. Tod and Billy quickly took after the thieves while Alex rolled up the comic and shoved it in his back pocket and quickly made his way over to the girl.
He stood in front of her and offered out his hand.
"Here, lemme help you."
The girl looked up at him, and smiled a coy smile at him. She took his outstretched hand and he pulled her to her feet. Alex noticed that she was a little taller than him, slim and had what seemed to be perfectly placed blonde hair.
"Sorry about those assholes," Alex apologised.
"Oh it's alright," she replied. "I'm used to being trodden all over. I new around here; don't seem to be that visible to people."
"I don't see how." Alex said, a goofy grin spreading across his face. Damn, his flirting skills were bad. He didn't want her to see that.
"You're very sweet." She told him. Alex gave a modest smile. "I'm Clear."
"Clear? That's uh…"
"Yes, a little eccentric, huh?"
"No, that wasn't what I was gonna say."
"Oh don't worry about it. My parents…kinda hippies if you wanna call 'em that."
Alex had forgotten his manners in all this. "I'm Alex, by the way."
"Nice name. So Alex, have you lived here long?"
"No, actually I just moved here with my cousin."
"Your cousin, huh? Is he around?" Clear asked. "What's he like?"
Alex now seemed a little uneasy. Here he was, thinking he had scored with this girl, and now she was asking him about Carter. What if she likes him…?
"Carter? Oh, he was. I-I mean, he was here. But you don't wanna meet him."
"I don't?" she asked, now confused. "Why's that?"
"He's not really a nice guy, at all. Listen, you wanna get something to eat…?" Alex asked, changing the subject away from Carter. How was it the sheer mention of the ex-jock's name made every girl he had ever spoke to want to meet him? Was 'Carter' a babe-magnet name…? Well probably more so than 'Alexander'. Alex smacked himself mentally.
Clear waved her hand at Alex. "You know, I'd love to, really I would…but my friends are I are off down to the beach for some late night partying…"
"Come on Clear!" one of her friends yelled, causing Alex to look desperately at the blonde. Maybe she would ask him to come. Or maybe she wouldn't. Alex didn't want to push his luck.
"Maybe I'll see you around then…?" he asked, leaving an open-ended question.
Clear gave Alex a look, which definitely told him he would indeed see her again. A red head approached Clear from behind and grabbed her hands.
"Come on Rivers, Zach's truck is about ready to go!"
And with that she was pulled away out into the street. Alex rushed out to the exit and watched her leave. The blonde turned her head and flashed him a flirtatious grin, physically causing Alex's stomach to churn. He was mesmerised.
---
Carter stood outside the entrance to the Boardwalk, hoping that the blonde would soon reappear, and hopefully minus the brat. Sighing, he leaned against a park bench and pulled back his sleeve to glance at his watch. Almost 11.45pm. He groaned inwardly, remembering his mom saying something about being home before 12am. Why was he always treated like such a kid…?
Just then, the curly blonde haired girl stepped out from the busy crowd, exiting the Boardwalk. Close up time, Carter assumed. His heart perked up at the very sight of her, but began to sink as she was with the little boy. And just like the Titanic, his heart hit an iceberg. She walked directly punk and five punkers, sitting outside at the motorcycle lock up. The little boy hopped on the back of one motorcycle and Carter was intrigued to see which one of the bikers was her boyfriend.
He got his answer as she climbed directly onto the back of the peroxide blond's motorbike. Alex also exited the Boardwalk, looking somewhat forlorn. Not that Carter cared, and turned his attention back to the scene unfolding before his eyes. And then, she looked at Carter. Directly in the eye, recognizing him immediately. She smiled brightly at him, obviously liking what she was seeing. Carter felt his lip muscles reacting, and he gave back a somewhat half-hearted smile. Then it was the peroxide blond's turn to look at him. He saw Carter checking out his girl, and shook his head slightly before smirking at Carter.
He revved up the bike's engine, and one by one the bikers took off, from left to right. The girl and the peroxide blond were last to leave. As they tore into the night, the girl turned her head to glance back in Carter's direction, wanting to get a good look at his face. Her way of saying 'goodbye'.
Alex had watched the whole scene unfold, and walked up to his cousin, a wide goofy grin on his face. "Come on, she stiffed ya!"
"Oh yeah, well I don't see you with any hot babe, Browning." He spat, not in the mood to challenge his plank-headed cousin.
"Wait and see bud," Alex grinned, rolling the comic book in his hands. "Wait and see."
---
Kimberly glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard of Burke's car. 2am. She turned her attention back to the comic he had stolen for her. She wasn't at all impressed with the way he went about getting it for her, but she read it nonetheless. She even found humour in it and began to giggle at certain sketches inside. Or maybe the giggling was put on from the fact that Burke was sitting behind her, doing an intimate job on her neck. Annoyed, she swatted him away.
Burke wasn't taking no for an answer. He was randy as hell. Plus, with his FBI exam due someday soon, he felt like a nice relaxing sex session would calm him. Kimberly was having none of it. Not giving up, he tried again, going to claim the same spot on her neck. Just then she jumped away from his touch, startled even more so than before.
"What is it?" Burke asked her.
"What was that?" She replied, posing Burke her own question.
"What was what?"
"I thought I heard something, Tommy."
"Forget it, babe…"
As he claimed her lips within his, forcing passion onto her, the metal roof of Burke's car was suddenly ripped off clean, and the cold wind from outside bustled its way into the car. Startled by the initial impact, Burke thought a vicious tornado was coming to sweep them away. Papers from the comic started fluttering everywhere, threatening to block his view. Only when he heard Kimberly's shriek, he knew this was not a tornado. Trying to reach for his gun, he was rapidly swept up into the night air, by someone or something…
"Kim!" he shouted down to her, as he was dragged away by an unknown assailant. Kimberly screamed again, seeing her fiancé being torn away from her. Her screams only grew louder as the unidentified assailants returned and swept her into the air as well. Her screams cut through the silent night sky like a knife.
---
Dust threatened to cloud Alex's vision as Grandpa Horton roughly jerked back the garage doors. Obviously, it hadn't been opened in quite a while. How does he get anything done around here? He thought.
Staring Alex in the face was a light blue 1950's Chevy, unscratched and in mint condition.
"How do you like that baby?" Grandpa Horton cooed with admiration.
Alex wasn't really into cars – that was usually Carter's area of expertise. But he knew a classic car when he saw one.
"It's a beauty."
"Come on, let's get in!"
Alex clenched one fist in excitement, preparing to drive the Chevy.
"Can I drive on the way back?"
"Fat chance!" the older man said, dismissing Alex immediately with his tone of voice. "Nobody drives this baby but me!"
Grandpa Horton bent down, opening his car door just like Alex on the opposite side. Alex jumped in but it took the older male a little bit longer to sit himself down properly. Once ready, the key was inserted into the slot and the car was ignited; ready to go. Grandpa pressed his foot down on the accelerator and the engine roared with velocity and venom.
"We have to let it warm up a little." He revved it again. "You hear that Alex? Like a baby pussy cat."
A quick silence followed before Grandpa declared: "Okay! Let's go to town!"
Alex grinned, clicking his seat belt into place. Alex expected the car to slowly but carefully move down the driveway but instead, the engine was shut off completely. At first, Alex had thought the car had stalled, seeing as it hadn't been used outdoors much. Then when he heard the opposite car door slam shut, he knew Carter's grandfather was out of the vehicle.
"I thought we were going to town?" Alex asked perplexed.
"Well, that's as close to town as I like to get." The old man snorted in disgust and walked out of the garage, leaving Alex to his own devices. He couldn't exactly watch TV now, could he?
"Total weirdo man," he finalised to himself, concluding his thoughts on the older Horton. Guess he was walking to town after all…
---
Billy was sitting watching The A Team on cable. Due to conventional low afternoon comic sales, he expected not to see the usual rush they frequently got at nighttime. His eyes drooped as sleep tried to worm its way into his system. He managed to have his eyes shut for roughly ten seconds before he was jabbed in the arm by Tod. He looked up, startled at the rough contact but then looked surprised as he followed Tod's gaze to the kid, Alex - from last night – who had just strolled in.
Alex clocked their attention immediately, an idea springing into his head. He walked over to the Superman section once again, to see if the boys had properly arranged the comics the way they ought to be. He picked up a copy, tried to look less obvious and flicked through several pages.
"Notice anything unusual about Santa Carla yet?" a voice asked.
Alex looked up to see Tod and Billy standing right in front of him, eyeing him carefully. The emphasis on the word 'unusual' flickered interest in Alex, and he wondered what Tod had meant by that. He started to exit the Superman isle, to come around to the side the brothers were on.
"A pretty cool place, if you're a Martian." Alex deadpanned.
"Or a vampire." Billy argued back.
Vampire? Alex thought. Someone's been watching too much Underworld. He half expected Tod to chip in with lycans too, or fucking aliens even but nothing of those sorts surfaced. Alex took it upon himself to react.
"Are you guys sniffing on old newsprint or something?"
Billy wasn't standing for any of this mockery bullshit. "You think you know what's happening here, don't you? Well lemme tell you: you don't know shit buddy. You just think we work in a comic book store to raise money for our folks, huh?"
"Actually, I thought it was a bakery."
"Enough with the mocking, man…" Tod challenged, somewhat disgruntled with Alex's manner. He glanced over to his sleeping father and step mom, who were off in dreamland. Alex glanced over too and raised his eyebrows as if to question what Tod was going to do about it.
Okay, so that did no threatening whatsoever, Tod reasoned with himself, feeling such an idiot.
"This is just our cover," said Billy, stepping closer to Alex, Tod closing in quickly from behind.
"We're dedicated to a higher purpose: we're fighters for truth, justice…and the American way."
Alex cocked an eyebrow at the capped one, and began to get serious about it all. "Riiiight."
"Read this!" Billy demanded, and shoved a comic into Alex's hand. Another horror.
"I told you, I don't like horror comics," he said and politely declined the offer of a free comic by pushing the comic out of his hands and back into Billy's. However, the square jawed one thrust it straight back into his hands.
"Think of it more as a survival manual." Tod advised.
"Survival? For what?"
Tod ignored the question. "There's our number on the back. And pray, you never need to call us."
"Okay," Alex said sarcastically. "I'll pray that I'll never need to call ya, sure."
As he turned to leave he saw Clear standing outside the comic book store entrance. His annoyance at the brothers' slightly crazy warnings of vampires had quickly disseminated from his mind now that she was near. From behind, he could hear Tod and Billy arguing over why Billy insisted on giving away comics for free…
"We've had enough break-ins as it is and you're fucking practically handing them out?" Tod screeched from behind.
Wanting to save his ears from the verbal fight that was due to follow, Alex walked over to where the blonde was standing, looking quiet sultry and alluring.
"You handled that well," Clear praised, squinting past Alex to watch the stepsiblings argue. Alex turned in time to see Billy smack Tod around the head. That at least, shut him up.
"So you decided to come back." Alex said, smiling.
"Can't stay away from potential pursuits now can I? I'm a sucker for a cute face."
Alex was trying to get this right in his head. Was she coming on to him? Was he really a "potential pursuit"? Carter would laugh at such a thought; probably be at home laughing at the very thought right now if he knew. Alex was never really good with girls. Hot ones at that.
"Where's your friend?" Alex asked, changing the subject. "From last night, curly blonde hair…?"
Clear shifted her position against the doorframe, "Oh, she's around. Probably at her boyfriend's right now."
Alex saw the change of tone in her voice, as if talking about her friend was unsettling. But Alex perked up on the word "boyfriend"…oh Carter would not be pleased. Even if last night's viewing of the girl getting on the motorcycle with that biker was a one off…
"Listen, I'm going back to the house just now. You want to come and meet Carter?"
"But last night, you said I probably wouldn't want to."
"Yeah, that's true, I did say that…" Alex replied scratching his head, dumbfounded.
"I'm not in the habit of going home with strange boys," Clear said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"And who are we talking about now?" Alex responded, trying to make a joke out of it. Damn, perhaps he was being a little too forward. Any further, and he'd be flat on his face, and she would be laughing at him. "So how about it?"
"Alright, sure. Why not? Let's meet the infamous Carter."
"If he's nasty, which is more than likely," Alex advised, "don't say I didn't warn ya."