Marshall is sitting on a bench in a small cell, looking worn down and haggard. The door clicks and a man enters carrying a try of food. He places the tray in his handcuffed hands and takes a step back with a snicker. "Time for-"
Suddenly, he is knocked off his feet with a solid punch. Marshall places the handcuffs on him, pocketing his handcuff pick and taking the gun from his pocket. He then sneaks out of the cell, avoiding the cameras and peeking down hallways. He opens the door to the file room and the alarm starts blaring. He moves a desk in front of the door.
He shuffles quickly through paper, folds and pockets what he was looking for. Pounding sounds on the door and he kicks out the window. He manages to leap out and grab the fence to the facility, scaling it quickly and landing on the other side.
Men run out and begin shooting as he takes off into the forest, one shot hitting his leg. He groans but continues on, scaling a tree and watching as the men run past. He pulls out the file as he checks the gun to see it has a single bullet.
"Perfect."
XXX
Lori Fitzgerald is enjoying her night casually sitting on her bed thumbing through a worn copy of The Hunger Games. Her roommate Hannah Frost casually strolls in and stops in front of her, opening her mouth.
"The answer is no," Lori says without looking up. Hannah drops her smile.
"I haven't even-"
"It's still no. And I know what it is. The costumes have been sitting in your side of the closet since the beginning of October," Lori says, still not looking up.
Hannah leans on the bed-frame. "But it's the Halloween dance. It'll be fun."
"As I'm sure you can imagine I wasn't the dances type in high school. I plan on continuing that in college. Besides, it's not my fault you bought a couple's costume assuming you would still have a boyfriend to go with. Besides, I'm reading."
Hannah tries to take the book but she manages to turn around. "Oh, you've read the series through more times than I have already."
"I just want to know if it ends the same." Hannah glares at her back for a long moment before finally giving up and heading for her desk.
"Fine. Just think about it. The dance is tomorrow. You might have finished all the books by then." The two sit in silence before Lori suddenly speaks up.
"Is it that you're worried about what they're going to say? Because you shouldn't." Hannah takes a long moment to formulate her answer.
"Well, just because you shouldn't doesn't always mean you don't. I just… I was expecting different things out of my first campus holiday."
"I've never really liked Halloween. It's just a day that excuses freaks for acting freaky. They come pouring out of the wood-work. All I want is another average day."
Hannah gives a laugh. "We'll see how that goes. Our track record isn't exactly that stellar."
"You can say that again," Lori agrees.
XXX
So follow me down
(Lori stands with the book)
Where to?
Outta this town
(Charlie examines his map)
With you
Girl, you're movin way
(Hannah is typing away at her computer)
Too slow
So follow me down
Which way?
Down, down, down
I'll show you around
Okay
There's a place we gotta go
(The Disney Encyclopedia begins to glow. Lori sighs)
Follow me, follow me
(Lori, Hannah, and Charlie are running through the preserve, freezing once on each of their faces)
Fa la la la la
Follow me, follow me
Fa la la la la
(Lori comes to a halt and both crash into her, sending them all to the ground)
Lori Disney? (Not Likely!)
Episode 11: Don't Close Your Eyes
XXX
Lori and Hannah are both asleep in their beds. The clock on Lori's nightstand switches to midnight and the date in the corner switches to October 31st. As if on cue the filing cabinet begins to rattle, waking the two of them instantly- Lori pulling out her bow and arrow. They both figure out what's going on and Lori lowers her weapon.
"Oh, I hate this day already," she grumbles.
Hannah lies back down and closes her eyes. "Looks like it will indeed be just another ordinary day." Lori does the same.
"Happy Halloween," she mutters sarcastically.
XXX
Lori and Hannah both walk into English later that morning to find Charlie Prescott waiting in their usual spot. He seems to be back to his usual self and is dressed in orange and back, looking more excited than usual as they take their spots. "Happy Halloween guys!"
Hannah gives him a large smile. "Happy Halloween Charlie!" Lori merely grumbles under her breath. "Are you going to the dance tonight?"
"I don't really have a costume. How about you Lori?"
"It looks like I have to spend the night in the forest preserve."
At that moment, Tyler walks past them and gives Hannah a small glance before knocking Charlie's books to the ground and walking up the stairs to his friends. Lori helps him pick it up as Hannah looks shaken up. "Like I said- freaks out of the wood-work."
"I'm sorry," Hannah apologizes.
"Hey, it's not your fault," Charlie comforts her. "They're just books. In a few weeks I won't even need them anymore." Hannah sits for a moment before suddenly rising.
"I'll be back in a minute." She quickly exits, the two catching the fact that she's starting to cry.
Charlie frowns. "She's still not doing so well. I was hoping after a while she'd be okay."
"Your first break-up is hard. But in her case it gets to be harder than most."
"We should try to distract her. I don't like seeing her sad. She's been sad for too long and we're not helping her."
"I don't like her like this either honestly. She's supposed to be obnoxiously happy so I can be the grumpy one." This makes him laugh.
XXX
Hannah stands in the washroom and wipes her eyes. She grips the sink tightly and takes a few deep breaths just as Victoria enters. She just stares at her through the mirror before Hannah finally makes a move and edges past her and out the door.
Victoria goes to the mirror she vacated and fixes her hair as another girl emerges from the stall to the other sink. Both notice something floating behind them. Victoria mutters under her breath, "Please tell me you see it too."
The other girl nods. They both turn slowly and stare at a floating woman in white holding and axe. She swings it, shattering the mirror, causing the two to take off screaming as she casually floats back through the wall.
XXX
Lori is looking through her e-mail in the library as Charlie and Hannah hover over her shoulder. "They say it was just a prank gone wrong," she says, closing the window. "We should not panic and if we have any information to present it to them. Do you think we could just hand the book over?"
"I think they'll just laugh at us," Charlie concludes. He turns to Hannah. "Victoria came in with that other girl screaming about a ghost. Who do you think it is?"
"I have an inkling, but that means some pretty big things."
"Well, let's hear it," Lori says.
"Well, they said it was a ghost woman all dressed in white with an axe. I think we've got The Bride." Charlie looks puzzled as Lori puts her head in her hands.
"What's she from?"
"Here's the big part- she's from the Haunted Mansion." Charlie is still confused and turns to Lori for answers.
"As in we might be getting characters from the theme parks too." Hannah nods. "And that adds hundreds of characters we might be forced to deal with in the future."
Charlie nods in understanding. "Well, this just got more complicated."
"Then again she could be from the Eddie Murphy movie I suppose," Hannah proposes.
"The less we mention that abomination- the better."
They sit taking this in for a moment when Charlie smiles. "We should go to Disney World to study!"
"No," Lori answers harshly. He decides to change the subject.
"What's the plan of action?"
"She's going to be drawn to men," Hannah rattles off. "And it just so happens there's going to be a very large gathering tonight. Her costume would go around un-noticed."
"Does that mean we're going to the dance?" Charlie asks, excited.
Lori sighs and gathers her things. "It looks like it. Tonight we're going to have to protect the entire campus from a ghost."
XXX
Hannah is sitting in the lounge going through files on her computer when Charlie comes in. "Lori back yet?"
"No. She's still talking with her counselor about classes next semester."
"What are you doing?" he asks, sitting next to her.
"I am manually going through every file I can find from the Disney hack."
"But we found nothing."
"We found nothing with a keyword search. Now I'm actually looking through all the files to see if I see anything that could help us. I just want to find Lori something. She's losing patience and becoming more and more frustrated."
"I know. How much longer do you think she can keep doing this? Finals are coming up, Christmas Break. We still know nothing."
"That's why I'm using my abundance of free time to give her some hope."
"Do you miss it? Having a boyfriend?"
"Not as much as I thought I would. What I do miss is some of my friends."
"Why don't they believe you? You would never do something like that," he assures her.
"I don't know. I don't know."
XXX
Hannah is on her bed still looking through files on her computer. Lori steps in dressed in a Dracula costume complete with flowing cape. Hannah stares at her in shock. "What-"
"Let me preface this. You've been sulky and moody and sad. I don't like being around you when you're like that. This is a one-time thing. We're not friends. But tonight I am going to be nice and dress silly for you. Don't read into it though. I'm also trying to blend in for our ghost hunt." She puts the Dracula plastic teeth in. "Well, how do I look?" she says awkwardly.
Hannah smiles. "You look perfect." She climbs down and stands in front of her. "There's just one little problem. That was supposed to be my costume! You should be in the Frankenstein one!" she shouts, crossing her arms.
Lori crosses hers. "If I'm doing this then I get the Dracula costume!"
"Lori!" Lori just bars her vampire teeth and hisses. "Fine." She goes for the closet but sticks her head back in. "Thank you."
XXX
Lori and Hannah knock on Charlie's dorm door. Hannah is now dressed as Frankenstein with a green face and clothes that are clearly too big for her. Charlie opens the door with a sheet over his head and eyeholes cut into it.
"A ghost- I like it," Hannah compliments.
"It was very last minute. Let's go." He closes the door and they start down the hallway. "Hey, can we go to Target after this? I need to buy a new sheet for my bed." This makes the two laugh.
"Sure we can," Hannah agrees with a smile. They exit the building and start for the gym.
"So what else do we know about The Bride?" he asks Hannah.
"Well, she could be movie Bride. Then she'd be an innocent victim looking for rest."
"And ride Bride?"
"Murderous black widow with an axe and an affinity for shiny things."
Lori cuts in enthusiastic, "That sounds awesome! God, that movie screwed up everything!"
"What's the plan?" Hannah asks her.
"I'm currently working on it," Lori answers. "I doubt she's just going to let us talk to her. Trapping her might be just as tricky. For right now, just split up at the dance and keeps your eyes and ears peeled."
As they arrive at the gym, Lori turns to Hannah, serious. "And if they give you any sort of crap, find me. Got it?" She nods with a small smile. "Let's do this," Lori concludes.
The trio enters the athletic center and head into the gym where the party is in full swing. They all nod at one another and split up.
XXX
Lori searches the outskirts at the back of the gym, taking a brief moment to be disturbed at the dirty dancing occurring. She makes her way to the tables with the snacks and starts to check under the tablecloths.
"What are you doing?" She shoots up, hitting her head in the process. "Oh, are you okay?" She glares up at Ben, who is dressed in his normal attire except with a Halloween tie.
"Oh, I get it. You're dressed normally because you wear a mask every day," she says bitterly. She gets up and tries to leave but he grabs her arm.
"Look, I know you're still mad at me and I get that," he appeals.
"You will let go of me in the next ten seconds or I will bring this party down screaming bloody murder."He immediately lets go. She takes a few steps before turning and facing him. "I'm getting sick of this. It takes a lot of energy to hold this much hate for you."
"Well, you could forgive me for being a fake and an idiot. Then I can stop using Hannah as a carrier pigeon. I'm sure she'd appreciate that."
"That won't make us friends though."
"I wouldn't want that. I can barely tolerate you." The music changes to a slower song. "Care to dance?"
"I'd rather-"
"I don't care," he answers, pulling her out onto the dance floor. He goes to put a hand on her hip but she smacks it away. He finally settles for holding her arms as she crosses them and glares at him. "I like the costume," he says, trying to strike up conversation. "I didn't picture you as the Halloween type. "
"I'm not. Hannah is though. We're both classic movie monsters."
"So that must mean Charlie is lurking around here somewhere."
"He's a ghost. It was last minute."
"Well, I'm glad you're making his first Halloween special."
"What?"
"Well, the first that he can remember. He never dressed up for Halloween before. His mom was an artist- she made his costume. His dad was just too depressed the first year to do anything after his mom died and the tradition just continued."
"What about you?"
"Ah, I grew up. Same as everything else." The song ends and Lori takes a huge step back.
"Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"Absolutely. I'm sorry to waste your time." She starts to walk away from him. "Are we good now?"
"As good as two people who hate each other's guts can be. You see, you did waste my time. And I was pretty disappointed."
XXX
Hannah is walking through the middle of the dance floor trying to avoid the stares and whispers. Suddenly, Victoria dressed in princess gown and tiara is in front of her. She tries to move past her. "Excuse-"Victoria grabs her.
"I know it has something to do with you," she says threatening over the music. "What I saw in the bathroom. I'm not crazy. I've never been crazy. There is something with the three of you."
Hannah just stares at her, saying nothing. "Hannah, I have spent a month in a hospital. I need you to give me this. I sat in a room with no one but my parents and occasionally Tyler. You owe me. You owe me after what you did with him behind my back."
"He told me he had broken up with you," Hannah replies desperate. "I'm sorry if I've caused you any pain. And I'm so sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about." She pulls away. "I had nothing to do with that prank in the washroom today. Neither did Charlie or Lori. I was with them in the classroom when it happened."
"I know it has to do with the book," she nearly spits. "That book ruined my life."She becomes more upset as Tyler comes up, dressed as a prince, between the two of them.
"Is she bothering you?" he asks Victoria. She nods, upset, and just buries her head in his chest as he holds her. He stares down Hannah. "I told you to leave her alone. What we did was wrong-"
"No, what you did was wrong!" she shouts angrily. "You manipulated me and I took the fall with everyone!"
Tyler shakes his head. "When are you going to give it up? Stop lying Hannah." At this point, most of the people are staring at the group.
"You may have hid behind me, you may have everyone in this gym convinced that I'm some sort of cheater, but I know the truth! I know what kind of person you are for stringing me along and then taking everything from me!"
"Just leave us alone," Tyler begs, aware of the audience. Hannah notices all the eyes and starts to slowly back away before taking off out of the gym.
XXX
Charlie walks into the empty men's restroom looking around and checking in empty stalls. Satisfied, he goes to leave but the door is suddenly locked. He starts to pull and pound on it before pulling out his phone and sending a quick text.
"You may kiss… the bride…" a whisper comes from behind him. He takes a second to brace himself and starts to slowly turn around.
XXX
Lori enters the bathroom to wash her hands and hears crying from a stall. She gently knocks on the door. "Do you need me to hit anyone?"
Hannah's sniffles. "No. God, why am I such a mess? I should be glad to get rid of him." Lori takes a seat outside the stall and sees she is also sitting on the floor inside.
"Because you got hurt. Your shield was damaged and now you need time to repair it."
"I just want to get on stage and tell all of them the truth. I want them to listen to me. Why won't anybody believe me?" she says, voice cracking.
"I do. And Charlie does," she reminds her. "Listen, maybe it's part my fault too. I tried to keep things normal and distant after it all went down. I seem to have this bad habit of never stepping up because I'm oblivious and quite honestly don't care."
"I knew you both only meant well. You can be a jerk sometimes, but-"Lori's phone goes off and she checks the message. She then bolts to her feet.
"It's Charlie. He's trapped in the bathroom. It must be her!" Hannah throws the stall open and the two take off to across the hall and start pounding on the door to the men's bathroom. "Charlie!"
"Charlie! What's going on?"
"There's a ghost standing on the other side of the room with an axe and I'm a little… I'm a lot freaked out," his un-steady voice comes through.
"Hold on," Lori orders. "We'll figure something out." She kneels to examine the lock on the door.
"What's she doing in there?" Hannah asks.
"Just… staring actually. It's really terrifying."
Lori rises grumbling. "It's a dead-bolt. There's no way I could pick it."
"You know how to pick a lock?"
"I'll explain never," Lori answers. She stands thinking for a moment.
"Lori, we need a new plan stat," Hannah says desperate.
"Is it too late to call Ghostbusters?" Charlie asks sincere. Lori leans against the door.
"Charlie, I'm going to get a janitor to unlock this. I will be right back," she says calmly before turning to Hannah. "Stay here." She takes off towards the gym.
XXX
Charlie has his back plasters against the door and tries to avoid staring at The Bride, who just floats across the room. Finally, he looks up and meets her in the eye. "Uh… hi. I'm Charlie. I'm… me and my friends can send you home. Isn't that what you want? Please be what you want."
"I was… pulled here," she whispers. "I just knew… I had to find you." The door unlocks and Hannah runs in. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I can't help it sometimes. I had to find her though. That's why I got her attention."
"We're not going to let you hurt her," Hannah threatens.
The Bride chuckles, sending chills down their spines. "I have no plans to. Millions pass through my home every day and I never lay a finger on any of them. I can't help but startle and scare, that is my nature. But in this life I can no longer harm anyone. And I do not wish too. I'm not what I seem." There are footsteps sprinting back.
"I couldn't find-"
"It's unlocked now." Lori opens the door and steps in. Charlie subtly slides behind her as she faces down The Bride.
"Ah, there she is. I request you please send me back to my place of eternal rest."
"You're not what you seem, are you?" Hannah asks, letting her guard lower.
"No. The ghosts all know otherwise. I'm not worried if the humans do. You shouldn't either," she says knowingly.
Charlie clutches Lori's cape but she pulls away. "Alright, time to go back into the wood-work." She opens the book and finds the glowing poem.
"One second!" Hannah interjects. "Can you say the line first? For me please?"
The Bride nods and begins in her creepiest tone, "Hurry back. Hurry back. Don't forget to bring your… death certificate." Hannah claps in joy as Charlie again latches himself onto Lori's cape. She tries to pull him away, fails, and just gives up.
"Well, thank you for that Hannah. We shrieked and harmonized When this grim, grinning ghost came out to socialize" There is a flash of light and The Bride vanishes. Lori closes the book. "I really hate Halloween." She turns to Charlie. "Are you okay?"
He laughs in fake bravado. "I'm perfect actually." Hannah just shakes her head.
"Hey, how about we ditch this party and go on a Target run."
"But, this is my first dance. I haven't slow-danced with you yet."
Lori cringes. "I already had one forced awkward slow dance with your step-brother. I filled my quota for the night."
"Ben? Eww!" they both say in unison.
"Tell me about it. So… Target? And then maybe we could go trick-or-treating in some local neighborhood."
"That sounds good," Charlie says with a smile.
"I agree," Hannah says. They exit the bathroom and start out of the gym. "I really wish I had you keep her around to give Tyler a good scare."
"Like I said, I could punch him for you."
"It won't be necessary. Let's just get to my car."
XXX
At the end of the night Lori locks the book back in the filing cabinet before climbing into bed. Hannah follows a moment after. "You know, something good did come of all of this," she says as she lies down. "Well, besides Charlie getting a healthy candy haul."
"Oh, please do tell me the lesson you learned," Lori mutters sarcastically.
"Mock me all you want but I did learn something. I learned who I can trust."
"And that would be?"
"The two people who didn't believe the lies."
"I'm touched," she says, closing her eyes.
Hannah stares up at the ceiling. "Lori… thanks for trying to make this day special. Even if it did back-fire spectacularly."
"That was the book's fault, not mine," she defends.
"Maybe it is out to get us."
"Well, at least one person's coming around to my point of view."
Hannah yawns and closes her eyes. "Happy Halloween Lori." Lori turns and looks at her clock as it strikes midnight and the date become November 1st. She smiles and turns on her other side.
"Not anymore."
XXX
Only one more episode before the finale. Tune in next week as Lori and her companions prepare for Christmas break and continue to struggle with the role the book is taking in their lives and threatens to tear them apart.