Queen of the Sandworms

Chapter 2: Nightmares

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Beetlejuice opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a strange desert. He didnt seem to understand how he ended up there. The amber-gold sands blew along, creating dunes and moving along in the winds. The sky was a deep ocean blue and a couple planets were seen in the distance.

Beetlejuice tried walking, but felt too tired and weak. He tried floating, but his legs all the sudden felt heavy like lead. He stared down at them, puzzled. Suddenly he heard his name.

"Beetlejuice!" a female voice cried. The voice sounded like Lydia's. Beetlejuice swiveled his head around. "Lydia?!" he called back. He tried moving, but he was stuck.

Suddenly the sound of a roar was followed. Beetlejuice stiffened as the sand began to move in the distance. Sandworms! He turned back to his legs and tried pulling on them. They wouldn't budge.

His breathing became rapid and quick as he tried moving. He flapped his arms, tried transforming into a plane, a cheetah, a bouncy ball. Anything to get him to move! Nothing worked! He was stuck!

"Beetlejuice!" the voice screamed again, this time it was closer.

The sands stung his eyes as he strained to look for her in the sea of sand.

"Lydia! Heeellpp!" Beetlejuice screamed back and tried running. Suddenly the sands shifted close by. Beetlejuice screamed and tried moving. He froze up when he felt the sand rain down on the back of his suit. He slowly turned around and gapped at the horrific sight.

A Sandworm came up from out of the sand. Hanging halfway out of its open jaws, was Lydia. She screamed as dark blood came pouring out from her stomach and dribbled down the Sandworm's green lips.

Beetlejuice screamed in terror. "Lyyydddiiiaa!" -

Beetlejuice screamed as he sat bolt upright in bed. He breathed heavily as he clutched his chest where his once beating heart sat. Sweat rolled down the sides of his head as the nightmare repeated over and over in his head.

He breathing slowed and he removed his hand from over his heart.

It was just a nightmare...though...how could he know if what he saw in his nightmare was happening at that exact moment? He stared down at the pictures of beetles decorated all over his pajamas. Instead of seeing them, he saw Lydia.

"Lydia..." he whispered.

Tears formed in his bloodshot eyes. He shook his head and quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand. His dirty shoulder length blonde hair went over his face. His face was unshaven and the dark circles under his eyes seemed darker then before.

It has been three days since he stood before the judge...and lost Lydia. Since then, he had stayed in his room, grieving over the loss of his best friend. Everyone in the Neitherworld were both puzzled, and happy by the absence of the poltergeist and celebrated.

Beetlejuice could faintly hear all the dead citizens of the town playing strange music and dancing, but he just ignored them and continued to sit in his bed. He only cared of rescuing Lydia...and only him knows how many times he tried.

He was unable to enter through any way to Sandworm Land..though even if he had the courage or mindset to, the sudden fear of Sandworms pierced through his insides and made him curl up into a shivering little ball.

On top of that... how did he know if she was still alive? Wouldn't she have called his name three times already? Maybe she did and it wouldn't allow him to enter...

"Beetlejuice..." Lydia's voice called faintly through his head.

An image of the young raven haired girl in her spider webbed red poncho and black tight coverall stayed stuck in his head. Lydia. His one and only true friend...How could he have been so selfish?!

Beetlejuice sighed and placed his hands over his pale white face. "I am so sorry...so sorry...!" he cried into his hands. A beetle crawled out from its home in the wall and scuttled around. Beetlejuice didn't bother catching it. All he cared about was having Lydia back.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Go away," Beetlejuice said in a sad, low voice. The door opened anyway and a familiar skeleton in a blue shirt and shorts came into the room, followed by a pink spider.

"'Ello Be-etle juice...'Ow are you a feelin'?" Jacques asked his beetle-loving friend. Beetlejuice didn't say anything as he rolled over on his side, his back facing them. Ginger and Jacques exchanged sad glances.

"Come on Beetlejuice. Please get out of bed. It's already been three days and you haven't eaten a single beetle..." Ginger said. Beetlejuice's stomach growled and muttered to him: "I'm starving!"

Beetlejuice wrapped his arms around his stomach to muffle the sounds and didn't move. Jacques came up next to the bed. "Please, Be-etlejuice. We know you miss Lydia a lot...we a miss 'er too. If she were 'ere, she would tell you to get out of bed-" "No she wouldn't!" Beetlejuice shouted, making Jacques take a step back from his friend's bed.

"If she were here, I would not even be in bed! I would be spending my time with her! She was the only reason I got out of bed every morning! Now..." His voice became low and sad. "Now she's gone...so what's the point...?" he sighed and lifted the sheet over his head and cocooned himself from the world.

Jacques turned his skull over to Ginger, who narrowed her eyes angrily at what Beetlejuice just said. "I can't believe you, Beetlejuice!" she yelled as she came marching up to Beetlejuice's bed.

Jacques helped her up onto the poltergeist's bed and ripped the covers away from Beetlejuice's body. Beetlejuice's dark eyes widened at the sight of the tap-dancing spider. She glared down at his face as she stood on his chest. Her mouth almost touching his pointy nose.

"This is not like you! You can't bring yourself down like this! You sent Lydia down in Sandwormland, you should go and rescue her!" Ginger yelled angrily. Beetlejuice blinked, quiet for a moment. "But...I...I tried-" "You haven't tried hard enough!" the spider interrupted him and waved his words away.

"If you care so much about Lydia, then nothing should be stopping you, especially yourself!" she said. Beetlejuice was taken aback by Ginger's words. She was right. Beetlejuice shouldn't be upset at himself. He should try to find Lydia! There had to be one slight sliver of hope that she survived and was waiting for him to save her!

Ginger jumped into Jacques's arms when Beetlejuice floated out of his bed. A huge grin had crept along his face. Instantly his pajamas changed into his signature striped suit. His eyes didnt look bloodshot anymore and were narrowed, but full of motivation and determination to enter into Sandwormland and find Lydia.

"Hold on, Lydia! I'm coming!" he said and instantly disappeared out of the room. Jacques and Ginger looked at each other in surprise, then smiled and hugged each other.

...