Queen of the Sandworms

Chapter 18: A Plan

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The sprinkling rains began to turn gradually into a pour. Lightning forked across the sky. Thunder boomed after. Beetlejuice and Lydia began to move when they heard the cries of the remaining perolayx in the distance. They had gone off into a couple small groups to go off and search for them.

Lydia helped Beetlejuice walk across the littered streets. The Ghost with the Most limped and held his arm from when he fell. His back ached in agony; it felt as if his spine had snapped as well. His pale body was bruised and throbbing in pain.

"Hold on...just a little longer," Lydia assured him in a soft voice. Hearing her speak to him like that almost made him feel that his Lydia was back. He groaned in pain from the stinging feeling in his shoulder and foot. Lydia held on to him with one arm draped over him. His other arm draped over her small shoulder.

Her hood was down, So it was easier for Beetlejuice to see her face. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were stained in tears and dirt. Scratches were seen on her arms. They found a building that was at an angle, but still staying up. All of its windows were shattered and broken. Fire flickered weakly around it till it died out from the hard rains as they came pouring down in sheets.

Beetlejuice and Lydia entered through a crevice that was in the side of the building and entered inside. Lightning cracked outside the leaning building, lighting up the inside. Sandworms were seen coiled around each other in the darkness. Their faint hisses were heard. They whimpered in fear as their red eyes glowed in the darkness.

Lydia helped Beetlejuice sit down against a cracked wall and rest his wounded leg against a soft pillow with holes in it. Beetlejuice winced from the pain, then relaxed. Lydia stared at him. "How are you doing?" she asked. Beetlejuice shrugged. He didn't know how to answer her. So many things were happening at once.

Lydia turned her head to the curled up Sandworms in the corner before turning her focus back on her ghost friend. "I'm going to see how they are doing," she said. Beetlejuice silently nodded. With that, Lydia got up from her spot and walked over to the scared, striped Sandworms.

Beetlejuice closed his eyes. His ears listened to the sounds of Lydia's hisses and small shrieks to the Sandworms. The Sandworms shifted, causing debris to fall from the ceiling. They hissed and cried short, pathetic sounds to her.

They went silent every time thunder boomed or lighting struck outside. They didn't make any sounds or moved when they heard the perolayx shrieks and cries outside the building as they squirmed around, searching for them.

Beetlejuice opened his eyes when he heard Lydia's footsteps over the broken chunks of building, pieces of furniture and glass. She sat down next to him and hugged her legs against her chest. She stared down at the debris at her feet. Silent. Beetlejuice stared at her for a while, but couldn't think of anything to say.

This was the most crazy thing that had ever happened to both of them. It was too much to even handle. They had encountered death so many times before, why did it with the perolayx feel different?

Lydia picked up a small, piece of glass from the ground and stared down at it. A piece of her reflection was seen in the scratched glass. "They are afraid...not only of the perolayx...but of this world...they are not used to the weather, or the people here...they are used to their planet...their sands..."

She dropped the glass back down to the ground, where it clinked against all the others. Tears came down her face again as she lowered it. "And I was stupid to bring them here..."

She buried her face into her folded arms and cried. Beetlejuice felt his heart sink inside him as he stared at his best friend. Gradually, he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Lydia didn't resist. Instead, she allowed him to hug her as she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his pale neck.

Beetlejuice ignored the pains in his sides as he hugged Lydia. He felt her face bury into his shoulder. It instantly became wet from her tears but he didn't care. He was happy to have her with him.

"It wasn't your fault, Lydia...you were only doing what was best for...for your kind..." he said. Lydia kept her head buried in his shoulder. "You were doing the right thing...to save the Sandworms before they became extinct...till there was nothing left of them...they are not the threat to this world...those perolayx are...You showed me that Sandworms are not what they seemed to be. They are smarter and have more sense then I thought. I was the stupid one...not you..." Beetlejuice said.

Lydia lifted her face from his shoulder and stared up at him. Her eyes were glassy from the crying. Her hair went over her face. Beetlejuice carefully removed a couple strands from it. Lydia closed her eyes for a minute before opening them up and staring back at him.

Beetlejuice looked over to the Sandworms, who were still huddled together. When the lightning flashed outside, they flinched, and he could see their bodies shaking.

"What did you tell them?" he asked, nodding his head over to them. Lydia didn't look away from Beetlejuice, her arms still wrapped around them. "I told them to stay calm; and that I'll come up with a plan," she said. Beetlejuice blinked. "You have a plan?" he asked. Lydia nodded. "Its not a very good plan, but I feel that it might work.

Suddenly, the wall to the right of them collapsed and a small wave of perolayx came pouring into the room. The Sandworms screamed in terror and quickly squirmed out of the building. Crashing through the opposite wall. Beetlejuice and Lydia flinched when they saw them. The creatures' insides glowed purple, giving it a dark magenta tint in the room.

The perolayx filled the room like a big black shadow. On the walls and the ceiling. Coming straight for them. There was no way of escape. Beetlejuice and Lydia gasped in terror. Lydia quickly buried her head into Beetlejuice's shoulder again.

Beetlejuice placed one hand around her head, and with the other placed it out toward the approaching perolayx. "Your guys' hearts are cold as ice...killing innocent Sandworms...let me melt them" he muttered through clenched teeth.

In one split moment, they were close, the next moment, a huge blinding light came out from his hand and toward the leech beasts. His hair swayed around him as he glared at the leeches. Hating each and every one of them. The more he thought of all the innocent Sandworms lives they took, the more angry he got.

Lydia felt the warmth of the light and looked up. Her eyes widened as she stared at Beetlejuice's outstretched hand. Fire blazed out from it. The perolayx screamed from the intense heat. Their bodies swelled up, then exploded in a purple mess. One by one they exploded at a fast rate, like mini purple fireworks.

When they were all gone, Beetlejuice lowered his arm and heaved heavily.

"You...you got your powers back," Lydia said in surprise. Beetlejuice nodded and looked down at his hands. He remembered the feeling flowing through him as he tried saving Edgar...He pushed back the tears and looked at Lydia. "Yeah...but I feel weak everytime I use it...I have to be careful..." he turned to her and saw her looking at him. He lowered his hands. "So, what do you think we should do?" he asked her.

Lydia stood up and helped Beetlejuice up as well. "Trust me," she said. Beetlejuice watched as the corners of her mouth turned upward into a smile. Beetlejuice couldn't help but to smile as well. In her eyes, he saw them shine, just like they used to.

"But, first, we must find the Sandworms," she said.