Chapter 11, Burning Down the Place and Having Too Much Fun Doing It
Disclaimer: NO! That's about it.
A/N: Hi, all! Have you all passed a pleasent week? That was an odd sentence. This chapter should satisfy that kinda-sorta-maybe cliffhanger we had last chapter. Also, I have the sudden desire to either A: See The Lion King on Broadway, or B: Go to Disney World this summer. It's weird, isn't it? I've just been a victim of a severe Disney high. Anyway, on with the story!
"We're getting out of here!" announced Duncan, throwing off his thinking cap in excitment.
"You've figured out how to move the bell?" asked Mr. Poe, "Yes, I have! All we need to do is wheel one of those broken gears into the bell and it'll move aside!"
"That's actually very simple." said Esme.
"Perhaps you're just too stupid too come up with these things for yourself!" suggested Olaf.
"WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU SNIVELING ASS?" screamed Esme, on the edge of her nerve.
Enya tried to get the group back on task, "Well, if pushing a gear loose is what we must do, then let us do it!"
It seized a large cog from the floor and started pushing it laboriously toward the bell, "I could use a bit of help!" it groaned.
"Come!" said Reggie, "Teamwork is the key!"
"Quite right!" agreed Sir, eventually everyone was pushing the cog slowly but surely towards the bell.
"Kzinkisti!" groaned Sunny, which meant, "We're getting there!"
"Yes! Yes, we are!" gasped Flo, in extreme relief.
They were so happy they could melt.
Chubs had led Isadora, Carmelita and Charles up the stairs to the ladder.
"Alright," he began, "hand me the explosive!"
"Yes, Master." bowed Charles, handing him a Vodka bottle filled with kerosene: a Molotov cocktail.
"Um, Chubs?" Isadora said tentativly, "Are you sure this is gonna work?"
"Of course it will! Now, someone pass me a match!"
Carmelita withdrew one and Chubs struck it, dropping it into the bottle and tossing the makeshift bomb at the trapdoor.
Just as it met its mark however, Duncan's plan succeded and the bell was pushed from the trapdoor by the cog as the cog itself collapsed through the trapdoor and nearly crushed Chubs.
"MERICIFUL GOD!" expleted Chubs, clutching Isadora for support as the cog tumbled down the Stairs.
Duncan and the others peared through the opening they had made and beamed, "Excellant!" cheered Fernald, "We've made it!"
He leapt down to them, followed by the others.
"Oh, real light!" gasped Tocuna, "I never thought I'd see it again!"
"Oh, Duncky!" squeeled Carmelita, dashing up to Duncan, "Um, hello, Carmelita." trailed off Duncan awkwardly, "It's a pleasure to see you again." He walked past her to his sister and embraced her.
"I thought I'd lost you!" Isadora said quietly, tears sneaking down her cheeks.
"And I too, dear sister!"
He broke up the embrace and walked to Chubs, "My friend!" he boomed and they began their famous best friend's toast, "GENIUS OF THE RESTORATION!" started Duncan, flapping his arms and wiggling his ears while Chubs mirrored him and said his line, "AID OUR OWN RECESUTATION!"
"Where's Violet?" asked Chubs once they had finished. "The Phantom of the Hotel, the dreadful Dewey Plot Twist has whisked her to his mysterious lair!"
"I thought as much!" said Chubs, though he hadn't thought a cent about that, "We must find her!"
"Yes, we must!"
"No! We're leaving!" interupted Esme, taking Carmelita's hand, "Come sweetie, we've got to be off! The snow's stopped falling, yes?"
"Yes." started Carmelita carefully, "But a plow won't be able to come for a while. We're still stuck here!"
"Damn! Then we'll go to our room!"
"You're not going anywhere!" Olaf stopped her, "You two girls will help us find the Chamber Pot!"
"There's no way on Earth that I'll ever help you again, Olaf!"
"Then, Sunny will help me, won't you darling?"
"Sure!" agreed Sunny, readily.
"WHAT?" exclaimed Chubs, "Sunny, you can't seriously be joining...?"
"I'm sorry to say this, my friend," Duncan said darkly, "but she's turned to a life of treachery with Olaf and his goons."
Chubs looked at his sister and found hatred welling up inside him as Olaf continued, "Yes, helping me will be my darling Sunny, my five hench-idiots, and our slave, Mr. Poe!"
"Mr. Poe! You're one of them, too?" Chubs couldn't believe what he was hearing, but Mr. Poe affirmed his dread, "I am, Chubs. I'm sorry, but working with Count Olaf is the only thing I can do if I ever want to see my sons again. It's either that or..." his voice broke, but Chubs could tell Olaf had threatened him with his sons' lives.
"So basically, everyone's an enemy now?" remarked Isadora incredulouly.
"We're not enemies, girl!" said Sir, pointing at himself and Charles, who was joyfully wringing his hands in the air, "But we're not exactly your friends, either. We're more like nuetrel people who just happen to not want to help you!"
"Yeah!" chortled Charles.
The group of people began to descend the stairs.
MEANWHILE:
When Violet knocked Dewey out at the end of chapter ten, you probably thought that she was destined to escape and free her friends.
Well, now you will be informed that her friends freed themselves and that Violet was herself knocked out by Dewey seconds after she made for the exit.
We rejoin Violet as she wakes up, yet again, to find herself lying on the floor of the cavern while Dewey collects bottles of varying liquids.
"Ah, you're awake. Again." said Dewey drily once he had seen her, "Seeing as you tried to kill me earlier, I decided to not give you mercy and let you roast in the fire."
Violet rolled her eyes, "You've been talking about starting a fire for nigh on three hours, now! When are you actually going to get the guts to do it?" Before she could finish her sentence, however, Dewey stuffed a hankercheif into her mouth and began dragging her up one of the many chutes into the hotel.
This particular chute opened up in the basement corridor which was bland and uninteresting.
"Come along, dear." urged Dewey, dragging the gagged Violet behind him to a door marked 'Laundry Room; We reserve the right to give your clothes back if you leave them here for an hour'.
The laundry room was like the laundry rooms of most hotels: tiles, washers, dryers, piles of disgusting sheets, etc. etc.
Dewey hauled Violet in and began using his expert knot-tying skills to fasten several of the sheets around Violet, whom he tied to a metal pole in the center of the room so that she was cocooned in sheets that extended across the entire floor of the room. It was an eerily beautiful sight, actually. Like something out of a Hitchcock film or some such thing.
He removed Violet's gag and gave her a wicked smile, "Ready to fuel the fire?" he asked, Violet stared at him, her jaw dropping in horror, "WHAT? You didn't say I'd be the FUEL! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?"
"Well, after you rudely hit me on the head, I thought it would be an apprioate punishment to have you burn to death as the fuel for an infero that will eventually kill your siblings, friends and enemies. Now, to begin the magic!"
He withdrew from his cloak his bottles of liquids which he proceeded to pour over Violet and all of the sheets that surrounded her.
"Oh, this will be an amazing specticle!" he cackled, "While this hotel that has been my prison for all these years burns to the ground, I will sail away with the Chamber Pot!"
He struck a match and dropped it on theof sheets that spread out behind Violet and the fire began.
"Goodbye, dearie!" he called as he dashed out of the room and away.
"Crap!" Violet swore as a wave of fire rapidly approached her, there was only one thing to do:
"HELP! MERICIFUL GOD IN HEAVEN, SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME!"
We are now back at the moment when everyone was descending the stairs.
As they reached the lobby landing, there came a faint cry, "HELP! MERICIFUL GOD IN HEAVEN, SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME!" Okay, it wasn't exactly a 'faint' cry, it was more like a person being tortured screaming in agony. And that was basicaly what it was.
"That's Violet's voice!" realized Duncan and Chubs. "It's coming from the basement!" said Isadora. "Let us hurry!" proclaimed Chubs.
The children continued down the stairs, the others followed for the simple reason that they wanted to see the action.
Once they reached the basement, Olaf gasped, "I smell smoke! There's a fire nearby!"
"Good Lord!" moaned Duncan, feeling the laundry room door, "The fire and the screams are in here!"
He opened the door and they saw the bound Violet, surrounded by the flame which was vastly approaching her.
"Duncan, thank God!" Gasped Violet frantically, "Don't step on the sheets, they're covered in-in..." she didn't really know what strange chemical that Dewey had used to fuel the fire. It smelled strongly of feet, though.
Mr. Poe bent down and smelt the sheets nearest the door, "Zillico Filojo Swmiy-Sauce!" he announced.
"FORGET WHAT IT IS, JUST DO SOMETHING!" Violet screamed.
"Of course." said Duncan, he ripped his sweater off and wrapped it around the rusty water pipes that were fastened to the ceiling. He used his sweater as a steady-grip, inching his way along the ceiling, towards Violet. Once he reached her, he used his trusty ink pen to cut Violet loose from the sheets and pull her up to the pipe with him.
"Oh, Duncan." sighed Violet, kissing him tenderly on the lips.
"Let's get out of here." he said grandly, as they made their way back to the door.
"Don't push it." Violet said, "We don't want to get too corny."
By the time they made it out, the entire laundry room was blazing and only Chubs and Isadora were left standing in the doorway.
"Where did the others go?" asked Duncan, discarding his destroyed sweater, "They noticed a sliding hatch hidden under a supply cart." said Isadora, "They're all heading there to escape."
"That's Dewey's escape route!" said Violet, "He's going to his lair to escape with the Chamber Pot on some dinghy!"
"Then let's try to catch him!" proclaimed Chubs as he led them towards the hatch.
Meanwhile, Olaf had thrown open the hatch and, Sunny in his arms, slid down the chute and out of sight, followed by Fernald, Reggie, Flo, Tocuna, Enya and Mr. Poe.
Carmelita was trying to break free of Esme's strong grip on her arm, "I'm not going with you!" she told her.
"Yes, you are, Carmelita! We're family now. Just you and me! We're going together!"
Esme went next, Carmelta in hand.
Sir and Charles slid down next, just as the children arrived and looked down.
"Well," sighed Violet, "let's get this over with!"
And they plunged down, into the darkness.
A/N: Very short chapter I know, but the next one is gonna be pretty long! In the next chapter, we're gonna witness the heroic escapade that brings our characters to Book 4! Have a good week and remember to live it to the fullest!
Update Coming Next Friday!:)