Chapter Thirteen - These Ain’t the Cheap Seats
Trick was thoroughly confused as to how and why there could still be so many college students in a university town right before Thanksgiving. In a city that made itself on the presence of large college, which meant that these kids had other places to be during a holiday, why were they all still there? The others in the rented car had to explain to him that Provo was a black hole for Mormon students, or so they had heard. Their school schedules were different than others in the U.S., and they had such a strong community here that people didn’t want to leave. Plus, they would all be busing getting ready for the next bout of proposals, as Mormons were want to do, especially during a holiday.
Utah is such a weird place! Trick rubbed his temples.
He looked out the window and watched the tame signs and shops go by. There was a palpable difference to this place, one that he felt he could reach out and touch. He knew he shouldn’t bring it up, though. Conturbatio was itching to go on about possible conspiracies (though Trick hadn’t really heard any yet from the man) in regards to the Mormons. Or was he? After speaking with the mailbox, the Sphinx seemed a little more subdued. Trick wondered what it was exactly that had flipped the switch. Was it the bizarre case? The all-knowing aspect of the blabbermouth? Was it the hint of enemies? Was it the insanity of the whole damn situation!? Trick couldn’t tell what it was, but he knew all of that was weighing down on him. This hadn’t been the adventure he was looking for when he had been bored in school just yesterday.
Had it just been yesterday!? This whole case made him feel like he had been slogging through the unexpected and the unwanted for a month. One magically disturbing month! Not even a full 24 hours! Trick felt like punching something, preferably Brandon.
Soon, they pulled up to the theater and made their way inside. Brandon had come with his folks, and he was already getting cold feet. Apparently the promise of a hot chick’s contact info can only bring a man so far. He and naomi both gritted their teeth, pinned Brandon between them and hiked him inside. Conturbatio bought the tickets.
“I am going to have a lot of explaining to do back at the office. The Budgeting committee is going to gut us even more than we already are…”
Stacey soothed him, “If we are able to prove everything that we have seen here and how it correlates with the last attack, the Q Files will grow in ways we have only dreamed about! Take a hit to win the fight, right?”
The Sphinx smiled at her and Susan said dryly, “Why don’t you pull out those kinds of encouragements more often?”
But then the two women smiled and laughed at each other. Trick concluded that adults were all weird and insane. Once the Sphinx handed them the tickets, we went back to the ca, where a duffel bag with their secret weapon resided. He was going to enter the theater from the back. The inside of the theater felt like an assault from the 80’s punctuated with too many neon lights. College students milled about everywhere, trying to get their popcorn, and dancing their significant others around other couples, and showing off. It was a unique dance and mad house. And the things they were saying were just too outrageous.
“Please Addison! I’m getting married soon, and I need the money. I can’t support a wife on just popcorn!”
A tall and youthful man was almost on his knees pleading to a bearded manager, who looked like sexy carved out of Mount Rushmore.
“You know Jed, some people would come to this country illegally just to work for popcorn, because they don’t have anything else! Are you really going to spurn what I am paying you?”
“I’m basically your slave!”
Addison sighed, “Of course you are! It was in your in employee contract, in bold nonetheless! Plus, you get free movies every week, AND you get to bring a friend! That is how you won her over, right?”
“Mimblewimble,” was what came out of Jed’s mouth.
“Now get your chores done, or there won’t be any stale popcorn for you later!” With that, the manager called Addison marched off.
Trick watched the dejected employee, Jed, as Agent Miles and his mother got popcorn. He went over to the entryway to grab up a broom when a gaggle of friends passed through the doors. One girl strode out at the front with her chest out and crowned with bump on her head to make expecting mothers’ pregnancy photos jealous. She wore clothes that screamed to everyone, “I live a conservative lifestyle!”
“Jed,” she shouted when she saw him. “When are you getting a real job? How can expect to be a good husband and priesthood holder if all you do is languish in a place like this and work for popcorn! Seriously, it drives the spirit and authority right out of you, and stop slouching!”
“Yes Camille,” Jed said, clearly flustered.
“That’s Sister to you,” she shoved a finger under his nose. “Oh come on, Jed, you know I’m joking. But seriously.”
Trick and Jed both obviously thought this girl didn’t know what a real joke was, not would if it bit her on the butt. She then turned to others of her group and shouted, “What is the movie we are seeing again?”
“Jurassic Park,” someone from the back piped up.
“But that movie is PG-13,” Camille gasped. “And this late at night, in a dark theater. So much could happen! We are flirting with sin! Which is sin itself.”
Trick groaned inwardly. He’d have to deal with Brandon and this bunch of idiots, too? He half wished a dinosaur would come through the screen and eat them.
“Come on Camille, lighten up a bit. It’s a fun movie,” another girl tried saying.
“Lighten up? Drop my standards you mean! That’s where it begins!”
A big guy then sighed and said,”Look, I already got everyone’s tickets. Just please come and try to enjoy yourself.” Camille stuck her nose up into the air and stomped off, as the big guy turned to Jed. “So are you coming by tomorrow to play Smash? Remember, no Villager for you!”
“No Adrian, you always beat me,” Jed complained.
Adrian started pummeling Jed and said angrily, “Tell no one!”
Trick just looked away and whistled. Together with Naomi, they frog marched Brandon into the theater. Sure enough, with a crowd pleasing favorite like Jurassic Park, the place was packed. Brandon said that the theater they were in was on the opposite side of the building where the first attack had taken place. With how many people there were, Trick would never have suspected that an attack had occurred here just days before. Another reminded of how weird the whole situation was.
He heard Camille come in and still complain about the movie and avoiding the appearance of evil. Naomi also now looked like she had a good mind to go and slap the older girl. For crying out loud, let others enjoy the movie! Brandon began to whimper as they say down.
“I really don’t want this to happen. I hope it doesn’t happen.”
“You better hope it happens,” Naomi snapped. “Or you will still have to put up with the stuff that sucked you into a video game.”
“I had been hoping for an SAO or Tron experience, but I just didn’t get it…”
“Here, have some popcorn and stuff it,” Trick growled, shoving a large bag of popcorn under the teen’s nose.
Thankfully Brandon obliged and they could enjoy the previews in peace as the lights dimmed. Trick’s mother and Agent Miles positioned themselves right in front of the teens, as to better protect them when things got hairy. Brandon’s own family had decided not to join in, but were waiting outside. Trick’s hands got sweaty as he began anticipating the horrors that could come out of the screen.
The lights dimmed all the way down and the epic first note of Jurassic Park’s opening crashed over them like a wave. The hairs went up on Trick’s arms and neck and he watched as the trees and foliage shifted to make way for the ominous cage holding a velociraptor. Muldoon waited there with his guards to receive the monster. This scene always put Trick on edge, but in the best way.
Despite the fact that Brandon was here to gain access to Naomi’s friend, he still tried to hold her hand. She slapped it audibly away. Though it broke the atmosphere, Trick giggled at it. At least there was something to break the tension, which was continued to mount on screen.
The gatekeeper was on top of the loading cage, and the velociraptor rammed the other side of the cage, rolling it back and knocking the gatekeeper down. The raptor, still unseen, yanked the poor employee into the cage. Muldoon managed to latch a hold of the man and attempted in vain to thwart the murder.
“See, this is just so wrong, I can’t feel the comfort I should be feeling,” Camille whined somewhere behind Trick.
Oh great… She’s close by. This could end up being a very long movie. Trick rolled his eyes and tried to concentrate on the action.
And then the screen bulged, people in the audience gasped and screamed. The cage continued to roll back and it looked like was about to roll into the theater itself. The gatekeeper was swept in and screamed in agony as he was opened up and killed, beyond the sight of the camera. Muldoon jumped back and reached for his gun, firing rounds into the cage. But the horror was only beginning. The doors to the raptor paddock slid back effortlessly More raptors spilled out and began attacking workers.
“But there were only two others,” Naomi said quickly.
Brandon began rocking again and muttered, “We’ve got to go. We’ve got to go. We gotta go! It’s happening again, and it’s all wrong! We’re gonna die!”
Others in the audience began catching on that this was wrong and someone bolted for the doors. They shouted back that the door was locked and it couldn’t be opened. The same proved true for the exits. Panic was rising in the room, and the bulge was getting larger.
Still, Naomi asked quietly, “Why are there more raptors, there should only be three?”
Camille was shrieking her off behind them and the two FBI agents were rising and barring their guns. Something then came to Trick’s memory.
“She developed a pride and killed all but two of the others,” Trick quoted. “Naomi, there were originally more raptors in the cage than three.”
Naomi sucked in air and then said, “And if the heroes could barely deal with three raptors, what are we going to do against more than half a dozen, and with no way out?”
They shared a worried look over Brandon and Trick said weakly, “Sphinx had better get here now!”
The way into the theater was sealed, and Conturbatio could hear the cries of panic from within. He didn’t figure that anyone had been hurt yet. Shouting out to the employee and told them to make sure that the hallway was cleared.
“FBI business. THere is some trouble going on. Call the police! See to everyone’s safe evacuation!”
The employees gave him confused looks. It was only natural, however. He had the large vacuum pack with a gun strapped to his back. He looked really weird, and his badge just looked like he was late to a Halloween party. But the screams from the theater seemed to convince some and they began moving about. As Conturbatio put his back into breaking down the doors, a manager appeared.
“Sir, can I help you?”
“Mr., uh, Addison, there is about to be another attack in your theater. Something is wrong here and I need to get in!”
“Jed!” Addison called to the hapless giant. “Help this man get inside and escort the people out. I’m going to make sure we evacuate the other theaters. Hop to it, and you’ll actually earn some money for a change!”
Jed rushed to the Sphinx’s side as the manager ran into another theater himself. The screams were becoming frantic. Conturbatio raised an eyebrow at the thin youth’s frame.
“I’m much more solid than I look,” Jed said.
“I hope that is the case,” Conturbatio breathed. “Alright. Let’s get this door open!”
Together, they threw themselves against the double doors, willing and forcing them to move.
