Chapter 21

Chapter twenty-one "Miss me?" I shout as I crash-land on Evie's back. It's a whole hero-villain piggyback situation. My hands grasp her cloak. "Get off!" she howls. She swipes and punches and tries to toss me. But I just hang on tighter. I'm annoying like that. She lurches forward, toward Dirk. I see my friend. His skin has turned gray. He's almost completely undead. As we stagger, Ghazt howls... "HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME TO BRING ME UNTO EARTH SO I MIGHT SERVE .E...C.? IF NOT, YOU ARE A FOOL—AND YOU WILL PAY." Evie squirms. I'm high on her shoulder. She tries to answer the monster. I throw my hand over her mouth to stop her. She gets spit on my palm. Gross!

YES, I HAVE SUMMONED YOU. I have. No, it was, um-it was just a bud-dial. This whole thing was just one big cosmic. But-dial, You can go home now. Show's over. Theater's closed. We stagger back and forth. Slam into a seat. "Dirk, drop that bat!" I shout. But his nearly zombified brain doesn't hear me. He just continues gripping it tight. Another staggering step, and then—CRUNCH! Evie steps onto one action figure. Then another. "You're destroying your custom figures!" I cry. "IT CAN'T BE WORTH IT!" Evie's lips twist into a smile. "Do you smell it? The energy in the air? You're too late, kid..."

KA-KA-KRAK! I turn to see black lightning erupting from the screen. It zigzags toward the Louisville Slicer, toward Dirk! "IT'S BEGINNING!" Quint cries, flashing his watch. "Ghazt's essence will travel that stream and into Dirk! WE'RE NEARLY OUT OF TIME!"

I hang on to Evie's back. My hand covers her mouth. "You can go back now, Ghazt! We're all good without you! No more lightning needed!" But the swirling on-screen intensifies. This monster is going to travel into my friend! "Evie," I growl. "When this is all done—if any of us are still here—we're gonna have words! But for now—I gotta handle my buddy!" With that, I leap from her back and race through the theater. Down one row, vaulting over a seat, and then stumbling into Dirk. Black energy and heat radiates from the bat. Stepping toward Dirk is like stepping near a fire. I see it. Up close. My weapon. The Louisville Slicer. It's time to take it back. I throw my hands around the handle and—

I need this buddy. And please don't bite me The bat shakes and trembles in my hands. Energy surges back and forth—a single stream that seems to move both ways, energy into the bat, and energy out, into the IMAX. I look to the screen, and I shout, "OK, I have the bat now—and STOP ALL EVIL ACTIVITIES. I CONTROL THE BLADE AND I DECLARE, UM, YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN THIS WORLD! Also... .E...C. WORDS!"

I don't know any .e...c. words, so instead I just have to literally say, out loud, ".E...C. WORDS." It doesn't work. Energy blasts through the bat! I'm hurled over a seat! And as I am, holding the bat, I pull Ghazt. The energy is like a rope, tugging him from the screen. "Um. Guys," I cry out. "HOW DO I MAKE HIM NOT COME THROUGH?" Evie screams, "STOP, YOU IDIOT BOY!" and she sounds terrified. "If you pull him out of there without a vessel ready to receive him—if Ghazt comes through the portal for real, as himself—the entire world will collapse. It's too much energy transference at once!" "What are you talking about?" I shout.