Night on Terror Island (12 page)

Kip scowled. ‘Just tell me you didn’t plan this,’ he said.

‘Of course I didn’t plan it! Kip, what do you take me for? I wouldn’t put somebody into a film who didn’t ask to go there.’

‘I didn’t ask to go in,’ Kip reminded him.

‘You didn’t exactly protest, either.’

‘Yes, but I didn’t even know what was going to happen, did I? You tricked me and then you wouldn’t let me out until I’d nicked John Dillinger’s hat.’

‘Whoah, hold on a minute!’ said Beth. ‘You nicked John Dillinger’s hat?’

‘Yeah,’ Kip told her. ‘Oh, don’t worry. It’s just this thing that Mr Lazarus does. Gets kids to steal stuff for him.’

‘But you make me sound like a criminal!’ protested Mr Lazarus. He looked at Beth imploringly. ‘It’s a little sideline I have. Absolutely harmless. And I only ask children to do it occasionally.
Special
children. Children who love cinema.’

Kip turned back to look through the hatch. Now the lifeboat was approaching a stretch of deserted beach. He turned away again. ‘I can’t stand this,’ he said. ‘I want to watch it, but I daren’t. What if something bad happens to Rose?’

‘Try not to worry about it,’ Mr Lazarus assured him. ‘I have faith in you, Kip. I’m sure you’ll get to her before she’s—’

‘Before she’s what?’ cried Kip.
‘Eaten?’

‘Oh, I’m sure it won’t come to that,’ said Mr Lazarus. ‘But then, I suppose we have to be realistic. It
is
a monster movie.’

‘Hold on a minute,’ said Beth. ‘You’re saying that Rose could get properly eaten? Like, really chewed up and swallowed?’

Mr Lazarus looked slightly nauseated.

‘Not the nicest way of putting it,’ he said. ‘But yes, when you are in the film, it’s all real. Everything.’

‘Wow,’ said Beth. ‘That’s cool.’ She looked at Kip. ‘Right,’ she said. ‘I’m coming with you.’

‘No way! I don’t want you getting mixed up in this.’

‘Can’t be helped. There’s no way I’m going to let my boyfriend go to Terror Island without being there to back him up.’

Kip stared at her.

‘Since when have I been your boyfriend?’ he cried.

‘Well, you’re a boy aren’t you?’

‘Yes …’

‘And you’re a friend, so—’

‘That’s not the same thing!’

‘Never mind, we’re wasting time. We need to get in there.’

‘We can’t do that,’ protested Kip.

‘Why not?’

‘Because … because …’ He had a flash of inspiration. ‘Because Mr Lazarus can only send one person into each film.’ He glared at the projectionist. ‘That’s right, isn’t it?’

Mr Lazarus considered for a moment, missing the point entirely.

‘No,’ he said. ‘Not at all. If you both stand on the platform and hold hands, there’s no reason why you can’t go in together. And if you’re doing the same thing when the Retriever button is pressed, all three of you can come out again.’

Kip groaned. ‘Couldn’t you have lied?’ he snapped.

‘Oh sorry, did you
want
me to lie?’ Mr Lazarus looked crestfallen.

‘That’s settled then,’ said Beth. ‘We’re both going in.’ She looked at Mr Lazarus. ‘That’s if this isn’t some big joke you’re playing on us.’

‘How can it be a joke?’ asked Mr Lazarus. ‘We can all see Rose up there on the screen, can’t we? How could anybody have faked that?’

Beth frowned. It was a good question.

‘Well,’ said Mr Lazarus. ‘I suppose we’d better get on with it.’ He got the holster off the workbench and helped Kip strap it around his waist. Then he pulled out the earpiece and popped it into Kip’s ear. He looked apologetically at Beth. ‘I’m afraid I only have one Communicator,’ he said.

‘Er … that’s OK,’ said Beth, mystified. ‘I guess.’ She thought for a moment. ‘What tariff is that thing on?’ she asked.

‘It isn’t on any tariff,’ said Mr Lazarus. ‘Calls are free.’

‘Yeah? Wow, where can I get one?’

‘Never mind that,’ Kip told her. ‘We need to concentrate. And we’re wasting time. We have to go after Rose.’

‘Absolutely,’ said Mr Lazarus, lifting a gloved hand to point at the ceiling. ‘Time is of the essence.’ He looked through the hatch at the screen. Rose’s boat was just about to come ashore on a deserted stretch of beach. ‘If we can get you in right beside her, you may be able to grab her and come straight back with
her
. But, of course, what we can never allow for in these films are the edits.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Beth.

‘A film jumps along in time because of all the edits,’ said Mr Lazarus. ‘Rose can be in one place one moment and the very next, she could be ten miles away in a different location entirely. But when you’re in the film, everything runs in real time, so it’s possible, you might have a little catching up to do.’

‘Oh, that’s great,’ said Kip. ‘You never mentioned this before.’

‘I didn’t think I needed to. But think of all the cuts and dissolves and flashbacks there are in a modern film. You’d go crazy trying to deal with that! The Lazarus Enigma makes everything run just as it does in real life. But if you’re unlucky and come in just as a cut takes place, your quarry could be a hundred miles away, two years later.’

‘That would be a disaster,’ said Kip.

‘Hopefully it won’t come to that. Anyway, enough talk. We’d better stop wasting time and get you onto Terror Island.’ Mr Lazarus reached in his pocket and pulled out the Retriever.

‘What’s that thing?’ asked Beth.

‘The piece of equipment that will bring you back safe and sound,’ said Mr Lazarus. ‘But I must warn you. When the button is pressed, you must all be hanging tightly onto each other. If one person breaks
contact
, they’ll be left behind.’ He handed the device to Kip, who slung it around his neck and slipped it safely beneath his T-shirt.

‘OK, let’s do this,’ he said. He looked at Beth. ‘It’s not too late to change your mind,’ he told her.

‘No way,’ said Beth. ‘I’m going with you. What kind of a girlfriend would I be if I left you to it?’

‘There you go again,’ said Kip. ‘Girlfriend.’

‘It’s just an expression,’ Beth assured him.

‘Very well,’ said Mr Lazarus. ‘We’re all ready. Step up onto the platform.’

Kip climbed on and Beth came to stand beside him. They found that standing face to face, they could just about manage it. Mr Lazarus made a final check on the equipment. ‘Hold on tight to each other,’ he warned them and they held hands. ‘Here we go,’ he said; and he put a foot onto the side of the platform. ‘Good luck,’ he added and pushed it forward into the light.

‘Will it hurt?’ asked Beth anxiously.

‘Not really,’ said Kip. ‘It just feels a little weir—’

And then the light was blazing in his eyes and he realised he had no need to tell her what it felt like because that freaky melting feeling was coming over him again and he was falling, falling into a blinding white light.

KIP’S FEET THUDDED
onto sand and he stood for a moment, letting his breathing settle back to normal. He could still feel other hands clutched in both of his and when he opened his eyes, there was Beth. She was staring around as though she could hardly believe what had happened.

‘Oh my God!’ whispered Beth. ‘We’re here. We’re really here!’

And it
was
amazing. Even in the midst of all his worries about Rose, Kip had to take a moment to just marvel at his surroundings, which were perfect in every detail. He was standing on a long stretch of beach. To his left, the ocean rushed back and forth beneath the lurid red glow of the dying sun. Several hundred yards to his right, a stretch of dense jungle waited, the palm leaves stirring restlessly in the wind. Above them, the tropical sky was fading to grey, and he could already see the light of millions of stars and the cold orb of a full moon. And it wasn’t just the look of the place. He could smell the salty tang of sea air. He could feel the grains of sand settling beneath his feet. The island was as real as any place he had ever visited.

Then Beth said, ‘You can let go of my hands now.’

‘Huh?’ He looked at her and realised he had been squeezing her hands in his. ‘Sorry.’ He let go and turned to look around. There was the lifeboat already beached on the sand, completely empty – and there was a line of freshly made footprints, leading up the beach and away into the jungle.

‘Oh no,’ said Kip. ‘She’s already gone.’

‘Must have been an edit,’ suggested Beth. ‘I guess we’d better follow the footprints. Hopefully they’re not too far ahead.’

Kip stared into the dense jungle that lay ahead of them. He didn’t much fancy the idea of wandering in there, but what other choice did he have?

Just then his mobile phone trilled the
Star Wars
theme. Wondering why Mr Lazarus was calling him on his regular phone, he snatched it from his pocket and lifted it to his ear, without thinking to look at the display.

‘Why are you phoning me like this?’ he asked.

‘I was just checking you’re all right,’ said Dad’s voice, sounding rather put out. Kip nearly fell down with shock. It hadn’t occurred to him that other people would be able to contact him here.

‘Oh er … Hi, Dad!’ he stammered, aware of the horrified reaction from Beth. ‘I was just er … surprised to hear from you so soon. How … how’s Grannie?’

‘She’s fine,’ said Dad. ‘They’ve taken her into surgery, so I’ll have to stay here till she comes out and they’ve got her settled. I’ve texted your mum but there’s been no reply yet. How have you and Rose been getting along?’

‘Rose? Oh … great! Yeah, she’s great, Dad. But she’s gone …’

‘Gone? Gone where?’

‘Gone … to the loo! Yes, I’m just waiting for her. Outside. Obviously, I can’t go into the ladies, can I? So I’m just waiting by the door. You know, watching her like a hawk. Like you told me to. So … you … won’t be able to talk to her right now.’

‘Well, she won’t be long, will she?’

‘Er … I don’t know. Depends whether she’s doing a wee or a poo.’

‘Thanks for the information! Well, I’ll hang on for a while, just in case. I wanted to—’ He broke off. ‘Is it my imagination, or … can I hear the sea?’

‘Umm? Oh, it’s just … the … sound of the film from the auditorium,’ said Kip hopelessly. ‘Yes. The first bit is set at sea … I think.’ He was aware of Beth staring at him, her mouth open.

‘Kip, you’re not in watching the film are you?’

‘Of course not.’ Kip laughed nervously. ‘You know Rose, she’d never watch something like that.’ He began to walk up the beach towards the jungle and Beth trailed after him. ‘Ah, Rose is coming out
now
,’ he said. ‘Hi, Rose, you OK? We’ll just head back to the ticket office now.’ As they moved away from the water’s edge, so the volume decreased. He stepped onto the jungle footpath and started walking briskly along it. Beth followed.

‘So how’s
Terror Island
?’

‘Huh?’ For a moment, Kip had the impression that Dad could somehow
see
where he was. Then he realised, he was only talking about the film. ‘Oh … right! We’ve had a great first night. Packed out, very nearly a full house.’

‘That’s excellent news,’ said Dad. ‘I was worried takings were going to drop.’

‘I told you it would do well,’ said Kip. This felt weird. He was walking along a jungle trail, pushing his way through overhanging leaves and vines, and he was making small talk with his dad. Meanwhile, Rose was getting further and further away. ‘Look, Dad, I really need to get on,’ he said.

‘Get on with what?’

‘Er … somebody spilled popcorn in the foyer. I need to tidy it up.’

‘All right. Just stick Rose on for a moment, OK?

‘Er … right.’ Kip looked over his shoulder at Beth and beckoned to her to catch up with him. ‘OK, Dad, I’m putting Rose on now,’ he announced. He held the phone out to Beth. She was shaking her head and making gestures with her
hands
that said,
No way!
Kip covered the phone with his hand for a moment, still staring intently at Beth. ‘You’ve got to,’ he whispered. Then he raised his voice slightly. ‘Rose,’ he said, ‘Dad just wants a quick word with you.’ He thrust the phone into Beth’s hand. She lifted the handset to her ear as though it was a bomb that might go off at any moment. Kip heard a tiny insect-like voice as Dad asked a question.