Out Are the Lights (22 page)

    It hits the tree inches above the girl's head.

    'My name is Brit Anderson,' she says. 'I'm not an actress. This is not a movie, it's real. If you can hear me out there-'

    The savage lights another arrow. 'They'll hear whatever we like, bitch.' He shoots the arrow. It enters the kindling at her feet. Smoke rises out, then flames.

    She writhes against the ropes. The hem of her dress catches fire.

    'My name is Brit…'

    A flaming arrow plunges into her chest.

    

    

    Connie grabbed the shoulder of the man in front of her, and he jumped. 'I've got to talk to you,' she whispered. 'In the lobby. I'm deaf. I read lips. I need light to see what you say.'

    He nodded.

    As they walked up the aisle, Connie glanced back at the screen and saw the girl burning-hair on fire, skin turning black.

    She pushed through the door and clutched the man's arm. He frowned at her, looking puzzled. 'That girl… she was killed.'

    'I know, but…

    'It wasn't fake. They killed her.'

    'Are you out of your mind?'

    'What was she saying there at the end?'

    'Hail Marys.'

    'No. That must've been dubbed. She was saying her name is Brit Anderson, and she's not an actress, and it's really happening. There's a phone over there. I want you to call the police.'

    'The police? Hey, that's serious business.'

    'She was murdered.'

    'Maybe you should talk to the manager.'

    'He might be in on it.'

    'Oh for…' He shook his head. 'Is everyone in on it?'

    'No, but the manager-'

    'I've been coming here since it opened. The man may look awful in that get-up, but he seems to be a perfectly nice guy. Come on.' He crossed the lobby toward the entrance, where Bruno was taking tickets.

    Connie hurried after him.

    'Could we speak to you in private for a moment?'

    Bruno nodded. He called to one of the vampire girls at the refreshment counter, then led the way to an office on the far side.

    Connie followed both men inside. She stood near the open door.

    Bruno pulled the stocking off his head. Without it, he had a pleasant, chubby face. 'Now,' he said. 'What seems to be the problem?'

    Both men looked at Connie.

    'The girl in that Schreck film wasn't an actress. Her name is Brit Anderson and she was murdered on camera. Actually murdered.'

    Bruno shook his head, 'I'm afraid I don't understand. What leads you to think such a thing?'

    'She said so. Her real words were dubbed over, but I read her lips.'

    'Are you certain of this?'

    'I know what she said, and I believe her.'

    Bruno nodded. He picked up the telephone, and dialed O. 'Operator, put me in touch with the police. Yes, this is an emergency.' He covered the mouthpiece and said, 'They'll get to the bottom of this.' Then he took his hand away. 'Yes. I'm calling from the Haunted Palace movie theater at 8424 Pico. Would you send a car over here right away? We have an urgent situation… Apparently, murder has been committed… Yes. Thank you.' He hung up. 'That should get them here in short order.'

    He stood up. 'Shall we go upstairs and seize the evidence?'

    They followed him through the lobby. The carpeted stairway was roped off. A sign hung from the plush cordon: BALCONY CLOSED. Bruno unhooked one end of the cordon, and let them through.

    At the top of the stairs, he stepped over to a door. He pushed a key into its lock, and opened it. 'Right through here,' he said.

    The man and Connie entered.

    She saw a pair of movie projectors near the side wall. One was running, its reels turning slowly, flashing pictures through the tiny window in front of it. A miniature image reflected on the pane.

    Someone between the projectors.

    Bruno talked to him, then picked up a film can and checked the label. 'It has to be rewound. Only take a minute. I should go down and see if the police are here yet.'

    He stepped past the man.

    'Excuse me,' he said, and moved past Connie. He shot an elbow into her side, knocking her off balance, and threw the door shut. Connie fell against the wall.

    She saw the projectionist leap from between the two big machines. No warpaint, but she knew his face, his mad eyes.

    Bruno swept her feet from under her. As her back hit the floor, she saw Schreck punch a screwdriver into the belly of the man who'd come up with her.

    She flung up her crossed arms and blocked a kick Bruno aimed at her face.

    Someone clutched her ankles.

    'No!'

    Schreck lifted her feet. He raised her off the floor until she was hanging upside down. In that position, with no leverage and her vision distorted, she was nearly defenseless. Still, she blocked Bruno's first punch to her belly. The second punch got through, knocking her wind out. She clutched her belly, and he kicked her in the head, and when she opened her eyes she was facedown on the backseat floor of a car speeding through the night.

    

    

    The car drove for a long time. Connie's head throbbed with pain. Her arms, tied behind her back, were tingly and almost numb. Somebody's feet were on her back and rump. When she tried to lift her head, once, they stomped hard. After that, she didn't move.

    She had a good idea of what they planned to do with her. She was frightened, but angry too.

    Angry at herself. For letting Bruno sucker her that way. Obviously, he hadn't phoned the cops. Was his phone unplugged? She should've been more careful, damn it. And she got that poor man killed: she didn't even know his name.

    Now, everything she'd learned about Dal and Elizabeth was useless. She should've gone to the cops with her information. But no, she'd been too damned set on getting her own revenge.
Stupid!
Now they might just get away with running Pete down.

    Should've.

    So damned many
should'ves
.

    She should've gone to the hospital, tonight. Now she'd never see Pete again.

    
It's not over yet, kiddo.

    
Not over yet. Keep telling yourself that.

    The car stopped. Doors opened. She was dragged out by her feet. Schreck lifted her and slung her over his shoulder. He carried her through the darkness. She felt a cool breeze on her back where the jacket of her warm-up suit had pulled up. The air smelled like the ocean.

    
We're near shore,
she thought, and wondered what good that knowledge would do. What good would any of it do? Her martial arts training sure hadn't helped. Maybe the reverse. If she hadn't been so damned confident, she never would've waltzed into the projection room like an idiot.

    Schreck carried her up a few wooden stairs. He waited a moment, then took her through a doorway. They were in darkness. He started up more stairs, his shoulder shoving into her belly with each step he climbed. The stairs seemed to go up forever. Finally, they stopped and he carried her through a long straight way. He turned. Her head brushed a wall or a door-frame. He carried her forward several steps, and bent over.

    Connie fell backwards through the darkness. She landed on something soft-a bed?-with her legs hanging over the end.

    An overhead light came on. Squinting in its brightness, she saw Schreck above her. He took a screwdriver from a deep pocket of his coveralls. She sucked in her belly. The blade pushed against her navel.

    Bruno, behind him, said something.

    'Sure, I can wait,' Schreck answered. He took the screwdriver away. He flipped it end over end, caught it by the handle, and slipped it into his pocket.

    The two men sat down in chairs across the room.

    'Can I sit up?' Connie asked, raising her head to see the response.

    Bruno nodded.

    She sat up. taking the pressure off her shoulders and numb arms. The men stared at her.

    'What are you waiting for?' she asked.

    'Todd,' said Bruno. 'The producer. He'll be along soon.'

    'The producer?'

    'Producer, writer, director.'

    'The brains,' Schreck said, and smiled in a way that sent a chill up Connie's back.

    'I'm going to star in one of your little productions?'

    'I'm the star,' Schreck said.

    'But we'd be nowhere,' added Bruno, 'without the little people.'

    'I'll be recognized,' Connie said.

    Bruno shrugged. 'Maybe. That'll be Filmworld's problem.'

    'It'll get back to you.'

    'Oh, I doubt that. Todd's the only connection, and he'll be in South America living like a king.'

    'Where'll you be?'

    'I'll still have the theater-a fairly profitable enterprise. I'm completely ignorant, naturally, of anything unusual about the
Schreck
films. I'm only an innocent exhibitor. And Otto, here, will undergo cosmetic surgery-he can use it, don't you think? With his new face, he'll continue as projectionist and my partner in the theater.'

    'I have a lot of money.'

    'Do you?'

    'How much would it take to get you guys to let me go?'

    'More than you have, I assure you.'

    'Half a million dollars?'

    'Come now.'

    'I have that much in my savings account. Just untie me, and-'

    Another man entered the room. Connie recognized him from tonight's film: he'd played the cowboy. 'Oh, she's a beauty!' he said.

    'Look, let me go. I'll keep my mouth shut. You can split up my money among the three of you.'

    'Oh, we can't do that,' he told her. 'We have a film to make! The thirteenth and final
Schreck
.' Stepping close to Connie, he brushed a curtain of hair away from the side of her face. 'It's a pity they had to bang you up, but we'll make do.' He patted her bruised cheek. 'You've come as something of a surprise, unfortunately, so we'll have to work out a story-line before we commence shooting. I like to begin with the rode of death, and work backwards from there.'

    'Don't strain your brain.'

    He slapped her. Then he stepped right away and sat on a dresser. 'Can you see me all right? I don't want you to miss any of this.'

    'I can see you.'

    'Good. Now, we must find a way of dispatching you that hasn't been done to death-if you'll pardon the pun. We've already used knives, a fork, a scalpel, an axe, arrows, a chain saw. We hanged one. One unfortunate lady choked on human flesh. Schreck bit out the throat of another. Guns are out, naturally. Too mundane.'

    'Let me skin her alive,' Schreck suggested.

    'We don't want excessive nudity. We're doing horror, after all, not porn.'

    'Film it from behind,' Bruno said.

    Schreck scowled. 'All the good stuff's in front.'

    'Well, we'll keep it in mind. Let's brainstorm for a bit, though.'

    'Drown her in the bathtub?' Bruno asked.

    'We already drowned one in the stream.'

    'I'll pound nails in her.'

    'Schreck the Carpenter,' Bruno said, and laughed.

    'Bury her alive?'

    'How would we film it?'

    'How about I eat her?'

    'Schreck the Snatch…'

    'Too close to Gourmet Schreck.'

    'Shit,' said Bruno. 'What's left?'

    'We'll think of something. Genius, after all, is ninety percent perspiration.' He grinned at Connie. 'Do you have any preferences?'

    'Yeah! Suppose I kill Schreck and escape? It'd give your film a nice upbeat finish. Audiences go for that.'

    'Good thought, but I don't think we'll run with it.'

    'We bury her alive,' Schreck said. 'But shallow. I bash her on the head, and throw the dirt on her. Only she's not dead. She digs her way out and tries to run away. I chase her down. I can take her head right off with the shovel.'

    'I like it.'

    Connie felt dizzy and faint. She took deep breaths.

    'What do you think, Bruno?'

    'Who digs the hole?'

    'We'll let her do it. Good drama there, digging her own grave.'

    'Just so I don't have to do it.'

    'I'll take her head off last,' Schreck said. 'Chop her up some, before that.' His hands, gripping an imaginary shovel, jab the air. 'Ram her in the back. Get her down. Take off one of her hands, maybe. Or both of them. Maybe take off her feet. Then take that shovel and-'

    Connie threw herself sideways and vomited on the mattress.

    Schreck untied her feet. He made a loop at one end of the rope, and dropped it around her neck.

    'Struggle a bit,' Todd said. 'You're on Candid Camera.' He pointed to a mirror above the dresser. 'Bruno's in the control room getting this down, so make it look good.'

    She turned to the mirror. 'My name is Con-'

    Schreck jerked the rope, yanking her off the end of the bed. She fell to her knees.

    'Lovely,' Todd said.

    Schreck dragged her by the rope. She kicked and choked. Then he grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. 'Walk, bitch,' he said.

    Todd left the room first. He pranced ahead of them down the lighted hallway.

    Schreck walked behind Connie, keeping the rope taut.

    'Pull,' Todd said. 'Try to get free. You're fighting for your life.'

    'Fuck you,' Connie said.