Ghostbusters The Return by Sholly Fisch Page B

Geezil."

    Much as Geezil realized that the statement was self-evident enough to be a little silly - time always grows closer, it doesn't stand still - he had enough common sense to know better than to mention it. In fact, he'd long since discovered the wisdom of staying outside the reach of Xanthador's arms. Physical abuse came with the job description here. But as Xanthador's size and strength grew day by day, the chances that Geezil's master would kill or dismember him by accident were becoming even greater than the chances that he'd do it on purpose.

    With all of that in mind, he simply said, "My heart leaps with joy, o most excellent monarch of fright."

    Xanthador's tongue rolled languorously out of his mouth to extend several feet, before curling around to lick his lips with pleasure. "Do you feel the change, Geezil? Can you taste it?"

    Geezil stuck out his considerably shorter tongue. All he tasted was the usual foul air. "Oh, yes. Most definitely, o archduke of horror. It tastes delicious. Yum yum."

    Without warning, Xanthador's tongue lashed out to wrap itself tightly around Geezil's throat. "Then why have you not begun the preparations?" he said in an oily tone that did nothing to hide the implied threat beneath the words.

    His power must be growing, thought Geezil as he struggled to breathe. He can talk with his tongue stretched halfway across the plain.

    "II was... just on my...way...to do so...o...master," he wheezed.

    "By all means, then. Fulfill your duties without delay," Xanthador said, releasing him.

    Geezil fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The neck, he thought. Why is it always the neck?

    "The barrier between worlds grows thin as vapor," said Xanthador. "It will be soon now. Before long, Xanthador shall walk the Earth once more. All must stand in readiness."

    He plucked long, silvery strands of ectoplasm from the breeze, and began to mold and weave them into shape.

    "To work, Geezil," said Xanthador. "We have much to do."

    "The thing is," Louis was saying, "If we leave now, we can still be there in time for the curtain. It would be a shame to miss part of the play, even though I did get the tickets for half price, so I guess we'll come out ahead as long as we get there before fifty percent of the play is over. Although, on second thought, I suppose that in computing the net cost of the tickets, you also have to factor in the sixty-three minutes I spent standing on line at the TKTS booth. And, of course, they were sold out of tickets for the play we really wanted to see. But even so, it's still a good deal."

    Janine didn't appear to hear a word that Louis said - she was too busy talking on the phone and scribbling notes at lightning speed. "Yes, sir," she said into the receiver, "I'm sure you had no idea that the car wasn't yours when you drove it away... Yes, I understand that you didn't know the owner's dead grandmother was wrapped in the blanket on the luggage rack... Yes, it must have been quite a shock when she sat up in the chop shop..."

    "Hello, my fellow citizens!" Venkman threw his arms open wide as he swept into the office with Winston following behind.

    Egon raised his eyes from a dusty tome to stare at Venkrnan. He used an elbow to nudge Ray, who was slumped over an equally ancient volume and snoring quietly. Ray woke with a start, exclaiming, "Aw, Mom! Why can't I fly to the Bermuda Triangle?" It took an instant for him to take in his surroundings, and another to wipe the sleep from his eyes After that, he stared at Venkman, too.

    "Did you catch us on TV?" Venkman asked, without waiting for anyone to answer. "It's amazing. These reporters and talk show hosts are hanging on my every word. Naturally, some of it comes from my personal eloquence. But you wouldn't believe what running for mayor does for your social life..."

    He continued on like that for a while, not noticing the state of his audience. But as he spoke, Winston looked around and was concerned about what he saw.