Doorways to Everywhere (Tourist Trap Book 2)

Chapter 61

"No thanks," she said. "I think I'll stay here and keep Maurice company. You guys go have fun in the other universe."

"Suit yourself," Max said. "Come on, Zeke. Our perfect universe is waiting for us to find it."

Zeke followed Max through the door. There was a disorienting swirl of light and they suddenly found themselves standing in the middle of a huge crowd of screaming girls.

"Nothing but chicks as far as the eye can see," Max shouted into Zeke's ear. "This is already looking promising."

"I don't know," Zeke shouted back, straining to be heard over the ruckus. "All these girls look kind of young. Like teenagers. Maybe even younger. Something feels off about this."

A small red haired girl let out an excessively shrill screech right next to them, causing them to cover their ears in pain. "I'll admit they could stand to tone down the noise a little bit," Max said. "But on the other hand there must be something going on that's got them so excited."

The lights suddenly went out and the roar of the crowd somehow got even louder and more piercing. A spotlight came on and revealed five boys on a stage with floppy haircuts and flashy outfits. They all seemed to be wearing little earpieces with microphones attached that extended to their mouths. A repetitive beat kicked in through some unseen speakers and all five of the boys started dancing in unison. One boy with frosted blond tips in his hair started singing in a high-pitched voice. The lyrics seemed to center mostly on wanting to be somebody's boyfriend.

"Oh, hell no," Zeke said. "You took us to some sort of boy band universe."

"I don't know what a boy band is, but I just noticed the sign above the bar says they don't serve alcohol," Max said. "This universe is a total bust. Let's get the hell out of here." He flung the door open and they ran back through it as fast as they could.

"Well?" Sarah asked as they emerged back in the lab. "Did you find your perfect universe?"

"We found the perfect universe for someone who enjoys watching a bunch of puberty-challenged boys imitating the sound of hyenas in heat," Max said. "It wasn't quite what we were looking for though."

"That's too bad," Sarah said.

"Well, no big deal," Max said. "It's a random door. All we've got to do is move it somewhere else and try again." He scooted the door over a few feet and opened it again. Instantly a torrent of water started pouring out of it. He wrestled against the flow of water for a moment before he finally managed to get the door shut again. "That was weird. It must have led to an underwater universe. I don't suppose we want to go there."

"I don't know if I like that door," Zeke said. "Why don't we try another one? Hey this one looks promising. It's got a big letter 'Z' on the front of it. That's my favorite letter. 'Z' for Zeke." He picked it up from the table and it stretched out in his hands like rubber.

"Oh, it's one of those shape changing doors," Max said. "I like those. See, you can even squish it down into a little ball and shove it in your pocket. All right, let's give this one a shot." He stretched the door out on the wall so it was big enough for them to fit through and flung it open.

They emerged in a dimly lit metallic hallway. There were exposed wires and pipes all along the walls and ceiling. It was warm and muggy and a fairly strong stench of rotten eggs wafted through the air.