The Infinity Box (Tourist Trap Book 3)

Chapter 21

Maurice hurried along as fast as his short little chicken legs could carry him. The chaos in the lobby of the Galloping Centipede had grown even more intense while they had been in the room. There were crowds of people tearing apart everything in sight. Couches had been overturned, decorative sculptures had been smashed, plants had been uprooted, paintings had been ripped to shreds, and several small fires had been set, causing the hotel fire alarm to start blaring once again.

He thought he saw a very groggy and confused looking Sarah and Dr. Octavius standing in the crowd, but he didn't have time to stop. His quarry was moving across the lobby in a hurry, shoving people aside like rag dolls as he made his way through the mob. Luckily it was easy to keep tabs on him between his bright purple robes and the bed he still carried on his back. He also found he was small enough in chicken form to make his way through the throngs of rioting people fairly easily. But it was hard to keep up the pace with the figure in purple.

He burst out the front entrance just in time to see the figure loading the bed onto his strange purple vehicle. The door to the vehicle sealed shut behind him and a cloud of steam began to emerge from under it as the engine started to rev up. Maurice took a deep breath and then leaped onto the vehicle before it took off down the street. The outer section of it spun around in circles, but Maurice found a stable ledge he was able to sit on. He dug his claws in and went along for the ride.

*

Dr. Octavius tried to get a cup of coffee from the hotel's refreshment nook, but a meerkat grabbed the pot and smashed it on the ground before he could reach it.

"This is ridiculous," he said. "The clientele in this place has really gone downhill. I shall have to lodge a complaint with the manager."

Sarah tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "I'm pretty sure the manager is occupied at the moment. I saw an angry crowd haul him outside and hoist him up the flagpole by his underwear a little while ago."

"Such disrespect," Dr. Octavius shook his head. "Don't these idiots realize there are people trying to sleep in this hotel? I need to be rested and refreshed if we're going to stand a chance of locating Pauline tomorrow."

"I keep hearing people shouting about clues. Do you think this mob has something to do with Max's treasure hunt?"

"He probably is responsible for this," Dr. Octavius said. "I certainly wouldn't put it past him. That boy does seem to love trouble." He tapped his foot in agitation. "There's no way I'm going to be able to go back to sleep here with all this ruckus going on. And I can't even wake myself up with some coffee, since these damn fool jackanapes have decided to smash the coffee pot. Let's get out of here. I have a couple of cots at my lab we can sleep on. Maybe we can salvage this night with a few hours of sleep at least. I will be sure to return here on the morrow to report my displeasure to the manager."

Sarah managed to just barely dodge out of the way of a broken table someone had flung in her direction. "I think that sounds like a great idea. Let's go."

*

Danielle came to in the locker room surrounded by four chickens and a short bald man.

"Sleeping beauty awakes at last," Esther said.

"What happened?" Danielle asked as she tried to sit up. Another wave of light-headedness came across her and she laid back down on the hard bench.

"You fainted," Esther said. "Luckily I found you on the ground and that nice walrus lady helped us drag you into the locker room before she went home."

"Thanks?" Danielle said uncertainly.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long. I wanted to introduce you to the girls. This is Stella, Lulu, Denise, and that's Pauline."

"Please to meet you," the short bald man said. "Actually, you look familiar? Have we met before?"

Danielle sat up again and blinked her eyes. This time she managed to stay upright without feeling faint. "You look familiar, too, although a little blurry. Would someone mind handing me my glasses? They're in locker number 318." One of the chickens retrieved her glasses and she put them on. "You're Pauline?"

"That's me," the short bald man said.

"Yes, you definitely look familiar. You wouldn't happen to be a chicken trapped in a man's body, by chance, would you?"

"Why, yes, that's exactly what I am. I don't know how you people get along without wings or beaks. And these long limbs are so ungainly. Not to mention funny looking. No offense, sweetie."

"None taken," Danielle replied. "I'm pretty sure Dr. Octavius is looking for you."

"That's where I know you from. You're that young lady that travelled here with us from Earth. Well, Dr. Octavius can wait. I'm having way too much fun partying with my girlfriends here."

"We were just about to go hit a strip club," Esther said. "Would you care to join us?"

"Well, as tempting as that sounds, I really should go try to meet back up with Sarah and Dr. Octavius."

"Nonsense," Pauline said. "We can find Dr. Octavius later. Tonight's all about having fun with the girls."

"Yeah, come on," Esther said. "You know you want to ogle some over-muscled man meat."

"Well, when you put it like that, how could I possibly resist?" Danielle said with a roll of her eyes.

"Excellent! Come on, ladies! This night's still just a puppy! Let's make it one to remember!"