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Speaker 1: Hullo. I'm Welcom's stories all the time. Glad you are here.

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Let's get into it. Laurie watched the radar on her

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phone with apprehension as red as the blossoming humor which

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was spreading over Iowa. She leaned against the Gloss Candy

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display case and shook her head. We might have to

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call it, she said. Max, the high schooler working the

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cash register that afternoon, replied, what do you mean. I

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mean we might have to shut down the theaters and

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give everybody for funds, send them home before the system

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gets any worse. She turned her phone toward Max, and

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he bent close to study the red explosion. Rain was

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already pouring so hard they could hear it pattering on

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the roof thunder soul love. Max thought he was hearing

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explosions from transformers. Rise of the Beasts rattled the doors

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and chindeliers. Isn't everyone safer here than driving out there?

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Max asked, Oh, Max, you innocent child. Laurie sarcastically chided,

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it's not about their safety, it's about all liability. Max

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looked horrified. Laurie laughed, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You should

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see your face. Her teasing smile softened. No, you're right,

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they are technically safer here. But think about what will

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happen if we lose power. Everyone in the dark window

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as theater is. When the lights go out and the

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screens go black, everyone climbing over each other trying to

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get to the exits. That would be a nightmare. But

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by the time I give them all her funds, just

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hand everybody vouchers on their way out, Tell them they

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can come back and finish the movie tomorrow or whenever

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it is convenient. I think the Flash is just about over,

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so let's let that when finish, then clear out Spider

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Man and Elemental. Fortunately, no one had showed up to

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the matinees of the Bugamin or Transformers. If Laurie and

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Max could find a silver lining, it was that the

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storm had decided to roll for At tupam on a

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Monday afternoon, on CUE, a giggling couple came out of theater,

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one arm in arm. One of them tossed the empty

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pop from bucket they had sheared into the trash can,

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while the others slept the last few drops of soda

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from between ice chips at the bottom of collectible cup

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they both for when lightning flashed through the front doors

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and thundercrack like a whip. It's getting pretty bad, Laurie

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wore in the couple, I'd get going before it gets

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any worse. They nodded and hurried toward the doors. One

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of them whispered something and both started giggling again. Laurie

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couldn't wait for Sculptor's start. School forced these careless teens

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to take something, at least summer seriously. Most of them

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acted like consequences took summers off with their teachers. Soon,

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a steady stream of muviegoers were meandering into the lobby,

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whether they were excited by the movie or disappointed at

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the sights and sounds of the storm, equalized them all

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and muted their burbing conversations. Hurry home, everybody, Laurie repeated

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a few times as people dawdled in the lobby. It's

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only getting worse. We're closing to Max, she said. Co

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shut down the other's eaters and send everyone out here, please,

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I'll have vouchers ready. Max realized he had been hoping

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for a miracle. Some freak pressure changed to push the

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storm north aside, so he wouldn't have to shut down

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two theaters full of obnoxious kids, angry parents, and bitter

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shift workers like himself. Fured just wanted a couple hours

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of entertainment. As rain hissed against the roof like static,

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he went up to the projector room. He shut down

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Theater three's projector, prematurely ending Spider Man across the Spider Verse.

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The chorus of jeers and beus which followed made him

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nervous to go downstairs and address the audience, but he did. Hey, everybody,

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he started, they kept yelling at him. He recognized a

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few of his classmates in the audience who were booing

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and cursing at him just as loudly as everyone else. Hey, listen,

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I'm sorry. We have vouchers for an enormous blast of

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thunder shook the building and brought the crowds falling down

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a few decibels. Some one in the back said, oh

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my god, there's like a huge storm going on right now.

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Max cut in. It's not safe to keep the movie's playing,

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but you'll get a voucher for a free showing in

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the way out. Please leave in and orderly. But everyone

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was already moving. Things went about the same in Theater four,

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where the latest Disney Picks A movie was entertaining a

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horde of snotty drooling nuggets with popcorn buttery finger dips. Again,

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he turned off the projector, went down to the front

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of the theater and made his anoantment. There were tears

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and angry glares and tiny I hate youse, but Max

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was done. Both theaters were empty. When Max returned to

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the front counter, Lorie's cell phone man. She asked Max

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to take over and turned her back. Max grabbed a

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fresh stack of rouches from behind the counter and moved

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into Laurie's spot. Wait, slow down, Laurie said into her phone.

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Her hand went to her forehead as if she were

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trying to keep her brain from busting out all of them. No, no,

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we shut down. No, there's still a few. O K,

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I'm on my way. Oguez ogeh. Please be careful. She

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hung up. While he handed free movie vouchers to angry appearance,

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Max listened to Lorrie explained that one whole of her

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family's barn had collapsed in the wind, and all of

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her animals she had horses, goats, and chickens, had scattered.

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The call had come from her adult son, who was

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out in the storm trying to wrangle all the critters

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into the garage. Can you finish closing up on your own,

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she asked, I already locked the front doors. Max really

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didn't see how he could say. No. Yeah, sure, good luck,

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he said. Laurie thanked him, scooped up her purse, and

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hurried down the whole way toward the employee entrance. Max

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finished handing out the butchers and heard it a few

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loitering families through the doors, making sure the doors were

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still locked. When he finished, he turned off the flashlight

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behind the counter, the pop parn machine and the soda

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found in He locked up the registers, all the while

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listening to the wind's increasing ferocity. He felt bad for

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forcing everyone else to leave while he stayed safe inside.

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He had snacks, water, and if the power held up,

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maybe even some entertainment. Laurie wouldn't mind if he fired

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up one of the projictors for a private showing of

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Spider Man he'd been dying to see, but had worked

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all we can't. All that remained was to shut down

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theaters two and five, which were playing the Bogamin and Transformers,

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to empty seats. Laurie always liked to play the movies,

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even if no one bought tickets in case somebody came

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really late to something. As Max climbed back up to

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the projector room, he could hear the Bogamin's every soundtrack.

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He gave him chills. Max was not a huge horror fan.

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On a good day, with the movie's evil sounds blending

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him at the violent storm, Max couldn't shut down the

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projector fast enough. Finally, he walked all the way down

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to Theater five's projector. The roof sounded like it was

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made of paper by how hard the rain patted and

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splatted against it, and the elevated floor shook with each

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blast of thunder. Max reached down for the projector's controls,

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but stop when he heard someone laugh. Max listened, wondering

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if he had heard something from the movie. But on screen,

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a battle between giant alien robus was raging, and it

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didn't look like a very humorous ordeal. Then he heard

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it again clear after coming from below. Max peeked over

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the edge of the window and looked straight down at

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the back row of seats. To his dismay, he saw

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trio of teens sprawled out in the back rower. They

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were sitting up of a mess of empty candy boxes

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and snapped bags mercy brands not sold at the concession counter.

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There were also a few cans of beer scattered around

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their feet. He almost turned the projector off, but the

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idea of confronting the vagabonds below in darkness and silent

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scared him. If he let the movie play, he could

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pretend to kick them up for all the obvious violations

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they were committing. They couldn't possibly know he was alone,

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and they wouldn't know until they were out in the lobby.

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From there, Max would just have to hope they would

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leave peacefully. He went down to theater five in, hailed deeply,

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and opened the swinging door. Excuse me, May I see

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her ticket stubs? He asked the lounging group. Oh, this

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kid's got us cold. The girl sitting between two guys

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sat up straight and pointed at Max. She had long

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green braids, which skidded over her white T shirt almost

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down to her high waisted gens. Max didn't believe he

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could even think this given the circumstances, but he found

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her very attractive. The guy who had his arm around

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her seemed to notice Max's practiced authoritative expression soften. He

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leaned forward to and said, I think he likes you. Mandy,

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tell you what, kid, you let us watch this movie,

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and I bet Mandy you will let you see what's

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under her shirt hall Mandy scolded, but then she laughed.

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These teenagers were older, probably eighteen or nineteen, but to

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sixteen year old Max, they might as well have been

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twenty five. They terrified him. The guy who had offered

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a peep show's payment had a tank top on that

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displayed bag sculpted arms. His powerful eggs glowed white where

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his athletic shorts were pulled up, caught between the seat

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and his substance achil hamstrings. Max guessed he was either

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a football player or a wrestler. The third scammer just

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kept staring ahead at the screen while the other two

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laughed into each other's mads. He had long, greasy looking

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hair and a glassy, drunken look in his eyes. The

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way is Hoodie pulled around and told Max he was

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real Thane, But good god was he told that too? Big?

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Hoodie was undoubtedly the way these older kids had snuck

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in their goodies. No thanks, Max, dammer, trying to recover

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from the shock of tank Top Paul's offer and to

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pretend like his eyes hadn't accidentally flaked to Green Bray

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Mandy's chest. Just messing with you, bro, said Paul. We cool,

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We promise will bounce as soon as the credits roll. Yeah,

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pretend weiscos. Mendy laughed. She was obviously drunk. Max wanted

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to say that sounded great. He wanted to say that

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was just fine with him. Hindsight would tell him that

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it is exactly what he should have done. Um, I

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actually have to well, since nobody bought tickets to this

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movie and shutting it off. Max halflied, If you want,

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I can give you guys some bodgers though. They'll get

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you into any movie you want for free. Okay, so

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let's just pretend we used our vouchers to see this

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tall guy mumble. Max couldn't deny the logic. He still

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didn't want to let them know the full situation, though,

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so he lied. It's my boss, guys, she's making me

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turn it off. If I have to ask her to

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come in here, she's going to be pissed. She'll call

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the cops for sure. Thunder rocked the theater. Everyone looked

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at the screen, thinking they had just heard a plot

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diverting explosion that there was only dial coming from the speakers. Now,

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is it raining outside, Mandy asked. Max realized he could

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give them a little more of the truth without revealing

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he was by himself. Yeah, we're shutting everything down and

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asking everyone to leave. He had it there could be

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a pouse urge and the storm could short out the

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projectors if we don't turn them off. Do There's like

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twenty minutes left of this thing. Just let us finish

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the movie, Paul said, it sucks anyway, Let's just go

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toll guy said, co turn off all the other ones

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for so we can finish. Mandy suggested, I already did.

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Ma X replied. He instantly regretted this and internally scolded himself,

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but then thought, just because the other theaters are shut

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down doesn't mean you're alone. They still don't know you

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know what, kid, go ahead and call the police. The

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movie will be done by the time the pigs show up,

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Paul said. Mandy laughed again. She had an awful laugh

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that almost destroyed Max's attraction to her. She sounded like

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a crossbired donkey pig and to be assuredly didn't help.

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Max resigned, Yes, fine, she'll s leave out the back

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when you're done, so my boss doesn't see you. Mandy

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would victoriously. Max returned to the projector room to watch

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The Road to Teens below. He checked and saw there

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was close to thirty minutes left of the movie. He

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wondered if he should actually call the police. He could,

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but they were probably busy dealing with the side effects

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of the storm. Max had never called the police for

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anything before. Would they question him, would they need him

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to press charges? Would they line up Paul and Mandy

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and told guy down at the station and ask Max

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to identify them. Max opted to wait and see if

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the trio would just leave on their own. Us seemed

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all right that they would. Fifteen minutes later, Paul got up.

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Max almost fell out of his chair trying to stand

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quickly and run to the stairs. He wasn't sure what

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Paul had gotten up for, but he sensed it would

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be bad if they muscled a trunk to'd found the

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rest of the building empty. Max managed to get down

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the stairs and behind the counter just as Paul came

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around the corner. Oh there you are, he said, with

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a smirk. I just got to take a leak. We

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still cool, We're cool, Max said dryly. He pointed across

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the lobby at the restrooms. Paul gave him a little

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nod and disappeared. Max felt a wave of relief. He'd

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00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:37,879
never been drunk, but alcohol seemed to make people stupid.

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Maybe it made them stupid enough that Paul wouldn't realize

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no one else was around. He only had to keep

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00:11:43,639 --> 00:11:46,720
up the charade for fifteen more minutes. Two minutes later,

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Paul came mambling out of the restroom. He strolled over

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00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,320
to the counter, leaned toward Max, and with his deper breath, said,

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give me some water. Max grabbed one of the small

243
00:11:55,159 --> 00:11:57,639
plastic cups they used when cast Res ordered water and

244
00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,840
nothing else. Hey man, Paul trailed off. Max tried not

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00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:03,480
to look at him to ac normal, but he couldn't

246
00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,399
help himself. As he poured water from the soda fountain

247
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into the cup, he turned to see Paul looking around, searching. Paul,

248
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,679
after you hear by yourself? Max stutter no, but he

249
00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,720
had taken too long and sounded too nervous. His split

250
00:12:16,759 --> 00:12:20,759
second hesitation told Paul everything. Holly, yo, you lie to us.

251
00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,320
You Boss ain't around at all. Oh man, this is great. Okay,

252
00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,480
ok get Merhese's pieces and a root beer. I already

253
00:12:29,519 --> 00:12:32,000
shut down the cash register, Max said, with a shrug.

254
00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,200
Paul may make the shrug and raised an eyebrow. I

255
00:12:35,279 --> 00:12:39,039
wasn't planning. I'm paying anyway, dummy, he said. Okay, look,

256
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you can finish the movie. I won't bother you, but

257
00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:44,279
I can't let you seal stuff. I'll get in trouble

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00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:46,080
whom it. Boss will probably make me pay for it.

259
00:12:46,639 --> 00:12:50,320
Not my problem, Paul said, his eyes went dark. Max

260
00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,639
had read about this happening in books, but had always

261
00:12:52,639 --> 00:12:54,639
thought it was just something author's wrote to describe a

262
00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,759
threatening glare. He didn't think it actually happened in real life.

263
00:12:57,799 --> 00:13:00,879
But now Max couldn't explain how, but Paul's eyes actually

264
00:13:00,919 --> 00:13:03,679
looked darker. The way he was looking at Max reminded

265
00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:07,440
him of a snake or shark. Okay, whatever, Max said.

266
00:13:07,639 --> 00:13:09,759
He slid a box of Rhese's Pieces from case across

267
00:13:09,799 --> 00:13:12,799
the glass countertop. Then he flipped over a large cap,

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00:13:12,919 --> 00:13:15,240
his assum Paul would demand the size anyway, turned the

269
00:13:15,279 --> 00:13:17,759
soda fountain back on and filled the cup with root beer.

270
00:13:18,399 --> 00:13:21,320
You forgot the ice, pulstated. Max rolled his eyes and

271
00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,240
splashed a few eyes cubed into the fizzing drink. He

272
00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:26,240
put a lid on and handed to drink to Poul.

273
00:13:26,879 --> 00:13:30,679
Straws are over. Yeah yeah. As Paul disappeared around the corner,

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Max whispered, you're welcome now. He reconsidered calling that the

275
00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,200
storm was still raging, but it didn't seem to be

276
00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:39,000
getting any worse, and now he was the victim of

277
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,840
a robbery or something. These kids were sort of holding

278
00:13:41,879 --> 00:13:45,159
him hostage too. He couldn't leave until they did. He

279
00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,000
decided to call nine hundred eleven before things got any worse.

280
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He had pressed nine hundred eleven when the whole trio

281
00:13:50,879 --> 00:13:53,480
came around the corner together. We didn't know there were

282
00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:57,240
free snacks. Mandy cackled, I want some sire patch kids

283
00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,720
so bad. Max said, no, that's not hay. What the

284
00:14:00,759 --> 00:14:04,440
hell are you doing, Paul demanded. He snapped and pointed

285
00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:06,960
at the throne in Max's hand. That better just be

286
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,919
instigram on your screen. Max tried to swipe away the

287
00:14:09,919 --> 00:14:12,840
faue nap, but Paul grabbed his wrist. He twisted it

288
00:14:12,879 --> 00:14:14,639
so he could see the screen, and when he saw

289
00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,639
the numbers there, his face went red. He slammed Max's

290
00:14:17,639 --> 00:14:19,919
wrist down on the countertop so hot a tail sprouted

291
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,679
in the corners of Max's eyes. He felt something in

292
00:14:22,679 --> 00:14:25,960
his elbow. Stretched painfully, Paul rip Max's fum from his hand,

293
00:14:26,159 --> 00:14:28,399
locked it, and put it in his own pocket. I

294
00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,720
thought we were cool, he said, sounding genuinely hurt. Since

295
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,840
I guess we're not. Here's how this is going to work.

296
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,639
I have to pee. Mandy interrupted, fine got Paul yelled

297
00:14:37,639 --> 00:14:41,320
at her. She laughed and jogged away. Paul made bewildered

298
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,120
palm's turned up expression at tolguy, whose face remained vacant. Okay,

299
00:14:45,159 --> 00:14:47,200
here is how this will go. We are going to

300
00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,399
order some snacks and some drinks. You're going to bring

301
00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,320
them to us with your best customer service. Well, we

302
00:14:52,399 --> 00:14:56,399
finished transformers, then I dunno, jay what do you say

303
00:14:56,399 --> 00:15:00,519
we see that new Stephen King, movey bugaman or whatever? Yea,

304
00:15:00,799 --> 00:15:04,240
we should definitely stay Jaye the group Stock's age said.

305
00:15:04,759 --> 00:15:07,240
He sounded rather uninduced, though, and didn't take his hands

306
00:15:07,279 --> 00:15:09,159
off the counter or his eyes off the dark menu.

307
00:15:09,799 --> 00:15:13,679
The storm sounded pretty rough. Yea bro perfect weather for

308
00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,480
a horror movie, and dude, Mandy will be into it

309
00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:20,399
for sure. We got to stay. Paul punctuated this imperative

310
00:15:20,399 --> 00:15:23,600
with the sideway grin at Max. Max's collar had started

311
00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,279
to stick to his neck, damp with pungent, anxious sweat.

312
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,600
So while we finished Transformers gave the scary one. Ready,

313
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,039
skip all the previews and crap, We'll just cut straight

314
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:36,559
to the feature. Max didn't move or speak. He didn't

315
00:15:36,559 --> 00:15:38,039
think these kids knew how to get up to the

316
00:15:38,039 --> 00:15:41,120
projector or turn it on. They could get their own snacks,

317
00:15:41,159 --> 00:15:42,759
but if he refused to put the movie on, their

318
00:15:42,759 --> 00:15:45,320
fun little evening out would be canceled. He weighed the

319
00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,000
risk of refusing them, which he did not fully comprehend yet,

320
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,759
against the possibility of them giving up and leaving hey man.

321
00:15:51,799 --> 00:15:54,480
Paul said, looking through his eyebuzz a cold sweating Max,

322
00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,000
if you behave you can have reform back. If you

323
00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,200
don't consider it gone, Paul lifted one of his dirt

324
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:04,200
impacted running shoe heels on to the counter. He stuck

325
00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,480
his tongue out at Max's. He knocked Max's phone screen

326
00:16:06,519 --> 00:16:09,559
against his dirty heel twice. On the second hat, the

327
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,039
phone slipped from Paul's fingers, knocked against the corner of

328
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,200
the counter, then fell face down on the tile floor

329
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,679
with a sharp crunch. Oh ho, Mandy's voice hooted from

330
00:16:17,679 --> 00:16:20,600
across the lobby. She was buttoning her pants and gawking

331
00:16:20,639 --> 00:16:22,720
at the phone on the floor. Paul picked it up

332
00:16:22,759 --> 00:16:25,840
and laughed nervously. Maybe it'll still work. He shrugged and

333
00:16:25,879 --> 00:16:28,600
slid the phone across the counter to max the screen

334
00:16:28,639 --> 00:16:31,679
had splintered. An intricate spider or pattern masked after it,

335
00:16:31,799 --> 00:16:34,960
and nothing happened. He hit the side buttons, which made

336
00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:36,919
the screen light up, but the phone would not respond

337
00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,879
to his touch. Otherwise it was, in essence useless. He

338
00:16:40,879 --> 00:16:42,960
didn't look up at Paul or Jeo, even Mandy, who

339
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,200
was giving him a playfully seductive smile to maybe soften

340
00:16:45,279 --> 00:16:48,240
the blow he had just been dealt. Instead, he grabbed

341
00:16:48,279 --> 00:16:50,120
the key ring on his belt and quickly locked the

342
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,320
glass candy case. He then reached round the soda fountain,

343
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,600
turned the key protruding from the side, and pulled it out.

344
00:16:56,279 --> 00:16:58,279
He finally looked up at his kidnappers as he took

345
00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,720
three defiant stepped back from the counter. Mandy, what do

346
00:17:01,799 --> 00:17:05,720
you want to eat? Paul asked, ignoring Max's antics. I

347
00:17:05,799 --> 00:17:09,079
already said, sire Patch kids, Mandy yelled. She was still

348
00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:12,680
keeping her distance. Max wished she would come closer. He

349
00:17:12,759 --> 00:17:15,000
felt like she was staying clear of something bad she

350
00:17:15,039 --> 00:17:18,279
expected to happen, something she could stomach watching but not

351
00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,039
participating in. That's right, get the pretty girl some sire

352
00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:25,640
patch kid's bro. We've got a movie to finish. Max

353
00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,279
didn't move. You know, we'll probably need you to back

354
00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:30,480
it up for us a bit. By now, Max still

355
00:17:30,519 --> 00:17:34,079
didn't move. You gonna get that candy or what still

356
00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,799
as a statue? I want my cannext, Jay said. Paul's

357
00:17:37,799 --> 00:17:40,960
fist clenched. Just get the damp Pole launched himself over

358
00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,200
the counter, his dirty running shoes, clearing the squeaky glass

359
00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:47,440
countertop by inches. He landed on the business side on

360
00:17:47,559 --> 00:17:51,079
tiles made sticky by dozens of overfilled drinks. Max shrunk

361
00:17:51,079 --> 00:17:53,440
to the furthest corner, but the mini sulloon door, which

362
00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:55,960
provided the only exit from behind the counter, was between

363
00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,440
him and Paul. If he went for it, Paul would

364
00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,799
beat him there. He wish she could leap over the

365
00:18:00,799 --> 00:18:02,799
count of the way Paul had. He had made it

366
00:18:02,839 --> 00:18:06,960
look so effortless. Everything Paul did seemed effortless, the way

367
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,039
he moved, the way he smiled, the way he held

368
00:18:09,039 --> 00:18:11,400
a sixteen year old employee hostage at the movie theater.

369
00:18:12,039 --> 00:18:14,440
In the same regrettable way Max was attracted to Mandy.

370
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,000
He admired, Paul, just give me the keys. If you're

371
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,519
going to be like this, Paul said, If you're mad

372
00:18:19,519 --> 00:18:22,319
about your phone, fine, I get it. You don't have

373
00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:24,720
to wait on us. Just let us do what we

374
00:18:24,759 --> 00:18:27,279
want to do, and nobody's going to hurt you. Max

375
00:18:27,279 --> 00:18:29,599
swallowed hard and threw the keys over the counter across

376
00:18:29,599 --> 00:18:31,880
the lobby with a spastic jerkin, without ever looking away

377
00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,920
from Paul. Paul, with his still dark eyes, flushed red

378
00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:37,559
all over. Red blotches even formed in the backs of

379
00:18:37,559 --> 00:18:39,599
his bulging triceps and worked their way into the crook

380
00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:43,240
of his elbow. He was, by every definition mad. Get

381
00:18:43,279 --> 00:18:46,319
those he grunted at Jay. Jay's fingers slipped off the

382
00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,599
counter as he turned his towering body like a lumbering

383
00:18:48,599 --> 00:18:51,200
ship and slumped off to retrieve the key ring. In

384
00:18:51,279 --> 00:18:54,759
contrast to Jay's slothly movements, Paul moved fast. He lunged

385
00:18:54,759 --> 00:18:56,799
at Max and got two meaty hands around his narrow

386
00:18:56,839 --> 00:18:59,480
shoulders before Max even realized he was under assault. He

387
00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:01,799
thought he had Mandy whoop, but as Paul dried him

388
00:19:01,839 --> 00:19:03,640
out of his protective corner, Mats called a glimpse of

389
00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:05,839
Mandy looking Ellen for the first time, not pretty at all.

390
00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,160
J threw the keywinter Pol, who called it Upfield style

391
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,799
in his right hand. His left hand squeeze Max's right shoulder,

392
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:12,920
warning him against trying to worm a Waypoul tried to

393
00:19:13,039 --> 00:19:15,359
keys before the third finally worked in the candy case.

394
00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:18,039
The back dropped open, and Paul motioned with his head

395
00:19:18,039 --> 00:19:20,480
for Jay to come around. Get all this crap out

396
00:19:20,519 --> 00:19:22,640
of here, he said. When Jay was standing beside him,

397
00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:27,200
oliver it, Jay asked, lazily, YEA, we need the space.

398
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,160
Nobody had to explain what was about to happen to Max.

399
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:34,559
That single sentence had said at all, No, No. Max

400
00:19:34,599 --> 00:19:37,720
fought against Paul's grip, which tightened with his every pathetic movement.

401
00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:40,799
Jay yanked out the middle shelf, dropping neatly a line

402
00:19:40,839 --> 00:19:42,559
boxes of candy on to the bottom of the case

403
00:19:42,559 --> 00:19:44,920
in a heap. He linked his hands together and used

404
00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,839
his conjoined arms like a bacco Digging to candleland, he

405
00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,680
scooped boxes of hot Tamails and Reese's Pieces and M

406
00:19:50,759 --> 00:19:53,240
and A Mess and my Kannikes onto the floor. They

407
00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:55,359
rattled in a rapturous chorus of applause as they hit

408
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:59,519
the floor. Even the candy was against Max Ja emptied

409
00:19:59,519 --> 00:20:02,799
the candy cars and four scoops. He manually removed two

410
00:20:02,799 --> 00:20:06,119
boxes which his biological contraption had missed, then stepped out

411
00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:08,519
of Paul's way. Paul put a powerful hold in the

412
00:20:08,559 --> 00:20:11,160
back of Max's neck and forced his head down. In

413
00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,519
this way, he folded Max in half, then shoved him

414
00:20:13,519 --> 00:20:16,680
into the glass case. As he struggled to prevent the inevitable,

415
00:20:16,759 --> 00:20:19,599
Max dropped his disabled phone in the ground. At that

416
00:20:19,759 --> 00:20:22,640
very moment, he remembered the emergency built into most phones.

417
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,559
If he would have squeezed the side buttons five times,

418
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,680
his phone would have automatically dialed nine hundred eleven. The

419
00:20:28,759 --> 00:20:31,440
glass rattled from an outburst of hostile thunders. Paul slammed

420
00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,359
the back shut and locked it. Due to a staffing shortage,

421
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,200
customers are encouraged to get their own snacks. Paul announced

422
00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,440
into an invisible intercom. Mandy clapped like a trained seal.

423
00:20:41,039 --> 00:20:44,319
Hey it lights. Jay said this, then dropped behind the counter.

424
00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,640
Paul looked around frantically, noticed the light switch behind the

425
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,440
silver fountain, and hid it. The overhead lights behind the

426
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,400
counter went out. Max had turned off the vibrant eledy

427
00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:55,359
inside the candy case back when he thought he was

428
00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,200
in the theater alone. Only the dim lights outside the

429
00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,119
restroom were on now. Max indeed duck behind the Pimmel

430
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,880
machine as Paul slipped down next to Jay. Max had

431
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:05,799
watched the headlight to pull up outside the theater two

432
00:21:06,319 --> 00:21:09,079
He just hadn't said anything. The rain was so heavy

433
00:21:09,079 --> 00:21:11,000
that he couldn't see the car, only its faint double

434
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,400
ra He had guessed it was just someone caught in

435
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:15,559
the storm, looking to see if the theater was still open.

436
00:21:16,079 --> 00:21:18,440
It was then Max realized that in her haste, Laurie

437
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,640
had forgotten to turn off the neon open sign hanging

438
00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:22,480
beside the front door, and he hadn't looked at it

439
00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,400
when he double checked the doors. Then, even though he

440
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:27,720
was in the dark and his captors had all successfully hidden,

441
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,119
Max's spirits lifted when he saw the person who had

442
00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:32,960
stopped outside of as a police officer. She ran up

443
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,599
to the door and yanked repeatedly at the handle. With

444
00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,559
everyone inside keeping quiet, Max could hear the violet winds

445
00:21:38,559 --> 00:21:41,960
whipping against the doors. Whatever was going on outside, it

446
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:43,559
was bad enough that the cop was begging to be

447
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,759
let in. She was pulling on the door handles and screaming, please,

448
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:50,720
is anyone in there? I need shelter, I need shelter please.

449
00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:53,440
Max took an enormous risk and yelled back to her,

450
00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,079
but she obviously couldn't hear him. He could hear the

451
00:21:56,079 --> 00:21:58,279
hood of her useless ring cup flapping against her head.

452
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:01,400
Max pounded on the glass, growling and screaming like a

453
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,599
monkey put in the wrong cage at a zoo. Her

454
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,079
face turned toward his, and for a second Max thought

455
00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,880
she had seen him. Somehow, despite the near perfect darkness inside,

456
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,680
she had noticed them. She certainly had some tool that

457
00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,920
could unlock the doors. She would bust in, rescue him,

458
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,119
and arrest the other three for everything they had done.

459
00:22:18,519 --> 00:22:21,119
It wouldn't be juvy for those older kids, eater. They

460
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,039
probably faced prison time and good riddance. But then the

461
00:22:24,079 --> 00:22:27,279
officer's face turned away. She hadn't seen him. After all,

462
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,000
She had only been looking for someone inside who could

463
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,440
help her. Max wanted to help her. Had the theaters

464
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,200
all been empty, he probably would have been mopping the lobby.

465
00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:38,519
He would have opened the door for her and said

466
00:22:39,079 --> 00:22:41,640
watch your step. Maybe he would have made her some

467
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,920
popcorn and she could have treated the doors like a screen,

468
00:22:44,039 --> 00:22:46,400
the storm like a movie as Max finished cleaning up,

469
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:49,359
But instead he was laying sideways in a glass cage

470
00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,519
that smelled like artificial fruit and cardboard, and was his

471
00:22:52,559 --> 00:22:55,519
head getting a little bit light as a gustovwyn washed

472
00:22:55,519 --> 00:22:58,000
the carp and horizontal rain. She turned and ran back

473
00:22:58,039 --> 00:23:02,200
to her car. Seconds later, the headlights disappeared. The lights

474
00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,240
behind the counter and inside the case turned back on.

475
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,920
Paul and Jay laughed and high fived each other. Mandy

476
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,960
ran across the lobby enjoined in the action. Dude, what

477
00:23:11,039 --> 00:23:15,000
are the odds? Paul asked. He panted his palm against

478
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,839
the top of the glass heart five times. Now Max

479
00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,160
understood why the fish tank of the dentist's office displayed

480
00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,039
the sign that said do not tap on the glass.

481
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:24,559
The sound jarred him and gave him the beginnings of

482
00:23:24,559 --> 00:23:27,480
an eye with robbing headache. To Jay, Paul said, Yo,

483
00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,160
turn off that open sign. I don't want to get

484
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:34,160
interrupted again. But that was fun. Mandy cheered, Hey, it's

485
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,400
getting kind of hard to breathe in here. Max said,

486
00:23:37,079 --> 00:23:39,799
he hoped, man, he hoped that these wild kids had

487
00:23:39,799 --> 00:23:42,000
a line they wooden't cross, and that that line was murder.

488
00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:47,559
No way, that thing's air tight. Paul scoffed, nice, try though, No, seriously,

489
00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:49,279
it's like I can't really feel my hands and my

490
00:23:49,319 --> 00:23:53,279
head starting to hurt. Watch Jay said something new shone

491
00:23:53,319 --> 00:23:55,759
in his eyes when he looked down on Max. I

492
00:23:55,759 --> 00:23:58,319
bet he's going to pretend to pass out. Mandy drew

493
00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:00,880
in a huge breath. She said, I know how to

494
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,160
keep him awake and pressed her chest against the glass.

495
00:24:03,799 --> 00:24:06,559
Max shut his eyes. He also covered his ears when

496
00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,759
Mandy started cooing at him as if he were a baby.

497
00:24:09,279 --> 00:24:11,400
He felt like a carnival freak being goaded by a

498
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,680
group of misbehaved children. Paul was the bully, Mandy the

499
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:16,799
cute one that can get away with whatever she wants,

500
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,839
and j J was the one who would probably drown

501
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,519
a stray cat one day just to see what it

502
00:24:20,559 --> 00:24:23,119
felt like. Max wouldn't have been at all surprised to

503
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:26,920
learn that milestone had already occurred. Adding credits to Max's thoughts,

504
00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:31,079
Jay said, let's fill it with butter. Huh off, Paul

505
00:24:31,839 --> 00:24:35,640
the case, Let's fill it up with butter. Paul, signing

506
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,039
off balance impossibly even concerned, asked why, and Jay just shrugged.

507
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:44,240
That shrug summed up his entire personality, non galant amoss.

508
00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:49,200
Maybe not too bright, sadistic, perverted, possibly, but hopefully not homicidal. Paul, say,

509
00:24:49,279 --> 00:24:51,880
the eah man. I don't know, but Jay was already

510
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,400
opening the cup in directly beneath the popcorn machine, where

511
00:24:54,559 --> 00:24:57,640
sure enough gallons of red orange semi opic popcorn butter

512
00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,000
were stored. How would we even dump it in there,

513
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:05,759
Paul asked, A good question, a reasonable question for reasonable people.

514
00:25:06,319 --> 00:25:08,680
Max couldn't believe he was mentally cheering for Paul. Now

515
00:25:09,279 --> 00:25:11,400
I want to do it too. Mandy cheered and pulled

516
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,680
away from the case. What was she actually to say?

517
00:25:13,759 --> 00:25:16,880
As too, were just a dumb tagalon? Max couldn't tell,

518
00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,640
but he was frightened a her. Either way, she was

519
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:22,400
a wild cod. She could tip the scales toward j

520
00:25:22,599 --> 00:25:25,279
or pull on a whim. Okay, but somebody tell me

521
00:25:25,319 --> 00:25:27,720
how we're going to do it, Paul shouted. He clearly

522
00:25:27,759 --> 00:25:30,599
didn't like losing control of his little group. I mean,

523
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:32,240
if we open it up to dumb butter in so,

524
00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:34,880
I'll just going to leak right out. Jay snapped his

525
00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,799
fingers and said, better idea. He opened one of the

526
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:39,759
jogs of runny butter and slushed some one to the

527
00:25:39,759 --> 00:25:42,559
top of the case. He smeared it round with his palm,

528
00:25:42,559 --> 00:25:45,640
then poured on a little more. Hey, Mandy, get that

529
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,920
fire extinguisher, Jay said, nodding over his shoulder the red

530
00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,400
case mounted on the wall. He poured on some more butter. No,

531
00:25:53,039 --> 00:25:56,720
what are you doing? Stop? Stop it? Max screamed. He

532
00:25:56,759 --> 00:25:58,799
didn't have to be a genius to chut Jay's thoughts.

533
00:25:59,519 --> 00:26:02,359
You know, man, we probably shouldn't mess around with fire.

534
00:26:03,039 --> 00:26:06,640
I mean, have you ever done this before? Paul asked.

535
00:26:07,039 --> 00:26:09,759
Max was starting to like Paul. He was the closest

536
00:26:09,759 --> 00:26:11,480
thing Max had to a friend or an ally at

537
00:26:11,519 --> 00:26:14,079
the moment. He knew Paul was just trying to save

538
00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:16,519
his own skin, but would hurt if he saved Max's

539
00:26:16,519 --> 00:26:20,680
in the process. Nojey replied, I've never done it before.

540
00:26:21,279 --> 00:26:23,440
That's why I gotta do it now, and the look

541
00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:25,559
in Jay say his eyes told Max that nothing was

542
00:26:25,599 --> 00:26:27,200
going to stop him from what he meant to do.

543
00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,960
This isn't alarm. We'll go off if I open the case,

544
00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:34,200
Mandy said. She sounded and characteristically even tempered, Jae, I

545
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,039
still get it out, naw, Let's just wait and see

546
00:26:37,039 --> 00:26:39,720
what happens. Just stand over there so you can grab

547
00:26:39,759 --> 00:26:42,839
it if we need it, Jay instructed. From his foody's pocket,

548
00:26:42,839 --> 00:26:45,680
he produced a lighter. Max watched him toss the lighter

549
00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:47,599
back and fall from one hand to the other, from

550
00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:51,400
fingers slick with wasted popcorn butter to fingers pail and clean. Then,

551
00:26:51,599 --> 00:26:55,039
in a moment of impossible ignorance of magnitudinal negligence, Jay

552
00:26:55,039 --> 00:26:57,119
caught the lighter in his buttered hand, held it toward

553
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,359
the counter, and flicked a flame into existence. The flame

554
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,759
was almost more for a fraction of a second. It

555
00:27:02,839 --> 00:27:05,960
hungrily consumed the addictive butter adjacent substance, which coated both

556
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,960
Max's cage and Jay's hand. Jay held and fell down,

557
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,519
clutching his hand as it became the world's biggest crunchious

558
00:27:11,519 --> 00:27:14,880
piece of calmery. Max started kicking, trying to escape the

559
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,960
transparent oven he was locked inside. Paul yelled, and the

560
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,160
stepped back to get clear of the open flames. Mandy

561
00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:25,200
shockingly was silent. If not for the fire's blinding orange light,

562
00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:27,720
Max would have seen her hugging the fire extinguish a case,

563
00:27:27,799 --> 00:27:30,119
as if the life saving device inside might protect her

564
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:34,720
on its own. Edit at edit out. Jay was howling

565
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:40,000
at Mandy from the floor above Max. The glass cracked. No, no, no,

566
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:44,559
help me, let me out of here, he screamed. A

567
00:27:44,599 --> 00:27:46,720
smelting hot drop of burnt butter dripped through a crack

568
00:27:46,759 --> 00:27:49,799
in the glass above. It landed on his elbow, sending

569
00:27:49,839 --> 00:27:52,680
novel signals through his nerves, signals which caused his entire

570
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,319
body to spouse him. Another drop landed on the back

571
00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:57,400
of his shirt, and yet another landed on the back

572
00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,279
of his neck. Such tiny pinpricks of pain gave him

573
00:28:00,279 --> 00:28:01,720
a taste of what would come if the glossop of

574
00:28:01,759 --> 00:28:03,799
gave out. And it was starting to glow round the

575
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,839
edges the untamed fire raging all over it showed no

576
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,160
signs of fading out. Another long cruck formed, and a

577
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,319
steady stream of sizzling butter started pouring in behind Max's legs.

578
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,279
Let me out, he screamed again. Suddenly the entire building

579
00:28:17,319 --> 00:28:20,279
was flashing red and wailing at them with a rattlesnay kiss.

580
00:28:20,319 --> 00:28:23,519
The sprinklers turned on. Mandy had opened the fire extinguished

581
00:28:23,519 --> 00:28:25,960
her case, and Napole was waggling his fingers at her,

582
00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:28,519
gesturing for her to touss the extinguisher to him. The

583
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:31,480
water spraying from the ceiling only spread the formerly localized

584
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,680
grease fire further. Butter substitute was washed down the sides

585
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:36,880
of the case, trailing angry little tails of fire down

586
00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,319
to the pile of candy boxes. The front of the

587
00:28:39,359 --> 00:28:42,799
case cracked and the top buckled. Now hot, sizzling, skin

588
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,480
searing pock from butter poured into the case in tiny waterfalls.

589
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,200
All the hot stuff Max could dodge ended up pulling

590
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,319
around him, burning him anyway. Soon his whole body would

591
00:28:51,319 --> 00:28:53,240
be as crispy as Jay's hand. And all he had

592
00:28:53,279 --> 00:28:55,920
wanted to do was close down the movie theater. Now

593
00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:57,920
he was being paid nine dollars an hour to get

594
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,559
cooked alive. Max heard the jetais engine his of the

595
00:29:00,599 --> 00:29:03,519
fire extinguisher. He thought he was being saved, but no,

596
00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:06,079
Paul had the nozzle pointed over the counter at his

597
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,599
friend Jay, who was still riding on the floor, his burnt,

598
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,200
shriveling hand held out to receive the blessed cloud of salvation.

599
00:29:11,799 --> 00:29:14,519
Max was screaming and rolling and dodging searing drops of

600
00:29:14,559 --> 00:29:18,359
trans fats, but Paul kept on spraying Jay coole confident

601
00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,240
Paul was frozen in tuttle shark. More cracks spin to

602
00:29:21,319 --> 00:29:23,640
the glass over Max's head, and scorching butteroos on to

603
00:29:23,759 --> 00:29:26,960
one of his cheeks. The fire alarm continued to blaw

604
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,319
with disorienting volume. A safe splitting pitch was almost worse

605
00:29:30,359 --> 00:29:32,440
than the blistering heat of the flaming butter. Yet Max

606
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:34,160
still fell surge of anger when a drop of the

607
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,680
stuff landed in his ear, dripped down into his ear canal,

608
00:29:36,759 --> 00:29:39,680
and melted his ear drum. The instant deiffness which resulted

609
00:29:39,759 --> 00:29:42,759
unleashed a beast. Some have referred to this beast as

610
00:29:42,759 --> 00:29:46,920
the wolf Alive, Others call it survival instinct. Max had

611
00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:49,839
hit his limit, absorbed all he could take. Any further

612
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,480
pain was just another penny in a wishing well. He

613
00:29:52,559 --> 00:29:54,400
lasht out with a kick that sent heat to glass

614
00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,279
spraying across the lobby. It also collapsed the top of

615
00:29:57,319 --> 00:30:00,039
the case and created a deliage of flaming but a substitute.

616
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,640
Max was already rolling away when a wash of burning

617
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,640
butter hit his back. This pain was just another drop

618
00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,000
in the ocean. He was already in so much agony

619
00:30:08,039 --> 00:30:10,000
and so determined to escape it that he didn't even

620
00:30:10,039 --> 00:30:13,960
once Max ran passed. When Pryney passed, Slack George Moundee

621
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,079
through the Red and Orange Lobby and add into the

622
00:30:16,079 --> 00:30:19,839
storm were sweeping. When Showerton's side was in pelting rain drops. There,

623
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,160
Max collapsed. It took the fire department almost an iote

624
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,839
to get to the theater. Down trees and power lines

625
00:30:25,839 --> 00:30:27,759
had forced them to take Deeter outter Dieter in the

626
00:30:27,799 --> 00:30:31,200
already treacherous weather conditions. When they pulled up, one of

627
00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,279
them immediately spotted the charred teenager laying under the marquis.

628
00:30:34,599 --> 00:30:36,559
When one of them ran to him, Max asked, am

629
00:30:36,559 --> 00:30:39,000
I going to be ok? Even though it didn't look

630
00:30:39,079 --> 00:30:41,680
like he would be anything close to ok. The firefighter replied,

631
00:30:41,759 --> 00:30:45,279
It'll be just fine. Hang in there, guy. The theater

632
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,480
itself was a total loss, while the exterior had been

633
00:30:48,519 --> 00:30:50,759
saved by the storm, which had ironically flattened the good

634
00:30:50,799 --> 00:30:52,960
portion of the town and killed seven of its residents.

635
00:30:53,079 --> 00:30:55,160
The interior was burnt up and good for nothing but

636
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,400
an insurance payout. The hard drives on which the security

637
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,079
cameras recorded Effidence had been melted into black puddles and

638
00:31:01,079 --> 00:31:04,599
buried beneath inches of ash. Max told everyone who would listen,

639
00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:06,920
including Laurie, who came to visit him in the hospital

640
00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:08,720
the next day, about the trio of young adults who

641
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,839
had started the fire. Everyone believed him, but with only

642
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,200
first names and vague descriptions to go on, Paul, j.

643
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,119
And Mandy were never got The police had been too

644
00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,359
tied up with storm related emergencies to look for the

645
00:31:19,359 --> 00:31:21,440
trouble sun teens until they had a chance to get

646
00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:24,720
far away. A hospital in Nebraska reported an teen year

647
00:31:24,759 --> 00:31:26,720
old with a burnt hand, but his first name was

648
00:31:26,759 --> 00:31:29,440
well Jay got away because he had used a nickname

649
00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:33,119
of this math Fetcherer. To this day, Max takes interest

650
00:31:33,119 --> 00:31:36,319
in any criminal investigations involving statistic torture of an innocent.

651
00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:39,319
He always calls whatever department is listed at for that

652
00:31:39,359 --> 00:31:41,480
if you have information line and tells them to look

653
00:31:41,519 --> 00:31:43,960
into toll men Needhole or who go by Jay? The

654
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,480
other two were young and dumb, probably already locked up

655
00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:48,640
for some petty crime, but Max still looked over his

656
00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:51,480
shoulder for Jay any time he went out. His ordeal

657
00:31:51,559 --> 00:31:54,160
sounded like something one might hear on a true crime podcast,

658
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,680
the story of the one who got away There was

659
00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:58,920
always one, which meant that somewhere out there at all

660
00:31:59,039 --> 00:32:01,079
fairly stupid man with the soul of a killow was

661
00:32:01,079 --> 00:32:03,880
making his mock on history. After he was released from

662
00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,039
the hospital, Max traveled to the next town over to

663
00:32:06,039 --> 00:32:09,079
finally see Spider Man across the Spider Verse. When the

664
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,079
kid behind the counter asked him, you want popcorn? Max

665
00:32:12,079 --> 00:32:15,279
habitually replied sure. But when the kid behind the counter

666
00:32:15,319 --> 00:32:18,160
asked do you want better on that? Max dobbled over

667
00:32:18,839 --> 00:32:21,240
his back and scarred cheek had fared up, swring his

668
00:32:21,279 --> 00:32:24,920
nervous system of phantom pain. Thankfully, this physical memory only

669
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:28,680
lasted a second. Actually, he said, straightening up, could I

670
00:32:28,759 --> 00:32:32,559
just have some sire or patch kids? And that is

671
00:32:32,559 --> 00:32:35,039
the end? Thank you for listening, and I will see

672
00:32:35,079 --> 00:32:43,839
you in the next one.