Chapter 87 of 99 · Book 8, A Parade of Horribles
Chapter 87 — Louis goes; Safehome Yolanda; the giant Imani
Book: A Parade of Horribles · Part: Horrible One · Previous: Chapter 86 — Mimics; the Big Six · Next: Chapter 88 — Interlude: Quasar; the eleventh floor — twenty-three crawlers; Chaco's parade · Floor: Floor 10 — Don't Come in Last · Series: the series
Opening
“Okay,” Imani said, voice tense.
Summary
After the fight with the mimics there is blood everywhere; two crawlers were badly hurt, one almost bitten in half, and Imani saved both, and no one is lost. Only a slot machine and the Wheel of Fortune still stand; Elle blows up the slot machine to be sure, and Prepotente gathers the gold. Donut sees magic still flowing to the wheel and its broken-off button. Mordecai warns that an infested Desperado Club cannot be re-entered, that mimics dodge detection like one of Carl's level-15 traps and can mimic crawlers, and that they should devise safe words and quiz each other daily; Donut's glasses work only on objects.
Louis says goodbye: he has been scared his whole life of screwing things up and is not nearly as scared now; even stuck in the Pineapple place would be better than the alternative. Donut reminds him he is a father now and Katia will kill them if anything happens to him. Imani holds the wheel, the portal reads the same, and Louis jumps. Those who have gone are, the others hope, the safe ones now. The wheel cannot come with them without breaking its magic. Lucia, beautiful again, pats the dog Carl's head. Two hours remain.
Orren's office door is still there, though Hamed's whereabouts are unknown. A note on Clarabelle's chair says mimics have infested the club and that they are always welcome in Safehome Yolanda. Elle asks about the evil eye at the end of the fight; Carl admits it is the Bedlam Bride tattoo, 'but I control it.' She tells him he is keeping secrets that will bite them, and he promises to talk once she reaches her final upgrade. Donut uses Dwight's two looted keys to move Onikuma the bear and Old Shuck the dog into their garage for the parade.
In the lobby sits the giant Imani clutching Gucci, who cannot leave the building and regrets having stayed for her family while they kill themselves one by one. Donut, amplified, tells her it is a dream: in the real world she left Detroit for Washington, found Yolanda, Brandon and Elle, met a man named Chris and fell in love 'and you lived happily ever after […] close your eyes and wait.' The giant cries into her dog. They take the stairwell, leaving this cursed level behind.
Characters
- Carl — 'As long as I breathe'; a note for Clarabelle; 'What a goddamned floor.'
- Princess Donut — 'Dog people'; loots the keys for two mounts; tells the giant Imani her real story.
- Imani — Holds the wheel; so tired, so done; her giant self weeps into a dog.
- Elle McGibbons — 'You’re keeping secrets from us.'
- Louis and Firas — 'I’m not nearly as scared as I used to be'; 'heigh-ho, Silver.'
- Samantha — 'I’ll go with you.' 'No, you won't'
- Prepotente — One chance from Samantha, if he shaves.
- Lucia Mar — 'Good boy'
- Florin — Shrugs.
- Mordecai — Safe words from now on.
- Jamal — 'Toasty emissions.'
- Clarabelle — Not in her spot.
- Old Shuck and Onikuma — Taken from the Jugglers' garage; Onikuma from the razor foxes'.
Locations
- The Desperado Club — Infested; a note on Clarabelle's chair.
- The L'Engle Building — The giant Imani in the lobby; the stairwell.
Motifs
- The holding area — Louis goes.
- Carl's family — 'They’re the safe ones.'
- Shadow Mimics — Almost impossible to root out.
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride — 'I control it.'
- Human Shells — 'I stayed, and they’re still killing themselves one by one.'