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then lift your slowly sinking feet out of the earth, and run as fast, and as far, as you can, for the thing in question will never do you any good.”1
CHAPTER 24
Face the Music
The smile lingered on Jix’s face, his mouth refusing to accept what his ears were telling him. When you’re alone, and life is making you lonely, You can always go . . . Downtown!
The Neons all looked to one another—this was one song it didn’t take a high priest to interpret. They all listened to a mockingly upbeat woman repeat the word “Downtown” in almost every line as she sang about the city’s energy and itsneon signs.
“It said Neons!” Someone shouted! “The song knows our name!” and they turned to Jix and Jill with sudden singular purpose, becoming a raging mob.
The friendships that Jix had formed, the way he had delicately woven himself into the Neons’ social structure—none of that mattered now . . . because Wurlitzer had spoken.
“Downtown!” shouted the Neons. “They’re going Downtown!”
And all at once Jix realized his folly. It was the coins! They should have been a tip-off. Anything truly helpful—anything truly good—would never demand an Afterlight’s coin. Such theft was reserved for monsters and dictators, and, yes even “His Excellency,” who, when it came down to it, was not excellent at all, only power hungry.
As the song reached its chorus, both he and Jill were grabbed by dozens of maniacal hands that practically tore them apart as they lifted them off the ground. Downtown! The song sang, Everything’s waiting for you . . .
And as Jix looked one last time at that shining, faceless jukebox, he couldn’t help but feel that it was laughing at him.
The Neons had to take Jix and Jill up before they could push them down. For the first time since the attack on the train, all the Neons climbed the stone steps and walked out through the gift shop wall into the Vortex of the Aggravated Warrior. It was daytime, and although the Alamo was open, it was a slow day. Only a few tourists milled about the grounds in the living world—and none of them within reach of either Jix or Jill. There were so many hands holding them, they could barely move, much less reach out toward a fleshie and skinjack their way to freedom.
“Take them out the front gate,” the Bopper ordered, then he turned to Jix, offering a moment of sympathy. “Sorry,” he said, “but Wurlitzer knows best.” Jill spat at him, which did not help the situation. He scowled at her then turned to the Neons and said, “We’ll throw them into the river. That way, they’ll be sure to sink fast.”
Then, as they were carried out through the Alamo’s main gate, Jix saw a glorious sight.
Boy scouts!
At least twenty of them, milling around just outside the main entrance. Never had Jix been so pleased to see living, breathing human beings.
“Do you see that?” he called to Jill.
“I’m way ahead of you!” she answered.
The Neons, who never paid much attention to the living, just walked right through the mob of scouts, and the moment they did, Jix pushed himself into the first fleshie he came in contact with and—
—candy / candy toys candy / gift shop / twenty bucks / how many toys / how much candy / and a keychain with my name too—
He quickly put the scout to sleep, took full control of his body, then looked around to orient himself. It never ceased to amaze him how the same spot could be so full of turmoil in Everlost, and yet be so calm in the living world. No sign of the Neons anywhere around them. He could just walk away from here, and never have to face any of this again if he wanted to. Jix looked around and caught sight of another scout looking just as disoriented. “Jill?”
The other kid nodded. “In the flesh.”
A few other kids in troop thirteen looked at them funny. Jix motioned for Jill to step away with him, for a moment of privacy.
“Hey,” said one of the other kids. “Scoutmaster Garber wants us to wait here!” But fortunately the scoutmaster was at the ticket booth, too busy to notice.
Once they were far enough away for no one to hear them, Jill said, “The boy scout look suits you. Now let’s get outta here.”
And although he knew it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, Jix said, “I’m going back.”
“What?” She stared at him, shaking her head. “No! No way! Not this time. If you go back, you go alone.”
“Don’t you see—the Neons don’t know about skinjackers!”
“Yeah,” said Jill. “Lucky for us.”
“More lucky than you think!” Then without any further explanation, Jix peeled out of the scout and returned to Everlost, leaving both the scout and Jill completely bewildered.
