A Parade of Horribles
by Matt Dinniman
Contents
Chapter 76
Overview
Carl and Donut pull Imani and Elle out of the beetle-infested shell apartments, then clear gate six in a simulation tied to Marjory Williams and the abuse she suffered from Bill. Jurgen's call for help with Prepotente creates a direct conflict between loyalty and survival in the heat. Carl resolves it in the harshest possible way by detonating a planted bomb that eliminates Team Free Love before he and Donut turn to rescue their friends.
Summary
Carl and Donut race across the ceiling of the apartment while hostile scarab beetles swarm below. Carl uses Biscuit Packs and a hobgoblin disco ball to slow the bugs, while Imani and Elle report that they have already hit their gate and are trying to escape. Imani casts Confuzzled on the room, stunning the bugs long enough for Carl and Donut to drop back into the smoky living room, regroup at the giant shell's feet, and follow Imani and Elle through another Hole before the insects can pursue them.
The next stop, apartment 214, is a bleak youth facility full of bunk beds and fighting children, and the setting immediately unsettles Carl because it resembles an institutional childhood environment. Elle spots the single real gate among many traps near the fight. Carl tells Imani and Elle to take the gate and head for the finish while he and Donut continue toward apartment 231, because they still need one more gate and must avoid the bugs spreading through the hallway.
In the corridor, Carl and Donut pass the damaged elevator and more wandering bugs before entering apartment 231. The apartment resembles one from the first floor of Carl and Donut's old building, and inside they find sewn-eyed shell versions of Marjory Williams and her friend Alicia discussing Bill, the abusive man who violated a restraining order, hurt Marjory, drained her money, and nearly killed Gravy Boat. Carl and Donut slip into the utility room, identify the real gate among a disintegration trap and a teleport trap, and clear gate six of seven. Donut then remembers the police at the building, and Carl connects this scene to earlier hints about Bill, realizing the simulation is revealing more of Marjory's past.
As they prepare to move on, Jurgen asks for help in apartment 130 because Prepotente has jumped off Sweety and run toward a shell of his piano-playing mother in toxic air. Carl checks on the standings, learns Osvaldo is about to finish, and realizes he may still come in last if he detours. Forced to choose between helping friends and protecting his own team, Carl detonates a hidden bomb he had secretly planted earlier in Team Free Love's cooler with Samantha's help. The blast kills both racers and eliminates Team Free Love, reducing the number of remaining teams. Sick with guilt but unwilling to risk failure, Carl tells Donut to move out so they can go help Prepotente.
Who Appears
- CarlLeads the escape from the beetles, clears gate six, and sacrifices Team Free Love to avoid last place.
- DonutCasts Hole repeatedly, guides the truck through the apartments, and supports Carl's grim strategic choice.
- ImaniUses Confuzzled to stun the beetles and concludes her uncle would have died even if she had stayed.
- ElleCoordinates with Carl during the escape and identifies the real gate in apartment 214.
- JurgenCalls for urgent help after Prepotente leaves Sweety and runs into a toxic apartment.
- PrepotenteRuns toward a shell of his mother, forcing Carl and Donut into a difficult rescue decision.
- Marjory WilliamsAppears as a shell in apartment 231, revealing more about her abusive relationship with Bill.
- AliciaMarjory's friend, who urges her to call the police and not return to Bill.
- OsvaldoReports he is nearing the finish line, increasing Carl's fear of placing last.
- SamanthaEarlier helped Carl plant the disguised explosive that he detonates in this chapter.