The burning door now had serious fissures between boards, the bars and bolts holding it together were not red hot but touching them leave immediate welts. Trying to kick he boards out was not working. One slat would come free but the fire would die out on the neighboring boards. Leaning them back to build up a roaring fire again.
The Baby Elephant who they named Pepito, is spooked by something. He struggles to climb the stairs and the girls see eyes in the water. Alligators must have followed him in. The Girls rush to help the Baby Pepito up the stairs, seconds away from his legs being bitten.
Pepito cowers behind them. An Alligator climbs up the stairs he panics and batters down the burning door. Even as cute as he is, he likely weighs 500 pounds. As high as their waists, as big around as a horse with muscular arms and legs. Carolota and Carmen pick up burning boards for for light, and also picking up several other tools.
They come to a great chamber littered with dead rats and pieces of broken furniture. Among the litter on the floor human shapes lie apparently sleeping. Several tunnels branch out and from several of them, Creeping Ghouls emerge. Carmen screams and immediately the ones sleeping jump up and hiss.
Carolota waves her burning board at them and they recoil. Picking up bits of broken tables and chairs the girls try to light any piece of wood they can, pieces of paper and even dead rats but the Ghouls spread out trying to flank them.
The baby elephant Pepito is bluff charging and stamping his feet. The Ghouls are awful, albinos with bulging eyes and fanged mouths dripping blood. Picking a random direction the girls run into the tunnel with out any of the Ghouls. Pepito struggles to run as fast as them, they slow down to urge him on and see the Ghouls, 8 or 10 of them shambling after them, naked and barefoot.
Coming to a horizontal door they batter it open and emerge into a room that smells of animals. The girls go around setting the audience stands on fire, the Ghouls spilling into the room hesitant. Carolota and Carmen light the tent on fire. The ghouls panic and tear open the tent running away from the flames. Now free from threat of naked dead people the Sisters emerge into the night where gunshots and cries of the wounded fill the air.
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Elsewhere Xavier enters Barstowe’s train with a bayonet attacked to his rifle. Entering a fancy Parlor that is empty he enters the next car a fine diner car, the next car is the sleeper. Kicking in doors to find several coffins, shooting holes in them before he kicks them over. Dead Girls are in each one. Moving on to find Barstowe he runs right into him. Barstowe’s eyes glow an orangish red, like pits of magma in blackened lids of cold obsidian. Xavier feels like he is paralyzed. As much as he wants to smash this criminal in the mouth with the butt of his rifle, punch the bayonet into his face, he can’t lift his arms.
Barstowe is in complete control until a grimace of pain crosses his face. Dorotea and the Gypsy woman have crept in from the car behind and jabbed him in the back with two knives. Barstowe turns and smashes their heads together. Giving Xavier enough time to bring up he rifle and take the front right quarter of Barstowe’s forehead off. Jumping over Barstowe’s collapsed body. He puts Dorotea over his shoulder and drags the Gypsy out by her waist. Looking around the room, Xavier sees signs of Satanism. Candles, a black mirror, incarnations written in white and every where old blood, hardened black over surfaces of an Alter and suspended cages like those of a bird but more equipt to house a child. On the wall scrawled in a bloody hand, “Curse the mothers of the dead! - Hesronot Shas.”
Outside is pandemonium. Ghouls and Carnies are fighting beside Animals unleashed from their cages. The Freaks and Clowns, dressed in black were waiting off to each side, outside the Locomotive. Xavier drops Dorotea and fires a shot over their heads. The Freaks and Clowns are armed as well and raise their guns but part to let Xavier pass just as Carmen and Carolota come running with torches and sabres they found in the chaos. The Freaks and Clowns keep their distance but haven’t backed down.
Xavier asks, “Did you find Rosa? Carolota and Carmen shake their heads. The Gypsy Woman has started to wake up. Carolota asks her, “Where would they keep our sister?” The Gypsy says, “In the last car of the train.” Carmen asks, “Where is Barstowe?” Xavier smiles and states, “He won’t be a problem, I left his brain all over the walls in there.” Carolota says, “Show me!” Going back in the train Barstowe is gone, and so are all the Dead girls in the Coffins. Handing Esma, the Gypsy Woman a Revolver. He tells Carmen to stay with them, and he and Carolota rush to find Rosita.
In the Darkness Rosita sees eyes watching her. A half dozen unblinking, glowing eyes. The Dying Clown groans in the corner. He is bleeding from a gut wound. He croaks, “You awake over there?” Rosita is too terrified to speak. The Clown says, “Bring me some water.” Several Dead Girls pounce on him, tearing into his arteries with dull teeth. He hysterically tries to scream and his throat is torn open so only sound he can make is wheezing from the hole in his larynx. Done quickly with the Clown’s drained corpse, the Dead Girls turn their attention to her.