Lazarus and Grace stood at the front glassed entrance to Buffalo Bill’s casino. They could feel the heat radiating from outside. It was mid-morning and they’d had a small meal of eggs, bacon and toast, even though, Bob said, they were running out of food. It seemed they had food for another month. They decided that whether or not they made it to the Whisky Pete's casino they should make plans to leave. The sound of the roller coaster was audible from where they stood.

As the tram started to move along the tracks they stepped outside in the stifling heat. Looking around, Lazarus didn't see the creature come out. He glanced into the lobby and saw Lawrence, Matthew and Bob gazing at them. If the Giant Worm didn't show, they would still try to make it over but they would be careful.

He felt this would work. They watched as the tram started to move slowly toward Whisky Pete’s casino, getting near the middle of the track. The sand on the right started to shake and buckle as if something was swimming underneath the surface. The creature surfaced and moved toward the tram.

Grace said, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," he said.

They floated upwards. The Giant Worm appeared and reared up into the air. The beast moved slowly, placing its huge mouth near the tram but it didn't attack it. It dove back into the sand.

Lazarus said, "Go, now."

They flew toward Whisky Pete’s, the sign getting bigger as they came closer. They soared up high and plunged into the front entrance of the casino.

The creature burst underneath them and tried to attack. Before Lazarus could say anything Grace swiftly flew to the right. Lazarus saw the razor sharp teeth and the maw of the worm’s gullet. He yelled. Grace grabbed his waist and they flew faster, moving around the back of Whisky Pete’s casino.

Lazarus felt impotent. He wanted to help. He was the Leader, after all. He reached into his mind and body and tried to conjure something. Touching his bracelet with his right hand, he heard the sweet music he heard before and a warm tingling came over him.

They streaked toward the back buildings, moving fast. The air rippled their clothes and his eyes teared as they darted close to the buildings. When the creature reared up before them it rose higher than the tallest structure he had ever seen. Grace abruptly stopped their descent and backed away. His stomach lurched.

The worm opened its massive jaws and screeched a high whining noise. It was different to its roar and he felt a heaviness come over him. They started to descend.

"Grace, wake up!"

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She tried to speak but what she said sounded muffled. His sight was going dim and he realized that they had underestimated this creature. He told himself not to close his eyes, repeating it several times, but he couldn't help it. His eyelids felt heavy. He screamed inside his head, again and again, to wake up. But his eyelids closed.

But then Lazarus heard something, the sweet music. It spoke to him and he thought they were not floating above a ravenous worm creature, but dancing in the heavens. The feeling was so pervasive that he smiled and held Grace closer as if they were dancing.

A burning feeling came to his head and arms and he awoke with a start, focusing on his magic. They were ascending higher into the sky. The creature roared and as the beast’s mouth opened Lazarus shot a wicked lightning bolt into the creature’s gullet. The spell came out of him in a rush of power. He expelled a vast amount of magic which exhausted him. Grace woke and shook her head. She kept them from falling as she looked down at the Giant Worm.

The creature's mouth opened so wide that Lazarus thought he heard the dead inside. Then he heard a cracking noise. The lightning boomed as it exploded and the creature’s body burst outwards. Grace shot away from the scene while pieces of the worm flew all around them. She stayed protected behind the walls of Whisky Pete's hotel. The pieces of the creature rained down, smoking entrails and skin hitting the ground in sickening thuds. Then the smell hit them. It was nauseating. Grace let go of him and he wished they had kept holding each other. She held her arms up and pushed some of the innards away from them.

Lazarus should be doing something, but he was tired and confused. He didn't know how he created his magic or how he could conjure it again. His body vibrated with power and he wanted to use it again, no matter the consequences.

But he didn't feel entirely in control and he didn't like that. It was like when you swung on a swing tied to a tree next to a river. Most kids, not him, would love to swing back and forth and then jump into the water, but not him. He didn't like the feeling of weightlessness right after he kicked off from the swing and plunged into the depths of the lake. It made his stomach queasy. But now he wanted to use his magic again. It felt free and right.

After a few minutes they heard a loud thud and then a squeal. They didn't have to look. The large worm creature was dead and the carcass smelt like day-old cooked fish. The scent assailed their senses and they rushed to get inside the building.

They moved to the nearest door which was locked. Grace was about to leave and check on the next door, but Lazarus shook his head.

"Stand back." He hoped he knew what he was doing.

He backed up a few steps, turned both of his hands up with his palms facing the door and focused. A wind came out of his outstretched fingers and blasted the door which caved in and flew down the corridor, hitting the wall opposite them. The sound was deafening.

They rushed inside and down a hallway lit with fluorescent lights, fleeing the scent of the dead worm. They were in some type of office areas of the casino.

"Ok," Lazarus said, "we can stop."

He was exhausted and he bent down on his knees to catch his breath. Grace sat in the hallway. Lazarus’s face was smeared with dark soot and she absently brushed it off.

"Yuck!" she said.

They looked around. This was a service area of the hotel. It was quiet, deathly quiet. And Lazarus felt something dark and evil in this building. He stopped and Grace looked at him.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

"Something is not right here."