Doorways to Everywhere (Tourist Trap Book 2)

Chapter 13

Michelangelo led them across town through some secret tunnels known only to the bandits. He insisted that Max, Sarah, and Bobby remain blindfolded through this portion of the journey until they emerged in the vicinity of the alleyway in question. From here Max took the lead, although he was careful to bypass the Hole in the Wall where he'd earlier skipped out on the tab.

Having located the correct alleyway Max led them down it eagerly and pointed behind the dumpster. "Here it is!"

"I don't see any doors there," Michelangelo observed.

Max blinked his eyes and looked again. Nothing was there but a solid brick wall. "What the hell?"

"Um, maybe you haven't noticed, but there's a door on the other side of the alley," Sarah pointed out.

They turned around and sure enough there was a small door there.

"Well I'll be damned," Max scratched his head. "They moved the door from one side of the alleyway to the other!"

"Maybe they just moved the dumpster to the other side," Bobby offered helpfully.

"Or maybe Max just drinks too much and doesn't remember which side of the alley he saw the door on in the first place," Sarah said acidly.

"On the contrary," Max said thoughtfully. "I suspect the problem is I haven't drunken enough to reach that all important state of pure enlightenment. We'll have to work on that."

While the others were discussing the door Michelangelo was inspecting it carefully. "Hmm... very strange. I've never encountered a lock like this before in all my years."

"Can you get it open?" Sarah asked.

"They don't call me the bandit prince for nothing," Michelangelo said as he cracked his knuckles and pulled out a small pin. He set to work on the lock and after a few minutes of poking around they heard an audible click. "That did it," he smiled as the door swung open. "Now let's have a look what's on the inside shall we?"

Just as he was sticking his head into the door a boot attached to a spring came flying out and smacked him in the face. Michelangelo was sent sprawling across the alleyway and landed in the dumpster.

"Are you all right?" Sarah asked.

Michelangelo pulled himself slowly out of the dumpster with a groan. A cupcake wrapper was draped across his head like a little hat. "For this indignity they shall pay dearly." He dropped back to the ground and dusted himself off. "We need to test for more traps before we try going in there again. Does anyone have a stick or anything?"

"I had the perfect stick once before Sarah destroyed it in a fit of jealousy," Max lamented.

"Would you shut up about that stupid stick?" Sarah said bitterly. "That was like a year ago! Get over it!"

"I've got a jack in my rickshaw," Bobby offered. "I carry it around for when I need to change tires. One of its components is a long metal pole."

"That will work perfectly," Michelangelo said as he accepted the pole from Bobby and began thrusting it into the doorway. He sprung three more boot traps, but was able to dodge out of the way of them this time. "That seems to be the last of them. Maybe now we can figure out what's inside there that's so worth protecting. Say, does anybody else smell smoke?"

"Michelangelo, look at the pole!" Sarah pointed frantically.

He looked down to see it had turned bright orange in color and was starting to singe his fur. He hurled it away with a shriek of pain and began blowing on his hand.