TWENTY FIVE & SIX
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“ Did George tell you what I was looking to create?” he asked, leading them to the hallway that ran between the two rows of partitioned rooms. Kim and Lee smiled and nodded as he showed them the door marked“ Cats.”“ Go out front and watch,” Kim said.
The moment Eddie was out of sight, the girls peeled out of the clothing that covered their costumes. They put the hoods of their leotards in place and entered their domain. As Eddie stepped into the viewing area he saw two leopards moving on the limbs and over each other.“ This is not a place for humans,” Kim hissed when she saw Eddie. The costumes were perfect, from the long tails to the fur covering their hands and feet, the detail was amazing. While Kim spoke, Lee licked her paws and washed her face and the fuzzy ears on top of her head.“ Pause. I need to video this so I can show someone else what I wanted. I need a few more cats just like this.” Eddie said, running for his office and grabbing the video camera.“ Frank must have coached these two little kitties,” he thought as he returned and yelled,“ Action!”“ Go away. Bad place!” Lee hissed.“ You don’ t belong here. Evil lurks within,” Kim snarled. Eddie saw the tiny fangs that added to the cat look. They paced and hissed warnings. He allowed them to carry on for a minute only needing about ten seconds. He had done the math. If the ushers could take groups of twenty through the“ Fear Factory” they would be taking in thirty dollars per second. In ten hours they should pull in over a million dollars. Frank projected what payroll would be. The cost was unbelievable. They were going to have to hit the ground running and pray the crowds would arrive to see the show if there was any chance of making a profit this year.“ Cut! Thank you ladies. Your performance was excellent,” Eddie said, turning off the camera.“ We get the job?”“ You won’ t be making what you get at the club,” Eddie said.“ We aren’ t doing it for the money. We’ re doing it for the fun,” Kim stated happily.“ You are going to have to tell me where you got the outfits.”“ George had them made for us. Aren’ t they cool?” Kim said.“ Way cool.”“ What time is it?” Lee asked. Eddie glanced at his watch.“ Almost eight,” he answered. The day had flown past.“ I’ m going to be late! Oh shit.” Lee said and found the door out of the cage. Running around the corner with her clothes in her arms she yelled.“ How do I get out of here?” Eddie led her quickly to the door. She jumped into her car and sped away.
With the building being empty, Kim felt isolated and a little scared. No matter how softly she stepped, the sound seemed to echo and amplify. She was never so happy to see another human when Eddie appeared. She took hold of his arm so he would not leave again.“ This place is creepy,” she said.“ Thanks!” Eddie laughed.“ We have dressing rooms if you want to change.”“ I know it will look different with a bunch of people here, but right now I just want to get away from this place,” she said, urging him toward the exit. Eddie locked the doors while Kim stayed very close. The sun was beginning to set and she felt better being outside the building.“ I’ m hungry,” Kim stated.“ I was planning pizza and beer,” Eddie said.