Alchemy of Secrets

Late on Halloween afternoon, Tom guides Holland and Adam through JME’s props department. He mentions a trapdoor under the yellow house set that drops to a former gun range. On the horror floor, Tom stops at an antique desk. He searches it and realizes an important item is missing, but he cannot recall what should be there.

As the afternoon draws to a close, Tom identifies the missing item as a chained book. A crash echoes in the department, and a colleague tells Tom the book is on Stage 10 for the show Knife and Cross. Tom looks through Adam as if he isn’t there, repeats questions, and bleeds from his scalp and fingertips. Shaken, Holland and Adam leave.

Outside, the sun drops unnaturally quickly. The disorienting darkness makes Holland unsteady. Adam steadies her, but she pulls away, afraid she could hurt him with prolonged touch. They head for Stage 10 to retrieve the book.

Holland and Adam take a golf cart to Stage 10 and split up on a vampire court set for Knife and Cross. Holland senses a pressure in the air and follows it to a pedestal holding the chained book. Adam recognizes Bank chains that require a specific key.