_
C'mon, June! You'll miss the big surprise.
Saved the best for last, kiddo.
There's three yellow men in the dirt,
and this is the last thing they ever saw.
Here, why don't you put it on?
I don't want to.
What did you say?
John, please don't start. It's Christmas.
I just want young Bing to appreciate
what's been handed down to him.
Do you have a problem with that?
How about I go get us some milk and cookies?
Mothers.
You listen to her, you end up a goddamn pussy.
Now, stand up.
Put the mask on.
Okay, Private Take-No-Shit.
Let's see how good of a soldier you are.
Gotcha!
Get up, retard.
The language, John.
Ohh!
You got me.
I love you more than anything, Bing Partridge.
Hey, Bing-a-ling.
The toddler down the road works faster than you.
Lucky me.
Got a son who's slow as molasses and dumb as a box of hair.
Maybe that'll light a fire under your stupid ass.
Get up, retard.
Bing?
Oh, Bing. Oh, my sweet boy,
what have you done?
What...
Synced & corrected by kinglouisxx www.addic7ed.com
Steve.
- Christ. - I'm so sorry.
It's those asshole cops who should be sorry.
They think Sharon took Haley and left me.
She wouldn't do that, Vic.
No. I know she wouldn't. I know.
How am I gonna tell 'em the cat's dead?
Who would do something like this?
Hmm.
Hey.
I got here as fast as I could.
The Wraith, it... it took the girl I babysit and her mom.
The Scrabble Bag said he was after you.
Yeah, no, but Haley, she knew about my Bridge.
She saw me coming off, and I told...
I told her not to go out there, that it was dangerous. I...
Shit. Shit, I'm s-sorry.
I'm... I'm s-s-sorry.
- Screw this. - Whoa, wait a second.
- I need to find Haley and Sharon. - And I'm going with you.
Nope. The Bridge will only open for me.
I don't like you going by yourself.
If I don't look for them, Maggie, who will?
Be careful.
Vic? ...bridge go?
That bridge is dangerous. You're scaring me.
Never, ever tell anyone about this.
Haley, you've got to promise me.
I promise.
_
Vic?
Hey, what are you doing here?
Bing. This... This is your house?
Yeah.
Is there... Does anyone else live here?
No, it's just me.
How was college?
It was good.
Good.
You lost?
Sorry. No, I was, um...
I was going to my friend's house.
It's weird I ended up here.
Which friend?
Craig.
- Craig Harrison? - Yeah.
He lives up the way.
Yeah, I think I know where I made a wrong turn.
You know, when I get lost,
I just remind myself.
Go... Go forth to the North, then...
then left is west.
Yeah, that's smart.
Thanks, Bing.
Bye.
Mmm.
Tell me where my daughter is.
What have you done with her, you bastard?
Sticks and stones.
Pins and tacks.
Only good mommies get tasty snacks.
Hey.
Hello?
"I love"...
I love you more than anything, Bing Partridge.
Good morning, sleepyhead.
I've got quite a surprise for you.
Where am I?
Let me out, you creep! Let me out!
I do prefer my passengers keep their hands to themselves.
Safety first.
Please, let me go.
Don't get yourself in knots. I'm not gonna hurt you.
I would never hurt a child.
- Where's my mom? - Oh.
That wretched woman, she never had your best interest in mind.
Now that you're with me,
you'll never feel unwanted ever again.
Where are we?
Where are you taking me?
Currently, we are traversing the St. Nick Parkway.
It's my own private thoroughfare
to a wonderful place called Christmasland.
Sounds stupid.
Quite the contrary.
Christmasland is filled with hot cocoa
and candy and toys galore.
But before I can take you,
I need to know a few things
about the magic bridge in the woods.
I'm not telling you anything.
I simply want to know the name of the boy who uses it.
It's a girl, you idiot.
The interesting ones always are.
Shit.
The Bridge didn't work. It took me to Bing's house.
Who's Bing?
The school janitor.
We trade comic books. He's a nice guy.
There's no way he's the Wraith.
Okay, well, then, maybe he's his henchman.
- What? - The Wraith was working
with a partner when he took Danny.
- So maybe this janitor guy is... - Bing wouldn't hurt anyone.
Yeah, okay. How well do you know him?
The Bridge made a mistake, Maggie.
Inscapes don't make mistakes.
Well, your Tiles did. Smitten?
That was not the Tiles' mistake. I misinterpreted the letters.
And you are misinterpreting this.
You need to trust you gift.
This is not a gift, Maggie.
I gotta lay down.
I'll call you!
Vicki?
Oh, my God. You look like you got chewed up and spit out.
- Your eye is all red. - I'm fine.
What... What the hell were you doing?
Mom, Sharon and Haley are mi... They're missing.
- You need to breathe. What? - Get off...
Okay, all right.
Come inside. Let's get you fixed up.
Come on. It's okay.
It's okay. Come on.
Go upstairs.
Does you dad know where you are?
- I don't know. - Come on. Into bed.
No, Mom, I have to find Sharon and Haley.
No, no. They're probably in Florida with Sharon's mother.
No, they're not in Florida.
You need to stop worrying, Vicki, okay?
They're fine.
Come on.
You have gotta start taking of yourself, Vicki.
You're the only kid I got.
I'll be down the hall if you need anything.
What are you doing to me?
Go ahead.
Take a look inside.
Hmm. I'm delighted
you like my little trick.
Magic is for babies.
Hmm.
Tough customer.
Well, then...
It tastes like sugar.
Hey, where'd it go?
Would you like to learn how to make it snow?
I can teach you how to do that once we get to Christmasland.
I can teach you that and so much more.
But first I need to know the name
of the girl with the Bridge.
And no lying.
I don't like liars.
What do you say, Haley Smith?
I want my mom.
Oh. Hey. Hey, where the hell are you?
M-Ms. Howard said you haven't been to work in two days.
I'm in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Shh.
Sir,
you don't shush me. You don't ever shush me.
I'm a librarian. I shush you.
Shh. Sorry.
I got a hot tip from my Scrabble Bag
that the Wraith would be here.
Maggie, I told you stay off the case.
He took another kid, Joe.
I need you to put an Amber Alert out on the car.
No, I cannot put out an... an Amber Alert for another state.
I can't do that, Maggie.
- Then put out a national one. - No, Maggie, no.
I-I did my research, okay? It'll cost you nothing.
An Amber Alert can cause panic and chaos.
- A-And if you're wrong, it's a bit... - But I'm not wrong, okay?
I was right about Mrs. Richardson,
and I'm right about this.
Mrs. Richardson, again, really?
- Maggie, that was over a year... - I know you're worried. But, Joe,
I am 1,000% sure.
Hey, Mrs. McQueen. Uh, Vic's not answering her phone.
Chris said she might be here, so...
Well, she's not feeling well.
Will you just tell her I stopped by?
I like you, Craig. I do.
I, uh... I feel for your situation,
your mom, and her troubles.
Chris and me, we always tried to do what we could.
- I know. Thank you. - But I have worked too damn hard
to make sure my Vicki doesn't make those kind of choices.
She came home with red eyes.
Pretty sure that means
you guys aren't just riding bikes out in those woods.
You think Vic's smoking weed?
She wouldn't do that.
- She would never. - I am asking you to keep away from her.
You don't know anything about her.
Give your mom my best.
Damn it. No, it's the dirt bike,
and she's constantly sick.
No.
No, no. No, no, no. No, I'm not saying that.
Chris, I'm saying
that we haven't been the best exam...
Oh, well, you know,
for whatever reason, she won't listen to me, okay?
She chose you.
I am just... I am just asking you
to try to get through to her.
When was the first time?
What?
You know, that...
he hit you.
I don't know exactly.
We were so young when we met and...
wild.
I can't imagine you being wild.
Well, I was. We were.
Especially after he got back from the Gulf.
We liked to get drunk.
When we were drunk, we'd fight.
And sometimes I'd wake up with a fat lip.
So, why'd you stay?
Because it wasn't all the time.
'Cause, uh...
'Cause sometimes I'm the one that started it.
Uh...
'Cause he promised me he'd lay off the hard stuff.
I believed him.
Then suddenly it'd been years. And we had you.
And, uh, my life with him
had been longer than my life without him.
So I stayed.
And I tried to keep believing that he'd change.
How long have you known?
Not that long.
I guess, though, looking back, I always had a feeling.
But I tucked it away like a secret
because I needed to believe that Dad was good.
He is, honey.
And he's not.
People can be both. The trouble is, you only ever see the good.
I, uh... I got to get to work.
Uh, there's a bag over there with your name on it, some...
Few things I figured you'd want over at Tiffany's.
- Mom, thank you. - Yeah.
Lock up when you leave.
How are you feeling?
I want my mom.
You know, Haley, you and I are a lot alike.
Bet we aren't.
My mother, Fanny Manx,
was very much like your Sharon.
She banished me to the outdoors
so she could indulge in selfish pleasures.
We lived in a mining town.
There weren't many children around.
And the ones who were there thought I was odd,
living in the back of a mortuary and all.
So from breakfast until sundown,
I played all by myself.
Sledding in my Fantom.
Building snowmen.
It was lonely.
You understand that, Haley, don't you?
To have a dark hole at the center of your heart
that only a friend can fill.
I have friends.
Ah.
Yes, I almost forgot.
The girl with the Bridge.
She's your only friend, isn't she?
In my humble opinion,
this person doesn't seem like a very good friend.
She knew the sort of home life you had,
and she never once offered to take you away
on her magic Bridge, did she?
I, on the other hand, knew
from the minute I met you,
you deserved better.
That's why I'm taking you to my special place.
A place where there are children
who want nothing more than to be your friends.
A place where there are no secrets.
Where everyone shares.
And you will always be loved.
Mean it?
Always?
Just one catch...
Little girls who keep secrets can't go to Christmasland.
Her name is Vic.
Vic McQueen.
Forgive the detour, darling.
We have a stop to make before Christmasland.
Vic.
You lost again?
Nope. I'm here to return this.
Oh.
Can I come in?
Uh, uh... N... Uh, w-wait.
Yeah. Um, uh...
I-I wasn't expecting anyone.
Oh, it's... it's just me. Don't worry about it.
Okay.
Well, thanks.
How'd your job go?
Uh... good.
Yeah? It went, um... It went good.
But, uh, what is it, the job?
Working security.
Security. Cool.
Uh... wa... Who's your boss?
Uh, a nice guy.
He's, uh... He's a nice guy.
He's a guy.
Um, well, yeah.
Uh, uh, thanks for the comic.
Bing, you and I are friends, right?
Yeah. Friends to the end.
Um...
So, there's a rumor going around
that you're involved in something,
something bad.
If... If anything's wrong, Bing, you can tell me.
Bing.
I'm a...
I'm a... I'm a good person.
You know I'm a good person.
Yeah, of course. I just...
I just want to make sure you're okay.
Yeah, I'm fine.
Fine, fine, fine, fine. Fine like a glass of red wine.
I think you should leave.
Actually, you still have a couple of my comics.
Can I get those back first?
I-I'll go... I-I'll go get 'em.
Thank you.
Then you should go.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Haley.
Haley?
Those who sneak and those who spy
get punished when they try to lie.
Where's Haley, Bing?
- I never touched her. - I don't believe you. Where is she?
- Shut up. - Who has her?
You shut up!
Hello?
It is.
Ye...
She's... She's standing right here.
No, I-I... No, I-I didn't touch her.
Sure.
He wants to talk to you.
Hello?
Hello, Vic McQueen.
I've been looking for you.
I believe you have an Inscape known as the Shorter Way Bridge.
You're the one who took Haley. You're the Wraith.
The name, my dear, is Charlie Manx.
What have you done with her?
Don't fret.
Your little friend is on her way to somewhere wonderful.
She's sleeping soundly.
Now, let's discuss this little Bridge of yours.
I want to talk with her.
- I-I think I should talk to Mr.... - If you wanna talk about my Bridge,
you let me speak to Haley first.
I have a better idea. Let's you and I meet...
in person.
Where and when? I'll be there.
Splendid.
I'll be in touch.
Hello?
Sir?
The girl is better off with Mr. Manx
than the mother.
What do you mean?
The mother was, uh...
dirty.
- Sharon? - Yeah.
What did you do to her, Bing?
I helped her.
I made her clean.
You tell me where she is.
Bing, you tell me where she is!
I-I can't.
Oh, God.
Bing...
you thing...
what have you done?
Bing, you thing...
...what have you done?
Everything is going to be all right.
U-Uh...
Bing, no!
Bing, no. B-Bing... Bing!
S-Stop! Bing.
Stop, Bing!
No. No. No.
No.
No!!
Sorry, man. My manager's gonna kill me
if he sees this freakin' monitor's broken.
I like pine.
Oh. It's okay, sweetheart.
I'm here to help. You're safe now.
All right.
Your total's gonna be $44.32.
68 cents is your change.
Thanks.
Here you go.
...for her safe return.
Investigators and forensic specialists exhumed the body
and will do an autopsy
to determine time and cause of death.
In a shallow grave in the field behind me
is in fact that of Sharon Smith,
the mother of Haley Smith,
who has also been reported missing.
Friends and family have had their worst fears realized.
Earlier today, a high school student and a resident...
- You holding up okay? - Yeah.
Yep.
Your mom's worried about you. She thinks maybe you see...
you need to go see a doctor.
Do you?
No, I'm fine.
I mean, you know, if I could make all this go away, I would.
I was thinking this weekend that maybe you and I
could take a ride up to that bike shop in Plaistow.
You know, that fancy-schmancy one?
Mm.
Maybe get, uh...
a little lunch after, at that, um, diner
with the frappes you like?
Yeah, sounds good.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
All right.
You know, the cops, they'll find Haley, you know?
They'll catch whoever did this.
No, they won't.
They can't protect anyone.
You're safe here, Brat, all right?
You're safe, I promise you.
Yeah.
Hey.
- Mm. - Hey.
Yeah.
Yeah?
Just try to get some rest, okay?
I love you like a big dog.
Love you, too.
All right.
I've never seen so many lights.
Just wait till you get inside.
You're not coming?
Alas, I must bid you adieu.
But have no fear, my child.
You have plenty of friends in Christmasland.
We've been waiting for you.
They're for Scissors for the Drifter.
It's a really fun game.
I don't know how to play.
It's easy. We'll show you how.
Synced & corrected by kinglouisxx www.addic7ed.com