The number of the Beast is also the number of a real-life "highway to hell." Route 666 From the Files of Fortean Slips by D. Trull Enigma Editor dtrull@parascope.com Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers stands as a landmark achievement of the surreal, and is certainly the most hallucinatory subversion of Americana that my mom ever shelled out $5.50 to witness. Overloaded with insane exaggerations like Rodney Dangerfield's sitcom-style flashback and Robert Downey Jr.'s TV tabloid apotheosis, "American Psychos," the movie conducts a sobriety test down the blurry line between caricature and brutal reality. So when Mickey and Mallory's murder spree takes place on a highway called Route 666, you might well conclude that this is a beastly numerical designation of Stone's invention that you're not going to find on your AAA road atlas. But Oliver's fans and Satanic motorists alike will be pleased to learn that you can get your kicks-kicks-kicks on Route 666... because it really ex-ex-exists. Spanning 200 miles through New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, this charming stretch of asphalt was christened (if that's the right word) by engineers in the 1930s, being the sixth road to cross the more reputable Route 66. The bureaucratic genesis of its sinister name has done little to deter sixty years of local belief that Route 666 is cursed with evil. Fortean Times reports that Christian groups in the area have unsuccessfully demanded that the road's name be changed. Navajos have joined the protest because their traditions regard the number six as bad luck, and Route 666 runs through the middle of their reservation. It also happens to have been constructed near the Southwest's Four Corners, the only place in the country at which four states meet at 90 degree angles (Arizona comprising the lucky corner to remain uncontaminated by Route 666). On a map, the highway looks a bit like a serpent coiling around a giant cross. Is there more than superstition and coincidence to Route 666? Some say it really is a highway to hell, in deed as well as name. Most commonly cited is its high occurrence of road fatalities from drunk and hit-and-run drivers. Route 666 even possesss its own serial killer, known as the Mad Trucker. According to the legend, a sadistic semi targets vulnerable pedestrians and mows them down. It is also claimed that the highway inspires teenagers to participate in devil worship, a number of sacrificed dogs and cats being reported as evidence. If you're planning a road trip to the fiendish freeway, be advised that you may have a hard time knowing when you get there. Route 666 road signs are reportedly impossible to find since they're perpetually stolen by rankled residents and tourists with less godly motives. Only 300-odd miles from Roswell, and a hop, skip and a jump from Area 51, Route 666 makes a fine stop on any magical mystery Babylon tour of our great national treasures. Don't forget to pack your AC/DC. (c) Copyright 1996 ParaScope, Inc. Next: Area 51 "Easter Egg" Fortean Slips Index What do you think? Tell us in the message boards!