“We weren’t in school for very long, as usual. Only one semester. Our parents kept moving us around. I didn’t have any friends, of course. Then my last week I’m in the hallway and I see this kid walking towards me.”
“Yeah?” Ryan’s lips twitched a little into a grin.
“Like he didn’t have a care in the world. And then he stopped right by my locker. I thought, ‘how did I not see this boy before?’”
“Not your fault. I decided to change things up a bit with my look.”
Maddie definitely approved of the makeover.
“Then what happened?” Although by the glint in his eye, Maddie knew Ryan was just asking to hear her say it.
“I said ‘hi.’ He said ‘hi’ back. We both tried to be cool and talk about nothing. Then we both leaned in and...”
She remembered that moment. That electric second she had her first real kiss. It had been short and sweet but unforgettable. A girl always remembered her first.
Reliving the memory, they were both leaning into each other when a low growl interrupted them.
Ryan spun around and picked up his iron bar.
“What was-” A shiver rushed up Maddie’s back.
Ryan shushed her.
The growl continued. A pair of yellow eyes shone through a gap in the fence. Maddie’s body instantly froze. The eyes belonged to a dog, but it was unlike any dog she’d ever seen before. It was twisted and looked diseased. Its flesh was red and ropey and it didn’t look like it had any skin.
She gasped at the gruesome sight of it. So did Ryan.
“Back away. Real slow,” he said.
Maddie nodded and did so. Ryan kept his iron bar up and ready to strike as they retreated. When they were away from the fence, they turned and ran. Maddie shivered as she heard the beast howl. She thought she heard other howls answer back in the distance.
Summer stood up just as Ryan and Maddie came racing through the fairgrounds.
“Something’s going on,” Summer said as the others joined her.
“Who cares?” Nicole said, rolling her eyes.
Summer glared at her. Her heart pounded in her chest. Now wasn’t the time for Nicole’s snotty attitude. Something was going on.
“What? Do you have a problem or something?” asked Nicole.
Summer was about to tell her off when Darien called out to Ryan and Maddie.
“What’s going on?”
“There are animals in the trees,” was Ryan’s answer.
Nicole sneered, “What an idiot. Of course there are animals in the trees.”
“Why don’t you shut up?” Summer hissed at her.
That left Nicole gaping.
Ryan went on. “They’re mutated or something. Not normal. Definitely not friendly. I’d stay close to your fire and to each other.”
Darien waved to Ryan and Maddie to let them know he’d heard them and understood what they were saying.
After they left, he muttered, “Great. Now we have this crap to deal with.”
Sam cuddled into Summer’s side. She put an around him. “Are they going to eat us?”
Summer smoothed a hand over his head. “No buddy, we’re safe here.”
She looked to Darien to confirm her statement. Darien nodded.
“Yeah, don’t worry, Sam. I’ll get us some big sticks to protect ourselves with and we’ll build a big fire. No animals will dare come close.”
That seemed to satisfy Sam and he smiled.
“Okay, I’ll go get us some firewood,” said Darien.
“I’m coming,” said Summer.
“I’m coming too then. I’m not staying here,” piped up her brother.
Sam’s gaze flickered to Nicole. Summer hoped she wouldn’t notice. Nicole was too busy glaring at Summer. Couldn’t blame Sam; Summer wouldn’t want to rely on this vapid, vacant girl to take care of him, either. She was one of the most self-absorbed people Summer had ever known.
Darien solved the problem by announcing, “Fine, we’ll all go.”
Sam walked with his sister, Darien and the other girl, Nicole. Sam thought Nicole was pretty but she didn’t seem to like Summer for some reason. Sam thought maybe Nicole was jealous because she wasn’t nearly as pretty as his sister.
A short distance from the pavilion, they found a row of game tents. There were several stuffed animals lying about but they looked dirty and decayed. One giant panda had a missing arm, no ears, and only one eye. The sight of it sent a shiver up Sam’s back.
Nicole stopped by a teddy bear that was still in one piece. “This one’s cute.” She picked it up and its wet insides tore through its tummy and went splat on Nicole’s feet and legs.
Sam saw Summer hide a chuckle. Sam thought it was funny too but he didn’t laugh.
Nicole dried herself off the best she could and rejoined the group. They moved over to where some old rickety game stalls stood slanted.
“Stand back, little dude,” Darien warned Sam.
Sam moved behind his sister as Darien kicked one of the stalls. It collapsed and Summer gathered up the pieces.
Nicole looked bored.
“Little help here,” said Summer.
Nicole reluctantly let Summer pile some wood in her arms.
“If I get a sliver, I’m totally blaming you.”
“Never mind about slivers. Just watch out for rusty nails,” said Summer.
“Rusty nails?” Nicole suddenly turned pale.
“Hey, be careful! Don’t move around so much. You wouldn’t want to get lockjaw.”
“What?”
“Just be very slow and very careful. And let everything down easy,” said Summer.
Nicole left, cradling the wood in her arms gingerly. Sam slowly drifted farther and farther away. He wanted to help and looked for something he could pick up and carry. He heard his sister and Darien speaking.
“There weren’t any nails in those boards, rusty or otherwise,” said Darien.
“No? How silly of me.” She chuckled a little.
Sam’s gaze came across a football about six feet away. He glanced at his sister. She was busy with Darien and not watching him, so he fast-walked over to the football and picked it up.
A burst of wind blew over him. Everything around him went dark. He was left standing in a void. Then a bright light flashed and illuminated a man with a colorful outfit. Sam recognized him from the carnival. The old carnival with all the people, not this scary carnival.
The man spoke with a booming voice that seemed to echo around Sam.
“Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and witness the miracle of clairvoyance. I give you the one, the only, Samuel the All Seeing.”
The man pointed his cane at Sam. Sam glanced behind him.
Suddenly there was a huge poster of a carnival attraction just behind him. He stared up at it. The character on the poster was Sam, but he was dressed funny and stared into a crystal ball with eyes glowing.
Sam didn’t like that at all. He backed away, frightened. “Summer! Where are you?”
Sam looked around as other posters popped into existence. Summer and the rest of the group of seven were showcased on them. Summer was in something like her bathing suit, only her arms were tied and she was inside a tank of water. Nicole was walking across a high wire. Ryan was throwing knives. Darien was lifting a barbell over his head. The twins, Justin and Maddie, were attached at their hips. That one was kind of grotesque and Sam didn’t like looking at it too long.
He backed away from the posters and ran into the strange man with the striped vest and hat.
“Hello, Sam.”
“How... How do you know my name?” asked Sam.
“Because you’re special. There’s no need to be afraid. Nothing can harm you in this place.”
“Where am I? How did I get here? Where’s my sister?”
“It’s okay. I’m a friend.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the Barker.”
“What do you want?” aske
d Sam.
“I’m here to help you, Sam. I’m here to help you get home,” said the Barker. At the mention of home, Sam’s heart swelled. He really wanted to see his mom. He knew she’d make everything better.
“Can you take me home?”
“I can show you the way home, but it’s very long,” said the Barker.
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s very hard. But don’t worry. I’ll be there to guide you.”
“What do I do?” asked Sam.
“First you play a game.”
A light went on behind the Barker and a game board appeared. It had a map on it and a bunch of stars, yellow and black, with names written on them. One yellow star was marked “Crooks.”
“Hey, Crooks, that’s our town,” said Sam.
“That’s right,” said the Barker.
“What are the other stars?”
“Places you have to go.”
Sam moved forward. He was curious now, not so much afraid. “What do I have to do?”
The Barker handed him a set of three darts. “Throw them at the town stars. Where you hit is where you have to go.”
Sam swallowed. He’d never been good at games. He was always picked last in gym class. No one ever wanted him on their team because he was either too small or too slow.
“What if I miss?”
“Then here is where you’ll have to stay.”
Sam set down the football, then took up a stance in front of the dart board. He reared his arm back and fired a dart. It hit the board but not near any stars.
He glanced at the Barker to gauge his reaction.
“You can do it, Sam. I believe in you.”
Biting his lower lip, Sam reared his arm back and fired another dart. This time it hit a yellow star with the name “Warren” scrawled across it.
“Congratulations, Sam. You did it. You hit Warren. That is where you have to go. Can you remember that?” asked the Barker.
Sam nodded. “We have to go to the town of Warren.”
The Barker ruffled Sam’s hair. “That’s good, Sam. It's your job to make sure that's where you go. It's important you stay on the path if you want to get back home.”
“What if we get off the path?”
All of a sudden, the Barker’s face transformed. His eyes sunk in like those of a skeleton and his skin turned gray and mottled, cracked in some places like clay. It was only for a moment, but this was enough to make Sam stumble backwards, fear coursing through him. His heart hammered in his throat.
But just as quickly as it happened, the Barker’s face returned to normal.
“Terrible things can happen off the path, Sam. Remember that,” said the Barker.
Sam nodded that he understood.
“Good.”
The Barker slipped a hand into the pocket of his brightly colored coat. “Now here’s your prize.”
He handed Sam a round metal object—a compass. Sam stared at it. When he looked back up, the Barker had vanished. He was no longer surrounded by blackness but was back among the game tents. Back to the dirty, decayed carnival.
Summer approached him. “What are you doing over here? We’re supposed to stick together, remember?”
Sam showed her the compass. “Look what I won.”
“Where did you find that?”
“I didn’t find it. I won it at the dart game,” said Sam.
She ruffled his hair. “Okay, buddy. You’re probably pretty tired. We should go back, make the fire, then you can lay down and get some sleep.”
“I’m not making it up, Summer.”
He told her about the game, about the Barker, and about how they had to go to Warren.
Summer looked around. “Sam, we’re alone here. And you’ve been standing here in the same spot for the past five minutes. You weren’t playing any game. I know. I saw you over here.”
He shook his head. “I know what happened. It was real.”
“Maybe it’s like those other times, you know? The times when you have those dreams? The ones that sometimes come true,” said Summer.
He frowned at her but he didn’t want to argue any more. Arguing was making his stomach upset and his head hurt.
“Come on. Let’s get back to the camp.” She shivered as she put an arm around him.
For once in his life, his sister’s touch didn’t make Sam feel better, or safe. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever feel safe again.
Darien threw more wood into the fire and soon it was roaring. The heat was fierce and it made him sweat, but that was strangely comforting. No stray dog was going to come sniffing around this blaze. They were lucky to even have a fire.
Summer had stumbled across a matchbook with three good ones still inside. Darien was glad because it had been ages since he had been in Boy Scouts. And even back then, he got through fire making with lighter fluid and a BBQ lighter. Now they only had two matches left.
We should be out of here before then, he thought. There’s just no way this can last.
But he was finding it harder and harder to believe. The carnival was a ruin. There was no denying it after their little expedition. And the place was deserted. Well, except for those dog things Ryan and Maddie warned them about. As weird as things were, Darien wasn’t quite ready to accept mutated monsters.
If one shows up, I’ll owe Mulvaney an apology. That was something Darien didn’t want to think about.
Feeding the fire kept his mind off of troubling things. He threw in some more planks and then picked out sticks. He thought they might make good weapons.
Weapons to fight off a monster dog?
Sam, meanwhile, chattered away as he worked. Darien nodded as the kid spoke. He was following maybe every other word, but he still got the gist of it. It was a skill he’d developed during class.
“So the Barker tells me to throw the darts and whatever star I hit is where we should go next. I hit Warren. That’s a town nearby, isn’t it?”
Darien smiled and nodded at Sam. He didn’t want the little guy to think he was ignoring him. But it was time to break some harsh truths to him.
“Uh huh. Warren’s about fifteen miles from here.”
“That’s where the Barker said we need to go if we want to go home,” said Sam.
The kid wouldn’t let it go. Darien really wished Summer would take care of him. But she and Nicole were trying to find something to eat. There was another problem. Summer and Nicole were arguing a lot. He wished they would just settle down and play nice.
Sam looked up with his big, eager eyes and waited for an answer. Darien thought it best to level with him.
“Warren is where the state prison is, Sam. I think it would be dangerous to go there.”
Darien sure wasn’t going to bring Summer and Nicole near that spot. What if all the convicts had broken out of there? He had enough trouble with Ryan; he didn’t need rapists and murderers to contend with. He was definitely not up for that task.
Sam insisted. “But the Barker said-”
“Not sure who this Barker person is, but we are definitely not going to Warren. We are staying right here, where it’s safe.”
A shrill scream pierced the night air as if mocking his last statement.
Chapter 3
As Maddie ran back to their camp, she spied Summer, Sam, Darien and Nicole at the pavilion. “Wait! We have to warn them!”
“I’m sure super jock will save them all,” Ryan grumbled.
“Ryan! They have a little kid with them.”
Ryan groused a second but then shouted his warning to the others. The other kids seemed to be bickering amongst themselves, but Darien waved to them, signaling that he had understood.
“Okay. Captain America is on the case. Happy?” said Ryan.
Maddie smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“Let’s get back to your brother.”
They ran back to the old carousel. When they first picked it Maddie thought it wasn’t bad for an improvised shelter. But now she could
n’t ignore the fact that it was completely open and vulnerable. They found Justin near the large pile of wood they had already collected.
“Did you get the fire started?” asked Ryan.
Justin shook his head no. “What’s wrong?”
“We saw this big, ugly dog by the fence,” said Maddie.
“It wasn’t an ordinary dog, either. It was mutated or something,” added Ryan.
Justin rolled his eyes. Maddie knew he didn’t believe them “What?”
“It wasn’t normal, okay? It was some kind of monster dog,” said Ryan.
Justin turned on Maddie and fired off something in Spanish. By the time Maddie realized he had said “Is he for real?”, Ryan shot back his own answer in Spanish.
“Yes, I am very much for real.”
He then said in heavily Anglo-accented Spanish, “Four years of advanced placement Spanish, plus a class trip to Barcelona.”
He then switched back to English. “Now, if we’re done being multi-culti, can we get back to making a fire?”
Maddie was genuinely impressed. Her brother looked at her in disbelief.
“Seriously?” asked Justin.
Maddie shrugged. “We only speak Spanish around Grandma. I’m out of practice. What? I don’t see you watching Univision or ESPN Deportes.”
“Come on.” Ryan beckoned them to the wood pile. “We should move the wood closer to the merry-go-round.”
“Man, I just piled it up here not ten seconds ago,” Justin complained.
“And the supplies too. We have to move the food closer in,” said Ryan.
“What for?” asked Justin.
“Because that’s where we’re going to sleep tonight. You want the dogs to get at this stuff?”
Ryan marched closer to the ride.
“We bring the wood and the food here. We’ll sleep next to it. And we’ll build a fire right here. That should keep the dogs away.”
“What happens if they come at us from the other side?” asked Justin.
Ryan hesitated. Maddie could see he hadn’t considered this.
“You’re right. So we’ll build four small fires all around. That will keep us safe,” said Ryan.
“What? We have to makes four fires now?” asked Justin.
Carnival World Boxed Set (Episodes 1-3) Page 4