The Fall of Candy Corn

by Debbie Viguié

  “Great, finish your shift today, then report to cart storage tomorrow night at six thirty.”

  Megan gave her a brief salute, and Candace turned away to hide her smile. Martha and Candace had worked it out that Megan could take Candace’s hours since Candace was going to have to put in so much time to finish organizing Sugar Shock. This way, everyone won.

  She checked her list and headed for the Exploration Zone.

  Gib was locking the door of the Muffin Mansion when Candace made her presence known. She cleared her throat loudly, and he turned to look at her in surprise.

  “Candace?”

  “Gib, I’m going to be straight with you, because you’ve always been straight with me.”

  He paled as though he sensed what was coming.

  “I need five more volunteers.”

  “That does sound like a problem,” he said, fidgeting.

  “It is. A big problem. I need to find five volunteers someplace. Either that or I need one volunteer with the strength of five,” she said meaningfully.

  He turned even paler and lowered his gaze. “I’ll get you five,” he said, in a whisper.

  “I appreciate that, Gib. And I’m sure I speak on behalf of the entire park when I say thank you.”

  He nodded and she went on her way.

  Now that she had all her volunteers, there was only one nagging thought left. Would any of them actually show?

  Candace awoke with a start. It was Friday morning, and she had just fallen asleep for the third time while taking her history test. She yawned and picked up her pencil off the ground yet again. She glanced up to see her teacher scowling at her. She ducked her head and continued on with her test.

  She finished just before the bell rang. After she turned it in, she brought her permission slip to the front of the class. His was the only signature she had left to get. Sugar Shock was a day event, and in order to be there she would have to miss school. So far only one of her teachers had even bothered to look at the paper before signing it.

  He took the paper and read it over. His perpetual scowl deepened, and he looked at her over the rims of his glasses.

  “School is more important than Halloween,” he lectured her.

  “But, it’s for my job. I’m in charge of one of the Halloween events at The Zone,” she explained.

  “A theme park. Such foolishness. It would be better if you got a job as a secretary, somewhere where you could learn real skills that mean something.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. His was the last signature she needed, and she wasn’t about to let a cranky, creaky history teacher get in her way.

  “You know that Colonial America paper of mine that you liked so well?”

  “Yes! Fine piece of work, good research. That’s the kind of thing you should be focusing on.”

  “You know where I got all my information?”

  He shook his head.

  “The History Zone.”

  She stared into his eyes. He looked away first. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “You know, I haven’t been to a theme park since I was a boy. Maybe it’s time to go again.”

  “I would be happy to give you a tour of the entire History Zone,” she said.

  He signed her paper and handed it to her. “Good luck running your event. I just might take you up on that offer one of these days.”

  “That would be fine,” she said. “Have a good evening.”

  “You too,” he said, still not looking her in the eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said. She turned and left the classroom. Once outside she realized that her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. She had done it though. She had all the signatures she needed.

  “Sugar Shock, here I come.”

  On Saturday night it felt weird to show up at the park as a player instead of a referee. Candace’s excitement was tempered by the realization that there was likely going to be another accident soon. She hadn’t heard of anything happening the previous two nights, which only made her worry more.

  Still, her fears slipped into the background as she and Tamara stepped into the fog-shrouded world of Scare. Candace realized that she must have finally become acclimated to the fog, because it no longer made her cough.

  As they walked through the park, monsters charged them from out of the dark, seeing how close they could get without actually touching. Tamara jumped every time, but Candace found herself too busy with trying to figure out who was who under the masks to let herself get really scared.

  “Which maze should we start with?” Candace asked Tamara.

  “Screen Screams was really good,” Tamara said reluctantly.

  Candace appreciated the fact that Tam was putting herself through this to keep her company. Apparently her first Scare hadn’t anesthetized her at all; she still jumped at every sound or flicker of movement. Fortunately there was only a five-minute line for Screen Screams.

  While they waited, they talked.

  “You’re asking Kurt to the Winter Formal, right?” Tamara asked.

  “That’s the plan,” Candace said. “How about you?”

  “I don’t know who I’m going to go with. I might wait for someone to ask me.”

  “Or you could ask someone that doesn’t go to our school, like Josh maybe.”

  Tamara rolled her eyes. “Lay off already. I’ve told you, I like Josh. It’s just not right though. We’re not going to get together no matter how much you like the idea of setting us up.”

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying,” Candace said with a sigh.

  “I guess not.”

  “Okay, no more trying to set up you and Josh.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How about Roger?”

  Tamara hit her playfully in the arm.

  Candace grinned. “Okay, no setting you up with anyone. I get it.”

  “Good.”

  “The pirates are loose!” a referee ran by yelling.

  “What on earth?” Candace wondered.

  A second referee was on his heels. “What’s happening?” Candace called.

  The man slowed up for a moment. “The pirates have taken over the Haunted Village.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Candace asked.

  “No. They descended like a horde and overran the maze. They raised their flag, and they have a ship in the lighthouse lagoon.”

  The man looked genuinely freaked out. She recognized him as one of the characters from the Haunted Village maze. “Why would they do that?” she asked.

  “Because they’re pirates!” he said, as though it was the dumbest question he had ever heard. He continued running.

  “Okay, I think we have to go see that next,” Tamara said. “That just sounds cool.”

  “It sounds bizarre,” Candace said.

  They reached the front of the Screen Screams line and were soon let inside. The entire maze was themed after horror movies, both classic and modern. Everything from Hitchcock to Michael Myers was represented. Candace hadn’t seen a lot of horror films but was still able to recognize what most of them were.

  Tamara kept screaming and digging her fingernails into Candace’s arm and shoulder. She was certain her friend had drawn blood. Candace yelped as a guy in a Scream mask jumped out at them. Some high-tech optical illusions and rubber props made it look like the next room was crawling with rats.

  Tamara came to an abrupt stop, practically pulling Candace’s arm from its socket.

  “You’ve already been through here. They’re fake!” Candace said.

  Tamara whimpered and shook her head.

  Candace saw something move out of the corner of her eye. It looked like one of the mummies, but she couldn’t be sure. A chill slid up her spine, and she turned back to look at the room in front of them. It was then that she realized that some of the rats were real.

  Candace screamed and backed up, pushing Tamara behind her. The guy in the Scream mask hesitated, unsure what was happening. Candace seized him. “Get an umpire
now! There are real rats in the next room.”

  The guy took off, and a minute later umpires were clearing the maze. Security guards showed up, and once again Candace found herself explaining what had happened. As soon as they were finished, Candace put her arm around Tamara, who was still shaking, and dragged her over to the castle.

  She sent a message into the Dracula maze, and a minute later Josh appeared. He and Tamara followed her down the side of the castle, and she let them all in through the secret door and upstairs to the Comfort Zone. If anyone needed comforting, it was her and Tamara. Besides, she couldn’t think of a better place for a private conversation.

  She got them sodas from the vending machine, and they sat on the couches. Candace quickly filled Josh in on what had just happened.

  “You’re right,” he said grimly when she had finished her story. “There’s no way something like that is an accident.”

  “And I’m just betting Will and Brandon are behind this. They put a live mouse on me in the costume area a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I think they’re after you,” Tamara said quietly.

  “What?”

  “I think they’ve been spying on you.”

  “It does make sense. These things seem to happen when you’re around,” Josh said.

  “But, how did they know I would go into that maze tonight?”

  “They probably knew you were going to be here as a player and were hoping you would. They watched, and when you did — instant rat attack.”

  Candace shivered. “But I haven’t been present for all the attacks, and they haven’t all been directed toward me.”

  “The only one you weren’t present for was in Kurt’s maze. That wall could have seriously hurt him when it fell,” Josh said. “I’d say someone wanted to send a warning to your boyfriend.”

  “I don’t believe this.”

  “Why?” Tamara asked. “You are the ultimate symbol of this year’s Scare.”

  “But I haven’t even been in that maze since the first weekend!”

  “No, but the urban legend started with you,” Josh said.

  “If this is true, how can we stop it?” she asked.

  “They’re going to want to strike again soon. They need something big to make sure Scare closes before next weekend.”

  “Great, so how do we know what they’re going to do?” Candace asked. “I mean, the thing with the hook was pretty major, and it didn’t do the trick. What more could they have in mind that would be bigger?”

  “Until now no one’s really gotten hurt. At least, not badly,” Tamara said.

  “I don’t think we can count on it to stay that way,” Josh said grimly.

  Candace’s head was spinning. What they were talking about was insane, but deep down she knew it was true. She had never bought the whole “ghost” thing, and too many of the incidents seemed to have happened when she was around. She was just grateful that people weren’t pointing a finger in her direction.

  “So, what do we do?” Candace asked.

  “I think it’s time to call in a supervisor,” Josh said.

  “Then it looks like I’m right on time,” Martha said from the doorway.

  All three of them jumped. They had been so intent on their conversation they hadn’t heard her come in.

  “How long have you been there?” Candace asked.

  “Long enough,” Martha said grimly. “I think all of you are right, but we’re going to have to catch them in the act.”

  “How?” Josh queried.

  “We set our own trap. I’ll spread the word that Lisa sprained her ankle tonight, and tomorrow night our famed Candy reprises her role.”

  “You’d use Candace as bait?” Tamara asked.

  Martha nodded. “I’ll have security standing by. When they try to sabotage the maze, we’ll catch them.”

  “No way!” Josh said, jumping up. “We can’t risk Candace like that.”

  “Martha’s right,” Candace said. A frightened, miserable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “If they have this weird obsession with doing things while I’m around, the best way to catch them is to make sure that I’m right back where I started when things first went wrong.”

  “It makes a lot of sense,” Tamara admitted.

  “The fewer people who know about this the better. Candace, come tomorrow night prepared to get back in the role,” Martha said.

  Josh looked frustrated, but Candace could tell that he didn’t have a better solution.

  “Okay,” Candace said. “Let’s catch some bad guys.”

  16

  “Let’s catch some bad guys” has to be the worst final words ever, Candace thought. As she once again donned the Candy costume, she wasn’t just nervous, she was terrified. God, please protect me and all of us. Please help us to catch the people responsible for this and help no one get hurt, she prayed. There was so much else that she wanted to say, but she just didn’t have the words.

  They needed to catch the saboteurs, but she wished they could have found some other way. Tamara was right, though, they did seem to have a particular interest in performing for Candace.

  Tamara had tried to insist on being there, but Candace had convinced her to stay home, because the saboteurs would probably recognize her from the other night. Since she didn’t work for The Zone, there was no way for her to blend into the background.

  As Candace walked to the maze, she tried hard to calm herself down. It wasn’t easy. All around her other referees waved and congratulated her on her return to the mazes. When she reached Candy Craze, both Ray and Reggie welcomed her back and assured her that no matter what anybody said, there was only one Candy, and she was it.

  She appreciated their support and words of encouragement. She wished she could tell them what was happening, but the fewer people who knew what was going on the better.

  The music and fog started up. She and Reggie took their starting positions. When the first players came through, Candace jumped in front of them and then ran. She made it all the way through the different parts of the maze and returned to the beginning, marveling at how it felt like she had never left.

  On her second run through she had the satisfaction of seeing a couple of grown men screaming like five-year-olds. She began to loosen up. Reggie and Ray were both in fine form too, really giving a hundred percent each time.

  “Did you hear about the pirates marauding last night?” Reggie asked at one point.

  “Only a little. Tell me about it,” Candace said before jumping out and running.

  When she returned to the starting place, Reggie continued. “They kicked all the maze characters out of the Haunted Village and claimed it as their own.”

  “You’re kidding,” Candace said on her return. It was a strange way to hold a conversation, but it was kind of fun.

  “Nope. They’ve taken over the entire Splash Zone, and word is that’s just the beginning of their plans.”

  “That I’ve gotta see,” Candace said before starting to run again.

  “How do they get away with that?” she asked when she returned.

  “It’s a special thing. Each year a different group is selected to do special things. They get a lot more freedom than the rest of us.”

  “Cool! How do they pick the team?” Candace just had time to ask.

  “It’s based on performance throughout the year,” Reggie explained a couple minutes later. “The winning team sits down with the owner of the park and picks their theme.”

  Candace jumped out and had to start running again before she had a chance to ask anything else. As she ran through the maze, she imagined how cool that would be. She also wondered just what the pirates’ limits were. It seemed strange, but it fit in with everything else she knew about The Zone.

  The group that was following on her heels was a particularly noisy one made up of all different ages. She swore she recognized some of them from earlier performances. She had heard that some players came to every single night of S
care. She was starting to believe it.

  She made it to the finale, and Ray caught her. She struggled hard, trying to give the group a good show. Ray’s arm tightened painfully across her chest, though, and his fingers were digging into her arm. She winced in pain.

  “Ray, you’re hurting me,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

  “Not Ray,” a male voice hissed back.

  Fear shot through her. It had happened. She had dropped her guard just enough. The saboteurs had come for her, and everyone would think it was just part of the show. “Help me!” she screamed.

  He chuckled in her ear. “Nobody’s coming to help you. In fact, they’re going to be too busy trying to sort out the mummy mess to think about you for quite a while.”

  It was Brandon’s voice. She was sure of it. Through her mind flashed every time he and his friend had tormented her in the past few weeks. The first meeting, the mouse, by the train tracks. Each time someone had shown up to save her. This time, though, nobody was coming. Josh was in his maze across the park, and Kurt and Sue didn’t even know that Candace was being used as bait.

  What would Dad do? she asked herself. When she was a little girl, he had told her how to protect herself. What would he do now?

  Candace jammed her heel down on his instep. He groaned and loosened his grip ever so slightly. She spun around and jabbed her fingers toward his eyes. Backing away, he tripped. An umpire appeared suddenly with another psycho, and together they tackled the fallen man.

  “Got you!” she heard the second psycho yell. He sounded like the real Ray.

  Ray and the umpire struggled against Brandon, but she didn’t have time to help. What was it Brandon had said about the mummy mess?

  Candace turned and ran outside, leading the cheering players out and to safety. She stopped the security guard just outside. “Radio Martha and tell her that one of the bad guys is in the Mummy’s Curse maze! Then get inside and help subdue the other guy!”

  He grabbed the radio, and she could hear him relaying her message even as she began to run. She had no idea what she was doing. From what Brandon had said, it might already be too late. Even if she did get there in time, how would she find Will?

  A golf cart suddenly roared up beside her, its honk sounding like the whistle of a train. Pete was driving. “Jump on! I can get you there faster!”