Dark Ride

by Todd Loyd

  Again, Scotty says nothing and only gives her an uncomfortable look.

  “So, she doesn't get a happily-ever-after?” Amy asks with obvious concern.

  “Nuh-uh.”

  “What kind of fairy tale is that?” Mason jokes.

  “The kind that doesn't have a happily-ever-after,” Scotty grimly relates. “Most of the old tales don't actually have happily-ever-afters.”

  Jack suddenly holds the map closer to his face, ignoring the last few seconds of conversation, and calls out, “Mason!”

  “What?”

  “We took the wrong door. We were supposed to turn right.”

  “Garbage. Let me see.”

  Mason snatches the map and says, “I looked at this thing and….”

  “It's pretty obvious, we blew it,” Jack points out over his shoulder.

  All four are assembled around the map now. Jack is upset, for the thought of having to re-enter the matchstick girl's room is not high on his bucket list. However, a thought pops into his sometimes-devious head: This could play in my favor. Maybe the others will listen to me now. How do I play this?Clearing his voice with too much vigor, Jack proclaims, “That's okay, Mason. So you blew it. We were all distracted by the girl. It's not your fault completely.”

  Unaware of the passive-aggressive verbal barrage, Mason folds the map into the work belt.

  “We have another problem,” Amy confesses.

  The boys look at her expecting the worst.

  “We gave her all the coins.”

  Chapter 86

  A sinking feeling rushes through all four of them. Scotty suggests they run by the girl if they can't sneak past her, and the others agree.

  Gearing up for the trip back through the previous room, Jack casually scans the present room again on last time and says, “Nothing has happened since we've been in here. Kind of odd.”

  “Come on, Jack, don't jinx us,” Amy teases while shooting a playful elbow into his ribs.

  Then, in the far right corner of the room, Jack sees a figure of a man and jumps back in alarm. However, after holding his flashlight before him, he sees that it's another narrator. Jack asks himself, Has he been there the whole time? No way.

  After seeing Jack's temporary distress, the others spot the robotic mannequin themselves.

  “Well, is it going to speak?” Mason grunts.

  As if waiting for the invitation, the familiar crackling sound signaling the begging of another rhyme vibrates through an unseen spot in the ceiling.

  “Every step taken away from the goal,

  The price they pay will take its toll.

  The help they received

  May lead them to believe,

  But….”

  Waiting for the finish of the rhyme, they hold still. After ten seconds, Mason finally comments, “But what? That's it?”

  “I think it's broken,” Scotty suggests.

  “The rhymes are not coming from the narrator himself, genius. It's piped in from the speakers,” Amy points out.

  “Then the speakers are broken,” Scotty clarifies.

  Jack is sorely disappointed. He had been delighted that another clue was going to be delivered. Luckily, though, he remembers that the narrator's words had always been written down in the books the mannequins held.

  Walking past the brick wall he approaches the figure and sees that the large book is opened in its hand. Looking down on the words that fill the page, he reads, “The help they received may lead them to believe, but….”

  Jack thinks, Now this is downright bizarre. The “But” is written as the last word at the bottom of the page, and the next page is torn out. In fact, several pages are missing. Little jagged edges of paper give away the fact that someone had actually ripped them out. Now, only one page is left in the book at the end. Looking down at the last page, Jack sees more words.

  The others join him around the mannequin. He points out the interrupted words and the torn pages and then points to the last page of the book, which reads:

  “And the three of them lived happily ever after.”

  “Who lived happily ever after?” Amy asks.

  “I don't know,” Scotty answers.

  Jack determines, “It's talking about us. We live happily ever after! Look, the narrator has been trying to give us clues all night. We've just been ignoring him. We need to go back. He is trying to lead us to some end. Maybe these missing pages—”

  “But it said ‘the three of them,’” Amy skeptically interjects.

  “Right,” Mason speaks. “It can't be us. There are four of us. It says here that only three lived happily ever after.”

  And then, no one speaks, for the gravity hits them at the same time.

  Amy manages, “Does that mean one of us ?”

  “No,” Jack adamantly replies. “That can't be what it means.”

  Mason goes for the jugular and says, “But Jack, if we just do what the narrator says, like you've been itching to do all night, one of us is gonna die.”

  “No, we're not,” Jack defends.

  Mason retorts, “It's right there in black and white, Jack. Oh, so wait, you wanna listen to the narrator as long as it fits in your little fantasy world, is that it?”

  “No,” Jack says. He is frustrated with the reasoning.

  “Then we follow the narrator and one of us dies, or we follow the map and live. You pick.”

  Mason holds his ground. However, Jack is ready to make his stand. He is confident that he is right and says, “I think we should find the missing pages of this book. That's what we should be doing now. He's trying to get us to go somewhere, but we keep ignoring him.”

  It makes complete sense to Jack that if they are supposed to finish the story, then all they need to do is find the pages and follow the advice of the narrator. Still, the idea about someone won't be getting a happily-everafter is confusing to him.

  “What about the map and the vault?” Scotty asks, looking to Mason.

  “What good has following that map done for us?” Jack counters.

  Jack and Mason are at a stalemate. As far as the others, Scotty seems to be wavering a little while holding Lucky to his chest, and Amy is keeping her thoughts to herself. Jack wonders what she could be thinking.

  Jack says, “I think the happily ever after depends on us finishing the story.”

  “What story, Jack?” Amy responds.

  “Can't you guys see? The story of this ride. We are the characters now; this is our—”

  “Jack, the only thing I know is that this map is real. And that dude Victor was real. Your little theory is just thattheory,” Mason argues.

  Jack suggests, “Well, let's vote then. Who's for finding the pages?”

  None of the others reply. Jack says, “Come on, are you serious? Scotty?”

  “Sorry, Jack,” Scotty replies. “I'm for getting out of here as quick as possible. I think maybe the map is the only real option we have.”

  Amy must now pick a side.

  Jack looks at her, who for the first time since their earlier troubles does not look him in the eyes.

  She says, “Jack, I'm sorry, it's just—”

  “Fine. Just fine. We'll follow the map, then, and keep getting lost. Go ahead, Mason, lead us out of here. Need I remind you all that we are currently standing in a room we could have avoided according to your precious map.”

  Jack huffs off. He's aggravated, frustrated, and tired of fighting an uphill battle.

  From behind him, he hears Mason say, “Great. Now he's gonna pout.”

  “I'm not gonna pout.”

  Mason turns to Scotty and says, “Yep. He's pouting.”

  Jack responds, “When we first came in the ride, the narrator said we—”

  “The narrator said this. The narrator said that. Give it up, Jack. We may have made a wrong turn or two based on the map, but it's something I can touch, and I know if we're getting close or not. At least with this map, we know when we're lost. What about with the
narrator? How do you even know where you're supposed to go? Huh?” Mason asks.

  “Forget it. Do whatever you want,” Jack replies. He's out of arguments, although he knows he's right even if he can't prove it.

  Mason and Scotty exchange a look, and Scotty says, “It's not like we can't keep an eye out for the missing pages, right? Maybe there'll be something useful on them.”

  This is some semblance of a peace offering, and it at least acts to calm the situation a little. Nonetheless, they still have to get by the matchstick girl.

  “So are we gonna be on the same page with that lunatic girl and her matches?” Mason asks.

  Jack feels that Mason is trying to take over, but Jack doesn't see a point in arguing anymore, so he says, “Okay. Same page.”

  “Good,” Mason grins.

  Amy expresses, “What if the wolf got free of his webs and is in there by now?”

  “Well, that puts a damper on things,” Mason says. “But that's a chance we're just going to have to take. Scotty, you got any more of that magic shrinking potion?”

  “Nope. You wanna go back to the lab?”

  Just then one of the doors behind them swings open. Bracing for danger, they turn toward the door. They see a peculiar looking man in the shape of an egg waltzing into the room and carrying a short stepladder.

  “Really?” Mason laughs.

  Scotty snickers at the harmless looking man. He playfully calls out, “How are you today?”

  The egg shaped man ignores them and simply places the ladder against the brick wall. He begins to climb.

  Not wanting to wait any longer, Mason turns to the exit and says, “Let's go, guys.”

  Grudgingly, Jack follows with Amy close behind. Scotty is the last one to approach the doors, and before he enters the next room, he turns back to the odd man and says, “I would not go up there if I were you.” Then he giggles and passes through the doorway.

  Chapter 87

  Jack and the others make their way into the wasteland that is the Match Girl Room. Knowing what to expect does not take the creepy factor down for them one single notch. She's still humming, and for now, at least, there's no sign of the wolf. The girl is sitting in the corner, starring with a blank expression. The teens avoid the area she's gazing at by taking exaggerated, almost cartoonish, steps away from her line of sight. They try to hide behind what they can in order to pass unnoticed.

  When they are halfway across the room, a genuine sense of hope delights Jack. As they are nearing the door on the opposite side, though, suddenly the girl stands in front of them and blocks their path. Any plan to make a break for it has been crushed.

  “Won't you buy some matches?”

  “We already bought some matches, just let us by, okay?” Mason pleads.

  The match the girl is holding burns out, and she starts humming. The kids decide to use the elusiveness of the darkness to skirt around her and make their way toward the door. But then, immediately in front of them, the girl strikes yet another match and repeats her eerie ritual.

  “Look, we gave you all the coins we had,” Amy tries to reason.

  The girl seems to pay no attention to their efforts and says, “Won't you buy some matches?”

  “Stop saying that! We already told you we have no more money,” Mason says.

  The girl's appearance steadily changes. Her clandestine features begin to sour. Her mouth turns to a scowl.

  “Oh, for heaven's sake. Here we go again,” Scotty whines.

  Then, before any of the teens can object to his actions, Mason takes the escape into his own hands: he reaches out and pushes the girl.

  The match girl is astonished by the sudden action and falls down.

  “Mason!” Amy cries.

  “No time for argument! Just get through that door,” Mason commands.

  Jack wastes no time in following Mason to the door, and Scotty is right behind them.

  “Amy! Come on. No time for sympathy,” Jack calls.

  This instruction isn't heeded by Amy, though. She looks down at the girl and says, “I'm sorry.”

  The matchstick girl cradles up into a ball on the floor and begins rocking back and forth.

  Seeing the odd reaction, Amy begins to apologize again by saying, “Sorry we—”

  “Now!” Mason says, stepping in front of Jack and grabbing Amy's arm.

  Mason, almost dragging Amy behind him, and the others arrive into the new room. But with one look, they are met with the last thing they expected. To their mutual astonishment, they are right back in the room with the brick wall.

  Chapter 88

  None of them can believe what they are seeing. Jack is equally heartbroken and confused. “Are you kidding me?” he howls in anger.

  “Maybe it's a different room with a brick wall?” Scotty suggests hopefully.

  Just like before, the ladder is propped against the brick wall, and now the odd egg-shaped man is sitting on top. Also, the narrator mannequin is sitting in the corner.

  “Nope, this is the same room.” Scotty points out.

  “For crying out loud. How is this possible?” Mason sulks.

  “How is anything possible in here?” Jack answers sharply.

  Jack looks to Amy who is standing with her stick close to her chest. She is obviously agitated, but Jack is unsure of the exact cause for her displeasure. He figures that either she's mad about the room or she's upset with Mason for pushing the girl. He decides, though, not to ask.

  Jack walks over to Mason and, while holding out his arm, says, “Let me see the map, Mason.”

  “What, so you can correct my mistake again?” he snarls.

  “Fine. Lead on, O Master of the Map,” Jack responds with an equal amount of irritation.

  Mason raises his voice and says, “You looked at the map yourself. You said we needed to take this route.”

  “You're the one so attached to that thing, not me. Maybe if we would just put the thing up and look—”

  “Three…lived happily ever after. Three. Remember? Time to drop it.”

  An unfamiliar voice calls down from atop the brick wall, “Keep it down! What is all the fuss about?”

  Mason looks up and jabs, “Stay out of this, Humpty!”

  “Okay, guys—enough!” Scotty declares. Both Jack and Mason are startled by the emotion in his voice.

  Scotty nervously fiddles with Lucky and continues, “I'm just saying that you guys are driving me crazy. I don't think Amy or I….” Scotty looks over at Amy to see if she will support what he's saying, but he gets no response from her. He continues, “Um…we don't really care who is right or who is wrong. We just want to get out of this place.”

  Jack, breathing hard with his face flushed, waves his arm dramatically and says, “Okay, Scotty. I think we can all agree that going back through that door will lead us right back to the girl. Why don't we just take one of those other doors at the back of the room. Then our great leader here can look at the precious map, and we can move on from there.”

  Jack expects some degree of sarcastic reply because of his combative tone.

  Mason retorts, “Finally. Some common sense, from you.”

  “Then it's agreed,” Scotty says, playing the middle ground.

  “I don't want to see that girl back there again,” Mason grumbles.

  Now Amy speaks and asks, “Why is that Mason? Because you shoved her down?”

  “I had too.”

  “You're a bully,” Amy accuses.

  “Amy, she tried to set me on fire. She's dangerous.”

  “She's a little girl. A little girl, who's trapped in here just like us. Why don't you twist the head off some of her toys if we see her again?”

  “What?” Mason asks. He genuinely has no recollection of the torment he used to cause Amy.

  “You know what, Mason? You're just scared.”

  “I am not. I just think—”

  “You're scared you're the one who won't live happily ever after.”

 
Amy moves quick, gets right in Mason's face, and says, “Mason Chick, all you think about is yourself. You don't care about anyone else, and if someone gets in your way, no matter who they are, you shove them down.”

  Amy makes a final jab by saying, “A pathetic bully,” and then backs off.

  Jack's still angry at Mason, and although he enjoyed Amy's verbal attack, it's over. He knows that if they are ever going to get out of the ride, they'll have to stay together.

  Turning to Mason, he says, “Look, I don't agree with following the map, okay? But I'll go along if that's what everyone else wants to do. The only way we're gonna get out of this is if we stay together. So, which door are we gonna take this time? The one straight ahead or the one to the left?”

  On the outside, at least, nothing seems to faze Mason Chick. While considering Jack's question, he runs his fingers through his hair and seems to almost brush off all the hostility toward him.

  Mason says, “I don't know, let's flip a coin. Amy, can I borrow a coin?”

  “Yeah. Funny. Ha ha.”

  “Fine. We go left,” Mason gruffly decides.

  Amy stomps off toward the door, and Scotty follows. Mason and Jack, however, remain for a minute. Their friendship has taken a severe hit in the last few moments. Mason glowers at Jack, wanting to make sure that Jack recognizes him as the better man. Then he gestures for Jack to go first through the door, which he does after giving a shrug. This hacks Mason off way past his boiling point, and after entering the next room, Mason slams the door behind him.

  From the other side of the now closed door, the group hears a yell and then a dull thud.

  Mason looks at Scotty and asks, “Did he just…?”

  “Yep.”

  Chapter 89

  Howard Snodgrass is hiding. It doesn't look like he's hiding, but he's definitely hiding. He's standing just outside of the concession stand, far enough out of range to be out of view from the parents who have camped out in front of the Enchanted Forrest. Snodgrass peers out to the parking lot and sees flashing blue lights. He thinks, Great. Just great. Who called the police? This is turning into one heck of a night. He hears multiple car doors slam shut and wonders, What? Did they bring the whole department?