Dark Ride

by Todd Loyd

  Still, she asks, “What do you want from me?”

  The girl's questions and aggression strike the wolf as odd. He thinks, She doesn't seem afraid. In fact, she seems downright angry. The girl continues to scratch and claw, and the wolf could swear he feels his coat being ripped apart at the seams, yet he carries on.

  Through the narrow passageways, the wolf navigates his way back to his hut. It takes a few minutes longer than usual with the furious girl over his shoulder, but his acute sense of smell easily directs him through the intricate system of passages.

  Finally, they reach the hut, and the wolf begins his preparations. He manages to tie up the girl to a spit, and Amy soon finds herself suspended over a pile of sticks. The wolf examines the situation and moves an empty plate from one side of the table to the other while thinking, i He wants everything to be perfect.

  “Why are you doing this? You, you beast!”

  At last, the wolf addresses the girl, “Because I am the wolf. This is what wolves do! It is all I have ever wanted. For years I have longed for this moment. For years all I have wanted was you.”

  “I am not going to be your supper,” Amy declares indignantly. “I don't care if you're the wolf or not. This is ridiculous. I am not from this place. How could you have wanted me? My friends and I only got lost in here today.”

  The wolf cannot help but respect her moxie, and he halts his activity.

  “I have a family; you can't do this. I am going home.”

  Suddenly, the empty plate speaks to the wolf, What are you doing? Do not let her fool you! She's lying to you. I need the girl to fill my void. You want the girl. Do it. Do it now!

  The wolf starts to question the girl, but before he speaks again, the low powerful rumble in his stomach quakes and the pain almost doubles him over.

  Then he says, “You're lying to me. Yes, you should be eaten. That is your destiny.”

  The wolf snatches two flint stones and begins clanging them together over the fire pit. The dry embers start to smoke.

  Chapter 121

  As the boys enter a completely new area, they ignore the trees and barrels that are scattered around the room. Instead, they focus on a small gap in the wall to their left. On the floor in front of the gap is a piece of black cloth.

  “She's ripped off another piece of his clothing,” Jack confirms.

  “That means they went this way,” Mason declares.

  “Let's go,” Scotty says and lunges into the gap.

  The boys find themselves in a small passage and begin running. Jack is determined to find Amy. His recent issues with her make him even more desperate. He has no intention of letting things end as they are. More importantly, he wants Amy to be safe, to have here happily-ever-after. The thought of Amy being the one…. Jack stops thinking.

  At several points, the passage splits in different directions, but whenever this occurs, Jack's flashlight finds a small piece of cloth, which lets the boys know which way to go. He assumes correctly that Amy had been tearing at the wolf's coat on purpose.

  The boys finally arrive at a door. With no effort to hide their entrance, Mason shoves it open. There before them is a small room, in the corner of which is an even smaller hut—no larger than a child's fort. It is made entirely of straw.

  Whispering, Jack addresses the others, “He's taken her in there.”

  “How do you know that?” Mason questions.

  “Well, there are no more scraps of cloth on the ground,” Jack says as he surveys the well-lit floor.

  “What do we do?” Scotty frantically asks.

  Mason turns to Scotty, “Do you have any matches left?”

  “What for?” the boy answers.

  “Mason, we can't burn down the shack. Amy is in there,” Jack explains. “We have to get in there; no time for talk.”

  Mason's face looks surprised, almost fearful, and he says, “We have to get that book.”

  This shocks Jack. He wonders what's happened to his cavalier, hardcharging companion.

  “Okay, Jack, let's go,” Scotty says. “There are three of us, one of him.”

  After he makes this proclamation, Scotty pulls out his scissors and holds them in front of him as a weapon. The bear, Lucky, has been discarded at his feet.

  Marveling at this new bold attitude from Scotty and the strange reversal of roles his friends have undergone, Jack responds, “Scotty, we can't physically take on that wolf. We'll have to focus on getting Amy and getting out.”

  Jack looks at Mason, who stands dumbfounded at the situation, and walks up to him, places a hand on his shoulder, and with grim determination states, “Mason, we're going in now, with or without you.”

  Mason says, “Yeah, okay. I'll hold the door to the exit open. Good plan, Braddock.”

  As he moves toward the exit in a completely serious fashion, Jack and Scotty exchange a glance, and Jack says, “Guess it's just the two of us.”

  “Yep.”

  “Got any ideas?”

  “How ‘bout don't get eaten?”

  Jack considers this and then replies, “That'll work.”

  The two move quickly toward the hut, but then Jack stops and says, “You know, that's not really much of a plan.”

  “I know.”

  “How long you think we got?”

  Scotty shakes his head and says, “Not long.”

  “We need a plan.”

  Both think for a second. Then Scotty snaps his fingers, and announces, “Okay, here's what we're gonna do.”

  Chapter 122

  Inside the hut, Amy hangs in terror. Held firmly in place by rope, she hovers just above a smoldering fire. She is completely mortified by the terrible reality that the wolf plans on eating her.

  “This is a dream. You're just a figment of my imagination,” she states emphatically.

  “Yes, this is only a dream, and you are about to make my dream come true!” the wolf responds and laughs.

  “You can't be serious about this! I haven't done anything to you. Come on, let me go. I'm just a girl.”

  The wolf strolls over to his empty dinner plate as it says, Now would you listen to this. She thinks she can talk us out of it, she does. Lifting the dinner plate to his ear he pauses, as if listening for the response and then he speaks, “What you think she needs? Some salt?”

  Amy thinks, He's mad. He's talking to the plate.

  “Maybe just a little salt then,” the wolf says and takes out a shaker from a little cupboard in the paltry hut.

  A series of thoughts rifle through Amy's confused mind: This cannot be happening. Why did I walk down the ladder first? If I had come down second…. Then she thinks about Scotty, her mom and dad, and the twins. Each face brings on more pain, as she wonders if she'll ever see them again. Then she contemplates, Where are the boys now? Are they looking for me? Did they see the pieces I ripped from the coat?Granulates sprinkle over her body, and Amy realizes that the creature is dashing salt on her.

  She hollers, “Stop that! I am not your dinner!”

  “Did you hear that?” the wolf asks the plate. He lets out a sinister laugh and then theatrically announces, “I do believe this girl is in denial.”

  Amy looks at the plate and half expects it to talk, but as she does so, she notices that there on the table is the book. She thinks, No! Now the boys will never escape!

  As the seconds roll by, the fire gains hold of the wood and the heat intensifies. Amy's lungs begin to fill with the lifting smoke, and her bare forearms start to burn with pain. Soon, every inch of her body feels as if it is on fire. Now, the full reality of the situation sinks in for Amy. She understands that her body is roasting.

  “You can't do this!” Amy screams in anger. “Just let me go, now!”

  She can no longer see the wolf, for the smoke has blurred her vision.

  “Enough! Time for you to keep quiet,” the wolf says. Then he pulls out a long white bandage from his coat, shoves the cloth into Amy's mouth, and ties it around the back of he
r head.

  This is it, Amy thinks. Then a thought pops into her head: “Three of them lived happily ever after.” She begins to cry.

  Chapter 123

  Amy feels a sudden rush of air and notices that the smoke begins to streak toward some new destination. She strains her neck to see what the source of this change is, and as she does so, she sees Jack running toward her. In no time at all, he kicks over the spit, and, now, Amy is on the floor a couple of inches away from the fire. She has been saved, at least for the moment, and the burning sensation that had been simmering every inch of her body starts to wane.

  Amy is dazed from the fall, but when she looks up, she can make out the shape of Scotty. Unfortunately, the wolf is on him quickly and swings a large paw into the chest of her brother. The boy drops like rock to the ground, and the scissors fall from his hand just in front of Amy.

  While keeping her eyes on the Wolf, Amy starts rolling ever so slightly toward the scissors. As she does so, she sees Jack fling his backpack like a mace against the back of the beast's neck. The force of the blow sends the wolf forward, and he collapses on the ground.

  Jack rushes to Amy, grabs the scissors, and begins to saw at the thick rope.

  Meanwhile, the wolf is regaining his composure. Amy notices this and tries desperately through the gag to communicate it to Jack. She blinks her eyes quickly and tries to kick her legs and move her head. However, he pays no heed.

  Only a few strands of rope have flayed under the sawing motion of the shears. Amy realizes this is taking too long.

  The wolf, who is now standing, howls a hideous bellowing sound. Then, in an instant, the creature launches himself at Jack, and the two bodies crash into the side of the makeshift fire, resulting in sticks and flames being scattered on the floor. The wolf positions himself to corner Jack.

  Just then, Scotty, looking disheveled and weak, begins sawing at the rope. Soon the last thread snaps and Amy's hands are free. She pulls the gag from her mouth and tells Scotty to go help Jack.

  As he does so, Amy begins the slow process of unfurling the rope wrapped around her torso.

  Just as the wolf is preparing to deliver a violent blow across Jack's face, Scotty grabs the plate from the table and breaks it over the back of the fiend's head. But, this only seems to agitate the wolf, who turns back to Scotty and snarls, “I will kill you all!”

  By this point, flames have started to lick two sides of the hut. The thatch has provided ample kindling for the now raging fire.

  Amidst this chaos, Amy is surprised by the clarity of her thoughts. After freeing herself entirely from the rope, she picks up the metal pole that had once held her up above the fire, and makes her way into the fray with the boys.

  She sees the wolf, who's holding Scotty by his collar, fling him to the ground and then give Jack, before he can get back on his feet, a solid kick to the gut.

  Amy swings the pole at the wolf, like she had done earlier with the stick. This time, though, the Wolf spins just in time to grab the pole from her hands before it makes contact with his head.

  “Not this time, little girl,” the wolf mocks and slings the pole to the ground. The creature gives Amy a snarl and says, “You will not win.”

  He grabs a paw-full of Amy's hair and drags her over to the table. At the same time, flames are engulfing the hut, and Amy doesn't see a way to escape.

  Then suddenly, there's a dull ping, and Amy feels the grip on her hair relax and eventually let go. The wolf drops to the ground unconscious. Standing above the fallen creature is Jack with the pole in his hands.

  “Let's get out of here,” Jack says while trying to catch his breath in the smoky room.

  Amy nods and asks, “Where is Scotty?”

  “Just get yourself out of here!” Jack responds.

  He then rushes over to Scotty, who is curled up on the floor. Jack says, “Come on, Scotty, you've got to get up.”

  Nearby, Jack sees his backpack on the ground and slings it over his shoulder.

  Scotty moans, “Is Amy okay?”

  Jack answers, “Yes, can you walk?”

  “Sure,” Scotty says and grimaces in pain. “The book. Where is the book?”

  “Don't worry about the book. This whole place is going to burn to the ground!”

  “We can't leave it!” Scotty cries.

  “Yes we can!” Jack declares firmly.

  Amy's voice calls out. She is standing by them now. An odd tinge of compassion fills her heart, and she asks, “What about the wolf? He'll burn—we can't leave him!”

  “Are you crazy?” Scotty curtly replies.

  “Help me, Jack!” she pleads.

  Without further discussion, Amy's rushes to the fallen body of the wolf. She tries to drag the beast to the door, but she can't do it by herself. She turns to look for help and sees that Jack is already close by.

  He grabs hold of the wolf, too, and says, “On three. One, two, three.”

  As they pull, they hear Scotty call, “The book! It's over there!”

  Scotty jumps through the smoke and haze to the table, which is starting to catch fire, too.

  After dragging the wolf to the door, Amy watches in horror as a large chunk of the flimsy roof collapses just in front of her brother.

  “Forget the book! Come on!” Jack calls.

  “Scotty!” Amy cries.

  Jack and Amy succeed in getting the predator's limp body through the door, and as soon as they relinquish their hold on the monster, both of them rush back to the entrance of the hut. However, neither can see anything because of the thick smoke.

  “No!” Amy screams. In her mind, all hope for her brother's safety is lost.

  Just then, a body crashes into them, sending all three to the floor outside the hut. Scotty has made it out the door. Never in her entire life had Amy been so relieved.

  Scotty is lying on his side away from Jack and Amy. He's breathing hard, gasping for fresh air amidst the smoke. Then he turns toward his companions, and they see that he's holding the book.

  Chapter 124

  All three teens are still gasping for air. The burning hut now looks like a pep rally bonfire in the corner of the larger room. Luckily, the stone walls of the room are impervious to the flames.

  Jack can't believe what they've just done. Not only did he and Scotty rescue Amy, knock out the monstrous wolf, and escape the burning hut, but Scotty also recovered the book.

  Mason walks over to the black-faced teens and stands slack-jawed. He is holding Lucky like a comfort blanket to his chest and asks, “You get it?”

  Jack is still troubled that Mason had not helped them, and he ignores the question and instead says, “We had better just get out of here.”

  “What about that?” Mason asks, pointing at the wolf. “Is it alive?”

  “I think so,” Amy replies.

  “We have to kill him, or he'll just come to kill us. What inspired you to drag him out?”

  “Because it was the right thing to do,” Amy says defensively.

  “The right thing?” questions Mason.

  “Yeah. The right thing, Mason.”

  Suddenly, Mason seems to find his boldness again and stares at Amy. Earlier in the evening, she might have backed down and agreed with Mason, but now she stands her ground. For the next several seconds, the only sound is provided by the crackling, burning hut, which has now been reduced to a couple of small rapidly dissipating walls.

  “I'll do it,” Mason announces. He drops Lucky to the feet of Scotty and searches the room until he finds a large rock, which he picks up. Then, walking over to the collapsed body of the wolf, he uses both hands to lift the heavy weapon above his head, ready to deliver the deathblow.

  Chapter 125

  “Stop!” Amy calls.

  She has a violent look in her eyes, which stuns Jack.

  “You are not going to kill him,” Amy adds.

  While Mason is holding the rock, Amy puts herself between him and the wolf. A standoff between them ensu
es and lasts for nearly a minute with Jack and Scotty watching as the two parties glare at each other.

  “Are you serious?” Mason exclaims. “You have to be kidding. He was going to kill you.”

  Amy does not reply, but Jack knows Amy will not be dissuaded.

  Scotty walks to his sister's side and says, “Amy, what if—”

  “Stay out of this, Scotty,” his sister directs.

  Mason says, “Listen to your brother, Amy. This wolf, this killer, he's not going to leave us alone. He will wake up, and when he does, well, it's you he's after.”

  “Then you, Mason Chick, have nothing to worry about. It's my life on the line then, right? Leave him be!”

  Mason drops the rock to the floor and utters, “Okay, then, but if he catches you, I am not going to stop him.”

  “Fine!” Amy staunchly exclaims.

  Suddenly, from the door to the left, Victor enters the room.

  Jack is startled at first by the sudden appearance of the man.

  “Excellent!” proclaims Victor. “You have defeated the vile creature. You are truly the ones we were expecting.”

  Jack says, “Uh, Victor, we have the golden book.”

  “Wonderful! That is the most excellent of news! Marvelous, truly marvelous! May I see it?”

  Scotty lifts the book in front of the man.

  “I can't believe it! The Queen will be pleased! You have truly earned your freedom!” asserts Victor, whose eyes are shining brightly, beaming with satisfaction and pleasure.

  “Where have you been?” asks Mason. “We could have used a little help tonight.”

  Jack is struck by the fact that Mason, the boy who had just left him and Scotty to rescue Amy on their own, is asking this question.

  “I could not interfere: it is the prophecy. But I was confident you would come out unscathed. You are the chosen ones, after all.”

  “What do you mean chosen ones?” Jack asks.

  “Well, the prophecy, of course.”

  “What about it?” Jack responds.

  Victor is reluctant to share, but does so anyway and says, “Long ago, the Queen discovered a prophecy about four teens who would enter this world. They, and only they, would have the power to find four keys, which would unlock the door to the vault. Then they would retrieve the very thing that has the power to restore freedom to all who are trapped in the woods, and everyone would be free.”