She slipped the door open further so they could step through. The sand behind them rumbled and all four children screamed as Stucco burst out of the sand. His hands were free, and he yanked the shoe out of his mouth and roared. He was sitting up and reaching for them.
The children screamed, and the little red haired boy peed himself as they ran into the hallway. Quickly they all shoved the door but Stucco was already charging, blocking it from closing. They were all sobbing. "How did he get out! How did he get untied? We were so careful!" Lorelei screamed. She was so scared, and so angry her plan had failed. It should have worked! She had been buried in the sand before and both her parents had to dig her out, she was stuck so solid and so deep.
Why didn't it work on Stucco? Was he magic?
They could hear him from the partially open door grunting on the other side trying desperately to keep it from closing. The kids were throwing their weight into the door. Greg counted, "On three! One, two, three!" And the kids all pushed with an extra bit of effort and the door suddenly latched. Greg flipped the big fat lock shut. They were safe again.
For now.
Chapter Eighteen
Lorelei snapped her fingers. "You were from the ball pit! Before the clowns came down. What happened to you? How did Stucco have you?"
The red-haired boy frowned. "I... I went down a slide into a room that had lots of ice cream in a little freezer, right in the center of the room. I had four ice cream cones... Then I woke up here now, when you were here."
Greg said, "Don't eat the food. Haven't you watched any movies ever about anything?"
The kid frowned. "Well, it is a carnival for kids, a funhouse for kids. Besides, I thought we were playing a crazy game of hide and seek. I didn't know they were gonna... punch us or whatever. I didn't know anyone was actually scared. I didn't even know I was gonna get scared, I was eating ice cream. I'm Thomas." He stuck out his hand and right then Stucco pounded on the locked door.
"Let's get out of here." Miles said, holding little Colorado tightly to his chest.
The four children scrambled down the hallway to another wooden door.
There was a sharp, high pitched barking sound behind that door, and Miles's eyes grew wide as he got excited. Was it Sue? He popped the door open and the little white dog bounded out. It leapt into Miles arms and licked his cute little face. All four kids grinned. Dogs somehow make everything better. Greg peeked into the room, it was empty.
It didn't take long for them to check the other rooms, there were a total of twelve. All were empty, no kids, no clowns. The one room that held Stucco occasionally rumbled when he knocked or shouted. But there was nothing else to do here.
They went back to the spiral staircase and slowly trudged up. Sue was in the front, running up a few steps then back down, and enthusiastically wagging his tail. Miles followed quickly, petting and laughing at the dog repeatedly. Thomas was next, he was also a happy young boy. Lorelei and Greg walked together at the back.
"Do you think," Lorelei whispered to her brother, "Do you think they got away?"
Greg looked just as worried as Lorelei. "No... they must have carried them out. "
Lorelei frowned. They needed a plan. This was her department. She should be able to make a plan for them. At the top of the white stairs was the same door as before. Miles popped out of it like it was no big deal, still laughing loudly. But he let out a scream on the other side.
Lorelei and Gregory ran forwards, charging past a bewildered Thomas. The little white dog yelped.
The door slammed shut.
They couldn't see what was happening. Gregory scrambled at the handle, yanking on it hard. The door wobbled, but then pulled back shut.
Miles screamed again.
They could hear the dog growling.
"Help me Lorelei!" Greg screamed and the two of them yanked on the door harder. They saw it as the door pulled toward them, the red silk gloved hand holding the handle on the other side.Greg shoved his foot through the door, and kept trying to pull, the door mercilessly smashing at his foot.
Miles was screaming even louder. Greg could hear the cracking slapping sound of a hand hitting skin. "Don't you hit my brother! Don't you hit him!" He was screaming frantically.
Suddenly Thomas charged up behind them. "I will kill that clown." He roared like a monster and shoved himself between Greg and the barely open door. His tiny little hand popped through and he clawed at the gloved hand. Then he hit it. Then he screamed again and shoved his foot through the door, his skinny leg, until he was halfway through. If the door slammed now, Thomas would be split in half. "Push it open Thomas! Lorelei, pull!" Gregory was terrified the door would relent and smash poor Thomas's face.
But he should have been more concerned about Lorelei, because as they pulled the door with all their might, the clown, the bastard clown, let go. Not even that, he helped, he shoved the door open far and fast. Lorelei was hit immediately with the door, her nose gushing blood as she tumbled backwards, down the stairs.
Chapter Nineteen
Lorelei was screaming as she thumped and thudded and fell down the stairs. The red gloved hand reached in and slapped Thomas's face. The boy burst into terrified, angry tear sand charged out the door. Gregory screamed, "Come help us Lorelei" and leapt out the door.
There was a thin tall clown being bit by Sue. Her little teeth were sunk into his calf and he was shaking his leg. He held Miles in one hand by his shirt and was swinging the boy at the dog. "You fucking kids! I thought you were all out."
He tossed Miles hard, and he hit the wooden fence and collapsed to the ground. Gregory screamed, "Miles!" But there was no response. The boy was silent.
Fury and bile rose up in his throat. The clown was still trying to remove Sue from his leg. He was writhing from the pain. Gregory leapt onto his back in a perfect jump. Just as the clown had bent forward to punch the dog.
Gregory immediately tore at his hair and punching the clown's face. His nose gushed blood quickly. And he spun trying to get Gregory to fall. Thomas charged forward and hit the clown in the nuts, just as he slammed Greg into the building wall. Gregory let out a scream. It hurt, but he would hurt this clown even worse. The clown doubled over grasping his nuts and slamming backwards towards the wall again. Gregory was ready, and put his feet on the wall and pushed hard, the clown, already bent forward toppled to the ground. Thomas ran forward and kicked the clown in the ribs repeatedly while Gregory continued to tear at his face and hair.
"Fucking stop! You fuckers!" Gregory and Thomas both paused. They had been so well trained to behave when a grown up told them to stop. Beside, what was the plan? Were they going to murder someone? No. No they weren't. They just wanted him to stop hurting the dog, and Miles and go away.
"You fuckers." The clown shoved Greg away from him and stood up slowly. His face was dripping blood, his eyes were furious. His makeup was not smeared, even after he reached up and smeared blood across it with the back of his hand. He reached down and slapped the dog, and he let go. The dog ran to Miles and stood over him snarling, protecting then unconscious kid.
The skinny clown flipped off the kids and jumped the fence and ran. He left a dotted trail of red in the dirt as he left. Gregory ran to Miles, and the dog snarled at him. He slowed down and said, "I'm his brother." His voice cracked while he said it, tears already streaming down his face. They had fought a man. Three kids and one dog.
The dog hesitated and then stopped growling. Greg straightened his brother carefully and wondered if he had to do mouth to mouth. "Thomas? Do you know how to do mouth to mouth? I remember that you have to lay them down..." But the tears were coming so fast and so frightened he couldn't keep talking. His baby brother. Colorado was half out of his pocket, smeared in dirt. Miles' face still had a bright red hand print on it from being slapped so hard. Thomas didn't answer.
Greg looked up, and the boy was gone.
He took a deep breath and got ready to blow it into his brother's mouth. He was so des
perately afraid. A tear fell from his own eye on to the little boy's face. The tiny drop left a long streak across his face. "Don't die." He whimpered. And then he leaned in and his brother moved. "Are you alive?"
Miles made a terrified, sad sound. Something between a whimper and a sob. Greg let out a new sob, this one of relief. "Are you okay? Are you alive?" He said, even though he knew. He knew he was. He couldn't help himself and threw his arms around his little brother and started to really wail. "I thought you died, I thought you died. I had to fight a man, and I thought you got killed. I got so scared. I had to punch him."
Miles groaned again, unable to catch his breath quite yet. The door opened and Greg screamed and leapt to his feet. Behind the door was Thomas, his arm wrapped around Lorelei. He was helping her out of the funhouse. She was limping, and her knee was skinned. "Is Miles okay?" Lorelei said.
"I'm okay, get off me." Miles squeaked. He stood up slowly, Greg crushing him with another hug.
"I was so scared." Greg whimpered.
"I'm okay now." Miles let out a big grin. "Hey, Sue! You were a big help." The kid ruffled the little white dog's fur and grinned. The dog wagged his little tail and cocked his head in a goofy, happy manner.
Everyone was calming down. "You okay Lore?" Greg said, finally noticing his sister's limping and skinned knee.
"Yeah, of course. It's nothing. Not like I had to fight a clown." She grinned. "Thomas said you punched him bloody."
"I did!" Greg suddenly burst into his own grin. "I felt his nose snap when I hit it. Two words: Blood. Waterfall."
Lorelei laughed. But then glanced back and forth. "We should go before those clowns come back for us. But, I mean, we don't have to be afraid if you can snap their noses." She playfully pushed Greg, and he grinned. There was a cool breeze and the four of them felt unbelievable relief.
"What now?" Thomas said. "Find our parents?"
"They'll never believe us. We still need to save Micheal and Kayla." He paused. "And whoever else I guess. Are you in? Or are you gonna let them suffer?" Gregory was a man on a mission. And he wouldn't leave those kids. Besides, defeating a clown made him cocky.
"We don't even know where else to look!" Lorelei said, with a big, frustrated frown. She didn't like it anymore than Greg did, but if the parents wouldn't help, and they were out of places to search, then what exactly were they supposed to do?
Miles popped the board loose and the three of them slide to the other side of the fence. Carefully Greg replaced the board just like last time. Before they had even taken a step, there she was again.
"The funhouse." She said. Her dress white and crisp. Her perfectly white curls ran down her back. "It's where they play the devil's games. I've been trying to get in, I think my boy is in there. But if you don't help, they'll keep turning them." She turned and her eyes were hollow, her face was nearly transparent.
"Who killed you?" Lorelei said. "Greg will break their nose." The venom from her little voice was thick.
"We were just in the funhouse, it's empty." Greg said.
The girl ghost nodded. "Not that one. This one." She pointed to the long row of brambles and bushes. Sue stepped forward and sniffed at the ghost. The girl smiled. "Can you help them? Will you try?"
"Is there anything we need to know? Any secrets?" Thomas asked. He hadn't seen her before, but he accepted that she was a ghost, and they were on a mission.
The girl looked at him and smiled even harder. "Don't fight them, that's how you lose. They are too strong." Her eyes flicked upward. "I gotta get down there. I think I could help... it's just..." And she blinked into nothingness.
"Are you good at hiding?" Lorelei asked Thomas. She was thinking about her brothers. Especially Miles, sometimes he picked the worst places. Lorelei wrinkled her mouth in concern. Greg was already walking toward the bushes.
"I found the path!" Greg said.
Miles ran after him, and Sue barked alongside the boy. Instant best friends.
"Yep. You good at hiding?" Thomas said.
"Yes." She replied and followed after her brothers. Her knee hurt bad, but she would not complain. She was alive, and they were on a rescue mission.
She ran with them, into the scraggly path.
Chapter Twenty
The path was well worn, but skinny. Lorelei tried to imagine those clowns on stilts teetering down on this little skinny path.
And Stucco.
How would he fit his big clown body through here?
"Do you think Stucco had to deflate himself to get back here to the funhouse?" Lorelei said.
"Uh, I dunno." Miles said, looking at her like she was crazy.
"Doesn't it seem odd there are two funhouses?" Greg said, his concern was fierce and alive.
Thomas pushed a branch to the side so they could continue. "I think it makes perfect sense. One for the public, to snatch kids, and another for the murdering."
Lorelei gasped softly. "Do you think that's what they would have done to you?"
"Well yeah, what else could you do with a kid?" He rolled his eyes at Lorelei like she was a total dork. She couldn't think of anything else someone could do with children. Murder must be the worst thing anyways.
"True." She replied.
Miles pointed and shouted, "There it is!" Sue who had been sticking close to the boy, wagging his tail harder than ever, suddenly barked and ran ahead, vanishing momentarily underneath a bush. "Sue!" Miles shouted and crashed through the brush, falling and hopping up. He scramble-climbed over it and both dog and boy stood together staring at the funhouse.
The building was solid, not a tent. It was made of hand carved wood, and the entrance was a mouth. The mouth of a large, fat clown, its long red lips faded and peeling. "Someone should put chapstick on that clown." Greg said. He waited for them to laugh, but nobody did.
Above the mouth was a massive plastic nose, and two glowing yellow eyes. They were transparent, and it was easy to see a small human pressed inside the eyeballs.
"Do you think that's them?" Lorelei pointed. Her mind was already spinning quickly. What was the plan? Come up with a plan!
"Maybe it's a ghost." Miles said. He was sitting on the ground petting Sue. "I don't want to go in there."
"It looks terrifying." Thomas sat down on the other side of Sue.
Greg sat down next to Miles. "We can't leave them to die. It's gonna take us all, even Sue, to keep everyone safe. To get them out of danger. We can't do it alone. Kayla needs us. Micheal tried to save us. We have to try."
Lorelei sat down, her knee was aching from all the walking. She looked at the raw bloody meat on her knee. How many more injuries were they going to get?
"We should have made Dad come with us." Miles said. He wasn't crying, but there was a rumble of fear crawling into his voice. Sue whimpered at the sound, the underlying sound of fear. The boy dog with the goofy name nuzzled his hand. He looked down and stroked the dog's head.
The ghost girl showed up again and sat with them. "If you don't help us, it'll never get better. I wish I could do it myself. This is all my fault."
Lorelei turned to the girl in white, with her long white curls. "Did you make the devil's games? What are they?"
"Me? No... I didn't. My boy is down there, and he needs saved more than anyone. It's just that I'm..." She waved her arm at herself. "I'm in such a state. How could I even help him?"
"Your boy? Are you a mom?" Lorelei asked.
"I think it's my fault. All of this is my fault. I just can't face him." She said.
"If we can try, you can try." Miles said firmly.
"Let's go." Greg stood up and dusted off his pants. "Let's get it over with. We can do this." He turned and gave Thomas a hand, lifting him off the ground. Soon they were all dusted off and ready to go into the mouth of the clown. Into the death funhouse. Not the public one. The secret, death funhouse, where children were trapped.
And children were murdered.
All four kids saw the kid in the right translucent eye
ball waving frantically. And behind them, they heard branches break. Someone was coming. It was time to hide. The ghost did not follow, but she seemed to contemplate what Miles had said.
Chapter Twenty-One
They ran into the mouth of the clown. Leaping over the lips, holding back screams. The inside was dark. They were plunged into icy darkness the same as if they had leapt into a lake. "Where?" Miles whimpered.
He didn't know where to hide. Lorelei grabbed him. "Quiet, hide. Everyone quickly!"
She dragged her little brother into the darkness, tripping suddenly on something hard and scrambling forward. There was a long curtain, and she shoved her brother behind it. She took a few steps and as her eyes adjusted, she found a piano pressed against the wall. Lorelei pulled out the bench slightly and shoved herself tight against the bottom of the piano. She pulled the bench back quietly and waited.
Moments later the lights flickered on. She could see Miles' shoes sticking out from under the curtain. Lorelei felt dangerously exposed under the piano. She held her breath but her heartbeat was so loud she could have sworn everyone could hear it. Carefully she scanned the room.
Thomas hid in another curtain, his shoes were less obvious than Miles'. But he was easy to find. Gregory? Where was he? Her eyes scanned the room, and then she realized there was a problem. A big one.
Sue ran into the room and sniffed Lorelei and then ran to Thomas and sniffed him. He paused at the couch and sniffed it. And then ran to Miles and barked. He sniffed Miles' shoes and wagged his tail. Then he barked again.
The dog.
Was going.
To get.
Miles killed.
Lorelei pushed the bench out so she could run and fight whichever clown had arrived. Miles would die. Murdered. Not on her watch. She would kill that clown with her own two hands. How had Greg done it? He just punched until the nose broke. Punch hard, punch fast. Try to kill them.
Firelocked Funhouse (Locked House Hauntings Book 3) Page 6