Dark Ride
Iain Rob Wright
Contents
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Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
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Foreword
It’s hard to believe that this will be my 26th novel. It’s been a blessed 8 years that I still find difficult to accept as being my reality. As a kid I dreamed of being a writer like my heroes Stephen King, James Herbert, Terry Pratchett, RL Stine, and a hundred more, but it never felt like a possibility.
I was a troubled kid, living in a house with no carpets and cracked windows. My problems with anxiety started at an early age, and I would often try to escape my despair by indulging in fantasy. Books, films, and video games were a big part of my life, but so too was something else: wrestling.
I would get home from school on Friday nights and watch three hours of WCW followed by two hours of WWE. My mum would make me chicken sandwiches and I would have an entire bottle of Apple Tango next to me on my bed. It was the day of the week I looked forward to most. I loved spending time with my heroes and the villains in the ring. Giants like Goldberg, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, and the Rock. While I still take a slight interest in wrestling today, I have never loved it like I did in those days.
Today, my loves are different. I love my wife. I love my children. And I love writing books for my readers. There is, however, a big kid still inside me, and a decade ago it discovered a new love — theme parks.
I was a poor kid, so Disney World was just some place rich kids went on about, and Universal Studios was just some place mentioned at the end of Clarissa Explains it All. As with most things I couldn’t experience as a kid, I had convinced myself that theme parks and the like were rubbish. That’s why, when I met my wife, Sally, and she suggested we do things like going to the theatre or on nice holidays, I would wrinkle my nose and decline. It was defensive programming to keep me from being envious or disappointed. It took a couple of years before Sally was able to start dragging me out of my shell.
The first time I allowed her to take me to the theatre, we went to see the Lion King at the Lyceum. The very first opening scene brought me to tears - Ooooeeeeeeesssvvveeeeennnnyaaaaaaa! I actually sobbed, and it was because I suddenly realised how wrong I had been. How stupid. The tough, council estate kid had crumbled and a man emerged that saw how wonderful the world could be. This thing happening on stage in front of me was amazing and emotional, but it had been there the whole time. Nothing had been keeping it from me except for my own cynicism and unwillingness to try new things. I had only needed to open up my mind.
Today, I go the theatre every chance I get. I love it, and it’s remarkably affordable in most cases. Whether I am going to see a comedian, a show, a band, it turns into a fantastic evening every time and one that stays with me forever. I’ll never forget seeing Donny Osmond in Chicago, or the entire cast of Nashville singing my favourite tunes. The theatre is like nothing else.
Although I started to change as a person the night I saw the Lion King, I still had a ways to go. Sally wanted to go to Disney World, a place she had gone several times as a child. Again, I wrinkled my nose. Disney? Disney is for kids. I’m a tough guy and a grown man. I don’t want to see Mickey bloody Mouse. Again, Sally wore me down eventually for my own good.
Being young and single, we were able to save a little and book a two week trip to Orlando on a shoe string. We didn’t compromise on tickets though, and we got a full pass for all of the Disney Parks and all of the Universal ones. I didn’t say so at the time, but I was starting to get excited. I had only ever been to Spain. Heading to America seemed unreal.
The moment we arrived at our cheap hotel (the Rodeway Inn) on International Drive, I was in love. The warm air, the clean grass, the amazing food… America was where I belonged. We bought Lynxx passes to get about, and within a couple of days I went from bewildered to at home. It was time to go to see Magic Kingdom.
The moment I set foot on the boat that would take us across lake Buena Vista, I gasped in awe. It was another milestone in the journey of who I am. Everything was so big, so beautiful, and people of all types were smiling. I didn’t feel silly anymore for being a grown man at Disney, in fact I felt like an excited child. And I never let go of that child. I keep him with me in all that I do.
My first ride at Magic Kingdom was Stitch’s Great Escape! I soon learned that it’s pretty poor in comparison to everything else, but the theming and the experience was still like nothing I had ever witnessed before. I loved it, and after two weeks in Florida, I never wanted to go home. I wish I was there right now. My favourite place on Earth.
Today, I try to love as much of life as I can, but I would never have opened up if Sally hadn’t dragged me on a plane to Orlando. It showed me how vast and wonderful the world is if you work hard and commit to experiencing everything on offer. Rich or poor, there is always something new you can try, and you should. It’s never too late to stop growing.
And so, theme parks and wrestling are a massive part of who I am today. One gave me hope as a child, and the other gave me hope as an adult. This horror novel would not have been possible without them and I hope it scares the pants off you like the Tower of Terror did me.
Love, as always,
Iain
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
— Walt Disney
I’m scared to death of rollercoaster rides.
— Liam Neeson
Sweet Cream on an ice cream sandwich!
— The Rock
Dedicated to my kids, for making every day a thrill ride.
Chapter One
“Oh my God, I think I’m going to throw up!”
Pamela rubbed her daughter’s back, hoping it was an exaggeration. It usually was, but you never knew when the exception would be, when you would suddenly end up with puke all over you. “Take deep breaths, honey. Do you want to sit down?”
Eight-year-old Natalie shook her head, blonde pigtails flapping against her shoulders. “No, Mum. I want to go on again.”
“Me too,” said Nathan, tugging at his mother’s sleeve.
Pamela glanced back over her shoulder. Then up at the Thresher. The rollercoaster had seemed okay at first, considering it didn’t go upside down, but that first steep drop had sent her stomach into her mouth and it was yet to descend.
The twins had loved it though.
Could she really say no to them? They’d been through so much recently, and none of it their fault.
“Let Mummy have a rest and we’ll go on again,” she said, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. It was the same tactic she used when she saw or smelt something particularly stomach-churning on her ward. E
ven after fourteen years as a nurse, she still got nauseated by some of the things people came in with. Just last week, an elderly man came in so filthy with fungal infections that his entire groin had appeared ready to slough away in a miasma of blood and pus.
“Can’t we ride it on our own?” Nathan asked in a whiny voice. His hair was getting long, delicate golden threads rising on the breeze. Pamela raised a hand to her own hair – mousy brown unlike her children’s – and realised they were all overdue a cut. When had she become so unorganised?
She knew exactly when.
Cheating bastard.
“They won’t let you on the ride without an adult, honey,” Pamela told her son. “Let’s go on something else, okay, and we’ll come back later.”
Both children pulled a face, but she didn’t make a habit of lying to them. They trusted her word and allowed themselves to be led away, but she had to battle with them again when they passed a candyfloss stall. “Nope! Not until I see you eat some real food. Anyway, we’re doing rides at the moment. What would you like to go on next?”
“I wanna go on the rapids,” said Nathan.
Natalie nudged her brother and scowled. “We already got wet on the log flume. I want to go on the Devil Spinner.”
Pamela’s stomach sloshed at the mere name of it. With a groan, she asked, “Which one is that?”
Natalie pointed her tiny index finger, making the pink fairy ribbons tied around her wrist dance in the breeze. The ride she pointed to resembled a traditional fairground waltzer, but its spinning carts were mounted on a large whirling disc that travelled back and forth on a banana-shaped track. Rides were a lot more complicated nowadays, it seemed.
So that’s two counts of spinning and one count of swinging back and forth. I thought the rollercoaster was bad.
“Can we do something with less spinning, please, angel? I don’t think Mummy’s stomach can handle any more right now.”
Natalie pulled a face, but then brightened as she seemingly had another thought. Her sly smile was the same mischievous smirk she got whenever she snuck a chocolate bar out of the fridge without asking. Slowly and deliberately, she said, “I want to go on Frenzy.”
“Okay, which one is Frenzy?”
“It’s the new one,” said Nathan, leaning against a pair of giant shields that made up part of the theming for one of the park’s eateries – a large wooden cabin with a painted sign: the Great Hunt. “There’ll be a massive queue for it.”
A queue? Pamela sighed. A queue means rest.
She probed further. “What kind of ride is it? And stop leaning against that, please, Nathan. You’ll get told off!”
Nathan moved away from the shields and folded his arms grumpily.
“It’s like a ghost train,” Natalie explained, seemingly knowing that the word ghost would count against her, so quickly glossing over it. “But it’s not scary, Mum, I swear. Rebecca went on it the day it opened and said it’s brilliant. Please, Mum, can we go on it? Dad would let us.”
That stung Pamela, but she knew she shouldn’t take it personally. She couldn’t get upset every time the twins mentioned their father – or used him to blackmail her. They didn’t know what a bastard he was, and while she would love to tell them, she never would. Couldn’t.
Pamela thought she knew all the rides at Saxon Hills – the place had been running since she was a kid herself – but she hadn’t heard of this one. It didn’t sound age-appropriate, but the twins had been forced to grow up fast with the divorce. Should she give them some leeway?
“Point the ride out to me,” she said, “and I’ll have a look. If the line isn’t too long, and if it doesn’t look too scary, we can go on, okay?”
Natalie hopped and cheered. Nathan rolled his eyes, but smiled too. He’d probably only objected initially out of a habit of arguing with his sister. They argued more and more lately, but they both loved rides. Had loved them ever since going on a junior carousel at the fair. They had been just two years old. Pamela still remembered the day well. They had all been together. A family unit of four instead of a fractured three in two separate configurations.
Natalie took off, leading them through the park. Pamela wondered how she’d missed all the posters featuring this new Frenzy ride. As the latest amusement ride, it was seemingly advertised all over the park. One poster, pasted against the side of King Alfred’s Hog Roast, stated in sinister lettering: Woden’s Frenzy: Escape the fury of the elder god.
It didn’t sound suitable for eight-year-olds, but…
She should at least check it out. They would only complain to their father if she was too strict, and he, of course, would take their side – be their buddy. Any more of her soon-to-be ex-husband playing the ‘good guy’ and she might lose her mind. It was easy being the fun parent when you only saw the kids twice a week, but she, of course, had to take care of the homework, hygiene, and hollering. Anything that put a frown on the twin’s faces was her responsibility, while junk food and video games were their father’s remit. And didn’t he just love it.
Pamela felt she was losing her children right in front of her, powerless to prevent it. The reason it hurt so much was because she had done nothing wrong.
Except love their father.
Come on! Just enjoy today, Pam. The twins are happy. They are happy with you. He’s not here, so don’t let him ruin this. You’re having fun.
Wow, that’s right. I’m actually having fun. I thought I’d lost the ability.
The three of them jogged across a set of narrow steel tracks belonging to the park’s miniature steam train, then they crossed a bridge over the river rapids. Nathan leapt up and tried to direct a water cannon at one of the passing dinghies, but it was broken. Something he seemed reluctant to accept.
“Just leave it, Nathan,” his sister chided. “You’re wasting ride time.”
Glumly, Nathan peeled himself away from the cannon and hurried to catch them up.
And then they saw it.
Pamela was impressed. But not in a good way.
Frenzy’s entrance was housed inside a massive bronze helmet with wings sprouting from either side. The giant prop was the height of a double-decker bus, and buried in its recesses were two glowing red eyes that seemed to hover in darkness. Now and then the helmet filled with steam, making anyone caught in the blast squeal. Powerful speakers boomed out mocking laughter.
The ride’s signage was made from tree branches and vines, twisted around rocks. F-R-E-N-Z-Y.
“This is so cool,” said Nathan, walking forward with his mouth hanging open. Natalie was equally enthralled, unable to say anything at all. She stared with wide, hungry eyes at the giant staring helmet. A queue of excited people formed beneath it.
Everything Pamela was seeing told her to turn around and find a ride more suitable – maybe even go on the Thresher again – but the needful expressions of her children tugged at her emotions like fish hooks in her skin. She was tired of always being the one to say no. She was tired of being the bad guy.
“I-It looks a bit scary, guys. I don’t want you both getting nightmares.”
Nathan pulled a face. “It’s just a ride, Mum. It’s not real.”
“Yeah,” Natalie agreed. “We won’t get scared, I promise. And you’ll be with us.”
Pamela sighed. If she was honest, the only person who had screamed with any amount of fear today had been her. The twins were having the time of their lives. Should she just let them get on with it?
If the height restriction allows them in, it must be okay, right?
“Okay,” she said after a moment’s thought. “If you’re allowed to go on it then… okay.”
Both her children rushed her, making her instinctively cover up. They collided with her without fear and threw their arms around her waist in a massive embrace. She found herself beaming uncontrollably.
“Thanks, Mum.”
“Love you, Mum.”
“I love you too. Come on, we still have to queue.”
Towards that mocking laughter.
Here goes nothing. Oh balls!
The screams didn’t translate at first. They were in a theme park after all, the one place where screams were ordinary. It wasn’t until they joined the tail end of the queue that she realised the screams were different. They were not notes tinged with glee and amusement.
They were the screams of people screaming in terror.
It was difficult to see the front of the queue, but it appeared to end at a square building covered in vines and leaves – like a troll’s cave. The screams seemed to be coming from there.
Suddenly anxious, Pamela grabbed her twins by the slack of their T-shirts, fists full of cotton. Both children complained, not yet realising that something was wrong, and wondering why they were being stopped when the queue was right in front of them.
“Please don’t change your mind,” Natalie begged.
“I haven’t, just hold on a sec.” Pamela stood stock still, keeping her children next to her. She focused on what she was hearing.
Then on what she was smelling.
Smoke. Oh my God, something’s burning.
“I can smell fire,” said Nathan, scrunching up his nose like a bloodhound.
The screams turned from terror to agony as a bloom of dirty black smoke billowed from beyond the huddled mass of queuing people. The ride, hidden beyond the themed entrance, was on fire. Frenzy was burning.
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