Chapter Sixteen
“Someone lives here,” said Ashley, “and they’re not happy that we broke in.”
“It’s haunted,” said Tasha. “I keep telling you.”
“No, it’s not,” snapped Greg.
Ben ran his hands over his head. “Someone is screwing with us.”
Although he didn’t voice it to the others, AJ noticed that the rats had returned. They milled around the fishing boats, leaping on and off the tracks. They were silent, but every now and then one of them would stop to glare at them.
“It doesn’t matter what’s happening,” AJ said. “We can think about it afterwards. Right now, we need to find Samantha and…” He hesitated for a moment, suddenly unbalanced. Greg reached out to steady him but AJ eased him away. “It’s okay, I just got a little light-headed. I was saying we need to find Samantha and get out of here. We can try and make sense of things after.”
“Where did Sam even go?” asked Ben. “There’s nowhere that room leads to but the queuing area outside. You think whoever took her went into the park?”
“If they did,” said Greg, “they could already be half a mile away.”
“Then we best hurry,” said AJ. “We need to get through these vines. Greg, help me relight the campfire. We can burn our way out, I know it.”
Tasha was standing behind him, so she spoke directly to his back. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? This place burned down once before and it didn’t turn out well. We’re trapped in here.”
“Exactly,” said AJ. “We’re trapped, and the only way not to be trapped is to find a way out.”
Greg knelt beside the campfire, using his broad back to shield the coals from the wind. AJ hit the ignition switch again, and this time a flame rose to life. He angled the bowl slightly, trying to get the flame to catch on the vines.
A vine lashed out and snuffed out the flame.
Then another slashed at AJ’s face.
He stumbled backwards and cursed. “Goddamn it!”
“How is it doing that?” asked Ben, leaning over his armrest. “It’s like it’s alive.”
“It’s a plant,” said Tasha. “It is alive.”
Greg sighed. “Then it’s acting a lot more alive than it should be. It just bitch-slapped AJ.”
Tasha fingered the slash across her own face. “Yeah, I know how it feels.”
Greg tried to light the burner again while AJ recovered, but the vines whipped out again. This time, they entangled the campfire and dragged it inwards. Within seconds, the coals were tied up in the leaves and thorns.
“Okay,” said Ben. “That ain’t normal. Nothing in my garden ever reached out and snatched shit. We need to take some weedkiller to this thing.”
“Or a flamethrower,” said Greg.
The vines rustled as if offended.
A chorus of squeaking alerted them all and they turned towards the fishing boats. It should have shocked them to see the rats grouping together again, but they were operating in a daze, devoid of any emotion beyond numb surprise.
Ben spoke in a monotone voice, summing up how they were all feeling. “They’re gearing up for round two.”
“No,” said Ashley. She raised her camera a took a picture without the flash. “They’re just standing there. What are they waiting for?”
“For us to climb onboard,” said Tasha. “They’re leaving a space for us.”
The rats had huddled into two separate masses, one to the front of the fishing boat and one to the rear. It left a space in the middle, leading right to the small metal door at the side of the boat.
“They want us to get on the ride?” Ashley let her camera hang from its strap and grabbed a bunch of her red hair. She started wringing it as though it were wet. “They’re rats.”
Ben wheeled forward a few centimetres. “Apparently, these ones have side-gigs as ride operators.”
Ashley let go of her hair and readjusted the strap on her camera so that it hung off her hip. “So, should we ride? We don’t, right? That would be crazy.”
AJ searched around. There was no chance they were getting through the vines, and there seemed to be no other ways out. Their options were limited.
“I say fuck it!” Greg smacked his fist into his palm. “Someone wants to play games, then let’s play.”
AJ shook his head, but he wasn’t arguing. He just didn’t know what to do. “The longer we stand here and do nothing, the longer Sam is in danger. I’m going on the ride alone. There’s no reason for us all to take the risk.”
“No way,” said Greg. “I’m going.”
“You need to stay here and look after everyone.”
Greg took a step towards the fishing boat. “You stay I’m finding whoever is responsible for this and beating their bloody kidneys in.”
Ashley reached out and grabbed AJ, which he thought was surprising seeing as her boyfriend was right next to her. “You can’t leave us here. Stay.”
“So it’s decided,” said Greg, moving towards the train.
AJ stopped him. This was his responsibility. “I’m going, Greg. You want to abandon your girlfriend, then that’s on you.”
Greg looked at Ashley and seemed defeated, but then he changed his mind and shrugged. “She has Ben and Tasha to stay with her.”
Ben nodded. “Anyone tries to mess with us, I’ll kick the shit out of them.”
“Why don’t we all go,” said Tasha. “Splitting up sounds like the worst idea. We’re safer together, surely.”
“I’m going wherever you go, AJ.” Once again, it was strange that Ashley was clinging to him instead of Greg. Then he considered that he was one of her oldest friends, while Greg had just admitted possibly not loving her any more. It seemed their issues might have progressed beyond the point of repair.
“Okay,” said AJ. “We all go.”
He moved slowly towards the trains, checking to see if the rats would attack. They stayed where they were though, staring silently.
“So we’re actually going to do this?” said Ben. “We’re going on a ride that closed down ten years ago, and which may or may not be haunted, because the rats told us to?”
“I told you we shouldn’t have come here,” said Tasha. “You wanted to experience Frenzy, AJ. Well, you got it.”
AJ couldn’t feel any guiltier, so he walked forward and took the plunge, wanting to get it over with. He slid through the train’s open passenger door and sat down on the bench. The interior had rusted with time, but the cushions were still intact, as they had been earlier when he’d sat inside with Sam.
I’m not going to let you get hurt, Sam. No way.
The rats stood and waited while the others filed in alongside AJ. Ashley yelped suddenly, but none of the rodents had actually done anything to cause her alarm. The boats each had two rows of seats, meant only for two apiece, so it was a tight squeeze for the five of them. Ashley had to sit half on Greg’s lap on the rear bench, while Ben pulled himself in beside AJ at the front. Tasha took up the remaining space next to Greg but was forced to leave her brother’s chair on the platform. That seemed to bother her more than anything else. “He’s helpless without it,” she explained.
Ben turned back and frowned at her. “Thanks, sis. Love you too.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do. Greg will have to carry me on his back if it comes to the worst.” Greg grunted, as close to amusement as any of them could get. “I ain’t kidding,” said Ben.
There was a hiss of brakes releasing, followed by a minor jolt, then the lap bar lowered above their thighs. AJ gripped the metal bar tightly, wondering if it would do anything to actually keep them safe from whatever was to come. “Hold on to your butts,” he said. “And keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times.”
The boat started forward.
Chapter Seventeen
The fishing boat picked up speed inside the tunnel before slowing suddenly to a crawl a few moments later. The rapid shift in speed threw eve
ryone forward, and Greg cursed disapprovingly. AJ was tempted to squeal with delight though. As much as this whole thing terrified him, he still loved dark rides. And this was the scariest of them all.
The scene on the platform was familiar by now – the starving family. The father was still missing thanks to Greg’s shenanigans, and it lay somewhere on its side in the darkness over on the catwalk. Now that the power had come on, a large halogen lamp glared down on them as they passed by the scene, emulating a merciless baking sun. The sound of crickets echoed from hidden speakers, as did the sound of crying children.
Despite being absent, the starving father began to speak as though he were still standing there with his family, his disembodied voice coming from the space where he had been intended to stand.
“Mighty Woden, save my family, I beg of you. Do not let us perish. Send the rains and fill our fields. To you, I send our finest fishermen. Fill their nets and we shall worship you forever.”
AJ turned to the others. “That’s us. We’re the fishermen.”
“No shit,” said Greg.
The halogen lamp pulsated, growing brighter and hotter. It seemed Woden was without mercy, and the starving family moaned. The mother began to move and hug her children, but her animatronic movements were jerky and unnatural. The sound of her weeping was the last thing they heard as the fishing boat lurched forward and picked up speed once again.
“This is stupid,” said Greg. “Are we just supposed to ride this thing as though we’re having fun? What’s the point of all this?”
“Maybe the ride is lonely,” Ashley suggested. “Sometimes ghosts and things are sad, right?”
“Yeah,” said Tasha, entirely serious. “They envy the living. Maybe this place just wants people to ride it again. That’s its purpose.”
“And the kidnapping Sam thing is what,” said Greg, “just for the lulz?”
AJ shushed them. Bickering wouldn’t help them. They were in danger – had been since the moment he’d taken them down that old, abandoned road – and they needed to work together. Maybe the stag back on the road hadn’t been intending to hurt them. Perhaps it had been trying to stop them from coming here.
The fishing boat entered the swamp, and this time it was full of water.
Impossible.
Had AJ missed a set of outlet pipes when he’d last been in here? There had been nothing suggesting the trench could be filled full of water so quickly.
Spray hit them from both sides, a mist rising from the sloped edges of the pretend riverbanks. Dead fish floated on the water, spreading around the boat. A horrid smell came with them.
Ashley held her nose. She then raised her camera and started taking pictures. “Jesus, that stinks. Are those real dead fish?”
“They’re props,” said AJ, but he wasn’t so sure. The dead silvery eyes looked fleshy and real – almost like you could reach out and pop them between your fingers. The smell was real too. He reached out, intending to touch one of the slippery corpses, and his index finger was only centimetres away when a shadow glided beneath the water’s surface. He recoiled as something reptilian and smooth – pale and sickly – broke the surface of the water before diving back down below. “What the hell is that?”
Ben turned to him, concern in his eyes. “What is it, man? I’m already freaked out enough.”
“It’s, um, just another prop. Forget it.”
The boat rocked as if struck from beneath. Everyone murmured anxiously while Tasha grabbed Ben from behind and held on to him. “When we get out of this, bro, we need to get new friends.”
“I hear you.”
The river exploded ahead and water cascaded down on the boat. The passengers coughed and spluttered as the icy chill hit them. Then they screamed as a long, slithery mass rose before them.
The beast hissed.
Ben began to pray, which AJ had never seen him do before. Even Greg lost it and started yelling in fear. The boat jolted forward, and the massive snake-like beast crashed back beneath the water, disappearing into the frigid depths.
Tasha was making low moaning sounds like she was in labour. “Oh, oh, God. What the hell was that?”
AJ wracked his brain. He had never read anything online about a section of the ride featuring a giant—
A giant what? What the hell was that thing?
“Was that real?” asked Ben. “Because somebody needs to call the RSPCA if it was. Thing belongs in a zoo.”
“Yeah,” said Tasha. “Jurassic Park.”
No one said anything else. They were all clutching their lap bars and preparing for the next part of the ride. They were scared, but they were unhurt. That was the important thing, right? AJ prayed that every second of terror was one second closer to getting out of there.
The boat picked up speed again, twisting and falling at the same time as it hit the descending helix. They hurtled into the next chamber. It was thrilling. It was terrifying. And AJ realised he was smiling involuntarily. It was all he could do not to put his arms in the air and cheer.
The fishing boat splashed down inside the lower chamber and sent out a tidal wave ahead of them. AJ looked up and saw the thing Samantha had been marvelling at only an hour ago.
Almighty Woden.
The massive stone head glared down at them, his glowing red eyes now pulsating with life. Vines snaked in and out of the ears, nose, and mouth like wriggling worms. Filthy hair hung down almost to the water. The air around the boat tasted stale, like old newspapers left to rot.
Tasha was whimpering quietly to herself, so AJ reached over and took her hand. She held on to him tightly.
Woden began to speak. His rasping baritone rumble sent ripples across the surface of the water. The bolts and screws holding the fishing boat together rattled.
“WORTHLESS HUMANS! YOU BEG FOR YOUR LIVES BUT THEY MEAN NOTHING. I AM THE MIGHTY WODEN. I CARE NOT FOR YOUR PLIGHT. SACRIFICE, AND SHOW YOURSELVES DESERVING OF MY ATTENTION, AND I SHALL SHOW MERCY. WORSHIP ME OR PERISH.”
The massive head snorted, and a foul torrent of steam burst forth from his nostrils. Hot stickiness coated AJ’s face, and he had to wipe himself clean.
The boat lurched forward again, heading for the next part of the ride. With his mind in such a mess, AJ couldn’t even remember from his research what came next.
Picking up speed, the boat bucked left. Then right. Its passengers screamed as another plummet took them deeper into the earth. It was a fall that seemed to go on forever.
Like falling into Hell.
Maybe that’s where we are. Maybe I’ve led my friends into Hell. Blindly falling forever.
The boat splashed down again and sent up more water. This time they found themselves floating in darkness. Hundreds of stars twinkled overhead against a black background, but there was nothing else. AJ, however, had the unnerving sensation of there being life all around him, like bats swooping past him in the dark and barely missing his face. He had a feeling of vastness, like the boat had entered some kind of watery oblivion.
Splashing nearby. Right ahead.
“I can’t see a thing,” said Ben. “What’s happening? AJ, is this part of the ride? I mean from before?”
“I… I can’t remember. I know the whole ride is about making a sacrifice to end the famine and save the village. The middle parts of the ride were about the journey to Woden’s grove, where we can make our sacrifice. We… Yes, I remember! We must travel through darkness, fire, ice, and death.”
Ben groaned. “Brilliant.”
“This would be the darkness part, right?” said Ashley.
Greg tutted. “What d’you think?”
“There’s something in here,” said Tasha. “I can hear it splashing in the water.”
AJ squeezed her hand. “I hear it too. Just stay calm. It’s part of the ride. Everything so far has been a show, right? We’re all fine.”
Ashley spoke in his ear. “Promise me we’re going to be okay.”
“I promise.”
Something broke from the water directly ahead. AJ lost his breath as ice-cold water soaked him. The stars in the false sky expanded, casting more light, and in the ethereal glow a glistening pale column rose in front of them. The same slippery beast as before – a colossal, primal basilisk.
Tasha screamed and clawed at AJ’s back.
“It’s okay,” he shouted back at her. “It’s just a prop. It’s not real.” He had no recollection of this ever being part of the ride.
The hissing serpent glowed in the darkness, capturing the light from the stars above. Its rubbery flesh glistened and its bright yellow eyes bore down on them. Its mouth opened. Hhhiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssss!
Tasha tried to get out of the boat, struggling to remove herself from beneath the lap restraint. AJ had to reach back and try to hold her in place, to prevent her from standing. “Let me out of this goddamn boat,” she screamed.
Greg grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her down, which caused Ashley to yelp as she was thrown from his lap against the side of the boat. “Calm down, T. It’s all make-believe.”
“Ow, you’re hurting me, Greg.”
“Just cool it.”
“Let go!”
“Get your sodding hands off my sister!”
“Shut up, Ben. She’s getting everyone worked up.”
“And you’re getting me worked up. Let go of her now.”
AJ caught the glint of Greg’s teeth as he snarled in the darkness, but he removed his hand from Tasha’s shoulder and Ben relaxed. AJ twisted in his seat and managed to get his hand on Tasha’s arm. “It’s okay, T. We’re all together.”
“It’s not okay! I want out of this place.”
The serpent whipped its head sideways and struck the boat’s hull. Everyone screamed, and Tasha started trying to climb out again.
“Oh my God,” said Ashley. “We’re going to die.”
Greg growled. “It’s not real, you idiot.”
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