Dark Ride (33 page)

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 ensues 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.”

After hearing this, Jack considers how the prophecy might relate to the strange rhyme in the Finch notebook.

Meanwhile, Scotty asks, “And we are the four teens?”

“Of course you are,” says Victor. “And believe you me, the Queen is eager to get a hold of that book. We are all indebted to you.”

“So if we give her the book, we can go home?” Amy asks.

“I don't see why not. We simply need to take the book to the Queen,” responds Victor.

A rush of excitement floods over Jack, who thinks,
Well what are we waiting for?
But as his hope escalates, a tinge of skepticism still gnaws at him, and he wonders,
But what about the narrator? Why is he guarding the vault?

Mason gestures to the book nestled in Scotty's hands and says, “I told you, Jack, this here is our golden ticket.”

Ignoring Mason, Jack asks another question, “Then why didn't you show us the tunnels so we could avoid all the danger? If you wanted us to survive, why couldn't you help us?”

Instead of answering him, the odd man says, “Come along, travelers. Let's make our way to the Queen.”

An alarm rings in Jack's head, but none of the others seem to care whether or not the man has any answers for them.

Victor continues, “I don't think that wolf will be out forever. We should be moving along now.”

“Agreed,” says Scotty.

The four teens follow the man back to the entrance of the secret passage.

Just before they cross into the tunnel, Jack looks behind him at the fallen wolf and notices that one of its eyes is open.

Chapter 126

Jack walks farther and farther away from the smoky room. Amy is right in front of him, and he wonders if the events in the hut had softened her anger at him.

At a volume that only she can hear, Jack says, “Hey, Amy, about the goose and—”

Amy stops and turns around to face Jack. In a quiet but matter-of-fact tone, she says, “Look, Jack, I appreciate you saving me and all—that was great, and I owe you one—but you lied to me, so whatever else might have been going on between us is done now, okay?”

Jack blinks. He's not sure how to respond, but before he even has a chance to do so, Amy heads off quickly to catch up with the rest of the group.

Great, just great
, thinks Jack. Still, in spite of the obvious rejection, his thoughts continue swirling around the book. Primarily, while passing through the dimly lit passages, Jack is bothered by one nagging question, and as they descend down a slight incline and take a right at a fork, Jack finally asks, “Victor, what is so important about this book?”

Victor stops, looks back towards Jack and replies, “Ah, excellent question, my boy. Well, you have recovered the Queen's story.”

“Her story?” inquires Jack.

“Well, put simply, we are all controlled by the stories. That is what the Queen wants to end. That has been her goal from the moment I met her. She truly is a kind woman. Her noble aim is to see everyone free. She is the only one who cares about everyone who has been brought here against their will. The ultimate goal is freedom for all. And, as the Queen, once she is freed from her prison, she has the power to free the rest of us.”

“And you, Victor?” Jack asks. “Were you brought here against your will, like us?”

Victor looks off for a moment. His mind is adrift in memories. He says, “A long time ago,” but then suddenly snaps himself out of the remembrance and states, “We must be going.”

Victor's explanation is puzzling to Jack, and he asks, “Then why was the narrator holding the book in the first place?”

Mason, clearly with agitation in his voice, chimes in and says, “Jack, give it a rest. We are going to get out. Didn't you hear the man? We won already.”

“Oh no, good lad, it is a fair question. I am certain the Queen will explain it fully, but the narrator, well he, the narrator that is, is trying to keep those books to himself. Jack, he does not want anyone to have the freedom to leave.”

This explanation troubles Jack, and as the party continues its march down the tunnels, he expresses the conclusion he's drawn: “So we basically stole her book from the narrator.”

Victor stops and looks at Jack in the eyes. With a kind expression that exudes faith, he says, “Jack, it was foretold long ago that you four would arrive and grant all who live here freedom. You four…you are heroes.”

Jack considers this a moment while starting the walk again. Then he asks, “So what about our stories? What about our books? Were they in that library, too?”

This time Victor does not stop. He simply calls back, “Patience, Jack. I assure you, the Queen only wants what is best. We are about to arrive. All of your questions will be answered.”

The dim passageway dips, rises, turns, and straightens, at which point Victor finally proclaims, “We are here.”

However, this doesn't make sense to the teens because in front of them is a bare stone wall. Then Victor raps on a particular spot on the wall, and a whirling sound begins. Soon afterward, from above the teens' heads, a rope ladder drops to the floor, barely missing Scotty.

Victor announces, “We will simply climb the ladder to our destination.”

One by one, the teens scale the ladder up into an opening in the roof. At one point, only Victor and Jack remain in the tunnel, and Jack sees this as an opportunity to ask another question, this time without Mason's disapproval: “If the Queen is in charge of the woods, then how is she held against her will?”

Victor responds, “You should just climb the ladder, little thief.” The tone is spiteful. It is as if Victor is telling Jack he has had enough.

Jack glares at the man but decides it would be a good idea to comply. So, he begins to climb.

The ladder is sturdy and easy for Jack to navigate. Once he's at the top, the light of a new larger room burns his eyes for a moment. He rubs them fervently for a second or two, and then his vision finally assimilates to the light of the room.

The scene is familiar. This is the room where the group had initially seen the gingerbread house. Jack takes himself back hours ago to when they had first been in this exact spot and realizes,
This is where everything had gone crazy.

Mason bellows, “This is it—just like the notebook said. Take the gold to the gingerbread house.”

Victor walks to the house and pulls a key from his pocket. Then with grand pomp and flair, he fumbles with the key in opening the door.

Jack asks, “So why is the door locked?”

Victor replies, “Because, my boy, well, you have seen for yourself. Some of our cohabitants can be a little, shall we say, testy?”

The door to the house opens. Victor bows to the side of the door and says, “After you.”

They enter the house, and within five steps they stand and stare at the unbelievable sight. The entire room is made up of candy decorations: peppermint spirals, a fountain of chocolate, and long tassels of licorice stretching from ceiling to floor. The smell is intoxicating—a mix of cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, and mint wafting here and there. There is too much to take in all at once. Everything about the room is truly amazing.

Victor declares, “Welcome to the Queen's palace.”

Mason says, “Uh, Victor, how can this be? That little gingerbread house is tiny on the outside, but this room—it's so large.”

The man lets out a chuckle, clearly enjoying the teen's astonishment and says, “Things are not always how they appear on the outside, my friend. Let's just say there is more than a little magic in this place.”

Jack, too, is in awe. He wonders if this is one of those space-time-dimension kind of things like in a science fiction story, for even though it had looked like they were walking into a small cottage, it is a massive mansion inside.

“Where is the Queen?” Amy asks.

By the tone of her voice Jack guesses that the room's wonder is wearing thin on her, and she simply wants to get on with it.

“She will be here shortly. Relax and enjoy the beauty of the palace. In fact, take a bite if you would like. Everything here is edible and easily replaced,” Victor explains and waves his arms with an exaggerated gesture across the room. “Perhaps you like cake? The mantle there is made
completely of red velvet. Or, maybe you prefer shortbread? The lattice work over there is awaiting your arrival.”

“Oh man, I am hungry,” Scotty remarks and immediately heads for the chocolate fountain.

“No, thank you, we will just wait here,” Amy replies, casting an admonishing look at her brother.

Dejected, Scotty breaks off his momentum for the fountain.

Jack, meanwhile, is looking for anyone to share his concern. However, Mason is drunk with victory and Amy is unapproachable for him, so he pegs Scotty.

The tailor's apprentice returns to the group and rubs his stomach in hunger. Jack walks over to him and whispers, “Don't you think that guy is a bit weird?” motioning toward Victor.

“Well, maybe,” responds Scotty “But he seems nice enough.”

“He's too nice if you ask me.”

“Come on, Jack, things are finally starting to go our way. Please, let's just do as he says.”

“But—”

Just as Jack is about to press the issue, Victor calls out, “I now present to you the Queen of the Wood.”

From a corner of the room, through an entrance Jack had not seen, an elegant, beautiful woman appears. It is the Queen.

Chapter 127

Officer Dockins does not want to believe the old man has anything to do with the disappearance, but the facts are hard to ignore. Clyde was the last person to see the kids, who had not left the ride, and the building had been thoroughly searched. Add to this that nearly the same thing had happened years ago in the Finch case, again with Clyde being the last one to see him.

For the tenth time, outside the ride the senior officer and Quinn go through the events of the night with Clyde. The other policeman on site is busy holding the perimeter, constantly being barraged by questioning parents. Dockins feels a little pity for the young cop having to deal with the hostile parents, but he tells himself that everyone has a job to do, and at the moment, his happens to be getting to the bottom of Clyde's story.

Quinn asks, “So you just left the kids in the room and went to the fuse box.”

“Right, that's what I did. I've told you that already. Look, I feel horrible about this.”

“I know, Clyde, I know,” Dockins says. “But you have to look at this from our perspective. You are the only connection. You have to be patient with us. Are you sure you are telling us everything?”

The old man nods slowly, but there is something in his eyes. With over 20 years on the job, Dockins can tell Clyde is holding back, and that bothers him.

“Clyde, you can trust us,” assures Dockins.

“I know, Jimmy, I know.”

Officer Dockins had spent most of the last hour trying to affirm his trust to the old man by playing good cop, but it had accomplished nothing. At the present, things do not look good for Clyde. Soon, the Crime Scene Investigation guys would be here, and they would make another thorough sweep.

From the corner of his eye, Dockins can see the shabby form of Howard Snodgrass stalking around the perimeter, easing his way by the young cop and making a path toward him.

“Oh brother,” the officer moans.

“Can I speak with you, sir?” the tubby man demands more than asks.

“Sure.”

Snodgrass looks accusingly at Clyde and says, “I mean away from the others.”

“Okay, just for a second.”

The two men take 20 steps toward the ice cream stand.

Snodgrass begins, “Look, Officer, I just want to know one thing. If you find out that Spahn has something to do with this ugly mess…well….”

Dockins can tell Snodgrass is uncomfortable but tells him, “Spit it out.”

“Okay, I just want to know, is the park liable?”

Dockins smirks. He has known Howard Snodgrass for all of an hour and a half, but he's

already got him figured out.

Jimmy says, “Well, Mr. Snodgrass, he is your employee. But, as long as you do background checks on everyone, then you're probably not liable. You do perform background checks on all your employees, right?”

The look on Snodgrass's face reveals that he doesn't, and Dockins smiles to himself as he heads back over to Clyde.