Into the Shadows
Chapter 3: The Park
The entrance to Shadow’s Play was a huge black gate with vines intertwining in and out.The six friends walked up to it and wondered how they were going to get in. Suddenly they saw an extremely tall man dressed completely in black stand up from where he was sitting and walk over to them.
“Hello!” he said in a pleasant tone to them. The man was literally so tall he had to bend over to see their faces. “I’m Felix. Welcome to Shadow’s Play! Would you like a map?” His body twisted like a snake’s as he looked everyone in the eyes.
“No, that’s all right. I don’t think we’ll really need one,” Drew said.
“No?” Felix repeated. “Are you positive? You should know— this is quite an easy place to get lost. Please reconsider.”
Emily now spoke up. “Sure. We’ll take one.” She looked at Drew. “It’s better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.” Emily turned back at Felix and got a good full look at his face for the first time. Wet black hair hung in his pale, almost gray, face. His eyes were pitch black as they probed her with a questioning look.
Emily gasped quietly and took an automatic step backwards. Felix straightened up and his inviting expression faltered a bit.
“Well then,” he said and extended a long arm and hand to open the front gate. “Enjoy your visit. Please do.”
“Thanks,” Stella muttered a tad sarcastically and pushed past everyone. She was the first one to enter the amusement park. After a second everyone else besides Felix followed after her.
The inside of the amusement park was completely empty, just like the parking lot. The greenish yellow weather was fading but a thick fog rolled in, taking its place.. Everyone looked around at the rides. Stella was more than pleased to see no kiddy coasters. Finally a cool grown up theme park, she thought.
“So,” Cleo said excitedly, “which ride first?”
“Let’s just look around first,” Viktor said.
Anders nodded. “’Kay. Sounds good to me. But first I need a cigarette.”
“Another one?” Emily asked, frowning.
“Yeah…” Anders knew Emily didn't exactly approve of him destroying his lungs, but the addiction got the best of him a long time ago. He didn't have enough self-confidence to quit.
“Well, okay. We won’t be far. Besides, you have your phone right?”
Anders nodded.
“Just call and we’ll tell you where we are.”
“Okay.” With that Anders walked back out of the amusement park and to the car again.
“Leaving so soon?” Felix asked Anders as he opened the gates up again. He seemed to hesitate at doing that, Anders noted mentally but pushed the thought away. He just really wanted a smoke right then.
The others that were still in the amusement park started walking and looking around. They looked at the strange names of the very odd looking rides: The Snare, Black Underworld, Snap and Break, Dark Claws…
“Well, for one thing, we definitely know this place was created by good ol' Walter Disney.” Stella said.
"What about Tim Burton?" Viktor pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his face.
"Nah, Tim sticks to films. And even if he did make a theme park, it'd be a hundred times cooler than this place." Stella spit on the ground.
"Does anyone else think it's strange that no one's here?" Drew asked.
Ignoring them all Cleo piped, "Let's go on the Black Underworld!"
The others nodded in mute agreement.
Black Underworld was a black and midnight blue underground roller coaster that came spiraling out of a hole and into the sky. Since there were no lines at all they right away got on and each sat in separate cars. Stella sat in the front of course—she wanted the full blast of it. Viktor behind her, then Emily, then Drew, and Cleo in back.
“Let’s ride this mother!” Stella shouted and the others couldn’t help but laugh a little.
Then the five of them noticed that the other car that was riding on the roller coaster was not empty. There were two people, girls by the looks of it—one brunet, one blond riding together in the front.
“Are you all ready?” asked the man working the roller coaster controls.
“Yeah!” everyone shouted eagerly.
Then it started. The car went abruptly underground and went side to side violently. It was way too dark to see anything but they knew they were going upside down and when they were getting close to the surface. So fast then that they couldn’t even see it coming, the car shot straight up into the air like a twisting bullet. Stella let go and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Now this is what I call a roller coaster!” Her words were strained and hard to understand from the sharp motions of the ride.
Emily secretly wished Anders was by her side, enjoying the roller coaster along with everyone else.
Anders was getting the keys out of his pocket and shoving them in the key hole. He opened the driver’s door and moved around all of the junk on the floor until he got to his bag.
“Ah, there we go,” he said and opened his bag to get the pack of cigarettes. As he lit one and put it between his lips he noticed something on the ground that wasn’t his. It was a tattered piece of paper with writing on it. “Hello, what’s this?” He picked it up and examined the writing. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Random symbols that didn’t even look human were scrawled out on the paper.
Anders scratched his head and studied it for a couple minutes. Hmm…it’s probably Drew’s…It’s probably some kind of computer codes, he concluded.
He shoved it in his pocket and figured he’d ask Drew about it when he met up with them again.
When cigarette time for Anders was over and threw it to the ground and smothered it with his foot. He coughed a little and then went back to the entrance to Shadow’s Play.
What a strange place, he thought.
As soon as he got back into the park he pulled out his track phone and dialed up Emily’s cell number.
“Hi, this is Emily. I can’t answer my phone right now. Leave a mess-" Anders hung up before the answering machine finished. Probably already on a roller coaster.
“That was awesome!” Stella said loudly.
“Yeah, it was,” Emily agreed.
“It was a bit intense but I still loved it,” Cleo said.
“Want to go again?” Viktor suggested. “I mean, we have the time. Not like our parents really care when we get home.” He chuckled but his thoughts were sad.
“Maybe later,” Emily said and looked at her phone. “I got a missed call from Anders. He’s probably waiting at the front gate for us. Come on, let’s go.”
“You know what? Go ahead. I’m going to check out some more rides,” Stella said and started walking away.
“What? No! Come with us,” Emily said. “You can’t just wonder away. You’ll get lost.”
“Whatever.” And with that she walked towards the next roller coaster.
"At least take the map!"
Drew groaned. “Well if she gets lost and dies it’s not our fault!”
“Personally I don’t care if the ride she goes on blows up,” Viktor said and the two guys chuckled.
“Dorks,” Stella muttered under her breath and headed towards The Snare.
“Hello!” he said in a pleasant tone to them. The man was literally so tall he had to bend over to see their faces. “I’m Felix. Welcome to Shadow’s Play! Would you like a map?” His body twisted like a snake’s as he looked everyone in the eyes.
“No, that’s all right. I don’t think we’ll really need one,” Drew said.
“No?” Felix repeated. “Are you positive? You should know— this is quite an easy place to get lost. Please reconsider.”
Emily now spoke up. “Sure. We’ll take one.” She looked at Drew. “It’s better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.” Emily turned back at Felix and got a good full look at his face for the first time. Wet black hair hung in his pale, almost gray, face. His eyes were pitch black as they probed her with a questioning look.
Emily gasped quietly and took an automatic step backwards. Felix straightened up and his inviting expression faltered a bit.
“Well then,” he said and extended a long arm and hand to open the front gate. “Enjoy your visit. Please do.”
“Thanks,” Stella muttered a tad sarcastically and pushed past everyone. She was the first one to enter the amusement park. After a second everyone else besides Felix followed after her.
The inside of the amusement park was completely empty, just like the parking lot. The greenish yellow weather was fading but a thick fog rolled in, taking its place.. Everyone looked around at the rides. Stella was more than pleased to see no kiddy coasters. Finally a cool grown up theme park, she thought.
“So,” Cleo said excitedly, “which ride first?”
“Let’s just look around first,” Viktor said.
Anders nodded. “’Kay. Sounds good to me. But first I need a cigarette.”
“Another one?” Emily asked, frowning.
“Yeah…” Anders knew Emily didn't exactly approve of him destroying his lungs, but the addiction got the best of him a long time ago. He didn't have enough self-confidence to quit.
“Well, okay. We won’t be far. Besides, you have your phone right?”
Anders nodded.
“Just call and we’ll tell you where we are.”
“Okay.” With that Anders walked back out of the amusement park and to the car again.
“Leaving so soon?” Felix asked Anders as he opened the gates up again. He seemed to hesitate at doing that, Anders noted mentally but pushed the thought away. He just really wanted a smoke right then.
The others that were still in the amusement park started walking and looking around. They looked at the strange names of the very odd looking rides: The Snare, Black Underworld, Snap and Break, Dark Claws…
“Well, for one thing, we definitely know this place was created by good ol' Walter Disney.” Stella said.
"What about Tim Burton?" Viktor pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his face.
"Nah, Tim sticks to films. And even if he did make a theme park, it'd be a hundred times cooler than this place." Stella spit on the ground.
"Does anyone else think it's strange that no one's here?" Drew asked.
Ignoring them all Cleo piped, "Let's go on the Black Underworld!"
The others nodded in mute agreement.
Black Underworld was a black and midnight blue underground roller coaster that came spiraling out of a hole and into the sky. Since there were no lines at all they right away got on and each sat in separate cars. Stella sat in the front of course—she wanted the full blast of it. Viktor behind her, then Emily, then Drew, and Cleo in back.
“Let’s ride this mother!” Stella shouted and the others couldn’t help but laugh a little.
Then the five of them noticed that the other car that was riding on the roller coaster was not empty. There were two people, girls by the looks of it—one brunet, one blond riding together in the front.
“Are you all ready?” asked the man working the roller coaster controls.
“Yeah!” everyone shouted eagerly.
Then it started. The car went abruptly underground and went side to side violently. It was way too dark to see anything but they knew they were going upside down and when they were getting close to the surface. So fast then that they couldn’t even see it coming, the car shot straight up into the air like a twisting bullet. Stella let go and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Now this is what I call a roller coaster!” Her words were strained and hard to understand from the sharp motions of the ride.
Emily secretly wished Anders was by her side, enjoying the roller coaster along with everyone else.
Anders was getting the keys out of his pocket and shoving them in the key hole. He opened the driver’s door and moved around all of the junk on the floor until he got to his bag.
“Ah, there we go,” he said and opened his bag to get the pack of cigarettes. As he lit one and put it between his lips he noticed something on the ground that wasn’t his. It was a tattered piece of paper with writing on it. “Hello, what’s this?” He picked it up and examined the writing. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Random symbols that didn’t even look human were scrawled out on the paper.
Anders scratched his head and studied it for a couple minutes. Hmm…it’s probably Drew’s…It’s probably some kind of computer codes, he concluded.
He shoved it in his pocket and figured he’d ask Drew about it when he met up with them again.
When cigarette time for Anders was over and threw it to the ground and smothered it with his foot. He coughed a little and then went back to the entrance to Shadow’s Play.
What a strange place, he thought.
As soon as he got back into the park he pulled out his track phone and dialed up Emily’s cell number.
“Hi, this is Emily. I can’t answer my phone right now. Leave a mess-" Anders hung up before the answering machine finished. Probably already on a roller coaster.
“That was awesome!” Stella said loudly.
“Yeah, it was,” Emily agreed.
“It was a bit intense but I still loved it,” Cleo said.
“Want to go again?” Viktor suggested. “I mean, we have the time. Not like our parents really care when we get home.” He chuckled but his thoughts were sad.
“Maybe later,” Emily said and looked at her phone. “I got a missed call from Anders. He’s probably waiting at the front gate for us. Come on, let’s go.”
“You know what? Go ahead. I’m going to check out some more rides,” Stella said and started walking away.
“What? No! Come with us,” Emily said. “You can’t just wonder away. You’ll get lost.”
“Whatever.” And with that she walked towards the next roller coaster.
"At least take the map!"
Drew groaned. “Well if she gets lost and dies it’s not our fault!”
“Personally I don’t care if the ride she goes on blows up,” Viktor said and the two guys chuckled.
“Dorks,” Stella muttered under her breath and headed towards The Snare.