Latest / Shallow Nights: Scary Bedtime Stories / Thrilling Showdown Under the Moonlit Ferris Wheel: A Night of Mysteries, Confrontations, and Redemption

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Thrilling Showdown Under the Moonlit Ferris Wheel: A Night of Mysteries, Confrontations, and Redemption · Shallow Nights: Scary Bedtime Stories

• 0:35
  The car ride was kind of relaxing compared to the events
• 0:39
  that had LED up to it. After a while of sitting in the
• 0:41
  car, however, my back brushing against the seat, I felt a
• 0:46
  familiar sticky sensation on my skin.
• 0:49
  I had been wearing a loose, thick shirt, so I hadn't noticed
• 0:52
  right away that I had started to bleed again.
• 0:55
  Also, the journey into the underground.
• 0:57
  I kept my mind fully occupied, so maybe I just hadn't paid any
• 1:01
  attention to fleeting discomfort.
• 1:04
  Now that I was leaning against the back rest, the fabric
• 1:07
  rubbing against my skin, I finally noticed the dampness.
• 1:11
  Sorry, could you pull over for just a SEC?
• 1:14
  I begged my Co worker and Darius nodded and parked near the side
• 1:17
  of the road. Madeline, who had so far been
• 1:22
  staring out of the window from the back seat with wide,
• 1:25
  attentive eyes, perked up and tilted her head at me.
• 1:28
  What is it? She asked.
• 1:31
  I wordlessly wrangled off my shirt, thankfully the blood had
• 1:34
  not left any bigger marks on it yet, but after also taking off
• 1:38
  the singlet I've been wearing underneath, I found that it was
• 1:41
  completely soaked. The blood had already started to
• 1:44
  dry, causing me to flinch in pain as I had to peel the
• 1:48
  crusted fabric off my skin. Ah, crap.
• 1:52
  Darius muttered. Don't worry, I I don't think
• 1:55
  it's gotten on to the car seat. I said calmly, inspecting the
• 1:58
  large wet stains on my undershirt.
• 2:01
  I remembered I still had another fresh one in my backpack, and
• 2:04
  after a bit of fumbling, I quickly put it on before
• 2:07
  slipping back into my shirt. Your tattoos are almost all
• 2:11
  gone, there's just like a few colorful stains left.
• 2:14
  Darius remarked with a concerned look on his face.
• 2:18
  What? Ah shit, I cursed.
• 2:21
  I love them, damn it. On the other hand, what was I
• 2:25
  expecting? They were already bleeding when
• 2:27
  we were messing around by the entrance.
• 2:29
  No wonder they've gone to crap while I was actually down there.
• 2:33
  Why'd they bleed out though? Madeline asked.
• 2:36
  It's because tattoo ink partly consists of iron, I believe.
• 2:40
  I explained. The Underground really doesn't
• 2:43
  like that kind of stuff, does it?
• 2:45
  I dropped the bloodied singlet under my seat before grabbing my
• 2:48
  backpack and pulling out my weapon revolver.
• 2:51
  After I had failed to keep either of them at hand last
• 2:54
  time, I wanted to make sure I'd have them close by in case I
• 2:57
  would need them. Darius watched me pensively
• 3:01
  before pulling back onto the road.
• 3:03
  I can't believe you managed to keep it together throughout this
• 3:06
  shit. He muttered, a hint of respect
• 3:08
  in his tone. I would have probably just lost
• 3:11
  it at some point. I smiled.
• 3:14
  I'm too stupid to care. Speaking of which, there's still
• 3:17
  some things I don't understand. Like, remember that photo I
• 3:20
  found in Dale's office? The one with the people with no
• 3:24
  faces? Darius offered.
• 3:26
  Yeah, like what's up with that? The rabbit headed girl suddenly
• 3:31
  leaned forward. Faceless people on photos.
• 3:34
  That's what happens to people when one of the wild ones takes
• 3:37
  their forms. Their faces vanished from all
• 3:39
  photos with them in them. After a short pause, she added.
• 3:43
  I heard one of the ones who took me away talk about that.
• 3:46
  He said that the one who took my form should see to destroying
• 3:50
  whatever pictures they found of me around the house so mom and
• 3:53
  dad wouldn't get suspicious. Wow, that's awful.
• 3:58
  Darius muttered. Madeline nodded.
• 4:01
  Yeah, my life sucks, but at least I get to piss off Warren,
• 4:05
  so that's a win. Another thing I've been
• 4:09
  wondering about is what the number 3 means to Warren.
• 4:12
  I noticed it when I watched him meet.
• 4:14
  He kept breaking his bread into three pieces.
• 4:17
  He also got shot three times. Maybe that's why, but I'm not
• 4:21
  sure. I thought out loud.
• 4:25
  Actually, a ton of the older ones have a thing for the #3
• 4:28
  like, they always do stuff. Three times, The rabbit headed
• 4:31
  girl chimed in. Like eating three berries at
• 4:34
  once or repeating what they say three times.
• 4:37
  I never quite understood what the deal with that is, though.
• 4:41
  Suddenly perking up, I took out my phone and dialed Clara's
• 4:44
  number. She'd know, I remember thinking.
• 4:47
  My friend picked up almost right away, and I put her on speaker.
• 4:52
  Hey, girl. She greeted me cheerfully.
• 4:54
  I've been waiting for you to call, got some free time?
• 4:56
  We could. Sorry, I, I kind of need your
• 4:58
  help. I explained curtly.
• 5:01
  I felt sorry for interrupting her, especially since she had no
• 5:04
  idea what I had experienced these last few days.
• 5:07
  I made a mental note to tell her sometime she'd totally freak
• 5:10
  out. What does the number 3 mean?
• 5:13
  She paused for a second. Like in occultism?
• 5:17
  Yes. OK, first thing that comes to
• 5:21
  mind is the rule of three. Not sure how to explain it, but
• 5:24
  think like karma. You know, everything you do
• 5:27
  comes back to you. The threefold law basically just
• 5:30
  says that it comes back to you three times.
• 5:33
  It can count for every aspect of life, but it's especially
• 5:36
  related to magic. Then there's the number three in
• 5:39
  the Christian faith, as in the devil tempted Jesus three times,
• 5:43
  and there's the Holy Trinity, and so on.
• 5:45
  Her voice trailed off. Why?
• 5:47
  You want to know? I'll explain later, I promise.
• 5:51
  OK, thanks, bye. I quickly stammered before
• 5:55
  ending the call. You think that may be it?
• 5:58
  I asked Madeline. I got no clue.
• 6:01
  Maybe it's just meaningful to them, like who knows, they're a
• 6:04
  bunch of stiffs anyways, no wonder there's someone to
• 6:07
  numbers and rules. She sounded a little nervous,
• 6:11
  and I couldn't help but wonder if she might have been thinking
• 6:13
  about what the ones underground would do to her if they would
• 6:16
  find her a mess. We pulled up in front of the
• 6:20
  Parks employee entrance only minutes later.
• 6:23
  The sun had fully set by now, and the moon was high in the
• 6:26
  sky. I could see the Ferris wheel
• 6:28
  looming over us in the distance, faintly shimmering in the pale
• 6:31
  silver light. It looked ominously foreboding.
• 6:35
  I tucked the revolver into my waistband as best I could and
• 6:38
  secured the whip to one of my belt loops.
• 6:41
  So what do we do now? Darius asked.
• 6:45
  I'm not quite sure, to be honest.
• 6:47
  I need to go on my own though, 1st I got to get to Nathan, that
• 6:51
  was the aim of my wager after all.
• 6:54
  I'm not sure if Warren is already here, but I don't think
• 6:56
  it matters either way. He never said I had to beat him
• 6:59
  to the park, just that I'd have to be here before 2 days passed
• 7:03
  and this was hardly one single day.
• 7:05
  So I I think I'm good. Let's just hope he makes a good
• 7:08
  on his promise. I swallowed, looking up at the
• 7:11
  night sky pensively. I'm pretty sure he has to.
• 7:15
  Madeline told me reassuringly. Then again, he doesn't really
• 7:19
  stick to rules all the time, apparently.
• 7:21
  She added in a worried tone. Maybe we should call the others?
• 7:25
  Darius offered. You know, in case things get out
• 7:28
  of hand. His audible concern in the
• 7:31
  implications of his words sent a shiver down my spine.
• 7:35
  I don't want to get them into trouble.
• 7:37
  I muttered. We could use some help, though.
• 7:40
  I'm not leaving here either, by the way.
• 7:42
  Darius stated. Well do it then, but tell them
• 7:45
  exactly what they're getting themselves into.
• 7:48
  I don't want them to get hurt. Madeline, stay with Darius, OK?
• 7:52
  The rabbit headed girl nodded. I cracked her and my colleague a
• 7:56
  forced smile before turning to get on my way.
• 7:59
  Be careful. I heard Madeline shout after me.
• 8:03
  The park had always been frightening at night.
• 8:05
  There's just something to it, knowing that you're not on your
• 8:08
  own and that something could be hiding right around the corner.
• 8:11
  This time, however, I felt like the sound of my quickening
• 8:14
  heartbeat could drown out that of my breathing itself.
• 8:18
  I marched through the streets, the utter silence keeping me on
• 8:21
  high alert. I was heading for Twin Vale
• 8:26
  Point, but I couldn't help but stop by the horror section.
• 8:29
  Mr. Scratch's cage stood deserted next to the Fun House.
• 8:33
  I simply wanted to see him. I needed this.
• 8:36
  I whistled sharply, then uttered his name a couple times.
• 8:40
  Finally, I could hear rustling coming from somewhere around the
• 8:43
  corner, and only seconds later the sock puppet came bounding
• 8:46
  out from behind the building. He would have almost collided
• 8:49
  with me, but came to a surprisingly swift halt and
• 8:53
  rubbed his horned blackhead against my shoulder.
• 8:55
  And greeting baby. I whispered.
• 8:58
  Oh, it's so good to see you. I reached out to Petham and he
• 9:02
  nuzzled me as if to ask where I'd been.
• 9:05
  Realizing I had no time, I reluctantly pulled away and set
• 9:08
  out for the western town once again, only to notice the steady
• 9:12
  thumps of his paws following me. I turned around and smiled at
• 9:16
  him. You coming with me, buddy?
• 9:19
  The sock puppet quickly caught up to me and we proceeded to
• 9:22
  pick up our pace. Running through the streets side
• 9:24
  by side. The ground soon changed from
• 9:27
  dark and solid to light and sandy underneath my feet.
• 9:32
  Upon entering Twin Vale Point, I felt a sharp sting of
• 9:35
  reminiscence as I was instantly reminded of love I used to
• 9:39
  harbour for its rugged, charming aesthetic.
• 9:43
  It took us a while to find the Stagecoach.
• 9:46
  Just when I was about to panic, thinking that Warren had screwed
• 9:48
  me over and taken away Nathan to some other place, I heard the
• 9:52
  sound of horses puffing. I spun around and there he was.
• 9:57
  He had parked the carriage right in front of a saloon.
• 9:59
  I shuddered when I realized that it was the exact same one in
• 10:03
  which I had encountered the Laughing Cowboy for the last
• 10:06
  time. The last time before I had
• 10:08
  learned his name. Still, I immediately ran over to
• 10:13
  the coach seat, the sock puppet following suit.
• 10:16
  Nathan was sprawled out across it, peacefully slumbering, the
• 10:19
  plush stork clutched tightly in his hands.
• 10:22
  I reached up to nudge him awake. His eyes fluttered open and he
• 10:26
  drowsily sat up in his seat. What's going on?
• 10:30
  He murmured, blinking and rubbing his head.
• 10:32
  I could see him squint in an attempt to make out my features
• 10:35
  in the darkness. Leia, is that you?
• 10:39
  Yes, yes, it's me, Are you all right?
• 10:41
  Of course, He slurred. Why wouldn't I be?
• 10:45
  What are you doing here? I don't know if I got time to
• 10:48
  explain, but I'm here because of you and everything's going to be
• 10:51
  fine. Now I just need to wait.
• 10:53
  Wait for what? Nathan asked, regarding me and
• 10:56
  my fluffy companion and confusion.
• 10:58
  Not for what? I corrected him.
• 11:01
  I glanced around, wishing it was only a little brighter.
• 11:05
  Where was he? Should I just stay here?
• 11:08
  I had reached Nathan. I had one.
• 11:11
  I felt myself growing more and more nervous, my fingers
• 11:14
  fidgeting with the Locket around my neck.
• 11:18
  Suddenly, Mr. Scratch light out a low, soft growl.
• 11:21
  I spun around only to find the bronze silhouette of a man
• 11:25
  standing out against the moonlight.
• 11:27
  He was casually leaning against the wooden porch pillar of the
• 11:30
  closed gift shop right across from us.
• 11:33
  I could tell by the fit of his clothing that he was Colt again.
• 11:37
  Good to see you. A low chuckle erupted from his
• 11:40
  throat. Did you miss me with every knife
• 11:43
  so far? I replied dryly.
• 11:46
  Warren let out a loud cackle before lowering his voice.
• 11:49
  You wouldn't talk like that if you knew what's good for you.
• 11:52
  So will you make good on your wager?
• 11:54
  I'm here, I made it. I tried hard to sound firm, but
• 11:58
  my voice was shaking ever so slightly.
• 12:01
  And I am incredibly proud of you.
• 12:04
  The cowboy's tone was mocking. I did have you though.
• 12:08
  For just a mere few seconds, I had you.
• 12:11
  Like hell you did. I said.
• 12:13
  Finding capture me and my friend.
• 12:15
  Kick your ass. I'd hardly call that captured,
• 12:19
  but do you not think that is a bit unfair?
• 12:22
  I vehemently shook my head. I don't.
• 12:25
  Also, you said you'd give me a head start of 10 hours.
• 12:28
  No way that was that long in. I said.
• 12:31
  Maybe I would give you 10 hours. I felt my heart drop.
• 12:36
  You can't do this. No matter when you think you
• 12:38
  caught me. I made it out and I'm standing
• 12:40
  here right now. You promised.
• 12:42
  No matter how you look at it, I won.
• 12:45
  Warren let out a soft sigh. Come here.
• 12:50
  He gestured for me to come closer.
• 12:52
  What? No way.
• 12:54
  I quickly leaned behind Mr. Scratch, my hand on the
• 12:57
  revolver. I said.
• 12:59
  Come here, He repeated, more sternly this time.
• 13:03
  I'm not sure why, but I felt my eyes tear up ever so slightly.
• 13:07
  Make good on your bargain. I hissed, clinging to the sock
• 13:11
  puppet's fur. I could hear a growl rumble in
• 13:14
  his throat, ever so quietly. To be frank, I did not think you
• 13:18
  would make it when I was underground.
• 13:20
  At the time, I was not even looking for you, to be honest.
• 13:24
  He let out a short laugh. Imagine my surprise.
• 13:29
  I caught Nathan's glance out of the corner of my eye.
• 13:33
  He was looking beyond confused. What?
• 13:36
  What's going on? He stammered.
• 13:39
  I shook my head in his direction.
• 13:41
  Warren pushed himself off the pillar and slowly began to
• 13:44
  approach us. There was a certain ease in his
• 13:48
  step, but as he got closer I could see the deep scowl on his
• 13:53
  face. He reached out, grabbed Nathan
• 13:55
  by the collar, and swiftly flung him off his coach seat.
• 13:59
  He let out a startled gasp, followed by a muffled grunt as
• 14:03
  his body hit the ground. What are you doing?
• 14:06
  I whimpered in a voice much more anxious than I had intended.
• 14:10
  You're hurting him. Warren shrugged and gave Nathan
• 14:14
  a small kick in the ribs. I lunged at him, pushing him
• 14:17
  away. He stumbled a few steps
• 14:20
  backwards, but quickly regained his footing.
• 14:23
  There, He's on the ground again. Ignoring Warren sneer, I bent
• 14:28
  down by Nathan's side. He was lying in the dirt,
• 14:31
  motionless. Nathan.
• 14:34
  I uttered, patting him on the shoulder.
• 14:36
  My heart was pounding in my chest and my head was spinning.
• 14:40
  I had no idea what was happening.
• 14:42
  Are you OK? Say something.
• 14:45
  My friend let out a low groan. Warren chuckled from behind me.
• 14:50
  Ah, he'll be fine if you were only to sit on a carriage all
• 14:53
  day. If you were to only sit on a
• 14:55
  carriage all day, you would not remember how to walk right away
• 14:58
  either. He's just a little weak, is all.
• 15:02
  I swallowed and shakily rose to my feet.
• 15:05
  Does that mean you fixed him just like that?
• 15:08
  After a short pause, I added. Are you kidding me?
• 15:11
  I'm not. He sounded almost annoyed with
• 15:14
  me. Think about it.
• 15:16
  It was me who chose him. He belonged to me.
• 15:19
  It was due to my will that he was a bound to that carriage.
• 15:23
  When I want him to be able to get off of it again, he can get
• 15:26
  off it. I calmed down a bit, my
• 15:29
  breathing slowing down. Good.
• 15:32
  I uttered, slightly more confident now.
• 15:34
  Make me normal again. Warren let out that same haughty
• 15:39
  low chuckle. Now why would I do that?
• 15:44
  I froze. That was part of your end of the
• 15:46
  wager. You said you would.
• 15:48
  I said nothing of that sort. Your exact words were that you
• 15:53
  wanted me to, and I quote stop whatever weird crap I started
• 15:57
  doing to your body. I will therefore not try to feed
• 16:00
  you again. His usage of the word feed
• 16:04
  nearly made me gag, not that I'd need to anymore.
• 16:08
  That was what you meant, right? He added mockingly.
• 16:12
  No, you know it wasn't. I want my humanity back.
• 16:16
  I protested, a mixture of both rage and fear bubbling up inside
• 16:20
  me. I'm so sorry, I simply do not
• 16:24
  understand it that way. And again, as we have already
• 16:28
  discussed in regards to Dale, 1 cannot bargain with something
• 16:32
  one doesn't possess. What do you mean 11 days?
• 16:37
  It's been 11 days since I first fed you.
• 16:40
  Face it, you are way too far gone for there to be anything
• 16:44
  left one can consider salvageable.
• 16:47
  It's just a matter of time now until it's complete, no, I
• 16:51
  breathed, then more fiercely repeated.
• 16:53
  No, you're lying. You, you asshole, This isn't how
• 16:57
  this works. I asked you for it, and you said
• 16:59
  it was common sense. I.
• 17:02
  My voice trailed off as I began to fumble for words, not knowing
• 17:05
  what else to say. Anger took over and I lunged at
• 17:08
  him, pushing uselessly against his chest.
• 17:11
  He stood there, and he just laughed.
• 17:14
  But you just did it with Nathan. I protested.
• 17:18
  Well, Nathan has never been to the underground.
• 17:22
  That is the difference. You see, those who stay up here,
• 17:25
  they become like your friend. Those who are brought down there
• 17:28
  however, well, I'm sure you can figure that out on your own.
• 17:32
  Your little Bunny is a prime example.
• 17:35
  I trusted you, I whispered. I know.
• 17:40
  I grabbed the revolver and without hesitation shot him in
• 17:44
  the stomach. He cursed and doubled over,
• 17:47
  coughing up black goo which dripped onto the dirt ground
• 17:49
  below him. My fingers trembling, I stepped
• 17:53
  closer, still aiming at him. Ignoring my awareness of the
• 17:56
  futility of hurting him, he slowly rose to his feet.
• 18:00
  Except for a hole in his vest, there was nothing left of the
• 18:05
  wound the bullet should have torn into him.
• 18:08
  I wish you would stop doing that.
• 18:10
  He hissed. Is this really the road you want
• 18:13
  to go down? Come on now, we both know you
• 18:15
  weren't meant to. I shot him again, this time the
• 18:18
  bullet entered right above his hip.
• 18:20
  He stayed still, staring at me intently.
• 18:23
  Then all of a sudden, he lunged forward, grabbed me by the hair
• 18:26
  and flung me to the ground. Before he could press his foot
• 18:29
  down on me though, I pushed myself up and stumbled right
• 18:33
  into the sock puppet, who was motionlessly standing behind me.
• 18:36
  He growled and was obviously on high alert, but he didn't do
• 18:40
  anything. You think he will help you out?
• 18:43
  Warren called out, appearing to have noticed my confusion.
• 18:46
  He won't attack the one who made him.
• 18:49
  By now, he was steadily walking towards me.
• 18:52
  I quickly scrambled to my feet and for lack of a better idea,
• 18:55
  began to run. I could hear him pick up his
• 18:58
  speed as well, his boots drumming on the dirt ground as
• 19:01
  he took up Chaste. I didn't know where I would be
• 19:04
  going, and in the darkness I couldn't even quite tell where I
• 19:08
  was exactly. The only thing I knew was that I
• 19:12
  needed to shake him off and get back to the employee entrance
• 19:15
  somehow. That's where Darius and Madeline
• 19:17
  were waiting. They would know what to do, They
• 19:20
  had to. I rounded the corner behind the
• 19:24
  saloon, hoping that I could lose him somehow.
• 19:26
  Dashing through the empty sand streets, I let go of of breath
• 19:30
  when I saw the entrance sign to Twin Vale Point come into sight.
• 19:33
  I ran towards it, entering the horror section.
• 19:36
  I remember being grateful for the soft soles of my shoes.
• 19:40
  The quieter I'd be, the harder it'd be for him to find me.
• 19:45
  I continued to Sprint until finally the entrance to
• 19:48
  Hollywood came into sight. By then, the footsteps behind me
• 19:52
  and trailed off in the distance. I didn't slow down, though.
• 19:56
  My heart skipped a beat when I spotted a group of figures
• 19:59
  standing in front of it. The closer I got, the more I
• 20:02
  could make out. There were Darius and Madeline,
• 20:05
  but also Mitchell, Oliver, and Caroline.
• 20:08
  I ran towards them, not halting when I passed them, but hastily
• 20:12
  gestured for them to follow me. Come quick, I panted.
• 20:17
  I did not have to tell them twice.
• 20:19
  Darius grabbed the rabbit headed girl by the hand and pulled her
• 20:22
  along with them while the others followed suit.
• 20:25
  I LED them to the restaurant where the pianist was playing,
• 20:28
  wrapped and unfazed as always. We crouched down behind the
• 20:32
  counter and I had to take a moment to catch my breath.
• 20:36
  The questioning voices of my colleagues were drowned out by
• 20:39
  the sound of my pulse and beating heart.
• 20:42
  I heard Madeline and Darius trying to explain the situation
• 20:45
  to them, but I knew very well there was no way they could
• 20:48
  fathom all of this in such a short time.
• 20:52
  My mind was racing as I feverishly tried to come up with
• 20:55
  an idea, something, anything. I couldn't keep running from
• 21:00
  Warren. I wanted to be back to normal.
• 21:03
  I wish desperately that all this was just a nightmare, some
• 21:06
  grotesque dream I hadn't yet managed to wake up from.
• 21:10
  Was I really beyond salvageable? I couldn't imagine it.
• 21:14
  I didn't want to. Suddenly a thought crossed my
• 21:19
  mind. If what Warren had said about
• 21:21
  him essentially being the main authority over everyone he had
• 21:24
  turned was true, there might just be a way to get out of this
• 21:28
  situation. I wasn't sure if it made any
• 21:31
  sense, but I was basically clinging to straws.
• 21:34
  Maybe in some magical way that was way beyond my understanding,
• 21:39
  it would work. I needed to kill Warren.
• 21:43
  I knew it had not worked the last time I had tried it, but
• 21:46
  the second I was about to discard the idea, the number
• 21:49
  three popped up in my mind and all at once I realized
• 21:52
  something. Something I had never thought of
• 21:54
  before. Third time's the charm, right?
• 21:58
  Maybe all it took to actually destroy him were three
• 22:00
  relatively successful attempts. The first one had been made by
• 22:04
  Colt when he shot him with the iron bullets.
• 22:06
  The second one by me a few nights prior.
• 22:09
  And now, if I were to get my hands on some iron I could use
• 22:14
  as a weapon, I would possibly stand a chance.
• 22:17
  But I neither had Colts bullets nor Bridget's hunting knife, So
• 22:21
  what was I going to do? As if a switch had been flipped,
• 22:25
  another idea came to me, seemingly out of thin air.
• 22:28
  Perhaps the iron bullets Colt had used were still stuck in his
• 22:31
  body. Maybe that was why they had
• 22:33
  never healed either. I shot up, facing my Co workers.
• 22:37
  Upon seeing my stern gaze, they immediately fell silent.
• 22:41
  We need to capture Warren. I said currently.
• 22:46
  About 15 minutes later, I was standing beside the entrance of
• 22:49
  the hospital themed fun house. My heart was hammering in my
• 22:52
  chest when I opened my mouth and called his name.
• 22:55
  At first, I received no response.
• 22:58
  I called out again. Warren.
• 23:01
  Warren, where are you? I just want to talk, I promise I
• 23:04
  won't try anything this time. Silence.
• 23:08
  Then suddenly, I felt cold hands grabbing me by the shoulders,
• 23:12
  their chill even piercing through the fabric of my shirt.
• 23:16
  I gasped, spun around, and of course, there he stood.
• 23:21
  You. You're very good at sneaking up
• 23:23
  on me, I'll give you that. Or am I just easy to startle?
• 23:27
  I stammered breathlessly. He stared at me with piercing
• 23:30
  pale eyes, an unreadable expression on his face.
• 23:34
  He didn't reply. I cursed inwardly.
• 23:37
  I could only pray this would work one more time.
• 23:40
  I swallowed. Please say something.
• 23:43
  I uttered. Are you mad?
• 23:45
  He slowly, ever so slowly, shook his head, but his face remained
• 23:49
  stiff and numb. I slowly took a step towards the
• 23:53
  entrance of the fun house to see if he would follow.
• 23:56
  He did. I proceeded to walk inside
• 23:59
  before halting, waiting for him to come closer.
• 24:02
  Half of the room was pitch black, no moonlight reaching the
• 24:05
  far corners. The second he set foot inside, I
• 24:09
  grabbed him by the arm, pulled him closer and pushed him to the
• 24:12
  floor, letting out a scream. Now, Oliver, Caroline, Mitchell
• 24:17
  and Darius came lunging out from their dark hiding spots.
• 24:20
  Caroline and Darius grabbed Warren's legs and pressed them
• 24:23
  down while Mitchell and Oliver held his arms in place.
• 24:27
  We got them. Mitchell yelled.
• 24:29
  I fumble for my phone and switched on its flashlight,
• 24:32
  pointing it at the struggling and hissing pretender.
• 24:35
  I then reached out to tear open his shirt.
• 24:38
  Peeling the wrinkly old fabric aside, I laid eyes on the three
• 24:41
  bullet holes. Ignoring the queasy feeling in
• 24:44
  my stomach, I plunged my pointer and middle finger into the lower
• 24:48
  one. I almost gagged as I made
• 24:50
  contact with the frayed, rotten flesh.
• 24:54
  Warren laid out a howl of pain as my fingers proceeded to
• 24:56
  search for the iron bullet. I could only pray it wasn't too
• 25:00
  deep down. Then, finally, my fingertips met
• 25:04
  with something hard. I pinched it with my nails and
• 25:07
  attempted to pull it out. It took me about an entire
• 25:10
  minute to produce it from the great flesh, but when I finally
• 25:13
  did, I wasted no time and tore out the other two as fast as I
• 25:17
  could. Warren was thrashing and
• 25:20
  squirming, and my friends were visibly straining themselves to
• 25:23
  keep him in place. I dropped my phone.
• 25:26
  I had no idea if this would work in any way.
• 25:29
  Still, I felt like I should at least try.
• 25:32
  I removed the Locket from my neck and pressed it to the upper
• 25:35
  bullet wound. Its tip sank into the flesh, but
• 25:38
  it wasn't nearly deep enough. I looked down at Warren, and he
• 25:42
  stared back up at me with void, pale eyes.
• 25:45
  For once, there was no hatred in his gaze, no jeer, no mockery.
• 25:51
  And for a short moment, a mere split second, I hesitated.
• 25:56
  What are you waiting for? Do it.
• 25:58
  I heard Caroline cry out from behind me.
• 26:01
  I raised my hand and shut my eyes.
• 26:03
  Then I brought my palm down on the locker with all my might.
• 26:06
  Warren let out a howl of pain, arching his back as the iron and
• 26:10
  silver filled with the red verbena blossoms buried
• 26:13
  themselves in his flesh. Collecting the old slugs in my
• 26:17
  fist, I forced open his mouth, trying to avoid his teeth and
• 26:21
  shove them inside. He was barely moving anymore,
• 26:25
  but still struggled to try and spit them out, but I pressed my
• 26:28
  hand over his lips. Muffled screams of agony erupted
• 26:33
  from his throat and I squeezed my eyes shut, turning my head.
• 26:37
  I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to see him die.
• 26:42
  And then suddenly his head grew limp in my grasp and fell to the
• 26:45
  floor. He must have finally swallowed
• 26:48
  them. He wasn't moving anymore.
• 26:51
  I slowly, ever so slowly, removed my wet, trembling palm
• 26:56
  from his mouth. My friends uncertainly pulled
• 27:00
  away from him. It was only when Caroline hugged
• 27:03
  me from behind, squealing that I'd made it, that I felt hot,
• 27:07
  thick tears running down my cheeks.
• 27:09
  Madeline jumped out from her hiding place, cheering and
• 27:12
  clapping her hands, but I felt like she was just somewhere far,
• 27:16
  far away. I still know I stammered
• 27:19
  something about Nathan lying in Twin Vale Point and that he
• 27:22
  needed help quickly, but everything else is just a blur
• 27:26
  by now. Caroline drove me home that
• 27:30
  night. She has something really
• 27:32
  motherly to her. She made sure I cleaned myself
• 27:35
  up a bit before essentially sending me to bed.
• 27:38
  She asked if she could stay on the couch for the night to watch
• 27:41
  out for me, but I gratefully declined.
• 27:44
  I passed out from exhaustion pretty quickly and slept
• 27:47
  dreamlessly. I woke up this morning to five
• 27:51
  missed calls from Dale, 2 from Mitchell, one from Darius and
• 27:55
  three from an unknown number. I called Darius back first.
• 27:59
  He told me that he had brought Nathan to the hospital.
• 28:02
  He had apparently woken up about 6 hours after they had taken him
• 28:05
  in. He asked if I was OK and I told
• 28:08
  him I was. I asked him about Madeline and
• 28:12
  he told me she had stayed in the park for the night.
• 28:16
  The next person I called was Adele.
• 28:18
  He picked up immediately after. He had apologized a couple times
• 28:22
  and I reassured him that it was fine.
• 28:24
  He revealed that he was still on his way back to the park, but
• 28:27
  had already heard of what had happened as Mitchell.
• 28:29
  I told him everything over the phone.
• 28:32
  I asked about the contract and weather was still in place.
• 28:35
  He grew very stern as he told me that it was, but with Warren
• 28:38
  gone, there was no enforcer and Mulberry and Moth most certainly
• 28:43
  wouldn't fill the role. Of course, I immediately told
• 28:47
  him about Madeline, suggesting he talked to the elders
• 28:50
  underground and see to it that maybe she could take his place.
• 28:55
  I think if the contract has to live on, she's the best guard of
• 28:59
  the park that we could possibly come across.
• 29:01
  Dale said he liked the idea and that he would see what he could
• 29:04
  make of it. I also asked if I could have my
• 29:07
  job back, and he said he could hardly deny me this wish, given
• 29:10
  the circumstances. I found my backpack resting near
• 29:15
  my bedside. I emptied it, spilling its
• 29:18
  contents all over the floor, apart from my used clothing and
• 29:21
  the revolver, which I dared not to look at.
• 29:24
  There was one of the iron nails I had carried around with me
• 29:26
  earlier too. I picked it up, feeling a slight
• 29:30
  sting. I'm not sure why, but I felt
• 29:33
  uncomfortable holding it. I tossed it into the trash can,
• 29:36
  then proceeded to freshen up and got on my way to the park.
• 29:40
  Just a quick visit to satisfy my yearning for the sock puppet.
• 29:44
  The first being I encountered, however, was Madeline.
• 29:47
  She was sitting by the employee entrance, almost as if she had
• 29:50
  been expecting me. Hello, how are you?
• 29:54
  Are you feeling better? You looked awful yesterday
• 29:57
  night. She chattered, sounding partly
• 29:59
  worried and partly happy to see me.
• 30:02
  I smiled at her. I'm OK, I guess.
• 30:05
  How are you doing? I'm great.
• 30:07
  Not only hasn't anyone shown up to get me yet, I also had a
• 30:11
  really good night's rest. I slept in the room of the piano
• 30:14
  man, right on top of his piano. She giggled.
• 30:17
  Weren't you frightened at all? I was pretty shocked after
• 30:20
  yesterday. She shook her head.
• 30:22
  No, I'm brave like that. She proceeded to take me by the
• 30:26
  hand and lead me off into the park.
• 30:29
  We passed the Age to Diva on our way through Hollywood and I
• 30:32
  waved at her. Hi, Grace.
• 30:34
  I called out. She didn't say anything, but I
• 30:36
  believe to have seen her crack the tiniest of smiles.
• 30:41
  I admit I'm disappointed that the contract is still in place.
• 30:46
  I had wished for the other, not actors, to be.
• 30:48
  I don't know what I wished for exactly.
• 30:51
  Even though this thought kept gnawing at me, it was hard to
• 30:54
  feel sad. The air of the park seemed a lot
• 30:57
  lighter somehow. The sun was shining.
• 31:00
  I was just happy for some reason.
• 31:03
  We headed to Mr. Scratch's cage. He was lazily laying out front,
• 31:07
  but he immediately bounced up to come running at me when we
• 31:10
  approached. We spent some time with him
• 31:12
  until Madeline suddenly pointed over at the haunted hospital.
• 31:16
  You think he's still in there? She asked.
• 31:18
  Sure. Dead people don't move, as far
• 31:21
  as I know. Let Dale take care of it, I
• 31:23
  don't really want to see him. I muttered, swallowing the lump
• 31:26
  that had formed in my throat. Madeline couldn't be stopped
• 31:30
  though. Just the morbid curiosity of a
• 31:32
  child, I guess. She skipped over to the hospital
• 31:36
  to take a look inside, only to come sprinting back at full
• 31:39
  speed. He's not in there.
• 31:41
  She squeaked. What?
• 31:43
  I rose to my feet. You're kidding, right?
• 31:46
  No, he really isn't. She insisted.
• 31:48
  The entrance to the underground, Where is it?
• 31:50
  We got to go check. I LED her over to the restroom,
• 31:54
  Mr. Scratch following the two of us.
• 31:57
  To Madeline's great relief, we found the restroom door in place
• 32:01
  and locked, just like we had left it after our investigation
• 32:04
  last time. God, it feels like that was ages
• 32:07
  ago. Thank goodness.
• 32:09
  Madeline sighed. Crap, I really thought he got
• 32:13
  away for a second. I guess wild ones just dissolve
• 32:16
  when they die, like turn to dust or something.
• 32:20
  I refrained from pointing out to her that the restroom window was
• 32:23
  open. We went to the Candyland to
• 32:25
  check on Moth and Mulberry. The ballerina was dancing atop
• 32:28
  her little stage and the mine was hanging on to one of the
• 32:31
  light fixtures as always. They really don't give a damn,
• 32:36
  do they? Madeline remarked and I giggled.
• 32:39
  I watched as the dancing squid beaked girl twirled, turned and
• 32:43
  jumped in her Tutu. It looked really pretty now that
• 32:46
  I thought about it. On our way back we passed Layla.
• 32:50
  The nurse was standing in front of the fun house again, staring
• 32:53
  into nothingness. Even though it felt quite
• 32:56
  pointless. I walked up to her and greeted
• 32:58
  her. Hello I, I just wanted to say
• 33:01
  thanks for the key. I don't know how you got it, but
• 33:05
  it was very helpful. I don't think she can hear you.
• 33:08
  Madeline remarked. I wouldn't be so sure.
• 33:11
  I replied soon after I headed back home to finally answer the
• 33:17
  other missed calls I had. The one from the unknown number
• 33:20
  was from a phone Nathan had requested to use in the
• 33:22
  hospital. He asked if I could come over.
• 33:25
  I told him I was flattered that he wanted to see me, and then I
• 33:29
  had more or less expected him to want to talk to Dale first.
• 33:32
  Yeah, no, I'd rather not see someone who did not speak to me
• 33:36
  once and like what, 10 years? First thing after waking up in
• 33:40
  the hospital? I told him I understood.
• 33:44
  While I personally believe this notion to be perfectly
• 33:46
  reasonable, in the end, it's none of my business.
• 33:51
  As of me writing this, I'm having lunch in the living room
• 33:54
  while watching a rerun of a season of Kitchen Nightmares.
• 33:58
  I'm going to visit Nathan right after, though.
• 34:00
  I want to bring him some flowers too.
• 34:02
  I decided on the potted Laurel tree.
• 34:05
  For some reason, the thought of having that ugly thing stand
• 34:08
  around in my living room any longer really isn't that
• 34:11
  appealing to me anymore.