Dark Ride Page 3

  Marty started moving but not fast enough. He saw Larkin looking their direction, trying to get a better view through the crowd.

  "This way," Marty instructed, heading towards the ocean side of the park.

  They moved along trying not to draw any attention by hurrying too fast. Up ahead was the Ocean Skyway ride, bubble-shaped gondolas suspended seventy five feet above the ocean surface. It would carry them a good half mile out to sea and back, and give them a good vantage point at the same time.

  Marty pulled Stevie into the line with him. He looked back and saw Larkin and his partner in the distance, scanning the crowd. The cops didn't see them in the line but it wouldn't be long before they did. A group of tourists joined the line, blocking the line of sight between them and the cops. It would buy them a little time.

  The line moved quickly and in a few minutes they were in one of the bubble cars being lifted into the air. The land beneath them morphed seamlessly into the glistening surface of the sea. Marty looked back through the plexiglass. Larkin and the other cop were still strolling, looking through the crowd. They hadn't seen them board the ride.

  Below them, off to one side, the big Oceanside Park pier extended over the bay for some three hundred yards. Marty gazed down upon the numerous pier concession stands where you could buy chocolate-dipped frozen bananas, hot pretzels, popcorn, hamburgers and hot dogs, and ice cream. There were also a couple of nice restaurants and a bunch of souvenir shops, all selling the same, overpriced junk.

  He had a clear view of the three rides located on the pier as well. He remembered the Mystery Island Banana Train from his first trip to the park years earlier. It carried passengers through a tropical jungle and featured some kind of simulated earthquake. There was the Mahi Mahi, a huge tower with two rotating arms, each holding a rocket-shaped car that carried several passengers, swinging them out over the water. At the very end of the pier was one of the park's two roller coasters, giving its riders a thrilling view over the expanse of ocean.

  In five minutes they reached the last tower and the bubble car headed back towards shore. In another five minutes Marty was scanning the crowd as they began descending. There was no sign of the cops.

  With their feet back on solid ground, Marty and Stevie headed inland again. Marty knew they'd have to be watchful but he felt pretty confident that they had shaken the cops. Only ten minutes after exiting the Ocean Skyway Marty spotted Larkin and his partner again through the crowd.

  "This way, Stevie, come on," he said, changing his direction.

  "I see 'em," Stevie said.

  Marty set a course for the bumper cars, glancing nervously over his shoulder. He couldn't be sure but it looked like Larkin was looking at him, or trying to, through the throng of people. And then he was sure. Larkin tapped his partner on the arm and then turned in their direction.

  Marty moved a little faster, looking for routes that would put something between him and the cops. He and Stevie made their way to the opposite side of the bumper cars. Marty paused, peering across the canopied arena to the other side, trying to get eyes on the cops. There they were, looking this way and that, trying to figure out where he was. All of a sudden they started walking again, heading right for him.

  "They're coming," Marty reported.

  "We need another ride," Stevie said, looking around desperately for a place to go. "There," he pointed.

  Marty turned around to look.

  About fifty feet away was a building with a facade made to look like ancient stones. At each end were castle-like towers, designed to look as if they might tumble down at any moment. The roof arched between the two towers, sheltering the two-seated cars running along the track below. A large demon's head with a gaping mouth, made to look like carved stone, decorated the center of the arch, just below its peak. Below the head, painted in large, bold, faded red lettering was the name: INFERNO GHOST TRAIN. And in smaller lettering below that, DARK RIDE.

  "Come on," Stevie urged, taking a few steps towards the dark ride.

  Marty didn't move, his eyes searching for some other place they could go. The screams from the teenage girls, as their cars pushed past the ride entrance, reached him over the noise of the crowd.

  "Come on," Stevie pushed. "Those cops'll be here in a minute."

  "You go. I'll meet you somewhere after," Marty told him.

  Stevie looked closely at him, studying him. "Are you afraid?"

  Marty felt himself flush as he stepped over to Stevie and grabbed him by his shirt.

  "I'm not afraid of anything," he answered. "Sure as hell not a kiddie ride."

  He let go of Stevie and turned to see if he could see Larkin and his partner. There they were, halfway around the bumper car perimeter.

  "It's just that I don't like these dark rides," Marty continued. "Never have. Maybe it's something from when I was a kid."

  "You better get over it, fast," Stevie said. "We're out of time."

  The cops were almost at a point where they'd be in sight.

  Stevie headed for the dark ride and got in line. There were only two couples ahead of him.

  Marty saw nowhere else to go and felt a tremor of panic. Stevie moved up in the line. He'd get the next car. Marty hurried over and joined him.

  "Good," Stevie said. "We'll lose 'em now."

  Marty felt a strange feeling wash over him. He looked over at the ride operator and was startled to see the man staring at him.

  More startling was that Marty was certain he knew the guy. It was the fortune teller freak from the police station the day before. But it couldn’t be. This guy was at least twenty five years older.

  But the added years in the craggy face were the only difference. The penetrating eyes and hawkish features were the same. The tall, bony frame and messy strands of hair across the high forehead were identical. And then there was that long, dark coat.

  "What're you lookin' at?" Marty challenged.

  The ride operator simply widened his odd smile as the empty ride car rolled into place and stopped with a mechanical clacking sound and the hiss of hydraulics.

  "I know you," Marty stated as he joined Stevie in the car.

  The sound of maniacal laughter rumbled out of the dark tunnel in front of the car.

  "Do you?" the ride operator answered, his voice low and even.

  Before Marty could say another word the ride operator pushed down the car's safety bar, anchoring them both in the seat. He extended a long, bony finger and punched a button on the console. The button light flashed from red to green and the car lurched forward into the darkness.

  Chapter Five

  First Ride

  Marty heard the double doors hiss shut behind him and gripped the car's safety bar even tighter. The darkness swept in around him, cold and oppressive. The sound of screams from people in the cars ahead of him combined with the din of horrific sounds coming from the ride's speaker system, made him want to scream. But he didn't, he couldn't, even his throat was paralyzed with fear.

  Pairs of glowing red eyes suddenly appeared, bodiless in the darkness, while moans and growls screeched from the speakers. Directly ahead, a body of a man suddenly dropped into view, the noose around its neck forcing the neck to an impossible angle, the mouth of the victim forced open in a silent cry of agony.

  "Marty. You okay?" he heard Stevie ask.

  Why did Stevie have to notice him like this? Why did he have to ask questions?

  "Marty?" Stevie called out again.

  Forcing himself, Marty turned his head towards Stevie.

  Stevie was staring at him with confused eyes.

  Marty couldn't stand that look and turned away, facing forward again, closing his eyes tight against what might be next.

  A sudden rush of cold air forced him to open his eyes. The car was speeding him towards a group of hideous, ghostly monsters that reached for him from both sides of the track. Blood dripped from their mouths and their long, clawlike mechanical fingers opened and closed as they moved to gra
b him.

  Stevie laughed aloud as the car moved past the horrible creatures. "So bad!" Stevie laughed again. "They look so damn fake."

  Marty wondered if Stevie was even looking at the same thing he was. Why couldn’t he see it? Why was he so blind?

  "It's almost done, Marty," he heard Stevie say. "The ride's almost over."

  Marty suddenly became aware that he felt warm. Beads of sweat dripped down into his eyes. It stung and he wanted badly to wipe it away, but he'd have to let go of the safety bar, and he couldn't bring himself to.

  A deep red glow cut through the blackness. Hidden red spotlights focused on cellophane flames that flickered all around the car. The mechanically animated dummies of men and women could be seen among the flames, their faces painfully grotesque from the tormenting fire. Anguished cries cascaded from the audio system.

  Fear had consumed him from the moment the car had lurched into the dark tunnel, but now a fresh torrent of intensified dread took hold.

  "It's not real, it's not real," he heard the words blurt from his mouth.

  "It's almost over," he heard Stevie say again. "It's almost over, Marty."

  Marty whimpered pitifully as a large spider, its body the size of volleyball, dropped into view on a very visible wire. It was a ridiculous thing, with red lit eyes that blinked on and off, and drooping, lifeless legs covered in some kind of bristly fabric. But the idea of any spider so large was revolting and horrifying to him. He recoiled violently from it as the car rolled past.

  As the spider rose back into its hiding place a growl, low and vicious, tore through the darkness above him. Marty found his head jerking upward as it grew louder. He couldn’t stop himself from looking for the source of that terrible sound.

  The Devil, huge, leaned down from the wall of plaster rocks ahead. Its heavy rubber skin was an ugly brownish gray, and dark wings on its shoulders flapped slowly up and down. The grotesque, scaly face tilted left and right while the reptilian eyes glowed ember red.

  The car sped for the black opening in the plaster rock below the Devil. Marty tried to sink down in his seat but the Devil reached down towards him.

  "Nooo!" Marty cried loudly as the car plunged into the darkness.

  There was a last, jarring turn and then the double exit doors burst open before them. Marty struggled to force up the safety bar before the car had moved fully into the sunshine.

  "It's okay, Marty. It's okay," Stevie said again.

  The car slowed and there was the familiar clacking as the mechanism released the safety bar. Marty scrambled out of the car as quickly as he could, pausing only to get his bearings. At the front of the ride the old ride operator still gazed at him, his face emotionless.

  Marty hurried away past the guardrails until he was away from the front of the ride.

  "Did you see it? Did you see it?" Marty asked as Stevie caught up with him.

  Stevie looked at him, very nervous. Marty could see the jerk didn't know what he was talking about.

  "See what?" Stevie asked.

  "That devil back in there... it reached for me," Marty wheezed, fighting to catch his breath.

  "It's just all hokum, Marty," Stevie said. "It's just a crappy carnival ride."

  "Did you see it? Marty almost screamed. "It reached for me."

  "No, man, I'm sorry. I didn't see anything."

  "It reached for me."

  Stevie was silent for a while, probably wondering what he should say next.

  Marty didn't want to, but he couldn't help himself, and glanced back towards the ride. The ride operator was still looking at him. Marty could see his head and those eyes through the crowd of people in the ride line. What was it with that asshole? It gave him the creeps.

  "Let's get out of here," Marty said, breaking into a fast walk.

  "What happened, man? What happened in there?" Stevie asked.

  "I told you I didn't like those dark rides," Marty answered, his tone testy. "I've never liked them."

  "Okay, okay, but it's all fake," Stevie said.

  Marty whirled angrily towards Stevie and gave him a powerful shove. Stevie stumbled back but Marty caught him by his flailing arm and jerked him back upright.

  "I know it's all fake," Marty shouted.

  A couple of college kids and a group of Navy guys passing nearby stopped and stared.

  Marty glanced at them for a brief, uncomfortable moment, and then started walking again.

  "I know it's all fake," Marty repeated softly.

  "Okay, but—"

  "Just shut it, man," Marty interrupted. "Let's find something to eat."

  Chapter Six

  Napkin Money

  Marty glanced around the sixties themed diner they'd decided on for lunch. The park had plenty of places to eat but he remembered this one from a visit he'd made shortly after hitting town five years ago. He was pleased to discover his memory was accurate. The burgers were juicy and the fries crisp. The vintage juke box dropped the needle on "Stand by Me" as he raised his burger up to his mouth for another bite.

  Across the table, Stevie was using a french fry to draw a smiley face in a big dollop of ketchup.

  "Feeling better?" Stevie asked him after popping the fry in his mouth.

  "I'm fine. Now just drop it. I don't want any more talk about it," Marty said, his voice fused with angry embarrassment.

  "Okay, okay," Stevie said.

  Stevie swallowed another french fry.

  "You mind if I ask you a question?" Stevie asked.

  "Depends."

  "I keep wondering about your dad," Stevie said.

  "That's more than I do," Marty sighed.

  "I can't figure why you'd wanna walk away from being a big shot in that company. Maybe even owning it some day. You think you might've owned it some day?"

  "All I wanted to do was get away from there," he said.

  "Yeah, but it had to be crazy good pay, and you're only answering to your old man," Stevie reasoned.

  "Too many hoops to jump through and too much work," he said.

  "But what about college?" Stevie queried.

  "What about it?"

  "Didn't you want to stick around at least long enough to have your dad pay for college? I wanted to go to college but my folks never had any money," Stevie said.

  "Who says I didn't?" he challenged.

  "You went to college?"

  "A couple of years. That was enough for me," he answered.

  Marty saw no reason to mention he'd been thrown out of college, and it’d been all over some girl. She'd been hot, and she'd been a big tease. When it came down to it the little tease pretended she didn't want him. It got a little rough and afterwards the girl claimed he forced her. What bullshit, but they expelled him anyway.

  "What was wrong with college?" Stevie asked.

  "Too many people telling me what to do. What I can't do."

  Marty took another bite of his burger and let his gaze drift to the crowd moving past the diner's picture window. His eyes weren't really focused on anything on the other side of the window, not until he saw the dark blue uniforms.

  "Damn it!" he cursed, tensing.

  "What?" Stevie looked out the window.

  "Give me your share of the money from this morning," Marty ordered, keeping his voice low. "Just keep like five bucks."

  "What?"

  "Larkin and that partner of his are heading this way," Marty said. "It could be a problem if they find the money on us."

  Stevie dug into his pants pocket.

  "Hurry it up!"

  Stevie passed the few bills he had left across the table and then quickly pulled the bottle of pills from his pocket, stuffing it down between the booth’s Naugahyde seat cushion and the wall. Marty grabbed the napkin dispenser and pulled it into his lap.

  He looked around. No one was paying much attention. Holding out just enough to pay for the burgers, he hurriedly combined Stevie's bills with his own. Prying open the napkin dispenser he stuffed the bills behind the
napkins at the very back of the holder and replaced the cover. He got the dispenser back on the table just as the bell above the door tinkled.

  Larkin and his partner let the door close behind them and then looked around the room. Spotting him, Larkin got a big smile on his face. He nudged his partner and they headed over.

  "Well, Marty Wedlow, as I live and breathe," Larkin said as he reached the table. "See, Oscar, I told you I thought I saw Marty heading this way."

  "So you did," Romero responded.

  "Mind if we join you a minute?" Larkin asked, sitting down in the booth across from him without waiting for an answer.

  A waitress passing by with an order paused next to Romero.

  "Bring you guys anything?" she asked.

  "Nah, we're fine, thanks," Romero told her.

  She hurried off to a table at the far end of the room.

  "Who's this?" Larkin nudged Stevie with his elbow.

  "Stevie," Stevie mumbled, his nerves obvious.

  "Stevie what?" Romero asked, standing beside the table.

  "Bander. Stevie Bander."

  “You ever been arrested, Stevie?” Romero asked.

  “Couple of times… possession,” Stevie answered unhappily.

  "You a friend of Marty's?" Larkin asked.

  "Yeah, I guess," Stevie answered.

  "He's not sure," Romero smiled.

  "We hang out sometimes," Marty said, doing his best to match Larkin's smile.

  "So where were you guys hanging out this morning around ten?" Larkin asked.

  "We were on our way here," Marty said. "Wanted to get an early start on all this fun."

  "Is that right, Stevie?" Romero asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Make any stops?" Larkin continued.

  "Like where?" Marty asked.

  "You gonna make me ask you again?" Larkin said with less of a smile.

  "No stops. Like I said, we wanted to get an early start on all the fun," Marty repeated. "What's this all about?"

  "There was a nasty little robbery over on Ashford," Larkin explained. "You know Ashford?"

  "Sure," Marty answered.