One Day at Horrorland Read online

  The Horror nearest the slide motioned for us to sit down. I glanced at Luke, who stood right behind me, his features tight with fear.

  He tugged me back a few steps. “Maybe we shouldn’t,” he whispered.

  “Why not?” I demanded impatiently.

  “What if the warning is true!” Luke demanded.

  “Don’t be dumb,” I scolded him. “This is an amusement park — remember? They don’t kill kids or send them sliding to their doom. It’s all for fun!”

  Luke swallowed hard. “You sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure,” I replied. “Now, do you want to find Clay or not?”

  Luke nodded.

  “Then let’s go,” I ordered.

  I sat down at the top of slide number ten. Luke plopped down right behind me, stretching his legs outside of mine.

  I felt the floor tilt up beneath us.

  We started to slide.

  “Clay, here we come!” I cried.

  7

  I didn’t scream this time. I clasped my hands in my lap and gritted my teeth.

  There was no way I was going to enjoy this ride. I just wanted to get to the end of it. I wanted to solve the mystery and find Clay.

  As we slid down together, Luke grabbed onto me, his hands gripping my waist. He cried out when we slid over a big bump, and it felt as if we were going to go flying off the slide.

  Then we both screamed as the slide took a steep dive — almost straight down — and we started to fall.

  We landed hard, and then the slide curved sharply to the right. We were both screaming our lungs out now.

  We were sliding faster and faster, in total darkness, blacker than black. I tried to see if we were moving alongside the other slides. But it was so dark, I couldn’t even see my sneakers in front of me!

  Luke squeezed my waist so hard, I could hardly breathe. I tried to tell him to loosen his grip, but he was screaming too loud to hear.

  Down, down.

  Darker and darker.

  We hit another bump that sent us bouncing up into the air. Then the slide dipped and curved sharply to the left.

  We should be at the bottom by now, I realized.

  We’d been sliding a very long time.

  I gritted my teeth harder and tried to brace myself to go flying out the chute and bumping onto the ground.

  But no chute opened.

  The ride didn’t end.

  We began to slide faster. I gasped in mouthfuls of the hot, damp air, struggling to catch my breath.

  The slide dipped and curved, sending us down into the thick, heavy blackness.

  We’re going to slide forever.

  The warning sign didn’t lie.

  I struggled to force those frightening thoughts from my mind.

  Luke suddenly got very quiet. “Are you okay?” I called back to him.

  “I don’t know,” he replied, holding on even tighter. “Why are we sliding so long?”

  “You’re hurting me!” I cried.

  He loosened his hold a little. “I don’t like this!” he shouted in my ear.

  We hit another bump. His hands flew off me.

  Another bump. Even harder. I thought I was going to fly off the slide and fall to the bottom — if there was a bottom.

  Down, down.

  Luke and I both cried out in disgust as something sticky covered our faces. I reached up with both hands and tried to pull it off.

  “Yuck!” Luke screamed. “What is it? My face —!”

  “It’s like cobwebs,” I shouted back at him. “Hot, sticky cobwebs.”

  My whole face itched. The sticky threads covered my face like a net. I pulled frantically at them.

  “Oh!” I cried out as the slide took another sharp dip.

  Tearing at the sticky cobwebs, I managed to pull most of them off. But my face still itched like crazy. It felt as if a thousand ants were crawling around on it.

  “It’s so gross!” Luke yelled behind me. “My face — it hurts!”

  Down, down into the heavy darkness.

  And then a flare of bright light made me shut my eyes.

  Was it daylight? Were we heading outside?

  No.

  I forced my eyes open and squinted at the yellow light.

  And realized I was staring at blazing flames.

  The slide ahead of us was on fire!

  The yellow-and-orange flames raged up, topped by a curtain of billowing black smoke.

  I raised my hands to my face and started to shriek.

  We were sliding right into the blazing flames.

  “We’re going to burn up!” Luke screamed. “Help — somebody! Help us!”

  8

  I shut my eyes and felt a powerful burst of heat, almost like an explosion.

  I’m burning up! I thought.

  Burning up!

  A whoosh of cool air made me open my eyes.

  The fire was behind us now. We had sailed right through it.

  Curving gently, we slid through cool darkness. I could still see the orange flicker of flames reflected on the dark walls above us.

  Luke and I were both silent. I was waiting for my heart to stop thudding in my chest.

  “Great special effects!” Luke cried. He let out a wild laugh, a frantic laugh I’d never heard before.

  The fire was fake, I realized. Some kind of projection or something.

  I sucked in mouthfuls of the cool air. I had never been so terrified in my life.

  “When does this ride end?” Luke cried. His voice had become high and frightened.

  Never, I thought glumly. We really are going to slide forever.

  And as that frightening thought lingered in my mind, a chute opened in front of us. Daylight streamed in.

  Bump.

  I landed hard on soft grass.

  A second later, Luke dropped out behind me.

  I blinked several times, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight.

  Then I climbed slowly to my feet, my heart still pounding.

  A yellow-and-green sign on a wooden pole stood directly in front of us. It read: WELCOME TO DOOM. POPULATION: 0 HUMANS.

  Standing next to the sign was Clay. He came rushing over to greet us, a happy smile on his round, pink face. “Hey, guys — hey!” he called. “Where’ve you been?” He slapped Luke a high five. Then Luke gave him a playful punch in the stomach.

  “Where’ve we been?” I asked. “Where’ve you been?”

  “Right here,” Clay replied. “I didn’t know where I was. I think this is the other side of the park or something. So I just waited for you.”

  “We went back on the Doom Slide,” Luke explained. “We took your slide. Number ten. What a ride! It was so cool!”

  A few seconds ago, Luke had been shrieking in real terror. Now here he was, pretending he loved it, telling Clay how cool it was.

  “You picked the good slide!” Luke told Clay. “Wow! It was excellent!”

  “I was kind of scared,” Clay confessed. “I mean, the fire —”

  “Great special effects!” my brother exclaimed. “This park is awesome!”

  Luke was such a phony. There was no way he would ever admit that he had been worried about Clay. And no way he’d admit that the long slide to Doom had terrified him.

  But I was glad to see his old enthusiasm return. I really didn’t like seeing my brother frightened and in a panic.

  “It was kind of a long slide,” Clay said, frowning. His feathery blond hair glowed in the bright sunlight. “A little too long, I think.”

  “I’d like to go on it again!” Luke boasted.

  I turned and gazed around. We were definitely in another section of HorrorLand. Nothing looked familiar.

  Across the wide walkway, I saw several kids in bathing suits heading down a sandy path. A sign over the path read: HORROR RAPIDS.

  To our right, a square-shaped building made of glass reflected the bright sunlight. The glass walls shimmered brightly as if on fire. Squinting
into the light, I could just barely make out the sign in front of it: HOUSE OF MIRRORS.

  “Let’s try the House of Mirrors!” Luke urged, pulling Clay by the arm.

  “Whoa! Wait a minute!” I cried. “Don’t you think we should try to find Mom and Dad?”

  “They’re way over on the other side of the park,” Luke replied, tugging Clay along with him across the pavement. “Let’s have some fun and then find them.”

  “They’re probably looking for us,” I said fretfully.

  “The park isn’t very crowded. They’ll find us,” Luke replied. “Come on, Lizzy — it looks like fun!”

  I hesitated, thinking about Mom and Dad. I stared into the white glare of the glass building.

  Suddenly, I felt someone tap my shoulder.

  Startled, I cried out and spun around.

  It was a green-costumed Horror. His bulging eyes stared into mine as he leaned close to me. “Get away while you can!” he whispered.

  He turned his eyes quickly from side to side, as if making sure no one was watching him. “Please — I’m serious! Get away while you can!”

  9

  I was so stunned, I didn’t say anything. I watched him run off, moving awkwardly in the bulky Horror costume, his purple tail dragging over the pavement behind him.

  “What did he want?” Clay called. He and Luke were nearly up to the House of Mirrors entrance.

  “He — he said we should get out while we can,” I stammered, running over to them. I lost them for a moment in the blinding sunlight reflected off the glass building.

  Luke laughed. “These Horror guys are great!” he declared. “They really try to scare you in this place!”

  Behind his glasses, Clay’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “He was kidding — right?” he asked quietly. “I mean, it was just a joke, wasn’t it?”

  “I don’t know,” I told him. “I guess so.” I watched the Horror disappear quickly behind a tall, blue, pyramid-shaped building.

  “That’s his job,” Luke insisted. “He goes around scaring people all day.”

  “Maybe he was really warning us,” Clay murmured, staring at me.

  “No way!” Luke declared. He gave Clay a hard slap on the back. “Stop looking so gloomy all the time. This is a great place! You like to be scared, don’t you?”

  Clay’s expression remained worried. “I guess,” he replied uncertainly.

  I started to tell Clay I was sure it was just a joke, but Luke interrupted. “Hurry up! Let’s check out the House of Mirrors. Let’s have some fun before Mom and Dad show up and make us leave.”

  He dragged Clay toward the entrance, and I followed. We passed another NO PINCHING sign as we made our way to the shimmering glass building.

  Outside the entrance, I stopped to read the yellow-and-green sign. It read: HOUSE OF MIRRORS. REFLECT BEFORE YOU ENTER. NO ONE MAY EVER SEE YOU AGAIN!

  “Hey — wait up!” I called to the boys. They had already hurried inside.

  I stepped in and found myself in a narrow, dark tunnel. My eyes were still filled with the bright glare from outside. I couldn’t see a thing.

  “Luke, Clay — wait up!” I shouted. My voice echoed through the low tunnel. I could hear them laughing up ahead.

  I jogged blindly, ducking my head because the ceiling was so low. Finally, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

  The tunnel ended, and I found myself in a narrow corridor with mirrored walls and a mirrored ceiling.

  “Oh!” I uttered a low cry. I could see my reflections — dozens of them. I seemed to surround myself!

  I stopped for a moment and adjusted my long black braid. It was always coming loose. Then I called again to the boys, “Where are you? Wait up!”

  I could hear them giggling somewhere up ahead. “Try and find us!” Luke called. More giggling.

  I made my way quickly through the mirrored walkway. The walls curved to the right, then the left. My reflections followed me, stretching deep into the mirrors, dozens and dozens of me, getting smaller and smaller, stretching to infinity!

  “Hey — don’t get too far ahead!” I cried.

  I heard them giggling. Then I heard a rumble of footsteps that seemed to come from the other side of the mirrored wall.

  I followed the corridor, walking slowly, carefully, until I saw a narrow opening up ahead.

  “Wait right there. I’m coming through!” I called.

  I started through the opening and — BONK! — hit my forehead on solid glass.

  “Ow!” I cried out as the pain jolted across my forehead, then down the back of my neck, all the way down my spine.

  I raised my hands to the glass and waited for my dizziness to fade away.

  “Lizzy, where are you? Try to find us!” I heard Luke call.

  “I hit my head!” I shouted, rubbing my forehead.

  I could hear him and Clay laughing. Their voices seemed to be behind me now. I turned back, but there were only mirrors behind me. No opening.

  My head still ached a little, but the dizziness had gone away. I started walking again, more carefully this time. I kept both hands out in front of me so I wouldn’t bump into anything again.

  I turned a corner and stepped into a different room. To my surprise, the floor in this room was a mirror. The walls, the ceiling, the floor — were all mirrors. I felt as if I were standing inside a mirrored box.

  I took a few careful steps. It felt so weird walking on my own reflection.

  I could see the tops and the bottoms of my sneakers as I walked. It made it really hard to walk. I kept having the feeling that I was going to fall into myself!

  “Hey, guys — where are you?” I called.

  No reply.

  I felt a sharp stab of fear in my stomach.

  “Luke? Clay? Are you there?” I saw the mouths of my reflections move as I called out, dozens of mouths. But only one voice came out, my voice, tiny and shrill.

  “Luke? Clay?”

  Silence.

  “Don’t fool around, guys!” I shouted. “Where are you?”

  Silence. No reply.

  I stared at the dozens of reflections on all sides of me. They all looked very frightened.

  “Luke? Clay?”

  Where had they gone?

  10

  I stared at my reflections as horrifying thoughts swept over me.

  Had the boys really disappeared?

  Had they fallen into some kind of trap? Were they lost in the maze of glass and mirrors?

  HorrorLand was too scary, I decided. It was fun to be scared. But it was too hard to tell whether the scares here were for fun — or for real. Were there dangers in this place? Or was it all a big scary joke?

  “Luke? Clay?” I called to them in a trembling voice, turning all around, searching for an exit.

  Silence.

  Then I heard a muffled giggle.

  Then I heard whispering voices. Nearby.

  Another giggle, louder this time. Luke’s giggle.

  They had been playing a little joke on me. “Hey, you’re not funny!” I screamed angrily. “Really! Not funny!”

  I could hear them both burst out laughing. “Come and find us, Lizzy!” Luke called.

  “What’s taking you so long?” Clay added.

  More giggling. It seemed to come from just up ahead.

  Sliding my hands along the mirrors, I followed the hallway around to the right. I had to duck my head to slip through a narrow opening between the mirrors.

  I found myself in another small room surrounded by mirrors above and below and on all sides. The mirrors were tilted at strange angles so that my reflections appeared to bounce off each other as I moved.

  “Where are you? Am I getting closer?” I called.

  The light grew dim as I made my way through this room. My reflections darkened. The shadows grew longer.

  “We can’t see you!” Clay called.

  “Hurry up!” Luke shouted impatiently.

  “I’m going as fast as I can!” I sc
reamed. “Just don’t move, okay? Stay in one place.”

  “We are!” Luke called back.

  “How will we ever get out of here?” I heard Clay ask him in a low voice.

  “Ow!” I bumped my head again on a section of clear glass.

  I pounded my fist angrily on the glass.

  This wasn’t any fun, I decided. It was too painful.

  “Hurry up!” Luke called from somewhere nearby. “It’s boring waiting here for you!”

  “I’m coming,” I muttered, rubbing my poor aching forehead.

  I turned a corner and stepped into a wider room. No mirrors here. The walls were all glass. I stopped to gaze around — and there was Luke.

  “Finally!” he cried. “Why couldn’t you find us?”

  “I kept hitting my head,” I told him. “Let’s get out of here. Where’s Clay?”

  “Huh?” Luke’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He spun around, searching for his friend. “He was standing right here,” he said.

  “Luke — I’m in no mood for any more dumb jokes,” I said sharply. “Clay, where are you hiding?”

  “I’m not hiding. I’m over here,” Clay called.

  I took a few steps closer to my brother, and Clay came into view. He was standing in deep shadows behind a glass wall, his hands pressed against the pane.

  “How’d you get over there?” Luke asked Clay.

  Clay shrugged. “I can’t find a way out.”

  I moved toward my brother, then stopped. I suddenly realized that he was behind a wall of glass. Luke and I were in different rooms.

  “Hey — where’s the opening?” I asked him.

  Luke glanced around. “What do you mean, Lizzy?”

  “You and I — we’re not in the same room,” I replied. I walked up to the glass wall and tapped on it with my fist.

  “Huh?” Luke’s face filled with surprise. He made his way over to me. Then he tapped on his side of the glass, as if making sure it really did exist.

  “How’d that get there?” he murmured.

  Clay started moving around his room, sliding his hands along the panes of glass, searching for the opening.

  “Stand right there,” I told Luke. “I’ll find a way into your room.”

  I followed Clay’s example. I moved slowly around the room, keeping a hand pressed against the glass. The light was dim. My shadow fell over the glass as I walked. I could see my face reflected darkly in the glass. My eyes stared back at me, dark and desperate.