The inspiration for my latest contest entry is a movie called, "Hell Fest."
I didn't win the contest. Go figure. Guess my entry was too scary for most?
Anyway, if you're not too scared, check it out for yourself. Links are on my O/S page, or you can read below.
As always, thank you for reading!
It’s All Fun and Games Until You Die!
The bloodied nurse scanning tickets at the turnstile gate made Bella’s stomach lurch. She couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself to be talked into coming on this group date to the horror-themed amusement park, Unholy Acres. It sounded fun when Alice had asked her along, but when Edward asked, it was a no-brainer because they were a new couple. Now she was having second thoughts because the park was much scarier than she ever would've imagined.
“Come on, Emmy Bear. Let’s go make out on the Ferris wheel,” Rosalie suggested.
“You know it, Rosie. The view up top is going to be the best, and with my hand down your jeans making you come, it’s going to be even better,” Emmett not-so-quietly whispered in her ear.
Just before he could bite her ear, Rosalie giggled and playfully stepped away from him. "Bye, guys," she waved to the group and tugged Emmett along to the ride in the middle of the park.
“Ew. Come on, Jasper, let’s go find the carnival games. I want a stuffed penguin,” Alice said excitedly. Jasper stood still, seemingly the only one of the group that felt a bad vibe about the horror-themed amusement park. It wasn’t until Alice started pulling on his hands to move him along that he stumbled awkwardly and then dutifully followed his girlfriend.
“Okay, well, that leaves us alone. What would you like to do, Edward?” Bella asked. Since the two had recently begun dating, they were still learning about one another.
Edward smirked and reached for Bella’s hand. “Since the Ferris wheel is spoken for, how about that scary funhouse roller coaster, Nevermore?”
Bella tensed immediately, and it didn’t escape Edwards’s attention.
“Or not. How about we find some high calorie, fattening, fried food? You hungry?”
Bella exhaled and smiled. “Sure! I’m starving!” With the decision made, the new couple followed their noses and passed by all the options, discussed each one, and then made a decision. They headed to a white metal building with plenty of smoke escaping, the smell of grilled food making their mouths water.
Enticed by the couple, an ominous figure stepped out from the shadows and began to follow them.
~ @~&~@~
While munching on his fiery cheeseburger, Edward couldn’t help but watch Bella eat her pizza fries.
“You have a little-” Edward stroked his thumb across the corner of Bella’s mouth to wipe the marinara sauce that threatened to drip. Without thinking, he put his thumb in his mouth to clean it off. Bella looked at him, startled, and then blushed a deep red.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Edward gleefully smiled, recovering from the shock of his own actions. It was a bit forward for him; after all, it was only their third date.
Deciding her fries were going to be too messy to continue to eat with her hands, Bella started using her fork. Stabbing a fry and a slice of pepperoni, she made sure to dip them in the marinara sauce before bringing the fork to her mouth. Feeling sauce on her lips, she quickly stabbed her tongue out to lick them and awkwardly caught Edward’s gaze. Her eyes grew large in alarm; her nipples grew tight and her panties wet. A fire consumed her arm, and she felt goosebumps rise as he touched her arm.
Edward’s fingertips felt a spark as he touched her arm above her wrist after she had set her hand down on the table. Then a warmth traveled up his hand, growing in intensity. By the time it reached his heart, he felt as if he was on fire. His heart was about to beat out of his chest! He couldn’t help but gasp for air.
Not wanting to break their alarming connection, Bella wrapped her fingers around Edward’s wrist as he gasped for air. “Oh my god,” she whispered before biting her lip.
Edward shook his head and took a deep breath. “Wow,” he whispered back. Basking in the moment, he smiled as he looked at her. “That lip biting is going to be the death of me,” he admitted before reaching across the table with his free hand to pull her lip free.
Bella couldn’t help but blush again.
“And that blush,” he said as he fidgeted in his seat and then picked up his burger, needing the diversion.
Bella let the information sink in. She had never felt what had just happened with anyone before. Not that she had a long list of jilted ex-lovers out there, and her sex life was pretty much non-existent thanks to her studies, yet she couldn’t help but be amazed at the feeling that was still haunting her body.
Since this was their third date, Edward was excited about tonight’s interaction. They were both shy and even though they were comfortable with each other’s presence, they were nowhere near the touchy-feely stage. But after what had just happened, he couldn’t help but be optimistic that they had just turned a corner.
Following Edward’s lead, Bella finished her pizza fries. Both of them were unaware that they were being watched by the looming figure in the corner.
~ @~&~@~
“Enjoying the ride, my Rosie?” Emmett whispered as he sucked on her earlobe. Panting was the only answer he received. His fingers, however, were now soaked with his girlfriend’s juices.
The Ferris wheel stopped again as the attendant assisted people off and on. Emmett and Rosalie were now at the top. The combination of the sudden movement and Emmett’s fingers finding the perfect spot made Rosalie yell in jubilation, “Oh, fuck! Yes!”
Emmett squeezed her breast harder under her shirt, and Rosalie held tighter to the chrome bar with one hand and Emmett’s shoulder with the other. His fingers were like a piston in an engine and as she came again, she couldn’t help but think of how she wanted Emmett to fuck her on top of the hood of the muscle car she was rebuilding. Emmett was mumbling in her ear and pulling his hand free. Jesus, the guy had talented fingers but an even better tongue she thought wickedly. This was the best finger fuck yet. She was still riding the wave of her orgasmic high as she continued her erotic thoughts of her boyfriend's talents. After licking his fingers clean, Emmett fastened her jeans and situated her in the car beside him like they were innocent.
The Ferris wheel moved again, which lowered their car into the view of the attendant. Emmett caught a questioning glance from him as he transferred people in and out of the car. Emmett couldn’t help his shit-eating grin from appearing.
When it came time to undo the safety bar on their car, Emmett spoke up as he held Rosie’s hand as they stood and stepped out of the car, “Oh yeah. Twice, my man. Two times. At the top.”
Rosalie giggled and smacked his shoulder.
The attendant smirked and shook his head. “Lucky bastard,” he murmured and then turned around to help the next two guests onboard and locked the safety bar in place.
“Lucky bastard all right,” the ominous figure muttered under his mask and took off in pursuit of Rosalie and Emmett.
~ @~&~@~
“Oh, Jazzy! I love it!” Alice exclaimed as he handed her the sought-after prize. With a quick smooch, they moved on to the first scare zone they came across: An American Werewolf in London. All around them, characters in bloodied 80s-era clothing walked by. Alice held on tighter to Jasper’s arm as werewolf after werewolf walked by.
“Jazzy, they give me the creeps,” she shouted towards his ear.
He smiled and drawled, “I’ve got you darlin’. No reason to be scared.” He protectively wrapped his arm around her.
They soon came across some props and a makeshift stage. A few people were waiting for a performance. Not knowing what to expect, they decided to join in and wait. It wasn’t long before some wolf characters that were obviously dancers appeared on stage and jumped around to warm up the crowd. The music of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” began.
Cheers erupted when a man dressed in jeans and an orange puffy jacket like the main character of the movie, An American Werewolf in London, came to the center of the stage. They all got in formation and performed the famous dance. Alice’s hesitation about the scare zone drifted away as she danced along in front of her boyfriend. Much to her delight, she was pulled up on stage with a couple of other people from the crowd. Jasper was happy for her and cheered her on. His focus was solely on Alice, so he didn’t notice the mysterious man with a mask in the shadows. He was holding a knife alongside his leg. It was dripping with fresh blood.
~ @~&~@~
Unbeknownst to Bella and Edward, they were not far behind Alice and Jasper. They caught the end of the "Thriller" performance, laughing and cheering for Alice when they recognized her among the dancers on the stage. As the crowd dispersed, they were able to reach Alice and Jasper.
“Bella! Oh my god, did you see me? That was so much fun!” Alice screamed, jumped up and down, and then hugged Bella who joined Alice in jumping up and down.
Bella laughed. “That was so cool! I didn’t know you knew that dance!”
Jasper and Edward laughed at them and then guy hugged in greeting. “Hey, man,” each said at the same time as they broke their embrace.
“Let’s see what the next scare zone is,” Alice suggested.
“Yeah, I heard there was a vampire one, but I’m not sure where it’s at,” Bella agreed.
“All right, ladies. After you,” Jasper gallantly suggested.
Following Bella and Alice, as was their duty, Edward and Jasper fell into an easy conversation. They were used to hanging out together since Jasper had been dating Edward’s sister, Alice, for four years. Bella was relatively new to the group of friends as her transfer to U-Dub brought them together just a couple of months ago when the fall semester began.
“So, have you kissed my brother yet?” Alice whispered. She was excited about their relationship and couldn't wait for them to advance to the next level.
Bella blushed a deep pink and bit her lip. “Not yet.”
Alice squealed and held Bella’s hands. “Yet? Something happened, though. Come on, you gotta tell me. Spill!”
Bella smiled as she thought of the subtle way Edward had been flirting with her all night.
This excited Alice even more. Spying a bathroom, Alice yelled back to the guys, “Potty break!”
Jasper nodded that he'd heard her, so she pulled Bella inside with her. It was not well lit, which Alice feared, but she shrugged off the bad feeling and concentrated on getting details from her friend.
Once comfortable in separate stalls, Alice pried Bella once more. “Come on, Bella. Spill the beans.” Alice was desperate for them to be an official couple.
“Okay, so we almost kissed. He’s so handsome, Alice. When his thumb wiped marinara sauce from the corner of my mouth and he smirked at me-”
A loud thump outside made Bella stop. The lights flickered, followed by another loud thump.
“Alice?”
“Bella?”
“Bella, finish up. I don’t want to be caught with my pants down if something bad is going on outside.” Alice commanded, raising Bella’s suspicions another level.
Not one to argue, Bella barely beat Alice out the stalls. They glanced at each other in worry as they headed to the sinks to wash their hands. Drying their hands with paper towels as they speed walked their way to the exit, relief washed over them as they saw their dates waiting on them.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Alice muttered under her breath.
Bella made to follow her friend but was suddenly grabbed from behind. Edward watched in horror as she was lifted in the air by what he thought was one of the horror park’s characters. He was dressed in a bloody white tee shirt and blood-soaked dark blue coveralls. A bloody knife was at Bella’s throat. Both Jasper and Edward lunged forward – Jasper for Alice and Edward for Bella. Within an arm’s reach of Bella, the knife was suddenly pointed at Edward, stopping him in his tracks.
“Edward! No!” Bella shouted.
The creep shook his head at Edward and brought the knife back up to Bella’s throat. Edward felt helpless. He sneered at the guy, trying to memorize every detail he could see as the creep walked backward into the bushes alongside the bathroom.
“Fuck!” Edward shouted with all the anger and frustration he could muster.
Jasper was on the phone reporting what had just happened. Alice was crouched down next to Edward consoling him.
“I don’t think they believe me, considering where we are,” Jasper revealed, annoyance in his tone.
“I'll call her father. He’s the Chief of Police in Forks,” Alice suggested as she stood. Jasper hugged her.
“Good idea, babe.” Jasper lowered himself to the ground and sat next to Edward. “Did you know that guy? The way you were looking at him- like you were going to kill him for touching Bella, I was surprised, man.”
Edward grunted. “No. I don’t know who he is. He better not hurt her.”
“Hi, Chief Swan! It’s Alice!”
Edward listened in as Alice spoke to Bella’s father. Concern suddenly grew across her face.
“Wait. What?” Alice shrieked. Alice had no idea that Bella had reservations about coming along tonight. She felt guilty for talking her into coming tonight.
She gasped at whatever she was being told and caught Edward’s gaze. Frightened, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the phone conversation.
“That’s where we are, Chief! We’re here right now, and someone just took Bella!” Alice cried.
Alice collapsed to the ground as Jasper awkwardly caught her. The phone got jostled around between all their hands, and Edward found himself the victor. The man on the other end was shouting so loud, Edward could hear him without holding the phone up to his ear.
“Sir,” Edward tried to get his attention. “Sir!” Edward yelled and gave the man a moment to quiet down. “Sir, my name is Edward Cullen. I am Bella’s date for the evening. The three of us – Alice, Jasper, and myself – were there when Bella was taken. He just appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her, and disappeared.”
Edward nodded in response to Chief Swan's question. “Yes, sir, Jasper called 9-1-1 right away. The operator didn’t seem to believe us, though. Maybe because of where we are? He probably thought it was a prank.”
Chief Swan asked Edward if he could describe the suspect. “Yes. He was wearing a bloodied white tee shirt and dark blue coveralls that mechanics wear. He held a machete that was dripping blood. He had short dark hair that peeked out of his wolf mask. He was maybe five-feet-ten inches tall and picked Bella up with ease as she fought with him.”
Edward nodded. “Yes, Alice is my sister and is the one you hear crying in the background. I know you weren’t mad at her. Yes, of course. I appreciate that you would like to apologize to her for yelling. Here she is.” Edward handed the phone to Alice and then reached up and pulled at his hair in frustration.
Jasper stayed beside Alice to comfort her. After she got off the phone, they agreed to find the park’s security office as Bella's father had suggested.
It seemed like a long walk back toward the entrance of the park. They filed a report even though they doubted it would do any good. The security team was not a police force, so the team was limited as to what could be done. An officer from the nearest town was on his way to investigate, and that’s all they were told before they were escorted out of the small square metal building. Feeling just as hopeless as when Bella was abducted, they decided to find Emmett and Rosalie. Somberly, the three headed towards the Ferris wheel.
~ @~&~@~
“Oh my, God, my feet hurt,” Alice whined.
“I’m sorry, honey. It seems we’ve walked around this thing several times already. Edward, let’s take a break. What do you think?”
“Sure, Jasper. I haven’t seen them, Bella, or that guy in the mask. What if they left the park?”
“Hey, now,” Jasper sighed while exuding calm. “Don’t start thinking like that."
Edward spotted a vendor selling bottled beverages and motioned to Jasper where he was headed.
Jasper nodded and sat down on an empty bench beside Alice, who had one of her shoes off and was rubbing her foot. Jasper took over, grateful to do something with his hands so he could think.
Edward returned and dispersed the bottled waters. Alice and Jasper thanked him and opened their bottles.
After guzzling half the bottle, Jasper said, "We've got to be smart about this. We all have iPhones. Do you think that they all have the share phone location feature turned on?”
“Oh my, God, Jazzy! You’re a genius! Let’s look!” Alice exclaimed in renewed excitement. Her hurt feet temporarily forgotten. “Okay, I’ll try Bella. Edward, you try Emmett. And Jazz, you try your sister.”
“They’re still here!” the trio exclaimed at once. Edward and Jasper put their phones side by side to see if Rosalie and Emmett were in the location. Alice got a puzzled look on her face.
“What is it, Alice?” Edward asked, his eyes drawn to her phone. He watched as she set her phone down and gasped.
Alice’s hands were shaking. “They’re all in the same place! What does that mean?”
Jasper grabbed hold of her hands and calmly explained, “It just means that they’re all together. Come on. Let’s go see where this dot is in reference to the park.” He kept hold of one hand as he led them in search of the others.
After a twenty minute walk, they found themselves far away from the rest of the park. The weeds were hip high, so Edward was thankful he wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt. They eventually made it to the dot on the map.
“Of course! An abandoned ride. Can this night get any worse?” Edward muttered as they stood in front of an old, very worn-out looking carnival ride that he assumed hadn’t been used in twenty years.
“Stop,” Jasper commanded.
Edward wasn't sure if he was talking to him or not and felt bad for his remark.
“Before we go in, we all need to turn our phone's flashlights on,” Jasper continued.
“Wait. Let me call the Chief first so I can fill him in on what’s happening.” Alice pleaded.
“Okay, but make it quick,” Jasper agreed, anxious to find his twin sister.
True to her word, Alice quickly informed Bella’s father that they had filed a report with the security team, an officer from the nearest town was sent to investigate, and that they had used their phones to track their missing friends to an abandoned ride called Lucifer’s Lair.
“I want you kids to please be careful. I’m on my way, but I’m still probably an hour out. I don't know if I should tell you this, but that ride is rumored to have been where satanic rituals were performed in the seventies and eighties. The stories I heard when I first joined the force scare me to this day,” Chief Swan warned before hanging up.
“Great. Satan worshipers. Things are looking up,” Edward muttered.
Jasper spared him a warning glance. “Flashlights on. Let’s go.” Jasper led the way up the small steel ladder up to the wood train platform where riders once boarded the roller coaster. “Okay, so we’ll follow the tracks and see where they take us.”
They hadn’t walked very far, when, for the second time that night, Alice wished she had made the reasonable decision and worn a comfortable pair of tennis shoes. At least she had a pair of pumps on and not heels like Rosalie had on. “Hey!” Alice shouted.
Her shout was too loud for Jasper’s and Edward’s liking. They both tried shushing her, not wanting to gain the attention of the creep who had taken Bella and possibly Rosalie and Emmett as well.
She frowned before getting angry, not understanding why they were shushing her. “I think I found Rosalie’s shoe!” she whisper-yelled at them while gritting her teeth.
“What?” Jasper asked and followed her finger, immediately fearing the worst because it was just a shoe. He shone his light down to judge how high up they were. It was only about three feet, so he jumped down and walked with extreme caution toward the shoe. Sure enough, it was a red high heel. He couldn’t identify it as belonging to his sister because she owned as many shoes as he had books on the Civil War, but that was beside the point. He swallowed his fear as he shone his light toward Edward.
“Okay, let’s go this way,” Edward suggested as he helped Alice down off the tracks. After a couple of minutes exploring what seemed to be an employee access area, they found a spot of blood on the ground behind a prop wall, so they decided to stay on the current path.
They soon found wide drag marks in the dirt and assumed it was from Emmett’s legs. The team linked hands and formed a single line because of the narrow passage. Jasper thought it would be best to use only one flashlight and then resumed the lead. They came across a rope bracelet that Alice had recognized belonging to Emmett. He had worn it faithfully since dating Rosalie; a token from their first date. Armed with their second clue, confidence grew among them, hopeful that they would find their friends.
The longer they spent in their search, Alice grew tired from all the walking, Jasper was drenched in sweat, and Edward grew more anxious by the minute. He didn't do well in enclosed spaces. Fighting a panic attack he felt was imminent, he wiped his brow with his free hand. Thinking that he heard groaning in the distance, he pulled his hand that held Alice’s so she would do the same to Jasper’s and they would collectively stop.
“What?” Jasper whispered as lightly as possible.
“I think I heard something,” Edward whispered back.
They stood still for a moment, even holding their breaths as they listened. Just as Edward sucked in air, they heard a faint groan. It sounded like someone was hurt. They couldn’t tell who it was, but they sounded miserable. Just as Edward was about to run toward it, Jasper stopped him.
“Strategy first, Edward. We don’t know where that guy with the mask is. Let’s cautiously approach, all right?” Jasper suggested.
“Shit. You're right.”
“Okay, let’s walk quietly like we’ve been doing and keep using just one flashlight. If we see the guy, we’ll try to take him out and then tend to our friends, okay?”
Edward and Alice agreed. Linking hands and forming a single line again, the three of them hoped Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella were all right.
After what seemed liked hours had passed, Jasper’s strategy was beginning to wear down Edward’s restraint. He couldn’t wait to find Bella and hoped they weren’t too late. Suddenly, Jasper stopped. Alice gasped and let go of Edward’s and Jasper’s hands so she could cover her mouth. Edward struggled with his phone a moment before finally getting the flashlight turned on. Briefly, he wished he hadn’t. In front of him was a blood trail, a long blood trail. And at the end of the trail was the creep in dark blue overalls.
Without thinking, Edward ran toward the body. The creep was bleeding profusely from his mouth. He had to have been the one that had been groaning in pain. He was now unconscious, so Edward shone his light around. Jasper had found his sister and was busy untying the rope around her wrists. Edward ran over to him to retrieve the rope so he could tie the creep’s hands together. Short of handcuffs, it was the best he could do. Alice hugged Rosalie as soon as she was free and handed her shoe to her.
Rosalie whispered her thanks and asked if they had found Emmett. They responded in the negative. After standing and straightening her clothes, Jasper addressed her.
“Did that scum hurt you?”
“He groped my boobs and tried to shove his tongue down my throat. So, I bit his tongue off,” Rosalie huffed. Her voice was strained as if she had been screaming.
Alice laughed, easing the tension a little. The rest joined in for a moment before turning serious again.
“Have you seen Bella?” Edward asked.
“I heard him bring someone in, but I didn’t know if it was her. I was just coming to,” Rosalie explained.
“Okay, can you walk? We need to find Emmett and Bella,” Jasper asked and looked to Edward who was holding the creep up. “Guess we need to drag him along. Feel up to it, Edward?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Edward feared that Bella had probably been assaulted as Rosalie had, so he wanted to find her as soon as possible.
The group of five explored the employee access area of the ride. Instead of leading, Jasper stuck to Rosalie's side, who was clearly more injured than she let them know. Edward led the group, and as they reached the platform where they started, his frustration got the best of him.
“Damn it! Where are they, asshole?” Edward asked the creep after shoving him into a wall.
The creep laughed evilly. Edward almost missed his side glance to the woods. Then the creep smiled. “You’ll never find them.”
Dread filled Edward’s body as he stood in shock, looking at the face of pure evil. Had he lost his soul mate as soon as he had found her? It seemed too cruel to be true.
~ @~&~@~
“Hold on, Bella. I’m coming for you,” Chief Charles Swan muttered for the umpteenth time as he traveled down the highway going faster than he’d ever driven his police cruiser before. His lights and sirens seemed to do little to clear traffic out of his path. Damn people with their cell phones glued to the sides of their faces, he grumbled.
Just the thought of Bella possibly hurt and needing him fueled his anger. God help whoever had taken his little girl!
~ @~&~@~
Wincing and groaning in pain as she awoke from unconsciousness, Bella tried her hardest to keep her eyes open. She remembered being hit in the back of the head, but that was it. She swore that she could still feel blood dripping down her back, but that could've been her imagination. She couldn’t move her arms or legs, so she concluded she was bound with rope. And what was the nastiness in her mouth?
Bella forced herself to cough hard enough so that the cloth stuffed in her mouth would come out. After several tries that hurt like hell, she was finally successful. She tried to laugh at her small success, but it hurt. Sneezing, she realized she was somewhere dusty. And had she been kicked? That sneeze hurt more than it should have. She frowned and wondered what in the world she had ever done to the guy that took her. Or was she taken randomly?
Thinking about her predicament made her head hurt. Everything hurt. She was in pretty bad shape and hoped for a rescue soon. Figuring she needed to rest in case the guy came back and she needed to fight him some more, she succumbed to sleep.
~ @~&~@~
“Rosie! Can you hear me?! Hello! Can anyone hear me?!” Emmett yelled as loud as he could. It was pitch black, his head hurt, and it felt like he was bleeding.
Emmett thought he heard voices. “In here! Hello! In here!” he yelled, trying desperately to gain a rescuer’s attention.
When no one came, he cried. The dark had always scared him, so he was about to lose his shit. After a few minutes, he calmed and listened for help. Rosalie was out there somewhere and no doubt needed him. With newfound determination, he tried to walk towards the new voices.
“Edward! Wait!” Alice pleaded.
“Al-ice!” Emmett yelled at the top of his voice. Hoping it was enough because his throat was raw after that one, he panted.
A light shone through cracks in a wall in front of him. Ecstatic to see light, Emmett quickly ran towards it and pounded on the wall.
“Jazzy! Officer! Over here!” Alice called. She could barely make out Emmett’s form through the cracks.
“Jesus! What’s that?” Officer Uley questioned what he was looking at. It was something straight out of a horror movie, and that mental picture was not helping the rookie. He was glad to be helping this group of nice college kids from Seattle.
“Just an old garden shed, Emmett. We’ll get you out in a jiffy!” Alice replied for Emmett’s benefit.
Until all three of them were outside the wall, Emmett hadn’t been able to tell where he was. Now that he knew, he wished he didn’t. Above his head and along the far wall were all sorts of small hand-held tools for yard work and other outdoor chores, along with menacing-looking tools like scythes. Directly behind him was a workbench with a mounted circular saw. The safety guard was off, so if Emmett had backed up earlier instead of moving forward, the saw would’ve been in his back. Shaking his head to keep the bad thoughts away, he focused on the three people outside attempting his rescue.
“Do you have your cell phone on you, Emmett?” Jasper asked. He fumbled around, checking his pockets but came up empty.
“No. Damn it!” Emmett kicked the floor in frustration, which hurt his foot. “Ow! Damn it!”
“Here. Take mine, man.” Jasper said as he slid it through the slits in the wall.
“Hey, did you find your sister, man? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, we did, Emmett. She’s on her way to the hospital, so we gotta wait and see,” Jasper replied, somewhat guarded.
“Thank God. Thinking of her was the only thing keeping me going, man. Fucker in the mask whacked me over the head something fierce and dragged me away from her. I couldn’t stop him,” Emmett wailed. “Oh, God! Tell me he didn’t touch her!”
Just then Officer Uley swung an ax to break the chains off the door.
“Jesus!” Emmett and Jasper shouted and jumped back. Emmett dropped Jasper’s phone and crouched in a fighting stance facing the door.
“Sorry!” Officer Uley replied sheepishly. “One more time should do it!” he yelled and swung. True to his word, the chain fell to the ground. He pulled the door open thinking that Emmett would run out.
However, instead, a rope that had been rigged to a pulley pulled the trigger of a mechanism that released a bowie knife. Emmett didn’t know what happened to him until the knife was already embedded in his shoulder. The impact threw him onto his back in the middle of the shed.
“Oh no! Emmett!” Alice cried.
“Oh shit!” Officer Uley muttered and raced in to help. Immediately grabbing the com on his shoulder, he requested another ambulance and back up.
Jasper took his belt off and Officer Uley wrapped it around Emmett’s shoulder. Emmett reacted to the tight belt and then coughed up blood.
“I found some paper towels,” Alice offered.
“Tell Rosie I love her,” Emmett whisper-yelled before he passed out.
Alice screamed.
~ @~&~@~
“Bella. Bella, wake up.” Edward whispered into his phone. “Alice, she’s not responding.”
“Just stay with her, Edward. I’ll text you Chief Swan’s number. Emmett’s going to the same hospital as Rosalie, so Jazz and I are leaving the park so we can get there. I knew you'd find her.”
“Of course, Alice. Go. I hope they’re okay.”
“Thanks. I hope so, too.”
Edward turned to face Bella. He was relieved beyond words to have found her, but now he was sick with worry because she was unconscious and he didn't know how long she had been out.
“Edward! Bella!”
Since the creep had been arrested, Edward knew the voice belonged to the officer he had met briefly earlier. Forcing himself to leave Bella’s side, Edward got up and stood, then walked out to the ride entrance. “Over here!” Edward shouted and waved his hand with his phone’s flashlight on to draw attention to himself.
“Hey, man. Edward, right?”
“Yes, I’m Edward.” He nearly laughed at the awkward situation. “I found Bella. Come on,” he said and led the way. “Careful. The floor is uneven. I guess this used to be a fun house.”
“I don’t know. This area of the park has been closed longer than I’ve been alive,” Officer Uley admitted.
“I couldn’t get her to respond to my voice. I was going to try water next, but I drank all I had in my bottle,” Edward admitted.
“I don’t have any on me. Maybe in my squad car?”
“That’s all right. Let’s just get the ambulance here,” Edward said impatiently. As the officer checked on the ambulance, Edward checked his phone for Alice’s text. Finding it, he clicked on the number and waited for Bella’s father to answer.
~ @~&~@~
“Breaking News tonight coming in from a horror-themed amusement park known as Unholy Acres located in the Seattle suburb of Redmond: 2 feared dead in an apparent attack at the park,” the overzealous news anchor led the eleven o’clock news with incorrect information.
Chief Swan quickly strode over to the TV and turned it off. “Damn vultures,” he muttered.
“This is so frustrating. Why don’t they come out and tell us anything?” Edward asked angrily and pulled his hair.
“I’m sure they will soon,” Jasper responded in a calm tone. Alice was curled up into his side. Her weeping had eased considerably since a nurse brought her a warm blanket about twenty minutes ago.
Edward and Chief Swan had only been in the waiting room for half an hour. Alice and Jasper had been sitting for a little over an hour when Emmett’s ambulance had arrived at the hospital.
Rosalie was currently in the operating room. She had made a turn for the worse and coded in the back of the ambulance. Emmett was not any better. He had lost a lot of blood and was also in surgery. So far, the doctors with Bella had said she appeared to only be suffering from a concussion but were running tests to make sure there wasn’t anything else.
Suddenly the doors pushed open, and everyone jerked toward the sound. “Family of Rosalie Hale?” a handsome, middle-aged doctor asked.
Jasper cleared his throat. “Here,” he responded shakily. Alice sat up and rubbed his back for a moment before he stood to greet the doctor.
“That’s okay, I’ll come to you,” the doctor said gently. He sat down and faced Jasper. “Wow, I can see the resemblance now. Twins?” he asked nervously.
Jasper nodded and felt grim.
“Do you have more family coming? Or --“ he began to ask before Jasper interrupted.
“Is she…Did she make it? What happened?” Jasper barraged the nice doctor with questions.
“God this so hard. I’m so sorry,” the doctor spoke quietly. “She was a fighter, and her strength kept me fighting for her, but the tear in her spleen—she just lost too much blood. I’m so sorry. I tried everything. I truly did.”
There was a gasp from Alice and then murmurs of condolences from them all.
Seeing how upset the doctor was relieved Jasper somewhat. He thought he had felt the moment that she had passed. He read the doctor’s nametag.
“I know. Thanks so much for fighting with her, Dr. Cheney,” Jasper whispered.
Dr. Cheney nodded and stood. “Please let me or any of the nurses know if there’s anything you need. Your sister will be in a private room soon, so you can see her if you wish.”
Edward, Chief Swan, and Alice shook Dr. Cheney’s hand in shared condolence and thanks. “Again, my condolences,” the doctor said before shaking Jasper’s hand.
“Thank you,” Jasper responded, almost robotically. It was as if the weight of his twin’s death was crashing down on his shoulders. He slumped down, nearly missing the chair.
“Whoa there, young man,” Chief Swan caught his arm and guided him into the chair.
“Jazzy!” Alice rushed to sit beside him, crying. She hugged him, but he didn’t seem to be able to move. The shock of his twin's death had set in. As if hurt by his pain, Alice jerked out of the chair and stood. “I need to call his parents. And Emmett's. I wonder how he’s doing back there,” she mumbled as she tried to pull herself together.
Edward pulled his sister into a tight hug. “I’m glad we’re all so close and are together at this moment so we can be there for Jasper. He’s in shock right now. I’ll go find you some Kleenex,” Edward said. Searching the room, he noticed Chief Swan standing by the exit doors to the hallway. He was on his phone and looked quite angry. And of course, the only box of facial tissue in the entire room was in his direction.
As if noticing Edward’s stress, Chief Swan hung up the phone, picked up the box, and headed towards Edward. “Looking for these?” he asked with a smirk.
“Yes, sorry. I didn’t want to intrude,” Edward quickly explained.
Chief Swan grunted. “Just wanted to update the locals. One of those peons should be here,” he spoke with anger rising. “Like that Officer Uley, the one who was with you when Bella was found.”
Edward nodded and turned to walk back towards his sister to hand her the box of Kleenex.
Just as his sister hung up the phone, the opposite operating room doors opened. This doctor was an older gentleman, with white curly hair that was sticking out in a frazzled state, as if the cap he just took off was statically charged. He reminded Edward of Albert Einstein.
“Are you the family of Emmett McCarty?” he asked hurriedly.
“Friends. His family is out of state,” Alice answered.
“I’m sorry. Have you been able to reach them? I need to speak with his parents immediately,” he urgently replied. “My name’s Dr. Denali.”
“Hello, I’m Alice Cullen,” Edward’s sister replied politely and dialed Emmett’s parents’ number on her phone. After greeting Emmett’s parents, Alice gave the doctor her phone.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Denali. Your son was admitted this evening with several injuries, the worst of which was a knife wound to his chest near his shoulder. I’m sorry, but he lost a lot of blood as the knife severed an artery. I tried to save him, but he was too far gone. I’m sorry to tell you all this over the phone and not in person. Now, he was an organ donor, so I need to proceed with haste in order to keep his organs viable. I just needed to speak to you as a formality. I’m so sorry for your loss,” he hurriedly explained. He handed the phone back to a stunned Alice before rushing through the same doors had just come from.
"Oh my God!" Alice wailed into the phone. "I'm so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. McCarty," she apologized before crying along with them.
Edward crossed the floor and enveloped her in a hug. "I can't believe they're both gone."
Chief Swan sat down, shocked that two of his daughter's friends had lost their lives. Tonight was supposed to have been fun, and it had ended in tragedy.
~ @~&~@~
The next day's headlines read, "Suspected serial killer caught at an amusement park," "A true horror at Unholy Acres," and "Grisly tale unfolds at horror amusement park, Unholy Acres. The suspected serial killer was a disgruntled employee." Chief Swan swept all the newspapers into the trash bin of his hotel room. Grunting at his sore muscles as he stood, he stretched and sighed as a few joints relieved pressure. He reached into the shower stall and turned the knob to hot before taking his clothes off and stepping in. Just as he was completely relaxed, the curtain was shoved violently to the side. Shocked as he was stabbed, he turned to his assailant. Another stab, this one in the clavicle. Registering the pain at the same time he recognized the tall male with dark hair, he gasped, "No, Jake!" A few more stabs and Chief Swan was dead.
"That makes eighteen, my Lord," Jacob proudly hailed. "I am ready to manifest into the beast!"
Suddenly, Jacob's consultation with the Dark Lord was interrupted. Several officers yelled, "Put down your weapon!"
Refusing to do so, Jacob was awarded by bullets penetrating his torso and limbs. As he lay dying, which he couldn't believe was actually happening, the Dark Lord faded from his vision. "Oh, fuck," he muttered with his last breath. The last member to worship the devil at Unholy Acres had died, ending the terror that had stalked the Redmond community for years.
