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TWO
COTY “T” RANOVER
I groan as another bump wakes me up from sleeping. I wasn't joking when I told them I got carsick, not just carsick, but so bad it was almost ungodly. Normally when the family took road trips across the country, I'd be doped up on Dramamine and sleep the entire time blissfully unaware of the ride. Now, I don't get that luxury. Still, if I can keep my eyes closed, I might be able to stop myself from vomiting all over the place. It'd help if I had a pillow, but that would have to wait until another time. The car started to slow as we approached a small town deep in the mountains. I'd never been to mountains before, and it was disappointing that I was missing so much of the scenery because I didn't feel well.
As soon as the car is stopped, I stumble out and put my head between my knees to stop the dizzy spells.
“Dude, you look kind of green,” Toby comments as he comes up to inspect me. “If you're going to hurl, at least try to do it away from me. I'm a sympathy puker.”
“I'll keep that in mind.” I mumble.
“Are you going to be okay? Do you need me to take over?” Cory's familiar voice asks. Obviously, we do our communicating via the brain to keep from looking strange. I felt crazy enough talking to him period, but doing so vocally would make it worse.
“I'm okay now. I promise.” I tell him, and I half believe it.
Another thing about sharing a body with someone is you can't lie to them too well. Sure, there are moments where he 'blanks out',as we like to call it, or I will. I guess you could say it's a lot like sleeping. Basically, we take turns shutting down for a part of the day so the one of us can function like a normal person and the other can rest. We try to keep this time even. I generally take the mornings right after waking up, and Cory has the night hours. He's always been a night owl whereas I like to go to bed early. He likes to party, I like to read, and if I'm blanking out at night, then I don't have to be aware of whatever he decides to do with my body. We have a system of rules, and I trust him enough to follow them. There are still things that I'd rather be oblivious too though.
Then of course, there is our overlap time where we work together. Now is one of those moments.
“Just say the word bro.”
“Yeah, I know. You'll be here.”
Yes, I do kind of want him to take over so I can disappear and pretend none of this is happening. But that's all I'd be doing, pretending, and in the end that's not going to help me or him. Too much is at stake for me to not 'man up' so to speak.
I took in a deep breath and then exhaled. The air is noticably thinner here than back home. I hope I don't get elevation sickness. Wouldn't that be the icing on the cake? My luck has never been too great.
“You okay?” This voice is female and I glance up to see Ipod leaning over me. She puts a hand on my shoulder and smiles. She has a warm and inviting one, and genuine too. I know she means exactly as she says.
“I'm fine.” I nod. “It doesn't take too long to pass.”
“Good, because we need to get to our next destination.” Ryan says and stands nearby with her arms crossed in front of her. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we can hopefully relax.”
I'm not too sure on this one, but I didn't want to burst her bubble just yet. My gut instincts and logic are telling me that moments of rest and relaxation will be few and far apart. I took in one last breath and then slowly stand back up. Low blood pressure too. If I get up too fast, I see all kinds of black spots. I adjust my glasses.
“Let's continue.”
Ryan nods and leads the way into the carnival. She scowls when Toby stops at a ticket booth. “What are you doing?”
“Gettin' tickets, duh. Ya need them to get into thin's like fun houses, last I checked.” He hands each of us a strip of small red tickets. “Yer welcome.”
“Thank you,” I say in a barely audible voice and stare down at the tickets. Toby rolls his eyes and half glares at me. I wince simply because I don't like hostility. Conflict and I were never good friends. Just thinking about it make me sick to my stomach actually. Surprising, I know, since I'm here for beating a man to death. Looking back on that night, I still remembering feeling queasy. I almost backed down as soon as I knocked on his door, but the minute he said 'Oh hey buddy!' like we were best friends? I completely lost it. The nausea replaced with pure hate. I hope I never feel that way ever again. But what was Toby's problem with me?
I take in the sights and sounds of the carnival as we walk, in search of the fun house Chance had instructed us to go to. I'm also on the look out for these hunters. They didn't come after us at the motel, but I think they were only trying to intimidate us then. Now, I have a feeling the gloves are coming off.
The place is busy. Lights are blinking all around to the point where I'm glad I don't have epilepsy because I probably would have gone into some kind of episode if I was. Loud music played from various different rides and stands, as well as the taunting and pleading voices of the workers trying to entice us over. And the smells! Grease, fat, and sugar fill my nostrils.
“Is that mini donuts?” Cory asks. “We need these.”
“Later.” I say.
“And a corn dog. A big ass corn dog. And cheese curds, and an elephant ear.”
“Just pace yourself, I don't want to feel sick in the morning. You know my stomach isn't exactly made for this kind of stuff. And you do remember I'm not exactly a fan of super sweet stuff.”
“Okay, I know you're grumpy from the car ride and the rude awakening, but will you please stop being a Debby Downer? I know how you are, thank you very much. Just trying to be a little optimistic.”
I bite on my lip, knowing he can't see it, and that he already knows the reasons why because one of the downsides to sharing a body with someone is they know all of your thoughts and feelings without you having to explain them. I can't help it though. He's right. Next I'm sure he'll be telling me I need to 'man up'.
“You need to breathe. Are you sure you don't want me to take over here?” He says in an unusually calm way.
“Yes!”
“Fine.”
I sigh, shoving my hands in my pockets as we speed up our pace. I see the fun house, and I shiver. It's ominous. Smoke pours out of its front doors, and it doesn't appear to be large in size, but I also can't see an exit so I don't feel comforted. We had the attendant our tickets and stare at the entrance.
“Here goes nothin'.” Toby says, and pushes Ryan in to go first.
“What a tool.” Cory says.
“Seriously.” I agree.
I move in after her, Ipod follows me, and Toby takes up the rear. The thing is, I can't find Ryan there.
“Any sight of her?” Toby asks.
I shake my head.
Ipod signs 'f-bomb this s-bomb', and I nod back at her signing,
'I agree.' That got a smile out of her, but I figured it would. She did say she preferred to communicate that way, and I'm sure she's happy to be around someone who understands her. I certainly know what that's like, but for different reasons.
Toby is missing now too, and I don't know where he wandered off too or if I'm missing something and bad things were going on. Whatever the reason, I grab onto Ipod's arm firmly, but carefully. 'Stay close.' I sign, almost afraid to speak. My words are caught in my throat, plus I want to focus on listening. Maybe I could hear footsteps, talking, something that would help us out here. All I hear is the smoke machines.
I step forward, which is really the only way to go oddly enough, so it makes me more confused about where Toby had gone. I don't get it. At all. As I walk, I keep my grip on Ipod. If I can touch her, I know she's there, and then if for some reason something were to take her, I'd definitely notice. I don't plan on letting her get away as easily as the others had. She doesn't seem to mind. She shifts my hand so that she's holding it in her own. It's definitely in a platonic way. Just hands clasped, no intertwining or anything. Don't get me wrong, she's cute, and a nice girl, but we did just meet each other. Girls are kind of the last thing on my mind anyway.
We walk into a hall of mirrors. The smoke is still all around, and it's disorienting to say the least. I put a hand in front of me so I'll know if I'm coming up on glass or an opening. Ipod actually moves closer to me and she's shaking slightly. I nod at her, trying to be encouraging. I open my mouth to say something and she shakes her head, putting a finger over my lips.
“I'm picking up a frequency. I hope they can't pick up mine. It's staticy, but they're tracking us through sound.” She says in the strange way she does her mind speak.
My jaw drops, how clever. No wonder Toby was so easy to grab, he doesn't shut up. Neither does Ryan from what I can tell. She's always barking out orders or something. This is going to make things interesting. Especially since the further we venture into the maze, the darker it becomes. Black lights are everywhere making the white spots on my plaid button down and jeans stick out, not to mention the white glow of Cory's crystal. I identify Ipod by her teeth and visible bra strap.
I'm getting confused in this maze. Especially since now I think I'm seeing things, things like other people. I thought I saw Toby and Ryan in one mirror, and then the next I saw men in suits with night vision goggles on. What exactly is this place? Then Ipod's grip on my hand tightens and she stops walking.
“What the hell...?” I hear her voice popping in.
I face the same direction she is and see in red, gorey letters, all over the mirror. Beware the funny man.
“It's gotta be some kind of a riddle.” I say to Cory. Two heads are better than one right? Three are better than two. I can't exactly sign to Ipod anymore because it's too dark, and I'm afraid to talk because of what she had said about the hunters searching for us via sound. I want to ask her if she's picking up any other interesting frequencies, but I have to trust if she's picking up something useful she'll let me know.
“Seems too blunt for a riddle. I think it's a genuine -.” Cory starts.
“LOOK OUT!” Ipod screams in my mind and pulls me closer to her just as a clown decides to take a swing at my head – with a bat. Yep, a bat.
“What the hell kind of a show is this?” Cory takes over, which at this point is fine by me even if he didn't ask. He has better instincts though.
I duck, I roll, and then attack, knocking the clown to the ground with a quiet grunt. I bit my lip, hoping the hunters didn't grab me next because of the one slight sound. Nothing. Ipod is still nearby, but she's frozen in place, watching me as I pin down the 'funny man'. Something about his body doesn't feel normal to me. It feels...dense?
“Robot?” I wonder.
“I think so.” Cory says.
The clown body seems larger than a normal human, and more stiff. He still tries to swing at me every once and a while, but I've got him pinned pretty well at the arms and legs. And if he's a robot then there's got to be some kind of an off-switch, right? I start searching around the ears and the neck, and he snaps at my fingers with his teeth. Where is it? Just as I think I find it, a knee makes contact with my gut and I go sailing through the air and smash into the mirrors behind me.
“Seven years of bad luck.” The clown says and he walks towards me, ready to attack. This time he's planning on using his fists. I'm gasping for air. The kick took a lot out of me, and I'm pretty sure I got more than a few cuts all over too from the broken glass.
Cory's in charge still, but even he can't seem to make my body work.
The clown stares down at me. It's dark, soulless eyes, are glowing purple under the black lights along with it's make up. “Looks like you're pretty f-.”
He never finishes the rhyme because Ipod has the bat and is beating the tar out of the robot clown. Metal hits metal, and she's stronger than she looks because I can see the clown's body bending and denting with each blow. Cory moves my legs to trip the robot to the ground, and she goes to town on its head.
“I. HATE. Clowns.” She yells as she destroys the robot.
I'm breathing hard, still trying to regroup from my hit, and manage to sign a quick thank you to her. I don't know if she notices because her eyes are fixed on the clown, and she's panting.
“The others are close.” She says at last. “Are you okay?”
I nod.
“I think you can talk again. The hunters weren't the ones using the sound. It was the clown, you know, until we walked right into him. I guess the producers are pissed I broke their machine. Oops? But the hunters are watching. I've seen them.”
“Why do you think they aren't coming after us?” I ask quietly, in barely over a whisper. I'm still nervous. What if she was wrong and a hunter grabs me and takes me away next? Nothing happens though and I let out a quiet sound of relief.
Ipod shrugs and then offers me her hand. “This isn't over yet.”
“No shit.” Cory says. I decide to ignore him.
“Are you afraid of clowns?” I ask her quietly. She nods. “Thank you for helping me. That had to have been hard. Where are the others? Do you know?”
“They didn't say that much. I wonder if they know I can pick up on their walkie-talkies? Something about the fear room? Which is funny, because this whole place is like a freaking nightmare for me.” Ipod says.
“Tell me about it.” I mumble. I search around us, trying to find which way to go next. I see Ryan in a mirror, and she's sitting, holding her knees. “There! There's Ryan!”
Ipod looks in the mirror and then behind us, and we're surrounded by the same image. I'm trying to figure out which direction she's in based on the angle of the mirrors and how she's showing up in them all, but I'm still disoriented. Then a hunter pops into the image. The man in the suit and goggles moves towards us, arms outstretched.
“Run.” Ipod grabs my hand again and drags me in a random direction. The hunters were done watching us. It was time for the real chase to begin. I have no idea where we're going. For all I know we could have been heading back towards the start. Soon though we pass through the mirror maze and we're surrounded by nothing but darkness. I hear whimpering, and at first I wonder if Ipod finally melted down on me, but soon realize it's not her.
“Ryan,” I whisper. Then louder. “Ryan?”
“I'm here.” She says, and I detect a hint of hope.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm not hurt, but I'm stuck. I can't see, and my foot.... I think the walls are closing in on me. The room feels a lot smaller than it did before.”
“The fear room.” Ipod said. “This has got to be it.”
“This should be-.” Cory starts, but then his voice starts to fade. The glow of the crystal, which by now has been the only light to see by in this black room, disappears and now we are left in complete and total darkness.
“Cory?” I get no reply. “Cory?!” Now it's my turn to panic, because if I lost him, then I don't know what I'm even doing here to begin with. I'm here because of him. I'm here for him. Take a deep breath. That's what he'd say. Calm down. Help the others.
Ipod is gone. She's not touching me anymore. I'm about to ask her if she's still around when the room goes from completely black to blinding and full of light. I shield my eyes, and I see her in the corner, having just pulled Ryan's foot free from some kind of snare. Sure enough, Ryan was in a small box, so no wonder why she thought the walls were closing in around her. It was a clever contraption painting a great illusion for her. In the middle of this room is a glass box. Inside the glass box is Toby. He shields his eyes and looks at us. He mouths something, but I can't hear it since the glass is sound proof. He's gesturing though at what looks like the lid to the box. He wants out. Duh.
I walk over, investigating the box. I see a latch with a lock on it and a note: 'the hunters have the key'.
“Great....” I mumble. “We need to find the hunters to get the key.” I distinctly see Toby mouthing out the question 'what?' so I show him the note. He rolls his eyes. “Ipod, come over here and talk to him so he doesn't freak out? I don't think he can hear anything we're saying.”
She nods, and we swap places. I go to check on Ryan, and I try hard to not feel numb from the sudden absence of my brother. I try not to feel afraid, because isn't that just what the producers want? They're aim is to make me so afraid I freak out. I'm determined to not let this happen. I notice on the far wall an arrangement of three flashlights. Or they look like flashlights, but more high tech versions. A sign about it says 'hunter killers: one use per can.'
Ryan sees them too and gets up, hobbling slightly on one foot while she adjusts and stretches the other. She grabs one, hands it to me, and then gives the last one to Ipod.
“I suppose we have to wait for the hunters to come and get us?” Ryan asks.
“Or we could go out and find them, but I could personally use a....” I trail off when I hear a lot of thumping coming from Toby's box. A groan when I see it is starting to fill with water, slowly, but filling with water all the same. Are you kidding me? Looks like we weren't going to be getting any breaks any time soon. “We need to find them I guess.”
Ryan nods, examining her flashlight hunter killer curiously as if trying to figure out how it works. I look back at Ipod and nod at her. Her job is to stay with Toby and keep him calm.
Together, Ryan and I venture back into the mirror maze. “Don't suppose you have any ideas on how to stay not lost?” I ask.
“I have lipgloss? We can try putting that on a mirror and making a trail.” She says and pulls out a tube from her jean pockets. I'm skeptical, but it's better than nothing right?
The hunters don't wait too long to make their presence known. I see three in the mirrors and realize we only have two of the 'hunter killers' on us. But maybe one would be easier to take care of alone without the other two mobile? We could hope. The trouble was finding them and getting close. They move constantly, and the mirrors make it hard to tell what is physical and what is simply a picture. Ryan is having a hard time keeping up with her lipgloss as well.
“Dammit,” She says through clenched teeth.
It's a lot like a dance, and I barely know the steps. I'd never been good at this sort of thing in general though. All of the movement is making me dizzy and I wish Cory would help me and take over, but he's still gone. I can't even feel him. It's like he.... I can't even finish the thought. I stop trying to keep up, take a breath and close my eyes. I call upon my powers inside of me. They're complicated, hard to explain, and not all too reliable. But I'm desperate. Break the glass. Without the mirrors confusing us, maybe we'd at least stand a chance.
“Break the glass.” I whisper, and I hear a crack, followed by another, and another, until all around us the mirrors shatter one by one. I find the first solid hunter, and point my flashlight thing at him. As I press the button, a beam of light shoots out and the hunter falls over, completely stunned. I go to search the body, biting back my fears. No time to be afraid. We needed this key for Toby. Please be on this one. I silently plead.
I'm not the luckiest person on the planet, but this is apparently starting to change because there's a medium sized brass key dangling on the neck of this hunter. I yank it off easily. “I got it!”
“Great,” Ryan says. “I'll try to distract them and -.” I hear her grunt as a hunter makes a grab for her. She uses her beam and he goes down, which leaves the one. “Hurry!”
She doesn't need to tell me twice. I run through the black path, the light from the fear room glowing in the distance. I charge over the broken glass for the door, the hunter is hot on my heels despite Ryan's efforts to keep him away. When I enter the room, my eyes have to readjust and when they do I see Toby fighting to get air from every pocket he could find inside the box.
I toss the key at Ipod just as the hunter tackles me to the floor. He notices I don't have it anymore, and starts to go after her. Well, I'm not planning on letting that happen. I tackle him, and I'm surprised by my own strength. Just like with the clown, I'm able to keep him pinned, but he's much more feisty He feels like flesh and blood to me – for the most part. Something feels off to me though, but I can't quite place my finger on it.
Just as I get shoved off by the hunter, Ipod gets the lid to the box off. Toby scrambles out, gasping for air and falls to the floor with a loud thud. The hunter charges, eyes narrowed in anger. I lock eyes with Ipod, and she tosses her flashlight at me. I'm barely able to catch it, let alone point and shoot. Somehow though, I do so, hoping I hit the spot. There's a thud, and then quiet.
Ryan falls next to me onto her knees, breathing heavily and obviously exhausted. I'm pretty sure Toby is puking and I see Ipod briefly rubbing his back while he does this.
Then I hear someone clapping. I raise my eyes and see our lovely host Chance Cagney in the flesh.
“Bravo! Bravo! You did much better than anyone ever gave you credit for.” He says with a smirk.
I'm kind of irritated by his jab, but I'm too tired to care. I close my eyes, and smile because I start to feel Cory's again. It's funny, but as much as it sucks to have to share my body with him, I also like the feeling of security that comes with it.
“Are you okay?” He asks me.
“Yeah, you?” I reply.
“Yeah, I just had a force blank out. Weird huh? What'd I miss? You feel like hell.”
“I'll tell you later.”
Chance is talking, and I'm not even listening. Oops.
“So congratulations. You have made it to the top five in our competition. You are officially in the running to escape your past and start a new life for yourself. Tonight you should celebrate, and rest, because tomorrow afternoon your next challenge will arrive. If you thought this was hard, well, I hate to tell you but it only will get worse from here on out.”
Great right?
“It's a pleasure to meet you all.”
I nod, too tired to say anything else. “Okay, I'm blanking out. Have fun at the carnival, but try not to go too crazy? I really need to sleep.”
“Sure thing bro. I'm proud of you.”
I don't even reply. Now that the adrenaline's wearing off, all I want to do is sleep. Blanking out is the closest thing I'll get to doing that while Cory is awake. My exhausted body is now his problem.
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