Streets of Panic Park

  “See?” he said, turning back to us. “I can do anything I want. ANYTHING!”

  Luke huddled close to me. He kept swallowing hard, trying not to puke.

  The Menace raised Jillian’s head by her hair. “THINK FAST!” he shouted.

  And he HEAVED the head at us!

  I screamed. Luke ducked.

  Robby Schwartz caught the head. He uttered a cry and staggered back. His eyes bulged with horror.

  And then his expression changed as he got a closer look. “Hey!” he said. “Hey — it’s rubber! It’s not real!”

  Kids gasped in surprise. I let out a long sigh of relief. “Only rubber?”

  The Menace laughed. “April Fools, guys. Next time it WILL be real,” he said. “Maybe it’ll be YOUR ugly head!”

  Luke wrapped his arm around my waist. His whole body was trembling.

  “Why are you doing this?” I shouted to The Menace. “Why don’t you let us go home?”

  “Lizzy, where are your listening skills?” he asked. “I told you — I need to keep you here. I need you to survive the most terrifying horrors I can dream up. I need to collect your fear!”

  He motioned to the shadow people guarding the entrance to the room.

  They floated forward like a fog rolling in.

  The air grew icy as they surrounded us. I began to shiver from the cold.

  A shade clapped a silvery bracelet on my wrist and snapped it shut. The bracelet pressed tightly into my skin.

  “Wh-what is this?” I stammered.

  I heard the metallic snap of bracelets. Everyone was getting one.

  “Don’t panic, people,” The Menace said. “At least, don’t panic YET!”

  He laughed at his own joke, and the shadow people joined in, chuckling softly.

  “The bracelets mea sure your fear,” The Menace said. “And when you feel fear, they will start to heat up and tingle. Oh, boy. So sweet! I can almost feel them tingling right now!”

  Matt tugged hard at his bracelet, struggling to pull it off his wrist.

  “I don’t think you should try to pull the bracelets off,” The Menace said. “You see, any hard tug — and they will burn themselves into your flesh.”

  The Menace leaned forward over the podium. “Go ahead,” he said to Matt. “Give it a try. I love the smell of barbecue — don’t you?”

  With a scowl, Matt let go of the bracelet. He balled his hands into fists but kept them down at his sides.

  “That’s better,” The Menace said. “Let’s get the show on the road, shall we, people?”

  My whole body trembled as I gazed down the row of kids. Everyone looked pale and shaken.

  Robby still held the rubber Jillian head tight in his hands. Carly Beth hugged Sabrina. Boone Dixon had his eyes shut.

  The Menace turned to the door behind him. “Bring out the Fear Meter!” he shouted.

  I heard the rumble of something heavy. Like furniture being moved.

  The rumble grew louder as someone wheeled the Fear Meter into the room. It looked like a grandfather clock, tall and narrow.

  The Meter was wheeled in front of the stage. And then the worker pushing it stepped out from behind it.

  And everyone let out a startled gasp. We stared at his purple fur, the yellow horns poking up from his head.

  BYRON!

  Byron stepped back from the Fear Meter and nodded at The Menace. He stared at us as he adjusted the straps on his overalls.

  “Why did you trick us?” Robby yelled at the tall Horror.

  “We thought you were helping us!” Carly Beth shouted. “We thought you were on our side!”

  “You thought wrong,” Byron replied.

  “Are you all totally clueless?” The Menace said. “Did you really think Byron was your friend?”

  “He lied to us like Jillian and Jackson did,” Robby scowled. He tossed the rubber head at Byron. It bounced off the Horror’s big chest and landed on the floor.

  Everyone started talking at once. Luke turned to me. “They really thought Byron was their friend.”

  “He tricked them,” I said. “Now we’re ALL caught in his trap.”

  “People, people, get a grip!” The Menace waved his hands to get us quiet. “You aren’t the only ones Byron fooled. He fooled all the Horrors at HorrorLand, too. They thought he was working with them to protect you. But he was my guy right from the start.”

  Matt shook his head. “I trusted you, Byron,” he muttered. “You gave me that Panic Park key card. I thought you were trying to help us.”

  “That key card got you interested in Panic Park,” Byron said. “That started you on your way here.”

  “You should feel flattered. My friend Byron is the one who chose you all,” The Menace announced.

  “Why?” Matt demanded. “Why us?”

  Byron crossed his furry purple arms in front of his chest. “I chose you because you all proved you were brave when you defeated those villains back home,” he said. “You NEED to be brave to survive what The Menace has waiting for you.”

  “We tried the Fear Meter with other kids,” The Menace said. “And … well … why go into the messy details? Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty!”

  “Why do you need us to be brave?” Matt demanded.

  “What are you going to do with us?” I cried.

  “Why do you want to frighten us?” Sabrina asked in a tiny voice.

  The Menace thumped his gloved hands on the podium. “Good questions, gang,” he said. “Keep thinking. Try to think of the most frightening moment of your lives. That will be a start.”

  Then he leaned over the podium, his face still hidden in shadow. “You brighter ones may have noticed that this park is stuck in 1974,” he said. “There was great fear in the park then. So much fear, it spun us into another reality. It stuck us in time.”

  Luke grabbed my hand. “Is he serious?” he whispered.

  “Your fear will bring us back,” The Menace continued. “The energy from your fear will return Panic Park to its place in the real world.”

  “I … I don’t understand,” I stammered. “How long are you going to keep us here?” I asked.

  “For as long as it takes,” The Menace replied. He turned to the Fear Meter. “I tried other kids,” he said. “But they weren’t brave enough to survive the terror. Byron says you have proven your bravery. We’ll see.”

  A grin spread over Byron’s face. “Be afraid,” he said. “Be very afraid!”

  Without warning, The Menace grabbed the brim of his hat — and lifted it off his head.

  My breath caught in my throat. I stared at his face, seeing it for the first time.

  Cold, dark eyes, ringed with black circles. A pencil-thin mustache beneath his pointed nose. Deep lines down his cheeks. A cold sneer on his lips.

  “How do you plan to frighten us?” Matt cried. “Tell us!”

  “Hey, buddy boy — YOU don’t ask the questions around here!” The Menace boomed. “I do.”

  “NO — I do!” a loud, shrill voice cried. “I ask the questions!”

  The Menace’s head spun around —

  — and I screamed.

  We all screamed.

  The Menace had ANOTHER FACE on the back of his head!

  My scream echoed off the high walls.

  I couldn’t take much more of this. I turned to run. But the shadow people were at the door, blocking any escape.

  When our screams died down, The Menace’s other face spoke up. “Keep it up! What a delicious sound! Yes! Yes! I love those screams of horror! Love them to death!”

  This face had a high, nasal voice. And glowing red skin, as if it were burning, on fire! The eyes were wild, big, and rolling crazily. Beneath its flaring bulb of a nose, I saw full lips over crooked teeth.

  The Menace had a dark face — and a face the color of flames!

  “Love it! Love it! Keep screaming!” the red face cried.

  And then The Menace turned around again, and the first face spoke up
in its low, deep voice: “As you can see, I’m not timid. I will do anything. I have nothing to lose — and everything to gain.”

  “Stop bragging! They get the idea!” the second face snapped.

  “I’m not bragging,” the first face insisted. “I’m telling them what they need to know.” He raised two gloved fingers. “As you can see, I have you kids outnumbered two to one.”

  “And two heads are better than one!” the red face declared.

  “You guys are going to bring my park back to the real world,” the dark face said. “By the power of your terrified screams.”

  He turned to Byron, standing by the tall wooden piece of furniture. “Start up the Fear Meter,” he ordered.

  Byron reached into the back of the box. I heard a click. Then the machine started to hum.

  Byron turned it so we could see the narrow tube on the front. It looked a little like a thermometer.

  The Fear Meter hummed for a while. The hum grew louder. And I saw a red line climb from the bottom.

  Yes. It was exactly like a thermometer. It had numbers etched on the side, from 1 to 100.

  We all watched in silence as the red line slid up … up … until it stopped at 20.

  “Oh, no,” The Menace groaned. “People, people — you must do much better than this. You’re just not trying, guys. Your fear has got to hit one hundred!”

  His head spun around, and the red face spoke up: “I’ll bet we can find something juicy to get that fear climbing!”

  He waved a gloved hand. The shadow people began to move. They floated silently across the room. They surrounded us.

  I could feel the icy cold rolling off them. I started to shiver.

  I couldn’t see. They floated over us like a black cloud.

  I felt a cold force, a pressure like powerful wind, pushing me one way, then the other.

  “Luke?” I called to my brother. My voice was muffled under the thick blanket of shadows. “Luke? Luke? Are you okay?”

  No reply.

  I felt sick. My stomach felt tight and heavy.

  I kept picturing The Menace and his two faces. Two faces on one head!

  How did he do that to himself? Was that part of his plan to frighten us?

  Suddenly, the shadows lifted. Light poured over me. I stood with the other kids, shivering from the cold. Luke huddled beside me, his teeth chattering.

  I raised my eyes to the stage. The red line on the Fear Meter had risen to 25.

  If this is how frightened we feel at twenty-five, how will we survive fear that reaches fifty? Or one hundred?

  I turned to The Menace. “Why won’t you answer our questions?” I asked. “Why won’t you tell us what you plan to do with us?”

  His dark eyes peered down at me. “You will help me get Panic Park out of 1974,” he said. “You will —”

  His other face spun around. “Don’t tell them!” he cried. “Just SHOW them!”

  He pushed a button on the podium.

  I screamed as the floor dropped away.

  I fell hard and fast.

  I saw the others falling beside me.

  My hands flew up as I dropped straight down … screaming … screaming all the way.

  “AAAAIIIIIIIII!”

  I landed hard on my elbows and knees. Pain shot through my body.

  I let out another cry as someone landed on top of me. My face sank into a deep carpet.

  Groaning, I raised my head and glanced around.

  We had all landed in a pile. A tangle of arms and legs and bodies.

  Groaning, I scrambled to my knees. My neck throbbed. My back ached. My heart was fluttering. I took a deep breath and held it.

  You’re okay, Lizzy. You’re okay.

  At least we landed on a soft, thick rug. Someone grabbed my hand. Matt. He tugged me to my feet.

  I saw my brother, Luke, still on his knees. He shook his head, dazed.

  I helped pull him up. Then I helped some other kids.

  No one spoke. We had fallen to the floor below. But everyone seemed to be okay.

  I glanced around the large room. I saw rows of black seats. A gray curtain at the front of the room began to slide open. I could see a movie screen behind it. A screening room.

  “Seats, everyone!” The deep voice of The Menace rang out from a loudspeaker beside the screen. “Take your seats. The movie is about to begin.”

  And then I heard The Menace’s high, shrill voice: “So sorry there’s no popcorn. But you probably won’t mind. I don’t think you’ll be too hungry after you see this movie! Hahahaha!”

  What an ugly laugh.

  My legs were shaky. My stomach still felt tight, as if I’d swallowed a heavy rock.

  Luke and I walked together. We took seats in the second row.

  I sank into the chair. It felt warm and soft. It was furry!

  I started to lower my hands to the chair arms — but the arms moved!

  The chair arms lifted up — and wrapped themselves tightly around my waist.

  I started to struggle — but something made me stop.

  I went limp and listened hard. Yes! I could hear the chair breathing. I could feel it pulsing all around me.

  The chair was ALIVE!

  Warm and breathing and alive. Its arms held me down.

  I sank into the moist fur. It smelled like my dog when she needs a bath.

  “It … it’s a living creature!” Luke whispered. “Lizzy, this is too creepy.”

  “Enjoy the film, everyone,” The Menace boomed. “A little history lesson. And also … a preview of some of the horrible things that I have planned for you!”

  The red face spoke up: “And, people, please don’t close your eyes during the scary parts. The Fear Meter is running. You know what that means. We need you to be afraid every moment. You can do it, guys. I know you can!”

  The ceiling lights faded. My chair let out a soft growl. I could feel its heart pulsing steadily.

  Another chair growled. I turned to Luke. Even in the darkness, I could see the fear on his face.

  Carly Beth and Sabrina sat in front of us. Carly Beth’s chair had its arms wrapped over her arms. She couldn’t move.

  The movie started. Black and white, like everything in Panic Park.

  It focused slowly. I saw a roller coaster. The sound came on. Kids on the roller coaster, screaming and laughing.

  The camera was in a roller coaster car. The car roared up a steep climb, picking up speed.

  And as I watched it rise, my chair took off.

  I felt it shoot up off the floor. Growling softly, it floated higher, picking up speed. Higher, toward the dark ceiling of the theater.

  Was this one of those fake rides where your chair jerks you all around, and you pretend you’re flying?

  No.

  We were all really up in the air. I could see the floor far below.

  I screamed as the chair tilted one way, then the other. I saw what was happening. Our chairs were all tilting with the kids in the movie coaster.

  I tilted back. The arms gripped me tighter. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.

  The chairs all tilted down and sank fast. Our screams joined the screams of the kids in the movie.

  My chair twisted me one way, then the other. And then, with a whoosh, it lifted me up again.

  I flew high, then came roaring down, squealing down, shooting down.

  Bumping and bucking. I felt the chair’s heart pounding with mine. Felt its furry arms tighten. Listened to its soft growl.

  And as I stared helplessly at the screen, the coaster car in the movie went flying off the tracks.

  Kids on the screen squealed in horror.

  And I opened my mouth in a terrified wail as my chair went flying out of control across the theater.

  Oh, no … Oh, nooooo!

  I heard a sickening crash in the movie.

  My flying chair had spun the wrong way. I couldn’t see the movie screen. But I pictured those poor kids … pictured them crashing
to the ground.

  And then my chair started to spin. It whirled faster, like a top. I shut my eyes.

  When I opened them, my chair was back on the floor. In the second row behind Carly Beth and Sabrina. I tried to shake off my dizziness. The two girls were trembling, too.

  The movie screen went gray.

  The voice of The Menace boomed through the loudspeakers. “Well, we went off the tracks there. I hate when that happens — don’t you?” He laughed.

  His red face chimed in: “That was the beginning of it all. Back in 1974. Things started to go wrong in the park. We lost a few kids that day. Big whoop — right? Win a few, lose a few!”

  The movie began again. It showed a tall, narrow stone tower. The tower stretched high above the park.

  A sign in front read: TOWER TO NOWHERE.

  The camera moved inside the tower. People were climbing stone stairs. The stairs wound around and around.

  As I watched them climb, the air in the theater grew warmer.

  People leaned forward as they climbed. The steps grew steeper. The people climbed in small circles. The tower seemed to grow even more narrow.

  The air grew hotter. Hot and wet. So hot, my nostrils started to burn. Drops of sweat ran down my forehead.

  “It’s … hard … to … breathe,” Luke whispered beside me.

  Yes. The air was suffocating!

  My face burned from the stifling hot air. I began breathing through my mouth. My deep breaths made my chest burn, too.

  In the movie, people kept climbing. Jammed together, they kept circling the tower, trudging higher.

  The screen went gray again. A spotlight flashed on at the side of the screen.

  The Menace stood behind a small podium. His hat rested on the podium shelf. His dark face peered out at us.

  “More annoying problems for Panic Park that year,” he said. “People climbed to the top of the Tower to Nowhere — and never came back down. We got into a little trouble for that.”

  He sighed. “No one understood me. My experiments with the outer limits of fear became more and more brilliant. But no one appreciated me.”

  His head spun around, and his second face snapped at him. “You think you were so brilliant? You were brilliant like an ox! I TOLD you the Tower to Nowhere was an awful idea. But did you listen to me?”