This isn’t how I envisioned everything going down. Lisa is supposed to be here, standing by my side, helping me. Will is supposed to be here, too. We could’ve been one big happy family, the four of us. It would’ve been nice.
Real nice.
But Lisa had to try and run. She ruined everything. I’m most pissed at her. Damn it, she would’ve made an excellent accomplice, but she didn’t want this. She tried to leave me.
And now no one can have her. Not even me.
I’m disappointed my boy isn’t here, either. I wanted him to see this. See me with his girl. But that was just a stroke of bad luck. Any other time and I would’ve found him. I’m stuck alone with his stupid little girlfriend who won’t hardly speak to me and she’s being disrespectful. I don’t like that. She hardly does anything but glare at me like she wants to take the gun I’m holding and shove it down my throat, sending a bullet through my insides.
If she doesn’t watch it, I’m going to do that very thing to her.
“Did you know I used to work here?” I ask conversationally as we enter the park. Up ahead is the main ticket booth, and I know for a fact that’s where they keep the spare keys that work all the rides.
When the bitch doesn’t say anything I continue talking. “Yep, when Will was a kid, I worked here for the summer. Ran some of the rides. Including the Sky Glider.”
No reaction. That’s the very ride I asked her to take me to, back when she was twelve and gullible as fuck.
“I know where they keep the keys.” I pick up my stride, letting go of her hand but aiming the gun right at her. “Don’t move.”
She doesn’t. She just stands there and watches as I kick in the door. It caves easily, as if it were made of cardboard, and I enter the tiny, crowded booth, spotting the keys still hanging in the same spot all these years later.
“You’d think they’d take the keys with them when they close up for the winter, but they never do. They never have to. No one’s fucked with these rides in all the years this shit hole has been open. Pretty unbelievable, huh.” I take the keys and shove them in the front pocket of the pants I’m wearing. They came from the guard I shot. I stole his pants before I took off. Left him bleeding out in his tighty whiteys and absolutely no dignity. Wish I could’ve done that to every guard I had to deal with. They’re all pricks.
But still she says nothing. Her silence makes me want to tear my hair out.
Instead, I ignore her, taking hold of her wrist and dragging her along with me. We turn left and head down the main walkway, past the silent, boarded-up game booths, past the various empty food booths, including my favorite funnel-cake one. The haunted house doesn’t look so spooky in the early morning light. More like it looks ragged and run-down, as if it’s seen better days.
I’ve seen better days, too.
There’s no other ride I want to go on but the Sky Glider, so I decide to do a test run first. The Sea Swings are up ahead, on the right, and I nudge Katie in the shoulder with the gun. “You’re gonna ride that.”
She turns to look at me, her eyes wide, skin pale. “Why?”
“Because I want to make sure the keys work.” I nudge the gun in her shoulder again. “Go on, get on it.”
Katie pushes through the gate and goes to the swings, the clanging of the metal chain loud in the quiet stillness as she settles into one of the chairs. It sways back and forth and she wraps her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill.
“At least smile and look like you’re having fun!” I yell at her. She gives me an incredulous look in return and anger fills me, making me insert the key into the control board extra hard, flipping the switches one by one. She’s lucky she’s not right next to me. I’d probably pistol-whip the bitch and enjoy watching her fall to the ground.
The swings slowly start to rise when I hit one switch and I smile in triumph, pleased to see it works. The ride will last three minutes, tops, and I step back to watch as the swings start to spin faster and faster, higher and higher. They fly in the wind since every one of them is empty and there sits Katie, clinging tightly to the chain that holds her swing up, her face full of apprehension and fear.
Good. I like seeing the fear. Bitch needs to know her place. We’re going to have fun first. Relive the good times before we end it. Because we’re going to end it, that’s a sure thing. I’m a wanted fugitive who escaped from a maximum-security prison. A death-row inmate, for Christ’s sake; the media must be having a field day making the wardens look bad. I’m sure they’re furious I snuck past them, but I’m not stupid. The order on my head is shoot to kill—I know that without a doubt.
So I may as well enjoy my time here before I’m dead and gone, right?