Fate of the Blessed

Chapter 7

Amara

The voice led me along the barren street, its grey hues and endless pavements bringing to mind an old black and white movie. It was mesmerising to behold. I stared in fascination at the odd window of neon pastel lights and I wondered whether anything dwelled behind them, but the quietness of the area told me this was unlikely. My bare feet flopped against the cold, damp cobbles as I ambled along, picking my path over the uneven surface. Trying to be careful not to fall.

The sound echoed along the street causing my heart to raise to my throat as I wasn't sure if it would attract anything.. unsavoury. The haunting melody of my name kept me going, straying further from the safety of the cottage.

"Come to me." The disembodied voice was almost sing song and despite the dread grew in the pit of my stomach, I had no choice but to follow it. I continued on in my trance-like state when I came to a sudden stop. The fog in my brain cleared somewhat. I stood with my mouth agape.

Could this place get any weirder? 

In front of me, the buildings faded away. The pavement morphed into fine grained sand that led to a well-worn wooden boardwalk. I let my eyes follow along until it led up into an old abandoned fairground. I settled on a flickering sign hanging from a rusted entranceway. Glowing bright white lightbulbs illuminated it, casting an eerie shadow. More than a few had been broken. In huge bubble style writing the words "Funland" were lit up, it left an eerie glow beneath the entrance. The imposing sign beckoned me to come inside. It appeared as if it was daring, not taunting me to find out what lay inside its walls. I figured it wasn't anything good.  

Funland? That I doubted.

I hesitated before carrying on and tried hard to drag my feet, but curiosity burned inside of me and despite my apprehension, I let the intrigue take over.

My brow knitted into a frown as I walked underneath the flickering sign. An old, dilapidated ticket booth stood to the right. For a moment I thought I saw a flash of light illuminating inside revealing a shadowy figure, but as quick as it came it disappeared. I stepped further into the amusement park. Old rusted rides filled the space like metal beasts imprisoning their prey. Aluminium behemoths that blocked out most of the night sky above.

Is this a good idea?

I followed up the middle walkway until I stopped outside of a broken-down merry-go-round. It held a sense of foreboding, like it was mocking me. A shiver ran up my spine, and the hairs on my arms stood to attention. This wasn't a fairground where happy memories lived. It was where nightmares lived. This entire world was like one big, psychedelic mind trip. An uneasiness had settled in the bottom of my stomach. The disembodied voice had stopped. It was eerily quiet, the calm before the storm. Silence was not a good sign.

I heard rustling behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck joined the ones on my arms, standing to attention. I tensed, my fists balled up so tight the pain struck where my nails pierced my palms. It will have drawn blood. I steeled myself to turn around, but before I did a chilly hand placed itself on my shoulder. Panicking, I spun around on my heel and let my fist fly out on instinct. It connected with a target. Pain shot through my knuckles, and I cradled it with my other hand as a cry left my lips.  

"What the hell? What did you do that for?" Connor said, dabbing at his bloodied nose. If looks could kill, I'd be dead on the floor.  

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry!" my hands flew to my mouth in surprise. He was the last person I'd thought I'd find here! Wait, what the hell was he doing here?

"That's a pretty good left hook you have there." He let a wry smile spread across his lips. His frown returned when he dabbed at his nose. I didn't like when his face scrunched in anger. It looked foreign on him to lose his boyish charm.