Coulro

Chapter 2: Guardian of the Gate

Nothing made sense. Why the world was suddenly colored in a strange hue, why the amusement park was covered in flames that never truly burned all the way through. Why I found muddy footprints of shoes clearly belonging to a child heading in the direction of the entrance. What's going on here? This can't be real.

"Zach! Buddy! Where are you? We have to go!"

No answer. Crap, what do I do? Should I call Veronica? They're going to kill me if I tell them I lost Zach. Ah, screw it! His life is more important than a scolding! I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I tried calling Veronica but the phone beeped out with a lack of signal. No, no, no! How can I not have a signal? I've never had a problem before!

My eyes darted around. I need to make a choice! If I go in there looking for him, I might spend minutes— no, hours without finding him! I should just run back to the party and let everyone know at least! I broke out into a dash. My feet wrestled with the now sludgy mud from the rain while my eyes struggled to find a path in the mist.

I ran and ran. I don't remember it taking this long. Weird. I kept running but didn't hear any voices or signs of human activity. That's strange, there's no way everyone left so quickly! We were only gone for five minutes at the max.

"Hey! Can anyone hear me!? Has anyone seen Zach? Veronica, are you there!?"

Silence. At this point I was starting to panic. Where did everyone go? Why is no one around? And why haven't I reached any benches or party decorations yet? I've been running for minutes on end.

I ran until I found a source of light. I called out but still no answer. As I approached the light, my heart dropped. The light that was shimmering was the light from the flames coming off the amusement park.

How is this possible!? I ran in the opposite direction without turning...what!? This can't be! I broke off into another sprint, this time making absolutely sure I ran in the direction of the municipal park. But after another couple of minutes sprinting, I found myself back where I started.

No way! I don't believe this! No matter which direction I go, I'll always end up back here...This doesn't make any sense!

After spending a minute kneeling on the floor, the distorted colors brought my attention. Nothing makes sense here. This is surreal. And if everything is surreal and illogical, then...then that means...this is a dream! Yes, this has to be. It's the only possible way anything works! I have to wake up then!

I pinched myself hard and yelled out: "I'M DREAMING! WAKE UP!", but nothing worked. I resorted to teething at my forearms and biting deep. But nothing worked! My palms began to sweat with nervousness. Why am I not waking up!? I need to wake up!

After pummelling my fists at my knees, I eventually realized that my tantrum wouldn't solve anything. It's a dream. It's okay. I just have to wait it out until it passes. Yeah...it's a dream. Definitely a dream.

I stood up and looked once again at the muddy footprints. None of this is real, but...I should go looking for him though...right? Last thing I need is for a dream to haunt me. I need to go save him. Just for some peace of mind.

"Just for peace of mind. Yeah...haha. Because this is all fake after all."

I gingerly stepped across the metal threshold of the amusement park. The emerald colored metal from before had now become corroded and chipped. Flakes of rust dropped out like ash, while soot from the fires above chirped with embers in pops and sizzles. I walked across the booths and hurried inside. I looked over at the tarps that usually housed customer support and other clerks. Nothing. No one else was here.