Hell's Army

Chapter Five- Heartless

The night time air was hissing and howling when Holly and Ingleseid returned to the Wittikins Puppets' Funhouse, almost like it was trying to warn them off alotogether.

Figley met them at the door. He punched something into the keypad, and it slid open.

"I can't thank you guys enough for this," he said breathlessly as they filed into the lobby. A blinking light skittered across his face in an eerie yellow glow, melting into the blackness beyond them.

"What can you tell us about Mr Wittikins?" Holly asked.

"Mr Wittikins? I don't really have much to do with him. He's always busy. Spends all day locked up in his office, doesn't even come down for the birthday parties."

"Have you ever actually seen him?" Ingleseid asked.

"'Course I've seen him," Figley said quickly. Then, "I mean, I must have. When I first started-"

"Had Tony ever seen Mr Wittikins?" Holly cut in, raising an eyebrow.

A soft, tinkling sound hummed somewhere in the blackness. Ingleseid frowned, strained his ears.

"Um..." Figley said as it got louder. Ingleseid could make out fragments of a bouncy tune.

"Guys?" he said.

"Has anyone you know ever seen Mr Wittikins?" Holly said.

Figley looked down at his feet. "They haven't mentioned it..."

"Guys!" Ingleseid hissed.

Holly and Figley's heads snapped round like obedient dogs.

"What?" Holly said.

"There's music playing."

"It's a funhouse, Ingleseid," Holly said irritably. "Of course there's music playing."

"Why would the music be playing at night?"

Holly and Figley paused, their eyes widening under the flickering light.

"Oh, crap," Holly murmured.

Figley flicked one of the switched, and dim, milky light flooded the room. They crept across the foam floor, puppets hanging limply around them like corpses. A red merry go round sat in the centre, golden horses standing to attention with little, black eyed puppets sitting perched on their backs.

Ingleseid froze.

The horses went round and round at an eerily slow pace, the puppets as still as statues.

There was a snap, and the funhouse plunged into darkness.

Figley let out a little squeal, and Ingleseid grabbed Holly just as the lights flickered back on.

The merry go round was exactly the same- painted walls, glittering horses, music hanging slowly in the air- only there were no puppets. They had disappeared.

"Ingleseid," Holly said very, very quietly. "Where did the puppets go?"

"Oh my God," Figley said a lot less quietly. "We are dead. We are so freaking dead."

"Figley?" Ingleseid murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Leaving now?" Holly asked.

"Definitely leaving now," Ingleseid said.

There was enough light for them to creep to the castle. Ingleseid glared at the shadows, ready to attack any tiny wooden creature that might pop out.