"Before Dawn"

Chapter 22: Buckroe Beach

Buckroe Beach is hopping on this summer night, and Dawn is right in the midst of it. She's been inside of Buckroe's theme park for at least an hour now searching for Wesley Price. If he's anywhere for sure, it's here—where he peddles drugs for Beaumont "Mac" Reynolds.

Its humid out and Dawn had worked up a sheen of sweat. She's comfortable, though, in her baggy Chinos and shirt. Her Nike Air Maxes are old but are easy on her feet. She feels the weight of her .22 and an extra clip in her cargo pocket and her iPhone in the other as she moves. She's glad she popped some Motrin to mask the pain from her battle with Mortifer.

People are milling about everywhere, glowing in the neon lights from the lit-up food stands. The smell of popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, and the best of all—the aroma of funnel cakes—are in the air, teasing Dawn. Security guards are on patrol, enjoying the ambiance and carrying on as if there'll be no need to call the police for anything serious. Yes, Buckroe Beach's amusement park is packed tonight. The locals are well aware that the rides will be gone soon because the theme park is on the verge of closing—forever.

Buckroe Beach was never anywhere near as grandiose as a Busch Gardens or Six Flags. The place shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as those two gargantuan amusement parks. With only a 2-mile boardwalk alongside a 275-foot waterfront, Buckroe Beach is a place where the locals come for good food and entertainment for a small price. It's a place where access to rides require that patrons stop off and buy tickets at one of the many ticket booths dispersed throughout the park. Dawn notices that the rides are in dire-straits—but the lines for most of them were long—as she glides in between and around people as she makes her way through the amusement park.

She's coming up on the merry-go-round and she remembers when her father had sat her on one of the stationary, fake horses. He had stood next to her, supporting her with his strong hands as they went around in circles. The horses were more colorful and majestic back then. Now, their color schemes had long-lost their luster, and the horses themselves look as though they should be taken out to the pasture put out of their misery. Still, parents balanced their young children on them and even teenagers laugh and giggle as the horses they ride-on move in a frozen gallop, round-and-round.

Dawn walks over to the bumper cars. The pole running from the back of the cars to the ceiling of the wire grid hiss with electric sparks as the cars are driven on the black rubbery floor. The faces of the drivers behind the steering wheel of their cars are full of glee as they crash into their targets. The cars look as though one good hit from an opposing bumper car would make them fall completely apart. Moving on.

She gets to the Ferris wheel and she has the same thought she always does about Ferris wheels—boring and what's the point? The drop tower nearby—as limited as it is—is still way more fun and interesting than a damn Ferris wheel. There are a few other rides—new ones—that Dawn doesn't remember being there since the last time she was there when Wesley had invited her that one time. She figures it's one of the park's attempts to keep people coming in order to save it from shutting down.

Dawn makes her way through the parks carnival-type games. Tunes—Maroon 5's "Sugar"—is blaring from speakers mounted on poles spread throughout the gaming stations, creating a surround sound effect. The ball and bucket toss and the balloon dart draw the most attention from the park's attendees. Some win prizes, others shout in lament as they lose. An old dude with missing front teeth is standing behind the barrier to his "Ring a Bottle" game-stand, poised with a ring in his hand. "C'mon, little lady...care to try?" He mocks tossing a ring at one of the twelve or so bottles a few feet behind him. "Nah...I'm good," Dawn replies. He keeps talking, vehemently challenging her to give the "Ring a Bottle" a shot. Dawn keeps it moving, and she hears him swoon someone else. She clears the carnival-game area and sees the most popular ride in the amusement park looming—the roller coaster.