Why do I keep doing this to myself, Vukosava thought. Why does it keep happening to me? It’s moments like these where she can’t help but stare up into the ceiling, it’s speckly like a heat rash with the ceiling fan casting shadows on the walls. “Just breathe, don’t panic. It’s all going to be fine.”

  Vukosava carries these words unconsciously.

  The sun doesn’t wait for anyone. “Get up, sleepy heads, we have a pce to be!”

  John is marching from the corridor into the bedrooms like a drill sergeant. James gives him a mock salute before grabbing his bag with the filming gear.

  “Reporting in, sir!”

  Nathen yawns. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

  Harley and Amber are ready to go.

  “You’re really going all in, aren’t you?” Vukosava asks. “Have you decided to trade in your license for another one?”

  “I want to get the show on the road. The earlier we get there, the better set up we’ll be.” John isn’t kidding, everything is in pce for them to hit the road. A quick breakfast ter and they’re out. The skyrises and apartments get lower, level by level, and sure enough they’re getting close to the wildness that surrounds the theme park. Starfall Cliffs.

  The main billboard is still in one piece, with Starfall Cliffs going over in a big rainbow, bright and sparkly, done up in gold lettering. It’s got a rollercoaster looping around the letters like a shooting star. It’s hard to believe that a pce like this would fall into disrepair and be forgotten. An appealing image can hide a dark underbelly, Vukosava reminds herself, that’s basically the process for investigations. Whether idle or professional. Always assume that something is amiss, and it can be found.

  “Well, well, well, look who’s already getting ready to go?” John ughs heartily.

  “Old habits die hard.” Vukosava says. “You want to tell us about this pce?”

  “We’ll get the cameras rolling first. This whole thing will go on both our channels. It’ll have the whole shebang.”

  “I’m proud of you, John. You really have changed.”

  “Yeah, well, I had to. I can’t stay an idiot forever.” He fshes a big, movie star grin.

  “You want me to start the count down or what?” Harley asks. “I’m not going to stand here all day.”

  Nathen rolls his eyes. “Do you not want to take in the scenery?”

  “We got business to take care of – one is getting our channel out of the ditch.”

  Vukosava sighs internally, Harley always been a straight shooter. To her, it’s a source of shame that Lore in Tales, their YouTube channel still remains at twenty thousand subscribers. With Project: Terror it sits at 4.6 million subscribers.

  “What are we aiming for?” Amber asks lightly.

  “As high as it can go. Marcus deserves it.” Harley lowers her voice. “We’ll make it work.”

  It’s a good goal to have, Vukosava reflects quietly to herself. If they’re going to make a name for themselves, they need to seize the day. The night as well. That’s the part that concerns her, being in the apartment feels different. Out here, there’s a lot more nature to go around, a forest that climbs up the mountain, past bubbling streams. As long as she keeps her head on her shoulders and doesn’t lose it – she’ll be fine.

  John is getting James to point his camera at the sign before having it nd on them. Nathen is taking on cameraman duties for Vukosava’s team. The afternoon is rapidly approaching.

  “Okay, dies and gentlemen, let’s get this show on the road.”

  It’s a countdown. Three, two, one, go!

  “Welcome back! Boys and girls!” The whole gang drop it down, in perfect unison, like they’ve been doing this for years. “It has been way, way too long since our st video, but we’re back. I’m going to give you a special spoiler, right here, right now. It’s worth the wait.”

  It feels like old times, except there’s no Marcus, no Fredrick, no Gregory, no Barry. It’s like a phantom pain, Vukosava pauses with a deep rush of emotion going through her. She knows that amputees go through something like this – losing something that is so essential to their way of life only to feel a tingling at the end of their stump. As if the hand, the leg is still there. It’s the same thing for her now, they should still be here. In the light, dancing and ughing along with the rest of them.

  “We are at Starfall Cliffs built up during the time of the golden generation, from 1915 to 1927. This pce is packed to the rafters with interesting characters that we’ll be introducing to you tonight.”

  John starts walking beneath the billboard, his shoes crackling over the gravel path.

  On the outskirts are a broad collection of roller coasters, some for kids, and some for the older kids. The Wild Ride, one of the tallest in the world before it went into disrepair. Leap-for-Joy, and finally the Camity. It’s a historical rundown of the art of making coasters, as they slowly over time got more and more development. Beneath these winding, twisting tracks are a couple of old food trucks.

  “Anyone feel like getting a hotdog? Some onion rings?” James sps the door on one of them, getting a deep cough as the dust settles on him.

  “I believe that’s called karma.”

  “Yeah, I get given hay fever. That’ll show the naysayers.” He shakes his fist in the air.

  “The Camity coaster – because how can you name it that and not have any problems. It had a big one.” John is doing a beeline through the exercise course, monkey bars, swings and slides. “A lot of things started to go wrong with the park, and it wasn’t just the ticket prices. It’s now home to numerous deaths and countless unexpinable phenomena. A soldier went up this very coaster, right to the top, said his farewells. The very next day, the lead mechanic was dealing with something nearby, until he suddenly went up in fmes.”

  “Is there anyone else here – to show us the ropes?” Vukosava asks with a raised eyebrow.

  “For sure. Now, the staff members report that they’d heard screaming from the box.”

  “The box?”

  “It’s one of the maintenance sheds.” John points past her.

  It’s wrapping behind a Ryan’s Showtime Pizzeria – it’s old and vintage. With red and yellow panelling, and a banner full of different specials, the Exploding Cheese Xtreme, the Hotdog Supreme. Vukosava couldn’t help but smile, just a little. “I can already feel my arteries clogging up just be looking at it.”

  “You’d still like some, wouldn’t you?” John elbows her with a wide grin.

  “Watch yourself, Johnny.” Vukosava replies in a mock threatening tone. “I might be putting you into a pizza.”

  The others ugh heartily at this jest as John carries on with his overview. Nathen does a sweeping pan over the other eateries. Brainfreeze – the ice-cream manor done in a light blue with a tic-tac toe floor outside. Besties, candy floss and other sugary treats. With fairies and unicorns flying in front of a rainbow and a green field full of lollipops.

  “Will I be one of those special pizzas – what’s my name?”

  “Project: Bacon.”

  “That actually sounds decent.”

  The group continues down the path. “I’d have one of those right now. Now, back to the employees, they’ve experienced everything here, ghostly voices, stuffed animals moving on their own, and seeing the spirits of the Burned Man and the Marylin Princess wandering around after dark.”

  “So, we’re going to be here after dark.” Nathen says from behind the camera. “I understand the assignment.”

  Vukosava is standing in front of the Vortex, a carousel ride with spaceships and aliens going around in a circle, navigating through stars and pnets. “This Burned Man, is he fixed to the maintenance shed or has he been seen going around the grounds?”

  “Oh no, he stays right where he passed.”

  Harley looks over her shoulder towards the shed. She’s scribbling away in her book, her bck pen going over and over to create a scribbly silhouette. “I’m not saying I’ve seen him, but I get a strong feeling that he’s expecting us. He’s accessing us.”

  “We’ll get to him eventually.”

  They walk down to the tickets station, done up in an 80s style, with bright bulbs going around the sign. It’s a piece of novelty that the group can’t help but admire. As they go past it, the television screens remain completely white. It’s a case of being on and off, some of the lights and attractions remain active, yet there’s a stillness that seeps into everything. It’s a familiar feeling that’s gotten almost comforting over the years, something is going to happen.

  “So, dies and gentlemen, we have a pn. The most infested areas in this amusement park, is the rollercoasters. Area number two is the basement, because heading underground to talk with some possibly violent entities is bound to happen in all of these videos. Which runs under the entirety of the park filled with hundreds of stuffed animals.”

  Amber visibly shakes at that. “I hate those kinds of movies.”

  “Hey, I’m not a big fan of possessed dolls either, at the very least I don’t want some cutesy rat to get me with his hammer.” Harley snorts. “If that happens – I’m becoming an exterminator in my next life.”

  “For the final spot, also being the most haunted. We have the Lazer Tag Arena, aka, the Cyber Zone. At one point, a security guard confirmed on camera, that two young figures, one a boy, the other a girl enter the Arena at night and they were never found. There’s a story about these two figures that date way back.”

  “That’s not good, are there any traces or evidence suggesting that they were found at a ter point?” Vukosava asks.

  “You’d think that – but no, this is a missing persons case that hasn’t been solved to this day. So, we have a whole park full of ghosts and other spectral figures welcoming us to the show. Don’t worry, we’ll be introducing you to the twins further down the line.”

  John jogs up some stairs, going northwards from the Pizzeria and the coasters to the Prize Corner. There’s a good number of them, Bullseye – Balloons for the Elite, Clowns and Jesters, and Tub Toss.

  “Now, my friends, we’re going to be starting with the Wild Ride coaster.” John lifts his arms into the air, with Amber and Harley doing the same, imitating that they’re hanging off of it.

  The Wild Ride is huge in retrospect. It goes for a long way and goes pretty high for what it is. She’s certain that the camera couldn’t catch all of it in a single frame, James and Nathen will need to go from left to right to fully capture the old ride. John is ughing along with Amber and Harley, next to them is a Dunking Donuts and Water Gun stall.

  “I’m guessing this must be one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters in America.”

  “That’s correct. This thing is old.”

  “Back when wooden tracks and sleds were popur.” Vukosava notes with a hand on her chin. “Before the advancement of technology, when steel became avaible.”

  “Have you taken a course in rollercoasters?” John smirks.

  “I have a good memory for things that interest me.” It’s the truth, whenever there’s a historical subject or curriculum at school, whether it be an assignment or an exam, she excels. WW1, WW2, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge. The Tes Coil. A lot of prominent points in the development of humanity she could recall at will. The curse and blessing of an overly active mind. It can get exhausting at times – not being clueless. Always needing to know.

  “Do you like the thrill?”

  “I love it. I’m bit of an adrenaline junkie.”

  “You wouldn’t think it – but she’s the most daring one with these neck crackers.” Harley jabs her thumb at the rollercoaster.

  “It’ll do more than crack your neck, believe me.” A voice cuts through their conversation. “It’s good to see you, I’m Thomas Carlson.”

  “It’s nice to see you, Thomas.” John shakes his hand and the others follow suit. “Now, for those at home, Thomas is the Security Manager, and you’ve dealt with a lot from what I’ve heard.”

  “Well, you’re definitely right about hearing things, I’ve heard a lot of stories over the years since I’ve been here from different employees about things that have been strange. That also goes for our visitors that hear things under the rollercoasters. The Wild Ride’s got a lot of things going on.”