Zack caught the faint circle of light out of the corner of his eye. Almost too late, he crouched down and waved frantically for the others to hide as a security guard stepped onto the main walkway. Damn. The first two guards had been easy to spot, but this one must have come from a side path between the rides.
Andy and Matthew flattened against the wall and slid to the ground. Even in the darkness, Andy's copper-red hair stood out like a neon sign. Fortunately, he remembered to flip the hood of his jacket up over it. Where was Tim? The guard had stopped to check the door of a concession stand. Zack eased over to the edge of the barrier and looked back towards the ride. The missing teen was still decorating a wall with spray paint. Shit. The idiot was gonna get them all caught.
A chain rattled as the guard checked the entrance gate, and Zack dropped to the ground. They were pretty well hidden in the shadows, but if the guard came inside they were fried. The light waved around briefly, and actually flickered across Matthew's back. Then the beam snapped off and the guard continued down the path, oblivious of the four intruders.
Zack shivered in relief. This had started out as simple trespassing. No big deal, especially since they were all underage. Then Tim started with the paint cans after they'd gotten inside and the other two had joined in. Zack hadn't done anything so far, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that would make any difference if they got caught. Still, there was a crazy kind of thrill in sneaking around. The theme park was closed for the season, but there were still guards and cameras all over. It was sorta like playing a spy game.
Built in the middle of a forest, the theme park made use of the hilly terrain by dividing the attractions into different sections. They could have probably climbed over the fence which surrounded the park without getting caught, but there was always a chance that a guard would spot them. Instead, they'd slipped a small rowboat under the gate blocking a small river which wound through the property. By staying on the outer edge of the park, they could avoid most of the cameras, and still have the trees for cover.
"Gotcha!" Zack jumped as a hand grabbed his shoulder, but it was Tim, not the guard behind him. The older boy grinned and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Come on, man. Loosen up. Have some fun." He held out a can of paint. When Zack made no move to take it, he shrugged and started spraying the wall behind them.
"Hey!" Zack knocked Tim's arm aside, but not before his friend had painted "ZACK" in big orange letters. "You asshole! They'll think I did it!" Tim giggled and started towards the back wall. "Then you might as well join us." He tossed another can at Zack, who caught it automatically. Dark red. He started to throw it back, and then stopped. This was a new can, and the other guys were all using different colors. If they did get caught, maybe this would help prove that he hadn't done any of the damage.
Andy and Matthew joined them now, and they slipped around the back wall together. The next ride was a log flume, but the water was off and the boats had been removed and stored for the winter. Tim managed to paint a fluorescent orange happy face in the trough, while Matthew sprayed "EAT ME" in big green letters on the clear plastic splash guard. Zack hung back, not wanting to get involved in the damage. Andy went looking for something else to deface.
"Hey! Come here, you guys!" Andy stuck his head around the corner and gestured for them to follow. He led them down what looked like a tiny maintenance path, and pointed proudly at the sign over a large gate.
"Circe's Funhouse - A Fantastic Fantasy for Men Only!" Zack was puzzled. He hadn't heard of any new attractions, and it sure didn't look like the kind of thing they'd have in a family amusement park. Andy laughed. "For men only. Guess that leaves you out, Tim!" "Oh yeah? At least I don't need tweezers to pee!"
Zack ignored the banter and checked the gate. There was no lock, just a simple lift latch. This was his chance to be the brave one. "See you little boys later!" He threw the gate open and ran in. The other three followed instinctively, and almost knocked him over when he stopped dead in his tracks.
A collection of tents and buildings stretched out as far as he could see, all brightly lit and covered with balloons and streamers. There was some sort of heater going, for the air was warm and pleasant despite the winter chill just outside the gate. The whole effect was like being at one of the cheap summer carnivals that came through town every now and then. Except that there were no people.
Tim pushed his way through and looked around. "Holy shit! This place is huge!" Matthew gave a low whistle, and Andy simply nodded in agreement. They started in, and then turned back towards Zack, who had suddenly lost his courage. "Come on, you pussy!" Tim's remark was delivered with a sneer that cut through Zack's apprehension, and he strode past the others into the gallery.
Lights flashed and blinked everywhere, and the ground was covered by what looked like thick grass. On impulse, he looked up and gaped at what appeared to be a crystal clear night sky. He knew it had to be fake, but whoever did the special effects knew their stuff. Stars twinkled, and the moon hung full and bright in three-dimensional glory. The fenced-in area sure hadn't looked this big.
His puzzlement was interrupted by a shout from Matthew, and he joined the others at a large billboard which featured the most fantastic woman he'd ever seen. Any doubts about the adult nature of this attraction disappeared. Sure, the woman was dressed, but the filmy pink drape was arranged to accent, not cover, her obvious attributes. The overall effect was the most erotic vision he'd seen or imagined in all his 16 years.
"Man, oh man! I see the ride I want to get on!" Tim's wishful thinking was echoed by nodding heads. They were still staring when the crackle of a loudspeaker startled them. "Welcome to Circe's Funhouse, Gentlemen." Zack spun around, heart pounding. They'd been caught! He scanned the area for a possible escape route, even though he knew it was too late. Or was it?
"I'm so glad to have such fine-looking young men as my first customers." The voice was rich and sultry, a match for the buxom blonde on the billboard, not some security guard. Besides, if they were going to be arrested, the guards would have been here by now. Tim glanced around, and finally looked up at the speaker. "Is this place open?"
"It is for you. For all four of you." The voice no longer crackled from the speaker. It seemed to come from the air around them. "Please look around. You're sure to find your own fantasy somewhere in Circe's Funhouse. There are no rules, no restrictions. Your darkest desires, your most erotic dreams will become real tonight."
Zack gaped at the billboard, only dimly aware that his friends were similarly dazed by the hypnotic voice. Unfamiliar sensations were building inside him, powerful, strange, and very pleasant. "Come, my handsome young friends. Come to me."
The others were halfway down the gallery before the euphoria faded enough for Zack to realize he'd been abandoned. That didn't really bother him. He wanted to be alone, alone with the voice. Still, there was a wrongness that nagged at him. This was crazy. This was no family attraction. Besides, the park was supposed to be closed.
Tim stopped at one of the large tents, but the other two boys walked past him. For the first time, Zack realized that they were all going separate ways - the others had just started out at the same time. # C64S 2.0A emulation configuration
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The combination of curiosity and nagging doubts managed to break the automatic pilot guiding him down the gallery. The tent flap had dropped closed behind Tim, and the lights went dark as Zack approached. He pushed the canvas aside, determined to follow. The stench hit him immediately, washing away the last of the euphoric fog.
What the hell? Zack blinked, confused by his surroundings. This looked like a huge barn, filled with cattle. The props included cow pies that looked and smelled real on the floor - not exactly tourist stuff. Tim was on the other side, following one of the big animals into a stall. Zack yelled, but his friend seemed oblivious to everything but the cow.
He started towards the stall, only to have his way blocked by one of the beasts. Edging around her only brought him face-to-face with a second. "Tim?" Zack's voice cracked with fear, and he pushed past the animals and ran towards the stall. A loud bellow stopped him just short of the opening, and he stuck his head around the wall cautiously.
The cow was in the stall, along with a massive black bull which was trying to shake something off a hind leg. A sock? What was a bull doing wearing socks? There were other clothes on the ground, and he reached down to pick up the tattered remains of a red and black jacket. Tim's jacket. The fabric crumbled in his hands, dissolving into straw which mixed with that already on the floor. The rest of clothing shared the same fate, and free of the annoying sock, the bull approached the cow with obvious intent.
"No!" Zack spun around and ran, almost bouncing off a couple of the cattle in his haste. Where had Andy a