Christian stared at the vending machine's blood-red glow, the crimson light washing over his shaking hands.
His throat constricted as the machine hummed waiting for his decision.
Debt? In a twisted amusement park from hell?
Not today. He could already sense how this place wanted to devour him bit by bit.
He stepped away, hunching his shoulders as if expecting punishment for refusing the offer.
"Suit yourself," Hemlock chirped, maintaining her impossible upside-down perch, her digital hair flowing against gravity like underwater plants in a current.
"Most guests cave and accept debt within three hours anyway. Your willpower is impressive!" Her smile stretched unnaturally until it nearly connected with her ears.
He remained silent, fear tightening his throat as his eyes scanned the empty pathway for possible escape routes.
The instant he turned away, the atmosphere transformed. The music underwent a sickening change that sent waves of nausea through his gut.
The carousel melody slowed dramatically. Deepened.
Processed through distortion filters that made it sound like the death rattle of some enormous creature.
Each note stretched and warped until it became almost physical, hanging heavy in the air around him.
Orientation Ted lurked nearby. Christian sensed the mascot's presence as a crushing weight settling onto his shoulders, pushing him down toward the sticky ground.
Christian lowered himself and crept along the cotton candy stand's edge, slipping into the narrow alley between two attractions labeled "Whack-a-Dream" and "Clown Splash."
Faded wall paintings lined both sides, showing children with unnaturally wide grins and hollow eye sockets.
He kept to the darkest areas, his footwear making disgusting squelching sounds against the adhesive pavement that seemed to resist every step, as if trying to trap him in place.
A strange current passed through the air, carrying the scent of caramelized sugar and something distinctly metallic.
No. Not a breeze.
A pressure in the atmosphere, pushing against his eardrums until they popped painfully.
System presence. Watching. Analyzing. Adjusting variables to maximize fear response.
「Trait Activated: Anxious Awareness」
「[WARNING: PATTERN DETECTED]」
「You are being hunted.」
He hid behind a fractured bench, his heart hammering so violently he feared his ribs might crack.
Cold sweat trickled down his back, persistent and uncomfortable.
The passageway narrowed into a maintenance corridor flanked by filthy dumpsters, one marked with "NO BONES" in dripping neon paint that pulsed in a rhythm resembling coded signals.
"Hemlock," he whispered urgently, fingers gripping the rough bench surface. "Where can I find the South Gate?"
She materialized beside the dumpster, now sporting a small whistle around her neck that occasionally released high-pitched sounds without being touched.
Her uniform had subtly changed, now featuring tiny skull decorations where buttons should have been.
"South Gate's located past the Foam Coaster and Gator Golf," she replied, her voice echoing strangely in the confined space.
"But you'll have to navigate through the Orientation Zone first." She pointed with a finger that stretched like rubber, with bone structures visible beneath her semi-transparent skin.
"That has trap written all over it," he muttered, noticing how her shadow moved independently from her holographic form.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands with a noise like shattering glass.
"You catch on much faster than others! Not like Guest 4892, who insisted this was all just a nightmare until Ted surgically removed his eyelids." She giggled, the sound corrupted like a damaged audio file.
He moved forward, driven by a primal survival instinct that screamed danger throughout his entire body.
Past a broken claw machine where stuffed bears pulsated like preserved organs, their glass eyes following his movements.
Past a beverage stand where slushies churned by themselves, emitting low moans that sounded disturbingly human.
Past a blood-spattered photo booth with images still flashing on a damaged display: a young woman smiling, a dark shape behind her, teeth closing in, her next picture showing only a crimson blur.
The park lay dead, but never silent.
Sounds pursued him everywhere, children's laughter played in reverse, ride mechanisms creaking as they operated without power, distant screams looping endlessly like corrupted recordings.
Every footstep felt wrong.
Each shadow stretched too deep, as if reaching for him whenever he looked away.
Each attraction resembled a decayed tooth in the mouth of something much larger that was gradually awakening from slumber.
He turned a corner and—
There stood Ted.
The mascot waited thirty feet ahead, dragging its dented security baton across the ground, creating sparks that illuminated the crude stitches in its costume.
The character's head swayed side to side in a motion impossible for any human spine.
Stitched eyes, with visible threading even from this distance.
Decaying foam padding exposed through tears in the suit, pulsing with something that resembled breathing.
Christian held perfectly still, his lungs burning as he suppressed the urge to breathe, willing himself to blend into the surroundings.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Ted pivoted. Stopped.
The mascot's head angled toward Christian's position, its perpetual grin aimed at him like a weapon.
Christian retreated into the alley's curve, backing into a labyrinth of storage crates and discarded attraction props.
A clown mask with lipstick smeared like fresh blood.
A twisted fairy wand that sparked when contacting the ground.
A garbage bag moving by itself, contents shifting into shapes too horrific to look at directly.
「SYSTEM ALERT: Stealth Detected」
「Orientation Ted: Search Pattern ACTIVE」
He slipped into a side passage, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
The music intensified again, wrapping around him like barbed wire.
Hemlock reappeared beside him, whispering like a child sharing forbidden secrets, her breath inexplicably cold against his ear despite her holographic nature.
"You've officially entered the Orientation Zone! Ted absolutely detests rule-breakers. He also hates blinking. So whatever you do, don't blink," she warned, her own eyes expanding unnaturally, the lids retracting completely into her skull.
"What are you talking about?" Christian's eyes started burning sympathetically, a reflex making him want to blink more.
"Don't blink! He detects movement through blinking patterns. It's very scientific," she explained, tapping her temple with a finger that partially phased through her own head.
"Your corneal vibrations produce unique frequencies. Ted's stuffing material is specially designed to detect them."
Ted passed the alley entrance, his foam head scraping against the wall, leaving behind a dark, viscous streak.
Christian remained motionless, his face straining with the effort to keep his eyes open.
The mascot jerked once, like a marionette with tangled strings, then continued onward, humming fragmented notes of the park theme song, the melody distorting into something that made Christian's teeth ache.
He waited, his eyes watering painfully.
Five seconds. Ten. Each moment stretching into eternity.
Finally, he crept out and jogged toward the South Gate sign, half-buried under debris with its arrow bent skyward as if pointing to heaven, or something masquerading as such.
A dark tunnel stretched before him, its walls decorated with faded murals depicting happy families enjoying "Salem Hollow."
Disturbingly, their facial expressions grew increasingly distressed the deeper one looked into the passageway.
Beyond this tunnel stood rusted iron gates with a sign reading EMPLOYEES ONLY, the letter 'E' in 'EMPLOYEES' dripping with what appeared suspiciously like fresh blood.
Christian's lips formed a desperate smile, a tiny spark of hope kindling in his chest.
Almost there. Nearly safe. Close to finding answers.
A deep, inhuman growl resonated behind him, a sound no natural creature could produce.
He whirled around, muscles tensing in preparation to flee.
Ted stood perfectly centered at the alley's end, paws hanging motionless at his sides.
No footsteps. No sound to indicate his approach.
He was simply there, as if he'd materialized from the park's corrupted reality itself.
Head cocked at an impossible angle. Arm raised, baton crackling with electric blue energy.
「THREAT DETECTED: ORIENTATION TED」
「Behavior: Aggressive」
「Weapons: Blunt, Foam-Infused Baton」
「Weakness: ???」
「Morality: PARK-COMPLIANT」
「Notes: "Ted just wants to help!"」
Christian bolted, terror injecting new strength into his exhausted legs.
He sprinted through the dark tunnel, pushing past a fake mirror maze where each reflection displayed slightly altered versions of himself, bloodier, more desperate, one missing an arm entirely.
He rushed past an abandoned popcorn cart that mysteriously ejected fresh kernels as he passed, their smell sickly sweet and putrid.
Something wet struck his leg, briefly adhering before sliding off. He didn't stop or look down.
「Status: [Chased]」Hemlock: "RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN—!" Her voice degraded into digital noise, rising to a pitch that made his eardrums throb.
The South Gate loomed ahead, a rectangle of grimy light at the tunnel's end.
He lunged forward, arms outstretched, desperation fueling one final burst of speed.
Something impacted him mid-stride, knocking the breath from his lungs.
Not Ted.
A barrier. A rippling blue energy field that shimmered like water around his body, scanning him from head to toe.
「SAFETY ZONE DETECTED: South Gate Threshold」
「Access Granted: [Guest - Tier F]」
He stumbled through, momentum carrying him forward until he collapsed on the other side.
Ted halted at the threshold, baton twitching against his leg, leaving scorch marks on his own costume.
The mascot's stitched eyes stared at Christian with unmistakable hunger.
The character lowered its head, turned, and walked backward into the darkness, movements jerky and unnatural like a rewinding video.
Its humming gradually faded until blessed silence remained.
Christian fell onto cracked floor tiles, struggling for breath, each inhalation burning his raw throat.
This zone appeared cleaner. Illuminated by clinical white lights that cast no shadows.
The vending machines here weren't glowing red, they remained completely powered down, their screens dark and lifeless.
The bench didn't attempt to consume him, though its cushions were worn thin from years of use.
He had reached safety.
For the moment.
「New Area Unlocked: Backstage Lot 7B」
「Welcome, [Lost Guest]」
「Would you like to meet your GUIDE?」
Christian coughed and pushed himself up to a sitting position, wiping sweat from his face with a trembling hand.
"Hemlock," he called out, his voice raspy from fear and exertion. "You mentioned a guide was here."
"I certainly did!" she responded cheerfully, materializing before him and spinning like a mechanical ballerina.
"And your timing is perfect. Our last remaining Guide resides in this safe zone. She hasn't attempted to murder anyone for at least three system resets!"
She proudly displayed three glitching fingers, beaming with exaggerated pride.
The vending machine beside her suddenly shuddered, its frame rattling against the wall violently enough to loosen several screws.
The glass front slid open with a pneumatic hiss, releasing tendrils of fog that clung to the floor like living things. powered down, their screens dark and lifeless. The bench didn't attempt to consume him, though its cushions were worn thin from years of use.
He had reached safety.
For the moment.
「New Area Unlocked: Backstage Lot 7B」
「Welcome, [Lost Guest]」
「Would you like to meet your GUIDE?」
Christian coughed and pushed himself up to a sitting position, wiping sweat from his face with a trembling hand.
"Hemlock," he called out, his voice raspy from fear and exertion. "You mentioned a guide was here."
"I certainly did!" she responded cheerfully, materializing before him and spinning like a mechanical ballerina. "And your timing is perfect. Our last remaining Guide resides in this safe zone. She hasn't attempted to murder anyone for at least three system resets!" She proudly displayed three glitching fingers, beaming with exaggerated pride.
The vending machine beside her suddenly shuddered, its frame rattling against the wall violently enough to loosen several screws.
The glass front slid open with a pneumatic hiss, releasing tendrils of fog that clung to the floor like living things.
A young woman stepped out, her movements stiff as though her joints had been locked in position for an extended period.
Approximately nineteen years old. Skin so pale it was nearly translucent, with blue veins clearly visible beneath.
Dark purple semicircles beneath her eyes resembled permanent bruises.
She wore a tattered park staff uniform, her name tag scratched with what appeared to be fingernail marks.
Her ID badge read: Guide – Tier 1: LINDA
Her facial expression: Completely dead inside, eyes that had witnessed too many horrors and stopped feeling long ago.
"You're behind schedule," she stated flatly, brushing ice crystals from her sleeve.
"The orientation cycle is nearly complete." She glanced at her bare wrist as if checking a nonexistent watch.
Christian opened his mouth, dozens of questions competing to emerge first.
"Save your questions. Just follow me now. The next evaluation begins shortly," she interrupted, already turning away.
"And trust me, you don't want to be caught outside when the Park undergoes its shift." A slight tremor ran through her body at some remembered horror.
「Quest Complete: Survive Orientation」
「Reward: Access to the Guide」
「New Quest: "Onboarding Ritual"」
「Objective: Participate in mandatory team-building」
「Warning: Failure may result in Team Liquidation」
Christian stared at her, his expression a mixture of confusion and desperate hope.
Linda stared back unflinchingly, a history of unspeakable horrors written in the tight line of her mouth.
Hemlock floated behind them, her too-wide smile fixed in place, fingers elongating into impossible shapes as she gestured toward a door that had not existed moments before.
"Who's ready to make friends?" she chirped, her voice coated with artificial sweetness that failed to mask the underlying menace.
"Team activities are so much more exciting when your survival depends on them!"
