روزی در سرزمین وحشت فصل 20

One Day at Horrorland - Chapter 20

I tried to scratch my legs, but my arms weren’t long enough. Unable to move or bend in the cramped coffin, I couldn’t reach down to them.

The tingling moved higher.

I wanted to scream, but I started to cough.

And then the coffin lid popped open. Bright sunlight made me shut my eyes.

“Oh!” I pulled myself up to a sitting position. Blinking against the light, I saw the others already scrambling up out of their coffins.

I scratched my legs furiously. To my surprise, there were no spiders. No bugs of any kind.

The coffin had pulled up to a small dock. I braced both hands against the sides of the coffin and heaved myself to my feet.

“Let’s get out of here!” I heard Clay cry.

“That was horrible!” my mom shrieked.

Luke didn’t say anything. His face was pale, and his black hair was matted to his forehead with sweat.

“They really went too far!” Dad said angrily. “I’m going to complain.” “Let’s just go!” Mom told him.

We all scrambled onto the dock. I helped pull Clay up. Then I took several deep breaths of fresh air.

Dad ran off the dock toward the open plaza, and the rest of us hurried after him. “To the ticket booth!” he called back to us. “Right up there!” He pointed.

The coffin ride had taken us to the front of the park. I could see the front gate and the row of green ticket booths to the right.

“That ride was really gross!” Clay said, shaking his head.

“My legs got all itchy. I thought it was ants!” Luke declared.

“I thought it was spiders!” I told him.

“I wonder how they did that,” Luke said thoughtfully.

“I don’t care,” I replied. “I just want to get out of here. I hate this place!” “So do I,” Clay agreed.

“They just go too far,” Mom said breathlessly, jogging to keep up with us as we followed Dad. “It isn’t any fun when a ride is that scary. I really had trouble breathing.” “So did I,” I told her.

“Hey, how do we get home?” Luke suddenly demanded, staring at Mom. “Our car blew up.” “I think those people in the monster costumes will lend us a car,” Mom replied. “They told your father just to come to the ticket booth.” “Can we stop and get pizza?” Luke asked.

“Let’s get out of this place and then worry about lunch,” Mom told him.

The main plaza was totally empty. Not another living person.

We followed Dad to the first ticket booth. He turned back to us, making a disappointed face. “Closed,” he said. A metal grate had been pulled over the window.

Dad was breathing hard from running all the way. He pushed his blond hair off his sweaty forehead with both hands. “Over here,” he said.

We followed him to the next ticket booth. Also closed.

Then the next. Closed.

It didn’t take us long to discover that all of the ticket booths were closed.

“Weird,” Luke said, shaking his head.

“Don’t they expect any more visitors today?” Mom asked Dad. “How can they just close up like that?” Dad shrugged. “We’ll have to ask someone.” His eyes searched the empty grounds.

I turned and checked out the plaza along with him. Still no one in sight. No visitors. No Horrors.

“Let’s try over there,” Dad said. He started walking to a low green building that stood beyond the ticket booths. It looked like some kind of office.

It was closed, too. Dad tried the door. It was locked.

Dad scratched his head. “What’s going on here? Where’d everyone disappear to?” he demanded.

Mom took his arm. “It’s very strange,” she said softly.

I glanced at Luke and Clay. They were standing tensely side by side on the walk in front of the office. Neither of them spoke.

“Are you sure these are the right ticket booths?” I asked.

“Yes,” Dad replied wearily. “This is the front entrance.”

“So where can everyone be?” Mom asked, chewing her lower lip.

“Maybe we can find someone in the parking lot,” I suggested. “You know. A parking attendant or something. They’ll be able to tell us how to get a car to go home.” “Good idea, Lizzy,” Dad said. He patted the top of my head, the way he used to when I was a little girl.

I waited for Luke to make fun of me. But he didn’t say a word. I guess he was too worried and upset.

“Come on,” I urged. I turned and ran past the empty ticket booths. The tall metal front gate to HorrorLand stood just beyond the booths.

I stopped for a second to read a sign on the side of one of the ticket booths. It said: NO EXIT, NO ONE LEAVES HORRORLAND ALIVE!

“Ha-ha,” I said sarcastically. “These signs are a riot, aren’t they?” I jogged the rest of the way and reached the gate first. I pulled it, and it wouldn’t open. So I tried pushing it.

It didn’t move.

Then I saw the heavy chain and the large steel padlock on the gate.

Swallowing hard, I turned back to the others.

“We’re locked in!” I told them.