Fun=things that spin you around

[Cakemon-kun]

"Whee! Follow me!" shouted Jonelle, and started jogging towards the ride. Once she got in line she immediately started moving. Legs pawing at the ground, clacking her claws together, moving her antennae, whichever. "Ooh this is gonna be awesome! Not like those other roller coasters. They were only about 200 ft long. They were crap. But this has to be thousands! Oh my gosh! And all the drops and rises and tilts...I can't wait! Can you, Ellis?" The line had moved forward a significant amount and it was their turn. "Talk about luck! Am I right? Come on!" She grabbed his hand lightly but firmly and pulled him towards a seat. She jumped in. "Come on! Let's goooooo!"

[Deon]

Ellis chuckled nervously. Even though it was a rhetorical question, he answered anyway in a soft mumble that was barely audible. "Yeah, I think I can..."

He was suddenly jerked by her strange-feeling claw towards the coaster, and attempted to sit down in the front seat with Jonelle. Unfortunately, he was more than just a bit squished in the smaller seats of the roller coaster, different from the whirly ride they'd been on before. The guy running the roller coaster pulled him out of the seat and directed him to an empty one in the middle of the train. He smiled apologetically at Jonelle and strapped himself into the seat, clutching the lap bar until his knuckles were chalk-white.

"Let's get this over with."

[Cakemon-kun]

"Aw..." said Jonelle. She pulled the metal bar over her as well. After a minute or so, the ride began and Jonelle sighed at another awesome ride spent with no one. At least she would be able to talk to someone about it after. And the ride would still be a rush. But it wouldn’t be anything special. Nothing life-changing.

The ride started into an immediate climb. Halfway through it turned and continued its ascent.

Normally Jonelle would be tingling with anticipation. But now was different. Why? It was the same situation, just a better roller coaster, which didn’t explain anything.

The ride had just peaked. The people at the very front got to hang there until the part of the train going down outweighed the part going up.

This was going to be such a rush, but she didn’t know why. Something was stopping her from finding it out…Ellis’ face flashed past her eyes. Of course! The fact that she had a new friend but was barred from enjoying this experience with him. It would trouble anyone.

The roller coaster took a fast dive. Jonelle smiled when she thought of Ellis’ reaction. Priceless. The dive put her stomach into her throat, and that was always a rush. Halfway down to the ground, it took a turn and Jonelle laughed and screamed at the same time. It dived and then went into a smaller climb.

It can’t be that. I wouldn’t be so seriously bothered if it were just that. Why is this so important? Maybe it’s—

The climb stopped and the roller coaster went down, around, and then went into a loop. Jonelle yelled at the top of her lungs and after the loop, the coaster went down underground and sped up before bursting back out into the light and going into a climb.

It couldn’t be that. After all, I barely know him! How could it have developed into a—

The roller coaster stopped climbing and threw itself downwards and into a loop about 100 feet about the ground.

Maybe something was different. Maybe Jonelle was less concentrated than she was on the last loop and wasn’t gripping onto the handlebars. Maybe the ride was being a little more violent. Maybe, just maybe, she didn’t care at the moment. But Jonelle slipped through the bar. And she fell. Headfirst.

Had Jonelle seen the mess she had made, she wouldn’t have minded. She detonated her head all the time, and this didn’t look much different. But Jonelle didn’t see it. And although everyone on the roller coaster did, the only thing that mattered to her was that she didn’t see it. She’d never see anything like it again.

[Deon]

Ellis couldn't tell the difference between screams of anxious passengers, of anticipation, of exhilaration, and the screams of complete terror at witnessing the gory, horrific scene. It was the type of thing that only happened in horror movies. He hadn't bothered shutting his eyes, as he couldn't see where he was going anyway, and his hands were clamped tightly down on the bar, as if he was holding on for dear life. His stomach seemed to do a flip-flop at that last loop, turning in on itself and sending burning bile straight into his throat.

And just to let you guys know so that you don't get your hopes up, I'm never going on another one again. Especially not after this experience. Phew, that was a horrible ride! I felt as if my head was going to get torn off by the sheer force of the wind! Seriously! And those drops... ugh, I might actually vomit after this. Let's hope not.

The roller coaster ground to an unexpected halt after the loop, as the emergency brakes had been slammed on by the ride operator after he had seen the lone passenger fall from the coaster. Ellis had no way of telling that this stop was not on the normal agenda. He fumbled for the seat belt, undid it, and tried to get out of his bar, but it was clamped down tight on his body. Someone was screaming. Another person was sobbing. The pungent smell of fresh vomit singed his nose. There was a voice over the loudspeaker.

"Everyone, calm down! There is no need to be alarmed! You will all be evacuated from the ride as trained technicians assess the problem! Please do not panic!"

Did the roller coaster mess up? Ellis was confused as his bar was manually released by an operator who had climbed the steps on the side of the sharp incline. He was now trying to lead the passengers away from the scene, away from the dangerous coaster. Someone was hyperventilating behind him, in fear. What was going on? No one should be this scared. The coaster just stopped. These people had nerves more jittery than his. He shakily got out of the coaster, feeling around for something to hold on to, afraid of stepping off into thin air and taking the plunge 50 meters down. He sent out a quick radar to get his bearings, but it didn't reach the ground and was reflected off of the area he was standing on. He had no way to tell what happened to his friend.

Where was Jonelle? Ellis called her name once, but heard no answer. That was weird. Maybe she'd gone down before him. The man who had evacuated the passengers was shakily working on another bar, which seemed to be stuck or simply not working properly. Ellis tapped him on the shoulder, his unused eyes looking past him into the distance.

"Hey, have you seen my friend? She's pretty easy to notice... she looks like some kind of lobster or crab or something. I can't exactly tell."

Someone gasped. The man stared at him in disbelief, an emotion that Ellis could not see. He shook his head, thoroughly freaked. Would he have to be the one to tell this guy?

"You... didn't see?" he asked, his voice trembling. He pointed to the bloodied corpse on the ground. Ellis didn't respond.

"She's there, man. There. I'm really sorry." Ellis was starting to get worried. A sneaking suspicion gnawed at the pit of his stomach, niggling at the back of his brain.

"I can't see," he told him simply, cautiously, his voice slow and careful. The guy didn't say anything; his face merely twisted into a look of shock, pity, and fear. He didn't want to do this. This kind of stuff wasn't his job.

The technician had been looking over the now-empty car; he had come up to the coaster with the other operator who was releasing people from the train. The technician now walked carefully over to the operator, his voice composed, and whispered something. Ellis' keen ears caught the end of his sentence.


"...a faulty bar. It wasn't secured properly, and opened up when the weight was put on it, allowing the passenger to fall through. The seat belt was unused."

Shock washed over Ellis' face as the stomach acid once more crept into his throat, stinging the skin. "Someone... fell?" he asked slowly, knowing the answer before anyone spoke. The operator nodded and made a small sound. Ellis took the sound to be an agreement. His voice dropped down to a whisper. "...Who?"

Silence. But that silence answered his question. He swayed for a second, nearly falling onto the train, losing his balance in the intense shock. No way. No. No. It couldn't be.

He was still in disbelief as he was guided down the stairs by a hand on his back, nearly tripping on the last unexpected step. He stood on the platform where the coaster started and docked, staring into the emptiness that was his world, making no sounds.

He slowly opened the cell phone in his pants pocket and hit the speeddial his fingers had memorized long ago.

"Yeah, John. I need you to come and get me."