Chapter Four

Lucas, after speaking to Riley,  walks north past all the fun seekers looking for a way to sneak into the Thrill Zone. He's inspecting his camera along the way when a boy about the same age bumps into his shoulder and shouts, "Hey watch where you're going".

He ignores him and keeps walking but his friend throws an empty can at his head and says "Retard".

Lucas whispers to himself, "Why does it seem like this whole town is out to get me?".

He manages to get to the fence and walks along the barrier until he sees a gap large enough to squeeze through.

He looks around to ensure he isn't being followed then stumbles his way in.

He adjusts his hair while looking around, his mouth wide in amazement of the quiet and desolate surroundings.

On the floor he sees an old map of the park beside a knocked down trash can. He picks it up and looks through saying "This will come in real handy, it seems all the best spots are at the Village Square".

So he begins the trek westward stopping to take pictures and videos of the disused rides and run down buildings.

After a few minutes of walking he stops and thinks to himself, "Wait, why am I wasting my time walking? I should get there in style!".

He puts the camera in his case, pulls it tightly around his chest and starts running off the path towards his destination.

He jumps over tables, barriers and busted down rides doing somersaults and cartwheels wherever he can.

Within minutes he reaches the Village Square which is a shadow of its former self. The once vibrant centre of the park is now empty, covered with dust and trash with the only visitors being the rats and local wildlife seeking shelter in the rotting buildings.

Lucas pulls out his camera and takes a few pictures before looking for a good spot to start free running.

He picks a route, brings out a trampoline for the big finish and sets up his camera. With a deep breath he runs up towards a restaurant table and uses it to boost himself onto the roof of the old eatery. He jumps from the roof of the restaurant, to that of a snack kiosk and with a loud shout falls onto the trampoline but he misses his footing and tumbles awkwardly at the end. He rolls onto the floor and laughs to hide the obvious pain he's in.

Lucas gets up, adjusts his hair and dusts off his clothes as he limps toward the camera, grinning. He says a final message to the camera, "And that was extreme parkour from the sky runner". He turns off the camera and collapses on the grass exhausted and sore as he looks up at the evening sky.

A rustling sound comes from a nearby bush which startles him. He stares at it attentively only to see a chipmunk come out. Sighing with relief he drops his head and pulls out some leftover candy from his pocket trying to call it over, "Hey, come here".

The chipmunk darts cautiously towards him and sniffs the treat, suddenly it screeches and bites his finger causing him to jump up in pain, "Ahh God damn it!".

He sucks the blood out of the cut and says to himself, "I better leave before he brings his buddies along".

He packs his stuff and goes about wandering aimlessly around the park, taking pictures and collecting souvenirs small enough to fit into his pockets.

The day slowly turns into night and Lucas says to himself, "I better start heading back". On the way back to the gate he hears a loud bang and thinks "Must be fireworks".

Behind him he hears someone call out "Hey!" which startles him. He jumps and shouts, "Jesus Christ" but relaxes when he sees that it's Kevin, his friend from school, lounging on a broken coaster car.

Lucas adjusts his hair and asks, "What are you doing here?" Kevin responds "I work here,I should be asking you the same question".

Lucas responds nervously, "I was taking some pictures, looking around, nothing too serious".

Kevin comes down and tells him, "You shouldn't be here, there's a rapist around, I'm on the lookout for anyone suspicious".

Lucas says sarcastically, "You're doing a good job staring at the sky, you know I saw a really suspicious chipmunk back there".

Kevin laughs and walks toward him with his hands in his pocket saying, "But seriously though you're a good guy Luke, a lot of people want to blame you for what happened, but I don't think you did it. You shouldn't go back the way you came, head to the northern gate instead".

He pulls out a key and hands it to him, "Use this key to open the gate, you can give it to me later, also take this". He pulls out a knife from his pocket, Lucas steps back saying "What the hell man!" Kevin tries to hand it over to him saying "Chill, you need to protect yourself man, we don't know what this guy is capable of".

Lucas reluctantly takes it and responds, "What about you?".

Kevin says, "My shift is almost over, I'm heading back to report, as far as I'm concerned you were never here".

They shake hands and in the process Kevin picks something out of Lucas' hair telling him "You got a little dirt there".

Lucas runs his hands through his hair as he turns to leave saying, "Thanks man, I owe you one".

Kevin smiles and replies, "Don't mention it, what are friends for?" then walks off into the darkness.