Chapter 33

The night air was thick with an eerie stillness as Owen and his friend Masafumi stood before the amusement park, a fence blocking their way. Masafumi waved his hand around to fight off the flies in his face. 

WARNING. RESTRICTED AREA. DO NOT ENTER. 

The red text on the white signs were deftly ignored. The fence was dark like the night sky and over six feet tall. Casually, Owen went ahead and climbed over the fence. Masafumi, with some struggle, did the same, falling splat on his face.

"I'm okay!"

Owen glanced over her shoulder, hands in his pockets as he scanned the amusement. 'I wish I could have taken Isabella here before.'

To the far east, outside the amusement park was where he and Isbaella had their date. A smile spread across his face and he began walking. Masafumi jogged and caught up.

At night, the amusement park had the picture-perfect silhouette of an abandoned location. No one was here save for the night chill. The pair explored the amusement park, glancing at the rides. The roller coasters, a bumper car area, a pendulum ride, a carousel—

"Security guard," Owen said, dragging Masafumi behind a horse on the carousel. A beam of light appeared on the path they had been on. Slowly, he and Masafumi turned around the horse to avoid the security guard. 

"I sense only one," Masafumi whispered.

"Sense? Or scouted in advance?" Owen hushed back.

"Both," Masafumi replied.

Once the security guard was out of the way, Masafumi led the way to their target: a restaurant. It was sandwiched between an ice cream store and a gift shop. Masafumi stopped directly in front of the restaurant entrance. The glass pane was blurry and they couldn't see what was inside.

"Man, this place gives me the creeps," Masafumi remarked.

"Aren't you the expert between the two of us?"

"Expert, not master."

"I vividly remember you saying otherwise."

"Don't worry, I ate muuchi before coming here. We'll be fine. Probably."

"You say that every time, dude."

"And it works! Call me double-o-seven: zero losses, zero failed exorcisms, and seven straight Ws." Masafumi touched the pouch hanging from his waist and sent him a grin. "We got this."

He was right, he had never failed him before and Owen doubted he would fail him today. Masafumi was many things: an idiot, loud, a bit annoying, stupid, foolish, impatient, dumb, and…wait, what else?

"Let's go!" Masafumi proudly marched into the restaurant, opening the door without a speck of hesitation. Owen trailed closely behind him.

The inside of the restaurant was like an abandoned Chuck E Cheese. Clean tables, random balloons strewn about, and a skunk mascot that jump-scared Masafumi. It was just a cardboard display of the skunk mascot.

"Sheesh, let's just get this over with." Masafumi made his way past the empty booths and chairs, past the broken arcade machines and faded decor. Each step made a noise, echoing off the walls and ceiling.

Masafumi kept his head high as he continued walking, while Owen was a bit more cautious, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. "Anything?"

"I do sense…tension." Masafumi sniffed the air and changed directions. Owen followed.

Eventually, they reached their destination: a large section of the restaurant filled with various arcade games. In the corner stood another one of the cardboard cutouts of the skunk mascot. The anamorphic creature wore a suit, adjusting the red tie, and wearing a big goofy smile. 

"It should be here…" Masafumi turned to him, shrugging. "Okay, then, let's leave."

Owen stared at him blankly.

Masafumi crossed his arms. "Wait, did that really not work? Usually, the ghost appears and then I would say, 'It's right behind me, isn't it?'" He glanced over his shoulder to check. "Wow, okay, seriously, nothing. Cool, cool."

Silence descended upon them. Then—

Clatter!

A plastic plate fell from a nearby table. Their eyes met, the message clear: it was here. They crouched and crept back to the dining area. Owen checked to see if something was there. 'Was that—?' A flash of white. He swore he saw it at a table connected to the wall and told Masafumi as much with a simple look. The exorcist touched his pouch. 

Owen raised his head to check their surroundings again. He craned left to right, trying to find the white flash again. His eyes gave him nothing.

But his ears did. An impossibly low hum caused his ears to perk up and his senses to kick into overdrive. He snapped back toward Masafumi and saw it.

A clawed hand was raised and an intense cry of pain echoed. Blood was spilled and Masafumi toppled over with three bloody scratches on his back.

"Aleeeex! Is that youuu?"

The voice was disembodied and inhumane. The woman in white robes grinned greedily, the sight of Masafumi's blood enticing her further. She was pale beyond human reason and flying without obeying the laws of physics. She had no legs, the bottom half of her body consisted of ribbons of white, and a broken belt went diagonally from her shoulder. Her complexion was cracked and her grin was akin to a woman having fun on a roller coaster.

Her cracked eyes made eye contact with Owen. "Alex! Alex! Aleeex!"

And she charged at him.

*****

Best Friend: Masafumi Miyagi

Strength: 7/10

Dexterity: 10/10

Constitution: 11/10 

Intelligence: 5/10

Wisdom: 6/10

Charisma: 7/10

Exorcism: 100/10