I've always hated amusement parks.
Even more so for their horror-themed attractions.
My idiot twin sister, on the other hand, loves them.
Loves. Them. Both.
"Bah!" my grandpa cried out, tossing his morning paper across the coffee table. He leaned back slowly, looking comfortable as he sank into his leather-cladded one person only couch - of which he had once mentioned was his most favourite thing in the whole house, jokingly adding that he loved it even more than his own twin grandkids. I can say for sure that both me and Alice didn't find his joke very funny.
"Is something bothering you, grandpa?" my sister asked, her eyes twinkled with excitement. She could tell something was up. And anything that was "up" with my grandpa was exciting. He was an ex-daredevil after all.
Unfortunately for me, I was never particularly fond of excitement. How come my sister loved it was beyond me. I don't know why they say twins share a sort of "special connection". Me and my sister were polar opposites, cat and dog. Definitely no special connection there.
My grandpa gave a long, drawn out sigh. Though he looked comfortable, his visage said otherwise. "Hey, kids, uhh... remember Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria? The one from my stories?"
My sister's ears perked up. "The Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria? As in the cursed and/or haunted family restaurant where the animatronics there could, like, roam about freely? That one?"
"Err yeah, that one."
"Aww c'mon gramps, why're you bringing up those old made up stories again. We're too old for that," my sister playfully teased.
Correction; I'm too old. Not my sister.
My grandpa moved an arm up to massage his temples, looking as if he was carefully considering his next move. I only ever saw him do this whenever he was making a life decision - one of those times being him considering the vegan lifestyle. Nonetheless, it piqued my interest.
"Look kids, those "stories" I used to tell you? They were real. Everything was real."
I couldn't help it. I finally spoke up, "don't you think it's too early for you to be getting delusional on us?"
"Let him speak, bozo," my sister immediately snapped. She looked excited. Definitely trouble ahead.
My grandpa continued. "Okay, so they're real. The animatronics, the murders, the legends, history, everything."
"Well, I'd like to believe you," my sister said, skeptical.
"I still think you're delusional," I piped in.
My grandpa ignored me. "Look, Aaron isn't prone to doing stupid sh t like me and Alice, so this warning isn't exactly for you Aaron,it's for Alice."
"How is all of this adding up?"
"Shut up, Aaron."
My grandpa raised his palm, his signal whenever he wants us to listen up. "I'm being serious here, you two. Especially you Alice. I know, for a fact, that you are gonna find out about this sooner or later so that's why I wanna be the one to warn you. Do NOT, and I repeat, do NOT go to Freddy Fazbear's Fright: The Horror Attraction at the local amusement park that you tend to frequent with your friends every week."
Grandpa's statement got both me and Alice blinking. With the gears up in our heads grinding at the same time - we started connecting the dots as to why our grandpa tossed his perfectly fine morning paper after coming across a certain article. An advertisement perhaps. Something that was connected to his old made up stories. Stories that apparently weren't.
Both our hands lashed out for the paper instantly, grabbing it at the same time.
"Let go Aaron."
"Let go Alice."
"You let go!"
"You let go!"
"Stop copying me!"
"Stop copying me!"
"Bookworm!"
"Stupid Junkie!"
"I said -"
"I said -"
"Enough!" my grandpa snapped, his voice raised. We recoiled back in momentary shock. I hated it when he shouts at us. Me. Even more so when it's because of my sister who occasionally - for some bloody reason, and definitely not because of the "special connection" twins share, which we don't - starts copying everything I do. Anyways, he snatched the paper from us by force.
"Here!" He pointed, his voice still raised. "This ad about the godforsaken bear. Has his own horror attraction now, bloody hell."
My sister snatched it back from gramps, holding it with both hands as she took a closer look.
"No way..."
Grandpa got up from his couch looking as if a major headache was about to settle in. Judging from how his eyes were staring blankly into space, as if he was recalling something, I don't think it was us two who had caused it. It lasted for a few seconds before he fixated his gaze back onto us.
"Do not go there Alice. I'm warning you for your own good. And Aaron, keep your sister out of trouble please. She takes too much after me."
I simply nodded.
My sister, on the other hand...
"Why did you fake it all? Why didn't you tell me it was all real?" she spoke as she made over-the-top gestures at grandpa and then to the paper.
My grandpa cleared his throat before he quietly said, "because I wanted to believe it wasn't. Take it from a guy who had worked there for six nights straight. Wasn't worth it."
"Grandpa..." I started, but he didn't turn back. He continued walking until he reached the stairs, out of sight once he went up. I turned to look at my sister who still had her eyes glued onto the newspaper page.
"You're not having any funny ideas are you?" I questioned, staring hard at her in a vain attempt to pull her eyes away from the newspaper page.
She was still reading the paper but from where I sat away from her, at that angle, I could see the corners of her lips curling up into a devious, mischievous, trouble-inviting smile. And that was her reply.
"Oh hell no, Alice. Grandpa warned you, didn't he? You can't go. His warning was super clear, like, warned-us-three-times clear. And by us, he specifically meant you. Plus, he gave me the daunting task of making sure you heed his warning."
"Don't get your panties up in a twist, bookworm. Since when have I ever been the type to listen?"
"Look, Alice. I know we agreed to never tell on each other - and trust me, I really hate being the tattle tale between the two of us - but the stories, you remember them right? Coupled with gramps's warning? Just doesn't feel right. So just this once, I'm going to have to tell-"
She slammed the paper onto the coffee table, giving me a little heart attack. She was glaring at me now, her brows furrowed and her mouth drooped. At least I had her full attention.
"We made a pact, Aaron. Using our own damned blood. Hell, with our twin relationship on the line."
"Yeah, but that was -"
"We made a pact, Aaron."
"But-"
"PACT!"
I groaned loudly as I threw my hands up in defeat, subconsciously rolling my eyes while I'm at it. Once she's completely smitten with something, she'll latch onto it like a tick - and most of the time, that meant using any means necessary to ensure she stuck. Trying to change her mind now is the same as trying to get grandpa to hold his gas in. It's just not gonna happen.
"Okay," I said, my tone low and humbled. "Fine, I won't say anything to anybody and you can go off on that little adventure of yours, you stupid adrenaline junkie. But don't say I, nor grandpa, didn't warn you 'cause that warning he gave was given for a reason."
"A reason, yes. One that I - and you - don't know."
"I don't plan to know."
"Oh but you're gonna find out soon."
"Excuse me?"
My sister flashed a quick genuine smile before regressing back into that mischievous grin. "You're coming with me, bookworm."
"Nope, not gonna happen."
"Aww c'mon, aren't you a little bit curious about the place? You don't actually believe animatronics can come to life, do you?"
"Don't you?"
"I don't. Or at least, I don't think so. But that's why I wanna check it out. Plus, it's a horror attraction. I love those."
"I hate them."
"I'm your older sister. You have to listen to me."
"By eight minutes, yeah," I snorted. "Why does it feel as if I'm the older one here?"
My sister turned quiet before her face deliberately soured. Suddenly, she didn't have that annoyingly sarcastic expression she always had plastered to her face whenever we were in any sort of argument - a look that I've come to despise as the years went by. No, suddenly, she looked like the Alice of old - mellow and more docile. And that reminded me of times when we did everything together. When we were a team.
In a way, I guess we still are.
"Okay, okay, okay," I said as I lowered my head in submission, shifting my eyes onto the newspaper page planted right in front of me, not making any effort at reading it. I was trying to shake off those nostalgic vibes. "I'm going with you just to supervise."
Hell, I'm definitely gonna regret this.
Alice cheered up immediately, chuckled even. "I'll be the one supervising you, little brother."
"Oh shut up."
She got off the chair, apparently satisfied with the outcome. It was so typical of her: she always wanted things to go her way. "I'm gonna get my stuff ready. We're leaving tonight. You know what to do, right?"
"Why, of course," I replied dryly, lengthening the syllables. "We're sneaking out of the house again. Not the first time. Probably won't be the last time too. I'll get my gear."
"The video cam too," she reminded before quickly turning to leave. She headed for the same flight of stairs grandpa took and practically ran up it. She sure seemed excited.
I wasn't.
Something was definitely fishy about all of this, I could tell.
Before heading for my room, which was not located upstairs by the way, but to the far left end past the kitchen on the ground floor of my house, I made an effort to scan the newspaper page, finally coming across the advertisement - raising an eyebrow after I did so.
The advertisement read:
FAZBEAR'S FRIGHT: THE HORROR ATTRACTION
LOCAL AMUSEMENT PARK IS GETTING READY TO SCARE YOUR SOCKS OFF WITH A NEW ATTRACTION BASED ON THE UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF THE FREDDY FAZBEAR PIZZA.
FEATURING DECADES OLD RELICS FROM THE ACTUAL PIZZERRIA THIS NEW ATTRACTION IS GUARANTEED TO BRING BACK YOUR CHILDHOOD IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY!
Well, no turning back now I guess..
