Disclaimer: Characters owned by Scholastic.
I can't believe I started this fic years ago and didn't finish it. I decided to take it down and re-post it after doing some editing. I'm not happy with my old writing.
Okay, so, Goosebumps was the book series that originally got me into reading. I still read and buy the books because I want to one day professionally write books like them for children.
The original Horrorland book is one of my favorites because I loved the concept of Horrorland itself. The version of the park seen here incorporates everything we've seen of the park from the books, but I've added in plenty of other rides and sections, many of them based off stuff from other Goosebumps books and some video games.
This story is a sequel to "The Beast From The East," focusing on Ginger Wald and her twin brothers being invited to Horrorland.
"If you go out in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise."
Ever heard that before? It's part of the lyrics for "The Teddy Bear's Picnic." When I was younger, my dad used to sing that to me at night, to help me go to sleep. But all it did was make me think of finding bears in the woods. Huge, bloodthirsty bears that wanted to rip me apart and eat me. I'd lie awake for hours after hearing that song, and when I finally fell asleep I'd have nightmares.
My name is Ginger Wald, and about a month ago that song, in at least one sense, came true. Only it wasn't bears I found in the woods. It was Beasts.
I should probably start at the beginning. Yes, I think that's best.
During my family's camping trip, my dad asked me to take my brothers, Nat and Pat, for a walk in the woods while he and mom set up camp. Specifically, he said to lose them. He was only joking when he said it, so, he didn't think we'd actually get lost. I'll bet he wishes he hadn't said that.
The two terrors were acting up as they usually did and were driving us insane. Nat and Pat are, you guessed it, twins. They both have round faces and brown hair in the middle and going straight down the sides. They used to act up a lot before our trip. It's understandable why they're so quiet now.
Anyway, as I mentioned, we ended up getting lost. The three of us wandered into the strangest part of the woods any of us had ever seen. There was rust colored grass up to our ankles, weird blue umbrella-like plants, trees that reached up on and on into the sky, yellow vines and purple cabbage plants everywhere, and bizarre animals we'd never seen before. Oh, and of course, the Beasts. Huge creatures with blue fur and pointed fangs that play a game like tag. Only it's not. Why?
The person who is "It" is called "The Beast From The East." They must tag another player from the direction of the east before the sun sets behind a large tree called the Gulla Willow. Whoever's still Beast from the East when the game ends is the loser. And the loser gets eaten.
We first saw the Beasts in a giant clearing we wandered into. There were dozens of them, with the same blue fur and the same long, jagged fang running down their chins. We had no idea what they were, but we knew we had to get out there before they saw us. Pat outran us, and so it was just Nat and me when the Beasts found us. And I was made Beast from the East.
There were two beasts I knew by name, Fleg and Spork. I could distinguish Fleg by his flabby chin and his chipped fang, and Spork by the empty eye-socket he constantly scratched along with the long scar going over his nose. They told us what the game was about, but that was ALL they did. No matter how much we told them we didn't want to play, they wouldn't listen.
Fleg and Spork wouldn't explain the rules to us. They kept thinking we played the game before. There were so many confusing rules and something about points that I never understood. Fleg probably thought that my asking about the rules was a diversion or something, so we could lull him into a false sense of security.
The whole thing was a nightmare. I was running around hectic trying to tag one of the other Beasts, but they kept coming up with different rules whenever I did. And Nat got stuck inside a penalty cage for most of the game. The only way out was for him to eat a tarantula. Blech.
I actually caught a break and tagged Spork, although I was stuck in the game until the sun set. I found Pat even though with the way things were going I wished I hadn't. I thought it would've been better if he found Mom and Dad. By the time the game ended, I was Beast from the East again. So the Beasts were going to eat us. Barbecue us, to be exact. But then Nat showed up, and for once their insane rules played in our favor.
Apparently, the Beasts didn't know what a twin is. They believed Nat made a copy of himself, doing a move called a "Classic Clone," which is something only Level Three players can do. Fleg and Spork and the rest of them said they were Level One players, and that Level One players can only play during the day. They directed us to a path that would lead us back to "our" world, but as soon as we left, another giant Beast stood in our way.
I should've kept my mouth shut. I should've just said we were done playing. I told this new Beast we were Level Three players. And, guess what? So was he. Just like that, the nightmare would've started all over again. But I was tired, sore, scared, and angry. We didn't stick around to go through a whole new round of torture. I grabbed my brothers, and we just kept running and running down that path until we heard familiar voices.
"Where have you been?"
"Oh thank goodness! What happened?!"
"Are you hurt?"
"Do you know how worried we've been?!"
I didn't feel safe until we were out of those woods and safely at the Ranger's Station. We sat in that wooden building near the park entrance, and while the ranger called for an ambulance to take us to the hospital, I told mom and dad what happened.
Of course the adults didn't believe us. They kept telling us that it was all right and we were safe. Nat and Pat were nervous wrecks and said nothing. I guess maybe I seemed a little hysterical. Mom and Dad thought our story was nothing but a case of shock. I was determined to convince them otherwise.
"But I'm telling you the truth! We were almost eaten by the-"
"Ginger it's alright." Mom told us. "The important thing is that you're all safe."
"Young lady," Dad began, "I'm sorry, but that's a pretty far-fetched story."
I sighed in exasperation. I needed proof. Proof that our near-death experience wasn't shock or hallucinations or rationalizing how we got lost. Real, tangible proof.
And then I remembered the marks on my hand. Whenever I touched something in those weird woods color rubbed off on my hand. Fleg called them "Nubloff Colors," whatever that means. I looked at my palm, and I was thankful that the multicolored splotches were still there.
"Here, look! Look at my hand!" I shouted as I waved my palm in their faces.
"What?" Dad asked.
"I got these marks when we were in that part of the woods. See? You see I'm not making this up?" I said.
"Ginger, this could've come from anything." Mom shook her head.
"Really?" Dad asked, actually taking my side for moment. "Have you ever seen blue sap before?" He questioned Mom.
"Have you?" Mom shot back. "Ginger, splotches on your hand don't really prove anything. Honey, it's possible these 'Beasts' you saw might've been caused by an allergic reaction to one of the plants in the forest."
"An allergic reaction." I repeated in a hollow voice.
"That would explain the marks on your hand. She might've come in contact with psychotropic plant or moss. Did you eat any strange berries?" Dad asked.
"Then how could Nat and Pat have seen and heard the same things I did?"
"Honey, you said yourself the three of you got separated." Dad said in a concerned and admittedly patronizing voice. "How do you know they didn't brush up against any weird plants or eat any berries themselves? You probably just saw a bear and thought it was something else," Dad rationalized, "And your brothers saw it because you said you were seeing. If you said the bear was something else, they might've believed it too."
I don't believe this, I thought.
I can't believe my parents could be so.
Utterly.
Stupid.
But I knew if I got hysterical and started crying, my parents would never believe me.
"None of us ate anything in the forest. I'm the only one with marks. This was not an allergic reaction. I am not crazy, and neither are Nat and Pat." I practically hissed through my gritted teeth, keeping my gaze on the floor. I just, I couldn't look at them. I-I hated them so much at this moment. They were treating me like a baby. My fists were clenched so tight I felt my nails break the skin of my palm. I was sure I was now bleeding.
"We're not saying that. Please, Ginger, calm down." Mom began calmly, attempting to put her hand on my shoulder as if to console me. I actually swatted her grip away, as if her touch might kill me. I looked at her hand and it felt like I was looking at something foul and diseased. I just did not want either of my parents to touch me.
"Don't patronize me like I'm an idiot!" I shouted, looking up at Mom and doing my very best to not cry.
"Ginger, don't you yell at your mother! We understand you and your brothers have gone through a terrible experience, bu-" Dad began, but I cut him off.
"Don't yell at her?!" I screamed, getting up out of my seat and throwing off the blanket the ranger had put around my shoulders. "You 'understand?!' A 'TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE?!'" My fists were shaking and my face felt hot. "You two have no idea what the three of us have been through! And before you say 'We understand' one more time I have to ask you to SHUT UP!"
"Ginger!" Mom stood back, horrified at how angry I'd suddenly become.
"We were almost killed! Eaten alive!" I seethed. "We were hunted and toyed with like we were animals! How could you ever try and tell me you understand when I've told you exactly what happened and you think I'm lying?!"
They stood there, backed up against the wall of the cabin, at a loss for words as I continued my rant.
"You weren't there! We were alone! I thought we were all going to die! And I did not make it through those woods with my brothers just so we'd be treated like mental patients!"
"But, Ginger, you expect us to believe you were chased by giant, blue creatures that could talk?" Dad asked. "Be reasonable!"
"Don't you think I know how insane this all sounds?! You may think I'm lying but I'm not! You have no idea what kind of nightmare we went through and you never will! So don't tell me it'll be okay if you won't even give me the benefit of the doubt! Do you think just because we're kids we're making this up?!"
"Excuse me."
We turned to the park ranger. He'd been in the other room, making a phone call to someone. I finally noticed the door had been open, which meant he must have heard everything I said.
"What?" I asked, realizing how ridiculous I must look right now and preparing myself to hear another adult tell me to be reasonable.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Wald," he addressed Mom and Dad. "The ambulance is on its way. And, as for you Miss-"
"I'm so sorry for my daughter's behavior." Dad apologized on my behalf and proving he hadn't actually listened to what I was saying. "The shock of what she's been through has-"
"I don't believe your story is because of shock." The ranger looked right at me as he said that.
Mom and Dad suddenly went pale.
"What?" I couldn't believe it. "Y-you believe me?"
The ranger gave me a look that, well, I'm not sure how else to describe it, other than he seemed to be thinking over everything I just said and he wasn't dismissing it.
"What did you say your name was again?" The ranger asked me.
"Ginger." I replied.
"Ginger." He repeated, this time in an attempt to fully address that he was speaking directly to me. "Yes, yes I believe you."
The room went silent. No one spoke, and the only sound I could hear apart from Nat and Pat's breathing was the thumping of my heart.
Finally, Dad opened his mouth.
"Has, has something like this happened before?" Dad asked.
"Well, this park has something of a reputation."The ranger scratched his cheek as he began to speak. "Over the years we've gotten reports of people encountering strange things in these woods. They say they've found weird plants and they stumble into areas not on the map. Campers and hikers are sometimes found in ragged conditions. They talk about creatures like these 'Beasts.'" The ranger cleared his throat. "I haven't been working in this station for very long, but some of the senior staff has told me about a few of the strange incidents that have happened here."
Mom's face, which had gone pale when the ranger began speaking, abruptly turned scarlet.
"And you didn't think it was worth mentioning any of this to us while we were looking for our children?" Mom spoke, actually, now she was shouting. "You just casually forgot to tell us this?!"
"Like I said Mrs. Wald, I haven't been working here for very long. People sometimes go missing in these woods and we find them if we're lucky, but most of the time it's simply because they got lost and not because they've run into monsters." The ranger spoke calmly, albeit with a slight hint of sadness in his voice. "Besides, if I had mentioned any of this before, would you have seriously believed me? I didn't even really believe them until now."
I said nothing. Mom hugged Nat and Pat as she cried.
Nat and Pat, they hadn't said a single word all evening.
Dad sank in a chair in disbelief, looking like someone had just punched him in the stomach.
The ranger looked at me again.
"I'm sorry." He quietly said to me.
I nodded but said nothing. I didn't blame him. Like he said, he was new here. He didn't believe these stories. I wouldn't have believed them myself if I hadn't lived through it.
I suddenly felt the tension in my body disappear. My shoulders slumped, my grip relaxed.
My story had been validated, but I realized this meant other unfortunate people had suffered through what we had. And many of them didn't survive.
I looked at my hands. There were deep red marks on my palms, and I smelled blood on my fingernails.
Everything after that moment was a blank.