[1]
Amanda Benson chewed her lip nervously as she examined the student invoice in her hands. Her eyes kept going over the bold black numbers again and again in disbelief before finally, she sighed.
"How am I going to do this?" she wondered aloud, slumping down onto the wooden bench. She only had three hundred dollars in her bank account… How the hell was she going to cough up five-thousand dollars?
Her parents were not exactly in a financial state where they could help her, not that she'd ever ask them. The fact that they still allowed her to live with them rent-free was a privilege in itself; although she knew her parents wouldn't hesitate to help her with anything she needed, she refused to burden them with her problems, especially since Josh's car accident was currently costing them any extra money they made. Amanda would have to take care of this herself.
The only question was how? She was currently unemployed and the first (and only) job she'd ever had demanded forty hours a week, ignored her class schedule even when she politely reminded them again and again that she needed to have time for school, and wouldn't pay more than two hundred dollars on a bi-weekly basis. Not to mention that applying for a job didn't always mean getting a call back…
Amanda ran her hands through her hair and tugged gently at the long brown locks, her stomach twisting with unease. She covered her face with her hands and let out a deep sigh, leaning her elbows on her knees and hunching over for a moment. Her mind raced with thoughts of what she could do to legally earn the money she needed, but nothing would be obtainable without the degree she was currently working towards.
When she opened her eyes again, she noticed a small flyer sitting on top of the invoice she'd placed on the bench. Amanda looked around, wondering if someone had simply placed the thin paper next to her before walking off, but she was alone. The colors were vibrant and it looked like something straight out of the 1990s, but she picked it up nevertheless and looked it over.
"Horrorland?" The name had a weird taste to it, but Amanda's curiosity was piqued. The colors on the flyer were bright and eye-catching, as if it had been recently printed. She read the flyer carefully before the unease in her stomach turned into determination.
Maybe she'd be able to find a job after all.
As Amanda stared at the thin flyer in her hand, her eyes scanning the picture for the thousandth time before lifting her gaze to the weathered theme park in front of her, she wondered if she'd made a wrong turn.
It looked nothing like the picture; sure, it was the exact same theme park advertised, but the picture showed rides that were colorful and clearly working. The ruins in front of her showed rides that had long-since rusted over, the paint faded and almost completely chipped off. Still, even though this park looked like it was abandoned, Amanda wanted to check it out and see if the flyer held some shred of truth. And who knows, maybe whoever owned this place was trying to get it back up and running?
"Come to Horrorland, where nightmares come to life!
Help wanted—call...
Will pay up to $$$$ per night."
That kind of money would be enough to help pay off her student debt and, if she was lucky, Josh's hospital bills.
Hesitantly, Amanda wandered past the scratched-up "Welcome to Horrorland" sign and into the park. The silence was almost deafening… Had she made a mistake coming here? She'd wanted to call ahead to make sure this place was legit, but the phone number on the flyer had been scratched out. It was a miracle she'd even been able to find this place on Google Maps for directions, but even then, no phone number was provided and there weren't exactly any pictures of the worn-down rides she was currently looking at.
No one was here, that much was obvious. Amanda looked over the flyer again; maybe it was old, maybe it had been printed years ago? She couldn't find a date anywhere, but it looked freshly-printed, so what was going on?
Might as well go home, she thought, folding the flyer to shove in her pocket. Just when she was about to turn around and head back the way she came, a derelict little building off to the side caught her attention. It looked like it had once been a security guard's office, but now it was abandoned.
...Or was it?
The light pouring from underneath the door and from behind the blinds suggested otherwise. Amanda hesitated; approaching this building could be a very, very risky decision on her part. What if some psychopath was in there and had created the flyer to lure unsuspecting people to their death?
Then again, what if a potential employer waited beyond that door? It was absolutely possible that someone had bought this place and was trying to restore it to its former glory, hence the "help wanted" on the flyer. If Amanda could make thousands of dollars within a short time, she'd be able to get that invoice off her back and start helping her family with their financial issues as well.
I did come all this way...
She approached the building and crept close to the windows, trying to keep her footsteps quiet. Peering through the broken blinds, she noticed a man sitting at a desk. He looked young, maybe in his mid-twenties, and his hands were clasped on the desktop. He gave off an air of no-nonsense professionalism and it appeared that he was patiently waiting for something.
Or someone. Amanda swallowed thickly.
Had he known she would be coming? No, that was a stupid thought; maybe he was just waiting for someone to stop by, someone who wasn't her. Maybe he was the owner waiting for people to drop by? Or maybe he was going to have a meeting with someone else to discuss—
"I know you're outside." Amanda was shocked to see his lips move, his raspy voice cutting through the silence that draped over the park like a thick blanket. His eyes flickered towards the window she was peeking through and he did not look amused. "And I have a feeling you're here because of the job offer. You can either come in and we'll discuss the details further or you can leave. Your choice."
Amanda blanched. How the heck did he know she was out here?
If she were normal, she'd book it out of there the second his eyes flickered towards the window. But she and her family could seriously use the money this guy was offering, if he was the guy who created the flyer.
The brunette moved to open the door, which creaked open of its own accord—how creepy—and entered the office. The man smiled at her, but it held no friendliness. It was a smile of business; he had an agenda and she better be a part of it or she better get lost.
Amanda had to admit, he was rather handsome; auburn hair that was neatly parted at the side, piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right through her, full red lips, and freckles that dusted across his cheeks. Despite his youthful features, she got the impression that he was much, much older.
"You've come about the job offer, correct?"
She nodded, retrieving the paper from her pocket. "Y-yeah. I was wondering what kind of help you're looking for? I can clean, sew, I'm not very good at cooking but I'm willing to learn—"
"Entertainment."
Her eyes widened. "W-what?"
He closed his eyes briefly, exhaling slowly—was she getting on his nerves?—before regarding her again. "Horrorland used to be a place for children and their families, but we have long been shut down. However, we still have an underground club that caters to adult patrons. We are looking for someone to sing, someone to provide musical talent."
"And you're only looking for someone to sing? Nothing else?" Amanda had no problem singing, but she also had standards; she had no desires to expose her body for money.
"Only singing," he reassured. "If the crowd really likes you, you will find your pay to be more than satisfactory."
She bit her lip, mulling over his words. He seemed serious enough, and this could be the job that would pull her out of debt.
"What will my schedule be like?" she asked. "I attend college, so I won't be able to be here during certain days and certain times."
He waved her off. "That's absolutely fine, we can work around that. Weekends are primarily the time your presence would be required."
Amanda nodded. It wasn't like she ever had plans during weekends anyways, and all her homework was taken care of as soon as she got home from classes. "That sounds good to me. My name is Amanda Benson, by the way."
"Call me Slappy." He stood and extended a hand, and she shook it, noting that his hand was smooth and firm, reminding her of wood, oddly enough.
"Now, Miss Benson, if you're interested in taking this job, I need you to do one more thing for me."
She held her breath, wondering what his request could be.
"I need you to sing. Doesn't have to be a specific song, I just want to hear your vocal range. If I like what I hear, the job is yours."
Admittedly, Amanda was scared; she hated having to get up and speak in front of people let alone sing, but she really didn't have anything to lose; if Slappy didn't like her voice, she'd just go home and continue her job search, Horrorland forgotten.
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, allowing her voice to flow through the room in a wordless song. It dipped at times and shook with vibrato before her voice rose, her natural voice leaning more towards soprano.
After she finished singing, Slappy nodded. He drew up some papers from one of the desk's drawers, grabbed a pen, and slid the stack of papers towards the brunette.
"The job is yours if you want it. Are you alright with being paid off the books?"
Amanda nodded.
"Perfect. In that case, I just need you to fill out this form, sign here, here, and put the date right there."
Amanda looked the papers over carefully before signing. After she dated the paper, she pushed them back towards her new employer. He smiled for the first time that evening, a tight-lipped grin that made Amanda wonder how things would play out with Slappy as her boss.
"Wonderful. Come by on Friday at seven o'clock sharp; I'll introduce you to someone who works here and can show you the ropes. Welcome aboard, Miss Benson."