Disclaimer: I do not own Legion.
Inspired by an urban legend and adapted from The Hearse by J.B. Stamper in More Tales for the Midnight Hour. There will be an epilogue.
Cautionary Tales: The Hearse - Part II
Slowly, slowly, there was darkness. And then the light began to pierce the darkness as the sound of the ebb and tide of the waves pierced the muted sound barrier.
"Wa happen'd?"
He reached around, looking for something to support himself with, only to get a fistful of sand.
"Oh geez…" Brian muttered to himself and spitting out the bits of sand in his mouth. It was until the last shattered remnant of the nightmare had submerged in the sea of his mind that he awoke, but what really got him up was the blinding, stinging pain of his irritated, itchy skin.
Brian finally managed to get up and shake some of the sand stuck to his body and bathing shorts, but as he did bits of hot pain shot through his nerves. His arms and legs were covered in bright red, throbbing bite marks, a bit obscured by his hair, and there were some he could feel on his shoulders and the back of his neck. The sand fleas and the mosquitoes had pigged out on his unconscious body, and the heat magnified the itchy pain a thousand times.
Brian shielded his eyes as he looked up in the sky. The sun had gone from a blinding yellow to a dying scarlet color as the sky become orange. He looked at the sun. That red color. Red like blood. Like the bloody faces in the hearse.
He shook his head and tried to shake the memory of the hearse out of his head, before he got the idea to look back over the dunes. To his surprise, there were no tire marks, no proof at all that the hearse, or that man, had been there at all.
"A dream." Brian said to re-assure himself. "A hallucination. Yeah, that's comforting." He grumpily muttered to himself as he made his way back to the beach. He saw the water, and decided he did not care how cold it was. He closed his eyes, and jumped straight in.
"Geronimo!"
He made a big splash in the sea as the cold water effectively numbed his pain and sighed with relief. He stretched the strong muscles in his arms and legs and swam for a bit, trying to wash away whatever sand still clung to his body, still ignoring some of the smaller bits of pain that remained. The thought of those sad blue eyes and the bottomless black eyes remained, and then another thought came into Brian's face.
"Tina! Crap!" A wave hit him right in the face.
He dashed down the coast as fast as he could, which was pretty fast, completely soaked and hair in his eyes. Brian noticed the beach was completely deserted now. All that remained was some trash left behind by the more slovenly beach-goers, and some scraps of food which was being devoured by the seagulls. A feeling of dread sank to his gut as he saw the spot where they had been staying was now bare, which meant she probably went back to the hotel. Without looking for him, at least? And he didn't have a towel to dry off with. Which meant the locals were probably going to stare at him as if he was a wet dog which had swam in. He thought of it for a moment, and decided…
"Screw it."
He marched proudly back to the hotel, through the boardwalk and a couple of blocks down, still wet and basically not caring about the looks he was getting, but caring that the asphalt he was walking on was hot and burning his feet. By the time he got to the hotel, apologizing to the manager for getting the carpet wet, he marched up to their room and was about to knock on the door, before a thought crossed his mind.
Should I tell her about the hearse? And the man in black? Nah. She'd probably think I was just making up excuses so she won't kick my ass.
Before he could think of a course of action, the door opened in front of him, and there stood Tina, looking peach skinned and completely surprised.
"Uh, hey." He said, taken back. "I'm-" Brian was cut off when Tina quickly grabbed him and hugged him with all her might, ignoring that he was both wet and blushing.
"What happened?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?! I was going to call the police!" She pulled back so he could see the tears in her face, but she could see the twinge of pain in his.
"Uh, my arms are, *nhn*, kinda sore right now, so-"
"Suck it up, you baby." She told him, hugging him tighter. He actually felt relieved that she was so worried.
Tina explained that she pretty much combed most of the beach looking for him, not knowing he'd passed out behind the dunes. Brian gave her the best heartfelt apology he could. She scolded him for wandering around in the hot sun without protection, but she saw the evidence the pests had left behind and tried her to best to soothe it. She then told him she was about to head down to the main lobby to call the police to look for him.
Brian was still fighting a battle in his mind over whether or not to tell her about the hearse as he dried off and got dressed for dinner. Would it matter? Not really, possibly. But the feeling of horror still bit like the sand fleas, only in the back of his mind.
About fifteen minutes later, Tina had got a message from her mother that both her and her friends were planning to stay behind in the zoo nearby after it closed and were going to free the birds in the aviary. Tina cursed to herself on why she had such a demented mother, and Brian laughed about it, feeling better. But in the dining room of the hotel, he had no appetite for the fish filet on his plate and wondered why he talked Tina into ordering it.
"You weren't listening when the waiter took our orders. You want to have them take it back for a steak?" Tina asked.
"Yeah, that sounds good. A nice, bloody…" Brian bit his lip. He suddenly felt queasy.
"What is it?" Tina asked.
"I'm not hungry."
"You know, there are people out there who would sell their children for that food. This IS a depression, after all." Tina reprimanded him.
"Then they can have it." Brian muttered.
"Did you get all the sand out of your shorts, wolf boy, or are your undies just in a bunch?" Tina joked. She stopped giggling when he flicked his parsley at her face and it landed on her nose, in between her eyes.
"Bulls-eye."
"Ha ha." Tina said. "Hope you're not still in this wonderful mood when we ride the Zephyr." Tina said with excitement in her eyes as she finished the last word.
"The what?"
The Zephyr. One of the biggest, and few, roller coasters Brian had ever seen in his life. Construction completed just some months ago and already the best attraction the boardwalk had during the holiday season. And to think they saved money with the lumber they bought, so it got finished earlier. Brian had only ever ridden the Cyclone in Coney Island. He liked riding them, but Tina looked a bit hesitant.
"Scared, princess?" Brian cocked an eyebrow at his girlfriend, with his arm around her waist as the two looked up at the curves and twists in the wooden coaster. Around them, they heard calliope music and people shouting. Vendors selling off junk food. Clowns walking around with balloons, or juggling bowling pins and flaming batons. Game booths set up and operated so no one could knock down the milk bottles and win a stuffed bear. People yelling in surprise as they bumped their heads in the house of mirrors.
"No." Tina said. "I just wish I hadn't filled up at dinner." She muttered to herself, which was hidden under the screams they heard as the cars descended.
"Then that would explain what THIS is." He squeezed her waist and laughed at his own joke.
"The princess is not amused, doggy." Tina scowled.
"Take a joke, your highness." Brian retorted.
"I'll take two tickets, thank you very much."
Brian conceded in defeat and paid for two tickets, then his jaw dropped at how long the line was for the front row. He tried to plead with her that they should switch to another lane, ultimately regretting the weight joke he made as Tina refused. The time it took for the line to move had made Brian completely forget about the hearse.
"Come ooooooon." Tina groaned. "It didn't take so long for the Titanic to go down."
"I think our suffering is about to end." Brian pointed out. Indeed, the next car had come, and now they were at the front of the line. The people started to file into their cars.
"Come on, let's, oh no." Tina said. "Shoot."
"What?" Brian asked. Tina pointed to the car.
"It looks like there's only room for one more."
Brian felt as if someone had set off a bomb when she spoke. He turned his gaze to the car, and there was only one spot left. He looked up, and saw a familiar sight.
"No." He gasped.
The operator was an unbearably tall man dressed in black. His head was shiny and smooth, like an egg. His eyes were squinted, and colored like smoldering hot tar. His lips turned into a disturbing grin as he breathed the words…
"Room for one more…"
He motioned to the empty seat, and Brian's horror doubled as he saw the girl with the black hair and robin egg eyes sitting in the seat waiting for it to go. She got the feeling she was watched when her friend behind her, a blonde girl, nudged her.
"That guy's checking you out." She whispered.
The dream girl turned, and her horror reflected Brian's. The operator tried to grab his arm, but Brian managed to avoid it as he hastily dragged a protesting Tina out of there.
"Here." He gave their tickets to two passing teenage boys. "My compliments."
"What was that about?" Tina said angrily.
Brian looked up. Somehow, the ride hadn't started yet. He tried to think of a reason that didn't sound like the words of a schizophrenic. He surveyed the area, and an idea popped in his head. He turned Tina around.
"Surprise!" He said with faux excitement. They were in front of the Tunnel of Love. Her anger disappeared.
"Oh, Brian." She blushed. "You softy."
"Yeah, I'm Mr. Romance. Come on." He pulled her to the Tunnel, devoid of a line, as most of the people were waiting to get on the Zephyr. They sailed down a dark tunnel decorated with hearts and cupids as sappy music played throughout the tunnel.
"Isn't this better then a roller coaster?" He asked.
"With you? Duh." She practically melted in his arms and their lips intertwined.
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!"
They heard screams ring out.
"Sounds like it finally started." Tina said.
"Yeah." Brian said.
"You want to tell me what that was about back there?" Tina prodded. "Come on." Brian sighed.
"Look, Tina, back at the beach, I, I don't know what it was but, I saw, something."
"What?" Tina asked.
"It might've been a dream, or a mirage, but this hearse pulled up by the road."
"A hearse? You're kidding." Tina said.
"It's true. And that guy who was working the ride was the driver. And he said-"
He was cut off when they felt the ground quake. The water churned and they got splashed. The boat nearly tipped over and Tina almost fell in before Brian caught her. The screams continued. Then, they heard something plop in the water. The boat exited the tunnel. Brian wished they hadn't.
People screaming, crying, moaning. Wood splintered. Metal twisted.
"Oh my God…" Tina gasped.
The Zephyr had fallen to the ground. Caved in. The wood rotted out. Shoddy construction. Brian looked away from the carnage of the track, of the bodies crushed and impaled on the wreck. They could still hear the people running and screaming in the frenzy. Especially those who had friends and loved ones who were in the ride when it collapsed.
"Don't look." Brian turned Tina away from the massacre and held her close, to shield her from the damage.
"Just don't look."
"Oh God. If you got on." Tina cried. Bitter, salty tears ran down her cheeks.
They faced the Tunnel, Tina with her back turned and face buried in Brian's chest. But in the corner of his eye, Brian noticed that the boy who worked the ride was staring at something in the water. The boy had turned as white as a sheet and looked physically sick. Something which had amazingly rolled into the water, which was leaking out from it's bloody stump and looking up with eyes as black as the new moon. Brian closed his eyes and just stood there with his arms wrapped around Tina, crying, and telling her it was okay.
"Amazed it held out for as long as it did." The inspectors said. An investigation would be launched. People would be brought to trial for the mess which had happened.
He didn't know what had happened that day. Or why it did.
But Brian Landon thanked whatever it was that happened on the beach, especially that night, as he held Tina so close to him in bed.
Thankful that he managed to escape from the man in the hearse.