Chapter 35

There were about a half dozen police cars around. No doubt about it, with shots fired on a roller coaster and an officer blown to smithereens it's no doubt they'd send as many as they could.

Andy sat on the mountain with the blood and the knife laying in the corner. He had set Tyler down so he could properly rest. As the firefighters climbed to the top they checked Andy for injuries and only found a few cuts and bruises. They had gone to Tyler and checked his pulse, nothing. The fighter who'd checked spoke into his radio.

"Oh god he's not breathing! We need a helicopter up here stat! We have a young boy with multiple cuts and as other with an abdominal stab wound, hurry fast he's losing blood!"

Andy had touched the firefighter's shoulder. They'd made eye contact and Andy calmly told him that.

"There's no need to rush." The firefighter only looked back in understanding as he helped Andy to his feet and to the ladder to climb down.

The sun shone bright and when Andy asked for the time the officer said about 7:10. I've been out here for that long? It was always strange how time seemed to speed up and slow down in short bursts as you were fighting for your life.

Kristen lay on a stretcher being put in an ambulance.

"You're not gonna tell them?"

Andy looked at her, yeah right.

"Like they'll really believe me?"

She touched his arm, "they might believe all of us." She looked around. "Where's Tyler?"

Andy let his head droop and tears came back. He was surprised after being so dehydrated that he had any tears left to cry. He didn't need to speak for her to understand what had happened.

Now here they were, Andy and Kristen sitting in the ambulance. The flashing siren lights would've fit in perfect with the carnival had it still been night, and if it hadn't been evacuated.

Andy looked at her, he smiled and then shook his head.

"Forget it, you don't want to get mixed up in this." But Kristen only smiled back.

"Too late, I already am."

He looked at her and he saw that she wasn't scared. That she meant it. She'll stick by me with this. And for the first time in a long time Andy knew that he wasn't alone. Kristen held his arm,

"When they come in here, let's tell them everything." The police officers ready to question Andy climbed abound. They pulled out they're notepad and Andy thought, I don't care if they don't believe me. I don't care. Because this time it's really over and this time I'm not alone. Andy gave his story to the detectives as the ambulance drove up the hill away from the carnival.

Damndist thing! The old janitor of the devil's lair hought. That lightning bolt knocking the ride out and then that kid climbing up the skull mountain. Hell, what did I see? From a distance I coulda sworn I saw the doll standing up jabbing at that kid with a knife. The janitor shrugged, couldn't be, impossible just couldn't be. But the janitor walked over to the mess sitting right beside the non operating fan propeller. There were wires and old gooey stuff like blood on the blades. The janitor thought, doesn't look like any doll I had ever seen.

He bent down and put his finger in the stuff. He saw goo and plastic and bits of doll clothes but all the red stuff couldn't be blood and bone. He slid his finger across the pile thinking, I'll go back and get a broom and dustpan. Sweep this shit up, maybe keep some of it, look at it. You never know, he thought. There might be something interesting in here.