The ship swings the Cattle side into the air again, and theyareupside down. The moment is brief, but gravity manages to pull one of the men from his seat. He tumbles toward us, then smacks the central mast running through the ship’s center. His skull breaks open and sends part of his brain into Ice Pick’s lap. Ice Pick swipes the tissue off his thighs as if it’s just a bit of mud.
When we head backward again, I know what will happen. I can already see it in my mind, and Aven will miss it if he doesn’t open those beautiful brown eyes. I clench his hand and lean closer.
“Don’t be afraid,” I say, just loud enough for him to hear me. “I’m right here with you. If you fall out, we go together.” I raise our clenched hands to drive the point home. I won’t let go.
He doesn’t argue with me for once. He doesn’t try to be Billy Badass and pretend he isn’t scared. Instead, he just nods and opens his eyes.
The ship flips upside down and stalls. Three more Cattle are sent screaming to the platform, but the woman is the final holdout. Her face burns red with the effort of clenching the seat with her legs, but it’s a battle she won’t win. Before the upside-down stall ends, her legs lose the fight, and down she goes.
Splat!
Everyone lets out a cheer, and I raise mine and Aven’s hands as the ship flips all the way around. When I look over, I’m happy to see his other hand raised as well. He still looks absolutely terrified, and he isn’t cheering with us, but at least he’s trying.
Two of the bodies go flying from the force of the ship’s return to land. After another turn, the ride slows and comes to a stop, and we all pile out of it. Working together, we pull mangled bodies from beneath the ship and dig through their pockets for a clue. We each find what we need, then separate into our little duos to read our secret messages.
Aven holds ours close to his chest and whispers the words. “If it’s a key you wish to find...”
I roll my hand through the air, urging him to keep going, but he just holds the paper toward me.
“Ach, that’s all it says. See for yourself.”
Sure enough, it seems we’ve only been given part of the clue.
“Damn you and your dirty tricks,” Eve shouts toward Jim, who looks pleased as punch as he rocks on his heels and laughs.
“Might want to figure out who has the missing pieces to the two puzzles,” Jim says.
“Who has last words that rhyme with ‘find’?” Aven asks.
Frankie, Maverick, Ezra, and Kindra all raise their hands, and we hurry to form new groups. When we put all three clues together, it makes a full clue.
You might go into the mine
If it’s a key you wish to find
Or maybe it is just behind
“You tore down the mine train coaster,” Maverick says to Jim. “That’s no fair. How are any of us supposed to know where it used to be?”
“I know where it was,” I say.
Aven looks at me, and he’s about to ask how, but then he must remember what we discussed this morning, because a knowing look shines in his eyes. I nod at him, hoping he doesn’t say more. He doesn’t.
“Lead the way, then,” Kindra says. “They’re already getting a head start over there.”
I turn, and sure enough, the other six are already setting off to follow their clue. We’d best get a move on. The mine train was on the other side of the park, and right behind it, we’ll find the next ride. There’s no telling what sort of calamity waits for us back there, but we’d better hurry if we want to win.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aven
The second clue was on a small drop-tower ride. We had to strap ourselves into the death machine with a group of Cattle, then sort through their scattered remains once they were ejected from their seats at the bottom. At least we were able to split into pairs after that. Now we’ve all been directed to the log flumes.
As the larger group reconvenes at the third ride, I’m feeling a little more confident. I survived Pirate Plunder, and I didn’t shit myself at the top of Death Tower—and yes, that’s the name Jim went with. The log flume is a kiddie ride. This should be a piece of cake.
“Welcome to River Styx, a log flume for the dead and dying,” Jim says with a cackle.
“This doesn’t look anything like I remember,” Quinn says as she eyes the dark entrance. A towering fiberglass Grim Reaper holds his scythe over the opening and coaxes us inside with a malevolent skeleton grin.
