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September 14th, 2009. 10:00 A.M. — The Wonderville Traveling Fairgrounds; The Amphitheater
“I’ll let the kids take it over from here now. We have a great show for you this morning, ladies and gentlemen!”
Father Moon nods at the choir before making his way to the piano. Jisung sits on a stool beside it, hands working to sign Father’s words in the direction of the ‘Uranium City School of the Deaf and Non-Verbal’, and Chenle steps forward.
“I thank you, dear adjudicator, for considering the Saint Cassian Chamber Choir for our senior concert. We are thrilled to be here, yet again, at the Kiwanis International singing competition.” He speaks quickly but makes sure to enunciate every syllable. “Last year we came in second place. This just shows the high standards of excellence at Kiwanis— even in competition against yourself you can still walk away…a loser.”
Jaemin scoffs behind him, covering it with a fake sneeze, and he sends him a glare. “Bless you. No, Jisung, don’t sign that.”
Jisung tries to suppress the eye roll he feels coming on and cracks his knuckles. Chenle reluctantly steps back to his own spot when Jeno moves forward to give his introduction.
“Our first song is by Father Taeil Moon, our choir instructor,” he gestures his way with a slight clap. “He was inspired by traditional African folk music— specifically The Lion King …”
Chenle sucks in a breath and pulls him back. “Anyways! Here is his homage to our very own Fall Fair.”
Father Moon opens his music, briefly glancing at Jisung who nods and lets his audience know that the musical portion of the event will begin, and works his fingers across the keys.
🎢🎟🔮
September 14th, 2009. 5:00 P.M. — The Wonderville Traveling Fairgrounds; The Rest-Stop
The entry stamps on their hands are long faded, purple ink bleeding into the pores on the back of their hands. Donghyuck smears sunscreen across his face and down the back of his neck as he and Jaemin wait for the others to come back from the restrooms.
“You should put some more on too,” he says, tapping the bottle against Jaemin’s shoulder.
“Why do I need more? I already used it in the morning.”
“Yeah but…skin cancer…is a thing, you know. How will you be a famous rapper if you—”
Jaemin snatches the bottle from him before he can finish and squeezes some onto his hands. Donghyuck suppresses a laugh at the rough way he rubs it into his skin just before Chenle skips over to them followed by Jeno and Renjun who help Jisung with his crutches.
“Okay!” He claps his hands together. “We have exactly one hour before the line for the Cyclone is short enough for us to get on. I think we should all go do our own activities for the time being and then meet by the fortune telling thingy at 6:00, yeah?”
Different variations of ‘yes’ pull from the five of them. “Good. And Jaemin, you go with Jisung.”
Jaemin sends him a thumbs-up, typing something on his phone before he tucks it away in his pocket and slings an arm around Jisung’s shoulder. “Want me to get your chair from the van?”
“No, I’m fine. I was sitting half the day anyways,” Jisung nudges Jaemin with his elbow.
“Cool.”
“Are you going to get on the Gravitron with me?”
“If you want me to, sure.” Jaemin pinches the lobe of Jisung’s ear and pulls out his phone again. He smiles at the notification that sits on his screen and opens his camera, snapping a picture of the two of them together.
“Karina?”
“Mmhm, and my mom. I’ll send the picture to both of them, yeah? But later.”
“Oh? Why?”
Jaemin pinches his ear again. “I want to ride with you.”
“You’re a loser.”
They run into Renjun in line for the Gravitron and Jaemin has to restrain himself from laughing when Jisung’s neck turns bright red when he asks to go on with him.
“Looks like I’m off the hook,” he wipes fake sweat from his brow. “Good luck, Пташка кохання.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ignore him.” He sticks out his tongue and places a ‘ B ’ on his chin before letting Renjun help him get ready for their ride.
🎢🎟🔮
September 14th, 2009. 6:17 P.M. — The Wonderville Traveling Fairgrounds; The Cyclone
The Cyclone. Wonderville’s own pride and joy— of what the fair itself was built around— still wooden, still towering over all of the other rides on the grounds. The Amazing Kram sits near the entrance of the ride, his glowing pink eyes and robotic voice sending the group in line before them off and up on the track.
“ Your lucky number is seven— you will soar to great heights— be sure to ride the Cyclone.”
“That thing is so creepy, isn’t it?” Renjun asks.
“He’s kind of cool.”
Jeno hums and puts yet another sticker on Jisung’s right crutch. “I think he looks friendly...and he has a nice little outfit on.”
“I guess so…I just think his eyes are the part that makes me feel all weird.” He smoothes his hands down the front of his vest. “It’s like they can actually see or something.”
The machine starts up when the previous people come off of the ride and Chenle eyes the cart on his tiptoes. His heart rate picks up just slightly when they approach the box where Kram lives, each of them putting two tokens into the slot under his crystal ball, and Renjun’s pinky brushes against his own. It’s an accidental touch but it brings him down to earth for just a moment before he grabs the piece of paper from the machine’s mouth.
Donghyuck jumps when Kram’s robo-voice bellows out the catchphrase that is printed on the paper in his hand.
“Your lucky number is seven– you will soar to great heights– be sure to ride the Cyclone.”
The cart feels rickety beneath him, wheels and wood squeaking as the others load in— Jaemin sits beside him as usual while Chenle, Jeno, Jisung, and Renjun fill the other carts behind and in front of them.
When the attendant comes to pull the safety bar over their legs Donghyuck latches on to Jaemin’s arm. “I can’t believe I agreed to do this.”
“We’re going to Jeno’s for a sleepover after this, aren’t we? Just relax.”
Donghyuck rolls his eyes but nods nonetheless. Behind him Jisung taps his shoulder and signs something to him that he doesn’t quite register before their cars begin to move forward and up the lift hill. When they reach their first turn, the whole thing jerks, and Jaemin groans as his ribs knock against the side of the cart and Donghyuck falls against his shoulder.
“Wow, it’s so rough today.”
“Tell me about it. I’m gonna have a huge ass bruise tomorrow. Man–” Jaemin’s body faces forward involuntarily as they reach the first of two drops. It’s a short one but it sends them down fast and Jeno laughs when they reach the bottom.
Renjun and Jisung cling to each other as the momentum builds the farther they go along the track. At the top of the highest drop, Renjun looks out over the fairgrounds and the lake, taking in the sight before they fall forward down the hill. He laughs when Jisung holds onto his arm tighter as they catch airtime. Jeno keeps his arms in the air the whole time, a big smile on his face.
Everyone seems to feel it as they get closer to the loop. The shake that rattles through the wood too roughly to ignore anymore, that worsens with every inch. Chenle’s heart jumps out through his mouth as he screams when they move upwards.
“What the fuck?!” Jaemin tugs at his seatbelt that suddenly seems way too tight around him as he looks around at the others who become more and more frantic with wide eyes. Jisung makes a small sound behind him when they turn upside down and a tear runs down his cheek.
As the cart flips upside down, they can’t help but feel the burn of The Amazing Kram’s glowing eyes on them. Chenle, Jaemin, and Renjun’s side of it jerks violently to the side, the sound of metal on metal almost louder than the way they all scream as gravity works its magic.
🎢🎟🔮
September 14th, 2009. 6:19 P.M. — The Wonderville Traveling Fairgrounds; The Cyclone
From the ground it looks like the scene straight out of Final Destination 3, the rattling and screaming and sparks send the other patrons into a terror like no other.
One of the kids hits the ground with a disgusting splat, then another. One of them hits the track as the cart begins to roll back down the loop and something large enough to be a head shoots right over the barrier between land and lake and the whole thing falls to the ground.
No more screaming. No more crying for mommies or daddies. Only the dust settling around the destroyed wooden train and bloodied uniforms.
The police and emergency units arrive at the scene almost an hour after they’re called. When the debris is removed enough to pull the Saint Cassian Chamber Choir, as confirmed by the guardian who had chaperoned them, from it there is no saving to be done. Of the six, only 3 were left unrecognizable by physicality; one fully decapitated, one near severed by the seatbelt around his waist, the other with a caved skull, their bodies partially smashed from the brunt of being on the side of the cart that was affected. Of the six, one had been split eye to clavicle. Of the six, two were impaled by pieces of wood after the impact. Of the six, all were broken beyond a usual repair.
A few of them still had their eyes open, others still clinging to their seat partner as rigor mortis sets in. A cell phone lays crushed a few feet away. The attendant leaves a hat and pair of crutches at his post when he runs from the accident to be sick in a nearby port-a-potty.
News spreads like wildfire, and only hours later Father Taeil Moon dies of a heart attack in his home.
🎢🎟🔮
?? — The Warehouse
A familiarly mechanical voice ricochets off of the concrete walls of the room they wake up in.
“You’ve inserted two loonies! Greetings children, it’s time to play.”