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It was hot. The car’s thermostat was reading ninety four degrees. We’d been in the car all day on our way to my Aunt Irma’s house. The kids had been good, and were begging the wife and me to take them to some adventure land something or other they had seen a billboard for. We had to stop for the night anyway, and it was conveniently at the half way point.

“There is a little inn over there.” My wife, Melanie pointed out. “Not the ideal, but it has beds, and there is no need to search all night. We’ll check in, then go to this adventure place for pizza and fun.”

I nodded my head in agreement as my brain was too mushy from the drive to make coherent words. I turned into the inn. It was a simple two story complex. It wasn’t exactly resort quality, but it seemed clean, and somewhat popular.

“One room with two queens please. Nonsmoking.”  I said wearily.

The clerk returned with two keys and I handed her my credit card.

“Where is this adventure land?” I asked. “My kids have been bugging me about it ever since they saw the ad for it at mile marker 301.”

I still thought it seemed unusual for such a remote town to have such a nice entertainment complex. We were, after all, in a very remote part of North Carolina. It was littered with small towns famous for their barbeque and not much else.

“Adventure Land? Oh, its kind of a hidden gem. I’ve only been once myself, but a lot of folks ask about it.” The woman replied in her thick North Carolina accent.

She handed my card back along with a pamphlet for Adventure Land with a map circled on the back.

“Thanks.”

“No problem sweetie. Good luck!”

Good luck? It must be really hard to find. We quickly found our room and brought our over night bags up.

“Alright guys, let’s hop back into the car find Adventure Land. I’m ready for some pizza! and beer.” I muttered quickly but not quickly enough to avoid my wife’s ears.

“Pizza it is.” She said with that look she gets as if I’m being overly dramatic.

I put the address into the GPS and we were off.

“This place says it has free admission which means all the rides will be expensive. I hope they do wrist bands.” Melanie said.

“Arriving at destination, on the left.” the GPS announced.

The building was less than amazing. It had some exciting paint on it, but it had the looks of an old warehouse made over into a fun zone. From the outside it was a far cry from the pamphlet.

“Let’s just hope they sell pizza.” I said.

My stomach grumbled as we all piled out of the car. It didn’t seem overly crowded, but it was a Wednesday evening, and we were out in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t help but feel the strangest, most uncalled for feeling of unease as we found our way to the entrance.

“Welcome to Adventure Land, where we promise to give you the greatest adventure of your lives…” The teenage greeter unenthusiastically spat from rote as he handed us cardboard crowns.

The door behind us seemed to snap in place as the boy put our crowns on our heads. I noticed Melanie jump and discretely slid closer to where I stood.

“Where is the snack stand?” I asked over the music beating into my head.

“Over there.” he pointed to a small concession stand surrounded by a semi circle of picnic style benches.

As my eyes began to adjust to the dark I took the place in. It was unusually dark with fog machines and black lighting reverberating. It had the feeling of a very large haunted house. The kids immediately ran to find the arcade while I went to order our pizza.

“Come when you hear me calling, Alright? Ally, you stay close to Brian. You are only ten, and its dark in here.” Melanie said.

“I’ll keep an eye on her mom.” Brian said as if he was some great protective older brother at thirteen.

“This place gives me the creeps.” Melanie whispered to me.

“Glad I’m not the only one. Let’s eat and get out of here.” I said. “Maybe its just their unusual selection of music.”

The music was strange. It was as if an African Tribe of drummers met with a techno artist in a recording studio.

“Hey! Watch where you are going buddy!”

“Huh?” I jumped.

“Yeah man! Just because you are tall. Watch out huh?”

“What the?” I looked down. There were five or six creatures looking up at me. They were almost cat like, but with human faces.

“I’m sorry?” I said.

“You bet you’re sorry.” One of the things said. “Watch out for this one Mik.”

“Melanie, please tell me you saw…”

“Can we go now?” she said before I could finish. “Brian? Ally?”

“Okay. Should we get some pizza first then go? I’m starving honey.”

“Look around you.” She said. Her eyes wide with horror. “What is this place?”

Beings began to materialize around us as the fog began to disappear. Large, monstrous things with teeth the size of my pocket knife and horns sticking out from their heads. Small creatures with human faces and animal bodies. I saw one of the strange cat creatures stand up and light a cigarette. They were fighting over arcade machines, smoking and drinking who knows what and acting like complete wild things.

“Alright. Let’s find the kids, and we’ll head out. We’ll forget we ever came here.” I said.

“Welcome!” A strange woman seemed to materialize out of nowhere. She was dressed in a long flowing black gown. She had long curly black hair and an unusually long nose. Her eyes were like black coals and her age impossible to discern. “I hope you are enjoying your visit. Surely you will stay and enjoy a slice of pizza with us.”

“Actually, we were about to leave.” My wife said. “Ally! Brian!” Her voice had an obvious edge as she screamed for the kids.

“Ally! Brian!” I said behind her.

“We are right here.” Came Brian’s voice, but when I turned around all I saw was his clothes dancing in the foggy blackness being illuminated by the pulsing strobe light.

Melanie looked as if she was about to faint. Her hands were shaking. “Where are my children!” She asked the lady in black.

“They are right where they want to be.” she said. “They are in adventure land.”

“We want our children back!” Melanie shouted. “We want to leave. Now!”

“Testy, testy. You’ll have them back, just as soon as they are ready to leave. Just remember though that admission is free… exiting is not.”

“What in the hell do you mean exactly?” I seethed.

“Nothing is free dear.” The lady turned towards the snack stand. “Mort! How about some pizza for these two.”

“How much to leave.” I asked.

“Now that depends doesn’t it? Why it depends on how long you decide to stay!”

“I’ll call the cops on you. You are an absolute crook.”

“Go ahead dear. Give it a try, but you see those two over there.” She pointed to two of the scary monster looking things with big teeth and spikes spilling from their heads. “They are my personal body guards. Also, you have no cell service here. Why else do you think I built the place so far away from anything?”

My poor wife looked like she had seen a ghost. She looked as if she wanted to melt to the floor. I took her hand and squeezed it as I tried to come up with some way out of this. We were far from poor, and I would give up everything for the safety of my kids.

“Look, if I were to leave right now, how much do I owe you?”

“Your two children.”

“Out of the question. How much in US currency.”

“Those two children in US currency would be worth several thousand. I’ll take cash.”

“I can write you a check.”

“Out of the question. I suppose you’ll have to wait awhile.”

The music of this place was beginning to get to me. My heart was pounding to the beat, and I myself was beginning to feel wild and out of control. I removed my shirt. I was far from ripped, but I was rather athletic, and I had once been a black built in taekwondo. I felt like a wild dog, and I would do anything to hurt this woman and get my kids out of this place safely.

“Bring it.” She said quietly.

“Jake?” Melanie whispered.

“Its alright baby. Its adventure land after all. Its supposed to be the greatest adventure we have ever experienced.”

I jumped and did a kick split in the air. I let out a wild man’s bellow and turned my attention on the woman in black. I started with a no hand cartwheel, followed by a backflip. I was right in front of her then with my back facing her. I reached my arms behind me and placed her in a headlock in the grips of my inner elbows. I flipped her over my shoulder. As she got to her feet, she flipped again forcing me to release my grasp. I crouched before her body guards could land a blow, for they were coming at me full tilt in opposite directions. I jumped as if gravity was nonexistent, and the two monsters ran head first into each other. They laid on the ground stunned.

“A fat lot of good you two are!” The lady in black said. “You!” she looked at me and began spinning. A high pitched cackle rang through the building as she turned into an apparition of a cyclone.

It took me by such surprise, all I could do was a quick roll to dodge in order to plan my next course of action. “You’re a witch!”

“Smart boy!” The cyclone shouted over the gushing of wind.

I went over to one of the picnic benches and managed to get it on its side. I pushed it into the cyclone stopping the witch’s spinning. She fell to the floor. I reached for the knife in my pocket. It was nothing more than a large pocket knife. Quickly I opened it and threw it at her, pinning her gown to the floor.

“Oh my. You think you are something now eh?” She began laughing her horrible cackle. “Dear boy, this is only the beginning, but I must say, you are fun.”

Just then the power went out. The black lights, the fog machine, the strobe lights, and most importantly the music was all out. Everything was still. There was a scream. A moment later emergency lights went on. The place was just a giant empty warehouse. There were not even arcade machines. People were standing around dazed. I felt horribly embarrassed without my shirt on. I looked over and found an empty swath of black cloth with a knife embedded in it, pinning it to the floor.

“You okay, Jake?” came the calm and beautiful sound of my wife’s voice.

“You did that?” I asked.

“Never come between me and my kids.” She said.

Ally and Brian were at her side. Brian offered me a hand to help me up off the floor.

“Let’s go.” I said. “Now!”

We ran for the exit.

“I hope you had a magical time at Adventure Land, and I hope we see you again soon.” said the same kid who saw us in. “Bye bye.”

The door was opened and we were in the parking lot. The sun was still up. We all turned around and the building had turned into an abandoned warehouse. People who looked as if they hadn’t seen the sun in years were stumbling out of the place in a daze.

“Shall we find some pizza?” I asked.

We all climbed into the car and left. No one has spoken of it since.