Code Fifty Five-A

“One dead Caucasian female wearing a floral blouse and jeans -- possible code fifty-five a.” The first official remark made about Janene after she found herself lost in a foreboding mirage of a locale most considered to be euphoric. But she saw past that. She saw it for what it really was and still suffered the same fate of so many beguiled teens before her.

The controversial Baldwin Brother’s Carnival had arrived in Janene’s small town enticing teens out of their usual recreations. Most of which included recreational drug use or drinking out in the woods where their parents would never know. Or even going to the local drive-in, despite many of them being preoccupied with matters unrelated to the film displayed before them. Anything to escape their mundane daily routines.

Jeanne however, was not like the rest. She saw past her small town and had dreams of one day becoming a big city journalist that everyone else only saw as dissolutions. Some of them, she even called her friends.

Like every good journalist she did her research and found not one, but two teens that died the same night the “fun-fair” was in town.

Of course the Baldwin Brothers denied any correlation, but with just about every teen in town at the fair, it was hard to place blame elsewhere. However, correlation is not causation. Even so, the Baldwin Brother’s like every carnival had their fair share of rickety rides and uncertified employees; and either one of the above could have been the leading factor in their untimely deaths. The reason for my ambiguous annotations is that their deaths were just that. Despite them being widespread, not even—

“Jeanne!”

Sporting the same outfit she wore when she was found, Jeanne rolled back in her chair and looked to the vacant hallway just beyond her open door.

“Yes Mom!?”

“Your little friends are here and are impatiently waiting for you.” A muffled rebuttal is heard as Jeanne’s eyes sparkled behind her spectacles in the afternoon sun.

A smile grew on her face and she bounded out of her seat, shutting her laptop promptly afterward. Jeanne took off her glasses and set them next to her coffee cup that she had designed as a kid, which featured her and her family in stick form.

As she neared the door her blonde ponytail swung to and fro. Jeanne halted before crossing the threshold out of her safe haven. Rushing back to her desk to grab her pocket-sized journal with a pen for a bookmark, she put them in her back pocket. She ventured out once more, except, this time prepared for any story that might come her way.

Janene’s mind dwelled on the blog as she passed down the hall. I wonder how many people are gonna read my story this week? Maybe this will be the story that puts East Cliff on the map.

Dust laden light beamed in from the windows, forcing her to squint as if she was passing by a paparazzi. A couple of feet before the stairs, she came back to reality, reaching behind her to undo her ponytail. In the same motion she slipped a vibrant scrunchie onto her arm taking her first step down the stairs.

While descending down the flight of stairs leading to the foyer, Jeanne fluffed her hair, hiding any and all evidence of her secret persona. By now she could see her friends: Britney, Emma, and Katie. All of whom had their faces buried in their phones until Jeanne ’s presence was announced. “And here she is!” Her friends looked up from their phones almost simultaneously like a pack of wolves who spotted their prey.

“Where are your gla…” Jeanne interrupted her, clearing her throat.

Jeanne’s short haired mother who had the same look Diane did, shut her gaping mouth. “Britney here was telling me that you guys plan to go to the carnival tonight?”

Without missing a beat Jeanne asks, “we are?”

Britney put away her phone and the rest of them followed suit. “Um, yeah, I like texted you a couple hours ago.”

Jeanne rubbed the back of her head. “Oh, I guess I haven’t checked my phone at all this afternoon.”

Britany rolled her eyes.

“I’ve just been busy.”

“With what? It’s not like you ever leave your house anyway.”

Jeanne’s head drooped down, and she began to hunch as her fast talking mother went off.

“Why don’t you guys get going? It's going to be dark soon and you’ll wanna get there before the park gets too crowded. Plus, I’m sure the park probably closes at a reasonable hour so you’ll wanna get going as soon as you can.”

“Actually it’s open all night,” said Katie. Britney shook her head and went back to her phone while Jeanne started anxiously twisting her hair.

“It’s open all night?” Jeanne ’s mother looked at her and Jeanne let go of her hair that unraveled as she justified her case. “Yeah, but we weren’t gonna stay out all night. I promise.”

Jeanne bit her bottom lip as her mother reluctantly stated, “well, alright, but I expect you back here no later than twelve. And don’t even think about writing all night like you did on Tuesday.”

Britney and her posse snickered while Jeanne rubbed her right eye in frustration. “It’s not like I have any other time to, with school and helping you at the library.”

Her mother’s friendly countenance morphed into a frown. 

“Because I said so.”

Britney spoke up in her haughty cool girl voice she seemingly perfected, “Don’t worry Mrs. C. We’ll get Jeanne back in one piece.”

Jeanne ’s mother shot the same look her way then looked back to Jeanne, deadpan, while crossing her arms. “Just please be safe okay.”

Jeanne rolled her eyes to appease Britney, who she saw put on a fleeting smirk in response.

“Okay, Mom.” She extended the vowel for emphasis before brushing past her mother who was standing with one foot perched on the final step. Jeanne joined Britney and her groupies in their retreat.

“Have fun!”

The girls glanced back, then Britney coolly pushed past the screen door. They moved in formation towards the car. Once they arrived, the girls got in, but Jeanne hesitated for a moment with her hand clasp on the poised door handle.

She looked back to see her mother slam the hardwood door shut. She took a deep breath. After she opened it, a conversation covered up by deafening pop music could be heard from within. Jenae stepped in, unconsciously slamming the door behind her.

Britney tore out of the driveway and sped off into the setting sun peeking out from behind the houses at the end of Jeanne’s street. The resulting landscape was more ominous than enchanting, leaving deep shadows as far as the eye could see.

Jeanne hardly said a word the entire trip, instead she only stared out the window, lost in her thoughts and worries.

Jeanne looked at a homeless woman in ragged clothing and unkempt, almost dread like hair as they sped by. She was holding a cardboard sign that said something to the effect of beware of chasing your dreams. Which got Jeanne thinking, better to end up like her than waste my time in East Cliff. 

“What the hell is this about!”

Britney finally lets go of the horn she pressed down on for an elongated period. She stuck her head out the window screaming, “what’s the hold up! My grandma moves faster than ya’ll” An unshaved man sporting a buzzcut who looked to be in his twenties; popped his head out of his massive red truck two car lengths away.

“Would you shut up lady!” He said in a southern drawl.

Everyone inside the car laughed—including Jeanne. Humbled, Britney dipped her head back into the car. She took out her phone as she sat, letting out a cute growl.

“They’re probably just going to the Carnival too,” said Emma. Britney belligerently turned around placing her left hand on the center console. “You think?” She shook her head and retracted her arm, now punching in each syllable on her phone.

Almost an hour passed before they reached the packed, dirt parking lot of the carnival. As Britney parked the car, Jeanne looked out of the window like a little kid enamored by the carnival’s vibrant lights reflected in the window.

The rest of the girls gathered their things and got out while Jeanne remained in a trance like state, paralyzed by her apprehension. What if one of the rides breaks down? Or even worse, I brush up with the killer of those teens. I wanna write my blog not be a part—

Jeanne jolted out of her trance and looked up at Britney who had just taped on the glass.

“We gotta get you home by twelve, right?”

A coy smile grew on her face and Jeanne shot one back before getting out of the car. She watched dust fly up onto her sneakers after stepping out. Great, now I gotta clean my sneakers too.

“You comin?”

Jeanne looks up to see Britney and her friends nearing the heard of people funneling into the Carnival entrance. She jogged up to them as they slowly proceeded. When she caught up, Emma asked, “you guys hear about those teens that got killed the same night this very carnival was in town?”

Jeanne opened her mouth to speak, but Britney interrupted her.

“No, why would I wanna hear about that?”

Jeanne held her tongue.

“I don’t know, it was just something to talk about.”

“Well I don’t want to,” said Britney, crossing her arms.

The group started to proceed in columns of two, with Jeanne following Britney, and Katie following Emma. Suddenly, the crowd stopped moving forward. Emma and both the girls behind her were quick to adapt, while their foolhardy leader almost ran into a group of boys ahead of her.

She covered up her blunder saying in a patronizing tone, “they’re probably going to the carnival too.” The group laughed.

Emma looked over to her and sized her up as she said “hey, I don’t sound like that.”

“That’s all I hear coming out of your mouth.”

The group laughed again, and Katie finally spoke up. “Well at least she doesn’t make excuses all the time.” The group responded in a resounding ooh and by now the boys are the only thing standing in the way of the ticket stand.

After passing through the ticketing booth, their conversation was resurrected. Soon after, Jeanne eventually found the courage to talk to Katie. “So, how’s the school year going for you?”

Katie darted her eyes to the ground as she replied, “it’s been okay. I really hate not having any time to myself.”  

Jeanne can’t help but smile as she takes her hands out of her pockets letting them hang at her side.

“What do you like to do in your free time then?”

Katie’s voice rises in tandem with her excitement as she describes her hobbies. “Really anything besides volleyball. I like to paint, go for hikes, and read.”

“Really? What do you read?”

“I like to read, Serpentine, Arlington…”

Just then an anguished scream rang throughout the park that only Jeanne and Katie seem to notice. “You heard that too, right?” Katie asked.  

“Yeah, she did not seem to be having a good time.”

Jeanne sought out the source, but in the chaotic Carnival ambiance distinguishing a cry for help was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Her eyes darted from ride to game stall, but the only thing anyone was guilty of was having too good a time. But just as she was about to dismiss an enormous striped tent, she saw the same group of boys that Britney almost ran into earlier come out.

They passed around a sack-wrapped bottle as one held up the curtain doors. The last of them passed through, passing the bottle off to his courteous drape holder. Most people would think nothing of it and immediately dismiss them like the scream, but Jeanne listened to her instincts and grew curious.

“Hey, lover girl. You wanna ride this rollercoaster or what?” Jeanne looked to Britney and her friends, then up at the rickety wooden roller coaster they were in line for. She looked back to the boys who were now approaching her. One smiled her way and Jeanne darted her eyes off to the tent from which they came.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

“O… kay?”

Jeanne ran off, taking out her notebook. She slowed down her pace when she was only a couple feet away from the tent. Diane looked side to side then back to the group of boys, now standing in line. All of them were caught up in conversation except the smiling boy who looked her way.

Jeanne rushed into the tent, pushing aside the drapes that looked more like a wedding dress caught in the wind than tent flaps as they fell down around her. Her bosom rapidly rose and fell as she stood pressed against the paper-thin walls of the tent. She peered out of the crack where the curtains did not meet to see the boy seemingly alerting his comrades of her intrusion.

Jeanne's eyes widened and she accidentally dropped her notebook and pen as she backed up from the entrance. She looked down to try and see where it went but the darkness within the tent was thicker than mud. She wanted to bend down and feel around for it but she quickly realized this would only put her in a vulnerable position she could not afford.

She turned to see a black void of a tent with a light source no brighter than a single candle at the end of it. Diane looked back to the sliver of light shining through the entrance then decided to trek out into the darkness, crossing her goosebump covered arms. Her heart beat faster with each step further into the unknown.

Near the centermost region of the tent, or what she believed to be, she trod forward and heard a mechanical sound as if she stepped onto some sort of landmine. Seconds after, a tiny bulb flickered to life, about a foot away from her own. Then another, and another. By the third bulb it was bright enough to see what she stepped on. It is some sort of riveted steel peddle. Her attention was then pulled back to the bulbs that continued to light a trail.

She gulped as the eighteenth light flickered to life. By now she could make out the stark silhouettes of the two unlit bulbs proceeding. After they illuminated, so did the outline of a contraption that struck fear into Jeanne’s heart. As it awakened, it began to turn at a steady rate as jubilant calliope music erupted from it.

She could do no more than gawk as she backed up once more.

This contraption was no other than a rotating target made of light wood with an almost harry, splintery appearance. The amateurish blood red paint job was hard to look at, but even more so than that was what lay on the body sized target. Which was, in fact, just that, the body of a pre-teen in a sprawled-out position similar to a man in Jeanne’s science book.

She was pinned to the target with knives passing through her wrists and ankles. As Jeanne continued to back up, she heard murmured whisperings behind her. She whipped her head around, her hair flying up like a flung mop.

She looked at the blank space before her, then to her notebook which she could now see. Jeanne wanted to sprint over and grab it, but instead she trusted her ears and sprinted away to a tattered opening on the opposite end. She crawled through it as fast as she could but got stuck halfway.

“I’m telling you she came in here.”

“You hardly said a word, and now this?”

Jeanne flopped over onto her back which suffered as she pulled her body weight up against the coarse dirt beneath her. Through the bit she was not occupying, Jeanne saw one of the curtains being lifted up. She quickly retracted her legs and rose to her feet.

Without looking, she continued to run forward, dirt flying up behind her. As soon as she was a safe distance from the tent, she looked back. When she did, she ran into Katie and they both fell down.

“Jeanne?”

Dismissing Katie, she got up and sprinted off toward a dormant house of mirrors she saw only after her tumble. She sprinted inside and slowed her pace once she saw it was as dark, if not darker than the tent. The only thing she could make out were the mirrors enveloping her.

Suddenly, another mechanical sound was heard, and the mirrors closed in on her, blocking off the entrance. Jeanne sprinted to each corner looking for an opening to no avail as the surrounding area got smaller and smaller.

She shrilled when the space was no larger than herself and was eventually crushed. Her dreams died with her that night, and hardly anyone noticed because she was caught up in a fantasy.