Jack and Billy had worked hard for and looked forward to this day for months. Per requirements set out by their parents, grades had been raised, allowances had been saved, and chores had been finished... without complaining. But it was worth it to get this day at Carly's Amusement Park... without supervision. Now, finally, they would be able to ride the Horror Express, the world's most frightening ride, with no one to stop them.

"Wanna go for the Express first, Billy?" Jack asked as they entered the amusement park.

"Naw," Billy replied. "Let's get a hot dog and look around a little bit before we take the ride." He felt proud of how grown up he must have sounded but Jack didn't seem happy with the idea.

"The ride was what we came for." He frowned, eyebrows askew. "You ain't chickenin' out, are you?"

"'Course I ain't. I'll eat after we ride the Express."

In the past, there had always been a parent to convince the boys to stay away from the Horror Express. They had heard rumors that the ride wasn't safe. Without meaning to, both boys were thinking of those warnings as they approached the entry ramp to the ride. Even the ride attendant looked scary. The huge scar on the left side of his face would have rivaled Frankenstein's. He stared at the boys for what seemed an eternity before ever speaking. His voice, when he finally spoke, fit the Frankenstein scar perfectly.

"You boys sure you want on this ride?"

"'Course we do." Jack said.

"Why wouldn't we?" Billy asked, hoping there would be no reason.

"This ride isn't safe. Needs some repairs." The attendant lowered his frightening voice to a whisper. "The kid that lost his finger last week almost got us shut down." He looked around to make sure nobody else could hear. "Last several times we let someone get on this ride there has been some kind of horrible accident." He paused briefly, then held out his hand. "But if you two are brave enough to ride..." now altogether too close to their faces, "or stupid enough, I'll take your tickets."

Both boys had the same thoughts of retreat, but friends don't stay friends with cowards, so both finally handed the attendant their tickets and got strapped into the ride. The wheels began to move forward into the darkness, as the attendant called out to them one more time.

"Remember, on this ride, accidents WILL happen. Which one of you will it be?"

The ride kept going forward but both boys were suddenly wishing it would just stop so they could get off.

They were now in darkness... total darkness. No lights on dangling skeletons. No dinosaurs or blood-toothed bears clawing at them. They could see nothing at all, totally blind in the darkness. But they could clearly hear every sound of every horrible thing they had expected to see.

"This ain't right, Billy." Billy could hear the fear in Jack's voice. "Something's gonna happen to us... something horrible."

As those words came out of Jack's terrified lips, both boys heard the loud crack of a wooden beam from directly over their heads. They expected the crush of the ceiling, and their demise, at any moment. Neither boy could resist any longer. Both screamed.

The seats they were in started shaking violently. From the fallen beam, perhaps? Unexpected, and totally unexplainable, they found themselves shaking in each other's arms... a weak and embarrassing substitute for the parents they both wished were there.

Suddenly, their cart bumped into something, jerking the boys forward. Without warning, there was a flood of extremely bright light. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust enough to realize the truth. They had reached the ride exit... they had survived the Horror Express!

The Frankensteinish attendant was waiting for them. As the cart came to a stop he reached over to unfasten the safety belts.

"Want to ride again?" he asked. "Second ride is free."

The response was unanimous and immediate.

"NO!!!!!"

Both boys knew as they walked away they would ride that fabulous ride again... soon. But they didn't notice the Frankenstein attendant laughing.

"See, boss," he said to a man who had been standing nearby. "We don't need to fix the props. Just leave the lights off and scare them before they go in. It'll work every time."