“Applejack!”

“AJ!”

“You must get up!”

“…please..?”

“You have to come home…”

“Come on!”

Darkness…a familiar sight... this greeted Applejack as she began to regain consciousness. She shot her eyes open as she remembered what had happened before she blacked out. Once her body began to respond, she got to her hooves before finally taking in her surroundings. Whipping her heard quickly from left to right, she was greeted with a poorly lit room that even with squinting her eyes, she couldn’t make out anything in it…however…upon looking some more she noticed a spot just off to her left…brightly lit from the rest of the darkness. The light shined over a large piece of fabric held up showing a weird design of…an eye. At the foot of the fabric where it met the ground….was Frank…sitting there bathed in light missing his clothes, but there was a piece of cloething still on him around where his torso met his legs…his hands bounded together…

“Frank,” Applejack called out as she began to move forward.

However she felt something clench her throat suddenly, restricting her from moving any further. She took a step back and tried again before putting a hoof up to her neck. She felt…a secure collar around it. As she felt around it, she touched what seemed to be a metal chain and as she moved her hoof more she felt another…and another… and another...

“Frank, come on, get up,” Applejack called out once again taking her hoof from the chain.

That’s when it finally entered her ears….slow... heavy breathing… coming right from Frank.

“Frank….”

Just as she was about to call out once more, a loud creek cut her off and drowned out Frank’s breathing. Applejack turned to see a door on the other side of the room from her swing open allowing light to shine into the dark room momentarily blinding her. She brought a leg up to cover her eyes just as she heard multiple voices coming into earshot. As her eyes began to adjust to the light, she brought her leg down and saw several figures entering the room. She watched as the figures began to move towards her, their… green almost soulless faces coming into the dim back rays from the lights bathing Frank. However, there was one figure in particular who seemed to stand out amongst the rest. It was an elderly looking human dressed in a long white robe of sorts. Applejack flinched at the sound of a loud slam as the light from before disappeared and only darkness remained. She kept silent as the old human looked slowly from her to Frank as an uneasy silence settled, despite a few a murmurs from the green faced crowd and Frank’s breathing. She saw the human took one last look at her before turning to the crowd.

“These…sinners, like the others, have chosen to reject salvation’s open arms,” The human boomed with a commanding tone, “and frolic in the land walked by the spawns of evil.”

Applejack heard the crowd of green faces start to mutter some incoherent chant in a low tone. She looked over to Frank only to see him still there breathing slowly… as if he hadn’t seen the group come in.

“Prepare yourselves,” The human exclaimed drawing Applejack’s attention back, “For the purging of these two from the earth that they walk with their sin covered souls.”

Applejack watched the crowd begin to disperse still muttering their chant continuously. Then with a small hiss, she saw a few light what appeared to be candles held up on long poles which started to slowly rid the room of its darkness. She watched as the rest began to divide between her and Frank moving closer and closer...

“Frank,” Applejack called out, “Snap out of it!”

She didn’t get a moment to wait for a response, if any, before she felt something strike her in the side of the face and pain immediately engulfing it. She whipped her head around to see the elderly human looking directly at her.

“Silence,” He ordered with the commanding tone still present, “Nothing can save you from judgment.”

“Horse apples!” Applejack shouted before lunging forward driving her head into the elderly human's gut, “FRANK! Git up!”

She didn’t waste a second before turning quickly and kicking at the nearest green faced human surrounding her. Once she felt her hooves make contact, she saw the others quickly moving in on her. She lunged forward driving her head into the gut of the closet green face human and landing on her hooves quickly delivering a kick to another.

“Get away from me!” She exclaimed as she proceed to lash at the others advancing on her.

Right as she was about to deliver another kick, she felt the collar on her neck suddenly tighten as her hooves left the ground. She found herself back on her hunches and before she even had a moment to regain herself, she felt something wrap around her and begin to weigh her down. She immediately tried to get up on her hooves while attempting to push the green face human away but its grip held.

“Dangnabit!” Applejack shouted, wrestling to free herself as another green face human grabbed her, “Let me go!”

She found her efforts quickly become exhausted but kept trying to slip free just as she felt something cold press against the bottom of her chin. She first saw the elderly human towering over her with a glare directed right at her…then the sword it now held ever so close to her throat causing her to immediately cease her efforts and just stare back silently.

“You will be the first to be sacrificed,” The human announced, retreating the sword, “For sin has made you embedded in the realms of ignorance beyond the point of return.”

Applejack immediately retried at her efforts as she heard a click of metal and the rattling of chain as she found herself being lifted up off the ground with little success of escape. She looked to Frank in hopes he had finally come to his sense, but only saw him being forced up onto his feet by several members of the crowd... with no sign of a fight…

“Frank! Snap out of it!” Applejack shouted as she found herself being carried to where Frank had once been, “FRANK!”

She suddenly felt the grips on her quickly loosen and found herself falling onto the ground. Once she felt free, she moved to get to her hooves but felt the collar tighten around her neck once more pulling her onto her back as she heard another metal click. She tried once more at getting to her hooves finding herself successful, but upon moving forward… the collar tightened again...

“Prepare for another,” She saw the elderly human announce in a booming voice, “Another sacrifice of the unholy. The ungodly. The heretics of the world!”

The crowd of green faces erupted in their chant as the elderly human walked off to a part of the room. Applejack turned back to see Frank sitting where she had been not too long ago with his head still lowered…

“Frank, if you can hear me, I made it to the wonderland plaza,”

Otis stood just outside the hall leading to the restrooms as he looked up towards the coaster, which was still in its furious loop. He held onto the walkie talkie and flashlight as he began to head for a flight of stairs up towards the upper level moving around the zombies in his path. Once up the stairs, he proceeded cautiously towards the coaster taking notice to…the lack of zombies around it. As he approached and walked up the small flight of stairs onto the loading platform, he felt the rush of wind as the single coaster kart came zooming by.

“Alright,” Otis said as he put the flashlight and walkie talkie away and moved towards the control panel, “Switch for the ride should be right…here.”

Before Otis even laid a finger on the panel, his ears were suddenly filled by a loud revving sound followed by... high pitched laughter. Otis turned from the controls as the kart went flying by once more to see…a clown juggling two chainsaws and looked…familiar as Otis took in the situation.

“Adam?” Otis asked as he recalled meeting the children performer the day he was employed at the mall, “What happened to you?”

“...You remember it…don’t you Otis,” Adam said as he stopped juggling, “the children…the laughter…the smiles...”

Otis felt a wave of nervousness come over him as he stood there watching Adam slowly slip into sobbing as the blades of the chainsaws kept on spinning.

“Because of me… I made all the people happy…” Adam continued letting out a chuckle before sniffling, “But then….”

“The zombies...” Otis finished hesitantly.

“And…you know…” Adam began nodding his painted head, “What happened when they came….everyone…died.”

Otis cringed as Adam let out a laugh only a manic would be capable of, but had a hint of sadness hidden in it. Otis took a step back as Adam began to juggle the chainsaws once more humming a tune.

“..Uh...Adam,” Otis managed to get out trying to remain calm, “Where did you...get those chainsaws from?”

“Mr. Hudson’s store of course. He wasn’t in so I decided to borrow them,” Adam replied in a cheerful tone, but rather too cheerful, “Like I always tell the kids, its ok to borrow something as long as you bring it back.”

Otis cringed once again as Adam let out that same laugh as he watched him toss both chainsaws into the air and roll forward. Otis quickly side stepped from the controls as he saw Adam catch each chainsaw by the handle and give a preforming bow balancing each saw expertly in his hands.

“They hate the noise, Otis,” Adam said getting up on both of his feet, “But not the children, or anyone else. So I thought I would give everyone a nice happy ride.”

Otis turned to see the kart come soaring past once again, but this time, he could see…someone on it.

“Adam, I think you should let whoever is on get off right now and..,” Otis began slowly trying to think of the right words while turning to face the on edge performer, “….and let…others get on. Wasn’t that something you taught the kids? Taking turns?”

Otis watched, praying what he said would work, as Adam seem to ponder this for a moment not lowering the chainsaws one bit.

“I did,” Adam said before going to a tone of fear, “But the noise, its keeps them away… The ride… can’t stop...”

“Just for a moment,” Otis insisted, “Then you can start it right back up.”

Otis watched as Adam ponder this for another moment, before setting down one of his chainsaws and begin to fiddle with the control panel. Otis heard the gears of the coaster shutter for a moment as he looked to see the kart slowing down. It pulled into the loading area with ease before coming to a complete stop, only to confirm Otis’s fears.

“Greg,” Otis said as he rushed towards the kart, “You ok?”

Otis looked upon the fellow employee who seemed barely conscious; however, he saw Greg's eyes suddenly shoot open and begin to breath fast and tremble in the kart.

“Greg! Greg, it’s me, Otis,” Otis exclaimed grabbing Greg’s shoulder to stabilize him, “You’re ok. Just remain calm.”

“Ok kiddies!” Adam’s voice announced, “It’s time to get off the ride for now. Let’s give someone else a turn.”

Otis looked towards Adam to see him reaching into the front of the kart and pulling out…two blood covered dolls and tossing them away. Otis turned back to face Greg who was now taking deeper breaths, but still shaking...

“Come on! Who’s next in line!?”

“Come on Greg,” Otis said as he began to help the fellow employee out of the coaster, “Let’s get you out of here.”

That’s when he heard the loud revving of the chainsaws drawing Otis’s attention from Greg back to Adam who was now back wielding both chainsaws, but...with a frown on his face this time.

“He can’t leave,” Adam said as he cornered Otis, “He tried to stop the ride...”

“Adam, look at him,” Otis pleaded while motioning to Greg, “The man probably can’t stand…”

Otis found his words fail him as he found himself in a cold…death like stare with Adam as the chainsaw revved loudly with each passing moment. Suddenly, Adam dropped the chainsaws and immediately grabbed Otis pinning his arms to the side in a death grip hug.

“Alright kiddies, the ride is full. You’ll have to wait,” Adam announced back in his cheerful tone as he carried Otis to the free seat in the coaster, “Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.”

Otis heard Adam let out that same cringe worthy laugh as he found himself in the front seat of the coaster. Before he could even attempt to escape, he found the restraint of the coaster pulled over him tightly pinning him down.

“ADAM!”

Otis only got a response in a high pitched laugh as he felt the coaster jerk a bit before slowly moving forward. He quickly removed the restraints on him only to find the coaster had cleared the loading area and was quickly gaining speed. Otis put the restraints back on before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the walkie talkie.

"Frank, can you hear me?" Otis called out into the device as the coaster began its first turn, "Frank!"

Frank stared off into space as his senses begged for him to come back…or at least…he thought it was his senses. He looked down at his bounded hands eyeing the cable tie wrapped around the outside of his wrists. He could hear the sound of voices chanting something he couldn’t make out and the sound of his own breathing. Then he began to hear….the steady beat of…a camera clicking as if it were taking a picture. He closed his eyes trying to shake the noises from his head as he heard a commanding voice begin to chant as the camera beat became faster and faster.

Frank! Git up!

Gramps.

Go get that fella alright?

As long as you aren’t dead, Fred.

Get down Mr. West!

You’re lucky the general is allowing a photographer on the base.

The name’s Frank. Frank west….west…west…west…

Frank had his eyes wide open as he looked in his peripheral vision to see… Applejack chained by the neck with red on her face... An elderly man chanting something while making gestures with one hand while the other held a sword... A large group of people dressed in yellow coats…wearing green soulless masks....

His eyes drifted downwards to his hands to see the point where the two ends of the cable wire met was pressed against the outside of his right wrist. Frank took one more look up before his breathing began to increase….

...as he felt the space between the outside of his wrists and the cable wire begin to tighten…and tighten...and tighten...

Author's Note

Hello again everyone. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and are enjoying the story so far. Sorry this one taking a while, I had to work on a wedding video for a friend of mine's older brother while doing this but either way. Leave your feedback in the comments below and have a great day everyone.