Shock Amusement Park

In the morning, Kian receives a phone call from Awakener asking him to meet them at a local amusement park that they had been assigned to guard for that night. He makes his way there and waves upon seeing them. “Good to see you, Kian,” the security guard greets. “Yeah, you too, Awakener,” the spirit guide smiles and sits down next to them on one of the benches. Kian leans back, looking up at the night sky. “So, why did you invite me here?” he questioned.

“I was told that there is something strange that happens here at night.” Awakener responded. The spirit keeper looks at the security guard next to him. “Enlighten me,” he says with a chuckle. “Apparently, a headless woman has been spotted roaming here.” the security guard explains. “A headless woman, huh… any reported accidents?” Kian asks. Awakener shakes their head. “There has been no reported accident at this park since its opening, but I think it’s possibly a murder.” they respond and shift in their seat, causing the wooden bench to creak.

The spirit guide stands, meeting their gaze. “Then why not call the police? Especially if you think that there is a possibility of a dead body,” said Kian, baffled. “I tried… but they don’t believe me,” sighed the Awakener, shoulders slumped. Kian sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “Alright, I’ll help you out,” he says with a huff. “Thank you,” the security guard says with a smile. The spirit guide shakes his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Of course…” he mumbles.

After all, how could he say no? This whole thing started when Awakener first called him by chance, and he answered. Kian was thinking about taking a vacation after this. The sound of cicadas and crickets was all around him as he began his search for the headless woman. When he was about to give up, he saw her out of the corner of his eye.

There she is, thought the spirit guide to himself. Kian slowly approached her, keeping her within sight. It looked like she was heading towards one of the haunted attractions. “Of course, it had to be this one,” said Kian to no one in particular. Well, it could be worse… like a funhouse with its trippy mirrors and clowns, thinking to himself, shuddering at the thought.

He continued to follow the headless woman; it was a lot different than he expected inside. It had faint blinking emergency lights, and unmoving scares were littered around each corner. The spirit guide stopped as he watched her claw at the section of wall. Stepping closer, the creak of a floorboard underfoot followed by scratching in the background. When he was behind her, she stood and disappeared.

Taking out a crowbar from his bag, he jammed it into the wall and started to pull that section away. The wood cracked and splintered, with a section of the wall gone. Kian covered his nose with his hand. “Is this her head?” he asked aloud to himself. Pulling on some leather gloves, he reached inside, pulling out a burlap sack with something heavy inside. Taking the radio from his hip, it crackled to life with static as he spoke to Awakener.

“I found her.” he said through the walkie, his voice shaky.

“Understood. I’ll contact the authorities.” the security guard responded.

Kian whispered a prayer under his breath, looking up at the headless woman before him. “Ashes to ashes , spirit to spirit, take this soul and banish the evil.” Her form flickered, and in his head, the spirit guide heard a soft thank you. Kian exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding, setting the head down on the flat surface of the opening from where he got it. The spirit guide felt like he needed a vacation after this, especially after finding two dead bodies with a day apart. Soon, the area was filled with flashing lights and people walking back and forth.

Kian stood with the Awakener, who had their arms crossed. “Thank you for helping her,” they said, looking over at the spirit guide. “No problem… I just hate that help was a little too late.” Kian rubbed his hands on his pants. “So what are you doing after this? I’m sure you’ve had quite the busy few days in a row.” asked the Awakener. “I’m definitely taking a vacation after this,” replied Kian. The security guide nodded and was called over by an officer, so they said their goodbyes.

The spirit guide thought about where he would go to get away from the city of Kreson for a while. He just hoped that wherever he went didn’t have any supernatural or paranormal activity. Finally, at his apartment, he packed a bag and booked a hotel for a place called Vortex Motel. It sounded interesting and was affordable from what he saw online. Kian let his landlord know that he would be gone for a week but would be back and exited the Celeste Tower apartments.

The drive out to the Vortex Motel was a winding paved road leading up to an old mansion remodeled into the motel it is today. Soon as he stepped out of his vehicle, the spirit guide could sense it. The heavy feeling in the air just outside the motel. Maybe it was just his imagination… or he was hungry? When he grabbed his bags and went through the front door, however, that thought went completely out the window as in every dark corner he saw was a ghost lurking around.

“Welcome to Vortex Motel! Do you have a reservation or do you need to make a booking?” said the cheery woman from behind the counter. “I have a reservation under Sinclair.” The spirit guide cleared his throat, ignoring the ghost walking nearby. The receptionist typed on her computer, bringing up his information. “Single bedroom-suite under Sinclair,” she said. Then she wrote on the keycard cover his floor and room number. Kian thanked her and headed to the elevator, stepping inside.

As the elevator ascended, the light threatened to go out by flickering slightly. Looking around, he caught something moving out of the corner of his eyes. It was tall, too tall, body solid black, and eyes a swirling white. It squinted, looking at the spirit guide as if it was smiling at him. “You have got to be kidding me,” Kian mumbled to himself, locking eyes with the creature before it disappeared.