13

I shut my eyes and felt a powerful burst of heat, almost like an explosion.

I'm burning up! I thought.

Burning up!

A whoosh of cool air made me open my eyes.

The fire was behind us now. We had sailed right through it.

Curving gently, we slid through cool darkness. I could still see the orange flicker of flames reflected on the dark walls above us.

Luke and I were both silent. I was waiting for my heart to stop thudding in my chest.

"Great special effects!" Luke cried. He let out a wild laugh, a frantic laugh I'd never heard before.

The fire was fake, I realized. Some kind of projection or something.

I sucked in mouthfuls of the cool air. I had never been so terrified in my life.

"When does this ride end?" Luke cried. His voice had become high and frightened.

Never, I thought glumly. We really are going to slide forever.

And as that frightening thought lingered in my mind, a chute opened in front of us. Daylight streamed in.

Bump.

I landed hard on soft grass.

A few seconds later, Luke dropped out behind me.

I blinked several times, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight.

Then I climbed slowly to my feet, my heart still pounding.

A yellow-and-green sign on a wooden pole stood directly in front of us. It read: WELCOME TO DOOM. POPULATION: 0 HUMANS.

Standing next to the sign was Clay. He came rushing over to greet us, a happy smile on his round, pink face. "Hey, guys — hey!" he called. "Where've you been?" He slapped Luke a high five. Then Luke gave him a playful punch in the stomach.

"Where've we been?" I asked. "Where've you been?"

"Right here," Clay replied. "I didn't know where I was. I think this is the other side of the park or something. So I just waited for you."

"We went back on the Doom Slide," Luke explained. "We took your slide. Number ten. What a ride! It was so cool!"

A few seconds ago, Luke had been shrieking in real terror. Now here he was, pretending he loved it, telling Clay how cool it was.

"You picked the good slide!" Luke told Clay. "Wow. It was excellent!"

"I was kind of scared," Clay confessed. "I mean, the fire — "

"Great special effects!" my brother exclaimed. "This park is awesome!"

Luke was such a phony. There was no way he would ever admit that he had been worried about Clay. And no way he'd admit that the long slide to Doom had terrified him.

But I was glad to see his old enthusiasm return. I really didn't like seeing my brother frightened and in a panic.

"It was kind of a long slide," Clay said, frowning. His feathery blond hair glowed in the bright sunlight. "A little too long, I think."

"I'd like to go on it again!" Luke boasted.

I turned and gazed around. We were definitely in another section of HorrorLand. Nothing looked familiar.

Across the wide walkway, I saw several kids in bathing suits heading down a sandy path. A sign over the path read: HORROR RAPIDS.

To our right, a square-shaped building made of glass reflected the bright sunlight. The glass walls shimmered brightly as if on fire. Squinting into the light, I could just barely make out the sign in front of it: HOUSE OF MIRRORS.

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