It's Just a Ride

2

The Incredible SQUIP was the name of the fortune telling machine at the carnival. He had been specially designed to be able to predict the times and deaths of anyone imaginable.

However, it turns out that learning the exact time and date of your death while trying to have fun at a carnival is a mood killer, so he had been set to "Family Fun Mode."

While he could predict deaths still, SQUIP was never allowed to outright say it because of this. In fact, he was even the one who had told five teenagers ride the cyclone rollercoaster.

Even now, he was able to tell his own death. In about an hour, the rat that he named Virgil will have chewed through his cable after two long years. This action will release two hundred bolts of electricity, killing the two of them instantly.

Tonight, SQUIP will be confronted with six teenagers, each with their own lives, their own stories, all cut too short and too soon. Tonight, SQUIP would listen to their stories and have to make a difficult decision.

"Where are we?" Christine said confused as she stood up carefully in what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. She turned to see the other members of the theatre group. Last thing she remembered was the feeling of falling before showing up in this room.

"The twilight zone..?" Said an unfamiliar voice, one that everyone quickly realized belonged to Jeremy. Somehow, he had his crutches again.

"Oh my god, Jeremy can talk?!" Chloe blurted out loudly. Even Jeremy looked shocked as he went quiet again for a second.

"I guess so...?" The freckled boy answered.

"Greetings, it's time to play." SQUIP announced.

"'Play?!'" Chloe looked around quickly and saw SQUIP in the machine. She started to move closer. "What is this? Why are we here—"

"Meet Chloe Valentine." SQUIP interrupted. "Catchphrase?" Chloe then seemed to move against her will as she yelled out: "Democracy rocks!"

Chloe stopped doing whatever movements the weird machine made her do and took a few breathes, asking "what was that?"

"Your catchphrase."

"No, I mean moving against my will!"

"I have taken the liberty of pre-choreographing your moves. It's imperative if we want to have a good story." SQUIP must have seen the look the teens were giving him, because he then added "Rest assured, your free will still remains."

Chloe continued. "What is this? Some kind of.. sick game?!"

"Chloe Valentine has selected: game mode!"

"What?!" Chloe yelped and whipped her head back to face the group. "Guys, I swear I didn't— wait, what game..?"

"A game with fabulous prizes! Such as a stale pack of mentos! A crusty Hello Kitty cupcake! A limited-edition Iron Maiden band t-shirt, ripe with the scent of the carnie that wore it!"

None of the group looked interested, Michael making a fake gagging noise at the t-shirt.

"Look, just tell us what we're all doing here?" Chloe asked, voice filled with stress. 

SQUIP only continued. "Perhaps, Ms Valentine, you would be interesting in the grand prize: One of you getting a second chance to come back to life and continue living on Earth."

Christine gasped a bit excitedly. "That sounds way better than a Hello Kitty cupcake!"

"Meet Christine Canigula." SQUIP announced. "Catchphrase—"

"'Sorry!'" Christine exclaims as she gets in her pose momentarily. 

"Wait, wait, wait. Why only one of us?!" Jeremy asked now, exercising his newfound ability to speak.

"I only possess the ability to bring one person back to life, sadly." SQUIP answered.

"What do we have to do to get brought back to life then?" Chloe then asked

"The one who wants to win it the most," SQUIP began to say, "shall redeem the loser in order to complete the whole." 

"... that doesn't make any sense."

"I trade in prophesies that don't make any sense until they actually do." That's when some noises from the SQUIP came out before he said "it appears Chloe has used all of the group's three questions."

Everyone groaned. "Wait to go, Chloe." Michael said sarcastically as he continued. "Even in death, I can't escape her! Well played, satan."

"Meet Michael Mell. Cathphrase—"

Michael got into his obligatory pose. "Being the only gay guy in a small high school is like being the only one with a laptop in the Stone Age. Sure, you can have one, but there's nowhere to plug it in!" 

Michael then adjusted his glasses, looking as if he took deep offense to the idea of being controlled.

"That's not fair, you didn't say we only had three questions!" Chloe huffed, still mad about the questions.

SQUIP spoke amused. "I believe I did.. after the fact."

"This couldn't possibly get any weirder."

"I believe it can." SQUIP then said. "Allow me to introduce you to the mystery contestant!"

The backdoors of the warehouse opened to reveal a boy a black shirt and pants, similar to the rest of the group, and held what looked like a headless doll. 

His hair was a light blonde, and his eyes were pitch black, and he was as pale as a ghost. He took a few steps forward and started to speak:

"'John Doe' is what the coroner said..." the boy started. "They found my body, but not my head. No parents came, and so, they never learned my name, or who I used to be. My life.. an unsolved mystery. From ashes I was made, and ashes I return... and so I walk alone and wonder, 'why...?'"

Silence.

"Did anyone else just pee a little bit?" Christine then asked the group in a shaky voice. They all gave her a weird look before she then said "me neither."

John Doe stepped closer to Christine, holding out his headless doll to her. "Want to help me brush my doll's hair?"

Christine squeaked and backed up slightly. "This is freaking me out!"

"What to know what freaks me out?" John Doe then asked.

"Not really, ever, like at all." Christine quickly answered in a soft voice. "I'm sorry."

"Meet John Doe. Catchphrase—"

John Doe stood in the exact way he was already standing, but with his doll hugged closer to him, and recited "When a lioness has her babies, she stops making love with the lion. This makes the lion jealous, sometimes so jealous he eats the babies. You would think this would upset the lioness. Far from it. They make love as if the children never existed." Pause. "I find this fact terrifying." 

"... I'm just going to stand a bit farther from you." Christine laughed nervously, stepping back only for John to follow her confused.

"Time to start this game." SQUIP then said.