A large white globe atop the merry-go-round shattered. It had been about the size of a beach ball and I didn’t even think it was glass until Meek shattered it.

Meek had spun back around in time to see the shower of white glass pelting the top of the merry-go-round. He punched both fists into the air and danced around like he’d just won the grand prize.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

We were walking back, still him on one side, me on the other when he called over the now really strong wind, “I need to take a wickedly mean dump!”

“Think I saw a bathroom up there.” I commented while pointing to his side of the avenue, where I’d seen and heard a rusty door swinging in the wind, “Across from the bumper cars.”

“Be right back.” He called and jogged on ahead for about two-hundred feet.

I continued strolling along at a slow pace, not really paying much attention to anything. Basically, I was taking my time, waiting for Meek to return. I was watching the cracked pavement and kicking at the blowing trash; so I hadn’t seen the security guard until he was right in front of me.

He had grabbed me by both arms and shook me so violently that I nearly blacked out. When he threw me face first against one of the walls of a boarded up shooting game, I had but a millisecond to brace myself so as not to bust my face on the hard wood siding. Before I even knew what was happening my hands were cuffed behind my back and he was frisking me.

“I’ve had it with you dang teenagers vandalizing my park! I’m gonna see that you get thrown in jail for a long time!” he said as his hand made it around the front of my pants and squeezed my crotch.

Frightened and still dazed I found my voice and shouted, “HEY!” when I felt him groping me.

Laughing, he spun me around and slapped me so hard my head actually rang like a bell at a boxing match. This time I did black out.

When I came too, I was sitting in what apparently was the security office of the amusement park. Unlike the rest of the park, this place had power and several black and white security screens, all of which were on. They seemed to be randomly switching from different cameras throughout the park. It was then that I realized Meek and I had been watched the whole time; or at the very least, while we had been throwing stuff at the merry-go-round. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized neither one of us had noticed the lights high up on the wooden poles. I guess they were so high up, that neither one of us seemed to pay any attention to them, nor the fact that they were illuminating a park that otherwise shouldn’t have been illuminated.

I looked around and couldn’t help wondering why an amusement park that appeared to have been closed for more than a couple years would still have security on the premises. That is when I noticed I was no longer handcuffed but had my wrists tied to the armrests of an old style wooden office chair and was gagged as well. However, what bothered me more than all that was the fact that I was shirtless. Thankfully, it was overly warm and I was covered in sweat; because of that, I hadn’t noticed (or maybe I blocked it out of my mind at the time) that my front was covered in something slimy. Of course, I know what it was, but I would rather not actually write that word; it’s too disturbing!

Panicking I tugged and struggled against my restraints but to no avail. I wasn’t going anywhere however all that struggling made me realize the chair was on wheels. I became aware of a fowl stench that seemed to fill the small security office but it took me a moment to realize the stench was coming from me. Looking down I saw that the GoodNite had failed and I was soaked. Moreover, the smell, well that was easy to place, I’d soiled myself at some point. However, I didn’t care, that was the least of my troubles.

I spun around in the chair, checking out my surroundings. There was a single window about one foot square in the middle of what looked to be a solid wood door. However one look at the door and I knew that it wasn’t old, but new and there was a deadbolt with a key lock on the inside as well. I wasn’t going to be able to get through that door without a key.

I spun the chair around again, back toward the monitors to check if I could find Meek, or the security guard; not that I could do anything if I spotted either of them. I continued to watch each screen flash from camera to camera then saw the building Meek had gone into. A second later, I saw the security guard walk into the open door.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT!” I mumbled through my gag.

I struggled more, trying to get one of my hands free but in my exuberant efforts, I managed to tip me, and the chair, over sideways. When I fell, there was a terrible cracking sound the instant my head hit the hard wooden floor. My vision blurred and a searing pain filled every part of my body as a darkness started to close in around me like being swallowed up by a black hole. Fearing what might happen to me if I blacked out for a second time, I willed myself not to allow the darkness to engulf me.

I looked back up to the monitors on the wall, blinked several times and shook my head to get my vision to clear. That’s when I saw it, a small COLOR monitor sitting on a short, two-drawer filing cabinet. It wasn’t switching from camera to camera like all the other black and white monitoring screens. This one was on a single camera, which seemed to be looking down from the ceiling as it panned back and forth inside a bathroom. Each time it reached what appeared to be the center I could see down into all of the three toilet stalls and in the center one sat a bleach blond guy who I could only assume was Meek. However, the worst of it was that I saw the security guard standing in the open doorway of the toilet stall, looking down on Meek who appeared to be cringing.

The camera panned away and when it came back to center, I watched as I saw the guard backhand Meek. That is when I lost it! I flailed and threw the chair and myself about wildly. It worked because apparently the cracking sound I had heard before wasn’t my head but the wooden arm of the chair breaking. My Right hand was free. I still kept my eyes on the monitor as I struggled to untie my left hand while trying not to stab myself with the jagged wooden armrest that was still tied to my right wrist.

I was horrified to watch, as the security guard appeared to pull down his pants and step toward Meek. I knew what was happening and screamed through my gag.

“MEEEEEEK!”

A few seconds later, I had my left hand free and began working to untie my ankles. I looked back to the monitor and had to wait a couple seconds for the camera to pan down. When it did, I could only just see Meek’s bleach blond hair from under the security guards towering form.

A moment later, I was free and struggling to get to my feet. With another quick glance around the room, I found my shirt wadded up and tossed in a trashcan. I’m not sure what that was about but I quickly retrieved it and pulled it on. I then turned my attention to that door. I began to bang on the wooden door with what was left of the wooden office chair. I looked back to the screen and saw that the guard was gone and Meek was lying, curled up, on the floor beside the toilet.

I swung back with the chair, ready to have another go at that door when I spotted, hanging directly above the door a set of keys on a single nail.

“Damn-it!” I cussed and threw the busted chair across the room.

I suppose my newfound strength was due to my fear for me and for Meek. At any rate, I didn’t watch the chair as it flew from my hands and smashed against the wall of monitor screens sending sparks and glass flying everywhere. I had to climb up on a desk to reach the key and as I turned back to jump down I saw that the far wall was in flames.
“OH HELL!”

I quickly scrambled off the desk as the small room quickly filled with smoke. There were three keys. Of course, the first wasn’t the right key and I coughed as I fumbled to get the second key into the lock right when the lights went out. Thankfully, the key turned and the door swung open.

Not hesitating I bolted out of the now fully engulfed security building. I had no idea which direction Meek was, but I had a feeling the security guard was going to be heading back toward the burning office and I didn’t want to be there when he returned. In addition to everything else, it was raining now, not hard mind you, but since it was so windy, it didn’t take long at all for me to be completely soaked to the bone.