That Which Rots (Part 3)

I wandered through the stalls a bit, trying to use my map to figure out where I was, and the quickest way to get to the lake. The way I saw it, I wouldn’t have to struggle as much to put the candle out since it would already be surrounded by water, but first, I’d have to actually navigate my way to the lake.

After a few hours worth of figuring out where exactly in the park I was, I began my trek to the lake. Usually, a walk like this would take hours back when the park was open, especially because of the crowds. Not to say it was popular, it was just that the park wasn’t really designed with many visitors in mind. I remembered that one year, Randy’s tried to help with the crowding problem by the introduction of the Clown Car service, you’d wait by a bus stop for the car to come, get a ride, and tell the driver where you wanted to go. Of course on paper, the idea was fine, but in practice, not so much. The car needed a way to pop out in order to prevent people from trying to scam people with their own cars, so they designed it to have paint over the headlights like eyes, and covered the front of the car in an unnerving cartoon smile with a big red clown nose on the hood. To make matters worse, the car only backed up the crowds and sometimes made waiting times even longer, until one day it crashed into the lake while trying to avoid a family of three.

Nobody was hurt, luckily, but the car was never recovered.

Suddenly, I tripped on a rock, knocking me from my train of thought, and when I looked up, I saw it: the lake. It was grimy and filthy, and three eroded statues of cartoon rubber ducks were crumbling away in the center of the lake. I sighed, looking around for the candle. I knew I didn’t have much time before the Rot appeared, but despite all my searching, peeking through the overgrowth and checking around the old benches that surrounded the lake, I never found it hidden away in any of the little nooks and crannies around the lake.

And then I heard it, that old, metallic creaking from the lake as water rained down from the Rots new form. I stared in horror.

It was the clown car, only now, it stood tall, with ten or twelve gloved arms out from where the wheels once were like spider legs. The plastic mouth was ripped open, leaving the plastic teeth sharp and gashed, revealing a fleshy, pink tongue that stuck out at the side. The headlights were snapped off from the car, leaving room for two large red stalks that connected themselves to two yellowed eyes that had slits for pupils like a cat’s eyes in the sunlight. I stared dumbfounded at the amalgamation as it lumbered forwards, its limbs cracking and groaning loudly as the thing moved closer, and spoke in the groaning, ancient voice.

“Poor pathetic little Jonah…” It said

“Why do you still move on with this little game of ours?

why do you still try when there is no way to win?”

I suddenly regained control of my body as I began to sprint, but with its long, rotting hands, it was easily keeping itself just behind me.

“What is it you would risk your life for?

Money?

wealth?

Riches?

fame?

what makes you keep moving knowing full well that I am in complete control of this place?”

Suddenly, the Rot swung an arm at me, sending me flying several feet away.

“What pathetic little goal can keep something so small,

so utterly weak to me

keep moving?”

Slowly, I got up, letting out a groan as I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and for a second, I almost thought my ribs were broken

“My sister.”

I said, pushing through the pain.

The Rot stopped its movement, Its snail-like eyes looking towards me closely.

At first I thought it was sympathy, but then it started to laugh, its long, spindly limbs now moving faster than I thought possible for something of its size as the Rot roared out.

“NOW THAT…”

it shrieked as I dove away, rushing into the only source of safety I could find: a custodial shed.

“IS TRULY PATHETIC”

I closed my eyes, I could hear it outside, its gloved hands pounding against the dirt and mud as it shrieked impatiently, and I realized, it didn’t see me enter the shed.

slowly, I opened my eyes, my heart was pounding beating out of my chest as I slowly looked around.

There was a light.

not just a light, but a candle.

Frantic, I grabbed the candle, and quickly blew it out,

trapping myself in darkness.

I could hear the Rot shriek loudly again, more in pain than frustrated, and as I slowly peaked my head out of the door of the shed, I saw it, the plastic maw wide open, a single massive hand outstretched for the door, and yet it never moved. Instead it twitched rapidly, the arms pulled themselves away and then the eyestalks of the horrid thing fell out of the metal skull of the car, then the tongue, eyes and every arm of the wretched thing faded to dust,  leaving nothing behind but the bent and mutilated car. Slowly, I took a deep breath,but as I did, the car let out a shriek as a massive black shadow shot out from it and into the sky, shrieking in anger and frustration as it shot across the sky.

I was winning.

and the Rot didn’t like that at all.