Funhouse by Michael Bray Page B

fuck is up to.”
    “ It’s a waste of time.” Randy said, not sure why he was so against the idea.
    “ Hell, count me in,” Kenny grunted. “better than doin’ nothing anyway.”
    Dwayne nodded, and turned towards Randy.
    “What about you, man?”
    Randy wanted to say no, but peer pressure counted for a lot, and as he looked Dwayne in the eye, he could still see a little bit of that instability that made him nervous lurking there. And besides, he figured anything that would get him out of the driver’s seat for long enough to sober up, could only be a good thing.
    “Sure, whatever. Count me in too.”
    Dwayne grinned. “Alright then, let’s go.”
    He gunned the engine, and streaked away, the car struggling to find purchase with the asphalt.
    As Dwayne and Kenny cackled and laughed, Randy wondered why he was half hoping they would crash before they arrived.             

    The Samsonite farm was at the end of a narrow dirt road which snaked across the outer edge of Oakwell Forest. The red convertible bucked and shook as Dwayne teased it down the road.  Despite his intake of alcohol, Dwayne expertly controlled the vehicle, and just before the road curved out of sight, he pulled over, and switched off the engine.
    “ Why are we stopping?” Kenny asked.
    “ We can’t just drive up there you idiot, he'll see us coming. We need to get out and walk now.”
    “ I hate walking! Is it far?”
    Dwayne shook his head, and Randy tensed up, unsure how it was going to play out. Eventually, Dwayne broke into a grin.
    “Come on, the walk will do your fat ass the world of good.”
    “ Hey, it’s not my fault.” Kenny whined.
    “ It never is for you lard-asses. Come on.”
    Dwayne got out of the car, and Randy and Kenny followed.
    The heat of the day was still lingering, and the sky was a breath-taking blanket of stars. The wind gently nudged the trees, and the three boys stood at the front of the car, waiting until Dwayne lit his cigarette.
    “ You girls ready?” He said as he took a long drag. “Then let’s go.” He added without waiting.
    They walked down the edge of the dirt path, and Randy was a little uncomfortable at the total isolation. Not a single car had passed them, and he wasn’t surprised. There was nothing out here but acres and acres of green, and although there were a few farmhouses scattered around, they were spread far from each other.
    Dwayne was in front, Randy keeping pace and Kenny was a little way behind, red faced and breathing heavily as he followed. Randy jogged ahead, and pulled level with Dwayne.
    “ How you holding up?”
    “ I’m fine.”
    “ You sure man?”
    “ I said I’m fine.”
    “ I was just thinking that you might want to be with your family...”
    “ Drop it Randy. I know what’s best for me.”
    Randy didn’t say anything else, and they walked in silence, broken only by Kenny’s grumbles. They had walked about a quarter of a mile, and as the road curved uphill and left, they could just make out the yellow glow from the Samsonite Farm.
    “Well, at least he’s home.” Kenny gasped as he leaned into the hill.
    “ He’s always home, you dumbass, he’s a recluse remember?”
    “ Oh yeah.”
    “ So,” Randy said, “what’s the plan when we get there?”
    “ I don’t know yet, I just wanna see the scarecrows. See if it’s true about how many he has.”
    “ Then what?”
    “ Then nothing.”
    Randy nodded, not sure why he was still feeling so uncomfortable.
    They walked on.             
                  Even before they got close to the house, they could see the scarecrows. Knowing how rumours and the ever knowledgeable ‘ they ’ exaggerated things, Randy expected to see a few scarecrows, ten, maybe twenty tops, but as they neared, he could see that on this occasion ‘ they ’ were bang on the money.
                  There must have been more than a hundred of them, silhouetted in black against the