Tom All Alone (9) (ii)

The car swung abruptly towards the doors, forcing Tom to lean against the man, and then the doors clattered shut behind them and they were into the darkness. At first, that's all there was - just the occasional splinter of light as the car began to move upwards in the tunnel. Tom could feel the man next to him - his bulk pushing against him. A red light suddenly flashed on above them, showing a hooded figure cowering in a wall crevice with a drooping skull for a face, holding up a skeletal hand with a bloody knife in it. A ghost siren wailed at the same time, and Tom shrank down in the seat and gasped. He felt the man's arm go around his shoulder and his other hand on his leg.

"It's alright," the man said, close to his ear. "Don't worry. I'm here. The ghosts won't get you."

They reached the top of the climb and swung around a corner, shifting the man away from him again. And then he was back, with just his arm this time. Tom tried to move away, but the man was too big and strong for him. Another siren whirred loudly, followed by a cackle of mad laughter. A bright green light flashed on, showing a body looming out of the wall - the head cut off and nestling in the crook of an arm, one eye missing, a bloody bone sticking out of the neck. In the light, Tom could see the man rubbing himself in his lap with his hand. And then there was darkness again as the car swung along another gallery, where lightning flashes showed strange creatures dangling from the ceiling above, and a wailing spook with blood-dripping fangs and glowing eyes. Things touched against his face as they passed, and he put his hand up to bat them away. As he did so, he heard the man make a groaning sound, like he was frightened. Then he felt something else touch his face - something wet. He wiped it away. It felt sticky, like snot, and he rubbed his hand against the base of the seat to get rid of it.

"Did you feel that?" the man said then. "It was horrible, wasn't it."

Tom clutched the goldfish bag harder in his lap as the car turned another corner and rattled downwards now. The walls were covered in glowing figures, like the glow-in-the-dark paint that Russell had at home: bats, vampires, ghosts. The siren sounded again, very loud. Ahead of them as they went down, Tom could see light around the edges of a door. The man's arm finally lifted.

"You mustn't tell anyone about this," the man said now, close to Tom's ear. "It's our secret."

Tom was too scared to speak.

The car reached the bottom and the doors crashed open, and they were back out into the noise and bustle and blare of the night again. The car rattled to a stop where a group of people were waiting. And the man got up and out and was gone before Tom even had a chance to say thank you. Slowly, he stood up and stepped out onto the boardwalk, his legs wobbling beneath him. The crowd pushed past him now to get into the car. He looked out, across the midway, and tried to see where the man had gone. But he'd vanished. He stood there, just looking.

Then a hand grabbed his arm again. He thought the man was back.

"There you are!"

It was Russell - his face wide-eyed with anger.

"Where the hell have you been? What did I tell you to do?"

Tom felt his legs buckling then. The tears came, too, turning the lights to fragments. He knew he was in trouble. He knew he'd done something very wrong.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, R-Russell. I-I went on the G-Ghost Train w-with the m-man."

Russell turned him and grabbed both his arms, bringing his face close, shouting.

"What man?"

"D-Dad's friend," Tom whimpered. "H-He said he was k-keeping an e-eye on us for dad."

Russell's eye grew wider.

"What did he do?"

Tom sobbed. "Nu-nu-nothing. H-He just t-took me o-on the G-G-Ghost Train, that's all."

Russell tightened his grip on Tom's arms, looking down into his eyes. Then he suddenly shifted them further down, and his mouth dropped open.

"Oh Christ! Look what you've done."

Tom looked down. For the first time, he was aware of the damp feeling in his trousers. The stain had spread down both legs. He looked at the goldfish bag, still clutched tightly in his hand. But it wasn't from that. Goldie was still in there, darting around, his eyes agog, his mouth opening and closing, opening and closing, the bubbles coming out.

"You filthy pig," Russell said, disgustedly. "You've wet yourself."

He let go of Tom's arms then and stepped back.

Tom started crying hard then, as if his heart was bursting inside him.

"I w-w-want to g-go home now, Russell. P-Please t-take me home."

(continued) https://www.abctales.com/story/harryc/tom-all-alone-9-iii