122. Max's Fear

It wasn't much longer before the car started to approach their destination.

Max's eyes on the window screen, he started to notice how the surrounding area became increasingly less civilised, the car bumping up a bit here and there on the ever increasingly rocky terrain.

Max: Are we almost there?

Ken: Hmm... About five more minutes.

Five minutes, and it was already this "out of bounds." One could only imagine what it would look like at the very end of the journey.

And Max wouldn't have to wait long, as those five minutes would quickly expire, but before then....

Luke: We'll stop here.

Max: Huh?

He stopped the car in what seemed to be a strange and uneven road.

Ken: This isn't the place. It's still further up ahead.

Luke: Yeah, but we'll have to stop here. I'd rather not endanger Timo's car.

Max: Oh....

They all got out of the car.

Tiffany: It's this way. C'mon.

Max: Ok.

She motioned to Max to follow her, and the rest started in their trek towards their destination as well. But then, Luke held Ken back just for a bit.

Luke: Hey, Ken.

Ken: Yeah?

Luke: Could you scan the car real quick? Just to make sure nothing bad happened to it.

Ken: (sighs) Sure...

His eyes glowed red and scanned through the car.

Ken: It's fine. Nothing to worry about.

Luke: Phew. Thanks.

A heavy weight had left his heart.

Luke: Let's go join the others.

Meanwhile...

Max: Hey, you sure we should leave that car over there?

Tiffany: It's fine. Hardly anyone comes by here anyway.

Max: But... why?

Tiffany: It's a ghost town.

Max: Huh?

Ken: (spooky voice) There's a rumour.... that several people here..... were killed by a curse. (dramatically spookily) A curse!

Rose: Ken!

Ken: What? Well... it is what happened.

Tiffany: However, said ghost story isn't exactly true.

Max: Huh?

Tiffany: Or rather....

Ken: We simply haven't found any ghosts yet.

Max: Huh!?

What he'd expected was some kind of statement explaining that it was just people being gullible. But, no....no.... They had no idea either.

Max: Wait, you mean....!

Ken: Yes. We have no idea either.

Tiffany: But... it was probably just some folk tale meant to scare people.

Luke: Yeah. When I first found this place, I'd heard about the stories, but....

For yet another brief moment, both him and, to a lesser degree, Tiffany seemed troubled.

Luke: ... well, none of them ever panned out. So, it's no big deal.

Max: You sure?

Luke: Yeah.

Ken: Hmm? Are you scared of ghosts, Max?

He flinched. This was perhaps the first time since he'd met Max in which he'd shown such fear.

Max: N... no! Of course not.

Ken: Really now. Fascinating.

Max: Hey! I said I'm not scared of ghosts.

Ken: Suuuuuuurrrreeeeeeee....

Max: Mmmmmm......

Rose: It's ok, Max. I was pretty scared when I was first here, too.

Max: But I......

He was only met with laughter from Luke and Ken.

Max: Mmmmmmm......

Tiffany: There's no need to worry. There are no ghosts here.

Max: But I'm not....

Rose: When I was first here, I was super worried, too. But after a while, I just stopped worrying about it.

Max: I..... ugh.....

Ken: By the way, Max? Why do you fear ghosts?

Max: I don't... I... ugh.... I give up.

Luke and Ken simply laughed at Max again, much to his chagrin.

Max: (exhaustedly) Are we there yet?

Tiffany: Almost.

The trek would soon come to an end. In the area in which they walked, empty building could be seen. Tumbleweed, in a cliche kind of way, dancing around what used to be roads, the slow creak of what seemed to be an old child's swing, the scent of "dead" buildings that had been neglected for a long time.

One could easily see how one could come to the conclusion that this place was cursed.

However, that did not stop Max from feeling unnerved.

Suddenly....

Ken: Boo!

Max: Gahhhh!

He almost jumped, leaving Luke and Ken in laughter, much to, once again, Max's chagrin.

Max: Mmmmmm.....!

Tiffany: (sighs) C'mon, you guys. We're almost there. Just a few more turns.

And she was not wrong. In this creepy, dusty, once civilised jungle, there it lay, right at the centre.

The playground.

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