Tunnel of Terror - Excerpt from Jack Thunder and the Dawn of Unity

Stephanie held her breath. What had happened? Did the ride break down?

A red light cast on a single puppet in the gloom drew her attention. It listlessly strummed at the strings of a mock guitar. The cart slowed down until it stopped right next to the lone marionette.

Its head lifted, casting its sightless gaze upon Stephanie. Its expression morphed into one of sadistic glee, glass eyes peering down at the lone human amongst faeries.

“TARGET FOUND.”

A billion eyes flared up in the dark. Jack Thunder’s staff crackled dangerously as he brandished it at their invisible foes.

Stephanie only saw Shadow-Paws’s third eye crystal flash for a split second before the cart burst into a sprint, rocketing faster and faster down the infinite tunnel. Stephanie was slammed down into her seat, unable to see anything save for bright streaks of red and vague outlines of claws and sharp wooden teeth as they raced past the possessed puppets.

Her mind raced. This must be my first boss battle! But what do I do?!

A crack of lightning filled her ears as a bolt of green lightning lanced past her and struck one of the puppets in the chest. It erupted in a fiery blaze, its forlorn scream lost amongst the whoosh of the wind.

More marionettes dove at Jack Thunder to avenge their fallen friend. One managed to grab hold of the storm gremlin’s staff for a moment before it too was immolated.

Jack Thunder yelled to Shadow-Paws over the din. “How many of these things are there?!”

Shadow-Paws didn’t answer. The lunar crystal in the middle of his forehead burned a hole in his skull as he focused on propelling the cart forward. None of this made sense. The ride had never acted like this before. And what was with the “target found” he heard? It was almost as if someone had put a bullseye on their backs.

One thing was for sure; this could only be the work of another nekomata. Who else had such a wield over wooden, dead things?

He got an idea. His third eye crystal’s aura turned a bright white as he charged up his spell. A blast of psychic energy from his forehead froze all the wicked animatronics for a second, long enough for Jack Thunder to shock them one last time. They were all set ablaze, thrashing and shrieking in despair as they burned away.

Stephanie felt the pressure on her body ease as the car finally slowed down. The darkness gave way to the dim light of the carnival. As they pulled into the ride’s exit, the three of them could see the ruined remains of the Puppet Palace behind them. The structure was in shambles, the ground littered with the remains of broken, burning marionettes. Their eyes glowed no longer.