It felt like a moment out of a dream, or maybe closer to a nightmare. None of this felt real, none of it followed the given narrative. Most people would think that going into an abandoned amusement park and looking around would be terrifying or "asking for trouble", but in reality there are many urban explorers who have come to the realization that it is just big empty buildings. Sure there might be some squatters, there may be some things that aren't desirable especially once a building has started to decay; but this idea that exploring invites the supernatural had never been something I believe. Or at least I didn't believe it. The tv turned off and I was alone in the room again, just me and my thoughts. It all felt normal again, it felt like I was just in any other building, but there was an ominous-ness to it now. What did Jameson mean, What is the code? Did he mean killing people who made mistakes? Those were the two most pressing questions in my head. I took a second to collect myself, letting myself inhale and exhale through the rampant anxiety. Once I felt a little more even I moved for the first time since the tv went off, it was a weird feeling. It felt like I have been made of stone and just now had learned how to move. There had to be more evidence or at least something to give me a clue as to what this training video meant.
I walked over to one of the desks that belonged to one of the officers. He had some of his personal effects but they were covered in dust and badly damaged. He had some fade pictures as well as some Knick knacks; a toy car, a rubik cube, some dice, it seemed that he liked to fidget. I opened the first drawer to his desk and found some old papers, old files and blank incident reports, nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing strange was how many there were, there had to be at least 50 of them in this drawer, could there have been a need for that many? I wanted something, a clue about that day or an inclination of what Arthur's court was. I searched the next drawer, nothing. The one after that, locked. Locked? I held my flashlight in my mouth and began to pull on the door. I tugged and tugged, putting my strength into each pull but the drawer wouldn't budge. I looked at the drawer more closely, trying to find some sort of weakness, when I noticed that the top of the drawer was slightly ajar, enough to gain some leverage. I took my flashlight and put it in the hole, using it like a lever, and began to pry the drawer open. After a loud POP, it slid open hitting me in the chest. I rubbed my chest a little pained by the impact but I could barely feel it over my overwhelming curiosity. The drawer had many files, labeled A-Z, most of them appeared to be empty or not have much in them so I didn't assume it would take to long to look through the drawer. To my surprise, there wasn't much. Most of the files were inventory reports and some old basic incident reports. Near the end of the files I found an inventory report that caught my eye. Most of the others had mentioned food, equipment, or some of the different items that could be bought at gift shops; but this one had a line that read:
Malovant (Type: sword) (20 lbs)
I read it a couple of times but nothing came to mind, Malovant sounded like some sort of electrical equipment? I pulled out my phone and searched it but nothing came up other than some images of different swords. I let out a sigh and began to close the drawer, but then something caught my eye. Near the back of the drawer was an extra space after the Z-file. It was positioned like it should be the end of the drawer but the drawer clearly was longer. I reached for the Z-file, peeling back the Manila folder. A small compartment laid in the back of the drawer, covered in a thick darkness. It looks like looking through this desk wasn't a complete waste. I rummaged around for a moment in the darkness, but this compartment felt empty. My heart sank, another loose end. But then why have the compartment at all? I felt around a little bit longer just to make sure when I realized something. The sides of the desk were wooden and cold to the touch but the bottom of the compartment felt different, it was scratchy, a little bit rougher, it felt like a hard case of some kind. I slid my hand across the bottom trying to feel for anything that could help me distinguish what this was when I felt it, a handle that was wedged in between the bottom of the compartment and the back of the desk. I lifted it, and slowly pulled it out letting my excitement build as the hard black case revealed itself to me. I laid it down on the ground next to me and just stared at it for a moment. It was about 2 feet long and 2 and a half feet wide. There couldn't be much inside the case, it wasn't deep, nor heavy enough to have more than one or two items. To my surprise the case wasn't locked, it just had two simple latches on it. A simple flick to either side and it was ready to open. No traps, no gimmicks, just a simple box. But still I felt something weighing on me, the pressure of a real find. I opened the top a little too hard, letting it fly to the other side of the case. My assumptions were correct. There were only two things inside, the first was a small leather bound book with the symbol of a sword in stone on the front. I had seen it many times as I had begun to research this place, it was the marker of Avalon itself. I could have immediately opened the book and started to read, but my attention was fixed on the second object in the case. A black 1911 45.acp pistol laid on some foam that had been placed at the bottom of the case. I was stunned. I would be lying if I said I didn't think there was a gun in the case in the first place, but it's very different going from thinking there is a gun to there actually being one. I also was not someone who was used to being around guns. When people hear that I am from a place like Texas they assume that I'm a rowdy, shoot'em up type of person but in actuality that could not be further from the truth. When you live in the suburbs of Houston all your life let's just say you don't really get as much of the "Wild frontier" vibe. I had seen guns, but that was it. Holding one would be a new experience. I gently lifted the gun up from the case, as if I was afraid it was going to bite me or miraculously go off. My dad had always told me to have a health fear of the unknown. It was heavier than I expected, nothing like the weight of a nerf gun or airsoft pistol. It was definitely completely made of metal and had a sturdy sort of feeling to it. I was scared, don't get me wrong, but I also felt weirdly powerful. I thought back to all those movies where guns are shot all the time, like John Wick. In those movies they make guns look simple and weak; mundane even. It's different to actually hold it, it makes you wonder how anyone could actually survive a bullet. I didn't want to hold it any longer than I had to but then I realized that it made me feel safe. Next to it in the case was its magazine, I picked it up carefully to look at it; 10 rounds. I took both the gun and the magazine and stuffed them into my backpack, making sure to keep them separate. It made my backpack a lot heavier but for some for the reassurance alone it was worth carrying.
I examined the book a little more now that I had a new restored confidence. I flicked open the first page and found the title page but there was a problem, the entire thing was written in a different language. It looked like English but I definitely couldn't make heads or tails of what it actually said. It had to be important, I mean it had to be, otherwise there was no point in putting it in the case in the first place. I flipped through the pages a few more times, looking for anything that might give me a clue of what this book might be but the more I looked the more confused I got. The only thing remotely useful was a map of the amusement park near the back of the book. It wasn't held together like the rest of the book, it looked like it had been placed there for some reason.
Even though I didn't know what any of the titles were, the pictures were definitely helpful. I stuck the leather book in my backpack as well but kept the map close at hand, it might be the only non-destroyed map of this place so I wasn't going to lose track of it. With that I gathered my things and left the security office, it had given me more questions than answers to be honest. I walked down the hallway leading towards the park, letting my flashlight illuminate my path. I walked for what felt like forever with the weight of anticipation on me before I finally saw it: the fairgrounds. Just like in the video everything was dark, the only things I could see were silhouetted by the slight peaking of the sun through the large dome above. A large Ferris wheel rose like a black monolith near the back of the grounds. A roller coaster's dark wooden frame slithered it's way across the domes outside. A large drop tower could be seen in the distance with the attraction still stuck at the top, perpetually awaiting free fall. And to top it all off was the main attraction, the castle of Camelot. A large castle situated in the very center of the park. What was once an inviting structure for all who entered the park now looked to be a nightmare like dungeon. I began to get flashbacks of watching Willow as a kid, Bavmordas castle brought to life in the middle of this park. But none of this was truly new, I had seen most of it before even if it was only through a screen. What I had never seen was the actual entrance arch that welcomed people to the park. I couldn't help but smile, even with the other thoughts in my head. The sign that said "Welcome to Avalon" was right in front of me for the first time, my heart couldn't take it.
"What do I do first?" I asked myself. There were so many attractions and places to explore it seemed overwhelming, and I did not have a clear sense of exactly where I wanted to begin. I began to walk around the area while I thought, walking along the railing that kept people in line, until I eventually came to the turnstiles. I tried to push my way through but found that they wouldn't budge so instead I fulfilled a lifelong dream of jumping a turnstile for the first time. As my feet hit the pavement on the other side something…unexpected happened. I heard a whirl of machinery, an electrical hum filled the once silent area, and then music. It was a jovial and happy tune, sung by Elton John of all people, and the longer he sang the more the park started to come to life. The ferris wheel began to turn, the roller coaster started to roll, even the drop tower actually dropped. The once decayed silhouette was now replaced with faded colors and ruined infrastructure but it did feel more like an amusement park, which made it all the more eerie. I did not know what I had done to start the rides. I looked down to examine my feet but there was nothing I stepped on in particular other than the ground beneath me. There was no rhyme or reason for it.
I heard a slight TING, to the side of me, what sounded like something hitting the ground. I looked over and found a name tag no more than 2 feet away from me that definitely was not there before. I picked it up to look at it and to my surprise I actually recognized the tag. It had the words "Dorothea" printed on it.
"This is the name tag from the tiktok…" I said a little confused, "why did it just fall from the sky…" I looked up around me, thinking maybe I would see where it came from, when a despicable image filled my gaze. My hands went numb, the name tag fell to the floor, I began to shake and my mouth stuttered as I tried to let out a scream. I fell to the floor and began to shuffle backwards. Pinned to the arch that read "sorry to see you go, remember we are all equal in Avalon", was a body…held in place by arrows puncturing the arch.