Chapter Forty-Seven: Happened A-Pawn

Chapter Forty-Seven: Happened A-Pawn

Dina said that she arrived in Carousel in 2011. We got here in 2022. Either someone was very confused, or Carousel didn't really care much about continuity.

The thing was... I had never heard of that happening. None of the veteran players had mentioned anything like that and that isn't the type of thing that you can just leave out. After all, most of the groups lured to Carousel could be linked to other players that were here when they arrived. Just like how Antoine was "invited" by Chris. It was only on occasion that someone would arrive without having some connection to other players.

"That can't be," Antoine said. "Chris left eight years ago and he's been here for eight years. Not to mention, there have been two or three teams since then."

Dina furrowed her brow.

“The letters talked as if things were being moved into place,” she said. “Maybe...”

She didn't finish her thought.

She started walking back toward town.

“Maybe what?” Antoine asked.

She glanced back at us as she walked. “Maybe it isn't a coincidence. Any of this.”

We stood up and chased after her.

“You think we were brought here for you?” Camden asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Makes me sound egotistical, doesn't it?”

It sounded like she was suggesting that she started driving down the road to Carousel in 2011 and didn't actually arrive until we did because... we were supposed to help her save her son. That sounded a little out of pitch with what we knew of Carousel so far. Why would Carousel care about saving some kid? That's assuming it you could call Carousel's intentions for the kid "saving". Horror movies aren't known for happily ever afters. Ever seen Pet Sematary? Sometimes dead is better.

Surely, this was all just part of the cruelty of the entity we were all captive to. It was ridiculous to think that Carousel had told the complete truth to Dina in those letters. There had to be an angle.

“Where are we going?” Kimberly asked.

We had just been following Dina.

“I thought you had a storyline that we were going to do. Wasn't that the whole reason you came out today?” Dina answered.

Anna ran up ahead of Dina. “Stop. We have to talk about this.”

Dina shook her head. “We have to keep moving forward. You know everything I know. You can come to your own conclusions about whether or not you’re going to help me. I'm not going to sit around and wait like all those people back at the lodge.”

“We can do both," Anna said. "We can talk things through and keep pursuing it."

Dina gave a half-shrug.

"Anyway, we have a storyline to do today. Let's try to work together on it, okay?"

"Fine by me."

They both started walking toward town. I moved up ahead so that I could scout out omens.

It occurred to me that the storyline we were headed toward was on the other side of town. I had an idea.

“I think we should stop by the pawn shop in the town square. Arthur told me about it. It’ll only take a bit. It's on the way, I promise.”

No one objected. That was good enough for me.

Navigating through town was more difficult than going through the outskirts. There were more omens packed closely together. Luckily, I was able to get us through. All it took was a ton of stress and an extra helping of caution.

We couldn't go directly through town square. That place was filled to the brim with omens. We could only go there in between scenes like the last time. Luckily there was a way to get to the pawn shop without going through town square.

There was a back alley.

Now I know what you're thinking: the back alley must be filled with omens.

You'd be wrong. There were only three.

One was inside a dumpster. I didn't know what it was but I could hear it growling. Another involved a man wearing a tinfoil hat and talking to himself. Those were easy to avoid.

The third was a little bit trickier. There was a green ooze rising up out of a sewer grate. The sewers of Carousel had to be filled with storylines because this was the third omen I had seen related to them.

“Don’t step in the ooze,” I said.

“Avoid the glowing sludge?” Camden asked with a grin. Maybe he was starting to get past his first death. I didn’t think I’d heard him joke since... who knows when.

“You'll just have to trust me,” I answered.

Everyone made it past with little trouble.

Once we were through the alleyway, we had made it.

We gazed up at Happened A-Pawn Pawn Shop. Our destination.

Walking into the pawn shop, I immediately noticed that something was different about this place. Nearly every object in the entire store displayed information on the red wallpaper. I'm not just talking about omens, though there were those too, I mean everything.

The guns hung up on the wall behind the counter told me how much ammunition they could hold and how powerful they were. I hadn't really considered the idea that some weapons might be more powerful than others. I mean obviously, I know a handgun isn't as deadly as a shotgun or a rifle, but comparing rifles to each other felt ambiguous and pointless when it was the user's Mettle that actually mattered.

There weren't just guns, there were knives, swords, and weapons of all sorts. A mall ninja would go crazy in this shop. If there were ever a citywide zombie apocalypse, this would be the first place I would go.

But the supplies didn't end there. There were things that might not seem useful at first glance. The shop was filled with all types of props, outfits, and tools.

There were hunting supplies, hiking supplies, and an entire section devoted to used art supplies. There were canvases, one of which was an Omen, paint, and a portable easel. There was a typewriter that you could carry around in its own little case. There were musical instruments, cameras, and a variety of other electronics.

The selection of Omens was even greater than that at the psychic’s shop.

“Do not touch anything,” I said to my friends as we walked in.

“Riley,” Anna said, “I think... I think we can see them too.”

“The Omens?”

She nodded her head.

I quickly realized I wouldn’t have enough money.

“These are 200 and 210,” he said about Pregnancy Reveal and Shared Experience respectively.

I went over budget quickly.

“I have some for trade,” I said. I pulled out the ten tickets I had gotten from Silas after the Grotesque storyline and laid them on the counter. I grabbed the one I had promised Anna and took it back.

“Let’s take a look,” he said.

He began shuffling through them and rearranging them. I didn't know if he was sorting them by rarity or what.

“You've got some good stuff here,” he said. “Friends in High Places, now that is a useful ticket. Why would you want to part ways with that?”

“I can't use it.”

He shrugged.

“Watching Over You,” he said. “Not as rare, still useful.”

He put Watching Over You down right next to Friends in High Places.

Friends in High Places. Watching Over You.

I paused. Friends in high places watching over you. Was that just a coincidence? Strange.

Anna leaned over and said, “We also have some money, if that’s not enough.”

She put 110 dollars on the counter. All of their combined earnings.

“Just in case,” she said.

“A glitch in the matrix. Did that one confuse you or are you just not interested?” He asked.

I was puzzled. Did he not realize that not everyone could use every ticket?

He placed a glitch in the matrix down on the counter.

“Accidentally captured on film, now that is a run saver,” he said. “You ever thought about becoming an artist?”

I shook my head.

“Alright,” he said.

He placed Accidentally Captured on Film next to a Glitch in the Matrix.

A Glitch in the Matrix. Accidentally Captured on Film.

“Lot of good stuff you have here. Almost hate to take it off you.”

“Wait a second,” I said. I grabbed the tickets I had received from Silas after the Grotesque storyline.

A Glitch in the Matrix.

A Story Within a Story.

Watching Over You...

Who you truly are...

Friends in High Places.

This is going to sting a bit...

Accidentally Captured on Film.

Back to where it all started...

The Intrepid Guide Who Knows The Way.

These titles... was there...

“You know, kid,” Tar said, “I got my favorite show on in the back. I’m really not looking to haggle and trade. Tell you what: since the boss isn’t looking, how about I just take the cash? Easier that way.”

I looked him in the eyes. They were dark. He met my gaze.

“What do you say? Just the cash? You keep those tropes. Just in case. They might grow on you.”

I nodded.

“Good. Now get out of here. I’m closing up shop.”

I gathered the tickets and the Walkman. Antoine got his bat. We handed Tar the money. We turned to leave. Never even got to discuss the going price on the monster tickets we had been collecting.

“Come back soon, you hear. We have a rotating stock. Never know what we’ll have.”

“Thanks,” Anna said as we left.

“What’s going on?” Antoine asked.

“Was there something wrong with your tickets?” Camden asked.

There was almost certainly something wrong. The titles of the tickets I had received from Silas... I think they had a message. I hadn't noticed it before, but the way the NPC laid them out in front of me like that...

What was it that Roxie said happened to old Film Buffs?

That they started thinking Carousel was talking to them?

Maybe they were right.