Project Chaos: Disneyland

Chapter Eight

Hayato was glaring out at the rest of the park again, the light from a nearby lamp reflecting off the goggles on his head.

"It was a trap. Some asshole somewhere turned our safe haven into a damn trap. Anybody who had magic when they stepped into the park had it stripped from them, and nobody could leave. Trapped in Disneyland was every kid's dream once upon a time, but it's just a cruel joke to us now."

Something hit Teddy like a wall of force, taking his breath away. He had just learned something, something incredibly important, but for the life of him, he didn't know what. He coughed and shook his head until the feeling evaporated.

Hayato continued to glare straight ahead, shoulders hunched, jaw set.

"What's the rest of the park like?" Teddy asked his roommate.

Hayato showed no sign of hearing him for a long while, and Teddy didn't want to disturb him again. They stood there silently, the weight of a past Teddy could not remember heavy between them. And then Hayato huffed and set off down the path, jerking his head for Teddy to follow.

They followed the path around the briars first, and Hayato hooked a thumb at it.

"That's Splash Mountain. Cass calls the people who live there 'precious souls.' I call them furries." Smirking a little, he added, "Technically, Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh are part of Critter Country, but they just elected to be part of Adventureland for the protection."

They didn't walk all the way down into this part of the park, but Hayato pointed to a covered bridge.

"That's the Winnie the Pooh ride. I'm fairly certain the Hundred Acre Wood grew itself to life in there, but I've never checked it out. Not a big fan of heffalumps and woozles."

Turning on his heel, he led Teddy back the way they'd come, eventually walking down beside the river. Fog was already creeping across the water. Hayato pointed at the dark island with his chin.

"Tom Sawyer's Island, or Pirates Lair, whichever you prefer. Before Project Charm became Project Chaos, the island was basically a jungle gym for kids to run around. Tunnels, bridges, pieces of a wrecked ship. Now it's inhabited by people who call themselves Tribesmen - total recluses, you'll never see them. They claimed the most defendable spot in this whole park."

Hayato grabbed a branch from an overgrown bush nearby and slung it out over the fence, into the river. Almost immediately, the water seethed with life as something big and dark snapped the branch into pieces and then sucked it down into the frothy waves.

Teddy gave a low whistle.

"Wicked," he commented. Hayato shrugged and kept walking.

They turned up past the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean, following the path into the cluster of buildings. Most of them seemed empty or abandoned, but one was bright with the doors open and inviting. Music stumbled out into the street, along with the hum of voices. Here, Hayato paused but didn't go in.

"The Blue Bayou. It used to be a really classy restaurant in New Orleans Square, attached to the Pirates ride, but Captain Redwing turned it into a tavern. It's open every night till ungodly hours and attracts a few Landers who aren't too scared to leave their rides."

Hayato led them back to where the jungle began, nodding at the big tree with its massive house built into the branches.

"Tarzan's Treehouse. Nobody lives up there, which is a bloody shame because it's fully equipped for a large family. Now it's just used as a lookout for the Pirate patrols."

Walking backwards, Teddy's roommate gave a sarcastic salute to anyone up in the treehouse. Teddy glanced up and was surprised to see a face he recognized standing in the middle of a rope bridge. Blunderbuss saluted Hayato with one of his fingers and nodded to Teddy.

Teddy followed his roommate into a tall jungle of bamboo until they could see an old temple lurking ahead, dim torchlight flickering in the mouth of the building.

"Temple of the Forbidden Eye?" Teddy guessed as Hayato opened his mouth. At his scowl, Teddy rolled his eyes. "Abraxas mentioned it last night. You know, you're a little touchy."

Hayato flipped him the middle finger.

"I don't know much about the people living in there," he said grudgingly. "They kinda do their own thing. But considering the fact that they chose to live in a temple full of fire, ghosts, skeleton men, and giant frickin snakes, I think they're a little crazy."

Hayato then turned around and jerked his chin at a thin line of bamboo. Looking closer, Teddy could see a small river.

"And there's the world famous Jungle Cruise," Hayato announced with bravado. "Nobody lives there except Sam the Trader, too many dangerous animals. Don't ask me if he's the actual Sam the Trader brought to life or just the first and only guy to tame the ride, I don't know." He eyed Teddy. "Not that you have any idea what I'm talking about."

"Nope," Teddy replied cheerfully, returning Hayato's middle finger. His roommate held his hands up.

"Woah, watch out. We've gotta smartass over here." Shaking his head, Hayato walked away. "Come on smartass, we're not done."

As they headed towards the entrance to Adventureland, he gestured at the boat depot and the open shop across from it.

"There's a tiny bazaar here once a week, where Landers come and trade whatever their ride creates, magically or otherwise. Like your regular farmer's market." His hands were back in his pockets as he added, "Only Adventureland rides though. Nobody else wants to cross Main Street or Fantasyland."

They stopped right beneath the archway of Adventureland, looking across the plaza towards the statue in its place of honor.

"What is everybody afraid of?" Teddy asked. Hayato made a derisive noise.

"Everything," he answered. "The unpredictable magic throughout the whole park, the animals from the Jungle Cruise. The Lost Boys are a big threat to people who pass through Main Street, but for the most part, they don't antagonize people who stay in their own lands."

"Where are the Lost Boys from?"

Hayato pointed at the castle, once again lit up and glowing.

"Fantasyland is just through the drawbridge. All the classic story rides are there - Snow White, Pinocchio, the Storybook Canals. The Lost Boys live in the Peter Pan ride. Raf is their leader - they call him Pan - and he's a real piece of work."

"Yeah, I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance," Teddy muttered.

"No shit?" Hayato looked genuinely impressed. "And you got away?"

Teddy gave his roommate a mock bow.

"You are one lucky piece of shit," Hayato replied, shaking his head. "Raf's twisted enough to be a Toon, but he's not crazy, which is worse."

"Yeah, what are Toons? And Dolls?" Teddy asked. "Abraxas mentioned them."

Hayato blew out a breath.

"Toons are the crazies. The total lunatics, most of them bloody dangerous. They're locked up in Toon Town, down at the very end of the park. It's Fantasyland's responsibility to keep them away from the rest of the Landers. As for the Dolls, they're the inhabitants of It's A Small World - also Fantasyland. There are some creepy stories that come out of It's a Small World. But the princess has done a good job of keeping all that crap where it belongs, so I'm not complaining."

Something like lightning blazed through Teddy's chest, his heart freezing for a second and then restarting with a kick.

Before Teddy could ask about the princess, Hayato turned and walked back into Adventureland.

"Come on, we gotta get back inside the gates before nine, when Janus locks up."