Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 83

As they walked and rode the rides, Vivian was amused to see Tyrell hanging back, usually eating popcorn or bright pink cotton candy. Whether it was so he’d blend in or because he enjoyed those things, it was still fun to watch a large, well muscled man eating hot pink fluff off a stick.

For the most part, Tyrell acted as their shadow, leaving them to have their fun without a word. It didn’t stop Vivian from checking in on him from time to time as the day wore on. Just because he was stuck working while they had fun didn’t stop her from wanting to get him at least a little involved in the day.

It was only through her sheer perseverance that she was able to talk him into playing a round of putt-putt with them, though he did agree to it with a fair bit of hesitation.

They played a few holes before Theo, using his putter as a cane, leaned on it and let out a sigh. “So slow…”

Vivian looked up from where she’d been trying to figure out her next shot and glared at him. “Don’t rush me.”

“You’ve been at it for five minutes now.”

“It’s been thirty seconds.”

“Fine, two minutes.”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “So impatient.”

Theo shot her a smile in response, looking as innocent as an angel. It didn’t fool her; she knew he was plotting something behind that face of his.

“Why don’t we make this more interesting for you then,” she offered, mimicking his pose with the putter.

“Oh?” He said, brow raised. “What do you have in mind?”

“If I win, you have to ride the merry-go-round with me,” she replied.

“That’s… not much of a prize,” he chuckled.

“Sure it is. I remember you saying you weren’t interested in it, but I am. So if I win, you have to ride it with me.”

“Okay, and if I win you have to ride The Drop with me,” he countered.

Vivian grimaced. The Drop looked terrifying. The ride brought you straight up, at least ten stories — she’d eyeballed it and wasn’t interested in knowing the real height — before it dropped. It did this twice more before letting you off and she had no interest in it. Was she willing to get on the ride? Under the right circumstances, yes. It’s not that she was unwilling to do it, but that she would prefer not. “I guess I can do that.”

“It’s a bet then.”

“What about Tyrell?” She asked, causing both of them to glance over at the man who frowned at being mentioned. “What do you want if you win?”

“Wait, if one of us wins, does he also go on the ride?” Theo asked.

“No, he’s working,” Vivian reminded him. “So he doesn’t have to get in on our wins.”

“If I win,” Tyrell rumbled, a smile beginning to spread across his face, “You have to do both The Drop and merry-go-round.”

“That’s… not a bad choice,” Theo admitted, glancing over at Vivian who sighed.

“I better win then,” she said as she turned back to her ball and made the shot. It went wide and left her frowning.

“Something tells me you’re going to regret this bet,” Theo commented as her next shot skirted the rim of the hole before rolling away.

It wasn’t long before Theo had to eat his words as the same thing happened to him, earning a smirk from Vivian as he shot her a sheepish grin.

Needless to say, they were both bad at putt-putt. Tyrell, on the other hand, was not. The game ended after nine holes with the man having made no less than sixteen shots while Vivian and Theo had nearly double that amount, with the former firmly in last place by four shots. “Think we can get him disqualified for cheating?” Theo whispered to Vivian, who let out a laugh before shaking her head.

“No. Because then you’d win. At least this way we both get to suffer.”

“So which ride do we take on first? Yours or mine?” Theo asked as they returned their putters to the attendant and left the putt-putt course.

“The Drop,” Vivian answered without hesitation, earning her a surprised look from the boy. “I want to get it out of the way first, so I can enjoy the merry-go-round.”

Theo playfully rolled his eyes as he turned and led the way to the ride he’d chosen.

Looking up at it, Vivian felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach. It was so *high* and it dropped so *fast*. The screams from those on the ride rose and fell, ending in laughter as they disembarked at the end. Vivian was certain she wouldn’t be one of the laughing ones when the time came. Screaming bloody murder? Definitely. Laughter? Definitely not.

There were enough people in line for the ride to run twice more before it was their turn. Doing her best to hide how nervous she felt, Vivian followed Theo to a couple seats near the end. He took the seat at the edge while she pulled herself into the one next to it. The attendant came around, lowering the bar harness that made sure everyone stayed on the ride as it ran.

Heart racing, Vivian looked down at her dangling legs, too short for her feet to touch the ground while seated. Looking up, she caught Tyrell watching them and gave her a thumbs up, which brought about a grimace as the ride jerked into motion.

The ride up was slower than she thought it’d be but it didn’t help with the fear that began clawing at her stomach.

“You’ll be fine,” she heard Theo say as she turned her head to look at him, a gentle smile on his face. “Here…” He offered his hand and Vivian took it without any hesitation, gripping it tightly as they reached the top. Part of her wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and never open them, but not being able to see the ground when they dropped would definitely freak her out more than watching it come rushing up at her — or so she told herself.

“Ready?” Theo asked, giving her a wide grin as she mutely shook her head.

Mid shake they dropped, pulling a scream from Vivian as the sudden sensation of falling made her heart and stomach catch in her throat. It was cut off when they came to an abrupt stop only to shoot back up again, only much faster this time, followed by a second drop. She half hoped Theo regretted his choice as her grip on his hand tightened, but he responded by giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, tightening his own grip.

It was over within a minute. The ground slowly closed in on them before the ride stopped and a click sounded to let everyone know they could remove their bar harness.

“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Theo teased as Vivian shot him a glare but she couldn’t argue. It hadn’t been that bad. She’d actually kind of enjoyed it; sort of, anyway. It was definitely a rush, being dropped from so high.

Letting go of his hand, Vivian pushed up her harness and slid from her seat onto shaky legs. Theo was beside her as she slowly made her way to the exit, where Tyrell was waiting for them, pink elephant tucked under one of his large arms.

“Not a word,” she ordered, pointing at the man who was giving her a wide grin. “Not one.”

“Yes, Miss Vivian,” he chuckled, turning his attention to their surroundings once both she and Theo were by his side.

“Merry-go-round next?” Asked Theo as he, too, glanced around.

“Bathroom first,” Vivian corrected. “Maybe after that I won’t feel like I’m walking on shaky ground.”

As they walked towards where a building with the bathrooms was located, Vivian’s phone dinged with a new message, but Theo’s did not.