Methuselah , he thought, what are you up to now? He squinted into the darkness. I'll bet there's more than one entrance to this place .
At the bottom he shined his light around. He could see a large archway about fifteen feet wide. Above the arch was an old signboard with faded colored paint. It read:
WELCOME TO THE LAKESIDE FUN HOUSE
COME IN FOR THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
As Murphy stepped under the arch, dim lights came on. He shined his flashlight back toward the arch and located a pair of sensors. He could see that he had broken a beam of light that must have activated the power for the fun house. He then heard the whir of some kind of machinery going on.
That old man must have money to spare to fix up an old fun house buried underground .
As he pressed on, there was a startling sound. Shining his light upward, he saw a large mechanical clown with its head rocking back and forth in laughter.
It's not funny yet, Methuselah .
He moved through a doorway under a sign that read:
HAVE A BARREL OF LAUGHS
The only way forward was through a series of three large barrels that were lined up on their sides in a single row, like a tunnel. Each barrel was about eight feet in diameter and fifteen feet long. The first barrel was rolling to the left, the second barrel to the right, and the third barrel to the left. Grinding motors and chain drives made the barrels roll over and over.
Murphy remembered another fun house he had gone through when he was ten years old. It was in Denver, Colorado, and also had rolling barrels. His father had shown him that the only way through was to walk in the opposite direction
401
from the roll of the barrel, like being on a giant treadmill. Otherwise, you would end up rolling around the inside of the barrel.
The dim light illuminated the inside of the fun house, so Murphy put his flashlight away in the backpack. He held the pack in his left hand to balance the impact-resistant case that contained Laser in his right. Murphy took a deep breath and entered the first barrel, walking in the opposite direction of the roll.
As Murphy reached the center barrel, an Asian figure in a black ninja outfit entered the third barrel. He resembled a young Bruce Lee and moved toward Murphy with the agility of a cat. He did not look too friendly.
Okay, here's where it gets interesting , Murphy thought.
A quick glance behind Murphy revealed another Asian, dressed in a dark brown outfit. He had entered the first barrel after Murphy and was quickly gaining ground.
Oh, great! Double the fun. That's all I need .
Murphy also glimpsed a shadowy form lurking at the entrance to the first barrel. Could it be ...? A moment later, the familiar cackling laugh of Methuselah confirmed his suspicions.
"This will be fun to watch, Murphy!"
Murphy was not going to allow Methuselah to distract him. The two Asians looked like professionals. Fast, confident, deadly. And out to do him some serious harm.
The man from behind was almost upon him. Divide and conquer , thought Murphy. He turned and ran in the same direction that the barrel was rolling, rising quickly up the side. As Murphy felt himself starting to lose the battle against gravity, he shoved backward as hard as he could. All of Murphy's one hundred and ninety-five pounds dropped down on the man in brown and drove his head hard into the thick wood.
One down , thought Murphy. The fall knocked his backpack and impact case out of his hands, and they began to tumble on 402 the floor with the unconscious Asian. Murphy had just regained his shaky footing when the impact case ricocheted into his midsection, knocking the wind out of him. He fell again, gasping for breath and struggling unsuccessfully to get to his feet.
The assassin in black leaped over his unconscious partner and landed a kick on Murphy's shoulder. Murphy rolled with the blow, still trying to catch his breath. He scrambled to his feet just as the assassin sprang through the air, kicking Murphy in the chest, and again knocking him to the floor.
"Bravo! Bravo!" shouted Methuselah with a laugh.
Murphy knew that he could hold his own if he could ever catch his breath and get his feet under him. His aptly named impact case kept rolling against his body, making it difficult to get up.
The man in black came in for a third attack, aimed at Murphy's head. Instinctively he grabbed the impact case and swung it in front of him, knocking the assassin off balance. He went down on his back next to Murphy. Murphy brought his elbow down as hard as he could on the side of the Asian's head. Murphy finally rose to his feet. It was all over except for the tumbling of two bodies, one backpack, and an impact case.
He gathered up the backpack and Laser, and stumbled out of the last barrel. He looked back at the two bodies tumbling over and over like rag dolls in a washing machine. Methuselah had disappeared.
BABYLON RISING: THE SECRET ON ARARAT
A Bantam Book
Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2004 by Tim LaHaye
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004056064
Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-307-41841-8
www.bantamdell.com
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Babylon rising: the secret on Ararat Page 31
