Storming the Kingdom

by Jeff Dixon

  He grabbed his phone and then realized there was nowhere in the dining areas where someone could not hear his conversation. He punched out a short text to Al Gann.

  “Assassin here,” he typed, then added,” Harbour House. Magic Kingdom. Need help.” He pressed send and pocketed his phone. He looked up, aware that the diners in the room were looking toward him again. Masking his concern with a smile, he said, “Enjoy your lunch.” Cautiously he stepped into the main room of the second floor dining area and looked around. All of the tables were full, and these guests did not seem to notice him, which was good. He wondered if the assassin was in the downstairs dining rooms looking for him. Trying to lean cautiously over the railing to steal a glance down to the bottom floor, Hawk let his eyes move from person to person. He did not see his stalker among the guests. His view was obstructed, but there were many places someone could hide out of his sight line, if indeed the man was trying to stay hidden.

  Again, he wondered how the assassin had figured out he was here. He was sure he had not been seen, and he knew the man had not looked up at him as he watched through the window. Hawk got ready to head downstairs but paused to take one more glance around the upstairs area. He saw the window that looked out across Liberty Square toward the Haunted Mansion. The view of the haunted house attraction caused his mind to slip back into fact-finding mode. His quick glimpse of the house reminded him where he was standing. Each dining room in the Columbia Harbour House was dedicated to either a ghost ship or a ship lost at sea. It added to the maritime legends they had built into the theme of the decor. Refocusing on the window that looked out toward the mansion, his eyes moved to the wall on the left to a National Geographic map of the Ghost Fleet of the Outer Banks. Another reference to ghosts—or in this case, ghost ships. As he often did, Hawk linked the things he saw to what others often missed and remembered that on this map was another Disney connection. Fans of the film series Pirates of the Caribbean know that the Flying Dutchman was known to create mayhem on the high seas. There is a notation for that ship on this map, again connecting the restaurant to more ghost legend and lore. Turning back toward the railing, he looked across to the wall decor above the area where people placed their orders and took in the fishing spear placed on the ceiling beam. That spear was the same design of the spear seen in the hands of the sea captain, whose portrait hangs on the wall of the attraction. The connection between the restaurant and the Haunted Mansion was one that most never took the time to pay attention to; but for Hawk, it helped refocus his thinking on the clue he had been thinking about before slipping in here to hide. He had figured out the clue, and he had to get to the Haunted Mansion. But getting there was not going to be easy.

  Stepping next to a wall, giving himself a place to stand out of easy sight lines, he reread the last portion of the clue Farren had written.

  Trying to unlock souls but cannot.

  He again turned toward the window and looked out at the Haunted Mansion. If you were going to find a soul, the Haunted Mansion was as good a place as any to look in the Magic Kingdom. He sighed deeply, knowing what he had to do. Hawk had Shep standing by, just in case he needed him, and although this was not what he had planned, Shep would be able to get the task done. He activated the text messaging application and typed, “Contact operation and attractions. Shut down Haunted Mansion. Immediately. On my authority.” He hit the send key. As he was putting his phone back in his pocket, he felt it vibrate. Shep had texted him back, “Right now? In the middle of the day?” There was a part of Hawk that disliked using text messages. They were a horrible way to communicate, but they were necessary at times. This was one of those times, and he didn’t have the luxury of having a conversation to explain to Shep that he needed to get into the Haunted Mansion and it would be better for everyone if there were no one else inside. He texted back, “Now!”

  Looking over the second-floor railing, he checked to see if the dark-haired man was anywhere to be seen. Satisfied that he was not, Hawk slowly descended the stairs. Each step brought him closer to the ground level, and he expected the assassin to jump out from an endless number of hiding places. Even worse, he anticipated the assassin’s piercing him with a bullet that he would never hear being fired from an alcove he would never see. Reaching the bottom, he was relieved to be alive. Maybe he had just missed the man walking under the bridge. He could have, but something in Hawk warned him not to let down his guard quite so easily.

  Hawk decided to use the exit that would keep him hidden from the bridge area. He moved through the tables and walked out the doors into Liberty Square next to the Hall of Presidents. Staying close to the wall, he looked around the corner of the building toward the bridge to see if the short man was standing under it. Hawk did not see him. He looked toward the entrance to the Haunted Mansion in front of him, which now had people streaming out of the queue lines and the attraction itself.

  Hawk hated to do that to his guests, but it was for the best. Stepping away from the building, he briskly strode across the main pathway toward the attraction. Instead of going toward the entrance, he veered to his right and headed toward the exit of the mansion. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed nothing worth noticing, so he kept moving. Moments later, he arrived at the exit area where the Doom Buggies were still moving and guests were disembarking from the ride. A very solemn cast member saw him and recognized him. It was the cast members’ job to keep this serious demeanor anytime there were guests present. It was an important part of their role in selling the illusion of ghosts and hauntings. Stepping close to Hawk, the cast member spoke.

  “Hello, is there anything I can do help you?”

  “Yes.” Hawk glanced at the man’s name tag. “Leonard, once the last guest is off the ride, stop the Doom Buggies from moving and then make sure no one else comes into the attraction without security knowing.”

  “Is everything OK?” Leonard, since there was not a guest close enough to listen, finally broke character.

  “It’s fine. We just need to empty out and stop the attraction.” Hawk moved away and stepped alongside the moving Doom Buggies. “We’ll have it opened again in no time.”

  Hawk disappeared into the shadows, walking into the darkness of the Haunted Mansion.

  CHAPTER THIRTY - ONE

  Three Days Ago

  Afternoon

  Carefully stepping alongside the moving Doom Buggies, Hawk made his way from the exit into the attraction. Creeping through the Mausoleum, he entered the Ghost Effect Room, which created the illusion of a comical ghost appearing in the ride vehicle with the guests. As he moved through this area, the Doom Buggies stopped moving, indicating that the last guest was now off and out of the attraction. As he had instructed, the Haunted Mansion was officially closed.

  Hawk retrieved his phone and placed a call to Shep, who answered on the first ring.

  “Hawk?” Shep said a bit nervously.

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “I told Operations to shut down the Haunted Mansion. That’s what you meant, right?”

  “Yes, you did great.” Hawk had known what he had instructed was a big deal. The managers in Operations would be furious and have a lot of questions. As they should. Hawk would worry about answering them later. “I need a little bit of help here.”

  “Where is here, boss?”

  “In the Haunted Mansion.”

  “You’re inside the Haunted Mansion that we just closed?” Shep’s voice rose slightly.

  “I am.” Hawk kept moving through the path in the graveyard. “I need help with another clue.”

  “Tell me.” Shep’s voice had gone from nervous to curious and now eager.

  “‘I am a container that holds keys for which there exist no locks…yet these keys are trying to unlock souls but cannot. Maybe they will unlock for you how to find that which you are searching for.” Hawk waited a moment before continuing. “I’m in the Haunted Mansion because of part of the clue that is trying to unlock souls.”

&nb
sp; “Sure, that’s a good place to start,” Shep agreed. “‘A container with keys for which there are no locks…yet these keys are trying to unlock souls but cannot.’ You’re looking for a key or keys and trying to unlock a soul but failing miserably.”

  “You just restated the clue.” Hawk smiled slightly and rolled his eyes in the darkness. “I already know that. Any thoughts on the rest of the clue?”

  “I’m thinking . . .”

  “I don’t want to rush you, but I’m going to see what I can find. I think I’m being followed.”

  “Then what are you doing in the Haunted Mansion?”

  “Trying to figure out whatever it is that Farren has for me to find.”

  “I am calling Al.” Shep sounded alarmed. “You need to get someplace safe, right away.”

  “I will, when I’m done here.” Hawk got ready to end the call. “I’ve already alerted Al. You stay where you’re safe and call me back if you think of anything.” He hung up.

  Even though he knew how the attraction worked, there was something eerie about standing in the dark, inside the Haunted Mansion, when it was empty. He had heard the stories and urban legends that had been handed down through the years about real ghosts, strange experiences, and unexplainable events. He didn’t believe any of them and he certainly did not believe in ghosts. Still, his surroundings were enough to creep out the most level-headed person if he let his imagination run a little bit wild.

  He made his way along the path the Doom Buggies used as they traveled through the graveyard. The soundtrack was still playing, and all of the audio-animatronics were still working, there were just no guests inside. He made his way to the entrance of the graveyard scene. Standing beside the frightened figure of the caretaker and his emaciated, shivering dog, he looked up toward the steeply sloping angle of the track. Since he was moving backward through the attraction, he was going in the opposite direction of how the guests would flow through the ride. The attic scene played out above him. In the story line, the guests would be propelled through the attic window, the Doom Buggies would turn backward to simulate falling, and then the story line would indicate that the guests were dead. This enabled them to become part of the happy haunts in the Haunted Mansion. That was one of the many stories that had been created through the years to explain the trip through the mansion. Hawk now had to decide whether to keep following the path he was on or approach it from another angle.

  He tried to figure out how the clue might fit. He had hoped that once he was inside the attraction, he would see or hear something that would spark another thought that might help him solve the mystery. He was struck again with the eeriness of the attraction when you stood in it all by yourself. He told the statue of the frightened caretaker, “I don’t blame you for being scared.”

  Hawk moved off toward the side of the angled track to find the easiest way to get to the attic. He found the cast walkway, out of the view of guests, that allowed them to get to the tracks in an emergency. He climbed up toward the attic, then stepped back across the track, using a Doom Buggy to stabilize himself and give him a handhold to move over the ride vehicle and enter the attic area of the attraction. As he stood in the attic, he thought he heard something below him the graveyard. It was hard to tell with the driving sounds of screams, music, and spooky effects, but he had heard a clank. The clank was not part of the expected background noise. He crouched and looked back down from the attic into the graveyard. He saw nothing and got ready to turn away when he caught the slightest movement behind one of the Doom Buggies in the graveyard. He waited and stared toward the place he had seen it. Nothing.

  Don’t let this fun family attraction start playing with your head.

  Then he saw a shape move between the ride cars below him. There was someone down there in the graveyard. Startled by the movement below, he pushed himself back away from the attic opening and nearly tumbled over. Scampering to his feet, he began moving rapidly through the attic away from the graveyard. If someone was chasing him, even if it was the dark-haired assassin, he would have as much trouble as Hawk had climbing the slope to the attic. If he was going to put some distance between them, this was his best opportunity.

  Taking the curved path through the attic, he emerged in the grand ballroom scene. The ride cars gave guests an elevated view of the ballroom below as ghosts drifted in and out of the party unfolding below them. Hawk stopped and crouched behind a Doom Buggy for a moment as an idea began to form in his head. The soundtrack of the ballroom scene played and prevented him from hearing how close his pursuer might be behind him. His phone vibrated, and he put his hand to it to silence it before it could ring. Looking down, he saw the caller ID indicating Al Gann was calling him. As he answered the phone, an idea crystallized in his imagination.

  “Al, I’m in the Haunted Mansion,” Hawk stated urgently.

  “I am heading that way now. Your message said you were at the Harbour House.”

  “I was, but I am trying to follow a clue…and I think our assassin is following me.”

  “He is in the Haunted Mansion with you now?” Al’s voice came in short bursts. Hawk could tell he was running.

  “I have an idea.” Hawk crept along the railing overlooking the Grand Ballroom. “I’ll meet you and him in the Grand Ballroom scene. Hurry!”

  Willing himself to stay calm, he took a moment to punch out a text message to Shep. If this plan was going to work, he would need Shep to help him again. Hawk closed the phone, replaced it in his pocket, then looked over the railing down toward the ground below. It didn’t seem too far. He felt confident he could jump over the railing and land safely. He second-guessed himself for just a moment, then leaped over the railing to the floor of the Grand Ballroom.

  CHAPTER THIRTY - TWO

  Three Days Ago

  Late Afternoon

  The Grand Ballroom scene in the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion is one of the most popular and memorable scenes for many of the guests who visit. There is so much to see as a rider travels in a Doom Buggy along a ninety-foot track that overlooks the scene. On one end of the Great Hall, there is a massive pipe organ being played by a ghost; there are portraits that come to life in a duel and fire shots at one another, while ghosts swing on a huge chandelier above the room. Pairs of ghosts appear, locked with one another in a whirling dance, and glide across the dance floor. A banquet table is decorated for an abandoned party that suddenly comes to life as ghost guests appear, including one who blows out the candles on a ghoulish cake that unexpectedly lights. The far right-hand side of the ghastly hall features a set of doors through which ghosts stream into the party from the blackness of night outside.

  As ghosts appeared and disappeared entering the room, Grayson Hawkes leaned into the doorway, giving the ghosts room to pass, and waited. Looking up at the Doom Buggies above him, he could see that his quickly typed text to Shep had been received. The ride cars were now moving. He had instructed Shep to contact Operations and get the ride going. So not only was the Haunted Mansion fully functioning as an attraction, with the cars in motion, the only things missing were guests. But Hawk was throwing a different party, and the guests he was waiting for were Al Gann and the unknown assailant.

  Hawk leaned in farther so he was standing completely visible in the doorway. Ghosts were streaking past him to enter the party. He glanced up toward where the Doom Buggies were passing by, blackened rolling tombstones that normally would be full of amazed guests. This time, he was waiting for someone who would be lurking behind them. Above him, he heard what he had been waiting for. The man who had already attempted to take his life could now see him. Standing behind the passing Doom Buggies, as each one rolled by him, he had a clear view of Hawk, waiting for him in the doorway in the ballroom. One level above, Hawk knew the assassin would be stunned to see him standing in the open, making himself an easy target, with no place to hide. Above the noise of the soundtrack, Hawk heard the muffled reaction as he surprised his attacker by daring him to take a
shot at him, and then the confident statement the assassin hurled toward him.

  “Grayson Hawkes, you are a fool.”

  Hawk saw the muzzle flash as the bullet silently cleared the barrel of the handgun. The noise that followed was startling. Shattered glass pelted the ballroom floor in front of him as Hawk ducked back out of sight behind the door. He heard the sound of movement above him, he heard footsteps running, and he heard the command from the darkness to stop.

  Hawk stood in the dark below the Doom Buggy track. His heart hammered in his chest, and he exhaled, trying to calm himself. His plan had fooled the attacker.

  He had never actually been standing in the open, in the doorway. Instead, he had been part of the illusion of the Haunted Mansion. By using one of the oldest magician’s tricks in the book, a technique called Pepper’s Ghost, the Disney Imagi-neers had been entertaining and fooling guests for years. This time, Hawk had hoped his stalker would be a bit more anxious. He was stalking him through the haunted attraction. Surrounded by sound, effects, and eerie atmosphere, he had hoped he could force the shooter to think less clearly. Apparently he had been correct. The shooter did not notice, had forgotten, or never understood that there is a large pane of glass between the ride cars and the ballroom below. The floating and dancing ghosts that guests see are actually located above and below the track the Doom Buggy rides on. The audio-animatronics are lit up with light bulbs that fade on and off above them; it is their reflections that are seen in the glass. They are lined up to project onto the glass in such a way to appear on tables, in portraits, in chairs, and—most importantly to Hawk—in doorways.