The couple walked quickly and in dead silence. Jon didn't know what exactly was going through Alexis' mind, but he figured she too was searching for an explanation for why they had just sprouted a new coat of hair. Jon wondered if they were hallucinating. Those bananas tasted funny, kind of like the freshly bought green bananas he'd eat when he was out of ripened ones. But maybe these had actually fermented? Did bananas ferment?
Alexis jerked his arm. He continued apace. Or was there something about this weird jungle? The air, or--?
She jerked again. The pulling in his shoulder finally drew his attention. "Either slow the fuck down or let me go," she said sharply.
Only then did Jon realize he was still holding her hand. He let go, which took a small bit of concentration. His fingers twitched. He must have been clutching her hand like a vice.
Alexis immediately began scratching her arms. "This hair is really itchy. Is... is it getting thicker?"
"I... can't tell. Maybe it's just getting darker?"
"Oh, that's a relief," she sneered, still scratching. "How are you not itchy in that jacket?"
Jon tilted his head and flexed his arms. They did itch a bit. "I guess I was just too busy thinking to notice."
"Right, I forgot you're great at thinking your way out of problems. Like that frat party you snuck us into... How did your brains help us out that night?"
Jon glared at her. He could still feel the bruises from the chair that he was thrown into. Alexis had a point, but he definitely didn't feel like acknowledging it.
Although, now that she had made him think of being itchy, he noticed another discomfort. His feet were aching something fierce, particularly the toes and the back of the heels, as if his shoes were suddenly too small. "Hang on." He pulled one shoe off. "I think I've got calluses from all this."
Alexis gave him a haughty smirk. "Guess losing my shoes was a good thing. My feet feel fine."
Jon wasn't impressed by her luck. He yanked off his other shoe, along with his socks, which he stuffed inside the toes so he could carry them. "Let's just find the end of this path and hope there's someone there who can explain what all this is."
"Hope they've got a razor," Alexis snipped as they continued into the jungle.
Just a few minutes later, they started to hear familiar noises. Screeches and whoops...but not animal. People. The carnival-like din of Pleasure Island was fading back into their reality. They glanced at each other, hoping they were both hearing the same thing. The brightness in each others' eyes confirmed it, and they broke into a run, holding hands once more.
The jungle was starting to grow dimmer. Jon thought that if they could see the sun through the canopy, it'd be pretty low in the sky. They still had some time before it'd be too difficult to see. To their luck, they didn't even need to worry about that, because around the next bend they saw a gate the width of the path. The noise of crowds was even louder now, and a yellow-orange glow colored the humid air above it.
As they ran closer, they realized its wooden doors were closed, but before their hearts had time to sink, they noticed a booth attached to the side of the gate. They finally came to a stop at the booth's window. Jon leaned against it, gasping for breath. The inside was dark. "Hellooo-ookh?" he rasped. He took another couple gulps of air and tried again. "Hh...hello?"
"You made it!" A craggy face jutted toward him, making both teens screech and jump a full meter backward. Jon realized it was the same old man who sent them off aboard the ark. "Congratulations! Here, I have tee-shirts for you..." He started rummaging inside the booth.
"You?!" Alexis seethed.
"Yes, hello!" he replied, stopping to politely give her his attention. "Do you need anything?"
"Our boat sank! We almost died, you fucking mole man!"
Jon agreed with Lexi's fury, but as long as she was going off, he figured he should keep it cool. He rubbed his chin, which was rough with thick stubble. "We want to talk to whoever runs this place. And where's your first aid station? We--"
"We don't need FIRST AID, we need whatever will get this ugly hair off," Alexis interrupted.
The man's eyes darted back and forth between the two. "Oh, that's all part of the ride. You were completely safe."
Their jaws dropped open and there was finally silence.
"I told you," he continued, "you choose your own fate. But dying was never one of the options. No matter what could have happened, you would have both been completely safe."
"From a sinking ark with no lifeboats?!" Jon growled. He was losing what little patience he had decided to keep.
"Why, yes!" The man grinned. The naive oaf was probably trying to be reassuring, but he was just pissing Jon off more. "Choices were presented to you, and you made them... Maybe you didn't notice all of them," he shrugged, "but all paths eventually bring you to an exit. You went for the cargo net and the vines, hmm?"
"How did you know, were you watching us?" Alexis asked, becoming more confused than angry.
"It's on your breath." He winked. "You must have had a lot of fun in those trees. Life was simpler in those days, wasn't it? Much more time for fun..." His expression turned more vague and his voice started to meander.
"We'd like to go back," Jon said firmly.
The man lifted his chin, regaining some of his alertness. "Back? Yes, that's clear from your choices." His eyes roamed down to their legs. "Though... Humm... You don't seem to have gone very far yet... How can you walk so well without a tail for balance?"
"Hey, guy," Alexis snapped her fingers a couple times, recapturing his attention. "Open this gate and tell us where to find the manager. Your people are gonna fix this hair situation and get me new shoes."
"Oh, yes, sorry..." He rummaged some more in the darkness of his little cubby and then a metallic shunting sound was heard. The gate slowly swung open, revealing a more civilized path, including a cobblestone walkway and a pole with signs pointing to various park attractions and buildings. "Talk to any of the staff in the main square and they'll help you along."
"Thank--" Jon started to say, before he realized he didn't owe the man who put their lives in danger anything. With a grunt, he turned, with Alexis alongside, and they shuffled wearily through the gate, paying him no more mind.
"They'll help you along, yes," the man said to himself wistfully. "On this ride, your fate was in your hands... but now that you've chosen your path, it's in everyone else's."
His eyes snapped fully open. "OH! Your tee-shirts!" He held up a pair of brown shirts with the phrase I WENT BANANAS ON NOAH'S ARK AT PLEASURE ISLAND! "Are you still there? I forgot to give you your tee-shirts!"