After sunset, it quickly grew dark, but the fun at the amusement park was in full swing. Strings of colorful lights were flickering and flashing, both stationary and spinning along with various rotating structures. Red neon signs gleamed at the pavilion entrances, pneumatic guns popped at the shooting gallery, simple carousel music played, and girls, lured by their boyfriends to more advanced rides, screamed desperately as they plunged into the abyss or soared upside down into the dark sky, pressed by metal bars against the hard seats of the carts and cabins, powerless to change anything and forced to endure this torture until the end. Everywhere, queues stretched like snakes - to the rides, food stalls, and toilets. By this late hour, there were few children even with parents; mostly, the park was now filled with couples and groups of young adults.

Jared and Duke moved through this crowd like a pair of confident predators approaching a watering hole where a silly, unafraid herd had gathered. Predators with keen, appraising eyes choosing their prey, sure that it would not escape them.

"Just look at that," Jared grinned, elbowing his friend in the side and nodding towards a long line leading to a brightly lit yellow stall from which the mouthwatering aroma of cholesterol, carcinogens, and all other delights of fast food emanated. "Those in the blue dresses. I wonder what hole they crawled out of?"

"From a place where fashion arrives fifty years late," Duke responded, looking in the same direction.

"If it arrives at all," Jared clarified. "I wouldn't be surprised if their mom sewed those dresses."

"Maybe they're Amish or something?" Duke suggested, never having seen an Amish person in his life.

"There are no Amish around here," Jared objected authoritatively. "They're all up north."

"Well, that's good. I don't like sectarians; they're creepy," he could have added that they sometimes have even creepier fathers and brothers, but he preferred to keep that to himself. With his build and experience, he wasn't afraid of fights, but he understood well that angry men could use more than just fists, especially if they were fanatics with medieval notions of honor.

"But there are plenty of virgins among them," Jared countered. "Sectarians or not, I bet a case of beer that they're both unbroken."

"The younger one definitely is," Duke said thoughtfully, "but the older one might not be. Her mom probably assigned her to watch over her younger sister, and she might even be married already," the prospect of adding a potential avenger in the form of a husband didn't thrill Duke either.

"I'm telling you, both of them! Bet or not?"

"Okay, a case it is," Duke agreed leisurely.

"Then let's go, don't stall! Their turn is almost up."

But Duke still hesitated.

"The younger one is definitely not eighteen," he said. "I'm not even sure she's sixteen."

"So what? By the time they collect their wits, they won't remember our faces or even our gender. Especially yours," Jared added mockingly.

"Alright, alright, stud. By the way, mine is bigger than yours."

"You probably only use it to pee. Fine, take the older one if you're so scared. The younger one is mine. Her boobs are small, but she's got a pretty face."

"And the older one has boobs and an ass," Duke agreed. "Even under that dress, it's noticeable."

And the two guys - Jared in front, Duke behind - quickly headed towards the stall where the girls' turn had just about come up.

"Hey girls, there you are!" Jared exclaimed cheerfully as they approached. "We've been looking for you everywhere!"

The girls in the identical blue homespun dresses - though their faces and figures were much less similar, and the age difference between them was probably five or even seven years - looked at each other in surprise, as if asking, "Do you know them?" Then the older one turned back to the guys and opened her mouth, but before she could say, "You must be mistaken..." Jared started babbling in a different, quiet voice:

"Girls, please pretend we're with you! We don't want to stand in line. And we'll pay for everything you buy! Please, please, please!" He made an exaggerated pleading face.

The younger one involuntarily giggled, but the older one hesitated, clearly embarrassed by this onslaught. However, the customer in front of them - a lone man with a beard, clearly older than most park visitors - was already taking his order, and it was too late to kick out the intruders without making a scene. So, a couple of minutes later, all four of them walked away from the stall together, carrying cardboard plates with warm hamburgers and plastic cups of icy cola. The guys carried most of the food, forcing the girls to follow them. This time, Duke, who was bulkier than Jared, was leading the way through the crowd like an icebreaker leading a convoy of ships. Finally, he steered towards an empty table that was already quite far from the stall.

"Let me give you the money after all," the older girl resolutely offered and even reached into her shoulder bag.

"No big deal!" Jared waved her off. "Just a few dollars, it's embarrassing to make such a small gift to such lovely girls. By the way, what are your names, girls?"

"I'm Esther," the older one replied with dignity, not accepting his playful tone. "And this is my sister Judith."

"Esther and Judith," Jared nodded. "Beautiful biblical names. You know, I take all this biblical..." - he almost said "crap," but corrected himself in time - "...wisdom seriously. Many people behave frivolously nowadays, but we are not like that at all. We believe that eternal truths never become outdated. Family values and all that. So you're sisters? Honestly, I wouldn't have guessed. You do have the same..." - he almost said "dresses" but corrected himself in time again - "smiles" - so far, however, he had only seen the younger one's smile, as the older one remained wary, not quite understanding what the strangers wanted from them. "But otherwise, you don't look much alike," Jared continued. "Although, of course, you're both charming. But each in your own way."

"We had different fathers," Esther responded just as reservedly.

"It happens," Duke nodded to say something.

"And you are?..." Judith spoke for the first time and fell silent questioningly. Her voice was also different from her sister's - high and gentle, like a fairy-tale princess's. The embodiment of naivety and vulnerability.

"No, we're not brothers," Jared replied. "Just friends."

"I meant, what are your names?" Judith clarified.

"I'm Lucas," Jared said. This was one of the five names he usually used with girls, based on the principle "not too common like John or Jim, but not too fancy either, or they won't believe it." "Also a biblical name. The Gospel of Luke, you know."

"We're not particularly religious," Esther cut him off.

"Neither are we super religious!" Jared immediately adjusted. "We just respect traditions. And this is Richard," - this was the name Duke usually used with girls. Or more precisely, he often called himself simply Dick, which both sounded similar to his real name and avoided confusion when someone addressed him, while also allowing for double entendres like "if you want to know what it's like to live as a guy named Dick, here's your chance" or "let me introduce you to my Dick" or "talking Dick" and so on. But in this case, despite what Esther said about religion, their dress style didn't encourage premature vulgarity, so Jared chose a different approach: "Like Richard the Lionheart, you know."

"He was a bad king," Esther said sternly. "He was always fighting somewhere abroad instead of taking care of his country. In the end, he was killed there, and he didn't leave an heir, so the throne passed to his brother, who was even worse."

"Mmm... you know history so well... cool!" was all Jared could mutter, concentrating on chewing his overcooked meat hamburger. Based on the girls' outfits, he had assumed they barely knew how to read and write - and he himself had been an average student in school (and Duke even worse).

Duke remembered that Esther was promised to him, and it was time to take the initiative. Generally, all these preludes in the form of empty talk bored Duke, but he understood that otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to lure the girls away from the crowd to a more suitable place.

"You must have had a good school," he picked up the topic, and since Esther remained silent, also busy with her salad and mayonnaise hamburger, he added: "At first, I thought you were from a farm. Where teachers might be scarce."

"We're not from a farm. We live in the woods," said Judith, who had finished her hamburger before her sister. The latter gave her a strict look, as if scolding her for talkativeness, then took a sip of cola and reluctantly said:

"Our mom... she works in a nature reserve. And we have a very cozy house there. But it's hard to go to school from there, so our mom taught us everything herself."

"And your father... fathers... I mean, Judith's father..."

"They're dead," Esther answered. "Both."

"I'm very sorry," Duke said as expected, trying even to pull a mournful face. He hated his own father, who regularly beat both his son and wife, and was simply happy when eight years ago lung cancer finally gave the old smoker a rest, finishing what cirrhosis hadn't managed to complete.

"That was a long time ago," Judith answered. "Even before we were born."

"Okay, girls!" Jared clapped his hands decisively, pushing away his glass of unfinished cola. "Let's have some real fun now! Frankly, their burgers here are trash, it's even embarrassing to treat such sweet girls to this... but look what we have! Ta-da!" Jared performed a magician's gesture, showing two paper rectangles – pre-purchased universal tickets allowing access to any ride in the park throughout the evening. "Where haven't you been yet?"

"Actually, we have the same ones," Esther responded just as coldly. "And we've already ridden everything we wanted to. We should probably head home. It's getting late."

"No, no, no! It's not late! It's not even nine yet! Look..." The nearby sound of a pneumatic gun gave him a new idea. "Have you been to the shooting gallery?"

"No," Esther wrinkled her nose for a moment. "We don't like weapons."

"Are you saying you live in the woods and don't know how to shoot?" Jared seemed to not believe his ears. "What if wild animals attack? Let us teach you, it's easy!"

"Weapons are for the weak," Esther said. "And animals won't attack if they're not provoked."

"No, we love animals too," Jared quickly adjusted. "Personally, I even want to become a vegetarian," he noticed when paying for the order that the girls had taken meatless burgers, "but Dick keeps inviting me to barbecues... But this is a shooting gallery! You don't have to kill anyone here, just shoot at targets! Judith! Come on, I'll get you a gift, especially for an animal lover!"

"We've already received a gift from you," Esther was adamant, "and I don't think that..."

"I'm not offering a diamond ring!" Jared laughed. "Esther, you can't be serious all the time, especially on such a wonderful Saturday evening! You came here from your forest... he almost said "hole" but corrected himself in time once more, "...cabin to have fun, right? This might be Judith's first independent visit to the city?" He guessed correctly. "Come on! You don't have to shoot if you don't want to, I'll just show you a master class!"

The girls couldn't resist his pressure again – Judith seemed genuinely intrigued by the promise of a gift, and Esther probably thought, "fine, he won't leave us alone otherwise – and what could happen to us in a shooting gallery among all these people?" So all four headed to the shooting gallery.

Jared shot very well indeed – unlike most gun enthusiasts, he only enjoyed Esther's anti-gun views. If she had a gun in her bag, it could complicate things. Anyway, soon, these clueless chicks will be helpless, even if they were packing heat.... With this pleasant anticipation, Jared took his position at the shooting line. The first shot missed – it seemed the sights were deliberately misaligned to prevent visitors from winning prizes – but Jared quickly adjusted and hit the target shot after shot until the gallery worker handed him a prize – a big plush bear, which he immediately gave to Judith. The girl politely thanked him, but without the enthusiasm Jared had hoped for. Rather, her sweet face seemed to say, "I'm not a child anymore."

"Again, I didn't please!" Jared spread his arms in mock despair. "Alright, one more try. Personally, these awful burgers give me heartburn, they need to be topped with something. And just around the corner, there's a great place where we can have a proper dinner with nice music, not some overcooked junk, and without all this noisy crowd around. Our treat."

"Thank you, but we better go," Esther said. "Mom will worry if we don't get back by midnight."

"There's plenty of time until midnight!"

"We have a long way to go."

"It won't take long. Just half an hour."

"Why are you so insistent?" Esther looked him straight in the eye. "Mom says that if someone keeps giving gifts, they will demand something in return."

"Esther," Jared sighed, "you can't be so suspicious. Don't spoil all the fun for Judith. We just want to do something nice for charming girls, what's wrong with that? We're not inviting you to some gangster slums, but to a decent place. And if you want, pay for yourselves so you don't feel obliged to us. We're just showing guests around as locals. Or at least some cool spots in the city. Next time, you can go there without us if you don't like us that much."

He hoped for a response like "well, it's not that we don't like you..." but the elder sister remained silent. Instead, the younger one spoke up in her gentle voice:

"Esther, don't be such a killjoy. I think they're cool. And I'm really hungry, this burger just whetted my appetite. By the time we get home, it's better to have dinner here."

"Alright," the elder one decided, "we'll have dinner and then head straight home. Actually," she added in a conciliatory tone, "we don't want to offend you either. But Mom taught us to be careful with strangers."

"She taught you right!" Jared agreed fervently. "But we're not strangers anymore! We're acquainted!"

They left the park, passed the parking lot where the girls' car probably was, and walked down a lamp-lit street where there were still plenty of people, so the atmosphere didn't seem threatening at all. Jared told jokes, and even Duke managed to remember a couple of decent ones.

"We're here," Jared announced, heading for a glass door under a neon sign. Judith followed without hesitation, but Esther suddenly stopped, looking at the sign.

"This is a bar!" she said accusingly.

"The best south of Prospect Avenue!" Jared assured.

"Bars serve alcohol!"

"Excellent red wine!" Jared pretended not to notice her tone. "It's good for your health, by the way. I'm telling you as a doctor. I studied medicine."

"We can't have alcohol," Esther said strictly. "I still have to drive. And Judith, even more so. If she drinks, she loses control."

From Duke's mocking grin (which Esther didn't see), it was clear that's exactly what the guys wanted, but Jared responded conciliatorily:

"Alright, no problem. They serve non-alcoholic drinks too. Like cola. And the snacks are good anyway."

They went inside. Despite it being Saturday evening, almost half the tables were free. Soft recorded music was playing, not live. Overall, the bar didn't look as fancy as Jared tried to present it.

He immediately led the group to a table in the far, dimly lit corner. The table next to it was also empty, and Judith pulled a chair from there and seated the plush bear on it.

"No beer either?" Jared inquired.

"Beer is alcohol," Esther replied firmly.

"Got it," Jared nodded obediently. "There are no waiters here, but the prices are reasonable. So today, I'll be your waiter. Place your orders, ladies. You don't eat meat, but how about chicken breasts? Or shrimp?"

"We don't eat any... dead flesh," Esther said. "It doesn't help with control."

"I've never heard of anyone getting drunk on shrimp," Duke smirked. "And what's with this control thing? Are we in a barrack? You need to enjoy life! Even the Bible says 'rejoice and be glad.' Ninth verse, twelfth chapter," he randomly picked numbers, not mentioning which book of the Bible, earning a sharp look from Jared.

"Control is what separates us from animals," Esther argued strictly.

"And I love animals," Duke grinned. "Besides," he added with a philosophical air, "you need to release your inner beast sometimes, or it will start devouring you from within" – naturally, it was a movie quote.

The girls exchanged glances. They didn't seem to like this direction of conversation.

"So!" Jared quickly took the initiative, fearing the sisters might decide to leave early. "What are we ordering? Mushrooms are not flesh?"

"Mushrooms eat dead flesh, but they aren't flesh themselves," Esther agreed. "Mushrooms are the main scavengers in the forest."

"Esther, you really know how to whet an appetite!" Jared exclaimed. "Alright, let's get you Greek salads, and we'll have fries with ketchup. And cheesecake for dessert for all of us. See, we're already becoming vegetarians! What won't you do for beautiful girls!" Making a fierce face at Duke – as if to say "don't scare away the prey" – he went to the counter to place the order.

Duke got the hint and steered away from the dangerous topic, telling a few more jokes – which nearly exhausted his supply of decent ones. While he struggled to think of something else to say – previous victims by this stage of acquaintance were already giggling at racy jokes even before the first drink, but with these, that clearly wouldn't work – Jared returned with drinks – cola for the girls and gin and tonic for the guys. Setting everything on the table, he went back for the plates of food.

"Judith, how old are you?" Duke decided to ask the question that had been bothering him, fearing it sounded too straightforward, he added: "It's just that my friend and I had a bet, he thinks you're eighteen, and I think you're sixteen..."

"One hundred and twenty-three," Judith replied with a serious face.

"How much?!"

"Just kidding!" the girl laughed happily. "You should've seen your face, as if you really believed it! Actually, I'm sixteen... today. So you won."

"So, it's your birthday?" Duke beamed. "And you're celebrating it so... gloomily?"

"Why gloomily?" Esther objected. "We went to the city, rode the rides."

"Yes, but... what about the company? The party? 'Sweet sixteen'? You have no friends at all? Well,
except us, of course," Duke added.

"We have no one but our mother," Esther replied. "We live in the woods."

This completely reassured Duke. There was no need to fear avengers from a mysterious sect. Although Jared was right - tomorrow these girls wouldn't remember practically anything they could tell the police or their relatives, just like the previous ones couldn't. And these two wouldn't even try to tell anyone anything, so as not to upset their mother. It wasn't even certain they would understand what had happened to them.

Jared approached, carrying plates. Duke immediately told him the news.

"Birthday! And you kept quiet!" Jared exclaimed. "If we had known, we would have taken you to... a more luxurious place. But since we're already here and have already ordered food, we should at least have a drink in honor of such an occasion. And since our lovely ladies don't drink, Dick and I will have to drink for two. That is, for four."

After the girls finished their cola, there was no point in lingering, so Jared, although he paid the birthday girl a few compliments, generally didn't try to drag out the conversation. The sisters - who really seemed to be hungry - preferred to eat actively rather than talk. So dinner ended quickly, and all four went out into the street again - where, however, there were no more passers-by.

"See - only half an hour, as I promised," said Jared.

Esther was about to mention compensation for the expenses again, but Jared wouldn't hear of it - "it was the least we could give Judith!"

"Only," he added apologetically after a tiny pause, "we don't need the money, of course, but you girls could do us a little favor. We drank, so we shouldn't drive in this state, maybe you could give us a lift to my place? I'll show you the way, it's close. Five to ten minutes, tops."

"Why did you drink if you knew you had to drive?" Esther asked sternly.

"Well, we couldn't not drink in honor of Judith's sixteenth birthday! Actually, there's no traffic here at night, we could drive ourselves, it wouldn't be the first time. But - if you can avoid the risk, it's better not to risk it, right? And my house is right on the shore. Have you ever seen the full moon rise over the ocean? I don't think so, if you've always lived in the woods. A very romantic sight! You can take a look at it, and then go straight home."

"We have a pickup truck," said Esther. "There's only room for two in the cab."

"No problem, we can ride in the back. Only... how will we show you the way then? You know what? I parked nearby. I'll give you the keys to my car, and you drive us, and then drive back for your pickup. You can leave my car there, just put the key in the glove compartment. And then I'll come with Dick in his car and pick it up. See - I trust you completely. People should trust each other, right?" Jared held out the key on the keychain to Esther. Esther, however, was in no hurry to take it, and Jared turned to the younger one: "Judith! At least you help me persuade your stern sister! You know what, girls? Let's make a deal - if you give us a ride, I'll never eat another piece of meat in my life! No, really! I told you I'd been thinking about becoming a vegetarian for a long time, and now's the perfect opportunity! I can't vouch for Dick, he won't give up meat until he dies, but I will! Just think of how many animal lives you will save by agreeing!"

"Okay, smooth talker," Esther grinned. "Let's go."

They reached the car - an old Ford that Jared had bought for a pittance at a sale - and got inside. Jared flopped down in the front passenger seat before Judith could, so she sat in the back with Duke. She sat the plush bear between them, as if it were a chaperon.

Jared resumed his chatter, mixing small talk with directions (he deliberately gave them directions to take a rather roundabout route) and glancing sideways at Esther in case she started passing out at the wheel. This had happened before, but it wasn't a serious threat, because the car had previously belonged to a driving school and had a dual set of pedals - so Jared, sitting in the instructor's seat, could brake at any moment. In principle, this was a distinctive feature, but Jared was sure that Esther wouldn't notice it. None of them had noticed it before.

However, they arrived without incident. "Stop here," Jared pointed with his hand.

Three of them - except for Duke, who for some reason hesitated - got out of the car. It stood on a narrow road plunged into complete darkness (only the headlights of the Ford snatched a few yards of cracked asphalt from the darkness), where there was not a single house. To the left stretched a wasteland overgrown with grass, beyond which only in the distance the city lights illuminated the sky. The right side was bordered by a solid wall of black trees, barely visible against the background of the night sky above them, dotted with rare stars.

"Where is your house?" Esther asked in a tone more surprised than frightened.

"This way," Jared pointed to an almost invisible path leading deeper into the thicket. "There's a beach right behind these trees" - indeed, the rhythmic sound of the surf could be heard from the darkness - "and the path leads straight to the house."

"Okay, you can walk from here, and we'll go," said Esther.

"What about the moon? Don't you want to take a look? It's rising over the ocean right now!"

"Thank you, but we'd better go," Esther repeated, catching Judith's hand with her fingers. "We'll leave the car in the parking lot in front of the park right at the entrance."

"Well, okay, as you wish. We're not forcing you to do anything. Dick, what are you stuck on? Get out!"

"Com-ming," Duke muttered in a drunken voice, clumsily getting out of the car - and then suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Damn!..." he hissed through his teeth.

"What's wrong with you?" Jared leaned over him.

"I think I twisted my ankle... oh, it hurts, shit..."

"You're such a moron!" Jared said indignantly. "How did you manage to get so drunk so fast? It's embarrassing in front of the girls! Listen, girls, you see what's going on. He's a big guy, I can't drag him home alone. Help me out, will you? I'll take one side, Esther the other. It's only fifty yards."

"Okay," Esther sighed.

Together they helped Duke to his feet, threw his arms over their shoulders and moved along the narrow path, where branches scratched them from the sides. Duke hopped on one leg between them. A couple of times he seemed to accidentally touch Esther's right breast with his fingers (making sure that there was probably no bra under her dress), but the girl tried to ignore it. Judith followed behind, carrying the plush bear by the ear, its hind legs almost dragging along the sand; for some reason, she hadn't left it in the car, where she was going to return. Finally, the trees parted, and in front of them there was indeed a wide sandy beach and a black ocean, along which stretched a yellowish path from the full moon, which had not yet risen high and therefore seemed especially large. And closer loomed the silhouette with a small, rectangular tower on the roof, resembling an observation post.

"It doesn't... look like a house," said Esther, breathing heavily under the weight of Duke leaning on her.

"It's a boat station... an old one..."

"You said this was your house!"

"Not where I usually live, of course... I just use this as a beach house... Judith, open the door, please. It's not locked, you just have to pull it harder."

Judith obediently pulled the door, on which it was almost impossible to make out in such light the sign "No Entry by Order of the City Council."

"So," Jared continued to command, not giving the girls time to think, "we're almost there... let's put him on the mattress, over there on the right... There's no electricity here, only a battery-powered lantern - Judith, feel around on your left on the table, did you find it? Aha, good girl... the button on top..." The light of the lantern, shining in all directions at once, illuminated a room with boarded-up walls without windows and almost without furniture, except for the aforementioned table at the entrance, several beach chairs stacked inside each other in the corner, and two old mattresses on the floor.

"Why did you bring us here?" asked Esther. However, her voice did not sound demanding or frightened, but tired and unsure. She still couldn't catch her breath after she and Jared had dumped Duke on the mattress. "You don't live here, and neither does Richard. His car is not here. You'll have nothing to leave on if we take yours."

"Exactly," Jared grinned. "That's why you're not going to take it. You wouldn't want to offend cool guys like us, would you? Besides, we haven't finished celebrating Judith's birthday yet." He stood in front of the younger sister, gazing at her mockingly.

"Judith, we're leaving," said Esther, but her voice still lacked firmness; it was as if she were fighting off a wave of nausea. "These guys... seem to have had too much to drink."

"You're not going anywhere," Duke jumped up from the mattress and, grinning, blocked her way; his limp had miraculously disappeared, as had his intoxication. "Stop resisting, bitch, as if I don't know you want it. I only touched your boob, and your nipple went rock hard!"

If you want to know what happened next, please send at least $5 (or more, which will be greatly appreciated!) to Zelle or Paypal for email georgeyright@gmail.com and inform me via the same email for which story you paid. The full text will be sent to you within one business day.