The Arkansas Delta County Fair was a fever dream of hay bales, deep-fried everything, and machinery that had not passed inspection since the Clinton administration. The stage was set up near the edge of the fairgrounds, between the livestock pens and the Ferris wheel that squealed every time it turned.

The band had just finished soundcheck (barely—Jonah’s snare tried to escape mid-test), and the sun was just beginning to set behind the cotton candy stand when Gabriel pointed at a nearby ride.

It was a rickety-looking contraption that looked like someone had strapped rocket boosters to a hamster wheel and called it a thrill.

The faded sign read:
“GRAVITRON-XTREME!!!”
With a scrawled warning beneath it:

“Not responsible for loose teeth, lost dignity, or spatial disorientation.”

Gabriel’s eyes lit up. “Guys. We have to.”

“No,” Thane said instantly.

Maya crossed her arms. “Absolutely not. I’m not trusting my spine to a rusted centrifuge.”

Jonah was already halfway to the ride. “This is how I want to die.”

Rico groaned. “Someone film it if he barfs. I need new content for our TikTok.”

Gabriel grabbed Thane’s wrist. “Come on! We’re werewolves. We heal.”

Thane blinked. “That thing was made before OSHA existed.”

“Exactly,” Gabriel grinned. “Vintage danger!”

Moments later…

WHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The Gravitron roared to life like a jet engine with asthma.

Inside the metal drum, Gabriel, Jonah, and Rico were plastered to the spinning wall as the ride tilted and picked up speed.

Gabriel yelled, “I CAN SEE THROUGH TIME!”

Jonah shouted, “WHY ARE MY ORGANS ARGUMENTING ABOUT LOCATION?!”

Rico just laughed. “I REGRET NOTHING!”

Outside the ride, Thane stood next to Mark, arms folded, expression like a father watching his kids light themselves on fire with sparklers.

“This ends with someone puking,” he said.

“Five bucks says it’s Jonah,” Mark replied.

Cassie, chewing on a funnel cake, shrugged. “This is better than cable.”

Then came the shriek.

Not from the riders. From the ride.

A sudden CLUNK echoed through the air. The Gravitron jerked hard to one side, lights flickering like a dying UFO. The operator (a teenager who looked like he had no earthly business being near electricity) slammed the emergency stop.

EERRRRRRRRR-CHUNK!

The ride stopped… sideways.

The doors opened.

Rico stumbled out first, immediately dropped to his knees, and declared, “The Earth is spinning. Stop the planet. I wanna get off.”

Jonah staggered out behind him, holding a cotton candy stick like a war banner.

Gabriel… wobbled out last, sunglasses sideways, shirt flapping.

“I tasted gravity,” he whispered. “It was lime-flavored.”

Back at the stage, Thane handed Gabriel a bottle of water. “Still vintage danger?”

Gabriel grinned weakly. “Totally worth it.”

Cassie cackled as Jonah dropped onto a hay bale with a groan. “Now who’s gonna explain to the crowd why our lead guitarist looks like he was exorcised?”

Rico gave a thumbs-up from the grass. “I’ll play lying down.”

As the sun dipped behind the fairgrounds, the smell of fried butter and engine grease filled the air. Lights flashed across the tilt-a-whirl. A pair of cows mooed somewhere near the back of the field.

And as the band gathered their gear, Gabriel leaned toward Thane and whispered, “If we survive this tour, we’re getting one of those rides installed at the studio.”

Thane didn’t answer.

He just walked away muttering, “Only if it’s OSHA-compliant.”