Page 26 of The Masks She Wore

?I shivered, gripping onto the pole in one hand, my bat in the other, as my ass slid into place. Fuck, I shouldn’t have loved this as much as I did. It was so wrong.

?Viv watched me for several seconds before taking a seat on the horse beside me. It was radioactive and glowed brightly.

?That look on her face never changed, even as the ride finally started, the music eerie and broken, playing from a cracked record over an old 50’s radio. I wouldn’t let her ruin my fun.

?I closed my eyes and leaned back on the horse, hanging onto the pole tightly as I lifted my legs up around the top of the neck where the horse had been decapitated. I released a Harley laugh, holding my bat out as the carousel picked up speed. It was a Halloween ride, it wasn’t going to be slow and at the same pace, this one moved. The horses moved quickly up and down the poles before slowing down and jerking up again. It spun fast and then slow, jerking forward only to start spinning backwards.

?I screamed and laughed as the butterflies exploded in my stomach, my ass slipping and sliding across the blood, covering me in sticky residue, my muscles straining as they clenched, trying to hold on.

?I slid back down, sliding up to the pole and looking over to Viv who had laughter in her eyes as well. She had fun. Shealwayshad fun, sometimes it just took her a little bit to get into the swing of things, but this wasfun.

?I laughed and turned to the crowds, taking in everyone around us. The people waiting impatiently for their turns or taking pictures of their kids, those further away mingling, laughing, being chased by the actors. God, I loved this time of year. I loved the effort people put into their costumes. I loved watching people get so scared they couldn’t help but run.

?I gasped when the ride jerked to a slower speed again, and my thighs tightened around the bodice of the horse just as my eyes found that actor from earlier.

?The one with the knife.

?My smile slowly fell as I watched him stand there. Watching us.

?We went around again, and there he was, in the exact same spot, just…justwatching.

?“Hey,” I called over the music, my heart thundering. “Hey, Viv, did you see that guy?” I asked, looking over.

?She gave me a look. “We’re surrounded by people.”

?I rolled my eyes. “The actor from earlier, he’s standing…” but when I turned back, the carousel coming back around, he was gone.

?A chill ran down my spine as I searched the crowds, looking for that masked man, finding him nowhere.

?The carousel finally stopped, and I slid from the horse, almost falling to my knees with the amount of blood that now dripped down my legs and the way my legs shook. I hadn’t realized how hard I had been clenching my thighs and hands around that horse to stay on. I held no regrets, but this blood would be a bitch to clean off.

?“You okay?”

?“Um…” I searched the crowds as we headed off the ride. “Yeah,” I decided when I didn’t see him again. “The scares getting to me, I guess,” I shrugged. “Come on, House of Mirrors next.”

~~~

By the time we finished up the last haunted house, Viv’s voice was all but gone, and both of us were trembling and on edge.

?The blood on me had dried to a sticky, red residue, and my right hand throbbed from how tightly Viv was hanging on. I was surprised I hadn’t been thrown out yet due to my instinctual reaction of swinging my bat as the scares got worse. Either they were being lazy, or they just didn’t care about weapons this year. Either way, it was a bad choice being as how my bat had nails in the end of it.Irresponsible, really, but fuck it, you won’t find me complaining.

?We were both exhausted, and I didn’t think I would stop shaking for a few days, but not only was I the happiest I had been in a long time, I was soaked too, and I wasn’t ready to give this night up.

?Besides, we had one last thing to do before we left. One last memory to make and lock in my memory bank for later on when I was home alone.

?“I’m ready to go home,” Viv chattered hoarsely.

?“Nope, one last thing, you promised.” It was reaching midnight, so we didn’t have much time to get through the tent, but we should have enough before the park officially closed down, we just needed to be quick.

?Viv groaned. “Seriously? We’ve done everything.”

?“Not everything,” I smiled. “Not the main event. One last haunt and we can get home. Take a much needed shower, okay?” I batted my eyes at her, and after a few seconds, she laughed.

?Viv rolled her eyes. “You have blood everywhere.”

?I beamed. “That’s a consignment, let’s go—”

?“Rae!”

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