Page 2 of Haunt

With my luck, he’s probably fifty-seven and covered in very poorly done tattoos with bad hygiene.

“Sorry,” I murmur again, a bit absently. “Umm. By the way, I’m supposed to be here with my friends, but they’re runningsuper late. I have a screenshot of my ticket, but—” He lowers his hand enough to crook two fingers at me, still not talking.

“Okay, well, you are very committed to this no talking thing, huh?” I mutter, swiping out of my text conversation and to my pictures. He leans in close, the scent of his cologne is subtle and spicy in my nose when I inhale sharply.

Fifty-seven and poor hygiene, I remind myself before I can get my hopes up. I’ve been here before and I’ve always been disappointed when the mask came off. “Here.” With a small, jerky movement, I lift my phone between us until it illuminates his eyes behind the mask.

He definitely has the darkest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. They look almost black in the stark light of my phone as he narrows them to look over the ticket. “Is this okay? For now? Just until—” He cuts me off with a nod and pushes my phone back toward me with one finger. His gaze finds mine, and the look there is unreadable.

“Thank you,” I murmur. I don’t know what else to say.

Something about my words makes his eyes narrow shrewdly. Then he tilts his head to the side for just a moment before turning on his heel and prowling across the parking lot toward another actor, this one’s wearing a skull mask and staring at me.

Rightat me.

My stomach twists and I look away, eyes landing on the group of four that includes Ivy and Dalton. Clearly sensing my distress, the pretty brunette whose name I’ve known for all of three minutes waves me over, and wastes no time in introducing me to her friends.

“Noa’s friends are late,” she tells the other couple who’ve introduced themselves as Alec and Harley. Harley gives me an apologetic half smile, but Alec doesn’t even seem to notice me, since he’s so wrapped up in his phone.

“They’ll be here,” I say, waving my own phone dismissively. “Apparently they’re…” I glance at the new messages, my heart sinking. “Well, apparently they’re about thirty minutes away. Crap.” That’s…far.

Especially when the heavy door of the warehouse swings open with a loud creaking that makes me grit my teeth, my eyes are drawn toward it automatically.

“Hope they’re here soon, or they’ll miss it. I don’t think they let anyone else in after they start,” Ivy murmurs with a sympathetic glance in my direction.

I don’t reply, but I watch as another six people filter into the large, open room beyond the door that’s well lit and probably warmer than out here. The two couples leave me as well until I’m all alone in the parking lot with just my phone and shivering.

Well, almost alone. The man with the animal skull mask is now standing beside the open door ten or so feet from me, his attention never leaving my face. He glances inside, then back at me, the question clear in the air between us.

“Okay,” I sigh. “Yeah, okay. I just…My friends will be here,” I tell him, taking a few steps toward the door. “Can I let them in when they get here?”

He doesn’t say no or shake his head.

He doesnothingexcept watch me. So with a groan, I jog into the warehouse, and the door closes ominously and loudly behind me with aclang.

They’d better get here soon. I’m not sure I can do this completely alone. No matter what claims I may have made with the help of cheap, gummy bear vodka.

2

The clangof the door echoes around the somewhat well-lit, sparsely furnished room just inside the door. I stop, glancing around, and forget that Animal Skull has to come in as well. But the knowledge comes back really quick when I feel his fingers on both sides of my waist, pushing me forward a few steps so he can move into the room.

I turn to look at him over my shoulder, eyes wide as I hold his gaze. To my surprise, he doesn’t move. He just studies me, looking me over like he’s searching for some sign of recognition in my eyes. Like we somehow know each other, but he’s trying to figure out where we crossed paths before.

But I’ve never met anyone with eyes as dark as his. His fingers press against my hip bones, and for half a second he traces along them before he blinks, disinterest clouding over his gaze as he drops his hands and strides to the other side of the room, where the other actors are hanging out. When he stops, it’s beside Skeleton Mask, who’s once again justlookingat me.

It makes me feel uneasy, if I’m being truthful.

Suddenly realizing that I’m the only one still standing, I glance toward the wall where the other visitors are sitting in mismatched chairs…only to see that there isn’t an extra. Noteven a fucking ottoman. That makes me feel weirder, like I don’t belong, but I remind myself the whole point of this place is to scare us and make us uncomfortable.

They probably made the chairs too few on purpose, so a few of us would be left standing up and uncomfortable. The other visitors look at me, a few of them noticing the chair situation as well.

Before I can slide down the wall or stand there awkwardly, however, a scraping sound makes me jump.

Skeleton Mask drags a chair over from the other side of the room, all but slamming it down on the ground a small distance from the others. With that done, he justlooksat me from behind his mask, his light green eyes almost cat-like in their paleness.

When I don’t move, he rolls his eyes and beckons me over with a snort. Then, when I’m close enough, he reaches out and drags me into the chair despite my yelp of protest.

You signed up for this, I remind myself silently, hands gripping the arms of the metal chair as I stare up at him with my heart racing nervously.

---