Page 6 of Haunt

“You think I’m lying to you about where I am? Sienna, you’re late. They’ve already done the waiver signing and everything.” Looking up again, I find that I’m alone in the room.

Except for Harrow.

He stands in front of the closed door to the hallway while two screams ring out. His attention is fully trained on me, and that’s when it hits me I really amalone.

“You’re really gonna miss it if you don’t hurry up.” I’m distracted, sure, but I’m really just desperate for my friends to get in here. But since they’re here, I push to my feet and warily approach the only other person in the room. “My friends say they’re outside,” I tell him, my words a little quieter than I intend. “Can I go and look for them?”

Slowly, he shakes his head and lifts one finger to tap his wrist, like he’s telling me the time.

Like he’s telling me it’s too late for them to get in. “Sienna, I don't think he’s going to let you guys in. You are seriouslyso lateand—” Harrow reaches out, his fingers crooking toward mefor my phone. In response, I glance back at the door I came in through, biting my lip.

“Are you sure we’re in the same place?”Sienna’s starting to sound even more unsure of the situation, and I can hear Joey asking if everything’s okay. “Can you come outside? Show us where to go?”

Hearing her, Harrow shakes his head slowly and his fingers twitch again. “No, I…I gotta go. I hate that you’re not here and God, I’m probably going to safeword out so fast, but I don’t want to miss this when it’s never going to happen for us again. I’ll call you later, okay?” Hanging up the phone on her protests, I drop my hand to my side and stare at the man in front of me.

Yet again, he crooks his fucking fingers at me.

“You want…?” I glance down at my phone, surprised, and look back up at him. He nods once, just as my phone starts vibrating incessantly. Even when I hit the button for it to go to voicemail, Sienna just calls me back once more.

“I’ll get it back in one piece, right?” I ask, waiting for him to nod before adding. “And all I have to do for it to stop is say Fair’s Fair?”

There's a little hesitation, but Harrow steps forward and meets my gaze, his eyes so impossibly dark, and nods.

A low huff leaves me and I reach up, pressing my phone into his hand and hoping I’m not getting into something that’s going to give me trauma for the rest of my life.

4

The door clanging shutbehind me feels so…final. I turn to look over my shoulder in time to see Harrow lean back against it, his mask seeming to taunt me in the dim hallway.

“Am I…” I don’t even know what I want to ask. But he doesn’t move, only watches me, and it almost seems like he’s patiently waiting for me to ask my question.

A scream makes me glance forward, but I look back at him for some kind of reassurance that he definitely isn’t about to give. Sure enough, he just fucking stands there. “I know you aren’t going to say anything to make me feel better…or at all.” Sighing, my foot scuffs on the floor, and I find myself shivering even in my hoodie and fleece-lined leggings. “I’m just rambling, okay?”

He still just stands there.

“Okay, okay.” I suck in a breath. “Do I just…walk? That way?” Again I shiver, this time my teeth chattering a little just in time to hear the sound of a revving chainsaw. “Wow, I hate chainsaws.” It’s probably the wrong thing to say, since this is a haunt designed to absolutely destroy me.

I swear I hear him give a soft huff from behind his mask. Turning, I find Harrow pushing away from the wall to stalkcloser to me, one hand raised and reaching toward me. Instead of pushing me back or spinning me around, his long fingers wrap around my throat tightly enough for my breath to catch in my throat. I reach up, fingers hovering over his wrist. I don’t think I’m really allowed to touch him back, after all.

He pushes me, forcing me to walk backwards down the dim hallway at a pace that makes it somewhat easy for me not to trip. His thumb moves as we walk, stroking along my jaw in a way that makes my stomach twist with something that isn’t at all fear.

“Sorry,” I murmur, not sure what I’m even apologizing for. But for some reason Harrow stops, studying me from behind his mask as he strokes over my jaw again before letting go and dropping his hand.

For just a few seconds, everything in the warehouse is silent. Nothing moves around us, and the sounds of screams and whatever else have fallen away in a lull. As he stares at me, I swear he’s going to saysomething.Especially when he lifts his hand again, only to drop it with a shake of his head.

It’s…confusing, to say the least. Harrow brushes past me, banging on the closed door at the end of the hall, making the metal clang as the sound echoes through the enclosed space. I can’t help my wince at the sudden, sharp noise, and as I watch, the door swings open to reveal Doll Mask, whose fake alias I don’t remember.

When she sees me, she goes up on her toes, excitement in every line of her body. She’s spattered with what I hope is fake blood, but as she takes a step toward me, Harrow reaches out quickly to grab her arm and pull her to a stop.

She glances at him, shying back like she’s afraid of him, but he steps closer and leans in, their masks so close I’m surprised they don’t touch. Whether he says something or not is lost on me as another scream echoes through the warehouse.

When it’s over, they’re both looking at me. Harrow releases her arm and steps back, standing by the open door and leaning his weight on it to keep it from closing. But this time, he doesn’t stop her from skipping toward me, arms outstretched like she’s been waiting to see me.

I cringe away from her, expecting the worst, but she only wraps me up in her arms, having to stand on her toes to be face-to-face with me. “Pretty,” she breathes softly, her eyes barely visible behind the mask. She holds my gaze, her fingers gripping my hoodie and pulling me forward as she dances backward.

“All I have to do is safeword, right?” I breathe, heart thumping in my chest as she pulls me towards the open door. She doesn’t answer, instead glancing over her shoulder at Harrow, a question in her movement.

He’s the one to nod once, head dipping in assent at my question, so I take a breath and stop resisting her, instead letting her pull me through the open door completely at her leisure.

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