Page 45 of Lovers Fate

The line to this house is shorter compared to the other six houses. Maybe because it’s at the end compared to the other rides, and it’s darker on this side of the park. The fog machines blow thick fog like heavy clouds hovering over the ground.

They exchanged confused glances before turning their attention to the attendant manning the entrance. He’s saying something, but we’re too far to hear.

“What’s going on?” I ask Rose, hoping she can hear what they’re saying.

We both watch the guy suddenly give the attendant an exasperated look and walk inside alone, without the girl.

“One at a time!” The attendant announces. “One at a time!” He repeats.

“That explains why the guy looked pissed,” Rose says as we both watch his girlfriend look around nervously like someone is going to save her from walking inside alone.

When she goes in, a loud scream pierces our ears.

“I’ll go first,” I tell her.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s a haunted carnival, right? We’re supposed to get scared.” I look straight ahead. “It’s kind of the point,” I mutter before walking inside.

“Be careful,” she says behind me. “I’ll meet you on the other side.”

Once inside, the darkness cloaks me like a blanket. I can hardly see in front of me. As I turn a dark corner, the walls seem to pulse, or perhaps it’s the sound of my heart pounding. The house looks and feels real, like it’s abandoned and I’m trespassing.

When a door slams behind me, my heart pounds in my ears. The rooms are dimly lit, and the floors creak with each step I take. I know it’s fake, but once you’re inside and alone it all seems real. The walls, the sounds, and the flickering lit sconces casting shadows over the wallpaper on the makeshift walls.

I turn left and find a couch covered in cobwebs. The room’s wallpaper is peeling and drips with blood. There is green mold on the corners of the tables. On the other side of the room, there is an imprint on the couch, like someone just got up. Footsteps sound from behind me. A large shadow moves across the wood on the floor, causing the air to grow thick with dread as it presses against my stomach.

I try to shake the feeling that I’m not alone and can sense someone in the room. I can feel their eyes watching me but keep walking and turn right into a makeshift master bedroom. The sheets on the bed are splattered with dried blood under the dim light. There is an ax hanging off the headboard, as well as various types of torture devices. They all look real like items used in a massacre.I’m almost tempted to reach out and touch them but stop, my hand in midair.

The door shuts behind me, causing me to jolt. My vision blurs, transporting me back to that night.

There was so much blood on the bed. The walls. The floor. I blink away the memory and feel the air shift in the room.

Someone is standing behind me.

SIXTEEN

“Doyou just stare at a bed covered in dried blood in a dark room?”

I don’t need to turn around to know it’s Draco. I can feel the warmth of his voice tickle the back of my neck.

“Do you always follow girls into haunted houses to get them alone in the dark?”

He chuckles darkly. “Not my thing, but for you, I’ll make an exception.”

I turn around, and he is dressed in black. He has no shirt underneath a black cape. He is wearing a white mask with an upside-down cross, but this time he isn’t wearing a top hat.

“Is this where you work? At the carnival, dressed like someone’s nightmare?”

He tilts his head to the side. “Maybe.”

“So this is where I can find you?”

He steps closer, towering over me. “Were you looking for me?”

I step back, the back of my legs causing me to lose my balance and sit on the bed. I prop myself up on my elbows, ignoring the fake blood, dirt, and who knows what else covering the surface.

“I think it’s only fair that I know where you work since you know where I work.”

---