Page 5 of In The Dark
“At three in the morning? Fuck, no. It’s a struggle to keep my eyes open right now. I’m also thirty-five and well aware nothing good happens after two a.m.”
“Plenty of good things happen after two a.m. I’ll prove it to you. I bet I’ll come home with an excellent story, or I’ll do the dishes for a month.”
“That sounds like a bargain I can’t pass up.” I chug half the water and drop my head back. “Don’t expect me to bail your ass out of jail.”
“I’m a law-abiding citizen unlike other people in this room.” Leo ducks when I lob the water back his way, letting out a wail when it nicks his cheek. “Don’t mark up my pretty face.”
“Humble as always, Reynolds,” I say, closing my eyes and putting a pillow over my face. It smells like Doritos, and I try not to gag. “Leave me alone. I need my beauty sleep.”
“I’ll wake you up in a few, old man. Dream of me,” he says, and I hold up a middle finger to flip him off.
THREE
MAX
“Are you ready?”Skyler scans her employee ID at the Adventure Oasis turnstiles, getting us into Fright Nights for free. She reaches for my hand and pulls me close. “You made it out of the car. That’s step one.”
“Of course I’m not ready.” I let her lead me down the main stretch of sidewalk that brings us deeper into the theme park while I try to squash down my panic. “Nightmares, remember?”
I used to come to the park as a kid, but I’ve never seen it like this: decked out in Halloween decorations and dimly lit with unsettling fog that billows in the wind. The ominous sign welcoming you to the event is covered in spiderwebs. Coffins line the street, and shrieks of fear pierce the night air.
The sound of a chainsaw roaring to life adds to the ambience, and my body buzzes with anticipation and dread. Groups of friends huddle together as they run past us. A pair of girls scream and jump out of the way from a zombie that appears out of nowhere.
We’re barely in the park, and my palms are already sweating. I’m twitching, trying to take a deep breath but failing miserably, and I know I’m so fucking screwed.
“The house we’re doing is near the back. We have one scare zone to get through, then we’ll be there. I’m pretty sure a guy I slept with last year is one of the managers tonight, so he might let us skip the line.” Skyler keeps our fingers intertwined, guiding me past a makeshift graveyard filled with tombstones and skeletons. “Do you want a pro tip from someone who’s done every house every year since Fright Nights started?”
“I can’t believe you do thiswillingly.”
“The actors are more likely to go after you if they see that you’re terrified. It’s like a game for them.”
“Lovely.” I sidestep around a fake spider that’s four feet wide. It looks so realistic, I swear it moves in my direction. “They’re going to have a field day with me.”
Skyler laughs and turns us down a path to the right. “I’ve started to find the places where I think the actors will be hiding in the house: behind corners. Behind a mirror. Definitely behind anything that looks like a curtain. When you learn where they are, there’s less of a surprise.”
“What if I keep my eyes closed?”
“Then you won’t know they’re right next to you until they whisper in your ear.”
“Fuck. I’m going to have to sleep with the lights on for days. And I’m probably going to buy an ax to keep next to my bed.” The shots we took before we left the house are working their way into my bloodstream. I’m warm. Teetering toward tipsy, and I hope the alcohol offers me bravery I doubt I’ll find anywhere else. “Okay. I’m not saying I’m enjoying myself, but this place looks so different with all the decorations up. I can’t believe how much detail there is.”
“They spend months getting everything ready. If you go back stage in May and June, you’ll see props and designs being put into place.”
“That early?”
“Oh, yeah. Every single inch of the haunted house has a purpose. Some of them have secret buttons you can hit that trigger special effects. The production teams think of everything.”
We reach a haunted house, the wordsTERROR BROUGHT TO LIFEwritten on a metal sign with a hundred different warnings listed under it. Sensitivity to fog, to loud noises. Fear of enclosed spaces and the dark. Intense special effects and sudden movements.
For someone who hates all of the things mentioned, I’m sure I’m going to have awonderfultime.
A crowd congregates around the entrance, and Skyler waves to a guy talking into a walkie-talkie.
“Who’s that?” I ask. “He’s cute.”
“Dustin.” She smiles and tugs me in his direction, keeping our palms pressed together. “Hi,” she exclaims when we get close, finally pulling away from me so she can give him a hug.
“Skyler.” He grins and embraces her. His hands linger on her waist for a second too long, and when he pulls away, his cheeks are pink. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in the show.”
