Page 6 of In The Dark
“We don’t start until nine,” she says. “I’m here early so I could bring my best friend to her first Fright Nights before I go on.”
“First-timer?” Dustin looks over at me. “What do you think so far?”
“I mean.” I wave my hand in the direction of the wait time boasting a ninety-minute queue. “Clearly people love it. I’m glad they’re having fun, but I’m not one of them.”
Dustin laughs and glances back at Skyler. “Janey, my manager, is dealing with a fight that broke out toward the exit. Normally I’d offer to walk you through the house, but I need to make sure we don’t have any more issues before she gets back.The night is young, and drunk idiots always bring the mood down.”
“So, I shouldn’t punch the person who lunges at me?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Please don’t. I hate paperwork. Head up to the VIP line to the soundstage and tell them I sent you. They’ll slip you in so you don’t have to wait.”
“You’re the best.” Skyler hugs him again then gives his chest a gentle shove. “Text me sometime. I don’t want Fright Nights to be the only time I know you’re alive.”
“I’ll see what you’re up to this weekend.” He hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “Entrance is that way. Have fun.”
“No paperwork,” I repeat, giving him a salute as we head up the line. “What the hell, Sky? He’s so nice.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Skyler links our arms together and practically skips toward the large white building ahead of us. I don’t know the last time I saw her smile this much. “He’s not the type of guy I typically go for, but he’sgreatin bed.”
“Really?” I glance behind us I laugh when I spot Dustin watching us walk away, looking like a lost puppy. “I’m surprised.”
“So was I when he tied my hands to the headboard and ate me out until I came three times,” she says, not fazed when the attendant in front of us overhears her declaration. “Hi! Dustin sent us this way.”
“Perfect.” The attendant stops the flow of the regular line, ignoring the eye roll and protest from a guy holding two beer cans, and gestures us forward. “Y’all can go on in. They just did a shift change, so the actors are ready to go. You’ll be the first ones with the new crew.”
“Great,” I mumble, almost refusing to move when Skyler tugs me behind her. “Are we really doing this?”
“Yeah, babe. We’re really doing this. Hold onto me, okay? I promise we’ll be out of here in no time.”
I step close to her, hooking a finger in the belt loop of her jean shorts so we don’t get separated. It’s so dark, it’s almost impossible to see where we’re going, but I can make out a house at the end of a long hallway. There’s a porch with a rocking chair on it. A mailbox and fake grass. Old-time music plays, giving me a false sense of security. I don’t let myself relax, following Skyler as we make our way inside.
I’m squeezing her hand so tight, I’m afraid I’m going to break her fingers. I keep my eyes downcast, studying the floor instead of what’s ahead of us. Out of my peripheral vision, a figure pops up behind a window, and I don’t let myself look at it straight on.
Out of sight, out of mind, and I’m not going to let these fuckers get the best of me.
Skyler is a good friend who doesn’t mention she’s in pain, and I heave a sigh of relief when she maneuvers us down the first straightaway.
“Okay,” I breathe out. “This is easy. A stroll through the park.”
“I told you–” she yelps and laughs, pulling away from me slightly at the flash of a light. There’s a scream and the loud clatter of something falling to the ground up ahead. “Damn. That one was good. I didn’t even see him.”
“I see nothing, and it’s better this way.”
“We’re just walking through a house. Pretend it’sourhouse, and we’re going from the kitchen to the living room for movie night.”
“It’s a house full of deranged people holding knives.” I step over a puddle that looks like it could be blood and grimace. “Normal behavior.”
“Fake knives,” she corrects. “They?—”
A loud sound makes my ears ring. A figure with a mask and a weapon raised above his head appears inches away from me, and I lose it.
Fuck this.
I scream, hurtling toward what looks like a path that leads to the exit. I make a left then a sharp right, not letting myself stop moving until I’m someplace quieter.Brighter, and out of the way of danger. Putting a hand on the wall, I look for Skyler, and that’s when I realize none of my surroundings are familiar.
A water bottle leans against a door markedEMERGENCY EXIT ONLY.A flashlight and neatly-folded robe sit on a small table, and it’s very obvious I’m nowhere close to where I should be.
I’ve somehow stumbled into a back of house area, completely lost and totally alone.
