Page 107 of Waiting Forever
“What about you?” he asks with concern.
“I’m fine.” She pokes an apple with a stick and dips the fruit into a vat of melted caramel.
He doesn’t look convinced. He motions for me and Kensi to the side while his mom is distracted. “You two go have fun. I’ll catch up with you later. I’m going to force her to take a break.”
“Are you sure, Azure?” Kensi asks. “We can stay to help.”
“I’m sure. Go to the haunted house and then tell me how good it was.” He nods in its direction.
“What about you?” Kensi doesn’t want to leave him out. I can understand.
“I don’t do haunted houses.” He grins. “Did I forget to mention that?”
“What?” she squeaks and almost drops her caramel apple.
“Not my thing, but I love to hear about them. Now go get scared enough for both of us.”
Kensi rolls her eyes. “Fine. We’ll be back.”
“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” he says in his excited mellow way.
Kensi bites into her apple and licks the caramel from her lips as we stroll toward the dilapidated barn-like structure. It’s near the back of the festival area by another cornfield that’s off-limits.
Screams of terror erupt from inside.
“You sure you want to do this?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says, unsure. “I hope I don’t pee my pants.”
“I hope I don’t, either,” I tease.
She cracks up and nudges me with her shoulder, the apple clutched in both her hands. “You are so full of it.”
“Finish that up so we can go.” I point to her caramel treat, eager to get in there, hoping she’ll want me to hold her. It’s lame, but I’ll take whatever I can get.
“I’m good. Let me toss this.” She drops the remaining half of the apple into the trash and wipes her fingers clean with a napkin.
“You’re not going to lick them?” I frown.
She curls her lip. “My fingers aren’t clean. That’s why I was careful not to touch the apple.”
True. She only held the stick and the paper covering the bottom.
She opens her mouth as if to say what I imagine is a dirty response then must think better of it because she closes her mouth and takes my hand. “Come on.”
We enter the dark structure, passing through rooms set up like scenes from horror movies. They’re creepy but nothing that would make a person scream. Kensi shivers a couple of times, but she’s yet to jump into my arms.
The fourth room is filled with dozens of lifelike looking rats. They’re eating a fake dead body, blood oozing from torn flesh. The sounds of their chattering teeth draw goosebumps to my skin.
“Ew.” Kensi squeals and buries her face in my chest.Finally.I wrap her in my arms, loving the feel of her body against mine. “Lead me out of here. I can’t look.”
“Not a problem.” I walk her backward to the next room. “This one is worse. You might want to keep your face buried.”Geez.This shit is disgusting. A zombie sits in the corner, gnawing on the intestines of a dead pig. Even though it’s all fake, the makeup and sound effects are too realistic. Those combined with the putrid scent have me struggling not to gag.
“Gross. I hear it.” Kensi wraps her arms around my neck, clinging to me like a second skin.
I guide her to another room. This one is pitch-black, with a glow-in-the-dark trail of blood on the ground.
“You can look,” I tell her.
