Page 9 of Love at First Bite
Somehow, the girls had talked me into believing that this haunted house-slash-party would actually be fun. I was looking forward to it.
I just had no idea just how much that choice would change my life forever.
4.Tabitha
The parking lot was dark.
Pitch black other than for teenagers dressed in old-timey outfits with pale-faced makeup and fake blood dripping from their lips, holding flickering LED candles that led to the start point of the maze.
“This is so cool,” Ember noted with awe. She was dressed as a princess, and her almost white hair glowed beneath the moonlight.
“It really is. Super smart to use old drama costumes and have some of the high schoolers volunteer,” Abby agreed. I had to admit, they weren’t wrong. Being a teacher taught you a lot about using what you had on hand. The teenagers were dressed in what looked like old-period costumes, and their white-painted faces gave them a ghostly appearance.
It added to the creepy factor of the whole event.
“You want to hold my hand?” Abby offered with sincerity, and I wasn’t stupid enough to turn her down. I didn’t miss the way Ember and Abby also held hands as they moved in front of us to the entrance of the maze, where a tall guy stood in a dusty-looking tux, his pale face simply looking at us but not saying a word. He didn’t even blink.
The first turn made me want to turn right back around. The hay had been coated with what I hoped was fake spiderwebs. Just looking at them made you feel like the air in front of you would be laced with it.
But then, that was it.
Turn after turn, I expected to get scared, terrified, but nothing happened. Spiderwebs and fake bugs and ravens hung from above, as well as homemade scarecrows I knew had been donated by Candy and the hardware store.
But that was it.
Just as I started to believe that maybe this whole haunted house maze thing was more mental than real, a zombie popped out and scared Abby and Ember. We watched as they screamed and jumped. Abby and I laughed. Just like that, somehow, the whole thing became fun.
Even when a guy dressed like Frankenstein touched my shoulder and I jumped so high I was shocked I didn’t touch the bright stars in the sky, I didn’t stop laughing. The whole thing was genius! Smart and well done with just enough creepiness.
At the end of the maze, we were asked for our tickets by a mummy who looked a lot like the usual bouncer that worked at the brewery, and when he knocked on the doors, they opened on their own. We walked into a space that had been transformed.
The dense fog filling the ground made it feel like you were walking on a cloud. Everything was decorated with eerie beauty that took my breath away. What could have been hundreds of flicking LED-lit candles of all sizes brightened the space with what felt like a magical glow. Warm twinkling lights tangled with whisps of sheer cream-colored fabric hung delicately from the dark brown exposed rafters throughout the entire brewery. From the bar to the booths and tables. Even the usual stage area had it. Huge black plastic spiders stuck to webs of all sizesagainst the wall. Whoever had helped decorate knew what they were doing.
“Wow!” Rosie took the word right from my mouth.
The brewery had definitely been transformed into something mystical. Enchanting even. My heart raced with excitement about what the night might bring. The night I hadn’t been looking forward to was turning out to be so much more than I could have ever imagined.
“Drinks?” Ember asked, and we all nodded, following her to the bar.
“Shots?” Abby suggested the moment we got there as we waited for a bartender to approach us. I felt like all three of my best friends were staring at me, as if they were waiting for me to turn down the idea.
I glanced at the bar top. A special Halloween menu sat right on top.
“What’s that?” Rosie asked, and I picked it up and grinned.
“Halloween-themed drinks!” I shared, and we passed it around.
“So, are we drinking?” Ember asked, and I found myself the first to respond.
“I think we should start with a voodoo shot to get things going,” I suggested with enthusiasm.
“My girl does love themed food and drinks!” Rosie smiled just as Austin Hart, co-owner of the brewery, came up to us dressed in what I could only assume was a ghost-like pirate.
“Arrg, look at these beauties we have here. Hello, lovely ladies.” He gave us an alarmingly charming smile. His light blue gaze swept over each of us, making us individually feel seen without it being icky. A talent only few men actually possessed. And the man in front of us was definitely good looking. His vest was open without anything beneath to hide away the rippling six pack beneath sparse light brown chest hair.
“What ghastly drink can I get you tonight?” His blue eyes glittered with mischief, and I didn’t have to look at my friends to know they were practically swooning at the pirate.
“Four voodoo shots and a cauldron of queso and chips,” Ember replied, and we all smirked. “What? I’m hungry! And if we’re drinking, we need something to soak up the alcohol.” We all agreed, and after we paid, we went to take a seat. The four of us settled at a high-top table close to the stage, where they usually hosted karaoke or live bands.
