He chuckled. “You don't need to worry. I will protect you from all the ghouls and goblins.”
“Yeah, well I should probably be more afraid of you than any ghoul or goblin.”
He winked at me. “Maybe.”
I looked back at the scare house as we waited for everyone to get tickets and meet us over there. The haunted house didn't have the best history, which was probably why people found it so creepy, and wanted to take the walk for themselves. I didn't like the history; in fact, it was the reason why I didn't want to go in. Twenty years ago when the haunted house first opened to scare unsuspecting teens and adults, a 20-year-old-girl had been raped and murdered inside the house.
No one had heard her, because the place had been filled with people running and screaming. It wasn't until the haunted house closed for the night and they turned on the lights that they had found her. She had been a young college student with a bright future, and she was found covered in blood, having been stabbed repeatedly. The weapon was never found, and forensics had showed that she had been raped right before she was murdered. The killer had never been found, either, and that was the most disturbing part of all. They had interviewed everyone who was there that night, including staff, and they were not able to determine if it was someone who had gone into the funhouse with her, or whether she had been murdered by a staff member whose job it was to jump up and scare people.
I shivered at the thought. How terrible to have been raped and to be screaming, and no one comes to your aid. It was the perfect place to murder someone, because you couldn't tell on
e scream from another. Surprisingly, the haunted house didn't close down after that as was expected; it just grew in popularity. There were rumors and legends going around that the killer probably still worked there and was in search of his next victim. Whether the killer had been a staff member or not; that person had gotten away with it and was still out there in the world, possibly killing more.
Since the murder, the rules had changed so that no one was to go into the house alone, and all staff members had to wear a GoPro camera, so whatever they did was recorded in the main office. The owners were determined not to have another murder happen in their place.
All Jet's friends met in front of the house, and we went to the ticket guy, who started letting us in two by two as he took our tickets. Jet clasped my hand in his as it was our turn to go into the house. He squeezed my hand gently as we walked into the darkness.
The house was set up so that it was pitch black in hallways, and whenever you came to an opening, you could see different rooms and objects, sometimes even people, through lamplight. Staff workers would often jump out and grab you, or you could turn a corner and see one just be standing there silently watching you, like the little girl in The Ring. You never knew what was going to happen, because it always changed. Every time you entered the haunted house, it was different.
We could hear screams coming from up ahead, and I wondered what we were about to walk into. I couldn't see a thing as we navigated a hallway. My heart pounded through my chest and I clasped Jet's hand even tighter. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly.
As we shambled down the hallway, looking for a way out, I felt something brush against my feet, and I screamed.
“What?!” Jet yelled.
“Something touched my foot. There's someone in this hallway.” I was trembling with the idea that someone could be beside me, and I had no idea who.
“No, it's too tight in here. You probably just felt a breeze on your leg.”
“I did not just feel a breeze,” I hissed at him.
Just then, my ankle was grabbed by a cold hand. I screamed again, let go of Jet's hand, and ran down the hallway. I needed to get out of there, though I was sure new horrors would find me right around the corner.
“Natalie, wait! Don't run off.”
I could hear him running after me. I slowed as I came to an opening that was filled with jail cells. Jet came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Holy crap, girl, you are scaring me worse than this place. Don't run off like that.”
I turned to face him. “Let's just get through this before I murder you.”
“Alright, fair enough.”
We slowly walked passed the cells, unsure of what might pop out at us. Just as we were about to leave the area, something came running at us from inside the cells. What could only have been described as an insane person grabbed the bars in front of us, and screamed while shaking them. It wasn't even a scream; it was more of a wail, and I screamed and covered my ears. I tried to take another look at the person, as it was hard to believe that it really wasn't just some crazy person. That staff member definitely deserved a raise, because I couldn't believe the behavior was all just an act. We hurried out of the room, only to find ourselves in another dark hallway. We were about through it, when I heard a door slam behind us. I turned to look, but all I could see was darkness ahead of us. There was light, so we quickly moved toward it. All of a sudden, we heard footsteps hurrying behind us.
“Jet!” I shrieked. He took my hand and he ran down the hallway toward the light, with me in tow. It sounded liked the footsteps were growing closer?that the person was gaining on us. My heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest, I was so terrified. I held Jet's hand so hard, hoping he wouldn't let it go for anything. The steps were close now?too close, in fact. I was sure that the person had to be right behind me. I sensed that the person had his hand out, reaching toward me, just a fingertip away from grasping my body or hair, and pulling me to him.
“Jet, get me the hell out of here.”
We reached the light and we spun around, but nothing came out of the darkness. The footsteps were gone, and even though we waited to see what had been behind us, nothing came out.
“Holy shit, that was intense,” Jet said.
“Do you think it was real? Was someone actually behind us, or was it a recording?”
He shrugged. “You tell me.”
“I don't know, it may be paranoia, but I could have sworn it was so close that I could hear it breathing.”
Jet laughed nervously. “Geez, listen to us. We really are losing it in here.”