3. Winver
THREE
Out of all the haunted houses Willow Creek has to offer, Into The Night is the biggest one. When me and Ansley first tried to buy tickets, they sold out almost instantly. Luckily for us, one of Chloe’s friends got a job here and gave her some free tickets.
Making our way towards the entrance, we’re stopped by two workers holding clipboards. Before we can even ask what it’s for, one of them steps up to us with a smile on her face.
“Welcome! Please fill out the form in order to enter the haunted house. Make sure you read it carefully and sign at the bottom if you wish to continue.” She gives one to each of us and my eyes quickly widen as I read through the form.
Into The Night is a hands-on experience. The scare actors can and will touch you. If at any point you find yourself wanting to leave, emergency exits are displayed in each room. Your group will get separated and will exit separately as well. If you get claustrophobic, are prone to seizures, have consumed alcohol and/or drugs, then you should not enter this haunted attraction. Enter at your own risk.
I look up, noticing the girls both wear the same wide-eyed expression as me. Chloe shrugs her shoulders and says, “Fuck it,” signing her name. Ansley and I do the same. Once we give our forms back to the employees as well as our tickets, we head towards the packed crowd entering the line. I wish my buzz wouldn”t have faded so quickly because this is going to be a long night…
A few gossip sessions later, we’re now getting close to entering. I scan the outside one more time, taking in all the Halloween ambience. It’s weathered by time, giving the three-story building a chilling presence of its own. Broken windows scatter all across the different stories and strobe lights can be seen from some of the rooms on the first floor. The entrance displays two big, wooden doors that look like they could break any second.
A woman in a bloody hospital gown comes lurking out from behind the door with a deranged look. Her short, tangled hair covers some of her face while dried, fake blood coats her forehead.
“Welcome to Into The Night,” her voice low in a creepy tone. “As you know, the scare actors can and will touch you. Keep your friends close while you can because once you step in…” she opens the two big doors, fog spilling out. “You’ll never get them back!” she laughs evilly, motioning for us to go in. We all look at each other, now nervous to enter. Getting into our line-up like we did at Slaughterhouse, I lead us into the haunted house.
Walking through the heavy fog, I step onto a bridge leading us through a spinning tunnel.
Now I’m really glad I’m not drunk or buzzed…
Approaching the end of the tunnel, we turn left into a hallway where hands hang out from top to bottom as Say10 by Marylin Manson blasts throughout the speakers. I swallow the fear down my throat, walking deeper when a pair of hands suddenly grab my shirt, causing me to let out a surprised scream. Hurriedly leaving the hallway, we enter a room where a surgery table is displayed. A woman lays down with straps around her body, screaming for our help as the “surgeon” appears with a long syringe, flicking it. He grabs ahold of her jaw, poking the fake needle into her neck. Her screams and cries can be heard as we depart the room. We’re met with three sets of hallways that all lead in different directions.
“Which way do we go?” I yell. The loud music makes it harder for me to hear anything, let alone myself.
With no response from either of them, I go to ask again when all of a sudden Chloe lets out a shrieking scream. I turn around to see her arm being grabbed by someone in a creepy clown costume, pulling her down the hallway to the right. Me and Ansley try to go after her, but another scare actor in a blackout suit appears, blocking our way.
Ansley screams into my ear as she’s quickly pulled off of me by someone wearing another creepy clown costume, taking her into the other hallway. I know it’s all fake, but fear still floods my body. I charge after her screaming her name, but another scare actor blocks my way. Just breathe, Winver. It’s all fake.
I close my eyes and let out a couple of deep breaths, continuing to remind myself that this is all fake. Slowly opening them, I jolt back a little to see a man standing in the only hallway left for me to go. He wears a scuffed up, white, plastic mask with black pouring out the eye holes, stopping at the top of his cheekbones allowing me to see his lips and chin. I stay where I’m planted, waiting for him to come to me, or in my perfect world, to go away. The hallway lights turn off for a few seconds and when they turn back on, he’s now only a few feet in front of me. My heart feels like it could beat right out of my chest, partially regretting signing that form. The lights turn off once again, but this time when they turn back on, he’s gone. I let out a little breath of relief.
I’m certain he ran down the hallway I’m still facing; there’s no fucking way I’m going down there by myself. Call me a quitter, but I’ve dealt with enough psychotic men in my life, real or not, and it’s best for my own sake that I just leave. Taking a couple steps backwards, my backside hits something. No…someone.
Their forearm encircles my neck, applying a little bit of pressure to ensure I can’t break free. If Ansley thought I was a deer in headlights at Scream Box today, I’m definitely a deer in headlights now. My mouth parts open, yet nothing comes out. A hot breath lingers on my right ear, making my whole body rise in goosebumps.
“Are you scared?” The deep male voice whispers into my ear. I inhale a big breath, trying not to panic and remain calm. You signed up for this, Winver.
I nod my head the best I can. His grip tightens while his other hand glides onto my scalp, grabbing a fistful of hair and taking in my scent.
“You’re making my job a little too easy, angel.” His chilling, deep voice alone sends me spiraling into fear.
He suddenly turns us around and starts moving us down the hall. My fight or flight kicks in as I try to get out of his chokehold. The more I try to fight it, the tighter his grip gets. Passing another hallway that looks like the opening to the next room of the haunted house, we walk through a set of curtains. The sounds of the haunted house now become distant and the hallway becomes completely pitch black. Each second builds more waves of nerves and paranoia.
We soon enter a room where he then releases his grip and pushes me up against the wall with force. The impact makes me oomph with how sudden it was. My eyes bulge, seeing it’s the masked guy from the hallway.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, angel.”
My brain is scattered, confused as to what he means by that. I look around the room to see a rusty, old bed that looks like it’s been here as long as this building has. The only light is a single, dim light bulb that gently swings in the middle of the room, making it hard to see anything else. My eyes look back at the man who now has his arms on either side of the wall, blocking me in. My mind finally allows me to speak.
“W-where are we?”
“Somewhere that nobody will be able to hear you…”
I try to keep my body relaxed, thinking to myself this is all part of the haunted house experience, but unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the case. I push off the wall only to be slammed back into it.
“If you try to run, I promise that I’ll catch you. And when I do, I’ll make sure to strangle you with my own bare hands then leave you dead on your doorstep. Wouldn’t that be a nice surprise for your roommate, Ansley?” His voice is that smart-ass, yet cocky tone. My lips start to quiver while tears begin to sting my eyes, but I refuse to let a single drop shed.
“Ho-how do you know my roommate?” He shrugs his shoulders. “We have our ways.”
My brows furrow at his response. We? Then two more men appear creeping up behind him. They are wearing the same type of mask, except theirs have red tears pouring out the eyes. Tattoos cover their arms and I notice one of them holding a tomahawk ax by his side. The guy who has me pinned starts laughing, watching as my facial expressions turn from confused to terrified. Leaning into me, his lips trail from the side of my neck to the top of my ear.
“Just know this, angel,” he nearly whispers. “You made a very terrible mistake coming here tonight.” Pulling away, he now stands tall, towering over my petite frame. Not being caged in anymore gives me at least a chance to try and escape. I look behind him seeing the other two men just as tall and probably just as strong. Suddenly, he lifts his arm and points to the door in which we just came from.
“Just remember my promise, angel…” He turns his body slightly as the other two take a couple of steps back.
“Now run.”
My eyes widen and mouth parts, looking at them then the exit. It only takes me a second until I’m running out of the room and down the pitch-black hallway. Making it to the curtains, I rip them open and I’m greeted by a loud scream from another group of guests. I’m back in the main attraction. Pushing past them, I run as I spot the emergency exit. I’m greeted by an employee with a security shirt who lets out a little laugh.
“Couldn’t handle it?” he asks with a smirk. My chest rises and falls ever so quickly, trying to catch my breath and my thoughts. Without saying a word, he nudges his head for me to follow him, leading me back to the outside.
I look around the area hoping to see Ansley and Chloe when my heart drops. What if they took Ansley or Chloe next? My phone buzzes from my pocket; as I pull it out I read the chilling text.
Unknown
Tell your posse about what happened and they die. Go to the police and I’ll make sure your face is the next one displayed on that missing persons board.
I frantically look around doing a three-sixty trying to find the men, but no such luck. I run towards the groups of people exiting the haunted house searching for Ansley and Chloe. Just when I’m about to run back in there to find them, two blondes walk out laughing and my mind becomes somewhat at ease.
“Hey!” I run up to them as they give me the biggest smile.
“Win! Holy shit, that was so much fun,” Ansley says with a squeal.
Although I want to tell them about the shit that just happened, the text replays in my head. The last thing I want is to put anyone else in danger, especially when it comes to them. Putting a big, fake smile on my face, I play the part as we make our way back to Chloe’s car talking about how fun the haunted house was.
Trying not to be super suspicious or seem like I’m acting weird, I nonchalantly ask Chloe about the haunted house.
“Hey, Chlo, who is your friend that works here?”
“Oh, we passed him! He was the scary surgeon,” she air quotes, as we start making the drive back to the apartment.
“How did y’all exit together? I came out by myself.”
“We found each other in the mist maze! It was such a relief. We were hoping that we’d find you, but we just assumed you had already made it out and sure enough, there you were!” I let out a small laughter, remaining silent the rest of the drive.
Who were those men?
How do they know me and my friends?
I might have escaped them tonight, but I wholeheartedly believe what he said.
“If you try to run, I promise that I’ll catch you. And when I do, I’ll make sure to strangle you with my own bare hands then leave you dead on your doorstep.”
If he allowed me to leave, do I still have a death certificate waiting for me?
My mind swarms with questions that I don’t have the answers to and though I may not want to find out, I need to find out. My phone pulls me out of my thoughts, buzzing from another notification. The text I got only proves that whoever these guys are that hide under the mask, are nothing more than serious about making my life a living hell.
Unknown
See you soon, angel.