Chapter 4
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 sizes against 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.
Tonight, a DJ was playing dance songs from the nineties. The brewery slowly started to fill up. Everyone dressed up in different costumes; none missed having a mask in place. I wasn’t sure why, but I started to relax.
“You guys were right!” I said over the music. “This is fun.”
“We need another drink!” Abby said just as our server brought our cauldron of queso and black corn tortilla chips.
“What would you guys like?” our waitress asked.
“How about four witches’ brews?” I suggested, and everyone easily agreed.
“I love that! Very on theme, Miss Nunez.” Rosie winked, and I laughed.
We dug into our chips and queso, enjoying the vibe of the night. Conversation flowed easily as we laughed and shared about our work week. We even took pictures. By the time we were halfway done with our second witches’ brew, I felt relaxed.
“I have an idea!” Ember announced. Abby and Rosie looked at me with concern in their light eyes.
Like they were both warning me, watch out and brace; this could be trouble!
I giggled instead of feeling alarmed. “What if we go do something crazy tonight?” she laid out, and I leaned against the table.
“Like what? Go home with a pirate?” I wagged my brows, and Ember snorted.
“Shut up!” She blushed but shook her head. “I’m serious. What if we do something completely crazy? Weird, even?”
“Weird and crazy, how?” Abby tested the waters, and I looked around the brewery realizing just how packed it was.
Distracted, my eyes wandered towards the bathrooms and stopped on the booth in the corner.
Recognition and something else flickered.
Something I wasn’t sure what it was, but I couldn’t look away.
Right at the booth nearest to the bathrooms, facing my direction, was a man dressed like a vampire.
I wasn’t sure if it was the sweet melon-flavored liquor that flowed through my veins or my overactive imagination, but there was something familiar about him even though I knew in my bones I’d never seen him in my life.
That’s when I realized who he reminded me of—the man I hadn’t fully seen but couldn’t stop thinking about while shopping with the girls.
Dressed in a similar crisp white dress shirt, his sleeves rolled up his forearms that even from across the bar I could tell were corded with muscles, he wore a black vampire cape over his broad shoulders, his dark freshly cut hair and tanned skin making it easier for him to hide in the shadows of the bar.
But it was the way his eyes scanned the room that caught my attention.
I couldn’t see him all that well, not with the black mask that covered his eyes and rested just above his Roman-like nose and touched his scruffy jaw and cheeks that made me feel warm, or warmer.
When our eyes connected across the room, something came over me.
This need to stand up and rush over right into his arms. For what could have been a split second or five minutes, neither of us looked away.
We stared at one another across the bar through a sea of people.
The way his gaze made me feel was new too.
I felt warm. Too hot. My skin suddenly pulled tight over my body as I shifted and slightly squirmed in my seat, my thighs pressed together for relief.
“Tabby?” Ember snapped me out of the staring contest I had somehow fallen into with the masked vampire stranger. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah.” My voice cracked.
“You sure?” Rosie asked, her head tilted to the side. I felt Abby stare, too. “You look… flushed.” I pressed my hands to my cheeks.
“Am I? It’s a little warm, but I’m okay, really.” I smiled and sipped my drink. The cool, sweet vibrant green drink was exactly what I needed.
“So, what do you think?” Ember pressed, her attention on me. I realized I hadn’t heard a word of what she’d said.
“About?”
“Crazy, weird?” Abby giggled, and Rosie pressed her lips together. “Ember said what if we walk up to a tall handsome stranger and give them our best pick-up line.”
“We have pick-up lines?” I laughed nervously. Everything inside of me wanted to look back towards that booth. To see if he was still looking in my direction or if I had imagined him to life. Fictional was my type after all.
“No, but we can google some!” Rosie said too perkily.
“I don’t know about this, you guys,” Abby started to say, and my eyes widened.
Abby wasn’t shy in the least. “We know most of these people,” she reminded us, and I bounced on my feet, the electric energy from looking at the vampire still riding through me.
“I’m in,” I blurted, unable to believe I’d said that. I had no idea what the hell came over me.
But the more I thought about, thought about how Rosie said our twenties were flying past us, the more it made sense.
Before we’d know it, we would be in our thirties, then forties and fifties.
If not now, when? I hopped off the chair and bounced on the heels of my feet.
The girls gawked at me, but I didn’t care. Excitement was flowing through me.
“Are you serious?” Abby asked, wide eyed. I giggled before blurting out,
“I call dibs on the vampire in the booth by the bathrooms.” I felt my friends shift their attention to the spot I’d pointed out and waited for their reaction.
“Funny, Tab. Is he a vampire ghost?” Ember said, and I turned to look at the table. My smile died on my lips as I took in the fact the table was empty.
Bare.
Not one hint of anyone ever being there. Not a napkin or empty glass. In the blink of an eye, my mystery guy was gone. Vanished into thin air. Had I imagined him? I glanced down at the almost glowing green witches’ brew I’d been drinking. What the hell was in these?
“Wait,” Rosie chirped with a smile slowly growing on her pretty face. “Vampire with a black mask? Fresh haircut, dark hair, rolled-up white sleeves with a black cape?” I nodded. Maybe he wasn’t make-believe after all?
My eyes scanned the spot I’d last seen him, but I couldn’t find him. Not a trace. And the disappointment that hit? Shit, it felt brutal. Over a stranger?
“He’s over by the bar. Talking to Onyx,” Rosie shared.
“Holy shit,” Abby whispered.
“Damn, Tabby, when you go out, you really go out. You know who that is, right?” Ember added.
“Nope. But I’m going to find out.” Exhilarated with courage I pulled out of God only knew where, I gulped down the rest of my witches’ brew, ran my fingers through my hair, and looked to my girls. “What are the rules again?”
“You have to give him your best pick-up line in hopes to get his number,” Ember quickly said, looking at me like she wasn’t sure I’d actually do it.
“Or for him to dance with you!” Rosie suggested.
“Shit.” I giggled, and Ember squeezed my hand.
“You look great!” Ember said with a wink.
“Go get bitten!” Abby encouraged. I turned and took a step, but Rosie’s delicate chilly hand covered my wrist before I got too far.
“Wait! Retouch!” She pulled out red lipstick from her pocket.
Quickly, she reapplied lipstick to my lips, and I blinked at her, slightly losing my nerve. Rosie being Rosie must have seen my courage waning as her bright gaze softened and she tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
“He won’t know what to do with himself! Go put a spell on him.” My eyes widened at her supportive words, and I looked back at the girls.
“Okay, then… I can do this,” I said more to myself as the girls cheered for me, and I headed towards the bar.
With every step I took, I hoped to everything spooky that I didn’t make a fool out of myself.