Julia puckered her lips, intently focusing on the mirror as she applied her black lipstick. It was definitely different from her usual pinks and reds, and worked in stark contrast to her bleach blonde hair. She then turned her attention to the outfit lying on the bed. The black skinny jeans were one of her wardrobe staples, and anyone who saw them on her knew exactly why, as they expertly showcased her toned legs and perfectly perky ass. The top half of her outfit, however, was uncharted territory for her. She held the corset in front of her, almost entranced by the shimmer of the latex, before shimmying her way into the tight top. She picked up the pair of red plastic light up horns sitting next to where the top had been, slipped on a pair of black patent leather ankle boots from her closet, and checked herself out in the mirror. She'd never been to an event like this before, and had reservations about going in the first place, but her best friend, Abigail, talked her into it. She gave her tips on how to act when walking around the park, things to do, things to not do, and the advice Julia was heeding now, how to dress. She sat down and glance at her phone: 5:14.
"Shit!" Abigail would be there in exactly a minute. She grabbed her black crossbody, shuffled down the stairs, and onto her front porch, locking the door behind her before sitting on the steps leading up to her house. A blue sedan suddenly whipped around the corner, blaring its horn, and forcing a shriek out of Julia. The car came to a rest in front of her house and the driver side window lowered.
"Get in you sexy devil! We got places to be!" Julia trotted around the car and opened the passenger door, lowering herself quickly onto the seat and shutting the door.
"You scared me!" Julia playfully hit her friends shoulder.
"I mean, the screaming is good practice for tonight!" Abigail giggled.
"Very funny, Abs" she paused a second as she noticed Abigail's sweet aroma. "Is that-?"
"Pumpkin Spice perfume? It's fall, did you seriously have to ask, Jules?"
Julia looked over Abigail, her expression dropping slightly. Abigail's outfit was much more casual than her own; black sneakers, comfortable black leggings, and a loose fitting shirt she could only assume was from last year's event. "Hang on! Why are you - When I'm - Abs! You told me -"
Abigail chuckled slightly. "I told you a lot of girls dress like that. They do! I'm just not one of them." She glanced over her passenger. "Plus can you blame me for wanting a little eye candy tonight? We're going to be waiting in a bunch of lines, after all."
"Ha ha, very funny." Julia couldn't help but take a moment to check out her friend. Where she was fit and toned, Abigail was just plain petite with scrawny legs, a small but round and firm ass, and the loose tee betrayed just how perky Abigail's chest was. Her black hair was done up in twin braids, with streaks of fiery red throughout. "Will they at least be less likely to scare me dressed like this?"
Abigail tried to stifle a laugh. "Oh Julia sweetheart, we're both hot as hell, the actors target us no matter what we're wearing. Our screams are just... better."
"Sooo... I'm only dressed like this for you?" Julia rolled her eyes playfully.
"Not ONLY for me... just, mostly... I know I won't be the only one looking at you though!" Abigail winked.
Julie smiled, and leaned back in her seat. She normally hated the drive to the city, but in the company of her best friend, the minutes flew by like seconds, and before she knew it they were pulling into a parking spot.
"Ready, Jules?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." She grumbled. Horror was not her thing, but her bestie had been begging her to come with for three years now. Julia had been able to come up with last minute excuses previously, but had none to offer this year.
As they walked out of the car towards the entrance of the park, a feeling of dread took over Julia. A large mural above the turnstiles depicted a deformed clown, a grotesque zombie, and a woman she assumed was some sort of demon due to the horns protruding from her head. The name of the event, "Carey Fright Nights" was written in a blood colored font at the foreground of the mural.
As they reached the entrance, one of the workers waved at Abigail. "ABI!!"
"Chloe! Oh my god, tonight's going to be amazing! It's her first time ever!" She pointed at Julia.
"CUTEE! I didn't know you had a girlfriend!"
"Oh," Julia smiled. "Best friend... not girlfriend."
"Oh!" She smiled awkwardly. "Well have fun!"
They walked through the turnstiles and Julia noticed what looked like carnival rides and midway games, all in a horrible state of disrepair. Then she noticed what she assumed were the carnival workers, some looking like regular clowns and others with grotesque facial deformities. She tensed up and instinctively grabbed her friends hand. "W-what is this place?"
"Oh my god you're adorable!" Abigail snickered. "This is a 'scare zone', there's five around the park. All of this..." she gestured to the games and rides Julia was looking at. "is fake. These are all props, made for the event, and decorated to look old and abandoned. And they" she gestured at a carnie in a striped outfit with an eyeball dangling out of its socket. "are actors. Regular people with makeup and prosthetics to make them look all scary. And that..." her eyes landed on a gory, headless body positioned against a high striker game. "Isn't... supposed to be like that! OH MY GOD JULES! RUN!"
Julia shrieked and tried to start to run, but Abigail's grip on her hand stayed tight, causing her to swing around into Abigail's chest.
Abigail laughed loudly. "Got ya!" She could practically feel the weight of Julia glaring at her. "Oh my god you are SO cute! God this is going to be fun! Let's get some booze in you, that should help you relax."
Abigail dragged her to one of the carnival tents, which much to Julia's surprise, had a fully stocked bar inside.
"Abigail, I assume you'll have your regular?" The bartender smiled, then looked over to Julia. "And for you?"
She started looking at the menu, but she didn't even read the description of the first specialty cocktail before Abigail ordered.
"She'll do the Pumpkin Gin Fizz too!" As the bartender walked away to get their drinks, Julia felt slight butterflies in her stomach from her friend ordering for her.
"Hey! What if I wanted something else?" Julia whined playfully, trying to hide just how hot she found Abigail ordering for her.
"How long have we been friends?" She heard Julia start to mumble and spoke over her. "Fifteen years, Jules. I think I know how my bestie likes her drinks. If you don't like it I'll buy you whatever you want, okay?"
The bartender returned, handing the drinks to Abigail. "How come you've never brought your girlfriend before?"
Julia blushed. "J-just friends."
"Julia's not usually into horror." She leaned into the bartender. "I'm trying to change that..." She handed a cup to Julia. "Go on..."
The blonde took a sip of the shimmering orange beverage and her eyes widened as the flavors of pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg danced on her tongue, before leaving her with a slightly bitter aftertaste of gin in the back of her throat. "That's -"
"The best thing you've ever drank? You're welcome!" Abigail beamed, and began leading her friend through the scare zone.
"So, this carnival isn't real... I get that now. But like what's the deal with it all?"
Abigail squealed. "You want me to lore dump?? I thought you'd never ask!" She gestures at the carnival around them. "This carnival belongs to Doctor Caligari."
Julia snickers. "That sounds like calamari."
"You better put some respect on his name. Any of his assistants that step out of line" she gestures at a pair of beautiful costumed women a couple yards away. "get turned into-" A large man dressed as a demented clown with a bulbous fake nose suddenly stood in front of the two, and growled at them, causing Julia to yelp and shrink into Abigail's side. She even thought she felt Abigail shake a little at the growl. "T-They get turned into hideous monstrosities... like that."
"Okay, okay! Sorry Calamari!" Julia closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.
"Calagari" Abigail said the name slowly, glaring playfully at Julia. "was OBSESSED with mortality and used 'The Carnival of Souls'" she paused, then leaned into her friend. "that's the name of the scare zone we're in now... as a front for his twisted experiments, and the first haunted house of the night, 'Doctor Calagari's HorrorHouse'!"
Julia looked anxiously at the sign in front of them. "So... what exactly am I getting myself into here?"
"It's like the scare zones but it's only one path and it's inside." She explained as she led them into the line for the haunted house. "This one is a great one to start you out on. It's not too intense."
The pair made their way through the line, and before she knew it Julia was staring at the entrance of the haunted house, a giant dilapidated cutout of a clowns face, mouth wide open, a soft green glow beckoning them inside.
"Can I just..." Julia placed her hands on Abigail's waist.
"That's fine girlie!" she leaned into Julia's ear. "I know I've been giving you a lot of shit tonight, but I'm so happy you're here, and I'm proud of you for being brave for me!" The words made Julia melt. She had never had feelings for another woman, but in addition to being incredibly attractive, Abigail was also the kindest friend she'd ever had. Sure she would tease Julia, the same as any other friend would, but when it really counted, Abigail was always there, saying exactly what she needed to hear. This was one of those moments.
The pair made their way through the twisted corridors of demented 'experiments', which were really just crude torture devices. For a moment, Julia was proud of herself. The scares would come and she would flinch, and sometimes scream, but never as dramatically as she thought she was going to. That was until they turned a corner and a tall, lanky man came right up to Julia, yelling that she would be his next experiment. She had no control of her hands as they shot up inside Abigail's loose tee, finding warmth in cupping her perky chest. Julia turned red and immediately hoped Abigail hadn't noticed.
"Fuck, Jules..." Abigail whimpered quietly.
