"Shari! This is crazy!"
"You like?! My parents got new stuff this year." She grinned, somehow looking both exasperated and excited at the same time.
Rebecca spread her arms. "It gets bigger every year! They're going to have to buy the neighbor's house soon."
"Nooo, don't give them ideas."
We laughed as we walked through the double doors. The outside was already over the top — an exaggerated graveyard with dozens of skeletons and gravestones, some electronic to look like mummies were crawling out. A huge spider hung over the gated entrance, its legs twitching randomly.
Walking inside was like entering another world. Dramatic music blasted the entryway, and dark red lighting made the halls feel endless. Candles — real candles — lit the smoky rooms.
I braced myself. Shari liked jump scares. She teased her parents but she was just as into Halloween as they were. The wispy ghost in the corner. The red-eyed bats on the ceilings. A giant spider crawled back and forth across a neon web stretched over the kitchen entrance. I waited for it to fall.
Thump.
"Fuck!" Rebecca shrieked.
I jumped, tangling in some thin white cloth. Damnit. Every year.
Shari picked up a skull that had rolled off a pile of bones, giggling. "Oops. You love it!" She put it back. It wobbled.
We shook our heads but grinned back. We wouldn't be here if we didn't.
She glanced over our shoulders. "Ok, have fun, girls. I need to finish a few things for later. Stay for a few hours if you can!"
"Ok!" "Yeah, see you!" We waved.
Grabbing drinks, we spent a while laughing, pointing, and screaming. Smoke twisted around our ankles, making it impossible to see whatever ran over — and sometimes under — our feet. Skeletons, ghosts, and vampires lunged at us from all angles. One particularly ambitious ghost dropped from the ceiling, its groping fingers landing right on my boobs. I definitely screamed.
Flashing arrows pointed toward the basement. The stairs were well-lit and fans blew away the smoke, but the second we stepped onto the floor, the air seemed to thicken. It was a maze down here — literally — and the foggy air swirled higher and higher as we dodged ghosty hands reaching out from the walls. More than one squeezed my ass. I wondered if they were positioned incorrectly or perfectly.
The smoke rose up to our heads. It had an odd, almost sweet scent. Rebecca coughed, waving a hand in her face.
"Ugh, I can't breathe. I'm going back upstairs."
The other girls agreed and followed Rebecca. After a few steps, she turned to me, grimacing and rubbing her nose. "You coming?"
I glanced deeper into the fog. Based on past years, we were only halfway through the maze, and I wanted to see it all. The smoke didn't bother me much. "Not yet. I'll see you later!"
"Ok. Tell Shari to tone down the smoke!" She made a face and rushed away.
The maze quickly became more and more confusing. Music blasted louder, interspersed with crazy laughter and random shrieks. Lights flickered and flared, highlighting a creepy face, then flashing again and it was gone.
Before long, I was thoroughly lost. I could've sworn I hadn't been down this way, but that grinning skull looked familiar. Stumbling over a groping skeletal hand, I spun around and bumped into something.
Someone.
"Woah, little lady, you ok?" A low voice chuckled as he steadied me by my shoulders.
I brushed hair from my face. We hadn't run into anyone else down here yet. This guy had a nice smile, full lips, soft blue eyes. They almost seemed to glow in this light. "Y-yeah. Sorry! Just kinda lost."
He rubbed my shoulders, making me shiver. Cold seeped through my shirt. "That's alright. It's a big house, isn't it? How do you like it?"
"It's pretty cool. Uh, do you know how to get out? I think I need some air."
"Of course." He squeezed my upper arm, then nudged me backwards. I tripped over my feet, blushing as I turned around. The smoke was making me dizzy.
We went down a narrow, empty hall, the fog thinning and music muffled. There was a door just ahead. This wasn't how I got in, but maybe it was a back door. I pushed it.
This didn't look right. It was a small room. Dark, no brightly flashing lights. A shove at my back forced me to stumble in. The door slammed shut.
"What—"
"It's quieter here," he said. "Take a break. You don't want to miss the rest of the party."
I stepped forward hesitantly as my eyes adjusted. This was a bit weird, but he was right — I didn't want to leave yet.
The room was odd. No windows. No other doors or closets. A dim ceiling light flickered above us. There was a mattress in the center of the room. It wasn't a bed — other than pillows, it had nothing, no sheets, covers, or frame.
"You look tired," his voice echoed a bit in the empty room. "Lie down. Sorry, it's just a mattress. This is a storage room."
"Oh, thanks."
The mattress did look comfy. To be polite, I kneeled on it, planning to test the cushioning and then tell him that I actually felt fine now. Instead, I promptly fell forward, sprawling with a sigh. My muscles were more tired than I thought. The pillow was flat and smelled sweet, like the smoke. It made me dizzier. I turned my head.
The mattress dipped to one side.
"Just keeping you company, my dear. You look a little out of it."
"Mmm..." I mumbled. My head pounded to the faint beat of the music. Maybe I should lie here for a minute. I started to drift off.
A tug at my hips roused me. Cloth slid over my skin.
My pants were sliding off.
"You'll be more comfortable this way..."
I frowned, trying to concentrate. This guy I just met was taking off my clothes. I pulled my legs in and inhaled sharply to tell him off.
