Content Warning: CNC
**This story is purely a fantasy. In reality, the acts demonstrated should only be practiced with informed consent. All characters over 21.**
The Maze of Masked Men
"Are we sure this is even legal?" I mutter under my breath.
Never missing a beat, Caroline replies.
"Selena, it's legal because we signed all those forms." She must see the anxiety brewing in my eyes because she grabs my hand tightly. "I promise you'll have fun."
Taylor pops her head in between us and hands us the tickets.
"Yeah, Sel! You can't bail now because we already paid for it. This is gonna be the hottest and scariest night of our lives!" She grins wickedly and turns. Her blonde curls bounce as she practically skips to the entrance of the corn maze.
I can't help but laugh. Caroline walks ahead and shoots me a look over her shoulder. Her green eyes shine with mirth as she raises an eyebrow. I nod and start following her reluctantly.
Taylor and Caroline love going to haunted houses during the Halloween season. They've even performed as scare actors in them but I've always been too nervous to go. I don't do too well with crowds or narrow spaces so they thought a corn maze would be the perfect compromise.
But this is not an ordinary corn maze by any means. It's an exclusive Halloween attraction that changes locations every year. The tickets are expensive but it's still a popular event due to the theming. The main draw is that the maze is filled with masked men from horror movies chasing and terrorizing guests. They have all the classic slasher villains: Ghostface from Scream, Micheal from Halloween, and Jason from Friday the 13th. They also feature scare actors in Purge masks and those spooky LED masks with X's over the eyes.
I catch up with my friends and witness Taylor expertly flirting with the ticket collector. I have no doubts she will end up with his phone number by the end of the night. They finish up their conversation and Caroline hands him her ticket next. I walk forward and notice a sign to the side of the entrance. In faded white letters it reads
"Beware! Do not step off the path."
I frown and make eye contact with the ticket guy.
"What happens if you step off the path?"
Logan, according to his name tag, lifts his gaze to mine and the left side of his mouth quirks up.
"If you wander off the corn maze path and into the forest...then you're basically fair game." He laughs at my obvious alarm. "Don't worry. As long as you stick to the designated path, they are not allowed to to touch you."
I scoff at his joke. There's no way that the forms we signed allows the masked men to cause any harm. They probably just chase you and get in your face if you stray from the maze.
I hand him my ticket and jog to catch up with my girls. The initial maze's width looks to be about 7 feet. There's a wall of yellow cornstalk on either side of me as I slow to a walk. The path is straight and relatively flat but the fog machines make it hard to see. I still haven't caught up with Caroline and Taylor by the time I come to a fork in the road. I shout out for Caroline but I end up grabbing someone else's attention.
"Oh my God!!!"
A man in a purge mask walks toward me from the left and raises his arm brandishing a butcher knife. He runs toward me a couple steps and I jerk to the path on my right. I jog several feet away and turn around to find that the Purger has already turned his back to me. He probably left to go scare someone else.
I can definitely feel the adrenaline rush that my friends describe when they go to events like this. I catch myself smiling and release a breath. That wasn't too bad! The actors really don't get that close to you and the ambience is fun.
As I continue my path, I notice the fog getting denser. I can barely see three feet in front of me which seems like a safety hazard if people are running. I wave my hands in an attempt to dissipate it. My left hand hits cornstalk and I pause in confusion. I put my right hand to the side and notice that it touches cornstalk too. The path seems to be narrowing. Does that mean I'm getting close to the center or is this a dead end? Maybe I will catch up with-
The revving of a chainsaw interrupts my thoughts.
I squeal and start running ahead because the sound is definitely coming from behind me. I use the cornstalk on either side of me as leverage to propel myself forward. The chainsaw is getting quieter so the guy must not be advancing on me anymore. I risk a glance behind me and see no evidence of a man with a chainsaw.
My sigh of relief is cut short though when I notice more fog rolling in. Great, now I'll have to wave my hands around like an idiot again. As I raise them, leaves crunch somewhere behind me so I turn around fully. Is the chainsaw guy back? Maybe he turned off his weapon.
I whip my head around and all I see is a sea of white. I hear soft, calculated footsteps make their way closer. Could it my one of my friends? Maybe they heard me scream. Leaves crunch even closer and I look at the ground.
One of my questions is answered as black tennis shoes appear almost an inch away from my own shoes. Caroline was wearing brown boots. Taylor was wearing pink sneakers.
I don't bother getting a better look at the masked man as I twist back around. Breaking out into a sprint, I hear the man pick up his pace slightly. He doesn't run but he walks swiftly and purposefully. As if he knows that it's just a matter of time before he catches me.
It's unnerving but for some fucked up reason I'm also a little bit turned on. I can't explain it but the twinge in my stomach tells me that a part of me is enjoying being hunted like this.
The fog continues to cloud my vision as I trip over something. A yelp escapes me as I fall into the right side of cornstalk. Some of the crops snap while I tumble to the ground. I swear I hear the man chuckle as he stalks closer.
As thrilling as the chase has been, I can feel myself panicking. Why is he not giving up yet? I'm on the ground with most of my body in the corn stalk. I'm so disoriented from the fog and the fall that I'm not sure which direction I was even running from. I hear his footsteps approach me so I start crawling based on instinct alone.
I whack at some of the plants with my hands and notice a small hole in the cornstalk. I push myself through it and army crawl. I keep inching forward until I feel grass. Pulling myself the rest of the way through, I roll over onto my back and catch my breath. Hopefully the guy has left to find someone else to scare. In a strange way, I'm disappointed.
I glance up the stars as I imagine my friends' reaction to the dirt covering my flowy dress. I'm still giggling as the fog finally begins to clear. I stand up to figure out where I'm going when I hear all too familiar footsteps.
My breath catches in my throat as I spot the tennis shoes first. I take in his black jeans and the black muscle tee showing off his biceps. He's not bulky by any means. He's tall and lean but I have no doubts he's stronger than me. I finish my scan with the mask. A gasp escapes me as Ghostface tilts his head slightly. I can't tell if he's mocking me or taking me in. All of the sudden I'm self conscious. Does he notice the dirt matted onto my dress? The tangles in my previously straightened hair?
He's not exactly like Ghostface in the movies. He doesn't have the robe. Really, only the mask is the same. He's not even holding a knife which should be a good sign. But he is holding something in his gloved hands.
"Why do you have rope?" The question comes out more timid than I want it to.
Ghostface responds by rolling the braided rope around his left wrist once. Twice. He snaps the rest of it in his hands and I jump. Tilting his head again, he looks around. I follow his gaze and realize my mistake.
I'm technically not inside the corn maze anymore. I strayed off the path.
"No..." Was the ticket collector being honest about the warning? "You can't do anything to me. You practically chased me off the path so it's your fault." I tend to babble when I'm nervous and it seems like Ghostface finds this amusing.
He takes a step toward me and pulls the rope tautly again.
I turn sharply and start running in the opposite direction. I know I'm getting further away from the corn maze but that man was clearly not going to let me back on the path. He definitely did not get trained properly! Is he even one of the scare actors?
That thought has me pumping my arms faster than I thought was possible. I hear him starting to run as well. He's gaining on me and there's nothing but trees ahead of me.
Arms wrap around my middle as I'm lifted off the ground. I scream and struggle but it's like he's made of steel. As he manouevers me how he wants I kick frantically. I hear a grunt of pain as one of my kicks meets his solar plexus. His arms loosen and I use all my strength to break way. I get about five steps before I'm tackled to the forest floor.
The wind is knocked out of me as I land with my stomach on the ground. I desperately try to crawl from underneath him. He manages to straddle the backs of my thighs and hips as he pins my upper body into the ground. I'm running out of energy and hope as my nails dig into the dirt.
"Awwwww was that your best effort?"
I freeze. It's the first time Ghostface has spoken since he started chasing me. His voice is low and throaty as he mocks me.
"Don't feel too bad. You put up a good fight but even good girls like you get punished for breaking the rules." He grabs both of my hands and pins them at the small of my back.
"But I didn't break any-" He gently but forcefully presses the side of my face into the dirt.