Darkness surrounded the old-growth forest and an unnatural chill emanated from the sides of the old van, beating back the attempts from the struggling heater. The warm air from the front vents twisted with the cold, swirling and mixing before being forced down to the floorboards.
Leah sat in the back, watching the others from the third row of seats. The grotesque shapes of bent trees with reaching arms passed as dim shadows in the darkness beyond her window. She shivered, rubbing her upper arms while leaning away from the windows.
"Can you turn up the heater?" the girl asked loudly.
"It's up all the way," their driver, Troy, answered. Still, he reached out to turn the knob just in case. The silver glitter on the sleeve of his costume reflected the light of cellphones from inside the car before he put his hand back on the wheel and slowed.
"Doesn't bother me," Tanya purred from the passenger seat. She raised her arms and her bosom swelled. Leah rolled her eyes when the girl's left nipple peeked out from the thin lapis bra. Her Princess Jasmine costume was see-through and the girl flaunted it. A leather collar encircled her neck to complete it. She touched it when she brought her arms down. "And you're even wearing clothes. Why couldn't you bring a costume like Soon Bok?"
"That's not my name," came a muffled voice from the second row of seating. The tiny girl with silky black hair had her shirt up over her head, fighting to get it off without bumping anyone. Red peeked through in flashes as she struggled. "Nobody look! Nobody- okay, I've got it."
She tugged at the costume she wore beneath her long sweater and then shivered. Glossy red strips of fabric covered her meager breasts. They ran down to a bikini bottom and up to a ring below her neck, where they were tied together. Long white collars, also attached to the ring, lay against her shoulders to complete the outfit.
Her nipples were hard in the cold air and they pressed against the red outfit.
"Tonight, I am no longer Soon Bok," the girl said with an air of haughtiness that was betrayed by the fierce blush on her cheeks and the trembling smile she held. Her hand started to reach for the red straps but she held them back. "I am...
Sin
."
"Oh lord," Leah sighed.
"
You
should've been Vampirella, Jennifer," Tanya said, looking over her shoulder at the other girl sitting in the second row. "Or some other vampire."
"Because why?" Jennifer asked, her thin eyebrow arched in curiosity. She wore a tight black latex costume with a yellow iconic bat symbol across her slim chest. A loose yellow belt and black boots completed the look.
"You're- You-" the girl fumbled.
"Batman," Jennifer said bluntly. "I'm Batman."
"Batgirl, you mean," John said from the back. He nodded his head lightly while his thumb and index pointer tapped out a silent rhythm on his Spiderman costume.
"No, I said what I meant," the girl retorted. Her voice took on a gravelly undertone. "I'm Batman."
"Should've been a vampire," Tanya said again. "You like to wear black. And- umm- you're-"
"What?" Jennifer asked again. "I'm what?"
"Nothing, never mind," Tanya said quietly.
"So why
aren't
you wearing a costume, Leah?" Jennifer asked, turning to look at the other girl. Her eyes dipped down to the small silver cross the girl wore at her neck. "Too religious?"
"No," Leah said, looking once more through the windows. She touched the cross briefly and it seemed to shine despite the lack of light. "It's just all 'slutty slave princess' and 'slutty cleaning maid' and I'm tired of it."
She fidgeted for a moment, on the cusp of speaking again before closing her mouth. But her expression firmed and she decided to continue after all.
"I know you think it's stupid and don't believe-"
"Hey, whoa," Jennifer said, palms up and flat. "Yeah, no, I don't but that's your business. Don't go preaching to me and I won't tear down your flimsy beliefs. We're cool."
"Why'd you come?" John asked. Both of his hands tapped against his thigh, moving higher and lower. The drummer never seemed to relax and it was worse when he had a pen or pencil in his hand.
"I like parties," Leah shrugged. "I thought it'd be fun."
"It will be," Troy said from the front. He slowed and turned to go around an obstacle in the path before straightening the wheel once more. "Jake is running it and I've been to his parties before. They can get a
little
crazy but I'll try to keep an eye on things."
Their driver adjusted himself as subtly as he could while glancing at Tanya. The girl in the passenger seat pretended not to notice but a sly smirk crossed her lips.
Lights bloomed in the car as they returned to their phones. Troy hummed softly with both hands on the wheel. The drive was surprisingly treacherous with rocks jutting from the dirt road. And it was so
dark
. He kept thinking he saw things moving on the side of the road and he would tense, ready to slam on the brakes but it would pass and he'd see nothing more than a rotting branch stretching out as if to touch him.
The tip of the crescent moon appeared, painfully bright. It seemed to burn through reality itself against the void of the night sky. No stars twinkled above and no clouds could be seen but Troy knew they
must
be there as more of the moon started to show. Once fully visible, he found it hard to focus on. And disconcerting. As if it were an open wound on a screaming victim. He shook his head at the thought, wondering why it came to him and tried to focus on the road instead.
The house appeared suddenly. Sullen and dark. Imposing in the eerie silence with the cars parked around it as if they were supplicants, kneeling in adoration. Or terror.
"I don't see any lights," Tanya said as she leaned forward. Her voice was hushed and she hugged her arms while licking her lips. "Shouldn't there be lights?"
"There's cars," Troy told her as he pulled into an empty spot next to a sleek BMW. "Probably just curtains or something. My granddad lived in an old house and I swear the curtains each weighed a ton. You couldn't even hear anything once you were inside. Blocked out everything."
Leah's breath formed a ghostly ring on the window next to her when she bent to look at the house. She gasped as a deep chill settled beneath her breastbone and her hand instinctively went to the cross she wore. It burned her hand but she held it tight and the pain ebbed.
Soon Bok tugged at the handle of the sliding door next to her. It groaned on old wheels but finally slid open.
"Fuck!" the girl gasped as a rush of cold air invaded the van. "Wr-wr-wrong costume i-idea today. I'm going in!"
The driver and passenger doors opened as everyone filled out behind Soon Bok. She squealed and dashed through the grassy parking lot until she reached the entrance.
