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“Come on, Becca, it’s like a rite of passage or some shit. Everyone who comes out here does the Funhouse. Youhaveto do it.”
“I wouldn’t go in there if you paid me.”
“Becca.” Lilly softened her voice. “If you really don’t want to, I guess you don’t—”
Scarlett hopped down off the wall and clapped her hands together. “No fucking way, Lil. We all did it, she’s”—she pointed at me—“doing it.”
“Scarlett, come on, it’s stupid.”
“Are you scared?” Vin taunted, and I shot him a glare. He held his hands up, stifling a laugh.
“Damn right, I’m scared.” I didn’t like the Funhouse at the best of times, but the Funhouse in an abandoned fairground in the dark… no, thank you!
“What about if we go with you?”
“Come on, ladies, you’re killing me here. The rules state—”
“The rules?” I arched my eyebrow at Vin. “And who exactly made up these rules?”
He thought about it for a second. “I don’t know, but I do know I had to do that shit on my own at Halloween.”
I rolled my eyes at him. The whole thing was ridiculous, but the kids of Credence High seemed to like their silly traditions and rules.
“I’ll do it if Lilly and Scarlett come.”
“Done. Let’s get this shit over with. I need a smoke.” Scarlett stomped toward the black abyss into the Funhouse. Lilly slid her hand into mine and whispered, “Come on, it’s not as bad as it looks.”
I closed my eyes as we stepped inside, which was stupid since the place was pitch black. Lilly gripped my hand, and the guys’ laughter and heckling trailed into insignificance, replaced with the thunderous beat of my pulse against my skull. When I finally peeked my eyes open, Scarlett’s cell phone light cast an eerie glow around the hallway, lighting up the years of graffiti.
“You have to follow the route. One way in, one way out.”
“Great,” I mumbled, holding my hands out in front of me to avoid touching anything… or worse, anything touching me.
“We’ll have to go in a line. There’s a lot of shit in here.” Scarlett’s voice echoed off the walls, and I almost jumped out of my skin.
“I’ll go first, okay? Just keep your eyes on where I stand.” Lilly followed Scarlett, and I followed Lilly. It was cramped, a narrow passageway with flaking paint. The air was stale so I cupped a hand over my mouth to prevent me from inhaling too much brick dust.
“Tunnel.”
The light up front with Scarlett illuminated a static Barrel of Fun. By the time I reached it, I could barely make out the edge and had to use my hand as a guide. My heart ratcheted up a notch as I ducked inside and hurried out the other side, slamming straight into Lilly.
“Oops, my bad.” I clutched the material of her jacket as she maneuvered around a corner.
“Rocking floor. Some panels are missing so watch your step.”
My hands found the old rail, and I guided myself across, straining to make out the missing steps, all while trying to keep my balance. It seemed to stretch on forever, and by the time I made it across, Scarlett and her light had already disappeared around the next corner.
“It’s the mirror maze next. Don’t panic, okay? First time I did it, Jay had to come in and rescue me.”
Panic surged through me but eased some when Lilly reached back and took my hand again. We turned the corner, and my eyes landed on numerous versions of Scarlett, cell phone in hand, glancing around her.
“I fucking hate this part,” she grunted. “Over here.”
“Where?” Lilly replied. “You’d think we’d remember the route.”
“I’m convinced someone comes in and switches it up.”
No.Shudders rippled through me. Not possible, surely. My eyes tracked the echo of Scarlett’s voice, and I inched closer to Lilly, nudging my head in the direction I thought it came from.
