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The rooms along the hall are empty of people, though they’re full of furniture.
The silence is threatening. My pulse thumps in my ears with every step I take, like a bomb ticking before it blows up. As the entrance becomes clearer, I can’t spot anything particularly scary outside the normal spooky décor of the place.
They all look like regular living rooms. It’s strange that there could be three of them so far inside the house. I won’t wreck my brain attempting to put together the logistics of this architecture arrangement. It’s probably disorganized on purpose to confuse the attendees.
The closer we get to the last archway, white noise buzzes in my ears, and it’s not until I step inside that I see where it comes from. The room has a box TV from the early 2000s atop a stand against the wall. It’s on one of the input channels where it only has static. A second later, I realize it’s imitatingThe Ring,and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach.
“If a girl crawls out and starts chasing us, I’m tapping out,” Jen mentions.
I shake my head and look for an exit before we’re caught by anyone else. Thankfully, everything is clear and empty.
Interesting.
You would’ve thought that a place like this, a haunted attraction, would have multiple actors working at the same time. I get that the principal theme is the slasher subgenre, but they’ve included other psychological elements. Maybe they only have one actor per group because it’s easier to play with people’s minds. Either way, it doesn’t ease the anxiousness coursing through my system.
Something will happen soon. I feel it in the pit of my gut, a tremulous warning that causes my insides to churn.
When I spot the exit, it directs us to a new archway that opens to the main foyer. We’re back at the beginning.
Jen and I venture deeper into the vestibule. The basement entrance is closed, so only the imperial staircases are left. Given the circumstances and after what we’ve been through, I can’t help but think they’re a serious safety hazard if people have to run up and down them while being chased. I don’t know how someone hasn’t sued them already because they fell.
Perhaps it’s why they have us sign the waivers before we enter.Too many risks for the sake of fun. They sell an experience, after all. I bet people, similar to us, have been shocked to find out their warning is more than a few words on paper to keep us on our toes. Theymeanthem.
We’re too stupid to notice the truth before it’s too late.
I’m too caught up in my thoughts when it happens, when the heavy and sturdy body slams into my back, pushing me forward with the force of a train. It’s a miracle I don’t fall to my knees in that instant, and it’s probably because I’m too tangled up with the person to let my frame plummet down.
My reflexes work overtime as a scream erupts from the end of my throat, scratching the tissue of my larynx. My hands, fiddling with the lack of balance and panic, struggle to push the weight of the man who collided with me.
I have a one track of mind: breaking free. There’s no fucking way this will be the way I’m eliminated from the game. Not when we’re so close to finishing this thing.Dios mío,couldn’t they go after Steve first?
Annoyance knits my face into a deep frown. As much as they state we shouldn’t attack scare actors doing their jobs, I’m not sure I should be allowing them to trample me either.Literally.Hell, he rammed into me first. I’m not a genius, but the no-attacks policy should work both ways. Getting tackled by an employee doesn’t seem like it’d be part of their contract.
I have a right to defend myself when prompted to.
I shift, attempting to untangle myself from the person.
My instinct is to hide the wristband behind my back, so he can’t use the scanner on it, but I make it worse for the rest of our limbs because we get even more tangled with each other. We’re a knot of body parts and panic, causing us to lose what’s left of our balance and collapse.
Our bodies hit the hard ground, and I feel a pounding pain spread across my left hip. The tenderness pulsing in my muscles ignites a fresh wave of anger. This wasn’t a slam made with finesse, and if it was done by a staff member, I’ll have a fucking problem with the administration.
While moving, I catch a glimpse of a varsity jacket, and it snaps me back into reality. This isn’t a scare actor lacking agility in his performance.
The man above me is no other than stupid Steve.
“Let go of me,cabrón!” The insult slips out of me before I choke it down. There’s a different type of anger that only your mother tongue can satisfy, and I have it boiling in my system. Packs a solid punch and power, and this is one of those situations where I find myself returning to my roots because there’s no other way to soothe the rage and annoyance I get from seeing Steve’s face again.
He blinks; confusion clouding his expression. His eyes travel over my face, taking in the features as understanding washes over his, softening them.
“You scared the fuck out of me!” he exclaims, rolling off me with a thud.
Steve gasps for air, putting his hands over his chest as if he were holding his heart hostage.
You got to be fucking kidding me.
I can’t believe he left before us and we ended up in the same place.
“How are you still here?” I question, standing up from the floor.
