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It isn’t until I’ve made it safe and sound to the other end that I regain control over my body. Thankfully, everyone had the same response because we’ve all crammed into the smaller new space. The lights here are messed up, so the red glow flickers off and on every few beats.
I inhale, hold my breath for five seconds, and exhale softly. Then repeat the exercise three more times until the panic softens its grip on me, allowing me to take the lead again. With a clearer brain, my senses return to me, and I feel stupid for freaking out so badly.
Not that it’s silly to be frightened, but I wasn’t expecting to react like that after claiming I didn’t get scared easily. It’s okay to be spooked. Hell, Slashed wouldn’t be doing its job if we remained stoic and unbothered through the entire experience.
I gotta give it to them.
This is the best—and simultaneously worst—haunted attraction I’ve attended. Not because it’s bad, but because it’s the only one that’s caused me to lose my head in this way.
“Wait.” Ty’s voice drags me out of my bubble, pulling me back to the scene unfolding before me. “Where the fuck is Chip?”
Who the hell is Chip?
I blink a few times, attempting to adjust to the constant flickering to count the heads of the group. Jen and Nance stand together on one side, while Steve and Ty are on the other. Ty is correct. Someone’s missing, the guy whose name I hadn’t heard before.
He’s… gone.
Not a trace of him lingering in the air.
“Was he in the tunnel with us?” Jennifer asks, her voice hoarse from screaming.
“Yeah, he was behind me,” Steve says, then hesitates. “Was he?”
“He was in the other area, right?” I speak. My throat aches after slightly losing my head, and I bet it’s going to be worse tomorrow morning. “I remember him there.”
But somewhere along the tunnel, between the fake snakes and the room, he was dragged away.
Maybe he found another path, or the fear got to him.
It doesn’t matter where he ended up because it means we’re closer to ending this—only five more people to go.
Even if it makes me sound like an asshole, now that calmness flows in me, I’m glad the jocks have gotten eliminated pretty quickly.
A staircase rises behind us with a closed exit at the top, and we collectively climb upstairs in silence. I prepare for the next scare, unsure of what’s coming. After the tunnel, I’m sure we’re bound to find something worse.
As we near the door, I allow Steve to pass me. The rest follow. Jen stands in front of me, while Nance holds onto my arm, walking behind me. At the end of the line, Ty bounces on the tip of his shoes, anxious to get the hell out of here, even when his face is masked by indifference.
Nance’s nails dig into the fabric of my jacket. Her teeth chatter as she struggles to stay put. I want to offer to give up. Her wristband is close enough that it would take me no effort to press the button for someone to get her out. It’d almost be an act of mercy if I did it. Though I wouldn’t do it without her consent.
“You okay?” I whisper. “You know you’re allowed to leave at any time?”
From my peripheral vision, I see her head bob.
“I can do this,” she responds. “It’s going to be fine.”
I look at her and feel pride bloom in my chest.
The girl is more than terrified, shaking like an anxious chihuahua, and she’s still here, refusing to give up. That’s admirable of her.
“I’m proud of you.”
A shaky laugh abandons her lips.
“Oh, trust me when I say you owe me for this.” She pauses. “Big. Time.”
“Do your worst. I probably deserve it,” I respond in complicity.
She hums in agreement.
