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“You don’t know, do you?” Turney asked, eyeing him.
He met the zombie’s gaze with large innocent eyes. “Not exactly—” he started to say, but was cut off as the van took a sharp turn and then screeched to an abrupt stop in front of a large creepy iron gate. “Oh, look, we are here.” His brow rose as the doors around them opened and the spooky gate swung inward without a single creak. “And apparently, we are walking now… Godric did warn in his letter that the roads on the property were in need of repair.”
“Why does it feel like I’m in a horror movie?” Turney groaned. The zombie was eyeing the gate with trepidation.
“It’ll be fine! I imagine Godric is keeping it as creepy as can be because he plans to make the path part of the attraction. You know, a fun haunted walk through the woods and all!”
Cormac snorted. “I have to agree with Turney on this one… This seems suspicious.”
“You just want to go home and get out of working!” Octavius snapped.
“Have you spoken to Godric at all?” Scarlett asked.
Octavius frowned. “No. His phone keeps going to voicemail. But it’s common for him to get lost in his interests and miss calls. Not to mention, he does tend to lose his phone a lot. But it also could have been the time I called, or the lack of signal out here.”
Everyone flinched at the sound of a honk, their gazes going to the driver. The man was finally looking at them, and boy, what a look. Octavius glared back. He would not be rushed.
“I’m guessing that’s our cue to get out,” Henry said, speaking for the first time since getting in the van.
“Seems so,” Turney said slowly.
They jumped out, some working to get their things off the roof while others headed to the trunk. Octavius scurried back, making sure to get to the trunk first. He snatched up his suitcase and leather backpack, and hurried around to the other side of the van out of everyone’s view.
Glancing around, making sure no one was looking, he unzipped his backpack and pulled out the small packet of golden glitter he had brought with him. Tearing it open, he dumped it into his left trouser pocket with a giggle. He’d thought of a perfect way to surprise Godric last night. The trick he had planned…he just knew it would send the older zombie into a laughing fit.
“What are you doing?” Turney asked from directly behind him.
He jumped at the words suddenly being whispered into his ear. Spinning, he hid the empty packet behind his back and stared wide-eyed at Turney. “Nothing?”
The van started to move, doing a sharp U-turn before it sped off and disappeared back the way they came.
“Well, I guess everyone has everything!” Octavius said. “Let’s get going. I think it’s a long walk.”
Turney stared at him with a face full of suspicion, but eventually he sighed and turned toward the open gate. The minute his back was turned, he shoved the empty bag back in his backpack and zipped it up.
Scarlett walked past, dragging her suitcase along, eyeing him with amusement, but said nothing.
Gathered together, they walked through the open gate. They had only gotten a little bit down the road when they heard the gate slam shut.
“That’s comforting.” Turney slipped his arm into Octavius’.
Octavius laughed nervously. “I’m guessing Godric has already started working on the outside. Perhaps there are no ghosts to deal with out here?”
He said that, but at the same time…something felt off here. The forest felt odd. But yet not…ghostly odd…
Octavius glanced at Scarlett as they continued to walk forward. She was frowning, her gaze kept flicking to the forest around them. The area was dense with trees and plant life, which impeded visibility. But worse was the fog that seemed to have thickened when they arrived. Turney’s grip on his arm tightened the further they walked. Everyone was slowly growing more tense, their faces grim.
“Do you…hear anything?” Theo asked.
Octavius halted at the question, causing everyone else to stop. “There’s…nothing.”
Which wasn’t right. It was a sizable forest, yet…
“No birds, no animals…nothing,” Henry slowly said. “Something is wrong here…”
“Does anyone feel like we are being watched?” Turney asked, voice wavering.
“I…” Octavius trailed off at the sound of a twig snapping…followed by another.
