Seth nods, answering her question. “We attend the University of Texas together. English Lit.”
“Forgot you guys went there,” Demi mumbles.
Liar. She knows where we go to school. She just doesn’t care. About anyone. Another quality she and her sister share.
“I want some popcorn,” Becky announces, looking over at the popcorn cart to the right of us. “It smells amazing.”
“Then get some,” Demi tells her, tossing her hair over to one shoulder. Seth goes to place his arm around her, but she pulls away from him. He doesn’t seem upset in the least.
I wonder if he’s ever tried to fuck that stick out of her ass?
Becky’s face falls. “I left my purse in the car.” She holds up a twenty-dollar bill. “All I have is enough to get in.”
“Why?” Demi asks.
“I didn’t wanna carry it in here. Not after Austin said I may have to run or crawl for my life.” She shivers at that thought, and Austin laughs.
“Just go and get your money,” Demi suggests, rolling her eyes.
“We parked too far away. I don’t wanna make you guys wait for me.” She sighs. “It’s fine.”
Gotta give a little to get, I tell myself. “I’ll get it for you.” Becky looks at me with wide eyes. Austin gives me a soft smile, but Demi looks at me suspiciously as if she’s on to my plan. “Anyone else want some?” I ask, not taking my eyes off Becky’s. I am trying to be nice tonight.
“I’ll get my own,” Demi announces while everyone else tells me, “No thanks.”
Walking over to the popcorn stand, I stand behind the only other two people in line. I’m not a fan of the shit. It gets stuck in your teeth, and they never give me as much butter as I like. So I pull a piece of gum out of my pocket and pop it in my mouth.
“Still her little bitch boy, I see.”
“Excuse me?” I turn around to Demi standing behind me in line with her arms crossed over her chest. Her blue eyes glare up at me.
“Gotta say, I admired your lack of empathy. Until now.”
“What are you talking about?” I growl. Demi knows nothing about me.
She pops her right hip out. Her blue eyes drop to my tennis shoes and slowly run up over my jeans and T-shirt before meeting mine again. “Men always think with their dicks,” she says.
I give her my back, dismissing her. She’s a child. And someone I don’t like, so I’m going to ignore her the rest of the night.
I get the popcorn and return to my friends, not bothering to wait for Demi. Becky gives me a mumbled thank you. I return it with a smile, and she looks up at me suspiciously. Yeah, baby. I’m feeding you full of bullshit, and I’m gonna cram it down your throat until you choke on it.
We get our wristbands that allow us into the first attraction and make our way over to the black building with a banner that reads Fright Night on it. As we walk through the entrance, Austin sneaks up behind Becky, places her hands on her sides, and screams in her ear. Becky jumps so fucking high she could have dunked a basketball had she been on a court.
“I think she pissed her pants.” Seth laughs, throwing Demi’s now empty bag of popcorn in the trash can as we pass it.
Austin covers her mouth to muffle her laughter. “Sorry …”
“No, you’re not.” Becky pulls away from her.
“I don’t even know why you came,” Demi growls. “You hate anything remotely scary.” Then her blue eyes slide to mine before looking away.
What was that for?
“Watch what you say and where you look. For it may blind your sight and take your voice,” a creepy man sings while he stands in a corner and gestures to a hallway on his left.
We enter a makeshift room no bigger than the entryway to Cole’s house with black walls and ceiling. Creepy Halloween music plays softly through the hidden speakers. The girls are standing there, waiting for us to pack ourselves inside. Cole walks up behind Austin and places his arms around her chest. Seth pulls Demi into his side, and she looks like she wants to push him away but won’t due to the cramped space. Becky stands next to me awkwardly, biting her lip nervously.
We all stare at a girl who sits in a white clawfoot tub against the opposite wall. Water black as night, not allowing you to see through it, fills the bath, coming all the way up to the sides. She’s wearing a dirty, cheaply made replica of a straitjacket, and the wet fabric clings to her small frame. You can tell she isn’t wearing a bra ’cause you can see her hard nipples poking through the thin fabric, showcasing a set of big tits.
A man who looks to be about our age kneels beside the tub. He gently runs his hand down the back of her wet, dark hair. “Did you learn your lesson?” he asks her sternly.
Her body shakes uncontrollably, her lips are blue, and her eyes are red from crying. She has tears running down her face, leaving black streaks in their wake. She turns to look at us; gray eyes meet mine, and she whispers. “Help … me …”
He grips a fistful of her hair, and a scream erupts, cutting off her words. Rising to his feet, he bends at the waist and shoves her face-first into the black water. It splashes us, and the girls jump back, but Becky is the only one who screams in surprise.
He holds her under the black liquid surface as she thrashes around, water continuing to splash onto the floor. He yanks her back up, and she gasps for breath. He lowers his face down to hers, pulling her head back by her hair as she openly chokes and weeps. His other hand grips her chin tightly. “You will either learn, or you will die,” he says simply.
“Please … don’t—”
“The choice is always yours.” He shoves her head into the water once again.
A door to the left opens, and Cole pushes Austin through it, entering a hallway. She’s trying to look over his shoulder at the girl still submerged. Once we’re through the door, it slams shut behind us.
“I wanted to see how long she could hold her breath.” Austin pouts, disappointed.
“Long enough,” he tells her.
The hallway curves to the right, and we follow it. It’s narrow and only allows you enough space to walk single file. Cole grabs Austin’s hand, taking the lead, so I take up the back. She rolls her eyes and then bumps into his back when he takes another turn and comes to a stop.
We’ve reached an opening. A man stands before us in a white lab coat covered in blood. His arms lie against his chest and cross at his wrists. He lifts his eyes to us, and a light that he has around his forehead shines on us. “Separate,” he demands.
The main hallway splits, leading to the different doors. Cole drags Austin through the one closest to them. Demi and her boyfriend go through the second one, leaving me and Becky alone. She bites her bottom lip nervously, and I refrain from smiling.
I can do far worse things to you than anyone in this haunted house could possibly think of, baby.
I gesture for her to enter. “After you.”
She sighs heavily and then enters. It’s dark, but the light that comes through the seams in the makeshift wall is enough for me to see where the hallway leads us.
“Where do we go?” she asks, and her voice shakes with fear of what is to come.
She thinks something is gonna jump out at us, grab her, and drag her to hell. I laugh at that thought. Honey, I’m the closest to hell you can get.