“Holy fuck!” Bear exclaimed and began chuckling.
“You may enter now; stick to the paths because we are not responsible for what lies off them! Please take one of these as you pass me by. They are panic buttons. Should you find yourself in difficulty, press it and remain where you are.” She smiled and smirked before opening the iron gates.
Hellfire brothers all disappeared behind Chance. Chance turned his head slowly and offered Bear a gimlet stare. Bear yanked Thalia into his side and gazed calmly back. Chance rolled his eyes as Clio stepped up and held his hand.
“We’re brave, baby, ain’t we?” Clio asked sweetly, and Chance nodded.
The fuck he was. Phoe got worse and worse every year. Her imagination at Halloween knew no bounds!
They made it through the haunted graveyard, Bear having to carry Shotgun, who froze when the first zombie popped out of its grave.
Shotgun moved backwards as hands reached out from behind, and when Shotgun turned his head, he let out a tremendous yell and back-pedalled.
The rotting bride chased him, and Shotgun babbled something before dropping to the floor and curling into a ball. Bear and Tiny carried him through, teasing Shotgun about his new woman.
“Grow some balls; we’re stronger than Rage!” Bear growled, knowing Gunner would have reacted much the same way.
Slaughter, point blank, refused to pass the creepy butler that stood waiting for them to enter. Levi tried covering his eyes, but Slaughter wouldn’t move. Fanatic kicked his knees out from under him, and Big Al and Bear dragged him, yelling over the doorstep. Slaughter’s legs kept kicking out at the butler, who had a disapproving expression on his face. Once Slaughter was inside, the butler gave chase.
Slaughter moved into the first of the themed rooms. They survived those and the tunnels in the house with only a few unmanly yells, and Chance stopped telling them to man up.
As they scrambled down the fire exit, they found one path open to them and entered the hedge maze. Diesel took off muttering something about Harry Potter and promptly got lost. Chance couldn’t believe that Diesel was freaked out by a maze while Thalia ended up on Bear’s shoulders, trying to track the terrified brother through the maze. Diesel’s yells made them hurry to find him, as they became more panicked by the minute. They discovered him hanging in a net from a tree, and as they approached, Diesel was dumped firmly on his ass. Before he could take off again, Celt grabbed hold of him by the scruff of his neck and marched him through the maze.
Chance took the lead with a yelp, running across the bridge as ghosts of his family flew towards them, shrieking and screaming. Phoe, the kids, Clio, Hawthorne and Ramirez, were accompanied by the Rage brothers, with Drake ahead. Chance was cursing when he landed on the other side.
“Wonder if Phoe changed that for the others?” Shee asked, looking like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Chance sent him a sour stare, Clio patting his arm in sympathy. As they moved through the field of statues, laughs and screams sounded from Hellfire as they came alive and reached out for them or chased them.
The stone labyrinth stopped their laughter as Celt crawled through on his knees as hanging ropes dropped from ceilings. Tiny released a noise that could only be a scream as hairy, enormous spiders plunged from above and attacked from the sides.
Everyone survived the haunted lake, and Chance knew they weren’t far from the end now. The forest almost reduced Big Al and Wraith to a chattering mess. Both were terrified of the nightmare twisting of fairy tales that were being enacted. When they reached the hut where the wicked witch lived, Wraith and Big Al took to their heels with the hag behind them. Chance, Bear and the others laughed all the way to the end, where Chance’s laughter abruptly stopped. This was different. Usually, the woodland ended in an open field, with paths leading to a couple of attractions. Not today. One long corridor faced them, and they walked forward carefully.
Levi shrieked as a clown popped out at him, and he nearly decked it. Above their heads were grates as if they were in sewers and clown faces peered through them, cackling. Clowns appeared through doors and screamed at them or grinned creepily as Levi forced himself into the middle of the crowd. Which hindered them further, as they could only go three abreast. Hands grabbed at their feet, making them stumble. Red balloons floated towards them, and Levi kept moving backwards until his ear-piercing shriek made them jump, and half of Hellfire let out their own scream. Standing behind them with a maniacal cackle and smile was Pennywise.
Levi surged forward and saw a massive wooden door at the end of the corridor. Levi ran straight into it and slammed backwards on his ass. Chance started laughing as Lewi rubbed his head. Pennywise began jogging towards them, and several of his brothers charged past him. At the same time, Thalia ducked in front of Bear, putting him between her and the clown. Chey was in front of Celt, who kept throwing worried glances over his shoulder, while Clio was snickering with Janey as Pyro dragged the girls along.
Darkness suddenly fell, and as it did, everyone stopped making a noise.
“What the fuck?” Tiny whispered.
“Caught you!”
They all jumped as a loud screech echoed around them, and Pennywise’s face shot from the wooden door and passed through them all. The scream was matched by Levi’s and Thalia’s. The door glowed green, slowly creaking open, and a hand beckoned them forward.
Yeah, Chance snorted. None of his brothers moved.
Chance pushed past, stepped into the doorway, and found himself in a small, bright chamber. Levi scurried forwards on his hands and knees and slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.
“Shit,” Levi muttered and ran his palms through his hair. One by one, Hellfire entered the room and the wooden door shut behind them.
“Welcome to the final part of Fright Night,” a creepy voice announced. The light dimmed, and everyone peered around. “Weave your path through the mazes and survive. Allow your antagonists to catch up and die a lonely death.”
“That’s fuckin’ reassuring,” Celt said, drawing Chey in close. Her cheeks dimpled in delight as she smiled.
An exit opened, and they all glanced at Chance to enter first.
“Seriously!” Chance grumbled but stepped through with Clio at his side. “What the fuck?”