The man must have witnessed a Stonewood stare because the chainsaw died and he moved out of our way.
“I’m officially keeping my eyes closed the rest of the way,” I mumbled into his shirt.
“I don’t know why you booked this when you hate it.”
“Because other people love it. But I don’t usually do things like this.”
“Seems like some stupid shit you would want to do all the time.”
“I didn’t indulge in stuff like this for a long time,” I admitted.
“Interesting,” he murmured but didn’t ask me to elaborate.
Something loud clanged near us. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and gripped Jett’s arm like it was my only lifeline. He announced, “That was an angry clown. Scars all over his face.”
“Um, thank you?”
“Well, if you’re not going to look, I guess I’m obliged to help you experience it somehow.”
A scream sounded on our left. “A child being held hostage by an angry witch.”
We stepped up onto what felt like wood boards that creaked under our feet.
“In a room full of decapitated dolls. The angry little girl with long black hair is coming at us with one of the heads.”
“Oh my God.” I shoved him forward to get out of the room as fast as possible.
He laughed at my antics. “You can’t even see them, Victory. She’s probably ten years old.”
“And could be completely deranged.”
“You still want to be buried alive at the end of this?” he asked. That tone, snide as hell, made me want to let go of him and walk the rest of the haunted house on my own.
Almost.
I was too chickenshit.
“Maybe I shouldn’t.” I meant it too. My heart rate wasn’t slowing down. I made a mental note to take those pills tonight.
“Yes. Maybe you shouldn’t.”
“But they say it’s a once in a lifetime feeling.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he sighed as we walked through another creepy sounding room. “We don’t have to do everything that’s once in a lifetime.”
“You don’t,” I replied. But I did.
I had to live.
We reached what seemed like the end. A man asked if we wanted to be buried alive, and I opened my eyes to see he was dressed in jeans and a sweater, completely normal.
“We need full consent to do this. You can go in with four other people, but it looks like it is only you two right now.”
“Did my friends go in already?” I asked about Brey and the others.
“They opted out after their walk through, which is very common.”
I cleared my throat. “I think I’d like to do it.”