Claire is still staring at the girl, too. But fear is radiating from her pores as brightly as the blush painted on her hollow cheeks. Mark doesn’t notice, but it seems the doll does.
The latter hops off the bench, winks at Mark, and skips off towards a haunted dollhouse. Mark’s eyes follow her the entire way, his gaze pinned to her ass and tongue swiping at his crusty lips.
And then he’s sliding his phone out of his pocket and making a call. My eyes thin, splitting my attention between Mark and the doll that disappeared inside Annie's Playhouse.
He stays on the phone for all of a minute before he’s hanging up and turning to Claire. His wife nods imperceptibly, just a single dip of her chin. What Claire has knowledge of is a mystery to me. Mark may hide most of his dealings, but I imagine she’s not completely ignorant to how her husband spends his free time.
The haunted houses come to life almost immediately after. Flickering lights blare from the windows, and eerie music fills the air, mingling with the startled screams from guests. The colorful smoke that’s been drifting across the open field now clouds the inside of the houses.
Hordes of people start drifting towards the creepy structures, forming lines outside the still locked doors.
Mark clenches Claire’s arm and drags her up from the bench, speed walking directly towards Annie’s Playhouse. And emerging from the bustling crowd behind Mark are his colleagues. Jack, Miller, and Robert.
Well, I’ll be fucking damned.
“I got eyes on all four,” I say quietly.
“Location?” Jay asks, keyboard clicking in the background. Whoever owns this park doesn’t believe in safety. No cameras exist around the entire field, forcing Jay to use a small drone that hovers above the carnival. It won’t be able to go into any of the houses undetected, but it will be able to capture any kidnapping attempts.
“Annie’s Playhouse.”
“Let us know if you need us,” one of the men, Barron, says. His deep baritone voice is easy to pick apart from the others.
I open my mouth, ready to respond, but then I see a flash of cinnamon hair already in line for Annie’s Playhouse.
Fuck me with a pogo stick.
The broken doll must be conspiring with God because only divine fucking intervention would bring all of them together like this.
The minute I see Mark tap Addie’s shoulder while they stand in line, my entire stomach bottoms out. He and his colleagues happen to be standing right behind her, and it took less than five seconds for Mark’s eyes to land on Addie and Daya’s ass. It took more effort to drag his eyes up to their faces and recognize who was standing before him.
Addie turns, and surprise flitters across her face, followed by a forced smile and an enthusiastic display, despite finding the fucking Crypt Keeper standing behind her. Daya looks Mark up and down, an unimpressed glint in her eyes despite the polite smile curling her lips.
I watch them talk for a few minutes, Mark his usual boisterous self as he introduces her to his colleagues.
Even now, I know Addie well enough to know there’s beads of sweat gathering along her hairline. I’m sure Mark has asked where I am, and I’m only curious to know what her response is.
The whole interaction makes my skin tight, and I’m gearing up to storm over there.
I was trying to give Addie space tonight, but that’s no longer an option. Now that four predators are about to enter into a house with her, there’s a high possibility Addie and her friend will never make it home.
If I wasn’t here, of course.
Mark may like me, but he doesn’t respect me. Not more than the Society, at least. And his buddies aren’t going to even consider me when they’re ushering two beautiful girls into a non-descript van. The only thing on their minds will be pussy and dollar signs.
I beeline towards Mark, barreling through a guy that looks like he roasts in a tanning bed like it’s the Fountain of Youth. Doesn’t make sense, but clearly the kid doesn’t possess any if he’s pointedly standing in my way and refuses to move after he sees me coming. Exactly why he ends up on his ass, curses following me as I continue on my path.
Just as I approach, Addie and Daya are ushered into the house, leaving Mark and his friends behind. The houses have an occupation limit to prevent the cramped space from becoming too congested. Especially with people running like their life depends on it.
“Mark!” I greet loudly, a smile stretched across my face. I can feel my scars tightening from how hard I’m forcing it, but the old man is too self-absorbed to notice.
Mark looks startled as he turns to me, but just like Addie, a strained smile stretches across his face.
“Zack! You made it! I just saw Addie go in with her pretty friend. She said you went off to find a bathroom.”
Smart little mouse.
She left it open to the possibility that I’m around somewhere and could show up any minute. Fucking love that girl.
I flash my teeth again. “Yeah, I just found a quiet spot real quick,” I say, pointing over my shoulder lazily.
“Ah, being a man is God’s gift,” he laughs, slapping my arm. “You’ve met my colleagues here.”
I exchange quick pleasantries, but I shift, wearing my impatience on my sleeve. The employee opened the door and is waiting for me to enter. “Mind if I cut ahead? I want to catch up.”
Mark swoops his hand forward, gesturing for me to go ahead, his lips tightened into a thin line.
Someone shouts behind me, noticing that I cut in line. Mark’s placations are cut off by the slam of the door.
Walking into this house feels like stepping into another dimension that demons inhabit. My skin prickles as I look around the pink monstrosity.
“What in the actual hell?” I mutter under my breath, momentarily distracted by the eyesore this house is. If Addie and I have a daughter, I hope she has some goddamn sense and prefers black.
It feels like my eyeballs are physically cringing from all the pink. Did Barney come in here and shit everywhere? Jesus fucking Christ.
Addie’s light brown hair flashes in my peripheral. Just as my eyes slide to her, she’s disappearing behind a corner, getting chased by a monster. Their screams fill up the smoky atmosphere, bringing a smirk to my face.
It’s a good taste of what I’m going to make her sound like later.
My feet work on autopilot, trailing after her. I hear the door open again, followed by Mark and his friends’ voices. I’ll be sure to keep a firm barrier between my girl and the dipshits behind me.
Addie and Daya will have fun, undisturbed by the real monsters in the house.
It’s when they scramble up the stairs, a laughing heap of limbs and screams—I lose sight of them. I run up the stairs, hearing their screams from behind the first door.
I study the hallway system. There are too many doors in this hallway, making it physically impossible for this many rooms. Some of them are false doors, which means they could end up in any one of these rooms when they come out the other side. They might not even come back out in the hallway at all if the rooms connect on the inside.
Sighing, I make my way down the hallway, intent on peeking in a few rooms and finding the best place to camp. Singing erupts moments later, and I freeze from the ice-cold chills traveling down my spine, the hair on the back of my neck rising. It could be a part of the haunted house experience, but something niggles at the back of my mind. Warning me of incoming danger.