by Drake, J. L.
“Do you think your master will be all right going as Dracula?” she asked as her fingertips grasped the zipper on her dress, then slipped on a pair of glasses.
I removed the contact from the solution and replaced my bright blues with a deep yellow. I laughed at the thought of Seth’s face. “Something tells me when he sees his bad-ass cane, he’ll be fine with it.” Vanessa’s costume looked perfect. “And Campbell?”
She shifted her wig in place. “Well, he owes me one, so…” I looked over to find her chuckling. “This should be fun.”
“You know what the difference is between you and me?” Garrett stood in the doorway and pulled on a pair of sunglasses. “I make this look good.”
“You make a hot MIB agent, Garrett.”
“Thanks.” He sat on the bed playing with his little memory eraser. “You two look very good—” He paused at Vanessa, and I could see him putting the dots together. “Oh shit, does that mean…?” He rolled his hand over his mouth. “Wait-wait, I need to make sure my phone is fully charged so I can take pictures.”
We arrived at the Connors family home, and it looked completely different. “Wow,” I gasped, impressed at the decorations, “this place puts Disneyland to shame.”
The entire house had been decorated to look like a haunted mansion. Purple lights helped intensify the fog that made the house look like it was almost floating. Flashes of light flickered throughout the windows where silhouettes were placed to look eerie.
Vanessa tucked herself closer to my side. “Seth says she even hired people to walk around the property to reenact scenes from movies.” Garrett chuckled and moved us forward, and we headed toward a door where a man took our name and nodded us through.
“Ready?” Garrett asked over my shoulder. I smacked his arm and tried to hide my nerves. Vanessa’s hand slipped into mine as we walked into the entryway. It was dark, but a bright black light enabled spider webs to lead the way. Music was being pumped above us, the slow beat of a drum making my stomach twist, and I couldn’t help but smile. I knew this was all fake, but it seemed very real. Someone ran in front of us, and we both screamed. Garrett was still in hysterics behind us, but we ignored him and continued until we made it into the living room, where someone was sitting in a chair by the fireplace. Wow, Martha really had thought of everything. I wondered who this actor was supposed to be. Before I had a chance to guess, I heard Garrett’s laugh belt out over the crowd.
“Not one word, O’Brian,” Campbell shouted, pulling at his tights.
“Ohmygod!” I cupped my mouth. The sight was almost too much to take. Campbell, one of the biggest, grizzly-bear type guys, had managed to stuff his massive body into a full spandex Superman costume.
“I hate you all.” His face remained deadpan, which only made it funnier.
Vanessa whispered something in his ear. He rolled his eyes but did pull her in for a long kiss, a kiss that made me want to find Seth immediately.
We made our way out to the patio, where again I hardly recognized the place. The theme was famous couples, and everyone had put a ton of effort into their costumes. There must have been at least two hundred people there. The lighting was spectacular, following the same look as the front, a haunted house.
I was handed a tall glass of champagne, the base of it shaped like a bird claw. Campbell pulled Vanessa away to visit someone, and Garrett was at the bar. I scanned the faces to see if I could spot Seth, but mostly everyone was wearing some kind of mask or face paint.
“Mmm,” a voice called out from behind me. “Well, well, well, it’s been a while.”
I smiled as I took a drink. “It has.”
“How do I look?” he asked as some of his friends came and joined him. They eyed me like a slice of meat, and I scanned behind them and wondered where Garrett was.
“Very dashing.” I smiled politely. I had no issues with Nicholas; I just didn’t like how his friends were watching me.
“Three guesses who we are.” One guy snickered. I wasn’t entirely sure what his problem was.
I pointed to Nicholas. “Porthos.” I pointed to the quiet guy. “Aramis.” Then I pointed to the cocky one, bloody well knowing he was Athos, but said, “Lady Winter?” Nicholas grinned at my answer.
“Very good.” He nodded in approval. “And you are?”
“My wife.” Seth appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around my waist and granted me a kiss to the side of my neck. “Hello, my missus,” he whispered.
“Master.” I smiled at the excellent job he did on his Dracula costume. He was even wearing the contacts I got him.
“Master?” He pulled away. His eyes raked down my front, and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Mmm…” A low growl came from deep in his throat. “Now, I like the sound of that.”
“Dracula and his wife.” Nicholas sounded a little impressed. “Nicely done, guys.” He looked at his friends before he stepped closer. “Seth, have you spoken to Dad?”
“No,” Seth hissed. “Don’t, Nicholas, not tonight.” He pulled me away from the group, but Nicholas came after us.
“Seth, you need to talk to him. He won’t listen to me.”
“Why?” Seth nearly shouted, and a few guests stopped and stared. “I have no interest in speaking to that sorry excuse of a father. I will not do him any favors.” He moved closer to Nicholas, which made me nervous. I wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but it’s wasn’t going to be good. “You can be his lapdog, do his dirty work, but I won’t. Never have, never will.”
“Seth,” I whispered and placed my hand on his arm, “can you help me with something?” His attention snapped back to me, and I could see how upset he was. “Please.”
“Yeah, sure, baby.” He turned back to his brother and shook his head. “No more.”
Nicholas nodded but glanced me, and he mouthed, “Later.”
I steered Seth to the side of the house and tucked him away in the shadows. “Are you all right?” I wanted him to take a moment to catch his breath. “Can I do anything?”
He cupped my face as he lowered his yellow eyes to meet my gaze. For a moment my stomach dropped, remembering Lasko’s dog and the basement, but I pushed it aside. “I love you, Emily.” Before I could respond, he sealed his lips over mine. He pushed me flat to the wall. I could tell he was bothered, but I let him be. Seth was not someone you pushed. He’d come to me when he needed my help. My fingers played in his hair as his tongue danced with mine, and his hand reached under my thigh and hooked my leg over his hip. He ground his erection into me, making me squeak.
“Have you seen Emily?” Maddy’s voice came from no more than ten feet away. Seth growled as he pulled away, nearly panting with need.
“This family.” He squeezed his eyes shut, then looked down at me. He ran his finger from my lips, down my throat, to the center of my breasts. “This is sexy.” His eyes were hooded. I could see he was weighing his options, but there was no way I was having sex with this man ten feet from a pile of family and guests.
“We should go,” I muttered, only to have him push me gently back. His free hand ran up the back of my leg, under my skirt, and over the curve of my ass. “Seth, we can’t,” I whimpered as my body betrayed me with a tingly sensation.
“Just let me do one thing.” His hot breath blew over my neck. “I just need to feel.” His fingers ran along my opening ever so slowly, and my eyes rolled back as the sensations shot through me. “You’re ready for me.” He grinned darkly, but I could see he was hiding something. “I like knowing that.” He pulled away and tugged me into his side as we walked back around the corner. “While you’re mingling, think of my fingers there.” I didn’t think I had a choice.
“Emily!” Maddy shouted as she bounced toward me. “Garrett told me you were here, but I couldn’t find you. Wow, look at you two! How perfect. Look at your eyes, so creepy.” I blocked out her rambles when I saw Seth’s eyes full of promise for a night of pleasure. “Come on, Emily, let me show you around.”
She pulled my arm, but I was still lost in Seth’s world. “You don’t mind, do you, Seth?” Her face always softened when she looked at her older brother. There was so much love and respect there, it nearly broke my heart, but in a good way.
“Not long,” he growled playfully as he leaned in and kissed me on the neck. “That’s an order from your Master.” He gave my ass a little pat before he left, flipping his cape dramatically. Garrett popped out of nowhere, blocking his path.
“Aww,” he pointed to Seth’s cane, “all I got was a stupid lighty-up prop. Why didn’t I think about a cane?”
Seth waved it around. “Pretty bad-ass, right?”
“Yeah.” Garrett reached out and touched the handle. “Can…can I try?”
Maddy and I burst out laughing, and both guys turned and glared at us. They huffed as they walked away like they didn’t just share a moment. Men.
“Okay, so here is the bobbing for apples area.” She waved her hand around. “The photo booth, in there is the makeup artist in case you need a touch-up, the ‘guess what you’re touching tank,’ and…” she rubbed her hands together, “six haunted houses.” She beamed when she showed me one door, explaining that once inside, it led to six different doors you could pick, depending on how much of a wimp you were.
I listened but heard no screams. “How scary is the sixth door?”
Her face changed as the ass from earlier, Nicholas’s friend, took over our conversation. “Did you ever see the first Saw movie?”
“Yes.” I swallowed hard and remembered how scary it was.
“You ever see the show Twisted Sisters or The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock?”
“Unfortunately, both.” I glanced at Maddy, who shrugged at her brother’s friend taking over her fun.
“Well, combine those two fears, modern and classic, and you have door number six.” He stepped closer to me and put his face close to mine. “Is the pretty little blonde bimbo scared?” I wasn’t sure what I’d done to offend this guy, and I decided to ignore him.
“Well, thanks. Maddy, you want to move on?” I threaded my arm through hers.
“Wow, she is scared,” he said and grinned a little. “Nicholas said you had balls, but I’ve yet to see them.” He crossed his arms. “Looks to me like you’re a bit of a pussy. Who’s got fifty she can’t do door six?”
The quiet friend piped up, “I have sixty she can.”
Shit! I felt my braver side come out, the side that had gotten me in my fair share of trouble in the past.
“No, Emily, ignore them.” Maddy gave me a pleading look. “Sorry, but Nicky’s friends are assholes.”
“No, it’s fine. You know I love a good challenge.” I swallowed down a lump.
He waved a hand down the stairs toward the door. I waited for Maddy, but the ass stood in front of her.
“No, alone. She knows all the tricks, so what’s the fun in that?” He moved to open the door. “House six is waiting.”
I smiled back at Maddy, who looked as if she might be sick. Frankly, I felt the same way. I looked over her shoulder at the house before I stepped into the darkness.
The hallway was pitch black, nothing but cool air was with me, and I reached out to run my fingertips along the wall. I moved a slow step forward, knowing the only way I was going to get through this was if I moved. My movement triggered music, and “Custer” by Slipknot flooded my ears. I recognize it from Seth’s workouts. My knees were weak as I shimmied forward and reminded myself it was just pretend. It was all pretend. A strobe light started to blink to the beat of the song. Once my eyes adjusted, my heart came to a halt mid-beat.
A dark figure stepped out from the wall as ice water shot through me. He was covered head to toe in black, his face concealed with a hoodie. Ever so slowly his head rose, and I nearly fainted at the clear plastic mask that hid his face. His head tilted to the side like he was very interested in me. It’s all pretend, it’s all pretend. My heartbeat matched the strobe light’s rhythm, and my mind screamed at me to turn around, but I couldn’t. He stepped to the side as if to tell me to pass, but if I did, we would be so close. I knew I had no choice but to pass by him, so I swallowed hard and placed a nervous step forward, then another, and another. All the while my brain battled with me to turn around and get the fuck out of there. I swore the temperature dropped so low my breath could be seen.
I was a step away from the actor—I was sure he was an actor. All I needed to do was take one more step, then I could pass. I was nearly in tears, but I managed to hold it back. I was strong, and this was ridiculous. I moved in front of him, but I didn’t turn my back. Instead, I stared into his dark eyes.
A series of emotions ran through me. Holy shit, the mask looked just like Jimmy Lasko! Run Emily! I was screaming inside, but I wouldn’t run. There was no reason to, I tried to reason with myself. Lasko was dead. This was just my mind and its screwed up, dark thoughts. The man squinted slightly, then stepped back into the dark, and just as he did, I heard him whisper, “Emilyyyy.”
I turned and hurried around the corner, shaking uncontrollably. I used the wall to help me race through the maze. The fog got thicker as I moved on, and it made it hard to see. Lights flashed, music screamed at me, and my head swarmed with images from my own nightmares. I swore I was not alone. I could feel someone there, and it didn’t feel like an actor.
Finally, I hit a dead end, which led to another door. Fuck! I yanked on the handle and tossed myself forward and slammed it behind me. I reached around the wall for a light switch, but nothing. Think, think, think! Okay, everything seemed to be on motion detectors. I stepped forward and triggered a bright red light. My stomach dropped, tucked, and rolled as it hit the foot of a man who dripped in blood standing four feet away, staring directly at me. Blood seeped over his eyeballs as he stood motionless between me and the other door.
But what made me really want to scream was the hooded man in black was back. He was in the corner, and something told me he wasn’t supposed to be there.
***
Seth
I got a few feet from the bottom of the stairs before I heard my father’s voice. He was in his office. The door was almost closed, but I could hear him. Normally, I blocked out anything that had to do with him, but his tone was so desperate. I moved a little closer to peek inside, and saw he paced in front of his fire place with his cell phone to his ear.
“No, I said take care of it,” he shouted, then downed the rest of his drink. “Do I pay you to question me? No, I pay you to make things disappear. I don’t know who leaked this, but you better fix it or you’ll join the last guy you let slip through your fingers. Last chance, Cale.” He chucked his phone on the chair and sent his glass into the fireplace. “Fucking bitch!”
“Seth,” Mom whispered from the kitchen as she gave me a look begging me to leave.
My father suddenly appeared at the door. His face looked like I just caught him doing something wrong.
“What do you want?” he snapped at me.
I smirked and thought how sad it was that this man was my father. “Nothing from you,” I muttered.
“Watch your mouth, son,” he barked.
“Jack,” Mom came forward to calm the situation, “please, let’s just enjoy the party.”
“Or what, Father, you’ll punch me again? Toss me up against the wall?” I moved closer. I towered over him by a few inches. “In case you forgot, I’m all grown up, smarter and wiser.”
His eyes flickered, and I knew he’d love to haul off and punch me. Jack never liked to be threatened, which was why so many feared him. But he didn’t scare me, not now that I saw what a sad man he had become.
“Seth!” Maddy flew into the hallway. “Seth!” she shouted again, not at all reading the situation. “I need your help.”
“Not now, Mads.”
“Please,” she begged, and something in her tone made me follow her outside while she filled me in. “He basically pushed her into going. But she should have been out by now. I do
n’t know, I…I have a bad feeling because, well…you know.”
I beat my way through the sea of people to the front and headed through a side door. Once inside, I glanced around at the holding room for the actors. It was small, but it gave them a moment to rest before they went back into the rooms to play their part. My mother sank a hefty amount of money into Halloween, and she went all out for her haunted houses, but to someone who scares easily, no matter how much she denied it…house six was the worst.
“Anyone see the blonde in house six?” I called out. “Any idea where she is in the maze?”
“Third room,” a guy dressed all in back, head down, holding a cloth to his face growled.
I hurried down a tiny hallway and slipped into the room that was a riddle. It was empty, and I quickly turned a handle, which made a door pop open. That was when I saw Emily, back pressed to the wall, fingers madly scratching along the fake window to find her way out.
“Em.” I made my way down the hall, but she couldn’t hear me over the loud music. The moment I touched her hand, she screamed. I covered her mouth and whispered in her ear, “Open your eyes.” She did, and when she saw it was me, she lunged into my arms. She was shaking, but she seemed all right. “You okay?” She nodded, but I could see she was beyond terrified.
“Get me out of here.” Her eyes were wide. “I don’t like this.”
I moved her through the last room, where I shook my head at the actor who was about to do his performance. Emily’s grip on my hand almost made me sad that she got so scared.
Once outside, she sagged against the wall and took a moment to regroup, then she started to laugh.
“Should I be worried?” I asked, worried she might be losing it.
“No.” She leaned forward, hands on her thighs. “But I think I may have hurt one of your actors. I elbowed him in the face.” She cupped her mouth as she laughed harder. “Oh my God, Seth, that was so fucking scary.” She stopped, and her face fell a little. I started to hold her, but she held up her hand to stop me. “I just need a moment.”