•Stuck in Mayfield's bazaar•

(7) Heart Attack Backpack

Also known as:

•Floor Three

•The deadly backpack

•Narrowly saving Lonz

•How the Silver Arrow helped

Lonz's POV:

"I'm genuinely tired," Vanessa complained as she stretched her arms over her head. "When are we ever gonna finish this bet?"

"Well, if it weren't for Daniel pulling that lever randomly and landing us in an encounter with Shelia Mayfield, I'm sure we would have nearly finished by now," I replied, and we collectively shot Daniel a 'you did it' look.

He gave us an annoyed glare. "Aw come on already, cut it out you guys!" he huffed.

"Anywayssss," Matt cut in, turning our attention back to him. "We still have Floor Three and Floor Six before we can go to the final floor," he said, waving the note Reggie left for us. "Where first?"

I placed a hand on Matt's shoulder as I looked at the note. "Hm, how about Floor Three?" I suggested.

"Heart Attack Backpack?" Matt asked doubtfully, and I nodded in confirmation. "That's honestly the strangest thing I've heard of from this list," Vanessa stated, experimentally placing a hand over her heart, as if making sure it was still beating.

"I mean, everything is strange here, more like terrifying," Daniel added as I pressed the button to the third floor.

                              X-O-X

The elevator doors slid open on the third floor.

We stepped out one after the other, standing in silence as we glanced around. Just then, my eyes came to rest on a wall of backpacks.

The whole wall was absolutely COVERED in backpacks of all shapes and sizes.

As I walked closer, there was one right in the middle that caught my attention.

It was a bright neon green, and it seemed like it was actually beating slowly, like a heartbeat.

I bent closer to read the label: Heart Attack Backpack. Ah. This is the one.

It looked so beautiful though...like it was so mesmerizing...

My fingers reached out on their own without my consent, but I didn't care. All I cared about was getting the backpack... and wearing it...

Matt's POV:

I followed Lonz, stopping as I watched her reach out to pick up the backpack. The green glow of the backpack reflected in her aquish eyes, making them look strange. Just like the bad feeling in my stomach.

"Lonz?" I called. She didn't respond, and I watched as she pulled the backpack onto her back. Her eyes were glazed over, like she was in some sort of daze.

"Lonz? Hey!" Vanessa snapped her fingers in Lonz's face, trying to catch her attention, but it wasn't working. The backpack looked like a tight fit, actually a bit too tight...

Lonz's POV:

I sighed in content at how snug and comfortable the backpack felt on my back, and I could feel its warm glow through my sweater.

The comfortable feeling started to fade suddenly, starting to be replaced by a tight, uncomfortable one. It was as if the backpack's grip was getting tighter, making it hard to catch my breath.

My heart started to beat faster, snapping me out of my trance. Now I know why it's called a heart attack backpack. I'm gonna have one if I don't get it off!

"G-guys- get it- off-!" I gasped, trying to pull it off. Their eyes widened at the same time as they rushed towards me, Vanessa grabbing me by the shoulders, while the boys tried to pull the backpack off.

"Bloody hell!" I heard Daniel exclaim. "Drat, this thing has teeth!"

Vanessa stood on her tiptoes to look over my shoulder, and her eyes widened even more. "Crap, those look deadly!"

"The buckles are stuck!" Matt cried. "And hey, stop trying to eat my hand!" he hissed, pulling his hand back from the so called teeth.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe, and I was starting to see stars. "If the buckles are stuck, then we need something sharp to cut it off!" Vanessa responded. With that, she and Daniel rushed off to find something sharp, while Matt continued to try and pull the backpack off.

Matt's POV:

"I know!" Vanessa slapped her forehead, stopping abruptly. "We don't have to find something sharp! We already have something!" She yanked the silver arrow out from the duffel bag and threw it at me to catch.

I immediately started to saw at the straps of the backpack. But I had completely forgotten it had a life of its own.

Vanessa narrowly managed to hold Lonz in place before the backpack nearly dragged her away. The backpack kept moving, trying to stop me from freeing Lonz.

"Mate hurry!" Daniel cried. I stopped trying to cut the buckles. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

With a deep breath, I plunged the arrow into the middle of the backpack. The backpack let out a piercing shriek, painfully reminding me of the mandrakes we used to deal with in Herbology.

It loosened its grip, letting Daniel pull it off Lonz and throw it to the ground. A moment of wild thrashing later, the backpack went limp.

"Merlin's beard..." Vanessa muttered. She gingerly picked up the backpack (and the arrow stuck in the middle) and placed them in the duffel bag.

"Why the hell would someone sell things like this in the first place?!" Daniel demanded no one in particular.

"That was absolutely HORRIBLE," Lonz said between her gasps of air. "If I can find Reggie, I'm going to MURDER him," she said menacingly.
Honestly, I would too.

I walked to her, gently helping her up. "Careful Lonz," I whispered. "Say, shall I give you a piggyback for a little while till you catch your breath?"

"I'd like that Matt, thanks," Lonz replied with a smile, and I let her get on my back. "Is this the Matt I've been dating all these days, or did he get kidnapped and get replaced by a clone or something?" she questioned jokingly, and I found myself laughing with her. "Yeah, I'm a clone! How did you know?" I joked.

"Yo lovebirds, done yet?" Vanessa teased. "And you call us the lovebirds," Daniel laughed.

I rolled my eyes, walking towards them with Lonz on my back. "One more floor till the final showdown," Vanessa murmured as she glanced at the note, the atmosphere going solemn once again. "Floor Six," we four said at the same time.

We're so close to getting out of here. 'I hope we do as quickly as possible', I thought as we stepped into the elevator.

To be continued...

A/N I think the ending just goes to show I can't write horror or suspense on its own- I always find myself including humor or other genres as well *sigh*

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this mess- Do vote and leave a comment! Happy reading! - Vicky <3