You Forgot to Read the Terms of Service

Prologue

Corinne shivered as she stumbled through the cool night air, her wedding dress torn and covered in mud. The metal bars of the jungle gym felt ice cold on her skin as she pulled herself up and hid in one of the plastic tunnels.

It was too small, and she struggled to pull all of her tattered dress in behind her. She pulled her phone from under her chest –the only pocket on her dress– and considered dialing the police. But what would she even say? That she'd had her dream wedding, but the honeymoon had turned into a nightmare? That a monster was trying to kill her?

She switched tactics, dialing the customer support number for the experience she'd shelled out a couple hundred bucks for.

"This is customer support for 'Your Horror Experience Live and Brought Straight to Your Door.' How may I assist you?" The voice drawled.

Impatiently, Corrine said in a hushed voice, "My new wife is trying to kill me."

The voice on the other end sighed. "Ma'am, did you read the fine print?" The voice paused and the sound of ruffling papers replaced the voice for a moment. "Miss Corinne –sorry, Mrs. now– Now, you ordered your horror fantasy to be a wedding with a..." Another pause. "Tall, mysterious woman with a taste for blood and flesh. Is that correct?"

"Well, yes, but-" Corinne hesitated. When it was read back to her aloud, it sounded like cannibalism. When she'd filled out the application a couple of weeks ago, she didn't think much of it. She'd wanted a monster in her life, yes. A monster who would love her and take care of anyone who didn't agree. She'd assumed that meant the flesh and blood of haters. The people she didn't like. Not her. Not her own future wife.

The voice on the phone snapped her back to reality. "Did you read the waiver, ma'am? As policy states, we are here to scare you and fulfill all of humanity's darkest fantasies, specifically when it comes to horror. Some of which include the following: being the hunter, being hunted, being a victim, becoming a monster-"

Corinne wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She wanted to take her anger out on the phone, but that would alert her pursuer to her location. Cautiously, she crawled out from her tight spot in the tunnel.

The air was calm, the sky full of stars so bright she could see some of the constellations that were hidden when she lived in the city. It was so beautiful this nightmare couldn't possibly be real. But then the stench in the air reminded her that her honeymoon had started with a slaughter fest.

Her blood-soaked wife stood upwind, a towering silhouette at least twice her height. She descended on the playground like a bat swooping in on prey.

Corinne ripped the bottom off of her dress, tired of trying to take the whole thing with her. She pulled off the heels and dashed as fast as she could away from the monster. Once a runner in high school, she had placed first in long-distance running.

She sprinted into the woods, dodging trees with expert agility until foot pain set in. Searing, sharp pain that not only made her stop, but had her sprawling onto the forest floor. She pushed herself up and used the light on her phone to look at her torn foot. There was a trail of blood, dirt, and bits of twig stuck into her skin. She brushed off and pulled out the sharp bits until she could see the wound. It was surface level, a scrape. And it stung.

Then her wife was there before her. In the faintest light, Corinne's eyes had adjusted and she could see the collar around her neck blinking with lights that, earlier in the week, had been static. Her once-white wedding dress was drenched in blood. She licked excess blood from her fingertips, smearing it across her lips, smiling with fangs ready to pierce her flesh.

Corinne forced herself to stand. She limped, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Behind her, the monster bent down and drew a finger through the blood on the ground. She tasted it and made a noise equivalent to someone having sex. A whoosh came from behind and Corinne was spitting dirt out of her mouth, her wife's boot pinning her to the ground.

Her sharp, southern accent dripped sweetly across her lips looking down at her new bride. "I promise our time together will be the best you've ever had."

Corinne began to sob.

"Oh sweetheart," She removed her boot from Corinne's back and picked her up, "My dear, you are absolutely delicious. I promise to savor you. Every. Single. Bite."

Draped over the tall lady's shoulder, Corinne tried to scream, but no sound would come out.