Esther

6 - When will I get the point across that I don't like scary things?

Alex

We don't talk about it. Life carries on. I blame my words on emotions and lack of sleep.

As the end of October rolls around, so does the Halloween decorations. And guess who was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement?

"We are going to a haunted house this year and you two are going to come with me whether you like it or not."

Josh and I both start to protest but Esther shushes us, grinning like a maniac.

"It's either a haunted house, or I'm forcing you two to dress up as Alvin and the chipmunks with me."

We shut up. Esther lies back on her bed in triumph. All our textbooks and notebooks are spread out on the floor of her room, laptops lying open, forgotten in favour of our conversation. Josh looks at me and shrugs.

"I mean, I have no desire to dress up as a chipmunk."

I roll my eyes at him, sticking out my tongue.

'Don't pretend to be a big man now kitchen sponge. We all know you nearly pissed yourself during that horror movie we watched the other week. In fact-" I roll up my sleeve "I might still have the bruises from you nearly ripping my arm off."

That gets me a pillow to the face.

Of course Josh would advocate for the haunted house. Suck up. But, as the night of Halloween rolls around, I can tell he's regretting his decision. The three of us stand in front of the haunted house, staring up at the rickety structure.

"Remind me why I thought this was a good idea?" Josh complains, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. I snort a laugh.

"Hey, it was either this or dress up as chipmunks, remember?"

He slowly looks down at his blue hoodie, then my red one, and Esther's green one.

"Well, we didn't manage to dodge that bullet completely either, Alvin." He mumbles under his breath, blinking owlishly from behind his glasses.

Esther pops up between us.

"I hate to interrupt whatever's going on here, but are we going in or not?"

"Let's do it." I square my shoulders and shoot her my charming grin, just catching the end of Josh's exaggerated eyeroll.

Before I can retaliate with something along the lines of 'come up with an original move, you wet paper towel', Esther pushes me towards the door.

"Great!" She grins at me, with an evil look in her eye. "You can go first."

And honestly? I would rather dress up as a chipmunk.

The hallway is dark and musty, the only source of light being the black candles in brackets on the wall, giving off an eerie blue light. Old painting in gilded frames stare down at us. I take a few steps and jerk to a halt, rearing backwards.

"I think the eyes on that painting moved." I squeak. Esther giggles behind me and pushes me forwards.

"Stop being a wimp and hurry up!"

"Why don't you go first then?"

Esther's eyes glow a terrifyingly bright blue from the blacklight in the hallway.

"Cause I need to make sure you don't chicken out."

She pushes Josh forwards and slinks back into the shadows behind us. I look at Josh, gulp, and start moving forwards.

Cobwebs line the walls and whispers seem to emanate from every corner of the room. We make our way into what seems to be a dining room. Creepy photos rest on the sideboard, of people with too big eyes and pale skin. A dusty chandelier hangs from the ceiling, broken crystals scattered on the floor. At the table, five motionless figures sit as though in the middle of a dinner party, their clothing torn and dirty like they've climbed out of the grave.

Esther takes a step towards the table.

"Esther! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Josh hisses, staring up at a cage full of bones.

"Relax I'm just looking." She turns around to find herself face to face with one of the people at the table. One who was definitely not looking at her a moment ago. She goes to take a step back, but a hand shoots out from under the cloak and latches onto her arm.

"Just looking, are we?" The guy breathes, eyes wild. To her credit, Esther doesn't scream, only you probably couldn't tell over the screams coming from me and Josh. Unfortunately, she does slap the guy.

I sincerely hope he got paid extra for that.

The second he lets go of her arm, Esther turns and runs, leaving us scrambling after her into the next room as she cackles maniacally. I barely manage to duck as a bejewelled chalice sail past my head, thrown by one of the people sitting at the table.

Esther is waiting for us at the next room, her face alight with a ridiculous grin.

"I think you just screwed up the entire routine, Estarella." I mumble, trying to make my voice come down from the octave it is insistently staying at. Josh's face is pale.

"I hate this. When will I ever get the point across to you idiots that I hate scary things?"

"Oh, we know kitchen sponge. We just like seeing you suffer."

"Don't pretend you're enjoying this any more than I am, HOLY MOLY WHAT WAS THAT NOISE!?!?"

We move past curtains of ghosts and hanging skeletons. At one point, we see a small child torturing her stuffed animals, her face a little to gaunt to look human. Lights flicker in an autopsy room, with a person on the bench still gasping for air as they are torn open. Dolls turn their heads as we walk past, and a blood-stained room with bullet holes and writing on the walls.

I'm watching

Over and over again.

Yeah, I'm done.

As we enter the last room, Esther ahead of me, Josh taps me on the shoulder. I turn, about to yell at him for nearly making me jump out of my skin, and come face to face with a literal nightmare. Her eyes are gaunt and empty, face cracked like a China doll. Blood seems to be leaking from her eyes. She raises a finger to her lips, grinning through the stitches holding her mouth shut.

I scream.

Loudly.

Esther turns just as I sprint past her, making a grab for her hand as I run. We sprint together though the last room, and I can only hope she grabbed Josh on the way out. I don't dare turn around. That lady is going to make my nightmares run for cover I swear. I sprint towards the exit, thanking every deity in existence that we were in the last room as I burst through the door into the open, breaths heaving, heart racing.

There's a beat of silence as I catch my breath back, still clutching onto Esther's hand like it's my life support. Someone clears their throat.

"Look, man, I appreciate the gesture but was it really necessary to hold my hand?"

That...is not Esther.

My face flushes with embarrassment as I drop Josh's hand, my mouth falling open in an odd mixture of shock and horror.

"I- It's- I mean- Oh, my god- sorry!"

Esther emerges from the darkness behind us, laughing so hard she can barely walk straight. She waves her phone at me gleefully.

"I got it!" she wheezes, unable to contain the grin on her face. "I got it on video!"

She doesn't seem to mind that we left her behind.