Ever After

Halloween (2)

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This chapter is in Mark's perspective.

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I was forced into staying closely behind the two goons before me, my feet practically stepping on each and every one of their heels as we pressed on. The sound of their speech was my guide through the darkness, their bodies feeling as if they were miles in front of me, even though reason told me they were less than an arm's width away. I could barely hear them talking to one another over the sound of my breathing, my worries (thankfully) drowned out by the sound of my heart pulsing through my shirt.

"What a douche," Felix mumbled, referring to Matt at the front door. "And to think I called him my friend."

"Stop talkin' about it, Felix," Killian moaned. "You're annoying as all hell."

Felix scoffed, proving that Killian had managed to shut him up for a good five minutes. He'd soon opened his mouth, however, when he muttered something to himself, causing suspicion from my end of the room. I felt my lungs breathe out the words that would be formed to ask what he was muttering about, but they were soon winded by the feeling of my body colliding against a brick wall, one that scratched at my cheek. I let out a gust of air in shock, hearing Felix and Killian stop dead in their tracks - I could sense Killian struggling to hold back a laugh as Felix (I hope) rested a hand on my shoulder.

"I forgot to tell you, Mark," he said, "but we're in a maze."

I paused. "A... a maze?" I whispered, somehow even more afraid of the dark space surrounding me. "Where are we?"

Felix scoffed again, this time in order to prove to me how stupid I was for not having caught on.

"You couldn't tell?" he asked, astonishment lingering on his Swedish tongue. "We're at the Spooptacular, hence the 'magic' keys." He went on, knowing of my confusion despite the fact that no facial expressions could be read in such darkness, no matter how close I was to Felix. "It's the most popular place to go on Halloween, but we bought the keys in order to have easy access. It's just a bunch of mazes, but there may be a few jumpscares here and there."

I listened to him speak, although he didn't need to - I'd heard all about the Spooptacular from Jack, when the two of us were... something. He could've gone on and on for hours, discussing each and every aspect of the Spooptacular. It was a tradition of his to go every year, and yet I couldn't help but pray that he didn't decide to come this time around, for the last thing I wanted was to run into him - I couldn't bare to see him again, especially not after he'd planted his lips on Naomi, so easily forgetting the taste of mine.

No matter how badly I wished to avoid Jack, however, I (for reasons unknown) wished that he were here, right next to me, our bodies as close as they were within the darkness of the bathroom on the subway downtown. I wished he could be there to tell me that everything was all right, that I would get out alive, that he would be here to give me that feeling, that same feeling he always gave off. It was the feeling that he knew what he was doing, that he "had this covered," that he could get you out of trouble (or into it) quicker than the speed of the subway car itself. It was the same feeling he'd given off downtown, the feeling he'd given off when laying out the plan on how to attack Felix in the forest, the feeling he'd given off when we'd first locked lips. He always made it seem so simple, made it seem as if it were just that easy... oh, God, how badly I wished for him to be there, I could not begin to describe.

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Three mazes later, we came across a door, locked just like all of the others had been - it required for us to use our keys, which Felix did, pressing it into the door. He squeezed on the handle, ready to turn it, but didn't dare until he'd gotten a good look at Killian and I, Killian giving off his ordinary, teasing smile, me giving off the same old, worried look I always did. He looked at me specifically, his eyes alight with a fiery flare, a glow that I didn't like whatsoever.