Healing Embrace

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

8:00 PM, Friday, March 13th, 2015

“When I suggested going out, I didn’t give a thought to it being Friday the 13th. You’re not superstitious are you?”

“No, not at all...at least, I don’t think so,” Barb said. “I guess it all depends on what you have in mind? A late dinner? A movie? What?”

“You’ll see. Let’s just say it’s a place where I’ll get to hold you tight.”

“Ooo, dancing! I love dancing.”

Janet’s face fell. “I’m not much of a dancer; sorry.”

“You do like music though, right?”

“Yes, most of it.”

“Good. So not dancing then huh? Hold me tight, you said...” Barb wracked her brain. “A horror movie?”

“Do you like those?”

“Sometimes; the older ones and the ones with some sort of plot are okay. I’m not big on the slasher stuff with lots of blood and gore.”

“Good to know.”

“So we’re seeing a horror flick?”

“Not quite.”

“Are you trying to tell me we’re probably doomed?”

Janet just grinned.

“A haunted house, seriously? We are doomed, and in March, to boot! I can’t even believe it’s open.”

“Whenever there’s a Friday the 13th and on some other holidays.”

“How in the world did you find this place?”

“Dana told me about it. Her and her dad are big into these things. They came down here early in the last Halloween season to try and get some ideas for the one they have at the Fall Festival there in Morelville every year.”

“Fall Festival?”

Janet shook her head. “You really need to get out of town and out of your bar more. Come on, the line’s not too bad.”

“I haven’t been in one of these since I was in college out in California. It’s had to be 15 years or more.”

“Scared?”

Barb half smiled. “Maybe a little.”

“Don’t worry; I’ve got your back.”

“What?” Then it clicked for her. “Oh no you don’t! I’m behind you if we’re going in there!”

The lady at the ticket window was having a laugh at Barb’s expense as Janet moved up to pay. “Oh honey, you know it’s all fake, right? That’s what I tell all the kids, anyway.”

“Ha ha,” Barb said. “I’ll be just fine and show you both.”

After waiting in line and joking with the couple in front of them for about ten minutes, the young pair was let in, him hugging her tight from behind.

“See? He’s hugging around her, keeping her safe.”

“No he’s not. He was a bigger puss than her. That’s all to protect himself. He even pulled his hoodie up on his head like it’s somehow going to protect him too.”

The people behind them in line laughed and Barb did too at her own joke until she heard both the woman and man that had been in front of them scream from somewhere not far beyond the entry.

“Right on cue,” said the woman in the ugly witch costume manning the door. “Are you ready?” Janet nodded while Barb sucked in a deep breath.

The witch cackled and opened the door. “Stay on the path. See you in a couple of hours!”

“Hours?” Barb asked as she followed Janet through the door.

“She’s kidding.”

“Wow, it’s really dark in here. Arrg! Something touched my back!” A strobe lit up an actor that had seemingly materialized out of a wall to follow them as they entered. Barb latched onto Janet and hung on as the slightly taller woman drug her around a corner where things got even darker.

“What the hell was that?” Barb called from her position plastered against her date. Something was pelting her face and torso.

Janet turned her head slightly to say, “Just something hanging from the ceiling.”

They got through whatever the obstacle was into a more lighted area where they made another right. As they passed by a prop, it lit up and began to speak causing Barb to almost knock Janet over.

The younger woman stopped. “We’re not twenty feet inside the door and you’ve got me battered.”

“Sorry.” Barb stood up straight and let go of all but Janet’s hand.

The made a quick left and found themselves on a floor that moved. The more they moved, trying to get across it, the more it did. When Janet finally made it across and held Barb’s hand so she could come the rest of the way over it too, Barb called out over the creepy music, “I don’t know what made those other two scream so loud.”

She came back onto solid footing then and Janet pulled them forward into a mini-maze where they were met by another actor that seemed to come right out of the tight walls around them. The question answered, they both screamed loud and bolted through the dimly lit little maze and on.

Another scare led them up a narrow ramp into a tumbling vortex of light and color. Barb caught a glimpse out the other end of it of what she thought might be clowns. She hated clowns. Ducking her head to watch their feet instead of the moving walls, she just prayed that it would be a painless death by heart attack that she was about to have.

A half dozen clowns, some zombies, a room full of spiders, a butcher shop, a jail, a hospital and several other scenes later, Barb was nearly spent. Hoarse from screaming, she was ready to call it quits but then, in a black lit hallway, seemingly devoid of creatures from hell, Janet turned and gave her a quick kiss.

“You’re doing great.”

That was all Barb needed to hear. She squared her shoulders and pushed on, that is, until the total blackout maze. Having no light at all was near total sensory deprivation. Her mind went crazy with the thought of what might be lurking, inches away.

She still had a hold of Janet’s hand and she could feel the walls around her with her other hand but, damn the people that ran this thing, there was gritty stuff and slimy stuff and all manner of who knows what on them. Just when she thought they were making some progress, her free hand touched the warm body of another human and she jumped and screamed, losing contact with Janet for a split second.

“Where are you? Don’t leave me! There’s someone in here!”

“I’m right here, probably a foot from you.”

Barb, her hands outstretched, felt another hand and screamed again.

“That’s me you goof!” Janet laughed. “Give me your hand and come on.”

“Do you have your cell phone with you? Turn it on,” Barb said.

“I wouldn’t do that,” a woman’s voice advised from somewhere up ahead of them, making Barb shudder. “That’ll ruin all the fun.”

“Says you!” Barb called back.

Janet tugged her along seemingly able to find her way without much trouble in the total darkness.

“How are you doing this?” Barb finally asked.

“Good night vision. Lots of practice in the Army. It comes in handy.”

The finally made it outside only to tangle with another surprise but then found themselves spent and back in the parking lot where they’d started.

Hearts pounding, they looked at each other.

“Well,” Janet asked, “What did you think?”

Barb was working to catch her breath but managed a chuckle. When she could talk she said, “Scary, I’m not gonna’ lie, but fun. I’d say let’s do it again but I really think I need to pee now and let my blood pressure and heart rate go down a bit.”

“I had a great time tonight,” Barb said as she turned half sideways to look at Janet. “I’d all but forgotten what dating was like.”

“My pleasure,” Janet smiled.

“Do you want to come in?”

“No ma’am. I have to work in the morning – not too early since its Saturday and all but work all the same. When can I see you again?”

“Soon, I hope. I owe you a date now though I don’t know how I could possibly top this.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“No, not at all. I really did have fun. That haunted house brought back memories...not all good ones...scary dreams and stuff but it was fun and a great idea. Anyway, you know my schedule but I know yours varies.”

“Yeah, unfortunately. Shane and I trade working weekends but the other of us is always on call. Neither one of us has a family or a life...at least not till now, so it was never a big deal.”

“When are you off again?”

“Well, Wednesday. I actually have an appointment with a realtor about the house during the day to get it on the market but we could maybe do something that afternoon. I’m also off Saturday and Sunday this week but on-call on Sunday.”

“Not on call if something happens on Saturday?”

“Nope. The Sheriff...Mel to you, I guess, takes a shift every other Saturday and she covers the extra call outs.”

“That’s right; I knew that.”

“I forget that you two are friends.”

“We weren’t always. Someday I’ll have to tell you that story,” Barb confided.

“Not tonight. I don’t need any strange pictures in my head about my boss tonight.”

“No, not tonight. Who do you want pictures of in your head?”

“Guess?” Janet said and then leaned across to Barb’s seat for a quick kiss.

Barb put a hand on Janet’s shoulder and tried to pull her closer and deepen the kiss but she was having none of it.

“No, no. No starting something, I can’t finish. I really do have to work in the morning, it’s getting late and it’s a bit of a drive home.”

Barb tried to make a pouty face but failed. Instead, she leaned the other way herself, gave Janet’s cheek a quick buss then pulled back and got out of the car. “Good night. I’ll call you in a couple of days with some sort of plan in mind for Saturday.”

“Great! Goodnight!”

Janet watched as Barb let herself into the house then she reversed to the turn-around in the long drive and was gone.