Before the Horns - A Bob Velseb Story

Chapter 11

Bob locked the rest of the doors as he and Sarah closed the shop for the night. He made good and sure everything was shut tight too, since it was getting closer and closer to Halloween. Some meddlesome teens had already broken in once, and he knew it from missing stock and a whole knife set that had gone missing. It was a little odd the teens hadn't trashed the diner after their theft, but then again the whole of the last few days had been weird.

He'd gotten this feeling of being watched he couldn't shake, and swore the same kid in a red hood was following him around. They definitely scored major points with how scary the cloak was; a blood red cloak with dozens of black holes over the face to see out of, which gave Bob the creeps every time he saw it. Not only that, but business wasn't exactly super busy. Luckily Bob could explain that away with the fear of getting scared, as Halloween was only a short week away. Sarah had also been acting odd. She came in late for the first time ever the previous day, and had to leave early the day before. While she wasn't the most chatty person in the world, she seemed to talk less now, and every time Bob saw her she was staring at him.

He shook the uneasy feeling though, because it was all probably because of all the Spooky Month eeriness getting to him. Plus, tonight would be fun. Bob had agreed to work a room in a haunted house to let loose and enjoy some Halloween fun of his own. 

Every year the Evermore Haunted Mansion would ask him to come help out at the experience, and since he was friends with Mr. Carter who knew Evermore himself, he usually happily obliged. Often they just put him in the kitchen, and since he was already a butcher his job was to essentially just butcher meat until it was time to chase the Mansion goers out with a knife.

Bob stuffed his keys in his pocket after locking the last door and turned to Sarah who was now pulling on her coat. "Say Sarah, have you ever been to the haunted mansion 'round here?" he asked with a smile.

Sarah shook her head. "No I haven't. I didn't know there was one."

"Well, I'm gonna be working one of the rooms in like an hour if ya wanna come check it out. It's real fun if ya like scary stuff." Bob explained, hands shoved into his pockets.

Sarah contemplated it for a moment. If this fool was running a room, how scary could it be? Plus, 'scary' was right up Sarah's alley. She didn't spook easy, and even when she did she would maybe jump at most. Maybe she could scare the workers if she tried. 

"Sounds like fun. Is there an address so I know where to go?" she agreed flatly, but still with a smile.

Bob nodded jotting it down happily, and handed her the paper slip. "We're open til 4 in the mornin', but I'm leavin' 'round 12 so I can still make into work tomorrow."

Sarah nodded slipping the paper in her coat pocket. She and Bob parted ways, Bob headed to the Evermore Haunted Mansion, and Sarah off to wherever she went to after work. Bob smiled to himself, glad his coworker was interested in something he was doing. Especially one of the single best nights of the whole year. 

Once he'd made it to the grand entrance of the rickety old building, he stepped back into one of the 'backstage' dressing rooms, and began getting in costume.

Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

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Bored, Charlie pulled out her phone and scrolled through her notes. The line for the Evermore Haunted Mansion was a lot longer than she thought it'd be. There were people everywhere. Waiting teens were gossiping to themselves about the mansion, speaking of insane rumors about the place. Some suggested a real cannibal was inside while others insisted one of the rooms had real blood. Adults waited excitedly to get scared inside, many waging bets with each other over who could scream the least.

It was disgusting. So many people just begging to be scared in a safe environment. Knowing you were safe ruined the whole experience. Charlie thought lowly of people up for a cheap scare. They wanted to be afraid but didn't want to risk all of the things that made being frightened fun. 

Nearly an hour later when Charlie reached the front of the line for tickets, she was presented with a waiver and wrist band with bats on it. Tying the band on, she thumbed through the packet, careful she wasn't selling her soul or something before signing. The contents of the agreement outlined that the actors were allowed to touch the visitors, and if someone didn't like that then they couldn't sue. It also said that lost objects were not the responsibility of the mansion and many other housekeeping things to make sure they couldn't get sued. Charlie signed the waiver and turned it in without hesitation.

Charlie was relieved the actors were given a little more freedom with their scare tactics. While the Evermore Haunted Mansion was still a cheap fake out for fear, at least the danger was a little better simulated. Maybe this will actually be some fun, even if it's not scary.

Charlie was sorted into a group and was told they'd be going in after the next five groups. The que was absurdly long in Charlie's opinion, but after reading the waiver that only meant it'd be a little more fun. Her group members conversed amongst themselves, hyping each other up, scaring each other before even getting inside, and continuing to spread the clearly untrue rumors.

One of the employees for the attraction came to the group, carrying a flashlight. "Welcome to the Evermore Haunted Mansion! My name is Stacy, and I'm gonna be your tour guide for your visit. This just your friendly reminder that this attraction can be pretty scary at times, but once you go through the front door we can't let you back out! It's not too late to back out, and we totally understand if you do.  We'll refund your ticket purchase in full, and hope we get to scare your pants off next year!" Stacy explained cheerfully. After a second thought, four people left the group to get their refunds.

Stacy smiled and waved to those leaving before returning to the remaining group, with a more sinister tone. "For those of you sticking around for a fright, I'm going to explain a few of the rules! As you read in the waiver, our actors are allowed to reach out and touch you! They may grab, stab, jab, and poke, but remember that it's all fake! We know many people may react in different ways but our number one rule is safety, so please don't hit our workers! It ruins the experience for both of you, and you will be escorted out by another actor or security. Speaking of safety, we know its tempting but don't run! It endangers you, the people around you, and our actors. We won't throw you out right away, but we will remind you that you can't run from your fears! We also strongly advise against bringing in food or drink, because it will mess up our sets. Any food or drink we find you with will be taken away. We also won't tolerate any drug or alcohol use, and you will be removed from the premises immediately. Lastly, please don't film or photograph the experience! It spoils for others who haven't gone in yet, and also ruins it for the people inside. Any intentional breaking of the rules will not be tolerated, and you will be escorted out." she stressed to the crowd. "Before I send you in, who doesn't think they'll get scared?" Stacy asked. A few teen boys raised their hands, as well as Charlie. With that Stacy turned on her walkie talkie, and described those raising their hands. She was instructing the actors to target people for sure. "Now, without further adieu, get in there and get SCARED!" Stacy cried, letting out a horrific evil laugh. She pushed the group into the front entrance, and slammed the massive wood doors behind.