✔Paint Me a Murder | Book 1

Chapter 27: Secrets from the Grave

New Syracuse University set up a portion of the campus to be a haunted house tour. College students and locals attended to raise money for the school. Upon parking, a creepy man dressed in a clown costume wandered around with a ginormous fake machete. Kazimir considered staying in the truck.

"You coming?" Emmett asked as he climbed out of the driver's side. "Alfie and Jordy are working in the haunted house now. Said their party was lame and they left early."

"We have to go in there?" Kazimir trembled, pointing toward the colossal university building.

"Don't be scared. I'll hold your hand if you want." Emmett teased.

"Can't I wait out in the truck?" Kazimir asked. "It shouldn't take you long to find her. You can call me when you do, and I'll come find you."

"Seriously? Kaz, there's nothing to be scared of. This is all fake." Emmett leaned closer and said, "They rarely make the dead bodies realistic either."

Kazimir sighed. "Fine. Let's hurry up and find them. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Goosebumps crept over Kazimir's arms as they neared the entrance to the haunted school. Wisps of wind tugged at his hood as his fingers brushed over Emmett's. The gang leader didn't seem to pay attention as they stepped into the hellish opening, where a young college student dressed as the grim reaper took his money to enter.

Smoke coiled through the narrow dimly lit hallway they traveled down. Flashes of red strobe lights made it difficult for Kazimir to see so he stuck close to Emmett's side. Sinister laughter echoed through his ears as a zombie-looking woman popped out from the shadows to his left. Heart pounding in his throat, he yelped out and staggered into Emmett.

A couple behind them snickered. Cheeks burning with shame, he hid behind Emmett and peeked out over his broad shoulder.

"You good?" Emmett asked, stroking a hand through Kazimir's tousled brown hair.

"Peachy," Kazimir murmured.

Dangling bits of flesh and bloody limbs came into view next. It made Kazimir sick to his stomach. Memories of Hank's body came to mind. Fake blood oozing down the wall reminded him of the blood that seeped out of Samantha's hollow eye socket. Trembling, he squeezed Emmett's arm tighter.

More gruesome figures popped out to scare poor skittish Kazimir. Little did those carefree college students know he'd witnessed such murderous things in real life. It was all fake fun for them.

"Yo, Emmett!" Alfie called out.

Standing beside an ancient-looking hospital gurney, Alfie now wore a bloody doctor costume. A dummy hid underneath the huge white sheet. Surrounding them, other college students dressed like deranged patients screaming and howling to frighten everyone who passed by. It made the hair on Kazimir's arms raise as he winced against their shrieks.

"You having fun?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, that party was lame as fuck. We came over here to help out cause some volunteers never showed," Alfie replied. "Got your text about Samantha. Had Jordy check the picture too. Didn't even notice her until a bit later over here. She's not working. She came with another man. They're out here dealing."

The sheet on the gurney shifted and what Kazimir presumed was a dummy sat up. It scared the living hell out of him and he jumped into Emmett's arms for protection.

"Shit, sorry man." Jordy apologized. "Just wanted to add how we watched the drug deal go down. It was on campus, out by entrance. We tried keeping up with them, but they kept moving around. They came in here once. I dunno who the weird guy was."