I look around the forest and scan it carefully but don't see anything unusual and laugh at myself for getting so worked up over nothing. That's what happens when you watch horror movies, but I don't regret my choice to have a horror movie marathon one bit. I love the thrill of a good scare and am always looking for new horror movies to experience that feeling over and over again.
I'm a junkie when it comes to fear and never get enough of being scared, which is why October is my favorite month of the year. Not only do new horror movies come out, but haunted mazes also pop up all over our small town. Haunted mazes are my second favorite thing after horror movies, so much so, I go to every haunted maze my town has to offer every single year.
I love getting scared by the actors but sadly haunted mazes aren't giving me the thrill they used to anymore. They've become too predictable, and now I just walk through them like nothing and don't get scared at all. I still enjoy them because the creators behind them do an amazing job with the setup, props, and the selection of actors, but it's not the same when you don't get scared, which leaves me no choice but to seek the thrill I yearn for in horror movies. It sucks that's all I have now. I wish there was something else out there that could give me the thrill fear brings me, but I wouldn't even know where to look for what I need, so for now, I just stick to good old horror movies.
"God, I'm so stupid," I mutter and shake my head at myself, feeling like such an idiot. I turn back to the side of the house and walk toward the electrical box when I hear loud footfalls behind me. I feel my heart hammer at the sound and quickly spin on my heel to see what or who is coming at me and nearly fall to my knees in relief when I see a deer running across the yard.
I place my hand over my pounding heart and just wait for it to settle down as I watch the deer run into Mrs. Robinson's yard. When it finally disappears out of sight, I release a deep breath and step up to the electrical box. I lift the lid of the box and lock it into place so it stays open.
I lift my phone over the electrical box so I can see what I'm doing. I reset the breakers that are tripped and work my way down the various breakers, resetting them one by one until the lights inside the house slowly come on. I reset the last couple of breakers and when I finish resetting the last one, I see the lights from the deck flicker to life from the side of my left eye.
I close the electrical box shut and turn to head back inside the house when I see the silhouette of a person standing beyond the tree line of the forest. It's dark out but with the light from the deck, I can discern their outline from where I'm standing.
I feel my heart climb its way back up my throat as the person just stands there watching me from a distance. I feel a shiver run down my spine and inwardly curse, hating that fear is coursing through me and making me my heart pound a mile a minute.
Is this my punishment for wanting to be scared?
I steel my spine and don't back down as I face them. They don't move. They just watch me from the shadows, searing me with their gaze as they take in my barely covered body.
"Who are you?" I ask them and am not surprised when they don't respond.
I take a step forward to head inside, not wanting to play this person's stupid game and they mirror my movement, taking one step forward, taunting me with their move.
I feel the hairs on my forearms stand in alarm but I try to ignore it.
"What do you want?" I ask, feeling on the verge of tears. This person is taking this way too far.
I see a light flash, illuminating the forest with its blue glow, and suck in a breath, hoping and praying it's one of my neighbors taking a stroll through the forest, but when I look closer I realize it's the person tormenting me. They're wearing an LED mask over their face that glows a light blue. It has big Xs for eyes and a stitched mouth. It's ominous just like the person wearing it.
I see them tilt their head to the side in the most eery way and feel a shiver run down my spine at the sight. I need to get away from this person and fast.
I look from them to the deck, and back to them, trying to calculate if I can make it before they reach me. There's only one way to find out.
I bolt for the back door of my house and barely make it to the deck when the person tackles me from behind, making me crash into the deck. I feel my breath whoosh out of me as my torso hits the steps and my phone goes flying out of my hand, skidding across the deck and shattering in the process. I throw out my hands to try and protect my face before I fully crash into the deck and grunt in pain when my chest and hands collide with the top of the deck with a hard smack.
I squeeze my eyes shut and press my face into my arms as I gasp for air, trying to regain my breath like a fish out of water. I feel the person climb off me, and as soon as I hear them take a step back, I use what little strength I have left and force myself to my feet before making a run for the backdoor that's only a few feet away from me.
They immediately chase after me and the moment I'm within reach of the doorknob, they grab a fistful of my hair and force my head back, making me bend backward at their will. I reach for their hand that is fisting my hair in a painful grasp and take a step back toward them, trying to ease some of the pain they're causing my scalp, but the moment they realize what I'm doing, they turn me around, grab me by my neck, and shove me hard against the backdoor of the house, making the glass window rattle with the slam of my head.
I hiss in pain but they don't release their tight grip on my neck as I claw at their hand to let me go, needing air. "Please," I beg them. "You don't have to do this. Whatever you're planning...just stop," I plead.
They tilt their head to the side like they're trying to study me, but again, they don't say anything. They just watch me from behind the Neon X's that are covering their eyes and I whimper, knowing tonight may very well be the last night I live. But if it is, I'm not going down without a fight.
"What do you want from me?" I ask, seeing dots starting to dance in front of my vision as they tighten their grasp on my neck. They hold me captive to their gaze before finally loosening their hold on me and taking a step back, giving me some space to breathe.
I hunch over, pressing my palms to my knees as I take in short rapid breaths, trying to catch my breath. I raise my head to look up into my assailant's eyes and swallow back nervously.
"Tell me what you want," I say angrily, feeling pissed that this person is doing this to me. I know I should be playing nice in the face of danger, but this person has pushed me too far and I've had enough. I straighten my spine and face them head-on, preparing myself mentally for a fight because I know this is either going to end in me going into fight or flight mode, and I need to be ready no matter what this person throws my way. "Tell me!" I scream at them, feeling my nose flare and my chest heave as I stare death right in the eyes.
They stand there unmoving and hold my gaze for a beat before they finally break the eery silence with one word. "Run."
I don't think, I just shove him out of the way, and run in a straight line toward the forest like the devil himself is chasing me and at first, I don't hear his steps follow me, but I know it won't be long before he's after me again. I push my legs hard trying to put as much distance as I can between me and my assailant, and manage to stay ahead as I break through the tree line of the forest, but not for long. I hear his heavy footfalls in the distance and look over my shoulder, and see that he's already catching up to me.
Fuck.
I push my legs harder, trying to run faster than I've ever run, and try and breathe through my nose as I feel the twigs and branches bite into my bare feet. It hurts but I push past the pain, knowing that's the least of my worries right now.
I hear a loud howl pierce the night sky and look over my right shoulder to see that someone else is running towards me from the right side of the forest. They're further back but are quickly catching up to me. I notice they're wearing an LED Mask too, except theirs lights up red in the shape of a fox's face that looks almost demonic with its horn-shaped ears. I shiver at the sight, feeling terrified by my assailants and their macabre looking masks.
I quickly face forward and see a clearing far off in the distance, and my heart instantly fills with hope as I run toward it. I feel my foot catch on the root of a tree just as hope was starting to bloom in my chest and scream in frustration, not believing this is happening to me.
Why me? What did I do to deserve this ill fate?
I trip on the root of the tree and feel my body sail forward through the air. I hit the ground hard and put my hands in front of me to try and lessen the blow as I skid across the dirt floor, but it still hurts like a mother fucker the moment my body connects with the ground and drags over the bed of dry leaves, twigs, and rocks.
I scream out in pain, wishing someone would just hear me, but I know better. It's Mischief Night, the one night a year they let teenagers be reckless, and tonight I'm going to be a victim to the horrid tradition. I can just feel it in my bones as I hear my assailant's footsteps close in on me. It's only a matter a time before they find me, and when they do, I don't know what will be of me. All I can do is hope I survive the night and live to see another day.