When Adeline had said an amusement park yesterday, she didn't think he'd rent out the entire park within a few hours. When they arrived at the park, there was no one in sight, not even cameras, the latter she was grateful for.
"Well, money talks," Lydia commented with her arms crossed and her eyes glued to the empty rides.
The Ferris wheel was rolling, but there was no one in it. The merry-go-round was spinning, but no one sat on it. This place felt like a moving ghost town, but the entrance was lined with employees who had immediately bowed their heads when they entered.
"They even gave you a key to this place," Lydia said, referring to the present in Adeline's hands.
"The owner of this amusement park was at yesterday's baby shower," Weston informed Lydia who rolled her eyes at his words. "Of course he'd give her a key to this place."
It wasn't a literal key, but a present shaped like one that'd grant her access to this park with it completely unoccupied, but at an alarming cost.
"I'm not dumb, I saw him there as well," Lydia stated, not liking it when things are explained for her, especially from the arrogant Weston who's ego only grew larger.
"I was just saying," Weston said.
"I didn't ask for you to tell me that," Lydia snapped at him.
"Let's go," Elias muttered, tugging at his wife's hand. She was drawn to the drama, and he wondered what was so entertaining about the bickering pair. They acted like cats and dogs instead of lovers.
"Where would you like to go first?" Elias asked her whilst pulling her towards the Haunted House.
Elias smiled at the thought of her trembling and screaming, holding tightly onto him for mercy. He liked it when she relied on him for relief. He especially liked it when she'd cling to his body.
"The Ferris Wheel," Adeline responded, but allowed herself to be pulled to the large, looming mansion in the distance. When they stopped at the rusting gates, she blinked at the cliche.
"We can go later," Elias said as he walked past the employees who began speaking on their walkie-talkies to prepare the actors.
"Of course you'd like Haunted Houses," Adeline chuckled when he pulled her inside.
They walked through the doors and she jumped when it slammed shut behind them. She swallowed at the red lights that illuminated the darkness, turning this place into a bloodbath. But instead of being scared, she was fascinated, looking everywhere.
"I'm right here," Elias said, as if she didn't know that already.
Elias began pulling her through the corridor, where droplets of falling water could be heard somewhere, and the soft cries of a baby.
Suddenly, a crazy woman in a white dress ran past them with a bloody baby carriage, her hair wild and dark. Most people would've screamed and jumped away, but Adeline was interested. She took in the running woman with wide eyes, as if observing the outfit."If you're scared, I can hold your hand—"
"Look Elias, there's writing in fake blood. I've seen these in movies," Adeline said, pointing to the wall that read 'WE SEE YOU.'
Elias dryly looked at her. Where was the screaming and hugging? He didn't sign up for this. Instead, he glared at the wall, wishing it'd crumble, so she could focus on him. Suddenly, a shriek was heard from behind him. Even he jumped a bit, but Adeline calmly turned around to see Lydia and Weston.
"That is supposed to be your reaction," Elias muttered, but froze. What the hell.
Weston was the one who had screamed, not Lydia. Weston had clung onto his lover, using her as a shield.
"My hero," Lydia sarcastically said, elbowing Weston off of her. He had grabbed her shoulders and hid behind her shoulders.
"I'm more precious," Weston responded. "They can take you first."
"Coward," Lydia scoffed.
They began to walk forward, but then a door swung open in front of them. She swallowed when piano music began to play and they peered through the door. There was a lone woman dancing ballet in the room, her make up daunting, and her eye shadows dark.
A voice began to speak in the intercoms. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen. To exit our mansion, you have to find three hidden keys."
"What?!" Weston demanded, his head snapping to the speakers.
Which kind of idiot made up this stupid rule? He was going to have them arrested. The thought of going inside any of the rooms to search for three stupid keys pissed him off more than it terrified him.
"The keys must be inside that locker," Adeline calmly told Elias, pointing to the dark locker in the corner of the ballet room. Her heart raced when the dancer's head whiplashed to her direction, suddenly spinning towards the door.
"Oh my god, she's coming!" Weston hissed, shoving Lydia through the doors.
"I can't relate," Lydia scoffed, crossing her arms and entering inside. The ballerina immediately began hopping towards them in elegant, yet horrifying spins with her arms spread. Lydia gulped, jumping back in fear.
"Oh hell no, I'm leaving," Lydia complained, but it was too late, Weston shut the doors on her.
"YOU BASTARD!" Lydia hollered, banging on the door in fear. She tried the door handle but found it was useless. Now, she was trapped in this room with the frightening ballerina in a white dress, but black eyeshadow.
"Looks like a break up will happen before they even begin dating," Elias said to his wife who quietly laughed. She glanced at Weston who was holding the door shut, ignoring the banging on the other side.
"I'm sorry!" Weston called back. Just then, a deathly silence fell over the pitch dark hallways. The flickering red lights only heightened his fear further. What happened? Did Lydia die in there?
Slowly, Weston cracked the doors open and peered inside. Lydia was gone. There was only the awkwardly moving ballerina whose head was now bent in an odd angle and she was moving her hand like a puppet near the lockers.
"Lydia?" Weston shakily said, stepping into the room. Immediately, Lydia ran out of her hiding spot and slammed the doors shut on him, locking him inside.
"YOU VIXEN!" Weston hollered, grabbing the door handle and pushing it down.
Weston turned around and found it budged slightly. But then, he felt a presence behind him and nearly punched the ballerina to the ground. She was standing quietly behind him, a bloodcurdling smile on her face."He...llo," she croaked out, and Weston nearly passed out.
Lydia heard a shrill scream like that of a woman, and she safely concluded it was Weston. Hah, so much for being a macho man who loved to dominate her. She snickered at his response, knowing she'd never let him live this down.
"Let me out, DAMN IT!" Weston roared, repeatedly pulling at the door, wondering why it wasn't budging.
Lydia had propped a chair upon the handles, which prevented the handles from jiggling any further and opening.
"This is pathetic," Elias muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. "Weston is at his lowest moment. For his sake, don't witness this any further."
"Will he be fine?" Adeline asked, watching over her shoulder whilst he pulled her away. Lydia had pulled out her phone and began recording Weston's haunted screams.
"Wow, he can be an opera singer," Adeline naively complimented, not knowing she was wounding Weston's ego further.
Elias placed a hand upon his forehead, embarrassed and ashamed by Weston's antics. The man was screaming like he was being murdered inside when in reality, the woman was just dancing.
"Don't bruise his reputation further," Elias mused. "Instead, you should copy his reaction and hide behind me."
Adeline blinked. She peered up at him, laughing in his face. "What? You think I'd be scared of a haunted house, when the castle is always dimly lit at night? Why go to a haunted house when we have a haunted castle?"
Elias frowned. "You're not scared?"
"No."
"Then what the hell are we doing here?" Elias scoffed, his plan ruined by her surprising bravery.
Adeline wasn't even holding his hand tightly. She was innocently smiling, as if these red hallways weren't intimidating. Most people's hearts would've raced.
Suddenly, something fell from the ceiling. A man with long, hanging hair and white eyes. Directly in front of them too. Adeline didn't even jump. She simply touched the prop, in awe.
"Wow, this looks so real, Eli," Adeline said, moving the hair away. She was fascinated by how the mechanism worked. Did they step on a tile and trigger a trap? Or was it motion censored?
"Don't touch it," Elias snapped, pulling her hand back. "It's dirty."
Adeline chuckled at his concern. She glanced at her hand and found nothing on it. But she did hear a crack behind her. She spun around to see Weston had punched the door down.
"YOU!" Weston roared, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"Who? Me?" Lydia asked, glancing around innocently.
"I am going to kill you," Weston hissed, shoving the chair away and pushing the doors open. He finally had a key in hand, but at the cost of his reputation.magic
"Yeah right," Lydia snickered. Without warning, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her against the door, his breathing heavy and his eyes crazy.
"Alright, alright, nothing to see here," Elias said, immediately pulling Adeline away. She looked like she just needed a nice bucket of popcorn to witness her erotica come to life.
"You should read your porn, not watch it," Elias muttered when the couple began kissing and Adeline stared at them wide-eyed.
"Is that how we look?" Adeline asked him just as he pulled her around a corner.
"Why don't we give it a try and ask one of the ghosts?" Elias said, pushing her against the wall. Before she could respond, he captured her lips in a searing kiss, his fingers on her chin, his body pressing her into the wall.