Masked Mayhem (Fright Nights)

Chapter Two

The Fright Nights Festival is my favorite event of the year. Every weekend in October I get to volunteer to dress up with my best friends and scare people, what’s not to love. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, theirs too, and our love for it has only grown as we’ve gotten older.

Hearing the screams echoing through the crowd around us brings a feral smile to my face. Not that anyone can see it behind the emotionless white mask I have on. The simple face has been terrifying people all night, pulling screams from them as I pop up when they’re least expecting me.

A group of people scurry towards me, but they’re looking behind them trying to make sure whoever they just passed isn’t chasing them. They should be more concerned about where they’re going.

I stay hidden in the shadows, until they’re only a few feet away, before revealing my position. When they’re right where I want them, I crank my fake chainsaw, the roar echoing through the space around us as I rush towards them. It’s loud and apparently terrifying, but it’s just a prop so it’s actually harmless, not that the people here know that.

The women’s squeals are so high pitched they could break glass, but when the men scream too, I can’t help but laugh. I remember these guys from school, football players who were always throwing their weight around acting like tough guys. Now they’re pushing their girlfriends out of the way so they can run away faster.

Pathetic.

Cranking my prop again I let the realistic sound effects add to the spooky atmosphere as I melt back into the shadows. Out here in the dark it’s easier for people to let their imaginations run wild, we’re just here to help.

People scatter as I move away from my hidden spot in the dark and walk through the crowd again. As soon as they catch a glimpse of me in my white mask they scurry away, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. Everyone except the woman in a green dress that’s running towards me.

That’s a new one.

In all the years I’ve been volunteering here I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone run towards me, at least not on purpose. Most people run from us, some try to be brave and hold their ground, but this woman is running right at me. She’s looking over her shoulder like she’s running from someone, but she’s fighting against the crowd instead of joining them. Everyone else is ignoring her pleas for help because they’re all terrified too, it’s every man for himself out here, but she isn’t afraid of us. Something else has her spooked, and I want to know what, or who it is.

Her eyes zero in on me, taking in my mask and props as she beelines towards me. The closer she gets the more intrigued I am. The Poison Ivy look-alike is another former classmate, Zoe Mathis. Well, Zoe Noble now.

It’s been seven years since we graduated but I would recognize her anywhere. That soft red hair has always fascinated me, not that I ever told her that, I kept those thoughts to myself. We didn’t run in the same crowds back then, and nothing has changed.

In school she was always sweet, but so quiet, it wasn’t really a surprise she fell off the map after graduating. I see her out around town occasionally with her husband Adam Noble, but she still mostly keeps to herself which is why I’m shocked she’s pushing people out of her way to get to me.

I should be cranking my chainsaw, trying to scare her, but instead I lower it. The closer she gets the better I can see her through the eye holes in my mask and I realize the blood coming off her lip isn’t fake. It’s coming from a split that’s already starting to swell.

When she’s close enough she grabs my arm, her little hand can’t even wrap around my wrist, but she’s got a tight grip. The soul gripping fear in her eyes has my protective instincts rearing. I might enjoy scaring people in situations like this, but it’s all fun and games, that’s why people come here. They signed up for this. She isn’t having fun, and I want to know who has her running scared.

“Please, please help me before he kills me.”

Holy. Shit.

Not what I was expecting her to say. Whoever she’s running from is apparently a he, and I would bet money he’s the one who split her lip. The tremble in her voice is heartbreaking, before I can even think about it I’ve got her tucked under my arm, the need to get her out of here is overwhelming.

The guys aren’t far, we tend to stick together here, so when I turn around and head for the employee trailer Nate cocks his head in surprise. Dropping my chainsaw prop out of the way I spin my finger in the air, signaling for him to round up Reynolds while I steer Zoe away from prying eyes. That cut on her lip is fresh, whoever hurt her is probably still here.

There’s not much in the employee trailer, just a small table and a few chairs. It’s mostly a space for volunteers to store our stuff while we’re working the festival. It serves our purpose for the moment though, giving us a quiet place to talk.

It doesn’t take long for the guys to join us. Stepping into the small trailer Nate pulls the door shut behind them and they both look to me for an explanation. I just don’t have one for them, yet.

I don’t know if they’ve seen Zoe’s face or not, but I know they’ll recognize her just as easily as I did when they do. She’s not someone you forget. Even though we weren’t friends she always had a sweet smile to offer up when we were in school. Anytime we smiled back a blush would spread across her cheeks, causing her soft freckles to appear darker.

She looks so out of place here, not because of the costume or even the blood dripping down her quivering lips, but because of the aura surrounding her. People come here to be scared, but she’s not laughing about screaming at a jump scare, she’s bone deep terrified, and it has nothing to do with the festival. I’ve seen her here every year, she loves Fright Nights and takes it all in stride, normally she reacts better than most grown men who come through. In all the years I’ve been volunteering here I’ve never seen her like this.

I direct Zoe to a chair at the small table and ease her into the seat as panic starts taking over. Crossing her arms she hugs them close to her chest like she’s trying to hold herself together. She’s trembling under my fingers, her breaths ragged, like she can’t get enough air into her lungs. Her wide eyes are focused on the door like she’s expecting her own personal bogeyman to come busting through it at any moment.

The guys haven’t said anything, they’re waiting to see what I do first, but I’m just as lost as they are. I want to help her, I just don’t know how.

Kneeling in front of Zoe I slowly pull my white mask off so she can see my face, but I’m careful not to make any sudden movements. Those light hazel eyes focus on me when my mask comes off and to my surprise she seems to relax just a little bit.

“Liam. ”

I wasn’t sure if she would remember me or not, but I definitely wasn’t expecting the relief in her voice.

“Hey Zoe,” I say softly, keeping my voice low and steady. “What happened? Who’s trying to hurt you?”

She actually said she thought some guy was going to kill her, but I don’t want to freak her out, right now I want to keep her calm so we can find out what’s going on.

“He... I...” She’s shaking her head like she doesn’t want to say the words, but I need her to.

“It’s ok, we’re going to help, we just need to know what’s going on. No one is going to hurt you while you’re with us.”

Her hands fall to her lap, which seems like a good sign, but when she’s no longer tucked in on herself we can all see the red marks on her fair skin where someone had a tight grip just above her elbow. My teeth clench at the sight, jaw tightening as I try to figure out just how hard she must have been grabbed to already have those marks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do, or where to go.” Her body tenses again as her hands fidget in her lap. “No one would help me, they all thought I was part of the scare team I think.”

That explains why she ran to me. But I’m more interested in why she was running and who put their hands on her. Pulling on every last bit of patience I possess I question her again.

“It’s ok, we’ve got you now, but I need to know who hurt you so we can help you. ”

“It was my fault; I was talking to the cider vendor. He doesn’t like it when I talk to other men, and I know that. I shouldn’t have done that, it just made him mad.”

Her words hit me like ice water. They pour out in a detached voice like an automatic response, like she’s been conditioned to think this way. That son of a bitch. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going on here, but even as I prepare myself to tell her how wrong she is Zoe shakes her head and does it for me.

“No. I have to stop making excuses for him, this isn't my fault.” Her voice is hardly a whisper, like she’s talking to herself, or she’s so deep in thought she doesn’t even realize we’re here.

She repeats herself again, but this time she looks up at me, those sad eyes reaching straight into my soul. “This isn’t my fault. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

For the first time ever, I don’t know what to say. Her gaze has me so completely captivated that I can’t even form a coherent thought. Luckily for me the others are still thinking straight.

“You’re right Zoe, this isn’t your fault.” Nate has taken his black skull mask off and tossed it on the table next to mine. My friend kneels next to me as he speaks softly, but with a firmness he doesn’t usually exhibit. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s not going to get to you again ok. We’re going to help you.”

While Nate is trying to reassure her that she’s safe now, Reynolds is rummaging through one of the cubbies in the back. I hear his LED mask hit the table just before he walks around it with his jacket in his hands. In a rare show of compassion Reynolds wraps it around Zoe’s shoulders, and she instinctively pulls the material closer around her small body like she can hide from all her problems behind the black leather.