5. Scary In A Different Way

FIVE

SCARY IN A DIFFERENT WAY

JASON

His car smelled like lemons. I hadn't sat in the passenger seat in years, and it was strange. He didn't brake like I did. Whenever he pulled up to a car in front of him, I was already flexing my muscles, bracing for what seemed like an inevitable collision, though so far, Nicholas had always slowed down in time.

"I still can't believe you never brought another guy to your place besides me," Nicholas said as he drove up dangerously close to a red Toyota. "I feel honored."

"No one else bothered to take a job just to get to know me," I replied, clutching the handle above the door. "Plus, no one tried to scare the crap out of me to convince me to go on a date with them. So you've more than earned the right to see it." He should've just taken me for a ride. He'd have won our bet in minutes.

"I'll take your word that you'll show me the garden some other time."

"I promised you, didn't I?"

I told him it was dangerous to go there in the dark because it wasn't being maintained at the moment—which wasn't a lie, but also not the real reason. The thing was, besides the fact that I only had one eye to perceive this world, that one eye wasn't very good at seeing things in the dark. That was why my part-timers took over the evening shifts, why I rebuilt the gas station and the hotel to have flood lights in the most critical places, and also why we had to go to my place. I forgot to bring the extra powerful flashlight in case I somehow got lost in the dark—not that this was likely to happen, but my ambition to end up as a tragic case in the local newspaper was zero to none.

"Turn right on the next intersection," I said.

The flickering treetops in the distance and the hundred cars already parked on the side of the road announced the bonfire wasn't far away anymore.

"I see a parking spot back there on the left."

"Trust me, we need to turn right."

"You're the boss," he chuckled.

The closer we got, the more people we saw walking along the roadside, most of them dressed in Halloween costumes. Nicholas finally drove slowly, keeping his eyes on the lane to see if anyone would appear in front of us.

"Should we have worn costumes, too?" he asked.

"I can lend you my eye patch."

"Wouldn't it be awkward for you if I took it?"

"What if I said I wouldn't take you if you didn't wear it?"

"Then I couldn't say no."

I pointed to the right, where three traffic cones blocked off a parking space so close to the bonfire that we could already see it flickering. Jack, who was part of the team behind this event, had promised to reserve the spot for me and kept his word.

"This is us," I announced.

Nicholas searched for my gaze as he stepped on the brake.

"One advantage of donating some money for this event," I explained, yanking the door open.

I hopped outside. The piney smell of burning wood reached my nose as I removed the traffic cones and stacked them on top of each other.

Nicholas parallel parked into the spot perfectly while I put the cones in front of the car so Jack could find them easily in case he needed them before we left.

The fire was as massive as the trees, and at least five hundred people gathered around it, watching the spectacle. Most businesses in town had tents set up and were offering local goods. The farms provided food and games for the kids, like pumpkin bowling, bobbing for apples, and sack racing. The local vet and his family had set up a small petting zoo a short walk away from the fire, much to the liking of the goats because they got fed by every kid around. You could buy sandwiches, Halloween-themed donuts, cotton candy, and drinks at the Mountain View Cafe's tent. And with the donations coming from other store owners like me and the local grocery store, they set up a spooky-themed hike through the forest, offered free candy to everyone making their way here, and paid people like Jack, who was working the entire night to make sure everything went well.

Nicholas gazed at the fire in awe as he joined me outside. "Wow."

Even though we were sixty feet away, we could feel the heat radiating from it so hard that I needed to unzip my jacket. I pulled out the eye patch and handed it to Nicholas. He took it with such care that one could think I just gave him a raw egg.

He pulled on the elastic string to put it over his head, and after some adjusting, it covered his eye like it should. "How do I look?" he asked, showing me his teeth with his wide grin.

"It's like I'm looking in a mirror."

"So I look handsome. Good to know."

Heat rushed to my head, but it wasn't from the fire. We locked our eyes on each other as if we both couldn't wait for what the night had in store for us. I nodded my head toward the action.

"Let's go," Nicholas agreed.

We made our way closer to the fire. The crackling was accompanied by children screaming out of excitement and parents screaming out of fear that their kids would run too close toward it. We talked little, for the power of the bonfire was something that had to be taken in with all the senses—but I caught a few furtive glances from Nicholas.

Just as the trance of the fire had taken both of us in, a kid dressed as a vampire bumped into him, letting both of us instinctively take a couple of steps away from the heat. As if it was a reflex, Nicholas grabbed the kid under his arms and pulled it with us so it wouldn't run too close to the fire.

"And who are you?" Nicholas asked as he put the boy back on the ground.

"I. am. Dracula ," the kid hissed and ran away as quickly as it had appeared.

We spent the next half hour petting some goats, admiring the entrance to the spooky hike, and exploring all the tents to see what they offered. At Sienna's station from the Mountain View Cafe, I grabbed us some non-alcoholic apple cider before we walked back toward the fire, staring into it again.

"Did you know that it's called a bonfire because, in the olden times, people used to throw the bones of cattle in it as an offering to ensure the sun would come back after a long and hard winter?" Nicholas asked, taking a sip of his cider.

"So, it's actually a bone fire?"

"Exactly. Sometimes, they even burned personal items as offerings for protection against sickness and bad fortune." His head turned toward me. "You think we should also throw something in?"

"Like what?"

Nicholas pulled his clenched right hand out of his jacket and opened it, revealing the rubber spider he had been trying to scare me with.

"No, you can't burn that," I replied.

"Because it's of sentimental value?"

"Because they'll kick us out if we haggle with the bonfire," I replied, staring at the spider's squiggling legs. "But also because it shouldn't suffer such a horrible end."

"You're right. It's basically like our pet now, isn't it?" He smiled as he gently let the spider drop back into his pocket. He took a sip of the cider and arched his back. "This is nice."

"You should take some videos for your YouTube channel."

He glanced at me. "During a date? I'm not that rude."

"It's not rude at all. If you want to take some pictures, do it."

"Okay." He didn't take his eyes off me as he pulled his phone out of his pants and turned around, his back now facing the fire. He held his phone up, getting ready to take a selfie.

"I can also take a picture of you—" I said, but he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close before I could finish my sentence.

The screen on his phone turned white for a second before it displayed the picture he had just taken.

"That's the only one I want to take tonight," he said as he let go of me. "But I can also delete it if you don't like it." He handed me his phone so I could have a closer look. Apart from the fact that I had a stupid expression—my mouth stood open as if a fly had just flown into it—I had to admit that we were pretty cute together.

"Take another one," I said, pushing his phone back into his hands. "We both need to look more stupid."

I had little time to admire his wide grin because he didn't have to be told twice to extend his long arm for another selfie. The screen flashed white at us again. This time, we both made faces like we were burning in the flames.

"A lot better," I noted. "You still may keep both of them."

Out of nowhere, Nicholas winced so hard that he sprayed his cider everywhere. I jumped a foot back so as not to be hit by it and turned around to see whoever thought it was a good idea to sneak up on us.

"Woah. Careful," Jack said, pulling his hands up as if he was afraid one of us would hit him in the face. His yellow working vest glowed brightly. "See? That's how you successfully scare someone. By… calling their names three times and walking over to them because they didn't hear you."

Nicholas glanced at me and then back at Jack. "Trying to make your namesake proud again, aren't you, Jack the Ripper?" He turned all the way around to reveal the eye patch to our friend.

As Jack's gaze fell on it, his mouth dropped open wide. He searched for my face as if he wanted to ensure I approved of this. My confirming smile stopped him from commenting on it, though.

"So you two came," Jack said, a mischievous grin on his face as if he thought we should be engaged in other activities. "How do you like it, Nicholas?"

" This, " he held his hand out in a way that it wasn't entirely apparent if he pointed toward the bonfire or me, "exceeds my expectations, to be honest."

Jack also seemed to have noticed the ambiguity in his statement as his eyes alternated between me, the fire, and Nicholas' hand.

"So you like… Seastone ? Is that what you're saying?" Jack asked.

Nicholas nodded.

"I told you, if you weren't careful, you'd fall for Seastone's charm." Jack's grin slowed to an understanding smile. "I felt the same way when I came here four years ago. I probably would've left if it weren't for the people." His eyes darted to me, and after they lingered for a while, he turned back to Nicholas. "I've been meaning to ask you, Nick, since you showed up in Seastone so suddenly. Where are you staying?" He looked at me while the question was directed at Nicholas. Of course, Jack implied he was sleeping at my place.

"Stop interrogating him, Jack," I uttered before Nicholas could reply.

"I'm just trying to help," Jack laughed, looking back at Nicholas. "I mean, we all know that Jason has a few spare rooms… and half of a king-sized bed…"

"Yep. Bye," I said, taking a step toward Jack.

" Okay , okay," he snickered, jumping away like a puppy playing around. "I have to get back to work anyway. Just wanted to say hi." He waved at us as he sauntered off.

Nicholas leaned close, lowering his voice. "Thanks for helping me to get out of that question. People always get a bit weird when I tell them I live in my van. So it was nice not to have to explain that to him."

He… what?

I yanked my eyes so wide open that I had to bring my hand up to keep the prosthesis from falling out.

"Wait. You didn't know?" Nicholas asked.

"How would I?"

"There are tons of videos about it on my MyTube channel. Since you seemed to have researched me so thoroughly, I thought you might have seen them."

"I had the channel open once, but... it felt wrong to watch them. I was more interested in getting to know you in person. So no, I haven't." I shook my head. " That's why you were always already there when I came to work."

"Oh, no, no. I only slept behind the gas station once, and that was the night before we first met. I was on time because I really was on time."

I guess someone constantly on the road could save a lot of money if they weren't renting apartments or going to a motel every night.

"So you sleep cramped into the backseat every night?"

"Mostly," Nicholas laughed.

"You're tall as a tree. My body always aches every morning, even with the special pillow I bought. Doesn't your back hurt? And what about showering and…" I stopped when I saw the face he made at all my questions.

Damn. This was just like when people asked me about my eye patch, wasn't it? He even said he doesn't like to tell people because they get weird when he tells them. Why did I react like this?

"Well. I work out and stretch, so my back is okay," Nicholas explained bravely. "As for showering," he points into the air before him, "Gym membership."

With a deep breath, I pulled myself together. "I'm sorry, Nicholas. I shouldn't have reacted like this. It's just like when people ask about my eye patch. I hate that. And I get it must be the same for you. I'm sorry."

"They say some mysteries keep the flame alive, but this is nothing I'm ashamed of. As I said, I thought you knew already." His eyes twitched left and right. "Maybe I should start telling people gory stories like you." He got into position as if he was talking to someone standing behind me. "My house burned down. Where else would I sleep?" He turned as if he was speaking to someone else on my right side. "I was in witness protection, but the mafia found out where I lived, and now I'm on the run." He looked at me. "Wait. You see a car? The witch told me people will always see my house as a car, and I can't believe it was true!"

"That… sounds like a wonderful solution to get rid of stupid people like me," I replied.

Nicholas shook his head. "Getting rid of you? That's the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish here. I mean, you promised to make me scream, flinch, and sweat today, and so far, I've only flinched twice, and no screaming or sweating yet."

My mouth watered. I'd expected him to be angry, not that he'd be flirting heavily with me.

"So," he leaned in a little closer, "how about we check out that scary hike we saw on our way in?" The flickering of the bonfire reflected in his uncovered eye.

His parted lips caught my attention. My mouth ached with the need to touch and explore him—to make up for my boneheaded reaction and to put behind us what had been on both of our minds for days now—but this was neither the time nor the place. "Sounds like a plan," I replied, turning toward the back part of the grounds.

We made our way through the crowd, past the tents and goats, away from the fire. An arrow-shaped sign pointed toward the back.

The closer we got to the hike's entrance, the less crowded it became.

"Looks like this is too scary for many people around here," Nicholas stated.

"As a parent, I would also be afraid that my children, as excited as they are, would just run off into the darkness and never be seen again."

We paused in front of two illuminated trees with a sign between them announcing this as…

The Seastone Hike of Horror

Warning!

Not for the faint-hearted!

The letters looked like they were written in blood. The red glowing tree bark and the vast darkness behind it made it seem like the entrance to hell itself.

My breathing increased. The path was darker than it had looked when we passed it earlier. All I could see was a black hole in front of me with a small white light at the end. Sure, that lamp was something I could focus on, that would lead the way—and I always had my flashlight if I needed it—but that wasn't an option if I didn't want to ruin the experience for Nicholas.

I glanced at him. He wrinkled his nose as if he was also unsure about going in. A deep breath and a nod toward me made it clear, though, that he just needed a second to brace himself. Of course, he wasn't the type to back out of it. He raised his right foot, and I followed suit so that we took the first step inside together.

I was in this now, and it wasn't like there was any real danger besides maybe embarrassing myself if I tripped over my feet in the dark.

As soon as we crossed the threshold marked by the trees, a crackling sound to the right side, followed by cawing crows being startled and flying away, made me jerk my head toward it.

There was only darkness.

My left eye tried to focus on something, but even after another twenty seconds, there was only a black void in front of me. A low groan to our left forced my gaze there. I took a step forward—or what I thought was the right way—and ran my chest into Nicholas' elbow.

"Careful," he replied, his voice a little higher than before. He grabbed my arm and held it for a second as if he thought I had tripped over something. We stood like this for a moment before he released his grip.

"So far, they keep their promise," he chuckled nervously.

All I could muster was a quiet "uh-huh" as I focused my gaze on the light at the end of the path. Slowly, I placed my feet in front of each other, making sure Nicholas was doing the same by listening to his footsteps. We walked a few more feet when an almost silent, high-pitched screech from the right stopped me in my tracks.

"Get out," an old woman's voice whispered over and over. "NOW," she suddenly screamed.

Nicholas shrieked, petrified. His hands clung to my arm, gripping me tightly, but then his scream turned into a laugh.

"They meant it when they said this wasn't for the faint-hearted." His hand trembled. "It's crazy what darkness and a good sound design can do."

"Yeah," I replied, not wanting to admit that the darkness he found delighting was what was bothering me the most.

He let go of my arm, the rustling of the ground beneath his feet telling me he was continuing down the path.

When we were about ten feet away from the light, I could finally make out that it was a small lantern set against a tree. A black arrow was carved into the mud underneath, pointing to the right. I searched for the direction it showed, only to find more darkness. My gaze darted back to where we had come from, and the fire and the laughing people behind the trees suddenly felt like a safe space I wanted to return to.

The lantern was so close to the ground that it cast dark shadows where Nicholas' eyes should be. It didn't help that he tilted his head back as he laughed at my probably equally ghostly appearance.

"You look so spooky in this light," he said.

"So do you," I replied, trying to hide that I was terrified for the first time in a while. "Can I confess that this is also my first time on the horror hike? I didn't expect it to be so R-rated."

"Now we know why there aren't any kids around."

We heard the screams and laughter of two women behind us, who must also have been frightened by the old woman's voice.

"Let's keep going," Nicholas said, walking past me.

I faced the darkness and only saw Nicholas' back for a second before it consumed him. I followed him, not wanting to be left alone. The sound of his footsteps showed me the way—until they stopped.

"Nicholas?" I asked to make sure everything was all right. I waited for a second, but I didn't hear a reply. "Nicholas?" I asked again, a little louder this time.

Why didn't he answer me?

"Could you say something?" I took another step and bumped into someone I hoped was him. "That was you, wasn't it?"

There was no response for another second, but then his giggle echoed through the forest. "Sorry. For a moment, I thought about trying to scare you again. But that would be too mean since you look pretty scared already."

"I'm not scared…, okay, maybe a little."

"The idea of scaring us on purpose is to make us feel alive, right? So, there is no shame in admitting it."

There was another crack of wood under someone's feet to our right. A flash of light, accompanied by a devastating clap of thunder, illuminated a skeleton just beside us.

Nicholas cried out loudly, and this time I joined him.

"For the love of… that was so mean," I shouted, but Nicholas' laughter drowned out my words.

The flash still lingered in my eye, even though it was long gone.

"Are you okay?" Nicholas asked. "For someone who said he's never scared, this seems like quite a lot for you."

Blood rushed to my head. I hated this. Not being with him or what he had just said, but feeling helpless because I couldn't see well. And this isn't the moment to get out my flashlight, which would solve my problem but ruin the mood completely.

"I don't know if you want to hear that," Nicholas said, "but you look bloody cute right now."

"How can you see anything in this darkness?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's super dark , and I can't see shit ."

"You can't see my face?"

"You can see mine?"

"Yeah? Wait. Are you night-blind?"

I huffed. This wasn't what I had hoped our night would be like.

"Do you want to go back out again?" Nicholas asked.

"No. You're enjoying this."

"I'm not if you're not."

"I do. It's just… sorry … not being able to see anything in the dark is sometimes a trigger. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to spoil your fun. I'm more afraid of tripping over something than anything else right now."

The women behind us appeared in the light of the small lantern while we were still standing in the dark, not moving on as we should.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have suggested going in here if?—"

"I don't blame you. Or anyone," I cut him off. "If it wasn't too dark for me, I'd enjoy this."

"Would it help if I held your hand and showed you the way?" Nicholas' voice was calm. "I can see pretty well, and I could point out if there's anything on the ground you might trip over." The rustling of his jacket told me he was holding out his hand to me. "It's also a perfect excuse to hold hands on a date without having to figure out an awkward way to get there."

A tingle ran down my spine. How the hell had he turned this situation into an opportunity to flirt with me? And, damn it, why did it work? The corners of my mouth twitched, even though I didn't want them to.

"How are you single?" I asked, searching for his hand in the dark. This solved the problem, and, damn it, I had been dying to hold his hand for days.

"My mom could probably come up with twenty reasons."

When our fingers touched, his warmth spread to me. For a moment, we just stood there, my hand in his, before he wrapped his fingers around mine, squeezing them to show me he was now taking care of me. His breaths filled the air, and I could swear that I felt his heart beating faster through his hand.

Another flash illuminated the skeleton beside us. For a millisecond, I saw Nicholas staring at me. The eye that wasn't covered by my eye patch remained fixed on mine. He had a soft and understanding smile, which disappeared the moment the thunder reached his ears and made him jump.

"Let's get out of here," he said, pulling me after him. He walked slowly but straight ahead to the next lantern. More eerie noises imitating ghosts, zombies, and monsters floated around us, but now nothing disturbed me anymore. Not when more lights flashed up beside us, not when a volunteer in a ghost costume jumped out from behind a bush, not when Nicholas shouted from the top of his lungs and pulled me with him to get away from the latest scare.

He was now the eye that I was missing. My pulse was still racing, but it wasn't because of the horror hike. It was him. He was the reason I felt safe now. He was the reason I felt light and heavy at the same time. His face was the one I wanted to see as soon as we got out of here.

It was ten minutes before we saw the bonfire again at the end of the path. One last volunteer tried to scare us by appearing behind us with a leather mask and telling us to run, but instead of screaming like crazy, we just ran, laughing all the way.

We didn't stop running once we were out of the woods. Only when we got too close to the flames, we slowed down. The fire lit up everything so that I could see again. And Nicholas' face lit up when it saw me.

"Thank you," I said. "That was a lot of fun."

He rested his head on his shoulder, still clinging to my hand. The eye patch still adorned him, and his cheeks perked up so much from his smile that they bumped against the chord.

My chest fluttered. I couldn't take my eye off his lips. They seemed to quiver, but I couldn't tell if it was because he was so excited after the horror hike or if it was just the flames.

"What now?" he asked, his chest still rising and falling from the unplanned sprint. "Do you want to make out?"

Surprised by his bluntness, I couldn't breathe for a second, but everything inside me was screaming yes. I nodded because why not? There had been tension between us from the first moment we met. I'd been thinking about him when he wasn't around. And as we were still holding hands, nothing was to stop us from enjoying the moment—except perhaps the many people around us.

Nicholas turned his head from side to side, looking for a good spot, but his mouth curled up. He leaned closer so that only I could hear him. "Maybe we should go to my car? I'm not exactly the type who enjoys smooching in public. If that's okay."

"Same," I replied, taking control now. I pulled him back into the parking lot behind me.

Luckily, his car was so close that it only took us three minutes to get there. The traffic cones were gone. Jack must have picked them up after he saw us here. I led Nicholas around the car to the passenger's side. The minivan was tall enough to shield us from prying eyes, not that people would look at us anyway with the bonfire so close.

I pushed him against the car, and before I knew it, he held my cheeks, leaning down so we were at the same height, his face hovering in front of mine. His lips were only an inch away, but he paused for a moment.

"I've longed to do this ever since I first saw you."

"That makes two of us," I replied.

His nose brushed over mine. I inhaled sharply as he kissed me, holding my breath as everything seemed to slow down. I closed my eyes, and the darkness that appeared was filled with warmth—his hands on my cheeks, his nose against mine, his tongue inviting me in.

People chatting and laughing in the distance, the crackle of the burning fire—I felt ten years younger.

His lips tasted of apples. His beard tickled my nose. With his right thumb, he gently caressed my cheek.

I didn't want to let him go, but after a minute, our lips parted, though his hips and hands remained where they were. The broadest smile adorned his face, still covered by my eye patch, and I could feel the corners of my mouth moving up to my ears as well.

"Took us long enough," I said.

Nicholas bit on his bottom lip. "I thought about leaving first so we would have more peace and quiet, but I couldn't wait any longer."

I looked him straight in the uncovered eye. "Don't read too much into what I'm about to ask you, okay? But would you like to stay at my place tonight?"

"I was hoping you'd open up the old hotel."

We sealed the deal with another kiss. We had to let go of each other eventually, but his eyes stayed on me as he walked around the minivan. He reached his head over the roof so he wouldn't lose sight of me. We opened the doors and pushed our heads in at the same time. As soon as we sat down, he had to look at the road, but his right hand took mine and held it until we were back at my place.

I thought about offering him one of the rooms upstairs, but somehow, I couldn't say it. The longer he held my hand, the clearer it became that I didn't want him to let go of it until the night was over.

I couldn't remember the last time I felt like this. It was scary, but in a good way.