Chapter 336 - 336. Haunted

"Soooo...we just go on with our day?" The crowd had left but were sure to take a few pictures and also to tell anyone else they saw on the way out. The way it was looking was that there would be a great crowd for when the group got on their own cars of the Ferris wheel and placed the token in the slot at the top. 

"I guess so. It looks like there is nothing really left to do until it gets dark. At least the sun looks like it is starting to set now." Jane was pointing toward the entrance of the arcade

"If the sun is setting then it means it is time to hit the haunted house! Who thinks they can make it all the way through?" Laura was the most excited for this since she knew that in the worst case that they actually managed to scare her she could rush through to the exit and brag about getting through the entire house. 

"Oho, you really think that you are going to beat Asher and me through?" Jane grabbed Asjers' arm and already volunteered him to go through the house. 

"Wait but I-"

"Ha! You and Asher won't be able to make it through the whole thing. Jackson and I will be the first through all the way no problems!" Sammy snapp[ed to ith her own rebuttal to Janes challenge. Before Long Ashjer and Jackson were stunned watching the two become even stronger rivals. 

"Why are they fighting over who will get through first?" Art leaned toward Cara because he did  not have any idea why it was so important that the two would make it through the haunted house more. 

"They both don't like haunted houses and were talking about it when we were changing in to our swimsuits. Sammy said she could at least get through the first room then Jane said the second and so on. It was funny but now it's a hardcore bet." Cara had watched it all go down and naturally, Laura was the one pushing them both since she just wanted to go through the haunted house for fun. 

"Alright, alright. Let's just go and see what it is all about. It's a four person limit so you four can go together and see who wins." Louis gave Cara and Art a wink. This was the best way to get the two to deal with their little competition while they were able to just go through the haunted house at their own pace. 

While Jane and Sammy took the lead while trash Talking Asher and Jackson managed to fall back a little. 

"If we make a run for it now we can escape the haunted house and whatever is going on with those two." Asher was trying to secretly plan their run away. 

"I kind of want to see it through. Maybe they will get over it and have fun." The overall positive attitude from Jackson was a little much for Asher who was a little more worried that the two would get afraid or would challenge each other and run of accidentally ditching Jackson and him. 

"I think you guys will have a lot of fun. Sammy is all talk when it comes to scary things. I can't say I like them either but he is hard core talking herself up to compete." Louis was greatly amused by this while Laura raised an eyebrow at his admittance that he was also not a fan of the scary stuff in a haunted house. 

"Why don't you like them? We will have to deal with a lot of scary stuff as a hero group. This is just mental training." Laura was ready to tease but decided not to at the moment. It would all be saved for after the group finished the haunted hours. 

"Laura's right. This is good fun and mental training. But we all know that us four will make it through much more easily." Cara knew that Laura and Art should be fine and if they knew that Louis was not the best with haunted houses they could support him. 

"What!?" Jane and Sammy united in an instant over hearing this from Cara. 

"And you've done it now." Asher knew what was coming. The game had been changed. 

"Us four will get all the way through better than you four." Loser has to buy the cotton candy before we go on the Ferris wheel in an house." Jane made the bet with Sammy's support and they pointed at the haunted house in front of the group. 

The haunted house was a classic design. The house had been made in the middle of the park so that it was easy to get to and appeared to be a hundred years old. There was even a dead tree outside with a sign that said process with caution. 

The windows were pained to look dark and ominous while a person was painted on the window to look like someone was standing inside looking out at them. The staff member taking tickets at the door was making sure that people were only in groups of four and spaced out before entering so that they could all have the best experience. The costume they wore was of a butler but overall too pale. 

"Tickets madam and sir. I hope you will have a spine tingling time." The fake laugh that the staff member made was surprisingly chilling as he pushed Cara, Art, Louis, and Laura in at the same time. They had a smirk until they heard the last words of the staff member, "And don't forget to check the photo center on the way out. You may see your fear!" 

"We are totally ordering all of their scared faces in photos." Jane and Sammy knew they would be in photos too so they prepared to instantly buy everyone's to make sure they had them for teasing. 

"Next souls please." The staff member laughed again he pushed them in to the front door. 

The house was set up fairly simply. It had stairs that were there to go up if possible along with a long hall with multiple doors to go in to leading to a kitchen. "Haaaahhaahaaa. Welcome to my home my snacks. I will have you souls to eat unless you can sneak away. First" The voice that played was a recording but it put them all on edge. 

"Look, this is the door to the basement over here and it says freedom on it. But it is missing a key." Asher was quick to notice this and tried the handle anyways. 

"We have to find the key to get out. This is evil. I wonder if it is upstairs or downstairs. Where do you think the others went first?" Jane was not at all scared yet. The front entrance was safe enough and she was trying to brainstorm the best way of escape. 

"It would make more sense that it is in a spider infested creepy attic…" Sammy was sure that since the door to the basement said freedom then the attic which was the farthest away and most likely would bring them through the scariest parts of the haunted house, would have the key.

"Sounds good to me. Should I take the lead? The ghosts might be scared of me since I'm like, big and scary." Jackson volunteered to lead but Asher saw that the positivity was fading a little. The thought of going to the haunted house basement was not ideal for any of them. 

"Well, up the stairs we go." Asher moved them along and as soon as Sammy and Jackson stepped on the first step the stairs fell away and the two were pulled down a slide in to the basement. 

"Hahahaha, two snacks already. You have ten minutes or I will eat their souls!" The voice automatically played changing the goals of the haunted house. This was so popular because of this interactive feature. 

"Don't worry we are fine. We will solve the puzzle down here to get back upstairs. Just find a way to get down here too!" Jackon managed to shout loud enough through the now seal wooden steps. 

"It's just us now." Jane and Asher were a little worried about Sammy and Jackson but knew that this was just part of the haunted house experience. There wouldn't have been tickets sold separately for the attraction if it wasn't something so amazing like this.

The pair moved slowly up the steps with multiple creaking as they did so. There was the sound of rocking near the top of the stair and when they rounded the corner there was an empty rocking chair moving back and forth near a window. 

"I'm so not going down there." Jane was squeezing Ashers' arm hard enough to cut off circulation. He had not even realized she had started to cling to him so tightly. It was extremely distracting. 

"Then we should check the room over here...or we can go straight to the attic." Asher pointed at the stairs at the end next to the rocking chair that Jane refused to go near. 

"Door. Doors it is."