Chapter Twenty-Six

The hours crawl. No amount of wishing and hoping will bring him back.

I curl up under a throw on the sofa; its warmth leaving me tired. Nothing even remotely entertaining is on TV. I settle for an action flick about a woman avenging the death of her family.

The phone rings, startling me out of my distant thoughts.

“Hello?” I answer.

Heavy breathing follows on the opposite end.

“Hello? Who is this?”

Nobody answers. They simply hang up.

“Stupid people,” I murmur, placing the phone on its receiver. Before I can sit down, the doorbell chimes. I peep through the hole in the center. It’s Jana.

“Ready to go?” Jana asks after I open the door. Her face lights up.

“Where are you guys going?” I ask.

Her expression changes to hurt. “Hartford, remember? I told you about this last week. Besides, you have to get out and get some fresh air every now and then.”

I groan. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot. Yeah, let me leave Beth a note or something.” I rush to scribble something down on the magnetic pad on the fridge.

This is one of the many reasons why I’m glad to have Jana as a friend. I haven’t budged since moving here, contained within the city limits.

“Blake’s waiting in the car.” She skips to the passenger door.

Jana’s Altima has tinted windows, much like Ben’s BMW. Funny how I never noticed before. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but everything reminds me of him. Even the air I breathe leaves traces of his earthy cologne.

I grab my purse from upstairs, leave a note for Beth and pull on a jacket.

“Hurry up!” Jana yells from the car.

Locking the front door behind me, I make a dash for them.

Jana entertains us with a new band’s album. She cranks up the volume, and I let the music drown out any thoughts. I press my forehead against the window. Puffy, white clouds are scattered across their blue backdrop. Seeing them triggers memories of my childhood—soft grass, warm breezes and playgrounds. I close my eyes and smile for the first time in days.

Hartford is only ten minutes away, not nearly enough time for me to enjoy the ride. Traffic isn’t too horrific, either. We manage to lose our way only a few times—thanks to Jana. Blake’s face reddens like metal after it’s been laid out to be molded, except it’s getting brighter by the second. He pulls onto the shoulder and grabs the directions out of Jana’s hand.

“What is wrong with you?!” Jana yells.

“What is wrong with you? You can’t even get the right directions. How hard is that?”

Their bickering doesn’t stop for at least five more minutes. I try to think of other things, pretend I’m invisible.

Blake calls his mom to get directions, while Jana leans as far away from him as possible.

The lot where we park is almost full. Outside, Eddie’s doesn’t look very large, with its square, brick frame and neon pizza sign hanging in the window. But inside, the atmosphere is loud. Music belts from speakers on the walls. There are so many people, so many conversations. Orders are called from the front of the line to the cooks in the back area.

The noise fades into the background. I zone out, thinking about what it might be like if Ben was here. He’ll never know the fun we could’ve had together, never realize my heart’s capacity. My insides are slowly withering now. I’m preparing to wake up one day and grasp that there’s nothing left of me.

“Are you okay?”

Jana’s voice snaps me back into reality.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lie.

We place our order at the counter. I’m suddenly not as hungry as I thought, so I just buy a soda. Jana and Blake give each other a look. 

“Candra, you can have some of our pizza, if you’re short on cash,” Jana says.

“I’m not hungry,” I say, feeling like a total party pooper.

We grab a seat by one of the large windows in the front.

“Jana tells me you two have been slow at the store lately,” Blake says, attempting to start a conversation.

“Yeah, you could say that, I guess.”

“That sucks.”

I nod.

“I think she’s doing a fantastic job,” Jana gushes. “She’s a fast learner.”

A waitress brings their order out. The pizza is piled high with meat, and steam billows up a good five inches.

“You sure you don’t want some of this?” Jana taunts. She reaches for a slice.

“I’m sure,” I reply.

“Okay.”

“So, what are we doing after this?” I ask.

They look at each other and shrug.

“Don’t know. Do you have something in mind?” Blake asks.

“I figured with Halloween being tomorrow, there’s got to be some haunted attraction around here,” I say.

Blake nods. “You’re probably right. We could always ask someone.”

“Haunted stuff scares me,” Jana says through a mouth full of pizza.

I giggle. “It’s not real.”

“I know, but still.”

“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, babe,” Blake says, leaning over and planting a kiss on Jana’s cheek. “Tell you what—I need to stop and get some gas before we head back, so I’ll just ask the cashier in the gas station.”

“Sounds good.” I smile.

When they finish off the last of the pizza, we get up to leave. Blake throws a fifty down on the table.

Since when is Blake loaded?

I pretend not to notice.

The gas station is only a couple of blocks up. Blake runs inside to pre-pay, and Jana stays in the car with me. He comes back with drinks and candy for all of us, quickly handing them to Jana so he can pump gas.

Jana gets out and speaks to him for a minute. She’s giddy when she gets back in the car. “The cashier told Blake that the nearest haunted attraction is some corn field maze down the road. It’s already getting dark now. I bet it’s even creepier in the dark. Reminds me of Children of the Corn or something,” she says, completely thrilled.

“I thought you were scared of haunted stuff?”

“Oh, I am. But Blake’s here, so it makes it that much better.” She winks.

“I didn’t want to go back to Charleston so soon,” I confess.

“I don’t blame you. Look, I’m really sorry about what happened. Blake is too,” she says, making a slight gesture toward Blake outside. “But Ben’s a Conway, so it’s expected.”

I snort. “Yeah, he is.” Inhaling a deep breath, I say, “But hopefully things will look up so I can go back home.”

“I hope you don’t leave us. I’ll miss you a lot.”

“I’ll miss you guys too.” I shake my head and stare at my hands in my lap. “Never thought I’d say that about anybody here.”

“You still hate it?”

“Not as much.”

Jana giggles.

Blake comes around the front of the car and gets in. “Wasn’t too bad. Only thirty bucks to fill this thing up.”

“Seriously, Blake, this is not a thing. Treat this thing with more respect, since it gets you and me everywhere we need to go,” Jana scorns.

“It’s a damn car.” Blake huffs.

“It’s my damn car. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have anything to drive.”

“Well, maybe I’ll go find someone else, so I can drive her car.”

“Maybe you should…bum.”

Blake slyly grins. “At least I’m your bum.” He leans over and grabs Jana by the neck, pulling her toward him. She giggles when he kisses her.

“Okay, hi, um…I’m still back here,” I say.

They break apart.

“Sorry, we forget sometimes.” Jana blushes.

Neon green and pink signs with arrows mark the direction to the haunted maze. Parking is in a field. A mud-covered tractor pulling a hay wagon carries customers to the front gates. We decide to walk.

I see the maze up ahead. Corn stalks form walls at least eight feet high and I can’t see anything between them. The organizers must’ve placed something against the stems to keep us from seeing what’s ahead.

Staff members stand in a white booth at the front, taking money and tearing off ticket stubs. The place reminds me of a carnival, with the concessions and the glowing lights surrounding the area. Minus the rides and creepy carnies.

Blake pays for our tickets, and Jana and I grab a spot in line. The corn stalks stand nearly two feet taller than me. I can’t see how far back the maze actually goes, but I know it’s big enough to get lost in.

“This should be interesting,” Jana says.

“Why’s that?” I ask.

“Have you ever been in a corn field maze, let alone a haunted one?”

“Um, no. Not in reality, anyway.”

Jana’s eyebrows form a V. “Me either.”

I try to block out my dream—the one involving the corn field. Icy chills creep up my spine and run down my arms. I hate feeling this way. I know it’s just a nightmare—nothing like that can happen in reality. The back of my mind tells me otherwise; it warns me to leave. The stranger may have appeared outside my window, but there’s been no proof of him since then. So it could easily have been my half-asleep imagination playing tricks on my eyes.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I murmur.

Jana and Blake gawk at me.

“What? Why?” Jana asks.

“I feel sick.”

“Don’t get the heebie jeebies now, Candra. We haven’t even gone inside yet.”

“You two go on. I’m going to take a walk.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Jana says, grabbing my arm.

My stomach twists and flips. Will this be like my dreams? Are my dreams somehow predicting my future?

We catch up to the people in front of us, and wait for clearance to enter the maze. A grizzly-looking man in a pirate costume sits on a platform as high as the tops of the stalks, next to the main entrance. He’s timing people as soon as they enter the maze, giving them a head start before the next few follow.

“You three are up next,” he tells us. He stares at the watch in his hand, counting down our time. “Arrrgh! It’s time. Don’t let the spooks get ya!” he exclaims in his best pirate accent. When he smiles, four of his upper front teeth are crowned in gold.

We carefully enter the maze. Though it’s dark outside, torches staked in the ground light the path. Actors still have places to hide in the shadows.

Jana and Blake hold hands, feeling their way along the scratchy walls. We arrive at two dead-ends before beginning our way through another series of twists and turns.

“It’s way too quiet,” Jana whispers.

“Yeah, it is,” I say.

We creep slowly through the maze, one foot in front of the other. The path splits into two directions. I’m trying to figure out which way to go when one of the actors comes after Jana. She screams and takes off. Blake is right there with her.

“Guys! Wait up!” I yell, running after them.

As soon as I round the corner where they disappear, I trip on wires taped down at ground level and hit the soil with a big oomph!

“C’mon, Candra!” I hear Jana yell from somewhere to my right.

“Where?”

“Over here!”

I follow the direction of her voice, but can’t find her. Every turn makes my stomach roll. I’m already in a dark area of the maze, so it’s that much worse. I’m not sure where the nearest torch is.

And I can’t find Jana and Blake.

Screaming is good. Screaming might help.

“GUYS, WAIT!”

Nothing.

The wind blows through the tops of the corn stalks. They sway in one direction, and then return to their former positions.

Breathe, Candra. You can do this on your own. Nobody’s going to hurt you, not even the actors. They can’t touch you. The stranger isn’t going to show up. There’s no way for him to even know you’re here.

I prepare myself for someone to jump out at any second, but they never do. I constantly hear cracks behind me and in front of me, but never see anything. My mind is playing tricks on me.

I’m not paying attention and get sliced on the cheek by a stalk. My fingers move to assess the damage. A tiny line of blood oozes from the scratch.

This is not happening to me.

At the brink of a potential meltdown, I scream, “Guys! Where are you?” one last time.

No one answers me.

I come upon a resting area. Benches are placed back-to-back in the center, and torches light the tiny spot. The maze leaves me with two options: take the path on the left side of the maze, or the path on the right side. One of them will lead me out.

But which one?

I can’t stand around all night deciding which one to take, so I go with option one—the left passage. One torch lights the entire path. It reminds me of a hallway. I follow it to the end, fighting myself the whole way. I can do this. I really can. No turning around and going back, even though the entrance is near. Jana and Blake can’t be too far ahead.

The hall-like entrance opens up to yet another small area—a dead-end. The tiny space has room for one bench, which is occupied. I can’t see who sits there, because it’s so dark. My eyes haven’t adjusted, and the moon, which was bright earlier, has lost its intensity behind the cloud cover.

“I’ve been waiting for you. I’m so glad you’re here, Candra,” someone says ahead of me.

Fear freezes me in place. My heart pounds so quickly that I believe it will beat its way out of my chest at any second.

His voice sounds familiar, though it’s too dark and gruff for me to recognize.

“Come. Have a seat by me.” The man pats the empty space beside him.

            “I—I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I stutter, surprised I can form a sentence.

            The man doesn’t move or speak.

            “How do you know my name?” I ask.

            “I know lots of things—things you don’t think anyone knows about you.”

            “Who are you?”

“Now, where’s the fun in that, if I just told you who I am or what I want?” His voice drawls.

My heart beats faster than before, if that’s possible. Every one of my senses tells me to turn around and run for my life, screaming the whole way. But I can’t move. It’s like my feet are rooted into the ground.

“Are you not going to sit with me?” the man asks. “It’s very rude to decline something you’ve been offered.”

“It’s also rude to not introduce yourself,” I blurt before I can stop myself.

“Ah, well…” he trails off, clearing his throat. “Candra, it seems we’ve come to an impasse. Neither of us wins, so where does that leave us?” A smile lingers in his voice.

“I think I need to go now. I’ll forget this ever happened,” I choke. I don’t realize how tightly my fists are clenched, until I feel the pin prick caused by my fingernails digging into my skin.

Then he laughs. Not a whole-hearted laugh, but one that holds evil.

“I’m afraid you can’t run from me, Candra. I know where you live, where you work. I’m aware of Randy and Beth, and where they work. Those late night shifts might kill them one of these days.” He chuckles.

My throat swells. “What is it that you want? Please, don’t hurt them,” I whisper, holding back tears.

“It’s only a matter of time, and I will kill all of you. That’s what I ultimately want, and I’m not the only one.”

I grab a handful of hair in each hand, closing my eyes, praying this isn’t really happening. “You’re not real. You’re only a figment of my screwed up imagination.” My voice is raspy. “Go away,” I chant over and over again.

But he doesn’t. He sits there, laughing.

“You can’t get rid of me. I’m not part of your imagination. I’m part of your dreams. But I’m there because I wanted to be there, so you knew of me. I warned you to leave, and you didn’t listen. Now, I’m afraid I must handle this myself.” He says it all so nonchalantly, like killing people doesn’t have consequences.

So, this is it. I’ll fight for my life and for those around me.

I teeter back and forth, my fists still balled at my sides. I’m ready to run.

“Why do you want me dead?” I ask.

“Because you exist,” he replies calmly, without thinking about it.

I wince. “When are you going to kill me?”

The faint outline of the man shrugs. “It may be now. It may be five years from now. But I will kill you.”

My body shakes from fear, or maybe it’s adrenaline. Without hesitating a second longer, I turn and run the opposite way.

I will live.

I make it back to the small resting area, back to the opposite passageway. My legs are propelled by something else. I’ve never run so fast in my life. My lungs feel like they might burst into flames at any moment.

“I hear you, Candra. You can’t hide from me.”

Bile rises in my throat.

If you don’t run, he’ll kill you.

Right, left, right again. The maze makes me dizzy, jolting my legs into constant stops with all the twists and turns. Actors jump out at me, but they don’t aren’t as terrifying anymore. I take a quick right and face a dead-end. When I turn around, I smack into something hard, and tall.