Page 29 of Don't Scare Me, My Love

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 stepforward—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 hetilted 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.

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