Page 10 of His to Fear
“The actual circus performance was quite enthralling, though. So weird,” Eros replies, staring at Zack and Eveline with an unknown gaze I cannot interpret.
Further up the path, a tractor is parked inside the woods, occupied with a trailer hooked to it. Several hay bales serving as seats fill the trailer of the tractor. A friend group waits just ahead of us.
“Havin’ a good night this fa’?”
The driver hops down from his tractor with practiced ease, dressed as a typical farmer in green overalls and a hat made of hay. In the flickering lights of the torches illuminating the vehicle, he steps closer, and he has that typical look of a farmer in the countryside, spending too much time in the sun. Even his hat is sun-bleached.
Dry leaves crumble under his feet as he walks up to us, gently tipping his hat.
“I’m Johnsson, and I’ll be ya driver today. But beware: this will get scary.”
Zack crosses his arms in the peripheral. Nothing can face him, it seems.
Johnsson’s eyes land on Zack, challenging him with a stare and a slight smile on his lips. He’s not dressed up as something scary like most of the actors here, but then, he looks like he could truly be a farmer outside of this.
“Well. Take ya seats, will ya?”
The friend group, two women and two men, hop onto the tractor first. They settle down on one end of the trailer, leaning against the railing as they get comfortable.
Eros is the one of us who jumps onto the tractor first, hay getting stuck in his brown combat boots, which he shakes loose. Then he crouches, waving for Eveline to come closer. A skeptical look fills her features as she casts a quick glance at the farmer and his hayride.
Wrapping his hands around her waist, Eros helps Eveline settle down on one of the hay bales in the corner of the trailer. When she’s all seated, he cocks an eyebrow as he stares at Zack. He doesn’t seem very interested in jumping onto the hayride, either.
“Surely you’re not waiting for help. Huh, älskling?” Eros teases.
Zack scowls. “You’ll regret that.” A smirk splits his lips as he gets onto the hayride, without Eros’ help.
He settles down on the right of Eveline, leaving a few inches between him and one of the guys from the other group.
Eros rolls his eyes and offers his hand to me, helping me up onto the platform. Then he settles down to the left of Eveline, leaving her sandwiched between the two of them.
I take the only remaining seat beside Eros at the edge of the ride.
“If someone grabs me, I’ll throw you out first,” I threaten Eros.
He raises his hands innocently.
I can’t help but let my thoughts trail off as a gust of wind comes over us, trees whistling in the breeze, and the farmer takes his place in the driver’s seat of the tractor.
What ifhewere here? The man from the circus? Would he help me up as innocently yet as sensually as Eros did Eveline? Grasp my waist, hold me close, protect me if any scare-actortries to grab me? What about the man from the line, whom I never saw again?
I let the fantasy sit with me, a warm sensation to spread through me at the thought.
I never really had anyone to protect or look after me. Max was all in his own head, showing multiple red flags I refused to acknowledge and instead ignored.
And look where that took me.
Sighing, I make myself comfortable in the sticky haybale, poking into my ass and back in a way that tickles. The others start conversing with each other as the tractor purrs to life with a hum.
“Let’s get deeper into the woods,” the farmer says before he tips his hat again and honks the horn.
The tractor moves at a slow pace, allowing us to see the forest as good as we can in the darkness. The moon serves as our only source of light, along with the torches stationed on each end of the tractor’s railing.
We come through a part of the forest where there are trees everywhere, the canopies hiding the moon. The torches are casting a warmth on this cold night, casting shadows on the trees that look as if gnarled fingers are reaching for us.
Made-up fog covers the pathway, leaving us unable to see anything.
A small squeal comes from one of the other girls, until one of the men yells, too.
