Page 44 of I Dare You
The door attendants wait a minute or so before parting the curtain, allowing the next few people to enter.They’re doing this so we’re not all crammed in at once.
When it’s our time, Jupiter interlaces her fingers through mine, an excited smile lighting up her angelic face.The moment we enter, it’s pitch black.
Our eyes don’t have time to adjust to the darkness before someone jumps out in front of us, waving an axe.
Jupiter and I remain impassive to it all.
The axe-wielding maniac disappears into the darkness.
The strobe lighting and the infamous, loud Dracula cackle are disorienting.But I slip on the black wig Jupiter hands me.We continue our walk-through, confronted by a maze of mirrors next.
There are hundreds of me, and I don’t fail to see the irony in that illusion.It confuses my brain, and I soon begin to question where my true reflection lies.
“Focus,” Jupiter whispers into my ear.
Her voice calms me, and I find my center.
Faces of strangers flash in the mirrors.They’re not the faces I want to see, however.
Panic hits me.
What if I miss my opening with Smokes?
I take Jupiter’s hand and lead the way through the mirror maze.I go with my gut and navigate my way out.We turn the corner, and it’s an alleyway of the macabre, a street pathway lined with clowns.
Some are statues, and others are painted on the walls.The ground is a spinning top, and soon we’re thrown off-balance and slant to the left, using the wall to guide us along the red-and-white path.
The strobe effect gets faster, and the laughter of ten clowns morphs into one.
Suddenly, a clown jumps out in front of us.
He’s laughing manically, honking his red nose.
We have to cross a swinging bridge to get to the doorway.
Jupiter and I focus on nothing but that door because we’re running out of time.We push past it and enter an enchanted forest filled with colorful fairies and water sprites.I wonder what’s so scary about this because the music and lighting are calm and soothing.
That soon turns when lightning and thunder strike, and we’re covered in rain courtesy of the sprinklers above.A woman dressed as a fairy offers us umbrellas that light up under the fluorescent lights.
My heart creeps into my throat because I wonder how many rooms we have to walk through before the end.We rush through the forest when monsters come charging for us, bypassing the patrons who stay for the show.The monsters were hiding in the trees.I have an overwhelming urge to punch them in the face, but I refrain from making a scene.
The next room is a haunted house with doorways extending from the dark hallway.Skeletons and ghosts dance in the corridor.A large mirror is ahead like something out ofSnow White.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall…” the voice-over says.
But everything fades into the background because in the mirror, I see Smokes.
Jupiter sees him too.
We subtly turn over our shoulders to see him emerge from one of the rooms, his date trailing, wiping her lips.
I cringe.
No guessing what they were doing behind door number three.
We are the only ones in the main room for now.This is the small window I needed.
Without hesitation, we charge for Smokes and his date.They don’t see us because the lights suddenly go off, leaving us in utter darkness.The glow-in-the-dark ghosts on the wall are the only things illuminating the room.
