Page 5 of Shattered Souls

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been trying to get your moody ass to join us since you started here. This is a special day!” She leans forward and presses a very wet kiss to my cheek.

“What’s going on over here?” Karla asks, tying her apron around herself as she approaches.

“She’s going with us this weekend.” Eleanor replies with a genuine smile on her face.

“No way!”

The three of them ramble on about what they’re going to wear and which scare actors they hope to see while I sit back and admire the sense of peace I feel. Now that someone’s taken the fall for my crime, maybe I can stay here for a little longer.

Maybe I can actually let these three into my life and experience what true friends might actually be like.

2

Rayvn

The girls practically begged me to do matching costumes, but I shut the idea down the moment it surfaced. Eleanor was the voice of reason, saying since it was still September, we should just dress casual.

Well, that’s how I found myself dressed in jeans, a black shirt, and a forest green flannel in the parking lot of Shattered Souls while I wait for the rest of the girls to get here.

I have my arms wrapped around my body as screams travel through the air. Fuck, I’m second guessing this.

Should my first outing really be to a fucking horror night? Haven’t I lived enough of those?

I take a single step backwards to get back in my car and rain check on the girls when Allie’s voice comes from behind me.

“We brought face paint!” The way her face lights up when she approaches me immediately makes me feel guilty for wanting to abandon them. They’re truly trying and I just want to be at home.

“As you can see,” Karla rolls her eyes. “I’m a cat.”

“And I think I’m supposed to be a clown?” Eleanor teases Allie.

“I did mine at home, I must admit.” Her face is painted to look like a skull, though she’s made sure to do dramatic eye makeup to remain just as beautiful. She takes the kit from the purse and lays it across the hood of my car.

“What should we make you?” She eagerly asks with the brush ready in her hand.

“Uh,” I look around the parking lot like the answer might jump out at me.

There’s only dozens of cars and square bales of hay lining the makeshift parking lot. My mind snags on the hay.

“A scarecrow?” I question, like she might laugh at me for answering wrong.

“Oo, I love it.” She turns and swirls the tip of her brush in the orange. She brings it to my face and draws two circles on my cheeks and one on the tip of my nose, having to re-coat her brush multiple times.

She wipes the orange off with a makeup remover wipe, and then collects black on the tip. She brings the cold paint back to my face and outlines the original work, as well as adding a cross stitch line through my mouth.

She steps back and places her hands on her hips.

“You look kind of hot.” Karla says with a smirk and Eleanor giggles behind her hand.

“It was a good choice for you.” Allie praises, as she packs away the kit. She locks her arm in mine and, without giving me warning, she leads us towards the entrance.

The line takes longer than I’d like. Each group of people huddles together in groups and laughs amongst themselves. The girls are whispering something about their favorite scare actors. Karla even mentions that she hopes someone will steal her and fuck her brains out tonight.

That sentence alone makes me realize I truly don’t know these girls at all.

When we finally make it to the front, Allie steps forward and scans the tickets on her phone. The computer beeps and the small gate opens for the four of us to officially enter Shattered Souls.

There’s lights positioned facing the entrance, so you can’t see anything ahead of you, as fog grabs at your ankles. My stomach drops at the lack of control I have here.