And that’s when their pale zashiki warashii in her white gown, dark hair deliberately styled to come over her face, popped out.She crouched on all fours, head tilted at an unnatural angle as she looked up at the nearest people.
Then she smiled.
Even the adrenaline junkies jumped, and ones not good with horror let out a piercing scream.
“We didn’t start yet!”one man complained in a high, panicked tone.“We didn’t even fucking start yet!”
Giggling—Akari was enjoying this far too much—she slunk back into the darkness beyond the curtain.
Just to up the ante, one of the werewolves let out a plaintive howl from somewhere in the maze.
A few faces went white, the already nervous people alarmed by what they’d gotten themselves into.Ross swept an arm to indicate the right.“We have a waiting room prepared for anyone who wishes to sit and wait for their party to finish.”
He’d actually meant that as a sincere warning and an offer to sit this one out.People took it as a challenge instead, as if Ross had said ‘anyone too chicken can sit over there.’Even the people scared got their backs up and marched right in.
Ross watched the first go through with a shake of the head.Well, he’d tried.
“This isn’t—this isn’t bad—” one of the men started.
A high-pitched scream, sounding strangled, cut him off.
“The hell, don’t scream unless it’s something!”
“Something’s coming!”the woman who’d presumably screamed protested plaintively.
“You’re good, just go—JESUS.Go, go, go!”
“That’s not real.”
“It’s real!It’s real!”
It probably was.Ross hid that thought behind a bland face.
“That’s a person, oh my god, that’s a person!”
“It’s not a person, it’s just a distraction—”
Three startled yelps, which involved a lot of swearing from everyone in the group, quickly followed by, “Itoldyour mother-fucking ass that was a person!”
It took years of customer service for Ross to be able to turn to the next group, which looked petrified, and keep his expression and tone neutral.“Is the next group ready?”
“Momma, no!Momma, no!”
“Someone tell me when it’s over.”
“You know I’m a strong black woman, but if you get behind me like that one more time, I’mma have to hurt yo’ ass.”
Glenn had to turn his face into his cape to disguise a laugh.
This whole clan had an evil sense of humor.What that said about Ross, who enjoyed ushering the next group through, well, it was probably safer not to ask.
Group after group braved the entrance.Despite hearing the screams, and the howls, and the mad cackles coming from inside the haunted house, they still went through.Ross’s facial muscles hurt from the effort of not laughing.Maybe they should send a camera crew through with one of the groups, get some footage to put up on YouTube.It would be both hysterical and good exposure.He’d mention that to Glenn after they ended tonight.
Somewhere around ten o’clock, he took a twenty-minute break in their makeshift breakroom.As Ross walked through the back hallway, he could hear through their thin walls easily.This group near him were even louder than the first group through, and that was saying something.
“Oh damn, we’re in the crazy people place,” a high voice groaned.
A screech and then an outraged voice, “It’s light in here!You don’t come out when it’s light!”
