Quarter. Like as in ‘forgiveness’ or ‘safe haven’? Well, at least they had a safe word.

“Stay close,” Isa told me as we headed toward the entrance. “Hang onto my belt loop or arm, and let me know if you want to leave, okay?”

“Oh, you’ll run before I do,” I joked.

“Probably right,” Jade chuckled.

I heard Isabella’s tsk but didn’t give her any more crap. The sun had set a couple hours ago, and I wished I’d brought a coat as we shuffled through the fallen leaves toward the warehouse and conglomeration of various-sized sheds that made up the haunted house.

The chill in the air seeped through my oversized black sweater, my exposed shoulder already feeling like I had an ice cube sitting in that one spot, but my legs were nice and toasty in the leather pants. Thank goodness I wore my Vans, since I was sure I’d be stumbling and scurrying a lot tonight.

“Welcome to Coldfield,” a dark, deep voice suddenly said right next to me and I jumped a little.

Shit. I chuckled and took a step away, hearing my friends’ laughter, as well.

“Nice blood,” Jade commented, and I guessed he must be one of the actors sent to greet everyone in line. Blood, huh? I imagined prop blood on his face and clothes. Maybe a hacksaw in his hand with a really dull blade, if any, of course, to keep it safe.

Something brushed my arm, and then I heard his voice right next to me again. Did he move in closer when I moved away?

“Did you girls sign the waiver?” he asked.

“Yes,” Isa answered, followed by a little giggle.

“Do you know the safe word?” he pressed.

“Yes,” she said again.

“Good.” I could damn-near feel his breath on me, and I almost forgot to breathe. “Don’t use it. I don’t like to stop my fun.”

They laughed again, comfortable in their knowledge that they were indeed safe, but all I could do was stand there, déjà vu weighing me down like an anchor. The fear factor, the taunting, his threatening promises… So much for getting away from the house, everyone in it, and clearing my head tonight. This guy was Damon. Or like the point-five version.

And then I felt it.

His breath was on my cheek as he spoke. “I’ll see you inside,” he whispered.

My body went cold and my chest caved. God, he was like him. The tone. The taunt.

“He likes you,” Jade teased. “Watch your back inside, Winter.”

I barely breathed.

My kind of fun has a price. Better enjoy myself while I can.

My blood pumped hot, and all of a sudden, I wasn’t cold anymore.

I knew this guy wasn’t him. He didn’t sound like him or smell like him or feel like him, but I lost all semblance of thought or reason as the line moved, Isa moved, and took me with her. Maybe I should be afraid of walking in here and remembering the terror Damon caused, but I went anyway, unable to resist wanting to test myself. To feel whatever was inside again. Even if just to see if I would handle myself any differently.

The air turned thick and musty as we stepped over the threshold and drafts hit me, like there was fake fog. My friends immediately started laughing and making surprised sounds, but since I couldn’t see what they were seeing, I had to rely on everything else to get a picture of the atmosphere in my head.

I absorbed the scent of water on rocks, like a cave, and the echoes of muffled screams, howls, and cries in the distance. Some of it was sound effects, but others clearly weren’t.

And somewhere, far off, the merry, child-like tune of a carousel pierced the windy night.

Something touched the top of my head, and I ducked, my heart leaping in my chest as I laughed. They had people in the rafters.

Coldfield was a Halloween attraction that popped up a couple of years ago, and no one knew who owned it, but everyone seemed to love it. Overnight—every September thirtieth—the old warehouse on the outskirts of town was finally put to use and transformed, now attached to an array of sheds, nooks, and outbuildings. Some people missed the parties they had out here on Devil’s Night, but most loved the new haunted theme park, especially with The Cove—the old amusement park up the coast a few miles—now shut down and abandoned.

“Pray fooooor the dead, and the dead will pray for youuuuuu,” a creepy-ass voice said, and I felt a plastic bag blow into my body with a breeze. “They will pray for you and they will prey on you.”

A cackling laugh followed, and I pushed the huge plastic sheet away from me, but as my hand dipped into the plastic, it hit something solid, and then…a male growl followed, the plastic was all over us, and arms and legs attacked through the sheet.

“Ah! Ah!” the girls screamed, scrambling away as I tightened my grip on Isa’s arm.

My stomach flipped, and I breathed out a small laugh.

I inched toward the far wall to get away from the huge guy behind the tarp and felt a hand poking out of the wall. I jumped back, but it grabbed for me, and we all were laughing as a dozen or more hands reached for us out of both sides of the hallway now.

We moved from room to room, some of it—like the evil operating room—going over my head, because there weren’t many sounds or screams or anything to give away what was actually going on, but I liked the juggernaut and his sledgehammer, pounding the floor ahead of us and chasing us into one room after another. My heart beat so hard, but it was thrilling to be chased, because I knew I was safe. I wasn’t as scared as the other two when people came out of the portraits, because obviously, I couldn’t see them following us with their eyes.

The spiral staircase almost made me pee my pants, though, single file and being chased up the tiny and steep incline by Jason Vorhees. You didn’t want to be taking up the rear in a situation like that, and of course, I always did, because I had to follow instead of lead.

It was fun, though. And I was too distracted to be worried about the shitstorm at my house.

“Oh, shit!” Isabella shouted.

“What?” Jade asked.

“There! When the light flashes again, look.”

I gripped Isa with both hands, huddling behind her and waiting for whatever was coming.

“Oh, shit!” Jade yelled.

What? What was going on?

They laughed. “He’s getting closer every time the light flashes!” Jade squealed.

And then I heard it.

The fucking chainsaw.

I groaned, my knees shaking. I hated Leatherface.

Laughter and shrieks, and then we all stumbled as several chainsaws raced in, chomping at our legs with their harmless, chainless saws. I hopped from one leg to the next, trying to keep hold of Isabella as we all struggled to tear away from our attackers. She grappled for my hand, but all of a sudden, the wall behind me gave way, I fell through, losing my grip on her arm, and freefell backward onto the hard cement before I heard a door close, and all the screams and chainsaws faded away.

I was suddenly in silence.

I pushed off the cold floor, held out my hands, and walked back in the direction from where I fell. What the hell?

At least, I thought it was the direction. I might’ve gotten spun around as I fell into the room.

“Isabella!” I called out, my hands landing on a wooden wall. I patted around for a door knob or hinges—anything to tell me where I was at or how to get out.

“Jade!” I bellowed.

But everything sounded distant. The cries and yelps. The music beyond the walls and down other hallways.

“Hello?” I said. “How…how do I get out?”

I only fell a few feet. Where the hell was I? My friends were right on the other side of one of these walls.

“Hello!” I shouted. “Help!”

Was I alone in here? I trailed down the walls, feeling for a way out. God, I hope so. I wanted my friends, but I didn’t want anyone else. I was having a blast a minute ago, but now… This changed things. How would I get away? Or find my frickin’ way out?

A clink pierced the silence behind me, and I froze.

“Hello?”

Was I alone? That sounded like a chain.

I shuffled down the wall, searching for the door—if it even was a real door and not a trap door—and a chill crawled up my shoulder. I pulled up my sweater to cover the bare skin, but it just fell down again.

I sucked in a deep breath, belting out, “Isa! Jade!”

But then, behind me, a chain clanked with another like there was wind, but I didn’t feel a draft.

I whipped around, shooting out my hands.

“Hello?” I demanded. “Who’s there?”

Are you going to hurt me?

I don’t know.

Do you want to?

Kind of.

A silvery sting throbbed between my legs, and I clenched my thighs to get control of myself. Fuck.

Safe word. What was the safe word?

Quarter. I let out a breath, relieved I’d remembered it. Thank God.

I took a few steps into the room. Maybe there was a hallway, and it connected to another part of the haunted house. There was a whole line of people outside. Isabella, Jade, and I weren’t the only customers in here.

But then I brushed cool metal, and I jerked back on reflex, hearing the chain chime as it hit another one. Hesitantly, I waved my hands in front of me again, sending several chains swinging. They were hanging from the ceiling?

I let out a little laugh. Maybe it was just a draft, after all.

But then I heard chains clink again, and my smile fell. It was a lot of them, and not a little tinkling that comes with a breeze. It was …purposeful.

I opened my mouth, but my voice was barely working. “Hello?”

Boo, I heard Damon that night in my head. I’d known someone was there.

And I knew I wasn’t alone now. There was someone in here.

“Qu…w…” Bile burned my throat, and my mind raced.

It’s not real. It’s just a game.

Except the last time this happened, I said the same thing and I’d been wrong.

I pawed the air in front of me, brushing chains but stilling them to keep from making noise, so I could hear the room.