Silver Moon (24 page)

Blake pays for our tickets, and Jana and I grab a spot in line. The corn stalks stand nearly two feet taller than me. I can’t see how far back the maze actually goes, but I know it’s big enough to get lost in.

“This should be interesting,” Jana says.

“Why’s that?” I ask.

“Have
you
ever been in a corn field maze, let alone a haunted one?”

“Um, no. Not in reality, anyway.”

Jana’s eyebrows form a V. “Me either.”

I try to block out my dream—the one involving the corn field. Icy chills creep up my spine and run down my arms. I hate feeling this way. I know it’s just a nightmare—nothing like that can happen in reality. The back of my mind tells me otherwise; it warns me to leave. The stranger may have appeared outside my window, but there’s been no proof of him since then. So it could easily have been my half-asleep imagination playing tricks on my eyes.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I murmur.

Jana and Blake gawk at me.

“What? Why?” Jana asks.

“I feel sick.”

“Don’t get the
heebie
jeebies
now, Candra. We haven’t even gone inside yet.”

“You two go on. I’m going to take a walk.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Jana says, grabbing my arm.

My stomach twists and flips. Will this be like my dreams? Are my dreams somehow predicting my future?

We catch up to the people in front of us, and wait for clearance to enter the maze. A grizzly-looking man in a pirate costume sits on a platform as high as the tops of the stalks, next to the main entrance. He’s timing people as soon as they enter the maze, giving them a head start before the next few follow.

“You three are up next,” he tells us. He stares at the watch in his hand, counting down our time. “
Arrrgh
! It’s time. Don’t let the spooks get
ya
!” he exclaims in his best pirate accent. When he smiles, four of his upper front teeth are crowned in gold.

We carefully enter the maze. Though it’s dark outside, torches staked in the ground light the path. Actors still have places to hide in the shadows.

Jana and Blake hold hands, feeling their way along the scratchy walls. We arrive at two dead-ends before beginning our way through another series of twists and turns.

“It’s
way
too quiet,” Jana whispers.

“Yeah, it is,” I say.

We creep slowly through the maze, one foot in front of the other. The path splits into two directions. I’m trying to figure out which way to go when one of the actors comes after Jana. She screams and takes off. Blake is right there with her.

“Guys! Wait up!” I yell, running after them.

As soon as I round the corner where they disappear, I trip on wires taped down at ground level and hit the soil with a big
oomph
!

“C’mon, Candra!” I hear Jana yell from somewhere to my right.

“Where?”

“Over here!”

I follow the direction of her voice, but can’t find her. Every turn makes my stomach roll. I’m already in a dark area of the maze, so it’s that much worse. I’m not sure where the nearest torch is.

And I can’t find Jana and Blake.

Screaming is good. Screaming might help.

“GUYS, WAIT!”

Nothing.

The wind blows through the tops of the corn stalks. They sway in one direction, and then return to their former positions.

Breathe, Candra. You can do this on your own. Nobody’s going to hurt you, not even the actors. They can’t touch you. The stranger isn’t going to show up. There’s no way for him to even know you’re here.

I prepare myself for someone to jump out at any second, but they never do. I constantly hear
cracks
behind me and in front of me, but never see anything. My mind is playing tricks on me.

I’m not paying attention and get sliced on the cheek by a stalk. My fingers move to assess the damage. A tiny line of blood oozes from the scratch.

This is not happening to me.

At the brink of a potential meltdown, I scream, “Guys! Where are you?” one last time.

No one answers me.

I come upon a resting area. Benches are placed back-to-back in the center, and torches light the tiny spot. The maze leaves me with two options: take the path on the left side of the maze, or the path on the right side. One of them will lead me out.

But which one?

I can’t stand around all night deciding which one to take, so I go with option one—the left passage. One torch lights the entire path. It reminds me of a hallway. I follow it to the end, fighting myself the whole way. I can do this. I really can. No turning around and going back, even though the entrance is near. Jana and Blake can’t be too far ahead.

The hall-like entrance opens up to yet another small area—a dead-end. The tiny space has room for one bench, which is occupied. I can’t see who sits there, because it’s so dark. My eyes haven’t adjusted, and the moon, which was bright earlier, has lost its intensity behind the cloud cover.

“I’ve been waiting for you. I’m so glad you’re here, Candra,” someone says ahead of me.

Fear freezes me in place. My heart pounds so quickly that I believe it will beat its way out of my chest at any second.

His voice sounds familiar, though it’s too dark and gruff for me to recognize.

“Come. Have a seat by me.” The man pats the empty space beside him.

           
“I—I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I stutter, surprised I can form a sentence.

           
The man doesn’t move or speak.

           
“How do you know my name?” I ask.

           
“I know lots of things—things you don’t think anyone knows about you.”

           
“Who
are
you?”

“Now, where’s the fun in that, if I just told you who I am or what I want?” His voice drawls.

My heart beats faster than before, if that’s possible. Every one of my senses tells me to turn around and run for my life, screaming the whole way. But I can’t move. It’s like my feet are rooted into the ground.

“Are you not going to sit with me?” the man asks. “It’s very rude to decline something you’ve been offered.”

“It’s also rude to not introduce yourself,” I blurt before I can stop myself.

“Ah, well…” he trails off, clearing his throat. “Candra, it seems we’ve come to an impasse. Neither of us wins, so where does that leave us?” A smile lingers in his voice.

“I think I need to go now. I’ll forget this ever happened,” I choke. I don’t realize how tightly my fists are clenched, until I feel the pin prick caused by my fingernails digging into my skin.

Then he laughs. Not a whole-hearted laugh, but one that holds evil.

“I’m afraid you can’t run from me, Candra. I know where you live, where you work. I’m aware of Randy and Beth, and where they work. Those late night shifts might kill them one of these days.” He chuckles.

My throat swells. “What is it that you want? Please, don’t hurt them,” I whisper, holding back tears.

“It’s only a matter of time, and I will kill all of you. That’s what I ultimately want, and I’m not the only one.”

I grab a handful of hair in each hand, closing my eyes, praying this isn’t really happening. “You’re not real. You’re only a figment of my screwed up imagination.” My voice is raspy. “Go away,” I chant over and over again.

But he doesn’t. He sits there, laughing.

“You can’t get rid of me. I’m not part of your imagination. I’m part of your dreams. But I’m there because I
wanted
to be there, so you knew of me. I warned you to leave, and you didn’t listen. Now, I’m afraid I must handle this myself.” He says it all so nonchalantly, like killing people doesn’t have consequences.

So, this is it. I’ll fight for my life and for those around me.

I teeter back and forth, my fists still balled at my sides. I’m ready to run.

“Why do you want me dead?” I ask.

“Because you exist,” he replies calmly, without thinking about it.

I wince. “When are you going to kill me?”

The faint outline of the man shrugs. “It may be now. It may be five years from now. But I will kill you.”

My body shakes from fear, or maybe it’s adrenaline. Without hesitating a second longer, I turn and run the opposite way.

I will live.

I make it back to the small resting area, back to the opposite passageway. My legs are propelled by something else. I’ve never run so fast in my life. My lungs feel like they might burst into flames at any moment.

“I hear you, Candra. You can’t hide from me.”

Bile rises in my throat.

If you don’t run, he’ll kill you.

Right, left, right again. The maze makes me dizzy, jolting my legs into constant stops with all the twists and turns. Actors jump out at me, but they don’t aren’t as terrifying anymore. I take a quick right and face a dead-end. When I turn around, I smack into something hard, and tall.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

T
he
thing
I bump into doesn’t budge. My head rises, my eyes search for a face—something I know. But I can’t see him. The moon is still cloaked by clouds.

Please don’t kill me now
, I pray.

His hands latch onto my shoulders. I wriggle and squirm in his grasp. He falls backward to the ground. For a moment I wonder how it happens, but push all thoughts aside, except one.

I have to get out of here.

Jumping over him, I think I make it, but he grabs my leg and pulls. I fall to the ground with a
thud.

“You can’t get away that easily,” he says.

I kick and thrash with everything in me. One of the kicks lands square on his face. I don’t know what exactly happens, but it’s like I electrocute him or something. His face ignites with sparks and he shrinks back in pain, letting go of my ankle.

I’m free.

The pattern of the maze continues. Right, left, left. Right again.

Then I see it—an opening, the exit. The pounding of feet echoes in my ears. He’s close, and fast.

My legs ache, my lungs burn, and I’m wheezing.

I make it through. There’s a clearing on the other side, full of people.

“Candra, we were so worried about you! You were there with us one minute, and the next you weren’t—” Jana stops in mid-sentence.

I bend over, trying to catch my breath. My body throbs in pain.

“Are you okay?” Blake asks.

Jana rubs my back with her hand. “We’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to leave you like that.”

“We need to get out of here,” I say, my voice hoarse.
 

When I glance up, the crowd outside the exit stares at me. I pant, catching my breath.

“You’re bleeding,” Blake says. His thumb brushes the cut on my cheek.

“That’s the least of my worries right now,” I say, finally able to stand straight.

“Okay, let’s go,” Jana says hesitantly. She glances at Blake, but neither of them questions me.

Every few steps, I turn to look at the exit. Will he come out and show himself? Will someone else be forced to face him in the maze?

Nobody has a clue what happened to me. Nobody will believe me, either.

Buttered popcorn and a hint of something tart hit my nostrils. I see parents with children in line at concessions. The kids will think pretzels, popcorn and cotton candy are the best thing about tonight. A few fellow classmates wait for their chance to enter and be scared by nothing more than crazy actors. Couples walk with arms looped around each other, sipping hot chocolate.