Haunted Maze

"Is this the right place?" Emma asked, peering out the back window of Will's car. It was dark on these country roads and all she could see was the outline of a barn in the distance and to her right what looked like a corn field.
"This is where my GPS took me," Will said, listening to the robotic voice telling him he had arrived at his destination.
"There is a sign that says "haunted maze this way"," Jasper pointed out from the front passenger seat. Emma looked where he pointed and saw a tall wooden sign with the words Jasper had spoken painted in black elegant letters. She smiled. She had looked forward to Halloween and haunted mazes all year.
"It looks like we are the first ones here," Will said, pulling off the road into a field designated for parking. He eased into a parking space marked off with white rope.
"All the scarier for us then," Jasper said excitedly, looking over his shoulder at Emma.
"I'm not scared. You are the one who cried like a little girl last year when a ghost popped out at you in the haunted house."
 Will laughed and Jasper glared at Emma.
"I did not scream. I just jumped a little."
"Whatever you say," Emma shrugged.
  The three teens got out of the car and walked toward a large barn at the far end of the field. An old man sat at a table with a lantern in the door way and waved at them as they approached.
  "Welcome to the haunted farm. Are you all ready to brave the trail?" he said, gesturing to the cornfield.
  "Yes sir," Will said, reaching into his pocket to take out his wallet.
  "Ten dollars a person," the old man said. He reached out his hand to collect the money the teens handed him.
  "Now the maze is out that way past the sign," he said, pointing into the growing darkness. Tall stalks of corn waved back and forth in the breeze. Emma pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders.
  "When you come out, you will be at the back of the barn. Just come around front and I will give you your prize for finding your way through," the old man told them with a grin. 
   "There may be some strange and scary creatures along the way but don't worry, they're not allowed to touch you. Only give you a good scare!" he said, waving his fingers and bobbing his head like a ghost.
   "Well we don't scare easy," Jasper told him. Emma snickered and Jasper glared at her.
   "Come on, let's get in there before a bunch of people show up," Will encouraged. They waved goodbye to the man at the table and headed toward the maze. At the entrance was a small sign on a post that read, "Enter here if you dare" and three trails leading off in different directions. Shrill screams and maniacal laughter came from deep in the maze.
  "Three trails, one for each of us," Emma suggested.
  "Sounds good to me," Will agreed.
  "I'm down," Jasper said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
  The teens each walked toward the beginning of one path and then turned to look at each other.
  "Last one out buys the rest of us icecream," Will decided.
 "Hope you brought enough money to buy me two scoops then," Emma sassed, with a challenging smile.
 "Let's get this over with," Jasper said, starting shakily down his path. Emma rolled her eyes and began to walk through the corn stalks and Will did the same.

   Jasper pulled his hands up into the sleeves of his hoodie and folded his arms. He had been alone for thirty seconds and already regretted going along with Emma's idea. The corn stalks were tall and isolating and it was impossible to tell where the scary creatures the old man had mentioned might be lurking.
  "Hi there, little boy," said a raspy voice suddenly. Jasper jumped and ran forward not even stopping to look at who had spoken. He heard evil laughter behind him and continued at a fast pace.
  "If I have to buy Emma icecream I'm going to smash it in her face," he promised himself, turning around as he realized he was in a dead end.
  He went down a different path hoping the maze was not as big as it had looked when they first drove up. A few feet in front of him he could see a figure dressed in old baggy overalls and a torn up straw hat. It made grunting noises like a zombie and Jasper kept to the opposite side of the trail as it moseyed past him.
  So far these creatures were not too scary. Maybe he had overreacted. The old man said the creatures were not allowed to touch them anyway so what did he really have to fear. Feeling a bit more confident, he continued down this path wondering how Emma and Will were faring.
  Up ahead was a curve in the path and Will could see the outline of a person peek around it. He laughed a little bit.
  "You popped out too soon," he called ahead. "I already saw you." A moment passed with no response and then a tall shadowy figure stepped out from behind the corn and stood silently blocking the way.
  "Nice try," Jasper told him. "And the machete is a nice touch. I didn't even see that at first. Is it sharp?"
  The figure nodded.
  "Well be careful that you don't cut yourself jumping out at people."
  The figured did not respond.
  "Can I get by now, please? I am kind of in a race with my friends to see who can get through the maze first."
   The figure stepped out of the way and gestured Jasper forward.
  "Thank you, kind sir," he said with a flourish. "I hope you are able to-"
  Jasper stopped mid sentence as a sharp pain seared through his back. He hunched over and gasped for air. The last thing he heard was a piercing scream somewhere out in the maze. Then he fell to the ground and everything was darkness.


   Emma walked briskly down the trail she had chosen smiling bravely at the ghost and witch who peered out at her from the corn stalks.
 "You don't scare me. Better luck next time," she taunted. She wondered how Jasper was doing. He had not seemed too excited about this whole maze idea and especially not about going through by himself.
  A clown suddenly appeared in the path and blew loudly on a noisemaker. Emma jumped a little, then giggled.
  "Nice one, clown," she said. He bowed and disappeared back into the darkness.
 She walked for what seemed like a long time and finally came to a fork in the trail. Looking both ways, she tried to remember which direction the barn was since that's where the old man said the path lead. The corn was too tall to see over but she felt like the barn would be to the left. Turning that direction, she walked through the shadows and in a few seconds, found herself in a dead end.
"I guess it's to the right," she decided, and turned around to go back.
"Oh! You scared me!" she exclaimed, jumping back and putting a hand on her chest. "You walked up so quietly I didn't even hear you."
 A tall figure stood in front of her holding a long machete. It was hard to tell in the darkness but it looked to be covered in blood.
 "That's quite a terrifying knife you have there. The blood looks so real. I'm guessing it's corn syrup though, huh?"
  The figure did not reply. He took a step forward till he was face to face with Emma and took a lock of her hair in his fingers. She winced.
"Hey now, the old man at the barn said you guys aren't allowed to touch us. And if you're trying to come onto me, I can tell you homicidal maniacs are not my type," Emma said with a nervous laugh.
  The figure did not speak but his lips curled up into a queasy smile. The girl took another step back.
"Why are you looking at me that way?" she asked, feeling her heart beginning to pound. Then in an instant, the pounding stopped.
  Emma put her hand back up to her chest and opened her mouth to scream but before she could summon the breath, she fell to the ground and was silent.


  Will was confident as ever as he strolled down the dark path through the tall stalks of corn. He had already braved a crazy butcher waving a knife and an angry zombie hungry for brains. He had walked for what seemed like a long time and was sure the end of the trail must be coming up soon.
  Sure enough, as he turned a corner he could see a little break in the darkness and the backside of the old man's barn about fifty yards away. Quickening his pace, he was eager to see if Emma and Jasper had been able to beat him to the end.
  "I bet Jasper is still stuck at the beginning too scared to go in," he said to himself with a chuckle.
  All of a sudden a dark figure emerged from the corn stalks and planted himself right in the path. He held what looked like a large machete and it appeared to be coated in blood.
   "Whoa, buddy. You just came out of nowhere," Will said, good naturedly, stopping in front of the man.
   "Are you the last creature I have to pass before I am free?"
  The figure did not answer.
   "Well, I know you're not allowed to touch me and you can't keep me here forever," he said, looking for a way around the man. But he was large and Will would have to go into the corn to get past him.
   "Is there like a riddle or something I have to solve?" he asked, beginning to feel slightly agitated.
   The figure stood silently. Will sighed.
  "Ok well if you don't mind, can I get past you now? I want to see if my two friends were able to get through before me."
    The figure looked down at his machete and a sick smile came over his face. He stepped to the side of the path and motioned for Will to continue.
  "Thanks a lot, man. Stay creepy!" Will called over his shoulder as he left the maze.
Looking around, he did not see Emma or Jasper. Maybe they had hardly gone to find the old man and claim their prize. Will hurried around the barn to the old man's table but he did not see his friends.
   "Am I the first one out?" he asked, approaching the table. The old man turned around to face him with a smile.
   "You sure are, young man. Congratulations! Here is your prize."
  The old man handed Will a small pumpkin with a scary face carved in it and a battery powered tea light candle inside.
    "My wife made these for our guests. It took her days."
    "This is great, thank you," Will said.
    "How did you like the maze?" the old man wanted to know. "Did it terrify you?"
    "It definitely made me jump. And the guy at the end was quite a trip."
   "The guy at the end?"
   "Yes, with the machete. He just appeared out of nowhere and stood looming over me. And the fake blood on his machete looked so real. That's definitely going to scare some kids tonight!" Will assured him.
    The old man sat up in his chair and stared at the maze, his eyebrows creased and the blood drained from his face.
    Will cocked his head to the side.
 "Is something wrong, sir?" he asked. The old man nodded.
 "I didn't hire a man to go in there with a machete."