Flashing red lights, a horrific soundtrack playing overhead, and the gory scene of a family being eaten alive by a monster flooded his senses.
Azul sighed. The quality of the Haunted House was impressive, he had to admit, but it wasn't scary at all.
Nothing scared him and he had come to it in hopes he would feel something.
Standing tall in a vampire costume, Azul ran his fingers through his black hair, cursing himself for wasting his time by coming here.
That's when something caught his eye.
On the floor next to the dining table was a cheap, plastic, golden halo and a silver glittery shoe that disappeared under the tablecloth.
Azul raised his eyebrow. What was this? Someone hiding? What for?
Curious, he walked over to the halo and picked it up before lifting the tablecloth.
Underneath the table was a girl in a white dress with little angel wings, a white lace mask and a golden glittery wand – which matched the halo.
He chuckled, 'What is an angel doing with a wand?'
As he crawled under the table, he noticed that she was trembling, tears were dripping from her chin, her eyes were shut tight, and her hands were clasped firmly over her ears.
"Hey." He said gently as he crawled up to her, his black leather gloved hand grabbing one of hers.
The girl shrieked and flinched away from him, her eyes opening wide in horror.
"Hey, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. You dropped your halo." He held it out to her and she seemed to calm down a bit after realizing he wasn't part of the attraction.
She reached out her trembling hand and took the halo from him, sniveling with a frown.
"What are you doing under here? You know all the fun is out there, right?" Azul pointed behind him with his thumb.
The brunette covered her ears again and shook her head, "I-I can't! I-I'm too s-scared!"
Azul nodded slowly before pulling her hands away from her ears. He squeezed them gently and ran his thumb over her knuckles in a soothing manner.
"How about we get you out of here? I'll protect you, okay? No one stands a chance against the undead." He said, motioning to his vampire costume.
She let out a light laugh and then bit her lip, unsure if she could really go back out there.
Azul noticed her hesitation and rubbed his chin.
"How about…" He held up his cape "you hide in this? Will that make you feel better?"
The girl nodded, and Azul took her hand, leading her out from under the table.
He wrapped his arm firmly around her waist and pulled his cape around her.
His heart skipped a beat as she wrapped her arms around him, clutching onto him as though he were a lifeline.
Each room of the haunted house was unique, each one scarier than the last.
The second room was an outdoor scene of a foggy forest. An abandoned car that had crashed into one of the trees, had its car door swinging and creaking in the wind.
Just as they passed, a man in a bloodied mask jumped out, rearing his chainsaw at them.
Azul tightened his grip around her as he felt her tense at the sound of the chainsaw.
The third room was a hospital scene. A voice overhead could be heard detailing how one of the patients had survived a car accident in the forest.
On the operating table was a body covered in fake blood-stained sheet. As people would pass by, the actor underneath would sit up and turn their head to look at the passersby.
The fourth room was pitch black with illuminated ghosts running around, grabbing onto the participants and trying to drag them away.
As they passed by the walls, it was revealed that area was the morgue.
Azul glared at the ghosts as they tried to grab at the girl, his piercing gaze warning them to back off.
With each actor jumping out, and each scary noise, the girl's grip on him tightened more and more.
It stirred something in him, something he wasn't familiar with.
Maybe it was the fact he was being relied on so heavily, or the fact that he could physically feel her fear, but he felt the need to protect her and make sure she was okay.
After three more rooms, they finally made it out of the attraction. Cool fall air caressed their cheeks as Azul removed his cape from around her.
"We're out now. You did good." He said with a chuckle.
The girl looked around and wobbled to a nearby bench. She placed her hand on her chest and clutched onto the arm rest as she tried to calm herself down.
"Hey, are you alright?" Azul crouched down in front of her. She was pale, but he couldn't tell if it was because something was wrong or if that was just her natural coloring.
She nodded, "I'm..fine. I just," she was panting hard, "need a second. Thank you so much…..I couldn't have gotten out of there without you…"
Her voice was shaking but it sounded so sweet and light, it made his heart flutter.
"You're welcome, what's your name?" He asked as he gently rubbed her knee.
She glanced at his hand, an odd look appeared in her eyes. Azul stopped immediately, realizing it was kind of weird for him to do to a girl he didn't know.
"I'm-"
Just as she was about to speak, a group of people approached them.
"Oh my god, Sierra! You made it out alive! Good job! Unfortunately, you were the last one to make it out, so….that means…." The blonde speaking turned towards the group, scanning everyone's faces with a smile before turning back to Sierra, "…..drinks are on you!"
Azul looked between the group of people and Sierra. Something about this interaction didn't quite feel right.
"Umm…." Sierra stood up, her legs still shaking, "…..I don't know if I can affor-"
"Don't tell me you're not going to be a team player-"