I didn't get to go last year because of the pandemic, but this year, would be my first year being able to go to "The Scream Underground"
About twenty years ago I think, a couple obsessed with Halloween, started a yearly haunt. It gets bigger and better every year apparently. They own a large piece of property with acres upon acres of land, and a good portion of that land is turned into "The Scream Underground" every year.
It's absolutely insane. Okay, well, I've only heard stories, but it's like something straight out of a horror movie apparently except with party vibes. There's hidden underground bunkers, that apparently you can be dragged into by the paid actors, and kept there for however long they choose. There's a maze with the trees of the forest on their land, it weaves narrowly through the trees and is only wide enough for one person at most points, so I hear. Apparently every year at least one or two people get stuck in it until dawn, and they have to have people sent in after them.
The maze was inspired by the Catacombs of Paris apparently and is super easy to get lost in which is why a lot of people apparently don't go through it.
The Scream Underground cost $200 a person to attend. The people who owned it were fucking rich, but I guess it did cost a lot for them to set up the truly "terrifying" experience.
Consent forms are signed, the whole nine yards. Once you were past a certain line on the property, there was no turning back.
Not everyone got the full experience, as only a few attendees would be lucky enough to be hunted by the actors.
It was me with five of my girl friends, Emily, Frankie, Liza, Bea, and Trinity that were going.
It was cold as we rode on the hay truck with a group of others. There were always hundreds of people in attendence, and they drove you out to the part of the property on a rickety old hay truck. Through a small road in the trees. We could see the glow of orange and green and red, and purple lights coming from far into the trees and the sounds of music, the beat of the music getting stronger and stronger the closer we got. Voices and laughter became clearer the closer we got, and there were already probably about a hundred people there. I wondered immediately how many of them were actors.
The area we were dropped off in was a large clearing with wooden tables with drinks, foods, and alcohol set up.
"holy shit this is awesome" Emily says as she wiggles excitedly in her slutty Dorothy costume.
A group of people greet us, and we don't know them, but they're clearly loosened up and just as excited to be there as the rest of us. Emily hops off before the hay truck even comes to a stop and takes the small red plastic shot cup the stranger holds out to her and throws it back.
I laugh as she she shoots her hand up into the air and the people there to greet us cheer for her as she yells.
"I'm ready to scream!!!!" she hollers and they all hoot and holler with her, and so do the other people standing in the clearing all raising their cups and let out a collective scream. It pierces my ears and sends chills through me, a thrill that has my toes curling in my little green flats.
I was sexy tinker bell, but neon green and ..bloody. I had the itty bitty neon green leoatard that was currently riding up my ass, and neon green fishnets and a pair of matching neon green flats. I had a poofy little elastic skirt of tulle that had glitter all over it. My blonder hair was up in a little bun. I had fake blood on my chest, neck and down my arms and a little on my legs. And just a swipe of blood on my cheek.
I hop off the truck and am handed the same shot that Emily was, along with everyone else who gets off the truck. All of us raising the little cups and drinking together.
My parents did not want me to go, because while there were stories of how amazing The Scream was, there were also horror stories. Legends of girls going and never returning home, girls still stuck in bunkers, yadda yadda, all made up bullshit , probably by the owners themselves just to get more people to come. But I was finally old enough to go, since it was only for eighteen and older. I was nineteen now though, so there wasn't much they could do to stop me from going.
"nice costume" a male voice says from right behind me and I turn to see if they're talking to me and I jump slightly at how close they are, and because, they actually scared me.
"Same to you" I say with a laugh as I look the guy up and down. He's dressed as a scarecrow. Except, a really, really creepy one, the mask itself alone could make me piss myself if I were to come across him like this alone in these trees around us. His pants are dark brown, and hes wearing a raggedy plaid shirt, with a brown jacket, a brown rope around his waist, and pieces of straw coming out of the breast pocket of the jacket.
"Yeah? You Like it?" he asks and holds his arms out, turning his head to look at each of his arms and then shrugs.
"Mhm" I say and he looks back at me through the mask, and he has red contacts in , that glow slightly from the black lights hanging from the tree near us. It's hot. Why the hell did Halloween and men in creepy costumes turn me on so much?
"Ever been?" he asks looking around.
"No, you?" I ask and he nods.
"Ever been hunted?" I ask.
He shakes his head.
"Can't hunt a hunter." he says and I feel a my body shiver.
I can't see his face, but I feel like he's smiling under his mask, or maybe he's not, maybe he's glaring at me, in warning.
"Are you telling me you're one of the actors ? I don't think you're supposed to do that." I say.
He lets out a laugh as two guys come up behind him and I look around me and realize my friends aren't even near me, but excitedly making their rounds in the clearing, grabbing drinks, leaving me to my own defenses apparently.
"Well hello" the guy dressed as the Joker, the Heath Ledger one, says as he looks at my tits. "Little tinkerbell" he says.
"Hi" I say and the messy red paint that forms the "Scars" of his mouth lifts and I feel my nipples tighten in my little neon leotard.
"Is that blood yours Tinkerbell? Or should we be scared?" he asks and I see his brow lift.
"Not mine." I say with a little smile and he chuckles and so does the guy dressed in blank pants, combat boots, a long sleeved white dress shirt with the arms rolled up, a black vest, with skeleton makeup on his face.
"Got a name?" The scarecrow asks.
"Tinkerbell." I say with a little shrug, playing with them.
The Joker and the skeleton chuckle.
"Well I'm Jax....." the scarecrow says. "This is my buddy Ace" he points to the joker. "This is Dex." he says nodding to the skeleton.
"Remember our names incase you need to scream them later." Dex the joker says.
I cock my brow. "Is that a line? If so, it's awful." I say and he laughs.
"For help, scream for help." he says and I smile and give a little laugh.
"got it." I say and the scarecrows glowing eyes are on me and I look at him.
"Don't go wandering off alone Tink." he says.
"I won't Jax." I say, with a flirtatious little grin and then bat him with my little fairy wand on the arm.
"nice to meet you boys." I say to his friends and turn and walk away , feeling all three sets of eyes stare at my back.
I hear the murmur of the Jokers voice as I walk away but can't make out what he says, but I hear the scarecrow , Jax, chuckle and say.
"Definitely."