#diaa

Billy places a gentle kiss to the top of my head, rubbing my upper arm as he does so. I peer up at him, locking eyes with him. They were exceptionally dark today; there was no shimmer, no welcoming warmth in them. Just sadness. Worry. Sunken in and red around the edges from the few tears he let out earlier today. Swallowing, I break the silence with a croak, “I’m fine.” Tatum nods, but I know she doesn’t believe me as she purses her lips together. She closes the gap between us and pulls me from Billy, engulfing me in a hug. She squeezes me for an uncomfortably long time, nearly pushing the air out of me. I swear I could feel her tremble, trying to hold back her cries. She’ll never admit it, but she did value him as a good friend of hers, and I know she regrets all those times she wasn’t particularly nice to him. “I’m so sorry, Sid,” her voice was strong, but quivers. Hearing that causes my vision to blur as fresh tears make their way to the surface. I place my hands on her shoulders, steadying her in front of me. “You can cry, it’s okay,” I sniff, coughing out a small chuckle. “I know,” she whispers, wrenching her eyes shut as she finally lets those tears free that she was holding back. This time I pull her into a hug, resting my head on her shoulder.

I glance up, blinking through my tears as something dark catches my eye in the distance against the pines. I squint, trying to make sense of what it is that I saw—or think I saw, anyway—but there was nothing but low hanging branches swaying in the wind. I shake my head, releasing Tatum from my hold. She wipes the tears from her eyes with the tips of her fingers, sniffling softly as she runs the sleeve of her shirt under her nose. Her cheeks and nose were both reddened, eyes glossed over and starting to become bloodshot. “What’s wrong?” she questions after studying me for a moment. I clear my throat, “Oh, uh, nothing. I just thought I saw something…” I peer over her shoulder again, confirming that there was nothing but trees behind her. “Must’ve just been an animal running by, is all.” She gently pushes her knuckles against my shoulder, playfully pushing before muttering a quick ‘kay’.

“So, whaddya two ladies think about bailing this fiesta and grabbing some grub and having a few drinks back at my place?” Stu slings his arms around our shoulders, bobbing his head back and forth between us as he waits for a response. “Stu! Now is not the time or place—” “A-actually, Tate, I think that’s a great idea,” I cut Tatum off mid-scold. “This has been a hard day for all of us. Maybe a little downtime is what we need.”

I steal a glance at Billy; a comforting smirk stares back at me as he saunters over to us. He replaces Stu’s arm around my shoulders with his, resting his hand on my upper arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He cocks his head to the side, "C'mon. Let's get outta here."

-

I stare absentmindedly at the movie that was playing on the living room TV, lazily spinning the beer bottle I was holding between my fingers. We decided on John Carpenter's Halloween in honor of Randy, knowing that was one of his favorites; he adored Jamie Lee "Scream Queen" Curtis.

I was in such a fog, not even retaining anything that I had watched. My head throbbed lightly at the temples, my eyes puffy from crying and nose raw from blowing it nearly all day. I keep telling myself that this is all a dream, and I'll wake up soon and have to deal with Randy's enthusiasm towards all the newly released movies he planned to watch in theatre, and possibly convince us to join.

I chuckle lightly to myself at the thought.

"Earth to Sid!" I look up when I hear my name called through the haze just as a dusting of popcorn plops me in the face. I jerk back slightly, shaking my head. "You alright over there?" Stu asks, leaning over to retrieve the popcorn that was now sitting in my lap, popping it into his mouth. "Yeah, sorry," I mumble, bringing the bottle to my lips and taking a swig. "Hey dickhead, why don't you leave her alone?" Billy barks at Stu, shooting him a stern look. Stu puts his hands up in defense, "Sheesh, sorry, man. She just looked like a space cadet for a minute there, wanted to make sure she was coming back to us at some point."

Sighing, I tip the bottle back and finish off the beer before standing, "I'm fine. Please, for fuck's sake, stop asking me." I turn on my heel, making my exit towards the kitchen to grab another drink from the fridge. I hear a low mumble, followed by a distinguished 'ow' from Stu. I pluck a bottle from the bottom shelf and close the fridge, turning around and leaning against it. Letting out a sigh, I bang my head back against the door just as I hear someone enter the room. I briefly glance over, meeting Billy's stare.

"Don't," I bite, twisting the top off the beer and aggressively tossing it into the trash by the kitchen island. He doesn't say a word, just walks towards me and puts a hand on my side and looks directly into my eyes. He studies me, trailing his gaze up and down my tense face, trying to get a read on me.

I breathe in deeply through my nose, closing my eyes and resting my forehead against his chest. "I'm sorry," I mumble as I let go of the breath I was holding. "It's okay," he whispers, moving his hand up and down my back soothingly. "You have nothing to be sorry for." "I'm just frazzled, you know?" I speak into his chest. "All the stress from this is getting to my head. Earlier today at the funeral, I could have sworn I saw him." "Saw who?" I gulped, choking on my answer. "Ghostface." Billy remains quiet for a moment, still running a hand slowly up and down my spine. I could feel my heart begin to race with anxiety, drumming against my chest, waiting for his answer. Does he think I'm crazy? Did he see him too? Does he know something that I don't?

"Would you like me to take you home so you can relax?" He asks after his momentary silence. I start to calm now that he finally answered as I shake my head, still pressed against his chest. "No, I just opened this," I respond, lifting the beer aimlessly. He chuckles, "Okay. Ready to go back in there with those goons?" This time I let out a small giggle, lifting my head and gently placing a kiss on his jaw. He gazes down at me, the corners of his lips turning upwards in a tiny smile. I break away from his grasp, grabbing his hand and pulling him with me back towards the living room. "I'll take that as a yes."

-

The room was spinning, and I was laughing.

Okay, so the room wasn't actually spinning, but with the alcohol influencing my vision, it sure seemed like it was. I felt warm, vibrant, exhilarated, and most importantly, distracted. There wasn't a care in the world to me besides feeding myself more booze to keep these feelings flowing. I felt free from the looming darkness that's been consuming me since Randy's passing.

I was currently wrapped up in a blanket with my head slumped against Tatum's shoulder, the bowl of popcorn now in our possession. She was lazily tossing kernels into her mouth, trying hard to ignore her boyfriend who was trying his damnedest to annoy her. By the sounds of it, it seemed to have been working, hearing her huff as she throws her head against the backrest. "Stu!" She finally snaps, "knock it off, or so help me God." "Aww, what's wrong Tatum?" He teases her, promptly poking her in the side. She jerks at the touch, whipping her head to glare at him. I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing at the situation that was unfolding beside me.

In one swift movement, Tatum stands with the popcorn bowl in her hands, leaving me to fall against the couch cushion. I grunt softly, but right myself to witness what was about to happen. I scoff, astonished once I see her lift the bowl over Stu's head, popcorn pouring over him. She finishes her attack by slamming the bowl onto his head, pushing it down past his eyes so he couldn't see. She let's out a 'hmph' as she folds her arms over her chest, leaving him to sit there with his new hat and mess around him.

I couldn't contain my composure; I was full on belly-laughing.

I turn my attention towards Billy, who was sitting in the lounger across from me, to see if he was witnessing the drama before us. He was leaning forward, elbows on his legs propping him up, dangling his beer between his legs, chuckling lightly. I watch him as he brings the bottle up to his lips, taking a quick sip before returning to his original position. I watch him swipe his tongue over his lips, savoring the taste of his brew. I mimic his actions, licking my own lips while imagining the taste of him infiltrating my palate.

He adverts his attention towards me as if he could sense that I was staring at him. He locks those dark eyes with mine, smoldering. That look electrifies me, shooting this sudden warmth through my body that pools at the pit of my stomach. I squirm uncomfortably in my seat to try to ease the heat that was simmering in me, swallowing harshly as I feel my mouth start to go dry. I watch his eyes slowly trail from my eyes, down to my hands I had been wringing anxiously while Billy practically eye fucked me. His mouth pulls to the side in a devious smirk while he meets me eyes again—he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Why tonight of all nights his actions—which certainly were supposed to be innocent—were causing my body to react this way, I wasn’t sure. But my God, the things I’m imaging him doing to me was not me by nature… I guess I’ll blame it on the alcohol.

“Why don’t we get you home, Sid? You look like you’re ready to leave,” Billy’s voice was low as he stood and placed his half-drank beer on the coffee table. I felt another rush of warmth, this time running up my neck as my heartrate began to pick up from anticipation of what those eyes were portraying. “Oh, um…” I trail off, taking a quick glance around the room; Tatum still hadn’t returned, and Stu was clearly irritated that he was now picking up the mess that he egged on from her. “Yeah, it’s getting pretty late.”

When I stood, the room began to spin again as my brain finally registered just how much alcohol I consumed tonight. I bumped my knee into the coffee table, causing Billy’s beer to topple over and spill. I gasp, quickly reaching for it, only to push it further and inevitably causing more of a mess. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Stu,” I mumble with embarrassment, turning to head towards the kitchen for something to clean up the spill, and immediately bump into Billy’s chest. He rights me, planting a hand firmly on the small of my back. He leers down at me, that same damned smirk playing on his lips. I gasp, feeling myself flush.

Fuck. What is wrong with me tonight?

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Not like this is the first beer we’ve spilled here, right?” I hear bottles clacking together behind me as Stu starts to clean the room up. “You both look pretty sloshed, why don’t you go on up and take my parent’s room tonight?” Billy continues to smirk at me as he winks. “You sure?" "Yeah, man," Stu chuckles, "go for it. You never know with Officer Dewey-Boy. Don't want him bustin' ya, and I don't think Tatum can bail you out on that one." "Appreciate it." Billy cocks his head, motioning for me to follow him up the stairs. I trail after him, reaching for his hand in guidance.

Once inside the bedroom and the door was shut, he begins to loosen the tie that he was still wearing since leaving the funeral, watching me sway softly. Was I dizzy from being intoxicated by the alcohol or was it by the effects of him?

He smirks, slowly closing the gap between us. He places a warm hand on my cheek, running his thumb across my lips while his other hand lands on my hip. I take in a quick breath from the contact. I drink in the way his hands feel on me, how close he was to me, feeling his hot breath caress my lips while his dark orbs penetrate me. My stomach flutters, heat rolling down and pooling into my panties. "What's the matter?" His voice is gravely, seductive. "You're awfully unsteady."

You.

I swallowed as my mind raced for an answer. When I don't come up with anything, he hums with amusement before crushing his lips to mine. Almost instinctively, our tongues find one other, meshing together, savoring each other. I grip onto the front of his shirt, clinging to him, feeling weak at the knees, wanting him closer to me. His hand moves from my face to the back of my head, clawing into my scalp and pulling my hair and aggressively steering me backwards until the back of my legs hit the mattress. I buckle, falling back and pulling him with me. He breaks away from the kiss, now pulling my hair to move my head to the side for clear access to my neck. He places soft kisses on my flushed skin, earning quiet mewls from me. I could feel his smile against my neck, followed by a quick breath as he chuckles. "So," he says lowly, "you gonna tell me what's wrong now? Or do I have to force it out of you?" "H-how do you plan on forcing it out of me?"

He runs a hand down my leg, hiking it up around his hip and ground his pelvis into mine. Feeling the bulge that was growing underneath his dress slacks pressed against my center earns him a louder moan from me this time. "Like this," he jerks his hips into me, his erection pressing just hard enough to feel it against my clit. I bite my lip, muffling the moan that was coming out of me. He grazes his teeth against my neck, nibbling lightly before sucking on the tender skin. I involuntarily dig my nails into his back, scratching down and around his hips, my hands meeting at his belt. He hums, still pressed against my neck as I fumble with the buckle that was holding back what I was desperate for. I manage to unfasten it, only to have him grip my hand and stop me. "Hold that thought." He places a quick kiss against my lips and crawls off of me.

Breathing heavy, I sit up on my hands and watch him with confusion as he sits down on the chair nearby. "Billy," I huff out, heart pounding and aggravation starting to build in me. "What are you doing?" He bends down and begins to untie his dress shoes. By this point, I was fuming--did he really rile me up and pause to take his goddamn shoes off? "I know what you're thinking," he begins without even looking up at me, "my entire outfit is my dad's--he'd kill me if I ruined them." "Really?" I wasn't normally this irritable about this type of thing, but God, I really fucking wanted him right now. Needed him, even. Impatience growing, I stand up and kick my own shoes off to the side of the room and turn towards him. I let out a shaky breath, knowing what I was about to do was way out of my normal character.

I step up a few feet away from him, waiting for him to finish with whatever he was doing. Hearing my presence, he looks up as he places his now untied dress shoes off to the side. I watch as his expression turned quizzical, surely wondering what I was up to. He cocks his head slightly, studying me with curiosity. I keep my composure calm as I slide one strap of my black dress down my shoulder. Understanding flashes across his face, amusement taking place as I continued to remove the other strap from my shoulder. The dress pools around my feet, leaving me in a strapless bra and panties. I smirk, stepping out of the ring of fabric and close the gap between us.

As I fist his tie, he straightens out, running his hands up his thighs. I pull upwards on the tie, causing him to lift his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows the air he took in. He brandishes a toothy grin, clearly liking where this was going. “I’m not waiting,” I tell him lowly. I jerk the tie one more time before swinging a leg over his lap and taking a seat. My heart was pounding against my chest; this was taking all the courage to execute this, alcohol surely helping along with this. I roll my wrist, wrapping his tie around my hand and pull to lessen the distance between us even more, to which he grunts in response. I capture his lips with mine, grinding my pelvis into him while he moans into my mouth. I take the opportunity to tackle his tongue with mine, once again savoring his taste. His hands find my sides, fingers digging deep into me as he manipulates my hips into a swivel on top of his erection.

“Fuck, Sid,” he moans against my mouth. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I like this side of you.” I giggle in reply, continuously rubbing up against him still. He brings a hand to the back of my head, grabbing a fist full of my hair and yanking my head back again. He nips my jaw, licking a trail over to my ear and latches his teeth onto my lobe, growling. “I wanna fuck you so bad,” he whispers. His breath tickles me, bringing goosebumps to the surface of my skin—his words strike me, coursing through my center and causing more wetness to pool in my underwear. “Then do it,” I demand as I stand up abruptly, removing my thong and flinging it at him. Surprise flashes across his features momentarily while he instinctively catches my panties before they collided with his face. Smirking with hunger in his eye, he curls a finger, beckoning me to come back. He stands to drop his pants as I obey and return to him—I put a hand on his chest and guide him back onto the chair. I go back to my original position over his lap, hovering over his cock since he was blocking me from sitting on it. He takes hold of himself, running the tip through my folds to coat himself with my slick. He teases me as he does so, tapping his head against my clit and causing me to buck my hips towards him. He takes advantage of that, replacing his cock with the pad of his thumb and rubbing against me. My head rolls back, hands planted on his shoulders to stay on his lap. I groan, which only causes him to continue his handywork by slipping two fingers inside of me while still massaging my swollen bud. He continuously curls his fingers in such a way that it forces a deep moan out of me. I could feel the pressure begin to build inside me, bubbling up and ready to explode while I rode myself out on his hand. I feel myself begin to clench around his fingers as my climax was about to hit, only to have him abruptly stop and pull his hand away from me.

I whimper, returning my gaze to him as I pant embarrassingly fast. “Billy…” “Oh, is something wrong?” he teases, placing his fingers in his mouth and sucking them clean of my wetness. “I was about to come,” I whine. He chuckles, pulling his fingers out of his mouth. “Congratulations, you now know what edging is." Appalled, I huff, “You’re unbelievable.” “I’m aware,” he winks at me, leaning in to bite my bottom lip. I whine, partly in pleasure of his bite, but mostly in irritation from being denied my orgasm. So, I take it upon myself to pick up where we left off by taking a hold of his cock, giving it a few strokes, which pulls a soft moan from him.

I watch his eyes flutter shut as I lower myself slowly onto his length, adjusting to his girth inside me. I let out a sigh of relief, finally getting what I wanted and loving the way that he felt. I start to rock my hips slowly, relishing in the way his cock stretched me out and stroked against that sweet spot. “Oh, fuck,” Billy moans, opening his eyes to catch my gaze. “So good.” I start to let out a small chuckle, only to be taken over by a gasp as he suddenly tightens his hold on me and stands. Crushing his mouth to mine with one arm around my back and the other hand fisting my hair, he hurriedly carries me to the bed. Tossing me down, he slips the tie over his head and throws it, returning his hands to the top of his button-up. In one swift movement he tears the shirt open, sending buttons flying across the room, promptly whipping it to the floor. Before I’m able to admire his bare chest, he sprawls back on top of me, pawing the cup down from my left breast to expose my now-pert nipple and takes it into his mouth. I gasp, arching my back, pushing my chest closer towards him. “What’s your dad gonna do when he sees you’ve ruined his shirt?" “Who gives a fuck?” He mumbles against me and grazes his teeth against my nipple before tracing it with his tongue.

Fair enough.

While he continues to suck on my breast, he pushes my legs apart to gain access to my sex. Without so much as fumbling, he runs a finger through my middle, landing on my clit. He aggressively rubs the swollen bundle of nerves, making me moan out and buck against his hand involuntarily. I feel his chuckle vibrate through my chest, finding amusement out of what he was making my body do. He takes my nipple between his teeth, devious eyes peering up at me. “You’re so fucking wet,” he mumbles around my breast. I feel my face flush as I bashfully smile down at him, unsure if that was a good thing or bad thing. Judging by the smile that formed on his lips when he released my nipple and slowly brought his face close to mine, I’d say it was a good thing. He plants a quick kiss to my lips before replacing them with his fingers, leaving a trail of my slick in their path. I instinctively lick my lips, taking in the taste of myself—oddly enough, I found it to be quite pleasant. “Good girl,” he growls, slipping his fingers into his mouth and sucking them clean for a second time.

Settling in between my legs, he slowly pushes himself inside me, earning another mewl from me. My legs find their way around his hips, crossing at the ankles and locking him in place, urging him to keep moving. He pulls out slowly, reentering me forcefully. I whimper at the sudden deepness—he smirks down at me and repeats his move; I find myself letting out another squeak. I quickly pull his head towards me, bringing his lips to mine in a heated kiss to stop myself from making these noises. A low groan sounds from his throat as he shoves his tongue into my mouth, exploring and massaging my tongue while his hips start to find a rhythm. I find myself running my hands down his back, feeling his muscles flex beneath my fingertips with each movement he made. I dig my nails into his skin while he keeps thrusting into me, earning a hiss from him.

He retreats, sitting up on his knees, palming my thigh and pushes me onto my side. I roll onto my belly as he grabs my hips and aggressively pulls them back, bringing my ass up against him. Without a warning, he thrusts back inside of me, causing me to cry out while fisting the blankets. He continues to pound into me from behind, striking me in an angle I haven’t experienced before. “Fuck, Billy,” I groan out, relishing in the way his cock continuously struck my g-spot. I move my arm underneath me, running my fingertips across my clit, feeling how wet I was, just like he told me before. I run my middle and ring fingers against myself, edging on the climax I could feel build up. It doesn’t take long before I feel the heat spool up and let go, my walls clenching against his length as my orgasm finally hits. As I let out a string of moans, he relentlessly fucks me, never slowing down as my legs tremble and struggle to keep me from completely collapsing against the mattress. “Billy, oh God—” I whimper out, moving my hands onto his thighs in attempt to push him away as I was becoming overstimulated. “Please, stop, I-I can’t—” Suddenly I’m being pulled back by my hair, flush against his chest. “You can, and you will,” he growls almost animalistically. I had no choice but to take it, his strong arms holding me against him while I writhed against him, my legs still struggling to keep me upright. By the time his thrusts started to slow down, tears were pooling in my eyes and slowly trickling down my cheeks.

His strokes became sloppy, his breath load and coarse behind me, while he pulls my head back and to the side. He plants his mouth on mine, panting through his nose as I feel his load shoot in me. He keeps himself buried in me while he kisses me, coming down from his high.

After a moment or two, he releases my limp body, both of us crashing down on the bed in a sweaty mess. He lays on his side, pulling me to him and wrapping his arm around my back while we both tried to catch our breaths. He leaves a firm kiss on my forehead before lowering his gaze to my face, the tiniest lift in the corners of his mouth in a smile. Noticing the dry trail of tears on my face, he takes the arm that was around me and swipes my cheek with the pad of his thumb tenderly. I nuzzle into his touch, humming peacefully, a small smile forming on my own lips. “Sorry,” he breaks the silence, “I couldn’t contain myself. Are you alright?” His voice was so soft, comforting. “Yeah,” I sigh, craning my neck to place a kiss against his jaw. “Good,” he hums this time, giving me another firm kiss on my forehead. “I love you, Sid.” “I love you too, Billy,” I throw an arm around his side, pulling myself closer to him. “Thank you for being here with me.”

We continued wandering for what seemed like an eternity, only relying on Stu’s directions. I swear he was just leading us in circles, bullshitting his way through the woods—I was one slap in the face from a branch away from turning around and heading back. That was, until we reached a chain link fence that seemed to have been posted here for quite a while, considering the rust. “Stu, what the fuck?” Randy whined once he saw the fence, “I swear to God—” “Relax, dude, we made it to our final destination!” We all just glanced at each other, syncing our confusion with one another. “Well, what is it?” Tatum asks what we all were wondering. “Climb the fence,” Stu waved his arm in a grand fashion, bowing. Tatum crosses her arms over her chest, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “Nope. C’mon, I’ll give you a boost,” Stu then kneels, locking his hands together for her to step into. She sighs harshly, “So help me God, Stu, if you drop me…” she trailed off, stepping into her boyfriend’s hands. He effortlessly hoisted her up as she hesitantly grabs the top of the fence, stalling. I realize immediately what crossed her mind—she was wearing a skirt, and there was no way that these boys weren’t gonna sneak a peek. She looks back, scowling at Randy, who was shamelessly staring at her ass, smirking. “Look away, perv!” she snaps at him. “Oh Tatum, relax. This is the only action he’s ever gonna get, let him enjoy the show,” Stu teases her, making that iconic face where he sticks his tongue all the way down his chin, paired with a chuckle. She purses her lips, “Stu, make that cretin look away, or this is the only action you’re gonna get for a month.” Randy then puts his hands up in defeat, turning around before Stu had anything to say. “Such a prude,” he mumbles, folding his arms across his chest. I stifled a laugh, shaking my head as Tatum makes her way over the fence.

“Alright,” she slaps her hands on the sides of her thighs, “c’mon Sid, your turn.” I glanced up at Billy, cocking my head towards the fence so that he would give me a hand up. He nods, placing a hand on my back to guide me forward. “Ready?” he asks, kneeling in front of me and locking his hands together the way Stu did. “As ready as I’ll ever be I guess,” I shrug before stepping into his hands. I was a little wobbly on his hands as he lifts me up, but I quickly grab onto the links to steady myself before pulling myself to the top. I swung one leg over, hesitating for a moment as I mustered up the courage to hop over. Not going to lie, I was slightly scared of heights—well, getting caught on a link and falling, making a fool of myself. “Sidney, c’mon,” Tatum whines, “we don’t have all night.” “Well, we kinda do,” Stu piped in before she glared at him, shutting him up. I sighed, shakily swinging my other leg over the fence, hesitating once more before I jumped from the top. I landed on my feet; however, I still managed to lose my balance, falling back against the fence. I chuckled with embarrassment, standing myself back up and making my way over to Tatum. “Nice, you made it,” Tatum grins at me. “Yeah,” I breathed a laugh. “Alright boys, let’s go!” We watched as all three of them hopped over the fence almost effortlessly—Randy being the only one a little shaky at the top like I was. Once we were grouped together again, we turned to face the open field we were now standing in. I still haven’t figured out what exactly Stu was getting us into, but I was relieved to be out of the woods. “Right this way,” Stu announces, making his way towards the sound of eerie music and chattering that I wasn’t aware of a moment ago. We trailed after him, eagerly waiting to see what he was leading us to.

Once out of the field, we were met with a paved pathway that led us into what seemed to be a Halloween themed carnival. There was a fun house directly in front of us and to the right of it was a string of your typical rigged carnival games where you funnel your money into to possibly bring home a stuffed animal. “Seriously Stu? A carnival?” Tatum questioned him, annoyance heavy in her voice. “Not just any carnival, Witch’s Woods!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air with a huge smile across his face. “You know it only costs like five bucks to get in here, right?” Billy piped up, also seemingly annoyed to have had to journey through the woods for an unnecessarily long time. “I didn’t have five bucks,” Stu sheepishly answered, shrugging. I chuckled, shaking my head while Billy and Tatum ran a hand down their faces in aggravation. “You are such a moron, Stu,” Tatum reminds him as if she hasn’t already called him that a million times before. “Hey, uh,” I spun in a 360, searching the immediate area, “did anyone realize we lost Randy?” One by one, they all took their turn spinning around to scan the area, also coming up empty handed. “Maybe one of those guys got him,” Stu motioned his head towards a figure that was standing off in the distance.

As I looked at said figure, I felt a chill run down my spine. He looked menacing—dressed head to toe in a black cloak that had been torn to shreds with red hot eyes seemingly peering into my soul. He had to have been well over 6 feet tall, judging by the size of the scythe he was carrying. He began to make slow, drawn-out steps in our direction which creeped me out even more. I clung onto Billy’s arm, bringing myself as close to him as possible for a sense of security, even though I knew that this guy was harmless. “It’s okay Sid,” Billy mumbles at me, “he’s not going to hurt you.” “I know,” I replied, looking up at him, “he’s just giving me the creeps, is all.” He gives me a soft smile, placing a kiss on my forehead, “C’mon, let’s go try to find Randy.” Billy then laces his fingers with mine, guiding me in the opposite direction of the figure, leaving Stu and Tatum to their possible demise. “Where do you think he would’ve gone, Billy?” I pondered out loud. “Not sure. Either playing one of these stupid games or trying to find something to eat, would be my best guess,” he shrugs his shoulders. I hummed in agreement, continuing to keep my eyes peeled as we began to cross paths with other civilians.

The deeper we got into the stream of people, the more characters I started to notice; a group of 3 witches—go figure since this was Witch’s Woods—stood off to the side ominously. They were hunched over, the brims of their hats hanging over their faces as they curled their fingers to try and lure people their way towards the woods. I could hear their stereotypical witchy laughter; ear-piercing and almost nasally. As we made our way by them, I peered behind them to see what the attraction was. I could see the faint glow of what seemed to be a fire, cascading shadows onto the object behind it. It took me a moment to realize, but it was a tractor—a haunted hayride. “Oh,” I perked up a tad, “Billy, look! There’s a hayride back there behind the witches.” He quirked an eyebrow at me before turning his attention towards it, “Would ya look at that, there is.” “Can we go?” I smiled up at him with excitement. He chuckles at me, “Sure, let’s go.” He then drapes an arm around my shoulders, guiding me towards the attraction. Once we paid the $2-per-ticket, we found ourselves a ‘comfy’ spot on a bail of hay, waiting for the ride to take off. Of course, the conductor has to go through their spiel about safety precautions—keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times, don’t touch any of the actors that may invade the ride, blah blah blah. A few minutes pass and the tractor suddenly shifts into gear, jerking the trailer forward, signaling the start of the ride.

The path we went on brought us back through the woods, with torches illuminating our way and eerie music playing through a PA system. In the distance of the trees, you could hear rustling as some of the characters lurked in the shadows. Some growled, some would jump out and get close to the trailer, startling me of course, and a few others. Billy sat next to me unamused, his face deadpan as a ghoul crept as closely as it could, ominously staring at him to try and get a reaction out of him. He snickers, shaking his head at the ghoul’s poor attempt at scaring him, “Sid, this is really lame.” “Yeah, I guess it is,” I feigned boredom, when in reality, I was actually enjoying my time. I was a sucker for these kinds of things. “C’mon, I have a better idea,” he begins to shift his weight to the side of the haystack we were sitting on. I shot him a quizzical look, “What are you doing?” He cocks his head to the side, signaling me to follow as he stood up. “Billy, no—” I grimaced as he jumped out of the trailer, peering back at me. He waves his arm towards himself, urging me to follow. Sighing, I stood up, trying to gain my balance to coordinate with the rickety ride. I looked towards him, watching his body get smaller as he stayed put, the ride continuing to move away from him. “Sid! Hop off!” I sighed harshly, mustering up the courage to jump off. I landed on one foot, the momentum flinging me forward, which caused me to fall onto my hands and knees. I winced in pain as I stood up, brushing the dirt and gravel off my jeans. Billy jogs over to me, placing a hand on my back as he studied me. “Jeez, Sid, I’m sorry,” he apologizes for influencing my fall, “maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” ‘You think?’ is what I wanted to retort with, but instead I assured him that I was okay and to continue with whatever his ‘brilliant’ idea was.

He leads me away from the path of the hayride, back into the woods, which didn’t seem to be as thick as the trek we took getting to this place to begin with. Once we were a good 20 feet or so away from the trail, he stops us behind a large oak tree, turning his attention to me. “You sure you’re okay?” he questions, taking my hands into his to examine them. They had a few indents from landing on the rocks, but there wasn’t any real damage. “I’m fine,” I nodded, grinning up at him. “Good,” he whispers, bringing my hands to his face, kissing each palm. From there, I snaked my arms around his neck, locking my fingers at the base of his head. I pulled him towards me, catching his lips in a quick kiss. “Thanks for making sure.” He smiles down at me, “Well, I wouldn’t have to make sure if I didn’t make you jump out like the idiot that I am.” “It’s fine, I didn’t break any bones,” I teased. “Now, what was it that you had in mind?” “Well,” he grins at me, “before your spill, I was thinking of a little somethin’-somethin’.” I quirked an eyebrow at him, “Oh?” “I could give you a little preview, if you’d like,” he says lowly, slipping his index fingers into the belt loops of my jeans, tugging me forward. I could feel my face start to flush, my core churning as our bodies made contact. I exhaled a shaky breath, those dark eyes enticing me. I gulped, “Sure.”

Amused, he smirks as he brings his face close to mine, his lips gently caressing mine in a sensual kiss. I feel his hand cup my face, his thumb padding across my cheekbone as he begins to back me up. I gasped into the kiss once my back hit the tree, only to have him chuckle and take that to his advantage, slipping his tongue into my mouth. My eyes fall shut as I focused on his mouth on mine, our tongues dancing around one another. I began breathing harshly through my nose, the anticipation of what was to come next building inside of me. He traces his left hand down my side, palming my ass aggressively, giving it a firm squeeze. I giggled, running my hands down his back as I reached the bottom of his shirt, and began to slip them under where I gently dug my nails into his skin. He purrs in pleasure, moving his mouth down my jaw, leaving trails of kisses as he lands on my neck.

He bites gently, bringing a small amount of skin into his mouth, sucking. I moaned, scratching into his back harder. He moves his mouth, biting onto another spot of my neck harder this time, causing my eyes to fly open. “Oh, my god,” I called out, realizing what my eyes had just landed on. “Mmm, feel good?” he mumbles against my neck, completely unaware of what I was staring at. “Billy—” I quickly remove my hands from his back, placing them on his shoulders to turn him around. “Wha—holy shit!” he exclaims, now noticing the body that was propped against the base of tree that was behind him. His head was slumped over, blood trickling down his pale face and dripping from his chin. From there, I could see that his shirt was stained with blood, which was nearly black due to the amount that he was bleeding out. In his shoulder was a hunting knife, plunged deep, pinning the all-too familiar Ghostface mask to him. I covered my mouth, immediately feeling sick to my stomach as the memory of finding my mother in the same, deceased way floods into my mind.

“Billy,” I cried out, “tell me this isn’t real!” He immediately pulls me into his body, tucking my head into his chest so that I couldn’t look at the body anymore. He doesn’t say a word, just guides me out of the woods, back onto the trail of the haunted hayride. By then, I was already in hysterics, feeling the urge to just flee—and so I did, with Billy calling after me. With tears welling up and streaming down my face, I ran blindly back into the carnival, hoping I’d run into Tatum and Stu. In the mess of people, I began to panic even more as there was no sense of familiarity—just strangers, ghouls, witches, monsters all around. I slumped to my knees, feeling myself begin to shut down. “Sidney,” I hear Billy as he catches up to me. He sinks down to my level, scooping me into his lap. He moves my head against his chest again, running a hand up and down my back as I continued to whimper, trying to catch my breath—he tries to hush me, but to no avail. I needed to get out of here; I needed to alert Dewey, and fast. Ghostface was on the loose, and I was petrified of who he was after next.