Moonlight Adventures

Moonlight Adventures

The peaceful sounds of the cloudless night were drowned out by Britney’s obnoxious recounting of some controversial Instagram feud she was in. Her horrible nasally voice was far too high pitched to be natural and I could hear nearby animals scuttling in the underbrush. I squeezed Bryce’s hand threateningly as my temper flared and he squeezed mine gently and leaned in whispering, “I’m sorry…”

“Isn’t it bad enough that you’re dragging me on some stupid moonlit ghost hunting hike?” I hissed.

“Babe, it’ll be fun you’re into creepy stuff anyways. Just try to lighten up Cody didn’t tell me he was bringing her.”

“Of course he brought her, there’s a chance he’ll get lucky in the woods. And yeah I like scary movies or stories not stumbling through the woods in the dead of night in search of an abandoned carnival! It’s like asking to be killed!” I hissed.

Bryce sighed and pulled me along, “You know we’re both here we won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll protect you from any boogie men.”

I nodded absently my eyes darting around searching the impenetrable darkness that seemed more like a thick blanket that couldn’t be touched by the bright light of the full moon overhead. Unfortunately, ever since I could remember I could see those things that weren’t meant to be real. My mother, grandmother and every other woman in our family had the ability to see the things that lingered in the dark.

The trees began to thin out and great looming shapes took form in the clearing ahead. There was sudden metallic twang followed by the tinkling sound of shattered glass that made me jump a foot in the air. Another twang and a guffaw of laughter from Cody as he raised another rock to throw at one of the looming trailers. The breeze shifted wafting the scent of oxidizing metal towards us and goosebumps sprang up across my flesh. I felt like even mother nature was telling us to turn back now while we still could.

A shiver ran up my spine and I stage whispered, “Would you quit it?! You are so juvenile!”

“What?” Britney asked looking at me confused twirling her badly dyed hair.

I couldn’t tell if she was kidding but the blank look in her eye told me she was indeed serious. I could feel my eye twitching as my disbelieving anger flared again. Bryce caught my hand spinning me around to face him and laughed nervously as Cody threw another rock at the trailer and Britney quietly asked him what the word meant.

“Seriously Bryce what the hell are we doing out here?” I asked pulling my hand from his and rubbing the goosebumps on my arms as a chill wrapped itself around me like an unwelcome blanket in the muggy summer night. A light sweat was forming on the back of my neck and my head throbbed. There was definitely something here and everything inside me told me to run in the other direction.

“Raya relax it’s just an old carnival that was shut down-“

“Yeah and do you know why it was shut down? Because so many people died here including a deranged serial killer who masqueraded as a clown!” I said my panic rising, choking me as I looked to see if I could see anything lurking in the darkness.

“Babe, it’s ok we’re just here to take some pictures and then we can leave.” He said brandishing his camera. A sharp giggle erupted, and I could see from Cody’s flashlight that he had Britney up against the rusting skeleton of a Ferris wheel. I looked at Bryce, my exasperation clear on my face.

“I’m sorry ok. I thought this could be something we could do just the three of us, like old times.” He said looking down, the note of sadness in his voice eased some of my agitation and I touched his hand. I had known Bryce and Cody since first grade, we’d been inseparable, they were the only living souls outside my family who knew about my ability to see things and we had done dumb stuff like this all the time as kids; but college had changed things for all of us. Bryce was working on his art, I was consumed by my writing and Cody had been too preoccupied by baseball and partying to really hang out with us anymore, especially since Bryce and I started dating.

“I’m sorry, I know these pictures mean a lot to you, she’s just sooo… stupid… and irritating. I don’t know what he sees in her…” I said rubbing my temple as a headache rolled in like a storm in my skull.

I forced a smile and pulled him further into the jumble of weeds ignoring the laughter to my left. Bryce studied the dark shapes in the light of the full moon. And began snapping photos with and without flash catching whatever vision he had in his head. I thought about how I could turn this into a story later and then steered my mind in a different direction. I didn’t need to accidentally spook myself by conjuring a dark and twisted tale.

An odd rustling to my right drew my eyes and I saw a flash of something and pushed it from my mind. Trying not to think about anything but Bryce and his camera. I just kept chanting there’s nothing here, over and over in my head.

Bryce snapped away and I forgot about where we were for a few sweet moments when he kissed me and told me to pose on some of the sturdier looking rides. I couldn’t help but laugh when the carousel horse I was on collapsed with me on it. Bryce was picking me up from the horse when a blood curdling scream loud enough to wake the dead rang out piercing my ears.

I whipped around to see Britney screeching and pointing at a spider that had crawled down from the dark metal above. And just like that my headache was back and I wanted to knock her barbie head off her shoulders.

I turned away and looked around trying to calm myself. Bryce busied himself snapping photos, the flash occasionally illuminating the immediate area. As I looked around trying not to delve too deep into the shadows, the flash of Bryce’s camera illuminated a tattered looking tent to my right. I swung my flashlight over to it in time to see a small figure darting behind the weathered looking structure. You could barely call it a structure as the fabric was so tattered and threadbare wisps of moonlight shown through it and the metal supports jutted out at odd angles making it look like the withered exoskeleton of a long-dead insect.

I couldn’t stop myself from looking closer, the interior seemed to glow bright enough with moonlight that my flashlight was hardly necessary. As I slithered closer, I could see rotting cushions and moldering chairs arranged in a semi-circle around a circular table. Atop the table was a strange box. It was wrapped in brown paper and was strange in that it looked brand new like it had been placed there moments ago.

It felt like there was an invisible hand guiding me toward to the box, coaxing me to unwrap it and divulge the mysteries it held within. I picked it up, turning it over and over, looking for a label of some kind. There was none and with a slight shake the contents seemed to rattle ominously from within.

“Raya?” I heard Bryce call from behind me, I turned my head to look at him. “What is that?”

I turned back to the box in my hand and a horrible scream loosed itself from somewhere deep within me. I was no longer alone under the canopy, there were half a dozen disfigured shadow-like figures all staring at me from impossibly black eyeless sockets hands outstretched to point at the box in my hands. Their skin was impossibly pale most notable a little girl with a dirty bloodstained face stood closest to me her face held a sad expression as her little hand pointed at the paper box in my hands,

I scuttled backwards tripping over a root in the earth and landing on my behind. When I looked back there was nothing and no one there but the tent.

I sat on the damp ground my chest heaving and heart hammering. The box sat innocently on the ground between my feet. The sight of it made my stomach heave painfully. Just then there were two sets of hands on me lifting me from the ground

“Are you OK?” Cody and Bryce asked almost in unison worry colored both of their faces.

I nodded mutely, not trusting my voice. I looked once more to the haggard tent and saw nothing more than the withered fabric and jutting supports. My heart still hammered painfully against my ribs, but my breathing was more even. My hair was stuck to my face with sweat and I felt woozy.

Bryce released my arm and bent to pick up the box from where I had dropped it. “Is this what scared you?”

I shook my head looking around once more searching for the eyeless specters.

“It’s just an ugly box. What are you afraid of?” Britney squawked with her hands on her hips.

“Shut up Brit.” Cody snapped his concerned eyes flying back to me and Bryce.

“What did you see?” Bryce whispered tentatively looking down at the box and shaking it gently, its contents rattling softly.

“A bunch of people all staring at me and pointing at that,” I said nodding to the box in Bryce’s hands. I trembled furiously as Cody rubbed my back trying to calm me like when we were kids, and something had spooked me. “They didn’t have eyes…” I whispered trying not to throw up at the memory,

Bryce started to pull at the twine holding the paper closed. I buried my face in Cody’s chest as Bryce tore away the paper. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to banish the horrifying images from my mind. Cody hugged me tightly, but I could feel him craning to see what was in the box.

“Shit!” Bryce breathed.

Cody recoiled pulling me farther from the box. I turned to look but the box was no longer in Bryce’s hands but on the floor the contents spilled out on the grass. Britney let out a screech and my stomach lurched and finally my dinner made an appearance spraying into the bushes behind me. Human eyeballs littered the ground spilling from the interior of the box.

Bryce held my hair and I continued to retch. I could hear Cody on the phone calling 911. Within thirty minutes a dozen police officers were on the scene flooding the small clearing with their flashlights. The old trailers stood like dark tombstones marking the graves of those slaughtered here so long ago.

The local police chief stood before us a look of disapproval on his face. “Looks like you kids found the trophies of the serial killer that was at large about fifty years ago. Now I will have some questions for you tomorrow but for now, go home and don’t even think about going on any other adventures. Officer Swan will escort you to your vehicle.”

We filed after the tall officer; his broad shoulders stiffly bobbed in the dim light ahead of us. Britney stalked after him her nose in the air, refusing to speak to any of us. I was perfectly fine with that, even Cody didn’t seem to mind, he and Bryce hovered on either side of me holding my hands as though I would collapse at any moment. Finally, the car came into view, and we all piled in to make the long silent trip back to campus.