Murder Manor

 The ominous manor stood tall, looming over the tiny people in the crowd outside. As if mocking the tacky cobwebs and skeletons littering the front yard of the haunted house, the sun shone bright and sunny.
 
It was the first of October, officially the spooky season. People of all ages were clamoring to enter, and everyone was excited. Well, everyone except Stanley.
 
“Man up, Stan,” Mike groaned. “It’s not that scary!”
 
Stanley’s scared whimpers from behind the bench were his only reply. He had been dragged here by his two best friends but was not informed of the destination. Now, he was thinking of any way to escape.
 
Elliot grabbed his scared friend’s hand and pulled him up from his crouched position. He rolled his eyes at his antics. “Come on! We’ll be with you. I’m sure it will be fun!”
 
Against his will, Stanley found himself dragged closer to the entrance. He tried to think of anything to make this situation better. The hot sun was making him feel dizzy, but maybe that was just the fear.
 
He only broke out of the haze of running away when the glaring sunlight disappeared, plunging him into eerie darkness. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust. Next to him stood a lightly snickering Mike and an exasperated Elliot.
 
Everything from the dusty furniture, to the glittering cobwebs, to the spattered blood, made goosebumps arise on his skin. His mother had always told him he was a coward, and he had never disagreed.
 
He tried to keep his eyes shut to feel less scared, but the absence of vision honestly made things worse. Abandoning that plan, Stan stuck close to Elliot.
 
“Really?” scoffed the blonde, a smirk threatening to pull at his face. “It’s not that bad. It’s just decorations and —"
 
A bloodcurdling scream from behind cut him off. They turned around rather abruptly but saw nothing. Or instead, they saw nothing. Not even Mike, who was standing at the back of their little group. Stanley frantically looked around, but it was no good.
 
“Oh my god,” He cried out in terror. “We’re going to die! It’s already gotten Mike!”
 
Another bang interrupted his rant before it began, from behind him again. Slowly turning around in order to delay the inevitable, he found no friend behind him.
 
This was the last straw for the already freaked out boy. He had never wanted to enter in the first place. The only thoughts in his head were: ‘I’m not going to disappear next!’
 
He booked it out of there. Skeletons popped out of coffins with loud screams, cobwebs blocked his path, hands grabbed at his ankles. Ignoring everything, he ran for the exit.
 
Stan could almost cry when he saw sunlight. Standing in the unbearable heat once again, he felt free. He felt safe.
 
Bent over and gasping, he struggled to catch his breath. He stood with his hands on his knees, heaving with unshed tears. Maybe he had shed some too amidst his dash for freedom.
 
But when he heard a pair of familiar voices laughing behind him, he turned around to see his two friends, safe and sound.
 
“What—” gasped Stanley, amidst large inhales. “How are you here?”
 
Elliot and Mike looked at each other with cheeky smiles. The first one to disappear laughed at his shocked face. “We didn’t actually disappear! It was part of our plan.”
 
“Yeah,” continued the second backstabber. “We hid behind the furniture when your back was turned. But you had fun, didn’t you?”
 
Fun? He was scared for his life. But now that he knew nothing happened to his two best mates, that terror was slowly trickling away.
 
In hindsight, that really was fun, wasn’t it?