Halloween Horrors

The tall rides that loomed overhead are usually the main attraction but not today. The changed park was filled with Halloween themed scares. The car pulled into the parking lot. There were nervous butterflies in my stomach. I stepped out and pulled my brown hair into a ponytail. The sun was shining, but I wasn’t fooled. When night fell, the park would transformed into a nightmare. It was a week before Halloween and the annual Fright Night at Six Flags. Most of my moms family was there, about 14 of us in total. I never get to see the extended family so it is a treat when I do. At the ticket station, the children under 12 years old got a spider ring which was to be used to tell the people in costumes to back off. I was thankful that I got one. The whole group walked around, passing a graveyard that didn’t look too scary.

At dinner time, I was munching on the rest of my fries when I saw my first glimpse of the main attraction. Over a bridge there was screaming, and faces popping out of bushes, with shadows moving swifty across their faces in the failing light. A shiver went down my spine. I pictured what was waiting for my on the other side of the suddenly safe bridge. Losing my appetite, I dumped my fries and forged ahead before I lost my nerve. The family was making small talk. I was preoccupied with a woman with a costume that was an alien baby coming out of her stomach. She looked my way and smiling when she saw my horrified face, she walked over coming ever closer. I started to panic, forgetting about my ring. I scrambled to hide behind my mom. She activated her parental sixth sense and started repeating, “ we have a ring, stay back.” She was on the verge of hysterical. The woman got the message and walked to horrify another victim. There was a small haunted fun house that had a short line and my sister and some of my other cousins jumped into the line. I was hesitant and I couldn’t decide to go or not. One part of me wanted desperately to follow their lead. Another part couldn’t conjure up the nerve to go. The latter won. When my cousins and sister came back, they were bursting with details about how fun it was.“It wasn’t even scary, you should have come!” my sister explained. I felt bad and I should have gone, but it was too late now.

My aunt herded us into a long line with no explanation of why. I looked at the sign above. It read “Haunted Woods Walk” in spooky letters. My stomach did a flip. I was so nervous about what was in my near future but I didn’t chicken out to reclaim myself from the first ride. Before long, we all got bored and started playing sticks. I was the champion. My cousins and I were on our fifth game, when we heard blood curdling screams coming from the forbidden forest. Goosebumps lined my arms. Finally after a 20 minute wait, we entered the dark woods. I found my dad and gripped his hand really hard. The leaves crunched underneath my feet as I shuffled down the path, blinded as to where I was going. There was a small source of light a little farther up. A false wall was put up and there were huge spiders on the wall. Hanging down, the hairy legs of the enormous creature tickled my head. Every time a leg touched me, I flinched. Passing through, I let my breath go when the wood once again surrounded me. Moving in to the next “room” I saw a bench and sat down, tired from the chills of the last structure. Without warning a man in a jail jumpsuit sat down next to me. I immediately jumped up and started screaming. Another paid actor in an identical outfit materialized out of the tall trees holding a chainsaw without the chain, but it was terrifying all the same. He was laughing like a maniac. Soon the whole family was screaming except for my dad, but he looked like he wanted to. I jumped into his arms and burrowed my head into his shoulders. I wanted to block out all the horrors that surrounded me. I imagined that I was in my warm bed and there were no men jumping out at me or huge spiders hanging above my head. My dad jarred me from my soothing daydream. I was still relaxed until I realized my feet were almost touching the ground. My dad was saying “Oh feel the ground, Gabby. It’s soft and it sinks when you step on it.”

“NO! Don’t put me down!” I screamed.

“ I won’t!” He answered, obviously surprised by my sudden outburst. Finally, we made it through the woods. I felt a weight lift off me and I felt relaxed. I let a long sigh of relief . But my stomach did a flip when I realized there was one more obstacle to face. The haunted graveyard was standing in my way to freedom. We had a small walk before we reached the exit, so I had time to find the last ounce of nerve, which was M.I.A. The graveyard was alive with lights and cloaked figures holding gruesome weapons. The graves had zombies who were not resting in peace. I closed my eyes and let my dad lead me through the stone maze. We reached the end and I made a dash for the car. Even though I was with my extended family I never wanted to get out of a place faster. If you don’t know what you like, you better find out. I didn’t know I got scared easily but now I do. I don’t think I will go back to Fright Night at Six Flags again.

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