Chapter Text
Chapter Five
“This is it. Everyone excited?” Luz spread her arms wide.
Sprawling before them was the maze, wonky lighting effects, a big ‘Raven’s Hollow’ sign and a couple older women taking money for the tickets. Camila opted to stay in the warmth of the car with her Kindle, reading while the kids ran around in the brisk autumn air. At least the chill in the air made all the hats and scarves covering pointy ears less questionable as a fashion choice. All the palismen had been left at home because outside of Ghost, they would have been odd and draw attention.
“I can’t wait!” Vee pumped a fist in the air. “Do we separate or is this a team effort?"
“I did mazes all the time in the Scouts,” Hunter boosted. “We could make it a competition?”
“You’ll be sad when you lose,” Luz shot back with a feral grin.
“Because you will,” Amity added, looping her arm with Luz’s.
“Why is everyone in this group so competitive?” Gus sighed.
“Because it’s fun.” Willow laughed. “I’ll be on Hunter’s team.” She added, surprising no one except maybe Hunter who flushed in the dim light of twilight.
“Fine and I’m with Amity. Gus, you and Vee will make a good team, “ Luz said.
“We’ll have hot chocolate waiting for you at the end.” Vee smirked.
“Ha, you wish. We’ll probably have to send bloodhounds to find you two. Remember the rules. Absolutely no magic,” Luz said in a whisper. “And no touching the actors. That’s a major rule for everyone’s safety.”
“That’s no problem,” Willow assured her.
Luz raised her eyebrows. “Are we sure? We’re all the hit back now, realize the consequences later type. Now’s the time to put that warrior spirit in check and remember they’re all just actors. There’s no real danger.”
“I’ll try,” Amity said dryly.
“I was thinking though if I were a witch looking to take advantage of humans, something like this might be what I’d do,” Hunter said. “Just in case Eda wasn’t the only witch with a way over.”
Luz wagged a finger in his face. “Stop thinking.”
“And I’d know if there was magic,” Vee said. “I’d sense it.”
They let her have the last word on that since she was the one who ate magic, after all. Despite them choosing teams, they all wanted to turn right on the first turn. The setting sun – and the lighting provided for the maze – cast long shadows. The wind rustled the dried leaves on their stalks.
It’s just a fun thing, Luz reminded herself. You’ve done way scarier things…like bringing a bunch of witches and a basilisk into a haunted maze and hope they behave themselves. You’re earning that hot chocolate at the end!
Amity startled, drawing against Luz as they rounded a corner and three, eight feet tall, sickle-handed Pumpkinheads loomed over them. Gus bravely neared them when two pumpkinheaded actors popped up with loud shouts. Gus took off the way they came like a giraffe was after him and Vee followed him. Luz reached for Amity’s hand, her heart racing. Hunter smirked over at her as if to say ‘I wasn’t startled!’ when she darn well knew he had been. He was easy to startle. That’s what a life of abuse had earned him.
“I guess someone decided the left hand path through the maze was better.” Willow laughed after Gus.
“That was pretty fun, though,” Hunter said, hustling through another turn in the maze with everyone following him. This time the sounds of a chainsaw revving up greeted them. “What’s that noise?”
“Chainsaw. They’re big in haunted fun houses,” Luz said. “They’re used to cut down trees and to cut up your victims.”
“Lovely.” Amity gave Luz’s hand a squeeze.
The sound chased them into another clearing in the maze where two zombie women were ‘eating’ a dude’s ribs. Laughing, the friends hurried past into another part of the maze. The sun had slipped past the horizon so it was now darker and the shadows denser. They crossed pass a massive pile of pumpkins. The sickle-handed Pumpkinheads were everywhere in this part of the maze. Suddenly they jumped down from their platforms, roaring.
All the friends fell into defensive positions.
Before vines started ripping out of the ground and purple abominations were called forth, Luz hissed, “It’s fake! Remember, it’s fake!”
Fake or not, her brain screamed ‘this is real!’ as the actors raced across the clearing, their sickle hands waving. Everyone ran. She and Amity went one way and Hunter and Willow the other. She and Amity sprinted around several turns before stopping in a raven infested clearing. A few of the animatronic birds cawed and fluttered their plastic wings. Lilith would probably love it.
Breathing hard, Luz laughed. Amity caught her up in a tight embrace.
“We escaped,” Amity cried.
Luz’s answer was to kiss her. Amity kissed back hungrily. Neither cared that the fake ravens were watching.
When Luz stepped back, her lips tingling, she said, “Now you see why people like these mazes.”
Amity stole another kiss. “Now I definitely do.”
“Fake scared is fun.”
Amity laughed. “We’re definitely introducing this idea to the Boiling Isles.” She rested her forehead against Luz’s, her breath curling along Luz’s skin. “That was pretty scary even though we know it’s fake.”
Another group of older teens crashed into the clearing. They waved at them and threaded through another path out of the ravens. Luz turned to Amity again.
“But should you have run so far and hard on that ankle?”
“It’s fine. Barely twinging. I’ll ice it when we get home, promise.” Amity hip bumped her. “But come on, we have to be the first to get through the maze. If it’s Hunter, he’ll be more insufferable than usual.”
Luz snorted. No arguing that.
Having literally no idea where they were in the maze at this point, Luz made an arbitrary right hand turn right into a Leatherface arena that had them running again. Several more scarecrows and Pumpkinheads and one werewolf later, they found their way to the end of the maze only to find Gus and Vee waiting for them with little smirks on their faces.
“No fair,” Amity groaned.
“Did you two just exit the maze at the beginning after the first jump scare? Luz queried.
“How dare you?” Vee asked in mock indignant. “We’re just that good.”
“Uh huh,” Luz said, pushing past them for a Styrofoam cup of the world’s most watered down hot chocolate in celebration of ‘surviving,’ gifted to her by the older volunteers who waited for the maze runners at the exit.
“Can’t help notice Mr. Maze and Willow aren’t out yet,” Gus said.
“Probably realized that a lot of people use the maze as a place to make out with your significant other,” Vee shot back and Luz wondered if Willow or Hunter realized yet that they had a crush on each other.
“Or he hit an actor and is in the back of a police car,” Luz replied, sincerely hoping not.
Finally, Willow and Hunter did emerge from the maze, holding hands, not even realizing their friends were waiting for several long minutes. Hunter said nothing about being last as he got his celebratory weak-sauce hot chocolate. Willow opted for one of the popcorn balls on offer.
“Did we all have fun?” Luz asked.
“I want to go again!” Gus beamed.
“There’s usually more than one haunted spectacle in the area. I’ll look into it,” Luz promised.
“We needed this time off,” Amity said, surprising her. Amity was not the take time off type.
“We definitely did.” Luz leaned against her girlfriend’s shoulder.
They all had fun. They had put their worries aside for an hour and it felt good. She felt recharged and ready to face the world and their enormous problem again. It might not have brought them any closer to finding an answer back to the Boiling Isles but it had given them a much needed break. She’d have to tell her Mom she was right about that. For now, she wasn’t in any hurry to head home. Luz wanted to steal a little more time in the cool autumn night with her friends. Their problems would be there in the morning but for now, they needed this relaxation time. Maybe they could slither back into the maze for another run through. It was the perfect night for it and Luz was happy.