Page 23 of Property of Hayride
“Go ahead.” Not that he needs my permission, but I appreciate that he told me before he sends any texts.
Once he’s finished, he tugs me toward the entrance to the Fear Farm. We pass by the ticket booth, and no one says a word as they see the leather vest and the Kings of Anarchy MC logo on his back. No one wants to piss off a King.
In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen how the town reacts to the bikers. They seem to trust and respect them. No one is complaining or being rude. In fact, people chat with them more than with the other locals.
Hayride still holds my hand as we head into the corn maze. A guy in a Kings leather vest, with the word PROSPECT stitched on the front, ushers us in despite another line.
“You sure people won’t mind that we’re jumping ahead of them?”
“Baby, you gotta ditch the idea that the same rules apply to us Kings that apply to everyone else. We make our own rules. Since we run the Fear Farm, we get certain perks.”
That made sense. “You’re right.”
“I know.” He flashes me with a grin. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
The corn maze is lit with just enough light to show the spooky, frightening details as we pass by Halloween scenes set up in strategic spots to elicit the most screams. I hear one occasionally as people in front of us encounter the actors who pop out or rev chainsaws.
“Don’t be scared. Most of the people who work in the maze are club members or family. No one is gonna hurt ya.”
That’s a relief. “Good to know.”
“You seeing a theme yet?”
Now that he mentions it, I am noticing a lot of scenes from popular horror movies. “They’re all horror icons.”
“Yep. Jason. Freddy. Michael Myers. Jigsaw. We had a blast putting together a new set of props this year.”
“It sounds fun.”
“If you like gore, blood, and getting messy, then yeah.” He laughs. “Might as well enjoy what we do, huh?”
“True.” Is that what he wants to show me?
“But I’m interested in what you think about the next one.”
We continue through the maze until we reach the next display, only this time it’s not dripping with blood and gore in the traditional sense. The whole thing is carved from pumpkin. The coolest part? It’s the opening scene fromThe Nightmare Before Christmas, including figures of Jack Skellington and Sally in front of a giant moon.
“Wow!” I exclaim as I move closer, taking in all the details. “This is fantastic. The detail is extraordinary.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s a work of art.”
“Glad you think so. I put a lot of time into last night.”
Blinking, I just stare at him. “You carved all of this from pumpkin? Last night?”
Hayride shrugs. “I enjoy it. It keeps my hands busy and my mind quiet.”
Interesting.
“You have talent. Have you ever watched those shows around Halloween with the carving contests?”
“I might have seen an episode or two.”
“Well, I don’t think you know just how amazing this is because I love Jack andThe Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s one of my favorites.” I might be in my late twenties, but I still love that movie. I always will. It’s one of Thad’s favorites, too.
“No shit?”
