Chapter 1

The anticipation was killing Light.

His body was swirling with adrenaline, and the spooky vibes of the season made him feel like things could really take an unexpected turn from here.

Mike was the designated driver for the night, but as he drove further into the northern side of Hamlet town, fear began to creep into his mind.

A crisp chill filled the air the deeper he drove along the windy, desolate road, where gnarled trees ominously dominated the surroundings. The atmosphere felt eerie and strange. You know— the kind that sent shivers down your spine and made you conjure images of ghosts lurking at every shadowy figure that moved.

Mike cast a glance at Light, who was sitting beside him in the passenger seat.

He was smoking. Blowing it into the night chill air without a hint of concern on his face. In fact, he had a little smirk tugging his lips as he stared forward.

“Can you plug me in on your thoughts?”

“Just drive, Mike. The earlier we get to where we are going, the better.” Light snapped as Mike’s cranky voice interrupted his daydreaming about Lexi Blackwood.

“It’s getting really late and creepy,” Gem grumbled, feeling a little frightened because all she had been seeing in the past 2 hours were trees and jack-o'-lanterns.

“No kidding.” Red agreed before tapping Light’s shoulder. “Hey freak, do you know why the Blackwood live so far from reality?”

Light shrugged. “How do you expect me to know they are strangers!” He burst out, but a subtle glance at Reed made him lower his tone. “They probably like their privacy. No man will have a wife as hot as Lexi and won't want to isolate himself with her.”

“I can't believe he’s this eager to fuck another man’s wife,” Mike muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

But then, he was also heading there to fuck Lexi's husbands. Either, or both of the twins could ruin him and he would say thank you.

Suddenly, a deer leaped out from the shadows, its dark eyes reflecting the vehicle’s light caused Mike to lose his grip on the wheel.

“Watch out!” Gem screamed, her heart racing. In a split second, Mike swerved to avoid hitting the animal, but the sudden movement sent them careening off the road.

The Range Rover hit a tree with a jarring thud and the loud echoed through the stillness of the night.

Dazed but aware, the friends glanced around in utter disbelief. They couldn't believe what just happened.

“Is everyone okay?” Red asked, her voice trembling with concern as she instinctively cradled her stomach.

Earlier that morning, she had taken a pregnancy test after vomiting consistently the past week and discovered she was expecting. She hadn’t shared the news with Reed yet because she was scared that he would insist on them keeping the baby.

They all checked on one another, relieved to find that aside from a few bumps and bruises, they were mostly fine. The Range Rover, however, was a different story.

It was crumpled and stuck.

“Can’t believe the only good stuff you inherited from your deadbeat father is gone like that,” Reed joked, tapping his best friend. “Guess it’s time to start saving for a new ride, huh?”

His attempt at humor lightened the mood. Even though it was just a little. They surveyed the wreckage around them with heavy hearts.

It was clear they wouldn't be going anywhere with the vehicle anytime soon. As the reality of their situation set in, Mike began to feel more terrified of the eerie atmosphere.

“I think we should just go back,” he said, glancing at the dark woods surrounding them. “What if the Blackwood don't even live around here?”

“Is that you or your fear speaking?”

Mike didn’t bother to respond to Light’s taunting question. He pulled out his phone to book a ride but the signal was weak.

“Fucking hell,” he cursed in frustration.

His friends attempted to use their phones too, but the signal kept fluctuating.

“This is getting freaky like a fucking horror movie. It’s past midnight, and we’re in the middle of nowhere with dark trees and this weird atmosphere surrounding us. We’ve been on this journey for hours, and we’re still not close to the fucking mansion,” Mike lamented, his fears etched on his face. This annoyed Gem greatly. She hated it when he let his fears get the best of him.

“Why are you complaining to me when you're here because you want to?” Gem retorted.

Mike was about to say he was here because she was too, but Red spoke before him.

“The last thing we should do is argue among ourselves. We all consented to be here. Look, there’s a light over there!” she pointed into the thick darkness of the forest.

The ghostly light flickered faintly, barely breaking through the wide canopy of trees.

Pale light was emanating from a house, but it was quite a stretch. It was also deep into the forest, but Light had a feeling that it was the mansion they were searching for.

“That might be the Blackwood mansion. Let’s go!” He said excitedly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Everyone shot forward except Mike. He has a reluctant expression on his face. “What if it's not the Blackwood’ mansion? What if it's just some old ruins?” He muttered, pulling his jacket tighter around him.

He wished he could convince his friends that they should go back together. If they walk a mile away from the thick woods, the signal might become stronger, and they could order an Uber. Right now, the signal was so bad he couldn't even place a call, let alone use the Wi-Fi or cellular. If something happened to them here, it would be difficult to find help.

“Come on, man, if it’s not the Blackwood, who else could live among the woods?” Light snickered, laughter bursting out of him from his sarcasm.

Gem and Red laughed alongside him, but Reed didn’t join in on the laughter. Instead, his hand moved to pull Red closer to him. He was pumped up about meeting Lexi Blackwood because Light wouldn't stop talking about her, but the rumors about them were starting to feel all too real. And he didn't wish to put Red in danger just to fulfill some fucked up fantasies.

“Alright, let’s check it out,” Mike finally agreed and they began walking towards the distant house. It took about 30 minutes before the shape of the house began to materialize in their view.

Mike felt a shudder of fear wash over him as they finally reached the mansion they had spent hours searching for in the same small town.

“Gem, this is a haunted mansion,”

His breath was caught in his throat at the sight of ghostly candlelight flashing on one side of the house, while the other remained shrouded in darkness.

“Was it this single candlelight that had been bright enough to lead them here?” Mike was utterly bewildered. He couldn't bring himself to believe his eyes.

Just then, as if someone sensed their arrival, more candlelights illuminated all sides of the house.

This brought a sense of relief to their tensed hearts and Gem turned to glare at Mike.

“Which of your dead eyes sees a haunted mansion? This is clearly an Old Victorian house. It is the same house we saw on the site, why are you always paranoid when it’s time to act?” She snapped. She was tired of him constantly yapping in her ears. He had been rambling about how this was a bad idea ever since they hit a deer on their way, and their vehicle broke down on the main road. “Can you nag Light instead? This whole CNC with strangers was his fucking idea!”

Mike bit his lower lip, his expression shrouded in remorse at Gem’s outburst. He didn't mean to get on her nerves. He just couldn't shake off the thought that this experience would be more than they bargained for.

“This haunted—” he began, but Gem's icy gaze made him correct his words. “This Old Victorian house has an unsettled chill clung to it and our vehicle quit on us miles away. I agree that we’ve already signed the online form, but we could reconsider and just go back to find some hot girls and have a gang bang with them. This shit is getting spookier than what I anticipated. If anything happens inside that house, escaping will be difficult. This is another level of spookiness,” He dumped his fear on them, his palms getting soaked as dread crept on his boyish face.

A chilling silence fell over his four friends right after his unsettling words.

Their feet began to feel cold as they walked closer to the mansion and that caused them to stop in their steps.

Reed held his girlfriend, Red in his arms, their gazes intently focused on the looming house. Two more steps and they would reach the worn stone steps that lead into the mansion.

“Do you still want to go inside?” He whispered to her and she nodded firmly

Red snuggled closer to Reed, breathing in his intoxicating cologne while his fingers traced electrifying circles on her hip. She couldn't help but feel extremely aroused to be sharing such a kinky experience like this with him.