There once was a family that lived on Tenere Plantation.
There were three little girls: Mary, Martha, and May. Their father was a writer, a storyteller - a man who made make believe real. Every evening, he would read to them about a boy who flew. A magic boy from a magic land, who went on grand adventures in the stars. When asked how his magic worked, their father would tell them that magic was simply a gift of special moments, happy moments that lifted one's spirit.
Late one summer their father went away, leaving the girls to tell stories of their own to each other. It was then that they came up with an idea of their own grand adventure. The next morning, the three young girls ran up to the attic, looking out over the fields next to the woods. Together they opened the window, standing on the windows ledge. They envisioned many a great, happy thought - memories of winter snow and spring picnics, of summer strolls and fall feasts. They held to these moments, things which were deep within their hearts, feeling themselves lifted by the joy they remembered. And on the count of three, they jumped. That was where their father found them, in the golden light of the setting sun - bloody and broken children, dead where they lay.
In a fit of despair, he killed off the household: the mother who had paid no heed to her children, the nanny who had let them wander off. Even himself, for putting such thoughts into their mind.
But sometimes you can still hear them, see them, flitting about in the shadows, waiting for others to fly away with them.
"I suppose it is a decent story," Pavel said thoughtfully, gazing intently out the window at the endless hills of green passing by. "It is not wery scary, though. More sad."
"But you have to remember, it isn't really the backstory that brings people in, Pasha," Hikaru explained, coasting over into the next lane in order to turn down a long dirt road.
"When it comes to haunted houses, people don't really care about a story, they just want the jumpscares," Nyota tacked on. "It doesn't matter why someone is chasing you through a cornfield, as long as you can get the adrenaline rush of feeling like you're about to be murdered."
"It does not seem very logical to put oneself in a dangerous situation in order to have a pleasant socialization." Spock raised an eyebrow as he continued reading through the pamphlet, also not quite so impressed.
"It isn't really a dangerous situation," Nyota quickly pointed out.
"None of it is real - it's just a bunch of actors being paid to follow you around after having decorated the place to look really creepy," Hikaru added, stopping briefly to be directed into a parking stall.
"It is like the movies we watched, only instead of watching the movies we are now in the movies." Pavel nodded to himself, believing the metaphor to be rather apt and witty. His friends had been marathoning horror movies the entire month leading into October, as celebrating Halloween was considered an American tradition that didn't encompass a singular evening, but rather was worthy of an entire month of festivities. And getting to participate in a Haunted House - or, perhaps more apt, farm - was apparently the biggest highlight outside of Trick Or Treating.
As the group moved toward the carnival area, Nyota slid next to Spock's side, grasping his hand in her own.
"There's plenty to do before then. There's food, and games - look, they even have a petting zoo," she pointed out. He raised an eyebrow. Pavel bounced towards the booths excitedly.
"See, it won't be so bad!"
Famous last words, Pavel thought as he shivered in the cold.
The Haunted Maze, as it was called, consisted of three main areas: the woods, the house, and the field. They hadn't even made it through the first area, and he had already lost track of them. They had been released in a small group of 10, with a 10 minute wait between groups - and he couldn't even find the others within his group. To be fair, there had been an awkward house structure to pass through - pitch black inside, with more walls than seemed possible. He supposed it was set up to help transition them from the long line into the mindset of creeping terror. Instead, it had just been frustrating, and now he was alone.
"дерьмо," he muttered, slowly walking down the apparent path before him. He ran through a quick mental check, weighing his options: should he aim to catch up with Hikaru and Nyota and Spock with the potential of facing something horrifying alone before getting to them, or wait and join up with the next incoming group with the potential of something horrifying coming for him before the next group arrived?
He could not hear or see his friends ahead, so trying to catch up seemed like an effort in futility. But he also didn't know how long it would take before the next group came. It was reasonable, then, to continue forward at a slower pace - hoping he would be able to go at least somewhere by moving forward, but not fast enough to the point where he would end up going through the whole maze alone.
Despite this resolve, his sense of inquisitiveness ended up getting the better of him. He came to a minor fork in the path - the obvious choice being to continue going straight. But curiosity pulled at his mind, and he turned onto the narrower walkway. Only a small ways, he assured himself. Just to see why it was there. He wouldn't go too far. Just a little.
"Well, that sucked."
Of course James Tiberius Perfect-Hair would say that, not even 5 minutes into the whole thing he had dragged them to. Scotty rolled his eyes, hoping the quips would be few and far between. At his age, he was getting to be too old to put up with these shenanigans.
Of course Bones was right up there with him - though a bit more proactive, actually telling Jim not to whine since it had been his idea to come in the first place.
Keenser, small and silent, nudged Scotty to follow the bickering couple down the path. At the very least, it had been pretty simple getting out of the awkward black rooms, and the four of them managed to get out at the same time. The rest of their group was still rifling through - and rather loudly at that.
They managed to make it quite a ways before anything else happened. There was a loud snapping sound off to the side, as if someone were running toward them. Scotty tensed, grasping on to Keenser's shoulder to steady himself. They hadn't had to sign any forms - so logically, none of the fright bits would involve physical encounters.
"Figures," Jim said with a sigh. "Can't even do jumpscares right."
Even Bones seemed to agree.
"With all that racket, you'd think they're sendin us a herd of bulls in this fine china shop."
But after a moment of rustling, they finally caught sight of a young man scrambling up through the underbrush.
"отъебись," he whined in a heavy accent, jumping to his feet and brushing a hand through his hair. It was then that they noticed his shoulders shaking, the slight sniffle, and worst of all: tear tracks running down his pale, freckled cheeks.
And oh, Scotty thought hopelessly, he was cute.
"Ah!" It seemed the boy had finally noticed that they were staring at him, waiting for some kind of explanation. "You are - you are the next group, yes?"
He sounded so desperately hopeful, looking up at them with wide eyes.
"That we are," Bones answered suspiciously. "And what're you doin stuck in there?"
"I am lost," he answered mournfully. "My friends - they left me behind. I thought I saw someone, one of them - but it was a little girl, and she was - "
The boy simply sniffled, shuddering as he wrapped his arms around himself.
"Lucky you've got us here then! My name's Jim, and this old pessimist is Leonard McCoy – Bones for short. We'll walk you through until we can find your friends, alright?" Jim assured, walking over to him and flinging an arm around the boy's shoulders to steadily lead him back onto the main path.
"Are you even old enough to be here?" Bones asked gruffly, glancing over him.
"I am 18."
"Oh good. Not even out of high school."
"I am studying at the uniwersity south of here," the boy corrected, an undertone of indignance breaking through his distress. "I am Pavel Chekov - grad student, working on my doctorate in astrophysics."
"Well hey, looks like you and Scotty here – Scott, you know, Montgomery Scott? – you two must have a lot in common!" Jim exclaimed. "He's an aerospace engineer. You do lectures down there, right?"
"Aye," Scotty said, nodding at Pavel as they continued walking down the path. "Though I'm still takin classes every now and again, to keep up to date an all."
They kept up a minor dialogue as Pavel slowly opened up, his posture becoming more relaxed as they discussed theories in space flight and the upcoming settlement of yet another Moon colony.
A few minutes into that, Keenser interrupted, grunting as they nodded up ahead.
A young girl stood no more than 100 meters away. Her white dress was torn, petticoat splattered with mud. Her hair was matted and stringy, covering her face. In her hand was a machete.
"Daddy," she called sweetly, head twitching as she shuffled in place. "Daddy - teach me how to fly?"
Pavel whimpered, hunching in on himself.
"You alright there laddie? You know they can't get you, right?" Scotty whispered as they slowly started backing down the path.
The girl wailed, her shriek echoing in the empty woods.
"Don't leave me. Don't leave me!"
"I think that's our cue to leave," Jim said, patting on Bones' arm. But Pavel was frozen to the spot, eyes glued to the little girl still blocking the path. Scotty nudged Keenser on, turning his attention to the boy.
"Come on now, lad - here, take my hand, we've got to leave, alright?"
Slowly, Pavel unfurled himself, reaching shakily for Scotty's hand beside him.
"There ya go. Now, let's follow them and see if we can find another way out of here."
There was a heavy thunk as the girl's machete hit a tree trunk, and then she backed away, running off and out of sight. They waited, unsure if she would come back.
Jim heaved a sigh of relief when nothing else happened.
"Alright! Looks like this place is finally picking up!" he cheered, waltzing ahead with a bounce in his step as if nothing had happened. "Finally getting around to the good stuff!"
There were several more 'scenes' scattered throughout the wooded area – they had seen a doctor in a bloodied coat and a torn rabbit mask wielding rusty power tools as he extracted guts and gore from some poor dead woman on a rickety table in the middle of a clearing, they had seen a few murderous looking clowns in runny makeup and dirty costumes with too sharp teeth and pitch black eyes weaving in and out of the trees beside the path.
Poor Pavel let forth half-choked sobs throughout the entire ordeal, moving from mere hand holding for comfort to practically gluing himself to Scotty as he clung to the man's arm. Bones looked as if he were about to have a heart attack every time the boy gasped, far more worried about Pavel's overwhelming terror than the maze itself. Jim was no better, joking about as he fretted over the rather prominent vein that began appearing on Bones' forehead, as if the good doctor himself were about to have an aneurysm.
Keenser watched closely, wondering why Pavel would even let himself be at a place like this if it were that scary to him. But their thoughts on the idea faded as the group finally approached the looming farm house – worn white, peeling paint, tattered curtains and all.
"Third of the way there, that's not so bad," Scotty said, attempting to lighten the mood. Jim grinned, already bounding up to the back door.
"Can't be too hard – 3 stories, a few hundred square feet – piece of cake!"
"Yeah, small enclosed spaces with nowhere to run, plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in, never mind the closets and trap doors bound to be up in this place," Bones muttered, stalking after the excited young man. Pavel's grip tightened around Scotty's elbow, large eyes turning up to him.
"Ach, it cannae be that bad," Scotty assured him, turning to face the house with a frown. Keenser snorted, earning themselves a disappointed glare. "At the very least, we're here for you."
"You are wery kind, Mr. Scott." With a deep breath, Pavel straightened himself up. He let go of Scotty's arm, bringing his hand back down to clutch at Scotty's. It was a valiant attempt at being brave, even if his fingers still trembled.
They darted through the kitchen and dining room on the lower floor, attempting to ignore the innards that hung from the ceiling and boiling on the stoves, though Keenser was rather interested in the spread of body parts littering the chipped plates. The heads were surprisingly lifelike, even if the eyes looked a bit too gelatinous to be realistic.
The parlor room area was blocked off, their only option being to trudge reluctantly up the creaking stairwell. The wooden railing was uneven, deep grooves like claw marks cutting into it. Eventually, they made it to the top, peering with grim faces down the hallway. On the other end was another stairwell.
A ladder blocked the way.
"Looks like we'll have to get through all the rooms then."
"It is not so bad," Pavel remarked, trying to keep his tone optimistic and steady. "Is only three rooms, right?"
The way his voice cracked halfway through the last word revealed his apprehension.
The first room was bathed in a deep blue light. A woman was chained to the bed, growling in what seemed to be Latin. There were subtle whispers echoing around the room, causing the hairs on Scotty's arms to stand one end. With a sudden jolt, the woman shrieked – her back bent in a half circle as she elevated off the bed, thrashing her head back and forth in a frenzy.
Wanting to cut any horrified reactions short, Keenser grabbed both Scotty and Pavel, shoving them into the open closet door that led to the next room. It was too dark to see, so Keenser pulled out a cell phone, spotlighting the room with a flashlight.
The room was empty, covered only in bloody handprints and fluttering crayon drawings. A woman rocked back and forth in the corner, crying softly. Her hands gripped her hair as she shook, mumbling unintelligible things under her breath.
On the floor a short poem was scrawled, jaggedly cut into the wood, a bloody knife lying at the end.
"What potent blood hath modest May," Pavel read.
"She's coming, she's coming, she's coming!" The woman began writhing on the floor –
Pavel didn't even wait for Keenser to direct them, instead dragging Scotty through the next closet door.
It was laid out like a child's room, a small four poster bed with paisley drapes in the corner, a large mahogany wardrobe against the wall. A small mahogany bookshelf, filled with rotting and dusty books, with a miniature rocking chair beside it.
It would have been like any other child's room, if not for the hundreds of porcelain dolls hanging from the ceiling and strewn haphazardly across the floor. The faint sound of a music box chimed through the room, flat and off-key.
"Nothing in here then – just need to find that staircase and head on out, then we'll be alright," Scotty reassured, ducking around the dolls in an attempt to reach the doorway without touching anything. Pavel crouched behind him, holding tight to his hand.
They made it back into the hall, shoulders slumping in relief. The relief was short lived by the grating sound of metal being tugged across the floor. They turned and saw the ladder had been moved, and in its place another young girl dragging an axe behind her.
Pavel screamed, hiding behind Scotty.
"Scotty! Pavel! Hurry up!" Jim called from outside. Taking the cue, Scotty turned and led them down the stairwell, flying through the parlor room to the front door. Keenser didn't even pause to study the decorations; rather, they simply slammed the door shut behind them.
Jim and Bones stood on the porch, waiting for them.
"You alright there, Pavel?" Jim asked with a grin.
"You saw the little girl too, yes?"
"Yeah – gotta say, I thought the possessed lady was a bit scarier though." He led them all off the rickety porch, heading towards the sprawling corn field. "Now, this looks a bit more like home – I'm guessing we'll be chased through here. You ready?"
Scotty had not been ready.
Jumpscares and gore were one thing. No matter how realistic it was made to look, he could still understand that none of it was truly dangerous. The girls with the weapons hadn't run after them, so they weren't really a threat either.
However, being chased by a man with a chainsaw was an entirely different matter.
Especially when they had managed to get split up, Jim and Bones taking a right while Keenser had led Scotty and Chekov left – only to run off the path into the corn stalks at the next fork.
"Not gonna lie, laddie, I'm just a wee bit terrified right about now," he called behind him, pushing forward through the sharp leaves. "This is far more dangerous than I expected, and – now wait just a moment, haven't we already been here?"
Indeed, there was an imprint in the mud off to the side where Keenser had stepped away from the path.
Scotty began cursing, running his free hand through his hair. Pavel pursed his lips together in worry, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Is alright, Mr. Scott. We will just go the other way. Do not worry – I am wery good with nawigating, I promise. Follow me!"
Scotty heaved out a frustrated sigh, but followed, trusting the young man knew what he was doing. At the very least, the chainsaw noises had disappeared – though the creepy shuffling through the corn stalks hadn't. After a moment, a niggling feeling in the back of his head began to make itself known. It was a bit disconcerting that Pavel apparently had no trouble getting through this maze, and his sudden bravado –
"Yes, Mr. Scott?" Pavel asked. When he didn't get a reply, he stopped, turning to face him with furrowed eyebrows. "You said my name?"
"Ach, well – you just seem so – not as afraid as before. Are you sure you're not one of the actors here leading me to my doom, or – "
"Ah, no," Pavel answered, a light blush blossoming on his cheeks. "You were kind enough to let me join you, and you put up with all of my fears – it is only fair if I try to do the same for you now. Is much easier to try when I can focus on that."
Scotty nodded, letting the young man continue to lead him. It was a sound argument – letting distraction push aside emotions to concentrate on the task at hand.
"So what is it that you are working on at the uniwersity now, Mr. Scott?"
"Ah, well, it's mostly a dissertation on Trebolt's theory of warp drive – have you heard of it?"
"Aye! His equations are sound, but the application – "
"Is complete bull, exactly!" Scotty cried, beaming at Pavel. "Glad someone else realized it – daft numpty wouldn't even listen to my reasoning, even though it's so obvious – "
He was cut off by a young girl giggling to their right.
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary – how does your garden grow?"
A whispered chorus rose around them.
"With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids lined in a row."
A loud roar came from behind, the buzzing of a chainsaw coming closer and closer as the corn stalks rustled around them.
"Alright laddie, I think now would be a fine time to get us out of here!" Scotty shouted, face draining to an ashen white shade. Pavel gripped his hand tightly, hauling him down another pathway.
"We are almost there!" he called, weaving through the sharp leaves. "Hurry please!"
"I'm goin, I'm goin!" Scotty hollered, trying his best to keep up with the young man as he stumbled through a muddy patch beneath his feet. Pavel was fast – difficult to trail after. But he never let go of Scotty's hand, for which he was grateful. Despite the feeling of impending doom, at least if he went down, he wouldn't be going down alone.
Even though he'd had his doubts, Scotty did somehow manage to keep up.
After what felt like an hour of running from a madman, but was probably only minutes, they burst out of the cornfield, back into the carnival clearing. A few seconds later, Jim and Bones clambered out of another exit a few meters away, Keenser tumbling after them.
"Good run boys!" Jim called, stretching upward. "Definitely worth my money."
"Wasn't even your money," Bones grumbled, still bent over to catch his breath.
"Pasha!"
Pavel's head whipped up, a smile breaking out across his face.
"Hikaru! Nyota!" The two jogged up to him, giving a cursory glance at the other four.
"Took you long enough to get out of there," Hikaru started with a smirk.
"Now you wait just a minute," Bones cut in gruffly, waving a finger at them. Spock, who had been watching from afar, made his way over to them.
"Why did you leave the lad all by himself like that? He was terrified!" Scotty interrupted in disbelief. "And you just walk over here like – "
"What do you mean 'he was terrified'?" Nyota repeated in confusion, looking rather unimpressed as she crossed her arms and glared at Pavel.
"The accusation is rather contradictory – after all, Pavel is the one who suggested we come here in the first place," Spock clarified, raising an eyebrow at the two older men.
Keenser started wheezing, their laughter far too much to hold in. Jim seemed to pick up on what had happened, and gave Scotty a hearty slap on the back.
"Looks like we got played! Kid knew what he was doing the whole time. I bet you thought that house wasn't all that great either, huh? But hey, at least you got to hold Scotty's hand," he added with a wink. Scotty sputtered, staring at Pavel in shock.
Pavel had the decency to blush, face turning a bright shade of red. But instead of getting flustered, he stood up straighter. A smirk spread across his face, and he looked mischievously proud of himself.
"What can I say – horror was inwented in Russia, you know."
He leaned forward, planting a kiss firmly on Scotty's cheek.
"But you were wery heroic, Mr. Scott. And I would like to hear more about your theory on warp capabilities. If you give me your phone, I will treat you to lunch, back at the uniwersity?"
Jim and Keenser burst into a new fit of laughter.
"Kid, you aren't even half his age!" Bones cried, throwing his hands in the air. "Aren't you a little young to be making these decisions?"
Pavel simply harumphed, raising his head as if offended by the comment.
"I read Mr. Scott's graduate dissertation a few years ago. If my calculations are correct, then Mr. Scott is in his mid-30s. Which means that he is exactly half, thank you wery much."
"Besides," Hikaru piped up, " – he might be young, but he was emancipated when he was 13."
"And did you see how he pulled that off, Bones? If anything we should be worried about Scotty getting taken advantage of!" Jim pointed out.
"Now see here, I can speak for myself," Scotty grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest, still hesitant. Pavel was beautiful, and brilliant, and terrifying. But he couldn't deny that Pavel was incredibly young too, even if his was remarkable. After a long moment of thought, he sighed. "Things being as they are – "
"Just go for it, Scotty!" Jim cheered. Spock glanced at Nyota, noting the man's apparent lack of social grace. Bones pinched the bridge of his nose, grabbing Jim by the collar and pulling him away.
"Er – as I was sayin," Scotty continued awkwardly, gazing at Pavel's set face. He was neither eager, nor anxious, about what the outcome would be. Rather, he waited patiently, as if the long indecisiveness didn't even phase him.
Keenser rolled their eyes, walking away.
"As I was sayin. Things being as they are, I'm not yet too keen on this – being what you seem to imply it to be."
Pavel's shoulders fell, but he nodded, accepting Scotty's choice. It sent a surprising pang through Scotty's chest, and he hurried to rectify it.
"However! You seem bright, and I want to know where you think Trebolt's theory fell apart. So." Scotty fumbled around his jacket pocket, searching for his phone. "Ah. Here you go."
Pavel graciously accepted the phone presented to him, typing in his number and dialing to his own phone. With a smile, he politely handed it back with a nod.
"And now I know your number as well. I shall text you, and we can plan a time, this week?"
"Ah – sure."
"In that case, thank you for bringing me back to my friends – now go and find yours, and I will see you later!" With a hop and a wave, Pavel bounced over to the food stands, Hikaru snorting as Nyota and Spock turned to follow.
"You'll have your hands full with that one, let me tell you," he said to Scotty before going and following them off to the side.
He couldn't help but smile, watching as the young man pointed out the different types of candied apples at the stall. Pavel was good, that was for sure.
Hopefully he'd still be able to keep up.