Get Out Alive
The MacManus twins were seven years old, and each thought the other was fearless.
Connor and Murphy gobbled up horror movies one after the other when their Ma was either off at the pub or passed out drunk in her bedroom at night. They teased each other about being afraid of such stupid movies, and always dared each other to watch an entire movie in the dark with just the television screen providing their light.
Murphy never told Connor that every time the full moon shone bright through their window, or a wolf bayed somewhere during the middle of the night, he thought of werewolves creeping through the shadows ready to devour him. Likewise, Connor never told Murphy that he often thought that some vengeful spirit was lurking in their shared closet, waiting until they were asleep to come to their beds and carve them up like Christmas hams.
They both kept these secrets for different reasons. Murphy joked about his secret fear because Connor always put on a brave front, and Murph knew that if he wanted to be as strong as his brother he would have to face his fears. Connor wasn't afraid of anything. Connor could look a werewolf in the face and laugh, then grab one of their Ma's prized silver forks and stab the creature through the eye, sending it to Hell where it belonged.
Connor kept his fear hidden because he knew that Murphy needed the strength and fearlessness he always exuded when they watched those movies. Murphy was counting on him to be his anchor, his lifeline when those childish fears came to haunt him. Connor also knew that because he put on this courageous façade, Murphy would gladly quote Bible verses at a demon and shout the Lord's name at it while Connor froze up behind him. Connor acted brave because he knew that if Murphy saw him acting fearless Murph would be fearless, too.
So when Halloween rolled around, and the annual fall festival erected a haunted house to commemorate the event, the twins knew they had to go no matter what. They begged their Ma endlessly, pestering her until she nearly threw her whiskey bottle at them. Finally she caved and said that they were old enough now to go on their own. She handed over the money about a week before Halloween, and the brothers decided to go that very same night.
Around eight o' clock their Ma went out for a drink at The Anvil, and the brothers immediately snuck off to go to the haunted house. The lights of the festival greeted them long before they actually got to the fairgrounds, and the faint screams of happily frightened patrons rang through the night.
Connor grabbed Murphy's arm, eager to just get there already, and the two of them ran the rest of the way to the festival. They stepped from lush green grass to hard packed dirt, and their eyes lit up in wonder at everything around them. Orange and black streamers were wrapped around streetlamps and woven under businesses' awnings. In the windows cutouts of orange pumpkins, black cats, bats, and witches' hats, and purple witches riding broomsticks were taped up, showing the world that the owners were in the Halloween spirit. Vendors sold toy flashlights shaped like turnips and squash, making the adults chuckle; everyone knew the Halloween history of the first "celebrators" making lanterns from such vegetables to wave around and scare away demons. The scents of popcorn and caramel wafted in the air, and both items were sold alongside cotton candy. Many of the workers were dressed in simple costumes, and one or two were even wearing masks or makeup. All in all it was a wonderland for the young brothers to behold, and their eyes lit up with the magic of the festival.
Luckily for the MacManus twins, the fair was having a children's special: $5 for an all-night wristband pass. Connor and Murphy slid their money through the partition of the ticket booth, holding out their wrists to receive their passes. They stepped back and surveyed the park, taking in every attraction they could possibly enjoy that night.
"Where do ye want ta head first?" Murphy looked at Connor, whose blue eyes were still fixated on the surroundings.
A ferris wheel stood on the outskirts of the fair, looming over everything else. There was a small rollercoaster with only two dips beside that, and a ride where you sat inside a giant strawberry and turned the inner wheel to make the vessel spin was on its other side. Somewhere between the ferris wheel and a popcorn stand stood a tall, long slide, the type where the workers made you sit on a blanket or a potato sack to ride down. But in the middle of it all was the main attraction: the haunted house. Its presence was magnificent to the two small boys. It had the look of an old, rundown mansion, complete with boarded up windows and a front door that never closed. Connor's eyes were locked on that house, and Murphy's gaze finally followed his brother's there.
Without a word Murphy took Connor's hand and led him to the haunted house. The line wasn't too long, just a few people, and they only had to wait for about ten minutes before finally being allowed to set foot inside. The person at the front who was checking wristbands and taking tickets was an older woman with graying hair that was set into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She did not smile, but her eyes were kindly, and a shade of hazel that just seemed inviting, like she would make you cookies and give you lemonade if you simply asked.
"Now boys, this particular haunted house is also a maze, so you should make sure to look after each other. Wouldn't want either of you getting lost in there, now would we?" She smiled as she checked their wristbands, and gave them both a pat on the head.
The boys nodded with a promise that they wouldn't get lost, and headed inside. Everything past the threshold was dark, with only the occasional strobe light flashing to mark the way. Fake spider webs coated nearly every surface, along with a fake spider or two. Murphy shuddered when his fingers accidentally brushed the back of one, and he wiped his hand against his jeans.
"This is kinda silly, ain't it, Conn?" Murphy leaned over to whisper to his brother, but Connor was no longer beside him. He spun in circles, reaching his hands out and groping for his Connor, but his twin was nowhere to be found. "Connor?" Murphy called out, hoping his twin would hear him and come back from wherever he had gone. There was no answer, and no one came to him. He suddenly felt inexplicably terrified, and feared that he wouldn't be able to get out of this damn haunted house until they closed it in the morning.
The screams, growls, and sounds of chainsaws made it hard for Murphy to concentrate on where he was, or where he should be going. He couldn't hear any footsteps, which might have led him back to safety, and he was certain now that a werewolf lurked in the darkness, waiting for him to stumble upon it. He reached out one hand, stumbling to find a wall, all the while screaming Connor's name.
Murphy had been right next to Connor one minute, and the next he was gone. Connor turned left and right, searching for his twin. He happened to be in one of the rooms with a strobe light in it, and though the flashing was disorienting, the light it threw out helped him see around the room. Murphy wasn't in this room, so Connor decided to move into the next, but his brother wasn't there either. Connor was beginning to panic. He had lost Murphy, and his Ma would kill him for sure. But even worse than the threat of his Ma beating him bloody was the thought that the demons that were surely waiting under every floorboard and in every nook and cranny would snatch Murphy up as punishment to Connor for not protecting his twin.
Connor called out Murphy's name as he moved from room to room, but the only sounds that came back to him were the delighted squeals of the other patrons, and other such haunted house noises. Sweat had begun to drip down the young boy's forehead and neck, and a chill ripped its way up his spine. What if one of the demons really had gotten Murphy and Connor never found him? What would he say to Ma when she asked when her other angel was? How would he go on living without his twin? He briefly thought of just curling in a ball in the middle of the room and crying while waiting for someone to find him and get him out of this hell h0le, but Murphy needed him. Murphy was still somewhere in the house, he had to be, and Connor would do whatever it took to find his brother again. He closed his eyes, trying to block out all the sounds around him besides footsteps and any cries that sounded like his brother, and steeled himself against all his fears. At this point he didn't care if a thousand demons rushed toward him, intent on taking him to hell with them; he would confront every single one just to get to Murphy again.
Meanwhile, Murphy had given up on wandering around, and had instead plunked himself in a corner. If he was ever going to get found he had to stay in one place and just keep calling for help over and over again. He screamed Connor's name as loud as he possibly could repeatedly, hoping against hope his brother would hear him. Against his will, tears sprang from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. They were tears of pure fear, but the fear he felt was no longer about a werewolf tearing him apart and eating his innards; no, he cried now because he was afraid that he would never see Connor again. Nothing in the world was worse than being without his brother, and the way Murphy saw it if a werewolf had to rip him to shreds just so Connor could find him and hold him once more then so be it. Through his sobs and his shouts for his brother he silently prayed to the good Lord for his twin to find him, safe and sound, and lead him back to the open-ness and the light of the outside world. 'Please, God, just let me be with Connor again,' was all he asked for now.
Connor managed to re-trace their steps all the way back to the front door. He knew Murphy must have gotten lost somewhere between the door and the room with the strobe light, so he made a third round through the rooms. He pulled out the lighter he had snuck from his Ma's purse one night, and flicked it on, giving him a small amount of light to cut through the darkness. Just two rooms away from where he had originally ended up he thought he heard someone calling his name. His heart leapt in his chest; that could be Murphy calling to him. He rushed after the sound, the cries getting louder and more pained with every step he took. Finally he broke through a strand of webbing hanging over a dark doorway, and found that the calls of his name were coming from that room; better yet, the person calling him was undoubtedly Murphy. He darted forward, where the shouts were the loudest, and the flame from his lighter shone dimly on Murphy's tear stained face.
"It's alright, Murph, m' here. Connor's here." Connor immediately pocketed the lighter and knelt down beside his twin, wrapping his arms around Murphy's shoulders and wiping away his tears.
Murphy sniffed, his eyes opening wide. "Connor? S'it really you?"
"Aye." Connor nodded, ruffling his brother's hair, which brought on a new volley of tears from Murphy. "C'mon, Murph, yer alright. Let's get outta here." He helped Murphy to his feet, not minding Murphy's fingers clutching his shirt in a death grip, and didn't release his hold on his twin until they were both safely outside.
A few people laughed at the boys, exclaiming how cute they looked; others shook their heads in pity at the small children who had been in such a frightening attraction, and thought that their Ma should be ashamed for letting her kids do such a thing. The twins paid them no attention, and merely made their way back home. Halfway there they threw their wristbands into the grass and forgot them.
They crawled into bed the second they set foot inside the door. Connor asked Murphy if he wanted to spend the night with him in bed, and Murphy had nodded yes. Connor didn't say anything else as Murphy cuddled into his side, and soon they fell asleep that way.
Their Ma never asked them about how the fair was, and they never offered any details. As far as they were concerned the night had simply never happened. Both resolved, individually, that they would never be without the other again, no matter what they were doing.