A/N: Hello Pitch Perfect Fans!
Here is my second Halloween inspired story, from the BeChloe Horror Week prompts. I want to again thank BeChloeIsLegit, who co-wrote this story.
A Pitch Perfect Cabin in The Woods
"So, didn't I tell you? Isn't that a fricken' great movie?" Jesse is almost vibrating with excitement.
Beca rolls her eyes at her puppy-like boyfriend. He is literally bouncing up and down. Still, even as she shakes her head, she has to admit, "You're right, 'Cabin in The Woods' was a good movie…"
"Great movie," Jesse cuts in.
"Don't push it dude," Beca snarks.
"You have to admit, Becs, even you couldn't predict that ending."
Jesse gives her such a look, and Beca knows he lives for these moments when he can prove his favorite medium is worthy of her time. To keep his ego intact, she's even fibbed on a few films, overhyping her enjoyment, or underselling her ability to know the ending well before the climactic scene. In this case, though, she can be fairly honest, she really did enjoy the movie and didn't see that ending coming at all. "You're right," she says it almost reluctantly, though her smirk tells him she's playing coy. "It's an entertaining movie, with a truly surprising end."
"I knew you'd love it," Jesse says triumphantly.
"Okay, let's not go too far, movie boy," Beca chuckles as Jesse leans in for a kiss.
~0~
"So, Becs, do you and Jesse have any plans for this Friday?"
Beca looks over from her laptop, pushing her headphones off. "What was that Chlo?"
The redhead is sitting on Beca's bed, a copy of the works of Chekhov sitting open before her. The redhead flashes a gentle smile. "Um, I was just wondering if you had any plans for this Friday?"
Beca seems to consider the question, shrugs and shakes her head. "Not that I'm aware of. Why?"
"Oh, um, I read that they are opening a new skating rink, and I haven't gone ice skating in years." The redhead pauses, almost as if she was shy about asking. "I was wondering if maybe you would want to go?"
Beca catches how Chloe's voice slightly drops. She's not sure why Chloe would be shy about asking her out for this Friday. The redhead is rarely shy about anything. "Um, yeah, that actually sounds like fun. I haven't gone ice skating since my Senior year of high school."
Chloe perks up right away. "You skate?"
"I come from Portland, Maine, Chlo, of course I skate," Beca answered with a bit of swagger.
"Were you a hockey player?," Chloe asked excitedly. "I totally can see you as a badass hockey player."
"Um…" Beca scratched the back of her neck as she considered her answer.
Chloe knows immediately that the DJ is hiding something. She looks at the younger woman inquisitively, and asks, "Okay, what are you hiding?"
The redhead looks at Beca with such open and inquisitive eyes, Beca can't lie to her. "Okay, you can't tell the Bellas, especially Fat Amy, or Stacie, or CR…"
"Okay, you have my word, Beca, your secret is safe with me." The redhead solemnly crosses her heart, and then mimes locking her lips and throwing away the key.
"You're such a nerd sometimes," Beca chuckles with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
"Yet you love me," Chloe says with her million-dollar smile.
"Yeah, I do…"
Both women feel their hearts race at this little back-and-forth, and both wonder what it means.
Chloe waits for Beca to continue, but grows impatient. She rolls her hand as if directing the younger woman. "So…"
"Oh, yeah, um, so, no I wasn't a hockey player, but, um, before my parents separated, I did take part in, uh, skating competitions," Beca rambles as she looked everywhere, other than at the redhead.
Chloe for her part is confused by the ramblings, a bit distracted at how shy Beca had suddenly become. Then the answer dawns on Chloe. "YOU WERE A FIGURE SKATER!"
"DUDE!" Beca shouts as she covers Chloe's mouth. "Keep it down!" She hisses, looking around as if someone else could possibly be in the loft with them. Beca whispers, "Nobody but you, me, and my dad know here at Barden, and that's only because patricide is highly frowned upon."
Chloe instantly quiets down. "Wait," she mumbles and pulls Beca's hand from her mouth. "So, Jesse doesn't know?"
"No!" Beca hisses again, eyeing the stairs and trying to ensure no one is lurking there. Living with Lily, you never could be sure.
"Why?"
The simplicity of Chloe's question catches Beca off guard. She shrugs. "It wouldn't do my badass reputation any good to have everyone know I used to be an ice princess. Can you imagine the ribbing I would take, especially from Fat Amy, Stacie, CR, and Jesse? Worse, he would want to go on ice skating dates…"
Chloe looks at her perplexed. "You wouldn't want to go ice skating with him?"
"No," Beca answers and holds up her hand to forestall the next question. "I'm not sure why. I've just always wanted to keep my life back in Portland separate from my life here at Barden."
"But you told me," Chloe whispers. This conversation suddenly feels like it should be whispered.
Beca looks like Chloe had just revealed something she hadn't considered. "Well, you're you, and you're like my best friend, and I know you always have my hea...uh, my back. You always have my back."
"Aw, Becs," Chloe says, as she pulls the younger woman into a hug. She buries her face into Beca's neck and whispers, "I'll always have your back, Becs."
"BECAW!" The two women pull apart as they hear Jesse running up the steps. When his head is visible between the railing of the banister, they are a few steps from each other, trying desperately to look casual, yet wondering why they feel the need. It's not like they were doing anything wrong.
"BECAW!," Jesse shouts again. "Hey, Flo said you were…" he pauses as he steps into the loft and notices Chloe standing there. "Oh, hey, Chloe. Flo didn't say you were up here, too."
For some reason, Beca's boyfriend doesn't seem happy to see the redhead. She ignores it. "Hey, Jesse. Um, yeah, I was just studying up here."
"Well, let's hope it helps you pass that last class, and you can graduate," Jesse says as he slides next to petite brunette, giving her a hug, and a quick kiss to her cheek. "Becaw! How's my girl?"
Beca looks less than thrilled by this, but Jesse doesn't seem to notice because he seems even more chipper than usual.
Chloe gives a forced laugh. "Uh, yeah… fingers crossed." She holds up both hands showing her fingers crossed. "Well, I'm going to leave you two, and, uh, I'm going to check on dinner…"
"Oh, okay. You sure?," asks Beca.
"Yeah," answers Chloe as she picks up her books and makes her way to the stairs. "It's Fat Amy's night to cook. If I don't help…"
"You mean cook," Beca interjects with a smile.
"Yeah, cook. If I don't cook all we'll have for dinner is toast," Chloe giggles as she makes her way towards the stairs.
"So, Beca, I have our plans for this Friday night!"
Jesse's statement causes Chloe to pause at the top of the stairs.
"You do?" Beca asks, a bit incredulous at Jesse's presumption. "Please, pray tell what are your plans?"
"We're going to this new haunted house they've opened in the warehouse district." Jesse is bouncing with excitement.
"Nope," Beca shakes her head. "I already have plans with Chloe."
Chloe's heart soars at Beca's announcement but then plummets as Jesse continues.
"Oh, I'm sure Chloe wouldn't mind canceling." Chloe who had resumed walking down the steps heard her name being called by Jesse. "Chloe!"
She turns on the stairs, and walks back up so she can be seen between the railing of the banister. "Uh, yeah?"
Jesse looks at the redhead earnestly and asks, "You don't mind if Beca has to cancel your plans for this Friday, do you?"
Chloe bites her bottom lip, and says, "Um, I-I guess…"
"What were the plans anyway?" Jesse turns back to Beca.
Chloe can see Beca's eyes widen as she's put on the spot. Beca is never good with coming up with a lie on the spot; she actually sucks at improvisation. So, Chloe speaks up quickly. "Oh, it was nothing, no big deal, we were going to organize a Bellas bonding night. We haven't even announced it so we can…"
"Oh, yeah?" Jesse is intrigued. Beca is usually reluctant or so she claims, to attend the Bellas bonding nights. As far as he knows, she's never planned one. "What were you going to do?"
"Movie night." It's the first thing that comes to Chloe's mind.
Jesse turns from looking over at Chloe, and back to his girlfriend. "You were going to plan a movie night?" There is a playful bit of disbelief in his voice.
Chloe speaks up again. The one genre she knows Beca would organize is. "Horror!"
Jesse turns back toward Chloe. "Um, what?"
"We were going to organize a horror movie marathon," Chloe answers.
"Um, yeah, a horror movie marathon," Beca confirms when Jesse turns back towards her.
"Really?" Jesse's eyes are shining with excitement.
"Uh, yeah," Beca nods.
"I knew those moviecations would work!" Jesse pumps the air. "It's a small step, but it's HUGE!" He suddenly grabs hold of Beca and swings her around.
"Okay, dude, take it down a notch, or I might have to hurt you." Beca tries to sound menacing, but the smile and light laugh gives her away.
"Cabin in The Woods?" Jesse asks it as he sets his girlfriend back on her feet.
Beca doesn't catch it as she tries to regain her balance. "Um, what?"
"Cabin in The Woods. Are you going to watch Cabin in The Woods?"
"Uh, yeah…" Beca realizes which movie Jesse is asking about, and says more confidently, "Yeah, of course. I was thinking it would be the perfect last movie."
Chloe who is still on the stairs, wondering if she should leave, thinks Jesse looks like a proud father at this moment. She bites her bottom lip; a sure sign of her nerves.
"You're so right, Beca, and it so fits what we're going to do," Jesse says as he begins to pace about as if his body is trying to keep up with his frenetic thoughts. He, therefore, misses the frown Beca flashes him. She's not happy Jesse has already assumed that Beca would agree with his plans.
"We're going to go to the new haunted house attraction, and it's based on the movie 'Cabin in The Woods'."
"I don't know, Jesse, Chloe really wanted to do a Bellas night," Beca says.
"It still can be," Jesse continues, not dissuaded. "We'll make it a joint Trebles/Bellas trip to a haunted house."
"Jesse…"
"Beca, come on, it's Halloween. It's just so right," argues Jesse.
"I don't know, Chloe isn't really a fan of haunted attractions," Beca argues.
"Oh, she'll be fine, right Chloe?"
Chloe lifts her head at the mention of her name. "Um…"
"You'd be up for a joint Trebles/Bellas night, right?"
Beca and Chloe exchange a series of awkward glances. "Uh, yeah," Chloe finds herself nodding.
"Perfect!" Jesse shouts in triumph. "I'm so excited!"
"Yeah!," both Beca and Chloe give half-hearted cheers.
~0~
Friday came a lot sooner than Beca had wanted. She was not looking forward to spending two hours in a haunted house with Jesse. He thinks he has to be the hero and protect Beca. Ugh!
Chloe is a strange combination of excited and wary about the haunted house trip. She's excited about a Bellas bonding activity, but not necessarily happy about having the Trebles along. She's excited to be spending a Friday night with Beca, not so much with sharing her with Jesse. She's wary because she hasn't been to one in over ten years, and that one almost caused her to pee her pants in fright. All the Bellas seem pretty excited about this bonding activity, so Chloe is just feeding upon their enthusiasm.
It's not what she really wants to be doing. She had truly thought she and Beca were going to get to spend some time alone ice skating. And she was until stupid Jesse had to show up and foist his plans on them. Still she decided to make the best of a less-than ideal situation.
The girls were all ready and waiting downstairs in the living room when Chloe made her way down.
"How about some shots to start the night?," Stacie asked as Chloe came into the room.
"Do you think that's a good idea?," Beca asked. "Being drunk in a haunted house is just a disaster waiting to happen."
"Come on, Becs," Chloe said with a smile. "It wouldn't be a Bellas bonding night without shots to start us off."
The girls all gather in the kitchen where Amy and Stacie lined up the shots. Each girl took their places and Chloe grabbed her shot and held it up. She then spies Amy situating herself by two shots, a look of pure glee on her face.
"Not you, Amy," says Chloe in her most mom-like voice as she sets her shot back down. The Bellas all freeze waiting for the inevitable explosion.
They didn't have to wait long.
"WHAT!? WHY NOT!?"
"You have to drive," Chloe says, crossing her arms in full on mom-mode. Beca begins to edge away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Chloe's eyes flick to her. The redhead's eyebrows arch, telling Beca she expects her support.
Beca huffs and stands shoulder to shoulder with Chloe, and says, "Chloe's right. You can't drink and drive, Ames." Beca matches Chloe's stance.
"What?! I can take a couple shots and drive. I've done it before," Amy argues.
"Not a good argument, Ames," Beca says.
"But I want a shot," Amy whines.
"You can have a shot, Amy," Chloe tells the blonde Aussie. Fat Amy pumps the air and reaches for a shot, as Beca and the rest of the Bellas show their collective shock at the redhead's reversal. Just as Fat Amy's hand closes on the shot glass, Chloe continues, "We'll just have Emily drive."
Fat Amy freezes, fingers still wrapped around the shot glass. She looks plaintively towards Chloe, who is still in full on aca-mom mode. Beca keeps her features neutral. Fat Amy then shoots Emily a withering glare. The tall freshman swallows visibly and looks to Chloe and Beca, who give her reassuring smiles.
With a loud huff, Fat Amy withdraws her hand and says, "Fine!"
Instantly Chloe transforms back to Friday night party girl. The transformation is quite remarkable. "Thanks, Ames!" She grabs the shot. "And, don't worry, I'll make sure you get double the shots during the after-party."
Fat Amy perks up immediately. Beca mumbles, "There's going to be an after-party?"
"Of course, silly," Chloe beams as she hands Beca a shot. She then raises her glass, looking around at all the Bellas, ensuring everyone has a glass, while stopping Amy with a quick glare. "To the Bellas!," Chloe shouted and threw back her shot.
"To the Bellas!," the rest of the girls shouted and did the same with their shots.
Fat Amy, still perturbed by the turn of events, shouts out, "Okay you aca-bitches; the van leaves in five minutes! If you're a second longer, you're out-of-luck!" With that she marched out of the kitchen, the rest of the Bellas filing behind.
Beca's eyes light up hearing Fat Amy's declaration.
"Oh no you don't," Chloe says seeing Beca's reaction. "You agreed for the Bellas to do this so you're going."
"Fine," Beca says with a scowl as Chloe drags her out to the van.
~0~
The haunted house is halfway between Barden and Atlanta and would take them about twenty minutes to drive to. All the Bellas rushed out and piled into the van, and true to her word at the five-minute mark Fat Amy pulled out and headed down the road.
Fat Amy is not known for her sense of direction, so Emily had been tasked with directing them to the haunted house's address via her mobile phone. The freshman was in the middle seat next to Chloe, who she looked to for protection from the simmering Aussie.
Fat Amy has warned the occupants of the van several times that if they get lost it's not her fault as she hadn't given Legacy the navigator responsibility. Chloe assured everyone that Emily was more than up for the challenge.
Proving the redhead right, twenty minutes after leaving the Bellas house Fat Amy pulls the van into the parking lot across the street from the haunted house. Amy grumbles about "beginners' luck."
The Bellas all laugh as they pile out of the van. They look across the street at the warehouse that has been utilized for the haunted attraction; it's been really done up to fit the Halloween motif. Everything from the lighting, music, and mysterious noises, combined with some very realistic creatures, definitely give the building a spooky vibe. It seems to have worked, as there's a pretty good-sized line of people waiting outside
"BECAW! Bellas!" Jesse calls to them with that signature dorky grin on his face. Beca smirks at him, but she can't help but notice the way his eyes flick over to Chloe standing next to her. Something passes through his eyes, but she decides to ignore it as he continues, "I'm glad you all could all make it!"
"I don't think we had a choice with how much you've been pestering us," Beca snarks. Jesse's pestering had been in the form of persistent excited texts. Ones that had gotten to be a little too much for Beca, prompting her on more than one occasion to shut off her mobile phone. Even now as he approaches, he's bouncing on his feet.
Jesse wraps Beca up in a huge hug and peppers her face with kisses as he tells her, "You're going to love it, just like you love me."
Beca pushes him off. "Dude! You do know me, right?" She dramatically wipes her face. "I definitely don't do that," she says indignantly.
Chloe can't help but giggle, which earns her a glare from Beca. Jesse is unperturbed in his excitement. "Ahh, you secretly love it. I'm just so pumped we get to do this. I've been reading the reviews of this place, and they are through the roof. My buddy, Josh, went and he said it's flat-out the best haunted attraction he's ever been to."
"Cool," says Beca, in a tone that says it's anything but.
Jesse is on a roll though and plows right through. "Not only are the haunted scenes based on the movie Cabin in The Woods, but it's also controlled just like the scares in the movie. There's a control room which will steer people through the building. Therefore, you can go through multiple times, and have a different experience each time!"
"Yay," Beca replies with obvious forced enthusiasm.
Jesse again ignores Beca's distinct lack of enthusiasm. "It's actually rather amazing the coordination this must take."
"You want to go through multiple times, don't you?," Beca asks with a side of sarcasm.
"Definitely!"
Beca rolls her eyes. The idea of multiple trips through this haunted warehouse not very appealing to the petite brunette.
"Don't worry, Becaw, I'll be beside you the whole way, ready to protect you at all costs," Jesse says with all smugness.
This was a jest too far. Beca shoves her boyfriend away. "Who says I need protection?" It doesn't help that the Bellas all let out a collective, "Ooooh!"
"I don't need anyone's protection," Beca vehemently declares.
Jesse, who has had a couple of shots himself with the Trebles, and is feeling extraordinarily cocky, doesn't quite pick up that he's placed himself on thin ice with Beca. "Yeah, you're my tough little badass." There's just a hint of jocularity in his intonation.
It doesn't go unnoticed. "Okay, that's enough out of you," Beca declares. She's not really up for being teased by her boyfriend. "Why don't you run along to the Trebles, and me and the Bellas will see you at the end of the haunted house." She gives Jesse a little wave, and starts leading the Bellas to the ticket line.
"Oh, don't be like that," Jesse says. "The Trebles are saving you all a place in the line."
The Bellas all look at the line which has only grown since they arrived, and then give Beca a plaintiff look. Beca rolls her eyes, but concedes, "Fine."
Jesse takes it as a small victory and leads them all to where the Trebles are standing.
As they walk towards the haunted warehouse, Beca notices that Chloe's been uncharacteristically quiet. She glances at the redhead's face and is surprised to see apprehension in her eyes. With every step that apprehension seems to grow, and soon Beca is seeing true fear in her best friend's demeanor.
"Hey, you can hold my hand if you get scared," she says as she holds her hand out to the redhead. Beca isn't sure she actually sees Chloe's hand move, it just seems to suddenly be holding her own.
"Thanks," Chloe whispers with a soft smile, and she seems less uncertain.
"Don't worry, you can hold it through the whole thing," Beca assures her.
Jesse looks like he's about to say something, but Beca's glare is sufficiently harsh enough that he realizes now is not the time for one of his quips.
Even with the boost of joining the Trebles in line, it's almost fifteen minutes before the now combined group approaches the ticket booth.
As they get nearer Emily approaches Beca and Chloe. "Um, it seems like you go in in groups of six so can I go with you two?" The young freshman leans in and whispers, "Please don't make me go with Fat Amy."
Beca and Chloe exchange a look, silently communicating with each other, but before they can agree, Benji jumps in, "Of course you can join our group."
It's easy to see that Benji expects part of the group to be Beca, Jesse, and himself. Again, Beca and Chloe silently communicate, and Chloe speaks up, "Benji's right, Em. You can join us."
"Oh, you're joining, too?," Jesse asks as he hears Chloe give Emily the okay.
Annoyed by the question, Beca grabs Emily's hand in her right and holds it up. She then holds up her left hand, which is still holding Chloe's. "We're kind of a joined set right now."
Jesse rolls his eyes and looks away. It's not clear, but both Beca and Chloe think they hear him mumble, "Of course you are." They choose to ignore this.
Fat Amy looks like she's about to volunteer herself to join Beca and Chloe's group, but Beca beats her to it. "Stacie, why don't you join us? Help make sure we don't lose the freshman."
Emily takes umbrage to that. "Hey!"
Beca gives her a pointed look, and realization dawns on the younger woman's face. "Oh."
"Sure, Beca, this looks to be fun," Stacie says standing next to CR and Fat Amy. She places her hands on her back and arches her shoulders back to stretch it out before she saunters over, and gives Beca a wink and a smirk.
Beca rolls her eyes but smirks at all the gobsmacked looks the Trebles are giving the leggy brunette. Even after all these years, Stacie can still turn the heads of most boys. She then notices CR and amends that to some girls, too.
~0~
The Trebles break into two groups, and the remaining Bellas form a third group. Beca has to chuckle at Fat Amy as she leads the Bellas into the haunted warehouse. "Oy! Legacy! You sure you don't want to go with us? I actually have experience busting ghosts back in Tasmania!"
"I'm good," Emily says, subtly sliding behind Beca and Chloe.
Stacie throws an arm around Emily's shoulders. "We're good, Amy."
"Suit yourself," the blonde Aussie shrugs and disappears into the artificial fog that pours out of the entrance.
Watching the boisterous blonde disappear into the fog sets Chloe's heart pounding. She's feeling the stress of this, even before they entered the imposing building before them. She's definitely beginning to regret her decision to agree to this. She's always been scared of ghosts, well, really of anything that makes your heart jump. She's never really been one to watch horror films. If it wasn't a genre that Beca actually watches, she doubts she ever would. For Chloe, Halloween was never scary costumes, it was always princesses and fairies. And, after her last haunted house experience, she certainly wouldn't have chosen to go to one tonight.
But here she is, because she wants to spend time with Beca, and stupid Jesse kind of forced a Treble/Bellas bonding night.
Chloe steps up to the entrance, and her breathing grows labored. Her heart pounding, as if it wants out of her chest, actually grows louder. If it weren't for the petite hand holding hers, Chloe would have high-tailed it away from here. She watches as the door starts closing before her, and Chloe wonders if this is her last chance to back out.
Just as the door closes, the screams of two women, who sound a lot like Ashley and Jessica, causes everyone in the last group to jump. That's it for Chloe, she turns towards the petite brunette with every intention of backing out, but she catches Beca's eyes, and surprisingly she feels a sense of calm. The DJ smiles in a way that she rarely does, and Chloe knows she will follow Beca anywhere. When Beca whispers, "Don't worry, Chlo. I got you." The redhead's fate is sealed.
Neither notices the annoyed look Jesse gives them.
For Beca, this is a different experience. She has always enjoyed a pretty good haunted house. She and her high school buddies had gone to numerous haunted experiences throughout her high school years. They had challenged each other, and pushed each other to show no fear. For some reason tonight, she is feeling a bit nervous. Maybe it's because half her group are openly showing fear; Emily looks skittish, Benji looks nauseous, and Chloe is just ready to bolt. Even Jesse seems to be feeling nervous. Only Stacie seems unaffected.
Still when Chloe responds, "Thanks, Beca. I know I'll always be safe when I'm with you," her words affected Beca more than she would have expected. There was an honesty in the redhead's simple statement that touched a chord within the DJ. Not for the first time Beca was left wondering what the nature of their relationship is. It seems to her that they had grown well beyond being just 'best friends'.
Beca's thoughts are interrupted by the front door of the warehouse opening with a loud squeal. It's an eerie sound that sends chills down Beca's spine. She can only imagine what it's doing to Chloe, who is holding her hand in a death grip. Beca glances over at Chloe, and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. The silent communicating does the trick, as Beca felt Chloe loosen her grip.
Their group enters the main entrance and immediately they hear a gravelly voice speaking to them. "Welcome you who are about to enter. You are entering into the Terror Warehouse of your own volition. Be prepared for the scare of your life. You will see things that will horrify and shock you. You may be grabbed, separated from your group, jumped at, or confined. You enter at your own peril." The words send chills down everyone's spines.
At that point a door opens immediately to their right. Beca notices that it's one of four doors, and she remembers Jesse telling them that every trip through this haunted attraction could be different.
Once all six members of the group are through the door it slams shut, causing Benji to jump. He blushes and apologizes to the group, though he never takes his eyes from Emily.
"Well, looks like there's no turning back," Jesse quips.
"Let's go then," says Stacie. "I got a hot date tonight."
"With who?," Beca asks.
Stacie shrugs. "Not sure, but I'm pretty confident in all this." The tall brunette does a shimmy as she says it.
Chloe and Beca share a smirk, remembering a similar statement by a certain redhead. They both say, "You should be."
This draws a laugh from everyone. Jesse, who now seems impatient, says, "We should get going then."
Everyone nods, and they begin to navigate the labyrinth of hallways. Quickly they get turned around. Jesse is sure they are walking in circles. Stacie postulates that the walls are changing, so he could be right, but they have no choice.
Their next turn brings the group to a long hallway, much wider than the ones they just left.
"I wonder if they use the labyrinth to control the speed with which groups travel through this attraction?," Stacie postulates.
"Does that mean we are only now really starting the haunted house?," Chloe asks nervously.
"Could be," Beca replies and squeezes Chloe's hand to reassure the fidgety redhead.
At that moment, when all six are halfway along the corridor, a wall slides in place, blocking off their retreat. At the same moment, two doors open, one on the left, the other on the right. They jump slightly at the sudden movement of the doors. Emily lets out a small squeak.
"Looks like we have our first choice," Stacie comments.
Suddenly, a ghoulish young girl with black eyes is reaching out of a hole in the wall that was cleverly hidden in the shadows, nearly grabbing the tall brunette. Benji and Emily squeal high pitched shrieks. The young ghoulish girl is on the left, so Benji and Emily go through the door on the right.
Jesse looks at the rest and says, "Looks like we're going right."
The rest of the group nods, giving the hissing girl a wide berth.
~0~
They stumble into a room that looks like an old-fashioned slaughterhouse with pretty realistic-looking human bodies in various states of dismemberment hanging from the ceiling and laid out on carving tables. A bloody, chuckling butcher working on one of the bodies, pauses, and points to the group and simply says, "Meat!"
The group reels towards what they hope is an exit as another butcher brings in a struggling victim. Chloe and Emily only catch a glimpse as Chloe buries her face in the crook of Beca's neck, Emily buries her face in the crook of Stacie's. It's enough though to cause both women to whimper. As the six members of the group push through the door they hear the chop of a cleaver landing and the horrified shriek of a victim.
None of them dare look back.
~0~
They next find themselves entering a room that's setup as a laboratory. It's complete with test tubes and glass cylinders filled with a myriad of colorful liquids. That's not too bad. What is bad is what looked like dismembered body parts scattered about.
The biochemist in Stacie finds the whole setup both amusing and intriguing. She steps closer to the table, and literally falls on her ass when the upper torso of a zombie comes alive and reaches for her while sitting up.
Beca might have laughed at her friend, if she herself hadn't screamed and jumped back a good six feet. This was particularly impressive considering she somehow managed to keep ahold of Chloe.
Emily couldn't jump back, but that's because she had caught Benji, who may have fainted. Jesse starts to help the freshman with his best friend when suddenly there's a crash, and a hoard of zombies appears in a doorway that looks like it was just smashed in.
These 'undead' could be straight out of the 'Walking Dead' their makeup is so well done. They act as if they have caught the group's scent, and begin surging towards them.
Even Stacie, who has kept her cool to this point, seems rattled by the zombies chasing after them from the opposite side of the lab. Another door opens and Beca pulls on Chloe's hand and leads her through the open door as the rest follow.
~0~
The group quickly enters another hallway and are met with a chorus of screams. It's not the scariest of frights, but it's enough. Chloe's heart is thumping in her chest.
"Oh, thank God," says a young woman who turns the corner down the hall from them. "I got separated from my group. Can I join your group? This place is too crazy to do by yourself." She's a cute young woman with short blonde hair and thick rim glasses.
Jesse, ever the gallant gentleman, is quick to say, "Sure. Of course."
The blonde's face lights up, and as she's walking towards them, she says, "Oh, thank you. You don't know what this me…!" A sliding door opens just to the young woman's right, and a tentacle reaches around her waist and yanks the now screaming woman through the door.
The six friends freeze upon seeing this. Emily gives a high-pitched yelp. A half second after the woman disappears, her cry is cut off, and a spray of red erupts from the room. Chloe and Benji join Emily in yelling. The door then slides shut.
Another door opens further down the hall, well past the spot where the blonde had been grabbed. The group looks at each other, Chloe's hand is holding so tight to Beca's, and everyone is at a loss.
"Maybe we run for the door," suggests Beca.
"Let's do it," agrees Stacie, as Emily nods.
Yet everyone just stands there. "Um, on the count of three?," Jesse asks. There are various sounds of agreement, so Jesse starts counting, "One… Two…" For some reason he pauses, and time stretches.
Beca grows impatient and shouts, "THREE!"
"Go, go, go, go," shouts Stacie.
As one, the group bolts for the open door. Each person is keeping an eye on the spot where the girl disappeared. Just as they are passing that spot, the door begins to slide open again. Each member of the group finds an extra rush of adrenaline and hurry past to get to the open door further down. They rush through that door only to find themselves jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
~0~
The new room is neither empty nor safe. The group slides to a halt. Emily, unfortunately, had used her long legs to run to the front of the group, and a greasy looking man with long hair, dressed like a deranged farmer, leaps out at her. Benji reacts on instinct, wrapping his arm around the tall young woman's waist and lifts her off of the ground and away from the psycho farmer.
Chloe shrieks and buries her face into Beca, who struggles to move the redhead back out the door they had just come through. The rest of the group piles out after. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when the door closes after them.
Stacie spots a new door, and begins to move towards it, but with much more caution. She gives a quick peek in, then looks again. "It's all clear," she says as she waves them in.
Jesse falls in step with Beca, but all her attention is on Chloe. She squeezes the redhead's hand, as she asks, "Are you okay?"
Chloe nods, not trusting her voice. She gets why people love coming to these things, but it's definitely not for her. It's just too real, just…too much. If it wasn't for Beca holding her hand, she's pretty sure she would have shut down by now.
It's dark in this hallway; more ominous than anything they have passed through before. There are just a few lights randomly working along the floor. It's just enough for each person to see the other.
They turn a corner, and the hallway comes to a sudden end.
"Where do you think we go?," Emily asks.
Benji shrugs, while Stacie starts looking for a hidden door. Jesse starts looking on the opposite side, while Beca and Chloe hold each other in the center of the hall.
Stacie seems to find a trigger, because a hidden door pops open. She looks in and blanches. "I don't see anything too scary, but I don't think you're going to like it."
"How bad could it be?," Jesse asks.
The wall slides in place behind them, effectively cutting off any retreat. Beca sighs. "I guess we'll find out."
Stacie nods and walks into the room with Emily close behind, Beca leading Chloe, and then Benji and Jesse.
~0~
The newest room they come into is a child's room; striking in that it seems quite peaceful. After everything they've been through, none of them want to venture too far into the room. But, they realize they have no choice and continue moving forward.
A sound catches their attention, and Chloe freezes almost immediately as she sees a crib rocking in the corner.
"No-no-no," she begins saying in a shaky breath. "I can't do this one, Becs, not a baby..." Chloe buries her face into the crook of Beca's neck.
Beca immediately starts to soothe the redhead.
Emily looks just as pale as Chloe as she says, "Yeah, this one is too much." Benji is hesitant to comfort the freshman, so Stacie steps up, placing herself between Emily and the crib.
Jesse, however, is curious and walks over towards the crib.
"JESSE!," Beca hisses. He just holds up his hand. "JESSE!," she hisses louder, as she guides Chloe towards a door that is on the opposite wall. Stacie and her both placing themselves between the crib and their charge.
Benji brings up the rear, and he calls out to Jesse, "Beca's right, Jesse, maybe you shouldn't…"
It's too late though, Jesse is peering into the crib. He's shocked at how lifelike the baby is. Suddenly, the eyes of the baby open up, and its parlor turns a greenish gray which makes the blood red color of the eyes stand out even more. Jesse recoils in horror, but then the baby speaks.
"Yeah, JESSE, maybe you shouldn't!" the babyscreeches, punctuated by spitting a thick green glob of mucus at Jesse.
Jesse falls backwards, tripping over a toy horse. He scrambles after Benji to the sound of a cackling baby.
~0~
They run as fast as they can down a narrow corridor, towards the open door at the end. The group's feet are pounding as hard as their hearts against their chests, as they fly into the next room, which has been made to look like a library. Books and paper were lying everywhere and every single inch of it the place is covered in dust and cobwebs. It is dark and gloomy with barely any light at all.
Everyone takes a moment to catch their breath as they find themselves safe.
"That was freaky," says Jesse with a stress chuckle.
"What did it- No, I don't want to know," Beca says.
Everyone lapses into silence again as they look around. Beca and Chloe stay together near the middle of the room. Beca still holds Chloe's hand; they hadn't let go of each other once since entering the warehouse.
Suddenly the peace of the silence is shattered, causing everyone to jump.
"God bless you," Emily says softly to an embarrassed Benji, who had just sneezed.
The young man blushes profusely, and mumbles, "Excuse me." He rubs his arm across his nose. With a shrug, he simply says, "Dust."
Everyone chuckles, which lightens the mood considerably.
That's when the large dusty leather-bound book on a small desk in the middle of the room, suddenly opens. This sends Benji crashing back, falling as he trips over a forgotten ottoman.
Stacie walks quickly over to the desk and reads the words written there. "Your souls are required," she reads aloud. "Not very upbeat," she observes.
At that moment, books begin flying from the shelves, moved by an unseen force. They pound into the group from all directions with the sound of an evil cackling loudly in the background.
Beca yanks Chloe behind her to protect her from any flying books, and edges to a spot, where she thinks a door is. Stacie joins her, and they quickly figure out how to open it.
Again, the group rush through the door once it's open and find themselves in a long corridor. "Maybe we'll catch a break and get a moment to catch our breath," says Beca.
"Don't jinx us," scolds Chloe.
"I'm not going to 'jinx' us," says Beca indignantly.
As if in answer, all the lights go out. Everyone screams when the lights cut out completely. Beca feels some comfort though as Chloe pulls her in closer. Beca can feel the redhead's shivers, and she instinctively begins to whisper calming words as she starts to rub her back.
Maintaining an arm around the other, the two tentatively stretch out their free hands and use them to help guide them through the inky blackness.
They both yelp again as a red-light snaps on, bathing everything in a sinister red hue. However, they can't stifle the giggle they feel as they witness the exact same reaction from Jesse.
Beca quips, "Protect me, huh?"
"Hardy-har-har," Jesse replies. "Hey! Where's Benji, Stacie, and Emily?"
Beca and Chloe spin around and realize the other three are gone.
"Emily! Stacie!," shouts Chloe. Beca slides her free hand over the wall, hoping to find a hidden latch. She doesn't like the idea of being separated.
Behind them, another door opens. Beca tentatively looks in; it's another long hallway. "Okay, well I guess this is where we go."
"I really hope we're near the end," sighs Chloe.
"Me too," Beca whispers back as they enter the new corridor. "I think I've had my haunted fix."
"Come on, it hasn't been that bad," says Jesse, though the warble in his voice suggests otherwise. Beca thinks the baby messed with his head more than he wants to admit.
Chloe nervously asks, "Where do you think the others are?"
Beca shrugs, "Maybe they made it through."
Chloe tried to smile, "I hope so. Legacy didn't seem to be enjoying this much."
A new door opens to their right, and Beca shrugs. The now smaller group find themselves entering a room that was made to look like a doctor's office from the late 1800's.
"Welcome," says a pale young woman with coal black hair, causing the three to jump and bringing a cold smile to the pale girl's dark lips. Beca has to resist the urge to flip her off. She notes the gothic looking girl is sitting just across the room, behind an old broken-down desk. Beca, Chloe, and Jesse reluctantly enter and give the girl a wide berth.
"Please come in," the young woman almost seems to plead. Beca notices she's dressed in an old-fashioned nurse's uniform, white, but with red-colored stains. Beca decides to not think about the stains, and instead examines the room.
This room looks like it hasn't been traveled through in ages, with dust covering everything, dirty corners filled with cobwebs, and a dank smell. A single lamp hanging from the ceiling swings back and forth, causing the shadows to move.
The young woman points to a new door just to her left. "The doctor will see you."
Beca feels Chloe stiffen up, and answers, "I don't think so." She turns but stops. The door they came through isn't there. Where they entered is a bookshelf.
The gothic nurse says, "We insist." The three turn around and sees that a man dressed as a zombie orderly now stands behind the gothic nurse. "The doctor is waiting." The nurse pouts to the open door.
Beca and Chloe shuffle after Jesse towards the door, never turning their backs on the nurse and orderly.
Inside the next room the three freeze. It's a very dirty surgery, with bloody bandages and dirty sheets. An operating table dominates the center of the room. Behind it stands a man in full surgical garb. He holds up a bloody scalpel and says through the surgical mask, "Come in, come in, I'll be right with you." Pointing towards the body on the table, he adds, "He's almost done."
Despite his chest being open, the body on the table moves causing Beca and Chloe to jump. The man lets out a pained groan. His head turns, and the man looks directly at them, groaning, "Help me."
Jesse spots a door to the left and runs for it. The surgeon spots this and moves to intercept. Beca drags Chloe around the operating table in the other section. Jesse swings the door open and jumps through before the surgeon can grab him.
The surgeon makes a disappointed sound but swings around. "Well, at least I still have the better prize. Aren't you two the pretty ones." He starts to make his way towards the women who stand on the opposite side of the operating table.
As the surgeon comes around one side, Beca leads Chloe around the other, all the while avoiding the grasping hand of the 'victim' on the table.
The second they have a clear path to the table, Beca drags Chloe as fast as she can towards the door. They hear the surgeon rapidly catching up, but Beca pushes Chloe out the door, follows and slams the door behind her before the surgeon can follow.
Beca hears Chloe whimper and spins around. She sees another greasy long-haired pale woman. She looks like the girl from the movie The Ring. She seems to have appeared from nowhere, almost as if out of thin air. Her long black hair hides her face. The only thing visible is the rather large kitchen knife, dripping with blood. She swings her knife at Jesse.
Beca screams, Chloe screams louder, and Jesse screams the loudest.
A panel slides open behind them, revealing the exit.
"AAAHHH! OH MY GOD LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Jesse shouts as he almost trips while running for the door. Jesse instinctively went into survival mode and unfortunately didn't seem to care who he was pushing past and that he left his girlfriend behind in his escape.
Beca and Chloe move to follow, but the wall slides back, cutting them off. "My hero," Beca mumbles.
The woman approaches, knife swinging at the both of them. Another door opens, and Chloe pulls Beca through it.
Beca and Chloe pause, when they see the wall close behind them. They hold each other tight and can feel both their own heart and that of the other, hammering against their chests. They are both caught by surprise when they realize their heartbeats are synchronized.
Suddenly, out of the shadows emerges Pennywise. Beca had blocked out the memory that there was a Pennywise character in the movie, but here it is, standing impossibly tall, and getting taller as the clown seems to unfold itself, growing to his full height.
Beca has always been inexplicably terrified of clowns. She's not sure if there's some trauma in her distant past, or if it's just something primal in her DNA, but it's there, buried deep in her soul.
Now it doesn't matter; all that matters are that the very incarnation of Beca's greatest fear is now towering over her.
It's too much. This had been the scariest haunted house she had ever been through. Even for Beca, who lived for these things, it had tested her limits, but this, this really was too much. As the clown steps forward with an animal like growl and the most psychotic of smiles, Beca loses it and shuts down.
"Wh-What do I have here?," the clown's voice is high and mocking. "H-H-Hello my d-d-dears, w-w-would you two like t-t-to have a-a balloon? I-I picked them especially for you." The Pennywise giggles as he produces two red balloons. Both Beca and Chloe are too frozen with fear to accept the offered balloons. The maniacal clown withdraws the balloons, even as he appraises the two women. "I-I-It seems I have a snack. Y-Y-You're both so small, t-t-tiny even." Both Beca and Chloe can hear an ominous rumbling coming from its chest.
The air around them suddenly smells of burnt sugar and popcorn; it causes Chloe to gag.
This small act helps Chloe break from her fear-induced paralysis. It's with great effort she pulls her eyes from the giant clown that's stepping towards them. Her eyes land on Beca, and the spell is broken.
Her heart breaks as she sees the sheer terror on the petite brunette's face. In all the time she's known her, Chloe's never seen Beca so shaken. Suddenly, Chloe no longer hears Pennywise's high pitched voice or even sees the clown who is still making his way towards them. All she sees is Beca, and that her best friend needs help.
Instantly Chloe is pulling Beca away. Just as Beca had done all evening, Chloe now pulls her best friend away from the fright before them.
The redhead has always been a 'fitness freak' as Beca so eloquently describes it, and has surprising strength for someone of her build and stature. Still, even she's surprised at how effortlessly she pulls Beca along, despite the brunette seemingly having forgotten how to use her arms and legs. Chloe pulls the petite DJ through the first open door she spies, even as the giant clown comes rushing towards them.
The door slams behind them, cutting off the cackling Pennywise, much to Chloe's relief. Beca is still frozen with terror, and Chloe pulls her in close. She expects Beca to be still and awkward, but surprisingly the smaller woman melts right into the hug, burying her face into the redhead's neck.
The two are in a room where, except for a couple of feet around them that is bathed in light, everything is in darkness and thick shadows. There's a calm after everything they had seen over the last what? Minutes? Hours? Chloe has no idea anymore. In some ways, she doesn't care. All she cares about now is whispering words of encouragement and love to her best friend, as she runs a comforting hand up and down the brunette's back.
It takes a moment for Chloe to realize the level of light is increasing in the room. Her mouth goes dry as what has been hidden by the shadows is slowly revealed. They are surrounded by what Chloe can only describe as the family of Pennywise. Clowns of every shape and size all leering at them.
Chloe isn't sure what will happen if the younger woman notices where they are. She carefully takes Beca and pulls the petite woman up, so she's lifted off the floor. Instinctively, and to Chloe's relief and delight, Beca wraps her legs around the redhead's waist. With the tiny DJ clinging on like a koala, Chloe slowly starts making her way to the open door at the far end of the room.
The clowns are all eerily silent, and it's unnerving how their eyes follow the two women, but Chloe is thankful for the silence and that the only movement is the subtle shifting of heads.
They are within six feet of the door when Chloe feels Beca shift, and the DJ lifts her head. The squeak she emits is the most un-Beca thing the redhead has ever heard, and it breaks her heart.
The squeak acts as a trigger, and suddenly the room is filled with a cacophony of high pitched and crazed sounding clown laughs.
Chloe doesn't hesitate, she bolts forward and runs through the next door, thankful that it slams shut behind them after they are through, cutting off the hellish sounds of the clown chorus.
This time they are in a simple hallway, that while not the best lit, is otherwise rather plain. For some reason, Chloe is sure that the next door will take the two of them out of the haunted warehouse, so she pauses. She stands there on shaky legs and just holds the woman she secretly loves and comforts her. She doesn't care how long it takes, or what the people running this place say; she will not take Beca out in this state.
Beca has always taken great pride in her 'badass' reputation. And while the Bellas have seen some of the softer side of the DJ, they still don't know how much of a softie Chloe has discovered Beca truly is. It would seriously wound Beca, both in psyche and pride, if she were to be seen in this state. It would especially be bad if Fat Amy were to witness this. Chloe loves the boisterous Aussie like she loves all her Bella sisters, but Fat Amy can be fairly careless with the feelings of others with her teasing. There is absolutely no way Chloe will allow Fat Amy to see Beca in her present state.
They remain standing still for a long time, Chloe just holding the smaller woman whose face remains buried in the redhead's neck, and whose legs remain wrapped around Chloe's waist. Time has no meaning for either as they find remarkable comfort in the moment.
Chloe isn't sure when it happens, but Beca releases her legs and slowly drops her feet to the floor. The redhead finds she misses the contact immediately.
Beca slowly backs away from Chloe and seems to have trouble meeting the redhead's worried gaze. She softly mumbles, "I'm sorry…"
"For what?" Chloe is actually surprised by Beca's apology.
"Not much of a badass am I?," says Beca in a defeated tone.
"Are you kidding, of course, you are," Chloe quickly says. "How many rooms in this whacked out place did you pull me out of?"
"But…"
"No buts, Beca. You're one of the bravest people I know. I would never have been able to do this tonight if it wasn't for your strength. It's just they caught you in a vulnerable spot."
Chloe uses her index finger to lift Beca's chin so that she can look her in her eyes. "It's okay to lean on someone else sometimes."
Beca looks into Chloe's eyes and sees such sincerity; she finds relief washing over her. This is why, Fat Amy's pronouncements aside, Chloe Beale is Beca's best friend. She feels her lips curl up at the corner and is rewarded with one of Chloe's patented multi-watt smiles.
"Should we get out of here?," Beca asks her best friend.
"Yes, please. I am definitely done with this whole experience," Chloe replies.
Hand-in-hand, the two women begin walking towards the exit. Just before the door, Chloe pauses. "Just one thing, Mitchell."
Beca pauses, confused. "What? Oomph…"
Beca is completely caught off guard by Chloe leaping into her arms, wrapping her legs around the petite DJ's waist. As she brings her face to the intersection of Beca's neck and shoulder she whispers, "To help explain why we've been here so long." She punctuates the statement with a kiss to the startled brunette's cheek.
Beca stands there with the redhead wrapped around her, in the same way she had required Chloe to carry her just moments before. After about thirty seconds of just standing, Chloe whispers, "Becs, as much as I love being held by you, we really should be going."
"Um, yeah, yeah, you're right." With that encouragement, Beca begins to carry the redhead through the final door and outside the warehouse.
"Oy! There they are over there!" Both Beca and Chloe look up to see Fat Amy, the Bellas, Jesse, and the Trebles all over near a different exit.
"Becaw!," shouts Jesse when he spots where Fat Amy is pointing. He immediately starts heading their way with Fat Amy on his heels, followed closely by the Trebles and the Bellas.
As the blonde Aussie and Jesse lead everyone towards the Bellas Captains, Beca hears a number of the Trebles commenting on Chloe and how she's clinging to Beca. The DJ realizes that would have been her, if not for Chloe.
"Becaw, I was getting worried," Jesse says breathlessly. He goes to hug his girlfriend, but stops as Chloe is still clinging to the petite brunette. "um…" he stands there awkwardly, arms dangling away from his side, unsure what to do with them.
Fat Amy stops before them and asks, "How did you two end up exiting this door?"
Beca looks at the crowd of friends confused. "Huh?"
Stacie answers, "Everyone else ended up coming out of that exit." She gestured back to the brightly lit exit which seems to have a near constant stream of people exiting.
Jessica asks, "Is Chloe hurt?"
Beca shakes her head 'no' as she says, "Just took a great fright."
"You can probably let her down now," Jesse observes.
Beca continues to shake her head in the negative. "No, she's okay."
"We're going to Joe's Pizza, for pizza and beers," Stacie informs Beca and Chloe. "You two want to join us?"
Chloe gives just the subtlest shake of her head, and Beca answers for the two of them. "Nah; you guys go ahead. I think we're done for the night."
Chloe finally releases herself and stands on her own two feet. She gives a sheepish look at the Bellas, a couple of whom are smirking at her; none more so than Stacie.
Jesse looks crestfallen. "Come on, Becaw. Don't you want some 'Za? The night is young, and I really want the 'Za."
Beca rolls her eyes. "First, don't ever use that term again. Second, I think we've had enough for one night."
"You don't need to take her home. She's a big girl, you don't have to protect her anymore," Jesse argues.
"He's right, Beca," Chloe says with a sigh.
"No, he's not, Chlo," Beca says as she takes the redhead's hand. Turning back to Jesse she says, "Actually, I do have to continue to protect her."
Jesse is a bit taken back by the vehemence of Beca's reply to him. He can't help but ask, "Why?"
Beca pulls Chloe away and says over her shoulder, "Because, unlike some, she always protects me."
"Hold up, Becaw, I'll come with," Jesse says.
Beca stops and holds up a hand toward him causing him to stop. Beca tells him, "That's okay, Jesse, we got this." She then turns to Stacie and says, "Have fun. We're going to get an Uber back to the house. Also, if Amy drinks, have Emily drive."
Beca turns to Chloe with a smile, and they walk away as they hear Fat Amy give an incredulous grunt.
The End