xxx
Title: The Slaughterhouse
Rating: PG plus for language and stuff~
Characters/Pairings: Alfred, Ivan, Arthur, Matthew
Notes/Warnings: Human AU and that's really it. :3
xxx
He's good at his job and there's no denying that. He's always had a certain talent for creeping on strangers and making them uncomfortable until they want nothing more than the chance to flee from his presence, the perfect prerequisite for his line of work.
Normally, he finds amusement in this, but lately the sounds of surprised screams and shrieks of fright have become so blasé to his ears that there is little joy to be found.
It's during his lunch break that he contemplates how this could happen, and in the short amount of time he concludes that the overabundance of scares he gives are only fleeting, never making a true impression on the guests that travel through his work space because so many others are doing the same. The screeches turn to laughter after the initial shock wears off, he realizes and it truly is a shame.
"Ivan, we need you back in the maze."
It's with a slight frown that he acknowledges the words and rises from the bench he's occupied, Styrofoam cup of coffee only half empty left behind on the chipped wood, and sheds his heavy coat and scarf. On his way back to the maze, he fixes his blood splattered smock and smoothes out the vinyl mask before pulling it over his head, hiding his pale hair and light complexion under false wisps of inky strands and disfigured ailments that have many shirk away from his towering frame as he pushes past guests to reach his station.
This gives him some hope.
As the night progresses, there are not much changes. The same group of giggling girls flitter through with horrified expressions that melt into wide grins as they point and laugh at who was afraid of what. Another group of males charge on with brave expressions and only jump slightly at what the Talent showcases. When the group is mixed, the girls will either cling or jump, screaming only when necessary and will be mocked for it when it's all finished.
Ivan remains at his station, and though his recent epiphany downplays the excitement he once felt for the job, he holds on to the same feeling he had when coming back from lunch, the one he felt when seeing how so many avoided him in full costume and thinks not all is lost.
And it's after this thought that he hears it.
It being the blood curdling scream of a truly terrified soul, a sound that hasn't been heard in quite some time. It sounds like something out of a movie, a climactic scene where the victim is finally captured and the only sound available to them is set out into the world as they plummet into whatever horror awaits them. It's this sound that raises Ivan's heartbeat, that churns out a bit of excitement into his veins and has him blood pump faster through his body.
Someone is genuinely frightened, no light-hearted laughter or obnoxious giggles to cover the fact of being scared and certainly no mocking sounds from others follow after the cry. Someone who has entered the maze is scared and sounds very, very male.
Interesting, thinks Ivan, and he shrinks back into the shadows, keeping himself out of sight with the help of the obscure lighting and gruesome displays for distraction. He lies in wait, ignoring the identical groups of patrons that he's seen day after day and pays close attention to anyone who may seem different.
In few moments time, a trio of blondes comes into his sight and one in particular catches his eye. He walks behind a short stature blonde with a permanent frown plastered on his face, which only causes his enormously large eyebrows to bunch up together in the middle rather unattractively, and beside a similar looking fellow that travels through the darkness unfazed by all that which surrounds him.
Ivan's focus on the one blonde visibly shaking with his head hanging down to his chest so that he made gaze upon the floor rather the blood and gore around him increases ten-fold, almost to the point where they reach his station and he has yet to scare them as is required of him. Though when the moment comes for Ivan to make himself known to the three, a noise from the background, some faded and far off clattering of metal, permeates to the area and has the scared blonde jump impressively off the ground before rooting to the spot in fear.
He's very responsive, this one, Ivan thinks once more and instantly connects the observation with a promise of tremendous amusement.
Instead of going about his job, Ivan keeps to his hiding, decides to watch, and contemplates what would be the best scare tactic. After all, here before him is the first patron worth scaring and it would be just dreadful to provide a cheap scare in place of some real trauma.
"Arthur," he whines. "Arthur, did you hear that? Please tell me I'm not the only one who heard that."
The shorter blonde leading the trio lets out a frustrating sigh and addresses the similar looking unfazed blonde.
"Matthew, I swear, we are never doing this again," he grouches.
Matthew only chuckles and replies with, "I told you this was a bad idea. Nobody ever listens to me though."
With the three standing perfect still in the middle of this part of the maze, most likely thinking that it's one of the inhabited parts for a small regroup of spirits before continuing on, Ivan grins behind his mask and clenches the grip around his prop pipe tighter as an idea begins to form. In one swift move, he clangs it against a jutting piece of metal without even giving away his position.
"Holy fuck!" the frightened blonde shrieks, clearly more startled than the other two like before. "What the hell was that? Oh my God, I can't do this I can't do this Ican'tdothisIcan'tdothis-"
"Alfred!" Arthur shouts at him. "Get a grip on yourself, we're almost through this damn thing."
Ivan's smile grows with this admission of new information. The name Alfred is imprinted into his mind and with a fleeting thought of what a charming sounding name it is, his mind whirls with the possibilities of using it to his advantage before settling on a simple tactic.
Simple, but very effective.
"Come on, Al," Matthew says to him encouragingly. "We're almost there, I'm pretty sure."
He turns away, as does Arthur, intent of making it through the remainder of the maze, both unconsciously leaving poor little Alfred a step or two behind to calm himself down.
Ivan slowly moves away from the shadows, and as Alfred wipes at his cheeks while still nodding at Matthews words, he approaches the young male from behind in his quietest manner. With a graceful arc, Ivan swoops his pipe back up again and uses it to ghost over the blonde's hand resting against his cheek.
It really is a shame they're not allowed to make direct contact with the patrons, he thinks, but the still shock way in which Alfred's body tenses up at the ghostlike sensation is satisfying all the same.
"Alfred," Ivan sighs out with a light giggle. "Why are you so afraid, Alfred?"
Alfred breathes in sharply, wide-eyed and unable to say anything. It's only with the pull of the other's prop that his head is able to follow in the same direction slowly, trembling lower lip and all. His jaw falls open at the sight of a blood-splattered ghoul with a lopsided face, bulbous eye, and lopsided mouth, carrying a rusted pipe.
Ivan moves one step closer, raises his free hand as though to gently place it against Alfred's face, and says, "I could take care of you, Alfred."
It's one split second between the end of his words and the ear-splitting screech that falls from his lips before he sprints off and even bowls over his two companions for the exit. Ivan falls into an over joyous bought of laughter at the sounds of Alfred's friends calling after him, only to be drowned out by the screams of the blonde himself as he races through looking for a way out.
The sound of another approaching group reaches his ears and Ivan is forced to return to the normality of his job, though he does so with a bit more gusto. The entire spectacle with this Alfred character has revitalized him in some way, while at the same time has him look forward to the next break he is given. With any luck, the blonde will still be within the park grounds and Ivan will have the chance to stumble across him again.
He certainly hopes so.
xxx
Disclaimer: Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?
-Happy Halloween! A bit early, yes, but homg this is my most favoritest holiday ever and I am so excited that I am going to ignore all grammar rules. Not that I don't pay none attention most times anyway. ;D
-So then! Finally posting up some stuffz because I'm been away from fanfiction for so long and I'm thinking that I'll finally be able to get back into the swing of writing. –throws confetti- Life has been… really… yeah.. But I'm not letting that get in the way anymore, especially since I still owe some very lovely people fics. –disappointed at self- Yeah…
-Oh, and if anyone is going to Halloween Haunt at Knott's for the remainder of the season (Which is like, what? Three more days?) be sure to support your local Slaughterhouse. I would also tell you to glare at certain people, but I've already been scolded for that…