Page 164 of Phobia

That bodes well.

Not.

My roommates all start in on some conversation Itryto follow, but it’s way past my capabilities. My eyes wander around the expanse of Mayhem. The motel is two stories, with a level right off the ground and the other just above with a sawed-off guard rail. The building is long and narrow, covering a large expanse before it cuts left, wrapping around to where it ends a short distance later. The faded, baby blue paint is chipped off and missing across most of the building, leaving splintered wood panels exposed. The windows are coated with what appears to be years of dirt and grime; it’s impossible to see inside—which I’m sure is entirely on purpose.

“Yo, Madison.” The sound of my name has my whole body jerking. My feet twist in the gravel, sending a plume of dust into the air.

“Yeah?” I croak, tugging on the collar of my shirt. I shove my hands into my jeans pockets. The fingers on my right hand clamp tight around my ID—the only thing I have on me. It doesn’t do much to ground me, but it’s something tangible at least.

“Did you happen to look at Mayhem’s gallery last night when you were doing your research?” Collin asks. I shake my head before he’s even finished talking.

“No, I, uh, didn’t think I should.”

“Better to be surprised.” Lenny waggles his brows.

“No.” I shake my head. “But after what I read, I was too scared to,” I blurt, then immediately clamp my mouth shut.

“That’s smart ‘cause the pictures alone would’ve talked you out of it,” the person in the line in front of us chimes in on the conversation. Everyone turns to face them as they talk. I’m just grateful we skipped right over my stupid admission. “There’s Static, the clown, though he’s like,waycreepier than a regular ol’ clown. And then there’s Phantom, the ghoul, which is pretty self-explanatory. Maggot is the Boogeyman. He’s absolutely terrifying. All green with exposed teeth and shit.” They visibly shudder.

“But my favorite is Vulture. He’s the vampire.” Their eyes flash, making a few in the group laugh.

“I like Ravage,” Lenny adds.

“Ohhh, the cannibal. Nice.”

“Cannibal?” I squawk, eyes shooting wide. Everyone turns to peer at me with amused expressions that make my face heat.

“Yeah, and there’s a puppeteer, too. Ligature.”

Cannibal. The Boogeyman and a freaking clown.

I heave out a breath, hunching over as my stomach revolts, my uvula twitching away.

They shake their head with a laugh. “Sorry—should’ve left ya in the dark.”

I hold out a thumbs up with a mocking smile. “Wish you would’ve,” I mumble and effectively tune out of that conversation.

The line takes forever to shuffle along. Apparently, they only allow a certain amount of people in at a time, so it takes a while to get through. Which makes sense, but with this supposedly being a two-hour ordeal, you’d think it would actually move slower.

I mean, we’re not even seeing people exit—which they’d have to be to allow more people in.

Ugh.I groan and clutch my midsection. My stomach flips and churns as we near the black-painted front doors. Kane rubs his hand between my shoulder blades.

“Take a deep breath, dude. You’re overthinking it.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m underthinking this whole thing,” I mumble but take his advice regardless. The people in front of us disappear inside, spiking my adrenaline tenfold.

“Ohhh, shit, we’re nearly there!” Lenny rubs his hands together in a pose that closely resembles a praying mantis. It makes me laugh in spite of everything.

I time each breath to the mental tick of a clock, wishing I had my phone to distract me, but Collin advised us they’re not allowed, so we left them in the car.No way to call for help…

Another piece to the bone-chilling, and absolutely terrifying, scenario.

“Next five people,” a voice booms out, and I nearly jump right out of my skin. My hand slams across my sternum with a resounding crack, even through the fabric.

“Damn, Mads. Chill, dude. We’re just signing paperwork,” Collin so helpfully adds as he walks through the entrance to hell.

Yeah, I’m working onchilling.