Haunted House
It was Sora’s idea to go to the haunted house. Riku didn't scare easily, but Sora had his moments, and if they went with a group of friends, it would be a treat, because Selphie held a record or something for jumping the highest from being startled, and Tidus had surprised them all once or twice with high-pitched squeals. Kairi would put on a brave face, but cling to Sora, and Wakka…well, Wakka was Wakka. Riku agreed to the haunted house, on the condition that their friends came along, too. He left the job of convincing everyone to Sora, because after all, Sora was good at that.
“Guys, last year this place was voted number one scariest in the country,” Selphie hugged herself, eying the actors warily. Even in line—it was a LONG line--they'd set out to spook visitors, sneaking up behind people to scare them with manic laughter or animalistic snarls. It was easy enough to get startled, with anticipation running through them like electricity, and it made the wait fun, made it go just a little bit faster. Still, it was nearly half an hour before they made it into the place.
If anything, the wait had made them all more jumpy, perfectly primed for the experience.
For Riku, it was amusing, watching his friends jump and yell in response to the flashing lights, the gruesome backdrops, and towering actors on stilts, looming over them. Sora, grabbing his arm from time to time, was a plus, and he knew he was smiling, even as Sora clutched him tighter.
That is, until they entered a section that was pitch dark. Riku’s eyes widened, trying to adjust to the darkness, searching for any kind of light, without success.
“I can’t see a thing!” Tidus’s voice came out in a whine. “Is there anything up there, Riku?”
Riku put a hand out, stepping forward slowly. Empty air in front of him, so he kept going, sweeping his arms to the side, searching for a wall, or anything to anchor himself. “Not yet.” Another step, and his hand found a wall.
But he yanked his hand back the second he registered the surface, making a choking sound.
“What did I just touch?”
Sora pressed closer from behind him. “What is it?”
Riku glared in the direction of his voice. “If I knew, I wouldn’t ask. Here,” he groped for Sora’s arm, and guided him to touch the wall.
Sora pulled back as quickly as Riku had. “Ahh, gross!”
It was cold and slimy, but spongy. Riku rubbed his fingers together, trying to get rid of the sensation there; it still felt wet. Just as he was about to move away from the wall, a strobe light flickered to life overhead.
On either side of them, the walls had been made to look like raw flesh, complete with blinking eyes and pulsing veins.
As a group, they jumped. Selphie wailed “Let’s get out of here!” and Wakka was already hurriedly pushing his way past Sora and Riku, looking pale. Riku shuddered, and nodded, and they all followed Wakka’s lead, shuffling through a corridor that got narrower and narrower as they went, until they reached an opening, and pushed through into an open courtyard.
Riku let out a nervous laugh and wiped his hands on his pants. “That was…disgusting.”