parpignollord
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- Jan 9, 2006
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This is a setup to a story I'm trying to finish by Halloween.
Again, any feedback good or bad is appreciated.
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Rob had just about had it with the chattering teenagers at the mall. Normally the hours of 1 to 4pm would be an ideal time for him to sit in the food court and work on his college algebra homework, but not that day. That day just happened to be Halloween, and although technically a school day, many of the local seniors decided to skip class altogether for the hell of it.
Maybe it was the fact that many of these kids came from well off families who could send them to prestigious colleges despite mediocre grades and a lack of concern for the future. This was certainly not Rob's reality. Coming from a lower middle-class upbringing Rob received no outside help for higher education. He paid for his own classes at the local community college and still worked over 40 hours a week saving money to transfer to a university. Despite feeling pride in his accomplishments Rob often felt jealous of both the raucous youth amongst him, as well as his graduating classmates on their carefree college adventures.
The bustling clumps of gossiping teenage girls in skimpy princess costumes became to much to handle. Rob picked up his stuff, packed his backpack, and headed to the exit with determination. He focused on going home to finish his english paper and not thinking about the flirty alcohol fueled parties, which the teens around him (as well as his former classmates) would invariably be hooking up at.
He had almost reached the exit, when he saw her.
Nikki McCarthy
From sophomore to senior year all Rob could think of was going out with Nikki McCarthy. A tall brunette with bright eyes and a perfect smile, Nikki was the woman of Rob's dreams. And dream of her he did, day and night.
By the end of the final school year Rob had worked up the courage to ask Nikki to prom. He viewed it as a partial success in that she didn't technically say no, she had to go out of town to visit her Aunt. However, strangely enough she was there at prom with Darren Wilcox. Her trip was probably suddenly canceled for some reason, Rob had since thought.
He timidly raised his hand to wave hi as she got closer, eyes locked ahead of her. She wasn't going to remember him. Rob figured as much, it's only natural that most of his friends and classmates would forget about...
“Oh...um...Rob, from Bio. Right?” Nikki said with a pensive glance, giving Rob a slight point with her finger.
Rob, shocked that she said something, tried to reply.
“Yeah...that's, yeah...I'm Rob...haha...how are you?” he said stumbling over his words.
“I'm great, thanks! How's college going?”
“It's...going. What are you doing back here?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Oh, my little sister is the class president so she wanted my help to setup for the senior haunted house since I did it last year on student council. Normally I would tell her she's on her own, but Andy's party is between here and the university anyway.” she explained.
“Well, that's really nice of you.” Rob said, “I think volunteer work is the best.”
“Hey, would you want to come help? We still need another guy.” She said optimistically.
Rob, still alarmed that Nikki would invite him to anything, tried to answer coherently.
“Um, absol...yeah, def...definitely. What is...um, what would I be doing?”
“Just the normal Haunted House stuff. Put on a mask and jump out at the dumb kids haha. I'm going to be there face-painting for just like 40 minutes then I'm headed to Andy's. Will I see you there?”
After hearing that Rob had to take a moment. Not only was Nikki inviting him to some kind of activity, but she expects him to be at one of Andy Gerber's legendary parties. Rob tried his best to play it cool.
“Yeah, I heard about Andy's thing. I don't know yet, sounds fun. I'll probably go, yeah, I'll probably go after the thing.”
“Ok then, that would be great. Maybe we can ride together or something.”
Rob's heart skipped a beat.
Nikki told him to meet her at the track of their old high school at 6:30 to get ready for the haunted house. Rob could barely contain his excitement as his high school crush made plans with him, his wildest fantasy manifested. After he got the details, it was all Rob could do not to skip out of the mall and to his car.
This would be a night he would never forget.
------------------
6:35 pm, Halloween Night, Ridgeford Falls High School Track
Rob, dressed in his party attire parked in the student lot and made his way to the giant square tent in the center of the track. In front of the tent was a large poster board sign which said
RIDGEFORD FALLS HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HAUNTED HOUSE
complete with a “blood drip” font and glow in the dark borders. Nikki's younger sister, much like Nikki, was an overachiever.
Rob poked his head into the tent where Nikki immediately spotted him.
“Rob, hey. Come here, let me get you setup. Just sign in here and here.” She said handing him two clipboards. One clipboard was titled “Volunteer Sign In” and the other was filled with very small print and a signature line on the bottom. Rob dutifully signed each form and handed them back to Nikki.
“What's this for?” he asked gesturing to the small print.
“It's just a release form. I'll take you to your section.” Nikki said leading him by placing her hand on his back.
She took him past the different booth/rooms in the tent. One was set up like a mortuary with styrofoam coffins, another with a creepy circus clown. They arrived at his section in the far right corner of the tent setup like the room of an insane asylum. The tent walls had white ripped padding and there was a a large, metal gurney in the corner.
“Wait, is that a real hospital bed thing?” Rob asked pointing to the gurney.
“Yeah, they're borrowing it from the Future Healthcare Professionals, this too!” she said with amusement, holding up his costume.
Before Rob was a large canvas straightjacket with attached pants and over a dozen leather buckles along the back.
“Thats...thats a real straightjacket.” Rob said
“I know!”
“I thought I was just going to be wearing like a hood or mask or something.”
“Haha, right? Isn't it the coolest”
“Well, I mean...”
“Here,” Nikki said waving for several senior girls to come over “they can help you put it on.”
Rob didn't want to be rude and everything was happening so fast that Rob was hesitant to say no. The three perky 18 year old senior girls arrived and began to prepare the jacket.
“Take off your shoes,” a young blonde senior directed. Rob looked at Nikki for input, but she just smiled and shrugged. Slowly, Rob untied his shoelaces and removed his shoes.
The two other senior girls brought the open straightjacket in front of Rob and the third began to guide his legs into the thick canvas pant legs.
“So...like, I guess I'll just be like an escaped mental patient and flail my arms at them and stuff? Is that what we're going for?” Rob asked as the senior girls proceeded to place his arms into the heavy cloth sleeves. They then began to pull the buckles tight. One girl started tightening the restraints from the top and the other from the bottom, the third ensuring each was as tight as possible.
“Okay, so no flailing. I guess I'll just hop around or something. So what should I do if I need to pee or something?” Rob said, realizing then that he couldn't move his arms or legs. However, the girls weren't finished. Guiding him to the gurney behind him, they bent him forward over the platform then raised his legs so that he lay face-down on the gurney. They then flipped him over so the metal straightjacket loops laid directly above the gurney's restraints, his torso slightly elevated.
Rob, now pretty concerned looked around at either Nikki or the senior girls for answers. Both just continued on with their work. The senior girls began tightly buckling the straps on the gurney to the straightjacket, ensuring that Rob was completely immobile. Meanwhile Nikki started a stereo of scary noises and evil laughter setting on repeat, and collected Rob's shoes.
“Thanks again for helping.” Nikki said, carrying Rob's sneakers out of the tent.
“Cool, and then after I'm guessing we can carpool to Andy's...I think that was...the plan?” Rob shouted after her, feeling increasingly uneasy.
The senior girls had finished securing him to the hospital bed and also exited the tent.
“Guys, seriously!” Rob now yelled after the girls. “Who's going to let me out of this thing?!”
Rob waited for a couple of seconds and was relieved to see two of the senior girls return.
“Thank God, so how am I supposed to get...”
“Do you think it looks weird with the socks?” The blonde senior girl said to the dark haired girl.
“You're right. It does look strange.” She replied.
The two girls reached over grasping the bottom of each of Rob's socks and quickly yanked them from his feet.
“That looks much more real” the dark haired senior stated.
“Oh yeah, I totally agree.” replied the blonde senior as they exited the room, socks in hand.
“...wait?” Rob pleaded feebly as they left. He began to hear the distant chattering of rowdy seniors outside the giant tent, waiting to explore the haunted house.
Except for the one lying to the right of his head, each leather strap was buckled across his body and secured tightly to the sturdy bed below by solid steel. Furthermore the buckles on the jacket itself were secure as well, pulling his arms tightly to his chest and his legs together at the knees, thighs, and calves. The only two body parts he could move even slightly were his head and exposed toes. Rob was practically immobile.
The noise outside continued to grow as he struggled against his bonds, looking for a way out.
Suddenly he heard someone outside begin a monologue in a classic horror story, sing-song, accent, drawing some chuckles from the crowd.
Rob could only watch as the lights in each room was switched off immersing the tent in darkness and accentuating the black light/glow in the dark decorations, which made the straightjacket glow.
Suddenly, pre-recorded organ music began to echo around the track and applause spread through the large crowd outside. Rob could hear the voices of dozens of high school seniors get closer and finally filter into the tent.
Rob began feeling extremely anxious and just wanted to go home right then. He saw several sillouettes move past the entrance to his section and prayed that they would continue on. Then a blonde head popped into the entrance and looked around with a big smile.
...to be continued.
Again, any feedback good or bad is appreciated.
----------------------
Rob had just about had it with the chattering teenagers at the mall. Normally the hours of 1 to 4pm would be an ideal time for him to sit in the food court and work on his college algebra homework, but not that day. That day just happened to be Halloween, and although technically a school day, many of the local seniors decided to skip class altogether for the hell of it.
Maybe it was the fact that many of these kids came from well off families who could send them to prestigious colleges despite mediocre grades and a lack of concern for the future. This was certainly not Rob's reality. Coming from a lower middle-class upbringing Rob received no outside help for higher education. He paid for his own classes at the local community college and still worked over 40 hours a week saving money to transfer to a university. Despite feeling pride in his accomplishments Rob often felt jealous of both the raucous youth amongst him, as well as his graduating classmates on their carefree college adventures.
The bustling clumps of gossiping teenage girls in skimpy princess costumes became to much to handle. Rob picked up his stuff, packed his backpack, and headed to the exit with determination. He focused on going home to finish his english paper and not thinking about the flirty alcohol fueled parties, which the teens around him (as well as his former classmates) would invariably be hooking up at.
He had almost reached the exit, when he saw her.
Nikki McCarthy
From sophomore to senior year all Rob could think of was going out with Nikki McCarthy. A tall brunette with bright eyes and a perfect smile, Nikki was the woman of Rob's dreams. And dream of her he did, day and night.
By the end of the final school year Rob had worked up the courage to ask Nikki to prom. He viewed it as a partial success in that she didn't technically say no, she had to go out of town to visit her Aunt. However, strangely enough she was there at prom with Darren Wilcox. Her trip was probably suddenly canceled for some reason, Rob had since thought.
He timidly raised his hand to wave hi as she got closer, eyes locked ahead of her. She wasn't going to remember him. Rob figured as much, it's only natural that most of his friends and classmates would forget about...
“Oh...um...Rob, from Bio. Right?” Nikki said with a pensive glance, giving Rob a slight point with her finger.
Rob, shocked that she said something, tried to reply.
“Yeah...that's, yeah...I'm Rob...haha...how are you?” he said stumbling over his words.
“I'm great, thanks! How's college going?”
“It's...going. What are you doing back here?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Oh, my little sister is the class president so she wanted my help to setup for the senior haunted house since I did it last year on student council. Normally I would tell her she's on her own, but Andy's party is between here and the university anyway.” she explained.
“Well, that's really nice of you.” Rob said, “I think volunteer work is the best.”
“Hey, would you want to come help? We still need another guy.” She said optimistically.
Rob, still alarmed that Nikki would invite him to anything, tried to answer coherently.
“Um, absol...yeah, def...definitely. What is...um, what would I be doing?”
“Just the normal Haunted House stuff. Put on a mask and jump out at the dumb kids haha. I'm going to be there face-painting for just like 40 minutes then I'm headed to Andy's. Will I see you there?”
After hearing that Rob had to take a moment. Not only was Nikki inviting him to some kind of activity, but she expects him to be at one of Andy Gerber's legendary parties. Rob tried his best to play it cool.
“Yeah, I heard about Andy's thing. I don't know yet, sounds fun. I'll probably go, yeah, I'll probably go after the thing.”
“Ok then, that would be great. Maybe we can ride together or something.”
Rob's heart skipped a beat.
Nikki told him to meet her at the track of their old high school at 6:30 to get ready for the haunted house. Rob could barely contain his excitement as his high school crush made plans with him, his wildest fantasy manifested. After he got the details, it was all Rob could do not to skip out of the mall and to his car.
This would be a night he would never forget.
------------------
6:35 pm, Halloween Night, Ridgeford Falls High School Track
Rob, dressed in his party attire parked in the student lot and made his way to the giant square tent in the center of the track. In front of the tent was a large poster board sign which said
RIDGEFORD FALLS HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HAUNTED HOUSE
complete with a “blood drip” font and glow in the dark borders. Nikki's younger sister, much like Nikki, was an overachiever.
Rob poked his head into the tent where Nikki immediately spotted him.
“Rob, hey. Come here, let me get you setup. Just sign in here and here.” She said handing him two clipboards. One clipboard was titled “Volunteer Sign In” and the other was filled with very small print and a signature line on the bottom. Rob dutifully signed each form and handed them back to Nikki.
“What's this for?” he asked gesturing to the small print.
“It's just a release form. I'll take you to your section.” Nikki said leading him by placing her hand on his back.
She took him past the different booth/rooms in the tent. One was set up like a mortuary with styrofoam coffins, another with a creepy circus clown. They arrived at his section in the far right corner of the tent setup like the room of an insane asylum. The tent walls had white ripped padding and there was a a large, metal gurney in the corner.
“Wait, is that a real hospital bed thing?” Rob asked pointing to the gurney.
“Yeah, they're borrowing it from the Future Healthcare Professionals, this too!” she said with amusement, holding up his costume.
Before Rob was a large canvas straightjacket with attached pants and over a dozen leather buckles along the back.
“Thats...thats a real straightjacket.” Rob said
“I know!”
“I thought I was just going to be wearing like a hood or mask or something.”
“Haha, right? Isn't it the coolest”
“Well, I mean...”
“Here,” Nikki said waving for several senior girls to come over “they can help you put it on.”
Rob didn't want to be rude and everything was happening so fast that Rob was hesitant to say no. The three perky 18 year old senior girls arrived and began to prepare the jacket.
“Take off your shoes,” a young blonde senior directed. Rob looked at Nikki for input, but she just smiled and shrugged. Slowly, Rob untied his shoelaces and removed his shoes.
The two other senior girls brought the open straightjacket in front of Rob and the third began to guide his legs into the thick canvas pant legs.
“So...like, I guess I'll just be like an escaped mental patient and flail my arms at them and stuff? Is that what we're going for?” Rob asked as the senior girls proceeded to place his arms into the heavy cloth sleeves. They then began to pull the buckles tight. One girl started tightening the restraints from the top and the other from the bottom, the third ensuring each was as tight as possible.
“Okay, so no flailing. I guess I'll just hop around or something. So what should I do if I need to pee or something?” Rob said, realizing then that he couldn't move his arms or legs. However, the girls weren't finished. Guiding him to the gurney behind him, they bent him forward over the platform then raised his legs so that he lay face-down on the gurney. They then flipped him over so the metal straightjacket loops laid directly above the gurney's restraints, his torso slightly elevated.
Rob, now pretty concerned looked around at either Nikki or the senior girls for answers. Both just continued on with their work. The senior girls began tightly buckling the straps on the gurney to the straightjacket, ensuring that Rob was completely immobile. Meanwhile Nikki started a stereo of scary noises and evil laughter setting on repeat, and collected Rob's shoes.
“Thanks again for helping.” Nikki said, carrying Rob's sneakers out of the tent.
“Cool, and then after I'm guessing we can carpool to Andy's...I think that was...the plan?” Rob shouted after her, feeling increasingly uneasy.
The senior girls had finished securing him to the hospital bed and also exited the tent.
“Guys, seriously!” Rob now yelled after the girls. “Who's going to let me out of this thing?!”
Rob waited for a couple of seconds and was relieved to see two of the senior girls return.
“Thank God, so how am I supposed to get...”
“Do you think it looks weird with the socks?” The blonde senior girl said to the dark haired girl.
“You're right. It does look strange.” She replied.
The two girls reached over grasping the bottom of each of Rob's socks and quickly yanked them from his feet.
“That looks much more real” the dark haired senior stated.
“Oh yeah, I totally agree.” replied the blonde senior as they exited the room, socks in hand.
“...wait?” Rob pleaded feebly as they left. He began to hear the distant chattering of rowdy seniors outside the giant tent, waiting to explore the haunted house.
Except for the one lying to the right of his head, each leather strap was buckled across his body and secured tightly to the sturdy bed below by solid steel. Furthermore the buckles on the jacket itself were secure as well, pulling his arms tightly to his chest and his legs together at the knees, thighs, and calves. The only two body parts he could move even slightly were his head and exposed toes. Rob was practically immobile.
The noise outside continued to grow as he struggled against his bonds, looking for a way out.
Suddenly he heard someone outside begin a monologue in a classic horror story, sing-song, accent, drawing some chuckles from the crowd.
Rob could only watch as the lights in each room was switched off immersing the tent in darkness and accentuating the black light/glow in the dark decorations, which made the straightjacket glow.
Suddenly, pre-recorded organ music began to echo around the track and applause spread through the large crowd outside. Rob could hear the voices of dozens of high school seniors get closer and finally filter into the tent.
Rob began feeling extremely anxious and just wanted to go home right then. He saw several sillouettes move past the entrance to his section and prayed that they would continue on. Then a blonde head popped into the entrance and looked around with a big smile.
...to be continued.
