The Scarehouse -

The rusted sign above the gate groaned in the wind, its peeling paint barely spelling out The Scarehouse . For thirty years, it had been the town’s premier October attraction—a maze of plywood walls, strobe lights, and teenagers in cheap rubber masks.

It started in the "Hall of Mirrors." Every year, the workers set up twelve mirrors. Every year, Elias counted thirteen. The thirteenth mirror didn't show the dusty floor or the flickering neon; it showed a version of the hallway that looked cleaner, newer, and occupied by a figure that never moved when Elias did. The Scarehouse

But Elias, the night watchman, knew the secret of the Scarehouse: it was much larger on the inside than the outside. The rusted sign above the gate groaned in

The Scarehouse wasn't just a haunt; it was a predator. It fed on the screams of the customers, but during the off-season, it got hungry. It grew new rooms to lure the curious. It mimicked the sounds of life to bring the watchman closer. Every year, Elias counted thirteen