There are always plenty of strange rumors circulating in small towns across the world. The one I grew up in has everything from tales of lizard creatures beneath the woods, to a bizarre bridge that leads you somewhere else if you cross it on foot. Still, the one tall tale that I can personally attest to, is the haunted corn maze, just outside the city limits.
The labyrinth had been out there since long before I came along. What always unsettled me about the thing, be it from simple urban legend or the truth of things, nobody seemed to know who even made it. Another unnerving aspect of it was that, while there was no caretaker, it never became overgrown or unkempt.
Sure, the elusive individual who put the whole thing together may well have family members who maintained it when nobody was around, given the fact that it was out in the middle of nowhere, but nobody knew one way or the other. It was a strange thing for sure, but the rumors of that place throwing open the door to the other side on that one particular day of the year, always freaked me out when I was a kid.
It was the Halloween of 2005 that I learned this was not a place to be so casually visited; not by the living anyway. Not on the 31st of October. I was around thirteen at the time, while my brother was approaching seventeen. I idolized Derek; had since we were kids. Even when he was younger, he always seemed so much more worldly than I, though I imagine just about anyone with a few more years under their belt would come off as more knowledgeable than a wide-eyed and curious kid.
He had already abandoned the sacred traditions of trick or treating; something I was not yet ready to give up, but when he invited me to attend a party with him on the night of the 31st, I both eagerly and reluctantly agreed. As much as I loved spending time with my brother, I wasn’t thrilled about turning my back on the opportunity to score a bag load of candy.
Derek knew how much I loved getting dressed up and going door to door, so he promised he’d take me around the neighborhood before we headed out that night. Being a costume party we were headed to, he decided to bring a bag himself when we joined the crowd of kids, playfully running from one house to the next. In all honesty, he looked as happy as I was while we toured the surrounding blocks.
Sure, his ‘vampire’ costume wasn’t exactly the most extravagant garb for the occasion; slicked back hair, phony fangs in his mouth and a long black coat. Honestly, it paled in comparison to my Michael Myers outfit, but I knew his girlfriend, Alisha, was going to meet us at the party, so I couldn’t blame him for dressing more stylishly cool and all. Supposedly, her little sister was going to be there as well; something that left me both nervous and a little intimidated if I’m being honest.
I had only recently started appreciating the opposite sex at that time, but it was enough to make my palms sweaty while restricting my tongue’s ability to function properly when attempting to form words. Regardless of my apprehensions, I was having a great time just hanging out with Derek, even with his friendly reminders that I needed to just be myself when we got there.
When the sun finished its descent for the night, it was time for us to head back to the house to pick up my brother’s car. We dropped the candy in the house, gave an obligatory goodbye to our folks, and got on the road. I hadn’t been informed about where the party was taking place, but I had just assumed it would be at one house or another. When we passed by the last neighborhood before the city limits sign, the butterflies dancing in my stomach began to sink to the bubbling acid below.
”Where we goin’?” I asked though I had a solid idea of the answer.
”I didn’t tell you?” Derek said, looking genuinely uncertain, “the party’s out at the old corn maze.”
”Oh.”
”C’mon, that place don’t still freak you out, does it?” he asked with a chuckle.
”What? No! Of course not. I just didn’t…”
”There’s nothing to be scared of, kid. We ain’t goin’ into it or anything. Just seemed a good, kinda creepy spot for the party is all.”
I couldn’t argue with that; it was one hell of an eerie spot, out there in the middle of nowhere. I knew some of the older kids would go out there sometimes, but I still felt uneasy about it. I was certain that most of the stories folks told about the old maze were made up; just spooky tales to mess with the younger generation and all, but they would still get my imagination going.
”You sure we should be goin’ out there tonight, though?” I asked, attempting to hide the trembling in my throat.
”They’re just stories, Danny,” Derek said with a smile, “you know that right?”
”I mean, yeah, but…”
”It’s only to scare people, kid. Halloween was invented by the candy companies or some shit, y’know? Nowhere gets haunted, just because it’s the 31st. It’s all bullshit, just like every other stupid story around these parts. You gotta stop being so scared of everything. When I head off to college, you’re gonna be on your own. I love you, kiddo, but I ain’t always gonna be around to protect you.”
It was hard to argue with him, as he fully believed every crazy urban legend to be false; this one more than others. I still felt a little embarrassed by the way he talked to me. Yeah, I was very easily freaked out at that age, but I was getting better. That creepy old labyrinth, though; I never wanted to get within a shout of that place. I trusted my brother on just about anything, but I couldn’t convince myself to side with him on this.
A few years before, some guy named Jackson Fiddle supposedly went missing while investigating the labyrinth around the 31st. Sure, I didn’t even know if he was a real person, being that just about everyone seemed to know everyone in our little town, and I hadn’t ever heard of the guy before the rumors of his disappearance.
The story about the woman who showed up at the emergency room on the morning of November 1st of ‘98, all bloody and beaten, though; that one messed me up for a while. From what she said, or from what folks said she said, her car broke down, out by the old corn maze. This being before everyone and their mother had a cell phone, she couldn’t reach out to anyone, so she just started walking.
Somehow or another, whether she got turned around, or just wasn’t paying attention, she ended up strolling right into the neatly preserved labyrinth. When they asked her why she didn’t just turn around, she claimed she tried, but it closed up behind her as soon as she crossed into it.
As far as what happened to her when she got lost in there; that varies from person to person. Some say that some local boys, up to no good, followed her inside, after having sabotaged her car to break down. According to that version of things, they beat her and raped her, leaving her for dead in that damned place. After she crawled her way out of there, she managed to get back to town but was never the same since.
Other, more exaggerated stories claim that she came up on some devil worshipers in there, who tried to sacrifice her before she managed to make her escape. Some even say that she ran into anything from supernatural creatures; werewolves or wendigos and the like, to aliens looking to run some experiments on her.
I think the alien one came around because the pathways through the maze aren’t so much cut down, as the stalks are folded flat against the ground. Seems like it’s sort of like how crop circles are arranged, where supposedly ‘no man or machine could’ve bent them so perfectly’ and all that craziness. Oh yeah, a lot of tall tales came from that old place.
I suppose my story is no different or will be when I get done telling it. I imagine most will read these words with as much skepticism as Derek had back then. I can’t blame any of you, of course. Truth be told, I still have a hard time believing it to this day.
For the sake of picking up the pace, or in not dragging this out any longer than necessary, I won’t waste time getting into much concerning the party itself. Yes, there was a veritable herd of teenagers out there when we arrived; each one dressed in everything from lazy to extravagant costumes. That alone set my mind more at ease when we got there; the fact that everyone there looked to be just having a good time, hidden behind one mask or another.
We spent most of our time hanging out with Alisha and Sandra, her sister. She was a bit younger than me, but she was a really cool girl, also quite pretty in her gender-swapped Freddy costume. The fact that we were both dressed as 80s slashers made it easier for me to get over my nerves. We talked a lot about scary movies and the like; something we were both huge fans of.
Everything was going great, even after I took it upon myself to sneak a beer from the table they had set up beside the keg. It would not be until later in life that I developed a taste for it. That first sip of whatever cheap brand the underage drinkers had gotten their hands on, damn near flipped my stomach. Derek full-on slapped the red solo cup out of my hand when he noticed it, looking at me with an expression of disappointment and anger, before cracking up so hard, he spilled his own drink across the grass.
”Can’t blame you for tryin’, kid,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
When a couple of older-looking guys walked up, causing my brother to visibly tense up, our night went from a fun and relaxing time, to something that still haunts my dreams to this day.
”Got some balls showin’ up here, Russell,” said the guy wearing the cheaply made Frankenstein costume; something quite fitting to his considerable bulk.
The fact that he called my brother by our surname, made me believe this wasn’t just friendly badgering.
”Yeah, what we gonna do about this?” the other smaller and more slender guy, dressed as a mangy-looking werewolf asked, cracking his knuckles.
”Back off, Nate,” Derek said, pushing himself in front of Alisha and me, “everyone’s just trying to have a good time, guys. We can settle our shit another time.”
”Nah, bud,” Frankenstein said, “how about we settle up right now.”
”Head back to the car, Danny,” my brother said, giving me a quick glance before turning his attention back to the duo before him, “I’ll be there in…”
His words were cut short when the werewolf pushed him, causing him to almost topple over his girlfriend. Most of the crowd stopped whatever they were doing, turning their attention to the fight that was likely to break out any minute. There were murmurs throughout the group as they gathered around us, forming a makeshift circle; something that assured me that things were about to get messy.
”Not here,” Derek said, “not now. They’re not a part of this.”
Sandra and Alisha were attempting to back away, while I was darting my eyes from my brother to the guys who had some score to settle.
”Tell you what,” the big guy said, placing his hand on his buddy’s shoulder, as if commanding his guard dog to heel, “I got an easy resolution to everythin’ if you guys got the balls.”
”Dude, just drop it, okay? This shit is…”
”Didn’t say you could speak yet,” Frankenstein cut in, pushing my brother back again with one hand.
Derek looked fit to burst. I knew he could hold his own in a fight; I’d seen it myself when some bigger kids were giving me a hard time at school. Sure, they were a year or two younger than him, but he taught them both a solid lesson after he caught them trying to clean my clock. He kicked both of their asses, barely breaking a sweat. Still, the big guy with the poorly applied green makeup, looked like he could easily bench press my brother’s Chevy.
”So, what do ya say? Willin’ to get your hands a bit dirty to make all this go away?” Frank said, glaring down his nose at Derek.
”Fine,” he replied with a heavy sigh, “what the hell do you want me to do?”
”No-no, not just you,” he glanced over at me with a menacing smile, “this is for you and junior both. Hell, how about the little ladies too?”
”Fuck off, Nate,” Derek sneered, “they got nothin’ to do with this.”
”They do if Nate says they do,” the weasley werewolf added.
”This is between you and me. Don’t…”
”It’s okay,” Alisha cut in, having walked up beside her boyfriend, “we’ll play his bullshit little game.”
Sandra nodded, folding her arms, while I gave another token nod. I can’t say I was thrilled about whatever they had in store for us, but I would be damned if I was about to turn my back on my brother.
Derek whispered back and forth with his girl for a moment, before turning back to his opponent.
”Alright. What the fuck do you want us to do?”
”Simple enough,” he said, cutting his gaze to the old corn maze, “y’all spend one hour in there. Just one whole hour to the second, and we’re good.”
”That’s it?” Derek replied, while my fingers began to tremble, “one hour?”
”That’s it, buddy boy. You gotta go in, though. Don’t just hang out in the entrance or nothin’. Like, walk around and shit. Can’t just stand there waiting for the time to run out.”
”Then we’re done, you and I?”
”Squeaky clean. Nothin’ more to be said or done.”
”Okay then,” Derek said, glancing back at me and the girls, nodding his head, “one hour and we’re good.”
”I’ll even pour you a beer when you come out,” Frankenstein said with a satisfied smile, “but y’all come out even one minute early and I’ll kick your ass so fuckin’ bad, you’ll be eatin’ thanksgiving dinner through a feedin’ tube, you got me?”
”One hour,” Derek said, holding his hand out.
”One hour,” the big guy nodded, shaking my brother’s hand.
”I’m so sorry about this,” Derek said as we approached the entrance to the old corn maze, “I didn’t expect them to be here.”
”No worries, babe,” Alisha said, rubbing her hand on his back.
”Yeah,” Sandra said, “I say we go in, find a place to chill and tell some scary stories for an hour, then come back out and party some more.”
I just nodded, trying my best to keep the trembling of my extremities as hidden as possible. I can’t lie, I was scared. Even with Derek convinced that the stories of the labyrinth were blown out of proportion, the idea of actually entering the thing had me shook. Of course, I wasn’t about to reveal that, especially since I had already developed a bit of a crush on the girl in the Freddy costume, who came off like this was just as simple as strolling into a grocery store with her folks.
Before we walked in, we all looked back to see every face of every costumed partygoer glaring in our direction. From the expressions on a few of them, I could tell that I was not alone in my fear of the old maze; something that didn’t exactly help my concern at the time.
”See y’all in an hour,” Frankenstein called out, “don’t chicken out now. We’ll be watchin’.”
•
For the first few minutes, we just walked in silence. I never really took in the height of the corn stalks before; how they almost towered over our heads. Just like the stories told, it wasn’t just grass or dirt under our feet, but perfectly flattened stalks. They crunched slightly as we strolled onwards, but I couldn’t even make out the sounds of the crowd outside after we entered.
The aisles weren’t particularly wide, causing us to walk two by two as we sauntered on. Derek and Alisha walked in front of Sandra and me, but I just gazed around as we moved deeper in. Even with the moon shining down from above, I was actually quite surprised how easy it was to see. Still, I wasn’t about to let my guard down, and neither was anyone else, from what I could tell anyway.
”I say we round this corner,” Derek said, gesturing to the right turn up ahead, “and just plant our asses and wait.”
”Works for me,” I said, feeling no inspiration to bury myself any deeper in this place than we had to.
As my brother suggested, we took that turn, stopped, and sat down on the cozier-than-expected ground. Perhaps, had we a little more time to appreciate how comfortable flattened corn stalks can be, this would not be a worthwhile tale to tell.
Before I so much as allowed my butt cheeks to snuggle themselves into a comfortable setting, the blood-curdling squeal that echoed from somewhere ahead of us, very nearly inspired every ounce of blood pumping through my veins to stop cold. Derek and Alisha looked as freaked out by this as I was, while Sandra darted her head between each of us.
”What the hell was that?” she asked, placing her palms against the ground.
”Probably someone trying to fuck with us,” Derek suggested, looking as uneasy as the rest of us.
”That far ahead, though?” I asked, “I could see from behind us, but how could…”
Another scream, much closer than the last cut my words short. I got back to my feet, as did Derek and the girls.
”This is a setup,” my brother said, appearing confident in this theory, “Nate probably sent someone in while we weren’t looking. They mighta been in here for a while, just waiting to mess with us.”
It did make sense. The big guy in the Frankenstein costume did come off like he knew something when he gave us that friendly reminder before we entered. Given the fact that whatever beef he had with my brother would be set right by this little dare, it would stand to reason that he wasn’t going to make it easy for us.
’Yeah,’ I thought, ‘they just wanna force us to take off running. Make us embarrass ourselves in front of everyone before he kicks the shit out of Derek.’
Three more screams, each coming from different directions assured me that our working theory was right. While the girls looked back at my brother and me, both smiling at us, I nodded my agreement.
”Fuck it,” Derek said with a mischievous grin, “let’s go see what they cooked up for us, yeah?”
”Yeah,” I said, feeling the most confident I had since walking into this labyrinth.
I can’t deny that somewhere in the back of my grapefruit, I still felt uneasy about both my surroundings, and the unsettling shrieks, but a higher percentage of my mind fully believed this to be exactly what we thought; that my brothers’ adversaries wanted to put on a little show for us. Who were we to deny their invitation?
After walking for another five minutes or so; right turn here, up a few more feet, another left and right, and on to another straight away, with the occasional dramatically painful yells guiding our path, we finally caught sight of one of the likely handful of people who were screwing with us.
This particular pathway looked to be a good twenty feet long, with one opening to the left, and another right about halfway up. At the far end, standing directly in front of another wall of corn stalks, was a tall, slender individual in a filthy black robe, with the hood pulled down low enough to only reveal the wider-than-human toothy grin.
When I first saw it, my heart skipped a beat or four. It wasn’t until Derek let out a soft giggle that I took in how comically sinister the costumed person was trying to come off. They just stood there, heaving with exaggerated breath, keeping their head tilted down with their arms somewhat outstretched from their sides. It was sort of like how that quintessential douchebag at the gym looks after knocking out that first handful of reps. That ‘I’m swole now, ‘cause I lifted heavy stuff’ sort of thing.
When all of us started to laugh at intermittent intervals, the mimicked heavy breathing became more agitated, inspiring the hooded figure to wail out in one final attempt to intimidate us. Unfortunately for our cosplaying friend, we weren’t buying it. Even after two more similarly dressed individuals walked out from the left and right openings ahead, our laughter didn’t let up.
”Gotta try harder than that, boys,” my brother shouted, practically daring the trio to take their taunting to the next level.
With one last howling scream, the one at the far end came charging towards us, slipping some sort of dagger from the inside of its robe.
”Oh, here we go,” Derek said, still chuckling, “this outta be good.”
I’ll never forget that smile he gave me when he glanced over his shoulder. He was so confident that he had this whole thing figured out; so was I, for that matter. Even when the robed figure showed no sign of slowing from only a few feet away, my brother still looked back at me, wearing that carefree smile. The transition of our circumstances going from something fun and carefree, to one of anguished shock and horror barely allowed my mind to accept what was happening.
It was the sound of the blade tearing into my brother’s gut that hit me, more so than the blood that spat from his still-smiling mouth. I don’t know if it was Alisha or Sandra who screamed first; perhaps both of them, for all I knew at the time. Three more times, I heard that meaty ‘thunk’ as the knife was pulled free and inserted back into Derek’s torso.
”Ru…run…Danny…” he spluttered, spritzing more specs of crimson onto his shirt.
I was frozen in place, barely aware that I still had a body attached to my reeling mind. When one of the girls grabbed me by the wrist, attempting to pull me back with them as they began to run back the way we came, I still could not so much as hope to break my gaze from my beloved brother’s wide and horrified eyes.
If whoever or whatever these things were could so easily put an end to someone who had always been so much stronger and more confident than me, I had no doubt I would not survive this. In some ways, I didn’t even care. I felt so weak and pathetic at the time, I couldn’t do a single thing to help Derek.
I just stood rooted to the spot, preparing myself to share the same fate as my closest friend and brother.