Expelled

by Claire Adams

  All Jet's friends met in front of the house, and we went to the ticket guy, who started letting us in two by two as he took our tickets. Jet clasped my hand in his as it was our turn to go into the house. He squeezed my hand gently as we walked into the darkness.

  The house was set up so that it was pitch black in hallways, and whenever you came to an opening, you could see different rooms and objects, sometimes even people, through lamplight. Staff workers would often jump out and grab you, or you could turn a corner and see one just be standing there silently watching you, like the little girl in The Ring. You never knew what was going to happen, because it always changed. Every time you entered the haunted house, it was different.

  We could hear screams coming from up ahead, and I wondered what we were about to walk into. I couldn't see a thing as we navigated a hallway. My heart pounded through my chest and I clasped Jet's hand even tighter. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly.

  As we shambled down the hallway, looking for a way out, I felt something brush against my feet, and I screamed.

  “What?!” Jet yelled.

  “Something touched my foot. There's someone in this hallway.” I was trembling with the idea that someone could be beside me, and I had no idea who.

  “No, it's too tight in here. You probably just felt a breeze on your leg.”

  “I did not just feel a breeze,” I hissed at him.

  Just then, my ankle was grabbed by a cold hand. I screamed again, let go of Jet's hand, and ran down the hallway. I needed to get out of there, though I was sure new horrors would find me right around the corner.

  “Natalie, wait! Don't run off.”

  I could hear him running after me. I slowed as I came to an opening that was filled with jail cells. Jet came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Holy crap, girl, you are scaring me worse than this place. Don't run off like that.”

  I turned to face him. “Let's just get through this before I murder you.”

  “Alright, fair enough.”

  We slowly walked passed the cells, unsure of what might pop out at us. Just as we were about to leave the area, something came running at us from inside the cells. What could only have been described as an insane person grabbed the bars in front of us, and screamed while shaking them. It wasn't even a scream; it was more of a wail, and I screamed and covered my ears. I tried to take another look at the person, as it was hard to believe that it really wasn't just some crazy person. That staff member definitely deserved a raise, because I couldn't believe the behavior was all just an act. We hurried out of the room, only to find ourselves in another dark hallway. We were about through it, when I heard a door slam behind us. I turned to look, but all I could see was darkness ahead of us. There was light, so we quickly moved toward it. All of a sudden, we heard footsteps hurrying behind us.

  “Jet!” I shrieked. He took my hand and he ran down the hallway toward the light, with me in tow. It sounded liked the footsteps were growing closer―that the person was gaining on us. My heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest, I was so terrified. I held Jet's hand so hard, hoping he wouldn't let it go for anything. The steps were close now―too close, in fact. I was sure that the person had to be right behind me. I sensed that the person had his hand out, reaching toward me, just a fingertip away from grasping my body or hair, and pulling me to him.

  “Jet, get me the hell out of here.”

  We reached the light and we spun around, but nothing came out of the darkness. The footsteps were gone, and even though we waited to see what had been behind us, nothing came out.

  “Holy shit, that was intense,” Jet said.

  “Do you think it was real? Was someone actually behind us, or was it a recording?”

  He shrugged. “You tell me.”

  “I don't know, it may be paranoia, but I could have sworn it was so close that I could hear it breathing.”

  Jet laughed nervously. “Geez, listen to us. We really are losing it in here.”

  There were screams ahead of us that startled me. Some were bloodcurdling screams, and they made me wonder. I could definitely see how easy it would be to ignore the screams of a girl being raped and murdered when everyone around me was screaming. Not to mention having to deal with your own fear, which was hard to control, and the last thing I wanted to do was go toward another person's screams. Instinct told me that whatever was out there making them scream should be avoided at all costs.

  The light led us into a graveyard, which was scattered with open graves and coffins. Jet clasped my hand once again, and led me around the graves. A moan erupted from one of the graves we were passing. When we peered inside, I couldn't see much, just a shadow of a coffin down below. All we could hear was scratching, as if there was someone inside the coffin who couldn't get out. Then we heard the whispering, “Help me, please, help me. Don't leave me here.” It was coming from the closed coffin, followed by those sickening scratching sounds. We started walking away from the coffin, when I turned to look behind me to see an axe-wielding madman coming at us. I screamed so loud I thought I might lose my voice. Jet turned to see what I was looking at, and when he saw the man he yelled, “Oh shit.”

  He pulled me out of the room and away from the man, who was swinging the axe behind us. As we left the room, the girls’ whispers turned to full out screams, “Help me!! Hellllp me!” as the sound of axe hitting wood was heard.

  I started whispering, “Oh my God,” over and over again as we were plunged into darkness once more. Shaking, I pulled away from Jet and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the shakes that were taking over my body.

  “I think this might be the end of it, actually.”

  We saw a light on at the end of the hallway, and we moved toward it. I heard another door slam, and dread came over me like a flood. We kept moving toward the light, and I wondered what was in the hallway with us. I could hear no footsteps, just like the last time, and I wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

  Arms grabbed me from around the waist, and pulled me away from Jet. I screamed bloody murder, and tried to struggle out of the grasp.

  “Jet, help me. Something has me.” But at that point I couldn't even see Jet anymore; I could hear him running toward us so I knew he was coming for me.

  “Natalie, where are you?”

  “Here, I'm right here; you're so close.”

  Just as Jet came into view, the arms that were wrapped around me let go. I heard footsteps disappearing, and a door slam.

  Jet was immediately beside me. “Oh God, Natalie. I’m sorry, that was a little hardcore, wasn't it?”

  “You think? You didn't tell me that people could just grab me.”

  “I didn't know. It's always different; you know that. The guys that work here are allowed to do anything to scare people.”

  “Let's get out of here, please?”

  “Of course.”

  He grabbed my hand, and we hurried down the hallway toward the light. We reached the end without further incident, and came out into the fresh night air. Some of Jet's friends were outside waiting for us, while others were still inside.

  One of the gym girls approached us. “How was it? I almost died in there.”

  “Natalie was grabbed, so she's pretty freaked out.”

  “You got grabbed? That's nuts, where?” she asked me.

  “Just at the end, the last hallway. Someone wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me away. Jet had to come and get me.”

  “Oh my God, that's terrifying. No one grabbed me when we were in there.”

  “Gee, that's comforting.”

  “Well, they always try new things. At least we made it out alive.”

  I laughed. “Just barely.”

  I realized then that Jet was still holding my hand, and I squeezed it gently. He turned to me and smiled.

  “I'm glad you came,” he said.

  I woke up the next day with a smile on my face, despite the sheer terror I had expe
rienced the night before. I had also had a really good time with Jet. He had stayed true to his word and brought me right home afterward. I almost regretted that part, though, as they all ended up going out for burgers after. I had been invited, of course, but since I was such a nerd I had told everyone I had a creative writing assignment I needed to work on. They must have loved jabbing Jet about it all night. I could just imagine the things they were saying, like why are you hanging out with a girl who would rather study then spend time with you? Or maybe one of those gym girls spent the night licking his wounds for him.

  Either way, I wished now that I had gone with them. It may have done wonders for the rumor mill if his friends actually gotten to know me instead of assuming that I was that weird girl that Jet had hooked up with once.

  I rolled over in bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I had to be in the gym in an hour to meet Jet. He had asked me to meet him there to do some more self-defense training. I wasn't entirely sure he even thought I needed it anymore; I guessed he just enjoyed teaching me. I didn't mind though; I was really starting to enjoy it myself. It made me feel tough, and I had never felt tough before. It was nice to feel strong and capable, even if I never got the chance to use my new skills.

  I left the bathroom and went to the kitchen to get some fruit. I didn't like feeling too full before a workout, because it made me feel lazy and nauseous. This way, I would have something for energy, and still be able to accomplish what I needed to.

  Julie was already in the kitchen, and she turned to smile at me when I came in the room.

  “Hey, girl, want a cup of tea?”

  “I would love to, but I don't have time. I'm meeting Jet at the gym.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Two days in a row? Wow, lucky him.”

  I laughed. “Oh, be quiet. I didn't even know I would be seeing him last night. It was hardly a date. I was terrified the entire time. It doesn't exactly scream romance.”

  “Scream ...” she chuckled.

  I laughed too. “I'm just grabbing some fruit. I will see you later.”

  “Hey, maybe we can have some dinner together later.”

  “Sure, I would love that. Pasta though, I have been craving pasta for days.”

  Julie nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

  I hurried out the door and down the stairs. When I reached outside, it was nice to see that the sun was shining bright. We didn't get that many sunny days now that fall had arrived; we had to enjoy them while we could before winter hit.

  I walked briskly as I made my way to the campus. I loved long, crisp walks; they made for refreshing exercise, and woke me right up. Once on campus I made my way into the gym. I was smiling as I looked around for Jet. When I saw him sitting beside a gorgeous and ridiculously fit girl, my smile disappeared. They were whispering and laughing together, and the sight of them turned my stomach. They looked intensely intimate, like new lovers, and I almost felt like walking out of the gym and skipping the training. I didn't know how to feel about what I had seen, and what was worse was that I didn't know why I felt so jealous. I wanted us to remain just friends, didn't I? And yet, there I was, losing my mind over the fact that he was sitting beside another girl. But she was so pretty―way too pretty―far prettier than I. I didn't know what to do, but I felt stupid standing there staring at them.

  How did a girl get that fit? She must be in the gym round the clock, and never eat a bowl of ice cream. Was that any way to live? I wondered if I could give up ice cream if it meant looking as hot as she did.

  Jet looked up, and saw me staring at him like an idiot. He smiled and waved at me, so there was certainly no way I could walk out of the gym at that point. The girl looked up to see who he was waving at, and she smiled at me as well, but that I didn't think that it was the warmest of smiles. I felt like I was being assessed, and that I failed to impress her.

  “Hey, Natalie, I'm glad you came. This is Katie.”

  Katie stood up and approached me, holding her hand out. I shook her hand and noticed how firm her grip was.

  “Hi Katie; it's nice to meet you. How is it that you know Jet?”

  “Oh, Jet and I go way back, don't we, Jet?” She winked at him, and he laughed. She slapped his ass in the same way football players do to each other. I was shocked to see how playful the two of them were together.

  “I know Katie through MMA. She's one of my female teammates.”

  I looked at her. “You're a fighter as well?”

  “Yes, I am.” She grinned proudly.

  “Katie is a pro for sure. She hasn't lost one fight yet. She's an awesome fighter, and one of the best in her weight class.”

  I just nodded, unsure of how I felt about Katie. Did the two have more than MMA history together, or were they just really, really close buddies?

  “Anyway, I invited Katie to train with us today. She will give you some idea what it's like to work with a woman, and what women need to know to protect themselves.”

  Oh God, I had to train with that girl? He really should have asked me if it was okay, because the last thing I wanted was to have to play around with a girl who put her hands on Jet whenever she felt like it.

  “Cool, sounds great,” I said, but I didn't mean it.

  “Great, let's get started. I'm going to show you some basic grappling techniques, and then we will do some pad work.”

  We walked over to the mats, where Jet grabbed one of the grappling dummies. “Okay, ladies, I'm going to show you the four points of grappling. Katie, of course, is a veteran with these techniques, but she is also going to help me teach them to you.”

  He showed me basic techniques for a first point hold, second, third, and fourth. The movements were subtle. The first required a position beside the dummy, and then a transition with me on my knees facing the dummy. From there I straddled the dummy for the third position, and the fourth had me still straddling, but with arms stretched out, pinning my opponent. They looked pretty easy, and I looked forward to mastering them.

  Jet showed me the positions over and over, and then told me to show them to him on the dummy. I did them exactly as he had shown me, and I did it flawlessly.

  Jet was clapping, while Katie just held her hands on her hips. “Well done, beautiful; looks like you're a natural.”

  “Maybe I just have a good trainer, Jet.”

  He laughed and pulled me off the ground.

  “Okay, Katie, you're up. Let's show her what all these steps look like on a person.”

  I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but as Jet lay down on the ground, I watched as she initiated all four points on him, and I raised my eyebrows when she straddled him. That move seemed far too intimate to me. She pinned him down with her hands above her head and her knees bracing his sides. She was wearing little booty shorts and her body had moulded itself to his. Had they flipped positions he would be nestled between her legs. Did they all really train that way with females? How did they not all get erections?

  Katie bent down close to Jet's face, and he smiled up at her. “Do you know what I could do to you right now, Jet?” She was smiling down at him devilishly, and I almost screamed. I was certainly screaming on the inside. I turned around, refusing to watch her hit on Jet right in front of me. Something told me that the two of them had slept together in the past and maybe Katie wanted to rekindle things.

  There was giggling going on, but I refused to turn around to see what she was doing. Finally, I turned as Jet was getting up off the ground.

  “Okay, Natalie, do you want to give it a try?”

  “Oh, I think that's ahead of Natalie right now, Jet. She should focus on the grappling dummy right now. We don't want to give her too much to confuse her.”

  My mouth fell open as I gaped at her. I couldn't believe what she was pulling. She didn't want me to be in the same straddling position as she was with Jet. I felt my blood pressure rise, but it only got worse when Jet spoke.

  “Yeah, you're probably right. I will keep her on the dummy
for a few sessions and go from there.”

  “Perfect; I think that's what's best.” She turned to me. “Natalie, let’s see the four points on the dummy again, please.”

  I snorted and shook my head. “Whatever.”

  Jet got a confused look on his face, but didn't say anything about my comment. Geez, men could really be dense sometimes. I continued my grappling training on the dummy. I did it so many times that I felt like I could have easily done it in my sleep. Jet shouted out words of praise, as he was clearly happy with my progress. However, despite the fact that he seemed to think I was a “natural,” he still never moved me to the next step. He was listening to Katie's instructions because she was there to help me that day. I hoped that she wouldn't be there again the next time that I had to train with Jet.

  “I think we handled enough grappling for the day. Let's work on some pads, ladies.”

  Jet went to grab some pads and focus mitts. While he was gone, Katie just stared at me. I couldn't figure out what her problem was. Did she see me as a threat, or was she so confident about her own skills that she didn't believe for a moment that I could get Jet away from her?

  “We are going to do defense, so we will go through the slips I showed you last time. Come on Katie, let's show her what I'm looking for.”

  They got into position, and by that point, I couldn’t have cared less what he had to show me. I was sick of looking at them together. The entire time he showed her the slips she giggled and circled him. It was like a lover’s dance, a damn violent one, but she loved to play with him, and he was enjoying every minute of it.

  They ran through the motions again, and Jet stopped. “Okay, Natalie, I want you to work with Katie now―the same movements I was showing you, and then we will be finished for the day.”

  I sighed, moved into the circle with Katie, and slipped the punches she sent my way. I moved fluidly and passed by every one of them without incident. I was getting tired, but it was more mentally tired than physical. Being around Jet was exhausting in more than one way.

  “Wonderful, Natalie. Okay, this was a great training session, congrats. We will do some more of that next time.”