Tainted souls

I took a deep breath as the smell of autumn filled my senses, the sound of laughter and muffled conversation surrounding me from all angles. Staring at the seemingly endless field of pumpkin patches, I watch as most of the activities around me are being shut down for the night, the event coming to a gradual end. It's been probably a decade since I've been to a place like this, but considering I had nothing better to do, I'd decided to take Jade and Mila up on their offer of joining them at the fall festivities they'd found online. We've been here since about just past lunch, and now the sky was painted dark blue, speckled with bright stars illuminating the otherwise pitch black area. Of course, there was also the moon and largely built fires that thankfully never strayed far, keeping things lit and warm. "Hey, we're gonna go grab some ice cream to share," Jade says, her arm wrapped around her girlfriend's waist and keeping the two of them close together, "You wanna come with?" Glancing behind them at the crowd of happy people circling the one food stand still open, I shake my head with a smile. "I'm good, but thanks." I realized very soon after arriving here that this was meant to be a date between them, but neither wanted me to feel left out considering I had no plans of my own. It was really sweet of them to bring me along, but they deserved to have some fun without me unwittingly intruding on their time together. "I actually think I'm going to call it a night and take a cab home." I say, coaxing a fake yet believable yawn from my body. It had to have been past midnight by now anyways, so it wasn't that unfathomable at the idea of me being tired after an already stressful day. "Oh, we can drive you. It's really not a huge deal." Mila said, already moving to fetch her keys from her purse, but I quickly stopped her. "Don't worry about it; you two have fun." I insist, standing from the log I was sitting on, "Plus, maybe I'll actually be able to get some sleep with the two of you out for the night." I tease, grinning as Mila blushes against Jade's shoulder. "We're not that loud." She mumbles with a pink face, smiling at her partner as a kiss is planted softly on her cheek. "Oh I'd beg to differ, pretty girl." Jade winks, holding Mila closer to her before looking back at me, "Just text us if you need anything." "I will," I nod, watching as the pair say their goodbyes before walking over to grab their food. Despite me in fact being perfectly awake, I rubbed my eyes and adjusted the thin coat I wore overtop of my clothes, my white sweater still tucked partially into the waistband of my jeans. Going home is probably the best option for me anyways. Walking away from the heated caress of the fire, I wandered around for a couple of minutes as I slowly made my way over to the front entrance. I knew there would already be cabs parked there, waiting for drunk groups of friends to break off for the night to head home. At the moment, I'm almost wishing I had gotten out of my head and drank tonight, but alas, I'm frustratingly sober right now. Glancing up at the near full moon overhead, my eyes follow the path of light until I realize it wasn't a field below it, but a lowly lit corn maze. I couldn't help but find myself drawn to the labyrinth of pathways cut into the cornfield as I took a curious step away from the parking lot and towards the large, tunneled entrance. "Can I help you, miss?" A man standing at the entryway asked as he noticed my hesitant approach. Who cares if it's meant for children; I'm bored and a walk honestly might be good for me considering how much tension I have right now. "How much does it cost to get in?" I ask, moving to my purse in search of my wallet. The man tilts his head for a moment before a small smile appears on his face, "It's thirty dollars for adults and twenty for children." It seemed a bit overpriced if you ask me, but I suppose festivals like this have to be in order to pay for such a big set up. Nodding, I fetch two bills from my purse and hand them over to the person in front of me. Just as I moved to step past him, his voice caught my attention. "A pretty thing like you should be careful," He says, causing chills to run down the spine of my back, "You never know what might be lurking in the shadows you're unable to see." Narrowing my eyes, I simply told him to have a good day as I brushed his words off. It was probably just a part of a hired skit to add to the Halloween night allure of this place. Walking into the dimly lit entrance, I instantly found myself in a large circular clearing, eight pathways leading in different directions for me to choose from. Wishing I had asked that worker for a map, I took a chance and stepped towards the third one on my left, smiling to myself as I was met with a cooling breeze. The air itself was fairly warm today actually, and right now the soft wind against my face was slowly helping me to relax and let go of my tiring day. This is exactly what I needed. I carelessly walked deeper and deeper into the maze, not really having any strategy as to which pathways I ventured down and which corners I turned.