Horror Fiction Contest Winner: Trap Party

     It’s safe to say me and my best friend Rick were never the most popular kids in high school. So it was no surprise that on Halloween night of our senior year, we hadn’t been invited to any parties. Just before midnight, the trick or treaters long gone and the streets deserted, we headed out to make our own mischief. Rick was

complaining about stepping in some discarded gum with his brand new red Air Jordans when we stumbled across a house party. There were cars parked haphazardly over the lawn, loud music, and the sound of people could be heard from the street. Rick asked, “you think this is the party everyone at school was talking about?” Me and Rick shared a mutual smirk and without saying a word walked to the front door. We knocked a couple of times but no answer. Assuming it was too loud to hear us, we let ourselves in and the door easily swung open. The music was unbearably loud and we distinctly heard voices over the music, but instead of being greeted by a sea of people, there was only a huge pile of shoes in the hallway and not a single person in sight.

     With a bit of apprehension we slowly entered the house. The voices, shoes, and cars outside were all evidence of a huge party. Rick turned to me and said, “I’m gonna check the backyard or find the basement. You search up here.” I nodded and an uneasy feeling began to rise as I walked through each empty room. There were no signs of a party. No empty solo cups or half eaten bowls of chips. Odder still, there were missing pieces of furniture, like a kitchen table with no chairs and most rooms were completely empty except for some paintings on the wall. I swore I heard footsteps above me so I climbed the stairs to the second floor. The noise of the people talking was definitely louder up here and seemed to be coming from behind a closed door. I turned the knob and entered to find yet another empty room with no people and no furniture, only huge speakers in the far corner. On top of the speakers was an old phone, screen lit with a playlist labeled “trap party”. I still don’t know why but for some reason I picked up the phone and clicked pause on the music.

     Immediate complete silence. My ears hummed in the void of sound. Along with the music, the sound of people talking also stopped. This was all coming from the speakers. I dropped the phone and whispered “Rick”. The silence was becoming deafening. I needed to find Rick and we needed to leave. I raced down the stairs and made it back to the front hall all the time whispering out for Rick. When I was back at the massive pile of shoes I looked down and my heart dropped. At the top of the pile was a pair of red Air Jordans with a dirty pink glob on one sole. I turned around now screaming out for Rick frantically running from room to room determined to find him. I saw a closed door in the corner that probably led to a closet and flinged it open. The basement. An old wooden staircase led to a pitch black cement basement. A few stairs down closer to the bottom, I could make out Rick’s silhouette standing completely still.