The maze was shrouded in shadows, the faint red glow mixing with creepy music that made your skin crawl.

Allison and Joshua walked together, side by side. At first, Allison was just a little nervous-nothing over the top like Brian''s antics earlier.

They kept moving forward. Out of nowhere, a "ghost bride" dropped down from above. Her crimson wedding dress was tattered, hair wild and messy, streaks of blood-red tears on her pale face. She hovered there, staring right at Allison.

Allison screamed. Before she could even think, she spun around and dove straight into Joshua''s arms.

Joshua swatted the ghost prop away and wrapped his arms around her, his voice low and soothing. "It''s okay, Allie. It''s just a prop, not real."

It wasn''t even someone in costume-it was all just part of the setup.

Allison was still shaking, pressed tight against Joshua''s chest.

He gently patted her back, calming her like you would a scared child. "Hey, it''s alright. I''m right here. Nothing''s going to hurt you."

It took a minute before Allison finally calmed down. She pulled away, her face a little flushed. "Sorry... I got scared. It just happened."

Joshua gave her a reassuring smile. "Don''t worry about it. Are you okay? If you want, we can leave."

Allison shook her head, her voice soft. "No, I''m okay. It just caught me off guard..."

Joshua could see how spooked she was, so he didn''t say anything else. He just nodded and reached for her hand.

His palm was warm against hers, and for a moment, Allison froze.

But she didn''t pull away.

She let him hold her hand as they kept walking deeper into the maze.

The scare still lingered, making Allison even more nervous. Every step, she looked around carefully, half-expecting another ghost to jump out.

Joshua noticed. He stayed alert, watching their surroundings, ready for anything.

A few stepster, a hand shot out from the darkness, reaching for arm. Joshua reacted. her

ulling her back intel

arms.

to.

At the same time, another ghost floated out—a woman in a white dress, hair hanging down, gliding around them.

Joshua nced down and saw rollerdes under the dress. Just another actor.

"Allie, don''t look," he murmured, gently covering the back of her head and pressing her face to his chest.

Allison did as he said, heart pounding so loud she was sure he could hear it. "Excuse me, could we get by?" Joshua said politely to the ghost.

The actress blinked in surprise. In three years of jumping out at people, no one had ever spoken to her so nicely.

She was supposed to circle them three times, moaning "Give me back my life... Give me back my life..."

She hadn''t even started before Joshua asked her, all polite, to move aside.

"Sorry, can we squeeze past?" Joshua asked again, putting an arm out protectively as he guided Allison through the gap.

The ghost actress snapped out of it, scooting to the side to let them pass.

Joshua kept an arm around Allison as they walked away. "It''s okay now, Allie. We''re past that part."

Allison''s voice

was barely a whisper. I don''t

the should just leave. I

handle the rest of

thought I was braver than is

am."

She could handle rollercoasters and wild rides, but haunted houses were on a

whole different level.