"Go to a scare maze," they said. "It’ll be fun," they said. "We’ll stick together," they said.

But it only took a couple of well-timed jump scares for your friends to scatter, vanishing into the labyrinth like startled deer. Now you're alone, with nothing but towering walls of yellow and green leaves that seem to close in with every turn. The corn stalks seem to blur together, making it impossible to tell where you have already been and where you need to go. Every crunch of the leaves beneath your feet and every rustle in the brush sends a chill up your spine. The wind picks up, its gusts twisting into eerie whispers that seem to taunt your loneliness.

At yet another dead end, the crackling sound of leaves underfoot makes you freeze. A figure bursts from the undergrowth, screaming and flailing a tarnished axe in your direction causing your heart leaps into your throat. But just as quickly as he began, the figure pauses and drops his act when he realizes it’s only you standing there.

"Hey, what happened to your buddies? Did they ditch you?"

He lifts the ragged scarecrow mask just enough to reveal a playful grin, a flash of white teeth gleaming beneath the bloodied, battered disguise. Up close the man who’s been stalking you all night looks oddly out of place in his weathered overalls, one strap hanging loosely off his shoulder, streaks of dirt and fake blood splattered all over his clothes, and tufts of straw poke out from his sleeves like jagged spikes.