A scream echoes in the air, carried by the breeze and followed by laughter. Christopher pops out from behind Manuela with a grin, and Manuela hits him on the shoulder. Javi and Alex laugh on the side before two hands grip Alex’s shoulders, pulling her into the corn maze. A scream follows and everyone rushes into the corn maze behind them.

“Alex!” Manuela yells; worry strikes across her face as Javi and Christopher follow her. When she finally finds Alex, she’s lying on her back, laughing as Michael stands beside her. Manuela realizes what happened and goes over to Alex, kicking the dirt beside her onto her clothes.

“How could you, you traitor? You’re so fake. You scared me.” Manuela says, helping Alex up. Alex laughs more and leans on Michael for support as she dusts herself off.

“Well… at least we’re already in the maze.” Javi comments and looks around. Corn surrounds them from all sides and blocks their view. The others only nod in response, starting to follow the path in front of them.

“Last one out buys everyone McDonalds?”

Two hours later, they drag their feet along the dirt. Groans of exhaustion slip through their lips. Alex drops to the ground with a thud, looking up at the starry sky. Alex groans, “How long have we been walking? It’s been like… forever.”

The others sit down with her and Alex leans her head on Manuela’s shoulder. “She’s right. We’ve been walking for a long time and we haven’t seen anyone else. Also, it’s getting too dark.”

“The stars are so pretty.”

“Yes. Yes, they are.” Manuela glances at Alex, who looks at the stars in wonder. She turns to Javi and points at a bright star. As Javi, Michael, and Alex look at the stars, Manuela turns to Christopher.

“We should call our parents. Maybe they can come get us and we’ll be able to get out.”

“My mom won’t ever let me come back with you guys if she finds out we got lost for two hours. I barely convinced her to let me come today,” Michael says to her before turning back to Javi and Alex, listening as Alex rambles about the stars and the five stars in a group.

“Well, then let’s call the police. Kids get lost in mazes all the time during Halloween so they won’t call our parents.”

Manuela pulls out her phone, only to realize it’s dead. She turns to Christopher for help but he shakes his head. “My phone died three hours ago when we were driving. I was playing Roblox on the way here.”

“Michael?”

“Don’t look at me. My phone is so out of date that it’ll probably blow up if you try to make a call.”

“Javi?”

“Oh scheisse.” Alex’s ears start ringing as Javi pulls his phone out of his pocket and powers it on. Michael and Manuela give her a concerned look but she just shakes her head, brushing it off. Just as Javi dials 911 and is ready to press the call button, a group of kids run by. They trample over the group, kicking up dirt and causing Javi to drop his phone. Once the kids are gone, he picks it up. The front screen is entirely shattered. “Sweet baby Jesus…”

“Well… at least we still have my phone.” Alex pulls out her phone. “And it’s not broken or dead. It’s at fifty-seven percent.”

“Come on, call the police. ¡Rápido, rápido, rápido!” Christopher claps his hands at Alex, who rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah.” Alex dials 911, looking around for any kids before she presses call.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Um- well- me and my friends are trapped in the corn maze at the Sanderson Family Farm. We were wondering if, uh…”

“If we could send someone to come get you out? Don’t worry, honey. Things like this happen all the time during Halloween. Now I’m just gonna need- for- cops- ok? And they-”

“What the flip?!” Alex pulls the phone away from her ear, hitting the back of it to try and make it work. She puts the phone on speaker.

“Hello? Hello, miss? Are you still there?”

“Call- departed- can- until- one- stay-” The call disconnects and the dial tone sounds through the quiet maze.

“Call again!” Christopher picks up her phone, trying to turn it on. The phone screen remains black. When Christopher tries again, a low battery symbol appears in the middle of the screen.

“It died? But it was just charged-”

“Maybe you saw the numbers wrong.” Michael puts a hand on Alex’s shoulder, giving her a comforting smile. “It happens.”

“No, no, I swear- I swear. I know what I saw.” But the others only shake their heads, turning back to the maze. Alex’s ears ring. From a distance, she can see figures approaching them. The kids from earlier run past them again but their voices are different. They’re disoriented.

“Those kids…”

“Yeah? What about them?”

Alex doesn’t answer, following the sounds of the disoriented laughter that travels through the maze. By the time the sound stops, the kids are nowhere to be seen and the maze is quiet. Only the sounds of crickets chirping fill the air. Someone pushes Alex’s shoulder.

“What the heck, Alex?!” Christopher grabs both her shoulders and shakes her. “We gotta stick together or else we’ll be lost.”

“Sorry, but-”

“Those kids creep me out.” Javi shudders.

“Let go of her. I got an idea.” Michael turns to the group and Christopher lets go of Alex.

“And I thought you were the stupid one.” Christopher says.

“What if we hoist someone on someone else’s shoulders? That way they can see over the maze and tell us which way to go.”

“Well, Javi’s the lightest here and Manuela’s the strongest so we can just put Javi on Manuela’s shoulders.”

“I’ll help.” With the help of Alex and Michael, Javi is hoisted onto Manuela’s shoulders. He looks over the corn and points in a direction.

“There. That way.”

Everyone follows his finger and trudges along the maze. Alex’s ears start ringing and she pauses, causing Christopher to bump into her from behind. He lets out a noise and rubs his nose.

“Javi…”

“Hm?”

“Get down…”

“What?” Javi turns to Alex and her eyes widen, making her way to Javi.

“Javi, get down!” Alex reaches her hand out to him just as the kids reach them, trampling over Manuela and knocking Javi off her shoulders. The others can only watch as Javi falls to the ground, hitting his head harshly.

“Javi. Javi!” Alex rushes to his side and kneels, noticing the blood that seeps from his head. “Javi. Javi, you’re bleeding.”

“Way to state the obvious.” Javi jokes with a smile.

“I have to put a clean cloth on your wound. Don’t move.” Alex takes off her shirt, watching as the others protest and quickly look away. She tears one of her sleeves off, folding it into a square and covering the wound. She wraps the rest of the shirt around his head carefully, tying a knot so it stays in place. “There. That should work until we can get you to a hospital.”

“Here.” Alex flinches slightly when a jacket hits her face and causes her to lose her balance. She grabs the jacket and looks at Michael, who only looks away. “You’re gonna get cold.”

“Thanks.” Alex nods in response and slips the jacket on, pulling the zipper up all the way. She helps Javi stand and lets him lean against her.

“I’ve had enough. I want to go home. This isn’t fun anymore.” Christopher looks around anxiously.

“Don’t you think we’re trying? Javi’s hurt now so we’re gonna have to move slower.”

“No, you’re gonna have to move slower. I’m going by myself and anyone else is welcome to join me. I’m not gonna go slow cause Javi got hurt.”

“What’s your problem, Christopher?”

“My problem? My problem? You wanna know what my problem is, Alex? First, you drag us all to this death trap place and now we’re lost. You’re always getting us into dangerous situations because you make impulsive decisions and you drag the rest of us along with you!”

“Chris, calm down-”

“Shut up, Michael!” Christopher looks away from Alex for a moment before turning back to her, pointing his finger as he yells. “Why should we have to suffer just because of your horrible decisions? You always drag the rest of us down with you and I’m tired of it. You were the one who suggested we come to this maze in the first place. You were the one who invited all of us here. You were the one who practically led us to our death. And if we die here tonight? That’s on you.”

Alex stands quiet and Christopher scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“And you can’t even defend yourself… because you know I’m right.”

“Chris-” Christopher pushes away Manuela when she reaches out to him, giving another eye roll before he walks off. Alex doesn’t realize she’s crying until Javi pats her shoulders and she looks at his blurry figure.

“If I die, I won’t blame you.”

“No one’s dying.” Manuela says and gives Alex a reassuring look. “Not tonight.”

A scream comes from the direction where Christopher walked off and Alex is the first to rush down the path, making sure she hands Javi to Manuela before running off.

“Christopher?! Christopher! Chri-” Alex lets out a gag when she bumps into a big, white, sticky wall. The substance covers her face and she spits as she tries to get it off. The others catch up to her and help her. As Manuela removes the last of it, Alex finally sees what she bumped into.

“Is that…”

“A spider web. A huge one…”

“That’s- that’s more than huge.”

Michael removes a piece of the spider’s silk from Alex’s hair, examining the strong string. “It’s very sticky so be careful.”

“What the- what’s that?!”

“Oh, god. I think I’m gonna be sick…” Manuela lets out a dry heave and turns away as the others notice the huge bundles on the web. When they look closer, they see what the white silk is covering. Puddles of red seep through the silk and when Alex looks closer, she sees the gleam of glasses poke through the thick silk.

“Is that-”

“They’re human bodies.” Michael confirms as Alex reaches out to touch the silk but he grabs her hand before she can. “If you touch that, your hand will get caught in the stickiness and you’ll get stuck. The only reason you didn’t get stuck the first time is because of the drawback from you running when you hit the silk. It must be a huge spider…”

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus. I hate spiders…” Javi lets out a pained groan and leans against the web, his shoulder sinking into the silk.

“Javi, don’t-”

“What the-”

Javi tries to move his shoulder but the silk holds onto it tight, pulling him in more.

“Javi, don’t move your head too fast. You’ll make it worse.” Alex approaches him and examines the silk.

“Just take off your jacket and the silk will-”

“I didn’t wear a jacket today.”

“Oh my gosh, Javi. The one day we actually need you to wear a jacket, you don’t.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine. We’ll just- we’re just gonna have to cut through the silk.” Alex pulls a knife out of her pockets and Javi’s eyes widen.

“You carry a knife around?!”

“You never know what might happen. And right now, it’s needed to get you out. I need you guys to hold him still and pull him towards you as I cut the silk so he doesn’t get any more on him.”

Manuela turns back to them and nods, grabbing Javi’s other arm as Michael holds his back.

“Javi, don’t move.”

“Noted.”

Alex works through the silk, carefully cutting the strings that stick to Javi. Just as she’s about to finish, a thundering shake echoes through the maze. It causes Alex to drop the knife and the other two lose their grip on Javi. Javi falls into the silk with a yelp.

“Javi-”

“Something’s coming and I’m guessing it’s whatever bundled those other human bodies. So unless we wanna be next, we have to go.”

“I can still get Javi out. I swear-” Alex grabs the knife, frantically cutting the silk. Without the support of Michael and Manuela, Javi continues to sink into the string.

“Alex, you can’t. We have to go…” Michael puts a hand on her shoulder and Alex looks up at him with teary eyes.

“But I can… I can save him…”

“Not this time.”

“Guys. Guys, that thing is coming closer. We have to go!” Manuela yells, watching as a shadowy figure gets closer and closer.

Alex quickly hands the knife to Javi, tightening his grip over it with her own hand. She places a careful kiss on his head, holding him close. “We’ll be back – I swear. I’ll be back for you.”

“I’ll be waiting here.” Javi cracks a smile and Alex smiles back, sniffing and giving him one last hug. Michael grabs her arm and pulls her along. On an impulse, Alex looks back at Javi. She finally gets a glimpse of the shadowy monster Manuela saw earlier. Her eyes widened at the size of the beast.

“We have to go back. We can’t leave him there. Javi- he can’t- I-”

“Javi’s on his own.” Alex pulls at the hand that grips her arm, pushing and shoving Michael away from her. But Michael grips her arm tighter, looking ahead as Manuela pushes her from behind. Her feet struggle to catch up to their running.

“Javi!” Alex lets out a scream and if she looks closer, she can see Javi looking back at her. His small body is soon engulfed by the silk.

Alex, Michael, and Manuela make it into a clearing. Other people stand around, yelling and panicking as a huge spider shoots webs that block all their exits. Manuela grabs Michael and Alex and holds them close to her.

“Oh god- I- I was the one that brought you guys here. Christopher was right. I- I led you guys to your death. And Javi- oh Javi…” Alex starts crying harder and her voice catches in her throat.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s not your fault.” Manuela tries to soothe Alex, rubbing comfortable circles on her back as she hiccups on her own cries. “Javi’s gonna be okay. We’re all gonna be okay.”

“Look,” Michael points across the clearing to a figure that stands the closest to the beast, almost leaning on it, “it’s Christopher.”

“He’s… why is he so calm?” Manuela looks closer, noticing how relaxed his posture is and how friendly he seems with the beast. The beast raises one of its legs.

“Get down!” Manuela quickly pushes Michael and Alex down, slamming their bodies against the dirt just in time. The beast swipes his leg down, cutting people in half and killing all those in the way. Screams are cut off and blood splatters on their faces.

When they were sure the beast wouldn’t move again, they stood. Dead bodies littered the floor around them and the corn was painted red. It’s quiet.

A little kid’s cries echo through the field. It snaps everyone out of their trance and Manuela is the first to rush to the little boy as Alex helps Michael up. Manuela kneels next to him, “What’s your name?”

“S-Saul…” The child sniffs. Alex stares off, leaning against Michael for support.

“It’s all my fault… This boy- this boy is gonna grow up without parents because of me…”

“The only time you’re right!” A laugh echoes through the area and they all turn to Christopher. His eyes hold a dark look as a menacing smile forms on his face. “Right, right, right. You all got stuck in this maze because of you. Javi died because of you. You’re all gonna die – because of you. You thought I wanted to be in your friend group? That I was joking around and sitting at your lunch table for fun? No, no, no. See, that was all part of the plan. The plan to get you right where I wanted you. To get revenge on you for what you did to me all those years ago – killing my dad.” Christopher moves closer, bringing out a knife from his pocket.

“It was an accident.” Alex cried to him, leaning towards him before Michael held her back. “I was a kid! I was an 8-year-old kid who thought it would be fun to steal their parent’s car keys, ok? And I’m sorry. I feel bad about that every day. I’m sorry for what I took from you, ok? I’m sorry-”

“No! No, you don’t get to be sorry. This is all your fault. And this? This is also your fault.” Christopher runs the knife into Manuela’s back and she lets out a scream. Saul jumps back with a cry and Alex falls to the floor, eyes focused on Manuela’s fallen figure.

“You- Manuela…” Alex’s voice gets caught in her throat as Christopher laughs above her. Alex glares at him through teary eyes, “Why would you do this? She never did anything to you. She trusted you. She- she made sure you felt like part of the group and you just… She was my best friend… She was your friend!”

“Was. Now she’s just another corpse on the ground.” Alex is quick to get up and punch Christopher in his nose. He falls back at the same time the monster throws Alex into the ground. Michael moves Saul behind him, holding an arm protectively over the boy.

“Man…uela…” Alex coughs out blood, attempting to crawl to her friend. Saul grabs her hand, trying his best to pull her towards her friend.

“Alex. Alex, get up.” Michael starts to move towards the girl but Christopher stands with a glare, pointing the knife in his direction.

“Get up. Get up! You have to move.” The young boy cries out, huffing as he tries to get one girl to another. “Please.”

With Alex down, Christopher moves to Michael. “You know… you were always my favorite. You could join me, you know? Mr. Araña and I would be more than happy to welcome you into our family while we take over the world and punish it for all its cruelties.”

Michael stays quiet, looking at Saul as he manages to lay Alex next to Manuela. Christopher follows his line of sight and lets out a laugh. “Her?! You’re still gonna stay loyal to her? After everything she’s done to us? After everything she’s put us through?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I am. She made a bad decision as a kid and you’re still stuck on something that happened 7 years ago. Grow up, Christopher. She’s a good friend – and an even better person. You’re the only one complaining.”

Christopher sucks his teeth, clicking his tongue. He gives a shrug before jumping at Michael. The knife glints in the moonlight.

Michael grabs the knife in his hand, wincing as blood drips to the ground. He uses Chistopher’s shocked face to push him back, grabbing the knife from his hand. He hits Christopher’s face with his elbow, breaking his nose. The beast lets out an eerie sound, opening its mouth as a sound echoes through the field. Disoriented kids’ laughter.

The beast drops one of his legs on Michael, slamming his body into the ground. The knife flies from his hand and lands next to Saul. Michael lets out a loud groan as Christopher stands, a hand to his nose. Silk touches Michael’s body, who panics as he realizes what the monster’s doing. He wiggles as the monster starts spinning him into a cocoon, struggling against the strong silk.

“Michael…” Alex groans as she grabs the knife, stumbling to stand. Saul offers her a hand and helps her to her feet.

“Miss, you’re bleeding…”

Christopher is turned away, watching Michael as he gets wrapped in silk. Alex sneaks up behind him, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around harshly. Before he can speak, she plunges the knife into his throat. He falls to the ground as he tries to speak. But his voice chokes on his blood and only noises come out of his mouth.

“Michael!” Alex cuts off the leg that holds Michael and he falls to the ground with a thud. The silk softens his fall and it goes limp on his body. Saul helps Michael free himself as Alex turns to the beast, cutting off 3 of its other legs before it falls to the ground. She delivers one last blow to its head, leaving the knife as blood splatters on her face. She breaks out of her trance once the beast goes still, dead on the ground.

“Michael! Saul!” Alex makes her way to the two, watching as Saul holds Michael’s head. When Saul moves his hands, they’re red.

“Michael…?”

“A-Alex…” Michael coughs and his voice cracks. Alex kneels next to him, putting his head in her lap. “Is it bad?”

“No, I- I can fix it.” Alex starts to take the jacket off her shoulders but Michel stops her, putting his hand over her own.

“You’re gonna get cold.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care…” Alex leans her head against his as tears well in her eyes, dropping onto his face.

“The five stars… they’re gone…”

Alex looks at the sky, noticing the emptiness it conveys. “Yeah… Yeah, they are.”

“You’re… you’re not a bad friend. Not- not a bad person…” Michael trails off, his grip loosening on Alex’s hand.

“Michael? Michael?!” Alex shakes him and Saul puts a hand on her shoulder. When she looks up at him, he shakes his head at her sadly.

“I can’t- I can’t lose him… Not him… Not after- after everyone…”

Saul kneels next to her, putting his head on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We won. We defeated the monster.”

“What good is a win if it costs me my friends?”

Saul doesn’t answer. Behind them, a small figure half-covered in silk cuts through one of the exits. He staggers forward just as Christopher rises from the ground. But his voice catches in his throat and the silk weighs him down. He tries desperately but he can only watch as Christopher raises the knife above his head, aiming at his friend.

Alex hears a rustle behind her and she turns around. She pushes Saul out the way just as the knife is thrusted toward them. Carried by the breeze and followed by laughter, a scream echoes in the air.