a doorman. This is my family’s exhibition. My name is Denoté.”
Before Penny considered a response Denoté closed the door with a BANG. The people in line, who had quieted down and listened to the exchange, began talking once again.
Scott said, “Well… now we know. Two at a time.”
After a while Penny opened a pack of cigarettes and lit a smoke. The guy waiting in front of them bummed one and shared it with his date. He was an older man with long hair and a tattoo of an eagle on his neck. The tattoo was well designed and inked with a skilled hand. Penny thought it made the man look dignified, not trashy. It was something she would never have admitted.
The tattooed stranger introduced himself as Gary Somers. In time, he said that he worked in real estate.
Scott laughed. “You don’t look like a real estate agent.”
“I know.” Gary responded proudly. “But I’m a nice guy and pleasant to work with. I get a lot of referrals and repeat business. You’d be surprised. This city is loaded with people that prefer working with an agent they relate with. Most sales guys have no soul; it’s like they’re manufactured in a real estate factory where sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll never existed. Here’s your haircut, suitcase and nametag. Don’t forget to smile politely. How can you have faith in someone when you don’t trust them?”
Scott nodded. Gary was a little over the top maybe, but he seemed honest and straightforward.
The door opened and two more stepped inside, laughing as they entered. As the door closed, Gary’s date––a woman who had introduced herself as Angel––said, “Have you noticed that people go in and nobody comes out?”
Penny dropped her smoke on the sidewalk and crushed it with her shoe. “No, but now that you say that… yeah.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know. Backdoor?”
“I guess.”
Time crawled. Penny touched up her makeup in a dark window. More people entered the exhibition in pairs and nobody left through the front door.
Finally it was Gary and Angel’s turn to go in.
“See you on the other side,” Angel said.
Scott smiled. “Have fun.”
Thirteen minutes later the door opened and Denoté led them to a ticket wicket. The lady behind the glass said, “Ticket please.” Her name was Page.
The tickets were big and gaudy and said THE HORROR SHOW – ONE NIGHT ONLY in giant bold letters. Below the letters, a mediocre drawing of an evil looking skull looked semi-daunting. In the bottom corner of each ticket was the price: $200.00, tax included.
Scott handed both tickets over.
Page said, “Names?”
“Scott and Penny Beach.”
Page typed the names into a computer.
Scott and Penny were led to a door. Above it was a security camera.
Before Denoté opened the door, he said, “Mind your step. The art isn’t merely on the walls. It’s on the floor and ceiling too. It’s in the air, the atmosphere. It’s everywhere; it’s alive. There’s only one exit, located at the far end of the building. This show is a one-way street. You can’t leave through the front door unless you do it now. You won’t have a chance to revisit the exhibitions once you pass them, so enjoy the art while you can. I hope you’re not faint of heart. This exhibition is hardcore, designed to scare you to death.”
“Sounds good,” Scott said. He noticed a smudge of blood on Denoté’s shirt; it looked like a handprint. Scott figured it was part of the show. “Looking forward to it.”
“Thank you,” Penny replied. Her voice was hardly a whisper.
Scare you to death. She didn’t like the sound of that.
As Denoté opened a second door, Penny wondered why she had allowed Scott to bring her to such a place. This wasn’t a gala, this wasn’t the theater, this was… well… she didn’t know what this was, but it wasn’t for her. She knew that much.
Scott and Penny stepped inside the next room. It was small: twelve feet by twelve feet. There was a single light hanging from a black ceiling. The walls were black; the floor had black tiles. On the far side of the room was a white door. There was no art inside the room, no furniture either. It was just an empty room that seemed very dark. The corners were only shadow.
One corner was hiding something: a small camera.
The door behind them closed; they heard the CLICK of the lock.
Penny turned around, startled. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. The door wouldn’t open. She knocked on the