The Fall of Candy Corn by Debbie Viguié

back. As the angry retorts faded, they were replaced with a sense of bewilderment. What could she have said to push Kurt’s buttons like that?
    She didn’t have long to think about it because a photographer arrived. The photographer and Tish dragged Candace all over the maze, posing her this way and that as he took pictures. By the time they were finished, several of the referees playing the psycho killer had showed up. Then the photographer had a field day posing Candace with various ones.
    At last the photographer retreated, and a couple other people wearing suits showed up along with all the umpires. Tish led them all through the maze first, pointing out where the various umpires would be stationed. Candace had to admit that the dark, empty rides and the general sense of decay were extra creepy. If The Zone had looked like this the night she was trapped in it, she probably would have been convinced killers were lurking around every corner.
    Once they had walked the maze once, including the exits that were only to be used by referees, the umpires took up their positions. Tish and two of the men with her positioned the psychos throughout the maze, giving them props and directions. They saved Candace for last.
    â€œOkay. This maze is all about you, dear Candy,” Tish said. “We want the players to experience your fear as if it were their own. We also want them to be able to watch you running in terror from the killer.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œYou’re good at screaming?”
    â€œIt’s what got me the job,” Candace said with a smile.
    â€œGood, good. Now, let me walk you through this.”
    Together they entered the maze again. The hall went straight for twenty feet and then turned sharply to the left. On the right-hand side was a small alcove where one of the psychos was already waiting.
    â€œUnlike most of our mazes, we’re only going to send guests through in groups of ten to fifteen. This will increase the wait times, but we felt it was worth it if we could replicate for the players your sense of isolation,” Tish said.
    â€œEach group will come down this hall. Before they get to the corner, you’re going to run, screaming across their path, and he’s going to chase you,” Tish said, indicating the psycho.
    â€œNow, instead of going straight, you’ll duck behind this curtain on your left,” Tish said, showing it to her. “When the players come around this corner, they’ll be startled because they won’t see you. However, once they pass the curtain, your pursuer will jump out and chase them down this next hallway.”
    â€œAnd what do I do?” Candace asked.
    â€œYou’re going to move on to another scene a quarter of the way through the maze,” Tish said, guiding her through the parts of the maze the players wouldn’t see. “You can watch from here using this angled mirror, then you’ll run past them again.”
    Candace nodded, checking the mirror.
    â€œSee, the idea is that each group will see you five times, including the finale where the psycho catches you.”
    â€œHe catches me?”
    â€œYes. The players escape, but you are not so lucky.”
    Tish walked her through the maze, showing her where to run, hide, wait, and watch. At last they came to a scene with part of a crashed Ferris wheel on the ground. The final psycho was there, and they rehearsed him catching Candace and standing behind her with an arm around the upper part of her chest and shoulders as she screamed and struggled.
    Candace was a little nervous, but the guy inside the suit — whose name was Ray — was really nice and gentle. They practiced the catch a dozen times until she felt comfortable with it.
    â€œOkay, you think you have it?” Tish asked.
    â€œI think so,” Candace said.
    â€œGreat.” Tish looked at her watch. “It’s just about time for us to run through it all for our test