"Are you sure?" Lucy asks. "A bit of drink never hurt anyone."


"Plus, you'll be really bland and we'lll be annoying to each other if you're sober," Ant adds. "Oh, and… peer pressure. We're peers who are pressuring you, because that's a thing that really happens."

You say "No, really, I'm fine."

"Sure thing. Your loss."


You continue sitting around the campfire, which is really a lot closer to a glorified candle sitting in a pile of leaves. Mason grabs the bottle of vodka and sits down next to you and your heart flutters. A large part of you knows that this is just infatuation and a childhood crush, mixed in with a fair bit of hormonal lust, but still… he's really, really cute. The others seem bored, with Kyle downing what seems like more than his weight in booze.


"Well, this is boring," Lucy complains, tossing a bottle in the middle. "Let's play spin the bottle."


"No way!" Ant complains. "I'm the odd guy out. Kyle and Becca go together, you and Carter and then Mason and the new girl."


You blush at that comment as Carter nods in agreement.


"I agree. I d-don't w-want to play spin the bo-bottle," Carter says.


Briefly glancing at the indifferent Mason, you feel a twinge of annoyance of all possibilities of spin the bottle disappears as Ant suggests a new game.


"Truth or Dare!" Ant suggests, to the groans of Kyle and Becca.


"Remember what happened last time?" Becca points out.


"That's not fair! That wasn't my fault! You should've protected your dad's stuff. How was I do know that that painting was worth a fortune?"


"You shouldn't have been drawing over paintings in the first place, Ant!"


"It wasn't skin off your dad's nose! That rich bastard can handle a loss! Jesus, we all know his ancestors made his money off the backs of Kyle's ancestors!"


"Fuck you, Ant!" Kyle shouts, slurring from his drink.


"Gentlemen, gentlemen, calm down," Mason says. "There ain't no issues! We're all friends here! I say a game of truth and dare would calm us all down."


"Fine," Becca says.


Mason downs the rest of his drink, and tosses the glass bottle in the middle. He drops to his knees and spins it, landing on Carter, who lies in the back of the pick-up.


"Truth or dare, Carter?"


"If I p-pick dare, will you… will you make me st-stand up?" Carter says lazily.


"Maybe," Mason says slyly.


"Truth, t-then."


Mason grins, glancing at him and Lucy.


"Have you ever kissed Lucy?" he asks.


"Nope. Sorry to disa-disa-disappoint."


"Damn. I was certain," Mason sighs, pulling out his wallet and tossing Kyle a crumpled bill. "You just cost me twenty bucks, Carter."


Ant leans over, spinning the bottle. It slows to a stop, pointing off into the woods.


"Is that closer to Becca or Hazel?" he asks.


"Becca," Carter says.


"Oh, fantastic. Truth or dare?"


"Truth."


"Dammit, Becca. Fine, I'll make this awkward. How far has Kyle got with you?"


"Shut up, Ant!" Becca hisses.


"Hey, you gotta answer!" Lucy says.


"Oh come on! That's private!"


"We're all friends here," Mason says.


"Fine! We've… you know. Done it."


"Respect, Kyle," Ant smiles, holding back a giggle.


Becca goes red, grabbing the bottle and twirling it. Through pure luck or skill, it points directly at Ant.


"Shit," Ant sighs.


"Truth or dare. I have a lot of embarrassing questions to ask."


"Dare," Ant grimaces.


"Well, you have a lot more balls than I though. You'll suffer from it. I dare you to go into Herr Eichel's basement."


"No!" Ant replies.


"Come on, Becca! Herr Eichel's tear out his throat if he caught him!" Lucy complains.


"Who's Herr EIchel?" you ask.


"Oh, I'll tell her. I've been practising this story for my little brother," Mason says, before clearing his throat. "During World War II, a young soldier rose through the ranks of the SS. He had a habit of hunting Jews and personally escorting them to the Camps. He would hunt men, women, children, and torture them all for information. He showed no mercy. Eventually, when the Russians invaded, he escaped by pretending to be a civilian, fleeing from Berlin to France to Britain to the US. He hid right here in Dawnwood, hunting down any Jews he could find. His name is Herr Eichel."


"That's the biggest load of shit!" Lucy complains. "Everyone knows that any Jew in Dawnwood would be scared off by Carter Sr. and his white power bullshit."


"He doesn't w-w-want white pow-power!" Carter says. "He wants white p-pride. There's… a difference."


"No there isn't, Carter, now stop ruining the story. Where was I?" Mason asks.


"You just finished," you point out.


"Oh. Well, now Herr Eichel's going to kill Ant."


"Becca, I'm sorry! Please change the dare!"


"Fine. You have to go into the Dead Man's Barn and go up to the attic."


"That's even worse!" Ant complains.


"Nah, that ain't bad," Mason says. "Nazis are real and will kill you. Ghosts aren't."


You raise an eyebrow, and Mason smiles.


"OK, story time. Once, there was a Sheriff back in the Western times who used his power to wipe out any competition of the big ranchers of the town. One of the small time ranchers, Daniel Edwards, stood up and told the Sheriff he wouldn't sell his farm to his competition despite threats. The Sheriff led a posse to bring him down, and Edwards tried to fight back. He killed two dozen men and took near a hundred bullets before he went down. They tortured him for a few days, even cutting his face wide open to give him... what'd ya call it, a Glasgow Grin. Eventually, you just hung him to finish him off. Rumor is he still haunts the barn where they strung him up. It's a historical building so it can't be torn down, so the owner just leaves it vacant."


"I'm not going!"


"Don't pussy out, Ant."


"Will one of you go with me?" Ant pleads.


"Spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on has to go with you," Lucy suggests. "I hope it's Becca. That'd be ironic."


"Sure," Carter says. "Let's do that."


Ant thanks Lucy and spins the bottle. It wobbles and slows to a halt, pointing directly at you.


"Well, I guess Hazel's going to Dead Man's Barn," Mason says.


"No, she can go to Herr Eichel's if she wants. Eichel's just an old, slow dude. The Dead Man's a supernatural murderer," Lucy says.


"Let Hazel pick," Kyle says, trying to stand before stumbling and leaning back on the truck.


"Yeah. Go ahead Hazel. Ghost or Nazi."