âWell, Iâm cool with both of those. I appreciate you picking me up and showing me aroundâŠâ Benny smiled. He stepped inside, clutching his backpack close.Â
It smelt the same as most out-of-the-way bars. They always smelt; every desolate place heâd traveled has the same unpleasant aroma. Nice to know that some things remained consistent across time-zones and continents. Even when they werenât nice things at all.Â
Introductions were always a whirlwind â he tried to memorize the names and faces as they were brought up. Benny was glad to have Graham between them; something about them made him feel nervous. He kept up his polite smile, nodding but not speaking.Â
The barmaid only seemed to continue the trend of punk aesthetic that seemed to run rampant here. It was at odds with the sleepy look of the town around them; the juxtaposition was inspiring. If he wasnât nervous about offending his hosts, he would have asked them for a picture. Maybe later. âSomething local would be great, thanksâŠâ he smiled.
His eyes went wide at the massive man behind the counter. The profanity reminded him that he was in a real place â sometimes it was easy to get lost in the daze of tourism. The curse seemed to be geared more towards his guide than Benny himself â he made a mental note not to bring that up.Â
âOh, uhâŠthanksâŠâ Benny said, handing off his expensive equipment to the bartender. A part of him wanted to stress its fragility and priceâŠbut a single glance at the massive man made him reconsider. Heâd done this before. The last thing he needed was an American tourist to boss him around. That could make damage of his equipment into a self-fulfilled prophecy.Â
Benny chuckled as soon as Hanson had left the room. âRight, so. Drinks, something to snack on, then weâll head out. I gottaâ admitâŠI knew the House of Horrors was a big draw, around here, but I didnât think weâd get to meet so many employees. You all started recently, orâŠ?âÂ
Graham nodded and turned to the barmaid. âYou âeard the man, Bex. Two oâ yer finest ales, please.â
She snorted. âAinât gonna be local if itâs the finest.â
âGet us some pork scratchings too,â he continued, opting to ignore her. âA couple bags of Nik Naks... Maybe some nuts.â Graham paused before turning to Benny. âYâainât allergic to nuts, are ya? Wouldnât want yâto drop dead on us, after all.â
Bex set to work, filling two glasses to the brim and leaving each with a thick, frothy head. She set them down on the counter before digging around in the snacks, tossing a few bags of what Graham had requested in his direction. The last thing she placed on the bar was a dish of salted nuts, poured fresh from a blue and gold bag.
It was then that Hanson reappeared. âBarrel wants changinâ,â the barmaid said without looking up. The large man clicked his tongue, lifted the hatch, and came up to her side, whispering something into her ear before he disappeared through to the back. Graham cocked a brow, a movement Bex answered with a small self-satisfied shrug. Hanson mustâve noticed something in Bennyâs luggage... and by the look on Bexâs face, it was something expensive. His camera equipment, maybe? He had seemed a little protective.
âOh, yâmean those two?â the guide said, pretending that the silent exchange had never happened. âNah, Vince anâ Spence have both been at it for a good few years. Spencer was one oâ them what helped get it started up -- 'eâs a bit of a tech whiz, 'e is. All the animatronics yer gonna see were set up by âim... by âim, me, anâ Monty. Montyâs the art director down there. Got a real eye for the gory and ghoulish, âas our Monty. Vince is just one oâ the actors anâ that. Ainât got enough brains for the rest of the work.â
âIÂ âeard that,â called Vince from behind, lobbing a peanut at the back of Grahamâs head.
The guide chuckled when it hit him, opening up some snacks of his own. âNow, do you want the spicy or the scampi Nik Naks?â he asked Benny, offering him the two crisp bags in his hands.
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