Chapter Four

Josiah stood away from the camera for a moment. He allowed his eyes to wander over every bit of the scene in front of him: the cot soaked in red corn syrup, the prop knife lying on the ground, the collection of soiled and tattered clothing heaped next to the cot, and Millie, the unsuspecting victim, lying right in the middle of it all. But something was missing. He could feel it.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Millie, you all right being still for a while?”

“I'm great right now,” she replied. “No numb limbs yet.”

“Okay, this is our very first bloody scene. Sara, you've just walked in on Millie's shredded body in the middle of the cot. You're going to give us an incredible bloody screech that shakes us to the bone.” Josiah grinned wide. “Are you ready, Sara?”

As Sara excitedly nodded, Josiah gave a thumbs-up gesture and positioned himself behind the camera.

“Connor, how are we on sound?” Josiah asked.

Some shuffling occurred to his right as Connor positioned the boom mic over the scene. He replied, “Rolling.”

“Levi, could you add just a little bit more syrup to Millie's shirt?”

Without a word, Levi entered the shot with a bottle full of sticky red liquid. His pants tightened as he bent down to spread the concoction over Millie's stomach. Josiah found himself clearing his throat a little louder than intended, even tucking his forefinger under the collar of his shirt in order to loosen it.

“These lights are heating me up,” he said after a nervous chuckle.

Levi stepped out of the shot and Josiah clapped his hands. It was perfect! That little amount of blood was exactly what he had been missing.

“All right, let's get this horror scene started. Quiet on the set!”

Silence enveloped the room. Everyone stood still around him. As he peered through the lens, he focused the camera on Sara and raised three fingers in the air. He counted them down quietly before shouting, “Action!”

On cue, Sara walked into the shot. Her face reflected shock at first and then quickly faded into a look of horror. As she raised her hands to her face, she released a blood-curdling scream that vibrated the entire room. Josiah couldn't help the goofy smile that appeared on his face. Quietly, he continued to focus on Sara. She fell to her knees while her scream reached a crescendo, finally breaking into a practiced sob. Hair fell over her face as her fists met the ground. Her cries went on for a few minutes until they faded.

Josiah cried, “Cut!”

With intense joy, he stood back from the camera and clapped. Everyone in the room joined him and whooped, celebrating Sara's incredible performance. When the noise died down, he raised his hands.

“That was fucking amazing, but we're not quite done yet.” A round of groans erupted. “I know. I know. We're almost there. I just need some close-ups.”

He removed the camera from the tripod and jumped into the scene, being careful to step over the mess of puddles on the carpet and wood floor.

“All right. Let's start again from the beginning, but I want you to pretend that I'm Millie,” he instructed while positioning the camera. “Just look straight into the camera and deliver that scream.”

Sara shook her hands out and jumped a few times. “Okay, boss. I can do that.”

“Think you can repeat the same scream?”

“I'll certainly try.”

He grinned. “Awesome. Somebody clap this scene!”

Barely a few seconds passed before Levi appeared with the scene marker. He held it shakily before the camera.

“Okay, still rolling,” Josiah said. “Give it to me, Levi.”

“Scene eleven, take two.” Clap.

Josiah repeated the same motion as before, holding up his fingers and counting down until he called for action. As Sara walked forward and prepared for her screaming debut, he frowned.

“Cut,” he grunted. “Can somebody strike those lights in the background?”

Levi jumped into action and removed the lights. When he did, the scene seemed to shift. Josiah glanced around thoughtfully while biting his lower lip. His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. “Levi, Could you place that just out of view?”

“Over here?” Levi set the light down gently on the ground.

Josiah peered through the lens and grinned. He held up a thumb in agreement and motioned for Sara to continue. “Give me another clap.”

The scene marker appeared and clapped almost instantly, prompting Sara into action. She stepped forward, focused on the camera, and raised her hands in succession as a screech erupted from her lips. When she fell to the ground, Josiah scooted back to capture her performance and ended up stepping in a puddle of fake blood.

“Damn it,” he groaned. “All right, cut.”

“Want me to wipe that?” Levi offered.

Josiah stared at the footprint for a second. As he tapped his chin, he heard shuffling all around. His crew was getting particularly antsy. It was just as vibrant in the air as Sara's incredible scream. When he glanced at his watch, his eyes widened. “Shit.”

He focused on Millie who had been still the whole time, quiet as a mouse through the entire ordeal. A warm smile crossed his lips.

“You all right there, Mill?”

She grinned wide. “I'm in my natural environment. Of course I am!”

The room erupted with chuckles and Josiah held out a hand to help her from the cot. Her sticky hand met his and he grimaced slightly, chuckling away the mess they had all made.

“I think that's enough for today. I don't want you guys to feel like you're being tortured for a film,” he announced. “It's a horror film, but it doesn't have to be a horrific process!”

Laughter encompassed the room. As Millie stood, rivers of corn syrup slithered down her clothes and she laughed even harder. She tugged at her blouse and held it out as an offering to those around her.

“Who wants a hug?” she joked.

“Hugs for Millie and clean-up crew,” Josiah shouted over the laughter. “Let's get a mop in here.”

While the room plunged into action, he walked slowly back to the tripod and set the camera down. There was enough footage from the day for playbacks. As he rewound the recorded footage, he looked pensive. It didn't feel like they had spent the evening recording. It almost didn't look like enough footage at all for the amount of time that had passed. But before he said anything about it, he glanced at his cast and crew.

Sara was busy helping Millie clean the globs of syrup from her clothes. Connor was positioned in the corner with his earphones pressed hard to his ears, likely reviewing what they had just captured. And Levi was the only one with any sort of cleaning supplies in his hands. Jonathan appeared suddenly and Josiah took a step back.

“Didn't scare you, did I?” Jonathan teased.

Josiah sighed. “No, but there's always a first time for everything.”

“Still salty.”

“Only mildly. What's up?”

“I don't have work tomorrow, so I can stay late and clean up.”

Josiah paused the camera and stared at the still-shot of Jonathan stabbing Millie. It looked a little strange on the miniature screen. As he held it up for a better view, he shrugged.

“No, don't worry about it. Levi looks like he's already helping. It's really not a lot to do.”

Jonathan nodded with a knowing eyebrow raised. “I get it. You want to be alone with your prop guy.”

Josiah rolled his eyes. “Still on about that, eh?”

“Just pointing out a small fact. It's okay to admit it.”

“You're funny.”

Jonathan smiled. “Good work today, boss. You really are bringing it together.”

Before Josiah could reply with thanks, Jonathan walked away. It was odd behavior, Josiah noted, for someone who had caused him so much harm. He never thought he would ever receive such a compliment from his cheating ex, but then again, he never thought he'd make more than one horror movie, especially not one that would be a full ninety-minute feature. And here he was proving himself otherwise.

As he gazed at his cast and crew, he tittered to himself and smiled wide. This was his world. He belonged here in the middle of all this chaos and mess. He might as well accept it as a part of his life that would never go away. Continuing to smile, he didn't mind that Sara, Millie, and Connor were already heading for the door after Jonathan.

“I need a shower,” Millie stated. “Like a really long and hot one.”

“Understood,” Josiah said with a nod. “Get some rest and I'll see you guys again soon.”

“Goodnight, Jo.”

The four of them left, plunging the once chaotic room into sudden calm. Josiah noticed that Levi had his earbuds in and the faint sound of metal music floated over the space to Josiah's ears. He chuckled. The only other sound remaining was the squishing of the mop and Levi breathing heavily. Josiah crossed the room and touched Levi's arm. A blob of sticky red fluid stuck where his hand had been and he chuckled.

“Whoops.”

Levi removed his earbuds and said, “Hey.”

“Sorry about the corn syrup.”

Levi glanced at his arm and laughed. “It's no big deal.”

“Thanks for sticking around. Again.”

“Not a problem.” Levi glanced at the mess on the ground and pointed. “This might stain, you know.”

“It's just corn syrup, red dye, and chocolate.”

“Exactly. It's ant city, basically.”

“Ants never bothered me much. That's what Maura is for.”

Levi chuckled. “And where is the Supreme Queen of the House tonight?”

“I think the screaming might have scared her off somewhere. She'll probably make an appearance as soon as we're doing something important.”

“As most cats do.”

Josiah nodded in agreement and grabbed a few paper towels, tossing them on top of wayward puddles to soak them up. He knelt down to the ground and started gathering the soaked towels together, looking up every so often at Levi. The metal music was still blaring through Levi's earbuds. It sounded faintly like growling, growing deeper every few verses with the squeal of guitars.

“I don't quite understand that sort of music,” Josiah joked.

“Metal isn't really for everyone. I find the discordant sound helps me concentrate when I'm creating sets.”

“That's so weird.”

“I mean, what isn't in our world?”

Josiah chuckled. “You're right. I guess I just never really got into that sort of thing. I like alternative music to a point.”

“You like that pop-punk stuff, don't you?”

Josiah raised a curious brow and shot Levi a playful look. “And what's wrong with all that stuff?”

“It's too happy for me.” Levi winked. “But whatever you like is yours to like.”

“I'm glad I can at least gain your approval.”

Levi guffawed and dropped the mop, instantly covering his mouth as it smacked the ground. A few specks of corn syrup landed on Josiah's lip and he dabbed at it with his tongue. “At least we mixed it with chocolate.”

“I really wouldn't recommend eating much of that. It's like a one-way ticket to having a headache,” Levi advised.

“It was just a tiny drop. No big deal.”

“That's how addiction starts, isn't it?” Levi started laughing but quickly stopped, covering his mouth again. He shrugged and chuckled nervously before reaching for the mop. “Anyway, that's what I hear.”

“I'm sure there's a drop of truth to that.”

“Oh, I see what you did there.”

Josiah winked. “I love playing with words.”

“I love playing, too.” Red instantly filled Levi's cheeks. He stammered as he added, “I-I mean, with w-w-words.”

With a sly grin, Josiah looked Levi over. There was something heavily attractive about such a shy, alternative, stammering metal-head who rarely spoke much on set. Levi had the sweetest face. His nose was a bit long and his lips were thin, but they looked like they were gentle and soft. His honey-gold eyes were warm and inviting. His hands looked rugged and rough from building sets, a huge perk to having him around. He could practically fix anything with ease given his experience. Those hands were one of the things that Josiah couldn't help but study. His eyes rose from Levi's hands to Levi's arms. The collar of Levi's shirt barely hid the black ink that undoubtedly was a large tattoo on his chest. Josiah wanted to ask but thought better of it.

Returning his focus to the job at hand, he said, “Jonathan says I'm doing a good job.”

“I have to agree. You're doing really well for having very little to work with. Not many people could do what you do.”

Josiah scoffed. “I'm sure other people could do it.”

“Sure, but not exactly like you do it. How long have we known each other?”

“I mean, who's counting?” Josiah chuckled. “For a while. Since college. I was in theater directing and you were a simple prop maker.”

“And of all the people we've known, you were the one to really grab the bull by the horns and make it happen.”

“Well, I've spent my life wanting to do this. I'm going to do it whether I can afford to or not.”

“Well, don't dig yourself a financial hole. If you need help with funding it, I'm here.”

Josiah shrugged. “Jonathan has been helping in that department. He's a good actor and a great support.”

“He seems kind of weird, honestly.”

“That's just how Jonathan is.”

“I guess he fits the part then.”

Josiah laughed. “I think everyone working on a horror movie set is going to be strange in one way or another.”

“That's for sure.” Levi paused with the mop positioned inside the bucket. “I mean, not you. You're not very weird at all.”

“Oh? I sort of hope I come off as a little bit weird. I wouldn't be a great director if I wasn't.”

“Nah, I don't think that's true.”

Josiah raised a curious brow. “Do go on.”

“Well, I...” Levi trailed off as he slapped the mop to the ground.

“Well, actually, I don't think that mop is doing a great job.”

Levi huffed with amusement. “You know, I think you're right.”

“It's fine. You can take it to the bathroom and rinse it off. Let's try something else to clean up the blood.”

Nodding in agreement, Levi disappeared. Josiah watched with a sort of dreamy look as Levi's taut bottom scooted away. After Levi was gone, he shook his head.

I should get a hold of myself. Jonathan has been planting too many seeds in my brain, he reflected timidly. If I stare too much, I'll end up in a weird situation.

He smiled weakly to himself and chuckled under his breath. Who am I kidding? That's what makes this situation so strangely attractive.

After staring at the ground for a moment, Josiah looked up toward the bathroom and listened to the sounds of the spout spitting water. He smiled and shrugged it off, looking up toward the ceiling as a way to relieve the situation to the universe. Whatever was supposed to happen would happen. But he hoped maybe it would be in his favor.