A cold, rainy night hung over Lineboro as screams filled the air, only to be interrupted by a blaring noise of a passing train.

Ghouls welcomed guests into a House of Horror that only the brave would dare enter.

But would they return?

And if they did, what did they see?

"Don't tell them anything," said Mike Boe, 19 of Millers, who managed to find his way out of the house.

Other souls trembled long before stepping into the darkness in this otherwise sleepy town along the Mason-Dixon line.

"I cried already, and I haven't even gone in yet," said Katie Miller, 14, of Woodstock.

The Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department hosts its annual house of horror -- also known as Bedlam in the Boro -- as its main fundraiser to help pay off the department's expanded fire hall project, completed in 2007.

Surviving guests must crave the mysterious haunting inside, as the house made close to $50,000 last year, according to Tom Myers of Manchester, a volunteer firefighter and one of co-organizers of the event.

An estimated 9,000 to 10,000 people come to Bedlam's haunted house and hay ride each year.

What's in store for this year?

"I usually don't like to give away secrets," Myers said. "We've increased some of the special effects. We try to get a little bit scarier every year."

Inside the house, obstacles and goblins lurk around every corner.

One turn reveals Rachel Holland of Pleasant Valley, belting out her screams while laying on a gurney in a hospital gown.

We won't tell you why.

This year is Holland's first as a volunteer ghoul, and she said it's fun scaring people.

"It's Halloween; it's what we do," she said. "This is my favorite time of year."

Holland said she decided to volunteer because her children volunteered as a way of "scaring up" some community service hours, and her friends were volunteering, too.

By day, Holland is a nurse, and finds a release in yelling at the top of her lungs.

Myers agrees with that philosophy, and says those who help with the haunted house really get into the act.

"It's kind of like in your blood, so you don't have to pump up," he said. "It kind of pumps you up."

In her inaugural season, Holland said sometimes she worries that she does too good of a job. She said one little girl came around the corner and suddenly had a bewildered look.

"I don't know if she (peed) her pants," she said, "but I felt bad."

Clean up on aisle 666.

Frightfully Fun

The Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department's Bedlam in the Boro, house of horror and haunted hay rides, is held at 4224 Main St., Lineboro. From Westminster: Take Route 27 north to Manchester. Turn left on Route 30, then right onto Lineboro Road (Route 86) and drive 3 1/2 miles.

Hours: Open Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31, 7-10:30 p.m. Ticket booth closes at 10:30 p.m., but attractions open until final person is through. Hay rides may be canceled because of weather.

Concessions, carnival games and food is available 5-9 p.m. in the fire hall. Proceeds benefit the Lineboro Fire Department. For details, call 410-239-GHOST or go to www.bedlamintheboro.com.

Prices: Ages 9 and up, $12 for haunted hay ride, $8 for the house of horror. Prices for ages 8 and younger are $8 and $6, respectively. Combo tickets (both attractions) are $15 ($10 for ages 8 and under), and combo group tickets (groups of 13 or more) $13. There's also a RIP Pass (express to front of line, both attractions), at $25 ($20 for 8 and younger).

House cleaning

Here are a few things you should know about the House of Horror:

* The spooks don't touch you, so please don't touch the spooks.

* Strobe lights are used.

* The house is wheelchair accessible.

* You may feel a small (9-volt) shock.

Bedlam Bypass

For those who prefer to skip the ghouls and goblins, a non-scary hay ride is offered Sunday, Oct. 25, 2-4 p.m. Cost is $5 and includes face painting and a trip to the pumpkin patch where each child receives a free pumpkin.

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