9 Scary Halloween Stories — Headless Riders & Haunted Towns - Weekly Spooky: Scary Halloween Stories

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, my spookies. October is in full swing. The leaves
are fluttering, the moon is watching, and the porch lights
are flickering like they know something evil is coming. I'm
your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and while we do

(00:24):
celebrate Halloween all year long here at Weekly Spooky, it's
extra special in October. So to help you get in
the spirit of the season, we've cracked open the Weekly
Spooky Vault for nine terrifying tales of Halloween horror, mischief
in the streets, pumpkin born curses, headless riders, graveyard games,

(00:48):
buy you flames, parties that end badly, and a late
night grocery run you will absolutely regret. So dim the light,
get that candy bowl within eyesight, and let us do
the rest. And remember, we'll be dropping another big spooky

(01:10):
compilation next Tuesday, and of course tomorrow we'll have a
brand new horror story for you to enjoy. So take
a breath, lock the door, and let's begin Mischief Night.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
The Halloween Invasion by Shane.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Migliavaka Happy mother fucking Halloween, Calm Down, Son, Son swore
in Korean before she kicked the van's flat tire why
should I, Jade, We're stuck in the middle of nowhere
on Halloween night with a blown out tire and a
gig we're supposed to be at actually two blown out tires,

(01:50):
another voice added. This caused more swearing in Korean from Sun.
Jade sighed, mumbling under her breath. Good one. Alli. Ali
stepped around from the other side of the van. She
was a short, bleach blonde with a style that contrasted
her bandmate's maulpunk coteur. Now what the fuck do we do?

(02:12):
Sun leaned. Defeated against the van. Jade, the lead singer
of the Disposable Tampons, looked up and down the long
stretch of road. Nothing but fucking trees. She pulled at
one of her long brown curls. Son, think your sister
Bay would come get us, Jade asked, not feeling hopeful

(02:32):
about the answer. Son shook her head. She's got an
art class tonight. Damn. How about the town we passed?
Ali interjected, They gotta have a garage or something. Jade smiled, brilliant.
We'll push the van off the road then hook it
to that town. The three girls got ready to move

(02:53):
the van when they realized something. Aren't we missing something?
Sun nodded towards the van or someone. Sun pulled the
van sliding door open. Wedged between the seats and the
band's gear was a sleeping bag with a human like
lump inside. Sun knocked on the side of the van,

(03:15):
Up and Adam rasse Linda. A groan came from the
sleeping bag. What we need your help, Roz. Roz opened
the sleeping bag.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
What's up?

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Sun frowned, Really, you slept through the hole, nearly going
off the road thing Roz slid out of the van.
We crashed? Why tires blew out? Ali informed her. Fuck
knows how the shitty machine strikes again. Sun kicked one
of the van's tires. Don't talk about my baby like that,

(03:49):
Jade warned her. A fine mist settled over the ground
as dusk fell. Roz yawned. Why are you always doing that?
Sun asked, I'm tired from what sleeping? Channeling the energies

(04:11):
I do? It taxes my spirit? How about channeling us
up a couple of tires. Ali looked over at Jade,
who appeared to be deep in thought as they walked.
Is the country supposed to be this quiet? Sun asked,
like we're the only ones that exist. Ali observed, have

(04:32):
you ever thought about that? Roz spoke up existing. I
mean right now we can't see or hear anybody. Do
they still exist? Or is it only when we can
see them that they exist? No, I can't say I have,
Jade answered. Sun looked at Roz, you high. All four

(04:53):
girls chuckled. That's when they saw it ahead of them
down the road, an old steel bridge, large enough for
two lanes of traffic and nothing more. Beyond the bridge
lay the town. They were a quarter of a way
across the bridge when Jade noted how still the town looked.

(05:14):
It was Halloween night, there should be some tricker treaters.
A gust of wind blew across the bridge, bringing with
it a sudden chill in the air and something else.
What is that smell, Sun said, pinching her nose shut.

(05:35):
Did somebody shit their pants? I think it's sewage, Ali said,
making a face. Maybe there's a treatment plant or something
around here. The road led to the main drag of town.
On the right was a diner. A paper cut out
of a witch was taped up in the window. A
banner hung over it. Proclaiming Happy Halloween. Jade pulled open

(06:01):
the diner's door. You guys wait here, No, can't do.
I'm going in with you, Ali said, Son looked up
and down the empty street. Shit, me too. The three
girls entered the diner. Ros lingered alone for a second
before following them inside. Country music drifted through the uninhabited

(06:25):
structure from somewhere behind the counter. Plates sat on tables
covered in half eaten meals. For the briefest of seconds,
Jade saw it, a figure standing in the semi darkened kitchen. Hey,
Jade called out, startling the girls and herself as she

(06:47):
slid over the counter in pursuit. Her bandmates called after
her as she ran into the kitchen. The kitchen was
empty save for her and a grinning Jack o' lantern
decoration hanging on the far wall. What are you laughing at,
Jade asked, frustrated Jade, you better see this. Jade leaned

(07:09):
over the counter. What. Ali pointed out the large front window,
where a group of people stood in a straight line
on the street, their features hidden in the dark shadows
of the night. Oh oh shit. They stepped forward in unison.
The one closest to the door, peered into the diner,

(07:30):
tilting its head as it studied them. Its green eyes
shone in the darkness. Oh fuck, Son uttered, what is
that a really good Halloween costume? Ali queried. Through with
its study, the once human thing punched through the glass.

(07:50):
The girls jumped back, shrieking. Back here, back here, Jade screamed.
The three joined her in the kitchen, quickly arming themselves
with cooking implements. The thing crunched broken glass under its
foot as it stepped through the broken door. What do
you want, Ali asked, We don't want any trouble. It

(08:12):
turned towards them, Its mouth opened wide as it let
out an unearthly bellow, causing the nearby windows to vibrate
and shatter. Okay, Jade said, now we run. The band
burst out of the diner onto a cluttered back alley.
At the end of the alley stood more of the

(08:34):
former townsfolk, forever watching them. Sun hefted a cleaver. Let's
fight these assholes. We don't know what they want, Roz said.
They could be trying to communicate with us. They might
be possessed by something, maybe that body snatches or some shit.
Sun added. That guy in the diner didn't look so hot.

(08:56):
What if they have some kind of virus, Ali offered.
The townspeople started down the alley towards them. Jade was
just about to begin the fight when she saw it,
a rusty fire escape ladder up there. She motioned to
the others, I think it's our best bet. There was

(09:18):
no disagreement from the others as they pulled down the
ladder and made their way up. As the strangers closed
in on the roof, the girls took a moment to rest.
Think those fuckers can climb, Son asked, spitting over the

(09:39):
edge of the roof. Jade looked at the throng below.
Think we can sneak out of here? Well, we can't
make it to the bridge. There's too many of them
between here and there. Ali observed. Maybe we should call
the cops, Roz said. Son scoffed at the idea, and
tell them what the whole town has gone wacko, Roz shrugged.

(10:04):
Worth a shot, Jade stepped forward, Do it, Ali, keep
a watch on our friends. Son pulled out her phone.
She looked at Jade. What the hell do I tell them?
Jade pondered the question for a moment. I don't know.
Tell him it's terrorists. Son made a face. Terrorists took

(10:26):
over the town. Yeah, basically, Jade answered. Sun punched nine
one one into her phone. She was answered with a
shrill electronic shriek. Hang it up, Hang it up, Roz pleaded.
Sun fumbled with the phone before finally turning it off. Guys,

(10:48):
Ali said, they're stirring down there. I think they heard that.
Realizing they had no other option, the four snuck down
from the roof and advanced down main Street, hugging the storefronts.
They made it a few down when Suns stopped them
in front of an auto shop. Look, she whispered, enthusiastically,

(11:12):
motioning inside. Two dirt bikes sat against one wall of
the garage. We could totally jet out of here. Sun whispered, easy, breezy, beautiful.
What if they don't work? Ali said, they're in a garage.
What if they do? Sun shot back. Jade thought, for
a moment, Okay, we'll go for it. They entered through

(11:38):
an unlocked office window, revealing the dingy garage. A man
in overalls lay on the center of the oil stained
concrete floor. A strange green substance covered his upper torso
think he's dead. Maybe he's taking a long break, Son answered.

(11:58):
As the girls examined the something fell in the far
corner of the garage, causing the foursome to jump in fright.
Duct tape rolled across the floor towards them. A boy
stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a dracula costume.
An overturned toolbox lay at his feet. Are you okay, kid,

(12:20):
Jade asked. The child remained silent. Come here, kiddo, Ali
beckoned him over. The boy stood staring at them. Is
that your dad, Son asked, pointing to the man on
the ground. Again, The child did not respond. Don't ask

(12:43):
him that, Roz scolded. He could be traumatized. Screw this,
Sun said, starting towards the boy. Come on, kid. She
reached out towards the youth. The boy let out a
deafening howl. Struggled against the sonic barrage, unaware that the
prone man sat up next to her. Son screamed as

(13:07):
the man took hold of her shoulders. As this was happening,
the boy advanced towards the distracted sun. Jade wiped blood
from her ears as her hearings started to return The
first thing she heard was Son swearing. Hearing her friend
in trouble, she grabbed a pipe wrench from the nearby table.
Charging by her two still recovering friends, Jade swung the wrench,

(13:29):
hitting the man in the side of the head as
he tried forcing Son to the ground. The blow landed
with a wet crunch. The boy howled and lunged at Sun.
His jaw expanded as green liquid dripped from his mouth.
Son kicked him away, sending him to the nearby tool bench.
Son stood and grabbed the wrench from Jade's hand. Mother

(13:50):
fucking little shit, she grumbled as she swung at the boy.
She cracked him in the head, causing him to spin
around and spew green mucus all over the concrete floor.
He stumbled around like a drunk before dropping to the ground.
Oh fuck, Sun gasped, I just killed that kid. Jade

(14:11):
put a hand on her friend's shoulder. It's okay. Son
looked down at the man's body. Is he think so?
Jade responded. They turned to their friends, who were recovering
from the sonic attack. You guys, okay, yeah, Roz answered,
As Son, Jade and Roz moved the dirt bikes into

(14:33):
position and gave them a quick check. Ali found a
good view of the street from one of the windows.
They definitely heard. We got strange assholes inbound, she reported
back to them. Jade and Son started the bikes up
as Ali and Roz raised one of the garage doors.
Jumping onto the backs of the bikes, the women roared
out onto the streets as the townspeople closed in trying

(14:55):
to encircle the girls. Jade kicked one as Roz belted
one of over the head with a frying pan she'd
taken from the diner. Suddenly more of them came from
the surrounding buildings. There's too many, Ali roared over the
bike's engine. Follow me, Sun said, pointing to a thinned
out area of the mob. She gunned her engine, plowing

(15:16):
through a few of the horde, while Jade followed. As
Son took off down a side street, some of the
people were running after them. They're getting better, Jade said aloud,
what Ali asked? Those people? Those things? They're getting better
at being people. When they'd been watching from the diner roof,

(15:37):
they'd stumbled about and had trouble with the ladder. Now
they were running. Were they learning? Jade shivered, Just what
the hell was going on? Son stopped her bike next
to a heavily wooded area. Jade slowed her bike, pulling
up next to her look. Son motioned, a path. Maybe

(16:01):
it'll take us out of town to a rote or something.
Roz stared into the darkness of the woods. She shivered
and rubbed her arms. Those woods ancient dark, Roz warned,
feels like a storm in my head. She put a
hand to her temple, so much energy out there. Son

(16:24):
turned to Jade with a puzzled look. Are you okay,
Jade asked. Roz nodded, I will be. I just have
to do a simple inspection first. She started to quietly chant.
I hope this spell is fast, Sun said, looking around.
Never know who'll show up, quiet Ali said. After a

(16:47):
few minutes, Roz stopped chanting. She looked at her bandmates.
It's fine, now we can enter. Jade shrugged, sure, fine whatever.
They entered the woods, leaving their rides behind. The path

(17:09):
was too dark and uneven to use the bike safely.
As they walked, the shadowy trees loomed over them on
either side. The bare branches reached out for them from
the dark like the devil's trident. The wind gusted and
that strange rotting smell assaulted their noses again. After following

(17:35):
the path awhile it opened up to a clearing, the
cold fall air was still once more. From the other
side of the clearing came a familiar sound. Is that?
Jade asked. Ali listened for a moment before answering. It's sting.

(17:59):
She answered indeed it was. They crossed the clearing, heading
towards the source of the melancholic singing. The trailer home
came into view. Christmas lights hung from the trees surrounding
the home. Sun stopped them. Wait it's a trap. I
don't know, Ali replied, I don't think those things would

(18:21):
listen to message in a bottle. All the same, we'll
move forward cautiously, Jade said. Their stealthy approach was quickly
ruined by the happy bark of a German shepherd. The
dog tail wagging ran up to the forsom It barked
again before trotting off to the trailer door to scrape
on it with its paws. God damn it, Clint, a

(18:44):
man hollered from inside the trailer. I was taking a shit.
The trailer door swung open, and an older man in
a beat up bathrobe stepped out holding a shotgun. He
saw the girls and swung the shotgun around, pointing it
at them. Only fucked up jumping shit, some fucking guard
dog you are, Clint, don't shoot, mister. Jade raised her arms.

(19:07):
The other girls followed suit. We're not monsters, Roz added,
put your hands down. The old man looked at the girls. Well,
you can talk and your faces aren't fucked up. He
looked at the dog, who was licking Jade's hand. Clint
likes you, so, I guess you're not with them commie
martians in town. No we're not, Sun grumbled. His eyes

(19:31):
flicked from Son to Jade, then Roz and Ali. Who
the fuck are you the un We're a band, Jade said,
ignoring his comment. Our van broke down outside of town.
What the fuck is going on around here? Sun blurted out.
Let's go inside. The man said, we'll shoot the shit.

(19:52):
Sounds good to me. I'm Jade, these are my friends, Ali,
Son and Roz. He lowered the shotgun. I'm gunnery Sergeant
Dale Campbell, grumpy old bastard by trade. Were you in
the army, Ali asked, I was a goddamn marine. Where
the best there is? They followed him inside, Clint the

(20:13):
dog happily tagging along. Inside the trailer was pretty much
what Jade expected. A Marine Corps flag hung on one wall.
On another was a gunrack. There were empty beer cans
and whiskey bottles competing for space on the kitchen counter.
Sitting next to a CD player. On the coffee table
was a signed picture of Linda Carter as Wonder Woman.

(20:36):
Cozy Son said, looking around, so, mister Campbell you live
out here, Jade asked, My dad was mister Campbell? Just
call me Gunny? He said, yeah, just me and Clint.
You know about the town, Jade asked. Gunny went to
the fridge and took out a beer. He held it

(20:59):
out to Jade. Interest you in a Palantine? Jade hesitated,
don't worry. I don't give a fuck if you're twenty
one or not sure. She took the beer, cracking it open.
He did likewise with the rest of the band, each
of them excepting Soon they were sitting around the living
room of the trailer, listening as Gunny told them how

(21:21):
Howard Phillips had found a strange rock buried on his property,
one that turned out to be way larger than anyone
could have guessed. That was maybe a week ago, Gunny said,
taking a last pull from his can. But my memory
ain't what it used to be, so don't quote me
on this shit. He shook the can empty. Another one

(21:44):
bites the dust. He got up and went to the fridge.
Clint followed after him. I only go into town every
couple of weeks for supplies, but I hear shit. Strange
stuff started happening, people disappearing, others not leaving their houses.
He cracked the new beer open. Then today I went

(22:05):
into town. Fucked up. Shit was going down, people attacking
other people, puking green shit on him. I got my
ass back here, decided to get fucked off my ass
before the world ended. Gunny raised his newly opened beer.
Here's to the end of the world. Fuck that shit, son,

(22:25):
spoke up. I have a sister, my mom, and dad.
If this shit gets out into the world, she shook
her head. No fucking way. But what the hell can
we do? Roz asked, you saw how many of those
things there are. I don't think we can let those
things leave town. They have to be stopped. Ali said,

(22:47):
before she turned to Jade, what do you think boss?
They'd been friends for as long as Jade could remember.
They'd started the band together after listening to some punk
rock compilation. Ali's father had she never failed to have
some advice when Jade needed guidance. We gotta fight them,
Jade decided. But we could die, Roz muttered. For nothing.

(23:13):
At least we would have tried. Jade said, I understand.
If you don't want to go, stay here. If we succeed,
we'll come get you. Roz looked down at the floor.
I don't know. Jade gave her friend some space, turning
her attention to Gunny. How about you, old soldier. Gunny
balanced an empty beer can on top of another one.

(23:36):
Fuck you ask him me to go on some no
chance to succeed suicide mission, little lady. Yeah, basically, fuck it,
Let's kill us some commie martians. Gunny pulled on his
old bomber jacket, the jacket he'd worn the night he

(23:58):
met Margaret, his now ex wife. For once, he was
glad Margaret and his daughter, Jenny lived on the other
side of the country. He opened the door to the
bedroom and noticed Jade pacing. Hey kid, come here, sec Yeah,
got something for you. On the wall behind the bed

(24:19):
hung a katana. Jade's eyes lit up when she saw it.
No shit, a katana really for me? Gunny frowned. He
looked down at the knife in his hands and then
chucked it over his shoulder. Yep, all yours. He presented
it to Jade. I got this when I was stationed

(24:42):
in Japan after Nam. Take good care of her, damn,
Son complained, why does she get an awesome sword? Don't worry,
I got something for you. Gunny took a shotgun from
the rack. He presented it to Son. This here is
an under over shotgun. He slapped it open loading. It
works just like a regular shotgun, but one barrel is

(25:06):
over the other one. She's got quite a kick. He
handed the loaded shotgun to Sun. Think you can handle it.
Son looked at the gun in her hands. Yeah good.
He handed her a box of shells. Just don't shoot me.
He went over to the small kitchen table where Ali
and Roz were making Molotov cocktails out of whiskey bottles.

(25:30):
He sighed, a damn waste of fine whiskey. Jade was
watching them prepare, a pensive look etched on her face.
Gunny stood next to her, ready for battle. I hope so,
Jade replied, Got a plan? Jade made a face. Kind

(25:50):
of works for me. Gunny's truck roared down the dirt road,
kicking up dirt as the Beegi's blare from the truck's stereo.
The girls held on for dear life. In the back,
Sun hollered over the noise. I can't believe the dog
gets to ride in the cab. They were headed to town.

(26:12):
According to Gunny, the bridge was the only way in
and out save for trekking through the woods. If they
could take out the bridge somehow, or block it, then
they might stand a chance of stopping these things from
spreading if they hadn't already. If they could do that,
Jade hoped they could lure the fuckers into a large

(26:32):
area and finish them off with the molotops. That was
a big If the trucks stormed out of the woods
onto a quiet street, there was no sign of those
things or another living person. Get ready, Gunny hollered, We're
headed for the bridge. Who knows what we'll run into

(26:56):
When they hit main Street. There was still no sign
of them. Gunny brought the truck to a stop within
sight of the bridge. The girls tensed up, waiting for
an attack to come.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
There was nothing.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
Maybe we're too late, Ali said. After a few moments
of silence, everyone piled out of the truck, each of
them feeling defeated. Clint sniffed at the air, running around
in a circle. So now what, son asked anger in
her voice, as if answering her. Clint started barking frantically

(27:33):
before running off down the street. Son of a bitch,
Gunny shouted, get back here, I've got him. Jade took
off after the dog, despite everyone's protests, following Clint down
main Street, the katana held firmly. Jade was ready for trouble.
The dog stopped in front of the town's theater, barking

(27:56):
madly at the entrance. What's in there, boy? The dog
whined and barked excitedly. Jade tried the glass double doors
of the theater. It was locked. She looked down at
the dog. Stay here. Clint let out a low growl.
As Jade stepped into the theater. She shushed him, stay here.

(28:17):
Jade closed the door behind her. Immediately she heard the low,
deep hum reverberating through the building. That rotten smell was
here as well, stronger than before. She went to the auditorium,
Gently opening one of the double doors, Jade peered inside.

(28:37):
What she saw took the breath from her lungs. A
ten foot stone monolith stood in front of the stage.
Green light shimmered around it. The auditorium was filled to
the brim with the possessed townfolk. They stood unmoving, as

(28:58):
if in reverence of the monolith. The hum was emanating
from there. It became louder and louder, becoming a deep pulse,
a pulse Jade could feel in her body. The motionless
people began to stir. They moved towards the monolith, laying

(29:20):
their hands upon it. Jade's mind tried to comprehend what
happened next. The people's hands began to melt together. Then
their bodies merged with the next closest person engulfing them.
Flesh joining with flesh. A membrane of merged bodies grew

(29:44):
bigger and bigger, flowing around the colossal stone monolith. The
door made a creaking noise. As Jade leaned against it.
One of the townspeople closest to her, a young woman
in and the cheerleader outfit, turned seeing Jade, it hissed
and came at her, Lashing out, Jade cut the cheerleader's

(30:07):
head off with the katana. This alerted some of the others,
who turned and charged towards Jade. Fuck She slammed the
door shut, trying to hold it as angry fists pounded
on it from the other side, but the assault was
too much, and Jade fell backwards. As the door burst open.
Jade struck out with the katana, cutting down a teenaged

(30:29):
boy dressed as a hockey masked serial killer.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
It was no use.

Speaker 1 (30:33):
As she pulled the sword free of the dead boy,
More of the possessed people closed in. Jade took a
deep breath. She vowed to herself she'd take as many
with her as possible. As she raised up the katana.
The double glass doors of the lobby behind her exploded
as Gunny's truck rammed through them. Jade jumped for cover

(30:54):
as wood and glass flew. Before she could recover, her
ears still ringing, one of the nearest of the possessed
people flew with a loud crack, their chest exploding in
a red and green mess. Holy shit, son, howled, this
thing does kick. Jade looked up to see her friends
standing next to her with the shotgun. Gunny grinned at

(31:16):
them from behind the wheel. Come on, let's get the
fuck out of here. The building shook as the pulse
grew louder. Fucking a right, Jade said, scrambling into the
back where Ali, Roz and Clint waited. Gunny backed up,
swerving the truck around. The pulse from the monolith could

(31:37):
be heard even over the roar of the engine. Possessed
townsfolk rushed from the theater towards the truck. Light them up, girls,
Gunny hollered. The girls hurled the lit maltovs, hitting the
oncoming horde and sending many of them up in flames.
The ground started to rumble as the pulse grew louder.
Let's get out of here, Jade said. As Gunny peeled out.

(32:00):
Jade told the others what she'd seen and heard in
the theater. Roz stopped her when she heard about the sounds.
I have an idea, she said. We have to get
to the van quickly. The whole earth seemed to shake
as Jade stood the bridge at her back. Something was coming.

(32:23):
Jade gripped the microphone tight in her hand. Cymbals written
in her and her bandmate's blood adorned her face and arms.
Roz sat cross legged behind her, chanting. Jade took a
deep breath as another building crumbled. The misshapen thing lumbered
from the cloud of destruction, a mass of limbs and

(32:48):
bodies and melted flesh a mast around the stone monolith.
Sun stood filming with her phone as the beast approached. One, two, three, four,
another one bites the dust. Jade said, ready for battle?
Whoa son stopped her. That song will get us taken

(33:10):
down from YouTube for copyright. Okay, Jade said, one of ours. Then,
fuck you motherfuckers by disposable tampons. She felt the energy
flow through her, with each verse coming to her mind.

Speaker 3 (33:31):
Fuck you, motherfucker, I hate everything about you.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
The blast of energy leapt from her asonic lance that
pierced the damned beast, staggering it. Jade kept singing.

Speaker 3 (33:44):
Your hair, socks and your bread steaks.

Speaker 1 (33:46):
Another bolt of energy shot out of her had struck
the beast, going through and out the other side.

Speaker 3 (33:52):
Fuck you motherfucker. Bag your wrass up quick, fuck you motherfucker,
and you could suck mine.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
Jade finished, dropping the mic to the ground. A third
bolt shot out, hitting the monolith at the beast's center,
causing it to fracture. Energy began bleeding out of the
cracked edifice. The beast let out a pained screech before
being consumed by the energy and exploding. The shockwave sent

(34:24):
everyone sprawling to the ground. Jade lay on the street,
drifting in and out of consciousness. She wasn't sure how
long she'd been there, but she could hear Ali's voice. Jade,
are you all right? I think so, she said, standing

(34:47):
with some help from Ali. Is everybody okay? Pretty much?
Son answered. Roz stood next to her, petting Clint Gunny
stood leaning on his truck. They stared at the ghostly
decimated town in silence. A fine ash began to fall

(35:08):
over the city. It's snowing on Halloween, Sun said, catching
some of it in her hand. That's the ashes of
the burned townspeople. Ali informed them.

Speaker 2 (35:21):
You do la hand by Morgan Moore.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
Halloween night. It's a night where fun can be had
as well as mischief. In ancient folklore, it is a
night where the plains of existence open up, a night
of thrills, where anyone can be anybody or anything. At

(35:55):
this moment, however, Isaiah Crane was late. The young man
was expected at a costume party his classmates were holding.
He was considered the guest of honor. Isaiah was the
new kid in Yatesville, and he quickly learned through the
other kids and even the adults, that he bore an

(36:16):
uncanny resemblance to a man of local legend, Gerald Johnson.
Johnson was infamous for having been convicted of witchcraft and
executed by decapitation for the crime. Whether he did or
did not practice witchcraft was a matter of debate. Like

(36:37):
many other witch hunt victims, None of this mattered to Isaiah, however.
All that mattered to him was getting to the party.
Being the new kid wasn't easy, and he hadn't yet
made any real friends. His invite to the party came
as a genuine surprise, as he didn't think anybody really

(36:58):
knew him. What made the invitation even more surprising was
that it came from a girl named Phoebe Hart. Phoebe
was Isaiah's crush and he couldn't help but take up
the invitation just to hang out with her. He found
it odd that they wanted him to dress up as Johnson,

(37:20):
but if they thought he looked like the guy, and
if Phoebe thought it would be fun, then he would
do it. Unfortunately, things weren't going as well as he
had hoped. His costume had to be homemade, an understandable circumstance,
but Isaiah was afraid he would look drabby compared to

(37:41):
the other kids. Adding on to that was the fact
that Isaiah had to bike his way to the party.
He had planned on riding through the streets of town,
but a downtown party for the older residence made that
next to impossible to do. His next best option was
to take the bike path. All would be fine if

(38:02):
he knew how to traverse it to get to his destination.
Isaiah pedaled on, desperately trying to get to the party,
to his chance to make friends, to fit in to
be with Phoebe. He went faster and faster, trees blurring
by while he rode too fast, though his pant leg

(38:27):
caught on the pedal. He shouted in aggression and disbelief.
The speed was much too high, and Isaiah lost control
of the bike. As the pedal came to a stop,
it turned and twisted off to the side. The front
wheel slammed into the curb of the trail and threw
Isaiah off the bike and into the tree line. Isaiah

(38:50):
laid on the ground in pain in his head. He
started counting backwards from ten and recited various phone numbers
he knew to make sure he didn't have any head trauma.
After he was sure his head was all right, Isaiah
slowly stood up and started checking himself for any more injuries.

(39:10):
He felt blood on his forehead and hands. Along his
shirt sleeves and pants legs, he found multiple rips, his
limbs underneath sure to have cuts and bruises. Nothing seemed
to be wrong with his chest or back as he
pressed his hand against them. The only real pain he

(39:31):
felt was in his ankle, where his pants leg had
gotten caught. Overall, he wasn't too banged up. The young
man began to carefully walk the area he had been
thrown to, trying to find his bike and his way
back to the path. He sighed as he stumbled around
in the dark, unsure really of where he was While

(39:55):
the flight from the bike didn't send him deep into
the wooded part of town, did put him at a
good distance from the trail. With only the faintest shimmers
of moonlight to aid him, Isaiah continued on his hunt.
He walked in the dark towards what he thought was
the way he came from. As he walked, the wind

(40:17):
picked up and brought a chill with it. Isaiah shuddered
at the sudden coldness, his costume not giving him much
protection from the elements. Leaves danced around him as he
continued on. The wind continued to pick up, no longer
making the leaves dance, but plastered them to his face.

(40:41):
He pulled them away, only for them to return moments later.
It got louder and more forceful as it continued to
pick up. Isaiah soon found himself being pushed around by
the wind, as if it was leading him somewhere. The
wind stop shop. Suddenly, Isaiah, having closed his eyes to

(41:03):
protect them from the leaves, opened them, finding himself in
a small clearing. He stood there, taking in the silence
of the night. The moon, once hidden, was now clear
as daylight, providing him with a light source to see
his surroundings. It was then that he heard a thunderous sound.

(41:25):
Isaiah looked around frantically to find the source. The sound
reminded him of horses racing down a track. It grew
closer and closer. The closer it came, the louder it got. Suddenly,
through the trees came the source, a tar black horse

(41:45):
with eyes that glowed like hell fire. Sitting atop the
horse was a man, or what was once a man.
His body was dressed in navy attire reminiscent of a pilgrim,
a black coat draping around his shoulder. The only difference
between this man and any other was his lack of

(42:08):
a head. Isaiah stared in awe of the thing before him.
Just as suddenly as the horseman appeared and stopped before him,
it now started again, charging towards Isaiah at inhuman speed.
The teenager bolted into the tree line to escape the

(42:28):
hellish being. It followed him into the woods, riding so
hard and so fast it was as if it was
burning the land as it went. The boy continued to
run as the horseman thundered behind him. Suddenly, Isaiah felt
a sting on his cheek. He touched his skin and
felt the warm stickiness of blood oozing from his face.

(42:53):
Isaiah looked behind him and found the horseman with an
arm held high and a whip tightly clenched in his hand.
He wasn't sure, but it looked to Isaiah that the
whip was made from something that looked like a spine.

(43:13):
His pursuer cracked it again and struck Isaiah's shoulder. Isaiah
tumbled forward to a stop. He quickly picked himself back
up and continued his escape. The horseman now closer than ever.
Isaiah kept running through the woods with the horsemen on
his heels. His legs grew more and more tired, his

(43:37):
lungs burning, and his body covered in sweat and blood
from his wounds. The ankle he had hurt from his
bike crash throbbed with pain. If this kept up, he
was sure to be a goner. In the distance, Isaiah
saw an opening in the woods. He smiled in hope
that it would lead to his safety. The boy threw

(44:00):
all of his energy into one final mad dash towards
the opening. Isaiah burst through it to find a cabin.
He approached the building and noticed a sign by the
front steps. Denoting it to be a museum devoted to
the witch hunts and trials. Before he could process everything,

(44:24):
he heard the shriek of the horse. He spun around
and saw the horseman galloping towards him. Isaiah instinctively ran
up the stairs to the door, using his good leg
to kick it open. Isaiah flicked the lights on and

(44:45):
was greeted with an array of relics, pictures, and various
odds and ends related to the witch hunts. The teenager
walked around, trying to find something to aid him. The
sewer did not give him much time. As Isaiah was
looking at a display case of antiques, the horseman burst

(45:06):
in horse and all tearing apart the entrance. Isaiah whipped
around to see the horseman himself. Its horse cried out
in anger, and the rider cracked its whip. The horseman
strode slowly towards its prey. Isaiah walked backwards, Trapped with
no exit in sight. He found himself up against an

(45:29):
odd shaped item. The boy turned around and discovered a
row of wax heads. A quick glance at the placards
under them revealed that they were sculptures of those who
were executed. One in particular caught Isaiah's attention. It was

(45:49):
of Gerald Johnson. Johnson had been beheaded for his execution.
Could it be? A crack and a cry from the
horse brought Isaiah back to the situation at hand. The
horseman was getting closer and closer. Isaiah had an idea,
a hope. He grabbed hold of Gerald Johnson's head and

(46:13):
pulled it off its stand. Isaiah turned around and found
the horseman right in front of him. The horse breathed
onto Isaiah, filling the boy's nose with the scent of
decades old decay. Isaiah said a small prayer before holding
up the wax head of Johnson. The horseman slowly lowered

(46:34):
his whip, placing it on his hip with both hands.
He took the sculpture from the boy and placed it
on his shoulders. The head began to meld to the
horseman's body, and a smile formed on the wax's lips.
The smile quickly faded, and the horseman started to claw

(46:58):
at his throat. Isaiah watched confused. It suddenly hit him
that the head being wax meant it wouldn't have any
openings for a person to breathe. The horseman pointed at
Isaiah's head angrily. It must have really been Gerald Johnson,
and he wanted his head or the next best thing Isaiah's.

(47:22):
Isaiah ran from the wax heads with the horsemen on
his heels. His plan failed, and now his pursuer was
angrier and more hell bent to kill him. In his rush,
Isaiah tripped over a display the horseman had knocked down
and landed face first on the floor. He looked over

(47:43):
towards a fallen table and noticed an old lantern. Isaiah
crawled over to it and discovered a small book of
matches sitting next to it, with the logo of the
museum on the front. The boy took one look inside
of the lantern, saw a heavily used candle, and instantly

(48:06):
knew what to do. He grabbed the lantern and the
matches and quickly scrambled to his feet. Isaiah ran out
onto the porch and fumbled to get the matches out
and lit. Once they were ignited, he threw them into
the lantern. He watched the candle catch on fire, illuminating
the dark. Isaiah looked to the door and saw the

(48:28):
charging glow of the horse's eyes. He waited until he
saw the horseman saw the wax visage. Once he saw
it clear as day, he threw the lantern at the
wax head. Please God, The glass broke and the candle
fell on top of the horseman's head. Instantly, the head

(48:50):
caught on fire as quick as it had started. It
just as quickly spread down the rest of the horseman
and on to the horse The creature threwt dashed around
in agony, spreading the fire all about the cabin. Isaiah
ran off of the porch and beelined to an opening
he spotted behind the house. He ran with all of

(49:12):
the energy he had left, not daring to look behind him.
His only comfort was that he didn't hear the horsemen coming.
The young man continued to run, his eyes spotting an
opening in the trees ahead. Isaiah burst through the trees
and fell over his feet on to the pavement. He

(49:32):
stood up and turned around to face the trees from
where he had come. His eyes widened. The fire had
grown from the cabin to the woods around it. It
was a horrific sight, but also one that gave Isaiah
a great comfort, comfort that he was safe. Isaiah walked

(49:53):
for what seemed like an eternity. He had a limp
from all the pain in his ankle, making his already
slip trek that much longer. Listlessly, he walked through the
streets and into a neighborhood. Trick or treating had long
been over, but yards were still decorated with store bought

(50:13):
displays and toilet paper from kids who had been rowdy
that night. Isaiah, a voice feminine called out to him.
The boy stopped and turned to where the voice had
come from. It was Phoebe. She ran up to him
and gasped a little at the state he was in.
You're late. I was worried. It looks like I was

(50:35):
right too. What happened, Phoebe asked, Oh, yeah, I guess
I am late. I crashed my bike and got lost
in the woods. I got out, but well I'm new.
I don't know where everything is yet. Guess I got
lucky that I ended up here, Isaiah explained, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
You are.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
Phoebe smiled. She took his hand, and the two kids
started to head back to the house and to the party.
You should really learn the town and how to get around,
Hugh could lose your head getting lost, Isaiah smiled a
little and laughed to himself, nearly dead. The Origin of

(51:29):
the Pumpkin Men by Charles Campbell, All Hallow's Eve, LBC
Middle School, nineteen eighty seven. What began in nineteen eighty
as an experiment became an annual tradition at LBC Middle School,
the Jack O Lantern Jubilee. It was a day full

(51:53):
of festivities, games and candy giveaways that ended with a
student dance in the school's gymnasium. LBC stood for Langley,
Bath and clear Water. It was the middle school for
most of the Valley kids before they moved up to
Midland Valley High. Raymond Mathis taught seventh grade science and

(52:14):
drew the short straw to be one of the staff
chaperones for the dance this year. Halloween was nonsense to him,
but he'd play along. He got along with the kids
for the most part, except for a couple of the
boys in his fifth period class. But today was Halloween,

(52:35):
and it just so happened that it actually fell on
a Saturday. This year, it was still early in the day.
Raymond didn't have a costume and didn't want a costume,
but he was never accused of not being a team player,
so he would head over to party Dollar and pick
up the cheapest costume he could get away with. Raymond

(52:58):
settled with a seven dollar vampire cape equipped with fake
fangs and a tube of blood jelly. The festival started
around noon, so he'd show up around ten to help
the other staffers make sure the tables in the cafeteria
were set up for the butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, and

(53:19):
whoever the fuck else needed a table at this bullshit festival,
is what Raymond thought, but he'd think it with a
smile on his face. Butch Marker was one of those
fifth grade boys that Raymond didn't get along with. Butch,
in truth, didn't get along with very many authority figures.

(53:41):
Since he went to see the movie Ferris Bueller's Day
Off with his sister the year before, he fancied himself
to be like Ferris. He wanted to be loved by
everyone while pulling the wool over people in charge. Problem
was a lot of kids didn't like him, and he
really wasn't fooling anyone. His best friend was Steve Vig,

(54:04):
and he was the follower. The boys hatched a plan
for this year's Jack O'Lantern jubilee. Hey, did you get them?
Butch asked Steve. Steve was nodding his bulbous head and
smacking chewy candy between his teeth as he held out
the bag. Sweet, Butch said, Snatching the bag from Steve,

(54:27):
he peeked inside a grinch like smile spread under his nose. Hell, yeah,
you get them from Ricky. Yep, just like you said.
He had a bunch of them too. We gonna paint
them up, like you said, Steve asked. His jowls shook
as he nodded his head like a lunatic. Butch often

(54:48):
thought Steve was the spitting image of a mini boss hog,
and he wasn't wrong. He was a short, fat kid
with a buzz cut so low that he may as
well be. Yeah, we're gonna paint them up. Come on,
Butch said, and Steve followed him to the shed in
the backyard. Butch dumped the cherry bombs on the workbench.

(55:11):
There was a can of orange spray paint along with
a small jar of black ink with an assortment of
tiny paint brushes. Steve shook the spray can and the
boys got to work. As the early birds filed into
the school cafeteria. Raymond helped fellow teacher Kathy Fletcher set

(55:36):
up the Gift Basket Raffle booth. This was a big draw,
an assortment of gift baskets donated by local businesses and townsfolk.
Some of them had very good prizes, gift certificates to
fancy for the valley restaurants like Western Sizzlin and Red Lobster,
some fantastic fishing gear from Spradley's Bait and Tackle. There

(56:00):
was always a nice quilt with other homemade accessories contributed
by Louise Utley, baked goods galore in another basket. The
Gift Basket Raffle was a can't miss and it was
held at the end of the day when the daytime
festivities would give way to the middle school dance. Lots
of nice stuff this year, Raymond said, not bad at all.

(56:24):
Kathy replied as she pressed a pushpin into the handwritten sign.
It read Gift Basket Raffle one dollar per ticket drawing
at six p m. Sharp. Got my eye on that quilt,
Cathy said. It was Halloween themed, adorned with bats, wide
eyed pumpkins, and sheeted ghosts. Yeah, that's quite a prize,

(56:48):
Raymond said, thinking to himself, what a crock of shit
this holiday was. It was going to be a long
day and he was dreading the dance. But on the
bright side, he wouldn't have to do this again next year.
No back to backs for faculty unless they volunteer, and
he certainly wasn't volunteering for this flea circus. Although seeing

(57:13):
Cindy dressed as Elvira, complete with the dress, black wig,
and push up bra wasn't exactly excruciating to look at,
the boys admired their handiwork. These are fucking awesome, Butch announced, yeah, awesome.

(57:34):
Steve parroted. The little pumpkins with stem fuses looked back
at them different black grins adorned their little round faces.
They're going to shit their pants, Butch said, yeah, they're
gonna have to run to the crapper, Steve exclaimed, popping
another one of those gooey peanut butter dog shit Halloween

(57:56):
candies into his mouth. The Jack o' Lantern Jubilee was
something the valley folks looked forward to every Halloween, and
it seemed like all of the small towns that comprised
the valley showed up. Raymond was assisting Kathy at the
gift basket table. The line to buy raffle tickets was

(58:18):
almost to the double doors at the far end of
the cafeteria. He was tearing tickets, wishing this day was over.
He still had a dance to chaperone, and hiding the
disdain that wanted to move across his face was becoming
more and more difficult. Then he saw two of his

(58:39):
troublemakers poking around the tables. Steve was dressed in a
pretty decent Jason Vorhees get up a La Friday the
Thirteenth Part two, complete with the one eye pillowcase, which
Steve would have to cut two big holes in very
quickly so that he would stop slamming into people. He

(59:00):
was the proverbial bull in a China shop, smacking his
peanut butter dogshit candy under the pillowcase mask. Butch was
disguised as a werewolf with a brown wig that was
teased out to stand up high, black makeup on his nose,
with brown smeared across his face. He had a decent
set of fake fangs, a tattered T shirt, ripped jeans,

(59:23):
and white canvas sneakers soaked in blood jelly. The boys
both had paper grocery sacks for trick or treat bags.
They were raiding the tables looking for candy, and Raymond
was trying to keep a close eye on the two
of them. Raymond eyes over here, Cathy said. Raymond turned

(59:44):
his attention back to see Missus Martha Jenkins holding out
a five dollar bill. She told Raymond what baskets she
was bidding for, and he tore the tickets, took the money,
and dropped the stubs in their respective bowls. He glanced
over his shoes, trying to get a location on the troublemakers,
but they were out of his field of vision. You

(01:00:12):
see turg Berger, Butch asked, Huh, what's a turg burger?
Steve replied, Butch removed his fangs and said, turd burglar.
Did you see turd Burglar? No, didn't see him. Where's
he at, Steve asked, smiling under the pillowcase. He's at

(01:00:33):
the gift basket table with Ms. Fletcher. You see her bazongas,
Butch asked, raising his eyebrows. Damn it, No, this pillowcase
is bullshit. Steve said, Well, if he's working the tables.
He's working the dance. Butch held up a hand for
a high five. Steve didn't see it, so Butch smacked
him on top of his head. Steve regrouped and hit

(01:00:55):
the high five. The boys continued making their rounds. Seemed
like there was going to be one hell of a
crowd at the dance. These fuckers will be shitting themselves
before the night was over, is what Butch was thinking.
Forty five minutes later, the kid was no older than
six or seven. He was a fine looking lad with

(01:01:18):
sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. He held a pumpkin
candy bucket and was moving with sugar fueled excitement to
each table, saying trick or treat to whoever might drop
him some candy. Butch removed his fangs, nudged Steve and asked,
who's that little shit stain. I've never seen him in

(01:01:38):
the valley. Don't know, Maybe he's an achin or Augusta kid.
Steve replied, really paying no mind to the little boy.
Look at him, he's running all around like he's got
ants in his pants. Butch said, A gleam flashed in
his eyes, a gleam that Steve picked up on. So

(01:01:59):
are you thinking what I'm thinking? You're thinking? Steve asked,
The smile was growing under his mask. Yeah, he needs
some special candy in that bucket, don't you think, Butch asked,
feeling the bulge of pumpkin bombs in his pants pocket.
Steve was nodding and snickering, may as well get the

(01:02:21):
party started early. Raymond looked at his watch and thought
to himself, do vampires really care what time it is?
But sure they do. They couldn't be caught out in
the stark light of day, or they would burn into
ash and blow away with the wind. The start of
the dance was just under two hours away. He could

(01:02:43):
see a lot of the middle schoolers milling around the
cafeteria in their scariest and goofiest get ups. He didn't
see his two trouble makers. He thought he shouldn't be
too uptight about it, but something wasn't quite right. He
would feel much more comfortable if he could put eyes
on them. Hey, kid, Butch said to the little boy.

(01:03:08):
Before the little boy turned to face him, the boy
placed a plastic pumpkin mask over his face. Trick or treat,
the little boy said, exactly Steve said, and the boy
looked to his left, held out his candy bucket and repeated,
trick or treat. Steve was removing candy from his own

(01:03:30):
paper sack, while Butch was flicking a bit as he
pulled a little pumpkin bomb from his pocket. The kid
held the bucket out to Steve. Steve had a fistful
of candy and was holding it precariously over the bucket.
The little boy was smiling under his mask. Butch lit
the fuse. He felt a sudden adrenaline rush, but fought

(01:03:52):
it for just a moment. He needed the fuse to
burn down just a bit. Steve was teasing them, not
dropping the candy into the bucket. Trick or treat, the
little boy shouted. Butch spun in front of Steve. Trick
or treat, you, little fucker. Butch dropped the pumpkin bomb

(01:04:12):
into the bucket and moved back fast. The little boy
didn't have time to say anything before the pumpkin exploded.
The cherry bomb had enough force to destroy a mailbox.
Candy and orange plastic shrapnel was sent flying. The boy
screamed in terror. The tops of four fingers on his
right hand were bloody stumps of bone. Raymond heard the

(01:04:39):
ruckus on the other side of the cafeteria. His hair
stood on end. The explosion, followed by the scream of
a child, got Raymond moving post haste. Other faculty members
were ushering people out of the cafeteria just in case
there was a shooter in their midst Raymond knew it
was those boys. Kathy ran to the cafeteria kitchen to

(01:05:00):
call the police. Butch and Steve didn't hang around to
admire their work. The boys darted out the double doors
and b lined it for the gymnasium. They were laughing
all the way as they ran. The main gymnasium doors
would be locked because it wasn't yet time for the dance.
But Butch and Steve knew the janitor's entrance and they

(01:05:22):
never left it locked because half of them had lost
their keys. They rushed inside. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,
was all Steve could garble. Did you see that? Almost
blew the little shit's hand off. These fuckers are like dynamite,
Butch said, pulling a pumpkin bomb from his pocket. We're
going to jail, Steve said, as the stark realization of

(01:05:44):
consequences overrode the joy of the prank. The fuck we
are nobody knows it was us. They all ran to
the kid as we scooted it out. Let's just hang
out here until the dance starts. We'll get lost in
the crowd and fail what we started. Butch said, confidently,
you think they're still gonna have the dance after that?

(01:06:06):
Steve asked, the boys heard sirens and it wasn't just
an ambulance. Butch knew the distinct tone of the Burnett
Town police sirens because they had been called to Oak
Street on more than a few occasions in his short lifetime.
No way they're canceling the dance. No way that's gonna happen.

(01:06:27):
Let's just stay here until it dies down. The janitor's
closet is the safest place to be right now, Butch said,
almost believing it. The little boy was screaming his head off.
Raymond took off his vampire cape and wrapped the kid's hand,
trying to apply pressure, but not really knowing what to

(01:06:50):
do with stark white bone and chunks of meat that
was one's fingers hanging from his hand. Where's his mother?
Raymond screamed at the by standers. They all just gawked
at the scene until paramedics and police rushed through the cafeteria.
Raymond looked at the kid and said, it's going to
be okay. I'm going to get the kids that did

(01:07:12):
this to you, I promise, and I'll bring you all
of their candy. The little boy looked back at Raymond,
stopped screaming and spoke so calmly it startled Raymond into
paying close close attention. In my pocket, the boy pointed
to his right pocket with his left hand, get it

(01:07:34):
out and eat it. Be the pumpkin man and kill them.
Raymond was shocked at the calmness in the kid's voice.
He heard the medics getting closer, and he could see
the panic return to the kid's eyes. He reached into
the boy's pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag.

(01:07:56):
It was a black bag sealed with an orange topper.
It had green letters printed on the topper pumpkin potion.
Raymond backed away as the medics took the child away.
He would be an Aiken Regional within fifteen minutes. It

(01:08:18):
was determined the dance would continue, albeit not on time.
The police questioned the folks in the area and They
gave descriptions of a fat kid with a pillowcase mask
and another kid dressed up like a monkey or a
werewolf running from the scene. When they heard an explosion
followed by a blood curdling scream, they did a cursory

(01:08:41):
search of the school. Raymond gave them the names of
the boys so their houses would be next on the
search list. They didn't find the boys. They were tucked
quietly away in the janitor's locker in the gym and
would stay there all night if they had to. They
would only come if they heard the dja start playing tunes.

(01:09:03):
Steve would take off his mask and Butch would remove
the wig. Luckily for the two of them, there was
an unopened bag of large sized white T shirts in
the locker that belonged to one of the janitors. They
ripped them open and changed their shirts. Butch removed the
makeup using soap and water from the janitor's sink. There

(01:09:24):
was a gallon of bleach under that sink that he
used to clean the blood jelly from his sneakers as
best he could. The boys could now pass as hoboes
if the dance ever started. The gymnasium opened its doors
an hour late. Kids were lined up waiting impatiently and cheered.
When the doors finally opened, Raymond was already inside, waiting

(01:09:49):
just inside the double doors. He was going to put
his eyes on every ghost and ghoul that walked inside.
The DJA was starting the show with everyone's hallow Ian favorite,
the Monster Mash. You ready, Butch asked, when he heard
the music kick in, Yeah, Steve hesitantly replied, shuffling his feet.

(01:10:12):
Maybe he finally realized that being friends with Butch wasn't
such a great idea. If we need to get out quick,
light a pumpkin and toss it in the crowd. Understand,
Butch asked, Yeah, Steve replied. Butch opened the door and
the two hoboes stepped into the back of the gymnasium.
Kids were already dancing. Let me know if you see

(01:10:35):
turd burglar, I want to give him a trick before
we leave, Butch said. Steve nodded his head but didn't
say a word. Monster Mash gave way to the Munster's
theme song. The boys walked around the edge of the gym.
There were so many people, so many cool costumes. Vampires werewolves, ghosts, zombies, demons, princesses.

(01:11:01):
Every Halloween character was represented. There were even a couple
of decent looking Freddy Krueger's turd burglar. At twelve o'clock,
Butch said and nodded toward the double doors where the
kids were still filing in. Let's just go, man, we
can get in some real shit if we hang around.
Let's just say hey to a couple of kids. So

(01:11:21):
we have a what do the cops call it on TV? Abilie?
Steve asked, fuck that, and it's Alibi, you moron, Butch replied.
Steve felt a tap on his shoulder. He gulped and turned.
It was Miss Fletcher, and Steve was getting an eye
full of the bazongas he missed earlier. You two need

(01:11:44):
to come with me right now, she said, as she
reached for both of their hands. Steve, being enamored with
the bazongas, actually held his hand out before Butch slapped
it away. We ain't going nowhere with you, Butch said.
Cathy screamed out at the top of her lungs, Raymond,
They're over here. She grabbed for Steve since he was

(01:12:05):
the closest, and caught the back of his T shirt.
It ripped haul Coogan style. As he pulled away from her,
Butch reached into his pocket and pulled out a pumpkin bomb.
He was crashing into kids left and right. Hey, hey stop.
Raymond was hollering, getting closer to the boys. Butch fumbled
for the bick. Eddie Hardy, seventh grader and middle linebacker

(01:12:28):
for the LBC Lions, grabbed Butch around his waist and
tackled him to the gym floor. Butch was crawling and kicking.
The other kids were backing away. Steve stopped in his tracks.
His days of getting in trouble with Butch were going
to come to an end here. Butch was no fucking
Ferris Bueller, and he certainly wasn't Cameron fuck Butch. Raymond

(01:12:51):
was instructing Kathy to call the police. Eddie still had
his grip, but Butch wasn't trying to free himself. Butch
was busy. He lit the fuse and held it for
as long as he could. Raymond grabbed him by the shoulder,
trying to help Eddie keep Butch immobilized. Butch grinned as
he turned to see Raymond trick turd burglar. He screamed

(01:13:16):
and dropped the pumpkin bomb into Raymond's shirt pocket. It
exploded immediately. Raymond's glasses flew from his face. His eyes
felt as if they were orbs of hot lava melting
his brain. Eddie looked in horror at his seventh grade
science teacher. Butch stood up, laughing for all he was worth.

(01:13:37):
Steve pulled a pumpkin bomb from his own pocket, lit it,
and ran up to Butch. Butch held up a hand
to get a high five from his fat buddy. His
fat buddy grabbed Butch's sagging pants by the belt line, grinned,
and shoved the pumpkin bomb down Butch's underwear. It exploded.

(01:14:00):
Butch fell to the floor. The crotch of his jeans
wore a black, smoldering hole. His twig and berries were
nothing more than a bloody ground mess. Fuck you, Butch,
Steve said as he walked away. Raymond couldn't see, he
could hear, but it sounded like everyone was in a tunnel.

(01:14:24):
Kathy ran to him. He mumbled a single word, water, okay, okay.
Kathy got a cup from the stack near the punch bowl,
which was spiked. When the first set of kids came
through and retrieved water from the fountain. Raymond fumbled with
the package. While Kathy was getting the water. He ripped

(01:14:46):
the orange topper from the pumpkin potion. Kathy attempted to
give him water. He held out his hand instead, and
she gave him the cup. He emptied the pouch of
pumpkin potion into his mouth and chased it down with
the water. Raymond, what are you doing, Kathy asked. She

(01:15:06):
reached down to help him. Raymond contorted in pain. His
bones literally sounded as if they were cracking. Sirens were coming.
He could hear them. He could hear her screaming for help.
Raymond could hear everything. No tunnel. His eyes were clear,
and the pain was gone. Raymond stood and held out

(01:15:31):
his hand. No stay away, he said. Kathy was wide eyed.
Raymond ran. His shoes burst under his feet. He escaped
the gym through the janitor's closet. He was gone. No
one would find him. Raymond Mathis was as good as dead.

(01:16:00):
It had been seventy two hours since the events at
LBC Middle School, Butch lived, but he was now a eunuch.
Steve turned himself into the police and confessed to what
the boys had done. The little boy was lying wide
awake in his hospital bed at two o'clock in the morning.
No mother, father, aunt, or uncle came to get him,

(01:16:25):
but someone did. The tall man walked quietly into the room.
The boy lit up, holding up his bandaged hand. Did
you kill them, the little boy asked, no, but I
punished the one that did this to you. Are you
ready to go, my son, the tall man asked, I

(01:16:48):
am father. My daddy is the Pumpkin Man. The kid said,
with an excitement that made the tall man smile. I
can fix your hand, you know, really truly fix it.
But there is a trade off. The tall man said,
what is it? The boy asked, You'll stay this age

(01:17:11):
forever and I'll be with you forever. How does that sound,
the tall man asked. It's all I've ever wanted, said
the little boy, And at that moment, the little piece
of Raymond that was dying away inside the tall man
finally appreciated Halloween. The Grinner by Henry Coot. Halloween was

(01:17:49):
my absolute, one hundred percent all time favorite day of
the year. The moment I could see the leaves changing colors,
my mind would start to spin. I'd sit in school
with my leg nervously jumping as I drew zombies and
vampires attacking unsuspecting townspeople in my trapper keeper and hummed

(01:18:12):
the monster mash to myself. My grades definitely dipped during
the fall, but who cares, It's just the start of
the school year. Anyway, I'd show plenty of improvement once
Thanksgiving rolled around. I'm no schlub, though, I would start
plotting out my costume during summer break, gathering all the

(01:18:33):
pieces from the garage sales, thrift stores, and relatives we'd
visit in Rhode Island. The ride from Ohio was like
sixteen hours, so the least they could do is help
me out. My Dracula outfit last year was a plus,
and every kid at school was impressed. Even the upper
classmen bully types had to admit my fangs and fake

(01:18:55):
blood were startlingly realistic. So realistic, in fact, that they
sent me to the nurse and made me scrub it
off with some weird, smelling off brand pink hand soap.
When I was four years old, I was a power Ranger.
Don't judge me, they were awesome. Five was a mummy,
mainly because my dad was an r nurse, and he

(01:19:17):
brought home boatloads of bandages. At six, I tried Dracula
for the first time. I was a total goober, though,
and had those cheesy plastic fangs that never stay in
place and they're pretty much guaranteed to make your gums bleed.
I also had the most obscenely long painted on widow's

(01:19:38):
peak that my mom did up in black make up.
Seven was when I really started hitting my stride though.
That's when I discovered Saturday Nightmares on TV. My mom
and dad loved watching it, and it was way too
scary for kids. I would stretch out on the love
seat next to them and pretend to fall asleep. I

(01:20:01):
would then go totally dead weight and grouchy. When they
tried to pry me off and put me to bed,
They'd give up and I'd get to lay there sneaking
peaks of Jason Vorhees, Dracula, Candy Man, and so many
more the perfect crime. So my costume at seven years

(01:20:22):
old was Jason. I ripped up some old clothes and
got a hockey mask out of an old trunk in
the garage. I made a big machete out of a
cardboard box and was out in the neighborhood stalking for
camp counselors to skewer. When I was eight, I did Frankenstein,
but I made all my body parts nasty different colors, greens, grays, reds.

(01:20:50):
I really did look like a hodgepodge of stolen body
parts stitched together. That was the first year I made
another Tricker treater cry sweet Action. At nine, I wore
the aforementioned Dracula costume, and I was the most rad
prince of darkness anyone had ever seen. I practiced my

(01:21:13):
accent in the mirror every morning with my fangs in.
Of course, I even bought Densher glue to keep them
in my mouth securely. It tasted awful, by the way.
This year, though, I really had to go all out
because I was ten and I got my first invitation

(01:21:34):
to an older kid party. It may not seem like
a big deal to you, but middle schoolers usually never
want anything to do with elementary schoolers. I got on
their radar when words spread. I had a video copy
of sleep Away Camp two and the king of gross
out party movies, Faces of Death. In our small town,

(01:21:57):
getting a copy of the most notorious horror movie of
all time, banned in forty six countries was nearly impossible,
but thanks to my summer trips to New England, I
managed to score a copy. I may have convinced my
grandma that it was a cartoon based on the illustrated
hooded skeleton on the cover. This is great and all

(01:22:21):
except for one issue. These cool older kids are just
going to put my movies on and then ignore me
the whole night. But not if tonight when according to
plan Earth to Robbie, come in, Robbie, a playfully annoyed
voice blasted me back to reality, where I stood next
to my locker at school. What, I replied, trying to

(01:22:46):
remember if I was in a conversation with my best
friend Michael and forgot, or if he'd just walked up
to me daydreaming about the Girl's Gone Wild commercial again? Huh,
Michael said, with a huge cheese eating grin on his face.
He was a degenerate, but he was my degenerate. Shut up.
I was just plodding out tonight. Michael shifted his weight

(01:23:10):
from one foot to the other as he regained a
grip on his binder, which was undoubtedly full of comic
books and not a single piece of schoolwork. Oh yeah,
you're going to that middle schooler party, the one I'm
not cool enough to tag along to. Once I blow
them away with faces of death and my Freddy Krueger costume,

(01:23:31):
they're going to realize how cool I am for my age,
and then we can work on convincing them about you too.
I meant it as badly as I wanted to be cool.
Michael had been my best friend since kindergarten, and I
wouldn't want him to be left out. Yeah, yeah, great,
we're still trigger treating together, right, he asked, as he
tried not to sound too disappointed. Duh, we're taking this

(01:23:56):
town for all of its candy. I raised my hand
for a high, then quickly realized Michael had both his
hands full. My eyes narrowed as I got very serious
and leaned in close. So here's the plan. We score
all the candy up the south side of town. Then
when we looped back around, we stopped by the Grinner.

(01:24:19):
I thought we agreed we'd steer clear of the grinner
this year, Michael replied with a whine. The grinner was
a scarecrow like dummy placed in front of McClellan Hall,
which was a creepy, old, beat up historical landmark and
former funeral home. Every year for as long as I
could remember, the grinner was put on the front steps

(01:24:41):
of the hall with a big, fat bowl of candy
in its lap and a sign that said please take
only one, which we had always ignored. The only problem
with the grinner was well the grin, the weird sack
like head had warped in strange ways over the years.

(01:25:02):
It seemed like every Halloween the hellish smile was more
lopsided and deformed and terrifying. Most of the younger kids
never dared to get a piece of candy from the
grinner at all. I would never hesitate to grab a
couple of extra fun sized kitkats, even if it gave
me the creeps. It was kind of fun until last year.

(01:25:27):
Michael and I were getting ready to fill our bags
with candy from the large and mostly full bucket of
sweet treats. Mike was trying to stop me from taking
more than one because I guess his old man had
told him if you cross the grinner, he eats kids. Yeah,
that's so believable and not just the kind of crap
parents makeup on the spot to scare us. Not so

(01:25:51):
I went to fill my bag with ill gotten gains,
when all of a sudden, the grinner moved. We both
mp back and let out yelps as a jet black
cat skittered past us. Stupid cat nearly made me jump
out of my skin. Michael fell flat on his butt
off the stoop. On the way home that night, he

(01:26:13):
made me promise we'd never ever bother going to the
Grinner's house. But desperate times call for desperate measures. God, Robbie,
you want to take the Grinner's candy to that stupid party?
Michael groaned, what no anybody can buy candy? I'm going

(01:26:35):
to take the Grinner's head, I smiled, as if I
had long, sharp teeth to bear. Michael's words exploded out
of him. Are you kidding? That's insane? All of his
school supplies fell out of his arms and onto the floor,
as he didn't even acknowledge the mess he had made. Relax,

(01:26:57):
it's just a dummy. My confidence wasn't waning. We don't
know that. No one even knows who puts him there.
Michael dropped down to gather his belongings. It's probably like
the mayor or the school board or something. I squatted
down to help him gather his comics. So were you in?

(01:27:18):
It would be ultimate? Michael looks up at me. No,
would you slow down? Michael yelled as he sucked on
a jolly rancher six steps behind me. The streets were dark.
Most of the other kids had already called it a night,

(01:27:40):
but we had one last stop before I became the
King of Halloween to all the middle schoolers. Michael and
I walked up to McClellan Hall and stopped dead in front,
just barely outside of the glow of the nearest street light.
There he was, The Grinner was sitting in his usual

(01:28:03):
disheveled manner. His smile was warped up the side of
his head. The stitched lips looked oddly convincing in the dark,
like they were going to spread apart at any moment
and reveal rows of teeth like a shark. I stared
hard at the Grinner as I formulated a game plan

(01:28:23):
for the soon to come decapitation. From as far as
I could tell, it was barely attached to anything. The
way it sat on its shoulders and tattered double breasted
jacket made it seem free of much resistance. Michael stood still,
his white Michael Meyer's Halloween mask hanging on top of
his head like a hat. He sighed deeply as he

(01:28:47):
crunched hard candy between his teeth. Dude, no, don't do it.
I couldn't believe he was still so scared. This was
the kid who watched Evil Dead at three thirty a m.
In the morning, after I had fallen asleep an hour earlier.
Michael could be a spaz sometimes, but he was never
a woos. My eyes went from him back to the grinner,

(01:29:11):
whose demented happy face remained thankfully unchanged. At that moment,
I realized maybe I was a little scared too. Mikey,
if you're that afraid, it's okay. You can go home
and I'll take care of business. The party isn't far
from here anyhow. I bluffed, knowing full well that he

(01:29:32):
would never leave me alone in such a situation. Plus
I really didn't want him to. It was a creepy night,
and I felt better with him having my back. Okay,
see tomorrow. All of a sudden, my best friend turned
into a chubby, Midwestern, speedy Gonzales as he ran out
of sight faster than I had ever seen him move before.

(01:29:54):
Dang it, I yelled as I stood there all alone,
nervously picking at my Freddie Krueger melted skin makeup, which
was failing to stay adhered to my face. I'd have
to stop by home on my way to the party
to get more spirit gum. My plastic razor glove replica
was tapping on my sack of candy as I stalled

(01:30:15):
for dear life, I really wasn't alone, though the Grinner
hadn't moved a millimeter in the four or five minutes
since I arrived. Thank God for small favors. I suddenly
realized I had been staring with my jaw agape at
the freaky shape and averted my eyes. I'm from the Midwest,

(01:30:37):
and my mama taught me it's not polite to stare.
It was a reflex. The sounds of crickets and distant
dogs barking were deafening to my ears. As I now
stood in front of McClellan Hall, purposefully not looking at
the grinner, A feeling started to rumble inside me as
I realized I felt angry. I was really ticked off.

(01:31:01):
Come on, I'm the King of Halloween. I'm the kid
that watched all seven Nightmare on Elm Street movies in
a row. I've played with Ouiji boards on Friday the thirteenth.
The Grinner was just some stupid life sized sock puppet
that we turned into a legend because our town is
that boring. My chest puffed out under my red and
green striped sweater. I'm Robin Osbourne. I am not afraid

(01:31:25):
of anything. Tonight is Halloween, the one night a year
when the stupid and gross things I love are cool.
It's my night, dang it. I stomped my feet hard
as I headed straight for the Grinner, who sat still
in his chair, candy bowl waiting. I stopped as I
was almost exactly face to stitched up sack with him.

(01:31:50):
I looked down at the handwritten sign around his neck.
Please take only one. The only was underlined. I read
that phrase three or four times. Then I laughed to
myself and reached into the bowl. Thanks, old pal, I
taunted as I took exactly two pieces and placed them

(01:32:13):
into my bag. I flinched out of nowhere like something
had startled me, except there was nothing, nothing but silence.
The Grinner was as motionless as ever I took a
few deep breaths as I regained my calm. I locked
my eyes on its lumpy visage. That grin of his

(01:32:35):
really was eerie, But it was time for me to
get ahead. For once get it ahead, I set my
candy down on the grass and brought both of my
hands up. I stopped and removed my plastic Freddy Krueger glove.
It may have been great for slashing teenagers, but its

(01:32:57):
tensile strength was well below par. My palms were both
so unbelievably clammy. Even in the crisp forty six degree night,
my hands were finally functioning again and going closer and
closer to the grinner's noggin. I winced, ever so slightly

(01:33:19):
when my hands made contact with the coarse fabric that
made up his flesh. It felt a bit harder than
I was expecting, definitely not filled with hay or cotton.
I grasped both sides of the head and took a
deep breath while biting down softly on my tongue. As

(01:33:40):
I lifted the head, I was also surprised by the
weight of it. I could still lift it no problem,
but I had expected it to be pretty airy must
be filled with sand or kitty litter or something. I
was right. The head doesn't appear to be attached by
more than a couple of threads. I lifted harder and

(01:34:02):
heard the few threads snap as I held the head
above the padded shoulders.

Speaker 2 (01:34:08):
Ah.

Speaker 1 (01:34:09):
The Grinner's arms suddenly shot up and grabbed me by
the wrists. I bit my tongue hard as my entire
body tensed in absolute terror. He pulled my arms downward
and forced me to place his head on the makeshift neck.
At that moment, the grinner stood up. Our height difference
was sizeable, to say the least. Oh my god. The

(01:34:33):
stitched lips began to separate, but instead of revealing row
upon row of carnivorous teeth, he had more average teeth.
In fact, his two front teeth protruded lower than the rest.
The buck toothed living dummy smiled and began to speak.

(01:34:54):
Hello boy, are you having a happy Halloween? He hissed,
and an oddly friendly tone. I tried to answer as
best I could, but I was gagging on blood flowing
freely from my tongue. Yes, well, just you wait, You

(01:35:16):
and I are going to have the best Halloween ever
full of adventures, laughter and candy, candy, candy. He chuckled
his laughter childlike with glee. Really, I didn't know what
to think. Of course, I exist for Halloween. It's my
favorite night, and you've awakened me to be your companion

(01:35:38):
for a spooky good time. The Grinner then puffed out
his chest as he began to recite a poem that
reminded me of black and white movies. One hundred years
and one hundred nights. For all the children, I bring
them frights. But I'm really truly quite kind. Only fun

(01:35:59):
and friends are on my mind. I participate in all
the spooky fun. My only rule is that you take
only one. The truth is, boy, you're a winner. You've
made best friends with the Grinner, so we're gonna have
fun and get candy, and you're gonna show me Halloween's magic.

(01:36:20):
The Grinner laughed so deeply, so truly with happiness and joy.
Oh goodness, no I eat children. As his smile opened,
his mouth grew and grew, and I never did. Ghost

(01:36:49):
in the Graveyard by Rob Fields. It was the final
week of October in Strickfield after the previous year's Halloween.
The people of Strickfield had voted into village law by
a huge majority that tricker Treating was extended to a
full week instead of just Halloween Eve and Halloween Knight

(01:37:13):
as in previous years. The news had reached surrounding villages
and even the bigger megalopolises like Shore City and Erie City.
People came from everywhere to take part in the legendary event.
Because there was never any age discrimination, and with the
annual tradition being a week, more people came than ever.

(01:37:37):
It was on the final night, Halloween Night, when Bill Chapman,
Brian Chunk, and Richie Horton were out making their rounds.
Their pillowcases were stuffed with all the candy and other
goodies they'd collected. Man, I can't believe we actually did
the whole week. Horton, who was dressed as a Cobra

(01:37:58):
chi fighter, said, I know, we said we'd do a
few days, but I know. Chapman agreed, who was dressed
as an army soldier to match his crew cut. Yeah,
but look at all the candy we got. Chunker reminded
them he was dressed as a zombie. We got so
much stuff we'll probably be eating it. Until next Halloween.

(01:38:20):
Chapman sneered, I'd be surprised if even you can eat
that much candy Chunker. Chunker had made good on his
promise to lose weight upon surviving their horrible ordeal with
Abigail Tomlin in what seemed like only a few short
months ago. He was still a little chunky, but his
weight loss was quite noticeable between the summer and now.

(01:38:44):
In spite of the weight loss, Chunker found he still
had his same monstrous appetite and exercised more in order
to keep from putting the weight back on. Chunker'll probably
end up getting diabetes, Horton stated. When Chapman and Horton
both laughed, Chunker just looked at them. Yeah, yeah, man,

(01:39:04):
these pillow sacks are heavy. Chapman said, maybe we should
head back to the clubhouse again. Good idea, Horton agreed.
The boys walked a couple of blocks to get to
their clubhouse, which was the old tool shed in Chunker's backyard.
His dad built a new garage with some extra space
for the tools and told Brian he and his friends

(01:39:26):
could use the old shed for their hangout. They walked
in and emptied their pillowcases into the large chest, where
their haul for the week continued to grow and grow.
Looks like if we make one last set of rounds,
we can actually fill this bad boy up completely, Chunker stated.
Chapman looked at his watch. We still got time. We

(01:39:48):
started at six, and trig or treating doesn't get done
until midnight, and there's no school tomorrow. Horton looked at
both of his friends. We're really going back out for
more candy. What you don't want to, Chapman asked. Horton
glanced over at the chest. I'm just wondering if Chunker'll
start on the candy since it's all here at his place.

(01:40:10):
Chapman pointed right at Brian. You don't want to be
eating all the candy in one night, buddy. Chunker gave
a mischievous grin. You never know, I just might get
the munchies in the middle of the night. Chapman tightened
his jaw. I mean it, Chunker, don't you even? Chunker
picked up his pillowcase and walked slowly to the door. Fine.

(01:40:34):
When Chunker stopped in the doorway, Horton and Chapman heard
what sounded like a very loud trumpet playing. When it stopped,
Chunker quickly went outside and slammed the door shut. He
pressed himself up against the door and soon felt the
others pushing to get out. Chunker started laughing as the
others were pounding and pushing hard on the door. He

(01:40:57):
could even hear Horton coughing, open the open the door,
you uneducated piece of pork. Fat, Chapman yelled, Oh my god,
come on, Chunker, Horton protested, after gagging, We're gonna die
in here. Finally, Chunker got caught off guard when Chapman

(01:41:17):
backed up and ran against the door to both force
it open and knock Chunker down. Horton ended up falling
on top of both of his friends and sucking for
fresh air. Chunker was really laughing it up now. After
Chapman eased Horton off him, he got up and pointed
down at Chunker. You really are a sick pig man.

(01:41:38):
I can't believe you tried to kill us like that. Seriously,
what did you eat earlier? Horton demanded. Then he gagged
and moved farther away from the clubhouse. Yeah, keep the
door open, Chapman told Horton. Then he said to Chunker
that's the last time we go to Denoyer's Grille with
you before we trick or treat. Then he and stepped

(01:42:00):
away from the clubhouse and lay off that sweet potato pie.
After waiting several minutes, Chapman and Horton went back inside
to get their pillow cases. From there, they headed back
out and onto the streets of Strickfield for more trick
or treating. They'd received several comments from houses taking part
about how they'd been around many times throughout the week

(01:42:24):
just the same, They still gave them the treats. After all,
Strickfield was the one village where there was no discrimination
for trick or treating. It was around eleven o'clock when
the boys reached Denoyer's Grill. Now, remember, Chunker, we're not
going in for food. Chapman reminded him, you just said
you needed a bathroom break. I know, I know, he

(01:42:47):
replied and opened the door. The boys walked inside to
a still packed dining room. They knew October was the
biggest month where Denoyer's Grill got the most business this year.
Business really picked up during the first full week of
tricker treating. Now it was Halloween night and people were
still packing Denoyer's grill. It was also known that Denoyer

(01:43:09):
paid his people extra for working this time of year.
Back again, boys, huh, Denoyer asked, pleasantly, just using the bathroom?
Chunker told him, you know where it is. They walked
to the men's room and went in. When they were finished,
Chapman looked at Horton, Hey, where's Chunker. Horton gave a

(01:43:30):
grim look that said he knew. The two of them
finished washing their hands and came outside to find Chunker
sitting at the counter and eating a piece of Denoyer's
famous sweet potato pie. Horton pointed to the pie, this
is why you blew up the clubhouse earlier. This is
what your fifth piece today sixth. Chunker corrected him. Come on, guys,

(01:43:55):
you know I don't feel right using the restroom here
and not putting into the till. Wanted to yell again,
but he sighed and ordered some French fries. Horton ordered
a soft drink. After they finished, they left Denoyer's grill
and headed back out. We only got forty minutes until midnight,
Horton said, Do we just head back to the clubhouse

(01:44:17):
or do we ride it out and get more candy.
I think we got more than enough to fill the
rest of the chest. Back at the clubhouse, Chunker stated, still,
forty minutes is forty minutes. Might as well end on
a high note. Even Chapman wasn't going to give Chunker
a hard time. They'd started trick or treating right at
six every night when Trick or Treat Week started and

(01:44:40):
went all the way until the end. They knew they
couldn't stop. Now. Just a little while longer and they'd
have officially tricker treated for seven nights straight from start
to finish. The boys managed to make the rounds on
four more blocks before it was almost midnight and the
week long Trick or Treat festival would be over for

(01:45:01):
the season. We really did it, guys, Horton said, with pride.
We got more candy than we ever did before, and
probably from all of our other years combined. Yeah, we did,
didn't we. Chapman agreed, I'm surprised Chunker here went the distance. Yeah, yeah,
when have I ever not? Chunker demanded, well, he did

(01:45:23):
keep up with us on that night last summer, Horton recalled,
Chapman pointed at him, don't you even talk about that? Toothpick.
We said we'd never talk about Abigail Tomlin ever again.
When he saw both Horton and Chunker giving him strange looks,
he started to wonder himself. He got confirmation when Chunker

(01:45:45):
pointed at him. Here's still dreaming about her, too, ain't you.
Chapman didn't want to admit it, but the look on
his face said enough. Horton adjusted his circular glasses. Face it, you, guys.
We've never been able to forget about that ghostly woman.
It had been just shortly after the boys had finished

(01:46:06):
sixth grade and their time at Strickfield Elementary. Now they
were at Strickfield Junior High. As much as they had tried,
they just couldn't forget the horror they had experienced on
the cry Baby Bridge on Indian Hollow Road. It was
just supposed to be an urban legend. Brian and his

(01:46:27):
older brother Kenny made plans to scare Horton and Chapman
by making it seem like the legend of the cry
Baby Bridge was real. Kenny had even gone so far
as to mount a speaker at the bridge to amplify
the sounds of a little baby crying. The joke had
worked and Horton and Chapman were both scared. Kenny revealed

(01:46:48):
the speaker before he took it down and went home.
But what the three boys were about to find out
was that the legend of the cry Baby Bridge was
indeed true. They not only heard a baby crying Arthur Tomlin,
but his mother had appeared in her horrible, ghostly form.

(01:47:08):
The boys were soon running for their very lives when
Abigail Tomlin chased them through very heavy winds conjured up
by the haunting itself. The boys barely made it as
the morning sun came up and sent Abigail Tomlin back
to whatever nether world she may have come from. From
that moment on, the boys made it a point to

(01:47:30):
never go anywhere near that bridge on Indian Hollow Road
ever again. Brian really wanted to tell Kenny that the
legend of the cry Baby Bridge was real, but he
reconsidered when he realized Kenny might actually go out there
and check the legend out for himself. After all, their
father was the one who told the brothers the story

(01:47:52):
of the cry Baby Bridge. Naturally, Brian wanted to see
if the legend was true. Many times over, he'd wished
he hadn't. The boys had never been the same after that.
They kept having awful nightmares about Abigail Tomlin and the
horrible ordeal that had cost her both her life and

(01:48:13):
that of her baby son. Both of them died on
that very bridge as a result of her tyrannical husband
and the gunfight she had lost to him many many
years ago. The boys felt deep down that Abigail Tomlin
wasn't finished with them, not by a long shot. I
really didn't want to say it. Horton finally confessed, she's

(01:48:37):
coming back for us. I think she's just waiting for
the right time. How's she going to come back for us?
Chapman demanded, None of us have ever gone back to
Indian Hollow Road right. Chunker shook his head. I haven't,
no way me neither. Horton confessed, I haven't either. Chapman

(01:48:59):
also confess. Then he reached out and swung his fist
at nothing. Why are we still dreaming about her? Then?
It's like she's still haunting us. I don't want to
say anything to mom and dad. I don't know what
they'd say. Well, my mom would likely take me to
a shrink. Horton piped up she already thinks I'm crazy enough,

(01:49:21):
especially since I'm hanging around with you two. Both of
them sighed. They knew Horton's mother never really liked either
of them. Still, she never forbade her son from being
friends with them. Chapman and Chunker didn't want to give
Horton's mom a reason to finally reconsider that the three
of them had been friends since first grade at Strickfield

(01:49:42):
Elementary and had been through a lot together. While they
were different in so many ways, they made their friendship
last going into junior high. They knew they didn't want
their group to end. Abigail Tomlin's going to keep driving
us crazy, Chunker stated, I'm surprised we aren't already nuts.

(01:50:03):
Or maybe we are and we just don't know it yet.
Horton interjected, shut up. Chapman snapped, pushing Horton a little.
Then he groaned, let's go back to the clubhouse and
talk about this some more. I don't want to talk
about this out here. Good idea, Chunker agreed. The boys
turned down a nearby street which took them past the

(01:50:26):
gated community where it was all mirans. It always seemed
to be the one area of strickfield that stood out
around October and December. The Mirans never opened their gated
community for Halloween for trick or treating, and they certainly
never decorated for Christmas. The boys were quick to notice
how deathly still it seemed on the outside. They kept

(01:50:50):
walking until they were clear of the gated community. The
boys continued to walk in silence. They would only have
about three blocks before they'd reach Chunker's house and their clubhouse.
They just finished walking the first block and crossed into
the second. They were about a quarter mile into the
block when they started to pass village cemetery. It was

(01:51:14):
then when they heard some sounds in the distance. You
guys hear that, Chunker asked quietly. Sounds like little kids playing.
Chapman replied, scratching his bird head. It's after midnight, Horton noted.
Then he checked his smart watch, it's almost twelve thirty. Yeah,

(01:51:39):
but we're in Junior High. Chapman stressed, the cops aren't
going to say anything to us. Besides, we're not too
far from Chunker's house. We might as well keep moving,
Chunkers suggested. Then they heard the sounds of the little
kids laughing in the cemetery again. The boys wanted to

(01:52:03):
turn away and keep going, but deep down, we should
head inside and check on those kids. Chapman said, yeah,
but Horton stammered. When he saw the slight glare on
Chapman's face, he sighed, yeah, you're right. It is too
late for those kids to be out here and in

(01:52:23):
a graveyard, Chunker added. The boys went to the cemetery
entrance and found the iron gates were locked. When they
heard the children laughing again, they realized they had only
one way inside. They tossed their pillowcases of candy over
the wall and scaled it to get inside. After dropping

(01:52:46):
to the grass below, they picked up their candy and
stashed it until they could come back for it and leave.
Over there, Chunker said, pointing in the direction of the laughter.
The boys walked cautiously through the seemingly endless rows of tombstones.
Village Cemetery wasn't nearly as big as Strickfield Cemetery, but

(01:53:09):
it may as well have been. With the atmosphere. There
was a light fog among the tombstones. Even though it
was officially November first, now Halloween night itself, continued into
the late hours in many places, Strickfield was no exception.
I can't believe I'm walking around in a graveyard on

(01:53:31):
Halloween night. Horton groaned, Yeah yeah, Chucker muttered, stick close.
The boys kept walking cautiously through the cemetery until they
came upon the scene of the laughter. It looked as
though a group of children were in their Halloween costumes.
They were laughing as it seemed they were playing a game. Well,

(01:53:56):
it don't look like they're in any danger, Chunker observed. Okay,
guess we can go home. Then Horton uttered quickly. As
Horton turned away, Chapman snatched his wrist. Come on, dude,
really don't forget safety in numbers here. When Horton calmed down,
Chapman let go of him. The boys watched the children

(01:54:18):
still playing their game. They weren't sure what the game was,
but it looked like some form of hide and seek.
Before the boys were going to talk about what to
do next, Ghost in the Graveyard, Ghost in the Graveyard,
the boys shrieked with fright before they turned around to
see a little girl dressed as Little Red riding Hood

(01:54:40):
pointing at Chunker in his zombie makeup. Ghost in the graveyard.
Ghost in the graveyard, she called out again. It wasn't
long before a little boy came up next to the girl.
His costume looked quite awkward. He appeared to be all wet.
His makeup was really good because he it seemed to

(01:55:00):
look like he had some stages of decomposition on his
face and arms. That's not the ghost, Annabeth, The boy
told her. The ghost is still around in here, somewhere.
You know who the ghost is. Annabeth turned to the boy,
still pointing at Chunker. But he looks like a ghost too, Arthur.

(01:55:21):
Arthur was looking the boys over. It's not him, he
told Annabeth again. What are you guys doing out here
in the cemetery? Chapman asked, it's after midnight. Aren't you
afraid the copsule come here? Arthur laughed. The police never
come in here on Halloween. They got way too much

(01:55:42):
to do tonight to be looking in here. But what
are you doing in here? Horton asked, Ah, we're playing
our favorite game for Halloween, Knight Ghost in the Graveyard.
Arthur answered, want to play? The boys looked among themselves
with uncertainty. Oh, come on, Arthur, beckoned, it's Halloween knight.

(01:56:05):
We got the whole graveyard to ourselves. There ain't gonna
be any cops looking in here. Trust me on this one. Okay,
Horton stammered. We can play a few rounds, right, no
school tomorrow and all. Yeah. Okay. Chapman agreed. Chunkers seemed
just as unsure as his friends, but he still gave

(01:56:27):
an affirming nod. Arthur motioned for the boys to follow
him in Annabeth. He called for the other children, who
were quick to gather around. Okay, people, these guys are
playing Ghost in the Graveyard with us. He told them.
The ghost is still out there. Then he explained the
rules to the boys as he pointed to the nearby mausoleum.

(01:56:49):
That's our home base. We already picked somebody to be
the ghost. The ghost is out there in this cemetery somewhere.
Now we'll chant the hours again so the ghost knows
we got new players in the game. I'll call out
once we finish the chant. Once I do, we all
go out looking for the ghost. If anybody spots the ghost,
you yell ghost in the graveyard and run back to

(01:57:12):
home base, the mausoleum. Now, if the ghost catches you
at any point and you're not at home base, then
you become the next ghost. Got it? The boys nodded.
Then Arthur led the chant by chanting the hours. When
they reached midnight, Arthur called out, midnight, midnight. We hope

(01:57:33):
we don't see a ghost tonight. Everybody cautiously walked away
from the mausoleum and started looking around. The boys pulled
out their smartphones and turned on their camera flashes. They
found they weren't much help. After a little bit, they
also noticed they weren't getting any reception. I don't like this,

(01:57:54):
Horton whispered, something's really wrong here. I can feel it. Yeah,
I feel the same way. Chunker agreed. It'll be okay, guys,
Chapman said, we'll just play a few rounds and then
get these kids to go home. You don't sound so
sure of yourself, Horton said. Chapman didn't have to say it,

(01:58:16):
but Horton and Chunker could both see on his face
that he was just as concerned as them. Just then, Oh,
come on, Chunker, really, Horton groaned as he coughed and
waved his hand in front of his face. Chapman was
also waving his hand in front of his own face. Man, Chunker,
you gotta stop eating so much of Denoyer's sweet Potato pie.

(01:58:41):
I'm sorry, guys, Chunker said quietly. It's kind of scary
in here. It's no different than during the day, Chapman countered,
trying to sound more confident than he felt. Don't you
watch scary movies, Horton demanded. You know what you said, right,
it's always different in a cemetery at night, Chapman grown,

(01:59:05):
But we're not in a scary movie, nerd. You're right,
We're in a very scary graveyard on Halloween night, Horton
said quickly. It was nighttime when we saw a ghost
over the summer. Yeah, we know, ghosts surreal, Chapman, Chunker
reminded him. Chapman looked like he wanted to yell at

(01:59:28):
both of them, but he kept his thought to himself instead.
And you guys see the ghost yet, Horton shook his head. No, nope,
Chunker replied, could be anywhere, and then Arthur joined up
with them. It's okay, guys, there's nothing to worry about.

(01:59:49):
Once we find the ghost, we run back to home base.
You sure there's somebody being the ghost out there right,
Chunker asked, We've been looking around and we haven't seen
anybody yet else except you. Horton added, trust me, there
is a ghost, Arthur promised, probably stalking us right now.

(02:00:09):
Unless the ghost is where the others are. Um no,
Horton disagreed. You said, if anybody saw the ghost, they're
supposed to chant ghost in the graveyard. Yeah, we haven't
heard anybody chant yet, Chunker stressed. Village cemetery was lit
decently thanks to the street lights around the paths. The

(02:00:31):
boys didn't want to say it, but they seemed to
think that Arthur's makeup looked more and more realistic in
terms of the decomposition, and he still looked soaking wet.
If he was supposed to be a zombie himself, then
whoever did his makeup was really good. Let's check over
there at that mausoleum, Arthur suggested. At first, Horton hesitated,

(02:00:56):
Then Chapman reminded him safety in numbers. Okay, Horton groaned.
The four boys cautiously walked to the mausoleum. Arthur was
guiding them too. I'm pretty sure the ghost is hiding
in there. That's where she was last time. Yeah, but
wouldn't it be better to hide somewhere else, Chapman asked.

(02:01:19):
Arthur didn't say anything, but they continued until they reached
the entrance of the mausoleum. Mom, you in there, Arthur
called out. Horton looked from Chunker to Chapman. Mom. Now
both Chunker and Chapman had the same worried looks as Horton.
Suddenly the door to the mausoleum flew open, to the

(02:01:42):
horror of the three friends. A ghastly glowing woman who
wore a blood stained, damp wedding gown now stood in
the doorway. Her flesh was quite decayed, and her red
eyes glowed as bright as those at a railroad crossing gate.
The apparition screamed with delight as she looked upon the
three faces. My babies, you finally come home to your mother,

(02:02:07):
Abigail Tomlin said in her dead and disembodied voice. Then
she held her arms out to grab them. Abigail Tomlin,
The three friends screamed together, then they turned and ran
for all they were worth. The ghost of Abigail Tomlin
screamed herself to pierce the stillness of the night as
she began chasing them. We're not at the bridge, Chunker moaned,

(02:02:33):
how is this even happening? Oh man, oh man, oh man,
oh man, oh Man. Horton squealed, We gotta get out
of here. Chapman yelled, there will never be any escape
for you, my babies. Abigail Tomlin called out to them,
not this time, and never again. To the surprise of

(02:02:53):
Chapman and Horton, Chunker was actually running fast enough to
leave them behind. Horton shrieked, and both he and Chapman
ran faster to keep up with him. As the boys
came upon the other children, they were yelling for them
to run, waving their arms at them. Frantically Ghost in
the graveyard for real, Horton screamed, get out of here,

(02:03:15):
go home. Chapman added, We're all gonna die if she
catches us. For real, Chunker yelled. When the other children
saw Abigail Tomlin, they all screamed and scattered. You can
run all you want, Arthur called to the three friends.
There's no escape. Mom will have you all. You escaped

(02:03:36):
her once, but there's no escape this time. Then Horton
made a startling realization. He said his name was Arthur.
That's the name of Abigail Tomlin's little baby boy, like
in the legend of cry Baby Bridge. You mean Arthur's
a ghost too, Chunker cried in disbelief. Makes sense, Chapman gasped.

(02:03:59):
He calls her mom. They both died together at the
bridge years ago. You may run as much as you like,
my children, Abigail Tomlin called to them. You are within
the boundaries of this burial ground. You will never escape
me again, especially not before the sun rises. The boys

(02:04:20):
knew the sun wouldn't be up for several hours, yet
it was just after one o'clock. We can't keep running
much longer, Chunker groaned. Let's get back to the wall
and climb over, Chapman yelled. The boys quickly reached the
wall with all the strength and determination that came from
being scared for their lives. The boys quickly scaled the

(02:04:40):
wall and dropped to the outside. Abigail Tomlin floated high
enough to where they could see her. However, she could
not float over the wall itself. The boys knew they
were safe, but Abigail Tomlin gave them a weird look
before she slowly lowered herself back into the cemetery. Let's

(02:05:04):
get out of here, Chunker said, after catching his breath.
Horton was inclined to agree. However, we can't, guys, we
can't just leave those kids in there. Abigail Tomlin will
claim them, you know she will. You guys want to
go home, then go, But I won't be able to
sleep tonight, knowing I didn't at least try to save them. True,

(02:05:29):
the boys had escaped Abigail Tomlin once more. However, they
knew Horton was right, and he certainly did not want
to go back in there himself. I'm with you, Horton,
Chapman said, Way to put a guilt trip on us,
But you're right. You know we're not gonna make it
out again, right, Tomlin's gonna get us this time? Yeah,

(02:05:53):
I know, Horton replied. You know, I'm really scared, but
I'm going back in. Chunker put a hand on Horton's
shoulder and laughed a little. We still got to get
all our candy we left in there. I'm not letting
Abigail Tomlin have all that candy, no way. The others
laughed a little at Chunker's humor, even though the candy

(02:06:15):
was the farthest thing from their minds. Thanks for being
my best friends, guys, Horton said. Chunker pointed sharply at him, No,
you don't. We're getting back out of here, and you'd
better believe that, though he didn't sound as confident as
he would have liked. I got a plan to get
the children out, Horton told them. The other two listened

(02:06:38):
as Horton explained the plan. It's suicide, but let's do it.
Chapman said, yeah, Chunker cheered. The boys took a deep
breath before they scaled the wall again and dropped back
into the cemetery. They ran in the direction of the children, screaming.
It wasn't long before they saw the ghost of Abigail

(02:07:00):
Tomlin floating near the kids. She had them backed up
against the mausoleum that was declared home base. Of course,
she had no intention of honoring that part of ghost
in the graveyard. Hey, Abigail over here, Chunker called out,
leave them alone. Chapman added, it's us you want remember.

(02:07:23):
Horton put his thumbs in his ears. Nana na, Na, Na, Nana.
Abigail Tomlin immediately turned to them, it's time to come home,
my children, You've been in the mortal realm long enough.
As soon as she began floating towards them, Chunker called
to the children, get out of here now. The boys

(02:07:44):
saw the children move from the home base mausoleum and
run to the wall. Arthur Tomlin couldn't stop them as
they helped each other get up and over. The boys
stood their ground as Abigail Tomlin continued closing the gap
between herself and the boys. As they agreed they would
stand their ground until every last child had escaped. It

(02:08:07):
was when the last one had scaled the wall that
Abigail Tomlin finally reached them. The boys never screamed as
she touched all three of them to bring them into
the realm of the dead. Now Abigail Tomlin had finally
claimed the three of them as her own. Here, finally

(02:08:27):
home at last, my long lost children. Now, my son
Arthur will not be so lonely. The family and friends
of the boys and the children of those they saved,
searched village cemetery again and again. The only thing they

(02:08:50):
turned up were the three pillowcases full of candy. As
far as Brian Chunk, Richie Horton, and Bill Chapman went,
their bodies were never found. In fact, they were never
found within the entire village of Strickfield. After several weeks
of searching and an investigation, the boys were finally given

(02:09:14):
up for lost. In fact, the three boys were never
ever seen again. However, if you're ever fulheartedly brave enough
and you happen to drive into Strickfield, go to the
bridge on Indian Hollow Road, the cry Baby Bridge at night.

(02:09:37):
Just remain there for a while. When you feel the
winds starting to blow, you might just might hear the
cries of Brian Chunk, Richie Horton, and Bill Chapman calling
out for help from beyond the mortal realm as we
know it. And you might even see the ghost of

(02:10:02):
Abigail Tomlin, who continues to haunt this region of Strickfield,
especially on Halloween night. Tricks and Treats, Volume two, So nice,

(02:10:28):
We had to do it twice. A cool breeze blue
down the sidewalk, past the swarms of costumed merrymakers, stirring
up small cyclones of discarded candy wrappers and haunted house leaflets.
A lone figure stood in the center of the chaos,
head down like a stage actor waiting for the curtain

(02:10:50):
to rise. The tall, impossibly thin man had on a
top hat and wore a bright, gaudy suit with tails.
With his handlebar mustache and Van Dyke beard, he looked
like a demonic circus ring master. He leaned on a cane,
blocking a substantial part of the sidewalk, but the revelers

(02:11:11):
unconsciously parted around him like he wasn't even there. Suddenly,
as if someone flipped a switch, the strange man sprung
into action. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, writers and wrongers,
killers and pray, he said, as he spun in a circle,

(02:11:32):
his cane whipping through the air, barely missing some of
the pedestrians. I am the Count of Carnage, the Prince
of the perverse, the phantom of the faithless, and your
humble host, he said, winking Jack Scratch. He performed an
impossibly low bow, his hat almost touching the ground. Standing

(02:11:55):
up straight, Jack began strolling down the sidewalk. Tonight is
a special night, the unholiest of knights, all Hallow's Eve,
or Halloween as you humans call it, Jack spoke, this
is the one night a year that I can leave
the infernal flames of Hell and walk among you mortals.

(02:12:18):
He paused to light a cigar, the pure joy of
it registered on his face. As Hell's director of talent acquisition,
I have been all over your world. I've seen the
worst you have to offer. However, there is one place
that never disappoints, one place where killers seem to multiply
like rabbits and mothers constantly weep. Jack stopped and spread

(02:12:43):
his arms Strictfield, Ohio. He took a long, deep breath
and seemed to shiver with anticipation when he exhaled. You
can just smell the crazy in the air. Ah, he continued,

(02:13:03):
strolling down the sidewalk. Strickfielders love Halloween. Just look at them,
he said, pointing to the mob of tricker treaters crowding
the streets. An entire town rais to love the gruesome
and the macabre, so used to murder in Mayhem that
they spend an entire month celebrating it. Just thinking about

(02:13:28):
it brings a tear to my eye. Jack said, what
happens when someone doesn't appreciate the darker side of life.
One who moves into a community but rejects what they
hold deer Jack stops and points at a house across

(02:13:49):
the street. Well, there's no time like the present, so
let's find out. Ha ha. This one is called Beggars Can't
Be Choosers by Morgan Moore. Now go away, kid, you
bother me. The sound of the doorbell ringing brings Melissa

(02:14:13):
White to her front door with a sigh. She scoops
up the bowl set by the door, opens it and
is greeted, as she had been all night, by a
group of kids dressed up for Halloween. They all shout
at once, Oh wow, look at you all. You're so spooky.

(02:14:35):
Melissa doesn't even attempt to mask how over the night
she was. She quickly hands each child a piece of
candy with the best smile she can muster. All right, then,
you scary kids, don't eat too much and be safe
out there. Before a child can even blink at her actions,
Melissa shuts the door and releases a sigh. God, I

(02:14:58):
hate Halloween. The irony was not lost on Melissa that
for how much she hated the holiday, she moved to Strickfield,
a town which didn't just celebrate the holiday yearly, but
around the clock come October. If she would have known
about the village's infatuation with the damned Day, she would
have never moved there, but it was affordable, and she

(02:15:21):
wasn't going to turn down the small house that she
had inherited from her aunt. What made it seemingly more
insufferable than any other Halloween was the costumes she saw.
It was one thing for a kid to dress up
like a movie monster or a psychopath, but she saw
child after child dressed like actual killers. Upon announcing her

(02:15:47):
intentions to move to Strickfield, and once getting there, Melissa
quickly learned the village had a history of killings and
numerous serial killers, some of which taking on Neil her
idle status in the small community. So since October started,
she got to learn all about every last one and

(02:16:09):
got to see every child up to adults dressed as
those lunatics. It made her sick. Melissa rolled her eyes
and walked over to her couch and plopped down on it.
She looked at her hand, which still had the bowl
she was using for candy. With a shrug, she reached
into it with her other hand. Nothing touched her fingers

(02:16:32):
or palm as she searched for something to snack on.
Melissa looked into the bowl and was met with the
sight of nothing but her hand being inside. Ah shit,
she muttered. She was screwed. On the one hand, it
gave her an excuse to just turn off the lights
and call it a night, but she knew better. She

(02:16:55):
had been seen handing out candy, and even with it
being nine o'clock, there were still people roaming the streets
in search of treats. Eventually, her doorbell would be pushed
and then knocked on until she would be forced to
answer it. Heavens knew what would happen if she did
and had to announce to the beggars that there was

(02:17:16):
no more candy to be had. Keep participating in this
rotating psycho fashion show and get more candy, or call
it a night and probably have the house and my
car messed with. Melissa contemplated her options. It didn't take
her long to reach the conclusion to grab her purse
and keys and find a store that somehow still had

(02:17:38):
candy to buy. Melissa slowly drove through Strickfield, her speed
due to the number of people blindly walking through the streets.
She groaned at the snail's pace she was going. All
would be fine, as Melissa had passed a few stores
that were clearly still open, yet the heavy foot traffic

(02:18:00):
made it next to impossible to turn into any of them.
As her drive progressed, less and less buildings became present
as scenery. From what little she had traversed the village
in her short time there, Melissa had never come out
this far. Most of the activity was in the heart
of the village, not out in the boonies. On the

(02:18:21):
plus side, being this far out meant there was no
foot traffic to hinder her driving. But being out this
far in the dark on Halloween definitely sent a shiver
down Melissa's spine. Melissa continued her drive through what started
to look more and more like countryside. Her attention suddenly

(02:18:41):
snapped to the left. Was that she questioned having driven
past whatever it was too quickly. Melissa put the car
in reverse and slowly backed up to what had caught
her eye. The sight of it brought a smile to
her face. In front of her was an old general
store that was still open. Thank god. Melissa maneuvered the

(02:19:09):
car into what could pass as a parking lot for
the store and turn the car off outside. She shivers
as the autumn air brushes against her. Crisp and chilly,
Melissa made her way toward the general store, cautious of
the environment and its lack of outdoor lighting. Only the
faint glow of the light from inside the store led

(02:19:30):
her way. As she opened the door, a bell chimed
and nearly gave her a heart attack. God, this place
is old, isn't it. Melissa walked around the store, the
light inside faint as it was from the outdoors. The
place reminded her of an Amish store she visited once
in Indiana. Everything on the shelves appeared to be homemade,

(02:19:53):
stored in either plastic bags or Mason jars. Handwritten labels
carefully glued to each item with what it was and
how much it cost. Melissa was certainly impressed by the
amount of items the store seemed to have and its
owners had made. Melissa continued to walk through the store
in search of any kind of candy she could find.

(02:20:16):
Rounding a corner, she found what she was looking for,
a small wooden shelf against the wall filled with bags
of homemade candy. Perfect, she exclaimed. Melissa plucked a couple
of bags from the shelf with a smile. She turned
around to head back toward the front of the store,
only to find her path blocked by a man. He

(02:20:39):
was only a few hairs taller than her, but was
very visibly over double her age. May I help you,
he asked? The old man, while taller than Melissa, spoke
with a softness that she assumed came from his old age.
His attire, whether a Halloween costume or his everyday clothes,

(02:21:00):
reminded her of a pioneer or the Amish, only without
the beard. It seemed rather fitting for him. Oh sorry,
I think I was just trying to find some candy,
Melissa fumbles out. The old man looks her up and
down and smiles. Well, it looks like you found some

(02:21:21):
Is that all you need? I would say, yes, Melissa responded, great. Well,
then let's get you cashed out and on your way.
The man smiled and turned to head toward the front
of the store. Melissa raised an eyebrow quizzically, but shrugged
and followed after the man up front. He tossed the

(02:21:43):
bags onto the counter. Run out tonight, did you? He asked? Yeah,
didn't expect to get as much foot traffic as I did.
Must be new to the area, aren't you bingo? Melissa
replied with a slight smile. Oh, there's a pretty smile.
I'm not surprised you weren't more prepared.

Speaker 2 (02:22:04):
Then.

Speaker 1 (02:22:04):
Halloween is a big night and a big deal for
those here in Strickfield, always has been, the old man explained,
so I've heard. Melissa answered with a small roll of
her eyes. Not a fan of Halloween, the man asked,
after catching her rolling her eyes. Not really, I always

(02:22:25):
found it kind of goofy growing up. If anything, living
here has made me dislike it more. Constantly being surrounded
by it does no favors for me. Not to mention,
it's pretty revolting seeing kids dressed up as serial killers. Well,
it's up to the parents what their children want to do.

(02:22:45):
That's part of the problem. It's disgusting. How okay it
is that this, and forgive me for saying it, backwoods
town idolizes mass murderers and a stupid holiday that's only
point is to dry candy sales and horror movie reynolds.
Truth be told, I wouldn't even be buying this if

(02:23:06):
I wasn't afraid of having the little rugrats kicked my
door down. They'd probably try to eat me in place
of the candy, Melissa ranted to the store owner. She
paused after finishing her sentence and looked at the old man.
His face, which minutes ago showed an old warmth and pleasantness,
was now replaced by cold eyes and a frowned, furrowed brow.

(02:23:29):
Something about the old man's face and how he was
now holding his body made the hairs on Melissa's neck
stand up and put her on edge. It was as
if her insulting the holiday had offended the once kind
sales clerk, having committed a mortal sin. Melissa felt her
cheeks grow hot from embarrassment at the situation. Uh uh,

(02:23:52):
how much do I owe you? She asked cautiously. Well, dear,
let's just call it paying it forward. He answered, I
don't get it, She responded in confusion. Well, paying it
forward means I give you these because of generosity I've received,
he explained. Oh okay. Melissa carefully reached across the counter

(02:24:16):
and took the bags of candy. She went to walk
away and head back home, but paused. The words the
old man had just said rewound and then replayed in
her head. Melissa turned around and looked at the old man. Hey,
may I ask you something? Course, he replied, you said

(02:24:38):
you received a generosity. I'm curious as to what it was,
Melissa questioned. Ah, well, let's see. You gave me some sourness, which,
as you could expect, is something we use in many
of our goods. Besides, you got some chocolate coins, so
we can just consider those your pay for the ferryman,

(02:25:00):
the old man elaborated, before ending with a warm smile.
Melissa looked in confused terror at the old man. On
one hand, she didn't understand what any of this had
to do with generosity, Yet something about how he spoke
and the way he was smiling made her feel as
if a terrible event was going to happen.

Speaker 2 (02:25:21):
Right.

Speaker 1 (02:25:22):
Well, I gotta go, Melissa choked out. She turned around
to leave, only to find herself surrounded by what she
assumed was the old man's family. Each one was dressed
in the same amish like attire, the only difference being
for the girls, who wore dresses of the same fashion.
Melissa couldn't believe they had appeared as quickly as they did,

(02:25:44):
and found herself equally unable to find a way to escape. There,
encircling of her. As they got closer and closer, Melissa
felt panic overtake her, shutting down all brain function and
leaving her like a defenseless newborn baby. She dropped the candy,
save for the chocolate coins, remembering what the man had said. Yes, yes,

(02:26:06):
I think this might be the best treat we could
have gotten this year. Now, remember, children, we must remember
to pay it forward. Strickfield gave us this wonderful package
of ingredients. Yes, yes, new from CROs in Hand, old
time General Store. Short on candy bars, but need something

(02:26:29):
sweet for your tricker treaters. Try our new sour nut clusters,
all the salty crunchiness of the nuts you love with
the sourness and coating of your favorite candies. They're so
crunchy and sour you'd almost think we made them from
your worst enemies. So come on down and get yourself
our new sour nut clusters at crows in Hand Old

(02:26:50):
Time General Store. My my Jack said, popping a piece
of candy into his mouth. I'm not normally a fan
of recycling, but he eats another one. You can't argue
with the results. Best damn sour nuts I've ever tried,

(02:27:13):
Jack began to stroll down the sidewalk, his cane twirling
in his hands. Strickfield attracts killers and fimes of all types. Humans, ghosts, vampires, werewolves,
Everything and anything is possible in Strickfield. It baffles me
why any good hearted mortal who makes it out would

(02:27:36):
ever come back. But if they did, wouldn't it be
grand if they unintentionally brought death and destruction with them.
Not only is Strickfield a cruel bitch, it also has
a wicked sense of humor. He grandly gestured at a
pair of women across the street. Well, we'll see what

(02:27:57):
happens to these two young ladies and just moment. But first,
here's something even more terrifying for you. A word from
our sponsors. What you think hell pays well? Not a chance?
Halloween Cookies by Keith Tomlin. Children, teenagers, and even adults

(02:28:20):
walked the streets in costume, their laughter reverberating in the
chilly October air. Two women, Megan Smith and her aged
mother May, turned off the sidewalk and headed up a
walkway to the front door of a modest, yellow two
story home. May was all smiles as she looked around
the neighborhood she lived in for most of her life.

(02:28:42):
When they reached the door, Megan rapped sharply and they waited.
Within a few seconds, the door was opened by a
slightly overweight man in his early thirties dressed as beetlejuice.
Trick or treat? May yelled, trick or treat, the man
said back to her. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as

(02:29:03):
he realized who was standing at his door. Auntie, May,
is that you, Daniel. I wouldn't have recognized you if
Megan hadn't told me that you lived here. Daniel stepped
forward and gave May a gentle hug, trying not to
smash the covered tray that she was carrying. I haven't
seen you in what fifteen years? Let me get Sarah.

(02:29:27):
Daniel stepped back inside and yelled for Sarah, his wife.
After not hearing a response, he apologized, she's giving the
baby a bath and putting him to bed. Why don't
you come in and wait? She would love to see you. Sorry,
dear May said, patting his cheek. I have a lot
of houses to visit tonight, after all, it's Halloween. Don't worry, though,

(02:29:49):
I'm moving back to Strickfield, so you'll see a lot
more of me. I'm moving in with Megan and her boyfriend.
She lowered her voice. I was living with my other
daughter in Phoenix, but she's getting divorced and had to
move into a smaller house. Mother, don't air our dirty
laundry in public, Megan said. Aghast oh, hush Daniels family.

(02:30:11):
May retorted. When May lived in this neighborhood, she considered
any kid within eight blocks of her house and their
parents' family. She would give every kid small but thoughtful
gifts for birthdays and Christmases. She never said no to babysitting,
and her house was a wonderful, chaotic mess of children.

(02:30:31):
She loved every second of it. Twelve years ago, after
her husband passed, her health began to fail, and her
children convinced her to move to the warm and dry
climate of Arizona. The losses of her beloved husband and
her adopted family blew out the spark she had in
her eyes, and her life in Arizona became one of

(02:30:52):
mere existence. But now that she was back in Strickfield,
there was a new bounce in her step. May was
about to ask about Daniel's parents when she noticed a young,
green faced child with big eyes peering around his legs.
My who is this, May exclaimed. Daniel gently scooted the

(02:31:14):
child forward. This is Chloe, my daughter, he said, proudly.
I'm a ninja turtle. Chloe said shyly, pointing at her
Leonardo costume. Oh, that sounds like fun. Do you eat flies,
May asked, bending down to look the little girl in
the face. Chloe laughed, no, silly, I eat pizza. Good choice,

(02:31:37):
May said, Do you eat cookies? Chloe's eyes brightened at that. Yes,
ninja turtles can eat cookies, she exclaimed. May looked up
at Daniel, who nodded. Let's see, she said, as she
opened up her tupperware tray. We don't have turtles, but
we do have bats, spiders, kitty cats, and wool wolves. Ooh,

(02:32:01):
I'll take a wolf, Chloe said, excitedly, reaching out, there
you go, Dear May smiled as she handed the little
one a sugar cookie shaped like a wolf. Chloe turned
and ran deeper into the house, holding the cookie to
her chest like she was afraid that someone would take
it from her. Daniel called after her, Hey, come back

(02:32:22):
and thank Auntie May. Sighing, he turned back and apologized.
May waved the apology off, and after her daughter helped
her stand back up, she held out the tray to
Daniel Care for a cookie. Daniel's shoulders slumped. I wish
I could. I always loved your cookies, but I'm diabetic

(02:32:43):
and I've already dipped into her candy bag more than
I should have this evening. They stood there for a
few minutes more and exchanged their goodbyes, ending with May
promising to stop by on Saturday to meet the rest
of the family. As the women turned to walk away,
Megan realized that she had hadn't seen her mother this
happy since before her father died. Chloe played with her

(02:33:06):
teenage mutant Ninja turtle action figures, acting out scenarios where
they saved April O'Neill from a rampaging wolf in the
form of May's sugar cookie. When this became boring, she
had Leonardo cut the head off the wolf cookie, ending
the threat. She celebrated by eating the cookie head first,
savoring each bite. Chloe put her figures away, grabbing her

(02:33:30):
coloring books and began to carefully draw within the lines.
After a few minutes, she started to sweat and a
feeling of intense fear began washing over. She started to
yell out for her father, but something, a feeling of apprehension,
held her back. A figure passed her open door, causing

(02:33:51):
Chloe to shrink back in terror. The creature looked like
a monster, one of the wolf men from the scary
movies that her parents and didn't let her watch, but
she did anyway. She heard the front door open, Snarls
and howls floated down the hall, ending when the front
door was shut. She sat there on her bed, paralyzed

(02:34:14):
until the creature walked by again, pausing in her doorway.
It stared at her, its lips curled back in rage,
spittle spraying from its mouth as it glowered at her.
Chloe broke her stillness as she screamed and rolled off
the bed. Grabbing the plastic katana from her costume, she

(02:34:34):
dove under the bed. She waited, trembling with fear, until
the wolf man on his knees, pulled the blanket aside
and peered at her, his long teeth glinting in the lamplight.
Chloe screamed again and thrust the sword forward, catching the
monster in the face. It pulled back and let out

(02:34:55):
a horrific howl as she scuttled out the other side
and ran out of the room. My god, it's so
good to see you, aunt May, Christine said, giving the
old woman another hug. Same here, my dear, it's so
good to be back. I've been gone for way too long.

(02:35:16):
May replied. Christine waved her daughter over and presented her
to May. This is d. She would have been two
or three the last time you saw her. My, she's
grown into such a lovely girl, May exclaimed. Christine looked
down at her daughter and pointed at May. D. This
is Auntie May. She was everyone's favorite neighbor when we

(02:35:39):
were growing up. D looked at May and, in a flat,
bored tone, said hi. She looked back at her mom
and asked, can I go to my room and listen
to music? Christine sighed fine, go D began to walk
away when May spoke, oh, I almost forgot. Do you

(02:36:00):
want a Halloween cookie? She held out the tray to
the girl. D hesitated and nodded, grabbing a cookie shaped
like a spider before walking off. I'm sorry, you know
how teenagers are, Christine said, apologetic, Oh, dear, no, need
to tell me. May responded, pointedly, looking at Megan. Nonsense,

(02:36:23):
I was an angel, Megan said, playfully, smacking her mother
on the shoulder. D flopped on the bed, grabbing her
phone out of her back pocket and putting in her earbuds.
She absently ate the cookie as she scrolled through Instagram
posts and listened to music. After a few minutes, she
began to feel strange, like someone was watching her. The

(02:36:49):
hair on the back of her neck was standing up.
She removed the earbuds and heard screeching and scratching coming
from the other room. She slowly rose from the bed
and made her way into the hall. Scott is working
second shift at Mirn Automotive. He'll be sorry he missed you.

(02:37:11):
Let's all get together and have dinner some night at
Dnoyer's grill, Christine said, noticing the look on May's face,
she said, sorry, I forgot. You have an issue with
that place. Mom is slowly getting over it now that
she's not able to cook as much as she used to.
Megan said, May couldn't contain herself. I don't think you
can call something homemade if it's being cooked in the

(02:37:33):
back of a kitchen of a diner. Besides, I still
say that they stole my recipe for country fried chicken gravy,
May huffed. D snuck down the hall, the clicking and
scraping getting louder with every step. She stopped at the
doorway to the living room and peered around the corner.

(02:37:55):
She quickly pulled back, stifling a scream, fighting the panic
that threatened to a mobilizer. She looked around the corner again.
Standing where her mother had been was a humanoid creature
with the head of a spider. In addition to the
two legs the creature was standing on, there were six
thin spider like legs sticking out of its back. The

(02:38:19):
legs absently tapped and scraped along the open front door
and the walls surrounding it. Two other spider creatures stood
on the porch, and all three were emitting high pitched noises.
D slowly backed down the hall, her heart racing as
she tried to clear her head. She thought, what would

(02:38:40):
Dad do? Then she remembered the shotgun. Every year on
his birthday, he took her to the Sportsman Club to
shoot skeet. So she knew how to use a shotgun,
and she knew where he kept it. Decision made, she
turned and ran toward her parents room. Daniel looked at

(02:39:02):
his eye in the mirror. It was swelling shut and
he couldn't see anything out of it. His wife, Sarah,
walked into the room and put her arm around him.
How's your eye, she asked, Not good. I'll probably have
to go to the er, Daniel said. Chloe's not in
her room, Sarah said, I wonder what got into her.

(02:39:24):
I have no idea. I was asking her if she
liked the cookie when she freaked out and hid under
the bed. When I checked on her, she jabbed me
with that damn sword, Daniel said, wincing with pain as
he dabbed a damp washcloth around his eye, cleaning up
some of the fresh blood seeping from it. I'll keep
looking for her. Hopefully she didn't leave the house. His

(02:39:46):
wife said, she was scared to death, poor thing. As
soon as we find her and calm her down, I'll
head to the hospital. Daniel said, No, I don't want
you driving. We should call an ambulance, Sarah said. Daniel
was about to protest when he heard light footsteps running
down the hall. Chloe stormed into the room, wearing the

(02:40:09):
full Leonardo costume and brandishing a large butcher's knife. She
began swinging it wildly with almost superhuman strength, plunging it
first into her father and then into her mother, over
and over again. A few minutes later, Chloe stood over

(02:40:30):
the remains of the two wolf monsters. She was wiping
blood from her face when she heard the high pitched
howling coming from the baby's room. She gripped the knife
with determination and turned. Walking out of the bathroom, Christine

(02:40:51):
examined the cookie in her hand, shaped like a cat. Wow,
the details on these cookies are amazing, she exclaimed, I know,
perfect for Halloween. When I moved in with Megan, she
gave me an amazing set of horror themed cookie cutters.
May said, I found them at some hole in the
wall antique store near the Strickfield Town Center mall called

(02:41:16):
Tinkers or something like that. The owner was a bit peculiar,
but the prices were amazing, Megan interjected. Christine was about
to take a bite when she heard a yell behind her.
As she turned, the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being
racked filled her ears. Jack holds up one finger like

(02:41:41):
he's waiting for something off in the near distance. You
can hear gunshots, and Jack swings his hands back and
forth like he's conducting a symphony. The people milling about
the street jump startled and look around. Not seeing any
immediate threat, they hurry on about their business. When the

(02:42:04):
last shot ends, he sighs, Oh, well, that was fun
while it lasted. You have to give it up for
Isley Tinker. He does good work. I don't know how
he stays in business selling cursed antiques at such low
prices artists, Jack rolls his eyes. Jack begins to continue

(02:42:26):
strolling down the street when suddenly he stops. Wait. I
know that smell, the sickly sweet scent of decay, Jack said,
breathing deeply. I think we're in for a treat, he said,
almost giddy with anticipation. That's what I love about Strickfield.

(02:42:50):
You never know who you'll run into. He turns and
points at the house up the block. Ah, there we go.
I wish I had popcorn because I am expecting quite
a show. Smoke him if you got him, Jack said,
as he lit up another cigar. After a quick word

(02:43:12):
from our sponsors, of course, Beggar's Night Massacre by Rob Fields.
As I walked down Park Avenue with my plastic pumpkin
basket and my drink bottle, I got to thinking more

(02:43:34):
about how the village of Strickfield made trick or treating
a full week instead of just one night. This year,
I heard people calling the last full week of Halloween
Beggar's week. I think I can see why the people
here call it that. By definition, Beggar's night is when
trick or treating falls on any other night but Halloween.

(02:43:55):
But now there are six additional nights of trick or
treating prior to Halloween, right here in this village, meaning
the first six nights are technically Beggar's nights. I take
a quick drink of the red liquid from my bottle
and see the porch light of my next house. I
walk up to the door of nineteen Park Avenue and

(02:44:16):
ring the bell. I can hear Bobby Pickett's Monster Mash
playing inside. The door opens, making the music louder, and
that's when I see her, Megan Harris. I ask, Megan's
dressed like a sexy vampire. I am also dressed as
a vampire, only I look more like Dracula. Megan opens

(02:44:39):
the screen door. I think you're too old to be
trick or treating, Richie, she says, holding the large bowl
of candy in her arm. I smirk. Not in Strickfield,
anybody can trick or treat here. No judgments or age discrimination.
Never has been anyway where you been hiding. People at

(02:45:00):
Strickfield High have been saying you disappeared two years ago.
Megan smiles a little. I'm here now. Just then, this
beefy guy comes and stands at the door with her.
I don't care what Strickfield law says about trick or treating.
You're too old, dweeb. Then he grins, Yeah, maybe you're

(02:45:21):
in your second childhood. He scowls now get lost, fuck stick,
But I ignore him. You know I've been looking everywhere
for you, too, Megan. Then the guy whom I recognize
as Mike Stanley, opens the door and steps out onto
the porch. You deaf nerd beat it or I am

(02:45:41):
gonna beat your ass. Mike. Just stop. Megan snaps, this
is my house. Just like that. The buffoon listens to
her and backs off, And I know he'd like nothing
better than to lay into me. Megan turns back, Hey,
since you're here, I'm inviting you to my party. Come

(02:46:02):
on in, Richie Hawthorne. Are you fucking serious, Megan, Mike protests.
Megan glares at him again. Last time, shut the fuck up,
or you can leave right here and now. This is
my house and I'll invite whoever I want. I don't
give a rats ask what, Ken says. She points to
him again. Just stop again, Mike Obazer. Then Megan steps

(02:46:27):
aside to let me come in. There are plenty of
people from Strickfield High here at Megan's shindig, and in costume.
People are drinking cups of what looks like red punch.
The TV's on. A news report about people disappearing from
area high schools is on. I watch the report, attentively
reading the lips of the people talking over the loud music.

(02:46:50):
Then Megan comes up beside me. Listen. I'm really glad
you're here at my party tonight. I let Megan bring
me into the kitchen, opens the fridge and gives me
a can of soda, even though the others are drinking
out of two big punch bowls on the dining room table.
Megan just stands there expectedly. I turn and follow her

(02:47:12):
through the kitchen and out the back door as soon
as we're private enough. She turns and faces me. I've
been watching the news, I tell Megan, how long did
you think it would be before your parents ended up
being featured on it? How long were they out looking
for you after you disappeared from Strickfield. Megan kind of

(02:47:32):
looks desperate. Now. I know you haven't lived here in
Strickfield for long, Richie. You have no idea how my
parents constantly smothered me with their religion. It was always
them telling me to read my Bible, or tuck my
shirt in, or my skirt's too short. I couldn't take
it anymore. I had to lose them. I raise my finger. Yeah,

(02:47:53):
but you just ran away from home. You never showed
up at school. The police were out looking for you.
If you were that desperate to leave, you should have
just left Strickfield. But here you are, out of the blue,
having a Halloween party and hosting trick or treating? Aren't
you afraid people might recognize you? Cops are stepping up

(02:48:15):
their patrols this week. What if they saw you face
at Megan? You're not exactly a subtle kind of girl.
The two of us look at each other for a
long while, and then things are about to get serious
when we hear people hooping and hollering nearby. As soon
as we go back inside, this gang of hoodlums enters

(02:48:36):
Megan's house. The others already here don't seem to care.
They're all drinking their red punch and doing whatever. I
remember seeing these guys at Strickfield High. The leader is
Ken Stover. He's probably been in more trouble with Principal
Van Deste than Bella Tabon and Ronnie Brunswick combined. Suddenly,

(02:48:57):
Ken pulls Megan to him and locks her in eyes
hungry kiss. Megan wraps her leg around him and kisses
him back. When they finish, he shoves her away. Then
he goes and smashes the sound system to kill the music.
Now everyone's looking right at him, Look at you fuckers
having a Halloween party. Then Ken screams at Megan, you

(02:49:21):
didn't invite us, your stupid bitch. He quickly shoves her
to the floor. Did you forget who's running the show
around here? Yeah? Not inviting us ain't polite. Darren Jeevers adds,
we ought to just give Megan to the cops. And
tell him she's back, bart Parker suggests. Then Gerald Atkins

(02:49:41):
points right at me. Who's this fuck? He ain't one
of us? Ken comes right at me. I know nobody
invited you to our group. Know why because ain't nobody
part of this group? Without me saying so, I invited him?
Megan snaps, standing up. Ken points right behind him at her,

(02:50:02):
and I'm uninviting him. He points at me. Now get
the fuck out of here, you panty waste. But Megan
isn't done yet. We all know the Master's coming. What
if he decides Richie might be a worthy offering? You
never disappoint the Master, I can tell. Ken still wants
me gone. He backs off, however, and pats my shoulder.

(02:50:25):
Enjoy yourself, fuck face. Suddenly the doorbell rings. The gang
answers the door to see two pizza delivery guys standing
there with a bunch of pies delivery for nineteen Park Avenue.
One of them stammers, Ken opens the screen door and
yanks them both inside. The pizza boxes spin or drop

(02:50:46):
to the floor. Then I see the entire gang shutter
before they charge, Their hands become claws, their faces get
even uglier than they already were, and then the others
here are transfer. Ken tells everybody, pizzas here, help yourselves.
The pizza guys scream in total terror as they leap

(02:51:08):
to their feet and try running. But where can you
run in a house full of bloodthirsty vampires. Suddenly Ken
shoves me aside out of the fucking way milksop. The
pizza guys keep running before Mikey Stanley snags one of them.
Megan snatches the other one. He points to the pizza guy.
Megan has give me that one, but Megan won't give

(02:51:31):
him over. We save them for the Master. Ken raises
his hand to Striker. You keep forgetting your place here, bitch.
I'm calling the shots here. Only reason I took you
with me was because you was running from the Master.
He made you, but you ran away when I found you.
You needed blood. He kept saying, the Master's coming. We

(02:51:54):
still ain't seen him. If he's so fucking badass, how
come he ain't never found you?

Speaker 2 (02:51:58):
Huh?

Speaker 1 (02:51:59):
All, so you ain't never seen what he looks like.
Megan shakes her head. I'm telling you, Ken, you're greatly
underestimating him. I did escape, but I can feel he's
very close. I never should have run away. You can't
beat him, Ken, He'll kill you. She addresses the others
at the party, Now all of you. Now. Ken finally

(02:52:22):
strikes her, sending her to the floor again. Nobody comes
to her aid. Ken turns and points at me. Grab
him too, there's another mortal for us. Megan suddenly jumps
on Ken's back. Run, Richie, get off of me, bitch,
Ken yells, get the milksop guys. I quickly turn and
run through Megan's house. I grab my pumpkin basket of

(02:52:45):
candy as I reach the back door and escape. I
don't get far when I'm grabbed and pulled back into
the house. Now I'm thrown to the floor next to
the pizza guys. Ken rubs his hands together. Boys, we
are gonna have a bank. He points to Mike. How
about you order us some more pizzas Mike pulls his

(02:53:06):
cell phone out and starts to punch in a number.
Then I hear some of the other vampires making noise
about something. Now I see the house is catching fire,
just like that. What the fuck? Ken yells. Now the
fire starts burning the vampires until they're being smothered by it.
All except Megan, me and the pizza guys. Megan quickly

(02:53:30):
grabs my arm. Let's get out of here. The master's here.
He's burning everybody in here alive. I won't let him
take you two. The four of us make it through
the burning vampires and to the back door. We're out
in the backyard and keep moving. As soon as we're
far enough, we turn to see the houses completely engulfed
in flames. We even hear the vampires inside screaming as

(02:53:53):
their immortality is ending. Most cruelly, Megan and I keep
moving with the pizza guys until we're in a wooded area.
We made it, Richie. Megan says, we're safe, we're free now.
She's about to take my hand, but suddenly I slap
hers away. Did you really think I would never find you, Meghan?

(02:54:15):
You were a fool to think you could truly escape me.
I use my power to force Megan to fly back
and hit hard against a big tree and fall forward.
She lifts her head up and looks at me with
utter horror. Now you can't be the Master. I smile
cruelly now and lean forward and slash both of the

(02:54:38):
delivery guy's throats with my long sharp claws. Then I
drink them both up. When I'm finished, I look right
at her, you ungrateful cow. I came to you and
offered you a way out of your miserable mortal life.
I gave you immortality, and running away is how you
repay me. At least now I know and understand where

(02:55:01):
your kind come from. You only care about yourselves, truly,
I was foolish to sire you for your beauty alone.
No it's not like that, Megan protests, standing up. I
point to her. Now too late, you've abused the gift
of immortality, giving it to all those unworthy vermin back there.

(02:55:26):
You even killed your own parents in cold blood. When
will you understand you became mine? When I sired you mine,
I would have given you your heart's desire. All you
had to do was stand by me and obey me.
Now I must destroy you. I reach into my suit

(02:55:49):
coat and pull out a very sharp steak. No, ritchie,
Megan begs, please, No. I could have just left you
to burn in that fire with you the others, but
that would have been showing you mercy. You need to
suffer for your betrayal and your treachery. I kick Megan

(02:56:09):
to the ground and get on top of her. Megan
screams as I raise the stake and end her. Once
she's nothing but ash, I stand up and retrieve my
plastic pumpkin basket. There's still plenty of time to go
trick or treating while looking for more food. That's the

(02:56:34):
problem with kids today, ungrateful for the gifts they are given,
Jack stated as he shook his head. As a fire
truck pulled up to the burning house, sirens blaring. Jack
took a peek at his watch. Oh my, it's getting late.
I have to head down south soon, but I can't
leave without partaking in the best sport that Strickfield has

(02:56:57):
to offer. Hmmm, let's see. Jack opened up his jacket
to show a row of knives attached to the inner lining. Decisions, Decisions.
Jack finally selected a long, thin razor sharp blade and
tested the balance in his hand. I must leave you now.

(02:57:20):
I prefer to do my wet work alone. Goodbye until
next year, toodles my friends, Jack said, waving goodbye. The
Night Stalker by Shane Migleavanka Millicent Richard's Milly to her friends,

(02:57:47):
sat on the edge of her bed Pulling on her sneakers,
she took a deep breath, lost in her thoughts. Tonight
she would begin her first real job, and on Halloween
no less a lot less fun than trick or treating
with Annette Wilson and Diane Samuels. Damn. Milly sure as

(02:58:07):
hell didn't want to go tonight, but she needed the
money and her parents could use the help. She stood
on the radio. Bobby Brown was singing about calling the
Ghostbusters while a muted Knight of the Living Dead played
on the television. She picked up her bargain grocer's cap
and adjusted it on her head. She took a moment

(02:58:28):
to look at herself in the mirror, smartly dressed in
her crisp new blue and gold uniform, her light brown
hair pulled back into a ponytail. Not too bad. Switching
the TV and radio off, Milly picked up her walkman
an orange book bag. She turned to leave, but first

(02:58:49):
turned to her poster of Patrick Swayzee, which hung on
her bedroom door. Wish me luck. She headed downstairs. The
staircase railing was decorated with orange pumpkin shaped lights. Her
mother always went all out for the holidays. Rise from
the Grave an artificial voice commanded from her brother's video

(02:59:10):
game in the living room, see you later, Russ. Without
taking his eyes off the TV, Russ waved back. Milly
stepped into the hall, taking her coat from the closet.
Can we manage barb, Milly heard her father in the kitchen.
We can try the extra money'll definitely help. Is it enough?

(02:59:34):
I I don't know, her mother answered. Milly went to
the door quietly and exited the house unnoticed. Witches, zombies,
and skeletons rushed up and down the street on the
hunt for candy or mischief. She clipped the walkman to

(02:59:58):
her belt and slid on the head. Retrieving her bicycle
from the garage, Milly weaved her way through her mom's
crazy lawn decorations and passed a pair of ghosts arguing
over who had more candy. She'd felt a bit self
conscious about going out in her uniform, but it was
Halloween night everybody was dressed up as something. Milly just

(03:00:22):
happened to look like a bargain grocer's clerk. Once Milly
was on the road, she peddled faster and faster, scared
she might be late. Shit, She came to a stop.
A gaggle of trick or treaters and their chaperone were
crossing the intersection. Damn it, Milly swore under her breath,

(03:00:42):
come on, come on. A car roared up alongside her,
its engine drowning out her music. The red Firebird sat
waiting for the procession of kids to cross. Heavy metal,
cranked to the STEREO's highest volume level blared over the
thunder of the engine. Milly knew the car. She'd seen

(03:01:03):
it several times at school. Milly felt the two men
inside watching her. Hey, Troy, look at this. It's a
working girl. Get off the bike, Darlin, I got something
you can ride, and it's a stick shift. Milly gulped.
Come on, kids, come on, She tensed up. After the

(03:01:24):
kids had all crossed, the car mercifully roared away. Milly
exhaled and pedaled on. She skidded to a stop by
the bike rack outside of Bargain Groceries. The parking lot
was fairly dead, only some last minute shoppers left. Milly
quickly chained her bike up. The sudden sound of heavy

(03:01:46):
metal music made her heart skip a beat. A familiar
red Firebird slowly drove past the store. She watched as
it passed turning off onto a side street. There wasn't
much time to worry about if they were looking for
her or not, as Milly was pretty sure she was
late for her first night on the job. The automatic

(03:02:13):
doors swished open. Hey, a young woman called over. Hero
see oc was Milly's nickname from way back, given to
her by her best friend at the time, Samantha Vale.
A cute redhead, waved her over to the breakroom entrance.
She was wearing a uniform like Millie's, but she had

(03:02:35):
an eye patch and a fake mustache on for Halloween.
Quick punch in, you got a minute to go. The
girl held open the breakroom door. Just inside the door
of the breakroom was a time clock. Milly pulled out
her punch card and pulled the machine's lever just in time.
Thanks Sam, Milly said Sam had always been a good friend.

(03:02:57):
Though high school social status had caused them to drift,
they had finally reconnected and their friendship was stronger than ever.
Stow your bag and jacket in the locker. I'll take
you to meet John. He's out back. Sam pointed to
Milly's walkman. Better stow that too. John's not into having
that shit on the job. He's not too bad, he

(03:03:20):
just has his own way of doing stuff. Hi, the
cashier said. As they walked past, Milly noted he was
wearing pointy fangs. A vast me heartee, Sam laughed, this
is Brian, Hey, Milly, you working here now. She felt
a rush of embarrassment. Brian knew her, but she didn't

(03:03:41):
recognize him at all. Yeah, I sure do, she struggled.
He looked a little disappointed. I shot behind you in English,
mister Kendrick's class. Oh sorry, right, She still didn't recognize him.
Good to see you, she lied, thankful, Sam led her away.

(03:04:01):
John's a cool boss, can be a little intense sometimes,
because he was a nam. Millie followed Sam to the
back of the store through large double doors. A sign
read employees only. The back area was stuffed with racks
and pallets filled with various products. Piled high. In a

(03:04:22):
cramped little corner in the back was a desk. A
middle aged man sat talking on the phone. He had
the usual store uniform on, as well as a thick
pair of glasses. His dark brown hair was cut in
a neat crew cut that matched his neatly trimmed mustache.
All right, I understand, he wrote something on a pad

(03:04:44):
special shipment. Got it, We'll be ready, he hung up.
Hi John, I'm not disturbing anything, am I? Sam asked.
No jokers from corporate are sending a special shipment for
me to unload tonight. He took out a metal lighter
and cigarette. Fighting up. He turned to Millie new girl.
Millie nodded. Behind him was a sign that read no smoking.

(03:05:08):
Next to that sign was a picture of John snuggling
with a tiger cub wearing a camouflage cap. Both things
summed up John perfectly. You come very highly recommended. Well,
Sam blushed. I'd better get back out there. She left,
leaving Milly with John. So I'll lay out some ground

(03:05:30):
rules around here and what you should expect to be
doing work wise. He opened the desk drawer, taking out
a clip on holster with a box cutter. You'll need this,
He handed it to her, taking a puff of his cigarette.
Clip it onto your belt or pocket. He looked at
her shirt. Did they give you an ID badge? She
reached into her pocket, trying to fish it out. He stood,

(03:05:53):
crushing his cigarette under his heel. Skip it. Come on,
I'll give you the cheap tor. I have a little
test for you. She followed him to an aisle of
paper products, paper towels, boxes of facial tissue, and toilet paper.
He arranged some rolls of toilet paper neatly on the shelf.

(03:06:14):
We call this facing or blocking. It basically creates the
appearance that the shelves are perfectly stocked. You do this
by pulling a couple of products on the shelf to
the front. We also pulled down anything that's double stacked.
He demonstrated for Milly a couple more times. Among some
rolls of paper towels, he found a jar of peanut butter,

(03:06:34):
causing him to grumble under his breath. See this, we
call these returns or re shops. People are They're lazy bastards.
They like to leave stuff they don't want all over
the store. Some do it just to be dicks. He
shook his head. You find something like this, return it
to its proper place later, unless it's something like meat, dairy,

(03:06:56):
or frozen. Those are top priority and need to go
back asap. Milly nodded, trying to process all of the
new information. I have a few things to take care of.
I want you to get a feel for doing it.
Take your time, do as much as you can. I'll
be back to tell you how much you screwed it up.
Milly looked at him unsure. John laughed, do your best.

(03:07:18):
I'll be back in a bit. He left, leaving Milly
alone in the aisle. She wandered up and down before
deciding to start on one end and work her way down.
After a few minutes of work, Milly was starting to
relax some. This was kind of like Tetris, neatly arranging
the brightly colored boxes together. This brand here, that brand there.

(03:07:41):
She stepped back to admire her work. Hey, she heard
Sam call out from the front of the store. Peeking
around a display of paper towels, Milly saw Sam confronting
two girls. Milly recognized them the McNab sisters. They'd hung
in the preppy crowd. I saw you, Sam said, you

(03:08:02):
put a couple beers in your person tried to walk out.
Oh please, Terry McNabb scoffed. Do you know who our
father is? Yes? Skids, Terry McNabb added. She felt bad
for Sam. Skids. That's what they call anybody from the
poorer section of town. Why would we steal Terry pointed out,

(03:08:25):
our father could own you, Yes, skids, Daddy could bulldoze
your little trailer park hovel. In a heartbeat, Milly knew
Sam was holding back. If she didn't need the job
so much, she would have given both sisters a good
ass kicking. Pretty good kid, John said, Milly jumped. She'd

(03:08:45):
been so wrapped up in her thoughts as she worked
she hadn't noticed him standing there. Although you've been adjusting
that one roll of paper towels for a good minute
or two. You're gonna make love to it. Milly set
the roll down, embarrassed John, his watch, letting out a whistle.
Almost that time. Gotta close up the store. Carry on

(03:09:05):
with what you're doing, Just don't fondle any more paper towels.
He left her alone again. After a few minutes, John
came on the intercom. The store will be closing in
five minutes. Please make your final purchases, Thank you for
choosing bargain groceries, and have a good night. A few
minutes later, the lights dimmed just a little. Milly continued

(03:09:28):
working without the din of shoppers. She could hear the
store's musac trigger treat oh C Sam stood at the
end of the aisle holding a couple of candy bars.
Brian stood next to her. Sam handed Milly a chocolate bar.
Brian looked at Milly, confused. Oh, c a nickname, Milly answered,

(03:09:49):
ask Sam. Brian turned to Sam. Maybe I'll tell you
the story sometime. Sam snapped her bar in two if
you can guess what it stands for. Mill crinkled the
candy bar wrapper, sticking it into her pocket. What are
you guys still doing here? We got volunteered with that
special shipment coming in, Sam explained. There was an audible

(03:10:13):
click as the intercom came to life. A robotic female
voice sounded, front end, front end has a call on
line five ten to one. The truck just got here,
Sam said. The intercom crackled to life again. This time,
the automated voice was replaced by John's Sam to the
back room. I repeat, Sam to the back room. Sam

(03:10:35):
started down the aisle duty calls. So what now, Milly asked.
Brian adjusted his plastic fangs. I guess we'll just finish
this aisle and then do the next sounds like a
plan ocean cruise, Billy asked, off hand, excuse me, oh, see,

(03:10:56):
just taking a guess. Milly laughed, Sorry now, uh obsessive compulsive?
Ah no, damn, I'll get it sooner or later. After
a few moments, they finished up and moved to Aisle two,
which had a view of the parking lot. Milly stopped
the sight of something sitting in the parking lot gave

(03:11:18):
her a chill. No, no, no. She walked towards the
front of the store. Hey, what's up? Brian asked that.
Milly pointed nervously out the large front window. The firebirds
sat there under a light pole. Milly shuddered. What about

(03:11:38):
that car? The assholes in the car harassed me on
the way here. Brian sighed, damn it. He shook his head.
Those two are always making trouble, you know them. Stay here,
I'll go talk to Milly watched, feeling helpless, as Brian left.
She watched Brian walk across the parking lot. She needed

(03:12:01):
to get John. Running over to the intercom, Milly fumbled
with the buttons. Her first attempt was greeted by ear
splitting feedback. Her second and third attempts were no better.
On the fourth try, her nervous voice boomed throughout the store, Hello, Hello,
John to the front. Repeat, John to the front. Hurry.

(03:12:24):
The sound of her struggling to hang up the intercom
receiver boomed throughout the store. She waited, expecting John to
come rushing. Instead, nothing happened. Milly ran back to the
front window and peered out. Brian stood by the firebird
talking to the driver, not exactly the tense confrontation she'd expected.

(03:12:47):
Movement in the reflection of the glass made her turn
in surprise John there was nobody. Something hit the floor
in one of the aisles. Eyes she walked by a
display of Halloween candy. A plastic candy filled skull grinned
at her. Maybe this was a Halloween prank, hazing the

(03:13:10):
new girl. Milly turned back to check on how Brian
was doing, only to see the firebird driving slowly towards
the store, Brian nowhere in sight. She watched as the
car drove by the front of the store. The interior
was too dark to make out its occupants. Milly felt
her heart beat faster and faster in her chest. She'd

(03:13:33):
have to go out there and look. Brian could be
lying hurt out of sight. Somewhere there was a first
aid kit on the wall. Next to the intercom. She
grabbed it before heading out. Pushing the door open, Milly
stepped outside into what felt like a dangerous alien land. Brian,

(03:13:54):
she called out, her voice cracking and low. Milly wanted
to grab her bike, get home and hide under the covers.
She needed to get John. He'd know what to do.
Milly hurried back inside and locked the door. Sliding on
the high polished floor, she hurried to the back of
the store, nearly toppling a display of Halloween themed cereal.

(03:14:17):
Barreling through the double doors into the back, Milly stopped
for a second to catch her breath. John. She called
between gasps Sam silence except for the low, constant rumble
of the overhead heater. The loading dock was empty. The
overhead door was open, letting in the cool autumn air,

(03:14:40):
where it poured in around the semi trucks backed up
to the dock guys. Milly started to panic. She was
completely alone. Her eyes scanned the dark, cavernous room. The
shadows hid countless possible terrors, but alas so too did

(03:15:01):
the floor. As she slipped in a puddle on its surface,
landing hard on her knees and hands, Milly yelped in pain.
There was something wet and sticky on her sore hands.
Raising them up, she screamed they were coated in a
crimson blood. There was a trail leading out to the

(03:15:24):
semi truck, and there seemed to be something hanging in
the truck's trailer. With pained steps, she cautiously approached that trailer,
her eyes adjusted to the near dark of its interior.
Hanging from chains by his ankles at the trailer's center
was John. His forehead had a bloody gash. Oh god,

(03:15:50):
Millie stammered John. She reached out, stopping short of touching him. John,
who did this? She ventured a little further into the trailer.
There was no sign of Sam turning around. Milly used
the wall to guide her out. Her eyes scanned the
loading dock. They could be lurking anywhere. She had to

(03:16:14):
get help. On John's cluttered desk, she noticed a phone
earlier limping over. Milly snatched up the receiver and quickly dialed,
with bloody hands, We're sorry your call cannot be completed
at this time, A robotic voice informed her, shit shit.
Milly slammed down the receiver. She was growing just as

(03:16:34):
frustrated as she was scared, John's metal lighter lay on
a stack of papers, Fuck Communism engraved its front. She
snatched it up and exited. Limping along, she leaned on
a concrete wall. The block under her hand glowed lightly.
Pulling her hand away, a strange symbol pulsated through the concrete.

(03:16:57):
What the shit is that? The bloody hand print she'd
left was absorbed into the block. Hurrying towards the double doors,
Milly stopped. Someone walked past an aisle, a large someone
or some thing. Milly ducked down. She needed to get
a better view of what was going on out there.

(03:17:19):
Not far from her was a sliding, white metal door.
She slowly unhooked the latch and pushed the door open
and slipped into the dairy cooler. She spied into the
store between gallon jugs of milk. Her eyes caught another
flash of movement. There definitely was somebody here. The intercom

(03:17:41):
loudly crackled to life, come out, come out, little goblin.
A voice hissed, trick or treat. An involuntary shudder of
fear ran through her body. They were looking for her,
sneaking out of the cooler Milly made up her she
couldn't leave Sam and Brian. Milly had to fight them somehow.

(03:18:07):
There was another set of double doors further down. She
used them to slip into the store, hiding behind a
tank of lobsters. Milly looked up at the signs for
each aisle. She was directly across from Aisle two, Housewares
and Cleaning Perfect Calling all assholes, I'm right here, Milly

(03:18:33):
called from the intercom as she stood a broom handle ready,
rags tied to one end. It wasn't very long before
a man dressed in a black leather jacket emerged from
Aisle six. A cheap halloween mask hid his identity. Well,
look ye here, little goblin girl. He strode confidently towards Milly, stopping.

(03:18:56):
He looked down as his boot clad foot made a
squishing noise. There was a puddle of floor wax in
front of him. Sneaky trying to make me slip. Milly
took out John's lighter and held it to the rags
on the mop handle. Where are my friends? She lit
the end of the mop with us, just like you'll

(03:19:18):
be wrong answer. She lit the puddle of floor wax.
It exploded in a burst of flame, surprising Milly as
much as it did the man fuck. He recoiled the
tip of his foot on fire. Another similarly dressed man
rushed down one of the checkout lanes at her. As
she ran for the door, Milly hurled the flaming mop

(03:19:40):
handle at him like a spear. Inches from the door,
Milly stopped dead in her tracks. Outside, robed figures stood
side by side, their faces hidden by hoods. One of
the masked men grabbed her. He wrapped his arms tightly
around Milly rashed and kicked to no avail. The man

(03:20:03):
with the burnt boot walked up to them. Lights out,
little goblin bitch. He pulled a black hood down over
Milly's head, enveloping her in darkness. Milly felt herself being
dragged along. She struggled, but it was no use. After
a few minutes, they roughly forced Milly to her knees.

(03:20:25):
This Halloween wasn't doing her legs any favors. Someone yanked
the hood from her head. As her eyes adjusted, Milly
found she was flanked by Sam and Brian. Next to
Brian were the men from the Firebird. The concrete floor
was bitterly cold. They appeared to be in the store's

(03:20:47):
large freezer. A black sheet covered a mysterious shape underneath.
Across the freezer stood seven robed figures. Behind Milly and
the others. The two masked men stood, this is bullshit,
one of the firebird men barked, earning him a smack
quiet pup. The masked man hissed. The center figure stepped forward.

(03:21:12):
We've had our little trick or treat tonight, and I
do enjoy a good treat, he laughed, lowering his hood.
The older man was vaguely familiar looking, Milly thought as
he paced back and forth. Tonight is a blessed night,
he said, and you lucky few are here among us

(03:21:34):
to bear witness and serve a glorious purpose. He reached
down and pulled the black sheet up in one motion. Underneath,
lying on the floor was a large, grayish body. It
was unlike anything Milly had ever seen before. It was
similar to one of those diagrams of a person without

(03:21:55):
skin that hung up in science class, except this thing
was way more muscular, and it had strange symbols cut
into its chest, head, and limbs. Each one had a
strange stone at its center. Milly noticed with a shiver
that its limbs and head weren't attached to the torso,
but were laying next to it in an approximation of

(03:22:18):
a human body. This is our lord, he smiled, proudly.
Cool nuts. The beast king a corpse. The driver of
the firebird protested, your fucking nuts. This earned him a
punch to the jaw from one of the masked men,
bloodying his lip. Leave him alone, his friend pleaded, He's

(03:22:41):
an idiot. Shut up, little bro, stay out of it, brother,
Milly pondered. She looked at them. There was a resemblance. Enough.
The old man ordered no more delays. Then it suddenly
came to Milly. This was Nathan Solomon, founder and CEO

(03:23:01):
of Bargain Groceries. His portrait hung in the back of
the store. No shit, she whispered to herself. As she
made the connection. One of the robed figures stepped forward,
handing Solomon a large ornate dagger. Cool nucks. Betrayed by
the Druids, enslain by the warrior Aeron, his body was dismembered,

(03:23:24):
bound by Druid magic, and scattered, still living. I've found him,
built an empire for him, constructed this place of power
to heal him. He'll make this world right again. Solomon
made a sweeping gesture. Blood will run in the streets,
and he'll feast on his enemy's bones, the king of

(03:23:47):
a new order. But first, the blood of the Virgin
must flow. Millie felt her heart beat faster as Solomon
raised up the dagger. Virgin, Oh shit, bring forth the Virgin.
He pointed at the driver of the firebird. Me I
ain't no virgin. I've a girlfriend in Canada. We've banged

(03:24:10):
like a lot. Randy, No, his brother cried out. Two
of the robed figures dragged Randy to where Solomon stood.
Only blood will remove the runes binding our king. Solomon
brought the blade across Randy's throat in one swift motion. No.
Milly heard herself gasp as blood sprayed out of Randy's

(03:24:33):
sliced throat. Solomon held Randy's limp body up as the
blood flowed over the strange marks on the body before them.
One by one, the runes glowed. The severed limbs and
head began to mend themselves to the torso of the
strange body. Bring me another, Solomon ordered. Our king is thirsty.

(03:24:57):
One of the robed figures grabbed Brian, Leave him the
fuck alone. A battered John stood in the freezer door,
a metal chain wrapped around his fist. What catch you
coltest shitters? At a bad time? The night manager let
his fists fly as the robed figures advanced. Solomon struggled
with Brian. The King must have his blood. He slashed

(03:25:20):
madly at Brian, cutting open one of the young man's hands.
The blood splashed across the body of Kolnuks. The once
lifeless gray body shuddered to life. It then sucked air
into its ancient lungs. John decked one of the cult members, Sam,
Get everyone out of here. Sam and Milly grabbed Randy's brother,

(03:25:43):
and the three went for Brian, who was doing his
best to fend off Solomon's wild swings. No, Solomon pleaded,
I must finish. He's too weak. Milly set her jaw
and unleashed a powerful strike to the old man, sending
him flailing desperately before he hit the cold floor. The
others grabbed Brian and rushed to the freezer door. Milly

(03:26:05):
turned to see John trying to fend off the coltists.
At the same time, the monstrous form of coal Noook's
began to rise. John Sam shouted desperately, go, he ordered.
Randy's brother turned to Milly and Sam. I'll stay get
out of here for what it's worth. I'm Troy and

(03:26:26):
I'm sorry we fucked with you earlier. Milly nodded stoically.
Milly and Sam dragged Brian out of the freezer. A
hideous roar sounded from inside, followed by the frantic screams
of the damned that things gotta be stopped. Milly took
a deep breath. Get help, What the hell are you

(03:26:48):
gonna do, Sam asked. Milly watched a reluctant Sam help
Brian through the double doors. She scanned the room. Then
she saw it, the forklift. Coal Nooks banged on the
freezer door as she made her way to the machine.
Milly climbed up into the cab and studied the controls.

(03:27:12):
Oh shit, she said, confused. There was a key hanging
on a hook like a car. Right, she turned the
key and the forklift rumbled to life. Okay, she could
do this. There was a loud crash as the freezer
door surrendered to kolel Nook's assault. Milly scrambled to figure

(03:27:33):
out the forklift controls. Most of the labels had long
since worn off. I can do this, she repeated to herself.
Milly caught a glance of the beast King advancing time
to die bastard. She pulled a lever and the forklift
jerked forward and stopped what Milly pulled another lever. She

(03:27:53):
managed to raise the forks up, but no forward momentum.
Milly yanked a second level. The forklift roared forward. The
beast King seemed slightly perplexed for a moment, but it
passed even faster. Milly tried ramming him with the forks,
but Nucks was quick and strong enough to grab them.
The creature pushed back against the mechanical strength of the machine,

(03:28:15):
causing the wheels to spin out. Milly swung the forklift around,
dragging Nucks, who still pushed back. Come on, you hunk
of crap. Milly pushed the machine as far as it
would go, slowly backing her beastial opponent. Kull Nucks roared.
Milly found herself screaming back at the monster. The old

(03:28:36):
forklift lurched forward one final time, but not without struggle.
It was enough to knock the mighty beast king into
the waiting maw of the nearby garbage compactor. Milly sprang
from the lift and slammed down the metal gate, trapping
Nucks inside. The metal wouldn't hold long as the enraged
monster hammered it with his large fists. Milly slammed her

(03:28:59):
palm down on the large green button. The compactor squealed
to life. Cole Nucks fought back, trying to stave off
the crushing grip, but in the end the strength of
the large machine was too great. Nucks's arms shattered under
the strain as he was crushed, letting out one last, pitiful,

(03:29:20):
defiant roar. They found John and Troy dead in the freezer,
along with the coltists. Millie took John's pack of cigarettes.
The sound of sobbing came from behind a stack of
egg cartons. Solomon, curled up in a ball, was devastated.

(03:29:43):
Our King, Our King, the King is dead, Milly informed him.
She lit one of John's cigarettes and exhaled. The doors
to the store unlocked as the rising sun filled the
building with hazy orange light. Girls from the day shift
entered the store and caught a glimpse of the mess.

(03:30:04):
That was Milly. Oh my god, one stammered, are you
okay first night? Milly answered, the spent bud of the
cigarette dangling from her lips. Strife of the party by

(03:30:27):
David o'hanley. That's just nasty, Kesha said, with a sour expression.
Of course it's nasty. I'm a zombie. Bronson James shrugged.
What do you want me to do? Twilight it up,
Sprinkle glitter on the guts, make the PUFs pink. Bronson
was the next Dan Winston. He'd gotten his start doing

(03:30:49):
low budget effects tutorials on YouTube. When he got into college,
he started making props for the drama Club, which led
to a makeup gig with the Community Theater and a
public access variety show. Then he did the independent film
Murder on Bonanza Ranch. Once the B Studio saw what
he could do with a few hundred bucks, they were

(03:31:10):
beating down his doors with a never ending string of
classy projects like Amityville Conjurer, Great Lake Shark Attack, and
The Cleveland Cleaver. The last one got him his first
Chainsaw Award nomination at twenty five years old. Naturally, he
went all out designing his Halloween costume. We're a couple,

(03:31:31):
Kesha huffed. We should have costumes that go together. What
the hell goes with a zombie? I don't know, he admitted, Vultures, maggots,
that one asshole that swears he isn't bit even though
everybody damn well knows he was. You want me to
dress like a white guy, she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

(03:31:53):
It really is always a white guy, isn't it. Bronson
reached to embrace her with his gory hands. Slap them away.
Na Ah, you are not touching me with all that
on you. How about I draw up another zombie concept
for you. It's good experience for the team and will
be the life of the party. He spreads his hands wide,

(03:32:14):
flicking fake blood on the walls. It'll be a romance
to die for. How long did it take you to
get into that costume, she asked, Only three hours, he
smiled excitedly. I came up with this new three hours, Bronson,
have you lost your damn mind. I'm not sitting in
a chair while someone puts zombie makeup on me for

(03:32:37):
three hours. That's only like forty five minutes longer than
you spend putting on your regular makeup, he offered, regrettably.
Oh shit, go on, what would you like to say
about my beauty routine? You don't like it? Is it
too fake for the man that makes make believe? For
a fucking living bronze? Inside there was ice skating uphill

(03:32:59):
and then and there was arguing with Kesha. Once she
got on a tangent. Only one of them was impossible.
Is that what you meant? She continued? Are you comparing
my makeup to your monsters? No? It was the only
word he was going to get in. Maybe I should
dress down like what was her name? The skinny one

(03:33:20):
with the flat ass who stole your car and left you,
broke charisma with a Z or some bullshit. Kesha spun
around to leave the room. I'll go wash this off
since you don't seem to like it. Her heels clacked
across the hardwood floor, almost as sharply as the bathroom
door slamming. A moment later. Bronson started counting silently. She

(03:33:41):
was every bit as hot as a burning fuse and
just as quick to explode. They had one of these
arguments every other month, and he'd learned the rhythm of
the fight. It was charisma with a y that fucked
him over and broke his heart by the way. Bronson
got to eight when he heard the lock click open,
and then the door banged against the stop before the

(03:34:03):
knob would punch the drywall. She padded back into the room,
barefoot and working at her face with a makeup removal wipe.
You know everyone at this party is going to be
Ken and Barbie because of that dumbass movie. Maybe a
few ghosts and sexy nurses, and from accounting will be
a minion or whatever cutesy pajamas she can get last minute.

(03:34:24):
But not you. She waved her hand at his costume.
You don't even work for hind and Heart, but you
want to be the star with your Hollywood special effects
and dangling guts. They're a nice touch, right, She put
her clenched fists at her hips and scowled. I don't
have to. I just thought you'd want to show off.

(03:34:45):
I figured after you saw mine you'd want something over
the top too, so they'd all still be talking about
your costume next Halloween. I want to show you what
we could do. He twisted the latex intestines in his hands.
We can do whatever costumes you want, babe, really you
mean it? Sure? Of course, He let the entrails fall

(03:35:08):
and shrugged, you want to be Ken or Barbie? Bronson
regretted not putting limitations on the whatever costumes you want, bit.
They stepped off the elevator into the Grand Hall on
the thirty ninth floor of the hinden Hart Corporate Tower,
wearing as couples should apparently costumes that went together. Awaiting

(03:35:32):
them were no less than two dozen Barbies, mingled with
their kens. Two they Live aliens that Bronson recognized as
Kesha's friend Mark and his husband Stuart. There was a Dracula,
an Amina, Harker, a Hawkey and a Black Widow, a Bella,
and an Edward. For the most part, Kesha was right

(03:35:53):
about the couples. There were the exceptions, of course, as
well as the singles. To no one's surprise, their was
also an abundance of Harley Quinn costumes, two from the
animated series, at least five from the Suicide Squad films,
and one from the Axel Bron parody. Thereof a few
Wednesday Adams clones lingered with wolfmen, superheroes, ghosts, ninjas, and

(03:36:17):
a couple of Jason's, a piss poor Michael, and one
really well designed mummy. A sexy Freddy gyrated on, a
man in a banana costume. A pair of inflatable dinosaur
costumes butted heads. There was Anne in a one hundred
and one Dalmatian's one piece pajama. Bronson gave her a
polite wave. She wagged her tail in response. At the bar,

(03:36:42):
Gerard Hind wore a professional grade Frankenstein costume that seemed
appropriate for his powerful six foot five frame. Without the makeup,
Hind looked like a retired linebacker, not the architectural genius
that he was. Three interns in various stages of undress
as sexy emojis, The Evil Anger and sad Ones cackled

(03:37:05):
lasciviously at whatever the billionaire was saying. Security guard Tom
patrolled the party topless as a dadbod Rambo with his
partner Jeannette, who at sixty three, looked anything but wondrous
as wonder woman. Bronson recognized Winslow from the company's fourth
of July party, despite his cleverly put together spy costume

(03:37:27):
that consisted of a trench coat and two dollars mustache.
Another man of mystery chatted it up with Winslow in
an invisible man get up while he tried to figure
out how to take advantage of the open bar with
gauze over his mouth. And at the opulent fountain. Occupying
the middle of the hall was Robert Hart, dressed ironically

(03:37:49):
and insultingly as a construction worker. The octagenarian had been
born the fourth richest man in America and never worked
a day in his life. He waved a hammer around
like a scepter before the groveling peasants. Among them were
Esteban and Carly from Kesha's department. Esteban wore a pirate
costume like you'd see on a romance novel cover, with

(03:38:12):
his broad muscular chest revealed between the deep gash of
the prissy v neck collar. Carly, fully aware that she
was a stone cold milk, had optioned to dress up
as a genuine cougar, or at least a pair of
whiskers and a tan body suit that hugged every curve.
Then there was Kesha and Bronson in their matching costumes.

(03:38:35):
He stared down at the gold buckles on his shoes
and his ridiculous striped socks Kesha adjusted his top hat
with a happy squeal. It looks great, she told him.
You really are the next Tim Savini. It's Tom, he mumbled.
He eyed her costume with the blonde wig, spiked gold

(03:38:55):
bikini top, and short matching skirt that showed off her
legs in their entirety. He turned to face his reflection
in the gilded elevator doors. Yeah, well, at least one
of us does, he said. You said Halloween costume should
be scary, She reminded him, this is my favorite horror movie.

(03:39:18):
Leprechaun in Space. Isn't anybody's favorite horror movie, he grumbled.
It is when you've only seen three horror movies. Kesha shrugged.
It was this or that slumber party movie with the
drill guitar. Slumber Party Massacre two was an option, and
this is what you chose. Baby. You wouldn't look good

(03:39:40):
in a teddy. She tugged at his fake beard. Let's go.
You need to drink before you shit shillings. The couple
made it halfway to the bar before Kesha was stripped
away from Bronson's arm by Carly to join the Departmental
Mini Celebration, the world's largest online retailer was expanding to
brick and mortar operations, and Kesha's design had gotten hind

(03:40:03):
in heart the contract. Kesha waved him to go on
without her. He would have regardless. The stupid costume was stifling,
Plus the pants were a size too small and had
his chaley in a bunch. But at least it gave
him the character's trademark waddle. He sidled up to the
bar and stared at himself in the mirrored back. He

(03:40:24):
hadn't had a say in the costume, but he'd done
an excellent job recreating Warwick Davis's makeup. He tugged at
the crotch of his trousers to free up space so
he could mount the stool without tearing them. Good thing,
the drinks are free, heind said, lumbering over to Bronson.
I couldn't rustle a piece of gold from you if
there weren't. Many fools have tried to separate a leprechaun

(03:40:48):
from his ends, Bronson said, imitating the voice as best
he could. Many fools have died and others became friends.
That's a good one. I don't get it. The interurn
dressed like a purple devil Emoji said you wouldn't kid.

(03:41:08):
Hind waved her off and leaned on the bar so
Bronson didn't have to strain his neck looking up at him.
You know, I took Jennifer Aniston to dinner once. No shit,
Bronson snickered, No shit, Hind as shirt him. Lisa Kudro
turned me down. I thought taking Jen out might make
her jealous enough to reconsider. Did it work about as

(03:41:31):
well as a fishnet condom? At least it protects against
the crabs, Bronson shrugged. Hind smiled, I'm about to offer
you a job so I have someone fun to talk
to again. I'll settle for a double Jamison, Bronson said,
Better make it a single, Winslow said, stumbling to the
bar and rattling the ice in his glass. The Golden

(03:41:53):
Hind pours with a heavy hand. A couple of these
in your after party is going to look like stuffing
a marshman into a keyhole. Maybe you're just a lightweight,
Bronson said, clapping him on the shoulder. Good to see
you again. So, uh, double Jamison for my new friend
and water for do you even work for me? Hind

(03:42:14):
made a show of trying to see through the shitty
spy outfit. Oh Winslow for marketing, right right, that explains
why you're shit faced off a Bacardi swizzle? Is that
what that was? Winslow hiccuped. He clumsily straddled the stool
beside Bronson. Tasted like actone and sunny d. A blonde

(03:42:34):
sauntered past the bar, calling halftime on any further conversation.
As the three men and even the intern watched her pass,
Her blue shimmering dress dragged the floor, with white ruffles
at the hem and tassels along the arms and hips,
swayed as if she brought her own breeze. Cockles decorated
her hair, and auger shells dangled from her ears along

(03:42:56):
a thin porcelain neck about a glow up. The intern said,
that's be Gleason's secretary. I don't remember seeing her at
the Fourth of July party. Bronson added, she's new. Winslow drooled.
She went from nerd to knockout. Is she supposed to
be elsa? Bronson asked the ocean, The in turn corrected her.

(03:43:22):
She rolled her eyes and turned behind. Can I get
another mohido? Boss man? No? The billionaire shook his head
you can't have another because you haven't had a mohido.
That's a dakaree in your hand. I took French, She shrugged.
I don't know Mexican. Heine started to explain that dakkai

(03:43:43):
is a Tano word, then shook off the notion. His partner,
the perpetual letch, hired the three interns to keep employee
morale up. He turned to the wall of assordid alcohol
to make the next round. Winslow leaned toward Bronson. The
movement proved too much much for his compromised equilibrium, and
he toppled on to the leprechaun. Lad you've had a

(03:44:06):
few too many, yet you've had hardly any, Bronson said,
getting into his character. That is somebody of water. Winslow huffed.
He gave a half ass whistle. I'd love to disappear
in her permuta triangle. Bronson heaved Winslow back onto his stool.
The two watched Bee make her way through the crowd.

(03:44:26):
The employees and their plus ones had all stepped aside
as she flowed across the dance floor. She weaved through
them in a wave like fashion, befitting her attire. Some
seemed to drift after her as if drowned into her wake.
She was mesmerizing to watch, but her figure wasn't what
had Bronson's attention. There was something off about her. Bronson

(03:44:50):
couldn't put his finger on it. You're right, I'm done drinking,
Winslow smoothed his fake mustache. Gonna go play in the ocean.
I don't think your dinghy is up to the challenge,
Bud Bronson said, be sure to have a nice memorial tomorrow.
Winslow tried to wink, but blinked both eyes instead. For

(03:45:13):
all those seamen getting swallowed by the ocean tonight. Winslow
slipped off the stool, stumbled, then corrected himself and popped
his collar up. As he spy walked after his quarry.
Bronson shook his head. He turned around as Frankenheind set
down the whiskey and clanked the glass with his own.
You're Kesha's bow, aren't you, Hind asked, we haven't formerly met.

(03:45:38):
You're in movies, I hear, yeah, Uh. I do effects
for genre films. He learned that kept people interested far
longer than saying he worked on horror flicks. I was
going to wear something I'm designing for a new movie tonight,
but Kesha insisted on matching costumes I see. Hind looked

(03:45:59):
around for Kesha and cocked his head, then looked back
at Bronson. So you two decided on Baywatch Lea and
Spooky Smurf close enough, Bronson snorted and sipped his drink.
Did she show you her concept for the new account,
Hind asked. It's brilliant, modeled after the ruins of an

(03:46:19):
ancient temple. I discovered discovered I was going to be
an archaeologist originally, Heind told him. That's how I got
into architecture. Unlike my partner, I wasn't born into money.
I had to choose between digging up the past or
building it here in the present. All of my works
have utilized the esthetics of ancient civilizations, sometimes even using

(03:46:42):
original materials from historic sites. That's pretty awesome, Bronson said,
taking in the room itself for the first time, ignoring
the people in tacky furnishing, he could almost see it.
What civilization is? This Roman for the most part, but
with a flourish of Persian. Hind gestured to the fountain.

(03:47:04):
That's authentic. Found it tucked away in the hindukush Hart
was still entertaining guests as he walked around the rim
of the fountain. It seemed even more of an elitist
dick move to Bronson. Knowing the structure was over two
thousand years old, he'd assumed it was just a show
of wealth, and it certainly was so. He hadn't paid

(03:47:25):
it any attention. Before the entire thing was carved to
look like a mountain. Two figures stood facing away from
each other at the top, with the water pumping out
of the peak between them like a waterfall. Reliefs that
had been worn by time ringed the base of the fountain,
depicting people as if they were praying to the things above.
In their religion, good and evil were twins, Hind explained Ahraman,

(03:47:52):
the devil was a circumstance of their god's existence. Bronson
tried to figure out which figure was supposed to be
the evil one. They didn't look any different to him.
Maybe that was intentional. People often did bad things with
the best of intentions. After all. His mind wandered back
to the woman dressed as the ocean. He didn't see

(03:48:14):
her anymore. He also didn't see Winslow He considered the
possibility that the inebriated Dweeb had indeed somehow seduced the
mysterious woman, then settled on the more realistic possibility that
he'd been abducted by aliens. What about this temple? Was
that Persian too, Bronson asked, before swiveling around on his stool.

(03:48:36):
Kesha doesn't talk much about her process, just the final result. Oh,
it is something much older. In fact, there's a significant
debate if the culture existed at all. Hind looked suddenly excited, say,
would you like to see some of my collection? A
lot more than I'd like to be sitting on this
uncomfortable ass stool. You guys can afford better cushions, Bronson joked.

(03:49:01):
My partner picked them. He's got no point of reference,
Heine said, his ass is usually cushioned by someone's lips.
Hind rounded the bar and signaled for Bronson to follow
him with an excited smile. Bronson gave the crowd another
scan for the woman, then found Kesha, who gave him
a curious look. He shrugged and followed her boss through

(03:49:23):
a doorway beside the bar. Heine's boots clumped loudly as
They proceeded through a narrow hall to a tiny stairwell.
My escape route, Heine told him. When parties get to
be too much, I can retreat to my office, and
when work gets to be too much, I can retreat
to the bar. The stairs played hell on Bronson with

(03:49:44):
his tight trouser, and he didn't think the seams would
hold the entire trip. Luckily, it was a short ascent
to the next floor, and they came out right into
Heine's lavish, but somehow still reasonably down to earth office.
Bronson turned to take it all in and saw the
door they'd entered through swing shut, revealing itself as a

(03:50:05):
false bookshelf that was exactly the kind of thing he'd
buy when he made it big in Hollywood. Glass cases
held various artifacts spread around the office, and Bronson made
his way to them. In turn, he paused at one
filled with stone rubble covered in crude markings. Their alphabet
is unique to them. No one even knows what they

(03:50:27):
were called, Hein said. They built their cities on ancient coasts,
which is why every site that's been found is submerged.
The temple I spoke of was found twelve miles off
the coast of Cyprus back in nineteen sixty eight. There's
no other structure like it. It's almost as if the
society rose out of the ocean itself. That's a crazy thought.

(03:50:50):
Bronson moved to another case with a rock inside. It
was clearly a sculpture, but time had destroyed any clue
as to what it represented. I spent the last two
years of bringing the temple up in pieces, much to
my partner's dismay. Dismantling an ancient church does sound like
the start of a horror movie. What did you do

(03:51:11):
with the pieces? Reassembled them here in the sub basement
of this building. That's wow, the whole thing it wasn't
whole after so long. Unfortunately, I salvaged what I could
and have been trying to figure out how to fill
in the gaps for over a decade. It's a problem
I was hoping to speak with Kesha about. Actually, I

(03:51:33):
want to bring her in. I've never had an employee
with such talent to fill in the gaps, Bronson repeated.
Hind smile slipped in what appeared to be genuine hurt
over the implication. He put a hand on Bronson's shoulder
and gave him a gentle shake of his head. What
do you notice about all these pieces, he asked. Bronson

(03:51:55):
pondered on them. There's no metal, that's correct, Hind clapped
with a small chuckle. These people, whoever they were, built
metropolises while the rest of the world was still living
in cages. If they hadn't died out, there's no telling
how much further advanced we'd be as a species now

(03:52:16):
understanding them, revealing their brilliance and intelligence to the world.
That will be something that lasts longer than any building
I've ever created.

Speaker 2 (03:52:26):
How did they?

Speaker 1 (03:52:27):
Bronson was interrupted by a pounding on the door. Hind
stomped toward the center of the room, his body stiffened
at the strangeness of the intrusion. Who is it, he shouted.
The door swung open. A disheveled man stumbled into the
room and slammed it behind him. He fiddled with the
locks before rushing behind. Bronson eyed him suspiciously. It was Halloween,

(03:52:53):
but something bothered him about the man's costume. He wore
a tattered, bloody toga the gold laurels and his gray
hair were bent in askew. He appeared to be dressed
as Caesar. After the surprise party, the man grabbed Heine's
jacket and attempted to pull the much larger man close.

(03:53:13):
I knew you'd be here if you weren't at the party.
I need you, Jerry. It was Robert's stupid idea. It's
always his stupid ideas. Bronson stepped away from the two
and nodded to the door. It was clearly business related,
and he wanted to get back to Kesha anyhow. She
was probably tired of telling everyone who she'd come dressed as,
and it wouldn't make as much sense without her Leprechaun.

(03:53:36):
Heine signaled for him to stay. Whatever terrible business decision
Robert made, this time he can afford to correct. Heine said,
you worry too much, Gleeson. Bronson stiffened. The girl in
the ocean costume was Gleeson's secretary. That's what the intern
had said. He wasn't sure why that bit of information
made his blood go cold. He thought about the woman again.

(03:54:01):
Something had been wrong with her costume. He almost had
it when Gleeson started shouting, again, fuck the business, Gerard,
this isn't about the company, It's about that. Gleason jabbed
a finger toward the door. I didn't want anything to
do with it, Robert insisted. He thought it would impress
them your fancy fucking temple. He said, they'd feel like

(03:54:23):
princesses are some shit? Who this time it was Hind
with a fistful of fabric as he lifted Gleeson off
the floor. Who did he take there? The secretary? My secretary?
Gleeson looked around, the nerdy one with the tits. We
were going to fool around, you know how Robert is.

(03:54:43):
He brought the three bimbos along. He told them it
was the pre party. I've been stuck down there with
them all goddamn day in your stupid tomb. I'm afraid
I have to deal with this. Heind dropped Gleeson to
the floor. Perhaps you can speak to Kesha. Have you
both down for a tour without imbecilic interruptions? Yeah, that'd

(03:55:05):
be cool. Bronson backed toward the door. I should really
go find her anyway. She's probably getting pissed. Bronson found
his way to the elevator and chewed the inside of
his jaw while he waited for the car. Fake blood
was his business, no matter how real it looked. The
smell was always wrong, so why could I smell it

(03:55:28):
for real? On Gleason's toga, he asked himself, as if
the pants weren't tight enough. The whole scene with Gleason
had made his ass chew up any slack they had
to spare. The elevator opened and he stepped inside, pushing
the button for the floor below. The three bimbos had
to be the Emoji triplets, he thought. His stomach soured.

(03:55:50):
What did Julius slee'sball mean? He'd been trapped with them
all day? I just saw them and the secretary, Hell,
everyone saw her. They didn't look like they'd been in
some dingy ancient temple all day. They damn sure didn't
look like the hot ness that Gleeson was. Why the
fuck did the blood smell real? In the quick trip down,

(03:56:13):
Bronson made up his mind to grab Kesha and get
the hell out of there. Bronson gasped at a glimpse
of his reflection in the parting doors. He stepped out
and waved for them to hurry up and close. Again,
he stared at himself, this time, his chest tightened. Experience
told him he was right, But if he was right,

(03:56:36):
he needed to find Bee. Bronson scanned the crowd, but
there was no ocean in the Cleveland Highrise. One of
the emojis, the Angry one, buzzed through the crowd. A
glass broke and someone swore. Another person shouted a threat back.
Bronson needed a better vantage point. He jogged to the
fountain and pulled himself up by the ancient deity's body.

(03:56:59):
A Malibuqi was in a shoving match with Dracula. Bronson
ignored them. B was all that mattered. The Devil emoji's
giggle carried over the crowd noise. Two of the partygoers
were sucking each other's tongues while their dates looked on disapprovingly.
Tom's camo pants were around his ankles as he stormed

(03:57:19):
Barbie's dream house over one of the uncomfortable barstools. Bronson
spun back to the fight. More people were pushing each
other now, Stewart and Mark were taking turns kicking the
shit out of a klingon. One of the Jasons was
being choked out by Jeanette's golden lasso. The last of
the interns, the Sad emoji, moved through the fray, lightly

(03:57:41):
dragging a finger across a wolfman's cheek. He squeezed the
champagne glass in his hand until it broke. Bronson flinched,
but the werewolf didn't, not even when he drove the
stem through his own eye socket. The pushing turned into
a riot. The other side of the room had broken
down into an orgy, and in both crowds, sobbing revelers

(03:58:03):
found inventive ways to kill themselves. All three groups screamed
in their own ways. The three emojis cackled over the
din of death and ecstasy. Bronson spotted Kesha stumbling trance
like toward Esteban. The pirate had dropped his cutlass to
unsheathe his sword. Kesha ripped his frilly shirt open, tearing

(03:58:25):
furrows in his chest with her nails. Bronson jumped down
from the fountain and charged to tackle Esteban. Before he
could plunder the booty, a feral shriek pricked Bronson's ears
a moment before someone plowed bodily into him, and they
both crashed through a table together. Prefect Landing Carly meowed
and licked Bronson's face. Don't worry, I've been spade. This

(03:58:51):
is not fucking happening, Bronson tried to shove the cougar
off of him. She bit into his cheek until her
teeth scraped bone. Bronson managed to roll over, and the
kitty quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. Her nails
clawed at the heavy fabric of his jacket. Carly pulled
her head back, taking most of his prosthetic cheek and

(03:59:11):
part of his real one with her. She winked at
him while she swallowed it. What's the matter, sugar that
the first time the pussy hu She gripped his throat
and purred, you'd be lying if you said you didn't
want this cougar. Bronson slipped the sack of prop gold
from his pocket and used it like a sap to

(03:59:32):
knock her unconscious. Even out cold, she still gyrated against him.
He pried her legs apart and wriggled from their grasp.
He ran over and swatted Esteban's hand with the sack
as he peeled off Kesha's top. No need to cock block,
Esteban rubbed his hand. I could use a first mate,

(03:59:53):
a hoist sailor. Kesha wrapped her arms around Bronson's neck.
You can scuttle me together. I'll take the aft. Maty
Esteban grabbed Kesha by the hips the fuck you will,
Bronson swung his girlfriend to the side and cracked Esteban
across the jaw. The pouch busted on impact, showering his

(04:00:13):
unconscious body with lute. Looks like you found me gold
Captain Jack. Kesha's tongue played along Bronson's ear. He pushed
her back and shook her Now is not the time,
and these are not the goddamn pants. He looked around
at the chaos. We need to get away from the
three emotic cunts so you can snap out of this.

(04:00:34):
Bronson pulled her arm and dragged her away. Where are
we going, she whined. There's a perfectly good table to
fuck on right there. I'm too horny for all this walking.
There's a better table over here. Bronson pulled harder. I
just don't want an audience that sounds dull, the angry
emoji said, as she stepped in front of him. Everything

(04:00:56):
is more fun in a crowd, But if the leprechaun
doesn't want to get lucky, there is an alternative. The
blade sank deep into his shoulder and he whirled around,
barely stopping short of punching his attacker. What the fuck, Kesha,
He shouted, Sex and death are the foundations of a
great party, The emoji growled behind him. Foundations. A light

(04:01:20):
bulb clicked in Bronson's mind. He caught Kesha's wrists as
she lunged to Claw's face. She struggled to break free,
and he ducked to scoop her over his shoulder. She
twisted the knife still lodged in his back, trying to
free it for another attempt. As they hit the middle
of the room, her hand moved from the hilt to

(04:01:40):
caress his back. Sensually, that made sense. Whichever emoji chick
was closest would influence Kesha's behavior. Bronson stepped backwards until
she tried for the knife again, and then immediately went
forward until she started with the foreplay. He stopped between
the two points. What's going on? Bronson? Put me down?

(04:02:02):
She demanded. He did, but made sure not to let
her step out of the safe zone. Kesha crossed her arms,
quickly realizing she was topless. She covered her nipples with
her palms and looked around at the literal fucking chaos
occupying one half of the room and the ultra violence
on the other What is happening? She threw her hands

(04:02:25):
into the air and then immediately brought them back down
to cover up. And why are my titties out? Esteban
took your top off? Bronson said, matter of factly, the
murder suicide orgy thing is because of the interns. Goddamn
sorority girls are always causing trouble. She mumbled. We need
to find b Bronson said, Oh, we do. Kesha huffed.

(04:02:49):
If this is about Esteban, I don't know what he
was thinking. I told him that was a one time deal.
It doesn't have an Wait, you actually fucked Esteban? Why
tents before we were together, before we were serious, Kesha shrugged.
What does that matter right now? It doesn't. He turned

(04:03:10):
toward the elevator. Oh fuck me, exactly my plan. Carly said,
Anger and the Devil joined her on either side. Anne
crawled in front of them on all fours. The ass
of her PJS was torn open and blood stained, her teeth,
indicating that she'd had fun on both halves of the room.
She licked her lips and yipped like a puppy. We

(04:03:34):
want your lucky charms, Bronson. She started to pant, What
the hell is going on here, Kesha whispered in his ear.
It's called a party, you dumb bitch, the sad emoji said,
as she joined the others blocking their escape. You don't
seem to like our treats, so how about a trick.

(04:03:54):
She patted Anne's head and the accountant, sprang from the
floor and charged not at them, but passed them. She
barked wildly as she sprinted across the room and threw
herself through the floor to ceiling window. Bronson spun and
shoved Kesha ahead of him. Someone clapped their hands and
another person whistled. The party animals stopped their recreation of

(04:04:16):
the entire Kamasutra and turned their attention to the fleeing
couple across the room. The brawlers disengaged from one another
in a similar fashion, stop them. The interns shrieked in unison.
Bronson spotted Hine's escape route, but Kesha was too far
ahead of him to get her. He passed it and

(04:04:36):
tried to catch up. The crotch of his pants ripped
from his waddling gait. Finally freeing up his movement, he
stumbled and nearly fell into the middle of a disentangling gangbang,
but turned it into a diving roll that looked mostly intentional.
He regained his footing and followed Kesha down a corridor.
The mobs swarmed the narrow passage on their heels with

(04:04:59):
makeshift weapons and swollen sex organs. As the powers of
the interns converged into an insatiable, bloodthirsty lust. Where are
the stairs, Bronson shouted here. Kesha hit the crash bar
and toppled through the doorway, nearly going over the guardrail beyond.
Bronson spilled in behind her and pushed the door closed

(04:05:19):
as fast as he could against the hydraulic hinge. The
crowd pressed against the other side. The door started inward.
Bronson put his feet on the guardrail to brace it.
Push harder. Kesha demanded, maybe if you hadn't stabbed me,
that's not fair. I don't even remember stabbing you. You
remember Esteban stabbing you, though, Bronson grumbled, as the door

(04:05:41):
started to open again. Take off my belt, not this
shit again, Kesha sighed. Not for that, Bronson said, in
a strangled voice. Tie the handle to to the bracket
up top to bias time. Oh she did what she
was told, and the door jutted open a few inches,
but held firm hands lashed through the gap. Bronson sidled

(04:06:05):
past them, and the couple descended the stairs, only to
be greeted on the next landing by Winslow. His cheap
mustache dangled from the corner of his blue lips, and
his bloodshot eyes stared up at the ceiling. Kesha prodded
his chest with her foot, causing water to spurt from
his mouth. I think he drowned, she said, in a

(04:06:28):
fucking skyscraper. Bronson shook his head. It was b Why
are you so hung up on Bee? All this supernatural
weirdness is happening and you're getting jealous. You're the one
that brought up Esteban, she said, Were you possessed by
an evil emoji? At the time, Bronson reached behind him

(04:06:49):
and jerked the knife out of his shoulder. This is
not your fault. Cheating on me was right now. We
have thirty eight flights of stairs to climb down, and
all your our coworkers are trying to kill us and
fuck us in no particular order because they've been brainwashed
by the sorority house of a thousand corpses, So excuse
the hell out of me, but we will talk about

(04:07:11):
that shit later. The sound of the horde battering the
door ceased. Shit. Bronson held his breath. That's bad, bad,
They gave up. They're probably banging in the hall again,
or they're taking the elevator so they can get ahead
of us. We need to get to the temple in

(04:07:32):
the basement temple. Kesha raised an eyebrow. What does Jerry's
pet project have to do with this? Bronson? Tell me
what's going on. Bronson didn't bother. He was two flights
down before she started running after him. They hit the
twenty seventh floor when the door banged open above them,

(04:07:52):
a few whales let them know they were no longer
alone in the stairwell. Bronson thought about the weight limit
of the elevator. The pozzes would have to come down
in groups, meaning a longer delay in the waves. As
they got further down, a door broke open two floors below,
and they took the next exit, running out into the
drafting department. No one was waiting for them. We need

(04:08:15):
to get to the elevators, Kesha said, they're using it.
Bronson reminded her we'll find a place to hide. Only
one elevator goes above the thirteenth Kesha wheezed, leaning on
a drawing desk to catch her breath. We're below that.
There are four more cars that go all the way
to the lobby, and then we can get the hell
out of here. Okay, yeah, that's good. Bronson spotted the

(04:08:39):
bank of elevators, but we're not leaving. He pushed the
call button and one of the elevators dinged. They moved
toward the parting doors when Robert Hart sprang on them.
The geezer swung his hard hat, flooring Bronson with the
first blow. He stood there with his flannel shirt open

(04:09:01):
over his liver spotted saggy torso. His pants were gone,
but he kept the costume's tool belt and work boots.
A throbbing erection led the way as he stepped forward
and put a domineering boot down on Bronson's chest. Kesha
heart growled. I thought I was the boss around here,
but it looks like you've given Bobby Junior a raise.

(04:09:24):
Looks like he's still coming up short. She fired back.
Let's see if you still feel that way when we're finished.
I even brought protection. He slipped the hard hat back
onto his head. He took the hammer from his tool belt.
Maybe I'll nail you to one of these desks. I
prefer my humps to stay STI aha. A hammer fell

(04:09:45):
from his hands as he rushed to grab the stump,
spurting among the silver pubic hair. He stumbled away, and
Bronson sat up, slapping the dismembered member away from him.
Heart backed into the wall and slid down it the
hyper sexual curse of the emoji, pumping blood to the
missing organ. The geriatric watched in horror as the nub
twitched with the final drips of his life. I guess

(04:10:09):
you lost custody of Bobby Junior. Kesha stomped on the
appendage and grounded into the carpet. Bronson picked up the
hammer and held it up to the light. Yeah thought so,
he said, showing it to Kesha. See the blood. So what?
We just left a riot upstairs? She said. Another elevator

(04:10:30):
dinged and the doors opened to an empty car. They
jumped inside and pushed the button for the lobby. As
a gang of maniacs burst into the room. The doors
closed and the car started down. They could hear the
fists beating against steel above them. Bronson gave her the hammer.
The blood is dry, he said, it's not from the party,

(04:10:53):
it's from the pre party. Him and gleasened through. They
rode down in silence. Bronson shuck off his costume, giving
the coat to Kesha to cover her breasts. He peeled
away the prosthetics last and glared at them mindfully. The
elevator chimed at the lobby. The couple crossed to the
maintenance door and descended down into the basement. Three drowning

(04:11:16):
victims and coveralls greeted them, but they didn't stop to
examine the bodies. B had been there, which meant Bronson
was right about the temple. Down in the sub basement.
Saltwater had flooded the area around the temple. Halagen lights
illuminated the structure. B waited for them on the stone
steps leading into the Holy Structure. B waited for them

(04:11:40):
on the stone steps leading into the Holy Structure. Twin
monoliths embedded with fossils of ancient sea life stood on
either side of the entrance. Jack O lanterns burned on
the steps, next to the scattered debris from Heart and
Gleason's private party, including a discarded sad Emoji. Cut Bronson

(04:12:02):
approached the secretary with his hands raised passively. I know,
he said softly. Be looked at him curiously. She didn't
stop him as he reached up and stroked her face,
smudging the makeup and revealing the scaled flesh below. You're
not be, he told her. He tugged at the wig,

(04:12:24):
pulling it away from the thinned head. I've done a
lot of makeup and prosthetics. You did a really good job.
The being stepped back and waved him into the temple.
Kesha ran quickly to his side, but kept her eyes
on the strange creature in the human costume. Its false

(04:12:45):
eyes didn't blink as it watched them go by. Inside
the temple, they found the first intern, blood stained the
wall where one of the degenerates had smashed her face
against it. The angry emoji still had her costume on,
but her head was a different story. A replica Roman

(04:13:05):
dagger laid in a gory pool next to her. Sadness
was slumped in the corner of the next room, wearing
only her bra wrapped tightly around her throat. They entered
the sacrificial chamber of the people that worshiped the sea,
and found the girl dressed like the ocean, sprawled on
the altar in the center of the room. A mosaic

(04:13:27):
of shells and colored stones showed the creatures coming out
of the waves to meet the chieftains of the ancient civilization.
A worn, barely identifiable statue of a humanoid fish held
an outstretched arm over the sacrifice. The other limb had
broken off long before Bronson walked on to the raised

(04:13:49):
ring that surrounded the table. Bits of skull were indistinguishable
from the broken seashells in Bee's bloody hair. Hart's hammer
had reduced her face to a caved in pulp. A
flash drew Bronson's attention to the corner of the room.
Gerard Hind puffed a cigarette to life and let the

(04:14:09):
lighter go out. Where's Gleason? Bronson asked. Hind blew a
spear of smoke from the corner of his mouth. He
chewed the air, trying to find words that tasted right.
Where is he? Bronson shouted, here, the voice whimpered, I'm here.

(04:14:33):
Bronson looked around, then up above them, Gleason dangled from
his wrists like bait on a hook. Bronson looked at
the massive CEO, who gave him a simple shrug instead
of an answer. The fake Bee entered the chamber. She
peeled away her dress, revealing her modeled platinum scales. These

(04:14:58):
are their gods, Hind explained, or they're devils. Can't have
one without the other. Really, a sacrifice was made here
and a prayer was answered, the fish person said. Apparently
they're not big on subtlety. Heine said, Be asked for vengeance,

(04:15:19):
and that's what she got. Not entirely, the entity corrected him.
We didn't do anything to her. Kesha cleared her throat
and lowered her voice. I mean all the rest of
us were innocent. No, we're not, Heind said. We all

(04:15:39):
knew what a leacherous piece of shit Robert was. He's
been using his position to force himself on women for years,
and we've all made it into a joke. He became
a cliche old pervert that everyone made fun of around
the water cooler while he went on doing whatever he wanted.
A malignancy starts small and spreads, the ancient creature said,

(04:16:03):
joining Bronson and Hind next to Bee's body, Robert Hart
became emboldened by your apathy. He did this because you
did nothing. So what happens now, Bronson asked, you chose
not to flee. You cared for this stranger. The being

(04:16:26):
rested a webbed hand on Bee's mauled face. You may
leave this place. I care about people, all of them,
Bronson corrected the deity, including the ones that haven't been
killed upstairs. I want everyone to leave. The thing glared

(04:16:47):
at him curiously. Everyone, well, not that motherfucker. Bronson pointed
up to the suspended Gleason. He can die agreeable terms,
but only if you are prepared to make a trade.
Bronson thought about it. He turned to Kesha and took

(04:17:08):
the hammer from her shaking hands. He stepped around the
altar and presented it to the Aquatic overlord. I killed
the other one, the one that did this, he said.
Neither he or this weapon will ever hurt anyone ever again.
This is what I have to trade. Not good enough.

(04:17:30):
The being stroked Bee's hair and gingerly lifted one of
the auger shell earrings. It worked the hook from her lobe.
You ask for many lives and bring me only one two,
Bronson said, sharper than he meant. No way, Pal Hind chimed,

(04:17:50):
I caught that twerp. The two of you will become
our priests. The creature seized Bronson by the back of
the neck and forced the ear ring through his lobe.
This will be the symbol of our pact. Hind leaned
on the altar so Bronson could see the other shell
dangling from his ear. This sacred day you call Halloween,

(04:18:11):
the creature continued. It is now our sacred day. You
will bring me more like Robert Hart and Philip Gleeson.
You will split their chests and give their black hearts
unto us. This is the trade for everyone. That's it.
Bronson molded around for a half a second and nodded. Deal. Now,

(04:18:38):
I feel bad, Heind said. I didn't even ask them
to let the rest of you go before I agreed.
Dick Kesha hissed, we're going to head out now, Bronson said.
He patted the fish god on the shoulder and tried
not to gag at the clammy moist texture. Happy Halloween.

(04:19:00):
Not yet, it caught him by the wrist. There is
still one matter. A shimmering body slithered through the shadows
at the base of the mosaic. Heavy thick skin scraped
stone as it moved around the room. The elongated fin
cast a fluttering shadow in the worklights. A bulbous yellow

(04:19:22):
eye shined a moment before the thing sprang from the darkness.
The thirty foot eel tilted its head and clamped down
on Gleason's kicking legs. The monster tore the appendages away
with its dual set of jaws. It snapped down for
another bite, leaving only the bounded hands still dangling overhead.

(04:19:45):
As it retreated out of the temple and into the
building's sub basement, the three humans exchanged shocked glances. The
deity clapped Bronson on the shoulder. Its maw spread to
reveal dozens of serrated teeth in a gesture Bronson recognized
as its terrifying attempt to smile. See you next year, Priest,

(04:20:13):
it said, and started out of the chamber. It paused
in the doorway. I forgot my manners. Happy Halloween to
you as well, and that is our October nightcap for now,

(04:20:36):
my spookies. Candy wrappers are strewn about, the moon is
still a little sketchy, and the shadows are closer than before.
If you had a wicked time, make sure you're subscribed
on your favorite podcasting app to get how lloween all

(04:20:57):
year long. And if you love what we're doing, head
toweeklyspooky dot com slash join and get bonus episodes for
as little as one dollar a month. And don't forget
Tomorrow a brand new horror story clause its way into
your feed, and next Tuesday we'll return with another spine
tingling Halloween horror compilation to keep you shivering in your

(04:21:22):
pumpkin spice latte. And leave us a review on your
favorite podcasting app, whether it's Apple Podcasts or Spotify to
help us in a way that doesn't cost you anything.
A five star rating helps other spookies discover the show
and make sure they get in the spirit of the season.

(04:21:43):
Until tomorrow, lock the doors, check the closets, and keep
a little candy by the bed just in case.

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9 Scary Halloween Stories — Headless Riders & Haunted Towns

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}9 Scary Halloween Stories — Headless Riders & Haunted Towns